Hogwarts

Scora Ran was brushing the beautiful black mane of one of her Thestrals. Her brother, a soon-to-be fifth year, was tending to his ten Aethonans. Five Granians were being cared for by her soon-to-be seventh year sister. Scora finished brushing the winged horse's mane. "C'mon Kixxy. Larvin, Gordrin, come on. Time to get you into the stables for the night. Larvin, stop that. No use turning invisible, I'll find you. Come now." Scora led her Thestrals into their stables and shut them in for the night.
Her sister, Marley, met her outside after putting her Granians in their stables. "Scora, loose those ruddy horses. They're bloody scary, they are."
"Not really. You're just superstitious. Might as well get to bed now." Scora headed toward her house.
The next morning Scora got up early. "Mum, I'll be off to Diagon Alley. I'll be taking Kixxy. I've got my vault key. Be seeing you later." Scora grabbed a piece of toast and took her cloak off the coat hanger. She put her cloak on and began eating her toast as she left the house and headed toward the stables.
Kixxy, sensing she was needed, woke up and whinnied.
Scora ran to the stables. "Hush now, Kixxy. No use waking the others. Come on. We're headed to Diagon alley. Can you get me there?"
Kixxy nodded. She let Scora mount her back then took flight.
It only took a few minutes to make it to Diagon alley, Thestrals being a fast breed of winged horse.
Scora dismounted and stretched. She tied Kixxy to a post. "Wait here, girl. I'll be back. Going to see what owls they have." Scora entered a shop with owls, cats, and toads lining the walls. Scora was trying to look at owls, but one cat in particular kept catching her eye.
It had to be no bigger than the palm of her hand. Its eyes were two different colors, one green and one golden, it's fur a snowy white, and the tips of its ears were black. Each time she walked by him the cat would watch her inquisitively, as if it were just waiting for her to come to her senses and stop looking at the bloody owls; it was time for them to go home.
Scora sighed. "I wanted an owl, though..." Scora turned on her heel, took the kitten from it's cage, and walked up to the front desk. "You're paying me back for this, you know." The kitten mewed as if it understood her. She gave the owner two galleons and five sickles before taking her new kitten away.
The cat purred softly in Scora's arms. The gentle rumble soothed her for some reason.
Scora headed off to Flourish and Blotts first to buy her new school books.
A few minutes later Scora approached her winged horse. She had her new kitten in one hand, a full backpack in the other. She mounted her steed and took flight toward home.
The cat crawled into her backpack and popped its head through the top. If Scora didn't know any better she would think the cat was born to fly.
Kixxy landed in the grassy paddock. The other seventeen horses were there grazing.
Scora dismounted. "I'll be right back." Scora ran inside to drop off her stuff before tending to her horses.
The cat strutted up to the black winged horses and promptly sniffed one of the horses' hooves. Startled the horse reared and whinnied. The cat tilted its head to one side and it watched the Thestral go invisible.
Scora came back out with three bags full of oats. Only two Thestrals were left. She walked up to the spot where a Thestral used to be and scratched the spot where the invisible Thestral's left ear should be. "Come on, Gordrin. Nothing to be scared of. Here you three, come and eat your oats." Gordrin became visible, eager to eat his oats. "Good boy, Gordrin. Good boy."
The cat sniffed the oats and stuck its tongue out in disgust.
Scora giggled. "That's horse food, not kitty food. Here." Scora took a soft, small cat treat from her pocket and let the kitten sniff it.
The cat jumped from paw to paw. "Meh!" It chirped as it stood on it's hind legs and placed it's paws on Scora's hand. It held her hand down and nibbled the cat treat from her hand quickly, then proceeded to clean itself.
Scora chuckled. "You're so cute. You'll get some nice tuna in just a minute. You have two days left here, you know. Then we'll off to King's Cross Station. Got to go to Hogwarts, you know. I want you to get used to the horses while we're still here. Even the Abraxan. Be careful of them, though. Lilar is bigger than an elephant. The other two are a bit smaller, but still. They're big.
"Meh." The cat agreed.
"Come on. Let's get your tuna, now." Scora ran toward the house, the kitten tailing her.
