Terra thought that he would never see the day that he woke up before Silver, but here he was. He stared down at his sister contemplating whether he should do it or not. The cold glass of water in his hand felt more like a bomb waiting and begging to be used. Logically, if he wanted to keep his nuts intact, he wouldn't do it: he knew that. What else would wake her, though? The young male poked his sister on the shoulder.
Nothing. Not even a twitch.
He heaved a great sigh and looked toward the ceiling as if to plead for guidance from above. Terra dragged a rough, calloused hand down his face and sighed once again. This was torture. It could be nothing else. To wake or not to wake the beast, that was the question he had to contemplate at the moment. She'd understand right? If he gave her a peace offering for the disturbance of her sleep her morning warpath would not extend to running his sorry ass over right?
An alarm went off on Silver's phone which rested right by her head on her mattress, startling her awake. She let the alarm play for a moment longer as if she was still wondering what it was and why she was awake: completely disregarding the other person in her room.
"Oh shit!" she yelled, shooting up and scrambling out from under her covers running towards her dresser to rip clothes out from the drawers. "School!" She opened and slammed drawers looking for specific clothes.
"Fuck it." She grabbed a pair of black jeans from one drawer then closed that one to open another one with all of her tank tops. Silver grabbed a black under tank; and in another drawer, a graphic t-shirt one-size-too-big with Fender guitars on it. She grabbed her undergarments from a different drawer somewhere in the middle and Terra couldn't have felt more awkward not being noticed while he stood in her room while she rushed around grabbing clothes.
Terra cleared his throat, shuffling on his feet from where he stood just beside her bed with his glass of ice water in hand. Silver froze: bundle of clothes bunched against her chest and a bra hanging by its strap from her finger. She looked her brother right in the eye and blinked.
"Hi," she said and continued gathering a pair of socks, combat boots, and a hairbrush like nothing happened. Silver then passed by Terra towards the linen closet in the hallway to grab a towel. Waltzing into the bathroom, literally, with a little spin, Silver shut the bathroom door for a shower.
Terra felt like he was already done with the day and it really hadn't started yet. How sad was that? I'm not paid enough for this. He thought to himself. He trudged back down the stairs to the kitchen to start up a pot of coffee. He felt as if they'd need it today. He heard something fall in the bathroom upstairs where Silver was taking her shower. Terra faintly heard her cuss as that something fell; and something about shampoo in her eyes?
Yeah, they're going to need the caffeine today.
Harry booked it past Terra with a "Pardon me!" and began pulling eggs and bread out to make a quick breakfast for everyone. He watched as Harry popped the bread in the double toaster then started scrambling the eggs in a skillet that Harry claimed was his. It was weird, Silver did the same thing. They claimed certain kitchen supplies as theirs and no one else touched them. Most of Silver's stuff was the bakeware. Harry's claim was mostly the other regular cookware. He firmly believes that he lives with weirdos.
Terra sipped his water. Yup. Weirdos.
Silver came down just as breakfast was placed on the table and they carried on getting ready. As soon as they were ready to go, all three grabbed their carry-on bags. Harry's and Terra's were satchels with expansion charms that had all of their school supplies and clothes for that school year. It was far easier than trying to lug around a very obvious trunk with unusual things inside. Silver's was a simple, leather canvas backpack that she shouldered.
They walked down the road from their house towards the main gate and waved as everyone that they passed gave their farewells. While Terra and Silver were away, the Division Heads would manage everything that they didn't need to see immediately. They trusted their Heads to keep the Sanctuary afloat while they were at school. Even then, they still would be sent updates and paperwork and other such needed items to be approved should it require their eyes.
The group of three met up with a few of the other children who were going to Hogwarts that year. Ward nodded at Silver who then activated the Gateway and they all stepped through to the other side. They arrived at an alleyway just across the street from King's Cross Station and walked through as a group with parents accompanying their children.
(Those that still had their parents.)
Silver closed the Gateway behind them and followed everyone inside. The group quickly found their way to the ninth platform. Instead of drawing attention to themselves like dunderheads and running to the wall that was the doorway to 9 , they leaned back against the wall one by one to enter through. Each smoothly transitioned to the hidden platform.
While the parents were saying goodbye to their children, the ones that didn't have that simply boarded the train with brief longing looks at those who had them. Terra stepped up beside Silver where she stood staring at the engine as red as their hair. Trepidation was well hidden on her face, but Terra knew her better than that. He could almost feel it. The scarlette boy with his hair in a low ponytail covering his ears and a long fringe to equally cover his eye patch placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.
