Someone New (Dana)

[ElinaHill]

"Pas ne peut pas pouvoir quoi." Elina spoke encouragingly to a flustered first year. The little girl wiped her eyes and smiled up at Elina, who wiped away the girls remaining tears before standing up and continuing on her way to the Ravenclaw common room. She had been walking back to the common room when she had stumbled upon a little first year; crying over the potions essay she couldn't seem to grasp. Elina doubted the little girl understood what she had just said, unless the 11 year old knew French, but she knew that it made her feel a little better about her homework. Elina usually spoke in French or Italian, unless she was speaking to someone else, which was rarely ever. She wrote in French and Italian also, so no one could read her writings. Elina was timid that way, insecure of what other people would think about her words. She didn't even let Ashley read what she wrote and that was something different. Elina let Ashley read anything, she trusted her little sister more than anything in the world.

Elina came up to the common room portrait, tucked some hair behind her ears and smiled lightly,"Pygargus." She told the portrait. It swung open and she stepped inside, feeling immediately at home. She set her shoulderbag on the table near the entrance and stretched her arms above her head, before slipping off her shoes and placing those in her shoulderbag along with her books. It was now bulging. Elina took out her book, To Kill A Mockingbird, that she had recently started reading again and made her way over to the couch that was placed in front of the elegant fire. She curled up onto a corner of the couch, her elbows resting on the arm rest, the book held steadily in front of her.

"Jem," I said, "are those the Ewells sittin' down yonder?"
"Hush," said Jem, "Mr. Heck Tate's testifyin'."
Mr. Tate had dressed for the occasion. He wore an ordinary business suit, which made him look somehow like any other man: gone were his high boots, lumber jacket, and bullet studded belt. From that moment he ceased to terrify me. He was sitting forward in the witness chair, his hands clasped between his knees, listening attentively to the circuit solicitor.

The solicitor, a Mr. Gilmore, was not well known to us. He was from Abottsville; we saw him only when court convened, and that rarely, for court was of no special interest to Jem and me. A balding, smooth faced man, he could have been anywhere between forty and sixty. Although his back was to us, we knew he had a slight cast to one of his eyes which he used to his advantage: he seemed to be looking at a person when he was actually doing nothing of the kind, thus he was hell on juries and witnesses. The jury, thinking themselves under close scrutiny, paid attention; so did the witnesses, thinking likewise.

It was one of Elina's favorite parts in the story. The trial. She loved how it was portrayed; almost everyone in the town of Maycomb, gathering round near to listen to the trial in which was being held. Of course Jem and Jean Louise weren't allowed to watch it; but they did anyway. Breaking the rule of their father in a manner he wouldn't want to know about. They were close those two kids were, and they did everything together. It was just something that portrayed an interest to Elina. Something that held her eye.

(Excerpt from Part Two, chapter 17, page 166 in To Kill A Mockingbird)

[dana]

Dana was getting her clothes into order once again. She had a lot of clothes and she liked variety in what she wore, but right now her clothes were a mess. Trying on some things and singing along to the music, that was softly floating around the fifth year’s dormitory, Dana was in a rather good mood despite discovering that she needed a new dress for more formal parties, or if Hogwarts would decided to hold one more ball.

Making a mental note, to browse Hogsmeade for the dress the next time, she went there, Dana looked around the room and sighed with satisfaction – everything was back where it belonged once again. Turning to leave the room, Dana stumbled on some shoe, which didn’t even belong to her just as she had opened the door. Dana stumbled out of the room, trying to catch her balance, which failed. Dana let out a string of curses in French before she flew down the stairs to the common room, hitting her head rather hardly on the edge of the last step.

Dana moaned laying still for a moment, so the black and red spots in her vision would get lost. She opened her eyes and pulled herself to a sitting position on the common room floor, which seemed rather empty at first glance. Dana groaned in pain as she pulled out her wand and casted a heeling charm on her right ankle, that seemed to be swelling a little. She also had some smaller bruises on her arms, but her head was bounding away most painfully.

Tentatively Dana raised her hand to the back of her head and feeling something wet, brought her hand back in front of her and grimaced seeing blood on her finger-tips. She had broken her head in a point, where she herself couldn’t reach with her wand.
Once more giving a glance around the common room Dana noticed a girl on the couch in front of the fire – around her age or even a bit older, so Dana climbed to her feet and walked slowly over, as each step seemed to explode in her head.

