Companion to "Fa A Bhialainn Ann" Part II

By Ebony Foxfire

"The American…"

The next day also swept by almost dizzyingly fast. She woke up late when Ember had a dream and started sparking like mad.

Rubbing her eyes, she dressed and went downstairs to meet Dumbledore.

"'Allo, there, 'Phira," said Tom, the barkeep. He winked and nodded toward the door. "Ol' Albus said 'ed meet yeh at the Three

Broomsticks when yeh woke."

Sapphira thanked the friendly keep and left for the tavern down the street. She met up with the Headmaster and he took her to a room in the back of the tavern.

"All right, Sapphira," started Dumbledore sagely. "I'm going to perform that education spell I told you about when we first met."

Sapphira felt her insides clench. She had never had a spell performed on her before.

"Your head will hurt for a while, and it will be, to say the least, quite odd to have all of this foreign information suddenly introduced into your brain, but I think you can and will handle it admirably." He took out his own wand and pulled back his sleeves. "Please sit down, child."

Sapphira sat in a high-backed chair and clenched the arms tightly. She closed her eyes and heard a swish of fabric as Dumbledore pointed at her with his wand.

"Excandefacio intelligencia scholâris quintânus circen!" Dumbledore said loudly and clearly.

There seemed to be an inaudible rumbling of thunder and Sapphira felt her hair stand on end. It was as though she had suddenly opened a window into her brain and then there was a tidal wave that flooded in. She knew how to transfigure simple things and how to make a shrinking potion. She could now laugh at muggle jokes and knew what such things as hippogriffs and blast-ended skrewts were. There was so much new data being processed that she felt she would explode... in a sense, she did.

All of the sudden, Sapphira felt hot all over, with a sharp pain in her head that soon shot all down her spine. She doubled over with a cry and her fingers flew into the air. She opened her eyes just in time to see white-hot tongues of flame jet out of her fingertips, although she wasn't holding her wand. Then all went dark.

* * *

She awoke about an hour later, head still pounding, although she no longer felt hot. In fact, as she lifted her hand to feel her forehead, her fingers came in contact with an ice pack. Holding the pack in place, she attempted to sit up and look around.

Propping herself up on pillows, she saw that she was back in her own room with Dumbledore sitting in an easy chair by her fireplace, reading.

Looking up, he said, "I was wondering when you'd come around." He looked slightly guilty as he added, "I do admit that I had some idea the spell would do that to you, child, and I apologize for not warning you sufficiently. I admit it slipped my mind. In any case, I must exhibit some curiosity." His eyes narrowed behind half-moon spectacles. "I have known of several other cases where this spell has been used, and in each case there was some discomfort felt. But never, I repeat, never, have I heard of a case where flame has spurted from someone's fingertips." He gazed keenly at the girl. "I know you are tired, and therefore I will not question you now. However, I would ask you to keep an eye on this -affinity- with fire that you seem to possess." The man rose from his seat and snapped his book shut. "When you are feeling better, please come to my room. We have one more thing to do before our day is done.

About a half-hour later Sapphira rose and made her way down the hall to the Headmaster's makeshift quarters. He ushered her in with a smile, and sat her down by his identical fireplace. He fumbled around in his closet for a moment and finally produced a freshly clipped newspaper article.

Dumbledore pulled over a chair to face hers, and thrust the paper gently into her hands. Sapphira looked at the old man quizzically and bent her head to read.

Yesterday at noon You-Know-Who and his infamous supporters, the Death Eaters, murdered a family of four in their beds. The

Sapphira's eye widened as she read the article, wondering whom this infamous "You-Know-Who" was and why he was murdering innocent people. After she had finished, Sapphira looked up at Dumbledore, puzzled.

Dumbledore peered over his glasses to look at the girl, looking fatigued and aged. "Lord Voldemort, more commonly known as

You-Know-Who, is a Dark Wizard, the most dangerous of our times. Before entering any wizarding environment, I think it necessary for you to be aware of the hazards of our world. Lord Voldemort is quite evil, and you should know to beware of him and all associated with him."

After her briefing on Voldemort, Sapphira made her way back to her room and shuddered... God, It's hard to believe that anyone... anything could be so, so evil... Sapphira reached her room and undressed swiftly. Clothing herself in flannel, she nestled under her covers and closed her eyes. Again, Sapphira shivered, though not from cold.

* * *

The next day Sapphira awoke from a strange dream of crimson eyes and skulls with forked tongues to a sharp rap on her door...

