Author's Note/Summary: Well, I really wanted to do a fan fiction where I'm
in with the Marauders, but thought that it would be too stupid if I just
dropped into Hogwarts. So I made it that I was at the school all along.
'Cept I still don't know about Remus being a werewolf or anything. The
people used in there (other than the ones from Harry Potter) are actually
my friend's characters. Ok. Oh and, O'Leary is pronounced OH-LEE-ARE-EE,
and most of the things Dani does, they are real habits of mine. Like fixing
guy's hair. Anyhow cheers ^-^
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters or terms referred to. I don't own my friend's characters either. I believe they are their own persons. Enjoy, now..or not
Tigers don't change their stripes ~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
"Hey Dani! Ready to kick some butt this year, or what?" A girl with shortish brown hair called, running up to Dani. Dani turned and smiled and held up her hand. The girl slapped it.
"Hell yeah, San! Those Gresnich maggots won't know what HIT them.. Speaking of which, haven't tried anymore illegal beater moves, eh?" Dani replied, falling into step beside her friend, and fellow beater on the Hogwarts team, Sanuya, better known as San. San grinned sheepishly.
"Only with Sirius." Dani laughed and shoved her friend away.
"Get out of here, you!" And they climbed up the steps to the train. They wandered down the aisle and stepped into a compartment. 3 boys, all of about 16, occupied the compartment.
"Hel-lo guys had a good summer?" Dani asked as she sank into a seat next to a boy with brown hair and his nose stuck in a book. She rolled her eyes and leaned over to him.
"Hullo Remus." She said. He jumped and grinned at her.
"Mornin' Dani." He replied and was soon immersed in his book again. She rolled her eyes again and stared around.
"Wasn't bad, no." A boy with untidy black hair said. A handsome boy sitting next to Sanuya let out a sound that resembled a laugh.
"'Course it wasn't bad. Not for you, anyway, James. 'S always good for you, mate. You live the life." The boy with untidy hair snorted.
"Hardly, Sirius. You don't have a greasy git living next door to you." Said James. Dani groaned. They were always having a go at her cousin. She couldn't blame them, but most of the time, it WAS unnecessary.
"Come off it, James. Snape doesn't have a good life." Dani said, picking at her nails.
"Who would, being related to you?" Sirius retorted. She glared at him and he smirked. James and Sanuya laughed. Remus was still into his book.
"Yeah, I mean. if I was YOUR cousin.. I'd be scared you were going to take my head off with a bat or something. You are oddly notorious for that." James said smiling.
"You'd wanna watch out, or you might be my next lucky victim." Dani snarled. Footsteps sounded outside their compartment. A small boy with mousy brown hair and a pointed nose opened their compartment door. Dani grinned.
"Peter! How was your summer?" She said and shoved Remus up the bench to make room. Remus looked at Dani and shook his head. Peter stared around with watery blue eyes.
"It was ok." He said vaguely. Peter and Remus were the only ones in their group that wasn't on the Hogwarts Quidditch team. James put his hand in side his robe pocket and pulled out a little gold ball with wings. Everybody except for Peter groaned.
"Good grief, James! Give it a rest!" Sanuya cried. James shrugged and started playing with the snitch, a grin of satisfaction on his face. Dani rolled her eyes and busied herself with making Sirius' hair change colour with a swish of her wand. He finally realised when he caught site of himself in San's mirror that she was using to fix her hair with. He plunged a hand in his robes, pointed the wand tip at Dani and muttered an incantation. Dani's skin was now a lovely pink colour. Flashes of light flew across the compartment and still, Remus read on. Sanuya waited for the moment and jumped in, firing hexes in every direction, laughing. Peter was gawking at James, who was still playing with the snitch. Sirius noticed this and fired an Engorgement Charm that hit James Square in the middle of the head. His nose started swelling to the size of a tomato. Cursing, he deflated it with a wave of his own wand and was about to hex Sirius when the door opened. Everybody stopped having fun with heir wands and looked at who was staring in the doorway. James snarled under his breath. "What do YOU want, Snivellus?" The boy standing in the doorway had greasy black hair and a hooked nose. Severus Snape. He flicked his head towards James.
"Nothing concerning you, Potter. Keep your big head where it belongs." Spat Snape. James sat back in his chair and rumpled his hair. Snape turned to Remus.
"You're wanted in the Prefects carriage, Lupin." Remus put his book down after dog-earing it and sighed. He stood up and followed the greasy haired Severus Snape down the aisle. Dani watched them until they disappeared.
"He's not looking too well, is he?" Dani asked out loud. Craning her neck to look out the door.
"Who, Remus?" Sirius asked back.
"Yeah. Lookin' a bit peaky, he is. I hope he's all right." Dani said turning back to her friends. James and Sirius flashed a look at each other and Peter squeaked. Dani looked at the boys oddly and shrugged.
"Yeah, he's fine." Sirius said and yawned. "But geez, I'm bored." And with a glance at James they both grinned. They stood up and made their way to the door. Sanuya yawned and said; "Go with them. Make sure they don't get up to too much trouble, at least. I'd go with ya, but.. you know them, and I'm tired." Dani nodded and jumped up and walked out the door with James and Sirius. She quickened her pace to catch up with them and they turned into the compartment 3 up from theirs. Dani stuck her head in and groaned.
