Chapter One
As Hogwarts students and their parents rushed passed her, Tamora Calcet looked down at her watch and sighed. The train to the school would be leaving soon. She looked back up, searching desperately for her friend. She knew Miranda's bouncing blonde hair would stand out in the crowd, making it easy to spot her, but there wasn't any sign of it. Just as she was getting worried, she heard: "Hey, Tamora!" She turned to see Miranda sticking her head out of a window from the Hogwarts Express and waving. "Miranda!" Tamora whined. "You said you'd meet me on the platform! What happened?" "My dad didn't want me to stand there by myself there," She was cut-off by the whistle from the train, signaling the final boarding. "You should get on quick." She sighed and shook her head; she hated to have anxiety. "You know you really shouldn't worry so much about things, especially little insignificant rendezvous'," Tamora's American friend told her once she was on the train. "I mean, all that stress isn't good for one person." "Yeah, I know. It's just that I can't help it.all I keep thinking is 'What if I miss the train?' and that's when I get worried about it." "It's simple then. Don't think of the worse case scenario. I'm, on the other hand, the exact opposite." Tamora laughed as she passed her friend some Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Jellybeans. "Tell me about it. You're so laid back, you'd probably be fine with walking to Hogwarts if we missed the Express." Miranda shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I'm just perfect like that. Must be an American thing." "Shut-up!" Tamora laughed and threw a jellybean at her. "Oh no!" She shielded herself with her hands. "No, you'll wake up Cosmo." "By throwing a jellybean at you? Where is that little fur ball anyway?" Miranda unveiled her Hogwarts cloak that was resting on the seat next to her. Her black-and-silver-striped cat was curled up sleeping beneath it. "Well he grew, didn't he?" She sighed. "He was much cuter as a kitten. But oh well, he's still my baby." "Oh brother." "Well at least I have a pet!" Tamora rolled her eyes. "I just see no point in having one. At the very least, your own owl would be practical.but everything else just sleeps." "With an attitude like that, I think it's a good thing you don't have a pet." And Miranda threw a jellybean back at her. The two carried on like that for about an hour, with subjects like how Miranda wished she had Tamora's black hair color and how Tamora wish her hair curled at the bottom like Miranda's. The lunch cart came rolling through, and they had a new subject to talk about. "I don't get it," Tamora said, shaking her head. "You eat twice as much as I do, but you stay so skinny! It's not fair!" Miranda swallowed a bite of her roast beef sandwich. "That's nice of you to say." "What's your secret? If I ate as much as you, I'd be huge." "I don't know, but my dad said I got it from my mom. Doesn't bother me any." "Well I should hope not!" Miranda nudged Cosmo and placed a piece of roast beef by his nose. "You shouldn't be so paranoid about your weight, Tamora." "Oh, here we go - something else that's wrong with me. All right, Doctor Polykite. What are my problems?" "That. You're so concerned about your worst qualities. Other people have his or her own, so yours can't be as bad anyone else's. And another thing! It's not as though you don't have good qualities." "This should be interesting.and what would those be? Maybe they can get our house to recognize us." "Well," Miranda opened a chocolate frog box and caught the frog before it hopped away. "You don't procrastinate. D'you know how much I'd kill to have that quality? I'd always have my homework. And you're not judgmental. Then again, I wouldn't be judgmental either if I was so tolerant. You're just understanding like that, I guess." Tamora rested her head on both her hands. "That's really nice of you to say.but I still don't think it's all true. Is it me, or doesn't everyone think lowly of themselves?" "Sometimes." The two girls had many things in common, which must have been why they were best friends. Last year, the two of them transferred - Tamora from Romania and Miranda from the United States - as fourth years and were sorted into Gryffindor. Unfortunately for them, the Triwizard Tournament had commenced, and their addition had gone unnoticed by most of their house. This was mainly because their own member, Harry Potter, was participating in the events and the house was too preoccupied to welcome them.
