Ruby stared out the window of the train. She and Sev were in the compartment, the door locked with several different spells to keep out the Marauders, who were also going home.
Many of the Slytherins were going home for family parties that were held every year. Narcissa and Lucius were staying at Hogwarts, but neither seemed bothered by it. The Slytherins who were going home didn't look too happy about it, except for Amaris.
Their compartment was full, Ruby next to the window with Severus next to her, and one of Narcissa's roommates, Athena Carrow, although she preferred Jana, next to him. Regulus sat across from Ruby, Amaris next to him and Rabastan next to her.
Ruby was fairly sure they were dreading it, and she understood why. Amaris, on the other hand, looked ecstatic, although she tried to hide it.
"So what are your plans for Christmas?" Jana asked. Ruby hadn't seen her often. She vaguely remembered seeing her in a sorceress costume for halloween, but the girl always kept to herself. Ruby hadn't heard her speak before.
"My parents are having another Christmas party this year." Regulus said.
"We're having a pack- uh, family reunion. It's gonna be huge." Amaris smiled.
"Everyone here knows you're a werewolf, Greyback." Rabastan rolled his eyes.
"Right. We're having a big reunion for the full moon. The pack's been spread all over the place lately, but we're all getting together for the full moon."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous? Like wouldn't you tear each other apart?"
"We're a pack. It happens occasionally, but not often, and it's usually because someone challenged someone they shouldn't have."
"What about you, Stan?" Regulus asked. "Another party?"
"Thankfully no. Rodolphus is marrying your cousin in the spring, and my parents are too busy helping him to host one."
"My parents are having a party as well, but it's not for Christmas. It's because my older siblings are joining the Dark Lord." She rolled her eyes. "They're not even trying to hide it, so if the Ministry shows up, I'll probably be showing up at one of your houses, and I'll probably paint 'I told you so' on the wall of the ballroom." Rabastan laughed so hard he nearly fell onto the floor of the compartment. "What are you two doing during vacation?"
"I'm working. Sev is staying at home so the Marauders won't bother him."
"You know they're going home too, right?"
"Yes, but we didn't know that until it was time to go. Besides, we've always spend Christmas together. It's actually like the one nice night of the year, because our father spends the whole night at the bar."
"What about your mother?"
"She's dead." Ruby said shortly.
"Sorry."
"It's nothing. It was years ago."
"It's probably nice to be alone. At least home is safe." Ruby couldn't disagree, and remained silent.
"I think that's got to be the nicest thing about Slytherin." Amaris decided.
"What?" Rabastan asked, confused. "That we're all abused?"
"No!" She scoffed. "That we know each other's dark secrets, but we don't really care."
"I think you're right." Ruby smiled. "I know I'm in Gryffindor, but Slytherin's different. Maybe it's just because I'm always here, but I know that in Gryffindor, they do care about their dark secrets. I think they've got their own, but they hide them."
"They do?"
"Aside from Potter's embarassing crush on the Evans girl?" Rabastan rolled his eyes.
"He doesn't hide that!" Amaris laughed. "Every first year knows it from their very first day."
"I don't think they're as brave as they look."
"What makes you say that?"
"It's just, a while ago I was having a panic attack in the hallway, and the Marauders showed up out of nowhere. It was several hours past curfew. How did they know I was there? The hallway was completely dark. They shouldn't have been able to see a thing."
"How long have you been afraid of the dark?"
"Just since she almost drowned saving a first year who couldn't swim either."
"We're both alive, so it doesn't matter."
"We could teach you how to swim." Rabastan suggested. "Amaris and I taught Reg. We could teach you too."
"Could you teach me too?" Jana asked.
"You don't know how to swim?"
"You'd be surprised how few purebloods know how to swim."
"Well, the more the merrier. Why not?"
"When could we learn? I'm working all vacation to stay in Hogwarts."
"A Hogsmeade weekend. Most people will be in Hogsmeade, and we can use the Black Lake."
"That sounds good." Ruby grinned.
"So what are you doing for the rest of vacation?" Jana asked Amaris.
"The usual. Just getting the newly turned werewolves settled into the pack. Fenrir thought it would be a good idea to take them younger so they don't remember, but so far, they've all died. Guess that makes me special."
"We should probably change out of our uniforms." Regulus commented, standing up. Sev and Rabastan left with him, and the girls changed out of their robes. Ruby pulled on her muggle clothes.
