I am Gryffindor!

Today, Grandpa said we were going to visit an old friend of his, and I was obviously excited. Since I arrived here, I've never been allowed to leave the mansion's grounds, so any contact with the outside world is welcome.

We've been walking through the woods near the mansion for about twenty minutes now. Grandpa didn't say how we were going to visit this friend, but knowing my grandfather, it won't be anything ordinary. For some reason, we're wearing our best clothes, which is nice, since staying at home means I don't get to wear most of them.

" Grandpa, where are we going ? My feet are already hurting !" I said, groaning in dissatisfaction.

We've really been walking for a long time, and for the feet of a child—even mine—it gets painful after a while.

" Calm down, kid, we're almost there. The protections around our house should end just ahead," he said without looking back.

" Come on, where's all that swagger of yours ? It's your birthday today, it's going to be special," he said, his tone showing he's smiling even though I can't see his face.

It's true. Today is May 6th, 1984, and I'm turning five today.

" Another reason for you to carry me on your back. Come on, you're still strong, old man," I said with a mischievous grin, giving him light elbow jabs on his leg.

" I'm strong, but I'm not stupid," he said, smiling while messing up my hair with his hand.

" We're here," he said, stopping abruptly.

Looking around, I couldn't see anything but trees and a few birds flying in the woods.

Grandpa looked at the time on his pocket watch, took a golden amulet out of his other pocket, and extended his right arm.

" Hold on to my arm and don't let go. We have thirty seconds."

Confused but not wanting to question him, I held on, and just a few seconds later, the world seemed to twist. My body compressed, and everything started spinning at high speed. Images began appearing in my field of vision but vanished just as quickly.

After what felt like hours, the world seemed to stabilize, and I could feel my feet touching the ground again.

A wave of strong nausea hit me, and a headache like none other made itself present.

Grandpa looked at me, noticing my paleness and slight trembling.

" Not bad for the first time using a portkey. Normally, people—"

" BBLLÉÉ !" I vomited, curling up and holding my stomach, releasing everything I had eaten for breakfast.

" Never mind," he said, realizing it didn't matter.

Straightening up with cold sweat on my forehead, I started to observe the surroundings. We were in a clearing surrounded by trees, but looking further ahead, I could see a city and a distinctive monument standing out in the distance. The Eiffel Tower.

Trying to gather my thoughts, I turned to my grandfather.

" Your friend lives in France ?!" I asked, outraged. I thought it would be something less than a thousand kilometers from home.

" If I told you, it would spoil the surprise, and your face is priceless," he said with a smile and began walking out of the forest.

Following him, we soon found ourselves outside, and before us was the city of love, in all its splendor.

" Welcome to Paris, kid. Try not to get lost," he said, walking toward the city, and I, admiring the view, had to run a bit to keep up.

Entering the city, I saw a scene I hadn't witnessed since my past life— a lively city, people walking in all directions, cars honking, motorcycles speeding by, people living their normal lives. I think I missed this kind of scene a little.

Grandpa, noticing I wasn't with him anymore, placed a hand on my shoulder, bringing me back to the present.

" Stay close, it's easy to get separated here," and with that, we continued our way.

After turning several corners and passing many alleys, we stopped in front of a large white wall hidden between buildings.

" What place is this ?" I said, confused, staring at the wall in front of me.

" Aurelius Gryffindor, you know the location of the house," my grandfather said, looking at me.

This left me even more confused, but when I looked back at the wall, I could see what looked like the entrance to a house. It was beautiful, made of marble with light blue tones, almost as if it belonged to royalty, and it was as if it hadn't been there a moment ago but was there now.

" Fidelius Charm," I whispered to myself, impressed by the feat. I had read about this spell, but seeing it first hand is always something else.

" Let's go," my grandfather said, approaching the door and knocking three times loudly.

It took a few seconds before the large dark wooden door slowly creaked open.

And inside, who greeted us seemed more like a ghost than a man. His skin was as pale as snow, along with his hair, his face thin, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks, but his formal attire gave him an air of elegance. And upon seeing my grandfather, he quickly put a smile on his face.

" Reginald, you old fool !" he said to my grandfather with a laugh and walked toward him with arms open for a hug.

Grandpa did the same, walking to the man, and they embraced amidst laughter.

After that, the man's attention turned to me, and with a smile, he said:

" So, this is Seraphina's son. I was wondering when I'd get to meet him," he said, turning his gaze back to my grandfather.

" Yeah, I can't keep him forever," my grandfather said with a sigh.

" Oh, how rude of me. My name is Nicolas Flamel," Flamel said with a smile, extending his hand to me.

I was in shock for a few seconds, and looking at my grandfather, I could see a small smile on his face. This old man didn't tell me on purpose. He knew I had read about the man and purposely didn't say who his friend was.

" Er—pleasure, Mr. Flamel. My name is Aurelius," I said awkwardly, accepting the handshake.

Upon hearing my name, Flamel's face seemed to change for a moment. A brief expression of sadness appeared, but it quickly disappeared.

" An excellent name. I once knew someone with a similar name. An old acquaintance of mine," he said with a nostalgic voice.

" Well, come in," he said, clapping his hands and turning to enter the house.

" Perenelle has prepared some cookies for us," he said and entered the house again.

" You'll pay for this, old man," I said to my grandfather as I followed him into the house.

" Hah, try in fifteen years, kid," he said, entering the house.

And after we entered, from the outside, if you passed by, it would be nothing more than a large white wall again.