Silver took a deep breath and turned her head to face her brother. He made eye-contact with her as he squeezed her shoulder in support. They had watched Harry board the train before them; they'd get on in a moment.
"The gates of Hell are about to be opened." Terra spoke, then turned his head to face the train again. "As soon as we step on that train…" He trailed.
His sister scoffed lightly at what he said. She closed her eyes and took another centering breath. "You and I both know Hell's Gate was opened long ago." She said, biting her lip in slight anticipation.
"And you're going to be at the very center of it." Terra finished for her. The siblings both knew she would get into Slytherin. That, or she'd make damn sure that she would. Terra knew that she refused to let those children be indoctrinated at a young age without really being given a choice. He just hoped that the school wouldn't turn on his sister just because her uniform was going to be green. Realistically, it was going to happen regardless; but still, a protective brother can dream a little can't he?
"You're going to take over Slytherin from the inside aren't you." He stated his question towards his sister.
"I'm going to take over Slytherin from the inside." She answered with a smirk. Terra felt the laugh bubble up his throat as he threw his head back and let a single laugh out. Shaking his head in amusement at his sister's answer, he grabbed her elbow and guided her onto the train. He helped her weave their way through into the same compartment that Harry was sitting in, already having his bag on the shelf above. Terra closed the door to keep the bustle out as much as possible as he slid his own bag from his shoulders and hefted it up onto the shelf with ease. He had the courtesy to do the same for his sister after she took her own bag off her shoulder and grabbed her uniform out of it and a small portable sewing kit.
They took their seats across from Harry―Silver by the window―and Terra placed a kiss to the crown of her head as she did the last finishing touches on her school uniform for later. Silver froze in her actions as the zappy tingles of shock ran through her nerves and stopped her breath.
. has stopped working.
After needing a minute to process the action of her brother, a small, giddy smile began to spread across her lips. Her silver eyes sparkled and twinkled like the stars in the night sky as she gently bit her bottom lip, swung her feet back and forth, and giggled. Harry and Terra snapped their heads to face Silver.
She fucking giggled.
Harry felt his heart nearly stop from the shear amount of shock that coursed through his body at that moment. Terra wasn't far off in the bafflement of Silver's actions. She just didn't do things like that anymore. Not since―
(Don't think about it. Don't think his name or everything will come crashing down.)
The scarlet haired girl set her work down in her lap then proceeded to wrap her arms around her brother and squeezed him tight to her. Terra wasn't one to usually show affection like this he knew that. So whenever he did, it was all the more meaningful and meant the world to Silver. It also brightened and made her whole day.
"Huggy wuggies!" She giggled as she pressed her face into Terra's side. The warmth of his words wrapped around her heart and her soul eased. The taunt strings of stress wound so tightly around her loosened; and she suddenly felt like she was floating on her back in the water she loved so much.
Terra ― having been sharing in the feeling of the gentle warmth ― brought the corners of his lips up into a smirk as a chuckle arose from deep within his chest. "The ultimate huggy wuggies." He added as he wrapped an arm around Silver's shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Three minutes of hugging later and the two finally pulled apart to occupy their time until it was time to get off the train. Harry was reading a potions book, actually excited for a class that sounded so similar to cooking. Terra was reading over some documents about a proposal for a construction project in the northern part of the Sanctuary for a fishing harbor to help increase self-sustainability.
Silver continued modifying her uniform. As soon as she had seen it in the shop, she knew she was going to hate herself with a burning passion if she didn't do something soon. The skirt for one thing provided so many issues for her as she knew there was a lot of stair climbing on the routes to classes. Instead, she replaced it with a nice pair of comfortable, yet classy and professional slacks of the same color. She made sure the pockets were deep and didn't just fit her fingertips.
The white shirt became a sleeker white button down reminiscent of silk. Though it was actually made of polyester ― a cheap knock-off of silk that purebloods knew nothing about―with long cuffs and bishop sleeves. She exchanged the gaudy tie for a bolo tie tied into a literal simple bow. The normal jumpers for the uniform was quickly done away with the most disturbed look on her face. It had been gaudy and terribly itchy at best.
Instead, she made a black halter button down vest. It was fitted to her form and was a sharp V-neck to create a more serious look. The complete look when she tried it all on Terra swore up and down that it made Silver look like a mafia boss. Right now, she was finishing turning the blocky, ugly cloak into a detachable cape that button snaps onto her shoulders and hung down her back. She didn't want it to fall around her shoulders and obscure her modified uniform.
She had already made Terra's uniform two years ago. However, all he wanted was a polyester button down and a regular fitted vest. The rest he was actually fine with. Eventually the time had come for a special little ginger haired boy to come in. The compartment door slid open and there he stood in all of his awkward preteen glory. Ronald Weasley. He shifted uncomfortably at the stares from the three occupying the space.
