Skyla blinked a few times, waking up from her slumber. A myriad of thoughts traversed her mind before she remembered where she was. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 'So, it wasn't a dream...?' She thought to herself, sitting up. The sunlight seeping in through the windows - that was... new. She didn't see sunlight often, and definitely not as soon as she woke up.
She retraced her thoughts before falling asleep. As her brain caught up, her eyes widened, and she clutched at her throat. There was a wrapping there, but... no pain. There was no pain in her throat. She tried to make a noise. Now there came an odd thought - she didn't know how to make the proper noises. An odd... cry, of sorts, came out, and that was how Madam Pomfrey was made aware that her charge was awake.
She came rushing over, speaking quickly. "Pain, dear?"
At the harsh movement Skyla flinched away instinctively. She knew - she knew, instinctively, that she was safe. But years upon years of reinforcement did not go away that easily. Her arms twitched, only her above-average self-control keeping her from signing "I'll be better" towards the woman. She breathed deeply for a few seconds before opening her eyes, warily opening her eyes to the sight of the woman with - what Skyla assumed to be - concern on her face. Already feeling the awkward situation forming, the green-eyed girl formed a lie - or, perhaps, more accurately, a misdirection for her reaction. "I don't know how to talk," she signed, resigned to the embarrassment it would cause.
Contrary to her beliefs though, the Mediwitch only nodded. "Perfectly normal, dearie. From what I could gather, it appears as though this has been an issue for multiple years now, at least long enough for you to forget the normal vocal patterns, assuming you learned them in the first place. I have a Language Lozenge for that, but, for obvious reasons, it was best to wait until you were awake before you took it."
The auburn-haired girl nodded in understanding. "Now?" She signed hopefully, making the older witch laugh slightly at her eagerness.
"Sure. Be warned, though, it will be a few hours before it begins to take effect. Hm, perhaps I should've had you consume it before the Dreamless Sleep..." The Mediwitch pondered the last part to herself. "Alright," she pulled the small sweet out of her pocket, "one Language Lozenge. Set to modern English, of course, it would be terrible if you walked about with a Victorian flair." Skyla popped the candy into her mouth, her eyes widening at the taste. It tasted very sweet, much like the ice cream Hagrid had procured in Diagon Alley.
Contrary to Madam Pomfrey's warnings, information popped into Skyla's head immediately. "Hi." The words sounded foreign coming from her lips. "Hi. Hi. Hi." The Mediwitch was taken aback.
"A reaction so quickly?" She frowned in confusion. "You must have a remarkably large magical core, in that case. Although, I've never heard of an instant reaction before..."
"Hi." Skyla frowned. 'A freak among freaks...'
Upon seeing the girl's frown, the Mediwitch shook her head. "No, no, don't misunderstand me, a large magical core is a good thing. It's just... You should've displayed some accidental magic, no?"
"Yes." It seemed a new word had been added to Skyla's vocabulary, and just in time, too. "Hi." The girl held her hand out, and wished for her orb to appear, and it did so quickly. It shone, but it wasn't as blinding thanks to it being the middle of the daytime. Madam Pomfrey went pale, but Skyla continued, choosing to ignore it. "Bye." She closed her hand, extinguishing the light floating above it. She frowned thinking for a moment, then decided to do the next thing she had discovered. Her head darted around, and finally, she settled on the lozenge's wrapper that she had placed on the table beside her. Closing her eyes, she pictured the basic cup in her mind, and wished for it.
A gasp resounded. "By Merlin..." Skyla knew who Merlin was. Arthur's advisor. She continued, hoping that perhaps this was a way to prove her worth.
"Hi." She envisioned water flowing into the cup, much like she often had to do back at the orphanage, and heard the telltale trickle. "Hi... Re?" Skyla forced the syllables together. It wasn't quite correct. "Hire." She held out the cup to Madam Pomfrey, who took it with a shaking hand.
"I... I believe you mean "here", my dear..." The Mediwitch stared into the cup of water as the girl made rumblings in her throat.
"Hire... E... He-re. Here. Here!" She smiled, and the older witch also smiled, although she placed the cup back on the table quickly, as if it were burning your hand.
"Very good, Miss Potter. I think..." She cleared her throat. "I believe that Headmaster Dumbledore would be very interested in meeting you."
