Just Around the Riverbend

Whoo, I have gotten a doozy of a chapter here for you. This one, I'm afraid, focuses solely on Daisy and Phelan. but that's okay, I'll have one of similar proportions dedicated to Lucius and Hermione next, so it will all balance out. I got really carried away on this one, but it's okay. I got to write a Sorting Song. ^_^

I hope you all enjoy my hard work.

forsaken_dream
angeles
gypsy-rhodes
Voracious_Reader
april
hannahbanana
HarryGinny4Eva
Alina
margaritama
Lila
Serin Blackmoon
Anathema

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They arrived at Hogwarts as the sun finally slipped below the horizon, leaving the school highlighted in the sparse light of dusk. The train ground to a halt, causing several students around the train to lost their balance. Some of them never figured out that they were supposed to sit while the train stopped.

Phelan and Daisy were gathered in with the First Years. They would ride the boats across the Black Lake for their official entrance to Hogwarts. Daisy would be Sorted after the First Years, and would then be joined by Phelan at her table.

They were put into a boat with one other first year, since they were much larger and no more could fit. The little curly-headed boy looked at them with wide brown eyes.

“You First Years?” he asked, his rather squeaky voice grinding on Phelan’s ears.

“No. I’m going to be in Third Year, but I’m a transfer from America. They’re going to Sort me after you guys.” Daisy supplied helpfully.

“I went to America once. You blokes have horrible tea.” The small boy said, wrinkling his nose at the memory. Daisy only grinned. The boy looked over at Phelan, who was watching the surface of the lake. “Who are you?” he asked him.

“Phelan.” He replied, tilting his head as he saw the face of a merperson coming a bit closer to gaze curiously at the boats.

“Got a last name?” the boy pried. Phelan looked up from the water, and turned his head towards the boy, piercing him with a yellow glare.

“Greyback.” He said simply. The boy’s reaction was rather violent. He actually stood up and tried to backpedal, and would have fallen out of the boat if Daisy hadn’t shot forward and grabbed his robes.

“You…you’re…can’t be!” the boy hiccupped. Daisy pushed the boy back into his seat.

“Stop!” she said. He looked up at her, shaking slightly. “Phelan isn’t going to hurt you. You’re going to hurt yourself being silly. Phelan is nothing like his father. He won’t hurt you.” Daisy said soothingly.

“So…he’s not a werewolf?” the boy asked, relaxing marginally.

“No, he’s a werewolf, but he’s one that has complete control over himself. You needn’t worry about him.” Daisy said.

“Why’s he here?” the boy was pushing, his nervousness making him talkative.

“He’s here because I’m here.” Daisy said. “I kind of bound us by blood, and now he’s my husband, and I can’t be apart from him for long periods of time.” Daisy said. The boy opened his mouth again, and Phelan growled. The little boy’s jaws shut with an audible click.

The boats floated into a large cavern at the base of the school, and the children disembarked into a long tunnel that led up to the Great Hall. Daisy and Phelan followed at the tail end of the group of Firsties, strangely enough walking with the small boy who’d had the pants scared off of him in the boat.

They were led into the Great Hall, Phelan rolling his eyes in annoyance as the Firsties looked around in awe. The other students were glancing at Phelan and Daisy in curiosity, since they were obviously not eleven.

McGonagall came forward with the tattered old Sorting Hat, and a three-legged stool. She put the stool down on the edge of the dais, and placed the hat on it. A great horizontal seam opened on the hat, revealing it’s threadbare mouth.

To Hogwarts School you’ve all arrived
I see you in good spirits.
I have some wisdom I can give
If only you will hear it.
I sort the children passing through
I have the brains, you know.
So listen as I place you
Where I think you ought to go.

Perhaps in green and silver
If in ambition you excel.
Slytherin took the cunning ones
And taught them all quite well.

Maybe blue and brightest bronze
Can decorate your clothes.
Ravenclaw, with all her brains,
The cleverest she chose.

Yellow and Black like a bumblebee’s back
Could be your newest theme.
Hufflepuff she loved them all
And gathered quite a team.

Possibly in red and gold
Your banner proudly wave.
In the house of Gryffindor
He only chose the brave.

I’ve told you all the dearest traits
Each house preferred to hold.
So slip me snug about your ears,
And go where you are told.

The students clapped politely when the hat was done, and McGonagall pulled the First Year scroll from her sleeve, and began reciting the names. Phelan and Daisy watched patiently. Daisy noticed that Gryffindor seemed to welcome its newcomers the loudest. Ravenclaw was polite, but quiet. Hufflepuff had the warmest greetings, but were even quieter than Ravenclaw. Slytherin barely made any recognition whatsoever, save for a pat on the back by some of the older students.

When the last first year had been placed in her house, the Headmaster stood from his seat.

