Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, nor am I claiming to! =)

This is my first fanfic, so PLEASE send me feedback… I need it bad!! Thanks!!



Chapter One: Compartment Thirty-One

"I don't think this is a very good idea, Grams... I mean will it really work? What if the other kids... you know, make fun of me?" Aiko said as she pulled her trolley of bags to the 9 and 3/4 platform.

"I don't understand why you feel that you would fall out of place. So your situation is different, but Albus has always been one to blind all that and give people a chance. You are a witch beyond your years, Aiko, so please dear, leave and have a good school year."

Aiko's grandma gave her a quick peck on the cheek as they reached a line of other wizards and witches waiting to get on board the Hogswart Express. The wrinkles on her face could tell her age as well as the rings on the roots of trees. A grandma is what she looked like with gray hair pulled back with a beret. She dressed in simple attire of beige pants and light blue shirt. She warmly smiled at her granddaughter, who had a bad case of the jitters.

"Now, remember, just stay calm and don't feel that you are mandatory to tell anyone anything about your circumstance, okay, dear? Boy, we are so proud of you... Here, your parents sent this by owl this morning, but wanted me to give it to you right before you left."

The package was medium sized wrapped with gold paper and a dark bow wrapped around, with the words "To Sochi. From Mom & Dad." written in her father's script.

"Awe, thanks Grams. I love you, and I'll send Lington in the morning with news." At the sound of her name, the small baby owl wooed and almost purred slowly. She ruffled her tan feathers in frenzy and opened her radiant blue eyes. The question always came upon Aiko how her parents found an owl with blue eyes...

One last hug and Aiko scurried through the Platform Nine and Three- Quarters. She boarded on the train and settled in the vacant compartment with Lington's cage in one hand and her parent's package in another.

"I don't understand why you always insist on staying in the same compartment Harry... I mean come off it, there's nothing superb about compartment 31. Why did you pick that compartment anyways?" Ron Weasley was baffled with too much luggage and too much on his mind. His bright red hair was all over the place, while his complexion turned from an ivory white to a flushed red.

"I can't stand carrying Ginny's stuff... ah, that girl will be the death of me." His arms were wrapped around bags and two owl cages. Harry couldn't bear to carry anything else himself, for he had his own owl cage, a bag of his own, and a bag of Ginny's.

Harry Potter turned back to look at his friend's face of struggle. True, it was a narrow passageway, but Ron was more upset because they had to travel all the way to the back where Harry preferred to stay at. But once they reached compartment 31, the door was already shut.

"Blimey, has someone taken the great seat that MR. HARRY POTTER wants to sit in?" Ron said jokily with a smile upon his face.

"OH, COME OFF IT RON!" Harry said pushing Ron back several steps that lead Ron to almost losing his balance. "Its probably just Hermione with her usual early bird self!" Harry shook his head in the thought of Hermione already saying "The two of you are late… planning to take another flying car, or some other…" The very voice of Hermione drained out of his head. Ron urged forward and made the signal for Harry to go in.

The girl sitting in the corner had her head buried in a book, but was startled with the noise of the door opening. "Already have you're head in a book, eh Herm-" But before Harry could finish the girl thought to be Hermione lifted her head to reveal an unfamiliar face to Harry. A moment of silence passed as they stared at each other in awkwardness.

The hair might be likes Hermione's in the way that it is light brown, but it was pulled back with a crimson ribbon wrapped around the rubber band, but that wasn't the first thing Harry truly noticed of the girl. Once her head came from behind the cover of book, her eyes took Harry's breath away. They were hazel, but an extraordinary hazel that seemed to almost swirl with brown, green and gray before Harry's own eyes. She had a tan complexion but yet there was still the hint of pink in her face, whether from embarrassment or birth. It was her eyes that kept Harry intrigued, and let the fact that she never blinked once in what seemed to be an eternity threw Harry off. But then when she did blink…

"OH, I'M TERRIBLY SORRY... I DIDN'T KNOW THINGS WERE RESERVED... I'LL LEAVE..." In an instance the girl jumbled around and grabbed her owl cage and some wrapping paper and a book. Harry shook his head to refuse but couldn't get the word out.

"HARRY, COME ON!!" Ron pushed from behind, but when he got in clear view, he also stopped in his tracks at the girl.

Even more blushed and timid looking, the girl weaved out of the way of Harry and Ron. "NO! WAIT!" Harry said after much difficultly. She quickly stopped and turns with an innocent but modest look. "I'm Harry," he said holding a hand out to shake, "what's yours?"

She shyly smiled and put down her owl cage and said, "Harry, I'm Aiko..." after shaking Harry's hand and looked at Ron, "And you're?"

