Learning to Sing

The sky was dull and cloudy when Carlene and Hermione arrived at Diagon Alley the next day. The streets were filled with students buying supplies and their parents herding them around like cows on a western ranch. Adjusting her curls so that they fell perfectly down her back and shoulders, Carlene strode up to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. As the two girls stepped inside, Hermione froze in the doorway.

"What's the matter with you?" Carlene asked, staring at the girl's shocked expression. Hermione had her eyes fixed behind Carlene, so she turned to see what the big deal was. What she saw was a boy their age with silvery blonde hair being fitted in ebony black robes. "Who is he?" Carlene asked, taking a step forward.

"Draco Malfoy," Hermione hissed with her teeth clenched. Grabbing Carlene's wrist, she pulled her back into the street. "Let's wait a minute shall we?"

"Why? I need new robes, and this is the only place that's got them. I'm going in now," Carlene replied stepping back toward the door.

Grabbing the girl's wrist again, Hermione said, "Believe me, you don't want to go in there."

"Why not?" she asked, looking through the window. She stared at Malfoy for a long moment, and then inquired, "Is it because of him?" Hermione nodded. "What, do you have a crush on him or something?" she asked suspiciously.

Looking at Carlene in disbelief, Hermione distorted her face and exclaimed, "On Malfoy? Ugh, disgusting! I would sooner eat slugs."

"Are you crazy? This Draco guy is rather attractive if I do say so myself," Carlene replied, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm going in there whether you like it or not. Getting new robes while being fitted for them in front of an incredibly hot guy. You couldn't ask for more than that." And with that she smacked her lips and went inside.

"Good afternoon!" Madam Malkin greeted from behind Draco, pins in her mouth. "I will be with you in just a moment. Just stand over here next to mister Malfoy."

Smiling, Carlene did as she was told, making sure that her hair was perfectly positioned in her reflection from the window, behind which Hermione kept close watch. Stepping up next to Malfoy, she pretended to be interested in a set of hunter green dress robes in the corner while all the time she watched the boy from the corner of her eye.

Malfoy was taking her in, his eyes sly and cunning, revealing no thoughts behind them. Letting out a breath, he said, "You go to Hogwarts?"

"Yep," she replied, looking to him then quickly staring back at the robes.

"I've never seen you before. What year are you?" he asked, his tone slick and smooth.

"I'm in sixth year," she muttered as Madam Malkin departed into a back room to look for more pins. Carlene made sure to make her voice sound as oblivious and innocent as possible.

Grinning, Malfoy turned to her and said, "You speak in an American accent, is that right?" Carlene nodded, returning his gaze. "And you go to Hogwarts?" Again Carlene nodded, her lips pulling into a smile.

"I'm in the exchange program," was all she would say, trying to give away information little by little so that he would keep asking questions. The first rule of flirting, in her book, was to not give away too much info at once so to make sure the session lasted as long as possible.

"Where are you from in America?" he asked, interest etched into his face.

"St. Louis, Missouri." She smiled as he nodded. His hair was so cute as it fell into his eyes when he nodded his head.

Brushing his bangs back with a slender hand, he smiled slyly and said, "Do you know what house you're going to be in yet?"

"Nope," she replied. "Your Headmaster said that I have to go through a Sorting Ceremony of my own, just after the first years are finished."

Madam Malkin had returned and had finished with Draco's robes. As he got his package of robes and paid for them, Draco grinned and said, "Maybe you'll get put into Slytherin. I'm in that house."

"Maybe," Carlene let out as Madam Malkin started on her. "Oh, and Madam, I would also like to try that set of green dress robes in the corner."

"Green looks good on you, but," Malfoy stated, "I think you should try the ocean blue ones over there. It'll bring out the radiance in your eyes."

Score! Carlene knew that she had him attracted. "Alright, the blue ones instead please." Madam nodded and began to measure the girl's slender waist and long legs.

"You didn't tell me your name," Malfoy said as he headed to the door.

"You never asked."

"What's your name then?" he asked with a smile at her little game.

"You first," she played, smiling brightly at her own cunning. He stepped back into the room; his eyes shining, and took a playful bow.

"Tis Draco Malfoy, mistress," he joked in a thick British accent, an attractive shimmer in his sharp eyes as he pulled out of the bow.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. And I am Carlene Wilson," she answered him, a hint of attraction in her voice that she accidentally let slip.

"See you at school, then," he said as he departed through the doorway, the bell above it chiming. "I so totally have her wrapped around my finger," he whispered as he stepped out into the street.

"I so totally have him wrapped around my finger," Carlene whispered as Madam Malkin finished fitting her and put the robes in boxes. Handing her the money, Carlene took her packages and went back outside where Hermione was sitting on a bench across the street, a look of disapproval on her face.

"Hello, Hermy," Carlene greeted with a laugh.

