Once we were on Platform 9 ¾, it didn't take long to spot Mason and his mum, who were lingering near the entrance. I'd made him promise to wait for me, so I wouldn't have to look for him on the train. I sprinted towards him, a huge smile on my face. His dark eyes were sparkling, and he laughed as I grabbed his hands and spun him around.

"I can't believe we're going!" I said, made ecstatic by the bustle and energy of the platform, and the sight of the Express we'd be boarding in a few moments.

"I know! It's crazy. You didn't forget anything important, did you?"

"I hope not. I know you didn't." I stuck out my tongue at him. Mason's organizational skills were a source of constant teasing - he was a thousand times more organized than me and my brothers.

"You've only got a few minutes," Mason's mum said with a soft smile. "Don't get so excited you forget to board the train."

I giggled. "Well, let's go, then!" I'd turned halfway towards the Express when my mother's hand caught my shoulder.

"Not so fast, you," she said, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "Stay out of trouble, alright?"

I shrugged. "No promises." Mum raised her eyebrows at this response, but Mason was quick to pop in.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Potter, you know I won't let her do anything crazy." My friend winked at me clandestinely, which I took as an assurance that he wasn't serious - or at least that what he meant was, 'I won't let her do anything crazy without me.'

Mum smiled, as if she didn't notice the conspiratorial look. "I know you will, Mason. I can't think how much more concerned I'd be if you weren't going to be there with her."

It was my turn to frown, looking plaintively at my mother. "I can look after myself perfectly well, you know."

She and Dad exchanged a look, smirking. "Yes, of course, darling. But isn't it more fun to have a friend?"

"Sure, sure," I sighed. "Really, though, we've got to go!"

Mason nodded in agreement, and after submitting to a hug and kiss from his mum he looked at me expectantly. "You ready?"

"Of course!"

We grinned at each other and headed forward to board the train, filled with anticipation for what awaited us at Hogwarts.

---

Most of the compartments already had people in them. We passed Albus and Scorpius in one, deep in conversation. In another, I saw James getting rather close to a girl I didn't recognize, and looked away, cringing. Mason's eyes held a question that he didn't ask. We moved on.

Eventually, just as the train was pulling out of the station, we did find a compartment all to ourselves. After stowing our things, we stretched out on the seats and settled down for the ride.

"It still doesn't feel real," I said. "That tonight we'll be in dorms, and tomorrow we'll be going to classes together."

"Maybe not together," Mason reminded me.

I groaned. "Don't remind me. I'll be dreadfully lonely if we're not in the same house."

"That's silly. You'll make lots of friends."

"You know very well that I'm not good at that sort of thing. I'll make a fool of myself in front of them all and they won't want to be anywhere near me."

Mason sighed. "Stop it, Lily. You're perfectly good at making friends; you made friends with me, didn't you?"

"We were kids; making friends was easy then."

"We're still kids. It's not so different."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Easy for you to say; you've gone to school before. And anyways, you're much better at all the social stuff than I am."

Mason shook his head. "You shouldn't worry, Lily. Just enjoy the day. There'll be plenty of time for worrying later."

"Well, I'd rather worry now, while I can say I'm worried. If you're not in my house-"

"If I'm not in your house, it doesn't change a thing. We're still just you and me. Still friends. So please, let's leave the worrying for another time?"

I let myself smile slightly. "Fine. If you insist."

So we chatted about random ridiculous things for what seems like hours, and then we were interrupted by a face peeking through the doorway.

It was a boy, around our age. Scrawny, tall for our age, with skin the color of pasta noodles and pale blue eyes. His shaggy hair was light brown and fell past his ears. "Hi," he said quietly.

Mason and I glanced at each other. "Hi," we said, with a mark of uncertainty.

"You guys are first years, right?" We nodded. The boy stepped fully into the compartment. "Cool. I'm Charlie. Charlie Corner. I'm just trying to, you know, meet people in our year before we get to school. Easier that way. My sister says everything is pretty chaotic once we're there." His voice was soft; he didn't quite look at us when he talked. I got the feeling he didn't go around randomly introducing himself to people very often.

"Who's your sister?" I asked.

"Her name's Allison. She's a third year."

The name Allison Corner didn't ring a bell; I guessed Al didn't talk about the girls in his year much. "Well, it's nice to meet you," I said. "I'm Lily."

"And I'm Mason Bones," said Mason, grinning at him. Mason was a people person. "You wanna hang out with us for a while?'

