A New Relation
Chapter 1: To a New World
May 4, 2003
Summary: A newly orphaned girl arrives at Hogwarts, sent to live with an uncle she has never met. Why has she been sent there, and how will he cope with this new responsibility?
Rating: G. Nothing bad here, and I don't foresee the rating going up in the future.
Author's Note: Lookie, I wrote a new story! I'm taking a chance here, as it isn't completed yet and I'm starting the posting anyway. This chapter is rather long (for me, anyways), and I doubt future chapters will be as long. By the way, before anyone takes the title the wrong way, a relation can refer to someone related by blood or marriage.
I'm sure you all will figure out who this fic is centered around pretty quickly here. This story takes place during Harry and company's final year. Voldemort was defeated at some point previously and thus plays no part in this story.
Disclaimer: Of course it doesn't belong to me! Silly people for thinking so. ^_^ Abby is mine though, as are her parents, and Auntie Kara. I think that's it. This is my way of dealing with the shortening wait until the fifth book. 48 days to go!
"Abigail? Abby, darling, you must eat something." Nine-year-old Abby didn't even bother to lift her face from the where it was buried in her arms; she just shook her head slightly. The mattress sank slightly as someone sat on the bed next to her and began rubbing her back gently.
"Go away," Abby mumbled tiredly. The funeral had been just that morning, and Abby felt like she had spent her entire life crying. She rolled over onto her back and looked up at he woman sitting on her bed. Red-rimmed eyes met red-rimmed eyes and the woman smiled.
"I have some good news, darling," she began, but was quickly interrupted by the child.
"Auntie Kara, I don't think there's anything you can say that'll make things better," the girl said bluntly.
"I've managed to track down your uncle," Kara said simply. Abby was confused.
"Uncle Troy?" she asked, sitting up. "But we already know where he is. And Uncle Matthew lives right across town." Kara shook her head.
"Your mother told me that if anything happened to her and she wasn't able to take care of you any longer, you were to go live with her brother. I've been trying to track him down since they- since last week," Kara explained. Abby frowned, trying to remember what she'd heard about her mother's brother. All she could come up with was that her mother had a brother.
"Where does he live?" Abby asked.
"Britain. He's a teacher there." Abby's jaw dropped open.
"I have to go live in another country?" she squeaked. Kara nodded a bit sadly.
"You'll be living with him at the school. The youngest kids there are eleven, but I'm sure you'll be able to quickly make some new friends. And though you won't actually be attending the school, I bet the professors would be willing to let you attend some of the classes. You'll like it there. You know," she added, "that's the school your mother and father and I went to when we were kids." Abby finally started to look interested.
"What's it called?"
"Hogwarts." Abby giggled, not knowing that Kara had only told her part of the school's name.
"What a funny name," the girl said. "What does my uncle teach?" Abby was curious now; she'd never met any of her mother's family, and they were seldom mentioned.
"I guess you could say he teaches something like chemistry," Kara said, looking thoughtful as she considered her best friend's brother. "Or maybe cooking. Or something like that."
"Home ec?" Abby suggested. Kara smirked at the idea of Sera's brother teaching kids how to cook and sew.
"Not really, you'll see when you get there. I already booked a ticket for you on British Airways; you should be there just in time to catch the train with all the students on September 1st." The smile immediately fell from the girl's face.
"I don't wanna go," she pouted stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why can't I stay here with you? Or Uncle Matthew? Or Aunt Crystal? I don't wanna move away. I don't even know this guy." Kara sighed. She'd known this was coming.
"Baby, we'd love to have you stay here with any one of us, but your parents' wishes must obeyed." Besides, Kara added silently, it's the only way to keep you safe. He wouldn't dare try to hurt you at Hogwarts.
The next three days were a whirlwind of packing and travel arrangements. Kara helped Abby pack only what she'd need for the next few weeks, as the rest of her things would be sent later on. Luckily the girl had a passport, purchased the summer before for a failed attempt to visit England. Finally it was Thursday, the last day of August, and they were at the airport.
"Ok, your flight leaves at 3:00, you'll land at ten in the morning, London time of course, at Heathrow Airport. When you get there, the airline should have someone to escort you through customs. Your uncle can't be there to meet you, but a friend of mine and your parents from school will meet you. His name is Charlie Weasley, you should be able to spot him pretty easily, as he has bright red hair, and he's rather tall. He'll take you to the train station at eleven, and if I remember correctly, you should get to the school around seven in the evening. I suspect you'll meet Hagrid at the train station, he's hard to miss."
"Now boarding flight 168, nonstop to London," someone said over the loudspeaker. Kara and Abby looked at each other for a second then grasped each other in a tight hug.
"You be good for your uncle, and I'll try to come visit you as soon as I can. Owl me."
It wasn't until Abby had been escorted to her seat by a nice flight attendant that she realized what a strange comment her quasi-aunt had left her with. "Owl?" Abby wondered aloud, eliciting an odd glance from the lady sitting next to her. The girl blushed and settled in for the long ride.
