The Call of the Void (Sebastian Sallow x F!MC)

III: C h a r m e d

Siobhan's first week at Hogwarts is overwhelming.

For a girl who never spent more than a fortnight away from home, adjusting to the castle grounds is no small feat. Nottinghamshire is a blade of grass in comparison to the sprawling Scottish Highlands, a seemingly infinite horizon that makes Siobhan feel insignificant. There is so much to see, but until she can make it to her classes without getting lost, further exploration will need to wait. Not that there is time for wandering about in the first place, not with the amount of assignments she has.

Even though Professor Fig provided her with as much tutoring as he could—condensing four years' worth of education into one summer—she struggles to keep up with the other students. Her schedule includes eleven different subjects, all taught on a weekly basis between Monday and Friday. There is only one elective alongside the core classes, but Siobhan figures she will be spending most, if not all her spare time studying and practicing spells as to not look incompetent in front of her new peers.

It would have been easier if Professor Fig hadn't left for London so soon after her sorting, especially considering all the unanswered questions surrounding ancient magic that swirl in the back of her mind. The power is dormant for now, but tickles beneath her fingertips, reminding her it can make a surprise appearance when she least expects it. What happened at Gringotts is a secret between her and the professor for now, one she isn't sure she should be keeping. But there is nobody else for her to trust—not yet—not even the Deputy Headmistress who offers guidance in Fig's absence.

Professor Weasley is a busy woman with a thousand-and-one responsibilities, but she is also patient and far more approachable than Headmaster Black, who makes himself scarce after the opening ceremony. The Headmistress acknowledges Siobhan's anxieties but assures her that life at Hogwarts will be exciting, full of adventure and memories to last a lifetime. Friendship, the professor suggests, will help her acclimate.

Siobhan isn't so sure.

She is an outsider, a stranger in a strange place without the slightest idea of how to fit in, let alone make friends. Deep down she knows she only has herself to blame, the reinforced walls that shield her emotions causing her to appear cold and unapproachable. While she is guarded, she is also too shy and too nervous to ask for the help she so desperately needs. Emotional connections can leave one vulnerable to disappointment, or worse, heartbreak. Her father calls her stubborn, but Siobhan knows it is better to rely on oneself than others.

That first week is all it takes for the other students to decide she is not worth the effort, finding it easier to pretend she doesn't exist at all. At least Siobhan is used to being alone. It might be the one thing she is good at.

Monday arrives and with it the start of a new week of classes and inevitable confusion. Siobhan wakes before her roommates, slipping out from the dormitory so she can avoid the crowd of students that will soon be making their way to the great hall for breakfast. Only a few other like-minded early birds are sitting at the long tables when she arrives, lingering long enough to snag a small pastry before making her way to the nearby courtyard.

Sitting on one of the many stone benches beneath the archways, Siobhan watches the sunrise over the perfectly still lake, covering the grasslands in shades of pink and gold. It is the end of summer, yet there is already a slight chill in the air, reminding her again that she is a long way away from the warm September days spent on the farm. She closes her eyes, imagining that she is sitting on the tree swing by the barn, the grass tickling her bare feet with the sunshine kissing her freckled cheeks.

Home.

In the distance, the bell tower signifies the end of the breakfast hour. Siobhan scrambles, realizing she'd slipped into her own little world for a lot longer than she intended. Monday morning, she thinks to herself as she crosses the viaduct bridge, pretending to know which way she is going. Professor Weasley's tour was extensive, but the amount of passageways and moving staircases make even her map obsolete. She mumbles to herself, Monday morning is...Potions? No. That's Wednesday...Today is...Charms with Professor Ronen...