"I can't stop you, but.. Just don't hang him up side down again. That was embarrassingly gross." Dani said and leant against the door, with her arms crossed. The two boys grinned and stepped into the compartment. Inside were Snape, a blonde haired boy Dani knew was called Lucius and another guy she didn't know.
"Hello, Snivelly, Ferret and some other loser we don't know." Sirius began, looking at the stranger. He had dark hair and a nasty looking smile that did not reach his cold, cold eyes.
"That loser happens to know exactly how to kick your arse, so.. unless you don't want a pumpkin for a head or something, I suggest you get out." Snarled the dark stranger. Sirius' laugh sounded like a bark as he threw back his head and cackled.
"Yeah? And who are you to have the honour of turning my head into such pumpkin?" Sirius asked, amused.
"What d'you want, Black?" Snape spat, glaring up into Sirius' face.
"Just for a lovely chat, dear Snivelly." James piped up stepping into the compartment more and closing the door. Dani shifted aside so they could get the door closed and resumed her position. The stranger started to say something but Snape stopped him.
"Shut up, Karkaroff, let me deal with this." Snape ordered, thrusting a hand across Karkaroff's chest. Lucius started to stand and curse the two Gryffindor's into oblivion when Snape stood up and pushed Lucius Malfoy back into his chair. "I said let me deal with this!" Snape shouted again and with that plunged a hand into his robes.
"Gashe-" Snape cried.
"Stupefy!" A voice cried, and Snape keeled over backwards. He was lying rigid as a board on the floor of the carriage, his oily hair over his face. As one, everyone looked over to the door and there stood Dani, her wand raised. Sirius and James had only just put their hands in their pockets to draw their wands, when Dani had sensed something was going to happen and whipped out her own. Sirius and James gaped at Dani. They had never thought her the violent type. Sure, she'd get a bit feisty on the Quidditch pitch, but that was just normal.
"What the hell are you doing, O'Leary?" Lucius shrieked bending down and muttering an incantation, whilst pointing his own wand tip at Snape's chest. Dani looked furious for a second and suddenly looked remotely embarrassed.
"Oh be jebus.." She whispered and immediately bent down to help her cousin up. He lashed out with his arm, striking Dani on the chest. She toppled back over and scrambled to her feet. "I'm sorry, Severus." Said Dani backing away.
"I'll get you yet, Potter, Black." Snape hissed. Karkaroff smirked and stared at Dani.
"Now that we know they need their girlfriend to fight for them, it's going to be hard getting them by themselves." Karkaroff whispered audibly to Lucius Malfoy and Snape. Dani flushed a lovely red colour.
"And here I was thinking Slytherin's were supposed to bond with each other, and you go and stun Snape?" Lucius said dangerously soft. Dani flushed even darker.
"Obviously that philosophy doesn't occur to you, O'Leary. It won't work." He added. Dani whirled around to glare at him.
"What won't work?" She spat, furious with her ex-friend.
"Tigers don't change their stripes."
Dani made a choking noise, tears welling up in her eyes, and turning on her heel, ran out of the compartment. She ran down the aisle, her long black hair trailing behind her, she came to a halt at the end of the Hogwarts Express. She heard a second sound of footsteps and looked turned to face the person following her. It was Remus. His kind face looked concerned. He raised a thin, pale hand to gently touch Dani's arm.
"James told me what Malfoy said. I don't fully get it." He said in a quiet voice, leading Dani by the hand back down the aisle. She tugged a hanky out of the sleeve of her cloak and wiped her tears away. They turned into their compartment, Sirius and James were still gone, Peter and Sanuya curled up on a bench each, fast asleep. Dani and Remus moved to a corner of the compartment and she began telling her tale of why, even though in Slytherin, she chose to befriend the 5 Gryffindors.
"A couple of years ago, when we first started at Hogwarts, d'you remember how I hung around with Snape and Malfoy? My parents," She choked slightly when she said this. "Malfoy's parents, and Snape's were all friends.. they all practiced the Dark Arts. Snape, Malfoy and I were always around each other. Snape had the worst life, his parents always fighting, and he was my best friend. Him and Malfoy also started practicing Dark Magic in our 3rd year.. I started doing it too. Our parents were always talking about how we would be the generation who would bring some Dark Lord or another to full power. I never knew what it meant but my parents were always pressing it on me. In the beginning of our 5th year my oldies discovered that they were under the Imperius Curse and they had overcome it. They started acting weird. They weren't practicing dark magic and they were being real parents. I felt like the whole world had turned upside down. Then when I told Malfoy and Snape that I wasn't doing the Dark Arts anymore.. they didn't take it too well.
"What do you mean, you're quitting, O'Leary?" Malfoy spat at me. I turned to face him, a smile on my face, the first smile in ages, I remember.
"Mum and Dad have changed, Malfoy, they aren't doing Dark shit anymore.. they are acting like real parents." I said happily, spreading my arms wide. Malfoy and Snape had exchanged shadowed looks then. I remember gazing at them oddly.
