So it begins
Kara Danvers enjoyed the simple things in life. She had come to live with Eliza and Alex Danvers when she was 2 years old, after her parents and Alex’s dad, Jerimiah, had died in a house fire. Despite their circumstances, they had a happy childhood. They became best friends and the two drove their mom Eliza crazy with their adventures. Alex was only 2 years older but she always made sure to look out for her little sister, whether it be fighting kids on the playground who so much as looked at Kara the wrong way or just being there whenever Kara needed her.
Eliza Danvers never talks about the night of the accident, and for good reason. There was much more to the story of the events that occurred that night. Eliza knew that one day she would have to tell the girls the truth, about how Lord Voldemort had murdered Kara's parents along with Jerimiah and how Kara by some miracle had survived. It does remain a mystery however, how a 2-year-old survived and the Dark Lord seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
They had all made a vow within the Order that no matter what happened their children would always be taken care of, and so as promised, she took Kara in and raised her as her own daughter. The Dark Lord presumed dead and his followers known as the Death Eaters had scattered attempting to escape the fate of Azkaban. Those still remaining in the Order decided that from then on Lord Voldemort’s name would never be spoken again and the events of that painful memory remain in the past.
Eliza never kept them out of the Wizarding world entirely, but wanted to wait until they were old enough to go to Hogwarts before she fully immersed them into that world. Eliza would always tell the girls stories of her younger self at Hogwarts and all the adventures she went on, how she met Jerimiah and Kara’s parents and how the 4 of them became the best of friends.
Alex and Kara grew up falling asleep to stories of the magic that awaits them at Hogwarts and both girls couldn’t wait until it was their time to go. Kara always knew the time would come when Alex would go to Hogwarts before her, that’s why when Alex had finally got her letter to attend Hogwarts Kara was even more eager to go.
They spent that summer together, Eliza enjoying the last moments of having both girls around before Alex would leave them. On the last day as Alex made sure she had everything packed and ready to go Kara came into Alex’s room with the saddest frown she had ever seen. Alex knew this was going to be hard for Kara, but she was also optimistic that soon enough Kara would join her.
“Kar. Please don’t come in here with those sad puppy dog eyes. I'll be back before you know it and I already told you I’d tell you all about everything.” She says rolling her eyes.
“I Know, butttt I’ve never been without you before.” Kara says flopping down on Alex’s bed.
With a sigh Alex goes to join her on the bed.
“Look Kar. You know I am always here for you. I always have been and that doesn’t change just because I’m leaving. Think about it this way, by the time you get there I’ll already know the ropes and can help you when it’s your time!”
“I guess. Just promise that you won’t get too cool for me?” Kara huffs out.
Alex breaks out into laughter “You know little sis; I will try my best but no promises.’’
Kara looks her dead in the eyes and goes to hit her but Alex is fast enough to jump off and run out of the room. All Eliza hears is two sets of footsteps stomping down the stairs and then what sounds like wrestling.
“Girls! You know better than that!”
“Sorry!” both girls say in unison as Alex has Kara in a headlock. Eliza looks at the sight before her and knows these are the moments she’s going to miss. (even though she would never tell them that)
The following morning, Eliza made the girls breakfast, ensured Alex had everything she needed and then they headed off to King’s Cross station.
Most of the car ride Kara remained pretty silent. She was happy for her sister but there was also a pang of jealousy, why couldn’t she be older already?
Platform 9 3⁄4 was just as Eliza had remembered it, but to Kara and Alex it was like this mystical portal and both were enthralled. On the other side was like a whole other world, people were bustling around and families saying goodbye to one another. Eliza gave Alex her the usual motherly talk and with a few tears bid her daughter farewell.
“Well this is it. I'll see you in the winter for break okay? Look after mom while I’m gone.” Alex says as she hugs Kara goodbye.
Kara doesn’t say anything, she just nods her understanding and watches as Alex boards the train.
Kara and Eliza still heard from Alex from time to time, Kara always read her letters with such amazement and it only added fuel to her desire to go. Before she knew it, it was Christmas break and Alex would be back with them.
Not long after Alex set foot into the house Kara started spewing all the questions, she wanted to ask her sister.
“Okay! So, like what is the food like? Are there really ghosts that just roam around? Is it true that the paintings talk? What’s been your favorite...”
“Kara please, give your sister some time to settle in before you bombard her with questions” Eliza chuckles attempting to calm a very flustered Kara.
“Yeah Nerd, I’m starving I’ll tell you all about it tonight I swear.” Alex says with a wink as she places a hand on Kara's shoulder to bring her back to reality.
As promised, that night at dinner Alex filled them in about what she had been up to. She had already written to tell them she had been sorted into Gryffindor, even though Eliza had been a Ravenclaw she was still incredibly proud of her daughter. Alex answered all of Kara’s questions and watched as her sister sat there with wide eyes just taking it all in. She told them about the friends she had made named Maggie and Lucy. At first, her and Maggie didn’t like each other, but over the course of a few months they ended up becoming good friends.
Time went by way too fast for Kara’s liking and before she knew it Alex was off again.
