A/N: Ugh, I'm starting to hate school already! And I've been in school for what, 4 weeks? No offense to all you math-freaks out there, but math SUCKS. Okay enough about my depressing life, enjoy this chapter!

New Neighbor

Chapter 10

Draco glanced carelessly down at the street upon which the unfortunate bloke had fallen.

'It's their fault, tripping into a Malfoy, what were they thinking?!'

Down in the street sat a curtain of tangled hair in a stunning shade of blonde.

'How odd,' Draco thought to himself before dusting off his gloves and turning to leave.

"Of all the insufferable insolence!" yelled the person in a street angrily, pushing off from the ground in an attempt to stand, "how rude!!"

Draco rolled his eyes and turned to face the annoying twerp.

The annoying twerp, who in fact turned out to be a young woman, stood before him with her fists clenched and a murderous expression of her face. Draco was taken aback by her eyes, which were purple. The astonished expression did not linger for long however, Draco had learned to keep his cool. He scanned the girl up and down. Not bad, he concluded. He wondered why he hadn't seen her before. His searching stare seemed to aggravate the girl further.

"Apologize, you impertinent arse!" she yelled, crossing her arms over her chest. Her screaming had caused a few people to turn and stare. Recognizing Draco however, they quickly kept walking. Draco smirked.

"Really, love, you should watch where you're going," he drawled seductively yet in a sinister way.

The girl glared, her piercing purple eyes shooting daggers at him.

"Oh, really," drawled Draco in annoyance, "sod off, girl."

The young woman opened her mouth again to send more pitiful taunts his way, but a familiar face appeared beside her.

"Longbottom," Draco growled sarcastically, "here to save the day, are we? Because you really should, before the damn girl hurts herself."

Neville glowered at him before turning to the still livid girl.

"Kira, don't listen to him. C'mon, let's go," Longbottom murmured pathetically. Draco smirked as Longbottom led the girl called Kira away. He watched them go. Kira's back view wasn't that bad either. She glanced over her shoulder to send one last menacing look his way, her purple eyes flashing. Draco smirked back.

'Purple eyes… how very peculiar,' he thought to himself before he strode off into the crowd, black robes billowing out behind him.

XXXXXXXXXX

"…And then he just stood there, smirking his horrid smirk at me! And THEN, he had the nerve to tell me to sod off! Gah! I should've--"

"Okay, okay. I don't really want to know what you 'should've' done, 'cause I'm sure it would have been ugly," Neville said, trying to calm his hysteric friend down, "and anyways, that's Malfoy for you. Not much you can expect from people like him."

Kira let out a frustrated sigh/growl and followed Neville down the crowded street.

"What's with him anyway? What's he got stuck up his arse?"

Neville answered, "he just… a Malfoy. Most Slytherins are like that."

"Slytherins?" Kira asked, the name sounding familiar, "oh! One of the four houses, right? And you're in Gryffindor, and then the other two are… Um… Ravenclaw and… Hufflypuffy?"

It took Neville a couple minutes to stop laughing.

"Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff," he managed after his fit of laughter.

"Neville! Kira! Where have you two been?!" a shrill voice called out. Kira recognized it as Ms. Longbottom.

"Uh, we got lost in the crowd," Neville said quickly, walking over to Gran followed by Kira. Gran was standing in front of a small dingy pub. Kira furrowed her brow. They weren't going in there, were they?

"Humph. Well, follow more closely next time then," Ms. Longbottom chided, "now follow me."

She walked into the pub.

'Oh great,' Kira thought to herself, rolling her eyes, 'just my luck.'

The door creaked as they entered. A tall, thin man with huge bug-like eyes glanced over at them from behind the bar counter. He was cleaning a beer glass with what looked like a filthy, grayish rag.

"This way," said Harriet, unfazed by the grimy insides of the tavern. The went to the back of the store, and down a hallway. The old woman stopped abruptly in front of the last door, Neville almost fell into her. She gripped the rusty knob and the door groaned as it opened. Inside, there were two chairs. One was empty and another was filled by a thin old man. The old man was wearing long purple robes covered with stars and moons, and had a long, white beard. Behind half-moon glasses, his eyes were twinkling. When the trio entered, his face crinkled into a smile.

"Welcome, Harriet, Mister Longbottom, and… Miss Kira Sanden."

Gran nodded in greeting. Neville said eagerly, "hello Professor Dumbledore, sir."

Dumbledore smiled at him before moving his twinkling eyes to Kira.

"Kira, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts," Ms. Longbottom told the younger woman.

Kira smiled timidly at the Headmaster. She was a bit intimidated by his presence.

"Miss Sanden, as my dear colleague Harriet has already informed you, today we will be performing a special knowledge spell. It will help you acquire knowledge vital to your stay at Hogwarts. Do you understand?"

