Chapter the First: Aboard the Hogwarts Express
Astoria Diana Greengrass stared discontentedly at her reflection in the glass. Brown-haired, and brown-eyed, how boring. She wished she looked like her sister Daphne. Daphne had straight blonde hair and iridescent blue eyes. Astoria's hair was curly, and a pain. When Daphne dragged a brush through her hair, she was finished. If Astoria attempted the same thing, her hair knotted, and her scalp burned. She had brown eyes, the same as nearly all the world's population. Daphne's eyes reminded Astoria of the ocean. Astoria loved the ocean. The sand between her toes, squishing pleasantly, the salty taste of the ocean, the cries of the seagulls, and the waves crashing against the shore. Astoria loved every part of it. Daphne hated the ocean. She said the sand got in her clothes, she found the seagulls, and the waves too loud, and she despised sand in her toes. Astoria's complexion was pale without beauty marks or freckles. Daphne had the tanned, slightly freckled face of a California girl, despite being British. Astoria loved the outdoors, forests, beaches, and lakes. Daphne hated the outdoors, preferring instead the indoors, her bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen. Daphne and Astoria were complete opposites in every way. Daphne was loud and blunt, Astoria was soft and gentle. And despite all of their differences, Daphne was only two years older than Astoria. Today, Astoria was to begin her first day of boarding school. That was another thing; the Greengrass Family was a pureblood wizarding family. Both girls were witches, as were their ancestors as far back as you wished to go.
"Tory, darling," Astoria's mother called. "Are you all packed?" Astoria's lips framed a smile. She was very eager for her first day of Hogwarts. For two years, Astoria had hung on Daphne's every word. Now it was her chance.
"Yes, mummy!" Astoria called back. "I'm all packed." Astoria bent over, picking up her bracelet, and reattaching it to her wrist. Her auntie Rose had given it to her on her tenth birthday. It was very precious to her.
"You'll have to stop doing that, you know." Thirteen-year-old Daphne Artemis Greengrass leaned on Astoria's bedroom doorframe. Astoria jumped. Then, she saw it was her sister.
"Stop what, Daphy?" She asked. Daphne raised her blonde eyebrows. This was another thing Astoria wished she could do but couldn't.
"Calling mum 'mummy', Tory. You're eleven years old now, not a baby." Feeling both complimented at being told she was not a baby, and insulted that she had just been called one.
"I can call mummy whatever I like, Daphy. Besides, I heard you calling mummy, 'mummy' just last year." Astoria retorted. Daphne reddened.
"Okay, good point." She conceded.
Their mother's voice wafted up the stairs. "Daphy, honey, are you all packed?" Daphne dashed to her room.
"Nearly, mum!" This was another thing that differed among the sisters. Daphne was a scatterbrain, still looking for her Charms textbook forty-five minutes before they were scheduled to depart. Astoria, on the other hand, while not obsessively neat, had had her trunk packed for over a week. "Mum," Daphne called. "Have you seen my Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook?"
A half an hour later, after all of Daphne's books had been retrieved, some from the most unlikely places, the Greengrasses assembled in the library.
Alexander Charles Greengrass surveyed his family in front of him. He was responsible for his two daughters, his wife, and a niece, whose parents were out of the country for the next three weeks. "Lila?" He asked his wife. Lila Eve Greengrass nee Longbottom was a petite blonde woman with bright blue eyes, like her elder daughter, who contrasted greatly with her tall, dark husband.
"I have money for the station, and the girls." She said. Alexander nodded, and moved onto the next in line.
"Angela?" He asked. Angela Marie Nott, the daughter of Alexander's sister, Charlotte, and Jonathan Nott, the brother of Nathaniel, father of Theodore, was a thin, sad-eyed girl with long, straight brown hair, and hazel eyes. During her stay at the Greengrass Estate, she had remained very quiet, and withdrawn. This was something that Daphne found strange as at school, Angela was a very cheery, talkative, gossipy person.
