Disclaimer: I own none of these characters/places. Harry Potter is copyright of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Little Literacy Agency, Arthur A. Levine, & Warner Brothers. All rights reserved.
Thanks to everyone at the HPFWA and especially WynsterMcG, who have been my unofficial BETA readers.
Yesterday, Ch. 1, The Beginning, written by Airemay
Summary: Elisabeth thought that life would be better at Hogwarts. What she found was far from what she was expected. She was met with judgement, hatred and hostility. This is her story, as the great storyteller saw it. Rated PG for emotional content, romantic encounters, and violence. Please note that the rating could change. Not all chapters will have the same rating. It depends on the content.
The Beginning
She stared around at her surroundings. She didn't know this place; it was unfamiliar. She decided to just sit down and see where she was.
"Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange, do you deny being Death Eaters?" the judge asked the couple standing before him. The girl quickly sat up and listened with keen perception.
"No, Sir. My wife and I are Death Eaters." the man appearing to be Mr. Lestrange replied. It was strange. The man was so placid about his answer. The girl was very confused. No one had seemed to notice her yet.
"Is there anyone in this courtroom who believes that these people should receive a life sentence in Azakban? If so, please raise your hand." The judge asked the crowd. All of the people immediately raised their hand. "Very well," the judge said, "Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange, you are hereby sentenced to a life in Azakban."
She gasped. "Oh God," she thought, "This is my parents trial. What am I doing here?"
The couple was taken outside of the large room. There was no fight, no brawl. That was extremely unusual because all the previous convicted Death Eaters had put up a fight.
Suddenly, the room went ablaze. The orange glow of the fire raged on like the fury of 1000 angry bulls. All the wizards and witches quickly left the building, either by Apparition or just running like mad. She was trapped. The flames engulfed her body. She could feel the heat of the fire against her bare skin. It burned; it was pain like she had never experienced. She then heard a laugh that sent chills down her spine. A man, or at least what seemed to be a man, approached her. He was covered all in black and had eyes as red as blood. The girl started trembling in fear. She could feel the drips of sweat slowly coming down her forehead and into her eyes.
"My dear, this is just the beginning." the man whispered in a snake like voice.
Then, all went black.
Elisabeth Lestrange woke up, her body drenched in warm, sticky sweat. Her breath came in short, uneven gasps. She just sat in her bed, shaking.
"Oh, my Lord. What was that? Who was that" She said weakly to herself, "Where did I get such a dream? After all, dreams do come from your subconscious. What does it mean? Oh, God. I don't want to know."
And with that, she laid her head on her pillow and cried softly. Her breathing slowed, and she stopped shaking. All seemed to be a little better. She did not want to go back to sleep. Eventually, sleep did win her over. She never mentioned the dream to her family. In fact, she would forget it ever happened. Only for a while, though.
* * *
About an hour later, a woman in jeans and a T-shirt opened the door.
"Elisabeth! It's time to get up! You were supposed to be up over an hour ago!"
Elisabeth woke up with a jolt. She slightly turned her cramped neck to look at the demon that had broken my slumber.
"Go away," she said.
The woman was looking angry. She started tapping her foot on the floor in impatience.
"Elisabeth Mary Lestrange! If you don't get up right now, you won't and can't be able to go Hogwarts. Either you get your little bottom out of bed, or I will owl Albus Dumbledore and tell him you can't come."
"Fine, fine. I'm up, don't have a cow." she snapped.
"Elisabeth, don't get smart with me. You know I don't like it when you say that."
Elisabeth attempted to glare at the women, but failed because she was too tired. She sluggishly took her monkey pajamas off and replaced them with jeans and a turtleneck.
As she was tying her shoelaces, the women asked, "Have you packed everything you're going to need? You can't make two trips."
"Yes. Don't worry Sophia. I packed everything and more yesterday." Elisabeth said reassuringly.
She stared at my room. There were no clothes thrown all over the floor. It was clean, for once. Elisabeth felt melancholy, even though she was excited. But, there would be no more sleepovers with friends, no more late night phone calls. It wasn't like she didn't want to go; she had been feeling ecstatic about it since summer started, when Oliver told her the good news. However, it wouldn't be like home.
"Well, do I have time to eat breakfast? I'm really hungry." Elisabeth asked.
"I don't know, Elisabeth. You still have to put in your contacts in and do all of your other teenage, girly habits. I hope you packed all of your shampoos and such. I don't want to find them all over the house after you leave. If I do, then I'm sending you a Howler. I sent one to Oliver once, and I think it caused permanent damage in his ears."
