Selina Kyle – The Red Stone
Summary: Selina Kyle is a curious person with some major secrets. First, because of her upbringing and her nature she had contracted kleptomania. Second, intimidating people always want to kill her. Third, she's a witch. Lastly, she was secretly Daisy Potter.
Thanks to Captain Moroni who has corresponded with me via PM this idea got stuck in my head.
Pamela is giving me some problems so I thought I would give Selina another shot. Basically I was on the eight rewrite of the chapter with nothing to show for it.
When we last left Selina she had just completed her first voluntary feat of magic, a complicated Animagus transformation under the caring eye of McGonagall now on to the next chapter.
Hermione
The month of August flew by in a flash and most things Selina wouldn't even remember. She wasted a fair few days lying in the warm sun in her cat form, which she nicknamed Holly, or reading from her numerous books. With McGonagall close by, Selina got into practice of leaving her 'trinkets' out in the open.
The first morning of September had Selina up early due to the sounds coming from the living room. Getting dressed in her beloved clothes she opened the door just as McGonagall was about to knock.
"We will be leaving to meet other first year students at King's Cross in thirty minutes." McGonagall smiled sadly, "From the moment we meet the three students, one of which is a muggle raised half-blood and two muggleborn like yourself, we have to keep a strict professor/student relationship, no familiarity, unless it is appropriate."
"I knew that already, Professor, I just need to pack a few more things and get my uniform ready."
Selina retreated to her room and packed the books in the enchanted backpack she bought for three galleons. The shoulder bag had several different enchantments, like an untraceable extension charm to carry more stuff and not feel it, but the feature that drew Selina's attention was that it had a recall runic cluster that neatly organized everything by type and allow the owner to just ask what they need and it will appear in the back slot. The front slot also had a milder charm on it that you can place your entire necessities for school in it without the bag bulging.
Unlike the few trips they made outside of the cottage, this time McGonagall held out her wand, seconds later a violent purple triple-decker bus appeared. They paid the conductor seven sickles each and took seats on the second deck. It was relatively empty. Selina couldn't say if it was just early or that not many people took the middle deck. Her answer came a few seconds later when no less than twenty people descended from the top deck.
Soon they were at the station, literally, the bus stopped right next to the train. They went to a very solid looking wall. McGonagall waved her wand over it and stepped through. Selina followed behind her.
"So this is a British Train station? It looks kinda odd without all the graffiti." Selina commented, she was startled by the cutest laugh she ever heard. Turning around she saw intelligent brown eyes.
"You do sound like a Yankee, you know." The girl spoke fast, but clear. "I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger, what is your name?"
"Not a good 007 are you? Craig says it Surname, Name, Surname." Selina smiled, "But I'm Selina Kyle, Cat, with a c to my friends." She extended her hand and shook Hermione's.
"Charmed," Hermione smiled exposing her cute slightly larger teeth. "Is that the secret entrance to the platform then? My parents and I have been looking for it for about a few minutes now and how did you exit from the other side is there another entrance to it?"
"In order then," Selina knew she would like this girl, "Yes, this is the platform. You can actually feel the magic buzzing off it. Even if you didn't have a guide, you would be attracted to it, I reckon, you might not know how to go about it, but you would know it's there. I came on the Knight Bus, was kinda like a Coney Island rollercoaster, it took us directly onto the platform. Prof. McGonagall used a spell on the wall that side and next thing walked through. I just followed behind her."
"Are you muggleborn too?" Hermione asked waving her parents over.
"Yeah, didn't know I was magical till I bumped into Prof. McGonagall on Deepdale Lane in Lea Town. I was fresh off the boat too."
"Were you born in America, I thought that you could only attend Hogwarts if you were born in England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales."
"Yeah I must've been born here somewhere, can't remember much before I was seven, got a blow to the head and next thing I know, my parents moved to America."
"Didn't they come over with you?" Hermione seemed slightly horrified.
"Nah, my father drove into the Hudson and is barely clinging to life, and mom sucked off Remington and ended with her brains scattered on the wall a few months back."