"I have everything." Angela said softly. She clutched the handle of her trunk in her hands, as though it were a lifejacket.
"Daphne?" Alexander asked his elder daughter. Daphne turned towards him, quizzically.
"I think so." She said. Alexander rolled his eyes. Like his younger daughter, Astoria, he valued order. Daphne was bad at order. Once, Astoria had alphabetized all of Daphne's books, school related and otherwise, for her, and within a week, they were all out of place. "I can never remember where to put the book back," Daphne had explained. Astoria respected her sister's judgment, and never repeated the experiment. Alexander, however, refused to believe that Daphne had no organizational skills. He maintained that she was just lazy. Lila, from whom Daphne had inherited her scatterbrain-ness, put a calming hand on her husband's arm.
"We can always send it to her by owl." She said.
Finally, it was Astoria's turn. "Astoria?" Her father asked. Astoria smiled at her father.
"I've got everything." She said. He smiled back at her. That was another thing. Daphne smiled easily and often at everything, so her smile did neither enhance nor take away from her facial features. Astoria smiled less often and more slowly, and her smile lit up her face, making her infinitely more beautiful. Which was not to say that Astoria wasn't pretty, because she was. Everyone but Astoria could see it if they looked carefully enough. Astoria's smile was contagious. As if it were a reminder that everything would be okay.
"Alright, girls," Lila announced proudly as they climbed out of the car, slamming the car-doors shut, "King's Cross Station." Daphne and Angela were not too impressed as they had been here loads of times. Astoria, on the other hand, saw the station through new eyes, this time it was her turn to experience Hogwarts. No one could deflate her mood. She was a balloon of positive anticipation, and pride.
"Come along," her father said, as he led them inside. Inside, other people jostled them around. Astoria had never seen this many people (and Muggles) at one time. She had to run to keep up with her family, for she worried she would be lost otherwise, as they made their way to Platform 9 ¾. Astoria saw only Platforms 9 and 10, and immediately her eyes zoomed in on the wall in the middle. Father and Angela passed through by walking briskly. Daphne glanced around quickly and skipped through the barrier. This left Astoria and her mother.
Lila seized Astoria by the hand, and rushed the two of them through. Astoria blinked. One moment she saw red brick, the next she was greeted by an airy, sunlit platform. She thought she could just make out her sister's distinct blonde head beside that of a brunette, but she couldn't see her father or Angela. Her mother was taller, and by nature, she could see farther. She steered Astoria over to Alexander and a blonde couple. The man Astoria recognized as Lucius Malfoy. He was an associate of her father's, if not a friend. The woman was easily the most beautiful woman Astoria had ever seen. Mrs. Malfoy, and Lila Greengrass were both blondes with blue eyes, but that was where the similarities ended. Mrs. Malfoy's hair was perfectly blonde, shiny, and flowing, neither straight nor curly but rather a perfect combination of the two. Her bright, blue eyes reminded Astoria of the perfect shell fragment she'd once found on her windowsill. It had been brilliantly blue as well, and impossible to describe. She held herself like a queen, tall and stately, while Lila was petite, looking like a teenager. So, naturally Astoria could only stare in awe.
"Ah, Lucius," her father was saying. "My wife, Lila, and our youngest, Astoria." Were Astoria required to speak something original at this moment, she probably would have failed. However, inwardly Astoria flushed with relief, for she knew what to do. She swept a deep curtsey, proud that her mint green dress, edged with silver, accented her eyes, and spoke demurely.
"A pleasure, sir." Lucius was pleased. He turned back to her father, and complimented him.
"How fortunate you are, Alexander, to be blessed with two beautiful daughters." Astoria thought he was merely being polite, for she knew she wasn't pretty.
Lila gave Astoria a gentle push. "Go find your sister, Tory."
