Seeing a Stranger

Chapter 2

Eranne sat with Oliver on the train, recounting events that had befallen both parties during the past year. Eranne learned that her dreams were connected to the opening of the Chamber of Secrets during that year, and that many people had been petrified as a result. She was somewhat relieved to hear the news about the chamber; it validated her dreams, but she did not voice this opinion, as it would not be tactful to do so.

"What do you think you are going to do after graduation?" She asked, changing the subject rather abruptly.

"What? Oh - I don't know. Probably trying out for a national team. You?"

"I haven't discussed it with my family, but I think I want to become an Auror, like my grandmother."

"Really? That's great!" Oliver smiled excitedly.

"Well, I have to get through this year first..."

"Tell me about it. I think Percy's mad sometimes...he's looking forward to the NEWTs. I think I am only in school so that I can play."

"That's not true, Oliver. You are quite good at potions, and adept at Charms as well."

"Tell that to Snape, and he'd laugh," Oliver replied, throwing an empty chocolate frog box at her.

Eranne sighed. "I know, I can never understand why he's so...menacing"

"Menacing. That's putting it nicely," Oliver joked.

"Yea, well, no one has ever had a chance to call me otherwise, and I won't give them one. Ma'd be having kittens if she heard one word about it."

"Must be hard, keeping up with all the family expectations." Oliver said with a mock-jealous ring in his voice. Oliver had never begrudged the fact that Eranne's family was the oldest, and wealthiest wizarding family in all of Britain. To Eranne, this was somewhat of a surprise. Her mother had told her that everyone, including her closest friends, would become jealous of both her power and her money at some time. Consequentially, Eranne chose never to speak of either.

"It seems to be getting harder as I grow older. It's not my family though, it's people on the outside. Other people expect me to be 'Eranne d'Berwyn, the most beautiful, learned, and poised young lady in all Britain.' My family just wants me to be kind and just in my actions towards others. They tell me to follow my heart, which is why they have burned every single proposal letter from a young wizard yet," Eranne laughed at the thought of all the letters she had received during the summer, "After awhile, we started reading them out-loud at the dinner table, laughing as we took turns banishing them to the fireplace. Kept us warm at night for weeks..."

"How do you do it, Eranne?' Oliver asked.

"Do what?"

"In seven years, I have never heard you talk about you money, or your family's status. How are you so normal, when there are gits like Malfoy who walk around, strutting like they own the world because they have money?"

Eranne paused to sigh - she had been right all these years, she supposed, when she didn't talk about these things.

"It's not who I am, Oliver. I can't help being what I am, but I can help being who I am. My family taught me that it isn't how much money you have that makes you a worthwhile person. It's what you have inside of you that's more important than all the galleons and purest blood in the world. It always made sense to me, and I don't talk about those sorts of things because if I did, eventually, people will stop seeing me as me, and start seeing only my family's money."

"You are certainly one of the most wonderful people that I have met, with or without the money," Oliver replied.

Eranne smiled broadly, "Thank you. I'm glad you think so, because I propose that we stop talking about life, and the future, and focus on the present. There is, I believe, a certain Head Boy that needs his ego deflated..."

"What do you have in mind? Should we fetch the twins?"

"They might be able to provide a distraction while we carry out our plan..."

Moments later, joined by Fred and George Weasley, who had, upon seeing Eranne, surrounded her in a great bear hug as only the twins could do, Eranne and Oliver were headed to the front compartments, where the prefects and the Head Boy and girl sat.

"He'll never suspect," Fred began,

"It's so brilliant, I wish that we had thought of it," George ended.

"You two can take the credit for it, if you want. You can use it to, anytime you want. I learned the charm last year when I was reading one of my Great Aunt's books, and I came up with the plan over the summer at a dinner party my mother and father dragged me to. The heights your mind reaches when it is empty..." Eranne smiled as the group came to their destination, "Places, everyone!"

