"There are people who are generic. They make generic responses and they expect generic answers. They live inside a box and they think people who don't fit into their box are weird. But I'll tell you what, generic people are the weird people. They are like genetically-manipulated plants growing inside a laboratory, like indistinguishable faces, like droids. Like ignorance."
― C. JoyBell C.
"You've ruined this batch," Lily proclaimed, tapping a piece of rock-hard dough on the countertop.
Thalia, covered in flower and stains of blueberry jam, was wiping the sweat away from her forehead. Maybe turning on the oven in the hottest August morning of the century wasn't such a good idea.
"Hey, they are not so bad!" Thalia tried to redeem her baking skills. "They are just…" she stopped, trying to find a good word.
"Burnt" Lily finished for her, opening the curtain to let some fresh air into the kitchen.
"I would say crispy," Thalia protested.
"Those are muffins, not biscuits, Tasha. They are not supposed to be crispy," followed the reply.
Thalia bit a piece of "what should be a muffin" and instantly spat it out. Burnt was an understatement if she had anything to say about that. She cast a disappointed glance at the baking tray before shaking out its contents in the garbage bin.
"What is the smell?" said Petunia, making her way into the kitchen; eyes still squinted from the sleep.
"Nothing."
"Tasha almost set the kitchen on fire," simultaneously said the girls.
"Well thank you very much, Lily. As though I wasn't feeling bad already," Thalia plopped down on a chair and rested her head on its back.
"Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be getting ready to go to the Diagon Alley?" the blonde girl grabbed the glass of orange juice out of the fridge and drank it in one go. How Petunia never gained weight from the tons of food she eats will remain an unsolved mystery to Thalia for the rest of her days.
"Since when do you care?" Lily questioned suspiciously, leaning on the wall opposite Tuney.
"Since Tasha is going to attend, obviously," Petunia faced the window, avoiding the stare of the green eyes.
"Don't start one more time. We have figured it out, haven't we?" Thalia abruptly stopped the growing argument.
A year and a half have passed since Lily got her Hogwarts letter, which was followed by a visit from Hogwarts professor, the evening full of surprised exclamations and questions from Mr. and Mrs. Evans and short but precise answers from the mentioned professor, named Minerva McGonagall.
When Thalia asked about whether or not she will be accepted into Hogwarts, she got a rather strange answer.
Professor McGonagall, already at the doorstep, ready to vanish just as unexpectedly as she appeared a few hours ago, glanced a look at the younger girl as her lips curled into a little smile.
"I do not hold the right to share such information, but I strongly recommend you to check the mailbox on the day of your eleventh birthday, Miss Evans," she said before her figure merged into the murky darkness of the street.
Her birthday came, so did the letter.
One of the many lessons Thalia will learn over the years- Professor McGonagall never gave empty hopes.
Since that visit, two oldest girls' relationships have gone down a bumpy road, to say the least, but Thalia somehow convinced Tuney to apologize to Lily for her nasty behavior last September and total lack of letters during the first terms of studies. God knows what words she used to reason this unbearable creature, but on the day of the Christmas Eve Lily got her letter, and, unlike her mother and little sister's rustic handwritings, that was the calligraphic style she had waited for so long. It was not a total peace, more like a truce agreement. There was still sturdiness between the sisters; but even if they prickled one another in every single conversation, at least they talked. "And it was a win," Thalia concluded smugly.
"I agree on that with Petunia," Lily turned away from observing Petunia's neglectful posture. "Mom will wake up any minute and we'd better be dressed up by that time," with that she turned away and run up the ladder, words traveling past her. "The last one in the room will clean the wardrobe!"
"That was a head start, you cheater!" Thalia rushed after her, jumping two steps at once.
An hour and one who-will-use-the-bathroom-first fight later, two girls and their mother were standing at the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron, tapping a brick in the wall, found by counting three up and two across, three times.
"Get ready" Lily whispered.
The wall crumbled and the new world was finally exposed.
Diagon Alley was absolutely beautiful, and not at all how Thalia expected it to be. People in strange robes were hurrying on the streets, all carrying wand by their sides. Shops were in all possible shapes and sizes, so unlike the dull architecture of London. There were so many things on display: books in glittering covers, telescopes, pots, silk robes, funny hats, fire-spewing statuettes.
Three figures entered the passage and stopped among the concoction of voices and colors. There were so many lights and flashes that Thalia had to blink a few times to adjust her sight.
An old shopkeeper demonstrated how to use magical powders which exploded in all colors of the rainbows as he touched them. Next to him, a witch in a pointy hat poured sparkling steamy potions into the bottles of the awaiting customers. And thousands of those shopkeepers and witches occupied the streets, selling their intricate goods.
