Post by Kaiia Blackthorn on Sept 1, 2008 2:06:27 GMT 8
OOC: This fan fic was started before I started RPing, and when I joined HPRA, I decided that the adult Josh would be an interesting character to RP.
Note: geas is pronounced "gesh"
August 31 2008
Josh Greenwood looked over his shoulder at Brandon's shout. He had stopped to stare in the shop window at the display of broomsticks, and his parents and twin brother were now some distance away. Reluctantly he dragged himself away from the window and began to run. As he was crossing the mouth of the narrow lane way that led down into Knockturn Alley, the stack of new schoolbooks, purchased for his first year at Hogwarts, began to slide from his arms. He stooped to gather them from the cobblestones, just as a man strode out of the shadowy street and almost tripped over Josh.
“Get out of my way, boy!” an icy, cultured voice snapped at him. Grabbing the last book, Josh straightened up.
“I'm sorry sir, I just dropped my books,” he explained, looking up nervously.
“I'm not interested in...” the voice trailed off as Josh raised his head, and the expression of irritation on the stranger's face turned to one of shock. Josh himself was a bit surprised. He was sure that he'd never met the man before, but he seemed somehow familiar. His first impression was of a tall, broad-shouldered man with long white hair, but now he realized that his hair wasn't really white, but palest blonde... as pale as Josh's own hair. He met the man's eyes and saw that they were grey - also like his own. He'd met people with grey eyes before, but always they had been more like pale blue, never the exact cool shade of true grey he saw now, set in a face with the same clear pallor he saw when he looked in the mirror.
Finally the stranger spoke again. “What's your name, boy?” His voice had lost its anger, but there was a strange, suspicious edge to it.
Josh had, of course, been told many times not to talk to strangers, but something in the man's bearing and manner made him feel compelled to answer. “Josh - Josh Greenwood.”
The man raised a pale eyebrow. “Greenwood... ah yes, of course!” He glanced along Diagon Alley, then fixed his intense gaze on Josh once more. “Are you here with your mother?”
Josh nodded. “And my Dad and brother.”
From Diagon Alley, he heard his mother's voice calling him. “Joshua! What are you doing? I've told you before to stay away from Knockturn Alley!” His mother looked exasperated, but as she reached him she stopped, looking at the man Josh was talking to. Josh glanced from one to the other, confused, unable to read the look on either face. After a few moments of tense silence, the man said,
“Solstice. It's been a long time.”
Josh looked at his mother, who said quietly, “Josh, go and fetch your Dad.”
Glad of the chance to get away from the intimidating stranger, Josh hurried along Diagon Alley to where his father and brother were waiting. “Mum said to fetch you,” he gasped, his father had already started to run to where his mother still stood, looking silently at the blonde man. Exchanging puzzled glances, Josh and Brandon followed, arriving at their parents' side just in time to hear their father say softly,
“Crawl back into whatever foul hole you've been hiding in, Malfoy. Come near my family and...”
“And what?” The contempt was back in Malfoy's voice. It was Solstice who replied,
“You've experienced first hand how dangerous an Elemental can be. Do you really think you can take on two of us?”
“And exactly what could you do in such a public place?”
Solstice's lip lifted in a sneer. “Oh, I think if anything messy were to befall the infamous Lucius Malfoy, there'd be a remarkable lack of witnesses willing to lift a finger!”
Malfoy's jaw clenched, but before he could reply, Jack said to Solstice,
“Let's go. This isn't the sort of area the boys should be hanging around.”
As Solstice started to move Brandon and Josh away from the alley, Jack said, “I warn you, Malfoy, leave my family alone...”
“Your family?” Malfoy's voice was venomous. “It's not your family I'm interested in. Rest assured, you haven't heard the last of this!” He turned abruptly and strode back towards Knockturn Alley.
Late that night, Josh woke to the sound of his parents' voices. They were staying overnight at the Leaky Cauldron, prior to the boys catching the Hogwarts Express the next day - both Jack and Solstice felt that even though they actually lived just outside the Hogwarts grounds, it was important for the boys to experience the train journey to school, and have a chance to meet their future schoolmates. The twins were sharing a four-poster bed in their parents' room. Brandon was still sound asleep, and Josh, now wide awake, lay still, listening to his parents.
