Chapter 2: Eleven Year Old Responsibilities

In a dusky little old room at the back of a rather small mansion, a little girl, about the age of eleven, sat cross-legged on her spindly bed playing with a hole in one of her favourite moth eaten, cotton blankets that lay across her knees. Her long, jet-black hair falling across her face... a face that looked young and fresh, with the same likeness of her father. In fact, much of this little girl looked like her father, the slightly tanned skin, the laughing smile, and the thin frame of her body, and the dark, deep black eyes. But if you happened to look down at this girl's right hand, you would see a long barely visible scar on the palm of her hand that looked like a slash. Although she doesn't know it, she did not get this scar herself, she was still in her mothers tummy when her mother cut herself on her hand so deeply, while making dinner, that you could see the bone. She shared her mother's pain then and always will... "Alanna?" said a smirking voice as a tall skinny man with greasy long hair walked in to her room. "Are you ready?" "Yes, but I don't understand why we have to go so early. You said it won't take so long to get there and yet I don't have to be there till another five hours. Why are we going so early, Professor Snape?" Alanna asked curiously looking up from the bed at Snape. "Because your godfather wants to see you." Said Snape in a voice of forced kindness. " We must therefore leave early. Quick, pack up all your school things in your trunk and bring it downstairs to the front of the house. Mind you don't knock anything over, I don't want my furniture ruined." He added and walked out. Alanna stayed sitting on her bed listening to his footsteps as he went down the stairs. She hated staying with Snape. All the other teachers she didn't really mind, but she hated Professor Snape. She didn't know what she had done to make him hate her, but he certainly seemed to, though she knew that her godfather forced Snape to be nice to her. Thinking that she really should get going, she looked around at her room. It was small and dark, but she didn't mind it. Her bed in the center of the room took up little space with her trunk and a tattered rug at the foot of her bed. Books and papers littered the floor where she had been studying new spells and potions that Snape made her do. With a depressing sigh, she heaved herself off the bed, looked around at her belongings scattered around the room, and with a simple flick of the wrist, they packed themselves neatly in her trunk. And yet with another sigh, and another flick of the wrist, she sent her trunk down the stairs and to the front of the dark house. After glancing once more around the room, she picked up her cotton blanket, wrapped herself in it and strode down the rickety stairs miserably, preparing for a long journey with Snape.
Out in the yard in the front of the house Snape stood around a broken pot plant, with two trunks waiting impatiently. As Alanna came out the front door he turned and glared at her for a split second then looked behind her at the tall jeering mansion. "I'm ready. Oh...are we going by portkey?" She asked. "Obviously." Snape said shortly, looking down at the pot plant. "We've got five minutes. Arrg!! Stupid gnomes!!" He spat, as half a dozen little potato looking creatures ran out of a nearby bush. " I'll have to deal with them later. This place is so run down, been too busy looking after you these last two weeks, I haven't been able to do much repairs." Grunted Snape looking very sour indeed. "I can look after myself. You don't have to watch me all the time, I do know what is right and wrong." Said Alanna indignantly. "Do you? Do you really know what's right and wrong?" Snape said menacingly, looking fierce, their eyes meeting. Taken aback by his sudden anger at her words, Alanna dropped her gaze. But suddenly she was angry, and the anger swelled inside her every second that past in silence. Yes she is a child, but she isn't a baby, she can do things herself . Everyone acted as if they thought she couldn't do anything, that she was useless and untrustworthy. She was never aloud to go out by herself to play or look around the magical world, never. She looked at Snape who had his back to her, peering into one of the many dead rose bushes that surrounded the house. Gripping her blanket more closely around her, she shuddered, not because she was cold, but because she was full of rage. She turned and sat down on top of her trunk and looked down at her feet, thinking. Snape, meanwhile, was picking off the dry, dead rose heads off the bushes and throwing them absently on to the dark soil. " Get up, It's almost time." He said strictly, not looking at the young girl and moving over towards the portkey. "Get your trunk." " I've got it." Alanna replied curtly, standing next to the dark clad Professor Snape. He picked up the pot plant and held it out to her. With one long skinny finger she touched it. "Three.... two....one" And seconds later both Alanna and Professor Snape felt themselves being lifted into the air in a rush of wind. Spinning and spinning through a haze of colours, they made there way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.



