Harry's a she

POV: Arcturus Regulus Black

The last traces of summer were fading as the Hogwarts Express prepared to depart from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The platform was a maze of excited students and their families, all rushing to board the train. Arcturus Regulus Black stood apart from the others, an island of calm in the sea of chaos.

It was his first year at Hogwarts. Unlike the other students, many of whom had already spent a year or more at the school, Arcturus was just beginning to navigate the labyrinth of wizarding politics, traditions, and power.

As a late arrival, he felt an unfamiliar sense of discomfort as he surveyed the platform. There was excitement in the air, yes, but it was not something that stirred in him. Instead, a quiet sense of foreboding gnawed at the edges of his thoughts.

He glanced at the other students around him. Some faces he recognized from his brief exposure to the wizarding world before his arrival at the train station, others were unknown to him.

But one thing was clear: Hogwarts was a place of immense power and influence, and Arcturus intended to make his mark. The question was, how?

His eyes flickered briefly to the Weasley family—Holly Potter among them. Even after a year of hearing about her, he still had little understanding of the girl who had survived the curse that killed her parents.

Holly Potter, the Girl Who Lived. The other students were drawn to her, and no doubt she felt the weight of their expectations. But Arcturus had no intention of becoming involved with her or the Golden Trio. He wasn't here to make friends. He was here to learn, to grow in power, and to navigate the delicate web of wizarding society. That was his focus. Power was everything in this world—there was no room for distractions.

His attention shifted back to the train as a whistle blew, signaling that departure was imminent. He could feel the weight of his situation pressing down on him. As a male in this matriarchal society, his role had already been carved out for him, whether he liked it or not.

The Black family's legacy was a powerful one, but it came with expectations he wasn't sure he was ready to meet. His very status as a pure-blood male was both a blessing and a curse.

His family's power gave him a certain privilege, but it also meant that he was bound by rules that most were not.

Arcturus took a deep breath, pushing the discomfort aside. There was no use dwelling on it now. He would simply have to find a way to rise above it all.

As he made his way toward the train, his eyes fell on a group of students standing together near the platform's entrance. Among them was a tall redhead with freckles—Ronda Weasley, he thought.

She was talking with Holly Potter, who was animatedly explaining something to her. Arcturus didn't know Ronda well, if not, at all; he only knew another version of her he read in a novel in his past life.

He didn't have much interest in her, nor in the others, but it was clear she was another student with her own role to play in this strange world. That of Holly Potter's friend and potentially one of the saviors of this world.

The sight of the Weasley family made something stir within him, but it wasn't something he was willing to entertain.

He was here for his own reasons. Friendship, camaraderie—it all seemed so unimportant in the grand scheme of things. He was determined to carve out his own path, one that wasn't influenced by the choices of others or his own condition as a male.

Arcturus boarded the train, choosing a compartment at the far end. The train was already starting to fill with students, but he preferred to be alone for now. He stowed his bag on the overhead rack and settled into his seat, staring out the window at the fading figure of the platform.

He knew that the year ahead would be full of challenges—some expected, some not—but he was prepared.

This was his chance to find his place in the world of magic, and he would not squander it.

Meanwhile, outside the train...

Holly Potter stood with her friends, her mind racing with thoughts of the year ahead. The past summer had been a whirlwind, and now, with the train about to depart, she felt a sense of nervous excitement.

The Burrow had been her refuge after the chaos of her first year at Hogwarts, and she had been grateful for the warmth and love of the Weasley family.

But now, back at the platform, surrounded by familiar faces and the buzz of the approaching term, it was clear that another year was about to begin, one filled with uncertainty.

Her gaze flicked toward the train as students began to board. It was strange, knowing that this year would be different from the last.

There would be no more unexpected battles, no more surprises… or so she thought. She had little idea that this year, more than any other, would bring significant changes—not just to her life, but to the lives of everyone around her.

In the compartment, Arcturus...

Arcturus let out a slow breath, watching the Hogwarts Express begin to pull away from the station.

His journey had begun, and he knew that the world of magic would not be kind to those who did not adapt quickly. He had to grow stronger. More powerful. He had to rise above the constraints of this society, no matter what.

But he could already feel the stirrings of something strange in the air. There were hidden currents of change swirling around Hogwarts, and Arcturus had no idea just how much his presence would disrupt the course of events yet to unfold. In time, he would learn that nothing—nothing—was as it seemed in this world.