Somewhere Only We Know

By: Sara LaTurneau

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Chapter One

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A young woman lay awake in her bed, staring up at her ceiling. Shadows from passing cars flickered across it, making odd shaped patters. She turned over, watching her alarm clock turn from 11:59 to 12:00. In exactly eleven hours time, she would be returning to the school she despised.

She studied her floor, littered with scrap pieces of parchment, old quills, several school books, and a few candy wrappers. Several rat carcasses and owl droppings littered one corner, much to the girls displeasure. Every time she attempted to clean it up, her family's owl would try to peck her eyes out.

She ran her thin pale hand through her long green hair, dreading the coming day. She lay awake for hours, until the faintest stirring could be heard from below. She slowly crept out of bed, shuffling into a pair of fuzzy slippers. She rubbed her shoulders as she walked downstairs, her muffled footsteps resonating throughout the house.

She yawned, stretching her arms as she walked into the kitchen. She looked around, hoping to see her family's house elf, but was quite unhappy when she saw who was first to rise.

"Morning, Masaccio." A young man said, who was sitting at the kitchen table. His shaggy brown hair fell into his purple eyes, almost obscuring him from seeing. He was unsuccessfully buttering his toast, slopping butter down the front of his night shirt.

Masaccio scowled. She sat down across from him, taking apiece of toast from the plate in the middle of the table. She spread a bit of blueberry jam across it, and shoved it in her mouth.

"Excited about going back to hogwarts?" The boy asked heedfully. Masaccio didn't answer with words, but a rude gesture. She quickly grabbed another piece of toast from the plate, and stomped back up to her room. She slammed the door behind her, and jumped back onto her bed. Perhaps she could sneak in a short nap.

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"Masaccio!" shouted out a disgruntled sounding woman. There was a sharp rap on the door. "If you don't get out of your bed right this instant young lady. . ."

"I'm UP!" Masaccio yelled, rubbing her lurid yellow eyes. She quickly tore off her night gown, sprinting across the room, rummaging through her drawers to find a fresh pair of clothes. She hastily tightened her belt, and dashed downstairs.

The rest of Masaccio's family were waiting for her at the dinning room table. She quickly sat down, her face turning a delicate shade of vermilion. She tensed up at the sound of her father's voice, turning her gaze to her plate.

"What took you so long?" He father asked, taking a sip of tea.

"I overslept." She replied silently. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"You better be." Her mother said, throwing back her white hair. "If you would have gotten up any later. . ."

"I said I was sorry, mother." Masaccio said, coolly. She picked up her spoon, and stirred her tea absentmindedly.

There was an awkward silence between the four of them, until Masaccio's mother broke it.

"Maurice," Her mother said, nonchalantly. "I hope you have better luck this year on the quidditch team. I was very disappointed in you when you told me Gryffindor beat you in the first match."

Maurice looked uneasily at his mother. He opened his mouth, as if to object, but quickly closed it when he saw Masaccio shoot a glare at him from across the table. Masaccio sat there for a moment, contemplating on whether or not she should get up and leave the table. In the end, she quickly stood up, and left for her room.

Once she reached her room, she suddenly regretted leaving her room in such a disastrous state. She had the urge to use the scorgifying charm, but the thought of having to spend the rest of her life with her parents quickly made her rethink it. She rummaged about the trash scattered floor, fishing out books, ink bottles, and other school things she had carelessly tossed about.

After a half an hour later, she looked down at her open trunk with a satisfied look on her face. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead with her sleeve, and flopped down on her freshly made bed. The soft blankets may have been inviting, almost as if they wanted her to lay there for eternity, but she quickly threw off the urge to go back to sleep.

A few minutes later, there was a small knock on the door. Masaccio jumped up, and opened it. She smiled at the sight of her family's house elf.

"Young Mistress' mother is waiting for her." The feeble elf piped out. Masaccio nodded, and pulled her heavy trunk down to the front door. She sighed, leaning up against the side of her brick house.

"Come on, Masaccio." Her mother said contemptuously at her. "We're leaving."

Masaccio, Maurice and their mother traipsed down the muddy sidewalk, pulling their trunks behind them.

"You're looking awfully. . . conspicuous." Masaccio said, pointing out the fact the she was wearing dark green robes.

"Never you mind what I wear, Masaccio." Her mother spat back.

"Why isn't dad coming?" Maurice asked, quickly changing the subject.

"He's busy down at the Ministry." She said, a disgusted look on her face.

"Ugh. . ." Their mother muttered under her breath. "These muggles disgust me."