Elisabeth smiled. She went to her bathroom just to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything. As she put in her contacts, Elisabeth saw something that she had forgotten. It was a necklace. Her mother's necklace.
The necklace was black. As black as you can get. The pendent was in the shape of a skull. It was terrifying, but she decided to keep it anyway. It was morbid, but Elisabeth felt like it protected her. Daniel said that her mother never took it off. She grabbed it and placed it into her pocket. Her mind trailed to other thoughts as her left eye started to sting.
"Holy avocado! Why is it that the second contact that I put in always stings? Gosh. Ooh, I hope I brought enough solution. I don't know if they have Sav-On in Hogsmeade."
"Elisabeth, come on! I got your some Cheerios! You don't want to be late. Oliver's coming to get you in 20 minutes." Sophia shouted.
"I'm coming!" Elisabeth said. She quickly brushed her hair and put some makeup on. She examined herself in the mirror, just in case a pimple or something else nasty had popped up. Her was a mess, as usual, but that couldn't be helped this morning.
She ran down the stairs at breakneck speed. Elisabeth quickly sat down at the table and ate her breakfast.
"Thanks, Sophia. I'm really hungry," she said though a mouthful of food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Sophia replied, "I get no pleasure in seeing pre-digested Cheerios."
Just to make Sophia mad, Elisabeth opened her mouth. "Ah! You want some?"
Sophia sighed, "Honestly, Lis. Can't you act your age for once?"
"I can't help it. You know I can't resist making you mad. It's in my nature. Plus, I'm a freshman. What do you expect?"
"Well, I hope you don't act that way at Hogwarts. You are going to be nice, courteous to others, and you will behave yourself." Sophia said. Then the tone of her voice changed, "And above all, have some fun. You should try out for the Quidditch team. Oliver did, and he eventually became captain!"
"Sophia, my talent on a broomstick is limited. Last time I went on one, I fell off before I even went in to air. I'm afraid Quidditch is out."
Elisabeth was starting to get annoyed.
"Okay. What else can you do?" Sophia asked, seeming genuinely concerned about this.
"I don't know. Can I just finish eating? I have to do a double-check on my luggage before Oliver comes."
Sophia looked hurt. But then again, one cannot tell these things too well if one is thinking about something else more important.
Elisabeth raced back up the stairs and checked her bags. Everything was all right. She hadn't forgotten anything. As she picked up my bags, Elisabeth gazed around her room for the last time. She felt sad, but she didn't have time to reminisce about things like that.
"Lis, where are you? Oliver's going to be here really soon. He wants you to have all of your stuff ready to go." Sophia bellowed from the kitchen.
"I'm coming! Don't worry." Elisabeth shouted back.
Then, she heard something. She bolted down the stairs and ran into the family room. "Oliver!" Elisabeth screamed, "Oh, I'm so happy to see you!"
Oliver opened his mouth to say almost the same thing when she tackled him.
"Lis, geroff me. I can't breath!" Oliver demanded.
Elisabeth felt embarrassed. But she had missed her brother terribly. He had been doing a lot of Quidditch training. He only got a weekend off, which he spent sleeping. Elisabeth had missed him so much, it hurt. No one else understood her like Oliver did. Sure, she had Sophia and Daniel, but they weren't the same.
Sophia walked in and gave a casual hello to Oliver.
"Got all your stuff, Lis? I hope you do because I don't want to have to make two trips." Oliver asked.
Elisabeth grinned. "Don't worry, I have everything. Sophia made me double check everything last night."
"You bet I did," Sophia shouted from the kitchen, "I don't want all her junk spewed all over the house. I don't want to have to go to Hogwarts and give them to you. Plus, Meeker isn't feeling well. He can't handle any more than a letter right now."
"I heard about that, " Oliver said, "Doesn't he have some problem with his wing. I think that-"
"Can we please go now? I don't want to wait any longer. We are in a hurry, you know. The train won't wait for me." Elisabeth spat out.
"Lis, don't interrupt your brother. Apologize, now." Sophia asked in an irritated way.
"Sorry." Elisabeth muttered.
"Okay. That wasn't so hard, was it? Do you have all of your things, Elisabeth?" Sophia asked.
"Yep. Every last thing. I didn't forget anything." she answered.
"Well, I guess it's time to go. Mom, I'll see you tomorrow, right? The team has the week off." Oliver said.
"Sure, sweetie. Be careful, Oliver. And Lis hold on to Oliver. You remember what happened the last time you apparated with him."