His mother sounded upset, and although his father was talking calmly, Josh could hear an undercurrent of anxiety in his voice. “Solstice, what could he do? No-one in their right mind would let Malfoy...”
“Don't be naive!” Solstice snapped. “He still has influence everywhere.”
“He can't prove anything. They're twins, for Merlin's sake!”
“He doesn't need to. I always knew there was a strong resemblance, but it wasn't until I saw them together today... the moment Malfoy starts claiming that he's Josh's father, people will look at them and realize it's true.”
Josh felt as if he'd been doused with icy water. That awful man they'd met... his father? But... everyone always said that Brandon looked just like Dad, and he was Brandon's twin, so how could his father be someone else...? His parents were talking again, and Josh lay rigidly, hoping to hear something that would explain it all.
“Yes, I do think he'll try!” Solstice was saying. “You heard what he said about it not being your family he was interested in. . .”
“He can try.” Jack's voice was hard. “As far as I'm concerned, Josh is as much my son as Brandon. I will never let Malfoy take him...”
Josh couldn't stop the terrified noise leaving him. The idea that the man they'd met that day might take him away from his family was just too much. His parents were suddenly silent, then his mother said in a low voice,
“Josh? Did you have another nightmare, love?”
“Mum, don't let that horrible man take me away!”
“Oh Merlin, he heard us!”
Next moment, his mother was at his bedside. “Josh, what did you hear?”
“You said that man is my father, and that he wants to take me away.” His voice rose in anguish, and Solstice said,
“Shh, you'll wake Bran. Get up, love, come with me.”
Josh crawled out of bed, and his mother put his traveling cloak around his shoulders and looked over at Jack. “I'll take him downstairs - it'll be deserted at this hour...” Jack started to speak, but she said, “No, stay with Brandon. This is something I have to do. We always knew it would come eventually.”
After a moment, Jack nodded, then pulled Solstice close for a few seconds. Releasing her, he stepped back and watched as Solstice and Josh went out of the room.
Once downstairs in the lounge of the Leaky Cauldron, Solstice got Josh a mug of cocoa, added a pinch of his nightmare medicine, and when they were settled on a battered sofa, she said, “This is not the way I wanted you to find out. We were planning to tell you when you were a bit older.”
“But how can me and Bran have different dads? We're twins!”
“It's very rare, but it is possible for non-identical twins to have different fathers.”
“How?”
As simply as she could, Solstice said, “If their mother sleeps with two different men, and it happens close enough together, then the twins can each have one of them as their father.”
“But - but that means you slept with that man as well as Dad...” Josh was horrified.
“It wasn't my choice, Josh. Malfoy kidnapped me, and then used the Imperius curse on me. I couldn't resist it because he also laid a geas on me.” Josh looked puzzled, and Solstice said, “You don't know what a geas is?” When Josh shook his head, she sighed. This was a lot for a boy his age to cope with all at once. “A geas is a binding curse. It stops someone using their magic - in fact, it hurts them if they try to use it. It can only be done to an Elemental.”
In a small voice, Josh asked, “Does it hurt a lot?”
Solstice sighed again. Even after more than a dozen years, the memory of being under the geas was very painful. “Yes, it does. It made me hurt all over, and feel sick, and it made me have terrible nightmares, like the ones you have. We think you have them now because you were conceived while I was under the geas.”
“Oh Mum!” Josh gulped, and Solstice hugged him tightly. After a while, Josh said, “So Dad isn't really my father at all.” He sounded very close to tears.
“In that way, no. But Josh, that doesn't matter to me or Dad. When you were born, we were shocked when we realized what had happened. But as soon as we held you, we knew it wasn't your fault, and that we were going to love you just as much as your brother. And we always have.”
