Fina and Hermione moved swiftly toward the train. The platform was clearing quickly as students hurried secure a compartment. Fina could see a short red-headed woman hovering around Harry and Ron.
"Now Ron, make sure that you do everything in your power to look out for Harry," she stated sternly. "And Harry, dear, do be very careful."
"That's Ron's mum," Hermione whispered to Fina as they watched the now teary-eyed woman embrace both boys tightly. Fina laughed to herself. Mrs. Weasley released the suffocating boys and turned to notice Hermione.
"Oh Hermione, there you are dear, and you must be Fina, my husband is looking forward to working with your father," she said smiling sweetly.
Fina's eyes flashed briefly with a strange look that only Harry seemed to notice. "Boys, get Fina's trunk onto the train," she commanded. "Quickly now."
The boys set to work with Fina's trunk and the covered cage on top of it. Mrs. Weasley moved closer to Hermione, "Make sure they don't get into too much trouble dear." She wrapped her arms around the young woman. "By the way," she whispered into Hermione's ear, "you look wonderful." Hermione blushed happily as Mrs. Weasley released her.
"Come on," Ginny called, peeking her head out of the train. Everyone waved goodbye and made there way onto the train with the last few reluctant first years.
When they had all reached the compartment secured for them by Ginny, everyone started to get settled. Harry and Ron sat on one side while Hermione, Ginny, and Fina sat on the other. There was silence for only several seconds before a strange screeching noise came from Fina's cage, and it DEFINITLY was not an owl.
"What was that?" Ron asked, sounding a bit nervous.
"It's just Medea," Fina replied simply, as if that should explain it all.
"Is it an owl?" Ginny asked, confused.
"No," Fina said. She continued to sit until she realized that 4 pairs of eyes remained focused on her. She sighed and stood, moving over to the cage. She pulled the cover off quickly.
"Is that..."
"An eagle," Hermione finished for Harry.
"A golden eagle to be exact," Fina said, pride in her eyes. "Isn't she beautiful?" Fina lowered her face next to the cage and stuck a finger in, letting the beautiful creature rub its neck against it.
"What did you say her name was?" Ginny asked.
"Medea. Its the name of a character in a Greek play," Fina said.
"It's pretty," Ginny said. This seemed to strike Fina as humorous. "What?" Ginny asked.
"Read the play sometime," Fina replied. She walked back over to her seat and took off her jacket, revealing her short-sleeved, black top, which looked like someone had ripped at the sleeves and bottom hem. This went quite well with her jeans, also torn at the bottom hems. She settled uncomfortably into her seat.
They all sat in silence, occupied by their own thoughts. Ginny was looking absently out the window as she stroked Crookshanks, who had settled on her lap. Hermione was buried in Standard Book Of Spells: Grade 5, as was to be expected. Harry sat quietly, his face turned slightly to the window, though he made sure he kept Fina in his view. He examined her for probably the hundredth time since he'd met her, there was something that just drew his eyes to her.
Harry knew Fina was special, the fact practically radiated from her. If only he could even begin to understand why. It was almost scary, how much he wanted to know her, know everything there was to know about her. He decided that this staring couldn't be healthy. He glanced over at Ron, who seemed to be quite content openly staring across the compartment, being conveniently blocked from his subject's view by her favorite inanimate object.
Just then, the compartment door slid open, drawing everyone's attention.
"Well, if it isn't Hogwarts' favorite trio," came the drawling voice of the blonde standing in the doorway. Ron was about to tell Malfoy to get out, but stopped as Fina stood and stepped past him.
"Look who we have here," she said, matching him drawl for drawl. Harry watched as a look of pure shock flashed across Malfoy's face. Soon though, it disappeared, and the smug look returned.
"What are you doing here?" he countered, and Harry almost thought he saw a smile tugging at Malfoy's lips. He had gotten quite a bit taller, and his hair was now spiked, instead of the usual slicked back look.
"I'm playing Quidditch," she replied sarcastically. "What does it look like? I'm going to school. You're a quick one, aren't you?" Everyone else in the compartment, including Crabbe and Goyle, who'd followed Malfoy in, were watching in confusion.
"I didn't think they would allow your kind in Hogwarts," Malfoy shot back. Harry and Ron stood quickly at this, but Hermione held her arm out to stop them. There was something strange going on here, and Hermione wanted to see it through.
"Then I suppose they'd have to send you home as well," Fina said coolly as she placed her hands on her hips. There was silence for a tense moment as they waited for Malfoy's reaction.
And then something truly bizarre happened. Draco Malfoy laughed. And smiled. Genuinely. It wasn't a smirk or a sneer, it was a true honest smile. "You win."
