Chapter
-13-
Almost
"KASIA KASIA KASIA KASIA KASIA!"
Kasia gave a small growl from under her pillow. Three days since full moon and this was her wakening?
"Kasia, I'm not scared of your growling."
Kasia growled again, louder. It could've easily been mistaken for a wolf's.
"Get up, lazy!"
Kasia gave a huge, exasperated sigh and lifted her pillow off her face to look at the bubbly, eager face of one Demeter Woods.
"Lazy?" Kasia repeated. Demi nodded rapidly.
"Let's see you wake up to that kind of welcome three days after you've turned into a great ferocious beast and back."
Demi looked slightly apologetic. Slightly.
"Well, do you know what day it is?"
"September first," Kasia said immediately. How could she ever forget the date? Then it dawned on her. 1st of September. Hogwarts. Second year.
"Exactly!" Demi squealed, seeing Kasia's look of realisation.
"Just because we're leaving for Hogwarts today," Kasia said, raising an eyebrow "doesn't mean I forgive you for waking me up by shouting."
"Ah, sure you don't," Demi rolled her eyes, then scanned the room, her face falling. "How are you already finished packing? I've –"
"Barely even started?" Kasia guessed with a small smile. As irritating as Demi's enthusiasm could be at ungodly hours of the morning, her excitement was usually contagious.
"I'm going to finish packing," Demi said, still grinning, "I think mum made pancakes."
Kasia eagerly walked down the stairs, inhaling the warm smell of caramel pancakes.
"Morning, Kasia," Katie smiled, and flicked her wand to enchant the fry pan to wash itself. "All finished packing?"
"Yup," Kasia nodded, and sat down to eat next to Oliver.
"Of course she has," Oliver grinned, looking up from the Daily Prophet. "The day that either Apollo or Demeter finish packing before Kasia will be a day to remember."
As if to prove his point, Apollo zoomed across the living room, looking frantic.
"What've you lost?" Katie asked expectantly, with a small smile. Apollo looked up anxiously.
"What makes you think I've lost something?" he said quickly, opening the cupboard under the stairs and scanning it, before cursing under his breath.
"I'm not sure," Katie said, pretending to ponder the thought, "perhaps because you've torn apart the shed and come out empty-handed."
"What'd you lose, Apollo?" Oliver asked.
"My Rocket 600," Apollo said vaguely, as if it were of no great importance, while checking the broom cupboard next to the bathroom.
"You've lost your broomstick?" Oliver repeated, his eye twitching. "You brand-new, expensive, state-of-the-art broomstick?"
"Don't get your wand in a knot, I know it's around here somewhere," Apollo frowned, heading upstairs. As soon as he disappeared, Demi ran down the stairs holding Apollo's broomstick, looking guilty and panicked.
"I never had this, right?" Demi said imploringly to Katie, Oliver and Kasia, placing the broomstick behind a sofa. Oliver chuckled.
"Sure," Kasia said, stifling a laugh. Demi raced back upstairs, crossing Apollo, who was looking more and more worried.
"Checked behind the furniture?" Katie asked, badly concealing her grin. Apollo's brow furrowed.
"Why in Merlin's name would it be there?"
"Why didn't you just ask us to summon it?" Oliver asked, raising his eyebrows. Apollo's face lit up.
"Accio Rocket," Katie said, waving her wand. The 'lost' broomstick flew to her from behind the sofa, and she caught it easily, before passing it to an incredibly relieved-looking Apollo.
"THANKYOU!" He grinned widely, and dashed back up the stairs, broomstick in hand. Oliver shook his head, chuckling.
"I wish Apollo and Demeter could be as organised as you, Kasia," Katie said, shaking her head fondly, and Kasia gave a small smile.
"Does make for some good entertainment, though," Oliver grinned, watching Demi run downstairs, grab a stack of books and run back up.
oOo
"Have fun at school!" Katie yelled at the group of children on the train.
"Sure, mum!"
"Make sure you study!"
"Keep dreaming, Aunt Hermione!" Fred laughed loudly.
"Don't get involved with any giant snakes with death glares!" Harry shouted, grinning.
"And we'll stay away from pieces of Voldemort's soul!" James yelled back sarcastically, rolling his eyes as a number of people flinched at the name.
Finally the train left, and it was just Kasia, Demi, Fred and James in a compartment, talking rapidly about their summers.
"In America they have this huge company that focuses just on magical diseases and cures!" Fred was saying. He'd visited the United States over the summer. "And Roxanne wanted to go on a tour there, and mum agreed." He rolled his eyes. "It was really dull. Dad and me slipped off and ate almost the entire food court."
