"It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
***
7... 8... 9...
The platforms glided past the anxious little girl and her grandfather. A rickety trolley carrying a large trunk and a few other parcels rolled in front of them. It swayed in jerky motions, threatening to tip at some points even on the smooth concrete floor, the girl having some trouble keeping up with her grandfather's quick pace as well as shoving the trolley along. She could barely even see over the mound of carefully placed luggage. Only the rhythmic tap of his walking stick helped lead the way.
Abruptly, the old man stopped. His towering form remained a good pace away from his young granddaughter, facing the large pillar between platforms nine and ten. Slowly he examined his pocket watch, squinting into its chunky face. He then turned to her with his concentrated eyes as the girl swerved the trolley to keep from hitting him.
"On schedule," he announced in his low voice.
Out of the corner of her eye, Claudia could detect the stares the twosome received. Ordinary people gawked at Waldrom Corvinus' formal three piece suit and navy cloak. His tall stature didn't help in avoiding hushed whispers and nods in his direction. Claudia herself was dressed very plainly, though much more up to date than her grandfather. She abandoned her place behind the trolley, trying her best to ignore the stares. She took her place beside the elder gentleman, who stared pointedly at the brick wall in front of them.
"Would you prefer if I go first?" he asked, his tone never softening.
Slowly, the girl of eleven nodded, and watched with a hard expression as he easily disappeared past the seemingly solid pillar. For a moment she stood there, still as the plaster walls around her. She breathed deeply, wanting to reach out a tentative hand and possibly graze the wall before attempting to run through it herself.
"S'cuse me?"
Claudia tensed and turned to face the voice behind her. It was a family, comprising of a stout mother, two rosy boys and a lean father who had spoken up. Beside them were two trolleys, just as stacked as Claudia's own.
"If you're going to be much longer, would you mind if we bumped ahead?"
She did not answer, only stared at them for a moment before shaking her head and pushing her things to the side to make room.
"Thank you, dear," smiled the mother as the family filed through to platform 9 3/4.
Finally she grasped the handle of her trolley, lining herself up with the pillar, and took off at a brisk pace. Her heart stuttered as she reached it, but there was no time to rethink her decision. She shut her eyes as she passed through, opening them to reveal a very different train station.
"Took you long enough," a stern voice scolded from above her.
Claudia looked up to meet her grandfather's expression and let out a deep breath, taking in the scenery around her. The platform was bubbling with activity; friends greeting each other with hugs, parents chasing after little ones, owls swooping low overhead... All this lined with a thin layer of smoke as the Hogwarts Express prepared for departure.
Claudia's eyes jumped, unable to take it all in. Her nose recoiled slightly as an awful, burning stench filled her nostrils. Looking to her right she saw a group of older students, one of whose hair had caught on fire. They all roared with laughter, including the one with the burning scalp. Barely a second later her bent into a low bow and the fire extinguished itself, revealing his bright red hair. A boy identical to him clapped him on the back, while a few onlookers began applauding admiringly. But most of the people surrounding the teenagers didn't pay them the least bit of attention. Giving her head a slight shake, the girl took off down the platform, once again trying to catch up with her grandfather.
They traveled what felt like the entire length of the massive, auburn train. People who knew her older escort approached them with polite hellos and nods of their heads. Only a handful of people stopped to chat, all of them looking curiously at the young girl.
"Mr. Corvinus," greeted a particularly spindly looking woman. Her mass of black hair was twisted into a bun, sitting elegantly though slightly lopsided on the top of her head. The woman's image was what had been burned into Claudia's mind as an example of a witch. She was older and harrowing, dressed in all black. "I must say that I'm surprised in seeing you here."
"Mrs. Black," he replied, accepting her outstretched hand. "The circumstances should be none too surprising."
The woman glared back at him with terrifyingly bright grey eyes. She looked to his side, staring down at Claudia with those same frightful eyes. The young girl felt a sudden impulse to cringe away from her pointed stare.
"A daughter of the squib..." If Mrs. Black had intended to mutter such under her breath she had not succeeded.
The old man shot her a tense look, but this did not faze the woman from staring scathingly at the girl in obvious disgust.
"Such history," she continued, drawing her eyes back up towards the man. "And such a waste." The cackle in her tone was undeniable.