Charlie's eyes brightened. "Sure."

I wasn't sure what I thought of this kid yet, so I mostly stayed quiet and let the boys talk. Charlie, I decided, was nice, in an unobtrusive sort of way.

The conversation went through all the typical things. Charlie wanted to be a Gryffindor but wasn't sure if he would be; Mason didn't care what house he was in but thought Ravenclaw was likely. They were both avid supporters of Puddlemere United. Mason's mum was, as I already knew, a secretary who worked in the office of the Minister of Magic. Charlie's dad supervised the training program at St. Mungo's.

By the time they'd exhausted these subjects, we were nearing the school. I shooed them out of the compartment so I could change into my robes, and they went without protest. When I was done, I let them back in and we were practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.

Mason and Charlie already seemed as close as if they'd known each other for a long time. Charlie was something of an introvert; anybody could tell that - but Mason had brought him out of his shell. Mason tended to have that effect on people. I could never quite decide what the determining factor was that made him so instantly endearing - was it the good-natured smile? The soft eyes that couldn't fail to put anyone at ease? Or just the intelligent charm of his personality? It was all of those things and more. He was Mason. He was undeniably and perfectly endearing in every possible way. It was his blessing - and, though he didn't know it yet, it would be his curse.

---

I stood in the mass of my classmates in the Great Hall, trying not to tremble. The Sorting Hat had just completed its song. Professor McGonagall, standing at the front as she always did, read the first name off the list: "Addams, Julia."

A lanky blonde girl made her way up, radiating confidence with every stride. She sat down on the stool, and within seconds of being placed on her head the Sorting Hat announced, "SLYTHERIN!' The girl shrugged as if she couldn't be bothered to care what house she was in, and descended to the Slytherin table.

Just as I turned back to the boy next to me, his name was called. "Bones, Mason."

Mason shot me a grin as the crowd parted to let him through. If he was nervous, he did a good job of hiding it - but I doubted he was nervous. He sat on the stool, and McGonagall placed the Hat on his head.

A minute passed. Two. Three. Finally, after what must have been over four minutes, the Hat spoke. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Mason looked satisfied, if slightly perplexed, as he headed for the Hufflepuff table. He met my eyes over the crowd and shrugged. I didn't have too much time to ponder my friend's sorting, because the next kid drew my eyes.

"Boot, Scarlett," was her name. She was rather short, not more than five feet, but carried herself with an air that gave you the feeling she didn't intend to be overlooked. She had golden-brown hair and wore glasses, which made her look serious and determined rather than nerdy. She was overall rather pretty, if intense, and I thought rather more boys began to pay attention as she moved forward. She strode up to the front and sat down purposefully, looking down at the rest of us rather like a queen observing a gathering of local peasants. A moment after being placed on her head, the Hat announced, "GRYFFINDOR!" and a look of smug satisfaction crept onto her face as she went down to greet her new housemates at the cheering Gryffindor table.

Next up? "Corner, Charlie." The boy I'd met on the train made his way forward, looking the tiniest bit anxious, and sat down. The hat descended; after maybe thirty seconds it announced, "RAVENCLAW!" Charlie went to the Ravenclaw table, shooting Mason a disappointed look.

I must admit I stopped paying attention to the sorting for a while after this. My mind was preoccupied, wondering where I'd be sent. I didn't have any real attachment to Gryffindor, though certainly that would please my family. I wasn't exactly the brave-to-the-point-of-foolishness type. As for Hufflepuff... a good deal of their defining traits were far from being my strong points. I wasn't sure if I was smart enough for Ravenclaw. And Slytherin... well, I'd seen the aftermath of Albus' sorting, and I was hoping not to be the third in a progression of disappointing progeny. James had started out alright, of course - sorted into Gryffindor, making the quidditch team his second year, doing as well in his classes as would be expected. But in the past year, he'd let his grades fall (as much as he could without getting benched), gone out with multiple girls that my parents disapproved of, fought with my parents practically non-stop, and, if you believed Al, started drinking. Not exactly the perfect child anymore.

The name "Perez, Lucia" called my attention back to the sorting. A short girl with long, dark hair went up to the stool and sat down. It took maybe ten seconds for the hat to announce, "SLYTHERIN!", and she went to her table.

"Potter, Lily."

I went forward, ordering my hands to stop shaking as I took my place on the stool. I searched the room for a familiar face, my gaze landing on Mason's reassuring eyes. I felt the brim encircle my head, and the hat began to speak...