When Io opened her eyes the morning after the Sorting ceremony, all she could see was green, emerald green. It was everywhere - the walls, the curtains, the bed sheets. She always loved this shade of green, so it made the room feel a little less temporary and more like a safe haven. Aster was already sitting up in bed, her blonde hair fastened in two braids that sat on her shoulders.
"Did you sleep at all?" Aster prodded through hazy eyes.
"A bit." Io lied. She tossed and turned for hours, and maybe there was a moment just before the sun rose that she actually fell asleep for a bit. Sleeping in new places was always difficult for her. She always felt like she needed to be on edge in case someone came crashing through the door. "We should go downstairs for breakfast."
Io stood up and reached for the clean Hogwarts uniform that was laid out on top of her trunk. It was definitely different than the uniform at Ilvermorny but mostly in color. She actually preferred this one. It was darker, more neutral.
"Do they care about what shoes you wear here?" Aster kicked the side of her boots that had been messily thrown beside her bed.
Io almost laughed at the innocence of the question. She pulled out a pair of modest looking black loafers from under the bed and sighed, "Deal with the loafers or risk getting called out on a uniform violation on your first day, sis. I'd like to think they expect the best of us - aside from expecting a surprise every now and then."
The twins got dressed in silence as the dormitory slowly emptied out. Some of the girls stayed in the common room to gossip or study before their first class. Alongside them, a huddle of first years wandered around the common room, looking a little lost before the Slytherin prefect called them over to walk them to the Great Hall. Io and Aster followed a few paces behind.
The Great Hall was truly a grand sight. The tables were filled with trays of toast, jams, and smoked ham. Goblets full of orange juice, milk, and coffee filled in the empty spaces.
Aster led the way to an empty section in the middle of the Slytherin table. There were many people sitting already, casting more looks in their direction, as if waiting for something to happen.
"Hi, there." A tall boy with brown hair and broad shoulders stood up with his hand out before they could sit. "Theodore Nott. I realize you didn't get properly welcomed to Slytherin house yet. A couple of stunning birds like yourselves deserve more than an applause." He flashed a crooked smirk as Aster shook his hand without comment.
He held out his hand next to Io, and she obliged despite the bitter taste in her mouth. "Birds?"
"Right - you two are from America. Here it means - "
"It means girls - women - sorry. Blaise Zabini." Blaise stood up in a rush before Theo could say anything else.
The familiar glare of Pansy Parkinson suddenly appeared beside them as she bumped her way to a seat. "Give it a rest, Blaise. You, too, Theo. Just because you have two new toys to play with doesn't mean they're safe to handle."
Io ignored the snide remarks before feeling a stern hand on her shoulder. Draco Malfoy stood behind her, face as stoic as ever. Blaise and Theo nodded towards him. "Morning," Theo started.
"Draco Malfoy," he said, ignoring his friend. He didn't hold his hand out to Io or Aster, but he gave Io the strongest look she'd ever experienced. "I suppose we'll be seeing you two quite often."
"Quite." Aster said before finally being able to sit down. She tugged on Io's hand.
Io took the empty seat, and Draco walked away before sitting diagonally from her.
Theo leaned over. "Ilvermorny was that bad, eh? I heard the Quidditch teams there are foul. I bet it'd be one fun match dueling one of your lot though. And I heard the DADA professor is - "
"Our uncle." Io interrupted. "Before you say anything insulting."
Blaise stopped mid-sip of his juice. "Your uncle is the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? You two must be hell to duel then."
Aster placed her cup down. "Want to test out that theory?" She relished in the wide-eyed looks from the rest of the table.
"Oh, hell yes." Theo slammed his hand down, earning a dirty look or two from the professors. "Dueling club is always good fun, and with you two, we'll knock a few first years on their arses before they can take their OWLs."
Io tilted her head to the side. "We only duel our age and older. There's no fun or test of skill in dueling someone younger. Nothing but cheap shots and tears."
Draco tried to hide his grin as Theo slid back, the flush showing on his cheeks.
Pansy harshly placed her cup on the table before standing up. She walked over to the twins with her arms crossed over her chest. "If you two are so confident, then let's duel."
"Who exactly are you talking to?" Aster feigned confusion. "You can't take on both of us. That wouldn't be fair. To you, at least. To us, it'd just be a Thursday afternoon."
Io nudged her sister. "What are you doing?"
Aster ignored her, standing up. She was the same height as Pansy, so their eyes met each other in silent fury. "Don't bite off more than you can chew, Parkinson."
Io finished her coffee then stood next to Aster. She placed a hand on both her sister and Pansy. "Let it rest, girls. It's only the first day of term. Keep it friendly."
Pansy huffed, pushing Io's hand off her. "Shove off, Visage."
The twins sat back down. Aster felt that familiar ego welling up inside her, setting a positive tone for the rest of the day. Io, on the other hand, while she felt the same as Aster, it was mixed with an underlying dread. Before the excitement died down, the idea suddenly came to her.
"Duel Pansy." Io whispered to Aster.
Aster was in the middle of biting her toast. "Excuse me? Did you not just diffuse the tension just now?"
"I don't mean right now, and I don't even mean later today. But when the time comes, duel Pansy and make it a show." Io explained. "Everyone will be there, and I can sneak into the Gryffindor common room."
