Chapter One
Eden Foster awoke mid-morning, the sunlight streaming through her closed blinds and spilling across the hard-wood floor. She grumbled to herself and pulled her sheet over her head. It just turned the light to a dark blue color. Her head was throbbing. Since when did authorities let girls of her age drink so much in a public place! I mean, sure she looked old enough. But she was only sixteen. Sometimes, Eden was sure that she looked too old for her own good. "Eden, do you plan on sleeping your life away?" Gertrude, one of the old maids that had worked for Eden ever since she was a baby, demanded, banging on the door. "Yes!" Eden yelled back crossly. The door opened and Gertrude stomped across the room. "Your mother put me in charge of you while you're here in Barbados. And I don't intend to let you sleep all day long." She said firmly, yanking the sheet off of the bed. Eden glared up at her towering form. "Then don't let me stay up so late." She retorted, reclaiming the sheet and pulling it back over her head. "Up now, Eden Foster!" Gertrude demanded. Eden reluctantly rose and went to her bathroom. Usually, it was one of her favorite rooms in the entire house, but now it seemed much to bright. It was tiled in bright white. The Jacuzzi-style bathtub had a fireplace located near it, and a wide window that had an extraordinary view of the beach below. Eden reluctantly turned the faucet on and shut the blinds on the window. Out of all her houses, the one in Barbados was her favorite. She loved living in such a sunny spot with as much money as she could possibly need. And best of all, no parents. After her father had been killed in a car accident when she was five, her mother had shut Eden out of her life. She sent Eden away to France. When Eden turned eleven, she was invited to attend a school for witches and wizards. Ms. Foster had been informed, and she forced Eden to go. After only a year and a half, Eden was expelled. Ever since then, she had been sent from school to school, being expelled after being there for very short periods of time. But now here it was, almost September, and she hadn't received a word at all from her mother in New York. Eden pulled her New York Yankees t-shirt over her head and sank down into the warm water. She soaked for a moment, then washed her streaked hair and climbed out. She wrapped herself in a light, silk bathrobe and looked at her reflection in the mirror. No wonder mom is ashamed of me. Eden thought bitterly. She fingered a strand of light pink hair. Her dark hazel eyes glared back at her, and her tanned skin looked sickly under the bright lights. She quickly got dressed in a pair of really short blue jean shorts and a hot pink bikini top. She put earrings in all of her ear holes, and her belly button hole too. She slipped a tiny silver stud into her nose hole and another in her tongue. Then she tossed her already dried hair over her shoulder and admired her reflection in the full length mirror. Heavy banging on the door brought Eden out of her reflection world. Gertrude opened it and glanced in. "Come and eat some lunch before you go traipsing about." She said, looking at Eden's attire disapprovingly. "Whatever.' Eden rolled her eyes and followed the old woman down the stairs and into the kitchen. Although it wasn't nearly as nice as the dining room, Eden refused to elevate herself to a position too high to eat with her servants. After she took a bite or two of French toast, she hurried to the living room, where she had left her purse. She was about to call out goodbye to Gertrude when the telephone rang. She reached out and picked it up. "Hello?" She answered. "Hello Eden." Ms. Foster's distant, formal voice said on the other end. Eden felt her muscles stiffen. Just the sound of her mother's voice made her so angry and bitter that she wished she had never been born. "What do you want mother?" Eden demanded angrily, glaring at a picture of the sea shore on the wall opposite her. "You've been accepted to Hogwarts." Ms. Foster replied, losing her formal tone of voice. Her voice now held a sharp edge. "It's a school in England. You'd better not get expelled, Eden. This is the last school, and I want you to finish your education." "England?" Eden screeched into the phone. "No way! I want to stay here in Barbados!" "Eden!" Ms. Foster said sharply. "You'll be seventeen soon! You have only one year of school left. I would appreciate it if you'd cooperate for once in your life!" "Do I really have a choice?" Eden demanded bitterly. "Pack your things. I've already made your flight arrangements. I've also wired some money into your account." Ms. Foster continued angrily. "Your plane leaves in a week." Without a word, Eden hung up the phone.