*~*
Then there came a knock on their compartment door and Tamora looked up to see two dusty brown-haired boys peering in. "Hey," She nudged Miranda, who was doing some last minute homework. "Tim and Gregory are here." Tim Andrews and Gregory McKee were the two girls' dates to the Yule Ball last year. They were Hufflepuffs, and beside that a year older than them. They were two of the few who talked to them at first, and when they asked if they would come to the Yule Ball, Tamora and Miranda were flattered. They opened the door to them. "Hello, girls," Gregory said. "Mind if we come in?" asked Tim. They sat with their dates, Tim with Tamora and Gregory with Miranda. They both had the same hair color; Gregory was the tallest of them; and Tim had a few freckles across the bridge of his nose. Tamora thought about Time and how she felt toward him after the Yule Ball. She realized that she did not find him attractive at all, and knew it was the same for Miranda because she had a secret - however strong - crush on Harry Potter. The two Hufflepuffs moved closer and placed their arms around them. Miranda exchanged uncomfortable glances with Tamora at this, and she shared in the same awkwardness. "So." she said. "Did you have a good summer?" "It was okay." "Yeah." One painful minute after another passed and the only distracting movement was Miranda shifting slightly away from Gregory. No one spoke, which made the situation all the more odd to bear. Then all at once, Tamora saw a window of opportunity when she realized that outside the sun was setting. She made eye contact with Miranda, and fingered the hem of her sweater. She agreed to her plan. "Um, it's getting late. We'll be getting to the school soon." Tamora added, "Yeah, we have to get dressed into our uniforms still." "Oh, right," Tim, said, blushing a bit. "Then I guess we'll see you later." "Bye." When they were gone, the two girls sighed in relief. "That was horrible." "We'd better give them the idea we aren't interested." Tamora scratched the back of her neck nervously. "I think we already did that." After they were dressed, they decided to stretch their legs and roam the train, just for a walk. Gryffindors and Slytherins were at opposite ends, and Hufflepuffs were mixed in the center. At first they wanted to see how many people from their own house would recognize them. But it all just seemed that their blank faces assumed they were in a different house. "So things haven't changed much from last year," Miranda said with a sigh as they passed through. "Seems so," replied Tamora, equally disappointed. "Well you know this wouldn't be happening in the States," the American continued as they walked further. Tamora timidly looked into the compartments to see what kind of reaction she'd receive if she waved. "If you say so." "I mean, at least some people would pretend to know us over there. Here they all just ignore you." Miranda's voice trailed off as they entered the part of the train where most of the Slytherins were. And while they knew not one of them would recognize them, Tamora still looked to se if one person in particular happened to be in one. Soon, Miranda realized that Tamora had stopped somewhere when she didn't answer a question of hers. She turned around, to see her friend standing at the end of the car. "Hey Tamo, what's the hold up?" "It's that boy," She said, her face red. "That Slytherin one." "Where?" Tamora pointed at the car behind them and Miranda went into it swiftly, never really enjoying having to cross into them. "On the right," Tamora whispered. "Her friend peeped in at the window, then out of sight again. She was frowning. "Draco Malfoy?" She asked in disbelief. Tamora nodded. "I know, right? How do I remember him from last year?" "It's not that," Miranda hissed back. "Have you gone insane? He and Harry are enemies! How could you like his enemy?" "Hey, hey, I'm not the one who has a crush on Harry, alright? You are." "Yeah, but he's also a Slytherin!" "So?" Tamora asked, looking into the compartment again. She jumped back into Miranda, surprised to see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle standing up and reaching for the cabin door. Draco, in the front, raised an eyebrow at the two girls. "Who are you?" asked Crabbe loudly. Tamora opened her mouth to respond, but Malfoy cut her off. "Calcet," He said with a laugh. "I remember you. You and Pansy had that catfight last year in Magical Creatures class." The two boys behind him snorted. "Oh yeah, that was funny." Tamora straightened up her skirt and crossed her arms. She disliked Pansy, mostly because she and Malfoy were seen as a couple at times. "Well, it doesn't take much to keep you three entertained." Crabbe and Goyle's faces were quickly rid of any laughter, but Malfoy's smirk grew. "Perhaps that's true for them," He said, motioning behind him. "But only one thing entertains me." Crabbe and Goyle erupted into snickering and Malfoy went the way the two Gryffindors came. "Y'hear that?" Goyle taunted. "Wonder what he means by that!" Crabbe chimed in, and left the car. "Ugh, pervs!" Miranda yelled. She turned toward Tamora. "What a personality - you must only like his looks." "I must," She replied, looking at the door behind them. "But that perverted smirk doesn't help." Tamora sighed. "C'mon, let's go."
