Night of the Broken Glass, Revisited
C2: Breaking a Lie
[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowing owns the original work. I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.]
Kendra had managed to wander out of the castle and down to the lake. She had stood there until the sun sank below the horizon, until the moon rose up and cast shimmering beams down onto the water's surface. She had stood there, in fact, until great, lumbering footsteps announced the arrival of someone else.
"Kendra!" the person said in a joyful cry. "I knew it! The professors said ye were all right and now yer here at Hogwarts!" Massive arms wrapped around her and squeezed her in a tremendous bear hug. Kendra cringed, wincing as she heard and felt a few dozen pops from her bones. Unaware that the person had lifted her off her feet, Kendra was unprepared for her release. She fell, landing heavily on her back and wincing again at the shot of pain. A moment later, the person lifted her back up and thumped her onto her feet.
A giant of a man stood in front of her, a grand smile beaming through his graying beard. His beetle-black eyes gleamed with utter happiness and pride. Kendra, silent since that afternoon, stared up at him with sad green eyes. The man ploughed right on with his conversation, seemingly oblivious to the hurt in Kendra's eyes.
"Name's Rubeus Hagrid," he rumbled. "'Course I know who you are, Kendra! Once the term starts, all those rumors are going to be put to rest! Ye'll finally be going to Hogwarts, like ye should! Daughter of Harry and Hermione how could ye not?"
"Hagrid, good," another person spoke up. Both Kendra and Hagrid turned to find Seal standing near the young, black-haired girl. Though she had not seen Seal in her robes before, Kendra said nothing to prove that fact.
"Would you mind terribly if we went out to your house for a while?" she questioned, laying a gentle hand on Kendra's shoulder. "I think we could all use some tea right about now."
"O' course, professor!" Hagrid replied jovially. "Can catch up with ye, Kendra!" Still very, very numb, Kendra walked along with Hagrid and Seal to a wooden house on the edge of the dark forest near the castle. Loud barking erupted into the crisp night as they approached the house. Hagrid opened the door, fending off a large dog as he did. The dog lapped madly at him before spying Kendra and Seal. He bounded over to Seal, who gave him a peculiar glance. He quieted down and trotted over to the fireplace, lying down on the warm hearth near the flames.
"Here ye are," Hagrid said, placing two large mugs of slightly steaming tea onto an oversized table. Seal looked at Kendra, who in turn did not meet her eyes.
"Thanks," she murmured. "One more favor. Do you have a bowl that I could borrow for a moment?" Confusion apparent on his face, Hagrid fished a clean basin from a cupboard and handed it to Seal.
"What do ye need it for?" he asked. Seal turned to Kendra, who was growing paler by the moment.
"You'll know in a second," she answered. Not a moment later, Kendra fell to her knees, visibly trembling as beads of sweat rolled down her face. Tears soon joined the sweat as Seal knelt down beside her. Without pause, she became violently ill into the basin. Seal calmly brushed back the girl's hair, rubbing her back through the worst of it. When it was over, Kendra turned to Seal and began to cry wholeheartedly. Seal gently pulled the girl into her arms, letting her cry into her chest.
"What's wrong?" Hagrid asked worriedly. "Wrong end of a spell?" Seal chuckled a bit, rubbing Kendra's back as she sobbed.
"No," she replied. "She's had a very trying day. I'm a bit amazed that she made it this far before starting to cry. First Dante and I show up and tell her that we're her godparents, he's a vampire, I'm half-werewolf, and she's a witch in one go. Then she and I go down to Diagon Alley, which is always a culture shock for someone raised by Muggles. Finally, unfortunately, Dante shows up and gives us some bad news." Hagrid crouched low, carefully patting the upset girl on the head.
"Death Eaters, weren't it?" he growled. Seal nodded, her attention still mainly focused on the girl in her arms. Hagrid frowned, casting a dark glance at the window and to the sky.
"Killed the Dursleys," Seal sighed. "Dudley and Gaye. They had been taking care of her until today. I guess they finally figured out that she's not dead. That was such a good way to cover our tracks though. Dante managed to destroy the memories of the Death Eaters that attacked the Potters ten years ago, but maybe they broke the charm."
"So they killed 'em?" Hagrid inquired. "Just fer being related to her? For taking care of her?" Seal nodded once again, idling playing with a few strands of Kendra's straight, short black hair. She chuckled suddenly.