Okay, Sapphira. No more thinking about Voldemort. He doesn't even know you're a wizard, let alone alive...

Groggily she rubbed her bleary eyes, shook the images from her head, and stumbled out of bed. She opened the door and croaked "Hello?"

No one was there, but there was envelope with the emblem of a green "H" being employed as a seal. Sapphira ripped the envelope apart, grumbling, unfolded the letter inside, and read:

WAKE UP, SAPPHIRA! WE NEED TO GET TO HOGWARTS!

Sapphira dropped the letter and raced back to the confines of her room. She grabbed her wand and shot silvery letters into the air with a quick time-telling spell. It was only 5:30 in the morning.

"Oh, come on . . ." She whined to nobody in particular.

Sapphira smiled at her thoughts and went to pick out some clothing.

"Hey!" All of her clothes had been packed for her, and her suitcase was nowhere in sight. Looking around the room, Sapphira noticed black robes emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest draped over chair, and her makeup, comb and toothbrush by the sink.

Splashing some water on her face, she applied minimal makeup (why bother?), changed, and did her hair. She noticed that after she had finished with her tooth and hair brushes, they disappeared. Probably to her suitcase. She stripped out of her pajamas

(they, too, disappeared) and changed into the flowing school robes.

"I'm liking this," Sapphira muttered to herself, looking in the mirror and admiring the uniform.

Sapphira walked down the stairs and ate a hurried breakfast before joining Dumbledore in his room. He smiled when he saw her.

"Right on time, my dear girl," he gestured toward the fireplace. "Are you ready to begin your journey?"

Knowing instinctively how to use Floo Powder, Sapphira threw some into the fireplace and, following Dumbledore's example, spoke loudly and clearly.

"King's Cross."

She walked forward into the green blaze and was whisked at the speed of light through and endless forest of green before (whump) landing with a jolt on the floor of platform nine and three-quarters King's Cross Train Station.

Dumbledore was already waiting. "Now, child, comes a turning point of your magical education, even before it starts."

Dumbledore pointed to the boarding site for a silver locomotive clearly labeled the Hogwarts Express.

Sapphira clasped her hand around the silver rail and boarded the steps. Noticing that she was one of a plethora people on the train, and that Dumbledore was waving her off instead of following, Sapphira pushed through the crowd to clamber into an empty compartment. There were so many Hogwarts students returning from Christmas break! In her tiny apartment, tucked away from all the chaos, she promptly sank into the velvet seat and fell fast asleep.

Sapphira awoke with a start as the whistle sounded for the passengers to get off. Smoothing down her hair with one hand and clutching her wand with the other, Sapphira made her way out of the train onto a boat. In the boat a purse-lipped woman called

Professor Tripwort explained the procedure that was about to take place. There would be an assembly for Sapphira's sorting (Sapphira cringed) and then Sapphira could go meet the people of the school, as the majority of Hogwarts was on holiday.

As they boat pulled ashore, Sapphira nodded and followed the Professor (and the stream of chattering students) into the hall, where about forty or so bored-looking students and rapidly conversing teachers were already congregated. All of the remaining space quickly filled up. After everyone was inside the hall, there was a pregnant moment of silence after the Headmaster cleared his throat. Sapphira gulped as she heard Dumbledore announce, "Ladies and gentlemen, the American Exchange Student - Lowell, Sapphira!"

Sapphira walked over to the stool upon which was perched a battered old hat. She gingerly placed the faded hat onto her head and waited a moment before hearing a mellow voice.

Well, well, well... The hat was speaking to her! ...You are indeed exceptionally difficult to place, dear girl. You have characteristics of two conflicting houses. Hmmm, most unusual. There is a certain streak in you that ... hmmm, yes, I suppose you'd better be in ... "Slytherin!" Sapphira jumped as the hat shouted the final word and then fell silent as the meager Slytherin table started clapping loudly. She noted Dumbledore's raised eyebrows, but merely walked over to the table and smiled weakly at her new housemates. The education spell had provided enough information about each house to make her think that perhaps Slytherin was not the house she wanted to be in.

Her first impression of the occupants of Slytherin house was not an especially good one. The majority of the inhabitants of the table smiled artificially at her, mouths stretching wide under seedy eyes. Most of the others were glaring at her as if she were not fit to be a member of their "distinguished" house.

