The train whistled at station 9 and ¾ths, and I shivered hesitantly as my parents wrapped me up in one final hug.
"Please be safe," my mother whispered, gently running her small fingers through my thick and light hair. She kissed my cheek gently. "We know how hard you worked to get here, and we aren't going to let that go to waste." She smiled, and her pearly white teeth shone back at me. My father pulled me from my mother and wrapped me up in a giant hug before kissing my forehead gently. I smiled and grabbed my luggage and my snake's cage. Apollo, my cobra, slithered up the side of the cage.
When do we leave? he hissed gently. My tail's in a place that no tail should be.
"I really hate to break this up," I whispered, taking a step back. "But the train's going to be leaving soon." As if helping me, the train's "all-aboard" whistle blew and I stepped onto the train, pulling my luggage and Apollo's cage behind me.
"Bye sweetheart!" my mom yelled to me, and I smiled back, waving to her as the train pulled away from the station.
What sentimental people, Apollo hissed, blinking his eyes towards my parents.
Oh, be quiet you, I retorted gently, picking up everything and rushing to find an open compartment. I found an empty one near the back and raced inside, shoving my luggage down. Then, closing the compartment door, I brought out my wand, a long, willowy branch with a phoenix feather, created white, and pointed at Apollo's cage. I whispered a few words and the door popped open, allowing Apollo to slither out and onto the bench.
That feels sooooo much better, he hissed with happiness, opening his hood just a little.
Just don't scare anybody...please, I begged, taking a seat beside him. I stared at the outside of the train and shivered. I was so nervous. From what I could remember, I was the first student to be attending Hogwarts at Grade 4. I was greatly concerned with who my teachers would be, and if they would like me. Apollo slithered onto my lap and gently wrapped himself around my arm, which always made me feel better. I sighed with happiness and someone coughed. I glanced over and quite literally jumped out of my seat. There was a guy standing in the middle of the doorway.
An attractive guy.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said, sweeping his black hair away from his face. I shook my head and stared out of the window again. "Pretty comfortable?" I glanced back to him and raised an eyebrow. He searched me with his crystal blue eyes. "Takes some getting used to, that's for sure." He held out his hand to me. "Riven Walmium." I took his hand and shook it gingerly. Why did he tell me his last name? I pondered.
"Alessandra Therse," I replied, trying to keep my voice from cracking.
Wow...great start, Alessandra. I regained my composure and asked, "I take it you've been here before?" Of course he has you idiot! I scolded myself. He's obviously not a first year.
"Yep, I'm just starting my fifth year," he said, nodding to me. "I take it you're a first year?" Apollo chuckled on my arm, but it sounded like hissing.
"Actually, no," I replied, smiling warmly. "Fourth year. I did 3 years of school elsewhere, and Dumbledore allowed me to transfer here."
"Dumbledore is cool that way," Riven laughed with a smile, taking a seat across from me. "Now, don't peg this for a stupid question, but...do you realize there is a black snake wrapped around your arm?" I feigned surprise as I glanced at Apollo, and Riven raised an eyebrow at me.
"This is Apollo, my black-necked spitting cobra," I said, gesturing from him to Riven. "Apollo, meet Riven."
Hello idiot human boy, Apollo hissed, flicking his tongue at Riven.
Remember...I growled back, and I swore, if Apollo could've rolled his eyes, he would have done so now.
"You're a Parseltongue," commented Riven, his eyes widening a little bit. I glanced at him with a surprised look on my face. "Do you not know what that means?"
"No, not really," I replied. "I've just been able to talk to Apollo my whole life."
Riven seemed amused and he responded, "Parseltongues are people who can communicate with snakes."
"I don't know if I can do it with all snakes, but I can do it with Apollo," I replied. There was a thumping in the compartment over and Riven and I both raised an eyebrow.
"Probably best if we don't interfere," he said, and I nodded. We spent the rest of the ride just talking with each other. Finally, we came to a halt, and I went to grab my bags, but Riven grabbed my wrist.
"They get teleported to your room," he told me, smiling.
Can I come? hissed Apollo, resting his head on top of mine. I do NOT teleport well.
Of course, I replied, and Riven seemed surprised again.
"You sound like you're hissing whenever you talk to him."
I shrugged and we got up, walking away from our bags and out onto the platform. I gaped. We were surrounded by a little forest, and there was a long path towards a distant castle.
"First years over 'ere!" yelled a gruff voice, and I glanced over. It was a large man, both tall and fat, with a kind smile. "'eya Riven! 'Ow's life treating ya?"
"Pretty well, Hagrid," he yelled back, and the man laughed. Quietly, to me, he added, "That's Hagrid, Magical Creatures Care professor and gamekeeper of Hogwarts. He may look intimidating, and he can be, but he's really nice at heart." I smiled and nodded, following Riven towards carriages. "Here's how everyone else gets to Hogwarts." He opened the carriage and swept his arm around. "Your carriage awaits, milady."
