Chapter Text
Erin’s Grand Entrance
1st of September 1995
The carriage stops with a lurch; Erin feels her stomach jump uncomfortably. Next to her, Emily’s hands are bunched tightly. Even Erica frowns deeper than usual, the motion making her strict face seem even sterner. Erin knows they’re more nervous about the move than she is, even though she’s the one who’ll have to pass a bunch of standardized exams at the end of the year.
“I wish I could have taken the train with everyone else,” Emily pouts. It’s the fifth time she’s complained about their early arrival, and Erica looks like she’s seconds away from telling their little sister to shut up. “It’s not fair that I had to come with you.”
“Life’s not fair, Em,” Erica shrugs. “Besides, mom and dad didn’t want you to get lost or feel left out. Think about it as an advantage; you’ll get to see the castle early while the other first years won’t have any idea what to expect.”
“I’m pretty sure most of the English kids know what the school looks like,” Emily frowns. “Mom said most of them have had their spot reserved since they were born. They definitely didn’t have to pass tests before getting accepted.”
“She’s got a point, Erica,” Erin snorts. “The no-maj kids might have to adjust, but it’s not like Hogwarts is a mystery.”
“We didn’t all have the pleasure of being invited to an exclusive dance camp with your group of uptight purebloods,” Erica rolls her eyes, and Erin smirks at the envy in her voice. “Some of us are going to have to adjust the hard way.”
“Pretty sure only one of us will have to do the adjusting,” Erin smiles innocently at Erica, whose fingers burrow into her plain school robes. The murderous intent in her eyes is hard to miss, but Erin only grins wider.
Erica is such an easy target.
Before her little sister can retort, a knock interrupts their bubble, the carriage door swinging open before any of them can think to call out a response.
“It’s rude to open a door before someone gives you permission to,” Emily blurts out, slapping her hands over her mouth as soon as the words tumble past her lips. Her cheeks are a vivid red, matching the color of Erica’s lips as she bites back laughter. “I mean–”
“You have a point, Miss Hargreaves,” the witch on the other side of the door huffs out a laugh, and Emily deflates all at once. “You must be Emily. I’m Professor Cresswell, Slytherin’s Deputy Head. Deputy Headmistress McGonagall asked me to escort you to the castle and check in with you before we take you to the Headmaster’s office.”
Erica, ever the sensible one, steps out of the carriage first, dipping her head in deference and smiling when their professor nods approvingly. Emily shuffles next to her soon after, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
Of the three of them, she’s the only one who’s never been to a ‘normal’ school before, and it shows in the way she gapes up at Professor Cresswell as though she’s a rare specimen.
Sometimes, Erin wishes she didn’t have to be associated with either of her sisters.
“Emily wants to know why she couldn’t ride the train with everyone else,” she says as she hops out of the carriage. “Whined about it the whole way here, actually.”
“I don’t whine–”
“You don’t have to be such a bi–” Erica cuts herself off with a quick glance at their teacher. “She was only curious.”
“Not what you were saying when she was talking about it for the tenth–”
A pointed cough interrupts their bickering. Erin smiles, delighted, when Erica and Emily flush in unison, mumbling words of apology to their professor. Erica glares at her harder than before, but Erin shrugs and resists the urge to lean against the carriage nonchalantly. Even she knows that would be pushing it too far.
“You’re making a terrible first impression,” Erica hisses as they start walking towards the castle, Emily barely keeping up with Professor Cresswell. “Mom and dad will murder you if they find out you’ve ruined our reputation before the first day of classes has started. You know how important this is to them.”
“I’m just messing around, Eri,” she scoffs. “Besides, what’s the professor going to do? Take points from me, give me detention? It’s like you said; the first day hasn’t started yet. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior as soon as I’m officially Sorted.”
“That’s not saying much,” Erica grits out, stomping ahead to join Emily and their teacher, leaving Erin to trail behind them and take in the view.
The school is pretty, she’ll give it that.
It’s surrounded by a thick forest, a glittering lake, and sweeping landscapes that take over the horizon. It’s exactly the kind of place Erica has dreamed of visiting since they were children; exactly the kind of place their father wanted them to experience when they moved back to England. An opportunity to reconnect with our roots, he’d said.
Erin isn’t sure she’ll ever feel connected to a country that seems strangely stuck in the past, but at least their parents had the decency to send them to a castle instead of keeping them in their dull mansion down south.
“It’s a lovely area, isn’t it?”
Erin startles slightly at the sound of Professor Cresswell’s voice, but she quickly recovers and smiles politely.
“I don’t have much to compare it to,” she shrugs. “It’s the people I’m curious about. I got to meet a few of the girls in my year over the summer, and it was definitely an interesting experience. They’re nothing like the American witches I got to meet when mom took us to work with her.”
The professor hesitates for a second, her brows furrowed, but Erin notices the moment she decides to leave well enough alone.
It’s been a long time since her parents tried to make them attend a traditional school but, if there’s one thing Erin remembers, it’s the perks one gets for being the ‘new girl’.
“I’m sure the three of you will fit in wonderfully,” the teacher finally says. “The incoming group of first years is the biggest we’ve ever had, so Miss Emily will have plenty of peers to get to know. As for the two of you, I don’t doubt that you’ll find your people soon enough.”
“Gryffindor is supposed to be quite friendly,” Erin hums, noting the agreement on Cresswell’s face.
Clearly, the girls weren’t lying when they said she would fit in best with the lions.
“Gryffindors are fiercely loyal, devoted, and willing to discover new things,” the professor says approvingly. “I haven’t had the chance to teach your year group, since I only take care of the younger students, but the Gryffindor girls in your year haven’t caused any issues in quite a while.”
“They used to cause problems?” Erin’s eyebrows rise, and she sees Erica roll her eyes next to her. “You’re not going to find any answers in the sky, Eri.”
“And you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t look into things before jumping into them headfirst,” Erica mutters. “Didn’t you have to take a vow because of Harrie Potter? You realise there are newspaper articles about the things she’s been getting up to in the past few years, right? Obviously they’ve caused issues before. Seems like the Gryffindor thing to do.”
“While that statement is not entirely without merit,” Professor Cresswell interjects, cutting Erin off with a stern look, “I encourage you not to engage with the gossip everyone else likes to indulge in. Gryffindors are certainly more prone to trouble than their counterparts, but Miss Potter is an exemplary student. News about her have always been greatly exaggerated.”
