Chapter 8

Author's disclaimer: Once again. I do not own the world of Harry Potter, or its original characters.

This chapter follows along with chapter six, the journey from Platform nine and three quarters, in the Sorcerer's Stone.

There is mention of drug and alcohol abuse in this chapter, but nothing explicit.

Sakora had awoken early the morning of September first. Her parents were rushing around, making sure all the children were getting ready to go.

They ate a quick breakfast and, after hurried goodbyes to their grandparents, they left the palace and followed a path to a garage, behind the palace. As they left, Sakora looked towards the stables. She had made sure to say goodbye to Chinak the day before. She was going to miss him and Axel and Mezel, and her creature friends as well.

Inside the garage, were two mini vans that Zechariah owned. He had learned how to drive and taught Luna to drive, which was convenient with so many children. Zechariah put Kanoro, Zach, Sanin, Dimitri, Sakora, and Nina's trunks into the blue van, along with each of their owl cages. Luna took the younger children in the red van, while Zechariah took the older ones in the blue van.

Soon, they were on their way to King's Cross Station. When they arrived, they found places to park and everyone got out. Zechariah and Kanoro went to retrieve a bunch of karts for their luggage. Then, they went to the barrier to Platform 9 ¾.

After everyone made it through the barrier, they found the Weasleys, along with Robert and Jewel, and their families.

Fred and George Weasley were telling their mother that they had just met Harry Potter. Zechariah stopped short when he heard that. Luna looked at him and said, "Are you alright, darling?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he said, smiling at her. Then, he turned to his six children and said, "Alright, you lot. Make sure you write, and have a good term. And, try to stay out of mischief." He and Luna hugged each of them.

Just then, a group of people came up to them.

"Ah. Feyda, Akuro. How are you?" Luna asked.

"Really well. Thank you. How about you?" Said Feyda, smiling.

"We're good as well," said Luna.

Then, Feyda Esemo turned to her nephew. "Dimitri, dear. There's someone I want you to meet."

She gestured to the man standing beside her. Dimitri looked up at the man with his aunt and uncle. He was tall with pale skin, black hair, and dark eyes. He was wearing a long black cape with a hood. He lowered the hood to look at Dimitri.

Sakora looked at the man and gasped. He looked like an older version of Dimitri.

Feyda said, "Vander, he's your son."

The man's eyes widened. "Feyda. How can this be?"

"Asauna discovered she was pregnant right after you left," she said, sadly. "She didn't want you to know, no matter how much I tried to persuade her."

The man, Vander, nodded, then he looked at his son and knelt down.

"Hello, Dimitri. It's nice to meet you," he said in a low voice.

Dimitri nodded and said, "Aunt Feyda said you were a vampire."

"I am," said his father, smiling, and showing his pointed fangs. Unlike what the stories say, vampires aren't killed by direct sunlight, but it does make them uncomfortable if they're in it for long periods of time, which is why Vander Clyndaria wears a black cape.

Dimitri nodded. He didn't seem to know what else to say, just meeting his father for the first time.

Vander hesitated when Dimitri didn't say anything. He seemed unsure of himself. Then, he said, "You know. If she told me about you, or if I had waited a little longer before I left and realized she was pregnant, I would have waited until you were born, and I would have taken you with me."

Dimitri just nodded again. Vander frowned and said, "How come you're not with your mother now?"

"Because she wanted me dead," Dimitri growled.

Vander gasped. "What?! That vile woman. How dare she? What did she try to do?"

Dimitri looked up at him and said, "She ordered Aunt Feyda and Uncle Akuro to kill us."

Vander turned questioning eyes to Feyda. "It's true," she said, nodding with tears in her eyes. "I did the only thing I could. I took Dimitri and his younger siblings to the Tonks', who were more than willing to take them in. Dimitri isn't even his real name. It was Rupert. But, when I took them to the Tonks', I changed their names, so Asauna wouldn't become suspicious and try to go after them."

Vander looked back down at his son. "Are you happy with them?"

Dimitri looked back at him and nodded.

"Very well," said Vander. He looked at Zechariah and Luna and said, "Thank you for looking after him. I would like us to get to know each other. I wouldn't want to take him from his home though, even if I am his father." He looked back down. "I know you might be suspicious of me, but I only want what's best for you. And, you seem to be happy with this family, right?"

"Yes, sir," said Dimitri. "They take good care of me, and my brother and sisters."

Vander just took notice of the three children, standing beside Dimitri, clinging to him. "What are their names?" he asked. He wanted to get to know them as well, since they were his son's siblings.

