The Hogwarts Express, or

The Holly Is Dark When the Rose-Briar Blooms

Chapter 7

Lucia sat in a compartment by herself on the Hogwarts Express, hardly believing she really was there. In the last four years, she had almost thought of the whole wizarding world as something fictional, out of a book, as indeed her main exposure to it had been through the many books Miss Precipa got for her. Even in the last month, since the owl came from Professor McGonagall, it had all been a bit like a dream. There was her mother, sometimes rushing about to get ready for a chase across Europe after the rather nasty character who was Lucia's half-brother and sometimes hunched up over a coded journal that was like something out of her own history, unexpectedly spouting translations at Lucia or getting her to take a stab at a tricky passage. There was Miss Precipa rushing about getting her all kinds of assorted and peculiar things she ought to have at school. There was Lucia herself rushing about visiting all her school friends to tell them a long-lost relative had decided to send her to a rather eccentric sixth-form college in the wilds of Yorkshire and she expected it to be wildly fun, as well as trying to memorize all her textbooks and get her wand to work properly for her. From the class list she had been sent, it seemed she was to be with all the First Years in such classes as Transfigurations, Charms, and Potions and with Fifth and Sixth Years in classes like History of Magic and Astronomy. Miss Precipa had told her to expect to be ahead of most students in general knowledge and behind them in practical application.

Dita had left for the Continent two weeks ago. That was not unusual. She had tracked people all over the world, doing exactly what she was doing now: studying them and their personal circumstances and, somehow, managing to get inside their heads so well that she knew where they were likely to show up. Lucia had stayed at home those two weeks, with Miss Precipa, who lived less than a mile away, as a frequent visitor, almost more frantic than Lucia herself about cramming all kinds of useful information into her pupil's head. Lucia's mother had contacted her several times to tell her new things she had discovered about Draco from new parts of his journal, so now her head was a whirl of academic facts, excitement for school, and concern for the brother she had never met. She had known about him for four years, and in that time she had often been curious about him, repulsed by him, and sorry for him in an odd sort of way, as well as deeply worried over the last couple of years while his world was going through seismic fluctuations with him nearly at the very centre, but she had never known him, what he was really like outside of the tales of his family's greatness and perfidy. She supposed no one did. On the outside he carried himself with confidence and arrogance, while inside he was just as much a maze of contradictions and fears as any other teenager. They were probably going to hate her at Hogwarts. She had him to thank for that. But she put her chin up stubbornly. It wasn't going to scare her away. It only made her more determined to prove who she really was. She had enough strong, obstinate Malfoy in her for that. Or maybe it came from her mother's great-grandfather, who certainly bore slight resemblance to the Malfoys in some ways. She almost giggled at that, and the kitten in her lap stirred and nipped at her finger with her sharp little teeth.

"Victoria! Don't do that."

"Would you like a treat, dear?"

Lucia jumped a little, not having noticed the large food trolley outside her compartment door, and the cat nipped at her again. "Well, I almost did name you Tantomile, didn't I, Victoria, though you're not a twin?"

"Excuse me, dear?" the elderly lady at the trolley asked, confused.

"Sorry. I was talking to my cat. She told me you were here, but I wasn't paying attention."

"I haven't seen you on this train before," she said uncertainly, taking in Lucia's sharp, pale face and her soft, pale clothes, as well as the silver-grey and white kitten in her hands.

"For good reason. I haven't been on this train before."

"Oh. Would you like a pumpkin pasty or a Cauldron Cake?"

Pumpkin pasties sounded nasty to Lucia, but she politely did not say so. She got up and looked over the piles of sweets and other things to eat. "I'd like to try a Chocolate Frog, I think. And what's this?" She picked up a bottle of clear liquid with a picture of a floppy, pointed hat tipping up a similar bottle into its mouth (how could a hat have a mouth?), with the same picture on that bottle and so on ad nauseum, and words that said "Weasleys' Sorting Bottle. Predict your future!"

"Oh, that's a great favorite, but I shouldn't drink it just now, dear. If you try it after the Sorting Ceremony, it will turn your hair your House colours, but if you try it before the Ceremony, it's likely to turn your hair the colour of the House you most don't want to get into. Older brothers tend to give it to their First Year siblings and tell them it will help them know ahead of time what House they will get into. Of course chaos ensues." She shook her head with a fond smile. "Those Weasley twins. The trouble they caused me!" She shook it again, the smile fading. "Dear, dear."

"I'll take two bottles," Lucia said firmly. "But I'll save it until later. Thank you."

When the trolley lady had gone, she put the bottles next to her on the seat and applied herself to the chocolate frogs. The first one startled her by leaping out of its packaging. It would have been lost, but Victoria leapt after it and, after a brief wrestle, subdued it. Lucia laughed at the tiny grey and white cat pouncing on the chocolate, but she took the frog away from her.

