Child of the Forest
Chapter 1: Of Elves and Magic
May 12, 2003
Summary: This is both a first year fic and an AU fic (alternate universe for those newbies out there). Trinia Zurendaal is your average little girl, except for the fact that she is an elf. What happens when she receives a letter stating that she has been accepted into the most prestigious magical school in the world? Not your typical "new student from America" fic.
Rating: Um, I'm gonna rate this G. It might make it up to PG later, but certainly no further than that.
Author's Notes: This story takes place in Harry and companies' first year. I apologize now for the fact that Trinia is from California. But, seeing as how some of the fic will take place there, I decided it best for me to have her come from a place I know well, and having been born and raised here, California it became. *shrug* Sorry.
Disclaimer: I am really J.K. Rowling. Okay, now that you're done laughing, you all know Harry Potter's world does not belong to me. Anything you recognize from the books is not mine. The elves were slightly stolen from Lord of the Rings, but only slightly. Trinia is all mine though. Oh yeah, and I have some small lines of dialogue directly from the book. It was necessary. Don't sue me, I have no money.
"Before the dawn of a new peace: innocence shall emerge from the forest to aid in the battle between good and evil. Gifted in many ways, recognized by few, evil will be destroyed by one with a good heart."- Prophecy made by the Countess Drillana, AD 1146
King's Cross Station, 11 o'clock a.m., platform nine and three-quarters. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the King's Cross station, a young girl stood alone, staring at the train ticket she held gingerly. Looking up at the platform numbers, her head swiveled back and forth between the large plastic numbers reading "9" and "10". She sighed, wondering where this platform she was supposed to go to was.
Ten-year-old Trinia Zurendaal self-consciously patted her hair, making sure it was properly in place, covering her ears. People bustled back and forth, not noticing the small girl sitting on a large trunk. It was only 10 o'clock, but Trinia was always careful to be early when going to a new place for the first time. She glanced around, mentally kicking herself for insisting to her father that she could get on the train without any help.
**One week earlier**
"And Aria wouldn't give it back!" Trinia finished. Her family was seated around the dining table, looking appropriately scandalized as the baby of the family recounted a fight she'd had with a neighbor girl earlier that day. The little girl pushed a strand of her waist-length midnight blue hair behind her delicately pointed ear before grabbing another piece of fried chicken from a plate in the center of the table. Trinia looked back up to see her older brothers and sister watching her, their bright blue eyes flashing with amusement.
"Um, Nia,"seventeen-year-old Karital started, "did you think that comparing Aria to a troll would be a good way to get your stuffed dog back?" Karital smiled at the emotions flashing across her younger sister's face. First there was realization, followed by anger and frustration, and finally settling on annoyance. Twenty-year-old Getaro and nineteen-year-old Loben just chuckled at their baby sister's annoyance.
"I wouldn't have called her a troll if she hadn't said she wished-" Trinia never got to finish her sentence, as the family's dinner was interrupted by a loud hoot. A large gray owl swooped into the dining room and dropped a roll of heavy parchment tied with twine on Trinia's lap. Pandemonium erupted. Karital, Getaro, and Loben leaped to their feet and began trying to shoo the owl back out the window. The children's parents also leapt to their feet and ran to Trinia's side. For her part, Trinia didn't budge an inch, instead remaining seated, mouth hanging open.
Between the older kids' shouting, the wild hooting from the terrified owl, and the sound of dishes crashing to the floor as Getaro lunged for the owl and missed, the kitchen was quite noisy. A shrill whistle echoed through the room, causing everyone to freeze. The owl hooted once more before flying out the window and settling himself in a tree just outside. Mr. Zurendaal lowered his fingers from his lips.
"Thank you," he said to the now quiet family as they retook their seats at the table. He removed the rolled parchment from his youngest child's lap and carefully opened it. Everyone watched as his eyes skimmed the letter and his face turned a slight shade of gray. Mrs. Zurendaal put a hand on her husband's arm.
"Honey?" The question hung in the air.
