I'm sorry for taking so long on this chapter; my sister forced me to read Naruto fanfics. By the way, how did you all like the seventh book? I was kind of hoping that Voldemort would win, but it was still great. My favorite chapter was the Gringotts break-in. Pure genius!

I, of course, do not own Harry Potter, otherwise it would have taken me a hell of a lot longer to write those books, lazy person that I am.

"Spell."

"Speech."

/Parseltounge. /

'Thoughts.'

(Author Notes)

"Another language"

:::

A week had passed at Privet Drive when Philomel was shoved out the door by her aunt and given the order to, "Go to Surrey Community College, girl! That's where you'll be learning normal things!"

Philomel picks up her book on anatomy that the Dursleys had bought for Dudley and dusts it off, before walking off in the vague direction of the college.

\/\'/\/'\/\'/\/

Philomel was sitting cross-legged in a desk, reading her anatomy book and thinking, 'I suppose it's a good thing that Aunt Petunia pushed me out when she did. Walking that five miles in my boots is not fun, and I'd rather be too early, than too late.'

She is pulled, forcibly, out of her knowledge absorption and thoughts by another girls face on top of her book.

Philomel notices that she seems to be of Indian descent, if her brown skin and black hair, dyed, in places, with white, are anything to go by.

"May I help you?"

The other girl smiles, seeming to have cat lips instead of normal, human ones. "No."

Philomel scowls and tries to shake the girl off her book. The girl is unusually persistent in holding onto it. "Do you mind, then?"

She giggles. "Mind what?"

"Letting go of my book and leaving me alone."

The girl giggles yet again, flipping a long black braid behind her. "You're so serious! That's so cute! Do it again."

Philomel stares. "I'm not some zoo animal for you to goggle at! Now go away and leave me alone!"

The girl, flops into the desk next to Philomel and stares at her through the one blue eye not covered by white bangs. "I'm Anila Thomas, who are you?"

Philomel, finally fed up, marks her page and sets the book down. "My name is Philomel Potter. Now will you leave me alone?"

Anila grins widely and fiddles with one of her six earrings. "No. I'm going to be friends with you."

"We're not friends."

"Never said we were. I said that we're 'going' to be."

"That's as likely as Hell being a giant freezer."

Anila thinks about this for a moment, clearly puzzled. Then she smiles that demented grin again. "Careful, you just may get your wish."

An adult strides into the classroom, followed by at least a dozen other students. He waits while everyone finds a seat, and then begins, "Okay, class, since this is pro bono, I'll most likely lose most of you by the end of the summer. But for now…"

\/\'/\/'\/\'/\/

Philomel was in the corridors of a hospital, just sitting on the floor staring at the sterile white walls.

She had absolutely no idea how she got there.

Not that it mattered much, because soon enough, Philomel could hear footsteps coming down the hallway. A few minutes later, Anila pops up out of nowhere.

"Hi!"

Philomel looks horrified. "How did you get here!"

Anila smiles. "I don't know. But why are you here? It's so boring here."

"I like it."

Anila mock frowns, an unusual sight on someone so animated. "Well, that's no good." Then, quick as a cheetah, Anila reaches out and grabs Philomel's wrist before dragging her along.

Philomel, of course, struggles violently. "What are you doing! Let me go!"

Anila looks back and beams, "I'm livening you up, of course! Whether you like it or not."

Philomel is pulled, forcibly, all the way out of the many twisting corridors of the hospital; fighting all the way.

\/\'/\/'\/\'/\/

When Philomel woke up, she sat up quickly and managed to bump her head on the ceiling. Rubbing her head, she recalled last nights dream.

"It's not enough that that girl had to annoy me during class, but now she has to appear in my dreams!"

\/\'/\/'\/\'/\/

Philomel was once again walking to the college, muttering about various things that had managed to make her mad that morning, when a familiar voice calls out.

"Philomel! Whatcha doing walking, it's at least three miles to school!"

Philomel scowls. "I'm well aware of how far it is to school."

Anila's hand slips off the car door she was using to hold herself up and she flails comically before regaining her balance. "Well then, why are you walking? Come on, my Dad'll take us."

Philomel weighs the pros and cons of doing this before stalking over to the car and getting in. An insincere, "Thank you." later and Philomel has her anatomy book out.

But Anila does not let her off that easily. "Daddy, this is my new friend, Philomel Potter. Philomel, this is my father, Abiram Thomas."

An older man at the wheel turns around to greet Philomel with an upraised right hand and a smile that's so wide it makes him close his blue eyes, so much like his daughter's. "Very exalted I am, too. Hi."

Philomel's eyes go wide as she sees them veer off their side of the road and seem to be in the correct path to have a head-on collision with a nice tanker.

Anila calmly corrects the steering wheel. "Daddy, what have I told you about driving like the Americans?"

"Oh, dear; was I, really? That's not good."

Philomel decides that she doesn't want to look out the window anymore than she has too and returns to reading.

\/\'/\/'\/\'/\/

Days pass and Philomel falls into a routine of sorts. She walks partway to summer school, and Anila, with her father, picks Philomel up. Anila and Philomel sit together, Philomel always denying being Anila's friend whenever she asks. Then Philomel is dropped off, by Abiram and Anila, perhaps a mile from the Dursleys' house.

