Gwendolyn stared up the portal that lead into the Gryffindor common room and sighed. She eyed the fat lady with doubt. She looked quite beautiful in her roman dress with the countryside rolling behind her, but the set of her look plainly said, "Not gonna happen."
But Gwendolyn had never been one to back down so she took a deep breath and tried again. "But can't you just let me in, please? I told you already I don't have the password. Headmaster Dumbledore didn't give it to me."
"I'm sorry but I can't let you in."
"But all my stuffs in there. My cat is in there. Kismet is going go crazy if I don't let her out of her cage soon. Please let me in. Please."
"No password, no entry. Those are the rules and as the guardian of the Gryffindor house it is my duty to uphold them. I can not simply…"
"But can't you just…"
"No."
"Not even this once? I promise if you let me in I will never again forget the password… please?" Gwendolyn tried her best pleading look adding sad eyes for a good measure but the Fat Lady's mouth only thinned more as she shook her head.
Letting out a puff of air Gwendolyn swung around and crossed her arms. "Knickers and… fiddle sticks to it all." She said as she started to walk away then she heard the sound of laughter bouncing along the walls. Stopping Gwendolyn just listened and then looked down the hallway to the staircase. Then she saw them. Four boys, all wearing the Gryffindor robes, laughing together.
Curious she paused to watch them walked towards her since they hadn't noticed her. The first boy had sandy blonde hair that fell in shaggy strands over his forehead. As he laughed Gwendolyn noticed that he had amber eyes that gleamed in the corridor candlelight.
Beside him a gangly boy with even shaggier brown hair laughed with him. His eyes were brown and gleamed behind glasses that slipped down forcing him to push them back up. His hair made Gwendolyn smile because it seemed to have such a mind of its own.
Then her eyes came to rest upon the third boy and she felt as if the world had frozen for a moment. His hair was a glorious midnight black and somehow it seemed even shaggier than the other two. He was a bad boy… You could just tell from the way he walked he was. Dangerous was the one word that described him. And he loved it. Even beneath the drab uniform robes you could see it.
Suddenly Gwendolyn felt shy and drab. Her face started to warm and she knew that her ears had already turned red. Her muscles tensed and for an instant she thought about running so they would never know she had looked at them. Stared at them… was staring… But she fought it.
Rational reasoning, Gwendolyn, but I suppose you never follow the rational, do you? A little voice said in the back of her mind but she brushed it away. None of them had noticed her yet. She could still walk away…
Then the third boy looked up and Gwendolyn knew her eyes widen and her face most definitely turned red. His eyes were beautiful. Silver. No, not just plain silver but hot molten silver just melted down. Not gray but not blue. Right in between. In a color that should have made his eyes look flat and lifeless but somehow didn't manage it.
Forcing herself to look away her eyes came to rest upon the last boy. His hair was blonde-almost –white and his eyes were a watery blue that seemed too faded to even be a real color. Blank eyes. Lifeless. Without thought of remorse or any other feeling... And then another thing she didn't like. They flitted to and fro watching everything. Looking for danger like a scared little animal. Just waiting for an opportunity… Then his eyes also focused on her and Gwendolyn felt a shiver run down her spine.
Rat… the thought flitted through her mind so swiftly that she wasn't sure that she had even heard it in her mind… thought it.
But then they were right in front of her, the four boys, each more handsome then the next (except for the last one). And Gwendolyn opened her mouth to say something… anything and almost didn't… "C-could you help me?" she finally managed to stutter as they all stared at her. "I-I'm new… I don't have the password."
The first boy eyed her for a moment as if measuring her up. His amber eyes looked quite serious and she didn't look away once. Then he smiled slightly. "Remus Lupin." He said quietly as he held out his hand.
Gwendolyn studied his hand for a moment then looked up shyly into his kind eyes and smiled before placing her hand gently in his. "Gwendolyn Farr." She murmured as his hand enclosed hers.
For an instant an image flashed before her mind and then she turned without missing a beat to accept the hand of the second boy. She'd look into that image later. "James Potter, miss."
The third boy didn't say anything at first and then James jabbed him in the side with his elbow. Looking at his friend he quickly reached out and shook her hand mumbling, "Sirius Black."
When it came to the last boy Gwendolyn nearly shuttered but managed to shake Peter's hand. Even as she did a cold flash went through her body and an image of a snake slithering by came to mind. "Nice… nice to meet you all." She managed even as she tried to massage the cold away from her hands.