"Fizzers," Pomfrey enunciated clearly.
"Fizzers," Skyla repeated. Throughout their trek, which luckily hadn't left her legs as tired as before, the Mediwitch had constantly fed her new phonetic phrases to the point where she could now combine them pretty easily. New words had also been appearing in her head, which was useful as well.
A joyous voice echoed throughout the room as they ascended a staircase. "Ah, Poppy! What a joy to see you out of the Medical Wing for more than meals."
"Albus," the woman greeted stiffly. "I'd like for you to meet Skyla Potter."
"Oh?" The duo reached the top of the stairs, and Skyla was immediately onset by bright blue eyes, attached to a rather old man. "Well, Skyla Potter, so it would seem!" The man bustled out of his seat and approached the two. "Nice to meet you again, dear girl."
Every single one of Skyla's instincts told her that the man in front of her was dangerous. Not to her, perhaps, but definitely to anyone he wished. "Hi. Again?" She questioned with her semi-limited repertoire.
"Yes, we have met a few times before, although you were just a babe then..." Headmaster Dumbledore stroked his beard contemplatively. Skyla shifted uncomfortably. Questions raced through her mind. 'Why did I get left at the orphanage if people remembered me, then?' With a jolt, Skyla remembered her question, as well as Ollivander's words. "You know my name?" She had asked, and the man had nodded.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure just about everyone does. You're a celebrity, after all." … 'You're a celebrity, after all.' What was that supposed to mean?
Pomfrey began to speak in a rushed tone. "I gave her a Language Lozenge not fifteen minutes ago, Albus, and she's already speaking nigh-perfectly. Not to mention..." Pomfrey turned back to Skyla. "Skyla, could you show Headmaster Dumbledore the things you showed me?"
Skyla nodded, producing the ball of light, extinguishing it, creating a new cup, and filled it with water. The Headmaster's eyes twinkled. "Remarkable!" He stated. "Wandless magic this young, transfiguration and conjuration no less!" Skyla frowned, confusedly. Hagrid hadn't reacted this strongly to them, as compared to... She blinked, spinning on the spot. Nothing happened, however, but the Headmaster straightened curiously.
"What was that?" The periwinkle eyes inquired.
Skyla was frowning. "I can not..." She muttered confusedly. "Why...?"
"Can't what?" The headmaster leaned in closer, and Skyla was forcefully made to realize that she didn't know the phonetics for 'teleportation' yet, so she instead summoned a piece of paper and a pencil again, seeing as she had left the other ones back in the Medical Wing.
"Teleportation." She wrote.
"Apparation?" Dumbledore exclaimed softly. That was the same thing that Hagrid had called it, so Skyla nodded. "How long have you been doing this, would you say?"
Skyla just shrugged. "Forever," she intoned, looking away shyly. The headmaster didn't respond, and when the girl snuck a look back at him, he appeared contemplative.
"I see..." The man stroked his beard. "And, what of the Dursleys?"
"Who?"
The man's face twisted in an indescribable way. Worry, perhaps? She wasn't quite sure what worry was supposed to look like on a human face. "The Dursleys? Your family?"
Skyla's face grew distant. "I have no family." It was a mantra that had been trained into her every time a new couple had come to the orphanage. She had no family, and she didn't deserve one, and she was by no means going to get one. She dug out the Hogwarts letter that had been sent to her. It had her address on it. 'Wool's Orphanage.'
The Headmaster's face went white, and he seemed to read the line over and over again. He let loose a shaky breath. "W-well..." Suddenly, the previously-eccentric Headmaster seemed to age rapidly, and he sat down in his chair. "I see. Perhaps you would be more comfortable situating yourself in Diagon Alley, perhaps, until the start of the term?"
The auburn-haired girl's eyes lit up like fireworks. "Yes!" It didn't even take a second for the approval to come to her lips. Dumbledore smiled at her faintly, and offered her a sweet from his desk, which the girl accepted and pocketed in her pink sweater.
