The lion's house and the two idiots (in love)

The Idiot, the Compartment, and the Bed (plus one suffering French)

The Idiot, the Compartment, and the Bed (plus one suffering French)

Nico was lying down in his bed after his 13th birthday. His friends had long gone home, leaving him alone in his house, sorting through his presents. It couldn’t have been late; the sun was still shining, albeit almost hidden behind the trees and roofs, the warm August day almost at its end. He got up from the floor, where he was sitting by his bed, and stretched his arms. Then suddenly, there was a loud knocking noise coming from his window, almost like someone was throwing pebbles against the glass. He jumped at the noise and quickly glanced at it.

Sitting by the window was an owl. Nico had seen many owls around his house; they were rather common around this part of Germany, and his parents even used them to send letters all the time. So, no, he wasn’t surprised when one was knocking on his window. He immediately opened the window for it. The owl flew in without missing a beat, almost knocking Nico down, the letter rustling with the movement. It was neatly tied to the owl’s leg, the parchment a neat, perfect yellow, folded into an envelope sealed with red wax.

Nico felt a tiny spark of hope in his chest burst into a full-blown bonfire. He had turned thirteen today, and his parents were wizards; hell, he had even shown the typical magical talent that wizard children usually showed. So maybe, just maybe, it could be the letter. With shaky hands, he undid the tie and took the letter from the owl. The animal screeched at him, softly nipped at his finger, and flew out before Nico had time to react.

"Ist es vielleicht?" (Is it perhaps?) he thought. The logo looked like the one his parents had shown him. "Wurde ich in Hogwarts aufgenommen?" (Have I been accepted into Hogwarts?) he asked himself as he tore it open. He read through it, his smile getting bigger with each word he read. "JA!" he shouted. "Ich wurde angenommen!" (I was accepted!)

The rest of the summer passed in a blur. His parents were happy when he showed them the letter, immediately getting ready to buy him the school supplies he needed.

And on the 1st of September, his parents made the four-hour drive to Frankfurt. The train was leaving at 11:30, and Nico couldn’t wait any longer. He said his goodbyes, promised to write them letters, and then found himself in a compartment, alone, watching his parents disappear into the distance. The train ride had its next stop in Berlin, then it continued on its path to Paris, and eventually, Hogwarts. He saw a lot of students board, yet he was still alone, wondering why that was.

Then they were in Paris, and Nico’s alone time was interrupted by a knock on the compartment door. "Come in," Nico replied, hoping his English was clear enough. The door opened with a soft creak, revealing two boys around his age behind it. They both stepped in, and the brunette asked, "Hi, is this occupied?" with a sheepish smile on his lips. His brown hair was on the longer side, in stark contrast to the short-haired blond who looked like he was hiding behind his friend. Nico couldn’t help but study the blond; there was something interesting about his nervous yet hopeful smile that seemed to brighten the room (read: compartment). "Of course!" Nico smiled and nodded to the seats. "Sit down!"

"Merci," the brunette sat down with a smile in the seat opposite Nico. His friend seemed torn for a second before deciding to sit next to his friend. An awkward silence threatened to settle over them, so Nico took one for the team. "I’m Nico, by the way," he said with a grin, sweating a little, hoping that he hadn’t made things more awkward. The brunette’s eyes perked up. "I’m Romain," the boy said, before gesturing to his blond friend. "And this is Kevin." The blond rolled his eyes. "I can introduce myself, mange tak" (Thank you very much), the boy grumbled. It dawned on Nico then that even though both boys had accents, they were different. While Romain definitely spoke French, Kevin had a harsher accent, but Nico couldn’t quite put a finger on what language it was.