Aster could finally see the wheels in her sister's head turning. "Well, won't that be a fun time. Don't worry. There will be many other opportunities to rile her up, and when that happens, it'll be a big production - especially with Theo and his mouth ready to run through the halls to tell everyone."
"I'm heading back to the common room. My first period is open, and I want to go to the library to find out more about the potion Uncle mentioned."
Uncle Altair knew a lot, but even some corners of dark magic were foreign to him. Two years ago, when a Hogwarts student died during the Triwizard Tournament, he spoke to Dumbledore about how it happened. The blood potion used to revive the Dark Lord had only ever been recorded in the books once before, and understanding it might help in understanding what they're up against this time around.
Aster groaned. "How the hell did you get an open first period? I have Herbology - which isn't awful, but we better be learning something I don't already know."
"You'll survive. Tell the mandrakes I said hello." Io smiled, patting her sister on the back before leaving the Great Hall.
Unbeknownst to her, Draco Malfoy was also done with his breakfast. He ended up walking beside her, his hands in the pockets of his robes. Io could feel the presence beside her, tempted to ignore it to avoid conversation.
Draco spoke first. "Didn't think you and your sister were the type of twins who could spend a bloody second apart."
Io kept her eyes forward. "We were in two different houses back at Ilvermorny. And I like my alone time."
"Am I ruining it for you?" He said coldly. "Your alone time."
They both stopped walking a few steps before the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Draco had a very interesting bite to the way he spoke. It was cold and calculating, but it was laced with a very quiet fear. Maybe it was fear of the response or fear of not getting a response at all.
Io turned to him as she gripped the inside of her sleeves. "I didn't think you'd be the type to care if you were intruding on my alone time." She toyed with the idea of reading his thoughts, but ultimately, she resisted. That skill wasn't one to be used at any time. She respected one's right to some kind of privacy. Besides, earning those thoughts was so much more fun and challenging.
The way Draco looked at her was interesting. Maybe interesting wasn't the right word because it wasn't an easy read. There was a hint of curiosity, but it was battling indifference. He wanted to know more, but he hated that he did. Draco wasn't that good at hiding his emotions, but most of his emotions were negative. That resulted in what some might consider a permanent scowl that was now putting a wrinkle above his brow. His blue eyes were so hollow, and she found herself wanting to stare.
"Forget it, Visage. You're not worth using up my first period." Draco walked ahead of her and into the common room.
Io stood there, stunned. It made it more awkward that they were going to the same place, but after catching his back disappear into the boys dormitory, she felt more relaxed.
Draco Malfoy was going to be a challenge.
But he was a challenge she was willing to lose a little sleep over.
Aster followed a few of the other Slytherins towards the greenhouses. She was still riding the high of making Pansy fear her and setting the tone with the boys. Herbology was going to be a breeze, and all she could hope for was a quick and easy hour poking and prodding at Chinese chomping cabbages.
One by one, students filed into the greenhouse. Some stood next to their friends while others already had a station to use. Aster picked the table furthest from the door. The table next to her was still empty.
"Excuse me."
Aster looked over to see a face she recognized from the photos she studied.
Hermione Granger looked exactly like her photo: petite face, brown locks, and a spatter of freckles across her nose. She hesitated to place her books down as she waited for an answer.
"This seat isn't taken, if that's what you were going to ask."
Hermione gave a small nod with a smile as she started settling into her station. A brief silence took over the space before she started talking once again. "You're Aster Visage, right?"
"I am." Aster responded, giving a quick glance away from her book.
"I'm Hermione Granger." She held out her hand.
Pretending like she didn't already know everything about the witch's tenure at Hogwarts, Aster shook her hand. "Pleasure."
"I didn't realize there were going to be other sixth years in this class."
"My sister and I are only attending the courses we haven't already taken." Aster closed her book. "I've technically already taken this class, but my free periods couldn't all be the same as hers."
"You've already taken this? So you know how to grow, harvest, and use Lovage?"
Aster held back every urge to show off. From what she'd heard, Hermione Granger was one of the resident know-it-alls, and Aster loved to poke the bear when she met those. If anything, it was the inspiration and motivation behind studying so much. The opportunity to shut down a know-it-all was so satisfying. This time, however, Aster kind of enjoyed the look of amazement on Hermione's face.
"Yes. We helped supply our Potions professor when the fifth years needed to brew Befuddlement draughts back at Ilvermorny."
"Interesting." Flustered, Hermione turned back to her station as Professor Sprout entered the greenhouse.
Aster leaned the side of her hip against the table. "I can help you if you'd like." Cocking her head to the side to see the slight flush of red on the girl's cheeks. She enjoyed making people nervous though she knew Io would give her hell for it later. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
When Io and Aster got separated for their first five years at Ilvermorny, Aster had a lot of time to think about things - mostly about who she was when she wasn't with Io. If Io was land, Aster was air, and she needed her twin to keep her grounded when her mind wandered further than it should.
But the only secret she kept to herself was who she chose to spend her time with when Io wasn't around. Io thought Blaise was Aster's type, and maybe in another world, he would be. In this world though, he wasn't. Hermione Granger was. Aster didn't like labels because she fell in love with auras. Anyone's aura, really - she read souls, but it was always the first time she touched someone's hand that let her know whether she should or shouldn't lean into someone. Hermione's aura felt like courage, ambition, and fear. It also felt like a very well hidden yearning for comfort and company, and that was so enticing.
She'll get around to telling Io.
Eventually.