Snowflake ||d.m||

•01•

     Lumikki’s senses became overloaded very quickly. Everything was overwhelming. All the noises, smells, touches. From the screeching horn of the train, the grey smoke that filled her lungs, to the tightening grip of her mother’s manicured hand on her right shoulder.  Her father walked with large strides at her left, leading the girl to jog beside him. Her scalp itches with how tight her hair was pulled up into a ponytail at the top of her head with a blue bow to match her dress. Her left hand vibrated as the suitcase- which was very expensive since it was hexed so that it could hold an endless amount of things- she was guiding bumped along every crack and crevice of the pavement beneath their feet, and her right arm began to feel much heavier than normal with the weight of Gordo in his cage. His nose seemed to gravitate to the ceiling, trying to gather all the smells that existed at platform 9 ¾.

     The young Neva puffed her cheeks out as her parents came to a stop, only an arm’s reach from the train that had the words ‘HOGWARTS EXPRESS’ printed on the side. A small part of the girl wanted to glide her dainty fingers across each letter, as if she was worried they’d suddenly rearrange themselves.

     Feeling her mother’s talons sink into her skin through her blue dress, the girl drifted back to reality. “Now Lumikki, whatever house you get sorted into, your father and I will always be supportive.”

     It was hard for Lumikki to believe her mother, especially since she spoke without even a trace of emotion. Her face showed no effort to form a smile, and her eyes starred dully in her daughter’s. Lumikki knew what her parents expected of her, which was to get into Slytherin. And if not Slytherin then at least Ravenclaw. But if she were to get into Hufflepuff or Gryffindor- the eleven year old shivered at the thought.

     Leaning close to his daughter’s ear, Mr Neva spoke gruffly. “Make friends with the right people. What you will learn quickly is that you want the best connections. Don’t go mingling with mudbloods or half breeds, they’ll only slow you down.” Landing two harsh pats on the girl’s back, causing her to stumble forward a bit, he smirked and stood up straight, making sure his chest was puffed out in order to express his dominant persona.

     Making sure to show very little emotion to her father’s words, the pale girl softly placed Gordo’s cage onto the ground, letting her arm rest a bit before she would take on the next task of bringing him aboard the Hogwarts Express.

     “Nikki!”

     Lumikki’s eyebrows furrowed at hearing her mother’s first name come from the crowd that swarmed around the train like bees.

     Seeing a flash of bleach blond hair peak above the crowd, Nikki Neva finally let go of her daughter’s frail shoulder, ignoring the way her daughter winced and rubbed the spot that would soon form a bruise. Recognizing the modestly dressed couple with hair that resembled the sun, she raised her hand above her head and curled her fingers in and out to silently say ‘come here’ before quickly letting it fall back to her side.
    
     Letting an almost genuine smile stretch across her face as the two adults approached, she firmly gave barked out orders to her daughter. “Check your posture and be polite. Make sure to smile.”

     Now being able to get a better view of who had made her mother go to such an extent to impress, Lumikki quickly complied. For the adults had been Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, and the girl knew how important the Malfoy family was to her parents. She would often be left alone in the Neva manor since her parents would meet up with those two almost every week, discussing who knows what.

     The Malfoys came to a stop, keeping a respectful distance between them and the Nevas. Lumikki tried to hide as much of herself as possible behind her parents, feeling much more cowardice under Lucius’ dull glaring eyes. His walking stick- which Lumikki took notice was simply an accessory due to the man’s lack of a limp- was almost as tall as her, making the young Neva feel incredibly small and vulnerable. It was pitch black, except for the silver snake head that rested on top which was almost completely covered by Mr Malfoy’s large hands. Lumikki stared into the decorative snake’s eyes, feeling as though it would suddenly come to life and bite her head off.