That pattern continued; she would leave at the end of the summer, come back for winter break and then finish her year. Finally, after 2 years of waiting it was Kara's turn to go to Hogwarts.
This was going to be Kara’s year; she could just feel it.
Kara was finally boarding the train to Hogwarts ready to start her first year.
After her and Alex said their goodbyes to a teary Eliza both girls boarded the train. Kara was lucky to have Alex who assured her that she could sit with her on the ride there.
As they made their way past the compartments, each holding students with the varying houses, Alex finally stopped in front of the compartment holding a few other people. Alex quickly opens the door and is greeted with all smiles.
“Well, well, well, nice of you to finally join us Danvers” A shorter girl with dark hair says with a smirk as she punches Alex in the shoulder.
“Yeah yeah, whatever Sawyer” Alex responds swatting at the other girl and waving one of the other girls in the car.
“Soooo Danvers are you going to introduce us to the shadow behind you?” the same girl asks curiously.
“Oh yes! Yes, umm this is my little sister Kara. Kara this is Maggie Sawyer.” Alex says with a hint of a blush.
“Ah, you must be the famous little Danvers I hear so much about.’’ Maggie says outstretching her hand for Kara to shake. Fidgeting with her glasses Kara returns the hand shake and responds with a nervous chuckle “all good things I hope?” “Mostly.” Maggie says with a wink.
As Kara and Alex find empty seats, the rest of the group introduces themselves.
“How rude of me, these are the other misfits I’ve seemed to have picked up.” Maggie says as she gestures to the others in the compartment.
With an eye roll the other responds. “Really Maggie? I’d hardly call myself a misfit. These other two I’m not quite sure about yet.” She waves her hands at two others boys sitting quietly watching the whole interaction. “My name is Lucy, Lucy Lane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She gives Kara a genuine smile.
After a few seconds of silence, Lucy clears her throat “And these two are...”
“Right! Yes Winn. Winn Schott.” The first boy practically jumps out of his chair. “I’m sorry we didn’t know where else to sit” he says looking almost embarrassed.
“Relax Boy scout, we’re only teasing you.” Maggie interrupts him and turns her attention to one of the boys in the corner.
“Hi, ummm I’m Barry. Barry Allen.” He responds in almost a whisper as all eyes are now on him.
At this point, Maggie, Alex and Lucy are laughing at how ridiculously shy these boys seem to be.
“Barry huh? So, Barry, tell us something about yourself.
That’s how they spend the most of their ride to Hogwarts. Maggie, Lucy and Alex were all Gryffindors and share the gossip of who is who at Hogwarts. The girls talked about how Maggie spent most of her summer working on her flying so she could try out for the Gryffindor team this year, seeing as they
were out a seeker after theirs graduated last year. Lucy spent her summer following her sister around who worked at the Daily Prophet and Alex spent a majority either with Kara or reading her Defense against the Dark Arts books. After having class with Professor Snape this last year Alex had really gotten into learning all about the different magical creatures and how to manage them. As they neared the end of their ride, people slowly began to gather their things. Kara knew at this point she would separate from Alex and her anxiety started to get the best of her. Just as she had expected, when they finally came to a stop and everyone stepped off the train, she heard a booming voice calling all first years. Sensing her anxiety, Alex stops Kara before she makes her way to the carriages on the right.
“Kar. Breathe. It's going to be okay. No matter what happens you are finally here with me and I will always look after you, you know that right?
With a small sigh Kara finally looks Alex in the eyes. “Always.” Alex brings Kara into a reassuring hug. “You got this. You’re going to be great.” She whispers into Kara’s ear.
As they break apart Maggie and Lucy come into view.
“Come on Danvers! We want to get a good carriage this year! And Little Danvers! We will see you on the other side.” Maggie says with a wink.
Kara watches the trio walk the other way and turns to catch up with the other first years.
Kara is in complete awe as the boats take them across the Black Lake. In the distance you can see the school grounds and the castle entirely lit up. She will admit that the eerie calmness and darkness of the Lake is a little off putting, but she tries not to dwell on that too much. In what seems like a blur, they finally make their way into the castle. Kara is thankful to have some familiar faces, even if she had just met them. The boys seem to be in just as much awe as Kara, their wide eyes taking everything in.
The group of first years are gathered outside what Kara assumes is the great hall where they wait patiently for whatever comes next.
An older woman makes her way out of the hall dressed in an emerald green robe. Kara notes she had a very stern face and looked like a no-nonsense type of professor. She walks up until she is facing the group and looks all the first years up and down. Almost displeased.
“Welcome to Hogwarts I am Professor Grant.” She says before continuing on. “The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up and follow me”
If Kara thought the outside of the castle was mesmerizing enough, as soon as the doors opened into the Great Hall she was hit with another wave of awe. The Great Hall was something out of a fairy tale, ahead of her were four different rows of tables. Each lined with students who were laughing and catching up with one another about how their summer break had been. The whole atmosphere felt warm, and as Kara proceeded into the hall, she looked up to notice that it was lit up by thousands of candles floating above.
