Almost Gryffindor's and Oranges
2nd September, 1986
Maggie had a lot of things. A lot of things that she now had to unpack. And while she had a week to do so, she was doubting whether she could manage it or not. Allera was almost done of course but Maggie had been too busy wandering around the castle, someone really needed to make a better map than the one they’ve been given. There was a slim chance she’d have the castle memorized in time for lessons. First year’s didn’t start until the next week, giving them a week to adjust to the new castle and overall Hogwarts life.
“Where is it? I know I packed it” Maggie said to herself. She had thrown half of her trunk across her bed in search of her missing items.
“Whatcha looking for?”Sarah asked. Sarah Nighland is Maggie’s other roommate, and she likes her considerably less than Allera. She thinks she’s better than everyone, brags about how smart she is all the time and her best friend is a nasty piece of work.
“My camera, it should be here”. She knows she packed it, checked for it five times in fact, it's too important to be left behind. It’s the one Sirius gave her, the one that is responsible for all the pictures that are also packed away in her trunk.
Maggie ended up bringing practically all of her possessions, she’d never had many things before, how could she just leave them behind? So every picture, trinket, jewelry, clothing item was packed into her little trunk, very tightly.
“Is it the one on the bed?”, Allera asks, holding the exact thing she’d been looking for. “Merlin thanks A, I was going crazy”
“What's so special about it”, Sarah asked, now flipping through a magazeen, Maggie didn’t miss the eyeroll.
“My dad gave it to me”, Maggie muttered. She had no idea why she felt so embarrassed about this all. She just liked to keep her personal life quiet sometimes, especially since she had two dads. While she loves them with her whole heart, people don’t agree with their ‘lifestyle’.
She’d notice it when they went out to dinner, or for ice cream, or for walks, or anywhere really, all the funny looks, the side eyes, the muttering. It follows her everywhere she goes. Not many people would put up with it, but her fathers just love each other too much. Maggie never believed in soulmates until she met her parents, James and Lily, and Dorcas and Marleen. They are all just made for each other.
“Helloooo, Maggie did you hear me?”Allera asks, waving her hands in front of Maggie's face. She blinks a couple times, adjusting back to reality. “What sorry”
Allera just laughs, “I asked if you liked taking pictures”
“Oh yeah, I'll show you them sometime, once I unpack I mean”
“Yes i’d love that”, she glanced at the clock next to her bedside, “bollocks I promised to go to meet Jacob and Estelle, wanna come”
Maggie thought for a second, she didn’t really want to walk down all those stairs, but she also didn’t want to unpack-and Allera is much better company than Sarah. “Yeah, yeah give me a second.” She placed the camera in the drawer, not wanting to lose it again.
Jacob is waiting downstairs in the common room on a plush blue seat, close to the giant statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. He jumps up from his spot when he sees his sister waving, almost tripping over a pile of books someone left out. It’s one of the hazards living in Ravenclaw, people leave books out since they have their own library.
They made their way down to the Great Hall, where Estelle was already sitting at the Gryffindor table. It probably makes more sense to sit at the Ravenclaw Table, but who is she to question?
“Morning crew, how’s everyone doing?''Estelle, like Allera, is oddly chipper, but add a quidditch obsession on top of it. Maggie likes her well enough though, she's nice and has the same bravado that Maggie's own family has, which must be a Gryffindor thing.
Before anyone can answer a swarm of owls comes flooding into the Great Hall, dropping letters and spilling cups of juice and tea. A total of seven letters and a small package fall into Maggie’s lap, causing everyone around her to stare in shock. “Woah someone’s popular” Estelle teases.
Maggie doesn't care though, she's too enamored in her letters. She got one from the Potters where Lily said she’s happy someone else in the family has brains, James said she should check out the quidditch team, and Harry sent a drawing he made of her wearing blue Ravenclaw robes. It was a little hard to tell, but Lily told her what it was in her note. One from Peter who told her how to get in the kitchens, one from Mary who said she’s going to find some blue and bronze earrings, one from Marleen and Dorcas who said Ravenclaw Girls were always hot (secretly she appreciated that one), one from Uncle Reg who was happy she wasn’t a Gryffindor. All of them said that they were proud of her and that they miss her. But the most important two were from her fathers.
Mags,
Ravenclaw, look at you-you little swot! Knew you were too smart for us. I miss you already and I’m going out today to buy some Ravenclaw gear to put in the house and wear to games. Go Eagles! They aren’t as cool as Lions but second best house, way to go! Make sure to give all my love to McGonagall, I'm her favorite and I know that she has missed me terribly. Write to us all the time, and make sure to tell your Uncle Reg that the hat almost put you in Gryffindor. 5 galleons to you if you do!I miss you and can’t wait to see you at Christmas! Send some pictures too, Ill send you some film so no excuses! I love you Mags, just know that.
Love,
Dad
Maggie rolled her eyes, but she smiled through the whole letter. That idiot of a father she has. That idiot of a father that she loves, that loves her.
Maggie,
Don’t tell your Dad im telling you this, but he actually jumped for joy when you were sorted into Ravenclaw, even said its much better than Gryffindor (which i'm sure he will deny). The rest of the family was just as proud, mark my words. I want you to now that I love you, we both love you, and you’re not alone. You are never alone because you have us, even on a full moon. Take some time to go meet Madam Pomfrey, you will be spending a lot of time with her whether you like it or not. Just know her word is law so don’t waste too much time arguing. Write us when classes start, you’re going to be an exceptional witch. I just know it. The package is a gift from me and your dad, bought it as soon as we found out about the sorting.
