A.N.: Hello, everyone! Although this story is done, I couldn't help but post this piece I wrote a while back. A goood while back (in 2017, to be more precise). It was originally meant to be Chapter 2, but I wasn't satisfied with the 'montage' aspect of it, so I scraped it and started anew. You may recognize some of it, because I incorporated the best bits on Chapter 2. Anyways, thank you so much for all who accompanied Maribella's journey through her first year at Hogwarts. I've already started on Book 2, for those of you who'd like to keep up with her story! The first chapter has already been posted. Now, without further ado, the story!
July 7th, 1988, The First Transformation
It had been one entire month since Maribella had been bitten by the werewolf, and tonight would be the first full moon night she'd experience as one herself. She had been more impulsive and irritated the week preceding it, and this morning was no different. There was something else today, though. Fear. She'd seen first hand what the animal was capable of, and the thought of turning into such an irrational beast was terrifying. Her parents, bless them, tried their best to appease her troubles. They sat along with her the entire morning, reading from a potion book the effects of the Wolfsbane Potion, constantly reminding her that she had nothing to worry, as under the influence of the potion she'd have full control of her actions, and should anything happen, they'd be ready and alert to aid her.
"We love you", they said. "We're not afraid."
And yet, Maribella noticed how her entire family had been treating her with caution, as if they were dealing with an undisciplined wild creature, rather than their daughter, their sister. She noticed how her siblings, primarily Anna, never wanted to spend as much alone time with her, their young minds corrupted with fear. She noticed how her parents always tried to feed her as much as they possibly could, as if they were afraid she'd snap and devour all of them if she wasn't well-fed. She noticed how she no longer was Maribella, the young adventurous girl, she was Maribella, the reckless witch-turned-werewolf, who had to be watched at all times, otherwise she'd do another crazy imprudent thing and injure those around her. Even within her own family, she carried around a subtle, though still heavy, discrimination and intolerance with her name, as she would for the remainder of her life.
So, on the morning of the 7th, she cherished her parents' cares, not knowing when she would receive them again. She avoided Anna, as her current relationship with the younger girl was fragile and filled with resentment. She played around with Marco (Inside. Never, ever outside. Not anymore), who was too young to comprehend what had happened, too young to have a fully-formed apprehension of his older sister. She ate, she bathed, and then she took the potion. She sat quietly on her bed, waiting for the transformation to begin, the bitter taste of the potion stinging her throat. And just a few minutes before the sun finished setting, Mrs. Piccinni came in her room.
"Mari?" her mother asked softly, as she came inside. "Are you ready, tesoro?"
Maribella stifled a sob. "No," she replied.
"I know, sweetheart, I'm not ready either," Mrs. Piccinni combed her fingers through Maribella's hair. "But alas, it is what it is, and we'll deal with it together. Come along now, let's go out before the full moon appears and you start to transform here, inside the house."
Maribella, who had previously thought she'd get to change into a werewolf right then and there, looked at her mother questioningly. Where else would she transform, other than in the bedroom she shared with Anna, the only place that she'd be unquestionably comfortable, even during her transformation?
"Where are we going, Mama?" she inquired.
"Out to the vineyards, Mari. Where else would you transform?" Mrs. Piccinni asked back, her question paralleling the thoughts Maribella had been having just a few seconds before.
"I thought we weren't allowed to be outside by ourselves anymore, Mama." Maribella chose to say instead of replying.
"We normally aren't, Mari. But this is a rather… special situation, don't you think?" Mrs. Piccinni tried to choose her words carefully, but by the quiver of Maribella's lips she could see the girl had been hurt. Being grouped apart from her siblings just highlighted the fact that she was now different. "I'm sorry, tesoro," she apologized. "We'll talk tomorrow morning, okay? I'll be right there..." she pointed at the Grotta. "...all night, watching over you."
And just as the effulgent moon touched the sky, Mrs. Piccinni gave Maribella one kiss on the forehead, and turned around, leaving her standing alone and terrified under the moonlight awaiting something she'd never be prepared for.
November 24th, 1988, The Kneazle
The morning after Maribella's fifth full moon, her parents brought home a surprise. They had woken early, earlier even than the now-one-year-old Marco, who had taken to rise with the sun, and gone out to the Magical Menageries shop in Diagon Alley, to purchase nothing other than a cat-like animal.