"It's Hermione, and don't 'hello' me." The girl scolded, obviously insulted. "That was the most sickening display I have ever seen!"

"It's how the game is played, darlin'. I'd get used to if I were you. You have to put up with me for two more weeks and then I'm out of your hair."

"Unless you're sorted into Gryffindor by some unlikely chance," Hermione sulked. "And then we'll have to room together."

"I need my books," Carlene said, skipping the subject. "Let's go." And so they went and got her books, some wand polish, potions ingredients, quills, ink, and anything else she needed.

As they were finishing malts at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, Carlene said, "I need to stop by a Quidditch shop, then we'll be finished."

"Why do you need Quidditch stuff?" Hermione asked as she stood up and helped Carlene with her bags, and they headed for Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"Because, I need some polish for my new broom that my boyfriend got me for my birthday in May," Carlene explained. "Joseph knew that I needed a new one, because the Nimbus Two-Thousand is so out of date, so wasn't I surprised when I opened the Lightning Bolt Millennium the morning of my birthday. I was like, 'it must have cost you a fortune, Joseph,' but then again his family is very wealthy, so I took it and got him a thank you gift. It got him a falcon, because he didn't have any sort of mail bird."

"And you are really babbling," Hermione cut in, half shocked, half confused. "So, you're saying that your boyfriend got you the newest, fastest broomstick since the Firebolt a month before it hit store shelves!" Carlene nodded a wide smile on her face. "And what's with you and falcons?"

"Well, you see, I did have an owl for about a year, but he got sick and died," Carlene explained. "So, for my second year, I went to a brand new Wizard Pet Store inside Union Station, and they had a whole line of peregrine falcons for sale. They're the new thing in America, and much faster and more efficient and reliable than owls. So I bought one."

"Alright, alright!" Hermione stopped her. "Here we are. Go and get your broomstick polish or whatever."

"Won't you come in with me?" Carlene asked, gesturing toward the door.

"No, I'm fine," Hermione muttered as she stared at a group of kids that looked their age.

"Hermione, is that you?" someone called from among them.

"Ginny? Parvati?" Hermione called in question. "Excuse me, Carlene. I am going to talk to some friends from school for a minute. Go ahead and get your stuff." And with that she left Carlene standing alone in front of the store. "Hey, guys, what's up?" Hermione greeted as she immersed herself in conversation.

Carlene just stood there, biting her lower lip to keep back the tears. "I'll just go and get that, then," she whispered, feeling a stab of pain that came with Hermione's departure. She went into the shop, bought an entire kit for broomstick care and came back out to find that Hermione was nowhere to be seen. "What?" she muttered, looking around at the busy street.

"Carlene," someone hissed from behind her. She turned to see someone hiding in a shadowed corner. "Have you got it yet?"

Stepping closer, Carlene asked, "Pete, is that you?" The person cast their dark robe about in frustration as he stepped closer to the wall.

"No, it's Merlin the Great," he hissed. "Yes, of course it's me!" Carlene came up to him as he asked more upset this time, "Have you got it yet?"

"Are you kidding?" she whispered. "I'm not even at Hogwarts yet. Give me some time, but I will get it for you. Don't worry, Pete. You'll have it eventually."

"Don't let us down this time, Carlene. And watch your back," he hissed and then disapparated, leaving her alone again.

"Do they think I'm stupid or something?" she asked herself, digging into her purse. "It's only been two weeks. They need to have more faith in me." When she found what she was looking for, she crouched down so that no one would notice her. Pulling out her wand from the inside of her vest, she unrolled a piece of paper and put the tip of it to the paper. "Divulugenous Hermione Granger," she whispered under her breath, making sure no one saw her. For a moment the paper remained blank, and then the words began to write themselves across its surface. The Leaky Cauldron, they read. Sighing, Carlene put her wand and paper away.

Standing up and walking down the street, she made her way back to the Leaky Cauldron, her cheeks going pink because she was so upset at her host. As she was on her way, a sudden skirmish inside a store sent people running around like headless chickens. Before she had time to react, she was barreled over by two boys, both of whom were short and small. As they lay in the dust of the cobblestones as more people rushed by, Carlene pushed the two kids off of her saying, "What's the big deal?"

Standing up and dusting off her jeans, she looked down into the wide staring eyes of the Creevey brothers, although she didn't know they were the Creevey brothers (A/N: But we can know, can't we?). Pointing toward the store, which happened to be Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, the older one (Colin) pointed to the empty doorway and said, "It-it's in there."

"What's in there?" Carlene asked, frustration in her voice.

The younger one fidgeted to his feet saying, "An escape Bi-Headed, Fire-Spitting Mongoose!" Colin cried out in fear at the name.

"A what?!" she shouted in complete annoyance. "Oh, please. If you haven't noticed, boys, that is a joke shop, and can you guess what it's full of?"