"This is Bonnie and Jojo. They are eight. And, Kaleena here, is seven," Dimitri said, introducing them.

"Where is their father?" Vander asked.

Feyda stepped in, and said in a low voice. "He was a muggle, who Asauna used while her husband, Pictor was away, and when he came back, she saw no more use for the muggle."

"I see," said Vander, glancing at the children. "Someone has to do something about that woman."

Just then, a voice said, "Vander? Where are you, darling? The train will be leaving soon." A woman with very pale skin and black hair tied into a bun, wearing a long, black dress, came into view, followed by four boys and one girl.

"Oh. There you are," she said, catching sight of Dimitri's newly discovered father.

"Alicia," said Vander, turning to her. "Come, my love." He held his hand out to her and she took it, coming to stand beside him. Vander turned back to Dimitri, who was staring at the woman, curiously.

"Alicia. This is Dimitri, my son," said Vander. He quickly explained what Dimitri and Feyda had told him, to Alicia. "These three younger ones are his siblings. Dimitri, this is my wife, Alicia. And, this is your older brother, Coalt."

He indicated the eldest of the five children. Coalt walked up to Dimitri. "It's nice to meet you," he said, holding out his hand.

Dimitri took it and said, "Yes. Aunt Feyda told me I had an older brother."

Coalt nodded and said, "And, these are our younger siblings. Randolph, Stella, VJ, and Sky."

Dimitri looked at the children standing behind his father and stepmother. The youngest, Sky, looked to be about four. He was clinging to his mother's hand. Dimitri frowned. The boy, Randolph, looked like he wasn't much younger then Dimitri was. He wondered just how soon his father had met Alicia after leaving his mother.

Vander seemed to be in deep thought for a moment before he said, "Feyda? What of Kitty? She should already be going to Hogwarts, shouldn't she?"

Dimitri looked at the ground at the mention of his sister.

"Vander, Kitty…is dead," said Feyda. "When she went to Hogwarts, she was put into Gryffindor, instead of Ravenclaw or Slytherin, which Asauna and her husband, Pictor, saw as the ultimate crime. They…killed her. I'm sorry…I couldn't save her." Feyda had tears running down her face.

Her husband, Akuro, who was standing behind her with their two daughters, Ebony and Ivory, wrapped her in his arms.

Vander looked shocked at the news. He said, "My sweet little girl. How dare they? They will pay for everything they've done to these children. I would have taken her with me if I could, but that woman said she needed an heir. And, she said she had every right to keep at least her eldest child."

Just then, the train whistle sounded, cutting off whatever else Vander was about to say.

"Alright, everyone. Onto the train," said Luna.

All of the children were shepherded onto the train, after saying goodbye to their families.

"Dimitri, write to me anytime you wish. I'll be happy to hear from you," Vander called after him.

Dimitri smiled and waved to him from the doorway of the train. The train started to pull out.

Sakora turned and smirked at Dimitri. "Your real name is Rupert?"

"Shut up," he mumbled.

She giggled and said to their group of friends, "Come on. Let's go find a compartment."

They searched through the compartments until they found one towards the end, where it was empty except for a boy and a girl.

"Um. Do you mind if we join you?" Ron asked. "Everywhere else is full."

"Sure. Come on," said the boy. He was a rather skinny boy, with messy black hair and green eyes that were hidden behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses.

The girl was of an average size and had shoulder length black hair and hazel eyes. Dimitri, Sakora, Nina, Juanita, Tallia, and Ron all took seats inside the compartment. They all sat in silence until the compartment door slid open and Zach, Sanin, Fred, and George, and Dimitri's newly discovered brother, Coalt Delca, who it turned out had been friends with Zach and the others, came in. They were also joined by Coalt and Dimitri's cousins, Ebony and Ivory Esemo, who were going into their second year with Sanin.

Coalt Delca had pale skin and gold eyes, like his father, and hair that was jet black. He wore his longer than Dimitri's. But, other than that, you could tell they were brothers.

Ebony and Ivory were twins that would be identical, if it wasn't for their hair. Ebony had inky black hair, like her father, and Ivory had really blonde hair that looked almost white, like her mother.

"Hey, Ron," said one of the twins. "We're going to go see Lee Jordon's new tarantula. Want to come?"

"No, thanks," said Ron, looking away from his brothers.

"Oh. Harry. We are Fred and George Weasley. And, that's our brother, Ron," they said. "And, these are our friends; Zach and Sanin Tonks, their sisters; Sakora and Nina Tonks and cousins, Juanita Tonks and Tallia Poblo. And, this is Coalt Delca, his brother, Dimitri, and their cousins, Ebony and Ivory Esemo. Well, see ya."