The cat looked about with its different colored eyes as they walked through the screen door into Scora's house. As Scora prepared the tuna the cat heard a strange sound coming from the living room. Curiosity taking over hunger the cat wandered in to see four owls each on a perch gazing back at it.
Scora finished making the tuna. "Here kitty, kitty. I'll let you look at the owls as soon as you eat. Need to have your strength. C'mon now. Here kitty."
The cat licked its chops and leapt at one of the owls. The white owl fluttered out of the kitten's way effortlessly as the white ball of fluff flew into the table on the other side knocking over a vase. An alarming smash alerted the rest of the family that Scora was home.
"Kitty, come on now. You silly little thing." Scora pointed her wand at the vase and muttered, "Reparo." The vase suddenly looked as if nothing happened to it.
"Scora! Watch it! Did you repair the vase?"
"Yes, Mummy."
"Well, Scora, just be--Oh look! A little kitty! Come here." Scora's mom picked up the kitten.
Scora chuckled and held up her wand again. "Accio tuna!" The bowl of tuna zoomed into the room and landed on the table. Scora's mom let the kitten eat it's food.
Scora woke up quite suddenly that night. She was sweating. "What was that dream about? Oh yeah...now I remember. A Lethifold...blasted things. It was attacking my horses...Larvin...At least it was only a dream. No, something's not right. I can sense it."
Scora pulled on her cloak, grabbed her wand, and dashed outside. She whispered, "Lumos." A small light came from the tip of her wand. She raised her arm high.
A shadow was creeping toward the Thestrals' stable.
She looked around for the source of the shadow, then it hit her. DAMN LETHIFOLD! KEEP AWAY FROM MY HORSES!" She ran into the stables.
The Lethifold paid no attention to her. It started to cover Larvin's nostrils.
"The only way to stop a Lethifold is to use the Patronus spell, but I've never used it before...I've got to save Larvin!" Scora held out her arm. She went deep into concentration, remembering her happiest thought.
She had gotten her very first horse. Her parents had gotten a Thestral winged horse. The Thestral seemed to like Scora a lot. It didn't trust the rest of her family. It let her take care of it. It became hers.
Scora raised her wand high. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A silver light shot from her wand.
It took form of a fox and charged at the Lethifold, which had Larvin almost completely covered. The Patronus picked up the Lethifold with it's mouth and flung it across the yard. The Lethifold was killed.
The Patronus vanished. "Wow..." Scora ran over to Larvin and made sure he was still breathing. The winged horse was alive. "Thank God..." Scora hugged her horse around the neck. She laid next to it and fell asleep.
Scora awoke in the stable with the kitten curled under her chin.
Scora blinked. "Huh? The Lethifold again...only the second time it wasn't a dream..."
"Hey! Scora! What happened? I heard you screaming out the Patronus spell." It was her brother.
"Lethifold. After Larvin. Killed it. No, not Larvin. The Lethifold. Got any breakfast?"
"Yup." Divin placed a bowl of tuna and a plate of eggs in front of Scora and the kitten. "I've already got all the horses out in the paddock and fed them. You say a Lethifold was here? You can only destroy them with the Patronus spell, and you've never summoned a Patronus before. What did it take shape of?"
"Fox." Scora scarfed down her eggs. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Well, since two nights ago. You've been asleep since you took on that Lethifold. I guess that Patronus spell took it out of you. You have two hours to get ready before we're off to the station. Hurry up. Let's go." Scora got up and followed her brother into the house.
At a quater to eleven, Scora was at King's Cross Station. She, her sister, and her brother were in their Hogwarts robes. The all ran after the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. There they were on platform 9 3/4.
"The prefects have three whole cars to themselves. Got to run." Marley took her luggage to the front of the train.
"Might as well get on. C'mon." Divin and Scora put their luggage on the last car of the train, then hopped in themselves. The two sat in the last compartment.
The train whistled, and started to take off. She, Scora Ran, the daughter of the famous winged horse breeders Mirinth and Groudo Ran, was finally going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Only problem was, Divin kept telling her you had to wrestle a troll to see what house you'd be in.
The cat looked at the spectacle through the white bars on her cage. Scora had explained to it that it was procedure to get onto the train, but it didn't care. Scora looked down at the agitated feline and realized something.
"Hey, I haven't named you yet." She stuck her finger into one of the gap between bars and scratched the cat under its silky black chin.
