Cadance had her arms wrapped around Harry, hugging him as she sniffled. "You'll do your absolute best and amaze them all." She rubbed the side of her face against his.
Harry was dark in the cheeks under the barrage of motherly care. "I'll do m'best, mum." He was dressed like a wizard, which was a part he rather liked. Dark black robes covered him, a pointy hat on his head, even gloves on his hooves! Not that he was sure what those were for, but the shopping list had been quite clear.
Arnavon was closeby, burdened with quite an array of magical gear. A cauldron was slung over his shoulder, a set of glass vials rested inside that, with a wand inside one of those. Threatening to tip the cauldron, a telescope was hanging free of it, with a set of brass scales trying valiantly to counter balance it.
This all ignored the books. He had a pile of them in his arms, shivering as they were with the effort. "They certainly expect you to read a lot," he commented with clear admiration. "Is it alright if I read them too?"
Harry lifted an ear at Arnavon, turning away from his mother. "You want to? These aren't about tsuki magic."
"Magic is magic." He nodded with certainty. "Learning more about magic will help!"
Cadance side-eyed the books. "About that... Those books are not from Equestria. I had to enlist Celestia's help to even find them."
Harry gasped, eyes widening as his gloved hooves shook in the air. "Is this school on another world?!" When Cadance nodded, he burst into a fit of laughter. "This is going to be so great!"
Flurry thrust a hoof at Harry. "I'm going to write this school of yours." Her tongue extended mightily. "They better let me in next semester. This isn't fair."
"Speaking of that." Cadance just casually skipped back a few topics. "To get there will require special provisions. Normally, we use mirrors for inter-world travel, but this school has a transportation system already set up that is up for the task. It will arrive at the station." She inclined her head towards where the train station was. "You should get yourself there. Wouldn't do to be late."
Harry's raised ear slowly fell towards the side. "Just a normal train? Couldn't anypony just hop right on and end up somewhere new?"
"That is how trains work." The coy smile on her face revealing it to be said in humor. "But while this will arrive at the station, it will be on the second platform. I was informed that any potential student of theirs could find it."
Harry, Arnavon, and Flurry all shared a blink. Their little station had precisely one platform, and none others.
"Don't stand there looking lost." Cadance gently nuzzled Harry's confused face. "Go on and start your trip. I believe in you."
And so with one more round of hugs, the two set off towards school. Flurry looked at her mom pointedly. "I wasn't kidding!"
Cadance smiled gently at that. "You rarely are. Study then, and I'll see what the process is." She wasn't even sure that school accepted applications. There was much research to do. She let out a soft breath. "I already miss him."
"The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. Grade 1!" Arnavon awkwardly got that book balanced over to one hand so he could push it forward as he ambled along. "I didn't know books of spells came in standards, or grades. I can't wait to read it!"
"You are very excited about going to a school." Harry's voice was a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. "It's not going to be all fun."
"Nothing is." Arnavon got the book back in the pile. "By the way, I'll meet you there."
Harry came to a sudden stop. "You're not riding the train with me?"
"No, silly." Arnavon waved that idea right away, even if doing so almost made his book pile collapse, forcing him to dive to catch it and get it upright. "I'm an owl. We have special ways." He winked and turned. "I'll meet you there!"
Harry had almost forgotten that. Arnavon had not revealed what he had seen and done when delivering the letter back to Hogwarts, that was the name of his school. Still, it meant Arnavon had learned some kind of magic. "Good on you," he said to nothing, Arnavon already gone.
Other ponies bustled along on their daily routines, but some noticed the curiously dressed Hatter. One crystal stallion closed with him. "You become a fan of Trixie's?"
Harry had to think about that. They did share a lot of beats, though his was full body, and had gloves! "Wizards were dressing like this before she copied it."
"Huh, well alright." The stallion let him go, veering off to other things. "Have a good one!"
"You too." Harry hurried up onto the first platform, one of two, in theory. He only saw one place, where ponies waited for the next train. He considered asking a conductor, but doubted they'd know. They weren't wizards.
"Not one step further." The owner of that deep male voice emerged from the crowd. Star Swirl, his beard being stroked softly. "Young Harry, you are stepping beyond the reach of Equestria itself."
Harry blinked softly at Star, amazed. "Are you... Star Swirl?"
"The bearded, yes." He nodded in barely a motion. "And you are Harry Potter, summoned to Hogwarts, I am given to understand. Know this, once you step away from Equestria, you will not return for some time."
"I'll live on the college a while," agreed Harry, though the nervousness in his voice was hard to conceal in his fidgets and shuffles. "But I will be back."
"This is not assured." Star approached on slow steps. The other ponies on that crowded platform seemed to ignore both of them. "I have experience with interdimensional fields, and yours... You have a tangled past you have left aside... but now you return." He leaned in, horn angled to not poke the younger pony. "Harry, you are--"
"--a wizard?" Harry smiled hopefully.
