It's time to begin, isn't it?

Henri sat snugly in a horseless-drawn carriage, bumping up an unrefined road to the destination of a towering, ancient castle- her new school. Henri leaned against the side of the carriage, her feet on the seat as her head lolled with boredom and she scratched her leg. She knew she must look a sight - inside this snug, cushioned carriage sat a fairy donned in black webs. Her tight ripped leggings, her tall boots, her long black tunic, her spiked short hair, her caked on makeup, her shining piercings. She wanted to walk into a reputation, and then see how easy it was to trick people into believing she didn't have one.

The carriage ride became slower and bumpier and then, she stopped. She peered outwards, getting a glimpse of rolling green lawn. She sat up, pulling her back onto her shoulder and grabbing the documents and map that had been bestowed upon her- those school officials sure wanted her to feel welcomed and comfortable.

The door creaked open and she hopped out, turning and closing the door. "Thanks driver," she said to the invisible driver. She smirked to herself and then looked up at the castle, supposing she was intended to go inside. As she saw no one who was going to enforce this custom, she waited for the carriage to bump away before she turned and caught sight of a large, shimmering lake. She cocked her head before walking towards it, picking up speed as the lawn declined. She passed by the greenhouses and paused in her walk, smiling at them as her mission to the lake was briefly abandoned. "Oh, stay away from me. You couldn't handle me."

Alice was the most reasonable choice for the 'welcoming comity' as it was called at Hogwarts. If you could ignore her last troublesome adventure, and most did, she had a perfect reputation. The professors liked her and she did her work on time. Besides that, Alice had a very useful skill of being polite even when she didn't wanted to. So it only made sense that she was picked. Transfer students didn't come very often at Hogwarts at all, and when they did it was an event. The staff would go out of their way for the first few weeks to make everything perfect. After that however, you become invisible just as anyone else there.

After waiting for a while at the main door, she realized no one was coming. Maybe the girl got lost somewhere on the way. She was her responsibility and telling her head of house that she lost the new girl without even seeing her wasn't something she wanted as he reputation. It was time to take things into her own hands. Walking towards the grounds, she saw a very unusual site. No girl and no carriage. Oh Merlin was it possible that she screwed things up so badly already?

Trying to think of the new girl's name, she started walking around the ground. It was something strange, that's all she knew. Henrietta or something like that. Slowly getting desperate she thought of all of her options. To be honest, none seemed very appealing. Finally, she saw a girl in the distance walking by the greenhouses. "Thank Merlin I found you!" Alice said rushing towards. "You must have gotten lost I'm sure. The castle is on the other side. I'm Alice, Alice Longbottom" she said politely to the girl and stuck out her hand. She was certainly not someone Alice was used to seeing around school. With her black makeup and ripped clothes it was clear her style was, well a bit different. But to each his own.

Henri didn't see the other girl until she was right on top of her. All of her attention was focused upon the greenhouses. She felt the rogue within her wanting to tear the greenhouse limb for limb, but it would have to wait. What point was it to take it down? Besides, repetition wasn't really her thing. She had taken down one set of Greenhouses, so she would need to find something more worthy of her attention. "Count your lucky stars," she told the building.

The voice was what wheeled her around to face the girl. Her expression as blank, for she wasn't sure how she wished to appear to this girl yet. The girl seemed to be prompt, seemed to be responsible, seemed to be a worrier. It was everything Henri had never cared to be. The girl had the English accent Henri was going to need to get used to, and she had a round, troubled face.

More trouble might suit her expression.

Henri's face burst into a smile anyone from her old school would have completely distrusted. Henri lunged forward to grab this Alice's hand, and she shook it with both of hers. "Hello, Miss Lognbottom! The name is Henrietta Finch, but my friends call me Finn, so you can call me Henri!" The insult was there, but with a smiling, open face, it was sure to confuse the other girl. She released her hand, and turned about, taking in her view. "What a place, huh?" She was really doing nothing to downplay the difference in their accents, and she didn't mind it either. "So, what's first for us?"

The smile on the girl's face seemed very strange and foreign but Alice was going to take what she could get. Her words matched it perfectly both in tone and in meaning, which confused her. "Nice to meet you Henrietta" Alice said repeating her full name instead. She had to remind herself of how horrible it must be transferring schools and being the new kid all over again. That though kept a smile on Alice's face and her polite expression.

"I'm to show you around the castle. Obviously you've already seen the greenhouse, so I would start with the castle first. Have you been sorted yet?" she asked curiously. She wanted to guess Slytherin out of the bat, but she didn't wanted to be rude with her guest. Not that she had anything against Slytherins, she just seemed the rebellious type that's all. "Just follow me and I'll explain everything. The castle is big and can be confusing at times, but trust me in a month you'll be bored of it already"

"They didn't tell me where you transferred from. I would say you're not from England, is that right?" she asked guessing on the account of her very different accent. From here it was a long walk back to the castle so she made her goal to get to know the girl a little better. [b]"Classes have already started for this semester but you haven't missed much just the first week. I'm sure the professors are familiar with your situation so I wouldn't worry myself too much about that. And also, I've been appointed to you so if you ever need any help or information, I'm definitely someone you come to." said Alice offering her help and advise from the very start as she thought it was the right thing to do.