"That's awful, how can you talk about your parents that way?" Hermione looked appalled. Selina knew she had to explain some more.
"My adopted father is an alcoholic whose hands become a little too idle the drunker he gets, I have cuts over my back of all the wounds that won't heal, mom was the same until she swallowed a load from a Remington 870 short barrel. Suicide is a coward's way out, and I thought my mother was strong. I mean she taught me to fight, you know, go for the eyes, if they can't see they can't fight properly, especially if you move –"
"That is quite enough, Ms. Kyle." McGonagall might've had an indifferent expression, but her eyes were a mixture of amused and horrified. "This is Mr. Justin Finch-Fletchley, a muggleborn like yourselves, and Mr. Dean Thomas, he is a muggle-raised half-blood." She turned to the boys. "This is Hermione Granger, muggleborn, and Selina Kyle, muggleborn, presumably, from America."
"Hey ya'll," Selina smiled. "As far as I know, I've been a muggle all my life, like I told Hermione, I didn't know about magic till I arrived in Lea Town."
"Why did you come here?" It was Justin who asked.
"Came back to the first place I remembered, was on my way to London, was planning on going full Oliver Twist around here." Only Hermione laughed.
"We best be getting onto the station before the other student show up. There are a few things you would need to know about the customs of the magical world."
When they were seated on the train McGonagall told them about the general customs, she also mentioned some of the terms used in general conversations. She reluctantly told them the profanities used in the magical world too. She included terms like squib and mudblood. A squib is a term used for someone without magic born to two magical parents. Mudblood is a very foul term used for muggleborn witches and wizards.
After McGonagall left the boys went to find another cabin. Selina closed her eyes and enjoyed the early morning sun while Hermione took out a book to read. All was well until the noise started. With a deep sigh, Selina opened her eyes and glanced at Hermione.
"There goes my catnap." Hermione smiled shyly.
"You did look like a cat." She said embarrassed.
"Well that does tend to happen when you can turn into a cat." Selina said casually. She knew it was a big thing. She suddenly smiled mischievously. "I have an idea."
"You're a cat!" Hermione wanted to ask Selina what she meant just before she changed.
"Meow?" Selina asked.
"I don't quite understand how to speak to a cat." Selina turned her head to the side. She was sure that when she was with – she turned back.
"I said watch this, I thought that I was speaking human, Prof. McGonagall seemed to understand me just fine. I wanted to prank the first person into believing I was a talking cat. Seems like that didn't go so well huh?"
"Prof. McGonagall changed into a cat when she visited my house on my birthday last year. Maybe that is why she could understand you?" Selina knew this was probably true.
"Would you consider me a friend?" Selina suddenly asked as she looked out the window.
"If you'll have me," Hermione bit her lip.
"Then there is just one thing I need to tell you," Selina took a deep breath, she was about to tell Hermione the big secret, but the door slid open at that moment.
"Look Bulstrode a couple of mudblood scarlet girls?" a girl with a small upturned nose spoke as if she owned the place.
"Seriously," Selina arched her brow. "Of all the safe words you could have used you selected scarlet." Selina burst out laughing, Hermione barely contained herself.
Selina suddenly stopped laughing and with a way too fast movement the girl was keeled over.
"Now that was your only warning, I don't care who you are or what your blood status is, call me a slut again and I will remove your tongue."
"We will be going now," the larger girl, Bulstrode, said, "At least I didn't come here looking for trouble."
"What was that?" Hermione asked once they were alone again.
"I just tapped one of her nerve endings and pushed a bit of magic through it. It worked better than I thought to be honest."
Selina never got to tell Hermione the big secret, but they spend the rest of the trip discussing normal forms of self defense. Selina told Hermione her theory that if you knew how to fight on the fly you can adapt to any situation life throws at you. Hermione respected that view but declined the offer to learn physical violence.
====SKBRS====
"Firs' years this way don' be shy!" The largest man Selina ever saw was standing on the platform calling for the first years to gather around him.
