Chapter 5: Marks of a Sorceress
Severus watched his daughter, along with Potter and his fan club, walk out the front door of the Potter's house. Granger and Leila wanted to show Potter and Weasley around the town. Severus knew that Leila probably wanted to get to know the boys better, and Severus didn't like that at all. He wished his daughter would choose her friends more carefully. Not that she really had a choice, he thought bitterly.
Then again, who was he to judge? It wasn't like he had made the brightest of choices. Potter was her brother; she had a right to know him. Severus could just go on hating him; it didn't mean that he had to hate him for hanging out with Leila. He felt slightly comforted by that.
Severus couldn't believe he missed his chance to tell Potter "I told you so." In a more formal and sophisticated manner, of course, but still, he wanted to rub it in. He had been right about James all along, hadn't he? Arrogant to the last degree…but apparently Severus hadn't realized how far the last degree was.
Even though he would like to rub it in Potter's face, he couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for Potter. Merlin, no, he wasn't warming up to the boy. But Severus imagined Potter would rather fight a dragon than be stuck in the position he is now.
When Potter had first caught sight of his father….well, suffice it to say his expression was priceless. James, however, had acted in a typical fatherly way: embracing the boy and rambling on about how proud he was of him. Potter looked quite awkward and shell-shocked; he hadn't said a word until they arrived at the house.
Lily clearly didn't expect so many visitors. Severus had only barely registered this….he was focusing more on the fact that the girl he loved was living, breathing, standing right in front of him. He wanted to reach out and hug her, tell her how sorry he was, that he loved her…..
But then he saw how the Weasley boy was looking at him, and quickly regained his composure.
Potter was much more receptive to Lily. He actually smiled when she hugged her and looked like he was finally accepting the fact that his parents were alive.
But then, of course, it had all came crashing down.
Even Severus, who despised James, would never have guessed that James would dare abuse a child, and then make her take two Unbreakable Vows. Severus' hatred surged again at the damage James had done to his daughter.
He had been pleased to see that she was wearing the necklace he had given her the one time he had saw her, when she was about six months old. He had been downright euphoric, though he did not show it, when he heard her sing and play piano. She had obviously inherited Lily's musical abilities.
But what qualities of his had she inherited?
He had noticed the green, swirling lines on her arms the moment he saw her. He had not had time to dwell on it until now.
He had prayed, when he realized that Lily was carrying his daughter, that Leila would not be cursed with the same plight Meredith was. He wanted more than anything for her not to have those marks. The marks of a sorceress.
Muggles may have different ideas about sorcerers & sorceresses, Severus did not know. But in the Wizarding World, there were only sorceresses, no sorcerers - and they were very rare. They often ran in families. They were born, not trained, and were marked by swirling marks on their arms, in either green, blue, or purple.
Blue marks meant that the sorceress specialized in physical magic, an example being the way Meredith could fool around with his body. Purple marks meant that the sorceress specialized in emotional and social magic. They were often able to sense the emotions of those around them and persuade others to do what they wanted. Very charismatic, these kinds of sorceress'. Green marks meant that the sorceress specialized in mental magic, which included the "reading" of minds, obviously, and controlling them to some extent. However, sorceresses gifted with mental magic were the rarest kind of sorceress', and therefore very little was known about them.
Sorceresses were obviously very powerful, but they often died before they turned 18 because of the amount of power they end up having. It becomes too much, and eventually the organs fail because they were trying to support too much magical power.
Severus had not just given his daughter the jade necklace for sentimental value. He gave her the necklace because he knew there was a chance that Leila would be a sorceress. He had not liked to think like that, but Severus knew better than most that it was always best to be prepared. Jades could come in green, blue, or purple (Magical jades, that is.), and always helped control the excess amount of magic in a sorceress. For whenever a sorceress used her specific power, she dips into her own energy supply, and once she uses that energy, it can't be replaced. That is why so many die early on. However, jades had their own energy resources, so to speak. There is a reason why jade's are the most sacred gem in the magical world. Instead of tapping into their own resources, sorceress' could draw energy from a jade.
Dumbledore had explained all of this to him, Meredith, and his mother before Meredith came to Hogwarts. However, they did not discover jades could help control the magic until after her death.
Though Severus hoped upon hope that the jade would save Leila, he knew it wasn't a guarantee. Once her powers made themselves known, which usually happens about 6 months after the 15th birthday, she would need to be trained. Severus, Dumbledore said, would be the one who would train her. After all, who had gone further in the realm of mental magic, besides Voldemort? Severus was confident her powers would outstrip his fairly quickly, but nevertheless agreed to train her. He would also tell her he was her father at the point.
