7 years ago

A young girl stood alone on platform 9 and three quarters. Around her, wizards and witches bustled around her, saying goodbye to their families and loading their luggage on to the train. Her grey-blue eyes landed on the Hogwarts Express, the large black train that would bring them to the wizarding school she had been accepted to. In front of her was her own luggage, an assortment of necessary items such as a caldron, scales, and a telescope (among other things), a pile of heavy textbooks, and a trunk full of robes and necessary clothing articles for the school uniform. Her family wasn't here to bid her fair well, being as they preferred not to run straight at a wall to get on the platform. The only company she had was the owl her parents had bought her to keep up communication during the school year (at least, that's what they had been told owls were used for), which was a large, light grey owl with dark markings framing it's face, and large black eyes.

"Excuse me, miss?" An accented voice called behind her, and she turned to face a scrawny boy with a mop of messy blonde hair and thick brows. Behind him were three older boys, each with a slightly different appearances, save for the same thick brows. The blonde of the group continued to speak, "Do you need any assistance?"

"We noticed you were standing here all by yerself lass," Said the tallest, oldest looking one, "and given yer Muggle attire, I'm guessing yer a first year who just found out she's a witch and has no idea what's on?"

The girl nodded, her grip tightening on the cart.

The blonde smiled, "Don't worry. I'm a first year too. I'm Arthur Kirkland. What's your name?"

"Shelby Ferrell."

"Strange. Your accent is American- no matter. My brothers are returning students to Hogwarts. They can show you the way to your seat, if you'd like." Arthur offered.

Shelby's instantly felt her shoulders relaxed in relief as she sighed, though she didn't recall ever being that tense in the first place. "Yes, please."

The second youngest of the brothers, a teen with strawberry blonde hair and soft green eyes, stepped forward with a smile. "If you will follow me, Miss Ferrell." He stated, taking the cart of luggage from her, and leading her towards the train. They boarded one of the cars, and the Kirkland brother found her an empty compartment. He stowed away the luggage, making sure to leave the owl out on one of the seats. After he finished, Shelby thanked him, and he replied that it was no problem, and that if she ever needed anything, just ask around for a Aeron Kirkland, Hufflepuff house. Shelby didn't know what that exactly meant, but decided not to ask anymore questions.

She took her seat, and waited in silence as people bustled by, finding seats and laughing with friends, but no one entered her compartment. Shelby wondered to herself that if no one came to share the compartment with her, if she would be able to let Confiance get out and stretch his wings a bit. She was just about to open the cage, since the train had started moving, when a scrawny looking kid with strawberry blonde hair opened the compartment, his breath heaving as if he had just been rushing around. Shelby couldn't see his eyes; they were covered by his messy hair with what seemed like a strange, unnatural part, and he had a thick scarf wrapped around his neck so that it covered the lower half of his face. It was strange, because it was fairly warm outside. She could see that he had his luggage cart behind him.

"Hello, m-may I sit here? With, with you?" He managed to stutter out behind the muffle of his scarf.

Shelby stared at him in shock, before nodding once. "Yes."

"Thank you." He sighed, storing away his luggage, before taking the seat kitty corner to Shelby. He pressed himself deep into the cushion, as if trying to disappear from view.

Shelby pursed her lips. She should say something; he looked like a first year as well. She should try to be nice, like the Kirkland brothers were to her. "I'm Shelby- er, Shelby Ferrell." She stated, reaching out her hand. From behind his hair, she could see him staring at her hand in surprise. "I'm a first year."

Seconds crawled by as the boy stared at the hand, as if he was unsure of the gesture's intention. Finally, he reached out and took it. "Vladimir Popescu. I am a first year too."

Shelby noticed his accent. It kind of reminded her of the kind you'd hear in old Dracula movies. "This is Confiance. He's a Verreaux eagle owl; it sounded French, so I decided his name should be French." She explained, gesturing to a sleeping bird of prey. "Do you have a pet?"

Vlad seemed surprised that Shelby was holding a conversation with him. "Er- yes. But father was not wanting me to take my cat to Hogwarts. He thought it may end badly."

End badly? Shelby cast a nervous glance towards her owl, fidgeting in her seat slightly. Vladimir seemed to notice this, "No, no! Nothing bad will happen Confiance. I am under unique circumstances."

"Oh," Shelby sighed, relaxing. She was curious to Vladimir's "unique circumstance", but decided not to pry, given they had just met. "Where are you from? You don't sound like you're from London. I'm not either; I'm from Michigan. That's the mitten shaped state in America."

He hesitated, "Romania." Shelby nodded, and pressed her lips together, as if trying to figure out where Romania was. Vladimir wrung his hands together nervously. He was not used to being treated like this by witches and wizards; as scared as he was, he didn't want the conversation to stop. "Uh, so, you are wearing Muggle clothes." He observed, catching Shelby's attention. "Are you being Muggle-born?"

Shelby had heard that word several times in Diagon Alley, and also from the oldest Kirkland brother, but she didn't quite understand what that meant. "What does that mean? Being Muggle-born?"

"It means that even though you are witch, both your parents are Muggles- er, nonmagic people." Vlad explained.

"Ohh, yeah, then I'm Muggle-born." Shelby smiled. "What about you?"

Vlad shifted uncomfortably. "No."