"Harry and Hermione had messier hair than I did—Harry alone did," she said in a soft voice. "Kind of strange that their daughter has such tame hair. Well, she's cried herself into exhaustion." Kendra had fallen into heavy slumber, face streaked with tears. "Thanks for the hospitality, Hagrid. I'll see if I can get Kendra to come back down here later. You can tell her about her parents."
Hagrid positively grinned at her words. Seal smiled at him, gathering Kendra up in her arms. She said her goodbyes and began the long stroll back to the castle.
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Frigid air abruptly filled her ear. Kendra shrieked and jumped, covering her ears and sitting up. She came nose to non-existent nose with a floating, translucent poltergeist with a ridiculous orange bow tie. He grinned wickedly at her, but she was still rather numb from the previous day and unsure of what to make of the ghost.
"Oh, look!" he cackled. "It's another potty wee Potter! How're you, ickle firstie?" A door suddenly creaked open and both Kendra and the poltergeist looked towards it. The poltergeist would have turned pale if he hadn't already been stark white when he laid eyes upon the white-haired man at the door.
"Peeves," Dante murmured. "Do us a favor and go visit with the Bloody Baron for a few hours. Or perhaps the whole day. In fact, why don't you go and amuse yourself with the merfolk in the lake? I'm sure they'd love your company for the day. Now go." Peeves did not waste a moment, flying through the wall at top speed. Dante frowned after him.
"Bloody thing," he said in his perpetually calm, low voice. "That was Peeves, Kendra. He's the resident poltergeist here, along with quite a few other ghosts. Sorry that he woke you. He plays tricks on everybody here. He only listens to the Bloody Baron or myself. Care to join me for a walk?" Kendra saw the sunlight slanting in through a window and looked up to Dante.
"I thought vampires couldn't stand sunlight," she said, her voice exceptionally scratchy. Dante smiled at her.
"Nice to hear you speak again," he said. "Vampires were once very susceptible to sunlight. However, we evolved. The only weakness we have to sunlight is a minor—our eyes are poor in high light. Easily remedied with a spell or those charming Muggle sunglasses. Come on then. It's a beautiful day out."
A few minutes later, Dante had led the girl to the grounds. He was quite regal, his robes fluttering slightly as he walked. Kendra walked just behind him, her eyes still on the ground. Dante walked at a leisurely pace, arms behind his back as he led her closer and closer to the edge of the forest. They reached Hagrid's hut, where Hagrid stood near the trees, looking down at something.
"Ah, Hagrid," Dante said as he walked up to the massive man. "Always a pleasure. Have you brought the thestrals?" Hagrid nodded, smiling at Kendra.
"Yep," he answered. "Tenebrus right here. Of course, you and I can see 'em, professor Ascarte. How about you, Kendra? Can ye see 'em? Great winged horse standing right there." He pointed at a dark shape near him that was tearing pieces of meat from a large hunk. Kendra looked closer and saw the bright, shining white eyes near the meat, the dragonish face and neck, and the black winged horse body.
"I…what is it?" she asked, stepping forwards curiously. Dante smiled and walked to the creature, patting it on the head.
"It's a thestral," he answered. "A very intelligent magic creature. Unfortunately, the fact that you can see him is a sad one. Thestrals are only visible to those who have seen death. Poor Seal. She can smell them, but she can't see them. Drives her mad. Thank you Hagrid. Kendra, come on." He began to walk off again, Kendra taking a faltering step along with him.
"See you later, Hagrid," she muttered quickly before walking away with Dante. The white-haired man walked down to the lake and stood there for a time before Kendra caught up with him. They both watched the wind-rippled water until Kendra could not keep back her question.
"What was the point of showing me the thestral?" she inquired. "To remind me that I've seen someone die? To remind me that important people to me have died?"
"No," Dante replied. "The thestrals are just very interesting creatures. You'll probably see them during a Care of Magical Creatures class in a few years. When you see them later, you will see that you are not the only person who has suffered through seeing someone die."
"So you're telling me not to be sad that the Dursleys died?" Kendra snapped. "What am I supposed to be? Jolly about it? They took care of me for ten years! They were the only family I knew and they were killed because of me!" Dante smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder.
"No," he said again. "I'm telling you that it's perfectly all right to be sad. The thing is, you can't be sad forever. It's all right to miss them, and it's all right to be unhappy that they're gone. Dwelling on it, though, is something that will drive you quite mad. If you'll pardon me, I need to finish a few lesson plans. I'm sure Hagrid is dying to talk with you, just so you know." He patted her on the shoulder before turning and walking back towards the castle.
