The Heirs | Year 4

New Beginnings

CRACK!

The familiar sound blasted Y/N's Lupin's ears, as she held onto her father for support. She wobbled slightly but quickly found her footing on the hard cobblestone path beneath her. She was still getting used to apparating after learning how to do it last year. Disappearing from one place and reappearing in another is something she didn't think she would ever wrap her head around. 

A cool breeze pushed the now frazzled brown hair out of her face. She let go of her dad and stepped forward allowing the village before her to come to life. Leaves crunched beneath her and rocks skittered to the side, as she walked further up the path to get a better view.

So this was Hogsmeade. She'd heard stories from her father. But after living in America for her first three years of school, she had never had the chance to visit. Even before spending time in America, they'd always just gone to Diagon Alley.

Her father and his friends told her tales of Hogsmeade's enchanting charm, but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of the quaint wizarding village. The cobblestone streets were lined with colorful, half-timbered cottages adorned with hanging baskets of vibrant flowers. 

The shop signs were a diverse display of magical craftsmanship, and you could tell each one was uniquely designed to reflect the quaint charm of the shop beneath it. She couldn't help but smile as the iconic sign of the Three Broomsticks Inn swung gently above the rustic entrance, depicting three wooden broomsticks soaring through the air. Growing up, her dad told her so many stories of him and his friends hanging out there on the weekends. 

The air was filled with the sweet aroma of butterbeer and freshly baked pastries. Everywhere she looked, witches and wizards bustled about, their robes swishing as they greeted each other with warm smiles and laughter. Leaves danced around the ground with each step she took, adding to the cozy atmosphere. She couldn't help but feel like she had stepped into a living, breathing storybook. 

Honeydukes, the beloved sweet shop, immediately grabbed her attention, its sign adorned with dancing candies and sugar-coated treats. Her mouth watered seeing the brightly colored candy displayed in the window, but she knew they wouldn't have time to stop if they didn't want to be late to meet Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts. She had a feeling being late to her first appointment with the headmaster would not be the best first impression. 

"Accio," a witch with long blonde hair and bright blue celestial robes called, flicking her wand towards a small ball that had gotten away from her daughter. The ball immediately flew into her hand, and her young daughter squealed with glee, as her mother handed it back to her. 

They walked further into the village passing Zonko's Joke Shop--naturally, Fred and George had told her all about it over the summer-- Ollivanders, The Hogs Head Inn, and Dervish and Bangs before finally reaching the path that led to Hogwarts. 

"We'll have to go grab a butterbeer from The Three Broomsticks once you get settled in at school." I pulled my attention from a barn owl sitting in a nearby shop window to look at his warm face, his scar even more piercing in the bright morning sun. 

" I would love that. I can't believe I'm finally here." 

"Hey, you could have been here last year," he chastised with a grin nudging me playfully.

"True, but it didn't feel like the right time to leave Ilvermorny. You know Quinn was going through losing her father. I just felt like I needed to be there for her. I'm here now, though, and I'm glad we're going to get to spend more time together." I retorted nudging him back reassuringly. 

"I know, Y/N. You're a good friend, and I wouldn't have had it any other way for you."

I felt the familiar guilt start to creep up as I thought, once again, of him being alone last year. Sirius wasn't proven innocent until the summer after my third year so he was completely alone for his full moon transformations.  I could tell he was struggling in his letters and knew he needed me to come back even if he wouldn't admit it.  Logan cheating on me was the final push I needed to move back, and it had truly been the best summer I'd had in a long time.