Divin looked at the kitten. "How about Pain-in-the-ass? Stupid git wouldn't leave me alone until I let it into the stables with you. Kept knocking over vases."
"No, I'm not naming him that."
Just then the compartment door slid open. It was Marley.
Divin smirked. "Well, well, well, the perfect prefect is here. What happened? Get kicked out for being an ickle snot?"
"Oh, shut up, Div. I came to tell you that we have to make a stop soon. It'll be about another hour before we get moving again. Ahh! Evil beast!"
Scora had let her kitten out of it's cage. It had jumped on Marley.
"Come here. Off of her, now." She glanced up briefly from her book.
The kitten jumped to the ground and leapt over to Scora.
"There's a name." Scora put down her copy of A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot. "Kitty, I think I'll call you Bane. How does that sound?"
"Meh." The cat mewed, giving an almost evil look in Marley's direction. It's ears were plastered to the back of its head and its gold eye and green eye almost glowed.
The train jerked to a stop. A few girls screamed from the next car. Marley grabbed the handle of the compartment door to stop from falling. Scora's and Divin's bags and suitcases were flung out in the corridor.
Marley straightened up. "Well, got to get back. They'll be needing all prefects, the head boy, and the head girl. Catch you later." Marley ran out, shutting the door behind her.
Bane hissed as she left.
Scora scratched Bane's back. "It's okay, Bane. She didn't mean to call you can evil beast. You just spooked her. She'll apologize when we see her next. Trust me."
Divin got up and walked past her. He grabbed their luggage, then came back. He stuffed the suitcases and bags under their seats again. "Wonder what's going on?"
"Don't know. Let's check it out."
"Agreed."
Divin and Scora ran out of their compartment and dashed to the front of the train. They knew they might get in trouble, but Divin had been getting in trouble for years, and no one expected Scora to be any different. After all, Marley was also a trouble maker before she became a prefect. Even that didn't stop her from breaking the rules occasionally.
Bane jumped softly to the ground and made his way to the front of the train casually. Once he saw Scora he leapt onto her shoulder.
Scora ran after Divin. They got off the train.
Ahead of them were the prefects. In front of the group were the head boy and girl. They were arguing with some obvious Ministry Wizards.
"Oh, shut up!" Marley made her way to the front of the group. She stuck her finger in one of the wizards' chest. "Now, see here! This is absolutely pointless! I don't want to stand here and wait, arguing with you for a whole bloody hour!"
The wizard smacked her hand away. All the prefects and the head boy and girl back away. All of them except Marley. "Now see here, young lady, I'm the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge! You have no right to go pointing fingers at me!"
"I have every right! Now, get off your high horses and let us get to Hogwarts! Now!"
Cornelius lost his temper. He drew out his wand. "Stu--"
"EXPELLIARMUS!" A flash of red light shot from the back and Cornelius's wand flew out of his hand.
Marley had turned very pale.
Scora ran past her. Divin stood next to Marley. He was as pale as she was.
Scora began shouting like a wild banshee at Cornelius.
Bane leapt from Scora's shoulder and towards Cornelius' wand. He grabbed the wand up in his mouth and looked back at the arguing witches and wizards.
Cornelius sniffed. "ENOUGH!"
Silence...
"It seems one of our younger witches has dared use their wand on the Minister of Magic. I will take my Ministry wizards and leave. Come on." Cornelius grabbed his wand from Bane quite forcefully. Then, all the wizards disapparated.
Marley just about smacked Scora upside the head. "Never do that again! Now, come on! Everyone back on the train!" Scora and Divin made it back to their compartment, slowly.
Bane jumped onto Scora's lap. She scratched his back.
Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"
"Oh Man! I'm starving!"
"Me, too!"
Scora and Divin jumped up and ran to the cart. They bought as many sweets as they could cram into their pockets, then headed back to their seats.
Scora and Divin were looking at their Famous Witches and Wizards cards when their compartment door slid open.
"Excuse me." A very handsome boy with dark hair stepped into the compartment. A kitten no bigger than Bane was sitting on the boy's foot. "Excuse me, but do you have any chocolate frogs? Kar here likes them."
"Sure. Here." Scora tossed the boy two boxes of chocolate frogs.
