Descendant of the Challenger: The Power of Blood

Descendant of the Challenger: The Power of Blood

Chapter 2

By: Star of Faith

The train jolted to a stop abruptly, and Rhiannon felt her insides melt. This was it. This was Hogwarts, a school of magic and wonder, and God knows what else. Would she fit in? She was a Muggle, after all. And it wasn´t as if she knew magic yet, and she wasn´t particularly apt, if previous situations had proved correct, and besides, she didn´t know any-

"Hey," a soft voice commanded, "Don´t worry. We´re all new to this place." Rhiannon turned and gave a half-hearted smile to Lily, who gave a wink back and slipped her arm companionably threw hers.

"Remus," Lily cried behind her shoulder, "Come on! And bring those two oafs I call friends with you!" Rhiannon hid a smile at Lily´s obvious teasing.

"Have you known them long?" asked Rhiannon tentatively, stooping to pick up her wand, which had slid out of her robes. "I mean, are you Muggle or pure blooded witch?"

"Muggle-born. You?"

"Muggle, also. I was pretty surprised when I got the letter." Rhiannon laughed, remembering Alec´s face when the owls had started smacking into their windows.

"Me too," Lily grinned. "My mum and dad were happy, though. They´ve always known something was weird about me. My sister, on the other hand, was scared to her little core. Hasn´t come near me since the first owl." She cackled. "Not that I´d have it any other way, of course." Off Rhiannon´s look, she had the grace to seem abashed. "Well, ask Sirius," she said defensively. "He´s lived next to me since the day we were born, he knows what a perfect little terror Petunia is!"

"Petunia?" Rhiannon bit her lip. "What´s your mum´s name, Hyacinth?!" The girls looked at each other for a moment before bursting into giggles.

"What´s funny is," Lily wheezed, "is, that her name isn´t even remotely that normal! It´s Chrysanthemum! Mum for short!"

They would´ve fallen off the train had it not been for Sirius and James. Rhiannon felt warmth spread all throughout her body as James tugged her from the edge of the train into the compartment. Tall, with messy black hair and brown, pensive eyes, James was definitely cute. But, she remembered, he was Lily´s. Solely Lily´s. Yet as James gave her a wink and held her hand gently for a second before letting her go, Rhiannon had to wonder if Lily couldn´t maybe make do with Sirius.

She didn´t know that Lily had definitely not missed the long look that Rhiannon and James had shared. Neither had Remus, who was behind the group, with a thoughtful look in his gray eyes. The little green demons were beginning to find shoulders to sit upon. Shoulders belonging to Lily Evans and Remus Lupin.

***

The boats were tiny. Cramped. Thoroughly not enjoyable. And that big guy with the wild hair... he was slightly sketchy. In all, not a good mix. Rhiannon was a bit fearful, and Lily was not there to help. She was in a boat with "her boys," James, Sirius, and Remus, already proclaiming them her clique. Rhiannon felt a bit put out, but the presence of a nice round boy by the name of Peter calmed her. At least there was someone here more hopeless than she.

A sigh escaped Rhiannon´s lips, slightly wistful for the few precious moments of joy she had had on the train. It seemed Hogwarts was destined to be a lonely home. As the boat rounded a dogleg in the giant lake, an enormous dwelling loomed in the near distance. It could hardly be considered a mansion, and castle was not large enough to describe the abode. It was simply...amazing. Turrets and towers, huge halls and thousands of windows were lit up gaily with such spirit that it astonished Rhiannon; rendered her speechless, really. It seemed that Hogwarts Castle was alive.

The boat bumped up against the shore of the lake, and Rhiannon started. She had been lost in wonderment, staring up at her new home. She smiled slightly as Peter held out a pasty white, vaguely sausage-like hand to assist her. Politely she declined his help, and quickly stepped out onto the rocky shoreline. A minute later, she was quite glad, for Peter had lost his balance and fallen into the water, with a splash and a cry of surprise. Rhiannon let out a small laugh, and was about to help him when she caught sight of Lily´s shock of auburn-red hair.

"Lily!" she called out, hoping to catch the other girl´s attention. "Wait up!" Lily turned quickly, forcing a smile onto her face. She motioned to the boys to stop, and they stood silently until Rhiannon caught up with them. With a small, wry grin she said, "You just missed seeing someone fall into the lake!" Ignoring their blank faces Rhiannon continued, "I do hope we´re all in the same house, otherwise I´ll be lost! I hope we stay friends even if we`re not sorted together... you four have been so nice to me."

Lily´s face softened, and a smile created small dimples in her cheeks. "Of course we´ll be friends, no matter what." Their earlier discomfort forgotten, much the way eleven year olds do, the group companionably walked into the castle through the huge oaken doors.