The flight was long but uneventful. Abby was delighted to discover she'd been given a window seat and spent most of the first few hours staring out it, listening to her CD player and watching the land pass by. The flight attendants were very nice and kept the little girl supplied with snacks and sodas throughout the flight. One of them told Abby the flight would last about eleven hours, and though they turned the cabin lights off somewhere around ten, Abby was too nervous and excited to sleep. She'd never even been out of California before, and now here she was, flying by herself to another country to live with an uncle she'd never met and rarely heard about. It was frightening to think about.
The plane landed in London at ten o'clock Friday morning and Abby was passed from person to person as she was escorted off the plane, taken to retrieve her luggage, and swept through customs. As she trotted along behind the final person, a young man with dark brown hair, Abby's head swiveled as she tried to take in everything around her. The airport was fascinating, with its many small shops and people bustling every which way. Finally the young man stopped at a little windowed room.
"Someone is already here to meet you," he informed her. "Security should be bringing him here any minute." Abby was shown to a hard plastic chair and she sat, twisting her hands nervously. As discreetly as possible, she slipped her hand into the backpack now resting in her lap and stroked the worn fur on her favorite teddy bear. The brown bear had been given to her as an infant and was now a tattered mess.
The door swung open and a cheerful looking young man with bright red hair entered. Abby eyed him warily. He was nice enough looking, muscular and tanned – well, freckled, really – dressed in khaki slacks and a blue shirt, but there was something off about him that she just couldn't place. It might have had something to do with the bandage visible on his arm underneath the rolled up sleeves.
"Hullo there!" he greeted, sounding just as cheerful as he looked. "You must be Abigail. I'm Charlie Weasley, your uncle sent me to pick you up."
"All your papers appear to be in order, sir," the security guard interrupted. "She's all yours."
"Shall we go then?" the red-haired man asked, looking directly at Abby. "You have a train to catch." He grabbed the girl's suitcase and waited for her to join him at the door, which she did, very slowly. The two walked out of the airport into an overcast day.
"You don't talk much, do you?" Charlie asked with a grin. Abby just stared at him. "It's okay," he continued, leading her across the parking lot. "I've got a little sister who's rather shy too. She's quite a bit older than you though. Well, the train leaves at eleven, and it's twenty till…"
"We're gonna be late, aren't we?" Abby finally said, wide-eyed. Charlie laughed.
"Of course not. Mind you, the train station is a good hour from here by car, but we've got magic on our side." Abby looked at him blankly, unsure of what he meant. By now they had reached the edge of the parking lot. Charlie ducked under some bushes and motioned for Abby to follow him. She did and found herself in a little hollow between the bushes and a wall.
"Um…" she started, but Charlie didn't notice. He was staring at his watch.
"Here, grab hold," he instructed, holding out a discarded bottle he'd picked up off the ground. After a moment, Abby reached out and gingerly closed her fingers around the bottle. "Hold on!" he exclaimed just as something quite unexpected happened. To Abby, it felt as though something had grabbed hold of her stomach and jerked her forward. There was a howling whirlwind of swirling color and her feet left the ground. She could feel herself being driven forward; to where, she wasn't sure. And suddenly her feet hit the ground again and she fell.
Charlie helped her to her feet with a slight laugh. "Never used a portkey before?" he asked. Abby shook her head. "Definitely takes some getting used to." He gestured at something behind her shoulder. "Well, there's your train. The Hogwarts Express." The girl turned, not entirely certain what to expect.
The scarlet steam engine sitting on the tracks was definitely not something she expected to see. Neither were all the people dressed in odd clothing. Most were wearing long robes in various colors, though a number of them were wearing normal clothing. There were cats and owls all over the place, and many kids, most of them older than Abby, toting large steamer trunks. Charlie led her onto the train and got her settled in an empty compartment.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Abigail," he told her with a grin. "Someone will tell you where to go when you reach Hogsmeade. Enjoy the ride. Oh, I almost forgot. Here," he said, handing her a fistful of change. "From your uncle. He wanted to make sure you got something to eat when the trolley comes around. The woman who mans the trolley is quite nice; she'll help you figure out the money." With a last wave, the red-haired man left.
Abby looked down at the shiny coins he had handed her. There were little bronze ones, slightly larger silver ones, and even bigger gold ones. None of them were quite round. "England sure does have strange money," she said aloud.
The train trip was long and Abby nearly fell asleep several times. She was always interrupted though. The first time was by the woman with the trolley. Abby ended up with a handful of strange candies and sweets, including Chocolate Frogs, Licorice Wands, and Cauldron Cakes. She thought these were very odd, but again decided it must be what they had in Britain. A couple of times people stuck their heads in the door, but they always left promptly.
It was dark when the train pulled into the small station. A voice echoed through the train, instructing everyone to leave their things on the train so someone else could take everything to the school. Abby timidly stepped out of her compartment and was immediately swept along with the crowd of students exiting the train. She was feeling more and more nervous as she was pushed and bumped by the sea of bigger kids, all dressed in long black robes. Panic was just beginning to overtake her when she ran into someone and a big voice thundered down, "Oy there!"
