Dumbledore fiddled with his quill calmly, though in his head alarm bells were ringing. The time had come for 'that girl' to transfer to Hogwarts. Beauxbaton had failed to mention the girl's secret, but he already knew. He had been there after all, in the same room, never suspecting anything. Now she was coming and would undoubtedly meet Harry. Then…then it would begin.

'Take care won't you?' a tall, skinny woman asked her daughter, tears rolling down her smiling cheeks. 'I packed sandwiches if you get hungry and you can send me a message with Henri as soon as you get there! Then you can send messages to all your friends at home and then…'

'Mum I'll be fine! Honestly, it's not like I've never been to school before!' the girl, who had straight brown hair and large grey eyes, gasped in mock exasperation.

'But it's so far away from home! And with your…you know…no one knows about it so don't give yourself away.'

'Mum,' hissed the girl, 'Shut up or you'll be the one giving things away.'

The whistle pierced through the noisy platform as the remaining students forced their way through the crowd and onto the Hogwarts Express. Marie pulled her trunk as quickly as she could to a doorway and heaved it onto the train. Her mother ran along side the moving vehicle waving at Marie until the platform ended and the train had rolled out of sight.

Marie slid open a compartment door. 'Excuse me is this…'

'Full,' apologised a girl with curly blonde hair, 'Sorry, try the one next door.'

Marie heaved her trunk back out again and bumped straight into a boy with untidy black hair and piercing green eyes.

'Sorry,' he muttered looking sullen. A girl with red hair beside him looked at Marie and rolled her eyes. A boy small, chubby boy with a round face and rosy cheeks turned around and panted, 'Hi Harry, Hi Ginny…..and umm, sorry, what's your name?'

'Marie, I'm a transfer from Beauxbatons, fourth year.'

'O wow!' squealed Ginny, 'I'm fourth year too! Come and find a compartment with me and Harry.'

Neville looked hurt. Ginny sighed, 'Yes, and you too Neville!'

Together they hauled their trunks towards the last compartment, which was empty except for a girl with dirty blonde hair.

'Can we sit here Luna?' asked Ginny politely.

The girl nodded and they sat down.

'So what is Beauxbatons like, I mean the way the girls were going on about it last year you'd have thought no one who ever want to transfer!'

'Well, I'd have preferred to stay there but my foster dad, he's a muggle, got a job in London and it's easier that way.' admitted Marie truthfully.

'Did you know London is being stalked by a plague of zombies?'

Everyone turned to face Luna, who had spoken for the first time.

'No, can't say I did.' replied Marie shortly.

Neville sniggered and Ginny looked at him sharply, but the boy called Harry just looked ahead, like everything but the tiny piece of wall he was looking at was the most depressing thing in the world. As Marie reached out to tap Harry on the arm she remembered what her mother had told her.

Don't touch Harry Potter's skin.