Grateful, Astoria pushed through the throngs, passing as she did: a duo of students. The taller of the two was a gangly redhead whose robes did not seem to fit quite right. The shorter of the two was a bushy brunette who seemed to be scolding the redhead. Disregarding them, she pushed on. Finally coming to a halt beside her sister, Astoria let out a deep sigh. She felt slightly nauseous as she had a minor case of claustrophobia, which stemmed from the fact that her sister had locked her in a broom closet at the age of four.
"So, then I said, just who do you think-," Daphne broke off when she saw her sister. "Oh, sorry, Tory. I didn't see you there. Pansy Parkinson, Alexandra Runcorn, Tracey Davis, this is my younger sister, Astoria. She's starting this year." Daphne placed her hand on Astoria's shoulder. Astoria began to curtsey but stopped when one of the girls laughed derisively. The girl was one of the two brunettes. She had a face that reminded Astoria of the squashed face of her aunty Rose's Pekings, and hair cut rather unbecomingly in a short bob.
"You won't need that at Hogwarts." She said in a superior tone. Astoria flushed, embarrassed. The other two girls, a blonde and a brunette, were decidedly quieter. The brunette's hair was so dark that it was nearly black. She was of the type that people call handsome, but not so much pretty. The blonde's hair was darker than Daphne's by several shades, and it was curly like Astoria's rather than straight like Daphne's. Daphne hadn't told her which girl was which, but she guessed that the blonde was Tracey Davis, and the brunette Alexandra Runcorn, just because Alexandra tended to be a dark-haired name.
"We'd better board the train." Alexandra said, as she was indeed the brunette. Her suggestion was punctuated by the train whistle. The older girls hurried towards and onto the train, followed by the shorter, and therefore slower, Astoria. She reached out and tugged Daphne's arm.
"Where are our trunks, Daphy?" Astoria asked, perplexed by the apparent lack of them. Daphne, who was arm-in-arm with Pansy, turned around and spoke to her sister, carelessly.
"Oh, father put them in my compartment." She turned back to Pansy. Astoria felt slighted. Surely she was more interesting than mean and prissy Pansy Parkinson. She had grown up with the idea that her sister was her best friend. After all, this held true for her mother and aunty Rose. Brushing aside her shock and disappointment, and telling herself it was nothing, although it wasn't to her, Astoria mounted the train after Tracey and Alexandra.
The whistle blew, and steam began to pour out of the train's smokestack. Astoria rushed into the nearest compartment and raced to the window. Energetically, she waved to her mother through the slightly wavy glass of the train window. Astoria was just in time, for no sooner had her mother waved in return, the train began to move. Picking up speed, the train left the platform, and her mother was no longer visible. Ashamed, Astoria felt tears pricking her eyes. She was eleven, not four. She couldn't cry.
A tap on her shoulder made her whirl around in surprise. It was Alexandra Runcorn. Her companion, Tracey Davis, waited for her on the other side of the compartment door. "Astoria," Alexandra began carefully. Astoria began to see that the other girl spoke quietly yet calmly, seeming to choose all of her words carefully. "Daphne is waiting for you." She took Astoria by the wrist and tugged her over to the glass compartment door. For a small girl; Alexandra was not much taller than Astoria; Alexandra was strong. Astoria's wrist stung a little when the older girl let her go. Tracey slid open the door from the other side. The two girls walked Astoria several compartments down. Astoria soon discovered that Tracey's silence was not self-imposed, as she was a very talkative girl. Walking on Astoria's right, Alexandra to her left, she pointed out those of interest around them.
"That's Adrian Pucey. He plays Chaser for the House team. Your sister fancies him, but he already has a girlfriend."
"She's Padma Patil. Her identical twin's in Gryffindor, she's in Ravenclaw. She's very nice. Well, they both are. Padma's more intellectual, and Parvati's more girly, but they're both sweet. Padma fancies her best friend, Anthony Goldstein, but she won't tell him, and Parvati's always fancying someone."
"He's Dean Thomas. He's a Gryffindor, and we're not supposed to associate with the enemy, but isn't he cute? He hasn't got a girlfriend, either."
