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September 1956
"I assume you can find your way on the train by yourself," said the cold voice of Renier Lestrange.
Rodolphus Lestrange started slightly at his father's voice. He had been deep in thought as he stared at the scarlet steam engine in front of him. He was about to leave home for the first time and travel to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which would be his new home for most of the year.
Rodolphus turned to his father and nodded.
"Yes, sir," he replied.
"Very well," Renier said, tersely. "I shall see you when you return for your Christmas holidays."
Not bothering to spare his son a second glance, he turned around and walked toward the barrier. Rodolphus watched him disappear, feeling slightly put out at the man's abrupt departure. Though, honestly, he didn't know what else he expected. He knew his father wasn't going to hug him goodbye, telling him that he loved him and that he would miss him. His father wasn't like that. Or his mother, for that matter. She didn't even bother coming to see him off.
Looking around the platform, Rodolphus saw lots of other parents hugging and kissing their children goodbye. Some were smiling and others were crying. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a father that cared that he was leaving. Or a mother who would stand outside the train, crying because she wouldn't see her son again until Christmas. Rodolphus shook his head, as though doing so would help to clear his mind of those kind of thoughts. There was no point dwelling on it.
Grabbing his trunk, he walked over and boarded the train. Walking along the corridor, he searched for an empty compartment and finally found one toward the back. Rodolphus heaved his trunk into the luggage rack and sat down, wondering he would have the compartment to himself. He didn't know any kids his age, and really had no idea how to make friends. Mister and Madam Lestrange hardly ever let their son leave the house, for fear that he might end up mixing with the "wrong sort" – in other words: non-Purebloods.
The train started to move away from the platform and Rodolphus watched out the window as they left London and headed toward the countryside.
Suddenly, his compartment door opened and a boy walked in. Being slightly shorter than himself, Rodolphus assumed the boy was also a first-year.
"Mind if I sit here?" the boy asked, shutting the compartment door quickly. He seemed very nervous about something.
"I guess not," Rodolphus said slowly, wondering what was wrong with the boy. He received his answer a moment later when the door opened again and three older boys strolled in.
"Aww did Evie find a new friend?" mocked one boy, who looked to be the oldest of the group. The other two boys laughed. Rodolphus looked at the boy across from him, who was red-faced and glaring at the boys standing in the doorway.
"Go away," growled the boy they called Evie. But the other boys didn't move.
"Is your brother's name really Evie?" one of the boys asked.
"Nah," said the third. "But the only reason our parents had third child was because Mother wanted a girl. They were going to name her Evie. But we got stuck with 'Evan' instead."
"Yes, the unwanted third-born son," taunted the first boy, with a smirk. "Now we are going to be stuck with him at Hogwarts."
"I told you to GO AWAY, Byron," said Evan through clenched teeth. He looked at the other boys. "You too, Francis. Piss off and go find something else to do with your boyfriend."
"Watch it Evie, or I might have to curse you," said Francis, fingering his wand.
"Just try it," snarled Evan, standing up and pulling his wand out of his robes.
The boys all laughed.
"You think you can take all of us on alone with a wand you've only owned for two weeks? You really are stupid, aren't you?" Byron asked, still laughing at Evan.
Rodolphus had sat watching the brothers argue and he felt sorry for Evan. Deciding to help the boy, he drew his own wand and stood up beside Evan. For all his father's rules and restrictions, one thing he did allow was for Rodolphus to use a wand from an early age; meaning that Rodolphus knew quite a few useful spells already.
"He's not alone," Rodolphus said, looking Byron dead in the eye.
The three older boys all laughed again and Evan looked at Rodolphus with a surprised face.
"You have five seconds to leave or I'm going to curse you," Rodolphus said.
Francis stepped forward.
"Who the hell do you think you are? There is no way that two little first-years can curse us. The most you idiots can do is shoot sparks out your wand."
Under the cover of the older boys' taunts and laughter, Rodolphus whispered to Evan, "Point your wand and say "Furnunculus" on the count of three."
Evan still looked shocked but gave him a small nod. When Byron stopped laughing, he looked at Francis.
"I think we need to teach these babies a lesson…"
"One," whispered Rodolphus, when Byron looked over to Francis.
"… what do you think, Francis?"
Francis sneered at them. "Definitely. Which spell should we use…"
"Two."
"How about the leg locker curse?" their friend suggested. "They might never make it off the train –"
"THREE!"
"Furnunclus!"
Rodolphus had his wand pointed at Byron, while Evan pointed his at Francis. Both older boys shouted as their faces and hands broke out in boils. Rodolphus smirked as Evan burst out laughing.
Looking at the third boy, Rodolphus asked, "Would you like to be next?"
"Er – I actually have to go, I think I hear someone calling my name."
With that, the boys' friend took off running down the aisle.
