She pressed her nose against the glass of the motor car window. The rain drops slashed against the glass making the trees and towns they passed blurred. She sighed sitting back against the leather seats crossing her arms.

"How much longer till we arrive?" Zaria looked over at Margaret as she kicked the seat in front of her impatiently, "Why couldn't we have just used magic to get here?" Had it not been enough that she had to endure the painfully small wedding of her mother to Lord Black and the two weeks where she was left alone with Mrs. Winters and her horrid daughters while Margaret was on her honeymoon, but now she were forced to suffer the long mind-numbing trip to their new home without the conveniences of magic.

Margaret shook her head and put her hand on Zaria's knee, "You know we are in the midst of muggles." She removed her hand quickly moving to her purse. Pulling out a compact mirror, she started to prod at the invisible wrinkles around her eyes, "And darling do not fret, we will be there soon. Oh you will love the Black Crescent Manor. It is spacious and set back in the woods. Quite lovely…." Margaret seemed to drone on about the luxuries they were about to encounter as Zaria rolled her eyes and turned back on the gray countryside.

The motorcar finally rolled along a gravel drive, scraping what was left of Zaria's patience with it. Tall hedges came up embracing an iron gate. A black crescent moon hung against the bars with a large B in scripted in the middle. The driver slowed down as he pulled up to the entrance of the great Black Crescent Manor as Zaria's mother seemed to let out the breathe she held as soon as they had started the horrendous trip.

"Oh Zaria! Isn't it just lovely?" Margaret smiled as she straightened the blond bangs that touched her perfectly shaped eyebrows, "Now my darling welcome home."

If Zaria could have puked, she would have gagged all over her mother at that moment, yet the fact that she had refused the breakfast at the hotel settled that matter. As she stepped from the motorcar, a dark sense of dread dispersed over her. The drizzle had not let up, and it seemed to go with the theme of the manor. Gray stones piled neatly in rows touching the dull sky. Cold was the first word that popped into her mind.

"Come on Darling." Margaret pressed her shoulders with a gloved hand as she walk onto the steps leading to the double doors. Slowly Zaria shuffled her feet, dragging a gravel path as she reluctantly followed her mother.

"Well I see the two loveliest women in all of England have come to grace me with their beauty." A deep baritone voice smiled down at them making Margaret flush and Zaria once again have the urge to vomit.

Lord Osidian Black. His fingers brushed back a strand of misplaced black hair from his face as he took Margaret's hand in his kissing it gently. Margaret flushed slightly and smiled warmly at her new husband. Osidian wore soft black slacks that made him taller than Zaria had remembered. His broad shoulders were covered in a black shirt that fit a body that would please the eyes of most women. Osidian gave a small smile to Zaria and patted her shoulder lightly in welcome before leading them into the entrance hall of the spacious manor.

"How was the trip?" he asked looking down at Zaria. His black orbs though gave way his discomfort around her, which was a pleasure to Zaria. She wished to make her arrival as uncomfortable as possible for her new step-father. He took her away from what she needed, consistency. Her mother was never constant and neither were her few friends, but the little manor back home was never changing. Now she had to deal with too much change in so little time and it was this man's fault.

She let her own blue eyes simmer as her lips straightened, "It was dreadful..." she started, but before she could continue much farther, Margaret had stopped her fun by touching her arm and smiling warmly up at Osidian.

"We are both quite tired love." She gave Zaria a look of warning, which usually had little effect on the girl, "perhaps if we could just get settled in, then perhaps we can have some time to talk a bit."

Osidian seemed to gather from the so called "grown-up" look, that it was for the best. He nodded and called forth two house elves. "Zimmer and Lock….take Miss Zaria up to her quarters. Make sure that the child has whatever she pleases." Zaria smirked at this request. Perhaps she would have more fun than she had first thought. Osidian obviously knew little of children…or perhaps little of what kind of child she was.

The two knobby kneed house elves were draped in brown sacks that seemed to cling to their bony figures as they led Zaria towards the staircase. She had always found interest in house elves and their ways. She had read somewhere that they had wonderful powers, yet were only inclined to use them when their masters allowed it. Perhaps they would come in handy, she thought, though the fact they were bound as she was to one place and had little choice in the matter made her pity them as she pitied herself.

They had reached a crimson covered staircase that seemed to spiral several floors up. Zaria took a step back as she cringed her neck to observe the stories; "How far up is my room?" she looked over at the smallest elf. His ears were bent slightly as his eyes widened studying her before he bowed his head quickly as though shamed.

"Miss…Miss Zaria you's room is up 4 floors. You's have a lovely room miss." The one called Lock stammered as Zaria smiled curiously. She nodded and placed a foot onto the staircase, but a sudden jolt sent her fingers gripping the railing.

"What the?" she placed her feet looking at the hidden smile on Lock's face.

"Miss all you have to do is say where you wish to go….you be there then." He nodded and looked at her waiting.
Zaria smiled at the idea and nodded, "My room…" she had not even finished before the stair case started to spiral upwards towards the forth floor as though a giant red snake curling towards the black ceiling.

"Brilliant..." she smiled down at the two elves who seemed pleased in her pleasure. The stair case halted and they hopped off leading her down a hallway. She noticed the numerous portraits of witches and wizards; she assumed were in the black family tree.

"I smell muggle…gross…disgusting…filthy …mudblood..." a voice screeched. Zaria turned glaring at the sleeping portrait to her right. A fat woman clothed in black silk seemed to grunt in her sleep as though just spouting words from a nightmare. Her gray hair was piled delicately on her plump head as it lolled on in slumber. Zaria narrowed her eyes, a sickening feeling settled in her gut with the suspicion that the woman was not completely asleep.

She reached out her fingers to poke at the sleeping woman. The gentle tugging of hands though brought her eyes and fingers away from the woman. The two elves seemed to prod her on ignoring the question of who the woman was and bringing her into the loveliest room she had ever seen.

"At least that Black man did something right..." she muttered as she threw herself down on the huge bed. The soft hues of blue and silver covered her canopy bed. A large bath was connected to her room as well as a walk in closet. All of her belongings had already been taken care of and placed in order. Her books were categorized in alphabetical order along a silver shelf. All she had to do was call out a name and the book jutted out for her convenience. "Perfect…" she whispered as she let her eyes look around the plush room.

The elves watched as Zaria smiled exploring her new room. "Is everything to Miss's likes?" Lock asked as he bit his lip.

Zaria nodded, "It is to my liking indeed." She smiled her first real smile in a long while. "I do not think I will need anything more. Thank you."

The elves bowed low to her. "If there be anything else Miss Zaria, just call and me's or Zimmer will comes to you." With that they disappeared with a loud pop. Zaria smiled and moved back to her bed pulling out the new book her mother bought her about this school she would attend. Hogwart's a History soon drooped in her hands as she fell way to sleep.