A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you
"Hagrid, what's Harry's parents house look like?"
After waking up the next morning and having a nice breakfast with Hagrid, the giant had taken Clementine and Harry to London to get their school supplies. Harry had been kind enough to offer to pay for her things with the money Hagrid had told him his parents had left behind. Her father hadn't said anything to her when she had told him where she was going and her mother and brother followed his example.
Hagrid had taken Clementine and Harry to a place he called Diagon Alley which was where every witch and wizard went to get magical items- as Hagrid had told her- to get money from the vault that had previously belonged to Harry's parents. Harry had offered to pay for anything she wanted, but Hagrid had insisted that hadn't been necessary.
A quick ride in the mining cart a few vaults away from Harry's had been another vault that belonged to Clementine. To clam her confusion, Hagrid had produced another letter from one of his many pockets. The letter had gone yellow with age, but the red wax that sealed the back had clearly spelled out the initials LJP which Clementine knew to stand for Lily Josephine Potter. The parchment inside had aged well and Clementine was able to read it easily.
Dear Clementine,
I don't know how this letter should find you- I'm not even sure if it ever will, to be honest. However, I feel it is my duty to write this letter to you in order to help you navigate the strange world of magic you have most likely be thrust into.
As I write this letter, you are note even a year old; I know this to be true as you're less than a month older than your cousin Harry. However, if I am correct- and I feel I am- you are eleven years old and you have received your letter from Hogwarts. With how things are between your mother and I, there is no saying how involved in your life I am, but that doesn't change the fact that you are my family.
As you may or may not already know, normal people without an inkling of magic in their veins can produce children with the gift of magic; my own parents did it and now I believe my sister has, also. Currently she is in denial- for I know she never wanted anything to do with the world I live in since we were young children- but that does not change the fact that you- if I am correct in my assumptions- are a witch.
Knowing my sister and your father, they will most likely be adamant that you do not attend Hogwarts, but if you're reading this letter you've chosen to do so anyway. Inside Vault 648, my husband had been generous enough to set aside enough money so that you may experience the wizarding world comfortably, along with a few of my personal favorite books and trinkets from my own time at school. Perhaps, with enough persuading, your mother will allow you to accompany Harry to our home for the holidays or for a few weeks during the summer so that I can tell you about my time there. I would very much like to get to know you better.
You loving aunt,
Lily
Clementine's aunt and uncle had left her a lot of money- how much, she hadn't been sure as she was still getting used to magical currency, but Clementine had been most grateful that they had taken the time to think about her and what she could become- especially with how her mother seemed to dislike her sister. It was a thoughtful thing that had left tears in her eyes when she thought about the woman she never got the chance to meet. Thinking about her was what had led to Clementine's question.
"The Potter's lived up in Godric's Hollow, they did," Hagrid answered as they walked. "'Course that was 'fer You-Know-Who 'stroyed it. Harry still owns it- 'long with the ol' Potter Esta',"
"Potter Estate?" Harry questioned. "My parents had an estate?"
Hagrid nodded. "It was more yer grandparen's, to be true," He insisted. "After they died from Dragon Pox, they lef' it ter yer dad, who lef' it ter you,"
Clementine looked to Harry with excitement. "You have an estate!" She told him before looking to Hagrid. "Can we go see it?" She asked, but the giant looked unsure.
"I dunno..."
"Please?!"
"Yes," Harry agreed. "Please? I'd like to see where my family lived,"
"Per'aps after we finish gettin' yer things," It wasn't a yes, but the two eleven year olds didn't press the matter.
After leaving Gringotts, Clementine and Harry had gone to get their uniforms as Hagrid had left them for a few moments to settle his stomach after being in the bank.
Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve. She was Clementine's size with wrinkled skin and poofy white hair that reminded her of a cats tail.
She noticed them immediately when they stepped in. "Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."
In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length. While she worked on his robe, Madam Malkin turned to Clementine who stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. "You go on into the next room dear and I'll have someone with you in a moment."
With a smile, Clementine did as she was told and went into the adjoining room that was behind a large white curtain. There was another attendant working on a mannequin. There were a few more stools, but only two were in use by two girls; they both had light brown skin and long black their that went to their mid-backs. Their faces were identical, but had one or two differences that allowed someone to differentiate the two. Around them, scissors, a spool of thread, and pins worked in tandem with one another as they worked on the girls robes.
