O
ATHENA
Wisdom
September
"What house do you think you'll be in?"
Dom Weasley looked across at her friend from her position on the floor of the train compartment as the two of them examined Dom's extensive quidditch card selection. Roxanne, sat on the seat above her, was braiding her cousin's curly red hair into two elaborate French plaits.
"Mum thinks I'll be in Hufflepuff and Dad says Gryffindor. Teddy keeps saying I'll be in Slytherin, although I think he's joking."
"It would be great if you were," Roxanne said, still engrossed in the intricate braid. "It's not as bad as people say, you know. Most of us are really nice. There are a few idiots, but you get them in all the houses, even Gryffindor, whatever the rest of our family thinks."
"I know, I know," Hope said. "And Gran was a Slytherin. I'm sure she'd be happy if I was too. I'm just not sure I want to be. Mum and Teddy have given me so much to live up to in Hufflepuff, and as for Gryffindor…" she fell silent as the three girls reflected on the family legacy now permanently linked to the house. Dom's father, both of Roxanne's parents, and grandparents, most of their cousins, Harry Potter, their famous uncle and his two best friends. And Hope's own father and the Marauders, whose antics were now stuff of Hogwarts legend.
"Definitely not Gryffindor," Hope said firmly. "Our families have already done it all for Gryffindor."
"That leaves Ravenclaw." Dom beamed. "Oh I so hope you're with me. I would love it."
Hope had been secretly hoping for this too, but there was a nagging worry in her mind.
"We – we will hang out at school, won't we?" she said. "Even though you're older?"
"Of course we will," Dom said at once. "If you want to. You'll be way more popular than me Hope, with your morphing skills, especially as you're Teddy's sister. Everyone loved Teddy. You'll make much cooler friends than me. People think I'm a freak, remember?"
Hope glared and shook her head. No one was cooler than Dom. Except maybe Roxanne. But Roxanne was cool in the obvious sense, with her stylish clothes, amazing hairstyles and her total lack of regard for anyone else's opinion. Dom was cool for other reasons and to Hope, the bravest person she knew. Her parents too said that Dom and Roxanne were living proof that the old house values were rubbish, and that you didn't have to be in Gryffindor to be brave, or Hufflepuff to be loyal. And Teddy hadn't been in Ravenclaw, despite being insanely intelligent and top of his year.
Hope knew she wasn't as clever as Teddy, but that didn't mean she couldn't be in Ravenclaw, with Dom. She shuffled through the cards in her hand.
"Ooh, here's Ginny!"
"I've got three of her, you can have one."
"I would love to be able to play like her." Hope stared jealously at the card. Ginny's wild red hair streamed behind her as she swooped into a dive with the quaffle under her arm. "I know I went to her last ever match, but I can't remember it – I was only four."
"I remember that," Roxanne said. "She was incredible. The Harpies were undefeated that season. There you go," she added, deftly finishing Dom's second braid and securing it with a ribbon.
"Thanks!"
"Can you do mine?" Hope said eagerly.
"You could do it yourself in three seconds using your mind," Roxanne pointed out. "But yeah, I'll do it by hand if you prefer," she added hastily, as Hope felt awkward and Dom gave her hair - currently long, red and streaked with orange and gold - an envious glance.
The talk of houses was abandoned for a while but many hours later as the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, Hope felt her first tremor of anticipation.
"Good luck," Dom whispered, as they stepped down onto the platform, she and Roxanne pointing Hope in the direction of the group of first years. Not that there was any real need – she could already make out Hagrid's bulk on the other side of the station. "Think Ravenclaw."
Ravenclaw, Hope thought at once. Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw.
O
Hope was still thinking Ravenclaw forty-five minutes later, as she stood in front of everyone in the Great Hall and waited for her name to be called out.
"Know where you want to be?" whispered Michael Longbottom, who was next to her. He gave her a broad grin which she returned in spite of her rush of nerves. Hope liked Michael very much, although she did not see him as much as she saw the Weasleys and Potters. The Longbottoms led hectic lives, but Neville was Albus's godfather so they did meet up with them during the holidays on occasion. She didn't answer Michael's question. Neville was head of Gryffindor and she didn't want to offend them.
Michael was quickly placed in Gryffindor and then it was her turn. Professor Flitwick, tiny and wizened, smiled at her reassuringly before placing the hat on her bright hair.
"Let me see," came a little voice through the musty darkness within the hat. "Hmm, most interesting. Bold. Shrewd. A good heart. Somewhat stubborn I see, and a tendency to mask your inner feelings from the outside world, but they are both family traits, naturally."
Hope had been forewarned about the hat's bluntness. She sat there patiently and forced the thought into her mind.
I want to be in Ravenclaw.
"Ravenclaw?" said the little voice, surprise creeping into its tone. "Interesting. You have brains my girl, no doubt about that, but it wouldn't be my first choice for you. In fact, I think it would suit you least of all. Your nature is Gryffindor, I am certain, but you would do well in Hufflepuff. You even have the makings of a fine Slytherin. Ravenclaw... I am less sure about. I would go so far as to say it would be a mistake."
But Hope had made up her mind long before sitting on this stool. She had to be with Dom. Dom was one of her favourite people in the world. Dom had been her friend since before she could even remember. And it would surely be for the best. She didn't want to be in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Both came with a terrible pressure of having to live up to her famous family. And Slytherin, she felt, meant stigma, even though her grandmother had impressed on her many times that Slytherin was not synonymous with evil. Roxanne adored school life in Slytherin house, and said her parents had only been supportive of her unexpected sorting choice, but Hope could not be convinced.
I want to be a Ravenclaw, she thought again. Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw.
The hat gave a resigned little sigh.
"Stubborn indeed. Very well. If you're sure. That's what it shall be."
