Disclaimer: Not mine! All characters (not counting Ashlyn and Shiyra) are
J.K. Rowling's. I will never claim otherwise.
Author's Note: There is mild language here. Not much though. I am pretty pleased with this, not that my opinion really counts. It's all up to you! I want to thank:
(My Beta) Dopey: I wouldn't be here without you Luvs! Oh and do try and update! I'm doing it! You can too. See you at school!
Lossenrhos: Thank you so much, I'm glad that you like it and think the POV interesting. I wanted to do something a bit different from my other stories and this just came to me one day. Yes, I see what you are saying and you are right. I might go back and fix that, we'll see. I hadn't thought of that before, thank you for telling me. Her name is Ashlyn. It means 'meadow of ash trees'. It fits into her character. As to her middle name, I just made it up. It doesn't really exist.
Walking into the castle on the first day of term I thought back to the day when I first met Dumbledore and he lead me to his office to sign the transfer papers.
He had decided to sort me then. I was thankful for that. The hat wanted me in Slytherin. I protested, having read The History of Hogwarts last night. It placed me in Gryffindor. "The closest you can get," my master had told me. If I say so myself this is pretty dam close, still, I must get closer.
My first day of school at Hogwarts; it seemed so surreal. I knew my task. It was more important than anything else that would come my way. It was of highest priority. The dark Lord comes first in everything concerning my life. It would always be that way. I would never have a 'normal' life. Someone will always control me.
I knew all of this, even as I walked into the Great Hall. I had tried my best to look attractive, hoping it would draw attention to me, I guess it worked. People must be thinking some weird things about my long waist length forest green hair that was drawn into a long braid hanging down my back. My green eyes were shining in the candlelight, making it almost impossible to notice their change in color unless you were really close to me. My skin was fair, even though it did have a slight light green tint, only I have ever seemed to notice that though.
Eyes were drawn to me all across the hall. Damn my pixie side. I noticed that I was emanating too much of what I like to call my 'magnetic attraction'. That's pretty much how it works too. Magic tends to emanate off of us half-pixies and make us seem more attractive to humans and draw them to us. I closed my eyes for a second trying to dampen the attraction.
I noticed a pair of familiar steel gray eyes staring at me across the hall. I turned to look at Draco, smiling, and gave him a slight nod. I would explain everything later. He will understand. I felt his surprise as I turned towards the Gryffindor table; surely I was the most evil girl he had ever met and belonged in Slytherin.
I looked up and down the table trying to recognize Harry or his friends from the pictures I had seen in the Daily Prophet and other papers. That was when I noticed a pair of Emerald orbs looking straight at me. Like a cat I stalked up to Harry Potter and his friends.
There was one seat to the right of Hermione Granger, right across from Harry. I stared right into his eyes for a split second. I could tell that my small amount magnetic attraction had no affect on him. Now, his friend, Ron Weasley, was a whole different story. Ron was practically drooling.
"Hi there, is this seat available?"
Hermione looked up at me, "Hi, yes it is. Please, sit down. My name is Hermione Granger, and you are?"
"I'm Ashlyn Aliya Mahogany. No need to tell me your names, I know who you all are. Everyone does." I smiled at Ron and Harry, letting my eyes linger on Harry's. His eyes met mine again and seemed questioning for a second. I almost smirked as the thought came to me that my eyes must have changed color during that brief exchange. I was pulled out of my amusement as Hermione spoke to me.
"Do you dye your hair that color?"
I gave a small laugh and self-amused smirk, "No, it's natural." Should I hide the fact that I'm half pixie?
"But only-" her mouth formed an O a second before I cut her off.
"Yea, that would be correct, Hermione." I wasn't sure about anyone else knowing yet, "I try to keep that to myself though. Tends to scare people off, you know."
"I guess that makes sense." She glanced across the table at Ron and smirked, this was too much like their fourth year when Fleur walked into the hall.
Harry walked this exchange and looked very confused, "what did I miss? Did your eyes just change colors of was I seeing things? You know who I am?"
I smiled at him with sympathy but gave no answer to the first two answers. "Yes, I know who you are," Hermione laughed but did not answer him either.