"Wonderful, my child." The wizard intoned, and, as the duo exited the office, his periwinkle eyes traced after them through the floor. 'Perhaps fate is playing a cruel trick, after all these years. A reminder of how I failed Tom. The same orphanage, no less... and what of Petunia? Or the blood wards? Were they perhaps never activated?' He cursed himself for his foolishness. He had placed his faith in the assortment of devices around him, all of which indicated that the blood wards had never fallen and that Skyla Potter had never been in danger. How foolish of him to not realize they had never been activated in the first place.
The sound of glass cracking filled Albus' ears, and it took him a moment to discern it's origin. Above the fireplace, on the mantle... A photograph of four, young, foolish children. The wizard slowly rose from his seat and strolled over to the picture, observing it closely. A hairline fracture, running from the upper left corner, past the tall, blonde man, running down the frame, cutting drastically through a short, brown-haired boy, and splitting in two, one heading towards the right corner, barely glancing off of the visage of a young, obsessive burgundy-haired man. The other line, however, arced towards the fourth inhabitant of the picture, splintering over their face. Sighing, Albus murmured, "Reparo," and allowed himself to be burdened with Ariana's face once more.
It was back in Diagon Alley that Skyla truly began to understand just how famous she was. She had been sitting in Fortescue's parlor, simply staring at a bowl of ice cream, as if daring the magic to disrupt itself. When she began to focus, she could very faintly see a shimmering, barely-existent blue aura surrounding the ice cream. Then, when she finally touched the spoon to it, she watched it pop, much like the balloons she had once seen when she had tele- Apparated.
And then, a voice came. "Oh, that marking on your hand! A Skyla Potter fan, are you?" The green-eyed girl would've paid it no mind had her name not been mentioned.
Her head lolled to the side, shifting towards the person who had spoken. It was a teenage girl, probably around fifteen, who had a male companion beside her of about the same age. The Language Lozenge had fully kicked in by this point, and Skyla's throat was perfectly content to speak as much as she wanted. "I beg your pardon?"
The girl chuckled. "I meant the rune tattoo, silly." She pointed to the "F" shaped marking on the younger girl's hand.
"Oh." Skyla flushed. "Yeah." She said, because, for some reason, she felt it would be easier than explaining.
"Which rune is it, again? I'm taking Ancient Runes next year, so I haven't read through the textbook yet." The girl's dark brown hair waved as she talked, and Skyla got the feeling that she wasn't truly too interested in the conversation.
The boy spoke up. "Ansuz, Angelina. I reckon everyone knows it by now, didn't even have to take runes for that. Babbling's right crazy, too, so thank Merlin for that."
The brown-skinned girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, Oliver. Don't need to sound so patronizing," she grumbled. "Anyway, sorry for bothering you."
Just like that, the duo had disappeared back into the throng, and Skyla was left with her now-slightly-melted ice cream. The girl tried focusing on it again, but it appeared that the only magic left in the ice cream was the incredible taste.
Skyla blinked at her new accommodations. Diagon Alley was incredibly bountiful, it seemed, in both people and businesses. The building she was staying in was a small hotel, or, at least, it had seemed small on the outside. On the inside, it was incredibly spacious and beautiful, with a large court and fountain in the center. Skyla was quickly beginning to realize that she had been incredibly limited in her knowledge of magic and how to properly utilize it.
Her room was also unbelievably large, or perhaps that was simply her limited exposure speaking. She had made sure to cover her hand while she talked to the man at the front desk, who seemed to either not notice or not care about the large amount of money that the young girl was handing to him. At ten Galleons (which Skyla had noted equivocated to about 50 British Pounds, based on the many flipping signs on the Gringotts walls) per night for an extended stay, it was... moderately expensive, but not prohibitively so.
A rather odd notion was that, alongside learning magic for the first time, Skyla was experiencing normal things for, really, one of the first times in her life that she could remember. Today's tasting of ice cream had been her first, the modest meal she had ordered for herself the first meat she could remember tasting, and that was barely beginning to touch on the sights.
Oh, the sights! All the people - although Skyla found herself flinching away from many of them. Perhaps her favorite sight, though, was the bookstore. Her favorite place to Apparate to had always been the library. She would scrounge for a book, and then, with a depressed sigh, staring at the comfortable-looking armchairs, sofas, and fireplace that the library held, would teleport back to her prison cell. She didn't know what would happen if the Matron had come into the cell and she wasn't there, and Skyla Potter found herself not at all eager to find out.
