Chapter 4: April.
Usually, Platform 9 3/4 was filled with parents, students, trunks and trolleys. You couldn't move without stepping on someone smaller, bumping into someone bigger. You were flooded with noises, the steam from under the Hogwarts express fading out through the gate at the end of the station platform. Cats would mill around your feet, watch for the lost and lead them to a seat. Owls would screech if their cages weren't handled properly. Parents would cry.
Not this year.
April led her younger sister, holding her hand tightly, through the narrow channels and queues of people walking along the platform. With the insistence on students no longer being allowed to be home schooled, she'd expected to see more people on the platform not fewer. April handed her trunk to the porter, and Lucrezia did the same. Lucrezia smiled at the old man, who tipped his hat back but didn't say anything. Didn't loiter. There were only five or six first years. Their parents clung on to them, knuckles whitening under the strain. Everyone looked frightened. No one made eye contact with anyone.
Even the brilliant red steam train seemed less vibrant. Marred by the witches and wizards who'd littered the streets outside Kings Cross Station asking for any kind of hand out. Any kind of mercy. Lucrezia had gone to give a small coin to a boy who April recognised as a few years below her. His face was scarred and grimy. April had pulled her sister away when she'd seen an Aurora watching them, moving swiftly inside.
April had never seen an Aurora outside of the ministry, their black and grey robes as rigid as their stances. They'd escorted some students onto the train, and others away. They'd checked files and lists as students arrived, noting who was there and who should have been but wasn't. Of course, one name followed in a ghost like whisper.
Had anyone seen him? Who would be hiding him? Was he coming back to Hogwarts?
When an Aurora stopped her and asked if she knew anything about him, she'd replied, "Harry Potter is a menace," with a cold fury hiding the fear that rotted her insides. The Aurora seemed pleased with this response at least and no one else had made an attempt to speak to April or her sister since.
They found an empty carriage and made themselves comfortable in their shared silence. Lucrezia traced shapes on the steamed-up windows whilst April pulled a book from her bag. She'd hidden all her muggle books before she'd left, only packed the ones named in her letter. Exploring the Potion Master's Fondness for Frogs, Poetic Licence: Why Your Incantations Should Never Rhyme, and Advanced Arts: Dark Edition.
"Do you think he'll come back to school this year?" Lucrezia asked, before her sister could get too engrossed in her book.
"No. He's not that stupid."
"You said he was a menace," Lucrezia replied, turning in her seat to face April.
"Because he is."
"And over the summer you told Pansy you'd always known he was an idiot. A dangerous idiot."
"Because he is."
"But I don't…"
"Lulu, do me a favour? Don't pretend to be stupid. You're not."
Lucrezia pouted, crossed her arms.
"What will you do if I get put into Gryffindor?"
"You won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know. You're a Slytherin. Like me. The hat will sort you into Slytherin and I'll protect you."
"I don't need you to protect me."
April scoffed.
"It's going to be like it was for me," April stated. "It's not going to be 'meeting new people, finally able to try magic, stretching your wings and learning to fly. This year… It's going to be different this year."
"How do you know?"
How can you not? April thought to herself. As the Hogwarts Express started pulling away, a dark cold feeling fell over the train. Dementors.
Wraith-like shrouds of misery and despair floated past the windows, icing them as they passed. Lucrezia jumped back, her face paling. She moved to sit next to April, holding tightly onto her older sister's arm. April could feel her nerves building with the ice, prickling down her spine and through her fingers. She reached into her pocket for a wand, prepared to call her Patronus.
But the hideous creature glided past the window, never stopping in it's search for Harry Potter. The carriage door to the main corridor flew open, startling April and her sister.
"Don't get too excited," Pansy Parkinson purred. "It's just me."
"Oh. Hey." April let go of her sister's hand gently and tucked her wand back into her pocket.
"They're gross, aren't they? Have you ever seen a Dementor's hands? All gnarled and grey. They're like floating corpses," Pansy continued, raising her arms in a ghoulish manner. April looked to her younger sister, who seemed to have taken the moment in her stride.
"I've seen worse," she said, nonchalantly, taking April's dropped book from the floor and having a read.
"What do you want, Pansy?" April asked, turning her hands to look over her nails. Hoping the other girl would get the hint.
"Wanted to show you these, actually."