"Hello," One of them greeted causing the other to turn and see Clementine.
"Hello," Clementine replied as the woman who had been working on the mannequin led her over to the stool next to one of the girls. She had long black hair that Clementine was sure would be puddling on the floor if it wasn't in such a large and intricate braid and lightly tanned skin that was covered in tattoos- moving tattoos; a raven flew across her upper chest while a man with a guitar played his instrument on her collar bone; there was a little girl with a kite on her right arm and black flames licked up and down her left arm. She had to be, at least, twenty years older than Clementine.
"Are you here for your Hogwarts robes?" The woman asked and Clementine nodded.
"I'm Padma," The girl next to Clementine introduced while the woman put a long black robe over Clementine's head. "And this is my sister Parvati; we're getting out Hogwarts robes as well,"
"I'm Clementine," She introduced herself as another pair of scissors, thread, and pins began snipping and sewing her robe. "Does everyone in Britain go to Hogwarts?"
"And Ireland," Parvati nodded. "What house do you think you'll be in?"
"Parvarti wants to be in Hufflepuff," Padma said with a roll of her eyes.
"It's better than being in Ravenclaw with a bunch of know-it-all's." Parvati pointed out before turning to Clementine. "They're all so dull and boring; all they do for fun is study and make everyone feel stupid by correcting everyone."
"Priyanka was a Ravenclaw-" Padma started.
"I know," Parvati insisted before addressing the redhead again. "What house do you want to be in?" Clementine floundered as she tried to figure out what the two meant; were the houses they were talking about like classes? Or was it more like the dorm rooms at boarding school? Seeing the confusion on her face, Parvati looked to her sister. "I think she's a muggle-born,"
"Yes," Clementine agreed quickly with a nod of her head. Hagrid had told her and Harry about muggle-borns when he told them that Harry's mother had been one. "It's in yer' blood," The gentle giant had told her. "That's me- that's what I am,"
"I've never met a muggle-born before," Padma said with a large grin directed at her sister before looking to Clementine. "What's the muggle world like? My mother says they've put a man on the moon- without magic!"
Clementine nodded, "They used a rocket ship,"
"What's that?"
For the next twenty minutes, Clementine answered Padma's never ending questions as well as she could until their robes were done and they had to return to their mother who was waiting for them at a book store Clementine couldn't correctly pronounce. Her own robes had taken a bit longer after a pair of enchanted scissors had cut a large hole in the backside and the woman (who had introduced herself as Begonia) had insisted on starting over. By the time she was finished, the ice cream that Hagrid had gotten her (dark chocolate and raspberry with chopped walnuts) had melted. He had apologized and offered to get her a new one, but Clementine had refused although she had appreciated his offer.
"I met two girls who were also going to Hogwarts," Clementine had told Harry when they were entering Ollivander's Wand Shop after leaving the pet shop; Hagrid had gotten Harry a beautiful snowy white owl for his birthday. He had offered to get Clementine one, as her birthday had also passed, but she had passed after one of the other owls had gotten hold of one of her braids and tried to rip it from her head. The witch managing the store had used a spell to put the owl to sleep and had given Clementine her choice of pet whenever she wanted one. She doubted that she would be cashing in that promise any time soon.
Harry had just finished telling her about the wizarding sport Quidditch and the Hogwarts houses Hagrid had told him about. "They're twins; Padma and Parvati. Parvati wants to be in Hufflepuff and Padma wants to be in Ravenclaw, but Parvati says that Ravenclaw is full of know-it-all's who only like to make people look stupid-"
"Oh, I wouldn't say they're all know-it-all's," A soft voice interrupted and Harry and Clementine looked to see an old man with wide pale eyes and shoulder length white hair. He reminded Clementine of her grandfather Klaus who- despite having a very rude son and daughter- was a very soft and gentle man. "A lot of them actually give trolls a run for their money when it comes to stupidity and ignorance,"
He stood in front of the counter in the tiny place where, what looked like, shoe boxes were stacked on shelves and anywhere else they could fit. Nothing seemed to be very organized, but Clementine didn't mention that. Instead she smiled and greeted the man. She also prompted Harry to do so by stepping on his foot and a hiss not to be rude.
