DISCLAIMER:

Twinkle twinkle little bee… Harry Potter and all his assorted cohorts and merchandising rights belongs not to me. Bzz bzz. Wow… try saying THAT three times fast.

SERPENT CARVINGS– chapter two

"Well," came a clear voice behind her. "I don't believe I've seen you here before."

*

Pandora turned around, a questioning look in her green eyes. "And I don't believe I've seen you, ever, so if you don't mind?" She turned around again, bending over to inspect a glass container, giving it a little poke and watch the contents jiggle within.

"I do mind," came the response. "You don't sound like you're from around here."

Pandora sighed inwardly, and abandoned the glass jars to turn around and face the inquisitive teen, a boy with pale hair and grey eyes. "That's because I'm not," she said. "I'm Australian."

"Australian?" the boy smirked. "Do you – "

"No!" Pandora interrupted. "I don't have a pet kangaroo."

The boy appeared deflated. "Oh," he said. "Really? I was kind of looking forward to seeing it trying to hop down all the Hogwarts moving staircases… frighten the Gryffindors to bits. " He put his hands in his pockets, and Pandora looked him over. He was dressed immaculately, as she was, but it seemed to suit him, almost looked as though he had woken up like that. He was wearing black clothes under a black cloak that had a silver clasp, but from what Pandora could see, he appeared to have some muscles under the dark clothes. Muscle Land, the thought popped into her head, from her previous conversation with her father.

Pandora allowed itself to grin. "Only if it had something attached to its tail… something like money on a string, so people could follow it around."

The boy gave a short laugh. "Ha, yeah." He looked down, and then lifted his eyes to meet hers. He seemed to think for a moment, and stuck out one of his hands. "I'm Malfoy… Draco Malfoy."

Bond, James Bond… shut up brain, shut up!

"Pandora Fey," she said, putting her hand in his, and shaking it. "Nice to meet you."

"Draco," came a languid drawling voice. A man walked out from behind an assortment of unicorn horns, and came to a stop beside the boy Pandora had just met. Draco seemed to flush somewhat, but drew himself up beside the man, whom Pandora judged to be his father. They both shared the same pale hair and grey eyes, though while Draco looked at the floor, at the signs on the wall, anywhere but her, his father's eyes seemed to search her, evaluate her. She seemed to pass some sort of inspection, because he gave a small smile, though she felt strangely violated. It was a stupid thing to feel, she told herself, for the man had not touched her in any way, but the way his eyes had probed her had made her slightly uncomfortable.

"And who is this young lady, Draco?" he asked calmly, though Pandora could tell there was something brewing under the surface.

"Pandora Fey," Draco said quietly, looking at her.

"Fey…" the man said thoughtfully. "No, I cannot recall any wizarding family called Fey. Muggleborn, are you?" he asked, his face still a polite mask, though something flashed in his eyes.

"No," Pandora answered clearly. Though I cannot see why it matters… shut up brain! "The reason you probably do not recognise my name is because I am not from here."

"Oh?" the man asked.

Pandora fidgeted, growing increasingly uncomfortable by the second, though her face showed none of it. "I am Australian," she said, looking the man directly in the eyes.

"Australian?" the man spoke, somewhat condescendingly, Pandora though to herself.

"Yes, Australian. I was trained at Kangara," she added.

"Kangara…" the man thought aloud. "I recall Kangara, an excellent school, excelling in Potions and Dueling, am I correct? Headmaster… Garder. Yes, Garder, good man – excellent teacher."

"Yes, from what I heard, he was," Pandora said, wondering if it would be rude to upset a bucket of Kneazle claws onto Draco's father and run.

"I am Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father," the man said smoothly, holding out a hand. Pandora shook it hesitantly, smiling politely, though behind her smile her teeth were grinding with impatience.

"Pleased to meet you," she replied.

"Father–" Draco cut in. "We should go now – we were meant to meet Mother several minutes ago."

Lucius Malfoy did not seem perturbed at this statement, but instead placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. Both their faces remained impassive and almost… superior, Pandora thought to herself, noting how their facial expressions matched almost exactly. She smiled at them, and with a quick note of farewell, they both left, Lucius's hand on Draco's shoulder all the while.

