Prologue (Part II): The Beginning of Legends (Evelyn Elizabeth Selwyn)
Faraway from the livingabouts of muggles, on the edges of the moor, paths of conspicuously patterned pebbles, witnessed only by witches and wizards, lead up to a grandeur, ornate oak gateway. With hedges of bushes neatly trimmed, complemented by the seemingly endless greenery and cherry blossom trees, there embraced the ancestral Manor of Selwyn.
Eyes of Sapphire Blue stared at the house elf in bewilderment, "You want me to what?!" Evelyn repeated slowly.
"Patsy bes asking Mistress to get changed. Mistress bes entertaining Master Malfoy and his honorable son today at noon." The elf told her, a stern expression on its face.
"I am not in the mood for meeting Uncle Lucius right now, Patsy. Can't you see myself occupied?." Evelyn snapped, gesturing to the pile of books that her grandfather's portrait instructed her to read.
"Oh yes, Missy will." Patsy remained unbothered by her murderous glare, her ears flopping as she nodded up and down, "Or else Patsy bes telling Mistress' great-great grandfather about it."
Her pale skin paled even further at that. She did not want to be near the old man ever again..
"Alright Patsy," Evelyn raised her hands in surrender, an expression of defeat on her face, "I'll go get changed."
–(O^O)–
Coughing, the Selwyn Heiress staggered through green flames, just in time to trip on her foot and fall unceremoniously across the smooth marble floor of Malfoy Manor.
"Ah, Miss Selwyn. I hope you are doing well," a silky voice greeted with amusement.
Hiding her embarrassment over her predicament under a mask of enthusiasm, she exclaimed, "Uncle Lucius, how are you? Is Draco still upset with me?"
An indignant squawk sounded from behind the blonde man, revealing a slim boy in a raven dark turtleneck and black trousers , flushed, and 2 years her junior, Draco Malfoy.
"I'll have you know, Selwyn, that I even trimmed the bushes," Draco puffed up his chest, looking quite like a peacock.
Shaking her head amusedly, a faux expression of defeat on her face, "Pity you won't help your mother with the cooking," she acted with much melodrama in her voice, "After all, I cannot be with a man who can't cook for me," she added solemnly, an afterthought to her implied request.
Draco groaned as he left in a hurry, eager to please her, but not enjoying the menial tasks he had to complete.
Lucius chuckled fondly, "He dotes on you, Miss Selwyn. Much more than you would expected. I assume-"
" I'm sure he'll grow out of it.", she interjected offhandedly, gazing at the retreating back of the boy.
–(O^O)–
"Ollivanders' Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.",
" Seems to me this is the right place," Evelyn says to herself, squinting at the engraved description of the shop sign.
Ding.. Ding.. , a bell chimed, as if indicating the arrival of guests at the entrance door. Evelyn found no one at the counter. Frowning, she made a beeline towards it, surveying around as she searched for possibly the most famed wandmaker in England.
Thud…. Thump..Thud….Thud….. Crash
She jumped with a shriek of unpleasant surprise as a plethora of wands landed in front of her, a hand sticking out from it.
"Oww.. Merlin help me, that's going to be a pain in the arse tomorrow," An aged, airy voice groaned from underneath the pile.
Finally getting over her initial surprise, Evelyn leapt to the help of the old man.
"Oh, it's alright." The white, wispy haired man dismissed, refusing her hand as he got up with a grunt, Evelyn strained to hear, "Apologies for the mess. I was stocking up on some wands, you see…. I just need to sort these acacia and alder wands out….. 14, 16,.. Ahh. Now, you must be a customer." he asked nonchalantly as he proceeded to perform his wand sorting tasks with a swish of his own.
Evelyn gaped; this was the wandmaker? He looked ready to fall over into his own grave. His frail structure seemed to be a breeze away from giving out.
"BRYAN! We have a customer," he roared with a voice more vigorous than she expected him to have.
"Coming," a much younger voice yelled from the back of the shop. There was a loud crash followed by footsteps. A young man, no older than his 20s, stumbled as he carried boxes of wands in his arms.
The elder man, Ollivander, she assumed, sighed, "Don't tell me you broke the vase again…"
The new arrival scratched the back of his head as he grinned sheepishly, "Sorry."
"Ah well… just get our young customer a wand, will you?" Ollivander waved his hand.
"Right… just get the customer a wand…. A wand… No problem at all." Bryan mumbled, before his entire countenance brightened, "Right this way, young lady."
Evelyn, who had been silent until now, made a small yelp of surprise before walking as fast as her short legs would carry her to another corner of the shop.
"Not that…. Not that either…. Merlin's pants…. Ah, there it is." Bryan came back with a wand box. He opened it to reveal a brown wand.
"Applewood, 10 and a quarter inches, Unicorn Tail. Quite flexible. I made it myself." Bryan exclaimed proudly, as he handed the wand to Evelyn.
The moment Evelyn touched the wand, she dropped it, her hands blistered from the heat. Hissing in pain, she glared at the wand.
"Ah right, you are one of those…." Bryan sighed, picking the wand up and turning around to find another more 'suitable' one.