Sophia was going to say "Goodbye" when Oliver and Elisabeth disappeared.
And with that, Sophia went into the kitchen, having no idea of what Oliver and Elisabeth would have to go through at King's Cross.
* * *
Oliver and Elisabeth arrived at Kings Cross with a bump. Well, not technically Kings Cross. They had actually arrived at a special "portal" for wizards who were apparating or using Floo Powder to get to Platform 9 and 3/4. It was installed before the summer holidays started. It was safer, and you didn't have to worry about any Muggles seeing you. There were two men waiting with Ministry uniforms on. They were tall and had a serious expression on their face.
"Excuse me, but are you Elisabeth Lestrange?" the man on the left, asked.
Elisabeth gave him a weird look. "Yeah, that's me. What d'ya want?"
"Miss Lestrange, we are from the Ministry of Magic. My colleague and I are here to escort you to the Hogwarts Express. But first, we need to ask you a few questions. First, what is in your bags?"
"Uh, I have clothes, my wand, my books and other stuff. What's it to you anyway?" she said in a puzzled voice.
"Miss Lestrange, we are under orders to search you bags. If you would step aside now," the man said.
"Now just one minute!" Oliver shouted, "What's the meaning of all this? She has nothing to hide. You have no reason to search her things."
The second man said, "Sir, if you don't step aside, then we are to make you step aside. Now, this doesn't have to be this difficult. If this young lady has nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about."
About now, Elisabeth was quite perplexed as to what was going on. She reached into my pockets for warmth, and felt my necklace. "Better keep this here," she thought.
The M.O.M men dumped out my belongings and searched through them as if they were looking for something. They did not seem to find anything wrong, so they put Elisabeth's things back in her suitcases. She was very annoyed.
The man who was searching her suitcase said, "Are you sure that this is all you have? Nothing in bags, purses, pockets?"
"Yep. Nothing else." Elisabeth said, grateful for the fact that her necklace was within her grasp.
The second man uttered a grunt when he lifted up my bags. Elisabeth giggled.
"Sorry about that. I'm not a good packer," she said.
"It's okay," the man said through a stiff face," I'll live. It's not too heavy."
The man leading Oliver and Elisabeth to the train gestured them to a door. Up to this moment, she hadn't really cared that these men were escorting her to the train. She thought it was kind of neat. Oliver, on the other hand, was livid. He looked like he was about to burst.
The man opened the door. Elisabeth jumped. Not because she was scared. She didn't expect this many people on the train. Elisabeth didn't know that all Hogwarts students had to go on the Hogwarts Express to get to school. She could feel her face turn beat red.
Elisabeth pulled the men aside. "Listen, I can take it from here. I'm a big girl. I can carry my own bags and find a seat all on my own. I can even tie my own shoes."
"Miss, we are under strict orders to get you on that train and get you to your compartment. We need to find one that is completely empty. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we have to come."
She pouted. Elisabeth felt about two feet tall. She slowly stepped up into the train. Oliver followed suit. The people kept on talking, but stopped when the Ministry men entered.
"Well, carry on. Keep talking." The man with the bags said to the students.
The people started to talk again, but it was obvious that they were talking about the Ministry men and the new girl they were with. The group walked through many compartments. One in particular interested her. There was a boy there. He had black hair, which was incredibly messy. His eyes were beautiful. Elisabeth stared at him a little too long, for he started staring back at her. She then turned her head and followed the Ministry men out quickly.
Elisabeth turned to head to see if Oliver was behind her, but he wasn't. She walked into the previous compartment and found Oliver happily talking with the boy she had just seen.
"Harry, this is my sister, Elisabeth. Elisabeth, this is Harry Potter." Oliver said excitedly.
Elisabeth just stood there, not performing the usual flick up to Harry's scar. She did see Harry's eyes bug out just a bit when Oliver said sister.
"Hi, Harry. Nice to meet you. Oliver didn't mention me, eh? Didn't expect him to anyway. Why would he want to tell anyone? I'm just his sister."
Harry, looking slightly embarrassed, said, "Umm... Uh... I don't think he mentioned you."
She laughed. You could see the red in Oliver's face, so she quickly changed the subject to a more talkative one. "Didn't you play Quidditch with Oliver?" Elisabeth said very brightly.
"Did he play Quidditch! He was on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team in his first year! That hadn't happened for about 100 years. Harry is very good." Oliver said.
"It's not that big a deal, Oliver." Harry said as he blushed.