Kendra sighed and sat down at the edge of the lake. She watched the sun break apart into glimmering diamonds on the ever-changing water and listened to the lulling shushes of waves breaking on the well-worn shore. It was many minutes before she stood back up and started towards Hagrid's hut. Hagrid had just sent the thestral back into the forest when she walked up to him.
"Hello again," Hagrid said with a grin. Kendra chanced a grin as well and found it came easier than she expected.
"Hello, Hagrid," she said in turn. "I'm sorry that I wasn't very talkative yesterday. Um, I was wondering…could you tell me about my parents?" Hagrid beamed once again.
"O' course," he rumbled. "Come on inside! I'll tell ye all about 'em."
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Hours upon hours later, a lone gray wolf meandered down the path to Hagrid's hut under the waning crescent moon. It reverted to Seal, and she knocked on Hagrid's door. He answered with a smile, lifting a finger to his beard in a signal to stay quiet. Seal smiled broadly at the sight Hagrid revealed. Kendra sat curled in one of the oversized chairs, a photo album open under her fingers.
Seal continued to smile as she lifted Kendra into her arms again, mindful to keep the book in Kendra's hands. Again, she walked back to the castle with Kendra in her arms.
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Over the remaining days before the term started, Kendra had a good number of visitors. One of the resident house-elves, Dobby, had given her a fair-sized lump on the head. He had been so excited to hear that Harry Potter's daughter was living at Hogwarts that he had hurried out of the kitchen and its portrait exactly when Kendra was walking by.
Kendra walked into the portrait, striking her head on the hard frame. She fell to the ground, stunned but conscious, with a throbbing bump on her head. Dobby saw her and leapt onto her, hugging her until she couldn't breathe.
"Miss Kendra Potter!" he squealed. "Dobby is so glad to see you! Dobby is so glad to learn that what was said is not true about Kendra Potter!" Out of habit, and due partially to the bump on her head, Kendra did not ask about the rumors and what they said about her. She let Dobby take her on a tour of the castle, listening as he told her about all the great things her parents did. They both laughed at Hermione's exploits with S.P.E.W. and Harry's sometimes-waning patience with that.
A day or two later, she had wandered down to a large pitch. Banners and flags adorned with the house mascots waved in the wind. Two dots weaved through the air, throwing a red ball back and forth. She found her way onto the field itself and looked up at them. Both of the dots were a man and a woman on broomsticks, and both of them had fiery red hair. The man looked down and saw her and froze in midair. The red ball thumped him in the chest, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
"Ginny!" he called to the woman on the other broom. "Will you look at this? I forgot that Seal and Dante brought Kendra up to Hogwarts! Come on!" He and the woman swooped down and landed on the soft green grass.
"I can't believe you're finally here," the woman said, smiling broadly as she looked at Kendra. "It's been ten years since…everything. How are you, Kendra?"
"Oh, well enough," the girl replied. "I'm terribly sorry, but I don't know your names, and you obviously know mine." The man smiled at her and held out his hand.
"I'm Ron Weasley," he answered. "This is my little sister, Ginny. We're professors here. I'm the flying instructor, and Ginny's the Charms teacher." When Kendra took his hand with her left, he turned her hand and looked at the large, dull red 'x' on her skin. He frowned.
"So that's your scar," Ron murmured. "Sorry that you can't cover it a bit. Harry always tried to cover his with his hair." Kendra looked confused for a moment.
"Why would I?" she questioned, looking at her hand. "This scar has been with me for all my life. It's grown on me, really." Wanting to get off the topic, Ginny decided to speak up.
"Seal said that you were raised by Muggles," she said. "I guess this was the first time you've seen people on broomsticks. Would you like to try flying?"
"Yeah!" Ron shouted in glee. "If you're good enough, Dumbledore might let me let you onto your house team for Quidditch!" Ginny frowned and smacked her brother in the shoulder.
"Ron, she's not Harry," she chided. "Still, why don't you try it, Kendra? Get on and kick off the ground hard. Making the broom move is all a mental work." She handed the broom to Kendra, who stared at it for a few minutes. She read the gold lettering: "Nimbus 2000." Kendra stood still for another few minutes until an epiphany occurred.
"Oh!" she laughed. "I get it!" She dropped the broom on the ground, stepped onto it with one foot, and kicked off with her other foot. Ron and Ginny paled, their freckles glaring as Kendra shot up into the air.
