Chapter 1
A/N: I haven't written in years! so be gentle.
I won't be following the books much at all just as an heads up! This is mostly AU style where I pick and choose.
I'm also changing some ages to be more consensual ages. I won't change the years I've chosen.
Any positive feedback is highly welcome!
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A girl sat alone twirling her thin, slightly curved wand between her fingers as she stared out the train window.
She felt strange, her new robes feeling far more baggy and heavy than the Beauxbatton uniform she was more accustomed to and she questioned why she was trying to keep her ballet like posture with so much fabric hiding her tiring effort...
She slumped back in her seat with a long sigh, placing her wand across her stocking covered knees and tapping it with a slender manicured finger.
She would be going into the fourth year at this new school, having circumstance force her- or rather strongly persuade her- to switch to a UK school...
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I heaved a sigh, feeling off as I crossed my legs and flexed my foot to wiggle some blood circulation into it.
I'd managed to get a compartment to myself and was rather happy at that fact, until several hours passed and I was beginning to loose my marbles from the isolation.
I poked my head out of my compartment door, wondering if that nice lady pushing the trolley might come back...
I'd turned down her offer of buying some snacks around two hours ago and now I deeply regretted my choice to refrain from mindless snacking.
Not a soul was in the corridor and it was weirdly quiet- just the rattle of the train itself.
Was I allowed to be here? Were students not meant to come to this part of the train?
I brushed off the thought as it was too late to worry about it now and rather inelegantly threw myself back in my seat, taking off my outer robe to let my arms breathe, these robes were so thick!
I looked down at the empty patch on the front chest as I neatly folded it in my lap.
What were the houses again? Huffypuff, Ravenslaw, Grifdenor and Slitherisin?
"What ridiculous names." I chuckled, not out of malice, but pure puzzlement as the naming system this school insisted on.
I was sure I must have them wrong, but I'd be corrected soon enough I suppose...
My thoughts started to drift along with the fast passing scenery outside, the evening beginning to set in and dye the sky a wonderful red and orange ombré.
I shuffled closer to the window to look down over the bridge the train had begun to cross and as my hand brushed the glass I yanked it back with a deep shiver.
The glass was freezing! Unnaturally so... like a magical force was pressing the outside of the train.
I frowned and lightly touched the glass again and my fingertips almost froze to it, yet the air in my solitary compartment felt toasty and warm.
Nothing bad seemed to be happening and I eventually shrugged it off as bad seals on the frame and sat a little further from the window to keep in the warm as I heard a click behind me.
The door began to open as I turned my head quickly towards it.
A pale blonde boy peered in, one hand in his pocket and the other pushing the door all the way open.
"Anyone else sitting in here?" He asked rather moodily as he met my eyes with his.
I blinked at his rudeness, shocked at his appalling manners and began to stutter back a scolding, but he just smirked.
"Take that as a no. Found us warmer seats!" He called over his shoulder as he entered the compartment.
Two other boys joined him as the first boy sat in front on me, leaning back with his ankle crossed over his knee like a king relaxing in his throne.
The taller boy sat beside him as the smaller took the seat beside me.
"You could have been more polite." I say coldly after clearing my throat and sitting up straight and crossing my arms to retain some form of a personal bubble in the now crammed space.
He met my eyes again and began to laugh.
"And who the hell are you that I should be so polite, frenchy?" My blood began to boil in my veins as I narrowed my eyes at him. My accent was light but noticeable, having spent much of my life in France with dual-language speaking parents.
"Isn't that exactly why you should be polite? You never know who you may be speaking to." He laughed once more at my response and uncrossed his leg to lean forwards.
"Well I'm Draco Malfoy." He looked at me with an expectant smirk and I raised a brow.
"Are you famous or something...?" I asked, tilting my head with unenthusiastic confusion.
If I didn't have to clumsily climb over their legs to get out of the compartment I would have done so by now. I justified it as company that would make the time pass easier to make the lack of easy escape feel less confining. But this boorish air head was making me crave the slow insanity I was slipping into not 5 minutes earlier...
The boys face dropped and he looked at my robe folded in my lap. He suddenly snatched it away from me, slipping it out from under my crossed arms rather roughly.
"Hey! That's my property." I scowled as I lent forward to take it back but he sat back further and used his knees to block me as he searched the fabric.
I sat back down huffily with crossed legs, unwilling to make a fool of myself climbing over him to take it back.