In the silence, Solstice remembered how she'd felt when she first saw the pale, silvery-haired baby she had just given birth to, such a contrast to his warm-skinned, dark-haired twin. In her horror at realizing that Malfoy had fathered this changeling child on her, she hadn't wanted to touch him. But Jack had put the boy into her arms, and Josh had opened his eyes, and the moment she looked into his smoky, unfocused gaze, she knew it didn't matter. Suddenly she was holding him to her breast, suckling him as she had done the first twin. She had looked up at Jack, and they shared the unspoken conviction that regardless of the blood in his veins, this boy belonged to both of them.
Josh lifted his head, looking up at his mother. “Is he - that man, I mean...”
“Call him Malfoy, Josh. Being afraid to say his name will just make you more afraid of him.”
“Okay. Is - is Malfoy very bad?”
“I'm afraid so. He hurts people if he thinks it will help get him what he wants. And he hates some people just because they aren't purebloods.”
“Did he - was he one of Voldemort's supporters?”
“Yes, he was a Death Eater.” Solstice felt Josh shiver.
“And - does he want to take me away from you?”
“I think he may. But Josh, we'll never let that happen. Your Dad and I will do anything we have to, to stop him taking you.”
Josh finished his cocoa, and sat in silence, curled against his mother's side. After a while, Solstice glanced down and saw that the medicine had done its trick, and he was asleep. Gently, she lifted him into her arms. He was small and slight for his age - as she had been at eleven - and it wasn't much effort for her to carry him back upstairs.
Jack, as she'd expected, was still awake, waiting for her. She put Josh down beside Jack, and got into bed. Their eyes met above their son's moonlight-pale head. “Well, he knows,” Solstice said softly.
“How did he take it?”
“Frankly, he's terrified. And he has reason to be.”
Jack reached over, cupping Solstice's face with his hand. “Solstice - I swear, I will kill Malfoy before I let him take our boy.”
Solstice raised herself on one elbow and leaned across to kiss Jack. “You'd have to get in line behind me,” she said grimly. She settled back down, and pulled the quilt up, tucking it around the sleeping boy between them. She put her arm across the child, finding that Jack had done the same from his side. She could hear them both breathing, knowing by his deep, regular breaths when Jack fell asleep.
But it was dawn before she slept.
Josh leaned against the window, watching the scenery that flashed past as the train hurtled on its way to Hogwarts.
Despite the medicine his mother had given him during the night, Josh had woken several times with nightmares, and when it began to get light, Mum had let him get up, and taken him for a walk along Diagon Alley, which had been deserted at that hour. She’d tried to calm his fears, but it hadn’t helped much. He felt exhausted and on-edge at the same time. He’d asked if he should tell his twin, but Solstice had said, “Not yet, love. You know what Bran’s like – he wouldn’t mean to, but eventually he’d be bound to let something slip accidentally. And it’s not something that people outside the family need to know. It’s none of their business.” He’d nodded, feeling relieved, and Brandon had accepted the explanation that Josh was just tired because of his nightmares.
Josh felt in the pocket of his new school robes, until his fingers closed on the box that Mum had given him before they set out from the Leaky Cauldron for King’s Cross station. “You’re old enough to take charge of your nightmare medicine now,” she had said. "The school nurse knows about your nightmares, of course, but you don’t want to have to go running to the hospital wing every time you need to take it.”
They’d been on the train for several hours by now, and Brandon was already making friends. As recently as yesterday Josh might have felt a bit resentful at seeing his twin having so much more success at mixing in, but today Josh felt strangely detatched. He sighed, turning his gaze back to the scenery. He usually enjoyed train travel. His family had travelled all over Europe that summer, mostly on muggle trains, and Josh had loved it. He’d been looking forward to taking the Hogwarts Express, but now the time it would take to get to school seemed to stretch endlessly ahead. He wished he’d had even a few days to get over the shock of what he’d learnt.
Someone brought up the subject of being sorted, and Brandon said, “Well, our Mum and Dad were both Gryffindors, so probably we’ll be there too. Don’t people usually go in the same houses as their familes were in?” As the conversation went on, Josh shivered, feeling unnaturally cold. He’d heard somewhere that Malfoys were always Slytherins. Did that mean he would be sorted into Slytherin? He tried to remember everything he’d heard about Slytherin house… almost all the dark wizards from the war had been Slytherins. But surely, Mum had said once that one of her best friends at school had been a Slytherin. Even so, Josh definitely didn’t want to be in Slytherin. They slept in a dungeon, and he was sure that sooner or later someone would realize that he looked like a Malfoy, and then his secret would be all over the school.
