A/N: First off I would like to apologise to everyone who read the chapter I posted 24 hours ago, I accidently posted the wrong one. The chapter I should have posted is Chapter 2: The Beginning followed by Chapter 3: Settling In. Please go back and read the previous chapter and again I apologise for the mix up in case anyone was highly confused.
Chapter 2: The Beginning
Willa looked around and took in all the happy and excited faces of the students standing on Platform 9 and three quarters, they were all excited about going to Hogwarts for the first time or excited to be returning but her, she was filled with dread.
She took a deep breath before once again standing on her toes and craning her neck with hopes of catching sight of the Weasley red hair knowing there was a large number of them and they were hard to miss. She had been doing this for ten minutes and had yet to see them.
"They'll turn up baby, it's not like Molly will let them miss the train." Her mother spoke from behind her and she spun around to glare at her for the 'baby' nickname.
"Nope, no more baby in public. It's bad enough my mother is one of the Professors and I'm a freak." Willa snapped in response.
"You aren't a freak." Remus responded.
"No you're right, I'm just the daughter of the most feared Magical Creature in existence, also the first one of my kind to ever exist. So what am I then?" Willa questioned harshly.
"One of a kind," Emerson quickly threw out with a grin.
Willa turned and looked at the girl who was practically her sister. "Godric, I'm going to miss you Em." She walked over and hugged her.
Emerson scoffed, "you won't even realise I'm not there between Fred, George and Leighton. Whereas me, I will be stuck here all by myself."
Willa pulled away and looked at her, her brows furrowing. "I thought you and Nev were going to France for a couple of months?"
"After Christmas, we are travelling through France, Italy, Spain and Greece, I think." Emerson responded, looking up at the two adults for confirmation.
After Emerson told Remus she didn't want to attend Muggle school they went to Augusta and she suggested that maybe spending time in France with the family that she had there might be able to help feel the void that would be left after Willa, Fred and George went to Hogwarts.
"Yes that is correct and then I will be on my lonesome," Remus responded.
Willa looked up at him with a grin. "As long as you have your books and an endless supply of chocolate, you will be good." She responded cheekily.
"Why you little," Remus started but stopped as Willa quickly turned around, effectively ignoring him.
"Willa where are you going?" Octavia questioned as Willa pulled away from them and begun making her way through the crowd. "Merlin, I'm going to have Minnie in my office because of her." Octavia spoke with a shake of her head.
"Could be Flitwick, or Snape?" Remus added with a smirk.
"Please, he will react like my brother and sister did for my own sorting if she is placed in Slytherin. He will go for a resort just so she isn't in his house."
"There is nothing wrong with Slytherin, I believe we have the better qualities." Octavia turned her head and found her brother, Amycus standing there. "I see you lost a child," he pointed out and Octavia noticed Leighton and Willa having an animated conversation off to the side.
"And there is nothing wrong with Gryffindor, I believe I turned out just fine in that house. I don't know what all the fuss was that you and Alecto made was." Octavia responded with a grin.
"We should probably stop before this turns into another argument over which house is better." Remus pointed out and Emerson giggled, remembering the conversation.
It started not long after Willa's Hogwarts letter turned up and they started a debate as to which house she would be sorted into, Hufflepuff was quickly taken out of the running. They weren't saying it as she was a cruel and cold hearted person but at times Willa didn't exactly fit the mould that was a Hufflepuff, yes she was loyal as hell but she wasn't exactly trust worthy or kind hearted at all times.
"Why? Willa already knows Slytherin is the best house." Regulus' voice came from behind them and Octavia spun around to find him standing there.
"What are you doing here?" she questioned.
"Seeing my niece off to Hogwarts. Why, does it look a little strange to have two Death Eaters in such close proximity?" He questioned and they all let out a laugh.
"You lied to me!" Willa exclaimed, finally taking notice of Regulus standing there.
"I didn't lie, I had no idea I would be able to come. The goblins contacted us last night after we spoke and said we had a portkey to catch early this morning and didn't tell us where we were going like usual and when we landed we were in England, so I thought I'd pop over and see you off to Hogwarts." Regulus explained and Willa nodded, taking the explanation for a moment.
"Why a portkey? You and Bee normally Aparate everywhere." Willa questioned and everyone turned to look at Regulus.
