The New Ravenclaw · Y/n story by @lalalelalele

The train had been creeping north for hours, past sprawling green hills and sleepy villages that blurred into grey mist. The compartment was warm, almost too warm, and the steady rhythm of the wheels against the tracks was enough to lull anyone to sleep.

Hermione Granger

First time at Hogwarts? she asked, marking her page with a finger

A red-haired boy beside her—freckled, lanky, his hand buried in a bag of Every Flavour Beans—tilted his head.

Ron Weasley

You're not a first-year, though. You're too old. he said, squinting

Hermione Granger

Ron. she hissed, embarrassed

On the seat by the window, a boy with messy black hair and round glasses had gone very still. He wasn't staring openly, but his gaze kept drifting back to Y/n, as if he recognized something in her. Something familiar.

Hermione Granger

I'm Hermione, by the way. That's Ron, and that's Harry. she gestured, friendly despite the awkwardness What house are you hoping for?

The train gave a sudden lurch, and through the window, the first glimpse of a towering silhouette appeared against the grey sky. A castle, jagged and impossibly old, perched on a cliffside like a creature waiting to wake.