She Came From India

The Great Hall hushed almost immediately as the new girl entered. It was strange, you see, to have a newcomer in your sixth year at Hogwarts. Sixteen... an impressionable and promiscuous age. Why would a new girl be entering her new sixth year at Hogwarts?

Obviously, she had already been sorted. Perhaps to avoid the discomfort of standing, as a sixteen year old, in front of the whole Great Hall, and having to put a decrepit old hat on her head. As she entered the hall, and the imminent hush fell over everyone like a blanket would fall on sound; Dumbledore turned his head and saw the new student. He rose quickly, and spread his arms.

"Ah, our new student has arrived." His venerable voice filled the hall with a rich timbre as his eyes rested on the girl at the main doors.

"Hogwarts, this is Ruana McNally. She has been transferred from India, where she was working with her parents and the Indian wizards. Ruana is well learned as she was home-schooled, and knows much about the ancient Indian folklore. I'm sure that you will all be as gracious to her as you can be. She has already been sorted, she is in Gryffindor."

Ruana, as she was now known, made her way over to the quieted Gryffindor table. The only place was beside a red-haired stringbean, as was the first thing that crossed her mind when she saw him. Next to him was a frizzy-haired girl with surveying brown eyes, and then, beside her, was a gaunt looking boy with messy black hair, green eyes resembling hers, and round glasses. He looked familiar, but she could not place him.

"Is this seat taken?"

Ron looked up to find the pretty new girl gesturing to the seat beside him. He could already feel his skin flush as he managed to stammer out an answer.

"N-no, actually, it's not..." She pulled out the chair and sat herself down.

"I'm Ruana, as you may already know," she said, her voice carrying an undertone of sarcasm and great cynical humour.

"I'm sorry, where are our manners?" The frizzy-haired girl looked genuinely remorseful. "I'm Hermione Granger. This ginger nob is Ron Weasley." Ron blushed even harder.

"And I'm Harry. Harry Potter." A flicker of recognition flashed across Ruana's mind.

"That must be why you look so familiar. You're the one who defeated Voldemort." Ron and Hermione flinched.

"Don't say the name," Ron hissed.

"Why not? Not saying the name makes you more fearful of the object itself." Ruana shrugged as Harry nodded.

"So you transferred here from India?" Hermione looked incredulous.

"Yes. My parents love India, so we moved there when I was just a baby. I've been home schooled there, so I'm up to date on what everyone else knows. However, when you're sixteen, you want a social life. My parents thought that the logical solution was Hogwarts."

"So you don't want to be here?"

"I don't know really. I think right now I miss India." Ruana looked thoughtful, but as she solemnly stared at the table, her mouth broke into a large grin, intensifying her green eyes.

"However, I think I'm going to have a really good time here," she said.

"You will," Ron nodded. "Just stick with us and avoid Malfoy."

Later on that evening, Ruana was walking with the three to her new common room. The halls of Hogwarts were dark and echoed easily. She was happy; Ron was making her laugh with a story about burping up slugs, Harry was informing her of the ins and outs of Hogwarts, and Hermione was explaining the classes, in depth and detail. She knew that something would have to ruin it.

And it did.

A sonorous voice sounded out from behind the four.

"Well, well. New friends, I see. A dirty-blooded know-it-all and a destitute, ginger-nob beggar. Not to mention a scab-headed, parentless hero. I admire your taste in companions." The voice dripped with sarcasm. Ruana stiffened as she slowly turned around to greet the unwanted interloper. She had been warned of the cruelty that some were capable of at this school, and was prepared to deal with it. However, as she slowly rotated on the spot, her eyes took in a sight that somehow unsettled and disturbed her, although it was not meant to.

Black robes enveloped a taut body, the slim hips rising up into a broad chest and shoulders. Even through the gauzy black exterior, you could see the slight, rippling outline of defined muscles. Sinewy arms were crossed over the chest, and Ruana's eyes moved still upwards. A pale neck, surprisingly strained, so that the skin stood slightly in ridges. The jawbone delicately set forward. Pale blonde hair offset his pale skin and made her eyes want to hurt.

And then the face. His skin was so pale that it was perhaps luminous, looking almost silky. The cheekbones were high and defined, set perfectly. A full mouth, the lips barely apart, moistened with contempt and scorn. An aristocratic nose, straight and at the moment, being used to look down upon. Ruana's gaze travelled up to his eyes, and that's when she nearly gasped. Her stifled breath grew quick and ragged as a pair of tempestuous, arrogant grey and blue eyes stared levelly and disdainfully back at her own green ones.

Ruana had just met Draco Malfoy.

Ron sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Ruana, this is-" He was cut off by Malfoy's voice.

"No need to introduce us, Weasel, there will be no need for me to know her if she is associated with the likes of you."

Ruana's glare turned stony, icy.

"So this is the infamous Draco Malfoy."

Malfoy hesitated as he took his first good look at the girl in front of him. The first word that entered his head was willowy. And indeed, she did resemble the tree, as her height and slender body gave the reminder of the fauna. She was almost as tall as he was, and this disquieted him more than he gave on. Her robes hung about her in the manner of royalty, and she gave off the air of someone that would not back down from a fight. Her hair was blonde like his, so blonde that may have been albion if it was not for the furious green of her eyes and the irate blush spreading across her high-set cheekbones.

In fact, she was beautiful.

Another fact, she even more so when she was angry.

And she was very angry.

He didn't like the way she said his name like that, so carelessly, yet with such loathing and disregard.

"I'm surprised that you don't already know who I am, girl." Her eyes widened.

"I know who you are. I know that some may call you and your family members 'the pure embodiment of evil.' I refused to believe that, but now I am starting to see the truth in those words."

"Ooh, the little kitten has claws! Does she play hard?" Malfoy moved closer to Ruana, his disturbing words causing her to inwardly quiver. Was there sexual meaning behind that statement?

"Do you know what I think you need, Malfoy? I think you need a good fucking. Maybe it would loosen you up a bit." From behind her, Ron's nervous guffaw quieted immediately as Malfoy shot a look of pure ice at him.

"Perverted little thing, aren't you? Dirty, some others may call you." Malfoy's voice was dropping lower and lower as his body moved closer to hers. "And you talk about fucking easily. Say I need one. Do you know of anyone who could provide me with one?" His eyes travelled over her face and dropped to her own gaze as he stood, only a few inches away from her.

"See you, kitten." Before she had a chance to open her own mouth, Malfoy turned on his heel and strode away.

Ruana had just met Draco Malfoy.

She didn't like the queasy feeling her gave her.

"Oh, don't mind him. It's like he constantly has a flobber worm up his pale, clenched ass." Ron shook his head and kept on walking. "You kind of grow used to him. It wouldn't be a Hogwarts without a Malfoy running around, insulting everything in sight."

"I've dealt with worse," Ruana said. "He's not a problem." Except for the feelings he gave me just then.