Chapter Text
Enid is pretty sure she's a squib.
She hasn't shown an ounce of magical skill whatsoever, and her eleventh birthday is fast approaching.
Her family isn't much of a help either. Her brothers tease her and say she's a loser, bragging about how much fun they're having at school while they chase her around their house with jinxes.
And as much as her parents assure Enid that it's okay, she can hear them arguing past midnight about what they're going to do with a kid who can't perform magic.
Can you imagine what they'll say about us Murray? How disgraceful it would be to have a child who can't even live in our world? she had overheard her mom saying, Could you imagine what this would do to our reputation?
Enid's pillowcase was stained with tears that night.
She tries everything. She'll stare at her toast in the morning, trying to change it into bacon. And then in the afternoon she'll hop on a broom and try to get herself off of the ground. And at night, she'll snap her fingers at her fairy lights, trying to turn them on and off.
It seems hopeless.
But then, just as it seems like a lost cause, a week before September 1st her letter arrives in the mail.
At first, it seemed like a joke. It wouldn't be the first time, because earlier that year her brothers did put a fake letter in the mail and it ended with one of them getting a black eye and all of them being grounded for a month.
Her finger traces the stamp on the envelope, the crest a bright red and the paper rough under her thumb. She knows this is too intricate to be some prank.
She's gentle opening it up like it's some kind of treasure. Honestly, to her it is, it's something she's been waiting for for years, something that confirms she isn't going to be an embarrassment to everyone.
Dear Ms. Sinclair,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-
She doesn't need to finish the rest, and she doesn't get to either, because one of her brothers is snatching the letter away from her and parading around the room.
"Enid's got a letter!" he shouts, and the rest of her brothers pile around her with their eyes wide.
"Is it real?" Another one asks, and as Enid starts to wrestle for it back, it shoots straight across the room and into her hand. Her brothers gasp, and there's a giant grin on Enid's face.
"Oh, thank goodness," her mother says, clutching her chest, having joined everyone in the living room. "I always knew you had it in you, Enid."
Enid knows she's lying, but right now she's too excited to care.
There isn't much time to gather supplies. She gets hand-me-down everything from her brothers, from robes to books and a dingy old cauldron.
Except for her wand.
Her father takes her to Diagon Alley for her own brand-new wand, her mother deciding they can splurge since it's such a special occasion. Of course she knows it's just more of a relief for them, and they can't have her making them look bad with a wand that won't work.
It's just as busy as Enid remembers from all the times she's been for her brothers. There are people running around in colorful robes, owls flying around and the faint smell of ash in the air.
Enid's so entranced by it all that she loses sight of her dad. She stumbles around, looking everywhere for him, trying not to panic.
How embarrassing, she thinks, that she's just gotten here and she's already screwing up.
She stands up on her tiptoes, trying to find her way around, and when she hears her dad call her name, she spins around right into someone.
The girl blinks, shaking her head, and Enid frowns.
"Sorry," Enid mumbles, and the girl just glares at her for a moment before heading back off into the crowd.
Enid finds her dad waiting outside of the wand shop, and she apologizes for getting lost. He tells her she's fine and quickly guides her inside.
It isn't busy, because most kids have already gotten their letters and school supplies. The old man who owns the shop gives her a warm grin.
The walls are lined with boxes of wands messily shoved every which way. There's the smell of dust and wood lingering around, and Enid just wonders how long it's going to take for them to find the right wand for her.
The first one the owner suggests is a short applewood wand that feels heavy in Enid's hand. She gives it a swish and it nearly catches her father's robe on fire.
The next one is a slightly longer rowan wand, and again it doesn't feel exactly right, but not wrong either. She gives it another flick, but this time nothing happens.
Enid's face scrunches up in annoyance. Maybe her magic powers were a fluke, and they've just disappeared and she really is a squib.
The owner reassures her this happens all the time. He disappears around the corner and comes back with another wand, this one made of ebony.
She gives it a wave, and a stack of wands fly off of the shelves.
Enid frowns. Not only is she not successful at any of this, but now she's making a mess.
As she bends down to help clean up, the shop owner stops her, and then grabs one of the boxes off of the floor and hands it over.
"Go on," he says, "Try this one."
Enid nods, and takes out the wand slowly. It's beautiful, a faded brown and made of dogwood with a handle carved with little stars and the moon and flowers trailing up its shaft. She thinks it's beautiful, and she hopes it works.
And thankfully, when Enid holds it in her hand, it just feels like it's meant to be. It's not too heavy or too light, and when she tries it out, pink sparks fly out of it and illuminate the room.
Her father smiles in relief, and goes to dig the galleons out of his pocket. The owner gives Enid a congratulatory handshake, and as they head out, Enid doesn't seem to notice the girl from earlier watching from outside the window.
---
The second the clock strikes midnight on the day of her eleventh birthday, Wednesday Addams receives her Hogwarts letter.
Nobody’s surprised. The Addams are a historic wizarding family with a rich history. Besides, Wednesday had been showing off her powers before she could walk.
First, it was the levitation. Books, silverware - even Wednesday herself - would start floating into the air while her parents watched in awe.
Then it was setting things on fire with two snaps of her fingers, from candles and their fireplace to her brother Puglsey’s hair.
Her parents were excited knowing not only was Wednesday going to continue her family’s legacy, but that she already seemed to be a powerful witch without any proper training.
Her parents make such a big deal out of the arrival of her letter, watching her closely as she opens it reads it out loud in the most unamused, unexcited tone. They smile proudly, Wednesday ignoring them, returning to her room as soon as she can to continue her latest taxidermy project.
She doesn't think any of this has to be such a big deal. She's not the only kid who's starting their first year. Even if she is the tiniest bit excited to go to Hogwarts and finally have a place to properly learn magic, she also knows it's going to be a chore. Seven years with people she's going to have to learn to put up with and resist not torturing for annoying her.
She dreads the trip to Diagon Alley. It'll be busy with every other student buying supplies, and her parents will no doubt run into people they know and make the trip take even longer. And that's exactly what happens when her mother sees some old classmates, so Wednesday takes off exploring on her own.