Masaccio rolled her eyes. Her mother and father were big into the prejudice of pure-bloods, half-bloods, and mudbloods. A lot of people believed they were Death Eaters before Lord Voldemort was thwarted by 'The Boy Who Lived', Harry Potter, and the only reason they walked about the streets as free people, was because they paid the Ministry Of Magic large amounts of money every year.

They soon arrived at King's Cross Station, wading through the sea of muggle commuters. Several eyes followed then, eyes Masaccio's mothers "odd" clothing. They stopped in front of the barrier between platforms 9 and 10.

"Have a good year, Maurice." Their mother said, hugging him. "Don't cause any trouble." She glared at Masaccio.

"That goes for you too."

"When have I ever gotten in trouble?" She snarled. Her mother turned on her heels, and left the two alone.

"Well, come on." Maurice said, looking down at his wrist watch. "We don't want to miss the train."

"Whatever." Masaccio grumbled, almost absentmindedly, as she leaned against the barrier between the two platforms. She was soon on Platform 9 3/4, staring at the crimson train in front of her. She stowed her trunk in a compartment in the back of the train, feeling several pairs of eyes boring through the back of her head.

Masaccio boarded the train, catching a glimpse of her brother, chatting with his friends. Maurice saw her staring, and smiled weakly. Masaccio turned away, sticking her nose in the air, and walked into the train. After a lot of searching, she found an empty compartment. She threw her back pack on the top rack, and slumped into the red velvet seats.

Masaccio sighed, looking out the window of the train, staring at the happy crowd on the platform. She watched as parents and children exchanged farewells, hugging and kissing, with several mothers shedding tears over the whole affair. For a moment she wished she had the same relationship with her parents, then quickly remembered what kind of people they were.

She threw her back up against the velvety seat. Despite how her family felt about half-blood and pure-bloods, and their undying devotion of the Dark Lord's ideals, Masaccio was sorted into Gryffindor house. She closed her eyes, remembering her parents reaction when they heard the news.

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Masaccio sat down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, stealing a longing glance at the Slytherin table, wishing she was sitting there with her brother instead of the one she was forced to. She was soon squished between a black haired girl and a red haired boy, chattering loudly. She immediately recognized the two as Kari Minamino and Ron Weasley. Masaccio sighed in misery, throwing her hands over her face.

 "Things can't possibly get worse." Masaccio said to herself. Unfortunately, things didn't just get worse, they got down right ugly. Soon, hundreds of owls came pouring into the great hall, dropping parcels and letters into unsuspecting students. After a few minutes, when Masaccio had assumed all of the owls ad finished their duties, and felt something bounce off the top of her head.

She rubbed her head, swearing under her breath. She was soon brought back to reality, when a cold wave of silence washed over the Gryffindor table. A howler lay in her lap, making an awful snarling noise. Kari, Ron, and several others scooted away. She slowly peeled open the red envelope, quickly throwing it away from her as it screamed out her name. It was her mother's voice. It sounded demonic, and scared her to death.

 "MASACCIO!" Several students clamped their hands over their ears. "HOW COULD YOU?" The talking envelope bellowed. "WE THOUGHT WE RAISED YOU RIGHT! WE MUST'VE BEEN WRONG! YOUR BROTHER SENT US AN OWL LAST NIGHT, TELLING US EVERYTHING! HOW COULD HAVE BEEN PLACED INTO THAT WRETCHED GRYFFINDOR!?"

Many students around her glared at Masaccio.

 "WELL THANK GOD YOU WEREN'T SORTED INTO HUFFLEPUFF! THEY'RE JUST A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!"

Loud boo's came from behind her. Masaccio felts something hit the back of her head.
"AND DON'T EXPECT TO COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, EITHER! AS OF NOW, YOU AREN'T WELCOME INTO THIS HOUSE UNTIL SUMMER!"

The howler ripped itself into shreds, and caught fire. Then, a few people threw wads of parchment and food at the back of Masaccio's head.

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She grimaced, tears welling up in her eyes. Ever since that day, everyone in Hogwarts alienated her. The Slytherin's detested her because she was a Gryffindor. The Gryffindor's hated her because she wanted to be a Slytherin. The Hufflepuff's hated her because her family had insulted them, and the Ravenclaw's just decided that since everyone else didn't like her, neither should they. Even her brother, who was once her confidant, had shunned her, and denied being her brother. Tears rolled down Masaccio's pale cheeks, as memories of her brother flooded her mind.

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"Maurice!" Masaccio cheerfully cried out, running up the stairs to catch up with her brother. She was about to hug him from behind, but he casually stepped out of the way, causing Masaccio to crash to the floor. She slowly rose to her feet, brushing the dust off of the front of her robes.

