Chapter three…
In which there are trains, boats, storms, and singing hats…
Lucy stared out the window of the Hogwarts Express as Percy stood motionless on the platform outside, returning her gaze. He was smiling a little bit, for her sake she was sure. The imprint of his thin, awkward arms were still visible in the excess fabric of her jacket, a ghost of his affection. A small parcel sat on her lap, a parting gift from Percy, wrapped precisely in the pale blue paper that was used for every birthday and Christmas gift, tied with a small white ribbon. Across from her, Molly sat with an identical package, her eyes pointedly turned away from their father's quickly shrinking pinprick of Weasley hair as the train sped out of the station. She was fiddling with the a sealed envelope Percy had handed her before they stepped on the train, marked with both of their names.
Molly flicked her eyes up to Lucy, then back to the envelope.
"Want to open it?" She asked, cautiously holding the envelope out to her. Lucy took it slowly.
"What do you think it says?" She muttered, ripping it open unceremoniously. Molly shrugged.
"I don't know. Read it." She commanded softly. Lucy nodded and removed the piece of parchment inside, unfolding it carefully, "Read it out loud." Molly quickly added. She looked down at Percy's neat writing.
"'Dear Goose and Duck,'" Both girls winced at the childhood nicknames. Percy hadn't called Lucy "Goose" or Molly "Duck" in months.
"Keep going." Molly urged.
"Alright. 'I remember when I brought you two to see Victoire off for her fifth year. You both were so excited that you would be able to go to Hogwarts too someday. I suppose things have changed a lot since that, and you've both changed with them. I want you to know how proud I am of you both. You have grown into strong, intelligent, and wonderful young women and I regret that you have had to grow up so quickly.
Remember that this experience is what you make of it. Take your studies seriously and remember to stick up for each other. Friends may come and go, but in the end, all you have is each other. Treat each other kindly. Lucy, don't get too frustrated with your sister. She has only good intentions. Molly, remember that you two are very different people, and that what might help her isn't what would help you. I love you both very much, and know you will do great things. Owl home often.
Love,
Dad'."
Both girls were silent for a moment.
"That was nice of him." Molly said after a while.
"Yeah." Lucy replied, refolding the letter. She would find a safe place to put it later.
"It sounds like he's getting a little better." Lucy smiled.
"Yeah, it does."
"What about the boxes," Molly said, "Want to open them too?" Lucy shook her head.
"No." She answered shortly. Molly nodded understandingly.
"We'll open them in the dorms tonight." Lucy grimaced, but nodded all the same.
"Yeah, sure." Molly peered at her quizzically.
"Together, right?"
"What?"
"We'll open them together, Lucy." She repeated, "Right?"
"Well, I mean, I hope so."
"Stop it." Molly snapped, "We're going to be in the same house. Then we'll open the gifts together." Lucy sighed.
"I don't know, Molly. It doesn't seem very likely."
"Merlin," Molly groaned exasperatedly, "You're so negative."
"I'm not negative," She shot back, "It just doesn't seem realistic at this point. I mean, I'm no Ravenclaw. We can all see that." Molly threw her hands up in the air.
"Gryffindor then. All Weasley's are Gryffindors, at least a little bit."
"We ruled that one out at the beginning of the summer, remember?" Lucy reminded her lightly, "And there's no way that you'd be in Hufflepuff, and you have your mind set against Slytherin."
"Stop talking like this, Lucy. I don't like it."
"I'm just saying, you have to admit that we're very different people. Even Dad said so. The chances we'll be in the same house are slim." Molly gave a huff and stood up.
"Fine!" She muttered, "Whatever! It's just,-ugh! I'm going to get changed." She said, quickly grabbing her robes from the seat beside her, stalking angrily out of the compartment.
Lucy knew she had pushed her too far, but she didn't regret what she had said. She didn't exactly understand Molly's insistence that they would be in the same house. In truth, Lucy knew that Molly just didn't want to be alone, and she couldn't really blame her. Molly had always been a little less independent than Lucy and it showed.
Lucy glanced up at the compartment door to see Franklin and Louis mashing their faces against the glass in an attempt to get her attention. She snickered at them and gestured for them to come in. The two boys laughed and opened up the door. Franklin was carrying a small cage, which held a sour looking natterjack toad, and Louis was lugging their trunks.
