An Ancient Legacy || HOGWARTS LEGACY

#1: The Dragon's Carriage

REID'S POV

"Ah! We're almost ready to depart."

Reid was snapped out of his trance, and his eyes darted to the speaker - Professor Fig, the teacher assigned to accompany them to Hogwarts. The old man was trying to fit all of the luggage into the carriage's trunk with difficulty, and one of the two girls (he wasn't sure where the boy had wandered off to) that would be coming to the school for the first time too was helping him. Her dirty blonde hair draped down her shoulders in waves, and her hazel eyes matched some of the plants that were sitting out on the balconies of the townhouses around.

Reid loved plants. His brother, Leander, had told him about the herbology greenhouses at Hogwarts, and they were something that he was definitely looking forward to, though he wondered would Leander resent him more if he surpassed him in that, too.

The blonde girl glanced up at him and gave him a short grin, eyes sparkling, before returning to shoving down the luggage into the trunk. Reid couldn't help but return it - her smile was contagious.

Every now and then, a drop of rain would fall onto the red haired boy's freckled nose from the gloomy sky. He couldn't help hoping that the weather would get a bit nicer once they got to Hogwarts. The location they had been assigned to meet in wasn't anything extraordinary. It looked like any other street you would find in an estate, though the carriage standing in the middle of it, being seemingly drawn by nothing at all, did look quite fancy! For a moment, Reid worried if magic would be enough to hold all five of them in there, before quickly discounting it. Magic had many limits, but he doubted that was one of them.

Professor Fig left the remainder of the luggage sit on the trunk, binding it to the carriage with some kind of spell. He glanced around at the four soon-to-be students, a smile on his face. "Well, it's a shame we didn't have more time to work on your spellcasting. You all seem to be taking just fine to your second-hand wands, though. You'll be a force to be reckoned with when you get your own!"

A girl's voice from behind Reid almost made him jump, and he turned to face her, noticing her brown skin and serious expression.

"Thanks, sir. Do you think we'll make it to the sorting ceremony in time?" She moved dark hair away from her face. They had never met before and he wondered what group her family circled in. He gave her a smile and she returned it, the serious look on her face falling away easily, before she turned back to Fig.

Professor Fig brushed himself off, replying, "Yes, of course Artemis, as long as there's no more interruptions we should-"

"Eleazar!"

A man sporting formal clothing quite literally materialised behind them, with a brown moustache and an affable enough demeanour.

Professor Fig chuckled slightly, stepping forward to shake the stranger's hand. "Hello, George. It's been much too long. When I received your owl, I must say that I-"

George hastily cut him off with some gibberish, waving his hand around, before his voice lowered and he uttered slowly, "Best not speak here, Eleazar, hm?"

Reid couldn't help but frown, his eyebrows knitting together. He knew it wasn't any of his business, yet it did come off as rather suspicious. He glanced to the other two girls to check their reaction, and they both seemed as confused as he was. No elaborations were made, though, and everyone was ushered into the carriage.

The other boy accompanying the three new Hogwarts students was already sat in the vehicle by the window, his twinkling blue eyes staring out at the houses. He had short, uncombed chestnut brown hair and was restlessly fiddling with his fingers as he watched the raindrops race down the windows. Reid's eyebrows raised at the sight of him sitting so idly, but his thoughts were swept away as he was pushed into his seat.