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Chapter Four: The New Girl

The rest of the train ride was rather uneventful. Juniper spent it with James and Kaylynn, but now she was ready to arrive at Hogwart's. The pastries that she had eaten had seemed so long ago and she was starving once again. Twenty minutes before they were due to arrive at Hogwart's, she went to one of the small lavatory to change into her robes. Most girls her age would most likely spend a few minutes afterwards touching up their hair or putting on some lipgloss, but as soon as Juniper finished dressing, she didn't even pause to look at herself in the mirror before leaving and going to sit back down with Kaylynn and James once more. The two of them had used some of the other lavatories to change as well. Soon, the train began to slow down and gradually came to a stop at the Hogsmeade Train Station. Immediately after stepping off of the train, Juniper heard a familiar voice and saw a swinging lantern.

"Firs' years this way!" Hagrid's voice called. "All righ' there, James?" he asked the bespectacled fifteen year old. "How're yer parents?"

"They're good," James replied. Juniper merely smiled at Hagrid and said hello in a rather shy tone. From what James had told her, Hagrid had been the groundskeeper at Hogwart's when his parents attended. Juniper had no idea how old he was, but his salt and pepper beard made her assume that he was pretty up in his years.

"Hey, I found us a carriage!" Kaylynn called waving to the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Juniper tore her eyes away from Hagrid and the first years surrounding him and climbed into the carriage. She looked over towards the other carriages. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius had claimed another carriage with another Gryffindor and Jaenelle was sharing a rather crowded carriage with a few of her friends.

"Mind if I ride with you?" a voice asked. It belonged to Slytherin, Kelsea Jackson.

"Hop in," Kalynn said, scooting over to make room for the strawberry blonde girl. The fifth year climbed in and sat down next to Kaylynn.

"How was your summer?" she asked them.

James and Kaylynn told Kelsea a little bit about their adventures of the summer. Juniper only muttered three words. "It was fine."

Kelsea leaned forward and grinned at Juniper. "Come on, you must have done something, gone somewhere."

Juniper shook her head. "My parents had to work nearly all summer, so we didn't really get to take a vacation."

Kelsea straightened in her seat. "I had an amazing summer. I vacationed with my parents and a few friends at our summer home." She ran her fingers through her strawberry tresses. "Oh, by the way, you're looking at the new Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team," she said rather smugly.

"Hey, awesome!" James exclaimed. "I'm actually the new Captain for Gryffindor."

"No one deserves it more than you. I can't wait to kick your ass on the field."

James smirked. "We'll see about that."

Juniper's smile fell down a notch as James and Kelsea laughed together. While Kelsea had her attention on Kaylynn and was discussing some Quidditch tactics with her, Juniper looked at James briefly, before casting her eyes down upon her hands folded in her lap. What did James think of Kelsea? The two of them had so much in common, definitely way more than the Hufflepuff had with James.

'You need to get over it. Stop always second guessing yourself and prove to him that you're worthy.'

'It would never work out between the two of you. James doesn't need a girlfriend that he constantly has to carry around all the time. He deserves a bright, outgoing girl like Kelsea. Hell, even Kaylynn or Jaenelle would be better suited. You'd only drag him down.'

'Don't listen to her. You have a lot of good qualities. Think about it, if James didn't like you, would he even speak to you?'

'Did you ever stop to think that he's only hanging around you because he feels sorry for you?'

The inner conflict was interrupted by Kaylynn placing a hand on Juniper's shoulder. She blinked and looked up. "What?"

"We're here now." Juniper climbed down carefully, helped by James. However, her robes snagged on the corner of the carriage and she stumbled as she was stepping down. James' arm encircled her waist quickly, catching her before she could land face first and most likely chip her two front teeth.

She looked up at James as her heart pounded rapidly in her chest and she became flushed. He grinned down at her.

"Well now, if you wanted to fall into my arms, all you had to do was ask," he teased her.

