Chapter 2. Sirius

A/N: Sorry if this chapter is little bit boring for you, don't give up, I promise that there will be more fun and action in the following ones.

I was wandering around the train aisle, looking for a convenient compartment, which would be either vacant or occupied by someone who would look at least a little bit noble and not like that scum I had seen on the platform.

Finally I found one that was empty except for the boy, who wasn't wearing that horrible black garbage-bag. He had becoming clothes, which appeared to look rather expensive – black trousers and grey sweater.

I sat down opposite of him and he opened his eyes (they had been closed before and he appeared to be asleep).

He checked me out from head to toe with a surprised expression. Well, not only surprised, but also admiring, as he saw my gilded stilettos that perfectly matched my brocade dress with a train. Then his eyes reached my face.

I have a beautiful face. I almost said "like my mother does", but even though my mother is despite her advanced age still beautiful, I am beautiful in completely different way.

I have deep-red hair and big violet eyes with thick black eyelashes.

The boy, who had longish black hair, smiled at me and said:

"Hello."

"Hello," I answered, because although I wasn't sure whether that young man was noble enough, I felt a rush of affection towards him.

"You've got a nice, uhm, horse," he said appraisingly.

"Thanks," I said and Alfons Emilian sensed – as horses are able to – that he was the object of our conservation and neighed boisterously.

Then there was a moment of silence, which I decided to break.

"You've got a nice sweater."

"Thanks, that's Hugo Boss. Do you know him?"

"Of course," I replied, "my deceased father Francois Victor Honore de Aignous wore his clothes only. And so did my great-grandfather Louis Luc Didiere de Aignous, as far as I can remember."

My companion fell in the silence for a while. Then he said:

"You are from France, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" I retorted, rather startled.

"Intuition," he said nonchalantly and then added: "We don't know each other yet, do we? I am Sirius Black, and you?"

"My name is Anarietta Anastacia Antoinetta de Aignous."

I let him kiss my hand (and it wasn't just any sloppy kiss from some ordinary plebeian who would have left an unaesthetic imprint of his teeth on my delicate wrist; he simply kissed the air above my hand).

It pleased me that the very first person I had met had such refined manners. I was about to ask Sirius whether he was also of noble kin when the doors of our compartment burst open and three strange individuals invaded our privacy.

They immediately threw themselves at the seats without even the slightest recognition of my presence; two of them next to Sirius and the last one who was approximately as fat as the other two fell next to me.

"Oi, Siri, ya've never said you got y'self a new chick! She's quite a looker!" shrieked the boy with incredibly messy hair.

Sirius didn't answer to that, nor did he say that we had just met on the train.

"Or have you just met on the train?" asked the other of the two sitting opposite me, the boy with fair hair, weary face and plebeiany ragged clothes.

Sirius didn't answer that time either, so the messy-haired one plied:

"Hey buddy, if ya ain't goin' out with her just say so, 'cause I like her pretty much, she's some nice birdie."

Now I was insulted to the very marrow of my blue bones. Of course I realised all those stupid colloquial expressions were meant as compliments, but I still can't stand being compared to something as low as fowl. Chicken…what will come next, a goose? Or a turkey-hen? Oh, someone could even accuse me of having bird flu and burn me to death… what a nice outlook, really.

While I was lost in my gloomy thoughts, the messy-haired plebeian chatted with the one in the ragged clothes, which showed just as ragged underwear, which showed… well, I don't think you really want to know. They didn't pay me any attention at all.

Sirius was silent and the little fat plebeian beside me fell asleep and started to snore loudly. That was the last straw. Sick of this company I rose from my seat and went searching for another compartment.