Kinda sorta long chapter? Didn't want to drag out the first day any further.
Oh and it's unedited, oopsydoodles.

The day wasn't even half over and Harry had felt a rollercoaster of emotions. From stress to totally in love to guilt, he wasn't expecting any of it.

He especially wasn't expecting Anna to bring the new student - Caspar Mundy - into their compartment.

Before anyone could introduce themselves, the girl said, "Caspar, that's Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and-"

"Harry Potter," Caspar cut in, kindly eyeing the raven-haired boy with a smile. "Of course. It's great to meet you guys. Sorry if I'm intruding, feel free to kick me out whenever."

"No, you're fine," said Hermione a bit quickly, a blush rising to her cheeks when a smile from him was flashed her way. Ron tensed a bit. "So, your accent's...American? Did you go to Ilvermorny?"

"I did...how'd you know?"

"She probably read about it. Hermione's bloody brilliant, if you didn't know," Ron defended but looked completely confused as to why he did so.

Caspar, though, wasn't and smirked a bit, looking between the two of them. Hermione cleared her throat and brushed it off. "So, what house were you in?"

"They have a sorting hat too?" questioned the ginger.

"No, Ron, but we still get sorted...kind of. There's four houses just like there is here, but there's no hat. There are these carvings of the mascots that choose students for their house. If you get chosen by more than one house, you get to choose from those."

"They say it represents democracy in a way, something America greatly values."

"Got the books memorized, eh Granger?" Caspar said with a chuckle, causing her cheeks to turn redder. "Yeah, it kinda does. I was called by Thunderbird and Wampus and chose the latter. They say there's no equivalent to the Hogwarts houses in ours, but I'm guessing Wampus is kinda like Gryffindor, and Thunderbird is Ravenclaw."

Hermione spoke up yet again, "So you've read about Hogwarts?"

"Nah, my mom was a Britt and went to Hogwarts."

"What house was she in?"

Caspar hesitated a bit, his eyes flitting to the two Chosen Ones. "Well, I'm sitting in a compartment of Gryffindors, so I know this won't go over well...she was a pureblooded Slytherin. My father was a half-blooded Pukwudgie, equivalent of Hufflepuff is that helps any."

"Slyth-"

"It's okay, I was sorted into Slytherin at first," Anna cut off Harry before he could give a snarky comment.

The new kid's eyes widened a bit. "Really?"

"Yeah, the hat called out Slytherin then called me back and resorted me into Gryffindor. Honestly, your house isn't a big deal, it's the choices you make and who you choose to be," she said reassuringly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think you'll get Slytherin but...well, if you do, it won't be that bad. My cousin's in there-"

"Like Malfoy's any good," muttered Harry, earning a glare from the girl and an awkward chuckle from Caspar. "So why're you here anyway?"

"Well, um," the bright-blue eyed boy started hesitantly, burning under Harry's sharp gaze, "my mother just wanted to come back home, yanno? She never really cared for me going to Ilvermorny. I didn't really have a problem with the place but whatever."

"Whatever? Mate, that's bloody stupid, leaving it all behind because your mum didn't like the school," said Ron with the shake of his head.

Caspar looked a bit sad at the mention of it, but he quickly forced a smile. "It's alright, I guess. I miss my friends...just gotta make some new ones I guess. What really sucked was leaving my girlfriend behind."

"Oh?"

"I mean, she kind of cheated on me constantly but whatever," he said, trying to keep his tone from turning bitter. "Maybe it's a sign. But anyway, you guys seem pretty chill, hopefully the others are the same."

"I'm sure you won't have a problem making friends, regardless of where you end up," reassured Hermione with a shy smile.

"You're too kind. Alright, so onto you two, I have a question," said Caspar, turning to Harry and Anna. "You two are the 'Chosen Ones' and seem pretty close. Are you a thing?"

Harry gulped but Anna grimaced and spoke, her voice dripping with venom, "No, I don't think I'm ready for a relationship, I'm too messed up in the head...don't you agree, Harry?"

His emerald eyes widened along with Ron and Hermione's, who stared at her incredulously.

Harry Potter had been busted.

