The Making of a Carrow

"Sometimes it's not the people who change; it's the mask that falls off."

-Unknown

Chapter One - A Fresh Start

It was that time of year again; the beginning of a new school year. As always, it was marked by the garish noises of parents bustling around trying to locate their offspring amongst the hundreds of similarly awkward and nervous-looking children, infants wailing on top-note, and a dozen or so gossiping witches bragging about their summer holidays. Students, both new and old, ran back and forth, trying to locate belongings they had already lost, whilst competing to be heard over the high-pitched whistle of the great, scarlet engine behind them.

No one's attention was placed on the boring, grey concrete beneath their feet—no one's except Alecto's. Her pale blue eyes remained transfixed on a single ant marching by her freshly polished shoe. It seemed to be on a mission to transport a bread crumb across the platform, undeterred by the chaos around it. She wondered where it would end up; was it going to a nest nearby? Were other ants anxiously awaiting their turn to go out? Could it carry such a heavy load because there was nothing else bearing down on its shoulders? What would it be like to not have any care in the world like that?

"Ahem!"

A large foot tapped the ground impatiently, covering the ant in a shadow that would be its doom. Alecto blinked rapidly, snapping to attention as the owner of the foot demanded her attention.

"As I was saying, I expect nothing from the best of you two. You will do us proud and bring continued honour to our family name," her father, Amos, quietly said. His deep blue eyes bored into her own eyes as he added, "Or at least not tarnish it further."

"Yes, sir," her twin brother, Amycus, replied before she could say anything. It earned him a rare half-smile from their father, who then turned to her expectantly, raising a bushy, black eyebrow.

"Yes, father," Alecto whispered.

She could feel her mother's eyes upon her, but didn't dare look away from her father. As it were, she didn't need to—she knew the venom her mother's gaze held. It should've been a look of relief that her horrid daughter was going to be palmed off to some boarding school and out of her hair for the year. She supposed, though, that she couldn't blame her mother for being so disgusted with her—any witch in their right mind would have after the events of the summer.

"Good." Stepping forward, her father patted her brother on the shoulder briefly as he said, "I'm counting on you."

Amycus smiled lopsidedly, revealing his crooked teeth as he revelled in the attention.

Alecto, following her brother's lead, smiled too, moving closer towards her father to bid him farewell. Though she couldn't wait for the new adventures that she would have at Hogwarts, she knew she would miss her family. She had never been away from any of them for longer than a week. The only time she had been away from her mother was when she and Amycus had caught Dragonpox five years ago—her mother had ordered Amos to remain downstairs with the fear that they, too, would contract the dreaded disease. Only the Carrow's elderly house-elf, Hettie, had been allowed into the twin's bedroom, and when they had fully recovered—Amycus a day after Alecto—she had been fired and turned out of the house so as not to spread any germs. Though she would now have Amycus with her, Alecto would have to get used to evenings without her father reading the paper or her mother cross-stitching by the warm fireplace.

Unfortunately, her father had already turned around and had begun leading his wife to a more secluded area so that they could Disapparate away. She watched his tall frame disappear into the throng of witches and wizards until she could no longer see him. Then, clutching the trolley holding her and Amycus' luggage tightly, she swung her head back to speak to her brother.

"Should we…" her voice trailed off as the only thing she saw of Amycus was his dark brown hair, bobbing up and down as he hurried towards the train.

Licking her lips nervously, she rushed after him, trying not to trip over the hem of her robes as she went. It was difficult to keep sight of him, for he was rather short and stocky like she was, and easily blended in with the other students. Thankfully, she managed to catch sight of him enter one of the less crowded openings. Hauling up the trunks one by one with the help of a plump, cheerful older student dressed in yellow and black robes, she quickly slipped into the train corridor, and began to follow him towards the back of the train.

She watched as Amycus trudged down the narrow aisle, peering into a compartment now and then as he walked. Alecto copied his movements and looked into each one, curious as to what her brother could see. Students of various ages could be seen within, chatting excitedly to their friends, setting up games of Exploding Snap, or reading quietly in a corner. Most of them appeared friendly enough, though it was no surprise to her that Amycus ignored them.

Her brother was quite selective about the people he associated with, even though there weren't many children their age where they lived in the outskirts of Surrey to begin with. Whenever their mother had a guest over who had a child, Amycus would automatically assess their ability to play Quidditch by taking them outside, handing them a bat and releasing his Bludger. Usually, the poor child would end up with a few bruises and maybe a broken bone or two—if they were lucky. On the rare occasion, however, when a child would respond with a fast whack with the bat, Amycus would happily take them up to their room and share his—or rather, Alecto's—few toys. Amycus wasn't particularly bright, but his sporting aptitude won everyone over, including their parents.

Regrettably, Alecto wasn't too bright herself, nor was she sporty. With time, Amycus seemed to want less and less to do with her, and now, as he finally entered a compartment and slammed the door shut behind him, it appeared Hogwarts may not change that.

