The owls arrived, carrying a single parcel that day. A single enveloped, stamped shut with scarlet wax, a crest that announced magic.
It was July 20th, in 11 days time, Hogwarts will be admitting students once more. Letters would be sent out by the droves, new and wide eyed students from all around the United Kingdom will finally get their letters of admission to the world's best wizarding school.
Many children would rip open the envelope and bounce up and down in their giddy. Much like the child of which we follow in this tale. The child of a line long thought gone, emerging again.
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Somewhere in Scotland, a tawny owl flew to the destination of the package which it carried, it had traveled miles upon miles, but finally, it saw it. Sat atop a flooded hill was a bog covered ruins, trees grew to replace rooves, walls, even doorways. The house that constantly hosted dances of fireflies. It had finally reached the remnants of the Vernes castle.
It circled it a few times before landing on a windowsill on the top most tower where a young child was polishing a silver pendant with some pixie cream. The owl let out a faint 'hoot' immediately drawing the child's attention to it. They scanned the bird with their E/C eyes and smiled as soon as he saw what was clutched in between the bird's claws.
He stood up and threw the beef jerky he was chewing on to his messenger before taking the letter.
"How are you today, Helton? Taking care of yourself I hope?"
The owl merely hooted happily before flying off, presumably to deliver another letter or sleep in the owlery. The child sat on the bed and investigated the wax seal on the letter. An emblem that was all too familiar to him as he'd dreamt of this day happening since he was 3. A shield divided into quarters, each with an animal of their own. The symbol for Hogwarts.
"Finally," he muttered "It's finally here!"
Hogwarts Hollows: Philosopher's Stone
The sound of a train whistle roared in the background amongst the chatter of civilians. A man wearing a trench coat and a fedora rushed a small child among the crowds, helping him push the cart filled with all of his school supplies. King's Cross seemed to bustle with activity this day, the very walls seemed to exude a strange sense of excitement. Just as the pair had reached platforms 9 and 10, the older man stopped the boy by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"We're here." the boy looked puzzled by this.
"Are you sure we didn't pass it on the way here, dad?" The man took his hat off and knelt down to meet his child's eyes. His shining blue, meeting the muted E/C.
"Come now, boy. Forgetting what I told you now, have we?"
He let out a smile, the powdered sugar from the donut he consumed on the way to the train station fell off as his face wrinkled. The boy shook his head and fixed his ratty green coat vest before straightening up and imitating his father.
"Think of where the magic is, boy! Sense it!"
The man let out a hearty chuckle as he stood back up, handing the child a silver necklace, it's pendant being a spiral cage which held something that pulsed. The child's eyes widened into saucers as he carefully put on the pendant, feeling the warmth radiate into his chest.
"Can I really bring him?"
"Well he's yours in'e? 'Sides, I have a feeling you'll need him. Just remember, he can guide and help you, but he ain't exactly 'approved pet' material in the eyes of yer professors."
The boy's father wiped away a bit of soot that had somehow gotten on his child's face before wavering and locking eyes with his child. He hadn't even noticed that his child was rambling, so before he was noticed, he cut him off. "Welp! Off you go, Train's not waiting on anyone, even someone as special as you!"
"Well I suppose if my royal subjects are awaiting me..." The child jested.
His father stepped away, blending into the crowd before vanishing without any trace. The child sighed and loosened his scarf as he looked at the pendant and smiled. He gently tapped on it and heard a few purrs, the pendant floated slightly over his neck and was pulled taut in the direction of the pillar that held both signs for platforms 9 and 10.
"Pfft, of course! Thanks, mate!" He grabbed his cart, and ran at the pillar full speed, the muggles just ignored him as he slammed into the brick pillar... Oh, but he didn't. As soon as he made contact with the wall, it was as if a force had yanked him the rest of the way there.
The shadows around him swallowed him momentarily before dispersing and forming into shapes that looked grand. He was here, Platform 9 3/4, the station looked similar, but it was lit by lanterns that floated, scarlet banners hung above the steam engine, the bricks all looked like they were made from the finest materials, the walls shook with magic.
Owls flew overhead, letters clutched 'tween their claws, young witches and wizards strolled about, the child saw that they just leave their carts by the sweet old lady and decided to leave his belongings too. After the lady assured him it'll be sent to Hogwarts, he knew it'd be in safe hands. He can't believe this, he was actually ON platform 9 3/4!
His father only told him stories before, describing the trolley witches that served food, the luxury velvet seats, the roomy compartments where they could sleep. It was like finally going to a country you wanted so badly to visit, and it exceeding your expectations.