"Not like that!" Ron shouted in horror. "Oh, sweet Merlin! Seal's going to kill me if she gets hurt!" He started to get on his broom, but a hand pulled it from him.
"I think you need to calm down," Seal said, standing next to Ron. "Watch her before you stop her." Ron, still stark white, did as he was told and looked up to watch Kendra. In the air, Kendra had never felt so wonderful. At the slightest lean of her body, the barest thought, and the smallest move of her feet, the broom reacted accordingly and perfectly. She leaned forward, pushing back with her rear foot and pointing the broom up.
The broom carried her into the sky, wind whipping her hair around her face. She had been getting on fairly well with her skateboarding, creating her own tricks and executing others perfectly. This only continued it with the increased excitement of being high in the air. Kendra rose higher and dove down again, scraping the tips of the grass as she shot by the three adults on the ground.
It was better than skateboarding, she soon realized. She wove in and out of the hoops at the ends of the pitch, circling, diving, and all the while growing more and more addicted to flying. Kendra even dared a barrel roll and a full loop-the-loop, ignoring the sudden shriek of terror that came from Ron's throat. Her natural limit-breaker attitude began to sink in as she rose higher, dove steeper, and did everything as fast as was possible on the Nimbus.
A long while later, when she came in for an easy landing near the adults, she burst out laughing for two reasons. For one, she had never been so exhilarated in all her life except for when she first started skateboarding. That, and Ron had passed out from sheer horror at her stunts and what Seal might have done to him if she had fallen. Ginny and Seal, however, applauded her loudly and proudly.
"That was incredible!" Ginny exclaimed. "No one's ever flown like that! I thought you lived with Muggles!"
"I did," Kendra replied, a tad out of breath from laughing at Ron. "I just skateboarded a lot." Seeing that her ward was unsure of why Ginny was giving her a blank look, Seal stepped in to help.
"A skateboard is a bit like a Muggle broom," she explained. "Of course, it can't fly, but it's one of the more popular things—like our brooms." Seal closed her eyes as if blinking, but did not open them for a while. Ginny and Kendra sighed, looking at each other with a faint smile.
"Is she all right?" Kendra asked, curious about why Seal continually fell asleep at completely random times.
"Oh, she's all right," Ginny answered. "She's just got what Muggles call narcolepsy. It means she can't control when she falls asleep. Luckily, being a witch and half-werewolf, she gets a bit more control on it. She just falls asleep when her body knows nothing bad is going to happen in her episodes. Seal! Seal, wake up, you fur ball!" Seal's gold eyes snapped open.
"Ginny, do me a favor," she said. "When Ron wakes up, tell him to talk to Dumbledore and see if that rule about first-years still flexes. I'm going to Diagon Alley for a bit." She began to walk towards the castle, whistling to herself as she walked.
"What rule?" Kendra inquired. Ginny laughed and crouched down, gently slapping Ron in the face a few times to see if he would come out of his faint.
"The thing is, Quidditch is a bit dangerous," she expounded. "Bludgers flying around trying to knock you off your broom, and the other team doesn't help. Because of that, first-year students aren't usually allowed to have their own brooms. That and we don't really trust silly little firsties to not crash into one of the towers."
"So Seal thinks I'm good enough for Professor Dumbledore to bend the rule?" Kendra queried. Ginny smiled and patted her on the shoulder.
"Kendra, I was a year under your dad here," she replied. "Ron told me all about Harry's first adventure on a broomstick, and from what I can tell, you took to it faster than he did. Professor Dumbledore is willing to bend that rule if someone's good enough. That's why we've started to let first-years try out for their house team if they want to." Kendra nodded, taking the information in easily. At their feet, Ron let out a faint moan before opening his eyes and sitting up. He looked at Kendra and grinned so broadly, all his teeth were showing.
"Ginny, we're going to wipe the floor with those Slytherins this year," he said gleefully. "Where's Seal? We need to get this girl the best broom out there."
"Ron's been bitter about Quidditch ever since he and Harry graduated," Ginny murmured to Kendra. "Gryffindor went south after Harry left. Snape's been rubbing it in our faces—Seal's especially, ever since she started teaching right after Harry left. She's head of Gryffindor, and Snape's head of Slytherin."
"He's still a greasy git," Ron grumbled. "Kendra, you'll love playing Quidditch! Lisa and Erika will love you!" Kendra blinked at the names.
