The Twiffairy

TITLE: The Twiffairy (3/?)

CHAPTER: 3

"Did you find the girl at all yesterday, Wormtail? Or were you scared to death of what she might be capable of?" a cold voice asked.

The man who spoke with the voice was standing near a window in a dimly lit room, with floors and walls of dark greyish stone. His back was turned on a man who was kneeling down, clutching his robes tightly. The cold- voiced man turned and looked down at the kneeling man whom he had called as Wormtail. When he spoke, his voice was merely a whisper but his words were heard clearly.

"Too bad you always let me down. Perhaps, maybe a reminder of what I am capable of doing to those who disobey my orders, might help you next time," he said, his cold voice becoming deadly. He raised his wand and pointed at Wormtail,who was slowly moving away, Squeaking and trembling. "Crucio," he whispered, and next moment the enitre room was filled with shrieks of pain.

* * *

Harry's eyes jerked open. He was breathing heavily and his hand was clutching the scar that burned beneath his fingers. He looked around, and it took him a minute to orient on himself.

Ron was fast asleep in the bed next to his; the covers tucked around the sleeping red- headed boy rose and fell gently with his breath. Harry slowly got up and adjusting his pillow against his bedpost, supported his weight against it.

Harry looked out of the window, watching the sun slowly rise above the horizon. As it was almost impossible for him to go back to sleep, he decided to wait until Ron woke up. Harry's thoughts drifted to the girl again for the countless time. If Voldemort had been after her, why couldn't the feared Dark Lord have captured her yesterday, when he had caught hold of her grandparents? And why was he after her? Who is she?

His mind was asking a thousand questions, and he hadn't a clue what the answers could be. He thought of the three women he had seen, dragging her away. Maybe they had reached her before Voldemort could. Shaking his head, he drew his comforter up to his chin. Just then he heard a groan coming from under Ron's covers. Ron pushed his comforter away from his face and looked up at Harry with a confused expression on his face.

"You are up already?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Hmmm... yeah. Couldn't go back to sleep," replied Harry, his mind still, in a faraway land.

"Still upset 'bout yesterday?"

"No, no. I got up early and just couldn't go back to sleep, that's all," Harry said quickly, not wanting to go deeper into the subject.

"How come mum isn't here waking us up? Come on, let's go and check out what's going on," said Ron, getting out of his bed. Harry followed suite, and after getting dressed, they went downstairs, to the kitchen.

When they entered the dawn-lit kitchen, the two boys immediately understood the reason why Mrs Weasley hadn't come up to harass them out of bed. Mr Weasley, apparently, was back from the ministry, and he and his wife, with sombre expressions on their faces, were engaged in some serious conversation. When Mr Weasley saw Harry and Ron enter, he smiled at them and said in a strained voice: "Hello boys, slept tight?"

Harry and Ron nodded and sat down beside Mr Weasley. Harry, unable to contain himself, any longer, asked in an impatient voice, "So, Mr Weasley, what have you found about yesterday's events? What was it all about?"

Mr Weasley hesitated, but then thought better of it and said, "Well, I can't tell you the reason for the havoc caused by You-Know-Who and his… er minions, because that is confidential,"

"But why?" Ron cut in.

"Because you are not to be told," replied Mr Weasley, looking somewhat annoyed.

Harry, understanding Mr Weasley's annoyance, asked in a lighter tone, "Then please tell us what we can know. There is no harm in that, is there?"

Looking at Harry, taking in the worry that was pulling tight the skin under the boy's eyes, Mr Weasley sighed once and took a healthy pull from his strong-smelling tea.

"Yeah, there is no harm in telling you some details," he began. "As you might have expected, the Minister has blindly refused to accept the fact that yesterday's disturbance was the work of You-Know-Who."

Both Ron and Harry looked surprised at this, but they kept their composure and allowed Mr Weasley to continue.

"In the confusion, we arrived quite late… - and of course by then, You-Know-Who had already gone, but some of the Death Eaters still remained," Mr. Weasley paused to take a deep, exhausted breath. "Two people were killed, an old man and an old lady." said Mr Weasley.

"An old man and an old lady..." whispered Harry, recalling what he had seen while hiding behind the tree. Again the pair of tearful hazel eyes he had seen flashed across his mind.

