The sun was just barely up, the air still chill and misty, and already down in the Quidditch field, there was a stand-off between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
"I booked the field!" Wood shouted, shaking his head in fury as he watched the Slytherin team approach.
"Get off the field, this is our practice time!"
The rest of the Gryffindor team landed and gathered around Wood. They had gotten up early for their first practice of the season, just a couple days into the school year at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Flint chuckled.
"Ah," he said, "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new seeker.' "
"New Seeker?" Wood asked. He scanned the Slytherins standing shoulder to shoulder before him. They parted slightly to reveal a vicious smirk on none other than Draco Malfoy's face.
"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" Fred asked in distaste. At this, Flint grinned nastily.
"Funny you should mention Draco's father. Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team." All the Slytherins smiled broadly as they held out brand new broomsticks. Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. The gold lettering flashed in the faint sun.
"Very latest model. Only came out last month." Flint casually flicked a speck of dust from his own. The Gryffindors were silent. Several of them had Cleansweep Fives, pitiful compared to the new brooms. Behind them, Ron and Hermione began to trek across the field to see what was going on.
Up above them in the air, a figure was alerted to the commotion below. She was perched precariously, but confidently, upon what could be called broomstick, though it was silver and had no twigs. Rather, it had magical carvings on one end. In the wee hours of the morning she had been stretching in various poses along the silver stick, floating it still in the air, but now she stood up on it. Carefully tilting one foot downwards and the other up, she began to glide gently toward the students gathered on the field. Her hair was shining black and short, slightly layered. The cut rounded off her head and gave her a pixie-ish look combined with her mischievous smile, though right now it was absent, her mouth pushed off to the side in curiosity. Unnoticed by the students deep in argument, she observed the scene.
"What's happening?" Ron asked as he and Hermione reached the group. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?" He jerked his head toward Malfoy suspiciously.
"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasely," Malfoy said. "Everyone's just been admiring the new brooms my father bought." Ron stared in awe at the row of seven superb broomsticks.
"Good, aren't they? But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."
The Slytherins roared with laughter.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," Hermione said sharply, "They got in for pure talent." She flicked her hair snobbishly.
Cold, mocking laughter rang through the air. Simultaneously, everyone's heads snapped up to see the girl hovering slightly above them upon the silver stick. Her eyes were surprisingly bright and her expression was mostly cold except for the faintest hint of a smirk. She was dressed in all black except for silver, pink-studded wristbands wrapped around both wrists. An almost transparent, aquamarine cape swirled around her.
"Actually, Miss Granger," she said, "Mr. Malfoy here is quite the excellent flyer." Her eyes flashed. Then her cold expression dropped like a mask and her eyes warmed as her impish grin broke out. "But that was an awesome comeback." Everyone stared at her sudden change of expression. Malfoy narrowed his eyes, unsure what to make of her. She turned to look at him.
"Well?" she asked, one eyebrow raised and her foot tapping expectantly. "Aren't you going to say something back?" Her tone turned malicious. "A dirty, muddy word perhaps? I wouldn't recommend that, if I were you." And her tone changed expression again, now thoughtful. "Though there is the possibility that Ron's wand might backfire."
At first Malfoy just stared, completely bewildered, and then he sneered at her. She sneered right back at him, thinking, Ha! He can't beat my sneer.
"Shut up." Malfoy snapped. "This is between me and the filthy little mudblood." There was instant chaos at the last word. Flint grabbed Fred and George to prevent them from jumping on Malfoy. The Gryffindor girls gasped and Alicia shrieked, "How dare you?" while Ron snatched out his wand and yelled, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" The wand was knocked from his grasp, however, and he looked up in surprise to see the girl's wand floating in front of him. The varnish gleamed gold and inviting in front of him, but he didn't accept her offer. Furious, he grabbed his own again and pointed it to Malfoy. A loud bang echoed around the stadium and green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach. He reeled backward and fell onto the grass. Hermione scurried over to him.
"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" In response, Ron belched out several huge, slimy, slugs. The Slytherins were practically paralyzed with laughter, all except Malfoy. Draco was staring up suspiciously at the girl, who had her arms crossed over her chest and an "I-told-you-so," expression on her face. Now he understood her words. Somehow she had known what would happen. She met his gaze and shrugged, before turning back to observe the scene.
Malfoy was furious she had bested him, somehow knowing what he was about to do and mocking him for it. He noticed her wand was still clutched in Ron's grasp. Quickly, maliciously, he shot a hex at her. But to his surprise, she merely waved the jet of light casually away and it bounced right back at him. Eyes wide, he jumped just out of its way. She hadn't even looked at him as she did it, but now she turned and smirked at him. She quickly turned her attention back to Ron, though, as he was trying to speak to her.
"What are you doing?!?" he shouted before another belch. He, too, had caught on to the meaning of her words and was both humiliated and angry he had not used her wand. Calmly, she replied,
"I don't do charity, Weasely. I just offer help when it suits my fancy. It's not like I feel sorry for you. Why would I feel sorry for you? You've got it made: a family, friends, and awesome school, some awesome enemies..." Her eyes narrowed. "I don't do pity, 'specially when it isn't needed." In spite of her words, he was still humiliated. Ooze dribbled down his throat but he ignored it.
"Whose side are you on anyway?"
She cocked her head.
"Mine. Didn't you realize that already?" She held her hand out. "Since you obviously aren't going to use it, can I have my wand back?"
Frustrated, Ron was about to shoot a spell at her, when he found his wand lifted high out of his grasp.
"Tut, tut," she mocked. "Wouldn't want to do that. Remember what happened last time? And I said I want my wand back." Without waiting for an answer, she flicked her fingers. The wand flew toward her, pausing only for one spin to hit the back of Draco's head. He had attempted to hex her again. Once again, the spell had bounced off.
