A Messy Start Open Closed

Duna sat, gazing out the window, watching the station slowly disappear as they pulled away. She smiled sadly as it got smaller and smaller. She was very excited to go to school, but was also scared of leaving her home behind. She’d never been so far away from her home. This was the first time even being out of the country! Although, Duna had to admit, London was a very busy and beautiful place. The place she had grown up was a small farming town, seeing so many people was both frightening and incredible.

Duna missed her home. She missed the pond she would read by and all her flowers and trees. She had become close friends with most of them. She also missed her bluebird, who would wake her up with a beautiful song every morning. Duna wished she could have brought her bird with her, but she decided it was better that he hadn’t come. She didn’t want to risk him getting lost or hurt again. Just the thought of it made Duna’s smile faulted for a moment.

Duna shook her head, willing those thoughts away as her smile returned.

Duna’s mind then transferred from the place she was leaving behind to the place she was going. Hogwarts. Duna couldn’t even imagine what she would see or learn there, and she had a very large imagination.

Duna had so many questions. ‘Could I actually learn magic? Is that what the wand is for? Why do I need a metal pot? Does everyone have to wear black robes? Do I need an owl to send letters to my mom and dad? Are unicorns and dragons real?!’ Duna was the most excited about the last one.

Duna was also excited to make friends. After being homeschooled for three years, taking classes and meeting kids her age was the most Duna wanted. She reached into the pocket of her white skirt, pulling out at least seventeen friendship bracelets. She made them when she was nervous, and she had been very nervous ever since she had received that letter.

Duna was stirred from her thoughts by a commotion out in the hall. Placing the bracelets back in her pocket, Duna stood and walked over to the closed door to her cabin. She opened it about half way and poked her head out of the door.

Duna’s eyes widened at the explosion of color and sugar that covered the hall, and several boys in black robes, just a few doors down. At the head of it all, Pierre. Duna could have guessed it would be him, after seeing his stunt with the cart back in the station. She just hoped no one was hurt.

Piérre spotted a door opening just a few compartments ahead of him. He glanced behind him once, noting how firmly the now frozen cotton candy stuck in front of his bullies’ eyes. There was a good chance they wouldn’t see him slip into the area.

Snatching the side of the door, Piérre swiftly spun into it, ramming into a person and sending them both sprawling onto the compartment floor.

In a half-second, Piérre spun back, closing the door and taking his place on a bench facing the direction he had been going. He would have a better chance of not getting found if he was not in his pursuers’ immediate sight.

His plan worked like a charm, and the three boys sprinted past without a pause, chasing a now vanished quarry. They looked absolutely comical. Piérre had done his job a little too well.

Quintus was in the front, his blonde hair now dyed pink and brown with the frozen cotton candy and carbonated beverage. The drink formed little crystalline droplets of brown, almost like amber in his hair, and there were a few rogue chocolate frogs which had found themselves frozen onto his shoulders and crawling down his back. The other boys were no better, and they looked almost like hair rock bands, with the way the Frostbite had frozen their hairdos into sharply pointed and tangled messes. Dreadlocks looked the best, Piérre thought, for his hair looked almost like icicles, and even stuck out parallel to the ground in such a cartoony style. The Dhampire had gotten the worst of the chocolate frogs, and they almost covered every part of him, the cotton candy turning him into a piece of modern art. It was a statement.

It wasn’t until the bullies rushed into the next car of the train that Piérre realized he had been holding his breath, and he exhaled deeply, relieved that the action was now over and his mission, complete.

He now looked at the person who had had the misfortune of being rammed into head on.

“Oh!” Piérre’s eyes widened as he beheld the girl from the platform. “Oh it’s you! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” He slipped off the bench onto the floor, trying to help her up.

Duna barely had time to register that Pierre was coming closer until he had run directly into her, knocking her to the floor. The wind was knocked out of her lungs as he landed on top of her. He quickly stood, shut the door and sat down on one of the seats, watching the three other shugar coated, multicolored boys run past.

Duna blinked a couple of times, trying to regain her breath, before reaching back and rubbing her head, where a bump was beginning to form from hitting the carpet so hard. She winced slightly as her fingers brushed the back of her head.

