Chapter Text
Chapter 1: The Transfer Student
The new school year brought a fresh wave across Hogwarts which wasn’t unlike any other September. The excited students had left London Kings Cross station hours ago to the chorus of parents and family members waving them off with teary goodbyes.The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station with Chewie, the groundskeeper, shouting for all of the First Years to follow him. He paused and took a letter out of his satchel. He let out a sigh and mopped his brow with it, “First Years, and Finn Bennet!”
The young man in question nearly dropped his satchel upon hearing his name. He looked around and then up at the impossibly tall and hairy man who was looking at him. Then Finn realised everyone else was staring too. He stammered some kind of reply until the man clapped him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, everyone’s nervous on the first day.” Except, the first day for most Hogwarts students tended to be when they were eleven. As he walked towards the boats, he could see them gawping at him as though he was an exhibit in a museum.
“He’s enormous for a First Year.” Finn heard one blonde haired girl whisper to the boy next to her. Her companion only nodded, mouth ajar, not sure of what to make of him. Finn shifted uncomfortably, picking a boat near the back where he was sure he could avoid most of their stares for a while longer.
The truth was, Finn was not in first year. He was in fact about to enter his final year at school, except ironically it would be his first year at Hogwarts. He had been at Ilvermorny for the first six years of his schooling, but he’d never settled there and then his grandmother had insisted on moving them to some corner of the Scottish islands. So, he had transferred. It hadn’t been the easiest thing to do, the headmistress, Professor Holdo, had stressed how unusual it was when they’d sent an owl asking her about the possibility. Nevertheless, they'd relented and now he was here.
Finn had wanted to move for some time. He hadn’t liked the people he’d gone to school with at Ilvermorny. They’d been boring for the most part, ignored him for the other. No one had been interested in him; he wasn’t anything remarkable so he could hardly blame them. The owl which had his details about his transfer had also commented that given there was no clear trade in terms of houses at Ilvermorny and Hogwarts, he would have to simply be sorted. However, that meant doing so at the only sorting ceremony of the year, in front of the whole school and surrounded by First Years; wonderful.
Finn clutched his satchel to his chest as the castle came into view. It was magnificent and framed perfectly by the stars above it. Despite himself, he felt his heart pumping and a wave of calm settled his nerves. Just seeing the castle had made him think he’d made the right choice; he just had to survive the Sorting Ceremony, then he was sure that everything would be fine, or as fine as they could be.
When they alighted at the castle, Finn stood to the back of the First Years, letting them go first. He had already been sorted at Ilvermorny where he had been a proud Pukwudgie. However, these kids had never had this kind of thing happen to them before so he was happy to just let them go first and get caught up in all the excitement.
He scratched the back of his head as a small witch met them at the bottom of the stairs. He found himself staring; she could only have come up to his waist,
“Size isn’t everything.” She said and looked straight at Finn, readjusting her glasses which looked like jam jars; making her pupils look huge. “You must be Finn Bennet.” He nodded, “I am Professor Kanata, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School, head of Hufflepuff house and Divination Teacher.” Finn blanched at her. She’d missed out the part about her being a legillimens, but perhaps she liked to keep them guessing in regards to that. “In a moment we'll go in so that the ceremony can begin. A break from tradition- Finn, you will go first and then the First Years will be sorted in alphabetical order.” Her lips formed into a tight smile and she led the way into the Great Hall.
If Finn had been impressed by the castle exterior, nothing could have prepared him for the Great Hall. The whole place was finely decorated, candles hovering over the tables and the whole place looked like something out of a fairytale. This was nothing like Ilvermorny, and he decided already that he was going to like it here. He could even ignore the looks he was getting and the hushed whispers,
“Isn’t he a little tall for a First Year?”
“I swear they just keep getting bigger every year.”
When they stopped just before the top table, Finn spied an old hat sat on a stool. Professor Kanata went towards it and held it up before unfurling a scroll which rolled past his left side.
“We will now commence the sorting ceremony.” She cleared her throat, “Bennet, Finn.” He walked forwards, focusing on the far wall and so ignoring the looks he was getting. The stool was obviously meant for someone much smaller and he felt awkward almost clambering onto it, trying to stretch out his legs so his knees didn’t come too far up his body. The professor placed the hat on his head and he winced as though expecting to be attacked.