After a moment he looked at me with a bewildered blink.
"What are you looking for...?"
"Are you a first year, frenchy?"
I didn't respond, holding my hand out for my robe back with a blank expression.
A small smile crept onto his face, not quite a smirk, but near enough.
"You're a rather large 11 year old..."
"I'm 16." I corrected him coldly, flexing my fingers open and closed a few times to bring attention to back my open waiting hand.
"I turned 16 two weeks ago. I believe I just passed the age limit to get into your schools fifth year. May I have my robe back now, please?"
He threw it back to me lightly and sat back in his seat, watching me as I refolded and smoothed out my mussed up robe.
"You're a little late to be starting at Hogwarts aren't you?" He smirked, sharing a small chuckle with his cohorts.
"I'm transferring from Beauxbattons. Family reasons and such." I said bluntly with my head high with dignity, false dignity, but dignity nonetheless. I prayed they wouldn't pry any further...
The boys shared a look between them that made me deeply uncomfortable, but I couldn't tell why.
"So you've been at a girls only school for four years?" Draco said with a smug look.
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at his motives before nodding, relieved they had switched the topic at least.
"Does that mean you're a lesbian?" The other two boys held in their immature giggles.
I rolled my eyes and crossed my legs and arms, choosing to ignore his childish games and glance out the window.
The red sky had quickly dulled to an uneasy grey with far off storm clouds threatening to suffocate the sky entirely.
"I'll take that as a yes?" Draco held in a boyish laugh.
I snapped my eyes to him and uncrossed my legs to shift into a more upright posture.
"Beats the hell out of being interested in childish boys who think they're men."
I gave a half-hearted smirk of my own as I roughly recrossed my legs, 'accidentally' smacking his shin with the toe of my boot.
He gave a muffled pained grunt and lent forward to rub his leg.
"You'll regret that, frenchy." He muttered and I gave him an entertained rise of my brows.
"Regret what? Oh, did I bump you slightly?" I pouted dramatically and tilted my head in mock sympathy.
"Do you little English boys bruise that easily?"
His face grew dark as he stood up angrily.
"I'll bruise you in a minute!"
I pressed myself back into my seat in pure shock at how much he had snapped from my harmless comment.
I was about to apologise for his fragile ego when the door slid open and a wand pointed at Draco. His anger aimed itself towards the stranger now and I swayed back and forth to peak around the body of the boy sat beside me.
"That's enough now. Leave her be Draco." A girl stood defensively in the door way, holding her wand right at Dracos head.
"If they ask me why I put a hex on your miserable high and mighty face I'll tell them how you threatened this girl with physical violence. Something most definitely not tolerated by Dumbledore. So sit down." Draco scowled at her before smirking back down at me.
"Oh look, you little French lessie, you've already found a girlfriend! And a blood traitor at that." He sneered back at the girl, giving me a chance to swing my knee up to catch his groin in disguise of standing up flamboyantly. His cohorts cringed and leaned towards their friend, giving me time to balance myself.
"Well it's been a fantastique first impression, but I'd rather sit on top of the train at this point than in here a moment longer."
The girl smiled at me and took a step back to let me through the door.
"Little bitch..." Draco snarled as he batted away his friends and grabbed my ankle as I stepped widely over their barricading knees towards the door.
He yanked and threw me off balance, sending me flying awkwardly over his friends knees and face first out of the compartment.
The girl gasped out and knelt down beside me after shouting at them for being cruel.
"Are you okay?" She gently grabbed my arm to pull me up onto my hands and knees, wincing at my scuffed chin.
I touched my chin- it stung but didn't bleed. I threw a furious scowl over my shoulder to the boys and opened my mouth to curse at them but they all were silently staring at me oddly.
I blinked in confusion before the girl gave a small squeak and flattened down my skirt... which had slightly lifted up and gotten stuck as I had fallen over, giving an embarrassing situation all the more horror as they all got a long lasting view at my underwear and behind.
Beauxbattons and the standards of garments the girls all preached made me grow very comfortable in complex breathable lace and high stockings held up in the traditional way by tasteful lace garters.
All for the level of comfort they gave me now and fashion for me to enjoy, not for anyone else to see!
I blushed a heavy rouge and stood up as quickly and gracefully as possible, looking to the girl to lead me away.
"Pure blood pigs!" She spat over her shoulder as she stood behind me and gently guided me down the car.