After a few moments the boy seemed to notice her still on the floor. Duna smiled at him as he apologized. “It’s fine. I’m okay.” Duna signed as she sat up, finally able to take a full breath in. She accepted Pierre’s help and stood up off the ground. The world spun for a moment before her eyes settled on Pierre’s bright green eyes.

She smiled brightly, as if to say she was just fine and that she accepted his apology. Duna sat down across from where Pierre had sat before. She waved, ‘Hello again.’

Piérre sat down across from the girl from the station. Kicking his feet above the ground, he waved back. “We meet again.” He said teasingly. “And in just as dramatic of a fashion. My specialty.”

He smiled, but regretted it as the frozen droplets that caked his cheeks acted like cracked leather, flaking off and landing in his lap. They were quickly joined by bits of chocolate frogs that had found their way into his hair.

“Oh… shoot.” He said, rubbing at his face in an attempt to clean some of the thick ice off. He was counting himself lucky that not much of the frozen cotton candy had found its way into his already unkempt and curly chestnut hair either. That was a punishment he had wanted to save purely for the enjoyment of the bullies. “Well… every good plan comes with a consequence.” When he pulled his hand away, his palm was filled with slowly melting pieces of sugary ice. After contemplating for a moment, he shrugged, popping them in his mouth. “Well,” he said, mouth full, “at least this victory is sweet enough.”

The frozen droplets didn’t taste half bad, and after mulling it over for a few seconds, Piérre rubbed his face again, licking his fingers to get at all the sugar he could.

Duna placed her hand over her mouth as her shoulders bobbed up and down as if she was laughing, yet no sound was made. A silent laugh. After a few moments Duna pulled a few tissues out of one of her pockets and handed them to him, to help clean himself off. Duna was sure to be prepared for any situation. She also had bandaids in that pocket too. “I guess so.” She signed, before remembering that he couldn’t understand. It was going to be difficult not living in a house where everyone could sign. She was going to have to write a lot more often.

She quickly pulled her small journal out again and flipped to the very first page. On it was already written, ‘My name is Duna. It’s nice to meet you!’ Around the words little flowers and hearts were doodled, it looked as if this page had been in her journal for a while. Duna turned the journal so he could see the words.

The next page in the book said ‘What is your name?’ Duna, however, already knew Pierre’s name, thanks to his scolding earlier. Instead Duna flipped to a clean page and scribbled, ‘What just happened?’

“Nice to meet you, Duna.” Piérre said. The pictures around Duna’s writing were swirly and echoed with the gentle strains of nature and wildlife, the soul of a little child at play.

Duna smiled and Piérre watched as she flipped the notebook’s pages. She withdrew a pencil from behind her ear and scribbled something very quickly before turning the paper to show him. ‘What just happened?’

Piérre sighed and laughed. “Well… I guess I just had my first experience with bullies. It’s kind of a long story actually…”

He looked out the window. Lush green meadows and hills rolled as far as the eye could see. It was breathtaking. Granted, the sight was nowhere as grand as the view in Italy, what with its sparkling oceans, olive groves, and tall mountains, but it was just as impressive of a sight nonetheless. He didn’t know how long they were going to be in the train. As a matter of fact, he had just had enough thrill to last him a lifetime. What better way to kill time than to fill it with speech? Besides, this was obviously a first year, just like himself. What did he have to lose for having a conversation?

“Well, you see...” Piérre began mischievously, “Those boys were part of a secret organization to weed out the kids who don’t ‘make the cut’.” He whispered the words to Duna like he was telling a confidential bit of information. “They were after me because I’m part of an affiliation to shut them down. I got ambushed, and they tried to turn me into one of them. I only barely got away.” The way he said it somehow made it even more exciting that it had been already.