"Hey Luce. Thanks for keeping the compartment warm for us." Franklin said, happily plopping down in the seat beside her as the toad let out a sullen croak. Louis chuckled.
"Anytime." Lucy replied, "Need some help Lou." Louis nodded and she quickly helped him put up the two trunks.
"Where's Molly?"
"Getting changed." She said, sitting back down as Louis took the seat across from them, "I made her angry though, so she might be a little hot still when she gets back." Louis quirked a blonde eyebrow at her.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Don't worry, it's not a big deal." She dismissed quickly, before smirking back at him, "Anyways: houses. Any thoughts?" Louis sighed with a shrug.
"Well, Frank is definitely a Gryffindor, right?" He wagered. Franklin grinned, pumping a victorious fist in the air.
"Definitely." He confirmed with a smirk, "What about our darling Louis?"
"Oh Merlin." Louis laughed, rubbing his face with his hands. Lucy and Franklin snickered at him.
"I don't know," Lucy wondered aloud, "Hufflepuff maybe? Ravenclaw?"
"That would make sense." Franklin said with a nod. Louis looked a little crestfallen, but he nodded. Lucy gave him a questioning glance, but he looked away just as Molly re-entered the compartment, dressed in her crisp new school robes. She raised her eyebrows at them.
"Oh, hey guys." She said, returning to her seat, "What are you guys talking about?"
"Nothing." Lucy said quickly with a small smile.
By the time the train was approaching Hogsmeade in the early evening the wind had whipped up a flock of black clouds that blotted out the otherwise harmless September sky. More had been gathering by the hour and it appeared to be undeniable that there would be a storm. As the train pulled into the station, stopping with a jolt that startled Louis awake and knocked Franklin out of his seat (much to the amusement of the others), fat raindrops began to pelt the windows of the train. Molly gave an annoyed huff.
"Great. Now we're all going to be soaked for the rest of the night!" She grumbled.
"Oh, calm down, Molls." Franklin said, picking himself up off the floor and dusting himself off. She rolled her eyes at him, and quickly took her trunk down and grabbed the gift box.
"We should head out to the boats before it gets really bad." She said, "C'mon!" And with that, she had slipped down the corridor. Louis quickly followed suit, grabbing his own trunk and dashing into the corridor as Lucy and Franklin stood up to do the same.
"Well, I guess nobody's gonna wait for us!" Franklin shouted after the pair, grabbing his trunk and the toad's cage. Lucy sighed and grabbed her trunk and Percy's gift, and the two set out into the now densely packed corridor.
It took the pair a solid ten minutes to push their way through the crowd and out onto the platform. By this time the rain had intensified and the wind was buffeting students as the ran to the carriages for cover. Lucy and Franklin quickly dropped their luggage into the pile and made a dash for the boats. As they approached, Hagrid turned to see the two children, grinning at them.
"Ah, Frankie!" He bellowed, smacking Franklin on the back, knocking the wind out of him, "How've ya' been?"
"Good." Franklin chuckled between gasps as Hagrid turned to Lucy, scrunching up his face.
"Now is this Molly er' Lucy?"
"I'm Lucy." She said with a smile.
"Ah," Hagrid laughed, "Sorry, ya' jus' look so much alike is all." Lucy gave a small laugh in response, "Anyways, yer' the last ones to make it. Luckily, there's two seats left." Hagrid gestured to the only boat with remaining space. Inside, sat two identical blonde boys. Lucy felt Franklin stiffen beside her but she simply turned to Hagrid and thanked him, before looking back at the boys. The Scamanders were both watching her intently. She smiled back kindly. There was no way she was going to let Lorcan make her the villain. Not today.
"Hi Lysander, Lorcan." She said, "Mind if we join you?" Lysander smiled, relieved.
"Not at all. Please." He gestured at the empty spaces and the two filed in.
"I don't know if you two have met my friend, but this is Frank." Franklin remained quiet, but gave a small wave in greeting. Lorcan nodded at him, but refused to look directly at him.
"Hi Frank," Lysander chirped, "I'm Lysander, and this is my brother, Lorcan."
