by my side¹ - d. malfoy

One

LAURA PICKERING stepped off of the boat.

She was starting on a new journey, a new country, a new school, and new people.

Laura Pickering, a fourteen-year-old girl from Queens, New York, stepped off the boat in England.

At first glance, Laura looked normal, though her hair made her stand out. She had raven black hair but was an icy blue at the tips.

She attended a private school, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America. Laura belonged to Horned Serpent, the cause for the icy blue color in her hair. Ilvermorny was her home, for the most part, until this upcoming school year.

Laura was a witch, a Pureblood if it mattered; that didn't matter to Laura as she had bigger things to think about than her bloodline. She was considered quite famous when it came to the American wizarding world.

At the end of her first year at Ilvermorny, a prophecy came to light; it just so happened that Laura was involved, along with another witch named Hecate. She wasn't worried about that either, as Hecate didn't really pose a threat to Laura.

That prophecy wasn't the only thing going for Laura. Her last name drew quite a lot of attention from the American wizarding world, as Pickering was an old but famous family of witches and wizards.

Yet, Pickering was only her mother's maiden name. Her legal last name (her dad's) turned heads in the English wizarding world.

With a list in hand, she was alone in a foreign country. Her parents had tried to go with her, but Laura assured them she would be fine. So, with a list of things from her dad, Laura was winging it.

On the boat ride there, Laura had thought about her new life. She was going to Hogwarts that year, curious about which house she would be sorted into.

Slytherin.

She knew the house had a bad reputation, but Laura didn't care. Her dad was sorted into Slytherin while he attended Hogwarts, so Laura was hopeful about it.

Of course, if she was sorted into any other house, Laura would be okay with it. The hat knew the best course of action, but a girl could wish.

Though, she wasn't going to be alone at Hogwarts. She was going to be meeting her cousin for the first time. It wasn't the first time she would go to the same school as her relatives back at Ilvermorny. There, she was in the same house as her cousin Nick. She loved and adored him, but if she wasn't sorted into the same house as her English cousin, she would be okay with it.

But Laura was back, wandering around the port, trying to figure out where the train station was. As she tried to find her way, a girl approached her, surprising Laura. She was a little shorter than Laura, with black hair, and her face vaguely reminded Laura of a pug.

"Hello," she said, she was British. "Are you lost?"

"Yeah..." Laura replied with an awkward laugh, "I'm trying to find the train station I need to make my way to London."

"Oh, that's where I'm going," the girl smiled. "You can come with me so you don't get lost."

"Thank you so much," Laura thanked, grateful for kind strangers. "I'm Laura, by the way."

"Oh right, I'm Pansy," she smiled, shaking Laura's hand.

The two of them made it to the train, sitting and talking as they rode into London. Their conversations covered many topics, from their hobbies to their personal life. However, Laura purposely kept out the fact she was a witch and that she was technically a famous figure.