As eleven o’clock drew steadily closer the two best friends were standing on platform 9 ¾ watching as their luggage was being loaded into the baggage car. Nicholas was in his usually buoyant mood, a ball of unreserved energy that seemed ready to bounce off of the walls if gravity wasn’t keeping him firmly grounded. Peter in contrast was calmly sedate, his hands behind his back watching a pair of first year students saying their good byes to tearful parents.

He glanced behind him at his Grandmother, the old woman seemed puzzled but as she turned her head in the direction of the tearful parents, a flicker of understanding flashed into her eyes. She gave him a reassuring smile and went back to directing the baggage handler on the proper treatment of bags labelled fragile.

The indomitable woman, short and robust in stature, with her mostly silver hair falling in waves around her lined face didn’t have the appearance of authority, but there was no doubting she radiated it. He remembered back when he had been younger and on the receiving end of her temper, and he grinned in sympathy at the baggage handler.

Mister Jensen was leaning back watching her with bemusement, the middle aged Canadian wizard seemed more than content to let her handle the situation, hands in his pockets and a lopsided grin on his face.

Nicholas nudged him to get his attention, “Here comes his lordship.” He said nodding to the far end of the platform.

Peter looked and immediately shuddered in recognition. The gaunt youth surrounded by retainers swept onto the platform didn’t look like much upon first glance. A pale and pasty faced young man with spiked red hair and a bored expression. But the retainers around him rushed to carry out his every whim, even going so far as to fall over themselves to do things for him.

“Xander Coleville,” Peter said with a reluctant sigh, “I thought he was going to Dusemdung this year.”

Nicholas shook his head, “We’re not that lucky, another year with the Dark Lord in Training, I wonder if they’ll let him have another house elf after last year?”

Peter couldn’t help but grin; Nicholas had taken great delight in teaching Coleville’s last house elf “the song that never ends” much to the dismay of the self proclaimed Slytherin heir apparent. No one knew exactly what happened to the House Elf when they had found Coleville standing over a particularly suspicious looking pile of ash. Professor Snape would have suspended him had he not been as relieved as the rest of house Slytherin to finally put a stop to the endless singing.

Peter rolled his eyes as his short friend, “You have a cruel streak in you, you sure you’re not a Slytherin spy?”

Nicholas grinned, “Nah, Snape would have tossed me out on day one.” The blonde Gryffindor stuck his hands in his pockets mirroring his father, “’sides they have no sense of humour in Slytherin.”

“All aboard!” The conductor bellowed from the far end of the train, and there was a rush of goodbyes and tearful hugs from the parents and children all along the platform.

Peter found himself pressed into a tight embrace with his grandmother; he was going to miss the old witch that had been his sole companion for most of the summer. She stepped back and he saw the glistening of moisture in her eyes.

“Have a good year and I will see you at Christmas, you’re father should be home then.” She brushed down the battered green jacket he was wearing, picking off imaginary lint from the lapel, “Make me proud this year.”

Peter smiled at her, finally letting go, “Ravenclaw will win the house cup this year I promise.”

Nicholas wasn’t faring as well, his father was giving him a last minute lecture on rules, “No pranks, no staying out past curfew, no turning first years into wine goblets…”

“Yes Dad.” He kept repeating looking like he would rather just be on his way.

“Because your mother spent a fortune on Howlers last year.” His father continued, as they walked to get on the train carriage.

“Yes Dad,” Nicholas repeated his mantra as they boarded the train.

“Wait!” the young woman’s scream called out, as a girl sprinted along the platform pushing a cart of baggage in front of her as the train began to move. Her long brown hair flowed out behind her as she tried to catch up.

Grandmother Watt’s gave her a compassionate look, and looked up at Peter standing in the carriage door. He nodded and Nicholas’s father sprang into action running alongside the train he began to unload the girls trolley into Peter’s ready hands, who in turn passed the baggage back to Nicholas, who dropped it onto seats behind him. The large heavy trunk was a problem, until Peter’s grandmother had simply waved her wand and apparated the trunk into the carriage.

But they were running out of platform as the train gathered speed, and mister Jensen picked up the young woman and continued to run, finally handing her off to Peter at the last moment.

There was enough time for a final wave, before Peter slammed the carriage door and their Journey to Scotland began.

Elisabeth “Libbet” Mink flopped down onto one of the seats and smiled her thanks at the two boys. “I thought I had missed the train.” She said in her musical voice. The young Hufflepuff gave them both the once over, she was in the same year as Nicholas, and they were good friends.

