The King's Cross station was loud and busy. Lucian walked through the crowd in his bright purple coat. People stared at him, but he didn't care. Mocha the owl sat in a cage.
Lucian walked straight through the solid brick wall between platforms nine and ten. On the other side stood the Hogwarts Express, a giant red steam engine. Smoke filled the air, smelling of coal and magic.
Lucian walked down the hall of the train. Most rooms were full. Finally, he found one with a skinny boy with messy black hair and glasses. Beside him was a red-haired boy with a sandwich.
"Excuse me," Lucian said, leaning against the door. "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full of people talking about magic and broomsticks. I'd rather talk about foods or snacks."
"Sure," the black-haired boy said. "I'm Harry. This is Ron."
"I'm Lucian Chocastle," Lucian said, sitting down.
Ron looked at Lucian's purple coat. "Are you a noble blood ?
"Better," Lucian grinned. "I'm a chocolatier."
A lady with a cart full of sweets came by. Harry, who had just discovered he was rich, bought a pile of everything. But Lucian looked at the "Chocolate Frogs" with a sad face.
"You don't like those?" Ron asked, holding a hopping frog.
"They are okay for beginners," Lucian said. "But they don't do anything besides jump. Watch this."
Lucian pulled out his Maple Wand. He took a normal Chocolate Frog from Harry. He tapped it three times and whispered, "Choc-Alchemical Rise!"
Suddenly, the chocolate didn't just jump. It turned into a tiny, beautiful chocolate bird. It flew around the room, singing a song that sounded like tinkling bells. Then, it landed on Harry's hand and turned into a soft, warm truffle.
"Eat it," Lucian said.
Harry took a bite. His eyes went wide. "Whoa! It tastes like... my favorite birthday memory? And I feel so warm, like I'm sitting by a fire."
"That is Magic," Lucian said proudly. "Most people use wands to fight. I use mine to make people happy."
Ron was staring with his mouth open. "Can you make my sandwich taste like steak?"
"Maybe next time, Ron," Lucian laughed.
The Great Hall and the Sorting Hat
The train arrived at a giant castle. It was Hogwarts. Lucian walked with the other students into the Great Hall. Thousands of candles floated in the air. The ceiling looked like the night sky outside.
Professor McGonagall stood at the front with an old, dirty hat. One by one, students were called up.
"Potter, Harry!"
The room went silent. After a long wait, the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Finally, it was Lucian's turn.
"Lucian Chocastle!"
Lucian walked up, his purple coat swishing. He sat on the stool and the hat was placed on his head.
"Hmm," a small voice said in his mind. "Very strange. A mind from another place or something else ? A soul that dreams of sugar and science? You are brave, yes. You want to be famous, yes. But your mind... it is always working. You want to know the chemistry of cocoa. You want to invent things no one has ever seen."
"I want to create," Lucian thought to the hat. "I want to learn every secret of the world to make the perfect sweet."
"Then there is only one place for a genius like you," the hat whispered.
"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted to the room.
The blue and silver table clapped loudly. Lucian stood up and headed toward his new family. He saw the older students looking at his coat and whispering.
"Nice coat," a girl with long hair said. "Is it magical?"
"It's not just magical," Lucian said, sitting down and pulling a piece of glowing chocolate from his pocket. "It's delicious. I'm Lucian.
Later, in the high tower of Ravenclaw, Lucian looked out the window at the stars. He had his wand, his owl, and his dreams. He wasn't just a student anymore. He was a Ravenclaw. He would use the giant library to find the oldest, rarest chocolate recipes in history.
"Tomorrow," he whispered to Mocha. "We find the kitchens. I have a feeling the house-elves there have never tasted a real marshmallow."
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