O
Hope awoke to bright sunlight streaming in through the window and sat up in bed, full of excitement for her first day. The other members of her dormitory were already awake and getting dressed, and so Hope hurriedly started pulling on her own clothes.
"You're Hope Lupin, aren't you?" one girl said, coming over.
"Yes." Hope stopped hunting for her shoes and surveyed her critically. Petite, with a pretty face and curly black hair, she was already dressed in a pressed blouse and short black skirt under her robes.
"Elodie Carmichael." The girl held out her hand, and Hope shook it. "This is Marion Lennox and Natalie Dubalski." Hope nodded at the other two, who were standing behind Elodie.
"I think we're the only four in here," Natalie said. "I don't remember anyone else being sorted into Ravenclaw yesterday, do you?"
"Your brother was Head Boy last year, wasn't he?" Elodie cut over Natalie as Hope shook her head in response. "My older sister told me all about him. Apparently, he's really fit."
"If you say so." Hope pulled a revolted face. "I don't see him in that way, thankfully. Anyway, he's a metamorphmagus. We both are. We can change our appearance at will, so we can be as good-looking or as ugly as we like."
Even as she said it, she knew that wasn't entirely fair. Teddy rarely altered his appearance, other than to change his hair to garish shades of purple or turquoise, an act that their mother heartily encouraged. The face he bore was his own, and even Hope had to admit that if he hadn't been her brother and therefore physically unattractive in every way, she may have seen him as handsome too.
"That's awesome!" Elodie appeared impressed. "Can you change something now, so we can see?"
Hope knew an instant a prickle of irritation. She despised being asked to morph, unless it was for the purpose of their family "morph-offs", a dinner time tradition dating back to before her own birth. However, she recognised that it would be a bad idea to get on the wrong side of these girls on her very first day.
Grudgingly, she made her hair bubble-gum pink and short – her mother's favourite - then blue and waist length, back to the medium length reddish gold curls that had been her own preferred style for years now, so much had she always wanted to look like the Weasleys, and made her eyes flash different colours as well.
The three girls gazed back at her, mouths open.
"That is so cool!" Marion said fervently, and Hope felt a secret leap of delight. As much as she hated being treated like a freak show, having the ability to impress people with zero effort had its perks. Maybe Dom and Teddy had been right about finding it easy to make friends.
"Do you want to come down and have breakfast with us?" Elodie asked. "We start lessons later than normal on our first day, my sister said, so we can get our timetables and induction information. We'll have plenty of time. We can get to know each other a bit."
Hope declined with a polite smile. "Maybe tomorrow?" she suggested. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but my friend Dom is in Ravenclaw too, in third year, and I said I'd eat with her this morning."
"Wait. You don't mean Dom Weasley, do you?" Elodie gave a sudden snigger and clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Yes." Hope narrowed her eyes a little. She was starting to dislike Elodie already.
"But-" Elodie lowered her voice to a whisper, even though no one else was in the dormitory. "You know about Dom, right?"
"Of course I know her. She's basically my cousin. Her parents are my godparents. And my parents are her godparents."
"Yeah, but-" Elodie waved an impatient hand. "Like, you know about her? You know that he isn't a her at all? You know Dom Weasley is actually a boy?"
Hope glared at her, all thoughts of avoiding animosity forgotten.
"She's not a boy," she snapped. "You don't have any idea what you're talking about."
Elodie stared smugly back at her and then turned to the other two. "My sister told me all about him," she said, looking pointedly at Hope, whose eyes were now emitting sparks. "They're in the same year. Dominic Weasley decided he wanted to be a girl, a few months before starting Hogwarts. Headmistress Vector actually allowed it, and he sleeps in the girls' dormitory and everything. Thankfully Kirstin's in Slytherin so she doesn't have to share a room with him. Mum would have written to complain otherwise. I mean, can you imagine?"
Natalie murmured her agreement. Marion did not seem to share their disgust or horror, but also appeared unwilling to disagree with her confident classmates so early on in the day.
Hope couldn't have cared less about that. She was fuming. Dom had already warned her that some people treated her like this, and that Hope would likely hear unpleasant things too. Yes, it was horrible, Dom had said. Yes, sometimes it made her miserable. But most of the time, it was manageable and ignorable, and things were OK. She was far happier now than she had been a couple of years ago, and she had finally settled into Hogwarts and was beginning to find her place. Her roommates accepted her and they maintained an amicable relationship, even if they weren't the best of friends. Roxanne was her best friend in the world and, with the help of her Slytherin gang, always had her back. Most importantly of all, the whole family had been supportive. Percy and Audrey in particular had surprised everyone shortly before Dom's first year at school by coming over to dinner and bringing her a gift of some beautiful, intricate hair slides, identical to ones that Audrey regularly wore, that Dom had coveted for years.
"You be whoever you want to be, Dom," Percy had told his niece importantly, as Audrey fixed the slides in her red curls for her. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Despite his pompous tone, which Dom had sniggered about with Roxanne and Hope afterwards, she had been touched by his reaction, having been warned that Percy, although well meaning, was quite old-fashioned in his view of the world and might be more shocked at the news than the rest of their family.
Her grandparents had been a little taken aback initially, but all had been well in the end. Remus and Tonks had proved to be more suitable godparents than Bill and Fleur could have ever imagined, and Dom adored them, so much so that she had turned to them first for advice about wanting to attend Hogwarts as a girl. Even Victoire, with whom Dom argued all the time, fiercely defended her now sister at every turn, and would not let anyone else speak a word against her. Now Hope would be at school as well, which meant another friendly face, another person to stick up for her.
"It might be different if I didn't have such a big family," Dom had shrugged. "But I do, and they're here for me. So everything's fine."
