It had been raining, pouring actually and pouring so hard it seemed even foreign to Forks, Washington. Night had fallen and an old gentleman stood before a beautiful white home nestled comfortably in the back of the woods. He pushed his half moon spectacles up and took a graceful stroll up the empty driveway. When he reached the door, a beautiful woman with pale, pale skin and caramel hair pulled it open with an inhuman grace.

She smiled at him. “You must be Albus Dumbledore. Alice said you’d be arriving soon. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Esme Cullen.”

Dumbledore’s blue eyes twinkled and with a smile took her cold hand graciously. “It is nice to meet you, my dear. Please, may I come in?”

“Of course,” said the motherly Esme. She offered to take his wet cloak but Dumbledore declined. Simply, he took a wooden stick from his pocket and waved it rapidly over his robe. Instantly, it dried and Esme was left with a look of wonder on her face.

“Now is the rest of your family here, Mrs. Cullen?” Dumbledore was quite polite as he followed the young woman through the Cullen’s beautiful home. They entered a living room where Dumbledore was seated before 6 other vampires. There was no fear in his body toward his hosts but the coven before him was uncomfortable and rather wary of him.

A long discussion followed in which the rain came far from stopping. When Dumbledore had finished and awaited a reply the rain let up and the sun was near rising. The elder man hadn’t realized that until now.

Carlisle, the beautiful blonde father, smiled at the old wizard and with a soft nod spoke, “Yes.”

Dumbledore was delighted.

Maria's POV

"HOLD THE TRAAAAIIIINNN!!!" I heard someone shouting and then similar screams began to join with the same voice saying "Sorry! Excuse Me! Coming Through! OUTTA MY WAY!!"

Immediately I walked back over to the gate that had been shut for the journey and threw it open.

"You can't be serious…" I muttered to myself as I held out my ice-cold rust tinted hand. The heat from the person who grasped it was immense and slightly shocking, there was a disgusting scent in the air that I had never before expected from a human. I stepped back a bit to make space while I helped to pull the tall lanky boy on board.

He managed to leap into the carriage with one bound and inhuman grace and silence. I tried my best to avoid wrinkling my nose at the revolting scent he carried with him as he composed himself on the now moving train and shut the door that was behind him before it flew off.

Within a second I took a chance to analyse the tall 6ft 7' boy before me. He had dark russet coloured skin with black hair and dark eyes. He wore a dark t-shirt that showed his muscular build beneath it with blue denim jeans and white trainers.

"Thanks." He grinned at me though with a single glance into my eyes his boyish grin vanished and he frowned at me slightly, his nose twitched and I had the strange impression he was resisting the urge to scrunch it up in revulsion, just as I was.

"No problem" I answered calmly and smiled at him; this was strange. Most boys were speechless by the time they laid eyes on me though I wish that wouldn't happen but it was usually quite inevitable, unless they were used to my presence. There was barely any time for an awkward silence before he held out his hand to me, "I'm Jacob Black." He seemed to have composed himself and his expression because he was now giving me a more polite smile, instead of that naturally boyish grin he had worn a few seconds previously.

Reluctantly, I took his scorching hand and shook it whilst I answered with a polite smile, "Maria Rivera." I took my hand from his grasp as soon as I could without it appearing rude, and then I gave him one last dazzling smile before saying in the politest way possible "I'll see you later then I guess. I'm sure we'll bump into one another around Hogwarts."

I do believe this was my code for: You stink. I'm leaving. No offence.

He probably could tell this is what I meant but he was annoyingly persistent, "Oh just one sec." He lowered his voice to such a level that if my hearing was human I was sure I wouldn’t have caught a thing he said, "Have you seen any other vampires around the train yet? I'm meant to be meeting up with a small coven of them."

I stared at him, unable to control my expression of utter shock and disbelief.

It was true. I had befallen the sad fate of being bitten by a vampire and never being granted the relief of death. Instead I suffered through the painful burning of the three-day transformation that took place before I finally knew what I had become.

"How did you know?" I hissed dangerously, my voice as low as his.

"Whoa there calm down bloodsucker." He held up his hands in defence with an amused expression crossing his face, he took a step back out of unconscious caution. "I could smell your stench from a mile-off. No one smells that bad unless they're a leach like yourself." He smirked at me as I glared at him, my eye twitching from anger.

How dare he!! Call me a leach? A Bloodsucker he says!! I'll show him that good for nothing son of a—

"And plus, your hand was abnormally cold, even for someone living in London, and your eyes are like…well the same as the Cullens."

