Author's note: ok, this is my first series. It takes place when Harry was in Hogwarts in his sixth year… for those of you who have not read Harry Potter you are insane or illiterate! *bites her nails* anyway, read and review!
THE SILVER BUTTERFLY
The
room was dark and musty; yet she stayed stock still, head down in respect.
"You shall learn from your professors. I've heard about
your sneaking out of the castle. No contact to the outside world," A nasty
voice boomed. It was high pitched and held evil authority. The throne faced the
opposite direction from where she was standing. "As for your nurse, we shall
have to dispose of her. She might get ideas into your head." The girl's body
became rigid with shock.
"Get rid of Nurse? Why? I love her!" she cried, and
instantly regretted her outburst. An angry snarl erupted from the throne.
"Insolent child! How dare you use such a filthy word such as that? There is no love or hate, no good or evil. Only power! The nurse has already disturbed your brain. She shall be taken away." The child's face became white, but her body was stiff with anger. A single tear dripped down her cheek. She made no sound.
I woke up crying. Nurse moved towards me.
"What's wrong, child? Remembering?"
I nodded, not saying a word. Nurse sighed and turned
towards the kettle. I sat up and looked around blearily.
"Am I going somewhere today?" I asked. Nurse turned
around and sighed again, then turned off the stove and sat down on the bed next
to me.
"You remember, don't you? You're going to school. But
today you're going shopping at Diagon Alley." My heart surged with hope.
"Will there be other kids besides me?" Nurse smiled and
said,
"Hundreds. This is no tutoring class." She turned back
to the stove. I looked down at my hands and sighed. Why were there always so
many reminders of the past?
I looked around the sunny streets of a place called
Diagon Alley, amazed. Never had I seen these many people in one area- people of
all shades, hair curly and straight, fat and thin, short and tall. Where had
this diversity come from? Nurse was never good with people, and so here I was,
alone, without a clue where to go. Yes- I had a key for a bank named Gringotts.
I looked at the key, shrugged, and moved forward. Looking around, trying not to
seem lost, I noticed a marble building with the lettering, "Gringotts"
imprinted on it. Duh, Katrina. I strode in, shoulders squared, and after
looking at the engraving on my key, said to the goblin sitting at a marble
counter,
"Vault number 205, please." The goblin accepted the key
offered and after studying it carefully said,
"This seems to be in order. Griphook! Number 205." The
goblin he had just talked to motioned for me to follow him. I did, and found
myself in a wooden cart rushing at unknown speeds to a vault. When the goblin
opened my vault, I almost gasped aloud. Piles of golden galleons were heaped
upon each other, mountains of silver sickles almost fell out of the vault, and
there was a pile of knuts reaching to the top of the vault. I finally recovered
from my shock and pulled out a large sack, and after filling it completely
(which barely dented the piles of gold), hopped back into the cart.
After buying books, a cauldron, potion ingredients, and
robes, I headed over to the Magical Menagerie.
"What sort of pet, dear?" the old lady behind the
counter asked. I looked about the room. It was slightly musty, and dark… no,
don't remember! I turned back to the old woman.
"A cat." I finally decided. "And not a kitten. An
adult." The lady smiled.
"I've got just the one for you." She said, and dragged
me to a cage. Her fingers were stubby and rough. Inside the cage slept a cream
orange feline, with short, sleek fur and white whiskers. She opened her eyelids
when I stroked her gently and revealed amber eyes.
"She's perfect." I breathed. The old lady chuckled and
picked the cat up.
"Then Carina's just for you."
After walking out of the shop with a purring Carina
cradled in my arms, I barely noticed anything around me until I bumped into
something or someone.
"Oof!" the thing said. I looked up and almost laughed.
Almost. A bushy brown haired girl lay there, sprawled on the ground. Her bags
had fallen as well, and a mass of books had toppled from them. Next to her laid
a grumpy, large tabby cat with a squished nose, which looked very annoyed.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" I said, recovering instantly. I knelt
to help the girl with her bags.
