Star Sisters

Chapter I: Star Sisters

Charis stood in King’s Cross station on the draughty platform of nine and three-quarters, waiting anxiously. This would be her seventh and final year at Hogwarts, the last time she would wait for the old red steam train, and the very last time she would board it with her best friend.

The Hogwarts Express held very special memories for her. In fact, she and her best friend Morgana had met on that very train six years ago: they had both been a little scared and excited and had very much been looking forward to becoming proper witches.

They couldn’t have been more different.

Charis was a Muggle-born, who had grown up not far from what was, centuries ago, the vale of Avalon. With fair hair and green eyes, she had been brought up as the youngest of four children in a modest country town. Her family were not rich, but they never went hungry. She had grown up with the sounds of yelling and arguing ringing in her ears as part of everyday life. Why her parents didn’t just simply divorce and save everyone their constant bickering, Charis had no idea. However, she had accepted that this was the way things were and quickly learnt to stay out of sight when a fight was brewing. It had been this upbringing that had shaped her deep dislike of confrontation. And if there were some other way to resolve conflict, she would find it. She had become a natural diplomat because of that and also one to hold her tongue.

Morgana was a red-haired pureblood with icy-blue eyes. She was the youngest child of the line of Belakane, the last daughter of a family that could be traced back to the times of Merlin. But she had not enjoyed the pleasures children of pureblood families normally enjoyed. She had not been brought up in a Manor, had not had a private tutor or played with gilded toys. She had grown up in an orphanage, as her parents had mysteriously disappeared shortly after her first birthday. The Ministry had investigated into their disappearance, of course, but never found a trace of them. But then again, many witches and wizards had disappeared during those troubled times.

Yes, Charis and Morgana were two girls from two different worlds, two different backgrounds. But by the time they arrived at Hogwarts, they had become friends, bonding over Chocolate Frogs and rumours of the delights that awaited them at their new school.

And then they had been sorted: Charis into Ravenclaw for her brilliant wits and her eagerness to learn; Morgana into Slytherin for her bloodline and her ambition to succeed whatever the price.

One would think that being sorted into rivalling Houses would have kept the two girls apart. But as the years had gone by, the Star Sisters had developed a bond as had rarely been seen before. They had shared laughs and tears, crushes and heartaches, and by their sixth year, they had realised that they also shared an obsession for their Potions master.

Charis shivered, looking around the platform once more. She was getting nervous. It was seven minutes to eleven, and Morgana hadn’t arrived yet. If she didn’t show up soon, she would miss the train. And besides, being late wasn’t like her at all. Something must have happened to her, Charis thought and started wringing her hands.

‘Is there anything wrong, Ms Byrne?’

The low, drawling voice made Charis jump, and as she whirled around, she almost bumped into her best friend.

‘For fuck’s sake, Morgana! Do you have to sneak up on me like that?!’

The red-haired witch grinned. ‘I thought you liked being sneaked up on by dark Slytherins. Or does that rule just apply to our dear Potions master?’

Charis pouted. Her friend had the uncanny habit of delivering biting remarks without even thinking twice how they might be received. She could be right-out cruel at times. And Charis wondered if she would ever get used to it.

‘Oh, don’t look at me like that, Ravenpuff,’ Morgana chided. ‘Unbutton your shirt and show some leg. We’re of age now!’

Yes, they were. Charis had become of age one minute after the stroke of midnight on July fourteenth, and Morgana only two minutes earlier, one minute before the end of July thirteenth. Star Sisters, indeed.

‘Come on now,’ Morgana said with a mischievous grin on her face. ‘Let’s board the train and get to Hogwarts. We have a Potions master to seduce.’

The mood on the train was strangely subdued. Students stood in the corridors, huddled together in small groups, whispering and casting furtive glances over their shoulders. And they were all talking about the same three things: Harry Potter, the death of Cedric Diggory and the return of Lord Voldemort.

‘Do you think Harry is telling the truth?’ Charis asked her friend as they had found an empty compartment at the end of the train. ‘Was Cedric really murdered by Vo... by him? Is he really back?’

‘Why would Potter lie?’ Morgana replied. ‘It’s not like he got too little attention last year. He doesn’t need to make up a story like that.’

