Moon River

[Seneca Lestrange]

“It’s such a pity that Gretchen and Meta couldn’t come!” Seneca commented as her governess helped her climb on the boat they had rented for the afternoon. Gretchen for some reason could not come and Meta was grounded. Seneca found it quite amusing; Meta’s birthday was only two days ago, after all! Only really silly people could accomplish to get grounded only a few days after their birthday!

She took her favourite seat at the edge of the boat, where she could easily lean on the edge and look at her face in the water, like she often enjoyed to do so. If it had been only her and the governess and there weren’t that many people around, Seneca would probably play with her abilities and change her features a bit, but she tried not to use her powers too much around her cousins because she didn’t want them to feel bad for not having great, rare powers like her.

Once everyone was on the boat, it started rowing by itself in the cold waters of the lake. Seneca, like always, felt a great thrill by the boat’s movement. She always enjoyed the feeling of being on a moving boat. Others could get nauseous, but Seneca thought it great.

“Do you think that riding the boat to Hogwarts will be the same?” Seneca asked her cousin.

  

[Frida Lestrange I]

Frida was helped into the boat as well and she quickly settled, not liking the rocking motion over much. She was rather sad that her sisters couldn't come but it was a nice day and they could still enjoy it. Besides, Meta had gotten herself into trouble, and so soon after her birthday. Frida never got into trouble; she avoided it whenever she could. "Yes, they would've liked this I think!"

Not that she didn't, though large bodies of water made her a little nervous, after all she couldn't swim. Once they were both settled on the seat of the boat and her cousin's governess with them, Frida looked about the pond and smiled; there were ducks about. No babies yet but it would only be a matter of time before the little fuzzy things were swimming about and following their mothers. At the mention of Hogwarts, she smiled. "I think it will be more exciting. Are you nervous about being sorted?"

  

[Seneca Lestrange]

Frida was hardly as relaxed as Seneca when it came to being on the boat. Sen supposed that was because Frida wasn’t so used to being on one. Last year, Seneca would spend most of her time at the park in a boat, so she was used to the rocking. She wasn’t at all scared that it might suddenly capsize, even if she didn’t really know how to swim. Her governess would surely save her if such a thing was to happen and the pond wasn’t so deep either.

“I am excited” Seneca replied, not wanting to use the word nervous. She was nervous but she didn’t want to share it with Frida. Besides, she had a plan. Sort of. If Claude was right and the Hat accepted requests, then she was going to ask it to put her into Slytherin and make Papa proud.

“I think I’m going to be a Slytherin, though I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn’t be that bad. Anything but Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Those Houses are terrible, especially the first, because at least Auntie Katherina was in Gryffindor. I’m sure you already know this, though.”

  

[Frida Lestrange I]

Where Seneca liked boats, Frida tended towards wild and plant life in the park. She'd find butterflies or caterpilars or ducks. Sometimes she'd find an interesting flower to show or would waylay anyone on a ride about the park to pet their horses. She rarely strayed towards the water. Shifting slightly closer to the middle of the boat, Frida kept her attention on Seneca. Her cousin was far more imaginative and brave than Frida ever would be. Far more determined.

"I am nervous." Frida admitted, finding no fault in telling her cousin this. She was family, after all, and kind-hearted little thing that she was, Frida naturally assumed that that meant it was safe to tell such things. Slytherin would be ideal of course, Mama and Papa and Uncle Lucius had been in Slytherin. Though Kimon had been in Ravenclaw and it did sound quite appealing.

"I would think you would be good in Gryffindor, cousin. You are very brave after all." Nothing like Frida who still had nightmares about the kidnapping and she hadn't even been taken. "What is Hufflepuff like, do you know? Has anyone ever been in Hufflepuff? In our family I mean."

  

[Seneca Lestrange]

Seneca’s eyes narrowed a bit, but she was thankfully looking at the water rather than her cousin at the time. So Frida thought that she was a Gryffindor? Her cousin sounded sincere, but Seneca couldn’t help but think that she was trying to taunt her. Hint that she was no good for Slytherin, but rather for Gryffindor, where all the blood traitors and mudbloods went.

Not that being brave was a bad thing, of course. Being brave was certainly better than being a coward. But her Papa was the bravest man she knew and he wasn’t a Gryffindor, so obviously that wasn’t the only house brave people were sorted in.

“My Mama was one. Tu-Cornelia too.” Seneca said. Did Frida live under a rock all these years or something? She could see why she wouldn’t know where her mother had been sorted in, but Tullia had come to Hogwarts not too long ago. “And as much as I would dread to potentially insult them, I must speak the truth. And the truth is that Hufflepuff is like the trash can of the four houses. Only those who can’t fit in the other houses end up in Hufflepuff. Oh, they’re also loyal, but what’s the use of that if you’re not intelligent, cunning or brave?”

Her fingertips brushed the surface of the lake. “You see, dearest cousin, why I dread the idea of being one. Why anyone should dread it.”

  

[Frida Lestrange I]

For all that she was Lestrange, Frida had more of her mother in her than her father. She was sweet and earnest and though plagued by paranoia to some extent would not dream of taunting a family member, or anyone that matter. Unaware of her cousin’s interpretation of what was to be a compliment, she smiled though it didn’t remain as Seneca spoke her mind.

She hadn’t known that Aunt Alexandria had been in Hufflepuff and she was only vaguely aware that Seneca’s older sister Cornelia had been sorted into the house. The family was quite large and her cousins hard to keep track of. She could hardly be blamed for having difficulty with it at such a young age. Surely when she was older she’d do much better. Still, she didn’t think Hufflepuff to be as bad as Seneca said. Loyalty couldn’t be so distainable, could it? Suddenly it occurred to her that no matter how many traits a person possessed, there could be only one house in the end. Clearly Hufflepuff was not the desired outcome. A crease of worry appeared between dark brows and Frida fussed with her gloves in her lap.

Suddenly she found herself with one more irrational worry. Would her family despise her as Seneca despised Cornelia if she were to be sorted into Hufflepuff? Would they consider her having been thrown into the garbage for it? “Yes, of course cousin.”

  

[Seneca Lestrange]

Seneca could see that the idea of Hufflepuff had made Frida rather distressed, which was good. If the very idea of being sorted there was distressing to her cousin, then there was no way she’d shame herself by becoming a Hufflepuff.

“But surely neither of us will be one!” Seneca chirped with a smile, slowly soaking her hand in the water. “We will be Slytherins, or, at the very least, Ravenclaws!”

She’d prefer it if she was in Slytherin and Frida in Ravenclaw, because that way they wouldn’t have to compete to become prefects.

“Wasn’t your betrothed, Auntie Katherina’s son one as well?” Seneca then asked. “A Ravenclaw?”