“Ah! An older student. My my, we have not had anyone like you for quite some time here at Hogwarts.” The hat drawled on and Finn had closed his eyes, realising a deathly silence had descended around the Great Hall. “Pukwudgie at Ilvermorny, well, they have their ways, they do have their ways.” He could hear the hat muttering to itself, “But I see a good, true loyal heart here, so it better be....Hufflepuff!” Finn released a breath he had not realised he had been holding and was guided to the edge of the Hufflepuff table where a smaller, dark haired student moved up to make room for him.
Apart from congratulations, no one spoke to him then until the headmistress had declared that the sorting ceremony had finished and allowed the feast to begin. Finn tucked in to his heart’s content, enjoying the typically English cuisines in front of him. He couldn’t get enough of it. When he came up for air after his second helping of cottage pie, the student who’d made room for him was gently smiling in his direction.
“Did they not feed you at Ilvermorny?” She chuckled and held out her hand, “I’m Rose Tico, I’m the one assigned to help new Hufflepuff's to get settled in.” She made a face, “Usually it’s just snotty first years, but at least this year I’ll have someone nearer my own age to help out.”
Finn shook her hand,
“Good to meet you Rose.” He eventually said once he had set down his goblet.
“We could start with a tour tomorrow if you’d like? Lessons don’t start until the end of the week so it could help you get settled in.” Rose paused, “I usually let some of the First Years work it out on their own seeing as they’re here for seven years, but I can make an exception for you.” She explained. Finn gave her a grateful look,
“Thank you, I think I’ll need all the help I can get.” He looked genuinely worried.
Rose snorted,
“Don't worry about it. You’ll feel like you’ve always been at Hogwarts by the time I’m finished with you.”
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The courtyard was unusually busy, Rey observed, wrinkling her nose as she tucked her book under her arm. She had been hoping for a bit more of a respite; she and her adopted brother Poe had spent the last week at Hogwarts while their adopted mother, Maz Kanata, got set up and prepared for the new school year. Maz had adopted them when they were quite young; Rey had been first, Poe had followed a few years later, not long after his parents had died. She had taken on Maz's name but Poe had, understandably, kept his family name. Rey didn’t know much about her life been before she’d been adopted by Maz; her papers just said that she’d been found crying; alone in a pram in a park in the south of England. She had been a year old when that had happened; the only thing she had of her real parents was the blanket she’d been wrapped up in when the police had found her. It was something she still kept with her; silly really, but it was one of her few possessions.
Maz had arrived at the orphanage when she had been five; she remembered talking to her, telling her about the things she could make happen by accident. Rey’s first vivid memory was of magic. She had been in the garden of the orphanage alone, upset because one of the older boys had snatched her ball out of her hands and refused to give it back. They’d pushed her away and continued with their own games, calling her the most terrible things. Rey had cried all alone in the garden, having realised that crying in front of adults at the home never got her very far. It was then she noticed that she was no longer sat on plain grass, but amongst blooming daisies. They sprung up around her, stopping half a meter from where she was sat. Rey had imagined it to be the work of a Fairy Godmother or someone looking down on her; it was the first thing she’d told Maz about. The adoption papers had been filed the next week.
Rey walked to the furthest corner of the courtyard to find her peace. Out of the pair of them, Poe was definitely the one who found crowds and socialising more enjoyable. She tucked her head into her copy of Advance Potion Making as she pulled her blue and silver scarf around her neck. Rey only got to the first chapter, where debates on using pewter cauldrons were being discussed, before the book was yanked out of her grasp. She was up in a flash, reaching back from her book.
"What the hell, Hux?” Her wand was out and he pulled a look at her, smirking. Rey rolled her eyes, “You know, I don’t think you’ll be able to make that out. They use big words in it, and there’s hardly any pictures, so it could be beyond you.” The smirk vanished from Hux’s face. He drew his wand
“Why you filthy mudblood!” Hux's words were hissed low enough that only she could hear them. However, that was enough for Rey. She launched herself at Hux, forgetting her wand completely as her fist collided with his cheek. He fell embarrassingly quickly and she recoiled back, like she had just realised what she had done for the first time, “You’re an animal, you know that, they should lock you up! You’re crazy!” Hux was shouting, scrambling to his feet with some of his fellow Slytherin’s helping him along the way. They too were jeering at Rey; one of them threw her book back in front of her. Rey stood quite alone; the students who had been milling around evaporated from view, pretending they hadn’t been watching.
