London Air

written by WonderfullyWicked and UntilNeverDawns

PART ONE

**

Evie

**

Natasha Michaels had been my best friend since our first year at the School of Witchcraft in the States. Thanks to our fathers' new jobs in the brand new American wing of the Ministry, we were no longer in the states. We were sent to Hogwarts for our fifth year.

When school rolled around, Tasha and I found ourselves on the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9¾. The beautiful scarlet train left our pasts behind as we found ourselves right in the middle of England's premier wizarding school.

We were sitting in our own little compartment when a girl with curly brown hair bopped into our compartment.

"Oh!" she said, like we had scared her. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Tasha said, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder.

"I thought you were someone else," the girl replied. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Hello," Tasha and I chorused. My voice sounded loads more tired than hers did. I wondered if jet lag just didn't affect her. She was as chipper as always.

"I'm Natasha Michaels. You can call me Tasha." The two shook hands.

Hermione looked over at me. I suddenly felt self-conscious in my grungy sweats—it seemed I was the only one who hadn't bothered to care about her appearance today. Of course, Tasha looked great, as usual, in a silky sleeveless top and jeans. But before I could introduce myself, two boys came up behind her.

"Hermione, we've been looking for you everywhere," one said. His fiery red hair was a bit shaggy, his mouth full of candy. I saw the box in his hand—a chocolate frog.

"Ronald, it's not polite to talk with your mouth full," Hermione said like she was his mother, pushing his jaw closed. Ron gave her a look.

"That's Ronald Weasley," she said, as if it explained everything.

"Just Ron," he shot back, his mouth muffled with more chocolate.

"And that's Harry Potter," she said, pointing to the other guy, who had short, dark hair, glasses, and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.

Tasha and I exchanged glances. We'd heard about The Boy Who Lived plenty of times, but we had never seen even a picture. Of course, Voldemort and his followers weren't much of a threat in the States. We just heard about him in the papers our fathers got.

Hermione introduced Tasha to the boys, and there was a lull as all four turned to look at me.

"Oh, I'm Evie." I smiled, taking in their faces. They said nothing. "Locke," I added, almost as an afterthought, then cringed inwardly at how stupid it sounded. "Well—I mean, I'm Evie Locke...." Ron stared at me like I was incompetent. I couldn't blame him. I made a slight whining noise and slumped in my seat.

"Nice to meet you," Hermione said. "Actually, do you mind if we share the compartment?"

"No," Tasha said right when I put in, "Not at all."

I tried to close my eyes, but I was pulled into the conversation.

"Evie, Tasha was saying that your fathers just filled the new positions at the Ministry," Hermione chipped in.

"Oh, yes," I said. "We were going to the School of Witchcraft in New York City, in the United States, but the Minister gave us special permission to go here. Since, y'know, this is the only school we can attend in the area."

"Your fathers are the two men in the American wing?" Ron said. "My dad's been talking about two Statesmen."

"Yeah," Tasha said proudly. "The first two members of the newest wing of the Ministry." She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, her green eyes twinkling.

Before I knew it, Hermione told us to change into our robes.

"What's the badge for?" I asked, scrutinizing the badge on each of the trio's robes. Each had a griffin on it backed by a red and yellow shield.

"There are four houses at Hogwarts," Hermione said. "Ours is Gryffindor."

"There are Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins, too. Hufflepuffs have got a yellow badger, Ravenclaws a blue raven, and Slytherins have a green snake," Ron finished. "Basically, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are okay, Gryffindor is the best—" at this Ron spread a huge grin onto his face, then continued— "And Slytherin is just horrible."

"Now, Ronald, don't be a pig," Hermione scolded. She turned to us. "Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty, Ravenclaws for their wisdom and learning, Gryffindors for their nerve and bravery, and Slytherins for their wit and cunning."

"Oh," Tasha and I said in unison. I snuck a look at Harry, who was quiet and looking out the window. I wondered if this quietness was normal.

"We don't know many nice Slytherins," Hermione added in a quiet voice.

"Many?" Ron said, incredulous. "We don't know any!"

"Anyway," Hermione said, annoyed and changing the subject, "How are they going to sort you two?"

I shrugged.

Hogwarts was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! I couldn't even think of adequate words to describe it! It looked like a castle you would dream about in fairy tales. Except ten times bigger. I couldn't believe I would be going to school here!

