12 Hogwarts

For the past two weeks, I've spent most of my time training to master as many new spells as possible before we left for Hogwarts. It's amazing how the wand makes it easier to use magic, it's like all the energy that usually tries to go in all directions is channeled into one by the wand.

But I also realize that it diminishes the real control I have over the spell. It is only by feeling the magic flowing from my fingers and bending it with my mind that I really understands what the spell is doing, and I feel how it works. The wand is generally the equivalent of small wheels for a bike. It's useful when you learn to ride, but to really know how to ride a bike, you have to take them off at a time.

But now, things will start to get complicated. If nothing has changed from the original story, Voldemort will return in four years. And I'm not going to let him destroy my new life, or let the universe be eaten by an intergalactic octopus. For that, I'm going to have to come up with an infallible plan for each of the Horcruxes as well as for each of Voldemort's supporters in case one of my plans failed. I already have ideas for werewolves, and Styx can very easily destroy most Horcruxes who are not protected by a curse like Tom's diary, … or Harry.

This morning I got up a little earlier to enjoy the bathroom. I'm going to change my appearance a bit before I get to Hogwarts. I start by growing myself from the four feet and half I was before to a five and half feet tall. I don't think I need to change the features of my face from my veela's side is already making it look good. I erased the last vestiges of fat from childhood and give myself a nice athletic body. I'll have to test to see if I can alter the cellular structure of my muscles and skin to make them stronger than they should. It will make the acquisition of biology and medicine book a priority in the future. I already have some medical knowledge from books I read a few years ago, but nothing that allows me to go as far as restructuring the cellular structures of my body.

I hear someone knocking on the bathroom door behind me. "Sean, how long are you going to stay in there? I, too, would like to get ready to go to Hogwarts!"

I get dressed quickly and open the door to Susan, who sees me with my new appearance. She looks at me and I felt like her brain is overheating from the sheer quantity of information it has to process. She opens and closes her mouth at regular intervals like a goldfish, not knowing what to say.

"Yeah, I know, it's cheating. You can take the bathroom, you need it more than I do." Susan turns red with anger and starts screaming in the house.

"Aunt Elena! Sean is mocking me!"

I hear my mom screaming from the bottom of the stairs. "Sean, leave your cousin alone. We're going to be late!" Susan looks at me and pulls her tongue out before she goes into the bathroom. I just shrug and leave.

In my room, my suitcase is already packed. Everything is ready for my departure in Hogwarts for the next four months. I have with me in addition to my textbooks, a solid stock of Muggles books on advanced topics such as programming, chemistry, or medicine. I take my suitcase, which is quite heavy, with me and I go down the stairs that lead to the ground floor with some difficulty. I'm seriously gonna have to get the same suitcase as Newt Scamander.

I put it in front of the front door and go up to look for Styx's cage. He looks at me with its big eyes just before coming out to wrap around my neck as usual. I thought at first that I wouldn't have the right to take him with me, but Elena said that in my case, it's allowed.

When I sit at the table and have lunch with everyone. Arthur and Amelia are reading the newspaper while my mother is drinking a cup of tea while eating eggs.

"So are you nervous about your first day at Hogwarts?"

"Not really. I'm just looking forward to see what will happen this year."

"Well, try to bring us good grades and be attentive in class. If you have a good degree, I could get you a good job in the ministry." Amelia closes her newspaper and drinks a big sip of her tea.

"That's very nice, but I have other ambitions than to become a puppet of the ministry. I already have some short- and long-term plans for the future."

My dad raises an eyebrow, I never talked about what I wanted to do later on. "Well, anyway, work hard at school and you can do whatever you want later."

I let them say what they want and just take a few slices of bread and a slice of bacon in the bowl that Cooky, our house elf, just made appear on the table. Susan arrives about twenty minutes later with her hair well combed.

"It took you a while. A little longer and we were leaving without you." I can't help but tease her a little bit. The reactions of the children when they pout amuse me a lot.

"Come on, it's time to go. Do you have your tickets?" Susan and I are taking our tickets out of our pocket. "Perfect, everyone in the car then."

