"My notes don't even make it to half way through the lesson," laughed Matt, "I'm already happy if I get two lines on paper. Good thing people in my class pay more attention than me and, together, we have most of the lesson. But yeah, only Granger has everything and good notes. Too bad she doesn't want to share them most of the time."
He had asked her for her notes several times before and the only times she wanted to give them was when something had happened tho his notes or when he said he knew he went wrong somewhere and wanted to checked where that exactly had happened.
He let the line slide that he would like to know which was the real Jasmine. He didn't know her and he had a feeling they wouldn't meet up much after the train ride. She was a Slytherin and probably had enough friends there. Besides, he wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to be seen with the younger brother of a curse breaker and an auror.
When she said what her parents did, he just gave a small nod. He knew it was something that was pretty much taboo everywhere. Knockturn Alley wasn't exactly a place where you would go shopping for furniture or new school supplies. Well, maybe if you went to Durmstrang, but nothing more.
"Because I don't fancy a career as a Quidditch player," said Matt and he raised his eyebrows, "I have other things in mind that I want to do."
Matt barely managed to catch the remembrall, but he did. He looked at the ball and the smoke staid white. When Murray saw the ball, he started to hoot happy, hoping it was a play he could play with. Matt looked at him and noticed, behind the owl, that they were almost at Hogwarts.
"I see it's time for me to get changed into the uniform," he said as he gave the remembrall back to Jasmine and grabbed his uniform out of his bag, "My name is Matt, by the way, Matt Price."
He went out of the compartment and into the toilets, to get changed into his robe. When he was done, he walked back and knocked on the door. "Can I come back in?"

The moment Matt walked back in, his owl hooted harder when he saw the uniform. The owl always liked Hogwarts. He loved being a lot of his species and being able to fly out whenever he wanted. Matt went up the owlery a lot, to bring Murray some snack or just to pet him a bit. Matt didn't sit down right away. He grabbed his trunk and placed it on the floor, so he was ready to go. He packed his bag again, putting his book and the left over beans in it.
"I'm not so sure if I'm ready for this year," he said, "I'm sure we have a lot of studying to do and that they will give us a lot of homework. Not to mention the talk with our heads of houses and the O.W.L.'s. Something in me tells me that this year will become a very heavy year. Maybe even worse than the next two years. I just hope to have enough time to study everything and do all my homework. You know, with Quidditch practice and all."

The train slowed down and soon came to a full stop. The doors opened and he could hear Hagrid outside, telling the first years to follow him. When the most students had gone outside, Matt put his bag over his shoulder, took Murray's cage in one hand and his trunk in the other.
"Are you coming?" he asked when he was at the door, "I don't feel like walking when we miss the carriages."
He waited outside of the train for her, holding the door open. He had placed Murray on the ground, who was hooting around at all the legs that walked by and the other pets that he saw. "Don't mind him, he's always a bit hyperactive when we get back here."

"Yeah, last year was terrible," said Matt sad, remembering what happened to Cedric and what Dumbledore had said about Voldemort being back, "Even while it started good, with the other schools and all, I think that school year was one of the worst in decades."
In the summer, there had been a lot of debates on what Dumbledore had said. Some in his family believed him, while others didn't. One of his brother and his father both worked for the Ministry and they didn't believe that Voldemort was back. His other brother and Matt did believe it. Their mother, on the other hand, wasn't too sure, but almost didn't want Matt to go back to school after the summer, just in case it was true. It took a lot of talking and convincing before he was allowed to go.
The talk of the O.W.L.s brought him back to the conversation. For his dream job of Healer, he needed Outstandings or Exceeds Expectations in the classes Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. He had seen last year how much studying the fifth years had to do and he already felt tired just thinking about it.
"Last year, I heard someone of Beauxbatons say that they only had exams in their final year," he said, "I wish that would also be here. If something like last year would happen this year, big chance a lot of us don't get enough O.W.L.s for the jobs we want."
Jasmine said that a walk would be good for them or that they could go by boat. Matt grinned and shook his head. "The school is way too far for my liking. A sort walk would be good, yes, but not that long right before a big meal. As for the boats, they are already gone with the new first years."
She had picked up Murray's cage, with the hyper Murray in it. As they started to walk to the carriages, Matt took the cage back from her. He shook his head when she suggested to let him out.
"I did that in my second year," he said, "He was gone before I knew it and I thought he went to the owlery, until I arrive in the great hall. He was sitting on the back of Lockhart's chair, attacking his hair. While it was fun to see, Lockhart soon found out it had been my owl and gave me grief for it the rest of the year."
They were near the carriages when Jasmine whispered something to him. She had asked him if they could be friends and, because she had whispered it, Matt knew she would want anyone else knowing she had asked that. He looked around and saw that no one had noticed or was listening to their conversation. Turning back to Jasmine, he nodded. He opened the door of a carriage, signing that she could go in first.
"Yes, of course," he said with a smile.

"But we already have exams every year," said Matt, "That is way more than enough for me."
Every year, at the end of the school year, everyone had their exams. Matt always studied hard for those exams, to keep all of his grades up. He even asked for help before of professor Snape, to get his Potions grade up. Snape first didn't want to do it, but gave in after a while, when he realised that Matt wasn't going to stop asking until he got some extra lessons.

"Murray likes to fly around a bit too much," he said, "He doesn't always stay in the owlery. He often comes into the great hall, to have a snack or just to sit between people. Doesn't matter who, really."
Matt had often see Murray fly into the great hall during lunch or dinner, just to sit down at a random table and beg for any kind of human food. He would often sit with the Hufflepuffs. because he knew that they would give him food if he looked sweet enough, but his favourite spot was between Sprout and McGonagall. First few times, McGonagall tried to shoo him away, but, when he didn't even move, Sprout petted him.

"Yeah, why not?" asked Matt, "And why can't anyone know?"
The carriage had stopped in front of the castle and Matt placed his trunk on the ground first. He then placed Murray's cage on it and got out. He turned around and signed to Jasmine to give her trunk to him.