September 1971. King's Cross.
A leaden, cloudy sky accompanied the entire Black family to King's Cross station.
Many Muggles were astonished at their arrival, casting puzzled glances at the unusual clothes they had; the two large trolleys, laden with highly strange stuff, didn't go unnoticed either. But Orion and Walburga didn't give them the slightest glance. The presence of so many Muggles in one place annoyed them, as if they had entered a room overrun with cockroaches. The expression of utter disgust painted on the algid Mrs Black's face made her every thought on the matter transparent.
At the platform beteween number nine and ten, the five Blacks positioned themselves in front of a stone wall. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, they waited for the most opportune moment to cross the magic barrier.
"Need any help?" one of the station attendants asked Mr Black in a polite voice. The latter answered him with the most contemptuous look he possessed, as if he had been addressed by a huge insect and not a person, but he didn't utter a single syllable. Walburga merely ignored the polite man in uniform as if she hadn't heard him. The Muggle was astonished at such a rude reaction.
Alya heard him comment "These foreigners, what blowhards!" as he walked away, shaking his head in annoyance.
"Now seems a good time -- Alya, Sirius, go first. Quickly and without hesitation, as I explained," Orion told the twins.
Sirius, who had been showing signs of impatience ever since he woke up that morning, had started running towards the wall before his father had even finished speaking. In a flash he was gone. Alya imitated him, following close behind. Within seconds, the whole Black family had passed through the barrier, finally coming out at platform nine and three quarters.
The platform was packed with pawing young wizards and the families who had accompanied them, all enveloped in a vaporous blanket of white smoke, spewed from the scarlet train, waiting on the tracks.
Orion and Walburga cast disapproving glances all around. The grimace of contempt had not left their faces. Mrs Black continued to wrinkle her nose and tighten her lips, as if the air around her was impregnated with an unpleasant smell. But it was not the smell that made her nauseous.
"Have you seen how many half-bloods there are? And how many mudbloods?" she whispered malevolently to her husband.
He shook his head indignantly.
"Every year it's worse and worse. All the fault of that old muggle headmaster. At this rate Hogwarts will no longer be worthy of calling itself 'School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'."
"This is utter rubbish. An outrage!" commented Walburga in a slightly louder voice, as she looked in horror at a little boy who must have been about the same age as Alya, only a few metres away from them. The little boy looked at everything around him with eyes full of wonder. Judging by the clothes he was wearing, it was clear that he came from a Muggle family. A mudblood, as the Blacks used to call the Muggleborns.
Staring at that muggle boy, Alya recalled Harry Bennet and was seized with a sudden melancholy. Who knows how he was coping on his first day of non-magical school? little Black wondered.
Meanwhile, Sirius wouldn't stop stretching his neck, trying not to miss any movement. He kept a safe distance from the rest of his family, as if to give the impression that he was not part of it. He had all the air of planning an escape. Walburga's inquiring gaze noticed immediately.
"Sirius! Don't you dare turn away! Your father wants to talk to you!" she admonished him, in a threatening tone.
Caught in the act, the boy joined the group again, reluctantly, with a very disappointed expression.
Orion gave the twins a very solemn look.
"Sirius, Alya, you are about to begin your life at Hogwarts, your academic journey that will enable you to become talented and capable wizards. You will meet many other young students like you and many teachers, who will guide you in your education. However, you must never forget where you come from, what your origin is. I expect that your behaviour and achievements will hold high the noble name of our important family. You must always remember who you are," he said in an authoritative voice.
His stern eyes lingered on Sirius, who returned it with expressionless face. Alya was certain that her brother had not listened to a single word of her father's speech. Walburga must have been of the same opinion, for she looked at her son with eyes reduced to slits.
But none of the parents dared to scold him in public, in front of all those people. The decorous demeanor of the high-ranking Black family had to stand out in any context.
The large clock placed above the platform signaled that only ten minutes were left until the departure of the train.
"Come on, it's time for you to take your seats," Orion urged them. Sirius did not have it repeated twice and, after giving his parents a forced bow of dismissal, ran quickly in the direction of the train.
Alya turned to Regulus, sensing a strange grip at the pit of her stomach.
"Promise you'll write to me as often as you can. You must tell me everything!" chirped her little brother, envious that his sister would go through that new adventure without him.