The boy sat down next to Scora as he fed his kitten the chocolate frogs.
Bane cautiously approached Kar and the two sniffed each others' noses. Kar was a cream colored cat with long fine fur and a bush tail.
Scora stared at the boy.
"Oh, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Karth Mirth. I kind of named Kar after me."
Scora continued to stare at him as she shook his hand. "I'm Scora Ran."
Bane began licking Kar's face delicately.
Scora looked down at her pet. "Guess Bane's got a new friend." She grinned.
Karth smiled, too.
Divin put his hands on their heads. "Hmm...What do we have here? Lover's spat?"
Scora growled. "Go kiss a ghoul!"
"Ooo, Scora, you're so mean." Divin cackled. "I'm going to go bug Marley." Divin left the compartment to go to the front of the train.
Scora grunted. "He's such a pain in the butt."
"Older brother?"
"Yeah. He's cool though. Good with his Aethonans. He's good with all our winged horses. Even my Thestrals. He's the only--"
"Woah! You have Thestrals? Other winged horses, too?"
"Yeah. Ever heard of Ran Winged Horse Breeders?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm a Ran. I have three Thestrals. Kixxy, Larvin, and Gordrin. Only Thestrals we have. Larvin was attacked by a Lethifold, but I saved him just in time. I've never summoned a Patronus before. It was a pretty cool experience, seeing my Patronus."
Karth was openmouthed and wide-eyed. He shook his head. "Woah...You're a first year, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Wicked..."
The door slid open again. A boy with a pale, pointed face entered. His midnight blue hair was slicked back. It had obviously been died. "Is it true? They're saying all down the train that the girl who took on Cornelius Fudge is in this compartment. Scora Ran. So it's you, is it?"
"Yes, it is." Scora stared into his cold eyes.
"I'm Knott. Kindric Knott."
Karth gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Kindric Knott looked at him.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father to me all about the Mirks." He noticed all the sweets. "I think I take some of these." He reached for the sweets when a white blur shot at him. Knott stumbled back, nearly falling, then made a run for his life.
Divin walked in with a questionable look on his face. He shrugged, then slid the door shut.
Scora helped herself to a pumpkin pasty.
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was much smoother. Once in a while Bane would get into Divin's lap to sleep, but most of the ride he spent with Scora. The dutiful cat watched her every move, protecting her. Scora looked out of the window. In the distance she could see the top of the tallest tower in Hogwarts, Gryffindor.
"Look, there it is." Scora pointed. Bane, Karth, and Kar popped their heads up and looked. Divin was fast asleep in the red velvet chair across from her. Scora rolled up a foil wrapper into a ball and threw it at her brother. Suddenly a white blur shot from her lap and snatched the foil ball before it even made it halfway across the compartment. "Whoa, Bane was that you?" Bane leapt onto Scora's chair, dropped the ball in her hand, and jumped back down ready for another throw.
Scora kicked Divin to wake him up and threw the paper ball again.
A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Scora and Karth both pulled at one of their robe pockets. Kar jumped into Karth's and Bane into Scora's.
Bane popped his head out of the pocket top and gazed at the estate. His nose began sniffing overtime, and once in a while he would strain in Scora's pocket, almost falling out.
A sudden downpour had started. In two seconds flat, one monster of a storm had started up. Scora was soaked.
A giant of a man was holding a lamp up over his head. He was twice as tall as a normal man, and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild--long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
Divin patted Scora on the shoulder. "Got to leave you now. Hope you don't drown."
"Drown? What?! Divin!" She tried to call after her brother, but a loud rumble of thunder drowned out her voice.
After a deep sigh, she and Karth made their way toward the giant-like man.
Bane leapt from Scora's pocket and dashed underneath the hulk of a man. He purred and rubbed against the man's legs and waited for Scora and Karth to arrive.
Kar leapt from Karth's pocket and joined Bane. Karth and Scora pushed their way to the front, screaming the names of their kittens. They finally made it to the front.
Scora looked up at the large man. "Excuse me, sir. Did you see our kittens?"
"Yeah, they're next to me boot, an' the name's Hagrid."
"Thanks, Hagrid." Scora picked up Kar and Bane and waited for instructions.
Bane purred happily to be out of the rain.
"Follow me, now." Hagrid led them down a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Scora thought there must be thick trees there.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec. Jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud, "Ooooh!"
