I —— fifi the hatstall

🦢

          FIANNA LUPIN WAS A HATSTALL. For six long minutes, Fianna sat on the stool in front of the entire school, her cheeks raspberry-pink with embarrassment, praying that the damned hat would finally make its decision. "Bold and brave like Gryffindor, but smart and ambitious like Slytherin..." the Hat said to itself, over and over, as she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

Eventually, it settled on Gryffindor. Her big brother Remus' house, which she was welcomed into with open arms; his group of friends made a big show of her arrival into the "best house" (Sirius' words, not hers), something that felt equally embarrassing to an eleven-year-old. The whole ordeal was forgotten eventually, though, how long the Hat deliberated between Gryffindor and Slytherin — only Fianna remembered, often wondering what her life would've been like, had she become Slytherin instead.

She thinks about it more than she'd like, but she's always liked to think about possibilities like that. The road not taken. Sometimes she wonders if she had something to do with the Hat's final decision — maybe it's her memory playing tricks on her, but she does remember staring at her brother and wishing he'd put an end to her misery. What if his house influenced her subconscious? What if his friends' opinions of Slytherin (and by this, she means Sirius) scared her, and made the inner workings of her brain desperately cling onto the idea that she's brave and good and a Gryffindor, just like them? What if this, what if that, what if what if what if—?

Her brother says she thinks too much. Fianna, however, cannot read minds, and therefore, can never find out if her amount of thinking is any greater, nor more concerning, than the average witch or wizard. And perhaps that sentence alone suggests that she does think too much, but she thinks she has a perfectly good point there. Cry about it, Remus.

Or — and hold onto your bootstraps for this shocker — maybe Fianna is dreadfully bored, at her minimum-wage job on Diagon Alley. And you know she can entertain herself? By thinking.

For the past couple of summers, she's spent four days a week at Patronum, a cafe just past Ollivander's, and just before Gringott's. They're relatively busy all hours they're open, and when the weather allows it, they open their menu of sandwiches and soups to ice cream, a highlight of Fianna's summer. Last night three Death Eater attacks were reported, though — one behind up the street — so the entire street is deadly quiet. But, Fianna made a commitment, so she's got to stand behind the counter regardless, and serve anyone brave enough to venture into Diagon Alley.

And of course those brave enough are comrades of last night's attacker. 

Or maybe they are last night's attacker... She doesn't know. She doesn't think she wants to know. She knows she should keep up to date with these things, but it's scary, knowing all of the details. As a thinker, Fianna happens to be a worrier — and the thought of someone killing her because of her family is a monstrously massive worry.

It's common nowadays for people to keep their family lineage secret, though — which is why she doesn't feel completely on-edge, when she sees the three Death Eaters walk into the establishment.

She recognises one of them because he was a few years' older than her at school, plus, his ice-white hair is synonymous with Malfoy. She knows she's just presuming things when she calls them Death Eaters, but she can just... tell. There's something about them, the way they carry themselves. Fianna just knows. Three Death Eaters have walked into her café, and she, quietly half-blood, has to serve them.

"Hi," says Fianna, in her nicest voice possible.

Lucius Malfoy, without a second thought, makes an order for the table. The other two have gone and sat down already, and before Fianna can ask for the money, Lucius walks away to join them. Fianna bites her lip for a second; she should go and ask him to pay up here, like every other customer, but she knows she should be careful how she acts around these people... She makes the drinks, deciding to ask later on.

She really doesn't like this. She looks up at her reflection in the metal of the coffee machine, and then looks to the three blurs behind her. Quite honestly, men in general scare her, but Death Eaters that are also men is even worse. But that's the thing, she's got to be careful with her words until these men leave, in case they get suspicious. And that'll be it — they'll return when it's dark and kill her. She's half-blood, sure, but that doesn't guarantee safety anymore. Her mother's a muggle, and her brother's a werewolf. That's a death sentence in 1977.

Ever since Grindelwald's stunt in the forties, the entire wizarding world's been a lot... cagier about their heritage. Her parents love each other, sure, but if people found out her dad married a muggle, they'd all be dead by morning. And if Remus' lycanthropy became known... Fianna doesn't want to think about it.