“Hi, sorry, to interrupt you,” Dana noticed the book the girl had been reading and smiled wryly, as she wasn't capable of much better at hte moment, “Especially from that good of a book, but think you could give me a hand and cast a healing charm on the back of my head? I don’t really see where I hit it on the stairs, so I can’t do it myself.” Dana lowered herself to the couch as well, turning her back a little towards the other girl, to show her what the problem was.

[ElinaHill]

Elina looked up quickly from her book to see a girl stumbling and falling down the dormitories steps. She set her book down and stood up and was about to walk over to her, when she realized that would mean interacting...and Elina wasn't sure if she necessarily wanted to do that. So, against her better judgement, Elina sat back down and picked up her book again...starting to read the first sentence of the next paragraph. She only got through the first four words, however, when she was interuppted by the stumbling girl. Elina smiled warmly and pulled out her wand.

"Remedium." Elina pronounced with perfect diction as to get the spell right. A light purple mist streamed out of her wand and entered the wound, then the wound disappeared. Elina smiled and put her wand away, waiting for the girl to say anything. Maybe she should say something? Maybe not. But, Elina did have a chance to make a friend; other than Ash, so she smiled at the girl and stuck out her hand for her to shake.

"Hi, I'm Elina. That was one injurious fall you took there. Are you okay?" She introduced herself with confidence, she wasn't one to stutter and be shy. She just never spoke to anyone besides her family. She did have an extensive vocabulary though, able to pronounce any word at any given moment, and recite the definition, word from word as it would be in the dictionary. Most the time it was because, she used to read the dictionary when she was younger and she somehow memorized most of the words and definitions.

[dana]

Dana felt relief and the pain fading a bit, as the girl healed her head-injury. Dana muttered one more quick spell, to relieve her head-ache, before shaking the girl’s hand.
Having done that Dana moved to lay down on the other couch, but positioned herself, so she could see Elina, as the girl introduced herself.

“Thanks, for that,” Dana grimaced a bit remembering the fall, ”I stumbled on someone’s shoe, so I just lost balance. I am clumsy on the whole anyways, but this fall was rough for even me. Luckily only you were here to witness it. And yeah – I don’t think I got a concussion, so I believe I’ll be fine.”<br>Dana explained with a small grin: “Oh, and I’m Dana. Dana Coran.”<br>Dana smiled and nodded at the book Elina had been reading – ‘To kill a Mockingbird’.
“That’s a great book. One of my favorites. I especially liked Jean Louise and Jem. Mr. Ewell made me furious though. To treat her own daughter that way! Ergh, even thinking about it makes me mad! But I love the book on the whole – it’s one of my all time favorites.”<br>

[ElinaHill]

Elina smiled, "It was no problem." She looked at the book she had set down and tilted her head at it, letting the loose strands of her brown hair fall into her blue eyes. She then looked at Dana and smiled again. To Kill A Mockingbird was a great book, magnificently written. And the movie did the book justice as well, even though it was in black and white...but, Elina wasn't very prejudice about that when she watched it...far too interested in the acting of Jean Lousie and Jem. Gregory Peck was wonderful as Atticus.

"Yeah. It's one of my favorites as well, read it when I was 5. It's on my top ten list, right underneath Great Expectations. Also, a very good book if I do say so. What other books have you read? Maybe I have read some of them." Elina smiled as she spoke, slightly aware that she was indeed speaking to someone utterly new and extremely nice to her. She waited patiently for Dana's answer. Elina was a patient girl, usually waited for anything if she was certain it would come to her. Which is why she did so well in infuriating classes like Potions; if she messed up, she would do it over and wait until she got it correct.

"Have you seen the movie, of To Kill A Mockingbird?" Elina added after a moment, maybe Dana hadn't seen the movie. Though, if she read the book she would most definitly want to see the movie that gave the book so much justice. Elina herself had gone and hunted it down so she could watch it, and when she finally found the movie she had watched it days on end, ruining it so she couldn't watch it again.

[dana]

“Well, I’ve read a lot of books. My grand-parents own six book-stores in France and Italy and one of them is meant for muggles, so I’m rather familiar with both muggle and wizard books. And as I’ve spend hours and days in the stores when I was a kid and still do when I have free time in summer, I have read a lot. So I don’t really know which books to name. I’ve read from children books like Tom Sawyer ad Huckleberry Finn to Gone with the Wind and even the Bible and Koran,” Dana told Elina with a grin, thinking back to all the times she had curled up in an armchair in front of the fire-place in one of the stores or at home. As her grand-parents owned the stores, she never had to pay for any book and Dana knew that one day, when her grand-parents pulled back from the family-business all of it would belong to her.

