Once Upon a Prophecy I

by J.R. Stoner

Harry Potter AU: "I promise. No matter what happens, I will always be on your side." In a world filled with not only magic and wonder, but also danger and peril, a group of children do their best to survive while the beginnings of war brew under the calm and peaceful surface.

2. Fugue

Disclaimer: I do not own Moriarty the Patriot/Yuukoku no Moriarty or Harry Potter.

Songs/Instrumentals Accompanying This Chapter: Prologue by John Williams (from the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone soundtrack) (Scene 2) and Only The Beginning Of The Adventure by Harry Gregson-Williams (from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe soundtrack) (Final Scene).

A/N: And here is the second chapter! Also, I didn't say this in the first chapter, but I am an American mutt, meaning I have no idea what it is like to be truly British. So, if I have gotten anything wrong when it comes to the country as a whole, I sincerely apologize as I do all my research on the internet instead of having firsthand experience (unfortunately).

Even so, I hope this chapter is enjoyable as well!

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Once Upon a Prophecy I

First Year

Chapter TWO:

"Fugue"

---

Opening Theme: Double Trouble/Lumos! (Hedwig's Theme) by The Dark Side of the Moon.

---

The hustle and bustle of the people as they walked along the street was loud and somewhat obnoxious, but to be expected. After all, it was Greater London, where most of the populace resided and lived.

What was not to be expected was the sight of a man dressed in fine clothing, like that from the Victorian era, walking up and down the way as though he were absolutely and hilariously lost. In fact he was lost, and the man had no doubt that everyone was looking at him like he was insane or senile.

He ignored the looks, not one to be deterred by such things or even at all. He may have not been born without magical capability, but he was able to blend in to some degree if he so wanted to.

It just so happened that that very day the man had chosen to be the exact opposite of 'blended in.' For instance, easily recognizable and seen.

After being addressed by a young boy who believed him to be in a bit of a pinch—which, considering that the man was lost, he was certainly in need of help—he found himself standing on the street, completely ceasing his aimless wandering.

The man stared at the boy with open curiosity and interest before a congenial and grateful smile fluttered to the former's lips. He crouched down so he was kneeling on one knee as he looked the boy in the eye.

The man's voice held a distinct accent as he said, "I would very much like whatever help you're offering, lad."

Using the handle of his cane, which was in the shape of a silver cobra that had glowing green jewels for eyes, he lifted up the front rim of his top hat as he gave the boy a small, playful wink.

"Thank you very much in advance."

---

Just like most days in England, the sun was hidden behind the clouds giving the sky a gloomy appearance than what had been gifted to the citizens of the country two weeks prior. The ground was wet, a leftover sign that there had been rainfall the night before.

Inside a grand mansion, in one of the many rooms littered throughout the second floor, a boy sat at a desk with a piece of parchment paper laid out in front of him. A white feathered quill was held between his index and thumb, producing more and more words as they were scrawled along the once pristine material.

The room in question was generously furnished: a bed lying against one of the walls with a nightstand situated next to it, a wardrobe in another corner of the room, a small table in the center with a sofa and chair around it, while bookshelves that held many books of various kinds accompanied the rest of the objects.

Set not too far away was a letter, the excited and bubbly text written by a particular person visible for all eyes to see.

Before they had ended up parting ways, the children had agreed to write to each other throughout the rest of summer to stay in contact. Rion had been the one to suggest it, and had been inexplicably happy when the boy assented to the exchange.

That exact letter she had sent would be the last one he would be gifted with that summer due to the first day of school happening on that exact day.

And resting near it was a pigeon of the rock dove breed, a tube strapped around her body where the aforementioned letter had been stored. Her orange irises flitted from one spot of the room to the other as she waited for the boy to finish writing his reply. And when he was officially done, he reached out his hand to caress her snow white feathers causing contented coos to escape her in quick succession.

Upon neatly rolling his letter up, he placed it inside the tube, and after covering it with the lid, the pigeon shifted her body around to face the window as a way to communicate her longing to fly back home promptly.

Being with him and experiencing the innate kind and gentle nature he possessed, she was always reminded of those that resided at the Winters estate. And it wasn't like she didn't enjoy the boy's company, of course not, but her reminiscing was so strong that it created an equally strong desire to return to her family.

Lifting himself out of the chair, William smiled as he turned his attention to the pigeon, "Thank you, Odette, for always delivering the letters."

Extending his arm in her direction, Odette didn't hesitate in climbing onto the appendage, her talons wrapping around it to secure her position. She released a soft coo, looking directly into his twin scarlet eyes.

William walked over to the window, and once he was standing in front of it, a gentle breeze blew in, ruffling the strands of his blond hair and Odette's feathers. The direction the wind was heading was the exact one that the pigeon needed to go in order to get home and deliver the letter.

Before officially sending her on her way, he said, "Take care, Odette. Safe travels."

Odette responded with another coo before spreading her wings to take flight, soon taking to the air.

William watched as her tiny body grew smaller and smaller in the distance until she was no longer visible to the human eye's perception. He had just closed the window when a knock sounded at his bedroom door.

Glancing over his shoulder, he gave the person on the other side allowance to enter, the door opening soon after.

Eyes of the same shade of red locked with his, blond of a similar hue short with some of the strands covering the right side of his face where one could see a small portion of the scar he had inflicted upon himself five months prior.

Just by seeing his brother standing near the window, the other boy could guess the reason why without needing to be told. After all, it was a daily occurrence ever since William came back from Diagon Alley two weeks ago.

In a voice that was carefully neutral, Louis said, "Were you delivering more letters, brother?"

"Yeah," answered William, moving away from the window to face the other boy. "I just replied back to Rion's last letter for the summer."

Rion. . .

Louis frowned upon hearing his brother referring to the girl so familiarly.

Though it was nice that William was getting along with other people, the fact that Rion was someone who was unaware of their situation and someone who could very well compromise what they were determined to accomplish in the years to come made their seemingly close interactions something to worry about.

And the other fact that she was a pure-blood was another reason that Louis wasn't too fond of her. What if she was like all the others? Not that he doubted William's ability to see into the very heart of someone and know exactly how they would react and what they would do in a given moment, but Rion was, in Louis's mind, the worst kind of person to become acquaintances with.

The daughter of a Thorne and a Winters—no matter if her parents had been all for equality—was a combination that could create problems that the Moriarty brothers certainly didn't need, especially given what, who, and how exactly her paternal relatives were.

And there was absolutely no way that his brother and that girl were friends. Absolutely not. Louis refused to believe that was even a possibility.

Perhaps William was deciding to keep her close just in case, because if she truly was the kind-hearted yet naïve and overly curious girl his brother had claimed she was, then Rion could become someone to exploit when the perfect time came without her knowledge.

Another knock sounded at the door.

When given permission to open it, the source of the knocking was revealed to be the eldest brother and the only true Moriarty among the boys.

His russet brown hair was kept away from his face and was long enough in the back that the strands covered the nape of his neck. Deep emerald took on a shine thanks to the sunlight, looking very much like their real jewel counterparts.

With a smile, Albert informed his brothers that it was time to leave per Jack's suggestion. Upon looking at his pocket watch which he fished out from the pocket of his trousers, William noted that the time was indeed bordering on the moment it would be advised to depart before the train to Hogwarts did the same.

All together, the trio exited the room.

---

The trip to King's Cross Station in the borough of Camden in London was surprisingly delightful as they traveled by car, which was curious considering all four of them were wizards. However, despite not being the more efficient for their kind and even being the type of transport that some wizardkind wouldn't be enthusiastic about, it was better to keep under the radar and not bring suspicion upon them.

When arriving to the station many people poured in and out of the building, which was expected as King's Cross was able to allow everyone to reach their destination so long as they were heading north or south, back to where King's Cross resided. The station even had boarding and departing trains traveling to where Scotland was located further up north.

That was where two of the boys were headed, but they weren't going to be boarding on any old regular train in order to get there.

Passing most of the people along the way, and with Albert's guidance, it didn't take the quartet long to reach the precipice of their destination.

Between the platforms of nine and ten was a barrier separating them which served as the entryway to another platform completely hidden from all eyes. Once a person, no matter if they were of magical birth or not, passed through the seemingly solid exterior, then that person would be transported to a different place entirely from where they had been prior.

Stopping not too far from the barrier, as well as in a way that didn't garner unwanted attention from those who were not supposed to know about their world, Albert proceeded to explain how to cross and then pass through the barrier, vanishing from view.

William followed closely behind with Louis and Jack slowly, discreetly, walking after the supposed second son of the Moriarty family.

Once on the other side, it was obvious that they weren't at King's Cross Station anymore. The scent of petrichor lingered in the air as a light mist settled over the area, obscuring some of the other people from being seen. A guard who stood as a sentinel to make sure those who exited out and back to the Muggle's train station as inconspicuous as possible greeted them upon their entrance.

"Mr. Albert, lovely to see you again," the guard smiled. "I figured I wouldn't be seeing you for a long time to come, what with the horrible tragedy that befell your parents and adoptive brother five months ago. Despite that though, I hope you're doing well this wonderful morning."

Albert issued a smile of his own, grateful for the guard's kindness but not at all sentimental for the passing of his birth family. "Thank you, Mr. Fifer, and I am doing quite well. And I can see why you'd think that, but I believe it would be better if I continue my education even with that fact looming over me. It's what my parents would've wanted me to do regardless, I think."

"That is an incredibly strong will, Mr. Albert. Some children at your age would've been absolutely fraught with grief. Your strength in the face of tragedy is certainly inspiring."

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Fifer."

The guard's eyes were soon drawn to the shorter boy standing not too far from Albert. With a growing sense of realization, Mr. Fifer said, "Oh, is this your brother, Mr. Albert?"

"Yes," Albert nodded, noticeably more bright in countenance. "This is William."

William inclined his head, polite smile on his features. "Hello, sir."

"Why, hello there, Mr. William," Mr. Fifer said, giving another kind smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Fifer."

"Ah, so polite. And here I heard rumours that you weren't exactly the kindest boy around the block," Mr. Fifer's smile turned sheepish for obvious reasons. "My apologies for believing in them, Mr. William. It appears you really can't rely on such things to provide any form of truth."

William's smile never vanished. "I understand, sir, and I accept your apology. Rumours aren't reliable sources to depend on when it comes to gleaning a sense of accuracy in the topic of discussion."

"Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. I thank you, sir, for your understanding. Truly." The guard's eyes then veered upward, catching familiar ones upon doing so. "Jack Renfield. . . Is that really you?"

Said man smiled in a cordial fashion. "Mr. Fifer, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yes. . . My word, look at you. I mean, it's to be expected of course, but. . . I still can't wrap my head around it. I never thought I'd be seeing you now, after all these years. Tell me, how has life been treating you?"

"Quite kindly, I'd say. Especially after my being hired by Mr. Rockwell."

"Rockwell. Ah, another name I remember hearing. Wasn't he sorted into Hufflepuff during his time at Hogwarts?"

