Chapter Text
September 1971
Charlus crouched to meet his son’s eyes. “Don’t get into too much trouble. Keep up to date with your studies. Take care of your sister.”
A few steps away, Dorea was in a similar position in front of her daughter. “If you have to break some rules make sure you don’t get caught. I know you won’t let your grades suffer for anything. Watch out for your brother,” she lowered her voice, “he needs all the help he can get.”
Lea giggled and glanced over at her brother. She was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.
Next to them, James was rolling his eyes. “Yes, Dad. I’ll be good, we’ll be fine.”
The train whistle blew and the siblings boarded the train, Lea clutching onto the fabric of her brother’s sleeve. They entered into the first compartment they saw, rushing to the window to wave goodbye to their parents. As the train left the station, the two of them settled in their seats.
“I can’t wait to see the Gryffindor dormitory!” James’s glasses were sliding down his nose as he shuffled restlessly. “It’s going to be amazing!”
Lea smiled indulgently. “Red and gold has never looked as good as it will on us.”
“They’re going to have to let me play Quidditch,” James continued. “Once they see how good I am they’ll have to let me on the team.”
“I can’t wait for classes to start,” Lea said, her eyes gleaming. “Charms and Potions are going to be so interesting.”
Her brother snorted. “Forget about classes – think about the castle! There’s going to be so much to explore!”
This, Lea agreed with. “The history! There’s going to be so much to discover! I wonder if they have tombs? Definitely secret passageways.”
“It’s a good thing we have the Cloak,” James grinned cheekily. “There will be no corner left unturned and no secret passage left undiscovered.”
She laughed and they continued making plans until the trolley lady came around with sweets. Lea decided to go for a walk to find a bathroom and change into her robes as her brother settled down with his food. She weaved through the train, gazing up in awe at the older students laughing with each other and catching up after a summer apart. It was on her way back that a heated argument coming from an open compartment caught her attention.
“You can’t let him get to you! He’s just a bully, Sev!” A girl’s voice flitted through the door.
“Of course he’s a bully!” A boy replied, voice laced with contempt. Lea heard a thud and poked her head through the door in time to see the boy kick the wall of the compartment. The girl had bright red hair and was hovering behind the boy nervously.
“Please, Sev! Don’t let a stupid boy ruin today!” The red-haired girl pleaded. “Today’s supposed to be amazing! Please don’t be upset.”
The boy turned to the girl and Lea caught a glimpse of long black hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. “You’re right,” he said, running a hand down his tattered robes. The two of them had also changed into their school robes. “I’m sorry. Once we arrive he’ll see that Slytherins are superior anyway. It doesn’t matter what he thinks.”
The girl shifted uncomfortably but gratefully threw her arms around the boy anyway. As he was hugging her, the boy’s eyes landed on Lea over the girl’s shoulder. Before he could say anything, she stepped forward.
“Hi! My name’s Cecilia but you can call me Lea!” She stuck out her hand as the girl turned. “Are you guys first years too?”
The girl shook off her initial surprise and took Lea’s hand. “I’m Lily and this is Severus! Yes, we are first years.”
Lea grinned and offered her hand to Severus next. He took it, but not without suspicion.
“It’s nice to meet you both! Is it okay if I join you?”
“Of course!” Lily replied, ignoring the baleful look Severus shot her.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Lea asked, dropping down onto a seat. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Hogwarts, I can’t wait to see what it’s really like! What classes do you think will be best?”
“Severus always talks about Potions but I read through some of the books and Charms seems amazing – “
“Doesn’t it?” Lea exclaimed. “There’s just so much to learn – “
“Right?” Lily jumped up slightly. “Just how much you can do with magic is insane!”
“Magic’s always been amazing,” she agreed. “I’m just happy I have my wand now and I can learn how to do things myself.”
“Oh, so your parents were magical?” Lily asked interestedly.
Lea blinked. “Yours weren’t?”
“Oh no,” she shook her head. “They’re just normal – oh wait, um, muggles?”
Lea smiled and nodded. “Muggles. That’s so interesting! I can’t imagine how it must feel to see magic for the first time.”
Severus, who had grown slightly tense at the direction their conversation had taken, relaxed.
“I’ve been lucky,” Lily smiled. “Severus has been showing me and telling me stories for a while now, but I can’t say it’s not a little scary.”
“How do you two know each other?”
“We live close by,” Severus said curtly. Lea accepted this and decided not to push.
“So, you’re most exited for Potions then, Severus?”
