The Griffins and Jahas arrive together and early to Platform 9 ¾ to catch the train. Clarke nearly bounces with excitement. Soon she's going to be at Hogwarts. She's been waiting for this day for years now. It's so exciting here.
She grins at Wells. He smiles back, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. Clarke knows he's nervous to be leaving his dad for so long, but he'll get over it once they get there.
Clarke's dad wraps her up in a hug. "You have fun, okay? You're going to learn a lot and make so many new friends, I just know it." He smiles at her. "I'm going to miss you a lot, kiddo."
Clarke smiles back. "I'm going to miss you, too."
Her mom walks up now and wraps her in another hug. "Promise me you'll be good? Stay safe. I don't want you doing any reckless magic."
Clarke squirms. "Yeah, Mom, I promise."
Abby smiles, satisfied. "Good. We're going to miss you. We love you so much."
"I know," Clarke says, glancing back at the train. It might sound mean, but she's ready for this part to be over with so she can get to Hogwarts. "I mean, I love you, too. Bye," she corrects.
Her parents share an amused look. "Go ahead," her dad says.
Clarke grins and takes her bags, nearly dragging Wells after her. "Come on, we have to get a good compartment."
.:.
Lexa is more than ready to get off the train by the time it finally comes to a stop. The scenery is beautiful, of course, but the company is lacking. She had arrived so late she almost missed the train, so her only choice of seat was in an already crowded compartment. She dislikes the persistent chatter these people have somehow managed to keep up for the full 12 hour train ride.
When she does step out, the sight is hauntingly beautiful. A large lake ripples out almost to the edge of her vision. Behind that is the sight she has truly been waiting for, Hogwarts castle. It exceeds her every expectation. It is a beautiful piece of old architecture with towering heights and old stones that should be crumbling but aren't. It is lovelier than any building she's seen in her home of London.
Lexa loves it here. She knows that immediately. She loves it better than any foster home she's ever been in. Maybe she could just stay here forever so that she never has to go to another one.
The tour eventually guides them to a large room with four long tables that stretch all the way down to another table, where the professors sit. Most of the tables seem to already be filled with older students.
Lexa was unsure what they meant by "sorting," but the hat's song does some good in clearing that up. She is unsure which one best suits her, but she supposes that is the hat's decision, not hers.
A professor up at the front begins calling names. Lexa hasn't seen her before. She looks intimidating but not unkind. A tattoo traces around her eye on one side of her face. Lexa watches the people carefully, taking note of who gets into what house. It may be useful information for later.
"Clarke Griffin," the professor calls. A pretty blonde girl hops up to the hat, not looking at all nervous. The hat is barely on her head for a second before it calls out, "Slytherin!" Lexa watches as Clarke jumps up happily and runs over to the Slytherin table, where she is given a warm welcome.
Each table gives its own sort of welcome, Lexa notes as a Wells Jaha is sorted into Hufflepuff. Gryffindor's cheers are the loudest, closely followed by Slytherin's. Hufflepuff seems the most genuinely happy when a new person is sent their way.
The ceremony goes on for quite a while before Lexa's name is called, since she's toward the end of the alphabet. Eventually, the summoning comes. "Lexa Woods," the professor calls.
Lexa steps up quietly to the front. The professor puts the hat on her head. It sits there for a long time, and Lexa hears something like muttered whispers in her head, seemingly coming from the hat.
People are watching her curiously. Lexa feels horribly awkward sitting here in front of them like this. No one else's sorting has taken quite this long, though there was one boy, Monty Green, Ravenclaw, who is almost in contest.
Finally, the hat calls out, "Slytherin!"
Lexa slips away from the front gratefully. There are loud cheers. A group of kids waves her over, and she takes the empty seat they're gesturing toward gratefully.
Headmaster Kane gives a speech after that, but it's brief because everyone is hungry and tired. Lexa moves onto eating after that. There seems to be no end to the food on the table. It's just another amazing thing to add to the list.