"Ahh, hello Severus, and here's little Alanna!" Said a squeaky little voice as soon as Snape and Alanna had arrived in Dumbledores office. The man with the squeaky voice barely came up to Alanna's chest, but gave her a loving hug anyway. Then he stepped back and looked up into the smiling face of the girl. "I hope you've been practising those summoning charms my dear!" "Hello Professor Flitwick! Yes, I have gotten really good at them now! I made my trunk fly down Professor Snape's stairs, and I didn't use my wand either, just my hands!" Out of all the teachers Alanna thought Professor Flitwick was the cutest as he was so small. "Yes, the whole two weeks she was zooming things all around the house and driving me nuts." Snape said sourly to Flitwick, picking up the pot plant and walking around to Dumbledore who sat behind his desk, smiling his eyes twinkling. " Excellent! I would have liked to see that." Laughed Flitwick good naturedly. "Ahhh, it truly is good to see you again. My, how you've grown in only the last few months since I last saw you! Anyway, I must be off now, got my lessons to prepare!" And turning to face Dumbledore and Snape, he said his goodbyes and, with a last smile at Alanna, he hovered through the door. Alanna walked towards Dumbledore's desk and sat down in one of the soft squashy chairs. Dumbledore turned and looked at Alanna with a twinkling smile. "Professor Flitwick is right you know, how you have grown so much taller." He said softly. "Yes, and has eaten everything in sight. How glad I am that you are at school now Alanna." Snape added. "I must go now Dumbledore. I will indeed talk to you later though. See you tonight then." And with that, he took his wand out and made his trunk float out the door and followed after it. Professor Dumbledore smiled again and said, " I hope you had a good stay at Professor Snape's place?" he said sounding slightly doubtful. "It wasn't too bad actually." Alanna lied. She knew her godfather wanted the best for her and wanted her to be happy, with her father and mother not being around and all. She had never asked about her father, something deep inside her told her that a long time ago something bad had happened to him and she found that she would rather not want to know. And she knew her mother was dead. She had asked Dumbledore about her mother when she was younger, but he never told her. All she remembers is the look on Dumbledores face. The twinkling in his eyes vanishing and his grave out lines were etched firmly in her mind. Yes, she did miss them, and yes... she did cry at times. But only in the darkness so no one knew. " I'm guessing you are getting nervous about tonight?" Said Dumbledore, interrupting her thoughts. "Well.... I am sort of, yeah." Alanna mumbled realising that tonight was going to be the first night at school for her. "What exactly do I have to do to get sorted?" " Oh, you don't want me to spoil the supprise. Wait and see. I dare say you'll enjoy yourself." Dumbledore sat back in his chair and pressed his skinny fingertips together, though not smiling anymore. " Alanna, I want to talk to you about a serious issue. By far I think you are too young to hear what I am going to say, but I must tell you, for you have to know." "That's what every one says, your too young to do this, too young to do that... why doesn't anyone trust me?" Alanna said feeling anger swell inside her again. She sat fixedly in her seat, gazing pleadingly at Dumbledore. "Relax, relax, I am going to tell you.... However Alanna, if you have any questions at all while I am telling you, please do ask them and I will try and answer as best I can." There was a short pause in which Alanna nodded her head and sat back loosely in her soft seat. "Well then, where to start... Alanna, haven't you ever wondered why you can do magic with only using your body and mind?" Dumbledore said. "Er, well yes, but I....er, didn't think it was that unusual. I mean.... I bet many people can do it, can't they Professor?" Said Alanna. The truth was that she hadn't really given any thought to the matter, it had never occurred to her that she didn't need a wand to perform most spells, only potions. Dumbledore smiled again. " Only Nesodeflics can preform magic like that. I take it you have come across to knowing what a nesodeflic is in one of the reading books I gave you?" " Yes, but... this doesn't mean...I can't.... But... Professor this is impossible. I can't be a nesodeflic because I never had a brother! There wasn't one born.... I..." stuttered Alanna. This is impossible, she thought. But yet, something told her that it was true, try as she might to not believe it. She shivered as a cold rush of wind went through Dumbledore's office and felt a surge of power go through her veins. She looked down at her hands, which looked normal, but felt weird, as if they weren't hers. She looked up at Dumbledore and was suprised to see him chuckling. " You see? Do you understand now? You not only have your own powers, but also the powers you gained form your unborn brother. You not only have stronger powers, but you have every power imaginable. All in your body and mind. Now, you may not have all your powers right now, but as you