5 Train ride

Cross put down the cage and let Carl out. Cross pointed his finger at Carl and said in Elven "Shrink" Carl shrank down and Cross put his hand down in front of Carl, who jumped onto his palm and ran up his arm before sitting on his shoulder.

Cross put the cage in his storage bag and looked out of the cabin door to see a Toad hop by. Cross waved his hand and tied up the Toad with strings before pulling it over to himself. Cross held the Toad in his hands and Carl started growling at the Toad.

The Toad was so scared, it played dead.

Cross poked it and wondered if it did just in fact die from fear. Carl had a complacent look on his face, as if to say 'Yes, I did just kill a frog from fear.' Cross chuckled and kept the Toad in his hands as he walked around the train, mostly looking for Daphne and partly looking for something interesting.

Cross walked through the hallways and saw a bunch of people of different shapes and sizes. It seemed like these kids were ignorant to his pointed ears, which made him let out a breath of relief. The less he has to explain the less he would be bothered by people, which made him happy.

Don't look at Cross attitude towards Goblins and House-Elves, or even towards the Greengrass family. He actually didn't like people, he found that they were really annoying, well unless they were interesting people of course.

When he was around Marcus, he would be as polite as possible to please Marcus but really on the inside he just wants to leave and not be bothered by these insane wizards and their strange habits. Very strange these Wizards, Cross thought it was funny how they treated normal humans as inferior despite being human's themselves.

From his memories, he knew that Elves weren't a happy and loving race but there were natural divisions. Like High Elves, Blood Elves, Wood Elves, Dark Elves, etc. But they all had one thing in common and it was that they would band together if there was a threat against the Tree of Life.

Cross classified his own race as semi-united. They didn't really bother each other if there wasn't a crisis, when was completely understandable because not everyone likes everyone else. But these humans... They divided themselves because of magic, Cross couldn't understand it and if he was being honest he didn't really care. They all looked the same to him.

In his own thoughts he bumped into a girl, who was giving a speech about something.

Cross was brought out of his thoughts and looked at the girl, who was staring at him. Cross tilted his head and his long pointy ears twitched before he turned to look into the cabin and saw a ginger kid and the boy with the glasses, Harry!

The girl had bushy hair and buck teeth, she looked like a beaver albeit a cute one. Cross good feeling about this little beaver was immediately washed away when she opened her mouth "Don't you watch where you're going? You know it's very dangerous to be out of thoughts on a moving train! Also...."

Cross looked at the girl and then at the two boys in the train cart, who looked away, obviously not wanting to get involved. The further they got away from this girl the better.

Cross pinched her lips closed as he said "Excuse you. Are you my mother?" the girl was stunned and subconsciously shook her head, Cross nodded and said "Then why are you lecturing me? Do I look like I need a lecture from you?"

A boy on the side chimed in "Yeah a filthy mugblood!" the girl looked like she was about to cry and Cross looked over at the boy and said "Scram. You all look the same to me." this was probably the most arrogant thing anyone on this train had every heard in their lives, but Cross meant they all looked like humans. Thus a huge misunderstanding was made.

The boy choked and said angrily "You think I look like a mugblood?!" Cross held the girl's cheeks with one hand, making her mouth look like a fish, as he pointed it at the boy and said "Humans.. You're all the same to me. Do you think that your ancestors were magical fairies? Heh. Let me tell you something, Fairies don't exist anymore. They died out ages ago."

Cross shook the girl, who talked too much's face, and added "By the theory of evolution in Muggle history, all Humans evolved from monkeys. Which makes you, a monkey as well." The girl said through fish lips "Actually it was Neanderthals..." Cross pinched her lips together and said "Who cares. Point is you're all the same, plus now you have magic why bother anyone else when you could focus on yourself?"

Cross shook his head and let the girl go before waving his wand, closing the cabin door on the boy, who looked like his world was crumbling around him. The wand was purely for show, he found out something during his time with humans. If you want to survive and not be bothered, you have to remain low-key.

In reality, he didn't even need a wand but everyone else used them so really he had no choice but to pretend. Or else it was a smooth carriage ride to the experiment lab for him.

Another boy popped out of nowhere and looked at the Toad in Cross' hand before saying "Hey! You found my Toad!" Cross threw the Toad at the boy and looked at Harry in the cabin in thought, not even sparing the boy, who found his long lost Toad friend, a glance.