3 hours later, a bored Evelyn Selwyn and a frustrated Bryan looked at the burnt remains of a wand that lit up on fire as soon as Evelyn touched it.
"It's as if the old man knew you were going to be a rather tricky customer," the Hogwarts alumni muttered with a slight annoyance in his tone, "How about this, miss? Hawthorn, 10 inches, Unicorn Hair Feather, Reasonably Springy."
The moment Evelyn touched it, a sense of wrongness invaded her and immediately she let go, shaking her head.
Bryan, already used to this occurrence, simply sighed in defeat and went to fetch another one.
"Elm, 12 inches, Dragon Heartstring, Quite Rigid, has an affinity for curses and charms," He proclaimed without much flair, tired from the ordeal,
Evelyn, too, was bored from her mind and had settled for reading a book. Without much interest, the girl reached out to grab the wand, only for her eyes to widen as she felt a rush of vigor within her. Lights flickered on and off as a strong breeze blew in the closed shop.
"Bloody Hell," those words snapped her from reverie, returning her to the world after her high.
"I think I'll take this one," was the needless comment Evelyn gave as she handed the graduate 10 galleons.
–(O^O)–
'Hmmm.. I need… a pet,' Evelyn had thought as she scanned through the list of requirements written in the letter for the first-years. She headed straight towards "Magical Menagerie", at least that's what she was recommended for after enquiring with a passer-by.
"It's just on the North side, across the street from the Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, dear," the lady readily replied.
Magical Menagerie
On display were walls covered by cages cramped with pets any witch or wizard could ask for: owls, ravens, cats of various colour. A streeler could be seen oozing slowly up the side of the tank, Large brown toads feasting on dead mosquitoes, black rats scampering around squeaking, possibly asking for attention.
"Welcome, welcome to Magical Menagerie, creatures, species you name it, we certainly have it," a voice behind the store counter enthusiastically boomed, an infectious smile on her face.
Evelyn smiled back, "I'm looking for a pet… for Hogwarts, ma'am"
"Oh get these formalities aside, name's Miranda. Just a moment by the way.."
"EMILY… ,'' she called out, "we've got a young customer."
" Aight.. Right away," a bubbly voice replied.
A short, stout, spectacled witch emerged out of a dark corridor. "Apologies for the wait, dear. Now I am assuming you are one of these first year students getting their new pets. If you are then, well today is your lucky day, we have got a wide range of animals in our care," with her business tone.
The hootings and meowings of owls and cats invaded Evelyn's auditory sense as she walked through rows upon rows of enclosed and caged animals. Each of them looking at her with pleading in their eyes, desperate for release from their prison.
She could only advert her eyes as guilt stabbed at her conscience. "What kind of pet would you like, Miss?" the lady continued.
Evelyn thought hard before replying, "An owl will do."
"Great choice. We've got a variety of selections between Snowy Owls, Barn Owls and Spectacled Owls. However, if you want something more exotic," The intern winked, "we do have a section at the back for a selection of rare breeds."
Looking at the salesperson as if she had grown 2 heads, Evelyn just walked towards the section that seemed to hold the highest population of owls.
A snowy white owl caught her eye and she approached it with intrigue.
The owl stared at her.
And she stared back.
Finally, it gave a bark of acknowledgement at her, hooting approvingly. However, when Evelyn reached in to pet it, the owl screeched and pecked at her finger, nearly drawing blood. Glaring at the owl, the Selwyn Heiress made to move away from the owl.
"Pity you didn't pick that one," Emily morosely commented, "We've been trying to get rid of it for months. Temperamental I say." Shaking her head at the annoying inexperienced assistant, she moved on from the snowy owl, leaving it.
A barn owl, who was nibbling its own wings, minding its own business, had caught her attention. Tenderly, she approached it, not wanting a repeat of past actions. The owl blinked and looked in her direction, tilting its head curiously, its beady, innocent eyes regarding her for a moment before letting out a tiny hoot of delight.
There were several barn owls that looked similar. However, Evelyn couldn't help but feel a pull towards this particular one. Gingerly, she extended her finger to stroke its neck. The bird cooed as it reciprocated its affection by nuzzling into her hand.
"This is just what I wanted," Evelyn giggled, as she cooed with delight at the tiny owl.
"He was here for quite some time, since he was a runt; naturally, no one is quite interested in him," Emily stated sadly.
"Well, fortunately for him, he is finally getting the attention he deserved," Evelyn chuckled, as the owl flap its tiny wing excitedly as if understanding that he was going to spend the rest of his life with his new owner.
"10 Galleons for this little guy," Emily declared after she had confirmed with Mirinda.
–(O^O)–
Hiss.. Hiss…
The smoke shrieking from the exhaust signifies the train almost departing.
The Hogwarts Express is the train that runs between London's King's Cross Station Platform 93/4 and Hogsmade station. On average, the train runs about half a dozen times annually, perhaps more, as needed. The Express dutifully carries students to and from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the start and end of every term.
"Is there anything else missing.. books , quills, ink refills, robes.. Miss Selwyn, and your wand?" Lucius had inquired amusedly, watching as the Selwyn heiress blushed in embarrassment.
"I have it," she repeated, patting her pocket.