"THERE YOU ARE!!" Someone chirped from down the isle while we still stood at one of the deserted entrances, refraining me from being able to question Jacob Black about how and why he knew the Cullens, and also why the heck he stunk so much. I mean if I stunk to him, and he stunk to me, then there must be some logical reason behind this stinkyness and he must surely know. My apparent odour didn't seem like an alien feeling to him as his did to me.

And plus, since WHEN does a guy find MY smell unappealing?!! I'm DESIGNED to be attractive and alluring to these bloody humans. This is against nature's design!!

"Trust you to be late." Grinned a tall gangly looking teen. He was like a smaller version of this Jacob Black but seemed a lot happier and laid back. He was roughly 6ft 2' with lean muscle all over his body. There was a bright innocent smile on his russet skinned face and a little twinkling in his dark eyes that were visible beneath his short cut dark hair.

Again I felt the same stench coming from this boy and this time I made no secret of my distaste. Wrinkling up my nose I stood there, completely still and patient. Wondering whether or not they would notice it if I left to find a compartment.

"Shut up Seth." Growled Jacob, grimacing at whom I now presumed was Seth.

"Yes Sir." Saluted Seth, still grinning.

"And I wasn't late… I just couldn't get through the frickin' traffic."

"Whatever you say, but you know you're lucky she was here." Seth said tipping his head in my direction. He grinned at me and I stared back curiously, not sure whether he was being polite or simply trying to ignore me.

"Seth Clearwater." He held out his hand.

He's not ignoring me then I see.

"Maria Rivera." I answered and shook his hand, once again feeling a scorching burning emitting from his fingers and I quickly let go after a small shake.

"So are you the only vampire around Maria or are you with the Cullens?"

"SHHHHH!!" I quickly hushed him and glanced around, hoping no one had heard or noticed this idiot. My eyes narrowed slightly at him in annoyance.

"Oh right…sorry." He laughed at his silly mistake – as if anyone could've done that.

"How—" I began but I was shortly cut off by a lovely and intoxicatingly familiar scent quickly approaching and soon enough someone's warm gentle hands covered my eyes and I felt sweet warm breath tickle my sensitive ears as someone whispered, "Missed me?"

I couldn't help myself as I squealed slightly and turned around to hug none other than Cedric Diggory himself. "Obviously." I laughed in answer to his question and I could hear his heartbeat accelerate slightly as he laughed with me and returned my loving gesture.

"So who're your friends?" he asked nicely, referring to Jacob and Seth who were busy quietly talking to each other with slightly shocked expressions. Glancing from me to Cedric every so often.

"That's Seth and that's Jacob. They're not exactly my friends since we kind of just met—" I began, pointing to each of them but I was soon cut off by a gang of annoying weirdos.

"OH MY GOD! SHE'S ALIVEEEE!!" cried one voice that I would have recognised anywhere and within a few seconds Cedric and I were scooped up into a giant bear hug between to giant annoying pranking red heads…yes I did say Cedric was as well seeing as he had his arms around me when the others decided to join.

"MATE…you're hugging Cedric…and I don't think he likes it very much." Laughed my bestest buddy in the whole wide world: Lianna Walden.

"Yeah mate back off!" Fred cried dramatically emphasising Li's point.

He pushed George away from us and this consequently dropped Cedric and I to the floor again.

"Ced doesn't want to hug YOU! JEEEZ!" Fred continued rolling his eyes at the point he just made as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well WHY would he want to hug YOU!" snorted George, pushing Fred in the same way.

Pretending he was all cool and tough and like he was going to beat up Fred. "He CLEARLY likes ME better than he likes YOU!"

"Actually I'd think he likes ME the best!"

"You wanna take this outside?!!"

"BRING IT BITCH!"

"GUYS!!" Li cried before they could start a play fight. Keeping the peace was kind of always her thing. Me and Ced were just in a heap on the floor, laughing at the stupidity above us. "CHILL OUT!" she cried again and Fred and George just exchanged looks of innocence that deceived no one.

"We weren't gonna do anything really." Fred joked.

"Yeah just take it outside," continued George.

"…On top of the train…"

"…While it moved…"

"…Just like in movies." They finished together, grinning equally evil grins.

"Well if you fall off and die then I'm gonna be the one who has to clean up. YET AGAIN. And I'm not gonna be cleaning up your leftover body parts." She replied coolly though there was an edge of impatience and annoyance to her voice. "Oh, and hey Mazzy." She grinned down at me as I continued to sit on Cedric as he kind of lay on the floor. "Had a good summer?"

I shrugged and grinned at her, "Could've been better Li. World Cup was amazing though, did you see it??"

"Yeah!! As if I would miss that! How bloody brilliant!" she grinned brightly at me with so much enthusiasm. She offered me a hand to help me up.

