(Updated 6-16-17)
September 1991
Artemis Sarrasri was considering saying a lot of very bad words to Headmaster Dumbledore. Most of them she had learned from a raven a couple of years ago. He would probably be very confused, as most of the words would be gibberish to him, but Arri knew the meanings well enough to relish the thought of hurling them at the old, interfering man.
Knowing she wouldn't be able to say anything to him for at least another 9 hours, she crossed her arms and glared out the window where everyone else was saying goodbye to their families.
It could be worse. Glasa said, as he licked a paw on the seat beside her.
Arri glared at her best friend, who happened to be a huge white dog. "And how, exactly, could this be worse?" she asked him as sarcastically as she could.
He looked up from his grooming, and hunched his shoulders in a very good imitation of a two-leggers shrug. Don't know. Just that it could.
The black haired girl huffed, and looked back out the window. She saw a large red-headed family as they laughed and talked amongst themselves. She ignored the pang in her chest and fought against the tears that burned her eyes. Crying wouldn't fix anything. Biting her lip, she drew both legs up on the seat and hugged them. Glasa rested his head on top of hers and leaned against her. Throwing an arm around his side, she managed a smile. Glasa was always there for her.
She didn't know how long it was that she spent lost in her thoughts and wallowing in self pity, but a voice startled her out of it soon enough.
"May I sit here? The other compartments are full." She looked up and saw one of the redheads in front of her.
She didn't particularly care, so she replied, "Sure, as long as you don't mind Glasa. He's harmless, but his farts usually aren't." She added a grin, and watched as the boy's face lit up.
"My brother Percy is like that too!" he said, as he dragged his trunk into the compartment. "My name's Ron." He paused as he struggled to hoist his battered trunk up. Arri leaped up to help him. "Thanks!" he said, as he fell into the other seat.
"So you're a first year too?" Ron asked.
Arri nodded. "Yep. What House do you want to be in?" she asked him.
"Gryffindor," was his immediate answer. "My entire family's been in Gryffindor. Mum'd probably pass out if I made it into anything else. Fred and George, they're some of my brothers, would make fun of me for the rest of my life!"
Arri cocked her head. "Some of your brothers?"
Ron's face tinged with red. "Yeah." He muttered. "I've got five of 'em. And a sister, Ginny. She'll be in Hogwarts next year. Bill and Charlie have already graduated, but Percy is in fifth, and the twins, Fred and George, are in third."
Arri sometimes didn't think at all before she spoke. "Why are you embarrassed you've got so many siblings?"
Ron's face got a bit redder. "Well, most Pureblood families can only have one or maybe two kids. For some reason, Weasley's have always been able to have a lot. We've made a lot of people mad because of it. Mum and Dad don't get invited to a lot of Pureblood parties, and no one wants their kids to play with us."
Arri screwed up her face. "That doesn't make sense!" she said hotly. "You can't help that."
Ron nodded miserably. "I know. I wasn't sure how you'd react to finding out I was a Weasley."
Arri shook her braid behind her head. "Don't worry, Ron. I don't judge people on things they can't help. I'm Artemis Sarrasri, but my friends call me Arri." She held out her hand, and shook his hand firmly.
"Sarrasri? I don't know if I've heard that last name before. Are you muggleborn?" Ron asked.
Arri shook her head, her wayward curls tickling her face. She pushed them out of the way. "No, my mum was a hedgewitch. Didn't know my da."
Ron looked confused, so Arri clarified. "Hedgewitches don't go to school. They're kind of like hermits. They learn from their mums, and never marry. It's rare if you know who your da is. They mostly know earth magic: healing, herbology, and potions. You don't really need a wand for those."
"Ah," he said, and nodded. "Why are you coming to Hogwarts then?"
Arri sighed. "Because mum thought I was a squib before I got my letter."
Ron's eyes widened. "What?"
"Yeah." Arri waved a hand like it was no big deal. "She tried so hard to teach me healing, but I could never get it. I was a dab hand at Potions and Herbology though. So when my Hogwarts letter came, I was so happy that I actually do have magic. But I-we thought that maybe Hogwarts would help me learn stuff because my mum couldn't teach me."
If Ron noticed her slip up, he pretended not to notice. Glasa chose that moment to release a burst of gas. Arri, by habit, pulled her dress neck up over her nose. Eyes wide, Ron did the same, choking a bit.
Once the air had cleared, Ron burst out with, "Blimey! That was awful!" Arri nodded sagely. She knew how bad Glasa could get, especially in tight spaces. "I didn't know you could even take a dog to Hogwarts," Ron commented, pawing through his book bag.