"Thank you, kind sir," I answered with a giggle, and stepped up, having Riven pile in after me. We had two more 3rd years enter and one of them asked, "Who are you?" to me.
"Alessandra Therse, 4th year," I replied. "You two?"
"Kaity and Liena Pepperjack," they replied, bowing both. "We're in Ravenclaw with Riven! What about you?" I suddenly got a tingling feeling in my stomach and stared silently at the ground while playing with my feet. I didn't exactly know. All I knew was Dumbledore invited me to Hogwarts after he became aware of my...status, and he was willing to help me get better. There was a gentle knock on the side of our carriage, and I glanced up. It was Dumbledore!
"Ms. Therse?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I smiled and replied, "Professor Dumbledore."
"Ah yes, I got the right carriage," he smiled. "If you wouldn't mind accompanying me to the teacher's carriage, where we can work out your schedule." I smiled and nodded. "Apollo, unfortunately, will not be able to accompany us." My chest tightened. Why wouldn't he be…?
"I'll take him," Riven proposed, and Apollo glanced at me sadly before slithering off my arm and neck and going on Riven, settling angrily with his head on Riven's shoulder. I stepped out of the carriage and followed Dumbledore to a much larger carriage where I was greeted by many older looking faces.
"Alessandra, may I introduce to you the teachers of Hogwarts, not all of them of course," he added when I marveled at them. "We have another carriage with all the ones that were not able to fit." He patted the seat beside him and I took a seat just as the carriage began. "Now, you are aware why I brought you away." I took a deep breath and nodded.
"You wanted to talk to me about my grandfather," I told him, and he nodded.
"We are aware that you are related to You-Know-Who," commented an older looking woman. "Is it ok if we have some magical precautions placed on you in case…" I nodded and took off my outer-jacket, revealing my Hogwarts uniform, and my bare arms. My right arm was burned with the Death Mark, and one of the men noticed.
"Why do you wear that mark?" he questioned lightly, pointing his wand at it.
"I've had that since I was a child," I replied. "Scared my neighbors." The man nodded and I saw his sleeve roll up a bit. I bit back a gasp. He had one too. The teachers whispered a few incantations, and I felt myself shiver. Afterwards, Dumbledore smiled.
"So, I believe you are a Parseltongue, correct?" he asked, and I nodded, smiling.
"It's the only way to talk with my snake, Apollo," I replied, and one of the teachers raised her eyebrow.
"I hope you know that snakes are not allowed in any of the dorms," she told me, and my heart felt like it stopped.
"I'm sorry then," I told them, gulping. "If Apollo isn't allowed at Hogwarts, then I'm afraid I won't be able to attend."
"A little drastic measures, don't you think?" commented the man with the Death Mark. I glared at him and rose to my feet.
"Apollo is my best friend," I hissed at him. To them all, I added, "Besides my parents, he's my only friend I have." I sat down again and apologized for my outburst. There was a slight coughing and I looked up. It came from the woman who said that no snakes were allowed in dorms.
"I'm willing to hold Apollo and Alessandra in my dorms," she announced, glancing at me. "As long as she promises to not let him loose on other students."
"Are you sure, Professor McGonagall?" asked the Death Mark man. "As all of you are aware, my house is for those with...serpent attributes."
"I am more than sure, Professor Snape," McGonagall replied, and I sighed with relief. The carriage ride the rest of the way was uneventful. Mostly just them discussing plans and putting more protective spells on me to make sure there was absolutely no way I could hurt students or teachers. When we reached Hogwarts, I stepped out and had Apollo slithering up my leg as soon as my feet hit pavement.
Alessandra! Apollo cheered, licking my ear with his forked tongue. I was so worried! None of the students would let me go so I could catch up with you. Riven's nice though, but he felt awkward with the two girls and himself. He really missed you.
Do you read emotions? I asked just as Riven ran to me, panting.
"So sorry!" he gasped, clutching to his knees as his shoulders heaved for breath. "He just...got out…"
"It's totally cool," I told him, helping him up. "Apollo just missed me." I smiled. "Come on. Let's hurry to the Dining Hall. I'm starving!" I grabbed his wrist and he winced.
"Your hand stings," he whispered to me, and I let go. On his wrist where I touched him was a red mark, and I gasped.
"This has never happened to me before," I told him, glancing at him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he said, waving me away. "It's not that bad. Come on." He motioned for me to follow him and I did.
Why did you hurt him? Apollo asked, slithering to my other shoulder.
I didn't want to! I protested. It must be one of the spells the teachers put on me. This means that I can't touch any other students. I raced after Riven and followed the other crowds into the school. To be safe, I folded my hands together and kept them by me. As I raced forward, the crowds kept shoving me around. I tried hard not to fall down, but then, someone grabbed my hand.
It was Riven.
"Don't!" I protested, trying to yank my hand away. "You'll hurt yourself!"
