the valerian in your thoughts

chapter one

September 1991

Callie didn't flinch when the whole carriage shook as she landed on the school's grounds. The tinted windows forbad her to take a look on the outside; she had only seen Hogwarts from newspapers so far. Somebody – she guessed it was the young man who had led the flying horses – opened the door and stinging light blinded her eyes.

After spending two hours in almost the dark she wasn't used to brightness yet. His tall, lanky figure, put in the light blue suit, appeared next to her and she refused to even give him a small glance when he offered his hand.

'We have arrived.' he said, sounding rather annoyed by her obstinacy and she scoffed.

'I can tell. And thanks,' - she slowly turned her head to meet his big eyes - 'but I can get out myself.'

His hand flinched back as she moved, waking up her numb legs and tired eyes. He stood by the door, eyes fixed on the electric rings that tied her hands together. She knew not to move them, or any contact with the floating cuffs give her shocks that'd take the breath out of her lungs. Finally, Callie felt something softer than rough wood under her feet; fresh green grass. Her gaze fell on the enormous castle in front of her, grey stone rising from the ground and almost touching clouds. It looked old, isolated, but the yellow light in most parts of it told her different. She found it more fitting as a school. The French preferred to make theirs look like royal buildings, not schools.

She spotted a tall body next to the carriage, twice the size of a normal human but with double the amount of hair. His pitch-black eyes looked like little dots behind the true mane of a beard. He was stroking the horses, calming them down with a low, husky, voice, but his gaze quickly wandered to the two as they approached him. Him and the girl's supervisor exchanged a look, and he got closer, limping a bit on his left leg. The carrier tried leading her forwards by touching her right lower arm, but she moved away before he could.

'Don't you dare, paperboy.'

He did not know of what was underneath, but it was not to be touched.

'Do me a favor and try to do better here. You won't get a third chance.' he sighed.

The girl smirked, and in different circumstances it would have been a truly content one.

'Just give the headmaster my best wishes. I brought some life in her school.'

☙❧

They passed a large forest, crossed hills and now a long bridge, which saved them from falling down a deep, dark ditch. She had spent the slow walk examining her surroundings while absently tracing the burning ink on her right hand with her left fingers.

The big man led her through a courtyard, a forbidden beautiful one, she must admit. Quite enchanted. And the castle's size even impressed her now at closer examination.

'You will be sorted soon; know the houses?', he asked, and she nodded.

They made her read a whole guide about the school's history and the castle's properties. She believed to know everything essential to know about anything.

'Where is my luggage?', she said, slightly worrying about the precious content.

'The boy will hand them over to the elves. Got a house, they'll bring it to yer dorm.'

Her gaze was fixed on the big entrance where an old witch was already waiting; she was looking at the approaching figures, and especially her, with pure askance. She wore an emerald robe, and her hair was put in a very tight looking bun. Her hands were clutched around a piece of parchment. The young girl guessed she was a teacher at Hogwarts, other than the musty giant.

The witch cleared her throat.

'Callie Michon?'

Her name sounded oddly uncomforting coming from her mouth, clear, not what she was used to back in West Europe. Her old teachers never used her first name, only calling her by her last. But that witch had just dropped it as if it was nothing because it was.

They just couldn't see it back there.

'Thanks Hagrid, I'll take her from here.', the teacher uttered, speaking as if Callie wasn't even here, but as the two women moved forward, he still stayed close behind her.

'The headmaster's orders; until the ceremony begins.', he explained to the woman's suspicious gaze.

Now she eyed Callie from the side, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The girl didn't look back at her; she knew the look that was given to her; the expression that was lying on the teacher's elder face and revealed that she already thought no good of the new student. She knew she looked at her a bit distraught, that she looked at her face, her hands, the glove on her hand.

That none of her glances were approving ones.

'Dear, you must have caused your school greater trouble than we believed.'

Callie stared at her blankly.

'Michon's power lies in 'er family. She is lucky to be wealthy. In all my years, my school 'as never seen such a beast of a girl.'

And she resisted the urge to agree.

☙❧

He was watching the fellow first year students making their way up to the sorting hat when their names were called and snorted. He clapped politely when one was sorted into Slytherin and grimaced at the students who were being sorted into the other ones; recalling his first time entering the Great Hall, but was sure to having been half as excited as them. Flitwick now took over the sorting after McGonagall had left the Great Hall a bit ago.

During the ceremony, some were listening, some were chattering with their fellow friends and also his mates kept on trying to get his attention. Especially this year, they were clingy, and it has only been the first day. Flint tried winning him over for the Quidditch team already, as he had achieved it the last year. Having seen Potter going into misery surely had been amusing; he wouldn't want to miss that this year. Flint was still in a rant about his plans of success this year. Some second years kept fooling around until he shot them a death glare and Crabbe crackled his knuckles. He also did not miss the glances some girls shot at him, but he'd just share one with a few of the lucky ones. Yet it would turn boring a mere second later, because in the end, none of them were worth his time or effort.

'Malfoy, if you keep on doin' that face, it might get stuck.', Zabini tried to joke, but not one single chuckle escaped his mouth.

He lifted his head slightly when McGonagall entered the hall with quick steps, yet she just took her seat next to Dumbledore and husked something to him.

'Merlin's beard, this place needs some change.'

Draco rested his head in his hands and blankly stared at the opposite hall wall. Zabini just continued chattering. And they were only allowed to their dorms after dinner. 

His wish was granted, however; change was about to strut through the hall with piercing eyes that could cut sharp glass.

All of Hogwarts' turned when the big entrance doors opened loudly and two figures, a tall and a rather short one entered the hall. Hagrid was easy to recognize; how should one miss that big mountain of a man. What unsettled everyone, and it was obvious at the tension in the air, was the girl in front of him. She set one foot in front of the other, the heels of her black boots clicking loudly in the silent hall.

Even the teachers were frozen; Dumbledore had just stopped his annual speech, but he didn't need to tell the Hogwarts students to quiet down; he seemed frozen as well.

All were watching the girl in black in silence and shock.