"You little assholes! I will get you!" Byron shouted. He grabbed his wand, but dropped it quickly. The boils on the palms of his hands made it too hard to hold onto the wand.
"Get rid of these!" Francis demanded, his face screwed up in agony as he glared at Rodolphus. "Now!"
Rodolphus kicked Byron's wand out into the aisle and said, "I think it's time you two left."
Francis grabbed his wand, ignoring the pain in his hand. He pointed it directly at Rodolphus's chest. However, Byron nudged him, shaking his head.
"Let's just go. Someone will know the cure for these. It's not worth getting in trouble with Old Dippet before the term even starts."
"But I have boils up my —"
"Come on," Byron urged, casting a dirty look at Rodolphus and Evan before pulling his brother out of the compartment. Rodolphus could hear Francis loudly cursing down the corridor.
"Wow, thanks!" exclaimed Evan, pocketing his wand. "No one has ever stood up for me before."
"No problem," Rodolphus replied.
"I'm Evan Rosier, by the way." Evan extended a hand. Feeling relieved that this was another Pureblood boy, Rodolphus shook his hand.
"Rodolphus Lestrange."
As they took their seats, Rodolphus said, "So, uh, those are your brothers?"
"Yeah and they are complete idiots," Evan said. "It's been so nice being at home without them. They would be gone to school for most of the year, and I would have the house to myself… well other than my parents, but they don't really bother with me. I just hope I don't end up in the same house as them."
"Which house are they in?"
"Both are in Ravenclaw. My father was too. They say I'm not smart enough to get in there. Hopefully they're right," Evan said, winking. "What about you? I think I've heard of the Lestrange family before. Isn't your family a bit – er, aren't you one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight?"
Rodolphus nodded. He could tell that wasn't the question that Evan had started to ask, but decided not to push the matter. He knew the rumors about his family and the dark aura that surrounded his surname. Not wanting to get into conversations about his family, Rodolphus changed steered the conversation back to the school houses.
"Any idea how they will sort us into our houses at Hogwarts?" he asked. He had been wondering this for a while. He asked his father once, but was told not to waste his time with foolish questions and never did receive an answer.
"I don't know for certain, but I've heard Byron and Francis talking about a magical hat that tells you where you will be placed."
"A hat? Really?" laughed Rodolphus. "That's not what I was expecting. Where would you like to go since you don't want to be in Ravenclaw."
"I think Slytherin is my top choice," Evan replied. "My mother was one. What about you?"
"I honestly don't know much about the houses," Rodolphus shook his head. "I do know my father was in Slytherin, but he won't tell me anything about his time at Hogwarts. My mother is from France, so she went to school there."
"Oh cool!" Evan exclaimed. "That's called Bobotons or something, right?"
"Beauxbatons."
There was a knock on their door again. Evan stood up to open it, looking a bit apprehensive. It wasn't, however, his brothers on the other side; it was a plump, friendly looking lady pushing a cart full of sweets.
"Anything off the trolley, boys?" the friendly witch asked them.
Rodolphus's eyes grew wide. He had never seen so much candy before. His father didn't allow him to eat "junk" like that. He and Evan each bought a generous amount of sweets. Then they spent the remainder of the train ride snacking and talking. By the time the train began to slow down, Rodolphus felt like he had known Evan all his life.
"Are we here?" he asked, looking out the window. It was now completely dark, so he wasn't able to see anything.
"Must be," Evan replied. "There are people moving out in the corridor."
They grabbed their trunks and exited the train. Standing on the platform, Rodolphus noticed a sign that read "HOGSMEADE". Looking around, he saw the older students heading toward a large number of carriages. He caught Francis Rosier's eye and the older boy flipped Rodolphus off. Rodolphus rolled his eyes and turned away.
"First-years, please follow me," called a man holding a lantern. "First-years, this way!"
They walked over to him and joined a small crowd of other first years. Rodolphus was surprised, and slightly repulsed, when he got up close to the man. He was an older man, who had burn marks on his face. He was also missing half of his left arm; all that was left was a stump ending where his elbow should have been.
"Good evening everyone. Welcome to Hogwarts! My name is Professor Kettleburn." He led them over toward a large lake. "It is a Hogwarts custom that all first-years cross the lake by boat. Everyone climb into a boat and we will be off."
As they journeyed across the lake, the students looked in awe as the Hogwarts castle came into view. Even Rodolphus, who had grown up in a very large home, could appreciate the size of the castle. There were turrets sticking out all over the place. Hundreds of windows shone with bright lights. He glanced at Evan, who was sitting with his mouth open, gawking wide-eyed at the castle.
When they reached the other side of the lake, the first-years climbed out of the boats and ascended a steep stairway toward the castle. Professor Kettleburn knocked on the door and a moment later it was opened by a wizard with auburn hair and a crooked nose.
"Professor Dumbledore, here are the first-year students."