As Hogwarts students and their parents rushed passed her, Tamora Calcet looked down at her watch and sighed. The train to the school would be leaving soon. She looked back up, searching desperately for her friend. She knew Miranda's bouncing blonde hair would stand out in the crowd, making it easy to spot her, but there wasn't any sign of it. Just as she was getting worried, she heard: "Hey, Tamora!" She turned to see Miranda sticking her head out of a window from the Hogwarts Express and waving. "Miranda!" Tamora whined. "You said you'd meet me on the platform! What happened?" "My dad didn't want me to stand there by myself there," She was cut-off by the whistle from the train, signaling the final boarding. "You should get on quick." She sighed and shook her head; she hated to have anxiety. "You know you really shouldn't worry so much about things, especially little insignificant rendezvous'," Tamora's American friend told her once she was on the train. "I mean, all that stress isn't good for one person." "Yeah, I know. It's just that I can't help it.all I keep thinking is 'What if I miss the train?' and that's when I get worried about it." "It's simple then. Don't think of the worse case scenario. I'm, on the other hand, the exact opposite." Tamora laughed as she passed her friend some Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Jellybeans. "Tell me about it. You're so laid back, you'd probably be fine with walking to Hogwarts if we missed the Express." Miranda shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I'm just perfect like that. Must be an American thing." "Shut-up!" Tamora laughed and threw a jellybean at her. "Oh no!" She shielded herself with her hands. "No, you'll wake up Cosmo." "By throwing a jellybean at you? Where is that little fur ball anyway?" Miranda unveiled her Hogwarts cloak that was resting on the seat next to her. Her black-and-silver-striped cat was curled up sleeping beneath it. "Well he grew, didn't he?" She sighed. "He was much cuter as a kitten. But oh well, he's still my baby." "Oh brother." "Well at least I have a pet!" Tamora rolled her eyes. "I just see no point in having one. At the very least, your own owl would be practical.but everything else just sleeps." "With an attitude like that, I think it's a good thing you don't have a pet." And Miranda threw a jellybean back at her. The two carried on like that for about an hour, with subjects like how Miranda wished she had Tamora's black hair color and how Tamora wish her hair curled at the bottom like Miranda's. The lunch cart came rolling through, and they had a new subject to talk about. "I don't get it," Tamora said, shaking her head. "You eat twice as much as I do, but you stay so skinny! It's not fair!" Miranda swallowed a bite of her roast beef sandwich. "That's nice of you to say." "What's your secret? If I ate as much as you, I'd be huge." "I don't know, but my dad said I got it from my mom. Doesn't bother me any." "Well I should hope not!" Miranda nudged Cosmo and placed a piece of roast beef by his nose. "You shouldn't be so paranoid about your weight, Tamora." "Oh, here we go - something else that's wrong with me. All right, Doctor Polykite. What are my problems?" "That. You're so concerned about your worst qualities. Other people have his or her own, so yours can't be as bad anyone else's. And another thing! It's not as though you don't have good qualities." "This should be interesting.and what would those be? Maybe they can get our house to recognize us." "Well," Miranda opened a chocolate frog box and caught the frog before it hopped away. "You don't procrastinate. D'you know how much I'd kill to have that quality? I'd always have my homework. And you're not judgmental. Then again, I wouldn't be judgmental either if I was so tolerant. You're just understanding like that, I guess." Tamora rested her head on both her hands. "That's really nice of you to say.but I still don't think it's all true. Is it me, or doesn't everyone think lowly of themselves?" "Sometimes." The two girls had many things in common, which must have been why they were best friends. Last year, the two of them transferred - Tamora from Romania and Miranda from the United States - as fourth years and were sorted into Gryffindor. Unfortunately for them, the Triwizard Tournament had commenced, and their addition had gone unnoticed by most of their house. This was mainly because their own member, Harry Potter, was participating in the events and the house was too preoccupied to welcome them.