Love you lots,
Da
Maggie opened the little package and was stunned by the contents. It was a necklace, made of bronze with a small eagle at the front of it, a moon and star engraved on the backside of it. There was a note attached: To remember we are always with you
“Woah is that real?”, Jacob asked. “Probably” Maggie snorts, Sirius never does anything halfway. He probably tried to get solid gold if she’s being honest.
The four finish breakfast when Maggie makes up an excuse to leave the group. Remus is right, she probably needs to go meet the nurse, McGonogall told her that last night anyway. She finds Tonks at the Hufflepuff table, hair now lilac, and quickly asks for directions to the infirmary. The walk is long, but she needs it to collect her nerves. After extended stay at hospitals, she’s not the most fond of visiting another one.
She walks into the large room and is surprised by how calm it feels. It’s quiet, something she didn’t even realize she had been craving, and the windows let in lots of light. She doesn't feel as trapped as she did in St. Mungos.
“Is someone hurt already, Merlin, what is it this time?”, A voice called out from the office. A plump witch with a severe looking face, similar to McGonagall, emerges. She stares at Maggie, then the realization sets in, “Miss Brenton?”. Maggie nods, the witch smiles and brings her into the office. “Would you like a cup of tea dear?”
——
8th September, 1986
If being bitten by a werewolf wasn’t the biggest indicator that the universe was trying to screw Maggie over, her timetable certainly was. First thing Monday double potions with none other than Severous Snape.
“And we have it with Slytherins”, Jacob complains. Allera reaches across the table and smacks him on the head, “oi dad was a Slytherin, what’s wrong with them?”. Jacob tried hit her back but was too slow, “nothing just people say he always favors them”
“Well he won’t like me, that’s for sure”, Maggie sighs. She only met him once in Diagon Alley, but she got the distinct impression that he likes to hold a grudge, and he hates werewolves. “Apparently my parents had a feud with him back in school”
“Nah, I don’t think he’d hold that against you”, Allera tells Maggie, buttering a piece of toast. If only everyone could have her endless optimism.
Unfortunately for Maggie, Allera was not right. As soon as she stepped into the potions room, located in the dungeons, Snape was glaring at her with the same hatred that she saw back in Diagon Alley.
“Four to a cauldron, I do hope you can count”. Everyone quickly scrambled to a table, and just as luck would have it, Maggie, Jacob, and Allera ended up at the front with one of Jacob's roommates Henry Acker. Sarah was sitting with her Slytherin friend that she couldn’t stop raving about.
“Ah Miss Brenton, front table? Have you inherited your fathers need to be the center of attention perhaps, though I do hope you haven't gotten their brains, that would be unfortunate for us all”
Maggie, and the rest of the class for that matter, stood in stunned silence, mouths agape. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Maggie blushed and looked down, thankfully her professor seemed to have moved on; however, Maggie wanted to sink into the floors to avoid all the peering eyes. Behind her, Maggie heard Sarah’s friend snicker, along with a few others.
“Now can anyone tell me the use of a bezoar stone taken from a goat”, Snape continued. Maggie knew this, she read most of her books a few times over the summer, but she didn't want to give Snape any other reason to pick on her, just in case she was wrong. A few hands went up all around her, mostly Ravenclaws, but nooooo, none were good enough for Snape.
“Miss Brenton, did you even open a book over the summer? It seems that all of your classmates did. Are you so daft that you do not know the use of a bezoar stone?”. He gave Maggie a look of snarky satisfaction, a job well done.
Hell no, he was not going to get away with calling Maggie dumb. She's withstoon a lot of insults, but has never taken well to being called stupid. She stares Snape right in the eyes and answers the question. “A bezoar stone taken from a goat is an antidote to most poisons”
Snape glares, clearly unhappy Maggie fooled his attempt to humiliate her. All the better in her opinion, he needs to be put in his place once in a while. Plus she’s still mad at him for wearing silver in Diagon Alley, and for calling him Da a beast. The little git.
The rest of potions is mainly uneventful, Snape stopped picking on Maggie directly at least, and they were left to take some very dull notes on the different potion categories. When the bell finally dismissed them, Maggie wasted absolutely no time getting out of there. She was going so fast in fact she slammed right into a group of Hufflepuffs waiting outside the dungeon door.
“Bloody hell…Maggie? That you love?”. Maggie picked herself up from the floor and looked up to see a familiar face. The same rosy cheeks, straight blond hair and brown doe eyes. Her first friend. “Emily?”, she gave the older girl a hug, she smelled of oranges.
“Always knew you were smart, look at you, actually a witch”, Maggie smiled, the only person allowed to call her a witch was Emily. She leaned against the dungeon wall, readjusting her bag, “you’re a witch too ya know”. Emily snorted and let out a laugh, “too right you are. Forgot how bloody funny you were. Let’s meet up sometime, but I think your friends are waiting for you” Emily gestured to Allera and Jacob, awkwardly standing a little apart from the crowd, winked and walked into the potions classroom.