Edited: 10-8-15
Author Notes: Okay, so the story will be progressing through the years from here on out, starting in Year One for the girls. I plan to progress at a moderate pace through the years, but its not gonna be as long as each of the HP books so no worries. Each chapter will either be dedicated to that particular year, or if it gets to be too long I'll cut it up into separate chapters. As always, constructive criticism and feedback is always welcome. No flame, no negativity. Thanks for reading!
3 Years Later
It was traditional for first years to ride the boats across the lake at Hogwarts. But first Anna had to make it through the train ride and sitting still was driving her crazy! She was nearly bouncing around in the empty cabin as soon as she'd sat down and they hadn't even left the station yet.
She pressed her face to the glass of the window even though it was still the same sight she'd seen ten seconds ago. It was so exciting to finally be going to Hogwarts! She'd heard so much about the school for magical learning. She remembered her mother telling her so many stories of her adventures with her father during their seven years at the wondrous place.
The thought of her parents brought her up short, her mood souring quickly. It had been two years since she'd lost her parents to that final fight at the very school she was going to be attending. They'd died bravely, from what she'd been told, fighting to protect other young students not unlike she was about to become. The image brought a sad, proud smile to her face and she again returned to looking out the window, her mood somber.
A sudden clearing of a throat made her jump and spin around so fast she flipped sideways onto the floor. "Ow," she mumbled. A soft giggle brought her head up, smiling good-naturedly at the young girl standing the doorway.
She looked to be about the same age as Anna was, long platinum blonde hair wrapped up in a no-nonsense bun atop her head. Her hand was covering her mouth as the girl gazed down at her with a wide-eyed look on her face. She quickly cleared her throat again and her face cleared of any expression, her hands folding demurely in front of her.
"I'm sorry I startled you," the girl said, her voice even and prim.
Anna shook her head, lifting herself up onto the seat again. "No, it's okay, I was curious what the floor felt like anyway."
The strange girl's lips twitched but otherwise her expression didn't change. She nodded and gestured at the cabin, and Anna noticed the long blue gloves the girl was wearing ran almost up to her elbows. "May I join you? All of the other cabins are full."
Anna nodded her head rapidly. "Yes, of course!" She wriggled in her seat, excited to see another student her own age she could talk to. There was something oddly familiar about the girl, from the pale blonde hair, to her upturned nose and those bright blue eyes. But it was a passing thought as the other girl came into the cabin dragging a large trunk with her. She looked up into the overhead storage and shrugged, reaching into her dark blue robes. When she pulled her gloved hand back from the garment she was holding a wand.
Anna nearly squealed as the girl pointed her wand at the trunk. Oh my gods, she's gonna do magic! Anna didn't know any spells herself and she could barely contain her glee as she leaned to the edge of her seat, her eyes glued to the girl.
"Locomotor trunk," the blonde whispered. And nothing happened. The girl frowned, her cheeks turning a mild pink in embarrassment, highlighting a small dusting of barely-there freckles. Her lips pressing into a thin line, the girl lifted her drooping wand and held it firm. "Locomotor trunk!" and with that steady intonation, the trunk leapt from the floor, guided by the girl's direction with her wand.
She seemed surprised at the motion and pulled her wand back slightly, sending the trunk banging into the ceiling. Her blush deepened then as she cringed, slowly aiming her wand to guide the luggage up and onto the overhead storage. Sighing, the girl smiled proudly and looked up at her handiwork as her wand disappeared back into her cloak.
Anna on the other hand jumped up from her seat and squealed loudly, causing the other girl to turn to her with a single upraised eyebrow.
"Ohmygodthatwasamazing!" she gushed quickly, shaking in her excitement.
The girl's hand came up to cover her mouth again, but Anna caught the sight of her lips turning up in a smile.
Anna took a deep breath to try to slow her speech, "That was amazing! I don't know any spells yet. I bet you know sooo many spells. Can you teach me something?!"
The girl's brows drew together in confusion and Anna realized she was rambling and hadn't given the other girl a chance to speak. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Anna Summers!" She extended her hand to the other girl, grinning openly.
The blonde hesitated briefly before extending her hand and lightly placing her gloved fingers in Anna's, her palm down in a petite gesture as she softly shook the redhead's hand. "I'm Elsa Arendelle," she said softly, her voice quiet and uncertain.
The name seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure where she'd heard it before. Shrugging it off, she pulled her hand back when the other girl quickly released it. "Sit, sit," she said quickly, taking her seat by the window again. "The trolley won't be back around for a few, but I'm sure I've got some chocolate frogs here if you're hungry."
The blonde girl was obviously uncomfortable with the bubbly redhead but Anna couldn't seem to contain herself. The other girl just smiled demurely and sat opposite her, her hands folded in front of her, her posture impossibly straight and rigid. Anna tried to imitate the girl's demeanor but her spine almost immediately protested in pain and she slumped back into her seat.
