Chapter Text
The train station was loud, like it was every visit, but this morning seemed even more overwhelmingly crowded. Shouting voices, rumbling engines, and the high pitched squeal of wheels on tracks combined perfectly with the smells of food and bodies to make Shane nauseous. He couldn't help the wince as another blaring announcement crackled over the speaker and a group of redheaded kids bustled past, nearly knocking him over. Shane gripped harder to the handle of his trolly, glad it was preventing his embarrassing habit of fidgeting with everything.
“Do you have your ticket, Shane?” Yuna asked over the end of the announcement.
Shane lifted his gaze away from some mysterious liquid dried to the ground by his feet to glance towards his parents. “Ye…ah yeah, Mom.” Shane frowned slightly as he grounded himself back into the moment. "Do..." He huffed slightly, trying to convince his mouth and brain to work together "you want me to ge…want me to get it out n…ow, now?"
The large clock overhead showed ten thirty, they still had plenty of time. “Let’s sit down for a moment,” David suggested in his normal quiet way. Yuna nodded and the small family made their way to a bench.
“I don’t know when we’ll have to present the ticket, so get it out now,” Yuna suggested. She knew if Shane had to go through his bag while a line formed behind him he would only end up more stressed.
Shane nodded and pulled off his bag, quickly grabbing his ticket from its assigned folder and throwing the strap back over his shoulder. He held the ticket up awkwardly, waving it around slightly as if trying to prove he still had it.
“Lovely, now then, what did that Professor say about getting through the barrier?” she reached into her bag and plucked out her phone. “So, you’ll want to walk straight at the wall between platforms nine and ten. It’s very important not to be afraid and make sure no Muggles see you. Exceptions, of course, for your dad. It also seems that David will need to touch a magical person to be allowed through the barrier,” she read off.
“Do you want me to walk you through the barrier or are you touched out?” David asked Shane. His voice was soft, just enough to be heard over the noise of the surrounding area.
Shane gave the platform barrier a cautious look before giving his dad a small smile and grabbing his arm. "You ca…an can, please." Shane interlocked their fingers and took a deep breath. He focused on the feeling of David's warm hand and steady pulse, and let an excited smile inch across his face. "Ready."
Yuna hung back and kept an eye out while Shane and David approached the barrier. She watched as they disappeared through the solid looking brick. She followed quickly, stepping onto the barrier.
On the other side, it was just as loud but a bit darker. A scarlet steam engine covered the whole platform in fog. Shane and David shuffled into a line of excited families and students presenting their tickets to a man ushering them through. “I still don’t understand why they can’t make phones work in Hogwarts. Owl post seems so inefficient,” Yuna joined David and Shane.
Shane forced his wide eyes away from the long stretch of train cars in front of him to look at his mom. "Yeah, I'm go…oing, going to miss my phone."
David snorted and Shane couldn't hold back his proud grin at making his dad laugh. "Yes, well, maybe by the summer you'll have more than two people in your contacts, yeah?"
Shane’s smile tightened slightly and he twirled the loose strap of his backpack around his finger. “Hopefully.”
The ticket was handed off and they stepped into the crowd of people. Some kids were already on the train hanging out windows to talk to their parents. Other students were greeting old friends.
Yuna took one of Shane’s hands and they wound through the crowd. “Ah, that carriage has some space. David, can you hop up onto the train and I’ll levitate Shane’s trunk to you?” she pointed to a carriage that looked fairly empty. She didn’t want Shane to isolate himself like he was so prone to doing, but he would feel better if he could decompress before dorm living.
As Shane watched the trunk lift into the air, a sliver of giddiness snuck passed his nerves. His mom didn't use magic very often, and especially never around other people. There were plenty of wizards back in Canada, but he'd rarely had a chance to be around so many outside of Quidditch matches. Watching his mother use magic so casually now, all Shane could think was 'I'll be able to do that too!'
Once Yuna was sure David had the trunk and was moving it into the carriage, she climbed up onto the train and offered Shane a hand. The carriage was empty, and, hopefully, the end of the train would be quieter. She could already hear the other kids running up and down the hall, as well as muffled conversations in the neighboring carriages.