"No..." Star inclined his head faintly. "That is a title you will earn, with work and diligence. No... Harry, you are a human."
Harry's ears flipped back against his head. "What even is that?" Those ears pricked right back up. "Is that what my family, the, uh, my real... I mean..." He stammered and stomped from hoof to hoof. "Cadance is my real mother, but my, you know, biological one?"
"Your parents were human." Star nodded in agreement. "You will meet and interact with many more, where you're headed. Walk carefully, Harry Potter. But keep your head up." His horn glowed, pulling out a small notepad. "What was it... right. Remember you have friends and loved ones, rooting for you."
Harry met eyes with the wizened ponies. "Did you have someone else write that for you?"
"I'm not good at these." He pointed out over the rails themselves. "On with you, and good luck."
"It's a pleasure meeting you, sir." Harry dipped his head briefly before rushing out. It was only after he had stepped off the platform that he realized how bad of an idea that was. He began to fall, but landed with a thud on a wooden surface. He looked around and quickly realize he was there, on a second platform just beyond the rails. None of the other ponies seemed to notice him there, as if he was invisible. As if the entire platform was invisible.
A conductor approached directly. "Are you in the right place?"
"I hope I am." Harry gathered himself back to his hooves. "I'm going to Hogwarts?"
"That's the B line." The conductor pony pointed to where a train was just pulling in. "Get on board and good luck!"
Harry started that way, though more questions came. "Do you... Are you a wizard?"
"Me? Heavens no." The earth pony shook his head. "But I do help keep things moving smoothly through this platform of the station. On with you." He shooed Harry away with a smile. "That train won't wait for you."
"Right, of course." Harry scampered onto the train, to discover strange creatures on board. Griffons, dragons, and some perhaps oddest of all. They had no fur, feathers, or scales. Just... smooth. They looked at Harry like he was the odd one, despite them being so bizarre. They tended to wear pointed hats. Wizards?! Part of Harry wanted to rush up and ask, but they felt important.
And they looked at him like he wasn't... He let them be and instead sank onto an available seat. The train lurched beneath him, starting to move almost as soon as he sat. The conductor had said it wouldn't wait for him, but it certainly felt that way. He was going, to Hogwarts, a school for wizards, which he'd become.
He clopped his hooves with giddy expectation.
"I don't see magic things so eager to ride often." Harry looked over. Sitting next to him was one of those furless bare-skinned... things... He had a mane, an unruly mess that topped his head. He wore no pointy hat. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Can you talk? I assume you can, or they wouldn't have you riding here with the rest of us."
"Of course I can talk." Harry lifted an ear at the odd creature. "What... are you?"
"I didn't think I'd reach the day when a little unicorn would ask me what I was," laughed out the creature, slapping his knee as if that had been a real good joke. "I'm a person, a human."
Harry could but blink. He was one of those?! "Oh, hello. I'm Harry Potter."
"Two names?" He seemed to consider it. "One more than I expected, I'll admit."
"Is there something wrong with two names? I bet you have two at least." Harry wasn't sure at all, but he went with the guess.
"Guilty." The man put a hand on his chest before extending that same hand. "Nice to meet you, Harry. Since you seem to be a sociable unicorn, mind if I ask what you're riding for?"
Harry met the hand with a hoof, allowing it to be grasped and shook. "I'm going to Hogwarts."
"Same here!" He turned that hand into a pointing finger at himself. "You going to help in a class?"
Harry inclined his head, his hat coming off-kilter in the motion. "I'm going for the classes. I'm a student." His horn began to glow, a name tag coming free of a pocket and pinning itself into place. "There we are. I was going to put that on when I got to the school proper."
The man seemed surprised at that. "Get out." But the tag seemed proper, and the unicorn seemed serious. "Huh... Well, sorry for being surprised, just never saw it before."
"What are most of the students there like?" Perhaps he could get some vital intel from that curious man.
"Well, more like me." He shrugged. "Two arms, two legs, not a fur coat." He gestured at Harry's head. "That has to be handy."
"What?"
He reached in, tapping Harry's horn. "This here. You have a wand built in. Just be careful you don't hurt it doing magic you shouldn't. Harder to replace what's built in, you realize."
"I can imagine." Harry's mind provided many images of various ways his precious horn could be damaged, from turning to ash to being split in half and he cringed at the idea of it. "I think I'll use a normal wand, for now."
"You..." His eyes fell to Harry's hooves. "How?"
It seemed there was as much to learn about Harry as he did about humanity, even if he was one of them, supposedly. "My owl took my wand to the school and is waiting for me, so I can't show you..." Not that he had learned any proper spells yet! Well, not-unicorn spells. Soon! "I can't wait to learn how to use it properly!"