“You weren’t in Diagon alley yesterday,” Nicholas said as he fell into the seat next to Peter, rummaging in his backpack for a sandwich, he had an appetite to match his energy level.

“No,” Libbet replied catching her breath after her mad dash before she attempted to stow her bags that were piled between the two seats, “My mother went though, I had to baby sit my little sister.” Her eyes sparkled as she adjusted her round glasses that framed her bright eyes.

“Did you have a good summer?” Peter asked, he had met Libbet several times over the last year and he liked the Hufflepuff, even if she other classmates had branded her as weird. She had a thing for all types of furry creatures, despite a powerful allergy to them. She spent most of her free time either helping Hagrid the gamekeeper, or in the menagerie learning more about them. But then Huffelpuffs were renown for being a little odd.

She gave a shy smile, “I helped out in my Dad’s vet’s office.” Her father was a muggle and quite content to be a part of “Normal” society. Her mother on the other hand was somewhere in the rainforest cataloguing new magical species for the ministry of magic. “It was odd, Milton Keynes is about as opposite to Hogwarts as you can get. I’m glad to be going back.”

***

They were all settled in and enjoying the trip, Nicholas regaling Libbet with stories about how his father had taken him for a canoe trip to meet the Haida Indians, and the Huffelpuff was listening in abject fascination to him describe the ancient culture.

Like in England there was a perfectly healthy and thriving magical culture lying beneath the sight of muggles, and there were even schools there teaching the ancient shamanic arts to Canadian mages. But there were still those, like Nicholas’s father, who believed that a traditional school of magic was the way to go.

Libbet nodded, “So they carve totem poles to guard their houses?”

Nicholas winced, “Yeah, there was this really old one that I accidentally knocked over and it kinda hit another hut, but my Dad fixed it.”

“You’re a menace,” Peter said not looking up from his book, continuing to turn the pages, he liked to familiarize himself with his textbooks before the school year began, it would be nice to know what he would be studying.

Nicholas continued on with his story, Peter only half listening to it as he found himself beginning to drift off to sleep…

“Hey what kind of car is that?” Nicholas’s question sounded odd and Peter opened one eye to look out of the window.

“Oh that’s a Ford Anglia,” he said closing his eye again and shifting to go back to his nap.

Both his eyes suddenly snapped open as he took a second look at the flying blue car with a vaguely familiar Griffindor hanging out of it.

“Potter’s at it again,” Libbet observed, and she turned to Nicholas, “What is it with you Gryffindors?”

“Hey,” Nicholas said defensively, “I have never done that! My dad wouldn’t let me touch his car, let alone figure out how to make it fly.”

The car wavered in the air as Potter was pulled back into it by his friend Ron, and everyone in the train carriage relaxed in relief. Peter shook his head, “Well they’re breaking at least a dozen ministry laws, about as many school rules and Snape is going to have an apoplexy when he finds out.”

Nicholas grinned, “Yeah, ain’t it cool?”

Libbet rolled her eyes, “Only you would find breaking the rules cool.” She adjusted her skirt as she shook her head at the grinning Canadian, “And I wouldn’t recommend trying to top that.”

“I wasn’t…” Nicholas said, his face a mask of pure innocence.

Peter shook his head; only Nicholas would consider the stunt Potter had just pulled off a challenge. It was as if he thrived on mischief and went out of his way to cause as much of it as he could. Peter had learned over the course of forming a friendship with the rebellious Griffindor that Nicholas genuinely was well intentioned just a little too enthusiastic, it was that enthusiasm that got him into trouble.

“Do you know who the prefect selections are going to be this year?” Libbet asked changing the subject in an effort to distract Nicholas.

Peter shrugged, “We will find out at the sorting ceremony, all the prefect letters went out with the book lists and so they’ve already been selected. I know Percy Weasley of Griffindor is up for one, but that’s a given Perfect Prefect Percy has a nice ring to it don’t you think?”

Libbet giggled, “He’s not perfect, he just tries really hard. What about from RavenClaw it had to have been a close one right, you scored the most house points last year for your house.”

Peter shook his head, “Maggie Chiang has better marks on her N.E.W.T.’s than I did, it wouldn’t surprise me if she had got it, or the captain of the Quiddtich team Denis, he’s popular with the staff.”

Libbet nodded, “Well I still think you had a good chance, its one girl and one boy from Fifth year, two each from Sixth and Seventh as well, right?”

Peter nodded, closing the book that he had forgotten in his lap, “yeah. We’ll find out today, but as I said I wasn’t chosen so there’s no point in sulking about it.”

