Title: The Daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (duh). If I did, I wouldn't be writing without pay and posting my stuff up on a website…
Summary: The journey on the Hogwarts Express continues and Harry meets that familiar girl…
Chapter Two: Mercedes Lestrange
Harry looked out the window at the moving landscape, they were nearly an hour into the journey and so far, Harry had spent his time pointlessly looking out the window. Neville and Ginny were engaged in a truly violent game of Exploding Snap in which the pack of cards refused to allow the players to have a proper game, one even went as far as to singe Neville's eyebrows.
Hedwig hooted remorsefully at him from her cage on the floor beside his feet, so Harry hauled her up onto the seat next to him and stroked her feathers through the bars.
'Are you sure you don't want to play, Harry?' Ginny said, looking up from where she was tentatively trying to pick up a card she had dropped.
Harry, eyeing the pile of smoking cards and shook his head hastily. 'No, I think I'll go for go walk, thanks.'
Hedwig hooted softly at him. Harry gave her a small smile then walked out, sliding the compartment door shut behind him. Outside, in the corridor, stood the familiar girl he had seen on the platform carrying a large trunk and a disgruntled looking black owl in a cage.
'Hello there, can I help you?' Harry said, eyeing her owl interestedly.
'Hi, I'm looking for somewhere to sit,' she said looking around. 'All the other compartments are full.'
'Oh- not all of them, this one here isn't.' Harry motioned to the compartment behind him.
'Really? I don't suppose I could put my stuff in there, could I?'
Harry nodded and opened to compartment door. The girl dragged her trunk into the compartment and put the cage on top of it.
'Hallo.' Ginny said with a grin, looking up from her game.
The girl gave her a smile. 'I'm Mercedes, what are your names?'
'Wow, your owl is really rather handsome,' Ginny said, forgetting the question and patting the owl through the bars. The owl preened itself and let out a proud hoot.
'Oh, that's Mephistopheles. And you'd best not praise him; he tends to get a swollen head.' The girl, Mercedes said looking at the owl with a grin.
Mephistopheles gave her a protesting hoot. She laughed and poked him through the bars. Mephistopheles tried to bite her hand but she had retreated too fast. He settled for giving Mercedes an expressionless glare.
'Oh, I think he's cute!' Ginny said. The owl swelled. Mercedes rolled her eyes.
'Oh, I still haven't told you our names! I'm Ginny Weasley; this is Neville Longbottom, that there, is Harry Potter.'
Harry, standing behind Mercedes, winced. Now she was sure to gawk at him; but her eyes were on Neville.
'Longbottom?' she repeated faintly.
Neville nodded, and then looked down at his cards. Mercedes turned to Harry.
'Harry Potter?'
Harry nodded sheepishly, not knowing what to say.
'Oh …' Mercedes said. 'I think I'll go look for my cousin now …'
She was just about to slide by Harry when Ron appeared rather noisily over Harry's shoulder, Hermione in tow. Mercedes fell back making a surprised noise.
'That was a rather short prefects meeting!' Hermione said bustling into the compartment and taking the seat Harry had sat in.
'Yeah, it would be for you- Head Girl and all… you didn't have to sit with us. I don't think I could stand another minute of the git Mal- oh hello, who are you?'
'Me?' Mercedes looked rather surprised at being asked that question. 'I'm er- Mercedes.'
'Nice to meet you,' Hermione smiled at her. Mercedes nodded vaguely. Harry was reminded of Luna Lovegood. 'You seem new.'
'Oh, I am,' Mercedes said, but offered no further information.
'You're a bit old to be a first year,' Ron said, eyeing her naively.
'No, I'll be in the seventh year. I used to go to Beauxbatons.'
'Sit down,' Hermione said, patting the seat next to her. Mercedes walked over in a daze and threw herself onto the seat. Her owl, Mephistopheles hooted at her. She looked at him then stared at her lap.
'Nice smell. Which perfume is it?' Hermione asked.
Mercedes looked up. 'Essence Divided by Obscurite-Koll.'
The awkward conversation was interrupted by Dean Thomas sticking his head in through the compartment door and saying, 'Hello everyone. Is Ginny here?'
The compartment was now very crowded. Ginny leapt to her feet with a large grin and Dean catching sight of her grinned too.
'D'you want to come with me? Only this place is a little crowded.'
