Harry Potter: The Soldier of Hogwarts

The train slowed to a crawl, wheels screeching against the track as Hogsmeade Station came into view. Mist curled around the worn cobblestone platform, mingling with the soft hiss of steam as the train groaned to a stop. The weather was brisk and grey, not quite cold, but sharp enough to make Ryan pull his borrowed cloak tighter around his frame.

A man's booming voice called out beyond the windows.

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"

Ryan glanced toward the source and blinked. A literal giant stood at the end of the platform, waving his meaty arms over his head.

"That's Hagrid," Rose whispered beside him, her auburn curls bouncing as she stood. "Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

"He looks like a walking beard with opinions," Ryan muttered.

Lyra snorted. "He's lovely, you'll see."

Outside, the platform buzzed with energy. Students chattered excitedly as they disembarked. Ryan tried not to gawk at the floating lanterns drifting above them or the carriages that seemed to be pulled by nothing—though he could've sworn he saw flickers of skeletal wings in the fog.

At the edge of the platform, a group waited beneath a crooked iron lamppost. Rose lit up and waved.

"There they are! C'mon, Ryan."

Ryan followed, awkward and uncertain.

Standing under the lamp were four students—three around Rose's age and one smaller boy with a toad clutched miserably in his hands. At first glance, Ryan didn't find any of them particularly special, until Rose stopped beside the boy with glasses.

"Everyone, this is Ryan. He's new—really new," she added with a wry grin. "This is my twin brother, Harry."

Harry Potter.

Ryan blinked. He was just...a boy. A little taller than Ryan, messy black hair, round glasses perched on his nose. His expression was cautious but not unkind.

"This is the Boy Who Lived?" Ryan blurted before he could stop himself.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Er. Yes?"

Ryan looked him up and down. "Huh. I expected someone...I don't know. Brighter. Maybe glowing."

Lyra choked beside him.

Rose groaned. "Ryan, no—"

"It's fine," Harry said quickly, amused. "Trust me, I'm not glowing. Unless I've eaten something weird."

The tall redhead beside him snorted. "That's Ron, my best friend," Harry said. "And Hermione—she's the also new to the Wizarding World."

The girl with bushy brown hair smiled politely. "It's nice to meet you."

Ryan gave a small nod. "You too. I'm Ryan. I just found out magic was real last 2 weeks ago. Still recovering from the part where the letter owl became lunch."

Hermione blinked

The last boy, round-faced with nervous eyes, stepped forward. "I'm Neville. This is Trevor." He held up his squirming toad.

Ryan stared. "Why do you have a frog?"

"Toad," Neville corrected meekly. "He's...uh. Kind of like my emotional support animal?"

Ryan considered this. "He looks like he's the one who needs support."

Trevor leapt from Neville's hand and disappeared into the fog.

"Oh, not again!"

The group's laughter followed Neville's exasperated groan as he plunged into the mist after his runaway toad. Ryan watched him go, amused, until a familiar bellow rang out through the fog.

"Firs' years to the boats! That's righ'! Over here!"

Hagrid's shaggy silhouette loomed ahead, a warm orange lantern swinging from one massive hand. Ryan, Rose, and Lyra joined the trickle of other first-years heading toward the black lake. The mist parted to reveal a row of small wooden boats bobbing at the edge of the water, each seemingly waiting for them.

"Four to a boat!" Hagrid called. "No pushin', now. They'll carry ye just fine."

Ryan eyed the boats skeptically. "We're trusting floating wood in the fog. Brilliant."

Lyra stepped in easily. "It's tradition. Don't fall in."

"I swear, if a giant squid eats me, I'm haunting your robes."

Rose rolled her eyes and stepped aboard, followed by Ryan, who planted himself in the middle like he wasn't sure whether to sit or brace for a sea battle. Hermione and Neville caught up, the latter breathing heavily with Trevor once again squirming in his hands.

They pushed off with a soft creak, the water lapping gently around the hull. The lanterns cast warm light across the inky lake, reflections dancing across the surface like fireflies. The night was quiet save for the occasional owl hoot or splash somewhere in the distance.

Then, as the boats curved around a bend in the shoreline, Hogwarts came into view.

Ryan's breath hitched.

High above them, carved into the mountainside, the castle stood like something out of myth—towers rising into the clouds, turrets lined with flickering lights, the enormous front gate glowing gold beneath the archways. Mist clung to its base like a shawl of secrets.

"Whoa," Ryan whispered.

"Yeah," Harry said beside him, grinning slightly.

The lake shimmered with the castle's reflection, and for a moment, Ryan forgot everything—his confusion, the oddities of the magical world, the weight of being "new" in a place that seemed older than time.

