บท 197: The Celebrity of the Wizarding World
Darcie peered out the window.
It was getting dark. She could see the mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train seemed to slow down.
"15-20 minutes more, I guess," Daphne said, sitting across her by the window.
Despite the entire train full of students, this compartment only had two of them.
It wasn't like this at first. Draco and his friends, Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, and Pansy, had also been with them. But then Draco had failed to hold it anymore and had run off, marching up and down the corridor.
The thing was, the young ones weren't the only people who had increased the corridor's traffic.
Since the moment the train had started, students from all years were going left and right, taking glances at Darcie through the glass. Not everyone had an interest in seeing her, but those who were truly fascinated by her, and had been following her for the last few years, weren't in small numbers, either.
"You are like those overly famous muggle celebrities," Daphne commented, a small smile playing across her lips.
Darcie rolled her eyes.
She had an inkling that her brother had run off not because he was getting bored, but because he couldn't handle the attention she was getting.
"Will you go with us?" Daphne asked, looking at the green-eyed girl.
Darcie shook her head. She was just about to tell Daphne that she had no idea how and with whom she would be going to the castle when the compartment's door slid open.
It was Percy Weasley.
For a moment, the fifth-year Gryffindor student just stood there, a stupefied expression flashing in his eyes. Then he looked down at the letter held loosely in his hands and seemed to come out of his reverie.
"I just got the Headmaster's letter," Percy said. "You will take the carriage to the castle with us Prefects."
Darcie nodded.
With Ron and Ginny, Darcie and Daphne weren't as reserved anymore. Fred and George were just different classes in themselves as staying quiet didn't work on them. But the girls had interacted least with Percy, especially Darcie.
She could feel that the ambitious boy felt apprehensive whenever he looked at her. Darcie could have cared less, to be honest. It wasn't like he was the only one. If she began placating all those who felt inferior to her, then she wouldn't have time to accomplish anything.
Percy frowned, not getting even an Alright. "I will come and pick you up at the station."
Darcie didn't torture the poor guy. "Alright."
Across her, pretending to look out, Daphne was having a hard time holding back a laugh. She failed.
A rosy blush surfaced on Percy's cheeks hearing the giggles. He almost crumpled the letter, turned around with momentum, and walked off, muttering to himself. He must have been feeling too embarrassed for he even forgot to shut the compartment's door.
Two second-year boys got lucky, their eyes meeting Darcie's poisonous green pupils.
"Bloody hell!" the brown-haired boy cried. "Did you see?! She looked at me!!"
"No way!" the other one's jaw dropped. "Really?!!"
As they moved on, smiling like idiots, four yellow-colored crystals bobbed up and down in their eyes.
Darcie raised her eyebrows at the blonde girl.
Daphne's lips twitched at the corners. "What?" she said, still giggling. "He was standing there like you stole his girlfriend or something…"
Darcie smiled, noticing more boys running off, almost falling into the compartment with no door to keep them off. She looked at Daphne and pointed her chin.
Sighing, Daphne reached into her Hogwarts robes and took out her wand.
She stared at the door, her Nordic blue eyes shimmering with magic.
"Easy…" Daphne narrowed her eyes.
Then, pouring her intention into it, the young Greengrass flicked her wand. The compartment's door slammed shut with a thud.
Darcie gave her a thumbs up.
"Did you practice enough with it?" she asked, looking at the wand. "The Basic spellwork shouldn't pose any difficulty to you, no?"
Daphne brought the wand under her gaze and marveled at it.
Measuring eleven and three-quarters in length, the wand was crafted from resilient ebony wood with a core of unicorn hair. It was slightly springy to the touch. Its handle was intricately carved with motifs of magical creatures, and it gleamed with a deep, glossy black that had a subtle golden shimmer.
Daphne stared at the motifs of dragon and phoenix, surrounded by a veil, and then looked at her friend. "Did you carve them?" she asked. Knowing well the veil must represent the Lethifold.
Darcie nodded.
"But…" Daphne opened her mouth, closed it, and then said, "… how did you know…"
Darcie smiled. "I didn't…" she told Daphne. "But who knows you better than me… Also, it doesn't matter how did I know or why you got it. What matters is the Wand chose you!"
Daphne smiled back hearing that. "This can be considered your first wand, right?"
This time it was Darcie's turn to smile wryly. "Not even remotely," she said, rejecting the claim flatly. "Mr. Ollivander carved it with a traditional method in my presence. All I did was cast the Switching Spell and then help him with a bit of Magical Carving. I almost knew this wand would suit you the best… so… I added those motifs."
"Still…" Daphne again looked at the wand. "Thank you."
The girls shared a mutual smile.
"Mr. Ollivander said my magic is too chaotic," Darcie said, continuing the conversation. "That's why I am having trouble with the Carving process. In a year, or two at most, the magic within me will settle down with age."
"Ah…" Darcie nodded in understanding. "So, the thing that's letting you do Wandless, non-verbal magic is also the same thing that's keeping you from becoming a Wandmaker?"
Darcie twisted her lips at Daphne. "Did you really have to troll me this hard?"
"Haha!"
Suddenly, the compartment's door slid open again.
It was Hermione Granger.
The three girls looked at each other. Then, without saying anything, Hermione shut the door and went in the driver's direction.
Daphne raised an eyebrow and got a shrug in reply from Darcie.
It hadn't been a moment since Hermione had gone when the door slid back open.
Draco was standing there with a nasty smile planted across his face. Crabbe and Goyle were there, too, standing behind him.
"Did you hear?" Draco asked his sister, leaning on one side.
"What?"
"Guess who's on the train with us?"
"Who?"
"Harry Potter."
Darcie looked at her brother. "And?"
Draco's smile stiffened. "Tch!" he tsked, standing straight. "You are no fun!"
"We both have a very different definition of fun, my protector."
Draco's cheeks went red. He snapped his head toward Daphne, but she was again looking out, doing a better job of hiding her laugh this time.
"Don't call me that…" Draco said under his breath. Then he suddenly smiled, nastier than before. "I heard the Potter's traveling with Weasley and a Mudblood."
Darcie's face hardened. "Really? That's the best word you picked off our father's mouth this morning?"
"Are you coming or not?"
"To do what?!" Darcie thought her brother was becoming stupider with every moment spent with those two brutes. "To see a boy?!!"
Draco finally realized what he was suggesting.
He spun around and looked at Crabbe and Goyle. "Let's go!" he said, gritting his teeth. "I am really interested in seeing who this Mud…"
Before he could complete his sentence, the compartment's door shut behind him.
There was no wand to be seen in the two girl's hands, though.
Darcie looked away from the door and let out a breath.
"Meow!"
A tiny, palm-sized black kitten crawled out of Darcie's pocket and purred on her lap. It was the transfigured, young Nundu, Leander. Perfectly layered inside her robes, Lilith waved, resonating with her thoughts.
Darcie sighed again. "I wouldn't be surprised if I spend the next 5 years correcting my brother's mistakes."
Daphne couldn't hold it any longer and snorted out a laugh, the train whistling and hooting, nearing the destination.
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