Arri cleared her throat, and he looked up. "Erm, you can't," she said, her face now tinged with pink. Ron's eyebrows went up.
"Then how…" He left the question hanging.
"I refused to go if they didn't let me keep him." Arri's face was a bit more red now.
"Blimey," Ron breathed. "That worked?"
"Er, yeah." Arri played with her braid. "They've not had a hedgewitch at Hogwarts for centuries, apparently. We know almost all there is to know about earth magic, and some of that is really treasured knowledge. My mum taught me everything she could, so I think the Professors of Potions and Herbology put a lot of pressure on the Headmaster to make me come. Hedgewitches are never found unless they want to be, so a lot of their knowledge never really leaves them."
"Wow," Ron said, leaning back.
"So, yeah." Arri said, feeling awkward. She hadn't really decided yet whether to share what she knew yet or not. She didn't know if that was betraying her mum, and didn't want to say anything unless she was sure. It'd made for some strained moments between her and the teachers before Dumbledore made her go to the train station. She had been staying at Hogwarts for a few months, since her mum's hut had burned down and Arri didn't have anywhere else to go.
Ron and Arri spent the remaining hours gorging themselves on sweets and goofing off. Ron taught her a few wizarding games, and then decided to take a nap. Apparently he hadn't been able to sleep last night, what with being excited for Hogwarts and being afraid Fred and George would play a prank on him.
While Ron slept, Arri read her Potions book again. A few other first years stopped by looking for a toad, but other than that, Arri was undisturbed. Once the sun had gone down, a prefect stopped by and told them to get dressed. Ron went to the bathroom while Arri struggled with her school robes.
You're funny. Glasa offered, watching Arri get stuck.
"Oh haha, Glasa." Arri retorted, trying to pull on her white blouse without unbuttoning it. She hated buttons. She'd never had buttons when she lived in the Forest. Next was the plain black tie. She had no idea how to tie it, so just kind of knotted it, and left it hanging. Next was the plain grey sweater, whose warmth she was so grateful for. She had chosen to get mostly tights instead of socks, because she hated how her knees looked. Next was the black robes. Arri had chosen the kind that had a slit for arms, instead of the ones that had sleeves. She couldn't imagine the catastrophes in Potions because of them. She ignored the shoes, she wasn't going to put them on until the last minute. She hated shoes.
Finally, she let Ron back in. He took one look at her tie and burst out laughing. She glared at him until he stopped.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, walking over to her. "It just looks so awful. I guess you didn't have ties in the middle of nowhere, huh?" Arri kept glaring at him as he fixed her tie for her.
"No. We didn't," she said, frustrated. He spent the next few minutes teaching her how to tie a tie. Once he was sure she got it, she tried it herself. It wasn't so hard, once she got the hang of it.
And then they were there. She had been inside the castle before, but never had she seen it like this. Before she knew it, they were all huddled together, waiting for Professor McGonagall to get back.
"The name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Arri blinked. A pale-haired boy was standing in front of her. "I heard there's a hedgewitch in Hogwarts this year. Is it you?" A murmuring started through most of the first years.
Arri blinked. How did he know? "Yes." She said hesitantly. "I'm Artemis Sarrasri. This is-" She was going to introduce Ron, but Malfoy cut her off.
"A Weasley, I'm guessing." Malfoy sneered. "My dad taught me how to recognize you lot. All red hair and freckles, with nothing but hand-me-downs." Ron colored and glared at Malfoy, but didn't say anything. Arri was shocked. This boy was being downright rude, and she had no idea what to do or say. She wanted to defend her new friend though.
"You'll learn before long that some families are better than others in the Wizarding world. I can teach you that, if you like."
Arri frowned. What a crock load of-
"Why?" The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
The blond one was confused. "Why what?"
"Why are some families better than others?" She had read about blood prejudice in the Wizarding world, but didn't understand it at all.
"Because we're pureblood and not blood-traitors," he spluttered, shocked that anyone would question him. Confused and angry mutters rippled among the first years.
"Do you even know what those words mean?" she shot back, ignoring the mutters. Ron hid a snort in his hand.
"Of course I do!" The Malfoy scion drew himself up straighter. "If you're a pureblood, then you have four magical grandparents. And blood-traitors purposely let dirty blood into their line!"
Arri couldn't believe the arrogance of this boy. "And what would you call a muggleborn?" she spat back.
"Mudblood," he whispered with a smirk, and the silence around them burst into laughs and gasps and coughs.
A girl with bushy hair looked like she wanted to cry, but wasn't quite sure why.