"Pleasure." Franklin bit out coldly as the boats pushed out into the jet black water.
As they neared the center of the lake, the storm grew stronger, rocking the boats dangerously. Lucy looked out into the water nervously.
"You ok, Luce?" Franklin asked, concern spreading across his face.
"Wha-? Oh, yeah, I'm, uh, I'm fine." She stammered nervously, feeling a cold mass settle in her chest as they dipped towards the water, her grip on the boat tightening.
"You can't swim. Can you?" Franklin suddenly said. Lucy opened her mouth to answer but just then the boat pitches, knocking her grip loose and sending her tumbling into the icy water.
Lucy plunged into the darkness, immediately swallowing mouthfuls of foul tasting lake water. She couldn't tell how far beneath the surface she was, but she knew that her head was well submerged. She flailed her limbs in an attempt to move in any direction, but her waterlogged robes were just dragging her further into the lake.
Suddenly, she felt a pair of cold hands grab her under the arms, forcing her head above water. She coughed, desperately, trying to take in air, and the cold hands dragged her back to the boat, shoving her back in. She landed in the rain puddles that were gathering in the bottom as her whole body heaved. She felt light headed and her stomach was turning like she was about to vomit.
"Merlin! Lucy are you alright!" Franklin cried, grabbing her shoulders as she coughed up water.
"Give her some space." Lysander insisted gently. Franklin hesitated, but obeyed just the same. Lucy looked around. Both Lysander and Franklin were glued to where they sat, both looking pale from worry. Beside her on the ground sat a very disgruntled, very wet Lorcan Scamander.
"Bloody hell." He spat, wiping off his dripping face with his hands as he moved back to his seat beside Lysander, "Next time hold on."
"Sorry." Lucy responded quietly, her face going red from embarrassment as she carefully pulled herself back to her seat. She could hear concerned murmurs from the other first years as the boats continued to rock wildly around them.
"E'rything ok o'er ther'?" She heard Hagrid call.
"Yeah." Frank yelled in reply, "We're all fine." Lucy looked back over at Lorcan, who was wringing out his robes over the edge of the boat.
"Thanks." He looked up at her and smirked.
"No problem."
Once the boats had all successfully reached shore, Lucy and Lorcan were shivering madly in their soaked robes. Lorcan's lips had turned a dusky purple and Lucy's nail beds were quickly going blue. Franklin helped her out of the boat, keeping her arm in the vice like grip he had adopted once she was safely back in her seat, and Lorcan and Lysander weren't far behind them.
"Luce! Frank!" The pair looked over to see Louis, waving his hand above his head, gesturing for them to come over as the pack of first years began to move quickly into the castle. The pair darted quickly over to him, leaving the Scamander twins on the other side of the crowd. Louis gave them a confused look.
"What happened to you?" He asked, Molly emerging beside him, both sufficiently dampened by the rain, but nowhere near as soaked as Lucy.
"Nothing much." Franklin said with a shrug. Lucy rolled her eyes and followed them into the Great Hall. The ceiling was blacked out by clouds, mirroring the sky outdoors. It was impossibly high and just looking up at it made Lucy dizzy. All around them were packed tables. She could recognize a few of her cousins: Victoire at the Ravenclaw table, and James, Dominique, Roxanne, and Fred all at the Gryffindor table. Dominique offered Louis an excited, but small wave, which he readily returned.
Lucy couldn't remember much of the opening speeches or the hat's song, she was too distracted by Molly's death grip on her hand to give anything else much of her attention. By the time she finally snapped out of her trance, Franklin had already taken a spot at the Gryffindor table and "Penn, Gregory" had been sorted into Hufflepuff.
"Pritchard, Margo." Professor Longbottom called from the front of the hall. A dark skinned girl with wire-rimmed glasses and a disheveled braid shuffled forwards in response, the hat falling over her eyes.
"RAVENCLAW!" There was a usual chorus of applause as she went to the table. Lucy took a shaky breath and squeezed Molly's hand. She just held on tighter in response.
"Scamander, Lorcan." Lucy looked up to see a still soaked Lorcan stride up to the hat. There were muffled snickers at the sight of him, but he barely flinched. He sat stick straight as the hat was lowered over his eyes. There was silence for a moment.
