The son of the wolf

Lions and wolves

The boats soared over the inky black water effortlessly. The stars and half-moon shimmered down on the lake, allowing their beauty to be mirrored by the blackness. Saros gazed into the water, leaning back against the lamp post with his arms folded over his stomach. Draco was sat up straight on the other end of the boat, gripping the sides like he would fall through the bottom if he let go. Blaise was nestled on the bench between them, leaning on the side and allowing his fingers to brush against the water.
"Blaise, stop it." Draco said, staring at the boy wearily.
"What's the matter Dray, scared?" Blaise mused, looking up at the blonde with an amused grin.
Draco glowered at him, "No, of course not! I just don't want to get soaked!" He snapped.
Blaise grinned mockingly at him, but he obediently sat up. Saros allowed himself an amused grin, though he still didn't look up from the water. What could be down there? What could the curtain of ink be hiding? Curiosity irked the boy, and he reached his hand out to touch the water. Saros retracted his hand. Another time.
"What lesson are you most excited for, Dray?" Blaise asked, turning to the blond.
Draco looked at him, his grip still tight on the boat.
"Potions." He said.
Blaise grinned, "Transfiguration," He said, before turning to Saros, "What about you?"
"All of it," Saros said, finally turning his attention to his friends, "I'm excited for all of it."
Draco chuckled, "Of course you are."
Saros grinned at his elder cousin. Draco grinned back. Saros turned his attention to the building behind him. He hugged the wooden beam he was once leaning on and rested his cheek against it. He gazed up at the beautiful castle that loomed over them. The golden swirl encrusted in his eye shone dimly, casting the dark water around him in a small luminescence.

The boats slumped against the bank one by one, kicking up the soil as they forced themselves out of the water. Saros rose to his feet when the boats fully stopped, and stuck out a hand to help Blaise and Draco. They accepted his hand gratefully, and allowed themselves to be guided onto the bank. Pansy, Greg and Vince moved over to them, and they all turned to watch Theo's boat to approach. Theo's boat was the last one to depart, and he looked bored, slumping against the wooden beam at the back of the boat like a drunken man. When the boat perched intself on the bank, Theo clambered out and practically threw himself at his friends.
"How could you just leave me like that?" He whined.
Saros shrugged, "There's seven of us, Theo. You just have act faster."
Theo frowned at him. Saros shot him a grin, and slung an arm around his shoulders.
"C'mon," He said, "Let's get to the castle and see what houses we're gonna be in!"
A grin crept up on Theo's face, and he nodded. Saros pulled away and moved to follow the crowd of first years that had already set off towards the castle. His friends followed him closely, and Blaise and Theo continued their bet in a hushed whisper, snickering and grinning to themselves as they pointed at the other children.

By the time the first years reached the castle doors, they were exhausted from their long journey, but they were still buzzing with excitement. Saros was beaming as he looked up at the castle in wonder. His eyes wandered over the stone knights that nestled in the nooks and of the upper walls by the entrance. They bore weapons, and they watched as the first years passed down below them. Saros shot them a welcoming grin, and the stone warriors inclined their heads politely. Saros' smile widened, and he gave a curt nod. Saros continued on through the castle, easily overtaking his peers as they slowed to a crawl to admire the different rows of armour or the sentient portraits. Draco and the others quickly followed him, not wanting to be seperated from the boy. The giant man hung at the back of the group, ushing the children up the stairs and making sure they didn't wander off.

At the top of the stairs stood a large set of double doors. The doors were huge; ten times bigger than the doors on the Black Family Manour. The tall man with the bushy beard carefully wove his way to the front of the group, grunting 's'cuse me's, and the occasional apology when he trodded on a student's foot. He made it to the top of the stairs, and Theo leapt into Blaise's arms in order to not get trodded on. Once the man had past, Blaise set Theo down carefully, bearing an extremely amused grin. The man moved over to the large double doors and pouded his huge boulder-like fist against it. The door opened a crack, to reveal a woman.