Willa didn't understand why Regulus and Bridgette caught a port key, because they worked for the Goblins and were requested to travel all over the world at times they were allowed to Apparate long distance.
A license to Apparate such long distances and between countries requires a different permit. You usually find it is Curse Breakers, Aurors and some witches and Wizards that work with Magical Creatures that gain the permit.
"Oh crap, Bridge is going to kill me for letting it slip. She's pregnant, even though Apparating is fine for the first couple of months long distance isn't at all during a pregnancy." Regulus explained and it earned congratulations from everyone standing around.
Willa just gave Regulus a small smile before she turned and looked in search of the Weasley family once more.
"What's wrong with her?" Regulus questioned and Willa let out a sigh.
"I can hear you," she muttered.
"What's wrong Willa?" he questioned and she turned to look at him.
"You've all been fighting over Gryffindor and Slytherin as to where I will be sorted but it's been well established that I'm not normal, that I'm different and that I'm one of a kind. I spent hours in Ollivanders looking for a stupid wand!" she snapped, taking a deep breath when Octavia gave her a look. "What if I can't be sorted, what if I just sit there or whatever it is how we're sorted, like a git because I don't fit in any house?"
"Willa," Octavia spoke.
"Finally," Willa let out a sigh of relief as she finally caught sight of the Weasley family walk through the barrier and she walked over and stood beside Fred and George.
"You lot took forever," Willa complained and they looked over at her.
"Mr Perfect over there was complaining about his rat not coming out of hiding." George responded and a shiver went through Willa.
"Hate that bloody thing," she responded. "Come, my trunk is already on the train. Let's go add yours before coming out and saying goodbye."
When Willa led the twins back out to where she left her family she quickly noticed that Octavia and Regulus were having a hushed conversation with Amycus standing beside them not saying anything.
She walked over and raised an eyebrow at them, waiting for them to take notice of her.
"Hello, down here," she spoke, waving her arms around and they all finally noticed her but none of them had the chance to respond as a horn rang through the platform indicating that train was about to leave.
"I'll see you at Hogwarts, please don't stress because you will be sorted." Octavia spoke softly, tucking Willa's hair behind her ear.
Willa smiled up at her mother, quickly reaching up and wrapping her arms around her mother's neck. "I'm glad you're going to be at Hogwarts with me," she whispered in her mother's ear.
She was terrified of going into Hogwarts being different, having no one ever exist that was like her and she was grateful that she was lucky enough to have her mother there.
Willa said goodbye to everyone else before she climbed on the train with Fred and George, she turned around quickly noticed that Charlie and Nymphadora were standing there with their arms crossed over their chests.
The two of them didn't have much contact with each other before their time at Hogwarts but once they started at Hogwarts they quickly bonded over common interests as well as sharing stories of what Willa and the twins got up to.
"Hi there," Willa flashed them a smile. "When did you arrive? I didn't see Dromeda or Ted on the platform." She questioned, she was a little upset that she didn't get the chance to see her aunt and uncle before getting on the train along with everyone else.
"Dad's trip in France got extended and mum had to work the morning shift at St Mungo's, so I spent the night at a friend's house last night." Nymphadora explained and Willa merely nodded.
"Alright come on now, we're going to place you three in a compartment and you are going to stay there until we get to Hogwarts." Charlie spoke sternly but Willa continued to flash him a smile.
"What could we honestly get up to on the train?" George questioned as they begun following Charlie down the train with Nymphadora trailing behind them.
Charlie looked over his shoulder at them, "knowing you three, anything." He muttered, facing ahead of him.
Willa didn't know how Charlie knew which compartment they put their trunks in but had ended up there and held the door open.
"Alright in you get," he ordered.
"Careful now, we may just blow the train up." Fred threatened and Charlie's mouth fell open.
"Don't even think about it. I can just imagine the lecture mum will give me for not keeping you lot out of trouble for even one day."
"Oh come on Charlie, how would they even blow the train up?" Nymphadora questioned and they all turned to look at Willa who still had the smile firmly plastered on her face.
"What?" she questioned innocently while Fred and George let out a laugh.
"We could just get her angry enough." George started.
"And bam, the train explodes!" Fred finished.
