Carmilla gazed around at the smoky platform. Light filtered through the large windows on the platform. It made everything hazy.
It was quite pretty, and had a wistful effect, but she was bumped out of her longing thoughts as someone knocked into her. An apology was yelled back at her when the boy continued running, tripping into more disgruntled people along the way, and leapt aboard the big red train.
She was confused as to the rush, there was still ten minutes until the train left, but the messy haired boy might have been looking for his friends. Friends. She would have to get onto that.
No one else from the girl's home had been visited by the old man in funny clothes, so she was alone on the other side of the brick wall.
He had shown up months ago and informed her that she was a witch. After a mild miscommunication, she was informed the word wasn't an insult where he was from. Which was Hogwarts, of course.
He also had a few ways to get on top of her little 'problem' and had informed her that there was another student in a 'situation' similar to her own. Apart from all the things she would have to hide, she was also worried about the fact that she wasn't starting as a first year. Apparently, the headmaster had found out about her later than usual, and she was to be in third year, at fourteen years old. People would already have friend groups. Nobody would want the pale new girl with odd eyes and scruffy clothes, despite the fact that Carmilla liked people, and found them rather enjoyable.
Carmilla liked her eyes too, but some of the other girls teased her for having one dark blue eye and one dark brown eye. And being pale. She couldn't help it, she didn't have blood. She also didn't breathe.
Technically, she was dead.
This all sounded rather alarming, but all it really meant was that she couldn't blush, and she didn't have a lot of natural body heat.
A loud whistle blew across the station, and the people around her picked up the pace, so she pulled her trunk along behind her, and boarded the big train. This was the first time she had been on a train, actually. They didn't travel around at the girls home, except for the easter picnic in the fields out of town, but they walked there. Because of this, once Carmilla got to the hall between the sliding doors, she didn't really know what to do.
She peeked into one compartment and saw a boy wearing colourful glasses. It made him look rather like an owl. The next one had a girl with rad looking black and white hair, but cold eyes, so she kept moving.
The second whistle blew, and Carmilla knew she was going to have to find a compartment soon, and she decided on an empty one after walking past a greasy looking boy who sneered at her, to which she glared back just as forcefully. She couldn't be picky, so she ignored the large burn mark on one seat, set her trunk on the floor, put her legs up on it, and peered out the window.
She saw families having tearful goodbyes, and looked away. No one would be waving to her. Mistress Theeny left her at the station. Muggles weren't allowed in, apparently. At least she assumed so. Mistress Theeny had bumped into the brick wall and then bustled around dabbing tissues and praying for Carmilla's soul. None of her friends from the girl's home were allowed to see her off.
When the nice man called 'Hagrid' showed her around Diagon Alley, she had seen lots of people catching up and laughing over tall ice creams that defied gravity. Shopping for school supplies also brought up the problem that Carmilla did not have any wizarding money. Hagrid had reassured her that normal money could be traded in for things called knuts, sickles, and galleons.
That didn't solve the problem, unfortunately, but there had been enough money to buy a second-hand wand and two sets of dark robes with sweet wrappers in the pockets and an embroidered sunflower on one sleeve, as well as the required books and a half price potions kit.
Now she had a little dark vault with a few piles of knuts and a handful of galleons. Hagrid had specifically requested no sickles.
Silver made her sneeze a lot and break out in rashes. So did cats.
A shudder went through her body as the train started to move, and a redheaded girl raced past the compartment.
Carmilla opened her trunk slightly, not wanting anything to fall out, and slipped out one of her books. She hadn't read all of the books assigned this year, and because she had very limited knowledge on Hogwarts and the wizarding world as it is, she needed to catch up. She flicked through the pages, eyes scanning the words quickly and hoping they would retain something.
It didn't work, because Carmilla couldn't read.
There were very limited educational opportunities at the catholic orphanage. That was actually adult talk for, she couldn't read or write.
Carmilla didn't actually know how long it would take for the train to arrive at Hogwarts, but once she was three chapters into the pictures and drawings in Hogwarts: A History, the door slid open. A girl with pink hair and light brown eyes stumbled in, carting a trunk that looked like it was about to burst.
She looked up and saw Carmilla, then squeaked, and turned back around to leave. Unfortunately, the door had slid shut behind her as the train turned a corner on the tracks, so she knocked into it, her skull making quiet the hollow thud.
She stood still for a moment, face red, and then turned to Carmilla with an awkward grin, and held her hand out, "greetings. I'm Ace London."
Carmilla shook her hand, "that's a cool name."
"Thank you!" Ace said and flopped back onto the burnt seat with a huff. "Sorry for barging in, I hexed Malfoy, and now the prefects are after me. What's your name? I haven't seen you before, are you new? I love your eyes."
Carmilla blinked at the onslaught of questions and then folded the corner of the page she was up to and set her book down. "My names Carmilla. I'm starting in the third year... Your hair is very pink."