"Jokes?" they both said simultaneously.

Rubbing her forehead, Carlene muttered, "Yes. I have read about many magical creatures and in none of the books I have touched does it ever mention a Bi-Headed, Fire-Spitting Mongoose." The two boys smiled in relief. "Let that be an assurance to you two, so you can go in there and tackle the problem one little baby step at a time!" she exclaimed sarcastically, and then walked away, sighing in annoyance.

"Wow, did you see how brave she was?" Colin muttered, staring after her. "I mean, the mention of the name didn't even scare her."

"I know, Colin. I know." he acknowledged with a nod of his head. Then they both smiled as Colin reached for his camera to take a picture of whatever the joke had been.

Meanwhile, Carlene was striding into the Leaky Cauldron to see Hermione and six other people sitting at a table in the far corner eating cookies while drinking sweet tea. As she walked in, Hermione stood up and said, "Oh, hi, Carlene. It's so nice of you to drop by."

With a large false smile, Carlene looked at Hermione and said placidly, "And it was so nice of you to leave me alone in a place I've never been, in a country that is very foreign, while not leaving behind a single note to tell me where you had gone." At this, Hermione's smile fell as the other guests chortled into their tea.

"I'm sorry, Carlene," Hermione apologized. "I guess that I just forgot." Carlene said nothing and sat down in an empty chair next to a girl with fiery red hair. "Carlene, this is Ginny Weasley," Hermione gestured to the redhead. "And these two girls are Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil."

"Hi," the two girls greeted with bright smiles across their faces. Carlene nodded to acknowledge them and continued to remain silent.

"Um- this is Fred Weasley, Ginny's brother," Hermione continued.

"So, you're sort of the chaperone?" Carlene said to Fred who's hair was also flaming red.

"Only for Ginny," Fred muttered a twinkle in his eyes. "I apologize if you got caught in the cross-fire of my little prank at the joke shop." At this, they all burst into laughter, all of them except Carlene that is.

Before Carlene could respond, Hermione continued by gesturing to the last two people, one of them with dark, messy hair, glasses, and bright green eyes, and the other with hair the same red as the Weasleys. "And this is Ron, Ginny and Fred's brother, and this is Harry Potter. Harry's staying with Ron the last fortnight of holiday."

"Hello," Ron murmured, going red in the face and looking down into his glass. Carlene wasn't really paying much attention to him, but instead she was completely enthralled with Harry.

"So," Carlene began, "you're the famous Harry Potter. Well, it's nice to meet you." And she said nothing more throughout the entire meeting. For an hour and a half, the group discussed everything from the weather to their suspicions about the new year's professors. When it was over, Hermione and Carlene said their good-byes and departed for Hermione's home by means of the London Underground.

As they were getting ready for bed, Hermione came into Carlene's room and said, "Listen, Carl, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for today."

"What are you sorry about? You had a good time with your friends. If you don't remember, it was I who had a bad time. Nope, I should be the one who's sorry for coming to England in the first place," Carlene muttered as she flossed her teeth.

"It may not be any comfort to you, but I want you to remember that I actually apologized. Anyway, I came to say goodnight."

"Goodnight then," Carlene snapped, walking to and slamming the door in Hermione's face. Pacing to the bed, she sat down, anger surging through her. The day actually had started out okay, until Hermione had decided to leave her in the dust and then make a complete fool out of her. Crawling under the covers and burying her head in her pillows, Carlene cried herself to sleep.

* * *

"Where is she? She should have gotten here by now," Harry exclaimed, checking his watch. Ron sat across from him in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express. "The train's about to leave."

"She probably got held up," Ron said optimistically. "It's alright, Harry. Hermione will get here." Just as he said this, Hermione burst into the compartment with a wide grin on her face.

"Hermione," Harry said, jumping to his feet and swooping her into a hug. "I thought you'd never get here."

"Are you kidding?" she muttered as she gave Ron a quick hug. "Is it even conceivable to think that I, Hermione Granger, would miss the train to school?"

"I guess not," Harry answered with a smile of relief as he helped store their trunks on the luggage racks. Sitting down, Hermione assisted Carlene into her seat.

"We meet again, Harry," Carlene said as she sat down next to Hermione, across from Harry and Ron. "And you too, Ron."

"Uh-huh," Ron mumbled, going pink.

"So, Carlene, Hermione tells me that you have a Lightning Bolt Millennium. Is it true?" Harry asked in awe.

"Of course it is. I have it my trunk though, but I'll let you see it when we're settled in at Hogwarts, alright?" Carlene answered.

"Sure," He and Ron said together. "And," Harry continued, "do you play Quidditch, or do you collect broomsticks for a hobby?"

The two of them laughed as Carlene said, "As a matter of fact, I played for my house back at Quelltons. I'm a Keeper." She laughed slightly, averting her eyes to the compartment door. There was silence for a moment, and then Ron said:

"So, are you any good at it?"

