51 Arrival Part 1

Kaiser's POV:

One thing I noticed about Wizards' games. They did not have a single non magical game. Every game had to involve magic, or their wands, in one way or another. They liked to draw a distinct line between themselves and the muggles, for whatever reason.

I was playing Exploding snap with everyone in the compartment, but I must admit: having cards explode is both amusing and ingenious on their part (the manufacturer). Why? Because the cards became a consumable, obviously. And that means, each time you use a deck of exploding snap, you had to buy another one. Which was why people bought several decks instead of a single one, and given the popularity of the game, I have no doubt the inventor is filthy rich by now, which he actually was (I asked).

But after a few rounds, I eventually got tired of it, and Daphne was too, if her constant sighing is any indication.

"Want to play some chess, Daph?" She nodded too eagerly for my taste. Did she hate the game that much? Though Ron's ears twitched at the words 'chess', and immediately wanted to join, but he stopped himself before he said anything. I guess he remembered that chess can only be played two at a time. And to be honest with you, I'm glad he did.

I do not fancy the idea of playing chess with Ron. No, it's not because he wiped the floor with me in the last game we played. None whatsoever!

Daphne was quite good at the game. There was no clear superior when it came to our skills, as she had her fair share of wins while I had mine. And more importantly, neither of us is that competitive when it came to it. We play the game for fun, unlike a certain redhead.

After the blonde ponce left, no one disturbed our peace. I honestly don't know what to think of him. I put myself in his place every time I want to take action against him. I mean, imagine if you were told from birth that you were superior to everyone. Muggles were nothing but dirt beneath your shoes, while their spawn, aka muggle-born wizards, were unworthy of magic. And it came from your parents, people you had no reason to distrust. Even worse, it came from the person you idealized, aka Lucius Malfoy, blonde ponce extraordinaire. He is slowly becoming a mini-Lucius.

Can you imagine? Two of that abomination walking the earth? Urgh, the idea sickens me. You should see how he looks at everyone who isn't as rich as him or not as 'pure'.

What I'm trying to say is, it only makes sense for Draco to be the way he is, and it isn't necessarily his fault. At least, for now. To him, it's probably the same as dealing with animals. We hardly consider if they have feelings, family or any thoughts whatsoever before we gut them either for sports or to fill our bellies. Except the vegan angels out there, but I'm not becoming one any time soon. The stuff is delicious.

And to be fair, except verbal abuse and the occasional bullying, which is met by violent responses from my part whenever I catch him in the act without the older years to defend him. What? I'm not a Gryffindor. I wouldn't stand a chance against them, so I don't bother putting myself in a disadvantageous situation. Though I have the decency of calling for professors every time.

I am by no means an overpowered protagonist in some fiction. I have limitations, and to be frank with you, in the grand scheme of things, I am ridiculously weak. Certainly, if you compare me to my year-mates, I am definitely more powerful. But experienced or older wizards? Nope, and definitely not when they have the advantage of numbers.

An example would be Cedric Diggory. He placed twelfth in the European Dueling Tournament, against wizards whose age vary from twelve to seventeen, being sixteen himself. And believe me, they are nothing to be scoffed at. They've invested a significant portion of their time honing their dueling skills, and while I myself did the same, I focus a lot more on enchanting because my situation. I'm fairly certain I'd lose in a duel against him, where lethal spells are forbidden.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Draco Malfoy the school bully. He never did anything excessive, as I have been telling you. He knows there are consequences to his actions, that's why I'm still wearing the kids' gloves when it comes to dealing with him. But should he ever decide to start using unforgivable curses (not that he could anyway), or inflict permanent damage? I'm definitely using my self-defense rights!

Speaking of which, wizards can be a bit dumb at times for using harmless spells against their assailants. They were by no means ignorant about how dangerous magic can be, and I'm speaking about offensive magic. That's why there are laws in place that gives you the right to use any means necessary to defend yourself, giving you access to a wide arsenal of spells depending on the situation, even unforgivable ones. That's why I could fire AKs at Death Eaters and not be a roommate to dementors.

"You're cheating!" a sudden shout interrupted my musing. Turning to the offending voice, it obviously was Ron.

I have nothing against him, to be honest with you. He is an idiot, but that's expected of him. He's a kid, and he hasn't faced situation that forced him to mature. Except that one where lunatics were trying to kill us, but somehow, he was the least shaken out of all of us.

That probably has to do with how he twisted his ankle before it all began. He spent most of the time moaning while we were dragging him with us. He never displayed any signs of disloyalty so far, and that's the only thing I could hold against him. The fact that he can't keep his mouth shut is just a side effect of him being an idiot.