"I know right!!" I laughed with her and then stared at her hand for a second then looked down at Cedric, then back at her with human slowness. I grinned at her again, "I rather like being sat where I am. I have a very comfy seat." I wiggled my butt slightly and laughed as Cedric groaned and I could hear his heartbeat increase as a light blush crossed his cheeks.

"EWWW!! MY EYES!! IT BURNS!!!" Fred and George screamed childishly, pretending to shield their apparently innocent eyes.

"Oh pack it in." I muttered as I rolled my eyes. I took Li's warm hand as she pulled me up to my feet. Cedric followed shortly afterwards, the blush faded as quickly as it came.

"Hey…where'd your friends go?" he asked curiously as he looked back to where Jacob Black and Seth Clearwater had been standing.

"What friends?" Li asked curiously.

"Some guy almost missed the train so I helped him on board. They probably just went off to find their own compartment before they get all full." I shrugged. "Speaking of which, did you guys get a compartment?" I asked as we began to walk back down the train.

"Yeah I'm in number 23." Cedric answered, holding my icy hand in his warm one and leading me towards it.

"Oh we're in 25." Li answered slightly disappointedly.

I almost forgot about this. We were in separate houses so we didn't usually get a compartment big enough for ALL our friends to be together. Myself being in Hufflepuff with my lovely Cedric, and the other three all in Gryffindor.

"Well they're literally just next to each other so its good enough." I answered and grinned brightly.

We were almost at our compartment when a particular scent caught me off guard; I glanced around to find the source of it. I took a momentary look at the compartment to my right and then composed myself to move on and pretend I hadn't noticed. It was that same disgusting smell of that Jacob and Seth, though this time it was combined with the lovely scent of several other people. Though I'd never caught this scent before…

"So who're you sitting with first?" Cedric asked as he stood in the doorway to his compartment, a serene smile on his face as he awaited my answer. I could tell he already knew what it would be.

"I'll sit with Li and everyone for the first half but I'll see you after lunch, ok?" I grinned at him and he kissed my forehead as he smiled at me.

With a quick, see you later, he went into his compartment to sit with his other friends from Hufflepuff and I went into mine and sat next to Li who was sat next to Fred who was opposite George who was next to a couple of our other friends, Lee Jordan and his girlfriend Angelina Johnson.

"So who're these friends you speak of?" Fred questioned with a pervy wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Ugh. Don't even think about it. They smelled really weird."

"They smelled?" Li asked with serious disbelief.

"Well…yeah…and I think they're new at hogwarts…but they were WAY too tall to be first years." I began to mutter to myself thoughtfully.

"Maybe they're transfers?" George suggested.

"Why would anyone transfer into the same school as YOU?" Fred snorted and George grinned.

"Cuz they luuuurrrvvv me." He immaturely stuck his tongue out at Fred and then the jokes began.

"Li I need to talk to you." I whispered urgently to her as soon as casual conversation/jokes began between everyone. No one would be paying very much attention to me now.

"What's up?" she asked in a quiet tone while her expression was transformed into a subtle frown of curiosity.

"You know my…er…'condition'," I began hoping she'd catch the hint. "Well those guys who I told you about before, this err…I think one was Jacob Black and the other was Seth Clearwater…they knew!" I hissed and her expression changed from curiosity to shock as she stifled the urge to gasp.

"How??" she hissed in just as much urgency.

I scrunched up my nose in an expression of distaste and disgust, "They said they could smell me."

She stared at me for a painfully long human second. "They could smell you? But you always smell amazing."

I laughed slightly, "Apparently to them I'm wreak. But it makes no difference to me, I doubt that any number of perfumes or showers could make THEM smell any good."

She frowned and raised an eyebrow at me slightly in suspicion, "and you're sure you're not exaggerating. Maybe they just implied something else and you took it the wrong way."

"Li. I know I'm not exaggerating; they used the word. They asked me I've seen any others. They said they were looking for a coven of them."

Her eyes widened slightly, "A coven of them? At Hogwarts??"

"I like to whisper too." Fred whispered from Li's other side, randomly joining into our conversation.

"AH!" Li yelped as she jumped from shock and I lurched back from the increased volume of her voice on my sensitive ears. "FRED!!" she scolded and hit him on the back of his head with playful anger.

He pouted and rubbed the back of his head, "Liiilllliiiii" he whined, "That huuuurrrrttt! Kiss it better?" he offered hopefully and grinned at her.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help laughing with the rest of the gang. All I could manage was a partially believable smile.

