Chapter Four

Haylin walked out of the compartment with a satisfied grin on her face.

What are you grinning at? Blayd asked.

Haylin didn't answer. All she could think about was Draco's blonde hair, his pale skin, the power emanating from him. She was hardly watching where she was going and managed to run onto someone…literally.

"Oh, sorry," she said helping the girl to her feet. "Hermione?" she said, recognising her as the bushy haired girl she had run into in Flourish and Blott's.

"Yes do I know yo…Haylin?" Hermione said, a look of recognition dawning on her face. "How are you?"

Haylin smiled. "I'm fine aside from the fact that Blayd decided to run all over the train,"

Hermione frowned. "Blayd?" she asked.

"My cat," Haylin said nodding to the bundle of white in her arms. Hermione looked where Haylin indicated.

"Oh!" she said, not in surprise but as if she had just seen the most beautiful thing in the world. "She's gorgeous! Do you mind if I pet her?"

Haylin shook her head, smiling and Hermione reached forward and gently stroked Blayd's head. In response, Blayd began to purr and once again fell asleep.

"Oh by the way," Hermione said suddenly, her face becoming serious. "Have you seen a toad?"

Haylin shook her head. "No, why?"

"Because I've lost mine," a sad voice said behind her. Haylin turned around to see a boy about her age with an incredibly forlorn look on his face.

"I'm sure we can find him," Haylin said reassuringly. "I mean we are magical aren't we? Couldn't we just summon him or something?"

The boy looked a shade happier as Hermione looked thoughtful.

The Hermione shook her head. "I've read all the books I bought and there is nothing on how to perform a summoning charm. I don't think we're meant to learn that yet."

The boy's face fell again and Haylin felt her heart wrench.

He looks so fragile, she thought. She could feel something about him. As if he had a great deal of power but something was stopping him from knowing it was there.

Suddenly Haylin had an idea completely unrelated to her original train of thought.

Blayd, can you find um…hang on,

"What's your name?" she asked the boy.

"My name's Neville," he answered quietly.

Can you find Neville's toad? And under no circumstances are you to harm it at all if you do find it.

Blayd sleepily opened her eyes, yawned and jumped down from Haylin's arms and disappeared.

oOoOoOoOo

Draco stared after Haylin as she left, too stunned to say anything. The strange thing was, he wasn't sure what it was about her that stunned him. He wasn't sure if it was her strange beauty, her confidence or the fact that his owl had spoken to her without him even hearing a sound.

"Malfoy? Are you okay?" Goyle asked.

Draco sat down the stood up again as he heard a rattling outside the compartment and a muffled voice from behind the closed door.

"Anything off the trolley dears?" the voice called. "Anything off the trolley?" an old woman entered their compartment. Draco handed over some silver coins and snatched a chocolate frog off the trolley, earning him a disapproving scowl from the old woman.

oOoOoOoOo

"Well I'm going to have a look around the train. You guys keep looking for your toad," Haylin said, smiling encouragingly. "if Blayd finds it then she'll find you."

Neville was not thrilled at the fact that his toad was being hunted by a cat. But, after almost twenty minutes of explaining, he smiled, and walked off with Hermione to continue the search for his toad.

Feeling oddly good about herself, Haylin walked in the opposite direction and entered a compartment at random.

"Hello," one of its occupants said cheerily. "Who are you?"

Haylin looked at the two girls sitting in the compartment smiling at her. One had long, black hair, pale skin, dark eyes and was wearing a blood red, low cut, corseted top and midnight blue jeans. The other had long brown hair, pale skin and was wearing a deep purple halter neck and black jeans.

"I'm Haylin," she answered eventually.

"I'm Janaya," the one with black hair said. "And this is Adriel," she said, pointing the girl with brown hair.

"Hey," Adriel said waving. Haylin smiled and waved back.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

The girls shook their heads. "We don't mind," Janaya said. "but where's your luggage? You'll need it soon."

Haylin told them she'd be right back and ran off to get her luggage off Harry and Ron.

When she got to the compartment, she found the door blocked. Draco and his two friends were standing in the doorway. Suddenly, one of the big ones screamed in pain and all three of them turned on their heel to leave…bringing Draco face to face with Haylin.

"What are you doing here?" Haylin asked, looking at the big one who screamed and was now cradling his hand against his chest.

"Meeting Harry Potter of course," Draco said with a sneer. When Haylin showed no recognition at the name Draco smirked.

"Are you telling me, you have no idea who Harry Potter is?" he said, laughing.

Haylin just nodded, her eyebrows raised to indicate that he should continue.

"Harry Potter is the one who apparently thwarted the Dark Lord."

Again Haylin showed no recognition.

"Merlin! Have you been living in a hole in the ground? The Dark Lord the wizard who's name is feared, even now ten years after that," he gestured at Harry, "somehow thwarted him."

Now Haylin realised who he was talking about.

"oh, you mean…" she had been about to say, 'you mean my father' but then she remembered that Mr. Crouch had told her not to tell people. "you mean Lord Voldemort." Every body flinched except Harry.

"Yes him," Draco said, "and what are you doing here?" he asked.

"getting my luggage. But go back to "Harry Potter thwarted the dark lord" how?" Haylin said, now looking at Harry with a mix of fury and great interest.

"No body knows, You-Know-Who tried to kill him and then BAM he wasn't there anymore.

Haylin slowly nodded her understanding. Then she went into the compartment, grabbed her luggage, and came out again.

"right, well I'm going to get changed and sit with some other people, you boys may want to get changed also, it looks like we're almost there." And with that, she stalked off.

Draco watched her go, shook his head and sighed.

"Come on Crabbe, Goyle, it's time to go."

oOoOoOoOo

Haylin, Janaya and Adriel had just changed into their robes when the train stopped. They stepped out of the train and heard a booming voice call out:

"Firs' years! This way please! Firs' years follow me!" the booming voice belonged to a very large man with a very large beard.

"Welcome t' 'Ogwarts!" the large man cried and lead the first years away.