She had ventured back to the bookstore in Diagon Alley, and, lo and behold, there had been an entire section with her name on it. Skyla Potter and the Nordic Dragons, Skyla Potter: Where Is She Now?, and Skyla Potter, The-Girl-Who-Lived were just a few of the titles that covered the section. The redhead had grabbed some that didn't seem entirely full of drab and bland nonsense, and, while she had been at it, recalling the conversation at Fortescue's, Skyla had also nabbed A Beginner's Guide to Runes. The teen that had been working the counter had raised an eyebrow at the last one, but a disarming smile from the girl had left him rolling his eyes and finishing checking her items out.
At the moment, however, green eyes peered over an assorted collection of stuff. Everything on her shopping list, really. The important things, however, were the books. And, of course... Skyla flicked her wrist, feeling her wand quickly settle into her palm. A brilliant device, the holder was. Skyla quickly formed a plan - the school term started on September first, and the current date was the eleventh of August. So, three weeks exactly to start studying. Everyone else in Hogwarts would, no doubt, have an advantage over her.
Skyla picked up a book that appeared promising - The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. It had been on the list of required texts for first year students - 'How many years are there at Hogwarts?' - and seemed to cover basic... charms, according to the opening section. Skyla quickly read through it, nodding quickly. She poked through the contents, and found herself mildly disappointed. There were only a few charms in the book, but the girl quickly narrowed in on the in particular.
It took her less than a single day to learn the first three charms. The first hurdle, however, came from simultaneous casting. And, simply put, it was that she couldn't do it. Skyla started off with the Levitating Charm, Wingardium Leviosa, and then, she kept a steady flow of magic pumping into it, but then, when she tried to use the next spell, the Severing Charm, Diffindo, there was a single moment where her magic stopped flowing and then started flowing out into the new charm instead.
It frustrated Skyla to no end, of course. Her wand made her feel powerful, yes, but it was also so limiting!
The girl froze. 'Is it really that simple?' Raising her right hand, she swished it in the air in the motions that she would normally do with her wand, and as she spoke the incantation, was only minorly shocked to see the pillow she was practicing with rise into the air as if she had used her wand. Notably, however, Skyla could feel the drain on her magic now that she wasn't using her wand, but it was still, overall, not inhibitive.
The next step, and the moment of truth... Skyla cast Diffindo, and, really, didn't know what she was expecting. The spell went off without a hitch, slamming into the pillow, which was still being held in the air. And, to complete the cycle, her green-eyes blazed as she cast Reparo, returning the pillow to its original condition. She smiled at her success. Progress came even quicker after that.
The day before she departed, August thirty-first, Skyla returned her original trunk and instead bought a much larger one. She needed the extra space, it seemed, mostly because all of her equipment wouldn't fit in the original one alongside the second and third-year course materials she had bought to supplement it. It was very safe to say that Skyla's circadian rhythm was well and truly fucked after the years where sunlight had been sporadic and a treat rather than a daily occurrence. She only had two more things to do, really, neither more important than the other.
Her first stop was for the last item on her Hogwarts list - a pet. The options were an owl, a cat, or a toad. Skyla, naturally, crossed the last one off of the list immediately. She had no desire for a toad. The Magical Menagerie seemed to be the best place to go for a pet, the only real alternative that she could find being Eeylops Owl Emporium, which, true to its name, only sold owls. To stop herself from being limited, Skyla chose the former.
Entering the store, it was quickly clear that the shop housed more than just owls, cats, and toads, indicating to Skyla that the shop was frequented by far more than Hogwarts students. 'I really have no clue how big this society is, really.' Skyla noted. She had picked up a Wizarding History book that was more encompassing than Hogwarts: A History, but had hardly started yet.
Focusing on looking, Skyla stared around the shops. All of the animals each had their own, individual auras around them, and Skyla was immersed in the different colors and habits of each. For example, some were light pink, whilst others were dark purples or grays. Some were calm, smooth, flowing, whilst others were erratic.
"Can I help you, dear?" Skyla whirled around. In front of her was a young woman. She, like the animals, had an aura around her, although it was much stronger. It was very bright, too, and seemed to be nearly white in color. "Oh, dear, your eyes!" The woman gasped. Skyla blinked a few times.
"My eyes?"