If it wasn’t a better opportunity for Shane’s Quidditch, she would not be sending him a magical boarding school. Honing his magic at home and sending him to muggle school had been the agreement she had made when she married David, but in the end, he’d been the one to suggest it.
“We packed you some snacks, but also a couple of galleons if you want to get candy from the lunch trolley,” Yuna was reminding him. “The trip said you would reach the station at about six, so make sure you change into your robes sometime before then.”
The train whistled as a voice announced departure in five minutes, and David knelt in front of Shane, arms spread. “You’re going to be great, kiddo.”
Shane’s eyes blurred slightly as he accepted his dad’s hug, enjoying the squeeze before his dad stood back up. Yuna smoothed his hair and leaned down to give him a tight hug before they both stepped off the train.
A few kids nearby were whispering to each other as the clock clicked down the final minutes, and, as he went to open his window, Shane’s attention caught on a name he vaguely recognized. He peered down to his parents on the platform. “Is Harry P…otter Potter on the t…on the train?”
Yuna was surprised by the name. They had been in Canada with Shane, just a baby when the war here had ended. The whole thing was so mysterious. She thought through what she knew of the baby rumored to be at the center of it all. Shane had been just under two, so it was reasonable that baby could be eleven now. “He might be. Make sure you’re kind and don’t stare at him,” Yuna reminded him.
The name Harry Potter was rippling through the adults who had overheard the conversation. A porter was walking along the train closing all doors and directing students to pull their bodies, hands and heads back into the carriages.
“And make sure you write often,” David directed. He wasn’t so confident in owl post, but Yuna seemed sure the birds would be able to find them, even in the muggle world.
Shane nodded at his parents with a nervous smile, and waved as the train began to slowly roll. A million feelings warred inside his chest as his parents shrunk further into the distance. He stilled his hand and let it rest against the window for a moment, closing his eyes and breathing. He grounded himself against the cooled glass, until the train whistled again. Shane flinched, smacking his head into the pane with a yelp, and quickly closed the window, muffling the worst of the sound.
The train slowly picked up speed, leaving behind the sprawling city. The door to the carriage slid open and a boy poked his head in. Brown hair stuck up around his face and he looked concerned. “Are you ok? Sounded like something hit the window.”
Shane’s face flushed. He tried to stutter out an explanation, but the words were stuck. I’m okay. “......” He looked at the new boy helplessly for a few moments before gritting his teeth and staring at the floor. I’m okay. “...I…”
The door closed and the other boy stepped in further. “Do you need help?” he asked. A small head shake and he frowned.
“I’m Hayden. You don’t have to talk right now. My mom says sometimes people get anxious and we need to let them work it out on their own. The guys in the other carriage are so loud. Can I sit here?”
Shane studied Hayden’s concerned expression and nodded once, gesturing to the seats across from him. He braced for the inevitable awkward silence, but as Hayden sat down, he threw himself into an animated story about dogs that Shane could barely follow. He focused on the other's voice, nodding along when appropriate, and felt himself slowly relax.
“I know you don’t want to or can’t talk but I do know a bit of sign, can you sign your name?” Hayden finally asked when he reached the end of his story. He could see the other boy had relaxed a little bit.
Shane nodded and finger spelled his name in ASL. Hayden studied his hands closely, looking confused, and Shane felt a dumb when he realized Hayden likely didn’t know this alphabet. He let his hands fall into his lap, biting his lip.
“Hmmm…” Hayden considered for a moment. He had been sure he knew the BSL alphabet, but he wasn’t about to tell a mute person they were wrong. “Maybe the train shaking is making me dumb. Can you write it down? I should have a pen… oh I left my bag in the other carriage.” Hayden muttered. This was not going how he planned. It was supposed to be a lowkey way to help the other relax, he was likely stressing him out more.
Shane perked up at the suggestion and unzipped his backpack, lifting out a notebook and his favorite blue gel pen. He looked up at Hayden expectantly, making eye contact for the first time.
“Ah, good. I feel weird thinking of you as ‘other boy’, what’s your name?” Hayden asked, lighting up at the prospect of actually communicating with his new friend. He was glad that someone else was prepared for this situation.
Shane flipped to a fresh page and wrote “Shane Hollander” before turning it around to show Hayden.
“Are you American?” Hayden only realized after blurting this out how rude it might sound. It would explain the signs though, they didn’t look like anything Hayden had seen before.
