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CHAPTER ONE
Squib sounded too much like squid.
Maybe Apollonia was meant to be a Squid but the person who decided the name misspelled it.
If she was a Squid, she'd have eight arms to work with, which was almost as good as having a wand.
She'd also be giant and scary and people would be frightened of her. Or at least not underestimate her all the time. Befriend the merpeople of the Great Lakes and make it so the giant squid (the actual squid) wouldn't be the only of its kind.
The blaring horn of the Hogwarts Express echoed down to Apollonia's cottage she shared with her aunt. The hulking train raced across the suspended bridge and through a patch of trees before slowing at Hogsmeade Station. A new year of Hogwarts had begun.
"Ready?" her aunt asked, stepping into her room. She pushed the back of her dangle earring in place before adjusting her curled hair. The bewitched earrings of preserved eyeballs blinked and looked around Apollonia's room.
"Yeah."
If Apollonia had eight arms, Apparating might not be so nauseating. She could balance herself better. Hold her pet Kneasle, Albert, closer.
Teleporting also ran the risk of missing limbs or bones to the one doing the magic. All Apollonia had to do was hold on tight and keep her eyes closed.
"Deep breath," her aunt said, raising her shoulders. "Remember the new rules? No Apparating on school grounds."
Relief washed her skin. "Not even today?"
Her aunt shook her head. "The Headmaster's rules. You were there, Apollonia, Dumbledore was insistent. Charmed the grounds himself."
Right, right.
Apollonia barely remembered that day. She felt on edge, which sometimes happened when she woke up. Not even Albert was able to soothe her. On these days, no matter how articulate or how frequently someone told her something, she could never remember. Her memory was a blackout. And it was always unsettling.
"Oh," she began, "yes, I remember now."
Her aunt had enough to be worried about. Apollonia didn't need to add to it with her stupid, non-working brain.
✧˖°.
"Have you heard, Professor Havelock?"
Apollonia's aunt shook her head. The Hogwarts staff and Apollonia sat at their respected seats in the Great Hall. Students would be coming in soon, followed by the new First Years, who arrived separately.
"I'm sure I have not, Professor Slughorn" her aunt said.
The potions professor leaned in with a coy smile. "There is a new member of the Black family starting this year."
This caught her aunt and Apollonia's attention, who had been trying not to eavesdrop. Even Albert, perched on Apollonia's lap like a throne, cocked his head at Slughorn.
"Another?" There was no hiding the edge in her aunt's voice.
"A boy," Slughorn nodded. "Youngest child to Orion and Walburga Black."
"I'm not sure what would be worse... Another Sirius or another Bellatrix."
"Oh, come now, Dimitria! There is nothing wrong with youthful spirit."
Between a bully or rebellious troublemaker, Apollonia saw neither Black particularly favorable. But the potions master had a knack for getting on even the worst of peoples' good sides. Made sense, given he carried so much weight within the Ministry. He even had his own...club of sorts. Only the brightest attended. Or the most respectable of families.
Her aunt placed her hand over Apollonia's clenched fist below the table. Students began entering, washes of black student robes with House emblems and colors. She heard Sirius Black before seeing him. Truefully, she saw the red hair of Lily Evans, one of his friends, first.
He grew, just like he did every year. Including his hair, nearly black as his surname and impossibly curly, reached the nape of his neck. Every girl had a crush on him, and so did Apollonia.
But then he'd open his mouth to speak, and the fantasy broke every time like a mirror.
Apollonia broke away from him and his laughing friends to pet Albert, who vibrated her chest as he purred. Albert always knew when she felt flustered... He maybe couldn't always help, but it never stopped him from trying.
His big golden eyes softly blinked. Apollonia whispered an "I love you" to him before sitting straight.
A stool with the Sorting Hat appeared in the middle of the High Tables, where the faculty sat. Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonnagal stood beside the hat as the doors opened.
Anxiety traveled along Apollonia's body again. She did not want another difficult year... Every Black she ever met not only had a big personality, but they were all attractive. Surely this boy would be the same.
Albert nuzzled her chin with assertive head bumps. He was working overtime today, and it made her feel terrible. She looked at the table and drew in a deep breath. The key to surviving the school year was to make herself as small and invisible as possible.
Students in their all black robes huddled together like a school of fish as they walked up to the Sorting Hat. Still, Apollonia kept her eyes away. Every second it became easier.
