Disclaimer And Author's Note:
Siren
Land and trees streamed past the window as the train to Hogsmeade clickclacked its way down the track. The air in the lonely car was cool, almost crisp, but its single passenger didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to be asleep. An 11-year-old girl with long blonde hair and dressed in long black robes had her head resting against the window, cushioned by a rolled-up cloak. A rather large birdcage holding an owl (which also appeared to be sleeping) was sitting in the seat beside her.
I wonder what it'll be like, the young girl (who was simply resting her eyes) thought to herself. I wonder what it'll be like to step onto Platform 9 3/4 regularly…
This girl was Ivy O'touge, a muggle child who had recently come to find out that she was really a witch, and was to report to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on September 1st to receive further education. She had begged her parents to let her come, let her leave Tappan Zee (the school she had been attending), but they were skeptical.
"Witchcraft?" her father had said with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. "I don' think I like the sound o' that."
"Do they teach math?" her mother had asked breezily as she looked at the school supplies list. "You need math skills Ivy dear…"
"It doesn't say Witchcraft, Wizardry and Math," Ivy said impatiently. "Can I please go?"
"Wha's wrong with Tappan Zee?" her father asked gruffly.
"Nobody likes me and the kids are all vicious brutes!" Ivy's eyes lit up. "Maybe I can learn how to turn people into frogs!"
"There'll be none o' that in my 'ouse!" Mr. O'touge barked.
"It wouldn't be in your house, it'd be at school."
"She has a point dear," said Mrs. O'touge as she passed her husband his tea.
Ivy had picked up the letter and shown it to her dad as she pointed to the signed name. "Just write to Professor McGonagall! He can probably tell you what you want."
"I can't. There's no return address."
Ivy frowned, and for a moment none of them said a word as they read the letters or sipped their tea.
All of a sudden, a large brown bird came soaring into the room through one of the open windows and settled down onto the table the O'touges were gathered around. Ivy's mother let out a squeal of panic and stumbled out of her seat as Mr. O'touge crashed backwards in his with a yell.
The owl ruffled its feathers indignantly, and Ivy saw another piece of parchment tied round one of its legs.
"C'mere boy," she cooed, and it simply stuck its foot out to her, indicating that she was to remove the parchment at once.
"Ivy don't touch it, it could have rabies!" her mother screamed.
"Owls don't have rabies, mum," said Ivy as she untied the parchment, although she wasn't entirely certain.
"Tha's exactly what I mean!" her father shouted from the floor. "Owls flyin' in right in the middle of tea!"
Rolling her eyes, Ivy read the note out loud.
"'We understand that you may not have an owl on hand. Please send your reply, as well as any questions you may have back with Horace. P.S. The supplies listed previously can be found at the following location…'"
Ivy looked up from the note as her father got off of the floor and set his chair back up. "Well there you go dad! Just write up your questions and send them back with Horace!"
Her father had grunted unhappily, but seeing as how the time to make their decision was limited, the O'touges had trekked their way to Diagon Alley, a hidden place where there were plenty of shops available where Ivy could purchase her supplies.
"We aren't 'ere to buy anythin'," her father had kept saying. "We're just goin' to meet the…ah…locals--"
"And then you'll let me go?" Ivy had asked hopefully.
"And then we'll make our decision," Mr. O'touge corrected her.
"The decision to let me go?"
"No."
"Please?"
"Should we have a map?" Mrs. O'touge had interrupted as she gazed around at the shop windows, utterly bewildered.
"Nonsense! We'll jus' step into one o' the shops 'ere," said Mr. O'touge as he lead his family into a shop.
Cages lined every wall, holding all kinds of animals. Cats, owls, rats, lizards, and a few other species Ivy couldn't quite be sure of milled about idly behind bars; a large jeweled tortoise glittered in the window, and a sign floated above a cage of black rats, reading SALE! BLACK RATS HALF OFF! A small witch stood behind the counter, and she smiled at her patrons.
"Welcome to Magical Menagerie," she said. "Muggles?"
"Oh, no thank you," said Mrs. O'touge happily. "We've just had lunch. We were wondering if perhaps you could give us some directions? We've never been to this place before and our daughter might be going to some new school--"
"Really mum?" Ivy smiled.
"No," said Mr. O'touge.