The week flew by for Eden. She said goodbye to all of her so-called friends and acquaintances. Gertrude drove her to the airport. "Have a good time, Eden." She said, planting a big kiss on Eden's forehead. "And try to stay out of trouble. Your mother's right. You've only got one more year to go." "That's easy for you to say." Eden replied, sounding cross. But she hugged Gertrude before she climbed out of the car. Her flight took only a couple of hours. She arrived in London and quickly found the Leaky Cauldron. It was a tiny pub that most normal people didn't notice. She bought her school supplies in the hidden alley behind the pub, and then booked a room for the night. Her train left early in the morning. King's Cross Station was packed with people, mostly young children carrying heavy trunks. Eden pushed her trunk through the magic barrier and appeared on the platform. After stowing her trunk on the train, she found an empty compartment and sat down. A few minutes later, a girl appeared in the doorway. She had lots of curly chestnut hair and wide, pretty eyes. "Excuse me, but can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." The girl asked. "I guess so." Eden shrugged, kicking her bag to one side so that the girl could sit down. "I'm Hermione Granger." The girl said. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you a first year? You seem a little old to be a first year. I myself am a seventh year." She said all of this very fast. "Woah, slow down there, Speedy." Eden said, holding up a hand. "Yes I'm new and no I'm not a first year. I'm a seventh year. My name's Eden Foster." "Did you transfer from another school? Where did you go before?" Hermione asked, slowing her words down a little. "Everywhere." Eden shrugged, glancing out the window at the passing scenery. "My dad died when I was really little, and my mom keeps shipping me around to different schools. I keep getting expelled. This is the only one that I haven't been to before." "You keep getting expelled?" Hermione looked shocked. "Whatever for?" Eden shrugged, twirling one of her earrings absently. "I dunno. I guess because I don't entirely agree with the rules they set down." She replied. "Well Hogwarts is very good about not being too strict." Hermione replied instantly. "Let's hope so." Eden said, looking Hermione square in the eye. "For their sake, let's hope so." "So, mudblood has made a new friend." A slick voice drawled from the doorway. Both girls looked up. A tall boy with ash blonde hair gelled back was leaning nonchalantly against the door frame. "Why would you care?" Eden demanded, watching as Hermione's face turned bright red in embarrassment and anger. "Huh?" The boy demanded, taken aback by her words. "Excuse me?" "I asked why you would care who she hangs out with?" Eden demanded again. "By the looks of it, she's better in magic than you are by a long shot. Mudblood indeed. Hah!" "Do you know who you're talking to?" The boy demanded, drawing himself up to his full height. "Draco Malfoy." Eden replied, mimicking his drawling voice. "The biggest big shot in the entire school." His mouth fell open. "How'd you know that? This is your first time here!" Hermione exclaimed. Eden just flashed her a sardonic smile. "Who cares." She replied, tossing her blonde and pink hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, do you plan to stand there and gawk all day, Blondie, or are you going to go back to your own friends, if you have any?" With a huff of indignation, Malfoy turned on his heel and stomped off. Hermione turned back to Eden. "Really, how did you do that?" She demanded in awe. "Never mind that." Eden shrugged it off. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you were actually letting that jerk treat you like that." "What choice do I have? Malfoy practically runs the whole Slytherin house." Hermione said bitterly, tucking back a strand of her dark hair. "Well, take hold of Gryffindor house and use it against him." Eden said. "I mean, honestly. I've heard that even though the Slytherins are supposedly wicked and cunning, they're really lacking in common sense. All you'd have to do was get a few of your friends together and get the whole house. It wouldn't be hard at all." Hermione was silent for a while. Finally she looked back at Eden. "Got any ideas?" For the rest of the train ride, the two girls sat and discussed different methods for getting Gryffindor house to rise up against Slytherin. Each idea was more outrageous than the last. "I could never do any of this stuff." Hermione admitted, laughing. "But it's really fun thinking about it." After they had dropped the topic of Slytherins, Eden found herself telling Hermione all about her childhood and traveling from one place to the next. She also told Hermione all about her not-so-secret night life. She was pleased by Hermione's shocked expression. "You really go out and get drunk and then sleep with whoever you're with?" Hermione demanded, almost in awe. "I guess so. That's a simple way of putting it." Eden shrugged, tossing back her hair. "It's much more than that, really." "Can you explain it?" Hermione suggested eagerly. She seemed much to scared to break the rules, but she loved to hear about it. "No, it's not really explainable." Eden said, thinking hard. "It's more a you-have-to-experience-it-to-get-it kind of thing." "I understand." Hermione nodded. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Two boys came in. One had bright red hair and tons of freckles. The other had messy black hair and glasses. He also had a scar on his forehead. He looked oddly familiar, although Eden couldn't remember where she'd seen him before. "Hermione, what are you doing here? We've spent the entire train ride looking for you!" The red-head cried. "I've been here the whole time." Hermione replied calmly. "Would you mind leaving? We need to change into our robes?" "Speedy, you not going to introduce me to your two lovely friends?" Eden demanded, fluttering her eyelashes dangerously. Hermione blushed. "This is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." She introduced. "Ah, I knew you looked familiar." Eden said, nodding. "Harry Potter, the one who defeated the dark lord. We've all heard that story one too many times." They were all speechless, staring at Eden with shock. "This is Eden Foster. She transferred here from everywhere. She keeps getting expelled." "Cool!" Ron exclaimed, his red hair tumbling into his eyes. He brushed it back. "We'll go change now. We'll be back in a few minutes." They left, shutting the door behind them. "Let's change." Hermione suggested. Eden pulled her tank top over her head and reached for her robes. Hermione was already half into hers. The door opened. Hermione jumped and quickly pulled her robes on the rest of the way. Eden turned to glare at the intruder with her hands on her hips. Malfoy. "Ever hear of knocking Blondie?" She demanded, annoyed. She pulled her robes over her head, enjoying the stunned look on Malfoy's face. "I just came to tell you that this means war." He said, regaining his senses. His icy blue eyes narrowed dangerously. Eden just laughed. A low, throaty, and scornful laugh. "War? Do you know what you're dealing with?" She laughed. Then she got serious and looked at him pitifully. "No, I guess not. You poor, sheltered little boy." She said sadly. Hermione snickered and Malfoy shot her a look of pure venom. "I've been to every wizarding school in the world, Blondie. I know more than you can ever hope to know about magic. I've worked with some of the best teachers under the sun. You could never compare to me in a million years." She leaned close, very close. She could sense Malfoy's uncomfortable feeling. Sweat accumulated at his brow and his eyes darted nervously, trying not to come to a rest on Eden. She leaned down next to ear. She was dreadfully close now. "Rule of war number one," She breathed softly. Malfoy gulped. "Never declare war on an enemy that's a hundred times stronger than you." She opened the door and pushed him out into the hall. "Come back when you're ready to fight!" She laughed, shutting the door back.
Eden Foster awoke mid-morning, the sunlight streaming through her closed blinds and spilling across the hard-wood floor. She grumbled to herself and pulled her sheet over her head. It just turned the light to a dark blue color. Her head was throbbing. Since when did authorities let girls of her age drink so much in a public place! I mean, sure she looked old enough. But she was only sixteen. Sometimes, Eden was sure that she looked too old for her own good. "Eden, do you plan on sleeping your life away?" Gertrude, one of the old maids that had worked for Eden ever since she was a baby, demanded, banging on the door. "Yes!" Eden yelled back crossly. The door opened and Gertrude stomped across the room. "Your mother put me in charge of you while you're here in Barbados. And I don't intend to let you sleep all day long." She said firmly, yanking the sheet off of the bed. Eden glared up at her towering form. "Then don't let me stay up so late." She retorted, reclaiming the sheet and pulling it back over her head. "Up now, Eden Foster!" Gertrude demanded. Eden reluctantly rose and went to her bathroom. Usually, it was one of her favorite rooms in the entire house, but now it seemed much to bright. It was tiled in bright white. The Jacuzzi-style bathtub had a fireplace located near it, and a wide window that had an extraordinary view of the beach below. Eden reluctantly turned the faucet on and shut the blinds on the window. Out of all her houses, the one in Barbados was her favorite. She loved living in such a sunny spot with as much money as she could possibly need. And best of all, no parents. After her father had been killed in a car accident when she was five, her mother had shut Eden out of her life. She sent Eden away to France. When Eden turned eleven, she was invited to attend a school for witches and wizards. Ms. Foster had been informed, and she forced Eden to go. After only a year and a half, Eden was expelled. Ever since then, she had been sent from school to school, being expelled after being there for very short periods of time. But now here it was, almost September, and she hadn't received a word at all from her mother in New York. Eden pulled her New York Yankees t-shirt over her head and sank down into the warm water. She soaked for a moment, then washed her streaked hair and climbed out. She wrapped herself in a light, silk