"From what I believe, yes, he was,"

"A kind boy he was, Rockwell. Very kind. The very epitome of a Hufflepuff if I ever did see one. To think he was old friends with the Moriartys is surprising to be perfectly honest, given how they acted toward the general populace." Realizing the words that spilled from his lips, Mr. Fifer balked, eyes looking between Albert and William many times and in rapid succession. "I am so sorry, Mr. Albert, Mr. William! I didn't mean to badmouth you or your late parents—my sincerest apologies, I assure you!"

The guard's reaction to his slip-up was to be expected if any of them were to be perfectly honest with themselves. It was no surprise, nor was it something seen or thought of as out of the ordinary, for those who weren't pure-blood to show any form of open disdain toward any of those of that particular blood status, no matter how light it might've been.

In Mr. Fifer's case, he was being genuinely honest when it came to the characters of Albert's parents. And even though it was an honest evaluation, to other pure-bloods it would've been seen as a personal attack and something that shouldn't be said on any account, no matter how true the person's words were or not.

It made sense that the guard was worried and quickly tried to back step from what he had initially said in an attempt to save himself from possible scrutiny.

The boys only gave the man assuring smiles in an attempt to calm him down.

"It's quite all right, Mr. Fifer," said Albert. "And, to be perfectly honest myself, our parents weren't exactly the nicest wizards in the world."

This response came as quite a shock to the station guard as he started in surprise.

Suddenly, a loud sound that spoke of someone within the station being incredibly excited rang out over all the other noise.

Each of their gazes looked over just as some of the light mist moved away to reveal the exact source of the noise. A little girl who stood at average height was looking up at her uncle, mirth shining in her green irises. Her hands held onto the trolley cart's handle, said cart filled with suitcases while a deep blue pet carrier was laid atop them. She was dressed in a simple shirt underneath a jacket and jean trousers with the trainers she wore at Diagon Alley two weeks prior covering her feet.

Sky shaded blues stared down at her, the man's expression a bit exasperated. His light blond hair was a bit more ruffled than it typically was, almost giving the sense that he had hurried on his way to the Hogwarts Express instead of having taken the Muggle train from Darlington in Durham County to King's Cross Station.

Next to him stood an unfamiliar woman with fiery red hair that had been braided and then wrapped into a neat bun atop her head. Her own blues were more of an icy shade, resembling that of a block of ice reflecting the surface of the ocean. She wore a white, flowy gown that reached the bottom of her knees, flats of the same color adorning her feet. The woman cradled her enlarged belly with both hands, one above and the other on the underside.

She appeared to be amused by the current circumstance of events.

The fourth person within the group was another little girl, though she looked to be a bit younger than the first. Her light blonde hair was long, falling down her back in waves, sky shaded blues shifting from the man and the other girl. She was dressed in a blue plaid pinafore dress with a white long-sleeve shirt underneath, white opaque tights covered her legs and feet while black flat-soled Mary Janes were her choice of shoe.

Her face showed uncertainty as she continued to look between her uncle and cousin.

Upon noticing this, Mr. Fifer smiled. "Ah, it's Miss Rion. Her voice certainly does carry, much like her mother's once did. Though for entirely different reasons. . ."

Without any indication of hesitancy, William made his way over to where they stood, pushing his trolley along with him. Albert watched with a sense of fascination as his 'younger brother' appeared to move with a purpose. After he, Louis and Jack bid the station guard goodbye, the trio began to follow behind William.

Upon hearing someone approach, Rion tore her gaze from Boris, the man showing disappointment at having been ignored. As soon as she realized it was William, a bright and sunny smile took hold of her face, and she wasted no time in meeting him halfway, leaving behind her cart full of her personal belongings.

From over her shoulder the disappointment on her uncle's face was even more prominent while her aunt laughed at her own husband, one of her hands coming to cover her mouth as if to block out the noise or to make it seem as though she weren't laughing at all.

It didn't do either one of those things as the woman's laughter bubbled up and out of her loudly, scaring some of the passersby with the sudden noise.

"Will!" Rion shouted happily, garnering the attention of the other people at the station. Just before she ended up ramming right into his trolley, Rion skidded to a halt, hands grabbing onto the other end. "It's been a while! I knew you'd get my letter before you came to King's Cross Station."

William was intrigued by this piece of information. "Is that so? How come?"

Rion giggled. "Because I had a hunch, of course!"

His eyes narrowed briefly at her words.

Green glanced down, meeting a pair of pure and striking black eyes that seemed to pierce into her very soul. The owl's eyes never looked away from her, not even an inch, and seemed to hold her almost captive with his gaze, refusing to let go. It was unknown whether it was because the owl didn't trust her or if he was, in fact, captivated by the girl as well.

Rion blinked, slowly closing the distance between her and the owl. Archimedes remained still, watching the girl very closely as he appeared to be analyzing her very closely.

Rion grew ever closer until she stopped.

She was inches away from the metal bars that made up the cage, and the atmosphere seemed to have gotten quieter, fading further and further into the background.

The same smile she wore upon catching sight of William appeared on her face again. "Hi! I'm Rion, it's nice to meet you!"

Archimedes canted his head, the action causing her to coo at how cute it was.

Rion whipped her head to the side so her eyes once again met with an unusual yet intriguing pair of red irises.

"Is this the owl you got that day at Diagon Alley, Will?"

"Yeah," William moved from the back of the cart to stand by her side. While looking at the owl with her, he said, "His name is Archimedes, and he's a barn owl."

Her voice was laced with sincerity, as it typically was on a daily basis. "He's so cute! I don't think I've ever seen a barn owl before, so he's the first one."

And then, in an excited voice, Rion expressed her desire to have William meet Sonata, her black and white kitten. Said kitten was currently stationed safely inside the deep blue colored pet carrier that she would need to be in until Rion brought her onto the train and then into one of the many compartments within.

With eager hands she grabbed his arm, fully intent on leading him to her trolley when she noticed the approach of one familiar face and two unfamiliar faces.

Rion completely abandoned her former goal but didn't remove her hands from William's arm. Instead, they remained gently grasping the appendage as her emerald irises flitted from one of his companions to the other.

The girl greeted Jack kindly yet boisterously and he responded back in kind, albeit without the boisterous part.

Albert was next, congenial and polite in his introduction. When Rion gave her own name, the older boy was immediately overcome with recognition. For two different reasons.

"So," he began with a smile, "you're the one that Will told us about the day he came home from Diagon Alley."

Rion was happy, undeniably so, as it showed upon her face. "Will mentioned me?"

After Albert gave her an affirmative, she snapped her head around to look at William. "Really? What did you say? What did you talk about? Was it good? Bad? Neutral?"

William laughed, lightly and good-naturedly. "It wasn't anything bad, I assure you. I spoke about the fact we met, as well as your genuine kindness."

"Not to mention your sometimes loud and excitable nature," Albert supplied, voice playful.

After laughing at the accuracy of the boys' account of her personality, her vivid green irises looked over to meet another pair of familiar bright red eyes that were owned by an unfamiliar person. Just as her extroverted personality denoted, Rion moved forward, not at all hesitant in her approach.

The third boy, who looked to be younger than her, although not by much, didn't move away, but there was a shine of distrust in his eyes. The girl chose to ignore it as she believed that she could change his distrust in her depending on how she introduced herself.

The meeting went well enough, with Rion as her usual cheerful self and Louis as polite as his older brothers, but still irrefutably keeping himself a closed book. It was quite obvious due to the aura Louis exuded that he didn't like her. She was curious as to why, but she had a feeling that she wasn't going to get an answer, at least not at that moment.

Rion took the hint without any issue, swiftly moving her attention, and her body, back to William. She grasped his arm once more, slowly making a stride to where her own family members were still standing, watching all of the interactions from an outside perspective.

Realizing her intention only based on how her feet moved in that particular direction, William told her he'd follow her which made Rion quickly let go of his arm with a bright, sunny smile. The girl waited, patiently and impatiently, as he gathered his trolley to then follow after her, with Albert, with his own cart, Louis and Jack close behind.

Upon seeing her cousin and four strangers getting closer, the little girl that had accompanied her family hid between her uncle and aunt, peeking past Boris's side with one of her inquisitive sky blues, hands grabbing onto the fabric of the man's shirt and the woman's dress.

Rion hurried over to the aforementioned trio.

They greeted her in their different voices with their different emotions.

Boris glanced over, offering a kind smile to William as the boy approached them. "Hello, William. It's nice to see you again. How have you been?"

"I've been well, Mr. Winters, thank you kindly for asking."

"That's wonderful. I'm glad to hear it."

Boris felt a slight nudge to one of his shoulders then. With that hit, realization dawned on him and the man immediately drew attention to the woman by his side. "This is my wife Rebekah. Apparently she's eager to meet you."

"Of course," she said as though it should've been obvious. William accepted the hand that Rebekah had extended for him to shake in their greeting. "Rion spoke about you, William, a lot for the past two weeks, it made me wonder just how wonderful of a person you were. I was really looking forward to talking to you and this proved to be the perfect opportunity."

William laughed, eyes closing. "I don't know about 'wonderful' but I do my best to uphold the dignity of my family name."

After they released each other's hands, William's smile didn't change as he said, "Miss Rebekah, you're not from the British Isles, are you?"

Rebekah was shocked, icy blue eyes wide. "How did you know that?"

"Your accent sounds exactly like one that's spoken in the Americas: your pronunciation of certain words is markedly different from the standard British accent."

A soft 'huh' escaped the woman, impressed by the boy's knowledge. "Well, I'll be! You're right, I am from America. It's been a long time since I've been there, though. Nine years, I think?"

As they continued to engage in amiable conversation, and Boris and Rebekah spoke to Albert, Louis and Jack as well, the second girl watched from where she was still being hidden between her uncle and aunt. The next thing happened in the blink of an eye. A pair of blue and another of red made contact with each other, meeting in a brief moment that was purely accident.

Although she had a crippling shyness when it came to even looking into the eyes of someone she had never met before, the girl found herself unable to look away, keeping eye contact for however long she was able to.

Louis found himself in a similar position, seemingly unable to look away despite possibly wanting to.

Suddenly, she found herself being herded out from her hiding spot, eyes wide upon realizing this fact. Her feet immediately began to backpedal in order to return to where she had been, but Boris and Rebekah were adamant in having her be introduced to the quartet who watched the event play out silently.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce my other niece," said Boris, hands firmly but gently settled atop her shoulders. She squirmed to try and get away, but the wriggling only made Boris hold on a bit tighter. "Her name is Octavia."

Octavia stopped her escape attempts, remaining perfectly still even as Boris removed his hands from her shoulders, her fingers coming to twiddle and twist amongst themselves in that nervous habit of hers.

She opened her mouth, words coming out in quiet stutters. "H-hello. I-it's n-nice t. . . to meet y-you."

More introductions followed after, the interactions between Octavia, and the four strangers flowing along with a friendly air. Eventually, she retreated back to stand between her uncle and aunt once more, hands coming to grip their clothing.

