“How is it, Corax, that one can never find you on the train, yet you always seem to be here on the platform when we arrive?”
Corrina looked around as Audrey Pucey walked up to her and stood just a little too close.
“I wouldn’t think you’d look very hard for me.”
“Believe me, I wasn’t looking for you at all, but others were.”
In the last two months, Audrey had gone from a gawky third year with overlarge hands and feet to a tall and imposing fourth year. With narrowed eyes, Audrey took in the slight, childlike figure in flowing green robes.
“What’s with you and Scorpius, anyway? He’s too old and smart to be interested in a kid like you.”
“Oh? What do you mean?”
Corrina looked back blandly. It wasn’t like the first few months at Hogwarts where she had lost her composure again and again. Those memories still made her squirm in embarrassment. Now she felt like she belonged.
Be careful, Pucey, this world is familiar now, and I am more than able to stand up for myself. Don’t ask for the kind of trouble you can’t handle.
“I mean...” But Corrina had turned her back and walked away, smiling inwardly at the cut. Pucey fumed at the insult.
Corrina followed Zwarthart down the line of carriages, stoking the noses of the thestrals as she passed. She didn’t care what it looked like to the students who couldn’t see them; they knew what it meant that she could.
Zwarthart picked a carriage and jumped into it and Corrina followed, expecting to see Scorpius, or Nadine Zabini. Instead, she was face to face with a family of Gryffindors. She blinked at Lily Potter, who had an orange tabby cat on her knee and a surprised look on her face.
Zwarthart had his paws up on Lily’s knee, nose to nose with the affronted looking tabby. Corrina suppressed a laugh.
“I’m sorry to intrude! But I’m afraid that Zwarthart had motivations of his own in picking this carriage.”
Eyes turned to the cats; the tabby was now washing Zwarthart’s ears.
“And who exactly are you?” asked Rose Weasley.
“This is Corrina Corax, and she’s in third year, like me,” Lily responded. She smiled tentatively at Corrina.
“Aren’t you a Slytherin?” asked Albus. His older brother, James, frowned at him, and then raised an eyebrow at the intruder.
“Yes, I am. But what does that matter? Are you going to throw us out of the carriage? I’m afraid that would disappoint the lady cat.”
Zwarthart was now licking the tabby’s ears. She responded with a hiss and boxed his head. He growled back.
“Look, I think it is love!” Corrina chortled. The atmosphere relaxed, and the conversation turned to the doings of the summer, stale gossip from the previous term, and speculation on the identity of the new Divination teacher, now that Professor Trelawney had finally retired.
As the group disembarked at the castle, Corrina spotted Scorpius looking around for her. His handsome face clouded when he saw who she was with.
“What were you doing with them?” he hissed. “I was holding a seat for you.”
Placing her hand on his sleeve, Corrina smiled up at him. She could feel a pulse of heat warm her at the touch.
“Just… making some new friends. Zwarthart was enamoured by the tabby cat.”
An eye roll told her how welcome that thought was.
“Just try and stay out of trouble, ok? The oldest Potter boy can’t be trusted, you know. He likes a laugh, and he doesn’t care who he hurts to get one.”
“Well, isn’t this sweet? Playing the big brother to poor pathetic adopted girls now, are you, Malfoy?” Audrey’s voice dripped poison from behind. “How touching.”
Scorpius glowered at Pucey, glared at Corrina, turned and stalked off into the Great Hall.
“Don’t forget, Corax, you aren’t good enough for a Malfoy, and he knows it too.”
As Pucey sauntered off with a bevy of other fourth year girls, Nadine Zabini touched Corrina’s shoulder.
“What’s that all about?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Corrina said, staring after Pucey, “nothing important.”
Corrina carefully lifted her harp out of its layers of oiled cloth, her hands gently tracing the raven carved at the head. Settling it on her lap, she ran her hands over the silver strings, grimaced and began tuning.
The door to the dormitory opened, and Nadine paused to listen to the music. The sound filled the confined space as Nadine edged in to the room. Corrina smiled a welcome at her and kept playing. The final notes rolled like waves onto the shore and the girls looked at each other.
“Any requests?”
“Oh, the “The Elven Knight”, do you know that?”
Corrina laughed and started playing the old song of impossible love.
“Love imposes impossible tasks,
But none more than any heart would ask,
I must know you're a true love of mine.”
Nadine’s voice rose pure and strong over the silver harp notes. The two girls lost themselves in the pleasure of creating music, inhabiting a reality all their own.
When the song ended, they shared their delight in a wordless smile.
“The song is like you and Scorpius, you know, you keep yourselves apart with the most ridiculous things.”
“Is that what you think?”
“That’s what everyone thinks. Except for Pucey, she thinks that one of these days Scorpius is going to get hit with a Bludger and fall for her.”