Suddenly, he couldn’t stand to stay in this compartment any more, listening to the other kids talk about wanting to be in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Not when he was certain that he was going to end up in Slytherin. He got up, pushed open the compartment door, and stumbled into the corridor. He went down the corridor, finally stopping beside an open window. The cool air made him feel a bit better, and a couple of minutes later, Brandon arrived at his side. “You alright, Josh?” he asked anxiously. Despite their very different personalities, the two boys shared the special bond that twins often had, and Brandon was worried about how Josh had been acting today. Josh nodded. “Yeah – I’m just tired. And it’s so noisy in there.”
“Yeah, it is a bit,” Brandon agreed with a grin. He felt in his pocket and pulled out some galleons. “Hey, I forgot Dad gave us some money for the train. He said there’s a trolley where you can buy sweets and stuff. Let’s go and find it. I’m hungry!” He set off towards the next carriage, and Josh followed, glad to have something to distract him a bit.
When they finally arrived at Hogsmeade station, it was dark. A huge figure strode down the platform, calling for First Years as he went. When he saw the twins, he smiled. “There yeh are! I promised yeh mum that I’d look out for yeh. All worried about yeh falling in the lake on the way over, she was.” Hagrid clapped the twins on the shoulders, not noticing that they both staggered under the impact. “Come on, then. Yeh know, I remember when yeh Mum started Hogwarts. She was so tiny, I thought someone had made a mistake an’ sent her letter a couple o’ years too early…” Hagrid’s familiar booming voice was comforting to Josh; he’d known him all his life, and had spent endless hours playing with some of the less exotic animals in and around his cabin. He followed the rest of the First Years towards the boats. Despite everything, he couldn’t help feeling excited about finally starting Hogwarts.
The little crowd of first years waited nervously in the room off the Great Hall. Any minute now, the Headmistress would call them in and they’d finally be sorted. Josh was frankly terrified. He could imagine Brandon’s reaction when the Sorting Hat touched Josh’s head and yelled Slytherin!. He was sure his twin would look at him in disgust, and guess the terrible truth… suddenly the kids at the head of the group began to press forward, and walk into the Hall. His stomach churning, Josh followed.
As the names were called, and the other children were assigned to their various houses, Josh was torn between wishing he could be last, because he didn’t want to hear his fate until the last minute, and wishing he’d been first so he could get it over with. The ‘F’s were done, and a couple ‘G’s were called. Then the Professor in charge of the sorting called out “Brandon Greenwood!” Brandon scrambled eagerly onto the stool, and sat still for a moment. With barely a hesitation, the Hat shouted Gryffindor! Grinning, Brandon jumped down, and smacked Josh on the shoulder as he headed for the Gryffindor table.
“Joshua Greenwood!” His stomach lurched, and he gulped, stumbling towards the stool. He sat still, shaking slightly in apprehension. Then the Hat was on his head, and a voice said in his ear, “Greenwood? You don’t seem like a Greenwood to me! Oh no – a very interesting mix. And an Elemental too! Very hard to sort, you Elementals. You’re quite a challenge, lad. Ah, but I know you! I remember another one just like you. Difficult decision… yes, now I see. Oh, of course, it’s obvious. Definitely Gryffindor!”
For a couple of seconds, Josh couldn’t quite take it in. Then the Professor patted his shoulder kindly, and took the hat off him. “Off you go – the Gryffindor table’s over there.” Josh climbed off the stool, and he staggered slightly as he set off towards the table with the red and gold banners hanging over it. He glanced up, and caught sight of his parents, standing at the back of the Hall. They must have slipped in to see him and Bran get sorted. Dad had his arms round Mum, and it almost looked as if there were tears on Mum’s face. She had been worried too, Josh realized. He caught her eye, and managed to return the smile she gave him. He took his seat beside his twin, feeling hugely relieved. He’d been sorted into Gryffindor, so maybe he wasn’t going to turn out like his real father after all. He grinned at Brandon, and turned to watch the rest of his fellow students being sorted.