"His daughters," Ginny interjected again. "They're two of the Chasers for Gryffindor. Our whole family has been in Gryffindor—from our parents down to our kids. Your parents and your grandparents were in Gryffindor too."
"Still, lucky that they didn't get any of that inventing business from Fred and George," Ron said suddenly. "Our brothers—twins like Lisa and Erika. They run a whole business of practical joke magic. They invented all of it by themselves."
"Yeah, well, Fred and George have everyone beat in the joker record here," Ginny replied. "Even Erika and Lisa don't get in as much trouble as they did. And to answer your question from a few minutes ago, Seal went to Diagon Alley herself."
"Brilliant!" Ron cried, leaping to his feet. "I'm free to teach Kendra everything I know!"
"Which won't take long," Ginny said wryly. The siblings went off in a playful row, smiling at each other's banter. Kendra smiled as well, starting to feel very much at home at Hogwarts.
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Later that same day, Seal had returned with two items for Kendra. One was a broomstick with the gold words "Lightning Bolt" etched in the handle, and the other was an ash-gray owl.
"Happy belated Birthday," she said, giving both things to Kendra after emerging from the bright green fire. "I thought it would be better not to show this to Ron. He might have passed out again."
The next day, Ron had indeed gone into conniptions over the broom. He examined it from every angle and begged Kendra to let him ride it just once—after giving her the honorary first ride, of course. Dante and Seal had both accompanied the girl to the Quidditch pitch to watch her and cheer her on. Ron had tested her on the two free positions for Gryffindor's team—the Keeper and the Seeker.
Ron soon realized that Kendra's eyes were more finely tuned to the minute changes and shifts that the Snitch would give in its movements than the overlarge and sluggish (in comparison to the Snitch, of course) motions of the Quaffle. Her eyes and her broom, in conjunction, proved to be an incredible duo. The only reason it took her much time at all to catch the Snitch was due to the fact that she was an amateur flyer on a professional broomstick. Ron barked orders and shouted corrections when necessary, and Kendra proved an apt pupil.
The sun had sunk low, half-under the mountains and forest surrounding the school, before Ron had been completely satisfied with Kendra's efforts. He bounced back to the castle, unable to contain the squeals from his throat. Kendra shouldered her broom and waited for Dante and Seal to come down from the stands. Dante strode out onto the pitch, Seal hanging on his back like an oversized, sleeping child.
"Don't worry," he murmured. "She fell asleep after you got off your broom. She was hugging me at the time, and she just slipped off into her dreamland." He reached up with his free hand and brushed at the tip of her nose. Seal hummed in her sleep and nuzzled against his neck, hugging him with her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Kendra smiled as Dante let out one of his rare chuckles and smiled.
"We're all lucky," she suddenly said brightly. "You have Seal, Seal has you, and I have both of you. That's probably all we need in the long run." Dante paused briefly, a bit surprised at Kendra's intuitiveness. He thought about her father—his strangely accurate episodes in seeing the future—and wondered if the girl had come to possess the same sight. Abruptly, Kendra tripped over a sudden rise in the ground and fell on her face. Dante's lips and eyebrow twitched at the girl, but he held his tongue.
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On the first of September, Dante had pulled Kendra aside and told her to wait at the front door with Seal. The other students, as tradition demanded for first-years, would glide across the lake under the new moon and receive their first look at Hogwarts. Seal would greet them at the door, taking them to the Great Hall and relieving Hagrid of his duties. Kendra would merely join them there as an early arrival that required sorting.
And so, when the sun fell beyond the horizon, Kendra kept faithfully to Seal's side and waited for the other students to arrive. The older students arrived first, already sorted in earlier and filing noisily to their respective tables. Kendra was shocked out of a reverie at three booming knocks to the great front door of the castle. Seal smiled at her and pulled open the door.
"Firs' years, Professor Seal," Hagrid rumbled importantly.
"Thanks much, Hagrid," Seal replied, continuing to smile in her sleepy way. "Come on, this way please." Kendra was easily immersed in the other new students—most were looking around in either awe or anxiety at the stone walls and the flaming torches in said walls. Many of them looked at the bright, open doorway to the Great Hall, but Seal walked into the empty chamber just beyond it. The students huddled together, wondering what exactly was happening. Kendra felt a presence at her left elbow and turned, finding Rima Walker standing next to her.
"Hello," Seal said, greeting the obviously panicky children. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I know you're all hungry and you want food, but you'll have to wait just a little longer. First, we need to sort you into your respective houses. Your house…hmm, how do I put this? It's a tad like a family for your school life. You eat with them, sleep in the house dormitory with them, and spend free time with them in your common room.
