First meeting ((Mary))

[cleo]

Cleo had came to King’s Cross alone. She hadn’t said good bye ot her grand-parents and her grand-parents hadn’t been interested in saying bye to her. They had simply ignored each other which was the wy it worked out best for Cleo. Lifting her trunk onto the train Cleo looked around and arched an eye-brow at the sight of professors on the train. Few other grown-ups were here too. People who practically had the word ’auror’ written on their foreheads. With Diagon Alley being blwon up the Ministtry had been panicking. Cleo guessed that the Ministry wanted to show that they were doing something. But hoestl y- apparating int oa moving train? Cleo snorted at the thought. Who exactly would be foolish enough to try this?

Pulling her trunk after her Cleo didn’t bother to go very far. Finding an empty compartment at the front of the train, Cleo claimed it for hers. Sure it was in the front of the train, where 1st years seemed to stay, but with the professros here, Cleo figured that she should be left for herself. She wasn’t expecting any friend to join her. Not that she had overly many friends – Cleo was open, bu hse didn’t seek friendship constantly. She liked her own company.
Pushing her shoes off with a content sigh Cleo raised her legs onto the seat opposite of her. The long black and white skirt she wore fell over her legs and her blouse created a nice background for her almost violantly bright-coloured hair. A feature Cleo was proud of.

Reaching into her bag Cleo pulled out a few nail-polishes. You could do your nails by magic, but the outcome was never as good than when you did it by hand. When you took care of your nails the muggle way, then not only was the outcome better, but it stayed nice for longer. Cleo hated it when people walked around with half of their nail-polish coming down and they didn’t repair it or took it down. It didn’t look good. Shrugging Cleo turned on a small mini wireless and humming along to the song quietly pulled out a nail-filer and started to shape her finger-nails properly.

[Mary Evans]

Summer was over already and two days ago Jeremy had returned to Durmstang. They had parted on rather friendly terms and Mary was shocked at the realisation that but two months ago she had shuttered at the mere mention of his name. It was understandable though considering back then she hadn’t known her cousin – all she knew was that he was a Durmstang student that her parents were forcing her to entertain in an effort to sway her to the pureblood cause.

It hadn’t worked of course – Mary was still Mary – though over the summer she had come to resent muggleborns more than she used to – not that she would ever admit it. But honestly, it was their ancestors who drove magical kind into hiding – out of kindness they hid rather than usurping power. And now they come into the magical world, which they do not even understand, and expect to be treated as an equal. Not only have the pureblood families been attending Hogwarts for generations, shaping the face of the school and the wizarding community in general, but they are the ones whose families had been prayed upon by the close-minded muggles. And now their spawn comes to Hogwarts and thinks that just because they have been blessed with magic they are the same class of wizard as those who have magic coursing through their veins. It was almost sickening how overrated they were.

It hadn’t just been Jeremy that made her recognize all that though he had had a hand in it. The realisation had been dawning on her for some time though she had never before put it all together into one comprehensive argument. Yes all were worthy of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – but why couldn’t they look for that happiness in their own world? The one they had been raised in. The one they were meant to live in.

“Mum! Dad! Pyro! I am leaving now. See you later!” Mary called into the house knowing the magic would carry her voice. She stood on the porch watching the driver as he loaded her trunk into the back before slipping into the backseat. The ride to King’s Cross was uneventful as Mary read a book she had stashed in her book bag and the driver weaved through the muggle roads getting her to the station a quarter hour before the train was set to leave.

Mary had him load the trunk onto a trolley and follow her through Platform 9 and ¾. She had her robes in her book bag so she charged the man with finding a place to keep her trunk so the school employees would bring it into the castle and she didn’t have to bother with it until she got back into her dorm room – it was locked so that only a specific spell preformed by her wand could open it anyways. She boarded from the front of the train and slipped into the nearest compartment planning on going to look for someone she knew when the train began to move.