With his eyes transfixed on the clock that read the fact it was almost time, Boris said, "It's nearing the time for the train to depart."

After informing Rion that she should make sure all of her belongings were situated on the train, Boris began depositing all of her cases onto the platform while Rion grabbed the handle of the pet carrier. She held it protectively to her chest with both of her arms, a little meow echoing out as tiny claws appeared through the threading on the side.

Sonata meowed again as though she could sense the worry infiltrating the atmosphere. Rion whispered to her in an attempt to sooth the kitten, which was successful as Sonata calmed down after hearing the girl's voice. One of the station guards was kind enough to lend a helping hand to Boris's ongoing plight involving the suitcases, bringing each one onto the train.

Albert didn't have as much to bring on the train as he was already a fourth-year, with most of his required items still back at Hogwarts. William, however, being a first-year had everything to bring along that he needed for his attendance, which made it difficult to put all of the cases on the large locomotive at such short notice.

After placing most of the children's belongings onto the train, goodbyes and well wishes bounded about between both groups.

"Good luck on your studies and classes, Rion," said Rebekah. She planted a soft, gentle kiss upon Rion's head, said girl releasing a happy giggle at the sensation.

"Thanks, Aunt Rebekah," Rion looked downward to then address the small being inside her aunt's belly. "Bye, baby cousin. I'll talk to you more when I come back home."

The eleven-year-old shifted her gaze from her uncle to her aunt, a blinding smile on her face. "Have you decided on a name for him yet?"

"Rion," Boris began, "you have to get going: the train will be leaving shortly. As for. . . 'him,' Rebekah and I are still determining names. After all, we're not absolutely sure the baby truly is a boy or not."

"But the baby is a boy," said Rion confidently. "After all, my hunches are never wrong."

Just as Boris opened his mouth to say something, Rebekah planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth, effectively causing him to stop completely. The woman knew that if she hadn't done something he disapproved of—especially when done in front of the girls—he would've been obstinate in continuing to say what he wanted to say.

His eyes were wide, greatly taken aback by his wife's sudden kiss, while said woman kept her attention on Rion, who started giggling again. Octavia let out a laugh of her own, a wisp of air and sound, as quiet as the wind blowing past, there and then gone. But the happiness lacing it didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

Boris's voice was full of disapproval. "Dear, not in front of the girls. . ."

"Oh, it's fine, Boris," Rebekah smiled. "Rion's watched her parents kiss, and Vivi has witnessed us doing it before. Besides, it wasn't even that kind of kiss."

The man opened his mouth again in order to protest, and to question his wife on what she meant by that kind of kiss, when Rion spoke, "Yeah, Uncle Boris, kissing is normal between those who love each other, right?"

He released a small sigh, one of his hands coming to rest atop the crown of her head. "That's true, but that doesn't mean you and Octavia should be seeing such things at your age."

"Uncle Boris is a real stickler for tradition, isn't he?" Octavia asked, innocent yet blunt, head canted to the side.

Boris appeared comically distraught at being called a stickler.

A whistle sounded out, alerting the rest of the people still standing on the platform of the close departure of the train. The three that would be going to Hogwarts hurried over to the opened door of one of the coaches, standing there as they turned to look back at their families.

Rion lifted one of her hands into the air with a smile on her face. "Bye, everyone! Have a safe trip home! And, Tay, let's explore more of the garden when I come back!"

"Okay!" said Octavia, voice inexplicably happy while a smile of her own blossomed on her face.

Boris was appalled. "Now, you girls are aware that—"

Another whistle came, interrupting the man from saying anything more.

Rion shouted that she'd see her family at Christmas before moving further onto the train with Albert and William. As they meandered down the aisle, the train began to move lazily and languidly along the tracks. The trio passed by many of the other students who were just sitting on the benches outside of the compartments, but even as they got closer to those rooms in particular, they found that many of them were already full.

The boys hoped to find one that wasn't as full while Rion did her best to make sure that Sonata was as comfortable as possible. As they passed the compartments, Albert would steal a glance into the interior to see how many people were in them, and sometimes make eye contact with one or two of the students stationed within.

He'd give them a pleasant smile before moving on. One compartment in particular that was filled up to capacity, he caught the eye of one of the girls who was seated between two others that looked an awful lot like her in their features.

The one he caught the gaze of had triple shaded brown hair that was wavy with some strands held back with a clip as the rest fell loosely, the ends reaching the top of her shoulders while a lock each fell from either side of her forehead to frame her face. Her eyes were a striking yellow, like that of melted gold. She was dressed pretty casual, in a plain white shirt underneath a pair of suspenders that were attached to jean shorts, feet clad in a pair of trainers.

The duo stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the girl looked away, glancing a bit downward where her eyes widened a bit upon seeing something, or someone, she recognized. She was soon addressed by one of what looked to be a clone of her. The second girl showed the first something, to which the latter's face contorted to represent exasperation, but it seemed mild to Albert's observation.

After eye contact had officially been broken, Albert continued on down the corridor, William and Rion still following him dutifully. In a low voice, the younger boy questioned the older one about his sudden behaviour earlier. Albert reassured William by telling him that it wasn't anything to worry over.

Not finding any lies in Albert's words or tone, William willingly let the conversation go.

Eventually, the trio found themselves in a compartment, one that wasn't being occupied by anyone else. They distributed their belongings up onto the rack, Albert taking care of both his own and his brother's stuff. Rion, on the other hand, decided to be independent and put her own suitcases onto the rack. She walked on top of one of the seats while carrying one of her cases, Sonata's carrier set off to the side for the time being.

Instantly, William was by her side, offering his help in her endeavour. Rion was quick to say that she could do it, giving him a smile that was wide and full of assurance. The boy wasn't completely convinced, his worry of her possibly hurting herself evident. She was quite confident in her ability to not fall, with or without the suitcase, and proceeded to do exactly what she had set out to do.

Albert came up behind her to stand next to his brother, twin emerald that was a deeper green than hers staring up at her, watching and ready to step in if need be. Both boys allowed her to be stubborn even though it was possible something was going to happen, and when it didn't, Rion coming out of her task with a triumphant grin, Albert and William internally deflating in relief.

However, Albert soon took over for her just to make sure that which had worried him and his brother didn't ever happen to the girl. Rion opened her mouth to protest, but then William managed to convince her to allow the older boy to take care of the rest of her things.

"You did well, Rion," William smiled, "but how about allowing Albert to finish putting your stuff above the rack?"

She was silent for a moment before another grin illuminated her face. "All right! But, if Al has any trouble, I'll do the rest myself."

Albert released a laugh, genuine and good-natured. "I'll be fine, Rion. And when did you decide to call me 'Al?'"

"Is that bad?" Rion asked, an apologetic frown replacing her grin. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Should I call you by your whole first name or just your last name?"

"I'm not angry, Rion," Albert told her, finally finished with putting away her things. "You can call me 'Al,' I have no problem with it. I was just asking since I hadn't heard you call me that until now."

The frown instantly faded away, the grin making its comeback. "Really, you're not angry? I'm glad! And I thought I'd call you by a shorter version of your name, like I do with my family and other friends, like Will and Am."

"Am?"

Just then, a knock sounded at the compartment's door. The children glanced over, seeing a familiar person standing right outside. Rion's grin widened even more and she had no hesitancy in her steps and actions as she practically lunged forward, wrenching the door wide open.

"Am! I had just talked about you!"

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, curiosity plainly heard in the tone of her voice. "What exactly about?"

"Nothing much. Just the fact that you're my friend."

"Ah, I see."

Eyes of melted gold peered upward to see another pair of green and one of red looking right at her. A frown marred her features, brows creasing visibly as confusion took hold of her.

The brunette leaned down so she could whisper in Rion's ear. "Hey, who are those two?"

The blonde glanced over her shoulder where her eyes landed on the aforementioned boys. "That's William and his brother Albert."

Upon hearing the first name being said, an instantaneous click sounded in Amity's mind. She remembered it acutely due to the fact the other girl would mention William almost every day, especially when it came to the letters he would send her. Amity would either get a letter herself or be informed of the two's interactions when she would pay a visit to Rion and her family.

In Amity's opinion, Rion appeared to be too clingy when it involved William, and the brunette had half a mind to believe that the other may have developed a crush on him. That idea was soon chucked out the window as Amity came to the conclusion that there was no way of such a thing even being remotely possible.

Not that she thought Rion was immune to having crushes on other people, but the very thought of her friend being smitten with someone upon meeting them was hard for Amity to consider.

Maybe she was just in denial. Who knew.

When Rion opened her mouth to elaborate, Amity had politely rested her hand upon her shoulder. "I know. I remember after all of the times you told me about him."

The blonde smiled in a sheepish manner, looking very much apologetic about what had transpired in the near past.

It was then Amity shifted her focus back to William and Albert.

"Well, I guess I should introduce myself properly. My parents would find it rude if I didn't." she said. Walking further into the compartment, Amity stuck one of her hands out to shake with theirs. "My name is Amity Quinnell."

More introductions followed, and as soon as the name Moriarty passed Albert's lips, Amity's eyes had narrowed an evident fraction that immediately made the boys at once confused and then not soon after.

It was common knowledge in their world that the Moriartys weren't exactly seen as the most reliable and quite affable family of human beings. Except with those who were like them, and even that was a far stretch. Amity's reaction to their last name was to be expected, especially considering her family circumstances. Albert and William were understanding, however, they were nothing like the older boy's parents or his real younger brother at all.

But it seemed, if William's observation of the girl's personality had been accurate so far—which was never wrong in the first place—then Amity would take a long time to be convinced of such a notion no matter how kind, polite and considerate the brothers truly were and showed themselves to be.

Before anything could be said on the subject, Rion approached Amity while smiling in a way that was almost placating in nature.

"Am, are you planning on staying a while?"

"Maybe," replied Amity, expression changing and attention now fully focused on the other girl. "My sisters are still back in the other compartment, and I did let them know that I might be gone for a spell as I was looking for you."

Rion's eyes communicated her hope, "Do you think Ser and Ver would mind if you stayed here? I'd really like to spend the rest of the train ride with you, Will and Al."

A sigh was exhaled through Amity's nose at the mention of the brothers who were standing off to the side, silent as the girls spoke with each other. The reluctancy exuding off the girl was not unnoticeable, however, Amity's desire to be close to Rion, if not to 'protect' her then to surely spend some quality time with her at least, won over her reluctance, beating it soundlessly into the background.

"All right," Amity closed her eyes, hands on her hips. "I'll go tell Serenity and Verity that I'll be staying in here with you from now on."

After doing exactly what she said she would do, Amity returned to the trio's compartment, taking a seat next to Rion on her side of the room. Casual conversation was struck up between the four with Sonata lying between Rion and the wall where the window was, the kitten's eyes were keen as they looked everywhere and her ears flipped around whenever she heard new sounds bounding about.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted the next words that were about to spill forth from Rion's lips. Six pairs of eyes glanced over, curiosity bouncing around inside their hearts. The door was soon opened to reveal a woman in her sixties pushing along a trolley cart filled from top to bottom with sweets.

