Chapter Text
"It's rare to see twins in different houses," the older student on her right tells her. Lumine is in Ravenclaw and still a little shell-shocked that Aether has not joined her. She clutches her robes, allowing the fabric to bunch in her fingers and not caring it if wrinkles, and wonders what Gryffindor qualities the Hat had seen in her kind-hearted, gentle brother.
"He's not like a Gryffindor," Lumine says stubbornly, although now she is beginning to realize that Aether is. Aether, who is quietly courageous in the face of danger, compared to Lumine's calculated brashness. Aether, who always reaches out a hand to the weak. Aether, who is now sporting a red tie and chatting animatedly with a girl with a lopsided red bowtie like he had always belonged there.
"Sometimes it takes time to grow into your house," another older student pipes up. "Like good old Timaeus over here. Turns out he did have a brain, after all."
"Hey!" Timaeus, a nervous-looking boy with tousled brown hair, yelps.
"If only Potioneering was enough to impress Ying'er," the student on her right sighs, and Timaeus turns the same color of a tomato, sputtering incoherently.
The older Ravenclaws rib each other some more, making clever quips and witty retorts, and Lumine thinks that this is the house for her. It feels like home, but there's no home without Aether, who feels miles away despite being two tables down from her. She sighs, and picks at her food. It's delicious. She just has no appetite.
After dinner, she meets the other first-year Ravenclaw girls in their shared dormitory. There's Ella, who hails from a long line of famous Magizoologists that have long been the leading specialists for Hilichurl linguistics: ("They're actually quite friendly creatures, as long as you know what to say," Ella says to her enraptured audience"); Yanfei, an aspiring practitioner of Magical Law; Alrani, who endlessly idolizes her older cousin Soraya, a sixth-year Ravenclaw and the Arithmancy tutor, but seems to doubt her own intelligence; and finally Ayaka, the heiress of the Kamisato clan, who the other girls seem to look at with distant awe.
"Are you Muggle-born, Lumine?" Alrani asks, when she sees Lumine's sleek but obviously Muggle suitcase at the foot of her bed. It's not a question asked out of malice; Alrani's eyes are earnest but well-meaning, as if the offer to enchant the suitcase with a locking spell — which she will have surely learned already, despite them only just receiving their wands — will spill out at any moment.
"No," Lumine laughs, but doesn't answer the question, and eventually it's forgotten by everyone else entirely.
They retire and go to sleep in their own respective majestic four-posters. Lumine closes her eyes and dreams of nothing.
In the morning, Lumine eats breakfast with Ayaka; the others have long woken up, their beds cold and deserted. They sit together in their own corner of the Ravenclaw table, two lonely figures huddled away from the mass of older students.
"That's my brother," Ayaka says, gesturing to one of the boys sitting in the center of the Ravenclaw crowd with a golden prefect badge pinned to his robes. Ayato is tall and handsome and evidently popular, given at how everyone around him seems to be hanging onto his every word. He looks like Ayaka, except his eyes curl up in mischievous half-moons when he smiles. Lumine hasn't seen Ayaka smile yet.
"You don't want to sit next to him?" Lumine asks, surprised.
Ayaka shakes her head. "I don't want to be compared with him," she says quietly.
"My brother's over there," Lumine says, changing the subject. "His name's Aether." Aether is broadly smiling from cheek to cheek today, and the artificial sunlight from the Great Hall is falling onto him just right, so that the light against gold of his hair create a halo. He's all but glowing.
Ayaka studies him. Then, she turns back to Lumine. Her cheeks are faintly flushed, and Lumine thinks, ah.
"You two look very similar," Ayaka says, but Lumine knows that next to Aether, she's only a pale imitation. She smiles and accepts the compliment anyway.
"We should go say hi," Lumine says, and drags her new friend to the Gryffindor table.
Aether waves at her when he sees her approach. He's still sitting with the bow-tie girl from yesterday, and also a girl who's joined with a strange, bear(?)-like pet.