Setting down the trunk she was pulling and waving off the same, cheery helper who had pulled the luggage onto the train for her, she slid open the compartment door. It was heavier than she expected; the force she was required to use caused her to stumble through the door into something rather large and heavy.

Gulping, she looked up into the narrowed eyes of a boy with dark brown eyes and matching brown hair. Several people sniggered as she hurriedly shuffled back, mumbling an apology even as her cheeks began to grow red. If she had a mirror handy, she would've been sure they matched the rich auburn of her short hair.

"Sorry, sorry. My fault."

The boy she had run into simply rolled his eyes and took a seat. Instead, it was her brother that berated her.

"I thought we agreed that we'd go our separate ways here. You're already embarrassing me," Amycus muttered as he grabbed at her forearm. Marching her back towards the door, he whispered, "Go find somewhere else, alright?"

Looking away from his eyes, noticing not for the first time that they held the same colour and disappointment as their father's, she blinked rapidly. The corners of her eyes had begun to sting and she didn't want him to see.

Swallowing thickly, she tried to think of something that would change his mind about throwing her out. "I—I—I can't. Everywhere else is full, Mick."

"Not my problem."

"Please, let me stay." Looking down at her feet, she saw that she was steadily wearing a hole into her shoes as she twisted her foot into the floor of the train. Immediately she stopped, knowing that her mother would send a Howler if she ruined them. "I'm nervous. What if—what if the other kids find out what happened?"

Gritting his teeth, Amycus shook his head. "No one will. And if they did, why are you associating me with it? It wasn't my fault."

Alecto knew he was right; the incident had been her idea. However, she knew that if anyone did find out, she could not go through the repercussions on her own.

"Please… I don't have anyone."

Finally looking up at Amycus, she allowed the tears to slip through her lashes and trickle down her cheeks. He began to shift uncomfortably and averted his gaze, not able, even after all these years, to stand his sister's crying—it was almost like a sixth sense, a twin sense. Usually Amycus would hide in his room until she stopped, or go into the yard to swing his bat, but here, he had no escape.

Alecto wasn't finished, however, as she whispered almost inaudibly, "Even Mother doesn't want me anymore."

That seemed to synch it. Glancing back at the other boys in the compartment to see if they were watching, Amycus squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. Though their mother tolerated Amycus more, he knew what it was like to be on the woman's bad side. It was enough that he sighed heavily and said, "Fine, you can stay. But for Merlin's sake wipe your face. I don't want you crying around here, alright? It makes you look weak… weaker. Hurry up and go sit in the corner and don't speak, got it?"

Alecto nodded quickly, sniffling as she wiped her robe's sleeve over her eyes. More carefully this time she walked into the compartment towards the far end of the seat and set down her trunk. Amycus snatched his own trunk away from her and lifted it up into the rack above. Then, shooting her another warning look to keep quiet, he sat on the opposite seat next to the large boy. On his other side a fairly skinny blond sat, whose green eyes darted left to right warily as he spoke.

"Did you get to see the Quidditch League Finals last week?" he asked, licking his lips excitedly. "Wasn't Mannilo such a wreck out there? Couldn't catch to save his life, right oaf."

"I reckon. The Hutchinson bloke was pretty spot on with his bat though," Amycus agreed, settling further into his seat.

Alecto sat quietly as the boys began to talk about Quidditch, game tactics and new brooms. She knew for a fact that her brother had not actually gone to the game. Their father had promised to take him, yet had been called to work at the last minute. It didn't seem to deter Amycus from saying he had attended the match, however, as he expertly listed each player's broom brand and speed.

She had expected one of the boys to introduce themselves, but as two more boys joined them in the compartment as the train whistled and the wheels began to turn, the closest thing to an introduction she received was a quick look up and down. She arched her shoulders back and tried to sit straighter, yet they must have assessed her as not a threat, for their eyes no sooner turned back to Amycus and the other boys.

Turning to the window, she stared out at the scenery rushing by as the train picked up speed. The trees and country fences soon became a steady blur of green and brown; the sky a surprisingly bright, clear blue. It only changed as the day wore on, where instead of clouding over, a marvellous orange band tipped the distant horizon.

The boys continued to talk about Quidditch before moving on to loud games of Exploding Snap. They only drew breath when a lady with a trolley of food popped her head into the compartment offering lunch. The blond declined with a lazy wave of his hand, whilst the larger brunet quickly bolstered up to the trolley.

Alecto looked at Amycus from the corner of her eye, wondering if their father had given him any money for the ride. Her heart, though she wasn't too sure why, lifted when he declined the old lady's offer and resumed his game. It didn't last too long, though, as the lady left and the boys settled back down. The blond began passing around the Cauldron Cakes he had bought, offering each boy one. Alecto clutched at her stomach, hoping to stifle the growling, as the boy glanced at her. He surveyed her for a minute, cake in hand, before shrugging his shoulders and taking a bite from it. Her cheeks burning, she turned towards the window again, chewing her thin lip.