After hearing Elodie's scathing comments first-hand, Hope had to wonder if the situation was really as fine as Dom made out. The girl had never met her friend and yet here she was, making horrid comments and turning other people against her.
"Well, I think you're disgusting," she said sharply. "I take it back. I'm never going to sit and eat breakfast with you."
She turned on her heel and marched out of the dormitory.
OK, maybe it wasn't going to be quite that easy to make friends.
O
The animosity with the three other girls in her dormitory was an unfortunate start to her time at Hogwarts, but within two days Hope was having far too much fun with the people she did like to bother about the people she didn't.
The first day passed in a blur of getting lost, but then came the weekend. Dom and Roxanne made sure to show her the best ways of getting around, introducing her to secret passageways and hidden corridors and warning her about the parts of the castle she should avoid. When the first full week of lessons began, Hope was already feeling at home.
On Monday, they had an introductory lecture to Defence Against the Dark Arts with the whole year group. Professor Izatt, an older witch with short grey hair, a permanently kind expression and a firm but cheerful manner, welcomed them into the classroom. Hope took a liking to her immediately.
"Right," she said, after the inevitable introductions. "Defence Against the Dark Arts. Who can tell me why we study Defence Against the Dark Arts?"
There was a silence. Then Michael Longbottom put up his hand. "To prepare us," he said. "To understand what dangers and evil there are in the world and to learn how to fight them, and protect ourselves from dark magic and dark creatures and dark incidents."
"Precisely." Izatt was clearly impressed. "You can take ten points to Gryffindor. That is very well put, as they will be the three main areas of focus in this class. Dark magic. Dark creatures. Dark incidents. Dark magic takes many forms, and as you go through school you will learn counter jinxes and protective curses to repel it. You will study dark creatures, both in theory and in practice. And, as Mr Longbottom has rightly mentioned, you will learn about the history of dark incidents, the evil that has shaped the world we live in today, in a different context from how it is studied in History of Magic."
Izatt had a gift for captivating everyone's attention, Hope observed. The whole class was watching her avidly.
"Can anyone tell me some examples of what this might include? What do you think you'll be learning about?"
Several hands went up this time.
"Shield charms?"
"Of course. A defensive spell by its very name."
"Unforgiveable curses."
"Yes," Izatt said, eyeing Cadmus Flint intently as he waited for her reaction to this contribution. "We do teach you about them, but not until OWL level."
"Hags?" someone said.
"Indeed, they would be a good example of a dark creature."
"Trolls!"
Soon the suggestions of dark creatures were coming thick and fast.
"Grindylows."
"Boggarts."
"Heliopaths!"
"I'm afraid Heliopaths don't exist." Izatt smiled at the girl who had made this suggestion. "Not outside the pages of the Quibbler, anyway."
"Vampires exist though," someone said eagerly.
"Yes, we will study vampires next year."
"And werewolves!" another voice piped up, with equal enthusiasm.
Hope tensed. She noticed Elodie, seated between Marion and Natalie, whispering to each of them. Natalie nodded, unconcerned, but Marion's eyes widened and she spun round to stare at Hope, her cheeks staining dark red when she saw that Hope was watching.
No prizes for guessing what that was about.
Izatt was careful in her response.
"Werewolves are part of the third-year curriculum," she said slowly. "However, they are among the rare exceptions to the three categories I just mentioned, as they don't really fall under any of them."
"I don't see why they wouldn't be classed as dark creatures," Elodie said, loud enough for most of the class to hear. Hope inked a black line across her parchment, purely to stop her reacting in any other manner. Her movement was so violent that she almost tore the paper.
"That is fair enough." Izatt looked Elodie directly in the eye, her calm tone unchanged. "You are here to learn, after all. I can tell you exactly why we would not view werewolves as dark creatures."
Elodie, not expecting to be singled out, went as red as Marion had.
"Dark creatures, by definition, are aligned with the Dark Side," Izatt continued. "They therefore would not be capable of fighting against the Dark Arts. They would do a dark wizard's bidding without question, unable to demonstrate morality, courage or compassion, incapable of putting others before themselves. It would be simply wrong to suggest that this were true of all werewolves, not to mention downright disrespectful to those who have shown bravery or selfless actions, those who may, for example, have fought in the wizarding wars, risking their own life to bring about the peaceful world that we all – including you, Miss Carmichael - enjoy today."
Hope felt a fierce rush of pride as Elodie was put firmly in her place by this speech and glowered down at her desk. Izatt had not so much as glanced at Hope, but there could be little doubt who she was talking about. Michael, seated a couple of desks along, grinned as he caught her eye.
"More examples please," said Izatt briskly, driving the conversation towards less sensitive topics. "What about dark events? Can anyone think of incidents that have happened in modern history?"
A girl in the front put up her hand. "The You-Know-Who wars."
"Absolutely," the teacher nodded. "Or Lord Voldemort, as we try and give him his proper name now. Possibly the most famous dark events of all."
"Grindelwald!" someone else offered.
"Indeed."
"The rise of Novikov!"
"Yes. Less famous, but equally devastating to those affected in Eastern Europe. Any others? Any more recent events in Britain, for example?"
Hope raised her hand tentatively.
"Yes, Miss Lupin?"
"The Surge?"
"That is an excellent example. Can you tell me what The Surge was?"
Hope screwed up her forehead, trying to remember what her parents had told her.
"It was a series of attacks that happened about ten years ago. In and around London. It was caused by old Voldemort supporters, but they'd never been imprisoned because they weren't in his inner circle and there was no evidence of their crimes. They were always small attacks, a few victims at a time. The intention was to make them look like muggle crimes and at first the Ministry didn't realise there was magic involved but then it got worse. And eventually the people who did it were caught, while planning a much bigger attack, and it stopped. Nearly one hundred people died overall, both muggles and wizards."