"Yes, they were killed," repeated Mr Weasley, turning to Harry with a confused expression. "Fudge thinks that it was the work of Death Eaters and not You-Know-Who. And even we are not so sure whether You-Know-Who was present or not."

"But he was there!" Harry exclaimed loudly and indignantly, "I saw him-…" Harry stopped in mid-sentence when he saw that all the three Weasleys were staring at him with surprise and alarm. Mr Weasley especially looked shocked and astonished. Narrowing his eyes, the tired wizard looked at Harry suspiciously.

"You saw him?" the older man staggered while his wife made a yelping noise somewhere deep in her throat noise. Ron stared at Harry unbelievingly. Mrs Weasley's hands started to shake, and her husband gently laid his arm across her shoulder in an almost unconscious manner. Then his attention turned to Harry, the Ministry wizard's gaze turned into a glare and then he sighed, "Oh Harry, what were you doing there? I thought you were more responsible than that."

Harry dropped his gaze and fiddled with his thumbs. "I… I was hiding behind a tree," he muttered "Nobody saw me," he lied.

"Still Harry, you should be more careful," said Mr Weasley in a concerned voice.

"You know, I can take care of myself," Harry blurted, feeling hurt and angry at the same time. Looking away, he added, "I am not a dim child, really. I thought you of all people could appreciate that."

"And that is why you headed straight into danger, right?" said Mr Weasley sarcastically, but with real concern in his eyes. "You are a grown up boy, no denying, but act like one too."

Harry looked up angrily, clenched his fists but then, his gaze dropped and he said in a small voice, "I know, I am sorry."

Mr Weasley sighed more deeply then before. Then his face broke into a reluctant smile, "Okay, this time I won't tell Dumbledore-… but next time I hear that you had been down right careless, don't expect either my approval or silence. Agreed?" he said, still smiling.

"Agreed," said Harry, now smiling too as the tension dissolved. The others at the table sighed with relief.

"And another thing, Harry. You have to go now. Not that I mind you staying here, but after yesterday's events, Dumbledore has given strict orders that you should stay with your… er… relatives," said Mr Weasley, feeling a bit sheepish.

The smile was wiped clean off Harry's face and Ron's jaw dropped open.

"What?" Ron nearly shouted, "After what happened yesterday, Dumbledore still wants Harry to live at that awful place?"

"Ron, Dumbledore has his reasons," said Harry, recovering from his own disappointment. "And besides that," he added resolutely, "I can take care of myself. Remember?"

Ron looked from Mr Weasley to Harry for a while, and then his face split into a wide grin. "Sometimes I think, Dumbledore has really lost it completely," he sighed and continued, "Well, but he is still a genius, though, a mad one."

"Don't let Hagrid hear you say that, or else he will knock the air out of you!" joked Harry, punching Ron lightly on the shoulder.

By evening, Harry and Belinda had been dropped off at their respective houses. Harry noticed that Belinda had been awfully quiet through out their journey from The Burrow. When he asked her about it, she shrugged, saying that the night's events had made her upset.

* * *

The rest of Harry's vacations passed quickly and uneventfully. A week before his departure from the Dursleys, Mr Weasley sent his ministry car to pick Harry up, so that he could go with Ron to Diagon Alley, to get everything he needed for school. Belinda had refused to accompany them and Hermione had gone to Diagon Alley the day before, so it was only Ron and Harry who reached Diagon Alley. Harry's fifth-year books were large; and besides his books, he needed new robes, quills and parchments as well as new potion ingredients. When he returned to Privet Drive later that day, laden with funny shaped packages, Harry was greeted by a thundering Uncle Vernon.

Seeing his unruly haired nephew carry all sorts of magical stuff inside his own normal home sent the red-faced man into an apoplectic frenzy that resulted in locking up all Harry's things in the cupboard under the stairs, where all his other school stuff also was. Harry was given a long list of chores as punishment, and his last week at the Dursleys was the worst time of his entire life.

Finally, the day of his freedom from his horrible relatives arrived. Mr Weasley had again arranged for a Ministry car to pick Harry up from the Dursleys. Harry suspected that it was being done on strict orders either from Dumbledore or from the Ministry itself. Not a single day had passed since he had arrived from Ron's house that he didn't receive owls, checking on his safety.

