Chapter 4. The Hogwarts Express.

When I got back to the shelter, the first thing I did was sort out my things. He did not unpack the various ingredients for potions – McGonagall warned that school supplies of this nature, i.e. fast-perishable, were placed with preserving spells so that they would not spoil prematurely. I didn't want to check whether it was true or not. In any case, I wasn't going to do potions at the orphanage.

I put all the books aside for reading. The professor said that the books on the list for Hogwarts have magic on them, which will not allow Muggles to show interest in them. According to her explanation, I realized that this is one of the types of maglo-repellent charms, which were invented more than three dozen for different situations.

From Orion's memory, Black knew that the best (easiest) way to become a master of enchantment was to come up with muggle – repellent spells for some occasion that had not yet been accounted for. An applicant with such a job automatically receives the support of the Ministry. Muggles are now developing very quickly, and new different charms to maintain the status of hiding magic requires a lot.

The statute in England was adopted in 1689, since then muggle-repellent charms have been a priority in terms of development. Actually, the ministry itself began with this statute. As a body that monitors compliance with this law.

After reading all the books for the first year in a few days, I was once again convinced that there would be nothing difficult in the first year of study. There were only a couple of mind trips and both potions. The Blackies were pretty good at transfiguration and enchantment, and I already knew more about many things than the textbooks gave me.

After reading everything, I put it in the trunk to be ready for school in advance.

On Diagon Alley, McGonagall paid for me everywhere, and I was never given any money, although at the very beginning the professor introduced me to the monetary system adopted in the magical world, warned me that in Gringotts you can exchange Muggle money for galleons, but today she will pay for everything.

There was no reason for me to get excited, just like that. It just seemed that the professors of Hogwarts from the very beginning begin to teach little wizards to be independent, and here it turns out the opposite. But never mind, next year I will receive a fixed amount of money in galleons and will do the shopping myself.

McGonagall gave me 9 sickles, said it was enough to get me from the orphanage to King's Cross Station, explained how to call the purple bus for wizards, and then settled down.

All my plans of popdance to take over the world came across different obstacles. I did not have powerful super magic of the cosmic level, super-beings in dreams did not visit and did not give any tasks. I'm Black Half-Blood, not Potter-Peverell-Slytherin-Gryffindor. Even if there is money in the Black bank accounts at Gringotts, I have no right to that money. So there is no money.

For the first couple of years, I'll be a little boy who no one takes into account, and therefore there will be no special authority. I have no family behind me, or even an ordinary family of wizards, and no one will stand up for me in case of any conflict. Once in Dumbledore's territory, I will belong to him in the areas of ideology, politics, finance and conscience.

The ideology and politics are all clear, I shouldn't go to Slytherin if I don't want problems. Not only will it not be very convenient at the faculty itself, but the Director will also want to use it in an unnatural way. No sexual background, just that I'll probably have to knock, which in turn won't add to my popularity.

Let Slytherin be the best faculty to make connections. The example of Tom Riddle, who gained weight on it without having any known relatives among the wizards, is illustrative. Just to spread the word that I'm a half-breed, to show good results in school, to take the initiative when it's required. Thus, you can first pick up the weak half-breeds, and then the purebloods will begin to take my opinion into account.

I wasn't afraid that the Blacks would find out about the half-breed and want to burn my blood out. They won't do it, the Blacks don't even have a clan head to perform such a ritual right now, and even if they did, it would be a risky move. From the memory of his ancestors, he knew that with full observance of the ritual when burning out the discredited family, there were cases when the burned-out person remained alive, and the head received a kickback and became a squib himself. The ritual is too dangerous, easier and safer to kill.

I didn't want to go to Gryffindor, even though it would be the easiest place for me to meet the chosen ones when the time came, but in this house I would be extremely vulnerable to Dumbledore's intrigues. The dean may not be such a big obstacle for the director if he wants to do something like this,but at least there will be some obstacle if something happens.