“See, Eri?” Erin huffs. “I promise there was nothing special about her when I met her. She’s a little self-centered, but I’m sure there are arrogant people in every house. I mean, look at you.”
“Bit rich of you to call me arrogant,” Erica hisses, making sure to keep her voice low enough that Professor Cresswell can’t catch it.
A teacher’s pet to the bitter end. It would be comical if it wasn’t so pathetic.
“You’re just jealous you won’t be making it into Gryffindor,” Erin smirks, noting her sister’s flushed cheeks. “You can claim you don’t want to be there as much as you want, but it’s advertised as the best house for a reason. Even dad agrees.”
“Dad isn’t always right,” Erica chokes out, a lie if Erin’s ever heard one. Erica idolizes their father even more than the rest of the adults in their lives, and she would sooner die than admit that she doesn’t always approve of his extreme opinions. “Mom thinks I’ll make an amazing Ravenclaw. Or perhaps a Slytherin, so I can show you house stereotypes aren’t always meant to be believed.”
“Are you guys arguing again?”
Emily’s lips are downturned, her eyes narrowed, as she considers them both.
“Professor Cresswell says you’ll have to behave once we enter the castle,” she adds. “There are ghosts and teachers getting ready for the school year, so you can’t be making a fuss. Especially once we get to the Headmaster’s office. That’s where they keep the Hat that sorts us, you know? And if it hears that I’m not behaving, maybe it won’t let me get Sorted into Gryffindor.”
“Em, that’s not how–” Erica cuts herself off with a tired sigh. “Nevermind. We’ll behave, I promise. And you don’t have to worry about your Sorting; you know mom and dad will be proud of you no matter where you end up.”
“But I’m not smart enough for the other houses,” Emily says quietly.
Erica shoots Erin a venomous look, but Erin has already turned back towards their professor, taking in the large doors leading into the entrance hall. They serve as the perfect reason to ignore her little sisters as Erica tries to reassure Emily that her intellect has never been put into question.
“Well, I still think Gryffindor sounds like the best house,” Emily shrugs once Erica is done with her empty praises. “I’d get to wear red and gold every day instead of having to force myself in those ugly pink dresses mom likes.”
“Speaking of red and gold,” Erin grins, slowing her pace until Professor Cresswell’s footsteps are little more than an echo ahead of them. “I might’ve gotten a little something from mom’s room this morning before we left. If you want to match, Em, you know I love playing with your hair.”
“Really?” Emily brightens up, but Erica shuts her down instantly, grabbing Erin’s shoulder in a painful hold.
“I’m pretty sure mom explicitly told you not to dye your hair again while we’re at school,” she snaps. “We’ve got a reputation to uphold, Erin. It’s like Emily said; we can’t be seen misbehaving when we’re supposed to be helping our parents find their place in society again.”
“Mom also told us to have fun,” Erin says nonchalantly, speeding up and forcing her sisters to keep up with her. Erica looks thunderous, and even Emily seems hesitant now that Erica’s reminded her of their parents’ demands. “Dyeing my hair isn’t going to ruin anyone’s reputation. All it’ll do is make me happy. How dare I do such a thing?”
“Girls!” Professor Cresswell proves to be Erin’s saving grace, and she makes a note not to be too much of a nuisance when the teacher is around. It’ll be good for her to have a few allies, especially if the other students in her year are as haughty as Erica and as goody-two-shoes as Padma and her friends. “We’ll be at the Headmaster’s office in just a minute, so I’ll ask that you stick close to me. We have the matter of your Sorting to discuss.”
In the end, of course, there isn’t much to discuss at all. Emily will get Sorted with the rest of her year, Erin quickly agrees to having a public Sorting as well, and Erica unsurprisingly opts for a more private option.
They leave the room as a trio, this time following Professor McGonagall, but the blue of Erica’s robes has already separated her from Erin and Emily.
Once Erin dyes her hair and makes a true impression on her yearmates, there won’t be anything linking her to Erica except their last name. They’ll have different robes, different house colors, different friends, different homes. No more sharing space with someone who has never understood Erin’s ambitions.
The Sorting Ceremony hasn’t even started, yet Hogwarts is already turning out to be leagues better than their torturous years of homeschooling.
Erin & Emily Make Friends
4th of September 1995
The Great Hall is already emptying out when Erin walks in, her hands freezing from the cold shower she forced herself through and her eyes bleary from lack of sleep. Gryffindor table is the busiest of all four, but she can tell even her housemates are racing against the clock, scarfing down food as quickly as possible.
Emily’s familiar laugh drags her attention to the end of the table her sister is sitting at, her smile wide. She’s surrounded by a group of girls, and Erin feels her mind get caught between envy and pride. The part of the table hosting the fifth years is bare in comparison; only two of the boys remain, and Erin doesn’t care to approach them only to admit she’s forgotten their names already.
She approaches her sister instead, reveling in the whispers that follow her all the way down the hall. She makes sure to toss her hair over her shoulder with an extra flourish when she reaches Emily, who beams up at her as though she was waiting for Erin all along.
“Guys!” She squeals delightedly, dragging Erin onto the bench next to her. “This is my sister, Erin. She’s a fifth year. And these are my new friends: Tracie, Cassidy, Fiona and Edith. We’ve all agreed to stick together until we know the castle a bit better.”
“Don’t you have buddies for that or something?” Erin asks, frowning a little as she rakes her gaze across the room. “They can’t expect you to wander around trying to find your classes all day without any guidance.”
“The second-years are meant to help us,” a brunette explains, her voice small but surprisingly confident. She’s more well-spoken than Erin even intends to be. “They’ll be around closer to the beginning of our first lesson. We don’t start for another hour and a bit, so there’s no rush.”
Erin wishes, desperately, that she was being treated with the same consideration. The only reason she even made it to the Great Hall before her first lesson is because Harini took pity on her that morning, nudging her on her way out of the room and reminding her lateness would not be tolerated. Hermione gave her another shake when she left soon after, urging Erin to get a move on.
She doesn’t understand why anyone cares if she makes it to her first class on time; clearly, they don’t care enough to show her the way.