Kaylynn snickered. "Do you want us to leave you two alone for a little while?"

Juniper quickly stepped away from James, even though there was a small part of her that didn't want to.

Kelsea chuckled. "Well, I'll see you guys later," she said before heading off to join a few of her fellow Slytherin.

James, Juniper, and Kaylynn walked into the Great Hall together, but James headed to the left towards the Gryffindor table that was nearest the wall, while Juniper and Kaylynn made their way towards the Hufflepuff table. Many other students were joining their friends at their respective House tables. Jaenelle was already at the Slytherin table, laughing with her friends. She caught a glimpse of Juniper and waved, earning a smile from her Hufflepuff twin.

Juniper was deep in thought as she sat down. What kind of kisser was James? He had to be a good one. She'd never really worked up the courage to ask any of three girls he'd dated in the past. Why was she even thinking about something like that? It's not like it would ever happen.

"What's up with you?" Kaylynn asked. "You're being a lot more quiet than usual."

"I'm just hungry, that's all," Juniper half-lied.

Kaylynn snorted. "You were totally fantasizing about James again."

"I was not!" Juniper protested.

The honey haired Hufflepuff rolled her eyes. "You're not a very good liar."

Before Juniper could open her mouth, the first years began filing in. Some of them looked positively terrified and others were too in awe of everything around them from the floating candles to the ceiling bewitched to mirror the sky outside. Juniper's reaction had bordered between fear and awe the first time she had stepped through those doors. She remembered her heart pounding as she had sat down in front of everyone with the Sorting Hat on her head. She had wanted to pass out from sheer terror back then as every single pair of eyes was on her. It had been a relief when the Hat finally pronounced her a Hufflepuff and she was able to step down and join the rest of the first years at her respective table. So, she could sympathize with many of the first years here tonight.

The Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, set the Sorting Hat down and began to call out names alphabetically. Juniper paid attention to the first few names, cheering a little louder than usual when the first Hufflepuff was announced before her mind, like so many others, traveled elsewhere. The Sortings were more or less the same. However, as she looked around, her hazel eyes rested on a girl she didn't recognize sitting a few feet away at the Hufflepuff table. At first she thought nothing of it, since there were still some students in her House that she didn't know the names of, but Kaylynn, who knew everyone in Hufflepuff, leaned over and whispered to Juniper.

"Hey, who's that?"

Juniper shrugged. "I don't know." The girl wasn't even paying attention to the Sorting. She had a thick book open in front of her and seemed more interested in that. Her thick framed glasses slid down the bridge of her nose and she paused in her reading to straighten them. It was like she was in her own little world.

"Transfer student?" Kaylynn asked.

"Could be, she wouldn't be the first one. I wonder where she's from."

"It's hard to tell. She looks like she might be of mixed ethnicity."

"Hm...she does have pretty hair," Juniper said admiring the girl's dark brown tresses.

As if sensing that someone was staring at her, the girl lifted her head and turned to glare at Juniper and Kaylynn. Juniper lowered her head, staring down at her empty plate, but Kaylynn just glared back. Juniper tugged on her best friend's arm. "Stop staring," she hissed.

"She'd better watch herself," Kaylynn grumbled. "She'll learn soon enough that there are some people she can't intimidate. And you could take some lessons from me as well."

"I have no idea what you mean," Juniper said feigning ignorance. "Oh look, the Sorting is nearly done. Thank Merlin, I'm starving."

Kaylynn shook her head as the last first year was sorted into Ravenclaw. Professor McGonagall handed the Sorting Hat to the Deputy Headmaster and Herbology Professor and Head of Hufflepuff House, Professor Longbottom, who carried it out of the Great Hall before she turned to the students.

"Let the feast begin," she announced.

Like magic, food began appearing on all five tables. Juniper and Kaylynn forgot about the strange new girl for now and began loading up their plates. As Kaylynn was pouring herself some pumpkin juice, someone sitting to the left of her accidentally bumped her, causing her to spill her drink all down her front.

