Please remember I own very, very few of these characters. Kari Cerise, and a couple others, are about it. All others belong to their respective stories. Enjoy.

Shattered Veil

Year One: Strand 0: Curiosity

"Jeez, watch it Mr.!"

Dumbledore paused suddenly, looking down at the slight form he'd bumped into. It was a young girl of about ten or eleven, wearing a pair of jean shorts and a light pink t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up over her shoulders. She had a heart shaped face covered in freckles, framed by naturally curly hair. He would've mistaken her for a Weasley if her hair were just a few shades lighter – instead it more resembled the red that adorned the cloaks of the Gryffindors around them, shopping for school supplies.

Her bright green eyes, he found, were narrowed fiercely. Well, what passed for fierce on a child, anyways. What stuck out most about her, though, was her accent. It was from America, the Jersey area. Smiling warmly, Dumbledore chuckled at the girl's bravado with a twinkle in his eye. "I'm sorry young lady, are you alright?"

The girl's face softened and she looked away, shifting her feet slightly. "Um…yeah. Sorry 'bout that. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Dumbledore nodded, but continued to smile warmly, noting the welling under her eyes; it was as if she were on the verge of tears. He was fairly sure that he hadn't caused that. Curiously, he assured, "It's quite alright dear. You seemed startled, after all. Is everything okay?"

The girl paused, her eyes narrowing, as if she were wary of him.

She seems somehow mature, for her age. Dumbledore thought, raising an eyebrow as he continued. "Of course it's fine if you'd rather sort it out yourself, but I thought I'd ask."

"Why? S' not your problem." The girl murmured, looking confused.

Dumbledore chuckled. "It interests me. You see, I happen to be the headmaster of a school-."

"Is it Hogwarts?" The girl asked curiously, her eyes widening in that overexaggerated manner that children sometimes have. "That's where I'm going in the fall."

"Why yes, it is." Dumbledore said, realizing that she would be a first year in the coming year – along with Harry Potter.

The girl's face seemed to brighten a bit as she glanced back, but she shook her head. "No, S' fine. I'm okay, really."

"Very well." Dumbledore said, following her gaze. Back in the direction she'd come from stood a three person family, a blond boy who looked around the same age as Kari, along with his parents – Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. "I won't intervene. But perhaps, if you were to tell me what happened, I might offer a word of advice?"

The girl looked up at him, before glancing back to the Malfoys and crossing her arms as she glared at their son. "He made fun of my freckles. Said I look like a weasel, or…somethin'."

Chuckling inwardly, Dumbledore gave the girl an encouraging smile, thinking, The troubles of a child are truly daunting indeed.

"Perhaps he is jealous of them, or unsure of himself in the presence of someone so unique?" Dumbledore offered. "Never be ashamed of who you are. What makes you different, is often what makes you special."

The little girl cracked a smile. "That's a lot different from what my mom told me back at my old school."

Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow, curious. "Oh? What did she tell you?"

"She said 'Next time, kick his ass'. That got me into trouble though."

The elderly headmaster let out a hearty chuckle and then a sigh of exasperation as a single thought crossed through his mind: Americans!

"Well, as the headmaster I cannot exactly condone such an action," he said with a wink, "but Hogwarts is a place of learning. Still, it would be best if you stayed out of trouble."

While the girl giggled at his joke, Dumbledore looked around slowly, realizing that unlike the other children this girl didn't seem to have an adult with her. "Tell me, where are your parents?"

Her smile faltered as she looked up at him. "It's just me and Chiara, but she had to do something else this morning. Technically she's here on a work trip. She said she'd take me when she came back to the hotel room, but I didn't want to wait."

"You found this place all on your own?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.

The girl nodded. "It was easy. Once I figured out where the Leaky Cauldron was, everyone assumed that everyone else was supposed to be there. Because of the magical protections, I guess. From there, all I had to do was watch the adults for the password."

She grinned widely, looking proud of herself. "Anyway, Chiara's usually gone longer than she thinks she'll be. She does international relations, or something like that. Lucky for her I'm so mature, huh? You won't see me wasting money, not a penny."

Dumbledore sighed and nodded, surprised and quite honestly impressed, but still not wanting to leave the girl on her own. "Would you like some company? I have business here in a couple of hours, and no way to pass the time."

She seemed all too happy to comply, smiling widely and saying, "Why not? Oh! My name's Kari, Kari Cerise. Anyway, Chiara heard about how good Hogwarts is from one of her contacts and decided it was the best school around, so she brought me with her. I'm sure you can tell I'm not from around here."

Chuckling, Dumbledore nodded to her. "Well hello, miss Cerise. I'm Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So, miss Cerise, tell me a little bit about yourself?"

Kari grinned up at him. "You're gonna regret asking that. Here's something super cool! Have you heard about that incident down in Costa Rica, or the connected one in San Diego…?"

Looking down into his pensive, Professor Dumbledore gave a small smile, before pacing across the room. Kari Cerise had been quite the troublemaker her first year at Hogwarts – quickly growing a dislike for Professor Quirrell. Not that she knew he was a vessel to Lord Voldemort, rather she couldn't remain in the classroom with him for more than thirty minutes because of his stench.

As Dumbledore understood it, she had an unusually attuned nose and- well, other students had complained about it as well, but she had the largest reaction – even passing out on one or two occasions - and they had eventually resorted to holding that particular class in the Great Hall, or outside on particularly inviting days.

The girl was a conundrum that continued to worry the headmaster, however. Strange by even wizarding standards. Most couldn't tell the difference, but she was one of many in the world that he had recently noted as being different in a way he couldn't quite put into words. Not of their own power, but as if they didn't belong.

He had noted similar feelings around a group calling themselves The Knights who had contacted him after the rise of Voldemort, asking what they could do to assist the Wizarding World. He had wondered in the past few months if Kari might somehow be connected to these 'Knights'. If so, she was perfectly poised to strike – being Harry's fellow classmate, and a Gryffindor to boot.

Still, Dumbledore doubted that was the case. While Kari was prone to getting in trouble, it was never for anything truly alarming. She liked to explore the areas of the castle that were often left untraveled and truthfully Dumbledore had a nagging feeling that she'd taken to exploring the Forbidden Forest as well.

Kari had also been caught trying to sneak into the Library's restricted section a number of times in her earlier years. While she wasn't particularly studious, she had very nearly become a prized pupil for Professor McGonagall, showing an interest in and aptitude for transfigurations – though she had a slow start, unable to do much magic at all until she was nearing the halfway point of her first year.

The redhead had also been known for practicing muggle martial arts on the quidditch pitch, with a particular locker set up with all of her gear. She'd taken this up after the Dementors had appeared during their third year. He suspected that she - like Harry, Luna, and other students at the time - was vulnerable to the vile creatures. Without being able to rely on extra lessons from Professor Lupin, she'd taken up self-defense to boost her confidence.

Dumbledore shook his head, sitting at his desk. There was no new information about Kari and the others like her at the moment, and there were truly more pressing matters to attend to. He would have to hope that his quickly approaching meeting with the Knights would bear fruit, and he would be able to solve this riddle quickly. For now, it was perhaps more prudent to focus on the very real problem of Lord Voldemort's return, and the Ministry's refusal to believe in it…