Note: geas is pronounced "gesh"
August 31 2008
Josh Greenwood looked over his shoulder at Brandon's shout. He had stopped to stare in the shop window at the display of broomsticks, and his parents and twin brother were now some distance away. Reluctantly he dragged himself away from the window and began to run. As he was crossing the mouth of the narrow lane way that led down into Knockturn Alley, the stack of new schoolbooks, purchased for his first year at Hogwarts, began to slide from his arms. He stooped to gather them from the cobblestones, just as a man strode out of the shadowy street and almost tripped over Josh.
“Get out of my way, boy!” an icy, cultured voice snapped at him. Grabbing the last book, Josh straightened up.
“I'm sorry sir, I just dropped my books,” he explained, looking up nervously.
“I'm not interested in...” the voice trailed off as Josh raised his head, and the expression of irritation on the stranger's face turned to one of shock. Josh himself was a bit surprised. He was sure that he'd never met the man before, but he seemed somehow familiar. His first impression was of a tall, broad-shouldered man with long white hair, but now he realized that his hair wasn't really white, but palest blonde... as pale as Josh's own hair. He met the man's eyes and saw that they were grey - also like his own. He'd met people with grey eyes before, but always they had been more like pale blue, never the exact cool shade of true grey he saw now, set in a face with the same clear pallor he saw when he looked in the mirror.
Finally the stranger spoke again. “What's your name, boy?” His voice had lost its anger, but there was a strange, suspicious edge to it.
Josh had, of course, been told many times not to talk to strangers, but something in the man's bearing and manner made him feel compelled to answer. “Josh - Josh Greenwood.”
The man raised a pale eyebrow. “Greenwood... ah yes, of course!” He glanced along Diagon Alley, then fixed his intense gaze on Josh once more. “Are you here with your mother?”
Josh nodded. “And my Dad and brother.”
From Diagon Alley, he heard his mother's voice calling him. “Joshua! What are you doing? I've told you before to stay away from Knockturn Alley!” His mother looked exasperated, but as she reached him she stopped, looking at the man Josh was talking to. Josh glanced from one to the other, confused, unable to read the look on either face. After a few moments of tense silence, the man said,
“Solstice. It's been a long time.”
Josh looked at his mother, who said quietly, “Josh, go and fetch your Dad.”
Glad of the chance to get away from the intimidating stranger, Josh hurried along Diagon Alley to where his father and brother were waiting. “Mum said to fetch you,” he gasped, his father had already started to run to where his mother still stood, looking silently at the blonde man. Exchanging puzzled glances, Josh and Brandon followed, arriving at their parents' side just in time to hear their father say softly,
“Crawl back into whatever foul hole you've been hiding in, Malfoy. Come near my family and...”
“And what?” The contempt was back in Malfoy's voice. It was Solstice who replied,
“You've experienced first hand how dangerous an Elemental can be. Do you really think you can take on two of us?”
“And exactly what could you do in such a public place?”
Solstice's lip lifted in a sneer. “Oh, I think if anything messy were to befall the infamous Lucius Malfoy, there'd be a remarkable lack of witnesses willing to lift a finger!”
Malfoy's jaw clenched, but before he could reply, Jack said to Solstice,
“Let's go. This isn't the sort of area the boys should be hanging around.”
As Solstice started to move Brandon and Josh away from the alley, Jack said, “I warn you, Malfoy, leave my family alone...”
“Your family?” Malfoy's voice was venomous. “It's not your family I'm interested in. Rest assured, you haven't heard the last of this!” He turned abruptly and strode back towards Knockturn Alley.
Late that night, Josh woke to the sound of his parents' voices. They were staying overnight at the Leaky Cauldron, prior to the boys catching the Hogwarts Express the next day - both Jack and Solstice felt that even though they actually lived just outside the Hogwarts grounds, it was important for the boys to experience the train journey to school, and have a chance to meet their future schoolmates. The twins were sharing a four-poster bed in their parents' room. Brandon was still sound asleep, and Josh, now wide awake, lay still, listening to his parents.