So no one really knows. Everyone sort of dismisses their family, anyway, since her dad's pureblood — they expect he married "right." Plus, he kept to himself after he got married, so surely his wife's a witch, right? No one needs to know about the muggle clutter they've got in their home, from a television to records, to the Volkswagen Beetle her mum drives to work.

She finishes the three drinks. She can't help but wonder, how many people have those men killed? Fianna thinks and worries a lot, yes, but she's good at keeping these worries internalised, the grace of a swan letting her saunter through situations. She places the coffees on the tray, alongside the bill Lucius never paid.

And then the door opens.

Fianna looks over her shoulder — and just like that, her face drops.

He steps out in front of her, dressed in all-black, a long coat covering his suit. He's grown a little since school ended for summer, standing a little taller, cheekbones more prominent. Fianna can't help but think he looks like a ghost, all life sucked out of him. Her gaze moves down to his wrist, knowing exactly what's hidden underneath.

Regulus Black looks back at her.

"Um," he says, to her. "... Hi."

"Hi," she says back.

"How, um, are you...?"

Fianna hates this. "I'm all right," she says, and she turns to pick up the tray. "I need to serve your friends."

She glances down, the black coffees swaying slightly. What the fuck? she thinks, and before she can contain herself, Regulus has already noticed.

"I'll take them," he says.

Fianna frowns. "No, you won't."

"I'm going over there, anyway," he says, and he puts his hands out, for her to give him the tray.

They exchange a look — the longest they've ever looked at each other — but Fianna glares, walking past. She isn't normally nervous, why did Regulus have to ambush her like this? Why is she fine with Death Eaters, and her brother's best friend's brother makes her jumpy? She makes a mental note to forget this forever. Sirius would jump to conclusions, she'd never hear the end of it.

It angers Fianna sometimes. There's a whole percentage of the wizard population, living without a care in the world, whereas the rest of them are quietly trying to stay undetected, so they don't get killed. And they don't even notice, do they? Regulus is only saying he'll carry it to be nice. He'd never think, shit, those Death Eaters will know something's up if Fianna doesn't carry it. He doesn't think that because it isn't his problem, because he doesn't know her family's history. So he can live in sweet bliss.

They've never been friends — their older brothers are best friends, which meant that on their first day of school, they awkwardly introduced themselves to each other. Quickly, the possibility of friendship fizzled, thanks to her being in Gryffindor, him Slytherin. Sometimes they'd be paired together in classes, as if professors were amazed there was a Lupin and Black that could sit together without causing disruption. Ever since Sirius left his family, Fianna felt a moral obligation to take his side, only being polite when necessary.

Regulus waits at the counter to order. He comes here a lot, so he gets his normal order, an Earl Grey tea. Fianna charges him, and when he figures out the others haven't paid yet, he pays for them. Makes a whole deal of it; he looks over his shoulder and tells them, "Don't worry boys!" as he hands over the money. Fianna feels close to seething. She was going to ask for the money, she was just... working up to it. He distracted her. She wants to go home.

"How, uh, has your summer been?" he says quietly, as he pays for the table.

Fianna's lips purse, nervous about showing she knows him. But then, maybe it's better if those Death Eaters know that, and think they're friends... Maybe she'll be granted immunity from death by pretending to be his friend.

"I've been working, mostly. You?"

"Uh, yeah, working..." He trails off, and Fianna can't help but look at his forearm, where the Death Eater mark would be stamped. She feels sick at the thought. "Um... I heard you're head girl."

That's the one thing getting Fianna through the summer — every spare moment at work, when she needs something to daydream about, she'll think about all of the things she'll do as head girl. She wants to make Duelling a club again, find a sneaky way to incorporate defensive magic into the curriculum, and of course, have a Yule Ball. She wants school functions to be for sporty and creative students, as opposed to the current situation, which is Quidditch matches and the parties thrown afterward. She's got big plans for Hogwarts.

"I am," says Fianna, with a little nod. Regulus goes quiet for a minute; Fianna remembers how famously he wanted to be head boy, but Dumbledore refused to give it to him, after everything. Instead, he gave it to one of the Prewetts.

Regulus walks away to sit with the other Death Eaters. Fianna breathes out a sigh of relief, and walks to the back of the cafe, pretending to sweep. She can hear the low murmur of the Death Eaters' voices, but they're too quiet for her to eavesdrop. Thank God, she thinks. If they did reveal anything bad, she'd have no choice but to tell her big brother — but if she did tell, and the Order of the Phoenix put a stop to it, the Death Eaters would easily track the rat back to her. Fianna wishes she could put on headphones, to eliminate any chance of hearing deadly plans.