"If you leave, no good will come of this, O'Leary." Snape had whispered, so dangerously. I had turned on him, then. I remember my face burning.
"What are you going to do, curse me? I can't do this anymore, Severus. I'm not meant to be bad." I remember saying.
"You are in Slytherin! You were born to be bad!" Lucius yelled. I turned on him then.
"You are wrong. The Sorting Hat was wrong. I'm not evil." I had whispered. I tried to leave the room then, but Lucius held out his arm, stopping me. He had drawn his wand and was pointing it at me.
"You leave, and you'll regret it, O'Leary." He said coldly. I looked pleadingly over to Snape but he was staring determinedly at the floor. I turned cold eyes on him.
"Then I will, Malfoy. I'm starting new, and you can't stop me." I hissed. I pushed his arm back
"Tigers don't change their stripes, O'Leary." He called after me, I kept on walking and I heard a swishing noise behind me. Malfoy was about to curse me.
"Ampcututarum!" I shouted, before he could finish his spell. Malfoy let out a scream and watched in horror as a long cut appeared on his wrist. Snape was staring horrified at Malfoy's arm, the cut getting deeper and blood spilling everywhere as Malfoy shrieked in pain. I turned then, and tears streaming down my face at the shock of that I had just harmed one of the best friend I had.
7 months later, I saw my parents murdered.. murdered by Malfoy's father." Dani choked quietly. Remus was staring at her.
"Satanius Malfoy?" He said quietly. Dani nodded. "When he said 'Tigers don't change their stripes' .. does that mean that he thinks you're still doing Dark magic? And that you'll always be wrong? That you will always be bad?"
"I'm not, though! It was a spiteful way to remind me of what I did when I turned on them.." She trailed off quietly. Tears were building up once more in her eyes. "My parents died because of me. I was foolish enough to walk out on Snape and Malfoy. And when they didn't let me go.. I still went, hoping I could pick up my life with my parents. And I should have known better than to curse Malfoy.. I know what he is capable of.. and his father." Dani blinked back her tears and pulled out her handkerchief again. She strained to smile. "It's all good, now. He can't overpower me. His father killed my parents. He was a murderer, and Lucius Malfoy will sure go the same way. You just watch, and I will get him back, if it's the last thing I do."
"Don't go messing with the Malfoy's, Dani. They've already killed your mum and dad and they will find another way to destroy you." Remus said warningly.
"I don't care. I have something that the Malfoys don't."
"And what's that?"
"I have sense." Dani said. The compartment door burst opened, and in strode James and Sirius. Sanuya and Peter awoke with a start. Sanuya yawned and blinked blearily at Sirius.
"When did you guys get back?" She said groggily.
"Well, Dani-" James started to say. Dani stared at him with a silencing look.
"I was hungry, so I went to the front of the train to get some food when I found Remus.. and we came back here. James and Sirius were still tormenting Snape." Dani continued, forcing a grin. Sanuya snorted and picked up the box of 'Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans', popping a bean into her mouth. A look of disgust swept across her face as she swallowed with difficult.
"Spinach.." She coughed. Dani laughed along with the rest of them, but Remus noticed that her laugh was hollow, and not at all like the loud burst of energy that usually issued from Dani's mouth. Remus looked at his watch. 2 days until the full moon.. damn I hate being a werewolf.. he thought. He sighed and put a hand to his head. He had a feeling that he wasn't the only one dreading something. As the sky darkened outside the windows, Sirius and Sanuya started having some fun on the bench opposite to Dani. Dani looked away and her eyes rested on Remus. His head was resting on the back of the seat, his mouth slightly opened. She smiled slightly and looked over to where James Potter was curled on the seat, his hand wrapped around a struggling snitch. Peter was staring off into space, clearly thinking about something other than school, by the dreamy expression on his slack face. The train started to slow down and Remus awoke with a jolt, sitting upright and stretching. He smiled at Dani and yawned. The train stopped, awaking James and pulling Sirius and Sanuya apart. Peter snapped out of his reverie and rubbed at his eyes and tugged his cloak straight. Dani stood up, put one hand in her pocket, grabbed her owl cage that contained Gany, her owl, with the other, and opened the door to the compartment, followed by Remus, James and Peter. Sirius and Sanuya were cleaning up a bit. Dani stepped off the train and her and the 3 boys made their way over to a carriage each pulled by a black horse like dragon, Dani had learned the previous year these were Thestrals. She let Remus and James get up before her and clambered over the edge of the carriage. She sank into the cold, wooden seat of the carriage and noticed Remus doing the same. She looked out at the night sky and the moon growing bigger.
"Nearly full moon." She said absently, glancing over at Remus. Oddly, he blanched and nodded.