"U-um, do you mind if I sit here? All the other compartments are already full…" He drifted off. Silver and Terra just looked at Harry, giving him the opportunity to make more friends his age. Harry slacked his face with a small frown and dryly shifted his gaze back and forth between the siblings who innocently smiled back at him. The green-eyed boy closed his book with a snap and sigh then proceeded to gesture to the open seat next to him.
Ron's eyes lit up at the unspoken invitation. He then dragged his trunk in and placed it on the shelf with a little help from Terra. Ron saw the lack of trunks and furrowed his brow in the heavy confusion weighing on his brain.
"Where's all your trunks?" He asked them as he sat down.
"All of our belongings are in the bags." Silver answered him in a soft tone as her eyes stayed focused on the sturdy needlework she was doing. She refused to have it all come undone if someone where to step on her cape. "Undetectable extension charm." She elaborated.
Finally truly looking at the other occupants of the compartment, Ron realized that two of them had hair a deeper red then even his family. When Terra turned his head to look at the progress Silver was making, his long ponytail fell over his shoulder and Ron gaped. It was longer than Bill's hair!
"It's rude to stare at someone you know." Silver lightly scolded Ron. She didn't even glance up from her work.
"I- what?" Was the intelligent reply from Ron. He shook his head to clear it from the confused thoughts scrambling around in his head. Before he could add onto what he said, the door opened again to reveal Fred and George.
"Hey, Ron." They said in unison. "Listen, we're going down the middle of the train―Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."
"..Right." Ron mumbled in answer back. The fear at the mention of the spider glistened in his eyes as his hands clenched around his carry-on bag. The twins noticed the scarlet haired boy sitting in the same compartment.
"Terra!" They greeted with cheers. Fred noticed the other scarlet haired person next to Terra and did a double take at her eyes as they locked onto the twins' frames with a perfectly raised eyebrow.
"Blimey, Terra. Is that your sister?" Fred asked, stepping further into the compartment and dramatically grabbed Silver's hand that didn't have the needle in it. "Fred. Fred Weasley." He introduced himself. George followed with the same dramatic greeting and Terra glowered at them. His eyebrows drew close together over his brown, narrowed eye locked onto their hands. His lips were pulled back a little ― revealing his pearly white teeth.
"You better not be hitting on my little sister, you two." He growled out. The twins jumped back as if stung and quickly brought their hands back to their sides.
"Nope! Not at all!" They answered, terrified of the older brother that they've been friends with since the first year. Said male relaxed his and eased his body against the back of the seats with crossed arms.
"Yeah. I thought so." He said. The twins booked it out of the compartment and Silver couldn't help the laugh that slipped out as she covered her mouth with her hand. Ron looked surprised and a little in awe at the reveal of the older boy's name.
"You're Terra Scarlet?" He asked. "The twins have been talking about you every summer!" He added with a little exasperation.
"The very same. Though, I don't know what they've told you, I'd say hold your opinions until you've gotten to know me." Terra advised the younger boy.
Harry piped in from his seat. "I'd listen if I were you, mate. Terra always has some good advice. Even Silver does." He said, gestured with a sweeping hand over to the only female. She finally looked in Ron's direction where he could see her uniquely colored eyes.
Ron had to shake himself yet again from the shock he felt. "They mainly complained that Terra was such a bloody gentleman that had all the girls swooning, apparently." Ron explained. He heard Silver chuckle from her seat as she placed a hand over her chest and leaned in Terra's direction.
"Look at my dear brother getting all the ladies running after him as a little first year. So precious." She teased with an overexaggerated swoon. Terra rolled his eye at his little sister and lightly shoved her face away from his with a single hand. He shook his head in fond exasperation at her.
"You're ridiculous," he said. Silver rolled her eyes that she was named for and picked her sewing back up and started finishing the final few stitches.
"But you love me," Silver responded, having not looked up to see Terra's amused smirk.
"That's debatable."
Ron turned to Harry in an effort to ignore the obvious sibling squabbling that he was very used to doing with his own many brothers and sister.
"Are they always like this?" he asked Harry in a whisper, covering his mouth with a single hand in a mock effort of privacy. Harry returned his question with a blank look in a deadpan.
"You'd be surprised how often this happens if you knew what they are like," Harry whispered back, pursing his lips. He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or not. The Scarlet siblings were quite a pair. They were so serious around others and acted so professionally. Put them in closed quarters with a few people they were familiar with and they almost become completely different people.
