Title: The Sunshine Underneath
Summary: Kristiana Maria Clara Leilani Carriedo has never really let anyone into her life. When she gets adopted by a famous pureblood family from Spain, her life of being alone is turned upside down. Years later, she's standing at Kings Cross Station, looking for Platform 9 3/4, getting ready for a new school life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
What she doesn't expect is the crazy students, rather odd teachers, and witnesses of a bad case of Boy Fever. Life couldn't get more difficult, could it?
Warnings: fail attempts at historical references. Rated T for swearing slight violence, and, well, yeah. Maybe some light yaoi. Human names used, and country names used as nicknames. POV will switch from time to time.
~[insert name here]~ = Who's POV it's going to be written in.
Pairings: Lots and lots of pairings. Most are side pairings, but the main pairings are obvious.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA OR HARRY POTTER. Sometimes I wish I did though.
Kristiana
If I could narrow down the three things I hated most in life, I would tell you this. I hated morons, failure, and Slytherin. The first two are kind of obvious on why I would hate them. I have a low tolerance for idiots, and failure to me is not an option. Slytherin, however, is a rather touchy subject, so I'll save that for later. Oh, quit complaining! Yes, I'm talking to you! That detail is very important! Just…it's not important on what's happening right now. Anyway, moving on, moving on.
As of today, I would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a first year student. Oops. I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Kristiana Maria Leilani-Carriedo. I'm ten years old and I have an older stepbrother named Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. Don't worry too much about him, though. He may be as dense as a brick wall, but he's a really nice person. Currently, he's crazy about this boy who's only a little bit older than I am, his name is Lovino Vargas, and he's technically my best friend. I say technically because we know almost everything about each other, have common interests, and we have no one else to hang out with when Antonio's…other friends come over. If you don't know who I'm talking about, keep on reading and you'll find out.
At the moment, I was standing in the middle of King's Cross Station, staring at the space between platforms nine and ten. All my needed belongings had been neatly placed on a cart; my familiar, a rare Philippine Eagle, sat patiently in her cage. I would've let her out, but that would cause a ruckus, since the Philippine Eagle is critically endangered, and, well, I don't want people to get the wrong idea.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly began pushing the cart forward. I was in no rush; the train didn't leave for at least an hour and a half, and knowing all too well how some of the older wizards and witches act, I wasn't in a hurry to see them either.
'What are you waiting for?' my familiar hissed. She can talk, but most of the time, she speaks through telepathy. Don't ask why, I'm not the bird.
'Nothing, I'm not in a hurry, why would I be? We have plenty of time, Maya, cool it.' I thought back to her. I could hear her grumble in my head.
'The quicker we get on the train, easier it will be to find an empty compartment! Unless you want people bother you while you take your siesta on the way to Hogwarts, I suggest you HURRY UP and GET ON THE TRAIN,' she insisted, letting out a quiet bird-cry to emphasize her urgency.
'Why are you in such a hurry?' I inquired, raising an eyebrow, 'The last time I checked, I'm the one that's usually lazy.'
'I'm hungry.'
Oh…ohhhhh.
'Uh…yeah…I don't want you eating other people's pets. Hold your hunger until we get onto the train, please.'[1]
'Did you even bring any food with you?'
'Does roasted lizard sound good for now?'
'HECK YES!'
I winced slightly.
'Not so loud please.'
Without anymore delay, I rushed through the brick wall, entering the platform. And there it was, the Hogwarts express. I don't know why, but it seems so much more vibrant now than the last time I saw it, which was when Antonio entered his first year of school, along with his other two friends (whom he met when they were toddlers): Francis Bonnefoy and Gilbert Beilschmidt. The two were in Slytherin, while Antonio got placed in Gryffindor. I shuddered in disgust; I was glad I managed to convince my parents I can fend for myself, so I don't have to deal with Antonio, Francis, and Gilbert bug me as I shop in Diagon Alley. That would've been embarrassing.
I pushed my cart to the conductor/train people, who kindly took my luggage without difficulty, except for my messenger bag, and Maya's cage. Not wasting another minute, I quickly boarded the train while the passage was still open, and not swarming with chatting witches and wizards. As I suspected, the train was loud. It was full of obnoxious laughter, yelling, and you could see minor charms being "tossed" back and forth from compartment to compartment. Keeping a straight face, I looked ahead at the aisle in front of me. C'mon, Krissy! You can do this! I encouraged myself pathetically in my head. I took a cautious step forward, looking around for empty compartments, until I knew that on this car, all of them were occupied, and my careful steps turned into quick, precise strides. Maybe I won't run into Antonio…maybe he's in the car behind me! Pff, as if that would ever come true. I had managed to reach the end of the aisle and grasped the door handle, but all luck ended when I heard a familiar voice call out.
"Leila! You made it!"
I knew that voice anywhere. Curse my luck.
"What do you want, Antonio?" I asked, venom dripping off every word. I turned my head and glared coldly at him.
There was a short silence, and when he did speak I could hear the regret in his voice. "You're still mad?"
"Of course I am, bastard. I don't have time for your stupidity, and I also don't have any intention of speaking to you once I get sorted into a House and start my studies, especially since you choose to hang out with Slytherin scum over your own sister, whom you never paid attention to in the first place."
With that, I turned my head back around and entered the next car without another glance back. I tried not to cry, I really did. Even though I kept a straight face, it was obvious that tears had started to form in my eyes. I quickly wiped them away before anyone could see. Running down the aisle, I opened the first empty compartment I found, and shut it behind me. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
'Are you alright?' Maya asked. Oh. I almost forgot she was here. I nodded in response as I set her cage down on the floor and opened it. She immediately flew out, stretching her wings to its full 200 cm (which was roughly about six feet I'm guessing?). I grabbed a bag full of roasted lizards and tossed one to her, which she caught in her mouth and began to gnaw at it. While she was doing that, I pulled out my wand. It was ten and a half inches long, had unicorn hair for its core, and made out of rosewood. Olivander said it was also "springy." I had no idea what he meant by that. Maya eyed me curiously.
'You're going to sleep now?' she asked.
"Not quite yet, I just need to think," I told her, and she "hmm'd" in response. With a flick of my wand, I muttered a spell under my breath, and a pillow and blanket appeared on the cushioned seats. I laid the pillow against the armrest, took the blanket, and plopped own in my usual sleeping/thinking position: curled up into a ball. Maya flapped her wings, took one of the blanket's sides in her powerful talons and with gentleness, draped it over my shoulders.
"Thanks Maya. What would I do without you?"
If birds could smile, I think she would be smiling at me. Then she returned to her eating. I took another deep breath and closed my eyes. The memory Antonio made me remember played itself throughout my mind.
*^~FLASHBACK~^*
[A week before the start of the new school year]
"Krissy, please! Open the door!" Antonio cried as he tried to knock my door down.
"No!" I cried back from the confinements of my closet.
"Please, Krissy! Let me explain!"
"I don't want to hear it! I don't want to speak to you ever again!"
Today was the first and last time I had ever gotten mad at my brother. Ever since I was adopted by his family, he has never really paid any attention to me during the day, that is, unless Mama and Papa tell him to do so. He usually spent time with me during the evening, which, to me, is considered after dinner hours. We would play videogames, and he would tell me about his experiences at Hogwarts, as well as teach me the rules of Quidditch. Then, one day, our parents let him have sleepover, since they had to go do some foreign business for the Ministry. He immediately called his friends and invited Francis and Gilbert, as well as Lovino, to our house. They (everyone except Lovino) called it a "guy's night out" so "no girls were allowed" to hang out with them for the night, even though Lovino protested. Naturally, I respected my brother's wishes and headed to bed during my regular time, while they stayed up, much to Lovino's displeasure.
Sometime during the middle of the night, I woke up because I had the sudden urge to eat. I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, and hopped off my bed silently. I gently pushed open my door, since I always slept with it ajar, and crept past them as they were all in a fit of laughter. From the looks of it, they had been drinking mountain dew, and Lovino had already fallen asleep on the couch. I didn't really bother to listen to what they were saying, and I grabbed an apple, as well as my bottle of unfinished water that I had left on the counter. That's when things started to get ugly. I had started to walk back out of the kitchen, when a question caught my interest.
"Hey Tonio," said Gilbert after they stopped laughing.
"Yeah, Gil?" Antonio answered, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Do you really like you're adoptive sister?" he asked. Antonio stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Antonio asked back.
"He means, mon ami," explained Francis, "Do you just tolerate her for the sake of your parents? Or do you actually think of her as your adopted sister?"
"What…" began Antonio, but Gilbert interrupted him.
"You don't actually like her, right?" he asked, "Little siblings are such a pain. I mean, look at Ludwig! He's so uptight and strict. It's like he constantly has something shoved up his ass. He never lets me do anything fun around the house! It's so unawesome!"
My heart raced. What was Antonio going to say? Has he been putting up with me just because Mama and Papa say so? Was his affection really all just a lie?
"I do not have siblings, for I am an only child," stated Francis, "But I do have two younger cousins. One of them is quiet and shy, but his twin is so loud and obnoxious!"
"…Krissy's kind of the same way," Antonio finally said, "I mean, when we first adopted her, she hardly ever spoke to any of us, much less spend time around us. It took her two years to finally say something besides 'thank you' and 'hello' and 'Welcome'. When she did finally speak, my parents started paying attention to her more, and I became extremely jealous. Even to this day, I'm still extremely jealous of her. And she is kind of a pain as well…but it's not like I pay attention to her anyway."
"That's rough, bro," said Gilbert.
I dropped my water and apple in shock, not caring if they heard or not. I turned around to find three pairs of eyes staring right at me. They were just as surprised as I was. I could feel tears well up in my eyes, and then, all hell broke loose. I let out a sob and sprinted to my room, ignoring the shuffling and swearing behind me.
"Krissy, wait!"
[End of flashback]
Yeah. Sometime after that, I never answered when Antonio called me 'Krissy.' The only time I really spoke to him after that was when he called me 'Leila' for the first time.
"Psh…my life sucks," I muttered, closing my eyes and quickly falling asleep.
[Some time later]
"You can't go in there, idiot! Someone's taking their siesta in there!"
"But fratello, we're both tired! And there's no other place empty as this one!"
"We can't just barge in there, you idiot! That bird will tear us to shreds."
I groaned and rolled onto my back, covering my eyes with my right arm.
"You can come in as long as you shut up," I grumbled.
"Ve~? Really? Thank you pretty lady!"
…well that was odd.
"Shut up, Feliciano, damnit!"
Wait, he sounded familiar. But where did I hear his voice before…?
"But fratellooooo~!" a voice identical to the first one said, "You wouldn't let us sit with Ludwig and Gilbert's friends!"
"That's because they're all creepers!"
"Wait a minute, Lovino?" I sat up quickly, my eyes flying open. My chocolate orbs met a pair of hazel ones, and I automatically knew it was him.
"Huh? What the- Tiana? Is that really you?" Lovino's eyes widened in surprise.
"Who else?" I asked flatly, reverting back to my impassive self, but my eyes shimmered with internal laughter.
"Eh? Fratello? You know this bella signora [2]?" asked the boy who looked exactly like Lovino.
"Yes. Kristiana, this is my brother, Feliciano. Feliciano, this is Kristiana, one of my childhood friends. She's Antonio's…sister."
I frowned in disgust when he said that.
"Eh? Really? But they look nothing alike, ve~!" exclaimed Feliciano.
"That's because Tiana's adopted, idiota."
"Cool, ve~!"
"Nice to meet you too, Feliciano," I smiled a little bit and held out my hand. I expected him to shake it. Instead, he walked into the compartment, took my hand and gave it a kiss. I felt my cheeks burn slightly with embarrassment. Lovino then came over and grabbed Feliciano by the shoulders, pulling him away.
"Excuse him, Tiana. He isn't exactly accustomed to the fact that we're not in Italia anymore."
"…It's fine. I guess you could say I'm used to it. Antonio is my so-called brother after all." I mumbled, frowning slightly, glaring at the floor.
"Ve~!" Feliciano hopped onto the compartment seat, Lovino following less enthusiastically. I threw the blanket off of me, and with a wave of my wand, the blanket and pillow disappeared.
"Do you know what house you want to be in, Ria, ve~?" Feliciano asked me.
I shook my head, "As long as it's not Slytherin, I'm content with any house." I didn't bother mentioning the nickname thing. I knew it would stick. Curse my long name. It was possible to make so many annoying nicknames with it…
"Knowing you, you'd be put into Ravenclaw," Said Lovino.
"I want to be in whatever house Ludwig gets put into!" cried Feliciano.
"WHY WITH THAT POTATO BASTARD, DAMMIT?" Lovino yelled.
"Because Ludwig is my best friend!"
"Ludwig…?" I asked.
"Albino bastard's younger brother."
I frowned in disgust, "Yuck."
"I hate to admit it, but he's ten times more behaved than Albino Bastard. And I prefer Potato Bastard over Albino Bastard."
Then, a tall blond opened the compartment door (or was it already open?). He had blue eyes, evenly cut blond hair fell over his forehead. For a minute, I could kind of see the resemblance. But only if I squinted.
"LUDWIG, VE~!" Feliciano cried, launching himself at the blond.
"OI, BACK OFF POTATO BASTARD!" Lovino screamed. Ludwig sighed and caught the flying Italian.
"You should know better than to run off, Feliciano." The blond said sternly. Okay, forget about resemblance. I deemed him a heck ton different than Gilbert ever will.
"Ve~ Ludwig! If I didn't run off, I would lose track of Fratello! And I got to meet this pretty lady!" he motioned to me. I nodded curtly at Ludwig. He nodded back.
"He didn't cause you any trouble, did he?" Ludwig asked.
"Not at all." I answered.
Ludwig sighed in relief. I almost chuckled. Looks like Feliciano attracts trouble. Or causes it. Ludwig walked into the compartment and held out his hand.
"Ludwig Beilschmidt." He said.
"Kristiana Maria Clara Leilani-Carriedo," I said back. He seemed a bit stunned with the long name.
"You're Antonio's sister?"
"I'd prefer it if you not say that again, but yes."
"So you're not Spanish?"
"Nope. I'm Filipino. I got adopted while the Carriedos were visiting the Philippines."
"I see. Well, I'll take Feliciano off your hands. Again, I'm sorry if he caused any trouble."
"Ve~ But Ludwig! I want to stay with the pretty lady and Fratello!"
"I can't stay here, I have to be with Gilbert. And I would be easier to keep an eye on you if you stayed with me."
"Ve~ okay Ludwig…"
"I'm staying with Tiana." Lovino stated, "There's no way I'm going back to French Creeper, Albino Bastard, and Tomato Bastard."
Ludwig nodded, and he and Feliciano exited the compartment.
"…Well that was a short meeting." I stated flatly.
"Hm. So how've you been, Tiana?"
"Peachy." I answered, "And yourself?"
"Fine. Though I wish Tomato Bastard would stop bugging me all the time."
"You have no idea. You have first degree bugging that you can get rid of, and I have it for life." I said, and we shared a short laugh.
"Say, Tiana?"
"Yes Lovino?"
"This is going to be one hell of a school year, isn't it?"
"Probably. I mean, we have Tomato Bastard and his friends a year ahead of us, you and I both grew up being taught different ways to use magic than the English, and, we have no idea what to expect when we get there. Yes, Lovino, this is going to be one hell of a year. "
A/N: ARGH ANOTHER STORYYY! I should really stop, but I can't! I have writers fever then writers block syndrome. AHHHH WHAT IS WRONG WITH MEEEEE? D:
[1]: Philippine Eagles usually eat smaller mammals (such as FERRETS AND OWLS). Yeah, don't want Maya eating someone's pet.
[2]: Pretty lady in Italian. I used Google translate, so it's pretty inaccurate.
Well, please review! Thanks for reading~!