come to age, your advanced magic will form." Dumbledore paused for a moment to look at the shocked face of Alanna, who was lost with words. This is unbelievable, she thought " You have already been studying advanced spells and have been preforming them well, but while you are at Hogwarts, you will take different lessons from all the other students and you will be having private lessons with the teachers to keep your powers in hand. But that is beside the point..." he leaned forward in his chair and looked very serious indeed. " Alanna, while you are at Hogwarts, you will have a very important responsibility. One that I believe you will be able to do. I daresay you remember me talking about a boy called Harry Potter?" all of a sudden a flash went through Alanna's head that showed her a skinny boy her age that had brilliant green eyes and a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt across his forehead. She had never seen this boy before, but felt sure that she knew him and that he was Harry Potter. " Off course I remember. He is in almost every defence against the dark arts book I have read. I know who he is." She said, ignoring her vision. " Then you also have read about his history too?" "Yes." " Then you know that he is still in danger. You know that Voldemort will come back?" said Dumbledore straightforwardly. " Yes." Alanna said more quietly. " I see... in my dreams Voldemort coming.... But he's not himself." "Premonitions, not dreams Alanna. And you obviously know that Harry is still in danger. I need you to help me and the other teachers keep Harry safe. What you do not know is that you and Harry are linked. If Harry wasn't born, you wouldn't have been born. You two are destined to help one another to defeat the Dark Lord. With your powers you are able to see where he is at all times, guide him to safety, and follow him without being seen. That is really important. You must not let Harry or any other person know what you are doing, nor let them know that you have other powers and that you are a nesodeflic or you will put yourself in great danger along with Harry. I know that this is a big responsibilities for a girl your age, but I believe that you have the will to carry out this task." At this, Dumbledore looked straight in to Alanna's bright eyes and she understood. She knew that if she failed in looking after Harry, all wizard kind would be doomed to the dark world. She knew that Harry was the only one that could defeat Voldemort, and if he died, it would be the end of wizard kind. Shocked as she was, she was ready, ready to risk her life, for wasn't that what she was destined to do? The reason of her existence was to be a spiritual guardian to Harry and help the wizarding world. This was her chance to prove herself, that she could do things without failing. Feeling as if she was ten years older, she nodded her head to Dumbledore, unable to speak. She could no longer look into the sparkling bright blue eyes of the man, so instead she looked down at her feet. "I know you are scared, Alanna. I would be too if I had such a big duty to do at such a young age. But I believe in you." Dumbledore said quietly, not taking his steady gaze off Alanna. Alanna did not look up straight away, but when she felt a pair of claws land heavily on her shoulder, she turned and saw a beautiful bird like creature gazing at her. She reached up her hand and stroked the phoenix gently on the head. "Fawks." She said softly, then she looked at Dumbledore and said, " I'm not scared, I can do it." Professor Dumbledore smiled again and got up from his chair. He walked over past Alanna and reached out for a very big and old looking book that was sitting open on a stand. The pictures around the circular room stirred in their frames, all their owners looking curiously at the two figures and the book. Alanna turned around in her chair to get a better look at the book. The title was in a different language, probably Latin, Alanna thought. It said "Demetris Ramous Frier Luthranis" Fawks took off form Alanna's shoulder and went to Dumbledore. As he landed, he gave a short song that rang in Alanna's ears and sent a shiver up her spine. Dumbledore turned the pages of the old book slowly, pausing for a little while at each page and reading a few sentences. There was absolute silence in the room after Fawks's short song and Alanna was starting to get scared. She raised herself off the chair and walked over to her godfather. Looking down at one of the pages of the book she was shocked to see a small 3D-moving model of the planets. The images seemed to be glowing. Actually, she was quite sure that it was real and that if she put her hand on the page, it would disappear into empty space. All of the planets were circling around a model of the sun that was blazing a deep orange-red, just like the sun setting outside on the grounds. She guessed that this was a model of exactly how the planets were moving at this exact time. She looked up at Dumbledore who was reading the page beside it. It said:

The Alignment of the Planets

The Planets form many different shapes and lines that all mean different
things, but the most powerful position is the Alignment of the Planets.
