**Crikey, eight pages on Word! Okay, okay, I think I deserve a pat on the
back here...I am stopping the BS, and finally getting to
Hogwarts.....aren't you just all tingly and excited inside? Well, here ya
go....and some of you (not mentioning any names ::grin and wink::) ask if
Charlie will be having a bad relationship with anyone? I am getting to
that.....muahahaha....**
"Charlotte! Harry! Get down here!" Petunia's shrill voice echoed up the stairwell. I shoved my moneybag into my pocket with nervous fingers. Today was the day. September the First. The Hogwarts Express left at 1:45, in a half hour. "HURRY UP!" I yanked my trunk, now almost filled with magical necessities, into the hall, smacking my head on the doorframe.
"Ouch!" I said, sitting hard on my backside. I heard a muffled laugh behind me, and turned crossly to see Harry dragging his trunk down the stairs. He grinned at me, and I could help grinning back. Who wouldn't be in a good mood leaving Privet Drive? I pulled my trunk across the floor behind Harry. When we reached the bottom, Petunia's puckered face appeared hovering over us.
"About time," she said, nostrils pinched. "You'll be late. Take your things to the driveway, you'll have to wait until you get to school to eat lunch." Well, gee golly, that sounded just horrible, I thought to myself. Petunia disappeared into the kitchen at the sound of Dudley's calling, and I said something extremely crude under my breath, causing Harry to drop his trunk in shock. I smiled beatifically and dragged my trunk out the door in front of me. When I reached the car, Vernon hoisted it into the car, followed closely in suit by Harry's. We were ushered into the car, and I spent the twenty minute ride clinging to the door for dear life. Vernon thought it necessary to floor it in order to get me to my train on time. When we reached King's Cross, I tumbled out of the car and sat on the curb, head between my knees. I felt a hand on my back.
"Are you okay?" whispered Harry, with a quick glance at Vernon, who was dumping out trunks on carts. I nodded, taking a deep breath. I stood up, saw stars for a moment, but was fine. I walked over to the cart.
"It's been a lovely summer," said Vernon genially. I grimaced, but he took it for a smile of agreement, and grasped my hand in a farewell shake. "Shall I see you off?"
"No," I said, maybe too quickly. "I mean," I amended, "I've really got to go. Thank you for having me, and for the rides to London and the station. My stepfather is grateful," I added, forcing out a compliment. He was beaming. "Bye, then."
"Until next summer boy," he snarled at Harry. Harry looked back stonily.
"I might be able to go to a friend's house," he said, nostrils pinched.
"All for the best then," replied Vernon. I rolled my eyes and started to move away. I heard Harry's cart squeaking along behind me. I took out my ticket from my pocket and squinted at it.
"Is this some kind of joke?" I asked Harry. I looked up. Platform 9, Platform 10. The ticket said 9 and 3/4. I raised an eyebrow at Harry. He grinned and looked around. His face brightened.
"Harry!" came a voice. I looked in that direction and grinned. It was Ron. "Charlie!" I waved. He trotted up to us. "C'mon, the train's leaving in five minutes," he said. "Hermione got a compartment for us all. Let's go." I turned as he headed straight for the wall. I was prepared to bust up laughing when he walked into it, but he never did. I blinked, and he was gone. I felt my eyes widen, and heard Harry snickering next to me. I glowered at him.
"Just walk right towards the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10," he told me. It was as though he was reciting something. I raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Okay," I said reluctantly. I got into the position to walk straight toward it. "But if I crash into it, you're gonna hear-," I warned. He waved his hand at me.
"Just go," he said, grinning. I sighed and started pushing my cart toward the wall. A few feet away, I closed my eyes. My pace quickened. Suddenly, I was greeted by the normal sounds of a steam engine. I opened my eyes to a scarlet train. Hogwarts Express, read gold letters on the front. There were tons of people mulling around with carts, luggage, and owls, most between the ages of twelve and sixteen. I felt a small bump against my backside and turned to look. It was just Harry, with that stupid grin on his face. I smiled, not without sarcasm, and pushed my cart forward. A man in robes came up to us.
"May I take your luggage, young ones?" he asked kindly. I nodded, smiling at him.
"Yes thanks," I said. He hoisted our trunks up as though they weighed nothing, and disappeared into the crowd. Ron appeared at my side.
"This way, young ones," he said, mimicking. I punched him on the arm and he laughed, leading us onto the train. I looked around, taking everything in. There were students chattering in every compartment, some already wearing their Hogwarts robes. I followed Ron down the train, looking all around, until he stopped and I ran into him.
