Chapter 5: An Old Friend

As they walked back to the Gryffindor common room, Lewis couldn't help but feel excited about what the future held. He was finally at Hogwarts, and he couldn't wait to start learning magic.

"So, what do you guys think?" Harry asked, turning to Lewis, Ron, and Neville.

"I think it's amazing!" Lewis replied with a grin. "I never imagined that I would actually get to go to a school like Hogwarts."

"I know what you mean," Seamus said, nodding in agreement. "I've been dreaming of coming here for years."

"And now we're finally here!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

As they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, the prefect stopped in front of it and said the password. The portrait swung open, revealing the common room of Gryffindor.

"Wow," Lewis breathed, looking around the room in awe. The walls were adorned with portraits of famous witches and wizards, and the room was filled with comfortable armchairs and tables.

"I'll show you to your dormitory," the prefect said, leading them up a staircase.

Lewis followed Harry, Ron, Neville, Sheamus and the prefect up the stairs, feeling more and more excited as they neared their destination. Finally, they arrived at the dormitory door, and the prefect gestured for them to go inside.

"Welcome to Gryffindor!" the prefect said, before leaving them alone.

Lewis took a look around. There were five-poster beds with red curtains drawn around them, a few desks, and a wardrobe for each of them. The room was cozy and warm, and he could hear the sound of the common room just outside the door.

Ron was the first to speak up, "So, Lewis, where did you come from?"

Lewis smiled and replied, "Oh, I'm from a magical island where I grew up with magical creatures."

The others looked at him in disbelief. Neville was the first to ask, "Really? That sounds fascinating. What kind of creatures did you grow up with?"

Lewis couldn't tell them that and so he replied, "That's a secret!"

Soon enough, they all started talking about their own backgrounds and how they got their Hogwarts letter. Ron spoke about his father's job in the ministry, while Sheamus talked about growing up in Ireland with a family of magical leprechauns. They started feeling sleepy and turned to their beds.

At 4:30 am in the morning, Lewis woke and sat up in bed, feeling a strange presence in the room. He looked around, but couldn't see anyone. Then he heard a soft rustling sound, and a voice whispered, "Lewis, it's me, Cloak."

Lewis smiled, relieved to hear his old friend's voice. He got out of bed and walked over to the corner of the room where Cloak was hiding. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Neville were fast asleep. Seamus was tossing and turning in his sleep, muttering something incoherent.

"Hey, Cloak. How have you been?" Lewis asked.

"I've been good, Lewis. It's been a while since we last saw each other," Cloak replied.

"Yeah, it has. So, what have you been up to?" Lewis asked.

"I've been exploring the island and meeting new magical creatures. I've also been keeping an eye on the dragon you adopted. It's growing fast, you know," Cloak said with a chuckle.

Lewis smiled. He had almost forgotten about the dragon egg in all the excitement of coming to Hogwarts. "How big is it now?"

"Oh, it's about the size of a whale" Cloak said.

Lewis felt a surge of excitement at the thought his dragon sister. "That's amazing! I miss her. Do you think she misses me?"

"Of course she does. You're her brother, after all," Cloak said reassuringly.

Lewis smiled and then asked, "So, have you met any new magical creatures that I should know about?"

Cloak nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I've met a few. There's a group of mermaids that live in a nearby lagoon, and they're always singing beautiful songs. And then there's a colony of giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest. They're quite scary, but also very fascinating."

Lewis shuddered at the thought of giant spiders, but he was also intrigued. "I definitely want to check them out sometime. But for now, I should get some sleep. We have classes tomorrow."

Cloak nodded and then said, "Goodnight, Lewis. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, Cloak," Lewis replied, and then climbed back into bed. As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but feel grateful for having such amazing friends - both at Hogwarts and on the magical island where he had grown up