I do not in any way, shape, fashion, or form own or have any rights to the world or characters which are the matchinations of J. K. Rowling. I did however create the OC in this story and would apprectiate that all my fellow writers respect this fact.
Passion's Flame
Today is my first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I transferred here for my last year of magical schooling. I'm really looking forward to graduating from my family's alma mater, my Gran, all four of my Aunts, and my Mother graduated from Hogwarts. My name is Arianna Demetrius and I'm here a day ahead of schedule to explain the extent of my condition to my professors and give the headmistress a chance to lay the ground rules for my tutelage in regards to the fact that I am only half human. You see, I'm half fire elemental.
Once I've entered the school grounds I can't help but to be in total awe of my surroundings the castle is quite spectacular and I do my best to take in the details of the old world architecture as I wind my way to the gryphon statue behind which is the staircase to the headmistress's office. I see my destination off in the distance and think about how absurd the password is. As I step in front of the massive stone creature I cringe inwardly, "haggis". Never trust someone else's taste buds least of all a gargantuan, smirking, Scotsman who says that stuffed and boiled sheep's stomach tastes like chicken. I still go green just thinking about it.
Walking into the headmistress's office I see McGonagall behind her desk with an expression of seriousness and authority held in the lines of her face with all of my professors standing about the office only really taking notice of my presence when she addresses me, "Please, come in Miss Demetrius." The woman would be honestly terrifying if I hadn't been born to the only slytherin in my family. "Thank you professor McGonagall I hope I haven't kept you waiting." She looks at me pointedly when an unexpectedly assuring smile graces her lips, "No, not at all you are right on time." I nod my acknowledgement as I approach her desk. "Welcome to Hogwarts Miss Demetrius." As I turn around to face my professors the headmistress gets up from her desk and walks to my side, "I'm glad to be here professor and I am honestly looking forward to the beginning of term. So where shall we begin?" The headmistress looks at me with a knowing expression, "Why don't I start by introducing you to your professors?"
She starts by gesturing toward an overexcited and rather rotund man whose calculating gaze reminded me all too much of my mother, "This is your potions master Professor Horace Slughorn." I smiled politely at my potions professor not really wanting to shake his hand, "It is truly a pleasure to meet such a distinguished young witch as yourself Miss Demetrius." Of course that's why he reminded me of mother he was what I liked to call a trophy collector, people to him were merely tools. "This is your arithmancy teacher Professor Septima Vector." I nodded quickly toward the rather severe older woman who looked as if she was straight out of the 1800's tightly wound bun included. I looked down as Professor McGonagall gestured to a very short man wearing a very cheery expression, "This is your charms teacher Professor Filius Flitwick." I smiled kindly at the man as I bent down to shake his hand. "Welcome, welcome, Miss Demetrius!" As I turned to face my final professor she turned from the fireplace and my breath stopped, "And I am certain you know who this is Miss Demetrius, Professor Hermione Granger will be teaching you defense against the dark arts." Is she kidding, of course I know who this is! Though no picture of her that I had ever seen did her justice, the soft curve of her face glowed as the fire light danced across her jaw, her hair shimmered and bounced as she turned picking up highlights of golden amber in the chocolate tresses where the light refracted just so, she looked at me expectantly with her deep brown eyes, and smiled at me with her delicately delectable, rosy pink, lips. "Hello Miss Demetrius." I had to blink several times as time lurched into motion my mind working furiously to produce a coherent answer to the angelic greeting. "P-pleasure to meet you P-professor Granger." *Ugh!* I mentally kicked myself for the stuttered words and painfully bright smile plastered to my face. Damn!
"Now that the introductions have been made perhaps it would be best if you could give me and my staff a better understanding of your true nature." If the surprised murmurs and looks of utter confusion were any indication then McGonagall had not told them about the 'true nature,' as she had put it, of their new transfer student. I walked deliberately over to the fire place smirking at the bewildered look on Professor Granger's face as I turned my body toward the other occupants of the room while placing my hand gingerly on the mantle. "Ahh, I see that Professor McGonagall has not informed you of my condition. Then I suppose I will begin by stating that I am half elemental, fire elemental to be exact." I paused a moment to let that sink in, starting up once again as the silence started to become uncomfortable noticing that I now had their complete attention. "The reason for my transfer here is for the purposes of my 'trial by fire' so to speak. It will require the use of the dark forest at the end of the school year. My father is the elemental of fire and will be testing me to see if I am fit to become an elemental knight. The focus of my studies will be the finishing of my magical education and my independent studies will be devoted to making certain I have the knowledge necessary to survive my trial." Professor Granger turned and looked at me with a questioning expression, "Then what do you need from us as your professors?" I smiled at her once more, it seemed I simply couldn't help myself, "I need all of you to help me maintain my focus on my studies when I am in your class by being emotionally stable which allows me to keep my own emotions in check so that I will not reveal my true appearance due to a heightened emotional state. After all Professor Granger fire is the element of the heart." She fell silent for a brief moment before addressing me again, "What do you mean by 'true appearance'?" My, she is a curious one, I thought as I smirked mischievously. I released the glamour that hid my appearance; a collective gasp could be heard around the room followed by utter silence due to complete shock.
After asking the obvious follow-up question to her answer I immediately regretted it upon seeing the look of amusement on the young woman's face. Then regret turned to wonder, I gasped, were before me had stood a rather stunning blonde haired, green eyed; teenager there was now a young woman who looked very much the creature she claimed to be. Where her hair had been blonde before it was now a writhing mass of flame in the shape of hair and her once green eyes that were now gold, looked very much like the eyes of a dragon though not much else of her appearance had changed I could understand her need to keep it from surfacing in class it was… very distracting.
I replaced the glamour then began to giggle I couldn't hold it in any longer, Hermione's expression really was priceless. After looking at me pensively for a moment while shaking her head the headmistress decided that her staff had had enough, "Well now that we have dealt with the matter of your condition I suppose it is time we got you sorted." Stifling my giggles I nodded my assent to the headmistress who brought out a wooden stool and a worn leather hat, of course I knew that it was the sorting hat from having had "Hogwarts a History" read to me by my aunt Rhiannon as a child. I sat on the stool a bit apprehensively but without worrying too much I knew what house I would be placed in, my bedroom at Gran's was covered ceiling to floor in red and gold. After having sat on my head for but a moment the hat pronounced clearly, "Gryffindor!"
Please read and review. I'm looking forward to hearing the readers thoughts on the first chapter of this story because it is the first fanfiction I have ever written. The reviews I receive will determine whether or not I continue the story, so please let me know what you think about the plot line and OC.