"You would call names and look down on someone for something they can't help?" Arri had advanced on the blond boy, and his face hardened and he stood his ground.
"I can look down all I want on thieves," he glared at her.
Arri was furious, and Glasa had had enough.
He sprang out from her side and growled at the Malfoy brat. The boy stumbled back, and tripped over his robes, his eyes wide.
"Y-you can't have that here," he stuttered.
Arri rolled her eyes. "Try and stop me."
At that moment, Professor McGonagall swept into the room.
"Mister Malfoy! Why are you on the floor? Get up!" she whirled around and called "First years follow me please!"
Arri followed, her hands in fists. Ron wordlessly walked beside her, shocked that someone would take his side like that. Logically, he knew that she wasn't defending just him, but it still felt pretty darn good. He chanced a look at the girl with large, bushy hair behind him, who was muttering the entirety of the first Transfiguration chapter under her breath. Ron rubbed his neck, before focusing on the tattered hat on a stool. He had rarely stopped to think about how hard it was for a muggleborn to come to Hogwarts, and though the thought niggled at him now, he brushed it aside to focus on more important things.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore noticed that this year's crop of first years were more silent than normal as they filed into the Great Hall. One of the ghosts floated behind his chair and whispered in his ear.
Ah. It made much more sense now. It seems Mr. Malfoy got into a heated political argument with Ms. Sarrasri. He tapped a finger against his temple as he pondered that. Despite his slight distraction, he searched the crowd of first years for a girl who could be Harriet Potter.
"Are you telling me that you've never even seen your niece?" Dumbledore exclaimed. "That's impossible. I left her right on your doorstep, with protections against any person but you being able to get to her."
"Albus Dumbledore! Are you telling me you left an innocent child on a doorstep on a cold November night?! An animal could have eaten her! Maybe your protections didn't work and some hoodlum sold her for parts! That was my sister's only child!" Petunia Dursley screeched.
A girl, nearly the age of Harriet Potter ran into the room. "Mummy! What's wrong?" Petunia gathered her up in her arms and gave her a hug.
"Nothing, darling girl. Go back to playing with Diddums. I'll make lunch after our visitor leaves, okay?" Petunia's thin face was somehow softened as she smiled at the girl.
Dumbledore stared. The girl had the exact same hair as Lily Potter's. Petunia glared at him, two spots of red high on her angular cheekbones.
"My daughter, Audrey. She gets her hair from my grandmother. She's nearly ten."
Dumbledore suddenly realized why Mrs. Figg had been giving him regular reports on how happy "Harriet Potter" was. And he also remembered something else. The Hogwarts list of names for next year. Audrey Dursley was most certainly on that list.
"If any harm has come to my niece, Mr. Dumbledore, it'll all be on your hands. How could you do that with Lily's baby girl?"
Petunia Dursley's accusing voice rang in his ears as he hopefully looked for any sign of Lily's baby girl.
Hmm. Very interesting. Came a voice, much like Glasa's. Arri looked around, but Glasa was licking Ron's hand, much to his disgust.
Up here, girl. I'm the Sorting Hat. You're very used to voices in your head, aren't you? I wasn't lying when I said you are interesting. It's been far too long since a girl with knowledge of earth magic has sat under my brim. And not only earth magic!- No. Wild magic as well. Very, very curious. Where to put you? Earth magic suggests Hufflepuff, but your wild magic shouts Gryffindor. But your intelligence is laudable as well. And an ambition to be everything your mother wanted you to be and more. Ah? You don't care much for the pursuit of knowledge? Tricky tricky girl. Very well. I suppose it was unavoidable. Better be-
Professors Snape and Sprout held their breaths collectively, hoping for the hedgewitch to be in their House. Draco Malfoy scowled, hoping she wasn't in Slytherin. Ron wiped the slime from Arri's horse of a dog on his robes, and hoped she was in Gryffindor.
"Gryffindor!" shouted the hat. Arri smiled, and ran to join Granger, Hermione on the long bench. Glasa loped after her. Soon after Weasley, Ron joined and they were all able to enjoy a delicious Welcoming Feast. Arri smiled behind a hand when she noticed Ron hesitantly offer Hermione some rolls. Afterwards, they all headed up to Gryffindor Tower. After Arri was tucked into bed with Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati, she sleepily reflected that this was nearly as nice as the room she was in before. Glasa licked her face in agreement.
