The wind blew furiously making rain fly everywhere Harry, Hermione, and Ron watched it from the window of the Hogwarts Express. Harry sighed deeply and looked at his two friends and went back to fiddling with his shirt. The three sat with Ginny and Neville, Luna had excused herself to the lavatory. The other two were too busy with their own activities to pay attention to anything important. Harry felt angry at everyone and everything at the moment. He wished people would just tell him what's going on instead of leaving him in the dark.
"Harry, you can't just ignore us forever. We want to help." Hermione said trying to reason with him.
"Why can't the Order at least tell me they're following me instead of me getting the constant feeling that I'm being stalked?" Harry asked bitterly.
Ron and Hermione gazed at him sadly. They couldn't imagine what he was feeling. Being demoralized by the Prophet, nearly expelled, being attacked by Dementors, finding out he was being followed without knowledge; it was a lot to expect from a 15 year old orphan living with a Muggle family that hated him. Just as Hermione reached out to pat Harry's hand for comfort the compartment door slammed open. There in the doorway stood a girl with long black trailing hair. She had shimmering silver-blue eyes. She wore a dark greenish skirt and a black tank top. The girl glanced around at all of them before diving under Harry's seat to grab something. She slowly pulled herself up to reveal that her target was a small mewing brown kitten.
"Sorry bout that. My cat's pregnant and it seems that her newborns were feeling adventurous and a few of them wandered off." she explained brushing aside a stray strand of hair from her face.
"Ari, 2 more went missing." A boy came up behind the girl.
The boy had short brown hair and green eyes. He wore a tight red t-shirt and a pair of black jeans with rips in the knees. The girl called Ari turned and scowled at him. The boy's gaze swept around the compartment. They landed on Ron and Harry. Both boys stared at him in confusion. The boy's gaze seemed to linger on Ron longer than Harry. Crookshanks who was curled in Hermione's lap jumped up and dashed out of the compartment with Hermione on his heels.
"Mage, you idiot you should have closed the damn door!" With that Ari shoved him away making him slip a Luna's Quibbler and fall onto Ron.
Ron was surprised when the other boy landed on him. Mage stood up from Ron's lap and apologized for his friend's attitude. Harry stood from his seat. His eyes hadn't left Ari since she'd arrived. Ari's eyes flickered from glaring at Mage to offering a small smile to Harry.
"Maybe we could help you find them." He offered.
She stared at him for a brief second before nodded slightly and leaving the compartment. Harry quickly followed. Ginny and Neville stared at each other confused. Mage sighed and seated himself across from Ron not really feeling up to continuing to hunt for more kittens at that particular moment.
*Hermione and Crookshanks*
Hermione quickly caught her ginger cat when he'd stopped outside another compartment. Inside the sound of faint mews could be heard. She slowly opened the door and peeked inside. She fawned at the sight of the 12 kittens snuggled in a basket beside a still birthing mother cat.
"They're so cute!" she said adoringly.
"Glad you think so." Hermione jumped and spun around to face Ari who held three small kittens in her hands.
One was white, one was brown with white pawns, and the other was a mixed colors. Hermione blushed and stepped aside so Ari could pass. Ari did so with ease and knelt beside the mother cat. Her scowl from earlier had long since disappeared and in its place was a warm smile. Hermione turned to leave when Crookshanks leapt from her arms to pad over to the litter of kittens. He sniffed them vaguely before nestling himself beside the mother. As Hermione reached to grab him Ari gently grasped her wrist and shook her head. She gave the brunette a brilliant smile and gestured to the benches they were settled between. Hermione sat on the bench closest to the mother cat.
"He's seems quite taken with Pureheart." Ari noted.
Hermione looked up at her before looking down at Crookshanks who indeed looked to be interested in the white cat. She briefly glanced up at the other girl who seemed to be counting the kittens. The dark haired girl scowled and quickly excused herself.
Harry walked along the train trying to find more kittens. He currently had a black one with brown spots on its ears and a white one with a black and brown striped tail. As he walked along he bumped into Ari who looked as if she were seeking a person rather than a kitten. She walked past him with a smile and slammed her fist on a compartment door. The door slid open to reveal a very pudgy Pansy Parkinson.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
"Move aside and get lost I'm here to speak with Draco." Ari said glaring.
"He has no desire to speak with a Ravenclaw." Pansy said hotly.
"Get the hell out of my way I'm speaking to him whether you like it or not." Ari said grabbing Pansy's arm.
Pansy attempted to fight Ari off but Malfoy's voice made her seize.
"Pansy let her in." he said sounding bored.
"B-but…" Pansy protested.
"I said let her in." Malfoy said sounding angry.
Pansy nodded and allowed Ari to enter before closing the door behind her. Draco sat by the window wearing black dress pants and a mint green button up shirt. His platinum blonde hair was not gelled like it was when he was younger. It was down past his ears and pulled back in a small ponytail at the base of his neck.