The large group that was the first year class of Hogwarts stopped to a sudden screeching halt at the foot of a large stair-case. There stood a tall, thin woman with a stern face lined with age. Her eyes were dark and glittering, her mouth pursed and tight over her teeth. Her face held the appearance of being held too tightly back, which was probably because her scalp was gathered somewhere in the back of her skull, along with an expanse of steel wool colored hair. A large, black witch´s hat sat atop her head, complementing the velvet black robes and cloak she wore. Rhiannon had the impression that this woman was not someone to cross, and whispered so to Lily. The red-head nodded grimly back.

"Hello, first-years," the woman said, her voice stiff. "Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall. For those of you in Gryffindor, I will be your head of house. For everyone else, I will one of the figure-heads at this illustrious school. I do hope you all know how lucky you are to be here, and I do hope you will all make us proud." She finally cracked a small, warm smile, turning with a swish of her robes to lead the children to the unknown.

The group all gave tremulous smiles back, their young bodies restless with barely contained energy. Rhiannon could see James and Sirius fighting playfully out of the corner of her eyes, and Remus with his long-suffering expression trying to pay attention to the witch in front of them. She turned to whisper to Lily, "I wonder where we´re going."

"The Sorting Ceremony," James answered, his attention momentarily diverted from Sirius. "My mum and dad went to Hogwarts also. They´ve been excited since I was five for me to go here. They´ve told me pretty much everything. All we have to do is put on-Sirius, stop- a hat that tells us what house we belong to. Hocus pocus magic stuff. Extremely standard." James sniffed and tried to look important, but Lily just rolled her eyes and playfully pushed him into Sirius.

"So." Rhiannon looked up at James, her eyes wide and hesitant. She wondered what to say to him. He was a pure-blood and she was just a stupid Muggle. But then, so was Lily." "What´s up with you and Lily anyway?" Oh, no way. Rhiannon mentally slapped her head. What a thing to say when you wanted to woo a boy.

James raised an eyebrow and gently steered her into the line that was filtering into a large, spacious hall. "Me and Lils?" he said mildly. "Oh, she´s nice enough. Siri introduced me to her today. They´ve been best friends since forever. I like her fine." He cocked his head. "What about you and Remus?"

Rhiannon raised her eyebrows and sputtered. "Wh-What do you mean?" she managed to stammer out after a few seconds. "M-Me? And... R-Remus?" James looked at her, long and hard for a moment. His face pulled into a huge grin and he waggled his eyebrows as he nodded yes. "There´s...nothing, nothing at all between us, James."

"That´s what they all say. But hey," he said, noticing her discomfort and tugging a strand of her hair, "if that´s what you insist, who am I to pull a pretty girl like you off the market?" Rhiannon rolled her eyes.

"You´re sure debonair for an eleven year old, James." James stuck out his tongue and pushed her.

Rhiannon would´ve replied, but all she could do was gape. The hall where they stood was enormous! The walls were a matte white, engraved with marvelous pictures depicting wizards and fantastic beasts. Tall columns were built into the walls, holding small wooden torches, framing huge drafty windows. There was a marble floor on which Hogwarts seal was painted, with eight long mahogany tables lining the space. There was a sort of rising in the front of the room, where another table was set up. Rhiannon dimly registered that there was a stool also sitting in the front of the room, but two things diverted her attention.

One: The ceiling, which James explained in hush tones, was enchanted. It was magnificent. The picture that it showed, of an inky blue sky with tiny stars twinkling everywhere, was extremely real. Rhiannon felt that if she reached out, she may feel cold nothingness.

Two: There were hundreds of children here. Ranging from 11 to 17, literally hundreds per house sat at each set of two tables. There were banners strewn across the tables, red and gold for one, silver and green for another, and finally blue and bronze and yellow and black for the last two. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, Rhiannon thought, remembering her vision. She was a bit scared of the multitude of kids she saw, wondered if they would all see the fool she might make of herself.

A slight pressure on her hand made her look up into Remus´s eyes. "Don´t worry,´ he said, unknowingly echoing Lily´s words. "You´ll be okay. We´re here together." Rhiannon smiled gratefully as McGonagall began to call names out.

"Oh," said James disappointedly as the first few kids ran up to the stool, "we missed the Sorting Hat sing."

"Abrams, Juliet!" Hufflepuff. "Bell, Nigel!" Gryffindor. "Bickerling, Gareth!" Slytherin. "Black, Sirius!" It was a sight to see Sirius wrestle the old hat and finally put it on; apparently the old thing didn´t want to get near enough to Sirius´s head to be able to tell anything. Gryffindor! Rhiannon smiled. Maybe she would get that house. She hoped so.

"Cavensworth, Horace!" Hufflepuff.

What house would she be in? Which one was it good to be in? The one with her friends in it. But which one would that be? Rhiannon felt her stomach turn. They were only on "C"!

"Collins, Tricia!" Ravenclaw. Dennis, Landon!" Gryffindor.

