Sunset Before Dawn

Sunset before Dawn

Chapter 1: O Canada

Noel Scott stood quietly on slightly vibrating platform near a large crimson steam engine. She would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that year, and she was anything but excited. She missed her home and friends back in Canada. The cold wind whipped around her violently as she thought about the year ahead of her. It would not be her first year at a wizarding school; she had attended Maplegrade Academy of the Magical Arts in Canada for four years.

Noel was jolted out of her thoughts by the conductor´s shrill whistle, as students began filing onto the train. Noel stored her luggage and headed towards one of the back compartments. Near the end of the train she found one that was empty. She slumped down in one of the hard wood seats and waited for what she felt would be the worst year ever to begin. She did not sit alone in the gloom for long. After just a few minutes, the door was slid open loudly. Two wizards and a witch walked talking merrily. Noel recognized one of the wizards immediately; he was the famous Harry Potter. The witch was fairly pretty girl with bushy brown hair, and the other wizard had hair the color of a blazing fire. The witch noticed that Noel was sitting nearby so she walked over to her.

"Hello," she said with a smile, "You must be new, I´ve never seen you before. My name is Hermione Granger, and these are my friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." She pointed at each of the boys and began again. "You look too tall to be a first year. Are you an exchange student?"

Noel glanced up at her and replied solemnly "I´m not a first year or an exchange student. I´m fifteen and I attended Maplegrade Academy of the Magical Arts in Canada for four years. I don´t have any friends here, and I miss Canada terribly. The only reason I´m even here is because my parents decided to move so that they could help your Ministry with the Lord Voldemort problem." Harry was surprised to hear her say Voldemort´s name, but then he figured the people in Canada didn´t worry about him much since his reign of terror was so far away. He then looked at her sympathetically and realized that she was a very pretty girl. Her long silky hair was strawberry-blonde, and her enchanting eyes were like polished sapphires. She would have looked perfect if she had only been smiling.

Finally he spoke, "We would really like to be friends if you want us to be. I´m sure Hermione´s tired of being the only girl in our group, and since your new Ron and I can show you around. What´s your name?"

Noel looked at him curiously and for the first time in weeks, she smiled. "My name is Alyssa Noel Scott, but I prefer to be called Noel. If you want to be my friends I would deeply appreciate it, since I´m new and I don´t really know anyone here."

"It´s very nice to meet you Noel. I hope you come to enjoy yourself here in England," Ron said sincerely. They all sat down and began to talk. Hermione explained to Noel about the rules and the basic information she would need to know while attending Hogwarts, and Noel told them all about what life had been like in Canada. After a while Harry, Ron, and Hermione narrated their past adventures to Noel, and as it turned out she was quite the troublemaker at her old school herself.

Time passed on quickly, and they were so involved in their conversations that they didn´t notice Draco Malfoy slip soundlessly into their compartment. "Having a little pajama party now are we?" he said with a sneer, "Who´s your new friend Potter?"

Harry glared at Malfoy dangerously, and was about to answer when Noel suddenly stood up and walked over to Malfoy. With a smirk on her face she said almost sweetly "So you´re the infamous Draco Malfoy I keep hearing about. I pictured you a bit taller, but oh well. Look I don´t exactly know you, and I´m sure you really aren´t as mean as everyone says you are, but I´m warning you right you now, DON´T mess with me. Otherwise you and I, well lets just say, won´t get along quite well. As to your question of who I am, I´m a Canadian, my name is Noel, and at the moment I think you´re a spineless jerk. I believe that answers your question, so if you´ll excuse me, I have a conversation to get back to. Bye Bye now."

Draco stood there for a while, a mixed look of confusion, anger, and astonishment on his pale face. Whatever he had expected her to say, that was definitely not it. Suddenly he turned and went back to his own compartment where his cronies awaited his return. Harry, Ron, and Hermione clapped as Noel placed herself back down in her seat. A triumphant smile played on Noel´s lips, and she appeared to glow with unmistakable pride in her quick thinking and obvious talent. Ron stared at Noel with a growing admiration. She was bold, witty, sarcastic at times, and seriously not hurting in the looks department. In short, she was like nobody any of them had met, and they all were impressed by her personality and open opinion.

As normal order started to return, there was a soft knock on the steel door. Hermione stood up, walked over to the door, and curious to know whom it was, opened it. A tall girl with hair so blonde it was almost white and fathomless brown eyes was standing in the doorway dressed in long flowing black robes with a dark burgundy cloak resting over her thin shoulders. The girl reluctantly stepped into the compartment looking around as she did.

"I´m sorry to bother you," she said with a slight accent, "but I haven´t the faintest idea of where I´m supposed to go once we get to Hogwarts and I was wondering if one of you would mind showing me."

