Stars and Mist | Regulus Black

c h a p t e r. o n e

the rain pattered loudly as she ran. baby in her arms, her footsteps echoed on the cobblestone path. 

she entered the apartment quietly, sneaking up to her room. how had her brother managed to kill yet another person that she was close to? she didn't really care about them; she couldn't.  but her child... she feared the worst for the child. 

she must never know. 

***

Liora sat waiting by the window, reading a book. The small apartment was empty, with creaking floorboards and thin walls. Her mother was out, doing whatever she did to keep their little family alive. A pecking noise at the window alerted Liora of another presence in the room, and she looked towards the area. An owl flew in place there, picking at the glass. In its claws was a... letter? 

She opened the window, curious to see what the owl would do. Surprisingly, all it did was leave the letter on the table next to her. Then it flew away. 
Liora eyed the letter curiously, flipping it over so she could see who it was addressed to. There were two envelopes; one for her mother, and one for her. She ripped open the one addressed to her quickly. 

Dear Miss Gaunt,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1st September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

The next few pages went on to explain what she needed, and Liora skimmed through the list eagerly. Why hadn't she known about this? Liora moved towards the larger table by the door, placing the letters on it. She wanted to go so badly. This explained everything! 

She waited patiently, re-reading the list of items she'd need. When was her mother coming home? Finally, she heard the click of a doorknob signifying her mother's return. 
"Liora? What's th-"
Her mother's face turned deathly white. She flipped the pages Liora held in her hands over, breath hitching. Her long, slender fingers gripped the edge of the table tightly as she sat down. 

"Hand me my letter."
Liora did, wondering what was the matter. It was school! Finally, one that explained the strange things the family was able to do. Melynne- her mother- glanced up to look at her. 

"Do you want to attend?" 
Liora nodded eagerly. 
"No." 

Instantly, Liora's face dropped into a steely glare. "Why not? The letter said I was invited to the school. It didn't say anything about needing your permission." 
She went back towards the window, missing her mother's look of shock, then resignation. What had come over Liora? It wasn't like her to do that, but she really wanted to attend a school. To learn magic, to be smarter, to have an actual interaction with people who had feelings. And why wouldn't her mother let her go? 

"Fine. If you want to go, then I guess I'll have to." 
Liora maintained her steely gaze. Why wouldn't her mother want her to learn magic? She'd always said that it was better to be educated in bad things than to know nothing. Turning towards the window, Liora gripped the list of items tightly. 

She was going no matter what. 

***

"Where are we?" Liora asked as she followed Melynne into a pub. Melynne stayed silent, ignoring the stares that she got from re-entering. She lowered her head, walking through the pub into a small, walled-off courtyard. Melynne started tapping the bricks. Was her mother crazy? The list of items was clutched in Liora's hands, and Melynne had told Liora to bring it. They were getting things!

To her astonishment, the bricks started to spin and re-arrange themselves, forming an archway to an alley. Liora followed Melynne quietly, glancing around in awe of her new surroundings. There were people- people wielding wands, people holding broomsticks, people like her. Melynne made her way towards the large, majestic building in the center of the alley. INside sat rows and rows of...
"Goblins," Melynne said as she walked up to one of them. 
"Hello, Miss Gaunt. How may I help you?" 
"I want to take some money out. Here's the key," Melynne replied impatiently. The goblin nodded, bringing her over towards carts. Liora followed uncertainly, sitting down. The cart was a full roller-coaster ride, finally stopping at a door. The goblin took the key and unlocked the vault. 

There were stacks of golden coins, silver coins, and even a whole corner full of bronze coins. There was also a shimmering champagne gold box tucked away. Liora wouldn't have noticed it if it wasn't for a small corner sticking out from under the silver coin piles. She stood awkwardly in the corner, watching her mother pick out some coins and placing them in a velvet bag. 

"We can leave. Thank you," Melynne said as she bowed to the goblin, leading Liora into the cart. They traveled back up and Melynne made her way towards a quaint little shop named Ollivanders. 

There was a family of four already in the store, all dressed in black and glaring at Melynne. What was their problem? Liora stared at them in confusion as the youngest waited for the old man to pick out his wand. She watched as the old man grabbed box after box, letting the boy try the wand. Eventually, the boy got a wand the family left, and it was Liora's turn. 

The old man turned his eye on Liora, looking at her. He sighed, as if confused, then glanced back at his wands. 

"What's your name?" He asked. Liora's gaze shifted towards her mother, who gave her a nod. 
"Liora Mistead." 
The wandmaker showed surprise at that, glancing questioningly at Melynne. Liora glanced at them, confused, then decided to ignore it. 
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ollivander. Now..." The man scanned through his elaborate shelves of wands when he came to a stop at one of them. 
"Vinewood, normal bendability, 12 inches long, unicorn hair core,"  He said as he handed the wand to Liora. She picked it up uncertainly, waving it around. Nothing happened, other than a glass orb on the counter exploding. 

"No, no," Ollivander took the wand away from Liora. He then stopped at a shelf.
"I stopped making wands with these cores years ago... why do I still have one?" He mumbled. Sighing, he took down the wand. 
"Sphinx hair core, 10 3/4 inches long, surprisingly bendy, redwood," Ollivander listed. "Go on, give it a wave." 
Liora did and to her astonishment, green mist poured out of it. Ollivander raised an eyebrow at that. 
"Interesting."
"Why?" 
Ollivander shook his head, glancing at Melynne. 
"That will be fifteen galleons," He said. Melynne sighed and paid, bringing Liora and the wand away. 
"The next thing on your list are robes, right?" She asked. Liora checked the list and nodded, and so the pair walked down into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Liora got measured without a fuss, and quickly, she gained everything she needed for Hogwarts. 

"Let's go," Melynne said once the shopping was done. "Hold my hand." 
To Liora's surprise, Melynne pulled out a wand and waved it, causing a loud crack! sound and a feeling of nausea. Liora stumbled into the table at home, gripping it tightly to stabilize herself. Her school supplies lay by the front door.

"I have a letter to send. Tidy up your things in a trunk; I have one." Melynne handed Liora an old trunk with the letters 'M.G.' engraved on it, with a fresher-looking 'L' at the front. 

"What does the 'G' stand for?" Liora couldn't help but ask. Melynne turned a cold eye onto her daughter. 
"Pack your things. You want to go to the school, yes?" 

Liora sighed, grabbed her items, and went to pack. 

***

"I'll see you next break. Do you have everything?" Melynne asked. Liora nodded, then glanced back up at Melynne. 
"Bye, mom." 
Liora got a small wave in return before boarding the Hogwarts Express. She moved to sit in an empty compartment, basking in the sense of solitary and quiet. 
"Can I sit here?" a voice sounded. Liora looked up, and a girl with dark brown- almost black, really- hair and light blue eyes stood there. Liora nodded mindlessly, and the girl sat down. 

The train started moving and their compartment was quiet, moving as a train would. 

Liora took a deep breath, staring out at the window. 

She was going to Hogwarts.