"Oof," I breathed. I backed up. "What? Why are you-"
"Ah, Weasley," came a cold voice in front of him. I noticed Ron's whole form had gone rigid. His hands were clenched. "I knew I smelled you a few cars away." I raised an eyebrow. Quite a greeting, that was.
"Well, Malfoy," said Ron. His voice had taken on an odd tone, one that didn't suit his laid-back personality. "I highly doubt that I was the cause of the smell. I mean, the last time I saw you with your mother, she had the worst look on her face. It must be you then, eh?" He laughed, completely without humor. I tried to peek around him, but he was too tall. I turned around.
"What's going on?" I mouthed to Harry.
"I can't tell you now," he whispered. "Too long of a story."
"Who's that behind you Weasley?" said the voice of Malfoy. "I swear, you'll be as big as your mum some day. But Potter's talking to someone. Besides himself," he added as an obvious afterthought. Ron started to reply, but I had had just about enough of this. I shoved my way around him to face a pale, blonde guy around our age. He was taller than I was, but not than Harry or Ron. Pretty ballsy of him to confront two guys bigger than he was, I thought at first, but then noticed the two apes accompanying him in the shadows. I stuck out a hand, though I wasn't feeling too friendly at the moment.
"Charlotte Porter," I said. He stared at my hand until I reached forward disgustedly and shook his. "And you are?" He gaped at me for a moment, then shook his head slightly. He seemed to regain that obnoxious air he had taken with Ron.
"Draco Malfoy," he said. I let go of his hand, resisting the urge to wipe my own on my jeans, though there wasn't anything on it. I did not like this guy at all, and he had only said his name to me. No one had ever struck me as so mean before. He smiled sourly at me.
"I can see already that you've fallen into the wrong crowd," he said, lifting an eyebrow. He looked me up and down, making me extremely uncomfortable. "A pity." I ran my tongue along the inside of my cheek.
"Fallen?" I said shrewdly. "I know I'm clumsy, but I'd like to think I'm so graceful as to be able to CHOOSE my own crowd, thank you." I heard Ron snicker, and I stepped on his foot. He stopped. I didn't need back up, not yet. I crossed my arms.
"What exactly is a pity?" I asked him. He started to answer, but I interrupted him. "Me being friends with Harry and Ron? That's a pity? I find it rather fun, actually. But then, you obviously wouldn't know what it's like to have friends like these, since all you've got is gargoyle there." I motioned toward the two bodyguards, who were beginning to make low guttural noises. I bit my tongue. He hadn't really done anything to me, but something about this guy was getting under my skin.
"American, are you?" he said, changing the subject. I cast him an annoyed look. "My father was telling me about you. Americans aren't very good wizards, I've heard. Does it take you longer to learn things?" He looked at me as though I were stupid, and I had to muffle the urge to laugh in his face. I realized he was taking out his wand. I straightened my arm out and out flew my own wand, Cherrywood 7 1/2 inches unicorn hair, from its hiding place in my sleeve.
"Do you really want to find out?" I asked. I must have looked quite dangerous, because his eyes flickered for a moment.
"Charlie?" came Ron's voice. I jumped. I felt the anger that had been building up float away, like the smoke from a candle flame blown out. I blinked a few times, then shoved my wand back into its place in my sweater. Malfoy and his goons stepped aside into a compartment doorway. I shoved my long hair behind my ears. Malfoy made a noise, and I glared at him. He remained silent, cold blue gaze not leaving my face. He seemed to be staring at the side of my head. His eyes had transformed slightly, filled with malice. I turned again and continued down the car.
"Seregaur," he muttered. I whipped around, the color leaving my face, my nostrils pinched.
"What did you just say," I said. I barely controlled myself, my voice almost as audible as a whisper. He looked at me blandly. I made toward him, but Ron caught me around the waist.
"Let me go," I said. My voice was still low, but I couldn't help it. My throat emitted a low, growling noise. He looked slightly regretful. The rage that filled me when he said that word was so strong, I could have killed him right then. Luckily for him, I was so distracted I didn't remember that my wand was in my sleeve. I struggled against Ron's grip, but he was by far stronger than I was.
"Charlie, stop!" he said. He started to carry me down the car.
"You will get yours Malfoy," I said, voice cracking slightly. The adrenaline was leaving me, replaced by an icy hate that I couldn't let go of. Ron carried me into the next car and set me down. I walked the rest of the way myself, fists cold and clenched. I entered the compartment where I dimly heard Hermione and Ginny chatting and took a seat, tucked my feet under me, and stared out the window until my eyes watered. After a few minutes, the train started to move, and I noticed that the only sound was that of the wheels on tracks. I glanced at everyone in the compartment, feeling cold and distant. I saw that Fred and George had entered the room, along with a black guy I didn't recognize.