"Don't worry. It was my fault." The girl replied,
smiling. Then: "Are you new here?"
"Yes. I used to
be tutored, but not anymore." I looked at her books wistfully. "Are those your
books? We used to have a lot of books, but we couldn't bring them… I mean…" The
girl looked at me curiously, making me hope that she couldn't read minds.
"Yeah, I like to read." She finally said. At that
moment, two boys came running over.
"Hermione! There you are," said the taller of the two.
He had bright red hair and a mass of freckles.
"Who's that?" the other asked. He had slightly tousled
hair and glasses. He helped the girl (Hermione?) up, and then politely held out
his hand.
"Harry Potter." Something about that name sounded
familiar…
"Katrina Cicely." I shook his hand firmly. The other boy shook hands with me as well.
"I'm Ron Weasley." He said. I nodded to him. Hermione
picked up her now refilled book bags.
"She's new. Oh, by the way, how old are you?"
"16," the others looked surprised. "Yeah, I know I look
like I'm 13, but I'm just short for my age." They grinned.
"So, are you going to Hogwarts?" Ron asked. Harry and Hermione shot him a "duh"
look. I smiled slightly.
"No, I'm going to the moon. Of course!" Our chat was
interrupted by a teenage boy's voice saying,
"Ron! Mum wants you to hurry up," A redheaded teenager
appeared. "Hello, Harry, Hermione. Oh, hello…" he looked at me expectantly.
"Katrina." I said, wincing as Carina sharpened lovely
little claws on my new jumper.
"Well, hi Katrina. I'm George." He said, and started
dragging Ron away. Harry followed after a quick good bye.
"I'll be seeing you in school." Hermione said kindly.
"I can't wait," I replied. Then Hermione ran after the
four boys. I watched them go and sighed.
I nervously kissed Nurse on the cheek. "Good bye." I
whispered, and stepped onto the train. As I tried to get into one apartment and
find Harry, Hermione, and Ron, a pale boy blocked me with two large, thug-like
boys positioned by him like bodyguards.
"Excuse me," I said and tried to get past. The pale boy
simply smirked and stood his ground. "Excuse me," I said again, and was once
again blocked.
"Got something bothering you, new kid?" the boy said. So
much for a cheerful welcome, I thought. I looked at him for a
moment.
"Interesting. Very interesting." I murmured, and
conjured a piece of parchment and ink to appear right in front of me. By the
look in his eyes, that was magic he hadn't mastered yet. "I hope that you're
good enough?" I pondered. Craning my neck to look at him, I began scribbling down
small notes such as, 'seems to be a bit insecure', and 'thin arms: not good for
a match'. He looked confused and irritated, and the two boys next to him only
looked confused.
"Well," I said finally. "I'm guessing that I should bet
on him. You seem inadequate to the standards." The pale boy regarded me with
confusion clear on his face.
"What standards? What are you talking about?" he asked.
I just smiled innocently.
"Why, the duel of course, silly! I was just wondering who
to bet for, you or him." With that, I edged between one of the larger boys and
him and had my heavy trunk and Carina's cage fly over their heads, and then set
off again.
I searched every compartment unsuccessfully until I
reached the last one. As I slid open the door, the three children I'd met in
town smiled up at me. One, who had bright red hair almost exactly like Ron's,
and the same mass of freckles, smiled as well, and then gasped in delight as
she saw Carina. Ron rolled his eyes and muttered, "Ginny, go ahead and pet her,
just don't start getting ecstatic, please?" I sat down next to her.
"This is Carina." I informed her. Ginny (I supposed
that was her name) petted her tenderly. Carina purred under all the attention
she was receiving. Hermione smiled and
said, "Well, you're already a big hit with Ginny. Anyone who loves cats is
instantly her friend. Ginny, this Katrina Cicely. Katrina, this is Ginny
Weasley. Katrina is new." We smiled at each other. Hermione then started
explaining in detail everything I would need to know in Hogwarts and more
besides. Harry and Ron added some small points to what they thought needed more
detail, but Ginny simply stroked Carina adoringly. It finally came to Hermione
describing the castle in detail when I stopped her.
