Four days to go 'til my Birthday! Whoop Whoop =D Just think. Soon I'll be driving a car, crashing constantly, causing havoc wherever I go *Blissful sigh* Ah the joys of being 17. So, in my pre-birthday bliss I knocked this up (nice choice of words that could be interpreted badly =S). Enjoy!


Carolina Zabini

Dromeda

I'd been to King's Cross before, of course. I'd gone every September for the last two years to leave Bella off. But it was odd beyond words, seeing Platform 9 ¾ from this angle. My head hanging out of the train window, Bella waving furiously beside me and Cissy racing the Hogwarts Express like she always did. It was so strange to see her. I mean, I'd always seen her, crying and running and shouting "Goodbye", but only ever out of the corner of my eye, as I ran beside her doing the exact same thing. Now I could see her face on. I could see every tear that streamed down her cheek, her hair whipping messily behind her in the wind, her mouth wide and smiling despite her sobs. And my name joining Bella's in her farewell, as her arms waved hard enough to cause a hurricane.

"Goodbye, Dromeda! Goodbye!"

And then we were round the corner and out of sight, and the blond haired figure of my baby sister had to be relegated to memory.

Bella shut the window and looked me straight in the face.

"You used to look like that. Running and calling my name."

I sniffed and blinked my dampening eyes.

"How did you stop yourself from crying?"

She smirked at me knowingly.

"The same way you just did."

I giggled, my tears having successfully gone.

"So," she said when we reached the compartment we'd stored our trunks in. "I have to go see my friends. Do you want to come or..."

Yes! I mentally shrieked. Let me come with you! Don't leave me!

But, like everyone says, I'm very like Bella. Clinging to her big sister was not the way, she'd started her first year at Hogwarts, and I would be damned if it was how I was going to start mine. I wanted to meet Bella's friends. But I wanted to make my own first. I could do this on my own. I was Andromeda Black for Merlin's sake!

So ignoring my churning stomach I replied "Nah, I'll just stay here, if that's ok."

For the second time in ten minutes Bella smiled at me knowingly.

"Fine, but I'll visit you at some point."

"You don't hav-"

"I'll need to get money out of my trunk Dromeda. I can't be bothered rummaging through it right now, and I'm not dragging that thing with me after levitating it all the way up there."

"And you couldn't have thought about putting your money in your purse, before we left home?"

"Nope," she chirped happily. "So I'll see you before the sweet trolley comes by."

"See ya," I murmered as she skipped out the door off to see her friends.

I thumped onto the seat, debating whether or not I should ignore my pride and go after her, when someone else entered the compartment.

She looked about my age. She had skin the colour of coffee and dark black hair, as black as mine, but straight and short. Her cheekbones high and prominent and her eyes were large, slanting and dark rich chocolate in colour, framed by the longest eyelashes I had ever seen. I had always thought to be beautiful you had to look exactly like like Cissy. Apparently I was wrong.

I watched mesmerised as she dragged the trunk across the floor. As she started to lift it I asked "Do you want any help?"

She turned her big expressive eyes on me and seemed to study me for a second before nodding. As she moved to the side to allow me to grab a handle, I pointed my wand and said in a clear voice "Wingardium Leviosa."

Her eyes widened to an impossible size, as her trunk floated onto the rack above out heads.

"You can do spells already?" she breathed. Her eyes flashed with curiosity, envy and something that looked a little like awe.

"Yeah," I smirked haughtily, twirling my wand between my fingers. "Daddy wouldn't teach me that one, said I was too young, but Bella, that's my sister, she reckoned I would need it and taught me when Daddy wasn't looking."

She sat down slowly, still studying me. I stayed standing. I didn't know why, but I really liked this girl. And I wanted her to like me.

After an eternity of silence, that made me more nervous by the second, she suddenly grinned at me. A wide smile that lit up her face and made her seem more like an eleven year old and less like a sophisticated grown-up. She thrust her hand at me and said "Carolina Zabini."

"Andromeda Black," I replied.

I shook her hand and sat down, still shaking it. She giggled and tried to pull it back. Laughing I refused to let go. Then I tried to get my hand off her and we ended up in an almost tug of war that had us both nearly off our seats. It was like something I'd do with Bella. Silly, childish and ending up with us giggling like crazies, for no reason.

As our snorts subsided, the compartment door burst open again. This time it was a familiar face.

"Evan!" I shrieked and flung myself at him.

"Oof!" He groaned, pretending to collapse. "She's killed me! Dromeda's killed me. Run Rodolphus, she's vicious!"

I threw myself laughing onto the seat opposite as his friend leaned on the door frame. Evan shook his head like a dog, making his blond curls fly round his face.

"Hows it going baby cousin?" he grinned.

"I'm not the baby cousin," I pouted back. "Cissy's the baby. I'm just the little cousin."

"Can't argue with that logic," he smirked. "Who's this?" he asked pointing to Carolina.

"Oh this is Carolina. She's my new best friend."

Carolina raised an eyebrow, but looked pleased all the same.

"And this Carolina, is my idiot cousin Evan, and his friend...?"

"Rodolphus," the leaner stated. "Rodolphus Lestrange."

"Evan Rosier," Evan said leaning over to shake Carolina's hand. "Sorry about Dromeda, she never does things properly. Always leaves the introductions half-ars- Hey!"

He laughed and tried to shake me off as I jumped on his back.

"Get off squirt!"

"Take it back!"

Take what ba-? Ow!"

I yanked one of his curls.

"Okay! Okay! I lied! Your the most brilliant witch in the world and you never do things half arsed and everything you do do is perfect and your my favourite cousin in the world and-"

He collapsed back onto his seat, with me on top of him.

"That's better."

He rolled his eyes at me.