The confusion that blossomed on this Alice creature was a sweet harvest for the little, dark sprite. She smiled widely, her eyes twinkling as her spirit reminded her to not give anything away. The girl continued on and formerly introduced her as her guide through the castle. Henri inclined her head in agreement, before a question was posed for her. "I was sorted into Ravenclaw."

The professor who had settled her affairs had met with her a week before her enrollment date, to ensure she knew what would be expected of her. His only companion had been a very irritable hat who had sung fragments of a song- apparently patched together by the one he had used for the current year, and of the one he was currently preparing. The hat had deliberated so long that the professor almost took it off her head, saying t must be malfunctioning so far from the castle, before it had finally blurted the word, "RAVENCLAW."

Henri didn't know much of the house, so she said nothing, sure Alice had some sort of trivial opinion she would feel it was necessary to share. Alice told her to follow and Henri turned her head away, hiding the look of amused exasperation as she said, "Aye aye!"

Alice began making small talk and Henri was only too happy to respond. "I'm from Salem Witches Institute. I haven't gone to a school with boys my entire life." She smiled. It wasn't completely true. Public school had some, though she had a few classes with all girls- the boys had never been good at advanced placement. She responded lightly to Alice's next words, "Classes will be fun, I'm sure. I love to learn."

Oh boy, it was getting hard not to laugh.

"Ravenclaw" she repeated out loud as that choice seemed quite strange. The only thing stranger in fact would be if she shared houses with Alice. But knowing her manners, Alice commented nothing special about the hat's choice. After all, it would be rude assuming that she fits into just a simple stereotype. Alice had people think that about her all of her life and she wouldn't wish it upon anyone else. "That's wonderful" she added at the end.

She knew the Salem Witches Institute by reputation only, but word was that it was a very good school with high standards of education. Or so was said by the Daily Prophet that she was reading a few days ago. Well anyway, if it's true, she shouldn't have any problems adjusting here academically. "That must have been...challenging" she said for the lack of better words.

Alice had not always gotten along well with the female side of her friends, only with a rare few. For some reason she had found them annoying and spending time with them more than necessarily was pointless. Of course there were always great exceptions, but sadly she met girls who fit this bill more often than not. Not having guys around, who most of the time are her reasonable side when she gets lost along the way, was unimaginable. Not having her brother around for the last four years was unimaginable.

"That will be different for you I guess. But it has it's good sides, as well as distractions I guess" Alice said with a small chuckle. They approached the entrance of the castle and the large doors opened allowing them in. "If you turn to the right there is the Great Hall. You will have your meals there. Usually students sit at the same table as their house but during the weekends that rule doesn't really matter, people just scatter about." she explained, pointing her finger at the large hallway to her right side.

"Very challenging," Henri said, with a shrewd smile that implied she was looking forward to interacting with boys daily. To be honest, it was not as if she were starved for contact- the girls had always found places to sneak out to meet with boys. Besides, Henri liked the dynamic of too much estrogen unable to be balanced out by testosterone. It made some of the girls desperate, and Henri could work with desperate.

Oh, how different this all would be. She was walking in in sheep's clothing, even if she did play the part of the black sheep. But if she kept this unbecoming smile painted on her face, who would know the difference. The Longbottom girl had no idea that Henri was already calculating her, measuring how much fun the new Ravenclaw girl could get out of her, what would make her tick, what would throw her off. Henri had no suspicion tied to her. She was free to do as she pleased.

She doubted it would take long before they realized they had admitted a wolf.

The entered the castle and, despite her own certainty that she would not be here long enough to graduate the school, Henri was impressed. She would have to be thick to not appreciate the medieval majesty that was the school. Alice gestured towards the great hall and Henri swerved to enter inside.

It was lunchtime on a Saturday, and the hall was humming with activity. The amount of vacant seats told Henri that this was not the entire school population, which assured her that the weekend schedule would not be as rigid as it was at Salem, where every moment of every day was planned out and expected to occur like clockwork. With more freedom, Henri suspected she would be able to get away with a lot more.

A bit of wonder had crept onto her face, so she directed her eyes at the enchanted ceiling - she knew of this because Salem had taught the basics of the other schools, to keep their students informed. She didn't want Alice to get the idea that she was thinking anything less than expected. Certain that it was her turn to say something - anything - Henri uttered the single syllable, "Wow."

Alice smiled when she heard the girl's reaction. She had the same one when she first step foot in this place. It was hard not to admire it, as even after all of these years she still found it to be rather beautiful. "Quite amazing isn't it? It's an enchanted ceiling that the founders first set up in the Great Hall. During Christmas it's especially beautiful as you could often look up and see snowflakes falling down" she explained.