"Oh, I'm Ron Weasley, my good lady..." He did a little bow, and Aiko politely curtsied back. Harry noticed the timid, scared appearance of her left, and the hard redness of her face left, but he was right, she still had that hint of pink shine through her cheeks.

Once settled, Aiko resigned back into her corner seat by the window, with Harry taking the seat in front of her. Ron, still standing, recollected Ginny's goods, and headed toward the door.

"Ron? Where are you going?" Aiko looked at him curiously.

"Well, I hope you didn't think these bags are all mine… these belong to my little sister; I have to go find her and give her her stuff at once." He hammered out once getting out in the tight passage again.

Aiko stared at the door a moment smiling. Harry just glazed at her full lips that reflected off a radiant smile. Harry lightly chuckled and said, "Got a thing for Ron already?"

Aiko gave a goofy smile now as she lowered her head down and looked side to side. "No… I just think that it's cute that he was that considerate of his sister, that's all… I'm not here to fall in love, you know?" Aiko looked stern at Harry, who slightly smiled.

"Very true… Hogswart is not a school of love, but a school of learning." Harry kept looking at Aiko intently, but she had already dug her head back in the book she was reading. To see more clearly, Harry smoothly switch seats and sat next to Aiko. She slowly peered her head out of her book.

"What are you looking at?" Aiko said while shutting her book

"Well… what are you reading?" He said as he slid the book out of her hand.

"Well, its called Monster Maximums Deluxe, which covers every creature of monster types… it's quite interesting, and since I haven't taken any type of Magical Creatures class yet…" She said softly to herself.

As Harry opened the book, he saw an inscription on the inside cover to the name Sochi. "What's up with the name Sochi? Kind of boyish, if you don't mind me saying…" He was smiling in the good sport type of way, but Aiko just stared back, almost glaring.

"Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean it by anything… just that… well it's 'Sochi' and 'son'… and…" Harry broke a sweat and looked frigged at what he could say, when suddenly Aiko busted into a loud laugh.

"I SO HAD YOU GOING!" Her bright smile yet once again beamed as she looked straight into Harry's eyes, but to Harry, it felt like she was looking into his soul. "Well," she began, a little more calmly, "My father always joked around how he wanted to son, a little boy to call his own, and when my mother gave birth me, a little girl, my dad kind of spaced out… Well, so when they decided on the name Aiko, my dad thought it would be a funny thing to call me Sochi, as if I were a boy, because Sochi is son in Japanese… so yah…My father is Japanese, well half and half, while my mother is the whitest woman you've ever seen, but that's really besides the point…" But she suddenly stopped when Harry was staring straight at her. Their eyes met and both lean closer and closer to one another where both of their sweet breaths were itches from each other…

"HEY AIK-" Ron cheered as he entered in with Hermione, but stopped when he saw was about to happen. Harry and Aiko quickly parted and looked in opposite directions in awkwardness.

How could I have been so dumb? Harry thought to himself. I don't even know the girl… for all I know; she's the bad guy…. Augh. Harry shook his head angrily at himself and moved back to his original seat across from Aiko.

Ron introduced Aiko to Hermione, but it was apparent that Hermione was not too pleased with the liking of another girl possibly intruding on the relationship that her, Ron, and Harry had six years in the making of.

"Well, how old are you exactly? You look much too old to be a first year here at Hogwarts." Hermione clearly said as she gave a look to Ron meaning that she'd be trouble.

"Well… there are some things I care not to share with people I do not entirely know, but under circumstances, I will be taking classes at Hogwarts… some that first years have to take, and others where I will be in classes with sixth years… I turning seventeen in a few months at that… but yes, I can already tell that you, Hermione, find me as someone not to trust…. For that you don't understand me yet, but soon enough…. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to… well, go to the restroom…." She nodded and went straight out with her bag in hand.

Hermione turned to her Ron and Harry who were still thinking about Aiko's predicaments. "She's bad news guys… don't even think about getting involved because every time that something changes or happens in Hogwarts, it happens to Harry, which brings in Ron and myself into the picture. Harry stay away from her…" Hermione gave a bold look to make things seem to be understood between the three of them.

"But… she's…a nice girl? Come on now, she may have some circumstances that have enabled her to study at Hogwarts with us, but think about it… Dumbledore, the kind fellow he is, makes acceptances to the rules… look at Lupin or Hagrid… they all have a story of how Dumbledore trusted and they are good people." Ron strongly agreed with Harry, but Hermione was evidently not convinced.

She wouldn't have problems if she didn't have something wrong with her… Hermione thought to herself as they made small talk on the rest of the train ride to Hogwarts.