"Hello," said Harry awkwardly and the man's eyes shifted to him.
"Ah yes," he said. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." Clementine noticed that it wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
Mr. Ollivander moved closer. Clementine couldn't help but notice that he had yet to blink.
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course. "
Mr. Ollivander was now so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry's eyes flicked to Clementine and she looked to Hagrid who shook his head. She didn't know what that meant.
"And that's where..." Mr. Ollivander's long finger gently prodded at the scar on Harry's forehead. "I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands. . . well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..." He shook his head and then spotted Hagrid. His mood seemed to immediately lighten and Harry stepped to Clementine's side.
"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again," The old man smiled. "Your wand...Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?" Clementine looked at Harry. 'Sixteen inches?' she mouthed and he shrugged. She wondered how long the average wand was.
"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.
"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.
"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.
"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.
"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke. Mr. Ollivander didn't look as if he believed him before turning to Clementine.
"And you are?"
"Clementine," She answered quickly. "Clementine Dursley- I'm Harry's cousin,"
"...Yes," he began, his tone lightening. "I remember your mother," Clementine's eyebrows furrowed as she and Harry exchanged confused expressions.
"My mother?" She questioned, turning back to the old man. "My mother's not a witch,"
"Oh, I know," he insisted, "She came here just over twenty years ago with her sister and their parents when they came to get little Lily a wand," He gestured to the large wall of boxes to his left. "She took down this entire wall when she waved the wrong wand. It took hours to put all the wands in their correct boxes- even with magic,"
"...I'm sorry?" Clementine apologized with an confused air, but Mr. Ollivander simply shook his head and the smile returned to his lips.
"No matter," he insisted. "All in the past, but- just in case you have your mother's propensity for destruction- we'll find Mr. Potter's wand first." Clementine could feel her face get hot while the old man turned to her cousin. "Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see. " He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.
"Hold out your arm. That's it. " He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
"Why not?" Clementine asked as Mr. Ollivander went wandering around the shelves. He answered without looking at her.
"Every wand is unique," He said. "Just as every person- no matter how similar they look on the outside. Wands are the same, Right then, Mr. Potter." Mr. Ollivander returned with a wand that looked to be a few inches short of a foot. It was lighter in color and looked bendy. "Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave. "
Harry took the wand and waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once. A moment he had a new wand in Harry's hand- shorter and lighter in color.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try-" But the moment Harry took it, Mr. Ollivander snatched away once more.
This continued and continued for, what seemed like, hours as the wands began piling higher and higher on the spindly chair- the only chair in the shop- but, instead of looking irritated or annoyed like Clementine expected, Mr. Ollivander seemed to get giddier with every wand he tossed to the side. She had since taken a seat on the floor.
"Tricky customer, eh?" He asked, "Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. "
Harry took the wand and raised it above his head before he brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well. . . how curious. . . how very curious. . . "
He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious. . . curious. . .
"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"
Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother - why, its brother gave you that scar. "
Was he saying what Clementine thought he was saying? Was Harry's wand just like the one that had given him the scar- the one that had killed his parents? Why, out of every wand in the shop- why would that wand choose Harry.
"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. . . I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. . . After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great." His mood change, yet again, as he clapped and turned to Clementine. "Your turn Ms. Dursley!"
Clementine didn't go through nearly as many as Harry did, but she caused a lot more trouble; by the time Mr. Ollivander handed Clementine a wand that filled her with a nice warm feeling and produced a brilliant blue light (Laurel wood with a Dragon core, 14 ΒΌ" and Pliant flexibility), Clementine had managed to knock down the entire wall of wands that her mother managed to all those years ago and then some. Mr. Ollivander, however, seemed pleased by both the knocking down of his wall and the wand.
"I can tell by your wand that you will be a powerful and prudent witch, Ms. Dursley," He said as he wrapped her wand up. "You stray away from causing harm and you'll have only the best interest at heart, don't forget that," He said quietly, passing her the box.
Harry paid fourteen gold Galleons for their wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.
"Mr. Ollivander is a strange man, isn't he?" Clementine asked and Hagrid chuckled.