Hermione watched enviously as her fingers closed around the wand. Noticing this, the girl commented,
"Archibald Corzicon." It was the name of the author of several books in the restricted section of the library. Hermione realized she was telling her where to find that spell and ticked it off in her head to check out his books the next time she was there.
Now with her wand safely in her hand, the girl flicked it at Ron and his wand mended instantly.
"Oh, break it up," she snapped at the other Slytherins and Gryffindors, who were wrestling on the ground. They found themselves thrown apart. Glaring at her, they tackled their opponent once again. She shrugged and turned back to the three friends.
"Come on, let's get you to Hagrid's," Harry said to Ron. Hermione nodded and they helped hold Ron up. Harry had watched the whole exchange quietly, thinking. Now Colin, who had been unable to do anything but stare, starstruck, came over and danced around them, attempting to take pictures.
"No pictures," Harry said, pushing his camera down. "Get out of the way."
"What happened?" Colin persisted. "Is he ok? Who is that girl?"
The girl swooped down and sat on her stick to be at eye level with him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried on while Colin was distracted. Behind them, they could hear the girl talking.
"The Slytherins were trying to take over the Gryffindor's Quidditch practice, and Ron's wand backfired when he did a spell. He'll be ok, though, it'll wear off. My name is Kiana Opal, I'm transferring from Durmstrang." Her tone had turned to one of an adult explaining who is the good guy and who is the bad guy to a child during a movie.
"What does your name mean? Opal, like the stone?"
"Yes, opal like the stone. And Kiana is the last part of my longer name. It's in a different language."
"What language?"
"I don't think you've heard of it. But my name, in a direct translation, means 'Dream of the Seaglass', so Kiana means glass."
"That's an odd name."
"Not where I come from."
"Oh, so everyone is named like that at Durmstrang? What's Durmstrang like?"
"No, everyone has different names. I meant where I live. And Durmstrang doesn't like us telling other students too much about it..."
Harry, Hermione, and Ron left Hagrid's hut a little while later, after Ron had mostly finished throwing up slugs. Passing by Professor McGonagall, she informed Ron and Harry that their detentions for driving a flying car to school would take place that night. Then she paused uncertainly.
"Have you seen the transfer student? I hear she caused quite an uproar this morning."
"Uproar?" Ron asked.
Professor McGonagall looked uncomfortable.
"Lucius Malfoy came to Dumbledore's office just a few minutes ago complaining about her arrival. Well, if you see her, tell her that Dumbledore wishes to speak to her, ok? And do please try to make her feel welcome. She comes from a very different place."
Hermione and Harry nodded quickly, but Ron gave only a curt nod. As soon as Professor McGonagall was gone, they began to talk about her.
"Try to make her feel welcome?" Ron demanded, "Looks like she doesn't need any welcoming. She already acts like she owns the place."
"Don't be mean, Ron, she's just a little...outgoing. This is her first day here, cut her a little slack," Hermione said.
"She's rude is what you mean! And all those spells she was showing off! Really flashy but I bet you're much better than her."
"Actually, those look like pretty complicated spells. She just made them look easy," Harry said.
"And she probably just feels a need to assert herself," Hermione added, "She wasn't trying to show off."
"She must have been really influential in her old school. She wanted to arrive with a big BANG! sort of like everyone is accusing us of," Harry said. Ron grinned.
"She knows just what to say to make people do what she wants them to. I mean, you know you're going to go to the library to check out that book she mentioned," Harry said, turning to Hermione. "She's kind of like a master conductor, controlling the whole orchestra." He stopped talking abruptly when he saw Kiana standing in the doorway of an empty classroom. She had been exploring the school when she overheard them talking. Now she grinned, her eyebrows raised.
"I'm glad you think so highly of me, but really, I'm just a normal girl, trying to make friends," she said. Ron snorted.
"You call that trying to make friends?" he asked. Hermione shot him a warning glance and smiled warmly at her. Hermione was about to make some corny comment about how they would be her friends, but Kiana laughed right as she was about to speak.
"I didn't say I was trying to fit in, I said I was trying to make friends. There's a difference," Kiana said.
Hermione agreed with her. Ron had actually meant "fit in" when he said "make friends." She most definitely did not fit in.
"You couldn't fit in if you tried," she said, somehow knowing that would please her. Now Ron shot her a surprised, you're-a-hypocrite glance. She ignored him, and as she had predicted, Kiana smiled faintly, looking pleased.
"You might want to try being a bit less eristic, though," Hermione said, "Or I doubt your methods will be very successful."
"Less eristic?" Kiana looked amused. "It is my nature to be contrary and divisive." Hermione was impressed that she knew what eristic meant, though slightly annoyed at her cavalier treatment of her advice.
"Thanks for the advice though," Kiana said. "I'll think about what you said." She whirled, her cape curling through the air, and began to walk away.
Hermione highly doubted she would give more than a passing thought to what she had said. Actually, Kiana's tone of voice had held an undercurrent of amusement. Hermione couldn't tell if she had said it to be sarcastic or polite.
"She's a real oddball, isn't she," Hermione muttered. Far ahead of her in the corridor, Kiana turned around.
"I prefer peculiar," she called. Hermione's eyes widened as Kiana turned around once again and walked out of sight.
"And she's got an awfully keen sense of hearing," Harry added. They didn't know that far ahead of her, Kiana smiled slightly when she heard their words. They thought she couldn't hear them, but she really did have an "awfully keen sense of hearing."
A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! I loved writing this story and I hope you love reading it too! If you do, REVIEW, if you didn't, REVIEW! :) thanks.