Staring at him blankly for a moment, Carlene coughed and then muttered, "Oh, of course. I-I was the best on my team- uhh- in the school, too."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked. "You don't sound too confident."

"Yes," she stated more strongly with a firm nod of her head. "Yes, I am."

"Well then," Harry said, "maybe when we have a free afternoon or something, we can try out your broom, and you can give me some pointers."

"And vice versa," Carlene added. "I mean, I hear you're the best and youngest Seeker in a century, at least that's what they say. I probably have more to learn from your flying techniques than you do from mine."

"Wow," Hermione muttered, "a humble remark from Carlene. That's a first!" Harry laughed along with Ron for a few long moments before they realized that Carlene's face was strict and Hermione's just as serious.

"Hey, it's Potty and Weasel," Draco said as he entered their compartment, flanked as usual by Crabbe and Goyle. "Oh, and we can't forget our perfect Prefect," he gestured to Hermione.

"Scram, Malfoy," Ron said, standing up, his fists clenched at his sides. "Unless you've received an invitation I'd get out of here quick."

"Oh, what are you going to do, Weasley? Let Harry fight for you?" Draco antagonized, stepping further inside. "Not that he'd have a better chance at beating me than you would. You don't have enough muscle in that lanky body to hurt a fly. Hmm, I guess that's what you get from not being fed properly."

Holding Ron back, Harry said, "What's that supposed to mean, Malfoy?"

Inspecting his nails, Draco answered, "I mean, his fat mum eats it all and then they don't have enough money to buy more."

"That's it!" Ron screamed and pulled away from Harry, barreling over Malfoy. Slugging him across the chin, he yelled, "This will teach you to keep your bird nose out of my way." And he hit him again, breaking his chin open as blood splattered across his face.

Crabbe and Goyle had rushed from the compartment, in fear of an adult hearing the brawl. But Ron didn't care; he just kept punching Malfoy time and time again. Harry had Ron's shoulders and was trying to pull him away, but Ron just turned and elbowed Harry hard in the stomach. The wind knocked out of him, Harry fell back against the seat, gasping for breath. In an attempt to defend himself, Draco brought his knee into Ron's chest and then punched him in the eye.

Falling back, Ron gasped for air and then sent his foot into Draco's neck with a hard kick. Flying back with a sickening whine, Draco kicked Ron in the chin knocking his head hard against the wall. As Ron came to his feet as quick as he could, he made a run at Malfoy, but before he could hurt him again, he was face to face with Carlene, her wand withdrawn and pointed between his eyes. Hermione had Draco in the exact position, backing him slowly into the hall.

"Listen, Malfoy," Hermione said, "get out of here or I'll leave a scar on your face more obvious and notorious than Harry's."

"Ron," Carlene was saying at the same time, "back off. You don't want do something you'll regret. And I don't want to have to put you in the hospital wing for a week because I lost control with my wand due to frustration." Nodding, Ron sank into his seat, cradling a bleeding nose. Turning, Carlene said to Draco, "Clean yourself up, Malfoy." With that, she reached into her purse and pulled out a handkerchief, tossing it to him over Hermione's head.

Catching it, Draco looked hard at her, his face a bloody mess, and then turned quickly, running down the hall. Dropping her hands to her sides, Hermione rushed to Ron and began tending to his injuries, tilting his head back to stop his nose from bleeding. "It's alright, Ron," she was muttering, using her shirt to wipe away the blood. Then, looking to Carlene, Hermione said, "Thanks for stopping that before it got out of hand."

"Out of hand?" Carlene asked in reply. "If that wasn't out of hand already, then I don't know what is. Maybe I stopped it before Ron broke Malfoy's nose, but really Hermione, it was nothing. You helped stop it too. Now listen, I'm gonna go check on Draco and see if he's alright."

"Draco?" Harry asked from his seat. "Who cares if he's okay. Just leave him be."

"Listen, Harry," Carlene said, putting her hands to her hips, "if I don't go patch things up with him, you can bet that we will all be receiving detentions, because he will turn into a tattle tale if no apologies are said. I'm going now. You probably won't see me until we reach the station." And with that, she left the compartment, and she didn't come back except once to get her robes to change into.

Coincidentally, the fight on the train was only a small rumor by the time they reached the station, and no teachers bothered to look into it, because they received no complaints. Meeting them outside the train, Carlene said, "I can't go to the feast with you guys. I have to be sorted, so I'm making my way to the castle with the first years. I'll see you later though." As they muttered that they were okay with that, Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way to the carriages up to Hogwarts

* * *

A/N: The next chapter, if I decide to post, will be the feast, sorting ceremony, and first few days at Hogwarts. I hope that the readers will be a little more pleased with this chapter than they were with the first one. This is Khalida, signing off.