Blood and water

They spent the next two hours buying books and school supplies. Harry and Ron had to be dragged from Quality Quidditch Supplies, while Alina and Hermione refused to leave Flourish and Blotts. 

“There are so many interesting books!” Hermione protested. Alina agreed. “How can you expect us to spend only thirty minutes to choose which book to buy?” She moaned. 

Alina and Hermione were in the middle of deciding between two books. Harry rolled his eyes. “I swear, every year, Hermione! Just buy one book each! After you’re done reading, swap!” Harry exasperated, clearly done with the two girls. They blinked. 

“Saints, that’s so smart, Harry!” Alina exclaimed, giving him a quick hug before handing Hermione one of the books. “Merlin, it’s as if your brain works on and off!” Hermione partially agreed. Harry frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Harry, you couldn’t even tell that the broomstick-shaped package was a broomstick until you opened it!” She pointed out. 

“Hey, it could have been anything!” Harry poorly defended himself. “What did you think it was going to be? A toad?” She asked in disbelief. Ron snorted.

Alina ignored their petty argument and turned to Hermione.

“Here, you buy this one and I’ll buy that one. Once we’re done, we can swap!” Alina said. Hermione smiled. “Alright!”

They brought her to Ollivanders, where an old man was sorting out dusty boxes. 

“Ah. Alina Starkov, yes? Come to collect your wand?” He asked. She nodded. “We’ll go outside and wait. Try not to wreck this place too much.” Harry whispered as they left. 

What was that supposed to mean?

“Unicorn Hair. Twelve inches. Holly. Just like your Uncle’s.” He gave her a brown wand and stepped back. She held it curiously. Was something supposed to happen? 

“Give it a little swish.” He encouraged her. She flicked her hand and all the boxes in the shelves came tumbling down. Alina looked at him apologetically. “Sorry.” He shook his head, as if he had not heard her. 

“Hmm. Let’s try this one. Dragon Heartstring core, twelve inches. Stag horn.” He held out the black wand as she stared at it. 

“Stag horn?” She asked him. He nodded. 

“No one has ever held a wand made with stag horn. This is the only one. Took me years to track it down.” He told her proudly. She took the wand. 

Suddenly, she was filled with warmth. Her body glowed slightly as she felt the presence of her magic and powers strengthen almost immediately. Ollivander looked at her with interest. 

“A Sun Summoner. ” He mused out loud. She stopped glowing and glanced at him with concern. 

“How did you… never mind. Please, never tell anyone that you know of the existence of a Sun Summoner, nor who it is.” She pleaded with him. Tolya had warned her that anyone who had seen her within the past few months would be taken in for questioning by the Darkling himself. 

Ollivander chuckled. “I am, but an old man who has no interest in meddling with your people’s problems. I knew a Grisha myself. Decades ago.” He looked at his ring wistfully. 

“What happened?” Alina asked softly. He smiled sadly. 

“A Shu found her and took her. I have spent years looking for her, but still I have not found her.” He sighed before brightening. “Well, it’s time for you to go. I will keep your secret, as long as you keep mine.” He winked. She nodded. 

“Good luck, Sun Summoner. May you destroy the Fold once and for all, Alina Starkov.” He called as she left his shop.

Alina went back to the Burrow after buying all her necessities, dumping the books on the floor and lying on the bed with an exhausted sigh. Alina tucked her wand in her luggage and took out her very expensive book, admiring it. 

“Merlin! Is that the original copy?” Hermione asked excitedly, her weariness forgotten. Alina smiled contentedly. “I argued with some blonde idiot for it.” She said, happy she won the bid for the book. The twins looked at her. “Blonde idiot?” 

She scoffed, about to describe him when Ron did it for her. “Platinum blonde ferret with his hair slicked back? Cried for his daddy?” Ron asked. Harry sat up. She nodded. “Sounds about right. I think his name was Malloy?” 

“You met Malfoy?” Harry asked in disbelief. “And argued with him over a book?” Ron asked incredulously. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before he hastily changed his statement. 

“I mean, what’s the ferret doing, reading?” She shrugged and told them about her encounter with Malfoy.

“Oh my god!” Harry and Hermione rolled on the floor in laughter. “You-you called him Elsa?” Harry chortled. 

She smirked. “Then I told him after winning the bid for the book that he had to let me go!” The two clutched their stomachs. “I think I’m gonna hurl.” Harry gasped. The Weasleys looked at them in confusement. 

“Who’s Elsa?” They asked. “Some fictional princess.” Hermione explained. Ron shrugged. “Well, she called him a princess. That’s good enough for me.” The twins nodded in agreement.

Alina was going to elaborate when Mrs Weasley came into the room. “Have you packed your things yet, Alison? Professor Dumbledore’s here to pick you up.” She said. 

She got up and stretched before turning to her friends. “Well, I'm off to Hogwarts. Bye guys!” She bid them goodbye and dragged her luggage down the stairs to where her uncle was waiting.

Snape was something else. Sure, she might have interrupted his peaceful holiday, but Alina was pretty sure that didn’t call for what Snape put her through everyday.

“I said the boomslang skin, not the toad’s!”

“I didn’t think it was possible, but you are officially worse at Potions than Potter!”

“Why’s the fire so big? Do you want this classroom to explode? Trying to be Finnigan?”

Alina was tempted to make Snape suffer from severe sunburn but tried to refrain from thinking about ways to make him feel pain. However, he wasn’ exactly helping his case either. 