It's crowded, just as she expected. She glances up at the signs above, trying to see if she can find one in particular.
She knows Knockturn Alley isn't somewhere she should be going alone. Her parents had warned her about it, and that they'd take her there when she was older because of how shady it was. But that just made her even more determined to check it out. There were artifacts and books and other mysterious things that she had heard about, and she was determined to find them.
Wednesday just doesn't know how to get there. She peeks around corners and peers down alleyways, trying to look for clues, knowing the way is probably something obvious that she's going to walk right past. She glances over her shoulder to see if her parents are still preoccupied and continues through the sea of people to continue her search.
And right as she turns around, she stumbles right into someone, hitting them so hard she almost loses her balance.
And that's when the images flash through her head.
She's in a dimly lit hallway. She hears voices somewhere in the distance, one of them sounding aggressive. She finds her body taking steps towards the noise, turning the corner to see a young boy yelling at a girl, her bright hair lit up by the torch on the wall above them.
Wednesday feels an overwhelming rush as the scene unfolds in front of her, like she's been struck by lightning, like she should do something, but she can't.
Then, as the images fade away, the girl from her vision happens to be standing right in front of her, hair as colorful as ever.
"Sorry," the girl apologizes, wincing hard, and Wednesday just glares back at her before she runs off.
Wednesday takes a moment to catch her breath. Was she seeing the future? Who was that girl? Was she important?
Her mother is a Seer, and a well known one at that. But Wednesday's never had any sort of vision like this before. She wonders if this is something that's happening because she's about to start learning how to use her magic properly.
Wednesday keeps an eye on the girl and her colorful hair as she disappears into the crowd, doing her best to follow her. She wonders if there's anything special about her. Is she dangerous? Or a future ally? Either thought intrigues her.
Wednesday keeps her distance as she sees the girl head into the wand shop at the corner of the street. She creeps up to the window to get a better look, watching as the girl tries out several wands. She looks disappointed each time one doesn't work out, and Wednesday figures this will probably take all day when suddenly there are pink sparks flying in the air.
For a second, Wednesday is surprised, and she watches as the grin on the girl's face grows. It's just as bright as the fireworks shooting out of her wand.
She can't stare too long though, because her father is calling her name, and so she figures whoever this mystery girl is can't be something she needs to spend her time thinking about.
---
Time seems to move at a snail's pace in the days leading up to her first day at Hogwarts. Enid keeps twirling her wand in her hands as she sits on her bed and stares at the ceiling, not believing all of this is finally happening.
Meanwhile, her brothers torment her as much as they can. They tell her about the forbidden forest and the ghosts haunting the halls and say there's a basilisk living in the walls of the castle that will eat her if she's out past curfew.
She knows they're just trying to scare her. She knows she's going to have the greatest time at Hogwarts and learn all kinds of magic and make a bunch of new friends and become the most popular witch in school.
But when the day comes, Enid's already embarrassing herself.
She's been to Kings Cross four times already. She knows you have to run through the wall in between the platforms to get through to the train. She's been so excited to do it for herself this time, as a full-fledged student.
But one of her brothers is waiting on the other side, tripping her just as she appears on the platform. Her trolley tumbles and her things go everywhere, and now everyone's looking at her while her cheeks go red.
Thankfully her mom's there to see it and she's scolding her brother right away, and her dad helps her gather her things.
By the time she's finally on the train after her mishap, most of the cabins have been taken. Everyone seems to know everyone, and of course her brothers don't want her sitting with them.
She just wanders around, peeking into cabins to see if there are any empty seats. One of the boys in a full one smiles at her, his brown eyes warm, but there's no space, so she keeps on walking.
Enid knows she'll find somewhere eventually, and then she'll be on her way and sorted into a house and everything will be fine. But nervousness grows in her stomach like a weed, and all over again she finds herself thinking about if she even belongs here with everyone else.
At the very end of the train car, Enid thinks she finds an empty cabin. But as she gets closer, she sees that it's occupied.
It's the girl from Diagon Alley. Enid hopes there aren't any hard feelings from the days before, and so she knocks and peeks her head through the doorway.
"Hey. Um, the rest of the seats are taken. Can I sit here?"
The girl glares at her again, just like she did when she bumped into her, and then goes back down to reading her book.
"I'm going to take that as a yes."
Enid smiles awkwardly and steps inside, dropping herself down in the seat across from the girl.
She fiddles with the hem of her robes, ignoring how the edges are fraying, and then back up to the girl.
Her mind is racing trying to figure out what to say. But she figures she doesn't need to think too hard.
"My name is Enid," she finally pipes up, "Enid Sinclair."
"Wednesday Addams," the girl replies, not looking up from her book, "And I am letting you know now that I am not interested in any small talk. I would like to enjoy this miserable train ride in silence."
Addams. A rich, powerful, pure-blooded wizarding family. Much more well-known and respected than any of the Sinclairs. Despite many of them being Slytherins, they're more progressive and accepting than many of the other wizarding families. Still, they had a reputation for all things dark and spooky, and Enid can see that clearly in Wednesday right now with her jet-black hair tied tightly into two braids and the fact that she's as pale as a corpse.
Meanwhile the Sinclairs are no one really. Enid knows they have some reputation here and there, but nobody seems to care much these days. She's determined to get them back on the map before her mother disowns her entirely.
Enid just bites her lip, legs swinging back and forth nervously. Her eyes flick to the book Wednesday's reading.
101 Ways to Withstand a Werewolf
"Oh, werewolves," she comments, "They're so terrifying, I couldn't even imagine being one-"
Wednesday finally looks up from her book, her face dark and void of any emotion.
"I want to remind you once again that I do not intend to hold a conversation with you."
Enid's nose wrinkles. Out of all of the people she could have ended up with on the train, she gets the most grumpy one.
"Look. I'm just trying to make friends. I don't know anybody here and my brothers won't let me hang out with them."
Enid crosses her arms with a humph, a frown on her face.
"You can make friends with your future housemates," Wednesday says, slowly lowering her book.
"Oh, totally. But who says we won't end up in the same house?"