At the end of their trip to Diagon Alley, Hagrid had decided to take Harry and Clementine to the Potter Estate under the stipulation that they tell no one as he was only supposed to take them to Diagon Alley and then straight back to Privet Drive. Harry and Clementine had promised not to tell; the last thing they wanted was to get Hagrid- who had gone out of his way for them several times- in trouble.
The Potter Estate sat on five thousand acres of land in the English countryside and looked most like a castle than whatever Clementine had been expecting.
Hagrid had driven down a very, very, very long Flagstone road just to get to the house; on either side of the road had been large, beautiful Blue Blossom trees that were such an incredible shade of bluish green that Clementine had spent the entire time watching the leaves shake in the wind during the drive. When the road finally did end, it led to into a large driveway of the same Flagstone and what was at the end of it took Clementine's breath away; As a young girl who spent a disproportionate amount of her time dreaming about knights, unicorns, and fairy tales, Potter Manor looked like a dream come true.
Hagrid stopped in front of the manor and the three of them climbed up the long stone steps up to the twenty foot double doors that were made from beautiful dark wood and had iron ivy leaves crawling up them. Hagrid pushed it open with ease and the three stepped in.
The floor was made from white marble and a dusty, expensive looking black and floral carpet stretched from underneath a small table that held a vase of dead red roses and sunflowers that sat underneath a large crystal chandelier all the way to the front of the grand staircase. There were dozens of paintings on the walls of the foyer and they all varied in size; one was taller than Hagrid while another was probably the size of the small tv screen that sat in Clementine's dining room. She couldn't see what the paintings were because they all had sheets draped over them.
The rest of the manor was just as grand and dusty; the dining room could probably fit all of Clementine and Harry's class with the long mahogany take it housed; the kitchen looked like it was built for thirty cooks instead of one or two; the living area, solarium, and parlor were all bigger than Clementine's house and the hallways were as big as streets. Neither Harry or Clementine had been able to keep track of every room they went into as there were many.
"Clementine!" Harry called and the redhead poked her head out of the room she was looking through. "Come look!"
"What is it?" She asked as she made her way over to the room Harry had disappeared into. "Whoa..."
The bedroom, like all the others, was large and Clementine could only imagine that it was what every young wizard's bedroom looked like; there were posters of Quidditch (a sport Parvati had told her about at Madam Malkins) players on the wall along with bands that Clementine assumed consisted of wizards and witches (why else would someone name their band the Hobgoblins?). There were other normal things like a bed, dressers, and a large trunk overflowing with books, rolls of parchment, and other miscellaneous things. Despite the number of things in the trunk, Clementine couldn't help but feel like the room was bare; she could tell that there were things missing like photos from the walls and the top side of the dressers, maybe some clothes, and other personal items to tell who lived in the room.
"Whose room is this?" She wondered aloud.
"I think...I think it was my dads," Harry answered as Clementine wandered over to the trunk. "If this was my grandparents house and I do't have any other witch or wizard aunts and uncles, then this must've been my dad's room."
"Clearly," Harry looked to see that she had a leather bound journal in her hands. "Listen to this; Evans looked particularly beautiful in Charms today and I had told her so...Unfortunately for me, I had the misfortune of having a prat for a friend. The moment I opened my mouth, Padfoot spelled me to only speak in rude rhymes- a spell we had put on the sorting hat the year before. The second I called Evans a "Redheaded twit faster than the golden snitch" she stomped on my foot and cursed me good. I honestly didn't mind- Evans has always looked the most beautiful when she's angry- but that was before Professor McGonagall came over and I called her a few words that I refuse to repeat. Suffice to say, Evans has vowed not to speak to me for the rest of the year and I have been given detention until New Years... I suppose there's always next year to make Evans fall in love with me,"." Clementine snorted. "Your father was a real charmer," Harry shrugged. "I wonder who Padfoot is,"
"He sounds like a git," Harry said and Clementine laughed. Putting the book down, Clementine began going through the rest of the trunk as Harry joined her. "None of these other books belong to my dad,"
"I think they're your mums," Clementine had seen the name Lily Evans scrawled neatly in several of them already. "I suppose she was the type who never threw anything away- perhaps they lived here before they got married?"
"Maybe," The two were interrupted by Hagrid who had been searching for them for some time but had gotten lost in the maze of a house. He told them that it was time to leave and that he would deliver anything they wanted from the house before they left for Hogwarts; Harry had chosen to take his fathers posters and a few keepsakes he had found in the closet while Clementine had asked for the trunk of books that belonged to her aunt. Sure, they were dated and she had no use for them, but they weren't all school books and Clementine wanted to know all she could about magic.