"They were glow-" The woman cleared her throat. "No, never mind. It must've been a trick of the light. I apologize. Regardless, welcome to The Magical Menagerie, home to the finest animals around. You look quite the age of a first year Hogwarts student, no?" Skyla nodded uncertainly. "Well, good, good! Do you have any thoughts on a pet thusfar?"
"Nope," Skyla intoned concisely. "Just looking."
The woman frowned, observing the girl quietly. 'She's not cold, just... closed off.' She noted about the girl. 'Perhaps a pureblood family, then?' She didn't voice her thoughts - it wasn't her place, after all. "I see. Well, if you're looking for both a pet and a functional animal, an owl is the way to go. Toads are very reliable, as well, and low maintenance. Cats are good companions, although the highest maintenance of the three."
Skyla nodded slowly as she processed this. "I'll look at the owls first, then." She had avoided the Owl Emporium, but still found herself searching amongst them. Her search didn't last long. "This one."
"Oh, a barn owl, wonderful choice! Black barn owls are more common in the magical world than in the muggle world, but still incredibly rare. Barn owls are fiercely loyal, and-"
"Do they fly well?" The redhead interrupted.
The shopkeeper bit her lip, a bit frustrated. "Yes, they fly incredibly well."
"I'll take him. How much?"
"10 Galleons is the base, but you can additionally buy a cage and treats for-"
"I'll take a cage with a Shrinking, Feather-light, and Temperature Charm, and two bags of treats." The girl had apparently been looking past the counter and at the wall where the different options were listed. The older witch could barely keep herself from sighing. 'Damn purebloods, with their egotistical-' She cut off her line of thinking and sent out a forced smile.
"Alright, dearie, that'll be 18-" The Galleons were dumped into the woman's hand before she could finish her sentence.
Green eyes pierced into the woman, and she somewhat felt like they were searching her soul. "Does he have a name?"
"N-no," the witch stuttered out, suddenly intimidated. "You g-get to n-name him." The girl merely nodded, and then her eyes were back on the owl, and the shopkeeper breathed a silent sigh of relief. She busied herself with grabbing the cage and the treats - the best she could get of course, anything to get the girl out of her shop for as long as possible. It turned out she needn't have worried, though, since the red-haired girl swished out of the exit just moments after receiving the goods.
"Thank you," was barely heard as the door shut.
"Nyx," Skyla decided. "That's your name." The owl nibbled the girl's thumb, although it wasn't very painful, in what seemed to be a way of acquiescence. "I see. So you can understand me." The owl blinked at her, and Skyla got the vague feeling that he was laughing at her. She concentrated again - the aura around the bird was powerful, which was why she had chosen it in the first place. "I got you the cage, but I promise to use it as sparingly as possible. It is merely for transportation. I used to be placed into something rather similar to a cage. Or, at least, it felt like it. I won't force it upon you." The owl cocked its head, as if considering her words. After a few moments... It nibbled her thumb. Skyla sighed. Perhaps he was just a bird.
Taking in the busyness of Diagon, Skyla quickly decided, "You'll go on my shoulder." She tapped her shoulder, and the owl displayed its intelligence by hopping on and sinking its claws in, not deep enough to pierce her clothes but strong enough to anchor him in place. "You're free to fly away if you'd please, I suppose. Not much I could do to stop you." The Alley was open to the air, after all. As it was, Nyx seemed content to rest on her shoulder. Nyx was most definitely an appropriate name - with dark grey plumage and silver eyes, the lightest part of his body were the brown spots on his face.
Her next stop was still reasonably important, and it was also to a place that she had already been - Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. She had gotten her robes here just three weeks prior, and Madam Malkin seemed to recognize her when she walked in. "Hello, dear. Just have a seat there while I finish up with my client here." The 'client' in question was a young boy who seemed to be her age as well, although nothing too exemplary.
"Hello," Skyla greeted. The boy stiffened at hearing her voice.
"H-hello..." He responded shyly. He didn't seem too interested in talking, but Skyla noted his appearance regardless - dirty blond hair, a bit on the... stouter side, as Skyla would put it. Regardless, he seemed as if he wanted to avoid conversation, so Skyla busied herself with repeating the variety of spells that she was going to have to know for the year. She had them memorized already, of course, but the extra practice couldn't hurt. 'I know I picked up the third year bookset, but I'm already partway through the second year bookset... perhaps I should- No, no, Hogwarts: A History stated that the castle housed a large library... But I could... No, no...' Books were an essential for life, yes, but it wouldn't do to potentially overwhelm herself.