Ron cleared his throat. "Erm, Hermione and I have to go to the Prefect's carriage. So we'll just, uh, leave you three."

And with that, they scrambled out, leaving the awkward tension with the new trio for the rest of the train ride.

~=~

The journey wasn't all too bad. Caspar felt a bit at home - despite Harry's occasional glare - and much less tense. It consisted of them telling the new kid about Hogwarts, what to expect, how N.E.W.T.'s worked, and them learning more about Ilvermorny. Towards the end, the raven-haired boy made an excuse and reluctantly left the two alone.

But when Harry hadn't come back to the compartment when the train pulled to a stop, that's when Anna knew he was snooping around.

Well, actually, she had known when she caught a glimpse of the invisibility cloak he was trying to hide.

"You coming, Anna?"

"I'm going to find Harry. You'll be going with the first years anyway. Find a huge guy named Hagrid and he'll help you out. Tell him I said hi," she said

Before walking off, Caspar gave her a warm smile, his voice soft as he said, "Thanks for letting me sit with you guys and being a friend. Hopefully I'll see more of you."

The girl watched his retreating figure, a slap happy grin spreading across her face, and she was extremely grateful that he didn't notice. All in all, she believed Caspar was a great guy and the train ride with him went quite well.

She knew, though, that Harry was hesitant, but it didn't faze her. The real question was why? Maybe it was the fact he was a foreigner. Or maybe the fact that his mother was a Slytherin.

But him being jealous?

No. Way.

But in all honesty, the absurd thought of a crush crossed her mind only once, and that was at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. The way that Anna's eyes widened, how she leaned forward a bit, and her tone upped a bit with curiosity.

Yes, Harry noticed, but Anna didn't even truly realize herself.

She didn't know of the growing infatuation in her heart or how she found herself laughing more than usual at anything he'd say. All she knew was that this boy was kindly mysterious, and she just wanted to get to know him.

And besides, she was the psychotic, suicidal, violent Anna Black. Who would give her the time of day?

Her contemplation was interrupted when the compartment door slammed open and Blaise Zabini came in. His dark eyes were more brooding than ever, yet Anna could've sworn they held just a touch of sympathy.

"You should go, Black."

"I-I'm just waiting for someone, that's all," she said, her voice small as he towered over her. She noticed that the boy kept glancing behind him down the corridor, as if he were covering for someone further back.

He answered her suspicions by stating, "I saw Potter get off the train earlier."

"Okay, thank you." Anna left the compartment quickly, but she had no intention of going back to the castle and she knew that her best friend was still on that train. She was quite grateful for the fog, as Blaise wouldn't be able to see that she had, in fact, stayed behind.

The girl quickly turned to her animagus form and hid under the train when she heard the boy's footsteps. Her small orange body tensed as he walked by, muttering, "Poor girl." but she quickly relaxed when he was out of sight.

It confused her why the Slytherin was acting so odd, but she pieced it together when she heard a yelp inside the compartment, then someone spitting insults. As she was about to intervene, someone else got off the train.

The fox quickly came out from her hiding spot to get a look, and if she were human, she would've gasped.

Draco Malfoy walked with haste away from the train, his platinum hair glistening in the moonlight. She couldn't see his face, but she got a bad vibe from him.

When she was sure nobody was in sight, Anna changed back to her normal form and soundlessly ran onto the train. Her journey was short-lived and she tripped over something invisible, catching herself before she could fall.

There was no sound from the invisible roadblock, but she could feel a slight breath down her neck. She pulled back the invisibility cloak to reveal Harry, his face bloody from his broken nose. He was paralyzed and looked at her with dead eyes.

"Finite," she whispered and he snapped out of the curse and, without even thinking, put his hands on her waist and sat her up straight. She felt heat rush to her face at this but quickly grimaced and got off him completely.

"Anna, what-" Harry was cut off by the train lurching forward. "Shit."

She helped him up and pulled him by his arm towards the doors. The train was already moving fast when they got to the exit. Her grey eyes widened at the speed of the locomotive, but she quickly turned to her friend, stating, "We need to jump."

"What? Anna, are you-"

"Crazy?" she paused, looking at him with a mischevious smirk that warmed his heart. "Always."