Kira nodded.

"Ah, very well then. Sit down please," Dumbledore said, motioning to the only other chair in the room. Kira walked cautiously to the chair and sat down. She nervously clasped her sweaty palms together.

"Alright then. Ho hum," he mumbled cheerfully. Kira raised an eyebrow but quickly lowered it.

Dumbledore lifted his wand. Kira blinked.

"Adepto Eruditio," he said quietly. An eerie red mist drifted out of the end of Dumbledore's wand. Slowly it surrounded her. Then it seemed as though her sight was impaired.

'Where did Professor Dumbledore go?' she wondered fearfully. All she could see was red.

Kira felt like her brains were shaking inside her head. Her mind was spinning. Voices. She could hear voices.

'Oh joy. I'm a schizophrenic now.'

Blurbs of conversations filled her head. She was still spinning. She felt a bit nauseous. More blurbs, more spinning. All she could see was red. Her stomach lurched. Was she falling? Kira blacked out.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Kira! C'mon wake up!" said a far off voice. Neville?

"Miss Sanden, wake up please," said another. Was that the old man who made her world go red?

Kira opened her eyes. Three blurry faces hovered above her face. As the images cleared, she recognized them as Gran, Neville, and Professor Dumbledore. Neville reached out his hand and helped her sit up. She'd been laying on the floor, the chair she'd been sitting on was on its side a few feet away.

"Utt 'appened?" she mumbled almost incoherently.

"You fell out of your chair, my dear," Dumbledore said merrily, "alas, do not worry. It is a perfectly normal side effect of this sort of spell. Chocolate?"

Kira blinked.

'Chocolate?' she wondered. She took some anyway.

Her head hurt, and one side of her bum felt sore. She supposed this was because she had fallen on the floor sideways.

Dumbledore and Neville helped Kira onto the chair. Kira rubbed her temples.

"So, er…" she started timidly, "did it work?"

"I think so, though we need to make sure, don't you think?" said Dumbledore, stroking his long beard, "tell me, how many beetle roots does it take to get a Huic Potion to its boiling point?"

'What in the world is he talking ab--' Kira thought before feeling an odd tingling down her back.

'Merlin! I know this???'

"Two, though they must be picked a week after the full moon to be useable," she said, astounded with herself.

"And what would be the charm for inflating a Lobalug with digestive malfunctions?" he asked happily.

Kira's brain prickled.

"Vesco Pollexium," she said.

"Ah yes my dear, it appears to have worked. All is in order. Now remember, you must speak to no one about this spell. Do you understand?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes glittering.

Kira nodded.

"Wonderful!" the old man exclaimed, clapping his hands together. He calmed down and pulled a sheet of parchment out of his pocket.

"Now here is the list of assignments you will be expected to complete before the start of term," he said, handing the list to Kira, "I know it will be a burden, but we must have some record of your academic achievements. I will send for you on the first day of school, and you will turn them in at that time. Understood?"

Kira nodded once again and the Longbottoms bid goodbye to the Headmaster.

Dumbledore began tapping his temple with his forefinger.

"I think I'm in a need of a bubble bath. Farewell!" And with that, he disapparated.

XXXXXXXXXX

"If you don't mind, Ms. Longbottom, I wanted to make one more stop," Kira told the older woman.

"And where would that be?"

"Um, I thought I'd stop by the pet store… I, er, wanted to get a pet like Neville has. With the money my aunt and uncle gave me, I mean."

"You want a toad?" asked Neville from behind her.

"Maybe not a toad, but surely they have many different animals, right?"

"Yes, dear, we can go there next. Last stop though," Ms. Longbottom reminded Kira, who was sick of shopping.

They weaved through the crowd, traveling along the sidewalk towards the broom shop. Soon Kira found herself in front of a small pet store, whose front window was jammed full of various owl cages. All of the owls were ogling Kira with huge eyes.

The tiny bell rang as Kira entered through the door. Neville and his Gran had decided to stand outside and wait, and soon Kira found out why. Immediately the air was filled with meows, hooting, chirping, mooing, and who knows what else. Kira could barely hear herself think. A young yet frazzled-looking woman came up to her.

"You be buyin' a pet this mornin' miss?" she asked.

"Yes," Kira yelled.

"Got anythin' in mind?"

"No, I think I'll just have a look around," Kira said loudly.

The woman nodded and told Kira to ask her if she had any questions. Then Kira was free to explore. She passed by what seemed like hundreds of metal cages, all filled with one, two, or even three animals, some of which Kira had never encountered before.

She stopped at a cage holding a toad that looked quite like Trevor. However, it was pink in color.

"Hi there," she said, poking her finger through the metal bars.

The pink toad suddenly appeared as if it needed to belch, but when it opened its mouth, it exploded, sending pink goo everywhere. Including on Kira.