Thankfully none of them seemed to notice her attack of nerves and they walked with her over to the portrait. The Fat Lady immediately puffed proudly up. "Password?" she asked regally eyeing Gwendolyn with something akin to annoyance.
"Mandrake Roots…" Remus murmured and she swung open to reveal the Gryffindor common room. Remus helped her step inside and she smiled at him and walked into the warm interior. And suddenly Gwendolyn Farr felt right at home. A meow at her feet had her kneeling down to pick up her calico baby into her arms. "Kismet!"
"Hope you don't mind us letting her out. She wouldn't be quite and I couldn't stand to hear her meow so pitifully any longer." Said a girl about her age with long black hair and hazel eyes. "Hi, I'm Raven Hawkins. And this is Lily. Welcome to Hogwarts."
"Thank you, I'm Gwendolyn Farr."
"Come on over and sit with us. You must be terribly bored if you found yourself in the company of the likes of those boys." Raven said as she plopped onto one of the many chairs in the common room. Lily smiled and nodded and Gwendolyn just knew she was going to love them both just like sisters.
Sirius was not one to be knocked off his feet by a pretty face. In fact of all his friends he was the most easy-going and charming with girls. James had eyes only for Lily, Remus was too shy and Peter… well, Peter was Peter. But Gwendolyn Farr was the last thing he had expected to find after classes were over and he and the guys had headed towards the common room laughing at some sick joke of James.
She had still been dressed in muggle clothes. Nothing extreme or tight or anything like that, just jeans and an old t-shirt that had proclaimed the Angels. But she had looked wonderful in them, her hair pulled back from her face with all its curls in a ponytail behind her head. Her hair was beautiful even now. Somewhere along the way she had released it and was now dressed in Hogwarts robes looking completely at ease with Kismet, her calico cat in her lap as she laughed with Lily and Raven.
Then she looked up at him and for a moment they just looked at each other. Her eyes looked like caramel right now from the firelight. But then Raven said something and she looked back down at her. Then she was laughing again.
"Oy! Sirius, you going to play or what?" James yelled from across the room at his seat in front of the fire.
Sparing a glance for his friend he grinned and then walked across the room. "Sure, I'll play and I'll beat you too."
James grinned and then made his first move. "Cocky, aren't we?"
Sirius snorted as he surveyed the board. "No," he made his move and smiled challengingly at James. "Just practical."
For a moment neither of them said anything as they played. Then Gwendolyn laughed and Sirius felt the hair at the nape of his neck stand up. James must have noticed because he gave a little sideways glance to the girl in question then back to his friend. Lifting his eyebrow he smiled and made his move.
"Something bugging you, Sirius?"
"Bugging me? No, why?" he pushed a pawn a little too hard as he said it but James merely surveyed the board as if he had all the time in the world.
"You seem… I don't know… distracted."
"How so?" moving his knight Sirius heard her laugh and wanted very badly to turn to see if it made her look as beautiful as it sounded.
"You couldn't stop staring at the new girl earlier…" James absently made his move too intent upon his friend to really care if he won or lost. "What's her name…? Gloria? Glenda? Gwenivere?"
"Gwendolyn." Sirius said shortly snapping his attention back to the board. He made his move then surveyed the board again. And nearly smiled as he saw his next move. "What about her?"
"I don't know I've just never seen you so gaga for a girl before. It's… interesting…" James made his move then Sirius did grin.
Moving his bishop into place he said, "Checkmate. Sorry, James but you should stick to the Quidditch field. And I'm not gaga about Gwendolyn. You and Remus are the master at that. She's just… very pretty."
Pushing away from the table Sirius heard James murmur, "Well, if that don't beat all." And he laughed out loud. Then his glance landed on Gwendolyn as she laughed with Raven and Lily. Her hair shone like milk chocolate in the firelight and she seemed to sparkle all over. She shimmered. And then he looked at himself. He was… well he wasn't that kind of person.
As Sirius strode out of the room four pairs of eyes followed him, one sadly, the other three with a gleam of knowledge.
So that's how it is, is it? Raven thought to herself looking up and meeting Remus' glance over Gwendolyn's head. And they both smiled. They'd been there before.
And Gwendolyn just sighed hugging Kismet closer. Oh well. What could he see in her after all? She was only… well…only part witch. She'd never belong.