Noel smiled warmly at the new girl, and replied sweetly. " We would love to help you. As a matter of fact, I´m new here too. I came over here from Canada a few weeks ago, and I´m still settling in. My name is Noel and these are my friends Harry, Hermione, and Ron. They volunteered to help me so I´m sure they´d be glad to show you around as well."

Clutching her cloak as though she felt a sudden chill, the girl continued with seemingly brighter mood. "My name is Beonca Salone, I´m came here as foreign exchange student from Norway, and I deeply appreciate your kindness." Noel invited Beonca to sit with them, and the elegant Norwegian accepted the offer enthusiastically.

The train was only an hour away from the school, so the boys went another compartment to change into their robes. The girls were already wearing theirs, and stayed in their car and talked. "I wonder how you two will get sorted. You´re not first years, so I don´t think they´ll put you through the sorting ceremony. Maybe they´ll take you into another room and sort you. Oh well, I guess we´ll find out soon enough," Hermione said.

" I have already been sorted," Beonca replied softly, "Over the summer, I was tested by the Sorting Hat. I came to the school and they took me to the headmaster´s office where Dumbledore personally oversaw my sorting. The hat put me in Gryffindor after studying my mind and personality for about seven minutes. I was seriously nervous, and I will admit that the hat considered placing me in the Slytherin house. I´m glad it didn´t though. I also won´t be trading places with one of the other students. Since two dropped out over the summer, there will be plenty of room in the dormitories."

"Well, I haven´t," Noel said with a hint of anxiety in her voice, "I guess it doesn´t really matter what house I get into. I just hope I don´t get in Hufflepuff or Slytherin because from what everyone has been telling me it sounds like the Slytherins are a bunch of ignorant, bullying jerks, and the Hufflepuffs are pathetically perky, optimistic, and moronic airheads. Maybe if I´m really lucky I´ll end up in Gryffindor with the rest of you, although I don´t suppose Ravenclaw would be all that bad."

"What an interesting opinion of our fellow classmates", Harry said with a laugh as he and Ron quickly reentered the train car. Noel glared at him before they both burst into a fit of laughter. "Do you think I´ll like it at Hogwarts?" Noel asked with a deep inward sigh.

Now it was Ron´s turn to smile. "You´ll love it at Hogwarts. I can promise you that," he said gently. Noel was about to say something, when suddenly she heard a crash from behind her. She turned around to see an orange tabby soot out of the basket it had been in.

Hermione picked up the cat with a slight chuckle. "Crookshanks," she murmured softly, "you're such a silly cat. You knocked over your basket"

Noel looked at the cat inquisitively for a moment before asking, "Is that your cat, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up at Noel and replied, "Yes, this is my cat. His name is Crookshanks. Do you like cats or something?"

Noel nodded lightly and said in an almost musical tone, " I LOVE cats! They´re practically my favorite animals. I even have three of my own. One is a male tabby named Sebastian; another is a beautiful calico named Sakura. She´s my favorite. Then there´s Pixie. She´s a gray, tan, and white calico kitten. When you meet her, it won´t take you long to figure out how she got her name. She´s fast, small, cunning, and extremely mischievous. In fact, I brought her with me."

Noel bent down and pulled another basket from under her chair. Inside the basket was an adorable little kitten. She set the small creature in her lap, and it´s bright amber eyes slowly turned around taking in their surroundings. Content with her observations, little Pixie hopped out of Noel´s lap to explore this new territory. Her petite white feet had just touched the cold floor, when the door slid open and the witch with the food cart stood there.

"Would any of you dears like something off the cart?" she asked kindly. Harry nodded and walked over to witch, pulling a small velvet bag full of money out as he walked. Harry opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Pixie jumped up on the witch´s back. She smelled food!! She hung on the witch´s back for a few brief moments before jumping onto the food cart. Fortunately all of the food items were separately wrapped, so the curious kitten was unable to get them. An embarrassed Noel took the slightly disappointed Pixie off of the cart hastily. Muttering an apology, Noel returned to her seat and Harry ordered some food from the shocked witch.

Harry returned to his seat with a seriously large armful of goodies he had bought. Smiling, he gave everyone their pick of the sweets. Noel reached for her money, but Harry, still grinning shook his head. " That´s something you´ll have to get used to," Ron said between bites, " He´s always buying things for us. Just you wait until Christmas." Harry then walked over to Pixie, who was desperately trying to get out of Noel´s arms and into Ron and Hermione´s food. Harry sat down by Noel and broke a small vanilla cake into bite-sized morsels. He then set them on a small plate in his lap. Catching on to the idea rather quickly, Noel let go of Pixie. Pixie jumped in Harry´s lap and began feasting on the treat he had for her.

"I think you made a friend, Harry," Hermione said with a laugh.