After taking their chosen items to the foyer, Hagrid had gotten back onto his flying motercyle as Harry and Clementine sat together inside of the sidecar before Hagrid revved the engine and they took off down the lane of Blossom trees.
Between the time that Hagrid had shown up with Harry and Clementine's letters and the time that school would actually start was a full month.
Harry had been able to get through it easily; his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had always ignored him. The only difference was that Dudley was too afraid to come near him after he had gotten home from the hospital (he had needed a surgery to get the pigs tail off) and Harry didn't mind one bit. With his cousin as company, it was a major improvement on his previous living conditions.
Clementine, however, was not doing as well as Harry.
She had never realized how much she had liked her parents love and affection until it had been taken away from her; after she had returned from Potter Manor, they hadn't spoken a single word to her no matter how hard she tried to get them to speak. Dudley would shriek and run from any room she entered and her father was barely managing to contain his anger. Her mother, however, would cry all the time; she could hear her at night crying that Clementine would turn out just like Lily- that the magical world would take her just like it had taken her sister. Clementine had never felt worse in her life, but she never even thought about changing her mind. That made her feel even worse. The only thing that managed to cheer her up, even a little, was Harry who had distracted her with the books from his grandparents home.
Harry himself hadn't found any particular interest in them, but Clementine had found them fascinating; after reading all of her school books, she had read the ones from her aunt and uncle's school years and then the other books her Aunt Lily had collected. Some were about potion ingredients, others were about spells to make a household run better, some were fiction books about dragons and mermaids, but Clementine's favorite had been 101 Harmless Curses and Spells. It was Clementine's favorite because her aunt had written notes in the margins about how to tweak certain spells to make them stronger, last longer or do slightly different things, and others had notes about who to cast them on; one spell to make body hair grow exceptionally fast had been circled and had a small note next to it that read; "Revenge on Black for turning my hair into fire". Harry had found it just as funny as Clementine did.
At half past ten on the first of September, Clementine and Harry quietly got into the her father's car before her and her mother drove them to Kings Cross Station. The entire ride was filled with silence that no one dared break and Clementine was beginning to feel the effect of her decision to go to Hogwarts; she was certain that her parents no longer loved her.
Her father dumped both her and Harry's trunks into two carts- with Harry's bird (who he had named Hedwig) in her cage on top- and wheeled them into the station It was an oddly nice gesture that Clementine knew would be the last the moment they stopped between Platform nine and Platform ten and she saw the nasty grin on his face.
"Well, here you are," He announced before gesturing to the two platforms. "Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?" Clementine and Harry said nothing. "Have a good term," And with that, Clementine's father began to stride out of the station with a smug look on his face, not even sparing a glance back at his daughter and nephew. Clementine was sure that her mother was set to do the same, but, before she left, she pulled Clementine into a hug that the young girl quickly accepted and returned.
"Walk into the barrier," She whispered and Clementine's eyebrows furrowed. What did that mean? "You have to go through the brick wall in order to get onto the platform."
"I don't know-" But, just like that, Petunia's cold demeanor was back and she was following her husband out of station. Completely at a loss, Clementine turned to her cousin.
"What did she say to you?"
"...She said to go through the brick wall," Harry looked at the brick wall that was behind him before looking back to the redhead.
"Well, that's mean-"
"No," Clementine said quickly as she stepped past Harry and looked up at the wall. "She said that we have to go through the brick wall in order to get onto the platform," She looked back at him. "Do you think that she's been there?" She asked quickly.
"Been where?"
"Platform nine and three-quarters," She elaborated. "Back when your mum was going to school- my mum must have gone through, too. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how to get on!"
"She could be lying!" Harry insisted as Clementine rushed back to her cart. Hedwig hooted as she went past and grabbed onto the handle of her cart. Without hesitance, she began running forward at a pace that would leave her with a permanent head injury if she hit the wall. "Clementine w-!"
But Harry's voice cut off as Clementine ran into the wall. One moment she was there inside of Kings Cross Station and the next she was on the outside of a train station with a large scarlet steam engine. There were dozens of other children and parents walking about wearing wizard robes, carrying owls, and brandishing their wands out in the open. Looking behind her at the magical barrier she had just come through, she saw Harry come through the same wall.