Thalia felt as if she was caught up on stage in the middle of a performance and all the spotlights were directed at her.
"Where shall we go first?" Lily voiced mashed up with hundreds of sounds.
"The most costly and important purchases first," said Mrs. Evans before she took the girls' hands and confidently barged into the crowd.
Thalia beat her elbows against passers-by and stepped on their feet, completely abandoning the attempts to apologize in a pile of such noise and pandemonium.
"Almost there!" exclaimed , turning from the main road to enter a narrow lane.
Large luminescent letters engraved above the oak doors they stopped in front of said only one word.
"Olivanders", Thalia whispered in awe.
Mrs. Evans had slightly pushed Thalia to the entrance and she finally opened the doors.
The shop, which seemed tiny from the outside, in fact, turned out to be a long corridor with racks up to the ceiling.
The old man, fumbling at the upper shelves, flinched at the noise and swayed slightly on the stairs.
"Ah, Miss Evans, 10 and a quarter inch, willow, unicorn hair," the old master said, awkwardly getting down.
"Correct as always, Mr. Ollivander," Lily nodded approvingly, before ducking her neck closer to Thalia and whispering 'I told you he's genius' in a voice of complete admiration.
"And here we have?" Mr. Ollivander smiled at Thalia, question in his voice.
"My name is Thalia, sir," Thalia introduced herself.
"I will be flattered to pick you a wand, Thalia Evans, but measures first. Ready?" Mr. Ollivander waved his wand and a thin iron ruler with divisions, which had previously been lying on the floor, soared into the air.
Thalia shook her head so eagerly her vision was obscured for a moment by her own flowing hair.
"From shoulder to elbow, from elbow to hand, and head, don't forget about the head," muttered Mr. Olivander, writing down all the measurements in a thick leather-bound book while the ruler skillfully performed its job.
When all measurements and calculations were completed, Mr. Ollivander went in search of suitable magic wands.
Thalia watched as he made his way down the corridor, pulling one wand after another without even looking at the name on the box, as though he knew it already. And then it hit her: "He really did know what was inside every single one of them."
Having placed on the table about 10 boxes of different lengths and colors, the old wizard proceeded to try on.
"9 inches, holly, dragon's heartstring," announced.
He didn't need to repeat twice - the girl's emerald eyes lit up with curiosity, and she picked up a wand. But that one was a miss, she understood quickly after black sparks fell down and scorched the wooden floorboard, making Lily jump to the side.
"No, no, not at all what you need," muttered Ollivander and snatched the wand from Thalia's hands. "12 inches, larch, unicorn hair. Test it."
Thalia took the wand but didn't even have the time to wave it, as it already was in the hands of Mr. Ollivander.
Thalia tried 10-inch ash, and 11-inch pine, and hawthorn with a phoenix feather. Some sparkled slightly, others blinked, others did absolutely nothing, but Mr. Ollivander still wasn't content. It has been a good hour, the mountain of tested wands became higher and higher.
After another failed attempt, Mr. Ollivander went deeply thoughtful.
"I didn't even think about it," he said quietly, talking to himself rather than the clients. His eyes sparkled with concern, and with all the speed that decrepit body was capable of, he stumbled into the very depths of the store.
When his shriveled figure disappeared behind the shelves, Thalia turned to Mrs. Evans.
"Maybe there is not a wand for me? Maybe I am not a witch at all?" sucking in the air she felt the salty taste of forming tears on her tongue.
"Stop it, Tasha. Of course, you are, otherwise, you wouldn't be here."
"Mom's right. Wands are complicated, but yours will be found, I am sure," Lily gentle patted her sister's cheek. A small gesture, but it always calmed Thalia, like a gust of fresh morning wind that carried away all worries.
Mr. Ollivander returned at this time. In his hands, he held an old dusty box, covered in some places with a cobweb.
"You are a special witch, as I was convinced. And that means you need an unusual wand."
Mr. Ollivander opened the box and handed Thalia a thin trapezoidal wand. It was very beautiful: the simple form was compensated by an unusual design, the snow-white color of the wood was decorated with gilding; starting at the base of the wand, it, like a vine, entwined a thin pole.
"11 inches, white cypress, the feather of the phoenix. Flexible and elegant, but durable, not easy to break. I made this wand many years ago for an exceptional sorceress ... Well, she never had the chance to use it, but it will serve you faithfully. Give it a try." genuine interest was burning in the eyes of the master.
