Althea walked to the spot in between Platform 9 and 10 with her parents, pushing her luggage with her. At the moment, she had her hair tied up in a Chinese 'hammer bun' hairstyle with two red ribbons, in the courtesy of her Asian mother.

Speaking of Asia, Althea wondered if anyone of Asian race would be in her year at Hogwarts. There were many children of different skin-tones here, so the 11-year-old girl was curious.

"Althea?"

Althea jumped at the sound of her father's voice. She was so lost in her thoughts that she had forgotten where she was and what she was here for. She shook her head and sighed, "Sorry, Father, I was lost in thought. How do I get inside the train again?"

Her parents let out a huff. "Althea, you should relax. This is Hogwarts, your dream school! You should be happy and excited, especially since it is your first year," Althea's mother told her. "Besides, we do not care which house you will end up in. Just focus on your studies and make friends, my little witch," Her father added with a reassuring smile.

Althea flinched at the mention of friends. She gotten an owl from her childhood friend, Alex Vanieldia, recently, saying that he gotten his letter from Hogwarts too. So, she just wants to have him by her side, and hopefully without any enemies trying to spite her.

Althea only nodded with a slight smile. Her father then pointed to the rail where some students were charging at to get on to the Hogwarts Express. He then told her a few tips and how to do it before hugging her. Her mother joined in on the hug.

"We will see you once the school term ends, okay?" Her father sighed, looking at his daughter. Althea nodded, before walking up to the now empty Platform 9, 3/4.

Althea gripped onto her trolley and nervously bolted towards the rails, deciding that she just wants to get it over with. She was on the platform for a second, and on the train.

Althea had to blink twice to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Woah..." She breathed out in amazement. Recovering from her state of shock, Althea took her stuff to an empty compartment that she spotted a meter away.

At the compartment, she just dropped of her trunks and slammed the door shut, plopping onto the soft cushioned seats. She did admit, she was nervous. She heard there were different people in Hogwarts, and some that she should look out for.

Althea sighed as she shook her thoughts away. She should not be worrying about any of this. So, she decided to entertain herself by reading a muggle book that her mother gifted her this year.

He spared absolutely no time in opening a compartment and claiming it as his. Due to his slight irritation, he yet failed to notice another had already occupied this peculiar compartment.

Taking a seat closest to the window, he sat down and melted into a puddle of gloomy goo of pure dissatisfaction. How he could allow his siblings to fool him like that was a mystery to him. He was 5 years older than them!

Oh, who was he kidding? Those brainiacs could run for president with their intelligence. They were the only people Hanako admit, are smarter than him. He just hoped Lei wasn't too pissed about it. Calming down a furious Lei, was like taming a boar.

Embarrassed as he is, he was more agitated at himself for promising such a bothersome task. Make nice friends? He'd rather adopt 10 furballs than be ' nice '.

His sister said to make friends, she didn't say be nice to strangers. As if he'll allow himself to be an easy friend to get. If they wanted to be friends with him, they'd have to put up with him in the first place.

Hanako is not one to act nicer to a stranger. If they don't like him, he's not going to lift an inch to change their mind.

He took a glance at the silent space outside his door, realizing his thoughts might've been louder than the train itself. Coming early has been a horrid decision.

" やれやれ ..." he muttered as he focused his attention to his moving hands. All he saw outside the window was families that it might as well burn his eyes. Would he still be outside if his parents decided their child was more important than work?

He let out a pathetic laugh. A child can dream.

After slumping back down into his seat, only then that he noticed another living being sitting right across him. How frustrated was he about his promise with his sister that he didn't even notice this stranger?

Not even slightly embarrassed about his rather rude entrance, he showed a cheeky smile to the stranger and placed his index finger on his lips.

" Shh...if you say even a single word, I'll promise this compartment ride won't be quiet enough for you to read that book of yours~ " he mischievously warned in a hushed tone, ending his threat with a light laugh.

That came out creepier than he intended, but he was just giving the girl a chance to have a quiet ride despite his existence in her presence. Hanako wasn't really in the mood to rile someone up. His previous words may contradict his real intentions, but that was nothing new.