Kasia raised her eyebrows. A company that focused on magical diseases and cures? That would, surely, include lycanthropy. James caught her eye knowingly. He was the only one, besides the Sorting Hat, that knew that she wanted to cure lycanthropy.
The train ride went quickly, and they were soon told by Victoire Weasley, who was a new prefect, that they ought to put their robes on.
Instead of riding the boats over the Black Lake and seeing an amazing view of Hogwarts castle, second years and up rode on carriages that pulled themselves. The huge cluster of first years was gathered around Professor Hagrid, and Demi, Fred, James and Kasia took the nearest carriage.
As the carriage started moving, the talk turned predictably to Quidditch.
"We finally get to try out!" Demi squealed.
"Tyler York and Brittany Towler both graduated last year," James mused, "so there are two open spots –"
"Beater and Seeker," Fred finished, grinning at James. Demi blinked.
"But I can still get on the team!" she said unwaveringly, "Peter Nicolson isn't amazing."
Kasia was determined to keep her thoughts to herself. Peter Nicolson wasn't amazing, but he was still pretty damn good. Demi didn't really have a chance of taking her brother's or Leslie Carmichael's spot as Chaser. Kasia hadn't seen Demi play recently, although she'd obviously been practising with Apollo's broom, but she'd have to be pretty amazing to take the place of a fourth year.
"I still think you should try out as well, Kasia," Demi tutted, snapping Kasia out of her thoughts.
"No."
"Come on, if you just –"
"Not going to happen," Kasia said firmly. Demi rolled her eyes.
"You're so stubborn!"
Kasia growled.
"Don't be insensitive, Demi," Fred quoted Demi from the year before, grinning. Demi scowled.
"Don't you want her on the team, then?"
"Course I do! It's just fun to take the mickey out of you."
"Is it really?"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah?"
"I would've thought with the new year, they'd have gotten better comebacks," James stage-whispered to Kasia.
"Demi, at least, will never get new comebacks," Kasia chuckled, "she's being using some of those since we were seven."
"Our comebacks are amazing!" Fred said, pretending to look deeply offended. Demi snorted.
"My comebacks are amazing," she contradicted, grinning. Fred turned to her.
"So I defend the both of us," Fred tutted, "and you say your comebacks are better than mine?"
"My comebacks are better than yours!"
"Ah, and that comeback was just brilliant. First-class."
"Don't be snarky!"
"Snarky? Your interest in dictionaries never fails to amaze me."
"Your insensitivity never amazes me. I've come to expect it."
"And for a second there," Kasia said to James, "it looked like they nearly agreed on something."
James snorted and then grinned. "Funny joke, Zia. Fred and Demi agreeing on something. Good one."
"I can always hope," Kasia smiled, and her smile grew wider as she caught sight of the Hogwarts Castle. James' and Fred's Gryffindor flag that they'd put out their window was fluttering pitifully in the breeze, the colours dull. Even a few days after the full moon, Hogwarts would always bring a smile to her face.
oOo
"Aaargghh I'm so hungry!" Fred said exasperatedly. "What are they waiting for?"
"You're always hungry," Demi retorted, "and they have to brief the first years."
As she said this, the doors to the great hall opened, revealing the nervous-looking first years, which were chattering to each other anxiously and looking at the great hall in wonder. Kasia could see Fred and James' cousins Louis and Molly towards the front. Molly was talking rapidly, while pointing to the enchanted ceiling and floating candles, to a bored and haughty-looking Louis.
"Hey!" Katriel Barbary said suddenly, waving her hand, "Hey, Petra!"
A small girl − with so much flaming red hair that it gave the appearance of a mane, bright blue eyes and very pale skin – looked at Katriel and waved, grinning nervously.
"Who's that?" Katriel's best friend, Chandi Talley, asked.
"Friend of the family," Katriel said, "my dad and her dad are friends."
"Isn't your dad in the Weird Sisters?" Yasmine Jordan said keenly. Katriel nodded.
"Petra's dad's Kirley Duke, mine's Heathcote Barbary."
"That's so cool!" Yasmine said in awe. "I love the Weird Sisters! Some people think they're outdated –" she shot challenging looks at everyone as if they were contradicting her "− but they're just pure talent."
"Any Weasley's being Sorted this year?" Demi asked Fred and James. "I swear, you lot are going to take over the school with the amount of cousins you have."
"I'm a Potter!" James exclaimed indignantly.
"Molly is," Fred answered Demi, "she's Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey's. A real bore sometimes."
"And Louis," James added, "Victoire and Dominique's little brother."
