CHAPTER FOUR

No lover leaves

A rose garden

Without blood

On their hands

MITCH NIHILIST

THE return to Privet Drive was met with delight, far more so that Dudley was terrified of him, his own brother refused to be anywhere near him. Taking his idiotic and cruel habits with him, even his own mother and father were frightened beyond belief. He supposed he should be grateful for it, as it was what had gained his cousin the smallest bedroom upstairs, even if he had insisted on the guest room, but none would listen to him.

Aegon spent his days out in the woods, counting down the last days till autumn arrived upon the misty moors that breathed not that far from the village. Henri had gathered what she could from the kitchen; crisps, orange juice, bread, butter, salami, ham, and mayonnaise. He had brought the books, a heavy load of leather-bound parchment that reminded him far too much of the high-walls of the library in Winterfell. It was a long wait for September, the blistering sun fled behind clouds as the temperatures dropped the closer they came. But Aegon had never favoured the blazing sweat-drenching heat of summer. England, as it were, was mostly exempt from that.

Henri often wondered how they would get there, August had almost came and gone, but Aegon knew very well it was unlikely his parents would take them. Every night, when his mother was snoring away, a loud horrific noise but truly not as bad as his father. It was almost as if he were an elephant. His mother's purse sat their innocently in her bag, a few pounds a night easily went missing without her notice. His family, as it were, could be seen as wealthy.

"I've got a hundred pounds to get us to Kings Cross. It should be enough."

Henri had gaped in disbelief as if she couldn't quite believe it herself.

"What? How-W-Why?" Spluttered Henri, her eyes narrowed in thought.

Aegon merely smirked.

"Stole it. We can catch a cab."

Henri glanced at him worriedly.

"No. Mother does not know."

Henri poured herself another cup of juice as they watched the sunset on the rolling hills.

"What about Uncle Vernon?" She frowned. "You haven't stolen from him, have you?"

Aegon merely shook his head. To do so would be folly. And they both knew it.

"No. He has a notebook on how much money he has. I'd be caught within a day..."

"Oh," said Henri, realizing for the first time what the little red book her uncle obsessed over was. "Do you know where the train is?"

"Kings Cross. Henri," sighed Aegon in exasperation. "Did you look at your ticket?"

She scowled at him.

"Yes. But... it said nine and three-quarters."

"So?"

"Jon," said Henri. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters!"

"It's on the ticket."

"Yes," said Henri, "but I asked auntie, and she said that there was no platform! What if-"

"It's probably magic," shrugged Aegon. "Diagon Alley was weird. The train might be too."

"If it is magic, how are we going to find it?"

Aegon would forever deny that such thoughts as these worried him right through the night, what if they could not find it? Wizards, he had noticed, didn't hold much common sense, he wouldn't be surprised all that much if it was in a ridiculous place. It haunted him, at least until his cousin came crawling into his bed at three o'clock, complaining of the broken window that his father had yet to fix. By the time the sun began to rise he was dressed in his favourite white shirt and jeans, tieing the laces to his black converse's (a gift from his Aunt Marge), Morgan he had decided, was coming with him. The small black kitten purred on his shoulder as she sat primly, licking her paws. The cab driver, much to Henri's surprise, asked little, despite the odd animals and the trunks they carried with them.

They arrived in London for breakfast, a small quiet cafe served them kindly, pancakes and maple syrup were a delight. By the time they arrived at the bustling train station, their stomachs full, it was almost eleven. They had both managed to lose track of time, the hundred pounds long since lost.

"Jon," murmured Henri in a hushed whisper. "I can't see it..." But they both had suspected something of the like.

They both frowned, glancing at one another in befuddlement, there seemed to be a nine and ten, but nothing in-between.

"What do we do?" Hissed Henri, chewing on her lips nervously. There were plenty of people but none looked like Wizards. They were too... normal. Muggles were the only people that stood proudly at the train station, they knew this with one mere glance. "Should we ask the guard?" Pointed his cousin.

"No," said Aegon. "He'll probably think we're--"

Henri shook her head, listening to nothing of which he had said, rolling her trolley up to the man as she loudly asked about Hogwarts, the collected murmurs of mocking laughter she received was to be expected.

"Hogwarts?" Exclaimed one elderly woman to another. "What kind of name is Hogwarts?"

Henri's adventure was far from fruitful, she trudged back with slumped shoulders and wide pitiful pleading eyes. Aegon held little time for that, his heart thumped heavily, panic breathing life into his blood. Dismayed, he clutched tightly at the trolley, they barely had ten minutes before the train was set to leave.