"Great," Juniper muttered. The girl apologized while Juniper took her wand from her pocket and began muttering the spell used to siphon stains out of clothing. It wasn't the first time she'd spilled something all over herself and it definitely wouldn't be the last. As Juniper ate, she ended up spilling ketchup on her skirt accidentally brushing her arm against her meatloaf and being forced to clean herself off. It wasn't as if she meant to be a messy eater. She tried to be neat, but sometimes a fork tipped here and there or she stumbled or someone bumped into her.

"Hey, Lamdar, Clayton, we have practice this Friday, seven o'clock. Be there in full uniform," Sean Amos, their seventh year Captain said.

Kaylynn saluted him. "Got it, boss."

"And don't call me boss," he added before turning back around to continue talking to the girl sitting across from him.

"Too bad this is his last year," Kaylynn said regretfully. "He deserves to hold that Quidditch Cup. Hell, we all do."

"I think that if we all play good games, it won't matter," Juniper said.

"Oh, don't you start with that," Kaylynn grumbled. "You could, at least, pretend you want to win."

Juniper could understand her friend's desire to win the Quidditch Cup. From what Juniper had seen by looking at the trophy cases, the last time Hufflepuff had won was about five years before she came to Hogwart's. But Juniper couldn't help it if she wasn't that focused on winning.

Luckily, Kaylynn forgot about Juniper just as Professor Longbottom was walking by heading back to the High Table. "Excuse me, Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Lamdar?"

"Who is that girl over there?" she pointed to the unfamiliar girl.

"Her? That's Eileen Mariano. She was transferred here from Germany. We ended up letting her come here have a private sorting a week before the start of term."

"She doesn't look German."

Professor Longbottom chortled. "Well, I don't believe she's full German."

"Why did she transfer here?"

"You're a little nosy, aren't you?"

Kaylynn blinked innocently. "Wouldn't you also be curious if you were in our shoes?"

"Touche. The only thing I can say is that she was pulled out of her old school due to an incident there."

Kaylynn looked very interested now. "Huh, I wonder what happened for her to be pulled out and transferred here."

"You really shouldn't pry into other people's business," Professor Longbottom said. He smiled at the two girls before walking off to sit with the rest of the staff.

"Well, I'm officially curious now," Kaylynn said as she turned back to her plate.

"Er...it's probably not the best idea to pry," Juniper said quietly.

"Shush, I'm definitely asking her the first chance I get."

Kaylynn was being way too nosy for her own good, but Juniper kept her mouth shut, but she couldn't deny the fact that she was interested in this girl's story as well. Everyone soon finished eating and the plates were cleared away. Professor McGonagall stood up and began making the start of term announcements. They were about the same as every year, a listing of the general rules, something about Quidditch tryouts. There was also an announcement regarding the New Years Ball, which was held every year for third years and above.

"You're not spending the dance in the common room again like you did last year. I don't care if I have to drag you out by your hair. You're going," Kaylynn threatened.

Juniper made a mental note to find out of Permanent Sticking Charms could be used on actual people so that she could apply it to herself when the actual dance came around. Finally, the announcements ended and the students were excused to go to their common rooms. The prefects called for the first years to follow them. Juniper felt a weight around her shoulder and turned to see James, who had managed to wedge himself in between them.

"Why don't I walk you two lovely ladies to your common room?"

Juniper blushed and looked off to the side. "Um..that's okay we..." she began in a barely audible voice.

"Shut up, Juniper, and enjoy yourself," Kaylynn admonished before the three walked out of the Great Hall and towards the staircase that lead down into the kitchens and the location of the Hufflepuff common room."

"So, James, you going to the dance again this year?" Kaylynn asked.

"I'm debating it."

"I'm sure if you go, Juniper will go too." Juniper glared at her infuriating best friend silently willing her to shut her mouth.

James chuckled. "You're not going, Junie? Why not?"