Cross was interested in this Harry boy, he had so many things on him, it was impossible to not notice it with his eyes. The girl looked at Cross and said "Why are your ears like that?" Cross replied "Metamorphmagus." while keeping his eyes on Harry and thinking about something else.

The girl nodded and said "That makes sense."

Harry said "Can I help you?" Cross tilted his head and said "Actually, you can't. But I'm curious, do you know you have around 10 wards and charms placed on your body?" he mumbled in a voice only he could hear "As well as another soul living in your body..."

Harry was stunned and said "What?" Cross sighed and said "Forget it, I don't care enough." he looked at the rat in the ginger boy's hands and had a funny face before saying to the ginger boy "Is that rat a family member?"

The boy joyfully held up the rat and said "Yup, this is Scabbers!" Carl started going crazy and snarling at the rat, Cross chuckled and said "Another strange boy..." he turned to leave when he caught the girl's thinking expression and said directly "You girl. Train in Occlumency, this seems to be your strong point."

The girl said "I don't have the money to study in that.." Cross turned over his storage bag and books piled up on the floor neatly and said "You owe me now." the girl was stunned and Cross walked away adding "I will find you if you skip out on your debts."

The girl looked at Cross' back in thought as she wondered what this guy was thinking. In the end she pulled the books into the cabin with the two boys and started talking with them before reading.

Cross actually didn't care for these books as he had already memorized them so well, he could recite it backwards. Also these were the copies he had taken with him, he felt like giving out copies for a favor was pretty worthwhile, plus this was one of his attempts at 'playing nice'.

Cross walked through the train carts before finally seeing Daphne and smiling as he walked over.

Daphne looked over and smiled as she said "Cross!" Cross waved and looked around the other carts as he said "I found some interesting people before. One of them even had an Animagus as a pet!" he saw a girl, who seemed to be angry, with purple hair sitting in a cabin of her own.

He had never seen a girl with purple hair before and thought she was an interesting person too!

Cross was excited, so many interesting people! If this trend continued then his school days might be really exciting!

Daphne waved her hand in front of Cross' face and said "Cross?" Cross came back from his thoughts and said "Yeah?" Daphne smiled and said "These are my friends." Cross looked at all the kids inside and found nothing different about them, they were run of the mill Pureblood wizards and witches.

He got bored quickly but still held a smile as they introduced themselves. After all, they were his sister's friends, he should be polite no? After they gave him names he barely remembered, he introduced himself "My name is Cross, Daphne is my sister and if any of you hurts her I will kill you. Also, I like interesting things."

Daphne felt her whole being twitch as he looked at Cross, completely speechless. She soon smiled wryly and remembered that Cross got bored very easily and didn't like most people. The rest of Daphne's friends were startled but Daphne said "Anyway, why did you come?"

Cross pointed his thumb to the hallway and said "Some kid lost a Toad and I found it. Then some kid called a girl a mugblood, then I told him they all looked the same to me. Then I did the girl a favor and came here." Daphne really felt like slapping him as she said "You're bored?"

Cross smiled and said "Extremely." Daphne laughed and shook her head as she said "I'll see you later, then." Cross waved goodbye and he spun around, walking over to the purple haired girl's cabin.

Daphne sat back down and her friend, named Pansy said "That's your brother?" another girl, named Tracy added "He sure is strange." a boy stared at Cross' back, his name was Blaise and he chimed in joyfully "He's so handsome!"

Tracy shot back "And Daphne isn't?" Daphne's face turned black and Pansy added "Have you seen Draco? He's so dreamy~" she had an intoxicated look on her face.

Cross opened the door to the purple haired girl's cabin and sat in front of her, just looking at her curiously.

The girl looked at him and said "Seen enough?" as she looked at his pointed ears, Cross shook his head and said "I've never seen purple hair before. Were you born with it? Is it a side effect of your Metamorphmagus birth?" the girl said curiously "Are your ears the same?"

Cross nodded and said "I'm Cross." the girl said "Tonks." Cross said "That's a strange name." Tonks said "I don't like my first name." Cross asked directly "Why? What is it?" Tonks spat "Nymphadora."

Cross was confused and said "What's bad about Nymphadora?" Nymphadora said "It's the Nymph part I don't like." Cross shook his head and said "Nymphs are extinct. They were actually docile fairies." Nymphadora was stunned and said "You don't get it?"