The pair stood there in uncomfortable stillness even after the wicked woman had turned her back to them, sharply walking away. Waldrom cleared his throat, adjusting his cloak and looking up past the girl's blonde head.
"You're going to be late," he said without glancing at his pocket watch.
Just as suspected the platform was steadily filing out. Stragglers flailed to be free of their mother's arms as they were clutched close. Claudia recognized the family from earlier, who had gone through the barrier before her. She watched the mother's loving fingers smooth out unkempt pieces of hair and wipe imaginary smudges off ruddy cheeks. Claudia's heart gave a slight wrench as the boys pushed away from their mother.
"Gerroff!" one cried, stomping his way towards the train.
"Oh," his mother tutted with false discipline before focusing the attention of her goodbyes onto her second son.
"Mum!" he whined as she pulled him in close one final time.
"Alright, dear, I think he's had enough," laughed the father. "Now run along, make lots of friends, keep your noses clean and all that nonsense!"
The weepy-eyed mother smiled, her husband wrapping an arm around her as they waved goodbye to their sons.
Claudia exhaled slowly. A part of her, somewhere deep in the pit of her stomach, lurched at the clear display of love. She swallowed hard, mentally kicking herself for the longing she felt, and quietly boarded the train.
Trailing her way down the aisle, the nervous young girl could only see full cabins on either side of her. It was only when she reached the second-last compartment on the left did she find an empty one. Sighing in relief she settled herself into the small, square room. Claudia could hear the constant buzz of voices through the slightly open door. Excitement filled every nook and cranny of the train. She listened to the noise in silence, waiting with a quick-beating heart for the train to begin its voyage. From the window she could see the open, urban terrain, settled nicely beneath a cloudless blue sky. Thoughts of the coming year were beginning to terrify her.
"Are these seats free?" asked a voice from the door.
The concentrated girl practically jumped in her seat, turning to face the opening door.
"Sorry," a redheaded girl said earnestly. "Didn't mean to frighten you."
"Oh, no, it's fine," the slight girl replied. "I was just... I wasn't doing much of anything, actually."
"I know the feeling," she said with a smile. "I'm Lily Evans, first year. You're a first year too, aren't you? I can tell, because you're not sitting with anyone."
Claudia stared at her, barely finding time to open her mouth before Lily spoke up again.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything by it! I understand if you don't have any friends, that's fine. I'll be your friend if you like, but if you're older and you just don't like people then I'd understand if you didn't want to be friends."
"I... Um... I'm a first year."
Lily sighed in relief, smiling brightly once more. "Wonderful, then we'll be friends. What was your name again?"
"Claudia Corvinus," the girl replied, though she had never said her name to begin with.
"Right, Claudia. You don't mind if Severus sits with us, do you? He's the only one I really know here, well, except for yourself. He's my friend from back home. Oh, here he is now!"
Claudia's nod was cut off by a sharp groan from the door.
"You couldn't find an empty one?" the boy complained without so much as shooting a glance in Claudia's direction.
The redheaded girl gave him a look that clearly said 'shut up', and then turned back to the blonde.
"Don't mind him, he's just a little antsy to get there."
Claudia watched the greasy ghost of a boy take a seat beside Lily and begin a conversation she was completely cut out from. Soon enough the train heaved to a start and little by little the landscape accelerated past the cabin window. A constant knot of worry twisted in her stomach. She worried she wouldn't know enough, that even with the amount of time she had spent studying the magical world by way of her grandfather's ancient texts her knowledge wouldn't suffice. She hadn't grown up knowing about this dual existence, hadn't enjoyed her early childhood surrounded by the reality of fairy tales. Her mind tormented her with thoughts of being too different to make any friends. If all Hogwarts students were like her cousins, she would be spending the coming seven years entirely alone.
Though, this Lily girl didn't seem like her cousins at all. She was genuinely nice and happily excited to be heading to school. And realistically, Claudia had already spent her first eleven years friendless and alone.
"Where do you think you'll be sorted?" she inquired, breaking the girl from her thoughts.
"I haven't thought about it much," Claudia lied.
"Are you even familiar with the houses?" Severus asked with a sneer. "What was your name again?"
"Claudia Corvinus."
"Corvinus?" He spoke the unfamiliar name in passing. "Are you Muggle-born?"
"No," Claudia said at first. "Well... Maybe."
The awkward boy stared at her with uncertainty. "Can either of your parents do magic?"
