The Pearl and the Snake
By Jadecoyote
Chapter 1: Out of the House
The sun shone was high threw the window at 9 Pavolian Avenue, London. A young girl laid sprawled out among stuffed animals and white soft comforters. Bringing her hands up to her face she made a feeble attempt to block out the rays of light that were peeking threw the lace curtains telling her it was morning. Without glancing at her clock she rolled out of bed nearly falling off the bed due to lack of coordination. "Selena, get up and have your breakfast it is already 8:00", a shrill female voice called from the downstairs that made her shiver. Placing her bare feet on the cold floor she stretched her hands above her head and lazily headed down to the kitchen. The warm air of the room she stepped into was inviting till she glanced at the people around her. Selena lived in an unusual home. In a normal family you would have a mother and father and siblings, yet that was not the case. She lived with her Aunt Cora who was a thin and almost skeletal woman and her cousin Meg who was a dumpy girl with beady green eyes and long black hair that fell in a mess and tangles. If that didn't seem unusual enough her aunt and cousin were not the only occupants of the house. Living and serving the family was a squat house-elf named Livia. The house-elf was old and motherly to Selena when there was no one to turn to. You see Selena lived in a wizarding family. Her father Duke Dominic Maxwell Wolfcastlin was a famous auror who had died before she was born and her mother Emma Vivian Maxwell had sacrificed her life giving birth to her only daughter. So here Selena was living unhappily in the fervor of being born among what people considered at that time "pure- blood". Well at least her parents were before they died. She had an uncle that was not pure blood that no one spoke about that made her wonder. What had he done to make them so angry? Her Aunt Cora spoke highly of her brother Selena's father speaking of him in a heroic worship way. Due to his unflinching duty to the Ministry of Magic. Looking threw the doorway she spotted her cousin shoving bacon and pieces of toast into her wide gaping mouth not even acknowledging her presence. Her mind drifted a little to the rest of the family that she had no clue about and where they were now. Things of that matter were hardly spoken of in this house as if the only family she had were pureblood. All she had recounted from books and fragments of passages that her uncle's family came from the north, yet was her mother's cousin, but she considered uncle to ignore the technicalities of it all. Taking a piece of toast off the white piece of china she took a bite glancing over at a copy of the Daily Prophet, the witching and wizarding magazine of the time. Her aunt sat down and watched her niece carefully. The family she lived with was not the most pleasant since she looked nothing like her cousin and outstayed her in most simple things. Selena was tall for the age of 11 with pale ivory skin and long golden hair that fell down in a braid to the small of her back. Her eyes were a brilliant blue like the ocean. She didn't she looked anything like her father or mother since she could not remember them much, and the pictures in the halls were not very good when it comes to her mind. The paintings were always cold representations of people she didn't know as her own. Aunt Cora made no comment, but glanced over admiringly at her daughter with a sickening smile. "Soon my dear Meggy you will go to the best Wizarding School in the world", her aunt started proudly tears clinging to the corner of her eyes in admiration. Selena put her hand over her mouth stifling a laugh. Her aunt gave her a death glare then called into the kitchen as Livia hobbled in uneasily giving a bow, her long nose almost touching the ground. Selena eyed Livia and gave her an appreciative smile and a nod. The house elf smiled back and looked back at her aunt as if waiting for orders. "Get out of here you filthy thing!" Aunt Cora snapped at the house elf when Livia didn't leave the kitchen right away. This made Selena flush red in her anger at this, but she kept a cool head as she sat eating her breakfast. Her rage seemed to fade some when the large tawny owl named Ulysses came threw the window landing gracefully landing on the table. On the leg of this owl were letters in thick yellowish parchment with green writing bound with thick brown string. Aunt Cora jumped at the letters and picked them up. What happened next went on as if a calm then and explosion. Reading the letter that came Aunt Cora's face turned unusually pale as the letter slid from her fingers her eyes had gone blank. Meg jumped up reaching for the letter, but being swifter Selena grabs it grasping it desperately knowing what is was before she had opened it. Her heart leapt in her throat as she looked down at the ink inscribed on it:
S. Wolfcastlin
9 Pavolian Avenue,
London
Selena froze for a moment her chest heaving as she read the words over and over silently to herself as she realized it was for her. Before she could even have a chance to open it her cousin throwing her full body weight slammed Selena to the floor grabbing the letter threw her fingers. Feeling as if pins and needle had been inserted into her head she took a deep breath. Meg held it in her fat fingers and also read, her small eyes filling up with tears. "Mum why does she get to go! She doesn't deserve it!!!"she wailed on the top of her over exaggerated lungs. Aunt Cora with quick thinking ran over to her daughter sensing on coming danger. "Dear maybe they made a mistake we will go and letter or no you are getting on that train!" Aunt Cora bellowed triumptedly. Selena after getting up with a wince took the letter and looked it over quickly her eyes showing excitement. Her, Yes she had been excepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her heart thumped harder in her chest as she bounded up the stair two steps at a time to pack. Tomorrow she would escape this place and hopefully her cousin would not find a way to ruin it.