Juniper toyed with her poorly kept fingernails. "It's not really my thing," she muttered.

"They're pretty fun, but you know, no one can force you to go." The three of them stopped near the set of barrels. "Here we are. Night, girls. I'll see you tomorrow."

While Kaylynn tapped the barrels in the correct order, Juniper watched as James disappeared around the corner. Would he go to the dance? And if so, who would he ask to go along? Could she even live with the thought of him asking someone else? But she still didn't want to go. Going meant dressing up and actually having to take time on her appearance. A few fellow Hufflepuffs were already inside the common room when the two girls stepped inside, including Eileen Mariano, who was sitting in the chair closest to the fireplace with the same book she'd been reading in the Great Hall.

Before Juniper could even try and stop her, Kaylynn approached her.

"Hey, excuse me?" she asked. Juniper mentally face-palmed at how direct and almost rude her friend sounded.

The girl looked up, fixing her dark brown eyes on the honey-blonde Hufflepuff. When she opened her mouth, she spoke in a rather cold tone and she didn't speak English, either.

"Was willst du?"*

Kaylynn appeared perplexed now and looked to Juniper for help who shrugged. She didn't even know how to say 'hello' or 'good-bye' in German.

"Yeah, anyways, I'm Kaylynn and this is Juniper. We heard you transferred here from Germany. What was up with your old school? Did something bad happen there? Did you kill someone?"

Juniper pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. One day her friend was going to be drop-kicked through a window for her big mouth and lack of tact. "Please stop, Lynn," she whispered, displaying some discomfort at her friend practically almost interrogating the new girl.

"Das geht dich nichts an. Ich weiß nicht wie neugierige Menschen."

"You know, I don't know what you're saying, but you're kind of being a bitch right now. We were just trying to make conversation with you."

Eileen didn't say anything, but looked down at her book again ignoring Kaylynn.

Kaylynn clenched her fists. "Ugh, I don't need this," she muttered as she turned around and stomped off towards the girls' dormitories. Juniper glanced at Eileen for a moment before following her best friend.

"Maybe she's just bitter about having to be transferred," Juniper suggested as she opened her trunk at the foot of her four-poster bed and began rummaging through her clothes for a pair of pajamas. "It wouldn't hurt to be a little more sympathetic."

"She didn't have to be so rude about it!" Kaylynn snapped. "The girl's lucky I didn't punch her in the face."

"Hm...I don't think she really did anything that would warrant being punched."

"Whatever." Kaylynn untucked her blouse and began to unbutton it in order to get dressed for bed. Juniper, who was more modest, chose to head to the lavatory, which was connected to the girls dorms through another tunnel. She accidentally ended up putting the baseball t-shirt on inside out and her cotton pants on backwards the first time. Once she had her pajamas on correctly, she spent some time washing her face and brushing her teeth before leaving the lavatory. Back in the dorm, Kaylynn was sitting cross-legged on the bed looking through her copy of Quidditch Through The Ages.

"Sorry I snapped at you," Kaylynn said as Juniper crossed the room and stuffed her robes back into her trunk.

"Don't worry about it," Juniper said smiling and sitting on her own bed. A few of the other fourth years were still awake and talking amongst one another, two of them had already gone to sleep, the curtains drawn around their beds. Juniper and Kaylynn spent the next hour talking quietly to each other. All the while, Eileen didn't show up, indicating that she was still in the common room. About half an hour after she went to bed, Juniper, being a light sleeper awoke when she heard the floorboards creak and someone cough as they came into the dorms. The curtains were pulled around her bed, but cracked enough so that she could see Eileen through them. Juniper turned over and tried her best to go back to sleep, but she couldn't help her underlying curiosity about this mysterious girl.

Author's Note: For those of you wondering, yes I did go to Google Translate for the German dialogue. I don't speak the language, so I apologize if some of it is wrong. Translations in order: "What do you want?"

"That's none of your business. I don't like nosy people."