Sometimes Severus wondered if God had made his life out to be some kind of joke.
He wanted to tell Leila the truth, he really did, but how would she react? Even six months from now, she would barely know him. Though Severus was sure she'd prefer him over James (that wasn't arrogance - Severus would simply never abuse her!), there was no doubt that there would be considerable tension between them. After all, how was someone supposed to react to the news that her father was not who she thought he was? And to top it all off, there was a chance that he might have to teach Occlumency to Potter as well. As if he needed more stress in his life!
Severus sighed and put his head in his hands. Surely he deserved a break from all of this….insanity once in a while?
Apparently, God didn't think so.
August 31st.
I couldn't keep a huge grin off of my face as I packed my suitcase for Hogwarts. Mum, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I went to Diagon Alley to get our stuff a week or so ago. Despite Voldemort being back and Fudge being an idiot, this summer had shaped up to be one of the best of my life.
For the first time, I was free from my father. I didn't have to worry about him coming into my room at night and beating me. I didn't have to fear being cut several times for dropping a plate. The world looked like a much brighter place now that he was out of my life. Dumbledore said that they had modified his memory so he really thought he was Jimmy Porter, and that he was a homeless man living in London. I didn't mind, really, and understood why he couldn't be put in Azkaban. Just as long as he was far away from me.
Mum graciously had let Harry, Ron, and Hermione stay here for the remainder of the summer. The others had left the day after discovering us, and I could tell Sirius Black didn't like that they were staying here. I had no idea why, but I didn't dwell on it.
It was so amazing getting to know the guys, especially Harry. It didn't feel awkward to be around him anymore, we acted more like brother and sister now. And he looked genuinely happy.
Yeah, it had been a pretty great summer.
September 1st.
It was amazing how much could be left to do in the morning when we had spent 2 hours packing yesterday. Ron had assured me this was not unusual, and as he had 6 siblings, I had to admit it could've been worse.
Lost in the euphoria I felt about going to Hogwarts, I never really thought about how much I would miss Mum. Sirius would too, and I was sure Mum would miss us. Ah, well, it was inevitable, I supposed.
Before he had left, Professor Dumbledore had decided to save me the embarrassment of being Sorted with a bunch of little 1st years and Sort me at home. I had thought that Sorting was an automatic thing, but apparently not…
I was sitting in the middle of the living room on a stool, trying and failing not to feel awkward. Everyone was sitting around me, staring at me, all in their own ways. Ron, Hermione, and Harry's stares were encouraging and sympathetic, Mum's was excited, Sirius' was jealous, and the rest of the adults' were curious but distant, none more so than Professor Snape.
At last, Dumbledore arrived, back from Hogwarts, with the Sorting Hat. It was ragged, shabby, and patched in places. I failed to see how it could Sort anything, but Dumbledore just smiled and placed the hat upon my head. It slid down past my eyes, so thankfully I could not see anymore.
I nearly jumped out of my seat when I heard the voice coming from the Hat.
"Hmm…hmm, ah, we have another Evans, don't we? Well, you have courage that could rival your brother's…brilliant mind, extremely intelligent, I see…astonishingly clever, and loads of ambition, you'd be good as a Slytherin, very good…loyal and determined, but not much patience, I'm afraid. Where to put you, where to put you..."
The hat continued in that manner for a few more minutes that felt like hours. At last it shouted, for the whole room to hear…
"GRYFFINDOR!"
So, yeah, I was pretty happy with that because I was in the same house with Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
I glanced through the window of the Muggle taxi. We were almost at King's Cross. I looked at Mum, and could see she was beginning to tear up. Oh, God, here we go.
I'm not quite sure how we managed to get out five suitcases, two owls and a cat, and six people out of the taxi in five minutes, but somehow we accomplished it.
Totally familiar with my Muggle surroundings, I walked towards the barrier between Platforms Nine & Ten without batting an eyelash.
I looked at the many Wizarding families surrounding me with wonder. I had never seen so many wizards in one place. Families were arguing over things forgotten, having tearful goodbyes, and reminding each other to behave.
Soon, the others walked out of the barrier and came to stand next to me. Sirius was the only one who looked as awestruck as I was. I smiled at him.
"You look like a monkey who wondered into a Potions lab, you know that?"
He punched me in response. "Shut up, you looked like you had just been hit by the Bulgarian Quidditch team."
"Mmhm, because you'd really know what that looks like..."
"Be quiet, you two." Mum said, with a sad smile on her face. She looked around the platform, reminiscing. She sighed, and looked at the clock. It was ten till eleven. "Well, I guess you all better go."