Rion's eyes immediately took on a shine as they zeroed in on the candy displayed for all to see.

"Hello, dears," the woman said, kind and polite smile on her face. "Would you like anything off the trolley?"

Just as Amity was about to answer the woman, Rion bounced up and out of her seat, startling the other girl at the unexpected action. She walked over to the woman with a pep in her step, excitement exuding off her in waves.

The woman's smile remained as her eyes centered on Rion. "I see I have a customer. What can I get for you, dear?"

Before she gave her answer, Rion stood there for a while contemplating on what exactly she should get. Everything looked good to her, since as a typical child she absolutely loved anything made with an alarming amount of sugar, which made it quite difficult to choose.

In a grand declaration she said that she'd take a little of every single kind of sweet, dumbfounding the trolley woman immensely. The other three occupants weren't as surprised, with Amity releasing a soft sigh through her nose at the predictability of it all, and Albert and William giving knowing smiles.

After sending the trolley woman off with a polite smile and wave, Rion wandered back to her seat where the sweets she had just bought had been placed with the help of Amity, Albert and William.

---

The train continued its fast, even pace as it traveled along the tracks toward its one destination, the scenery beyond the window blurring together in a melodious hue of blue, white, green and brown.

With sweets still piled high between the girls, Rion and Amity chatted amiably with each other to fill the silence, periodically partaking from the small mountain of treats in between. Across from them William and Albert were still seated, the former reading the contents of a book he had brought along while the latter stared out the window, elbow propped on the sill with his chin resting on the back of his hand.

The sweets that Rion had so generously given them were settled off to the side, and every now and then, the boys would have one or two before going back to their previous occupations.

Sonata was still lying between the slightly younger girl and the wall with the window, eyes slowly blinking closed every now and then as sleep began to overtake her. Her tiny paws languidly kneaded into the denim fabric of Rion's trousers.

Archimedes was settled inside his cage, eyes opening and closing every now and then in a way that spoke of his trying to stay awake during the day hours. For an owl, and one that wasn't diurnal which was pretty rare for his species, that turned out to be quite the feat, though it was only bearing a small amount of fruit as of yet.

Eventually, Rion brought up a topic that she was very excited about, but one that Amity wasn't too concerned with, especially considering it was about a day that occurred every year without fail. And even though Halloween and Christmas were similar in that way, Amity didn't feel that her day was of any great significance unlike those two holidays.

"Am, do you want anything for your birthday this year?"

A small hum escaped said girl, eyes staring pointedly at the pack of pumpkin jellies in her hand. "I don't really have anything specific in mind."

Rion frowned, head canted. "Really? Nothing at all?"

"Not a thing,"

"Well, we should do something, though. Maybe play a game together on the weekend?"

"That'd be fine. I'd rather spend it doing something then getting presents anyway."

"Any game in particular you'd want to do?"

"My birthday is a whole two months away, Rion. We can figure that out when it gets closer, okay?"

It was silent for a spell, and then Rion spoke, beaming brightly. "Okay!"

There was the sound of a slight something to her tone that Amity heard, the latter's eyes narrowing suspiciously at Rion but remaining silent.

It was then that Albert said, "Your birthday's in November, Quinnell?"

Amity politely nodded her head. "Yeah. The thirteenth to be precise."

Rion suddenly perked up, her signature smile fluttering to her lips, eyes glancing between Albert and William. "What about you two? When are your birthdays?"

Not seeing a problem with such an innocent question, the boys answered it in turn.

"Really?" Rion's smile widened. "We'll have to do something special for them when the time comes!"

Albert smiled as well, though his wasn't as broad as hers. "And you, Rion? When is your birthday?"

Silence took over instantaneously, filling the once jovial atmosphere with a more morose air. Rion fell uncharacteristically quiet, eyes staring at the compartment floor instead of at any of the other occupants.

Amity glanced over, brows creased as a worried frown marred her features. She refused to answer the question in the girl's stead even though she could've, choosing to instead wait and see what the blonde would do.

The boys grew worried as the silence continued to stretch on.

And then, as if nothing had changed at all, Rion gave her signature smile, her eyes closing and hands loosely clenched in tiny fists in her lap. "My birthday is in March and is on the twelfth day."

Time seemed to slow down as Albert and William took in her words, how easily she had said them after such a long pause of nothing, and the fact that that specific date sounded so familiar for a very specific reason.

No one else said anything after that.

Rion then swiped a small box off the top of the sweets pile and opened it up, a brown something jetting right out of it and hitting the window, a loud slapping noise resounding throughout the compartment.

Sonata, who had finally fallen asleep amidst their discussion—which was pretty loud given the tiny space although the quartet were using their normal talking voices—snapped awake, her mismatched irises looking up toward the window in fright.

The something in question was a small frog that was the same color of milk chocolate, stuck to the once clean glass as though its life depended on it.

Rion's eyes were wide as she stared at it. She soon turned her attention to Amity, giving the bottom half of the box over to the other girl.

"Am, can you hold this for me? And let me know what card I got this time?"

Silently, Amity took the half and watched as Rion set about to catch the frog which proved to be quite slippery as it bounded about, leaving the window to the floor and then to the door that lead in and out of the compartment. Rion followed it each time, and each time she wasn't able to grab it before it moved on to its next location.

Just as Rion got to the door, Amity spoke.

"You got Morgana,"

Rion released a disappointed noise, finally catching the chocolate frog by its legs between her index and thumb. She turned to look at Amity, the figure of a person appearing outside the door. "Again? I have so many cards of her already."

With instinctive ease, the slightly younger girl threw her head back while opening her mouth wide to drop the frog into it. Rion chewed, the frog's legs that had been struggling between her lips ceasing their movement. She approached Amity to take a look at the card, a frown marring her features when it was revealed that the latter had told the truth.

The redheaded Dark witch stared back at the two girls with a look of utter contempt, as if she didn't want to be there or was disgusted by her current company.

Amity, in her rising petty anger, almost threw the card to the floor in retaliation for the look.

Suddenly, and certainly with no forewarning, the compartment's door was opened, startling the six occupants within. Four humans, a kitten and an owl glanced over to see who had entered, finding a boy who stood at the same height as Amity with striking white hair that one would typically see adorning the heads of the elderly that was slicked back neatly and purple eyes the very shade of the lavender flower.

He was dressed in his Hogwarts robes already despite the fact the train wasn't even close to reaching its current destination. The collar of a white button up could be seen above the v of the slate grey v-neck jumper with black trousers and a pair of newly polished black Oxfords. A long black robe covered his back, the hem almost reaching the train floor before stopping just above his heels, the sleeves long with the ends fanning out around his wrists.

Absently, Rion noted how the male and female versions of the uniform weren't that much different except for the bottom portion. That was to be expected, but it was something that Rion wouldn't have put much thought toward as it didn't seem like something that needed much thinking about to begin with.

And then she remembered that she didn't really think much at all anyway, and so everything made sense upon that one accurate thought.

The silence that had reigned for a short moment was broken when the newcomer spoke, his voice filled with a sense of haughtiness that immediately put Amity on guard. Albert and William, too, regarded the third boy with caution, waiting and observing what was to happen.

"Hey, I'm looking for someone. Has anyone seen a girl shorter than me, with red hair and blue eyes?"

Rion, ever the kind and helpful, said, "I haven't seen anyone that looks like that."

"Neither have I," said Amity, still eyeing the boy with scrutiny.

"There hasn't been any person of that description that has appeared in or has gone by this compartment any time recently," supplied Albert.

William spoke next, "Is there an emergency?"

The third boy looked to each one of the other children as they spoke, his eyes growing narrow whenever they landed on a particular person in succession. He remained silent for a while, taking in the appearance of the others inside the compartment and trying to mentally pinpoint from what families they hailed from based on their features.

Once his gaze fell upon Amity again, words bubbled up in his mind and he had just opened his mouth when someone spoke his name from over his shoulder, effectively stopping him before he even had the chance.

"Lionel, what are you doing?"

The voice was soft and curiously inquisitive. It belonged to the very person he had been looking for, a young girl of average height with vivid red hair and blue eyes that had a shade of dull grey permeating the perimeter of the irises. She was also dressed in the school uniform.

Rion exhibited surprise when her twin emeralds looked into the distinctly familiar pair of blues, the other girl showing the exact same emotion upon her face. Her eyes then glanced over to her right, meeting the scarlet irises that belonged to William, said boy keeping their gazes locked without even once looking away.

He smiled, politely and kindly, head tilted a bit to the side.

The redhead's face blossomed from its natural pale to a red that was a similar shade to her hair, appearing as though she was trying to resemble the visage of a crab or a lobster.

An expression of disgust twisted Amity's face and one of knowing was on Albert's while Rion's eyes widened significantly.

"I was looking for you, Monica," Lionel said, causing the girl in question to flinch and shift her eyes from William to the other boy. "Where were you?"

"The bathroom. I was changing into my uniform."

"That's where you were the entire time? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I did, but you weren't paying attention."

As Lionel and Monica continued to talk, which eventually evolved into a bit of a banter, Amity leaned toward Rion in an almost conspiratorial fashion while her eyes of melted gold were centered on the aforementioned duo, voice low.

"They can just leave, can't they? After all, he found her, the person he was looking for, so why are they still here?"

"Whatever," Lionel said, gathering the other girls' attention once more. He then turned to look at the main occupants of the compartment. "I'm Lionel Drake."

Upon hearing the boy's family name, four bells rang loud and clear, registering keenly in their minds.

Amity muttered something along the lines of 'great, another one' while her eyes looked off to the side, mood dropping even more than it already had been. Rion glanced over at her briefly before veering her attention back to Lionel.

Seeing as it would've been impolite not to return the favour, Rion introduced herself. This caused the atmosphere in the compartment to change significantly, everyone within the small room noticing the sudden transformation immediately. The girl suddenly felt the need to run, nausea filling her stomach to the point that she felt as though she was genuinely going to vomit all over the compartment floor.

What happened soon after was quite unexpected for some of the occupants in the compartment.

Lionel made a beeline straight for Rion with said girl hurriedly backing up and toward the window that was opposite the door. Her bright emeralds were wide upon finding herself practically trapped in a corner, hands coming to rest against her chest as though to defend herself from the boy.

His words were sharp and biting as they escaped him, "You're the daughter of the blood traitor of Thorne and that entire family that consists of nothing but blood traitors."

"Blood traitor is a harsh word to use. . ." Rion said, voice low.

"It's the precise word to use for those who sympathize with those types." Lionel's eyes shifted to stare at Amity. In response, she tipped her chin up, a challenge in her own eyes communicated quite clearly.

Rion was uncomfortable. Extremely so. "Those types, you say. . ."

Lionel smirked. "You can't even say the word, can you? It was made to be used by us, you know, the pure ones."

"That's terrible. . ."