“But I didn’t even know there is a movie to this book! Is it any good?” Dana asked curiously sitting up a bit, so she was leaning on the armchair of the couch, “I usually prefer a book to a movie made by it, but I think I would still like to see this one. I would be heard to play the parts of the main characters – especially the children. Jem and Jean.”<br>

[ElinaHill]

"You've read the Bible? I can't bring myself to do that...I can't get through the old testament. Though, if I could I bet I would finish it within a fornight." Elina remarked with a laughing glimmer in her eyes. She brushed some of her hair out of her face and looked at Dana with wonder. She didn't know anyone who had read that many books, besides herself. When she looked back on what Dana had first said, her eyes sparked with light.

"Your grand-parents own 6 book stores? Six of them? I would be in heaven! All we have at home is a rather capacious library at our house." She was in awe, six book stores? Six of them? That was alot of books, in general more than Elina could think of. Elina had read a lot of books, but none near so much that could fill 6 book stores! No where near that. Elina smiled and looked down at her fingernails after a moment's silence.

"Oh yes, there is a movie. Gregory Peck played Atticus. It was made in 1962, so you can tell it is rather old. It's a black and white film, but none the less still utterly amazing. The girl who played Jean Louise is named Mary Badham, and the boy who played Jem is Phillip Alford. And Robert Duvall played Boo Radley. Very well I must say, he also played in the Godfather Trilogy. Those were good movies." Elina told her with a warm smile. She didn't know there was a movie made at first either, it was all very new to her, at the time. But, when her father had pulled her onto his lap and told her, that with every book she reads there is bound to be something else she would enjoy. She simply answered, movies if there are movies based upon the books I will watch them. That was when she learned that To Kill A Mockingbird was a movie as well.

[dana]

“Yeah, I’ve read it. I don’t believe in Christian God nor in any other, but it was an interesting reading material on the whole,” Dana answered with a grin as Elina seemed to like the idea of books.
“Yep. The stores are great – one is just a casual shop where you can find books for school – the Beauxbatons students shop there, and some house-keeping books. Kind of like the book-store at Diagon Alley. Three are regular with books in every more spoken language – even in French, English,Russian and Japanese/Chinese and German etc. And the subjects vary as well between everything. One is for muggles, where only muggle writers are sold – a regular book-store in the muggle world, except it’s bigger than most and has a broader selection. And one if for rare books, that are rarely found and that one is expensive. Some books there cost to a couple of hundred galleons, but they are fantastic,” Dana explained a bit closer as Elina seemed interested, “I used to go there every day with my grand-father for about 3-4 hours ever since I was a toddler and that time was always spent on reading.”<br>
Dana grinned cheerily and transfigured a random slip of parchment on the table to an ice-pack and held it to her head, as it still ached a bit: “And as my grand-parents own the stores I never have to pay for any of the books which is a real blessing. And my friends who like to read more or are looking for some special book always turn to me, as I can usually find one of the books and give them as gifts unless they are in the store for rarities.”<br>
“I’ll have to remember to watch that movie once then,” Dana pondered a bit about it, “I just have to find it from somewhere. Probably have to go shopping in the muggle world. Could you give a wild guess where I might find the video? Or will I just have to hope for the best?”<br>

[ElinaHill]

Elina smiled and pulled out her wand once more, she pointed it at the table and muttered, "Videor movie To Kill A Mockingbird." The movie then appeared on the table with magnificent form and Elina picked it up gingerly before handing it to Dana. She had learned that spell a little over a year ago and had never thought about summoning the movie. She just left it at hand and forgotten about it until recently. Elina smiled again and sat back, thinking back on what Dana had said about the books in different languages, something Elina would especially enjoy.

"I speak most of those languages fluently. German, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian, and English; of course. I go around and talk in German most of the time at home, my parents don't know a word I am saying and my sister Ashley just laughs because, she tends to know exactly what I am saying without knowing anything about speaking German." Elina remarked with an accomplished smile upon her face. She knew she was intelligent, and she often didn't brag about it. But there were times that oppurtunity presented itself, and Elina just had to say something.

