Secret Sister
Chapter 1
The Hat Has Feelings Too
"Ah, I may seem a tatty hat,
After all these years I may be fat,
But none can see into your mind,
And look so carefully top try and find,
The honest you, and show,
That you too can belong in these halls, Just know,
Gryffindor is not for the faint hearted,
Slytherin, this war they started,
Hufflepuff will forever be loyal and true,
Ravenclaws always think,
Remember these are small differences, child,
This war we are in is not mild,
So quest on and discover yourself,
For regrets are for the frail and old,
Don't make this school grow cold.
I have asked,
You have been warned,
Head my message and do what is right,
This night is our night!"
We clapped and I wondered if the hat sang the same song or a different one each time. Either way, the hat was a good singer. Urged on by Professor McGonagall, we formed a more orderly line and waited as she called out the names.
Some took an awfully long time. For example, "Ali, Bilal," was on the hat for at least 5 minutes before the hat announced he was a Hufflepuff. A few were decided almost immediately. "Black, Sirius," didn't have to sit for very long at all. Odd, I thought, the Blacks are one of the most evil pure blood families. Maybe I'm not the only one rebelling against the system. I smiled at Sirius (without even talking to him I felt some part of me knew him well) and he winked back at me. Sirius wasn't even a teen but he had the airs and graces of a soon to be handsome man. Or maybe I was just imagining things and getting lost in his gorgeous eyes.
Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) a band of Slytherin boys were happy to help me get out of my random day dream by wolf whistling at me. I didn't stop to think (I was supposed to be a slut) and blew them a kiss. A few waved suggestively.
"Evans, Lily," my attention was snapped back to the hat and I watched as she was soon put into Gryffindor. A boy further down the line groaned as if he was disappointed by the hats choice where as Sirius thumbed up to a boy with brown messy hair and wonky glasses.
"Hope, Flora," and I tried not to jump at my name. I flicked my hair back and traveled towards the hat, trying to look uninterested by the whole thing.
"Let's see…What an odd person you are…You have cunning, oh yes and the intelligence… But, well, attempting something like this… Something so stupid and yet so brave… Best be GRYFFINDOR!"
A tad light headed, I sat down next to Rose as "Lupin, Remus," stepped up. He looked nervous but determined and there was a little pause before hat screamed Gryffindor. Sirius Black looked delighted and clapped loudly, giving a standing ovation and asking for an encore. Remus rolled his eyes and Sirius cried loudly, claiming to be 'oh so proud of his little boy'.
Loud was a very good word for Sirius Black.
"Pettigrew, Peter," was called up and I instantly felt sorry for him. He was short but not in an adorable way. He had a bit of meat on him and looked quite… Rat like? But he too went into Gryffindor (Sirius was held down by many students to stop him giving another standing ovation).
"Potter, James," Lily looked irritated and crossed her fingers, almost praying for him to go away but he was welcomed into Gryffindor and the 4 boys sat like a miniature family, comfortably huddled together.
Rose led me to the common room (a very cozy place for lazy Gryffindors like me could rest up and do their homework at the very last minute, basically). I expected Rose to lead me to my new room, full of girls my own age. But oh no, Rose didn't like that idea. She interrogated me outside her room.
"How many boyfriends?"
"Five," I said, wondering how pathetic little 'relationships' counted.
"I had seven," She said and I understood, it was a chance for her to show her superiority, "Still, it's a decent start. Anyway, you'll be sleeping here. I got an extra bed moved in. You'll be fine. There's me, Diana Parkinson, April and Abigail Smitherton and Maria Witt. Your things are already there, don't worry, I took care of everything."
I struggled to comprehend Roses ability to control everything and everyone around her. It was unnerving, to say the least.
She took my weird look as a concerned face, "Oh, I told you, didn't I? You'll be fine. Now, rules. Very important. We all wake up at 5am on weekdays, except in the holidays and 7am on Saturdays. On Sunday we set the alarm for 6am. You can have any boy in Hogwarts, as long as you tell me first because some boys just aren't appropriate for our image. That skirt is fine for now but it'll have to be shorter in the summer. Tights, yes but only in winter. Oh, be back (on weekdays) around 8pm and anything you have to do can last 2 hours. Be careful not to get caught, okay? But it doesn't really matter if you do. We turn lights off at 12am so only 5 hours sleep. I have some potions for little sleep relief so it'll be fine, you soon get used to it, trust me. Don't forget, you're a slut now. That means constant flirting. Got all that?"
What did I say about freedom? Fuck it. Even being a slag has rules, apparently.
