Chapter 6: Feminine
We learn about Demeter's old life in America and we see how she fells about her feminine
side, and Gathor checks in with Demeter at the common room fireplace.
I pushed Farnest to the back of my mind. I had other things to worry about at the moment. I
was sure I had now earned Harry's trust; I just need to reel him in a bit more. Then I'll
make my final move.
I followed walking by Harry, staring around at the dark stonewalled hallway lightened by
flaming torches. On the walls hung about 6ft tall pictures of moving men and women with many
different characteristics. All of them waving and greeting the students as they passed by.
We entered into a new chamber filled with staircases. The staircases went around the room in
a square, and spiraling upward toward the ceiling up to impossible heights.
I gave a low whistle as I looked up. I made note that some of the staircases were moving.
I followed Harry and the others up the stairs, passing by more live portraits.
I looked up as I walked up stairs, wondering how long it would take us to get to the common
room.
"What floor is the common room on?" I asked Harry curiosity.
"The seventh," he said simply.
We were now on the third floor. It seemed that the stairs were moving farther and farther
away. I thought we would never get to the common room. I wasn't too tired though, I'm used
to harsh exercise.
Gathor used to make me run ten miles a day. Even at night if I didn't do what he told me to
do.
We had finally made it to the 7th floor; I followed Harry to a portrait of a fat lady in a
pink old-fashioned dress.
"Password?" she asked stiffly.
"Pumpernickel," said a voice from the front of the group of students.
We walked into a short hallway that led into the common room.
The common room was a large room of red and gold. The wide wooden floor was covered with a
large red rug with golden trimming and design. The walls, also wooden, had windows similar
to the ones in the Great hall, only smaller and without the Hogwarts crest. Rug like
curtains with the same style as the floor rug hung between each window. There were a few
desks and tables in the corners of the room. And to my right was a fireplace with a rug like
picture of a lion. In front of the fireplace were a large red couch, and two comfy chairs on
either side of the couch.
In front of me were two staircases each leading up into two separate directions? I was a
greatly curios about where they led to.
"Wanna go sit down," Harry offered politely as he walked to the couch, watching to see if I
would follow.
I sat down next to him on the couch in front of the fireplace. I watched the gleaming fire
flicker and dance to the hidden beat. Each flame was like a beautiful gypsy girl, dancing to
the secret exotic music. I watched, enchanted by the gleaming dance. I could distantly hear
the music and chanting tambourines.
"So what was your life like in America?" Harry asked breaking me out of my thoughts.
I never really told anyone about my life in America. I didn't usually tell them about it
very much. It's not like I'm hiding my past in America. It's just that no one was ever
interested in my story, until now. I figured that I could tell Harry; he was going to die
anyways.
"It's a long story," I said testing to see if he really was interested.
He just simply shrugged and said, "I got time,"
I stared at him, watching the light of the fire gleam against his dark hair. The fire
reflected off his bright green eyes.
He was really interested in what I had to say. Usually, I wasn't allowed to speak unless
spoken to. No one had given me the freedom to say what I wanted to. It almost seemed
strange. I decided it wouldn't hurt to tell him about my life in America, What did I have to
lose?
"Well, I was born in England," I said beginning my long life story. "I was just a baby when
my mother died, and I never knew my father. My uncle toke me in and toke me to America.
"There he raised me in a rundown flat in New York and I attended a muggle elementary school
until I was of age to go to a magic secondary school.
"The whole time I was in New York, my uncle trained me in three type muggle defense
strategies called Karate, Wu Shu, Kung Fu, and Tai Kwando.
"I found them to be very useful in self defense. Everyone in my school pick on me daily.
"One day, I was walking home from school and a gang from my school attacked me. I fought
back and I won. But I was expelled from my school since I knocked the snot out of them and
there wasn't a single scratch on me. So it was there word against mine and that's how I
ended up here in Hogwarts."
I sat there waiting for Harry to speak. I half expected for him to look cross. Gathor always
got that expression whenever I spoke out of turn. I knew it was foolish of me to think that,
so I put it out of my mind and waited for Harry to speak.
