Friends and other stuff

Irina came to the common room with her new student, Gretel.
"So, this is Slytherin common room. We already introduce you do your classmates but I think it would be good to introduce you once again to other Slytherin students" Irina gave her soft smile and looked at the students who are there.

"Attention, please. As you know, our home got one new member. This is Gretel. I expect from all of you to help her as much as possible and to explain her once again the basic rules" she said with strong clear voice.

Just few second after they came, Darian approached them with his million dollars smile written all over his face.

"Hi Gretel, it's really nice to meet you. I can show her the castle, professor Aldon" he said immediately. The new hot girl is there and he would be the one to get to know her better.

"That would be great. I will leave you kids now, and Gretel, be free to find me if you need anything" with that said, Irina left the room.

"So, I am Darian" Darian smiled once again and looked at the girl.

Gretel was very careful to make no appearance of condescension. While her mother might have wanted her to make an impression on her first day, dressed her in a tasteful but expensive dress and made sure she donned jewelry befitting her station in life. Gretel's lifetime of experience (as short as it might have been thus far) gave her a slight edge in this. Her mother had been born out of the graces of an influential name, and she had to work hard to make up the difference. Gretel had been born with power and influence. She didn't have to convince anyone of what she knew she was.

Besides, it had never done her anything to play as though she knew her worth. People who walked with a swagger often fell off balance. She preferred to walk with a waver in her step, allowing people to come alongside and lend their strength for her. When they were all used up, she'd still be going.

Pleasant thoughts for her first day.

All this to say that Gretel had decided to arrive in something that spoke to her youth, pulling on a sheepskin jacket because it was still cold out and Merlin, did you see how frail she looked? She had better don a coat before she took ill.

See, Reader? It was that easy. And that intentional.

So Gretel reminded herself that allowing less-than-grateful thoughts (Sort of dingy castle. Must be desperate for staff. Who would make dreary grey the school colors?) only increased their chance of showing on her face. Instead, she appreciated Professor Aldon's youth and beauty, charmed to see that at least the people could be aesthetic, enjoying her accent even if the country it came from was tiresome and haughty. And even she could appreciate the sense of adventure inspired by their walk through the castle - old as it was.

Her Head of House announced her arrival, seemingly uninterested in whether or not Gretel might be shy about it. She flicked her eyes towards the floor but allowed a pleased smile to edge its way onto her lips - coy but unafraid. She didn't offer any vocalizations, instead raising a hand wand offering an uncertain wave.

Immediately, a boy approached, bearing that dangerous swagger she had sworn off of long ago. Nevertheless, she offered him a smile and their professor left them to their own devices.

Probably not the wisest choice, but certainly fine by her.

"Hello, Darian," her Russian accent undoubtedly heavy in comparison to the clip of the British voices around her - though she was proud that her English accent was certainly better than her grandmother's. "My name is Gretel Elkin. I'm very pleased to meet you. I've already had my luggage sent up, I believe. Perhaps a tour?"

[I'm sorry because it's short but well, you know where I am at the moment xD]

Darian kept looking at his new classmate. She must be the angel from heaven that is sent directly to him. So he knew he needs to grab his chance to be around her and show her just how good he is before she met anyone else.
Don't get him wrong, Darian wasn't insecure or one of those who doesn't know where they belong in this world, he was just afraid that she could hear the rumors and start thinking about the idea that he may be a bad influence.

"The pleasure is all mine" he smiled and reached his hand toward her.
"I think you are right about your stuff, so may I suggest the tour with one of the best guides here, myself of course" he showed her direction out of the common room and once they were out, he looked at her.
"I know that is night already and outside may be cold, but do you want to see the ground around the castle? The great lake looks really nice at this time of the day." Darian smiled and move the strand of hair from his face.

((No worries XD))

He reached out his hand and she reached forward, taking it and letting him guide the handshake. She rolled her lips inwardly, using Darian's height to her advantage as she looked up at him through her eyelashes, tucking her elbows into her body and clicking her heels together nervously, before dropping her hand. She could have ducked her head, but that might have been a bit much. And she wasn't going for shy, exactly. That didn't suit her - it could be so limiting.

Her smile was warm even as a cool trickle worked its way into the pit of her stomach at his self praise. Of course. She had done her research, had asked Sofie for some insights, had relied on one of Sofie's men who was a Hogwarts graduate to ensure she came in with enough information to arm her - though, she would never dream of making herself seem in the know. Merlin, no. A girl with more questions than answers wasn't a girl you suspected of anything. All this to say that she knew what to expect out of her Housemates. So she should have been better prepared for Darian.

But a girl could dream.

"I'm well acquainted with the cold," she said. "That'd be a lovely place to start."

To be honest, Darian was almost one hundred percent sure that he would faint, tight now, in front of this girl.
That never happened to him but he just wasn't prepared for that pretty face and shy look. Hell, if heaven is real then she must be an angel.
Her palm was soft, she looks like someone who cares about her look a lot and that was just what he liked about the girls.

He wasn't even sure how he should flirt with her. She was elegant and she didn't look at all like his others female classmates. He needed to give her something better because, in his opinion, she deserved everything best.

"Then we will go there" he smiled and let her get out first. He had good manners after all.