As soon as Pierre said bully Duna’s eyes widened in shock. Bullies, already? Duna supposed billies could be anywhere people were, but she wasn’t expecting to meet them so early! And those boys looked much older than her and Pierre.
Duna turned her head to look out the window of the cabin into the hallway, her eyes landing on where the bullies had disappeared into the next car. She quickly turned back to Pierre as he continued to speak.
She leaned closer as Pierre lowered his voice, soaking up ever word.
Didn’t make the cut? Secret organization? What school was Duna going to? Should she be worried? Was she going to make the cut? Duna didn’t want to go home so soon, she had only just gotten on the train!
Duna’s hands began to tighten around her pencil and note book. She had so many questions. She barely even knew about this whole knew world she was a part of, and she was already being cought up in a conspiracy!
Pierre seemed like a good guy though, he said he was going to shut down the secret organization, but how?
Duna’s eyes only got wider as Pierre spoke, she believed every word.

Piérre watched as Duna’s eyes got wider and wider, her jaw barely dropping in a look of awe. Despite himself, he let out a small, bright laugh. ”Can you believe it? They wanted to turn me into a Dhampire! Me, a Dhampire!?”

He suddenly stopped laughing, leaning in again and cupping a hand to his mouth, making sure to let his eyes flick back and forth as if to spy for any wandering eyes or ears. ”I hear,” He said in a low voice no louder than a whisper, ”That the organization is planning on conspiring in Hogwarts. Even the Headmaster is in the dark. The only people who know about it right now are you, me, and a choice few. We’re called The...” Piérre blanched for a half second, trying to think of a word to use. He pulled out his wand, an idea hitting him like a bolt of lightning.

”The Snallygaster’s Heart. That’s our name. We’re more stubborn than dragon and even braver than gryffins. It’s our job to make sure that all students, Pureblood or Muggleborn get to have equal rights and educations. We protect those who would have normally been abused during Voldemort’s reign. Believe it or not, lots of people still support him, even though he’s been gone for nearly two decades. I have reason to believe now that those bullies I just taught a lesson to were a few of those supporters.”

He nodded after he concluded his statement. ”Thanks for harboring me, by the way. I can’t imagine what would have happened orherwise.”

Duna sat there for a moment once Pierre finished, eyes still wide. She had so many questions. What was a Dhampire? Was it like a vampire? Vampires were real?! Also, Dragons and Griffins were real too?! What was a snallygaster? Was that bad too? Like a Dhampire? Where Dhampire’s bad?
What was a Pureblood and a Muggleborn? And who was Voldemort? Why was it surprising that people supported him, and what did he reign over? This was all so complex, she just thought she was going to school!
After a few seconds of questions churning in her head she relized what he had just said. He didn’t know what was going to happen to him. Was he going to get hurt? Was she in trouble now that she knew about all this?
Duna’s smile had completely faded and her brows were furrowed in worry. She blinked a few times, snapping herself out of her gaze. Pierre seemed so casual about it. Like this was a common occurrence. Was it a common occurrence?
Duna leaned back, she looked down at the pencil and paper clenched in her hands. She touched the pencil to the pad, begining to write, but stopped. What should she say? What should she ask?
Eventually Duna scribbled something down on the note book, her hand shaking slightly, before showing it to Pierre. ‘Are you going to be okay?’

Piérre watched narrowly as Duna wrote on her notebook again. ‘Are you going to be okay?’

”Oh absolutely!” Piérre shouted, leaning back again. ”There’s nothing to fear as long as I too, have supporters of my own to combat these forces of darkness! Would you be willing to join me? You certainly look like a person who has heard and passed on a good many secrets.”

Piérre stood, opening the compartment door to look back and forth down the hallway before quietly closing it and sitting down again. ”Of course,” He whispered, dropping his voice once again for dramatic pause intended to make its listener lean in. ”We can not speak too often of it. You, Duna, have a good start on writing all your words on a notebook. I should get my hands on one of my own. We could make a code, or a cypher or something. Say!”

Piérre snapped his fingers, an idea lighting. ”If I end up Sorted in the Slytherin house, I could spy from the inside! What good fortune would that be, huh? And if you’re in a different house, we can have a rendezvous and be able to keep the organization a secret.”

Piérre’s grin was beginning to grow more and more maniacal. This was so much fun! He was enjoying talking to a new friend already! He put a fist to his chin, imitating thought as his brows creased. ”Of course, I would have to induct you first... Do you want to join?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.