"Alright, fine. Where are you from?"
"Well, Last year I was at Beauxbatons. For fifth year I lived in Egypt and went to a school called King Tut University. A weird name, even weirder school," my nose scrunched up in dislike. "Fourth year I lived in America and went to the Esgal Academy. Third year my father and I toured Russia and he home schooled me. Second year was spent in Japan at the Feng Shue Academy. Good prices, not too good of a school. First year was spent at The Crystal Academy in Ireland. My father and I pretty much have been everywhere."
"What does your father do?"
"Well, he did work with the ministry as an auror. He died when I was thirteen though."
"Oh, I'm sorry." His eyes showed genuine compassion. How strange, he hardly knows me, my magic isn't affecting him, how can he care about me?
"It's ok, it was a long time ago."
"What does your mother do?"
I was so stupid! Why hadn't I come up with this answer before when I was thinking up a story to tell them, to cover up anything suspicious? I had come up with everything to hide my task and chosen to tell the truth about my past. "Well..."
Thankfully, Hermione noticed my sinking and spoke up, "Hey have you read Hogwarts: A History? The ceiling is enchanted to look like the night sky."
I gave her a grateful smile, "Yea, it's a good book. Have you read Flying With The Cannons? In my opinion, one of the best books ever, but that may be because I'm totally obsessed with Quidditch."
"Fabulous book," Harry told me, "I've read that one multiple times and have yet to tire of it."
"Harry and Ron are obsessed with Quidditch too. They're on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Harry's the seeker and Ron is keeper."
"Awesome! Any spots open on the team?" I wasn't really all that good at quidditch, but a few simple spells would fix that. No one would find out about them, of course. The Potter boy would be pissed if they lost the season because I wasn't competent enough of a graduated witch to cover up my magic. Not that it would normally bother me, but I was trying to become his friend and gain his trust.
Harry spoke up because one glance at Ron showed he was still practically drooling, "Actually, yes, there is. Tryouts for the team will be next Sunday. Are you interested?"
"Am I interested? Yes, I'm interested. It's only the best game ever. I don't have much experience, though. Never stayed anywhere long enough to make a commitment to join a team. I'm going to be here a while, though. Do you think I will have time to practice before then?"
"I'll talk to Madam Hooch and see when the field is free for you. Then I'll get what's left of the team and we can all practice. What position would you be going for on the team?"
"Well, I think I would prefer being a beater. Is there an open position for that? If I can't be a beater, I can be a chaser."
"Yea, we have one beater position open. A seventh year took it last year when Ron's brothers graduated. You'll probably have to battle with a few other people for the position though. Will that be a problem?"
Potter looked me straight in the eye and I gave him my patented "up to no good" look, as my father once called it. He seemed to buy it because he smiled right back. "Course not. I live for competition," I told him with a wink. As I looked straight into the green orbs, I took great pains to look attractive as I casually sucked on the straw in my Pumpkin Juice.
"I will go to no ends to get what I hunger for, Harry," I practically whispered his name as I laced it with a small amount of my 'attraction'. This would be oh so easy; I just have to take it slow enough to make his friends think he actually trusts me. I think Weasley already trusted me. The only real problem with this should be the old man. I can take care of that later.
"That's great, we need some more of those people on the team," he told me easily.
My mouth almost flapped open but, I resisted. Was this boy thick- headed or did my magic have no affect on him?! That was impossible! It had always worked before, even with that small amount! Ridiculous! Insane! Bizarre! Hold on a sec, of course, why hadn't I seen it before? Could it be?
I stretched out my senses to the Potter boy, seeking an answer to these questions. I was in awe at what I found. This boy was no normal boy, but I should have known this already. If he could have been a match for my Lord two years ago, he certainly would have to be oddly powerful.
Not that I would say this to my Lord's face. This boy was... special, stronger than maybe even... I don't know, but he's super powerful. He could be a great magician some day. Could be... he wouldn't really live long enough for this if I had anything to say about it. I would just have to be more 'attractive'.