"I'll miss you, Mum." I said, meaning it, as I stepped forward to hug her. I didn't really like close, affectionate gestures like hugging, but I knew my mum did.
"Oh, I'll miss you too, Leila." As she leaned in closer, she whispered in my ear. "I am so sorry about everything that happened this summer. And that this is your first time going to Hogwarts. I will always regret it."
I wish she hadn't have said that, because it made me feel uncomfortable and I couldn't really disagree with her about Hogwarts. "It'll be okay, Mum. At least I'm here now."
She smiled and pulled away. "Well, you had better get on the train now. Wouldn't it be horrible, after all you've been through, to miss the train?"
I laughed shakily. "It would be. I can come home for the holidays, right?"
"Of course you can, but goodness knows you might want to stay for the holidays." As she said this, something in her face changed. It stiffened a little. Was something going to happen during the holidays? I wanted to ask her, but knew it would get me nowhere, so I kept silent.
"Well, I'll see you, Mum." I said, as she was saying goodbye to Sirius and Harry.
"Bye, Leila." She said sadly, holding back tears. I couldn't bear to look at her any longer. Ron and Hermione had already left for the prefect's carriage, so it was just me, Harry, and Sirius there. They both looked like they were plenty ready to get on the train, but they thoughtfully decided to wait for me. I couldn't believe it. Men? Thoughtful? I shook my head, smiling.
"Come on, guys, let's go!" I said, enthusiastically.
Sirius didn't hide his excitement. "About time! It's about to leave!"
Indeed it was. Hurrying our trolleys towards the train, we all looked back at Mum and waved. She was smiling and waving back, but tears were streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. I looked away. I couldn't stand to see her tears.
As soon as we got on the train, we made our way down it, looking for empty compartments. At the sight of us, many people hurried into compartments, avoiding our eyes.
"What's all that about?" Sirius wondered.
"They're all Daily Prophet subscribers, no doubt." I said, scowling.
"Oh, so they all think Harry and Dumbledore are off their rockers, then?"
"Probably." Harry said dryly. "Don't worry about it, Sirius. I've heard worse…I'm not bothered by it."
Sirius seemed satisfied, but I could tell that Harry was bothered by it. I didn't say anything, however. Not in front of Sirius.
"Maybe you should go and find your own compartment." I told him. "You know, find some friends in your year."
Sirius smiled. "That's a good idea, actually. I'm around you enough at home!" With that, he turned around and headed the opposite direction.
I laughed. Typical Sirius. "Hey, I think I see an empty compartment." I said, pointing towards one 2 doors ahead of us. "Oh, never mind, someone's there." I continued, spotting a boy holding a rather large plant under his arm.
"That's okay, it's just Neville. He's a friend of ours." Harry assured me. He walked towards Neville and I followed, hesitant. This is the first time my story would be tested.
Neville finally spotted us. "Hey, Harry!" He said, smiling. "And….I'm sorry, I don't know who you are. Are you new?"
I smiled shyly. "Yeah, my name's Leila Evans. I've been homeschooled up until now."
"Really?" He said, raising an eyebrow. Not very many people get homeschooled. "What's it like? My Gran wanted to home school me, wasn't sure if I'd be good enough for Hogwarts…" He blushed, clearly not meaning to say all that he did. I felt a surge of pity for this boy, and decided not to acknowledge that part of his speech.
I shrugged. "Boring, really. Especially when your parents teach you everything…." I decided to change the subject, before he could ask too much about my parents. It bothered me that I had to lie to everyone. I was pretty sick of that at home; I didn't imagine it would be any better at Hogwarts. But Dumbledore thought that it would best for me to keep my "true identity" (I laughed when he referred to it like that) secret, for my protection. Whether he meant Voldemort or the Ministry, I didn't know. Probably both.
"Is that a Mimbulus Mimbletonia?" I asked, pointing to the plant underneath the boys arm. I've read about them in various potion books.
The boys face lightened up. "Yeah! You've heard of them?"
Before I could reply, Harry interrupted. He was looking around nervously. "Why don't we get into the compartment to continue this discussion? People are starting to stare."
People were indeed starting to stare. Not only at Harry, but at me as well. I suppose that Hogwarts didn't get many 15 year old new students. I hurriedly stepped into the compartment to find a girl seated there, reading an upside down magazine.
"Um…." I said, unsure of what exactly to say. I didn't know if we were disturbing her or not.