The alarm clock woke up well. It turns out the other girls were very pretty. Maria was half Italian and had so many curves I wondered if she was healthy. She was in third year. Diana was in fourth year with Rose and was an elegant girl, with long legs and a bit of skin on her. She had caramel like hair. Abigail and April were identical in every way possible, they were short but stuck up like twin Barbie dolls with Barbie blond hair and stick figures. I didn't know where I fitted in but Maria seemed nice enough. She was quiet, so quiet I almost forgot she was right next to me, applying layers and layers and layers and layers and layers and layers and layers of slap.
I didn't expect a snogging session on my first day and I wanted a bit more sleep than 5 hours! Ridiculus! But, of course, Rose and the others were so damn pretty and I felt unworthy walking by them on the way to breakfast.
I had potions first and I ran to the dungeons following other first years I recognized. Sirius Black winked at me again and in typical whore manner, I flung my arms round him.
"Good day, fair maiden," Sirius joked, kissing my hand. James and Peter laughed but Remus sighed like he'd heard enough of lame Sirius pick up lines to cope for the rest of his life which, by the look of him wouldn't be long. He was so pale and skinny…
Following his lead, I curtsied, "How pleasant to see you this fine morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Indeed. I had a wonderful dream about a girl called Flora Hope and how she hopelessly fell at my feet, completely head over heels in love with me."
"Well," I began, raising an eyebrow, "How could she not? You are so handsome; I can't bear to look at you!"
"Don't worry, I have that effect on the female population. Perfectly normal reaction."
I burst out laughing, "You should be an actor! You're so funny."
"I was being serious."
"No," I said, "You are Sirius, stupid!"
He grinned as the class settled, me dismissing the tiny incling Sirius was thinking (the shock!). Remus sat at the back of the classroom next to Peter and James by Sirius. Deciding a whore would sit next to a goodlooking boy I took my place by Amos Diggory, a tall but reasonably cute boy sitting in the middle of the class. I smiled t him as the Professor began speaking.
"I'm Proffesor Slughorn. Hopefully you'll know a bit about Potions already but please don't panic if you don't. For today, I want to see you abilties in this subject. We'll be brewing a simple potion for pain relief. Turn to page 11. Everyting you need is on your desk and the cauldrons are ready to go. Juts follow the instructions, I will help as much as I can."
I began chopping some ingredients and silently thanked Rose letting me have my hair in a messy bun. I have to admit, she was good at things like that, hair and make up. Plus I had a feeling the potion fumes would cause grease. Speaking of grease, a black haired greasy boy sat nest to Lily, both looking at ease with the task of brewing a potion on the first day. I suppose he was a bit odd looking with his greasy hair but he wasn't ugly. His crooked nose did give him character and he stirred the potion with such concentration… However, something was off. I shook off that feeling, I was just nrevous. I wasn't brilliant at potions but my mother often made me brew cleaning potions and the like. A pain relief potion and one so simple, would be okay. I was 99% certain I wouldn't make a fool of myself. The same could not be said for Peter Pettigrew. I was unsure about his talents in any subject and he lacked any knowledge on potions. Remus and the others were occupied whereas I was almost done, how could I ignore poor Peter? I finished quickly, knowing it was a tiny bit lighter than it should be but it would do. At least my cauldron wasn't bubbling like Peters.
Professor Slughorn flashed me a small smile but I didn't bother to chat, I walked over to Peter and cut up the few ingredients left, reading out the instructions slowly and in small lines bit by bit so he wasn't overwhelmed by information. The potion wasn't perfect but we had escaped disaster and Peter seemed pleased.
He said, "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't helped me. Thanks."
"It's fine Peter. It's only the first day, after all, we all need a bit of help."
I left the classroom feeling peaceful. I liked this, helping people. It was a nice feeling and seeing Peter feel good about himself made me happy. I liked helping people.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, "That was nice of you, helping him like that."
It was Amos Diggory. I replied, "He just needed a had, you know?"
We walked through the corridors and I noticed he was in Hufflepuff from his robes. He noticed my confused look, "They got my timetable wrong, was just following it 'til someone fixed it," Amos glanced at it and saw he had Care of Magical Creatures, whereas I had History of Magic. We waved goodbye and seperated. I wondered if I could go out with Amos, he was in Hufflepuff and that would piss off my father.
For the first time, I had a twinge of doubt. What was I doing? I was in my first year and acting like a 'slut'. That was just bonkers. And I was actually enjoying myself…
History of Magic gave me all the time in the world to think as it was terribly boring. The nerds like Lily and Remus tried to pay attention and make notes but everyone else either fought to stay awake for fear of missing the next class (Defense Against the Dark Arts which was supposed to be great and no one wanted to miss the first class) or like me, they started day dreaming. I felt that no one was thinking quite as deeply as me.