"Sorry, dear. Chocolate isn't good for cats."

Victoria gave her a look from pale blue eyes that said she hadn't wanted to eat it anyway. Lucia turned her attention to the five-sided card inside the package. Professor Dumbledore was smiling at her from it.

"Hello, Professor," she whispered, a little sadly. "I wish you hadn't died before I could ever meet you. You were so kind to me."

He gave her a gentle smile, his blue eyes twinkling, and turned and walked away with a little wave. Victoria leapt at her and nipped her ankle.

"We're really going to have to work out a different arrangement, Victoria," Lucia said, bending and picking her up. "Hello."

The girl in the doorway hadn't even been aware she'd been noticed. She was a tall girl, a year or two older than Lucia, and she had a strong, character-filled beauty, a face with decisive bones, swift dark green eyes, straight dark brown hair reaching her shoulders and swept back from her face. She wore black robes like the ones Miss Precipa had had Lucia buy, but hers had a silver and green badge on the left breast, a silver P against a green background, surmounted by silver and green heraldry-like designs—Lucia's sharp eyes made out a snake amongst them. The girl stood looking at her.

"They told me a Malfoy had come aboard the train, but I didn't believe them. I didn't think they would allow Malfoys back at Hogwarts, or that they would come if they did."

"I don't know if they would or not. My name is Lucia Bonnefoy."

"Lucia Bonnefoy? You can't tell me you're not a Malfoy. Great Salazar, you look just like Draco! Cousin?"

"Brother."

"Nonsense. Draco never had a sister."

"He had, but he never knew it. I'm his half-sister. Lucius Malfoy is my father."

The girl crossed her arms and leaned against the door post. "Then you are a Malfoy."

"I prefer to think of myself as a Bonnefoy."

"Bonnefoy? What kind of a name is that?"

"It's a combination of Malfoy and my mother's name, Bonhomme. The best parts of both. Who are you?"

The girl came and sat down opposite her. "Astoria Greengrass. I'm a Slytherin Prefect. Sixth year." She cast Lucia a narrow look. "You should know I fought against You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters at the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Did you? That's good to know. I would have too, if I'd been there. As it is, I had nothing to do with the whole thing. My mother is a Muggle."

Astoria's red lips opened. "I don't believe you. Lucius Malfoy and a Muggle?"

"Difficult to believe, isn't it, given how bigoted Lucius is? But even he was young and reckless once."

Astoria blinked once or twice. "You really aren't a Malfoy, are you?"

"Not really."

"I don't suppose you'll be in Slytherin, then."

Lucia wasn't sure whether Astoria was glad or disappointed. "I don't know."

"If you're actually against your relatives, you'll probably be in Gryffindor." She sounded disgusted.

"I hope not."

Astoria's eyebrows went up. "Really? Everyone wants to be in Gryffindor, since the great Harry Potter was there, even little First Years who clearly belong in Slytherin. Seems Slytherin is no longer the path to greatness; Gryffindor is."

"A logical development, since so many heroes of the Wars were from Gryffindor and so many Death Eaters were from Slytherin. But I'm not Gryffindor material. I'm not brave and action-oriented and hearty."

Suddenly Astoria laughed. "You talk like a Ravenclaw! So intelligent about everything. Not like Gryffindors, who let their emotions run away with them."

"So do Slytherins, if Draco is any indication."

Astoria shrugged. "He always was rather emotional, wasn't he?" Suddenly she leaned forward and lowered her voice. "How is Draco doing?"

Images of Dancing Men flashed through Lucia's mind, and images of burnt photographs and a book with a sword driven through it. "You probably know better than I do. I've never met him."

Her interrogator slowly leaned back. "Never met your own brother?"

"My mother—my Muggle mother—thought it best to keep me away from Lucius. That's why I'm fifteen and have never been to Hogwarts. But you were friends with Draco, weren't you?"

To her surprise, Astoria flushed a little. "He never knew I existed, really. He was friends with my older sister Daphne, but I was two years younger and too stubborn to be 'useful,' hence invisible."

"Oh. I see."

Astoria flushed again. "Don't make something out of it. I would have fought him in the Battle, if I'd had to."

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." And to prove it, she changed the subject. "It must have been awful, being in the Battle of Hogwarts."

"It was horrible—and rather glorious." She flushed yet again and got up quickly. "I need to go to the Prefects' coach. You'd better change. We're almost there."

Author's note: Victoria and Tantomile are two cats from the Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical "Cats." Victoria is a graceful, elegant white and grey kitten, and Tantomile, a twin to Coricopat, always knows when someone is near.