The Unforgivable Legacy

Chapter One

Raina Krum was the first witch to board the scarlet colored train to take her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It would be her first year at the school and she had arrived very early to Platform 9 ¾ because her father had dropped her off on his way to an important meeting of the Wizard Gaming Association. He is the chair-wizard of the board that decides on new rules for magical sports.

It was now closer to the eleven o'clock deadline that the train would depart at and many more wizards and witches had arrived at the platform. Raina watched the families through the window of the small compartment she was sitting in at the very back of the train. A few parents were hugging their children and others were crying as they said farewell to their kids for the first time. She rolled her eyes and sighed at the maudlin wizards and turned her attention to the compartment she was sitting in for a reprieve from the window view. The train was actually rather plush for just taking students to and from school. The seats had maroon suede cushions that were stuffed quite full of stuffing and the sliding door of the compartment had a glazed glass window for privacy. Raina had closed the door to try and keep the compartment to herself.

She looked at her watch and noticed there were only about five minutes left until the train departed and heaved a heavy sigh. Boredom had set in and she was ready to be at the school and sorted into her house.

Suddenly the door to her compartment slid open. Raina didn't jump or look immediately but turned her head slowly to find two boys standing in the doorway. One had pale skin and white-blond hair while the other had dark brown hair and an olive complexion.

"All the other compartments are full. Can we sit in here?" the brown-haired boy questioned with a dash of a French accent. He looked slightly uncomfortable under her penetrating gaze and shifted his weight to his other foot.

Raina fought the overwhelming urge to tell them to leave and only decided to allow them to stay when she realized, by his looks, that one of the boys was a Malfoy. "Fine," she stated with a hint of unfriendliness. The two boys sat down and only the brown-haired one looked apprehensive.

"I'm Brand Malfoy and this is Drake Warren. We're in our first year," the blond-haired boy stated with an air of confidence and held out his hand. Raina surveyed him with her eyes as she shook his hand.

"Raina," she replied and then after a brief pause added, "Krum."

"I've heard of you before," Drake stated. "You're the one they pulled out of the rubble the night Voldemort was destroyed by Harry Potter." She raised her eyebrows to acknowledge his words.

"So Krum isn't your real surname name then?" inquired Brand with the trademark Malfoy drawl.

"No, it's the last name of the wizards that adopted me. I assume you're the son of Draco and Parvati," said Raina. Brand nodded so she turned towards Drake and said disdainfully, "I don't know your parents."

"They were executed by the Ministry of Magic when I was two," he replied. Raina knew without asking why they were killed. The Ministry of Magic had rounded up the followers of Voldemort, called Death Eaters, and executed them or sentenced them to prison at Azkaban. The dementors had gone to aid Voldemort but after his downfall they once again were instated as the protectors of Azkaban and thus assisted in the "executions" of some of the Death Eaters.

The train began to move and Raina glanced out the window to see them travel out of the station. Many witches and wizards were waving at the train as it sped by and she screwed up her face in disgust.

"It's a good thing the Ministry didn't catch all the Death Eaters or some of us might not be here in the conditions they are," stated Raina with her eyes now glued on Brand. He was the spitting image of his father except he had more of a mouth and his eyes were blue which were features he had inherited from his mother. Brand stared back but narrowed his eyes as if trying to read something written across her forehead.

"What house do you fancy?" Drake questioned, breaking both of the others' stares. "I'm hoping for Slytherin of course. I couldn't bear to be in Hufflepuff with all their ickle sweetsy talk and my parents would turn in their graves if I were in Gryffindor. Ravenclaw wouldn't suit me well either and I basically just want Slytherin."

"I will be in Slytherin. My whole family has been," Brand replied with a smirk. Raina was taking a liking to his personality since it coincided with her slightly abrasive one, despite her mother's warnings about the Malfoy family. She wasn't sure about Drake yet but remained open to the possibilities of a friendship with him.