"'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,'" he read aloud, voice trembling slightly. "'Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
'Dear Miss Zurendaal,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please
find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by
no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress'"
Mr. Zurendaal put down the letter and brushed back his own long black hair, silent as his children stared at him in bewilderment. His wife stood suddenly, knocking over her chair.
"Our daughter's a witch!" she exclaimed joyously, pulling the still confused girl from her seat. She had to fold her tall frame nearly in half to properly engulf her small daughter in a hug. The older Zurendaal children sat, still stunned, watching as their father shook himself from his stupor. He grabbed his tiny daughter under the arms and lifted her high, twirling her around. Trinia's mother clapped as both parents shouted joyfully, "Our daughter is going to Hogwarts!"
**present**
The night the letter arrived was a cause for celebration, not just for Trinia and her family, but for the entire village. It was a small village nestled deeply in the forests of northern California, numbering less than 300 inhabitants, all true elves. As inherently good magical beings, the existence of true elves had been one of Lord Voldemort's most dangerous foes. Before his defeat ten years earlier by the young Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort had been alarmingly close to exterminating the true elves. The village in California was the only one to survive, and became a refuge for the survivors of Voldemort's reign of terror.
It is extremely rare for an elf child to be born with wizard magic; so rare in fact that the last time it had occurred was in 1535. Because of the special circumstances involved, elves with human magic always attend Hogwarts, under the assumption that Hogwarts is the school best equipped to deal with a child with special powers.
Few of the elves in the village were actually originally from that village. Elves from around the world had fled to northern California more than ten years prior, during Lord Voldemort's reign. The wizarding community had always been wary of elves, as elves had their own unique abilities and kept to themselves. Between the threat from Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and wizards' general unwillingness to do anything to help protect the elves, most had been hunted down and killed; the few that had been able to escape settled in a hidden settlement in California.
Apparently the letter had taken a while to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the North American continent; there was only just enough time for the girl and her parents to get the supplies she needed before it was time for the Zurendaals' to send their youngest child across the ocean. Trinia had argued enough to convince her parents that all they needed to do was drop her at the train station and she could do the rest.
So now here she stood, alone in front of the station, trying to make sense of her ticket. A remarkably shy girl around non-elves, Trinia had not yet been able to work up the courage to ask anyone for help. Luckily, it wasn't long before other kids and teenagers began to arrive with their parents, hauling large trunks and talking excitedly. None took notice of the small girl who furtively watched their every move. Trinia watched for a short time, confused over what she was seeing. In ones and twos, children and their parents walked towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten, then disappeared instead of hitting the barrier, as they should have. Try as she might, Trinia couldn't figure out how they did it.
Another family caught her eye as they approached the station. They would have caught anybody's eye, as the family consisted of a plump woman, four boys, and a little girl, all with flaming red hair. They stopped close to Trinia but took no notice of her as they chattered animatedly about Muggles, which Trinia knew was the magic world's term for non-magical people. She watched as the oldest three boys disappeared at the barrier like so many before them. Just as she was trying to work up enough courage to ask the woman how to get through, a rather small black haired boy approached the woman.
"Excuse me," he said to the woman. She turned around and smiled at him.
"Hello, dear. First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new too." As she spoke, she pointed at the last boy, who stood by looking a bit overwhelmed. The dark-haired boy glanced at Ron, then back at Ron's mother.
"Yes," he said. "The thing is – the thing is, I don't know how to –"
"How to get on the platform?" she said kindly, and the black haired boy nodded.
"Not to worry," she said, sounding motherly. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best to do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on now, before Ron."
Trinia watched with interest as the black haired boy did as he was told and disappeared at the barrier. A moment later, the red haired boy named Ron followed, and soon after him, the woman and the little girl.
Here goes nothing, Trinia thought, pushing herself up off her trunk. Taking a deep breath, she trotted towards the barrier, squeezing her eyes shut once she got past the crowd. Instead of the unexpected crash, there was nothing more then the feel of wind rushing past her ears. Trinia slowed to a halt, eyes still shut, wondering if she'd missed the barrier. The blast of a train whistle startled her and her eyes flew open, then widened at the scene before her.