"Good.. I stand corrected that you can never withdraw too many galleons. Last time, if my memories serve me right, you went on a shopping spree which left quite a dent in your vault."
Evelyn's face slightly flushed despite knowing too well for her spending habits.
"And Aries?"
Said creature harped furiously as it banged around the cage, as if demanding attention. Both Lucius and Evelyn turned in its direction.
"He's here," Evelyn chuckled, a smile gracing her lips.
Lucius instinctively looked at his pocket watch."Well I suppose you ought to have finished packing everything. Off you go then," The blonde man urged as he shrunk the baggage and offered it to the heiress of the Selwyn Family.
"Promise me you will write back," a boy from the front compartment called out to his parents.
They both went silent for an uncomfortable second before Lucius cleared his throat, looking at her imploringly.
Nodding her thanks, she stepped on the train, slipping through the hordes of students.
Evelyn managed to secure a vacant compartment in the middle section of the Hogwarts Express, having chosen not to interact with the rest of her peers.
Flipping a book that she took from the family library, she lost herself to the irregular rhythm of the rail and was absorbed into the sea of knowledge offered by the book.
Alas, peace was not meant to be as someone managed to break her admittedly 'weak' locking charm.
"A Strong Locking Charm," entered a smugly grinning boy, flanked on either side by 2 older boys, "I was introducing myself to people who were fit for my attention. Miss?"
"Selwyn" was the irritated reply received.
Not breaking tempo, "Ah, Miss Selwyn. Great to have met you." The boy said insincerely, looking rather uncomfortable, "I'll see you around then. Preferably in Slytherin."
Evelyn just flashed him a smile that showed teeth, proceeding to read her book in silence whilst ignoring the closing of her compartment door.
–(O^O)–
Like all other first years, Evelyn too was ushered into the great hall with a look of awe on her face. The grandeur of the castle had put her own manor to shame as the canoes they were on were gently pushed along by a mysterious force, towards the famed school of witchcraft and wizardry. The ghosts, too, had been a rather unpleasant surprise but was not enough to cull her admiration and amazement.
The first years, one-by-one, had been called out, and Evelyn's anticipation and anxiety had built up little by little.
"Selwyn, Evelyn." A voice with a strong Scottish accent rang through the anticipating great hall. The 4 tables looked at the first years with expectations. Even the night sky on the ceiling seemed to dim slightly as all attention fell on her when she stepped forward. Swallowing hard, she put on the most impassive face she could muster, walking briskly towards the creaky stool, stood centre in front of the professors' table.
A deep, gravelly voice whispered in her head, 'Aye, an interesting one. Let's see what I am to work with. Hmm… A lot of brashness and boldness I'd say.'
Sensing her tension, "Relax child, for my voice is in your head. Now, let me continue." The voice noted, seemingly irritated, 'Quite an avid reader too it seems. Not a bad fit for Ravenclaw.'
Panicking to the helplessness of her situation, Evelyn tried to resist as it shifted through her memories, uncaring of her feelings towards this gesture. And apparently, it was enough to make the hat stop.
'Oh, for Merlin's bloody sake, if you don't want me to properly sort you,'The annoyed voice grumbled in her head before booming, "SLYTHERIN". A polite but unenthusiastic applause followed.
She didn't know whether to burst out laughing or breathe a sigh of relief as the old witch, clad in emerald-green robes, took the hat off her head, settling for the latter. Practically running, she sat down on the farthest chair from that wretched hat. She wasn't even in the know that there were forces that could hear her thoughts. Shuddering slightly, she looked up to hear the headmaster finish his speech. With a dramatic flair, the smiling white-haired man clapped his hands and a feast appeared on the Slytherin's table, followed by the rest. Gryffindor was the first to reach their hands towards the table, chattering and breaking the silence of the Great Hall.
Being the glutton she was, Evelyn Selwyn, heiress of the Selwyn Fortune, a pureblood bred from the finest degree, dived in.
A voice chuckled beside her, "Starving, dear?"
Turning slightly to her left, she saw the source of the voice, a pretty face with warm ,brown eyes, framed by silver locks with a hint of strawberry. With her mouth still full of the chicken drumstick she was previously devouring, she nodded her head, crumbs scattered across her lips.
"Ah, where are my manners?" The elder girl grinned, "Farley, Gemma Farley. Third Year. Great to meet you, Firstie."
Swallowing some unchewed chicken, she winced in pain before replying, "Selwyn, Evelyn Selwyn. First Year."
"I gathered as much." Farley rolled her eyes with amusement, "considering you just got sorted."
Evelyn's cheek turned red.
A2: Made changes to make up for A1s lack of imagination and foresight.
A1: Oi. I'm not that bad. Speaking seriously, we made some drastic changes to fit into A2's writing style, I was not coerced, I repeat I was not coerced.
A2: Anyhow, we are open to all constructive criticisms and suggestions, as stated before, to provide an enjoyable Harry Potter fan fic that the readers, hopefully, will love this book as much as we put our blood, sweats and tears.:{
A1: You mean MY Blood, Sweats and Tears, you lazy arse.
A2: I take that as a compliment. :)