He just hoped the girl didn't answer him in the end. He just wanted to take a nap and get this over with.

Althea was reading her book at first, not really paying close attention to her surroundings as she read. The book was fairly entertaining, and she was getting to the last bit of it when a boy suddenly waltzed in like he owned the place and sat down beside her without another word.

The boy looked about her age and looked Asian, with his dark hair and eyes. He had a frustrated look on his face and his aura practically screamed that he was one of those rich pure-bloods that her father told her about.

As the boy pouted and began mumbling what Althea assumed to be Japanese, she just stayed silent and stared at him. She didn't know what to do, and definitely did not know how to act. She never went to actual school, she was home-schooled and had no friends, so she was no social butterfly that would just strike up a conversation from scratch.

The boy looked outside of the window and stared at the families outside for a moment, before looking away and letting out a laugh. Althea raised an eyebrow at that. She thought the boy was looking for his parents, but it seems they didn't bother coming to wave him goodbye there. She was lucky enough to have her parents send her off at Kings' Cross Station, but they had to leave due to their work.

Before Althea had snapped out of her thoughts, the boy slumped down on his seat and realised her presence. Althea shook her head to clear her thoughts and realises this, staring straight at the boy. Her mind went blank as she felt her stranger-danger instincts boiling up.

She tried to reach for her wand, but the boy spoke first.

"Shh...if you say even a single word, I'll promise this compartment ride won't be quiet enough for you to read that book of yours~" The boy muttered under his breath as he flashed a smile close to a smirk.

Althea stared at him for a moment, before slamming her book shut and smirking at the boy.

"Hey, I do not know who you are and your family's economic status, but I will say this. Since you seem to be a person who is socially impaired like me, why don't we have some small-talk to fullfil my parent's wish of me making friends," Althea stated simply without a second thought, "My name is Althea Valeden, a half-blood."

She should have minded her words against a pure-blood, but she was a half-blood and can be as good as him.

It took a moment for the girl's words to buffer in his head. " Socially impaired..." he let the word roll his tongue as if it were a foreign language, before bursting out laughing.

Completely different from his previous demeanor, the compartment's silence was replaced with his rare but genuine laughter. And it lasted for a good few seconds before the same cheeky grin feels on his face. But for someone who had engaged in more conversations with him, there was definitely something different about that smile from his usual ones.

" Well, aren't you straightforward. Pleased to be met with such a charming introduction. Hanako Tone at your service~ " Hanako lightly bowed his head.

He was amused at how he was seen as a pure-blood already, and he hasn't even set foot in Hogwarts. How long will it be until he can play this out, he wonders? Perhaps it was his old prestigious family heritage aura that seeped out of him even though he had cut ties with that part of the family. The corrupted one.

Does the girl know about the Tone family? If she did, she would've only known about how famous and talented they are in Japan. She was a mere half-blood just like him yet Hanako felt the need to keep that fact from her.

" It seems like you're a potential business partner I should get acquainted with~ " he scooted a bit further from her and comfortably crossed his legs before giving her a cheeky grin. " My sister made me promise to make friends and though I may look like a double-crosser, I don't dare to break promises~" he clapped his hands together " So, in the most business casual way we can, let's be friends~"

" I'll be more than happy to allow you to use my glorious name to tell your parents how we met in this very compartment and entered Hogwarts as the best of besties~ "

His sweet innocent smile contradicts his words but never the less, he was genuinely happy to found a business partner that could pose off as his friend. He hoped she would comply.

Althea chuckled at the boy's amusing personality. Hanako was definitely interesting, and she wouldn't dare let the opportunity of an easy 'frienship' slip by.

"Sure, Hanako, I shall use your glorious name in my next letter to my parents. Let us work together from now on as the anti-social duo," Althea joked, leaning back in her seat with a smirk on her face. Her book had been long forgotten on her lap, and she was definitely not going to pick it up anytime soon.