As Kara made her way down the middle of the great hall, most of the chatter previously heard had ceased. To ease her nerves, she looked around hoping to spot Alex in the crowd. As the neared the end Kara looks to the left and catches a glimpse of Alex. Sitting next to her are Maggie and Lucy who all give her a welcome smile. It's what she needed and she was much more at ease. They come to a stop at the front, ahead of her up on a platform, are a row of teachers. Professor Grant steps ahead and grabs a stool holding a pretty beat up looking hat.
“huh? This must be the sorting hat.” Kara thinks to herself.
The Hat starts to sing, which startles Kara slightly. Honestly, she wasn’t paying too much attention to what was singing, she was more curious about the fact that a hat was singing at all.
Sure, Eliza had used magic before but for the most part they grew up relatively normal. This however, was a whole new world for Kara, one that would prove to amaze her every day. Once the hat was done singing, Professor Grant stepped forward.
“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted"
One by one she would call names and students would walk up to the hat, take a seat as it was placed on their heads and it would call out their houses. She didn’t know any of the first few people the names that were called up but she found it endearing how after they were sorted their respective hoses they would cheer for their new initiates.
“Barry Allen!” she heard Professor Grant call out.
Now that name she knew, she turns to look at the boy and gives him a reassuring smile as he walks up.
“Hufflepuff!” The Hat yells out. With a huge grin and a room of applause Barry steps off the stool and is welcomed by the other Hufflepuffs.
Next is Winn.
“Winn Schott!” Professor Grant calls out bringing Kara back to reality. The Hat seemed to take a little bit longer with Winn. She would later find out it was because the choice between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had been tough, Winn possessed many qualities of both. He was ultimately sorted into Hufflepuff and Kara wasn’t all that surprised. Most of the students walked up the sorting hat with hesitation, which was understandable. One boy who Kara had briefly seen, didn’t even let Professor Grant finish his name before he pushed a few people out of the way.
“Mike Matthews!”
He definitely had confidence; Kara would give him that. She had also noted that he had a boyish charm about him that radiated arrogance, which she rolled her eyes internally at. “Slytherin!” The hat yelled, which provoked cheers from the Slytherin table. As he walked off the stage, he made a point to throw a wink at Kara as he walked by before throwing his hands up and joining the cheers.
“Kara Danvers!”
This was it.
Kara took a deep breath and walked up the stage to take a seat. As the sorting hat was placed on her head her thoughts flashed between memories of her and Alex growing up with Eliza and how she had finally made it here. “Hmm interesting.” A voice inside her head said. “Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either.” It continued. Kara hadn’t really thought too much about what house she would be in. Eliza was a Ravenclaw and Alex a Gryffindor, all she really knew is that she definitely was NOT a Slytherin. “Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that.”
Kara let the thought cross her mind for a brief second. What greatness could Kara possibly be capable of? “No? Well, if you're sure -- better be Hufflepuff!!"
Kara smiled when the hat was finally lifted off her head, she looked straight to Alex who only beamed up at her sister, returning her huge grin.
Alex wouldn’t lie, she had hoped Kara could be in Gryffindor with her, but she knew her sister well enough to know Hufflepuff was exactly where she belonged. Alex was bold and brave, Gryffindor made sense for her. Kara was patient and loyal and Hufflepuff seemed like the place Kara would feel the most accepted.
Kara made her way to the Hufflepuff table where she was greeted with happy faces, she was relieved to at least have Winn and Barry with her. Kara took her seat and watched as the remaining students were sorted. They got a few more Hufflepuffs, and the rest were divided between the remaining houses.
“Lena Luthor!” All the applause and cheers had stopped and all eyes watched the young girl with curiosity.
What Kara hadn’t noticed during the blur after arriving, was a girl who was slightly shorter than herself with long dark raven hair and emerald green eyes. She seemed probably even more nervous than Kara had been, but what really stuck out was how sad the girl looked. Kara couldn’t look away, she watched as the girl took her seat at the sorting hat, and almost as quickly the hat yelled out.
“Slytherin!” followed by the usual applause. She watched as the girl with her head down walked past everyone else and walked straight to the Slytherin table. She only looked up when she was greeted by the fellow Slytherins at her table and took her seat in silence.
Lena Luthor.
Kara couldn’t help but wonder about the mystery girl, something about her intrigued Kara and she couldn’t understand why. Who was this Lena Luthor?
The rest of the evening was filled with as much food as Kara could scarf down as she got to learn more about her classmates. All in all, the evening had been better than anything she could have ever imagined.
After dinner, they made their way down a corridor past the kitchens (which Kara passed knowing she would be there often) and finally stopped in front of a seemingly random pile of barrels. The head Boy had explained to them how the entrance worked. They soon entered a common room filled with yellow banners and a cozy area with plenty of arm chairs. As all the first years made their way in, Winn stops and nudges Kara in the side. “Cool huh!”
“Totally! This is awesome” Barry cuts in as he drapes both arms over Winn and Kara.
“This year is so totally going to rock!” he continues.
Kara smiles as she takes a look around, she knew she would feel right at home.