"Stupid fat oaf," grumbled Aegon. "He should have told us how to get on the train!"

"It's not his fault," declared Henri proudly.

Aegon sneered.

The Targaryen thought little of the fat-man, perhaps being raised in a privileged home had changed his opinion of others. He shook his head, no, that wasn't it. He hated the man. For his blind devotion to a man that he knew nothing off, for his judgement of Warlocks, for everything. Aegon gritted his teeth against the rage that swelled in his heart.

"Jon," called Henri with a huff as she grasped tightly at his arm as she dragged him through the crowd. He barely had any time to clasp at the trolley. "Come on. We don't have time to wait around!"

They froze, blinking, he stared at the family that rushed ahead of them. The absurd little necklace of skulls on the smallest girl was eye-catching and so very... wizardish.

"- packed with Muggles, of course-"

Aegon narrowed his eyes at that. The woman spoke loudly, which in his own mind he saw as foolish, especially in a crowd of Muggles when anyone could heard such words decreed. He inclined his head, knowing very well that the people would certainly just dismiss her as strange, but some would not...

Henri, much to his dismay, took off. Wheeling her trolley towards the large family. Aegon could do nothing to stop her, most days she didn't listen to him at all. Never mind that it was he who was older!

"Now, what's the platform number?"

"Nine and three-quarters!" Laughed the girl with the skull necklace, she reached up to touch them, caressing the white bone. "Mum, can't I go..."

"Ginevra, no, you're not old enough."

He startled, blinking in disbelief as one of taller sons ran right through the brick wall, he gaped with a gasp. It was almost as if he had never been there at all. And yet, the family did not seem surprised in the slightest, as if this was an everyday occurrence, Aegon swallowed nervously, the magic that echoed through the air was powerful. Humbling.

"Fred, you next."

"I'm not Fred, I'm George. Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred."

Aegon snorted, hesitantly shifting his trolley next to where his cousin stood. Henri brushed her pale skirt anxiously, peering at them all with a frown.

The brothers disappeared through the brick wall, he raised his brows in disbelief. Perhaps it was that easy after all?

Henri blinked. "How do you think--"

Aegon nodded briskly. He turned to the woman, smiling gently as he could afford.

"Excuse me, my lady."

The woman flushed in embarrassment.

"Oh," she greeted in surprise. "I'm no lady, dearie. Muggleborn, then? Where are your parents?"

Aegon shifted anxiously at the thought, hoping his mother and father weren't too worried.

"They dropped us off."

Henri nervously glanced at the wall.

"We-Well, we were wondering how..."

"How to get onto the platform?"

"Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it a bit of a run if you're nervous..."

Aegon shrugged, glancing at Henri who gazed at it in terror. The thought of running at a towering brick wall was rather daunting.

He closed his eyes. Sighing nervously as he ran, brushing past the crowd, and yet, none paid all that much attention to him. Aegon wondered if it was idiocy, or magic. He shivered as the magic brushed over him, invasive and so incredibly beautiful. It felt like warm summers under the great oak trees with Henri.

The sight that greeted him was all the more wondrous, hundreds of people bustled by, Wizards and Witches robed in; cotton, silk, satin, linen, and a thousand other flowing materials. Some held wealth, and others did not. Aegon glanced at the rare few Muggles that stood on the platform. The train itself was a crimson steam engine that waited patiently.

He was here.

Morgan flicked her tail, purring as she rubbed her face against his own. Her small little paw brushing his silver locks that rested gently above his shoulders. He moved forward with a slight cautious step, eyes wide as he stared. Mouth dropping as a young boy raced after a hopping toad. The magic. The life. Everything was so wonderful and for a mere moment he felt as if he couldn't breathe.

"Wow," murmured Henri. He jumped in surprise, blinking at his cousin that had appeared from behind him. They glanced at the families that rushed up and down the platform, trying to find a seat. "Come on," urged the girl, "we best find somewhere to sit."

"It's packed," he muttered.

They brushed past a family dressed in green, the man clutched at his cane as he peered at them in disdain.

"Ignore him, Henri. Some people just don't have manners," snorted Aegon. Brows raised at the insulted glance the man sent him. The blonde, it appeared, had heard him.