The whole family gets up to join the car of Amelia, an old black Jaguar from the 50s. We are relatively tight in the car and fortunately the ride is not very long otherwise it would quickly become annoying.

We park in a parking lot not far from the station and even before I get out of the car, I spot Hogwarts students with their big suitcases bearing their initials.

We enter King's Cross station while breaking through the crowd of people eager to catch their train. As we move closer to the 9 ¾lane, the number of wizards we encounter on the path increases. I see my aunt nodding her head at some people while we walk. When we arrive in front of the wall that serves as an entrance, I admit that I still have a certain level of apprehension to rush head first into a brick pillar.

"All right, kids. You're going straight ahead, and before you know it, you'll be on the other side. Come on, Sean, you go first." My mom gives me a little pat on the shoulder before she lets me go.

I take one last look at the wall before I close my eyes and run straight ahead. I have the vague sensation of feeling something taking the shape of my body before letting myself pass through. When I open my eyes, I find myself in another part of the station with in front of me the famous train that made young people dreamed for years. Behind me, I hear the rest of my family arriving.

"Well, you see, it wasn't that hard." Easy for her to say, she must have done it dozens of times.

A little further on, a group of people caught my attention. I see Harry and his parents surrounded by journalists taking pictures of them.

"Mr Potter, which house do you think your son will be sorted into?"

"Oh, a brave boy like him. He'll definitely be a Gryffindor."

"Harry, how do you see your first year at Hogwarts?"

"Full of success. My first goal this year will be to take back the four houses' cup from Slytherin. They have been undefeated for far too long, but that was before I arrived."

"If you gentlemen don't mind, it's time for Harry to take his train. That'll be all, thank you." I watch the reporters go crazy at the announcement of the end of the Potter's little press conference and start taking pictures of the family with their camera. I wonder where Rose is?

A hand lands on my shoulder and brings me back to reality." Sean, it's time, the train will be leaving soon. Here are a few Galleons to buy you sweets during the trip. Go now." I nod and she puts a kiss on my forehead and then let me go. We board in the first car in front of me with Susan. We have to search for a few minutes before we finally found an empty cab.

I put Styx on my lap and let him have fun twisting around my fingers to pass the time. Susan is reading a witch magazine about the latest gossip. After a slight jolt, the train begins its long journey towards Hogwarts. I wanted to sleep a little to make the trip pass faster, but a knock on the window of our compartment draws my attention.

"Want some sweets, kids?" It was an old lady pushing a cart full of candy through the hallway. I'm looking at the five Galleons my mother gave me before we boarded.

"You want something, Susan?"

"Oh yes! I'll have two pumpkin pasty and a sugar quill."

"What about you, young man?"

"I'll take five chocolate frogs and a box of flavor beans, please."

"Perfect, that'll be nine sickle and ten knut." I give her a Galleon and she gives me my change.

I learned not so long ago about the monetary system of the wizarding world. Here, a Galleon is worth 17 sickles, and a sickle is worth 29 Knut. I was also informed that Gringotts was trading Galleon for Muggle currency and the other way too. In that case, a Galleon would be worth approximately five pounds, or eight euros, or nine dollars, which fits quite well with the salary of an average wizard who is approximately around 200 Galleons per month more or less.

I admit that I have always been a little curious about chocolate frogs' cards and always wanted to start a collection of my own. I have never really been a collector in my other life. The thing I had that most resembled a collection was a set of crystals that I had bought when visiting a cave. After some research, I realized that they probably came from Brazil and not from where I had bought them.

While Susan was swallowing her pumpkin puffs, I decided to open the first box of chocolate frog. When I open the package, the frog makes a big jump and lands on Susan's face who starts to scream almost immediately!

"Take it away! Take it away!"

I grab the little chocolate frog on her face and bite its head off, breaking the enchantment at the same time.

"I bet you did it on purpose!"

"Nope, if I really wanted to bother you, I wouldn't have thrown a chocolate frog at you, but twenty real toads on your face."

"Humph." She turns her back on me and starts sulking.

"Argh, all right. Do you want one of my chocolate frogs to forgive me?" She looks at the little cardboard package that I hold out to her and ends up taking it.

"Fine, I guess."

I feel like this journey is going to be a long one.