"Yep.. can't wait." He replied, in what would be a vacant tone of voice. Peter and James were chatting animatedly about Quidditch. When they asked Dani a question she just smiled and nodded, her mind elsewhere. When the carriage stopped, she was the last to jump out of the Thestral drawn cart. She tapped the cage holding her owl with her wand. It burst open and her dark grey owl flew out. She tapped the cage with her wand again and muttered "Evanesco!" And it vanished. She walked on, now separated from her friends. She saw a blonde figure up ahead followed by a scraggly boy with black hair. She sighed, knowing she will have to pass Malfoy and Snape. She hurried on, and looked up, and found Malfoy staring back at her a smirk all over his pale face. He raised his left arm. His cloak fell down to reveal the claw he always grasped onto, to hide his half severed hand. She glared at him and pushed past him into the Great Hall. She saw Remus and the gang sitting at the Gryffindor table. She sighed and sat down at the Slytherin table next to a girl with waist-length brown hair Dani was friendly with. Her name was Trossi Demonio. She was a beater on the Slytherin team. Trossi smiled as Dani slid in next to her.
"Have a good summer, O'Leary?" She asked Dani.
"Wasn't bad, Tros, what about yours? Kill anything?" Dani asked slyly. Trossi missed the sarcasm and frowned.
"No.. do I ever?" Dani raised an eyebrow and sighed.
"Never mind.." Dani said, shaking her head. She glanced over at the Gryffindor Table where Remus, her new best friend, was sitting with his head in his hands. Dani wondered once more if he was all right and healthy when a little tapping noise came from the teachers table. Dani looked up and saw the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, stand.
"The sorting will now commence. New students that have just been sorted, please go to your house table when you have been sorted." He said in a booming voice. Dani looked up to see an average sized line of small boys and girls, all shivering and staring in awe at the Great Hall. A teacher with dark hair in a tight bun swept out from a chamber to the right of the teachers table. She had a stool and a hat was placed upon the stool. She put the stool directly in front of Dumbledore. The hat on the stool was particularly shabby and a tear near the brim opened wide. It began to sing. Once the hat had sung the song, there was a loud round of applause. The teacher with the bun walked back out into the hall and unrolled a piece of parchment.
"When I call your name, please come forward and place the hat upon your head-" Dani noticed that some of the students were tugging their collars nervously, or were sweating.
"Ayoub, Hannah!" A tall girl with dark purple hair walked out and placed the hat on her head. There was a moment of silence.
"Gryffindor!" The table to the far right erupted in applause and Dani saw James and Sirius, cheering and whooping.
"Browne, Luke!" A short boy with an untidy mop of blonde hair stumped forward.
"Hufflepuff!" And the sorting continued, ending with;
"Williams, Nick!" An incredibly tall boy with short blonde hair strode forward.
"Slytherin!" Dani cheered as the tall boy took a seat a few places down from hers. Dumbledore stood up again and waited for the chattering to stop.
"Let the feast.. begin." He said and the plates in front of everybody suddenly filled with food and their sparkling clean goblets filled with drink. Dani began to eat without real relish. She stared jealously at the Gryffindor table where her 5 friends were joking around. She stared for a few more minutes, as she chewed her food monotonously. Dani glanced up the Slytherin table where she saw Snape watching her with glassy eyes. She fired a nasty look at him and returned to her food. After an hour, the plates cleared themselves and Dumbledore stood up once more. Dani watched with mild interest as he began the usual speech, telling the first years all of the rules. Did she only move when Dumbledore called for the prefects to lead their houses back to their dormitories. Dani stood up and hurried over to where her Gryffindor friends were standing, having a chat.
"Saw you at the feast. You looked like you were enjoying yourself oh so much." Sirius joked, towering over Dani. She grinned sarcastically and punched him playfully on the arm.
"Always do." She said and Sirius laughed. James, Sanuya, Sirius and Peter all walked away to the Gryffindor dormitories. Remus stayed a little longer and gave Dani a quick half-hug. He appeared embarrassed.
"I however, did see you at the feast. I've never seen you look so low. Don't let Malfoy get to you and don't do anything rash, ok?" He said and flashed Dani a shy smile. She returned his and bade him goodnight. Dani walked over to the door leading to the dungeons. She opened it and found herself in a cold corridor that led to the Slytherin common room. She reached the entrance and muttered the password she had heard a 7th year at the feast tell his friend. She walked through the doorway into the narrow room that was the Slytherin common room. Lucius, Severus, that bloke called Karkaroff and a girl with blonde hair called Narcissa Black, were sitting on one couch, obviously discussing something in low voices. They looked up when Dani entered the room and Malfoy whispered something. The other 3 let out cold laughs and Dani rolled her eyes and walked down the corridor to the girl's dormitories. She opened the stone door and spotted Trossie huddled in her bed looking rather sad. Dani walked over to her bed, opened the trunk, pulled out her pj's and changed.
"Are you all right, Trossie?" Dani called, her back to the girl. The shape under the green cover shifted and pulled a cord that drew the green hangings on her four poster closed. Dani sighed and leaned against the cold black wood of her bed, staring at the stone wall. Soon the light snores of Trossie filled the room. Dani climbed into her bed and pointed her wand at the torch on the wall. It was extinguished immediately. Dani was lying in bed for what seemed 20 minutes when she heard the dormitory door open and in swept Narcissa, the other girl that shared the 6th year dormitory Dani slept in. Narcissa changed swiftly and buried herself under the covers.
"You will pay for what you did to Malfoy, O'Leary." Narcissa said in her elegant, but cold voice. Dani rolled onto her side.