She still stood on a train platform, but this one was unlike any she'd ever seen. A wrought-iron archway stood behind her where the barrier had been, a sign above her head announced the departure of the Hogwarts Express at eleven o'clock, and on the tracks in front of her stood a scarlet steam engine. Wide-eyed, Trinia gazed around at the packed platform. Quietly, she made her way to the back of the train, looking for an empty compartment. Eventually she found one near the very back of the train and began trying to get her trunk on board. Unfortunately, the trunk would barely budge, as her 45 pounds were no match for the 70 pound trunk. A minute later, a voice sounded behind her.
"Need some help?" Trinia turned and gazed up at a tall boy, one of the red-haired boys she had seen outside the station. The boy was dressed in new looking black robes and a shiny silver badge with the letter P was pinned to his chest.
"Yes, please," she mumbled shyly, averting her eyes. The boy easily lifted her trunk and carried it through the train to an empty compartment.
"I'm Percy Weasley," he introduced himself as they walked through the train. "I'm a prefect for Gryffindor. You must be a first year." He placed her trunk securely in a corner of the compartment, then turned back to look down at her. "Though easily the smallest one I've ever seen," he continued with a slight grin. "What's your name?"
"N-Nia," she stammered, blushing. "Trinia Zurendaal."
"Well, Nia," he said, holding out a hand, "it's nice to meet you." She took his hand and they shook briefly, his hand engulfing her small one.
"Thank you for the help," she told him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Anytime," he said, winking at her. And with a swoosh of his robes, he was gone, leaving Trinia alone in the compartment. She carefully pulled the compartment door halfway shut, then curled up on a seat next to the window. After spending a moment gazing at the families that still crowded the platform, she pulled a book out of her backpack and settled down to read.
Trinia stumbled along the dark path with the other first years, being careful to keep the giant of a man called Hagrid in sight. The train trip had been uneventful for the most part, with the exception of the boy and girl who had come in looking for a toad. Trinia hadn't spoken to them, only shook her head when they asked if she'd seen it, and they had disappeared, leaving her to her own devices again. She tripped over the hem of her robes, but caught herself before she could take a complete fall. A boy behind her muttered, "Been walking long?" and Trinia felt her face flush red with embarrassment.
Soon the first years arrived at a huge black lake. As she gazed across the lake, Trinia caught her first sight of Hogwarts, a vast castle perched atop a high mountain. The windows sparkled in the starlight, and she was awed by the many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" the large man leading them called, pointing to a fleet of small boats in the lake. Trinia slipped into one with three other girls, all of who seemed to know each other and were chattering animatedly. The boats began moving smoothly across the lake and the chatter dropped off into silence as the first year students stared at the great castle.
It wasn't long before the students had followed Hagrid through a tunnel and arrived at a huge oak door at the front of the castle. He knocked three times, then the door swung open. A tall black-haired woman stood on the other side, dressed in emerald green robes. Her stern gaze swept across the group of first years huddled together, resting briefly on Trinia.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid," the stern faced woman responded. "I will take them from here."
The students were led through a huge magnificent entrance hall, complete with high ceilings, flaming torches on the walls, and a grand marble staircase leading to the upper floors. A doorway to the right muffled the drone of many voices, but the first years were taken into a small empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, huddling together again. Trinia stood slightly apart from the rest, in a corner at the back of the room. She noticed the boy called Ron and the black-haired boy standing next to each other towards the front of the room, whispering to each other. Professor McGonagall clapped her hands to get their attention, then started her speech.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she began. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony…"
Trinia stared at the walls of the room, only half-listening to the professor. She still couldn't believe what was happening. Only a month ago, she had been one of a few dozen elf children, living in their isolated village. She had never even met a human before, and now she was surrounded by them.
She tuned back in to the professor's speech just in time to hear, "I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." With that, she left the chamber. The first years looked at each nervously, wondering what the Sorting would entail.
A few minutes later, several people screamed, causing several others to jump. Trinia stopped daydreaming and glanced around frantically, wondering what was happening. A whimper of fear escaped her lips as she took in the sight of about twenty ghosts, pearly-white and slightly transparent, glided through the room, chatting to each other. One, dressed in a ruff and tights, suddenly noticed the frightened students.
