Thanks to nertormer, IVANHOE, Davidtou, evancollanbine2, Serinity750 for following/faving my story.
Mariela awoke with a huge smile on her face. Todays the day! She thought standing up on the bed "todays the day!" she said excited "I'm going to Hogwarts!" she shouted, jumping up and down "I'm going to Hogwarts!"
Her new feathered friend hooted at her, annoyed at being disturbed. Mariela stopped using her bed as a trampoline and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry", she mumbled. She hopped off of her bed and skipped out of the room, with an excited bounce in her step. Morning mum!" she cheerfully greeted as she entered the kitchen where her mother was making breakfast.
Tauriel smiled at how happy she seemed "good morning sweetheart. You ready for your first day?" she asked.
"Yeah. Yeah I think I am", Mariela replied.
The two of them moved them had their breakfast and not long after they were headed to Kings Cross Station.
~Kings Cross Station~
Mariela 's excitement grew the closer they got to the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 which acts as the entrance of Platform 9 and 3/4 . On the way she noticed the boy from Diagon Alley. He was alone and looking rather confused. "I'll be back in a sec", she told her mother. She didn't wait for a response before going over to the boy. "You look lost", she remarked.
"I am", the raven haired boy admits.
"Come on, the entrance to platform 9 ¾ is this way", she said, gesturing for him to follow "I'm Mariela by the way. Mariela Astraea. You can call me Ariel if you like", she added as they walked back to Tauriel.
"Nice to properly meet you. I'm Harry Potter", the boy said which made Mariela stop and stare at him in surprise. She had no idea that he was the one You-Know-Who had tried to kill when she first met him.
"I'm sorry about your parents", the half-elf said, softly after she managed to compose herself.
"Thanks", Harry said, glad that she wasn't openly gaping at him like those in the Leaky Caldron did.
"Harry this is my mother, Tauriel. Mum this is Harry Potter", Mariela said introducing them to each other when they reached the ginger haired elf. Tauriel was as surprised as her daughter was at meeting the boy-who-lived.
"Nice to meet you Harry", she said "platform 9 ¾ is this way". She led her daughter and her new friend to the wall between platforms 9 and 10.
"That's the entrance?" Harry asked, eyeing the wall.
Mariela nodded "yep", she confirmed.
"All you have to do is walk through the wall", Tauriel added.
"I can go with you if you want", Mariela offered, seeing that he didn't look all that confident.
"Thanks", Harry said grateful that he didn't have to go through the barrier on his own.
The pair walked quickly walked towards to wall pushing their trolleys. A second later they appeared on the other side of the wall onto Platform 9 and ¾. Tauriel stepped through a moment later. "You be good, alright?" the elf requested, hugging her daughter.
"I will", Mariela promised "And I'll write as often as I can". Tauriel watched her and Harry get onto the train, fighting the urge to pull her daughter off of the Hogwarts express. The school was exactly where Mariela needed to be.
The 11 year old in question was making her way through the train with Harry, trying to find an empty compartment sit in. "Let's sit here", Mariela suggested, pulling open a compartment door. They'd not long sat down when the door was opened and Ginny's brother, Ron, poked his head in.
"Do you mind?" he asked "Everywhere else is full".
"Not at all", Harry said.
The boy took a seat opposite them. "Harry, this is Ron Weasley. His family are neighbours", Mariela explained to the black haired boy "Ron this is Harry Potter". Penny in the air… Ron's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Mariela smirked and the penny drops…
"So-so it's true. Do you really have the –the…"Ron trailed off.
"The what?" Harry asked
"The scar", Ron whispered.
"Oh. Yeah", Harry replied lifting up his fringe showing his scar.
"Wicked", Ron said and the half-elf rolled her eyes.
"Oh please", she muttered. She understood that the boy was famous…no scratch that…infamous and was going to get his fair share of gawkers and fans. But she would hope that at least some would show a little more tact. A group Ron did not fall into.
It was about 1pm when a woman came along with a trolley of goodies. "Anything off the trolley dears?" old witch asked the trio kindly.
"I'm all set thanks", Ron replied holding up some mushed sandwiches. Mariela had a packed lunch too in order to tide her over until she got to Hogwarts. Though she did have a little spending money which she decided to buy herself some sweets.
"I'll have a Pumpkin Pasty and a Cauldron Cake", Mariela said to the woman. She paid the witch and gave her thanks. Mariela sat down next on the other bench as Ron ended up sitting next to Harry sharing the spread the raven haired boy had bought, forgetting all about his sandwiches. Mariela smiled and tucked into her pasty.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans?" Harry asked picking up a box.