"My mum and dad want me in Gryffindor," Raina stated. "Only time will tell what will come of that."

The door to the compartment slid open and a girl and boy stood there with their luggage. The girl had long curly golden hair and a pretty face with dazzling hazel eyes while the boy had thick brown hair and a sturdy build. Both had smiles plastered on their faces as they looked in the compartment.

"All the other ones are full. Could we possibly squeeze in with you?" the girl questioned in an overly happy voice. Raina's brow was furrowed as she thought many cynical thoughts but kept her mouth shut.

"The more the merrier," Brand said sarcastically. The two didn't seem to catch the sarcasm because they immediately thanked them and sat down. Raina and Brand exchanged looks of antipathy.

"I'm Clement Booth and this is Lynelle Nicholson," the boy did the introductions. Drake relayed the names of the occupants of the compartment to the new arrivals.

"Are any of you nervous about getting sorted?" Lynelle effervesced. "I really am. I hope I get a really good house and that I don't get stuck in Slytherin; that would be just awful!" Then after a brief pause and a swift glance at Brand she added quickly, "Not that Slytherin is a bad house, of course."

"I doubt you'll be in Slytherin with that attitude," Raina replied in a monotone voice. "Especially if you hate it so."

"We're not nervous," Brand stated nonchalantly. Raina noticed that he seemed very revolted by the girl.

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The train came to a halt and Raina was finally able to relieve herself from the insufferable company of Clement and Lynelle. During the ride she had found that Lynelle enjoyed chatting brightly. Every once in a while Raina resorted to hitting her head on the glass intentionally to keep from saying anything vile about the girl's constant blabbering.

"First years! Come this way!" a deep voice called from off to Raina's left as she exited the train at the platform. In the distance she could see the silhouette of the Hogwarts castle up on a hill against the dark night sky. She made her way towards the voice and found herself with a group of students who were all relatively her height and most looked very nervous. The lack of worry she felt allowed her to laugh on the inside at the other pathetic and scared first years. A man was standing there holding a lantern and yelling for the first years. He had long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail down his back and he looked relatively old. His wizard robes were a dark brown and he had thick boots on his feet.

"Let's go to the boats," he said. The group of first years followed him to a small group of boats on the edge of a lake that appeared to lead to the school. Four students could fit in a boat and Raina found herself next to Brand with two people she didn't know behind them.

"My mum will really do me in if I don't get into Gryffindor," one of the girls behind them said anxiously. Raina gave an audible moan at the mention of Gryffindor since it was the only thing she had heard since she got her acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her mum had been particularly emphatic about her placement and touted Gryffindor constantly. Brand laughed with a dry, arrogant laugh at her moan, but Raina was sure it was for different reasons he disliked the house. The boats were now moving quickly across the water with no visible signs of propulsion. Raina slipped her hand out of the boat and felt the cool, black water as they drifted by.

"Don't touch it!" a female voice exclaimed from right behind her. Raina took her time in removing her fingers. "I've heard there's a giant squid in there!"

"And you really think it's going to attack my fingers?" said Raina sullenly. Then she added quietly so only Brand could hear her, "Is she trying to be noble and save me?" Brand's face erupted into a crooked smile and he shrugged stiffly.

The boats came to a stop at the other edge of the lake and the first years exited. The man who had brought them this far led them up the steps of the castle and after they had gone inside he left them to go to his hut on the school grounds. A woman with bright white hair and an elderly face greeted the students inside. Her robes were thick, plush purple velvet and were embroidered with a design. She also had a witches' hat on her head in the same deep purple as her robes and smiled at the students with sparkles in her eyes.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor Bassett and I'm Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts. In just a minute you will go through these doors and will be sorted into a house by the Sorting Hat. There are four houses and each is unique and equally as special as the others in its own way." At this point Brand let out a quiet exhale and raised his eyebrows as if disagreeing with her. "Now, please follow me."