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats staying atop of the choppy water.
Scora and Karth piled into a boat with two other kids. One was a pretty girl with wavy red hair. She wore glasses. The other was Knott.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then--FORWARD!"
And the fleet of little boats moved forward. With some difficulty, of course.
"COME ON! MAKE THIS BOAT GO FASTER!" yelled the girl with red hair. She folded her arms impatiently.
"Shut-up sis." Knott whispered to her.
"I will NOT! MAKE THIS BOAT GO FASTER!" She began to rock the boat a bit while she had her tantrum. Scora felt herself lose balance.
"Whoa!" Scora waved her arms in little circles before she fell backwards into the water.
"SCORA!" Karth shouted trying to grab her hand but failing.
"ROOOOWRRR!" Bane shrieked as he too was pulled under.
Scora splashed around in the icy cold lake. Waves kept pulled her under.
Knott looked like something wonderful had happened.
"Oh my gosh!" The redhead tried to climb out of the boat, but Karth pulled her back in.
Something grabbed Scora by the ankle and tried to pull her down into the depths of the water. She kicked out and her head connected with something solid. Her ankle was released.
Under she went again. This time something grabbed her around the waist. She tried to yell, but only succeeded in gulping down water.
She was lifted from the water, and carried to her boat. The thing, which looked like a large tentacle, sat her in the boat, then sunk back into the water.
Karth took off his robe and placed it around Scora, then he hugged her. "Scora, are you okay?"
The redhead was sobbing. "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean--"
"It's okay. I'm okay. WHERE'S BANE!" Scora had reached into her pocket to find it empty. "BANE!"
"I am sooo SORRY!" The red head apologized energetically. She made the boat rock again.
"AESTHACIA!" Knott grabbed his sister by the shoulders. "Stop!"
Aesthacia stopped wiggling so much.
Scora felt like crying as they came ashore.
Bane was gone.
Scora, Karth, Aesthacia, and Knott got off the boat.
Something white darted at Scora. "Bane!" Scora hugged her kitten.
"Yer cat crawled into me boat. Lucky little feller, managing all them waves. Come on, now."
Hagrid led them to the front doors, where a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Scora's first thought was that she was not someone to cross. "I am Professor McGonagall. Follow me." She led them through the wide doors into the entrance hall. "Wait here." She went through another door and returned with an old hat and a stool. "Come on." They followed her into the Great Hall.
Hundreds of witches and wizards sat at four long tables.
"As soon as your name is called, sit on the stool and place the hat on your head."
Professor McGonagall pulled out a scroll and started to read off names.
"Amery, Lilith."
A blonde girl shakily walked forward, sat on the stool, and jammed the hat on her head.
A tear at the brim of the hat opened. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Everyone at one table clapped and Lilith Amery stumbled to that table.
"Brindle, Reed."
A very tall, black-haired boy started toward the stool. He put the hat on his head.
"RAVENCLAW!"
Reed ran to his table.
McGonagall read off more names. "Knott, Aesthacia."
Aesthacia walked over to and sat on the stool. The hat hadn't even touched her head when it shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Knott looked about ready to faint.
Aesthacia ran to the Gryffindor table.
"Knott, Kindric."
Kindric ran forward. The hat had barley touched his head, too, when it yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"
Kindric strutted to the Slytherin table.
A minute later, "Mirth, Karth."
Karth had zoned out, and when his name was called, he nearly yelled. He walked forward, sat on the stool, and had the hat on for a whole two minutes before it said, "GRYIFFINDOR!"
Scora had nearly dozed off when, "Ran, Scora," was heard.
Whispers suddenly filled the great hall.
They had all heard off her foolish act, she guessed.
She sat on the stool with the hat on her head.
"Hmm, I can't figure out where to put you..."
Great...I don't belong here. Just wodnerful!
"Oh yes, now I know...GRYFFINDOR!"
Scora took the hat off her head and ran to the Gryffindor table. Marley, Divin, Karth, and Aesthacia were sitting around her. Karth was yelling, "We got Scora Ran! We got Ran!" Scora couldn't have been more happy in her life.
McGonagall read off the last name, then rolled up her scroll. She took it, the stool, and the Sorting Hat away.