Dreams of Magic (Harry Potter)

Two: Assemble the Trio

"Alright, firs' years! Line up and wait your turn to get in the boats!" A tall (giant, really) man who had introduced himself as Hagrid yelled. Addy and Jay stood near Ron, Harry, and Hermione, who Jay had taken to calling 'The Trio'. They had all gotten off the train together, and had been herded toward a large, dark lake. Hogwarts loomed across the banks of the lake, a shadow in the day, watching over the first-years as they waited to be taken across the still waters. Ron and Hermione especially were paying close attention to their fellow first-years and Harry let his gaze wander, but Addy and Jay were transfixed at the sights across the lake.

Addy didn't know how all of the older kids weren't mesmerized by the gorgeous creatures pulling the giant carriages they were all getting into. The creatures looked almost like horses, but Addy knew better than to think regular animals would be pulling Hogwarts carriages. The creatures tossed their manes, occasionally baring sharp teeth that resembled daggers. They stood tall and proud, muscles rippling under matte black skin.

"You see them too?" Jay nudged Addy, pulling her out of her trance. She nodded, glancing over at him before turning her sights back to the creatures.

"Aren't they just... mesmerizing?" She asked, squinting to get a better view. "What beautiful creatures, but no one is paying attention to them." Jay nodded.

"Hey, Ron." At the sound of his name Ron turned around, and Jay pointed across the lake to the creatures. "Aren't those horses pretty cool?" Ron followed Jay's direction and looked across the lake. He furrowed his eyebrows- all he saw were several carriages being pulled away by, assumingly, magic.

"What horses?" Hermoine asked, appearing beside Ron. Addy pointed along with Jay, confused as to how they were missing them.

"The giant black creatures pulling the carriages. Aren't they wonderful?" She gushed, but Hermoine furrowed her brow.

"I don't know what you're seeing, but those carriages aren't being pulled by anything." She turned away after casting Addy an odd look.

"Yeah, mate," Ron agreed after a moment, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Addy and Jay both stared at each other, confused,

"Yer up! Get on the boat, ye three!" Hagrid called, his voice suddenly closer than before. Jay snapped out of it first, grabbing Addy by the arm and pulling her into a boat. Another girl boarded with them, and then their boat set off across the serene, dim lake. Clearing her head of the thought of the black beasts, Addy turned to the girl. She was quiet and had a demure air about her- she had her ankles crossed delicately under her seat and sat with her hands clasped in her lap. Her dark hair hung bone-straight, stopping bluntly at her waistline. She had been staring out over the waters with a calm look on her face and sat completely still, almost giving her the look of a porcelain doll.

"Hello," Addy began, catching the girl's attention. The girl merely nodded, but gave her a small smile.

"I'm Addy, it's nice to meet you." The girl held her hand out after a moment, and Addy shook it.

"Sorry if you didn't want to talk, but since we were in the same boat, I thought I'd say hi." Addy's cheeks warmed slightly- more often than she'd like to admit, she had to apologize for being too forward. She got lucky with people like Jay and Ron who were generally friendly or extroverted, but many introverts were easily overwhelmed by her open personality.

"It's alright, I appreciate it." The girl's voice matched her demeanor- calm, cool, and soft. "My name is Mei-Lin, it's nice to meet you as well." Addy smiled, glad that she was invested in the conversation.

"And I'm Jay," Jay called from behind the two girls, "Addy's best friend." At that Addy turned around, smiling but raising her eyebrows.

"You're my best friend now, yeah?" She asked. "I'm holding you to that." Jay grinned mischievously.