Fina broke into a wide smile of triumph and laughed before throwing her arms around the neck of the Slytherin in front of her. "Good to see you, Draco."
"Now Ron, make sure that you do everything in your power to look out for Harry," she stated sternly. "And Harry, dear, do be very careful."
"That's Ron's mum," Hermione whispered to Fina as they watched the now teary-eyed woman embrace both boys tightly. Fina laughed to herself. Mrs. Weasley released the suffocating boys and turned to notice Hermione.
"Oh Hermione, there you are dear, and you must be Fina, my husband is looking forward to working with your father," she said smiling sweetly.
Fina's eyes flashed briefly with a strange look that only Harry seemed to notice. "Boys, get Fina's trunk onto the train," she commanded. "Quickly now."
The boys set to work with Fina's trunk and the covered cage on top of it. Mrs. Weasley moved closer to Hermione, "Make sure they don't get into too much trouble dear." She wrapped her arms around the young woman. "By the way," she whispered into Hermione's ear, "you look wonderful." Hermione blushed happily as Mrs. Weasley released her.
"Come on," Ginny called, peeking her head out of the train. Everyone waved goodbye and made there way onto the train with the last few reluctant first years.
When they had all reached the compartment secured for them by Ginny, everyone started to get settled. Harry and Ron sat on one side while Hermione, Ginny, and Fina sat on the other. There was silence for only several seconds before a strange screeching noise came from Fina's cage, and it DEFINITLY was not an owl.
"What was that?" Ron asked, sounding a bit nervous.
"It's just Medea," Fina replied simply, as if that should explain it all.
"Is it an owl?" Ginny asked, confused.
"No," Fina said. She continued to sit until she realized that 4 pairs of eyes remained focused on her. She sighed and stood, moving over to the cage. She pulled the cover off quickly.
"Is that..."
"An eagle," Hermione finished for Harry.
"A golden eagle to be exact," Fina said, pride in her eyes. "Isn't she beautiful?" Fina lowered her face next to the cage and stuck a finger in, letting the beautiful creature rub its neck against it.
"What did you say her name was?" Ginny asked.
"Medea. Its the name of a character in a Greek play," Fina said.
"It's pretty," Ginny said. This seemed to strike Fina as humorous. "What?" Ginny asked.
"Read the play sometime," Fina replied. She walked back over to her seat and took off her jacket, revealing her short-sleeved, black top, which looked like someone had ripped at the sleeves and bottom hem. This went quite well with her jeans, also torn at the bottom hems. She settled uncomfortably into her seat.
They all sat in silence, occupied by their own thoughts. Ginny was looking absently out the window as she stroked Crookshanks, who had settled on her lap. Hermione was buried in Standard Book Of Spells: Grade 5, as was to be expected. Harry sat quietly, his face turned slightly to the window, though he made sure he kept Fina in his view. He examined her for probably the hundredth time since he'd met her, there was something that just drew his eyes to her.
Harry knew Fina was special, the fact practically radiated from her. If only he could even begin to understand why. It was almost scary, how much he wanted to know her, know everything there was to know about her. He decided that this staring couldn't be healthy. He glanced over at Ron, who seemed to be quite content openly staring across the compartment, being conveniently blocked from his subject's view by her favorite inanimate object.
Just then, the compartment door slid open, drawing everyone's attention.
"Well, if it isn't Hogwarts' favorite trio," came the drawling voice of the blonde standing in the doorway. Ron was about to tell Malfoy to get out, but stopped as Fina stood and stepped past him.
"Look who we have here," she said, matching him drawl for drawl. Harry watched as a look of pure shock flashed across Malfoy's face. Soon though, it disappeared, and the smug look returned.
"What are you doing here?" he countered, and Harry almost thought he saw a smile tugging at Malfoy's lips. He had gotten quite a bit taller, and his hair was now spiked, instead of the usual slicked back look.
"I'm playing Quidditch," she replied sarcastically. "What does it look like? I'm going to school. You're a quick one, aren't you?" Everyone else in the compartment, including Crabbe and Goyle, who'd followed Malfoy in, were watching in confusion.
"I didn't think they would allow your kind in Hogwarts," Malfoy shot back. Harry and Ron stood quickly at this, but Hermione held her arm out to stop them. There was something strange going on here, and Hermione wanted to see it through.
"Then I suppose they'd have to send you home as well," Fina said coolly as she placed her hands on her hips. There was silence for a tense moment as they waited for Malfoy's reaction.
And then something truly bizarre happened. Draco Malfoy laughed. And smiled. Genuinely. It wasn't a smirk or a sneer, it was a true honest smile. "You win."
Fina broke into a wide smile of triumph and laughed before throwing her arms around the neck of the Slytherin in front of her. "Good to see you, Draco."
