"Slytherin has its advantages, I'm told. Good atmosphere, fewer stairs to climb getting to the dorm, nobody pillories you if you don't go to the Quidditch games..."

"If I am not put into the house of adventures there will be a riot. What is Quidditch, please?"

"Slytherin sounds cool if, you know, you're like that. I'm not like that." To Tintin: "Quidditch is a sport played on broomsticks. Each team has three hoops and three players who can throw one ball, the quaffle, to one another and past the goalkeeper into a hoop to score ten points," he explains, gesturing and motioning about the size of the ball plus extra special effects. "Then there's the two bludgers," small ball, "that chase people around and try to push them off, the two beaters have bats that they use to try to throw bludgers at other people or away from their team. And then there's the golden snitch," tiny ball, "which is golden and has wings and flies really quick and the game only ends when the seeker catches it and it's worth a hundred and fifty points."

"A hundred and fifty! That seems very silly - unless, I suppose if one team's beaters were very good they could eliminate the other team's ball-throwers and then score fifteen goals? But still, it seems like the seeker's role is too great. It cannot be so hard to catch a little ball."

"It's really hard, it can take days in professional games. And the beaters can also beat the seeker. And the keeper."

"Days. I think I am not going to be a sportsman, even if I am a bit curious about how a little ball can be so hard to catch."

"It's really smart and flies away and the other team's seeker can try to stop you and feint and stuff. You should probably try it just because if you were raised by muggles you never did, did you, so you should see what it's like, but first-years aren't allowed anyway. Dunno why."

"...suddenly I want to play Quidditch. That is a silly rule."

He laughs. "I think it's because first-years are still figuring magic out? And flying? I flew at home, of course, but they have actual lessons there and I think they do not trust families to really teach their kids how to fly properly even though I totally can, and there are also muggleborns and stuff."

"I suppose. How difficult is it to fly?"

"Easy to do, hard to do well."

"Yeah, what he said."

The door to their compartment opens, and an older boy pokes his head in.

     "You'd better change into your robes," he says to Tintin. "We're approaching the castle."

"Ah, thank you!" Tintin nods.

The older boy leaves. Tintin immediately unzips his rucksack and pulls out his robes, then starts pulling them on over his muggle clothing.

James blinks. "You're gonna wear them... over your—" He gestures in Tintin's direction. Well, Tintin's clothes' direction.

"...am I not supposed to?"

"No, you're not. You just wear the robes."

"What if I trip and everyone sees up them?"

"...then they see up your robes? If you wear muggle clothes under your robes people will mock you relentlessly. If you trip, people might make fun of you for being clumsy, but I don't see how it's connected."

"I don't know that much about how kids are here in the UK but back in America it would be really weird to have muggle clothes under your robes."

"...alright."

Tintin takes the robes off and strips off his muggle clothes efficiently, then dons the robes as quickly as possible. It's probably not quick enough that the other boys don't get a glimpse of his body, which is painfully thin and lacks certain significant boylike features.

He makes a face once the process is over with. "There is too much air. It feels like I am still half naked."

"—oh were you worried that people might think you're a girl if they saw up your robes?" asks James. "There's probably a potion you can get at the infirmary to fix that for you."

"Yes, I asked about the potions. I cannot take them until I have started to bleed, and we do not know when that will happen. It will be very exciting, I'm sure."

"Huh. Why not, do you know?"

"The healer I spoke to said something about the body needing to know what it will become before its path can be changed safely. It all seemed very mystical, but I suppose magic can be like that."

"It can," James agrees. "Let's hope it happens sooner rather than later then."