Now Althea thought about it, her father had mentioned the Tone Family name once or twice. As far as she knew, they were a fancy and posh wizard family in Japan, though she didn't exactly fancy them because they seemed like your average snobby pure-bloods.

Hanako wasn't like that, though. He wasn't whiny like those pure-bloods she saw on the platform that threw a tantrum over something because they couldn't get the owl they wanted. In fact, he was quite a pleasant person that Althea would put efforts to be acquainted with.

"Now that we are friendly business partners, let's talk about life and magic. Did you break a fence or someone's chair at your first wandless magic incident? I broke a teacup and nearly drowned a bee," Althea suggested simply, tapping her fingers on her book's cover in a even rhythm. She saw that Hanako was a bit tense, so she decided to tell her embarrassing secret on how she freaked because of a bee. She had no pride at all, and since Hanako was her friend, at least he was trustworthy and pleasant.

"Sure, Hanako, I shall use your glorious name in my next letter to my parents. Let us work together from now on as the anti-social duo," she joked, which Hanako lightly laughed in return.

'Anti-social duo', she says? Hanako didn't mind being called anti-social but duo? For a second, he pondered, if this girl ever had the energy to seriously become his duo. Lei would not be pleased with any of that, but overall, Hanako felt slightly uncomfortable at the thought of being real friends with this girl. His fear kicked in but none showed present on him. As a Tone, he was skilled in masking anything.

Though, perhaps some of it has slipped as the girl started sharing her odd stories. Though, the girl would not fail to be appreciated by Hanako for her small act of kindness. Already sharing embarrassing stories with him? This is definitely someone to avoid at Hogwarts.


" And what a very unfortunate bee that was. A bee hater, hmm? Good to know~" he mischievously added at the end. It wasn't like he would prank her too early, but information like this was valuable and assisted in prank planning a lot. Perhaps the girl would find bees waiting in her common room if she ever angered him somehow?

He didn't want her to think he was all that kind, after all.

" Very well, I shall assist your wish of sharing our embarrassing past " he chuckled before leaning back into his seat, relaxed as ever. " Oh dear, once upon a time...."

His mind went back to the time where his parents didn't even come home for his birthday. Where he cried so loud he couldn't hear the shattering lights of his penthouse burst and decorate the floor with shards.

" I exploded new shoes because I thought they were ugly~ " he smoothly lied, like the little devil he is. Instead of the truth, he used Lei's accidental magic story to pose as his own and he was good at it.

He felt more comfortable lying than telling a business partner that he's a kid with attention-seeking tendencies. She'll know the truth soon enough once she sees how he's lacking too much in the fashion department to actually care about ugly shoes.

"Your accidental magic story was much more interesting than mine, that's for sure. What other questions you can throw at me where we can bond like normal ' friends ' " he lightly chuckled as he makes quotation marks in the air with his small hands when he said ' friends'.

Althea sighed as Hanako told his tale. She decided not to question about it, but she knew he was lying. The way he spoke of it so casually, the blank look in his eyes, the girl spotted all of those details. She intended for her tale to lighten up the mode, but it seems that she was terrible at interactions and socialising. Oh, how she wished she was her father. Her father was a social butterfly, and she was the socially impaired daughter. Althea bit her lower lip at the thought, but soon came back to reality.

She smiled vaguely as Hanako quoted the word 'friend' in his words. She was so focused on being social and striking up a conversation that she had forgotten about her relationship with the boy. She was an acquaintance, she reminded herself, she wasn't supposed to be so relaxed around these type of people.

"Well, I didn't expect blowing up a shoe would be an actual wandless magic incident," Althea chuckled, tapping her fingers on her book once again. She had a habit of doing that, the rhythm helps her pace herself.

The dark-haired girl then continued the small-talk more cautiously." So, what house do you think you are you going to be in? Heard it's hard to get the one you want," Althea said with a sarcastic tone, "I bet you'll be in Slytherin. You seem to be quite the cheeky one that would prank the professors."

" Little Ol' de me, pranking a professor? " he sniffled a little laughter " My, I would never do such a thing to disrespect such honorable educators. Students...on the other hand..." it was hard to miss the mischievous glint in his eyes.

