Arc 1

Chapter 1

The Girl With the Mockingjay Scar

A girl with long brown hair tied back into a braid made her way out of the beaten down house toward the mailbox. She lived here with her younger sister, Primrose, and her foster parents as well as their son. She had been sentenced to life this life since her parents died when Prim was only an infant. She herself had only been four at the time and had little memory of what had happened, all she knew was that her parents were killed and the man that killed them had tried to kill her as well. The only thing that remained of that dreadful night was an unusual scar on her chest over her heart.

The girl took the stack of letters from the box and started walking them back to the house, her facial expression lacking any real emotion as she did so. She hated this house and could hardly wait until she turned 18 and could get herself and Prim out of there. She didn't know where they would go, but anywhere was better then being stuck here with a group of people who really didn't want anything to do with you. As she flipped through the mail she stopped at an unusual looking letter with her name written on the front in a beautiful script. When she walked through the door to the beaten down and dirty house she rested the rest of the mail on the table before turning to head back to her "room" which she shared with Prim. As she turned she came face to face with her foster mother, a middle-aged woman of 56 with messy brown hair and ugly greenish brown eyes. She was grossly overweight and reeked of cigarette smoke and alcohol.

"Any where do you think you're going with that?" The woman demanded as she ripped the letter out of the younger girl's hand. "Stealing my mail now Katniss? I expected less from you."

"It's addressed to me" The girl stated calmly not flinching when the women tore the letter in half before throwing it in the trash.

"Who would send you a letter?" The women asked as she took a drag from her smoke, "A college? Please you couldn't go to any place even if you tried. Maybe if they needed to fulfill a demographic."

Katniss only walked away, far too used to the women by now. It wasn't that Katniss wasn't smart enough to get into a good school, it was that she never applied. Without the money to take any form of tests to get into a college she really didn't know what else to do but stay here until she could get her and Prim out. She sighed, she was only seventeen now and was dying to get out of this hell hole of a house. She was practically counting down the months until her eighteenth birthday.

"What's a matter?" Prim asked from her seat on the bed, their room was located in the basement, and was very small. They could only fit two twin sized beds, and that was a only barely. They had no room for possessions and they were forced to fold their clothes and store them on the floor. The room always looked a mess and nothing they did made it look cleaner.

"It's not important." Katniss stated, "Just some letter that came for me. But it was probably junk."

The older girl sat on her bed, "Might have been nice to know what it was for."

Primrose easily picked up on her sister's annoyed tone, knowing too well that the mother treated the two of them like crap. They spend most of their time cleaning the upstairs of the house as well as cook and do laundry. All the chores that the mother of the household would usually do or the stay at home dad. But this was all them and they never seemed to do it right according to the fat and lazy woman they were forced to live with.

The son was no different, he was some middle school punk with no friends. He didn't do anything around the house and usually got the mother to make either Katniss or Prim do his chores while he "did homework" which the two knew by now was code for play video games or smoke weed in his room by himself.

The only good thing about where they were currently living was that it was in Tolv, where she had lived her whole life. It was a poorer region, known for the mines that many men worked in. The air of the place always smelled like soot and ash with the lightest sent of forest due to the woods just outside the region's boundary line blocked off by a large fence. She used to play there or hide there all the time as a child, but since she was thrown here they did not allow her much time out of the house let alone into the woods.

"We should start dinner soon," Katniss stated as Prim nodded her head grimly.

The next day the same letter came in the mail. Katniss could recognize the beautiful handwriting. And every time the fat women would take it from her and throw it away or toss it in the fireplace with the fire going, or run it under water until any contents would be unreadable. When the man of the house came home he would do the same with any letters stuck to the door (as they were now appearing there too). The man was also an older type who loved to drink cheap beer and smoke his pipe.

"What is the meaning of all these letters?" The man asked as he shoved a handful of the enveloped mail into the garbage. Katniss resisted the urge to say that if they let her open one then they would know what they were for.

The doorbell rang three times before more letters were slipped under the door. All of them with the same script writing out Katniss Everdeen with no return address or anything other then her name.