"Excellent summary, take ten points for Ravenclaw," Izatt said. "Now." She looked seriously round the class again. "We don't teach you about these events at school to cause panic. We tell you about them because you need to appreciate that the Dark Arts are a constant, ever present, ever evolving threat in our world. We don't want you to be frightened about them. We want you to understand them. We are incredibly fortunate to live in peaceful times, but that does not mean nothing bad ever happens, and so the fight against the Dark Arts goes on. Can anyone tell me who helps to fight the Dark Arts?"
There was an instant flurry of hands.
"The Ministry of Magic!"
"Aurors."
"Azkaban guards."
"The Ministry of Surveillance and Security."
"The Order of the Phoenix?"
"The Order of the Phoenix no longer operates," Izatt said to Esme Okare, who had offered this latest response. "But you are correct. They were a hugely important organisation in The Great War, and their actions are undoubtedly another reason that many of us are alive today."
Hope and Michael exchanged a second meaningful smile. Hope knew he would never say - the Longbottoms were far too modest - but his father had been quite as instrumental in the war as her own, despite never having been an official member of the Order. Her parents and Harry had told her that many times.
There were no more volunteers. "Anyone else?" Izatt asked. "There are other, extremely important people involved in the fight against the Dark Arts. People that none of you have mentioned yet, but who I am sure you know very well indeed."
There was another silence, and then Michael raised his hand again.
"Us?"
"Correct, Mr Longbottom. Us. You. We are all equally important in fighting the Dark Arts, and more than that, we have a responsibility to do so."
"But professor," Natalie piped up. "How are we supposed to fight the Dark Arts now? We don't know any spells yet."
Izatt did not seem surprised by Natalie's question. "Dark incidents throughout the years have all been different," she said. "Yet they all have one thing in common. In all cases, they have been allowed to take hold because of division, unkindness, intolerance and hatred. Because people have taken the easy road, followed old beliefs, stuck with outdated prejudices, even when the evidence suggested that times were moving forward. That, Miss Dubalski, is something all of you can start working against today, without the need to pick up your wands at all. We fight back by being inclusive and kind, by standing up for what believe to be right and by being true to ourselves and respectful of others."
Hope narrowed her eyes and stared sideways at Elodie. Marion noticed and had the grace to look abashed, but Elodie merely smirked.
"Right." Izatt clapped her hands. "Now that we have established that, let's get cracking. Wands out please!"
O
"Izatt is awesome!" Hope said to her friends that evening, meeting them by the lake for some end of the day fresh air.
"I know," Dom said. "She's so kind but so strict at the same time. Doesn't stand for any crap. You should have heard the put down she gave Julie Prat last year. Julie didn't realise Izatt was in the classroom and she made a snarky comment about what I was wearing. Izatt squashed her flat. Embarrassed her in front of the whole class, even made her cry, without raising her voice or saying anything mean. It was great."
"What other lessons did you have today?" she added, as Hope remembered Izatt's put down of Elodie with grim satisfaction.
"Potions." Hope pulled a disgusted face. "It was horrible. I can't understand how Mum and Teddy liked it so much. I think Leppard was expecting me to be great at it like Teddy. She was not impressed when my potion went all black and sticky. Then I had Transfiguration and History of Magic. So boring - History of Magic, I mean. I nearly fell asleep."
"You'll have a different teacher after third year," Roxanne assured her. "They don't let old Binns teach the important years anymore, too many people were failing their OWL. How was Transfiguration?"
Hope sighed. "It's interesting, but I found it pretty tough."
"Dom can help you, I'm sure. It's her best subject. Me, not so much."
Dom shrugged modestly.
"Tuesday night I have Astronomy and then flying on Wednesday." Hope checked her timetable again. "Flying will be fun!"
"Don't get too excited," Roxanne warned. "The flying is only for a few weeks to make sure you can stay on a broom. You're way more advanced than that already. Although Wood's so pretty that makes it worth it."
"He's old!" Dom reminded her. "Older than your parents."
"I know," Roxanne laughed. "And Mum and Dad say that Wood's only true love is quidditch, but still. I'm allowed to look at him."
"When are your trials?"
Dom and Roxanne had both been training hard all summer, helped by Roxanne's brother Fred, and were hoping to make their respective house teams this year.
"End of next week," Dom said. "There are two chaser spots up for grabs this year, so I'm kind of hopeful."
"You should be," Hope agreed. "And you Rox, after all your practice and the advice Harry and Charlie gave you."
Roxanne stretched out on the grass. "I hope so," she yawned. "Morella Flint's going for seeker too, but I reckon I'm better than her."
"What are the girls in your dormitory like?" Dom turned to Hope. "You haven't said much about them. There's that tiny one with all the hair - Elodie? - and the tall one."
"Marion," Hope said. "Marion seems OK. Ish. Not a fan of Elodie and Natalie though."
"You've known them two minutes," Roxanne protested.
"Yeah I know," Hope mumbled. "I just get a bad feeling about them."
"Why?"
Hope didn't reply, but Dom was looking at her with a resigned expression on her face. "They said stuff about me, didn't they?"
Hope shook her head but didn't speak. She may be able to mask her innermost feelings, but she was a terrible liar when asked a question outright.
"Hope, it's fine. I'm used to it, honestly."
"But you shouldn't be used to it!" Hope said in frustration. "They don't even know you and they've already decided they don't like you and it's so, so unfair. You're kinder and prettier and way more intelligent, judging by the inane conversations they have before bed. You're worth one hundred of them so why should they get to be mean about you?"
Roxanne echoed her approval of Hope's words, but Dom sighed. "That's just the way it is."
"Not if I have any say in the matter."