Maribella, exhausted from last night's occurrences, woke a little after noon, to find an enormous feline sitting on the dining table, surrounded by her family. It had white soft-looking fur and a white soft-looking… lion tail, as well as two big amber eyes, that examined her carefully as she descended the stairs.
"Afternoon, Mari," Mr. Piccinni welcomed her, and he patted the empty seat next him
"Afternoon Papa. Mama. Gio. Marco." Maribella greeted each family member as she walked by them, coming to a stop right in front of the animal sitting on the table. "And good afternoon... you," she said to the cat-thing, staring at its eyes as it glared back.
"Don't be rude, Mari," said Anna, "He has a name!" Once Anna realized Maribella hadn't completely changed, she'd been a lot more amicable to her.
"And what would that be, Anna?"
"We've been waiting for you to decide, although there have been a few suggestions," Mrs. Piccinni answered. Anna went ahead and listed all the names they had come up with, the most remarkable ones being Nico II, honoring the late puffskein, Mr. Bon Bon, which Anna feverishly declared it being her favorite name, far superior than the other options, and a series of incomprehensible gibberish, thanks to Marco.
"What do you think, tesoro? Do you like any of the ideas we came up with?" Mrs. Piccinni asked, and the cat eyed Maribella testily, as if he was silently waiting to judge her depending on her choice.
"Well…" she started slowly, weighing out her options. "Wouldn't it make sense if he was named after something dear to us? Because as a family member he will be dear to us?" she asked, feeling the slightest bit more triumphant as Anna slowly nodded her head, agreeing with her. It was almost like old times; Maribella suggesting the randomest of things, and Anna hanging onto her every word.
"What do you suggest?" asked Mr. Piccinni.
"How about…" Maribella trailed off, pausing to think.
"How about Tesoro?" Anna exclaimed, happy to have contributed. "Mama, you always call us tesoro, and we are dear to you! It makes sense!"
"Anna, that is a wonderful idea!" Mr. Piccinni praised, and Mrs. Piccinni nodded along with him. Marco, sensing the sudden excitement his family was showing, clapped his hands and giggled enthusiastically.
"What do you think, Mari?" Mrs. Piccinni inquired.
"I suppose it is a good idea," Maribella conceded, feeling a little upset that she wasn't the one who suggested it. Her rancor faded quickly as she realized that Anna looked positively radiant with everyone's approval.
"So Tesoro it is!" Mrs. Piccinni clapped her hands happily.
Then it dawned on Maribella; she didn't know what Tesoro was.
"Mama, he isn't just a cat, right?" Maribella questioned, even though she already knew the answer; the animal's tail, visible to all there present, made it blatantly obvious that he wasn't just a cat.
"Right, sweetheart. Tesoro is actually a kneazle, a pure breed one even. They're closely related, as you've probably already figured, to cats, just slightly more intelligent and a lot more loyal," Mrs. Piccinni explained. "He is here to protect our family from everything he deems to be harmful."
Oh. That explained why Tesoro had been so alarmed by Maribella's presence. Being the downright nasty creature that she was, it was only logical that the kneazle would immediately distrust her. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Maribella was quick to excuse herself and go to her room. Once she got to the door, she realized Tesoro had been following her. She stepped inside her room, and the kneazle sat by her feet, staring up at her.
"I am not a danger to them," she snapped at him, growing annoyed by his actions. "In fact," she continued. "I happen to be part of this family. You are meant to be protecting me as well." Tesoro merely glowered, standing up and moving to enter her room. She slammed the door shut before he could, and crawled under her covers refusing to deal with his somewhat unjustified suspicion. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the door.
"Mari?" Mrs. Piccinni opened the door slowly. "What's wrong, tesoro?" she asked to the mountain of blankets her daughter currently found herself under.
"Everything, Mama," Maribella cried, her voice muffled by the thick fabrics that covered her body. "You hate me. And so do Papa and Anna. And now you got us a pet that hates me as well!"
"Maribella! We don't hate you," Mrs. Piccinni assured, perplexed. "This is a new situation for all of us, and we are all trying to deal with it the best we can. I'm sorry you've been feeling like that. You should have talked to us. And as for Tesoro, didn't you notice he followed you all the up here?"
"I did, Mama," Maribella sniffled, sticking her head out of the pile of blankets. "He followed me to make sure I'd stay up here and not bother any of you."