His mother sounded upset, and although his father was talking calmly, Josh could hear an undercurrent of anxiety in his voice. “Solstice, what could he do? No-one in their right mind would let Malfoy...”
“Don't be naive!” Solstice snapped. “He still has influence everywhere.”
“He can't prove anything. They're twins, for Merlin's sake!”
“He doesn't need to. I always knew there was a strong resemblance, but it wasn't until I saw them together today... the moment Malfoy starts claiming that he's Josh's father, people will look at them and realize it's true.”
Josh felt as if he'd been doused with icy water. That awful man they'd met... his father? But... everyone always said that Brandon looked just like Dad, and he was Brandon's twin, so how could his father be someone else...? His parents were talking again, and Josh lay rigidly, hoping to hear something that would explain it all.
“Yes, I do think he'll try!” Solstice was saying. “You heard what he said about it not being your family he was interested in. . .”
“He can try.” Jack's voice was hard. “As far as I'm concerned, Josh is as much my son as Brandon. I will never let Malfoy take him...”
Josh couldn't stop the terrified noise leaving him. The idea that the man they'd met that day might take him away from his family was just too much. His parents were suddenly silent, then his mother said in a low voice,
“Josh? Did you have another nightmare, love?”
“Mum, don't let that horrible man take me away!”
“Oh Merlin, he heard us!”
Next moment, his mother was at his bedside. “Josh, what did you hear?”
“You said that man is my father, and that he wants to take me away.” His voice rose in anguish, and Solstice said,
“Shh, you'll wake Bran. Get up, love, come with me.”
Josh crawled out of bed, and his mother put his traveling cloak around his shoulders and looked over at Jack. “I'll take him downstairs - it'll be deserted at this hour...” Jack started to speak, but she said, “No, stay with Brandon. This is something I have to do. We always knew it would come eventually.”
After a moment, Jack nodded, then pulled Solstice close for a few seconds. Releasing her, he stepped back and watched as Solstice and Josh went out of the room.
Once downstairs in the lounge of the Leaky Cauldron, Solstice got Josh a mug of cocoa, added a pinch of his nightmare medicine, and when they were settled on a battered sofa, she said, “This is not the way I wanted you to find out. We were planning to tell you when you were a bit older.”
“But how can me and Bran have different dads? We're twins!”
“It's very rare, but it is possible for non-identical twins to have different fathers.”
“How?”
As simply as she could, Solstice said, “If their mother sleeps with two different men, and it happens close enough together, then the twins can each have one of them as their father.”
“But - but that means you slept with that man as well as Dad...” Josh was horrified.
“It wasn't my choice, Josh. Malfoy kidnapped me, and then used the Imperius curse on me. I couldn't resist it because he also laid a geas on me.” Josh looked puzzled, and Solstice said, “You don't know what a geas is?” When Josh shook his head, she sighed. This was a lot for a boy his age to cope with all at once. “A geas is a binding curse. It stops someone using their magic - in fact, it hurts them if they try to use it. It can only be done to an Elemental.”
In a small voice, Josh asked, “Does it hurt a lot?”
Solstice sighed again. Even after more than a dozen years, the memory of being under the geas was very painful. “Yes, it does. It made me hurt all over, and feel sick, and it made me have terrible nightmares, like the ones you have. We think you have them now because you were conceived while I was under the geas.”
“Oh Mum!” Josh gulped, and Solstice hugged him tightly. After a while, Josh said, “So Dad isn't really my father at all.” He sounded very close to tears.
“In that way, no. But Josh, that doesn't matter to me or Dad. When you were born, we were shocked when we realized what had happened. But as soon as we held you, we knew it wasn't your fault, and that we were going to love you just as much as your brother. And we always have.”
In the silence, Solstice remembered how she'd felt when she first saw the pale, silvery-haired baby she had just given birth to, such a contrast to his warm-skinned, dark-haired twin. In her horror at realizing that Malfoy had fathered this changeling child on her, she hadn't wanted to touch him. But Jack had put the boy into her arms, and Josh had opened his eyes, and the moment she looked into his smoky, unfocused gaze, she knew it didn't matter. Suddenly she was holding him to her breast, suckling him as she had done the first twin. She had looked up at Jack, and they shared the unspoken conviction that regardless of the blood in his veins, this boy belonged to both of them.