Unable to stop his nose from crinkling at the accusation, Shane shook head quickly. “Canadian.”
“Ah so instead of burgers made of freedom and eagles you eat maple syrup with everything? Got it.” Hayden teased and kept his smile bright so Shane would hopefully know he wasn’t trying to be mean. “Are you muggle born?”
Shane frowned slightly and wrote “I don’t eat maple syrup very often? And I think it’s illegal to make burgers out of eagles. No, I’m not muggle born. What are you?”
Hayden blinked, literal and blunt, ok… “Half blood. Mum is a muggle, Dad is a wizard. He turns Nan’s wig blue at the holidays, and it always takes her ages to notice. Are you half blood then?” Hayden questioned, “I only ask cause most Purebloods are confused when I talk about pens.”
Smiling at Hayden’s anecdote, Shane cleared his throat. He was surprised how comfortable he was feeling around this possible new friend, and he felt the block in his throat start to release. “Y…es yes I’m…a h…yes I’m a half-blood.”
Hayden wanted to cheer when Shane spoke. He also thought that might be the wrong response and didn’t want him to clam up again. “Thought so. Do you have a favorite quidditch team?”
“Y…es yes. Do y…ou, you?”
“Wimbourne Wasps, Dad was going to play for them but he broke his knee with a beater bat right before signing and magic couldn’t fix it. Mum doesn’t know anything about Quidditch, but her favorite team is the Holyhead Harpies because of the all girl thing. What’s your favorite team? Are you going to play at Hogwarts?” Hayden rattled off. He had always been a chatty kid, most people got annoyed with him pretty quick.
Shane let a full grin spread across his face. “I li…ke like the St…one Stonewall Centaurs. My mom w…my mom was their ca…aptain, captain. A seeker. I want to play a…t at Hogwarts as a cha…as a chaser. What pos…ition position would you want?”
“Oh I definitely want to be a chaser too,” he paused, processing what Shane had said, “Wait, is your mum Yuna Sato? I got to see one of the games when I was younger; dad was scouting some talent,” Hayden continued. He was glad to talk to someone about Quidditch. His friends were all bored of it at this point. In their minds, there was more to Hogwarts than Quidditch; in Hayden’s mind, there was nothing as cool as Quidditch.
“Y…es, yes! My Mom is ama…azing, amazing, isn’t she?” Shane leaned forward enthusiastically, letting his hand wave around for a moment before tucking it back into his lap. He didn’t know the last time he’d been able to talk with someone his own age about quidditch. Most kids didn’t have the patience to deal with him on a good day, but he didn’t feel like Hayden was getting annoyed yet. As they continued to chat, Shane noticed the sounds of doors sliding open and quiet voices slowly making their way towards their carriage. When the door next to theirs clicked shut, Shane couldn't help but tense.
Hayden noticed Shane’s distraction and could make out the sound of voices now outside their door. He glanced at his watch, but it was too early for the lunch trolley. Their door slid open and a girl with clouds of curly brown hair was leading a teary boy.
“Has anyone seen a toad?” her voice was rather bossy.
Shane started to nod before catching the other boy’s hopeful expression, and he realized she was probably asking if they’d seen one recently.
“No toads here,” Hayden answered, already seeing Shane drawing back in on himself. The new boy looked small and desperate, and if Hayden wasn’t already sitting with Shane, he would have joined him and the girl in a heartbeat. “I hope you find it.” This was all he could say before the girl was leading the crying boy away muttering something about asking the conductor.
“Do you have a pet? I wanted to bring the cat, but mum caught me trying to pack him in my trunk and said no.”
“Y…es, yes, good, your cat c…your cat can’t breathe in a trunk. I have a fi…ish fish. She’s n…not allowed to come, but the water wou…water would have spilled any…spilled anyway. I left a list for Mom and Dad to watch h…to watch her.” Honestly, Shane was pretty sure he already missed her, but he was confident the detailed instructions he’d left next to her tank would be enough to keep her happy until the summer, and his parents promised updates every few weeks in case he needed to change the care-plan.
“Cool, what kind of fish?” Hayden asked eagerly. He loved all kinds of animals. Honestly he was worried about that kid’s toad. They spoke some more about the fish and Hayden’s cat. They were speaking about the benefits versus care of owls when the door opened again.