Silver becomes a total smartass with snappy quips that breaks ice. Terra dishes such remarks right back at her. Should they both team up in such a way? Harry prays for that person's soul; though, he can't exactly feel pity for the person that he knows it's mainly directed at. Dumbledore was the catalyst that ruined his life. That bastard can rot for all he cared. Terra and Silver teaming up to be the tormentors?
Harry would willingly sit back with a bag of popcorn and happily watch the show. He had the passing thought to film it for memory's sake.
(Totally not because he was vindictive enough to be that petty to watch it on loop.)
"By the way, who are you?" Ron asked as an afterthought. The ginger only just realized that he didn't know the green-eyed boy's name. Said boy looked at Ron again after having amusedly watching Terra and Silver snip sarcastic remarks back and forth.
"Me? Harry Potter," he said flippantly like he didn't just drop a gargantuan social nuke. Ron choked.
"E-excuse me, what? Harry Potter? As in the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter?" Ron stuttered in reply. Hearing this, the other two occupants of the compartment paused in their bickering and turned their attention towards the two younger boys.
"Yeah, what about it? I'm not special," Harry said softly now, "I'm just like any other kid: regardless of origin." Ron remarkably began to resemble a chicken or a fish with the constant opening and closing of his mouth and the strange noises he was making in his shock.
"Not special, he says!" Ron's voice rose incredulously, "Just like every other kid, he says! Bloody hell, you took down the greatest Dark Lord in history as a baby!"
Harry couldn't help but to purse his lips. His fists clenched on the book he still held in effort to control his rising vexation over this topic. Silver's eyes quickly darted over to Harry's own and gave him a look. A quick, miniscule tilt of her head and twitch of a single red brow in sync, her eyes shown with her seriousness and a single thought passed through Harry's mind in a voice not his own.
'Calm down.'
And Harry found his grip loosening. His posture, not as tight. His shoulders, no longer rigid.
"I lost things too," Harry whispered, "I lost my parents that day and all anyone remembers is that the Dark Lord is dead. I lost everyone that loved me or I loved that night." Green eyes clashed with guilty blue. Ron dropped his head and let it hang.
"Sorry…" The boy trailed off. The ginger's guilt was palpable in his tone. It ate away like acid inside his body and weighed down his head with a great and terrible weight. Silver's eyes stayed on Harry.
'It is your decision to accept the apology or not.' She slipped her thought into his head. Harry did not react at all to the other voice in his head. He did not push against it nor resist. The young dark-haired boy knew by instinct that she meant no harm to him on the rare times that she did this. If there were others in the room, or possibly listening in ― and what she had to say was not meant for other ears ― she would literally think her thoughts to the only person that she wanted to hear them.
It was strange, Harry thought, that there was people that cared about him in this way regardless of how long he had spent with the Scarlets: this concept still baffles him. Old habits still ingrained into his bones will always be hard to mend and change to healthier beliefs. However, regarding Ron, Harry had to mull it over with himself. Before the Scarlets, he would simply brush it off in order to make life easier for himself as he did with the Dursley's. It was because back then, he didn't really have much of a choice if he wanted his existence to go a little smoother. But that was then, this is now.
"You are forgiven," Harry decided, "but just remember that this fame," he spat the word, "I never wanted. And if I could, I would trade all of that fame ― all of the money I have ― just so that I would have my parents again."
Ron's head stayed down, facing the floor of the compartment. "I understand," he said.
"Now pick your head up," Terra ordered. Silver had to remind him of the sensitivity of Ron's personality.
"Hold your head high. You have learned an important lesson today. Do not let this opportunity go to waste. Always keep in mind the feelings of another person or everyone will think of you as a callous person with no regard for others." Silver's voice had taken on a hint of all knowing. Ron had the passing thought that she knew things she really shouldn't be able to, but that wasn't possible right? Seers didn't actually exist anymore. No one had heard of them for decades.
"I'm not some Slytherin," Ron snapped at the girl. The imagined slight of being like a stereotype Ron had grown up to hate burned across his face in a red hue. His face, his neck, his ears all quickly turned the hue of the blood within his veins.
Silver's eyes sharpened and landed on him. They seemed to glow brighter, her silver irises for which she was named for. Her eyes felt as if they were boring into his very soul, judging its worthiness. Ron shifted uncomfortably in his seat next to Harry.
"I did not claim that you were, nor did I say Slytherins acted in such a way," she said. All seriousness embedded into her voice, demanding equal treatment of what she told the boy. Terra placed a hand on Silver's shoulder and leaned closer to her ear. He had felt the tension rising in the room and feared that his little sister was going to do something to the ignorant young male.
