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It was only Lina's second day at Hogwarts when she realised just how much she loved it there, she loved her lessons she had already had specifically herbology taught by Professor Sprout her head of year and she got on perfectly well with the people in her dormitory, although there was one thing or rather person that she didn't like and that was Peeves the poltergeist.
The morning of her second full day she was walking to breakfast alone when the incident occurred, she had been minding her own business when she noticed that her shoelace was untied, she bent down to tie it when she was suddenly doused in freezing cold water, she jumped up yelping in surprise.
"Ha! Ha! Got you, got you" the poltergeist was bent over double in mid-air laughing "you should have seen your face priceless."
"Peeves" a very stern voice yelled and another ghost floated towards them, he had chains wrapped around him and his pearly white translucent robes had some sort of strain on them, Lina shuddered knowing it was most likely blood, that and she was getting increasingly colder from the water. Lina knew this was the bloody barren, the ghost of Slytherin. The barren opened his mouth to yell at Peeves but before he could he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the barren shook his head and turned to Lina "I am terribly sorry about him miss-"
"Black, Lina Black" she answered shivering.
"Miss Black, you wouldn't happen to be a member of the family of black would you?" He floated down so he was eye level with her.
"Yes," Lina looked around the corridor to make sure no one else was around before continuing "Sirius Black is my father."
"Ah, Sirius Black. Yes, I remember him always getting into trouble with James potter. Don't worry about Peeves Miss Black he won't be bothering you again" he gave her a kind smile and a nod of the head before floating away.
Lina was grateful for what the barren implied and she didn't want to sound ungrateful but that didn't exactly help the cold wet situation she was in now, the most obvious answer was to go back to the common room to shower and change quickly but that would most likely mean missing breakfast.
"Hey, cuz" Lina turned around to see Tonks running towards her but stopped she got a few inches away "Woah what happened to you?" She picked up a strand of Lina's brunette wet hair.
"Peeves got me with water" she sniffed, not because she was gonna cry but because of the coldness.
"I'm gonna kill him" Tonks mumbled. "Here" she pulled out her wand and pointed it at Lina, hot air shot out from the top of her wand and only a minute later Lina was bone dry again.
"Thanks, Dora."
"Don't worry about it" the pair silently walked to the great hall, Tonks kept glancing over at her cousin, something was up.
"Alright, what's up" Tonks finally asked as they walked into the great hall.
"Nothing" Lina mumbled.
"Liar!" Several students turned their heads to the pair.
"Dora" Lina groaned not liking the attention from other students.
"Then tell me what's wrong or I'll just get louder' she opened her mouth ready to yell but before she could Lina reached up and placed a hand over her mouth.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you just be quiet."
Tonks smirked and sat down, she gestured for Lina to take the seat opposite her "so what is it?"
"To start off with its pretty stupid but the bloody barren helped me with Peeves, he asked my name and when I told him he knew I was apart of the black family" Lina leaned forward and lowered her voice, even more, This was a conversation she didn't want anyone to hear "Do you ever feel burdened being attached to the black family?"
Tonks looked at her cousin sympathetic, even though Lina had for the most part always acted older than she was but she was only just eleven she shouldn't have to be worrying about this.
"No."
"I guess it's easier if you don't have the Black surname, you and aunt Andie are the only two other people who know what it's like to be a disgraced member of our family."
"There's your dad."
Lina shrugged "but I'm never going to meet him. Not properly anyway."
"Does anyone know he's your dad apart from the obvious?"
Lina shook her head "no and if there are students and teachers who do know they haven't told me" Lina looked around, a massive group of students including Cedric and his friends had just entered the hall "I'll be fine Dora, it's just sometimes I feel things about our family and my parents stronger than I do at other times. You know it's funny uncle Remus told me that being at Hogwarts I'd feel more connected to my parents than I ever had before, it's only the second day and he's right."
***
After her conversation with Tonks Lina felt better, a part of her always felt burdened by her last name and now being at Hogwarts she was scared what would happen if people found out about her father but she wouldn't let her fear control her, there was honestly no point.
On her third night as she sat in bed she finally wrote a letter to her uncle.
Dear uncle Remus,
I got placed in Hufflepuff! I hope you're not disappointed. The common room is great and so are the lessons I've had so far, although Peeves not so much he drenched me in freezing cold water this morning if it wasn't for Dora I would have missed breakfast. I haven't got any other news to report only that you were right when you said I'd feel more connected to my parents. I am well and hope you are too and that there isn't any problems if you know what I mean. I'll write again soon hopefully with more exciting next Hope you don't miss me too much, Lots of love, Lina.
Lina folded up the letter, put it in an envelope and wrote the address on it, she put the letter in her bedside table ready to send off tomorrow.
"Who are you writing too?" Zoe smith the girl in the bed next to Lina's asked as she plaited for hair, Lina had noticed so far she did this every night.
"My uncle" Lina answered.
"Not your parents?" Rose Winters asked from the bed that was the furtherest away.
"No" Lina replied looking away from the girls briefly before looking back up.
"Why not?" Hayley asked, her bed was next to Rose's.
"My mother's dead and my father isn't around."
All girls grew quiet "I'm sorry for you loss" Jane said, her bed was in between Hayley's and Zoe's.
"Thanks, it was years ago I barely remember them" Lina who didn't want to have that conversation tonight decided sleep was the best option, she didn't want to come across rude to the other girls when they had all been getting along so well but after her talk with Dora she was drained of speaking about her family. "It's been a long day, I'm gonna go to sleep, night" the other girls chorused a goodnight back, she rolled over hugging her wolf bear tighter than she had ever done before.