“Anything off the trolley dears?” the old witch asked, gesturing to her sweets.
“Absolutely, I am starving.” Hayden immediately jumped up to buy candy. He bought several chocolate frogs, a licorice wand, and some Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.
Shane stood as well, and quickly considered his options. When they moved to Britain two years ago, Shane’s parents had him test every magical candy they could think of after Shane was given a fizzing whizzbee by another kid and got so overstimulated he had a panic attack. As he looked over the cart, he was grateful his Mom had thought to pack him snacks. Shane grabbed a single chocolate frog, and as he reached for a pumpkin juice, a girl with dark red hair appeared, reaching for the same bottle.
“Oops sorry,” the girl laughed and retracted her hand. Shane grabbed the juice and studied her face for a moment before realizing he was probably supposed to respond.
“Sorry.”
Her brow creased and she gave another small smile before picking up another bottle of the juice. “Well uh… I’m Rose,” she introduced herself, likely because Shane was still staring. Hayden, drawn back to the door by the other voices, figured Shane had probably gone nonverbal same as earlier.
“I’m Hayden,” he offered his hand to the girl. She took it with a perturbed expression. “This is Shane.”
“H…i Hi.” Shane gave an awkward wave before taking a deep breath. “So…rry sorry, it’s nice to mee…nice to meet you.”
Rose rolled on her feet for a moment and turned when someone called her name. “I guess we’ll see each other around. Nice to meet you,” she gave Shane one more small smile before going back to her friends.
“She was pretty,” Hayden commented as they stepped back into their own carriage.
Shane nodded. He thought about Rose’s hair, nice clothes, and the way she’d smiled at him even after he’d stared at her like a creep. “Yeah, I guess sh…e she was.”
“Well, she was friendly enough,” Hayden bit the head off the chocolate frog and examined the card within the container. “Do you collect them?” He offered the card to Shane.
He looked at the wizard in the image for a moment before shaking his head. “Nah, j…ust just the Quidditch p…just the Quidditch players.” Shane had nearly completed his quidditch chocolate frog collection in the two years they’d lived in Britain, spending most of his allowance on the cards once he realized how many there were. He wasn’t really one for chocolate, but his Dad was always happy to assist in that regard. “Do you?”
“Sorta. I have most of the collection but there are so many repeats,” Hayden examined the card for a moment and cast it down on the seat next to him. “I still need Circe and I heard they just released a card for Gilderoy Lockhart.”
Shane’s eyes tracked the card as Hayden threw the trash onto the seat and had to fight down the urge to pick it up. “That’s cool…” He cleared his throat and opened his own frog, offering the chocolate to Hayden as he flipped the card over.
“Ah, Albus Crow…ell Crowell again.” There wasn’t a garbage can in the room, so Shane slipped the headmaster’s card into a pocket in his backpack as he pulled out his lunch.
Hayden took the chocolate with a word of thanks. They sat and ate, Hayden not commenting on the salad and sandwich that Shane had. It was easy to talk as the train continued along to their destination. “I have to go get my robes on. You’re welcome to come to the other carriage. I can help you with your trunk,” Hayden checked his watch: they’d be at the school in the next hour.
Shane shrugged. “S…ure sure. Let me gra…b grab my robes.” Hayden helped grab his trunk and Shane picked up his carefully folded robes from the top. “Rea…dy, ready!”
Hayden helped Shane haul his trunk to the other carriage. “Hey guys, this Shane,” Hayden gestured to Shane as they stepped into a more crowded carriage. A few people were already changing, others were aggressively digging through their trunks for their robes.
Shane gave a small wave to the group of students, most looking around his age but a couple looking slightly older. He followed Hayden inside quietly and joined the others in changing. Hayden chatted with his friends as if he hadn’t been missing the entire train ride, and Shane did his best to tuck himself into the corner.
The train shuddered to a stop with screeching brakes and a lurch. The small group of boys all helped each other unload their trunks, coping the older students stacking them on the platform.
“First years this way,” a voice shouted over the noise. A huge man holding a lantern was wading through the crowd. “First years,” was shouted again, and a small crowd began gathering around the large man. Shane took a deep breath and joined them.
*~*