From a young age, Leonora Potter had discovered that she was quite different from the rest of her family. After getting sorted into Slytherin, her relationship with the Potter's crumbled, and she was forced to find family in other places. Perhaps th...
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As the train came to a smooth stop, excited students rushed from their compartments, crowding the tight corridor with laughter and chatter. Leonora stepped aside, offering for Fern and Amalia to go ahead. She preferred not to get caught in the chaos.
The three girls eventually reached the front of the train, being the very last ones to step onto the platform. A man's voice rang out through the darkness, calling for the first-year students to follow him. Leonora searched for where the voice came from, her eyes finally landing on a towering figure who held a lantern high up into the air, a few yards away from where they stood.
A horde of small children followed behind him, prompting Leonora to rush over and join, Fern and Amalia following closely behind.
The large man, who had introduced himself as Hagrid, Hogwarts' Gamekeeper, guided the group of first years along a winding path that opened onto a small beach nestled between rocky cliffs. Multiple small wooden boats sat along the shore, waiting to set sail across the lake. Hagrid explained that each boat could only hold four students, causing everyone to scramble as they hurried to find a boat where they could sit alongside the friends they'd made during the train ride.
Leonora soon found herself separated from Fern and Amalia, watching as they clambered into a boat with only two spots remaining. She didn't mind, though, as the two girls had grown quite close on the train, while she hadn't developed much of a connection with either of them.
Instead, she found a boat with one open spot and carefully climbed in, mindful not to slip into the chilly water. She sat beside a boy, whose pale, freckled face was illuminated by the lantern towards the front of the boat. A mop of tousled blonde hair sat atop his head.
As if he could feel her gaze, he suddenly turned his head towards her. She quickly diverted her eyes, not wanting to be caught staring. She'd already made one person uncomfortable that way, and didn't want to make it two. He offered her a small smile, one which she hadn't noticed as her eyes stayed averted, before turning his attention back towards the lake.
Once the first years were settled in their boats, they finally set off towards the castle. The journey felt slower than Leonora would have liked, but with every passing moment, her excitement swelled, almost to the point of bursting.
A thick layer of fog clung to the lake, obscuring most of the view, and she worried that they wouldn't get a good look at the enormous castle as they approached.
Suddenly, gasps echoed from the boats ahead, and as her boat continued forward, the fog miraculously began to lift, unveiling the towering castle, perched atop a mess of rocky cliffs. Warm light spilled from the windows, casting a golden glow against the dark sky.