Days turned into weeks and these letters kept coming. Until one day the letters stopped entirely. The family sat at the table for dinner, the parents satisfied with the stop in letters. Katniss and Prim ate dinner in their room, as they were not allowed to eat with the rest of the family. They were also not allowed to talk in case someone came by to see them or their son. The doorbell had rung through the house causing the man to get up and open the door.

"Can I help you?" The gruff voice asked as Katniss turned her head to listen.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" She heard a female voice ask, clearly pissed off as she heard the door being forced back and footsteps coming into the house. "You make my job difficult you know that?"

"Do I know you?" The man asked as the mother stood up, face red with anger.

"How dare you break down my door like that!"

"Shut up." The girl barked, "Katniss Everdeen, where is she?"

Katniss stood, seeing the mother turn to her and glare before motioning that she could come up the stairs, Prim followed shortly behind her.

"I'm Katniss Everdeen" Katniss said calmly as she reached the top of the steps. The girl who was looking for her was easily two or three inches taller then Katniss with short black hair with red highlights. Her eyes were a deep brown color and she was wearing a black T-shirt with dark blue jeans and leather lace-up boots. Aside from the angry look, the girl was rather attractive. Katniss estimated that she was a year or two older then herself.

"Do you not read your mail?" The girl barked as she held up yet another letter, the same script as all the others. "Do you have any idea how many fucking stamps I had to lick? You'd save me a hell of a lot of trouble if you just read it the first time."

"That can go in the garbage with the rest" The mother declared, rather dumbly in Katniss's mind since the girl was pissed off due to the fact that the letters were not read, as the man stepped forward to take the letter out of the girl's hands. He didn't get too close before the girl jerked the letter out of his reach.

"Sorry last time I checked I wrote Katniss Everdeen for the five hundredth time on this, not Lazy Fat Ass." The girl snarled before her face softened ever so lightly, if Katniss hadn't been watching her so closely she may have missed it. "Foster care sucks, I would know, I've been through ten foster homes before I got this letter."

"Who are you?" Primrose finally asked as she stepped out from behind Katniss. The younger girl was clearly more interested in this girl now. Her and the magical letter that promised them out of the house, or at least Katniss.

"Not important right now, look the train leaved soon if your not gonna read it let me paraphrase for you." The girl stepped forward toward Katniss, "Congrats, you've been accepted to Tretton School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, blah blah blah, train leaves soon get your ass packed."

"Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Katniss repeated looking very unamused. Now she was sure the chick was crazy. Such things only existed in fairy tales and folklore.

"What? They never told you?" The girl looks mildly surprised now. "Come on girl, everyone in Tretton knows who you are."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Mockingjay scar?" The girl pointed to the girl's chest, "Look if they said nothing, I have no time to explain right now. Just...Humor me. Get yourself and your sister packed and lets get going, I'll explain on the train."

"I can take Prim?"

"Technically no, but I'll work it out." The girl stated, "Headmaster will have my head if I don't come back with you. Come on, I know you want out of here."

The brown haired girl was surprised enough that the other girl, whom she never met before, knew of her scar, but nothing other then getting out of his house mattered to her right now. She looked over at Prim who seemed to understand as they scurried back downstairs to gather what little belongings they had into their two backpacks. She could hear the two adults arguing with the older girl but that mattered very little as Katniss pushed past the older foster parents and walked out the door with Prim's wrist tightly clenched in her one hand.

"If you leave you can never come back!" She heard the mother yell as the older girl followed them out, a snort of laughter leaving her as the mother yelled after them.

"I don't think they got the memo."

Outside was a black Subaru, probably an early 2000 model. It wasn't much but hey, it was getting them away from here. The girl unlocked the doors and jerked the driver side door open.

"Now as I was saying, we're in a hurry, get in." The two sister wasted no time listening to the older girl as they tossed their bags in the backseat before Katniss sat up in the passenger side while Prim jumped in back with the bags. The girl started the car and drove down the old street, speeding up lightly only confirming that they were in deed, in a hurry.