Really, I wasn't even a teen but I was acting so much older and I didn't even have a proper body yet! This was wrong, wrong, wrong… But if I didn't I would be sold off to a rich man that didn't love me and live with children who would be raised like brats… Told they are better than everyone else… I couldn't do that, could I?
Deciding Goblin Rebellions were interesting but dull when described by Professor Binns, we finally after a whole hour of utter torture (I mean, really, the Ministry's idea of torture was oddly warped) and wandered off to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Leaving Lily with the greasy haired boy (he was in Slytherin but I couldn't remember his name). I caught up with Peter, ready to calm his nerves.
"Hello, Peter" I said and he smiled up at me.
"Flirting with Diggory?" James accused.
I'm not shameful, "Yes, he's great eye candy. Yummy."
Sirius rolled his eyes, "I'm better."
"You use more hair products than Rose, but you are easy on the eyes, I'll give you that, sweetie."
Peter engrossed himself in 'Defense Against the Dark Arts – For Beginners,' determined to be independent this time.
Remus sighed, "Honestly, flirting on the first day."
I asked innocently, "Oh, who?"
They looked at me like I was mad, "You with candy Diggory."
"You call that flirting?" I said, sitting next to Remus, "I can show you flirting, Remus."
I stoked his chin with my finger (thinking what an awful thing I was doing and in bloody public as well), gently caressing his skin (how did I know how to do this?) I stared into his eyes, now sitting on his lap (actually quite comfy), watching him grow redder (front row seat!).
I leaned in his ear, "Do you need more demonstration or are you satisfied?"
Remus gulped and looked extremely grateful when Sirius pulled me away (I was in a way as well).
"Don't kill his innocence just yet, Flo," Sirius muttered and plunked me down on the seat next to him so I couldn't do anything.
I pouted, "I was just enjoying myself."
Sirius turned away, arms crossed and I couldn't understand why he was angry. Still, Lilys break down on the other side of the room made for it. I was tempted to grin at her and the greasy haired boy (I really had to find out his name, calling him greasy haired, even in my head, wasn't very polite) but I winked at the boy on her other side (Alexander Wood) and Sirius continued to frown and was very happy when the lesson began.
A strict looking man, obviously the Professor, glided in, his long black robe hiding his feet. He was ageless, empty of emotions; there was no light in his eyes and no sparkle in his voice. He was so sad; it made me sad as well. The Professors face was grim and his voice was monotone, "Professor Darkhorn. I will be teaching you for this year. Today, we shall be using a simple disarming spell, Expelliarmus. You should be able to manage it with practice."
He went on to explain the history and theory of the spell (as if the history would help...). Darkhorn then put us into pairs and ordered us to disarm only. Considering this was a Gryffindor v Slytherin class, I felt Darkhorn was very ignorant indeed on the way Hogwarts worked and its students. Oh well, he was only going to be here for a year. But I had a feeling the class was going to go horribly wrong quickly. James went with Lily (James looked like Christmas had come early and Lily looked like it had been canceled). Sirius was paired with Lucius Malfoy (Darkhorn was asking for trouble, wasn't he?). Peter went with Remus and I was left with Avery. I smiled at the reasonably ugly boy but who was I kidding, I was just like him. I don't blame him for not smiling back. I felt something in my pocket but didn't look; Avery would blast me to pieces.
The tables and chairs were moved to the side (How? Magic, Dumbo) Avery shot Expelliarmus at me but I moved out of the way, I saw it coming, which made him scowl. He gave up with the whole disarming thing and threw loads of spells in my direction (plenty of them were dark but may were from other pairs. We had to be at the back of the classroom and in everyone's way. One, I didn't know who's it was, hit my shoulder like a bullet but left no mark as I felt dizzy. Whilst I was distracted, Avery cast Expelliarmus again and my trusty wand went to the floor on the other side of the room.
An evil looking dark purple spell came spiraling my way in slow motion. Sirius looked on in horror, the spell was cast by Malfoy but he had moved out of the way but I was in its way and had nowhere to go, as I was in the door way now and it was locked. Weak, I remembered that spell Eli had taught me all those years ago.
"Portago!" I screamed and even without a wand, a strong shield protected me. The purple spell was absorbed but I wasn't done (I felt quite giddy) "Accio!" and my wand obediently came back to me. I cast Expelliarmus on Aver, then on Malfoy and was proud of myself, 'til I fainted.
How very embarrassing.