"Charlie?" said Hermione cautiously. I glanced at her. She looked scared, and I felt my face soften. I looked away. "Charlie, what's wrong?" I shook my head and closed my eyes. I didn't want to recall.
"We met Malfoy," said Ron. I opened my eyes at his tone. He sounded angry, but worried. "He said something to Charlie, though, I don't really know..." He trailed off. Hermione looked at me.
"What? What did he say?" she asked. My nostrils flared, and I felt my eyes unfocus.
"I don't rightly know," said Ron puzzledly. I blinked, glancing at him. "Seddeguar or something." I felt my lips tighten. Everyone was looking at me now.
"He called me-," I started to say. I cleared my throat and looked at my feet. "Seregaur." I heard Hermione gasp, and Fred, George, and their friend made sounds of disbelief.
"I don't mean to sound ignorant," spoke up Harry cautiously. "But, what does that mean?"
"It, it means," Hermione began, flustered. She looked at me incredulously. "But, HOW? I mean, are you really? And if you are, how did he know?" I shook my head, smiling bitterly.
"I didn't know he'd be able to recognize," I started to say; I felt tears rising to the surface, realizing that once my new friends figured out what I was, they probably wouldn't be my friends anymore. I swallowed convulsively and lowered my eyes.
"I mean, I didn't realize," I said awkwardly. How could I say this? "I didn't know that anyone would be familiar enough with, um, yeah, to be able to recognize the physical aspects on sight," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully.
"Could someone please start from the beginning?" pleaded Ron confusedly. "I have no idea what you are talking about." George waved him off impatiently.
"Charlotte, are you telling us that, though the little git," he said, obviously talking about Malfoy, "was horrible to say that word to you, are you saying that there is some truth to what he said?" Everyone looked at me, but I kept my eyes plastered to the floor. There was a long silence.
"Yes," I said finally. Fred let out a deep breath.
"Is it true then?" he asked. I frowned. Hadn't I just said yes? "I mean, are you, er, dangerous? By the way this is Lee Jordan." I smiled without humor.
"Nice to meet you," I said quickly. I chuckled. "And, no, not to any of you. I was so happy to move here, to get away from everyone who knew what I was. I thought I could start over, no one would make judgments before they even knew me. Guess that's out the window." I shrugged. "Can't be worse than at the Academy."
"Will someone please tell me what is going on here!" shouted Ron. I jumped slightly. His ears turned red. "That came out a bit louder than I meant," he muttered. I giggled uncertainly. The whole compartment erupted in laughter. After it all died down, I took a deep breath.
"Okay, Ron," I said, hugging my knees. "I know you deserve an explanation. See, here's the thing. That word Malfoy called me," I began darkly. I paused. I had no idea how to explain. Luckily, Hermione knew more about myself than I did.
"Charlie?" she said inquiringly. I waved her on, let her take the stage. "Okay. Ah, oh, let me just say it. Seregaur," she began. I stiffened slightly, but she didn't notice. "From the Old Language, it means 'wolf blood'." Ginny interrupted her, casting a terrified but determined look in my direction.
"You're a werewolf, you mean?" she asked, turning pink. I shook my head along with Hermione, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.
"No, though a lot of people have people like me confused with werewolves," I told her. Ron still looked bewildered.
"But, I'm still confused-," he said. Hermione cut him off impatiently.
"Just listen," she said hastily. "It really doesn't mean anything dirty, but over the decades it has come to be known as a bit of an insult. Like I said, it only means 'wolf blood', but the Seregaur of old have been said to be in league with Dark wizards." She paused, glancing warily at me. I let the tiniest of quirks into my mouth, and she went on, encouraged. "I actually heard Professor Dumbledore talking about them. He thinks they are very respectable. I'm assuming he was talking about you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded.
"Probably," I said. I hadn't met this headmaster yet, but he sounded like a really great man. Harry had told me that he had given a teaching job to a werewolf a couple years back. I glanced at Harry. He was staring straight ahead, and I lowered my eyes, abashed. He was angry with me.
"...qualities of wolves," Hermione was saying. "If you need an example, they're basically like natural born wolf Animagi, except they can 'morph' halfway, or stay in their human form, or morph all the way into a wolf." Ron and Ginny were gaping at me. I heard a loud clanking noise in the hall, and jumped, eyes widened with alertness. Everyone looked at me, bewildered, until a few minutes later, when a witch with a food cart rolled in front of the door. I relaxed. Fred looked at me incredulously.