“Your roommates were waiting for a bit,” another one of the girls pipes in. It takes everything in Erin not to glare at the freckle-covered girl. “Prefect Potter and two of the other girls stayed behind, but they left a little before you came in. I hear your first class is with Professor McGonagall, and she doesn’t seem like the kind of professor you want to get in trouble with so early in the year.”
“They even asked me if I’d seen you,” Emily adds, chewing at her bottom lip. “I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to make it seem like you weren’t out of bed yet, but–”
“You don’t need to lie for me, Em,” Erin snorts, her annoyance with her yearmates fading as she stares at her sister’s anxious face. “I’m new, remember? Rules aren’t going to apply to me the same way as everyone else. Not for a while, at least, and you bet I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
“Right,” Emily nods slowly. Erin watches as the last of her hesitation disappears in favour of the mischievous smile Erin prefers. “Are you sure you can’t dye my hair too? Everyone is still talking about your streaks, whereas they barely even know I exist!”
“I wish,” Erin ruffles her sister’s blond waves fondly. “Erica would snitch on us, though, and then who knows what mom and dad would do. I don’t want them storming into the school so early in the year, and you know they’re embarrassing enough to come all the way here on a whim.”
“But mom likes your hair,” Emily pouts. “And I’ll ask Erica to keep it a secret! If she tells mom and dad, then we’ll all be in trouble, and you know how much she hates when dad is mad at her.”
“We’ll ask them over the Christmas break,” Erin says, her lips ticking up into an amused smile when her sister groans loudly. “Besides, you seem to be doing just fine even without red and gold hair. I’m glad you’re making friends so quickly, Em. And I hope you lot are gonna take care of my little sister.”
“Edith promised she’d show us all the secret parts of the castle she’s heard about,” the freckled girl lights up as she talks. “I still can’t believe it’s real.”
“I can’t believe magic is real,” the girl on Emily’s other side adds quietly, tugging at her blonde curls when she notices Erin looking at her. “I mean, obviously it’s real, and I know it’s been a while since Professor Cresswell came to give me my letter, but it’s so–”
She cuts herself off, blushing, but the freckled girl and the silent girl next to her nod in agreement. Only the well-spoken witch and Emily seem unfazed by the situation, and it doesn’t take a genius to realise what’s going on. While Erin has struggled to find her place within her dorm, Emily has done the most logical thing she could have: she found those that didn’t fit in yet.
“I’m not going to judge you for having no-maj parents,” Erin shrugs. “I think it’s cool that you’re already banding together and making sure you don’t struggle through the beginning of the year. And if you need any help when it comes to magic, Emily will have your back. She absorbs all the knowledge from her books like a sponge.”
“Erin,” Emily blushes. “Shouldn’t you be on your way to class?”
She’s tempted for a second to stay behind and embarrass her little sister further, but she knows she can only push her luck so far with Professor McGonagall. Class starts in less than five minutes, and Erin knows there isn’t a chance in the world that she’ll make it there on time.
“You said Edith would show you the way?” Erin asks, glancing at the gathered girls and trying to pinpoint which one Emily was referring to. Her eyes eventually settle on the brunette girl dipped in elegance, and she grins when the girl nods at her. “Any chance you know where the Transfiguration classrooms are?”
“Across the entrance hall, through the quad, over the suspension bridge, down the hallway,” Edith answers. Her eyebrows are raised, unimpressed, and Erin momentarily bristles at the judgment coming from something as small as her. Who is she to have opinions about what Erin does with her time? Before she can say anything, Edith continues– “You’ll be at least ten minutes late, but you can reduce that time if you jog. Maybe a brisk run, even.”
“Funny,” Erin drawls sarcastically, rolling her eyes when Emily and the other first-years laugh at Edith’s attitude. “I’ll see you later, Em. Don’t forget to give everyone hell. You don’t have to stick to the rules if they don’t make any sense.”
“But Erica said–”
Erin darts off before she can hear what Erica told their youngest sister. She knows damn well that Erica doesn’t agree with anything Erin does, and she doesn’t expect Hogwarts to be any different. Emily can choose to listen to whoever’s advice she prefers, but Erin would rather not have to deal with Erica’s holier-than-thou attitude.
Instead, she picks up her pace and follows Edith’s instructions, thankful that she at least recognizes the major areas that the girl mentioned from her walks over the weekend. Hermione was the one to show her the quad, and Fay made a big deal out of the suspension bridge – Erin realises now that she was pointing it out for their classes.
She’s the only one left in the corridors now, and her footsteps echo around her as she finally reaches the Transfiguration corridor, passing the room reserved for the younger students before stopping in front of Professor McGonagall’s chosen space.
She feels anxiety writhe in her stomach for a moment before she forcibly pushes it down and smoothes her hair over. She breathes in, gives her uniform a cursory check, and finally knocks at the door.
It opens instantly, but she doesn’t flinch in the face of Professor McGonagall’s stormy eyes.
Erin bites down at her bottom lip, feigning guilt, and watches victoriously as Professor McGonagall softens.
“Miss Hargreaves,” she sighs. “I suppose I can’t fault you for getting confused on your first day. Your housemates tell me they didn’t find you after breakfast; I urge you to stay close to them in the future until you feel more comfortable around the school.”
“Of course, professor,” Erin says, demure. “I’m sorry.”
“No need for apologies,” the professor says indulgently. “However, see that it doesn’t happen again. Your seatmates are waiting for you at the back of the room. You’ll be working in a trio during your shared classes with Hufflepuff, including mine.”
She lets Erin into the room and points to the trio of desks tucked into the left corner of the room. Two girls are already seated there, and Erin feels a spark of excitement flare within her when they smile and wave her over. Already, their energy calls to her more than Harini’s serious nature, Hermione’s anxious fluttering, or even Fay’s dull conversations. She heads their way with a grin and falls onto the chair between them with a sigh.
“Erin Hargreaves,” she greets them, making sure to meet their gazes steadily. “Though I’m sure you knew that already.”
“Hard to miss you,” the girl to her left laughs. “I’m Alice, and that’s Sally. We’ve been missing a Gryffindor in our group, so it’ll be nice to have someone new to complete our quintet.”
“And you got the best one, too,” Erin winks. Alice’s laughter is quiet but a soothing balm to Erin’s ego after days of dealing with her roommates. On her other side, Sally is biting back a smile. “Are we supposed to be doing something right now?”
