Chapter 8
"One of your little friends, Rae?" Zareh questioned, flipping through a history book on Romania.
The werewolf huffed and slouched in her seat. "It's none of your business, White."
"What are pulling the carriages?" Vala asked suddenly, looking at Lily with her dull eyes. "They look like they have been treated horribly."
Lily looked at her strangely. "You can see them?"
Vala nodded.
"They're Threstals, only people you have seen death or have been close to death themselves can see them."
Zareh and Raelin looked at their sister with concern, while Vala just cast her gaze out the window and pushed her glasses farther up her nose.
Lily seemed to sense that it was a bad subject and quickly changed it. "What years are you all in? I'm in my sixth."
"Same as Val!" Raelin exclaimed excitedly. "I'm in fifth and Zareh's in seventh. I'd tell you what houses we were in too, but I like dramatic entrances."
Zareh raised an eyebrow at her, but Raelin didn't notice anything.
"Is the school really all it has been said to be?" the sorceress asked, turning to Lily.
"So far it has, the only thing that's kind of weird is we've had a different Defense Against the Dark Arts every year." The witch replied.
There was a comfortable silence in the girl's carriage for the rest of the journey to Hogwarts. The Marauder's carriage, however, was a completely different story.
"So, what do you think of the new transfer students?" Sirius questioned once all four teens were inside a carriage. "Do any of them compare to Lily the Fair, Prongs?"
James shook his head and gave his friend a smirk. "Of course not, and I'll have you know that I will win Lily's heart by the end of the school year. Mark my words."
"Aren't those the exact same words you said in the carriage last year?" Remus questioned, rubbing his chin smartly.
James just scowled at him. "Shut up, Moony."
"I like them." Peter piped up suddenly. "They're all really nice."
"I'll bet you anything that Zareh gets into Ravenclaw." Sirius stated.
"No doubt about that, she is smart and obviously likes to read enough to get in." Remus replied.
"What about the other two, Vala and Raelin?" James asked, looking slyly around the carriage. "I bet five Galleons that Raelin gets into… Hufflepuff."
Sirius snorted. "Are you kidding me? She seems more like a Gryffindor to me."
"I think she's a Ravenclaw too." Peter said.
James turned to Remus. "What about you, Moony, you can bet in Sickles if you want."
Remus glanced around at his friends. "And if I win, you all have to pay me five Galleons each?"
Everyone nodded.
"She seems too shady and cunning to be in Gryffindor… or any other House come to think of it, I'd say Slytherin."
"How about Vala?" Sirius questioned. "Five more Galleons says she got into Slytherin."
"Hey, that was my guess!" James shouted, punching Sirius playfully in the shoulder. "Well, since Padfoot here took my guess, I'll say Ravenclaw. She looked smart enough."
"Hufflepuff, she seemed to be caring and stuff." Peter stated.
Everyone turned to Remus, who, in turn, said, "You are all really bad at judging people. I'm going to say Gryffindor."
Sirius snorted. "Your loss mate. Be prepared to give up your Galleons – and Sickles – to the winner of this little game: Me."
"You wish." James retorted with an arrogant smirk.
The carriage stopped in front of the castle and the four wizards quickly got out.
… … … …
Zareh practically dragged Raelin, Ranger and Vala up the stairs to meet Dumbledore just inside the school. They had just said goodbye to Lily and told her to save a spot for one of them, Raelin wouldn't say just whom though.
"Good evening ladies, I trust the train ride was pleasant." He said with a smile, peering over his half-moon glasses. He led them down an unused hall, obviously so they could talk more freely.
"Quite, and thank you so much for the room and the escort. They were very helpful." Zareh replied in a monotone voice. "We have our robes, but do we need to get on the uniforms right now?"
Raelin almost jumped up and down while she spoke. "Oh, oh, oh! Can we make this big entrance while everyone's sitting down and then you introduce up and then we throw open the doors and make our way (in our school robes) over to our tables… with Ranger leading me, of course. Which one's the Slytherin table?"
"The second from your right when you first enter the room." Dumbledore replied with a chuckle at the young werewolf's enthusiasm. "If that is what you all want, then that is the entrance I shall give you."
Zareh bit her lip and looked over to Vala, who just shrugged. "Umm, sure, I guess we could do that. We'll be waiting outside and when you say 'Zareh, Vala and Raelin Knight' we'll come in. Is that alright?"
"Of course. Now, you can leave your trunks here." Dumbledore gestured to the staircase where mounds upon mounds of luggage already made their place. "They will be taken to your rooms during the feast."
Zareh opened her trunk and took out her robes with the Ravenclaw crest on them and proceeded to shove her original white robes back into it. She was then suddenly aware that she was still in her pajamas and quickly put on her school robes and made sure they weren't showing. Vala also put hers on and helped Raelin find hers too.
