Harry nodded and said his goodbyes to Hagrid as they left. Diedre stayed silent for the most part, keeping her eyes forward and omitting no sound with the exception of the swish of her hair. It left an eerie tingle on Harry's spine. There was something creepy about this girl that he just couldn't put his finger on. Harry still wanted to keep his word of welcome to Hagrid and Diedre wasn't exactly flowering with information about herself.
"So, you're from America, huh? What's that like?" Harry asked, a little uneasily. He wasn't used to having to make an effort at friendship because people normally threw themselves at him, but he still remembered what it was like from before he had ever found out that he was wizard and had entered the magical world.
"Well, I suppose if you must know, it's a place like any other…" Diedre responded monotonously. She came off rude and she knew she had but she honestly could care less. She continued to walk silently, having Harry tottle behind awkwardly. Harry had become confused, she had answered his question without actually answering it and he felt as though she was being short with him. He continued to make an effort.
"So, if you'll be living with Hagrid then you'll get to stay here the entire year including the summer, is that right?" Harry asked, hopefully trying to find common ground through Hagrid. But Diedre said nothing but instead just stopped. They were in view of the dark forest and she was staring at it as though she were mesmerized. She suddenly crouched down, dragging Harry to that level.
"What is it?" Harry asked, whispering but then he saw it. Diedre's eyes had caught the sight of two glowing ones from the forest. She said nothing but instead put her finger over her lips to say "shh" but she didn't have the time. The eyes rushed at her and with them a face and then a body. She stood up as though disappointed and waited. "What are you doing? Do you have any idea what that is?" Harry asked panicked but Diedre just watched, barely acknowledging Harry with a small glance. When the beast was about a yard away, she acted.
"Imobulous!" She said, freezing the beast. " Wingardium Leviosos." She finished unenthusiastically. She looked to Harry in slight concern, " Are you ok?" She asked. Something boggled Harry's mind for a moment, she hadn't used a wand!
"How'd you do that?" Harry asked.
"I'll take that as a yes then. Do what? Surely you have learned such basic spells?" She asked, worried for her own future education.
"Yes of course but we still have to use wands, I don't understand how you did that." Harry said, a bit confused. Diedre let out a bit of a laugh and held a smile that put her frown to shame more than one might know.
"It's simple, you see, magic is in your blood Harry, you merely use your wand as a beacon so as to focus the energy of your magic. A wand is easier, sure, and I have one but I just don't use it often, only in class." She finished and continued to walk, the floating immobile beast behind her. " So, what was that thing anyhow?" She asked curiously.
" You don't know?" Harry asked amazed. " It's a boarcric." He said, remembering one of Hermione's many lectures about things she has read about.
"Oh? I've heard of them. Vile creatures resembling that of giant boars with venomous tusks. That explains why the thing tried to attack me." She said as-a-matter-of-factly.
"It does?" Harry asked, still confused.
"Of course, the boarcrics are attracted to the smell of daffodils!" She said as if Harry should already know this.
"Ok, so then what does that have to do with you?" Harry asked.
"It's the scent I wear all the time. Their noses put ours to shame you know, so he could probably have smelled from a mile away at least." She said as they reached the castle. There they found Filch, the watchman and his cat, Mrs. Norris, the tattletale.
"And what do we have here? A moonlit stroll for two?" Filch asked sarcastically.
"It's a new moon tonight, so there is no moonlight." Diedre said, purposely making Filch look stupid.
"Oh? Is that so? Well, in any case," Filch started trying to cover up his idiocy," it's past curfew so I'm afraid you two will have to come with me."
"Ok, no problem just tell me where to drop this Boarcric and off we'll go." Diedre said with that same beautiful smile.
"A Boarcric? Where?" Filch asked, a bit worried. His lazy tendency to miss the obvious was making Diedre grow impatient.
"It's the big floating mass behind us. We caught it after it tried to attack us." Diedre said, slowly droning back to her monotone.
"I'll deal with you two later, get off to your room while I take care of this 'lot." Filch said, shoving past the two towards the Boarcric. So the two left Filch to wrestle with their capture and headed for the Gryfindor room. When they got there, the fat woman who resided in their picture was just on her way to visit other paintings. She was rather impatient with them and asked for the password as soon as they were in sight.
"Overbite" Harry said and the painting swung open to reveal the Gryfindor commons. Diedre turned towards the staircase but stopped on a second thought.
"Thanks for walking with me Harry." She said in gratitude and continued up the stairs.
The eeriness that Diedre had originally given off was now gone and Harry for some unexplained reason, perhaps because he had seen her in action and the second it was over she had been concerned for him rather than for herself, in any case, he felt as close to her as he did to Ron and Hermione. He thought of why he felt this sudden closeness with her as he stalked up the staircase to the boy's lodgings and went to bed.