The boy sitting to Lexa's left introduces himself. "I'm John Murphy."
Lexa nods respectfully. "Lexa Woods."
"You know, I don't think I've heard of your parents," he says.
Lexa stiffens. "I never met them."
He smirks. "Wait, so, like, they're muggles?"
Lexa frowns. "What's a 'muggle'?" He snickers. Lexa looks around to see if she's going to get an answer to her question. Most of the people are avoiding her eyes. "What?" she snaps. "What is it?" She's used to mean teasing from a few of her foster homes, but she had hoped she could escape that here.
She had even been stupid enough to hope she would be able to make a few friends here. No one else says more than a few words to her the whole meal.
.:.
The first morning of classes, Clarke meets Wells in the Great Hall. She likes Slytherin and most of her classmates, but she wishes Wells could be here with her. It's obvious to her that Hufflepuff is where he belongs, though. She wonders how she didn't guess this before. Of course they would be separated.
It doesn't have to mean anything for their friendship, though. Clarke won't ever stop being best friends with Wells. So she plops down next to him at the Hufflepuff table.
He stares at her. "This isn't where you're supposed to sit, Clarke."
Clarke frowns. Maybe she had made a miscalculation. She can feel more than a few eyes on her, so she decides to make this quick. "I know that. I was just wondering if you wanted to play chess with me after classes."
He smiles and nods quickly. "Yeah, that sounds great. I'll find you."
Good. At least that hadn't changed. She won't let their friendship change because of this, Clarke decides, even if she has to fight every step of the way.
.:.
A Slytherin boy trips Lexa as she walks past him down the hallway. She wasn't expecting it, so she topples easily. He chuckles, then continues on his way.
Lexa's eyes fill with tears, but she stubbornly refuses to let them fall. She can make it here. She will.
A Gryffindor girl is suddenly next to her and helping her pick up her stuff. "Here," she says handing Lexa a book.
Lexa sniffles. "Thank you."
"They're just assholes. You got a raw deal, getting sorted in Slytherin," the girl comments.
Lexa frowns. "Aren't the other houses like this?"
"Slytherin has always treated muggleborns the worst. I mean, I assume you're muggleborn."
"What does muggleborn mean?" Lexa asks. Maybe she's finally found someone nice enough to tell her.
"Your parents aren't magic. Some people are elitist assholes who think that first generation witches are less worthy or something. It's total bullshit."
Lexa nods slowly. "I never met my parents. I guess they're probably muggles," she says, trying out the word.
"Nothing wrong with that. So are mine." She holds out a hand. Lexa shakes it. "Anya Pine."
"Lexa Woods. You're the first nice person I've found here."
Anya grins toothily. "You only think I'm nice because you haven't gotten to know me yet."
Lexa shrugs and smiles. "Maybe. But I'd like to."
.:.
Slytherin and Ravenclaw have Defense Against the Dark Arts together. It's one of the most competitive classes Clarke has. Slytherins tend to make anything into a competition, and Ravenclaws almost always seem ready to accept the challenge.
Slytherin almost always wins. Ravenclaws might actually read the book, but that doesn't quite reach the Slytherins' drive for success and general high magical talent. Plus, they have Clarke.
It takes Clarke less than a week to decide that Defense Against the Dark Arts is her subject. Her mom was pushing her toward potions, but Clarke can never seem to quite get that right. This type of magic comes naturally for her. She doesn't much like the professor, but the material itself is fun enough to keep her going.
Clarke hears a curse coming from behind her. It's quiet enough that Professor Pike doesn't hear. Clarke turns around and sees a pair of Ravenclaws, both looking upset. They were supposed to be practicing a simple hex, but it seems like that's gone wrong here somehow.
The boy Ravenclaw's head keeps growing. It's gone past comical and reached alarming. Clarke looks between the two of them. At that moment, Professor Pike seems to take notice of their predicament.
"Really, Reyes? This was not part of the spell you were instructed to practice."