The Sorting Hat interrupted by singing its annual song, which was different than the year before, and then the Sorting itself commenced.
Kasia thought it was strange to be watching it instead of being Sorted herself. The first year's faces were pure uneasiness as they sat on the stool and had the Sorting Hat placed over their eyes.
"Only twenty-five more letters," Fred groaned, looking longingly at his empty plate as the Sorting Hat announced a confident-looking boy as a Gryffindor.
"Twenty-four," Fred muttered, and the Hat sorted 'Carter, Seth' into Hufflepuff.
"Oh, hush," Demi reprimanded, "how would you like it if there had been students doing that during our Sorting?"
"I'd have understood exactly where they're coming from. And if I was this hungry, I'd have been doing the same thing."
"Cunningham, Melissa!"
"Slytherin!"
Trey Higgs gave a frowning Melissa Cunningham a reassuring pat on the back. Melissa smiled.
"Days, Anelia!"
Kasia froze more completely than anyone other than a werewolf could have managed. Time seemed to slow down considerably.
No! Her head was screaming.
They hadn't just said what she heard. That was impossible. Somehow, even with her heightened senses around the full moon, Kasia must have misheard.
But she could see Fred, James and Demi looking at her in shock. There had to be another reasonable explanation, Kasia told herself. She couldn't let her hopes up. 'Days' wasn't exactly a rare name. She may have misheard the first name of just another first year. Alicia. Anna. Anything.
She had almost convinced herself that this was just another first year. Almost.
And then she saw the girl's wavy, shoulder-length ash brown hair bouncing and swinging familiarly as she walked up to the stool. She saw the girl turn around to sit on the stool, and there was no mistaking it.
Anelia's small, soft face. Her warm brown eyes. Her wavy fringe framing her face like a curtain pulled to the side. But mostly her expression: reserved, fascinated and − of course, Kasia thought with a pang − frightened. Like always. There was something else in there that Kasia hadn't seen before. It was a kind of determinedness.
Kasia was barely aware of her friends watching her with such caution that they looked like they were watching a bomb about to explode.
Kasia knew which house Anelia would be in before the hat shouted it.
"Ravenclaw!"
"Of course," Kasia breathed to herself, her heart hammering so loudly she was surprised the Sorting wasn't called off to find the source of the drumming.
Anelia gave a small, shy smile and walked to the table of blue and bronze, on the other end of the great hall.
Kasia was already half-standing up, fully intending to walk over to her sister that she had not seen since she was six, but James was holding her sleeve.
"Let go," Kasia said mechanically. James shook his head and pulled her back into her seat.
"The Sorting's still going on. There'll be time."
I've waited nearly seven years! Kasia would have said, but it seemed her mouth was unable to form more words.
"Duke, Petra!"
Even though James had reminded her mere seconds ago, Kasia had forgotten that the Sorting was still taking place. Time had temporarily stopped.
"Gryffindor!"
Kasia was only vaguely aware of what was going on around her: Katriel grinning widely and hugging Petra. She was doing some serious thinking, perturbed only by the frequent sounds of students being Sorted.
Kasia was a Muggle-born. Anelia was, by being at Hogwarts, obviously a Muggle-born as well. But how often were there two Muggle-borns in the same family? Muggle-borns themselves weren't entirely common, and to have two in one family was simply unheard of.
"Greenbury, Wallis!"
Did that mean that Kasia and Anelia were...was it possible...half-bloods? Their father was dead; they knew almost nothing about him. He died when Kasia was three. Was it possible that he had been a wizard?
Kasia barely allowed herself to think that. But, she argued with herself, he must have been a wizard! He would have gone to Hogwarts! Kasia tried to picture her father going to classes and walking around Hogwarts, but this was difficult, as she couldn't remember anything about him. The only thing she did know about him was that he would've had violet eyes, like her.
"Hufflepuff!"
But if Anelia and she were half-bloods, why did their mother not tell them? She left Kasia wondering why she could do all these odd things, and even acted scornfully towards her because of it. Kasia had thought at the time that her mother was just shocked and weirded-out by it, but her mother would have known that it was magic.
That was unless her father didn't tell her mother about him being a wizard. Kasia had heard about such situations, and they usually didn't end well. Maybe her mother was afraid of it, or just hated magic.
Then something that Teddy had said once sprung to her mind.
"My grandfather offended a werewolf called Fenrir Greyback, and he got revenge by attacking my father."
Maybe it wasn't just a co-incidence that Kasia was bitten by a werewolf? What were the chances that a werewolf would stumble upon two girls in a Muggle neighbourhood who just happened to be magical?
