— La cresta de Ilión, Christina Rivera Garza
translated by Sarah Booker

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FADE IN:

1ㅤINT. KING'S CROSS STATION, LONDON - MORNING

It was a busy day for King's Cross Station; muggles going to work and young wizards and witches going back to Hogwarts. SIOBHAN (17) was speed walking in order to catch her train until she bumped into another woman in the middle of the crowd.

CUT TO:

2ㅤINT. KING'S CROSS STATION - SIOBHAN'S VISION - EVENING

The same woman bumped into a man wearing a black hoodie, then suddenly, she felt a sharp knife going through her stomach. Blood drips down to the floor. Mouth agape. Eyes looking at the blood on her hands. She looked up to see the man who just killed her but suddenly...he disappeared.

CUT TO:

3ㅤINT. KING'S CROSS STATION, LONDON - MORNING

The unknown woman looked at her furiously with her eyebrows furrowed. And shouted---

UNKNOWN WOMAN
Watch where you're going!

Siobhan was left dumbfounded standing in the middle of the bustling crowd, not moving, not speaking. She realized that she just saw the future of that woman and she didn't even have the time to tell her.

FADE OUT.

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The House of Xu smelled of dried jasmine and burning oak wood—all accompanied by their misery. Soon enough, the eldest daughter, Siobhan, would escape this overbearing household. Their tongues were much sharper than a knife—they killed without drawing blood. All the pressure was buried on her back, and no one was there to help her carry the weight of the Earth.

But Siobhan was perfect. It was as if she was carved by the gods—and nothing could compare to her. How could they not love her?

Her childhood was a blur, and there was nothing worth remembering except for the painstaking piano lessons, ballet training, and summer classes; it was a way for her parents to get rid of her. Isolde Xu acted as if she were a ghost, ignoring every cry of her children—and Roman Xu, perpetually stuck in his seat reading every paper and receipt that stated how close they were to losing their house.

Some days, she would be alone in the house with only her siblings for company. She had no choice but to be a mother to them. Siobhan was five when Bonnie was born and ten when Olive was born. At midnight, her ears would be filled with their squalls, and she would gently rock them in her arms and hum 'Wiegenlied'—it was a lullaby her nanny used to sing to her.

As she grew older, Siobhan realized she had matured far too quickly. She wiped the food off her sisters' mouths, brushed off every speck of dust in their rotting house, and did the best she could for herself. Every dinner felt like she was about to throw up; she would feel everything she ate rising in her throat. For food so warm and tender, why did chewing it feel so cold and leathery? She could see their serpent-like eyes watching her and their thin, pale lips scorned in disgust. Siobhan could imagine bony fingers crawling up the back of her neck, choking her.

Siobhan found her place in the world filled with friendly competition and reading every book known to man to get ahead of her peers, which provided far more comfort than her own home. Siobhan shaped her future like it was the work of a potter's hand; a slab of clay thrown onto the wheel of life, gently molded with supple fingers into breathtaking fine china.

If only she had enough time to change his future, she would. But James Potter is dying, and Siobhan Xu is dead.

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i.ㅤHavana Rose Liu / SIOBHAN XU

ii.ㅤDev Patel / JAMES POTTER

&.

Courtney Eaton as EDEN CONKIN
Taylor Russell as MANON WALKER

the rest as described.

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DISCLAIMERㅤ&ㅤNOTES

i.ㅤThis is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

ii. ㅤThe Harry Potter universe is in no way belongs to me, but rather belongs to someone I would love to not mention her name but J.K R*wling. However, the plot and original characters added belongs to me and I will not tolerate anyone plagiarising my own work.

iii.ㅤTrigger warnings: Death, emotional and physical abuse, vulgar language, suicidal thoughts, mental illness, blood, eating disorder, religious trauma. If you're uncomfortable with the following topics being said, it is advisable to not continue reading this book.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

🗣 okay so i just came back from the dead, and im literally on the way to my senior year now getting ready for college admissions too but i just remembered how i enjoyed writing so much and i want to gain that passion again before all hell breaks loose.

🗣 obviously......im writing an hpu book again, my fav universe to write hahahaha. and a james potter book! i published one like before lambs to kill but i think no one noticed it and i didn't like it that much anyway so i decided to put it behind me. okay now to the main event...

🗣 im not a big marauders fan, but i really like the era and JAMES POTTER so i decided to actually write a marauders era fanfic. anyway, james my lovely himbo like yk he's just there....following siobhan (a.k.a shiv hello succession fans) like a lost dog. yes...that is the trope. but it will also be a slowburn so they really don't wanna admit they like each other considering that their first meeting was in a very creepy setting with shiv predicting his future. and also, this book would probably focus more on shiv, her life, and her unique gift (which i think y'all definitely know by now.)

🗣 i'm hoping that you guys will enjoy this book! don't forget to vote and leave a comment. pls pls pls don't be a ghost reader, im literally begging.

© morstern 2024