The Past is the Future

CHAPTER 10. - FRIENDS

2nd of Septmeber 1975, Hospital Wing, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"So what was it like at Ilvermony?" asked Remus, curiousity getting the best of him.

At that question, the smile dropped from my face...

I didn't really know anything about Ilvermony...

I panicked...

But then, as if the knowledge was planted right inside my brain...

"Well, it's really similar to Hogwarts, only Ilvermony is bit smaller. Ilvermorny Castle is on top of the highest peak of in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. lvermorny was founded in 1627, 637 years after Hogwarts, and the school was originally just a containing two teachers and two students. Ilvermorny was originally a stone house constructed by Irish immigrant Isold Sayre, and her No-Maj husband James Steward."

"Did you also have houses like Hogwarts? We have Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

"We're all in Gryffindor!" they said simultaneously, pointing at eachother and laughing.

"Oh yes!" I said. "We also have four houses: Horned Serpent that represents the mind and favours scholars, Wampus that represents the body and favours warriors, Thunderbird that represents the soul and favours adventurers and finally Pukwudgie that represents the heart and favours healers."

"What house were you in?"

"I was in Thunderbird!" I smiled, the lies getting easier. "It's like Gryffindor."

"Hey that's our house!" exclaimed Sirius.

"You might belong in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart. Their daring, nerve and chivalry, sert Gryffindors appart!" said James, and he mimed holding an imaginary sword.

I laughed.

"Do you also have a sorting ceremony?" asked Remus. "For example here at Hogwarts, we have to put on the Sorting Hat, and the hat has to decide which house we will be in."

"We also have a sorting ceremony. When a student started their education at Ilvermorny, they would step onto a Gordian Knot on the floor in the centre of the enterance hall, with large wooden statues of the mascots of the four houses facing them. The carved statues would react if they wanted the student in their house. The older students watched from a circular balcony on a floor above them as the new students were sorted. The carvings reacted in different ways: the crystal in the Horned Serpent carving's forehead glowed, the Wampus carving roared, the Thunderbird carving beat its wings, and the Pukwudgie carving raised its arrow. However, sometimes more than one carving would try to select the same student. If this happened, the student would be able to choose the house they preferred."

"I got chosen by both Wampus and Thunderbird, but I felt like Thunderbird represented the qualities I valued better so I chose it over Wampus." I said. "And after the sorting, the student would be brought to a large hall where they were chosen once more, this time by a wand. Coincidentally, my first wand had a thunderbird tail feather core. Prior to the end of Rappaport's Law, children could not have a wand prior to schooling and had to leave their wand at school during school breaks, and could only take the wand out of school when they reached seventeen years of age. The robes of Ilvermorny were blue and cranberry and were fastened by a gold Gordian Knot."

"Oh wow!" breathed Peter. "That sounds so cool!" 

I smiled at him. 

"But the subjects were pretty much the same, aswell as the O.W.L.s and the N.E.W.T.s."

"So what made you come back here again?" asked Sirius. 

My smile vanished again...

"My parents were killed..." I said simply, with no emotion. 

The Marauders gasped. 

"Oh!" said Sirius, whilst covering his mouth. "I'm so sorry I asked, I wasn't thinking!" 

I offered him a weak smile...

"It's ok, you didn't know..."

"Anyway, I came back here because my great uncle Albus offered to take care of me. But on the way here I was attacked, probably by the same people that killed my parents, so that's where I got all my injuried from."

"Wait a minute..." frowned Peter, as if in deep thought. "By great uncle Albus, do you mean the Albus Dumbledore?" 

"Yes, the one and only!" 

"Wow!"

That was all the Marauders could say.

I laughed.

But then I remembered...

I said I was ok, but now, I realised that my real parents and even the rest of my family and friends were gone... Perhaps not dead, but I was most probably never going to see them again...

I felt so alone and heartbroken that tears welled up in my eyes and then rolled down my cheeks...

I didn't even realise I was crying until I felt Sirius' strong arms around me. I snuggled further into his warm and soft embrace, inhalining the scent of him. He smelled musky: of leather, whisky and smoke. Somehow, his smell comforted me. He was rubbing soothing circles onto my back. Remus was holding my hand trying to calm me down and James was whispered words of comfort into my ear. 

Peter just stood there, as if unsure of what to do, but then reached into his pocket and took out a chocolate bar and a handkerchief, which he offered to me. 

I smiled weakly at him...

I accepted the handkerchief and dried my tears, but left the chocolate untouched.

My crying now turned to occasional sobs and sniffles.

"Thank you..." I whispered once I had calmed down. "All of you..." 

"Hey, that's what friends are for!" said Sirius softly. 

"Friends?" I whispered, as in disbelief. 

"Yes, friends!" said Remus with a smile. 

"You bet we are!" grinned James. 

"Of course!" Peter joined in. "You can count on us!" 

This time, I gave them a real and genuine smile...

Friends...

Please make sure to review and vote for my story!

Thank you!

Maggie

TO BE CONTINUED...