"Haven't I paid enough, Black? In the last 6 months, I've lost my parents and my best friends. In my opinion, that sounds like Malfoy has made me suffer in a big way." Dani spat back and turned away from Narcissa. There was no more noise and soon, Dani fell asleep.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters or terms referred to. I don't own my friend's characters either. I believe they are their own persons. Enjoy, now..or not
Tigers don't change their stripes ~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
"Hey Dani! Ready to kick some butt this year, or what?" A girl with shortish brown hair called, running up to Dani. Dani turned and smiled and held up her hand. The girl slapped it.
"Hell yeah, San! Those Gresnich maggots won't know what HIT them.. Speaking of which, haven't tried anymore illegal beater moves, eh?" Dani replied, falling into step beside her friend, and fellow beater on the Hogwarts team, Sanuya, better known as San. San grinned sheepishly.
"Only with Sirius." Dani laughed and shoved her friend away.
"Get out of here, you!" And they climbed up the steps to the train. They wandered down the aisle and stepped into a compartment. 3 boys, all of about 16, occupied the compartment.
"Hel-lo guys had a good summer?" Dani asked as she sank into a seat next to a boy with brown hair and his nose stuck in a book. She rolled her eyes and leaned over to him.
"Hullo Remus." She said. He jumped and grinned at her.
"Mornin' Dani." He replied and was soon immersed in his book again. She rolled her eyes again and stared around.
"Wasn't bad, no." A boy with untidy black hair said. A handsome boy sitting next to Sanuya let out a sound that resembled a laugh.
"'Course it wasn't bad. Not for you, anyway, James. 'S always good for you, mate. You live the life." The boy with untidy hair snorted.
"Hardly, Sirius. You don't have a greasy git living next door to you." Said James. Dani groaned. They were always having a go at her cousin. She couldn't blame them, but most of the time, it WAS unnecessary.
"Come off it, James. Snape doesn't have a good life." Dani said, picking at her nails.
"Who would, being related to you?" Sirius retorted. She glared at him and he smirked. James and Sanuya laughed. Remus was still into his book.
"Yeah, I mean. if I was YOUR cousin.. I'd be scared you were going to take my head off with a bat or something. You are oddly notorious for that." James said smiling.
"You'd wanna watch out, or you might be my next lucky victim." Dani snarled. Footsteps sounded outside their compartment. A small boy with mousy brown hair and a pointed nose opened their compartment door. Dani grinned.
"Peter! How was your summer?" She said and shoved Remus up the bench to make room. Remus looked at Dani and shook his head. Peter stared around with watery blue eyes.
"It was ok." He said vaguely. Peter and Remus were the only ones in their group that wasn't on the Hogwarts Quidditch team. James put his hand in side his robe pocket and pulled out a little gold ball with wings. Everybody except for Peter groaned.
"Good grief, James! Give it a rest!" Sanuya cried. James shrugged and started playing with the snitch, a grin of satisfaction on his face. Dani rolled her eyes and busied herself with making Sirius' hair change colour with a swish of her wand. He finally realised when he caught site of himself in San's mirror that she was using to fix her hair with. He plunged a hand in his robes, pointed the wand tip at Dani and muttered an incantation. Dani's skin was now a lovely pink colour. Flashes of light flew across the compartment and still, Remus read on. Sanuya waited for the moment and jumped in, firing hexes in every direction, laughing. Peter was gawking at James, who was still playing with the snitch. Sirius noticed this and fired an Engorgement Charm that hit James Square in the middle of the head. His nose started swelling to the size of a tomato. Cursing, he deflated it with a wave of his own wand and was about to hex Sirius when the door opened. Everybody stopped having fun with heir wands and looked at who was staring in the doorway. James snarled under his breath. "What do YOU want, Snivellus?" The boy standing in the doorway had greasy black hair and a hooked nose. Severus Snape. He flicked his head towards James.
"Nothing concerning you, Potter. Keep your big head where it belongs." Spat Snape. James sat back in his chair and rumpled his hair. Snape turned to Remus.
"You're wanted in the Prefects carriage, Lupin." Remus put his book down after dog-earing it and sighed. He stood up and followed the greasy haired Severus Snape down the aisle. Dani watched them until they disappeared.
"He's not looking too well, is he?" Dani asked out loud. Craning her neck to look out the door.
"Who, Remus?" Sirius asked back.
"Yeah. Lookin' a bit peaky, he is. I hope he's all right." Dani said turning back to her friends. James and Sirius flashed a look at each other and Peter squeaked. Dani looked at the boys oddly and shrugged.
"Yeah, he's fine." Sirius said and yawned. "But geez, I'm bored." And with a glance at James they both grinned. They stood up and made their way to the door. Sanuya yawned and said; "Go with them. Make sure they don't get up to too much trouble, at least. I'd go with ya, but.. you know them, and I'm tired." Dani nodded and jumped up and walked out the door with James and Sirius. She quickened her pace to catch up with them and they turned into the compartment 3 up from theirs. Dani stuck her head in and groaned.