This occurs once every century and involves all the planets forming a perfect triangle around the sun. Once every hundred years, a highly magical
person is born and the Alignment effects only this person, making them react for the worse and bringing out the bad side of this person. In the past hundred years the person is usually known to kill his/hers family and friends just over a little incident and then to take their own life in a most horrific way. The Alignment lasts only 3 days, but the symptoms start
as soon as the first planet, Jupiter is in place and the others then
follow. The only way to help the chosen person is by preforming an extremely complex spell that will stop the person being dangerous. But only
powerful wizards and witches are able to perform it as it has to be performed at the precise second that Mars falls into Venus on the left side of the sun at midnight on the first day. Anytime after or before this time
the spell will be useless and there will be no other way to stop this
person. It can be found in the second volume of Demitris Ramous Frier
Luthranis.

"The last Alignment happened 95 years ago." Sighed Dumbledore looking down at Alanna. Alanna looked up at the twinkling eyes then back down at the book with the moving planets. Fawks gave another short song and ruffled his feathers. "What is this book Professor?" "A very powerful magical object and an interesting read." Dumbledore said good-naturedly and closed it. "Come Fawks, I think you need some food." And he walked over towards a standing perch next to the door and layed Fawks gently down on the branch. After conjuring food for Fawks with his wand, he made his way back over to his desk and sat down with another sigh. Alanna walked back to her chair, but did not sit down. She looked out the window at the slowly setting sun thinking about what she had just read. She thought that it was really weird that Dumbledore had showed her that and she didn't have the faintest idea of what she was supposed to do with it. Then her mind wandered to the night that stood before her. Although she didn't want to show it, she was getting rather nervous and scared. What were all the other students and new comers going to be like? What would her lessons be like? Would her other classmates be very different from herself? Well, that's a stupid question to ask said a voice in her head. Of course they are going to be different, they aren't Nesodeflics are they? They don't have a secret that could kill them do they, she thought. Suddenly aware that everyone in the room was looking at her (including the pictures), she said, "er...so, when do I start to look out for Harry?" "Straight away." Was the reply.

Chapter 3: Looking Out

"Firs' years, firs' years over 'ere!" came a rumbling voice through the raining darkness as students disembarked from the Hogwarts Express. As Hagrid called out for the first years to follow him, Alanna slipped into the crowd that was forming on the platform. She had been waiting in the shadows on the platform for the last half-hour for the train to arrive. "Alrigh' there 'Arry?" Hagrid called over the crowd. Alanna's heart missed a beat. Harry? The Harry she was supposed to look out for? Unable to see him through the many students and steam from the train, she moved towards Hagrid's voice hoping to find him somewhere there. As she struggled through the crowd to get to Hagrid she accidentally bumped into a red headed, tall and lanky boy that didn't seem to have felt her. "Sorry." She mumbled looking past him to the boy standing next to him. A little shorter than the other boy, with black untidy hair, bright green eyes and a lightning shaped scar on his forehead, Alanna remembered him from her vision. Harry Potter. "er...." She said, not really thinking. Now what, she thought franticly. Harry had only looked at her for a split second, then his eyes went back to searching the crowd. Okay... well that's great, Alanna thought. Oh well, at least she had found him that's a good start. "Allo Alanna!" Hagrid interrupted. "Wha' 'r' you up to?" And he winked and smiled down at her. "Hey Hagrid. Umm... I was just...er, trying to get through to you. Where are we going?" Alanna said, changing the subject quickly all though she had the idea that Hagrid knew what she was up to. " Cross the lake. You lot gotta get sorted inter your houses." Hagrid said pointing to a fleet of small boats that lay on the bank. " On'y four to a boat!" He called out over the heads of the new students, climbing into a boat himself. Alanna herself was climbing into a boat and was soon joined by two other students. " Hallo!" said the boy who had a strong Irish accent, pale skin and few freckles. " Me names Seamus." And with a wide grin, he held out his hand to Alanna. Supprised by his openness, she took his hand and introduced herself. " Alanna." She said, then turned to the girl who had long blond hair that was in two plats and