"What about our little situation, small problems, and tiny conditions?" Zareh questioned suddenly as she placed her trunk and owl cage onto a random pile.
Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Come to my office after the feast and we shall talk more privately there. If you will excuse me now, I must go and make your arrival known." The old wizard nodded to the sisters and then headed off towards the doors to the Great Hall.
"White, are you still wearing your pajamas?" Raelin teased, putting a brand new silver coloured collar with a serpent shaped tag (which had Raelin's name as well as Ranger's) around her wolf's neck and clipping on an actual, and new, dark green leash.
Zareh turned bright red and subconsciously checked to make sure her robes weren't open.
Vala chuckled and took off her sunglasses, carefully placing them into the pocket in which she also had her wand. Straightening her long sleeves, the half vampire took a deep breath and walked over to where the closed doors to the Great Hall stood, waiting.
… … … …
Lily sat down cheerfully near the middle of the Gryffindor table and moved a small book onto the plate next to her, to save for one of the Knight sisters.
"Hullo again, Evans. Mind if we sit here?"
Lily groaned at the voice. "Go away, Potter. It was bad enough I had to share the same compartment as you on the train."
"Who's this saved for?" Sirius questioned, sitting down at the spot where Lily had placed the book.
Lily glared at Sirius. "I'm saving it for one of the Knight's."
"Which one?" James questioned, shoving Sirius down one more so he was sitting next to the saved place.
"I don't know, they didn't tell me."
Remus and Peter sat opposite James and Sirius and waited for Dumbledore to begin his yearly speech.
The doors to the Great Hall opened to reveal the Headmaster, then closed once more behind him. He quickly made his way up to the front and stood in front of his chair.
The first years were already inside and were looking nervously at the Headmaster.
"Welcome everyone," said Dumbledore. "First off, I would like to introduce you all to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Elizabeth Dusome." A short, thin woman with dirt brown hair pulled back into a tight bun raised her hand and nodded curtly as a greeting.
"And," Dumbledore continued. "I would also especially like to acknowledge three exchange students from Romania." Several hushed whispers broke out in the Hall. "Please make them feel welcome here at Hogwarts. May I introduce to you, Miss Zareh, Vala and Raelin Knight."
Everyone turned to the doors as they suddenly came open and three witches came forward. Zareh walked in first, her head held high (and her robes tightly closed) as she made her way over to the Ravenclaw table, who clapped loudly at her arrival.
"Figures," James said with a shrug.
Raelin came in next, and Ranger led her proudly to a free seat at the Slytherin table.
Sirius nearly choked on his own spit as Raelin sat down at the enemies table, who also greeted her warmly, yet suspiciously, most having seen her with Lily (a well known Muggle-born and Gryffindor) and also having seen her punch Nicholas in the nose.
"Wha–?" was all he could manage to say.
Remus, however, was grinning from ear to ear, seeing as he now officially won thirty Galleons.
Vala walked in last with her arms crossed behind her and a slightly evil sense to her. Lily obviously didn't care as she waved the half vampire down.
As Vala made her way over to the table of Gryffindors', she couldn't help but smile as she was also greeted with the same cheering as he sisters had received.
"Glad to see you made it into the best house in Hogwarts." Lily stated as Vala sat down next to a disgruntled James and handed the book back to her.
"I try." Vala replied simply.
Lily looked over to Sirius and James, who was hitting his head off the table. "What's wrong with you two?"
"They just lost ten Galleons each." Peter said for them.
"So did you," Remus stated, trying to hide his immense happiness.
Lily looked horrified. "Were you two betting?"
"Yes, and Remus won… twice." James mumbled.
"Yeah, I thought Raelin was going to get into Gryffindor and you were going to be in Slytherin." Sirius muttered angrily.
Vala raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as the sorting began.
… … … …
The feast went quite civilized. There wasn't much conversation seeing as most were starving and couldn't care less about the sorting, unless someone got into their own house.
Vala shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she felt the eyes of most Gryffindors' on her whilst she shoveled food into her mouth. There weren't many things in the world that could make her do that.
"Maybe you'll get in the same dorm room as me." Lily said as she finished off her plate of food.
The half vampire couldn't help but wring her hands nervously. "I don't know, maybe." She said finally, though highly doubting it.
Raelin and herself were most likely getting a room in their dorm by themselves. Raelin for her little lycanthropy and Vala because of her need to drink blood on the day of a full moon, and sharing a room with a Muggle born witch (the best tasting blood in the world to most vampires), it would most likely end in disaster.
Vala looked around the room with a distrustful glint in her eye. Something wonderful, something terrible, and something just plain strange was going to happen here, she just knew it.
… … … …
Yes, yes, yes, I know, I haven't updated since… forever, but school's been murder. Hope you all like it! thanks to all who did review, and I shall now leave you with one final word: REVIEW!