STIRLING • hp

o n e

and so it begins.
•••

Platform 9 and 3/4. Where the summer ends, and the school year begins. Or, where my inner torment begins, if I'm being honest. Hogwarts is like a home away from home, but I'm just as lonely there as I am in my actual home. Sure, I have friends. But real friends? That's where I'm stumped. Slytherin house is full of phonies and bullies, who make "friends" depending on blood statuses and last names. I just so happened to have drawn the long straw with both of those. Pureblood. And a Stirling, no less. The other Slytherins see me as some kind of princess - all because of my parents' ties with You Know Who.

I hate it.

The students in Slytherin may admire me, but the other houses fear me; some students even hate me. All because my last name is Stirling. I've done nothing to deserve any sort of attention. I do well in (most of) my classes, I don't bully anybody, and I keep to myself. But no one cares. I blame my father.

Stefan Stirling.

A Death Eater. One of the worst. Or best, if you support You Know Who. He'd been locked up in Azkaban for fourteen years by the time he escaped last year. I haven't heard anything from him, I'm not sure if my mother has; not that she'd tell me. I don't want to hear from him anyways. I don't even remember him — I was barely two when he'd been arrested.

"Stirling! What's got you dawdling? Get on the train!"

My head jerked up to see Pansy Parkinson waving me over.

I sent her a tight smile, and picked up my trunk, following her onto the train, and setting it with everyone else's.

"You can sit with Blaise, Draco, and I, Roselyn," Pansy said, leading me through the train compartments. Blaise and Draco were already sitting at one of the tables, talking quietly.

"Blaise, Draco," Pansy greeted.

The two boys stood to allow us to sit, and Pansy I moved to slide into the booth.

Before we could slide in, the entire room filled with black powder, and some girls shrieked at the sudden blackness. I tripped over someone's foot, and landed roughly on the floor, my cheek coming in contact with what I could only say was the corner of the table.

"Bloody hell," I muttered, relieved as the darkness dissipated; sparkling, black particles still dancing in the air as everyone settled.

I recognized it now: Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. I've seen it while perusing through Weasley Wizarding Wheezes before leaving quickly as a result of all the disgusted stares I'd been receiving.

"What was that?" Draco demanded, looking around the train carriage.

"Probably just some firsties playing a prank. Come, sit down, Draco," Pansy purred.

I climbed to my feet, pale fingers rising to my cheek, coming away smeared with a thin line of crimson blood.

"I'm bleeding," I muttered, staring at my fingers.

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked, eyebrows narrowed in what looked like concern.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm just going to go to the restroom to clean myself up."