Oliver burst through the door to the compartment, exclaiming loudly, "Percy, so good to see you...Penelope, you look smashing..."

The rest of the conversation was lost as the door closed again, and Oliver positioned his back to cover the window into the aisle. Eranne quickly crossed to the other side of the door, so she could keep out of sight, and motioned to Fred and George.

Seconds went by as the twins prepared, and as they waved their wands, the loudest noise ever to grace the Hogwarts Express bellowed forth. Compartment doors opened more quickly than Eranne thought possible, and, sure enough, one of the first to emerge was none other than Percy Weasley, looking murderous.

"I should have known -"

"Brother dearest, why do you always suspect us? Here we were, coming to see how your ride has been, and even ask you to join us for some chocolate frogs, and the noise just happened!"

Percy looked less than pleased, and the twins were keeping in good form, still giving pathetic excuses and stalling and Eranne positioned herself, and pointed her wand.

Without warning, Percy Weasley was lifted from the floor of the train, and, in authentic costuming, appeared to be singing a rather loud Italian Aria. Percy did not have a good singing voice. Eranne did not let up the spell for a good five minutes, which left many students gathered in the aisles to investigate the commotion, rolling on the floor in laughter, Fred and George included. When Eranne released her wand, and Percy returned to his usual self, he began to bound towards his brothers.

"What exactly is the meaning of this? Did you think that embarrassing me in front of the entire school was an appropriate joke? Did you -"

"I thought it was pretty funny, and perfectly executed, if I do say so myself," Eranne replied, still behind Percy and up until this point, hidden from everyone's sight.

Percy turned around quickly, looking as though he was about to give out the first detention of the school year. When he saw Eranne, however, he simply rushed towards her, and caught her in the biggest hug she had received, ever.

"How dare you! How dare you not come and see me until now? I have waited all day, Eranne, all day wondering when I would see you! I missed you so much!" Percy sounded like he was crying, and Eranne squeezed him harder.

"Had to make an entrance, I suppose. Now, you are going to have to let me go, because I have already suffered through far to many hugs today, and then I can meet this fabulous girl you've been telling me about."

"Or you can just get some more hugs," Ron Weasley, having recently pushed his way to the front of the crowd with his sister Ginny, send with a look on his face that Eranne reasoned he must have learned from Fred and George.

Percy had hardly released her when the two youngest siblings took his place. Eranne felt like crying and screaming for joy at the same time. Percy had been a lifelong friend because her parents were very good friends with his, and she had spent many holidays at the Burrow, and had gotten to know all the Weasley children quite well. She thought of all of them as the brothers and sisters she had never had. Over Ron's shoulder, Eranne noticed a lanky boy with jet-black hair and green eyes and a smile that would break anyone's heart. Eranne had not really had the chance of knowing the famous Harry Potter well, having been away for a year, but in spending time with Ron during the summer after his first year, had learned all about him. Released from the clutches of the Weasleys at last, Eranne made her way over to Harry and held out her hand to him. He took it apprehensively.

"Hello, Harry. I don't think that we ever have been properly introduced. My name is Eranne d'Berwyn. Do you remember me at all?"

"Erm - yea, you're a Gryffindor, right? Seventh Year?"

"Didn't you leave last year a few weeks into the term? You're the Searcher, aren't you? I've read all about them..." Hermione Granger, standing to the left of Harry, had a habit of researching any topic with which she was not completely rehearsed in. She wasn't aware that there might be some one researching her, when she returned. She looked into the girl's eyes and did not see fear, or discomfort, as she expected, but only an intellectual curiosity that was not unlike Eranne's own. Eranne breathed deeply, composing herself, and chuckled a little.

"I wasn't aware that there were any books about it. Maybe I should have looked at a couple last year. It might have made it easier for me. But, yes, I am a Searcher. I am pleased to meet you, Hermione, Ron's told me so much about you" and with that, she held out her hand to the younger girl, who took it eagerly.

