Invisible String

Chapter 02

LAWRENCE
The landscape passed by, the train's shaking bringing comfort. I glanced away from the window to my sister. Her nose buried in a book—Hogwarts, a history. Professor McGonagall gifted it to us as a birthday present, saying the eleventh birthday is a big deal in the magical world. I read it first, and now it's Ara's turn. A strand of her black hair falls into her face, and I notice she isn't wearing her usual jewelry, which is quite unusual. Jewelry is a part of her; she never leaves the house without it. She wears a serious expression, maybe seeming calm outside, but I know there's a storm in her mind. Perhaps she doesn't want anyone to think she's different or feel sorry for her. It's a new start for both of us, and the first impression makes an impact. "What house do you think we'll get sorted into?" I winced, realizing only now that I was lost in thoughts. Ara looked at me curiously. "Well, I don't know. Maybe Ravenclaw?" It would be a lie if I said I haven't thought about it. I did, too many times. Ara studied me, giving me an uneasy feeling. I couldn't sit still and tried to find a better position, unsuccessfully. "Hmmm." My sister closed the book. "I have a feeling you'd be a Slytherin." I smiled; every time Ara has a feeling, it's always right, like she has clairvoyance. "You didn't consider one thing." I held up my index finger, mimicking Mrs. Brown when we did something wrong. "Slytherin only wanted purebloods or at least half-bloods in his house. The chances that we're Muggle-borns are pretty high." Ara sighed, letting her shoulders down. "But my feeling!" She cried, disappointed. Ara might be sweetness and goodness, but she can't lose or be wrong. Neither can I. "Do you think our parents were magical?" She asked after a while of silence. I wondered the same since our birthday. "I don't know, Ara. If they were, maybe we could figure it out at Hogwarts." I took my bag and searched for a schoolbook, ending up with the potions book. We already read through all of them with the goal of getting as good as we can. "But how could they have died if they had magical powers? Isn't there a way to escape mortality? I mean, there must be a potion or a charm to protect yourself!" I nodded, but I didn't want to think about it. I knew Ara's interest in mortality—or more precisely, immortality. "I understand what you mean, Ara. We'll find out, alright?" I opened the potions book and started to study everything; I want to make a good impression. My sister just nodded and opened her book again, immersing herself in the yellowed pages. Silently, we spent the rest of the train ride reading.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