"So many books, you must have a very expanded selection of books of your own though, correct? If you get them for free, there must be some advantages to getting them." She added after a moment's silence in between the two girls. Elina crossed her legs and put her elbow on her knee, then propped her chin in her open hand, before curling her fingers over the bottom of her chin.

[dana]

Dana grinned looking at the cover of the video: “Well, I hope I can use a video-player at the Room of Requirement. Or that they have on at muggle studies classroom.”<br>Listening to the language’s Eline spoke off Dana smiled: “Я могу говоритъ в русский язык, Française, Deutcsh, Estonian, Finnish and Swedish and naturally English. I aren’t that good in Italian or Spanish though.” Dana grinned: “It’s not very regular for someone to speak as many languages though. I am surprised and in an absolutely pleasant way!”<br>
“Yeah, I have my own library, more or less. I may keep all the books I wish, so I can hardly say no to the temptation of not keeping something,” Dana grinned moving the ice-pack on her head to the back of her head, grimacing gingerly as she had to raise her arm higher to do it, “And I usually et the books before they appear for selling in stores.”<br>
Dana tilted her head and smiled at Elina: “You should come and visit the stores once. I think you’d like it there. Of course my grand-father won’t have nearly as much time to spend there, if the elections go as they are guessed to end.” Dana glanced outside the window, thinking back to France, where his grand-father had a 95% chance to become elected as the next Minister of Magic. Not many people tied Meredith and Julien Graas to Dana though, as she had her muggle father’s name, who her mother had eloped with. Before that there was a couple of centuries of pure-blooded history behind her name.

“The common room is so great right now, without all the noise usually around here. I don’t have a clue how some of the people manage to concentrate or completely enjoy a good book in all that racket going on here in the evenings,” Dana said with a roll of her eyes.

[ElinaHill]

"In a way, all I did during my childhood was read and study. Which is why I am in Ravenclaw, my brain is too big to be in any other House." Elina remarked with a laugh, she then stopped laughing and crossed her legs as she leaned back farther in her seat. This had been the longest conversation she had without Ashley by her side. She looked at Dana and smiled, seeming to have made a new friend.

"Oh, you're so lucky! I would do anything to get so many books at those times!" She exclaimed as she listened to Dana talk about getting books early. She let her brown hair drop in front of her face, before she whisked it away with a triumphant sweep of her hand. Her blue eyes were once again visible, "Elections?" She asked in curiousity.

Elina strummed her fingernails on the couches arm rest as she listened to Dana answer, she bit her lip slightly and then smiled as if she understood what Dana had said. Elina stopped strumming her fingernails and continued to talk, "Well, I would like to think that no matter where I am, I am able to stay focused on a book. Concentrating so hard, I don't realize what is going around me. In a way, I guess you can say, that it drops the world behind me and it's just me and the book in this new world."

[dana]

“I’m probably in here, because I’m hopelessly addicted to books and reading. The Sorting Hat did think about Slytherin for a brief moment,” Dana said with a smile, recalling how nervous she had been in her first year, when she being sorted, “Luckily I remember most of the things I read, as I’m lazy.”<br>
“Yes, elections. I don’t know how much you know about France politics, but they are electing a new Minister of Magic soon. Maybe you have heard the name Julien Graas. His name and Meredith’s pass by the media quite often. In publishing and writing world as well. Anyway – Julien is one of the candidates to be the next Minister. And he is also my grand-father,” Dana explained calmly. Formal parties and receptions were all known to Dana, as she often accompanied her grand-parents to such events in summer, when she had free time. She had also had etiquette and dancing lessons and she wondered if it sometimes did show in her posture.

“I’m a half-blood though, even if Meredith and Julien have a few centuries of a pure blood-line behind them. My mother eloped with a muggle, so most people can’t relate me to Meredith and Julien. But blood doesn’t really matter, right?” Dana explained. It was true – only a number of people – especially in England – seemed to know Dana’s relation to her grand-parents.

“You have to come over to the book-stores in the summer then. So you can enjoy some hours or days of reading in peace. I love to read in the stores – there are a couple of huge armchairs in front of a fire-place and it’s just so homely over there. Regular customers aren’t allowed to go there, but if you ever come over, I can grant you a passage,” Dana shifted a little and made the ice-pack she had been holding on the back of her head, vanish with a careless flick of her wand, “Usually – do you have a lot of books at home, or do you use a library usually?”<br>

[ElinaHill]

"What excitement that must be! I wish my mother would run for something, equally as important. But, alas, it's as if she has forgotten the wizarding world and has resided in the world of being a chef, a pretty good one at that." Elina replied with genuine enthusiasm after Dana had told her about her grand-father running for Minister of Magic. She sighed with wishful thinking and looked at Dana once more. Elina smiled as she realized that having a conversation with someone, really wasn't as har as she had thought it to be after all.