"After saying it so many times, and not seeing the other person as one of your own, it becomes really easy. Go on, say it. The earlier, the better. At least, that's what my father told me."

"No," said Rion, defiance bleeding through the tone of her voice. "No, I won't."

After setting his book off to the side, William lifted himself to his full height, effectively acquiring everyone's attention and focus. Monica, who had taken three steps forward to stop Lionel, paused in her own trek, eyes curiously watching the other boy.

"Excuse me," William's voice was polite but there was another emotion underlying the tone. It was very well hidden as no one else could hear it. "You're scaring Rion, and she doesn't look very comfortable right now."

Lionel narrowed his eyes. "And who are you?"

It was obvious by how the other boy decided to pose a question to William instead of backing away from Rion that Lionel didn't give a single care as to how she was feeling in that given moment. He stayed where he was, basically holding her hostage at this point.

The girl didn't move because she had a hunch that Lionel wasn't going to let her go unless he wanted to let her go. And so Rion stayed perfectly still, waiting for the right opportunity to get away from him.

William smiled, the action holding two entirely different emotions within it. "My name is William James Moriarty."

"Moriarty. . .?" Lionel instantaneously shifted away from Rion, and the girl acted quickly in going over to William's side, her hands grasping his arm as she hid a bit behind him. "You're the second son. Then, that means. . ."

His lavender irises looked over at Albert who offered a polite, albeit tight, smile in return. "You're the first son, right?"

Albert nodded. "That's right. Albert James Moriarty. It's nice to meet you, Drake."

"Yes. A pleasure. . ." said Lionel, his entire demeanour doing a complete one-eighty. "My father spoke about the Moriartys, saying how they were the epitome of what a pure-blood wizard is; they and the Thorne family both."

His gaze landed on Rion again, and she gripped William's arm tighter upon making eye contact.

Lionel's voice was decidedly morose as he said, "If only the youngest son hadn't have decided to fraternize with the second daughter of the Winters family, then the Thornes wouldn't have been disgraced by his betrayal."

Rion remained silent, not a peep escaping her at his words.

Finally with the last vestiges of her patience gone, though there wasn't really much to begin with, Amity hopped up and out of her seat to march straight toward Lionel, who glanced over with nothing but cool indifference showing on his face.

"What do you want, Mu—"

"Who are you to talk as if you knew Rion's father?" asked Amity, face contorting in her anger. "I don't remember Uncle Magnus saying anything about having ties with the Drake family, and I have a really hard time believing he would 'fraternize' with people like you, at least willingly."

From behind, Monica's soft voice spoke up, "Um, everyone—"

"Of course you would refer to the traitor of the Thorne family so familiarly, after all, the youngest son practically adopted that disowned, magically-incapable filth you call a father, much like that of a pet."

If Amity had been angry before, then what she was displaying now was most certainly rage.

Her features contorted viciously, unbridled fury boiling in her gut and causing her heart to pound expeditously, hands coming to clench tightly into fists. It took everything in her tiny body to will herself to not hit him, which was becoming more difficult as time passed.

"Take that back, you pompous, arrogant, insensitive little—"

"Excuse me!"

Monica's shout interrupted what would've turned into an actual duel on the Hogwarts Express. Everyone's eyes centered on her then and the redhead grew very subconscious with all of the attention she garnered from her sudden outburst.

Ignoring the heat blossoming on her face, Monica's blue-greys looked over at Lionel, a certain emotion shining in them. "Lionel, you got what you wanted, so we should leave and go back to our compartment."

Said boy stole another glance at Amity before pivoting on his heel, sauntering over to where Monica still stood. Amity glared at Lionel with such vehemence it practically flowed off her body like a thick mist. Her eyes continued to follow his figure as he exited out of the compartment, Monica yelling after him to apologize for his rude behaviour.

She looked back. "I'm sorry, everyone, for him. He's. . . well. . ."

"Spoiled? Rude? Prejudiced?" supplied Amity, the bite in her tone not meant for the other girl, but was directed at her regardless given the fact she was talking to her.

Monica flinched, expression apologetic. "Yeah. He's all that and more."

"And you're friends with him?"

"Well, we've known each other for a long time, and our families are. . . um. . ." the redhead looked troubled, almost as though she was afraid of continuing her sentence in fear of something.

Suddenly, the sound of Lionel's voice floated down the hall. "Monica! Come on!"

"I'm coming!" she shouted outside the compartment. Turning back to the quartet, she said, "Once again, I'm sorry for Lionel, and I wish you all good luck in getting sorted into your preferred House."

With that, Monica left to go back to her own compartment down the way, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door was closed, Rion's grip on William's arm loosened significantly, a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding being exhaled in the same instant. A sense of relief gradually began to settle in her heart as the heavy feeling she had been weighted with disappeared slowly.

William's eyes landed on her. "Are you all right?"

A confused sound escaped Rion before she answered with, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm all right. Thanks, Will, for everything."

Her eyes shifted toward Amity who's gaze was still lingering on the door. A scowl twisted her features, her anger remaining despite the source of it having left long ago. After blowing a harsh sigh through her nose, Amity locked eyes with Rion before walking back to her seat so she could settle into it once more.

Almost as if she could feel the urge to say something from the other three, Amity said, "I don't want to be asked. So, don't."

"Amity—"

"Rion," the slightly older girl sent the blonde a pointed look, "don't, please."

Rion's face communicated her unnecessary guilt. "I'm sorry."

"If you're apologizing for that utter prat and what he said, then don't," Amity crossed her arms, countenance appearing exhausted and listless. "It wasn't your fault, none of it. The cards we're dealt are no fault of ours. . ."

Those last words she spoke lingered in the air, the other children contemplating on them in their own version of silence.

---

When the train finally arrived at its destination, the sun had set past the distant mountains, and was no longer visible in the sky which was now a dazzling midnight black, the moon shining its pearlescent light down on all of the inhabitants of earth with dark clouds rolling by at a slow, calm pace.

The station where the steam locomotive had ceased its movement was attached to the only all-wizarding village in all of Great Britain: Hogsmeade Village. Considering the darkness, it was difficult to see anything worthwhile except for the outlines of buildings further down from the station.

After departing off the train and on to the small platform, Rion whipped her head around this way and that, doing her utmost best to take in the scenery despite the dark. She was dressed in her Hogwarts robes, which was recommended for all students of every year before officially arriving inside the school's walls.

The chilly night air blew past, ruffling the ends of Rion's light blonde hair and the hems of her clothing. From behind she could hear the approach of the other students including Albert, William and Amity, who were also donning their own uniforms.

Unlike the eleven-year-olds who had not been sorted into their respective Houses yet, Albert's uniform denoted his House with green lining the inside of his black robe while the emblem for it was stamped to the top left of both his robe and jumper, with his tie embroidered with the colors of green and silver as well.

A silver snake with pitch black eyes against a deep green background within a silver frame—the emblem designated to those who had been sorted into the House of Slytherin.

Once she had seen the emblem, Amity muttered something about how predictable it was that a Moriarty was placed in that particular house. After all, every single wizard born with that last name, and even those who married into the family, was put into Slytherin for many centuries.

Such a revelation was never a surprise to anyone.

But Rion was quite interested in the fact that Albert was sorted into Slytherin on his very first day at Hogwarts. Thanks to one special person in her life, Rion didn't hold any sort of prejudice against any of the Houses, especially Slytherin despite the countless negative connotations that had been put on it by everyone else, even those who were sorted into said House.

Amity, however, was different. The slightly older girl was immediately overtaken with a feeling of apprehension and wariness upon learning that Albert was a Slytherin. She didn't outright scorn or deride him, but she kept a bit more of a distance between the both of them because of that tidbit of knowledge.

Although they noticed this, neither Albert nor William said anything and instead acted as if nothing of the sort was happening, whether blatant or not. And Amity wasn't exactly subtle about her distancing, though she didn't really try to hide it anyway.

After reuniting off the train, with William and Amity coming to flank either side of Rion, Albert stood off to the side and near the path where the second-years and above were traveling down in order to climb aboard the carriages that would take them to the castle.

"I'll see you three at the Great Hall," Albert said, offering a kind smile. "That's where the Start-of-Term Feast begins as well as the Sorting Ceremony."

"Yes, and please be careful on your way to the castle, brother," said William, a smile of his own fluttering to his lips.

Rion nodded in agreement to the younger boy's sentiment. She then lifted one of her hands into the air to wave it back and forth as she grinned happily. "See you then, Al!"

Amity inclined her head politely while raising a hand slightly before letting it fall back to her side.

In the distance, a male voice shouted Albert's last name to get his attention. After telling the trio good luck in their eventual sorting, Albert proceeded down the path with the rest of the students, another Slytherin boy meeting him along the way.

They conversed affably with each other as they walked to where the carriages were stationed.

The sound of grass crunching underneath one's shoes snapped all of the first-years' focus to the side. A woman of tall stature stood in a small opening that lead down, her reddish-orange hair so long that it fell past her waist to almost reach the ground. Her eyes were a unique shade of blue, verging on a slightly purplish hue, and they stared at the children with a look of fondness. She was dressed in red robes with the color appearing darker than it what it truly was in the night.

"Hello, lovelies!" the woman smiled widely, eyes closing. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance! I'm Fianna Alden, gamekeeper of Hogwarts, professor of Care of Magical Creatures, as well as one of the Heads of House."

She gave a bow. "I will be the one to escort all of you lovelies across the Great Lake to the castle and to where the Sorting Ceremony will be taking place."

Straightening back up to her full height, Fianna gestured toward the opening where she came from. "If you all would follow me, I will lead you to where the lake is."

All of the children dutifully did as instructed, following her in the darkness and down a semi-winding path that eventually expanded to show the aforementioned lake that resembled the same color as the sky, covering a large expanse in front of the tall, majestic castle whose outline could still be seen lying beyond it. From supposedly small and seemingly open windows, light could be seen indicating that there were indeed people residing in the huge structure, orange and yellow flames illuminating a bit of its outer surroundings.

To the left from the other side of the lake, a forest was positioned not too far but also not too close to the castle. Due to the dark, it was incredibly difficult to see any of it, both the interior and exterior.

When her gaze landed on the forest, Rion felt a shiver travel down her spine, and she had a distinct feeling it wasn't because of the cold either.

Fianna then gestured to the many small boats littered around the bank. "Now then, if all you would be so kind as to climb aboard the boats. Don't worry, they will take you of their own accord: no need for you or anyone else to steer them. Only four can accompany one boat, please keep that in mind, lovelies."

Rion's eyes shined in happy anticipation as they gazed at the boats in question. She looked from William to Amity and back in quick succession as she asked, "Will you both be in the same boat with me?"

"I'll accompany you, Rion," said William, acquiescing to the girl's request.

Rion grinned happily.

Amity stole a glance over her shoulder in search of her siblings. "Yeah, if my sisters don't—"

Golden yellow landed on her sisters and found them chatting amiably with two other first-years before climbing into one of the boats with them. Amity's once neutral expression turned blank in an instant, a feeling of betrayal filling her heart, though she was the type to never admit that she ever felt such a thing.