When they locked eyes, all their fears went away, and in that moment, they would've done anything together. Butterflies in their heart replaced judgment in their gut as they took a stance, held hands, and said in unison, "One, two, three!"

Anna squealed as she pulled Harry forward, but it quickly turned to a groan when they hit the ground with a thud, then finally, they burst into laughter.

"Damn you," she muttered jokingly and Harry turned his head to look at her.

"Damn me?" asked Harry incredulously. "I think you mean damn Malfoy. He's the one that-"

"We'll argue on the way, come on," Anna said, and with a groan, she got up and continued walking, Harry following suit. "So, what'd you do to provoke him this time?"

"I didn't provoke him, Anna, he just cursed me then kicked me when I was down...literally."

"So he just attacked you out of nowhere because he felt like it? I don't believe it."

Harry sighed in annoyance. "He said it was my fault his father got incarcerated and that he was paying me back. Lucius deserved it though, nasty git, and Draco doesn't have a reason to be mad-"

"I almost killed someone over my father," Anna said quietly, and she cut off Harry as he was about to protest. "He's considered a criminal. He has a dark side. He's hated by many but he's my father, he's family. Draco broke your nose, and I broke my own skin. I understand what it feels like. Azkaban is like a death sentence, and with his family being dark as it is...he's got shit going on."

There was a depressing silence for a bit, but Harry wasn't willing to stand down. "Damn right he does. He's extra shady this year-"

"That's not what I meant-"

"No, listen to me," he cut her off, stopping to look into her eyes. "I think he's working for Voldemort...he's a Death Eater."

"Evidence?"

"He just seems suspicious-"

"And you just seem like you're looking for trouble," muttered Anna, picking up her pace a bit. They approached Flitwick and Filch next to a pile of luggage.

The dwarf stepped forward with a long roll of parchment, asking, "Names?"

"Erm, Professor, you've known us for five years," Harry said and Anna held back a laugh.

"Quiet Potter...oh, forget it."

"Um, sir, what's the point of this?" asked Anna when Filch took her backpack and, much to her annoyance, started rummaging through all its contents.

"Increased security measures," stated Flitwick, standing up a bit straighter. "Dumbledore will explain at the feast...if you haven't already missed it. Potter, what happened to your face?"

"Mal-"

"I beat him up," she said, but quickly laughed when the two adults gave her a startled look. "I'm only joking. We really should get going, see you in class!"

Anna snatched her bag away from Filch, grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him further down the path. They trudged through the darkness, their bickering refusing to cease.

Harry groaned in annoyance. "So are you saying you trust Malfoy?"

"Yes. Yes, I am. Death Eater or not, I trust him. He would never kill or turn someone in...he doesn't have the ability. And besides, he's family that actually cares. He may be shitty, but he has a heart...even if it's probably encased in ice," she said with a chuckle. "I'll talk to him when I get the chance, but for now, I'm not talking about him anymore."

The raven-haired boy sighed in defeat. He understood where Anna was coming from. If he had magical family his age that wasn't completely evil, he'd probably try to hold onto them, despite what they'd done.

But he still felt the need to pick the fight that was bothering him. "So, let me guess, you trust Mundy too?"

"Caspar? I mean, he's really nice and there's no reason not to."

"Besides the fact his mum's a Slytherin and he came here 'randomly'?" When she gave a scoff, the boy continued, "You and Hermione were practically drooling over him-"

"I-I was not," stuttered Anna, obviously taken aback. She was grateful for the darkness that covered her blush.

"So you don't fancy him or find him attractive?"

Harry's gaze was expectant and her mind went blank. "He's...got a nice face."

"You're such a charmer."

"Fuck off," she muttered. It took everything for her to not smack him upside the head and for him not to scold her on her desire to get to know the new boy.

Despite that, the last thing he wanted to hear was his suspicions of her infatuation being true.

He wondered if it were too late to accept her proposal for a relationship. At that moment in time, he wondered if he could've apologized and confessed his love, and they could've kissed in the soft light of the moon and stars, but mentally slapped himself for thinking such a thought.

So instead, he somewhat changed the topic. "Okay, so you trust a possible Death Eater and some guy you just met, but not Dumbledore? One of the greatest wizards to ever exist?"

