Out of the Darkness
(Ch1- 5)
Ch.1 In the Shadows
It is well known among wizarding folk and muggles alike that, generally speaking, good things are represented by light, and the darkness often embodies something sinister or evil. However, this was not entirely true for Kira. Her home was figuratively and literally in "the shadows". The Shadows was the name of her neighborhood after all, and she had always felt that she had grown up in darkness. Though her room was in the attic, the small dusty window did not let in much light. Her cheap muggle glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling offered her nothing but comfort. She felt trapped by the dreariness of her home and by the dark forces surrounding her family. The Kuroi family had produced a long line of famous witches and wizards... Dark famous witches and wizards. So it was no surprise when Kira received letters from several schools of witchcraft and wizardry. Her family name was tied to power, and greatness was prophesied over Kira long before her birth. Her older brother had served Lord Voldemort valiantly until his tragic death, and Kira was born with the sole purpose of his replacement. The Princess of Darkness, that was the name she was supposed to live up to. However, as she grew, she caused her parents great strife with her behavior. She made friends with mudbloods, she wanted to nurture injured kittens, and was even known to move earthworms off the sidewalk and into the dirt after storms, for fear that they would roast in the sun. It was all quite sickening to her family. She was born under the mark of evil! Destined to be a great leader of the dark side... But even Kira's fair hair screamed how out of place she was within her family. She wasn't even as pale in complexion as the rest of her family. The only trait they really shared were their greenish-gray eyes. Her parents seemed to believe they would melt in the sunlight, but Kira loved it. She was a little short for her age, but pretty average build.
"Kira dear," said her mother with a slightly sarcastic tone, "we, I mean your father and I, well... We've noticed you are a bit different. Now, we don't want to pressure you, because we know you will make the right decision... But you know, our family has a history in the Slytherin house. So, if something happened and you weren't sorted into Slytherin... I just don't know what we would do."
"What Quinn is trying to say," her father now chimed in, "is that the sorting hat takes into great account the house that you wish to be placed into. Don't screw this up." He always addressed her mother by first name. Never, "dear" or "darling", only Quinn.
Her father never liked to sugar coat things. Nor did his father before him, or the father of his father and so on. Mr. Gladius Kuroi never beat around the bush. When Kira was merely three years old he had no patience for her fears or shortcomings. "You're quite old enough to care for yourself now. Go on, pour your own cereal." She had learned to fend for herself. It's not that her parents didn't care for her, they did. She was well fed, had a nice bed and only the best clothing. But they only loved her achievements. Never just Kira for who she was. So she turned to animals and nature and found much of her solace there. In fact, her greatest desire was to care for magical creatures and to also study herbology. She wasn't interested in being some great dark force, and the constant pressure from her family was torture. She was never going to be her brother.
But alas! Her Hogwarts letter had arrived, her things were packed, and she was to be on her way the next morning. The thought of leaving her dreary room for another dungeon was dreadful. She had heard all about Slytherin's common room and was less than excited. She knew already what she had to do... She would insist on being a Slytherin no matter what house she really belonged in. Apart from Slytherin, she hadn't given it much thought honestly. She did have great ambition and a desire to succeed, so she was meant for Slytherin right? But she also greatly valued integrity and loyalty. Ha! She could never return home if she were sorted into Hufflepuff. She could easily fit into Gryffindor. She had developed a great courage about her and was also keen on adventure. But she also received great marks in her pre-wizard and witchcraft training school so Ravenclaw wouldn't be a stretch either. But why bother thinking about it? She might as well have had Slytherin stamped on her forehead at birth. Kira didn't just live in The Shadows, the darkness ran in her very blood. The thought of this made her feel a bit queasy, so she decided to put it out of her mind as she drifted to sleep.