"I can assure you that there is a less than one percent chance that the two of us will be sorted into the same house."
"Doesn't the hat take suggestions though?" Enid tilts her head, but Wednesday doesn't move.
"It will listen to your preferences. But it still makes the final decision. And that doesn't mean you need to follow me."
"I know. I just hope I get Gryffindor like the rest of my family."
Wednesday scoffs.
"You certainly are loud enough to fit in with them."
"Whatever," Enid rolls her eyes, "When I become a famous quidditch player, don't come asking for my autograph."
Enid sighs and turns her attention to the window, staring out at the rolling green hills and bright blue sky. Wednesday peeks at her over the top of her book, but doesn't say anything else.
By the time they pull into the station, the sky has faded to black. Wednesday's disappeared in the crowd, leaving Enid to find her way to the other first years as they make their trek across the lake.
The castle is bigger than she could imagine. It's glowing amongst the pitch black sky, with its towers seeming to touch the stars. Something about the sight makes Enid feel warm inside, like she's home, and a giant grin spreads across her face.
As they get off the boats and are ushered into the castle, Enid's jaw hangs open the entire time. The place is giant, larger than Enid could ever imagine. She doesn't know how she's going to find her way around without getting lost.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" A woman with fiery red hair and thick glasses greets them as they fall into place. She's grinning with excitement as she scans the crowd of first years.
"My name is Professor Thornhill," she introduces herself, "And in just a few moments we will enter the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. You'll be sorted into one of the four houses - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. They will become your family for the next seven years!"
She lets the information sink in for a moment, waiting for the murmurs between everyone to die down.
"Now, everyone, follow me!"
If Enid thought the outside of the castle was spectacular, then she's at an absolute loss for words in the Great Hall. The ceiling is painted to look like the night sky, bright stars twinkling above them.
It's so beautiful, and welcoming, and even if Enid can feel the nerves racing through her body, she ignores them because she's too excited.
They file into the hall, the rest of the students watching them eagerly. Enid feels like a piece of fresh meat being dangled in front of a hungry lion.
Lions.
She looks over at the Gryffindor table across the room, where her brothers are staring at her. She quickly looks away and back up front to where the sorting hat is waiting for them on a stool.
Wednesday is the first to be called up. The hat doesn't stay on her head for long before it's shouting Slytherin! and she's headed over to their table with the tiniest smirk on her face.
Enid zones out, too nervous to pay attention. With each kid, there's a chorus of applause ringing in her ears and she can feel her palms growing sweaty each time the hat calls out a house.
Enid doesn't know why she's so nervous. The hat will recognize who she is and put her with the rest of her family and she'll be content.
After what seems like ages, Professor Thornhill calls her name, and it takes a second for Enid to recognize that they're waiting for her. She takes a glance at her brothers, watching closely, and then walks up the stairs to the hat, blood rushing in her ears.
Enid gulps, and then takes a seat.
"Ahh, what a busy mind," the hat says right away, "A lot going on in here."
Enid blinks nervously. It's not wrong.
"A kind heart. Someone who wears their emotions on their sleeve. A bit of a mischievous side to you as well, eh?"
Enid nods. It seems to be going well, the hat reading everything in her head. It's silent for a few moments as it delves deeper, and now Enid's starting to grow anxious again.
"Please Gryffindor, please Gryffindor," Enid mumbles under her breath, and the hat spats back at her immediately.
"Gryffindor? Hmm. Just like the rest of your family. But no, you've never fit in with them, have you? You feel like an outcast among your own blood."
Enid's gripping the edge of the stool so tight she feels like she's getting splinters. Wednesday had mentioned the hat listens to your own preferences. Her eyes flick over to the Slytherin table where she sees Wednesday watching her intently. She thinks hard about maroon and gold and roaring lions.
"You want to show everyone that you belong at the top and you want to be liked. You are eager to prove yourself," the hat continues, and Enid thinks harder, "And the place that would be best for you to do that is in... SLYTHERIN!"
All of the color drains from Enid's face. She feels a chill run through her, and she stumbles off of the stool and over to the Slytherin table among the noise.
They're all cheering for her, and she should be happy that everyone is so excited for her, but she already knows her brothers are getting ready to write an owl to their parents about this.
She just takes the seat across from Wednesday and tries to smile at the pats on the back and handshakes she's getting. When her eyes meet Wednesday's, there's a look in them that she can't describe. Spite? Curiosity? Either way, Enid has to look away to process everything that's just happened.
She can feel Wednesday's eyes still on her as she stares down at her feet. She tunes out the rest of the sorting, her mother's voice echoing in her head.
Slytherin? You should be ashamed. I knew you weren't brave. You'll fit in just right with those snakes.
She's snapped out of her thoughts by the food that suddenly graces the table in front of her.
Enid tries to think of something to say to Wednesday, who is busy cutting her food gracefully with a knife, but the girl next to her taps her on the shoulder instead.
She introduces herself as Yoko, a second year, and makes sure Enid feels welcomed.
"I love your hair," she comments, pointing at Enid, "Why'd you choose those colors?"
And Enid finally smiles, and she starts telling Yoko about her hair and how dyeing it was the first thing she did when she got her magic, and then they're talking about the latest wizarding rock bands and the hottest quidditch players, and by then she doesn't even notice Wednesday's disappeared.
---
Yoko's cool and easy to talk to, and Enid's just glad she already has a friend on her first night. She feels a bit better about being in Slytherin for now, but a pang of disappointment still gnaws at her as they head to their common rooms for the night.
Enid gets stuck with the other first years as they're shown around, and she finally realizes Wednesday isn't with them.
She wonders where Wednesday could have gone. She peers down one of the hallways, peeking her head around the corner, and now she's lost her group.
She's both afraid and embarrassed. The castle's hallways are dimly lit and seem to wind around forever. She can't believe she's already gotten lost on her first night.
As she looks around another corner, she hears someone coming up behind her.
It's her youngest brother, the one that seems to despise her the most. He has a wicked grin on his face, Enid gulping nervously as he approaches her.
"Mom's gonna freak when she hears this," he snickers, backing Enid against a wall, "You know you're the first Sinclair to ever be sorted in a house other than Gryffindor?"