"I've already read about that," I said, "From Hogwarts,
a History." Hermione stared at me in glee.
"Really? I though I was the only one in school who
actually bothered to read it! What other books have you read?" and that was how
I became Hermione's best friend.
We had a lengthy discussion on books, and after I
recommended a few to Hermione and she recommended a few to me, we suddenly
realized that Harry and Ron were watching us in disgust and Ginny was still
stroking Carina, but staring at us. Finally Harry spoke.
"Not another one who'll lecture us about not reading Hogwarts,
a History." Ron groaned. Hermione and I looked at each other and kept on
talking.
"So this is Hogwarts." I said to myself as I was led
with the first years to the sorting hat. I already knew the procedure, but the
first years didn't, so I didn't say a word. The ragged hat had just finished
singing, and the sorting began. I was going to be the last sorted. I stood by
quietly, watching the first years walk to their new houses. The Slytherin lot
looked very- mean. They reminded me of… you promised yourself you wouldn't
remember it! I suddenly realized my name had just been called. Before I
placed on the old hat, the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore (who I had heard a lot
from by Hermione), gave a short speech.
"Miss Cicely has been sent to our school because of
special circumstances. She has originally been tutored, but now is going to
start joining Hogwarts. Remember, I want you to treat her with respect and
always help her if she gets lost. Thank you for waiting so patiently, Miss
Cicely. You may proceed."
I placed the hat on my head, where it slipped far down
to the bridge of my nose. "Interesting, very interesting," a voice said in my
ear. "You'd never do well in Hufflepuff, and though you're one of the most
intelligent young ladies I've ever sorted, it isn't your strongest quality… big
secret, aye? Oh my, that is a large one. Well, I suppose that should have made
you Slytherin, but I think… yes, yes, it will ruin the prophecy… well then it
better be GRYFFINDOR!" this last word he shouted out. The Gryffindors applauded
loudly as I staggered over to Hermione. Hermione grinned and looked at the
golden plates expectantly. I did as well, and suddenly something in my vision
swayed… the platters were silver instead of gold… and two red slit eyes were
watching me from behind a throne. The last thing I hear before I dropped was
Hermione's cry of, "She's white!"
The pale-faced man grimaced at the girl, his wooden
cane ready to hit her scarred wrists. His almost yellow-green eyes shone with a
bright light.
"Recite, insolent child! And learn! I have no time for
this behavior. I told you to say the curse! Say it! Say it! IMPERIO!" He
pointed at the doe standing before them, completely terrified. The girl pursed
her mouth, her eyes suddenly becoming far away yet defying. Suddenly a voice
rang through the stone walls of the castle, breaking the spell on the child.
"OUR LORD HAS RETURNED."
I woke up sweating, my dark auburn hair pressed against my face. I was in a bed with starched white sheets, with a curtain around me. The white wall was somewhat cracked. I sat up in bed, felt an overpowering feeling of dizziness, and lay back down again. When was the last time I fainted? Two months ago, a voice told me in the back of my head. So long? I questioned it. So long, the voice replied. I sighed, clambered out of bed, and, fighting waves of dizziness, pushed back the curtain. Albus Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, stood there, shocked. Madame Pomfrey hurried forward, but Dumbledore stopped her by raising his hand. He looked at me like a pondering doctor.
"How are you, Miss Cicely?' he asked kindly. His voice rang in my head, and it was all I could do to stop from falling face forward. I met his worried blue eyes.
"Frankly, I feel horrible, sir." I said, placing a hand on the wall behind me. The nurse bustled forward and stuck me back in bed, forced a sleeping potion down my throat, and tucked up the sheets. I welcomed the waves of sleep.
A/N: Do you like it so far? ::yawns sleepily:: anyway, please review! I'll have the next part posted soon when I'm not suffering from lack of sleep and writer's block.