Tasha and I were walking side by side, our shoulders touching as we followed Harry, Ron and Hermione into what they called the Great Hall. Tasha and I both let out an awed "whoa." The ceiling looked like a night sky, sprinkled with a billion tiny stars. Candles illuminated, quite brightly, the entire Hall from the ceiling, where a thousand floated softly.

Tasha and I sat down across from the trio for the whole night. I looked around at everything around me, and noticed a boy. I settled my gaze for a fleeting moment on his brown eyes, which were boring right into mine. He had a fiery head of bright red hair, worn in a shaggy, rather long style, like Ron's. I blushed and looked away.

That night, Tasha and I met the shy Neville, the outrageous Seamus, Ron's little sister Ginny, Lee Jordan, and Ron's older brothers, the adorable pranksters Fred and George. I blushed when I met them—most likely because George was the one who had been staring at me since Tasha and I had sat down. He winked at me, and I looked away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him laugh.

After the night's festivities, including a huge feast and the Sorting of the first years, one of the teacher, Professor McGonagall, I think her name was, led Tasha and me to the headmaster's office.

"We will sort you two just like the first years," Professor McGonagall said as she drew out the Sorting Hat, a rather eccentric old hat with a face.

Tasha made me go first. I sat down on the stool Professor McGonagall had placed in front of me, and she put the Sorting Hat on my head.

"Well," The hat said, "I could put you in any house. Quite the brains, a hefty helping of Hufflepuff loyalty--" I shot my gaze to Tasha out of habit. The hat was right—I couldn't stand to be a shy, lonesome wallflower. I had to have someone with me. Call it a security issue. "The sly wit of a Slytherin, but the heart of a Gryffindor." I was leaning toward Gryffindor. I knew people in the house, and it was the only familiar thing so far. It didn't hurt that George Weasley, the one staring at me, was sitting at the Gryffindor table.

"All right, Gryffindor," the hat boomed. McGonagall took the hat off my head, and I felt a little weight come off my shoulders, and not just the hat's.

Tasha inched forward, hesitantly sitting on the stool.

I could see her lips moving the slightest bit, and I wondered what she was saying to the hat.

"Ah, I see," the hat pondered, "I see you've got a bit of nerve in you; let's call it daring. Ravenclaw's brains, for sure, but wit mixed in. I see no other house for you now but...Slytherin!"

My heart tugged. My best friend was not going to be in my house?! I was dumbfounded. No one knew Evie without Tasha back home. I fought the distant stinging in my eyes. Tasha wasn't even mean, like Ron said Slytherins were.

McGonagall left us to gather our things and head to our houses.

"Well..." Tasha trailed off.

"I guess this is 'bye, for now," I said, pulling her into a hug.

"Yeah," she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. I told her to smile, trying to keep my voice light, and we separated to go to our respective houses.

I found Harry waiting for me. I was rather shocked; Harry didn't come across as the person who I would think to be waiting for me, but I accepted his quiet company nonetheless.

We didn't speak at all. I felt no need to break the comfortable silence I felt around him. I felt an immediate sense of calm around him as he led me to Gryffindor Tower. Soon, though, that calm silence was disturbed.

"Oi, Pothead!"

Harry whipped around to find a pale boy with white-blonde hair smirking at him. It was the most disgusting, sneering smirk I'd ever seen.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked through gritted teeth. When he spoke to this boy, he spoke of him with passionate hatred. No, scratch that—utter loathing.

The ugly smirk turned to me. "Who's this, Potty? A new squeeze?" He raised his eyebrows. Harry growled and spoke for me, stepping in front of me. That was good—I had no idea what to say.

"No; why do you want to know?" Harry asked. The Malfoy boy's smirk turned into a frown. "What use has she got to you?" Harry turned me around and urged me to keep walking. When we turned the corner, Malfoy took me by surprise, his wand whipping out from his robes. He cornered me into the wall and held the piece of wood to my throat.

"Shove off, you shallow jackass!" I said, eyes still closed, speaking for the first time. "Leave me alone!" I tried to push him off of me, but with little progress. Harry helped me by shouting "Expelliarmus!" I snapped my eyes open and saw that this had distracted the boy for enough time to let me escape. I ran behind Harry toward Gryffindor, sparing one last glance back. The Malfoy boy looked troubled, frowning. His steel blue eyes were narrowed in my direction as he stood up. I whipped around as I saw him curtly turn the corner.