It was the wand - Thalia understood, barely touching her.
Slight sweep cut through the air; the room lit up with radiant white light.
Mr. Ollivander's face shone with satisfaction.
"Definitely what you need," he carefully took the wand and began to pack it, "and very, very fascinating."
"What exactly do you find fascinating, sir?" Thalia caught a hint of sorrow in the way he said it.
"The wand chooses the wizard, little miss. Some enhance the quality of their master, others pacify. The strength of cypress combined with the temperament of the phoenix is a rare and powerful combination. Your wand is very initiative, and you still have to earn its respect. But if you succeed, then your joint magic will be, I will not be afraid to say, outstanding."
After the payment was made, Thalia lingered at the exit, a sudden rush to come back and ask about the girl who he had made it for overthrew her.
But she didn't have a chance. All of a sudden, Thalia felt a cold touch on the skin: the right hand, in which she carefully held her new 11-inch treasure, was wedged between the prehensile fingers. Thalia raised her eyes to meet the intruder.
She couldn't turn the gaze away from the woman's face. Sickly - the first thought popped into girl's head – the face she was looking at was ailing and pale, as though someone injected a bleach right under that paper-thin skin. Lifeless blond hair framed witch's sharp cheekbones and long jaw. But what stroke Thalia the most was the eyes: vicious, they swirled her in until she felt drowning in the quagmire of those blurry brown spheres.
Thalia gripped her wand tighter and pulled her hand off. The woman didn't let go, just waited until tiny arm slipped through her fingers.
One more stare, and the stranger turned on her heels and vanished, leaving Thalia looking at the empty spot.
"Hurry up, honey. We have so much shopping to do!" Mrs. Evans's voice sliced the air, ringing like a siren in the girl's numbed ears.
"Coming ", Thalia swallowed the settling lump in her throat and finally followed her family.
The drove at the London train station and parked near enough to carry two jam-packed suitcases to the mysterious 9 ¾ platform without hurting their backs. Petunia prudently said goodbye to the sisters at home, tightly kissing Thalia and reluctantly hugging Lily. Taking into account her not fully formed attitude to magic, girl did not dare to appear in a place where so many wizards were gathered.
Lily entered the train first to take the seats, but Thalia still stood at the platform, head resting on her mother's shoulder as they hugged in the farewell. Mrs. Evans' skin was smooth and silky; the smell of her sage soup, which Thalia wouldn't be able to feel for at least three months, made the girl melancholic.
"I'll miss you, Mama", she tried to ignore the moisture in the corners of her eyes.
Mrs. Evans pulled back, thinking that sending two daughters away was probably more than a mother can take. She gently brushed her palm along Thalia's wet cheek and tucked a naughty lock of loose brown hair behind her ear.
"Me too, dear" she couldn't restrain herself and leaned in for yet another embrace, the sense of longing already forming in her chest. "Study well and listen to Lily. Dad and I will write every week."
Mr. Evans handed Thalia the suitcase. She said her last goodbyes and went to the carriage.
The most responsible students had already taken their seats, but the majority still remained on the platform: older students laughed and shouted, saying goodbye to their families and greeting classmates whom they didn't see all summer. Younger kids cautiously moved towards the train, looking around with alarm and admiration.
She walked towards the conductor, the man who stood there in such a standard red uniform, as though it was a typical trip and not the magical school he was sending the children into.
Thalia peered through the windows, her eyes searching for the ginger crown of hair, as someone bumped into her. Thalia lurched and hardly held back from falling on the red tile paved path.
"Sorry," tall brunette boy said guiltily, helping Thalia restore her balance. "Didn't look where I was going,"
"That's fine, don't worry," Thalia reassured him. "Just be careful next time."
"I am Remus Lupin, by the way." he said,but before Thalia could answer,someone called him out from behind and he hurried in the voice direction.
There were either too many wizards who turned eleven this year, or something went wrong with the planning of train capacity, but cabins were loaded. Students snuggled as tightly as possible in an attempt to make more room for the unfortunate fellows who couldn't find a place elsewhere.
Thalia found Lily with Severus, the boy her sister befriended not long ago.
For Thalia's liking, he sat too close to the girl even considering the limited space.
Opposite of them were two girls, one of them - skinny girl in a strange robe made of... foils?- had a stack of suspiciously black colored candies on her lap, one of which, judging by the light grayness on her lips and unnaturally protruding cheek, she was currently eating.
The other one – the blond girl with sky-blue dazzling eyes, probably the same age as Thalia - was vigorously trying to hex her cat.