"Say." Lucius Malfoy appears at the counter. Fianna's heart stops for a second, almost dropping the broom to rush over to him. He looks as her funnily, sizing her up. "I remember you from school... Lupin, is it? The hatstall?"

Fianna's eyes widen. "Uh, yeah..."

His lips part into a smile, white teeth appearing like rows of fangs. "I'm not trying to scare you," he tells her. "I always remember a Slytherin, even if they were lost along the way..."

"I, uh—"

The door opens again — this time, with someone Fianna likes.

Salome Lestrange, the coolest girl to walk Hogwarts' halls, saunters into the cafe. She's dressed like one of Fianna's mum's Vogue magazines, a tweed mini skirt with matching jacket. As soon as she sees Fianna, she grins.

"Fifi!" she says, delighted. "I didn't realise you'd be working today!"

Malfoy's eyes widen. "You know this girl, Lestrange?"

"Of course I do," says Salome, excitedly walking over to the counter, letting herself into the back to give Fianna a hug. She grasps Fianna tightly, her nails accidentally digging into Fianna's skin. As she pulls away, Salome puts an arm around Fianna. "Fi's my protege. I gifted Hogwarts to her, after I left."

Back at the Death Eaters' table, Regulus' head cocks up.

Malfoy raises an eyebrow. "... What?"

"Well, I wasn't going to be at Hogwarts forever — and so, I needed a worthy successor." Salome squeezes Fianna, before walking back over to Malfoy. "I chose Fianna, and I trained her — and now, she's going to be head girl. Just like I planned."

Fianna smiles at Salome. Their friendship — mentorship, really — started because Salome hated the Marauders, and thought taking Fi under her wing would anger them. But, it slowly blossomed into its own relationship, Salome recognising herself in the younger girl. She taught Fianna lots of things before she left school, and wrote her all through last year to continue the mentorship. Salome taught Fianna how to earn head girl, and how to establish herself as the reigning monarch of their school. Fianna doesn't really care about that popularity stuff, but she wanted to be head girl, so she went along with it.

"A Gryffindor, though?" says Lucius, confused.

Salome rolls her eyes. "Get with the times, M. Soon enough, it won't be about houses — it'll be about what's in here." She points to her chest. Fianna's confused. Why is Salome hanging around with these guys, if she thinks like that? "And, anyway. Fifi's the most Slytherin Gryffindor I've ever met."

Fianna feels awkward again. "Green tea, Salome?"

"No thanks, I just came to grab these lot," says Salome. She turns away from Fianna, trying not to include her in the next part of the conversation. Fianna looks away, awkwardly. She loves Salome, but she knows how to ice someone out. "The reservation's been pushed forwards. Tom's orders."

"I see," says Malfoy, and he walks away, to alert the others.

Salome looks back at Fianna, and smiles. "Your hair looks cute, by the way. I thought the fringe would suit you."

It was Fianna's idea, but Salome encouraged it. She'd been wanting a fringe for ages, and the second she got home for the summer, her mum took the hairdressing scissors out. Fianna's thought was if she got them over the summer and hated them, she had enough time to grow them out before summer ended. But, she likes them, now spending a few minutes every couple of weeks tidying them up.

Salome walks out of the door first, quietly talking to Malfoy about something. Fianna feels relieved to watch them go — so much so, she almost doesn't notice Regulus, walking back up to the counter.

"You're... friends with Lestrange?" he says.

Fianna frowns. "Yeah, I thought you knew that?"

"I would've thought you'd fall out," he says.

She stiffens, getting irritated. "Why?"

"This isn't my place to say, but she's bad news," says Regulus, and he looks over his shoulder, making sure they're all gone. "Your family looked after Sirius when he left, I owe it to you to say that."

Fianna crosses her arms, trying to remain stoic. "Why should I take that advice from you?" she says. "I know what's on your arm."

Regulus goes quiet for a minute, before he steps backwards.

"Stay away from her," he mutters.

