Chapter 1
Two weeks later
Aubrianna sat wearily in her compartment on the Hogwart's express. It had been non-stop studying since the Quidditch world cup. "You have to compensate for your shortcomings!" her mother had chastised. She grumbled, her family acted like it was her fault she didn't have any magic. She heard a tap on the door of the compartment and glanced up. It was that sixth year huffle-puff, Cedric Diggory. "Hey, can my friends and I join you? Everywhere else is full."
"Of course, as long as you leave one space, I am waiting for someone." Three boys filed in, dumping luggage everywhere. Cedric slipped into the seat next to her. She sighed deeply and flipped open her copy of 'A Monstrous Guide to Monsters and other Magical Creatures'. The boys started chattering and she zoned out. It was raining and she found herself staring out into the gloomy distance. This would be her last year at Hogwarts. She frowned. She was really going to miss this school.
"Aubrianna, hello? You there?" "Ah, sorry, yes? You were saying?" "I heard from my dad that the Triwizard tournament is going to be held at Hogwarts this year!" She blinked. "Makes sense, I suppose. I imagine that will be quite exciting." He looked pleased to have caught her interest. "Won't it? I'm thinking of volunteering to be Hogwart's champion." She smiled at him. "I am sure you do great. I'll be rooting for you." He blushed a bit. All of a sudden the door flew open.
"I found you Aubrianna! I swear I almost missed the train!" "Hello Izzy." She seemed to register the others in the compartment. "Aubrianna, you player! You're keeping all these fit boys to yourself! And here I thought you were the innocent type!" "Yes, it was all a front. Secretly I run my own harem." Aubrianna replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She chuckled and sat down across from her. Aubrianna shifted slightly. "This is Isadora Kash. Izzy, this is Cedric Diggory, Mark Newsome, and Chad Davis, underclassmen and Huffle-puffs all."
She let Izzy go about being her usual social self while she read her book. At some point she must have dozed off because the next thing she knew they were there. Aubrianna frowned. In the brief time she had been out Izzy had become awful comfortable with that Chad fellow and they were snogging noisily in the corner. Both of the other boys seemed quite uncomfortable about the situation but seemed unsure of how to deal with it. Aubrianna sighed and stood.
Lifting her leg she delivered a swift kick to Izzy's rump. "Move, your fat butt is blocking the way." Isadora turned around, insulted. "My butt is just the right size thank you very much." "Yes, but it looks bigger when you're waving it in peoples' faces." Aubrianna said, gesturing to Cedric and Mark. Izzy finally seemed to realize the awkward atmosphere she had caused. "Ah… I see your point. Sorry all!" she bubbled happily.
Aubrianna rolled her eyes and reached up to get her bag. "Aw, fiddle-sticks!" she exclaimed. She was too short to reach her luggage without standing on the seat, which was now occupied by Cedric Diggory. He stood and grabbed her trunk, handing it to her. "Thanks, I suppose." She said as he set her things on the floor. "No-", he blew a strand of hair from his face, "problem. I guess we'll see each other at school then?" "Yeah, I suppose we will. Bye Cedric, boys." Izzy stood, and after kissing Chad once more followed her out of the compartment and off of the train.
"You work fast." commented Aubrianna as they joined the mass of students exiting the locomotive. "Yeah, but there's something special about him! I can feel it! And what about you, Miss high and moral? That Cedric fellow was practically drooling over you, completely infatuated! Anyway, I know it will work with Chad. It's destiny! " "That's what you said about Nate, and Stephan, and the others before them. What makes this fellow so different?" "My, my! I do declare! Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice Miss Canning?" "No, it's just that every time you get your heart broken I'm the one who has to pick up the pieces." Izzy fondly ruffled Aubrianna's straight, brown hair.
"Izzy! You know I hate it when you do that!" grumbled Aubrianna. "I don't see why. It only hangs like a sheet on the sides of your face anyway. It needs the occasional fluff." taunted Izzy playfully. "What about you? You're head looks like a cockatrice's nest!" "It has volume!" "It looks like a tornado ran over it." She replied flatly. "Why you-!" Aubrianna giggled and dashed off the train and towards the coaches, Isadora on her heels.
In their haste to get on the carriage, they did not check who the other passengers were. Aubrianna sat down and found herself face to face with one of her least favorite people. "Ah, if it isn't the squib girl." sneered Rubella Crabb. Aubrianna frowned dourly. "Nice to see you too, frog's spawn." "What's this, the magic challenged midget talks! Incredible!" Aubrianna hissed. So what if she was short? So what if she couldn't do magic? She could still pound this girl into the dust any day! "Ignore her, Brie." said Isadora placing a hand on her shoulder. "She's only trying to bait you."
"Ah, if it isn't the school slut. I heard Chad got into your pants on the ride over. I would be surprised but hey, we all know that you're just that easy, aren't you? Tramp." It was Aubrianna's turn to hold Isadora back. "Hey, Bucket-head, did you know that if you mix frost dragon scales and unicorn spittle it will create a universal pain killer?" Rubella blinked and laughed. "No, and frankly the school year hasn't started yet so if you could just cut the lesson short-" Aubrianna continued on as if she hadn't spoken. "Add to much scale, though, and you have the most deadly poison known to wizard kind. The best part is that it is tasteless and odorless and has the appearance of water. Lucky me I happen to have both of those in stock." Aubrianna smiled threateningly at Rubella. A flash of fear passed across the girl's face, as well as those of her three companions.
