Chapter 1
Tanith had never seen so many people in her entire life as she did on that day at the King's Cross station. She had spent a secluded life on her family's manor preparing for this day, the day she would go to Hogwarts. Tanith sat in the front seat of the car next to her mother, Tina Alexander.
"You will be fine. I was, when I went to Hogwarts." Her mother gave her an encouraging smile. "Just remember, you're better than every single one of them." Tina opened her car door and went to get a trolley, leaving Tanith alone for a moment. Tanith took a deep breath, remembering everyone she had met over the years. The number was smaller than it would have been for most people, no more than forty people in all. She opened her car door just as Tina came into view with the trolley.
"You ready, girl?"
"Always, Mama."
They made their way past hoards of people and to platform nine and three quarters. "Remember, Darling, everything you need is in your trunk. Everything except for this." Tina pulled a long thin package from her pocket, Tanith knew instantly that it would be her wand. "Don't open it here. Wait until you are settled on the train."
The whistle blew and Tanith knew it was time to get on the train. She turned from her mother, grasping her new wand in one hand and her trunk in the other and made her way on to the train, without once looking back at her mother.
When she arrived at the train door she stopped for a moment, unsure how to maneuver her heavy trunk up the steps. A voice came over her shoulder, "Here. Don't you worry about that. I'll help you." Tanith turned and gasped. It was none other than Harry Potter, the one person her parents had told her she was never to speak with. She mumbled something about being able to manage before he took the trunk out of her hands and lifting it up the steps. "You okay from here?" He asked. She nodded and pulled the trunk down the aisle, blushing furiously.
Tanith wandered down the aisle peering in each compartment until she came to an empty one, where she was able to stow her things. She sat in a corner near the window and opened up the wand Tina had given her. It was quite beautiful, as wands go, and there was a small piece of paper in the box.
Cherry, Dragon Heartstring, Eleven and One Half inches, very Whippy.
Tanith wondered how her mother had come up with such a perfect wand. As she was sitting there several other first years had entered, emboldened by the fact that she was sitting there. they were in the middle of stowing their things when an older boy entered.
He was tall and blonde, and Tanith recognised him immediately. "Everyone get out. This is my Compartment now." The other first years scurried out the door, but Tanith stayed put. She didn't think Draco would bully her, and if he did, she was ready. "I told you, move-" His voice cut off as she looked up at him. She didn't have the blonde hair that was so characteristic of the Malfoy family but her eyes were just as steely gray as his were. "Ahhh, Cousin Tanith, welcome. I forgot that you were coming to school this year." He reclined in a chair looking as princely as anyone she had seen before in her life.
Unaware that she was even doing so Tanith mirrored him, showing a kind of relaxed confidence over everyone in the room. She was no where near as perfect as Draco, but she was learning. "This is Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Crabbe! Goyle! Say hello. This is my cousin, Tanith Malfoy."
"Actually, Cousin, I am an Alexander. It is Tanith Alexander, not Malfoy."
"You should be a Malfoy."
No one else joined them on the train ride down. A couple people stopped in to say hello to Draco, but no one stayed.
At long last the train slowed and Tanith thought they had arrived. Suddenly the train went dark. "Ahhhh, the Azkaban guards. Father did say they would be coming here. Don't be frightened, Cousin." Draco tried to sound cool and collected, but he couldn't disguise the terror in his voice.
He mentioned something about using the bathroom and scurried out of the room. Tanith hunkered down in her seat and waited for the feeling to dissipate before getting up once more.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, and they soon arrived at a large castle.