Charis swallowed. If Voldemort really was back, then her life as a witch would change drastically very soon. She knew just what kind of treatment Muggle-borns had received during the first Wizard war . The likes of Draco Malfoy and his cronies were bound to see this as an excuse to exacerbate their obnoxious, bordering-on-xenophobic behaviour. A gnawing ache began in the pit of Charis’ stomach. She hoped this wouldn’t drive a wedge between her and her best friend.

‘Do you think things will change in your House if he really is back?’ Charis wondered.

Morgana shrugged. ‘I think you and me both know just who in my House is happy about the Dark Lord being back. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, to name a few. Draco has been longing for the Dark Lord’s return ever since our fourth year. Do you remember the day the Chamber of Secrets was opened? The little twit had a field day.’

Yes, Charis remembered. She remembered how she – for the first time – had been called Mudblood that year. She remembered how bad she had felt, how humiliated. But she also remembered how Morgana had cast a really ugly hex at the Slytherin boy who had insulted her.

‘Will we be in danger?’ she asked. ‘Those of us who are not in Slytherin, I mean?’

Morgana looked her straight in the eyes, and her friend’s blue gaze made Charis relax. ‘If the Dark Lord really has returned, then we will all be in danger. But at Hogwarts we will be safe.’

They sat in silence for a while, each absorbed in their own thoughts about Lord Voldemort and the future. A future of which none of them knew what kind of dangers it would bring. The death of Cedric Diggory had shown that, in these troubled times, not even being a pureblood was enough to keep from harm.

Their thoughts were broken by the arrival of the buffet cart, and by the time they had devoured some Pumpkin Pastries and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, their topic of conversation had turned to something far sweeter in nature: the seduction of their Potions master.

They began plotting in earnest just after the train reached Birmingham. Exactly what did Severus Snape find attractive? And how could they find out? They were certain he wasn’t gay, although all of the professors kept their private lives very much private. Come to think of it, they didn’t know if any of their teachers had partners or spouses. Morgana made a crack about Flitwick and Sprout being an item, which made Charis snort pumpkin juice all over her new school robes. Bobbing Flitwick and frivolous Sprout. Such an unholy union.

Charis and Morgana soon decided that beyond the stony facade of their Potions master lay a hungry, passionate brute who would make a woman’s knees weak with the intensity of his attentions. And by the time the train reached the Lake District, they had painted Snape as a devilish womaniser, skilled in the exotic art of love-making and with a manhood so impressive and virile it would make their eyes water.

They were now certain about their goal: they wanted to find out what slumbered beneath the billowing black robes of their Potions master. And before the school year was over, they would have their way with him. They would seduce him, use him and then walk away from him with their heads held high, never looking back.

Yes, the goal was staked out clearly. But how they would achieve it, the Star Sisters did not know.

And neither did they know that their little scheme would end in tears and heartache.

* * *

The Great Hall was filled with voices and laughter, and despite having spent six years there, neither Charis nor Morgana ever stopped being amazed by the magic of Hogwarts.

Before splitting up to join their House Tables, they positioned themselves by the entrance door from where they had a clear view of the High Table. And there he was, the object of their desire: dark, brooding, dangerous, dungeon bat, Potions master and Head of Slytherin House. Severus Snape.

‘Is it just me or has he gotten even more alluring over the summer?’ Morgana whispered and smirked at her friend who promptly blushed.

‘I still don’t dare look him in the eyes,’ Charis whispered. It was one thing to dream about him every night, one thing to plan to seduce him. But actually plucking up the courage to even try approaching him was a completely different matter.

Morgana snorted. ‘Once you have him between your thighs, all you have to do is lay back and enjoy. You won’t have to look at him. And besides, it is said to be modest for a girl to close her eyes anyway.’ And grinning madly, she left for the Slytherin table, leaving her friend standing at the door, blushing even more.

Charis grew nervous. She had fumbled with boys before, but seducing a MAN – that was something else altogether. She felt a little out of her depth if she was honest, and yet her attraction to the dark wizard was undeniable. She thought about him before she went to sleep at night and in her most private of moments, when exploring her own awakening sensuality. But she took strength from the fact that she wasn’t alone in her pursuit of the surly Slytherin, as she surely wouldn’t have the courage to act on her feelings if she did not have the support of her equally-smitten best friend.