"Black is a nice look on you, frenchy!" Draco cackled after us and my cheeks flared.
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"Sorry about them... how unfortunate they're the first ones you had to meet." The girl sighed as she walked beside me past a few compartments before stopping at one.
"I'm Ginny by the way." She smiled and opened the door.
Inside two faces looked up towards me and then to Ginny.
"This is Fred and George. They're my big brothers." They both smiled and waved and I looked between the two and back to Ginny.
"It's okay if you can't remember who's who, our own mother struggles." She giggles and walks in to sit down.
She pats the seat beside her and I step inside and take it.
"My name is Alura Avian. Ravi de vous rencontrer." I offered a smile.
One of the boys tilted his head.
"What's that mea-"
"Pleasure to meet you. Right?" Ginny cut him off with a look to me. I nodded.
"Oui."
"You're the French transfer right? Dad said there was a girl moving last minute that had the ministry in a huff..." I looked down at my hands on my knees uncomfortably.
"She's the...?" Ginny looked at me and stopped.
"We don't need to talk about it or draw attention to it George."
"I'm Fred." He grinned and Ginny rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to tattoo a mole on one of your faces one of this days to tell you apart."
I smiled softly at their antics but kept my eyes on my knees.
"She bumped into Draco and his fowl gang when I found her." Ginny said suddenly drawing my attention back to the room.
"Hm? Oh... right. Yes. Ginny saved me."
"That's our sister. Beat those blood supremacists up!" They brothers laughed.
"Why do you all keep talking about blood?" I asked quietly once they started to calm down.
One of the boys shrugged.
"There are some at this school that feel like they're above everyone because they have fully magical blood. Or so they say. It doesn't actually mean anything."
"Fully magical blood?" I asked again, confused. Didn't all witches and wizards have magical blood? Wasn't that why we can perform magic at all?
"Both parents are wizards and witches. No muggle lines. It's ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous." Ginny puffed her chest.
"Draco and his family are the worst ones for it."
"He called you a 'blood traitor'... what's that supposed to mean?"
She looked out of the window silently and I didn't press her.
"Our family are 'purebloods'." One of the brothers said in mild disgust, wrinkling his nose as he said the word like it tasted bad in his mouth.
"And we just don't care about it. We don't preach keeping blood lines pure or hold discrimination against muggle borns or half bloods." The other continued
"And they call us traitors for it..." the first finished.
I gulped back a bitter taste and looked back to the floor before out the window at the storm clouds that had finally caught the train and begun to drizzle against the pane.
"Are you excited to see the castle?" Ginny turned around with an attempt at a smile to turn the mood of the conversation around.
I made an effort to smile back and nodded.
"Beauxbattons is very different, from what I've heard. I can't wait to explore the grounds."
"Well we know every nook and cranny if you ever want an after-hours tour." The twins said in unison with genuine grins.
I chuckled and relaxed, sitting back in my seat.
"That sounds tres bien."
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The rain battered the train hard as it pulled to a stop.
"I suppose you'll be following the first years for sorting?" Ginny sighed as we stepped out of the carriage, our wands pointed skyward to create invisible umbrellas.
I glanced to the cluster of young students being called by a very large man.
"I suppose so... I'll see you inside." I said a little more brightly and she leaned forward for a light hug.
"You're gonna love it!" And with that her friends called her away. I waved and turned around to head towards the gathering of first years.
"Miss Avian?" I turned around to see a tall girl in blue trimmed robes.
"My name is Emily. I'm the Ravenclaw prefect. I've been asked to escort you to the castle. I'm afraid no one is taking the boats today so you won't be missing out on anything with the first years." She chuckled, starting to walk off.
"O-oh!" I began to follow her, avoiding puddles along the way.
I did my best to stay beside her as her long legs covered ground much faster than mine.
I noticed her glancing down at me from the corner of my eye and after a minute she turned her head to me.
"Have you been fighting?" Her brow arched and her eyes narrowed in a teacher like manner. She even sounded like she was a teacher... especially right now.
"Pardon? Oh! No, I fell over. Quite clumsily." I forced a light chuckle as I gently touched at the scuff on my chin. Those bullies deserved punishment, but I did knee him in the crotch then inadvertently flashed him... I'd rather the school officials stayed out of this particular tussle.
Emily rolled her eyes and lowered her wand from her umbrella spell, crouching a little to use the cover of mine.