"Your an interesting individual you know that Mockingjay?" The older girl commented ten minutes into their drive, "Normally after a performance like that people aren't so quick to jump in the front seat."

"I have a name," Katniss was quick to state, "Remember, you wrote it five hundred times."

The girl shot her a sideways glare before an amused smirk appeared on her face, "I hope you bite as hard as you bark."

"You still haven't said who you are." Katniss pointed out as she noticed them leaving the district and heading down an unfamiliar road.

"Introductions are lame" The girl shrugged, "plus they're always the same no matter who your talking to."

"Shouldn't I know your name?" Katniss asked, "After you kidnapping us it's only fair."

"Kidnapping?" The girl's smirk changed to sometime a little more dangerous looking that made Katniss feel slightly uncomfortable. It was one of those looks that made her feel like this girl was up to no good. "I think I saved you, your welcome."

"Your awfully full of yourself." Katniss looked out the window, "Are you at least going to tell me where you are taking me?"

"I did, we're going to Tretton. Remember the acceptance letter thing" The girl handed off the letter yet again and for the first time Katniss was able to actually reach out and touch the parchment-like paper of the envelope. She slowly opened the envelope and took out the few papers within it. The first an acceptance letter:

Tretton School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Plutarch Heavensbee

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Katniss Everdeen,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Tretton School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later then 31 July.

Yours Sincerely,

Plutarch Heavensbee

Katniss looked over the other page to see requirements for a uniform and course books. The school's seal on the envelope and letter made it look so much more real. But could it really be? All she had to go off of was the strange girl driving her to god knows where in an old model Subaru.

"Is this really for real?" She knows her voice is coming out quieter then she would like, but this was all a lot to take in. Prim seemed to pick up on the confusion her sister was feeling.

"How do you know so much about Katniss?" Prim asked, it was the first time she had spoken during their journey. Katniss was also curious as to how this strange girl who was refusing to give her name knew about her.

"I suppose I could tell you," The girl's smirk this time was a little different, not as dangerous but held a level of mischief. "But it's a long story. Let's just say you are famous in Tretton because your parents were famous there too."

"Mom and dad went to school there?" Prim's eyes widened with childish curiosity, "Could they use magic?"

"Yup, everyone that went to school at Tretton could use magic. I'm sure you two can too." The girl smiled more warmly and this made Katniss smile lightly. The girl was good with kids to say the least, it seemed out of character for a girl so pissed off during their first encounter. "Especially your sister, with that Mockingjay scar, everyone will have their eyes on her."

"Why does my scar matter?"

"Like I said, it's a long story, one better suited for the train ride into Tretton Village." The girl sighed, "I won't be the one to tell it though, I'm just dropping you off at the station with the professor who will escort you to the school."

The rest of the ride was silent, suddenly out of the corner of her eye she could see the girl flash a wicked smile. "Don't scream."

Katniss was about to ask her what she meant when they started accelerating towards the brick wall of an abandon building. She opened her mouth but before any noise could come out they were on the other side of the wall, completely unharmed. Instead of crashing into what looked like their doom that were not in what looked like an indoor parking garage within a train station.

"You should have seen the look on your face." The girl was laughing now, and it made Katniss's blood boil. She was about to say something when an man who looked older then this girl knocked on the window. The girl sighed before stepping out. "Had to ruin my fun huh?"

"Fun?" The man repeated, he was much taller with short brown hair and a five-o-clock shadow. "You could have damaged my car if you came in wrong."

"Chill, not a scratch."

"You're unbelievable."

"That's what all my dates tell me, but usually in a good way. You're way doesn't sound that good." There was that smirk again, like she was really getting a rise out of taunting the man before her.

"I've seen peacocks less full of themselves Mason," the man rolled his eyes,

"Why must you always compare me with animals, Blight?"

"What other time have I compared you to an animal?"

"You called me a bull yesterday"

"I said you were bull-headed Johanna,"

"Bull-shit"

"Are you two done?" The two turned to a much older man in his forties, "Because your making those two uncomfortable."