shook her hand too. " Hanna Abbot." Said the girl with a sweet smile. " Do any of you know what house your going to be in?" " No one really knows though do they? I mean, you only find out tonight." Said the boy called Seamus. When all the students were safely sitting in their boats, they started to move by them selves, as if there was an invisible person stirring them towards the castle that lay on the other side of the lake. As Hanna and Seamus continued the conversation Alanna sat and listened occasionally saying some thing like 'hmm...' and 'yeah', but not really joining in herself. She felt very different from them, as if they were in one whole separate world. Looking from one to the other, she noticed that they both looked rather nervous, though trying to hide it. As the castle loomed nearer and nearer, Alanna was also starting to feel shaky with nerves. It was true that she didn't really care what house she was put into, but what about all the other students. What would they think of her? She looked up at Hogwarts, with its dark windows and steep turrets thinking about how she was going to spend the next seven years there, learning advanced spells, studying things four times harder than the other students and keeping watch on a boy she doesn't even know. It's gotta be fun, she thought. " Hey Alanna, do you think the teachers are going to give us really hard work in first year?" Hanna asked. " Er... well, yeah, I guess they will. I mean they can't go to slack on us can they?" replied Alanna. And after nodding her head, Hanna turned back and continued her conversation with Seamus. Ten minutes later, all the first years were crowded into a highly decorated room off the side of the huge dinning room, waiting for Professor Magonigal to come back and tell them what to do. Everyone in the room was slightly quiet, to scared to talk. As Alanna weaved her way up to the front, she spotted the red headed boy talking to Harry and moved slowly towards them. Standing a couple of feet away from them she could just hear them talking: " I dunno, but Fred said some thing about restling a troll, but I think he was just saying that to scar me. He's a real joker you know." Said the boy. Harry, who looked like he was going to be sick, didn't say anything. Seeing them up close, she observed them. The boy that was talking was about a head taller than Alanna and his robes were about three centimetres to short and he had a smudge on his nose. Harry, on the other hand, was a bit shorter than the other boy, with very untidy black hair and a pair of circular shaped glasses resting on his nose. Alanna smiled to herself. They looked so comical! " We are ready to receive you now, follow me." Professor Magonigal said sternly, walking out into the candle lit Hall, followed by all of the nervous looking first years. As they entered the Great Hall they saw four long tables with students sitting around them and across the back wall, all the teachers sat, Professor Dumbledore in the very center. A three-legged stool was standing in front of the teachers. On top of it sat a limpy old wizard's hat. Alanna had seen this hat on one of Professor Dumbledores shelves, but she thought that it was just a hat that Dumbledore liked to keep for old time's sake. The noise in the Hall died down and every one was looking at the stool and the hat. Then all of a sudden a rip in the brim opened to form a mouth, and the hat began to sing a rhyming song. As it told about the four Hogwarts Houses, Griffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherine it also said what qualities are looked for within each house. Griffindor valued the brave and noble, while Hufflepuff took in the kind and caring, Ravenclaw preferred the quick minded and Slytherine took in the power hungry and powerful students. Next to Alanna, a boy whispered to his friend, " I'd hate to be in Slytherine. Every one says that in the time of You Know Who, there was no witch or wizard that was in Slytherine who didn't join him." The hat had finished it's song and Professor Magonigal was now unrolling a thick piece of parchment. " When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and be sorted into your houses.... Abbot, Hanna!" And the girl that was sitting in the boat with Alanna and Seamus stepped forward, looking very nervous, and sat on the stool. The students got one last look at her terrified face, then the hat felt down, covering her eyes. Almost immediately the hat screamed out Hufflepuff, and the table on the far left cheered as she went and joined them, looking very relieved. The list went on... "Finnegan, Seamus...(Griffindor)... Flinch-Fletchy, Justin...(Hufflepuff)...Malfoy, Draco...