While the first one didn't even seem to notice Thalia's entrance, the later dropped her unsuccessful attempts and switched her full attention to Thalia.
"Hey there," she gritted enthusiastically. "Your owl is such a cutie!"
"Thanks," Thalia responded, levitating her baggage on the upper shelf and getting down on the bench next to Lily. "He seems to like you," she put her finger through the cage and stroke soft feathers. Owl joyously purred in reply.
"Oh, he is nice too," the girl continued. "And look at what I got – the hell of a beast which can't even sit still for a second," she knelled down to catch the pet, but the cat only hissed at her and hid in the corner of the compartment. "I am Marlene McKinnon, by the way. First-year."
"Pleasure to meet you," Thalia smiled. "My name is Thalia Evans. I am also new."
"You are sisters then?" Marlene nodded towards Lily, who she must have chattered and acquainted with before Thalia entered. Lily heard the question and finally stopped the heated discussion about potions she had with Severus.
"Yes, we are," she joined in the conversation, as Severus turned away from them mumbling 'you have to squeeze the beans, not crush it, but no, you never, never trust me' with the expression of complete betrayal written on his face.
"We are less than a year apart," Thalia added.
"Do you want to study in the same house?" Marlene went on asking. "I would looove to have a sibling in Hogwarts. We would have so much fun together. Just imagine: wandering in the nights in the corridors, exploring the hidden secrets of the castle. Isn't it wonderful? "
"It sounds like a lot of fun," Thalia replied before Lily could even stumble about the violation of the rules. That girl with her bubbly questions and confidence in the boyish kind of voice started to win over Thalia´s affection. " I would prefer to wonder the outsides of castle tough, like seeing the Giant Squid in the Great Lake, or meeting the centaurs in the forbidden forests," Thalia added dreamily, already imagining herself in the thicket among the magical creatures.
"You two realize that everything you've just mentioned is strictly prohibited?" Lily intervened. "The school has a curfew which compliance is controlled by the head of houses. You can't just wander somewhere in the middle of the night, especially in dangerous places like The Forbidden forest. Centaurs aren't exactly the friendliest creatures."
"But they are really kind," the girl next to Marlene suddenly retorted, "just misunderstood, like a lot of magical spies. They live different lives, and people tend to oppress and demolish the ones that are different from themselves," her watery eyes stopped on Lily, who seemed ready to oppose. "Did you know that centaurs predicted lots of catastrophes, tried to warn the humankind about the Great Storm of the 1703 and First World War?"
"I... didn´t know that," Lily admitted, her cheeks burned with a blush of shame.
Thalia could only listen, spellbound by that strange girl.
"I've read that centaurs are talented at Divination and Astrology, but the book never mentioned that they tried to protect people from what they foresaw," Thalia marveled.
"Books are written by people, and they can be narrowed in their believes and views. It is sad, really."
"How do you know that, if you haven't read about it, Pandora?" Marlene questioned.
"Pandora then," Thalia mentally noted that this ancient name somehow fitted her perfectly.
"They told me," Pandora said calmly, as though she just stated the most obvious thing in the world.
"And by them you meant centaurs?" Severus couldn't hold off the enmity oozing through the words.
"Of course."
"Yeh, you met centaurs and I've been raised by goblins."
"Hey, no need to be rude, Sev," Lily poked him in the side with her elbow, but he didn't seem to care.
"She is obviously lying and I honestly don't know how you can't see that," he jeered. "I met them," Severus mimicked Pandora's detached tone and grimaced.
"How can you be so hypocrite and narrow-minded? We are literally going to study magic, and yet you don't believe that it is possible to meet a centaur." Thalia crossed her hands in a defending positions.
"Anyways, don't take offense, Pandora," she turned to the girl.
The blonde shuddered slightly upon hearing her name as if she fell out of reality for a moment. Over the many years of the following friendship, Thalia would eventually stop noticing that trait of Pandora's behavior.
"What?" Pandora asked, coming back from her thoughts.
"Told you," said Severus, rolling his eyes. The implication of this gesture was clear. "She is crazy," he wanted to say.
Thalia didn't know whether Pandora really didn't care about the hurtful words, or she was just hiding it pretty well (Thalia leaned towards the first) but the girl didn't even flinch an eyebrow.
"Do you want a candy? I made it myself," she said instead, offering the group her strangely looking snack.
"I'll pass, thank you. Had a chocolate frog on my way here," Marlene refused, showing the crumpled package as a proof.
Lily too politely declined the offer. Severus didn't even answer, as though it was a lost cause, but Thalia just couldn't say no to those dreamy eyes.
"Yes, thank you," she grabbed two pieces out.