"This is my sister, Lumine" Aether says. "Lumine, this is Amber—" bow-tie girl smiles, "Xiangling," the other girl waves.
"And this is Ayaka," Lumine says.
Amber's eyes widen. "Kamisato Ayaka?"
"Yes," Ayaka says. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Lumine sneaks a glance at her brother, and is startled to see that he can't seem to take his eyes off of Ayaka either. They're eleven and they don't know it yet, but it's the beginning of something that will last much longer than their fleeting years at Hogwarts.
In the meantime, Lumine makes small talk with Amber, who, learning that Lumine knows little about the Wizarding world, takes it upon herself to become an unofficial guide.
"There's talk that there might be a war soon," Amber sighs into her glass of pumpkin juice. "Do you know who the Tsaritsa is?"
Lumine shakes her head.
"She's a very powerful witch," Amber says. "She doesn't agree with a lot of the policies that Celestia — that's the ruling body of the Wizarding world — is putting out. They say she knows a lot of dark magic."
"Why don't they stop her, then, if she's so dangerous?" Lumine asks.
"It's too complicated," Xiangling interrupts with a sigh. "She has a lot of supporters, especially really powerful ones. So they can't do anything about her or her lackeys. They're called Fatui. My father says that if you see someone with a brown, almost triangle-shaped badge, you should run the other way. If you get involved with them, it's nothing but trouble."
Lumine thinks that this is a lot to take in on her second day of Hogwarts.
"Are there any Fatui here at Hogwarts?"
Amber nods. "See him?" She points to the Slytherin table, in particular a boy with a red scarf who is eating by himself with a dour expression who she faintly remembers from the Sorting Ceremony. Lumine examines him.
"His family's Fatui," Amber whispers, eyeing the boy with a suspicious expression. "They say they learn Dark magic in the womb."
Lumine doesn't think he looks evil. Rather, she thinks he looks rather lonely.
Her favorite class will one day become Defense Against the Dark Arts, although it begins at a boring pace and at first she thinks it equals History of Magic in tediousness. She enjoys the practical aspect of Charms and Transfiguration, which Ravenclaw shares with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor respectively, and the sheer unpredictability of Potions, which is taken with the Slytherins.
The boy that Amber had pointed out is named Ajax. He sits next to a group of equally sullen-looking Slytherins and looks perfectly in place.
Potions is taught by Professor Albedo, a quiet, soft-spoken young man that looks much younger than he must be. He carries himself in a way that keeps the classroom hushed and slightly cowed, despite how boisterous young students can be.
Lumine partners with Ayaka for the first potion. They're both good at following instructions, and Professor Albedo compliments their potion but no one else's, which makes Lumine's heart glow with pride. Yanfei and Alrani are less successful, and while Yanfei is optimistic for next time, Alrani despairs at her own supposed incompetence.
Ella explodes her cauldron. This is less eventful than the time she will smuggle a Hilichurl into their dormitory sometime in the next week, where it will rampage through the common room before being subdued by older students and extracted by officials from the Department of Magical Creatures. That will be the beginning of seven years of Hilichurl-related incidents, and Lumine will somehow learn to get used to it.
The boys in their year are scattered figures that seem, at first, perfectly content to be on their own: Xingqiu, the young master of the Feiyun Guild, a shipping magnate; Elzer, who is clever but quiet; Sayid, who seems to be buried in books at any given moment; Xiao, who always looks uncomfortably twitchy when surrounded by people; and finally Cyno, who she catches a glimpse of once or twice at the Opening Ceremony but who never comes to class.
Xingqiu gets on swimmingly with Yanfei. Lumine and him become friends as well, and his wit makes even Ayaka laugh for the first time, and Lumine learns that yes, indeed, her friend's eyes also form half-moons when she laughs.
"This is Chongyun," Xingqiu introduces, dragging a reluctant-looking boy with a yellow tie to the Ravenclaw table one morning. "We're childhood friends."
"How did you even get in my dormitory?" Chongyun bemoans. "I wanted to sleep some more."
Xingqiu winks.
