Lydia's Story

The next day, Lydia's parents held a small going away party in her honour. A few close friends of the family were invited, all of them wishing her the best of luck. Some brought presents, which were presented to her that evening after the meal.

Her parents gave her the key to a Gringott's vault, where they had put aside money for her travels and school supplies. The somewhat eccentric Mrs. Kelkov brought her a large book entitled Counter Curses for the Cautious - What to do when someone's after you. After thrusting the book into her hands, she gabbled something in rapid Bulgarian before walking back to her cup of coffee. Lydia, unsure of what to say, just gave a polite thank you, though Mrs. Kelkov didn't seem to be listening. The Zokranovs gave her a box full of multicoloured parchment, and a vat of colour-changing ink. The other guests all brought her money to use on her travels.

When the evening came to a close and the guests all went their separate ways, Lydia retreated to her bedroom, grateful for the long-awaited quiet. After putting her new gifts safely into her trunk, she laid down on her bed, her feet propped against her pillows.

She had worn the pendant all day under her shirt. Now in privacy, she pulled it out again, its chain still fastened around her neck. It was heavy, and she had red markings around her neck where the chain had dug into her skin. The snake still slithered restlessly around the shield, which bore engravings of the sun, moon, and stars.

Going to Durmstrang, the name Meliflua had always demanded a level of respect. Now, Lydia tired to imagine what it was going to feel like to go to a school where her name was poison. She quickly stopped; she realized she didn't like the thought.

*~*~*~*~*

The next morning, Delsky woke Lydia extra early.

"Young Mistress must get dressed!" Delsky squeaked excitedly. "Young Mistress must get ready to go!"

Lydia groaned and looked at the clock. It was just past six in the morning.

"Delsky, Aunty Gail doesn't expect me until noon! I can sleep a little longer."

"Oh no, Young Mistress can't!" Delsky said sternly, pulling on Lydia's arm. "Mistress Angela and Master Raphael says Young Mistress must get up! Up, up, UP!"

"Okay, okay! I'm getting up! Will you stop that, already?" Lydia growled, shaking Delsky off her arm.

Delsky let go and hurried to the closest. "What will Young Mistress be wearing today?" she called, her voice muffled by the clothes around her.

"Something that that won't scare Muggles," Lydia yawned, stretching. She didn't know what the day would bring, but she could never be too careful.

Delsky soon came back with a pink patterned summer dress, and a pair of white heeled sandals. "Young Mistress will be best with this. It is hot in London, and Mistress Gail likes to see Young Mistress dressed pretty!"

Lydia pulled on the dress and sandals, quickly examining herself in the mirror. The many shades of pink contrasted nicely with her long black hair, while the design showed the slender shape of her body. Lydia had always been skinny - too skinny in her opinion. But her small shape and light weight made her very fast on a broomstick, and the best Chaser in Durmstrang.

The pendant still hung around her neck, clearly visible with the spaghetti-strap design. Lydia turned the pendant over, hiding the writhing serpent from curious Muggle eyes.

She grabbed the hairbrush, and began to battle with her tangled hair.

"Let Delsky help!" Delsky squeaked eagerly. Lydia handed the brush to her, and sat on the edge of her bed. Jumping on top of the bed, Delsky began skillfully brushing Lydia's hair.

"Perfect. Thank you, Delsky," Lydia said, glancing in the mirror a few minutes later.

"You look lovely, dear," the mirror said gently.

Hurrying down to the dining room, Lydia found her parents waiting for her.

"Vhere is all your stuff?" Raphael asked, looking up from the morning's Bulgarian edition of the Daily Prophet. He was already dressed and groomed, and seemed to have been waiting for a while.

"Up in my room. I'll bring it down after breakfast," Lydia answered, sitting down at the table.

"Darling, you can't travel in that!" her mother exclaimed, looking up for the first time from her copy of Witch Weekly. "You'll be traveling by Floo powder; your dress will get filthy!"

Lydia groaned, having forgotten she would arrive at her aunt's house covered in soot. She was tired, and wasn't eager to go change again.

"Delsky will get it!" the eager house-elf squeaked, placing a plate piled with breakfast in front of Lydia. With a loud pop, she Disapparated, reappearing a few minutes later holding one of Lydia's old cloaks. It was black with silver edging and bore the Durmstrang crest. "Is this good?" squeaked Delsky.

"Oh yes, definitely!" Lydia said with a smile. She would be sure to get her old cloak as filthy as possible.

*~*~*~*~*

By noon, everything was ready for Lydia's departure. Her school supplies stood in a pile next to the fireplace, and Lydia had her old cloak on, her ebony wand sticking out of one of the pockets. Delsky stood behind her, adjusting the cloak meticulously.

"It is almost time to go," her father said at last, glancing at his golden pocket watch.

Just then, Lydia heard a quiet whimpering, which then erupted into hysterical sobs. Confused, she quickly realized that Delsky was crying.

"Delsky! What's wrong?"

"D-D-Delsky w-w-will miss Young Mistress!" the house-elf sobbed, clinging to Lydia's knees.

Lydia, unsure of what to do, patted Delsky gingerly on the head. "There, there!" she said, trying to calm the emotional elf. "I won't be gone that long! It's no different than when I went to Durmstrang, and you weren't upset then!" She looked to her parents, desperate for help.

"Y-Young Mistress will not be home on holidays! D-Delsky will not see Young Mistress until summer!" said the house-elf, erupting into fresh waves of tears.

Lydia hadn't realized this; she had forgotten that going to Hogwarts meant that she wouldn't see her family until summer.

"I'll write you letters!" said Lydia gently. "I promise I will."

Delsky looked up at her, her large wet eyes filled with hope. "Young Mistress promises?"

"I promise," Lydia repeated, patting the elf again on the head.

"Young Mistress is very kind!" Delsky squeaked, releasing Lydia from her grip. "Delsky is not deserving it!" She bowed low, and moved aside to let Lydia say goodbye to her parents.

Compared to Delsky's emotional display, the rest of the farewells were very reserved. A few tears fell from Angela's eyes as she gave her only daughter a last hug, and Raphael had trouble forming words. "Take care," he said at last, giving his daughter a strong hug.

Then at last, Lydia threw some of the Floo powder into the fireplace and stepped into the emerald flames. With a last wave, she recited her aunt's address, and disappeared.