“It’s OWL year,” Sally explains with a grumble. “So, instead of granting us two hours of extra sleep by droning on about a new theory, she wants us to prove that we can utilize the spells we’ve learned over the past few years. Apparently, it’s what we’ll need to do during our practical exam.”
“Which would be a valid point if our exams weren’t nine months away,” Alice rolls her eyes. “Still, it’s not the worst we’ve had to deal with in this class. Are you any good at Transfiguration? It’s our best subject combined, so we tend to skip the fine print, but we’ll be happy to give you a hand if you need it.”
“I’m not bad,” Erin says nonchalantly, but Alice recognises it for what it is.
“Oh, you’re on,” she chuckles. “Sally, if you don’t mind?”
“Another competition?” Sally huffs. Despite her put-upon attitude, amusement glitters in her eyes, and Erin feels herself relax even further. “You’ll have to get used to these, Erin. Blaise and Alice love getting into competitions, even if Blaise usually puts her into the ground with ease. It’ll be nice to have some new blood around, maybe give him a run for his money.”
“I don’t run for anything,” Erin smirks. “But he can feel free to sprint behind me, for all I care.”
The cackle Alice lets out gets them a sharp look from McGonagall, but Erin is glad to note the professor seems mostly content to let them be. The same applies for the rest of the room, which is filled with students already deep in conversation, mid-spell, or furiously taking notes about their partner’s form. Most of the pairs work in perfect harmony, but Erin gleefully notices that Sophie’s partner is sniping at her while she frowns, her delicate features taken over by annoyance.
“Not a fan of your housemates?” Alice asks innocently, tilting her head towards Sophie and her partner.
“They’re not my style,” Erin answers neutrally, though she knows Alice picks up on the lie she’s gritting out. “It’s good to know I don’t have to spend my classes with them on top of the time we have to share in the dormitory.”
“I’m sure you’ll get used to them eventually,” Sally encourages her. “Hani, Lavender and Parvati are always lovely when Leo and Hannah bring them around.”
“Right,” Erin scoffs, thinking about the group she glimpsed over the weekend. She’s about to comment on it when she spots a furrow in Sally’s brow. As much as she wants to vent about Harini’s girl-group and their clear distaste for Erin, she refuses to cut her ties with her new seatmates so early on.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Alice murmurs under her breath, and Erin nods understandingly. “Now, how about you show us what magic you’ve been learning while we’ve been locked up in our castle in the countryside?”
“Gladly,” Erin smiles, her eyes sharp as she takes out her wand and twirls it between her fingers. “What’s the goal?”
“We have the list of transfigurations here,” Sally pushes a piece of parchment towards them and Erin quickly scans through the spells, relaxing as she realises they’re no harder than the ones she had to perform during her entrance exam. “I’ll be rating on speed, precision, and creativity.”
“Easy enough,” Alice says lazily. Erin sizes her up and straightens in her seat as Sally counts them down.
The rest of the two hours is a blur. Erin may not win the competition, but she’s laughing as she leaves the room, both Sally and Alice in tow.
She makes sure to give Lavender a small shove as they pass each other in the corridor, and she smirks when her roommate bristles, muttering something to Parvati and Harini once she’s too far for Erin to hear.
Thankfully, they aren’t the only ones who know how to create connections. Alice is already rolling her eyes next to Erin, and she feels bolstered by the small movement.
Friendship, she thinks, isn’t so hard after all.
Erin Visits the Eagles
14th of September 1995
Ravenclaw Tower, much to Erin’s surprise, quickly became her favourite place in all of Hogwarts.
A few days after the official beginning of the school year, Alice introduced Erin to Mandy Brocklehurst, a Ravenclaw in their year, and the two of them hit it off instantly. When Erin pointed out how much she hated spending time in the main common room – which is always full of younger students and loud groups with no sense of decency – Mandy didn’t waste any time suggesting Ravenclaw Tower as a replacement.
As it turns out, there are no real rules about students spending time in common rooms other than their own. It’s discouraged, and Erin’s received her fair share of glares already, but there’s nothing they can do about her presence at the end of the day. It helps that Professor Flitwick still refuses to punish her for her ‘transgressions’.
She knows her good luck won’t last forever, but she intends on taking full advantage of it while she can.
So, until someone physically kicks her out of the tower or threatens detention, Erin is perfectly happy to linger with Mandy after classes. Ravenclaw Tower is prettier and airier than its Gryffindor equivalent, and its students are less likely to disrupt Erin with ridiculous questions or noisy arguments.
The only downside of the tower is sitting a few armchairs away from her, narrowing her eyes at Erin as though a mere look will be enough to coax her out of her comfortable seat next to Mandy and Anthony.
“Your sister is such a strange one,” Anthony drawls when he notices Erica glaring at them. “She fits right in with Loony Lovegood and her band of bizarre friends. I suppose you’re happy that she’s finding her people, right? There’s nothing worse than having someone glued to your side when you’re trying to live your life.”
“What would you know about that, Ant?” Mandy rolls her eyes. It’s clear to Erin that the two of them only spend time together because they dislike the rest of their housemates. There isn’t any love lost between them. “You’re not the one who has a little sister who constantly needs help with… whatever it is Jasmine wants from me.”
“Harmony–”
“Is an angel,” Mandy scoffs. “A bit of a suck-up, sure, but she would never bother you in a million years. We all know she prefers her other cousin anyway, which I think says more about you than it does her.”
“Bitch,” Anthony mutters underneath his breath.
Erin takes the opportunity to clear her throat loudly and smile at the both of them. Perhaps she’ll need to have a talk with Mandy about appropriate people to hang out with in the common room. She gets enough arguing from Erica already; she doesn’t need it from her friends as well.
“Anyway, I am glad Erica has found her absurd band of people,” Erin chuckles. “If Loony wants her, she can have her. I have no interest in keeping up with Erica while we’re at school.”
“Isn’t that why you’re here?” Anthony furrows his brows, and Erin resists the urge to pat his head condescendingly.
Anthony isn’t stupid, not even slightly, but like many boys their age, he lacks the shrewd awareness that the girls in their year have long since acquired. Answering questions in class is one thing, but understanding emotions is an entirely different struggle.
