Warning: this story contains lots of fluff and gay panic. If you have a problem with that, bye.
Also, this is set in modern times, but with the old professors from the third HP book, just so you know.

"This is embarrassing" Mumbo said, tugging on the collar of his buttoned shirt. "I've told you mum, no one dresses up just to get on the train"

His mother narrowed her eyes at him.

"That doesn't mean that you can't" she replied in a warning tone.

"I'm not even a Ravenclaw! Why is it blue?"

He didn't miss that flash in her eyes that clearly said, if only you were.

"Blue goes well with your hair, and I don't like the shade of yellow they use on your uniform"

"Dad!"

"Do not raise your voice Mumbo" his father said, not even bothering to look up from his computer.

Mumbo clamped his mouth shut and looked down at his hands. It wasn't worth the argument.

I can change once I get on the train.

The sleek black limousine cruised through downtown London towards Kings Cross, his mother talking his ear off the whole way. He payed her no mind, just nodding and humming his approval whenever he could see her questioning his attention.

He kneaded the bottom of his tie through his fingers as his anticipation grew.

When the car stopped, Mumbo was out and pulling his trunk from the back before the driver had even cracked his door ajar.

"Mumbo!"

He turned to see his mother's withering glare.

"I-"

"Don't interrupt!" She snapped. "You wait for..."

He sighed.

"Henry to open the door"

"And then?"

"I wait for him to unload the trunk"

"And you don't..."

"Get over excited"

She gave him a curt nod and moved aside for her husband to get out. He held up a finger for Mumbo to wait while he typed out a message on his phone. By the time he was done the driver had already loaded all of Mumbo's things onto a cart and held out the owl cage for Mumbo to take.

"Thanks Henry" Mumbo smiled as he poked his finger between the bars of the bird cage. His tawny owl Felicity cooed and affectionately nipped his hand.

"Hello Lissy" Mumbo whispered. "Are you ready to go back?"

He heard an annoyed cough behind him and turned to see his father's raised eyebrows.

Mumbo returned the cage to the cart with downcast eyes.

"Now" his father started, and Mumbo groaned inwardly. He had given the same speech for the last two years and there was no doubt it would be the same this time. "I expect no letters telling me you have broken any rules or are behaving improperly. Be sure to focus on your schoolwork and don't get distracted. We expect an update once a week. Understood?"

Mumbo nodded.

"What have you done? Your tie is all crinkled" his mother said bending down slightly to try and straighten out his clothes. "And these feathers! Don't hold that bird so closely. It's for mail purposes only"

She licked her thumb and rubbed his cheek.

"Mum. Mum! Stop, stop I'm not a child"

"You are barely 13, you are certainly no adult"

"Please mum I'm-I'm going to be late"

She huffed, but relented and straightened back up.

"Fine. Have a good year. I love you"

"I love you too" Mumbo turned to his father who gave him a brief handshake before returning to the limousine behind his wife.

Mumbo let out a breath and felt himself instantly relax a bit.

"Sir, shall we be going?" Henry asked, holding Felicity in one hand and the cart in the other.

Mumbo nodded.

"My parents aren't around, you don't have to call me sir" he reminded the driver.

"Better safe than sorry sir" Henry replied, expertly maneuvering the cart through the crowd. "Your mother has the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a bat, pardon my impertinence"

Mumbo smiled and nearly laughed before his mother's voice rang in his ears.

No excessive noise!

He swallowed his laughter and focused on not bumping into any people passing by.

When they reached the brick pillar that acted as an entrance to the platform, Henry went first with the cart and Mumbo followed.

There was a moment of black before the sound of a train whistle, chattering students, and hooting owls reached his ears. He indulged himself a wide smile at the entrance to platform 9 3/4 before catching up with Henry.

"I will put your trunk on the train sir. You can go on and enter"

"Thanks Henry! I'll see you at Christmas!"

"Have a good year sir!"

Mumbo kept his eyes down, trying to ignore the glances and whispers towards his attire. He made a mental note to burn this suit.

Once he stepped on the train his ears were pierced with a shriek of his name.

"MUMBO!"

A flurry of brown hair was all he got before Stress threw her arms around his neck.

"Mumbo how was your summer! I missed you! Are you excited for third year? I see your mum made you wear a suit again! Why is it blue?"

"Stress can we please go sit down somewhere?" Mumbo asked in a low voice. He could already feel his cheeks heating up from the laughing and staring they had attracted from her outburst.

Stress seemed oblivious to the attention. Either that or she didn't care.

"Of course! Iskall and I already grabbed a compartment"

He followed her quickly to the end of the train car where she opened the sliding door.

"Hey Mumbo!" Iskall crowed happily.

"Hello Iskall! How was your summer?"

"Ah, the usual" Iskall replied casually as Mumbo sat down across from him and Stress. "Quidditch"

"Mn" Mumbo nodded. Iskall was trying to become a chaser on the Gryffindor quidditch team and Mumbo had heard him talk for hours about the ins and outs of the game.

"How about you Stress?" He asked politely.