He nodded. “And joining the Slytherin house. My mother has always spoken highly of it.”
Lea’s eyebrows rose and Severus bristled at her expression. She ignored his increasingly sour demeanour and shrugged. “I’m sure whichever house you get sorted into will be amazing,” she said neutrally.
“What are you hoping for?” Lily asked curiously.
“Gryffindor,” Lea smiled. “My family has a history of being in Gryffindor.”
“Yes well, it is the best house if you’d rather be brawny than brainy,” Severus sneered.
“Oh, stop it, Sev,” Lily smacked her friend’s arm. “Lea’s right – I’m sure all the houses are amazing. Besides, Mum always says people are never defined by one characteristic and it’s possible to be talented in more than one area.”
“Absolutely,” Lea agreed.
Further conversation was interrupted by an announcement being made that they would be arriving at the castle soon, and Lea excused herself to find her brother. She struggled to make her way through the carriage as older students rushed to put their robes on in time for the arrival, and by the time she made it to the compartment the train was already pulling into the station and her brother was no where to be seen.
Nervous, Lea made her way onto the platform by herself, following the crowd of students out of the train. She then approached the giant calling out for first years and was staring up at him in amazement when she felt an arm curl around hers.
She turned to see Lily standing next to her, a similar expression of awe on her face, and Severus right behind her. “Who is that?”
“I think that’s Hagrid,” Lea whispered to the two of them. “My Dad told me he’s the Groundskeeper of Hogwarts.”
Sure enough, Hagrid introduced himself and before they knew it, they were being led to the edge of a lake and climbing carefully into boats. Lea was craning her neck trying to catch a glimpse of her brother’s unruly black hair but the boats began to move and she became distracted by Lily’s excited gasp.
She couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s awe as she leaned over the front of the boat, trying to take in as much as she could. Lea turned to Severus to find he was also watching Lily with a tiny smile – perhaps the most jovial expression Lea had seen on him all evening. The only other person in their boat was a boy sitting towards the back. He was short, with light brown hair and a round face. Lea thought he looked a little terrified so she spun in her seat to face him.
“Hi! My name’s Lea.”
The boy offered her a shy smile. “Peter.”
“It’s nice to meet you! Isn’t this beautiful? I read in Hogwarts: A History the view of the castle is the best from these boats. We should see it any minute now.”
As she was speaking, she saw Peter’s gaze fall somewhere over her shoulder and his eyes widen. She turned just in time to see the castle come into sight, lit up and reflecting in the still black water of the lake.
“Woah,” she heard Peter whisper.
Similar noises of wonder were coming from the boats around them and Lea herself was sporting a wide smile, feeling her lingering nerves give way to excitement. The walk into the castle and Entrance Hall were similarly magnificent, although she felt Peter twitch slightly under Professor McGonagall’s stern gaze. As they were waiting for their cue to enter the Hall for sorting, Lea heard some shuffling and a hasty apology from behind her, and turned to see her brother and two other boys making their way through the crowd.
“James!” Lea whispered, grabbing onto his sleeve again.
“Where have you been?” he whispered back.
Lea’s answer was cut off by Professor McGonagall emerging from the Great Hall and leading them into the room.
All eyes jumped to the ceiling as they entered, whispers emerging from the group at the sight of the clear, sparkling night sky.
“Lea,” James pulled his sister’s attention back to him. “This is Sirius and Remus. Guys, this is my sister Lea.”
She glanced back at the two boys following behind them with a smile. One of them had thick, slightly wavy black hair and clear grey eyes, while the other boy was slightly taller with muted blond hair and worn robes. They whispered their greetings as they approached the front of the Hall and settled.
Professor McGonagall stood next to a stool, tall and proud, and began calling names. Sirius turned out to be Sirius Black and was sorted into Gryffindor, beginning the trend of unlikely sorting for the night. Lily Evans followed, much to James’s interest although Lea couldn’t understand why. When she turned to gauge Severus’s reaction, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy at his crestfallen expression.
Remus Lupin was next in Gryffindor (although his sorting took significantly longer than any of those before him) as was Peter Pettigrew, the verdict apparently surprising the small boy enough to cause him to trip slightly on his way to the table.
“Potter, Cecilia.”
James squeezed her hand once before nudging her up towards the stool. As she sat, she barely had time to glance at the crowd in the hall before the hat slipped over her eyes.
“Oh, how interesting,” a voice murmured in her head. “This has certainly been a riveting night but never let it be said I don’t love a challenge.”
“Um, excuse me? I’m not quite sure I understand.”