"I'm definitely getting you clothes." Jana said, almost cringing at a bad tear at the bottom that ran vertically up the center of the shirt for several inches. Ruby just tied the two ends into a knot, hiding that the tear shouldn't have been there.
"That's not going to work." She frowned at the scar that was where the tear had been. "Oh, well." She shrugged. "I'm going to check on Sev. I'll be right back." She closed the door, and sprinted towards the bathrooms. As she suspected, Potter was there, holding her trembling brother against the door of a compartment. Pettigrew stood to the side awkwardly, but the other two weren't there.
"Really?" She snarled. "You just won't learn, will you?" She ripped his hands off of her brother, and throwing him into the opposite wall, cracking the window.
Jana suddenly walked up, grabbing hold of the Marauder's collar, throwing him to the floor.She was on him before he could get up, pinning his arms behind his back.
"Hey, Potter." Jana's voice was deathly calm. "I'd quit it if you value your secrets. Seriously. I'm sure Lily would love to know how you sprout horns." He nodded quickly, and she let go. He rushed back to his compartment. "It's kind of my thing." Jana answered Ruby's questioning gaze. "I know everyone's darkest secret, and I can use it if I need to."
"That's useful." Ruby agreed as the three, Ruby, Jana and Sev, walked back to the compartment. "Do you know mine?"
"You killed your dad this year." Jana whispered quietly.
Ruby nodded. Other than maybe the death of her mother and youngest brother, that was her darkest secret.
"I think that's what makes me a Slytherin. I'm not afraid to use their secrets against them." Jana stopped in front of the compartment door. "And you're a Slytherin too, Ruby. In all but Sorting."
"Thanks." Ruby smiled. "Sev, are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
"No." He shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm glad you're at Hogwarts now."
"Me too." They sat down, and Rabastan tried not to stare at the scars on Ruby's stomach. It was evening when the train pulled in. Amaris said goodbye and ran to a tall muscular man with sharp teeth, amber eyes, and slightly pointed ears. She hugged him tightly, and he wrapped his arms around her, picking her up. Regulus walked up to his parents and greeted them formally, pretending not to notice the crushing hold his father had on his older brother's shoulder, and refusing to flinch when his mother's sharp nails dug into his arm.
Rabastan walked up to a house elf after waving goodbye to his friends and apparated away. Jana walked up to two people, a plump young woman in her early twenties with redish hair, and a young man around the same age with hair that was a shade darker than Jana's blonde hair. They clearly weren't her parents. Ruby guessed that they were her older siblings, the soon-to-be Death Eaters. The sisters barely acknowledged each other, but the man who considerably taller than his red haired sister smiled down at her. Jana smiled back.
Ruby and Sev left through the barrier, and began the long walk back to Cokeworth.
Ruby was surprised to find that she wasn't afraid of the darkness in Cokeworth. Maybe it was the familiarity of the buildings and the smell of factories, or the constant noise of children and animals. Ruby unlocked the house, and the two entered. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, which promptly made the twins sneeze when they entered, kicking up a cloud of dust.
They were careful not to kick up anymore dust as they walked up the stairs to the attic.
"We could sleep in dad's room." Ruby suggested, but Sev shook his head, much to her relief. The room would hold so many memories they wouldn't be able to sleep. They stretched out on the floor, only too used to the cold. Despite their better situation at Hogwarts, they fell asleep instantly. This was still home, and it was still normal.
When they woke the next morning, they realized they didn't have any food in the house, except a sandwich Ruby had taken from the Great Hall at breakfast the day before. Well, she had taken several, but they had eaten all but one on the walk home.
They split it, and decided to go buy some food with some of the money they had found in their dad's pockets before he had died. After buying what they usually had in the fridge, Ruby told Sev he could go out and play with the kids if he wanted, as long as he didn't let them pick on him. She then sprinted to the factory.
"Welcome back, Gem!" The old man who sat by the door grinned, showing a few missing teeth. Ruby waved, and slowed to a jog as she entered the building. Most probably would have choked on the fumes that filled the grimy factory, but all of this section of Cokeworth smelled of them. Everyone who lived here was used to them.
The boss told Ruby to get to work, and she ran over to one of the spinning machines. This was a textile factory. Large machines spun spools of thread that were later woven by other children into fabric on looms. The work was simple enough. Remove the full spools, and reload the machine.
The machine itself was dangerous. The belt that put the thread onto the spool was uncovered, but at least Ruby was tall enough now where she didn't have to balance on the machine so she could reach to remove the spools. Ruby stood next to a younger boy who wasn't much shorter than her. They didn't talk as they worked. They would be punished if they did.