For reasons unknown to even her, Philomel had stopped meaning those denials so much.

It was almost three weeks later, when Philomel was first invited to Anila's house.

\/\'/\/'\/\'/\/

"No."

"Aww, come on, it'll be fun! We can do homework together. Whatever you want!"

Philomel turns the page of her newest book, a dissertation on archeology. "I said, no."

Anila fiddles with her middle earring on her left ear. The chain on it chinks. "Why?"

Philomel ignores her, thinking, 'Well, for one, Aunt Petunia would never let me, nor would Dudley. Not that I want to, of course.'

"Well, Philomel, you think about it. If you want, I can even talk your aunt and uncle into letting you sleep over!" A happy smile follows that statement.

Philomel's eyes widen in horror. "No! I'll talk to them and see if I can't. There's no reason for you speak to my aunt and uncle."

Anila smiles dimwittedly. "Okay! I'll tell Daddy. Loony should be there too. It's her week to visit us."

\/\'/\/'\/\'/\/

Philomel hesitantly approaches Petunia after the Dursleys had eaten their dinner and says quietly, "Aunt Petunia, I've been invited to a classmates house for a study session tomorrow. Is that okay?"

Aunt Petunia narrows her eyes. "This classmate. Are they normal?"

Philomel makes her eyes go wide and innocent. "Oh, yes, Aunt Petunia! They are almost as normal as Dudley and you and Uncle Vernon! But nobody could be as normal as you are, so it's a pale comparison."

Petunia petulantly flips a hand. "Fine. See if you can't stay longer. The less your freakishness pollutes my house, the better."

"Thank you, Aunt."

\/\'/\/'\/\'/\/

The next day was as routine as the last weeks, but for what happened that afternoon.

"Are you ready girls?" Abiram asked. Philomel looks at the car with certain distrust in her emerald eyes.

"Yes, Daddy!"

"I suppose, if I must be."

They get in the car, and Philomel huddles against the seat during the entire harrowing ride. Maybe five minutes later, the car jerks to a halt and Philomel flashes out of the car and is staring at the ground like she wishes to kiss it.

Anila bounds out of the car, the sheer energy she has shocking Philomel out of her little bout of carsickness. "Well, this is our house! We have my cousin, Luna Lovegood, visiting this week, she's really cute!"

Philomel looks at the house and suddenly wishes she hadn't stopped staring at the ground.

The house is as eccentric as the people who own it. It's painted various different bright colors, many of which clash horribly. It's taller then it is wide, and it also seems to lean to the side a bit. But no matter how tall it is, the house was not going to fall down because Philomel could smell the faint scent of magic; ozone and heavy humidity.

Her eyes widen. 'They have magic? Anila, Mr. Thomas? They can't, Anila's old enough to go to Hogwarts…'

Anila bounds up to the house and pulls open the door. A girl a year younger stands in the middle of the doorway.

"Hello, Nilly. You're home early today. So the pretty girl you talk about is coming?"

Anila ruffles the girl's pale blond hair. "She's already here, Looney. And her name's Philomel."

"Okay."

Philomel walks up to the door. The little girl, who is really only a year younger than she is, smiles dreamily at her.

"Hello. You really are pretty. I'm Luna, but you can call me Loony, pretty girl."

Philomel blushes and she screams in her mind, 'Insanity runs in the family! Why did I agree to this!'

Anila, who had disappeared further into the house, comes back with an octopus hanging around her neck. Philomel notes that it's still alive and is about ready to pull out her lovely long hair.

The octopus waves a tentacle at Philomel. Anila smiles indulgently at it and says, "Philomel, this is my familiar, Kallistrate. She's an octopus."

Philomel forces herself not to choke. "I can see that."

Anila smiles at her. "Well, come on in! Don't worry about the house falling down; magic keeps it from falling down. Just like it keeps a little bubble of water around my precious little baby, yes you are, yes you are…" Anila's little tangent trails off into cooing over the octopus, which seems to be reciprocating the affection. Philomel gains an eye twitch.

Luna, who had disappeared for a moment, suddenly appears in front of Philomel, holding a spider to Philomel's face. "This is my familiar, pretty girl. Her name is Dido."

Philomel shrieks in surprise.

Anila, having disappeared for a second, comes back with a book opened to a certain page.

"Philomel, you remember when you said that we would be friends if Hell was a giant freezer?"

Philomel looks a little apprehensive. "Something to that extent, yes."

Anila shoves the book into Philomel's face, causing her to go cross-eyed. "This book says that the ninth level of Hell is a plain where the worst souls are frozen eternally! So that means we're friends!"

Philomel sighs. 'Gods, what did I ever do to you? I don't deserve this…yet…'

:::

Gods, this is short. But this entire chapter was merely an excuse to introduce Anila and Luna. And I've been spoiled by another fanfic that I don't think I will upload for a while. Each chapter is approximately ten pages each chapter. Tell me what you think of Anila, she'll be important later. And if any of you know Love Hina, I based Luna on Mutsumi. I know what Luna's personality is in the books, but I wanted to try something different. Review please!