Hey, everybody. Have a Hogwarts!Klaroline AU, in which the Mikaelson's are snobby purebloods and Caroline is the new half-blood girl from the Whitmore Academy of Witchcraft and Wicca. This was supposed to be a oneshot, but it grew a plot... and side plots... and an obscene amount of characters... oops.
England was rainy. There was none of the scorching heat that was summer in Virginia. That was really all Caroline had to say about the country, so far. She hadn't seen a whole lot of it. Although under normal circumstances she would be out in with her camera, riding the London eye and snapping pictures of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, since her mom died she hadn't felt like doing…. anything, really. The past three months had been a blur of black clothes and forced smiles and we're so sorry for your loss.
And her father. Caroline had never met William Forbes before that summer, just known he and Liz were married very briefly, when they were very young. She'd always assumed he was a muggle. Turned out, he was actually a high ranking member of the Ministry. Who'd would've thought. Not that Caroline was bitter that he'd let her think she was a freak for eleven years.
Not at all.
Pulling a blanket closer around her, she opened the shoebox and emptied it on her bed. Papers and photos - some moving, some muggle - stared back up at her. Liz Forbes, young and pretty, grinned motionlessly in black and white, a baby Caroline swaddled in blankets in her arms. A crinkled letter declared her admission to Whitmore Academy of Witchcraft and Wicca. The little Mom pendant the other girls had gotten her as a joke at the end of first first year, when she was elected dorm mother glistened. She and her friends laughed soundlessly and flung their arms carelessly around one another, all dressed in their matching pale purple pinafores with white shirts and stockings. Caroline was right in the middle, trying to stick her wand in her hair to hold it back even as she turn her head to hide her laughing face in her shoulder.
The picture blurred, and Caroline pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, hard enough to stop the tears and leave black dots in front of her eyes when she opened them. That picture had only been taken a few months ago, but everything was different now. Her mother was dead, and she was in a new country with none of the familiarity of home. She was living with a stranger, and her friends were miles away.
There was a tentative knock on the door to the the room that didn't feel like hers yet. Caroline hastily wiped her eyes and put everything back in the box. Letting go of the blanket and doing her best to look like a properly functioning human being, she called out, "Come in!"
The door opened and her father looked in. "Hey. You okay?" he asked awkwardly. The blonde nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."
He nodded absently. "Good, that's good. I was wondering if I could discuss something with you?"
"Of course," she replied, gesturing for him to sit by her on the bed.
Doing so, he faced her and began hesitantly, "Well, as you know it's nearly September." He paused and she indicated for him to continue. "Summer break will be over soon, and I wanted to know if you wanted to enroll in school yet." Enroll? Why would I have to- then she remembered. She wouldn't be going back to Whitmore. She'd be entering the school here, Hogwarts. Misinterpreting her silence, Bill rushed to add, "Of course, if you're not ready, I understand entirely. However much time you need."
"No,' she stopped him. "I want to go. I don't want to get behind." And I need a distraction from my thoughts, she thought tiredly.
Her father looked relieved. No doubt he had no idea how to continue dealing with a teenage daughter. "I'll let the school know. And we can get your things in Diagon alley this weekend?"
Giving him a forced smile and nod of assent, Caroline shut the door behind her father and walked over to the bookshelf. Skimming over the titles until she found one that looked promising, Caroline pulled the large leather book off the shelf and dusted it off.
Hogwarts; A History
"Let's see what I'm getting into."
oOo
Even with the dark cloud that had followed Caroline around since her mother's death, she immediately adored Diagon alley. Whitmore was set up like a muggle college campus, complete with shops to buy whatever was needed. The narrow cobblestone streets crowded with people and quaint little stalls called to something in Caroline, the part of her that dreamed of big cities and bright lights and great adventures. The part of her that taped maps up on the walls with red marker roads and thumbtack destinations.
Bill steered her towards a store with mannequins in the window and Madam Malkin's above the door, where they were greeted by a middle aged woman with a cheerful face. "William Forbes! What can I do for you?"
"Madam Malkin, this is my daughter Caroline. Caroline, Madam Malkin will help you with your uniform."
Caroline gave her a small smile as the older woman made sounds of understanding and herded her into the store. "Just Hogwarts clothes, is it? What size are you?" she asked when they reached the uniforms.
Caroline told her, looking around apprehensively at the heavy fabrics and dull colors. Silently, she prayed it wouldn't be too ugly. The Whitmore uniforms had actually been pretty flattering. In concession to the Southern heat the shirts and stockings had been sheer and the dresses short. The robes had been the same length and made of deep purple silk.
Madam Malkin piled clothing into her arms and directed her to the changing rooms. "Come back out with it all on and I'll fit it," she instructed.
Stumbling into the fitting room, she pulled it on and looked in the mirror. It wasn't as bad as she'd thought. If she replaced the baggy sweater with a cute cardigan and got rid of the truly horrendous shoes, it was actually quite nice.
After another fifteen minutes of pinning and tucking, she and her father left with several uniforms. After stopping to get books, quills and parchment, they went to Eeylops Owl Emporium. "Pick out whatever you want," Bill told her. "I want to be able to keep in touch." He looked so hopeful that she just gave him a small smile and headed deeper into the store.
There were owls everywhere, from huge terrifying things to tiny balls of fluff that couldn't possibly carry anything. She was walking through rows of bird feed when one caught her eye. Perched in a tarnished silver cage was a bird, not an owl, but a black raven. It was sleek and eyed her boredly as she reached out to stroke it. "Hello there," she murmured, running a finger down his back.