Once when they were outside and really close to the lake he looked at her.
"So, how do you like this school so far? It must be really difficult to just come here now and don't know anyone" he looked at her once again, careful to find out the answer. If she says that she is glad to meet him, he would probably faint this time for real.

The formality of his manners was actually a very welcome gesture, as her grandmother and aunt had assured her that no one in the country would treat her with refinement she had become so accustomed to. Alice, of course, staunchly defended her home country to her in-laws, but there was an uncertainty in her voice, and she was quick to remind Gretel that Hogwarts was much more inclusive than Durmstrang, which meant all sorts of students from all sorts of backgrounds. And Gretel knew that for what it was. Muggleborns and blood traitors, with no sense of a legacy, and she would be rubbing elbows with them.

She couldn't be certain the boy was pureblooded, but he had that air, the tilt of the chin that lent so well to looking down one's nose, that she was certain she would recognize his surname upon hearing it. It had been part of her preparation. The pureblooded kids would take care of her. Even if she wasn't herself, she wielded a power that could only be respected by those who had it for themselves.

The walk through the castle was familiar, as she had just come through, and was fortunately short, for there were people milling about and she still hadn't quite found her footing yet.

The inner voice, one she would never uncage because (while it was certainly freeing) it worked against all she wanted, quipped I hardly know, it's only been five minutes but instead her face brightened and she turned to look at him. "It's very nice, thank you. My grandmother didn't have wonderful things to say - she's very loyal to Durmstrang - so I was pleasantly surprised." She dropped her gaze. "It is strange, though. Especially because I transferred in the middle of the year. It's hard enough to uproot, but it makes it much harder now that everyone here has friends."

For one moment it looked like she is pleased with his gesture and a little smile formed on his face.
This girl, she must be important.
He wasn't sure if she was pureblood or not, but all her appearance looked like she was the member of royal family. Maybe he was wrong but he doubted that. He was the royalty, he knows how to recognize his sort. Which means he may finally found someone worth of his company.

Darian probably had the complex of more values, but that wasn't something bad in his opinion.
He was in the school where everyone is welcomed, purebloods, half-bloods, muggleborns, and even some beasts - but that didn't mean there is no hierarchy, purebloods would always be the best.
To pity some of them didn't appreciate that, that was why everyone from his class call them blood traitors.

"I am sure you are pretty much familiar with this part of the castle but this is the shorter way out." Darian looked at her with the sneaky grin still on his face.
"Lates I can show you the rest of the castle if you want even if you will get the chance to see everything during the year. I can always show you where you should go, we are the same year so we have classes together" he gave his best to sound casual, he didn't want her to know just how happy he was because of that.
He liked to meet people, and this girl was the big mystery for him, but that will hopefully change soon.

Darian looked at Gretel pleased to see she actually looked like if she was glad to be here. Even if probably he didn't have anything with that, he decided to believe that he was the reason for this change. He never said that he is modest, after all.
"Ah, Durmstrang. I heard the great things about that school" he looked at the path and realized that they are just a few feet separated from the lake.
"I heard that their students learn a lot about Dark Arts. I wish that Hogwarts is more like that" he frowned and then looked at her.
"Don't get me wrong, but all that story that we are all equal without thinking about the surname, blood or something like that gets really annoying after some time. There is no person who would ever convince me that some Muggleborn and I are equal" he shook his head and then stopped walking.

"Well, there it is, the famous Great Lake" he smiled and looked at her again.
"Don't worry about getting friends. You are here like, 10 minutes and you already have one friend. I'll help you, you just need to be careful about who you friends would be. I'm sure you are better than half of the students here" he shrugged.

He was offering to tour the rest of the castle, and while Gretel certainly wanted to have a better feel for the castle than she would later let on, she still had not made up her mind on this particular classmate, so she said, "Thank you. Perhaps. I am pretty tired from all of the excitement of the day. I was hoping for a quick look around before I turned in early. I want to be well rested for classes." As if she would need her wits about her. She had been assured that the standards at Hogwarts were significantly lower than she was accustomed to.

"Oh, are you a fourth year," she asked, her hair falling across her shoulder as she tilted her head to look at him.

They passed the Great Hall and she glanced inside as they walked past, eyes finding the Slytherin table that her professor had pointed out. There, she would join the rest of her House. She wasn't sure how friendly the students here were, but she supposed she would stick out like a sore thumb. Apparently, mid-year transfers were just as rare here as they were back at home. She'd need to be well rested and have a clear plan of attack on how exactly she'd like to be introduced.

They stepped through the doors and she tucked her jacket carefully around her, buttoning it to keep the cold out. She smiled at his praise of her school, finding that this particular reaction was probably the one born of the most sincerity. How badly would she come to miss home in the next few months?

"It is." He launched into his explanation of something she had been born to believe and trust. Halfblood or not, Gretel understood the importance of magical blood, and it often failed her memory that she wasn't of the purest of lines. Her father's blood ran through her, and that was enough. He was much more than a pureblooded man. And anyone who met Sofie could hardly think of her as less than.

But she wasn't sure how much she wanted to agree. Not yet, at least. Not until she took the temperature of the school.

Luckily, they had arrived at the Great Lake and Gretel's wide eyes swept across the reflective surface, taking it in. "Wow." He was already reassuring her again and she smiled over at him. "Thank you. You've already been so kind. It gives me hope for my classmates."