The witch explained that she had many patrons in the same situation, and gave them directions to the stores where they could purchase the things on Ivy's list. She even instructed them to go to a bank called Gringotts to exchange their money, since they didn't accept the currency the O'touges were carrying, and started to offer advice on choosing a owl.
"'ear now, we don' even know if she's goin'," said Mr. O'touge.
"That's fine, that's fine," said the witch dismissively. "You think about it."
The O'touges had wandered around Diagon Alley for close to the three hours, Ivy's mom and dad talking to each in other in hushed tones. Ivy was overwhelmed by it all. There were shops that sold broomsticks and wands, a bookstore with books that bit you, and the bank was run by goblins. The longer she was in this magical world, the more she wanted to be a part of it.
By the time the sun had begun to sink below the horizon, Ivy had wanted to go to Hogwarts so badly, it made her stomach twist in knots. She didn't think she'd be able to stand it if her parents said no.
"So can I go?" she asked tiredly as they all rested on a bench outside of a tavern named The Leaky Cauldron.
Mr. and Mrs. O'touge looked at each other as if they were still discussing the situation telepathically. Ivy's mother turned to her and said, "We decided that you can."
Ivy had to restrain herself from jumping off the bench and dancing wildly in the street. "Really?" she squeaked. "I can?"
Her mother nodded, but her father had his arms crossed over his chest, a grumpy look on his tired face. "Yeah, you can go," he had said. "But the instant somethin' don' look right, you call us and we'll come an' get you."
Ivy sighed in the cool air of the train car as the owl beside her starting hooting insistently. The young girl admired her new pet, the Bearer of Letters. The owl was a female Spotted named Verona. She had been the only one of her kind in the store, and instead of being locked up in a cage with the rest, she had her own perch in one corner of the shop. The witch that had sold Verona told Ivy explained that the owl didn't like being caged, and that Verona often made it known to everyone when she had had her fill of it.
Twisting in her seat, Ivy propped herself up on her knees in order to look around the car, making sure no one was around. Satisfied, she opened the door to Verona's cage, and the owl hooted graciously before swooping out towards the ceiling. Ivy smiled to herself as she watched her pet stretch her wings and settle down on top of one of seatbacks.
She didn't mind being alone. She was quite used to it in fact. At Tappan Zee, Ivy didn't exactly have many friends, and almost everyone liked to pick on her since she was one of the "smart" kids. The teachers there didn't really seem to pay attention to what was happening with the students, so no one ever stepped in to stop the bullying. This eventually got Ivy into many fights, and while the teachers would suddenly take a great interest in the students' welfare, calling Ivy's parents to inform them that their child was starting trouble, Mr. and Mrs. O'touge didn't seem to notice either. Ivy was a good girl, but she had a mean streak that could only be cultivated in a public school. She considered herself to be a good friend to others, but she had difficulty getting past grudges, letting go of insults. Ivy had accumulated many emotional scars in her 11 years, but rarely did she let them show. However, her lack of friends made her ridiculously shy, so it wasn't like she really had anyone to show these scars to.
The door at the front of the car opened, and Verona rotated her head to watch as someone entered. Ivy heard the voices of three girls, and for a brief moment her stomach jumped; she was suddenly seized by the irresistible urge to slide lower into her seat, pretend to be asleep in order to avoid talking to these girls. It was a normal response that she had grown accustomed to.
"You know, everyone in my family was in Ravenclaw!"
"I hope I'm not put in Hufflepuff…"
"Well you must admit, it's better than Slytherin…"
The girls laughed as they walked down the aisle, discussing placement in such odd names. Ivy was still debating whether or not to fall asleep quickly when one of the girls said, "Look! Someone's owl got loose!"
One of them must have made a grab for Verona, because the bird rose from the seat she had been perched on with an indignant hoot and flew to the seat beside Ivy. The three girls came into view, and by now it was too late for Ivy to hide.
They all looked about her age. One was tall and lanky, with short red hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a friendly smile. The one standing to her right was a little heavyset, brunette, and looking extremely curious. The girl on the left, however, was thin and pale, with long black hair and a narrow pretty face. Together, they made up an interesting group.
"Oy! What's this?" the redhead smiled.
"Looks like another student ta me!" said the brunette.
"But what's she doing here all by her lonesome?" the pale girl asked softly.
