The Daughter of a Knight

Три (3)

While Katia had spent the week before school with Euphemia and Fleamont, James had spent it with his three best friends at Lupin cottage. They had all agreed to go there and be taken to the station by Hope and Lyall Lupin.

So on 1st of September when they all apparated to Platform 9 3/4, James was surprised to see his parents standing near the train. They seemed to be talking to someone. He excused himself and started to jog towards his parents. But by the time he reached the spot they were in, they had vanished, along with whoever they had been talking to.

James just shook his head and thought that he would write them a letter when they arrived at Hogwarts. He went back to his friends and soon he had forgotten his parents were even in the station.

While the four were looking for a compartment they passed one with two girls in it. They recognized one of them as Pandora Smith, a very friendly Ravenclaw from the year below them. But the other girl was a new face to them. And  of course, Sirius could never resist flirting with a new face. So he opened the compartment door and stepped in, the others trailing behind him, Remus somewhat reluctantly.

"Hello, gorgeous! You must be new. What's your name?"

The girl in front of them didn't seem very interested in talking to them. And she didn't seem to be fazed by their handsomeness like most of Hogwarts population. She was observing them, trying to figure them out.

"Katia"

"Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful face!"

Sirius gave her one of his signature smiles. One that blinds the person it's directed at. But unlike most, Katia did not blush. It made his smile falter a bit.

"Did you need anything from me?"

They now noticed that she had an accent different than theirs. It wasn't a Scottish or an Irish accent like most. Even though it wasn't a very heavy accent it sounded a bit rough.

Remus thought her accent sounded Slavic, but he couldn't be sure.

"Oho! You're foreign! I didn't need anything from you, I just came to offer you my help. You're clearly new so I can show you around the castle."

"No thank you, Pandora is already helping me with that. Goodbye."

Katia turned back to Pandora who sent a sweet smile to the boys.

Since she clearly didn't want their company Remus decided to drag the others out of there before Sirius could make a scene.

"Those four are the most popular guys at Hogwarts. The one talking to you was Sirius Black."

The name Black only brought back bad memories.

Katia once met Orion Black and his younger son Regulus Black. She was around 9 at the time. Even though she enjoyed Regulus' company, Orion was a vile man. She did not like him.

When Ivan Petrov had gone to call Andrei to his study, Orion Black started asking questions from her. Questions about what she believes in. And when she had said she believes muggles and muggleborns are equal to them, she was hit. And the young girl knew she couldn't tell her father because he had the same beliefs as Orion Black. It wouldn't take the pain away and it would only anger her father.

She and Regulus had sent each other a lot of letters after that day. They became good friends. But when Katia was twelve Regulus stopped writing. She didn't know why, he just never replied to her letters anymore. She was still a bit bitter about that.

"Ну его на хрен!"
(To hell with him)

"I don't want to talk about him!" She added as she realised she had spoken in Russian, a language Pandora did not understand.

"Okay. Sorry I upset you. We can talk about Hogwarts instead. What do you know already?"

"Not much. I know that there are four houses. But that's pretty much it."

Her great aunt hadn't really talked about the school itself, other than about how magnificent it was. Most of her stories revolved around boys and running around the hallways.

"Great! As you already said there are four houses. You get sorted by the sorting hat. I'm a Ravenclaw, we're called intelligent. The boys who stopped by are Gryffindors. They're supposed to be courageous. Then there's Hufflepuff who are usually kind. And lastly Slytherin who are ambitious."

Katia didn't want to be in Slytherin. Her father and all his friends had been and she didn't want to be in a house filled with people just like them. Katia hoped she could get Ravenclaw. Not only did she already know someone from there, but her great aunt had been one as well.

She also did not want to be in Gryffindor. That would mean she would have to share a common room with the four annoying boys.

The rest of the train ride Pandora told Katia about Hogwarts and her experiments, which Katia found very interesting, but also slightly concerning. Bat spleen and aconite together? Sure to be a disaster. And Pandora knew it, but she had still tried it. The Russian witch decided that the girl in front of her was one of the most fearless people she'd ever met.

When Katia stepped out of the train she was once again mesmerised by the view in front of her. This time the castle was even more beautiful than when she had first seen it. This time light was coming through the hundreds of windows of the castle.

But all happy feelings vanished when she saw thestrals pulling the carriages. All that Katia could see was her mother falling down, tears still slipping from her eyes, over and over again.

Pandora noticed this.

"You see them?"

Katia only managed a small nod.

"I do too, I saw my uncle fall off a high cliff. He always wanted a cool death, I think he got his wish. Who did you see die?"

"Моя мама," she whispered.
(My mother)

Even though Katia spoke in Russian, it was similar enough to English so Pandora understood. She guided Katia into the carriage, sitting her back to the thestral. Katia was thankful for that, giving the girl a strained smile.

While riding towards Hogwarts, Pandora told Katia about the professors so she could get her mind off of her mother and it worked brilliantly.

The Russian found it funny that apparently a teacher who had lost limbs was still fit to teach, but a teacher who was in perfect health was said to retire...due to his health. This would be his last year teaching at Hogwarts.

Pandora guided Katia up to the Headmasters office, since she had not memorised where it was.

When stepping inside, she saw Dumbledore already waiting for her, the hat ready in his hand.

Katia sat down on the stool beside Dumbledore and he put the hat on her head.

Merely a second after the hat had touched Katia's hair, it yelled out the very house she didn't want to be in.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Please don't come for me for making her automatically say things in Russian instead of English! I based it off of my own experience while speaking another language and I have noticed that if I have a conversation in a foreign language I still sometimes use phrases from my mother tongue. And sometimes it's the opposite, so yeah. And I've noticed it in other people as well, so I think it's perfectly normal.

Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!