Marisa dragged her trunk over to the nearest compartment and heaved it in before sitting down. There were other people in the compartment, but that didn't bother her too much.

"Yes, you can sit here," said one of the others sarcastically. She glanced round to look at him. He was a tall boy with dark hair. One of the others had long blond hair and the other two looked big and strong.

"Actually," said the blond-haired boy, "not necessarily."

Marisa realised that this wasn't her primary school and she would need to work on rebuilding the reputation she'd have there.

"And who gave you the right to decide where I should or should not sit?" she asked icily.

"I – I – " Marisa smiled. Clearly, this boy wasn't used to anyone talking to him like that. He'd always had things his own way. Well, so had she, ever since she was seven, and she wasn't going to let that change now.

"Look, are you pure-blood or not?"

So there was some standard by which she was being measured, and she had no idea what that was, if only because she hadn't read through all her large pile of books yet. Of course, she wasn't going to let that bother her.

"That is none of your business. Unless there is any actual reason why I shouldn't sit here, I will."

The boy frowned for a moment, then said, "Vincent, Gregory, could you teach this girl a lesson."

The two strong boys stood up and walked over to her. Marisa didn't flinch except to reach for her wand. She gripped it tightly and remembered the basic jinx she had been learning during the summer, along with many other spells. She'd double-checked the rules, and there was technically nothing to stop her from practising underage magic before starting Hogwarts.

The two boys moved closer, and pointing her wand at one of them, she whispered, "Flipendo!"

The boy fell back and the other looked rather nervously around before sitting back down.

"Very impressive," said the blond boy sarcastically. Marisa smiled sweetly back at him. He left her alone after that, although Marisa couldn't help noticing that when the food trolley came around and the boy bought sweets to share, she was left out.

Well, it was clear who the first victim of her campaign to re-establish her reputation would be.

Just after the others had finished their sweets, a skinny boy came in.

"Hi, Theo," said the blond boy, to which he responded, "Hello, Draco. Have you heard Harry Potter's only a few carriages down?"

Draco raised his eyebrows; clearly he had not. "Really? I think I might go and introduce myself. Coming, Leo?"

The tall boy shook his head and Draco, Vincent and Gregory left. Theo went back to his own compartment, leaving Marisa and Leo alone.

"Sorry about Draco," said Leo. "He's really awful sometimes."

"I can tell. I'll start plotting my revenge soon."

Leo smiled. "Good on you. I'd do it myself except as I live with his parents I'd probably get into awful trouble. I don't mind helping you, though."

"You live with his parents?" Marisa asked curiously. "Are you brothers?"

"In a manner of speaking. I'm adopted."

"Who are your real parents?"

"My father is dead, and my mother's… in prison."

"Really? What did she do?"

"Long story," responded Leo airily. "Anyway, I didn't catch your name?"

That was a ridiculously obvious way to change the subject, but Marisa didn't care.

"Marisa," she said, "Marisa King. And you?"

"Lord… Leo."

Marisa laughed out loud. "Lord Leo! Seriously?" Once she could speak again without being breathless from laughter, she said, "So… can you help me plot my revenge on Draco, then?"

Leo nodded and Marisa smiled triumphantly as the two leant closer together to begin plotting.