“We have two new inhabitants of Hogwarts castle. Miss Daisy Melfy is a transfer from America, and will be joining our Third Years after she is Sorted. Mr. Phelan Greyback is her intended, bound to her by ancient magic. He will be her companion here at the castle, and I will not tolerate any nonsense directed at either of them. Mr. Greyback will be studying independently, and will join the Fifth Years when they sit their O.W.Ls. Now, with no further ado, Miss Melfy, would you please come forward to be Sorted?”

Daisy took a deep breath, and walked forward. She sat on the stool, which felt a little small for a thirteen year old. McGonagall dropped the hat on her head, and immediately she heard the ancient voice of the hat.

Hmm…I’ve never Sorted one of your kind before. Let’s see…you are most loyal, and quite clever, and your sense of duty knows no bounds. You are ambitious to a fault. But where…to put you?

“I just want somewhere I’ll belong.” Daisy said quietly.

Well, if that’s the case… You are too outgoing for fair Hufflepuff, and too laid back for dearest Ravenclaw. Better be…

“SLYTHERIN!” the hat shouted. The Slytherins looked about at each other, unsure of how to react to this newest revelation. Daisy looked at Phelan, who had one grey eyebrow raised, and a curious look on his face. The hat was slipped off of Daisy’s head, and she walked slowly towards the Slytherin table. Phelan followed behind her, his soft-soled boots making no sound as he walked.

There was a rather large space on either side of Tom, so Daisy made her way over to him, wanting a familiar face. He looked up as she plopped down next to him, raising a dark, unbleached eyebrow.

“Slytherin, eh?” he asked quietly. Daisy nodded, shifting nervously under the gaze of her new classmates. Phelan took a seat next to her, and the normally stoic Slytherin table began to whisper among themselves. The noise died down as the Headmaster raised his hands to catch everyone’s attention.

“Well, now that we’ve gotten everyone Sorted and settled, I would like to tell our First Years, and remind everyone else, that the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden. There is a list in each of the common rooms of items that are banned on the grounds, including quite a few from Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. Anyone caught with these items will be punished accordingly. Our first Hogsmeade trip is coming up soon, and those who have not returned their slips will need to do so or will be unable to go. With all of that said, I hope everyone has a good year at Hogwarts. Dig in.” And when his short speech was over, the food appeared on the tables, the wood groaning with the weight of it.

Phelan had never had such good, rich food. Malfoy Manor certainly had its share of decadent meals, but this was untouchable. He’d survived on rodents and cats and dogs before. He’d stolen his meal from markets. The food here on this table was almost enough to make a poor werewolf weep.

The other three tables grabbed and pulled at the food, but Daisy saw that the Slytherins were much different. They did not eat with such haste. Their movements were slow and deliberate. A Slytherin boy sitting across from Daisy swallowed the bite of food he was eating, and then looked up at her.

“Welcome to Slytherin.” He said politely. Daisy gave a small smile in return.

“I must say, my cousin will be pleased.” She said. The boy gave a small smile, prompting Phelan to slow his eating to watch him. The boy, aware of Phelan’s gaze, tilted his head slightly to look at him.

“Not the normal pet allowed at school, but I suppose if he’s castle-broken…”

Phelan bristled, but said nothing. Tom interrupted before Daisy could intervene.

“Ignore him. He’s an idiot. Were you surprised to be Sorted into Slytherin?” he asked Daisy.

“I guess not. I just told the hat to put me somewhere I’d belong.” She said. Tom nodded, and speared a potato with his fork.

“It makes sense.” He said.

“How so?” Daisy inquired, taking a bite of food.

“You would never have belonged in Gryffindor. You come from a veritable serpent’s den.” Tom explained. At Daisy’s confused look, he continued. “With the likes of Lucius Malfoy as your guardian, the Gryffindors would never have truly trusted you. He is one of the Princes of Slytherin, the embodiment of everything we stand for.”

A few of the students who were less interested in the press than others looked up upon hearing the name of Lucius Malfoy. There were few Princes of Slytherin. They were named later in life, if their accomplishments were Slytherin-esque, and yet also gave them an edge in this life. The majority of Slytherin Princes had been Malfoys through the ages. Draco had yet to prove himself a Prince.

Any cousin of Lucius Malfoy’s was worth not pissing off. Because for him to be her guardian, he had to have chosen to take her. And to do that he at least needed to half-like her. And the Malfoys were notoriously protective of their property.

“To them, you would have been a snake in the lion’s den. It wouldn’t have ended well, especially with the Heir of Wolfdom had your side. Despite their holier-than-thou attitudes, the Gryffindors don’t normally like werewolves any more than the rest of the Wizarding World.” Tom continued. A few of the other Slytherins watched him with interest. Tom had always been a quiet fellow, only speaking if he had something important to say. He was a bit creepy, actually, and no one wanted to find out if his dark appearance hid a Dark demeanor. Too many coincidences circled him for them to test him.

