Rose Lily Lightbourn always knew she was adopted. She remembered the bright green light when she was only three years old, she remembered a red haired woman fall lifeless to the ground. She remembered a baby crying on the crib. She remembered a tall...
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"So, a charm bracelet," Fred Weasley whispered in Rose's ear. "Who would've thought."
"Weasley! Potter!" Professor Moody snapped as he walked beside them. "Silence!"
The Gryffindors, just like every other house, were lined up behind their Heads of Houses for the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
"Potter!" McGonagall called at Rose, making the red head stand up straighter. "Stand over here with the rest of the Prefects!"
Rose nodded quickly and followed suit, taking her place besides Kenneth Towlers as he polished the silver Prefects badge in his chest. They filed down the front stairs before re-forming in front of the castle. It was a crisp, clear evening as twilight fell and a faint, transparent-looking moon shone above the Forbidden Forest. Rose gulped as she saw the moon, feeling goosebumps erupt from her fair skin.
"It's almost time," Kenneth said, looking at the watch that sat on his wrist. "How d'you reckon they're coming?"
"Reckon they're using the train," Rose shrugged, fiddling with the fire charm in her bracelet. "How else?"
"They could apparate," Kenneth suggested.
"You can't apparate inside Hogwarts grounds," said Rose impatiently. "Besides, it's too far away."
Both prefects scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quiet as usual. Rose couldn't help but glance sideway at the Slytherins, smiling shyly at the Slytherin prefect for sixth year. She turned her head back to the front, looking at the grounds as if the students would suddenly pop up from it.
And then Dumbledore called out form the back row, where he stood with the other teachers – "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"
"Where?" cried many first and second years eagerly, all looking in different directions.
"There!" yelled a sixth-year Hufflepuff, Annie, pointing over the Forest.
Something considerably larger than a broomstick – or, perhaps, a hundred broomsticks – was speeding through the deep blue sky towards the castle, getting larger with each passing second.
"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first-years, losing her head completely.
"Don't be stupid ... it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey, a second year Gryffindor.
Dennis' guess was more accurate... They saw a gigantic, powder-blue, horse-drawn carriage the size of a large house soaring towards them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos and each the size of an elephant, as the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it.