The Daughter of Black, Part One

Note: This story starts on Platform 9 and 3/4, but if someone would like to write something before that, please send it in! On to the story...

Chapter One: Strange Goings-on

"'Ere, now, Harry! Quit staring out the window like there's something interesting out there!" Ron Weasly said, poking Harry in the ribs.

Harry shook his head before turning to look at his friend. "Ron, have you seen that girl before?" He commented, pointing out the window towards the student in question.

Ron leaned over to eye the girl. She was tall and thin, about their own age, with sleek black hair and haunted grey eyes. She carried only a black duffle bag, and had a black cat with glowing green eyes perched on her shoulder.

Ron shook his head and let a low whistle escape his lips. "I can see why your interested, Harry..." After catching a glare from his friend, Ron shrugged. "I guess you're right. She doesn't exactally look like a first year..." He turned back to stare. "Do you think, that maybe-"

"No, I don't think so,"quipped Hermione Granger from behind him as she slid into her usual seat.

Ron scowled. "I wasn't asking you, I was asking Harry. Well, Harry? What are your thoughts."

"Really," Hermione harumphed. "I'd like to see Ron get what's coming to him."

Harry was following the girls movements with narrowed green eyes. "I think she looks like Sirius." He said decisevly after a long moment.

Hermione shook her head. "He would have told you if he had a daughter... and if he did, wouldn't he have gone to see her?"

"Maybe that's why she's here..." Harry said thoughtfully, looking down at his hands.

Ron shook his head. "Really, sometimes I think you can be a bit paranoid, Harry... But I'd still like to see if maybe I might..."

"No!" snapped Hermione and Harry in unision.

"Aight, aight.." Ron groaned, settling in for the ride.
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When Crabbe burst through the door to the usually empty train compartment, Harry knew something was up. Almost instantly, he had his wand in his hand, and was ready to defend himself from the monster before him.

Crabbe only grunted upon seeing him before stepping aside to allow the others to step through. Next, of course, came Draco Malfoy, and who else should be on his arm, but the mysterious girl from earlier. Malfoy, with his drawling voice more snotty than usual, was speaking to her.

"And here we have Harry Potter and his various hangers-on. Believe me, my dear lady, they are not worth your time," He said with a particularly snide look at Harry and Ron. He blew past Hermione completely.

The girl hardly acknowledged him speaking, only offering a small nod. Her stony grey eyes rested on each person for a moment before she smiled warmly at them.

"Oh, great, Malfoy. Way to pick up a girl," Ron muttered. "Just put down everyone in your way, right?"

The girl offered a small laugh, which she hid graciously. She said in a husky alto with an American accent, "You must admit, Draco, that's precisely what you have been doing."

Goyle chose that moment to step through the door, looking rather annoyed at being the rear-gaurd.

Malfoy sniffed arrogantly. "Perhaps I speak the truth and you only ahve yet to realize it."

"Putting on quite the show there, Malfoy. Keep it up and you may just have yourself an award for best actor."

The girl sighed and shook her head. Malfoy, annoyed beyond belief, steered her away and out of the car towards his usual spot further to the front.

"Why, that bloody GIT!" Ron fumed once they had left. "The NERVE of him, insulting us in front of the new student."

"Especially one you feel attracted to, hm, Ron?" Hermione alleged from her spot.

Ron stuck his tongue out at her, while Harry chuckled quietly before going back to reading a sheet of parchment before him.

"Oi, Harry. What's that?" Ron inquired after a moment.

"Oh," Harry said, looking up, "It's just a letter Sirius sent."

"Well, how's he doing?" Hermione, always curteous, asked.

"Oh... he's fine... He and Lupin are gathering support for the Anti-Volde.. I mean, Anti-Who-Know-Who effort. They say that they will be paying random visits to Hogsmeade to check in on us and Hogwarts."

"That was kind of them." Hermione said.

"It was also wise of them," an alto voice said. the three turned to see the new student standing in the doorway, black cat right at her heel. "I'm sorry to butt in. I wanted to appologize for Malfoy." She held up a giant bag of Bertie Bott's Beans. "I also brought a peace offering."

Ron, grinning from ear to ear, said without a second thought, "Well, come on in and tell us why you said that.

She continued speaking without sitting down or otherwise moving. "Well, isn't it obvious? All the Dark Lord wants to do now is cause terror. The murders over summer break were just the beginning. He wants to shake the Magical World to the very core so that he can take it over with relative ease."

Hermione nodded, "Of course! What better place to strike that Hogwarts! It's supposed to be inpenetrable and too strong. If he managed to break into Hogwarts and murder people there..."

Ron shuddered. "Hasn't the past five years been ENOUGH?"

Harry had been listening to all of this with half an ear, and now he spoke the question so apparent on his mind that he couldn't dismiss. "Who are you, anyway?"

She grinned elusively. "A transfer student."

Ron hadn't taken his eyes off of her. "I think what he...we... Mean is, what's your name?"

"Skylar Black... And you all?" She answered.

"Harry Potter,"Harry volunteered.

"Hermione Granger," said Hermione with a nod.

Ron reached out to shake Skylar's hand with a grin. "Ronald Weasly... Ron for short."

Skylar shook his hand amiably. "Friends call me Skye." When Ron jumped as the black cat rubbed around his ankles, the others laughed before Skye offered, "And that's Cosmic."

"Why can't you ladies just have owls like normal people?" Ron groaned as Crookshanks peeked his head out of the basket he was in.

Skye smiled wistfully. "My falcon is out on loan, so I have Cosmic to keep me company."

Harry shook his head suddenly. "Where are our manners? I insist you take a seat, Skye."

"No thank you, I have to get a move on anyhow... A lot of other people to appologize to..." She nodded slightly in farwell, then slipped out the door.

"Strange girl," Ron said with a shake of his head. "But quite intruiging."

"Intruiging, indeed," Hermione nodded. "Did you hear her last name?"

"Oh, come off it Hermione! There are bound to be a million Blacks in the world! It's just a coincidence."

"Maybe..." Hermione agreed. "But it wouldn't hurt to investigate..."

Ron grinned eagerly. "Good! I'll talk to her, you dig up the records."

Hermione shook her head in frustration, with a muttered, "Men..." before she looked at Harry. "Still interested in that letter? What's up?"

Harry shook his head and folded the letter up carefully. "Nothing... just glad to hear from Sirius and Lupin... Good to know they're alive and well."

But something was nagging at the back of his mind as he unfolded the letter again to read over the last few lines..

"Well, Harry, it looks like it will be another interesting year at Hogwarts. We're looking forward to seeing you again soon. There's someone I (Sirius, that is) want you, Ron and Hermione to meet...Dumbledore has admitted her into Hogwarts.

Stay out of trouble, this year,
Sirius Black
Remus Lupin

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