"Third year? Me too. And thanks, I dyed it myself." She gestured to her hair, and flicked it around, it reached just below her shoulders and made her look like a fairy. Carmilla had seen very few people in her hometown with colourful hair. That was adult talk for no one.
"Erm, what's Ravenclaw?" she asked.
Ace didn't seem to mind the lack of knowledge and started rambling about houses, pulling her knees up to her chest. "You mustn't have finished that book yet, there are four different houses, you'll get sorted when we arrive with the rest of the newbies. Ravenclaw is for people that desire knowledge and want to learn new things. Everyone just thinks we're nerds, but we're really not. Hufflepuff is for the loyal and trustworthy people, Gryffindor is for the loud people, and Slytherins for the dark wizards. At least that's what everyone thinks, but really, they're pretty chillaxed. Most of them."
Carmilla wasn't sure if she would fit into any of the houses. She didn't have a defining trait that wasn't to do with being a vampire, or an orphan, really. Ace continued on.
"You don't have to be the smartest person at school, or the bravest or anything like that. The sorting hat will pick somewhere that's good for you, try not to worry. Are you a muggle born then?" She propped her feet up on her trunk, matching Carmilla.
She vaguely remembered Dumbledore mentioning her cover story would actually just be the truth. Carmilla didn't know who her parents were, and she'd grown up in a town just out of London. Towards the ocean and the punks.
Ace must have mistaken her silence for confusion. "Muggleborns are people with two non-magic parents, half-bloods are people with only one, and purebloods are people with two fully magic parents."
Carmilla looked out the window, seeing the sun had lowered. It left streaks of orange. "Everyone's blood is pure. If it wasn't, you'd die."
Ace chuckled. It wasn't a joke. Carmilla had a sort of sense with blood, and she had never met anyone with only half blood. She had never drunk anyone's blood either.
"I'm not sure what I am, I haven't met my real parents."
"Well, ask Professor Dumbledore, he might know." Ace shrugged, and both girls turned when the door slid open again. A kindly looking older woman was smiling at them, with a cart of unusual looking treats.
They didn't look like the usual chocolates and lollypops she saw in the corner store where Dawn worked on the weekend when they weren't at Mass. They had bizarre labels on the boxes. Chocolate frogs, fizzing wizzbees, Bertie botts beans, pumpkin pasties, the list went on.
"Hello girls, anything from the cart?" the lady asked, Carmilla reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a few of the bronze coins she had.
The sun had set when they went over a tall bridge, and a sliver of Hogwarts came into view. The girls were eating liquorice wands. Ace was explaining why pepper imps were the superior lolly, when someone walked in again.
She had light hair that didn't really have a colour at all, just a sort of mix between blonde and brown, and a shiny badge. Her eyes were the same as Ace's. "Ace, you're lucky that school hasn't started yet, or I'd have to give you a detention. Also... just get into your robes, dude."
Ace rolled her eyes and threw Hogwarts: A history, at the retreating girl. The thick book only missed because the door slammed shut just in time. "And that, ladies and gentleman, is why I'm destined to be on the quidditch team. That was my sister Liz, she's a prefect. Someone must have dobbed me in. Snitch."
Carmilla jumped back when something hit her in the face. Ace had opened her trunk. Books, fluffy socks, headbands, and assorted items were scattered around the compartment.
"What's a prefect?" she asked, as she opened her own trunk to find her robes. Mistress Theeny had ironed them out until the creases weren't noticeable unless you squinted. She hoped no one squinted.
"They're like, a step down from the head girl and boy, and there's two for each house every year. Liz's in Gryffindor."
After collecting the things on the floor, and squashing them into the dark polished trunk, they headed to find an empty bathroom, walking past the black- and white-haired girl again.
This time she was joined by a shifty looking guy, and another boy sporting a green Mohawk. They were trying to fix it with spells, but they didn't seem to have a great effect on the hairdo. Ace pulled Carmilla along quickly once she spotted them as well, giggling.
"That's Lucius Malfoy, the one I hexed. And his evil little friends Narcissa and Rudolphus."
They sped into another carriage, in search of the bathrooms. Ace pointed out a few of the students, including the red headed one from earlier. She had pretty green eyes.
They were at the back of the queue, as everyone seemed to be getting changed at the same time. Carmilla looked out the window. Rain droplets were hitting the roof above them and dripping down the glass. She used to play this little game with Dawn, where she would pick a raindrop out of a few and race it to the bottom of the window.
Her gaze focused back, and she realised Ace was looking out the window as well, at their reflections. At her own reflection.
Carmilla didn't have a reflection, or a shadow for that matter.
The lock clicked, and she stumbled into the now vacated bathroom, and faced the empty mirror with a grimace.
You may be waiting for a description of Carmilla, as this is really the perfect place to put it in this story, but there is a small problem. She didn't know what she looked like.
