Elysian Potter: The Forgotten Queen.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor d I own the original idea for this story. All rights for the characters go to the magnificent J. K. Rowling and the original idea belongs to CharmedMilliE-Karry Master.
Elysian's Theme Song: You Should See Me In A Crown, Billie Ellis
Chapter Two: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Elysian's last month with the Potter's was pure torture: the moment Lily and James discovered Ares they were enraged and had tried many times to get rid of the panther cub. Harry was jealous that such a strong and powerful symbol of Gryffindor house wasn't his and had argued with their parents for hours on end trying to get Ares for himself only to end up bitten when he tried to pet him. Ares seemed to have caught onto his mother's hatred for all things Potter and eagerly growled whenever the last name was mentioned or whenever one of them came into Elysian's bedroom.
The House-elves avoided Elysian's bedroom all together now: Ares had caught a house-elf cleaning the bathroom and had pounced on the poor thing, terrifying her. Elysian had ordered all house-elves away from her room after that, for their safety and for Ares' peace of mind. The small panther, while only a cub, was much more powerful than people thought and didn't seem to know his own strength with the amount of scratches and bites Elysian received from him. She wasn't angry though… how could she be? he was too cute!
Ronald had made his displeasure of the new panther known when he and his family arrived a few days before they were to leave for Hogwarts. The red-haired weasel had tried petting Ares from behind and had ended up with a massive gash down his arm for his troubles. Ronald had almost pulled out his wand to curse the poor baby when Elysian picked Ares up by the scruff and placed him in her arms – Ares purring loudly the whole time. Mrs Weasley had been enraged that her son had been damaged by the 'beast' and had ordered Lily and James to remove it from the house only for Elysian to inform her – in her politest tone and with eyes of sever insincerity – that Lily and James couldn't remove Ares because he wasn't their bonded familiar and how she was sorry that Ronald got hurt but he shouldn't have tried to pet Ares without her present.
The twins had been ecstatic to find out that Elysian had a panther cub. They had snuck round almost everyday after receiving her coded letter to play with Ares and snuggle with him. Ares had enjoyed all the attention he was receiving but would immediately growl at the pair if they tried any types of prank on Elysian. It seemed the small panther cub was, in fact, very over-protective of his adopted mother. Not that Elysian minded.
When the faithful, and highly anticipated, day arrived Elysian helped Ares into his crate and quickly got dressed into some presentable clothing. Her family always travelled by limousine to the train station so she knew she was free to speak with Draco and Neville without the fear of her parents stepping in. It's what her parents usually did when she tried speaking to someone they didn't approve or someone they wanted to build an alliance with.
Turns out, the Potters and Longbottoms had had an alliance for over thirty years. It was one of the things James was the most proud of, though Lady Longbottom was not: it seemed she blamed James for what happened to her son and daughter-in-law and his current attitude wasn't helping her like him anymore. She was, quite naturally, angry that James brushed off the attack on the Longbottoms as nothing because He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named hadn't been the one to attack them. Augusta was actually considering breaking the alliance until someone else became Head of House but she didn't have the authority to do such as it required two adult members to break an alliance.
Ares meowed from his crate, drawing Elysian's attention towards him and the clock. She grinned upon seeing the time and hearing the sound of her family leaving. Exiting the bedroom, Elysian quickly made her way over to the floo network and threw in some powder.
"Kingscross Station!"
It took only a few seconds and then Elysian was in, her eyes widening with pure joy at the sight before her: A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock. Elysian looked to her left and saw a wrought-iron archway where the ticket box would have been, wit the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it.
Smoke from the engine drifted over heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to each other in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.
The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Elysian walked around the platform in search of an empty seat or a compartment with her friends inside.
Suddenly she stopped.
"Gran, I've lost my toad again."
"Oh, Neville," she heard Lady Longbottom sigh.
"Merry meet, Lady Longbottom, Heir Longbottom," said Elysian, walking over to her best friend and his grandmother.
"Merry meet Heiress Potter," said Augusta, internally proud at Elysian's easy use of the traditional greeting.
"Merry meet, Heiress Potter," stuttered Neville.
"Alright Neville, I'll see you for Yule. Remember, do your best and try not to embarrass yourself."
"Yes gran."
Taking that as a sign, Elysian gave the formal goodbye and pulled Neville away. She continued to push him until they found an empty compartment and he helped her place her trunk in the lock area. Ares was quick to call out and even quicker to escape from his crate the moment Elysian opened the door. He curled up on her lap with a happy purr and snuggled perfectly in the space.
"What was that?" Elysian asked, seeing a small brown creature poking out from Neville's pocket.
"This is Trevor," Neville answered. "My pet."
"Why a toad?"
"My dad had one," Neville answered.
"Neville, honey, you really need to stop trying to become the perfect copy of your father. It isn't healthy."
"But everyone says my dad was amazing!"
"Yes and look where that got him! Both he and Alice are trapped in their own minds because of how good they were!" Neville's face fell. "Neville I'm sorry. I'm just trying to help you, it's alright to want to be as good as your dad or better but it's not alright to try and become him. You need to be your own person, be proud of who you are and live the life you want, not the life others want for you."