When no one was in the shop but her, she gave a sigh and turned around, resting her forehead on a small window that looked out into darkness. Even though, just one door away, lay hundreds and hundreds of people, she suddenly felt more alone than she ever had before in her life. She was a witch from a country half way around the world, and couldn't even fake a decent British accent. The weather was cold, she was cold and wasn't even sure if Bandi was up to flying half way around the world to deliver her letters to Karen and Olivia. Pandora was missing her home, and even though she wouldn't admit it, missing Kangara. What kind of name was Hogwarts, anyway? she thought to herself.

"Pans?" called out a questioning voice.

Pandora lifted her head from the glass surface and stepped into the view of her father. "I'm here," she said, somewhat tiredly. Greg noticed this, but chose to ignore it, and pasted on a large smile, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. Pandora didn't shrug it off as she usually would have, but allowed her father to display affection towards her – something she needed at this time, though she would never admit it. She sighed, and buried her head in her father's shoulder.

"Hey," Greg said gently, drawing her away and holding her at arm's length. "You alright?"

Pandora showed no emotion on her face, but replied with a simple, "I'm fine."

Greg frowned, but before he could press the issue, she jumped in with a question. "Dad? What's a Gryffindor?" she asked, remembering something Draco had said earlier.

"A Gryffindor…" Greg said, thinking. "I am pretty sure it has something to do with one of the Houses at your new school."

"Houses?"

"Yes, there are four of them. You'll eat and sleep with your House, and there are Quidditch teams as well… Hufflepuff, for the loyal and hardworking." Greg glanced at his daughter, remembering the 'packing' incident a few weeks ago. "Not for you," he amended. "Gryffindor, for the brave, Slytherin for the ambitious and Ravenclaw for the studious."

Pandora considered this, her mind reflecting over the type of people that could be in each house. "Which would you prefer I was in?" she asked him bluntly.

Greg looked somewhat surprised. "Oh, I wouldn't care," he answered. "They're all the same to me, anyway."

"Mum went to Hogwarts, didn't she?" Pandora asked, wondering if she was pressing the issue. Even now, years later, they still didn't discuss her mother, and she knew that this was a good thing. Whenever she brought up the subject of her, Greg would suddenly find a way to weasel out of the conversation, and Pandora always let him, knowing it was hard for him to talk about her.

"Yes," he said finally, something sad in his eyes. "She was in Ravenclaw… though I remember she had many friends in Slytherin, also."

But that was all he would tell her, and nothing more was said as they approached the man behind the counter together. The man behind the counter was a short, gnarled man who smelled something like elderberries – wearing a black, knitted cap, and he had black, knitted eyebrows to match.

"Yes?" the man said smiling, showing large, uneven yellow teeth.

"Could we get a supply of potions ingredients, thanks," Greg asked the man briefly.

The man's eyes lit up with interest. "Oooh," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Seventh year?" he asked.

Pandora had no idea what this meant. "I'm sixteen," she said slowly, as if that would answer his question.

"Sixth year, then," he recovered, filling a paper bag with feathers. "You'll need a basic supply of many things… Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I'm just starting there this year," she said.

"Well, this might take awhile then… most students get their potions ingredients written down and ordered a few weeks in advance… best to come back later, dearie, and I'll have it all ready for you," he said, grinning at her. "Do you like potions?"

"Yes," she said to him, allowing a small smile to come to her face. "They had an excellent potions teacher at Kangara, the school I previously attended."

The man chuckled. "Well, I am sure that he or she was nothing compared to Severus Snape, your new potions teacher. An absolute genius at potion-making, that man is… mind you, I do get the strangest request for ingredients from him."

"What, like powdered root of bicycle?"

The man leant forward, and hissed to her. "Strange things… ingredients with strong magical properties, expensive and dangerous… one would wonder what he makes in that dungeon of his."

Pandora pulled away, and looked at her father. He had heard none of this exchange, and was busy prodding a bowl of what looked like tongues. She wasn't sure she liked this man very much, so with a quick word of thanks, she pulled on her father's sleeve and left the shop, unsure of whether or not she heard the man mutter something about bicycles.