"So what?" Enid retorts, trying to muster up as much courage as she can.
"Out of all the other houses it just had to be Slytherin," he groans, "She's going to be so disappointed."
"Hey!" A loud voice calls out before he can tease her anymore, and Enid's relieved to see her oldest brother pull her to safety. "Get to the common room. I don't want to lose points on the first night."
Her other brother scoffs and trudges down the hallway. Meanwhile, her oldest, a seventh year prefect, turns to Enid.
"Look. As your only brother with actual sense, I'm going to do my best to look out for you. But you know Slytherins and Gryffindors don't exactly get along. Besides, you'll find your own pack eventually."
"I know," Enid smiles weakly back at him, "Thanks."
He nods, giving her a squeeze on the shoulder, and then he points her in the direction of her common room.
Enid rushes down the halls looking around frantically for anyone from her house. As she rounds the corner, she finds someone lingering at the top of the staircase to the dungeons.
"Wednesday!" Enid cheers, thankful she's found her.
"It would have been a shame for you to get locked out of the common room on your first night," Wednesday scolds, looking annoyed. Enid grimaces, wondering why she's still out here in the first place. She just follows Wednesday down the stairs in silence.
"Midnight," Wednesday says to the door, and it clicks open, Wednesday not bothering to wait for Enid as she steps inside.
Enid just follows along timidly, getting distracted by the sights of their common room. The whole place is cast in a subtle green glow, which she finds surprisingly comforting instead of creepy. The ceilings are high, and it takes her a second to register that the windows along the walls aren't showing her the night sky, but the depths of the lake. She still can't believe this place is going to be her home for the next seven years.
Wednesday heads down the hall and Enid jogs to catch up with her, still entranced by everything she's seeing. They're the only two girls sorted into Slytherin this year, and so Enid just hopes Wednesday doesn't stay annoyed with her the whole time or she won't know what to do.
"Hey, um, thanks for um, helping me get in," Enid says as they head into their room, "It was nice of you to wait for me."
Wednesday stops, turning to face Enid with her arms crossed sternly.
"I didn't wait for you," she explains, "You just happened to be nearby and I wasn't going to let some Gryffindor student belittle you."
"Well I just went to go find you!" Enid retorts.
"I didn't ask you to do that. You need to learn to mind your business."
Enid just frowns, biting her lip before she says something else that Wednesday will just argue with her about.
"Now, speaking of minding your business. This is my side of the room," Wednesday explains, walking over to one of the beds against the wall, "And that is yours. I do not intend on us becoming friends now or in the future despite the fact that we will be spending seven years together. If you last that long, that is."
There's a dark glare on her face, eyes sharp and challenging. Enid's hardly known Wednesday and yet she's already fed up with her, another person who doesn't believe she's capable of doing anything right.
"I will last that long," Enid replies through gritted teeth, "I can."
"It seemed like you were ready to give up a few minutes ago."
Wednesday's eyebrow raises ever so slightly as she takes a step towards Enid.
Enid takes a breath and does the same, glancing down at Wednesday with narrowed eyes.
"Fine. I'm going to prove to you that I belong here. At Hogwarts and in Slytherin."
Wednesday doesn't budge, staring back at Enid with eyes as dark as a void. Enid holds her ground, fists clenched.
"Good luck with that," Wednesday finally says before turning back to her side of the room without another word.
---
The first week goes as well as it can, even if Wednesday has to put up with Enid in all of her classes. Wednesday's always on time and nobody wants to sit by her, and Enid's always late and looking for an open seat, so they end up sitting next to each other every time.
Enid's just trying to get used to wearing Slytherin green instead of Gryffindor red. Sometimes she sees her brothers in the hallways, and they'll stick their tongues out at her while she just rolls her eyes back.
The thing is being in Slytherin isn't even that bad. Everyone she's met so far has been nice. Yoko's helped her find her way around the castle and introduced her to her own friends, and slowly Enid is starting to meet people and realize that maybe this magic thing isn't so bad after all, and she's going to be fine.
Until she receives a howler in the mail at dinner time. Everyone at the Slytherin table watches her with wide eyes, waiting for her to open it. She doesn't even want to think about what its message could be, so she just stuffs it into her robes to open later in her dorm room.
"Enid! You have to open it now!" Yoko warns her, but Enid just shakes her head.
"No. I'll do it tonight."
She can feel everyone's eyes boring through her, and there are dozens of hushed whispers as they try to figure out what it could say and what she's going to do with it.
"Suit yourself," Yoko says with a worried look on her face, and Enid just stuffs the rest of her dinner in her mouth so she can hurry up and leave.
---
Luckily Wednesday isn't home when she gets back to their dorm. She hadn't been at dinner either, and Enid's wondering where she goes off to all the time. She's quickly learned Wednesday is the opposite of social, never hanging out in the common room or at their table during meals.
The howler is on fire in her pocket, and she's in such a rush that she doesn't close her door as she takes it out of her pocket and opens it.
"Enid Phoebe Sinclair! How in the world did you get yourself sorted into Slytherin? If you did this to spite us, then consider yourself successful. Should you want to return for the holidays, be prepared for your relatives to shun you. How dare you tarnish the Sinclair name like this."
The voice is clearly her mother's, and it echoes around the room before the letter fizzles away and turns to ash.
Enid's left standing there in disbelief, feeling tears growing in her eyes.
She had thought that maybe her mom wouldn't care that she was sorted into Slytherin. She thought that maybe her finally getting into Hogwarts would get her off of her back, but no. Enid's still a disappointment to her, and she doesn't know what else she needs to do to make her proud of her.
Enid takes a breath and figures she'll just cry herself to sleep, but as she turns, she's face to face with someone in the doorway.
"Wednesday," she gasps, quickly wiping her cheeks, "Hi. How was your, um, day?"
Wednesday takes a second to look her up and down.
"Dreadful."
"Cool. Um. Have you started on your History of Magic essay?" Enid stutters, trying to think of anything to convince Wednesday that she wasn't crying over a stupid letter.
"I haven't."