"Thanks Elly… what would I ever do without you," Neville smiled.
"Let's not think about that okay?" Elysian asked.
"What about your cat?"
"Ares isn't a cat," said Elysian, grinning, "he's a panther cub."
"C-can I pet him?"
"If he wants you to," said Elysian.
The moment Neville said the word 'pet' Ares immediately jumped from Elysian's lap to his. Trevor croaked in fear but was soon calm and sat quietly in Neville's pocket.
"Wow, he's so soft and cool," Neville gaped earning him an appreciative nip from the panther who was sitting perfectly still as Trevor hopped onto his back. "And friendly. What is he?"
"He's a panther cub. I bought him in Diagon Alley a few days ago. His name is Aries, like the God of War, I figured it suited him since he's basically my protector now," Elysian smiled as Aries jumped back onto her lap and began to purr. Trevor croaked from his place on Neville's lap just as the compartment door opened and a familiar bushy haired girl appeared.
"Can I join you? All the other compartments are full," Hermione asked. "Elysian?"
"Hello Hermione," Elysian greeted. "Feel free."
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Hermione Granger and you are?"
"Neville Longbottom."
The three remained in the compartment chatting for a few minutes before Neville noticed something was missing. "Where's Trevor?"
"He must have got out when I opened the door, oh I'm so sorry," Hermione apologised.
"Don't worry," Elysian said. "Since your already in your robes, can you go look down the left side of the train and ask if anyone has seen a toad. We'll get changed and go down the right side that way if we don't find him we can ask a professor after the sorting and we'll still start off alright without new house."
"I think you're probably going to be in Ravenclaw," Hermione stated before doing as Elysian instructed.
"Doubt it."
"Yeah, your more Slytherin," Neville agreed as he covered his eyes so that she could get changed.
"Thank you Nev," Elysian grinned. "I am very cunning and ambitious when I want to be."
"Not to mention smart, ruthless when it comes to getting something you want and organised."
"Flattery will get you everywhere with me Neville. I'm changed," Elysian said.
Quickly, Elysian stepped out of the compartment and walked down the right side looking for Trevor. Ares had been put back in his cat crate so he wouldn't escape. She was scanning the floor as best she could when someone appeared in front of her causing her to stop quickly. The girl was taller than her by about a foot and was wearing Hufflepuff robes.
"Can I help you?" the girl asked.
"Yes, my friend lost his toad and I'm trying to find him," Elysian answered pulling her innocent eyes and her manipulating smile. "Can you help me find him?"
"Of course, what's the toads name?" the girl asked.
"Trevor."
"Accio Trevor the Toad!" the girl called and instantly Trevor flew into her hand and jumped into Elysian's. "There you go."
"Thank you miss," Elysian smiled. "If you don't mind my asking, what year did you learn that spell?"
"Fourth," the girl answered.
"Cool, I can't wait. Thank you again."
Retreating back to their compartment, Elysian and Neville and Hermione began chatting once more. Hermione constantly questioned them on the Wizarding World and the traditions within it, trying to get a better grasp on the world she was now inside. To anyone else the questions Hermione was asking would have seemed rude but Elysian and Neville could understand her want for information.
Elysian peered out of the window. It was getting dark. She could see mountains and forests under a deep-purple sky. The train was slowing down.
A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to school separately."
Neville's stomach lurched with nerves and Hermione, she saw, looked pale under her mass of brown hair. They crammed the important items into their robe pockets before joining the crowd thronging the corridor.
The train slowed right own and finally stopped. People pushed their way towards the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Elysian shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students and Elysian heard a booming voice: "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! All right there, Harry?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. Elysian felt annoyed as she noticed Hagrid had ignored her just like everyone else.
Neville pulled her along, following the flowing crowed down some stone steps and towards the Black Lake. She could just about make out the silhouette of over twenty small boats sitting, perfectly still, on the bank, waiting for the students that had yet to arrive. Neville tapped her shoulder and Elysian found herself gasping at the pure beauty she was now faced with: perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. She knew immediately that this was Hogwarts, the place her parents had fallen in love and the place she would finally make her mark. By any means necessary, she would break out of the long shadow her brother had cast over her for so many years.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to the fleet.
Elysian pulled Neville beside her and quickly jumped into the nearest boat that was as far away from her brother as physically possible. She was a little disappointed that Hermione hadn't followed them, deciding to join a boat with Harry, Ron and another boy with pale skin. She was used to this by now, people ditching her for her brother, but that didn't make the sting go away.
Soon Neville and Elysian were joined by two witches. The twins seemed to have originated from India and one was obviously bubblier than the other, not that Elysian cared. They introduced themselves as Parvati and Padma Patil, well Parvati did, before the two began speaking in hush tones to one another. As the last student clambered into the small boats Hagrid began to speak once more:
"Everyone in?" the half-giant shouted. "Right then- FORWARD!"
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the majestic castle they would soon be living inside for the next ear. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the caste, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out and on to rocks and pebbles. Neville was the first of the boat to get out and quickly turned to help the girls out, each one thanking him kindly before turning their attention to their guide.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp coming out at last on to smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
End Chapter Two: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