"I say, what are you all doing here?" he asked them. There was no response from the students.
"New students!" a fat ghost said, smiling delightedly. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" Again, no one answered aloud, though this time a few nodded silently. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff," the fat one continued. "My old house, you know."
"Move along now," a sharp voice interjected. Professor McGonagall had returned. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." The ghosts heeded her directions and floated away through the wall opposite Trinia. The professor turned and addressed the first years.
"Now, form a line and follow me." The students fell silently into line, Trinia at the end. The line moved out of the chamber, across the hall, and through a pair of double doors. Inside the double doors was a room unlike any Trinia had ever imagined.
Thousands of candles floated above four long tables, crowded with the rest of Hogwarts' students. Gold plates and goblets sat on the tables, obviously meant to be the place settings the students would eat from. The first years were lead through the hall, all eyes following them as they approached a fifth table at the other end of the hall, which was occupied by teachers. The first years were lead in front of the teachers and halted, facing the other students. Trinia could feel her legs shaking and her heart pounding; being in front of a crowd was just about the worst thing she could imagine. She was careful not to make eye contact with anyone, instead bowing her head and staring at her hands, which were clasped nervously in front of her.
After a minute, Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. A pointed wizard's hat was placed atop the stool. Trinia was amazed to see the condition of the hat. It was dirty and frayed, with patches all over it. She was glad to see she wasn't the only one staring at the hat; all the other first years seemed to have the same expression of confusion as they stared at the hat. The hat twitched, then a rip near the brim opened and began to sing.
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat then me.
"You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
"There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be."
The hat went on to sing about the different houses one might end up in. When it had finished, the whole hall burst into applause. Trinia watched in disbelief as the hat bowed four times, once to each of the house tables, then became still again. The professor stepped forward again, holding a large parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she announced. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A girl with blond pigtails stumbled out of the line, placed the hat on her head, and sat on the stool. A moment later, the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!" The Hufflepuff table clapped and cheered as Hannah Abbott went and sat at the house table.
And so it went. Trinia learned the name of the black-haired boy – Harry Potter – and gaped along with the others when he was called. More than any other student in the room, Trinia owed the boy. If it hadn't been for him, her entire race would have been annihilated. Harry Potter was sorted into Gryffindor, and the process continued. Trinia inwardly sighed, knowing she would most likely be the last student to be sorted. She watched as the red haired boy, Ron Weasley – Percy's brother, she thought – was also sorted into Gryffindor.
"Zurendaal, Trinia!" The last to be called, Trinia made her way to the stool. She clambered atop it with some effort, then dropped the hat over her head.
"Well, well, well," a little voice whispered, "what an honor! It is rare to see an elf here at Hogwarts. I see much talent…a good mind…plenty of courage."
Courage? Trinia thought. I sure don't feel very courageous. The hat chuckled.
"Not many people do. I think the best place for you will be GRYFFINDOR!" The last word was shouted to the entire hall. Trinia made her way to the table on the far left amid applause and cheers from that table and whispers and stares from the other tables.
"Look at how small she is!"
"I heard she's from the States."
"If she's from the States, how'd she get into Hogwarts?"
Trinia ended up seated between Percy the Prefect and black-haired Harry Potter. Before long, food appeared at the table and everyone dug in eagerly. The hall buzzed with chatter as old students got reacquainted and new students got to know each other. Trinia felt left out with all the talk going on, as she was largely ignored.
At one point, when the talk at the table turned to families, the red haired boy (Ron, she reminded herself) had turned and asked her whether she was from a magical family. Shyly, Trinia simply stated that she came from a long line of magical people. She had talked with her parents before leaving America, and together they decided she would try to conceal her true nature for as long as possible, as humans were somewhat wary of elves. Trinia ate silently, listening to the conversations around her, feeling slightly left out.