"Cool, well, I look forward to beating the others," I told him with a toothy smile. "No pun intended." Dinner was just ending. I still had to talk to Draco. It was times like these that my pixie side came in handy. My mom doesn't speak English, there is no point speaking English when the only life forms you come across are animals and insects. She only speaks to the trees and animals in the forest, this I have inherited. She taught me all she knows.
I didn't feel like finding the owlery tower to send Draco a message. Quietly, under my breath, I did as my mother taught me to call my owl. I spoke owl, Hermione was the only one who noticed my hoot. Can you imagine her surprise as Shiyra flew through a window and landed on my shoulder? She looked like a gaping fish. I gave her a kind smile as I gave Shiyra a piece of meat off of my plate.
Looking around, I rationalized that I probably shouldn't talk to Shiyra in front of them. Apparently, Hermione thought that maybe she had missed something in all she had studied on Pixies because she stood up and told everyone that she was going to the library.
"Hold on Hermione. I can trust you with that, right? I don't want anyone to know yet. You can research all you want on it, just don't tell anyone. They can easily draw conclusions, like you did. I will tell people when I feel they are ready. Right now, I need to gain their trust. Think of how you reacted when you heard me call Shiyra. Understand?" I whispered this to her, I needed assurance.
"Of course not. This is between you and me, I promise. If anyone else comes to conclusions, I will send them to you. You most likely will not have much time before people start to connect the dots, though, Ashlyn. You do know that, right? Even if people here are not as book smart as me, they will draw conclusions," she whispered back.
"I know and, Hermione?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for understanding."
"No problem," she flashed me a smile then directed the rest to Harry and Ron, "I'll see you guys later in the common room." Her frizzy hair brushed across her shoulders as she walked out of the Great Hall.
I turned back to the boys and smiled at them. Ron was still staring at me with a blank look. "Um... Harry?"
Potter looked up from his plat at me and the owl perched on my shoulder. "Where did that owl come from?"
"Shiyra? Oh, she just came to visit me. We were pretty close over the years of traveling," I told him dismissively. "Umm... is your friend alright? He looks pretty... um... dead."
Potter looked over at Ron and laughed. "Ron. Hey, Ron. She's not Fleur, Ron." Potter looked back at me and laughed again, "You wouldn't happen to be part Veela would you?"
I was puzzled by this question, "No. Why?" Oh, crap, if his friend was going to be like this around me, it wasn't likely he would be able to have a chance to trust me. I guess I would have to tone down my 'attraction' a bit more.
"Because last time he was like this was our fourth year when Beauxbatons came here for the Triwizard Tournament. There was a girl named Fleur Delacour, she was part Veela and had over half of the Hogwarts boys drooling over her. It's kind of strange that he's like this now though, if you're not part Veela."
"Well, there are many strange things in the wizarding world. There are many unseen dangers too. Many times they can mix. I have to go, I want to go for a walk before after hours. Maybe I'll go for a fly with Shiyra. See you later."
"Want some company?"
"Thanks but that's ok. You might have to help your friend back to the dorm when he comes out of his drunken stupor. Goodbye, Harry Potter," I said to him tying a bit more attraction into his name than last time. Yet again, there was no affect. This boy will be the death of me. Turning to Ron, I dampened my power as much as I could, "See you around, Ron Weasley."
This boy hadn't eaten a thing since I walked into the room and suddenly, as soon as there was only small waves of attraction coming off of me, he was live and alert! "You're leaving already? You just sat down though." Tough, this would be much tougher than I thought. I would have to work them individually.
I smiled at him kindly as Harry explained, "Mate, dinner's practically over. I don't know why you reacted the way you did. She's not part Veela."
I had had enough. "I should go. I'll see you guys later." I winked at Ron and blew them both kisses before I spun, my braid whipping over my shoulder, and strode out of the room the same way I had walked in. The only difference was that I had a greater knowledge of the task at hand and Shiyra was perched on my arm.
Quickly I went outside to a quiet deserted area and conjured some paper, ink, and a quill. I had a meeting to plan and a cousin to conspire with.
Ok, not much of an author's note. Please read and review!