He walks away, catching up with his friends outside. Fianna watches him walk away; he pauses briefly, to look back at the cafe. She doesn't understand him; she remembers Sirius always saying that his younger brother was strange, and she can't help but agree. Regulus is a Death Eater, and yet, he's telling her to be careful of someone like him? It makes no sense.

Regulus Black doesn't leave Fianna's mind the rest of her shift. Everything she does, her thoughts quickly trail back to the weird boy, who's told her to stay away from one of her friends, when he is a Death Eater. She cleans the counters, Regulus Black. She organises the best-before dates of the cakes on display. "She's bad news." She mops the floors. "Stay away from her." She locks the front door, and fires up the Floo Network in the staff room. Regulus Regulus Regulus.

"Hey, Fi."

She appears back at home, stepping into their front room. Her brother's lying on the sofa, watching Top of the Pops. Fianna forgot it was a Thursday. Five more days and she's back at school.

"Why are you here?" she says.

"Prongs demanded we all left the flat. He's decided to cook a romantic dinner for Lily..." Remus pauses for a minute, looking up to see the horror on his little sister's face. "Yeah, I know. He's going to burn the place down."

Fianna smiles. "I saw Sirius' brother today."

"Really?" says Remus. "How... is he?"

"Eating death, the usual." Fianna sits on the arm of the sofa, peering into the hallway to double-check her mum's nowhere near. She gets so pissed off when Fianna sits on the arm of the sofa, but she can't help it. She likes to feel like a bird, perched on the edge of something, watching over the world. "He told me to be careful, though."

"Of what?" says Remus, rolling his eyes. "People like him?"

"I know," says Fianna.

She hears the kitchen door open, and launches herself off of the sofa, into the middle of the room. Remus starts to smirk, just as their mum walks in.

"We've got tuna pasta bake for tea," says Hope Lupin. She's wearing an apron that says "kiss me, I'm Irish." She is, mind you — she just moved to Yorkshire too young to retain the accent. "Remus, how are you feeling?"

Oh, yeah. Maybe it's bad of Fianna that she forgot the full moon's tonight, but in her eyes, it shows how normal this is to her. Full moon, they have an early dinner, her brother heads off, transforming into a werewolf in an abandoned shack in the woods. It's why they live in a tiny village, so they know they'll always be surrounded by nothingness.

"Fine," says Remus, unbothered.

"Well, I'll let you know when dusk starts."

Hope walks out of the room, Dolly Parton on the kitchen radio. Their mum's been amazing with this stuff, Fianna thinks, but Hope worries even more than Fianna. And, being a muggle, all of the lycanthropy stuff hit her the hardest. Fianna doesn't really remember a time before Remus was a werewolf, which is why she's adjusted so well. It just means she feels cagey, when she sees boys like Regulus Black, wanting to hurt people like her brother.

"I'm gonna shower, then get myself ready," says Fianna quietly to her brother.

Remus nods.

Their parents don't know anything about this — nor what the rest of the Marauders did, a couple years ago — but the reason why Remus' full moons have been so good has been because he wasn't alone. Someone, whether it be his friends or his little sister, have been there on the night, keeping him away from civilisation.

So, Fianna wolfs down her dinner, her hair thrown up into a bun. She's dressed in layers, ready to climb out of her window later on, but wearing comfortable clothes so her parents don't think anything of it. Fianna keeps an eye on the clock, and as Remus leaves, readying himself for the moon's ascension into the sky, she tells her parents she's having an early night. Thank Merlin it's summer, so the excuse lands — in the winter, she could never get away with leaving around the time the full moon started. Instead, she'd lie and say she was at her best friend Georgia's house.

Fianna places some cushions underneath her duvet, mimicking her shape, and opens her bedroom window. She climbs up onto her dressing table chair, straddling the windowsill—

—And, like that, a white swan sits in her place. She tilts her head to stretch her neck, reacquainting herself with this body. She checks around for signs of her parents, before she launches herself, upwards and onwards. As she flies over their tiny hamlet, towards the woods her brother will be in, she has one final thought of that silly boy from earlier today.

Did Regulus seem... regretful, earlier?

hi hi!! i have the first couple chapters of this written, so i'm hoping to have a somewhat frequent posting schedule for the time being! so, let me know what you thought of this! fianna's relationship with salome is one i'm really excited to explore more, especially in comparison to her with remus/the marauders🥰

thank u for reading!💖💖