"Seriously Ron, you think Hermione of all the people would 'cheat'?" Harry joked, but it only earned him a glare from Hermione. Touché. He was right, she'd never cheat at anything.

"Besides, it's only a game. No need to get all worked up mate." Michael said with a grin. He was enjoying seeing him frustrated, that's probably why he was teaming up against him each time they played. Ginny and Tracy were giggling, having probably noticed the same thing.

Daphne did not pay attention to her surroundings, eyes fixated on the board. Her face showed no emotion, a cold façade that ruined her otherwise extremely beautiful features. If only she smiled more often, but she rarely did. It was a habit she picked up.

You see, Occlumency can not only help you defend your mind by clearing your thoughts and other techniques, but also keeping your emotions in check, and controlling them to a certain degree. Daphne has been practicing the art since a very young age, her father always taught her that rationality should always trump emotions. And it served her right in various situation.

But the side effect is that she became too reliant on it, and always unconsciously blocked her emotions, which eventually earned her the title of the Ice Queen. I hated it, and I confronted her about it several times. She promised she'd do her best to tweak it, but there is no progress so far. And honestly, I can't blame her. The way she's pushing herself for her sister, I admit I admire her for it. For someone who rarely show any emotions, she becomes an open book whenever Astoria is around. Her relationship with her sister always reminds me of Itachi. Except that Astoria in turn adored her, and Daphne would never kill her family. I think?

"Whatcha thinking about, blondie?" I asked with a grin, but she merely rolled her eyes at me, and I could notice a smile creep into her face.

"Blondie? Really? You want to go down that road?" she raised an eyebrow at me, though now she was smiling. She was absolutely stunning when she smiled, it's a good thing I am an Occlumens myself, or I'd be a stuttering fool now.

"Touché." As you know, my peculiar features earned me my fair share of nicknames. What do you expect from eleven-year-old kids?

"Is it true you can make your eyes and hair glow?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped at her.

"What? I don't mean it in a bad way, I'm genuinely curious." She defended herself.

"Yup he can!" Tracey was too happy to answer for me. Traitor. "Though it's not a pretty sight. He's really scary when he does it."

"It's not like I do it on purpose." I huffed. Though I secretly liked it. The look on my victims' face when it happens is priceless. I always scare them shitless. I still can't do it on purpose. It only happens when I'm angry or any such negative emotions. Now that I've been practicing dark magic, I can just channel my emotions and it happens. Which is both a good and bad thing. In some situations, it's a give away to what I'm about to do. Though, to be fair, there is no dark magic that can't be predicted. Experienced wizards can detect the subtle change in your aura to know your emotional state, or the kind of dark spell you're about to cast. For example, if you're channeling killing intent, they immediately realize you're about to AK them.

"oh, shut up. It's totally badass. You shouldn't be complaining." Michael added. "Besides, I have it on good hands you like it." I was about to deny it in outrage. "Don't deny it, I know you do."

"Fine. Maybe a little bit."

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We changed just before we arrived, being in school uniform is mandatory. Though we had to expend some effort to wake Ron up. I pity his mother; he must drive the poor woman crazy.

"Firs' years ove' 'ere." Hagrid was calling out enthusiastically. For someone who has been doing this his entire life, his excitement has never diminished. I kind of like the giant. He's so simple minded, and finds joy in the simplest things, like having someone to speak to. He doesn't seem to have any ambition of his own, his greatest wish is having a collection of the most dangerously misunderstood creatures. At least I think so.

Before we made our way towards the carriage, a ball of positive energy latched into my arm.

"Hello!" Susan beamed at me; her sapphire blue eyes glowed with positivity.

"Hello Sue, how are doing?" I asked her with a smile of my own. I'd be a fool if I didn't notice her feelings for me, and I'd be an even bigger one if I denied having such feelings for her myself. As for why… it's complicated. But I know it's not possible between us. I just hope she finds someone who can make her happy, and forget about this crush she seems to have on me.

The others didn't find her behavior weird at all, they've probably grown used to it by now. Ron, on the other hand, was giving me a jealous look. Can't blame the guy, she's gorgeous.

"Great now that I get to see my friends again!" her eyes never left mine, a smile plastered on her face. Her eyes communicating just how much she missed her 'friends'. She probably wanted to hug me, and I wouldn't say no to that. Her hugs felt amazing, making me melt inside every time, and it has nothing to do with her chest!

"We need to say hello to our fellow Gryffindors, we'll see you guys later." Hermione tactfully said, realizing that a chariot couldn't hold all of us, now that Susan and Hannah were added to the equation, and Susan didn't look like releasing me any time soon. She dragged Harry and Ron with her, and Ginny naturally followed them.