"I'll be right back." I muttered as I got up and headed out of the compartment of my laughing/joking/flirting friends.

A scent just caught my nose that I couldn't ignore, it was a strange mixture of sweet honey scented lilac and I could distinctly hear a dancing rhythm to the steps taken by this person. But as soon as I stepped out of the carriage and looked to my left, the girl was there.

Grinning at me and shining a rainbow of reflected colours from her white teeth. She was very beautiful; she was petite and pixie-like at around 4ft 10', with a graceful gait and hair that is short, spiky and black. Her eyes…they were the exact same shade of amber as mine were.

"Hey Maria!" she grinned brightly and hugged me. I was in momentary shock and didn't react to her gesture. "Oh, yeah that's right you don't know me yet." She laughed to herself as she released me. "I'm Alice Cullen. You know Carlisle right?" She grinned when she saw the understanding begin to dawn on my face.

Yes, I knew Carlisle. When I was a wild and uneducated newborn vampire, close to losing my mind and simply living off my predator instincts, I met Carlisle Cullen. A very handsome and compassionate man who helped me learn, that to be a vampire was not to be a monster. I could choose whether or not I would kill people for their blood, he showed me the alternative. He showed me I could survive from living off animal blood. True, it wasn't as satisfying for the craving and thirst I constantly felt, but it gave me enough energy to have the will power to resist it.

"Yeah, are you part of his coven then?" I asked calmly, though still not trusting her completely. She may be trying to deceive me.

"Yep yep." She chirped happily in her musical voice. "But I'm only one of his 'adopted' children." She grinned at me as she made quotation mark symbols with her hands around the word adopted. I couldn't help but feel the corner of my mouth twitching too. This Alice Cullen seemed pretty easy to get along with.

"C'mon you can meet the rest of us" she twittered with joy as she grabbed my hand and practically danced back to the compartment I had caught the scent from earlier.

"There're more of you?" I laughed slightly at the disbelief in my own voice.

She said nothing and just pulled me into a slightly crowded compartment. "I TOLD you I was right." She grinned and I saw a big burly and extremely muscular looking guy roll his eyes and scowl at her.

"Oh hello again!" grinned someone from the corner of the room, waving at me. I recognised him to be Seth Clearwater and I couldn't help but smile at him. There was something so friendly and likable about him.

"Oh not another one." Groaned someone from beside Seth, who I recognised to be Jacob Black. "It already stinks in here as it is."

I rolled my eyes, "Jacob not even a million baths, perfumes or gas masks could mask your stench so I don't see what you have to complain about." I answered calmly and the room erupted with snorts and giggles as everyone seemed to be refraining from laughing but it was obviously a funny joke to them. I glanced around the room, taking in the appearance and scent of those everyone within a second.

The guy sat next to Seth made me stop breathing for a second or two, I'm not entirely sure why… He stared at me and seemed to be restraining the urge to grin. Staring contest much? I thought to myself and stared back at him for a human second or two. It felt like an eternity and I saw the corners of his mouth twitch just as I thought that. Weird…

"Come sit!" laughed Seth and I glanced around. "And Jake stop being such a dick."

"Where?"

"You can sit next to Rose." Grinned the burly looking one and pointed to the seat beside the most beautiful girl I had ever seen with long blonde locks and she had the strange aura around her of elegance and class.

Immediately after noticing her distasteful expression about my presence, though she disguised it well, I rethought joining these people. I could hear the lunch trolley coming up anyway, so that meant it was time to join Cedric.

"I can't. I have to go meet Cedric. I only came since I thought Carlisle would be here– " And Alice kind of gave me no choice. "—So since he's not I better get going."

"You'll see Carlisle at school." Said the boy next to Alice, a muscular but lean looking guy with honey-blonde hair and crescent shaped scars all over his body. It took all my self control to keep my expression indifferent though I couldn't help thinking, HOLY CRAP!

"He's going to be there?" I asked calmly to the same guy.

"Yeah, he's going to be helping in the hospital wing and he travelled separately with the headmaster."

"How come you guys didn't just go with him?"

"We're students right? We have to be all incognito." He grinned at me and I laughed slightly.

"Right, I get your point. Well I'll see you guys at the feast."

"Feast? There'll be food?" Jacob asked hopefully.

"Well duh. Not everyone is the living dead so they kind of need nourishment. And what kind of boarding school would this be if they didn't serve food?" I sighed to myself, rolling my eyes slightly, "The lunch trolley will be coming round in a few minutes so you can get a few things from there if you like. I suggest a pumpkin pasty and some liquorish wands."

I glanced at that boy in the corner next to Seth again and he sent a beautiful lopsided smile that I could feel make my frozen heart melt.