Stress bounced in her seat.

"My family and I traveled around Asia visiting all of the Asian wizarding sites and locations. It was brilliant! Do you want to see a picture?"

The two boys nodded and Stress fished in her bag for a moment before pulling out a slightly crumpled photograph. It showed Stress, her parents, and her younger sister waving and smiling in front of a large Chinese dragon, which roared behind them.

"Isn't that... dangerous?" Mumbo asked.

"Oh the dragon was surrounded in a protective shield" Stress said. "It was perfectly safe"

Mumbo nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. Of course they weren't in danger! Being muggle born, Mumbo sometimes felt a little behind the conversation when talking to Stress and Iskall, a pureblood and a halfblood. Luckily they never teased him for such things.

"What did you do this summer?" Stress asked, pulling him away from his thoughts.

"Oh uh" Mumbo tried to think of anything interesting. "I practiced polo and swam. Mostly I studied"

Iskall groaned and flopped back in his seat.

"Studied?! It was summer holiday!"

Mumbo gave him a strained smile.

"I wasn't completely happy with my exam scores from last year"

"You mean your parents weren't" Iskall cut in bluntly, making Mumbo evert his eyes and knead his tie between his fingers.

"Leave him alone" Stress murmured elbowing Iskall. She turned back to Mumbo and smiled. "I'm sure you did great, and you'll do even better this year"

Mumbo nodded in thanks and gave her a small smile. Stress's optimism was truly infectious.

"I'm going to get out of these clothes and burn them" Mumbo said, making Iskall laugh. "I'll be right back"

He pulled his uniform from the small bag he had kept by his side and hurried to a private compartment where he could change.

After smoothing the grey vest over his white button up and throwing the black robes over his shoulders he immediately felt better.

The yellow and black striped tie however created a new obstacle. Although he had been forced to wear suits since he was a child, he had never been very confident with his ability to correctly loop the knot around his neck. No matter how hard he tried, it always stuck out at odd angles or...

He looked at his reflection in the window and gaped. The skinny end of the tie was sticking out below the fat part and the knot was simultaneously too loose and too tight, bunching around his neck.

A smile curled at his lips at the thought of what his mother would say if she could see him.

Oh well

Iskall could probably help him when he got back.

He slid the door closed behind him and turned, immediately colliding with a small boy who's face slammed into Mumbo's chest before he stumbled back, rubbing his nose like a bunny and dropping the uniform he was holding to the ground.

"Oh god I'm so sorry!" Mumbo sputtered trying to reach out and help while simultaneously schooling himself not to touch others.

The boy brushed his blond fringe out of his eyes before he started to laugh, the cheerful sound reverberated inside Mumbo's skull.

Like bells he thought.

"Don't worry don't worry I'm fine!" The boy said, continuing to giggle, staring up at Mumbo's face with large silver-grey doe eyes.

"I... ah..."

Mumbo opened his mouth to speak but no cohesive words entered his mind.

"Oh your tie" the boy noticed, badly covering his smirk with the back of his hand. He hesitantly gestured towards Mumbo's chest. "Do you want some help?"

Mumbo simply nodded, not trusting his brain to string together a sentence.

The boy smiled radiantly at him before moving closer and taking the yellow fabric between his hands.

Mumbo gulped at the close proximity and tried to force down the blush he knew was spreading across his face. Usually being this close to someone would make him uncomfortable, but for some reason...

"There you go!" The boy exclaimed making Mumbo blink rapidly and glance down at his shirt. His tie was knotted properly and hung straight down his chest, not too tight that it choked him, but not too loose that it would come undone.

"Th-thank you! You're - ah - very good at that"

The boy shrugged and bent down to pick up his clothes.

"I grew up with a lot of brothers"

He stood and brushed past Mumbo to the private compartment. Before the door could slide closed however, Mumbo stuck out his foot to stop it and the boy looked up in surprise. Mumbo mirrored his shocked expression at his own action as he felt his face heat up.

Don't be impulsive his mother rang in his ears.

"S-sorry. I just, um... sorry again for bumping into you"

The boy smiled curiously and nodded.

"It's ok. I have to change though, so..."

"Oh right!"

Mumbo stumbled back and tried to flash a smile at the boy before the door slid closed, although he could tell it probably looked more like a grimace.

"Mumbo are you ok?" Stress asked as soon as he sat down.

"What? Of course! What... what could be wrong?"

"Are you feeling sick? You're so red" she placed a hand on his forehead and he stiffened at the touch.

"Really I'm fine"

"Alright if you say so" she said, shrugging and leaning back in her seat.

Iskall squinted at him, making Mumbo fidget under the unwavering attention.

"What?"

"Did you meet a pretty girl"

"What?! No"

He narrowed his eyes more and leaned forward.

"A pretty boy?"

"I- no"

Iskall sat back with a justified grin.

"Sure Mumbo. If you say so"

Mumbo everted his eyes to stare out the window for the remainder of the trip, trying not to think of the boy with the silver eyes.

There's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please consider leaving a like and I would really appreciate some feedback if you have the time.