An hour latter the train pulled to a stop at the station. The seven students got their luggage and headed for the carriages with the haste of a bloodhound on a scent. They pushed, squeezed, and wove their way through the departing crowd of first years and finally came to the large black coaches.
Star gasped at the sight of the creatures that were to be their transportation. Laelai walked over to one and studied it closely. Her eyes wide with excitement, "A thestrel! I never thought to see one here." Laelai's eyes filled with adoration for the creature, and she reached her hand out to touch its snake-like neck. The thestrel turned its head and knocked her with its beakish muzzle toward the carriage door, and Laelai obeyed that silent command.
Upon entering she meant the questioning stares of her peers with a forbidding glance of her own. Then with a soft jerk the coach began to move. Because of the size the group had split up into two different groups. The girls chose to stay together and that left Harry, Ron and Hermione to find their own carriage back.
Stars quivering voice broke the silence, "What was that thing?"
Laelai grinned wolfishly, "Why did it frighten you?" she asked her eyes glowing in that dark space where time seemed to creep by Star opened her moth to deny her fear but Laelai cut her off, "Well then know this, it is a thestrel. You see it only because you have seen death. It will not hurt you because it likes its meat bloody, but you should fear death because death has a taste for the good, not the bad."
The rest of the trip was spent in a dark consuming silence in which all thoughts were as dark as the world from which they came. Laelai spent the trip staring into the night searching for a way to escape another year in this school where destiny often finds you weather you are ready for it or not. The moon looked down on her coldly and the light of that celestial pool only made her features harsh in its quiet serenity. All knew that a time would come when they would need to use their gifts as protection against a dark that did not end when the sun came up, a dark that was seeking even now to destroy the light. But now they would teach even as they were being taught. For soon all must take a side and they were the ones that had to lead.
As the carriages pulled up to the entry way of the school the occupiers of that one silent coach awoke from their brooding silence and stepped out into the semi-darkness of that clear night and they took deep breathes preparing themselves for what lay beyond that blazing threshold. As if they had gone from one world to another the dazzling brightness engulfed them with warmth and their troubles were swept away like a dream lost in waking.
The entrance hall was beautiful but it was little more than a rock next to the gem that was the Great Hall. At least this was how the others felt who had never before been in this giant dinning room, but Laelai had seen it enough and was bored with its wonders. So while the others sought direction on where to sit Laelai slipped away unnoticed to the table where she had once enjoyed her meals that were sent to her by the abilities that house elves had.
As she sat down at the long table with her fellow Slytherins she let out a sigh of relief. She was now alone or at least without the comradeship that her new friends had insisted upon. She had been at this school since her eleventh birthday and now at age sixteen she was still here as forgettable as ever not one person ever spoke more than two word sentences to her and these new friends of hers would take a while to get used to.
As she reflected on her previous years her she did not notice the boy from the train come up behind her. "Hey, you were one of the girls on the train talking to Weasley" Draco sneered, "You don't belong here. Consulting with a Weasley is a punishable offence."
"Well, than you should have punished me when I was a first year 'cause my legal guardian is a Weasley. If that isn't consulting then I don't know what is." Laelai smiled a challenge, but the smile seemed to disarm Draco and he sat next to her as if he never had insulted her.
Meanwhile, the others were sorted in a back room and sent to their corresponding tables. Wren was sent to Ravenclaw, Monica to Gryfindor, and Star was sent to Slytherin.
As the girls walked along the tables conversation stopped and all eyes turned to them. Whispers broke out amongst the students as they too their places at he long tables. Then Star reached Slytherin and she took her place next to Laelai with a smile. Laelai smiled tiredly back while cursing the hat for his bad placement of Star. Malfoy, however, seemed quite glad to have the chance to speaking to this girl again. He turned his attention away from Laelai and started to bombard Star with questions. Laelai took the chance to a little more peace and lay her head down on the table. She didn't sit up again until the sorting hat ritual started.
Laelai noticed that the normal creeps were admitted to Slytherin this year, as it had been every year in the pass. She supposed creeps had to go somewhere and most were neither smart nor brave and definitely not loyal so the were sent here with their poor excuse for ambition as justification.
As always Professor Dumbledore told the almost laughable start off term notices and the summoned the food with a word that had no meaning except to be used by the old man whom hid years off trouble and concern beneath that sarcastic exterior. This man she trusted for the soul reason that he could help her get revenge. He was wise and could help her find the man who killed her parents and separated her from her sister. She was dead most likely, probably beaten to death by a muggle who was supposed to care for her. She never was strong, Laelai reflected, I always took care of her. She was too much like mother, soft as a dragon's underbelly, but I was like father, he rode with the dragons and so do I.
She fingered the wand in her robes; her father's wand now belonged to her. She would always remember him; the way he used to say it was his most valued possession as it was now hers.
Over at the Ravenclaw table, wren was under immense scrutiny. Unused to such pressure, her hands started smoking, and the next thing that happened, the table cloth was on fire, surprised, she didn't immediately put it out, and her neighbor was scorched. In a matter of seconds though, it was nothing but steam. Professor Dumbledore stood up, his face puzzled and furious. His voice boomed "Wren Riverstone! Go to my office!" as she stood up, hundreds of heads turned to see her leave. Monica and Star looked on, worried for their friend. They didn't wait for the feast to finish, but followed Wren out of the room. Laelai watched feeling slightly left out of the camaraderie that the three girls had, but not willing to admit it to herself.
They found her sitting out side the headmaster's office, curled up, with her head against her knees. She heard them approach, and looked up. "It was an accident. You know when I get nervous, things...they just catch on fire! I don't mean it to happen! I...hello Professor Dumbledore.