Fallen & Risen 3. Hello Heley

London. September 1. King's Cross Station.

Heley pushed her cart, trunk neatly packed on top, and calmly walked straight ahead. Like every September 1st, the place was crowded with Muggles, mostly with children or teenagers. The Muggle children were starting their new school year, and the wizard youths too. Like always, these non magical people weren't paying attention to anything unrelated to them, their mind worrying about not missing the departure of their own train departure. They didn't notice there were many people wearing long robes and carrying a cage with an owl as a pet animal. They didn't even notice Heley walking straight through the wall separating the platform 9 and 10 without stopping. And they never saw her disappear in the wall either.

On the other side of the wall was also a train station, but for the wizards use only. A big ticket box with the writing Platform 9¾ on was fixed on the wall facing a big red train. The train one had a Hogwarts Express written on. Like in the other side of the wall, the place was crowded. But here, the young ones were cheerful and hyper. After the long and dreadful year of horror they spend last year because of the war, they were happy to see their friends alive. They kept calling their close friends' name and crushed themselves in all the arms which were opening to them. They also friendly waved their hands to those who used to be their rivals.

Heley stopped momentary, watching all these smiling boys and girls. She realized something. Despite the terror of the war, there was one benefit brought by the postwar: everyone understood the wonderful feeling of having friends and people to cherish in one's life.

The red train belched out a white smoke and a bell sound asked everyone to finish packing their luggage and find a seat in the train. Heley brought her eyes to the big clock near the ticket box. It was showing 10:50 AM.

'Ten minutes before the departure for Hogwarts,' Heley thought.

"Piiiiiiiiiiig!" someone yelled.

Heley turned her head to see a tall boy with flaming red hair barking at his owl, which was a furry gray tennis ball size that could fit in the palm of the hand.

"Pig! Stop being such a pig head and come back here immediately!" the boy shout to the gray 'pig' which was dancing in the air while hooting happily. Apparently, its joyful mood didn't please its owner.

"Hoot! Hoot! Hoot! Hoo-… Ugh!"

The owner of the tiny owl succeeded snatching the small animal and shoved it back in his cage.

"Now, stay in there and be quiet!" the red hair boy bawled.

Heley recognized him as one of the boy in the newspapers picture. It was Ronald Bilius Weasley.

'But what a name for an owl. Pig! It doesn't look anywhere near a pig to me,' Heley thought, an amused smile twitching at the corner of her lips.

"We haven't reach Hogwarts yet and you're already making a fool of yourself!" Ronald Weasley angrily said to his owl.

"Hoot hoot!" the Pig-owl happily hooted back.

"Oh! Ron! Let him have a little bit of fresh air. He is well aware that he's going to be locked in his cage for hours during the trip!" a bushy brown hair girl said.

'Hermione Jean Granger,' Heley thought, also recognizing the girl from the picture.

"Pig wouldn't be like this if you just let him outside of his cage, Ron," another red head girl said.

"Oh! Not you too, Ginny!" Ronald Weasley groaned at his little sister. He turned on his heels only to hit a round-face boy, who was walking in his direction.

"Ow!" Ronald and the boy collided. "Ouch!" They stumbled on the ground.

The round-face boy was carrying a toad in his hands, but he dropped the animal, which was hopping away.

"Crawww! Craww! Crawwwwwww!" the toad bawled at each hop he jumped.

"Ah! No! Trevor, come back!" the round-face boy shouted. Luckily, a blond hair girl with radish fantasy earring appeared and caught the toad in her hands. "Luna, thank you!" the brown hair boy said, grateful. He smiled to the Ravenclaw blond hair girl.

"No problem, Neville," Luna Lovegood replied, smiling.

"Sorry mate," Ron muttered as he stood up. He gave his hand to Neville. "I didn't see you coming."

"No problem, pal," Neville Longbottom said and grabbed Ron's hand. "At least I didn't lose Trevor."

Ron helped him up.

"Okay, let's go guys. We have to find a compartment before the train leaves," Hermione said.

The group helped carry each other's trunks and climbed onto the train. Heley watched them with a strange expression on her face. She was torn. She wanted to go after them, but remained behind. She knew she couldn't go after them. Not right now. It wasn't the right time. But still…

Heley took a deep breath and held it inside. Then, she exhaled. The fresh air cleared her head.

'Heley, get a grip on yourself,' her inner voice said. 'You are starting everything from the beginning now. You must not rush anything or you will make mistakes, which you must avoid doing. You must walk only step by step for now.'

Heley stood immobile, letting her inner voice's words immerse her mind.

'Right. I mustn't rush anything. I must take my time for every step I will walk from now on,' Heley told herself.

Taking a new breath, Heley opened her eyes. The group she previously saw was nowhere nowhere to be seen. They must have gone inside the train. Heley sighed.

'I better find a compartment too before I'm left behind,' Heley thought and pushed her cart.

Heley found an empty compartment in the back of the train. She settled her truck and plotted on the seat. Resting her chin on her hand, she looked through the window.

'What will my new life at Hogwarts be like now?' she wondered. She watched the green landscape running outside. 'Whatever my new life will be like, I better make a right beginning so I won't feel any regret later…' she thought, her eyes saddening. 'I don't want to have any regret like in my previous life…'

Yes, she had many regrets from her past life. She knew the pain sorrow can weight on people's heart, most particularly the grief in her heart. That pain alone was enough to make her want to start a brighter future, to re-start everything from this moment.