“Miss Kanata-“ Rey rolled her eyes, hearing the voice of Gryffindor’s head of house, Professor Erso, booming at her,
“I know, I know. Headmistresses office.” She grumbled and picked up her potions book. When she looked up, Poe was in front of her,
“Been practising on your aim then?” Poe laughed, trying to make light of it but the humour wasn’t met by Rey, “You said you were going to stay out of his way this term, Rey. I don’t like seeing you like this.” Poe was pleading with her now, tugging at the sleeve of her robes. Rey pulled away,
“What? Am I embarrassing you now?” Poe looked appalled at Rey's words,
“No, no that’s not what I meant and you know it.” Poe assured her but Rey couldn’t meet his eye, “I just...don’t get what your problem is with him.” That was enough for Rey who could feel herself seeing red,
“I’ve got to go.” She took off up the stairs, ignoring the fact everyone was staring. Everyone in fact, except a tall, dark haired Slytherin who had witnessed the whole thing and was still hiding himself away as he hadn’t stopped laughing at the expression on Hux’s face when the girl had attacked him.
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Another pair who had witnessed the whole even was Rose and Finn, who were on the first part of the tour of Hogwarts. Rose was rolling her eyes,
“Won’t be the first time you see that happening.” She wrinkled her nose, “Hux has too many encounters with the shrew.” Finn looked at her and the unusual term, Rose laughed, “You’ll see what I mean the more you see her. She’s like that with everyone; cold, sarcastic, you get the idea. Everyone calls her the shrew; you'll get used to it.” Finn didn’t press it any further but he watched 'the shrew’ Rey as she talked to a taller student and he felt his heart still in the same way it had when he had looked at the Hogwarts castle for the first time.
“Who is that?” He managed, grabbing onto Rose's robes and forced her line of vision the same way Finn’s was inclined. Rose's smile dropped,
“No, no, don’t get any ideas, no.” She walked off in the opposite direction until she realised Finn wasn’t walking with her. Rose groaned and hurried back to her friend, “No, you see him dummy? He’s not for you, or anyone. He’s called Poe; he and the shrew are adopted siblings and Professor Kanata is their adopted mother.” Finn’s mouth dropped open at this new revelation and Rose nodded, “Maz also has this crazy rule that they’re not allowed to date until they leave school; everyone knows about it. So you know, hands off.” Regardless of all that he’d just been told, Finn couldn’t help but linger, watching Poe as he went.
"I've got to get to know him." Finn's words were said with a dreamy look. A part of him wanted to go up to Poe, but before he could take a step in his direction, Rose yanked him away.
“You’ve got a death wish, dummy.”
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Rey breathed out slowly, counting to ten as she leaned up against the wall of the headmistresses office. She had lost track of how many times she’d been sent up here over the years. Maybe the headmistress had too.
“Come in!” She heard the shrill voice of the headmistress from around the portrait and walked in as sincerely as she could, “Ah Rey, well I wish I could say this was a surprise. Take a seat, dear.” Rey did as she was told, setting her book on her lap. “Now Rey, we really have to sort out this attitude of yours dear. Speaking to some of your teachers and classmates, I’ve come to the conclusion you can come off a little… um…”
“Tempestuous?” Rey suggested, unable to stop a grin forming,
“Heinous bitch is the term most readily used. Not my words of course, but I think we understand each other.” Holdo smiled sweetly as Rey slumped in her chair,
“He was asking for it.” Rey protested.
Holdo looked over Rey seriously, taking a sip of her tea before setting it down carefully,
“You might also be pleased to know that Mitaka’s boils settled down over the summer.” Holdo said as Rey snorted,
“I still maintain he hexed himself.” Rey held her hands up, like she was protesting innocence. Holdo all of a sudden looked much more concerned than she had previously,
“Look, Rey, you have one more year at Hogwarts. Please let’s try to make it an uneventful one. Don’t you think Maz deserves that too?” There was a hint of pleading in her gaze and eventually Rey nodded. “Good, good, I feel some progress has been made. You have a week’s worth of detentions, but other than that you can go.” Rey groaned,
“A week?” Holdo sat forwards, fingers lacing together,
“I’ll half it if you go and apologise to Hux.”
Rey looked appalled,
“I’d rather you doubled it.” She said sharply. Holdo barely repressed a smirk as she gestured with the back of her hand,
“Report for detention later today, send the young man in behind the door too.” Rey nodded glumly at her words and stepped out, book in hand, walking straight into a dark haired Slytherin who was smirking at her.