The compartments were well and truly filled to the brim, the only one that wasn't sat at the end, which was already occupied by three boys. Aegon recognised two of them, the twins that looked very much like their mother. Ginger wind swept hair, wide piercing blue eyes, and pale skin. He knocked.

"Yes?" The boy that opened it was older, dark dreadlocks with wide ambers eyes. He peered at him, agape at the sight of violet eyes.

"There's no where else to sit," glared Aegon. "Could we--"

"Oh!" The boy startled. "Of course! Fred! We've got a Warlock! Come on, we'll help you."

The twins stared, recognising the eyes, claiming loudly that the last warlock to have Dragon Sight was Merlin himself. Aegon frowned, helping the brothers put his and Henri's truck in the corner. Fred, he supposed, ruffled his hair kindly.

"Stop it," he hissed, jumping away from the freckled hands, smoothing his wild pale curls.

"Would you look at that, George," said the twin suddenly. "We've got one of those lot!"

"You can't say much," snorted George. "You take three hours to get ready."

"Your a Warlock," said the first twin. "Aren't you? Got to be. The eyes!"

"What?" Said Aegon.

"Purple. Nobody has purple eyes unless they're a Warlock and--"

"They have dragon sight," chimed the twins.

The dark skinned boy gawked, shifting anxiously at the fierce glare that was sent his way. Aegon hated it when people stared.

"What is a Warlock? Nobody's bothered to tell us anything," grumbled Henri.

"Magical folk like us born from the will of Hecate, blessed. They're supposed to be Guardians of the land. Like Merlin."

Henri couldn't have looked anymore bewildered, frowning at them in befuddlement.

"What's so bad about that?"

"Nothing. The last one went a bit mental though..."

"A bit, Fred. A bit? He went bloody barmy!"

Henri smiled at the boys sweetly, her emerald eyes glistening under the light of the sun that shone in through the window. Fred stared, eyes wide. As if he was entranced. Aegon's stomach churned, seething at the flushed cheeks of this utter stranger.

"What's dragon sight?" Asked Henri, raising a brow at the two boys.

He scoffed, the young Targaryen slumped in his seat. If he wished to know, he would've asked them. Aegon rolled his eyes as that bastard grinned brightly.

"Warlocks that can see magic."

"Aaah, but brother, us normal folk can see magic, too!" Said one of the twins.

"True. I saw Aunt Big-Pants knickers last summer. Saw right through the glamor she had on her skirt. Right dreadful, it was!"

"Pink or blue?"

"Yellow."

The twins shuddered, rolling their shoulders and grimacing at the very thought. Henri, much to his dismay, leaned forward with a sly grin. The one that she wielded when something particularly stupid was going to slip past from her lips.

"Were they hideous," she said. "My aunt has yellow polka dots. They've always looked like little shits."

"Henri!"

"What!" She squeaked. "It's true!"

The twins laughed uproariously.

"Hang on, how do you know your aunt has shitty underpants?"

Fred snorted.

"I never said that!"

"Yes, you did," laughed George.

"Just a few seconds ago!"

Henri scoffed. "I said the dots look like shits, not that she has shitty underpants!"

"My mother most certainly does no-"

"Oh, would you hear that lads," cheered George, with a mocking grin.

Aegon huffed, crossing his arms with a wide scowl tugging at his lips.

"The little man calls his mum mother, Georgie-Pie. You don't say, white hair, stick up the arse, problems with superiority, don't suppose your a Malfoy?"

He choked on the war-cry that was slipping past his throat. He gripped tightly at the seat, hoping to the Gods he wouldn't lose his temper and try and strangle the little beasts. He paused, perhaps that would do them some good after all!

"Best not get in Gryffindor, eh? You'd ruin all our fun! We're planning on sending a blown up toilet to our mum! Your just the sorts to stop us, perhaps we should call you Percy?"

"Blown up toilet?" Laughed Henri, "How on earth would you manage that?"

"Easy enough, love. I've got a wand, all a perfect specimen of the male species like myself needs! I'm sure mum will be delighted!"

"I don't think she will," argued Lee. He leaned back against the seat, cupping his spider in gentle hands.

"Is that allowed?" Asked Aegon, glancing at the wretched creature.

"Oh, can it grandma!"

"Leave him alone," huffed Henri. Outraged at the mere thought of anyone calling her cousin a... well, it was preposterous!

"It's not on the list," said Aegon. "You'll get in trouble!"

He knew very well that if it were himself he would've hid the damned thing in his trunk hours ago. Far less likely to be caught.

"Not if I get caught."

