Chapter Three:

"Here this will be where you'll sleep." Lily pointed at large four-poster bed with deep crimson curtains hung around it.

"Thanks," Danica muttered looking at the bed. Her trunk was at the foot of it and a cage sat on top of the trunk.

"Ooh I love animals," Lily said excitedly spotting the cage. "What kind of pet do you have?"

"Umm... it's a jarvey. His name is Tarquin." Danica pulled off her robe and threw it on her bed.

"I've never seen a jarvey before." Lily's green eyes were wild with curiosity. "Can I take him out?"

"Sure," Danica felt herself smile for the first time since she'd left Ireland. Maybe Xavier was right, maybe she would make some friends after all. "But let me take him out. He's a bit shy around strangers."

"That's okay, I understand. My cat, Mona, can't stand strangers. Over the summer my parents had some important guests over and do you know what Mona did?" Danica shook her head. "She laid near them the whole night hissing quietly and glaring at them. My sister Petunia thinks she was sent to us by the devil but I think she's the sweetest cat in the world."

Danica giggled. "My brother doesn't like Tarquin that much either. But then again Tarquin can barely stand Xavier's presence. Whenever they're in the same room it's like a couple of old maids bickering over the last piece of bread."

Lily laughed and sat down on the edge of Danica's bed.

Danica smiled at her and bent down to unlock the cage. "Are you ready to come out now?" she whispered into the cage.

Two other girls in the dormitory shared a laughing glance. "What a geek," one of them muttered. "She talks to her pets as if they would talk back."

They both sniggered behind their hands. Lily shot them an angry glance that made their laughter die and sent them back to quietly unpacking.

"Must I?" growled a male voice from inside.

The other girls froze and looked around the room wildly trying to figure out the source from which the voice came. Lily just laughed as she watched them scrambling to cover up their bare skin.

"Yes," Danica said tucking a strand of her green-blonde hair behind a slightly pointed ear.

"Slag," muttered the voice as Danica reached into the cage and pulled out a creature that resembled an overgrown ferret.

It yawned and turned its gaze to Lily. He had blue eyes and pure white fur.

"Tart," he hissed at Lily.

"Tarquin!" Danica said in an exasperated voice as the Jarvey climbed up her arm. "Will you please try and be slightly polite around my new friends?"

The jarvey perched itself on Danica's shoulder. "No," he said.

Lily giggled while the other girls stared at the creature in wonder.

Danica's rolled her eyes and scratched his back. "A real charmer isn't he?" she said squatting in front of Lily so the other girl could pet him.

"I think he's adorable." Lily smiled petting his soft white fur. "You're so adorable aren't you?" she cooed scratching his ears.

"Help me," Tarquin whined, but Danica just giggled.

"You know you're enjoying the attention. Admit it." She tickled his belly.

"Bitch!" The jarvey jumped onto the stone floor and crawled under Danica's bed.

"Be that way," Danica called under the bed. "But if don't straighten out you won't be getting your supper.

A pink nose poked out. "No supper?" Tarquin asked fearfully.

"No." Danica said as she pulled out a bag of food form her trunk. She poured some of it into a pottery bowl and stuck it into the jarvey's cage.

Tarquin rushed out from under the bed and leaped into his cage. "Good Tarquin," he said.

"Yes, good Tarquin." Danica scratched his ear lovingly before shutting the cage. The sound of crunching filled the room.

"Sorry if he offended any of you," Danica said looking over at her other roommates. They were already changed into their pyjamas and lying in bed.

"Oh it's okay," the one named Frances said, though her voice indicated that it wasn't okay.

"We just love being insulted by an over-sized rodent," the other one added. Her name was Hilary.

"Over-sized rodent?" Tarquin screeched. "How dare that cow call me that."

Danica sighed. It was definitely going to be hard to get the two girls to like her.

Both of them glared at Tarquin's cage.

"Good night, Lily," Frances said shutting the hangings around her bed. Hilary quickly followed suit.

"Bitches," Tarquin muttered.

"Oh shut it," Danica ordered. She threw a silencing cloth over the jarvey's cage.

"Don't worry about them," Lily said, stripping off her robe and tossing it messily into her trunk. "They're always like that. Never a nice word for anyone."

"I'm not that worried. I knew that I wouldn't receive a very warm welcome." Danica pulled off her sweater and began to unbutton her white shirt. "And after my little performance at the speech I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with no friends."

"I'll be your friend," Lily said truthfully.

"Okay I'll have one friend," Danica laughed tugging off her shirt. She could feel Lily's gaze drawn to her bare back.

"What's that green stuff all over your back?" Lily asked.

Danica touched her back lightly. "I was born with it. It's sort of like a tattoo of a bunch of leaves. My whole family has one."

Lily reached out her slender fingers and touched the tattoo. "It's gorgeous."

"Thanks."

"One of my friends said your were part banshee," Lily said pulling on her red pyjama top.

"Well that friend would be correct," Danica answered. "Actually I thought it was quite obvious. I screamed pretty loudly at the feast."

"Yeah. Anyway so what happened to your school in Ireland? Why did you have to transfer here?"

Danica felt her throat tighten up. "I don't won't to talk about it," she muttered, slipping into her pyjama bottoms.

"Oh. Okay. I didn't mean to pry." Lily looked uncomfortable.

"That's all right. I would've asked too."

Lily yawned. "Man I'm tired." She fell into her bed. "Night Danica," she said blowing out her candle.

"Night," Danica answered in return. She got in bed and shut the hangings. As she lay there she wondered what Xavier was up to.

"He's probably playing with the wolf cubs," she muttered, wishing she were at home.