"Mari," her mother started gently. "kneazles are highly intelligent creatures. They are also very aggressive. Trust me, you'd know if he didn't like you. You know what I think?"
Maribella shook her head.
"I think Tesoro noticed you were upset and he came up here to comfort you. Kneazles are very loyal to their family. And I think you two could use a little time alone to bond. Can I let him in?"
Maribella, who trusted her Mama before anyone else, nodded. Mrs. Piccinni stood up and opened the door slowly, to find the kneazle guarding it. He looked up at Mrs. Piccinni, startled. When she moved away to let him in, he dashed to Maribella's bed, jumping up on it and gazing at her. For the first time since she had met him, she felt his gaze soften, and he stared curiously, rather than accusingly. Maribella slowly stuck her hand out, and reached for his head. She caressed it, finding his fur to be as silky as she had imagined it to be. Tesoro nuzzled her hand, laying down next to body, enjoying the newfound attention just as much as Maribella was.
That night, as the young witch prepared to sleep, with Tesoro by her feet, she heard her little sister ask from her bed, a few feet away from Maribella's:
"Mari," Anna began hesitantly. "You don't think I hate you, do you?"
Maribella closed her eyes. She thought of how different the past five months had been. She thought of every time her sister had flinched as Maribella approached or reached for her. She thought of every terrified gaze, every unsure look, every glare she had received. And then she thought of how much she missed her sidekick. She thought of how good it had been to have seen a speck of that adoration that same morning, when they were choosing names for Tesoro. She finally remembered her conversation with her mother, just a few hours ago, and decided:
"No, Anna. I don't think you hate me."
And the two of them settled contentedly on their beds, ready to a have a well deserved night of rest.
June 12th, 1991, The Hogwarts Letter
"It's tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow!", ten-year-old Maribella laughed happily, as she picked Marco up from where he was sitting with Tesoro and spun him around.
"Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow!" the three year old mimicked his sister's words, giggling gleefully at his sister's actions.
"You have to promise to write me from Hogwarts," Anna, now eight years old, demanded, pulling at her sister's arm, forcing her to stop moving.
"Of course I will, Anna. In fact, I think I'll write you everyday!" Maribella happily exclaimed, grabbing her sister's hand and starting to jump and play around again.
The two eldest Piccinnis watched from afar as their children joyfully frolicked around. They shared a sour look, knowing how devastated their eldest daughter would be once they delivered the news. The following day would mark Maribella's eleventh birthday, meaning that she would soon receive her Hogwarts letter and attend the school in Scotland. However, due to Maribella's complication, they weren't sure the young witch would be accepted into the school. She was undeniably a witch, having displayed innumerable magical acts throughout her life, but was teaching her worth the risk she'd inevitably be putting her fellow peers in? They weren't so sure.
So a few hours before the clock struck midnight and it truly was Maribella's birthday, her Mama and Papa pulled her aside to talk.
"Mari," Mr. Piccinni started quietly. "As you well know, tomorrow is your eleventh birthday, which means that you'll soon receive your Hogwarts letter."
"'Course I know, Papa," Maribella said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We've been talking about it for ages."
"I know we have, sweetheart. But instead of attending the school, wouldn't you rather stay here at home with me and Mama?"
Maribella furrowed her eyebrows quizzically,. Hadn't he just been as excited as her just a few months before? He averted his eyes from hers, looking rather tense considering that tomorrow would mark such an important date to them.
"Your remember your Great Aunt Donatella, don't you? She was a very respected teacher back in her day, and I think I could get her to teach you a few of the basics," Mrs. Piccinni proposed nervously.
Maribella stared at her parents suspiciously, not understanding why they would ever reconsider sending her to Hogwarts.
"Of course there's also your… your problem, you know, Mari? We have a large stock of Wolfsbane good and ready to be consumed, and it'd be too troublesome for the headmaster to provide the exact quantity you'd need every month," her father finished awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed with the conversation.
Maribella, on the other hand, wasn't buying any of what they had said. If her parents really weren't willing to let her go to the school, they would've told her ages ago. They probably wouldn't even have made it an option to their three children.
"Papa," she finally said. "What's really going on?"
Mr. Piccinni looked at his wife momentarily, before continuing hesitantly.
"It's just that…" he trailed on, not finding the proper words to express what he wanted to appropriately. "Well, sweetheart, there are no records of werewolves attending Hogwarts. At least no known records," Mr. Piccinni finally admitted. "Your mother and I are afraid you won't be accepted into the school."
