Chapter 1 - Dude, It's Me!
So this is the first chapter where I'm basically introducing everything so it's kinda lengthy and descriptive but I promise it will get better once the action starts =] Also, this is entirely AU and I own nothing except for Poppy, Emerson, Perry and her parents and the plot =]
After stepping out of the shower, Periwinkle Taiven looked in the mirror and contemplated the changes she had undergone over the summer. She had finally lost her puppy fat, so that the features of her face stood out more and her braces had finally been removed so she now had a completely metal free smile. Periwinkle had also gotten rid of her mousy brown hair and dyed it jet black with random pale blue streaks to match her name.
It was the changes on the inside that mattered the most though. Periwinkle was fed up with being the girl in the background and was ready to become the girl at the centre of the crowd and it was going to start with her name. She hated her name, to her it screamed weirdo and although the colour was nice, she wanted to become more than that. No, Periwinkle Taiven was becoming Perry Taiven, which to her sounded much more trendy and cool and a lot less old fashioned and odd. She had already thrown out Periwinkle's old wardrobe and bought a new one for Perry, full of bright colours and bold patterns. True, she would be wearing her Hogwarts uniform most of the time but there were still the weekends and Hogsmeade trips.
Choosing a bright pink tee and denim mini from her new wardrobe, Perry got changed (leaving her hair to dry naturally) and finished checking her trunk. It was finally September and time to go back to Hogwarts! She had missed her friends so much and she hadn't seen them all summer so they had yet to see her transformation. Perry was looking forward to the reveal.
Her best friends were Emerson Rose, a tall brunette boy with prominent brown eyes and a knack for knowing just when you needed cheering up and Poppy Alexander, a striking red head with icy blue eyes and a killer body. Poppy was probably another reason that Perry had never been noticed. She was not very tall but she had long legs and curvy hips - Poppy stood out in a way that Perry only dreamed of doing, until now that is.
"Come along now Periwinkle, your father and I have to leave now!"
Carmorel Taiven was a beautiful and elegant witch, her long brown hair reached her waist and her eyes were green with flecks of blue. There seemed to be a sense of reservedness and passion in them at the same time. She was a tall woman and a most accomplished witch. She always wore blue robes to highlight her eyes and she kept her house in meticulous order without the aid of any house elves. But above all, Carmorel Taiven was not a witch to be messed with.
Perry checked her bedside clock and saw that it was only 9am. Sighing Perry grabbed her wand from the side, annoyed that she still had to wait 8 days until she could use magic outside of Hogwarts. Dragging her trunk down the stairs, Perry could see her mother tapping her foot impatiently. The trunk landed with a thud next to her and Carmorel glared at her daughter.
"You can do magic Mother, you could have helped bring it down for me."
"Yes I could have, but what would that have taught you Periwinkle?"
"I told you Mother, it's Perry now."
"Yes you did mention a name change but to me, my dear, you shall always be Periwinkle. Now, do you have everything?"
"Yes Mother."
"Excellent! Dorian, my darling, Periwinkle is ready. Shall we head off?"
Perry's father came out of the lounge area and into the hallway. Dorian Taiven was a magnificent wizard, his very being seemed to radiate power. He was dressed sharply in tailored bottle green robes and every hair on his head was in perfect place. As he left the lounge, Perry saw him slip something into his robes, a frown creasing his handsome face. As soon as Dorian caught sight of his only daughter however, he broke into a smile.
"Ah Perry, you're ready. Shall we leave? Did you need help with your trunk?"
Perry smiled. Her mother might be hard sometimes but she could always count on her dad to understand her. He had even called her Perry. To Dorian, Perry was his princess, the apple of his eye and she could do no wrong. And to Perry, Dorian was more than her father. He was her confidante and he knew all about her 'hidden' status at Hogwarts. He was especially pleased when she had told him that she wasn't going to spend her final years at Hogwarts hiding. Perry smiled at her father.
"Sure Dad that would be great. Only 8 more days and then I can do it myself huh? Ready Mother?"
Carmorel pursed her lips but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned on her heel and led the way to the Apparition spot at the foot of the drive. Smiling at each other, Perry and Dorian left Taiven Manor and apparated side by side to Kings Cross Station.
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Grabbing a trolley to place her trunk on, Perry caught sight of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley disappearing through the barrier. Smiling at the sight of Harry whilst securing her trunk to the trolley and yelling at her parents, Perry broke into a run and burst through the barrier herself. She saw that the platform was pretty much empty apart from Harry, Ron and a few seventh years.
Ten seconds later, Carmorel and Dorian came through the barrier, looking just as regal and elegant as ever. They joined Perry and kissed both of her cheeks quickly. Her mother wrapped her in a quick embrace, then turned on her heel and exited the platform. Perry was confused.