The girl grows fierce at that. "Wow, I guess you're right. But no worries, I'm sure it's not due to your stellar teaching abilities."
The class goes silent, waiting for him to respond. He clenches his jaw and doesn't say anything for a second. Then, he says, voice cold, "Miss Reyes, take Mr. Green to the infirmary. Then come see me after class for a talk."
The girl looks afraid, but she doesn't say anything but, "I don't know the way."
Before he can reply, Clarke says, "I'll show her."
He scrutinizes her, then says, "Fine. Go."
The boy looks kind of like a bobblehead at this point. He also looks like he might be sick. Clarke and the girl help him out of the classroom.
They walk in silence for a while, before the girl says, "Thanks for showing me the way. I really hate Pike."
"No problem. He's really awful. And he was way too harsh on you back there."
She smiles weakly. "Yeah, he doesn't like me for some reason. I honestly don't know. I'm Raven, by the way."
"Clarke."
The boy still looks like he might be ill, and his head, which is still steadily gaining mass, is starting to be too much for his body. "I'm Monty," he croaks, looking like the effort takes something out of him.
They arrive at the infirmary. Raven and Clarke gladly hand Monty on to Jackson. "I could help you with the spell if you want," Clarke offers as they begin the walk back.
"Seriously?" Clarke nods. "Oh my god, thank you. Honestly, I'm the best in most of my classes, but Pike honestly doesn't know how to teach for shit. Can you meet me in the Ravenclaw common room tonight at 8?"
"Sure."
"Great!" Raven looks significantly less put out now. Clarke is glad.
.:.
The strangest class in this school is quite possibly the class they consider to be physical education. Broom flying hardly requires much exercise, and in fact, it seems mightily impractical if alternatives exist. To each their own, she supposes.
Gryffindor and Slytherin are put together for this class, which is unfortunate. The only Gryffindor she can seem to tolerate for extended periods of time is Anya. The worst among these Gryffindors is most likely Jasper Jordan, who is loud and brash and reckless and seems to take an interest to every girl in the class at some point, which Lexa can tell because he's not particularly subtle about it.
Lexa is nowhere near a natural at this. The broom doesn't seem to want to come up for her, and the most she can get it to do is wiggle a bit. The girl next to her, on the other hand, a pretty, blonde Slytherin, seems to be quite a natural.
"How do you do that?" Lexa asks after she completes the task perfectly for the fifth time in a row.
The girl shrugs. "I don't know. You just do."
Lexa rolls her eyes. "How helpful."
"You have to feel it. Make it natural. Don't make it come to you. Let it come to you."
Lexa tries again, and this time the broom gets to nearly a foot off the ground before it drops.
.:.
It's difficult to research things in the wizarding world. Instead of just spending a few minutes on a computer, she has to actually go to the library and check out books. It's odd that a magical society would be so far behind one without magic.
Lexa needs books about the Ministry. Anya stands to the side, looking puzzled at the tall stack of books Lexa is carefully balancing in her arms. "Why weren't you put in Ravenclaw?" she mutters.
"I think it's about why you do the research," Lexa answers, deciding to ignore the sarcasm in Anya's tone. "I want to learn more about the Ministry of Magic because I want to be able to exercise any power I may have in this government to its full potential."
Anya rolls her eyes. "Okay, yeah, I definitely see the Slytherin."
Lexa sits down at a table, putting the stack of books in front of her. Anya just barely stops the pile from collapsing. "So what's up with this sudden fascination with politics?"
"It's not sudden. I've always been interested in politics. I didn't know about the Ministry until recently."
Anya doesn't seem to quite believe her answer, but she lets it drop. Lexa is glad. In truth, she doesn't really know why she feels like she needs to be more informed on this. She supposes she just doesn't want the purebloods to have power over her because of what she doesn't know.
"This isn't what you want to know about the Ministry," Anya says. Lexa looks up from her book. "This is history. It doesn't affect you. You want to know about the current people in power."
"Yes," Lexa admits. "That would be more useful. Where can I find such information?"