Had her father done something to offend a werewolf? But that suggestion had so many holes in it that it was obviously wrong. For starters, her father was dead and had been for years.
Or, Kasia told herself reasonably, it was just a co-incidence. The werewolf wasn't themself that evening; they must have just smelt humans and went into the forest. Kasia wasn't sure; she had never gone without Wolfsbane before.
Then another thought struck her, and it created a sort of reckless yet determined energy that made her want to sprint for the library: Kasia could look up her father. She could search the old prefect and Head Boy lists, lists for Quidditch Captains and even old Quidditch Cup emblems, which scrolled through the names of all the players. She could look in old entries of the Daily Prophet for any word about a man with the last name of days.
If only it was a Muggle library, Kasia thought. Then she could just type 'Days' into the computer.
But she could figure it out. And, yet another thought hit her, if she found her father, though he was dead, perhaps she could find other relatives? Kasia's eyes widened as she realised she probably had magical relatives who were walking on the same planet as her.
"Weasley, Molly!"
But first, Kasia had to see Anelia. Surely she would want to help her find their father? A kind of excitement gripped Kasia as she thought of seeing her sister again. Soon...they were at the end of the Sorting...
"Ravenclaw!"
Kasia snapped out of her thoughts. James and Fred looked shocked.
"Weasley in Ravenclaw?" Demi said with raised eyebrows.
"Calm down you two," Kasia said, "she'll do fine there."
All three of them looked surprised to hear her speak.
"Kasia –" Demi started, but the Sorting Hat and a look from Kasia cut her off.
"Weasley, Louis!"
"Gryffindor!"
"Of course," Fred grinned, "that bloke is so..."
"Arrogant?" Demi supplied, "Haughty? Egotistic? Proud?"
"Okay, human dictionary," Fred held his hands up in defense, and Louis Weasley sat next to Teddy, who ruffled Louis' sleek blonde hair. Louis was every bit as beautiful as his two sisters, but in more of a guy-ish kind of way. He had blue eyes and incredibly smooth, pale skin.
The feast started, and Kasia knew she should probably wait until afterwards to see her sister. Now that she had a plan, she'd calmed down somewhat. Kasia grinned to herself as she realised that her natural tendency was to have a plan, but the werewolf part of her rose to the surface in some situations and she jumped in far before thinking it through. It's the Gryffindor part as well, a small, proud part of her brain told her.
"Kasia –" Demi began warily.
"I don't want to talk about it," Kasia said at once, putting some food on her plate.
Demi looked disapproving. She was all for talking about feelings all the time.
"I didn't say I wouldn't," Kasia said quickly, "I – just not now."
And, tuning out to her friend's conversation (which was undoubtedly about Quidditch), Kasia ate her plate of food quickly and wondered if Anelia had seen Kasia yet. Surely she knew Kasia went to Hogwarts, after knowing what her underage magic had been.
oOo
"−and move off to your dormitories. First years, follow your prefect and Heads –"
Kasia stood up instantly. The first years were already filing out of the great hall. Students were everywhere; she could no longer see her sister.
Kasia broke into a run and dodged people as she ran. Most people would have easily fallen or collided with someone else at this point, but she continued slipping through the crowd.
She was nearly at the front...the Ravenclaw students broke away from the others to head up to their tower...
There she was! Anelia was in the middle of the crowd.
"Anelia!" Kasia yelled above the loud chatter.
"Anelia!"
And she turned around.
Anelia saw Kasia and stopped, letting the other Ravenclaws pass her. Her expression was strange; like hope mingled with fear.
Kasia ran up to her and enveloped her in a tight hug.
"Oh my god, Anelia," Kasia whispered into Anelia's hair, repeating an old Muggle expression that she hadn't said for seven years.
Anelia pulled back, and Kasia was startled by the look on her face.
She looked apprehensive and frightened. Then Kasia realised what would make her frightened and apprehensive.
"Anelia, mum's probably said –"
Anelia looked a little sickened.
"I don't know why they let you in," Anelia said, speaking for the first time. "You're a monster. Mum told me you turned into a monster after that night, and it's your own fault. You're not my sister anymore, Kasia. Stay away from me."
And with that, she turned on her heel and started walking down the corridor.
A fire boiled up inside Kasia, so strong she could feel the heat on her skin. She felt like she could breathe it. It immobilized her, and before she could do anything, Anelia had gone.
Rage pumping through Kasia's bones, she sprinted to the Gryffindor tower. She could almost feel tears prickling in her eyes. Almost.