The boats glided soundlessly toward a small dock tucked beneath the cliff. A stairway wound its way up the stone toward the main doors, torches crackling against the damp air.

As they reached the landing, Hagrid was already helping students out. "Watch yer step, careful now. Mind the squid!"

Ryan frowned. "Wait, was that a joke?"

Hagrid just chuckled.

They disembarked one by one, gathering in a loose knot as more boats arrived behind them. Ryan glanced back at the lake, then up at the towering doors of Hogwarts.

Before they had time to marvel much longer at the towering entrance of the castle, footsteps echoed behind them on the stone dock. Ryan turned to see three boys approaching from another boat. The one in front walked with the kind of smugness Ryan had only seen in private school bullies—chin high, platinum-blond hair slicked back, robes immaculate.

Draco Malfoy.

Rose's jaw clenched the moment she saw him.

"Great," she muttered.

Malfoy slowed to a stop just a few feet from the group, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him like a pair of knuckle-dragging shadows. His pale eyes flicked across each face with lazy contempt before settling on Harry.

"Well, well," he drawled. "The Chosen One graces us with his presence again."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Hello to you too, Malfoy."

Malfoy's eyes slid to Rose next. "And the blood traitor sister. Thought you were too busy chasing centaurs in the forest to bother showing up this year."

Rose crossed her arms. "Still talking like your father's watching, Draco? How exhausting."

His smirk faltered for half a second before he recovered. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to remind Professor Snape to keep a leash on the wild Weasleys this term."

Ron stepped forward. "Say one more word, Malfoy—"

"Oh, please, Weasley," Malfoy said with exaggerated boredom. "You're so predictable. Barking before you bite, like a half-trained Kneazle."

Lyra's expression turned stormy. "You really want to start something here? Right in front of the school?"

Ryan stood a little straighter beside her, unsure of what was happening, but feeling the shift in tension like a drop in temperature. Malfoy's eyes landed on him next and narrowed.

"And who's this?" Malfoy said, mock curiosity in his voice. "New face. Doesn't exactly look... magical, does he?"

Ryan hesitated. "I'm Ryan."

Malfoy stepped closer, giving him a once-over that made Ryan want to check if his cloak was on backward. "Ryan," Malfoy repeated, voice low and sharp. "Muggle-born, I assume?"

Ryan blinked. "Um... yeah. Is that a problem?"

Malfoy's lip curled. "Mudblood."

Everything stopped.

It was a word Ryan didn't know, but he could tell instantly by the reactions around him that it wasn't just an insult. It was worse. Hermione flinched like she'd been struck. Ron's ears turned bright red. Lyra actually stepped in front of Ryan.

"You shut your mouth, Malfoy," she snapped, fire blazing behind her words.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Hermione added, fists clenched at her sides.

Harry's tone turned ice-cold. "Say it again, and you'll answer to all of us."

Malfoy looked around at the circle forming around Ryan, and though he kept his smirk, it was tighter now. "What? It's just a word. If he's going to survive here, he'll need thicker skin."

"Or maybe you'll need a thicker skull," Ron growled, stepping forward again.

Crabbe and Goyle stirred, puffing up, but Malfoy put out an arm, stopping them. His eyes glittered with a sort of smug delight at the chaos he'd caused.

"Touchy, aren't we?" he said. "Enjoy the Sorting. Let's hope they don't toss you in the wrong house… though I suppose for some of you, the trash heap would be more appropriate."

With that, he turned and strode off toward the stone steps, his goons lumbering behind him. The group stood in silence for a beat after he disappeared from view.

Ryan was still trying to make sense of what just happened.

"What... what exactly did he call me?" he asked finally.

Lyra looked at him gently, but her voice was firm. "It's a slur. It means someone born to non-magical parents. People like Malfoy—pure-blood supremacists—use it to make others feel lesser. But it says more about him than it does about you."

Ryan's brow furrowed. "So... being born normal makes me dirty in their eyes?"

"In their small eyes," Lyra said. "But don't take it to heart. That word has no power unless you let it."

Ron muttered, "Wish we could've hexed his nose off."

Harry glanced toward the castle doors, then back at Ryan. "Don't let Malfoy get to you. He tries this with everyone he thinks is weaker than him. He's just afraid of what people like you might become."

Ryan nodded slowly. The knot in his chest eased—not gone, but lighter now, wrapped in the quiet strength of the people around him. He glanced up at the castle once more, its glowing windows like watchful eyes.

"Thanks," he murmured. "All of you."

Rose smiled faintly. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

And with that, the castle doors creaked open.