Anya chuckles. "You ask around. Maybe it would help if you had more than one friend."
Lexa flinches and looks at the ground.
"Shit," Anya mutters. "That's not what I meant. I just mean you should talk to more people, ask around. What are you going to do when I graduate?"
Lexa hadn't thought about that. Anya doesn't look old, but perhaps her looks are deceptive. "How old are you?"
"I'm just a third year, but that's not the point. You need more friends."
Lexa nods slowly. "I know. It's just hard in my house."
"Not everyone's an asshole. You have to keep trying. And no worries, I'm not going anywhere. Now what do you want to know about the Ministry?"
.:.
Clarke bites her lip as she contemplates her next move. Wells is across from her, smiling because he knows he's winning. Clarke's fine with it. This is his game, his special skill. Clarke's more or less content with only beating him 10% of the time.
The only thing that's different from their normal chess nights is that Raven and Monty are sitting next to them, chatting with them and each other. They've become something of a constant in Clarke's life ever since she helped them with that spell in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Clarke is glad that Wells and her new friends get along. She doesn't know what she would have done if they hadn't.
"Are you guys going home for Christmas?" Raven asks.
"Yeah," Clarke says. As much as she's loved it here, she's missed her parents, and she knows they've missed her too. They've written, but it isn't the same.
Wells and Monty both say "yes," too. Raven looks bummed. "Damn. Guess I'm gonna be here all alone."
Wells frowns. "Don't you have anywhere to go?"
She shrugs. "I don't want to go back to my mom's until I have to."
"No worries. There are always people that stay for Christmas. You won't be alone. Maybe you can celebrate with us next year."
Raven nods, but she looks disappointed.
.:.
There are few enough of them still there for Christmas that the table rules are no longer enforced. Lexa is glad. It would get boring to sit at an almost entirely empty table. Besides, she intends to try to take Anya's advice and make new friends.
She sits across from a Ravenclaw first year she doesn't know. "Hi."
The girl looks up. "Hey." The silence stretches after that. Lexa hates this. Why is making friends so hard? Eventually, the girl asks, "So what brings you to the castle on Christmas Eve?"
Lexa shrugs. "My foster family is just as happy if I don't come back until I have to. Plus, the food's better here."
The girl snorts. "I just don't want to see my mom. She's kind of awful." She pauses, then adds, "I'm Raven, by the way."
Lexa smiles. "Lexa."
.:.
Clarke may have been looking forward to coming back to Hogwarts all through Christmas break, but it definitely wasn't the classes she was looking forward to. Potions especially is an ordeal. Professor Nia Ice is definitely one of the meanest of their teachers, only possibly surpassed by Pike.
Potions is her mom's favorite subject, but it definitely isn't Clarke's. The only good thing about it is that Ravenclaw and Slytherin share the class, so Clarke gets to see Raven and Monty. They're generally the ones to help her when she inevitably messes up her potion.
Well, there is one other good thing. Lexa. She's Clarke's partner in this class, and being with her makes the class one of Clarke's easiest. Lexa always listens attentively and cares about her grades to the point where she sometimes doesn't even let Clarke do anything. Clarke doesn't really mind, except that it's kind of insulting. It keeps her mom off her back about her grades, and she doesn't even have to do anything.
Lexa herself is alright, but she's so quiet. Clarke has attempted to start conversations with her, but she tends to give one word answers. Clarke tries not to take offense. She wishes Lexa were nicer. She's kind of cute, and she's really smart. Maybe they could have been friends if she weren't so rude.
.:.
Lexa feels out of place in the bleachers watching the quidditch game. Anya had said she should go, since almost everyone does. It's a good way to connect with her peers, and she should try to learn the rules because it's part of the foundation of magical society.
Plus, Lexa gets afraid sometimes that Anya won't want to be her friend if she doesn't make an effort. She had become her friend originally out of pity. What if she decides Lexa is a lost cause?