"Hello," she said airily, looking up from her magazine. She was wearing the oddest glasses I had ever seen, pink, round, and covered with swirling marks. I glanced down at my arms at that thought. "My name is Luna Lovegood."
"Hi, Luna," Harry said, a bit nervously. Apparently he found the girl as strange as I did. "Do you mind if we sit here?"
"No," She said simply.
"Oh, thanks," Neville said, sitting down.
Luna did not return to her magazine, but simply stared at us. It was so uncomfortable that none of us could find anything to say.
Finally, she broke the awkward silence. "You're Harry Potter," she said, staring at Harry.
"Well, yeah, I know that." He said, looking at his shoes. I laughed shakily.
"And you're Neville Longbottom." She said, turning her gaze to Neville.
Neville blushed and nearly dropped his plant. He didn't say anything.
Her eyes finally met mine. "And I'm afraid I don't know you."
I was already getting tired of having to say this. "I'm Leila, Leila Evans. I'm new; I've been homeschooled before now."
Luna nodded, and finally returned to her magazine.
I turned to Neville again. "Don't Mimbulus Mimbletonias produce Stinksap?" I asked him. I had no idea why he would want one for a plant.
He nodded. "Yeah, but it has loads of other properties too. It's a key ingredient in a bunch of potions, though I have no idea what ones, I'm rubbish at Potions. And I think if you keep it alive long enough, it can…"
At that moment, the door opened. Ron marched in and plopped himself on the seat beside Harry.
"You won't believe who's prefect for Slytherin!" Ron complained, at the same time grabbing a Chocolate Frog from the trolley, which had just appeared outside of the compartment.
Hermione walked in behind him, and gave me a meaningful look. "We're in for a long train ride."
The Great Hall, later that evening.
I looked around the Great Hall with wonder. It was one of the most amazing places I had ever been in. But I was distracted from that as my stomach growled. I was seriously hungry.
"When is the feast going to start?" I asked impatiently.
Hermione smiled. "After the Sorting. Aren't you excited to see what house Sirius will be in?"
I shrugged. "Not really. He'll probably be in Gryffindor, anyways."
Her face turned stern. "Not necessarily. Parvati Patil's sister is in Ravenclaw, and they're identical twins."
I shrugged. "But I know Sirius, and if he's not a Gryffindor, I'll eat my…..Well, I don't have a hat, so I'll eat those peppermint patties. They are the most revolting things I have ever seen."
Ron grinned. "Here's hoping that Sirius is a Hufflepuff."
"Oh, shut up." I said, hitting him. Not very hard, granted.
"Here they come," said Harry, and I turned to look at the first years marching in.
They looked so terrified, I wanted to laugh. Well, everyone looked terrified except my brother. He was grinning broadly, and when he caught my eye, he winked at me.
"Oh, God, what did he do now?" I said, sighing.
Harry laughed. "Probably told them they had to pull a rabbit out of the hat. Seems like something he would do."
I nodded, agreeing. Sirius took after Dad in that respect.
Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione silenced him. The Sorting was about to begin.
As it began to sing its song, I found myself daydreaming. As the hat rambled on about the four houses and how important it was to stay united during these troubled times, I thought about how lucky I was to be here and how much different my life would be. Though I would never admit it out loud, one of my greatest wishes has always been to be normal. Someone who didn't have an abusive father, someone who didn't have green spiraling marks on their arms, someone who wasn't hiding from the Wizarding World. Now that I had finally gotten my chance at a normal life, I wasn't going to waste it. I had met some of my fellow housemates on the train, so there were no more irritating and uncomfortable questions about who I was. Easing into this new life here at Hogwarts already felt right, despite me being here for less than an hour.
At last, the Sorting had begun. I watched as the first years turned from terrified to suspicious, finally glaring at Sirius. He simply smirked knowingly. I shook my head, grinning.
Sirius was the only one who walked up to the stool with even a shade of confidence. He actually winked at the crowd, to tremendous applause, before disappearing under the tall black hat.
After what seemed like a minute, the hat finally called out…
"SLYTHERIN!"
Ron looked at me, caught somewhere between a grin and a grimace. "Are you going to eat those peppermint patties now?"
Authors Note: I apologize for the long wait, guys. I've been in Washington, DC, the last 5 days and haven't really gotten around to finishing this chapter off. If you ever go there, make it a point to visit the Library of Congress. So beautiful…
Anyways, I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter and that it made sense. Make sure you tell me what you think about the sorceress thing!
NicoleOrban – That's really weird that you said Leila's middle name should be Alice, because that's what it's always been in my mind. Sirius' middle name is Frank. Just a random bit of information there.