"Disgusting!!!" she shrieked, wiping the pink slime off her face.

"Don' worry miss, does it all the time. He'll grow back in a day'er two," called the woman from behind the front counter.

Kira looked back into the now-empty cage. Except of course for a small puddle of slime on the cage floor. She finished cleaning the goop out of her hair, and continued quickly down the aisle, eager to see some not-so-slimy creatures.

She slowed her pace when she heard meowing.

'Ahh, cats. Normal creatures,' Kira giggled to herself.

She strode by what seemed like hundreds of cages filled with black, white, brown, and multi-colored felines. Some were purring, some were yowling, and some were simply silent. A large gray tabby even appeared to be glaring at Kira as she passed.

At the end of the aisle, a certain cat caught her eye. The feline had its back to Kira, but looked bored. It was softly patting aimlessly at a ball with its paw.

"Here kitty kitty," Kira murmured. The cat immediately glanced over at her, with big, bright, lime green eyes. The cat meowed softly and batted at the metal bars.

"You're a cutie, aren't you?" Kira cooed. The cat rolled onto its stomach, lazily batting at the air. Its fur was mostly white, with a large black splotch on its back. Its ears and the fur around its eyes were also black. Kira stuck her finger at the cat and stroked its ear a bit. The cat started to purr.

"Found one ya'like miss?" a voice said, startling Kira.

Kira turned to see the clerk behind her.

"Yes," Kira said, "I'll take this one."

"Ye've picked a nice one, miss. A lil' girl, 'bout a year old," the lady said cheerfully as she creaked the cage door open. She swiftly picked the cat up with one hand and offered, "I'll have a crate made for you to carry her home in, if ye'd like."

"No, that won't be necessary, I can carry her."

Ten minutes later Kira walked out of the shop, cat in one hand, and a bag filled with cat food in the other, her purse considerably lighter.

"Oh Kira, how utterly sweet," Ms. Longbottom said, reaching out to pat the feline on the head.

"Wicked! May I hold it?" Neville asked.

"It's a she, Neville, and yes, you may hold her."

Neville took the purring cat into his arms.

"Oh, you're a charming one, aren't you?" Neville cooed in an odd high-pitched voice.

Kira giggled as they followed Gran down the crowded street.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So have you decided on a name yet?" Neville asked as he trailed a string around the floor for Kira's new cat to chase.

"No, I just I can't think of one that fits," Kira answered from the couch.

The two friends were in Kira's room, chatting. A full suitcase sat on the floor, ready to go. In only a few hours Kira would leave to go back to her home on Privet Drive for the rest of the summer.

"How about…" Neville furrowed his brow, thinking hard, "Growlzer?"

Kira laughed, "no, I don't think that fits her too well, Neville."

Neville frowned and stared at the cat. The feline was entertaining herself by gnawing on Neville's shoelaces.

"She really is a laugh," Kira giggled.

"Then what about… Marbles?"

"Nah…"

"Snookie?"

"No."

"Tippy?"

"Um… no."

"George?"

"Honestly, Neville! It's a girl!"

Neville laughed, "well I'm just about out of ideas!"

Kira watched her new pet fondly.

"Hm… What about Moxie?" Neville asked.

"Moxie! That's it! Perfect! You're a genius, Neville!" Kira hopped off the cough, rushed over to her cat, and picked her up.

"Moxie," she cooed, "perfect isn't it? Do you like it?"

Moxie meowed happily.

"C'mon let's go tell your aunt and uncle," Neville said.'

"Better take my bags too," Kira said sadly, "I'll be leaving soon."

"Oh yeah," Neville said downheartedly and grabbed the suitcase.

"Plus, I have to say goodbye to Maverick!" Kira exclaimed and rushed out to see the painting.

"Mav, I have to leave soon," Kira told the sneaker when she reached him.

"Oh now that's a shame, that is," he murmured, "but you know lass, I jus' might be seein' ye at 'Ogwarts, I will."

"Really?" Kira asked incredulously, "how?"

Neville appeared beside Kira, huffing and puffing from the effort of dragging the heavy suitcase.

"I have another paintin', at 'Ogwarts, in one of their corridors, I do. I go there from time to time, when I'm not needed here o'course, lass."

"Wonderful! Maybe I'll talk to you soon then, Mav! Goodbye" Kira said as she ran down the stairs, Neville rushing after her.

Mav chuckled to himself.

"Yes, I'll be seein' ye lass. Ye can be sure o'that."

A/N: Thanks to my editor and to all who reviewed! I luv you guys so much! Before I started writing this fic I would read stories and not review. But now I realize that reviews are SOOOO important to the author! They help A LOT. But don't forget to be brutally honest. Don't worry, I can take it!

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