"They need to be gone before I talk." Ari demanded.
Draco gave a nod of indifference and ordered the others away. Of course Pansy protested but Ari shoved her out the door and locked it. She murmured a muffling charm and stared at Draco again. He looked like a cross between annoyed, angry and upset.
"Dray, I know we're not close but are you really gonna get the mark?" she asked sitting down across from him.
Draco looked at her with a glare in his eyes but not on his face.
"I don't see that as any of your business," he spat.
"Dray, I know how Uncle Lucius is and how he's forcing you to do this but are you really gonna get it?" Ari asked desperately.
Draco was now glaring at her. He jumped from his seat and stared down at her with hate in his eyes.
"Why do you care? You never once in the past ever gave a damn and now all of a sudden you've seen the light? Nothing you can say or do will change my mind!" he spat.
Ari felt scared under the gaze but she had one thing to say that she knew would prove her point.
"Then say it. Say you're gonna get the mark," she said calmly.
Draco's face turned red in anger but his face was slightly faltered.
"I'm gonna…I'm gonna…" he trailed off.
Ari saw a hint of tears in his eyes. Draco fell onto his seat and attempted to say it but Ari knew he couldn't. She reached out a hand and gently grasped his. She closed her eyes and felt Draco's trembles through their linked hands. He wasn't crying, he couldn't cry. His father had drilled it into him how Malfoy's never cry. He just shook with pain and sorrow. Ari looked up at her cousin he seemed to have curled in on himself. She gently brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen in his face. The raven haired girl pulled him into her arms holding him close rubbing his back gently to sooth him. Ari hoped this year would be different for him. She wanted to make sure of that.
After holding him for awhile she released him as soon as his trebles ceased. "Please leave." Draco requested.
Ari nodded and stood up and turned to the door. She gave Draco one last look of sympathy before opening the door and exiting. She ordered Pansy and the two oafs to stay out before leaving. She was almost back to her compartment when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning she saw Blaise with a look on his face.
"So have I won the bet yet?" she asked before Blaise could speak.
"What makes you think I haven't told him already?" Blaise asked.
"Cause you're you." Ari said snootily.
"I'm gonna tell him this year." Blaise said hotly.
"Well you better hurry. The deadline's almost up." Ari sang before stepping into her compartment.
Back in Ron, Ginny and Neville's compartment Mage sat staring out the window at the rain splattering the window. Luna had returned from the lavatory displeased to see her Quibbler stepped on and messed up. Ginny smiled sympathetically at her friend and patted her shoulder. Mage looked back over at Ron again taking in his features.
"Hey aren't you Ron Weasley?" Mage asked in realization.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Ron asked surprised.
"Everyone knows the Weasley twins and I remember last year someone was talking about you being related to them." Mage said sitting across from Ron.
"Oh." Ron said looking down.
The red head looked away. It figured people only knew him because of Fred and George. Mage saw the look of sadness on the red head's face and realized he had said something wrong. Luna stared at Ron in concern while Neville stayed quiet. Ginny buried her nose in the romance novel she'd purchased in Diagon Alley just in case her brother began spouting off his anger. Strangely enough he stayed silent while Mage tried to coax him into speaking.
Harry entered Ari's compartment bearing three kittens. Ari immediately jumped up and grabbed them from his hands. She set them down with their siblings and smiled at Harry.
"Thanks for your help," she said smiling. "So what are your guys' names?"
"Harry Potter." Harry said expecting her to glance at his scar but she simply smiled.
"Nice to meet you," Ari said holding out her hand. After Harry shook it she turned her gaze to Hermione. "What about yours, my dear brunette stranger?" she asked Hermione playfully yet flirtingly.
Hermione blushed before stuttering a response. "H-Hermione Granger." She managed.
"Aw that's a cute name. It suits you." Ari said cheerfully.
Before Hermione could respond the compartment opened to and in walked a girl with blonde hair and brown eyes. She was dressed in a long sleeved blue shirt and a pair of black crop pants.
"Ari, we're almost there," she said ignoring the other two.
"Kay, well I see you guys later." Ari said waving the other two off.
Harry nodded and headed out. As Hermione closed the door she heard a brief part of their conversation.
"You're disgusting sometimes Ari." The blonde girl spat.
"Screw you Raven." Ari growled as she finished cleaning the last of her cat's babies.
Suddenly Ari shot up from her seat and slammed open her compartment door to stare at Hermione. The younger girl was scared at being caught but saw Crookshanks in Ari's arms.
"Oh, I guess you noticed. You forgot your cat. He seems rather attached to Pureheart." Ari said handing the cat back to its owner.
Hermione nodded and accepted her struggling cat. She nodded and walked off to her own compartment. When she entered the compartment she saw Ron staring out the window and Mage was exiting the compartment. Harry was changing into his robes and smiled at her. She smiled back and began changing into her robes.