So Lexa goes to the quidditch games, but only the Gryffindor ones. That makes her feel even more out of place, a small Slytherin among loudly cheering Gryffindors.
The game itself is complex but not altogether difficult for Lexa to figure out. Much of it is very similar to the nonmagical sports she has seen all her life. The general goal of getting the ball into the hoops is a particularly similar concept. The snitch is an oddity and puts quite a bit of weight on the seeker. The concept of beaters is strange, but Lexa supposes that most injuries can be healed with magic here, so they wouldn't be as afraid of it.
Anya herself seems to possess a fair amount of skill. She's a chaser and one of the best on the team. She has scored quite a few goals, and her control of the broom is impressive.
This particular game is against Lexa's own team, the Slytherins. They possess a fair amount of skill. From what Lexa has heard, their equipment is also significantly better than the other houses because so many of them are rich purebloods. Lexa is almost glad to be such a poor flyer if it means she never has to play with the people on her team. Lexa doesn't like them very much, but in the interest of not offending her housemates, she cheers for no one.
The day is cold, the last effects of winter still hanging on despite the fact that it's well into March. The game drags on long enough that Lexa is shivering and eagerly awaiting its end.
A large Hufflepuff boy suddenly slides into the seat next to her. "I totally slept through my alarm. What did I miss?"
Lexa has no idea who he is or why he's talking to her like an old friend, but she tells him anyway. "Gryffindor is ahead significantly, but Slytherin could still win through a snitch catch."
He nods distractedly. "How's Anya doing?"
Ah, so that is why he approached her. "Very well. She has scored many goals for Gryffindor."
"Oh, I'm Lincoln, by the way."
Lexa nods. The name is unfamiliar. Clearly he knows more about her than she does about him. "Lexa. Are you and Anya good friends?"
He smiles. "Yeah, I guess. We've known each other for a while. I'm just another one of her band of misfit muggleborns."
"Are there quite a few of us?"
He shrugs. "I don't really know. You should ask her."
Lexa isn't quite sure how to feel about this revelation. She had thought she was something special to Anya. But it's not a bad thing that Anya has befriended many muggleborn classmates. Lexa just needs to get over herself. It could even be a good thing. Lexa is interested in getting to know more muggleborns and hearing their stories.
Anya scores another goal for Gryffindor. Lincoln stands and cheers. Lexa reluctantly joins him. She doesn't want to seem like a bad friend, even if it does get her a few glares from her fellow Slytherins.
When they're done, Lincoln gives her a curious look. "Not cheering for your own team?"
Lexa shrugs. "I don't really like them very much."
"Fair enough."
Gryffindor ends up winning the match. Lexa doesn't feel all that guilty when she cheers.
.:.
One morning at breakfast, the Griffin family owl, a trustworthy and beautiful white bird that they got a few years ago, lands gracefully next to Clarke with a letter tied to her ankle. Clarke carefully unties the letter while scratching the owl behind the ear.
It's from her parents, no surprise there. It's her mom's handwriting, neat and small cursive. She skims it more than really reading it. Much of it is the same as usual letters, questions about her school performance and whether she's having fun and who her friends are. One paragraph sticks out to her.
I'm sure you've heard by now about the election. Wells's father is hoping to be reelected as Minister. I'm trying to be elected, too, as head of medical. That would mean I would get to be on the council. I just wanted to make sure you know before the election proper. It's a big deal to me, and I think this could be a great thing for our family.
Clarke tucks the letter into her pocket. She doesn't really care about her mom's election, but her mom seems to care about it a lot all of a sudden. Murphy reaches across the table to get another sausage. "Who's that from?" he asks.
He's too nosy for his own good and tends to be awfully mean. Clarke doesn't like him much, but he always buts into her business like they're best friends. Answering is easier than fighting him. "My mom."
"Oh? What's new?"
Clarke shrugs. It's none of his business. "She's trying to get elected head of medical."
"Oh. Neat." He looks bored.
Clarke wishes she could sit somewhere else. She doesn't really like most of her fellow Slytherins. She wants to sit with her real friends in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
.:.