(Slytherine)" One by one they got sorted into their houses by the sorting hat. Then, " Monteago, Alanna!" Knowing that everyone was watching her, she walked to the stool, trying very hard not to trip as her legs seemed very stiff. She glanced at Dumbledore before she sat down and received a warm smile in return. As she sat down and put the old hat on, and took in one glance at the students all sitting quietly, looking at her. The hat then covered her eyes and all she could see for the next few minutes was complete darkness. A small voice came from the hat and seemed to be talking in her ear. " Ahh, you have power, lot's of power in fact!" said the voice, " though I see the same amount of bravery in you. Hmm...Where do I put you?" " Anywhere, but please just hurry up!" Alanna whispered getting very anxious. " Anywhere huh? You'd be a success in any house as you have many fine qualities. But some how.... well.... I better put you in Slytherine!" And the hat yelled out the last word to the crowed. The table on the far right, next to the entrance, was now cheering her as she walked towards them and took a seat in between two third years. She again looked up at Dumbledore, who was clapping her, though some of the other teachers looked a bit worried. She didn't know why at first, then remembered what she had overheard while standing in the line. Slytherine had turned out more dark witches and wizards than any other house... But seriously, she thought, they can't possibly think that she's bad! These people who had known her since she was a baby, people who had taken care of her! She looked at Professor Flitwick and noticed that he was avoiding her gaze. She would show them, Alanna thought. She wasn't bad or evil, she'll prove to them that not every one in Slytherine is in the dark side! " Potter, Harry!" Professor Magonigal called out, interrupting Alanna's thoughts. As Harry walked over to the stool, Alanna watched, trying hard not to laugh. He looked so scared! When the hat was on his head, Alanna observed him. He was fiddling with his robes and she could faintly hear him saying some thing even though they were very far apart. Listening intently his voice became louder in her head and she was pretty sure that no one else could hear him... only her. "Not Slytherine, please not Slytherine!" He whispered to the hat. Then a few moments later the hat said in a loud voice, "GRIFFINDOR!" and the second table from the left now cheered and Alanna could here some one calling out "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry took his seat next to the red headed boy who also had been sorted into Griffindor and looked quite relieved. The sorting went on... Only ten minutes later though, all the new students were sitting at a table, eating away at the food that had magically appeared before their very eyes. Being so hungry, Alanna helped herself to roast beef, mashed potatoes, fresh corn, gravy, peas, and a goblet full of pumpkin juice. After demolishing three plates of the main meal, she then started on dessert which consisted of pudding, mud cake, white cheese cake, peppermint humbugs, and every flavoured ice cream imaginable. When all the students had been fed and watered, Professor Dumbledore stood up to make a speech. " Just a few of start of term notices: All students, new and old, are to be reminded that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all. Also, the third floor corridor is forbidden to every student who does not wish to die a very painful death." At this, there was a short pause in which some people laughed, but Alanna looked worried. Dumbledore would not joke about anything to do with death... What was he hiding? She had no time to think about this however, as the students were being dismissed and the Slytherine prefects were calling to the first years to follow them. As they did so, they were led down, towards the dungeons, going through dark corridors and hall ways hidden behind large pictures or drapes, until at last they came to a statue of a evil looking warlock with a twisted lip. " The password is Porticello Monte!" said one of the prefects, and the warlock sprang aside, revealing a doorway that opened up to a large room with two crackling fireplaces and blood-red sofa's and chairs scattered around old wooden tables and desks. On the left side of the room were a set of stone stairs that leaded up to the boy's dormitories, while on the right, another set of stairs went up to the girls. It all looked rather dark, but that was probably only because it was night time. It's okay, Alanna thought. The room was actually quite attractive with the elegant drapes and the red carpet. Feeling very tired, she followed some girls up to the dormitory. On one of the doors there was a sign that said 'first years' and she walked through it finding herself in a smaller room with five four poster beds and deep emerald bed sheets neatly made on top. She saw her trunk at the end of a bed that was next to a window and walked sleepily over to it. After undressing and putting on her night things, she climbed into the welcoming looking sheets and fell asleep as soon as her pretty head layed on the pillow.