Ron looked livid. He hadn't yet gotten used to the idea that one of his year mates had been going out with his sister and clearly he had had no idea Dean still was. Harry had to suppress laughter at the look of mingled shock and apprehension as Ginny waltzed past him, Dean's arm firmly around her waist.
Neville awkwardly got to his feet. 'I better go now I suppose …' He shot each of them a grin and left the compartment straightening his robes as he did.
They were left alone in the compartment now. Ron sat down on the seat opposite Hermione and Mercedes who were now engaged in a conversation about schoolwork at Beauxbatons.
'I don't suppose you know what house you'll be in?' Ron said, interrupting them. Harry saw that Mercedes looked somewhat relieved.
'No, but there's going to be a Private Sorting when I get there.'
'Really? It would be good if you were in Gryffindor wouldn't it?' Hermione said kindly.
'Yeah. Yeah it would be …' said Mercedes, though she looked thoroughly doubtful.
The compartment was silent, the only sound being the sizzling cards and the train trundling along the tracks. Then the compartment door slid open, revealing Malfoy flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.
Ron got up immediately. 'I thought I told you not to show up here unless you want yourself cursed into oblivion!' he said furiously, whipping his wand out, but Malfoy was sniffing the air.
He unceremoniously shoved Ron out of the way. "Merce?" he said, looking round the compartment. His eyes rested on Mercedes, who was looking livid.
'Where the hell were you?' she said furiously, getting up.
Harry exchanged a glance with Ron, who gave him a confused look. Hermione had gotten to her feet too.
'You know him?' she said sharply, looking from Malfoy to Mercedes.
'She's my cousin, Mercedes Lestrange. Daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange.' He shot a goading look at Harry, who got to his feet and pulled his wand out at once.
'Draco, that's not nice.' Mercedes said sharply.
Malfoy turned to her. 'What?' he said with a shocked look.
'You know exactly what I mean,' she snapped. 'Get my trunk and be careful with Mephy.'
Malfoy nodded to Crabbe and Goyle, who advanced towards her things. Goyle was reaching for the cage when she said to Malfoy, 'You really don't expect that oaf to carry him do you?'
Goyle froze and turned to look at Malfoy, who was looking thoroughly cornered. Then he sighed and walked over to the cage and grabbed it, pointedly avoiding everyone's gaze.
'Careful.'
Malfoy shot her a malevolent look and strode out of the compartment (trying to muster as much dignity as possible), Crabbe carrying the suitcase and Goyle waddling after him.
Mercedes gave them a wink followed by a tiny smile before walking out of the compartment after them.
'She's Malfoy's cousin? Mercedes Lestrange?' Hermione said, looking at Ron.
Harry meanwhile, was trying to quench the upsurge of hate and anger, which wasn't helped by Ron, who had immediately burst into a furious tirade as soon as they left.
'Did you see the way she winked, as if she were proud to have done us in! And that evil smile- you wait till I see her again.'
Hermione was looking thoughtful. 'Ron, didn't you see? She was deliberately embarrassing Malfoy in front of us!'
'I beg your pardon?' Ron looked affronted at the idea. 'No she was not! She was being a git like her cousin! She did us in!'
'No! She bullied Malfoy, and if they're cousins, she probably spent the whole summer being told what goody goods we were. And if she really did listen, she could always have gotten up and left, but she didn't-'
'Hermione, have you considered the fact that she might be trying to get to know us before doing something? She completely did us in!'
'Oh Ron, that's so farfetched! Look, the point is that she has most likely spent the holidays hearing about us and she probably knows that Malfoy hates us, and she made a fool of hi-'
Harry sharply looked up at Hermione, who fell silent immediately. 'She did us in.' he said firmly.
Hermione's nostrils flared, but Harry wasn't about to back down. Hermione, sensing this, took a seat, grabbed a book and began to read. She didn't talk to them for the rest of the journey.
A/N: Right, I'm having a lot of fun writing this story! Hee Hee. I'm also having a lot of fun having Harry hate Mercedes! Although I can understand his anger… I'll just have to see where this story takes me… hope you're enjoying it as much as I am! Oh yeah, and I love reviews. If you have any questions, feel free to ask as I have tried to make it as holeless as possible (no pun intended) and I'll answer them when I post my next chapter, which is coming sooner than you think.
Luv,
Cynikal
