–Clothes?â€
–Yes, Mum.â€
–Books?â€
–Yes, Mum.â€
–Wand?â€
–Yes, Mum!â€
God, the way she treated me, it seemed like I was an eleven-year-old going to school for the first time.
It was the first of September. The weather outside was sunny and warm, with a slight breeze blowing in through the window, causing the curtains to ripple. Everything outside was perfectly calm. The birds chirped happily, enjoying the serenity that was spread over the meadows.
If only the birds could see the utter chaos ensuing through our house.
Even though I was completely packed and ready to leave, Mum had a feeling I was leaving all my stuff behind. Every now and then she would look under the sofa to try and find a book, leaving the cushions upturned, or else rummage through the kitchen cabinet drawers looking for my spare quills. A few seconds ago, she had just managed to scrabble through the freshly laundered clothes to try and find my sweatshirts.
–Look at the mess you’ve made me make,†she grumbled, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the jumbled up clothes. –Who’s going to clean that when we get home?â€
–Well, I didn’t ask you to mess them up, did I?†I retorted. –I already said - â€
–Ladies, can we please leave now?†Dad said poking his head into the laundry room, a look of exasperation etched across his face. –We have less than ten minutes before the train leaves!â€
I picked up my trunk (which Mum had brought along into the room) and marched towards Dad. –Yes, Mum, please let’s go.â€
–Fine, but if you leave something behind, don’t expect me to owl it back to you,†Mum muttered as she followed us into the living room.
–So, how do we get to the station? We go by train as usual, right?â€
Dad nodded. –We Apparate to King’s Cross.â€
Well, at least it’s not the Floo.
I held onto Dad’s arm with one hand and grabbed my trunk with the other. Mum clutched Dad’s other arm. Dad twisted on the spot as I managed to take a last look around the house. After the familiar yet uncomfortable sensation of being squeezed through a toothpaste tube had passed, I opened my eyes.
A huge, scarlet steam engine stood on the tracks, belching white smoke over the people. There was a general buzzing noise as people chattered to one another. A group of teenagers stood huddled around one another, catching up on the latest gossip. A small first-year was nervously clutching onto his father’s hand, staring at the train in wonder as his mother fussed over his clothes. Parents were hugging their kids goodbye, making them promise to write as soon as they reached Hogwarts, whereas others children were pushing through the crowd, trying to find their friends. I felt like I was back at Sydney Central Station, going back to Eduvene after the summer break.
–Tash!â€
I whipped around and saw Bri rushing towards me, looking annoyed.
–Where were you?†she asked. –We’ve been waiting for ten minutes; how long does it take for you to get ready?â€
–Less than you,†I retorted, grinning. –Mum went berserk and decided to turn the whole house up-side-down to search for stuff I was leaving behind.â€
Bri rolled her eyes. Behind her, our parents were shaking hands and catching up. Holding Aunt Camilla’s hand was a Bri’s eleven-year-old brother, Nate. Just like Bri’s dad, Nate had this slightly wild look about him, like a young lion cub. However, the usually cheerful and animated brown-haired kid was looking pretty nervous right now.
–Hey Nate,†I said, walking up to him and ruffling his hair. This had the desired effect; he scowled at me and said, –Oi!†Nate hated it when anyone treated him like a kid.
–Why the long face?†I asked.
–I’m not sad,†he said, although his nervous look was back. I smiled as I remembered the first time I was going to Eduvene. I was too worried about how everything would be in the new environment that nothing anyone else said made a difference. Even though my parents had tried to tell me everything was going to be okay, I didn’t believe them. I felt that Nate was going through the same thing.
–Don’t worry, it’s all going to be fine,†I said. –Don’t think about it too much. Instead, why don’t you think about how awesome it’s going to be that you’re finally going to a Wizarding school? You got your wand and your books; you’ll finally get to do magic!â€
Nate smiled a bit and shrugged.
I grinned and left him to it. There wasn’t anything else I could say to him, after all. I went over to Bri.
–Done trying to cheer the kid up?†she asked, amused.
–I might have managed a bit,†I admitted.
The train let out another huge belch of smoke as a whistle sounded.