Ivy fiddled with the balled up cloak in her hands.
"You don't have to talk like she can't hear you!" the redhead scolded. She tried to get Ivy's attention. "Hey you, what're you doin' here all by yourself? Ain't ya got any friends?"
Ivy blushed. "I'm new," she said softly.
"We're all new!" chortled the brunette as she leaned against one of the seats.
"Er…I mean…I'm new to the whole, ahem, witch thing."
"Is that your owl?" the redhead asked.
"Yeah."
"She's fast. I tried catching her and she took off like a rocket!" The redhead laughed. "What's her name?"
"Verona," said Ivy as she looked at the owl, wishing she had something else to fiddle with; she was worried that she'd pick the seam right out of her cloak.
"That's a pretty name," said the girl. "What's yours?"
"Ivy…"
"Like the plant?" said the brunette suddenly.
"Uh, yeah, I guess."
"I'm Lisa," the redhead smiled. "And the vampire over here is Ava."
Ava nodded.
"And I'm Beth!" the brunette cheered happily.
"Hi." Ivy tried not to cringe at her own remarkable conversational skills.
Ava noticed instantly. "Not very talkative is she."
Lisa nudged Ava in the side with her elbow a bit harder than what was called for.
"Anyone else in your family at Hogwarts?" Beth asked.
"Er…no…I'm the first actually," said Ivy, watching her hands as she continued to pick mercilessly at a thread in her cloak's collar.
"How's that?" Ava asked with an almost bored tone to her voice.
Ava certainly wasn't helping Ivy's courage. "I don't know. I'd never heard of Hogwarts before I got the letter, and my parents didn't really seem to like it--"
"They didn't?" Lisa looked shocked. "Why not? Hogwarts is the best wizarding school in the whole world!"
"Well, no one in my family's heard of it," said Ivy timidly.
"Oy! A magical muggle!" yelped Beth, and she laughed as if this was an extremely hilarious thing.
There's that word again. "Just what is a muggle anyway?" Ivy asked, trying desperately not to notice that she was being laughed at for some reason.
Lisa waved a hand dismissively and said, "It's just a word us wizards and such use for normal people. But since you're a witch--" Lisa shot a disapproving look towards Beth "--that makes you abnormal. Not a muggle."
Beth looked abashed. "Sorry."
Ava tossed her hair and sighed. "If you don't mind," she said tiredly, "I think I'm going to go change into my proper robes."
"Yeah, me too," Beth agreed as she started to follow Ava out of the car. "You comin' Lisa?"
Lisa shook her head. "Nah, I'll catch up with you later."
"Alright then. So long, Magical Muggle!" Beth cried, and the two girls left.
Lisa looked at Ivy with an expression that clearly said "I'm sorry." She set Verona's cage on the floor and sat down beside Ivy. "Don't mind them," said Lisa apologetically. "They're both a little keyed up about starting school."
There were plenty of things one could say to such a simple explanation, but Ivy said, "Is Ava really a vampire?"
Lisa looked as if she had been caught off-guard with some kind of joke. Then, seeing that Ivy was serious, Lisa laughed and said, "No, no, she's not. It's just a thing we call her."
Duh! Ivy felt her cheeks begin to burn and took her embarrassment out on the string. "Oh. Right."
Lisa half-smiled at the blonde girl. "So…you're really a muggle, huh?"
"I don't know. Am I?"
"I'd say so." Lisa stifled a giggle. "Otherwise you'd know that vampires don't go to school."
Ivy's cheeks began to burn even more.
"Don't pay Beth any mind with that Magical Muggle stuff," the redhead continued gently. "She has a habit of talking before thinking."
"Ah."
Lisa waited a moment for Ivy to say something else. When she didn't, Lisa added, "And Ava's just tired. She tends to get a little…uhm…grouchy when she's tired."
"I'd say she's more of a…" Ivy was about to say "witch", but since that word suddenly had a different meaning, she settled on "…a crab."
"She's not always like that. But I've only known her for a few months." Lisa leaned back in the seat and tilted her head back, watching Verona preen herself. "So what do you know about Hogwarts?"
Ivy shrugged. "Nothing." She saw out of the corner of her eye that Lisa was looking at her expectantly. Talk! She wants you to say something! Argh, what happened to your vocabulary??