“Aren’t you nineteen? A thirteen year old could do better than this!” He spat after examining her potion, which was on the verge of spilling from the cauldron. Alina had had enough. She whirled to him furiously. 

“I’m sorry, but I’m trying to cram four years worth of education into my mind! Why does everyone expect me to finish four years worth of curriculum within a month?” She burst out angrily. 

She left him there, taken aback as she stormed out of the dungeons.

She felt energy bubbling in her as she tried to calm herself down.

It’s alright. Some people are just born assholes. Besides, I’m almost finished with studying. Just a few more weeks and I can throw away all those stupid textbooks. She reasoned with herself. The flame in her died down. 

Someone knocked on the door. She looked up as Professor McGonagall stepped into her room. 

“Hello, my dear.” She sat down on one of the chairs and faced her with a serious expression. “I apologise on behalf of my colleague. He can be rather… impatient sometimes.” she said. 

Alina almost snorted. 

Impatient? The man clearly had anger issues.

“The professors have been only teaching a single student everyday, and we forgot that while it might be one subject for us, it is far more for you.” She said apologetically. “I don’t mind. It’s all very new and interesting. But I think I may have overexerted myself.” Alina admitted. 

Professor McGonagall nodded. 

“Take this Saturday off. Your uncle has expressed his concerns for your mental health. After all, you have been here for almost a month, with no contact from anyone outside of Hogwarts. Mr Potter’s trial had a good outcome, so Professor Dumbledore has allowed you to go to the Burrow to take a break.” she said. 

She hesitated. “Actually, could I stay at Hogwarts? I would like to do some reading.” She asked. Professor McGonagall looked at her in surprise but just nodded.

She took out her book and flipped to the page she had read over a hundred times. 

The Stag has magical properties that come along with their features, but the rarest and most noticeable one is his horns. His horns act as an amplifier, which multiplies the powers of a Grisha ten-fold. He roams around the Dark Forest, and has only been sighted once, thousands of years ago. It is unknown whether the Stag is still alive, but one thing is for sure. Whoever gets their hands on him will obtain great power that could remake or ruin the world.

There was extremely little known about the Stag, but this was more information than anyone had told her so far. But where was the Dark Forest? 

She, as a cartographer, knew about every inch of the world. Even Hogwarts was on the map. But she had never come across any place named the Dark Forest. Where was she supposed to start? 

She sighed and put the book down. 

Her search for the Stag was going nowhere. 

She also lacked the resources and manpower to find him, unlike Aleksander, who had an army that would willingly do his bidding.

She spent the rest of the day lying in her bed, dreaming about him.

“You can stay here with the first years for a while until your name is called. Good luck, Ms Dumbledore.” Professor McGonagall said. 

It had been one and a half months since she arrived at Hogwarts. The professors told her that she had done well, and was a fast and extraordinary learner, just like her uncle. Dumbledore had decided to officially adopt her, but assured her that she would remain a Starkov on paper. 

However, to keep her identity a secret, she would be Alina Dumbledore for now.

The soon-to-be-sorted First Years impatiently jumped up and down, eager to find out their houses. 

She moved to one side, unwilling to be stuck in the crowd. “You look a little too old to be sorted.” One of them noticed. She looked at the watchful child. “You’re a little too young to stick your nose into other people’s business.” She retorted playfully. He giggled as she winked at him.

The huge doors finally opened. Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall were at the end of the hall, beckoning them to shift forward. When no one did, Alina sighed and led them to the front. Whispers broke out as she made her way. 

She caught sight of the Weasleys and the trio, who waved at her. She smiled, relieved that there were at least a few familiar faces. 

Of course, her name was called first. 

“Dumbledore, Alina.” Professor McGonagall’s voice echoed down the hall. The mummers immediately grew louder as she walked up to the wooden stool. An old, worn-out hat was placed on her head. She almost fell off the stool at the sound of a low voice talking in her mind.

“Ah. Yet another Dumbledore to grace my presence. A brilliant one at that, too. How have you found Hogwarts so far, Sun Summoner?” He asked her. She hesitated. 

“Hmm. Deserted? That’s a new one.” He chuckled. “Stop reading my mind!” She demanded. He sighed. 

“So young, but the power within you is ancient. Not always the best mix, a phrase many of your ancestors can attest to.” He told her. 

“Where to put you? Definitely not Slytherin. I’m afraid the snakes would easily eat you up. Hufflepuff? No. Your potential would remain as it is.” He answered his own question. 

“Ravenclaw? Indeed, you would be a wise Grisha if you choose to go to Ravenclaw.” He mused. 

“You already made your decision from the start, didn’t you?” She asked him suspiciously. 

“I did. Your mother asked that you be sent to a neutral house, back when she was pregnant with you. She came to Hogwarts to visit your uncle and me.” He admitted simply. 

She scowled. 

Yet another choice decided by her mother. She suddenly remembered what Harry told her. 

“I choose where I belong.” She echoed his words. 

“I want to go to Gryffindor.” She said determinedly. He chuckled. “Just to spite your mother, you would change your fate? You are quite the girl, aren’t you? Very well, Sun Summoner. Try to live long enough to destroy the Fold and live a peaceful life after that, though I doubt you will.” He said before she felt him leaving her mind.

“GRYFFINDOR!” He bellowed aloud. Cheers erupted from the students as she glanced at the clock. Only one minute had passed. How strange. It felt like ten to Alina.