~Draika~
Chapter Three: King's Cross
Draika looked around King's Cross, heavy trunk in tow. She'd paid the taximan, who had made no move to help her with it. Jerk. But then again, she didn't really blame him. As she was looking around, she spotted several other wizarding children, or guessed to have: She could tell by their trunks and the occasional owl. Lugging her trunk along with her, she slowly made her way to the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
"Nine and three-quarters…" She muttered, recalling the letter. "Yes, this is it."
Before she fell through the barrier, she spotted that red haired boy again…he was talking to his friends. Did he see her? Hopefully not. Shaking her head, she quickly slipped through the barrier, into the platform. The first thing she saw was a huge scarlet steam engine, an old-fashioned train. What seemed like hundreds of students were already there, saying goodbye to their parents and meeting their friends again.
"Rrrrgh." She dragged her trunk over, only because she didn't want to waste time looking for those stupid cart-things others put their luggage on. When she got to one of the entrances to the train, it was mercifully not crowded.
Lifting her trunk up into the doorway, she kicked it out of the way so she'd have room. Bending down to get a hold on one of the handles, she realized the car was full of people, most of them talking, laughing, eating. The ones that weren't were staring at her. Great.
Scowling, she stared back, taking off with her trunk as fast as the blasted thing would allow her. She walked past dozens of taken compartments. Just when she thougth she was going to have to settle for the public car, she saw an empty one. Sighing in relief, she luched inside, nearly collapsing on the window seat. That trunk was HEAVY.
Standing, she stowed it in its little compartment under the seat, leaning back to rest. As the train began to move, she took out her book, reading a chapter before standing again. Glancing around suspiciously, she slowly took off her long cloak. That thing really got warm, especially when she did all that exercise. She still wore long robes under it, hiding her legs and feet. But her arms were now bare-her robes were short-armed. Looking down at them, she smiled-half sad, half laughing.
"What a mess…" She said to herself. Her arms were beginning to be covered with dark bronze and tarnished copper
scales, mostly by her forearms but slowly spreading. Her hands, while mostly normal despite the scales, sported a short golden claw at the end of each fingertip, each claw maybe about half an inch long, probably less. No one really paid attention to those-half of the wizarding teens she'd met in Romania wore fake ones anyway. She traced a claw along the scales on her upper arm, the ones that were just mere tattoos, not yet scales…
A sudden noise outside her door made her make a mad grab for her cloak. How could she have been so careless? She stood, struggling to pull it over her head. Turning around, she saw…what's his name…Ron. She saw Ron and his two friends, searching for a compartment. Ron was outside her door, staring at it as if it might attack her. He couldn't see her through the frosted glass, but Draika's eyes were now specially adapted for seeing through reflective surfaces such as water and glass. The other two…Draika couldn't see the girl-"Probably searching still…"-but the other boy was standing beside his friend, making a 'go on' gesture. She could now see he had bright green eyes, glasses, and a weird lighting scar on his forehead…she blinked. Maybe she'd ask about that later.
She waited a few minutes. Ron's hand had reached towards the door several times, but he had never succeeded in actually touching it. Finally she walked and opened the door, maybe a bit too suddenly. Both boys leapt back, startled.
"Is there something I can help you with?" She asked, trying to be friendly. Ugh. She tugged her sleeves down self-consciously, glancing down the corridor both ways for anyone else.
Ron's ears turned red. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The other boy stepped forward, giving Ron a sympathetic pat on the back.
"Yeah. We can't find any other compartments, and Ron was going to ask if we could share with you?" His green eyes were searching, but not suspicious.
Draika nodded, stepping aside so they could come in. Ron hesitated, but his friend pushed him in.
"I'd better go tell Hermione." He left the compartment, going to find the other girl. Draika turned back to Ron, sitting down.
"That crowded, huh?" She asked.
"Uh…yeah…" He replied, obviously uncomfortable.
"Who's your friend?"
"Harry Potter."
"Oh." Draika turned to look out the window. She might have heard that name before, but at the time it really didn't strike a bell.
"Oh?"
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
"No…er…no…" Ron stuttered.
"It's Draika."
"…Draika."
The girl nodded. "Yes."
Fortunately, Harry returned with Hermione then, or that conversation might have gone on and on and taken up the rest of my precious chapter!
"So. What's YOUR name?" Hermione said promptly upon sitting down. A large ginger cat followed her, leaping onto her lap and purring contentedly.
"I'm Draika. And you're Hermione."
Hermione blinked, but said nothing of it. "I see you're transferring?" She asked eagerly. "Ron's father said you were in Romania?"
"Ron's father?" Draika asked. If Ron's father knew she was in Romania, he probably knew more…
"Mr. Weasley."
