Gypsy

This story has been posted before on Fanfiction.com, Archive of Our Own, and Wattpad so if it feels familiar that’s where you have read it before. I am the original author of this fanfiction, but I do not own the Harry Potter universe, that would be the one and only J.K Rowling.

Now, please enjoy this story. I will be going through as I upload and editing, a new chapter (one not published on Wattpad will also be added).

First year:

Age: 12

Tom Riddle was evil, of that I was absolutely sure. I had realized this the moment I was first sorted into my house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and looked over at the entire sneering table of Slytherin students. The sheer hatred I felt coming from that table shocked me, my innocent mind unable to understand exactly why they were glaring at me. It did wonders to hurry me to my seat at the yellow and black table; about five steps from the table something wrapped around my ankle and sent me careening into Jennifer Bones, another first-year sorted before me. The impact on the stone floor wasn’t nearly as painful as the hysterical laughter that came from the greenhouse; thankfully I could only hear a small amount of laughter come from my table.

“O—oh gosh, I am so sorry.” Stammering like a fool, I rolled off my slightly dazed housemate, her bright red hair making me think for a moment she was bleeding.

Several of the older students helped me and the uninjured Jennifer up, before plonking us down at our seats, probably to avoid another commotion. Turning a furious red, I glanced over at the still-tittering table of snakes. A young boy, probably a first-year like me, was being slapped on the back by several of the older students. He didn’t smile at them or even acknowledge the praise; he just stared at me, green eyes burning holes into mine.

“Don’t mind him,” said a third year to my right, “just another Slytherin trying to prove themselves.” He flashed me a dazzling smile and held out his hand, “I’m Jeremy Bones; you knocked over my little sister.”

I shook his hand, still a little too embarrassed to look him in the eye properly.

“Antoinette Zima, s—sorry about that, I don’t know what happened...”

Jennifer sent me a smile that instantly showed the two were siblings, if I had any doubts that is.

“It’s ok; they probably used a tripping hex, nasty things.” She leaned forward, “Are you a Muggleborn?”

“What do you mean?”

She smiled and leaned back, “Muggleborn means that you have two non-magical parents.”

It confused me a little that something like that would be a question. But before I could ask why it mattered Jennifer forged ahead, Jeremy just smiled and shook his head ruefully.

“Pureblood means that you have two magical parents, who come from a long line of all magical beings, and then there are half-bloods; I don’t think I need to explain what that means.”

“Yeah, I’m a Muggleborn.”

Jennifer smiled widely at this reaching across the table and grabbed my hand. “That’s great; I have never really met a Muggleborn before. My whole family is Purebloods and my mother doesn’t let us socialize outside our class; I can tell we will be great friends.”

She sent me a smile so bright that I instantly returned it, albeit a little shyer.

Jeremy coughed, drawing our attention back to the head table. A slightly round man with a stern look about him and a pointed white beard raised his arms, the entire hall went silent.

“Greetings, I am Headmaster Dippit and I welcome you all back to Hogwarts.” He smiled briefly at the Ravenclaw table. “Now that you have had a chance to meet your new house members, I would ask for you all to stay seated while enjoying the magnificent feast that has been prepared for us.”

I frowned in confusion with several of the first years, we could neither see nor smell any food.

Dippit lowered his arms and the aroma of roasting meat, sizzling vegetables, and gravy invaded my nose. On each of the tables food had appeared, mountains of it out of thin air. Gaping for a second, I knew without looking that Jennifer was almost as shocked as me; I reached for one of the nearby bread rolls. Students all around me were piling up their plates, but it took a second longer for my situation to sink in.

Mother had been struggling to get enough food for myself and my siblings to eat; so it was almost a blessing when Professor Dumbledore arrived to tell my mother about my magical abilities. She had assumed for a moment that it would be one more thing she couldn’t afford to give me, but then the Professor told her about a school scholarship program. I knew that there was no such thing, had seen the look in the Wizard's eye when he walked into our one-bedroom flat in London and knew he had made some exception for me. But I didn’t tell my mother, I didn’t want to not get a chance to go to this magical world where I would have adventures and become something more than another starving child.

“You going to eat or what?” Said Jeremy, startling me from my daydreams.

I let out a laugh, unwittingly catching the attention of a certain boy a table over. “Yeah, sure.”

Grabbing my plate I piled it high with food; if Jenifer and Jeremy were at all surprised by the amount I ate at the feast they didn’t say anything. All too soon the meal was finished and so was the desert, for the first time in nearly a year I had a full stomach that I could rest my hand on.

“Wow, never seen a girl eat that much.”

Laughing at her brother's words, Jenifer quickly agreed.

“Yeah, I thought for a second there you might burst.” We all giggled wildly at the image of me popping.

Headmaster Dippit’s voice broke through the loud chattering in the hall, “Silence.” He waited a moment before continuing, “Before I send you all off to bed with full stomachs, I must remind you all of a few rules. Firstly, there are to be no students out after dark, secondly under no circumstances are any persons allowed in the Dark Forest without supervision or permission... Now, would the heads please direct the first years to their dormitories.”

All the students stood and started towards the entrance.

Jeremy practically jumped out of his chair, “Alright I’ll see you both tomorrow.” And with a cheery wave, he was gone.

Laughing Jennifer grabbed my hand, pulling me towards where the Hufflepuff head was calling for first years. In the hustle I accidentally let go of her hand, instantly losing my only friend in the crowd. Hands shoved me, until I finally tripped into the middle of a small circle of boys, they must have been waiting for the hustle to die down before moving.

“Well, if it isn’t the little Hufflepuff fool,” sneered a blond boy, his pointed chin and long nose looking down on me.

“Careful, don’t let the Mudblood touch you, might get infected.” The low drawl came from behind me, spinning around I locked eyes with the young Slytherin who supposedly cast the tripping hex.

“Mudblood?” I edged towards the gap I could see in the circle; before I could get there a burly second year crossed his monstrously big arms and blocked my way.

All around us, the rush was still going on, making it difficult for me to hear the cruel boys.

“It means dirty blood, you are a blight on the wizarding world and don’t belong here.” The black-haired boy sounded almost bored as if I were beneath his notice. I might have believed it had his eyes not shone with disgust, as if I would suddenly infect him with some deadly disease.

“I—I belong here, Professor Dumbledore told me I’m magical.”

The blond boy gripped the front of my second-hand robes, his anger overriding his desire to not touch me.

“You are not magical, you’re an abomination.” His hands tightened for a moment before releasing me, almost tossing me from their circle and back into the crowd.

Before I was pushed forward I heard the black-haired boy say something that chilled me, I barely understood exactly why they hated me so much but I understood this comment.

“Make sure she never forgets what she is.”

My hand unconsciously rubbed my wrist where I had numbers and a single letter tattooed; I could never forget what I was.