Serenity Silverwing & The Hogwarts Five

Chapter Six

Inserene Serenity

Last Seen: Serenity was pondering the similarities between her uncle, Archturus Blacksun, and the escaped prisoner, Sirius Black. She's made friends with the ghoul in the Weasleys attic. Now the only question is how will Serenity cope with Ron and George pestering her to talk to Harry?

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>"Shut up, Ron!" I yell, "You too, George! I would've expected this from Ron but from you, George!? Harry can't help me!

"Harry can never know how I feel! Would you like to know why, Ron, George? Because there are two things, two, that make it impossible for Harry to know how I, OR my sister feel!"

I felt my throat start to close up and I had to choke back a renewed wave of tears.

"I grew up... loving my family... and being loved... in return, making plans for vacations..." I turn and run from the pair of stunned boys, running up the stairs to the landing just below the attic and dash into the room. When Fred and the other Weasley kids had come back from Hogwarts, Ron and Ginny had had to change rooms. Ginny's room was only large enough for one person and Ron's room had enough room for three or four people so Ginny and I were staying in Ron's room and Ron, not pleased at all with the prospect, was in Ginny's.

I slam the door and lean back against it, tears streaming freely down my face.

"Did you really have to bite their heads off?" asks one part of my mind. "Yes. How else could you have explained why Harry couldn't help?" answers the other part.

I stood there, crying, for I don't know how long until I felt someone tapping softly on the door behind me.

"What do you want?" I snap, drawing myself up, readying to do verbal battle.

"To come in would be nice." says the muffled voice I recognize as Fred's.

"Hold on, Fred." I say and dry my face on my sleeve then open the door.

Fred enters, walks over to the bed and sits down. He gestures for me to sit next to him. I cross the room to join him.

"Now... What's the matter?" Fred asks kindly.

"Ron and George keep saying that I should talk with Harry. Saying, "he'll know how you feel", but how can he?" I ask, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Now why wouldn't he?" Fred asks, placing a tentative hand around my shoulders.

"I had thirteen years with my family. Planning vacations, education, gardens, everything!" And in a smaller voice, "my wedding, my children who will never know their elders. All those future plans we talked about." I try to take in a steadying breath but that fails yet I continue, "He never knew his parents. He has no family except the DURSLEYS if you can call them family. We're too different for him to understand." I say, burying my face in his shoulder.

"Oh really? Look at what's the same though. You both haven't any parents, you're both living with people you'd rather not be living with and you both never got the chance to say good-bye. Honestly, Serenity, you two are really so much alike, I kind of wonder why you got put in Slytherin and not in Gryffindor."

"I don't know. I haven't felt like I belonged there for a while now." I say pushing away from him.

"Why do you think the Sorting Hat thought you should be there?" Fred asks, turning to look me in the face.

"It didn't sound too sure when it was on my head." I reply and turn to stare out the window.

"What'd it say to you?" Fred asks, grinning. He obviously thought that this was nothing serious.

"Let's see, it said that I was very tricky to place and it asked me if I wanted Gryffindor or Slytherin. I said the best and it put me in Slytherin." I answer, detailing the whole thing from memory.

"Then what are you worried about? The Hat agreed that you'd do better in Slytherin than any other."

"Because you don't know what happened to me there. You never heard my name after Harry's or Carita Reilin's. I remember. The only reason you knew I was at Hogwarts was because we met on the train. The whole of Gryffindor was shouting while Carita was sorted into Ravenclaw. Oh sure, the Ravenclaws cheered but they couldn't compete with your shouting 'We got Potter'. Then I was sorted and all I got was stares.

"Of all the people in Slytherin, Draco and Marcus were the worst. Draco was threatened by the fact that I could fly as well as he could without lessons, I even showed him up on the Quidditch field but I never had a chance there. The Slytherins never liked me. Always said I was a disgrace, being from a 'might-as-well-be-muggle' home but I was good enough in my studies to take copies from. Smothered me down and acted like I didn't exist except for when they needed my notes. All my first year, I had threats and minor slips and trips that were blamed on my clumsiness but were really them laying in on me."

I reach for some tissues and continue. "When I tried for Chaser, Marcus chose some third year that could throw the Quaffle and score about as well as a sieve keeps water in and threatened me that if anyone saw me flying that well... well, you can guess. I was terrified all my second year because I thought I might be a muggleborn. I guess after I was told something so often, I started to believe it. I didn't dare go into Slytherin tower, not unless I was forced to. I spent quite a few nights sleeping behind a pile of books in the library or stayed with Madam Pomfrey and all the poor muggleborns in the infirmary. Mostly, I was up in Liz's room.

"Liz and Madam Pomfrey were the only ones who knew about what was going on until I told Dumbledore with Harry, Hermione and Ron eavesdropping from the bed next to me. Didn't you ever wonder what happened that would make Dumbledore put me into Gryffindor? Gryffindor! Of all the houses, for a week?"

Fred shakes his head, looking puzzled.

"It was because Draco and the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team nearly flew me into the Whomping Willow, Fred. Draco threw my broom to the Willow. And one of them kicked me to unconsciousness. If any of that happened to you, I'm so sure you'd feel like you belonged in that house." I say. I start to cry again and vainly try to hide it but Fred sees and wraps me up in his arms. I bury my face in his shoulder again. "Since I've been in Gryffindor, I've had the time of my life; setting traps with you and George, Bluemoon reeking havoc on the other tables. I know I don't belong in Slytherin."

"Shhh... I had no idea. It'll be all right." Fred says, trying to comfort me.

"I... just wanna... go home." I sob.

Fred didn't say anything to that and he just held me closer.