The Hogwarts Express was just pulling away from the platform when a lone figure shot through the barrier and leaped onto the train, hauling a trunk behind her. Now safe, she began a search for a compartment to sit in. Each and every one was full. In the very last compartment, there were only three people. Praying for acceptance, she tentatively opened the door. "Um. Hello. May I sit in here? There's nowhere else."
"Sure. Do you need help with your trunk?" a tall, slim, muscular boy with shaggy black hair responded, getting up and stepping forward to help.
"Yeah, thanks." She said, happy to meet such a kind male.
"I'm Harry Potter, this is Hermione Granger-" he gestured at a pretty brunette with her nose buried in a book. "-and Ron Weasly." He pointed at a gangly redhead with freckles. The girl smiled and executed an elegant bow.
"I'm Tammora NightShade." she said, and sat down next to Harry.
"I've never seen you before." Hermione said, "Are you a first year?"
"No, not really. I've studied to sixth-year level, and I got called here as a student, seeing as I don't have parents anymore."
"What happened to your parents Tammora?" Ron asked.
"Burglars broke into the house while my parents were asleep and I was camping in the woods. They killed my parents in their sleep. And call me Tam or Tammy. Tammora sounds like I'm in trouble." The compartment fell silent.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Ron said, shamefaced.
"Really, it's alright. It's not as if I really liked them. The only favor they ever did me was to bring me into this world." Tammy said, seriously.
"Do you really feel that way about them Tammy?" Hermione asked, putting her book down and looking at the other girl with interest.
"Yup. I wasn't very well treated, and I never had any friends. I didn't even know anyone outside of my parents little circle. They don't want anything to do with me, so here I am. Mom and Pops left me enough to keep myself going until I can get a job. I'm better off without 'em." The entire group thought this over for a moment.
"So, Tam. Do you play Quidditch?" Harry said. This broke the uncomfortable silence, and the four began an animated conversation.
/Several hours later/ "Hey, Tammy. You should get your robes on. We've got about an hour and a half until we get to the school, but the bathrooms will be crowded later." Hermione commented. She, Ron, and Harry had been wearing their robes when Tammora arrived.
"Oh. Sure. Harry, will you help me get my trunk back down?" Harry complied, and the two began to get the trunk down. Just as the trunk was free of the luggage rack, the train went around a sharp bend. Harry lost his balance and fell into Tammy, who toppled. Both teenagers collapsed on the floor in a tangle of limbs. Ron managed to catch the trunk before it hit either of the two on the head. Harry and Tam were laughing so hard that they had trouble getting up, and leaned on each other for support. "Sorry." Tammy said when she stopped laughing.
"I've got to admit, neither of you is going to take the prize for being graceful, that's for sure." Hermione commented. "Uh…Tam? What are you doing?" The other girl had pulled out her wand. Harry and Ron both backed away.
"Changing." Tammy noted the skeptical looks she was getting from both. "Watch. Enclosusblancu." As soon as she uttered the incantation, an opaque wall formed around Tammy, hiding her from view.
"You can do an enclosure charm?" Hermione squeaked, wide-eyed.
"Yeah. It used to be one of the only ways I could get a little privacy." Tammy's voice came clearly from the inside of the wall.
"That's a charm a lot of adult wizards can't do!"
"Mmhm." Tammy brushed off the comment and started changing into her robes. Suddenly, the compartment door opened, and who should be standing there, but our favorite Slytherin, Draco Malfoy.
"If it isn't the amazing bouncing ferret. What do you want Malfoy?" the blonde turned slightly red at the name.
"What are you hiding Potter?"
" Hiding? Nothing?"
"If you weren't hiding something, why would I ask? What's behind that?" The arrogant male pointed at Tammy's enclosure.
"Ummm…n-n-nothing."
"I don't believe you." Malfoy drew his wand and pointed it at the wall.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hermione warned. (As if Malfoy would listen.)
"Deletrirus!" There was a sharp crack, and the wall disappeared. When the occupants of the compartment dared to look again, they saw a very interesting picture. Tammy stood there, wearing her jeans and black bra, hands on hips, looking extremely angry.
"Which one of you just broke my charm?" she asked, her voice deadly clam. Everyone pointed at Malfoy.
"I d-d-d-d-didn't know! I swear!" he cried. Tammy drew her wand and approached. Harry, Hermione, and Ron moved away quickly.
"Run." She hissed.