"Oh, him…yes, he helped in the arrangements to bring me here…" Mr. Weasley. Yes. One of the very few, few, few people who knew her secret…
"So what's it like in a Romanian school?"
"Well…" Draika spent the better part of four hours talking about her four years at Lambaskian's. She found herself opening up, answering all their questions when two years ago she might have kept them entirely from her prescence. Somewhere in that space of time, the food cart arrived. Both boys sprang up, rushing to the door. Hermione followed more slowly while Draika stayed in her seat, watching the ginger cat she'd come to know as Crookshanks. He watched her warily, fur on his back slightly bristling, though it was hard to tell because he had so much of it. Draika snorted.
"Animals…" She was sure they could sense her…unnaturalness. She had no time to think on that any further, because her friends returned, dumping a large pile of sweets on the last empty seat. Ron immediately started chowing down.
"You look half-starved." Draika commented, laughing.
"Yeah. Mum packed me corned beef-"
"Corned beef?" Her attention was immediately piqued. "May I have them?"
Ron gave her a puzzled look, but handed them over. In three large bites, both of the sandwiches were gone-but the bread remained.
Harry stared at the bread, apparently put off.
"So..any idea what house you'll be in?" He asked mildly.
Draika shook her head. "No…" She looked out the window, watching the hills pass by. It was dark outside, and a rain was beginning to fall. She smiled. She liked the rain.
Hermione looked up from petting Crookshanks.
"We're all in the same house--Gryffindor." She said. The compartment was suddenly full of an uncomfortable feeling, like someone had said something wrong or hurtful. Ron shifted, ears turning red.
~What if I'm in Slytherin?~ Draika thought. ~That wouldn't be too bad…but I've heard of the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry…they probably wouldn't want-~
Her thoughts were interrupted by the compartment door slamming open. A smirking boy with flat blonde hair and malicious blue eyes stood there, flanked by two other boys that looked as if they had a boulder or two in their family trees. The boy stepped into the room. Then Draika realized she was the only one not standing. Ron, Harry, and Hermione had jumped up, hands on their wands. The blonde boy shook his head, laughing.
"You're always looking for a fight, aren't you, Potter?" He spat out the name as if it carried a foul taste. "How fortunate. So am I." He raised his own wand, his two lackeys clenching their fists. Draika watched, unsure.
Before an all-out student war could break out, he spotted her. Sneering, he walked over so he was right in front of her. "And who's this?" He scoffed. "A new friend of these mangy three? You think they'd know better than to mess with me. I'm Draco Malfoy, and those two're Crabbe and Goyle."
Draika continued to glare at him, claws ripping chunks out of the train's upholstered seat. She didn't like this boy. Probably a Slytherin. But there was something about his indifference and overall meanness that she agreed with, somehow. As Draco held out his hand for her to shake, she stood. She felt awful, but it was her decision. Hers alone. She wished she could just freeze time and go ask Cirrus..he always knew what to do. But she wasn't in Romania any longer.
"Draika V'tana." She did not shake his hand. Glancing over at her three acquaintances…for they were more of acquaintances than friends…she saw they were frozen, watching, along with Crabbe and Goyle. "And I'll probably be seeing you soon." She smiled, but her three acquaintances didn't see. As the train lurched to a halt she stormed out of the room, furious with herself for letting her emotions get the better of her like that. Why was she so afraid of losing those three as friends? It had been no problem before, certainly!
She sighed, stepping off the train. The little drizzle had turned into an absolute downpour now. Hundreds of students were disembarking, most of them going towards horseless carriages. A hugs man stood by an icy-looking lake, waving for the first years. Draika walked over quickly, not wanting to have to face any of the people that had been in the compartment just yet. As she climbed into one of the rickety boats, she suddenly felt at ease. She wished she could go for a swim…she'd always liked swimming…but then everyone would probably make a fuss about it. No one wanted to share a boat with her, so she grabbed both oars and rowed across with the group, pleased with herself.
Not even the first day and people were already freaked out by her. Nice. Very nice. She trailed her fingers in the water a bit, then stopped when she realized she was lagging a bit.
When she looked up, there stood a great castle in front of them, all lit up like a pottery piece she had seen in Romania-you put a candle inside and the windows lit up. They climbed up the great stone steps…Draika's mind was uncharacteristically silent, almost reverent. She wasn't nervous…just….okay, a little nervous. Glancing up sharply, she spotted the large man looking at her curiously. Turning away, she walked though the great wooden doors that had opened, not knowing what to expect…
-----------------------------------
Well, there you are! It took awhile, but you now have chapter three! ^_^ What house should she be in? It's a toss up between Slytherin and Gryffindor…I'm leaning more towards Slytherin, but what do you think? Please R&R!