I realized with terror that the green symbol on his robes was for Slytherin. It hit me like a brick—Tasha would be in that house! If everyone in Slytherin was like that Malfoy, Tasha would be suffocated.

"Thanks, Harry," I said as I stepped through the hole behind the Fat Lady. I was now in the Gryffindor common room, I realized with relief. I hugged Harry. He put his arms around me awkwardly and stiffly.

As I pulled away from the boy with the lightning scar, I hoped with all my heart that Tasha would be okay.

**

Tasha

**

Great work, Tasha. Not out of the Headmaster's office for five minutes and you're lost.

I was walking down a hallway that, I hoped with every fiber of my being, was the way toward the Slytherin common room.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pale guy with white-blonde hair turn the corner sharply behind me. He looked positively horrible. Before I knew it, he was right behind me.

"Lost?" He asked coolly, a smirk on his face replacing the foul mood he had looked to be in. Read my mind, I thought.

"That depends," I replied, "on if you'll tell me the way to the Slytherin common room or not."

There was a pause.

"What's your name?" the boy asked. His blue-grey eyes were narrowed.

I set my jaw. "You tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine."

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

I paused. "Natasha." A smile began to tweak at the corner of my mouth. "Tasha Michaels," I said after a slight hesitation.

We stood there for a while, neither of us saying anything.

"So," I said, breaking the silence, "are you going to show me the way or not?"

"Come on." He ushered me through a corridor, down a flight of stairs, and to a dead end.

"Um, this is just a wall—"

"Pure blood," Draco Malfoy said to the dead end. To my surprise, the wall writhed and became an archway bordered by snakes. We stepped through the arch and entered the Slytherin common room.

"Malfoy," a boy with dark hair greeted. "Who's the new girl?"

I glared at the boy, who looked like he'd just been slapped.

I suddenly heard a shrill, nasally voice cry, "Drakie!" I saw a girl run to Draco, somehow managing to shoot me a dirty look along the way. He cringed. I studied her looks for a moment before coming to the conclusion that she looked like a pug. But not a cute one.

"Who's she?" Pug asked.

"Natasha Michaels," I answered her. "I just transferred from New York City."

"I knew you were a foreigner...Michaels." She said the word 'foreigner' like most people would say 'prostitute.' "I'm warning you now, keep your hands off my Drakie. He doesn't like grubby Americans like you," she spat. Wow...are all girls in Slytherin this catty?

"He's all yours," I said, laughing once and holding up my hands. "I'm not attracted to shallow guys. Especially if he likes pugs like you." A group of guys groaned, a couple punching Draco on the arm. I rolled my eyes. Draco said nothing.

"Ugh. Whatever. Just...stay away from him," Pug retorted. I almost laughed; back in the States she would have been tortured for a comeback like that! Oh well, I thought. I guess things are different here.

"That's not possible, Miss Parkinson," a greasy-haired, black-garbed man said. "Due to a...lack of housing," the man, who I assumed was a professor, seemed seething at this fact. "Miss Michaels and Mister Malfoy will share connecting dormitories. Welcome to Slytherin, Miss Michaels." With that, he left.

Pansy, and a group of girls that seemed to appear out of nowhere, stalked off. Draco beckoned to me to follow him to "our" dorm.

We faced a large, mahogany door that read:

Draco Malfoy

Room 205A

Natasha Michaels

Room 205B

He swung open the door to reveal two more doors, these surrounded by green walls, with signs on the doors indicating whose was whose. Mine, spelling out "Natasha Michaels" in green letters, was on the right.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Michaels," Draco said dully before disappearing into his own dormitory.

I gasped when I walked inside. Everything was set up just like my dorm back in the States! There were a pile of pillows on my bed, my New York calender hung up just beside it. My stereo was in the corner and my tapes, cassettes, and few CDs were in their tower. I realized I was as close to home as I was going to get. The one thing missing was the one person who knew me best: Evie Locke.

I sighed as I straightened the pictures on my desk: the City sights, my favorite picture of Evie and me, other memories from the States....

I wondered if this separation would be good for us. In the States, people confused me with Evie, and vice versa, all the time. It would be strange not having her as an attachment, but I knew I would grow from it. Now, I guess, we would be spreading our wings. I knew I would miss someone to watch my back, though, and having someone's back to watch too. But hey, being in Slytherin couldn't be that bad, could it?