Maribella blinked once. And twice. And then her tears started to fall. Of course she knew her lycanthropy would've been an additional challenge she'd have to face at Hogwarts, but she had always thought of it as more of an… annoyance. An ever-present massive annoyance that would greatly impact her days as a student, but one she could eventually learn to deal with, like she had at home. A manageable annoyance. Not once had it even grazed her mind the possibility that she wouldn't be able to go to the school. So understandably, she was crestfallen.
"Oh, Mari," Mrs. Piccinni said, as she hugged her daughter tightly. "I understand it's awful to think that you might not be going to Hogwarts, but I promise you'll have a wonderful time here with us. Off you go to bed now, tesoro, tomorrow is your birthday and we can't have you tired at your party."
Maribella felt so utterly miserable and alone, she was fleetingly reminded of her first night transforming as a werewolf. Nevertheless, she kissed her parents goodnight and went to bed. The next morning was met with a mood of sorts, and by late noon, when it was clear no letters would be arriving, no one really felt like celebrating.
"Hogwarts letters don't always come on a child's eleventh birthday," Mr. Piccinni pointed out.
But Maribella, ever the pessimist, had already given up on the letter. The days passed slowly, with no sign that it would come. By the time the June full moon arrived, on the 27th, the Piccinni family had already started to prepare for what looked like Maribella's permanent stay in the household. So naturally, when dawn rolled around the next morning, the young girl was woken up by loud pecks on the window. She sat on her bed, still groggy from sleep, hurting all over from yesterday's happenings. She yawned loudly, and slowly opened her eyes. Although you could see the first rays of light painting the sky, it was evidently early. Anna was still sleeping soundly, and Maribella never woke up before Anna did on the morning after full moons. Tesoro was probably the only one who was fully alert, as he sat by the window, staring at the family owl, which seemed normal enough. Except, her family didn't own an owl.
She clumsily scrambled off the bed, almost tripping over her blankets, as they too gracelessly fell off her bed. Reaching the window in record time, she threw it open and reached for the letter. She patted the owl's tawny head mindlessly, her pat's force increasing with her excitement, eventually turning into full on slaps. The owl screeched in pain, and moved to bite Maribella's hand, but was scared off by Tesoro's warning hiss. Maribella, engrossed by the letter, took no notice. She was entranced by the Hogwarts emblem that the envelope graced. Her first thought upon sighting it was, It's a rejection letter. But did those even exist?
"MAMA! PAPA!" she yelled excitedly, running towards her room's door, this time promptly tripping and falling on the ground.
"Maribella? What...", Anna, recently awakened by the loud shrieks coming from both the owl and her sister, mumbled slowly, still groggy from sleep.
"I got it! I got it, Anna, I got the letter!" Maribella interrupted, picking herself up from the ground, and shoving the letter on her sister's face. She beamed at her sister. Poor Anna was too drowsy to process what had just happened, so Maribella turned around, skipping down the hall just as her parents came out of their room.
"Maribella, get back to bed. It's still early," Mrs. Piccinni said as the girl approached.
"Mama, I got my letter! I got my Hogwarts letter!" Maribella announced, too happy to try and contain her enthusiasm.
Her parents beamed at her, sleepiness vanishing from their eyes.
"You did? That's wonderful, honey," Mr. Piccinni smiled at his daughter.
"Let me see it, Mari," Mrs. Piccinni opened the envelope and took the letter out. "My, they are getting demanding," she said as she scanned the supply list. "Crystal phials? No way, we're getting glass ones. What is an eleven year old going to do with- Oh look Ale, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! We have an autographed copy, Mari, you can bring that along with you," Mrs. Piccinni said it all in one breath, almost as excited as Maribella.
"Can we go to Diagon Alley today?" Maribella asked, reading the letter over her mother's shoulders.
"Well, I don't see why not, we don't have anything else planned," Mrs. Piccinni answered, chuckling quietly at her antics.
Maribella cheered loudly, her joyous laughter echoing through the house and filling the halls, feeling happier than she had in days, maybe even months, and she started to get ready to begin another chapter of her life.
A.N.: And thus. The real ending of the story. But don't fret- if you've enjoyed Year 1, don't forget to check out Year 2, which has already been started on my profile! Thank you, and until next time.