She plopped down into the nearest seat before noticing there was a girl already in there – but one Mary scarcely recognized. She appeared to be older than Mary but likely not more than a year or two. She was certainly no Slytherin though – or Mary would know her from the common room – vibrant hair like hers is not something easily missed.

“Aren’t you a little old to be hiding from bullies in the front of the train? I mean I understand if you had something more important to do but… You appear as though you have every intention to huddle under the protection of the Professor’s compartment the entire time…” Mary said with a hint of malice in her voice and a snide twist to her lips. Sure the girl had done nothing to offend her… yet – but it was only a matter of time so might as well start tossing the insults instantly. The girl would have turned cold when she realised Mary was a Slytherin anyways – it’s always nice to get in the first throw.

[cleo]

Cleo looked up from her nails as the compartment door opened. Without saying a word – no introduction, no asking whether she could sit there – a girl entered and practically threw herself onto a seat. Cleo’s eye-brows rose at her comment as her temper flared high. What was it with all people thinking that you always had to be surrounded by people? Was it some kind of an annoying thinking that if you enjoyed some alone time in peace and quiet, then something was wrong? This girl showed the same cliché pack-instinct as practically everyone else in the school.

“I was hoping that it would keep insolent people away from bothering me, but I guess it didn’t work, as you are here,” Cleo snapped back moodily. And to think she had been in a good mood previously. Not because of going to school but because she wouldn’t have to tolerate her grand-parents for a few months. Cleo didn’t mind first years as none had decided to stick around after seeing Cleo in the compartment. Professors as well had all merely passed down her compartment. In all honestly Cleo had really enjoyed her alone time in the compartment. Cleo wasn’t particularly afraid of bullies. They had never seemed to think that bullying Cleo was much fun. Then again that might have been because Cleo cursed, hexed, jinxed and could sometimes even physically snap back. She didn’t always care to fight completely honestly either.

“Considering how quick you entered it would rather be YOU who’s running from some big bad person. Were you scared, girlie?” Cleo asked with mock niceness. The girl was a Slytherin. The malice in her voice and her whole being stated it. So bullies shouldn’t be bothering her really – for some weird reason all Slytherins seemed to stick together. Brushing the thought away idly, Cleo sent a smirk-like grin to the girl, “Oh, forgive me, if I’m wrong. Were you rushing here so you could do my manicure and perhaps actually do something useful besides loitering around?”

[Mary Evans]

Mary smirked at the older girl's rebuke before responding calmly, “Me? Insolent? Well I suppose I can be seen that way. I have every right to be at least. But what about you? Are you worthy of even being in my presence – not to mention arrogant yourself? I think not – otherwise we would already be acquainted would we not? Not to worry though dear I am sure someone more your stature will be coming on the train shortly where as I will find someone worthy of my presence to speak to.” The girl must be a Raven. Far too quick witted to be a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff.

She then rolled her eyes as it was questioned whether or not she was frightened when she had entered. “Oh yes I was petrified. I fear some big bad Gryffindor muggleborn filth is going to come up and try to converse with me as if they are my equal.” She said dryly with a quirk of her lips wondering of the blood of the girl down the compartment from her. She looked at the girl’s nail polishes as she questioned whether or not she was there to do the manicure… so many options… But Mary simply couldn’t do it… that would be too cruel… the girl hadn’t done anything to deserve it… But then again she could always get it fixed… it’s not like she didn’t have magic she could use to clean it up… That decided Mary raised her wand and directed it at the muggle paints. “Wingardium Leviosa.” She said and the blue began to hover. “Do your manicure? Sure why not. I think we should do blue – it would go so well with your shirt.” Mary said before dumping the blue on the girl’s shirt. “See.” She said cheerily with a smirk. “Or maybe red would be better? Or perhaps purple?” she continued dumping each colour on the girl in turn until there was no nail polish let in the bottles.