–Girls, get on the train, quick!†Aunt Camilla said hurriedly. I rushed over to my parents and hugged them tightly, promising that I’d write soon and told them to take care. Bri and Nate were saying goodbye to their own family. Mum was sniffling as Dad looked at me proudly. –I’m glad to see you finally going to Hogwarts,†he said. –Make us proud.â€
–I will,†I promised. My parents kissed me on the cheeks from both sides as I hugged them again. I rushed towards the train and heaved my trunk onto it as Bri pulled from the other said, having boarded the train already. I managed to jump on right as the train started to move. I turned back and looked out of the open door and waved at our parents. They waved back enthusiastically.
–Bye!†I yelled. I caught a last, fleeting glimpse of my parents smiling and waving as the train rounded a corner, finally blocking them from view. I dropped my hands and turned to face Bri.
–We are finally off to Hogwarts,†I said.
–Yeah,†Bri said, grinning. –Let’s get some seats.â€
We trudged along the aisle as the train swayed beneath our feet. Many people jostled past us, pushing and shoving. I looked back at Bri, who seemed to be getting annoyed. She hated being in cramped places. We found a compartment full of what looked like some first year students, and told Nate to stay there while Bri and I got another compartment.
–Tash! Over here!â€
I swivelled my head around to search for the familiar voice. I soon found the source - Revlyn was sticking her head out of a compartment, beckoning us inside. I grabbed Bri’s hand and dragged her towards Revlyn. After a while of tugging her through the crowd we finally found ourselves inside Revlyn’s compartment. Panting, I plopped down on one of the seats.
Bri took her seat beside me, muttering darkly and running her fingers through her hair to untangle them. I looked around the compartment; it was relatively empty, except for Revlyn and Chris Carrington, the sandy-haired boy I’d seen with Revlyn back in Diagon Alley.
–Hi again, Tash,†he said, smiling at me.
–G’day,†I said, grinning back.
Revlyn, whose hair was as frizzy as ever, closed the door and sat beside him looking at me and Bri with amused expressions. –You look messed up,†she said.
–There are way too many people out there,†I said, leaning backwards. –Imagine getting through this crowd.â€
–Too right,†Bri grumbled. –Our school is much bigger, but even our train’s not as crowded as this one.â€
Chris was looking at Bri curiously; I realized that he didn’t know who she was. –Chris, this is Briallen Warwick,†I said, introducing her to Chris.
–I can introduce myself, thank you,†she told me irritably. She stretched out her hand towards Chris, who shook it.
–Chris Carrington,†he said.
–Nice to meet you,†Bri replied.
As Chris and Revlyn started to talk, I walked over to my trunk - which had been lying uselessly in front of the door - and heaved it up onto the luggage racks above (and then I lifted Bri’s trunk too, that lazy idiot). I then plunked down onto the seat.
–How are you, Tash?†Revlyn asked, looking at me.
–I’m good,†I replied. –How long is it going to take to reach Hogwarts?â€
–We’ll be there by nightfall,†she said.
Revlyn and I began talking about Hogwarts, Quidditch, family and everything in general. As time passed Bri’s mood became considerably better and she joined in, too. Revlyn tried to avoid Quidditch as much as possible around Bri, though; I guessed she didn’t want a recurrence of what had happened in the party at my house. Chris was quite fun to talk with, though. He was rather funny, cracking jokes now and then. It felt like I’d known him for a long time. He was, I learned, his house’s Quidditch Captain. When I told him that I had been a player in my old house team, he grinned and told me that if I ended up in Ravenclaw he’d find me a place on the squad.
I scowled mentally as I realized that I’d have been Captain had I not left Eduvene.
The food trolley came by, at around two in the afternoon and I bought myself a heap of Chocolate Frogs and any assorted lollies I could find. Sadly, they didn’t have the Tingling Toffees or Apple Custards that I liked so much. They did, however, have many other sweets including Treacle Tarts, Liquorice wands and Bertie Botts Every-Flavour Beans. Eager to try out one of those, I bought a jar.
–Oh, I don’t think you want that one,†Revlyn warned when I was about to pop one of the black ones in my mouth. –That one is pepper.â€
–Pepper?†I said incredulously, scrutinizing the little bean. Surely it couldn’t be pepper? I mean it was a sweet.
–Oh, they mean every-flavour,†she replied. –Try avoiding the brown ones and the greenish-gray ones too.â€
Bri, who had just bitten into a brown bean, gagged. –It’s bloody earwax!†she shrieked.
I sniggered, which earned me another swat on the head.