Soon the platform was empty. The older students went off to the side where leathery winged horses pulled the carriages up a well used path, towards Hogwarts. Selina and Hermione stayed towards the back, sure the large fellow seemed legit, but he was still a guy and, in Selina's numerous close calls, she learned that men can only be trusted for as far as you can see them. Sure the gigantic man can't hide in a bush, but that only means you can trust him slightly more.
They went down an incline, which was odd considering the castle presumably was built on a hill. The answer soon came as they went around the bend. The castle was indeed on a hill, right next to a beautiful lake. Hogwarts, a History, mentioned that there was a lake around Hogwarts but it never said that it ran under the walls like this clearly did. It was very spellbinding. But the spell wore off when the giant said:
"No mo' than four a boat."
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Selina said in a whisper. She didn't do too well with water, other that a nice long bath, that is.
"I personally don't like heights," Hermione whispered back.
They got into a boat with Neville and the rude, red haired boy they met on the train while helping Neville find his toad. When every one was seated the boats began moving towards the castle as if drawn by invisible ropes. There was a bit of a charge in the air, something Selina associated with latent magic. Selina was also the first one to jump out the boat when it reached the underground harbor.
The trek up to the castle was long and there were hundreds of steps, the kids who didn't have any form of physical training where suffering the most, meaning most of the pure blood students. When they reached the top the giant of a man knocked on the way too big door three times.
"The firs' years professor." The man said,
"Thank you Hagrid, I'll take it from here." Hagrid inclined his head and left the students followed McGonagall to a chamber off the main hall. "Welcome first years. In a few moments you will join the rest of the school, but first you need to be sorted. The sorting ceremony will take place in front of the school. While you are here, the house you're sorted in will be like a family. Achievements will earn you house points. Any rule breaking and you lose house points. At the end of the year the house with the most points will win the house cup. The houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Please wait here, I will be with you momentary."
"Relax, Hermione." Selina whispered to her friend that was muttering numerous spells under her breath. "We are first year student on the first day, it would be something simple like, I don't know, pulling a piece of colored cloth from a bucket."
"Thanks, I needed that." Hermione smiled back.
"Are you sure it would be something that simple?" A girl with Elvin features asked from the other side of Selina.
"Positive, I mean most of us only recently got our wands, and there are muggle born and raised children here, so they won't know many spells, even if they got past the underage restriction act."
"My brothers told me we'd have to wrestle a troll." The rude boy, Ron, said.
"Are you so gullible?" Selina resisted rolling her eyes. "A forest troll stands eight foot tall, a mountain troll no less than ten and a bridge troll no less that twelve, how can a first year wrestle one of those?" Ron was quiet.
The hairs at the back of Selina's neck suddenly stood on end and not even a few seconds later a haunting of ghosts passed them. They were so into their conversation that they hardly recognized the students, until the friar exclaimed happily, Selina blocked them out.
"If you all would follow me, we are ready for you now." McGonagall was back and she was carrying a scroll.
The students followed her into the Great Hall and up to the table on the raised platform where the teachers sat. There was a tattered hat sitting on a stool. Selina was about to point out that the hat might be a key factor into for the sorting ceremony when a rip opened up around the brim and it began to sing off-key:
Oh, you may not think I'm pretty
But don't judge on what you see
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me
You can keep your bowlers black
Your top hats sleek and tall
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be
You might belong in Gryffindor
Where dwell the brave at heart
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart
You might belong in Hufflepuff
Where they are just and loyal
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw
If you've a ready mind
Where those of wit and learning
Will always find their kind
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
"Like I said, something simple." Selina said in a monotone.
"Now when I call your names you will come forth and I will place the hat on your head. It will then sort you into your houses." McGonagall opened the scroll. "Abbott, Hannah!"
The hat was placed on the pink faced girl with pigtail's head and seconds later the hat shouted "Hufflepuff!" to the hall. The table on the right cheered.
"Bones, Susan." Susan was a red haired, slightly chubby girl, totally cute, though.