[cleo]

Cleo looked at the girl suing the same cool mask she had trained to wear in the presence of her grand-mother. Learning how to do this had taken months of training in front of a not very elpful magical mirror. But Cleo had managed to do it. She was still a bit doubtful as to how effective it was, but it helped Cleo keep her distance iwth her grand-parents. Which was the thing needed.
„Not worthy because we haven’t been introduced? Now, I’m not sure, but it might be because you aren’t exactly up to my stature as you already said. I don’t socialize with just anyone,“ Cleo snapped back quickly. She would give a lot not to let a Slytherin – especially one younger than her – win her in a verbal spar. „Not that there are much people in Hogwarts up to par,“ Cleo muttered under her breath not knowing or caring whether the other girl had heard it or not. It was true. Cleo wasn’t overly friendly or social. She had some good acquintances and people she could turn to if she fell asleep in History of Magic once again. But not someone she would actually call a very good friend or someone she could have heart-to-heart talks with. Cleo liked her own company. But that wasn’t the girls business now, was it?

Cleo’s fist clecnched in her lap with long nails cutting into flesh but Cleo merely observed as nail-polish splattered over her blouse. Cleo wasn’t sorry about the blouse. She had others pretty ones as well. Her grand-parents at the very least supported her financially. They family wasn’t that respected nor influential anymore, but they still had funds of old money.
„Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but you have a louzy taste of colours,“ Cleo knew that her eyes flashed with anger, but as she picked up her wand and waved it over her blouse while muttering „Evanesco“ her voice didn’t vawer. One more flick of her wand and the nail-polish bottles were filled once again.
Sitting up straight Cleo stared at the girl forcefully. She had just recently read form some muggle book about reversed psychology ad pity. This was as good time as any to try it out: „Do you know what’s the real difference between the Slytherin Queens and evil reincarnation wanna-be’s like you? Real Slytherins can send others crying with a few words, with one look – they never have to resolve to using something as petty as this spell just was. I don’t approve it, but they know what they are and are proud of themselves. You try to show you are big and mean and better than others. While the display you just put on shows that inside you are just a little lost girl who doesn’t know what to do. Nor do you really have the character required to make people think you actually are worth something.“

Cleo’s eyes burned angrily as if she wanted to burn a hole through the other girl’s scull. She wasn’t in any way sure that her words would have an impact on her. „You see – when people look at me they see the real me. As for you? You just wear a silly little mask? Really that scared everyone will laugh you out and dump you if you don’t act all the time?“ Cleo asked with curiousity raising it’s head in her now as well next to anger.

[Mary Evans]

Mary cocked her eyebrow at the girl as she was informed she had “lousy taste in colours”. “Actually, dear, I think it is more along the lines that nothing could go with that disaster you call a shirt. And am I not mistaken that it was initially you who selected these colours in bringing them out to do your manicure?” Mary drawled out as the girl replaced the nail polish into the bottles leaving her shirt spotless once more; it didn’t matter – she had made her point.

Her temper did rise though and Mary paled a shade though it was likely imperceptible were you not looking for it when the girl compared her to the Queens and called her a “wanna-be”. “So just because I am a Slytherin I must want to be a Queen is that it? That is the sole ambition of any Slytherin female? Just a note sweetie, the petty spells are fun. You think I am going to waste my time insulting the likes of you? The girl without even the intelligence to think that maybe I have ambitions of my own and am not[/I] the cliché Slytherin.

“A lost little girl! That’s it you’re right you hit the nail on the head; intelligent Ravenclaw you must be. You’re right I am petrified and terrified, please, please, older and wiser, intelligent woman who sees through my mask, I beg of you – set me free!” Mary almost yelled sarcastically as she stood up in the compartment glaring icicles at the older redhead.

“Now as lovely as it has been I fear I must go see what people who actually matter are up to. It’s been a ball, hope we can do it again sometime Pumpkin Pie.” Mary said before turning on her heel and leaving the compartment rather abruptly, even so far as she was concerned.

((Sorry to leave so soon but this was supposed to be a quick thread and… well you know ))