"I can't stop you, but.. Just don't hang him up side down again. That was embarrassingly gross." Dani said and leant against the door, with her arms crossed. The two boys grinned and stepped into the compartment. Inside were Snape, a blonde haired boy Dani knew was called Lucius and another guy she didn't know.
"Hello, Snivelly, Ferret and some other loser we don't know." Sirius began, looking at the stranger. He had dark hair and a nasty looking smile that did not reach his cold, cold eyes.
"That loser happens to know exactly how to kick your arse, so.. unless you don't want a pumpkin for a head or something, I suggest you get out." Snarled the dark stranger. Sirius' laugh sounded like a bark as he threw back his head and cackled.
"Yeah? And who are you to have the honour of turning my head into such pumpkin?" Sirius asked, amused.
"What d'you want, Black?" Snape spat, glaring up into Sirius' face.
"Just for a lovely chat, dear Snivelly." James piped up stepping into the compartment more and closing the door. Dani shifted aside so they could get the door closed and resumed her position. The stranger started to say something but Snape stopped him.
"Shut up, Karkaroff, let me deal with this." Snape ordered, thrusting a hand across Karkaroff's chest. Lucius started to stand and curse the two Gryffindor's into oblivion when Snape stood up and pushed Lucius Malfoy back into his chair. "I said let me deal with this!" Snape shouted again and with that plunged a hand into his robes.
"Gashe-" Snape cried.
"Stupefy!" A voice cried, and Snape keeled over backwards. He was lying rigid as a board on the floor of the carriage, his oily hair over his face. As one, everyone looked over to the door and there stood Dani, her wand raised. Sirius and James had only just put their hands in their pockets to draw their wands, when Dani had sensed something was going to happen and whipped out her own. Sirius and James gaped at Dani. They had never thought her the violent type. Sure, she'd get a bit feisty on the Quidditch pitch, but that was just normal.
"What the hell are you doing, O'Leary?" Lucius shrieked bending down and muttering an incantation, whilst pointing his own wand tip at Snape's chest. Dani looked furious for a second and suddenly looked remotely embarrassed.
"Oh be jebus.." She whispered and immediately bent down to help her cousin up. He lashed out with his arm, striking Dani on the chest. She toppled back over and scrambled to her feet. "I'm sorry, Severus." Said Dani backing away.
"I'll get you yet, Potter, Black." Snape hissed. Karkaroff smirked and stared at Dani.
"Now that we know they need their girlfriend to fight for them, it's going to be hard getting them by themselves." Karkaroff whispered audibly to Lucius Malfoy and Snape. Dani flushed a lovely red colour.
"And here I was thinking Slytherin's were supposed to bond with each other, and you go and stun Snape?" Lucius said dangerously soft. Dani flushed even darker.
"Obviously that philosophy doesn't occur to you, O'Leary. It won't work." He added. Dani whirled around to glare at him.
"What won't work?" She spat, furious with her ex-friend.
"Tigers don't change their stripes."
Dani made a choking noise, tears welling up in her eyes, and turning on her heel, ran out of the compartment. She ran down the aisle, her long black hair trailing behind her, she came to a halt at the end of the Hogwarts Express. She heard a second sound of footsteps and looked turned to face the person following her. It was Remus. His kind face looked concerned. He raised a thin, pale hand to gently touch Dani's arm.
"James told me what Malfoy said. I don't fully get it." He said in a quiet voice, leading Dani by the hand back down the aisle. She tugged a hanky out of the sleeve of her cloak and wiped her tears away. They turned into their compartment, Sirius and James were still gone, Peter and Sanuya curled up on a bench each, fast asleep. Dani and Remus moved to a corner of the compartment and she began telling her tale of why, even though in Slytherin, she chose to befriend the 5 Gryffindors.
"A couple of years ago, when we first started at Hogwarts, d'you remember how I hung around with Snape and Malfoy? My parents," She choked slightly when she said this. "Malfoy's parents, and Snape's were all friends.. they all practiced the Dark Arts. Snape, Malfoy and I were always around each other. Snape had the worst life, his parents always fighting, and he was my best friend. Him and Malfoy also started practicing Dark Magic in our 3rd year.. I started doing it too. Our parents were always talking about how we would be the generation who would bring some Dark Lord or another to full power. I never knew what it meant but my parents were always pressing it on me. In the beginning of our 5th year my oldies discovered that they were under the Imperius Curse and they had overcome it. They started acting weird. They weren't practicing dark magic and they were being real parents. I felt like the whole world had turned upside down. Then when I told Malfoy and Snape that I wasn't doing the Dark Arts anymore.. they didn't take it too well.
"What do you mean, you're quitting, O'Leary?" Malfoy spat at me. I turned to face him, a smile on my face, the first smile in ages, I remember.
"Mum and Dad have changed, Malfoy, they aren't doing Dark shit anymore.. they are acting like real parents." I said happily, spreading my arms wide. Malfoy and Snape had exchanged shadowed looks then. I remember gazing at them oddly.
"If you leave, no good will come of this, O'Leary." Snape had whispered, so dangerously. I had turned on him, then. I remember my face burning.
"What are you going to do, curse me? I can't do this anymore, Severus. I'm not meant to be bad." I remember saying.