"Wait, did you hear her coming?" he asked. I nodded, hiding my embarrassment in buying a chocolate frog and some Bertie Bott's. Everyone was silent, buying things from the cart. I noticed Harry was still in his seat, looking troubled. The witch cast him a curious look, but shrugged and moved on to the next compartment. I popped a jellybean in my mouth. Strawberry shortcake. I let the flavor swirl through my mouth. Everyone was silent.
"Harry?" I said timidly. He stared for a few moments more, then looked at me painfully. I felt my face start to crumble, and I buried my nose in my sweater. Someone was hugging me, and I looked up, eyes glistening. Hermione. Ron came over too and put an arm around me. I smiled, lip trembling.
"We don't care if you're a wolfy person, or a house-elf," said Fred firmly, shoving Ron out of the way and taking his place. My smile widened. I glanced at Harry, who was still looking at me, and felt it flicker. I shrugged off the hugs politely and stepped over to him.
"What are you thinking?" I asked, little hope left in my voice. He looked at me quizzically, then something dawned on his face.
"Oh, no, no, no!" he said. His face clouded slightly. "I was just thinking........how much I want to hit Malfoy...." He looked at me seriously. "You must know.....we'd never desert you for such a minor thing...." I beamed at him.
"Yeah, our second year at Hogwarts," said Hermione, shaking her head. "Malfoy went around calling me a, ah, a Mudblood." My hatred of this Malfoy character was renewed. That was a blatant and dirty insult, worse than seregaur. I made a face.
"Don't worry, I am SO going to get him," I said. Hermione looked worried.
"But, um, if you attack another student-," she said.
"I'm not going to ATTACK anyone," I said testily. Her mouth quirked. "But he WILL hate me by the end of the year," I said darkly. Harry slung an arm around my shoulder.
"Welcome to the club," he said with a grin. I forced a smile, but still paled at the thought of Malfoy telling everyone. Which, of course, I knew he would. Ron still looked confused.
"I'm still a bit shady on this whole thing," he said, frowning. "You're a human wolf, but not a werewolf? How...?" I smiled, biting my lip.
"That just means," I said, looking him in the eye. I let a breath out. "That I can do this," I paused, closed my eyes, and opened them again, flashing them a toothy grin. Everyone gasped. There was nothing to see my reflection in, but I knew what it looked like. Blue eyes, turned to a harsh, oval yellow; canines lengthened and pointy. I stopped and closed my eyes again. When I opened them, I knew they were back to blue again. I rolled my neck and sighed.
"Wow, I haven't done that all summer," I breathed. I glanced at everyone; they looked at me with a horrified fascination.
"That," said Ron. He looked dangerously close to either fainting or screaming. "That," he said again, "was bloody brilliant." I grinned.
"Why, thank you," I said courteously.
"What else can you do?" asked George eagerly. Hermione stepped in hastily.
"Stop, you guys," she said. She glanced at me apologetically, then continued scolding them. "She not a circus act, you know."
"We know THAT," jumped in Fred. "Charlie's got some hidden talents, we are simply proposing that she show them to us." He raised an eyebrow. I sighed with mock impatience.
"Really, guys," I said, clucking my tongue. "Try reading a BOOK once in a while." I plopped down nonchalantly in my seat. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm still a witch, ya know. Just, with extra abilities."
"Harry's got 'extra abilities'," Ron blurted. He turned scarlet, and Harry smacked him on the arm.
"Ron!" he hissed embarrassedly. I raised an eyebrow.
"Harry?" I said innocently. I looked around with wide eyes. "I just shared a dreadful secret, here! Your turn," I told him. I interrupted his protests. "Ah, ah, ah, please? It would make me feel better," I smiled sweetly at him. He hunched his shoulders.
"I can't just DO it," he mumbled. "I've got to be facing a, you know..." Now I was curious.
"No, I don't know," I said pointedly. He sighed.
"I'm a Parselmouth," he said bluntly. Whatever I had been expecting, it wasn't that. My eyes widened like never before, and my mouth dropped so quickly, I looked down to make sure it wasn't on the floor.
"But, but," I spluttered. "I thought you defeated Him, like, five times?!"
"Four," he said sharply. He shrugged. "I guess when I got this," he motioned toward his forehead, his scar, "Vol -, er, You-Know-Who's power transferred to me. I'm not evil or anything," he said hastily. I smiled wryly.