The duo are evidently part of a historic trio including Xiangling, who wanders over to the their table occasionally with Aether and Amber in tow, often bringing with her sweet confectioneries she makes herself (but refuses to disclose the ingredients of). Some days, Chongyun's aunt Shenhe, a Ravenclaw who is actually only a few years older than them and studying for her NEWTs, will drop by and help correct their homework. Tao ("—but call me Hu Tao, 'kay?—"), a fourth-year Gryffindor and another one of Xingqiu's childhood friends, teaches them pranking spells that will turn another student's hair blue or fill someone's sock with itching powder. Ayato, Ayaka's popular older brother, keeps his distance likely out of respect for his sister's wishes but sends them a friendly wave from time to time.
They form a lively group of first-years: Lumine and Ayaka and Yanfei and Xingqiu and Chongyun and Xiangling and Aether and Amber. Lumine knows that some of the upperclassmen think they're uppity for refusing to follow the House table seating, but she doesn't care enough for that to ever change. Aether's at her side again. She watches him sit next to her, and thinks this moment could last forever.
Professor Lisa, the Head of Ravenclaw and professor of Charms and who Lumine is certain she wants to be one day, places them in pairs to practice the Levitation Charm. Lumine is assigned with Xiao, who frowns but says nothing when he sees Lumine join him at the desk.
"Don't forget, dears, it's Wingardium Leviosa," Professor Lisa says, smiling at them and twirling her wand in the air to demonstrate the movement. She's beautiful, so much that Lumine's young heart hurts in envy. How nice it must be to be beautiful and talented and mature, to be the pearl of the world's oyster.
"Do you want to go first?" Lumine suggests to Xiao, who grunts in reply.
"Wingardium Leviosa," he says. The feather floats in the air on the first trie, does a bored twirl, and settles back down.
"How'd you do that?" Lumine says, shocked. The competitive part of her refuses to back down, and she musters in all her force and attempts: "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather twitches. It's all the warning she gets before it spontaneously combusts and nearly scorches off her eyebrows, if not for Xiao pushing her away in time. The entire class pauses their activity around them to stare at the damage. Lumine thinks, I almost burned off my face.
"Not so much force, darling," Professor Lisa tells her, unfazed. She waves her hand and the desk repairs itself, leaving behind only a faint scorch mark on the floor. "And be a little lighter on the gar."
After that incident Xiao starts joining them at meals, although he doesn't speak much and he still looks twitchy. He barely tolerates Xingqiu's pranks, avoids Hu Tao at all costs, and seems to appreciate the presence of only Yanfei, Ayaka and Shenhe, who are as quietly studious as he is.
Lumine finds that he's cordial enough, contrary to how prickly he looks on the outside. Ayaka suggests that maybe he's just shy, like she is. Lumine doesn't think Ayaka knows why shy means.
In Flying, Lumine finds that she's good on a wind glider; she learns later from rumors that Aether is too, although (and secretly but shamefully this makes her heart twirl) not as naturally inclined as she is. Xiao is clearly talented too, soaring through the skies with the same kind of infuriating ease he seems to do everything with. Madam Dandy, the flying coach, is so impressed she puts in a good word for both of them with Professor Lisa, who assures them that if they keep up the good work they'll surely see themselves on the Quidditch team next year.
"Do you think you'll join the team then?" Lumine asks Xiao.
"Maybe," Xiao says, staring at her with that same strange expression he'd had after the aftermath of the Charms incident. He doesn't like her, the same way he seems to genuinely enjoy Shenhe or Yanfei's company. If she had to describe it, it would probably be like someone observing an unstable bomb liable to explode at any moment. He's not sitting at her side because of her; he's doing it for the sake of everyone else.
Lumine doesn't know if she should feel offended or flattered that Xiao thinks she's so powerful that she needs someone to keep an eye on her. She'd learned from Professor Miko, the Transfiguration professor (unrelated: who also happens to be able to shapeshift into a fox), that young witches and wizards often have unstable cores, which is why it's common for them to have explosive magic that peters out with age. She tries to explain this to Xiao, who seems unable to comprehend her, and she leaves that conversation feeling oddly misunderstood.