"You shouldn't be enemies with them," said Dom, after a pause. "They're your dormmates, Hope. It'll make your life pretty difficult if you don't get on."
"I don't care." Hope pulled up a blade of grass and snapped it in two. "You're my friend and I'm not being friends with anyone who says things about you and that's the end of it."
oOo
October
Hope didn't find it too difficult to avoid the girls in her dormitory. Elodie quickly established herself as the ringleader, not only of the Ravenclaw girls, but of half the year group. It also became apparent that she was not going to stop making pointed and unkind comments about Dom, and so Hope began ignoring her group all together. At first, she thought the Ravenclaw boys weren't so bad, but when Alec Peters loudly catcalled her as she walked down the corridor and asked her why she didn't morph herself into a different size and shape, she refused to have anything to do with them either.
She spent as little time in her dormitory as possible, preferring to stay in the common room with Dom, playing games, sharing snacks or discussing Ravenclaw's chances in the quidditch cup the coming season. Despite her earlier protests that Hope should be friends with the girls in her year, Dom confessed that it was lovely to have a proper friend in her own house, so much so that Elodie's increasingly frequent snide remarks didn't appear to bother her. Hope herself seethed whenever it happened, but Dom begged her to ignore it, and so Hope respected her wishes.
In lessons, Hope sat with whoever had a spare seat next to them – although she tried to avoid Marion, who was clearly Elodie's second choice of friend and often ended up sitting alone. She felt a bit sorry for Marion sometimes, but also refused on principle to associate with anyone who would willingly call a little troll like Elodie their friend.
Outside of lessons and their common room, she and Dom spent most of their time with Roxanne's huge circle of Slytherin friends, who were, as Roxanne had promised on the train ride up to Hogwarts, a very nice group. Some of them older, most of them built like tanks, and all of whom she had wrapped round her little finger, they came in handy if anyone started showing signs of being unkind or unpleasant. Teddy had been right. No one dared mess with the Weasleys, and certainly not Roxanne Weasley.
Sometimes, when Dom and Roxanne were busy with quidditch or third year privileges, Hope found herself at a loose end. She didn't mind her own company too much and she did have Oompa. It was surprising how much friendship a tiny ball of orange fluff could provide.
Not the best for conversations though.
Hope tried not to feel dispirited on those occasions where it seemed like she didn't have many friends. She'd only been at school a few weeks and being on her own was better than being friends with Elodie and her minions.
O
One Saturday in October, Dom and Roxanne having set off into Hogsmeade with promises to bring back a ton of sweets from Honeydukes, Hope was sitting by the lake, half-heartedly flicking through some assigned History of Magic reading, when a cheeky voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey pal!"
She raised her head to see James standing over her. Oompa immediately hopped onto his shoe and chewed his laces.
"Where are Dom and Roxanne?" James enquired, reaching down to stroke the pygmy puff.
"Hogsmeade." Hope tried to look nonchalant. She didn't want James feeling sorry for her. She had overheard Ginny telling him, just before the start of term, that he was to "look after Hope at school" and she had been most indignant. She did not need to be mollycoddled.
"You can come and sit with us," James said abruptly waving over to where his mates sat on the grass. "Only if you want to, but we're planning our next prank on Leppard. You might be able to help."
Hope was touched by this. She and James got on well enough at home, but she had been under the impression that he wouldn't want her tagging along with him at school, being older and much more popular than she was. He idolised Teddy and always had, but she was no Teddy, as some had been swift to point out. She also had thought it rude to seek James out simply because Dom and Roxanne were busy. But as he had now invited her…
"This is Hope," James said, as they re-joined his group of friends. "Hope, this is Matt, Neil and Eoin."
"Another cousin?" Eoin asked, eyeing Hope's red curls.
"Pretty much." James nodded. "Not blood relative though. She's Teddy's sister," he added importantly.
At their dawning looks of recognition, Hope prepared herself for the usual Teddy is amazing speech. Neil was screwing up his face, trying to remember something.
"I saw you down at the quidditch pitch the other week," he said. "With Dom Weasley."
"Yes," Hope said, a little surprised. "We were practising for Dom's trials."
"Did she make the team?"
"Yep! Second chaser."
"Why didn't you try out as well?" Neil enquired. "You're really good."
"Oh. Thanks," Hope said, somewhat flattered. "I'm a first year, remember. Don't stand a chance."
"James's dad did," Matt said at once. "He was Gryffindor seeker in his first year. He'd never even flown before."
"Yeah." Hope rolled her eyes. "But James's dad is Harry Potter. Do I look like Harry Potter?"
"You could if you wanted to," Eoin observed, grinning.
Hope hesitated at this, but Eoin had not asked her to morph, just made a casual statement. She didn't mind morphing when it was on her own terms, and she knew that she had a knack for imitating people's faces. She had actually attempted an impression of Harry before, during her phase of wanting to be an Auror in later life (she wasn't so sure now that it was the right career for her, after seeing all the work Mum had to do at home and through the weekends). She forced her features into an approximation of Harry's, scar and all, and James shuddered.
"Stop that, it's so creepy."
"Go to your room!" Hope said to him, putting on deep, gravelly tones. "You're grounded." The boys fell about in hysterics and Hope let the morph fall away.
She was feeling uplifted as the conversation turned back to the elaborate prank that the boys would be playing in their next potions lesson. Oompa bounced around happily, delighted to have some new friends. Matt in particular seemed very taken with her, and grinned as she nibbled the ends of his fingers.
Maybe it wasn't so difficult to make friends when you found the right people.
.oOo
November
"I'm getting so unhealthy with all this Hogwarts food," Hope groaned to Dom one lunchtime, as she piled her plate with cheese and crackers.
"You don't look it," Dom observed. "Even if you did you could morph it away."