"I think he just needs a pair of horns, no?" Terra mock whispered to her. He was not hiding what he was saying to Silver from the other two in the room. Harry glanced a look again at Ron's face. He, knowing what ― or rather who ― Terra was referring to, laughed.
At the mention of it, Ron watched as instead of laughing with the other two, Silver's eyes became saddened at the thought. Terra's laugh ceased at the sight.
"I'm sorry," he told his sister, bringing her in for a side hug. "It wasn't actually all that funny, but you remember how he was." Silver's lips twitched up a touch. She definitely remembered. After healing from his wounds, both physical and mental, he had really grown into himself. Life was bright with him. Silver only wished that she could have told him―
(She wished that she could have told him that she loved him like he deserved to be loved.)
Before anyone could have made the moment worse, the compartment door opened. All three heads turned to the newcomer. An eleven-year-old girl with brown, bushy hair and bucked teeth stood in the doorway. Her caramel brown eyes scanned the others in the room.
"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one," she said. The aforementioned boy was behind her teary eyed.
"Sorry, but no," came the polite response of Harry. "I bet he'll turn up though?" he tried to give a little encouragement to the other boy. Neville simply nodded and was about to leave with the other girl when Terra raised his wand and flicked it. A soft accio later and a small amphibian came zooming into the compartment not a moment later. Everyone―save for Silver and Harry―gaped at the eldest male in the room as he nonchalantly put his wand back into the holster on his arm.
Silver caught the toad and gently handed it to Neville with a soft smile.
"Here you go," she patted his head. Neville greatly thanked the siblings and went on his way before anyone else could say anything. The girl stepped forward and examined Terra with critical eyes.
"Was that just magic? I haven't seen any of that in our course books. Are you from a higher year? I've tried a few simple spells myself just for practice. Nobody in my family is magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so please, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard―I've learned all our course by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough― I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" she rapidly fired her words out of her mouth. Ron looked dizzy just trying to follow along with her.
Ron looked at all the other occupants in the room and saw that he was the only one who didn't―at the very least―crack open their textbook to see what they were going to learn this year. The ginger deflated into his seat with a sigh.
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered with his face toward the floor.
"Harry Potter," came the tentative introduction from the local celebrity. Hermione gasped and came closer into the compartment.
"Are you really? I know all about you! Of course I got a few extra books for background reading and―"
"And I think that's enough. He is just another student here to learn magic like the rest of you," interrupted Silver. Hermione's face grew a little red at the slight admonishment in the other girl's tone. It was then that Hermione caught sight of the color of her eyes and was taken aback.
"You have silver eyes?" she pointed out the obvious. Ron scoffed at the brown-haired girl and said as much. Hermione gave with a scalding glare and stormed out of the compartment.
"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," Ron admitted to the other three. Terra gave him a stern look with his singular eye―something that went unnoticed by Hermione―and opened his mouth in a louder voice than he used when casting his spell.
"Ron, that was rude."
Silver stood up with her finished uniform in hand. "I'm going to step out and get dressed in the bathrooms here. The rest of you should get changed into yours as well," she said before walking out the compartment and gently sliding the door shut.
The boys followed through with her advice. Ron grumbled as he did so, earning a small glare from Terra. Harry struck up a conversation with Ron about his family to cheer him up.
"So what house are your brothers in?" asked Harry, sliding his regular shirt off and replacing it with a cotton white undershirt.
"Gryffindor. All of my family were in it. I don't know what I'll do if I'm not in it," Ron said, his shoulders hunched and a frown marred his features. The light in his eyes dimmed a bit at the thought. "I guess Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad but imagine of they put me in Slytherin."
Harry and Terra shared a look where their eyebrows were narrowed with knowing and slight insult on Silver's behalf. They were sure she would be there, if only because of her ambitions. Some, only Terra was privy to. Terra tried changing the topic to something lighter, regardless of the fact that he already knew.
"So, what do your eldest brothers do now? I heard Charlie went off to study dragons?"
"Yeah, in Romania," Ron answered with a short nod at Terra. "Bill is in Africa doing something for Gringotts."
Terra quirked a brow. "Curse-breaker?"
"Yeah," said Ron again. They all finished slipping into their uniforms. Ron gave a skeptical look at Terra's modified one and was about to say something about it when Silver walked into the compartment. The two not her brother went slack jawed at her appearance. She had pulled together the serious look with a strict bun. It had a braid on either side of her scalp that went into the bun. She kept her hair over the top half of her ears giving them the illusion that they were normal. Ron nudged Terra.
"You're related to that," he breathed in disbelief. Terra quickly glared at the younger ginger.