"Yeah, me neither, dude," I agreed. I popped a jellybean in my mouth, made a sound of disgust, and spit it out the window. "Hey, I love clams; I'm from the East Coast, right? But in a jelly bean? That's just wrong."
"Charlotte! Harry! Get down here!" Petunia's shrill voice echoed up the stairwell. I shoved my moneybag into my pocket with nervous fingers. Today was the day. September the First. The Hogwarts Express left at 1:45, in a half hour. "HURRY UP!" I yanked my trunk, now almost filled with magical necessities, into the hall, smacking my head on the doorframe.
"Ouch!" I said, sitting hard on my backside. I heard a muffled laugh behind me, and turned crossly to see Harry dragging his trunk down the stairs. He grinned at me, and I could help grinning back. Who wouldn't be in a good mood leaving Privet Drive? I pulled my trunk across the floor behind Harry. When we reached the bottom, Petunia's puckered face appeared hovering over us.
"About time," she said, nostrils pinched. "You'll be late. Take your things to the driveway, you'll have to wait until you get to school to eat lunch." Well, gee golly, that sounded just horrible, I thought to myself. Petunia disappeared into the kitchen at the sound of Dudley's calling, and I said something extremely crude under my breath, causing Harry to drop his trunk in shock. I smiled beatifically and dragged my trunk out the door in front of me. When I reached the car, Vernon hoisted it into the car, followed closely in suit by Harry's. We were ushered into the car, and I spent the twenty minute ride clinging to the door for dear life. Vernon thought it necessary to floor it in order to get me to my train on time. When we reached King's Cross, I tumbled out of the car and sat on the curb, head between my knees. I felt a hand on my back.
"Are you okay?" whispered Harry, with a quick glance at Vernon, who was dumping out trunks on carts. I nodded, taking a deep breath. I stood up, saw stars for a moment, but was fine. I walked over to the cart.
"It's been a lovely summer," said Vernon genially. I grimaced, but he took it for a smile of agreement, and grasped my hand in a farewell shake. "Shall I see you off?"
"No," I said, maybe too quickly. "I mean," I amended, "I've really got to go. Thank you for having me, and for the rides to London and the station. My stepfather is grateful," I added, forcing out a compliment. He was beaming. "Bye, then."
"Until next summer boy," he snarled at Harry. Harry looked back stonily.
"I might be able to go to a friend's house," he said, nostrils pinched.
"All for the best then," replied Vernon. I rolled my eyes and started to move away. I heard Harry's cart squeaking along behind me. I took out my ticket from my pocket and squinted at it.
"Is this some kind of joke?" I asked Harry. I looked up. Platform 9, Platform 10. The ticket said 9 and 3/4. I raised an eyebrow at Harry. He grinned and looked around. His face brightened.
"Harry!" came a voice. I looked in that direction and grinned. It was Ron. "Charlie!" I waved. He trotted up to us. "C'mon, the train's leaving in five minutes," he said. "Hermione got a compartment for us all. Let's go." I turned as he headed straight for the wall. I was prepared to bust up laughing when he walked into it, but he never did. I blinked, and he was gone. I felt my eyes widen, and heard Harry snickering next to me. I glowered at him.
"Just walk right towards the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10," he told me. It was as though he was reciting something. I raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Okay," I said reluctantly. I got into the position to walk straight toward it. "But if I crash into it, you're gonna hear-," I warned. He waved his hand at me.
"Just go," he said, grinning. I sighed and started pushing my cart toward the wall. A few feet away, I closed my eyes. My pace quickened. Suddenly, I was greeted by the normal sounds of a steam engine. I opened my eyes to a scarlet train. Hogwarts Express, read gold letters on the front. There were tons of people mulling around with carts, luggage, and owls, most between the ages of twelve and sixteen. I felt a small bump against my backside and turned to look. It was just Harry, with that stupid grin on his face. I smiled, not without sarcasm, and pushed my cart forward. A man in robes came up to us.
"May I take your luggage, young ones?" he asked kindly. I nodded, smiling at him.
"Yes thanks," I said. He hoisted our trunks up as though they weighed nothing, and disappeared into the crowd. Ron appeared at my side.
"This way, young ones," he said, mimicking. I punched him on the arm and he laughed, leading us onto the train. I looked around, taking everything in. There were students chattering in every compartment, some already wearing their Hogwarts robes. I followed Ron down the train, looking all around, until he stopped and I ran into him.
"Oof," I breathed. I backed up. "What? Why are you-"
"Ah, Weasley," came a cold voice in front of him. I noticed Ron's whole form had gone rigid. His hands were clenched. "I knew I smelled you a few cars away." I raised an eyebrow. Quite a greeting, that was.
