The unknown daughter

Chapter 3: Harry Potter comes to Hogwarts

The landscape of Scotland flies past on the screen. Slowly the camera zooms out and shows a red-haired girl and a black-haired boy sitting in a compartment in the Hogwarts Express. Both of them are reading. A filter flits over the screen, exposing the books for what they are. Instead of reading their potion books, Corvus book has the title "The Darkest Arts", while Cassie's book title reads "Magick moste Evile". 

Sirius and James both hide their grins. Most people thought of those book as dark, but they were very informative. Their parents made them read those books when they were around the same age as their children are. Most of the duels they won, were because of those spells, even though they couldn't admit to that.  

Walburga leans closer to her husband slowly: "Those are our books. They have the Black sign on them in the left corner." Orion's eyes follow his wife's words, ignoring how soft her voice sounded because he's too busy trying to figure out why the children of their disowned son would have books belonging to the House of Black. 

But while Orion doesn't notice, Regulus sees it immediately. Confusion swims in his eyes, but he covers it just as fast as it appeared. He continues to observe the woman he calls mother. Her posture is nowhere near her usual straight back. She slumps slightly, shoulders relaxed in a way he has never seen before. The gaze in her eyes is soft, something that nearly throws him off his seat. And instead of screeching like a banshee, her voice is careful and quiet. She is not the same woman, he knows and hates. 

Harry and Ron are in a deep discussion. Ron is cussing Cassiopeia out for being dark, while Harry tries to defend his sister the best he can. But even he has doubts. Why would his sister read a book like that?! 

Suddenly, Corvus closes his book and looks straight at his sister: "The brat is coming to school this year, isn't he?" Her eyes don't leave her book, not even a twitch in her expression: "Yes. And don't call him a brat. Maybe he changed. Let's at least give him a chance." "As if. He hurt you. No one hurts my family and gets away with it, you of all people should know that. Seeing as you're the only family I have left." The scoff that escapes him is a clear indication at how much he likes Harry Potter. 

Cassie shakes her head, a soft smile settling on her lips: "You are too protective for your own good..." Finally she lifts her head and has eye contact with her older brother. The same smile appears on his face: "As if you can talk, little sister." She shrugs and they both go back to their books, after keeping eye contact for one more second. 

In another cabin, Harry is seen talking to a red-haired boy. But the camera moves on, flying out of the Hogwarts Express and flying into Hogwarts. All the children are sitting at their tables, while they wait for the first-years to be sorted. 

James gasps: "My daughter and my son are in Slytherin! The betrayal! I can not believe this! Padfoot! Do you see this?!"  Sirius shakes his head: "I see it too, Prongs, but I can not believe it." At the shocked looks, the both of them break out into laughter. "What? Yo-You seriously thought we would hate our own kids for something as ridiculous as their house." 

Lily looks at the two with a raised eyebrow: "I mean, you always make fun of the Slytherins and what you do pretty much is bullying...So it would be obvious that you would hate the children for being in the house you hate." James looks offended: "You really think so low of me?" His best mate nods: "You think I would hate my children for their house, when I was disowned for being in a different house. I don't think so. As long as they don't try to kill muggleborns and half-bloods and don't think themselves better than anyone else, I couldn't care less, which house they end up in." A nod from the Potter boy next to him: "I agree with Padfoot. Yeah, we don't like the Snakes very much, but that's just because they think themselves better than everyone else. Gotta drag them down a peg or two, don't you agree, Moony." To everyone's shock, the boy nods: "I may not always agree with their tactics, but have you never wondered why we mostly attack Slytherin? It's because they would go through the roof if no one was here to drag them down. With their "I'm better than you because I'm a pureblood," "My Daddy has more money than yours" and "I knew how to fly a broom at three." 

All eyes go to the Slytherin table. Barty Crouch Jr. blinks: "THAT's the reason, you bully us?!" "Yeah, what did you think? It's because yOu'Re AlL EvIL?" The Marauders laugh. Shaking their heads and murmuring things to each other, that no one else can hear. 

Finally the first-years enter the Great Hall. Everyone quiets down. McGonagall reads out one name after the next. The only time Cassie and Corvus react is at Draco Malfoy's name. They both clap and smile, Corvus making space for their cousin, who sits down with them proudly. The other time is when Harry is called into Gryffindor. Both of them roll their eyes at this. 

Harry sits down at the Gryffindor table. As his eyes take in the Great Hall, he notices a familiar red. He squints his eyes, anger overtaking them as he zero's in on the red-haired girl. 

A nudge in his ribcage brings him out of it: "She's really pretty, right? But I advise you to stay away." Harry turns to the boy next to him: "Who are they?" "They are called The Ice Queen and the Ice King. Or the Royals of Slytherin. They are siblings and don't like others being close to them. They are really mysterious. Smartest in their year and the whole school at the moment. From what I heard, they are also the best in duels. Only able to keep up with each other, but annihilating anyone else. So if you know what's good for you, you will stay away." 

Harry's eyes latch onto the two for the rest of the meal. Noting how they converse with each other and the boy that he rejected the friendship off outside. They were siblings? He could of course see the similarities. They had the same eye-color. Their face structure was also familiar. Along with the way they held themselves. But if they were siblings, didn't that mean that the boy was his brother too? Why had he never heard of him?