So they're friends, or if not, he's a rather brazen stalker. Lumine likes the sound of friend better. She doesn't tell this to Xiao, partly because she doesn't think there's really a need to. She likes their careful balance of him following her around and answering her queries with hesitant one-word grunts. Ayaka, who is now Lumine's closest friend at Hogwarts, doesn't mind Xiao's presence either, so it becomes a regular routine for the three of them to walk to classes together or explore Hogwarts' numerous crooks or crannies.
Surprisingly, Xiao and Aether then become friends too. But this makes sense, because everyone likes Aether, who is kind beyond measure.
Lumine is not jealous, or so she tells herself. She watches Xiao and Aether work on homework together in the library, their heads bent together silently, and thinks, Why isn't it me in the place of both of them.
Then she shakes her head, discards the unnecessary thoughts, and goes back to work.
"What do you know about the Tsaritsa?" Lumine asks Ayaka and Xiao one day at lunch. Beside them, Yanfei, Chongyun and Xingqiu also pause their conversation.
"She's a Dark Witch," Ayaka says, with no small amount of distaste. This is a strong reaction from her friend, who is usually quiet and mild-tempered. "There was a time when the Fatui harassed our family to the point of making Father ill, all because he refused to bend to her will."
Xiao sets down his fork and knife. "They're a stain to the Wizarding World," he says. "You would do best to stay away from them."
The trio next to them echo similar sentiments.
"But if she's so terrible," Lumine asks, staring at her plate, "why else haven't they tried to stop her?"
She looks at Hogwarts, at this majestic building of pure concentrated magic, and doesn't understand why the same wizards who can command such an impenetrable fortress can't deal with a single witch.
Xingqiu sighs. "She's too powerful," he says. "Even Headmaster Morax can only negotiate with her and her followers. He can't risk fighting her, or else too many people will get hurt. At the same time, she won't fight us because she knows she can't defeat us."
Lumine doesn't think there's anyone more powerful than Headmaster Morax, who was said to have single-handedly sealed the Dark Dragon Azhdaha and fended off Osial the Mavolent with just a single spell. She voices this thought out loud.
"In terms of magical ability, it is true Headmaster Morax will triumph," Xiao, ever the avid Morax fan, says. "But there is more to power than just magic."
Lumine is walking alone to Potions — she is running late after staying behind in Transfiguration to chat with Professor Miko about Animagi, and she'd shooed Ayaka and Xiao away prior to that so they could save her a cauldron near the front of the classroom — when she turns the corner and nearly trips over someone.
"Sorry—" Lumine begins, grabbing her textbooks before they can fall to a clatter on the ground, then pauses. It's Ajax, who is rumored to descend from an entire family line of Dark Wizards for twenty-three generations. In the split second of shock after their impact, she catches a glimpse of his face. He's crying.
"Watch where you're going," Ajax growls at her, hiding his red eyes with his sleeve, but most of the bite is gone.
"Sorry," Lumine says again, out of habit. She rummages through her bag and finds a spare handkerchief, shoving it roughly in his hand, then runs down the hallway. She doesn't think to stay behind and comfort him — for one, it's none of her business, and also she's desperately running late for class — or think about why he's crying — it's likely because of some kind of inter-House bullying or something about not being evil enough; Slytherins cannibalize their own, everyone says.
"Next time you're late, it'll be five points from Ravenclaw," Professor Albedo warns her calmly when she runs into the classroom, catching her breath. She and Ayaka are his favorite students merely because of their sheer competence, he likely wouldn't take the points even if it did happen again, but Lumine isn't about to look a gift horse in the house. She slides into the open seat next to Ayaka and flips open the textbook to A Cure for Boils.
Twenty minutes later, when Ajax sulks into the classroom, his eyes gloomy but no longer red, Professor Albedo takes ten points from Slytherin. The Slytherins accuse him of favoritism, which he blasély ignores.