"Yaaaaaah!" Draco screamed, turned tail, and ran. Tammy gave him a moment's head start, and then took off after him. Several cars down, a number of other students peered out of their compartments to find the source of the noise, and were treated to an extremely odd sight. Draco Malfoy, running for dear life, with a half naked girl right behind him, wand out, and looking out to kill. Let's pause for a moment and note how striking the scene is. Draco, with his pale skin and blonde hair; Tammy, with her mid-back length black hair and tanned skin. Literally like light running from darkness. Odd, considering the fact that Malfoy is an evil, conceited, self-centered git, where Tam is apparently a kind, polite, nice person (unless provoked. RUN MALFOY!) Draco ran the full length of the train (probably the best workout he's ever had), and sidestepped into his compartment. Crabbe and Goyle were nowhere to be found, and he was trapped. He backed up to the wall, sobbing in fright. "P-p-p-please don't hurt m-m-m-m-me. I really d-d-d-d-didn't know y-you w-were b-b-b-back there." Tammy pointed her wand directly at his chest. He stiffened.
"My wand is to good for you." She growled. Draco, believing this to be a way of saying he was safe, lowered his guard. Before he could react, Tammy's fist connected solidly with his belly, her knee had made contact with his chest, she slapped him hard across the face twice, and he was on the ground. Gasping, Malfoy tried to hide under the seat. "Cowards like you make me sick. If you ever bother me or my friends again, what I'll do to you will make that feel like a love-tap." With that, Tam spun on her heel and stormed out, leaving Draco crying softly on the floor.
"So what happened?" Harry asked when Tammy came in.
"I chased him down to his compartment, cornered him, and left."
"Anything else?" Hermione asked.
"N-" Tammy started to say. She was interrupted by the door banging open and a crowd of second and third years peered in.
" That's her!" one of them cried, pointing. "She punched out Malfoy!"
"OUR HERO!" the students cheered. Hermione and Ron chased them out while Harry just stood and stared at the girl in front of him.
"You punched out Draco Malfoy?" Harry said in disbelief.
"Yeah. Why?"
"You have just won yourself the title of hero and, according to the kids we just chased out, 'the Protector of the Small' as well." Ron said.
"I don't understand."
"Look at it this way. Malfoy is cruel, rude, and a bully. He's awful to anyone, his age or younger, that gets in his way. The only house he doesn't beat up on is Slytherin, for obvious reasons. To have incapacitated Draco Malfoy using your bare hands, no magic what so ever, well, naturally you've become a hero on the eyes of the bullied." Hermione explained. Tammy groaned.
"Wonderful, just great." She performed the enclosure charm again and finished changing. When the wall came down again, she was trying to comb her hair. Due to its length, she was having quite a difficult time.
"Need help?" Harry offered when Tammy sat down beside him.
"Knock yourself out." She grumbled, handing him the brush.
"Turn sideways." He instructed. She obeyed, and he began carefully detangling her hair, humming softly. Hermione and Ron gaped. The atmosphere in the compartment grew decidedly cozy, with the rain outside pattering gently on the window, the occasional flash of lightning followed by a soft rumble of thunder, and Harry's gentle humming. After a short time, another sound could be heard. It was a steady, deep rumble, like a cats purr, but louder.
"What's that?" Ron asked. "It sounds like a cat purring."
"It's Tammy." Harry said, and gestured at the girl before him. Tammora's eyes were closed, and, sure enough, the purring noise was coming from her.
"Ummm…Tammy?" Hermione said, leaning forward to nudge the girl.
"Yeah?" she opened her eyes, and the purring stopped.
"Was that you making that purring sound?"
"Yup."
"How?"
"Long story." She said shortly.
"We've got more than an hour before we get to the school." Harry pointed out. Tammy turned and looked hard at them.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes!" they chorused. Tam sighed.
"Okay, fine. Do you guys know what changelings are?"
"Yeah. They're magical beings that can take to form of an animal, plant or even object. They can take many forms." Hermione answered.
"At least you know. I'm half changeling. Look." The three students watched in shock as her form shifted. First, her body shrank slightly, becoming more compact, and tense, like a tightly coiled spring. Her ears disappeared, and then reappeared on top of her head, in the form of a pair of large cat ears. A long tail appeared behind, and her nails lengthened to become claws. When she turned to face the group fully, they could see that her eyes were slit-pupiled. Tammy smiled shyly, revealing sharp canines. "What d'you think?"
"Wow." Ron whispered softly. The other two nodded in agreement. Tammy grinned, and changed back.
"Now, where were we?"
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