"Look," She said with a large grin and Harry followed her gaze to a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!"
"We're here," Harry breathed out.
Getting on the train was a bit harder that either of them expected it to be- mostly because they had gotten separated; because most of the compartments were already full, Clementine had went to find an empty one for her and Harry and had found one near the end of the train. After getting her own trunk in, Clementine had felt the urge to use the bathroom so Harry had told her that he could do his own by his self. On her way back to their compartment, Clementine had gotten distracted when she came upon two familiar faces amongst a group of seven.
"Clementine!" Padma's voice called out when the redhead had began to pass the open doorway of their compartment. "Parvati, look! It's Clementine- come in!" Before she could even protest, Padma had dragged Clementine into the compartment and down into the empty spot between herself and a girl with lot of bushy brown hair that was bigger than her head.
"Hello, again." Parvati greeted and Clementine gave a small wave.
"We met Clementine had Madam Malkin's when we were getting our robes," Padma told the others in the compartment before looking at the other people in the compartment. "Clementine, this is Hermione," The bushy haired give gave a confident 'Hello' back, "Neville," Neville was a slightly chubby boy with dark brown hair. He looked nervous. "Lavender," A young girl with light, curly brown hair and a sweet smile. "Cho," Cho was an Asian girl with long black hair that sat over shoulders. Much like Neville, she looked nervous. "And that's Hannah," Hannah had short blonde hair that stopped just before her shoulders and a friendly smile as she hled out a hand to Clementine. "Clementine, why don't you sit in here with us?" Padma suggested.
Momentarily forgetting about her cousin, Clementine smiled and agreed.
Hours passed by as the girls chatted; Lavender had told Clementine and Hermione (who was also a muggle-born witch) about growing up in a small wizarding community not far from London and she and Parvarti had broken off into the own conversation when the latter of the two mentioned seeing a unicorn when she went camping with her older sister before school started. Hermione had talked about the things she had read about in her books over the summer and- surprisingly- knew more than some of the other girls who had grown up with magic. Cho had been quiet, much like Neville who had said a few things about his toad (Trevor) before keeping silent. Clementine spent most of her time talking to Padma and Hannah as the latter of the two had spent half her life in muggle communities as her mother was a muggle. By the time Clementine remembered Harry, the train was close to Hogwarts.
"I'm so sorry I forgot you," Clementine apologized a she stood at the door. She didn't know how Hermione had ended up with her cousin and a long nosed redheaded boy, but didn't question it. "I saw two girls that I met at Madam Malkin's and I lost track of time,"
"That's alright," Harry insisted and Clementine was relieved to see that he wasn't upset. "Ron kept me company," He looked from his cousin to the redheaded boy. "Ron, this is my cousin Clementine. Clementine, this is Ron Weasley,"
"Nice to meet you," Clementine offered with a smile before looking back to Hermione. "Hannah says that we'll be at Hogwarts soon," At that Hermione jumped up.
"I should get change," She said before darting from the compartment. Once she was gone, Clementine got into the compartment and close the door behind her.
"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron and Clementine shot him an offended look.
"That's completely rude," She told him. "I know she can be a little...much sometimes, but she's just excited." Ron just shrugged as he threw his wand back into his trunk.
"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry and Clementine looked to Ron. He had been rude about Hermione, but Harry seemed to like him, so she didn't want to get off on the wrong foot.
"You have brothers?"
"Five," He answered. "Charlie and Bill have already gone, but I've still got Percy, Fred, and George- I've go a little sister, too, but she won't get into Hogwarts until next year. All my brothers got sorted into Gryffindor. Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."
"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat.
"Is everyone in Slytherin evil?" Clementine asked. She had read in one of the books she had found while shopping for her school essentials, that not everyone sorted into Slytherin had turned out evil- that most went on to become Aurors (wizard police), healers (wizard doctors), and other well-meaning jobs, but she wanted to know what Ron thought. With him having grown up around wizards, she figured that his thoughts cold be what a lot of other wizards thought.
"Nearly," He answered sounding miserable. Clementine was going to ask more, but Harry was quicker than she was.