She knew that she had dark hair, different coloured eyes, and shiny red lips. Because of the whole not having blood thing, of course. Her lips would normally be the same colour as her skin, so she wore cherry coloured lipstick to cover it.
She knew her features, her pale skin, the brown dot next to her mouth, but only from what other people had told her.
It wasn't as big as a problem as some people might expect, because she didn't really know what to miss. Of course, she would like to see herself, properly, not just the too big robes with grey hems that would hopefully turn a colour that would give her somewhere to belong.
Both girls stumbled as the train came to a stop, and people rushed around.
"Our trunks?" she called out to Ace, who was leading her through the throng of students.
The rain was still falling, and their shoes slipped along the wet leaves on the path that started at the end of the concrete platform. "It'll be in your dorm tonight."
Hopefully they didn't make someone carry all of those heavy trunks, especially not Ace's bursting one, but Carmilla put it down to magic. They approached multiple large black carriages that seemed to be attached to something invisible. Magic, probably.
"The first year's go on boats across the black lake, but because you're starting in my year, we're in carriage's," Ace told Carmilla when they climbed into said carriages.
The occupants, two girls in yellow lined robes, smiled at them.
"Hello, my name is Heather Addison." The blonde girl said, holding her hand out. She had painted her nails purple. Carmilla hadn't seen it done so neatly before. The girls at the home just used markers.
Carmilla shook her hand, before introducing herself as well. "I'm Carmilla. I'm new this year," she said, judging from the look Heather gave her, she didn't recognise her. "I like your nails."
Heather blushed, and held them out, "Thank you! I did them myself. I love your eyes."
Carmilla got to know the two Hufflepuff girls, as she found out, on the way to the castle. Heather's friend was called Ophelia, and both of them reassured her that the sorting ceremony was actually easy, and all you had to do was sit there for a bit.
Hogwarts came into view fully, and all the glowing windows made it look even more enchanting between the grey clouds. The moon shone brightly, and Carmilla's eyes widened. It was... huge. And beautiful.
Ace gave her a hug for good luck once they'd climbed out of the carraige, and then made her way into the hall, avoiding a water bomb throwing ghost. Ghosts didn't particularly scare Carmilla. She was supposed to be one of those scary beings as well.
What did scare her though, was the fact she was standing around by herself, with no idea where to go.
Soon all that was left was her and two boys that looked to be twins. They bunched together, obviously not sure where to go, or what to do, either. An older woman stepped out of a room, dressed in dark green robes with a stern look on her face.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house," she said, looking over her glasses. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses after the first years. The Sorting is a very important ceremony. While you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts."
Carmilla blinked. Could you really make a family out of a group of ragtag colour co-ordinated teenagers given magical wands and odd pets?
"As you three are transfers, you will not be with the first years. You will follow your houses to your common rooms after dinner, and your name will be on the door to your dormitories," the Professor continued.
A stream of tiny first years walked past them, into what would be the hall. Chatter came from the room, and then it was silent. Someone must be giving a speech. Probably Dumbledore. Carmilla wondered if he was still wearing those glittery robes with all the little planets on them.
McGonagall led them through after a few minutes, and they watched the last of the eleven-year-old kids sit on a three-legged stool, and wear one of the ugliest hats she had ever seen.
And she was there when Mistress Theeny went through a knitting phase.
"And now, we have three new students transferring from Ilvermorny and Durmstrang, I hope you will all make them feel very welcome at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said. He was wearing another extravagant space themed robe. He sat down.
Carmilla wasn't actually a transfer from Ilvermorny. That was her cover story for Dumbledore not being able to track her father's blood line.
"Brown, Connor." Professor McGonagall called, and one of the twins stepped forwards, placing the brown hat on his head. Carmilla was sure her name would sound silly if they called her last name first. A minute passed.
"Slytherin!"
His brother was sorted into Slytherin after him, and then it was Carmilla's turn. Butterflies, or more likely, bats, were flapping around in her stomach and making quite the fuss. She glanced around quickly, spotting Ace, who was grinning at her in a swarm of bored looking people. A few of them were reading books under the table, and someone was creating a perfectly balanced tower out of empty cups.
"King, Carmilla."
She mentally shoved herself forwards, and her body followed.
She could hear people clapping, probably because she sounded like a bloody king. Once the hat was on her head, she breathed out, shakily. It didn't smell very good. Hmmmmm, you're not a transfer, are you? you're a vampire!
At that, Carmilla sucked in another breathe, hopefully the gross hat wouldn't expose her.
Well, your father was in Slytherin, and you have ambitions.... You would go far to get your way, I see that... and your loyalty would not budge...intriguing ......but that brain of yours! So much curiosity....
"Ravenclaw!"
I know Carmilla seems like an OC someone made when they were twelve [which she is, shhh] but it actually works in the vibe of the story just trust me on this
<3