Legacy Rewritten

Common Gryffindor

The next morning when I woke up, I almost forgot where I was...at least until I felt the velvet soft comforter beneath my fingertips. Then I remembered...dragon attack, being thrown into a fight, walking through a creepy forest filled with eerie sights and sounds, anxieties flowing out of me when I walked in front of the other Hogwarts students, being excited for joining a brand new community, all topped with velvety-soft comforter and silky sheets. I wasn't used to being thrown into such a whirlwind of emotions all in one day, at least not since Zander and I ran away from home. I quickly got dressed in my house robes and made a quick visit to the Gryffindor wash room before walking down an elegant spiral staircase. The room was decorated in so much burgundy and gold covering every square inch, interrupted only by rich dark woods and moldings.

"Hey, you're the new fifth year right? Ren was it? Professor Weasley told me to come let you know that she'll be outside of the common room in about 20 minutes to give you a couple tips and tricks to start your first day off well. I look forward to chatting with you sometime, my name is Leander Prewett," a red headed boy said to me, holding out his hand for me to shake it before walking away with a little smile gracing his features. A girl with curly auburn hair caught my attention just then, her free hand casting into a blue hat. Frustration was clearly written on her face, so curiosity got the better of me as I got closer to her. "Why is this stupid spell not working!? I'm casting correctly, and it should be easily done non-verbally! What could I be doing wrong?" She exclaimed, giving me a prime space to question her on this issue she seemed to be having.

"Hello? Is everything alright?" I questioned in a soft voice, bringing her attention to me. "Oh I'm sorry, you must be the new fifth year! Welcome to Hogwarts! My name is Cressida Blume; I must say, your arrival into the ceremony was notable, people will be talking about that for awhile. Is it true that you're Professor Fig's protege?" she questioned. "Uh, well I wouldn't say protege, more like he's my mentor, mine and my brothers that is. He was assigned to help the two of us study a little before we arrived, just so we weren't too far behind in our studies," I replied as cooly and covertly as I could. "Blast it, I was hoping he showed you a thing or two about non-verbal casting; usually I can do spells well, but this one is particularly difficult," she said, slightly taken aback but not nearly as flustered as she had been. "Oh is that what you were doing? Is casting non-verbally a regular practice here?" I questioned, hoping that I wasn't pressing too much on day one.

"Oh, Hogwarts teaches it in your sixth year, but it's particularly harder to pick up then some other types of magic. Casting non-verbally takes a certain level of...patience and persistence. I'd say I have a certain aptitude for non-verbal incantations, but this one...I really don't know why it's so much harder than spells much more complicated, the ones I have mastered," she said, slightly less in control of her emotions, until she noticed and managed to bring back her calmer demeanor. "Also, it's surprising to me that Fig has taken on two students, seeing as he's rarely here for classes as it is; you guys must be special," she added, trying not to let on her upset on the subject. Trying to change the subject due to her obvious unease, I asked, "Is it really that hard to cast nonverbally?" "Oh yes. And if you mess up just one syllable...there could be a possibility of disastrous results. Plus, like I said, not many students are successful at doing it no matter how hard they try," she replied. "Well, I wish you luck in your magic, it was nice to meet you!" I said enthusiastically, right when I saw a student across the room with a can of liquid looking like a mug of beer.

"Are you sure you don't want to try it? I brewed it myself, my own personal recipe...and takers?" a curly haired redhead asked a group of students. When they walked away, it drew my attention towards him and I walked closer to him. "Why hello! You're the new fifth year aren't you? My name is Garreth Weasley, pleased to meet you. I heard about your chaotic ride here, glad you and Professor Fig are alright," he said with a trace of genuine care that he masked well. "Ren Potter, it's nice to meet you. What was that in your cup?" I asked curiously. "Oh that? I pride myself in creating new things, I'm an inventor, so to speak at least. Other students would probably say otherwise, but I don't let them get me down. I'm working on an upgraded Butterbeer recipe, and when I'm done it'll taste 10 times better than the original," he answered, passion written clearly across his face. "Well do you have a knack for potions too? Since you like creating new recipes?" I questioned, hoping that I was just coming across as curious and not pushy.

He took a second, smirked, and said, "I want to say that I'm a pro potioneer to impress you, but that would be a lie so no, I am not the best at it. I will say, I am probably not Professor Sharp's favorite student, but I do think I'm good at potions, when I stick to the written recipe and don't try to modify it. But, where's the fun in that?" "I suppose you're right. Well, I look forward to hearing about more of your concoctions, it was really nice to meet you Garreth, have a great day!" I said as I turned around to see a girl walking on top of a high fireplace, and I knew that I needed to know what in the world was happening. "Why is everyone so highly strung? It's perfectly safe! Oh, hello! Don't mind me, I just thinking changing my physical perspective from time-to-time is supremely helpful when I have a lot on my mind. I've already climbed to the top of Gryffindor tower...without a broom, why are purple still surprised?" the girl said as she jumped off of the fireplace and came to stand in front of me.

"Goodness gracious! I can imagine you've had quite a few adventures then, climbing to the tops of high places," I said as I looked at her with awe, full well knowing that I needed to come back to her for notes on how to do so myself. "Anyways, I'm Nellie Oggspire, it's quite nice to meet you. I've heard rumors of your arrival...is it true you encountered a dragon?" she questioned, patiently waiting for my response. I simply nodded, causing her to gasp and say, "I knew it was true! Well, you've definitely earned a fearless reputation. And you brought some much needed excitement to both Gryffindor and Hogwarts in general." "What are people saying about my arrival here?" I asked, causing her to pause as if she was stunned by my question. "Only that you escaped a dragon, nothing more after that which is enough to stir some chaos into daily Hogwarts life. Most students arrive by train or boat, not by flying through a path of a dragon," she replied carefully, but still in a cheerful tone. "I assume word travels fast then. Are you not scared of heights?" I tried to change the subject, just in case I accidentally shared too much.

"Is encountering dragons such an odd thing here? I figured in a land of magic and other creatures, as Fig as told me, I figured that seeing a dragon and/or interacting with them is normal. But based off of your face, I'm assuming that I'm very wrong in the matter?" I questioned, trailing off as soon as I saw the shocked etched onto her face. "Oh Merlin no, we don't encounter dragons often, if at all. It's rare because dragons usually keep to themselves; they don't typically bother other creatures or witches and wizards, at least they don't go out of their way to do so. They'd only really mess with a witch or a wizard if they tried to attack them or if they attempted to steal their eggs/got too close to their nest," she explained, helping me to see that it, indeed, was rare to encounter a dragon. "Well, it was quite nice to meet you. I'm sure I'll see you around, whether that'd be in the common room or around the campus somewhere when you're scaling the walls," I said as Leander appeared beside me to tell me that Professor Weasley had arrived and was waiting on me in order to give a tour, amongst a few surprises.