"Oh, well, um, I was planning to go to the library and start mine. If you want to come."
It's kind of a lie, but Enid thinks getting some homework done would be a good distraction right now. Wednesday just stares back at her, unamused, and Enid quickly finds herself hoping she actually says yes even though she knows she won't.
"Right. You said you didn't want to be friends-"
"No. I'll come with you."
"Wait, really?"
Enid's confused. Wednesday, who made it a big deal only a week ago that they would absolutely not become friends, is agreeing to spend time with her.
"Yes. But only because I'm currently trying to figure out how to get into the restricted section without getting caught."
There's the catch, but honestly Enid couldn't care. She feels a wave of warmth wash over her, a smile quickly replacing the frown on her face.
"Yay!"
Enid skips over to gather her things, Wednesday watching her, already regretting saying yes.
---
Wednesday is good at everything.
She can brew potions without looking at the directions. She's a natural on a broom. And she knows the name to pretty much every plant in the greenhouses and can explain what they all do.
Enid isn't even surprised. She's an Addams. They have a reputation for being some of the most talented wizards and witches despite their kookiness.
Except for Charms. For some reason, the simple spells seem to be giving her the most trouble.
Ever since they went to the library that night weeks ago, Wednesday's been much more open to talking to Enid. Enid wonders why, since that night she had just fallen asleep at the table while Wednesday wandered around trying to find a way into the restricted section until the librarian kicked them out for Enid's snoring. It's not like they had bonded or anything, but Enid won't complain about it either, because she's just glad she doesn't have to worry about getting strangled in her sleep. At least for now.
"Your motions are too aggressive," Enid explains to her one night in their dorm room as they pour over a stack of charms textbooks.
"They work perfectly fine when I cast all my other spells," Wednesday groans, squeezing her wand so hard she could break it.
"Well, with charms you need to be more gentle. Don't think too hard about them."
Wednesday just rolls her eyes, and Enid sighs.
"Look, I can show you if you want."
"I am perfectly capable of doing it myself."
"Well, it doesn't seem like it."
Enid's tone is stern, and Wednesday just stares back at her, frustrated. She just wishes she could get this done so that Enid out of all people wasn't here telling her what to do.
"C'mon Wednesday," Enid huffs, "It's not a bad thing to ask for help."
Enid stares back at her, the look of annoyance on her face growing.
"Fine. Show me."
"Okay," Enid gets up and scoots over to Wednesday's side, "So make sure to bend your wrist right here-"
Enid gently grabs Wednesday's hand, but her touch is enough to send another sequence of images into Wednesday's head.
There's a rush in her ears as the dorm room she was just in goes from bright and warm to cold and dark. She takes a moment to focus, guiding herself to the faint light spilling from their skylight.
And sitting in that light is Enid, curled up with her knees close to her chest as she stares up at the flurry of snow outside. Wednesday's wary of getting closer, wondering if she'd be noticed, but she can tell that there are tears on Enid's cheeks.
And then Wednesday is rushed back to the present, jerking away from Enid's touch.
"Sorry," Enid winces, pulling her hand away quickly, "Just flick upwards a bit more slowly."
Enid doesn't seem to notice Wednesday still adjusting to her surroundings. She just watches her closely, waiting to see her try out the spell.
Wednesday nods, and then flicks her wand, and suddenly Enid is flung across the room in a parade of sparks.
Wednesday feels a wave of panic rush over her instead of expected amusement, but thankfully Enid's giving her a thumbs up.
"I'm okay!" Enid mutters, staggering to her feet, "Wanna try that again?"
"I'd rather not cause any more disruption."
"C'mon. I'll just make sure to stand to the side this time."
Enid's grin is too convincing, so Wednesday nods back at her.
"Okay. Just flick your wrist."
Wednesday takes a breath, holding her wand with a much lighter grip this time. She focuses on keeping her movements gentle as Enid instructed, making sure to enunciate clearly.
She flicks, just like Enid had said, and then the candle on the table in front of her is lit up with a flame.
"Yay! You did it!" Enid cheers and holds out a hand for Wednesday to high-five, but she just stares back at her.
"Don't leave me hanging."
Wednesday still doesn't move. She's trying to shut down any ounce of gratitude towards Enid before she gets too comfortable.
"Okay, well, when you show off that spell to everyone in class just remember who taught you, alright?"
Enid's not mad though, instead the grin on her face is mischievous. She gathers up her books and tosses them on her desk, muttering something about going to hang out with Yoko.
Wednesday just watches the door shut behind her, shadows from the candle flickering across her face.
---
Wednesday can't get that image of Enid out of her head. Enid, alone in their dorm on Christmas while everyone else is back home with their families enjoying the holidays. Wednesday's never felt pity like this before, and it's confusing her more than any charm could.
Wednesday had planned on going home because that's what everyone else was doing, and her family expected her to. But she figures staying at Hogwarts is the perfect way to spite her parents, who have been eagerly awaiting her return since they dropped her off at the train platform.
She sends them a letter with her owl Thing saying she's staying for the holidays. She gets one back almost instantly, but she doesn't bother to read it.
She tells herself that she's staying for her own comfort. She's here to have some quiet time to practice her spells and get some reading done and maybe find a way into the restricted section where there might be info on her visions. Not because she wants to keep Enid company and she feels bad for her, especially after hearing that howler from her mother.
And just as Wednesday expected, when she gets back to their dorm later that night after everyone has left, Enid's there crying in the middle of the room just as she had seen in her vision.
She quickly backs away from their door, shutting it as quietly as possible.
She's not exactly shocked that the vision's come true, but she doesn't want to have to deal with Enid crying again. She doesn't know how to deal with it at all. So she heads to the common room, grabbing some book about potions to read to pass the time.
It's hard to concentrate, mainly because she's trying to figure out why she feels so bad for Enid. She shouldn't be wasting her time caring about anyone. Especially someone who is as loud as a mandrake and insists on sleeping with a dozen lit candles because she's afraid of the dark.
Enid is the opposite of everything Wednesday is, yet she can't help but be drawn to her. Enid's like a star with a gravitational field so strong Wednesday finds it hard to pull away, how someone so bright and colorful is supposed to be in Slytherin just baffles her to no end.