She smiled. "Goodness. Will Oliver ever stop? Well, might as well take advantage of this situation," she thought.
"That's cool," Elisabeth said, "I couldn't play Quidditch if my life depended on it. I'm hopeless on a broom. But, I'm getting better. Well, see you later Harry," she said after a pause, "I will see you later, right?"
"Sure. I guess. I mean-." Harry responded, as he stuttered the last words.
Oliver and Elisabeth walked out of Harry's compartment. She was quite happy with myself. Maybe Hogwarts wasn't going to be as bad as she thought. Course, Elisabeth just couldn't wait for the reaction of everyone when they find out that she's the product of two Death Eaters who are both in Azakban.
After going past just one compartment, they came to an empty one. The men sat her things down and left. Oliver just stood there, not really knowing what to say.
"Do you know what that was about?" she asked Oliver.
"I think I do. I can't believe they did that. They didn't do it with me when I first came to Hogwarts."
Elisabeth looked puzzled. "What? You lost me, Oliver."
"I think it's about Mum. I'm not too sure of it, but that would make the most sense. But the question is, why?"
"I wish you would tell me more about her," she said.
"I won't. You know that. If you really want to know, find out for yourself." Oliver replied gruffly, "Now, I have to go. Mom is expecting me. I'll see you soon, okay? Enjoy yourself at Hogwarts."
Oliver and Elisabeth hugged and he started walking out of her compartment.
"Bye, Oliver. I'll be sure to write." she hollered out into the hall. He waved back at me.
Elisabeth sat down and reflected back on what had happened to her so far. It was so strange. She certainly didn't understand anything. Elisabeth was unsure of what was going to happen.
Just then, she heard a noise. She jumped for the second time that day. Someone was standing at the compartment door.
"I'm sorry. Did I scare you, dear? I hope not. Do you want some cakes? Or chocolate?"
Elisabeth smiled. It was just an old witch. "Sure. Thank you. I'm starving. I'll have some Chocolate Frogs, please."
"That will be 1 sickle, darling. I hope you have a nice day." she replied as she gave a toothy grin. After Elisabeth handed her the money, the old witch walked out of the compartment.
Elisabeth started down at her Chocolate Frogs. They looked good, but for some reason, she was not hungry anymore. Elisabeth felt a sudden wave of sleepiness approach her. She grabbed some blankets and fell asleep.
* * *
Meanwhile, a few compartments down...
Harry, Ron and Hermione were eagerly discussing the awaiting school year. They had mixed feelings. Ron was rambling on how if Harry got to be Quidditch captain, maybe he could get him on the team. Hermione, on the other hand, was trying to convince Harry and Ron that they couldn't slack off this year because of the O.W.L.'s and the fact that Voldemort was at large. After a while, Harry got sick of their bickering.
"You know, I'm going to change the subject. What do you guys think of Oliver's sister?" he asked.
Ron grinned. "I don't know Harry. What do you think of her? You presented yourself beautifully in front of her."
Harry blushed for the third time that day. "Uh, umm... She seems nice and well, I don't know much about her. Oliver never mentioned anything about his family when he was at Hogwarts."
"I think she likes you," Ron said, "And get this, she doesn't pay Quidditch! Isn't that great Harry? This way, you won't have to fall down every time you look at her."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you guys don't know anything about her. She wasn't even that attractive! Her hair was too short and, "she paused, "she looks like a boy."
"Hermione, you're just jealous." Ron said.
"I am not! Why would I be jealous about her? How do we even know that she's Oliver's sister? You said so yourself Harry; Oliver never mentioned anything about his family." Hermione snapped back.
"You're jealous because I am talking about a girl other than you. And she doesn't look like a boy." Ron replied.
Harry sighed. "Can't you two carry on a civilized conversation without biting each other's head off?"
"It's more fun this way," said Ron as he slipped his hand in Hermione's. Hermione gave his hand a squeeze. She was glad that she broke off romantic ties with Krum. Earlier in the summer, she had visited him in Bulgaria. He was different, somehow. It's like he was two different people. There was the Krum she knew, and the people's Krum. Hermione didn't like it, so they're just friends now.
"I agree," Hermione said, nodding her head, "Our lives would be dreadfully boring if we were civil towards each other."
"Okay, enough about us. So Harry, you think you could get me on the Quidditch team this year?" asked Ron eagerly.
* * *
Okay, that's it. That's the first chapter, version 4.0 or something. The second chapter is almost ready. I've been having trouble with my muse lately but it seems that she likes chemistry because I have developed the entire plot there. Funny, ain't it?