"Ah, what else? Oh, right. The houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. They're all good houses to be in, honestly. All turned out plenty of great witches and wizards in their time, that's certain. Now, there was one other thing. How could I forget? When you're here at Hogwarts, your house will gain or lose house points depending on your behavior. Break the rules, and you'll be punished accordingly—either through points or a detention, or both. Do good things—excel in your work, get difficult things right, that sort of thing—and you'll be rewarded. If you'll pardon me for a tic, I'll be right back."
She walked out of the room and towards the Great Hall. Whispers filled the room in her absence. Kendra turned and smiled cheerfully at Rima. The blue-haired girl smiled in response. A few minutes later, Seal returned and ushered them into the Great Hall. Kendra looked up at the ceiling, smiling at the starry sky and thankful that the full moon was not that night.
In the center of the hall, between the four tables and in front of the High Table, sat a three-legged stool with a very ragged hat atop it. Seal stood by it and closed her eyes just as a rip near the brim open. The Sorting Hat sang its song, and Seal woke to the sound of applause.
"When I call your name, come and sit under the hat," she said, lifting the hat in one hand and a roll of parchment in the other. "Ansolo, Garrett!" An auburn-haired lad swaggered to the chair and sat down, Seal dropping the hat on his head.
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat cried. One table in particular began to cheer loudly amidst the polite clapping from the other tables. The boy swept to the table and sat.
"Aragen, Rachel!" A blond girl swaggered forwards as well, nose high in the air.
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat cried again. More cheers, and the girl walked away. The shouts continued on, but Kendra paid little attention. She scanned the High Table, looking at all the teachers. Dante was watching the proceedings with his steely, blood-red eyes and sat between Hagrid and a man with silvering black hair, black eyes, and an unpleasant look on his face. Ron and Ginny Weasley sat next to each other, cheering as "Bale, Jason!" was made a Gryffindor.
It continued that way for many more minutes. Some students took longer to sort, and some (like a young lady with the surname of "Malfoy") were sorted almost instantly. Kendra was pulled out of her thoughts when Rima poked her gently in the side.
"She's at the 'P's," she whispered. Kendra, however, felt no worry about the issue. All it really meant to her was that she was going to be sorted fairly soon, and the only thought in her mind was that she didn't particularly care for Slytherin house. The whole lot seemed ill-tempered and plainly unpleasant.
"Potter, Kendra!"
The whispers and faint clapping that had created a soft buzz stopped instantly. Kendra paused, her eyes flicking over what she could see without twisting her head. Every student was silent, and even some of the teachers were staring at her in utter confusion. Despite all this, Kendra took a step forward out of the crowd, trying to ignore the eyes on her.
She sat down, and Seal dropped the hat on her head. New whispers started to rise up, but Kendra couldn't hear them. A voice was speaking to her from the hat.
"Hmm, another Potter," it murmured in her ear. "I remember your family. Great potential, yearning to prove that spark inside—you all have the same traits, indeed you do. But where shall I put you?"
Could it be not Slytherin? Kendra asked in her mind. They don't seem like the kind of people I'd want to be around.
"Not Slytherin?" the hat questioned. "Well, if that's what's in your head, then you had better go to…GRYFFINDOR!" There was a long silence. A sharp clap rang out. If Kendra could have seen, Dante had stood up and clapped for her, a smirk on his face. The two Weasley professors stood up as well, starting to clap furiously. Hagrid stood as well, clapping his massive hands together. The weight of the hat's decision sank in, and sheer chaos prevailed at the Gryffindor table.
Kendra walked to the table, smiling and forgetting all about the strange whispers and stares she had just received. Two girls with red hair leapt up and grabbed her right hand in turn, shaking until her arm went completely numb. She sat down, mindful to save a space next to her so Rima could sit once she was sorted. A time later, a boy named Virgil Riddle was sorted into Gryffindor to the usual applause. The boy had light brown hair and gunmetal gray eyes. He looked quite frightened.
Much later, Rima was the last to be sorted and was sorted into Gryffindor. When the applause died down, the man in the center of the High Table stood up.
"Tuck in," he said graciously, his voice as regal as his long silver hair and beard. Food appeared on the plates instantly via the house-elves' magic. The buzz of minutes earlier returned in full force. Kendra was taking a drink of pumpkin juice when the first strange question occurred.
