Chapter 7: The Hogwarts Express (1)
It was the last night of August, and in a lavishly adorned room, situated in one of the McMahon's apartments in Islington, Catherine McMahon stood by the window, gazing down at the illuminated tapestry of lights that painted the streets below. She felt nervous for tomorrow. A sudden noise made her turn around. She went to the large cage where a handsome brown Eagle owl was hooting, his yellow eyes shining in the darkness of the room. The young witch reached through the bars to caress the bird's feathers.
"Catherine?" – Louisa McMahon entered her daughter's room and turned on the lights. The owl let out a screech in response. The Duchess cast a sharp glance at the bird, prompting him to fall into silence. "Why do you stay in the dark like a Knarl?" – she asked suspiciously.
"Because Orion doesn't like it when it's so bright." – the girl replied simply.
"You are truly spoiling this chicken…" – sighed the older witch, directing a wry look at the so-called 'chicken' – "anyway, I wanted to give you something before you leave for Hogwarts."
Louisa extracted a small velvet box, handing it to her daughter. Catherine took it with curiosity and gasped in surprise. Inside there was an elegant golden pendant in the form of a teardrop. Nested in its heart, a crimson gemstone was reflecting the light, lending it an appearance of flickering flames.
"It's called the Eternal Flame. Your father's mother gave it to me on our wedding day. It's been passed down through our family for generations. While it holds various powers, the one it is most renowned for is providing courage when you truly need it. I want you to have it and be brave, ma chérie." The witch embraced her daughter catching her slightly off guard by the sudden outpouring of her mother's emotions.
"Thank you, Mom! I love it and I'll keep it safe!" – she finally mumbled being released from Louisa's hug. The older woman smiled and headed to the door. "Check if you've packed everything you need. The cabs are going to be here at half past nine."
"Of course, Mom, everything is under control." – answered Catherine. "Or at least I hope so." – she added softly as the door closed.
***
At half past ten, Catherine was standing alone on Platform 9 ¾, looking at the vivid crowd gathered in front of the imposing red steam engine. With considerable effort, she tried to manoeuvre her suitcase and owl cage without colliding with anyone. Naturally, this turned out to be an impossible task, thus she ended up bumping into the trolley of a short chubby boy and inadvertently stepping on the hem of the silk black robes belonging to a tall, arrogantly composed witch.
She looked at the young girl whose face was all red and sweaty, her gaze stopping on the Muggle jeans and t-shirt, then she spitefully hissed "Get away, filthy Mudblood!"
"Mother!" – came the voice of a boy, standing next to the witch. Catherine paid little heed, her response - a mocking laughter as she resumed her determined journey toward the steam engine, hearing some indistinct and probably offensive shouts behind her back.
Finally, she reached one of the last and rather empty train cars and stopped for a minute so she could catch her breath. Her gaze travelled around, and she saw her parents and brother not too far away. Fighting the lump in her throat she busied herself with getting her case and Orion on the train. After almost ten minutes of pointless efforts, she was ready to admit that she needed some assistance.
"Hey, Catherine! Do you need help?" – she heard from behind. Catherine brushed aside some damp streaks of hair from her forehead and turned around, spotting Lily's smiling face and unfortunately Snape's sullen one.
"Yes, if you don't mind!" – answered the tired witch – "I can also help with yours."
"Sure, let's do it!" – chirped Lily – "Severus, you help too! Nice owl! What's its name?"
"Orion." – said Catherine while the three of them managed to get all the luggage onto the train and find an empty compartment where they sat down.
"Would you lend it to me from time to time?" – asked Lily – "My parents didn't allow me to buy an owl, but I hope I can persuade them showing how useful they are."
"Muggles never understand our ways." – muttered Snape. Catherine looked at him, carefully considering what kind of jinx she could use that would keep him quiet for the duration of the trip.
"Sure, you can borrow Orion. But if he's not available, you can also use one of the school owls." – said Catherine with a smile directed towards her friend.
"Oh, I didn't know that!" – exclaimed Lily – "This is very convenient. How did you find out?"
"Um..." – briefly hesitated the other girl – "I think I read it in a book called Hogwarts: A History."
Catherine noticed Snape looking at her with suspicion thus she decided to quickly change the topic.
"Do you have any preferences regarding which House you want be sorted into?" – she asked.
"Hmm, I am not so sure yet." – said Lily thoughtfully.
"Of course you are!" – exclaimed Snape – "I told you, we should both be sorted into Slytherin! It is the best and most prestigious House of them all. You wouldn't want to end up in a place like Hufflepuff."
The loud noise of the departing train interrupted them. Catherine looked out of the window and saw her parents and other adults waving their hands. She didn't wave back. To everyone here, these people were Lord Gregory McMahon's parents. She sighed audibly.
"What's the matter, Catherine?" – asked Lily with concern – "Nervous about the Sorting Ceremony and the lessons?"
"No, not really." – answered the young witch honestly.
"Such a liar." – Snape taunted with a smirk.
"Excuse me?" – Catherine's voice was quiet but filled with ice-cold rage.
"You pretend to know everything, acting so cool and collected, but I bet you're going to start crying in the girls' bathroom after every lesson."
"Well," – sneered the black-haired girl – "I suppose I'll see you there then."
Snape jumped to his feet and drew his wand. Catherine didn't bother. She knew she would be able to magically defend herself to some degree, though not particularly well with a wand. She also wasn't certain how many jinxes and hexes this slimy boy knew. She could instinctively sense that it wasn't all talk with him, but she lacked information. Most importantly, she didn't want to start a fight in this confined space where they could potentially harm Lily.
"That's enough, both of you!" – screamed Lily, positioning herself between them – "Put this wand away, Severus! Seriously, why are you constantly fighting?"
"He started it." – shrugged Catherine while Snape growled something incomprehensive.
For a while they rode the train in silence while Catherine was trying to ignore Snape's murderous stare. She felt proud of herself for not hexing him, yet at the same time, she was disappointed she couldn't do it. Eventually, she consoled herself with the thought that another opportunity would surely arise in the future. She gazed out of the window, where the countryside landscape was quickly passing by, bathed in the autumn sunshine.