"Thank you, Professor Kettleburn, I will take them to the Great Hall." Professor Dumbledore smiled kindly down at the new students. "Please follow me through here, ladies and gentlemen.
The first-years followed Professor Dumbledore into the castle.
"The Hogwarts sorting is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years," said Professor Dumbledore, as they walked down a hallway. "There are four houses: Gryffindor, Syltherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. You will share your house with other students in the castle. They will become like a family to you. Each house also has six Prefects, who will be more than happy to assist you in any way they can."
They came to a halt inside a small chamber.
"The Great Hall is on the other side of that door." He pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "I will return in a moment, and you will enter the hall to be sorted into your respective houses. Please wait here quietly."
Professor Dumbledore turned and walked away. Rodolphus and Evan looked at each other but said nothing. A few minutes later the professor returned and beckoned the students to follow him. They lined up on the stage and faced the crowd of students watching them quietly.
"You were right about the hat," Rodolphus whispered to Evan.
Sitting on a stool in the middle of the stage was a ragged, patched hat. When all the students had quieted down, the hat opened at the brim and began to sing. Everyone in the hall clapped and the hat bent over as though it was giving a small bow. Once the applause died away, the first-years were called forward. One by one, the students sat on the stool while Dumbledore placed the hat on their head. After a few moments the hat would yell out a house name and the student would go sit at one of the four tables.
"Lestrange, Rodolphus," called Professor Dumbledore, when they were halfway through the students.
Rodolphus walked over to the stool and let Dumbledore put the hat on his head. It fell down over his eyes and he couldn't see anything. He could, however, hear the hat talking to him.
"Lestrange… yes we've had a few from your family inside our walls," a voice whispered in his ear. "A very noble and traditional family. Most of them have been in Slytherin, the house that honours tradition the most. I do sense more in you, though. Intelligence, for instance. You would do very well in Ravenclaw. There is also bravery and loyalty… both traits that would make you shine in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. Let me see…"
"Just pick one," thought Rodolphus impatiently, feeling very self-conscious of everyone watching him.
"These things cannot be rushed, you know," the Sorting Hat replied. Rodolphus almost fell off the stool. The hat could hear what he was thinking?
"Yes, I can hear your thoughts," replied the Sorting Hat. "Where I choose to place you will affect the next seven years of your life, and perhaps beyond that. Where were we? Ah yes… there is definitely a thirst for power within you; you will make an excellent leader someday. Therefore, I believe you would do best in… SLYTHERIN!"
A burst of cheers and clapping sounded out through the hall. Realizing that the hat must have said that last part out loud, Roldolphus took the hat off and walked toward the table that was cheering for him. He sat down with his new housemates and watched the rest of the sorting.
More students were sorted, and finally Professor Dumbledore called the last student forward.
"Rosier, Evan."
Evan only had the sorting hat on for a few seconds before it shouted "SLYTERIN!" to the room. Rodolphus clapped with the rest of his housemates and made room for Evan to sit beside him when he reached the table.
Professor Dumbledore removed the hat and stool from the stage and an old, frail-looking wizard stood up and began to address the room.
"A warm welcome to our new students and welcome back to everyone else! As most of you know, my name is Professor Dippet and I am the Headmaster of this school.
"I have a few notices to give out before the feast begins. As always, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students, unless they are there for a class. In that case, they must always be accompanied by a teacher. Mystical, and often dangerous, creatures dwell in those woods, and you would be putting your life at risk to enter them alone. Magic is not permitted in the corridors, and must be kept limited to common rooms and classrooms. All students caught practicing their magic in the corridors will receive detention. Quidditch tryouts will begin this week. Please see your house's team captain for more information."
Rodolphus felt his stomach growling. It had been so long since he had lunch on the train and, considering that lunch comprised of mainly snacks, Rodolphus was now starving.
"…Gobstones club will begin next week and we welcome all new members. That is all I have for now, unless you have anything to add, Deputy..." He turned to look at Professor Dumbledore, who shook his head no. Turning back to the students, Professor Dippet said, "Okay, enjoy the feast!"
Professor Dippet sat down and began talking to Professor Dumbledore and the teacher on the other side of Dumbledore – a plump man with blonde hair, who had already dug into the food.
Rodolphus began loading up his plate with all the delicious looking food before him. He looked around at his housemates, and recognized a few of them. Prescott Avery was sitting about half way down the table. He was three years older than Rodolphus, but his father was an associate of Rodolphus's father, and Prescott had been over to their house many times. Avery caught him staring and gave him a brief nod before returning to his conversation with his friends.
Rodolphus turned to Evan. "You must be relieved to not have to share a house with your brothers."
Evan nodded, grinning. He didn't respond because his mouth was full of food.
Rodolphus laughed. He was far away from his parents and was having supper with his new friend. It was by far the best day he had ever had.