Skyla was brought out of her thoughts by the scraping of a chair on the wooden floor as the boy got up, apparently having had his fitting finished. "Alright, dearie. Your turn. You already got your robes - do you need adjustments? Sudden growth spurts? Additional robes?"
"Hello. I hadn't been intending for it, but, yes, I grew a substantial amount when I acquired my wand. Additionally, I would like to acquisition a pair of fine gloves for everyday use."
Madam Malkin's eyebrows rose. 'When she acquired her wand? I had her pegged for a pureblood, but I suppose not. Best not to say it, though. On top of that, the diction!' She noted. 'It's like she's right out of a manor. A bit off-putting from a child, really.' Instead of voicing any of her thoughts, however, the witch nodded. "Alright, then. Produce the robes and I can adjust them based on whatever changes you had. As for the gloves, I can produce them within an hour or two if they're simple, probably closer to the latter since I need to finish Heir Longbottom's robes. What are they needed for?"
"Daily use. I need to cover up a scar." Skyla was very bad at communicative talking, it seemed. It was most likely a side effect of learning everything she knew of contemporary language from novels and the like. Instead, she seemed to focus purely on concise, efficient conversation.
"Alright, dearie." Madam Malkin nodded quickly. "You have a few different options for the gloves. The first is the most simple, just a basic pair of fine gloves - enchanted with an anti-theft spell and a comfort charm. Depending on what you anticipate doing, you have a few different options on materials. The next option is a higher end variation of that, with heavier charm and spellwork, which will most likely take me until the end of the day. The last option, if you don't want to attract much attention to it, is a heavily enchanted set or single glove that's very thin and essentially just a hand covering that will hide your scar."
"The last one, please. Just a single glove."
The older witch nodded. "Alright. Which hand, and how large is the scar? Additionally, the base enchantments on the glove will be anti-theft, comfort, invisibility, flexibility, weather resistance, sticking, and spell resistance. Do you want to add or remove any of that?"
"My left hand. Here, just..." Skyla sighed, suddenly feeling a bit shy. "Keep quiet about it."
"Discretion is a service provided for free at Malkin's," the older witch winked. It was true, too. Still, she couldn't help but left out a soft gasp as the girl presented her left hand. "Skyla Potter?"
Blazing green eyes burned locked onto Malkin's, and she vaguely noticed silver eyes peering at her from the girl's shoulder, too. "Yes. You will not tell anyone I was here."
"I wasn't planning on it." The older witch tried her best to not feel intimidated by the the small girl, but it was very obvious the girl was full of power. "Alright. Come by in about four hours to be on the safer side of things, and I'll have both your glove and your robes tuned up. Let me just get some measurements real quick..." A tape measure zoomed out of nowhere, quickly wrapping around the girl, who stiffened but did not resist. "Also," Madam Malkin sent the girl a smile, "your use of magical aura is admirable, but you don't seem to realize that you're doing it. I would recommend reading up on how to refine it."
The redheaded girl nodded slowly. "Thank you," she said slowly, although she sounded uncertain of the words. "I will return."
Skyla Potter left the store with her trunk already shrunk and headed in the direction of the bookstore, leaving Madam Malkin mildly amused. 'Geez... What an odd girl.'
Insomnia from her thoroughly-destroyed circadian rhythm seemed to be a blessing for Skyla as she studied throughout the night, just as she had for most of the past three weeks. Still, she could only deny basic human instinct for so long, eventually passing out for a fitful three hours of sleep. She woke up in the mid-morning of September 1st, just after eight, and decided that there was no point in hesitating. She gathered her things in her cauldron and slipped her glove on - it was skintight, and fit perfectly, and true to Madam Malkin's words, it made her scar unnoticeable.