"Wednesday! What are you still doing here?" Wednesday's startled for a second, looking up from her book to see Enid beaming at her from across the room. "I thought you were going to go home for Christmas?"
"I changed my mind,” she quickly replies, “It's much easier to explore the castle with less people around."
Enid frowns, shoulders drooping. Wednesday can see that her eyes are puffy.
"But won't your parents miss you?"
"They will. But knowing they're disappointed I'm not coming home for the holidays is actually quite satisfying."
Enid just shrugs, frown still on her face. Then Wednesday remembers the howler, and suddenly feels guilty that going home for the holidays without any trouble is something she doesn't have to worry about.
"Oh," Enid sniffles, but as soon as she realizes Wednesday is sticking around, the look of uncertainty on her face is replaced with a smile. "Well, I'll guess I'll see you around then."
Then she bounds out of the common room, leaving Wednesday sitting with her potions book that she's too bothered to finish.
---
Wednesday doesn't know where Enid goes during the days leading up to Christmas. All of her friends have left for the holidays, and Wednesday hardly sees her in the hallways. She doesn't mind it though, because the less time she has to deal with Enid, the less she has to think about her and why she feels the need to be nice to her. She just savors another day of an empty room, the only noise coming from the wind whistling outside of the window.
However, when she wakes up on Christmas day, Enid is there in their room, sitting on her bed in a colorful sweater, grin on her face brighter than ever.
"Merry Christmas Wednesday!" she shouts before Wednesday can even rub the sleep out of her eyes.
She can see snow falling outside through their skylight, and as she sits up, Enid doesn't even give her any time before she's bounding over to her bed holding out a present.
"Enid, you didn't have to get me anything," Wednesday scolds, not taking the gift. Enid just shakes her head, shoving it into her hands.
"Of course I did! You're my friend. Go on, open it!"
Friend. The word echoes in Wednesday's head, knowing that her plan to ignore Enid has utterly failed. How embarrassing.
Wednesday's fingers trace the crinkly wrapping paper slowly until she finds an edge where she can rip it open. She's gentle with it, knowing that Enid's probably put a lot of thought into her gift. As the paper comes undone, Wednesday's greeted with a new set of writing quills.
It's honestly a shock. She doesn't feel like she deserves it.
"These are beautiful," is all she can say, "Thank you, Enid."
"You're welcome," Enid beams back, hands clasped behind her back as she stands proudly. That makes Wednesday feel a rush of guilt.
"I'm ashamed to say I didn't get you anything."
"It's okay," Enid shakes her head, "You being here is good enough."
Wednesday notices Enid only has a few small packages at her bedside and feels even worse now, because she's just here out of pity. Not that she cares. Then again, she realizes that feeling pity does mean she cares, and so she might as well just accept that maybe Enid is someone she can put up with, at least right now when she doesn't have anything better to do.
"So, what did your parents get you?" Enid asks, distracting Wednesday from her mess of thoughts.
Wednesday goes through her pile of presents lined up against her bed frame, which consists of some new robes, books, and vials for potions class. The most impressive gift is a brand new wizarding chess set.
"Woah. That's so cool," Enid fawns, eyes wide as Wednesday examines the gift. "We should play."
"You know how?" Wednesday asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course," Enid replies with a confident smile.
Wednesday's intrigued. She does want to see what Enid can do, even if she knows the poor girl is going to be disappointed when she loses. So they find a table in the common room and set up the chessboard.
Enid squints hard as she watches Wednesday make her moves, thinking for a second before she directs her pieces around the board. It's not long before her eyes go wide as she notices something, quickly uttering a command.
Wednesday watches as Enid's piece slays one of hers, crumbling across the board. Enid crosses her arms, satisfied.
"Check and mate."
"But-how-what-"
"We can go again. If you think it's a fluke."
Enid gives her a challenging smirk, and Wednesday knows she absolutely cannot embarrass herself like this.
But Enid easily wins in just a few simple moves. Wednesday's shocked, so she insists they go again.
And Enid beats her again. And again. And again, until Wednesday is threatening to feed her to the giant squid in the lake.
"How does one get so good at wizarding chess?" she asks, frustrated beyond belief.
"Well, me and my brothers would play to see who had to do the chores," Enid explains, "And doing chores without magic is so not fun."
Enid crosses her arms, sitting up proudly.
"Anyways, now I beat them every time. I can't even remember the last time I did chores."
Enid smirks at her once again, and Wednesday just glares back. And that's when Wednesday realizes the girl definitely has the ambition and cleverness that belongs in Slytherin.
"So, wanna go again?" Enid asks, waving her wand over the pieces so they fall back into place.
She's staring Wednesday down with blue eyes as cold as ice, and Wednesday quickly nods.
"Yes. And this time I'm not going to lose."
(She does.)
---
The second half of the year breezes by. Enid's figured out the layout of the castle by now and isn't late to her classes anymore, and Wednesday can't tell if her not having to sit next to Enid anymore is a good thing or a bad one.
Enid helps Wednesday with her charms. Wednesday helps her with her flying. Enid's never gotten much practice as a kid since her magic kicked in late, and so it's not as natural to her as it is to Wednesday.
She still has trouble getting her broom to go where she wants it to. It doesn't help that the school brooms are old and tattered and seem fed up with constantly having to deal with clueless, bumbling first years.
They have flying class with the Ravenclaws today, who aren't as cocky as the Gryffindors but are still somehow just as annoying.
One of them, a boy named Xaiver, wants to challenge Enid to a race around the castle grounds. And Enid, all so eager to prove herself, says yes.
Wednesday thinks this will be entertaining. Xaiver's always been bothering her in classes asking stupid questions, and so she's hoping Enid's flying has gotten as good as she is when it comes to wizard chess.
And surprisingly, she is. She's faster than usual, and has gotten much better at maneuvering, thanks to some practice with Wednesday.
It seems like Enid has Xavier beat, flying through the air like a streak of lightning, when he sneaks his wand out and casts something at Enid, whose broom goes straight into the bushes.