When he broke the news to the Dursleys that he would be picked up that day, so that they needn't drop him at King's Cross station, Uncle Vernon smirked. "Well that will save a lot of my time. And you better do the samething you did last time, because you know very well that I won't allow any of those horribly abnormal people to cross the threshold of my perfectly respectble home," he said, a pulse in his neck twitching with rage horribly.

Harry nodded and returned to his room to check whether he had left anything behind. Mr Weasley had said that they would arrive at his place by eight o' clock. Harry picked up his trunk and Hedwig's cage, and went downstairs when it was five minutes to eight. Muttering a soft goodbye to the Dursleys, receiving no reply of course, he stepped out.

The morning's cool breeze rippled his hair, and his thoughts drifted to Belinda. He hadn't seen her for two weeks and she hadn't answered any of his letters. He wondered whether she was avoiding him on purpose.

Just as he was standing there, thinking about her, he heard a loud honk, and he turned to see the smiling face of Ron peeking out of the rear window of a shining black car. Harry walked towards the car and hopped in. Mr Weasley was sitting in the front seat with Ginny. Fred, George and Ron were all sitting in the back seat. Harry was surprised to find that Hermione was not among them.

When he asked Ron about Hermione, he said, "Her parents picked her up a week ago, they had returned from France. I did ask her to stay over and ride with us to King's Cross station but she said that she had some things to take care of."

There was some disappointment in Ron's voice. Harry sensed it and asked no more.

The rest of their journey went on quietly; Harry thought all the Weasleys seemed tense, but he couldn't figure out why. Shrugging, The Boy Who Lived just stared out the window, - his mind, thousands of miles away.

A pair of tearful, hazel eyes kept floating before his eyes. He didn't know why his mind kept drifting to the girl with the hazel eyes, but he was certain of one overlaying emotion he felt for her: Grief. He felt sorry for her from the bottom of his heart, though when he asked himself why, he inexplicably couldn't find any answer. Her grandparents had died in one night, mercilessly murdered by Voldemort.

So much must have changed for her in that one, fateful night...

Harry was still thinking about her when the car came to a sudden halt. One by one, all of them filed out of the car. They loaded their respective trunks on the trolleys and headed for the all-too-familiar barrier that would take them to Platform 9 3/4. Mr Weasley took Harry by the arm and went ahead, Harry suspected, it was a measure for his security.

Ron and Ginny appeared behind them and moments later the Weasleys and Harry were loading their trunks on the train. After completing their task, they gathered near the train. They were still chatting, when they heard some one call:

"Harry! Ron!" Harry turned around to see Hermione running towards them, and at the same time he noticed a little crease appear on Ron's forehead.

Hermione reached them, completely out of breath. "Well, you people arrived on time," she joked. Her gaze shifted to Ron, and Harry noticed a little frown appear on her face, too, although it soon vanished when Harry tried to get a closer look. Some thing was up between them and he was unaware of it. But what, was the question. He decided that he would ask Ron about it later.

They were still talking when Harry suddenly spotted Belinda. She was standing alone in a corner, searching furiously for something in her backpack. Grinning, Harry strode towards her. When she saw him coming, she stopped searching her backpack, and smiled.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi? Is that all I get?" Harry said in mock amazement. "Come here, you!" said Harry, and taking her hand, pulled her into a close hug.

"Where have you been, girl? he asked, stepping back a little. "I thought you had forgotten that I existed."

"Oh, I was out," she said and noticing the confused expression on his face, elaborated, "I had some thing to take care of with my other aunt, who lives downtown, and I spent some time with her."

"But why didn't you reply to my letters? I thought you were avoiding me," Harry voiced what he had been thinking for the past few days. "What happened?"

"I couldn't, Harry," she said looking into those deep green eyes of his, "I'm sorry if I upset you, but I was kind of busy."

She could see the disappointment and the hurt in his eyes. Without pausing to think that they were in a public place, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him softly.

"I am sorry," she whispered and then stepping back added, "I promise I won't repeat it. And even if I do, I give you full permission to string me up by my thumbs. Agreed?" she asked, smiling flirtatiously.

"Agreed," said Harry, relaxing a bit. "Anyways, captain, what was this work that kept you so busy and so far away from me?"