"That's my sister you're talking about," he scowled at him like he did Fred and George. Ron shivered under the glare and made to apologize quickly when the compartment door opened again. Silver had already sat down by Terra again by this point when three boys entered.
"Is it true?" the one with blonde hair that held himself straighter, "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment," the blonde's eyes landed on Harry.
"So it's you, is it?"
"Yes," Harry didn't miss a beat. His tone was dry and his expression flat. His eyes shifted over the other two boys that had entered with the blonde. The one in the middle seemed to notice and gestured to the two with him.
"This is Crabbe, and this is Goyle, and my name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." He introduced himself like he was all important. Terra let out a short, quiet laugh and leaned over to whisper in Silver's ear with a mock high-pitched voice.
"Bond, James Bond," the whisper nearly sent her into a fit of laughter but she held her face firm. No expression was made on her face as she watched on. Ron didn't hide his reaction at all as he let out a louder laugh than Terra did. The blonde turned to the ginger.
"Think my name's funny do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasley's have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford," he turned to Harry without another word to Ron, "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go make friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
The entire monologue, Terra had mocked Malfoy out of the line of vision from the boy. It took everything that Silver had not to twitch a facial muscle. She glared at Terra for making it harder for her. Malfoy seemed to have caught the exchange though, as he scowled at their hair color.
"More Weasleys?" Malfoy scoffed. Silver stood up with a single, smooth step and cocked a brow at him. She kept her posture straight and tone perfectly smooth.
"My elder brother and I are no Weasley," she stated. Ron made a sound of offense when he heard this, mistaking it as an insult. Silver glanced at Ron and gave the smallest of smiles to reassure him.
"Then who are you if not a Weasley?" scoffed Malfoy.
"A Scarlet," answered Terra, as he stood in the same manner as his sister. Malfoy didn't recognize the name. The blonde's scowl drew deeper on his face at the assumption he made.
"So the other kind then," he spat.
"Wrong again," Silver flippantly answered, "Self-made, and if you still don't understand, then you and yours can simply walk out of this compartment right now."
Malfoy made to make another remark, but Harry beat him to it. He didn't like that he was insulting and trying to degrade the two people who had taken him in. That anger sparked in his belly and burned inside his chest.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," came the acid reply from Harry. Malfoy gained a pink tinge on his cheeks and threatened Harry.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly in a low drawl, as if he was imitating someone he knew. Silver clenched her jaw as she realized that he was trying to imitate Severus. He did a piss poor job at that. There was only one person who would ever be able to talk like that. Before Malfoy could say anything else, as Silver knew he would, she made a quick jerk of her chin in the blonde's direction. Her brother caught the action and saw the prominent vein beginning to pulse on her temple. Terra nodded.
The one-eyed male drew his wand with a flick of his hand. The three intruders of peace suddenly straightened up with their arms plastered to their sides.
"W-what is going on? My father with hear about this! Undo this spell at once!" Silver could not help the roll of her eyes at the annoyingly famous line. Terra, on the other hand, let out a slight shiver as he heard the voice of an annoying little shit again. Only this time, Terra knew it was in real life and not something he needed to get checked out.
"Really, it looked to me like you three were just leaving," Terra kept his voice smooth like rich chocolate. Malfoy and his two cronies were forced to spin around and march out the door away from everyone.
There was a beat of silence after the door was shut. Terra slid his hand back into the holster. Silver took a slow breath, inhaling through her nose silently. Harry pressed his lips together with twitching ends while his eyes darted back and forth between the siblings.
Ron snorted.
Harry let the large grin split his face and his cheeks began to ache. Terra let out a small chuckle that made his chocolate eye sparkle with amusement. Silver's shoulder shook with silent laughter. Ron snorted again so hard he swore his tonsils went up his nostrils. The entire compartment was then thrown into peals of laughter that brought Harry and Ron to their knees on the floor in order to stabilize themselves.
After a few minutes of the laugh session where at one point they stopped, looked at each other, then fell to the floor again to laugh until their abs ached from the effort, they all settled back into their seats. Harry looked out the window to see the snowcapped mountains and dark forests under the darkening night sky. His jaw dropped at the view.
"That sight will never get old, but wait until you see it on the boats," Terra spoke up, as he too looked out the window.
"Okay, Howl," Silver snarked from where she stood, sliding her hands down her clothing to smooth out any wrinkles. Her brother just gave her a dry look of relaxed muscles. A voice over the intercom informed everyone that they would be arriving at the station in the next five minutes and to leave their stuff on the train.