If anyone is interested in getting an alert when I update, just send me a review with your email address and I will email you when I update.
Esgalhothwen
Author's Note: There is mild language here. Not much though. I am pretty pleased with this, not that my opinion really counts. It's all up to you! I want to thank:
(My Beta) Dopey: I wouldn't be here without you Luvs! Oh and do try and update! I'm doing it! You can too. See you at school!
Lossenrhos: Thank you so much, I'm glad that you like it and think the POV interesting. I wanted to do something a bit different from my other stories and this just came to me one day. Yes, I see what you are saying and you are right. I might go back and fix that, we'll see. I hadn't thought of that before, thank you for telling me. Her name is Ashlyn. It means 'meadow of ash trees'. It fits into her character. As to her middle name, I just made it up. It doesn't really exist.
Walking into the castle on the first day of term I thought back to the day when I first met Dumbledore and he lead me to his office to sign the transfer papers.
He had decided to sort me then. I was thankful for that. The hat wanted me in Slytherin. I protested, having read The History of Hogwarts last night. It placed me in Gryffindor. "The closest you can get," my master had told me. If I say so myself this is pretty dam close, still, I must get closer.
My first day of school at Hogwarts; it seemed so surreal. I knew my task. It was more important than anything else that would come my way. It was of highest priority. The dark Lord comes first in everything concerning my life. It would always be that way. I would never have a 'normal' life. Someone will always control me.
I knew all of this, even as I walked into the Great Hall. I had tried my best to look attractive, hoping it would draw attention to me, I guess it worked. People must be thinking some weird things about my long waist length forest green hair that was drawn into a long braid hanging down my back. My green eyes were shining in the candlelight, making it almost impossible to notice their change in color unless you were really close to me. My skin was fair, even though it did have a slight light green tint, only I have ever seemed to notice that though.
Eyes were drawn to me all across the hall. Damn my pixie side. I noticed that I was emanating too much of what I like to call my 'magnetic attraction'. That's pretty much how it works too. Magic tends to emanate off of us half-pixies and make us seem more attractive to humans and draw them to us. I closed my eyes for a second trying to dampen the attraction.
I noticed a pair of familiar steel gray eyes staring at me across the hall. I turned to look at Draco, smiling, and gave him a slight nod. I would explain everything later. He will understand. I felt his surprise as I turned towards the Gryffindor table; surely I was the most evil girl he had ever met and belonged in Slytherin.
I looked up and down the table trying to recognize Harry or his friends from the pictures I had seen in the Daily Prophet and other papers. That was when I noticed a pair of Emerald orbs looking straight at me. Like a cat I stalked up to Harry Potter and his friends.
There was one seat to the right of Hermione Granger, right across from Harry. I stared right into his eyes for a split second. I could tell that my small amount magnetic attraction had no affect on him. Now, his friend, Ron Weasley, was a whole different story. Ron was practically drooling.
"Hi there, is this seat available?"
Hermione looked up at me, "Hi, yes it is. Please, sit down. My name is Hermione Granger, and you are?"
"I'm Ashlyn Aliya Mahogany. No need to tell me your names, I know who you all are. Everyone does." I smiled at Ron and Harry, letting my eyes linger on Harry's. His eyes met mine again and seemed questioning for a second. I almost smirked as the thought came to me that my eyes must have changed color during that brief exchange. I was pulled out of my amusement as Hermione spoke to me.
"Do you dye your hair that color?"
I gave a small laugh and self-amused smirk, "No, it's natural." Should I hide the fact that I'm half pixie?
"But only-" her mouth formed an O a second before I cut her off.
"Yea, that would be correct, Hermione." I wasn't sure about anyone else knowing yet, "I try to keep that to myself though. Tends to scare people off, you know."
"I guess that makes sense." She glanced across the table at Ron and smirked, this was too much like their fourth year when Fleur walked into the hall.
Harry walked this exchange and looked very confused, "what did I miss? Did your eyes just change colors of was I seeing things? You know who I am?"
I smiled at him with sympathy but gave no answer to the first two answers. "Yes, I know who you are," Hermione laughed but did not answer him either.
"Alright, fine. Where are you from?"