***

They climbed the stairs leaving their baggage in the hall for the house elves to sort and put into their rooms. Peter felt relieved to be back inside the great castle walls, this was home to him. As much as he had loved spending time in the Lake District, this was where he could be himself.

He stepped aside as a pair of third years dashed up the stairs, Kyle a Griffindor and Quinn a RavenClaw they appeared to be in a great hurry to get to the sorting ceremony. And Peter remembered what he had been like just a couple of years ago, eager and excited to be back in Hogwarts, to see all his old friends again.

He grinned as he entered the great hall through the massive double doors; nodding to Libbet and Nicholas he took his place with the rest of his housemates. The sorting ceremony would take awhile, each student being introduced to the magic hat and shuffled off to a house that would decide the course of their school career and ultimately their lives.

“Not quite as exciting as last year,” Denis, Ravenclaw’s Quidditch Captain remarked adjusting his baseball cap on his head, he was another Canadian student and a fifth year like Peter. He was one of those people that had an affable personality and a kind smile. People just gravitated towards him, and he always appeared so relaxed. It was his keen eye for Arithmacy that made him a RavenClaw.

Peter smiled, last year had been special, each of the houses holding their breaths to see who would get Harry Potter added to their midst. This year there was no resident celebrity in the ranks of first years who looked so scared and nervous. Heck there wasn’t even Harry Potter himself in the great hall, and Peter wondered if he had been expelled for his little stunt with the car.

As usual when the sorting hat began to speak, everyone quieted down to listen.

“Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me.”

“You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can top them all.”

”There's nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be.”

”You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;”

“You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil;”

”Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you've a steady mind,
Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind;”

“Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means To achieve their ends.”

“So put me on! Don't be afraid! And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none) For I'm a Thinking Cap!”

Peter chuckled to himself as the first years stepped forward for their sorting one by one they were divided up amongst the houses according to their traits. He had been so proud to make Ravenclaw, his father had been one, and old Grandmother Watts had been one back when she had been a student at Hogwarts. The best scholars were Ravenclaw, sharp and quick, and he had loved the time he spent in the loft tower overtop the library with his dusty books.

The sorting ceremony concluded and the houses divided it was time for introductions as each of the house masters made themselves known to the new students. A time of welcoming and Peter kept a broad grin on his face as he shook hands with a group of intimidated young students who he easily towered over.

“Was I ever that short?” Denis quipped pushing his hat back from his eyes and grinning over at him.

Peter frowned, “No, you were shorter.”

Professor Flitwick, almost as tall as the shortest of the new Ravenclaw students waddled up and shook hands with each of them, peering through his glasses in an effort to familiarize himself with faces he would forget in a few hours. The old Charms professor was a likable man, always sparing kind words, but horrifically absent minded.

He stopped when he came to Peter and Denis, “Ahhh yes,” he murmured in a voice that always reminded Peter of cracking parchment, “I must introduce my new Prefects to the house,”

Filius Flitwick smiled warmly at Maggie Chiang, “You,” he reached up to brush the coveted badge with his gnarled fingers, “You have earned this.” He said with an absent smile.

Flitwick turned again, returning to Denis and Peter, “You are not wearing your badge,” he said in surprise, and Peter glanced at Denis, noticing that he indeed wasn’t wearing his badge.

Denis was giving him an equally puzzled look, and something made Peter instinctively reached into his pocket for where he had stuffed the crumpled letter his Grandmother had given him. He hadn’t bothered to read it.

As Flitwick watched he opened it, and the blue badge tumbled out into his hands. A large T' was superimposed on the Ravenclaw Raven. He felt the badge, lifting it up and looking at Denis in shock for confirmation.

The professor reached out and closed Peters hand around the badge, “It was a difficult choice,” he said after a moment as if still considering the two young men, “but I know that you both have earned your places in the house.” He smiled at Peter reassuringly, “but I am certain that you will wear this badge with pride.”

He stared down at it in shock, and he felt Denis clap him on the shoulder,

“Congratulations,” he said with a grin, “he’s right about you earning it. And this way you get to use the Prefects bathroom.”

Peter nodded, still dumbstruck as he affixed the badge to his coat lapel, squaring his shoulders. “Alright then,” he said turning back to the gaggle of wide-eyed first years, “we need to show you lot where you’re staying tonight.”

Maggie placed a guiding hand on the girls as Peter winked at her, for the next few days showing the first years around and making sure they settled in okay would be their job. And with the rest of the house in tow they led the way to the Ravenclaw common room over the library.