Cross shook his head and said "What is there to get? Nymphs are very beautiful and live in forests, its a shame they died out." Nymphadora countered "They were also lustful spirits." Cross gave her a weird look and said "Not true, they were just sexually mature and inspired lust in men. Do you know how hard it is to even catch a Nymph, much less capture her heart?"

Cross clicked his tongue and shook his head, Nymphadora was stunned and felt like they weren't talking about the same thing. She changed the topic and said "So why are you here?" Cross said with a smile "I like interesting people, so far I have found 2 on this train. You are the 3rd."

Nymphadora tilted her head and said with a smile "Should I be honored?" Cross smiled and said "Take it as you will, I'm just bored. By the way, can you change your hair color?" Nymphadora asked back "Can you?"

Cross' hair changed from black to silvery-white to golden-yellow to blood-red then back to pitch-black. Nymphadora smirked and her hair changed to almost every color in the rainbow. Cross clicked his tongue and said "My hair changes naturally during the seasons."

Nymphadora said "Let me guess, Black right now, white in the winter, Red in the spring, and yellow in the summer?" Cross shook his head and said "Black in the fall, White in the winter, Yellow in spring, and Red in the summer. You were close though."

Nymphadora clicked her tongue and said "Can you shapeshift easily?" as he nose turned into a pig snout. Cross frowned and twitched his fingers, bunny ears shot out of his head and Nymphadora laughed as she said "You're pretty interesting, Cross."

Cross released the string made bunny ears and smiled "You too, Nymphadora." Nymphadora said "Just call me Dora or Tonks." Cross corrected "Dora." Nymphadora smiled and said "This is your first year, correct?" Cross nodded and Nymphadora said "Let me teach you a few things."

Cross listened attentively and Nymphadora started "Basically there are 4 houses. A hat sorts you into the house you are most suitable for..." Nymphadora went on and on and Cross listened to her speak, when she was finished, Cross said in doubt "A hat that sorts you? How does it do that?"

Nymphadora said "It can talk..." Cross looked startled and said "Don't tell me you put this hat on your head?" Nymphadora nodded and Cross said "Pardon me but may I touch your head for a moment?" Nymphadora looked alerted and said "Of course not."

Cross smiled and said "What's the difference between a person and a sentient hat." Nymphadora was startled and looked at Cross, who just smiled and said "I have been studying Ligilimency, who's to say that hat isn't?" he clicked his tongue and said "Best way to be safe is to be alert at all times."

Nymphadora hummed and thought about it before saying "You're saying the hat is evil?" Cross shrugged and said "I don't know. But a sentient hat that sorts a person based on their personality can most likely also see memories and maybe even influence them."

Cross poked her forehead and said in Elven "Cleanse." a green aura shrouded Nymphadora and cleared her mind of any harmful elements, Cross immediately said after that in Elven again "Nature's protection!" another green aura with a tint of gold surrounding it flashed and Cross pulled his hand back.

He smiled and said "Consider this a greeting gift. You are very interesting, I like you." Nymphadora felt refreshed and said "What did you do?" Cross smiled and said simply "Cleansed your mind and put up a barrier. It should protect your mind 3 times before dissipating." actually this was one of his race's ancient mind spells.

The Blood Elves were the strongest Elven race protecting the Tree of Life a long time ago. The only reason they were called Blood Elves was because they had killed so many intruders to protect the Tree of Life that they were constantly covered in blood.

It was a big secret in the Elf race that the Blood Elves were the most powerful and had gained many blessings from the Tree of Life for their constant protection and service. One of them was powerful mind magic on top of the innate nature magic, later they were blessed with blood related abilities.

Cross knew all of this but had only just started training his magic, he was basically an ant in front of a Blood Elf raised by Elves. He had no blessings from the Tree of Life he would have had if he was raised by his own kind. Well he did but he didn't know that it was an ultimate blessing from the Tree of Life.

His strings weren't from his Blood Elf race, it was the from the Tree of Life when he was born. They were called the Strings of Life, really the name was misleading. They had nothing to do with 'Life', they were basically called that since they were given by the Tree of Life.

Until Cross, the only known Elf to have them was the Elf God, Clotho. Of course, Cross knew nothing about this.

So, completely ignorant, Cross chatted with Nymphadora about random things as the train sped towards Hogwarts.