"Hold still for a minute. I'm going to cast a simple concealing spell. It should last a few hours to see you through introductions." She held the tip a centimetre from my chin and said words I couldn't quite catch in the pounding rain.
I felt an odd tingle and she smiled, her work apparently done as she wordlessly turned and began to walk again. I hurriedly followed.
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I sighed in relief and lowered my wand as we entered the castle from a long and winding walk.
"Just a little bit more of a trek." Emily said ahead of me as she began to climb a staircase and I stayed close behind until we reached a large pair of doors.
"Are you ready?" She half smirked down at me in a teasing yet friendly sort of way before standing close to the door and giving a gentle knock.
A few long moments later a knock returned and the doors opened.
I swallowed and felt my stomach drop as the doors opened to a hall full of students and teachers... all of whom had turned their eyes to me. I wanted to die. Right now, just drop dead and rot away, anything but be the main focus of a room this large! I wasn't warned of this at all...
"I'd like to welcome a new student joining our fourth year. Miss Alura Avian!" An old man bellowed out brightly from the far end of the room.
"Please come and take a seat up here Miss Avian." He waved a hand towards a stool on the platform he stood upon.
I took a deep breath for my nerves, avoiding looking either side at the staring students and kept my focus on getting to the stool before collapsing from how heavy my heart was pounding at this moment.
The silence was filled only by whispers that made my stomach roll. I came here to blend in. To maintain a low profile.
Right now, this was sure to cause unnecessary questions... questions I sure as hellfire would not be answering. The ministry could just put me back under close surveillance for another eight years for all I cared. All these students knowing what I did, what I am is far worse than some adults bickering about what to do with me in a private office...
A woman standing beside the stool held a typical wizards hat that looked deeply aged in her hands and smiled ever so faintly. I shakily turned and sat down on the stool, facing the hundreds of students who I was forced to now see whisper among themselves and stare at me. My gaze caught Ginny sat at one of the tables and she gave a wave and an encouraging smile.
It did little to relax me as the woman moved the hat on top of my head.
A sudden voice made me jump as it echoed inside my head and it took me a moment to realise it was the hat talking to me.
"Ahhhh... you. I've heard about you... I know what you did... I know what you're capable of..." I tried to hide my flinch from my expression as my heart sped up once more. I balled my hands tightly as it continued.
"You're scared... don't be. Don't let fear guide you here. Let your buried ambitions find light... in..."
"SLYTHERIN!" It howled out loud making me jump once more and the woman removed it.
I saw Ginnys face fall as she looked away sadly and my stomach dropped once more. Was that a bad thing to be?
One table began to cheer and howl- even a whistle once or twice.
The table all wore green under a snake banner and after the woman touched her wand to my robe, the empty patch on the breast of it began to shimmer and take the form of that same snake.
My robes began to highlight themselves in green and she handed me a green striped tie.
"Over there please, my dear." She gestured to the cheering table and I shakily stood up, clutching my new tie like it was a lifeline in a rough sea.
No one at the table moved over, but there was an empty space further down that I quickly headed for.
My adrenaline was still pumping as I sat down and a few students patted my shoulder and laughed.
I gave uneasy smiles to either side of me as the cheers began to die down.
"So the French lesbian joins our house."
I tensed my jaw to look up across the table at the familiar smug voice.
"Draco." I half growled.
"Alura." He smirked back devilishly.
"Do you often show your panties before giving out your name?" He laughed and I looked away to tame my furious blush.
"Oh come on, it was funny. I appreciated the very hot greeting." I'll give you a hot greeting if you don't shut up... I pushed the thought away. Even Draco doesn't deserve what I could do to him on the spot. No one does...
I tried my best to block him out as I watched the man who called me up to the stool take centre stage again.
"Now, please enjoy the feast!"
Food seemed to bloom before us from thin air, a vast and varied feast.
I breathed out a small laugh as everyone began to dig in, instantly finding myself relax as I took a drink.
"No frogs legs here I'm afraid, Frenchie." Draco teased as he took a chicken leg and bit into it.
"That's fine. I only feed on the blood and organs of petty blonde boys." I glared and he laughed.
"There is something I wouldn't mind you eating of me." He smirked and I rolled my eyes in disgust, zoning out his comments for the rest of the meal.
His annoyance persisted all the way to the common room and I was relieved to escape to the girls dormitory and close the curtains around my bed.
It wasn't particularly late in the night by the time I fell asleep.
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A/N: Feel free to review ^_^