Oh, no. It was her turn. She knew it. James grasped her hand tightly.

"Delaney, Rhiannon!" With a deep breath, Rhiannon ran to the front of the room and plopped on the chair. Tightly pulling the hat over her head, Rhiannon waited.

A small, tinny voice sounded.

"Ah, noble, I see. You´ll be willing to help out those you care for. Admirably fool-hardy, but brave nonetheless. Got a good head on your shoulders for Potions, too. You´ll do great things. But terrible. That´s the price blood pays, I suppose. Yes, dear, I know Gryffindor is the House you want to be in, but Destiny is a fickle thing. It dictates that you be miserable, at least for now. Doesn´t seem fair, does it? Ah, well, you´re young, and ambitious, and certainly not excessively self-sacrificing, so I suppose the best way to go is-" The Hat paused and Rhiannon gripped the chair. The hat was weird. And she wasn´t too happy with what she was hearing. Miserable? How?

"Slytherin!!!!!"

Rhiannon´s eyes popped open and she stared in apprehension at the green and silver table. The people there were eyeing her in interest, but it was a sketchy interest. Rhiannon shuddered and hoped fervently Lily and the others would join her soon.

"Evans, Lily!"

Lily rushed to the stool as fast as Rhiannon had, and jammed her bright red hair underneath the hat. The Hat sat for a moment before declaring her-

"Gryffindor!"

Rhiannon´s world blew apart. She barely noticed the way a pale-haired boy next to her was leering. All she saw was Lily rush off to the Gryffindor table looking immensely pleased. Didn´t she-didn´t she want Rhiannon there too? Was she not affected like Rhiannon was? Rhiannon lifted her sleeve to her nose and discreetly blew it. No use getting teary eyed till the boys were sorted too. She tried to be brave.

...but Destiny is a fickle thing. It dictates that you be miserable, at least for now.

Rhiannon fumbled with her sleeve. What did that bloody hat know anyway? So what if Lils and Siri weren´t in her House? If they didn´t miss her, she didn´t miss them. Just please, she whispered in her heart of hearts, please let James and Remus be with me.

"Lupin, Remus!" Rhiannon gasped. How far gone had she been? They were already on L? In that space of time, Slytherin had gotten two new recruits.

"Gryffindor!" And that was that. Rhiannon felt the air start to dissipate from her body. That only left James now, but she had a feeling she knew how this would go. Remus, at least, looked disappointed as he caught her eye. Rhiannon gave him a small smile and a wave.

"Malfoy, Lucius!" Rhiannon watched with interest as another pale-haired boy who resembled the boy at her elbow trotted up to the stool. He looked familiar...the boy at the barrier! Rhiannon crossed her fingers.

"Slytherin!" Rhiannon laughed and for the first time that night looked happy. Lucius gave a bored grin and sauntered to the table. He slid in the seat next to the boy at her elbow, giving her a small smile.

"Delaney," he acknowledged. "Good to see you finally learned how to work those damn walls." Rhiannon laughed.

"Glad you´re here, Malfoy."

"Potter, James!" Rhiannon stopped abruptly. This was it. She watched, almost bug-eyed, as the tall, dark-haired boy strode to the stool.

"Gryffindor!"

There was an odd feeling of being boneless, as Rhiannon took in the unfairness of her situation.

Doesn´t seem fair, does it?

Rhiannon scowled. She had made four friends, and now she didn´t have one. They had all left her to be together, and not one seemed to miss her. This was a betrayal too large for Rhiannon´s preteen ego to ignore.

"Left you all alone, did they?" Lucius drawled. "Oh, well. I know Potter well. He´s another old wizarding family. A total pansy. You don´t need the likes of him if you´re in Slytherin. And the rest of them are Mud-bloods!"

"Excuse me?´ she asked, distracted.

"Mud-bloods? They´re half-magic, half-Muggle." Malfoy said this with an expression of distaste and sneered in the direction of the Gryffindors.

Rhiannon didn´t bother to tell him that she too was a Mud-blood. After all, she ahd to be better than those lousy Gryffindors that had left her, didn´t she? She was a Slytherin.

"Delaney, I want you to meet my cousin, Azrael. He´s a third year. He´s friends with Narcissa Lestrange."

Off Rhiannon´s blank look, he sighed. "The Lestranges are the oldest, most expansively wide known wizard family in the world. Narcissa is the most talented and beautiful of all of them. I thought it would do to make influential friends." A short, reedy, black haired boy appeared at Lucius´s shoulder. "Ah, and speaking of! Severus Snape. He is the son of Sinaire Snape, the Potions Master."

Rhiannon gulped. So many influential people, right at her fingertips! Who needed James and Remus and Lily anyway?

But as she turned and caught James looking a bit sadly at her, Rhiannon wondered if it would be so easy to let go of the kids she had so fervently wanted to be friends with.

Oh well. Maybe she´d just forgive James.