By Jadecoyote
Chapter 1: Out of the House
The sun shone was high threw the window at 9 Pavolian Avenue, London. A young girl laid sprawled out among stuffed animals and white soft comforters. Bringing her hands up to her face she made a feeble attempt to block out the rays of light that were peeking threw the lace curtains telling her it was morning. Without glancing at her clock she rolled out of bed nearly falling off the bed due to lack of coordination. "Selena, get up and have your breakfast it is already 8:00", a shrill female voice called from the downstairs that made her shiver. Placing her bare feet on the cold floor she stretched her hands above her head and lazily headed down to the kitchen. The warm air of the room she stepped into was inviting till she glanced at the people around her. Selena lived in an unusual home. In a normal family you would have a mother and father and siblings, yet that was not the case. She lived with her Aunt Cora who was a thin and almost skeletal woman and her cousin Meg who was a dumpy girl with beady green eyes and long black hair that fell in a mess and tangles. If that didn't seem unusual enough her aunt and cousin were not the only occupants of the house. Living and serving the family was a squat house-elf named Livia. The house-elf was old and motherly to Selena when there was no one to turn to. You see Selena lived in a wizarding family. Her father Duke Dominic Maxwell Wolfcastlin was a famous auror who had died before she was born and her mother Emma Vivian Maxwell had sacrificed her life giving birth to her only daughter. So here Selena was living unhappily in the fervor of being born among what people considered at that time "pure- blood". Well at least her parents were before they died. She had an uncle that was not pure blood that no one spoke about that made her wonder. What had he done to make them so angry? Her Aunt Cora spoke highly of her brother Selena's father speaking of him in a heroic worship way. Due to his unflinching duty to the Ministry of Magic. Looking threw the doorway she spotted her cousin shoving bacon and pieces of toast into her wide gaping mouth not even acknowledging her presence. Her mind drifted a little to the rest of the family that she had no clue about and where they were now. Things of that matter were hardly spoken of in this house as if the only family she had were pureblood. All she had recounted from books and fragments of passages that her uncle's family came from the north, yet was her mother's cousin, but she considered uncle to ignore the technicalities of it all. Taking a piece of toast off the white piece of china she took a bite glancing over at a copy of the Daily Prophet, the witching and wizarding magazine of the time. Her aunt sat down and watched her niece carefully. The family she lived with was not the most pleasant since she looked nothing like her cousin and outstayed her in most simple things. Selena was tall for the age of 11 with pale ivory skin and long golden hair that fell down in a braid to the small of her back. Her eyes were a brilliant blue like the ocean. She didn't she looked anything like her father or mother since she could not remember them much, and the pictures in the halls were not very good when it comes to her mind. The paintings were always cold representations of people she didn't know as her own. Aunt Cora made no comment, but glanced over admiringly at her daughter with a sickening smile. "Soon my dear Meggy you will go to the best Wizarding School in the world", her aunt started proudly tears clinging to the corner of her eyes in admiration. Selena put her hand over her mouth stifling a laugh. Her aunt gave her a death glare then called into the kitchen as Livia hobbled in uneasily giving a bow, her long nose almost touching the ground. Selena eyed Livia and gave her an appreciative smile and a nod. The house elf smiled back and looked back at her aunt as if waiting for orders. "Get out of here you filthy thing!" Aunt Cora snapped at the house elf when Livia didn't leave the kitchen right away. This made Selena flush red in her anger at this, but she kept a cool head as she sat eating her breakfast. Her rage seemed to fade some when the large tawny owl named Ulysses came threw the window landing gracefully landing on the table. On the leg of this owl were letters in thick yellowish parchment with green writing bound with thick brown string. Aunt Cora jumped at the letters and picked them up. What happened next went on as if a calm then and explosion. Reading the letter that came Aunt Cora's face turned unusually pale as the letter slid from her fingers her eyes had gone blank. Meg jumped up reaching for the letter, but being swifter Selena grabs it grasping it desperately knowing what is was before she had opened it. Her heart leapt in her throat as she looked down at the ink inscribed on it:
S. Wolfcastlin
9 Pavolian Avenue,
London
Selena froze for a moment her chest heaving as she read the words over and over silently to herself as she realized it was for her. Before she could even have a chance to open it her cousin throwing her full body weight slammed Selena to the floor grabbing the letter threw her fingers. Feeling as if pins and needle had been inserted into her head she took a deep breath. Meg held it in her fat fingers and also read, her small eyes filling up with tears. "Mum why does she get to go! She doesn't deserve it!!!"she wailed on the top of her over exaggerated lungs. Aunt Cora with quick thinking ran over to her daughter sensing on coming danger. "Dear maybe they made a mistake we will go and letter or no you are getting on that train!" Aunt Cora bellowed triumptedly. Selena after getting up with a wince took the letter and looked it over quickly her eyes showing excitement. Her, Yes she had been excepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her heart thumped harder in her chest as she bounded up the stair two steps at a time to pack. Tomorrow she would escape this place and hopefully her cousin would not find a way to ruin it.