Lexa, Lincoln, and Anya all meet up in the library. Lexa has an idea, and maybe it's awful, but maybe it's not, and she needs her friends' input.
"You know, this might actually not be the best place to meet," Anya says when she and Lincoln show up. "We're not even supposed to talk here. The librarian keeps giving me the stink eye."
Lexa shrugs. "We can meet somewhere different next time."
"Why are we meeting at all?" Lincoln asks.
Lexa takes a deep breath. "So I've been thinking."
"Never a good sign," Anya says fondly.
Lexa rolls her eyes. "So things are not good for muggleborns, right? The Ministry is ignoring us, and they have an almost exclusively pureblood administration that isn't looking to get better with this year's election. And Hogwarts itself has multiple teachers who are openly discriminative toward muggleborns."
"True," Lincoln says supportively.
"What's your point?" Anya asks. Her tone is dismissive, but her face is interested, so Lexa plows on.
"Nothing's going to change unless we do something."
Anya and Lincoln exchange a look that Lexa can't quite read. "Like what?" Anya asks.
"Like protest! We have to show them that we're upset. And we could help educate young muggleborns about the magical world and get them involved in politics."
Lincoln and Anya are silent for a few seconds. Lincoln is the first to say something. "It's actually not a bad idea."
Anya nods slowly. "I've already been trying to help out some of the younger muggleborns. Some more organization couldn't hurt. And I know a few people who would be willing to show up to protests." Lexa smiles, but Anya isn't done yet. "But we have to do this right. If this is a total flop, it'll be hard to recover from. We need to be specific and directed and actually get things done."
Lexa nods. "We should start local. Fight back against Ice and Pike and help the new muggleborns."
"It's a good idea, really," Lincoln says, "but it's been tried a few times before. People have been angry about this for a while. We have to make sure it doesn't just fall flat again." He pauses, then adds, "I'm sure you're the best person for the job, though. Slytherins are supposed to be all strategic and ambitious, right?"
Lexa smiles. "I was thinking we could start the real protests and stuff next year."
"Good idea. You'll have more time to plan over the summer," Anya says.
"And you guys will help?"
Anya smiles proudly. "Of course." Lincoln smiles.
.:.
The end of the year is bittersweet. Clarke will miss her friends, but it isn't as though she'll be without them for long. She should be able to see Wells and Monty just as much, since their parents know hers. And she's been missing her parents, too.
She's excited to be an upperclassman next year. And she can't wait to see her friends again.
She gives Raven a big hug before getting off the train. "I'm gonna miss you."
Raven smiles, but she looks distant. "I'm gonna miss you, too."
"What's wrong?" Clarke asks.
She shakes her head. "Nothing. It's just - Being with my mom for the whole summer is going to suck. I wish I could talk to you guys."
"Of course you can!" Clarke says. "We'll send you letters, and you can come visit whenever you want."
Raven smiles a little bit. Clarke grabs ahold of her arm and half drags her off the train. "Here, we'll ask my parents if you can come over."
Clarke's dad is standing outside on the platform. "Hi, Dad! Where's Mom?"
He ruffles her hair a bit. "She has to do election stuff. Who's this?"
"Raven, this is my dad. Dad, this is Raven."
He grins and shakes Raven's hand. "Nice to meet you, Raven."
Raven shifts uncomfortably. "Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Griffin."
"You can call me Jake." He looks at Clarke questioningly.
"Can Raven come over for a while this summer?" Clarke asks.
He smiles. "Of course. As long as you like. We've got plenty of room."
Raven smiles. "Okay. Thank you."
Clarke grins. "I'll send you an owl. Don't worry, we'll see each other really soon."
They hug one more time. "See you," Raven says, then starts her way across the platform.
Clarke turns toward her dad. He grins and hugs her. "I'm so happy to see you, kiddo! I've been missing you. How was your year?"
Clarke smiles widely. "It was great! So much happened." She continues talking as they walk away from the platform together.