Harry looked at the massive, eerie carriages—sleek obsidian-black with green-gold trimming, floating a few inches above the ground and pulled by… well, nothing.
Or at least, that's what his eyes could see.
"The carriages are fine," Harry muttered. "But, um, what exactly is pulling them? Because those wheels are not doing the work."
Tristan looked down at him with a smirk, arms crossed.
"Right, you kids can't see them yet. Of course."
Harry blinked. "Wait—can't see them? What do you mean 'yet'?"
Tristan gestured toward the open air in front of the carriage. "Those are Thassars—crossbreeds of Thestrals and Deep Serpents. Took decades of spellweaving and breeding. Long story. Basically invisible to anyone who hasn't seen—well, death."
Harry paused. "That's… oddly specific."
Theo appeared beside them again, arms behind his head. "Yup. You have to witness someone die to see a Thestral or any of its hybrids."
Harry's eye twitched. "Okay… that's dark."
Blaise slid into the group, perfectly relaxed. "Slytherin transportation is rarely not dark."
"Wait," Harry said, looking around. "If I can't see them, does that mean you three can?"
All three paused. Looked at one another.
Theo rubbed the back of his neck. "Clan life ain't always sunshine and potions, Potter."
Blaise looked mildly uncomfortable. "Yeah… let's just say some of us learned early."
Tristan put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Don't worry. That's not a rite of passage you have to rush into."
Harry gave him a look. "You're making me more nervous by trying to not make me nervous."
Before anyone could respond, one of the serpent-winged carriages hissed loudly—its door opened by a pair of Elf drivers in black-green robes.
The House of Hydra group was called.
Tristan turned, Hydra flag in hand, and waved for Harry to follow. "Alright, Lord Hydra, time for your first magical field trip. Try not to start a House feud before lunch."
Harry groaned. "No promises."
As he stepped up into the carriage, Harry caught a brief shimmer in the air—the outline of something massive, long, and coiled in place, with leathery wings and glowing reptilian eyes.
It stared at him.
He couldn't see it, not really… but he felt it watching.
"…Yeah," Harry muttered. "Definitely something dragging these."
Inside the carriage, leather seats and emerald curtains gave the ride a noble touch. The inside was way bigger than it looked from the outside—a classic wizard space cheat.
Tristan, Theo, and Blaise filed in behind him, each taking a seat.
Then came her.
Daphne Greengrass.
Graceful. Sharp. Slightly terrifying.
She stepped in, not even sparing Harry a glance as she elegantly sat across from him, arms crossed.
Harry looked around awkwardly. "Soooo… do we talk, or do we just ride in weird, slightly cursed silence?"
Daphne finally looked at him. "Don't embarrass our generation."
Harry stared. "That's your way of saying good morning?"
Tristan whispered, grinning. "You're doing great."
As the carriage door was just starting to close, a sudden knock made it creak open again.
A girl, looking maybe a year older than Harry, shoved her way forward—short, burly, with wild black hair and eyes full of panic. She clutched a grey flag in her hand, frayed at the edges, the symbol of a Mountain Family—those not part of the 13 Houses.
Behind her was a tall, tired-looking man limping with a busted broom strapped to his back like it had betrayed him.
[Insert image of Millicent Bulstrode]
"Please, please, please let us in!" the girl said all in one breath. "All the other grey carriages are full and none of the Houses will let us in! I swear we won't cause any trouble, I just don't want to walk!"
Her father huffed behind her. "Yeah, I broke my broom yesterday trying to out-fly a banshee. I don't want to talk about it."
Harry blinked, caught off guard. "Um… who are you people?"
The man gave a polite bow. "Bulstrode. This is my daughter, Millicent. We're from the Mountains—neutral family, not part of any official House."
Harry glanced at the empty seats in the carriage. He wasn't going to kick anyone out over rules he didn't even understand yet.
"…Sure. Come in."
The girl and her father let out twin sighs of relief. As they stepped inside, the man caught sight of the emerald and silver Hydra Flag stitched onto the interior.
His eyes widened. "Oh… Thank you, Lord." He paused, eyes darting to the flag again. "Lord Hydra."
That was when it happened.
Pop.
Theo got up and gave a polite nod. "No hard feelings, Harry."
Blaise stood and smoothed his robes. "Not at all, Lord Potter. It's just the rules. Once a Grey Family boards, only members of your House can remain with you."
Harry blinked in disbelief. "Wait—what?! Why?!"
Daphne didn't even answer him. She simply got up with regal silence and walked to her mother's carriage. Rosa gave Harry a faint shrug that said "We warned you about Clan politics."
Theo was already walking off toward the Apophis group. He gave a small wave. "Requirement Compatibility, mate. Carriages can only carry a House unit—or one neutral unit. That's the law."