*

"Platform Nine and Three Quarters?" Pandora said incredulously, staring at her ticket. Her father, with equal puzzlement stared at it over her shoulder. "Three quarters?" he mouthed.

She stood in the middle of a busy train station with a heavy trunk and a cage in her hand. It was the cage that was arousing the most suspicion, for most people had never seen a pet kookaburra before. His name was Bandi, and though Pandora though he was a most pretentious pet, he had been trained by her father and given to her many years ago when she had first started at Kangara, and she hadn't the heart to let him go in favour of a more "ordinary" pet. As if he could hear her thoughts, he gave a loud squawk, and Pandora looked down on him and shushed him. "Shh, Bandi, not now… you can call and irritate people all you like on the train," she said. He ruffled his feathers and sat back, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Now…" her father said to her, casting a gaze around. "All we need to do is find someone who looks magical…"

They stood there for a few moments, until they heard a raised voice – "We have got to find Harry! Come on, Ron, grab your trunk and that pathetic owl of yours…"

Pandora met her father's eyes, and without a word, they began to follow the two teenagers that were walking quickly through the crowd. She tried to focus in on their voices, but found herself being pushed around by the throng of citizens.

"Excuse me!" she called out, hoping to catch their attention. There was something familiar about the red head… "Ron!" she cried out, seeing them stop and look around.

She caught up to them quickly, panting slightly with her father following her, and halted the trunk to a stop. Bandi squeaked in indignation at the sudden stop, causing his cage to be swung back and forth vicariously, but she ignored him.

"Ron," she said to him. "Are you catching the train?"

He looked surprised to see her, but answered in the affirmative as his brunette companion looked on with interest. "Is that a kookaburra?" she asked her.

Pandora looked down at Bandi briefly. "Yes," she said. "Now, Ron, how do I get to the platform?"

The brunette with Ron looked slightly disgruntled at the uninformative response, but was silent as Ron explained to her, and then explained to her a second time, and then finally offered to take her there himself.

"Thanks Ron," Pandora said charmingly. "Dad, are you coming?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Greg answered. "I want to see this invisible platform of yours."

"I'm Hermione Granger," the girl butted in, as though she had been holding the introduction in for a while.

"Greg Fey," her father answered. "And my daughter, Pandora."

Pandora gave an almost imperceptible nod, and followed Ron as he walked towards a wall. "In here," he gestured. "Hermione, you go first."

She did so, walking forward purposefully until she disappeared through the bricks in a sweep of brown hair and old luggage.

"That's how it's done," Ron said. "You two go next, and I will follow you."

"Thank you," Pandora replied immediately, not concentrating on what she had just said. She straightened her shoulders coolly, and drew herself up to her proper height, walking forward and not hesitating, though she felt a slight flutter of apprehension in her stomach. She passed her face clear of all emotion, trying her hardest to calm her nerves and walked through decisively, not stopping or looking back.

She found herself on a busy train platform, and a huge scarlet train bearing the words "Hogwarts Express" was on her left. Everywhere were people, young and old. A small boy was running around taking pictures of everything and everyone, and was about to snap one of Pandora and her bird until she glared at him, and he retreated sheepishly. A red headed girl, who looked a bit like Ron was walking past… she needed new robes, Pandora could tell, though she quickly dismissed the thought from her mind. It was not something she needed to be thinking about now.

She took a deep breath, and turned around to face her father. "Well, Dad – I will see you at Christmas," she said solidly, refusing to collapse in a heap of bubbling cries and repetitive embraces.

Her father's face broke into a grin. "Aw, is that all I get?" he said teasingly. "Even when I… have something to give you?"

Pandora's eyes showed some spark of interest, but she still did not move. "Oh?" she said, ignoring the hustle and bustle around her, of students talking and laughing and boarding the train. In the midst of a swirling crowd of people stood her and her father, and he reached inside his robe to bring out an old, tattered book.

"For you," he said softly. "My grandfather gave this to me, and I am now passing it onto you. With everything that is happening now, I daresay you will need it. Show no one, Pandora… it is yours, and yours alone, and this book contains magic that no other witch or wizard will know about, this I guarantee you. Even though you won't admit it, I know you love magic, and I hope this will get you through at least a few rainy afternoons at the Hogwarts castle."