Then, they left. Ron looked at the boy and said, "Are you really Harry Potter?"

"Yes. I am," he said, smiling. "And, this is my friend and neighbor, Mary Beth Summerson."

"Oh. I thought it was just Fred and George joking around," said Ron.

"Do you really have the scar?" Tallia asked.

Harry lifted his bangs off his forehead to show them.

"Wow," said Juanita.

"So, that's where…" Ron began.

"Yes," said Harry. "But, I can't remember it though."

"That's not surprising," said Sakora. "You were just a baby when it happened after all."

Harry nodded his head. "So, are all of your family's wizards?" He asked, looking around all of them, curiously.

"Yes," said Ron. "Well, mine is. Sakora's mother is an Indian, queen of her village, and Tallia's father is a shape shifter. He can take the shape of a dragon. And, Dimitri's mother is half witch and half harpy, and his father is a vampire."

Harry and Mary Beth looked shocked that Dimitri had vampire blood.

"I heard you went to live with muggles. What were they like?" Ron asked him.

"They're horrible," said Harry. "Well, my aunt, uncle, and cousin are anyway."

He told them he always had to wear his cousins hand-me-downs, and how his family treated him.

"Mary Beth is the only friend I've ever had. She was the only one who Dudley couldn't scare away," he said, smiling at her.

"Humph," said Mary Beth, crossing her arms. "He tried. But, I never listened to him, no matter how much he threatened me or pushed me around. I told him I could make up my own mind of who I wanted to be friends with, and it wasn't up to a bullying toerag such as him."

Harry laughed. "He didn't like that at all."

"So, are your family wizards?" Nina asked her.

"No," said Mary Beth, shaking her head. "I was adopted. My real parents were both heavy drinkers and did drugs. They didn't want anything to do with me. And, when I started showing signs of magic when I was six, they got freaked out. They put me into foster care. When I was nine, my foster parents adopted me. Drew and Charlotte are really nice. They might be muggles, but they are good people. When they saw the odd things I could do, they didn't get scared or anything. Just exasperated most of the time. They never could figure out how I turned the whole yard pink," she giggled.

"You turned the yard pink?" Dimitri laughed.

"Yep. I was just thinking how the yard would look pretty if it was pink, and it just happened," she told them. "I live right next door to Harry. I see how those people treat him. I don't like it one bit."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I wish I had three wizard brothers like Ron. Things might be more easier and interesting if I did."

"I have five brothers," Ron sighed. "Bill and Charlie already left. Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of his Quidditch team. Now Percy's prefect and Fred and George like to goof around and play pranks, but they still get good marks. And, with five older brothers, you don't get anything new. I got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."

He pulled his fat, gray rat out of his pocket. He had gotten Scabbers from Percy when Mrs. Weasley had given him his owl, Hermes.

They talked some more. Harry said, "I never knew I was a wizard until Hagrid came and told me. Or, who Voldemort was."

Ron gasped, "You said you-know-who's name!"

"See. I didn't know you shouldn't," Harry shrugged.

Around lunch time, a plump lady, pushing a cart that was loaded with sweets, stopped at their compartment. Harry, Sakora, and Nina bought a bunch of snacks for them all to share.

Harry was interested in the chocolate frogs that each had a famous witch or wizard card.

"I've got Dumbledore," he said, excitedly.

He read the back of the card, and when he flipped it back over, Dumbledore was gone. He stared at in surprise.

When he was done with the chocolate frogs, he moved onto the Bertie Bott's every flavored beans.

"You want to be careful with those," Ron advised. "George swears he got a booger flavored one once."

While the train carried them through wooded areas, Ron was complaining about how pathetic his rat, Scabbers, was. "Fred gave me a spell to turn him yellow. Want to see?"

"Sure," said Harry, wanting to see actual magic.

As Ron took out his wand and held it above the sleeping rat, their compartment door slid open again and a girl with very bushy brown hair and large front teeth stepped in.

"Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," she said in a bossy voice.

"No," said Ron.

The girl saw the wand in Ron's hand and said, "Oh. Are you doing magic? Let's see it then."

Ron stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat and spoke the words Fred told him to say, but nothing happened.

The girl just sneered at him and said, "Is that even a real spell? I've tried a few simple ones and they all worked for me." She pointed her wand at Harry and said, "Reparo."

Harry gasped and took his glasses off to look at them. The girl had fixed them.