The huge man she had bumped into stared down at her, a smile barely visible through his shaggy black beard. His black eyes glinted through the mess of tangled hair. He was nearly three times as tall as Abby, easily the biggest person she'd ever seen.
"Yeh mus' be Abigail," the giant man greeted. Abby nodded mutely, still staring up at the man. "You're to meet your uncle in the main hall," he continued. "I 'ave to escort the firs' years, but I 'ave jus' the person t'make sure yeh get there. Harry!" he called, looking down the platform. Abby followed his gaze to see a tall black-haired boy turn and wave at the huge man.
"Hagrid!" the boy called happily. "How have you been, how was your summer?" He approached quickly, followed by two other students, a boy and a girl. They were all dressed in the same long black robes.
"Jus' fine, jus' fine, Harry," the giant returned. He nodded at the other two. "Ron, Hermione." They grinned back. "Harry, this young'un 'ere is to be meetin' someone in the main hall. D'you suppose yeh could see tha' she gets there?"
"Sure thing," Harry said, smiling at Abby. "Let's go, shall we?" Abby nodded and followed him down the platform, turning one last time to stare at the giant man, who was now hollering for all the first years to gather round. She was a bit confused, as the kids who were gathering were older than she, meaning they couldn't possibly be first graders. What was this year thing he was talking about?
She didn't have time to wonder about it much though, as they were approaching a row of carriages. As Abby watched, a few students climbed into one and it began rolling down the pathway, seemingly under its own power. At Harry's beckoning, the three teenagers and Abby climbed into an empty carriage, which also began rolling down the dark path, once the door was closed. Abby settled into her seat and regarded the other passengers warily. They were dressed in identical black robes, each with a yellow lion and red crest on the front. The girl with shiny brown hair had a silver badge with a "P" on it pinned to the front of her robe as well. The older girl noticed Abby looking at her badge.
"I'm a prefect for Gryffindor," she said, as though that should make sense to Abby. "My name is Hermione," she continued, "and these are Ron," the red-haired boy, "and Harry," the black-haired boy. "We're all seventh years in Gryffindor."
"I'm Abby," Abby said, the yawned. Hermione smiled.
"I bet you've had a long day," she said kindly. "Have you ever been on a train before?" Abby shook her head.
"Never been on an airplane before either," she said tiredly.
"A what?" Ron asked, looking confused.
"I'll explain it to you later," Harry muttered, looking amused. Ron shot him a scathing glare.
"I know what an airplane is, prat," Ron said. "I just wanted to know how she knows what one is and what she was doing on one. I mean, most wizard kids her age wouldn't know a thing about airplanes, or most Muggle stuff. Wait a minute," he exclaimed, suddenly turning back to Abby, "you are a witch, aren't you?" It was Abby's turn to look confused.
"A witch? Me? What?"
"Good heavens, you're not a Muggle, are you?" Ron exclaimed. The carriage erupted into chatter as the three teens debated about Muggles, witches, and kids. Abby couldn't follow most of the conversation and so turned to stare out the window. A castle loomed above them in the darkness, and she wondered if that was where they were going.
"Hey, Abby," Harry's voice broke through her thoughts, "who are you here to meet?"
"My uncle," she responded, turning to look at the raven-haired boy.
"Who is your uncle?" he asked curiously.
"My mother's brother." Hermione giggled and Ron snorted.
"And who would that be?" Harry tried again. Abby blinked tiredly. She was pretty sure she was completely missing the point of his questioning, but she was too tired to figure it out.
"My uncle," she answered, blinking again. This time the older kids all laughed. Abby just stared at them, unsure of what was so funny. When the teenagers had calmed down, Harry began another line of questioning.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"Nine," came the tired response.
"Where are you from?" Hermione asked.
"California," Abby answered, wondering when they'd get to where they were going. She was getting tired of the questions, not to mention that she was hungry and sleepy.
"In the States?" Ron asked incredulously. Abby just nodded. Just then the carriage stopped and the swung open on its own. All four of them piled out, and the three older ones herded Abby up the steps and into the castle she'd seen earlier. Abby just stared upwards, mouth open at the impressive sight before her.
Inside the main hall were a fireplace, burning cheerily, and a staircase. Above their heads were more staircases leading up and up. As she watched, one of them swung out, moving to a different position. The pictures on the walls moved, and many of them people in them called out greetings to the trio escorting Abby.
"Well, Abby," Harry said, looking down at the wide-eyed youngster, "I'm sure your uncle will be here soon. We must take our seats."
"Nice meeting you, Abby," Hermione said. Ron waved and the three of them went through another set of double doors, leaving Abby alone in the main hall.
Abby shifted uncomfortably as students flooded through the double doors Harry and the others had disappeared through. As the doors swung closed, she caught a glimpse of a huge room behind. The man mountain had told her to wait here though, so here she waited. It wasn't long before the last students passed through the doors and Abby was completely alone in the front hall. She crossed her arms and shivered, wishing she'd thought to grab her sweatshirt when she left the train. Something moved to her left and she turned, startled.