Harry saw her facial muscles tighten. And when she answered, he could sense the uneasiness in her voice.

"Oh....it was..it was nothing. I mean..er..er..it was some family matter."

Taking the hint that she didn't intend to go deeper into the subject, Harry replied, "Ok, no problem."

Slipping an arm around her shoulders, Harry led her to where Ron and Hermione were standing. Both of them had grave expressions on their faces and when he and Belinda reached them, Harry heard Hermione exclaim impatiently:

"No Ron..I can't. You don't understand-…" she stopped abruptly when she spotted them, and forced a smile to appear on her face.

"Hey, Hi Belinda," she said, turning to her newest friend. "Where have you… -" she began but stopped when she noticed that Harry was looking at Ron. She shifted her gaze to Ron, and was greeted with an angry glare from him. Ron kept his gaze steadily fixed on her and then suddenly turned around, and walked away.

"What's up with him?" Harry asked, completely taken aback. " Doesn't seem himself, does he?"

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about," Hermione said, waving her hand impatiently. "I think he will get over it."

"Get over what?"

"Nothing, Harry,"

"Tell me. Now don't you hide things from me!"

"Really, it's nothing serious. You ask him yourself, okay? Don't bully me into saying something stupid," replied Hermione, the impatience to change the topic, now completely obvious. "Anyway, it's five minutes to eleven. We'd better go and find ourselves a decent compartment… - I don't want to end up sitting with Malfoy. Urgh." She shrugged and taking Harry by the arm, moved forward.

Hermione was used to pulling Harry along by the arm whenever she wanted him to move, but suddenly she stopped and quickly removed her hand. "Er… ...I am sorry," she told Belinda, feeling a bit uneasy. "I almost forgot."

But Belinda didn't seem upset, surprisingly; she was totally calm, whereas Harry and Hermione were both drowned into an uneasy silence. The uncomfortable pause was broken by Ron's voice calling them from behind.

"Come on, or else we won't find any compartment to ourselves."

Coming out from their trances, all four of them moved forward. Bidding farewell to Mr and Mrs Weasley, they boarded the train.

* * *

The train had already begun moving, and they still hadn't found any empty compartment. Finally, deciding that it was better to split up and search, they all went in different directions. Harry tried several compartments, but all were occupied by at least four people minimum. He moved to the end, checking each compartment on his way. Finally he reached the last one, and praying that it was empty, turned the doorknob.

"Well, if this one's not empty, then I don't think we are going to get anything," he said as he stepped in.

His spirits lifted when he found that it was empty. He scanned the compartment to make sure it wasn't reserved, when his eyes landed on a small royal blue suitcase of Samsonite near the window. On the seat opposite the suitcase lay a small black leather purse, a pair of white gloves and a small book.

"Only one occupant, that means we can fit in," he muttered, feeling a bit disappointed that they wouldn't get full privacy. Hoping that the others might have had more success, he stepped out and began searching for them. At last, he found all of them in an already too full compartment, chatting cheerfully with Fred, George, Lee, Angelina, Katie and Neville.

He stepped in, muttering "Hey's" and "Hello's" to every one.

"I found an empty one just at the end," he began, and the others looked at him eagerly. "Well, almost empty. There is someone already occupying it… - but only one person," he added, to the sound of loud groans.

"Very nice, we all were planning to get seated in the dining car," joked Ron. " But we can always count on you, eh?" he winked.

"Yeah, come on now, before it gets fully occupied," replied Harry.

"You go ahead and reserve some place for us, Lee has got something really cool in his box this time," said Ron and turned back to the others, allowing the show to begin.

"I will be along in just a sec," added Belinda, as she was also keenly interested in what Lee had in the box.

Sighing, Harry stepped out and picking up his trunk and Hedwig's cage, he strode towards the last compartment. Hoping that it was still empty, Harry reached it and was surprised to find the door ajar. His heart sank as he thought that this compartment was gone too. He kept his trunk and Hedwig's cage down, and moved forward into the compartment.