"Hufflepuff!" Selina thought that the cheer was a bit louder than that for Hannah.
"Boot, Terry," Went to Ravenclaw the left side table clapped politely.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy,"
"The hat paused longer than with others but declared her: "Ravenclaw!"
"Brown, Lavender," became the first Gryffindor and the far left table cheered. A pair of twins even catcalled.
"Bulstrode, Millicent," went into Slytherin, the far right table was reserved with their clapping.
"Corner, Michael," was sorted into Ravenclaw, but "Cornfoot, Stephen," went to Hufflepuff.
"Crabbe, Vincent," no surprise there, he went into Slytherin. Selina though that they might have low standards, until a cute black haired girl, "Davis, Tracy," was sorted into the house too.
"Dunbar, Fay," the Elvin like girl next to Selina was sorted into Gryffindor.
"Entwistle, Kevin."
"Hufflepuff!"
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin," the muggleborn boy.
"Hufflepuff!" Selina sighed in relief.
"Finnegan, Seamus."
"Gryffindor!"
"Goldstein, Anthony."
"Hufflepuff!"
"Goyle, Gregory," The other bookend also went to Slytherin.
"Granger, Hermione."
"Good luck," Selina whispered. The hat sat on her head for a good thirty seconds before it said:
"Gryffindor!"
"Greengrass, Daphne." The girl seemed close to Tracy, and had long blonde hair. She too went to Slytherin.
"Hopkins, Wayne," and "Jones, Megan," both went to Hufflepuff. Then her name was called.
"Kyle, Selina." Selina walked up to the stool and her view got obscured.
"Very interesting," a voice sounded in her head. "You do not answer to your once true name and your magic worked to hide it well."
"You can see what my name was?" Selina was nervous.
"I have not been forged by goblins my dear, so unless you want me to know I will not know, however I can see that you would fit in both Slytherin for your cunning and Gryffindor for your bravery, which would you prefer?"
"I didn't know I had a choice."
"Most students come here with a clear view of where they wish to be in their mind, and I take that into consideration. I see another student I sorted, you are friends, then enjoy, Gryffindor!" the last word was shouted to the hall.
Selina ignored the rest of the sorting but noted that, other than Gryffindor, the other houses had an equal number of girls and boys, five each. Gryffindor however had six girls and four boys. The girls were, Lavender, Fay, Hermione, Selina, Parvati Patel and a silent girl called Sally-Anne Perks. The boys weren't too noticeable. there was Neville Longbottom and Dean. Then there was the rude Ron Weasley and the spunky Seamus. After the sorting ceremony Dumbledore uttered some nonsense words: "Nitwit, Oddment. Blubber, Tweak," and the feast began.
By the time the desserts arrived the talk around the table went onto families. It turned out that the red haired twins, Fred and George, Percy, the prefect, and Ron were all related. They also had two older brothers and a younger sister called Ginny. They weren't the richest around, but they made up for their lack of money with their achievements. Bill was a curse-breaker at Gringott's and Charlie worked with Dragons in Romania. Percy was academically driven to be the Minister of Magic one day. Ron, well he just lacked confidence, but had a strategic mind, if his chess triumphs was taken into account.
Seamus was half and half, on his mother's side. She tried to keep magic hidden from her husband, but when Seamus exploded in his hands and come out unharmed, she had some explaining to do. Dean didn't know his father and was surprised when he went to Gringott's and received a vault key that his father forgot he ordered. It was a great help for his mother and him in regards to him attending Hogwarts.
Parvati and Padma were as different as day and night, if the gossip Parvati was sharing with Lavender was anything to go by. Fay had a unique upbringing. Her father was a wizard who worked al over the world under the oceans and seas. She was a bit tightlipped about her mother though, Selina suspected it was because her mother wasn't exactly human.
Hermione was proud of her dentist parents. Selina just wanted to keep them as Uncle Trevor and Aunt Jean. She didn't fancy going to their offices for a check up, she might just bite. Sally-Anne's parents met at school and work at the ministry, well her father does, her mother is a house-wife.
