Characters

Clementine Winston

My name is Clementine Winston. I was born in a small town called Essex. I am what's known as a pureblood, though I am not the product of incest like many other purebloods.

Besides the Winston's, I am also a member of the Black, Longbottom, Avery, Scamander... basically, every family that is or was a pureblood family, I'm related to them. So is my younger twin brother, Archibald. We call him Archie for short.

I believe by the wizarding world's standards, our childhood was typical. That is if you consider having several pets of which you and your mother talk to normal. Father was a potions master, and our mother worked for the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

I think I was 5 when I got my first headache. The discovery of mine and my brother's precognitive ability came about 3 years later when he tried to comfort me during one of my headaches.

On August 26th 2016, Archibald and I suffered a tragedy that cost us both our place at Hogwarts for that year.

On September 1st 2017, Archibald and I started our first year at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. Though we were both nervous, we were confident of what house we'd be in. At least that's what we told each other. I wasn't so sure. I wanted to make my parent proud. Join them as a Hufflepuff, but, at the time, I not only had and valued the traits of Hufflepuff but also those of Slytherin, as strange as that may sound. Little did I know my brother was having a similar issue.

He was Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, the two houses our ancestors had all been sorted into. However, after 4 and a half long minutes, the hat placed him in Gryffindor. As for me, the hat deliberated for almost 6 minutes, trying to decide between Hufflepuff and Slytherin. I don't know what made it decide, but finally, it chose to place me in Hufflepuff.

Those first two years at Hogwarts were relatively uneventful for me. Admittedly, I didn't really have any friends besides my brother and a lovely girl named Rose. He tended to hang out with her during his free periods. It wasn't until year three that I started making my own friends. Though eventually, my brother's friends and my friends became both our friends. It's only natural considering the two of us are practically inseparable, but that was because we had a secret.

The headmaster and a few of the teachers at Hogwarts knew our secret, but none of the students did, and we wanted to keep it that way. The headaches made it hard. My brother couldn't touch me, nor could I touch him, for fear of turning the pain into a vision that we would both share. That's how precognition works for us. I got headaches that would become visions when my brother and I touched. It was rare that my brother ever got any headaches, but it did happen on occasion. However, they were more noticeable as he struggled with the pain, whereas I have learned to hide it with only mild reactions as telltale signs.

Last year, I met a boy who caught my eye and, soon after, my affections. He was of one bloodline that I think only crossed into my own once about 30 to 40 generations ago. I haven't yet dared to say anything to him yet. Archie keeps trying to force me into situations where I have no choice. Still, unfortunately, I just keep walking, and running in one particular case, away. This year will be different, though.

As I stand in the doorway to the great hall, my brother is already seated, as I try to calm my nerves. 'I will speak to him,' I tell myself, 'I will be brave and confident. I will not let fear hold me back.'

With one last deep breath, I smile politely and begin the journey to the Slytherin table.