When the train came to a complete stop, Terra ushered everyone out of the compartment and off the train filled with other students trying to get off of the train as well. He guided his younger sister and the two other males out onto the small, dark platform. Terra noticed Ron shiver from the colder night air. Behind his back, Terra rotated his hand and muttered a warming charm over Ron. The ginger quickly stopped his shivering and Terra felt the rush that made him smile, satisfied that Ron was taken care of.
Terra continued to guide the other three to where Hagrid would take the rest of the first years to the boats. A light, bobbing around in the darkness became their beacon as to where the gentle giant was. Also, the tell-tale, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" gave him away as well.
When they came near Hagrid, Terra stopped walking and grabbed Silver by her arm―causing her to come to a halt. She turned around to look at her brother with her brows pulled together.
"Is everything alright, brother?" she asked him.
Terra said nothing as he brought Silver into his arms, burying his face in her hair. He breathed in her scent of coconut, jasmine, and coffee. They stayed like that, her arms having come up to wrap tightly around his torso, until it was time to board the boats. Terra forced his arms to let go so that he could make his way to the carriages where the Weasley twins were waiting for him. He stayed an extra moment to watch as his little sister turned around to walk towards the boats.
Silver did not notice her brother hanging back to watch over her. Straight backed, she made her way over to the boats with Harry and Ron. It seemed to be an unspoken thing that, even though Terra wasn't there, the three were sticking together.
As Hagrid called out, "No more'n four to a boat!" one last child came scuttling over. Silver looked down towards the young male's hands that were picking at the underside of his fingernails. The boy was smaller than most their age with a birth mark over a blue eye. His other eye was as gray as the stormy skies. The boy's head was angled towards the ground refusing to look up.
"Are you going to get in?" Silver spoke softly and gently to the boy. She raised her hand and made a sweeping gesture toward the boat she and the other two were sitting in. The boy snapped his head up quickly at her voice. His heterochromia eyes met silver that glittered like the stars above them. Blue and gray widened when he saw the person who spoke to him.
"Y-yes! I mean, I will, I just wanted to ask permission to sit here first. I didn't know of I was wanted here or not," the boy stammered and shuffled back and forth on his feet.
Ron leaned over to Harry, muttering, "Hufflepuff." Silver snapped her eyes over to Ron having heard what he said with her more attuned ears. She narrowed her eyes into a glare, expressing how much she didn't appreciate the comment before turning back to the young male still standing on the dock.
"It's fine. Come, step in," she made a 'come on' motion with both of her hands to coax the boy into the boat. Without further prompt, he stepped in and sat down next to Silver who was facing across the other two boys.
"What is your name?" Silver asked the boy. She turned to face him after watching a few stranglers get into their own boats.
"Benjamin," he replied quietly, then he made a quick motion of swiping his thumb over the corner of his lip. Silver's eyes light up and sparkled at the motion and the name. She returned the gesture making the boy relax at the acknowledgement.
"Silver, though you seem to already know that," she said as she let out a small smile, making the corner of her eyes crinkle just the slightest bit. Ron gave them a weirded out look at the motion, though Harry did no such thing as he knew what it was for.
With a few quick taps of his umbrella, Hagrid made the boats starts moving with a sudden jerk before the boats were setting off. After the initial send off, they were gliding across the glass-like surface of the Black Lake. Silver stuck out her hand into the cooling water of the lake and almost giggled when a few small fish came and nibbled at her finger tips.
When they came around the bend to get a good view of Hogwarts for the first time many awed noises and chattering spread like wildfire amongst the soon to be students causing Silver's head to tilt up to look at the grandeur of the castle. She blanched and found herself preferring the lighter color scheme of the Sanctuary. Benjamin nudged Silver. She looked over at him and he rolled his eyes at everyone's reactions. She smirked back at him then felt a small stab of loss in her chest.
(Why couldn't she have Cascius here?)
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid from the front of all the boats as the large group of students approached a tunnel. Silver and the others ducked under the stonework. Most other students that hadn't lived in the sheer other worldliness of the Sanctuary, like Ron, gawked at the interior of Hogwarts when they were able to sit back up.
They docked at the miniature harbor underneath the school. With little prompt, everyone stepped off the boats and into the school as they were guided further in. Silver took the front of the group as they climbed the stone staircases toward the doors of the Great Hall. The other first years around her did double takes when they saw her uniform.
Benjamin nearly tripped when he got a good look at her modifications in the better lighting of the school. She had a cape. How cool was that? It fluttered elegantly as she walked with perfect posture. Her chin kept a ninety-degree angle with her chest, looking proud and oozing confidence that many of the other first years didn't seem to have.