Checking out of the hotel, Skyla was waved goodbye and then not thought of another moment. Perhaps that was for the best. If it had just been her, Skyla would've preferred to just teleport straight to King's Cross Station, but there were a few issues with that - first, she had never been there, so she had no clue how she would even begin to try. Secondly, proven through her minor attempts in her hotel room, Nyx and Apparation did not work well together. In fact, they didn't work at all - every time she would begin to to spin with the owl on her shoulder, he would shudder and disrupt her movement. Skyla had gotten the message rather quickly.
However, Diagon Alley wasn't far from King's Cross station whilst walking in the slightest - another interesting thing that she noted was that, when exiting Diagon Alley, the brick wall opened on its own, as if sensing the approaching wizard or witch. So, she exited the Alley, exited the Leaky Cauldron, wishing very hard (and succeeding!) that nobody would stop or recognize her.
From then on, it was just a ten minute walk to the station, and Hogwarts: A History had detailed how to get to Platform Nine and Three Quarters very concisely. However, not wanting to mess up and embarrass herself, Skyla sat back for a few moments, simply... observing. It only took a few minutes before a duo, both holding chests, walking with intent towards the wall... and disappeared right through it.
Focusing magic into her eyesight, Skyla could indeed see that the wall had a shimmery appearance about it - more than likely, that was the Notice-Me-Not charm that Hogwarts: A History had detailed. No more time to waste, then. Skyla approached the barrier and denied access to her senses that told her she was about to walk into a solid wall, and... poof.
It felt slightly like moving through warm, viscous water, but it was over after only a moment. And, there it was. Platform Nine and Three Quarters. The loading dock was sparsely populated at the moment. It seemed that much of the Wizarding World were not early risers. Or, perhaps, she was the one out of the ordinary. She didn't have enough worldly experience to designate a certain answer as correct.
She took the small bird cage out from her pocket and unshrunk it. Nyx eyed it, and Skyla understood the feeling. "Unfortunately, Nyx, you're not allowed to roam freely on the Hogwarts Express. I scarcely believe that I'd be able to keep you hidden for all ten hours of the ride." The bird nibbled at her ear lightly, and Skyla took that as an indication that he understood. She opened the cage, and the owl flew in quickly, although it didn't look too pleased about it. Skyla's red hair waved around as she grabbed a few treats and placed them on the floor of the cage. "Space them out," she warned. As if the bird was determined to spite her, Nyx immediately ate one, silver eyes staring into green ones as he gobbled it down.
Skyla tried to fight the smile that threatened to rise upon her face, thoroughly amused at the sight. It seemed that the pet was not unlike the owner. "Alright, keep safe, lil' guy." She offered him her finger, and he nibbled it lightly. Skyla then closed the cage and dropped it off at the deposit, waving Nyx goodbye as she headed to the train. There were still over two hours until departure, so Skyla busied herself with reviewing Magical Drafts and Potions, the first year potion book. There were a few fundamental issues with applying the knowledge that she read - for example, she didn't know the difference between chopping and slicing, or mincing and dicing. Hopefully, the Potions Professor would be understanding and helpful.
She was suddenly grateful she had made the decision to get the fourth year materials as well, but desperately wished that she had had the foresight to get some non-required texts on basics that she would have to be caught up on. She knew she was at a disadvantage already, and was slightly upset at herself for making it worse.
It was about thirty 'til eleven when she was first disturbed. The door to the compartment was slammed open roughly, causing Skyla to jump slightly in her seat. "Ah, bloody hell! This one's already taken." A short boy with ginger hair holding a beaten-up trunk was standing in the doorway. "Oi, you!" He pointed rudely to Skyla, who raised her eyebrow in response. "I heard that Skyla Potter's on the train this year, and I wanna sit with her. Ya know where she is?"
A split-second decision was made. That decision, quite plainly, was that this boy seemed incredibly loud and rude, and those were two things that she did not want to deal with for a ten hour journey. "Not a clue, sorry."
"Ah, rubbish!" The boy moaned angrily. "Whatever." He shut the door just as harshly as he opened it, enforcing that Skyla's decision had indeed been the correct one.
She was interrupted again, however, just five minutes before departure. This time, however, there came a polite set of knocks at the door. Shifting slightly, Skyla pushed herself off of the rather comfortable cushion and opened the door to see a young boy, again, about her age, with platinum-blond hair and pale skin. Behind him was a tall, bronze-skinned boy, who had his arms crossed.