"Oh, so then your parents were magic, then?"

Before Vlad could even attempt to answer, footsteps began to echo through the car, and within seconds, the compartment door slide open, revealing four older looking boys in black robes. Underneath, they wore ties of scarlet and gold, and on their robe was a crest with a lion on it.

"'cuse us, mates, but we were wondering if you caught wind of where the vampire is?" One of the boys asked, the one in the front of the group. He donned a mischievous, yet charismatic smile.

Shelby's eyes widened. "A vampire?"

The boy looked her clothes up and down, and instantly understood her ignorance. "Yeah. Apparently, there's a bloodsucker on the train this year. Me and the boys figured we give him a little welcome. Bit of a warning, you know?" He explained, his eyes trailing over to Vlad. "You seen one, mate?"

Vlad shook his head.

The older boy frowned. "Speak when you're answering me, kid."

"N-no." Vlad stuttered in his accented tongue.

The group of boys paused, glancing at each other. "Hey kid, why don't you take the scarf off? It's a bit warm to be wearing it." One of the other boys said.

Vlad gripped his scarf, shaking his head. Shelby frowned, "He can wear it if he wants to. It's not hurting anyone."

"Hush up." The lead boy stated, keeping his eyes on Vlad. Then, he whipped out his wand. "Accio!" He shouted, pointing the ward at the scarf. Shelby watched in amazement as the scarf flew right into the boy's hand.

Panicking, Vladimir now had his hands over his mouth. Even without seeing his eyes, Shelby could tell that he was scared. The boy smiled. "Well well, I think we may have found our bat, boys." The group of them jeered as they stepped further into the compartment, taking out their wands.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Shelby shouted.

"Shut up. You don't even know what you've gotten yourself into. You were raised by bloody Muggles." One of the boys hissed. The other boys pointed their wands in Vlad's direction.

Shelby jumped up. She grabbed what had been stowed away in her pocket, something she hadn't touched since she received it from Ollivander's; a 12 and a half inch rigid hawthorn wand, with a dragon heartstring in the core. She wedged herself determinedly between Vlad and the boys, pointing her own wand at them. "I said leave him be!"

"And we said move out of the way, Mudblood!" The boy hissed, shoving her to the side. A couple of his friends casted disapproving glances at him for his choice of word.

"Hey, do not touch her! And do not call her such nasty names!" Hissed Vladimir- literally, he hissed, and as Shelby looked up, she could see that his mouth was no longer covered, and protruding from his mouth, longer and sharper than his other teeth, were large, threatening looking canines.

"Ohh, what'd ya gonna do, bat boy?" The leader boy laughed, and he raised his wand and opened his mouth.

Before he could cast a spell, however, another voice spoke.

"Get out of the compartment, Randal."

The lead boy paused, and turned to the door. Standing at the entrance of the compartment was a shorter boy with longer, straight blonde hair and dark green eyes, which sat with their lids half closed. He was frowning with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyebrows furrowed.

The lead boy, Randal, blinked in surprise. "Feliks? Feliks Łukasiewicz? I didn't know you started this year."

"That is because you are like, just as dumb as your father." Feliks sneered in a slow, exaggerating tongue.

The boy flushed. "How is Mr. Łuk-"

"My father is fine." The blonde boy, Feliks, waved away the question. "But he totally won't be if I tell him that you picking on my friends. So get out."

The boy looked confused. "You're telling me that you, the son of Joseph Łukasiewicz, hangs out with a half-breed freak and a Muggle-born wanna-be witch?"

"If I have to repeat myself a third time, I will literally derail this train and send an owl to my father this instant. And I am not quite sure you want to find out what will be like at home when your father goes out of work," Feliks snapped. At that, the boys scrambled out.

Shelby was staring at him, until movement in front of her snapped her out of it. Vladimir was above her, offering her his hand. "Are you... Okay?" He asked. His voice was once again quiet and unsure.

Shelby nodded, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her up. When they were once again level with one another, Shelby took her hand and brushed Vlad's hair aside, setting it in it's natural part and revealing blood red eyes, shining with tears. He instantly looked down and turned away, heading towards the compartment door.

Feliks, however, stuck out his arm, blocking Vlad. "Where do you think you're going?"

Vlad paused. "I- you heard them. I'm a half-breed. I'm half vampire. I am not wanted here."

Feliks looked unimpressed. "I did not just wave my last name around for you to get up and leave. Sit back down."

"Don't leave because of what those guys said." Shelby added. "I want you to stay."

Vladimir turned in surprise, glancing between Feliks and Shelby in shock. "You aren't... Frightened of me?"

Feliks laughed, "Nothing scares me!"

Shelby shook her head, "You're too nice to be scary."

Vladimir flushed, looking down to his feet. Feliks looked over at Shelby, "What is your name?"

"Shelby Ferrell." She answered.

"It was very brave of you to step between him and Randal's Gryffindor gang." Feliks stated. "Especially when you don't know a single spell."

Vlad nodded. "Thank you for that. I am sorry they pushed you down and called you a Mud... Mud... That word."

Shelby frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It doesn't matter." Vlad hissed. Neither Feliks nor Shelby flinched. "Just never let anyone ever call you that again."

"Yeah, because if they do, they'll have to deal with me." Feliks winked, causing both Shelby and Vladimir to smile.