The stern, emerald garbed witch awaiting them at the doors took a glance and saw the first year leading the others much like one other two years ago. McGonagall took in the scarlet-colored hair and knew. This was the younger sister she had heard brief snippets about. The one that sent a re-playable howler that eased her lions to sleep at night with her lullabies.
The different styled uniform would have bothered the older woman if Silver hadn't sent a letter ahead of time clearing such a fact as long as it kept to dress code. However, the designs that the young Scarlet had sent in where met with raised brows and heavy criticism as this was never done before. McGonagall became suspicious about the small quirk of the lips that she saw Severus develop when he read the letter at the staff meeting.
"Here ya are, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid indirectly introduced the teacher to the first years. Though Silver had to hide the knowing glint in her eyes as she feigned the same look of wider eyes as the rest of the new students.
"Thank you, Hagrid," McGonagall replied. She straightened up some more then turned to the group of students.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, the start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room," McGonagall had paused for another moment to let the information sink in before continuing on.
Silver recited the entire speech in her head verbatim, but remained respectful in her stance to not seem like she was mocking one of the few teachers she actually respected in this school. She had her favorite though, and Silver didn't plan on changing that fact any time soon.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most house points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting," a pause, then, "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."
Silver watched the older woman go inside to no doubt prep the stool and the hat for the first years to be sorted. However, the silver-eyed girl couldn't help but be repulsed by the idea of bringing up the idea that they were going to be sorted in front of the whole entire school, teachers and all. She had rather them find out when they stepped through the doors then have the time to freak out at the information. She would be having words if she had any say about it.
(Stupid authority figures that forget what it's like to be a kid.)
Without warning, the overcompensating sized doors opened and McGonagall ushered the children into the Hall. Silver took an unnoticeable fortifying breath. She put her hands in front of herself and rolled her shoulders back. Then, yet again, Silver took the lead as they walked down the aisle between the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses.
She caught the eyes of her brother and winked at her. Silver also noticed Ward sitting next to him as he did the same thing. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed bemusedly that Terra slapped Ward's arm for the act.
Coming to a stop at the steps, McGonagall held the hat in her hand and in the other, a long scroll of parchment with a list of all their names to be called. The transfiguration professor went down the list in alphabetical order. Everyone went to the houses as written in the original story line. Even Harry went to Gryffindor. Though this time, Silver didn't hear him plead against going to Slytherin. He was genuinely put in Gryffindor as there was no longer any need to prove himself. He had spent enough time with the Scarlets that that part of him had healed.
That didn't stop the silence at the call of his name though. Silver would have laughed at the obvious eye roll at the reactions from nearly everyone in the Great Hall if she wasn't trying to keep her composure. Then her own name was called.
"Silver Scarlet."
She took a few steps forward, cape fluttering like a certain professor's―said professor having a glint in his eye speaking of how amused he was when he saw it―and sat down with a single smooth motion. Nothing could have prepared her for the voice that was not her brother's in her head.
"Well, if it isn't the little sister," the hat began.
"Well, if it isn't the little hat," Silver snarked back in her head. The hat let out a bellowing laugh in her head that never made it to the outside for everyone to hear.
"Your brother's thoughts about you do not do you justice, young one. I can't wait to see you take this school by storm. Especially one particular house. I believe you'll have this particular house under your wings in no time," the hat told her with a clear smirk in his voice.
"What house were you thinking best suits me then?" she asked. A moment passed before he answer her with an explanation.
"You could honestly fit in any of the four. You are loyal to a fault. You value knowledge just for the sake of knowing things. Though Gryffindor would suit your strengths in compassion, leadership, and hidden bravery, you are not outright so. You do not flaunt these qualities that so many brash Gryffindors do.
"You simply do what you believe every human should. Though the last one pairs well with your capability of insulting someone. You'd fit right in. Your brother wouldn't put it past you when it comes to mother hening. You've clearly done it before," the hat said in a softer, proud tone.
"Do you really believe that?" she asked with a small quiver in her thoughts. The knot lodged in her throat was difficult to push down, but she managed to do it anyway.
"You've done a fine job with Harry. I heard it. He's healing."
"…Thank you…"
"Now, with that all being said," the hat announced to her in a more upbeat voice, his next words to the Hall, "Better be…Slytherin!"
Silver stepped down from the stool and glided her way to the green and silver table. Her bolo tie changed colors to match said house colors. She caught Severus's gaze and he nodded at her with a proud sparkle in his dark eyes. No one else saw the interaction.
Slytherin accepted her with slightly unsure claps as there was no recognition of her last name. They did so anyway when they saw the glare on their head of house's face when they hesitated to do so. After the all too well-known speech from the doofus called Dumblebitch, the start of term feast began.
And so did the games on the playground.
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