Blaise, now halfway to the Naga carriages, gave Harry a glance over his shoulder. His face wasn't angry. Just… formal. Resigned. "Rules are rules."
Harry was left sitting there, jaw halfway open.
He looked at the confused Millicent across from him, who blinked awkwardly. "…Did I do something wrong?"
Harry leaned back, rubbed his face, and sighed.
"No, I think I just got my first lesson in magical politics. Apparently being nice has consequences."
The carriage lurched forward as the invisible serpent-Thestrals began to pull.
Harry looked out the window at the mountain path below and groaned. "Great. Day One and I already caused a diplomatic incident."
Millicent blinked again. "Want a sugar frog?"
"…Sure."
Harry leaned toward Tristan as the carriage gently rocked down the path, still confused. "So, um… Tristan? What the hell is 'Requirements Compatibility'?"
Before Tristan could answer, Mr. Bulstrode—still adjusting his busted broom beside him—cleared his throat politely.
"Allow me, Lord Potter," the man said, bowing his head slightly with the kind of formal tone Harry was slowly getting used to. "You see, we're part of the Grey Families. That means we aren't bound to any of the 13 Major Houses. We live in the Mountains, outside of the internal politics. Because of that, we're… let's say—recruitment-friendly."
Harry blinked. "Recruitment…? Like, people try to draft you?"
"In a way, yes," Mr. Bulstrode said with a chuckle. "If a House wants a Grey Family to join them, they have to convince us that it's worth it—good protection, shared magic, alliance benefits, that sort of thing. Until then, we stay neutral. Grey."
Harry slowly processed that. "Alright… so then, why did Theo, Greengrass, and Blaise leave? I didn't recruit anyone."
Tristan exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose like someone about to explain the wizard version of taxes to a toddler.
"Two reasons," he said, holding up two fingers. "One: Different Houses. Theo is from Apophis, Blaise is Naga, and Daphne is Amphisbaena. Once a Grey joins your carriage, those kids can't stay without violating alliance protocols."
Harry tilted his head. "Wait, carriage protocol is real?"
Tristan nodded. "Magic's dumb like that. The carriages run on enchantments tied to clan structure. They literally enforce social order. Second reason…"
He glanced toward the open window, where the Amphisbaena carriage was already pulling ahead.
"…Competition."
Mr. Bulstrode chuckled. "Some Houses don't want to be seen helping a House that just got its first heir in centuries, Lord Potter. It's all about appearances. By taking us in, you basically shouted, 'Hydra is open for recruitment.' That means the others want distance—at least until you prove yourself."
Harry blinked. "...I just didn't want a kid and her dad to walk up a mountain."
Tristan clapped a hand on his shoulder. "And that, my boy, is why you'll be a great Lord. But also, probably hated by, like, five Houses by sundown."
Millicent looked up from where she was feeding her owl a chunk of sausage. "So… we caused political drama before breakfast?"
Harry groaned. "Apparently. Welcome to my life."
Millicent offered him a sugar frog. Again.
Harry took it. "I'm gonna need, like… ten of these."
Meanwhile, back with the Dursleys…
They had just parked their rather cramped car outside a quiet countryside stop. Vernon adjusted his tie for the fifth time, trying—and failing—not to sweat through it. Petunia was holding Dudley's Hogwarts list with all the grace of someone carrying radioactive waste.
And then…
THUMP.
The ground shook. The wind rattled. And standing in front of them, like a brick wall of hair, beard, and wild-eyed joy, was none other than—
[Insert image of Hagrid]
Dudley's eyes sparkled like a kid seeing a giant action figure come to life.
Petunia stared up, and up, and up, blinking rapidly.
"Er… Hagrid, dear," she said carefully, trying not to sound like she was about to scream. "Are you… are you going to fit in the car?"
Hagrid laughed, the sound deep enough to scare off a nearby crow.
"Fit? Nah," he said with a toothy grin, giving the car a gentle pat that still made it groan under the weight. "Don't worry 'bout me, Petunia. I've got me trusty flying bike right over there—"
He pointed to the loud, heavily enchanted motorbike parked beside a tree, looking like it hadn't passed a Muggle inspection since the 1800s.
"Me an' Dudley'll ride that. You two can drive behind us if you like."
Dudley was already halfway across the field, eyes shining. "I get to fly?! On that?!" he shouted, voice cracking from excitement.
Vernon, meanwhile, had turned a very unnatural shade of pale.
Petunia sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Of course. Of course it's a flying motorcycle. Why wouldn't it be."
She muttered to herself as she looked at her husband.
"I married a man who's scared of a bicycle, and now my son's going to fly one."
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy