A/N: So, I'm nervous. The Sirius/OC story has been done literally thousands of times. I'm hoping this is a fresh-ish spin on this from a character perspective. In this story I plan to explore not only the characters, romance, and the first wizarding war but also the struggle of a muggle-born between the muggle and magical world, especially in a time period where the world was in turmoil.
I hope you like Lydia – I'm doing my best to keep her out of a few different commonly seen situations! All of the chapters will be named after popular songs from the time period!
Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter. God, I wish I did…student loans are the worst.
The Lonely Hearts Club
Prologue - Beginnings
Lydia brushed her fingers over the well-worn canvas of her bag. The rough fabric was threadbare in a couple of places, forcing Lydia to sew new patches over the holes. The latest additions built upon her already impressive collection of paraphernalia collected over the past few years. Both her mother and father offered to replace her bag with a new leather bag, one that wouldn't threaten to fall apart on her within the first two weeks of school. Lydia flat-out refused, though she recognized the inconvenience of having a broken school bag and waiting for a new one. She'd carried her canvas bag to school every day for the last two years and it was one of the few pieces of home she was carrying with her.
She rubbed her thumb over the stitching of a square pink patch surrounded by a royal blue border. The letters spelling love were stacked on each other, sewn over a hole right next to a patch of a hand holding up the peace sign and filled in with the Union Jack. Lydia was often asked about the patches on her bag and whether she was even old enough to understand the politics behind the war in Vietnam. What did her age matter, she'd retort calmly, especially when the war was bound to leave behind a mess her generation would inherit. She'd usually get a chuckle or a raised eyebrow before she continued on her merry way.
Lydia Cady Beckett was used to raised eyebrows. As the daughter of two outspoken Cambridge professors, she'd long grown accustomed to the furtive judgment and occasional outright shock. A young, impressionable girl being raised on the realities and politics of the war? Taken to protests and exposed to rhetoric that would make a nun cry? Lydia had seen and heard it all before.
Yet, she wondered just how many eyebrows she'd raise at her new school. Were there many students with similar backgrounds? For her entire life, Lydia's parents taught her to be herself and she wouldn't have a problem making friends. This strategy worked alright as long as Lydia stuck to her more innocuous interests: field hockey, riding her bicycle with her friends, and taking quizzes out of magazine with her friends.
But after Professor Minerva McGonagall's visit to her house on Lydia's eleventh birthday last April, Lydia got the impression that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry didn't offer much in the way of field hockey and bicycles. For probably the thirteenth time since she climbed into the backseat of her father's car, Lydia sighed. Her mother, Harriet, turned around to look at her.
"Everything alright?" She asked.
Lydia nodded and turned her gaze down to the patches on her bag. "I'm fine," she said.
Both Lydia and her mother knew that she was lying, but there was no point in bringing it up. There was nothing anyone could do now except go through with the plan, no matter how unbelievable it was.
"We'll be there in about fifteen minutes."
Lydia's palms were clammy and she felt hot. Fifteen minutes was too soon! Especially when she wasn't sure this was what she wanted to do. This time a year ago if someone told Lydia that she was a witch, she probably would have laughed them out of the room. It took Professor McGonagall visiting the Beckett house and performing some actual magic with her wand to convince Lydia that this wasn't a joke. She still wasn't totally sure until a school representative had taken Lydia and her parents to a place called Diagon Alley to get her textbooks, robes, potions ingredients, cauldron, and wand. Even then, Lydia hadn't opened a single of her books, too overwhelmed with the truth and all of the changes that came with it.
"It's going to be great," said her father, ever the optimist. "Once you get there you'll see. You're going to be with a whole bunch of kids just like you."
Lydia couldn't see her father's eyes from behind his dark wayfarer sunglasses, but she knew they were shining with guilt. Kids just like you. There was a phrase Lydia had come to hate with a passion. The announcement of Lydia's magical abilities became less shocking and more reasonable the more everyone in the Beckett house mulled it over. Professor McGonagall, in her pitch, asked Lydia if anything strange and unexplainable ever happened to her. The knowing look between her parents had all but confirmed this.
She would be with kids just like her. Maybe some of those kids had also managed to turn Cecily Ward's hair and skin bright green after she not-so-accidentally dumped green paint all over Lydia during art. Perhaps other kids managed to accidentally set Mrs. Ledbetter's desk on fire after she announced a pop quiz on the multiplication tables after Lydia hadn't studied? Lydia supposed that the kids just like her experienced similar things, but every time her father said it, he seemed to be confirming his own belief that Lydia had never quite fit into this world.
Lydia slumped deeper into her seat, further disheartened by that thought. "You're right," she said slowly. "I'm sure it'll be great."
"That's the spirit," he said encouragingly.
Absently, Lydia fiddled with a lock of her champagne blonde hair. Her thirteen-year old sister, Rachel, had gone to great lengths that morning to help Lydia iron it perfectly straight. Apparently good impressions didn't start with a firm handshake and eye contact, they started with a nice appearance. According to Rachel, Lydia's hair was her one beauty and helped detract from the tortoise shell glasses she wore that obscured her bright grey eyes.
"You'll send me the newspaper?" Lydia asked, trying to find a bright spot.
"We've already taken out a second subscription," said her mother, perking up at Lydia's sudden interest in talking "We'll send it every day along with letters and treats from home."
The prospect of staying in touch with home and her mother's peanut butter cookies brightened Lydia's spirits considerably. Though her uplifted mood only lasted long enough for her father to park and unload her school trunk onto a trolley. Lydia got out of the car and took one last look at what she could see of the city.
"Come along, Lydia," said her father as he started pushing her trolley along. Lydia jogged a few steps to catch up with her parents and they entered the train station in pensive silence.
X X X
Saying goodbye to her parents had been an odd affair. Lydia's parents didn't trust that they could get through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Although she felt quite the opposite, Lydia put on her best air of false confidence and assured them that she could go on by herself. They'd all done their best to avoid tears and failed miserably. By the time Lydia managed to hug both of her parents three times each and given repeated assurances to write as soon as possible, she went through the barrier with her trunk and cage bearing her brand new owl, Gail.
Immediately, she wished her parents had come with her, just so they could see the magnificent scarlet steam engine. Platform 9 ¾ was packed to the gills with families and young people of all ages. Lydia rolled her trolley forward slowly, mouth agape in amazement. Some older students were already in their school robes, all knotted together with their friends celebrating reunions. Several kids walked by carrying broomsticks over their shoulders. Finding a way onto the train seemed impossible, but Lydia pushed her way forward so she didn't block up the entrance for anyone else.
Feeling miniscule and invisible, it took her several minutes before she managed to find an open door and started to force her trunk onto the train. But the trunk was enormous and combined with Gail's cage, Lydia found herself struggling when two pairs of hands shot out and began to heave from aboard the train.
"Here!" Said a small voice above her. "Ready and push!"
Lydia threw her shoulder against the trunk and with the combined help, it slid easily aboard. Panting, Lydia looked up to see two girls her age in the doorway. One of the girls had dishwater brown hair, but she smiled brightly at her and gestured to Gail's cage. "I'll take it," she said.
"Thank you," said Lydia gratefully and she passed Gail up.
The other girl held out her hand for Lydia and helped her aboard. "Getting those trunks on is absolute murder," she complained with a sunny smile. "You'd think there would be more attendants to help, but what can you do. Are you a first year, too?"
"Yeah," said Lydia, slightly dizzy from the girl's rapid speech. She nodded and then jerked her thumb towards the girl holding Gail's cage.
"Us too. I'm Marlene McKinnon, that's Emmeline Vance."
"Lydia Beckett," she said and shook Marlene's hand when she offered it.
"We just got a compartment a little ways down, want to join us?" Emmeline asked.
"That'd be great, thanks," said Lydia unable to find any other words to voice the wave of relief that instantly washed over her. Without another word, Marlene took one end of Lydia's trunk and Lydia the other. The girls carried her trunk, following Emmeline down to the empty compartment. Once they got her stuff put away, all three flopped down onto the seats, panting all over again.
"Merlin's beard I can't wait till we can do magic legally. Then I can just put a weightless charm on those trunks and we can practically skip on board with them," said Marlene. Her rich chocolate brown hair was pulled into a shining braid that fell down one of her shoulders.
Emmeline nodded and pulled up her knees to sit cross-legged on the shining red cushion. "Either that or use a shrinking charm. I begged mum to do that so travelling would be easier but you know her, she thinks magic shouldn't be used to just to make life easier."
Marlene rolled her eyes and Lydia wished she wasn't sitting there feeling more and more stupid by the second. The girls could have been speaking a different language for all Lydia knew about magic. She looked down at her knees, hands clutching onto her patched canvas bag. "You're muggle-born, then?"
It took Lydia a second to realize Marlene's question was directed at her. "Muggle-born?" She echoed.
"Yeah. You know, your parents aren't a witch and wizard?"
"Oh! Right," said Lydia, her face growing hot. "Yes, I'm muggle-born."
Both Emmeline and Marlene sat up a little straighter. "Fascinating," said Emmeline somewhat tactlessly. "So you've gone your whole life without magic? How did you all get by? What do your parents do?"
"We don't care of course," said Marlene hastily and kindly. "Magic is magic in our books. Doesn't matter if your dad was the minister of magic or takes out rubbish bins. We just haven't spent much time in the muggle world."
Kids just like you, thought Lydia with a snort. Yeah right, dad, she thought and rubbed the back of her neck. "We get on just fine, you could go your whole life and never know about magic, I guess. My parents are professors," she said.
"Teachers?" Marlene and Emmeline said together. This fact, apparently, more than Lydia's muggle-born status was far more interesting. The girls became so engrossed in what it was like to have teachers as parents that none of them noticed the train had started to move fifteen minutes later.
Once the initial shock of Lydia's background wore off, she found that she rather liked Emmeline and Marlene. They took it upon themselves to tell Lydia as much as they could about Hogwarts, about the school houses, the sorting, the lessons, and other tidbits they'd gleaned over the course of their lives. Lydia quickly deduced that Emmeline was somewhat shy and far less outspoken than brazen and funny Marlene. The two girls had grown up in the same tiny wizard neighborhood, living only two houses apart their whole lives. Lydia might have found this intimidating if both girls weren't so nice and eager to add another friend to their ranks.
"So anyway, my older sister is in her sixth year and she told me to watch out for the caretaker, Filch. I guess he's really mean and likes to give students detention when he's in a bad mood," said Emmeline. Lydia was just about to ask about detentions when the door slid open.
A girl with auburn hair stood in the doorway. At first, all Lydia took in were the girl's bright green eyes and she nearly missed the skinny, small boy who stood half-hidden behind her. His dark eyes peered out from beneath slightly hooded brows and his nose was too large for his face, framed by two greasy curtains of black hair.
"Here looks nice," said the girl in a small undertone to the boy.
"No," said the boy just loud enough that all three girls could hear. "Let's just go find an empty compartment."
Marlene and Lydia both sat up a little straighter. "There's plenty of room," said Marlene.
"Yeah, you're welcome to join," said Lydia. "I'm Lydia, that's Emmeline, and that's Marlene," she pointed to her new friends and looked to Emmeline to speak up.
"I'm Lily Evans, this is Severus Snape," she said and stood to the side so all three girls got a better look at the boy. Already dressed in his school robes, Lydia was unfortunately reminded of an overlarge, but rather malnourished bat. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Marlene's mouth fall open a fraction, but she ignored it, choosing to smile instead at Lily.
"Come in," she said.
It was then that Severus Snape's eyes came to rest on Lydia's bag. Already Marlene and Emmeline had expressed interest in the unusual patches that were a dead giveaway as to Lydia's upbringing. His lips turned down in a deeper scowl and he narrowed his gaze. Just as Lily started to walk inside he grabbed her wrist.
"No, I don't want to go in there," he said, again just loud enough for the girls to hear.
Lydia looked down at her bag, then back up at Severus, her mouth falling open in surprise. Marlene had noticed it, too. "If you have a problem with our new friend, maybe you should leave," she said coolly.
A surge of affection sprang up in Lydia's heart for Marlene, though she could hardly understand why. Lily started to speak. "Oh no, it's no trouble! You see I'm," but she never got to finish her sentence. Severus Snape shot another dirty look at the bag, then at Marlene before he stalked away, bat-like cloak flapping behind him.
Lily flushed beet red and stared at her feet, completely mortified. "I'm sorry," she said and then took off after her friend.
"What was that all about?" Lydia asked slowly, turning her gaze to Marlene and Emmeline who were both looking at her bag.
"He's probably one of those pureblood snobs," said Marlene in a dark voice. They were interrupted again, this time by the trolley.
Lydia's astonished expression at the different types of sweets caused her new friends to purchase a small selection of their favorites and the unusual run-in was promptly forgotten as they took turns blindly picking Bertie Bott's Beans and betting which if their chocolate frogs could leap the highest. By the time Lydia remembered to ask about the boy, they were all having such a good time that she didn't want to bring it up.
They were once more interrupted as the door slid open.
"McKinnon! Vance!" A buoyant boy's voice rang through the compartment! "I'd forgotten the two of you would be skulking around this train, too!"
Emmeline and Marlene both stiffened, intense expressions of dislike coming over their faces. "Well, if it isn't James Potter," said Marlene. "I wish I'd forgotten you were going to be here, shame you didn't get hit by a muggle taxi on the way in."
James Potter stood in the doorway, grinning recklessly from beneath a mop of messy jet-black hair. His round glasses were just slightly askew. "I'm disappointed you weren't there to try and push me into the street. Are you going to introduce me to your friend? Or am I going to have to do it myself?"
Emmeline rolled her eyes and gestured to Lydia. "James, this is Lydia Beckett. Lydia, this is James Potter."
"Otherwise known as the world's biggest prat," added Marlene before she stuck her tongue out at James who merely waggled his eyebrows humorously back.
"Nice to meet you?" Said Lydia, unsure. It was obvious there was a history between the three of them that Lydia didn't know.
"Ignore them," said Emmeline in a mock conspiratorial voice. "Our families have all known each other for ages and James has spent the better part of every gathering trying to play pranks on us. Last time we were all together he managed to slip an exploding stink pellet in Marlene's soup."
"And it took two weeks for the smell to go away," said Marlene through gritted teeth.
James threw back his head and laughed before clapping his hand on the shoulder of the boy next to him, who was also laughing. "Lydia Beckett, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. This here is Sirius Black, also a first year."
The temperature of the compartment dropped to somewhere below freezing. Both Marlene and Emmeline recoiled slightly at the name and Lydia looked to the boy to try and figure out why. Even at eleven years old, Sirius Black was exceptionally handsome. His grey eyes scanned the room while his lips turned downward slightly.
"Don't everyone introduce themselves at once," he said in a light voice, shaking his black hair from his face. "I promise I don't bite."
"That's Marlene McKinnon and Emmeline Vance," said James pointing to each girl in turn. "Lydia Beckett, we've just met."
Sirius' grey eyes fell on Lydia and he took in her glasses, a small smirk tugging at his lips. He then noticed her bag, examining the various patches. "Nice to meet you all," he said nodding his head to him.
"Is this a joke?" Marlene asked bluntly. "Potter, you're hanging around a Black?"
"Not a joke," assured Sirius with a grin as James threw an arm around Sirius and pretended to let his knees give so he dangled from Sirius. "James is indeed hanging around me."
Emmeline's eyebrows rose so high they nearly disappeared beneath her bangs. "Okay," she said slowly.
Lydia watched the entire interaction with open fascination. "I think in time you'll come to see I'm less Black than my family name suggests," said Sirius cryptically.
James ambled into the compartment and unceremoniously took the box of jelly beans, scooping up a handful. He held them out to Sirius who took a few without looking, popping the whole lot into his mouth. If he got a single bad flavor, the boy didn't show it, his face remained perfectly smooth.
Emmeline and Marlene both shifted uncomfortably in their seats but were saved from any further small talk when a prefect appeared, telling them to change into their school robes.
"And to think, you've just been robbed of my delightful conversational skills," said James with a fake sigh. He gestured to Sirius. "C'mon, we should probably leave before Marlene starts throwing things at us."
Sirius grinned. "Surely not, Miss McKinnon," he teased.
"It wouldn't be the first time," snapped Marlene, returning her glare to James.
"Nor the last, I'm sure," said James amicably. The two boys turned to leave and Sirius paused in the door, looking pointedly at Lydia.
"Nice bag," he said, then turned and left, sliding the door shut behind him.
Marlene and Emmeline stared at each other. "Did I miss something? What's so wrong with Sirius Black? Do you guys know him too?" Lydia asked.
"Not exactly," said Marlene as she stood to dig her robes out of her trunk. The other girls followed suit.
"The Blacks are a really old wizard family and they don't have a good reputation," explained Emmeline. "There's a whole lot more to it, but just trust us, seeing a Black hanging around James Potter is a big deal. I wouldn't be surprised if half the train is talking about it."
Lydia pushed her head through her robes and pulled her long hair out scowling as the static caused it to stand out. Her head was so full of who knew who and where who came from that her head was positively spinning. "I feel so stupid," she admitted at last. "You guys have this huge advantage because you know everyone."
"You'll be fine!" Cried Emmeline.
"Stick with us and we'll make sure you figure it all out. Emme can even draw a chart for you," said Marlene teasingly to Emmeline. "She loves that kind of stuff."
Fifteen minutes later, the train skated to a halt at the station. Lydia followed her new friends, deep in thought about all of the thing she'd learned in such a short time. All of the hesitation and fear she'd felt only that morning melted away as the three girls walked together, following an enormous man who was corralling the first years. Emmeline took Lydia's hand so she could keep her balance as they slipped and slid on the dark trail, ending at a fleet of boats waiting for the first years. Lydia, Marlene, and Emmeline all crowded into a boat, joined by a short, round-faced boy who never introduced himself. A few boats over she sat James Potter and Sirius Black cackling in laughter as they joined two other boys.
The boats sailed across the water with no help from any oars, much to Lydia's surprise. Just as Lydia wondered what they were doing, the fleet rounded a bend and her jaw dropped. A magnificent castle stood high above the water. Lights glittered through the small windows like hundred jewels. Lydia tried to take in all of the towers and turrets, drinking in the magnificence that was to be her new home.
"There's a sight you don't see every day," whispered Marlene in similar awe.
Lydia could only nod, too awestruck to speak.
A/N: So there's the prologue! The first chapter features a time-jump. This story will take place starting right after Christmas break in 5th year.
Anyway, let me know what you think! I'm hoping to get the next chapter finished and up soon! Much love – Kappa.