It was the first time they had been separated for so long. An unusual feeling of abandonment took hold of Alya. Unlike Sirius, she showed herself much more reluctant to move away from her family. She had to employ great effort in holding back the tears that were welling up uncontrollably; Orion and Walburga certainly would not have forgiven her that sign of weakness.
She said goodbye to her father and mother, gave Regulus a wide smile, promised him a letter dense with details about Hogwarts, and walked toward the train entrance.
Although the trunk was incredibly heavy, she managed to load it without having to ask the older students for help.
She glanced one last time at her family, who was watching her from the platform. She would not see her again until Christmas break. Another grip tightened in her belly.
The Hogwarts Express emitted a loud puff of white steam. The doors slammed shut in unison, and the train slowly began its run, gradually increasing its speed. Alya hurried to find a seat, dragging her trunk with difficulty. The task turned out to be much more arduous than she had expected: the compartments all already seemed to be filled with restless young wizards.
The corridor also teemed with rowdy boys and girls, running up and down the aisle. Not to mention the pets left on the loose. Nearly, Alya tripped over a large green, lumpy toad, which stood placidly still in the middle of the corridor, croaking annoyedly. After a few steps, a large gray owl threatened to end up in her hair, fluttering merrily above a handful of admiring-looking kids. The little girl looked at the bird with envy: her parents had not allowed her or Sirius to purchase any animals.
Fortunately, Alya managed to find a compartment that was still empty and jumped into it as fast as lightning. She stowed the heavy trunk in the luggage rack and abandoned herself on the seats. But little Black's loneliness was short-lived.
Soon after, the sliding door swung open; two little girls, one with long platinum-blond hair, the other brown and bewildered-looking made their swaggering entrance.
"Can we sit here? The other seats are all full already --" the brown-haired girl said, by way of justification for that impetuous entrance.
Her companion, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bit concerned, posing as if that carriage rightfully belonged to her.
The little blond girl, who at first glance showed roughly the same age as Alya, sat across from her, looking as if she were used to giving herself importance, squaring littel Black with inquiring eyes.
Alya had no difficulty understanding what kind of people she was sharing the compartment with. Undoubtedly, the two girls came from families of noble full-blooded wizards. The display of their superiority was an unmistakable mark. After all, Alya sported the same attitude.
Alya's stubborn indifference soon began to annoy the blonde girl, who turned to young Black, piercing her with two scrutinizing eyes of faded, watery blue.
"You're in first year, aren't you?" she asked in a drawling tone.
Alya nodded unconcernedly. The other studied her with even more intensity. She seemed unable to understand her.
"My name is Philippa. Philippa Travers. Nice to meet you" the blonde girl introduced herself, in a friendly voice, taking care to place the proper emphasis on her last name. "And she's Melyssa Bulstrode. We have been friends since we were three years old." she added, pointing to her companion, who nodded with vigorous devotion.
Alya had been right: Travers and Bulstrode families belonged to ancient pure lineages, both recognized among the Sacred 28. Inside, Alya was pleased with her deductions.
"Alya Black. Nice to meet you." she replied casually.
"A Black? So you are pureblood too. What a relief! For a moment I was afraid you were one of those others --" Philippa said, not concealing some disgust. The little brown-haired friend chuckled.
"My family has always been pure," proclaimed Alya, with an air of superiority.
Now, the two little girls, Philippa and Melyssa, watched her with renewed approval.
"There are a lot of half-bloods and mudbloods this year," commented the blonde, scornfully.
"My parents couldn't believe their eyes, they were scandalized," Melyssa echoed her.
"Mine too. They claim that at this rate Hogwarts will soon lose its former prestige." agreed Alya, faithfully repeating her father's words.
She didn't really believe those speeches, but she didn't mind having allies in the midst of that train full of strangers. However, she could not help but imagine Sirius's reaction if he caught her saying such things. The way things were between them, it was hard to imagine that he could despise her even more.
She wondered what had happened to her twin brother: he had disappeared from her sight since they had boarded the train.Philippa's voice brought her back to reality.
"Since you're a Black, you'll definitely end up in Slytherin!"
"I guess so, my whole family have been in Slytherin," said Alya, with a hint of agitation.
She hadn't thought about it yet, but what would happen if she was sent to a different House?