"He uses orphan children to do his dirty work and keeps crucial information from them, yet expects them to fight the most powerful dark wizard. So no, I don't trust him," said Anna, her voice dripping with venom. Harry decided against arguing and they walked in a comfortable silence to the castle.

They were grateful that the huge entrance gate - that must have just been installed - was open and they were able to walk on through. The Aurors at the doors watched them carefully, their wands drawn. Tonks was there and flashed a quick smile before becoming serious again.

When Anna pulled Harry down a corridor, he asked, "Wait, shouldn't we go to the Great Hall?"

"Would you love to show your lovely blood mask to everyone? Maybe we could publicly thank my idiot cousin?"

"I kind of like that idea-"

"Well too bad," she cut in, smirking a smirk that was so similar to the platinum-haired boy's. "You're gonna get cleaned up instead."

"And my nose? Does it look that bad?"

Anna stopped and turned him towards her, giving a laugh. "I mean, at least you have a nose, it's an advantage over Voldemort..."

He rolled his eyes while chuckling. "Should we go to Madame Pomfrey?"

"Why should we go to the Hospital Wing when you have Madame Black right here?"

"Since when have you done anything medically?"

"Well, I know a hell of a lot about being injured so that's gotta count for something," she said with a grin. "To be fair, I do know a spell for mending bones...don't worry, I'm not Lockhart...or maybe I am, I'm not exactly sure yet."

"Oh, fun, I get to be your guinea pig-"

"Episkey!" she exclaimed, pointing her wand at his face.

He yelped and when the pain ceased, he put a hand to his newly mended nose. "Thanks."

"Of course, now let's go," said Anna, pulling him down yet another corridor and into the girls' bathroom.

At this, Harry raised an eyebrow, asking, "Why-"

"Because there's water and your face is bloody as hell," she said as she got a paper towel, ran it under some water, then started gently cleaning the blood off his face as he leaned against a sink.

"Anna, I can do it-"

"Keep what happened on the down low, okay?" she said quietly, ignoring him.

The boy sighed and gave a nod, watching as she zoned out during the tedious task. "Anna?" Her fathomless grey and blue-specked eyes flitted up to meet his, and his heart filled with guilt. "About what I said...how much did you hear?"

It pained her to keep eye contact but she was determined to stay strong. She didn't want to look like the poor rejected girl. "Is there something you're scared of me hearing? Something you're hiding?"

"I, erm...no."

"I heard up until you said I was messed up in the head."

"When I said that...Anna, you didn't hear the whole conversation. I didn't mean it the way you think," he said quietly as she dabbed at his nose one last time. At this point, they were quite close to each other and the gap was slowly closing. "I really do care about you."

"I'm not 'vulnerable', so if that's the reason, quit fighting it," she whispered, leaning into him. Something sparked in Harry for a split second as their lips connected and his hands went to her hips.

Anna was right. Hell, she was a half year older than him, she wasn't some child. If she wouldn't be with him, then it would be someone else, and why should he stand for that?

But remember the key words: a split second.

Because when Moaning Myrtle popped out from a stall and cried, "Merlin's beard! Harry Potter is mine!", Harry's mind went back to protective mode and he quickly pulled back, grabbed Anna by the arm and dragged her down to the Great Hall without a word.

Anna, on the other hand, was trying not to explode with questions and glee. "Let's just skip the feast, we've already missed-"

"No. And we're not getting together," he stated, giving her a harsh glare.

She couldn't help but recoil and frown. A lump formed in her throat and tears threatened to surface...but no, Anna refused to be a burnt and rejected girl. Instead, she glowered and spat, "You're having a hell of a time leading people on, aren't you?"

"I'm not. What just happened was a mistake-"

"Well guess what," she cut in, "maybe I don't want an actual relationship, but just to have a bit of fun. And besides, if I were looking for something meaningful, why would I ever go to you?"

Her words were like a slap in the face to the boy and he stared at her, shocked. The smallest things she said could hurt, and she knew just how to work her words.

But then again, he knew how to work his actions.

When he stayed silent and they approached the doors, Anna whispered, "We're not talking about what happened earlier or on the train, end of story."