"No."
"Then you're Muggle-born. There are four houses, Slytherin being the best..."
"My grandfather's magical and I live with him, he's told me about the houses," Claudia quickly lied.
Severus eyed her with almost suspicion, but nodded shortly anyway. In actuality her grandfather hadn't said much about the houses. Many of the Corvinus' had been Ravenclaws, this she knew, and the rest of her family spoke quite highly of Slytherin. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were practically unknown to her, all she could really identify were their signature colours.
And Claudia was not about to explain her mother's nature to these strangers.
Severus tensed rather awkwardly, his posture stiffening and his shoulders rolling forwards slightly. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at the door. Claudia followed his gaze curiously and saw two boys looking through the small window who could have easily been their age. Their eyes flicked repeatedly from Severus to each other, their howls of laughter so loud that they reverberated inside the small compartment.
"Leave it alone, Sev," Lily cautioned warmly.
Claudia looked back at the boys as they shot him one last look. They looked completely different from each other. One had longish black hair, neatly kept around his face, while the other looked as though he'd had his head stuck out the train window this whole time. This boy had glasses, spotlighting his mischievous eyes. The other's face was bare and rather pale, his expression stern and almost evil looking as he glared at Severus Snape.
Lily placed a calming hand on Severus' shoulder, squeezing him gently. She then turned her head and shot the two boys a nasty look.
"Oooh!" they both called out sarcastically before howling with laughter once again.
"Stupid gits," Lily muttered under her breath as they disappeared down the aisle.
Severus' eyes glazed over as he stared emotionlessly out the window. Thick rain clouds had materialized, the only light emanating from the sky being a thin line on the horizon. They were heavy and black and gave Claudia the feeling that this may not be the best first day at Hogwarts.
Sure enough, as they neared their destination, raindrops had started to fall from the sky. Thunder crashed and a terrifyingly large lightning bolt illuminated the faces of the three startled first years. They had been sitting in silence for the past little while. Lily had been huffing ever since a little while after the encounter with the two boys. Severus had promptly promised them a cruel hex on the first day of class tomorrow, which Lily had found unreasonable. When Severus had refused to take it back, Lily had refused to keep talking to him. Obviously the silence was getting to her though as she sat restlessly in her seat, swinging her legs and twiddling her thumbs.
Claudia picked off a stray hair that had found itself on the hem of her robes. She felt a little bit silly wearing the black, flowing garment. In her pocket she fingered the slightly rough texture of her wand, another thing that made her feel ridiculous. She had witnessed her grandfather and great aunt use their wands numerous times. A flick of a wrist to summon a object, a short word to illuminate an entire room...
The young girl peeked down at the end of her own wand. Ollivander had tried numerous combinations, including ash, birch, even rosewood mixed with Unicorn hair (which had produced a few fizzles before sending a box flying straight at his head). He hand handed her this one with a slight look, waiting to say anything before she gripped it and swayed her hand just a bit. A warm feeling rose in her, spreading from the palm of her hand to each of her fingertips. Life seemed to spring in a torrent of silvery wisps, which circulated the air in front of her before sparkling into flames and disappearing. Ollivander tilted his head, stating a loud that it was a wonderful fit. Maple - the same as her grandfather - stretching ten and half inches with a core of Thestral hair.
All too suddenly she abandoned the thin piece of wood in her pocket as she felt the train coming to a halt. The knot in her stomach tightened. Lily and Severus had already risen from their seats and were making their way out the door with the heavy flow of students that littered the aisle. Severus had gone ahead, while Lily hung back for a moment to wait for Claudia.
"Are you nervous?" she asked. "You look nervous. I'm nervous."
Lily took the girl's obvious lack of colour and failed response as tell-tale signs. She took the frozen girl by the hand, dragging her out towards the mass of filing students. They easily meshed into the crowd, voices around them ringing with excitement and anticipation. A few older students ahead of them did not seem so pleased, feeling a little down that their summer holidays were over.
The girls waited until they were outside to put on their pointed, black hats. The large rims were soon soggy as it down poured onto the mess of children.
"First years, this way!" called a thunderous voice through the heavy rain.
Lily and Claudia pivoted towards the voice, crashing into a pair of fellow first years as they did.
"Ow! Jeeze, Evans, watch where you're going!" cursed the black-haired boy after colliding with Lily.