"Well, Malfoy," said Ron. His voice had taken on an odd tone, one that didn't suit his laid-back personality. "I highly doubt that I was the cause of the smell. I mean, the last time I saw you with your mother, she had the worst look on her face. It must be you then, eh?" He laughed, completely without humor. I tried to peek around him, but he was too tall. I turned around.
"What's going on?" I mouthed to Harry.
"I can't tell you now," he whispered. "Too long of a story."
"Who's that behind you Weasley?" said the voice of Malfoy. "I swear, you'll be as big as your mum some day. But Potter's talking to someone. Besides himself," he added as an obvious afterthought. Ron started to reply, but I had had just about enough of this. I shoved my way around him to face a pale, blonde guy around our age. He was taller than I was, but not than Harry or Ron. Pretty ballsy of him to confront two guys bigger than he was, I thought at first, but then noticed the two apes accompanying him in the shadows. I stuck out a hand, though I wasn't feeling too friendly at the moment.
"Charlotte Porter," I said. He stared at my hand until I reached forward disgustedly and shook his. "And you are?" He gaped at me for a moment, then shook his head slightly. He seemed to regain that obnoxious air he had taken with Ron.
"Draco Malfoy," he said. I let go of his hand, resisting the urge to wipe my own on my jeans, though there wasn't anything on it. I did not like this guy at all, and he had only said his name to me. No one had ever struck me as so mean before. He smiled sourly at me.
"I can see already that you've fallen into the wrong crowd," he said, lifting an eyebrow. He looked me up and down, making me extremely uncomfortable. "A pity." I ran my tongue along the inside of my cheek.
"Fallen?" I said shrewdly. "I know I'm clumsy, but I'd like to think I'm so graceful as to be able to CHOOSE my own crowd, thank you." I heard Ron snicker, and I stepped on his foot. He stopped. I didn't need back up, not yet. I crossed my arms.
"What exactly is a pity?" I asked him. He started to answer, but I interrupted him. "Me being friends with Harry and Ron? That's a pity? I find it rather fun, actually. But then, you obviously wouldn't know what it's like to have friends like these, since all you've got is gargoyle there." I motioned toward the two bodyguards, who were beginning to make low guttural noises. I bit my tongue. He hadn't really done anything to me, but something about this guy was getting under my skin.
"American, are you?" he said, changing the subject. I cast him an annoyed look. "My father was telling me about you. Americans aren't very good wizards, I've heard. Does it take you longer to learn things?" He looked at me as though I were stupid, and I had to muffle the urge to laugh in his face. I realized he was taking out his wand. I straightened my arm out and out flew my own wand, Cherrywood 7 1/2 inches unicorn hair, from its hiding place in my sleeve.
"Do you really want to find out?" I asked. I must have looked quite dangerous, because his eyes flickered for a moment.
"Charlie?" came Ron's voice. I jumped. I felt the anger that had been building up float away, like the smoke from a candle flame blown out. I blinked a few times, then shoved my wand back into its place in my sweater. Malfoy and his goons stepped aside into a compartment doorway. I shoved my long hair behind my ears. Malfoy made a noise, and I glared at him. He remained silent, cold blue gaze not leaving my face. He seemed to be staring at the side of my head. His eyes had transformed slightly, filled with malice. I turned again and continued down the car.
"Seregaur," he muttered. I whipped around, the color leaving my face, my nostrils pinched.
"What did you just say," I said. I barely controlled myself, my voice almost as audible as a whisper. He looked at me blandly. I made toward him, but Ron caught me around the waist.
"Let me go," I said. My voice was still low, but I couldn't help it. My throat emitted a low, growling noise. He looked slightly regretful. The rage that filled me when he said that word was so strong, I could have killed him right then. Luckily for him, I was so distracted I didn't remember that my wand was in my sleeve. I struggled against Ron's grip, but he was by far stronger than I was.
"Charlie, stop!" he said. He started to carry me down the car.
"You will get yours Malfoy," I said, voice cracking slightly. The adrenaline was leaving me, replaced by an icy hate that I couldn't let go of. Ron carried me into the next car and set me down. I walked the rest of the way myself, fists cold and clenched. I entered the compartment where I dimly heard Hermione and Ginny chatting and took a seat, tucked my feet under me, and stared out the window until my eyes watered. After a few minutes, the train started to move, and I noticed that the only sound was that of the wheels on tracks. I glanced at everyone in the compartment, feeling cold and distant. I saw that Fred and George had entered the room, along with a black guy I didn't recognize.