"He likes you," remarked a voice behind her. Caroline turned, startled, to find the shop owner she'd glimpsed briefly earlier, "Normally tries to bite fingers off," the man told her.
"Is he for sale?"
oOo
"Sorry!"
Caroline gave the kid a dirty look, but he was already off, barely slowing down even after running into her. She shook her head, smiling a little at his enthusiasm. Probably a first year.
Brushing herself off and adjusting her grip on the trolley carrying her trunk and Sebastian's cage, Caroline pushed her way through the crowded station, murmuring apologies when she jostled people. When she reached the train, she put a lightening spell on her things and lifted them onto it.
Still dodging exuberant tweens and large clusters of older students, Caroline made her way towards the back of the train until she reached an empty compartment near the very end. Sighing in relief, she put away her trunk and let Sebastian out of his cage. He flew to the top of the seat across from Caroline and surveyed her with a superior look before jolting back into the air when the train abruptly started moving.
Caroline watched platform nine and three quarters blur and vanish from sight as they sped up, then got out Gone With the Wind. Just as she opened it, however, the car door flew open and three students about her age came in.
They were all dark haired and wore the green and silver ties that signified they were Slytherins. They were arguing playfully when they entered, but stopped when they saw her. One of the two boys stepped forward with a charming smile. "My apologies, we didn't know this car was occupied. You wouldn't mind if we joined you, would you, darling?" he asked, taking her hand
Arching an eyebrow, Caroline answered, "Not at all. Darling."
The boy's grin widened as he brought her hand to his lips, seemingly oblivious to her sarcasm. "Why, thank you."
"Okay," the girl, a tall gorgeous brunette, cut in, elbowing the boy in the ribs. "I think Kol's made an idiot out of himself enough, for now. Sliding into the seat across from Caroline, she introduced herself. "Katherine Gilbert. The obnoxious one is Kol Mikaelson - ignore him, he just wants to sleep with you -"
"That's a horrible thing to say," Kol interrupted, mock offended.
"Entirely true," the other boy added, amused, "but still horrible."
Katherine rolled her eyes at them and finished, "and that's Lorenzo Augustine."
"My friends call me Enzo. I haven't seen you around before... what house are you in?"
Caroline shrugged a little. "I don't know yet. I just moved here," she explained. "My name's Caroline. Caroline Forbes."
"Ah, William Forbes' daughter," Enzo said, as if that explained everything. Caroline frowned.
"You know who I am?"
"Transferring schools isn't really done. I didn't even know it was possible. You're the talk of the town, Sweetheart," he explained. "Your daddy must have pulled quite a few strings."
"Let me guess - he couldn't stand to have his precious daughter so far away and just had to have you somewhere nearby," Katherine drawled mockingly.
Bitch. Well... correct bitch, but still. Caroline was about to put her in her place, but Enzo got there first. "Ignore Kat. She's jealous of anyone on good terms with their parents." To Katherine, he added, "It's not her fault yours hate you."
Katherine sneered. "Like you've got such a loving household. Tell me, how many times did you even see your parents this summer? Once?"
Kol looked entirely unconcerned at his friends' cruelty to each other. Caroline hurried to cut in before they could continue. "Do you guys know who the prefects are? They're supposed to tell me what to do once we get to the school."
Katherine made a disgusted sound, and Kol laughed. "Yeah," he said, "we know them."
At Caroline's questioning look, he elaborated, "Enzo and my sister Rebekah are, from our house, and Luke and Liv from Ravenclaw are tolerable."
Katherine continued, "Then in Hufflepuff is Matt Donovan, who trails Elena around like a lost puppy -"
"As in Elena Gilbert, Kitty's identical twin sister," Kol informed her gleefully.
"We are not identical!" Katherine snapped. "I'm half an inch taller, and have much better fashion sense. Not to mention that red she put in her hair."
"Anyway, in Gryffindor there's Lexi and Stefan," Enzo finished. "Needless to say, Kat isn't on great terms with her sister. Unlike Kol. With the exception of Finn, who was Ravenclaw, all the Mikaelsons are Slytherins. The house is overrun with them."
"How many siblings do you have?" Caroline asked him. "I'm an only child."
"Count your blessings, then!" Kol declared dramatically. "There's five of us. Finn's the eldest, and the most boring person alive. Elijah's only twenty five, but he's starting as a professor this year. Niklaus - everyone calls him Klaus - is a year above us, and great fun when he's not in one of his moods."
"And a psychotic asshole when he is," Katherine added.
Kol waved her off. "Only a little. Then there's me, and Rebekah's in fifth year, the baby of the family."
"Youngest and the only girl? Poor Rebekah."
"She manages," Kol remarked indifferently. "Although Nik has a nasty habit of scaring away her boyfriends. In his defense, she has far too many of them." Casually, he pulled out a flask and asked, "Anyone want? It's that Firewhiskey you like, Kitty."
Caroline's eyebrows raised as high as they could go as the three passed the drink around. When Kol offered it to her, she hesitated briefly before taking a single sip. Scrunching up her nose, she barely kept from coughing and immediately pushed the flask away. Enzo took it with a grin.
Watching at the other three, Caroline wondered if maybe she should have refused to let them sit with her.
After all, they were what her mother would have called bad influences.
So what did you think? It's unbeta'd, so apologies for any mistakes. I know Klaus wasn't in this chapter, and unfortunately he's not in the next one either, but after that it's all Klaroline. Comment, please. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. (^_^)