Reflections

A small girl stood on the platform, looking lost and scared. Her chocolate brown eyes were as big as Galleons; her long, smooth, nutmeg hair waved gently in soft ripples; her battered trunk was by her side. She looked, in short, like an average if rather short first year--like a rabbit kitten above ground for the first time, tharn as an owl in daylight.

Nearby, a sandy-haired girl tossed her braid as she argued with an equally sandy-haired boy. "But Seamus, I'll meet other kids on my own."

"Mam says I've got to keep an eye on you, and--Hey, you! With the brown trunk! C'mere!"

The small girl approached them, trembling. "Y-yes?"

The boy put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "This is my sister Ciera. You two are going to hang out. See you later." He vanished into the crowd.

The sandy-haired girl held out her hand and smiled warmly down at the smaller girl. "Now that he's gone, we can introduce ourselves properly. I'm Ciera Eithne Finnegan, but call me Ciera or just Ci."

The smaller girl shook her hand and managed a tiny smile. "I-I'm Ravina Ylva Volkodlak. You can call me Rani, though...that's what my cousins call me."

Ciera grinned. "Me mam calls me Pixie. What's yours call you?"

Ravina's smile faded as quickly as it had come. "She--well, she used to call me Nutmeg--because of my hair, you know. She died about two years ago."

Ciera's smile faded, too. "Gosh, I'm sorry, Rani. I know how that feels. Me dad was killed last month. He was a Muggle. He used to call me Sandy and me brother Midas. What about your dad?"

Ravina stared at her shoes. "I don't--I don't have one. Mom never talked about him, and Aunt Sarah doesn't either." She winced slightly at the harshness of her American accent, which it had only taken her two years to develop completely. "I don't remember him, or if he was ever present. All I know is that Mom went out with a guy when she was just out of school--he was about twenty-one--broke up with him a year later, and started dating my dad. I think they split up before I was born...I don't usually talk this much."

Ciera was silent for a moment, during which a loud voice called, "Ci!"

"Oh, damn," she whispered. "Here comes Seamus."

Seamus puffed up to them with two other people behind him, a boy and a girl. "Ci, you remember my friend Dean, right? Well, his sister's your age. I figure you three can hang out."

The black boy--Dean--gave them a grin. "This is Arden. Arden, this is Ciera and--" He paused, looking at Ravina, who shrunk into herself. People scared her, especially those taller than she--which, since she was only about four feet tall, was pretty much everybody.

Ciera put her arm around her new friend. "This is Ravina. Call her Rani."

"If you want," Ravina added softly, acutely aware of her accent. "Ravina is fine."

Seamus grinned. "All right, let's get these three loaded up." He took one end of Ciera's trunk. Dean took one end of Arden's. Ravina struggled with hers. As they boarded the train, Ciera dropped her trunk, leaving Seamus to handle it, and helped Ravina, who gave her a grateful smile.

Seamus and Dean left the three girls with their trunks. Arden put her trunk on the luggage rack overhead, but Ravina hesitated. She opened the trunk and pulled out a floppy white dog with pink ears and a pink tail, then closed her trunk. Arden snorted. "What is that?"

"Her name is Flopsy," Ravina answered softly. "My mom gave her to me just before she died."

Arden wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You've got such a weird accent."

Ravina shrank into herself. "I--I was born in Romania but I moved to America when my mother died."

"Romania--and America?" Arden demanded derisively. "My God, you must be the stupidest thing alive. Only stupid people live in those countries."

Ciera stood angrily and put a comforting arm around Ravina, who was about to cry. "Actually, very smart people live in those countries. Albert Einstein lived in America--and in case you didn't know, Albus Dumbledore himself lived and studied in both countries. Come on, Rani. Let's go." She turned her back on Arden's smirk and led Ravina out of the compartment.

Ravina managed a very tiny smile and looked up at Ciera. "Thanks, Ci, but you didn't have to leave if you didn't want to."

"Yeah, well, she was a rude little thing. I hope she winds up in Slytherin--it'd serve her right."

"Oh, but she's Muggle-born, isn't she?" Ravina gasped, thinking of the house's reputation.

"So?" Ciera shrugged. "She has the right personality. Come on, let's try this compartment."