Claudia mumbled something of an apology, cautiously glancing at the bespectacled boy she had bumped into. He looked at her incredulously for a moment, as if amazed and a little disappointed she was willing to simply say sorry and not make a fuss over the incident. Lily, on the other hand, was not so tolerant.
"Well I'd be able to get by if your fat heads weren't in the way!"
The grey eyed boy put his hands over his chest, feigning dismay.
"Oh, how sorry I am to have caused you such grief!" he hissed sarcastically.
Lily's brow furrowed at their laughter. She grabbed Claudia's hand once again, pulling her quickly towards the loud voice and away from the two boys.
"They're not worth it," she said, mostly to herself. "C'mon, let's go see if we can find Severus."
The girls searched aimlessly through the hoard of first years, unable to spot the missing boy. Claudia found it hard to tell who was who, everyone dawning the same pointed hat and black robes. Fortunately, the rain seemed to lighten up some. Either that or she was just getting used to the horrid weather.
"Why do you hate them so much anyways?" Claudia finally asked. The curiosity had been gnawing away at her ever since she witnessed the reaction to the boys on the train.
"Our first impressions weren't exactly great," Lily began.
As a beast of a man, who had introduced himself as Gamekeeper Ogg, began to rally the first years down the muddy path, Lily explained her reasoning to Claudia. She admitted that Severus probably started it, but that gave them no reason to be so unruly. Severus had made some sideways comment about Gryffindors being all brawn and yet no brain. This had sparked a reaction from a boy she named Potter, the one with the glasses, who explained that he came from a long line of Gryffindors and went on to call Severus' mother a toad. And that was all it took to begin the resentment between the young nemeses. A resentment that, unknown to them, would last the rest of their lives.
The next moment was slightly tense. Claudia was unsure how to follow the story of the train platform meeting. But as they wallowed out of Hogsmeade Station, she found that Lily was good at doing most of the talking. She continued the conversation single-handedly, explaining her knowledge of the four Hogwarts houses. While Slytherin was once again glorified as pure and noble, Gryffindor was defined as a house of 'toe-rag imbeciles'.
"I hope I'm not stuck with that horrible Potter," said Lily. "He's such a bully. I can't imagine all Gryffindors being that way, but still, sharing to a dorm with him for the next seven years? That would be awful! I guess if I get put into Gryffindor I can at least avoid him, but then I won't be able to hang around Severus as much. Sev says that he'll probably be put into Slytherin, at least that's what he'd prefer. He said that I couldn't be a Slytherin, since they only take pure or half bloods, and obviously I'm Muggle-born, but there could be a chance we end up in Ravenclaw together. That would be nice, being in the same house as him. I'll be happy anywhere though. You're a Muggle-born too so you won't end up in Slytherin either, so maybe we'll end up together? You said you live with your grandfather, and he's magical?"
"My grandfather and his sister," Claudia replied.
"Oh, that must be nice! I love the elderly, so much to learn from them. I guess he went to Hogwarts too, then? Do you know what house he was in? Severus says that mostly you're put into a house based on where your relatives went, which is why I'm not sure where I'll end up, but that's okay."
Claudia felt a weight drop in her stomach. Not only would she have to endure school with her cousins, but she would probably have to live with them too? At least Lily's constant yammering had given away something crucial about the girl; she was just as confused as Claudia. There was something nice in knowing that she wouldn't be the only one who didn't have a clue what was going on.
What mostly confused her was her parentage. Did her mother pass as non-magical, making her not even eligible for Slytherin? Or did her mother's condition make no difference, therefore making Claudia somewhat passable as at least half-blooded? She didn't know, she hadn't yet found anything to read on that. But silently and whole-heartedly, she wished the first option was the case.
"Four to a boat, no more and no less!" hollered Ogg.
They had reached a coastline where upwards of ten small, worn boats graced the shore. It was true that the rainstorm had lightened considerably, but Claudia still felt herself apprehensive about getting into a rickety boat. The waves seemed quite tumulus as she gazed out onto the lake. It was dark, almost pitch black under the cover of night, safe a small lantern that hung off every boat and gratuitous amount of whitecaps rolling above the water.
"They must have some sort of enchantment on them," Severus interjected out of nowhere. "So nobody gets tossed overboard and drowns."
Claudia was just wondering the same thing.
"Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you," Lily scolded as they gathered into one of the boats.
"Near the front," he replied shortly. He removed his hand and ran a hand through his undeniably greasy hair, scratching his scalp momentarily before placing the triangular point back on his head.
"I don't want any stragglers!" boomed Ogg. "So get yourselves in a seat before I leave you behind!"
A timid looking girl of short stature chanced a step closer to the boat that Claudia, Lily and Severus shared. The three heads turned towards her and she looked away quickly. Lily heaved a sigh at the girl's reluctance to find a place to sit. It was obvious that she didn't know anyone.
"We have an extra seat," she finally called, motioning the girl over.
The girl dawned a look of immense relief. She zipped towards the boat, stumbling slightly on a jagged piece of rock, and took the empty seat beside Claudia. She glanced appreciatively in Lily's direction, muttering something to herself, unaware of Severus' skewed glances.
"I'm Lily Evans," the redhead began as the boat tipped off. "This is Severus Snape and Claudia Corvinus."
"Astrid Entwhistle," she introduced, tugging half-heartedly on a white-blonde, braided pigtail.
A roar of perfectly recognizable laughter filled the air. Claudia looked over to see that in the boat a little ways beside them were Potter, the black haired boy, and two other unfamiliar boys. Potter was standing, obviously retelling a story as he waved his arms about to embellish the fiasco. Lily and Severus gave them stiff stares while Astrid seemed to be more interested in the rocky terrain that surrounded the lake and the cloudy sky above them.
Suddenly the wind picked up, the boat rocking in accordance. Claudia felt herself grip the edges of her seat before she even realized the action. Looking around her, she noticed that many other students had taken the same approach in ensuring their safe seats. The rain picked up, not as heavy as before, but certainly noticeable all the same. The little boats swayed to and fro, back and forth, jerking from the relentless push of the waves. Claudia watched as a slightly greenish tinge overcame Severus' normal pallor.
Upon turning a slow, winding bend the worry of the first years staying afloat was obliterated as they lay their eyes on Hogwarts for the first time. It was a beautifully ancient looking castle, nestled between rolling valleys and rugged mountains. Claudia felt her jaw drop as she took in its grandeur. She found its very appearance to be overwhelming. She couldn't believe how her life had gone from a small one bedroom apartment, to a creepy house on a hill, to this.
Another bought of laughter brought her back to her surroundings and she turned to see all four boys laughing pointedly at Severus.
"He's gonna heave!" a freckled one squealed in excitement.
Various other heads turned, and thoughts of falling into the lake were lost momentarily. Mostly everyone now had their eyes on Severus as he raised a hand to his mouth and forced down whatever was obviously trying to escape. Lily placed her hand comfortingly on his back, encouraging him to let it out, telling him that it would make him feel better. But Severus knew better than to listen to her advice, not particularly wanting to become the laughing stalk of the entire student body on his first day. Word would get around fast once they arrived at the castle about the first year who'd yacked during the ceremonious boat ride.
The boat gave another violent jerk, and Claudia was sure that Severus was done for. She did not realize, however, that her grip had loosened from her seat. With the large wave, she was heaved forwards and landed with a thud on the bottom of the wooden boat. At least now Severus didn't have to worry about being the point of ridicule for the entourage of first years. Just as she hit the ground Claudia's ears were met with incessant laughter. She sighed through her nose, ignoring her throbbing behind and picking herself up off the floor. She refused Lily's outstretched hand, reaching her feet and taking an extra moment to balance herself. Just as she was about to sit down, another crashing blow hit the small boat.
That was all it took to send the girl flying over the edge and plunging into the depths of the lake. In shock, she breathed in to cry out in surprise. Though, seeing as how she was already under the surface, all that filled her lungs was a few mouthfuls of water. Immediately she began to choke, grapping through the water's easy current to try and reach the open air. Her second misfortune came with the fact that she had never learnt to swim. Even in the calming water she could barely bring herself a foot upwards. Claudia's eyes went wide with panic, the only thing visible being the underside of the boats far above her. Her chest throbbed from the lack of air, her mouth gaping open, a shameless fear spread across her features. Suddenly something gripped her arm and she attempted to flail away from it in surprise. It yanked her upwards, back towards the raging waves. Claudia was slipping into darkness before she could fully register that someone had leapt into the freezing water and had practically saved her life.
