~Hey guys, I just randomly got the idea for a Harry Potter fic at like, 9:45 at night. This is based to book number 5, which I actually have no idea what happens, so I'm just wingin' it, really! Go easy on me!~

It felt good to be back at the train station, away from the Dursleys, going back to

Hogwarts, Harry thought to himself. He, Ron, and Hermione were boarding the train. As

Harry put his trunk away, he happened to glance out the window. There was a girl he'd

never seen before, staring blankly into space, as if she had no idea what was going on.

Harry pointed this out to Ron and Hermione.

"She must be new," Ron said, not much interested. He gave an owl treat to

Pigwidgeon, who promptly spat it at Crookshanks, causing the cat to leap into the air,

yowling. Harry paid no attention and said, "I'm gonna see if she needs help," and

climbed off the train.

"He's crazy," Ron muttered, picking Pig's owl treat up off the floor and throwing

it out the window at Malfoy, who happened to be passing by. He cheered when the treat

nailed Malfoy in the head.

Harry approached the girl and asked, "Need any help?"

The girl, startled, jumped a bit. Seeing Harry, she frowned and said, "Hell no! I

can find my way just fine without a gajillion people askin' me if I need help!"

Harry didn't flinch. He decided to ignore this, and not get angry. He noticed the

girl's accent right away.

"Are you foreign?" he asked.

"Gee, what gave you THAT impression?" The girl crossed her arms and pouted a

bit. "Every idiot comes and asks me if I'm foreign."

"Where are you from?" Harry wanted to know.

"The States," she said. "America. The U.S."

Harry was impressed, although he didn't show it. He had a feeling that she might

not take it so well.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Marie."

"Are you sure you don't need any help? You can sit with me and my friends if

you want." Harry had no idea why he was offering to let her sit with them, but he soon

found himself on the train, sitting across from Marie and Hermione. They were chatting

like old friends. Marie had, apparently, brought a whole trunk full of books with her.

"I love to read," Marie told Hermione, as the train started moving. "But I like

fiction. History is plain boring."

"I like history," Hermione said. "But fiction is okay, too."

Harry and Ron talked for a while about Quidditch, until Marie interrupted them.

"I love Quidditch!" she cried. "I play Keeper, myself."

"Oh joy," Ron muttered.

"Gryffindor needs a new Keeper," Harry told her. Marie smiled brightly.

"I'm tryin' out, then!"

"Oh no you don't!" Ron shouted, who didn't like Marie at all. Who knew why?

"I'M going to be Keeper this year!"

"We don't even know what house Marie is in," Hermione said sensibly. "Either

one of you could be Keeper. Why does it even matter, Ron? You haven't been on the

house team before."

"I heard Katie was quitting the team," Harry said quickly. "Ron, you could play

Chaser, right?"

Ron just snarled and sat down, all the while glaring at Marie. He didn't get to

glare for long, because Malfoy strode in at that moment. Crabbe and Goyle were,

surprisingly, absent. He didn't seem to care.

"What have we here?" he asked, grinning smugly. "You must be new." He was

referring to Marie. She shook her head.

"Nope. I've just been invisible."

Malfoy raised his eyebrow. Marie groaned and muttered, "You English people

have no sense of humor."

Malfoy sized her up for a minute, then snarled, "You're a Mudblood, aren't you?"

"Yes I am. What're you gonna do about it?"

Everyone gasped. Marie reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a wand.

Aiming it directly at Malfoy's face, she said in a quiet, dangerous voice, "Get out now, or

I'll kill you."

Malfoy laughed. "A first year, threatening me?"

"I'm not a first year!" Marie shrieked. She shouted something, and there was a

huge crash. Malfoy tumbled out into the hall. Giving Marie a look of pure hatred, he

stomped away. Marie put her wand away.

Even Hermione looked confused, and she asked, "What spell was that?"

"Just something I learned at my old school."

"What year are you?" Harry asked. Marie was very short, with light brown hair,

and a shock of freckles on her face. She looked hardly older than twelve. But she shocked

them all again when she responded, "I'm fifteen, just like you guys. I'm a fifth year, too."

Ron was staring at Marie, not even blinking.

"Did you see that?" he muttered. "Did you see what the crazy wench did to

Malfoy?"

Marie turned on him, snapping, "And another thing. I won't tolerate sexism! I can

do anything a guy can do, just as well! Maybe better! I hear any sexist comments outta

anybody, and I'll do what I did to Malfoy!"

She turned to Hermione. "Cover me."

"What?" Hermione was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Malfoy will be back," Marie said. "I gotta change into my robes. Cover me. You

know, guard me from behind while I walk to the bathroom."

Hermione did that. Luckily, they ran into no trouble. The train ride seemed to take

less time than usual. Before they knew it, they were pulling into the Hogwarts station.