The boy wandered about until he saw an cart that still had free space. It was only this girl with bushy hazel hair and a boy that clutched his poor toad so tightly that it looked as if it would burst at any moment. Mustering up some courage, the boy knocked on the side of the open compartment door to gain the attention of it's inhabitants.
"Um, uh... Mind if I sit here?"
The boy just looked at him with wide eyes while the girl scanned him from his head to his toe. There was an awkward pause before the girl pointed at the adjacent seat.
"No one's sitting there."
Slowly, he took a seat and settled in before adjusting his scarf to cover the pendant that was now buzzing and humming.
He extended a hand towards the others for a shake before clearing his throat and trying to smoothen out his voice.
"Hi, my name's Y/N. Y/N Vernes..." The girl looked at your hand before gingerly shaking it and replying back "Hermione Granger."
"How about you? Got a name, mate?"
The boy looked at Y/N as if he just asked him if he had a 3rd ear growing, but stuttered out a response anyway. 'Neville Longbottom', he said.
The chain of Y/N's pendant started to rattle, but he just but his hand over it and tried to make small talk.
"Sooo, you lot decided on a house yet?"
"N-no, my gran wants me to be in Gryffindor, but I'm not brave enough. I ought to be somewhere else, maybe Hufflepuff, I've heard nice things about them." Neville hugged his knees as he drew his wand and lazily started tracing invisible letters in the air.
"Gryffindor is clearly the best house, though I suppose I wouldn't mind Ravenclaw."
"The house of the mad scientists, my father called it." You said awkwardly, she didn't seem to like this very much and hmphed, turning away from you. Trying to cling to the mood of the cart, you turned to Neville and started chatting him up awkwardly.
"Lovely weather innit?" You said, trying your best to start up a conversation as to not make the ride to the most magical place in the world a bother.
"I think it's getting dark, ghouls might come for me!" He said spooked. The toad he held onto suddenly slipped away from his grip. He tried to reach after it, but it had managed to jump outside and disappear into the hubbub of students trying to find cabins.
"Trevor!" Neville lunged outside and scanned the area for his pet frantically, your pendant started to lift off your neck and vibrate again, but you managed to pull it back as you leapt off your seat to look with him.
"Where is he?" Neville asked, but even both of you with your small frames couldn't withstand the hurricane of people that walked past you, causing colourful comments coming from the students.
You both got pushed around until you had to go back into the cabin to wait things out. Neville kept his face pressed against the glass, and Hermione looked over your shoulders to catch a glimpse of where Trevor the toad may've gone.
"Gran's gonna kill me! I should have- I-" he slid down the wall and put his face in his hands.
You put your hand on his shoulder and tried for a smile, though from what it felt like, it probably didn't help much.
"Don't you worry, we'll get your toad back. Can't get in trouble for losing your toad if you never lost it in the first place, right?"
You extended your hand out to him and he looked at it for a moment before taking it and wiping his face with his sleeve. You were about to head out again, when you haired Hermione speak.
"I'll help out to, ask around the cabins near the front of the train, you ask around at the back" She pushed past us and opened the door, disappearing into the crowd.
"She's a real piece of work, isn't she?"
"She's scary. Like a teacher, and strict, like an old teacher."
"Surprisingly verbose, come on, let's go."
...
You and Neville wandered around the Hogwarts Express, knocking on the cabin doors to ask about Trevor, most either ignored you or didn't see the little amphibious bastard, so as you did the job, you and Neville got to talking.
He was apparently living with his grandmother after his parents passed, you chose not to pursue the topic and asked simpler things, like what his wand was made of and what he wanted to be when he grew up.
Neville was very sweet, but also generating enough nervous energy to fill half the train carts of the locomotive they were on. After a while, Neville loosened up and cracked jokes, mostly about plants he knew from his gran's greenhouse. After a good laugh at his poke at the gillyweed that somehow grew in his gran's plumbing, we suddenly heard a faint croak from behind us.
"Hold on, I think I heard-"
Ribbit
Neville turned immediately and saw the faint figure of his toad a whole cart away. His eyes widened.
"TREVOR!" He sprinted towards his pet, ecstatic to see him, but apparently, another friend of yours was too.
Your tear drop shaped pendant finally snapped from the chains and darted straight for Trevor. Except it wasn't a silver pendant, it was something with wings. Neville didn't have enough time to dodge it as it expanded in size and scooped Trevor up, disappearing in a blast of white light.
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Neville turned to you with wide eyes, mouth agape and asked. "What was that?"
"We're both dead if we don't find them.... I'll explain later."