"I'd be careful if I were you. When they say every flavour, they mean it", Mariela warned as he put a bean into his mouth. She had been unlucky a few times and had gotten some pretty foul tasting ones. It seemed Harry got a bad tasting one as he took it out of his mouth after only a couple of chews. He then picks up a purple and gold pentagon shaped box labelled Chocolate Frog. "These aren't real chocolate frogs are they?" Harry asked the pair.
"It's just a spell. Besides it's the cards you want. Each packs got a famous witch or wizard. I got about 500 me self", Ron said explaining. Harry opened the box and the chocolate frog leapt onto the window, climbed up and out the open part.
"Never mind Harry. You've got to be really lucky to catch them", Mariela said. Thanks to her reflexes, she always caught every single one. Though she didn't like eating them so they ended up in the pond behind their cottage.
Harry took the card out of the box. "I've got Dumbledore", he said looking up at the two gingers.
"I've got about 6 of him", Ron said.
"Hey he's gone!" Harry said surprised when he glanced back down at the card to see the picture blank.
"You can't expect him to hang around all day Harry", Mariela said taking another pasty. Harry and Ron carried on opening up the chocolate frog boxes. The black haired boy did try to grab a frog out of one of the boxes but unfortunately he missed. Ron wasn't too bothered about catching the frogs, he was more interested in the cards. Whichever ones he already had he gave to Harry so he could start his own collection.
Harry ended up with Dumbledore, Morgana, Hengist of Woodcroft; Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus and Merlin. Mariela told him that if he'd like to start a collection, he could have her cards. She like Ron had several duplicates of the cards she'd collected.
Scabbers squeaked on Ron's knee where he sat with his top half of his body stuck in a Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans box. "This is Scabbers", Ron said gesturing to him "Fred gave me a spell to turn him yellow. You want to see?" Ron asked Harry. Mariela laughed at that.
"It's not going to work", she said in a sing song voice.
Ron frowned "Why would you say that?"
"Because your brother gave you that spell", Mariela replied. She knew that the twins were pranksters so it was highly unlikely they gave Ron a workable spell. "Don't say I didn't warn you", Mariela added as Ron got is wand out anyway.
"Sun…"he began but was interrupted by the door to the compartment sliding back to reveal a girl with bushy brown hair. She was already in her uniform.
"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one", she asked.
"Nope sorry", Mariela replied apologising. The girl spotted Ron with his wand out.
"Oh are you doing magic? Let's see then", the girl asked. Harry, Mariela and the new girl looked at Ron. He cleared his throat suddenly very nervous
"Sun shine daisies, Butter mellow. Turn this stupid fat rat yellow", Ron chanted waving his wand. A flash of light shot out of his wand which caused the sweet box to fly off his knee, freeing Scabbers. That rat itself was still a dull brown colour, not one hint of yellow.
"Told you", Mariela muttered and Ron shot her a look.
"Are you sure that's a real spell? Because it's not very good, is it? Of course I've tried a few simple ones myself and they've all worked for me", the girl said sitting down next to Mariela . "For example. Oculus Reparo", she said pointing her wand at Harry's glasses. The tape wrapped around the bridge of his glasses, the result of being punched one too many times on the nose by Dudley, disappeared leaving his glasses looking like they were brand new.
Harry took them off and turned them over amazed. He then exchanged glances with Ron who looked just as amazed as him. "Holy Cricket you're Harry Potter!" the girl exclaimed as Harry put his glasses back on. "I'm Hermione Granger and you two are?" Hermione asked Ron and Mariela .
"Ron Weasley", Ron replied with a mouthful. Mariela rolled her eyes.
"Mariela Astraea", she said introducing herself to Hermione.
"Nice to meet you both", the brunette said "I like your necklace, by the way", she added.
Mariela touched the filigree flower around her neck. Not only was it a birthday present, it was also enchanted like her mother's necklace so that her pointed ears would appear normal to anyone who saw them. She didn't really like hiding what she was but her mother had told her it was the only way to keep her safe whilst at school. "Thanks", she murmured.
"Well the three of you better change into your robes. We're going to arriving soon", Hermione added getting up. "Oh and you've got dirt on your nose by the way, just there", she added indicating on her nose where Ron had the black smudge. Mariela got her uniform out of her hand luggage and went to go find a loo where she could change and give the boys some privacy. She came back to the compartment as the train was pulling into the station.
The trio left the train with the rest of the students. "Firs'- Years! This way Please! Come on now, don't be shy", a large man with a lantern called. Harry, Ron and Mariela walk up to the man.
"Hello Hagrid", Harry greeted the man happily. Mariela and Ron just stared up at the man in awe. They'd never seen anyone that big before.
"Right then. This way to the boats!" Hagrid said to all the first-years and led them down to the boats. Pretty soon the boats sailed across the lake showing the First-years their first glimpse of the vast castle which will be their home for the next year.