Astoria looked at Alexandra to see how she responded to this last comment. Alexandra rolled her eyes, but she had a good-natured look on her face, as though she were used to this kind of thing from such a silly best friend.
"That's Ava Spinks. She dated Draco Malfoy last year, but he dropped her when he found out she was a half-blood. Oh, wait; you haven't met Draco yet, have you? Well, you'll meet him in a little while. I think she's gorgeous, don't you? All the boys fancy her, well, all those who don't fancy your sister or Alexandra."
"Tracey!" Alexandra protested. This time Astoria saw no sign of a good-natured teasing look on her face.
"Well, it's true. I mean, it's just Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Terry Boot …Hardly anyone really."
As Alexandra stopped and fumbled with the compartment door, Tracey became suddenly silent again. Jerking open the door, Alexandra entered the compartment where Pansy and Daphne were joined by several other boys and a girl.
"Everyone," Daphne proclaimed, standing up and firmly gripping Astoria's already sore wrist. "This is my sister, Astoria." Astoria blushed deep red as everyone turned to look at her. She wasn't used to this much attention.
Pansy jumped in with introductions. "Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott." Her voice soured as she continued. "Crabbe, Goyle, and Millicent Bulstrode." She said, nodding towards the two hulking boys and a girl.
Astoria fought the urge to run out of the compartment, and sat down beside her sister. Alexandra and Tracey took the two remaining seats, wordlessly. Astoria began to see a sort of hierarchy among the girls. Pansy and her sister were at the top, Tracey and Alexandra were in the middle, and Millicent Bulstrode was at the bottom.
Astoria was suddenly aware of how quickly the train was moving, and how queasy it was making her stomach. "Daphne," she spoke softly. Daphne only needed one look at Astoria's face.
"Yes, alright." Daphne fumbled in her pockets, and retrieved a small glass flask. it was filled about three-quarters of the way with yellowish fluid. This flask Daphne handed to Astoria. "Remember, Tory, only one sip." Daphne could remember things to do with other people but not herself.
"What's that?" Pansy demanded, her voice shrill. Daphne shook her head. Pansy opened her mouth to cause a fuss but Draco Malfoy distracted the two girls with a question about this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Astoria flashed him a grateful look. He looked startled before flashing her an easy smile.
Astoria took a sip of the flask and wiped her mouth. It tasted like peppermint milk. The taste was not unpleasant, but the aftertaste was disgusting: rancid licorice. Astoria made a face and restoppered the cork. Instead of returning the container to Daphne, however, Astoria tucked it into her sweater pocket.
Bored by the conversation around her, Astoria took out her book. The cover read, "Hogwarts, A History," but the book underneath was a Muggle fantasy novel. Since as a pureblood, Astoria was expected to abhor all things Muggle, she was forced to hide the books. Astoria's aunty Rose, who had a fondness for novels of all kinds, smuggled them to her, every time she visited. If her father ever found out, he would be positively furious.