"What's her deal? Is she not even going to say goodbye?"
"Don't worry about your mother darling, it's me she's mad at."
"What did you do?"
"She thinks that I pander to you too much and that I undermine her authority."
"She's right isn't she?"
Dorian looked at his daughter standing there with a sassy smile on her face. To her surprise, Dorian smiled too.
"Yes I guess she is right. But what does she want me to do? Deny my one and only gorgeous girl?"
"Dad! So embarrassing!"
"There's no-one here don't stress. I have to go now as well Princess, business. That's why we're here so early. But knowing you, you have a good book stashed in the trunk for the journey. Am I right?"
"Of course you are Dad. I'm sure I can keep myself occupied until Poppy and Emerson get here."
"That's my girl. Love you Princess."
"Love you too Dad."
Dorian hugged his daughter tightly and kissed the top of her head lightly. He clasped her hand tightly in a sign of solidarity, then swept away through the barrier to the other side of the platform. Perry watched him go and felt a little sad. She had spent a lot of time with her father over the summer since Poppy had been in Australia and Emerson had gone to Belgium. Still, they would be united as a threesome soon enough so Perry dragged her trunk onto the Express, choosing an empty compartment near the back. Settling down, she picked up George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' and began reading.
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Perry had been reading for nearly an hour and people were starting to arrive at the station. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Draco Malfoy bursting through the barrier, closely followed his parents, Narcissa and Lucius. Perry smiled slightly then frowned, remembering her last encounter with Malfoy. He had completely ignored her, even though she had spoken to him directly and even though she had made a special effort to look nice. But to be fair, all of Perry's encounters with Draco had gone like that. You don't have parents like Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy without getting at least a little of their pride and snobbery. Perry couldn't understand why her parents forced her to go to the 'Old Slytherin' parties the Malfoys held. Perry was a Ravenclaw and proud of it.
Caught in her reminisces, Perry almost missed the awkward moment between Draco and Narcissa. As she bent to kiss him, Malfoy jerked his head out of her reach and stomped away, with the look on his face of a petulant child. As Malfoy made his way to the train, Perry saw that he had caught her looking. Trying hard to look like she hadn't been staring at him, she quickly buried her head back into her book.
Oops. Too late.
Malfoy came bursting through her compartment door. He looked caught between curiosity at who she was and annoyance that she had been staring at him. Perry kept her face hidden for as long as she could before she could no longer ignore his presence.
"Can I help you?"
"Well I don't know. If you can tell me who you are and why you were just watching me, that would be a start."
"I wasn't watching you!"
But Perry's face had betrayed her. She never could lie and now her cheeks were turning red, betraying her innocence. Draco had clearly noticed and Perry could tell that he wasn't going to leave her alone soon. The famous smirk had appeared.
"Oh really? So you don't know what just happened there then?"
"Of course I don't. that's your business isn't it?"
"Fine. Who are you then?"
Perry couldn't believe that Malfoy actually didn't know who she was. She had been going to his house every summer and Christmas since she was born. The first time she had missed a party was this summer when she had changed so dramatically in looks. Perry wanted to play with him. Her new found confidence was about to drive Malfoy crazy.
"I can be anyone you want me to be."
That had taken Malfoy by surprise, Perry could tell because the smirk had been replaced by a raised eyebrow - a sure sign that he was ready to play. He came into the compartment and sat next to Perry. Leaning into her, he whispered;
"Hmm… I'd like you to be…"
But Malfoy was rudely interrupted by the arrival of two people who were very welcome to Perry. Poppy's bouncy red hair burst through the door, followed by Emerson's tall form.
"Euw Malfoy, leave the girl alone. She doesn't need Slytherin germs before the school year has even started."
"Very funny Alexander. Get lost, me and the pretty girl are getting to know each other."
"Yes. He was just telling me about his absolute dead fear of needles. No need to be frightened Malfoy, no-one will know. Promise."
It was that comment that made him remember. Malfoy's eyes widened and he backed out of the compartment without a second glance or word. Poppy turned to Perry and addressed her first.
"So hey there new girl. Nice scare tactic on the 'Slytherin Prince'. So is it true?"
Perry stared at both of them. Emerson and Poppy really didn't recognise her did they? She knew that she had changed radically but not so much that her two best friends didn't even recognise her!
"I'm not talking to you."
"What? What did I say? Have I offended you somehow?"
"Yes of course you have. Dude, it's me!"
With that sentence, Emerson and Poppy ran forward and hugged their 'new' best friend. The next hours on the journey to Hogwarts were filled with stories of the summer, interrupted only by the witch with the sweet trolley.
So that was the first chapter guys. Please remember to R&R, let me know what you think about the characters. I have an idea where I'd like the story to go but if you have anything you'd like to see, don't hesitate to let me know =]