"So Selina, you've been quiet." So they noticed.
"Not much to say really." Selina shrugged. "Grew up in Gotham, mom shot herself and dad took the car into the lake, he was in hospital when I left America behind and came back here."
"Why didn't you stay, though?"
"Gotham isn't exactly the safest place around. If I stayed I would've lost my innocence within a year, that wasn't something I was looking forward to yet."
"What do you mean your innocence?" It was Ron Weasley who asked that one.
"I'll use simple terms Ronnie." Selina said flatly. "There are sickos around, like Jervis Tetch, that prey on young girls." Ron still looked confused. "Do you know how your parents got so many children, please don't tell me about the stork."
"Of course some bird didn't –" it finally dawned on him what they were talking about. "But why come here, alone?"
"We lived here at some point, I thought, maybe, I still have family around here. Turns out I didn't, but I got an invite to Hogwarts so now I'm here." There was finality in her voice. When the meal was finished Dumbledore once again rose and addressed them.
"Now that we are all fed and watered, allow me to give the start of term notices. Firstly for our new students and a few of our older students, please note that the forest on the ground is forbidden to enter unless accompanied by a member of staff.
"Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, also wishes to remind all students that magic is forbidden in the halls between classes, as well as several products, a list of which can be found on the wall outside his office.
"Also, for this year only, the third floor corridor on the right is forbidden to all who does not wish to die a most painful death." Selina perked up at that. "Now before you return to your houses, let us sing the school's song, everyone pick your favorite tune."
Dumbledore then flicked his wand and ribbons sprouted out of it forming words in the air, the lyrics to the school's song. Selina rapped through the song to get it over with, she never liked singing in public. The twins however seemed to enjoy it and chose a slow funeral march.
The first years followed Percy Weasley up to the seventh floor corridor where the Gryffindor Common Room was located. They only ran into a slight obstacle in the form of Peeves the Poltergeist. The pesky spirit locked eyes with Selina before he parted, Selina couldn't place the look though. The boys and girls parted ways at the entrances to the stair cases. Selina noticed that the boys' side didn't have as many flights of stairs as the girls' side.
"Welcome to Gryffindor," The female prefect, Leslie, greeted them just before they ascended the stairs. "In Gryffindor, one of our predecessors enchanted the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Firstly is the obvious, if a boy tries to come up these stairs, they would find a very slippery slide forcing them all the way down again, if you happen to be on the stairs at that time hold onto your skirts.
"The second enchantment makes the stairs move up or down according to the individual. To activate this, just place your wand on the left rail to go up and the right rail to go down. I hope you will all enjoy your stay here, your room is on the very top, you will keep this room for your entire seven years, so keep it relatively clean. Have a good night ladies."
With that she stood on a step and placed her wand on the left rail, the step she was on moved upwards while the others stayed dormant. The girls took that as their cue and moved to the very top floor. Their room was quite spacious and had six, four poster beds were spaced evenly around the circular room. Selina saw her bag hanging from the post of the bed closest to the window. Selina pulled out her trunk out and placed it at the foot of her bed. She then proceeded to get her toiletries and pajamas and went to the door she stopped just short turning around.
"Anyone else up for a bath or shower before bed?" She asked the girls looked at her weirdly, all except Hermione.
"Sure, let me just get my things." She dove into her trunk.
"Why are you showering at night?" Lavender asked confused.
"I'll bath or shower three times a day if I could, but I settle for twice a day, mornings and nights."
"Is that even allowed?" Parvati asked clearly just as confused as the other magical raised girls.
"There is no rule in Hogwarts, a History against it." Hermione said after gathering her things.
"Then count me in." Fay said plucking her own things from her trunk. "I prefer to be in the water any way I can get it."
====SKBRS====
I wanted to add more to this chapter, like the first week of lessons and the flying class, maybe the midnight duel, but decided that I was already two weeks without a chapter so I really needed to post something. Here it is the Next chapter of Selina Kyle – Big Red Stone. Please review, I love to hear from you guys. Do you have any suggestions? Let me know.