This particular one was brand-new to Astoria as she had never read it. It was entitled, "Howl's Moving Castle," and it was by Diana Wynne Jones, a widely popular British Muggle fantasy author. Astoria opened the book to the first page and read:
In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes. Sophie Hatter was the eldest of three sisters. She was not even the child of a poor woodcutter, which might have given her some chance of success. Her parents were well to do and kept a ladies' hat shop in the prosperous town of Market Chipping. True, her own mother died when Sophie was two years old and her sister Lettie was one year old, and their father married his youngest shop assistant, a pretty blonde girl called Fanny. Fanny shortly gave birth to the third sister, Martha. This ought to have made Sophie and Lettie into Ugly Sisters, but in fact all three girls grew up very pretty indeed, though Lettie was the one everyone said was the most beautiful. Fanny treated all three girls with the same kindness and did not favour Martha in the least. Mr. Hatter was proud of his three daughters and sent them all to the best school in town. Sophie was the most studious. She read a great deal, and very soon realized how little chance she had of an interesting future. It was a disappointment to her, but she was still happy enough, looking after her sisters and grooming Martha to seek her fortune when the time came. Since Fanny was always busy in the shop, Sophie was the one who looked after the younger two. There was a certain amount of screaming and hairpulling between those younger two. Lettie was by no means resigned to being the one who, next to Sophie, was bound to be the least successful. "It's not fair!" Lettie would shout. "Why should Martha have the best of it because she was born the youngest? I shall marry a prince, so there!" To which Martha always retorted that she would end up disgustingly rich without having to marry anybody. Then Sophie would have to drag them apart and mend their clothes. She was very deft with her needle. As time went on, she made clothes for her sisters too. There was one deep rose outfit she made for Lettie, the May Day before this story really starts, which Fanny said looked as if it had come from the most expensive shop in Kingsbury. About this time everyone began talking of the Witch of the Waste again. It was said the Witch had threatened the life of the King's daughter and that the King had commanded his personal magician, Wizard Suliman, to go into the Waste and deal with the Witch. And it seemed that Wizard Suliman had not only failed to deal with the Witch: he had got himself killed by her…
Now deeply immersed in her book, Astoria jumped as a cheery voice asked, "Anything off the trolley, dears?" Tracey laughed, not unkindly. Daphne brought out three galleons and a handful of sickles.
"Want anything, Tory?" She asked. Astoria nodded her head.
"Have you got any Cauldron Cakes? May I have two, please?" She asked the plump trolley witch. The witch smiled brightly at her.
"Why, yes, dearie. You have excellent manners, which is unusual for this lot." She handed Astoria two wax-wrapped Cauldron Cakes and took Daphne's change. Everyone else in the compartment clamoured around the woman asking for sweets except Tracey. Astoria took Alexandra's vacated seat beside Tracey.
"Don't you want anything?" She asked the blonde. Tracey looked mournful and shook her head.
"Can't. I've got diabetes." Seeing Astoria's puzzled look, she added. "It's a Muggle disease. It means I can't eat things with a high intake of sugar. It's inherited in my case." Astoria tucked the knowledge away in her head. She planned to ask aunty Rose to send her a book on it. For now, she settled for munching contently on her Cauldron Cake. The center was vanilla, her favorite kind.
As she began her second cake, Astoria noticed that the compartment looked significantly emptier. On closer inspection, she realized that Draco Malfoy, and the two boys who resembled gorillas, Crabbe and Goyle, were gone. Licking her fingers, after all her mother wasn't here to scold her, Astoria wiped her mouth and went to the door.
She noted that the train was immensely large. But then, of course, it was, she reminded herself. It had to transport four hundred and ninety students plus their trunks and other belongings.
"Astoria, what are you doing?" Daphne asked, breaking off her conversation as she realized her sister was struggling to open the glass door.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Astoria wheezed out, struggling to force open the door. At an imploring look from Alexandra, dark-haired, dark-skinned Blaise Zabini deftly undid the latch. With a smooth motion, he slid open the door. "Thank you!" Astoria breathed and dashed out of the compartment.
"Astoria!" Daphne wailed. "Where are you going?" Astoria raced along the length of the train, ignoring her sister's cry.
Oof! Astoria had barreled right into someone.
"Hey!" A male voice protested as Astoria crashed into them. "Watch where you're going. Astoria moved backwards out of the way. Now she could see again. The boy was very tall and burly. He glared down at Astoria. "There are other people on this train. Watch yourself, firstie." Astoria trembled. Was he going to hit her?
"Oi, Flint!" Another voice called. Astoria and the boy she'd bumped; it seemed his surname was Flint; turned. Astoria felt a flood of relief. It was Draco Malfoy, and she had never been so thrilled to see someone as she was to see him. Draco put his hand on Astoria's shoulder and she leaned back against him. "Leave off Greengrass here. She's a sure Slytherin." Flint snorted.