"As I was saying Carolina, she's bloody mad. Attacks all round her, the flipping maniac. It's the Black blood in her you know."

I threw my wand at him and it smacked him in the face.

"Ah ah ah Dromeda!" He shook his finger in my face. "Number one rule of duelling. Don't throw your wand away. There are much better uses for it. Like so."

Evan's hex hit Rodolphus straight in the face, making him grow a massive handlebar moustache.

"Very funny Rosier," he spat trying to get rid of it, as Carolina and I wet ourselves laughing at him.

"Aw come on Lestrange," Evan chortled back. "I think you look handsome."

Rodolphus made a noise that sounded awfully like a snarl, and stormed out, now moustache free, down the corridor.

Wiping tears from laughter from his eyes, Evan followed him.

"See ya Black. See ya...?"

"Zabini," Carolina supplied. "My surname's Zabini."

And then he was gone.

I glanced at Carolina. She glanced at me. Simultaneously we burst out laughing.

When the giggles finally stopped the compartment door opened yet again.

"Evan?" I turned with a smile, only to realise it wasn't my cousin. It wasn't even Bella. It was a couple of first years. A boy and a girl. They were both a bit on the chubby side. The boy had sandy hair. Not blond, like Cissy's, but that dirty colour some boys have, that looks almost grey in some lights. Fair, Mummy would say, with an untidy fringe that fell into his eyes. In fact his whole appearance was untidy. His shirt was un-tucked, his collar was askew and there was something that looked uncannily like jam stuck to his cheek.

My Mother would've killed me if I'd gone out looking like that.

The girl wasn't much better. She was neater at least, not that that said much. She had a round face and a black bob. There were dimples on her cheeks and on her knees, which were grazed and poking out over her navy knee socks, that had pooled round her ankles.

I didn't like the look of her.

Unfortunately, she didn't pick up on the stony silence.

"Do you mind if we sit here? Some older kids came in and stole our carriage as soon as we'd set off. Horrid of them wasn't it?"

With out waiting for an answer, she plonked her fat little behind on the seat beside me.

"I'm Alice," she burbled. "Alice Maddison. And this is Ted."

The fair boy, smiled shyly at us.

"We've had an awful time trying to find another carriage. Everywhere's full! And I'm so clumsy. I kept tripping over my own feet. So did Ted. It's the darn movement of this train."

Her inane chatter was driving me insane. And that infernal smile she had pasted across her pudgy face made me feel like punching her. No one should look that pathetically happy. Especially when sharing a compartment with two people, who clearly didn't want her there. I shared a dark glance with Carolina.

"... older students running up and down as well. It's a wonder I haven't broken my leg." She gave a loud braying laugh. I wasn't sure whether it sounded more like a donkey or someone being punched in the stomach.

" I can't wait to get to Hogwarts. I wonder which House I'll be in. I'd like to go to Gryffindor, obviously. Mum and Dad went there and they say it's the best. What about you?"

I turned up my nose at her in disgust.

"Slytherin," I stated. "My whole families gone there and it sounds by far the best."

She was either too deaf or too stupid to hear the threatening tone in my voice.

"Oh no! I've heard it's full of horrid witches and wizards in there. I think it sounds awful!"

She wasn't being spiteful. There was no malice in her tone. She was genuinely stupid enough to not realise she'd just insulted my whole family. I jumped to my feet intending to slap the face off her.

"I don't think Slytherin sounds the best," Carolina spat from the corner. "I know it's the best. The rest are filled to the brim with blood traitor filth. Are you a pureblood?"

Her question was directed at Alice.

The dopey smile slipped off her face. Her eyes widened in shock then narrowed in anger. Her mouth flopped open and closed like a fish. I was almost glad I hadn't slapped her. Her reaction to that wouldn't have been as funny.

"What's a pureblood?" A voice near the door asked. The Ted boy glanced at each of our faces in turn. "My parents are muggles see..."

"Oh your parents are muggles?" Carolina shot the Ted boy a sweet smile. But I saw steel glinting in her eyes. "Then you wouldn't know. Here, I'll explain." She scooted closer to him. "A pureblood is someone who has no muggles in their family. You on the other hand," she shot him a motherly look. "Are what's known as a 'mudblood'. It means you have muggle parents."

The Ted boy gave a little 'oh' of comprehension and nodded his head. Alice jerked like she'd been hit with a stinging hex and gave a squeak of indignation.

"And some purebloods think they're better than mudbloods," Carolina continued standing and looking straight at me. "You know why?"

"Why," the Ted boy asked. Eager to learn more about this new exciting world he had entered.

"Because we are better than you," Carolina snapped spinning round to face him.

With a strength that belied her sight frame she grabbed him by the tie, jerked him up and hissed her words straight in his face.

"You. Are Filth!"

Then she shoved him away from her and he crashed into the door. Alice rushed to his side with a howl of fury.

"You are horrible!" she shrieked. "That's a horrible thing to say! It's all lies Ted, don't listen to them!" The Ted boy looked shocked beyond belief.

I sneered at him.

"Leave would you please. You're creating an awful stink in here Mudblood." That earned me another angry gasp from Maddison.

"And take your blood traitor friend with you. She's a right bitch."

The Ted boy looked at me in disbelief. What did I do wrong? His eyes screamed. Daddy always says that's one of the main differences between us and Muggles. They don't respect women. Whether it was the shock of hearing a girl swear or the fact he'd just been, to all intents and purposes, beaten up by a girl, the Ted boy finally decided now was a good time to go.

Silently he led a spluttering Maddison out, where we heard her promptly burst into angry tears.

Carolina and I smirked at eachother.

Not two seconds later, my annoying big sister appeared.

"There's two firsties crying out there, Dromeda." She smirked at me, full of pride. "What did you do?"


THat review button is a present. And you have to give me a present on my Birthday *Pouts*