" But Pansy, don't you think we should wake her up? I mean, she might miss breakfast if we don't." " Well hurry up! Or we'll miss breakfast!" " Don't worry, I'm already up." Mumbled a sleepy Alanna in a croaky voice. "Thanks though." "Well, are you gonna come to breakfast? Because if you are then we better hurry." Said the girl called Pansy. Climbing out of bed, Alanna picked up her wand from inside her trunk and gave it a quick swish. The bed covers sprang alive and started to fold themselves neatly. She then pulled on her school robes and gave her waist length hair a brush before putting it in a plait. Shoving her wand into an inside pocket, she looked around at the other girls. She could have done all that will a flick of her hand, but Dumbledore had told her to be discreet in her magic and do most thing with her wand, except in emergencies. " Shall we go?" She asked, and without another word, the girls filed down into the common room and up to the Great Hall. As they walked into breakfast the talking of the student met their ears and they joined the Slytherine table, helping themselves to porridge and bacon and eggs. The new class timetable had come and apparently Alanna had Transfiguration first up with the Griffindores. Brilliant! She could start finding out about Harry. As Alanna sat and talked with Pansy and her friends, a tall pale, blond haired and handsome boy came walking towards them. " Hey Pansy, want to introduce me to your friend? Or will I have to do it myself?" He said, fixing Alanna with piercing grey-blue eyes that bored into her deep black ones. When Pansy looked up at the boy who was towering above them, than down at Alanna and didn't say anything, the boy said, " Draco Malfoy." Still fixing her with his gaze, he held out his hand. Alanna took it, but before she could reply her name, he had drew her near to him so that their faces were barely two centimetres apart. He whispered into her ear very quietly, "And I already know who you are." With that, he let her hand go, gave her one last look and walked away with a gang of Slytherine's all standing by the entrance. Alanna looked up at Pansy with a shocked stricken face to see if she had heard, though she doubted it. Pansy obviously hadn't heard anything that Draco had said because she was again busily chatting with her gang of friends and eating. Pushing her plate away, Alanna no longer felt hungry...she felt sick. What did Draco mean? He already knew who she was? Did he only know her name, or.....? She quickly glanced at the entrance were he was standing talking to his friends. As she observed him she noticed that he was very popular, having people around him all the time (lots of them girls). No, he didn't know, he was just a stupid lady's charmer, she thought. And even if he did, she wasn't going to give up her cover that easily. No way, no boy was going to get the better of her, especially this pretty boy. Realising that he was also looking at her through the corner of his eye, Alanna turned her back to him quickly. After shoving her time table into her bag, she left the Slytherine table after saying good bye and walked towards Draco to the entrance. She walked straight past him and towards the grey stone stairs that lead up to the Transfiguration rooms. With her back to him, she walked up the stairs slowly, but she could feel his steady gaze watching her every step............