The brunette shifted her gaze back to Rion. "Well, they seem to have their match, so I'll go along with you and Moriarty, Rion."

A loud and excited sound of happiness escaped the other girl. Rion meandered her way over to one of the boats with William and Amity following close behind. The trio entered it, William helping the girls in one at a time. Rion sat near the front with Amity coming to take the spot next to her as William then sat across from the former.

Before the boats were signaled to move forward, a fourth person made themselves known. The three inside their own boat glanced over at the soft voice to find that it belonged to none other than Monica Reid, the girl they met on the train.

"Excuse me, could I ride along with you three? All the others are full."

Rion was the first one to speak. "I don't mind. Will, Am?"

"If everywhere else is full, she'll have to be in the same one as us," Amity crossed her arms over her chest in a loose gesture, not really giving an explicit 'yes' or 'no' answer.

William lifted himself back to his full height to extend a helping hand in Monica's direction. "Would you like some help getting in the boat, Reid?"

"You can call me Monica," the redhead offered, face flushing instantaneously. "And I'd love help. Thank you kindly."

A short yet quiet scoff left Amity's lips. Rion looked over at her, head canted in confusion. Amity pointedly shook her head and Rion laughed a bit, already aware of what was transpiring under the surface.

The brunette narrowed her eyes at the blonde who only smiled, hands resting in her lap.

With William's help, Monica climbed into the boat and took the space next to the boy, her face still resembling the color of her hair.

Suddenly in the dark of the night, Fianna's voice could be heard booming all over the bank while in a boat of her own. "All right, lovelies, it's time to set off! Please be seated and stay seated as we make our way to the castle!"

And just as she said, the boats began to advance to their preset destination.

The time sailing atop the Great Lake was pleasant and delightful, but the cold air was still biting, permeating everyone's skin even through the layers of clothing adorning the children's bodies. Puffs of white escaped passed parted lips, arms wrapped around themselves in an attempt to stay warm.

Though she could feel the chill acutely, Rion's focus was taken by the wide expanse of the water, and the huge mass meandering languidly under the surface.

Rion's head snapped downward at that. A large something under the water?

Planting both of her hands on the edge, the girl leaned her head over so she could get a better look at whatever it was that was still passing by the underside of the boat. The other three occupants noticed Rion's weird behaviour and Amity called out to her, asking her what in the bloody scourge she was doing.

A tentacle was then lifted into the air almost as though it decided to answer Amity's question in Rion's stead.

Eyes of yellow, red and blue widened significantly at the sight, worry and concern filling their hearts to a great degree. Amity was quick to act, grasping the black robe covering Rion's back while William watched in silence but was on alert nonetheless, ready to jump in to help pull Rion away if need be. Monica, though, was frozen stiff in fear at the sight of the huge appendage still aloft in the air.

"Rion! Get back now!" was Amity's loud demand.

Many of the other children in the boats looked over at the sound of the commotion. Fianna, too, glanced over, curiosity plain on her features. Her unique blues widened upon seeing the tentacle out of the water, knowing full well what, and who, it belonged to while the other children released gasps and hiccups of utter shock and fear.

Instead of listening to the brunette, Rion looked over her shoulder, a reassuring smile lifting the corners of her mouth up. "It's okay, Am. He's harmless. Look."

Rion reached one of her hands toward the appendage. In response, Amity's tugging became more fierce, trying to pull the other girl away from the edge to no avail. Rion held on, refusing to be stopped before she successfully proved that the creature underneath the surface could be trusted to not hurt her, intentionally or not.

And then with the barest hint of contact, Rion touched the tentacle. The owner was still, quiet, and hesitant to return the touch. It eventually did, and even wrapped itself around her small hand, its own form of holding her hand.

She grinned, happy giggles bubbling up in her chest and escaping to fill the air and echo all around.

A wave of universal relief washed over everyone at the sound.

Fianna smiled fondly at the sight. She tapped her own boat, effectively garnering the attention of the giant squid who promptly left Rion's side while gently and slowly releasing her hand to go toward the woman. When he arrived at her side, Fianna spoke to the squid, her voice low.

Settling back down in her seat, Rion looked over at Amity, who showed the disapproval she felt on her face without remorse and without guilt. Her arms were crossed over her chest, one leg resting over the other as she regarded Rion with an expression that was quite similar to that of parental disappointment.

William, who wasn't too worried given the fact he was aware that the giant squid that resided in the Great Lake was indeed harmless, asked Rion if the girl was okay to which she replied with a jovial affirmation. She went on to explain how nice and gentle the squid was when he wrapped his tentacle around her hand, though wet and a bit slimy as well.

The rest of the way along the lake was uneventful thereafter.

The boats soon reached their destination, coming ashore and staying there. The first-years departed them to walk back on to land, where Fianna stood motionlessly, waiting politely and patiently for all the children. Once they had all exited out of the boats, the woman made her way up the path that lead into the courtyard and then to two big, grand double doors that were promptly opened all of their own volition.

No one said anything as everyone continued onward. Rion's head snapped in every direction to see everything, with Amity placing the palm of her hand atop Rion's crown to stop her from possibly breaking her neck with how fast and constant she was moving.

Rion brandished a sheepish smile in apology.

Amity gave her a look that said she wasn't angry, just worried for the other's safety.

Now inside the castle, the children found themselves in a long stretch of corridor that was flanked by a stone wall to the left while a more open structure that wasn't necessarily a wall but was still a wall nonetheless was situated. The floor was made of stone too, and the shoes that the first-years were to wear with their uniforms made noisy clacking sounds against it as they walked.

More flames of orange and yellow hovered near the walls to light the way, the chill even more prominent within the large building. Rion watched the fire dance around in the night air, not once looking away until the group was far enough away where she couldn't lay eyes on them anymore.

As they got closer to another set of huge doors, the figure of an unfamiliar person could also be seen standing in front of them. The person was a woman standing at an above average height with her arms behind her back. Light blonde hair was set atop her head in a bun, a thick lock falling and framing the right side of her face. She had sky blue eyes that were painted with a cool and distant hue, appearing somewhat different from the rest of her family members. Her body was donned in deep blue robes that practically covered her from head to toe, the color a darker shade than her eyes and the same as her former House.

Upon seeing the woman, Rion's eyes widened in recognition, having completely forgot about that particular fact in her excitement and anticipation for school.

Amity noticed as well. She looked over at Rion. "Rion, isn't that one of your aunts?"

"Yeah," Rion nodded, feet not pausing in their trek. "That's my aunt Zelda. I can't believe I forgot that she was apart of the faculty here."

Signaling all of the children to stop in their walking, Fianna meandered her way over toward the other woman with a pep in her step. Zelda saw this and immediately scowled, though there was no real bite in the contortions of her face.

"Zelda! Lovely seeing you here! How are things?"

"Fianna," Zelda's voice was low but not exactly quiet, holding a hint of exasperation and annoyance within the tone. "You do realize that we just saw each other before you set out to collect the first-years, right?"

Fianna waved the blonde's words away in a dismissive manner. Literally. "Details, details! Even being away for a short amount of time can make the heart grow fonder!"

Zelda released a sigh. The other woman's almost perpetual happy and jovial disposition typically weighed down upon the blonde's patience and tolerance.

Her focus veered from the redhead to the group of children that were standing absolutely still, much like sculptures or statues or the bodies of armour littering the halls and corridors of the castle. At least the ones that weren't enchanted to move.

Zelda's gaze fluttered over each of the children's heads until her piercing sky blue eyes landed on her niece who jolted right when their gazes locked. Both William and Amity looked over at Rion from where they stood beside her. The boy soon felt the older woman's stare on him, and looked up, the two locking eyes together.

Hers narrowed almost instantaneously upon contact. Zelda inclined her head sharply, motioning the children to come closer and stand in front of her.

Fianna continued to talk amiably with Zelda who replied with short, clipped sentences and a curt tone. Eventually the women parted ways, Fianna expressing her excitement and anticipation to teach the children her own subject whenever they would be able to. She then slipped through the double doors, the room inside seen only for a brief moment before the doors were once again slammed shut.

"Now," Zelda began, voice still cool, "let's get down to business. Fianna is quite the chatterbox, and we're soon past schedule."

The aura surrounding the woman became even more prevalent as the children grew closer to her, but still maintaining a dignified distance between them.

"My name is Zelda Winters. I am the Deputy Headmistress, a professor of Charms, and a Head of House—specifically for the House of Ravenclaw. And I will be the one to escort you into the Great Hall and help you get sorted into your respective House. If you are already not aware, there are exactly four Houses within the entire school—Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

Zelda's hands remained behind her back. "Each House has its own common room and dormitories which you will be living and residing in during your time at Hogwarts. For those of you who may have been told otherwise, the Sorting Ceremony is not a testing phase. You will sit upon a stool and wear the Sorting Hat which will determine your House for you. There will be nothing to fear or worry about. . ."

She canted her head. "Unless you have a specific House in mind. I wouldn't be expectant in which House you will be sorted into, as whatever the Hat says is the final decision. Only the rare few get to pick if the student is determined to fit more than one House."

The woman pivoted on her heel to face the double doors. "Now, the Sorting Ceremony will begin. Form a neat and organized line behind me, please."

The first-years did as instructed quickly. Rion managed to get between William and Amity with the former directly in front of her and the latter directly behind her. Amity's sisters also happened to have gotten behind the brunette in turn, and she appeared mildly surprised by the fact.

Zelda opened the doors in a flourishing manner, wide and almost grandiose. The room was large and seemed to stretch on further where another table was placed, a line of adults seated in the chairs facing the only entrance and exit into the Great Hall. Four huge, rectangular tables were situated one after the other, with generous gaps to separate them. Even more flames of orange and yellow floated in the air to illuminate the expansive space, the ceiling resembling the night sky even though the entire room was cordoned off from the outside.

The older students were already sitting at their respective House's table, and were engaging in affable and light conversation before the doors had been opened to reveal Zelda and the new students. The older ones ceased all communication, every single pair of eyes now on the newcomers.

With a confident and self-assured gait, back straight and shoulders squared, the woman walked down the middle path that was settled between two of the tables, her destination being further down the path.

As the children followed after Zelda diligently, one of Amity's sisters leaned over said girl's shoulder in order to address Rion. "It's amazing, isn't it, Rion? This place is so cool!"

"Yeah, it is!" was Rion's excited and happy response.

It didn't take long for Zelda to motion the children to cease in their walking, some of them bumping into each other because of the suddenness of the stop. It was almost like a domino effect where one child would pause abruptly and then another would do the same in response to not having been paying attention to the path of travel.

Rion, who had still been focused on trying to take in everything again, promptly walked into William's back, causing the both of them to lurch forward a bit. The girl gave him an apologetic smile when he turned to steal a glance over his shoulder. William smiled back, reassuring Rion that he was perfectly fine.