"You may want to wash your hands after you touch her, Miss d'Berywn, she's nothing better that a filthy Mudblood. I have some soap I can fetch if you like." Eranne did not need to turn around in order to identify the name associated with that voice. The Malfoy family had plagued her family for centuries, trying to persuade them to speak out against Muggles, which would never happen. Lucius Malfoy and his wife frequently positioned themselves close to her parents at many social functions, much to her parent's disdain. His son Draco seemed all to eager to put aside his hatred of all things non-Slytherin to get on Eranne's good side at Hogwarts.

"That, Draco Malfoy, is the most disrespectful thing you could say to a fellow student," Eranne began, turning around to face him, her voice calm and level. "You are in no position to state who is worthy to touch me or not. They are my hands, not yours. I find it interesting that you can insult a person who is currently at the top of her class, and, might I add, doing quite a bit better with regards to marks than you are. Please, do not say that word in my presence ever again."

Irate, Draco bowed his head, as if the hand of his father's expectations was pushing it down invisibly, and mumbled an apology. He departed quickly, along with his minions, Crabbe and Goyle. The remaining crowd was diminished, and now included only the Weasleys, Penelope (whom Eranne still had not been formally introduced to) Oliver, Harry, and Hermione, all of whom were at the moment beaming at her.

"You were brilliant! I have never seen Draco give up an argument that easily, 'Miss d'Berwyn." Oliver put his arm around her shoulders.

"If any of you ever call me 'Miss d'Berwyn..." she began, all the while laughing heartily with everyone else. "Now, Percy, would you introduce me to your girlfriend, who is probably thinking at this moment that I am the rudest person to walk this planet for not having introduced myself until now?"

"I'm sorry, Eranne," Percy said as he approached the quiet blond, currently almost hidden in the corner of the aisle, and put his hand in her, pulling her forward. "This is Penelope Clearwater, my girlfriend. She's a sixth year Prefect from Ravenclaw."

The blond held out her hand timidly and graciously. Eranne took it firmly.

"It's wonderful to meet you at last. I've heard so much about you from Percy's letters."

"Hey, how 'come you wrote to Percy and not to me?" Oliver asked, with a hint of hurt in his voice.

"I told you before, I didn't think any of you wanted to see me again. Percy wrote to me first."

"How would ever think that? We're your friends, Eranne. We were all worried about you," Percy protested. "When you didn't write, I thought you had gotten worse - I just wanted to make sure you were allright! You wouldn't let us come see you over the summer..."

"I'm sorry, I thought you all would think that I was a freak, and wouldn't want to see me anymore, I didn't want to see the looks on the faces of my two best friends - those accusing, fearful looks of disgust." Eranne realized she had begun crying again. Oliver quickly came to her side, and took her in his arms again, as Percy put a hand on her shoulder. It was Harry who spoke first,

"My aunt and uncle call me a freak all the time, and they still let me come home every summer, albeit so that they have someone to take their anger out upon. Hey, I even blew up my aunt, accidentally, and they're still letting me come home next summer."

Eranne laughed weakly.

"Eranne, it's been you and I since as long as I can remember. You've been my friend my whole life. You couldn't help all that went on last year, you had no way of controlling your gift, you never learned how. Neither I, nor anyone ever thought that you were a freak, and we never will. My parents even asked why you didn't come over this summer - they were going to write your parents to ask permission to come over and see you themselves, they were so worried. We all love you, and we are so glad that you are back and well," Percy said, looking straight into her eyes. Eranne could barely make out a single small tear, falling from his left eye. She nodded, and hugged him tight. Turning to the rest of the Weasley clan and Oliver, she said,

"Thank you, I missed you all too."

The crowd erupted in cheers, and everyone, including Harry and Hermione, embraced Eranne in one large group, as Eranne hugged each of them back, before they all returned to their compartments, at Percy's bidding. Sitting back down, Eranne put her head on Oliver's shoulder, as he put his arm around her protectively. At last, she felt ready to return to Hogwarts.