When Mateo Robinson is hired as Hogwarts' new Muggle Studies teacher, he moves his three children from France to Scotland alongside him. But with this move, they expect difficulties regarding his daughter, Linny's horrific visions which occur with e...
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TWO September 1976
The Robinson siblings finally settled into an empty compartment just as the train started chugging away from the station. Their father soon joined them and helped get their carry-on bags up above the seats and out of their way.
"Tatko, Tatko! Which house do you think I'll get into!" Cass exclaimed, pulling on his father's suit jacket.
"Calm down, my love," Mateo laughed, slipping into Bulgarian temporarily as he spoke. "I brought a special present for you. All three of you. Sit down." Cass sat beside his father while Miah and Linny sat across from them with linked arms. "Now, back when I was in school-"
"A hundred years ago?" Miah interrupted, earning a slap to the arm from his sister.
"Excuse you. Ninety-eight," Mateo joked with a wink. "When I was in school, they still had this old tradition called the Triwizard tournament. My year, it was hosted in France at Beauxbatons which is why your mother and I moved there for the schools in the first place. But in preparation for the experience, I got all the information I could on both of the other schools. So, I picked up..." Mateo pulled a wide book from his backpack with a brown, leather cover embellished with gold leaf in the shape of the Hogwarts emblem and the title written elegantly below it. "Hogwarts: A History."
Linny gasped and took the book from his hands excitedly. Conversely, Cass groaned and collapsed back into his seat. "The special gift is a book?"
Mateo laughed at Cass, ruffling his hair as he watched his daughter ecstatically flick through the pages. "Page seventy-five, please, Lin."
She nodded and turned to the page, Miah leaning over her shoulder to see. "The four houses," she read from the title across the top. Her finger skimmed just below the words as she continued. "They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Gryffindor was founded by Godric Gryffindor, given the mascot of a lion-" Linny was interrupted by Cass' excited squeal as he moved to look over her other shoulder. "-and has core traits of bravery, courage, and chivalry. Their colors are red and gold.
"Hufflepuff is the house of the badger founded by Helga Hufflepuff. Their core traits are hard work, fair play, and loyalty and are represented by yellow and black.
"Ravenclaw was founded by Rowena Ravenclaw with the ideals of cleverness, creativity, and wit. They are represented by an eagle and the colors blue and bronze.
"Finally, Slytherin is the house of the snake. Their colors are green and silver and they value ambition, determination, and resourcefulness. They were founded by Salazar Slytherin."
"What do you think, Cass?" Miah asked the youngest Robinson.
"I wanna be a lion!" he exclaimed, mimicking a roar before his sister pulled him down to her lap.
Mateo chuckled at his children and held out a hand. "Hand me your camera, Lin. A photo opportunity like this is too good to miss." Miah rolled his eyes as his sister dutifully passed the camera across the compartment.