“Makes sense, I guess.” Daisy said. Phelan calmly refilled his plate again, quite enjoying the sumptuous fare. The boy who had made the comment about him before, sneered at his full plate.

“Don’t they feed you at the kennel, wolf-boy?” he asked. Phelan tilted his head, looking almost amused.

“Werewolves have a high metabolism. We have to if we wish to maintain our superior speed and strength.” He replied derisively. Tom actually grinned, revealing that he had elongated his canine teeth into sharp serpentine fangs. He rubbed his hands together, causing a few of his house-mates to shiver.

“Oh yes. This year is going to be very interesting.”

~~

They finally left the Great Hall for the evening. Daisy separated from the other Slytherins as they started down to the dungeons, earning a few curious stares. But the Slytherins had more decorum than to comment. Well, most of them, anyway.

“Where are you going?” Tom asked, once again looking the part of a gothic king with Lucy sitting atop his head. He had no shame of bringing her out at any time, and quite enjoyed the looks on people’s faces when they saw her.

“We weren’t to stay in the dorms of the House I was Sorted into. We have rooms to ourselves, because Phelan can’t sleep where everyone else does.” A few of the Slytherins looked quite relieved to hear this.

“Just as well, I suppose.” Tom said. “Well, until morning.” He said, and tilted his head only slightly as not to jar the serpent on his head.

“Bye.” Daisy said, and she and Phelan went off to their rooms. Their little suite was protected by a portrait of a young couple (yes, the irony was amazing) that sat on the shores of a lake. The girl, looking to be no older than twenty-five, looked up at them.

“Password?” she asked.

“Eternity entwined.” Phelan supplied, and the portrait swung outward, letting them into the room. Their trunks had already been put at the foot of each corresponding bed, and Daisy had already been supplied with a few Slytherin sweaters, several ties, a scarf, and some green mittens.

Daisy’s owl, Agtni, was sitting in an elevated cage in the corner.

“Aggie!” Daisy exclaimed. Her cousin must have sent her. She hadn’t brought her along. The owl gave a cheerful hoot in return. “Oh, my little birdie! I haven’t had much time to spend with you lately. I’m glad you came to Hogwarts with me.” She said, moving towards the cage. Phelan approached his bed to retrieve his pajamas, but came too close to the cage for Agtni’s liking. She began to flap her wings angrily, scrabbling at the wiring of the cage with her feet.

“Maybe you should leave her in the Owlery. I’m sure she would appreciate the company.” Phelan said, backing up enough to calm the owl.

“What about it, Aggie? Wanna find a boyfriend owl?” Daisy teased. Agtni looked at her appraisingly, before beginning to gnaw at the cage latch. “Super!” Daisy said, and unlatched the cage. She held out her arm for Agtni to perch, and took her over to their bedroom window. She opened it and allowed the owl to fly out into the night and towards the owlery.

Phelan had already retrieved his sleeping pants, and was on his way into the bathroom to shower before bed. Daisy preferred her showers in the morning, so that didn’t bother her. What did bother her, however, was when he emerged shortly after his shower, clad in nothing but his sleeping pants. Her jaw dropped at the sight of him.

“Do you not have anymore clothes than that?” she asked. He looked down at himself, and shrugged.

“I usually sleep in nothing at all. It’s your dignity I’m protecting with these infernal pants…” he said, and Daisy swallowed hard. She tugged nervously at the sleeve of her satin sleeping gown that she’d changed into while Phelan was in the shower. “Well, good night.” He said, and pulled back his covers.

“What, no good night kiss?” Daisy teased weakly, pulling back her own covers. Phelan stopped what he was doing, and glanced over at her, his head tilted. He left the side of his own bed, and stalked up behind her as she unmade her bed. She turned around, and gasped at his proximity. He reached forward and tipped her chin up.

“Do you want a good night kiss?” he asked. She swallowed hard, and then nodded. He tilted his head down, and captured her lips. Her hands came up to rest on his shoulders for support, and he deepened the kiss, nipping at her lower lip to get her to open her mouth. She did so with a small gasp, and this time she was not so surprised when his tongue entered her mouth, seeming to taste every centimeter.

He pulled away after several long minutes, pleased to see the dazed look on her face.

“Good night.” He said, and went over to his bed. Daisy, tingling pleasantly, climbed onto her own bed, and curled up under the covers.

~~

Sometime during the night Phelan was woken by a strangled sob from Daisy. He shoved the covers aside and rolled off of the bed fluidly, his hands crooked into claws and his nails elongated to points. He looked over at Daisy’s bed to see her flail helplessly, before giving another sob.

“Dad!” she cried suddenly. Phelan retracted his claws and hurried over to her bed.