“Not much danger of that then, he is much too good a Chaser. And anyway, we are friends, thats all.” Corrina changed the subject. ”Nadine, I didn’t know you could sing. You have perfect pitch, and that is a real gift.”
Nadine blushed, “Oh, it’s just something I can do; I didn’t really do anything to deserve it.”
“What nonsense. Of course you deserve it. It’s wonderful to play for someone who can sing so well. Come on, let’s go down to the common room, I want to hear how we sound in a stone hall.” Corrina’s eyes sparkled.
“In the common room, I don’t know…”
“Why not? It’s our common room too, not just Pussy-foot Pucey’s,” Corrina’s face hardened. “I’d like to play. Later in the term, it will be full of people studying, but surely no one is now. Come now, it’s not only Gryffindors who should have courage.”
Corrina swept out of the room, and Nadine followed, wondering at the change in her normally quiet and unobtrusive friend.
Snow was deep on the castle grounds. The twelve Christmas trees stood in splendour as Nadine and Corrina sat in the Great Hall making music. Nadine’s ethereal voice soared above the harp. Lily Potter paused by the entrance and was captured by the sound. As the music rose to a crescendo and closed, she came forward.
“That sounds amazing,” she blushed, “could I, you know, join in?”
Nadine looked daggers at her, after all, this was her music, the one thing she was really good at, and to share it with a Gryffindor….
“Why don’t we give it a try?” suggested Corrina, raising her eyebrows at Nadine, who reluctantly nodded.
Fingers rose to the harp strings and Lily’s strong alto harmonized and supported the pure sweetness of Nadine’s voice. The Great Hall rang with the beauty of the music and snow gently fell outside.
“What are you up to?” Scorpius looked furious and grabbed Corrina’s arm as they passed in the corridor, his usually pale face flushed.
“I told you to stay away from the Potters.”
“If you are going to lecture me, I might remind you that you are keeping awfully close company with that Weasley girl. Studying together “ hmm? And anyway, what’s it to you who I play music with?”
“Oh come on Corrina, I’m just trying to look out for you.”
That’s the problem, you are always looking out for me, but you never really look at me. You don’t see that I’m not a little girl anymore..
Corrina glared into his ice-blue eyes. He frowned back. The soft fog colour of her eyes belied the fierce expression on her face.
“You’re just a kid, Corrina,” he said, slowly, “I’m taking care of you, like I have from the first time I tutored you, remember?”
“I remember. But you are growing up, and I am too… I’m not a child anymore.”
In the last year Scorpius had shot up, his shoulders had broadened and he was starting to look like the man he would become. Corrina was still small, her child’s figure just hinting at curves, but she spoke almost like an adult. It was a disconcerting combination and her composure seemed almost eerie at times.
“Don’t make this complicated, Corrina,” he begged. “Isn’t it enough that I have OWLs this year? And then there is all the Quidditch practice…. I don’t need to worry about someone making a fool of you.”
Corrina looked down at where his hand still rested on her arm. She put a finger under the sleeve of his robe and traced it down his forearm, the harp calluses gently scratching his skin, and folded her small hand into his.
She looked up into his eyes again, this time her expression was soft and guileless.
“Come on, let’s go out on the grounds and visit the thestrals. It’s spring you know, and they must miss us. I will tell you all about Lily and Nadine, and the singing group. And if you are nice to me, later I will play for you, as a special treat.”
Lake water sparkled in the sun as students lounged around under the trees. Corrina sat alone on a boulder, softly playing. A gang of fifth years were nearby, speculating on their OWLs. Soon it would be time to pack up and board the train.
Footsteps drew near, and she stilled the harp strings. Scorpius gazed down at her.
“I was wondering …. Will you be taking the train back to London? I never see you on it, you know.”
“Did Pussy-Foot tell you to ask?”
Scorpius’ face darkened “No… but she isn’t the only one who has noticed. You don’t ride the train, do you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Corrina, it’s been almost three years. Don’t you trust me enough to tell me where you are from? I mean, I know you’re adopted… but ….you must know it won’t matter to me what kind of blood you have, or who brought you up. I’m still your friend, and I always will be.”
Corrina bit her lip, and looked up. The sun was behind Scorpius, dazzling.
That must be what’s making my eyes tear.
“I can’t tell you. Someday soon, but I can’t tell you now.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“I do, but . . . I can’t explain . . . . I want to, but I can’t . . . .”
It was a helpless feeling. She couldn’t tell him where she came from, any more than she could explain the thousand little things that made her different. He would have to take what she said on trust, or not at all.
“Well, if you really can’t . . . I guess I can understand. C’mon, let’s go and find the thestrals. They will miss you all summer, you know . . . .”
A strong hand helped her up. The tall, slender boy and the slight girl turned their backs on the sun and the lake and walked towards the Forbidden Forest.