"SLYTHERIN!" Lorcan seemed to nod as the hat was lifted, and he walked over to his table with his shoulders back.
"Scamander, Lysander." Lysander wasn't nearly as stiff as his brother, bounding over to the hat. Neville lowered it onto his head.
"RAVENCLAW!" The boy shot a glance at his brother, but happily joined his table.
Next was Turpen, Amelia, who was sorted into Gryffindor, followed by Urquhart, Theodore and Vaisey, Laurie who were both quickly announced as Slytherins.
"Weasley, Louis." Louis jumped at his name, which received a spirited cheer from Dominique. Lucy quickly reached over to him and squeezed his shoulder as he began to shuffle forwards. He sat down shakily, casting his gaze over at Franklin, who gave him a thumbs up as the hat slipped over his eyes. There was about a solid minute of silence and there were small murmurs breaking out across the hall.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" Dominique led a cheer from her table and Victoire joined in from hers as the hat was lifted. Lucy saw his chest fall a little, but he grinned just the same and walked to the Hufflepuff table.
"Weasley, Lucy." Molly suddenly released her hand as Lucy's name rang out over the hall. She took a deep breath and looked over to her twin. Molly was had her eyes turned to the ground. Lucy let her eyes linger on her, but walked forwards, leaving Molly back in the crowd. She hurried down the long stretch of space between her and the hat. She hopped up onto the stool and took a deep shaky breath as the hat's brim plunged her into darkness.
'Why so nervous there?' Crooned a sourceless voice, 'I'll never understand why people get so worked up over this silly thing. Your sorting isn't the end of the world you know.'
"Sorry I guess."
'Don't be sorry. It's no trouble to me. I am just a hat. Anyways, we have some business to attend to, don't we?'
"I suppose so."
'Hmm, let's see. You Weasleys have gotten tricky lately, haven't you? Ah, you're loyal, very loyal, but rather selective with who you are loyal to. Witty, but no Ravenclaw. Gryffindor's not the place either, you're a little too sly for that. Very passionate. Well, it seems we've reached a crossroad.'
"We have?"
'Yes. It seems you have a little bit of a choice to make. Let me ask you a question: If your sister were up here first, would you follow her? Now be honest.' Lucy paused for a moment.
"No."
'Very well then Miss Weasley, I suppose it better be SLYTHERIN!" The decision echoed down the hall and was followed by the usual polite applause as the hat was lifted. Lucy's eyes locked quickly with Molly's. She winced at the visible hurt in her sister's eyes. She turned away quickly, feeling her face get hot and she shuffled over to the Slytherin table, plopping down in a seat between Lorcan and Laurie Vaisey. Lorcan looked down at her.
"Don't look so ashamed." He hissed quickly, "You'll offend people." She straightened up a little bit in response, "Good enough."
"Weasley, Molly."
"Your cousin?" Laurie asked, leaning a little too close to Lucy's ear.
"My sister." She responded quietly.
"Huh, you don't really look alike."
"Yeah." Molly stared straight ahead as the hat hid her blue eyes from view.
"RAVENCLAW!" She didn't look back at Lucy as she stalked over to her table where she sat quickly down near Margo Pritchard and Duncan Able. Lucy felt that cold mass in her chest again, pressing against her rib cage. They were different people alright. Very different.
It wasn't until late that night that Lucy finally felt safe enough to open the box from Percy. She had tucked the letter into a small compartment in her trunk as soon as she had gotten to the dormitories, but she had decided to wait until Laurie and The other three girls had fallen asleep before opening the box. She carefully unfolded the paper instead of ripping it as she usually would have to avoid waking any of her new classmates. Deep inside the box, buried underneath a mountain of particularly noisy tissue paper was a locket on a long chain. Lucy carefully opened it with a soft click. Enclosed was a small picture of Molly and Lucy on Christmas a few years earlier. They were dressed in matching red dresses with their hair done in matching childish curls. As the picture moved, Lucy watched as Molly threw her arms around her younger self and she did the same, giving her sister a tight squeeze. They were both smiling at the camera in the dim light. Lucy stared at the photograph, feeling her chest tighten, and with her next breath, she began to cry.