"Charlie?" said Hermione cautiously. I glanced at her. She looked scared, and I felt my face soften. I looked away. "Charlie, what's wrong?" I shook my head and closed my eyes. I didn't want to recall.
"We met Malfoy," said Ron. I opened my eyes at his tone. He sounded angry, but worried. "He said something to Charlie, though, I don't really know..." He trailed off. Hermione looked at me.
"What? What did he say?" she asked. My nostrils flared, and I felt my eyes unfocus.
"I don't rightly know," said Ron puzzledly. I blinked, glancing at him. "Seddeguar or something." I felt my lips tighten. Everyone was looking at me now.
"He called me-," I started to say. I cleared my throat and looked at my feet. "Seregaur." I heard Hermione gasp, and Fred, George, and their friend made sounds of disbelief.
"I don't mean to sound ignorant," spoke up Harry cautiously. "But, what does that mean?"
"It, it means," Hermione began, flustered. She looked at me incredulously. "But, HOW? I mean, are you really? And if you are, how did he know?" I shook my head, smiling bitterly.
"I didn't know he'd be able to recognize," I started to say; I felt tears rising to the surface, realizing that once my new friends figured out what I was, they probably wouldn't be my friends anymore. I swallowed convulsively and lowered my eyes.
"I mean, I didn't realize," I said awkwardly. How could I say this? "I didn't know that anyone would be familiar enough with, um, yeah, to be able to recognize the physical aspects on sight," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully.
"Could someone please start from the beginning?" pleaded Ron confusedly. "I have no idea what you are talking about." George waved him off impatiently.
"Charlotte, are you telling us that, though the little git," he said, obviously talking about Malfoy, "was horrible to say that word to you, are you saying that there is some truth to what he said?" Everyone looked at me, but I kept my eyes plastered to the floor. There was a long silence.
"Yes," I said finally. Fred let out a deep breath.
"Is it true then?" he asked. I frowned. Hadn't I just said yes? "I mean, are you, er, dangerous? By the way this is Lee Jordan." I smiled without humor.
"Nice to meet you," I said quickly. I chuckled. "And, no, not to any of you. I was so happy to move here, to get away from everyone who knew what I was. I thought I could start over, no one would make judgments before they even knew me. Guess that's out the window." I shrugged. "Can't be worse than at the Academy."
"Will someone please tell me what is going on here!" shouted Ron. I jumped slightly. His ears turned red. "That came out a bit louder than I meant," he muttered. I giggled uncertainly. The whole compartment erupted in laughter. After it all died down, I took a deep breath.
"Okay, Ron," I said, hugging my knees. "I know you deserve an explanation. See, here's the thing. That word Malfoy called me," I began darkly. I paused. I had no idea how to explain. Luckily, Hermione knew more about myself than I did.
"Charlie?" she said inquiringly. I waved her on, let her take the stage. "Okay. Ah, oh, let me just say it. Seregaur," she began. I stiffened slightly, but she didn't notice. "From the Old Language, it means 'wolf blood'." Ginny interrupted her, casting a terrified but determined look in my direction.
"You're a werewolf, you mean?" she asked, turning pink. I shook my head along with Hermione, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.
"No, though a lot of people have people like me confused with werewolves," I told her. Ron still looked bewildered.
"But, I'm still confused-," he said. Hermione cut him off impatiently.
"Just listen," she said hastily. "It really doesn't mean anything dirty, but over the decades it has come to be known as a bit of an insult. Like I said, it only means 'wolf blood', but the Seregaur of old have been said to be in league with Dark wizards." She paused, glancing warily at me. I let the tiniest of quirks into my mouth, and she went on, encouraged. "I actually heard Professor Dumbledore talking about them. He thinks they are very respectable. I'm assuming he was talking about you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded.
"Probably," I said. I hadn't met this headmaster yet, but he sounded like a really great man. Harry had told me that he had given a teaching job to a werewolf a couple years back. I glanced at Harry. He was staring straight ahead, and I lowered my eyes, abashed. He was angry with me.
"...qualities of wolves," Hermione was saying. "If you need an example, they're basically like natural born wolf Animagi, except they can 'morph' halfway, or stay in their human form, or morph all the way into a wolf." Ron and Ginny were gaping at me. I heard a loud clanking noise in the hall, and jumped, eyes widened with alertness. Everyone looked at me, bewildered, until a few minutes later, when a witch with a food cart rolled in front of the door. I relaxed. Fred looked at me incredulously.