The girl shook her head at Anna and she'd briefly forgotten what the girl was saying no to until she spoke. "No thank you, I had lunch before I arrived."
"Oh," she said, at a loss for what to say next. The blonde girl seemed so unapproachable and distant even as she sat right in front of her. "So," she tried to find something to say, anything, "Can I see your wand?"
The other witch hesitated, her eyes flicking down towards her cloak. Anna frowned as she thought she'd upset the girl by asking. "Or nevermind, it's okay, I was just curious—it's not important."
Elsa looked up then and smiled a thin, strained smile. "No, it's fine." Her voice was soft, making it difficult to tell if she was serious or just humoring Anna. Either way, she slowly reached into her cloak and withdrew her wand and held it across her upturned hands before her.
It was beautiful. That was Anna's first thought as she clenched her hands in her own lap to keep her from reaching out and touching it. It was thin and long, almost a foot if not more. It had numerous spiraling swirls throughout the light-blue tinted wood, pivoted periodically from the wide base to the thin tip. It reminded her of the icicles that grew on her Uncle Adam's north estates when they'd vacationed there last year.
Anna was so fascinated with the girl's wand that she didn't immediately notice when the train began to move. When the scenery outside her window started changing, her attention was caught and held as her excitement welled up anew in her. They were on their way to Hogwarts! She couldn't wait to be able to start learning, and a part of her hoped she would be sharing a house with the girl across from her.
Elsa stared at the bouncy redhead across from her as she slowly put her wand away. The girl was so full of nervous excitement it seemed like she would burst if she had to sit still much longer. It was daunting, almost physically draining to be in the same cabin with her, but at the same time the girl's perpetually elated attitude was almost infectious.
Conceal, don't feel. Her father's mantra came quickly, and she repeated it again and again, pushing down her emotions. Steeling her face into a serene, peaceful state, she glanced out the window at the passing scenery. She still wasn't sure why she'd felt it necessary to use a spell to put her luggage away as she had, but something about the girl compelled her to show off a bit. She was, after all, the first girl she'd seen her own age in years.
But she was her father's daughter and she had to keep herself detached from others. He'd given her all the tools and skills he could to help her keep her powers hidden, and she would not dishonor his memory by disappointing him in her first year of school.
So she did her best to remain quiet during the rest of the trip, keeping her replies as simple and uninviting as she could. She could almost feel the other girl's excitement drain out of her as her numerous attempts to engage the blonde's attention met with resistance and downright silence at times. It was for the best, Elsa knew that, but she still felt a twinge of guilt when the other girl seemed to turn away from her and effectively pout out the window.
It wasn't too long after that, though, that the spunky redhead grew tired and eventually curled up on the bench she was sitting at and fell asleep. She looked adorable and Elsa couldn't help but aww quietly in her mind at the sight she made. She had one arm curled above her head, twisted at and odd angle, and her plaited braids seemed to halfway unfurl as she tossed and turned, making her fiery red hair flair out in all directions. And after she'd settled into a comfortable (although how anyone could be comfortable like that) position, Elsa noticed a small line of drool from the girl's mouth that had Elsa suppressing a fit of giggles behind her hand.
It was rare for her to be able to feel that kind of elation and since it was just her she let herself enjoy it. But it was short-lived as that again brought her thoughts back to her father's mantra. Conceal, don't feel. She had to keep herself under control, always. She couldn't afford to let her emotions get the better of her. Be the good girl you always have to be…
Sighing, she sat with her back straight and peered out the window, her gaze fixed on nothing in particular. She had spent the last three years studying everything she could get her hands on about magic. Spells, theories on magic, different applications of magic. Nothing she'd read even remotely likened to what she was capable of. The only thing that was even vaguely comparative was when underage wizards or witches used magic without a wand, and that happened mostly on instinct or in particularly emotional states. Elsa's magic, her power, was something inherently separate from ordinary wizarding magic.
The blonde let her head fall back against the cabin wall. She was an outcast even amongst wizarding kind, and there was no one left who could help her understand it. Her parents had died in the final battle with Voldemort, and that had left her with no one but her parents' most trusted housekeeper and maid, Kai and Gerda, to look after her. Yet even they kept their distance, at her father's insistence that she keep herself separate from others for fear of her powers becoming unstable. She knew he was right, but it still left her lonely and desolate after his death.
She'd only ever seen her mother every couple of days, and she never stayed with them. Her parents had never explained to her why they'd suddenly separated those three years ago, but she suspected it had something to do with her powers. She'd seen, when they thought she wasn't looking. The fearful, furtive glances at her out of the corners of their eyes. Elsa felt like a monster, something evil, and she didn't even know why they treated her like that.