His expression wasn't cross, or anywhere near cross. His expression was thoughtful and
slightly distant. He didn't speak for a moment; he stared at me as if he knew everything
about me.
A weird chill went up my spine when he looked at me like that. I don't know why, but somehow
that look made my feel kind of weird, and I couldn't explain what kind of feeling it was.
"I never knew my parents either," he said in a tone the same expression as his face. "I
lived with an uncle who didn't care for me either. And an aunt and my cousin Dudley, they
practically abused me all my life.
"I was also picked on and pushed around, but lost all the fights. Though I manage to escape
a few," he now turned his face to the warm fire. His face was now a full glow of red
wavering light.
I watched him wonder in his thoughts. I never had so much in common with someone my age. I
didn't know very many people my age anyways. I found it very odd to able to connect with
Harry. And at the same time, it felt somewhat comforting.
Then came a young soft voice. "Hi Harry,"
Harry and I looked for the source of the voice and found a red headed girl with a freckled
face and amber eyes standing behind the couch. She had the same fire like appearance as Ron;
I wondered if they were related.
"Who's your friend?" she continued asking Harry curiously.
"My name is Demeter Duller, I'm a transfer student from America," I said quickly before
Harry could speak, "Who are you?"
"My name is Ginny Weasley (I knew it) nice to meet you Demeter," She said politely holding
out her hand to me.
I shook her hand in reply.
"Me and the girl's were wondering if you would like to come with us up in the girl's
dormitories so you can get to know everyone," Ginny said in hoping that I would accept the
offer.
I wasn't too sure. I had never hung out with peer's the same gender as me before. I'm mostly
a loner. I decided it wouldn't be too bad so I accepted and followed Ginny up the right hand
side of the flight of stairs.
At the top was a brown wooden door with a she lion like carving on it. Ginny opened the door
and revealed a wide round room with beds going around in a circle against the wall. Each bed
had red covers and pillow with red curtains with golden trimming hanging from the beds'
post. Between each bed were the same windows with out the Hogwarts crest.
At the foot of each bed were Hogwarts trunks with each individual's names on them. One bed
in the corner had my trunk and I knew it must be my bed. Across from it was a group of
girl's sitting around talking, giggling and gossiping away, not seeing us at first?
Then one girl, with long straight brown hair and matching brown eyes with a lavender
headband in her hair, looked up and saw Ginny and me and waved for us to come over.
I followed Ginny and sat down among the other girls'. I didn't speak at first feeling
slightly awkward.
"What was your name again?" the girl with the lavender headband asked.
"Demeter Duller," I said.
"Where did you come from?" Another girl asked.
"America,"
They all gazed at me in awe. As if they never heard of America before. They all now said
things like "Wicked", "Cool", and "Where's America?"
"Is it that country with the Statue of Liberty?" One girl asked curiously.
"Yes it is, I lived in the state with the Statue of Liberty," I said.
"I've been dying to ask you this," the girl with the lavender headband, "But who did your
highlights?"
I toke a piece of my hair and examined it. I have straight blonde hair with black
highlights. I like my look, but I don't really care for it. I also have dark blue eyes.
"Oh, there natural," I said simply.
They all went into their awe-struck state again. This time I had no idea why, their just
highlights.
"Are you serious?" one girl said as if I were playing a mean joke.
"Yah," I said still not getting what the big deal was.
Before they could say anything else, there was a loud taping at the window.
We all looked to find a gray owl at the window with a letter tied to its leg.
"That's odd," Ginny, said as she made her way to the window, "We don't usually get mail till
tomorrow,"
She opened the window and the great owl flew in and landed on the bed frame closest to me
and stuck out its leg with the letter on it to me.
I took the letter and the bird flew off out the window. I looked at the letter and
recognized Gathor's handwriting.
"Who's it from?" Ginny asked curiously.
"My uncle," I said shortly.
I moved to the other side of the room to open the letter in private.
I could feel their eyes on me, but I didn't care. I was curious to see why Gathor had sent
the letter. I tore it open and read a very short and plain message.
Meet me at midnight at the fireplace. Make sure no one is with you.
Gathor