"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," He said. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault. "
"Really? What happened to them?"
"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it. "
"I thought You-Know-Who was dead?" Clementine asked when she noticed that Harry was too much into his own head to ask anything,"
"That's what a lot of people think," Was the answer she thought. "But some people think he just went into hiding," Like Hagrid, Clementine thought, remembering how scared the giant had sounded when he spoke out Voldemort in the Leaky Cauldron.
"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked suddenly.
"I've been told that I would like the Hollyhead Harpies," That was Padma's team. "And the Montrose Magpies," That was Hannah's favorite team.
While Clementine had had an answer ready, Harry had not. "Er - I don't know any. " And, just like that, Ron was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. His brothers- Fred and George- were apparently on the Gryffindor Quidditch team (both of them were beaters) and Ron himself wanted to eventually join the team.
He was just taking Harry and Clementine through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Hermione this time.
Three boys entered, and Clementine recognized only one of them: he had been at Madam Malkin's robe shop when she and Harry were getting their robes; he was the same size as the red of them with white blonde hair slicked back, showing off the widows peak on his forehead which was a bit large. He was looking at Harry with interest.
"Is it true?" He asked. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"
"Yes," Harry answer, but he was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. They reminded Clementine of Dudley and his friend; the two boys standing on either side of their leader like bodyguards.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. "
"Hello," Clementine said while Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you and your ugly sister are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." Clementine's mouth popped open at his rudeness while Ron's face went red with embarrassment. Satisfied, Draco looked back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there. "
He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.
Draco Malfoy didn't go as red as Ron, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks. Harry's rejection seemed to make Ron feel better as most of the red began to leave his face. Clementine supposed that he wasn't used to people choosing him over others.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," Draco warned. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you." Both Harry and Ron stood up, but before anything could happen, another boy appeared behind Draco and his friends.
The new boy was taller than all the other first years, but only by a few inches. Clementine could see a few similarities between him and Draco (the same nose, eye color, ear shape, etc.) but the new boy had black hair that fell over his ears and stopped just before the point of his chin. He looked at the back of Draco's head with an annoyed look in his blue eyes.
"Bullying boys into being your friend again, Draco?" He asked and Draco whirled around with his friends. Clementine could see that all the smug confidence and bravado had disappeared.
"N-No, I-"
"What would mother say?" The boy sighed, shaking his head mockingly. "Not even off the train yet and I've had to write home about your deplorable behavior-"
"I didn't-" But Draco shut his mouth with a look from, who Clementine suspected was, his brother.
"We're almost at the castle," The boy said as he moved aside. "Go back to your compartment and get dressed. If I find you posturing around again, I'll make sure mother sends you a howler during the feast tonight," No one moved. "GO!" Scrambling, Draco pushed his friends back as he rushed out of the compartment with them falling over themselves to follow. With his brother gone, the boy looked to Ron's hair, Clementine's hair and then Harry's scar which was barely visible through his hair. "Good day," Then he left.
"Who was that?" Clementine asked a few moments after they'd all gone.
"Draco and Arcturus Malfoy," Ron spat. "I've heard of their family; They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says the Malfoys father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." Clementine wanted to point out that their parents had nothing to do with who they were as people, but recognized that it wasn't something either Harry or Ron wanted to hear at the moment.
"We'd better hurry up and put our robes on," She insisted. "We should be nearly there."
After dressing in their robes, Harry, Ron, and Clementine crammed sweets (which they gave no explanation for) into their pockets before joining the crowd thronging the corridor.
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Even with her robes on, Clementine was freezing, wondering why they had stopped so far from the castle. Why wouldn't the train take them all the way to it?
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" A loud, familiar voice boomed. A head popped up over the head of the rest of the first years and Clementine smiled at Hagrid. "C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was dangerously dark and it was playing tricks on Clementine's head; even with everyone else around, she couldn't help but feel that there were things out in the forest- watching them all.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here. "
There was a loud "Oooooh!" as the narrow path opened onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Clementine followed Harry and Ron to a boat and was glad to see that Hermione had also joined them. Hagrid, who was at the front, had his own boat. "Everyone in?" He shouted. "Right then - FORWARD!" And, just like that, the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Neville nodded and Clementine had never seen anyone look happier than at that moment. Satisfied that he had everyone, Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.