Wednesday's eyes go wide, following the rest of the class to help her up.
Xavier just snickers, and as their professor pulls Enid out of the bushes, Wednesday confronts him.
"Having to resort to cheating to win, you should be ashamed of yourself," she spats at him, glare as sharp as a knife.
"I didn't cheat," he shrugs without a care in the world, "She just sucks."
Wednesday doesn't even notice she's reaching for her own wand when their professor steps in between her and Xavier.
"Let's save that for the dueling club, Miss Addams," she scolds, and Wednesday is forced to retreat, glare still fixated on Xavier as he and his friends head back to the castle laughing.
Wednesday turns her attention to Enid, who's sighing next to her, rubbing her elbow.
"What a loser," she huffs, brushing her hair out of her face. Her cheeks are red, seemingly more from anger than embarrassment. Wednesday feels a storm brewing inside of her, seeing how defeated Enid looks.
That night, Wednesday waits until Enid's snoring fills their room before she heads out, the thought of getting Xavier back the only thing on her mind.
---
The next day, Enid's reading in the courtyard between classes when she notices the commotion. Across the way are Xavier and his friends scrambling for cover.
Then the smell hits her, and she realizes someone's left a dungbomb under their bench.
They're running around, waving their hands in the air and shouting, but it does nothing to stop it from spreading.
Enid eventually has to leave too, but she's laughing with everyone else as she ducks down the corridor. That's where she runs into Wednesday, watching everything unfold with a sly grin. It doesn't take Enid long to figure out she was the one to plant the dungbomb.
"Wednesday! You didn't have to do that!" Enid scolds playfully, holding her nose as she laughs.
"I wanted to," Wednesday replies, crossing her arms sternly. "Besides, he should feel lucky I spared him from something less mundane."
Enid laughs again, grabbing at Wednesday's arm to steady herself, and it's just enough contact to send her into another vision.
She's in the library. There's a hint of cinnamon in the air. And then someone's shouting across the room.
A Gryffindor boy's robes are on fire, and instead of trying to figure out a spell to put it out, he's shouting and running around. Most of the students are laughing, until the librarian comes and extinguishes the flames with a flick of her wand.
It happens so fast, and Wednesday quickly finds herself back in the present.
Thankfully Enid is too busy laughing at Xaiver that she doesn't notice. Wednesday takes one more look at him before disappearing into the sea of students, the feeling of Enid's hand on her arm still lingering like smoke after a wildfire.
---
Wednesday tries to not think too hard about the vision in the library, but she realizes there was something different about it. Enid wasn't there this time. In every other vision where Enid's come into contact with her, she's been there. Yet this time, she doesn't remember seeing her at all.
She decides to forget about it, that maybe it was some kind of fluke and her visions aren't as accurate as she thinks. Maybe they won’t always include Enid, and they’re truly just random, and she does not like random.
Then, one day she overhears some other students in the common room talking about how one of the Sinclair boys' robes caught on fire while he was studying in the library and that he screamed like a banshee trying to put it out.
It sounds exactly like her vision.
She quickly heads up to her dorm, eagerly hoping to try and figure out what was going on with her visions.
None of their textbooks have anything on it. She supposes she could ask her mom, but she doesn't want to deal with having something in common with her and all the questions she'll probably ask. She knows the restricted section has to have more information on it, making her even more eager to find a way inside.
She doesn't get far into her reading when Enid's back in their room, hovering over Wednesday's shoulder as soon as she shuts the door.
Wednesday stops reading, and turns to see Enid trying her best to hide a smile. She glances down at what she's holding in her hand.
"What's that for?" Wednesday asks, looking over it slowly. It's a key, golden and rusted. Enid holds it up in between them.
"The restricted section, silly."
Enid grins, rocking back and forth on her heels as she watches Wednesday's eyes go wide.
"What? How did you get this?" Wednesday grabs the key from her hand, examining it closely.
"I just had to distract the librarian. Surprisingly, her desk drawer doesn't have any anti-Alohomora charms."
It all makes sense now. Enid was in her vision, she just didn't see her.
"You were the one who set your brother's robes on fire?"
"Maybe."
Enid's lips curl up slightly, forming a smirk, and Wednesday can't help but admire her deviousness.
"Well, I say we test this out tonight," Wednesday's got her own smirk on her face now, already going to grab her things.
Suddenly Enid's giddiness is gone, brow furrowing as she shakes her head furiously.
"We? No. I am not going in there."
"Why not?"
"It's dark. And creepy," Enid grimaces, "Also, I am not trying to get detention!"
"I need a lookout. I'll let you play your muggle music out loud for a week if you come with me."
Enid bites her lip, thinking for a moment as Wednesday stares her down.
It can't be that bad. Maybe she'll find something interesting in there. Besides, she knows Wednesday is good at not being noticed. She gives her a curt nod.
"Fine. Deal."
---
It takes them a bit to get to the library without getting caught. There are prefects everywhere, including Enid's own brother, and she doesn't want to imagine the howler she'd get if her mom found out about her sneaking around the castle at night with Wednesday Addams. That and she remembers the story about the basilisk in the walls, which almost seems just as bad.
Thankfully Wednesday knows her way around well, and they're able to get into the library and over to the gate without getting caught, Enid only running into the back of her twice.
Enid keeps an eye out while Wednesday gets the lock open, gripping her wand tight. She recites all the spells she knows over and over, trying to figure out which ones would work best to help if someone were to see them. Her brothers would often prank her with the disillusionment charm, but they never taught it to her. She knows she won't learn that til she's older. But maybe Wednesday knows it, cause it seems she knows everything-
"Enid," Wednesday whispers, breaking her out of thoughts, "Let's go."
Enid tucks her wand back away and follows her down into the restricted section.
It's just as dark and creepy as Enid imagined, with spiders crawling along the walls and a musty stench in the air.
They both take their wands out and cast lumos as they wander up and down the bookshelves. There are hundreds of books lining the shelves, Enid wondering what makes all of them so dangerous they're off limits.
Every once and a while, Wednesday will pause and examine some books. Enid just follows her closely, eyes constantly darting around in the darkness making sure nobody else is around.