Chapter Three: King's Cross
Draika looked around King's Cross, heavy trunk in tow. She'd paid the taximan, who had made no move to help her with it. Jerk. But then again, she didn't really blame him. As she was looking around, she spotted several other wizarding children, or guessed to have: She could tell by their trunks and the occasional owl. Lugging her trunk along with her, she slowly made her way to the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
"Nine and three-quarters…" She muttered, recalling the letter. "Yes, this is it."
Before she fell through the barrier, she spotted that red haired boy again…he was talking to his friends. Did he see her? Hopefully not. Shaking her head, she quickly slipped through the barrier, into the platform. The first thing she saw was a huge scarlet steam engine, an old-fashioned train. What seemed like hundreds of students were already there, saying goodbye to their parents and meeting their friends again.
"Rrrrgh." She dragged her trunk over, only because she didn't want to waste time looking for those stupid cart-things others put their luggage on. When she got to one of the entrances to the train, it was mercifully not crowded.
Lifting her trunk up into the doorway, she kicked it out of the way so she'd have room. Bending down to get a hold on one of the handles, she realized the car was full of people, most of them talking, laughing, eating. The ones that weren't were staring at her. Great.
Scowling, she stared back, taking off with her trunk as fast as the blasted thing would allow her. She walked past dozens of taken compartments. Just when she thougth she was going to have to settle for the public car, she saw an empty one. Sighing in relief, she luched inside, nearly collapsing on the window seat. That trunk was HEAVY.
Standing, she stowed it in its little compartment under the seat, leaning back to rest. As the train began to move, she took out her book, reading a chapter before standing again. Glancing around suspiciously, she slowly took off her long cloak. That thing really got warm, especially when she did all that exercise. She still wore long robes under it, hiding her legs and feet. But her arms were now bare-her robes were short-armed. Looking down at them, she smiled-half sad, half laughing.
"What a mess…" She said to herself. Her arms were beginning to be covered with dark bronze and tarnished copper
scales, mostly by her forearms but slowly spreading. Her hands, while mostly normal despite the scales, sported a short golden claw at the end of each fingertip, each claw maybe about half an inch long, probably less. No one really paid attention to those-half of the wizarding teens she'd met in Romania wore fake ones anyway. She traced a claw along the scales on her upper arm, the ones that were just mere tattoos, not yet scales…
A sudden noise outside her door made her make a mad grab for her cloak. How could she have been so careless? She stood, struggling to pull it over her head. Turning around, she saw…what's his name…Ron. She saw Ron and his two friends, searching for a compartment. Ron was outside her door, staring at it as if it might attack her. He couldn't see her through the frosted glass, but Draika's eyes were now specially adapted for seeing through reflective surfaces such as water and glass. The other two…Draika couldn't see the girl-"Probably searching still…"-but the other boy was standing beside his friend, making a 'go on' gesture. She could now see he had bright green eyes, glasses, and a weird lighting scar on his forehead…she blinked. Maybe she'd ask about that later.
She waited a few minutes. Ron's hand had reached towards the door several times, but he had never succeeded in actually touching it. Finally she walked and opened the door, maybe a bit too suddenly. Both boys leapt back, startled.
"Is there something I can help you with?" She asked, trying to be friendly. Ugh. She tugged her sleeves down self-consciously, glancing down the corridor both ways for anyone else.
Ron's ears turned red. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The other boy stepped forward, giving Ron a sympathetic pat on the back.
"Yeah. We can't find any other compartments, and Ron was going to ask if we could share with you?" His green eyes were searching, but not suspicious.
Draika nodded, stepping aside so they could come in. Ron hesitated, but his friend pushed him in.
"I'd better go tell Hermione." He left the compartment, going to find the other girl. Draika turned back to Ron, sitting down.
"That crowded, huh?" She asked.
"Uh…yeah…" He replied, obviously uncomfortable.
"Who's your friend?"
"Harry Potter."
"Oh." Draika turned to look out the window. She might have heard that name before, but at the time it really didn't strike a bell.
"Oh?"
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
"No…er…no…" Ron stuttered.
"It's Draika."
"…Draika."
The girl nodded. "Yes."
Fortunately, Harry returned with Hermione then, or that conversation might have gone on and on and taken up the rest of my precious chapter!
"So. What's YOUR name?" Hermione said promptly upon sitting down. A large ginger cat followed her, leaping onto her lap and purring contentedly.
"I'm Draika. And you're Hermione."
Hermione blinked, but said nothing of it. "I see you're transferring?" She asked eagerly. "Ron's father said you were in Romania?"
"Ron's father?" Draika asked. If Ron's father knew she was in Romania, he probably knew more…
"Mr. Weasley."
