Platform 9 ¾ was a sensory overload—a loud, unorganized mess of steam and shouting. Arthur didn't linger. He boarded the Hogwarts Express, found an empty compartment at the very end of the train, and slid the door shut.
Arthur didn't even bother to glance out the window, his focus was elsewhere. He had his nose buried in A History of Magic, searching for connections between the school's founding and his own ideas about magic's past. As he delved deeper into the book, the world outside became a green haze, but Arthur was too engrossed to notice, lost in the intricacies of magic's history, trying to crack the code that would reveal its secrets. The trees and grass outside were just a blur, a distant hum of nature that he tuned out as he turned page after page, his mind racing with theories and possibilities.
A loud rap on the door suddenly interrupted his concentration.
There was a girl standing there, her brown hair all bushy and her posture confident, already dressed in her school uniform. Right behind her was a boy with a round face, and he looked like he was about to freak out.
"Excuse me, has anyone seen a toad?" she asked, her voice rising quickly as she spoke. "There's a boy, Neville, and he's lost one," she added, the words tumbling out in a rush. You could tell she was someone who loved to share what she knew, but wasn't quite sure how to slow down and pick what was important.
Arthur glanced up, his piercing blue eyes locking onto the girl and then the boy. In his mind, Neville was a bit of a wild card, unpredictable and prone to making mistakes. But the girl, she was different - there was something about her that seemed deliberate and thoughtful, a sense of purpose that caught his attention.
Arthur spoke in a calm and detached tone, "A toad is a tiny living thing, it likes to be in damp and dark places. Look on the luggage racks near the cool air pipes at the back of the train, that's where a little frog-like creature would probably go if it got lost."
The girl's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth dropping open just a little. She had been prepared for a simple "no" or maybe even a casual "hello", but what she got was something entirely different - a detailed breakdown of the situation, like someone was analyzing the very foundations of their conversation.
"Oh," she said, straightening her posture. " That's... remarkably sensible. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. And you are?"
"Arthur Pendergast."
"Is that some kind of magic trick you're doing?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the wand made of vine wood that was lying across his legs.
Arthur was working on his movement skills, trying to get his body to remember exactly how to do things. He made a quick, sharp motion with his wand. "Lumos," he said, and a light turned on.
A tiny burst of light appeared at the end, shining so brightly it seemed almost silver. But what was really striking was that it didn't waver or flicker - it just sat there, a perfect, steady ball of controlled energy.
Hermione said in a hushed tone, "That's a really steady light." She felt a surge of competitiveness. "I've tried a few simple spells and they've worked okay, but that one looks like it's been practiced over and over again, like a thousand times or something."
"Five thousand," Arthur corrected. "
Efficiency requires repetition."
As she stood there, Arthur went back to reading his book, making it obvious that he thought their conversation was over. Hermione looked at him with a mixture of frustration and curiosity, then turned and walked away with Neville, who didn't have his toad with him. She seemed a bit annoyed, but also kind of interested in what had just happened.
...
The sun began to set, casting long, bloody shadows across the Highlands. When the train finally hissed to a halt, Arthur stepped out into the cool night air.
When Arthur stepped off the train at Hogsmeade Station, the first thing he registered was a massive shadow over the students.
The steam from the Hogwarts Express swirled into the night air like a fading mist, and standing right in the middle of it was a man who seemed to break all the rules of nature that Arthur had learned about.
Rubeus Hagrid was his name. To the other kids, he was like a giant from a fairy tale, but to Arthur, he was more like a huge puzzle piece that didn't quite fit - his massive size and every step he took made the platform vibrate with a slow, heavy rhythm that was almost like music.
Hagrid's deep voice boomed across the crowd, "First years! First years over here!" It was like a low rumble of thunder, getting everyone's attention.
Arthur trailed behind, watching how the giant moved, his eyes fixed on the path as it wound its way down to the water's edge. He wasn't scared, just really interested in how the path was put together, and if it would hold up. Then the trees parted, and suddenly the whole world opened up, stretching out to a horizon that seemed to go on forever, and it was like nothing he had ever seen before. The giant kept moving, but Arthur just stood there, taking it all in, trying to wrap his head around the sheer size of it all.
The Black Lake stretched out before them, its surface as still as dark glass. On the other side, Hogwarts Castle rose up from the rocky cliffs, shining like a crown made of stone and light. As the others caught their breath at the sight, Arthur felt a sudden jolt of awareness. To him, the castle was more than just a pretty sight - it was a place where magic had been built up over a thousand years, with secrets hidden in every stone. Each one seemed to be humming with a special kind of energy that he couldn't quite figure out.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid bellowed.
Arthur got into a boat with three people who didn't say a word. As soon as they sat down, the boat creaked - not because of their weight, but because something hidden had started working. They began to move smoothly through the water. He looked over the side of the boat and saw that the water was like a black mirror, completely still and unbroken. There were no waves or ripples from oars or engines, just a steady, quiet movement through the darkness. The boat seemed to be gliding effortlessly, leaving no sign of its passage behind.
.....
At the top of the stone steps, Professor McGonagall was waiting. She looked even more formidable in the torchlight, her emerald robes shimmering. Her eyes found Arthur in the crowd. She gave a single, imperceptible nod—recognition of the boy who didn't blink.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she told the gathered first years. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses."
The Great Hall was an assault of golden light and magical energy.
The air was filled with thousands of candles, floating effortlessly, as if gravity didn't exist. Above them, the ceiling was like a clear window to the universe, showing the stars and constellations in perfect detail. Arthur gazed up at the stars, noticing that they weren't just random patterns - they were actually a real-time map of the cosmos, with each star and constellation in its correct position. It was as if you could see the entire universe right there, above you. The candles below seemed to be dancing in the air, their gentle flicker casting a magical glow over everything.
He was so caught up in his thoughts that nothing seemed to be able to break the spell, until a small, worn-out stool and a tattered old hat appeared, looking like something you'd find in the garbage. But then, the most unexpected thing happened - it started singing, and his eyes widened in shock, a look of surprise flashing across his face.
The sorting began.
"Gryffindor!" for the bushy-hairedgirl.
"Gryffindor!" for the boy with the toad.
The moment that name was spoken, the room erupted into a flurry of hushed conversations, with everyone whispering to each other about Harry Potter.
Arthur sat back and watched the "Boy Who Lived" with a curious, yet distant gaze. He wasn't really seeing the hero of the story, but rather the heavy burden of expectations that came with being "The Chosen One". As the sorting hat yelled out its decision, placing the boy at the red-and-gold table, the room erupted into cheers and applause - the noise was almost overwhelming. But Arthur just waited, his heart beating at a steady pace, his mind already moving on to the next thing, not really caught up in the excitement of the moment. He was more interested in how the boy would handle the weight of all those expectations, how he would deal with being the center of attention all the time.
"Pendergast, Arthur."