"So. I never asked why you were so interested in the restricted section," Enid finally says after what feels like ages, sleepiness slowly creeping up on her, "What are you trying to find in there?"
"There are many fascinating topics in here," Wednesday replies, "I've been particularly interested in dark magic."
"Wait," Enid stops in her tracks, "Dark magic? No no no no no."
She's really not surprised at all, but she knows better than to get involved with Dark Magic. As much as she'd like to curse her brothers, it's so not worth a trip to Azkaban.
"I don't intend to use it for malicious purposes," Wednesday explains calmly, "I want to study it."
"No way Wednesday!" Enid's scolding her now, her tone more concerned than worried, "It's too dangerous!"
"Which is exactly why I'd like to learn about it."
Wednesday knows better than to let herself become influenced by dark magic. She knows the best way to control it is to know as much about it as she can.
But Enid disagrees, shaking her head and lowering her wand.
"No. I'm not messing with any of this stuff, I'm out of here-"
Enid turns and is ready to run out without Wednesday, but instead she bumps right into the librarian.
---
Enid starts confessing about how she was the one to steal the key, but Wednesday stops her and says she was the one who wanted to come in here in the first place. She tries to say she made Enid steal the key, but Enid argues she did it on her own. They keep bickering back and forth so much that Professor Thornhill almost has to use the silencio charm on them both.
And because they're first years and the semester is almost over, Professor Thornhill decides that a simple detention cleaning the trophies in the trophy room is a good enough punishment for the two of them. That and a decent amount of house points taken from Slytherin.
She sends them to bed, telling them to meet her at the trophy room as soon as they finish their last exam.
Wednesday's mad about getting caught. Enid just feels ashamed. They both march upstairs with frowns on their face, not talking to each other.
Once Professor Thornhill's given them cleaning supplies (and strictly told them no magic), they get to work. They're still quiet, both just frustrated, scrubbing the trophies in silence.
Enid stops to admire her work on a Quidditch Cup trophy Slytherin won years ago. She squints in the candlelight, recognizing one of the names.
"Morticia Addams," she mutters, and Wednesday stops and listens. "Your mom played seeker for Slytherin?"
Wednesday sighs.
"Yes. But I'd rather have my soul sucked out by a dementor than watch that outrageous sport."
But Enid doesn't seem to care about how Wednesday doesn't care, examining the picture of the team next to the trophy with wide eyes.
"That's so cool. Your mom seems so badass."
Wednesday just rolls her eyes. Her mom was a star at Hogwarts back in the day. Quidditch captain. Head Girl. Everything Wednesday did not care about.
But once again, Enid's howler crosses her mind, and Wednesday thinks about how she'll be going home to a house that won't welcome her and a disappointed mother.
"If you'd like, you're welcome to use Thing to write to your parents about visiting for the summer," Wednesday suggests, already regretting the words as soon as they leave her mouth.
Enid looks at her with a grin so bright it could blind her.
"Really?" she says, "I mean, that would be great if they say yes."
Wednesday tilts her head. "What makes you think they wouldn't?"
"Well, yeah. Your family kind of has a reputation."
"Hmmph."
Enid laughs, and Wednesday raises an eyebrow.
"What's so amusing?"
"Well, in the beginning of the year you said you didn't want us to become friends. Now you're inviting me over to hang out for the summer!"
Enid giggles, but Wednesday holds steady. She can't believe she's caved into Enid this far, that it's so hard for her to admit she's made a friend.
"People are allowed to change their opinions based on new experiences," she explains, trying to act unamused, "It's a sign of growth and adaptability."
"Well, I'm just glad you changed your opinion on me."
Enid's voice is soft, and Wednesday can see her stop out of the corner of her eye to look at her.
Wednesday just focuses on scrubbing the trophy in front of her until she can see her own reflection, and soon Professor Thornhill is coming to collect them.
Enid may be annoying. She may love to decorate everything in colors that burn Wednesday's eyes and play muggle music that makes her ears bleed, but she's not a bad person. She's actually smart, and clever, and just as devious as Wednesday herself. She just does a better job of hiding it, which makes Wednesday realize that she's someone she should definitely stay on good terms with.
They don't say anything to each other the rest of the night, Enid no longer upset while Wednesday's more frustrated than ever.
---
Luckily for Wednesday, Enid falls asleep on the train ride home. Wednesday figured she would have gone to sit with Yoko and her other friends, but Enid being asleep is much better than her being awake.
She doesn't have to listen to her talk to the time like she probably would have now that they're friends.
The word haunts Wednesday like the ghosts that roam their school halls. So what if she's made a friend? Friends can become worthy allies.
But friends are also a liability. Wednesday's always been a lone wolf, and she feels that someone like Enid could very well end up being dangerous in the end, but how, she doesn't know.
She just stares out the window, watching the blue summer sky as she thinks about all of the new spells she can use on Pugsley.
As the train comes to a stop, Enid wakes up, yawning loudly.
"Wow, are we here already?" she stretches, rubbing her eyes as she slumps into her seat.
"Time does tend to pass quickly when you are unconscious," Wednesday replies, standing up and heading past Enid and out of their carriage.
Enid springs up and follows her out, yawning again.
Wednesday easily spots her family at the end of the platform, everyone else standing a good distance away from them.
"So I guess I’ll see you in the fall?" Enid hums, glancing over her shoulder, hoping her parents don't see her yet and notice who she's talking to.
"I suppose," Wednesday mutters, but it's not like she has a choice. Enid smirks back at her.
"I told you I'd last."
"You still have six more years."
"I know. But I think I’m gonna be fine."
She gives Wednesday a grin, and then she leans towards Wednesday with her arms out. Wednesday steps back, and Enid frowns.
"Not a hugger. Got it."
Wednesday nods sternly, admiring Enid respecting her boundaries. Enid doesn't look bothered though, glancing back over her shoulder once more.
"Gotta go. I'll write to you," Enid smiles again, and then she's skipping off into the crowd.
Wednesday watches her until she’s gone, her own parents’ voices calling for her, and she takes a deep breath and heads off.