In the Shadow of Power - Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter 3

"Good morning, Alayna! How did you sleep?" Professor Weasley greeted her just outside the door to the Slytherin common room.

"Good, actually. The dorms are quite cozy." Alayna smiled, folding her hands in front of her as she responded.

"I'm glad to hear it. And how are you getting on with your roommates?"

"Um...Nerida seems nice," Alayna hoped that would be enough to satisfy the professor. "I met a few others in my house this morning too."

"I'm sure you'll meet some of the students in the other houses today during your classes as well. Speaking of, I would like to give you something. The professors at Hogwarts have all worked to help put this together." Professor Weasley pulled out a large leather bound book with the Hogwarts crest engraved on the front cover. She handed it over to Alayna, who traced her fingers over the crest.

"What is it?"

"A field guide, specifically designed to help you catch up on your studies and keep track of your progress. It has all you will need to know before you take your O.W.L.s at the end of the year." That would be the real struggle of starting so late, not only did she need to get caught up, but she also had to take an exam at the end of the year. The most important exam because it would help determine what career paths she could go into. She wasn't really sure what she wanted to do yet, so she needed to try to get good grades in all her subjects to keep her options open.

"Thank you, I'm sure it will be very helpful."

"Come with me," Professor Weasley smiled and beckoned her to stay by her side while they walked through the corridors. "You'll see there is a map of the castle, which will hopefully help you from getting lost too often. But I wanted to show you how to get to a specific point in the castle, which may help you navigate more easily." Climbing up from the dungeons, they came out into a large open area within the castle. In the middle of the space was a fountain with a unicorn and a werewolf circling each other on top. They were held up by some other humanoid race Alayna didn't immediately recognize and circling in the water basin were mermaids. High up above, on one wall was a moving mural of a dragon. There were tons of students walking through or just hanging around the space. Alayna was once again in awe of the castle's interior. There were so many interesting details to its design.

"Welcome to Central Hall. It's one of the social hubs of the castle and you can get to all of your classes fairly quickly from here," Professor Weasley explained as they stopped near the fountain. "You have Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts today and after that I think a trip into Hogsmeade will do you good. You'll be able to get your own wand and replace some of what you lost on your trip here. Professor Fig has not told me much, but I get the feeling that there is more to the story than he tells me."

"I assume he told you about the dragon attack? Everyone seems to be talking about it already. Besides that there isn't much else to say," Alayna said, remembering her promise to Fig to keep the rest of their journey a secret.

"Hm, whatever you two are keeping to yourselves is your own business." Professor Weasley did not appear convinced by Alayna's lies.

"Professor Weasley, Alayna!" Professor Fig's voice interrupted them as he approached.

"Professor Fig, your ears must have been burning. We were just speaking about helping Miss Donellan replace some of the supplies she lost during your trip."

"Oh yes, a good idea. You'll need supplies for class," Fig stated, ignoring the bait into talking about their trip.

"Well, I must be going. I have my own class to prepare for. Come see me after your classes, Alayna and we'll talk more about your trip to Hogsmeade." Professor Weasley smiled and left the two alone.