There wasn't a trace of envy in her voice, but Hope felt guilty for the conversation she had inadvertently started. She knew that Dom would have given anything to be able to chance her appearance at will.
"I know I'm lucky like that," she acknowledged. "Health isn't all about weight though, is it? You can big but perfectly healthy and vice versa. I currently feel like my insides are turning into cheese and pudding."
"You do know there's a solution?" Grinning, Dom nodded to the mountains of salad and raw vegetables sitting right next to the cheese, but Hope ignored this, turning instead to wave at Roxanne, who was approaching their table with Morella Flint.
Morella was Roxanne's best friend of all the Slytherins; a tall, vivacious third year, similar to Roxanne in personality but with a sharper tongue and an even greater indifference to the rules. At first Hope had been terrified of her, but she was getting to know Morella as the term wore on and realising that she was less intimidating than first appeared. At this moment, however, she looked menacing, ink black eyes flashing and lips pursed in an ugly scowl.
"What's up?" Dom enquired, as Roxanne and Morella slid onto the bench opposite.
"Kirstin Carmichael, who else?" Morella snarled. "Messed up the potions cupboard and told Leppard it was me. And guess who has to spend four hours in detention sorting it out while that smug little cow gets away with everything."
"You aren't a stranger to detentions," Roxanne pointed out. "How many did you end up with last year? Eighty, was it? Ninety-five?"
"One hundred and two." If Hope wasn't mistaken there was a touch of pride in Morella's voice. "I'm already on track to beat that record this year."
"One hundred and two?" Hope gaped at her. Her own family were high detention earners themselves (apart from Teddy) but into the hundreds was excessive. It worked out to nearly one every other day.
"I know, right?" Roxanne sighed. "Mum would ground me all holiday if I came home with that many."
"Yes, but your parents actually care about your education," Morella said lightly. "Mine don't give a damn, do they?"
There was a sticky pause in which Dom and Roxanne looked awkward and Hope decided not to ask any questions, but Morella breezed through the silence with a laugh. "That's fine with me," she insisted. "But I want the detentions off my own merit, not because some stinking bitch has landed me in it. She is the worst."
"She surely can't be worse than Elodie," Hope protested.
"Hmm, they're two halves of the same rotten coin from what I can see."
Elodie herself walked by minutes later and, after a pointed look at Dom, whispered something to Natalie. They both started sniggering.
Dom's face was instantly impassive but Roxanne's eyes narrowed as the two girls went on their way. "What was that about?"
"Probably just made a hilarious joke about me," Dom said, tone as calm as her expression. "Like I care."
Morella was glaring at Elodie's back now as well. "Does she do that often?" she demanded.
Dom replied before Hope could get a word in.
"She insults everybody," she said. "Doesn't she, Hope?"
With some hesitation, Hope agreed. It was true that Elodie possessed scathing disdain for most people, but her comments made to Dom seemed in a different league of cruelty to her. She wasn't altogether satisfied with Dom's insistence that she didn't care.
Morella remained unimpressed. "If you want me to sort her out for you, I will," she said. "With pleasure. Any excuse to slap a Carmichael round the face. Come on Rox, we need to get those books returned before Herbology."
"She still scares me," Hope admitted, as the Roxanne and Morella grabbed two extra sandwiches and made to exit the Great Hall. "Morella, I mean."
Dom laughed.
"She scares everyone," she said. "But she's brilliant. You always know where you stand with her. She's one of the people I feel most comfortable around. Apart from family."
"Her own family sound a bit..." Hope trailed off with a grimace.
"Yeah, she doesn't get on with her dad," Dom said. "He's sounds awful. I think her mum is a bit odd too. Rox knows more than me but what I've heard makes me grateful for what I've got, you know?"
Hope nodded, then blurted out the question that was on the tip of her tongue.
"Why didn't you tell them? About Elodie? She's vile to you and you know they would sort her out."
"Because I don't need all my battles fought for me," Dom said shortly. "I don't care what Elodie thinks of me so I'm not going to give her the satisfaction of making a fuss."
Hope did not insist further.
oOo
December
The weeks sailed by so fast that it was almost a shock when the Christmas countdown began. Shortly before the end of term, Hope was in the dormitory packing for the holidays. She loathed packing, and would normally have left it until the last minute, but she needed a distraction right now.
The sky outside was clear, the moon a perfect silver orb. She couldn't help glancing up at it every few minutes, her heart in her mouth. The mid-winter full moon. Always a worry. Teddy had written to her first thing after the Halloween full moon to assure her that their father was fine, and had promised to do the same tomorrow. Dad had been going through this for years and years, he'd reminded her. Yes, the Halloween and mid-winter moons tended to be worse than others, but he was tough, he knew the drill, and he could handle it.
Hope did know this.
It did not stop her worrying.
"It's so beautiful," Marion muttered from behind her. She had entered the dormitory, thankfully without the other two girls, and was now staring out of the window as well.
Hope did not react to this. She supposed that the full moon must be beautiful to most people. Whereas to her and her family, it represented nothing but pain and illness, sadness and separation, worry and dread.
Marion, correctly interpreting her lack of reaction, looked suddenly very awkward.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean - I didn't think."
Hope swallowed the retort that was on the tip of her tongue. "It's alright," she said, with an effort. "Most people don't have to think about it. But for us - for my family - it can only be something horrible. Something to worry about. Dread, even."
"Is – is it not less of a worry when you're at school?"
Hope immediately knew what she was getting at and tried to repress the surge of anger bubbling up inside her.
"What?"
Marion faltered at her defiant expression. "I- I just- I just meant… I mean, I know your mum and your brother are still at home, so I guess that's a worry... but at least - at least you're…"
It wasn't Marion's fault, Hope tried to tell herself. Marion was Muggle-born, therefore had known nothing of the magical world until receiving her letter a few short months ago. Werewolves would have been mere legend and fairy-tale to her before then. And Marion was friends with Elodie, who had no doubt been filling her head with outright lies for the past few months.
