The train whistle blew long and loud as it slowed to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. The doors clattered open, releasing a tide of first-years into the crisp, dark air. Excited voices bounced between the hills and trees.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" came a booming call.
Hadrian spotted the towering figure at once—lantern in hand, shaggy beard glowing in the light like a creature from a fairytale.
"Hagrid," Hadrian said under his breath, just loud enough for Dora and Iris to hear.
The three of them made their way toward the half-giant, bundled in cloaks and scarves. Their trunks and animals would be taken up separately, so they joined the other wide-eyed first-years as Hagrid began herding them toward the lake.
"Yeh'll be crossin' the lake ter get to the castle," Hagrid announced, then paused as his lantern caught Hadrian's face. "Blimey…"
Hadrian blinked innocently. "Yes?"
Hagrid crouched a bit to peer closer. "You look just like—James Potter. Right down to the smirk. Same sharp chin, too. You wouldn't happen to be—?"
Before he could finish, Hadrian grinned—and with barely a shimmer of effort, his hair turned a vivid shade of Weasley-red.
Hagrid's mouth fell open.
Iris snorted.
Dora howled.
"Metamorphmagus," Hadrian said, as though he were telling someone he liked treacle tart. Then he casually returned his hair to its usual dark brown.
"Well I'll be…" Hagrid murmured, scratching his head with visible confusion and delight. "Yeh lot are full of surprises already."
"We try," Dora said sweetly, still giggling.
Hagrid chuckled and straightened back up. "Right then! Into the boats, four to a boat!"
Across the Lake
They climbed into the wooden boats with the other students, the lake still and mirror-like beneath them. The stars above were sharp and endless.
The moment the boats began to drift forward on their own, Iris gasped.
The castle had come into view.
Hogwarts rose from the cliffside, glowing golden with torchlight, towers reaching toward the heavens like it had grown from the mountain itself. The windows flickered, and for a long moment, no one spoke.
Even Dora, normally the first to break any silence, just let out a soft, awed breath. "That's real. That's ours."
Hadrian's heart ached at the sight. Not with fear or nerves—with want.
To belong. To begin.
Beside him, Iris shivered in the cold, and he gently wrapped his arm around her.
"You'll love it here," he whispered.
She looked up at him. "You already do."
He smiled, but didn't answer.
Arrival at the Gates
The boats docked at the far side of the lake, and the students clambered out, some more gracefully than others. Hagrid led them up a winding path toward the castle gates, where a tall figure waited—stern, with her hair in a tight bun and spectacles that glinted in the moonlight.
"Professor McGonagall," Hadrian said softly.
Iris and Dora stood a little straighter.
As they stepped up to the castle's entrance, Hagrid gave them all a parting grin.
"Good luck in there. Yer about to start somethin' brilliant."
His eyes lingered on Hadrian for a heartbeat longer—thoughtful, but kind. Then he turned and disappeared into the night.