There were four kids of their own age having a spirited debate about something, but they paused when they saw Ciera and Ravina. "Say, ladies, do you think you could settle a debate for us?" one of the boys asked.

"Sure," Ciera said, bringing Ravina in. "What's it about?"

"Which is a better Quidditch team, Puddlemere United or Wimbourine Wasps?"

"Puddlemere," Ciera answered instantly. "They've got Oliver Wood."

"I thought he was a reserve," protested one of the girls.

Ravina shook her head. "Their Keeper backed out--he's Muggle-born so he's trying to keep a low profile in case he gets killed. And Ci's right--Wood is good. I saw one of their matches."

The others looked suitably impressed. "Do you know how hard it is to get into one of their minor matches?" the first boy asked her. "My sister went out with Wood and she couldn't even get tickets."

"My cousin Bernard plays for the Dickinson Devildogs," Ravina explained softly. "He's Chaser. So he got tickets for my aunt, my other three cousins, and me."

The second boy's jaw dropped. "Your cousin is Bernard Bjarnison? Wow...I've never met anyone famous."

"My sister's best friend's sister's roommate went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum," one of the girls offered. Standing, she held her hand out to Ciera and Ravina. "I'm Lindsay Turpin. Call me Lin."

The boy who knew about Bernard grinned. "Chester Ramses. Call me Chess."

"Logan Spinnet," volunteered the first boy. "Call me...well, Logan."

"And I'm Elizabeth Harley," the other girl said. "Call me Liz. What's your name?"

"I'm Ciera, Ciera Eithne Finnegan. Call me Ciera or Ci," Ciera said, shaking Lindsay's hand.

"I--I'm Ravina. Ravina Ylva Volkodlak. Call me Rani or Ravina," Ravina said with a small smile. "It's nice to meet you all."

Lindsay tossed a grin at them both. "Stow your stuff and have a seat. Say, Ciera, you'd be Seamus's sister, right? Why aren't you hanging out with Dean Thomas's little sister?"

"Because she's a mean bullying jerk," Ciera snapped. "She was picking on Rani."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I know Arden. She's always been like that."

Logan nodded at Flopsy, who was still clutched in Ravina's arms. "Cute dog. Does he have a name?"

"She," Ravina said softly. "She's a girl. And her name is Flopsy."

The two girls took a seat. Logan leaned back. "Mum gave me an owl when I got accepted. I don't have a dad--he and Mum got divorced. He lived in Transylvania."

"Really? I lived there until two years ago," Ravina said excitedly. "Maybe I knew him. What was his name?"

"Walter Spinnet. Sound familiar?" he asked her. "It should...he was in the paper. He got killed."

Ravina drew breath sharply. "Oh, yeah, I knew him," she said softly.

Logan grinned widely. "Got any pets, Rani?"

"A pet calf back home in Dickinson. Her name is Moonbeam because she's blond."

Ciera leaned forward. "I have a pet cat, but I left her home. Her name is Sharon."

Chester grinned. "I have a turtle, and I brought him along." He opened a box, showing them a green snapping turtle. "His name is Yertle."

Ravina giggled. The others looked puzzled until Ravina and Chester explained whom Yertle the Turtle was.

Elizabeth spoke up. "I've got a pet pig. I was going to name him Wilber, but I finally decided to name him Opus. I don't know why."

"I have a dog named Grommet," Lindsay said. Everyone got it and dissolved into giggles again.

Ravina felt great. Never before had she had friends, ever. In Transylvania she had lived in the woods; in Dickinson she was too shy.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" Ciera asked the other five. "I expect I'll be in Gryffindor, Seamus is." She pulled a minor face.

"Ravenclaw, most likely," Lindsay said. "But I can't be sure. Lisa's a Ravenclaw, though."

"I'm thinking Hufflepuff," Elizabeth said. "I'm Muggle-born, of course, so no one in my family has ever been to Hogwarts, but I've read Hogwarts, a History and Hufflepuff or Gryffindor sound like the house for me."

"I'll either be Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," Logan answered knowingly. "Dad was a Gryffindor and Mum's a former Ravenclaw. And Ali is in Gryffindor."

"I know I'll be in Gryffindor, all my family has been," Chester said with a slightly rueful smile. "In fact, it's an off year that doesn't have both a Ramses and a Weasley. My older brother graduated with the twins last year, so I've taken over the Ramses slot. What about you, Rani?"