Arri woke up early the next morning, used to rising before the sun. She showered, and then struggled with her buttons again. She packed all her books she needed that day into the satchel Professor McGonagall had gotten and charmed for her in Diagon Alley. It was weightless, and had an Extendable charm on it. The stern Professor had avoided her eyes when she loudly voiced her gratefulness and claimed it was a birthday gift. Arri knew better though. Professor McGonagall had been good friends with her mum, Sarra when they were girls.
She and Glasa headed down to the Common Room and tucked herself into a huge comfy chair by the fireplace and began to read one of her Potion supplemental books. It was very elementary, but had good theory behind it. Her mum couldn't afford many books growing up, so Arri devoured them when she could. Most of her learning was oral, and a lot of practice.
She was about halfway through the book when Ron tugged it out of her hands. "Oi!" She glared at him. "Paws off the books."
"I agree!" Cried Hermione, walking up behind Ron. The two girls smiled at each other.
Ron laughed and helped Arri out of the chair. "Alright, alright. You can have it back."
The three of them headed down to breakfast, laughing and goofing off. After breakfast, they went to their first class, Charms.
Before Arri knew it, her first day was over and done with. And she had two essays to boot. Hermione insisted on dragging both Arri and Ron to the library to get started on it. Arri didn't really mind. Magic was fascinating, and really, what else was there to do? Ron was less willing.
"C'mon Hermione! It's the first night! The essays aren't due for two weeks!" Thinking he'd made his point loud and clear, Ron put down his quill and rotated his wrist (like he'd been writing for hours instead of minutes).
"Ron Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed, aghast. "This is our future we're talking about, not the next two weeks! Arri and I are already nearly done with the Charms essay. Who knows what extra essays might be assigned between now and then?" Hermione picked Ron's quill back up and put it in his limp hand. "Besides, when we're done, we'll have time to review for Herbology tomorrow! Professor Sprout definitely going to go over the first chapter!"
Her only answer was Ron's forehead thunking into his partially written Charms essay.
On Tuesday, they had Herbology before lunch. Arri could feel her excitement pouring off of her. Finally, a class that she was interested in and was likely to do well in. Ron shot her several bemused glances as they walked down to the greenhouses, while Hermione was excited as she was.
"Welcome class!" A cheery woman greeted them as they all gathered in front of her. She was standing in front of a majestic greenhouse, the glass clear, and the details making a work of art out of something so practical.
"Today, we are going to work on getting to know our equipment and the greenhouse you will be working in this year. I will now pair you up with your partner for the remainder of the semester. If you have problems working together, you will first attempt solving it between yourselves. If that doesn't work, you may then come to me and we will figure out a solution. If I find that the two of you did not attempt to work on the problem yourselves, you will both find yourselves in a detention. Is that clear?" Though Professor Sprouts words were most definitely a threat, she said all this with a smile.
She began listing off the names of the partners, and Arri listened attentively for hers.
"Neville Longbottom and Artemis Sarrasri." Arri's eyes quickly found the shy boy's, and they moved towards each other.
"You will have the remainder of the class period to fill out this worksheet. It must be turned in at the end of class." A piece of parchment landed gently on top of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. Arri noticed that Neville's book was similarly as worn as hers was, after having read it as many times as she could. She had known most of the names and properties beforehand, taught by Sarra, but she had never been able to read them in alphabetical order in a book before. It had been quite thrilling.
"I'm Arri." She stuck out a hand. He took it slowly.
"Neville Longbottom." He looked nervously towards her side, and she realized he was looking at Glasa.
"He won't hurt you." She assured him. "I just don't trust him alone while I'm in classes."
I'm very capable of behaving myself when needed. Glasa commented, sending irritation her way. She merely patted him on his head.
"Do you want to pet him?" She asked, wondering if he'd say yes.
Neville began to shake his head when he stopped, and then slowly nodded. She prodded Glasa forward a bit, and watched as Neville raised a trembling hand to pet the dog whose head came up to his shoulders. She resisted the urge to smile widely and settled on a small one. She decided to change the subject after he hastily pulled his hand back when Glasa shifted.
He's a scared one, isn't he? Glasa sulked as he plopped to the ground. He didn't like it when people didn't like him. As she couldn't respond, she mentally rolled her eyes.
"I think we're going to be great friends." She announced, smiling as sincerely as she could. He looked confused, almost as if he was wondering who'd want to be friends with him. "You like Herbology, don't you?" she asked, wondering if she'd read his body language wrong. As his eyes brightened, and he smiled, she knew she'd been right.
