Beyond the Shadows | A Hogwarts Legacy Story

Chapter One

September 1st was always a thrilling - and sometimes nerve-wracking - day for Hogwarts students. Aurora Clarke was no exception as she prepared to begin her sixth year. The previous year, she had missed out on the opportunity to ride the Hogwarts Express as she'd left directly from Diagon Alley with her mentor Professor Eleazar Fig. Things took a turn for the worst when they were targeted by a dragon, teleported to abandoned ruins that hid a secret doorway to Gringotts, and then attacked by a power-hungry goblin named Ranrok before arriving late to the Sorting Ceremony. Suffice to say, Aurora was very much looking forward to not only a perfectly normal arrival to Hogwarts, but a splendidly mundane school year.

"Aurora!" She overheard the familiar voice over the chatter and laughter on the platform. She looked over her shoulder, gripping her trolley tight as she spotted her good friend Poppy Sweeting bounding toward her. "How was your summer?" the fellow Hufflepuff asked as she slowed to a stop, her short brown hair sweeping along her shoulders. She hugged Aurora tightly.

"It was much needed, thank you. And yours?" Aurora asked with equal enthusiasm.

"Oh, it was wonderful! Gran and I set up a conservatory for..." Poppy glanced around her and lowered her voice, "...the Snidgets."

"It's good they've got you two looking after them! Shall we find a spot on the train?"

"I've actually already found a compartment for us. Follow me!"

Aurora tried to keep up with Poppy, but it was quite a feat, trying to steer the trolley through the shifting crowd. She looked around her, taking in all the people. She recognized Garreth Weasley stuffing handfuls of something into his pockets as his mother hugged him; Amit Thakkar waved to Aurora as she passed him and his younger sister, who - judging by her robes - would be joining them at Hogwarts that year; and she even heard the unforgettable, yet slightly deeper, voice of Lucan Brattleby, crying out, "It's good to see you, champion!" He hadn't gotten much taller as she only could see the top of his curly mop of hair.

As she and Poppy boarded the scarlet train, Aurora caught a glimpse of the tall and slender Ominis Gaunt saying goodbye to his parents near the next train car's door, his mouth thin as he nodded, clearly exasperated. Based on what Aurora knew about the Gaunts, Ominis was most likely counting the seconds until he could free himself from his family.

Aurora was surprised that Sebastian Sallow was not within arm's length of Ominis as they were best friends. Despite the previous school year ending with tensions high between the two friends, Aurora expected to see the pair reunited. Glancing around, she realized Sebastian was nowhere to be found on Platform 9 ¾. Of course, he could be running late or even on the train already.

She heard someone call out, "Two minutes!" Scrambling into the train, she followed Poppy to their chosen compartment. Along the way, they ran into Arthur Plummly and Natsai Onai, inviting them to their compartment if they didn't have one of their own.

The four students settled into their compartment as the train lurched forward, sharing stories of their summer adventures. Poppy didn't go into further detail about the Snidgets as Aurora was the only other student that knew about their existence, but she did divulge that she did come across a colony of Bowtruckles. Natty and her mother traveled back to Matabeleland for the summer to visit family. Aurora knew that must have been wonderful for her to return to her home. During Arthur's summer holiday, he'd managed to convince his mother to get a cat! She'd always denied any pets in the home, Aurora learned last year, so she knew that meant a great deal to Arthur.

"And how was your summer, Aurora?" Natty asked with a grin. "Did you get up to any wild escapades?"

"Honestly, I enjoyed a quiet summer," Aurora smiled, smoothing her skirt. "Mum and I did go to Ireland for a bit to visit my father, but apart from that, I stayed close to home."