"I suppose Elodie's been telling you how terrible and evil werewolves are." She was unable to keep the coldness from her voice. "How they are bloodthirsty monsters, maybe? How they are a danger to everyone around them and have to be kept under lock and key? How disgusted and afraid they make people, even their own family?"
Marion went scarlet at this but did not deny it, and Hope knew she had hit the mark with at least some of her guesses. She focused very hard on shoving some clothes into her little suitcase.
"My dad isn't like that," she said, her voice shaking with suppressed anger. "In fact, most werewolves aren't like that. Most of them only want to live a normal life. They didn't ask to be bitten and to have their lives damaged forever, or to be treated like scum. They don't want to have to spend a night – sometimes two nights - of every single month locked in a room on their own because there is no permanent cure and they are scared of hurting the people they love. They don't like drinking disgusting potion for days to make sure they are safe on the full moon. And that's all it does." She threw several balled-up socks viciously on top of her leggings. "Seven days of every month taking potion and all it does is stop him being dangerous. But he still transforms. He's still in pain and he still gets ill. And people – people think I'm scared of him, or worried about him hurting us?" She glared at the other girl. "The only person I'm scared for is him. And the only person who has ever been hurt is himself. Even before the Wolfsbane potion was discovered."
Hope had not quite meant to say all that. She was breathing heavily. Marion appeared lost for words. "I – I didn't know," she said at last.
"Well, now you do."
Hope was a little mollified by the guilty and apologetic look on Marion's face, but neither of them said another word. Hope, unusually, was the first to go to bed that night, but she was still the last to fall asleep, tossing and turning, unable to switch off, praying that everything would be fine and that her dad was not suffering too much.
O
It was a relief to see him at King's Cross station a few days later, looking the same as he always did, his face lined and his hair grey, but otherwise with a healthy amount of colour in his cheeks and smiling broadly as he greeted both her and Dom, who they were dropping off at Shell Cottage on the way home.
"Where's Victoire?" he asked, as Hope gave him a second hug, unable to contain her relief that he was OK, despite having been assured of this by Teddy a couple of days ago.
"Probably fixing her hair," Dom snorted. "We could go without her," she added hopefully, and Remus chuckled. Hope knew that Dom was joking. She and Victoire loved each other underneath the outward animosity.
In any case, Victoire was now hurrying towards them. Hope, looking around, suddenly saw Marion, who was standing a couple of metres away with a slim woman who was presumably her own mother. Marion's eyes were on Remus as Victoire, beaming, threw her arms around him and then gave him a kiss on each cheek, as was her recently adopted way of greeting people. Dom rolled her eyes at her sister's exaggerated French-ness, while Hope stared boldly back at Marion, silently daring her to continue her thought process from the other night. But the other girl just gave a small smile and a tiny wave.
"Friend of yours?" Remus enquired, following her gaze.
"Nah," Hope said. "Not really."
She waved back at Marion all the same. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.
O
As much as she had enjoyed her first term, it was lovely to be back home, to see her parents and Teddy and Gran, to come back to her bedroom where she could have her own space and not have to share it with horrible, spiteful girls.
Shortly after their return from the station, Teddy came into the kitchen, holding a letter.
"I've got something to tell you," he said, sitting down. He held out the letter. "I've been accepted. For the St Mungo's Specialised Research Programme."
"Oh Teddy, that's wonderful!" Tonks immediately sprang to her feet and gave him a hug, all exhaustion from her long day at work forgotten.
"What is the St Mungo's Specialised Research Programme?" Hope enquired.
"It's for specialist research projects."
"I figured that much out on my own, thanks."
Teddy smiled.
"Basically, you submit a proposal for research into a particular illness or affliction, and if they like it and think it is worth supporting then St Mungo's provides the funding and resources for it, for as long as you need. I get a basic salary as well."
Hope did not need to ask what Teddy's proposal had been. Remus, having read the letter, was also smiling, but Teddy was looking anxious.
"I know you weren't sure about this, Dad."
He held up a hand.
"Teddy, if this is what you want to do, then of course I'm sure. I just wanted to make sure that you were sure. That you were doing it for the right reasons, and that you weren't going to spend your life desperately hoping for something that might not even be possible."
"I am sure," Teddy said firmly. "And I'm realistic. But that doesn't mean I can't try, Dad. The way I want to approach it has a good chance of working. I'm sure it does."
"Then I could not be prouder or more delighted. St Mungo's will be lucky to have you."
"Nerd!" Hope peeled the icing off her slice of Christmas cake and ate it whole.
"You were the one sorted into Ravenclaw."
"You're still the nerd," Hope snorted. Ravenclaw she might be, but she didn't think she would be getting ten Outstanding OWLs and seven Outstanding NEWTs. "Can we decorate the Christmas tree now?" She jumped up, still chewing the mouthful of sticky sugar, and brushed the crumbs off her lap.
"We already did it," Remus said solemnly. "We didn't think you would want to help this year."
Hope's dismay was quashed by the sight of Teddy's laughing face.
"Everything's laid out ready," he assured her. "We would never do it without you."
O
"So, come on. Tell me about your first term," Tonks exclaimed. "Your Dad says you wouldn't stop talking about it on the ride home and I haven't heard a word. Have you talked yourself hoarse?"
Hope was curled up on a beanbag by the newly decorated Christmas tree, full of chocolate pudding. She yawned widely.
"I'm just sleepy," she mumbled. "But it was great."
"What's Ravenclaw tower like?" Teddy enquired.