They easily identified every piece of equipment between the two of them. There were a few that Sarra had never been able to afford, but Neville's grandmother could. After that, they wandered through the greenhouse. They'd chosen Neville to write down the answers, as his handwriting was much neater than hers, a product of Pureblood upbringing, while hers was all over, a product of being taught in the woods with little effort spent. However, both could also agree that Arri sketched the best, so it was her job to sketch the plants that fascinated them both the most.
They chatted as they worked, Arri working to bring the shy boy out of his shell. As they were in an environment that was comfortable to him, she had no issues. And so she learned that he was an only child, lived with his overly strict grandmother, and was thought to be a squib before he got his letter. Arri empathized with him, sharing her own story of not being able to do any healing like her mum wanted her to.
And soon they were done before the others, smiling as they handed in their parchment. Professor Sprout looked it over, her eyes widening as she went farther.
"Very good, you two. I'll be expecting much from the two of you, I wager." She and Neville grinned at each other, the slightly chubby boy transformed by his smile. Arri grinned harder, knowing she'd made a good friend.
""You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." (1)
Arri sat entranced. This. This was a man who loved Potions, who breathed and lived and loved the ingredients. She had a feeling they were going to get along famously.
"Sarrasri!" Arri jumped at the sound of her name. "Let's see if your mother taught you anything worthwhile. What do you get if you add powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Arri smiled.
"Draught of Living Death, sir." She also answered all of his following questions as well. And then brewed the Boil Cure perfectly.
Oh yes. Arri and this Professor Snape were going to get along just fine.
Professor Snape's dislike for Hogwarts' annual end of September staff meetings were nearly legendary- at least that's what Professor Flitwick spluttered two years ago after a meeting ended in Headmaster Dumbledore providing Firewhiskey as dessert.
He sat in his corner, arms crossed over his chest, and glared at anyone who looked his way.
"And that is why we cannot hire a new History of Magic teacher." Dumbledore finished with a flourish.
"A new one?" Snape snorted. "We'd have to have an old one to get a new one. As it is, we have neither a young or old one. Merely a dead one."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Quite right, dear boy." Most of the staff ignored this exchange, they were quite used to both men's eccentricities.
"Now, is there anything anyone would like to discuss with the rest of us?" Dumbledore asked. Severus Snape had never added anything more than he had to at these meetings, and he wasn't going to break his record now.
"I'm a bit concerned about Miss Sarrasri." Professor McGonagall said, lacking a bit of her usual sternness. "She not managed to produce a single spell in my class, not even sparks."
"She hasn't in mine, either." Added Flitwick.
"O-or m-m-mine." Stuttered Quirrell.
"That is disturbing." Dumbledore frowned. "Could it be that she lacks focus or determination?" Flitwick shook his head.
"She does all of the homework in a timely manner, and knows enough about each charm. I've personally watched her do the movements and pronunciations. She doing it correctly. It's almost as if…" He trailed off. "Albus, I hate to even ask, but are you sure the child has magic? I know the List can be fooled, and-"
And that's when Professor Snape broke one of his most steadfast rules. He spoke in a staff meeting without being asked to.
"This is ridiculous." He enunciated with a sneer. "Every potion she's produced has come out perfectly each time. No one without magic could accomplish that, I assure you."
"Professor Snape is correct." Dumbledore responded. "I had my concerns as well the first time I met her. But the fact of the matter is, Minerva saw her use many different wands at Ollivander's before her wand chose her. It may be with her upbringing that wand magic is going to be very difficult for her to master."
Snape couldn't help himself. He broke his rule again. "I have another thought that may explain the circumstances." All eyes turned to him, and he frowned deeper. He steepled his fingers against his mouth, then said as clearly as he could:
"Wild magic, obviously."
(1)- Clearly a direct quote from the great J.K. Rowlings.
A/N: Hello readers. I will never put an author's note at the beginning of a chapter. This way, you can skip them if you like. If not, then here it is:
Yes, I have started another story. I've had writer's block with Le Mora Malefica for years and I'm hoping a new story will revitalize me, as I dearly love that story.
This is my crossover of Harry Potter and Tamora Pierce's The Immortals series. This will also be a series.
This story was inspired by murkybluematter's series of her HP and the Alanna series crossover. As such, if you recognize bits and pieces that seem similar, that is why. I've gotten her permission, and this is my nod to her great work. I will not constantly be citing her, or Rowling. This is a blanket disclosure for this story. Anything you recognize is not mine, it's one of theirs. Everything else is most decidedly mine.
That being said, I will update as frequently as I am able. However, I would love for you to know right off the bat that I write for fun. Also know that I love updating as much as you love me updating. So bear with me, dear readers, and enjoy the story.