Pansy handed April a small pamphlet, with the titled "Murderous Muggles by Dolores Umbridge".
"Didn't know the toad was a writer…" April muttered. But Pansy wasn't listening.
"They're being handed out all over London. A few of us from her Inquisitorial Squad have offered to hand them out on the train too. Who knows, maybe Snapey'll bring it back. I quite liked it. Better than being a smelly prefect anyway. A lot more power."
"Plus, you got to spend all that time with Malfoy," Lucrezia added, which seemed to sour Pansy.
"Well. Exactly. Anyway, can't wait to see what Snape does with Hogwarts. He always did play favourites to Slytherin. We'll finally be where we deserve."
April could see the faint traces of the dark mark under Pansy's shirt sleeve, and knew exactly where she deserved to be.
"Sounds good," April said, placing the pamphlet unread on the seat next to her. Pansy seemed satisfied, said her goodbyes and left the carriage. The moment she did, April muttered, "Colloportus." She gave a small flick of her wrist and locked the carriage door. When she saw that Lucrezia was watching her she shrugged and said, "saves anyone else barging in uninvited."
"Why are you friends with her?"
"I'm not."
"But…"
"Look, Lulu, put two and two together. I tell people what they want to hear because I don't want to end up in Azkaban. If you're smart, you'll do the same."
Lucrezia opened her mouth and then closed it again. She closed the book and put it next to April, before moving to her original seat and staring out of the window. April let the moment hang open for about half an hour. It was painful, but she wasn't going to apologise. Eventually, she said,
"People are going missing. Professors from Hogwarts. Friends. Whole families. I'll befriend whoever I have to because it's the only thing I can do to keep you and I safe."
Lucrezia nodded.
"I know. I just… I've never seen you this frightened before."
"It'll be okay once we get to school. Once the routines start and lessons can get on. It's just whilst it's new and people don't know what's going on. It's the changes that are scary. We'll be okay."
It was dark by the time the train pulled into Hogsmeade, and it was worse than Kings Cross. Fewer people, deathly silence. And a sharp cold considering it was barely September. April helped her sister off the train and pointed to the large man in the moleskins coat stood with a lamp in his hand.
"That's Hagrid. You have to go with him to Hogwarts. I'll see you there."
She gave her sister's hand one last squeeze before Lucrezia ran off to meet the other first years. April moved towards the other carriages, noting that Slytherin students now outnumbered the other houses. Green ties filled the carriages with the red, yellows and purples were interspersed like flowers amongst a field. April spotted the carriage Pansy was making her way to, Blaise and a couple of other seventh year boys crowding around her. With an eyeroll, April followed.
She pulled herself up next to Pansy who didn't seem to notice because Blaise was making red and green sparks fly out of his friend's nose. Like an idiot.
With the grace of a cat, a tall, thin, white haired boy stepped up onto the open carriage and placed himself opposite April and Pansy, shooing the other boys away. Blaise stopped playing and tucked his wand into his pocket.
"Malfoy," he mumbled, looking embarrassed.
Draco Malfoy looked bored, and that sent a spark of anger through April's veins. The carriage began moving towards Hogwarts, swaying the students with the gentle rhythm.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Pansy asked, clearly just as happy as April to see him. Draco turned to her, his eyes were ice-cold, and he was already sneering.
"Are you talking to me?" he asked. April watched Pansy in her peripheral. Her leonine features masked her irritation with a light smile. She moved to sit on Blaise's lap, making it clear she wasn't to be ignored.
"I'm surprised the ministry could spare you. You being such an important little soldier."
A nerve twitched in Draco's jaw. Not a smile, April noted. A grimace. So, he and Pansy were on the outs. That made sense. Pansy was a pain and Draco… well. He'd not said two words to April since they started school. And she was just fine with that.
"I can't believe you've met him," Blaise started, eying April after Pansy elbowed him in the ribs and nodded towards April. "I mean… I erm… what did I mean?" he asked, turning to Pansy again.
"Your parents must be happy. With the new headmaster I mean. You always were Snapey's golden boy," Pansy said, talking over Blaise and refusing to look at him. "April and I were talking about it earlier."
Draco finally looked at April, his eyes calculating and distant. He leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs until they crossed at the ankles, completely at ease. April stared him out too, crossing her arms and legs. Daring him to say something to her for a change.