"It's worth it," he told me. I blushed slightly and together we braced each other as the crowds jostled around. Ruben gritted his teeth and I shifted my hand slightly. Once we were in the Great Hall, Riven let go of my hand and I winced slightly. It had blisters all over. He sat at the Ravenclaw table and I stood nervously at the entrance.
"Ms. Therse," Professor McGonagall called out, gesturing over to the table where a bunch of kids in gold were sitting at. I walked over awkwardly, Apollo twisting his head around to view all the people.
I wasn't aware there were even this much people in the world, Apollo commented, cocking his head slightly. I took a seat a girl with fiery red hair and this extremely black haired girl, and watched the first years get assigned their group. As soon as the feast began, I got up and walked over to where Dumbledore was enjoying his feast.
"Headmaster," I began, shifting slightly. The headmaster stopped his conversation and looked at me with cool blue eyes.
"Yes, Ms. Therse?" he asked.
"There is something I need to discuss with you...in private," I added, glancing at all the people in the Great Hall. Dumbledore nodded, and for some odd reason motioned Snape with his finger. The two gentlemen stood up and proceeded out of the Great Hall, in which I followed. I glanced over at Riven and saw he was joking around and laughing with friends.
However, as soon as I passed, we connected eyes and he mouthed, "Hands?" I replied with a curt nod and stepped out, following the two professors towards an empty hallway.
"What seems to be the problem, Ms. Therse?" asked Professor Snape, raising an eyebrow skeptically at me,
"This," I said, and I grabbed his hand, since it was the only piece of skin exposed besides his face. Snape winced and jerked his hand back, a small red mark on his hand. "One of your spells went wrong. I can't touch anybody besides myself and Apollo." Quietly, I added, "You might want to send somebody to Riven Walmium of Ravenclaw. He injured his hand helping me get through the crowds."
"I shall fetch Madam Pomfrey right away," Dumbledore replied, nodding. "Snape, if you could be so kind as to take Ms. Therse to your office and give her the sufficient potion needed to rebuke the curse." Snape and I both tensed and the smallest smile crept up on Dumbledore's face. "Now, now...I expect both of you to play nice." We both nodded solemnly as Dumbledore walked away from us, whistling a happy tune. Snape turned around and gestured towards me with a finger to follow him. We walked in silence, even as he handed me the potion. I didn't question it. I just drank. The cool contents passed down my throat and I sighed contently. Snape grabbed my hand, and he didn't flinch or anything. He shooed me out and I raced back to the Great Hall where Riven was being attended by Madam Pomfrey. The feast seemed to be over and they were the only two left in the room.
"That should do it," the woman said, smiling warmly. Riven flexed his hand, which was wrapped in bandages. "Just keep that on for a couple of days and it should go away in no time." As she packed up to leave, I took a seat beside Riven.
"Hey Dra," he teased me, smiling warmly. "Did they fix you?" I nodded in relief. "You missed the feast. Really great food."
"I wasn't that hungry anyways," I lied, but then my stomach let out a growl that belonged to a cat. Riven laughed and Madam Pomfrey smiled as she exited the dining room. Riven leaned over to a folded up napkin on the table and pushed it over to me. I unwrapped it, and inside were three rolls, all a golden brown with butter spread across them,
"Let's just say I had a feeling that you were going to miss dinner," Riven explained with a large smile when I thanked him. He watched me while I ate the rolls and then got up, stretching. "Well, I think I better head back to Ravenclaw before Professor Flitwick wonders where I am." I nodded and wiped my hands on my robes.
"Professor McGonagall is probably freaking out about me right now," I sighed. I really liked hanging out with Riven. He didn't make me ponder about my...past. Apollo slithered off of my shoulder and onto Riven's, hissing something into his ear that I couldn't hear. Riven gave Apollo a look.
Apollo, I hissed to him, holding at my hand. The snake pouted and slithered back onto me. Riven can't understand you. I don't think he's a Parseltongue.
Details, Apollo grumbled angrily. Whatever he had tried to said, he was upset that it hadn't gotten through, because he was silent all the way up to the Gryffindor common room.
As soon as I stepped in, I passed by the empty room and started my way up the stairs, only stopping when I heard, "Ms. Therse?" I froze and quietly turned to face Professor McGonagall, who stood in her night robes at the bottom of the stairs. "Might I ask why you weren't at the feast? Or at the common room when everyone went to bed?"
"When you were putting enchantments on me, something happened and I couldn't touch any teachers or students without burning them," I quietly and quickly explained. "I had Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore help fix it."
"Oh, my dear, I apologize that that happened," McGonagall said sadly. "Were any students hurt because of it?"
"Riven Walmiun of Ravenclaw," I explained. "He held my hand to keep me steady when we were walking through the crowds. And Professor Snape, to some extent, while I was demonstrating what was wrong." The professor nodded, and went silent. After a minute or two, she dismissed me to my room, which she also told me where it was. Once inside, I found an available four-poster bed and slipped Apollo into his cage and myself underneath my comforters, trying to mentally prepare myself for the next day.