 "What was that for?" She yelled angrily. "Brothers are supposed to be NICE to their little sisters!"

 "You are not my sister." Maurice said coldly, staring down the hallway.

Masaccio stood there, shocked. He continued to talk, and the tears started to roll down her face.

 "If you were true to out family, then the sorting hat would have seen that. If you truly supported the Dark Lord's beliefs, then you would be in Slytherin."

 "But you know I do, Maurice!" She yelled, tears flying from her eyes. " And you know I begged Professor Dumbledor to transfer me to Slytherin house! You also know he refused to do so!"

 "Yes, I know." Maurice said, in an almost mono-tone voice. "And I know what he told you. He said that deep down inside you have a heart of a Gryffindor, and that you need to find it."

 "WHAT THAT OLD FOOL SAID WAS A LIE!" Masaccio screamed, falling to her knees. She cried aloud, as she watched her brother walk away. She sat in the middle of the corridor, screaming bloody murder, until Madame Pomfrey dragged her to the hospital wing.

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"Is there any room in this compartment?" Maurice called out. "All of the other ones are. . ." He stopped, gazing down at Masaccio. She looked up at him, scowling.

"Never mind. . .I'll just. . ."

"Just sit down, Maurice." She sighed out, resting her head against the window. "We'll just have to try not to piss each other off."

He threw his bag on the top rack. He sat down across from Masaccio, watching her eyes dart from face to face in the crowd that stood on the platform.

"So. . ." He said, clearing his throat. "Excited about going back?"

"No." Masaccio said dully.

"Oh. . ." Maurice said quietly, staring down at his hands. The train slowly pulled away from the platform, leaving the waving and smiling crowd behind.

The two remained in silence, until the sweet trolley rolled by.

"Would you fancy anything?"A plump old woman asked. Masaccio bought a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a few chocolate frogs. Maurice bought a few pieces of candy, and paid the lady.

"You always loved those." Maurice said, pointing to Masaccio's box of Beans.

"I remember when you were a little kid, how insanely happy you would get if you had a few."

"Shut up." Masaccio said, staring Maurice in the face. She stared into his eyes dark purple hues, until so much anger built up inside her, that she chucked her box of Every Flavor Beans at the window. She stood up, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Why now!?" She yelled, staring into his eyes once more. "After a childhood of happiness and love, you shun me because I was put into a different house! And now, after three years of living hell, you come back into my life thinking I'll be okay with this?!"

Maurice set down his chocolate frog, and gripped his sister by the shoulders.
"You know I wouldn't have if it was up to me. . . It was all Mum and Dads. . ."
She wrenched free of his cold grasp.

"Liar!" She yelled, lifting her hand up to strike him. "Don't blame this on them. They've caused me enough pain!" She slapped him, again and again. Masaccio fell back into her seat, letting the tears out.

"I deserved that. . ." Maurice said in a hushed whisper. "I never should've treated you like this. . .I'm sor. . ."

"Don't you say that!" Masaccio growled, clenching her fists. "No sorry is going to fix this."
She picked up his treats, and threw them into the corridor. Then, she took his bags from the top rack, and threw them out as well.

"Get out. Find another damn compartment." She said, her voice as cold as ice. "And don't you dare think about coming back either, or I'll jinx you." She pushed him out, and slammed the compartment door behind him.

Masaccio backed up against the door, trying to hold back the tears. She slumped to the floor, holding her knees, sobbing. She had thrown her only chance to get her brother back out the door. She stood to her feet after a few minutes, holding her head high. She wiped her tear stained face and sat back down on the velvet seat.

She rested her head on the side of the compartment, nodding off. She was almost asleep, when the train came to a screeching halt. Masaccio was thrown from her seat to the floor. The lights flickered out, and suddenly, a few screams pierced the air. She looked outside the window, and didn't see anything, until something in pitch black robes streaked by. She jumped back, falling to the floor.

She heard the compartment door open, hoping it was her brother. She turned around to see who it was, and she let out an ear splitting scream. A dementor was right in front of her, its hand reaching out to her. She backed away, trying to pull her wand from out of her robes. The dementor came closer and closer, so close Masaccio could feel its icy and putrid breath on her neck. She finally pulled out her wand, pointing it as the dementor, who was only a foot away from her.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She screamed, holding her hand over her eyes to block the blinding light that came from the end of her wand. It blasted the dementor away, but left Masaccio in an unconscious state. She fell backwards, hitting her head on the window, and slumped to the floor.