"Wait, did you hear her coming?" he asked. I nodded, hiding my embarrassment in buying a chocolate frog and some Bertie Bott's. Everyone was silent, buying things from the cart. I noticed Harry was still in his seat, looking troubled. The witch cast him a curious look, but shrugged and moved on to the next compartment. I popped a jellybean in my mouth. Strawberry shortcake. I let the flavor swirl through my mouth. Everyone was silent.
"Harry?" I said timidly. He stared for a few moments more, then looked at me painfully. I felt my face start to crumble, and I buried my nose in my sweater. Someone was hugging me, and I looked up, eyes glistening. Hermione. Ron came over too and put an arm around me. I smiled, lip trembling.
"We don't care if you're a wolfy person, or a house-elf," said Fred firmly, shoving Ron out of the way and taking his place. My smile widened. I glanced at Harry, who was still looking at me, and felt it flicker. I shrugged off the hugs politely and stepped over to him.
"What are you thinking?" I asked, little hope left in my voice. He looked at me quizzically, then something dawned on his face.
"Oh, no, no, no!" he said. His face clouded slightly. "I was just thinking........how much I want to hit Malfoy...." He looked at me seriously. "You must know.....we'd never desert you for such a minor thing...." I beamed at him.
"Yeah, our second year at Hogwarts," said Hermione, shaking her head. "Malfoy went around calling me a, ah, a Mudblood." My hatred of this Malfoy character was renewed. That was a blatant and dirty insult, worse than seregaur. I made a face.
"Don't worry, I am SO going to get him," I said. Hermione looked worried.
"But, um, if you attack another student-," she said.
"I'm not going to ATTACK anyone," I said testily. Her mouth quirked. "But he WILL hate me by the end of the year," I said darkly. Harry slung an arm around my shoulder.
"Welcome to the club," he said with a grin. I forced a smile, but still paled at the thought of Malfoy telling everyone. Which, of course, I knew he would. Ron still looked confused.
"I'm still a bit shady on this whole thing," he said, frowning. "You're a human wolf, but not a werewolf? How...?" I smiled, biting my lip.
"That just means," I said, looking him in the eye. I let a breath out. "That I can do this," I paused, closed my eyes, and opened them again, flashing them a toothy grin. Everyone gasped. There was nothing to see my reflection in, but I knew what it looked like. Blue eyes, turned to a harsh, oval yellow; canines lengthened and pointy. I stopped and closed my eyes again. When I opened them, I knew they were back to blue again. I rolled my neck and sighed.
"Wow, I haven't done that all summer," I breathed. I glanced at everyone; they looked at me with a horrified fascination.
"That," said Ron. He looked dangerously close to either fainting or screaming. "That," he said again, "was bloody brilliant." I grinned.
"Why, thank you," I said courteously.
"What else can you do?" asked George eagerly. Hermione stepped in hastily.
"Stop, you guys," she said. She glanced at me apologetically, then continued scolding them. "She not a circus act, you know."
"We know THAT," jumped in Fred. "Charlie's got some hidden talents, we are simply proposing that she show them to us." He raised an eyebrow. I sighed with mock impatience.
"Really, guys," I said, clucking my tongue. "Try reading a BOOK once in a while." I plopped down nonchalantly in my seat. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm still a witch, ya know. Just, with extra abilities."
"Harry's got 'extra abilities'," Ron blurted. He turned scarlet, and Harry smacked him on the arm.
"Ron!" he hissed embarrassedly. I raised an eyebrow.
"Harry?" I said innocently. I looked around with wide eyes. "I just shared a dreadful secret, here! Your turn," I told him. I interrupted his protests. "Ah, ah, ah, please? It would make me feel better," I smiled sweetly at him. He hunched his shoulders.
"I can't just DO it," he mumbled. "I've got to be facing a, you know..." Now I was curious.
"No, I don't know," I said pointedly. He sighed.
"I'm a Parselmouth," he said bluntly. Whatever I had been expecting, it wasn't that. My eyes widened like never before, and my mouth dropped so quickly, I looked down to make sure it wasn't on the floor.
"But, but," I spluttered. "I thought you defeated Him, like, five times?!"
"Four," he said sharply. He shrugged. "I guess when I got this," he motioned toward his forehead, his scar, "Vol -, er, You-Know-Who's power transferred to me. I'm not evil or anything," he said hastily. I smiled wryly.
"Yeah, me neither, dude," I agreed. I popped a jellybean in my mouth, made a sound of disgust, and spit it out the window. "Hey, I love clams; I'm from the East Coast, right? But in a jelly bean? That's just wrong."