"So, Kendra…rumor was you were killed with your parents." Kendra choked, coughing into her hand in an effort to dislodge the drink. Rima took the goblet and carefully thumped her on the back.
"Wha—t?" Kendra asked, coughing once to finally clear her throat. "Who said that?" She wasn't even entirely sure of who had spoken.
"Sorry, but we were just wondering," the same voice said. Kendra looked up to see the two red-haired girls from before watching her avidly, grinning.
"Yeah," one of the identical girls agreed. "Our dad—Ron Weasley, the redhead fellow up there—he didn't say a thing to us. Just told us that Gryffindor was getting a new Seeker that would blow Slytherin out of the water, right Erika?" The other girl nodded.
"But all the rumors were that you had been killed," the other continued. "Took some of You-Know-Who's power on your way, too. That's why he hasn't been acting up for the past few years." Kendra was utterly lost in the conversation. She had no idea who they were talking about, much less that she had been rumored to be dead for most of her life.
"She weakened Anton, that much is certain," Rima spoke up in her aid, taking a long draw from her goblet. "But, as you can see, she's not exactly dead. That fellow towards the end of the table, though—he's quite dead."
"Did you have to say his name?" Erika grumbled. Rima gazed quietly at her for a moment, quicksilver eye cold and studious. Erika wisely left it alone.
"Well, introductions, come on!" the first of the two red-haired girls said. "Lisa Weasley, at your service. One of the resident Beaters for Gryffindor."
"Erika Weasley," Erika said in turn. "The other resident Beater for Gryffindor."
"Kendra Potter," Kendra continued the thread. "I guess I'm the living dead girl, huh?" The four snickered before three of them turned to Rima. She regarded them for a moment.
"Rima Walker," she answered their silent question. "Shapeshifter." Erika and Lisa opened their mouths, but Rima cut them off with a smirk. "I don't do requests."
"We actually were going to ask if both of your parents were shapeshifters too," Erika muttered. "Professor Ascarte—that white-haired chap next to our dad—he's Defense Against the Dark Arts, and he said there are variations on shapeshifters."
"There are three," Rima replied. "Shapeshifters, metamorphmagi, and complete animagi. Shapeshifters are one hundred percent shapeshifter and are only born to complete shapeshifters. Metamorphmagi and complete animagi are luck of the draw when they're born. Whenever shapeshifter blood is mixed with wizard blood, a metamorphmagus or a complete animagus could happen."
"You know a lot for a first-year," Lisa chuckled approvingly before she and her sister began to debate a few other Gryffindors about recent Quidditch activities. Kendra smiled at Rima's faint smirk. Some time later, after the dinner had faded into dessert, and after the desserts had vanished, the silver-haired man, Albus Dumbledore, stood up again.
"Now that we are all quite full, there are a few start-of-term notices I should tell you," he said. "The forest on the grounds is off limits to all students. Mr. Filch has reminded me to remind you that magic should not be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be announced for each house in their respective common rooms, and those interested in trying out should contact Professor Ronald Weasley. Lastly, the dungeon at the end of the Potions corridor is off limits to everyone who does not want to die tragically young. Now, to bed! Off you trot!"
The students did as they were bid, walking after their house prefects obediently. The first years shuffled along sleepily, a few traces of remaining conversations barely passing by their yawning lips. Up and up the Gryffindors went, past whispering portraits and hastily following subjects. Kendra yawned and took another step, only to sink up to her knee in the stair. She would have fallen face first into the next few stairs if Rima hadn't caught her round the middle.
"Oh, for heaven's sake," the prefect, a young man with corn-yellow hair, sighed. "Is your leg stuck or can you help her get free?" Rima and Kendra shook their heads, Kendra having already tried to move her leg in the slightest.
"Peeves!" the prefect snapped. "Get out here and let go of her leg!" The poltergeist popped into the visible spectrum; ready and willing to blow a raspberry at the prefect and pull whomever he had caught down further into the stairway. The rude noise died on his dead tongue when he caught sight of Kendra. He vanished again, and Rima pulled Kendra free.
"Lucky skunk!" the prefect laughed, crossing his arms. "Looks like Peeves is going to leave you alone! Come on, now! Still a bit to go before you can sleep!" He continued on, the first-years trailing close behind. Eventually, he led them to a painting of a fat woman in pink silk.
"Password?" she questioned.