Pandora bit her lip. "Thank you," she said quietly. Against her will, she found herself leaning forward to give her father a quick hug, and without another word, she turned and ran onto the train. Her father looked on after her, sighing slightly, and he allowed a small flicker of worry to pass across his face.

Pandora, Pandora, Pandora… I hope you don't find yourself opening any boxes this year…

*

Pandora found herself wandering the train compartments alone, a swinging cage in her hand with a surprisingly silent Bandi, her trunk already loaded in the luggage compartment. She walked down the train, sometimes looking in on compartments and seeing groups of people there, other times not bothering, simply content on finding an empty compartment, walking with slow peripatetic steps.

The sound of laughing shouts and a door creaking open attracted Pandora's attention, and she looked behind her to the door she just passed. A thin, lanky boy with unruly dark hair had been pushed out of his own compartment and was now vainly trying to reopen the door.

"Let me in!" he yelled to whoever was inside. "Hermione!" He thought twice. "Ron! We have been best friends for how many years now?"

"Enough for you to forgive me later for this!" came the reply from inside. "Now!" came the cheerful male voice again. "Who wants Butterbeer?"

The boy groaned, and in his attempt to open the door again, he failed to notice the girl standing next to him silently, watching him trying to open the door. Giving up after a few moments, he turned around to find her. "Oh," he said. "Hello?"

She said nothing, but simply surveyed him. "What are you doing?" Pandora asked.

"Oh," he said to her, trying to explain. "Two friends of mine refuse to admit that they were the ones who sent me something over the holidays that got me into a bit of trouble with the family I stay with, and they threw me out when I… oh never mind. I'm sure you're not too interested in that anyway."

Pandora gave a small smile with her lips, her eyes still somewhat confused. "Yes. Well, good luck getting back inside," she said, turning to leave.

"Wait," the boy said. Pandora turned back to face him, her eyes questioning.

"Yes?" She said.

"What's your name? I haven't seen you around here before," he told her.

"My name is Pandora… I'm going into sixth year this year," she answered, her thoughts drifting away to an empty carriage, her father's book and maybe some of those chocolate squares she had stashed in her robe pocket…

The boy grinned at her. "Hey, same as me. I'm Harry Potter."

Pandora smiled at him, though she was itching to walk away. Always be polite… then when you have made up your mind about them, they might not hate you. "Nice to meet you, Harry Potter." She leant forward and stepped closer to the door, and bringing out her wand she mumbled a few words under her breath. There was a small, almost barely visible flash of light and the door clicked open. Pandora slid her wand back into her robe pocket and turned to walk away, picking up Bandi's cage from where she had set it down, and entered an empty compartment, not acknowledging the weak thanks that had come from the Potter boy.

She sighed, and sat down, turning her face towards the window and propping up her feet on the seat opposite. Pandora could not be bothered to do anything but sit there and reflect, watching the English countryside roam past her.

It was a funny country, compared to Australia. It was colder, and greyer. There was so much vibrant colour in her homeland… now, she was alone.

Well, good. Where she wanted to be. Alone, to practice her magic, to practice her potions… would she even be able to do that at Hogwarts? She did not know much about the place, and would prefer to rely on her own judgment of the castle, rather than the biased view of another student.

She yawned somewhat. She had been up early this morning, listening to the birds outside and watched as the sun had risen. Her father had come outside to see her sitting on the edge of their verandah, watching the sunrise over the land, and he had joined her. No words had been spoken. Enough was said in their silence.

And now, what was she to do? There would be no more swimming in the lake in summer, right before Christmas… she was going to get used to having a cold Christmas. No more Karen protesting that she had a right to wear board shorts and a t-shirt to class in summer, seeing as it was too hot for robes. No more cooking up potions in the beautiful potions classroom, which was at the top of the Kangara building, and was lit by huge windows that gave scenery from every angle. None of that… she was going to have to adapt, and change… sort, and be sorted.

But she would do it. By the fires of the night, she would do it.

*

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