Amity, however, was able to stop just in time before she slammed into Rion from behind. Unfortunately for her, her sisters didn't, and ended up making contact with her back. She hurriedly shot a mild glare at Serenity, who only smiled cheekily back at the eldest while Verity looked between her older sisters, arms wrapped around the middle sister's waist.

After walking up the extra level past the front of the tables, Zelda came to stand next to a stool where an old looking hat was resting. She grabbed a long stretch of parchment that was set off to the side, and stood in the same manner she did before entering the Great Hall.

And then, with a commanding voice, she spoke the first name on the list, going by the first initial of one's family name, said child hurriedly running her way up when she was given a 'come here' look by Zelda.

The girl sat down, placing the hat upon her head after remembering the words the woman had said previously. It didn't take very long to hear another, very unfamiliar voice shout out one word and one word only.

"Slytherin!"

Some of the other first-years jolted in fright at the unexpected announcement. Even the girl sitting on the stool jumped in her seat. When she was told by Zelda to go to her table, she had just hopped off the stool when her uniform began to change. The lining on the inside of her robe shifted from its pure black to a deep green that resembled the color of a forest. Her tie also changed colors from one to two: where it had formerly been black, it was now a green, the same shade as the inside of her robe, and silver grey.

The emblem of her new and permanent House became etched on the top left of both her robe and buttoned cardigan.

She scurried off to her table, and Zelda called the next first-year up.

The calling of the names and the loud announcement of the current first-year's House remained consistent for the remainder of the ceremony.

"Beckett, Cotton!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Brennan, Alexander!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Castleberry, Ida!"

"Ravenclaw!"

The same thing that happened to the Slytherin girl's outfit had happened to theirs as well, but the colors and emblems were different, which was to be expected, considering the names that were shouted were of the other three Houses.

Lionel had eventually been called up, and much to his satisfaction which was dripping with a smugness that made Amity want to punch his lights out, the hat placed him in Slytherin, which wasn't a surprise to anyone in the room.

His welcome to the Slytherin table was loud and raucous, disturbing a great many of the other people that were in the hall.

After a few more sortings, a very familiar name was called upon next.

"Moriarty, William!"

As soon as the boy's family name was spoken, whispers abounded from all of the tables, the older students devolving into a crowd of gossip.

"The second son? He's attending Hogwarts this year?"

"I heard he was supposed to be coming two years ago, but his parents refused. Wouldn't he be two years out of line now?"

"I heard that Mr. and Mrs. Moriarty were ashamed of their second son—said he wasn't all that good with magic."

"Well, I remember hearing that they were proud of him, but preferred to have him homeschooled instead. Said that Hogwarts was too 'friendly' with those who were 'dirty' and 'impure.'"

"But then why allow their eldest to attend?"

There were more words being said, fluttering over everyone's heads like an annoying, buzzing fly that refused to settle down and be quiet.

Rion frowned, head whipping around this way and that as if to try and see everyone talking. Displeasure took hold of her heart at the words being spoken low, but so blatantly, about someone they didn't even know.

A voice boomed across the room, silencing the gossip instantaneously.

"That will be quite enough!" the voice came from the woman seated in the very middle of the table that was positioned to face all of the students. Her golden locks fell around her face like a curtain while her deep violet eyes stared at each student that had spoken. "Rumours are only rumours, nothing more, nothing less. Now, if you all are finished, the Sorting Ceremony shall continue as planned."

She nodded her head in Zelda's direction as a silent affirmation to keep going. The other woman nodded back to communicate she had understood the Headmistress's signal.

Zelda glanced to William, silently imploring him to take a seat, a certain emotion swirling within their depths that the boy was all too familiar in seeing.

He did as the others had done before him, walking up to the upper level and taking his seat upon the stool to then place the hat on his head.

Unlike the other first-years, William's moment on the stool felt as though it lasted a really long time. In reality, it had only been a minute, but it felt like an eternity since the other students had been sorted quickly, almost carelessly, into their Houses. Everyone continued to watch with bated breath, waiting for the announcement and observing any possible change in the boy's expression.

William appeared content with whatever was happening behind the scenes, not giving even an inch away about the process. A sigh escaped Zelda, her eyes perpetually resting on the boy as she, too, waited for the final outcome.

And then it happened—

"Slytherin!"

Applause soon broke the silence.

Amidst the noise, William slipped off the stool while removing the hat to place it back onto the stool, and as he began walking down to the lower level, his uniform changed accordingly. He meandered over to the Slytherin table where he made a beeline for where Albert sat, sitting directly next to the older boy.

Another student was called forth.

Amity was once again muttering under her breath about what a surprise William's sorting into Slytherin had been. Leaning over her shoulder with a wide smile, Serenity noted the sarcasm lacing her older sister's voice, finding it incredibly hilarious. Verity, on the other hand, kept quiet, waiting patiently for her and her sisters' turn.

Another announcement followed.

It wasn't too long before the triplets were addressed by Zelda, the three girls striding up casually and seemingly with no worries.

As the one whose name started with the first letter of the alphabet, Amity went first followed by Serenity and then Verity. No matter what, though, the final proclamation was the same triple-fold.

"Hufflepuff!"

Each time the name of that particular House was shouted, applause erupted from the designated table, the girls' uniforms colors instantaneously changing. They walked down together to then sit next to each other at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall.

And now, all alone with no one else that was familiar to her, Rion kept her place in line as she delved into deep thought, which wasn't a common occurrence for her. More and more names were sounded out, but her mind was so far from the real world to fully or even vaguely hear them.

"Reid, Monica!"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Sawyer, Kerry!"

"Gryffindor!"

While continuing to wait for her turn, Rion's thoughts began to sink further and further into a dark place, worry and concern filtering into her heart. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she would be sorted into a House. Which House was the question. Before arriving at Hogwarts, Rion was dead set on either Slytherin or Ravenclaw, the Houses that her parents had been sorted into over twenty years ago.

And considering where Amity and her sisters had been sorted, Rion didn't mind if the hat decided to put her in Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin or Ravenclaw.

But. . . if she was being honest with herself, she would really like to be placed in—

"Winters, Rion!"

Said girl jolted at the sound of her name.

More whispers soon took hold of the atmosphere, but Rion chose to not pay attention to whatever they were possibly saying. It wasn't important right now when she should be focused on climbing up to the next level to finally be sorted into her House.

She took a deep breath as she sat down, hat already positioned on her head. Silence reigned in the hall for what felt like an eternity when she suddenly heard a voice, the same voice that had been calling out the House names for the good part of twenty-five minutes or so.

"Well, well, well. . . look what we have here. Another Winters, and a Thorne no doubt. I was hoping to see more of your family attending Hogwarts, and what do you know, I got my wish. A simple, sentient hat such as myself couldn't have asked for more."

"What?" was all Rion could say, voice barely above a whisper. Her bright emeralds stared up at the hat in confusion, thoroughly taken aback by the notion of a talking hat. "You're really talking right now, aren't you?"

"Does that surprise you?" the hat itself was flabbergasted by the girl. "You talk as though this is completely new to you. . . Need I remind you that you are born of magic? Talking inanimate objects is something that isn't quite new to this world, innit?"

Rion's brows creased, eyes never leaving the hat. "But. . ."

"Regardless. Let's get down to business," the hat shifted to an almost ominous quiet before speaking again. "You're an interesting one. Very interesting. Reminds me of that boy earlier. . . How fascinating. A grand mixture of so many things. Bravery and courage, loyalty and modesty, wisdom and creativity, ambition and determination. It's quite rare to find a student that can fit all four Houses, let alone two."

The hat hummed then, contemplation clear in his tone.

Rion continued to sit, hands resting in her lap while she and everyone else waited for the final verdict.

The hat spoke once more, "I see. Now, that's certainly intriguing. However, I believe that there is only one House that will bring out your best potential."

She canted her head, curiosity filling her being and exuding off her in waves.

Then, the announcement came.

"Gryffindor!"

The entire hall remained silent. There was no applause, no words were spoken, not even the sound of something falling broke the quiet that reigned.

Rion stayed seated, eyes wide at the name that left the hat and reverberated throughout the room. She was confused, utterly so. Next to her, Zelda appeared just as shocked, and so did the Headmistress along with the rest of the faculty. It was clear that everyone was taken by surprise by this unexpected turn of events.

Zelda then cleared her throat quite pointedly, successfully garnering her niece's attention. Rion snapped back to reality, hurriedly taking the hat off her head and scurrying off the stool to run straight for her new House's table, uniform shifting like all the others. The belated clapping came soon after, the residents finally having recovered from their shock.

Taking a seat between two older boys, they greeted her with kindness much to her relief.

The one that sat to her right offered her a congenial smile. "Welcome to Gryffindor, Winters. Quite a surprise, really, to have a Winters in this House."

His hair was almost as red as Monica's, but held a shade of brown to it as well, while his eyes were a smooth blue that resembled the very surface of the water. They even seemed to be as fluid as the aforementioned liquid too, almost mellow in appearance.

The girl had a feeling that he was someone she could trust, no holds barred.

"Rion," she said instantly, smile of her own pulling the corners of her mouth up. "And thank you. I know what you mean. . . I was expecting to be placed in Ravenclaw or Slytherin, but Gryffindor is fine."

"Is it?" the other boy sitting to her left piped up. "To be honest, if I had been put into a House that wasn't Gryffindor, my parents wouldn't be so understanding."

Rion and the other unnamed boy looked at him for a moment before the one to her left spoke once more.

"Mark Willoughby, by the way, of the Willoughbys that have been residing in Lincolnshire since the Norman Conquest."

The two shook hands, and she was just about to introduce herself out of politeness but was stopped just as she opened her mouth. Mark told her that, since he already knew her name, there was no point in her introducing herself, and so Rion dropped his hand as she gave a small affirmative.

And then the one that sat on her right said, "I'm Roy Meriwether. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rion."

"A pleasure to meet you too," she offered back, shaking hands with the one named Roy. It was then that Rion recognized the name that he had given. "Wait. Roy? The grandson of Madam Meriwether?"

Roy smiled widely, practically beaming. "That's right. But how did you know that?"

"She spoke about you when my uncle and I went to her shop two weeks ago," said Rion. "She told my uncle that you had recently been made prefect at Hogwarts, which also means you're a fifth-year, right?"

The smile that had once been on Roy's face vanished in an instant, a dark shadow passing over his features. In response, Mark laughed as Rion tilted her head a bit to the side, confusion plain as day on her features.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Roy sounded almost drained of all his energy. "It's just. . . well. . ."

Mark decided to help his friend out seeing as how the latter was having a difficult time with his words. "You see, Roy here doesn't like the fact that he was made prefect, and so has a hard time being called as such by others. Which is really difficult seeing as how not only the students refer to him as prefect, but so does the entire faculty."

Rion's mouth made an 'o' shape after the helpful explanation.

The sound of someone getting up from their chair drowned out the rest of the noise as everyone soon fell silent, all eyes glancing over at the source. The person in question was the Headmistress who, after coming to stand at her full height, was shown to be extremely tall. Even from her place at the Gryffindor table, Rion noted that the woman was much taller than even Jack was.