"I really hope to become a Slytherin! My older brother, Glenn, is also in Slytherin. He is in his seventh year and is Headboy. Everyone at home is so proud of him!" sighed Philippa, hopeful.
"For me, you have no reason to worry," Alya reassured her, giving her a look of mock complicity.
"And you Alya, do you have any brothers or sisters?" asked Melyssa, with sincere curiosity.
"Yes, I have two brothers. Regulus and Sirius: Regulus is younger than. Sirius, instead, also starts school this year. We are twins." explained Alya.
"Twins? You have a twin? But that's so cool!" trilled Melyssa, delighted.
Alya wondered why the news that she had a twin always aroused such excitement.
"And where is he? I'd love to meet another Black." proposed Philippa. Alya found her a bit pushy.
"I don't know -- I've lost sight of him since we went up."
"Let's go find him, then! Then we can all make the trip together!" Philippa proposed.
And, without giving Alya time to protest, the two friends leapt to their feet, dragging little Black out of the compartment. On the other hand, Alya didn't have the courage to refuse. That meant explaining how things were between her and Sirius. And why. It was a situation too difficult to tell two perfect strangers. Therefore, Alya just secretly hoped not to meet Sirius and, thus, avoid embarrassing scenes.
The three young girls strided down the long corridor which spanned the entire train. Many students wandered in and out of the various compartments, making passage difficult. Alya was secretly pleased: any impediment was welcome to her. All around was swarming with young wizards; the journey seemed to have turned into an obstacle course.
Suddenly, someone bumped into Alya.
"Watch where you're stepping!" she blurted out annoyed, addressing the person who had bumped into her.
A pair of big, bright green eyes looked at her grimly.
"You watch where you step!" the owner of that emerald gaze reprimanded her; she was a small, slender girl with dark red hair. Like Alya, she wasn't yet in uniform, and judging by her attire, it was immediately clear that she was a Muggle-born.
Behind her, a dark-haired, miserable-looking boy with yellowish skin stood out. Although he was already wearing his school uniform, his not entirely "clean" (as Walburga would have commented) origin immediately jumped out at her. He had the typical expression of someone who felt like a fish out of water, but who was trying hard not to give it away. Alya looked down on both of them with an air of condescension. The little red-haired girl returned a defiant glance at her.
"Don't waste your time with these here. Let's go on!" urged Philippa, shooting a quick dismissive gaze at the two young students. Alya turned her back on them and followed her friend.
"That girl has her nose in the air!" exclaimed the green-eyed little girl behind her back.
But Alya did not waste her time countering. She proceeded, somewhat stymied, on her way.
She went on for another few meters until she recognized the figure of Sirius. Alya came to a sudden halt. She would have liked to pretend she had not seen him, but Philippa and Melyssa also recognized him instantly. After all, the twins looked very much alike.
Resigned, Alya stared at her brother who was sitting limply on the seat of a compartment left open. He was laughing and joking with another young student, very thin with shaggy black hair. Like Sirius, he was posing as a braggart.
For a brief moment, Sirius turned around and, hopelessly, became aware of his sister's presence, standing in the middle of the aisle, still staring at him. It all happened suddenly. Sirius sprang furiously out of the compartment and pounced on Alya like an angry beast.
He grabbed his sister by the arm and yanked her against the wall.
"I told you to stay away from me, do you understand?" he ranted with eyes filled with rage. "Don't you ever dare come near me or my friends again! Here at Hogwarts I am not your brother!" he intimated to Alya, before letting her go with an inelegant gesture.
Then, Sirius returned to his friend by violently slamming the compartment door.
Both Philippa and Melyssa squared Alya with dumbfounded expressions. But the girl gave them no time to articulate any kind of comment. She turned on her heel and left, livid with anger, heading the way she had come. Melyssa and Philippa followed her in silence, merely exchanging astonished looks at what had happened.
For the rest of the journey, Alya never mentioned Sirius again, spending the hours between her and Hogwarts chatting with her two new companions, flaunting a superficial cheerfulness.
Inside, however, Alya's heart burned with pain at what Sirius had shouted at her.
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A/N:
Hi beauties!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know your opinions about it.
Every feedback is very useful for me to improve^^
Thanks for reading ❤
~Valentina