Ravina shrugged. "I don't know, really. Like I might have mentioned, I never knew my dad. And both my mom and my aunt went to Beauxbatons, so..." She shrugged again. "Hopefully I'll be in one of your houses."

"Doesn't really matter what house you're in, then, as long as you aren't in Slytherin," Chester counselled darkly. "There's hardly a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."

"Who's that?" Elizabeth asked.

Everyone stared at her. "You really don't know?" Ciera said finally.

"Muggle-born, remember? Who is he?"

"He's this really evil wizard--the Dark Lord. About twenty-five years ago he started gathering power, drawing people to him--calls his followers Death Eaters, don't ask me why, but they wear black and kill people all the time." Ciera swallowed and continued. "About fifteen years ago, though, he tried to kill--no, that's too mild a word. He tried to exterminate this family--a mam, a dad, and a baby--I still don't know why, no one does. Anyway, he killed the parents, but the baby somehow survived with nothing but a scar on his forehead. He's been all over the papers recently--Mam didn't believe him and neither did Seamus until his interview came out in the Quibbler. His name's Harry Potter, and he's a real hero. He's the only one who witnessed You-Know-Who's resurrection."

"That's not quite true," Ravina interrupted quietly. "There were a dozen-odd Death Eaters there, too. Didn't you read the interview?"

"Sorry, I forgot," Ciera said with a grin. "Anyway, Liz, you wanted You-Know-Who's story and you got it. Now let's change the subject. Gives me the willies, it does, talking about them Death Eaters too much."

Lindsay immediately piped up, "I have an idea. Let's play Booklists."

"Booklists?" repeated Logan.

"You write down the name of every book you've ever read. Then you pass it to the left, and the person reads it aloud. The person who's read the most books wins."

Chester shrugged. "Why not? It's not like we have anything better to do."

Everyone took a piece of paper and started scribbling. When Ravina had finally handed her list to Chester, Lindsay indicated they should begin. Most lists were fairly short--children's books, Eva Ibbotson books, the odd Douglas Adams novel, and so on. But when Chester began reading Ravina's list, everyone's eyes widened in surprise. A Tale of Two Cities, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Bridge to Terabithia, Welcome to the Ark, Flight of the Raven, Wolf Moon, Wagner the Wehr-Wolf, Tamsin, The Outsiders, That Was Then, This is Now, The Puppy Sister, The Werewolf in Legend, Fact, and Art, Charlotte's Web, The Trumpet of the Swan, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, seventeen Dear America diaries, three My Name is America diaries, twenty-four American Girls books, twelve Magic Attic Club books, one hundred and seventeen Baby-Sitters Club books...

"Stop!" Elizabeth cried finally, looking at Ravina in wonder. "Have you really read all that?"

Ravina nodded shyly. "Not much else to do in Dickinson," she said by way of explanation. "It was either that, hide in the rye fields, or stand on my head in the corner and whistle Dixie. Rye is easy to get lost in and I lived in a round house. Plus when I lived in Transylvania, Mother was very big on reading a lot. Mostly American books."

Chester opened his mouth to say something. And the tall girl with bushy brown hair chose that moment to open the door.

"I wish I understood the way the world works, because then I could get it some new inspiration and a halfway decent boss and maybe it might actually do something...hello, do you mind if we sit in here?"

"Can you find room?" Logan asked, gesturing around the compartment.

"I'm resourceful. We can squeeze in...come on, Harry."

A tall boy with messy black hair and glasses like Ravina's followed her in, shaking his head. "Hermione, you really need to stop reading Douglass Adams. It's starting to have a negative influence on your thinking."

The girl--Hermione--just shook her head. "Hello, you lot. I'm--"

"Hermione Granger," Ciera, who had been studying the girl since she walked in, cut in. "And I'm guessing you're Harry Potter."

"No, I'm Sir Loin of Beef, Earl of Sandwich, Duke of Wellingtons, Milk of Magnesia," Harry said with a straight face.

Elizabeth giggled a little, but Hermione just shook her head. "How'd you guess?" she asked Ciera.

"Simple. Seamus showed me your class picture and told me exactly who each of you was. He talks snootily behind your backs, but I've noticed he's a lot nicer here."