"Ron! Ron, we're late for Transfiguration! Cummon, quick!!" Harry said racing up the stone steps, his robes flying, with a very disgruntled Ron Weasly behind him. " I'm going to kill Fred for that prank! That was just NOT funny!" Steamed Ron as he caught up with Harry along the corridor. " I mean, I can understand blood flavoured lolly pops, but acid pops? That's just plain mean." He said spraying spit every where, then opened his mouth and repaired a hole in his tongue. As they walked through into the classroom, the students went quiet and Professor Magonigal fixed them with a stern eye. " You are late, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasly...." " Er.... Yes, well you see Professor, we...." "I don't want to hear excuses. I shall let you go this time, please take your seats and get your quills out." She said, as Harry and Ron gratefully fell into a seat beside a dark haired girl in Slytherine. "As I was saying before Potter and Weasly interrupted, Transfiguration is one of the most complex areas of magic you will have to learn. You will start off with only the small things, like for instance turning a needle into a match, then you will gradually work your way up to larger objects. You will find Transfiguration very helpful in your later life when you leave Hogwarts, as it is needed in most high level jobs. But I must say, anyone who dares to mess around in my class room can leave now and not come back." Magonigal looked at Harry and Ron who sat sheepishly in their seat. This is not a lady to cross, Harry thought. She swished her wand once at the black bored and a set of notes appeared. "I want you to copy out these notes, then come and get a needle off me." She said, then sat down at her big oak desk. For five minutes all there was to hear was the scratching of quills against parchment, then a few students got their needles and started to practise the spell. " Transforgio!" echoed around the room as several students tried, but failed to turn the needle successfully into a match. Harry himself was having lots of trouble, he couldn't even seem to get his flick right. He had noticed, however, that the girl next to him had not done anything. She had not even copied down the notes. Instead she went straight up to Professor Magonigal and started to talk to her. Harry could not hear what they were saying, but he guessed that she probably already knew how to do the spell. Magonigal handed her a large book form inside one of her draws and gave it to the girl who walked back towards Harry and Ron. " Oh and Alanna," she said, " You also might want to try page 73." Nodding her head, Alanna sat down next to Harry who got a glimpse of the book. The title was ' Intermediate Transfiguration for Talented Youths'. Wow, Harry thought, this girl must be good. " Hey Harry, does your needle look anything like a match yet? Cause mine doesn't" Ron asked. " Er, no... don't worry though." He felt extremely stupid at not even being able to preform a simple spell infront of this girl, but she seemed not to have heard them because she did not look up. "Hey, why aren't you doing it?" Ron blurted out to the girl. Harry felt the colour rise in his cheeks as she looked up at them with her black eyes. " I already know how to." She replied nicely, observing Ron. "Brilliant, can you teach us? My names Ron, Ron Weasly and this is Harry. Yeah, you know Harry as in Harry Potter..."He said smiling as Harry also smiled weakly at the girl wishing Ron would stop making an idiot out of himself. " I'm Alanna. And sure I'll teach you. Try holding your wand like this." She showed them the correct way in holding their wands. Feeling relived that the Alanna hadn't blown them off, Harry decided that she was by far the nicest Slytherine around. As the lesson went on, Harry and Ron slowly improved and by the end they had successfully made their needle resemble a match. Ron and Alanna seemed to have formed a good friendship though and by the time the lesson had ended, they were all talking and laughing as they walked out of the classroom. At the Entrance Hall, they departed and went through separate corridors to their next lesson. Over the next week, Harry and Ron felt like their brains were going to explode from an information over load. They had learnt so much already and the homework they got was incredible! " You'd think they'd go easy on us 'cause we're new" Ron said one night while sitting in the Gryfindore common room finishing off an extremely complex potions theory about shrinking skulls. While Harry had made a lot of new friends, he was also aware that he had enemies too. It had become clear to him in the first week that a lot of Slytherines didn't seem to like him. There was one boy, Draco, which Harry detested. Draco Malfoy seemed to go out of his way to cause trouble for Harry, to make his life hell. But there was still that Slytherine girl, Alanna, that was always there when Harry and Malfoy would be close to having a duel in one of the corridors. She would always turn up, as if she knew what they were up to, to sort things out. " This is stupid you two. How many times must I run into you both trying to kill each other? Malfoy, leave Harry alone and for goodness sakes stop fighting both of you!" She had said exasperated after catching them for the second time in one week. Strangely enough, Malfoy would always listen to her and lower his wand and slouch away. Harry was getting quite annoyed with her always butting in though, he would personally have liked to have an excuse to put a hex on Malfoy. But as she was friends with Ron, he said nothing. Besides, he thought, it was probably better that he didn't do anything wrong in the first week. Both Harry and Ron had also made a friend in Griffindor, one called Hermione Granger. Being twice as smart as they were, she would help them with their load of homework every night. So by Friday, they were all tired and very relieved that the weekend had finally come. Although he had only been there a week, Harry felt like he had been at Hogwarts his whole life. He finally felt like he was at home in a place he belonged. Forgetting about his Aunt and Uncle and his miserable life before Hogwarts, he sat in his favourite chair by the fire reading a book he had gotten out of the library about Defence Against The Dark Arts.