* * *

Charis was already enjoying buttered toast and a nice cup of hot chocolate when the seventh-year Slytherins came marching into the Great Hall the next morning, lead by no other than Severus Snape himself. His black robes were billowing behind him as he strode by, and Charis almost choked on her toast. He was an Adonis in black robes with a black aura that made her knees tremble and any intelligent thought disappear from her head. Oh yes, there was a reason why she dreamt of him almost every night.

She caught sight of her best friend, who was walking just a couple of feet behind her Head of House, her eyes slightly narrowed, her jaws set.

How could she walk behind that man, her eyes on his butt and not even break a sweat, Charis wondered.

But when Morgana walked by, Charis could see her eyes glitter. And when she raised an eyebrow and – barely noticeable – pointed towards the object of their desire, Charis realised that she was not the only one who found it difficult not to drool.

Five minutes later, Morgana flopped down beside her friend, making some third-years hurry away in fear by just looking at them.

‘You shouldn’t be doing that,’ Charis pointed out, feeling that she needed to protect her House mates.

‘Doing what?’ Morgana asked, seemingly totally oblivious of the effect she had on the younger students.

‘Scowling at the third-years like that,’ Charis explained. ‘You scare the shit out of them.’

Morgana lifted her hands in a defensive gesture. ‘That’s my Slytherin charm. Learnt from the best,’ she said, gesturing towards the High Table where Snape was washing down his porridge with a cup of black coffee. ‘He has managed to make two first-years cry already before breakfast.’

Yes, that was very much like him.

‘He was in a weird mood today,’ Morgana went on. ‘Gave us a five minutes’ speech about Slytherin House having to befriend the other Houses, that we cannot stand on our own against the dangers that are lurking in the shadows.’ She paused and moved closer to her friend, dropping her voice to a mere whisper. ‘I think Snape believes Potter. I think he believes that the Dark Lord has indeed returned.’

Morgana picked up a piece of toast and started crumbling it with her fingers. She had seen the looks Snape had received from Draco and his pals. They did certainly not think that anyone in Slytherin House should socialise with any student from another House. And neither had she missed the look Draco had given her when she had walked towards the Ravenclaw table.

‘So, sister dearest,’ Morgana continued smoothly, desperately trying to change subjects. She had no desire whatsoever to discuss House loyalties at the moment. ‘Got your timetable yet?’

Charis started rummaging in her book bag. Professor Flitwick had provided the Ravenclaws with their timetables after the Welcome Feast, and she knew it by heart already. But she didn’t want to look too brainy.

‘Oh no, they split us up for DADA and Charms,’ she complained as she compared her timetable to Morgana’s. ‘But we’ll have Transfiguration together. Oh, so you decided to go for Runes after all. That was a good decision, Morgana.’

‘That’s not what he said,’ Morgana replied, inclining her head in the direction of Professor Snape. ‘He thinks it’s a waste of time and – I quote – a subject unworthy of a true Slytherin.’

‘He can be such an ass,’ Charis commented, knowing how proud her friend was of being in Slytherin House.

‘An ass, you say?’ Morgana mumbled, a lusty look in her eyes. ‘Hm, but it sure is a delicious one.’

Charis giggled and let Morgana take the timetable out of her hand.

‘Guess who’s having Potions together?’ Morgana asked.

Charis’ eyes went wide. ‘We’re not?’ That was just too good to be true.

‘Oh yes, we are,’ Morgana said, grinning. ‘And we both know what that means: we’ll be able to attack him from two sides at once. The man doesn’t stand a chance.’

* * *

The Star Sisters might have felt safe at that point. They might even have thought that their scheming had gone unnoticed. But Severus Snape never missed a thing.

Contrary to common beliefs, the Potions master always paid very close attention to the first-years when they entered the Great Hall in McGonagall’s wake. He studied their faces, their body language and their eyes. He memorised their faces and added them to the information he and the other teachers had been given about them, and when he met them face to face for the first time, he would call every student by their name.