"Hello," the blond greeted, dipping his head. "I'm Draco Malfoy. This is Blaise Zabini-"
"-I can introduce myself-"
"-and we had heard the rumors that Skyla Potter, The-Girl-Who-Lived, was on the Hogwarts Express this year, and were wondering if you had any knowledge as to their validity."
Skyla stared at the boys disinterestedly. "Whether I do or not, what reason would I have to tell you? You've offered me nothing in return."
Both boys' grins sharpened, and the witch got the feeling that their opinions of her had just risen. "Well-spoken," Draco replied. "In that case, if you can give me valuable information, afterwards, we can accompany you for the trip."
Skyla weighed the options in her head. Not a terrible offer, to be fair, and they seemed much more agreeable than the redhead from earlier. Still, she had vaguely gauged their sense of humor. "You know, when negotiating, you're supposed to start with something the other side wants." She stuck her tongue out, and the boy in the back, Blaise, snickered slightly whilst Draco seemed to take it in stride. "I'm only joking. Skyla Potter, at your service."
Both boys reared back. "Seriously?" Draco exclaimed. "You're Sk-" A hand clamped over his mouth quickly, and Skyla put a finger to her lips.
"Hush," she warned. "Unless you want the compartment to be mobbed."
Draco's eyes widened in understanding, and he nodded slowly and removed the girl's hand from his mouth. "Got it. May we come in?"
Skyla shrugged and stepped back. The benefit to getting to the train early, or, at least, one of them, was that she had pretty much gotten her choice of compartment, and had chosen one of the spacey ones rather than one of the cramped ones. The boys entered quietly, shutting the door behind them.
"Where's your trunk?" Draco asked, observing the room.
Skyla responded simply. "In my pocket. Shrinking and a Feather-light charm."
The blond nodded in approval. "Looks like you know how to travel with class, hm?" Blaise voiced his agreement as the two boys shoved their trunks into the holding areas above the seats. "A shrinking charm would've interfered with some of the other enchantments on my trunk, according to my father," Draco continued his sentence.
It only took a few moments for the questions to begin. "Can I see your scar?" The Italian boy asked.
"Sure, can I see your birth certificate?" Skyla piped back. Blaise had the decency to look at least slightly ashamed. Draco seemed to be doing his best to hold back his laughter. However, her green-eyes glimmered as she sighed. "Might as well." She peeled back her glove, letting the rune shine through.
"Ansuz..." Blaise whispered, taking it in. "Does it hurt?"
Skyla shrugged. She wasn't quite sure how to answer that. Her body was usually in pain of some sort, she wasn't really good at distinguishing where it originated. Draco was next with the questions. "So, who took you in?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"After You-Know-Who fell," Draco pressed. "And, your parents- well, you know." He flushed slightly. "Who took you in? Was it Dumbledore? The Bones? Or the Abbots, maybe? So many people tried to find you, and none succeeded. It was impressive, really."
Skyla frowned. "No, no, and no. I-" Her lips pursed as she tried to figure out the best way to phrase her next few sentences. "I was not left with any family."
Draco seemed to be trying to riddle out the meaning of her answer, as did Blaise. The bronze-skinned boy seemed to come to the conclusion first. "Do you mean... You've been living alone?"
Skyla nodded. Draco gaped. "You mean, you were, like, raised as a Muggle?" He asked incredulously.
The girl's expression darkened, and she crossed her arms. "I wasn't raised at all," she corrected, then scoffed. "I don't want to talk about this. Move on."
The two boys looked at each other warily. "W-well, you at least... did magic and stuff, right?"
"You'll have to be more specific. I've been doing magic for a while, yes, but I didn't know that this was a thing until less than a month ago."
"What do you mean, 'this'?" Blaise questioned, uncertain if he wanted to know the answer.
Skyla shrugged again. "The Wizarding World, really. Anything. I knew I could do magic, but there was nothing beyond that."
Both boys were stunned back into silence. "Bloody... Hell." Draco didn't know if there was a more succinct way to express his surprise. Skyla bloody Potter hadn't known she was a witch until less than a month ago? "How had nobody found you, then? We all assumed that there were heavy wards suppressing your location." Draco coughed. "My dad and his associates assumed, I mean."
The girl's eyes darkened. "I guess they just didn't look hard enough."