Chapter Two
Ten minutes later, Lin slipped into the flood of students entering the Great Hall. She walked over and sat alone at the Gryffindor table. Seconds later, Harry sat to her right. Hermione sat across from her and Ron sat to Hermione's left.
"Hello, you three," Lin said before any of them could speak.
"Hi," Harry said awkwardly.
"I am assuming you are only sitting here because you felt I was some lonely recluse that just wanted friends, correct?" she said.
"...what?" Ron asked. His education was obviously rather lacking.
"We just wanted to thank you for stopping that dementor on the train," Hermione said, thinking quickly.
"You are welcome," she said quietly.
"Hello, Harry, Hermione, Ickle Ronny. Who's this you're sitting with?" Fred or George said as the twins sat on the other side of Lin.
"I am Lin Sarvial," she said, turning to look at them.
"Pleasure to meet you," they replied in unison.
At that point, Dumbledore began the ceremonies of the evening. Without further ado, the first years were sorted, followed by the introduction of the new staff member, Professor Remus Lupin.
As soon as the feast had begun, Remus Lupin looked around at all of the students. The very next day, he would have to learn each and every one of their names, and their reputations. However, none of the students interested him more than Miss Sarvial, whom he had met on the train. She quite frankly fascinated him, for she appeared quite capable of very powerful wandless magic. That in turn begged the question, why is she still in school?
In this same examination of the students, he spotted a girl who had to be a seventh year. Her dark red hair and her ghostly white skin made her stand out where her small stature and build diminished her. She's beautiful...so, so beautiful...Her hair must be soft...her skin, so smooth...Wait! She's a student! Don't think like that!
High, bird-like laughter startled him from his thoughts. He looked around for the source and found Miss Sarvial gazing intently at him. Her deep blue eyes shone with mirth. Many have had similar thoughts, Professor Lupin. Have no fear.
Fear of what?
That is for you to decide, Professor. You are the one in control of your own mind.
Wise words from one so young.
She laughed again. It was such a musical laugh. We shall see.
Wait! What spell are you using? I have never seen a spell like this so strong.
You are the teacher. You should know better than I.
Unless it is obscure.
She laughed once more in his head. I shall see you in class, Professor.
Wait! What year are you in? What house?
I am a seventh year Gryffindor.
Quite suddenly, the touch of her mind to his was gone. He looked back to see her talking with the Weasley twins, who sat next to her. On her other side, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, sat talking secretively amongst themselves.
oooooooooo
After the feast, the newly hired Professor Lupin retired early. As he was looking out of his window that night, he saw a cloaked figure out walking on the grounds. A part of him thought it was a Death Eater. The other part of him was wholly convinced that it was Lin. Though, he was more inclined to believe the latter than the former.
How could she ward away a dementor without even a wand? He had never heard of any witch or wizard who could do that. Not even Dumbledore or the Dark Lord himself had such power. Whatever she was, she was unlike anyone he had ever met.
ooooooooooo
The following day, Lin looked over her new schedule and noticed that Defence Against the Dark Arts was her first subject on Mondays. She had a feeling she could quite easily dread that class. But, she had already taken it more than once in her very long life, so what was different? Of course it was the expected bombardment of questions by the new teacher of said class. That alone would deter her from another encounter with said Professor.
Merely shaking her head, Lin gathered up her books for the day and placed them neatly in her school bag before walking leisurely down to the Common Room and out into the corridors beyond the portrait entryway.
Of course, breakfast meant eating at the Gryffindor table again. While the trio and twins had been friendly enough, she rather dreaded having them near. She did not want anyone to find out who or what she was. That would be simply disastrous. Yet, the more time she spent with them, the more like it was that they would find out what she was.
With that in mind, Lin unobtrusively walked into the Great Hall. Very few people were there at present, mostly because it was still quite early. Thankfully, none of her new acquaintances were there at present. She did not even bother to sit. She merely took an apple and a piece of bread before leaving to avoid the majority of the students.
She always spent her mornings thusly, walking about the school well before many of the inhabitants had awoken. It was times like these that her particular physiology became particularly useful. She did not actually sleep. Her rest was more of a deep trance where she saw clearly her memories through her subconscious. She was also unusual in that she only needed to enter this trance-like state for three or so hours every day, and she could easily forego this rest for several days at a time.
ooooooooooooo
Four or five hours later, Lin's meanderings about the school took her to her first class of the day: Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Remus Lupin. She arrived several minutes early to sit in the back of the classroom and read one of the many books that she had yet to read.
A few pages into her reading, she heard a door open and close. It is from the wrong side of the room to be a student. The new professor has arrived. Queue bombardment of questions.
"Miss Sarvial, what are you doing here so early?" Professor Lupin asked.
"Reading, sir," she said bluntly. She did not even look up.
"So few young people take the time to read anymore," he said wistfully.
"That same fact is most likely the cause of much of the prejudice in the world today," Lin said regretfully.
"What are you reading?" Lupin asked, walking toward her from across the room.
"The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux," she said, pausing for a second to show him the cover.
"The muggle classics are dreadfully underappreciated," Lupin said sadly.
"So it would seem at present," she said with a sad nod.
"Which of the characters do you sympathize with the most?" he asked.
"I sympathize with Erik. All of the dreadful things that happen to him throughout the course of the book are hardly his fault. Rather, it is the fault of the many people who sought to exclude him or even go so far as killing him merely for a misshapen face," she said honestly, if rather bitterly.
"You sound quite impassioned about that. You can't have had such troubles," he said, astonished.
"Think again. I am worlds different from the other students," Lin said.
"How so?" Lupin asked, pushing onward with his questions.
"That is for me to know and for you to preferably not find out," she said dismissively as two other students walked in.
As soon as the class was over, Lin hurried out the door to avoid the now huge number of questions that her Professor obviously had.
"Good afternoon," he said to them. "Would you all please put your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."
All of the students, including Lin, complied. Lupin led them out the door of the classroom to the teacher's lounge. He had them all stand on one side of the room, across from the wardrobe.
"I assume you are all familiar with boggarts, so let's get a little practice with them in, shall we? Please form a line," Lupin said.
All seven of the seventh years did so, with Lin as the very last. Each of the students performed the spell perfectly, and each time the boggart turned into something that reflected their worst fears.
Finally, it was Lin's turn,. She stepped forward hesitantly, dreading what would come. The boggart took one look at her and began to change. It morphed into a bald man in kilt. Her was very muscular and handsome, but somehow inhuman and ethereal. He was over six feet tall.
This figure held out his hand and said in a deep, powerful voice that just exuded charisma, "Come to me, my love!"
Lin's muscles locked and her eyes dilated. Her face paled, but she raised her arm and said hoarsely, "Riddikulus!"
The man stumbled back. He now wore a pink apron with hearts and lacy frills. She began to laugh that same high, melodious laugh, but her tone was strained. The boggart vanished in a puff smoke, and the whole room was deadly silent. Lin stayed rooted to the spot, staring at where the boggart had vanished. A second later, she fell to the floor in a dead faint.
Lupin and the other students, one of which was Percy Weasley, hurried forward to her. Lupin pulled his wand out and said, "Ennervate!"
She remained unconscious. "Sir, she should be taken to the Hospital."
"I'll do it," he the Professor said, scooping the surprisingly light student up into his arms. "Class dismissed," he said to them before leaving.