The owner of the suitcase and purse was back. She was sitting near the window and was so immersed into the book she was reading, that she didn't appear to have noticed Harry's presence. Harry stood there, just plainly looking at her. He couldn't see her face, but there was something about her that struck a familiar chord. She was sitting there, completely enraptured by her book, her elbow resting on the window sill, completely at ease and totally unaware of her surroundings. Harry, feeling a bit awkward cleared his throat and politely asked, "Can we sit here? It's just that every where else is full and…"

He never finished his sentence. The girl had suddenly looked up and had jumped up to her feet. Harry’s jaw dropped as the recognition hit him with full force. He just stared back at her, without realising how odd he looked, mouth open and eyes fixed unblinkingly on her. But Harry's mind was too occupied to give his position a thought. His attention was not focused on the girl but on her eyes.....

Her hazel eyes.

Harry knew those eyes perfectly well. He had seen them innumerable times, day dreaming,- the number of times he had thought about them, felt regret for their sadness. The girl stared back at him, those magical, familiar eyes gone fearful. Then, as though coming to her senses, she said some what nervously, "Uh, yes… this compartment is almost empty…--" she began, but she stopped when she saw Harry still staring at her.

But Harry couldn't help it; he couldn't take his eyes off her.

But when he noticed the faint blush that was appearing on her face, he realised how uncivil his behaviour must seem. He closed his mouth and looked away. There was an awkward silence, that followed soon after Harry had broken his gaze with her-- which was only broken by Belinda's loud voice coming from outside the door.

"Harry, your trunk and…-" she said, entering, but she too stopped in mid -sentence when she saw Harry standing as though he couldn't move.

"Harry, what's wrong? Are you…-" she began and for the second time broke off when her gaze shifted to the unknown girl that was standing in front of Harry and twisting the little finger of her other hand. Belinda looked from Harry to the girl, and then back again at Harry, blinking several times in confusion.

Just then they heard Ron's and Hermione's voices. Both Ron and Hermione stopped when they saw Harry's and Belinda's backs turned on them.

"What's the matter?…-" Hermione began and she too stopped when she noticed the strange girl who was standing in front of them, now staring at them nervously. Hermione could sense that the girl was a bit frightened.

The atmosphere seemed quiet and, for no reason, tense.

Clearing her throat, Hermione said loudly, "Well, are we going to sit, or will we just stand and stare at each other for the rest of our journey?"

All of a sudden, every body seemed to come out of their respective trances and started bustling here and there to get seats. The strange girl just sat there, staring at them with confusion. Finally, everybody settled down. The girl stayed quiet, and she kept staring continuously out through the window. Harry was sitting on the seat opposite her, and kept throwing her sideway glances. Belinda, who was seated beside Harry, was looking at the girl in a very disapproving way. Ron was sitting beside Belinda but his stare was also totally fixed on the new girl.

Hermione, who had chosen the seat beside the new girl, was looking at the other three in complete amazement. They were acting in a very weird way, she thought: Harry kept sneaking glances at the new girl, Belinda looked as if she couldn't bear the very sight of her; and Ron, was looking like a complete idiot, who clearly had no sense of manners, staring at the girl as if he had never seen a girl in his life before, thought Hermione angrily. Finally, when Hermione couldn't take the silence and the suspense any longer, she turned to the girl and asked her what Harry had been dying to know.

"Hi, I am Hermione Granger," she said with a small smile and held out her hand. "What's your name?"

The girl took her hand and shook it firmly.

"Sarah, Sarah Andrews," she replied.

"Nice to meet you," Hermione said, "So, Sarah, I guess you are a transfer student too, like Belinda here," she said, nodding her head at Belinda." And obviously, you're not a first year, are you?"

At this the girl smiled. "Yes, I am a transfer student," she said. Then turning to Belinda, "I didn't know that you were a transfer student too."

Belinda just stared at her for a moment, then answered in a tight voice. "Yes, I am."

"So which year are you joining, if not first year then?" asked Harry and then wished that he should have kept his mouth shut rather then asking such a silly question.

"I guess, I will be joining fifth year," replied Sarah.

"Now that's more like it," added Hermione, cheerfully, "Since we will all be starting our fifth year too."

"Very good," said Harry, feeling more cheerful, though he couldn't figure out why. Those two small words earned him an angry glare from Belinda and he flashed a very teasing smile at her.

"So," spoke up Ron for the first time since they had entered that compartment, "Which school were you in before you got transferred to Hogwarts?"

"Hopperiz...it's a private school," answered Sarah.