"Well, Last year I was at Beauxbatons. For fifth year I lived in Egypt and went to a school called King Tut University. A weird name, even weirder school," my nose scrunched up in dislike. "Fourth year I lived in America and went to the Esgal Academy. Third year my father and I toured Russia and he home schooled me. Second year was spent in Japan at the Feng Shue Academy. Good prices, not too good of a school. First year was spent at The Crystal Academy in Ireland. My father and I pretty much have been everywhere."
"What does your father do?"
"Well, he did work with the ministry as an auror. He died when I was thirteen though."
"Oh, I'm sorry." His eyes showed genuine compassion. How strange, he hardly knows me, my magic isn't affecting him, how can he care about me?
"It's ok, it was a long time ago."
"What does your mother do?"
I was so stupid! Why hadn't I come up with this answer before when I was thinking up a story to tell them, to cover up anything suspicious? I had come up with everything to hide my task and chosen to tell the truth about my past. "Well..."
Thankfully, Hermione noticed my sinking and spoke up, "Hey have you read Hogwarts: A History? The ceiling is enchanted to look like the night sky."
I gave her a grateful smile, "Yea, it's a good book. Have you read Flying With The Cannons? In my opinion, one of the best books ever, but that may be because I'm totally obsessed with Quidditch."
"Fabulous book," Harry told me, "I've read that one multiple times and have yet to tire of it."
"Harry and Ron are obsessed with Quidditch too. They're on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Harry's the seeker and Ron is keeper."
"Awesome! Any spots open on the team?" I wasn't really all that good at quidditch, but a few simple spells would fix that. No one would find out about them, of course. The Potter boy would be pissed if they lost the season because I wasn't competent enough of a graduated witch to cover up my magic. Not that it would normally bother me, but I was trying to become his friend and gain his trust.
Harry spoke up because one glance at Ron showed he was still practically drooling, "Actually, yes, there is. Tryouts for the team will be next Sunday. Are you interested?"
"Am I interested? Yes, I'm interested. It's only the best game ever. I don't have much experience, though. Never stayed anywhere long enough to make a commitment to join a team. I'm going to be here a while, though. Do you think I will have time to practice before then?"
"I'll talk to Madam Hooch and see when the field is free for you. Then I'll get what's left of the team and we can all practice. What position would you be going for on the team?"
"Well, I think I would prefer being a beater. Is there an open position for that? If I can't be a beater, I can be a chaser."
"Yea, we have one beater position open. A seventh year took it last year when Ron's brothers graduated. You'll probably have to battle with a few other people for the position though. Will that be a problem?"
Potter looked me straight in the eye and I gave him my patented "up to no good" look, as my father once called it. He seemed to buy it because he smiled right back. "Course not. I live for competition," I told him with a wink. As I looked straight into the green orbs, I took great pains to look attractive as I casually sucked on the straw in my Pumpkin Juice.
"I will go to no ends to get what I hunger for, Harry," I practically whispered his name as I laced it with a small amount of my 'attraction'. This would be oh so easy; I just have to take it slow enough to make his friends think he actually trusts me. I think Weasley already trusted me. The only real problem with this should be the old man. I can take care of that later.
"That's great, we need some more of those people on the team," he told me easily.
My mouth almost flapped open but, I resisted. Was this boy thick- headed or did my magic have no affect on him?! That was impossible! It had always worked before, even with that small amount! Ridiculous! Insane! Bizarre! Hold on a sec, of course, why hadn't I seen it before? Could it be?
I stretched out my senses to the Potter boy, seeking an answer to these questions. I was in awe at what I found. This boy was no normal boy, but I should have known this already. If he could have been a match for my Lord two years ago, he certainly would have to be oddly powerful.
Not that I would say this to my Lord's face. This boy was... special, stronger than maybe even... I don't know, but he's super powerful. He could be a great magician some day. Could be... he wouldn't really live long enough for this if I had anything to say about it. I would just have to be more 'attractive'.