Before she knew it she was spitting the password at a disgruntled Fat Lady (she'd heard a prefect say it before she ran off), and she strode into the common room, her eyes flashing dangerously.
Fred, Demi and James started towards her, but Kasia ignored them completely and ran up the steps to her dormitory. She pulled out a book and tried desperately to concentrate on the book, and only the book. But soon she just snarled ferociously and threw the book across the room.
Kasia heard the door open, and she lay down quickly in her four poster bed, facing away from the door. She heard footsteps approaching her, and they waited by her bed for a while.
"Kasia?" Demi's voice asked hesitantly. Kasia didn't answer. Demi sighed and left the common room.
Kasia turned the situation over in her head, fire igniting her bones.
Then she wondered what the hell she was doing in the Gryffindor tower. Following only her instincts, Kasia threw herself out of her bed and ran back out of the dormitory and the common room, ignoring her friend's alarmed calls.
Kasia tore across the castle, towards the Ravenclaw tower. She ran up a spiral staircase and saw an eagle door knocker, but no doorknob or portrait. Confusion interrupted the rage for a small second.
"What is broken every time it is spoken?" The eagle asked.
"What?" Kasia said impatiently.
"What is broken every time it is spoken?" The eagle repeated.
Kasia concluded that to get into the Ravenclaw common room, one was to answer a riddle.
"I just want to see my sister!" Kasia growled loudly.
"Gryffindors," the eagle tutted. "This riddle's an easy one, too. For the first-years."
"ANELIA!" Kasia yelled.
"What is broken every time it is spoken?"
"Shut it," Kasia snarled, and then the door swung open. Anelia was standing there.
"Silence."
"What?"
"Silence is broken every time it is spoken," Anelia answered.
"Can I talk to you?" Kasia said scathingly. Anelia narrowed her eyes, and Kasia pulled her down the spiral staircase.
"I've got nothing to say to you, werewolf!" Anelia scowled, tearing her hand out of Kasia's and starting up the staircase.
"Now wait just a bloody minute!" Kasia barked, her violet eyes flashing furiously. Anelia paused, and turned around.
"I haven't seen you in seven wretched years, and you know why!" Kasia spat. "Because our dear mother bloody disowned me. I didn't do anything wrong!" Kasia walked forwards, her voice becoming louder. "I spent three months in recovery, drinking revolting potions and every month, I transform into a werewolf. I can't help it! AND –" she shouted loudly, because Anelia showed every sign of interrupting "I bet my monthly transformations are more painful than anything anyone has experienced in the whole of the great hall put together! Because that's what if feels like!
"And our mother disowned me; she stopped me seeing my own sister, and left me in a hospital, not even bloody knowing if I was going to live or not! And then, she has the nerve to tell my sister that I brought this curse upon myself! My own sister! You've been corrupted, Anelia! You're supposed to be a Ravenclaw! Don't let your mind be corrupted!
And you know what else! That wretched werewolf was going after you! I could've run away, but I THREW A ROCK AT IT SO IT'D GO AFTER ME INSTEAD! The only reason I lived was because I used underage magic to push it off me just in time. You didn't have underage magic, then, Anelia. You would've died! I SAVED YOU LIFE!"
Anelia's mouth was hanging agape, and her eyes now shining with tears.
"And I bet," Kasia continued, her voice slightly quieter now, "that you think I'm some incompetent beast who doesn't have feelings and lives to tear other people apart. Well news flash, Anelia: I'm still human."
Anelia whispered something that Kasia couldn't hear for the pounding in her ears.
"What?"
"You're not a monster," Anelia whispered, louder. "If you were, you wouldn't act like you."
Kasia would've cried with relief if not for the face that she never cried. Anelia not only believed her, but it seemed like she'd missed her.
"I always sort of knew," Anelia said softly, tears falling down her face, "that mum wasn't telling the whole truth. After I started doing underage magic just like you did, she wasn't so welcoming. I never admitted it, but...when I first showed her, and she screamed at me...I wished you were there. I missed you."
Anelia then ran up to Kasia and hugged her incredibly tightly, sobbing.
"I missed you too, Lia," Kasia breathed, wrapping her arms around her little sister.
"All I could think," Anelia cried softly, "was what I'd do to have you there."
"I missed you," Kasia said again, wiping Anelia's tears away. She had almost lost her sister. Almost.
I couldn't help but write it as if it were a new story, like introducing everyone a little.
But anyway, nice long chapter for the beginning of second year! Hope you all enjoy! And I know a lot of you guessed about Anelia and suggested it, but I swear on Dumbledore's grave that I'd already thought it all out. I've got it all planned :D
Let me know what you think!