"I suppose you had already gotten your class schedule. If not, your head of house will sort that out with you. At times it can get quite difficult getting around the castle and searching for classrooms. But if you ever find yourself lost, just ask some of the older students around. I'm sure they will be glad to help you find your way" Alice said with a smile. She had learned this the hard way during her first year of Hogwarts. Being too shy to ask for directions, she would sometime spend hours roaming the hallways, not even knowing what floor she was on. But know that was not a problem since she knew the grounds quite well.

"Oh and try not to be late. The professors do give out detentions here for tardiness. And for the usual stuff, lack of homework or some kind of misbehavior" she added. This too Alice had experienced on her skin not quite fondly. She was still having sleeping problems and nightmares, which kept her up late in the night. That meant that in the morning she was exhausted and would more often than not come late to class. Which sadly only resulted in more detentions.

"I guess I shall take you to the Ravenclaw tower now. I can't actually come in, only Ravenclaws can that is the rule of all houses. But I will walk you to it." she said hoping that Henri had gotten the hang of the whole house point system as she knew it could be a bit confusing at times. They walked through the Great Hall and to the grand staircases. From here it was rather a long climb to go. "So you know they move often, the staircases. So just watch your step" she advised the new girl.

As she was climbing the stairs, Alice caught a glimpse of someone very familiar walking by. Andrei was with his friends and he gave her a slight wink as he passed her. With her cheeks turning an embarrassing red color, she tilted her head down to the ground and continued walking, hoping no one noticed.

Henri felt a bit exasperated at having the enchanted ceiling explained to her as though she were uneducated, but she kept the smile frozen on her face, blinking a few times to force any traces of artificial sweetness on her expression. She nodded, saying after a few moments, "Yes. I'm sure it'll be quite a sight."

Henri had not received her class schedule quite yet, but she did know which classes she would be enrolled in. She was pleased to hear this would force a meeting with her Head of her House, as she wanted to immediately get them on her side. She was sure if she appealed to them - oh, really, I'm much shyer than I seem, I've very nervous. You promise you'll help me out? - that it would make her jobs in the future much easier. She was attempting to clear her name before it was even fully soiled.

Then again, her disciplinary record sort of worked against that.

Henri had a peculiarly adept sense of direction, so she wasn't too worried about finding her way around. And tardiness wouldn't be a problem at first- however, once she became more established, excuses would be less likely to be accepted and she would struggle. Henri just didn't like schedules, but she also hated being the goody-two-shoes she knew it was best to appear as. She'd have to figure that out later, she supposed.

Alice offered to show her up to her dormitory, and Henri nodded. Henri followed alongside her, up staircases and passed ancient, moving pictures. Her intrigue was vaguely stirred, but her interest lay more in the occupants of the castle, rather than the architecture of it. But it seemed she was going to be pleased soon, for a nice little roving band of students were approaching. Handsome boys and trivial girls. There seemed to be a handsome ringleader to, and his eyes strayed towards Alice. A small sideways glance was enough to support her theory.

There was something there.

Henri felt a small trickle of glee enter her systems- already, some fun?! She waited until they had fully passed the group before she turned to Alice, hissing exuberantly, "They were cute! Especially that guy at the front!" The blush continued on, deepening a bit too, which allowed Henri to halt, her mouth tilting open. "Oh my gosh... Do you like that guy?!"

Shh!!...He might hear you!" said Alice immediately, turning around to see if the boys were gone. Only when she was absolutely sure no one could hear what she was saying, she continued speaking. "Do you think so?" she asked in a low voice and a slight smile on her lips. She had always thought Andrei was handsome of course, but she had never really heard anyone else's opinion of him. At least not an objective one. All of her friends who knew him, especially Amelia and his family, disliked him simply because he was a Slytherin. Well that and his family reputation as a Dolohov wasn't quite spotless. Oh and he did sneak into her room without permission. To think of it, Andrei didn't have much going for him really if her family was concerned.

Alice bit her lip at the girl's next question. She had never actually admitted that openly to anyone. Of course it was obvious, and anyone with half a brain could figure it out in an instant. But still, saying it out loud felt quite different. She lowered her head deeper down and continued walking up the stairs, trying to avoid the girl's curious gaze for a while.

"Is it that obvious?" Alice asked rather ashamed. The last thing she wanted to be was one of those silly giggling girls who can't control themselves around guys. Become one of those girls was her worst nightmare, but around Andrei she really couldn't help herself. "I'm not sure if I like him, if you're going to put it that way. But we are friends and we spend a lot of time together. That's it I guess" she said shrugging her shoulders.

"The two towers hold the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw common rooms. The Slytherin and Hufflepuff ones are down in the dungeons and near the kitchen" said Alice trying a bit clumsily thought to change the subject to something else other than her obvious crush on Andrei.