Chapter IV: A Bolt in Hand

The day has finally come for young Malus to board the Hogwarts Express to start his life as a wizard. Malus has all but shed his nervous feelings since meeting Lavinia in Ada’s Garments and Gear, receiving a beautiful owl, purchased all his books, cloths, and other essentials required for Hogwarts. But none exciting his more so than to receive his first wand, although he is supposed to craft his own wand by the end of the year, he was still sure he was going to continue to use this one, a wand shaped entirely of a dragon did not come often. Although what happened when he touched the wand was still a mystery to Malus, he thought best he didn’t know.

  “Well here we are Malus, the train station” said Lila. Malus looked up at her with slight confusion on his face.                      

  “Mum, this is just King’s cross station, there can’t be any train to Hogwarts here” said Malus. Lila smiled at him.

   “It’s here Malus, trust me” said Jasper. So they all walked on to the platform surrounded with muggles. They came to an old brick wall cracked and aged and stood there for a second.

  “Uh, Mum… Dad what are you doing? Where is the train?” asked Malus. Suddenly a boy and his parents with roughly the same equipment as Malus walked over to the same wall.

  “Hello Jasper… Lila how are you, long time since we spoke” said the boys’ father. Jasper stretched out his hand to shake hands with the boys’ father, and they all greeted each other as seemingly good friends. Lila and the boys’ mother were speaking of both the boys’ first time to Hogwarts, and Jasper and the boys’ father talking about quidditch scores. Malus and the boy looked at each other and smiled, the boy walked closer to Malus, and stretched out his arm to greet him.

  “Hi there, I’m Serus” said the boy. Malus looked at Serus’ hand and then outstretched him arm to shake his hand back. Suddenly when their hands connected a and arc sounded from within their hands, and caused them to be shocked all so slightly from the palm of their hands. When they had tried to pull their hands away from each other, it seemed as if they were stuck to each other temporarily. Then their hands separated.

  “What was that?” asked Serus. Malus looked at his hand with disbelief; he saw something on his hand that was never there before.

  “What is it? What are you looking at?” asked Serus. Serus looked at Malus’ hand to view what he was staring at with wide eyes, while all the while their parents completely unaware, chatting behind them in a friendly manner. They were now both looking at Malus’ right hand. What they saw was a scar, burn in his skin in the shape small lightning bolt, although there was no pain from it, it was never there before.

  “I’m Malus” said Malus still looking at his hand. Serus looked at his face again.

  “Nice to meet you” replied Serus. Malus looked over at Serus and glimpsed his right hand. He saw Serus had a scar also.

  “Serus, look at your hand, you have one to” Said Malus. Serus looked at his hand curiously.

  “Huh, what is this?” asked Serus. The mark in Serus’ hand appeared to be a skull with a snake coming from its mouth, although his scar was slightly blackened. They thought it was from the burn.

  “Malus, I don’t think we should tell our parents about this” said Serus.

  “Okay” replied Malus agreeing with Serus.

  “I just think it would make them question us too much, or make them stop us from going to Hogwarts.” Serus seemed as keen as Malus to head to Hogwarts.

  “Okay boys, are you ready?” asked Jasper. The boys looked at Jasper.

  “Well we would be, but we don’t think we can catch the Hogwarts Express here” said Serus. Jasper smiled again, this time though he had something to say.

  “Well boys, I think this is the best place to catch a train to Hogwarts.”

The boys looked at each other with slight confusion expressed on their faces.

“What are you talking about Dad?” asked Malus.

  “Follow us Boys” said Lila. Lila, Jasper and Serus Parents, all walked toward the wall between platforms Nine and Ten, only to pass through it like an illusion of some sort.

“Woah” said Malus and Serus simultaneously. Serus looked at him and just said; “Well let’s go Malus.”

So Malus and Serus walked at the wall quickly, and passed through it like it wasn’t really there.

Malus and Serus came out of the other side of the wall, and immediately noticing the difference in the fashion in the clothes, and the robes of a lot of the older students going back to Hogwarts. Although the first thing Malus was thinking was the fact that most of these people around him, have wands, and do magic all the time. Unlike his parents who have kept the magic to minimal use over his raising in Birmingham, he got to see some small stuff but never really saw anything big or exciting, although the scar strangely appearing on his and Serus’ hands when they touched each other was probably the most unusual thing he has actually seen.

“Oh my word, this is bloody fantastic Malus” said Serus excitedly.

“You’re not wrong Serus. Although I can’t wait to see the school” replied Malus. Serus agreed happily.

Then a girl walked up to the both of them, it was Lavinia, the pretty girl Malus met in Ada’s Garments & Gear.

“Hi Malus, you ready for school?” she asked politely.

Serus looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

“Malus you stud, you know this pretty girl?” whispered Serus. Malus smiled at him and gave the introductions.

“Hey Lavinia, this is Serus, I met him not just a little while ago, and Serus this is Lavinia a second year I met in Diagon Alley”

Serus put out his hand firmly and put on a rather pompous look on his face.

“Very nice to meet you my dear, Serus Rego I am and can I say what a nice… uh… hat you have” said Serus.

Lavinia chuckled at him.

“Uh thanks, and you have a nice eyebrows” she replied sarcastically with a semi truth behind her voice.

Then the parents voiced up again.

“Come on boys, it’s time to go” yelled Serus’ father.

“Okay well it was nice meeting you Serus, and good to see you again Mal, I’ll see you at school of maybe on the train” said Lavinia walking away. Malus and Serus grabbed their luggage trolley, with their Owl cages on top and were ready to board the train.

13 Minutes Later

Malus and Serus were on the train, finding an empty cabin on the side their parents were standing to wave them off.

“Mal, over here” said Serus gesturing Malus with his hand. So they both sat down across from each other next to the window. Both their parents could see them and was waving furiously, almost embarrassing the boys.

“Why do they have to wave like complete nutters” said Serus. They waved back calmly. And then train started to depart platform 9 ¾.