Her voice once again took over the atmosphere, the authoritative aura she exuded not too hard to miss, and easily able to reduce almost anyone to a malleable state.

"I would like to say a few things before we begin the Start-of-Term Feast, if I may," the woman cleared her throat before continuing. "I would like to welcome our new students who are all now sorted into their Houses, as well as our older students who have gratefully graced us with their presence once more."

She bowed politely. "My name is Clarion Duvall, and I'm the current Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Next to me on both sides are the members of the faculty that'll be teaching and providing the information that is pertinent to your education."

Duvall gestured with one her hands for the professors to then introduce themselves.

The first one to speak was a man who sat to the far right of the table when you enter the Great Hall. He stated his name as well as what class he was the professor of, and this formula continued as each successive teacher introduced themselves. So far, it seemed that there was an equal amount of men and women that had taken up teaching positions at this particular establishment.

When one of the professors gave his name, Rion paused, eyes wide again in recognition. His hair resembled the same color of black ink, and was unkempt in its appearance, looking as though he didn't bother to brush the strands to tame them. And the man's eyes: they were a color that Rion wouldn't have been able to miss. After all. . .

They were the same exact color and shade as her own.

Once all the introductions had been made, the Start-of-Term Feast began to everyone's delight.

The students alternated between engaging in conversation and eating the food which was piled high and of an incredible variety. Rion picked through her memories and found that she had never seen nor experienced such a wide selection of different foods being presented at one time.

Her head moved left to right and then back, contemplation lining her features as she attempted to choose what she would eat first. It was a very difficult decision, mostly because Rion had a hard time choosing between one thing and the other when everything looked absolutely delicious. However, there was always one thing in particular that she would pick amongst everything else if she ever caught sight of it.

No matter how hard she looked for it, Rion couldn't see it anywhere on the table around where she sat.

Suddenly, in her deep concentration, which was a rare occurrence even she would admit to, she was startled when a plate of scrumptious food was brandished in front of her face.

The scent wafted straight to her as if being drawn to the girl, and when she inhaled the air deeply, her stomach responded by loudly announcing that, yes, she was very hungry and in need of sustenance.

After looking at the person in question, finding it to be Roy and giving him a smile, Rion graciously took the plate with a voice filled with utter and sincere gratitude before she began to dig in, cheeks puffing out from the way she was practically compacting the food into her mouth.

"Whoa," the voice belonged to Mark, his tone lined with astoundment. He watched the girl shovel the food into her mouth with morbid fascination. "That hungry, eh? What, were you starved before coming here or something?"

Rion paused at his question, contemplating whether or not she should grace it with a response. Even though he was unaware of it, Rion had indeed eaten before she arrived, however it was nothing but sweets piled atop sweets. Because of this, her stomach was itching for actual food, explaining why it growled in such a loud manner and refused to let up until she finally ate what her body needed.

The girl had a hunch that the fifth-year was more so asking it in a rhetorical sense which explained her internal dilemma. If he was, then she needn't be worried about responding. If he wasn't, then she should give an answer, after all, that was only polite. But her mouth was currently full, and it certainly was not polite to talk with one's mouth full.

To answer or not to answer, that is the question.

She began to chew fast only to stop once Boris's words fluttered softly through her mind, the same ones that he had spoken time and time again whenever she would try to be fast with her food.

"Don't eat too much and too fast at the same time, Rion," her uncle had admonished lightly, worry flickering in his endless sky blues. "You could hurt your stomach, and it could cause you to become hungry again quicker than you might like. Take it slow, take your time. It's not going to run away from you if you do."

Her aunt had then piped up with, "It can if it's still alive."

"Dear!" Boris had been comically appalled.

Instead of being alarmed, Rion had laughed, the sound jovial in its execution.

Rion's chewing slowed down significantly, eyes staring dully at the plate in front of her.

Even though it was only day one of her new journey at Hogwarts, the feeling of missing her family was acute as it permeated her heart.

From the adjacent table, loud laughter interrupted Rion's trip down memory lane.

She looked up, her bright emeralds falling upon the middle daughter of the Quinnell family. Serenity's eyes were closed as she continued to laugh while nudging Amity, said girl appearing exasperated even from behind. Verity was silent, looking between her older sisters one after the other.

A particular nudge caused Amity to whip her head around to shoot Serenity with a mild glare, mouth moving silently as she said something to the other girl. Serenity wasn't fazed, in fact, instead of nudging Amity, the former resorted to poking. This resulted in Amity blowing up, anger written plainly on her features and singing through the tone of her voice as she shouted, and quite loudly at that.

Rion smiled awkwardly as the voice of her aunt surged forth to quell the noise.

The girl's gaze soon moved further along the tables, passed the Hufflepuff table and the Ravenclaw table to land on one particular person seated at the one for Slytherins. Upon sensing Rion's eyes on him, William looked away from what he had been focused on to center his attention on her.

As soon as their eyes locked, smiles of equal emotion upturned the corners of their mouths.

The Start-of-Term Feast was eventually called to a close, and the newly arrived students were advised to follow a prefect to their dormitories. At this, Mark playfully offered Roy to lead the students which caused the latter to frown deeply.

Almost as though it was like clockwork, everyone filed out of the Great Hall and into the long, cold corridors of Hogwarts Castle. Prefects from each House soon started calling for their fellow housemates, whom began to dutifully follow after them while congregated in separate lines.

Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs walked down one side together while Slytherins and Ravenclaws accompanied each other until they were to go their own way eventually.

Rion called Amity's name, effectively acquiring said girl's attention swiftly. They shared words as well as bright smiles before the former stole a glance over her shoulder, eyes once again seeking for the figure of William among the crowd.

And when she found him, just like back in the Great Hall, the two smiled as Rion lifted one of her arms to enthusiastically wave at the boy as a short farewell. William returned the gesture, his arm remaining by his side while he raised a hand, moving it back and forth slowly.

As the groups continued on unhindered, the children officially parted for their respective dormitory. Ahead of the Gryffindor group was Roy, helping to lead the younger students along with the other prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl. Mark purposefully cooed in such a way to grind Roy's gears which worked much to the former's satisfaction.

Rion's head whirled from one direction to the other, seeing nothing but stone walls decorated with portraits upon portraits and stone flooring that would no doubt feel chilling to the bone if she were to walk around with bare feet. The night air filtered in through the openings leading out and into the courtyard, sending shivers and shudders down everyone's spines and throughout their bodies.

Rion wrapped her arms around her middle in an attempt to stay warm just as she and the rest of her Housemates made it to a grand staircase that seemed to stretch really far up and in multiple different directions. Her eyes were big for a split second, feet pausing momentarily until she realized that she was about to get left behind if she didn't continue walking.

The trek up the staircase was daunting, and the sudden shift of one of the pieces caused Rion's heart to beat rapidly behind her rib cage, the action completely taking her off guard. She gripped the railing with both hands, hoping that she wouldn't end up falling off somehow.

"No need to be startled or frightened," the Head Boy said, eyes trailing over the first-years and scanning their reactions to this new revelation. "The staircases do in fact move, as you can see and feel for yourself, but we're safe on it. We won't fall off. If that was the case, then it wouldn't exactly be right to be admitted to a school that can't protect its students."

Slowly, Rion took her hands off the railing. The staircase that they were on eventually stopped to complete another one. The older students then confidently walked on, the younger ones once again coming to follow behind in a loyal fashion.

It was then they stopped in front of a large painting, the figure within a beautiful woman of a more plump physique. Her black hair was styled in an updo with some strands falling to frame around her face, while her eyes were a burnt umber brown. The woman in the portrait addressed the children, startling some of them immensely, their eyes wide with surprise and utter shock.

"Hello, children. Retiring for the night?"

"Yes, ma'am," said the Head Girl. "The Start-of-Term Feast just ended not too long ago and everyone was advised to head for their common rooms."

A word, a very weird one that was very out of place flew from Roy's mouth after being given permission by one of the older prefects. The portrait swung open almost unbidden, allowing the group of children full access to the interior. Everyone piled in, the common room for the Gryffindors much warmer than the castle itself, but there was still the barest hint of a draft.

The source of that warmth came from the already lit fireplace that was up against the far wall opposite the portrait hole. When her eyes landed on it, Rion took a deep breath in and then looked away to take in the rest of the scenery, the one that she would be seeing for many days and many months until the end of that year's term.

Situated in front of the fireplace was a sofa, chair and table combo, with similar placed in other areas of the room. The two aforementioned objects had plush red cushions that looked extremely comfy, so much so that Rion had the urge to sit down on one of them, but decided against it, instead moving her eyes to a different section of the room.

On the wall near the fireplace was a bulletin board where many different things were pinned. After coming closer to inspect it, Rion could see that there were small clippings from days old newspapers along with notices of the rules and regulations inside the common room, and even some wanted ads regarding chocolate frog cards.

The sound of a voice caused Rion to look away, her eyes centering on the person who spoke.

"All right, everyone, it's time for lights out. Get plenty of sleep tonight because tomorrow we'll all be waking up in the very early hours of the morning to get ready for classes."

Some groans of protest rang out into the air before the students set off to do exactly as what was advised. Rion followed along toward the staircase that lead up to two more, each one veering off in different directions. Seeing the girls meander their way up the left one, Rion chose to go with them seeing as that had to be where the female students' dormitory was located.

After being informed that one of the rooms in particular would be where the first-years slept, she entered it along with four other girls. Immediately, Rion found that her belongings were congregated around the bed that directly opposed the door. Upon hearing people come in, the familiar gaze of mismatched eyes looked up to lock with Rion's twin greens as a small black and white fluffball lounged on the soft and plush blanket.

A wide, happy smile lit up her features as she shouted, "Sonata!"

Said kitten meowed as if saying the girl's name in turn. Sonata then jumped down to the floor in order to bound in Rion's direction, not protesting one bit as the latter swept the former up into her arms.

After rejoicing from their reunion, Rion set about getting ready for the night so she would be up bright and early the next day. Climbing into bed, Sonata joined her human companion by padding up to the pillow and lying down on one side, practically taking up half of the object all on her own.

Rion had no qualms about it, instead smiling at the fact that Sonata wanted to be near her.

As the moonlight seeped into the room from the windows that were adjacent to her bed, sleep overtook her instantly, her consciousness fading so she could float to places where her memories of days gone by resided.

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Ending Theme: Aloysius by Cocteau Twins.

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Fun Fact: Once Upon a Prophecy was originally written for Harry Potter itself, and the characters of Rion, her family, as well as Amity and her family, were created specifically for the that version as well.

A/N: And this concludes the second chapter. This took a while to actually be finished as I kept doing revisions, though the same was done for the first chapter even after the story had been officially published. No doubt the same will probably happen for this one too, but it is, in fact, done.

Once again, hope anyone who read it liked it and I will be back with the third chapter eventually. . . Let's just hope it's soon. Bye, and see you later maybe!