Josh lifted his head, looking up at his mother. “Is he - that man, I mean...”
“Call him Malfoy, Josh. Being afraid to say his name will just make you more afraid of him.”
“Okay. Is - is Malfoy very bad?”
“I'm afraid so. He hurts people if he thinks it will help get him what he wants. And he hates some people just because they aren't purebloods.”
“Did he - was he one of Voldemort's supporters?”
“Yes, he was a Death Eater.” Solstice felt Josh shiver.
“And - does he want to take me away from you?”
“I think he may. But Josh, we'll never let that happen. Your Dad and I will do anything we have to, to stop him taking you.”
Josh finished his cocoa, and sat in silence, curled against his mother's side. After a while, Solstice glanced down and saw that the medicine had done its trick, and he was asleep. Gently, she lifted him into her arms. He was small and slight for his age - as she had been at eleven - and it wasn't much effort for her to carry him back upstairs.
Jack, as she'd expected, was still awake, waiting for her. She put Josh down beside Jack, and got into bed. Their eyes met above their son's moonlight-pale head. “Well, he knows,” Solstice said softly.
“How did he take it?”
“Frankly, he's terrified. And he has reason to be.”
Jack reached over, cupping Solstice's face with his hand. “Solstice - I swear, I will kill Malfoy before I let him take our boy.”
Solstice raised herself on one elbow and leaned across to kiss Jack. “You'd have to get in line behind me,” she said grimly. She settled back down, and pulled the quilt up, tucking it around the sleeping boy between them. She put her arm across the child, finding that Jack had done the same from his side. She could hear them both breathing, knowing by his deep, regular breaths when Jack fell asleep.
But it was dawn before she slept.
Josh leaned against the window, watching the scenery that flashed past as the train hurtled on its way to Hogwarts.
Despite the medicine his mother had given him during the night, Josh had woken several times with nightmares, and when it began to get light, Mum had let him get up, and taken him for a walk along Diagon Alley, which had been deserted at that hour. She’d tried to calm his fears, but it hadn’t helped much. He felt exhausted and on-edge at the same time. He’d asked if he should tell his twin, but Solstice had said, “Not yet, love. You know what Bran’s like – he wouldn’t mean to, but eventually he’d be bound to let something slip accidentally. And it’s not something that people outside the family need to know. It’s none of their business.” He’d nodded, feeling relieved, and Brandon had accepted the explanation that Josh was just tired because of his nightmares.
Josh felt in the pocket of his new school robes, until his fingers closed on the box that Mum had given him before they set out from the Leaky Cauldron for King’s Cross station. “You’re old enough to take charge of your nightmare medicine now,” she had said. "The school nurse knows about your nightmares, of course, but you don’t want to have to go running to the hospital wing every time you need to take it.”
They’d been on the train for several hours by now, and Brandon was already making friends. As recently as yesterday Josh might have felt a bit resentful at seeing his twin having so much more success at mixing in, but today Josh felt strangely detatched. He sighed, turning his gaze back to the scenery. He usually enjoyed train travel. His family had travelled all over Europe that summer, mostly on muggle trains, and Josh had loved it. He’d been looking forward to taking the Hogwarts Express, but now the time it would take to get to school seemed to stretch endlessly ahead. He wished he’d had even a few days to get over the shock of what he’d learnt.
Someone brought up the subject of being sorted, and Brandon said, “Well, our Mum and Dad were both Gryffindors, so probably we’ll be there too. Don’t people usually go in the same houses as their familes were in?” As the conversation went on, Josh shivered, feeling unnaturally cold. He’d heard somewhere that Malfoys were always Slytherins. Did that mean he would be sorted into Slytherin? He tried to remember everything he’d heard about Slytherin house… almost all the dark wizards from the war had been Slytherins. But surely, Mum had said once that one of her best friends at school had been a Slytherin. Even so, Josh definitely didn’t want to be in Slytherin. They slept in a dungeon, and he was sure that sooner or later someone would realize that he looked like a Malfoy, and then his secret would be all over the school.
