Chapter 2

"Really?" Timais nodded. Madison burst into laughter. "Gosh, and here I was thinking we'd have to drag him along." Their laughter was cut short when a second year Hufflepuff poked her head inside the compartment. "Um, 'scuse me, but are you guys gonna want the compartment to yourselves? 'Cause, uh, everywhere else for Hufflepuff is full." Madison shook her head and patted the seat next to hers. "Nope, you can stay here if you want." The Hufflepuff seemed relieved and sat in the offered seat, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. "Sorry to bother. It's just…" Looking out the compartment window, she shrugged and turned to look back at the Gryffindors. "So, what are your names?"

Timais offered a hand. "I'm Timais Balthazar Hermos." The girl took the offered hand and peered at him, a quizzical look on her face. "Aren't you the son of…?" Timais blushed a deep crimson, his tanned face grimacing and smiling at the same time. "Yeah, my dad's Bluefang Balthazar, hence my middle name." The girl seemed excited. "Wow, really? So what's it like? You know, to be the son of a Magical Duelist Champion, huh? Do you know his moves and stuff? Whoa, that's wicked!"

Timais nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, he shows me some of his stuff and I try to do the same. He's training me. I can't wait to get into a tournament. Of course, I have to be of age, but the wait is worth it! Did you see-" He turned scarlet all of a sudden and coughed. "But, uh, well," Timais laughed and pointed to Madison. "Well, this is my friend-"

Madison extended a hand to the girl and smiled. "I'm Madison Lorelei Shugotenshi. You can call me Teddy though. Everyone else does." Taking the offered hand, the girl nodded. "Sure. Teddy huh?" Madison nodded and sat back in her chair. "Well, now that you know our names, what's yours?" The girl fidgeted a while and gave them a smile.

"Well, Kitty" The girl looked at them as if expecting them to say something ludicrous. "Kitty? Really? Is that your real name?" Madison leaned forward. "Well, no. That's just what everyone at home calls me. My name's Hope Esperanza Lespere. Weird, I know. It means the same dang thing all three times. English, Spanish, and French." Timais gave her a humorous, yet strange look and leaned in close as if about to tell a deep dark secret. "Yeah, freakier than mine. That's for sure. Who the hell named you?" Everyone laughed.

Serena groaned as she tried to push her trunk onto the train. "Damn it". She lifted the end that was not on the train already and heaved. The trunk moved about three inches. "Oh for Merlin's sake!" Serena cursed and kicked the thing. A laugh came from behind her. She slowly turned; already preparing a glare that would freeze. "What?" Upon fully facing her mocker, a small tinge of pink rose in her cheeks. "Oops."

Ostaris stood, arms crossed, looking as if he was bout to start snickering. "Serena, Serena. Tsk, tsk. When will we ever learn?" His younger sister looked straight at him and held her head up, never bowing it in shame as father commanded it. One never hung their head or twitched or wringed their hands. It was not fit of their name. Their bloodlines went back with the Zabinis and Malfoys and Lestranges, the Stars, Bikanels, the Blacks; the list could go on, but the problem was, they were dying out. Gone were the times when their families were powerful both socially and magically and ruled magical land. Powerful magic ran through their veins, and Serena's father made sure that it seemed like it. Snapped out of her thoughts, Serena sighed and let out a small laugh.

"Serena, darling, it's called a wand."

Madison watched people as they walked past their compartment in the corridor. Some of these witches and wizards had been born and raised with Muggles, never knowing the fear of having your family be a Death Eater target. Never knowing the dread of coming home and finding a Dark Mark floating above your home. The awful emerald skull and snake glittering in the dark, inky black sky, bringing horror wherever they appeared. But Madison had also never known those horrors. Madison had always been safe at home when raids had occurred, absolute in her protection. Death Eaters would never invade the Crow's home.

Serena looked up from where she'd been conversing with Faith Danye, a pretty, mischievous, soon-to-be Slytherin, and Vianaiv Celesté Rayettel, a second year Slytherin as the compartment door opened. Ostaris stood in the doorway, tall frame obscuring the view out. Faith smiled wickedly and waved at him. Serena raised an eyebrow and stifled a snicker. Ostaris smiled politely at the girl and turned to his sister. "Serena, we're going to be arriving at Hogwarts in a couple of minutes. It would be wise for you, Vianaiv, and Faith to change into your school robes now."

