Hello
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O N E
Lucy watched as Mrs. Macready led her white horse to the large house with curiosity. Dust picked up under its hoofs, blocking Lucy's view of the figure sitting in the carriage.
She did not recall the professor saying anything about any visitor, but then again, she barely spotted the professor nor did any of her siblings.
They barely spoke to anyone else ever since they returned. Narnia seemed to be the only thing on their minds. The magical land, the forests, the castle, their old lives, Aslan. It was all they could think about for a year.
It had taken quite a toll on her siblings Lucy would say. Susan and Peter especially. Peter's head was still set in his days as high king and ruler. Susan had a hard time believing to all be true. She struggles with the knowledge that they were back in England. Back in the real world.
Edmund was fine. He just missed being grown up, yet it would be a flat-out lie if one was to say he didn't mature.
“Lucy,” a voice at the door snatched Lucy from her thoughts.
She turned to see Edmund, her older brother, at the door, his hair still messy from the nap he had taken.
“Yes, Edmund?”
“Macready wants us to get dressed for the guests that are arriving soon,” Edmund said with a sigh.
"Alright then," Lucy smiled, excitement filling her body. If Macready wanted them to dress nice, the guests must be very important. "Let's go find Peter and Susan."
Her other oldest siblings were either sleeping, which was probably what Peter was doing, or reading, Susan was probably doing that.
She grabbed Edmund's hand as he led her through the halls to find their older siblings.
◇◇◇
Susan scrunched her nose as she looked out the window. She didn't expect visitors. She had hardly had enough human interaction to act at least somewhat decent around them.
“Jesus, who let Gandalf out of the Hobbit?” Edmund laughed as he saw the old man in the carriage. He had a long white beard and a strange robe on. The man with half-moon glasses was in a long conversation with a smiling Macready as he took some trunks from the carriage.
“Don't be rude, Edmu–wow. He really does.” Peter had tried and failed to scold Edmund about manners. This old man looked like a wizard.
“He's dressed funny.” Susan furrowed her brows causing wrinkles to form on her fair skin.
“Maybe he's not from here.” Peter shrugged.
“Better not be,” Edmond buttoned up his white shirt. So far, this and a pair of black trousers were his neatest outfit. He was not about to put on a full suit for anyone. “That would be embarrassing to go out like that.”
“Edmund!” Lucy gasped. She lightly slapped his shoulder causing the dark-haired boy to yelp. “You can't say that! He may be one of the professor's friends.”
“Well, he's got some strange friends then.” he scoffed. He rubbed his arm where Lucky hit him. "That really hurt."
“Wait,” Susan pressed her face closer to the window, trying to see the company from two stories high. “I think there are more people.”
With that, the rest of the siblings pressed against the glass as well.
Sure enough, there were. Now, they couldn't see from that height, but they could make out two shapes of a boy and a girl from the carriage. They stood to the side, almost shying away from the house, in matching uniforms with green ties and what looked like badges that shined in the sunlight.
Bellow, Nancy Harrwell felt a familiar sensation of being watched. She turned to Dumbledore, but his gaze was nowhere near her. Nor was Toms. When the feeling didn't go away, she glanced up.
“Bingo,” she smirked as four pairs of eyes scrambled from her gaze as she stared back.
“Already scaring our future company, Harrwell?” The grumpy voice of her housemate sounded near her ear. She turned to see Tom’s eyes glancing to where she previously was.
“No, of course not!” Nancy gasped. “You dare accuse me, Riddle?”
“The train ride was too long for me to deal with your antics, Nancy,” he grumbled. A tired Riddle was an impatient Riddle.
“You love me.” Nancy shot back in a playful manner.
Tom only sighed and shook his head.
“Riddle, Harrwell.” Dumbledore's voice drew the two teenagers from their non-existing conversation as he motioned for them to take their luggage. The mysterious twinkling in his eye made Nancy gulp. That twinkle never meant well for anyone but him.
“What's the point of having such a large home and not having any servants?” Tom grunted as he picked up his suitcase. His arms were numb from Nancy laying on it the whole train and carnage ride.
“Some people prefer to do things themselves, without others.” Nancy picked up her crate, cursing silently when she heard a sharp meow.
She’d woken up Robbie.
“If I was as rich as this,” Tom's eyes took in the beautiful old home and the forest surrounding it. “I wouldn't have to lift a finger.”
“Yeh, but you aren't.” Nancy's snappy voice cut through his daydream. “You're just a sad little orphan boy with freaky powers.”
If it were anyone, anyone, besides Nancy who uttered those words, they would have already disappeared in a cloud of pitiful ashes.
Yet, Tom had known Nancy since he was 5. They met at the orphanage. Two freaks against the world. Best friends since the very start. At least, that's what Nancy said. Tom enjoyed her company, but sometimes, she was just plain annoying.
Tom supposed this is what it'd be like to have a younger sibling.
"Let's just get this over with." He smirked, following professor Dumbledore and the tall woman to the front door.
Tom sighed as he glanced up at the large roof, remembering his and Nancy's reason here.
Dumbledore contacted an old friend of his and asked him to shelter Tom and Nancy until the school opened up again in three months.
Brilliant.
Three months in a stranger's home.
Three months away from Hogwarts.
Three months without magic.