"Hopperiz," said Hermione slowly, "I have read about it somewhere. It's famous for something...er..I can't remember." She tapped her head with her hand, trying to remember furiously.

Hermione didn't notice the tense expression that crossed the fair features of the new girl, but it vanished when she replied, "It has a good reputation, that's all I am aware of."

Ron noticed the girl's uneasiness and soon he cut into Hermione's concentration.

"Our Hermione reads a lot of books… fat books, I may add. She might have come across your school in some book she was trying to mug up," he said to Sarah, and grinned widely at Hermione.

"Yeah, Ron's right," said Harry. "Our Hermione has read almost our entire library," he smiled at Hermione, smugly.

"Oh, come on!" said Hermione, a pink tinge appearing on her cheeks. " I haven't read half the books in our library."

"You enjoy reading?" asked Sarah, her attention caught.

"Well, yeah, kind of…" answered Hermione.

"What kind of books do you read?" questioned Sarah, with interest.

"It depends," said an excited Hermione, having apparently found her soul mate in all things literary. "I mostly read books to get background information on the homework assigned to us. I also read novels for leisure."

"Do you read any Muggle novels?"

"Of course, I am Muggle-born, after all."

"Who are your favourite Muggle authors?"

With that, both Sarah and Hermione launched into a discussion of different books, different authors. They continued for a long time discussing books written by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and their childhood favourite Enid Blyton.

"Oh dear," sighed Ron. "Another one, I'm afraid." he said as he listened to the girls.

"I'm thinking along the same lines," Harry agreed as he watched the new girl in animated discussion with Hermione about all the books she read and enjoyed.

But Harry was not listening to their conversation; he was too busy staring at Sarah. He wondered whether she was the same girl. He hadn't been able to see her face in the dark that night, but he knew those eyes so well; he knew the expression in the deep hazel of those eyes.

The girl in front of him had hazel eyes, that was for sure, but also long, silky light brown hair with visible streaks of gold. Her lips were a natural shade of pink and were most beautifully shaped. She wore a long lavender dress with a boat-shaped neck and half sleeves which went perfectly well with her complexion. None of them was dressed in Hogwarts robes yet, but none of the others was dressed elegantly as her. She also some how held herself differently from the rest of them- - there was an aura about her that commanded respect. And the figures of speech which she used while talking to Hermione confirmed that she was well- informed, intelligent and cultured.

After the girls had finished their "bookish talk", as Ron called it, all four of them immersed themselves in a discussion of things they enjoyed as their hobbies.

Only Belinda stayed out of their little chat.

All through their journey, Belinda kept quiet and only nodded yes or no whenever she was asked something.

Harry was astonished to learn the range of Sarah's hobbies. She enjoyed almost everything. She loved reading for sure, but unlike Hermione, she also liked Quidditch. She knew quite a lot about it too. Besides the wizards' sports, she also liked Muggle sports, like basketball, cricket, badminton etc. She told them about the contests she had entered and blushingly admitted that she had won some too. After attacking the pretty transfer student with more questions, they found that she was also fond of music, crafts and painting.

"God! Is there anything you don't do?" asked Ron in admiration and saw her blush furiously.

"Actually," she said after a moment's pause. "I don't like to feel bored. I can't sit quietly for one moment, you know, as you can see me now," she said with a small grin.

"No, I think you have a lot more talent then you let on," added Ron with open admiration.

Harry nodded and smiled at Sarah. Then he suddenly became aware of the cold stare that he was receiving from Belinda. He looked down at her and grinned widely. She looked at him angrily and then shifted her gaze away from him. Harry knew perfectly well what thoughts were running in Belinda's mind. He couldn't help but smile. He slid an arm around Belinda's shoulder and kissed her cheek softly. Caught completely off guard, Belinda looked at him with surprise.

"That was nothing new." he whispered and saw her smile, the smile that made him go weak at the knees and caused his heart to flutter.

While the romantic gaze talk was going on between Harry and Belinda, Hermione watched them. Though she liked Belinda, she always felt an uneasiness around her. Her smile was some what strange, to Hermione, it was a sweet beyond sweet smile. And that was something definitely very unnatural. She was still thinking about Belinda when Sarah called to her.

"Hey, is there… er you know… anything I ought to know before I reach Hogwarts?" she asked.