"We reckon Snapey's going to sew Hogwarts right up. I plan to live like a queen in my final year," she purred.
"And what's a queen without a king?" asked Blaise, his eyes doing that closed/lust look teenage boys do when they're thinking about sex.
"Historically speaking, more powerful," April interjected, as a response to the nauseas feeling building watching Pansy and Blaise.
"Huh?" Pansy looked at April confused, but Draco was smirking.
"I'm just saying, aim high babe," April said, turning back to her nails like they were the most fascinating thing in the world. She could feel Draco watch her for a few moments more, before he turned to watch Hogsmeade fade away into the distance.
Hogwarts was aglow when they arrived, all the torches and fires burning brightly. April rearranged her robes and made her way to the great hall. She took a seat close to the end, so Lucrezia would have somewhere to sit next to her. Draco planted himself next to her, and began unrolling his napkin. April did her best to ignore him.
"Did you hear Ernie Macmillan is head boy this year?" Draco asked her. "It's an absolute joke."
April nodded. She had heard. From Pansy, who'd become head girl.
"Still, means there's an opening for a Slytherin Prefect girl. If you're interested."
"Not especially," April replied, grateful that the Great Hall doors were opening and the five first years were being walked down the centre aisle by Professor McGonagall. Lucrezia was talking animatedly to a brunette girl and so didn't spot April until she was right at the end of the hall, stood in front of the sorting hat.
"It's my erm… delight to welcome you… all… to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…"
"McGonagall's not as 'put together' as she usually is," Draco commented. He'd pulled a pencil out of his pocket and started sketching something.
"I'm trying to listen," April replied. She watched as the first girl went up to the stage, became a Gryffindor, sat down.
"These ceremonies are fucking tedious…" Draco continued.
"Will you shut up? I'm trying to listen, I already said," April replied, turning to him. He met her gaze coolly.
"Sure," he said, flinging the napkin at her and moving up the table so that she was sat by herself. She put the napkin next to her and listened out for her sister.
"Bristlecone, Lucrezia."
Slytherin. Slytherin. Please. Slytherin.
"Ravenclaw."
Well, it could have been worse, April thought. Quietly relieved it wasn't Gryffindor or worse, Hufflepuff. How they still had such a full looking table was beyond her. She watched her sister give her wave before moving over to her new table. Before the food could arrive, Snape stepped up to the pulpit and called for silence.
"Welcome students," he said, in his usual droll-almost-sleepy voice, "To what is expected to be a very… interesting year at Hogwarts. I'm obliged to remind you this is a place of learning and whilst you attend this prestigious school you will do everything in your power to improve beyond expected inadequacies."
Students looked amongst themselves. Was he really not going to say anything about Dumbledore? Was he going to avoid mentioning Harry Potter too? The fact Dementors had followed the train the whole way from London? The fact there were two creepy looking 'professors' sat to his right? A man and a woman, who could have been twins.
He seemed to remember, turned back to the pulpit. "May I also welcome our new members of staff, The Carrows. They'll be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies."
The woman stuck her tongue out as if the idea made her sick, but no one else commented.
"These professors will also be heading up discipline within Hogwarts. For too long students have felt the need to disregard and disrespect their teachers. This will end."
With that, food appeared at the table. Mountains of roast beef, potatoes, carrots, broccoli. Gravy boats filled to the brim. Turkey crowns, cheese burgers, pizza rolls. A delightful mix. April collected vegetables onto her plate and pulled out her book.
Once finished she pushed her plate away, knocking a napkin onto the floor. She picked it up and realised it was the one Draco had been scribbling on. On it was a perfect rendering of April as she had been on the carriage. Arms folded, looking annoyed. Not a magical portrait. This one didn't move but sat perfectly still – the shading around her chin and cheekbones highlighting under her eyes and along her neck. She pulled out her wand and tapped the napkin lightly. With a soft yellow glow, the sketch fizzled away and burned a new image onto the napkin.
April stood up and moved along the table. She dropped the napkin next to Draco and kept moving. Didn't look to see if he'd seen it. Knew that, like her, he'd be unable to resist looking at it. That his ego wouldn't allow it. That he'd open the napkin to see a sketch-rendering of her middle finger curling and uncurling from her fist.