She shrugged. "It's nice. The dormitories are huge and we can see for miles out of the windows, and the common room's cool, a massive room with little alcoves and it has a reading room too, with individual study booths for working in peace and quiet."
"It doesn't seem like you've spent much time in there yourself." Remus raised an eyebrow.
"No." Hope chewed one of her fingernails, unconcerned. "Not really. I'm not behind on work though, honest."
"Oh, Neville says hi," she added. "I saw him at Hogsmeade station. He says Merry Christmas and he hopes to see you in the holidays."
"I'm sure we will," Remus said. "How's Michael getting on? Do you have many classes with him?"
"Only Defence Against the Dark Arts and Herbology. He's really good at them both. Top of the class."
"I doubt Neville would have it any other way."
"I don't see much of him other than that though," Hope said. "There are loads of Gryffindors this year and they all hang out in a big group together and mostly in their common room."
"What about the students in your house?" Tonks asked. "What are the girls in your dormitory like? You didn't say much about them in your letters."
Hope wrinkled her nose. "That's because they're horrible. OK, Marion doesn't seem so bad, but she's friends with Natalie and Elodie and they are horrible. Really bitchy."
"Language," her mother sighed, while Remus and Andromeda looked concerned.
"I don't care though," she hastened to assure them. "I stick with Dom and Roxanne and their friends mostly. And James sometimes. They're my favourite people anyway so I don't care if the girls don't like me."
"I suppose," Tonks said cautiously. "But it might be a good idea to make friends your own age, Hope. Dom and Roxanne will leave school before you do, remember. As will James."
Hope yawned again. "I'll be fine," she said airily. "No way am I being friends with Elodie. She says horrible things about Dom. And Dad."
Tonks shot a glance at Remus, but neither of them said anything more. Her dad might brush off unkindness directed towards him, but Hope knew that none of her family would ever expect her to befriend someone who had been mean about one of their own, not when the cardinal virtues of tolerance and respect had been impressed upon her for as long as she could remember.
oOo
January
All the same, Hope resolved to make more effort with her other classmates after Christmas. Her mother took her aside and spoke seriously to her before going back.
"You don't have to be friends with Elodie," she said. "I can't condone anyone being unkind about one of our friends, least of all Dom, so of course you must stand up for her. But try not to create too much animosity if you can help it, love, and I do think it would be a good idea to have friends in your year. I didn't get on with a lot of the girls in my house, when I was at school. It was difficult at times. At least be amicable."
Amicable. That shouldn't be too difficult, should it?
So, on the first day back, finding herself alone with Marion in the dormitory, Hope decided it was time to make an effort.
"How was your Christmas?"
Marion replied without hesitation.
"Pretty good, thanks. Quiet – it was just us and my grandparents. My mum loves Christmas though, so she goes all out."
"So does mine. Dad, not quite so much – but he joins in the fun in the end. We don't give him much choice."
"Was – was he OK? Your dad, I mean?"
Hope recognised this as an olive branch and a sign that Marion still felt guilty about their conversation before the break.
"Yes," she said. "The full moon was nowhere near, obviously, and he's just the same as anyone else the rest of the time."
Marion nodded, but her gaze had drifted towards the photo frame that stood in pride of place on Hope's bedside table. Her favourite picture of all, which showed her dancing with her father at Percy and Audrey's wedding as he held one of her hands and twirled her round and round to a fast paced Irish jig. Her seven-year-old self in the picture laughed uproariously, her red curls flying round her face. Hope could still remember the feeling of intense dizziness as the song came to an end and she staggered around and tripped herself up, Remus catching her with a well practiced arm seconds before she hit the floor.
"I saw you guys at the station," Marion blurted out. "I didn't realise that was your dad… before. I didn't know they were just normal people. Werewolves, I mean. Elodie never said." She was looking very uncomfortable. "And it was your dad, wasn't it, who Izatt was talking about in our first lesson, who fought in the war and got an Order of Merlin? One of the boys told me on the train home. But I - I didn't know before. I would never have-"
"It's fine." Hope cut gently over her as she rambled on. "Honestly. I know you weren't to know."
There was another pause. Hope pushed past it and resumed the topic of their holidays. "Do muggles have different Christmas traditions to us?"
"Um. I don't really know," Marion said. "I don't know what wizards do at Christmas. I didn't... like to ask-" she trailed off, but Hope understood. She knew Elodie was disdainful of Muggle-borns, although she'd never said this outright. Blood prejudice was heavily penalised at Hogwarts, and Elodie stayed within the rules whenever possible, but she surely must make Marion feel uncomfortable at times with her snobbish attitude. Some friend she was.
"We have a tree," she said eager to compensate for Elodie. "That's my favourite part - decorating it. And we have Christmas songs. Teddy's obsessed with Muggle music, so we probably listen to the same songs you do. We have roast dinner, and crackers and lots of chocolate. And presents. Then we see other family too and play loads of games."
Marion was smiling. "That sounds a lot like mine."
"Oh and we have indoor fireworks - Roxanne's Dad makes amazing rockets that fill the whole room and we set them off on Christmas Eve."
"OK, we don't have that," Marion laughed.
Hope grinned back as they heard the unmistakable sound of Elodie and Natalie clattering up the stairs.
"Hey Marion, look at this!" Natalie shoved a magazine in her friend's face as she came in, but Elodie threw Hope a disdainful sneer.
"What do you want, Hopeless?"
"What a clever nickname," Hope said coolly. "Did you come up with it all by yourself?"
Marion looked embarrassed but Hope stuck a finger up at Elodie without waiting for further retort and left the dormitory to go and find Dom. She was never going to get along with Elodie, but at least she had just had a nice, pleasant conversation with Marion.
Amicable.
Just like Mum had requested.
How hard could it be?
OOO