“I can’t believe you ranked higher than me,” Mandy says, disgusted. “If you can’t recognise a cover when you see one, Ant, what on earth are you doing in our house? Erin doesn’t care about Erica in the slightest, but it gets the Prefects off her back if she says she misses her sister. It’s a genius tactic. Not something I’d usually expect from a Gryffindor.”
Erin bites back the sudden urge to defend her House. Truthfully, she thinks the girls in her dorm are some of the smartest she’s ever met, but she’d rather spell her own mouth shut than admit it. Besides, Mandy – and Alice – dislike Harini’s group of friends even more than Erin does, so she very quickly learned not to talk about them unless the circumstances are dire.
“I have my moments,” she says instead, winking at Mandy and grinning when her friend laughs. “Although, it is nice to see that Erica isn’t anywhere near as socially adept as she might like to believe. She always told me she would have done better in a normal school than I would have, but I think our ideas of ‘better’ differ greatly.”
“She does seem to be rather well-liked by the rest of her year,” Anthony says slowly. Mandy punches his arm while Erin shoots him a venomous look. “I was stating a fact, ladies. No need to get so defensive.”
“Are you implying I’m not well-liked?” Erin raises an eyebrow, and immediately regrets it when Anthony bursts out laughing.
Even Mandy’s lips tug up into a small smirk.
“I’m sorry, Eri,” Mandy apologizes, pressing her lips together until her smile disappears. “But you have to admit you aren’t exactly popular with the majority of our year group? It’s not a criticism, since I think most of our class is made up of teacher’s pets and arrogant individuals who believe they’re the center of the universe, but it is a fact. The only way to get positive attention around here is to fake modesty.”
“Or be a Slytherin,” Anthony points out. Erin hums her agreement.
If there’s one thing that’s been made clear to her since she started Hogwarts, it’s that House affiliation matters a whole lot more than the professors want it to. While they preach school unity and interhouse collaboration, the divide between students is as obvious as the rift in Erin and Erica’s relationship.
Being a Gryffindor grants Erin a certain kind of immediate immunity. She garners more respect from younger students from every house, and she gets a pass from most of the professors – though she has yet to determine whether the professors are influenced by her house or only her status as a new student.
Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs lay firmly at the bottom of the popularity ladder. Though Erin likes Mandy just fine, there is something entirely unremarkable about the Eagles and Badgers. They have their own lives, their own interests, and seem completely unaffected by the gossip that constantly circles around them.
Slytherins may be the most disliked students, but Erin envies their ability to capture people’s attention simply by walking into a room. Every time Draco Malfoy waltzes in with his sycophants, he garners interested looks. People want to see him, know him, understand him, even if it’s only to make fun of him at the end of the day.
The same goes for the rest of his housemates, no matter how average they appear to be at first glance.
Though, she wouldn’t call most of the boys in Slytherin average.
“Blaise deserves every bit of his popularity,” she says with a smile. It’s only been five days since the beginning of the year, and she’s already on a first name basis with her Slytherin seatmate.
Some of the Gryffindor girls still don’t call their partners by their first names, and they’ve been paired with each other for over a year.
“You know he’s taken, right?” Anthony frowns. Erin wishes he would stop talking for a second. He’s so much nicer to look at when he isn’t blurting things out without thought. “I doubt the Gryffindor Patil would be happy to learn you’re trying to flirt with her boyfriend behind her back.”
“What Parvati doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Erin huffs. “Besides, she and Blaise aren’t suited to each other in the slightest. They always seem more interested in talking to each other than doing anything couples are meant to do.”
“Isn’t that–” Anthony cuts himself off when Mandy and Erin pin him down with matching exasperated stares. “Fuck this. You two can keep bitching all you want, I’m going to find people who actually know how to hold up an interesting conversation.”
Erin lets out a breath of relief when he swans off towards the common room’s exit.
“Probably off to find the mini Death Eaters,” Mandy purses her lips. “Maybe we should be a little easier on him in the future. I know Ant is… Well, he’s Ant, but I hate the idea of him hanging out with the Death Eater kids all the time. They’re a pretty insidious group when you get dragged in.”
“I haven’t really noticed,” Erin shrugs. “Are they really that big of a thing?”
“Not in Gryffindor, obviously,” Mandy rolls her eyes. “House of the pure and worthy, or whatever it is they call themselves now. But the other houses have their fair share of Death Eater kids. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, the Notts, Perks, Ant, Parkinson, Bulstrode… And that’s only in our year. They become less Slytherin-centric as the years pass and the war gets further away. You have a Death Eater kid in Gryffindor this year, actually. I’ve heard she’s a strange one. They all tend to be.”
“Like Anthony?” Erin asks to lighten the mood. As curious as she is about the other students in their year, she isn’t one to discuss politics. It was always more Erica’s thing, following in their father’s footsteps.
“Ant is pretty strange,” Mandy laughs. “Have I told you about the party that Stephen threw last year?”
Erin shakes her head and settles deeper into her armchair while Mandy tells her about the numerous parties that Stephen and Michael have thrown over the past few years. She’ll have to ask her friend if she can join one of them sometime; homeschooling doesn’t leave much room for partying, especially when you have to share a house with little sisters who are far too young for the unruliness it would entail.
Anthony during parties sounds like an entirely different person than the boy Erin has gotten to know. Mandy tells her he’s always the one to sneak in alcohol, to encourage people to dance, and to let couples have their privacy when they want to quietly evade the rest of the group. It’s hard to imagine their arrogant, loud-mouthed yearmate handling anything with that kind of discretion, but Mandy seems almost wistful when she talks about him.
She supposes everyone has their place to shine. It just so happens that Erin shines all the time, while Anthony only brings it out on occasion.
Mandy is halfway through a story about her housemate Isobel and an unfortunate party at the end of the previous year when a shadow darkens Erin’s sight.
“It’s dinner-time,” Erica says cooly as she looks down at Erin. “You should head out before the professors come in here and realise you’re squatting again. Professor Flitwick may have let you off easy the first time, but it’ll be hard to keep your cover when they finally ask me about the situation.”
“You’ll cover for me,” Erin scoffs. Her sister narrows her eyes at her, and Erin watches her impassively, smiling when Erica’s mask cracks. “I knew I could count on you to have my back. You can tell your professors that we’re having a wonderful time together and that we’d enjoy being able to continue our chats until later in the year.”