After that, Bri seemed to veer away from any odd coloured beans, eating only a few of the mainstream colours, like pink or violet. I, on the other hand, dug into every sort of sweet I could find. The Chocolate Frogs were my absolute favourite; not only did they taste scrumptious, they also contained famous wizard cards. As the afternoon rolled by I had managed to collect a small pile of the cards - they included Agrippa, Merlin, Elfrida Clagg, Cliodne, Dumbledore and a lot more whose names I had already forgotten.
Looking at my watch I saw that it was almost four in the afternoon. Chris was talking to Revlyn in hushed tones, and I noticed that she was blushing. Bri was resting her head against the window, her eyes closed. Not wanting to disturb Revlyn, I poked Bri and said, –I’m bored.â€
–Go to sleep,†Bri mumbled without opening her eyes.
I took up her advice and curled up on the seat, trying to doze off. The next thing I knew, Bri was poking me with her wand.
It was much darker than before and the corridor outside had been lit with torches. It was already evening. Chris, Revlyn and Bri had already changed into their robes; I had to admit that Bri looked a tad odd in the black robes - or maybe that was because I was used to seeing her in white ones all the time.
–We’re nearly there, slowpoke,†Bri said. –Change quickly.â€
Getting my trunk from the rack overhead, I took out my new robes and proceeded to pull them on. Feeling an odd sensation of déjà vu, I remembered the time I first put on my Eduvene robes. I was so happy and was gushing on and on about it, Bri had to pretend to puke on my robes before I shut up. My old robes were always warm and fuzzy and soft. These were… well, they were not my old robes.
I think Bri sensed my mood, for she said, –Well, at least they match with your hair.â€
–And yours don’t,†I laughed. –Opposite of before.â€
I could feel the train slow down and, gradually, it screeched to a halt. Outside in the isle, someone was yelling, –First years come out first! No pushing and shoving!â€
I was about to reach for my trunk when Chris stopped me. –Leave them here, they’ll be taken up to your rooms soon enough.â€
Shrugging, I stepped out of the compartment along with the others. The aisle was already packed with people. Slowly, the line edged forwards until finally we were able to jump out of the train.
–Firs’ years, this way! Over here, firs’ years!†called a loud, booming voice. I looked around for the source, and my eyes landed on the largest person I had ever seen. He was probably twice Bri’s height and had a large, protruding belly. His huge face was covered by tangled black hair and a beard, giving him a very wild look.
I looked at Bri. –Do we go to him? We are kind of new here.â€
–Okay,†she shrugged. So we trudged up towards the giant man, who seemed to be chatting with some people while herding the first-years towards him.
–Excuse me, sir,†I said. –This is our first year at Hogwarts and we’re not really sure where we are supposed to be going, so -â€
–Ah, so yer the two new students McGonagall was talkin’ abou’, aren’t yeh?†he said warmly. –Welcome ter Hogwarts! I was jus’ tellin’ Hermione here what ter do with yeh.†He motioned towards a girl with bushy brown hair who seemed to be about our age. She smiled warmly at us, and I noticed that she had a badge pinned on her chest. –McGonagall told me ter send yeh up to her office. I spec’ they’ll be doing yer Sortin’ there.â€
–Thank you,†I said.
Beside us, Revlyn and Chris had arrived. –Come along, you two can travel up to Hogwarts with us,†Revlyn said. –We’ll take them up Professor McGonagall’s office, Hagrid.â€
–All righ’ then,†he said, and waved before continuing to call the first-years towards him. I saw Nate hurrying towards him, chatting animatedly with a sandy-haired boy. I pointed this to Bri, who smiled and said, –I guess the kid found a mate already.â€
Revlyn and Chris took us towards a large carriage. These carriages, however, didn’t seem to be drawn by anything, though; I wondered how they were supposed to take us to the castle.
Revlyn stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide. –Thestrals,†she whispered before I could ask her what was wrong. She glanced towards Chris, who said grimly, –I know, I see them too.â€
Bri gasped, realization dawning on her. –The carriages are drawn by Thestrals, aren’t they?â€
Revlyn nodded. –You can’t see them, can you?â€
–No. What are they?†I asked.
–Winged horses,†she replied, looking solemn. –You can’t see them unless you see someone die.â€
I gasped. Invisible unless you see someone die? Did that mean they had had seen -
–We saw so many people die during the war," Revlyn said in a small voice. –I didn’t realize we would be able to see the Thestrals now.â€
Bri and I seemed to have intruded upon a private moment. Without saying anything, we climbed in after Revlyn and Chris. The ride up to the castle passed in silence, except for the sound of the wheels against the rocky path. Trying to ignore the thick environment, I looked out of the window. The view outside was breathtaking.