“Daisy!” he called. She whimpered and flailed again, and he reached down and shook her. She sat upright with a scream, and he jumped back. “Daisy…what in the world is the matter?” he asked. Daisy, shuddering pitifully, wiped tears from her eyes.

“Nightmare.” She squeaked. He sat down on the edge of her bed, and drew her up into his arms.

“Tell me what it was about.” He said softly, carding his hands in her hair. She seemed to like it when he did that.

“I don’t…don’t wanna talk about it.” She sniffled. Phelan cocked his head slightly.

“I didn’t ask if you wanted to talk about it. I told you to tell me what it was about.” He said firmly.

“My mom and dad.” She supplied uselessly.

“Daisy. I have heard Hermione talking about your nightmares. Am I correct in assuming you just ignore them?” he asked. Daisy nodded. “Well, it doesn’t appear to be helping you overcome them.” He added. “Now tell me what you see in your dreams.”

“I see the night my mom and dad were killed.” Daisy said sadly, turning slightly in his arms so that she could bury her face into his broad chest. His warmth comforted her, and her shivering stopped.

“Did you ever talk to anyone about this, Daisy?” She shook her head against him. “You can’t bottle this up, Daisy. It’s destroying you, and if I can keep you from doing that to yourself then I will. Tell me about that night.” He urged. Daisy’s shivering was back, and she shook her head again. Phelan pulled back from her, and looked down at her face. Her eyes were shut tight, and she was grimacing as if in pain. “You already see it in your head at night. Just say it aloud.”

After several moments of tense silence, Daisy opened her eyes and began to speak.

“We always went to the movie theater on Fridays. Even if we saw the same movie. We would walk home afterwards, since it was so close. We were walking home that night, and everything was normal, until a guy dressed all…dressed all in black jumped out of the bushes, holding a gun. Do you know what a gun is?” Here Phelan gave a noise of assent. He did know what a gun was. He found that ignorance of one’s neighbors was a stupid practice and had a few allies in some Muggle werewolves to explain things to him.

“Mama and daddy held up their hands. It’s pretty standard procedure when being mugged.” Daisy said without humor. “So dad couldn’t go for his wand. The guy wanted the normal things: dad’s wallet, mom’s purse. He didn’t let them get them themselves. He reached in dad’s pocket and got the wallet, careful to keep that damned piece of metal pointed at him. He grabbed mama’s whole purse. As he did, I guess he saw mama’s wedding ring. He wanted it. He would have pawned it off, I guess.

Mama begged him not to take it. She never wore ‘white’ jewelry. She was more of a beads and feathers girl, but she was proud of her wedding band.” Here Daisy started to fiddle with her Bonding Band. “Dad took a step- just one fucking step!- forward to plead with that…that bastard, and the guy shot him. Shot him right in the chest!” Tears were starting to flow freely again, and Phelan resumed his gentle touches of Daisy’s hair.

“I think dad was dead before he hit the ground. The paramedic said the bullet struck him right in the h-heart. Mama…mama tried to get the gun away. She had…had her hands on it, fighting with him. But he overpowered her, and sh-shot her too. Same story: right through the heart.” Daisy sobbed. “That coward still took mama’s ring. Stole it off of her dead hand! And I just stood there!” Daisy hiccupped.

Ah, the crux of the problem.

“I just stood there while he took the ring. He looked up at me before her left. He actually paused when he saw me, and for a minute I thought he’d kill me too, but then I heard some of the neighbors shouting and he took off. I am a witch with a fully-functioning wand and I watched him run away!” she was breathlessly sobbing now.

“Even if you had stunned and killed him, it wouldn’t have brought back your mum and dad.” Phelan said softly.

“It…w-would have m-made me feel b-better.” Daisy sniveled. Phelan didn’t argue with her, and only held her as she cried. “I…I miss them.” And here she was overcome with great, heaving sobs. Phelan suspected that she hadn’t properly grieved her parents. She’d been shoved into another country too quickly for that. And so he held her. He had no words of comfort for her. He didn’t know any.

She cried against him for nearly an hour, before her sobs began to peter out, and she started to fall asleep in his arms. He was going to leave her to her own bed, and return to his, but his slight shifting pulled her back awake, and she looked up at him with tear-reddened eyes, which he would see perfectly despite the almost non-existent light of the room.

“Don’t leave me. Not tonight. We can go back to our own beds tomorrow, but please, please don’t leave me.” She begged. He sighed softly.

“Scoot, then, so I can get under the covers. It’s rather chilly.” He said. She scooted over a little farther on the slightly small bed, and he joined her under the covers, grateful to begin to warm up. He gathered her close to him, and she shivered slightly before relaxing against his bare chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Good night, Daisy.”

And with that, they both fell into a deep sleep for the remainder of their first night at Hogwarts.

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Aww....what a hard first night. Well, anyway, you've read, I think you should review. Leave a nice long one, too, because those tend to help me write lots and lots.