“You wish,” Erica hisses. “I won’t tell on you yet, but you’d better get ready for the day they decide they’re tired of your bullshit. You don’t get to come in here and make the atmosphere intolerable with your dirty looks and your ‘whispers’ about my friends. Luna heard you guys talking.”
“Is she the weird–”
“I don’t understand what your goal is here, Erin, but I’m not going to let you get away with it forever,” Erica says, her voice frigid.
Hogwarts hasn’t done her any good. She used to know better than to talk back to Erin and act as though she didn’t deserve everything that was coming her way. Everyone may think Erica is the good sister, but Erin is tired of having to play nice for a girl who she can barely stand.
Looking at Erica now, she can barely reconcile the fact that the two of them are sisters.
“You’re paranoid,” she finally says, laughing lightly. Erica bristles, and Erin’s smile widens. “I’m here to spend time with my good friend Mandy. The same way you’re here to spend time with your friends, right?”
“I’m here because this is where I live,” Erica whispers, gesturing around herself as though she owns the place. “You have a whole tower to lounge around in, yet you decide to bother me in the one place I should be free of you.”
“I should have had years free of you while we were at school,” Erin retorts viciously.
Erica flinches. It’s too easy, getting underneath her skin.
“Life would have been a whole lot easier if we could have gone to school in the States, don’t you think?” She continues, driving the knife deeper into Erica’s heart. “Instead, we’re stuck at a school with people who don’t know us and have lived their entire lives together. Do you really think those girls see you as a best friend already? Because I can guarantee you they talk about you behind your back when you’re not around.”
“We’re not all–” Mandy starts, but Erin shoots her a pointed look. She’s trying to get a message across to Erica; if it means twisting the truth a little, then so be it.
To her surprise, Erica straightens a little now, her features hardening until only her eyes reveal a hint of emotion. The pity is almost too much to take, and Erin grits her teeth against the familiar feeling roiling in her stomach.
“It must be hard, knowing you’re so insufferable even your dormmates can’t stand you,” Erica says softly. “Maybe you should stick around here, if life is that hard in Gryffindor Tower. I’d suggest you get resorted, but we both know how you feel about Ravenclaws. Gryffindor is ‘the best house’, after all. Isn’t that right?”
“Watch your tone, Eri,” Erin snaps.
Her sister shrugs casually. “I’m going to be late to dinner. Have fun with your friend, Erin. Seems the atmosphere in your year is truly brilliant.”
Erin clenches her jaw as her sister exits the common room, her little group of friends in tow. She turns to look at Mandy and rant about Erica, but her friend’s eyes are narrowed, her arms crossed over her chest.
“You know I’m always going to have your back when it comes to your sister being a bitch,” Mandy says, her voice deceptively calm. “But be careful how you talk about our yearmates. You said it yourself; we’ve been together for years. I may despise some of them, but it doesn’t mean you get to talk shit about them to the younger students.
“Mandy…”
“Your sister’s right; dinner is about to start, and we don’t want to be late.”
She stomps off and leaves Erin to trail after her, something broken between them.
Then again, breaking things has always been Erica’s specialty.
Erica and the Discovery of Selflessness
30th of September 1995
“Do you wish it was you leaving?”
Luna doesn’t even blink at Erica’s question. She probably knows it wasn’t aimed at her; she’s got a scarily accurate read on Erica’s intentions – on everyone’s intentions, as far as Erica can tell.
Harmony is the one who looks up, her brows furrowed and bottom lip caught between her teeth. It’s the same tight expression she wears whenever she needs a second to process whatever her friends are asking of her.
“Leaving?” She asks, her eyebrows still knit together. Next to her, Luna hums quietly, her eyes closed. Harmony takes it in stride, letting Luna capture one of her hands while she continues to think about Erica’s question. “Leaving for the programme?”
“Yeah,” Erica shrugs. “I heard you talking about it with Ebony and Maia the other day. I thought maybe it was something the three of you had been dreaming of for a while. You know, one for each year of the Programme? It would have been improbable, but I still understand why you might have hoped for it.”
Harmony’s expression lightens, her lips tilting up into a small smile as she catches onto Erica’s drift.
She’s glad she hasn’t struck a nerve.
“We were hoping Ebony would get it,” Harmony explains, and Erica can instantly picture it.
Ebony is one of the most extroverted people in their year group, and she would make a brilliant exchange student. She would probably be even more at ease in the States than Erica, if that chance was given to her. If anyone deserves a spot on the Programme, it’s Ebony with her easy smiles and her eagerness to help everyone around her, no matter how frustrating their demands may be.
Still, Erica looks at Harmony and wonders.
If there’s one thing she’s come to understand in the past month, it’s that nothing at Hogwarts is ever easy, especially if your name happens to belong to a Death Eater.
Harmony is the living embodiment of everything her parents told her to fear in England. At the time, it was so simple to tell them she would avoid all the Death Eater children and stick to a discrete group of girls who wouldn’t get into any kind of trouble. After all, why would she want to befriend students whose parents committed all sorts of atrocities during a war that still makes her dad’s face contort in pain?
Then, she met Harmony.
According to some of the other girls in their dorm, Harmony’s father is one of the worst Death Eaters of all. He kills without mercy, he poisons people’s minds, he leads the Dark Lord even further down his path of darkness.
And Harmony…
Harmony is gentle in a way Erica could never dream of being. She is quiet but strong, ready to speak her mind only when it matters most. She makes people around her want to be her friend, even when she doesn’t realise it. She has loyalties in and out of their house, friends who would gladly take her to safety if her father ever decided to try hurting her.
More than he already is, of course.
Harmony is the picture of resistance in the face of darkness, and she should want to leave this place as soon as possible.
If Erica was in her place, she would push Erin and Emily to the side just to get out of the country for a few months.
“You’d really be happy if Ebony was the one leaving instead of you?” Erica is the one frowning now. She can’t imagine it; Ebony is happy and healthy, cared for by every member of her family. Being in Hogwarts doesn’t cause her any harm, not the way it does Harmony. “Even though you hate… some of the things you have to do here?”
Harmony’s lips part slightly, and even Luna stops humming. Their eyes pin Erica down, and she feels like she’s being dissected from the outside in.