McGonagall does not follow the internal affairs of the faculty at all, judging by the canon. At the same time, the removal of litter from the hut is perceived as a personal insult, a stain on the reputation of the faculty. In the event of an internal conflict, I will become an outcast with a high probability. Dean vultures, as a rule, does not understand the situation and punishes everyone equally, while the snitch gets the appropriate reputation at the faculty.

Hufflepuff is good for everyone, but collectivism there takes on a forced character (the collective farm is a voluntary matter). If I'm secretive, I might become an outcast. It won't cause any serious problems, but for vultures and slugs, I'll be the first target for jokes and ridicule. Outcasts at school usually attract this kind of attention. There will be conflicts, and in the case of maintaining the spirit of collectivism, I will have to spend a lot of time on various nonsense, so as not to break away from society.

Ravenclaw is for singles, it will be difficult to find friends there. Not to say that I need a lot of friends, but I don't want to stay without them.

I didn't like any of the faculties.

But all this is nonsense, the faculty chooses the hat, and my opinion is only taken into account, so it is useless to worry about the choice. In Dumbledore's territory, I will be completely at his mercy. The best solution is not to attract attention. I wish I could do that with my face.

In the school itself, you will also need to do something. The fact that the school curriculum is one hundred percent prepared, this is not a reason to "kick the fool" for a whole year. Here I did not come up with anything new, I decided to go the well-trodden path of many popadants that were described in various fanfics – to start some project.

I was attracted to space expansion spells, higher enchantments such as patronus and hellfire, eternal transfiguration, artefactorics, especially in the area of concentrator creation, runes, and alchemy. There are many areas to explore. Your own project could help in a deeper study of some of them, while bringing some material profit. Herbology, as the easiest way to earn money, suggested itself.

I've already read somewhere about small portable greenhouses with expanded space, maintaining a certain climate inside, with state control charms and a bunch of other enchantments. The project looks quite harmless and gives a constant legal inflow of funds.

It was also in the plans to surround the rescue room in its hypostasis of a garbage dump, but there were no high hopes for it. It is unlikely that there are many galleons and really useful and valuable things.

I didn't plan to look for horcruxes yet – as I already mentioned, I couldn't destroy them, and I didn't want to keep such a dangerous and compromising thing. Puzzle of the dark Lord's soul to collect-too. What the hell? A lot of fuss and hassle, and the exhaust from the effort spent can be very doubtful. That "performance" - the continuation of the story on Potteriana, which was written by the author of the franchise — is just an attempt to break from the set point. An attempt by the author, an attempt by the Potterian heroes, an attempt by the franchise itself. There, too, they tried to revive the dead antihero many times. I perceived this move as a step back in the plot – a completely stupid and useless action.

The future was hazy, but due to age, the colors were bright, it seemed that everything would be fine, even if it was obscure inside, but I would definitely come up with something. Let the orphan half-breed, but the father is alive, and everything will improve with time, and I'll be heir of an ancient family with a large Bank account, and yet you just need to study well and prepare for the events of the Canon, trying anywhere not much to climb.

Another of the plans was a special point to find a mate. The sooner I decided on it, the better — so I thought.

***

"Please, please, please, let it be Slytherin!"

"Gryf-fin-do-or!" the hat shouted, and it seemed to me that she had also blown her nose right on the top of my head or made some other discharge there.

When he woke up, he even touched his hair, expecting to find something, although it was already clear that this was just a dream.

On the first of September, I got up early, went out on the road, which was deserted due to the early time, and waved my wand.

After paying 9 shekels, he sat down on the seat and gripped the handrail tightly. They drove me to the station quickly, there was only one stop on the way, where an elderly witch with an unremarkable appearance, unknown to me, got off.

At the station, using the instructions given to me by Professor McGonagall, I had no trouble finding the column between platforms nine and ten, which was also the passage to the platform to the Hogwarts Express.