"Oh, him…yes, he helped in the arrangements to bring me here…" Mr. Weasley. Yes. One of the very few, few, few people who knew her secret…
"So what's it like in a Romanian school?"
"Well…" Draika spent the better part of four hours talking about her four years at Lambaskian's. She found herself opening up, answering all their questions when two years ago she might have kept them entirely from her prescence. Somewhere in that space of time, the food cart arrived. Both boys sprang up, rushing to the door. Hermione followed more slowly while Draika stayed in her seat, watching the ginger cat she'd come to know as Crookshanks. He watched her warily, fur on his back slightly bristling, though it was hard to tell because he had so much of it. Draika snorted.
"Animals…" She was sure they could sense her…unnaturalness. She had no time to think on that any further, because her friends returned, dumping a large pile of sweets on the last empty seat. Ron immediately started chowing down.
"You look half-starved." Draika commented, laughing.
"Yeah. Mum packed me corned beef-"
"Corned beef?" Her attention was immediately piqued. "May I have them?"
Ron gave her a puzzled look, but handed them over. In three large bites, both of the sandwiches were gone-but the bread remained.
Harry stared at the bread, apparently put off.
"So..any idea what house you'll be in?" He asked mildly.
Draika shook her head. "No…" She looked out the window, watching the hills pass by. It was dark outside, and a rain was beginning to fall. She smiled. She liked the rain.
Hermione looked up from petting Crookshanks.
"We're all in the same house--Gryffindor." She said. The compartment was suddenly full of an uncomfortable feeling, like someone had said something wrong or hurtful. Ron shifted, ears turning red.
~What if I'm in Slytherin?~ Draika thought. ~That wouldn't be too bad…but I've heard of the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry…they probably wouldn't want-~
Her thoughts were interrupted by the compartment door slamming open. A smirking boy with flat blonde hair and malicious blue eyes stood there, flanked by two other boys that looked as if they had a boulder or two in their family trees. The boy stepped into the room. Then Draika realized she was the only one not standing. Ron, Harry, and Hermione had jumped up, hands on their wands. The blonde boy shook his head, laughing.
"You're always looking for a fight, aren't you, Potter?" He spat out the name as if it carried a foul taste. "How fortunate. So am I." He raised his own wand, his two lackeys clenching their fists. Draika watched, unsure.
Before an all-out student war could break out, he spotted her. Sneering, he walked over so he was right in front of her. "And who's this?" He scoffed. "A new friend of these mangy three? You think they'd know better than to mess with me. I'm Draco Malfoy, and those two're Crabbe and Goyle."
Draika continued to glare at him, claws ripping chunks out of the train's upholstered seat. She didn't like this boy. Probably a Slytherin. But there was something about his indifference and overall meanness that she agreed with, somehow. As Draco held out his hand for her to shake, she stood. She felt awful, but it was her decision. Hers alone. She wished she could just freeze time and go ask Cirrus..he always knew what to do. But she wasn't in Romania any longer.
"Draika V'tana." She did not shake his hand. Glancing over at her three acquaintances…for they were more of acquaintances than friends…she saw they were frozen, watching, along with Crabbe and Goyle. "And I'll probably be seeing you soon." She smiled, but her three acquaintances didn't see. As the train lurched to a halt she stormed out of the room, furious with herself for letting her emotions get the better of her like that. Why was she so afraid of losing those three as friends? It had been no problem before, certainly!
She sighed, stepping off the train. The little drizzle had turned into an absolute downpour now. Hundreds of students were disembarking, most of them going towards horseless carriages. A hugs man stood by an icy-looking lake, waving for the first years. Draika walked over quickly, not wanting to have to face any of the people that had been in the compartment just yet. As she climbed into one of the rickety boats, she suddenly felt at ease. She wished she could go for a swim…she'd always liked swimming…but then everyone would probably make a fuss about it. No one wanted to share a boat with her, so she grabbed both oars and rowed across with the group, pleased with herself.
Not even the first day and people were already freaked out by her. Nice. Very nice. She trailed her fingers in the water a bit, then stopped when she realized she was lagging a bit.
When she looked up, there stood a great castle in front of them, all lit up like a pottery piece she had seen in Romania-you put a candle inside and the windows lit up. They climbed up the great stone steps…Draika's mind was uncharacteristically silent, almost reverent. She wasn't nervous…just….okay, a little nervous. Glancing up sharply, she spotted the large man looking at her curiously. Turning away, she walked though the great wooden doors that had opened, not knowing what to expect…
-----------------------------------
Well, there you are! It took awhile, but you now have chapter three! ^_^ What house should she be in? It's a toss up between Slytherin and Gryffindor…I'm leaning more towards Slytherin, but what do you think? Please R&R!