Katniss and Prim just stood there with their bags watching the two go back and forth. Katniss was thankful the older man had stopped the two, besides, weren't they in a hurry moments ago?

"Let me clear things up, I'm Professor Haymitch Abernathy, I'm your guide for the day, those two are Johanna Mason and Blight Rossi, they are your upperclassmen so treat them with respect." The man was holding a flask and seemed to care very little about the previous argument. "I only introduce them both because I know Johanna can be difficult."

"Bullheaded" Blight corrected lightly.

"I'll punch your face."

"Anyway, lets got going, the train leaves soon and I know you don't wanna stick around to see any more of that."

Apparently Johanna and Blight had their own way back to the school, meaning Katniss and Prim would be traveling with this Haymitch character the rest of the way to Tretton. The station was filled with people, wizards and witches as luggage started levitating in the air, small magical spells spilling from the various wands being used in the room The quickly boarded the train as people started filling on.

"Alright, you kids wanna hear a story on our way to Tretton?" The man didn't wait for an answer, "of course you do, after all you wanna know why we sent our friendly neighborhood pit bull to get you right?"

The two sisters just looked at each other before turning back to Haymitch.

"Alright, lets start with your parents, they attended school here many years ago. They were in the class below mine actually, nice kids. Your father, Jason Everdeen, was a pure-blood wizard, smart and mischievous, loved by many of the other students. Great student, even better seeker on the Quidditch team. He was involved with many of the clubs, one of which was the Potions club where he met your mother, Rose who was a beautiful young girl who spent most of her time in the herbology room or with the potions club.

They were the school's number one couple. They dated for most of their years there. Jason, the Quidditch player with the mischievous side, and Rose, the kind girl who loved plants. Everyone at school knew who they were. They were talented wizards, powerful. Some didn't agree with their relationship due to blood-purity. You see there are four kinds of wizards. Pure-bloods are those from a well regarded bloodline that is untouched by muggle blood, muggle being mortal blood, Half-bloods are those who have half wizard blood, half muggle. Muggle-borns are wizards with no magical parents or grandparents who are able to use magic and then their are muggles, mortal beings. Of course there are other sub-categories but lets keep it simple.

They get married and have children. But before they can really enjoy their happy lives they are met with a very dark magic. You see not all magic is good. There is a man known in the wizard world as the Dark Prince. He is a master of the dark arts. Magic that has been banned. Magic that is unlawful in the magical world. He went after your parents because of what they were doing in terms of defense against dark arts. You see they were figuring out ways to prevent dark magic from being used and new spells to counter dark magic, because of this the Dark Prince was after them for their blood.

He found them in Tolv trying to live their lives as normally as possible. He broke into your house one night when you were young, he killed them both with a forbidden spell known as the killing curse. The curse killed them quickly, painlessly. But then he turned to you, he tried to use his curse on you, however for some reason it failed." Haymitch took a sip from his flask, "It left a mark on your chest where he struck you. You are the only person known to survive the killing curse."

"Is that why you want me at Tretton?" Katniss finally asks after minutes of silence, "Because you think I have some magical power?"

"You have magic, same as your parents, all children with magical ability are to be accepted into Tretton for proper training of that power."

"But everyone knows me?"

"They know the story, so yes, they know you." The old man leaned back in his seat, "Oh, before I forget, they also left you quiet the sum of money. Worthless in the human world, but a nice sum in the magical world. All your books and uniform will be covered no problem."

Katniss didn't ask any more questions. Her head was already spinning with all the information it had to take in today. Her parents were wizards, that was shocking enough. Throw in the fact that they were killed by an evil wizard and that she was now being whisked away and taken to a magical school, the very last thing on this girl's mind was money. It was all just too much to take in. As she turned it seemed that Prim as well was trying to think through the mass of information she was thrown. Suddenly she found herself with more questions then answers.

The train was clacking on the track, the view out the window as the most calming thing about this ride. The train ride was over a hour long, the evening sun began it's descend as the train stopped at the station. Students standing and gathering their things around them.