"Two years, two years is all I ask." Charlie muttered to himself as he turned and left the compartment.
"If you need anything, just come find me okay?" Nymphadora questioned softly and Willa nodded.
"Thank you," she responded softly.
Nymphadora tilted her head before leaving the compartment and leaving the three first years alone in the compartment.
"Do you two honestly think I could blow up the train?" Willa questioned, moving over to the opposite bench and looking at the twins.
"It could be interesting," George shrugged.
"We could end up dead, you've seen how many times I've been hurt because of it." Willa responded, turning and looking out the window.
"You could never hurt anyone," Fred spoke softly.
Willa turned and looked at her best friends, giving them a small smile before looking at the window. She did fear that one day it would become too much and she would kill someone, it was bad enough she had badly hurt her mother when she was younger and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't permanently get rid of the memory.
Every time she lost control and something exploded she remembered what happened to Octavia, how she was hit in the head by a flying piece of wood and knocked her unconscious. She was just glad that she had her mirror nearby and was able to get in contact with Regulus, she feared what may have happened had he been working or was unable to Apparate over as quickly as he did.
The three of them fell into an easy conversation, keeping things light or having arguments over Quidditch teams and how they performed over the summer for the finals tournament.
The Quidditch season ran for most of year, with breaks over Halloween and Christmas as well as six weeks close to the end of summer while there was a tournament played for a few weeks over the beginning of summer that helped determine who the overall winner was.
All three of them each had their own favourite Quidditch team and they always argued over which team was better.
But it was when their conversation turned to the sorting and how it was going to happen that the compartment door opened, interrupting their conversation and they all looked up at the intruder.
"There's a rumour floating through the train that you three are planning on blowing it up." He spoke and they couldn't help but laugh in response.
"Now why would we do something as outlandish as that?" Fred responded with a grin before holding out his hand. "George Weasley."
"Fred Weasley," George followed suite and Willa had to place a hand over her mouth to stifle the laugh wanting to escape at what the twins just pulled.
"Lee Jordan," the boy responded with a smile, completely oblivious to Willa attempting to hold her laugh in.
The twins were regularly switching with each other, Willa always managed to catch on to the switch. Molly was pretty good at being able to tell the twins apart, it was only when she was flustered that she messed up.
In fact it was pretty easy to tell the twins apart once you spot it, most people over looked it, not noticing the difference between the twins.
It was there eye colouring, both essentially had blue eyes but it was Fred's who had some green tints in his eyes. George also had more freckles across his face compared to his brother.
Willa straightened herself before holding her hand out as well, she knew come the sorting everyone would know who she was.
"Willa Black," she introduced herself and she was pleased that Lee only hesitated for a second before he too shook her hand like he had done with the twins.
"So before you interrupted Lee, Willa the troll?" Fred questioned.
Willa caught sight of worry filling Lee's face before he spoke. "What troll?" he questioned.
Willa rolled her eyes, disbelief that the twins honestly believed this. "I can't believe you two are believing Charlie on this. Honestly, no first year could take on a troll, they'd end up dead." Willa responded.
"What troll?!" Lee questioned once more and all three of them turned and looked at him.
"We were told we had fight a troll to find out what house we are sorted into." George explained.
"Nah, trolls are outdated. Hippogriffs are all the way now. My brother said so, he's in his fourth year." Lee responded.
Willa nodded, looking over at him before looking at the twins. "Now that seems more believable. I like this guy." Willa spoke with a grin.
"Not possible."
"You don't like anyone." The twins spoke.
Willa smirked at them, "that's because I fear what you and Leighton will do if I make any more friends." she teased and they mocked being hurt.
"That hurts," they spoke together, holding a hand over their hearts but she just let out a laugh.
Willa turned and looked at where Lee was still sitting beside her, "you said your brother is a fourth year?" she questioned for a change in subject.
Lee took the change of subject and spoke a little about his older brother, the one who had been sorted into Ravenclaw and had spent the last three years teasing Lee and pointing out every amazing thing about Hogwarts to rub it in his younger brother's face that he wasn't at Hogwarts yet.
It made the three of them glad that Nymphadora, Bill, Charlie and Percy never once did it but they were planning on doing it to Ron for the next two years.
.oOo.