In the end, Harmony is the one who speaks first. Luna is still considering her, her gaze flickering around her as though searching for something Erica can’t see. If she finds it, Erica hopes she’ll tell her all about it.
“The Programme isn’t just an escape,” Harmony says softly. There’s no accusation in her voice, even though Erica knows her thoughts were less than charitable when she suggested Harmony would be jealous of Ebony for leaving. “We’d all get something different out of it, you know? You were there when we saw Astoria and Victoria off, weren’t you?”
Erica nods. She remembers how Harmony lingered on the sidelines while the others said their goodbyes, only swooping in at the last second. She’d taken Astoria and Victoria’s hands in hers and had whispered something too quietly for Erica to hear. Both of the other girls had grinned at her and engulfed her in a hug warmer than anything Erica had ever experienced.
“Astoria has her own struggles,” Harmony continues. “When she was chosen, she was terrified her parents wouldn’t understand why she needed the Programme just as much – if not more – as her sister did. This year will do more good for her than it would for me, because she needs a place to grow outside of here. She needs new friends, people who will show her how wonderful she is. She doesn’t need to escape, because she’ll always have us here, but she still needs the Programme.”
“Right,” Erica nods slowly. She can picture it; shy Astoria, with her bashful smiles and her quiet voice, finally finding a spot with a group of people who will cherish her even when she has to stutter through her sentences. “But Victoria and Ebony, they don’t have that problem. They’ve already managed to flourish here.”
“Did you know that Victoria’s cousins were attacked last summer?”
Harmony’s question steals the winds out of Erica’s sails.
“But Victoria is…”
She’s always smiling. She tells stories to cheer the younger students up, and she laughs along with them every time they stumble so they know she’ll be there to catch them. She’s like sunshine.
“Her aura is all wrong this year,” Luna pipes in. She isn’t frowning, exactly, but her lips are pinched. “Too many Nargles.”
“One of her cousins is graduating this year,” Harmony adds. “Victoria spent all of her Saturdays in September with him, because he lost his father in the attack. She blames herself for his loss, because her family lives two streets down and wasn’t attacked at all. Imagine what her year would have been like if she’d stayed here. She would have spent all of her free time with Jeremy, desperately trying to make up for something she didn’t do.”
“I–”
“My father was one of the Death Eaters responsible for that attack,” Harmony continues, ignoring Erica’s interruption. There’s a familiar sadness in her eyes, the same one that appears every time she thinks about her parents. “And Victoria thinks she is to blame. Leaving the school is the best thing that could have possibly happened to her.”
“I just don’t get it,” Erica whispers. “How can you even think about all of that when your father is– When there are so many things here that make it impossible for you to live the way you want to. You can’t even talk to Ginny without having an older Slytherin looming over your shoulder, reminding you of your ‘responsibilities’.”
“Is this an American thing?” Harmony giggles a little bit, and Erica feels like she’s missing an entire chapter out of a book.
“I think it’s an Erin thing,” Luna says airily, smiling when Harmony snorts even louder.
Erica glances between the two of them, resisting the urge to turn towards her sister, who is surely chatting with her own friends on the other side of the common room. Still taking advantage of Erica’s space even though she has hundreds of other places she could have picked as her own.
“Sometimes, Erica, people care,” Harmony explains. “I care about everyone in our year, because we’ve always taken care of each other. Those who don’t can be damned, but everyone else… Well, of course I want the best for them. I’m happy that Nathan is getting a chance to explore the world beyond academics, and I’d be delighted if Ebony got a chance to visit other countries. It’s one of her dreams, you know? Her family can’t afford to take her abroad, so this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for her.”
“And you–”
“I’ll be okay here,” Harmony shrugs. “Theo and Anthony have my back, no matter how much they may grumble about watching out for me. I have you guys, and all my other friends. And if I have to spend some time with Hestia and Flora on the weekends, it really isn’t the end of the world. They’re funnier than most of the other Death Eater kids, and they don’t spout bigoted nonsense for laughs.”
“You have Erin, too,” Luna points out. “The nice one.”
“Thanks for specifying,” Erica laughs.
She’s starting to understand what Harmony is saying, even though she still doesn’t think she would have the same outlook if she was in her shoes.
“If it had to be me or Erin, I’d pick me every time,” she blurts out, blushing. “Is that so wrong of me?”
“I mean, she makes it her goal in life to get in your way,” Harmony shrugs. “It’d be weirder if you didn’t feel a little bit of resentment towards her. And, like I told you, my empathy only goes as far as other people’s kindness. Some of the girls in our year don’t deserve to even consider the Programme.”
“Would you be angry if Harmony was chosen for the Programme instead of you?” Luna asks, looking straight at Erica. She has the most mesmerizing eyes; sometimes, Erica thinks she spends her time daydreaming because she’s tired of everyone spilling all of their secrets as soon as she meets their gaze.
Erica has yet to successfully lie to her – even about the less savory parts of her past.
“Of course I wouldn’t be angry,” she answers, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She knows Luna isn’t asking to make a silly point. She’s asking because she’s curious about Erica’s reply, and perhaps a little because she loves getting people to tell her the truth. “Harmony is a better student than I am anyway.”
“So, you understand as well,” Luna says with a decisive nod. “Don’t feel bad because you would steal it from Erin. She doesn’t deserve it anyway; she’s too busy stealing our safe spaces.”
“Has she bothered you at all?” Erica tenses at the thought, as does Harmony next to her.
Luna doesn’t reply, but her humming is answer enough.
“Luna–”
“It’s mostly the Nargles,” Luna shrugs, only pausing her humming for a second before going back to her pretty tune.
Harmony shoots Erica a serious look, which she returns with a clenched jaw and fury-filled gaze.
“Luna, why don’t you go find Ebony?” Harmony suggests, gesturing towards the stairs leading to their dormitory. “You know she loves your singing, and she could probably use a break from her studying.”
“And what are you going to do?” Luna tilts her head to the side, the shrewdness of her gaze momentarily taking over her usual distracted expression.
“Don’t worry about it,” Harmony smiles softly, leaning over to kiss Luna’s cheek. She accepts the gesture easily, and Erica feels the same pang of longing she experiences every time her friends remind her of how close they are. She wants to be like that, someday. She wants to kiss Luna’s cheek and hold Harmony’s hand and dance in the common room with Daisy.
