Kindred | Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter One : Witch

Trigger warning: Mentions of possible SA / death

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"Sabrina? Sabrina! Wake up!"

Sabrina Pryor awoke finally with a jolt, feeling like she had been struck by lightning on an otherwise sunny day. She opened her eyes and looked up to see the same four stone walls of St. Joseph's Orphanage for Girls, clad in its dull, gray, unwelcoming attire. A pale freckled face was looking back at her with genuine concern.

"Did I wake you, Josephine?" Sabrina asked. She realized then she was panting, out of breath, sweating as if she had just run a long distance with no choice of stopping. Much to her dismay, she thought about how the nuns would surely be unhappy if she came down to breakfast looking like she hadn't slept at all. She could practically hear Sister Mary scolding her about it before taking Sabrina's morning bread away.

"No," Josephine answered. "But the six o'clock bell just rang, so you better get dressed. Are you alright, though? You were thrashing about in your sleep."

Sabrina nodded. "I'm alright," she replied. "Just a bad dream...."

"Again?"

"This one was different," Sabrina responded as she finally sat up, her feet touching the freezing stone floor. She wasn't sure how to describe it. It started as most of her dreams did, with her  in an unknown field, surrounded by grass and a sky that looked like it continued on forever. Then, as Sabrina took in the sunset, it started to rain, turning into a downpour  that turned into total darkness. Then she saw the flames, bright red and hot engulfing her and suffocating her until she woke up.

"Best not let her Sister Mary hear you talking about it," Josephine warned as she finished putting on her brown work dress. "Last week she threatened to send you to an asylum for looking at that bread basket wrong."

At the time, it had been a funny sight seeing the head nun cry and freak out in hymns, praying for the Devil to leave her soul alone when the bread basket had exploded in front of her. However, upon seeing Sabrina laughing, Sister Mary only got angry, rapped her ruler against the teenager's hands, and spit, "WITCH!"

Sabrina was used to the torment.

Once the girls were dressed, they headed downstairs to the chapel to do their morning prayers with the rest of the orphanage. Prayers usually lasted about an hour, then breakfast, then the children in the orphanage were left on their own until lunch hour.

The teenagers, meaning the girls twelve and older, did the chores such as cleaning and cooking, most of them training to eventually become servants in a wealthy household as soon as they turned sixteen. Sabrina and Josephine had one more year each of 'training' before they would leave the orphanage, and it was a day that Sabrina dreaded. She had long ago given up on ever living a life full of choices and decisions made by herself, but still yearned for a chance. Just one more chance, she prayed to whoever would listen, but she was often met with silence.

Once breakfast of porridge and bread was finished, the teenagers, which now comprised of twenty or so girls, began their morning duties. Sabrina had been heading towards the kitchens to start dishes when she caught the eye of Sister Margaret, a younger nun who had a smile that reminded Sabrina of spring sunshine.

"Miss Sabrina," Sister Margaret called. "Come here please, I have an errand for you."

Sabrina dropped off her stack of dirty dishes and walked towards the nun. "Yes, Sister?" she asked, glad for the task. Anything to get her away from the stinky, hot kitchens was a happy occasion.

Sister Margaret handed her a list. "We need some things from the market, would you please be a dear and go fetch them for us? And you may take a friend with you, Lord knows how many ruffians have been around causing trouble more so than normal these past few weeks."