Hermione smiled at the girl who was acting like a first year.

"Nothing important," she replied. "We will be told the rules and regulations at the feast and well, I don't think there is anything else you need to know… "

"Oh yes," Ron cut in suddenly, "There is something very important that you must know: Stay. Away. From. Malfoy."

Sarah seemed taken aback for a moment. Then recovering, she asked, "Why? Is he dangerous?"

"Dangerous?" said Ron in mock amazement. "Oh, if you don't want to spoil your day and don't want any insulting remarks come your way, take my word for it. Stay away from that git."

"Oh, so only that," said Sarah lightly, "I can handle such people."

"Don't think you can handle a Malfoy," said Ron, shaking a finger at her. "Even Harry can't handle him. Right, Harry?" he asked turning to Harry.

"Affirmative," Harry replied.

"Maybe you don't have the right key," said Sarah, turning to Harry, and as she did, Harry caught a glimpse of mischief in her eyes.

Harry's glance at her made him realise something else too: that she was indeed a beauty. But then he thought, his Belinda was no less in contrast. While he was musing over the looks of the two girls, he heard Ron ask Sarah:

"So Sarah, what do your parents do? Are they witch and wizard or are they Muggles?"

Harry glanced casually at her, for the reply but soon his gaze froze. The look in those amazing hazel eyes changed. Her expression became grave, and for the second time, Harry noticed the haunted look in her eyes, their emptiness clearly visible. Once again they looked as if they wanted to let out the sad mysteries they held. In another instance the look was gone leaving behind just terrible sadness and pain.

"They...they were Muggles," her voice quivered when she answered to Ron.

"Were?" Ron asked stupidly and felt Hermione's foot make contact with his leg hard. "Ow! What?"

"It's okay, Hermione," whispered Sarah "That's life." And then she turned to Ron and said in a monotonous voice, "My parents are ..are..they are no more Ron. I mean they are dead." With that she sank into complete silence and once again began to stare out the window.

Ron muttered an embarrassed "Sorry" and bowed his head in regret.

The rest of the journey went on quietly until Hermione got up and reminded them that they had to change into Hogwarts robes. Belinda followed Hermione and, gathering her robes, went out. Harry and Ron looked at Sarah, who showed no signs of leaving. They, obviously, could not change in front of her.

Harry looked at her and realised that, once again, she was lost in her thoughts and was completely unaware of her surroundings. With a pang, he realised that the poor girl was so alone, her parents dead and grandparents murdered. He wondered in whose care she was these days. Whether she had any elder sibling or any aunt, or any other relative at all. He was so deep in thought, that he didn't realise that his stare was being returned with confusion. He looked at her and saw her look back at him questioningly. Suddenly he looked away, feeling embarrassed.

She looked around and was surprised to find that Hermione and Belinda were not present. Turning to the other two she asked, "Where did they go?"

"They had to change into their robes," replied Ron. "Don't you?"

"Nope," she replied, " I have to report to a teacher and most probably I won't be attending the feast and the sorting."

"Why?" cut in Harry suddenly. "But the feast is marvelous and then there is Dumbledore's speech and all. You can't possibly mean to miss it."

"I am not sure," said Sarah thoughtfully. "Let's see what happens. Anyways, I guess you both have to change too, so I better go." She smiled at them and a minute later she was gone.

Harry and Ron changed into their robes quickly. Moments later Hermione and Belinda came back.

"We are going to reach Hogsmeade station in a while," said Hermione, sitting down. "Where is Sarah?" she asked, "She didn't change yet, I guess."

"She won't be changing at all," said Harry.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know; she has to meet some teacher and she says she might miss the feast and the sorting," replied Harry feeling a bit disappointed at the prospect.

As soon as he finished his sentence, Sarah reappeared. She smiled at them and walked towards her seat.

"Hey, why aren't you… " Hermione began but stopped when she saw Sarah pick up her purse and book.

"Are you going somewhere?" she asked.

"Mm..hmm," was all she got in response from Sarah. And without another word, she was gone.

Harry and Ron both stared at the closed door for a moment and then looked at Hermione for some help. Hermione just looked back at them and shrugged her shoulders. They all sat in silence for the rest of their time until they saw Hogsmeade station draw near and felt the train slow down.

* * *