The towering castle loomed ahead, its many turrets and towers reaching up to the skies. Behind it was a backdrop of tall mountains, their tips capped with snow. Thousands of tiny pricks of light were set against the stone battlement of the castle - windows, I assumed. I counted seven rows from top to bottom, meaning there were seven floors in all, not counting the top of the towers. Towards the right of the path we were travelling in was a huge lake, its glassy surface mirroring the starry night sky overhead. I could see a small fleet of boats in it, gliding across the surface towards the castle like pond-skaters.
The whole scene was, in one word, gorgeous.
I turned to look at Bri, who had the same expression of awe etched across her face. –This is prettier than Eduvene,†she breathed. I agreed with her.
Up ahead was a pair of splendid wrought-iron gates, flanked with stone columns. On top of each column was a stone carving of a winged boar. As the carriage rattle through the gates, Revlyn grinned at me. –Welcome, Tash, to Hogwarts.â€
The carriage accelerated up the sloping path before slowing down as it neared the castle. As it jerked to a halt near a small flight of stone steps, we climbed out of it. I grinned at Bri, who smiled back at me. We’re finally here, I thought, looking up at the towering stone structure. Behind us, the carriage started to move along the path away from the castle. We walked up the steps and joined the rest of the crowd through a pair of magnificent oak front doors.
We entered into a huge, cavernous chamber. I gaped around the room; the walls were lined with flaming torches, making our shadows look like lofty giants. Directly in front of us was a grand marble staircase that presumably led to the upper floors. Flanking the large staircase were two smaller ones that led to a floor below us. On the left wall, between two doors, were tiny names etched in stone. The calligraphic heading read, Martyrs at the Battle of Hogwarts.
–They’ve done a brilliant job rebuilding the castle,†Revlyn was telling Chris, who nodded. –Looks as good as new.â€
The crowd was heading towards another door on the right. Revlyn, however, pulled us towards the opposite direction. Chris made to follow, but she said, –No, you go along, I’ll drop them off at McGonagall’s office and join you.†As Chris nodded and walked away, we followed Revlyn up the marble staircase and along a corridor. Revlyn found a flight of steps leading upwards and we climbed up after her. Five minutes later we found ourselves in front of a stone gargoyle standing halfway along an empty corridor.
–Er…†Revlyn looked lost.
–What?†Bri asked, puzzled.
–I don’t know the password,†Revlyn admitted sheepishly, looking at the floor.
I felt like hitting her with a club.
–You’ve got to be kidding me,†Bri muttered, staring at the ugly gargoyle. It sat there, motionless, still as a rock.
Which it was.
Then to my great surprise, the gargoyle moved aside, revealing a large, rotating stone staircase that was moving downwards like those Muggle escalators Bri and I saw in the shopping malls.
Beside me, Revlyn looked relieved. –I think someone’s coming down,†she said.
Sure enough, a tall woman dressed in emerald green robes came into view. Her face was lined and her lips were thin. Her hair was tied in a tight bun at the base of her neck, and a tall, crooked hat was perched on top of her head. She looked very strict.
Seeing us standing in front of the staircase, she frowned slightly. –Miss Harlow, what are you doing here? Won’t you go to the start of term feast?â€
–Yes, Professor McGonagall,†Revlyn said. –I came to escort Natasha and Briallen to your office. They’re the new students, Professor, and they didn’t know which way your office was.â€
So this was Professor McGonagall, the headmistress. She looked at Bri and me with a curious expression before saying, –Thank you, Miss Harlow. I’ll take it from here. You may go.â€
Rev wished us good luck before turning and walking off in the other direction.
–Welcome to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry,†Professor McGonagall said. –We’ve been looking forwards to meeting you. Now if you would please come with me to my office.†She turned on her heels and stepped on the stone staircase, which began to rotate again. As she was taken up, I looked at Bri and grinned.
–Come on,†she said.
Together, Bri and I stepped onto the staircase and went up towards the headmistress’s office.
The Hidden Truth by majestic_ginny
Chapter Notes: Sorry for the looong delay, guys. I finished my exams and then there was a lot of RL problems and I was way way way too busy.
Thanks to Emily for betaing this! Love ya, hun. And I am not JK Rowling. Everything belongs to her.
Chapter Endnotes: review? please? I'd love to know what you think!