Serena nodded and stood up to open her trunk. Faith turned around, as did Vianaiv, and they each change into their robes, Faith and Serena in pure black robes, and Vianaiv in school robes with a green and silver Slytherin crest. "Hey," Vianaiv said, tossing her mane of golden brown hair, "Let's go outside and make fun of the firsties."

Faith raised an eyebrow. "Did you somehow forget that we're firsties?" Vianaiv mimicked Faith. "Did you somehow forget that you're pureblooded, soon-to-be-Slytherins? It doesn't matter. You're with us now."

Exiting the compartment, the three looked around and smiled mischievously as they spotted two third year Gryffindors and one second year Hufflepuff. Serena felt a shock ripple through her as she realized that one of them was Madison. "Oh crap." The three girls walked forward, and Vianaiv poked Madison on the shoulder with her wand. "Hey, stupid, can't you see you're in my way? Get out of it."

Madison turned around, rolled her eyes, and poked Vianaiv back with her own wand. "You can go rot for all I care." The boy behind her started to laugh, and the tiny second year looked around them nervously. Serena pointed her wand directly at the boy. "If I were you, which I really would hate, I wouldn't be laughing about it." She turned, seemingly to go away, and then fired a curse at him, spinning rapidly. "I'll teach you to laugh," The boy gasped when he was struck by the orange spell in the chest, and started laughing with a pained look upon his face. He laughed and laughed, holding his sides, and fell to the ground in a fit of giggles. Tears streamed out of the corners of his eyes as he gasped for air. Serena nudged his loud and shaking form with the tip of one of her boots and snickered.

Turning to where her sister and Vianaiv where dueling in the cramped corridor, Serena pointed her wand at Madison and fired a spell, hoping to stop the fight between the two as quickly as possible without making it seem so, at the same time that Vianaiv cast a spell of her own. Madison's wand arm and left arm both fell to her side, uselessly as they turned to jelly, and the right dropped the thin rod. Simultaneously, her face became so full of boils that it looked as if it had been mashed. "Petrificus Totalus" Faith roared, and Madison's body went into the full body bind. "That'll teach you not to mess with the snakes." Only Madison's eyes moved frantically, and stopped upon reaching Serena's face, who turned away.

"Well," started Faith. "It seems we have a little problem we still have to solve." Vianaiv and Serena looked to the small, second year Hufflepuff that was so scared she was shaking. Blond hair that twisted into braids fell down her back, quivering as if they were an actual part of her body, and large, blue eyes were so full of dread they blinked rapidly. The three girls laughed at her, and Faith stepped forward. "Let's finish this quickly."

A small group of bystanders advanced forward, and began to protest. Vianaiv flicked her wand, and a large purple-ish clear protective shield popped up, stopping them in their tracks. Serena turned back to the girl and pointed her wand, muttering quickly. Faith did the same, as did Vianaiv, and a number of things happened to the girl. Firstly, her hair shortened as if burned, an acrid smell hanging in the air, and it turned a dull, puke green. The girl clutched at her hair, moaning. Secondly, her skin popped up in millions of green spots. When the Hufflepuff tried to touch one, it burst forth foul smelling, yellowish, thick pus. And lastly, her robes shrunk so small they seemed to squeeze her, and turned bright purple with brown, fuzzy, spots. Vianaiv smiled at their handiwork, and lastly tapped the second year on the forehead, where a small sign appeared.

Snakey Torture Toy: Touch her and the same happens to you.

In the background, a large amount of Slytherins had grouped up, and they all laughed hysterically. The other's that had assembled from other houses left quickly, stopping any thoughts of helping them once they read the small sign.

Serena excused herself from Faith and Vianaiv's company and raced down the train's constantly moving corridor. Opening the door she knew to be the Head Boy's and Girl's, she stumbled inside and gave a sigh of relief to just find Ostaris. Her older brother looked up at her, and words were said in a single look. Opening his arms, he hugged her as she fought hard not to cry.

"Serena, you both knew what was coming." Closing her eyes, Serena buried her face in her older brother's robes. "Yeah, I know, but it was horrible. And it was me. I helped." Ostaris shook his head and held Serena at shoulder length. "No, it's by nature that they expect you to do it. It's all the stupid fault of this stupid school's rivalries."

Serena sighed as she rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry Madison. I really am…"