Chapter 1

Cedric's POV

"Hey Ced!" A short second year shouted in my ear.

"I thought we have a conversation about you not calling me Ced, remember, Edward?" I responded.

"You're right, I remember now. Just don't call me Edward, it sounds weird coming from you. Did you see Angelina? She said hi to me! She must know we're meant to be together. I told you she was smart." Eddie, my best friend since we met last year on the Hogwarts Express, babbled on about this and that.

"If she was smart she would run the other way," I bantered with him.

"She's smart enough not drool every time she sees you. Seriously Diggory, you need to leave some ladies to me. You don't need the whole female population falling at your feet."

"I neither asked for the attention nor want it. I'm totally okay with being Cedric Diggory, period. A dedicated Hufflepuff student, not a heartthrob or whatever their new nickname is this year. None of the first year girls see me as a person, they only see my outside and you know I hate that. I just want someone I can talk to." I only wanted someone that would see me as Cedric, the boy; not Cedric, the cutest first year in Hogwarts.

"Yeah, good luck with that 'awful' life of yours, now all this conversing has built me an appetite, I'm going to go find the food trolley and get me some cauldron cakes, do you want something, mate?"

"Could you get me some pumpkin pasties, please? And while you're at it, if you find a brain for yourself that would be splendid." I said as serious as I could but I could not hide the smirk blooming on my face.

"Haha. Look who thinks himself a comedian. You crack me up mate, real funny. Why don't you get that stick out of Angelina! Hey! Hi! What's up girl? Long time no see, how was your summer? Did you miss me? I totally didn't know your compartment was next to mine, coincidence? I think not."

Well, I wasn't going to get my pumpkin pasties anytime soon thanks to Angelina. As I stared out of the window I thought on all the things the new school year would bring, hopefully this year would be better than last year. Hopefully it's more fun and intriguing that the last.

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

I clapped and cheered for every new first year that got into Hufflepuff. As the list of first years diminished in size, I zoned out for a bit looking at the window behind the teacher's table. I felt a jab on my side and I turned to my left.

"What is it?" I asked Eddie. His only response was a nod to where McGonagall was standing next to the Sorting Hat.

"Anastasia Romanov! Miss Romanov please come forth to get sorted. We do not have all the time in the world! Anastasia Romanov!" I could see a vein in Professor McGonagall's forehead coming out with all the shouting the woman did.

"Do you think she got lost?" I heard someone whisper over at the Gryffindor table.

"She's probably too shy to go get sorted. Maybe she knows she'll get into Hufflepuff and she ran away. I mean, I would. Who would want to be a Hufflepuff?" I heard Marcus Flint "whisper" to his friends over at the Slytherin table.

The whispers wouldn't stop. I just turned to the teacher's table to gauge Headmaster Dumbledore's reaction to one of his students not showing up and all I saw on the professor's weathered face was a smirk and a glint in his blue eyes.

All conversations in the room seized to exist the moment a flying lion broke through the enormous window behind Headmaster Dumbledore. Gasps and screams were heard throughout. The ones closest to the front covered their eyes from the glass being rained on them. I could only stare open mouthed at the girl sitting on the back of the beast that was roaring its lungs out. The only words that came to my mind were eloquently said by an older Hufflepuff siting a couple of seats to my left:

"Bloody hell?!"

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

Anastasia's POV

"You oversized cat! What do you think you're doing? That's a window you're fly...aaaaaaaaaah!"

But before I could finish my sentence directed at Alexandr, my griffin like pet, I felt my right arm lift to my eyes to protect them from the shattering glass.

Stupid oversized feline! We could have easily entered through a door!

I felt Alexandr maneuver through...heat? I finally realized I had closed my eyes and when I opened them to see a sea of floating candles plus Alexandr's unexpected left turn, I lost my balance and felt myself falling slowly and I realized someone must have delayed my inopportune fall with a charm.

I finally landed...on something warm and...soft. I slowly, trying to postpone my prominent embarrassment, turned my head and caught sight of the greyest eyes I've ever seen.

"Sorry," I started saying to the boy until Alexandr popped his head next to the boy's head and adding to my accumulating embarrassment, licked his face and hair.

"No! Alexandr, stop it! It's not play time, malenkaya! (Little [one])" I said with a movement of my wand that I had gotten out while I was reprimanding him. At the mention of my spell Alexandr's wings started to compress to a more reasonable size and his mature lion body turned into the body of a 3 weeks old lion cub.

I suddenly realized that I was still sitting on the boy's lap so with another muttered sorry, I jumped off of him, only for Alexandr to jump on my arms. With the unexpected weight in my arms and my not trustworthy balance I was on my way to greet the floor with my face, until I felt somebody's hands going around my torso.

I seriously hope it's not the same boy I landed on. Okay, I'm going to turn my head on the count of three. One, two, too late. I turned my face and two grey eyes met my blue ones. Thankfully, I heard someone clearing their throat behind the boy's head and another voice in a kind tone said:

"We've been waiting for you, little one," I've heard this voice before.

As soon as the kind voice finished another one picked up.

"You are late! And I will assume you are Miss Romanov, correct?" An old lady with a Scottish accent asked.

As I disentangled myself from the boy with muttered thanks, I opened my mouth to respond but someone beat me to the punch.

"Minerva, calm down, and you should be aware that a princess is never late, everyone else is just early." As my eyes landed on the voice's owner, I realized where I knew it from.

"Gospodin (Mister) Dumbledore!" I exclaimed, quite loudly, if I do say so myself.

"Hello little one," He greeted as he opened up his arms to catch me in them. "Are you ready to be sorted? And do not worry about the window; I know how Alexandr likes to make an entrance."

And with a quiet yes I realized the hall was eerily silent.

As Mr. Dumbledore took my hand to lead me to the front of the room where a ratty black hat sat on a small wooden stool, I saw how kids raging from my age and older looked at me and Alexandr.

I guess they've never seen this type of griffin before.