A/N: Alrighty then. Tania is in this chapter so once again I must give a huge thanks to Jaylyn Gilfer Bustinex, my favorite sister ever, for letting me steal her characters. The Detharts do not belong to me at all. I highly suggest that you people go read her stuff. She will in fact be putting up a Tania fic shortly, and some scenes you'll recognize and some you won't.
Also my new favorite character Blaise shows up. Woot! He's hysterical. Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm averaging one per chapter. Read on m'dears.
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The chatter of children of all ages and the general noise of trains combined with a couple hundred people running everywhere and extensive amounts of baggage to create the purest form of chaos known to man. Her levitated luggage following her like a lost puppy, Alex moved carefully through the insanity that was Platform 9 and 3/4.
It was the work of moments to secure her trunk and find an empty compartment. Few people got on the train until just before it left so there were no lack of seating areas totally devoid of people. Firmly settling herself into her chosen area, Alex sat at the window seat to the right of the door and placed her owl, Striker's cage on the seat next to her. The noise from the platform was muffled and Alex opened her Transfigurations textbook, determined to have the first three chapters memorized by the time she had her first class. A quiet knock sounded against the glass. She looked up into the lowered gaze of Tania Dethart.
"Hello, Tania."
"Are these seats taken?" Tania asked tentatively.
"No. Go ahead and sit. Do you need help stowing your things?"
"No. Thank you. I'm fine." Tania quickly swung her luggage into the rack above their heads before Alex could do more than offer. That finished, she took the other window seat, directly across from Alex. Taking out a textbook similar to Alex's, Tania hesitated.
"Oh, good. You're going to read too. I wanted to finish this before class started." Suiting actions to words, Alex disappeared behind her book. Within seconds she heard the rustle of pages as Tania did the same.
A silence fell, punctuated only by the occasional noise of students passing by in the hall. A scathing glare over the top of her textbook was all that was required to keep anyone else from trying to sit in their compartment. Not that anyone else was too inclined to sit with two Slytherin girls, but it didn't hurt to be extra forbidding. The sound of students had faded and the platform had nearly cleared when…
"Alex!"
Closing her book and setting it aside with slow precision, Alex looked over into the face of her Slytherin year-mates.
"Milli. Blaise. Looking for a seat?"
"Alex." Milli ignored the Tania with the ease of long practice as she slid into the seat next to her. "How was your summer?"
"Same old stuff," Alex responded with just a hint of yawn in her voice. She smiled suddenly. "I know your grandmother is old fashion like that, Blaise, but all the girls are seated. You don't have to keep standing."
He grinned and dropped down beside her as the train started moving. "I've been hearing weird stuff about you lately, Lex."
"Rumors? About me?" Alex flipped her hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "Why, that's never happened to me before!"
"I'm not talking about rumors, Alexandria."
"Oh! Use of full name. Are you worried about me, Blaise?" She dropped a hand delicately onto his shoulder. "I'm touched."
"Lex! What happened between you and Darius at that stupid Flint party?!"
Milli leaned forward, concern warring with glee in her eyes. Tania's eyes never left the page before her, the same one she'd been reading since Blaise and Milli had entered.
"What makes you think that's any of your business, Zabini?" Alex's eyes and voice battled for the title of Most Vicious.
"Goyle said you did his brother. Marcus says Darius did you. Darius himself has either no comment or mutters something about you screwing Draco Malfoy. Who won't comment one way of the other as far as I've heard…"
"What?!" Milli exclaimed in delighted shock.
"What?!" Alex growled in an unknowing echo, gripping Blaise's arm.
"What?" Pansy stood just outside their compartment, a surprised smile on her face. "Our very own Alex is a sl-"
With a sharp wave of her wand, which had appeared instantly in her hand, Alex sent the door slamming shut barely missing the end of Pansy's nose. Laughter turned to rage when Pansy failed in her attempts to yank the door back open. "I'd cast a silencing spell but I think there's no point. This seems to be wide spread amongst the men and now that Pansy knows...will there be anyone who won't find out? Somehow, I doubt it."
"You're entirely too correct," Milli said, sighing lightly.