“She’s all yours.” Rey announced; she was still scowling. The Slytherin boy raised an eyebrow at her,
“You know if the wind changes, your face will stick like that.” He waggled a finger in front of her face. She gave him the middle finger,
“I didn’t ask for your opinion.” Rey tore off, leaving him stood there smirking before he pushed open the door to Holdo’s office,
“Ah Ben Solo, we have a lot to talk about, come and sit down.”
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Rey wanted to scream but she couldn’t. She’d received a note from her Maz to meet her and Poe for dinner in her quarters before she headed up to her detention. She got rooms, being a teacher; Poe and Rey had a room and a bed there which they used mostly during the holidays. Rey had used it sometimes too during term time when the Ravenclaw dwellings had proven too much for her. Poe, on the other hand, was happy enough in Gryffindor, so much so that Maz complained she didn’t see enough of him during the term.
Sheepishly, Rey spoke the password to the portrait in front of Maz’s rooms, a lovely painting of a summer meadow with people having picnics. One of the women nodded at the correct words and opened the door for her. She stepped inside the portrait and was met with Maz’s cool gaze.
“Rey, nice of you to join us. Make anyone cry today?” Maz asked, tilting her head,
“Well, yes, but only after four thirty. Most of the day was fine.” Rey grimaced. “Can we not do this now?” She pleaded as Maz shook her head, a wave of disappointment across her features, as she started to put out something for them to eat, from the smell of it they were being treated to a roast dinner.
“Rey we need to talk about this. You can’t just go around attacking random guys.” Poe pointed out, tucking into a roast potato. Rey shot her brother a glare,
“It wasn’t a random guy, it was Hux.” Rey fired back; Poe shook his head,
“I really don’t see the problem with him.” He quickly replied.
Rey could barely speak. Maz took the moment to load her plate up with vegetables and gravy, watching the pair carefully. Having two children the same age in the house had never been easy but she’d coped over the years. The only thing she was really firm on them about was the no dating rule. She knew it seemed antiquated, but it was for their own good. Being a teacher here she had seen too many hearts broken and she didn’t want that for them. There was the other side of it too that she didn’t like all that much; they had to be protected, even if they didn’t realise it yet. Maz would do anything for the pair of them, as she had done all their life, even when they thought she was being painfully unfair.
“Of course you don’t.” Rey finally found her composure, “Don’t think I haven’t seen the way you look at him.” Poe's cheeks flushed a little and Maz caught it, "Trust me, Hux isn't that way inclined." Rey said harshly.
“What’s she talking about?” Maz turned to Poe who rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair,
“Why is this all about me all of a sudden? Rey's the one who started a fight in the middle of the courtyard. All he did was take her book.” Rey wanted to scream that it wasn’t the only thing he’d done, but the words sounded pathetic even to her and they lodged in her throat.
“Well, regardless of the way you might look at him Poe, you know the rule, no dating until after Hogwarts.” Maz said as she helped herself to more roast potatoes. Poe slumped in his chair again,
“This is ridiculous.” He huffed, though Rey remained silent. “It’s not as though I can get a date anyway, not with Rey scaring all the other students away. It's a miracle I even have friends.” Maz chewed on her broccoli thoughtfully, looking between the pair. She could see the look of disappointment on Poe's face and while she wasn’t one to just fall for that, there was a feeling in her gut she could not ignore.
“You know what, perhaps it is time for a change; you’re both a little older now.” Maz began. Poe sat up, as though he couldn’t believe his luck. Maz was sure this plan would prove fool proof anyway so she was willing to compromise a little, “New rule. Poe you can date whoever you want.” Rey’s mouth fell open and Poe stood up in excitement, punching the air in victory. Maz looked down the rim of her glasses at Poe, “When Rey does.” Poe looked as though the world had shattered around him,
“But-but she’ll never date anyone!” Maz beamed at Poe's revelation,
“Exactly. I’m starting to enjoy this new rule.” The rest of the meal was passed with Poe spurting out how unfair this all was and Rey remaining in total silence. She ate quickly then just before seven said goodbye to them both and headed up to Holdo for her detentions. It was tedious, mostly just cataloguing old issues of the Daily Prophet and dusting the expanse of the office without magic.
One of five completed.