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.

"Thank you so much again," Laura said, hugging Pansy. "Hopefully, we bump into each other again at some point."

"I hope so as well," Pansy replied, hugging Laura back. "It was nice meeting you!"

The two parted ways, going opposite directions, leaving Laura to find her way around London alone. Thankfully, it didn't take her too long to reach the Leaky Cauldron, where she was met by the bartender.

"Laura Potter?" they asked.

"That's me," Laura nodded. "My dad told you I was gonna be here, right?"

"Felix Potter, right?" they assumed.

"Yeah, that's him," Laura answered.

The bartender nodded, handing her a note, then bringing her to the back alley of the pub, taping some bricks with his wand, opening up the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Have a good school year," the bartender said, going inside and leaving Laura to walk into the alley.

The alley was deserted as the Quidditch World Cup was held that weekend. Laura would have loved to attend, but everyone was at the event. That meant there was almost no one doing their school shopping.

Laura already had most of her school supplies, other than a robe, which she needed a new one. Her Ilvermorny robes were more colorful than the typical Hogwarts robes, so she was off to where her Father said to go: Madame Malkin's.

The alley wasn't too complicated to get around. Meaning Laura didn't wander for too long. As she walked up to the shop, she bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she apologized quickly, looking up to see a girl her age.

She was a little shorter than Laura, with curly brown hair, round eyes, and freckles. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a lavender blouse.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the girl apologized, then took a double take of Laura. "Do you attend Hogwarts?"

"I am this year," Laura said, smiling politely. "It's my first year, but I'll be a fourth year."

"Oh, well, I hope we can become close friends," the girl smiled. "I'm going into my fourth year as well. I'm a Gryffindor. Do you have a house you want to be in?"

Laura hesitated to answer. She knew things could go awry if she answered truthfully, but at the same time, it was her answer, and she wasn't going to lie.

"Slytherin," she answered with a smile to seem friendly.

The girl tried to mask her surprise and dismay, but Laura saw through it.

"I'm Laura Pickering, by the way," Laura smiled, "I'm sure no matter what house I get sorted into, be good friends."

"Lavender Brown," the girl said curtly. "If you get sorted into Gryffindor, I have an open seat next to me and my friend Padma."

"I'll remember that," Laura said, waving Lavender goodbye as they split ways.

After Laura got fitted, she went to buy the textbooks she needed for the upcoming year. When she finished, she found a fireplace, using the Floo system to get to the house she was staying at.

"Number Eleven Grimmauld Place," she said, throwing the powder down and being taken to the house.

She stepped out of the fireplace and dusted herself off, falling onto the couch, feeling absolutely exhausted. But before she fell asleep, she went and took a shower and got something to eat from the food her godfather stocked up before she arrived.

"Thank Merlin," she said thankfully, eating the food. "I thought I was going to starve."

"But did you?" asked a painting of Merlin.

"I mean kinda," Laura shrugged. "Who knew if he was gonna pull through or not?"

"You're only here for the night, right, Darling?" asked another painting of a woman and her dog. "That's what we were told."

"Yeah," Laura nodded, continuing to eat. "I'll be out the door at around eight. You won't have to deal with me for too long."

Laura spent the rest of her night talking to the paintings. They had lots of gossip to share with her. They would always chat whenever Laura would visit England, as the house was shared between a few wizarding families, including Laura's. The paintings saw everything and in turn would share everything with Laura.

"Well, I think I'm going to go to bed. I have a big day tomorrow," Laura yawned, standing up. "Thanks for talking with me, goodnight!"

The paintings said goodnight to her as Laura wandered up the stairs to the bedroom she was staying in for the night. The jetlag had hit her hard, causing her to fall asleep as soon as she laid down.

🪐➶.✧༄

Laura woke up at seven in the morning. She still felt absolutely exhausted as she fell back onto her bed, wanting to fall back asleep.

"Potter! Wake up!" Merlin yelled at her, moving to the painting in the room she was sleeping in.

"What?" Laura said, drowsily waking up, glancing around.

"It's already eight, child," Merlin sighed. "You need to get dressed, eat breakfast, and leave. The train will leave without you if you keep sitting in bed like this!"

"Thanks, Merlin," Laura yawned, getting out of bed.

Laura put on one of her gray Ilvermorny sweatshirts and a pair of black jeans as they were easily accessible. When she finished getting ready, she grabbed her stuff, going back down the stairs where the paintings bid her a good morning.

"My godfather got me cereal, right?" Laura hummed, looking through the cupboards. She had asked her godfather specifically for cereal.

"He didn't," the painting of the lady with her dog said, causing Laura to groan, grabbing a banana and make a slice of toast.

"I'll visit!" she said after eating, grabbing her belongings. The paintings bid her farewell as Laura left the house, going to Kings Cross Station.

When Laura arrived at the station, she spent a few minutes figuring out where Platform 9 and ¾ was. Thankfully, it didn't take her too long as she watched some people peer around the station and then disappear.

She made it to the platform, feeling at home almost immediately as she looked around to see people like her. As she looked around, she felt someone tap her shoulder.

Laura turned around, a surprised look on her face when she realized it was Pansy.

"Pansy?" Laura exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Laura!" Pansy exclaimed as well, seeming surprised as well. "I didn't know you were going to Hogwarts!"

"Well, that's not something I usually just tell people," Laura laughed, the two girls hugging.

"I guess that's true," Pansy laughed as they let go. "Well- I need to say bye to my parents, but I'll come find you afterward."

Laura nodded, smiling as she watched Pansy run off, trying to find her parents. Laura was glad she would have at least one friend that year. But, while she waited, the guy she bumped into the day before approached her.

"Hey gorgeous," he smirked.

Laura shot him a look of disgust, taking five steps away from him. His action gave her an extreme ick.

"What? You're not excited to see me, darling?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I literally don't know who you are," Laura said bluntly, staring at him.

"Well, you will," he smiled, grabbing her waist and pulling her towards him.

Laura gagged, kicking him. She couldn't believe what was happening.

"Oh, hon," he smirked, "don't act like you don't want this."

"Get away from her, Higgs," a voice said, causing the guy to look over, letting Laura get out of his grip and step far away.

She turned to see who had stopped her. It was a familiar tall blond, but she couldn't figure out where she knew him from.