"The password," the prefect said to both the students behind him and the Fat Lady, "is Lunaris." The Fat Lady nodded and swung open to expose a round hole in the wall behind her painting. The first-years clambered into the common room with its warm, roaring fire and comfortable armchairs. The prefect directed the students to the boys and girls' dormitories, and the group split apart.
Kendra tried to smile benignly at the three girls that were alternately fawning and staring at her, but her grin was just a tad disturbed. One of the girls shuffled over and poked her in the stomach. Kendra jumped back with a surprised squeak, staring as the brown-haired girl ran back to the others with a squeal. Rima let out an amused cough, so the three girls would look up.
"Yes, Kendra is obviously quite solid, real, and alive," she said with a smirk. "There's no doubt that she'll get a few strange looks tomorrow, so why don't we all just go to bed for now?" As if to conclude the incident, the three girls yawned widely. They gave Kendra an embarrassed, apologetic look. Soon, the lights were extinguished and girls were in their beds.
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The door at the end of the long, dark corridor was ajar. When she moved into the room, light flashed and blinded her. She blinked, and when her eyes opened, she was walking down another stone corridor. As she walked through the hallway, her eyes fell upon certain, strange items.
A large broadsword was stabbed deep in the wall, straight through the middle of a few bricks. A bit further on, a robe of white body and dark blue trim lay strewn on the floor, as if cast off from someone running by. Even further, the left-side wall stopped and opened to a courtyard with a large fountain. She walked to the courtyard and looked at the fountain.
The water was beautifully clear, but did not reflect the sky. She looked up and gazed bemusedly at the sky, which was alternating yellow and red, pulsing from a blood-colored sun. Her eyes lowered to a ledge behind a sheet of clear glass. Two men in black, hooded robes looked back at her. Their faces were shadowed, but their glowing red eyes stood out from the darkness. The scar on her hand suddenly burned, and when she looked at it, it seemed to glow the same red as the men's eyes.
A hand suddenly fell on her shoulder. She turned and saw three people standing behind her. One was the boy, Virgil Riddle, standing off to her left. His face was set in anger, his wand drawn and pointed at the two men. Another was Rima, standing at her right, a Bo staff in one hand and her wand in the other.
The last of the three stood on her left, just behind her. It was a tall woman with short, slightly spiky white hair and dark blue eyes. She smiled at Kendra, her hand strong on the girl's shoulder. Virgil was the first to rush forward, as if to cry out a spell. The smaller of the men flicked his own wand at him, and Virgil was thrown backwards into a wall. He fell, bleeding and unmoving.
Rima rushed forwards when Virgil fell. Her speed was unbelievable. She shot forwards, dodging about in hopes of avoiding the same spell. However, when she leapt up level with the high ledge and swung both the staff and her wand at the men. The smaller man flicked his wand again, and Rima was struck with the spell. She hit the wall even harder than Virgil, and much higher up. Rima crumpled and fell, bleeding and unmoving just like Virgil.
The woman's hand tightened on her shoulder comfortingly, and Kendra felt a surge of hope. However, pain rushed through her body as the woman's hand tightened agonizingly. The two men's eyes widened briefly as Kendra let out a cry of pain as the woman took her other shoulder. Thunder sounded in the sky, and Kendra's vision was obliterated by light.
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Kendra woke with a strangled gasp. She sat up and looked about. A clock in the circular room ticked off the few remaining seconds before 6:39. Kendra took a deep breath and swallowed sharply.
"Are you all right?" Kendra jerked and looked up. Rima was standing near the window by Kendra's bed, pulling a robe on over her blue jeans and gray t-shirt. Kendra nodded, rubbing a bead of sweat from her brow with her left hand. She winced, however—her scar was stinging. Her grimace did not go unnoticed by Rima.
"What's wrong with your hand?" she questioned. Before Kendra could retract her hand, Rima gently took hold of her wrist. She gazed at the scar with her remaining eye, but found nothing terribly wrong.
"It just hurts?" she asked. Kendra nodded, rubbing at the scar when Rima released her hand. Rima gave her a soft look; unusual for her. After a moment, she stood back and smiled a bit. "Nothing in particular you want to tell me? A dream, maybe?" Kendra paused and shook her head.
"Do you think we should get to the Great Hall?" she inquired. "Breakfast is probably soon." Rima nodded and turned to the window to let her friend dress. A few minutes later, as they were about to leave, Kendra paused and looked at the still slumbering girls. "Should we wake them?" Rima smirked.
"No," she chuckled. "Innocent payback for their silliness last night. Come on." She and Kendra walked out of the room.
—to be continued—