~ Corvus Black - POV ~
~ Hogwarts Express - Sept. 1st, 1984 ~
Settling into the the last train cart, where the first year's are allocated, after bidding farewell to Arcturus, I place my shrunken luggage in the overhead while un-shrinking them. I then start people watching through the compartments window, a good way as any to pass the time until the train sets off towards Hogwarts.
One of the first things I observed, even before settling into the empty compartment, is that there is a stark fewer new students boarding the Hogwarts Express this year. It just goes to show just how truly devastating Voldys first Wizarding War was to the UK wizarding world's population. Harry Potter canon even attested that the few year's after Voldemorts war Hogwarts student population was truly spares. Something like a grand total of two hundred and forty to six hundred and forty from '81, after Voldemorts defeat by the Boy-Who-Lived, to '91 during Harry's first year. That is an almost seventy percent deficit of student population in Hogwarts; a school, according to the author of the books, that can comfortably house around a thousand children; and that's excluding the staff and house-elves. That is a staggering amount of magical blood spilled for no reason other than Voldemort and his Death Eaters megalomaniac grab for absolute power.
In my opinion; for now, as I well know for certain when I get my hands on Voldemorts Horcruxes and his memories; all that death and destruction was in no way planned or useful in taking over the Ministery of Magic. Somewhere along the way, and as a byproduct of splitting his soul so much, Voldemorts cause went from a grab for power to just wanton death and destruction.
Now the wizarding world is on a slow path to recovery and it the scars of Voldemorts first Wizarding War won't truly fade away until a little bit after Harry starts school. Even then the death and destruction start up again during just after his fourth year when Voldemort regains his body.
Although, if everything goes according to my plans, which is more than likely with my power, Voldemorts second Wizarding War won't last as long as his first. Which; from Gellerts last update, have been going smoothly, slowly; but smoothly. And I'll be able to get one piece of the plan finished during my first year at Hogwarts. The rest of it well be gradually completed throughout my tenure as a student at Hogwarts.
While I was thinking about my plans and Voldemorts horrendous massacres of Great Britain's wizarding population, and absent-mindedly people watching, the departure time for the Hogwarts Express drew closer. There were a few arrivals though that did draw my attention away from my thoughts, specifically two families.
One was the Weasley family, who were easily recognizable with their whole broods ginger hair. If I have my canonical timeline correct in my head; William 'Bill' and Charlie Weasley should be the only two members of the Weasley family in attendance at this time, Bill Weasley should be going into his third year and Charlie Weasley is a first year student, same as me.
The second family I recognized, which was smaller than the Weasley bunch, was the Tonks family. Nymphadora Tonks, who is also a first year and my past life childhood crush, so when I saw that bubblegum pink hair that giddy feeling came flooding back again. I had to take a deep breath just to get my budding Occlumency shields up and my my facial features to smooth out as I had a giant expectant grin on my face. Which when I realized that I had for a eleven year old girl partially deflated my enthusiasm for a moment before I reaffirmed to myself that I was also technically eleven years old myself. Completely disregarding my own past life memories as a grown man.
After a quick self-assessment of wether I was or was not actually an grooming pedophile with plans to make Nymphadora Tonks fall in love with me. Which I found that I should definitely not think too much about. I focused my attention to the two adults of the Tonks family... 'I'm really eleven years old, definitely not a pedophile. Ahem.'
Edward "Ted" Tonks is the husband of Andromeda Tonks née Black, father of Nymphadora Tonks, and fair-haired with a slightly big-bellied physique. Andromeda "Dromeda" Tonks on the other hand was as beautiful as I, or more accurately Corvus Black, remembered her. She looked a lot like Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black, a comparison that she really hates according to canon, but she has light brown hair compared to Bellas black hair, and her eyes were wider and far kinder.
Oddly enough the original Corvus had a weird crush on all the Black family women other than his mother and aunts, so just Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Andromeda. Even though he didn't really get to know them at all, just some early memories. Maybe that was how his Black family madness would have manifested, an obsession with the female cousins of the Black family.
'Since you let me use your body Corvus, I'll make sure to at least get with Bellatrix and Narcissa at some point down the line. Nymphadora on the other hand is all mine.'
While having my borderline incestuous thoughts, the Hogwarts Express started its journey North towards the Scottish Highlands, towards Hogwarts.
~
~ Hogsmeade Station, Highlands, Scotland - Evening ~
Hogsmeade Station was a small and dark platform that was near the Black Lake and a quarter-mile away from the village of Hogsmeade that the station is named after.
The Hogwarts Express had left Kings Cross Station at exactly eleven o'clock and we arrived at Hogsmeade Station at six o'clock in the evening. For most of the ride up here I stayed within my compartment and only left twice to stretch my legs when I got bored. I didn't really interact with anyone on board and kept mostly to myself, unless you count thr trolly matron who was yelling out: "Anything from the trolly dears!"
Which I did want. I grabbed myself one of everything on the trolly, because why not, it's magical snacks. Although I only unwrapped, or more specifically unboxed a Chocolate Frog, which got a good jump through the air before I snatched it up. The chocolate was good but it was the card I was looking forward to, I might even try to start my own collection. I even got a good start to my collection: Newton Artemis Fido "Newt" Scamander, famed Magizoologist and the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Great start of my Chocolate Frog card collection.
~