" Heheh, don't worry. As a business partner of mine, I'll tick you off the list of victims. Overall, flattered you think so highly of me enough to peg me a Slytherin, but I disagree. Isn't that a house of ambitious people? I lack terribly in that department you see~"

It was true, Slytherin was the last house he'll probably be sorted in, other than Ravenclaw. His lazy attitude towards everything and his lack of enthusiasm in knowledge had proved it well.

" Believe it or not, I'm voting myself to get in Hufflepuff. I heard the common rooms are cozy and warm ~" He hummed in delight. Their common rooms were indeed nice, but what he was truly interested in is the plants. How easy it is to plant all kinds of plants in that place and he couldn't wait to get his hands dirty to plant any kind he could get.

Another reason why being a Slytherin would be a bore. The common rooms are literally underwater only plants that needed little to no light were available for him to keep and that would be an utter waste.

" Since you did the pleasure of sorting me in a house already, I hope you don't mind me to do the same? " it was a rhetorical question, he was gonna do it even if she refused. " From our very short time together, I choose Ravenclaw. Those blue slash green eyes just ooze out sharpness~" he lightly joked with a sweet smile.

" Hey, how serious we're you to bet me in Slytherin? Wanna make a real bet with me~?" he curiously asked.

Althea raised an eyebrow at him when Hanako said he wanted to get into Hufflepuff. She was definitely not expecting that, but her father did say that Hufflepuff takes practically anyone.

She got nervous, though, when Hanako told her that she would fit well in Ravenclaw. The rhythm of tapping increased in speed. It was true that she wanted to get into Ravenclaw, like her father, but she never had the talent to be creative or brainstorm. In fact, her father suggested that she would get into Gryffindor because of her tendency of getting reckless sometimes. Either way, she just hoped that she would fit in well in the house she would be sorted into.

" Hey, how serious were you to bet me in Slytherin?Wanna make a real bet with me~?" Hanako asked with another one of his cheeky grins.

Althea paused in her tapping to look up at Hanako, blinking at his suggestion. She heard of these things called bets from her mother's side once every four years when a thing called the 'World Cup' happens. Her maternal side would always call for bets, so Althea always assumed it was used with money.

Smirking, Althea spoke. "Well, I was just guessing, but I am up for a nice bet. It is your decision if you want to bring money in this, but I bet that the sorting hat would put you in Slytherin and definitely not Gryffindor." She said while beginning to tap her fingers on the book again.

" You don't see me as a lion? Hahahah, it's alright I'm just glad I didn't need to explain what a bet was. You have my respects, Miss Valeden~". He lightly complimented before moving on. " Well, as you can tell, money is no issue for me and I'm fine with putting a good 30 Galleon on something as simple as this but... it won't be really fun receiving money when I already have so many so, how about this..."

He leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees, giving his chin a good resting place as he stared closely at the girl like he was about to tell a secret.

" Winners get to tell the losers to do anything they want the moment we step in Hogwarts. It could be from doing their homework nicely to jumping into the great lake or, perhaps even str-" he stopped for a moment to consider Althea's innocence and change his mind.

" - striking up a conversation with the most hated professor". He smoothly said. the previous word was : streak in their dorms.getyourmindouttathegutter It would be nice for you to win, since it's not easy getting someone like me to do what you want~ " He mischievously beamed before sitting straight up as he just remembered something.

" Of course, nothing crude. I'm not a monster and I certainly hope you are not as well. I understand if you wish to do certain things with me, but please, we're still 11-year-olds and I do not wish to sin so early in life~ " he pretends to be bashful about his words at the same time, never bothered to hide his laughing.

" Oh but-" he stopped at looked at her seriously ones again "- you'll have more of a chance with me if you ask again in 3 years " he beamed too innocently for was he was saying.

He was too, in fact, joking about the whole ordeal. His 11 year old mind was certain his fear of getting too close to anyone would still be with him, but it was just his nature to tease anyone with any chance he gets.

" So what do you say, betting buddy? " he held out a hand for his business partner to shake.