There were two girls, however, one brunette and one redhead, sitting at the very end of the table, far away from the other Slytherins, that were smiling both warmly and sincerely. Sapphira risked a genuine smile of her own at the pair, and her heart leaped when they grinned back.

Her attention was stolen, however, by a rough push on the shoulder, causing her to stumble forward into the table. "Hey!" cried Sapphira, whipping around, nearly lashing her attacker with her long, straight hair. "What was that for?"

A haughty-looking boy with well-combed black hair glared at her. "An American?" the boy spat, eyes full of loathing. "It's astonishing the riffraff they'll allow into Hogwarts nowadays." He looked to two boys behind him for agreement, they both nodded. One was stocky and powerful looking, almost apelike, while the other was lean and tall with greasy black hair and a crooked nose.

The ringleader continued, "First disgusting mudbloods, and now foreigners who can't even speak properly." He gave Sapphira another shove that again sent her careening into the table and onto the floor. "Watch yourself, American." The boy turned and started to swagger away.

"You watch yourself, you imbecilic bug! Go ... go curse yourself, hedgeborn toad!" Sapphira called after him, eyes flashing, feeling herself get hot all over . . .

She felt a cool hand on her shoulder (the brunette) as the boy turned back, aghast.

"How dare you speak to a Malfoy like that!

I'll teach you, wench!" He started to pull out his wand, but stopped when he noticed Dumbledore staring at him. "Wench..." he mumbled as he and his cronies swept off to the Slytherin common room.

"Good show, that!" Said the voice that belonged to a green-eyed redhead standing just behind her. She stepped in front of Sapphira and offered a hand to help her off the ground. Sapphira felt the anger drain from her blood, and as that happened, she felt herself getting both cooler and calmer.

The redhead spoke again, shaking Sapphira's hand energetically. "The name's Lily, by the way."

The girl that had stood behind Sapphira whilst she was spewing insults at Malfoy also smiled and extended a hand. She flipped her long brown hair off her shoulder and introduced herself. "I'm Fiona, but you can call me Fi." She giggled a little. "You reminded me of us, Lily and me, the way you handled Lucius, Aaron, and Severus. Those three need telling-off occasionally. Would you be so kind as to assist us in that department?"

Sapphira laughed, feeling much more at ease, and nodded. "No problem. It's nice to know that some people in this school are civil to newcomers."

Fi exchanged a glance with lily, a pained expression on her face. "It's not the whole school - just this lousy house. There are some people who are simply wonderful. Ah, speak of the devil..." Fi trailed off as four boys game galloping over to meet the three.

Lily introduced the boys. The first was short and rather plump with tousled blond hair and a prominent point nose. "This is Peter

Pettigrew." The boys extended his hand, which shook uncontrollably as he murmured indistinctly, "Pleasedtomeetyou."

Lily motioned to the next boy, who had shiny brown hair and a mellow expression on his kind face. He didn't wait for an introduction, just smiled warmly and stated, "Hello. I'm Remus Lupin." Sapphira noticed how he and Fi stood right next to each other and continually smiled.

The third boy was very tall with jet hair that was in careless disarray. He wore glasses and a ready grin as he extended his own hand, "James Potter. Nice to have met you."

James was nearly bowled over as the final lad pushed through, and with a swish of his cloak bowed down on one knee to Sapphira. He had longish black hair, eyes full of spunk, and was altogether quite dashing as he kissed Sapphira lightly on the hand.

"Fair lady!" he cried loudly enough for the whole school to hear. "I am indeed greatly honored to meet you, beautiful enchantress. You shall forever after be my blossom, my flower, the object of my every thought..."

Remus and James pulled the black-haired "knight" away from Sapphira. "Come off it, Sirius!" James reprimanded, although he, Sapphira, and everyone else were laughing hysterically.

Sirius pretended to brush himself off. "Shall we start over, then? Ahem, my name is Sirius Black. And you, fair la- er, new girl?"

Sapphira giggled. "As you might have heard," she rolled her eyes, thinking of Dumbledore's announcement, "I'm Sapphira

Lowell."

"Splendid to meet you!" Sirius glanced around at all of his friends. "Well, shall we be off, then? Let's go make some mischief!" He started to run off, then stopped abruptly. "Should you choose to accompany us, Sapphira?" He offered his arm to the fair-haired girl, bowed, and grinned.

She took it and mock-curtseyed. "I should be delighted, sir knight!" The seven then ran off into the hallway, laughing and joking as Sapphira thought... I think I'm going to like it here...