For now, though, she keeps her hands to herself as Luna skips up the stairs and Harmony leads her out of the common room.
She has no idea where Harmony is taking her, but she doesn’t mind the late afternoon walk. The weather outside is beautiful, a light breeze floating through the castle’s open windows while the sun shines in their eyes. Erica can already feel herself missing it when winter settles in and takes away these glorious evenings.
“I’m a little bit jealous,” Harmony says out of nowhere. Erica frowns at her and bites back a laugh when her friend’s face flushes red. “Of Nathan, I mean. I know I said I was happy for him, but I’m just a tiny bit jealous. There’s still a chance I’ll get to go, but it’s not a guarantee, and Nathan– His life is pretty good.”
“You’ll get your chance,” Erica says with as much conviction as she can garner. She has no idea how high Harmony truly is in their house rankings, but she knows her friend is a damn good student. “And your parents won’t be able to get to you once you’re no longer in England. It’ll be a nice change of pace.”
“That’s what Theo said,” Harmony’s lips quirk up as she leads them down another corridor, towards what Erica now knows is Gryffindor Tower. “He was more upset than I was when he learned I hadn’t been picked, but fair is fair.”
“I’m sorry for complaining so much about my sister,” Erica winces. “You’ve got so much going on and–”
“Eri,” Harmony laughs, shaking her head. She links her arm through Erica’s, and something lights up within her. “What did I say earlier? Everyone’s got their own things going on. You don’t have to stop living and complaining because you think I have it worse. If everyone did that, my life would be so dull. I promise you, having my friends around me is more than enough.”
“If you say so,” Erica says uncertainly. She wants to push more, but they’ve reached the Fat Lady, and Harmony is looking at it assessingly. “What’s the plan here?”
“You do what Erin’s been doing,” Harmony shrugs. “Emily should be in there, right?”
“Oh,” Erica murmurs. “Right. Um, Mrs. Fat Lady, would you mind opening the door for me? I’m here to see my little sister, Emily Hargreaves. We moved here from the States at the beginning of the year, and I really want to spend some quality time with her.”
Harmony smacks her face with the palm of her hand while the Fat Lady stares at her, utterly unimpressed.
“Not familiar with lying to authority figures, huh?” the portrait chuckles. Erica’s face feels like it’s on fire.
“We were homeschooled,” she says, looking down at the ground. “Though, this is really unfair. All Erin has to do to get into our tower is solve a riddle, and my big sister isn’t a complete idiot. Meanwhile, I can’t get in here unless I have a password? And I’ve heard the Hufflepuffs only have to memorize a tune. Don’t you think it’s a bit rich that half the school can be so easily infiltrated while you keep your door closed?”
“You’re an alright one, lass,” the Fat Lady grins. “Your sisters, they’re the other American ones?”
“Obviously,” Harmony mutters underneath her breath. The portrait shoots her a sharp look which she ignores with an unbothered smirk.
“You Notts are always so insufferable,” the Fat Lady huffs. “You’re lucky your friend is such a good one. I’ll let you in, but Archie will be made aware of your presence. You’ll need to be gone before dinnertime.”
“I don’t even look that much like a Nott,” Harmony scoffs, swanning into the common room as soon as the portrait groans open.
“No, you’re right, much more like a–”
But neither of them hear the end of her sentence, too busy being stared down by a sea of red and gold. Harmony shuffles awkwardly behind Erica, who desperately scans the room for a familiar face. If she can find Emily, she can easily explain–
“Girls?”
They snap their heads in unison, their gazes meeting the prettiest shade of green.
Harini Potter is one of the most beautiful girls Erica has ever seen, but also one of the most terrifying – perhaps impressive is a better word, but they tend to blend together in Erica’s mind. Her Prefect badge amplifies her authority, but Erica has a feeling it was always there, even before Potter earned her position as a Prefect.
“Are you lost?”
“We’re here… to see Emily,” Erica says, hating how her voice lilts up questioningly at the end. She bites her lip and hopes for the best.
Potter’s lips twitch.
“Ah, yes,” she snorts. “I’ve heard you sisters are quite close. How did you get in?”
“The Fat Lady let us through,” Harmony says defensively. Potter doesn’t seem to mind her tone, only nodding as though it makes perfect sense. “She said we could stay here until dinnertime…”
“Well, who am I to contradict our guardian?” Potter grins, her expression sobering a little when her eyes meet Erica’s. “Though, please do say hello to Emily before you leave. She’ll be devastated if she hears you were here but didn’t stop by to see her. The fourth years will be able to take you to her if she isn’t in the common room.”
“Of course,” Erica nods, feeling a little guilty that she didn’t consider that in the first place.
Harmony doesn’t hold the same reservations. She’s quick to grab Erica’s arm again and drag her towards the small circle of chairs where Ginny and her Gryffindor friends are gathered. She looks up with a bright smile when she hears them approach, and Erica feels her heart stutter.
Damn this school and its pretty, kind, selfless students.
“Harm! Erica!” Ginny greets them, scooting over to leave space for them. “Ravenclaws in the lion’s den!”
“Gin,” Harmony greets her in return, ruffling her ginger hair. “I wish we were here on pleasant business. Unfortunately, it seems one of your housemates is causing issues with Luna, and since she’s being given full access to Ravenclaw Tower…”
“Your sister?” Ginny asks Erica. She nods sheepishly, but Ginny only hums seriously. “I’ll need to tell Hani about this, you know? She’s the one with the most power here, and she has a better understanding of Erin than I do. But if you came here, I’m guessing you’ve got some ideas of your own?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Harmony says, her expression determined and devious. “Only the best for Luna.”
“Erica, you’re fine with this?” Ginny asks. Her honey-brown eyes pin Erica down until she can hardly breathe.
She manages a shaky nod. “Only the best for Luna.”
“One of us already,” Ginny beams. She turns to her housemates next, and Erica is only half-surprised to note they seem just as excited about this as Harmony does. “Time for us to set some plans into motion.”
Erica has no idea what Erin did to earn their ire, but she has to admit it feels good to know that for the first time in her life, she has people on her side.
Only the best for Luna. And perhaps, only the best for Erica, too.