Willa climbed into the boat with Fred, George and Lee not far behind her. After Lee entered their compartment he didn't leave, he stayed and continued to talk with the three of them and it was quickly found they all shared a passion for Quidditch, despite none of them following the same team.
She remembered hearing the story from her mother, how about she had fallen into the Black Lake as she rode across it in the boats with James and Sirius, it being the same reason as to why Willa had learnt how to swim.
Willa reached over and ran her fingers through the water, breaking its calm surface before all the boats began to move. She loved swimming, add that to the flying she immensely enjoyed and she had a pretty active childhood because of the two of them.
"Careful, the Giant Squid may pull you under." Fred teased.
Willa turned around and looked at Fred with a smirk on her face, "I reckon it'll be a lot of fun, and at least I know how to swim."
"What do you mean a Giant Squid?" Lee questioned as the boats began moving across the lake and Willa pulled her hand back into the boat.
"There's a Giant Squid living in the lake, your brother didn't mention it?" Willa questioned and Lee shook his head, looking over the edge. "It's in there somewhere, almost killed my mother." She responded, looking back at the lake. She hoped she could catch sight of the Giant Squid, she wanted to see it, see if it was as big as her mother said it was.
She stayed silent as the other first years took in sight of the Castle, even Fred and George were in awe of the sight of it at this angle over the Black Lake but she had seen the castle a number of times. She may not have seen it like this but she had been in Hogsmeade a number of times, a number of times she had seen the Castle from Hogsmeade.
It was when the boats pulled up on the shore that the dread she had been feeling earlier returned, in full force.
She ran her hand through the water once more, taking a deep breath and standing up following her best friends and new friend as they trailed behind the other first years.
"What's wrong with her?" Lee questioned, Willa looked over at him for a moment but didn't respond.
"Who knows," Fred responded with a shrug but he did give Willa a look before pulling Lee forward, allowing Willa to fall behind.
It was all a blur, the shock of the other students as they listened to Professor McGonagall speak sternly about the houses and how they are a family within each one.
She didn't need to hear McGonagall's speech, she had heard how her parents made a family within Gryffindor because they felt like they didn't fit within their own blood family.
But it was when they all entered the Great Hall that panic, dread and fear filled her.
Her earlier concerns returned about how she might not be sorted, she feared that she wouldn't be able to be sorted, that she was so different she didn't belong in one house.
The thing that scared her the most was that she would most likely be first.
She felt someone squeeze her arm and she looked over to notice that Fred and George had made their way over to her and position themselves beside her. She gave them a small smile.
"Black, Willa." McGonagall called out, Willa took a deep breath before stepping away from her comfort zone in between the Weasley twins.
The whole way up she was thinking how Emerson would love this, how she wished Emerson was born a few months earlier so the four of them could be at Hogwarts together, instead Emerson was at home by herself for the next year while Willa got to have fun with the twins.
She hadn't even realised that they were being sorted by a hat, completely spaced on the whole thing but let it go as she focused on schooling her features as she took a seat on the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
"Ahh miss Black, I was wondering when you would finally grace me with your presence." The hat spoke in Willa's head and she let out a sigh, swinging her legs
"You know who I am?"
"Of course I do, now where do I put you. I see so much of your mother in you but so much of your uncle as well, so much that will make you fit right in with the Slytherin students but your bravery, your bravery will make you stand out amongst the Slytherin students it's why I didn't place your parents in that house. Ravenclaw is out because you don't have the thirst for knowledge that they do and Hufflepuff, it seems as though you already decided you wouldn't fit there yourself."
"So where are you going to put me."
"That is the decision…"
Willa sat there in silence, waiting for the hat to make a decision. The silence dragged on for way too long and it was starting to unnerve her, she heard that hat stalls did happen but they were rare. Was her mother the reason she was a hat stall, they were unsure on how her mother's magic would affect her since they couldn't find any records of Dreamers having had children.
The only thing they were certain was that the fact that things liked to explode in her presence when she was angry and it wasn't linked to accidental magic, it happened a bit too often.
Willa may be a Metamorphmagus but there was no way it was linked to her mother's magic since her cousin was one as well.