"No, blood doesn't matter. I don't see how it could. We're all equal. All capable of being the exact same in a way. Everyone is related to everyone, some how. If you want to trace the family tree that far back. It makes me wonder if people are really that feeble-minded." Her enthusiastic voice had suddenly drifted into an angry tone and she had narrowed her eyebrows so that she looked menacing, or as menacing as Elina Hill could get that is.

"You really wouldn't mind me browsing the shops of the bookstores? Because, that would be the best! And I have a library at home, and most of the books are mine. So, in answer to your question, I have my own collection but, in a library." Elina giggled lightly as the confusion rose in her mind and she couldn't think of anything else to add to that little statement of understanding, "How's your head? Feeling any better?" She asked after her giggle.

[dana]

“I know what you mean. Certainly it’s interesting to know about your ancestors and whe they were and what they did. But I like to identify myself for what I know and can do or have done, rather than what other people, who happen to share the same last name – have ever done,” Dana rolled her eyes, “I really hate it when people say, ‘but my father could sing, there fore I am best qualified as a music-critic’. Or ‘my great-grandmother was an artist, so I’m the new Michelangelo’ or something among those lines.”<br>
“Just let me know, if you’re coming over and I’ll give you a tour in the stores, before letting you settle in which one you like best, so you can loose yourself in some book,” Dana answered with a smile. It wouldn’t be a problem for her.

“My head?” Dana touched the back of it a bit gingerly and grimaced – it was still sore, “It’s sore and it has felt better, but I’ll live. Your library sounds great though. And all are yours – wow! Do you have some favorite genre as well, or do you read everything?”<br>

[ElinaHill]

"All mine, yeah. I was in a way, pushed out of my family at a young age. In some ways, I am rather greatful, because if I was more active in my family I would never have learned the value of books. And no, I don't have a favorite genre. My horizons are broadened. I read anything and everything. If I start to read a book, and I don't like it, I still finish it. I can't stand to let a book go unfinished." Elina answered with a small chuckle at her own weirdness. Most people would just put the book down, but in a way Elina was a perfectionist and needed to do everything correctly.

"You should come over sometime and look through my library, oh, and we don't just have a book library. We also have a film library, and a music one as well. If you haven't noticed by now, I tend to be very cultured in different areas of the world. So maybe one day we could set a date where, I come and look through your book stores, and you can come and look through my..well, house?" She suggested with a gleam in her eyes, of hope and of joy. Her hair was annoying her, and she couldn't help but want to rip it out, and it was the least she could do by fixing so she wouldn't rip it out of her skull.

"Oh, and the whole thing about, because their parents were someone or were good at something, so they would be too. That's just insane. Because, my mother is good at mathematics and I am no where near it. So that theory is incorrect." Elina stated with another smile and a twist of her wrist so that she could pull a clip through her thick dark brown hair.

[dana]

Dana smiled as Elina explained her police about reading books. Dana had the same principals – if she started the book, she finished it, even when she didn’t like it. But not too many people did the same.
“It’s a deal then. I come over some day and so will you,” Dana nodded in agreement, before an interested twinkle started in her eyes and she asked, “What’s a music library? Never heard of a statement like that earlier. I have quite a lot music back at home in different genres as well, but I wouldn’t dream of naming it a library. SO what does your music library consist of?”<br>
“And I know what you mean about mathematics. It was killing in elementary school – my grand-parents put me in one. And as it was a muggle school I took all those subjects. And maths was a killer. I’m just glad I didn’t have to go there long enough to start learning physics and chemistry,” Dana said with a roll of her eyes as she recalled math lessons, “And the teacher wasn’t any better either.”<br>
“But I liked the experience. And it’s useful now – I went to a muggle school and generally spent times around muggles, so I know quite a lot about them, which isn’t bad at all,” Dana stated with a grin, “Besides I’m convinced that muggle’s have a lot prettier and cooler clothes often. So I shop often in muggle-world, so my knowledge about them really does come in handy.”<br>