"Cool, well, I look forward to beating the others," I told him with a toothy smile. "No pun intended." Dinner was just ending. I still had to talk to Draco. It was times like these that my pixie side came in handy. My mom doesn't speak English, there is no point speaking English when the only life forms you come across are animals and insects. She only speaks to the trees and animals in the forest, this I have inherited. She taught me all she knows.
I didn't feel like finding the owlery tower to send Draco a message. Quietly, under my breath, I did as my mother taught me to call my owl. I spoke owl, Hermione was the only one who noticed my hoot. Can you imagine her surprise as Shiyra flew through a window and landed on my shoulder? She looked like a gaping fish. I gave her a kind smile as I gave Shiyra a piece of meat off of my plate.
Looking around, I rationalized that I probably shouldn't talk to Shiyra in front of them. Apparently, Hermione thought that maybe she had missed something in all she had studied on Pixies because she stood up and told everyone that she was going to the library.
"Hold on Hermione. I can trust you with that, right? I don't want anyone to know yet. You can research all you want on it, just don't tell anyone. They can easily draw conclusions, like you did. I will tell people when I feel they are ready. Right now, I need to gain their trust. Think of how you reacted when you heard me call Shiyra. Understand?" I whispered this to her, I needed assurance.
"Of course not. This is between you and me, I promise. If anyone else comes to conclusions, I will send them to you. You most likely will not have much time before people start to connect the dots, though, Ashlyn. You do know that, right? Even if people here are not as book smart as me, they will draw conclusions," she whispered back.
"I know and, Hermione?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for understanding."
"No problem," she flashed me a smile then directed the rest to Harry and Ron, "I'll see you guys later in the common room." Her frizzy hair brushed across her shoulders as she walked out of the Great Hall.
I turned back to the boys and smiled at them. Ron was still staring at me with a blank look. "Um... Harry?"
Potter looked up from his plat at me and the owl perched on my shoulder. "Where did that owl come from?"
"Shiyra? Oh, she just came to visit me. We were pretty close over the years of traveling," I told him dismissively. "Umm... is your friend alright? He looks pretty... um... dead."
Potter looked over at Ron and laughed. "Ron. Hey, Ron. She's not Fleur, Ron." Potter looked back at me and laughed again, "You wouldn't happen to be part Veela would you?"
I was puzzled by this question, "No. Why?" Oh, crap, if his friend was going to be like this around me, it wasn't likely he would be able to have a chance to trust me. I guess I would have to tone down my 'attraction' a bit more.
"Because last time he was like this was our fourth year when Beauxbatons came here for the Triwizard Tournament. There was a girl named Fleur Delacour, she was part Veela and had over half of the Hogwarts boys drooling over her. It's kind of strange that he's like this now though, if you're not part Veela."
"Well, there are many strange things in the wizarding world. There are many unseen dangers too. Many times they can mix. I have to go, I want to go for a walk before after hours. Maybe I'll go for a fly with Shiyra. See you later."
"Want some company?"
"Thanks but that's ok. You might have to help your friend back to the dorm when he comes out of his drunken stupor. Goodbye, Harry Potter," I said to him tying a bit more attraction into his name than last time. Yet again, there was no affect. This boy will be the death of me. Turning to Ron, I dampened my power as much as I could, "See you around, Ron Weasley."
This boy hadn't eaten a thing since I walked into the room and suddenly, as soon as there was only small waves of attraction coming off of me, he was live and alert! "You're leaving already? You just sat down though." Tough, this would be much tougher than I thought. I would have to work them individually.
I smiled at him kindly as Harry explained, "Mate, dinner's practically over. I don't know why you reacted the way you did. She's not part Veela."
I had had enough. "I should go. I'll see you guys later." I winked at Ron and blew them both kisses before I spun, my braid whipping over my shoulder, and strode out of the room the same way I had walked in. The only difference was that I had a greater knowledge of the task at hand and Shiyra was perched on my arm.
Quickly I went outside to a quiet deserted area and conjured some paper, ink, and a quill. I had a meeting to plan and a cousin to conspire with.
Ok, not much of an author's note. Please read and review!
If anyone is interested in getting an alert when I update, just send me a review with your email address and I will email you when I update.
Esgalhothwen