Willa couldn't even look at her watch to work out how long she had been sitting up on the stool, every now and then the hat would mutter something, whether it be snake or lion, red or green, gold or silver. Willa knew enough to know that they were all associated with the two houses the hat couldn't decide between.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat finally shouted and Willa let out a sigh of relief, she didn't know what she was more relieved about, being sorted into Gryffindor or to just be sorted.
She looked over at where one of her cousins was sitting, Leighton had been sorted into Slytherin just like his father. He gave her a smile before focusing on the sorting.
"A hatstall," someone whispered in her ear and when she turned her head she found Charlie had moved to sit beside her.
She narrowed her eyes before looking ahead, refusing to look eyes with her mother as she focused on the rest of the sorting and to see where the twins and her newest friend Lee is sorted.
.oOo.
The sorting had just finished and Octavia was pleased that Willa had been sorted into Gryffindor, that she had been placed into the same house she found family within during her own at Hogwarts. She was glad her daughter also had her two best friends with her.
Octavia knew that if Sirius was around he would be incredibly proud of her, she just hated she still to this day that she couldn't bring herself to risk his life for a trial. There was a part of her that knew the same facts as everyone else and wondered if maybe he did what they say he did.
"I seem to recall someone else talking that long," Octavia turned her head and looked at McGonagall sitting beside her at the table.
"I don't remember taking that long. I seem to recall Peter being a hatstall while I wasn't. She was definitely a hatstall, seven minutes she sat there."
"Five and a half minutes myself," McGonagall responded as she lifted her goblet to take a sip of her drink.
"You were a hatstall?" she questioned.
"I was, Ravenclaw was the other option."
"I believe the Sorting Hat would have been stuck between choosing between Gryffindor and Slytherin. And I didn't take that long," Octavia emphasised and McGonagall raised an eyebrow.
"You did take a while Octavia, she is your daughter."
"She's also her father's daughter." Octavia spoke, looking over to where Willa was laughing about something with Fred and George.
"Regardless of what he may or may not have done, the only thing he would truly want is her to be happy and have the life you all worked so hard to make sure the next generation had."
Octavia turned and looked at McGonagall in shock, the two of them had not once ever spoken about Sirius and what he may have done all those years ago. "You don't believe he did it?" she questioned.
"The evidence adds up against him, but I saw the three of you grow up together. I just can't believe he would betray James, betray you. Why haven't you gone for a trail?"
"Moody said if he goes for a trial and is still found guilty, he gets a Dementor's Kiss."
McGonagall didn't say anything in response, just placed her hand on Octavia's before they started on dinner.
.oOo.
Willa finally had the courage to look up and lock eyes with her mother, who was watching her with curiosity. She gave her mother a smile before looking over at Fred as he said something, the rest of the other first years laughed around them and she had obviously missed something.
"What about you Black?"
Willa turned and looked at the dark skinned girl in front of her, remembering her name to be Angelina Johnson.
"What was the question?" she questioned bluntly.
"It was first signs of magic," another girl responded and Willa looked at her. Alicia Spinnet, another girl that would be sharing a dorm with Willa.
"Didn't you turn Ron's teddy into a spider?" Fred questioned and she looked over at him.
"No that was you," Willa responded at first, looking across from her at the other girls. "I turned my uncle's hair pink when I was four." Willa smiled, remembering the memory she had of Regulus with pink hair one Christmas.
"Does anyone else find it strange that that Professor is staring at us?" Angelina questioned and when Willa looked over at the table she noticed that only her mother was looking at them.
"That would be my mother, she teachers Care of Magical Creatures to years six and seven." Willa responded.
"Why only sixth and seventh years? Why not the rest?" Alicia questioned and Willa shrugged at first.
"I have no idea, Professor Kettleburn teachers third through fifth. I know my mother loves magical creatures but as for why there are two Professors, I have no idea." Willa spoke and they all nodded.
"Wait, Care of Magical Creatures. That's a class?" Veronica Anderson questioned and they all laughed.
"Yes they do, it's an elective we have an option to pick for third year. There's five electives we pick from and we can only pick three, although most students only pick two." Willa explained and Veronica nodded.
"So what are the other classes like?" Veronica questioned and everyone launched into stories of what they knew of the classes they would be taking at Hogwarts.
.oOo.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who continues to read, set alerts and review my story it means a lot to me but reviews mean even more as they let me know what you enjoy.