The dark-skinned boy winked.

"Oh, please, you'll easily get caught with it in a box!" Snickered Aegon.

"You we're going to sneak in Jörmungandr!"

He blinked at his cousin innocently, the slight smile that had fooled his father, Eddard Stark, a hundred times in the Summer Lands.

"Was I?"

"Yes! I saw you try to put him in your bag!"

"Jörmungandr?"

"Jon's snake. He brought him from one of the shops in Knockturn," Henri glared at him disapprovingly. "God knows if that beast is even legal. Aunt Petunia would have a stroke if she knew you brought him into the house."

"You know what, you might not be so bad, Jon. I wouldn't mind buying some illegal merchandise myself!"

Aegon rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"If I were you, I'd keep it to myself," he drawled with a raised brow. "Lest we all end up in prison. Or worse. Dead."

"Dead?" Muttered George in bewilderment. "The Ministry doesn't execute people!"

"What a shame," murmured Aegon.

The loud whistle echoed through the platform, Henri jumped, glancing up from the book she had just opened.

"Again?" He huffed. "Your reading that again?"

Henri had read her charms book from front to cover, at the very least, seven times. He had never bothered to ask how much she had read of her other books. He prided knowledge, of course, but there was such a thing as obsession.

"We have to be prepared," muttered Henri.

"Bookworm," teased Fred. "Suppose you'll be a Ravenclaw then?"

"I wouldn't mind."

She had read about all the houses, and was determined not to get into Hufflepuff. She bore no insult to the house, simply that she despised the colour yellow.

The train began to move. Aegon glanced out the window at the teary-eyed parents, waving their hands at the children that left them quietly. He felt a stirring of jealously in his heart. How he wished that his own mother and father were accepting as that.

But more than anything, his heart drummed with excitement. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. Nervously shifting in his seat, he wondered what would greet him at the end of the ride. What wonders would be taught. He was sure it would be much more exciting than normality of Stonewall High.

Aegon turned his gaze from the window and passing city buildings, towards the door that had slid open. He blinked, recognising the boy, he looked much the same as the twins. Red hair and blue eyes. Bright as the sky above.

"Ugh!" Groaned the boy, gazing at his brothers with a narrowed stare. "Your here." He sighed, as if lady fate had cursed him herself. "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

The brothers nodded, grinning wickedly as Lee passed the giant spider into Fred's palms. The younger brother blanched, pale and trembling at the very sight of it.

"Sure," snickered George. "Would you like to hold our friend..."

Lee smirked. "Sauron."

Henri laughed, barely covering it with the pale sleeve of her dress.

"Right. Would you like to hold, Sauron?"

"Yeah," chortled Fred. "I think he's been feeling a little lonely. Poor bloke."

"N-No, thank you, I'm fine."

The boy jumped away, desperately leaping into the seat furthest from his brothers. Pressed right next to the window, across from Henri.

"What is that?"

"A tarantula."

"Sauron?" Quipped Aegon. "Really?"

"He's perfect," breathed Lee. "Absolutely Perfect." Wide brown eyes glanced at the horrid creature.

"Right," mumbled the boy. "I'm Ron. Ron Weasley." He held out his hand, Aegon took it gently with a slight smile. Henri seemed all the more delighted to be meeting new people.

"Gee, I think we forgot to introduce ourselves, Forge?" Laughed the boy.

"I think we did. How rude!"

The one with the brighter eyes leaned forward, holding out his hand with a sly grin.

"I'm Fred, and this is my brother, George. The lesser twin."

"Oi!"

"Aegon Targaryen, and this is my cousin--"

Henri leaned forward, smiling at Fred sweetly, as she always seemed to do.

"I'm Henri Potter, it's nice to meet you both!"

"Henri Potter?!" Shrieked Ron, gaping at her in disbelief. "Are you really?"

His cousin nodded anxiously, brushing away a stray ebony curl that fell from her braid.

"H-Have you really got... you know..." the boy pointed at her forehead with wide eyes.

Henri brushed her hand over her fringe, letting the red lightning scar be seen. Which she hardly ever did, as his mother and father absolutely despised it.

"So that's where You-Know-Who-?"

"Yes," snapped Aegon. "And it's none of your business is what it is!"

Ron frowned. Shrugging, he turned to Henri with wide eyes. "Do you remember--"

"Ron!" Shouted Fred in dismay.

"No," said Henri cooly.

"Nothing?"