It was probably for the best that he didn't share with her anyway. If he ever found out he had shared sweets with a—a—Shaking her head, Alecto didn't allow herself to finish that thought. She folded her arms tightly over her chest and squeezed her eyes closed, trying to wipe out the memory. Instead, she directed her thoughts towards her hunger and began to curse the blond in her head. No, it didn't matter what she did; he didn't know what had happened. She hadn't done anything to him, so there was no reason to deny her some common courtesy. Had his mother never taught him any manners? If she had bought food, she would've offered him some.

Looking more closely into the shiny window, she focused her gaze on the reflection of the blond sitting with his brother. Her eyes narrowed into a glare as her stomach rumbled again and she began to imagine what she would do in the future, if the situation was ever reversed. She could see herself clearly—well dressed, long, mahogany hair, twinkling eyes, cheekbones that could cut glass; popular—smiling down as the blond as he begged for the remains of her desert. She'd smile, give him a piece, and make a wonderfully dramatic speech about her pardoning him for his misdeeds, to which her peers would applaud. Her musings took her into the evening, preventing her from thinking about the last month.

By the time ink claimed the sky, Alecto had changed into her new school robes. As with the purple robes she had worn to the station, these ones were much too large for her short stature. Her mother had wanted her and Amycus to be dressed well, yet hadn't wanted to waste money on clothing that they would be sure to outgrow by the next year. They enveloped her wrists in a mass of black but were modest enough to hide her bent shoulders.

The boys had long since left to change themselves, albeit grudgingly. Because she was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard their numerous hints for her to leave the compartment. It was only as the blond slammed the door behind him and turned to glare at her that she remembered where she was. Hurriedly, she had scrambled into her robes, not wanting to make the boys wait any longer than they had to. It was just as well she did, for no sooner had she examined herself in the darkened window, the door slid open.

Two girls stepped in, not waiting to be asked to enter. Their eyes scanned the room, before the taller of the two—a very pretty girl with raven hair and piercing black eyes—sighed in annoyance.

"I thought Nott was supposed to be in here," she said, though it didn't appear to be directed at anyone.

The shorter girl—a brunette with golden brown eyes—shrugged. Ignoring Alecto, she looked at the other girl, silently asking what they should do next.

Alecto subtly studied the girls, a smile creeping up on her face. They looked to be about the same age as her and were each wearing brand new robes. They matched the depth of the tallest girl's hair that it seemed to make her pale skin glow, almost as though she was from another, better world. She was sure she had seen her somewhere before, or at least someone like her. Perhaps they could be friends? Judging from the way she carried herself, her mother would definitely approve, and maybe be less inclined to ignore her.

Deciding it best to try, Alecto cleared her throat. "Sorry, I don't know if he was here, several boys were. But, erm, if it helps, Amycus Carrow was in here."

Looking at her as if she had just realised she was there, the raven-haired girl's eyes widened. "Amycus who?"

"Carrow."

The blonde girl sniggered, hiding her laughter in the sleeve of her robe. The other girl didn't laugh; instead, her eyes trailed up Alecto's body before fixing on her nails.

"Sorry, don't know him," the girl said, finally drawing her eyes away.

Looking down, Alecto remembered a little too late that she had not filed her nails that morning. She had recently taken to the bad habit of chewing on her nails rather than cutting them, causing her fingers to look sore and dirty. It didn't help any that her fingers were stubby enough already. Glancing up at the girl's hands, she saw that her nails were filed into perfect white arches, the cuticles all pushed down. Quickly, Alecto sat down on the seat and hid her hands in her lap.

With a small smirk, the girl spun on her heel and walked out of the room without another word. The blonde gave Alecto a funny little wave with a tight smile as she echoed the other girl's movements and left.

Alecto didn't remove her hands from her lap, vowing to fix them somehow before anyone else saw. It appeared she wouldn't have much time, however, as she noticed twinkling yellow lights appear in the distance. The train would soon arrive at the station and her new adventure would begin.

She would have a fresh start at Hogwarts, without any drama. Or so she hoped.

A/N: I don't own anything you recognise from the world of Harry Potter, nor will I gain any profit from this story. All credit belongs to the queen of literature, JK Rowling.

I hope, despite any SPaG I may have left in accidentally, that you enjoy this tale about Alecto Carrow. I've been thinking for a while of doing another multi-chapter (psttt go read White Wave if you have time ;) ), and only today received inspiration for a fic on a much-hated Death Eater. I've taken liberty with things like dates and ages, for there is little known about how old the Carrow twins are. I do hope I've managed to keep them in character though from what we do know (ie they're stupid half-wits with bad, sadistic tempers). I simply wanted to explore what would make someone be so sadistic—is it something people are born with, or learn?

All reviews are more than welcome (though flame and I'll open a can of Aguamenti on your behind) :) Thank you for reading and your continued support, enjoy!