“Never you mind, child, let’s have a think about where you would work. Ravenclaw, certainly, would be reasonable, and there’s not a small amount of bravery…”
“What do you mean? It’ll be Gryffindor, right? My whole family – “
“Where other members of your family have been sorted does not mean Gryffindor is where you will do best. No, no…it’s that particular strain of loyalty…that particular thirst for knowledge…yes.
“Slytherin!”
A cheer rose from the Slytherin table but all Lea could see was her brother’s horrified gaze as she moved across the Hall. She sat at the table and accepted the congratulations thrown her way as if on autopilot before re-focusing on the front of the room.
“Potter, James.”
James’s gait was slightly less confident than usual as he took his seat. The hat barely touched his head.
“Gryffindor!”
Lea’s heart sank even as the Hall erupted in applause. She had always known her brother would be a Gryffindor and she had assumed she would follow in his steps. She hoped desperately he wouldn’t be upset.
She watched as the sorting finished, subdued, and barely managed to pull up a smile (that wasn’t returned) for Severus as he joined the table. Once Dumbledore had welcomed everyone and the food had appeared, Lea was pulled out of her stupor by other at the table.
“Daisy Parkinson,” a dark-haired girl with striking light blue eyes offered her hand to Lea.
“Lea Potter,” she smiled, taking it. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Brianna, and this is Laury,” another girl said. Brianna had unruly honey brown curls and gestured to a small dark-skinned girl with a jet black ponytail at the top of her head.
“I’m assuming we’re to be sharing a room,” Daisy said brightly, pouring herself pumpkin juice. At this revelation, Lea straightened in her seat and focused properly on her new classmates.
“This is all rather amazing, isn’t it?” Laury smiled. “The castle really is something to behold. My father always said there was nothing in the world like the sheer magic of Hogwarts.”
Brianna nodded in agreement and conversation turned to what the dormitory would be like, and how difficult classes would be. Lea couldn’t help but let her gaze drift across the Hall and settle on her brother’s unruly head of hair. His back was to her, but she couldn’t help but send pleading looks his way.
“Your brother, is he?” Severus asked quietly from across her, looking at her keenly with his dark eyes. “Good riddance, in my opinion. You should have heard the things he and that Black boy were saying on the train about Slytherins.”
Lea felt fear run through her but met Severus’s gaze head on. “He’s my brother,” she said firmly. “He won’t care where I’ve been sorted. We’re family.”
Severus looked doubtful but let it go anyway as he got pulled into conversation by one of the other newly sorted boys.
Lea didn’t manage to shake off the lingering feeling of dread through dinner, and when the seventh year Prefect (Lucius Malfoy) moved to lead the first years to the dormitory, Lea grabbed onto her brother who was leaving the Hall at the same time, pulling him to the side of the corridor.
“Le! We won’t know the way to our dorms,” he hissed at her. “Let me go!”
“You aren’t upset, are you?” she blurted fearfully. “We’ll still have classes together, and I’ll see you all the time, right? This doesn’t change anything does it?”
James’s gaze softened. “Lea, it’s fine,” he told his sister softly. “We can talk soon, okay? But we have to go right now.”
“Promise you aren’t mad?”
He smiled. “Promise, Le. I’ll see you soon.”
Reassured, Lea rushed to follow her housemates down into the dungeons. She made sure to note the password (Black Lake) and prayed that she would remember which wall hid the entrance (she probably wouldn’t), before stepping into a stone room.
It was lit with green lamps, made warm by a massive fireplace, and decorated with intricate carvings and tapestries. There were desks scattered around the room, all adorned with heavy, high-backed chairs that almost looked like thrones. Surrounding the fireplace were long green sofas scattered with numerous pillows and throw blankets. The glass of the windows exposed a view straight into what must have been the Black Lake, with strands of seaweed swaying leisurely with the current and the occasional fish swimming past. Lea wondered if this was what being in love felt like.
“Respect that the common room is a shared space,” Lucius informed the group. “Make sure you clean up after yourselves – or rather, make sure the house elves clean up after you. Curfew for those under thirteen is 10pm, do not lose us house points by getting caught out after this time. Girls dorms are to the left, boys are to the right. Your names will be engraved on the doors.
“Take care that you make your house proud. Do right by us and you will have our loyalty. Cross us, and you’ll be lucky to set foot anywhere near the dungeons for your remaining school career.”
Lucius paused to run his silver eyes over the crowd watching him with rapt attention. He smirked.
“Welcome to Slytherin.”