*~*
Then there came a knock on their compartment door and Tamora looked up to see two dusty brown-haired boys peering in. "Hey," She nudged Miranda, who was doing some last minute homework. "Tim and Gregory are here." Tim Andrews and Gregory McKee were the two girls' dates to the Yule Ball last year. They were Hufflepuffs, and beside that a year older than them. They were two of the few who talked to them at first, and when they asked if they would come to the Yule Ball, Tamora and Miranda were flattered. They opened the door to them. "Hello, girls," Gregory said. "Mind if we come in?" asked Tim. They sat with their dates, Tim with Tamora and Gregory with Miranda. They both had the same hair color; Gregory was the tallest of them; and Tim had a few freckles across the bridge of his nose. Tamora thought about Time and how she felt toward him after the Yule Ball. She realized that she did not find him attractive at all, and knew it was the same for Miranda because she had a secret - however strong - crush on Harry Potter. The two Hufflepuffs moved closer and placed their arms around them. Miranda exchanged uncomfortable glances with Tamora at this, and she shared in the same awkwardness. "So." she said. "Did you have a good summer?" "It was okay." "Yeah." One painful minute after another passed and the only distracting movement was Miranda shifting slightly away from Gregory. No one spoke, which made the situation all the more odd to bear. Then all at once, Tamora saw a window of opportunity when she realized that outside the sun was setting. She made eye contact with Miranda, and fingered the hem of her sweater. She agreed to her plan. "Um, it's getting late. We'll be getting to the school soon." Tamora added, "Yeah, we have to get dressed into our uniforms still." "Oh, right," Tim, said, blushing a bit. "Then I guess we'll see you later." "Bye." When they were gone, the two girls sighed in relief. "That was horrible." "We'd better give them the idea we aren't interested." Tamora scratched the back of her neck nervously. "I think we already did that." After they were dressed, they decided to stretch their legs and roam the train, just for a walk. Gryffindors and Slytherins were at opposite ends, and Hufflepuffs were mixed in the center. At first they wanted to see how many people from their own house would recognize them. But it all just seemed that their blank faces assumed they were in a different house. "So things haven't changed much from last year," Miranda said with a sigh as they passed through. "Seems so," replied Tamora, equally disappointed. "Well you know this wouldn't be happening in the States," the American continued as they walked further. Tamora timidly looked into the compartments to see what kind of reaction she'd receive if she waved. "If you say so." "I mean, at least some people would pretend to know us over there. Here they all just ignore you." Miranda's voice trailed off as they entered the part of the train where most of the Slytherins were. And while they knew not one of them would recognize them, Tamora still looked to se if one person in particular happened to be in one. Soon, Miranda realized that Tamora had stopped somewhere when she didn't answer a question of hers. She turned around, to see her friend standing at the end of the car. "Hey Tamo, what's the hold up?" "It's that boy," She said, her face red. "That Slytherin one." "Where?" Tamora pointed at the car behind them and Miranda went into it swiftly, never really enjoying having to cross into them. "On the right," Tamora whispered. "Her friend peeped in at the window, then out of sight again. She was frowning. "Draco Malfoy?" She asked in disbelief. Tamora nodded. "I know, right? How do I remember him from last year?" "It's not that," Miranda hissed back. "Have you gone insane? He and Harry are enemies! How could you like his enemy?" "Hey, hey, I'm not the one who has a crush on Harry, alright? You are." "Yeah, but he's also a Slytherin!" "So?" Tamora asked, looking into the compartment again. She jumped back into Miranda, surprised to see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle standing up and reaching for the cabin door. Draco, in the front, raised an eyebrow at the two girls. "Who are you?" asked Crabbe loudly. Tamora opened her mouth to respond, but Malfoy cut her off. "Calcet," He said with a laugh. "I remember you. You and Pansy had that catfight last year in Magical Creatures class." The two boys behind him snorted. "Oh yeah, that was funny." Tamora straightened up her skirt and crossed her arms. She disliked Pansy, mostly because she and Malfoy were seen as a couple at times. "Well, it doesn't take much to keep you three entertained." Crabbe and Goyle's faces were quickly rid of any laughter, but Malfoy's smirk grew. "Perhaps that's true for them," He said, motioning behind him. "But only one thing entertains me." Crabbe and Goyle erupted into snickering and Malfoy went the way the two Gryffindors came. "Y'hear that?" Goyle taunted. "Wonder what he means by that!" Crabbe chimed in, and left the car. "Ugh, pervs!" Miranda yelled. She turned toward Tamora. "What a personality - you must only like his looks." "I must," She replied, looking at the door behind them. "But that perverted smirk doesn't help." Tamora sighed. "C'mon, let's go."