"You are in Slytherin! You were born to be bad!" Lucius yelled. I turned on him then.
"You are wrong. The Sorting Hat was wrong. I'm not evil." I had whispered. I tried to leave the room then, but Lucius held out his arm, stopping me. He had drawn his wand and was pointing it at me.
"You leave, and you'll regret it, O'Leary." He said coldly. I looked pleadingly over to Snape but he was staring determinedly at the floor. I turned cold eyes on him.
"Then I will, Malfoy. I'm starting new, and you can't stop me." I hissed. I pushed his arm back
"Tigers don't change their stripes, O'Leary." He called after me, I kept on walking and I heard a swishing noise behind me. Malfoy was about to curse me.
"Ampcututarum!" I shouted, before he could finish his spell. Malfoy let out a scream and watched in horror as a long cut appeared on his wrist. Snape was staring horrified at Malfoy's arm, the cut getting deeper and blood spilling everywhere as Malfoy shrieked in pain. I turned then, and tears streaming down my face at the shock of that I had just harmed one of the best friend I had.
7 months later, I saw my parents murdered.. murdered by Malfoy's father." Dani choked quietly. Remus was staring at her.
"Satanius Malfoy?" He said quietly. Dani nodded. "When he said 'Tigers don't change their stripes' .. does that mean that he thinks you're still doing Dark magic? And that you'll always be wrong? That you will always be bad?"
"I'm not, though! It was a spiteful way to remind me of what I did when I turned on them.." She trailed off quietly. Tears were building up once more in her eyes. "My parents died because of me. I was foolish enough to walk out on Snape and Malfoy. And when they didn't let me go.. I still went, hoping I could pick up my life with my parents. And I should have known better than to curse Malfoy.. I know what he is capable of.. and his father." Dani blinked back her tears and pulled out her handkerchief again. She strained to smile. "It's all good, now. He can't overpower me. His father killed my parents. He was a murderer, and Lucius Malfoy will sure go the same way. You just watch, and I will get him back, if it's the last thing I do."
"Don't go messing with the Malfoy's, Dani. They've already killed your mum and dad and they will find another way to destroy you." Remus said warningly.
"I don't care. I have something that the Malfoys don't."
"And what's that?"
"I have sense." Dani said. The compartment door burst opened, and in strode James and Sirius. Sanuya and Peter awoke with a start. Sanuya yawned and blinked blearily at Sirius.
"When did you guys get back?" She said groggily.
"Well, Dani-" James started to say. Dani stared at him with a silencing look.
"I was hungry, so I went to the front of the train to get some food when I found Remus.. and we came back here. James and Sirius were still tormenting Snape." Dani continued, forcing a grin. Sanuya snorted and picked up the box of 'Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans', popping a bean into her mouth. A look of disgust swept across her face as she swallowed with difficult.
"Spinach.." She coughed. Dani laughed along with the rest of them, but Remus noticed that her laugh was hollow, and not at all like the loud burst of energy that usually issued from Dani's mouth. Remus looked at his watch. 2 days until the full moon.. damn I hate being a werewolf.. he thought. He sighed and put a hand to his head. He had a feeling that he wasn't the only one dreading something. As the sky darkened outside the windows, Sirius and Sanuya started having some fun on the bench opposite to Dani. Dani looked away and her eyes rested on Remus. His head was resting on the back of the seat, his mouth slightly opened. She smiled slightly and looked over to where James Potter was curled on the seat, his hand wrapped around a struggling snitch. Peter was staring off into space, clearly thinking about something other than school, by the dreamy expression on his slack face. The train started to slow down and Remus awoke with a jolt, sitting upright and stretching. He smiled at Dani and yawned. The train stopped, awaking James and pulling Sirius and Sanuya apart. Peter snapped out of his reverie and rubbed at his eyes and tugged his cloak straight. Dani stood up, put one hand in her pocket, grabbed her owl cage that contained Gany, her owl, with the other, and opened the door to the compartment, followed by Remus, James and Peter. Sirius and Sanuya were cleaning up a bit. Dani stepped off the train and her and the 3 boys made their way over to a carriage each pulled by a black horse like dragon, Dani had learned the previous year these were Thestrals. She let Remus and James get up before her and clambered over the edge of the carriage. She sank into the cold, wooden seat of the carriage and noticed Remus doing the same. She looked out at the night sky and the moon growing bigger.
"Nearly full moon." She said absently, glancing over at Remus. Oddly, he blanched and nodded.
"Yep.. can't wait." He replied, in what would be a vacant tone of voice. Peter and James were chatting animatedly about Quidditch. When they asked Dani a question she just smiled and nodded, her mind elsewhere. When the carriage stopped, she was the last to jump out of the Thestral drawn cart. She tapped the cage holding her owl with her wand. It burst open and her dark grey owl flew out. She tapped the cage with her wand again and muttered "Evanesco!" And it vanished. She walked on, now separated from her friends. She saw a blonde figure up ahead followed by a scraggly boy with black hair. She sighed, knowing she will have to pass Malfoy and Snape. She hurried on, and looked up, and found Malfoy staring back at her a smirk all over his pale face. He raised his left arm. His cloak fell down to reveal the claw he always grasped onto, to hide his half severed hand. She glared at him and pushed past him into the Great Hall. She saw Remus and the gang sitting at the Gryffindor table. She sighed and sat down at the Slytherin table next to a girl with waist-length brown hair Dani was friendly with. Her name was Trossi Demonio. She was a beater on the Slytherin team. Trossi smiled as Dani slid in next to her.