That was another thing Ruby hadn't told her brother. Although most of her wounds were from their father, some were from the whips of the overseers who decided she wasn't working fast enough. Because naturally whipping someone while they were working would make them work faster. (Please note sarcasm)
The factories were powered by coal, which they got from a mine that was less than a mile outside the city. Ruby had worked there for a while, although Sev didn't know that either. The coal mines weren't much more dangerous than this factory, but he worried enough as it was. It had been simple work, although still dangerous. Children would pull carts up and down the mine shaft, or sort out impurities from the rocks.
Ruby worked quickly, removing several spools, and putting on empty ones. She carefully placed the newly finished spools in a box, which was quickly taken away by a young girl no older than eight.
The sun had set several hours ago when the factory finally closed. Ruby pocketed the four pence, and ran home. Sev was awake, and the two smiled, going to the spare room that they knew held all their mother's things. It didn't take long to find the key, conveniently hidden at the back of their father's sock drawer. The room was much more dusty than the rest of the house, but Ruby used her magic to remove it.
They moved to the first chest. Ruby opened him, surprised to see that it held books. They excitedly pulled them out, scanning the titles. There were books on every magical subject they could think of, and quite a few muggle books as well. There were more books than should have been able to fit in the trunk, so the twins guessed there was an extension charm on the chest. They opened two other chests, both also filled with books.
There were several rooms no one ever entered, besides their father's room. They found that they were mostly empty, except for bare shelves. They chose one to turn to a library, although guessing by the number of shelves, it had been one before. They were too tired to get anymore done, and climbed the stairs to the attic.
Ruby was up at dawn, and she made breakfast, swallowing a little herself, leaving the rest for Severus. She ran to the factory, and got to work, just like she had since before she had turned twelve.
By the end of Christmas break, the house was different. On the outside it looked the same, still exceptionally dirty and dark, but on the inside there was now a library and a potions room stocked with ingredients that were older than they were.
Ruby trimmed her and her brother's ragged hair before they left the house, and cleaned their clothes. Ruby had been careful not let her twin see any cuts or bruises from the factory. She hoped he wouldn't notice a few extra scars on her stomach where her shirt didn't cover.
They boarded the train and sat down in a compartment with Regulus, Amaris, Jana, and Rabastan.
"How was break?" Amaris asked Jana.
"Well, the ministry didn't show up. I guess the party went well. Yours?"
"It was great." Amaris grinned. "We've got a few new wolves with us. All over six. I got challenged, and I won, of course."
"You know you sound extremely arrogant when you say that." Rabastan smirked.
"I'm the future alpha, so I'm not. How was your summer, Stan?"
"Eh. Better than usual, I guess. I was just kind of ignored the whole time. Everyone else was too busy planning the wedding."
"My vacation was just plain boring." Regulus sighed. "Mother and Father ignored me for the most part."
Amaris sighed. "For the most part means not completely. Take off your shirt. I want to see."
"Ris." It was a combination of a hiss and a whine. Ruby hadn't even realized it was possible.
"I'm not joking. How bad is it?" She said, trying to pull it up. "No one here cares, right?" Everyone shook their heads. "See? Now take it off or I'll rip it off." He glared half-heartedly, but unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off.
Nearly everyone gasped at the red lashes across his back. Ruby honestly wasn't disturbed by it, since she'd seen so many children bearing similar scars.
"OW! Don't touch it, Ris. That hurts." Amaris had tried wipe a bit of blood, causing his outburst. She immediately pulled back.
"Ruby. You can heal him, right?" Amaris turned to her, eyes pleading.
"I've only ever done it on Sev and I, but I can try. It shouldn't be too hard."
"Have you ever healed whip lashes?" Rabastan asked with curiousity.
"Yes, and I've healed worse than that. Now shut up and let me focus. It's not as easy as it looks. And it will scar, but that's a given."
"It took several minutes, but Ruby managed to connect their magic, and heal the wounds."
"How do you do that? I've tried, but it doesn't work. Do you just focus on it?"
"It's a little different than that. I have to want to heal the person, which is what makes it so easy with Sev, then I connect our magic, push enough of mine over the link to heal the person, wait until it's healed and cut the connection."
"That's really cool. Does it work for everyone?" Amaris asked.
"I have no idea. I've never seen anyone else do it, but I haven't seen that many healers at work either."
"Is that how your shields work?" Jana asked suddenly.
"Pretty much." Ruby admitted.
A/N Thank you so much for reading. Please comment.