Chapter Two
Hogwarts,
September 1st, 1991
The train ride was always her least favourite part of the journey to school. Sure, the first hour was great. She’d spend time catching up with each of her friends, planning the first prank of the year with the Weasley twins, and trying to figure out how to catch Cedric Diggory’s attention with something other than Quidditch. But then, her friends would settle in for the long ride, the Weasleys would head off to bother their older brother, and Cedric would ask her if she thought they had a chance at winning the cup this year. Clare’s good mood would deflate as boredom set in, and she’d find herself putting her nose in a book to pass the time.
She was very glad when the train slowed to a halt and the students began to pile out of the cabins, each donning one of the four house colours. The girl adjusted her yellow tie and stepped out of the carriage and into the hall. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the Weasley twins to go over their prank once more. She spotted Cedric again, a small flush crossing her cheeks, and waved at Alicia Spinnet as the girl stepped off the train. She caught sight of a small redheaded boy, a first year, and recalled the twins saying their little brother would be joining them this year. Beside him, a dark-haired boy was looking around in awe. A muggleborn, probably. There was something familiar about him, she noted, but she could not place her finger on what it was.
Finally, Clare spotted two identical flashes of red and hurried off the train to meet Fred and George by the carriages. “There you two are!” She climbed into a carriage, watching the boys follow her. “So, you never did tell me who it was you’re going to prank.” The ginger had her suspicions, of course, but the Weasleys could be unpredictable at times, so it was best to ask.
“Dung bomb in a common room? It’s obviously going to be Slytherin, Lupin.” Fred shook his head, as though disappointed that she had to ask.
“I suspected as much. Though how you two intend to rig the door this time I won’t pretend to know.” The boys had gotten increasingly creative with their setups the last two years, and she assumed that a summer away gave them plenty of fresh ideas for the coming term.
“If we told you that it would ruin the surprise.” George smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. The twins, as much as they loved sharing their pranks with Clare, also enjoyed a modicum of secrecy. They found the annoyed glint that flashed through the girl’s eyes when they refused to share one of their pranks amusing. Of course, they kept her in the loop on most things, like the map they’d found in their first year. And they’d been glad they had, considering Clare’s fathers were two of the map’s creators. Remus – or Moony – was a genius in their eyes, and each holiday they begged their friend to visit if only to speak with the legendary prankster.
Clare rolled her eyes and slumped back in her seat. “You two are ridiculous.” She turned her focus to the passing scenery, watching as Hogsmeade village turned into forest, and then into the rocky landscape she associated with her second home. They were here.
The girl rose from her seat as the carriage drew to a stop, sparing a glance to make sure Fred and George were behind her. She paused, waiting for the twins to catch up to her, before twining her arms with theirs, heading into the castle and toward the Great Hall.
“Excited to see Cedric again, Lupin?” Fred teased, smirking down at the redhead. Her skin flushed and she dug her elbow into his side.
“Shut up Weasley!” She never should have mentioned her crush to the twins. It’s not like it was a big deal after all. Cedric only saw her as Hufflepuff’s best chaser. He’d never look twice at her otherwise. As much as she wanted to deny it, Clare couldn’t. She was excited to see Cedric again. The girl enjoyed the butterflies that took flight in her stomach each time he smiled at her.
Clare headed over to the Hufflepuff table and away from the Weasleys with a final glare in their direction, followed by their laughter as she went. She huffed and settled down beside her roommate, Ophelia, and shot the girl an exasperated smile.
“Are the Weasleys up to no good again?” The blonde wondered, glancing back at the twins, who were just starting to settle at their own table.
“They’ve already planned out their first prank of the year. On Slytherin, of course.”
“Of course.” Ophelia nodded, knowing the house of snakes was a favourite victim of the twins.
“Enough about them though, I want to hear about your summer. You were visiting family in France, yea?” The ginger propped her head on her fist, listening as her roommate explained how boring her grandparents were. Her one highlight had been seeing her older cousin, who was a fourth year studying at Beauxbatons.
Slowly, their conversation died down as the doors to the Great Hall were pushed open once more, letting in Professor McGonagall followed by a procession of first years. Her eyes wandered over the group with mild interest, pausing again on the raven-haired boy from earlier. What was it about him that captured her attention? Why did he feel familiar to her? She tracked his movements to the front of the room, then settled back into her seat to wait for the sorting ceremony to start. Clare knew from experience that the sorting could take a while, so she tried not to be too impatient while waiting for the feast.
Her attention was only really captured when Fred and George’s younger brother was called to be sorted. She watched as the hat was placed on his head before quickly being removed after a resounding call of “GRYFFINDOR!”. The twins jumped up, cheering for their little brother who would be another in a long line of Gryffindor Weasleys. She figured that Ron would be the only first year she knew anything about, and so settled as Hannah Abbott was sorted into Hufflepuff, giving a small cheer at the addition.
Her attention wandered, chancing a look over at Cedric. His face was lit with pride as another person was sorted into Hufflepuff. She thought he looked handsome like that and wondered if she would ever do anything to make him look at her with such pride. Merlin, she had it bad. She would have gone on watching the boy, ignorant of the ceremony going on at the front of the room, had it not been for Professor McGonagall calling out a name she thought she’d never hear again.
“Harry Potter.”
Clare’s head whipped away from Cedric and to the front of the hall, to where the raven-haired boy she’d noticed earlier was nervously stepping to the front of the room. When he sat, she couldn’t stop the gasp which escaped her. Seeing his face fully confirmed what she’d wondered since she first heard his name. He was the spitting image of her – of their – father. It was really him. Her Harry. Her baby brother whom she’d thought she’d never see again after he’d been sent to live with their muggle relatives.
She watched with rapt attention as the sorting hat took its time with him. Selfishly, the ginger wished he’d be sorted into Hufflepuff. It would be easier to spend time with him if he was in her house. But a part of her knew, as the hat called out Gryffindor, that her brother would flourish in the house that their parents had met in. No matter his house though, Clare knew that she needed to meet him. She needed him to know who she was. Had her muggle family told him about her? Did they even know that their niece had survived? Or did they believe she’d died with her parents when only Harry was given to them? Her heart clenched. Merlin, did Harry believe she was dead?
He was brought back to reality by a gentle nudge, Ophelia nodding to the feast which appeared in front of them. The blonde gave her a concerned look, and she managed a smile. Everyone in the Wizarding World knew that the Potter siblings had been separated after their parents’ deaths, and those close to the elder Potter knew how much she wished to have her little brother back in her life, something she’d never thought would happen.
Clare made it through dinner and then followed her roommate toward the kitchens, and consequently, toward their common room. She’d debated trying to catch Harry but knew the young boy would head toward his dorm room, and decided to pull him aside tomorrow, maybe at lunch. Perhaps she could ask Fred and George to help, since they were in the same house as her little brother.
With that decided, she used her magic to unpack her trunk, placing two framed photos on her nightstand. In one, a young Clare was sat on her father’s lap, his arm around her mother who was looking down at baby Harry. In the other, one taken in the summer, she stood with her dad, arms wrapped around each other and large smiles on their faces. Both photos were enchanted to move, letting the girl see how James’ arms tightened around his wife and daughter, how Harry let out a big yawn and turned his big green eyes toward his sister. It showed Remus’ look of adoration as he looked down at her, and the way she returned the look. Clare paused to run her finger over little Harry’s face, giving him a gentle smile.
Tomorrow. She thought. Tomorrow we’ll be reunited, and I won’t let us lose each other again.