The train was already standing, despite the fact that I had arrived much earlier – it was still more than an hour before departure. Without jostling and noise, I went to the back of the train, where the first-year students usually went. After pushing his way into the empty compartment with a large trunk, he immediately put on his robes to hide his Muggle clothes. I might not be a ragamuffin, but it was obvious that my clothes were very modest. I shoved my luggage under the seat and stared out the window, watching the wizards and children gradually arrive.

About half an hour later, I had a traveling companion, Angelina Johnson. When I met the girl, I noticed that she was either a Muggle-born or a half-breed. I knew from the canon that she was going to Gryffindor. Dark skin, but the face is quite pretty, the nostrils are wide, but not huge, and the nose is not flattened, the lips are plump, but moderately, the eyes look straight. In the face, you could see features uncharacteristic of the Negroid race, whether it had Asians or Europeans in its ancestors.

I didn't make much of an impression on her, although I expected that with my face I would be at least interesting to all the girls at Hogwarts. This fact did not exactly hurt, but the complete lack of interest in his person was offensive.

Five minutes later, Lee Jordan, who had paid no attention to me after a brief acquaintance, broke into our compartment. He hadn't left Angelina for a minute since he'd first met her. At first, the girl really liked this attitude, but gradually such a siege began to weigh on her.

When Roger Davis asked to join us in the compartment, and everyone met a new fellow passenger, Angelina ran away from us on a far-fetched excuse to walk around the train.

— Who will enter where, what faculty? Lee asked as the object of his attention disappeared from the available space.

"I'd like to go to Ravenclaw," Roger said, " but Hufflepuff is fine.

"Hufflepuff?" — were you surprised.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Roger asked, puzzled.

"I'm told they're all stupid," Lee said dubiously.

"Hmm," Roger said.

"Where do you want to go, Blair?" Jordan asked me.

— I don't know, "I said," I don't really care where I'm going.

"Go to Gryffindor," Lee told me — " it's the best department.

"Who told you that?" Davis asked, his tone defiant.

"There are two guys here," Lee said evasively. "They're purebloods, sort of.

"I'm a thoroughbred, too," Davis said, " and I'm telling you, every department is good in its own way!"

"Were they red?" Davis asked.

"Well, yes," Jordan said.

"It's probably the Weasleys," Davis said in my direction. — I've heard that there are still two Weasleys coming to Hogwarts this year,twins. They were all Gryffindor students. They are reputed to be traitors to the blood and the first, most loyal followers of Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts.

— What are blood traitors?" I asked, though I probably knew more about the subject than anyone else present — "and what are the 'purebloods'?"

"A full — blooded wizard, when both his parents were wizards," Davis said simply. "And blood traitors are those who have broken an oath or committed a crime against magic," Roger said.

"Wait," I said, " what's the crime against magic, is it alive?"

"I'm not sure," Davis said, " no one knows, but some people believe it.

In fact, magic was very diverse, and even proven rituals and spells sometimes failed, or it manifested itself from some new, previously unknown side. An example of such a manifestation is the dark Lord's awada, which bounced off Harry Potter's forehead. There was no single and comprehensive theory of magic.

As for determining the purity of blood, there was generally a dark forest. I had done a little digging in Phineas Black's memory, and I knew the whole subject well for my age. A pure-blooded wizard is somewhat like a magick, a magical being, a representative of the magical race.

How does one differ from the other? A magician cannot live without magic, it is his essence, lish, and he will die. The blood will begin to break down, the body will age quickly, become physically weak – any cold will immediately bring it down. Any magick who has lost his essence will not live a week. Most likely, he will kill himself if this happens – so as not to suffer, or relatives will kill as a last favor.