"Have a good summer, O'Leary?" She asked Dani.
"Wasn't bad, Tros, what about yours? Kill anything?" Dani asked slyly. Trossi missed the sarcasm and frowned.
"No.. do I ever?" Dani raised an eyebrow and sighed.
"Never mind.." Dani said, shaking her head. She glanced over at the Gryffindor Table where Remus, her new best friend, was sitting with his head in his hands. Dani wondered once more if he was all right and healthy when a little tapping noise came from the teachers table. Dani looked up and saw the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, stand.
"The sorting will now commence. New students that have just been sorted, please go to your house table when you have been sorted." He said in a booming voice. Dani looked up to see an average sized line of small boys and girls, all shivering and staring in awe at the Great Hall. A teacher with dark hair in a tight bun swept out from a chamber to the right of the teachers table. She had a stool and a hat was placed upon the stool. She put the stool directly in front of Dumbledore. The hat on the stool was particularly shabby and a tear near the brim opened wide. It began to sing. Once the hat had sung the song, there was a loud round of applause. The teacher with the bun walked back out into the hall and unrolled a piece of parchment.
"When I call your name, please come forward and place the hat upon your head-" Dani noticed that some of the students were tugging their collars nervously, or were sweating.
"Ayoub, Hannah!" A tall girl with dark purple hair walked out and placed the hat on her head. There was a moment of silence.
"Gryffindor!" The table to the far right erupted in applause and Dani saw James and Sirius, cheering and whooping.
"Browne, Luke!" A short boy with an untidy mop of blonde hair stumped forward.
"Hufflepuff!" And the sorting continued, ending with;
"Williams, Nick!" An incredibly tall boy with short blonde hair strode forward.
"Slytherin!" Dani cheered as the tall boy took a seat a few places down from hers. Dumbledore stood up again and waited for the chattering to stop.
"Let the feast.. begin." He said and the plates in front of everybody suddenly filled with food and their sparkling clean goblets filled with drink. Dani began to eat without real relish. She stared jealously at the Gryffindor table where her 5 friends were joking around. She stared for a few more minutes, as she chewed her food monotonously. Dani glanced up the Slytherin table where she saw Snape watching her with glassy eyes. She fired a nasty look at him and returned to her food. After an hour, the plates cleared themselves and Dumbledore stood up once more. Dani watched with mild interest as he began the usual speech, telling the first years all of the rules. Did she only move when Dumbledore called for the prefects to lead their houses back to their dormitories. Dani stood up and hurried over to where her Gryffindor friends were standing, having a chat.
"Saw you at the feast. You looked like you were enjoying yourself oh so much." Sirius joked, towering over Dani. She grinned sarcastically and punched him playfully on the arm.
"Always do." She said and Sirius laughed. James, Sanuya, Sirius and Peter all walked away to the Gryffindor dormitories. Remus stayed a little longer and gave Dani a quick half-hug. He appeared embarrassed.
"I however, did see you at the feast. I've never seen you look so low. Don't let Malfoy get to you and don't do anything rash, ok?" He said and flashed Dani a shy smile. She returned his and bade him goodnight. Dani walked over to the door leading to the dungeons. She opened it and found herself in a cold corridor that led to the Slytherin common room. She reached the entrance and muttered the password she had heard a 7th year at the feast tell his friend. She walked through the doorway into the narrow room that was the Slytherin common room. Lucius, Severus, that bloke called Karkaroff and a girl with blonde hair called Narcissa Black, were sitting on one couch, obviously discussing something in low voices. They looked up when Dani entered the room and Malfoy whispered something. The other 3 let out cold laughs and Dani rolled her eyes and walked down the corridor to the girl's dormitories. She opened the stone door and spotted Trossie huddled in her bed looking rather sad. Dani walked over to her bed, opened the trunk, pulled out her pj's and changed.
"Are you all right, Trossie?" Dani called, her back to the girl. The shape under the green cover shifted and pulled a cord that drew the green hangings on her four poster closed. Dani sighed and leaned against the cold black wood of her bed, staring at the stone wall. Soon the light snores of Trossie filled the room. Dani climbed into her bed and pointed her wand at the torch on the wall. It was extinguished immediately. Dani was lying in bed for what seemed 20 minutes when she heard the dormitory door open and in swept Narcissa, the other girl that shared the 6th year dormitory Dani slept in. Narcissa changed swiftly and buried herself under the covers.
"You will pay for what you did to Malfoy, O'Leary." Narcissa said in her elegant, but cold voice. Dani rolled onto her side.
"Haven't I paid enough, Black? In the last 6 months, I've lost my parents and my best friends. In my opinion, that sounds like Malfoy has made me suffer in a big way." Dani spat back and turned away from Narcissa. There was no more noise and soon, Dani fell asleep.