His cousin shifted anxiously. "Well- I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."

"Wow," breathed Ron.

Aegon was of the opinion that the boy was a blithering idiot. He held little fondness for him. But he was a child. They were all children. He would give it a few years, he decided, some improved with age. This he knew.

"Are all your family Wizards?"

"No," said Fred with a grin. "Mum's got a few squib cousins and an aunt, one of them's an accountant. Right nasty piece of work."

"Squib?" Asked Henri.

"Oh!" Exclaimed Ron. "Squibs have no magic. Born from witches though."

The Weasleys, Aegon decided, were likeable enough as it were. Or, he supposed the twins were favourable.

"You live with Muggles, right?" Ron frowned at the thought. "What are they like?"

He said it with all the curiosity a scientist could afford for the discovery of a lesser species.

"Er--" Henri looked to him with wide eyes.

"My mother is horrible shrew, my father is a bloated fat racist whale, and my twin brother is half and half. You are very lucky to have a happy family as you do."

The older boys laughed.

"Uhm," stammered Ron. "That's... I'm not that lucky. There's bloody seven of us! It's a good thing Bill and Charlie have already left. Bill was head boy and Charlie was a captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George are awful!"

"Oi!" They grumbled. "We're right here, Ronniekins!"

Ron's ears went pink, as if he had just realised that himself, he glanced down at his scuffed shoes, as if they would save him. But the twins seemed to take no insult.

"They have been very annoying," agreed Henri. "I can see why you think they're awful."

Ron glanced up with a teasing grin, glancing at his elder brothers that huffed In indignation. Fred rolled his eyes, glaring at the girl for daring to assume that his company was awful of all things! The disgrace! The torment! He scoffed, unwrapping his beef sandwich. This did not seem to cheer up Ron. As he knew Fred always seemed to get the best sauce.

"They teased Jon. Your brothers are awfully mean, aren't they? Well," she laughed, "at least they're no Voldemort."

Ron gasped.

"What?" Blinked Aegon, staring at the boy that gaped at Henri like a fish.

"You said You-Know-Who's name!" Insisted Ron, as if he had never seen anything of the like. But maybe he hadn't. "I'd have thought you, of all people-"

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything-"

Aegon snorted. "Hardly. Anyone who is terrified of a name is an idiot. The man, yes. But the name? Sometimes I wonder if wizards have any sense at all."

"Jon," warned Henri with a huff. "Ignore him. It's okay to be scared."

Ron puffed out his chest proudly, narrowing his eyes at violet-gazed boy.

"I'm not afraid! I'm never afraid!"

Aegon turned his gaze with a grin towards the window, sighing in delight as the city turned into trees and fields. He had always favoured that from the endless land of concrete and high towering walls of glass. It had been another hour or two before he glanced away from the window, Henri looking up from her book, the other boys were playing a game of chess. He blinked, wondering where on earth they had gotten that from. An old woman stood near the sliding-door, withered with age, but she possessed a kind smile.

"Anything off the cart, dears?"

They were fortunate to enough to be filled on pancakes, bacon, and a plate of eggs that had been given to them at the cafe. The waitress had been rather kind and had made them only pay half the fee. Declaring her boss at the counter wouldn't have anything less.

The trolley was tempting, at the very least. A thousand different colours, he could almost smell the sweet scent of sugar. He had always loved anything of the like, whether it was in Westeros or here. Aegon had the particular habit of buying chocolate and cream buns, rolls that were filled with the white froth. If it weren't that, it was the sticky cinnamon buns that almost melted in his mouth. His mum, made them perfectly. He couldn't help but flinch at the strange lollies that caught his eyes: Chocolate Frogs? He had never heard the like, his stomach churned in disgust. Henri shrugged, flicking through to the next page. He knew his cousin. A book was of far more interest. He could only blame himself for that, when it was he that dragged her to the library ever second day of the week.

Henri could never seem to go without a book, on his mother's kinder days (which were rare) she brought home second hand books. His cousin adored them all the same, especially the one about the strange girl called Alice. He wondered, smiling softly, if that is what she felt now. If they had entered their own wonderland.

Aegon noticed that the country has become wilder, he narrowed his gaze, it looked oddly Scottish. He had seen it before in postcards from his Aunt Marge.

The group turned their gaze to the sliding door once more as a boy stumbled in, round-faced and nervously sweating. Clothed in dark robes, the kind that he had yet to put on.

"Sorry," muttered the boy, "but have any of you seen a toad at all?"