"She's Greengrass' sister?" He asked. "They look nothing alike. Our first practice is next week, Malfoy, see that you're there." Marcus Flint re-entered his compartment, for that's who he was.
Draco kept his arm on Astoria. "T- thank you." Astoria stammered. Draco smirked.
"Don't mention it." He said.
Blip! Zzt! went the train and then it stopped and the lights went out. Astoria didn't scream, but she couldn't help letting out a small gasp and clutching Draco's arm. Draco went all white but the fact that Astoria was counting on him kept him from completely freaking out.
A cloaked figure towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its cloak. It reached one hand towards them and this time Astoria couldn't help it, she screamed at the top of her lungs because the hand was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking and scabbed, like something that had decayed slowly in murky water. Draco was terrified as well but he shoved Astoria into the nearest compartment and slammed the door behind them.
"Who's there?" Demanded two voices. They were familiar to Draco but not to Astoria.
"Who's there?" Draco demanded back. Sensing that they were getting nowhere, and having regained her senses now that they were away from that thing, Astoria spoke.
"Astoria Greengrass, could you put on a light, please?" Three incantations were heard and the compartment was bathed rather nicely in bluish-yellow light. Astoria breathed a sigh of relief, but no one noticed because she was no longer the center of attention.
"You!" Explained Draco and the two older redheaded boys at once. Astoria was later to learn that these were the Weasley twins, Fred and George. At the moment, she merely wondered whether they were related to the gangly redheaded boy she had seen earlier.
"You have a lot of nerve coming into our compartment like that, Malfoy." One of the boys was saying.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Like I would have come into your compartment if I'd known it was yours. Anyway, Astoria was scared-"
The twins shared a look of amusement. "Right, Astoria was scared." Astoria wondered vaguely what this had to do with her before bursting in.
"I was! It was the most terrifying thing I ever saw. It was the worse than the time Daphne locked me in a closet.
"Who locked you in a closet?"Asked the twin closer to Astoria. "Daphne locked you in a closet?" Draco asked incredulously at the same time. Astoria wasn't happy to be the center of attention again, but at least the boys weren't fighting.
"My sister- Daphne. We were playing hide-and-go-seek and she locked me in. It was horrible. They didn't find me for hours."
Just as suddenly as they had gone out, the lights flickered on with a slight fst! Draco sighed in relief. Grabbing Astoria's wrist, he said, "Astoria, perhaps we should go." Astoria agreed pleasantly.
"OK." As Draco pulled her out of the compartment, she called. "Bye!" Once they were far enough away from the compartment, Draco shook Astoria.
"Do you know who those were?" He demanded.
"No," Astoria said in a small voice, adding in her head, but I'm sure you're going to tell me.
Draco muttered, "Help me, Merlin!" Then he said, "Those were the Weasleys."
Astoria let out a small "oh!" before saying, "Blood-traitors."
"Exactly." Draco said, glad that she knew what he meant. "There are seven Weasley children. Five of them are at Hogwarts. You'll be able to tell them immediately. They all have red hair and freckles."
But actually, Astoria was more intrigued than ever. What would their blood look like? She knew it wouldn't be pure red like hers, but she assumed it wouldn't be dirt-colored, either, after all they were still purebloods. Perhaps it would be rust-colored. That made sense to Astoria. She resolved to think over the matter, later, and placidly slipped her small, pale hand into Draco's.
Draco experienced the strangest feeling. He could swear Astoria changed, looking quite similar but older and prettier, dressed in a white bridal gown, and a lacy, filmy veil thrown over her face. Draco blinked, and the vision was gone. Eleven year old, Astoria looked up at him, her syrupy eyes looking worried, and her face paler than unusual. "Draco, are you okay?"
Draco felt like a prat. Here was Astoria worrying about him, when he was the one who was supposed to look after her. "Right," he said, snapping out of it. "Let's get you back to your sister."