'I want to start a new life,' Heley thought. 'I want to fully live this new life. I don't want to have any regret anymore. From this second onward, I will built my new life!'

Just as she thought about these things, the door of her compartment slided open. Heley turned her head to see a tall blond hair boy with striking grey eyes standing in the entrance of the door. Seing the person standing in front of her, Heley's eye widen in shock.

'HIM!'

Heley had the impression that a cold poisonous knife stabbed her heart, causing it to bleed. The flow of the pouring blood brushed many past souvenirs which were supposed to be sleeping in the back of her mind, suddenly awoke. They were all sad and painful memories: memories of her parents, her warden and her friends, who all died because of people like him. Heley felt black fire igniting itself in her heart. She clenched her fists. She could feel the raging emotions starting to take control over her mind.

'HELEY, STOP!' her inner voice screamed in panic. 'Remember who you are now! You just have vowed to make a new life a second ago! Don't forget that you don't want to have any regrets anymore!'

'Ah!' Heley immediately snapped out. The raging black fire extinguished. 'That's right…' Heley remembered. 'I had vowed to start everything from the beginning…'

Heley took a deep breath, calming her heart. Then, she looked directly at the boy in front of her. For a moment, Heley had the strange feeling that the time had frozen and she was alone in an unknown world with that boy. The two of them didn't say anything, only staring at each other. It seemed like the boy couldn't detach his eyes from her emerald orbs. As for Heley, she couldn't move her eyes away of the grey ones which were holding her prisoner in a trance. It was a strange feeling and Heley felt uneasy because of his insistent eyes.

"Draco, did you find an empty compartment?" someone interrupted in.

Heley blinked, grateful of the interruption. She really thought that her soul was going to leave her body because it was strongly attracted by the mysterious power of the boy's grey eyes. Heley took a grip on herself and saw a boy with sandy brown hair standing next to the blond hair boy.

"No, I didn't find one," Draco Malfoy said. "Someone is occupying this one."

The sandy-brown hair boy turned his head to see Heley.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, smiling. "We are sorry to disturb you! We thought it was empty. We will leave now!"

Heley smiled back at him.

"Oh no," Heley said. "You're not disturbing at all."

'On the contrary, I'm very grateful for your intrusion,' Heley added in her head.

The brown hair boy flashed a smile again, happy to hear that.

"Come on Draco, let's find another compartment," the brown said boy said as he pulled the blond hair boy's arm. He turned to Heley again and waved his hand to her. "Sorry again!"

Heley returned his wave with a nod by courtesy. Before leaving, Draco watched Heley a moment too and curtly bowed his head to her without taking his eyes off her. Heley was shock, taken by surprise. She gasped, mouth open like a fish out of the water. Draco Malfoy had bowed his head to her. Draco Maldy had CURTLY bowed his head to her?

'Now, that wasn't expected,' she thought. 'He bowed his head to someone… He bowed his head to me?!'

Nonetheless, she hastily nodded back to him too. The brown hair boy and the blond hair boy walked away to search for another empty compartment. Left alone, Heley frowned.

'Now, that really wasn't expected from him,' Heley thought.

She had never thought that a pure blood Slytherin could ever bowed his head to anyone. She reflected a moment, her head tilted.

'It's… it's a weird way… to start my new life…'

Ten minutes later, Draco and his best friend, Blaise Zabini, found an empty compartment. They store their truck and sat across from each other. From the second they took their seat, Draco took interest in watching the landscape through the window. Blaise raised an eyebrow, watching his friend. Something about Draco was bothering Blaise. Draco didn't say a word from the moment the left the girl's compartment. Blaise knew it wasn't unusual that the gray eyes blond aristocrat didn't speak when it wasn't necessary, but this time was different. Blaise had the very clear impression that Draco was lost in his thoughts. Blaise was absolutely sure that something was disturbing Draco. And Blaise wanted to know what.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Blaise asked.

"Hum? What?" Draco retorted, bringing his eyes to Blaise.

"What's wrong? You haven't talk or say anything for the last ten minutes," Blaise said.

Draco only shook his head.

"It's nothing. Don't worry," Draco said.

"Draco…" Blaise insisted, suspiciously cocking his eyebrow.

Draco sighed. Blaise was way too observant for Draco's taste.

"It's just… It's just that girl…" Draco mumbled.

"That girl…?" Blaise asked. "You mean the one we saw in the compartment?"

"Hum," Draco nodded.

Blaise recalled the short black hair girl with eyes as green as the forest after the rain. It was true that Draco look like he was struck by thunder when he saw the girl. It was as Draco had seen a ghost, but the girl was certainly not a ghost. Ghost usually didn't look so… lively, like that girl. Then what?

"Well, it's true that she's a pretty. Amazing green eyes," Blaise admitted. "But what's about her?"

Draco brought his eyes back to the window, gazing at the running landscape outside again.

"That girl… She…" he didn't finish his answer.

'That girl… She looks a lot like…'

Draco stopped and blinked. He just realized something.

'I'm thinking about him again.'