Zander

Something didn't sit right with me. I knew Millie was fine. How could she not be? Her family was all filled with skilled wizards.

I sat with some of my Slytherin friends on the train as we traveled back to station 9 3/4.

I was thinking about how this time last year I had been reading the Lord of the Rings with my sisters, and wishing I could go on a quest as cool as Frodo's and have cool friends like Sam, Merry, Pippin, Strider, Legolas, and Gandalf.

Gandalf had always been our favorite because we liked to block each other in the hall and say "You shall not pass!". A game that usually ended up in someone getting in trouble for not letting a little sibling pass.

But then my mind drifted to something else. Millie had said I had a gift. She later said that probably because of my past I had gained a gift for magic. She had also said that often when magical children are threatened they'll use a spell that's unknown to them to protect themselves. Had constantly having to do this permanently placed something inside of me? Most importantly was it dangerous?

She had also tried to tell me something else but either she would say something else are someone would interrupt us. I wondered what it was.

I then remembered I still had to give Matt his Christmas present. I slipped out of the compartment to find him. Instead, I bumped into Quinn.

"Oh, hello," I said.

"Hi," Quinn said.

We passed each other and then I suddenly turned around and asked a question that been nagging me for some time.

"How do you keep your hair pink all the time?"

She smiled.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus."

"A Meta- what?"

"A Metamorphmagus. It means I can change appearance at will."

"Seriously?!"

"Yep! Want to see?"

"Yes!"

Her hair turned green.

"Woah. That's so cool!" I said, "Does it only work on your hair?"

"No."

She held out her hand which turned red then brown then back to her normal skin color.

"Could you change to look like someone?"

She giggled then turned into Matt. What made it all the funnier was just then Matt himself stepped out of a compartment.

"Have you seen- huh?"

He looked at Quinn as himself in complete bewilderment.

She turned back into herself.

"It's me."

"Oh."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye warily and I realized he thought we were probably saying mean things about him. I couldn't slip back into the Slytherin compartment because that probably guarantee it for him so I wandered away.

I'd send his Christmas present later.

My wandering brought me through two more train cars. In one of them, I passed Jezzabell Deluce talking to one of her friends. I had been able to keep my distance from her and when I couldn't we'd just ignore each other. This, however, for her, was too good to pass up.

"If you ask me, Slytherins are clumsy idiots who are completely uncivilized."

I smirked. She obviously didn't know anything about Slytherins and was probably trying to get under my skin. I just continued walking. She tried not to make it to obvious but she and her friend began to follow me.

"I mean how else would Zander get all those scars?"

Remain chill, I told myself. You've received worst.

"Or maybe it's just Zander who's clumsy and uncivilized. I think I might know how he got those scars."

My face grew hot.

How does she know?

"Just an uncivilized Mudblood."

Half-blood, I corrected in my head.

"I suppose you can't blame him. Living in a family full of ignorant and clumsy muggles."

I stopped.

"I don't even think his mother was married to his father."

Oh no she didn't.

"And if you asked me-."

"Well, no one did ask you," I said as I turned around. "And for your information, my mother was married to my father."

"She sure seems to move on quickly. I mean three spouses? When does she stop?"

"She couldn't raise us by herself."

"Of course not."

Ask her about the time she spends with muggles.

At first, I thought someone had snuck up behind me and said that but then after a quick glance around I realized it probably just came from my head.

"But of course you know all about muggles because you just love to go downtown and get cozy with them."

She turned red.

"N-no," she stuttered.

The compartment door by us slid open a crack.

"Then why do you claim to know so much about muggles?"

"I- um- books."

I scoffed.

"You must like muggles a lot to study books about them."

"I don't!"

"You just said you did!"

The people in the compartment made little comments like "Ohhh" and "Got her there".

"Oh, whatever!" she turned around and huffed away wither her friend on her heels.

I smirked.

The door slid open the rest of the way. It was full of Ravenclaws. Apparently, they didn't like Jezzabell anymore then I did.

"Nice," Luke said.

I nodded then began walking back to my compartment.

"Zander, wait."

I turned around to see Lucy picking up a white rose and then holding it out to me.

"This dropped out of your bag."

I took it.

"Are you sure? This wasn't in my satchel."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Hm, weird... thanks."

I turned then walked away.

I examined the rose. It was seemingly perfect. What I mean by that is that it looked like something from a movie or a drawing.

I wondered how it got it in my satchel. Had someone slipped it in? Who? It didn't look like it had been damaged any like it might be when crushed by books in a bag or quickly stuffed into a satchel. Did Lucy just make up that it had fallen out of my bag or did she just want to give it to me? I doubted that very much. She was... I don't know... not the type that would give roses to her crushes. I don't even think she had a crush.

I finally open my bag to push it but as my hand slid along the stem and cut my finger on one of its razor-sharp thorns.

"Gah."

I dropped it and held my hand. A bright red drop of blood pushed out and dropped on the floor.

"Whoops."

I picked up the rose and quickly wiped up the blood with my unhurt hand. I then felt a peculiar feeling on my hurt hand (also the hand holding the rose).  The thorns on the rose seemed to be sucking the blood on my hand into itself. I tried to drop it but my hand wasn't responding, instead, it was just grasping it harder.

It's happening! He touched it!

I started hearing voices. What was going on? I began to be dizzy. Quickly I found an empty compartment and slipped in then shut the door. The rose began to turn black as it sucked more blood in. My head was throbbing. I dropped to my knees.

I think we're hurting him!

His pain will only temporary.

Who were these voices I was hearing in my head?

"Go away," I moaned.

He can hear us! Oh, he can hear us! Don't you think the connection is complete?

Not yet.

"Stop," I whimpered. "What are you doing?"

He asked us what we're doing.

Silence! I can't concentrate.

The pain began to fill my body.

But we're hurting him!

You act like I care.

You're hurting me!

I told you to be quiet!

Then my head filled with screams. My body began to convulse. It hurt so much I couldn't scream, only whimper a groan. After a while the pain and screaming in my head grew so intense I passed out.