It was just then that the carriage came to a stop in front of the castle. "C-come on girls." said Rubella hastily. "I can't stand to breathe this foul air any longer." The quickly scampered out of the carriage and into the safety of the school. "That was rather dark." commented Izzy. "They deserved it! Did you see the looks on their faces?" "That's because they think that you'd actually do it." "I really might if they annoy me enough. Come on, let's go." Their bags had already been whisked off to the Ravenclaw dormitory so they made excellent time coming to the great hall.
The hall was packed with second years and up. Tonight was the sorting ceremony and the first years had come by boat. They took a seat at the Ravenclaw table. "Hello Isadora, Aubrianna." said Clover Peters, a girl in their year. "Hello Clover." They replied. Almost instantly Isadora launched into a full out conversation with the girl, accidentally ostracizing her hapless companion. Aubrianna sighed, it seemed Isadora was everyone's friend, but no one really wanted to talk to squib girl. She resorted to tracing runes in the table-top with her finger. There was a clatter at entry way and she glanced up.
Nick had entered in his showy emerald slytherin robes (He had bribed them second year to let him wear anything he wanted). She watched with pure loathing as he strode down the aisles towards the Slytherin table, a girl on each arm. She grumbled and returned to the table top. She felt something connect with the back of her head. "Oh, so sorry, I didn't see you there. You're quite below my eyelevel you know." came his slippery voice. She turned around and glared at him. He chuckled and leaned in, his fingers sliding lightly over her neck. "Remember what happens when you disobey me." He hissed, tightening his grasp a moment before walking away.
Aubrianna was rooted to her bench in fear and rage. She shuddered. One more year of relative comfort before a lifetime with that! She had the strong premonition that either he would kill her or vice versa. She laid her head heavily on the table. It seemed all roads led to her mistreatment. She couldn't let that continue to happen.
There was movement at the teacher's table and she watched as Professor Dumbledore rose from his chair to speak. His silver robes made a soft rustling sound that was easily audible over the hush of the room. His eyes twinkled and he spoke. "May the sorting ceremony begin!"
The first years began to file into the great hall. All of their faces were alight with excitement and curiosity. "Hey, isn't your sister being sorted?" asked Izzy leaning over "Yes, Violet will be a first year this year." She replied. She scoured the crowd for any sign of her little sister. She spotted her sister's honey blonde head. "There she is."
About half the students had been sorted when Professor McGonagall finally called her sister. "Violet Canning." The girl walked heavily up to the platform and sat down on the stool. She was not a very delicate being. The professor placed the tattered black hat on Violet's head and Aubrianna held her breath, waiting.
"Ah, another Canning, how quaint." hissed the sorting hat. "Hmm… let's see… decent magical talent. But dense, very slow, lazy, and your mind is easily swayed. It'll have to be… Hufflepuff!" Aubrianna let out a sharp hiss between her teeth. Violet looked like she was about to cry. Desperately Aubrianna scanned the Hufflepuff table. She caught Cedric's eye.
He guessed what she wanted and stood up, leading her to the table. He was friendly and sat her amongst his group of friends, all who seemed to act quite nicely to the younger girl. Aubrianna breathed a sigh of relief, Violet threw the worst tantrums. That would have surely caused a commotion. Cedric glanced her way again and she flashed him a grateful smile. It was good that she new at least one person who could watch over her sister.
Once the sorting was done Dumbledore once again stood. "Students, I have a very important announcement. I regret to inform you that Quidditch will be suspended this year." Cries of outrage sounded throughout the great hall. Aubrianna simply stared at him in puzzlement. "Instead, Hogwarts will this year be host to the Triwizard tournament!" There was a moment of silence and then the room burst into excited chattering. Aubrianna nodded to herself, she remembered Cedric mentioning something about it on the train. Still she didn't understand why they were so worked up about it; apparently they didn't realize how high the death toll was for the competition. With that Dumbledore clapped his hands, "Let the feast begin!"
The rest of the night passed without event. Aubrianna talked very little, she was going over arguments in her head. She knew that she would have to confront her mother that night. Agnes Canning was the very essence of perfection. She was tall, beautiful, strong, sophisticated and she expected her daughters to be the exact same way.
That night Aubrianna sat in the Ravenclaw common room. Nearly everyone had already gone to sleep and she sat in a high-backed chair in the far corner of the room. Sighing she reached into her pocket and pulled out a palm-sized ornately gilded mirror. With her right pointer finger she traced the thirteen pointed star carved lightly into its surface and breathed on the glass.
The mirror began to shimmer and then her mother's face appeared. "Took you long enough. I was beginning to wonder if you were considering ignoring me." she snapped. "Of course not mother." replied Aubrianna politely, her face an emotionless mask. "So, tell me. What house did Violet get sorted into?" Aubrianna braced herself. "Hufflepuff."
"What?" screeched Agnes. "The heir to my family got sorted into the weakest house? This is an outrage! A scandal!" Aubrianna let her mother rant. Violet was the golden child, the child with 'ability and potential'. All Aubrianna was good for was being married off to another wealthy wizard family, no matter how hard she tried she could never be recognized by her parents. Aubrianna sighed. "It is no weaker a house than any other, mother. And your house does not determine your success. Many Slytherins and Gryffindors go on to lead mediocre lives."
"Yes," mused her mother, slightly consoled. "I suppose that is true… I guess she'll prove herself in the years to come. Yes, she will. Oh, and we moved up the date for your marriage to Nicholas. We will have it three weeks after school ends." "So soon…" Aubrianna whispered. "Is there a problem?" "No, mother, It's just that I had hoped-" "Enough! You will marry that boy and support the family in the only way you can. Honestly, such a worthless child as yourself, actually considering disobeying me! What is the world coming to? Well, soon I'll be through with you. Enjoy your last year while you still can." With that the glass went blank.