The way the students carried themselves told him a lot about their personalities. And in their eyes he looked for that certain spark that promised curiosity and the will to learn. Most people thought that Severus Snape did not even look at the first-years when they stood in front of the Deputy Headmistress, all shaking like leaves. But by the time McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on their head, Snape had most of the time already decided which students were even worth a second look.

He had not noticed Morgana before she had been called forth. She had kept quiet, had hidden in the crowd, had blended in perfectly. It was not in her nature to draw attention to herself unless she wanted to be noticed. But when she was called forth, she had certainly had Snape’s undivided attention. Of course, the last of the Belakanes was reason enough to notice the girl, but her last name was not what had gotten Snape interested. No, he had noticed her icy blue eyes and the way she carried herself. Tall and unflinchingly, she had stepped forward. She had seemed proud, curious and ambitious. There walks a true Slytherin, Snape had thought. And he had not been mistaken.

Charis, too, had been worth a second look. He had noticed her curious green eyes already when she had let them wander across the staff table for the first time. He had also noticed that she had at once lowered her gaze as he had glared back at her. But he had never forgotten that curious and intelligent look in her eyes. And he had not at all been surprised when she had been sorted into Ravenclaw.

Potions had been the girls’ first class the next day, and Snape had been both surprised and slightly annoyed by the fact that they had shared a table. A pureblood Slytherin and a Muggle-born Ravenclaw working together? What would come next? Hufflepuff winning the House Cup? But the girls proved to be a good team, and he let them work, curious at what they might achieve.

Over the years, Snape watched the Star Sisters’ friendship grow and prosper. No one could ever have guessed that they were in different Houses. They worked together and studied together. They laughed together and consoled each other. They were inseparable. Even in the Great Hall, sitting at different tables, they managed to communicate with each other. They used secret signs, a wink, a smile, a raised eyebrow. They did not need words to understand each other. And Snape watched and approved. For a while at least.

Then the girls’ sixth year arrived, and for the first time, Snape noticed that they had grown into young women, attractive young women. The boys looked after them in the corridors, and the girls gave them jealous looks. And both Charis and Morgana knew what effect they had on the opposite sex. But for the first time, Snape noticed a significant difference: while Charis blushed and looked at the boys with a shy expression on her face, Morgana eyed them coolly, even calculatingly. Charis was looking for love, Morgana for power. And Snape decided to keep an eye on them both.

Then the Dark Lord returned, and Snape’s life changed: once more, he stood between the Dark and the Light, working for both sides, not belonging anywhere. But this time, he was not just working on his own agenda. This time, he had his students to protect. He had noticed the change in Slytherin House: several students were only too willing to join the Dark Lord, just like their parents had done two decades ago. And Snape promised to himself to save as many as possible from the Dark side.

It felt like a Bludger to the gut when he learnt that Morgana had started socialising with Lucius Malfoy. He had of course known that Lucius had paid for Morgana’s education since the day her parents had died. And why would he not have? The Malfoys and the Belakanes were two of the oldest Wizard families in the country. Of course Lucius would look out for the girl who was the perfect match for his son. But why Lucius had now decided to sink his fangs into the girl himself was beyond Snape. And even less did he understand why the girl would let it happen.

By the time the girls returned to Hogwarts for their seventh and final year, Snape had worked out a plan. He could not let the girl fall into the hands of a wizard as dark as Lucius Malfoy. And if Morgana really had fallen for Lucius’ charms, if she was in danger to be pulled into the Dark, he would need Charis’ help to keep Morgana from falling.

But before he could trust Charis, he would have to test the girls’ friendship.

It was a painful experience. The two girls and the friendship they shared reminded Snape so much of what he had once had. Morgana with her calculating mind and her cold attitude reminded him of the boy he had once been: so eager to find a place to belong, so afraid to get hurt. And Charis, she was like Lily: smart, kind, loyal. She even had the same green eyes.

The question was: would Morgana push her friend away when she needed her the most, just as he had done all those years ago? And would Charis let Morgana fall on the very same day, just as Lily had done with him?

Snape shuddered at the thought. He had observed those two girls for six years. He knew how much they cared for each other. He did not want to see them fall apart. Hence, he had to test their loyalties and, if necessary, separate the two before they started hurting each other.

And the fact that they both competed for his attention proved to be the perfect tool.