bathrobe and looked at her reflection in the mirror. No wonder mom is ashamed of me. Eden thought bitterly. She fingered a strand of light pink hair. Her dark hazel eyes glared back at her, and her tanned skin looked sickly under the bright lights. She quickly got dressed in a pair of really short blue jean shorts and a hot pink bikini top. She put earrings in all of her ear holes, and her belly button hole too. She slipped a tiny silver stud into her nose hole and another in her tongue. Then she tossed her already dried hair over her shoulder and admired her reflection in the full length mirror. Heavy banging on the door brought Eden out of her reflection world. Gertrude opened it and glanced in. "Come and eat some lunch before you go traipsing about." She said, looking at Eden's attire disapprovingly. "Whatever.' Eden rolled her eyes and followed the old woman down the stairs and into the kitchen. Although it wasn't nearly as nice as the dining room, Eden refused to elevate herself to a position too high to eat with her servants. After she took a bite or two of French toast, she hurried to the living room, where she had left her purse. She was about to call out goodbye to Gertrude when the telephone rang. She reached out and picked it up. "Hello?" She answered. "Hello Eden." Ms. Foster's distant, formal voice said on the other end. Eden felt her muscles stiffen. Just the sound of her mother's voice made her so angry and bitter that she wished she had never been born. "What do you want mother?" Eden demanded angrily, glaring at a picture of the sea shore on the wall opposite her. "You've been accepted to Hogwarts." Ms. Foster replied, losing her formal tone of voice. Her voice now held a sharp edge. "It's a school in England. You'd better not get expelled, Eden. This is the last school, and I want you to finish your education." "England?" Eden screeched into the phone. "No way! I want to stay here in Barbados!" "Eden!" Ms. Foster said sharply. "You'll be seventeen soon! You have only one year of school left. I would appreciate it if you'd cooperate for once in your life!" "Do I really have a choice?" Eden demanded bitterly. "Pack your things. I've already made your flight arrangements. I've also wired some money into your account." Ms. Foster continued angrily. "Your plane leaves in a week." Without a word, Eden hung up the phone.
The week flew by for Eden. She said goodbye to all of her so-called friends and acquaintances. Gertrude drove her to the airport. "Have a good time, Eden." She said, planting a big kiss on Eden's forehead. "And try to stay out of trouble. Your mother's right. You've only got one more year to go." "That's easy for you to say." Eden replied, sounding cross. But she hugged Gertrude before she climbed out of the car. Her flight took only a couple of hours. She arrived in London and quickly found the Leaky Cauldron. It was a tiny pub that most normal people didn't notice. She bought her school supplies in the hidden alley behind the pub, and then booked a room for the night. Her train left early in the morning. King's Cross Station was packed with people, mostly young children carrying heavy trunks. Eden pushed her trunk through the magic barrier and appeared on the platform. After stowing her trunk on the train, she found an empty compartment and sat down. A few minutes later, a girl appeared in the doorway. She had lots of curly chestnut hair and wide, pretty eyes. "Excuse me, but can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." The girl asked. "I guess so." Eden shrugged, kicking her bag to one side so that the girl could sit down. "I'm Hermione Granger." The girl said. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you a first year? You seem a little old to be a first year. I myself am a seventh year." She said all of this very fast. "Woah, slow down there, Speedy." Eden said, holding up a hand. "Yes I'm new and no I'm not a first year. I'm a seventh year. My name's Eden Foster." "Did you transfer from another school? Where did you go before?" Hermione asked, slowing her words down a little. "Everywhere." Eden shrugged, glancing out the window at the passing scenery. "My dad died when I was really little, and my mom keeps shipping me around to different schools. I keep getting expelled. This is the only one that I haven't been to before." "You keep getting expelled?" Hermione looked shocked. "Whatever for?" Eden shrugged, twirling one of her earrings absently. "I dunno. I guess because I don't entirely agree with the rules they set down." She replied. "Well Hogwarts is very good about not being too strict." Hermione replied instantly. "Let's hope so." Eden said, looking Hermione square in the eye. "For their sake, let's hope so." "So, mudblood has made a new friend." A slick voice drawled from the doorway. Both girls looked up. A tall boy with ash blonde hair gelled back was leaning nonchalantly against the door frame. "Why would you care?" Eden demanded, watching as Hermione's face turned bright red in embarrassment and anger. "Huh?" The boy demanded, taken aback by her words. "Excuse me?" "I asked why you would care who she hangs out with?" Eden demanded again. "By the looks of it, she's better in magic than you are by a long shot. Mudblood indeed. Hah!" "Do you know who you're talking to?" The boy demanded, drawing himself up to his full height. "Draco Malfoy." Eden replied, mimicking his drawling voice. "The biggest big shot in the entire school." His mouth fell open. "How'd you know that? This is your first time here!" Hermione exclaimed. Eden just flashed her a sardonic smile. "Who cares." She replied, tossing her blonde and pink hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, do you plan to stand there and gawk all day, Blondie, or are you going to go back to your own friends, if you have any?" With a huff of indignation, Malfoy turned on his heel and stomped off. Hermione turned back to Eden. "Really, how did you do that?" She demanded in awe. "Never mind that." Eden shrugged it off. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you were actually letting that jerk treat you like that." "What choice do I have? Malfoy practically runs the whole Slytherin house." Hermione said bitterly, tucking back a strand of her dark hair. "Well, take hold of Gryffindor house and use it against him." Eden said. "I mean, honestly. I've heard that even though the Slytherins are supposedly wicked and cunning, they're really lacking in common sense. All you'd have to do was get a few of your friends together and get the whole house. It wouldn't be hard at all." Hermione was silent for a while. Finally she looked back at Eden. "Got any ideas?" For the rest of the train ride, the two girls sat and discussed different methods for getting Gryffindor house to rise up against Slytherin. Each idea was more outrageous than the last. "I could never do any of this stuff." Hermione admitted, laughing. "But it's really fun thinking about it." After they had dropped the topic of Slytherins, Eden found herself telling Hermione all about her childhood and traveling from one place to the next. She also told Hermione all about her not-so-secret night life. She was pleased by Hermione's shocked expression. "You really go out and get drunk and then sleep with whoever you're with?" Hermione demanded, almost in awe. "I guess so. That's a simple way of putting it." Eden shrugged, tossing back her hair. "It's much more than that, really." "Can you explain it?" Hermione suggested eagerly. She seemed much to scared to break the rules, but she loved to hear about it. "No, it's not really explainable." Eden said, thinking hard. "It's more a you-have-to-experience-it-to-get-it kind of thing." "I understand." Hermione nodded. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Two boys came in. One had bright red hair and tons of freckles. The other had messy black hair and glasses. He also had a scar on his forehead. He looked oddly familiar, although Eden couldn't remember where she'd seen him before. "Hermione, what are you doing here? We've spent the entire train ride looking for you!" The red-head cried. "I've been here the whole time." Hermione replied calmly. "Would you mind leaving? We need to change into our robes?" "Speedy, you not going to introduce me to your two lovely friends?" Eden demanded, fluttering her eyelashes dangerously. Hermione blushed. "This is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." She introduced. "Ah, I knew you looked familiar." Eden said, nodding. "Harry Potter, the one who defeated the dark lord. We've all heard that story one too many times." They were all speechless, staring at Eden with shock. "This is Eden Foster. She transferred here from everywhere. She keeps getting expelled." "Cool!" Ron exclaimed, his red hair tumbling into his eyes. He brushed it back. "We'll go change now. We'll be back in a few minutes." They left, shutting the door behind them. "Let's change." Hermione suggested. Eden pulled her tank top over her head and reached for her robes. Hermione was already half into hers. The door opened. Hermione jumped and quickly pulled her robes on the rest of the way. Eden turned to glare at the intruder with her hands on her hips. Malfoy. "Ever hear of knocking Blondie?" She demanded, annoyed. She pulled her robes over her head, enjoying the stunned look on Malfoy's face. "I just came to tell you that this means war." He said, regaining his senses. His icy blue eyes narrowed dangerously. Eden just laughed. A low, throaty, and scornful laugh. "War? Do you know what you're dealing with?" She laughed. Then she got serious and looked at him pitifully. "No, I guess not. You poor, sheltered little boy." She said sadly. Hermione snickered and Malfoy shot her a look of pure venom. "I've been to every wizarding school in the world, Blondie. I know more than you can ever hope to know about magic. I've worked with some of the best teachers under the sun. You could never compare to me in a million years." She leaned close, very close. She could sense Malfoy's uncomfortable feeling. Sweat accumulated at his brow and his eyes darted nervously, trying not to come to a rest on Eden. She leaned down next to ear. She was dreadfully close now. "Rule of war number one," She breathed softly. Malfoy gulped. "Never declare war on an enemy that's a hundred times stronger than you." She opened the door and pushed him out into the hall. "Come back when you're ready to fight!" She laughed, shutting the door back.