Alex sent her a look, which stated in no uncertain terms that she knew that Milli would've spread the word even without the cover of Pansy knowing the 'secret'. Milli's smile was all mercenary. She shrugged.
"What's your plan, Lex?"
"Simple, do nothing." Alex thought she caught the subtle nodding of a certain dark haired head hiding behind a book. "I am a Bellmonte. I am above such obvious stupidity. I do not acknowledge it and it cannot touch me. I don't care."
After a second Blaise nodded slowly. "If there's no reaction then what's the point. Elegant and practical as ever, Alex."
Alex filed away the realization that Tania Dethart had figured out the 'elegant practicality' of her plan before Blaise, one of the smartest Slytherins in her own year. Interesting. "As for the rumors themselves, your sources are Goyle and Marcus Flint. Who believes Marcus and Goyle about anything? Draco…" She shrugged. "He's Draco Malfoy. It's all complicated."
"Ain't that the truth." Milli muttered. Alex and Blaise jerked up and stared at her. Alex started to grin.
"Milli…that was hilarious."
Milli laughed. "Ain't it just?" this time her voice held disgusted mockery.
"Oh gosh." Alex started to laugh as well. "I never thought I'd hear Millicent Bulstrode using low-born common language."
Countryside passed rapidly outside the window as the group laughed together. They gathered themselves when a knock came from outside the compartment door. Seeing only the nice old woman who sold candy and treats off her cart Alex spelled the door back open.
"One of everything and two of anything new." Alex ordered with the air of one who didn't care about prices or depriving someone else of a supply.
"The same." Blaise said in a scornful monotone, his 'public' voice.
"One of everything and two of anything chocolate." Milli put in creatively.
"And for you my dear?" The old lady leaned in and looked at Tania.
"I-I…Nothing for me thanks. I'm fine."
Milli let out an airily cruel laugh. "Oh just order something even if you don't want it now. Alex pays for everything and her purse has no known bottom."
Tania looked positively bloodless. Alex took pity on her. No pure blood liked someone else paying for something they couldn't. "Oh please do buy one of everything at least. My parents get suspicious if they don't think I'm spending my money on 'normal' things." Alex didn't look at Tania as she said it.
"One of everything then." Tania's voice was almost unhearable but she didn't falter over the words at all. As soon as she'd spoken the appropriate treats flew to the laps of those who'd ordered them and Alex pulled out her belt purse. When a handful of galleons had found their way into the pocket of the woman's robe she left and Alex shut the door again but refrained from locking it.
"So. Who are you exactly?" Milli said, ignoring the bounty of junk food covering her lap. Her words prevented Tania from retreating behind her book again, not that she'd moved beyond the one page as far as Alex could tell.
"Must be somebody interesting to earn a spot in Alex's compartment." Blaise commented as he opened a chocolate frog.
"Millicent Bulstrode. Blaise Zabini. This Tania Dethart. I'm sure you've met her older brothers, Hunter and Falon."
"Falon?" Milli jumped right in, smirking. "Not the Hated-Imbecile Falon?"
"What she means to say," Blaise interjected smoothly, "is that you are far too beautiful to be related to a specimen such as Falon Dethart."
Tania paled brilliantly but couldn't stop a blush at Blaise's comment. Red stained her cheekbones. Alex chuckled and tapped Blaise's nose with her wand.
"She is quite lovely but she's too young for you Blaise. Don't you prefer them tall, blonde and at least seventh year if you can't get a Professor?"
Blaise leaned back in his seat and grinned smugly. "Not that that happens often."
"The only time you ever did without was when your grandfather put that age limit spell on you. Limited you to girls within six months of your age if I remember rightly." Alex smirked at his horrified expression.
"Hit on everything vaguely feminine in our year you did…including me and Alex." Milli was laughing again.
"It was not exactly my fault! Abstinence has never been my thing!"
"And it was second year too! I'm not sure who was more relieved when your grandfather took it off, you or the girls your age."
As the landscape continued to rush past and the conversation dissolved into debating Blaise's conquests and preferences Tania slipped back into hiding behind her textbook.
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A/N: Yup. That's it. So, how did you like my friendly gallant lech Blaise? More to come, soon of course. Review!