After everyone had eaten and the food had disappeared from the plates, the headmaster stood at his table. The hall fell silent as the students waited to hear what the ancient looking, silver haired man had to say. Albus Dumbledore gave some directions, such as "Stay out of the woods" and "No magic is to be used in the corridors between classes." Trinia felt a bit of excitement when he mentioned something about "Quidditch trials"; her brothers had told her a bit about the game and it sounded absolutely fascinating.
Following the review of the rules, the students sang the school song, each in their own tune, with Professor Dumbledore conducting. Ron's middle two brothers, identical twins, were the last to finish. Finally, Dumbledore waved them off.
"And now, bedtime!" he said. "Off you trot!"
Trinia instantly felt nervous again, wondering what she was supposed to do, as she had no clue as to where her bed was. Next to her, Percy rose to his feet.
"All right, Gryffindor first years," Percy said commandingly, raising his voice to be heard above the din of students rising to leave the Great Hall. "Follow me!"
The first years followed Percy through a maze of corridors, through hidden doorways, and up flights of stairs. Trinia was careful to keep right behind Percy, even as she gazed in awe at the portraits in the halls. I've never seen so many pictures in one place, she thought as she watched the people in the portraits moving, whispering to each other, and pointing at the dark haired boy towards the back of the group.
Eventually they stopped at the end of a corridor, in front of a picture of a fat woman in a pink silk dress. The woman regarded the sleepy looking group carefully, then asked, "Password?"
"Caput Draconis," Percy said with an air of authority. The portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. The whole group scrambled through the hole. Percy waited to make sure everyone made it through okay and ended up having to help both Trinia and the boy who had lost his toad on the train through the hole. Upon entering the room on the other side, Trinia stopped and stared. They were in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. A fireplace burned merrily in one wall and older students were scattered around the room, talking and playing games. Trinia noted with interest one boy arguing with his chess pieces; in wizard chess, the chessmen are alive and must be convinced to do as the player directs them.
"Girls are through that door, boys through that one," Percy directed, pointing to doorways on opposite ends of the common room. Trinia followed the rest of the first year girls through the doorway, up a spiral staircase, and into a large dormitory. There were several large four-poster beds, one for each girl. Each bed had deep red velvet curtains hanging from it; when drawn, they would completely conceal a person. The girls' trunks had already been brought up and placed at the foot of each bed. Trinia's trunk had been placed at the bed farthest from the door.
The other girls had been chattering animatedly, the excitement of the day too much to let them sleep for now. Trinia quietly changed into her pajamas and climbed up onto the high bed with some difficulty, finally resorting to using her trunk as a step up. After pulling the curtains around her bed, she dug around in her backpack (which had been left on her bed) for a minute, coming up with the book she had been reading on the train and a Muggle flashlight. After snuggling down under the covers, she flipped on the flashlight and began reading. The voices of the other girls distracted her though.
"Did you see him?" one girl enthused. "It was really him! Harry Potter! And he's in our house!"
"Did you see his eyes? They're beautiful!" a second girl gushed.
"He's kinda short though," another said, sounding unimpressed. "I find it hard to believe he was the one who defeated You-Know-Who." Trinia made a face as she listened. Stupid humans, she thought. Too afraid to call Lord Voldemort by his real name. Like it would hurt anything. Talk soon shifted, unfortunately to a discussion of some of the other first years.
"He's not as short as that little girl over there," the first girl noted, lowering her voice. Despite her efforts, the girl's voice still carried across the room to Trina's sharp ears. "She can't possibly be old enough to be here."
"I know," the second girl giggled. "They must have made a mistake. Did you hear how she talks? There's no way she's British. They should send her back to where she came from."
"I heard she's from the States," the third girl offered.
"It's not polite to talk about people, especially if they're in the same room as you," came an irritated voice from the bed next to Trina's. There was silence for a moment, then the first girl spoke up again.
"Geez, Hermione, you don't have to be so self-righteous. We didn't mean anything by it." Despite the protest, Hermione's words had the desired effect of changing the topic. Before long the girls had all fallen asleep, except Trinia. A lone tear ran down her cheek before she rolled onto her stomach, buried her face in her arms, and silently cried herself to sleep.