"A toad?" Scoffed Lee. "If I had, Sauron would have eaten him by now!" The large spider rested gently on his hand.

The boy spluttered in shock. Pale as a ghost.

"Y-Y-You... No! I can't lose him! My grandmother will kill me!"

Henri shifted on her seat, smiling at him kindly.

"Maybe he'll turn up?"

"Yes. Well, if you see him..."

"We'll let you know," declared Aegon.

"A toad," laughed Ron as he watched the boy turn and leave. "Why would you even want to have a toad? Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk..."

He looked down at the rat, Aegon wrinkled his nose. At the very least, he knew his own mother wouldn't let anything like that into her house. Even from her precious Dudley.

"Been in family for years," said Fred to Henri. "A fat load of useless, he is."

Ron didn't care to disagree with his older brother, he merely shrugged.

"George told me a spell to turn him yellow," he glared at the rat as if it were his fault. "The spell didn't work. I'll show you..."

George laughed into his sleeve, snickering.

Aegon stared at the boy's wand in dismay, if you could call it that, half the side of it had been chipped away, it looked as if it could snap in half at any minute.

"Is that... safe?" He asked.

Ron raised his wand, but didn't get all that far. The stumbling boy that had fled, along with a strange girl that needed fine work on her teeth in his opinion stood there staring.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. The girl brushed a wild brown curl behind her ear.

"He's already come around," acknowledged Aegon. "We haven't seen one recently. And if there was one, Sauron probably ate it." He joked, laughing to himself.

The girl blanched at the sight of the spider, it was by far, bigger than Lee's hand.

"That's not on the list!"

Lee rolled his eyes. "Who cares!"

"He won't hurt anyone," smirked George. "He's had all his venom removed."

She sniffed in disdain, looking horrified.

"That's barbaric!"

Lee scoffed. "What did you want me to do, firstie? Take it to Hogwarts with a school filled with children and hope it doesn't kill anyone!"

The girl turned with a huff, dragging Neville with her, Henri merely stared bewildered. Eyes wide as the girl in the squeaky clean black shoes flounced of down the corridor. He shifted uncomfortably, she had reminded him far too much of Sansa, when all his sister had been was entitled. He knew nothing of the girl, that much was for sure, but there was a similarity that he did not like. Aegon shrugged, perhaps, after all, he had misjudged her.

Neville glanced back at them with wide eyes, a sorry slipped from his lips as he followed her with slumped shoulders.

"I hope she's not in Gryffindor," grumbled Fred. "We have enough of those as it is..."

"We do?"

Fred smirked. "One word, little brother. One simple word. Ravenclaws."

"Are you a Gryffindor?" Asked Aegon, peering at them curiously.

"Yes," said George proudly. "The best house of all! All us Weasleys' are Gryffindors. None could be better than a lion. Ravenclaws are right pricks, you don't want to be a Slytherin though. Rough lot."

"Voldemort was in that house," said Henri. "I read about it. So were his followers."

"Not all of them," frowned George. "There were a rare few from Ravenclaw."

Aegon changed into his Hogwarts robe as the sky became dark, twinkling stars showing the way as the train came to a stop. He had sat with the strangers for a few hours, and found he rather liked the twins.

People flooded out from the train like ants, he amongst them, reaching to clasp tightly at his cousin's hand. It was a small platform.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

It was the giant oaf again, Aegon sighed. The tall man beamed down at them.

"C'mon, follow me. Anymore firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

They stumbled through the woods, his feet slipped more than twice against the wet rocks as they climbed down wet steps, twisting around another part of the cliff. He almost couldn't see anything, the trees were far too thick. He glanced around. Neville, much to his dawning horror, had almost fallen of the cliff to his death. Twice.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," boomed Hagrid, the trees shook. "Jus' round this bend here!"

Aegon gasped, his heart drumming heavily in his chest. It was beautiful.

The path had entered onto the beach of a lake, Hogwarts sat on the highest mountain, glittering windows lit up under the light of the stars. It filled his heart with warmth, knowing this was the closest he had ever felt to home.

"No more'n four to a boat!"

Aegon climbed into one with Henri, Ron, and another girl with hair as pale as his own and silken ribbons of blue.

"Everyone in? Right then- FORWARD!"

Their small boat moved with the others, all at once, Aegon realised swiftly that it was magic. Bright and beautiful. Nobody spoke. Eyes wide in wonder at the castle beyond.