The door slides open rather forcefully, (again), and a boy they had never seen before walks in. " No, I thought I was finally rid of you." The boy was tall with blond-brown hair and brown eyes. He was quite handsome, but the look on Noel´s face told Harry, Ron, and Hermione that she rather disliked him.

"James," she said with a sneer, "if it isn´t my favorite person. Don´t tell me I´m going to have to tolerate you again this year. Haven´t you ruined enough of my life already?"

He looked at her viciously and replied, " I´ve ruined your life! You don´t know the meaning of ruin `Miss Perfect´. You made things harder for me since I met you, and I refuse to outdone by you this time. You may be good academically, but magic is my area. Just you wait." James then turned and left slamming the compartment door shut behind him.

"I´m guessing you don´t get along with him real well," Harry said with slight sarcasm in his voice, " Who is he?"

" His name is Jonathan James Courtly. He was my rival at Maplegrade. When it came to who was the most talented, he always came in second. He has been a jerk to me for years, and I absolutely can´t stand him. I never would have dreamed that I would have to see him here. As if the past seven years haven´t been enough, now I have not only had to leave my home and my friends behind, I´ve brought my worst enemy with me," Noel said sadly.

"So basically you´re saying you get along with him as well as Harry gets along with Malfoy," Ron stated.

"Yes," she sighed. " I suppose you could put it that way."

An hour later the train arrived at the Hogwarts castle. Behind the twilight of the rapidly darkening sky, the colossal castle loomed majestically over the students´ heads. As the five friends exited the train, Professor McGonagall rushed over to them, her hat nearly falling off as she ran. "Noel Scott," she muttered trying to catch her breath, "Please come with me, this will only take a few quick minutes." The others waved, as Noel followed after the professor, who also stopped to grab James. They then continued their march up to the castle. When they entered the Great Hall, they were greeted a homey atmosphere and the alluring smells of food. Taking a seat at the Gryffindor table along with the other Gryffindor students and became engrossed in conversations with their fellow classmates.

" I spent the summer at my gram's house," Seamus Finnigan conversed. " It wasn´t that bad except for when I fell in the river and dropped my wand. Of course, we got it out of that water moccasin´s mouth after an hour or two."

They didn´t have to wait very long for the ceremony to begin, for at that very moment, Professor McGonagall appeared with the line of first years. Noel and James, who was arguing with her, were at the end of the line. Instead of going up to the front of the hall with the first years, however, Noel came over to the Gryffindor table, and sat down by Hermione with an unmistakable grin on her fair face.

"I got into Gryffindor!" she cried happily. She then recollected the past few minutes to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Beonca as the Sorting went on in the background "The professor took us up to Dumbledore´s office, and she put the sorting hat on James first. It sat there for quite a while before finally yelling out `Slytherin´. Then it was my turn. I sat down on the stool, and Professor McGonagall put he hat on my head. It said I had a great destiny awaiting me, and then it put me in Gryffindor. I got put in Gryffindor, and James got put in Slytherin. This is so cool."

She would have said more, but the Sorting had ended. It was time for Dumbledore to make his annual beginning of the year speech.

"Hello students and welcome to another glorious year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I know you all would rather spend this time munching on the delicious food the house elves have prepared than listening to an old man babble, but I dear say you haven´t really got a choice. So, moving on to the more important matters. First of I would like to remind you once again that the Forbidden Forest is off limits unless accompanied by a teacher. There will be no exceptions to the rule this year." He glanced quickly at Harry, and with a smile on his face returned to his speech. "I will also have to ask that we not have any more midnight journeys to the astronomy tower, or anywhere else that I haven´t happened to have discovered. I would also like to announce that we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Unfortunately she was unable to attend the feast tonight, but Professor Williams will be here in the morning for her first class. Another thing to note is that a friend of mine informed me over the summer that we don´t have enough social events for our older students, so we will have two balls this year for the older students. There will be a ball on All Hallow´s Eve after the Halloween feast, and there will also another Yule Ball this year. I do request, however, that the fourth years be the youngest attending these balls. I believe that is all of my announcements for now, so let´s start the year off right. Let´s feast."

Hundreds of hungry students smiled as there golden platters magically filled with assorted delicacies. They immediately started to eat and when talk when they weren´t stuffing their faces. He conversations were giddy and trivial. No one suspected that the year had strange things in mind for them. And for some, the world as they knew it would be destroyed, even as they sat there unaware.

About an hour later it was time to report to the dormitories. The Gryffindors approached the painting of the fat lady, who greeted them with a smile as they gave her the password. "Andromeda," they muttered wearily, and the portrait swung open. They trudged up to the rooms without discussion. Before she knew it, Noel was lying down in her comfortable four-poster bed surrounded by the other fifth year girls. As she fell into a dream, she thought to her self that maybe this year wouldn´t be as bad as she had suspected, even if James was there. But little could she have known the danger she was in.