She felt the cold wetness trickle down her cheek and she wiped at it furiously. It was then that she noticed the window beside her had begun to frost over with ice. She took several deep breaths, willing it to fade. After what seemed like hours it finally began to withdraw until the temperature in the cabin returned to something resembling normal. Not that the cold had ever bothered her, but she was sure her cabinmate might have an issue.
Sure enough, the redhead girl was shivering where she lay, curled into a fetal position on the bench. Elsa cringed, hating that she'd caused the sweet girl discomfort. She looked around and saw there was a cloak dangling from the girl's luggage overhead and stood to pull it down. She draped the cloak over the small girl's trembling form, settling herself back on her side of the cabin. The redhead's scent seemed to permeate the cabin with the swirling of fabric and Elsa sat for a moment, a confused memory trying to pull itself from the back of her mind, trailing away before forming any solid images.
Shaken by the sudden familiarity of the situation, she closed her eyes and withdrew into herself. She began to recite various spells she knew in alphabetical order, one of the calming techniques she'd taught herself recently. Focusing on her studies always seemed to help dispel any confusion or discomfort in her thoughts, and it came in handy once again as she soon forgot all about the girl across from her.
It wasn't long afterward that they were screeching to a halt at the Hogwarts station, which jerked the redhead awake in a comical, tumbling fashion that had Elsa hiding another giggle behind her hand. The girl was sprawled out on the floor, tangled up in her cloak and look around with a dazed, sleepy look on her face.
Eventually her eyes came to rest on Elsa's face and she couldn't help but smile at the wide grin that came over the redhead's lips. "We're here!"
"We're here!" she squealed, eventually disentangling herself from the cloak (when had she grabbed that?) and jumped up from her seat—or the floor as the case was, and began tugging at her luggage, which immediately tumbled to the floor in an explosive heap of clothing and school supplies.
She groaned and looked around at the resulting mess. Her face was flushed red as her clothes and underwear were suddenly all over the cabin, and she almost didn't want to look at the other girl but she risked a glance at the blonde.
Her laughter bubbled up, overpowering her flush of embarrassment as she took in the sight. The demure platinum-blonde girl was halfway towards standing with a pair of Anna's underwear atop her head and one of her nightgowns over her lap. And the dear-in-headlights look on her face just made Anna laugh that much harder as she quickly reached to grab for the offending clothes.
The blonde girl threw herself away from Anna's reaching grasp, her gloved hands fluttering quickly as she dislodged the material and pushed herself back into the corner of her seat. The redhead stood there, her laughter gone and feeling suddenly dejected as the other girl sat with her arms clasped tightly about her stomach, a fearful and frightened look in her eyes.
"I—I'm sorry," Anna muttered, slowly gathering up her clothes and trying not to feel hurt at the girl's sudden distance and…revulsion. So much for making my first friend. It seemed like the girl wanted to be about as far from Anna as she could get, but the redhead's luggage contents were still strewn all over the place. She was sure there was a spell for organizing items like this but she'd never bothered to learn anything before starting school. Now she was seriously regretting that lax in foresight.
The blonde's breathing slowed gradually until her chest rose and fell normally. Anna watched her out of the corner of her eyes as she finished gathering up the rest of her things. She berated herself for her earlier mirth, feeling bad for the girl now that she saw her response for what it was—fear. The girl was frightened, but of what Anna wasn't sure. Of her? Doubtful. Of her things touching her? Maybe.
Before she could puzzle it out, the blonde girl was standing and had pulled down her own luggage (physically, this time), and had made her way to the door. She was a few inches taller than Anna, she noticed. She guessed the girl had hit a growth spurt earlier than she had. Lucky, she thought morosely. Anna had always felt small and diminutive compared to others. But it had never stopped her from having fun whenever she could.
But fun was the furthest thing from her mind as the other girl was obviously leaving her behind. Good job, Anna, weird out the first person who could have been your friend. She sighed and turned to her luggage, making sure everything was secure. The last thing she had was the cloak, which she decided to secure around herself considering the temperature seemed to be dropping rapidly.
The door to the cabin opened and Anna could hear the other students shuffling passed and she sighed again. Why was she always so awkward with other kids? She'd always been the weirdo of the group, no matter who her aunt and uncle had tried to socialize her with. She was too tomboyish, too much of an adventurer. All the other girls she knew were more interested in their dolls and dresses, while Anna just wanted to run through the grass and climb trees and have fun.
Someone cleared their throat and Anna's gaze jerk around to find the blonde girl still standing in the doorway. "Are you coming?"
It took her a moment to realize she was staring and quickly closed her mouth and nodded her head hastily, dragging her packed luggage behind her. She was practically vibrating with her excitement, both at the idea of the boat ride ahead and the fact that she hadn't actually pushed her new friend away. It made her feel giddy and she was dancing from foot to foot as they waited for the traffic in the hallway to die down.
As they both made their way out into the hallway, Anna couldn't help but grin. It was going to be an amazing first year!