"When the tide is out he is gay as a lark,

And will talk in contemptuous tones of the shark," Ravina quoted softly.

Hermione smiled. "But when the tide rises and the shark is around,

His voice has a timid and tremulous sound."

"You've read Alice in Wonderland?" Ravina asked eagerly. It was one of the books on her list that Chester hadn't got to yet, down with Gone with the Wind.

"It's one of my favourite books," Hermione answered. "'Tis the voice of the lobster, I heard him declare,

'You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair.'"

"As a drunk with his elbows, so he with his nose,

Trims his coat and his buttons and turns out his toes."

"And then all that bit about the shark, right?"

"I think so," Ravina answered. "And the second verse...I can never remember it."

Hermione shook her head. "All I know is it begins 'I passed by his garden' but after that I'm quite at a loss."

Harry, who had taken a rather cramped seat, began in a soft voice, "I passed by his garden and marked, with one eye,

How the Owl and the Panther were sharing a pie.

The panther got pie crust, gravy, and meat,

While the owl had the tin as his share of the treat.

When the banquet was finished, the owl, as a boon,

Was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon,

While the panther received knife and fork with a growl,

And concluded the banquet by eating the owl."

Ravina smiled. "That was magnificent," she said admirably.

Harry blushed, and his serious face twisted into what could almost be considered a semi-pleased smile. "Thanks. I used to sit in the corner of the playground at breaks reading that book, so I've pretty much memorised most of it. The Gryphon was always my favourite character--although I was somewhat fond of the Mock Turtle as well."

"I always thought it was clever, the way Mr. Carroll wove nursery rhymes into his story," Ravina said. A spark had come into her eyes; books were about the only thing that could get her at all excited, or talking this much to someone she barely knew. "He was a genius, even if he was on opium."

Hermione chuckled. "My favourite part of that particular book was the Lobster Quadrille. Jabberwocky always appealed to me too."

"That was Through the Looking Glass," Ravina corrected her.

Harry gave Ravina a half-grin. "She's right, 'Mione."

Hermione clutched her chest in an expression of mock shock and horror. "Gasp! I was wrong! No! It's the end of the world!"

When they'd stopped giggling, Ciera spoke up. "I'm Ciera, but you can just call me Ci. This here's Chester, but call him Chess; Logan's over there; Elizabeth is to your left, but she goes by Liz; Lindsay is across from her, call her Lin; and of course you've been talking to Ravina, but we all call her Rani."

"Nice to meet you all," Hermione said with a warm smile. "First years all?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah...say, what are those little badges on your chest?"

"Prefect badges," Hermione admitted. "We--er--we kind of changed a little early."

"Don't ask us why," Harry added.

Ciera frowned. "I thought Ron Weasley was the Gryffindor prefect. How come he isn't this year?"

"I--well, I'm not sure," Harry answered, sounding a little uncomfortable. "Maybe he decided he'd rather not be prefect this year." He scanned the room. "Well, I hope you all wind up in Gryffindor. Great house."

"Anything's better than Slytherin, though," Hermione said. "That's where they put all the people the Hat sees as being evil."

"That's stereotypical, 'Mione. The Slytherins are cunning and resourceful."

"And evil," Hermione insisted. "At least for the most part."

Ravina suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "Er--what happens to people who are part human and part--some kind of monster?" she asked timidly.

"They wouldn't allow anyone like that in the school, Rani," Logan said impatiently.

"Actually, they would," Harry said, his eyes glittering with an unidentifiable emotion--was it fear or anger or excitement? "Rubeus Hagrid, who is Keeper of the Keys and Grounds as well as Care of Magical Creatures teacher, is half-giant. I think he was in Gryffindor. I know that there was a werewolf as a student here about twenty years ago, maybe twenty-five, who was in Gryffindor."

Logan looked abashed. "Oh."

"So, Rani, to answer your question, they put them into houses the same as they do ordinary people," Harry concluded, giving her a half-smile.

The compartment door opened again, and a boy with red hair and blue eyes stuck his head in. "Harry! Hermione! There you are! Come on, we've been waiting for you!"

Harry and Hermione stood up and grinned sheepishly at the firsties. "Well, see you at the Sorting," Hermione said, and they left.