We gazed up at a man—a really big man—with tangled hair. Ara studied him with curiosity in her eyes. The man looked around, his eyes fixating on me. For a brief moment, I glimpsed something like shock on his face, but it vanished as he continued scanning through the crowd of first years. "Come on, follow me – any more first years there? Watch where you step! First year, follow me!" We followed this unnaturally big man and walked along a narrow path, which turned out to be quite complicated. Ara beside me didn't struggle as much as I did; her condition was always better than mine. It was quite dark outside, and I realized why Ara held my hand; she's scared of the darkness, especially in an unfamiliar place. This man could possibly kidnap us and take us to a place where no one would find us. So yes, Ara's anxiety is reasonable. I squeezed her hand gently, a silent exchange that reassured us both. The narrow path suddenly ended, and we found ourselves on the shore of a large black lake. Over on the other side, atop a high mountain, the windows sparkling in the pitch-black sky, sat a huge castle with many battlements and towers. My sister gasped, and you could hear everyone saying, "Ohhhh." I was just speechless. The realization hit; this is going to be our home for the next years. "A new beginning?" I whispered in Ara's ear; as a response, she nodded excitedly. The man told us to get into the boats. I just stood there, unsure of what to do. I hate boats; I feel like I'm drowning every time I step into one. "Come on, Laurie. You can do this." Ara took my arm and led us to one, helping me get inside. "It's going to be alright, Laurie." Ara held my hand, knowing my fear of water, especially when it's deep. The boats started magically swimming on the dark lake. I kept my head up to the castle; still, everything felt unreal. I wanted to capture this moment forever. We are getting nearer to the rock where the castle is built. After the boat trip, we all got out; Ara helped me again. I was never so glad to get out of a boat than now. Then we walked up a rocky passage behind the giant man's lamp and finally emerged on a soft, damp meadow in the shadow of the castle. We walked up a long stone staircase and gathered in front of the castle's huge oak gates. These gates opened promptly, and Professor McGonagall looked up to us; she gave Ara and me a small smile that no one noticed. The man said something to her, but I just looked around. Everything here is impressive, and I feel that Ara thinks that too. Everything is so big; it would be no surprise that you can get lost easily. The professor led us into a small chamber where we should wait. "Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The school year opening banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, we will determine which Houses you will be attending. This is a very important ceremony because the house is your family at Hogwarts. You have classes together, you sleep in the dormitory of your house, and spend your free time in the common room. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own honorable history, and each has produced notable witches and wizards. During your time at Hogwarts, your great achievements will earn you points for the house, but if you break the rules, points will be deducted from your house. At the end of the year, the house with the most points receives the House Cup, a major award. I hope each of you is an asset to the house you will come to. The induction ceremony, in which the other students also take part, begins in a few minutes." She leaves us, and I looked down at my cloak. It's secondhand, due to the fact that student support is really low, but I don't think it looks that bad. Ara, meanwhile, studied the other students who are questioning how we'll get sorted. I heard someone saying we'll need to fight a monster. Rubbish, in my opinion; it would be too dangerous. „Hopefully we'll get into the same house," Ara whispered and squeezed my hand. „It'll be alright; don't overthink it." A lie. I don't know if it's going to be fine or not. What if I don't fit in any of these houses? What if Ara and I get separated, and our bond breaks? I breathed in, trying to calm myself down. It didn't help, though. After a while, McGonagall came back and led us to the doors of the great hall. I swallowed. There's no going back; this'll be our future. The doors opened, and I feel like I can't breathe anymore. It's huge and magical. There're no words to describe it. I looked at the enchanted ceiling. A girl with curly hair explained these ceilings to another girl. A small smile came to my face; she also read Hogwarts, a history. At the other end of the hall, there was a long table where the teachers sat. Professor McGonagall led us first years there. She brought a stool and a hat, which looked like it has been used for decades. It doesn't look as impressive as the hall or the castle itself. Ara looked at the hat, and I saw that she's also wondering what this hat does. Well, the answer came quite quickly: singing. Why is a hat singing? I listened to its lyrics, and Ara looked relieved as the hat sang that we'll need to put it on. The others also sighed in relief, and when the hat stopped singing, McGonagall explained that she'll read our names out loud, and we'll put this hat on. It started with Hannah Abbott; that means we'll get sorted last. Ara couldn't stand still, fidgeting with the fabric of her cloak. When a certain Harry Potter got called out, the hall went silent. It took quite long for the hat to decide, but then he got sorted into Gryffindor, and the hall went wild. Is he famous or something? I'll figure it out as soon as I can. Ron Weasley got sorted into Gryffindor as well. His name starts with W, which means that we'll be next. There aren't any more students left. „Williams, Amantha." She squeezed my hand for the last time and started walking, picking at her nails and nervously looking around. As my sister sat on the stool with the hat on her head, my heart started pounding like crazy. 10 seconds, 30, 1 minute, 2 minutes. Then it shouted „Gryffindor" out loud, and Ara smiled tiredly, but happily. She gave me an encouraging smile while she walked to the Gryffindor table. „Williams, Lawrence." McGonagall said, and I started walking, my legs feeling heavy as lead. I sat down, and the hat covered up my sight. I only saw darkness. How comforting. „Ahhh, the other one." That's how being twins is: you'll always  be the other one, the other half. „A great mind you have, indeed. A great desire to prove yourself and risk your life for your loved ones. Nearly a copy of your sister, you are. But much more like your father; yes, you'll fit best in Slytherin." The last word he shouted. McGonagall removed the hat from my head, and I walked to the Slytherin table, feeling uneasy. I'm separated from my sister. We never were. It was only us against the world. Now we'll only see each other outside of school. I sit down on the bench; next to me is a boy with brown hair, seeming quite shy. Across from me sits a boy with platinum blond hair who smiles at me, but it was not the warm kind. „I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. And you are?" He holds his hand to me. „Lawrence Williams." My voice was shaky and low. I shake his hand, but it doesn't feel right, like something's- someone's- missing. I glance to the Gryffindor table, seeing Ara laughing with an older student. She notices my glance and waves at me. I just smiled sadly. „This Gryffindor, it's your sister, right?" Malfoy asked. I only nodded, not being able to do anything else. „It's quite uncommon that siblings are in different houses, especially Gryffindor and Slytherin. I don't even recognize your last name. It's not a pureblood name." He was right, but I swallowed, feeling a knot in my throat. „Who are your parents? Are they purebloods? My father always says that Slytherin needs to stay clean." I stopped listening; I don't want to listen to his babble about his father. It tires me. „So what about you?" Draco finally stopped talking, and I looked up. „Hmm?" I'm a bad listener; I only listen to my sister, who, in fact, doesn't babble some stupid stuff. „Your parents." Malfoy explained, and I sighed. „They're dead." I rubbed my forehead; everything felt so exhausting. „My father was in Slytherin, though." I added, just to avoid that he thinks he should feel pity. „I'm sorry; I didn't mean to-" I held up my hand. „It's alright." During our little chat, the food appeared magically. I've never seen so much food in my entire life. Maybe I should quit thinking so negatively, and maybe life isn't that bad here. But just maybe.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

AMANTHA
I could sense Laurie's disappointment, but I couldn't dwell on it. My thoughts drifted to what the Sorting Hat had revealed – I was more like my mother, a Gryffindor witch. If she possessed magical abilities, how could she have died? "So your brother is one of those snakes. Weird combination," a ginger beside me remarked. Snapping back to reality, I struggled to catch up. "What?" I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to organize my thoughts amid the day's whirlwind. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired. Who are you?" I found myself facing two identical faces – twins. "I'm Fred," said the first ginger twin. "And I'm George. Always at your service," the second one added, bowing slightly. "And this is our charming brother." They pointed to another ginger, forming a trio. "How many are you guys?" I asked, scanning for more gingers. "Way too many," mumbled the youngest one, Rudolf or something like that; names are a struggle for me. As the food appeared magically, I marveled, "How I love magic." Observing the lively atmosphere, I glanced at the teachers' table. All seemed friendly, except a stern-looking teacher with long black hair and another wearing a turban. The latter caught my gaze, making me quickly look down at my plate, uninterested in the food. The boy on my right, noticed my hesitation. "You don't want to eat anything?" he inquired. I examined him – dark brown, almost black, hair, worn glasses, and a faint scar on his forehead. "I'm fine. What was your name again?" I asked politely. "I'm Harry," he replied with a smile, revealing he was the Harry Potter everyone was excited about. "Why was everyone so excited about you?" I questioned, sipping from my cup. "You don't know Harry Potter?" someone else asked in shock. I shook my head, prompting Harry to explain, "Well, my parents died, and I survived. That's why. Trust me, I don't want to be known as the boy who lived. I would give anything to change with you." He scratched his head, and I responded, "My parents are dead too." An uneasy silence hung in the air. I glanced at the Slytherin table, where Laurie was engrossed in conversation. "Then we can pair up," Harry joked, and I smiled. Hogwarts might not be so bad, I hoped.