"It can't be so bad," Thalia thought, biting into it.
Boy, was she wrong!
Thalia's muffins were just an artwork with a Michelin star compared to Pandora's creation.
"It is delicious," she swallowed the gooey substance without chewing and tried her hardest not to gag that instant. She put the rest on the table, not wishing to taste it ever again.
"It's made of bicorn milk and poppy dust. Good for the memory," Pandora said happily. "About the memory, I promised to visit Xenophilius. I wonder if he brought the doxy hairs," with that she left, not even bothering to take her suitcase.
Thalia badly wished to go to the toilets and wash her mouth with the ton of soap, but right after she stood up and reached for the handle, someone opened the door from the other side and she froze face to face with the most unlikely of people.
"Thalia?"
"James?"
He stood at the entrance, taller than she remembered – no wonder, it has been almost one and a half years. She shouldn't have been surprised upon seeing him. "He is a wizard, and there is only one magical school in England. Of course, he would attend Hogwarts," Thalia realized. She was shoked that didn't pop in her head earlier.
"Hey, give some room, mate," someone put a hand on James' shoulder, forcing him to move a little, letting the other boy enter.
"Hm?" the boy who accompanied James waved toward Thalia.
Lushes curly hair, broad shoulders - he was certainly handsome, Thalia noticed- but something was lacking, he seemed too… pretentious. His grey eyes reminded her of the skies before the thunder- clear at first, only to stun people with cold pouring rain later. She felt like that boy was the same, waiting for the right moment to catch her off guard.
"What?" James shook his head with a huff, finally acknowledging his presence.
"Introduce us, you hopeless ignoramus."
"I am Thalia," Thalia proceeded James, feeling uncomfortable with his attention.
"Sirius Black at your service!" black-haired boy bowed to the ground, and then laughed, catching Thalia's confused look.
"Don't worry about him. He is a poser, can't miss a chance to show off in front of the Lady," James grinned.
"Well, that makes two of you, doesn't it, Potter?" Lily stood and stepped forward, shielding her sister.
Thalia never saw Lily starting a conversation so hostile.
Something was clearly up.
"And the heaven will collapse sooner than Evans will be nice to me."
"And here I thought we were having a great conversation, and the skies are still above us, right?" Thalia tried to broke the growing tension.
"Pardon me?"
"I am an Evans too," she smiled. "Lily's younger sister."
"Wow," Sirius was the first one to respond. "Why did you hide such a charm from us?"
Lily rolled her eyes, doomed.
"How do you know my sister?" she clearly ignored the last question.
"We met at muggle London."
Thalia was glad he skipped the circumstances of the meeting, especially the part when she destroyed the street.
"Hey," Sirius squeezed between Lily and James. Apparently, something on the table caught his attention. "Dear Merlin, I hope it's not what I think it is. Don't tell someone ate Goldstein's treats. Every first-year student knows that you can't try anything that weirdo offers," he said, sniffing the candies Thalia left there. "That shit is nasty."
"How can you have an opinion when you have never tried one? Don't just spat some cliché phrases to be noticed." Thalia said coolly, her peace-maker mood is suddenly gone. "I quite enjoyed it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to get a pumpkin pastry."
She made her way to the corridor under her sister's improving look and James' frustrated 'Wait!'.
Marlene, silently watching the scene earlier, caught up to her.
"Was it actually nice or you were just fucking with them?" Marlene lowered her voice to avoid rebuke about her language from the trolley-lady.
"If Pandora ever offers you one, don't take it, it's awful," Thalia whispered back, devouring the bottle of water she just bought to get rid of the aftertaste.
"I like you, Thalia Evans. I have a feeling we are going to get along," Marlene swung around to grin at her widely.
Thalia noded in agreement, somewhow knowing that those were not just empty words.
"It was worth making Black's jaw drop though."
"I guess."
She was not certain about that; fighting with her future schoolmates was not exactly how she pictured her first ride at Hogwarts express.
But the perky tone of her campanion defused the air around her little by little.
So, when the objects of her distress, aka Black and Potter, were nowhere to be seen, and Thalia was standing at the castle's gate, with Lily and Marlene by her side, she felt like the happiest person in the entire galaxy.
She couldn't hold an 'oh' swirling of her lips.
Hogwarts was awaiting.
Notes:
Hello beautiful people!
That is not my favorite part, I'll have to admit. That one was more of a transition chapter. There are a lot of dialogs here and I am still trying to find my stile writing them.
Still hope you'll enjoy it.
Please review and leave kudos if you do, it really means a lot to me as a writer:))