"But I knew I wanted to come when I went to Diagon Alley," she added. "I mean, it just seemed so…cool."
Lisa smiled. "Well, if there's anything you want to know, just ask me. My mum went to Hogwarts, and when I got my acceptance letter she set to work filling my head with all kinds of useless knowledge. Don't you think you should give the cloak a rest? You might need it whole sometime."
Further embarrassed by her nervous habit, Ivy immediately let go of the cloak.
"Relax Ivy!" said Lisa. "There's nothing to worry about."
For a few minutes, neither girl said anything. The clickclack of the train tracks fell into a rhythm in Ivy's head, lulling her into a stupor as she watched the blur of trees glide past the window. As she started to lean against the cold glass once more, Lisa said, "Do you know about the houses?"
Ivy blinked and looked away from the window. "What houses?"
"The four houses of Hogwarts."
Ivy looked at Verona (who now had her head tucked beneath one massive wing) as if she expected the bird to say something, then back to Lisa. "I told you, I don't know anything about Hogwarts."
"Then I have something to teach you." Lisa turned in her seat to face Ivy, and started to tick the house names on her fingers. "There's Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Every house was named after one of the four founders of Hogwarts, and all of the first years have to go through something called the Sorting Ceremony where this talking hat decides which house you belong in."
Ivy suddenly felt the same thrill that ran through her upon looking at the snapping books in the bookstore. "A talking hat?"
"Yeah. See, you put it on, and it looks into your mind and decides if your brave or smart or whatever, and tells you which house you're going to stay in. Beth's family's all been in Ravenclaw, but I think she's going to be in Hufflepuff. Ava's a Ravenclaw, I know, she's just so smart! And I hope I'll be put in Gryffindor. Harry Potter's in Gryffindor!"
"Harry who?"
Lisa gazed at Ivy with a mutinous light in her eyes. However, it faded. "Harry Potter! He's only the most famous person in the wizarding world next to…" Lisa's voice dropped "…You-Know-Who."
Ivy shook her head. "No…no, I don't know who."
"It doesn't matter. Harry Potter killed him, and You-Don't-Know-Who was the most powerful Dark Wizard there ever was!" A dreamy state overtook Lisa. "I'd die a happy girl if I could be sorted into the same house as Harry Potter."
"Ah…ha…" Ivy giggled. "Right. So what about Slytherin?"
Lisa suddenly wrinkled up her nose as if something had suddenly died and rotted in the space of a second. "You don't want to be in Slytherin," she grimaced. "They're all a bunch of trouble-makers. Did you know that that house has had nothing but bad people come out of it? Well, I guess you couldn't've…Anyway, the head of that house is Professor Snape. He's the potions master and nobody likes him, except for the other Slytherins. And maybe the staff, but you can't be too sure about that."
"Why doesn't anyone like him?"
"He's mean!" Lisa yelped. "And for no reason! Especially to Gryffindors! In fact, he's sooo nice to the Slytherins, it's kind of hard not to notice how mean he is…"
Verona hooted loudly, and glared down at Lisa with a look that said "You're talking too loud."
Ivy smiled, and reached up to stroke the bird into a slumber. "Do you have an owl?"
"Of course! But he's just a regular Barn Owl. Still, he's a real sweetie. I named him Kitty."
Ivy quirked an eyebrow. "Kitty? Why Kitty?"
Lisa shrugged and smiled as if Ivy had just asked a forgivably silly question. "Why not?"
Ivy nodded slowly, and looked down at the cloak that was still balled up tightly in her hands. Relax, she told herself. Lisa seems like a nice girl, even if Beth and Ava don't. Not everyone can be mean…
Ha! Who are you kidding? You, the girl who was locked in the janitor's closet for two hours by her classmates, are saying that 'not everyone can be mean'??
Oh stop that, she scolded herself. Just learn to trust a little. You're going to need a friend. After all, you're all alone in a new world without anyone to guide you.
Ivy wondered when her reasoning had become this mature, and decided that it must have something to do with puberty.
"We have about half an hour left 'til we get to Hogwarts," said Lisa. "Want to learn how to hold a wand properly?"
Once more, Ivy looked to Verona for guidance, and, seeing that the owl had fallen asleep again, she made her own decision. "I'd love to."