Harry's eyes flitted to her and that sufficed as a nod. They entered the Great Hall and could feel the eyes of all students on them.

The boy was suddenly thankful that Anna fixed his nose and cleaned his face because the last thing he wanted to do was explain the morbid appearance to anyone. But he felt bad as he watched people look at Anna then turn to whisper about her 'nerve to show up at school', or how she 'should've stayed in the psycho ward'.

He tried putting an arm around her shoulders and whispering words of reassurance, but she shrugged his limb off and walked ahead quickly, keeping a straight face all the while.

They sat down together at the red and gold table across from Hermione and Ron, who started bombarding them with questions.

"Where were you two?! Honestly-"

"Bloody hell, Hermione, and I thought you were smart. Obviously they were snogging-"

"We weren't," said Harry a bit too quickly but then cleared his throat. "Malfoy-"

"What house did Caspar get into?" Anna cut in, her eyes frantically searching the Gryffindor table.

"Ravenclaw. I knew he was smart!" exclaimed Hermione with a grin, which Anna shared.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Bloke seemed to be debating with the hat, seemed mad he didn't get into our house. He's getting along with Reeve though."

They all turned to look at him and he was, in fact, getting along with Reeve Waters. She seemed to be in some deep explanation and a slight blush painted her pale cheeks. Caspar caught the quartet's gaze and gave a smile and wave.

"It's good he's making friends," said Anna as she ignored the bit of jealousy in her heart.

Wait...jealousy?

"Did Dumbledore-"

"He hasn't made a speech...I think he was waiting for you two," explained Hermione and they noticed that Dumbledore was eyeing them.

"I have the sudden urge to leave."

Anna started getting up and Harry pulled her down, keeping a light grip on her arm. "You're not going anywhere."

"Why should I listen-"

The Great Hall fell silent instantly as the headmaster stood at the podium, a smile on his aged face. "Welcome to the new students, and welcome back for the old. This year will be different, especially in terms of staff. I'd like to welcome back an old teacher and friend of mine, Professor Slughorn, to his position in teaching Potions."

As the Hall fell into hushed whispers, Slughorn had stood up, giving a merry smile and wave. He was a tall, balding and greying man with a very round stomach, and Anna figured he had never known what it was like to go hungry.

He continued, "And Professor Snape will be taking over the position as Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher."

"What?! No!" exclaimed Harry, loud enough for people to turn their heads.

He had risen from his spot without even thinking and Anna quickly pulled him down, hissing, "Don't make an ass of yourself."

"And lastly, there will be a new History of Magic teacher and the class will be required for every student, regardless of preference or O.W.L. grades. Please welcome Professor Mavis!" Dumbledore said, a bright smile lighting up his old face. "Would she like to come up and say a few words?"

"Screw off," she muttered and he gave an awkward chuckle, many kids snickering.

The woman he motioned to was the youngest of everyone at the staff table. She was tall and radiated elegance with her fitted robes, dark curly hair pulled back into a low bun, light eyes, a few piercings, and a cold demeanour.

(sorry the pic is so big, faceclaim is Logan Browning btw)

"Bloody hell, I don't think I'll mind learning about History of Magic," said Ron in awe, not being able to take his eyes off the new teacher.

The woman merely looked around, not acknowledging the many claps she received. Not a single trace of a smile could be seen on her pretty face. She looked fierce, yet somehow dead inside.

Anna's stomach churned when she made eye contact with the woman. 

She had been the woman standing among the trees at her father's funeral. The woman Remus had looked so scared of.

But why?

~=~

Hey! Sorry the chapter was long or if it seemed to be a bit of a filler, but I didn't want to chop it up. Hopefully you enjoyed it anyway.

Just wanted to say thanks for over 1.5K reads! It's not much compared to earlier books, but I did take a long hiatus and expected to lose everyone, but I'm happy some stayed behind, and for that, I'm truly grateful.

As for Hidden In Plain Sight, it'll either be updated later tonight or sometime tomorrow. Sorry I'm behind!

Question of the chapter...
~What do you expect from our new characters? What would you like to see?~

Pls vote and comment!

Love to all,
~Lumos