Gary stepped out of his mom's car, dressed in a white button-down shirt, a sweater vest, plain black pants, and black shoes, with a small luggage bag, a large bag of McDonalds (so stuffed that even the bag looked unhealthy), and a large Coca-Cola. He closed the door behind him with a thud, and his typical nonchalant look was broken with a smile as his sipped his drink. For him, it was another typical day of going to school, stopping by McDonalds for a quick to-go bag, and leaving his mother without having either side say a decent goodbye. What he saw when they drove by to pick up Vincent at his house was a long heartfelt farewell between Vincent and his mother, which should've been unsettling for Gary, being the emotional teen that he was, if he didn't disassociate himself from the scene. 

Vincent slowly trailed behind. Also dressed in the same attire Gary was, he also had his small foldable box of McDonalds, specifically, the Mighty Kids meal, and a kids drink. Today's prize was a Pokemon card and a little plastic stand to put the cards in so he didn't have to hold his cards if he played. A collectible toy, sure, but not something someone could play without a whole set of cards.

Vincent was a little excited and a little scared, but was satisfied with how the day went so far. He could rest, knowing his mother was at peace with him as he left for Hogwarts. McDonalds came to him like a treat. He didn't remember the last time he went to McDonalds. He typically ate his mother's home-cooked meals, and when he heard that they were going to McDonalds that morning, Gary almost had to restrain him in the car.

Often neglected by his mother, Gary ate McDonalds almost everyday during his vacation. It's a wonder how he doesn't gain weight. He would attribute this to his high metabolism.

"Bye Gary, bye Vincent." His mother casually called out from the car, waving. After all, she had to go to work. "Love you, Gary."

"Bye Mum." Gary waved back. Although he heard his mother's last words, he didn't feel much loved.

"Bye Mrs. Shinawatra!" Vincent, the more loving one of the two half-brothers, said his good-byes more enthusiasticly, even if it wasn't his own mother.

Mrs. Shinawatra drove away, leaving the two to fend for themselves. Gary gestured for Vincent to follow him, which Vincent did, getting more uncomfortable with every step. He wasn't used to wearing these clothes. Up to that point, he had enjoyed the freedom of wearing casual clothes - T-shirts, jeans, cargo shorts... 

Speaking of clothes, there isn't much in the luggage bag. Just Gary's Ravenclaw tie, and their robes, which they planned to put on later. They figured the robe would be really uncomfortable for Vincent if he was already struggling with his current wear. Like Cleo, the rest of their luggage had already been shipped, including Gary's ever-so-annoying Rooster Foghorn Leghorn.

Cleo and Gary were in the same house of the same year, so naturally they know each other. They're not at all close, though. They've only talked to each other a number of times. While they had before competed against each other in many things that ranged from reasonable to downright useless. She's more athletic and better on a broom, so he's a little intimidated by her.

They got to the platform and saw wizards running into the wall. Vincent took a gulp, panicking in his mind. [i]What's this? I didn't sign up for this.[/i] he thought.

"I really don't understand why they try to run into it." Gary told Vincent. He sighed and took another sip of his drink. "Follow my lead." Gary walked over to the side, skipping the line. Of course, this brought them in closer contact with the protesting muggles. 

"Faggot." another seemingly-young voice said as Gary was pushed. Gary was enraged. With his wand in his pocket, he didn't bother to reach for it, but rather swung a fist towards the man's head. It hit the man's cheek and Gary proceeded to slip in through the wall, pulling his half-brother with him before he could get caught. 

Vincent was unimpressed by the punch. He sympathized with the muggle and his smile quickly turned into a frown. "Gary, that wasn't right."

"Well, it wasn't quite right for them to call me names, was it?" Gary rolled his eyes at Vincent's comment. Vincent had the wisdom to not continue the conversation and Gary calmed down, took a breath and nodded. "You're right. What I did was wrong." Vincent smiled and nodded happily.

When Gary saw Mr.-Perfect-Head-Boy Jeff Roberts talking to Cleo, his anger started up again. If it weren't for the fact that Cleo seemed a bit more attractive than usual, he wouldn't have a problem. What made her attractive was unknown. She looked the same as she always did. [i]Pureblood...[/i] Gary was the type of guy who would, considering the existence of pureblood supremacists, would reverse the situation by despising purebloods himself. He looked away as he and his brother stepped into the red train.

Gary chose an empty compartment. In his anger, Vincent asked, "Can I see your new wand again, Gary?" 

Putting his anger aside for a while, he took out his new Kaya-wood Krasue-entrail-core wand and gave it to his little brother with a forced smile. He then took another sigh and opened up his bag full of McDonalds food. He began to eat a McChicken.

"Wow... It's so cool." Vincent examined it closely, spinning it to see it from every angle. "I want a wand like this when I grow up." Vincent's wand began to warm up on its own in his pocket.