A/n: Hey guys, this is my first attempt at fan fic…tell me what you think and whether you think I should keep writing this…I would definitely appreciate constructive criticism…
Disclaimer: I own Illaera and most of the ideals surrounding her, the magnificent Joanne Rowling owns everything else.
Harry stared at her. She wasn't a pupil at Hogwarts; in fact she did not look like a witch at all…so what was she doing on Platform 9¾? She was a beautiful, thin girl and she wore her hair very long, it was draped around her and reached just below her waist. She was wearing a long black dress and she had a silk scarf tied around her waist and drawn down to cover one hip. Another small scarf tied back her hair, except for one stray wisp of hair hanging down across her face. She wore a long silver necklace that hung down as far as, if not further down than her belly button, which the corset of her beautiful dress covered. She had large silver hoops in her ears and a large, dark purple scarf hung loosely around her shoulders.
"Harry!" a voice shouted. He turned to see Ron hurrying towards him. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her.
"Who is that?" he breathed, captivated.
"That's what I'd like to know," Harry replied, just an enchanted.
Just then she glanced up and began walking towards them. Her walk was sensual and both the boys' mouths dropped open slightly.
"Harry Potter?" she asked, looking directly into his eyes. Her voice was rich, lustrous and soothing. It reminded Harry of calm water.
"Y-yes?" he mumbled, trying to keep his voice even.
She smiled sweetly and glanced over at Ron.
"Ah, you must be Ron Weasly. A pleasure to meet you."
She glanced around. "But where is Hermione Granger?"
The boys stared at her in wonder.
"She…she isn't here yet…how did you…"
She held up her hand and shook her head.
"I cannot say another thing until all three of you are here."
"Ron! Harry!"
The boys turned to see Hermione waving at them. She grinned and headed towards them.
"Hi, who's your friend?" she asked a little breathlessly.
"We don't know…" they muttered, feeling a little foolish.
"Come, it is time to board the train. I will tell you on the way."
The four of them managed to find an empty compartment and bundled inside, Harry with Hedwig, Ron with Pigwidgeon and Hermione with Crookshanks. The girl sat in the seat beside Hermione, much to the dismay of the boys, who had made room between them.
"I cannot say much for now. I am Illaera and I have been sent to watch over the three of you and keep you safe. I was asked to as a favour by someone who told me to refer to him as Snuffles…"
Ron, Harry and Hermione shared a smile; Snuffles was the nickname of Harry's renegade godfather, Sirius Black, who had been falsely accused of a massacre.
"Are you a witch?"
Illaera smiled and shook her head.
"I suppose the best description of me would be a kind of gypsy, although that is not the term we use."
"A Gypsy?" Ron asked incredulously.
"No…not exactly, but it's the closest description you would know. We call ourselves Shifters…we roam the land…however we do possess a type of magic known as Gaia's Gift …we do not use spells or wands…we use what is known as the Power of the Earth. It is not as powerful as the magic you are gifted in, but it serves its purpose."
"What accent is that?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Shifters do not associate closely with many people and our accent has evolved somewhat…"
"Oh, you mean like the Australian and American versions of English!" Hermione offered enthusiastically.
Illaera smiled and nodded.
"If you don't talk to people how do you know Si-Snuffles?" Ron caught himself just in time.
"He sometimes stays with us, and in return he does favours for us…I do this favour for him because he recently saved my life…I serve him until I can return the favour…he told me he would rather I watch over you three, especially Harry."
Hermione tried not to laugh at the delighted expression Harry was trying to hide.
"Are you lost?" a familiar voice drawled from the doorway.
Illaera looked up into Draco Malfoy's eyes and smiled.
"No actually, I know exactly where I am. Why do you ask?"
Harry opened his mouth to tell Malfoy to get lost but Hermione was shaking her head at him, her eyes sparkling.
"Well, someone as beautiful as you," Malfoy began in an uncharacteristic (and unsuccessful) attempt at charm, "shouldn't be fooled by Potter's unnecessary fame…he isn't all that special, you know…"
"Ah, you must be Mr. Draco Malfoy…I've heard a lot about you. You are handsome it's true…"
Three mouths dropped open in disgust.
"However, I believe you must have made a much better ferret than you do a human being…" Illaera's smile didn't falter once…she seemed sincere.
Malfoy's grin turned to a sneer as he turned on his heel and stormed out of the compartment, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle, his silent lackeys. He hated to be reminded of the time he was turned into a ferret and bounced up and down by a Death Eater posing as a teacher.
Hermione grinned at Illaera, respect written all over her face. Her opinion was mirrored on the faces of Harry and Ron, and all were impressed with the speed at which Malfoy had departed. It was one of the few occasions they had not been tempted to fight with the boy; they preferred seeing him humiliated anyway.