Suddenly, he couldn’t stand to stay in this compartment any more, listening to the other kids talk about wanting to be in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Not when he was certain that he was going to end up in Slytherin. He got up, pushed open the compartment door, and stumbled into the corridor. He went down the corridor, finally stopping beside an open window. The cool air made him feel a bit better, and a couple of minutes later, Brandon arrived at his side. “You alright, Josh?” he asked anxiously. Despite their very different personalities, the two boys shared the special bond that twins often had, and Brandon was worried about how Josh had been acting today. Josh nodded. “Yeah – I’m just tired. And it’s so noisy in there.”
“Yeah, it is a bit,” Brandon agreed with a grin. He felt in his pocket and pulled out some galleons. “Hey, I forgot Dad gave us some money for the train. He said there’s a trolley where you can buy sweets and stuff. Let’s go and find it. I’m hungry!” He set off towards the next carriage, and Josh followed, glad to have something to distract him a bit.
When they finally arrived at Hogsmeade station, it was dark. A huge figure strode down the platform, calling for First Years as he went. When he saw the twins, he smiled. “There yeh are! I promised yeh mum that I’d look out for yeh. All worried about yeh falling in the lake on the way over, she was.” Hagrid clapped the twins on the shoulders, not noticing that they both staggered under the impact. “Come on, then. Yeh know, I remember when yeh Mum started Hogwarts. She was so tiny, I thought someone had made a mistake an’ sent her letter a couple o’ years too early…” Hagrid’s familiar booming voice was comforting to Josh; he’d known him all his life, and had spent endless hours playing with some of the less exotic animals in and around his cabin. He followed the rest of the First Years towards the boats. Despite everything, he couldn’t help feeling excited about finally starting Hogwarts.
The little crowd of first years waited nervously in the room off the Great Hall. Any minute now, the Headmistress would call them in and they’d finally be sorted. Josh was frankly terrified. He could imagine Brandon’s reaction when the Sorting Hat touched Josh’s head and yelled Slytherin!. He was sure his twin would look at him in disgust, and guess the terrible truth… suddenly the kids at the head of the group began to press forward, and walk into the Hall. His stomach churning, Josh followed.
As the names were called, and the other children were assigned to their various houses, Josh was torn between wishing he could be last, because he didn’t want to hear his fate until the last minute, and wishing he’d been first so he could get it over with. The ‘F’s were done, and a couple ‘G’s were called. Then the Professor in charge of the sorting called out “Brandon Greenwood!” Brandon scrambled eagerly onto the stool, and sat still for a moment. With barely a hesitation, the Hat shouted Gryffindor! Grinning, Brandon jumped down, and smacked Josh on the shoulder as he headed for the Gryffindor table.
“Joshua Greenwood!” His stomach lurched, and he gulped, stumbling towards the stool. He sat still, shaking slightly in apprehension. Then the Hat was on his head, and a voice said in his ear, “Greenwood? You don’t seem like a Greenwood to me! Oh no – a very interesting mix. And an Elemental too! Very hard to sort, you Elementals. You’re quite a challenge, lad. Ah, but I know you! I remember another one just like you. Difficult decision… yes, now I see. Oh, of course, it’s obvious. Definitely Gryffindor!”
For a couple of seconds, Josh couldn’t quite take it in. Then the Professor patted his shoulder kindly, and took the hat off him. “Off you go – the Gryffindor table’s over there.” Josh climbed off the stool, and he staggered slightly as he set off towards the table with the red and gold banners hanging over it. He glanced up, and caught sight of his parents, standing at the back of the Hall. They must have slipped in to see him and Bran get sorted. Dad had his arms round Mum, and it almost looked as if there were tears on Mum’s face. She had been worried too, Josh realized. He caught her eye, and managed to return the smile she gave him. He took his seat beside his twin, feeling hugely relieved. He’d been sorted into Gryffindor, so maybe he wasn’t going to turn out like his real father after all. He grinned at Brandon, and turned to watch the rest of his fellow students being sorted.