"Whelp, that'll all I needed to do, you two are going to meet back up with Mason and Odair I believe and get some stuff sorted out." Haymitch stated as he made his way off the train, leaving Katniss and Prim to get their things and exit the station on their own. They found themselves in a small old village of some sort. The buildings looked old and were usually stone walled with large windows for shops and wooden doorways.

"Where the hell did that drunk go?" Katniss knew the voice before she turned, Johanna was walking over to them with a tall man with a muscular build and blonde hair.

"So this is the famous girl with the scar?" The blonde grinned. "Finnick Odair, your newest tour guide today."

"If you were going to meet us at the station why didn't you just take the train with us?" Katniss asked directing her question at Johanna, a little more then confused as to why they were being jumped around between various people.

"She had to cover after deciding to let you take your sister with you." The blonde smirked, "Headmaster wasn't mad but it wasn't the ideal."

"Shove it, I took care of it alright."

"Johanna has to take her to where she will be residing while you study at Tretton." The boy smiled charmingly, "It's not too far from the school, but you need to get your books before the first-year orientation dinner tonight."

Before Katniss could respond with any retort about being separated from her sister, Prim had already stepped forward towards Johanna. "Ok."

"Ok?" Johanna looked just as surprised as Katniss. The younger blonde Everdeen seemed perfectly fine going off with the older girl. "No argument?"

"Katniss has separation anxiety, you might have trouble with her." Prim smiles and chuckles at her own remark as she noticed her sister's facial expression.

"You OK with that?" Katniss asked as Prim nods.

"Don't worry," Prim presses, "Just worry about your classes."

On top of everything else, Katniss thinks to herself before nodding. Prim turned back to Johanna as the two walked off, Prim gripping the other girl's coat sleeve as they disappeared into the crowd, the taller girl only stiffening at the contact.

"Kids are great," Finnick chuckled as Katniss turned to him, "They see through things better then older people do."

Katniss was about to ask him what he meant when she was handed an envelope.

"Professor Haymitch wanted me to give you this, he said he forgot to before he left. It's supposed to be a card linked to the bank account with the money your parents left and a bank statement."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, now come on lets get you your base uniform, books, and a wand." Finnick stated as he ushered the girl through the crowd. The steered to the nearest store before Finnick held the door open for her. The store was filled with boxes with wands displayed in various sections.

"There are so many."

"Yeah, each wand is made differently and reflects the user." Finnick stated, "they're made out of different woods and different cores."

"You seem excited"

"I am, I haven't taken anyone wand shopping since Johanna was a first year." Finnick smiled, "The store keeper here is really cool too, he knows just the right wand for everyone."

"Interesting," Katniss stated as she looked around at the wood sticks, each one looked so different. "What's yours made of?"

"Cedar with a unicorn hair core." Finnick stated as he pulled out the wand from his back pocket.

"That doesn't sound manly," Katniss chuckled,

"Funny Jo said the same thing."

"Finnick Odair," A voice called as the two turned to the elderly storekeeper.

"Hey Omar, I found another first year." Finnick greeted lightly as the store clerk looked over Katniss.

"Well step up here little lady lets see what wand speaks to you." Omar stated as Katniss walked up to the counter, Omar examined her for a moment before pulling out a box from under the counter. "Try this."

Katniss wasn't sure what to do, she picked up the dark wood only to have the wind pick up around her before the boxed started falling off the shelves.

"Maybe that's not a match." Omar stated as he plunked the wand out of her hand before any damage could come to any of the other wands.

"She's the girl headmaster wanted to tell you about. The one with the scar?"

"You should have started with that boy." The elder man grumbled, as he walked back behind a door before reappearing with a different box. "Ash with a phenix feather core, I guarantee it will be a hit."

When Katniss picked this one up, she could feel a warmth spread through her body, a welcome heat the captivated her as it drew her in.

"It feels warm."

"I think we found a match." The elder clerk smiled, "I've still got a knack for wand-matching."