The girl just grinned and said, "I didn't know all the weird stuff I could do was magic until I got my letter. I was ever so surprised. I've already learned all of our course books by heart and can't wait until we get to the school and start classes. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. And, you are?"

She said all of this really fast and they all just stared at her.

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron mumbled.

"I'm Sakora Tonks," said Sakora. "And, this is my sister, Nina Tonks, and our cousins, Juanita Tonks and Tallia Poblo."

"I'm Dimitri Clyndaria," said Dimitri.

"Mary Beth Summerson," said Mary Beth.

"Harry Potter," said Harry.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I've read all about you of course. Well, you lot better get changed. I expect we'll be arriving soon."

Then, she left the compartment.

"I hope I'm not in the same house as her," Ron mumbled.

"What houses are all of your siblings in?" Harry asked them all, curiously.

"Gryffindor," Ron mumbled. "My parents were in it too."

"My dad was a Gryffindor," said Sakora. "And, so were my sisters, and my brothers are too."

"My mum was a Gryffindor," said Juanita. "But, my dad was a Hufflepuff. So, I don't know what house I will be in."

"My mum was a Ravenclaw," said Tallia. "So, I'm hoping I will be too."

"My mother was a Ravenclaw," said Dimitri. "But, my sister was a Gryffindor, and my brother is. So, I hope I am too. And, my cousins are in Ravenclaw."

"What year is your sister in?" Mary Beth asked.

Dimitri looked down at the floor. "She would be a fifth year now. She was killed by my mother and stepfather."

"Oh. That's awful," said Mary Beth. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Dimitri nodded. "It was the summer after her first year. My mother and stepfather thought she committed a crime by becoming a Gryffindor. That's why I hope I am one too."

They all became silent after that, which was broken when the compartment door slid open for a third time.

In stepped a boy with blonde hair that was slicked back and a look of snobbery on his face. He had storm grey eyes, and was wearing fancy robes. He was flanked by two bigger boys. "They were saying all down the train that Harry Potter was here. It's you, is it?' The boy said in a bored voice. He indicated the two boys on either side of him "This is Crabbe and Goyle. And, I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Ron snorted. The boy, Draco glared at him. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. Red hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley."

Ron glared back at him.

Malfoy turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." He looked at everybody in the compartment with a look of disgust. "I can help you there." He held his hand out to Harry.

Harry looked at it and said, "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks."

Malfoy glared at him.

"Why don't you just leave, Malfoy?" Dimitri growled.

"I don't think so," said Malfoy, sneering. "We're a bit hungry."

His goons started reaching for the sweets that were still on the seat, when Scabbers had woken up and sank his teeth into Goyle's finger. He shook the rat off, and the three boys ran out of the compartment.

Ron went to check on Scabbers who had flown into the window when Goyle shook him off. He said in disbelief that the rat had gone back to sleep.

Harry told them he had met Malfoy in Madam Malkin's shop, in Diagon Alley.

"I heard his whole family was on Voldemort's side, during the war," said Dimitri, darkly.

"We're related to him," said Sakora. "He's our second cousin. His mother was our grandmother's younger sister," she indicated herself, Nina, Tallia, and Juanita as she spoke. "We never actually met him though. I've just seen his name on our family tree. Our grandmother was disowned from her family, when she ran away with our grandfather, who is a muggleborn wizard."

A few minutes later, they all started to change into their school uniforms. Sakora created a blind by magic between the girls and the boys, until they finished changing.

Not long after, the train began slowing down, and then stopped. They all made their way out onto the platform. It was a cold night. The chilly air nipped at them.

A voice called out, "Firs' yers! Firs' yers, over here, please!"

A giant of a man with black scraggly hair and beard was holding a lantern, as he called the first years to him. He greeted Harry, and led all of the new students to the shore of the lake, where a fleet of boats were waiting for them.

Harry and Ron were joined in their boat by Hermione Granger, and the boy who had lost his toad, Neville. Sakora, Nina, Tallia, and Juanita got a boat together, and Mary Beth and Dimitri were joined in their boat by two other boys.

After the man, Hagrid, had made sure everyone was in a boat, they began to move across the lake.

It took them a while to reach the other side. The lake seemed to go on and on. When they finally did reach the other side, they all climbed out of the boats, and Hagrid found Neville's missing toad hiding in one of the boats.

"Trevor!" he cried, happily, taking his missing pet from Hagrid.

They walked up a set of stone steps, to the large oak front door that was the entrance to the magnificent castle that was Hogwarts. Hagrid raised his large hand to knock on the door.