A mage who loses his magic, due to a rollback or cutting off from the magic of the clan, or even burning out blood, has a fairly high chance of survival. But, as elsewhere, there are exceptions. A pureblood, even if he survives, will prefer to die, such torments he will feel: constant physical pain, illness, deformity. For a pureblood, it is acceptable if he received a rollback only from the magic of one parent. If there was no crime against the very essence of magic, then another kind of magic will simply replace, make up for the loss of some of the magical connections.

From all this, I realized that magic accumulates over time in the blood, in the genes. Some kind of magical genes appear. Although they themselves are, rather, the consequences of the use, and not the cause of the appearance of mystical forces.

Now, a pure-blooded mage is someone who will die from the loss of magic, in this he is similar to magicians. A Muggle-born person differs in that when he loses his magic, he will practically not feel any changes in his body, in this sense he is closer to Muggles. With half-breeds and the degree of pureblood with such a system of definition, everything is very difficult. To accurately determine the degree of pureblood according to this original system, you need to deprive the magician of magic and see what happens to him. Died — then a thoroughbred, was. Crooked, warped, became very bad-it means a half-breed. Normally it's slightly poplohelo — magocracy or acquired. But it is clear that no one defines this way, so there are many speculations and other misunderstandings with these definitions.

Davis hesitated, trying to say something special, but after a while he admitted that he was not very good at this topic, and with the modern system adopted by the ministry, when a child born to two magicians, regardless of which generation, is considered pure-blooded, it is already unclear how to determine the degree of pureblood. All of the twenty-eight sacred ones are considered pure-blooded only by the third generation of magicians at least, or even from the seventh, depending on the specific family.

Lee Jordan and I have become familiar with the degree of differentiation of wizards by pureblood and all the confusion that is observed in it. When Angelina Johnson returned, our conversation quickly faded away.

I didn't go on the train, Angelina came back all disheveled, it was clear that something had happened. I didn't ask about anything, you never know what? I'll start to get into the soul, and it turns out that she has quarreled with someone, then I will either have to get involved for her, or I will look like a very tactless person who meddles in other people's affairs.

The four of us drove to Hogue, and Angelina was used to Lee's manner and just tolerated him, firmly and reliably identifying the guy in the friend zone. I, having understood that I am not interested in the girl yet, decided not to bother her, and I don't really like such darkies myself, not as a serious option — that's for sure.

It was dark when they reached Hogsmeade Station. Hagrid gathered us on the platform and led us down a dark path, everything as in the canon: the lake, the boats, "get down", "I brought the freshmen".

I was one of the first to be assigned, and the Hat didn't know where to put me. As I understand it, if there is no doubt, the artifact calls the faculty immediately, but if there is doubt, then the dialogue begins.

"Hmm, where do you want to go, young man?" hat started her hurdy-gurdy.

"I don't know," I said to myself, " maybe Slytherin."

— Why Slytherin?" the hat asked.

"My father is Black, and most of them were Slytherin students," I said, forgetting my own wishes and plans.

"You have a certain ambition, but you are a little straightforward in character," said the hat. — Specifically, your father was a Gryffindor student.

"But I don't want to go to Gryffindor," I said.

"Yes," said the hat, " Gryffindor doesn't suit you very well either. You don't feel able to stand up for someone without looking back, you are too circumspect. Hufflepuff? No — "said the hat to itself," you are too lazy for this department. That leaves Ravenclaw, "said the hat," I can see your precocious mind, I can sense your talent for learning new things, and this is the department you'll be most comfortable in."

"Ravenclaw! the hat announced.

My tie changed color to bronze and blue, and I went to my desk, taking a seat at the beginning, closer to the faculty table, where the freshmen were supposed to sit.

Angelina Johnson went to the Gryffindor table, and Lee Jordan followed her.

Roger Davis got on Ravenclaw and sat down next to me.

"Well," I thought,"at least someone will be familiar."

The feast passed me by. I was so tired that I started nodding off quickly, so everything after the distribution went almost unconsciously. Before going to bed, he noted who was located where and immediately fell asleep. My heart was warm and bright.