"See you at the sorting." I said, referring to everyone but never taking my eyes off those of that beautiful ones staring back at me.

I rushed out of the room before they could object and headed down to the right compartment to join my lovely boyfriend for the rest of the journey. Though that small meeting was constantly in my mind.

"Maria are you ok?" Cedric asked me quietly when we were almost at Hogwarts.

I looked up at him and smiled calmly, "Yeah I'm fine. Just have a bit to think about."

He nodded and kissed my cheek, "I'm always here if you want to talk about it."

I smiled at him and nodded and continued to sit there as Cedric laughed and talked with his other friends. That was one of the loveliest things about Cedric, he was so sweet and understanding and he knew that if I didn't tell him something, then I had a generally good reason so he'd never pry into anything.

"Welcome to another sure-to-be brilliant year at Hogwarts! Now, before we begin the sorting, there will be a few differences to it this year. There are seven slightly older students who will be transferring into our school this year. I'd appreciate it if you all didn't stare at them and treat them as kindly as you would treat any of your other piers." Professor Dumbledore announced to the thousand or so silent students who sat at their house tables.

He waved towards the doors to the Great Hall and they flew open, with a line of first years following behind the tall and strict Professor McGonagall. Whispers began almost immediately when the seven new students entered.

First came Alice, gracefully following a first year that was very much shorter than her but not by far. She danced behind them with a bright and happy smile on her face. Following her was that honey-blonde boy she had been sat next to earlier. He seemed a bit stiffer and more awkward as he entered and I knew that expression only too well, he was still new at this animal-blood diet. So many humans, so tempting…

I felt Cedric's warm hand take my own and interlock our fingers. I looked at him and he smiled at me, I dazzled him with a bright smile of my own and kissed his warm cheek. I turned back to the final students who entered, Seth and Jacob bringing up the rear.

Seth seemed to be in bright spirits but in front of him, it was that guy. That one with the abnormally beautiful eyes and face and the lopsided smile…it was as though I could feel my frozen heart melting right there and then.

No! I've got Cedric! What am I thinking about that guy for!? I quickly turned and kissed Cedric on the lips quite lovingly. For a second he seemed very taken aback but kissed me back all the same. He took my face in his gentle hands and pulled away tenderly. "Not here." He whispered, slightly breathless and smiling. I could hear the speed of his heart accelerate and I smiled at him.

"Why not?" I whispered at the same volume as his, whilst they began sorting the little first years.

He laughed and we both applauded when our house started cheering, someone had obviously been sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Because everyone's here?" he said and glanced around.

"So?" I grinned and he rolled his eyes. He didn't bother answering my question and just turned his attention back to the sorting.

The sorting didn't really interest me so I began to look up across the staff table, maybe I could see—YEP! There was Carlisle sat next to Madam Pomfrey.

I saw that on his other side sat a very beautiful and cute woman, holding his hand. I presumed this had to be Esme, his wife.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Dumbledore cried as he addressed the school and I quickly looked to him within a fraction of a second. Had I missed the sorting of these older newbies? Nope they were still stood there…what the—

"Now, I take this great pleasure in announcing the slightly older of our new students." There was a twinkle in his eye and I had a feeling that the slightly older was a bit of an under exaggeration.

"First, Rosalie Hale, will you please step forward and be sorted for your 7th year?" Dumbledore politely smiled over his horn-rimmed half-moon spectacles at the beautiful girl I'd seen before.

She was tall and had a statuesque appearance to her and, even for a vampire; she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I glanced around and, yep, all the boys seemed to have noticed her beauty as well and were gawking at her like idiots.

I glanced, so quick that to a human eye it wouldn't be noticeable, at Cedric. And, to my surprise, he was looking at me instead of Rosalie. There seemed to be a determined kind of glint in his eyes and he continued to look at me, his eyebrows creased together in concentration as he was thinking. I pretended not to notice and watched as Rosalie gracefully took a seat on the stool while simultaneously removing the sorting hat and placing it on her head.

Even that ragged, matted old worn out hat seemed to look like a designer piece of work when she wore it. The hat was quiet for a few moments, I took this as a chance to glance at the other members waiting.

Jacob and Seth were murmuring to one another, so quiet that I was too far off to hear them. The guy who was stood in front of them looked beautifully uninterested in Rosalie and calmly stared at the hat she had on her head.

"SLYTHERIN!!" The hat suddenly announced into the silent hall and there was a slight groan from the other tables as the Slytherin table erupted with cheers and applause. Rosalie whipped the hat off her head and placed it back onto the stool, where it suddenly lost its magical beauty that she had given it. She gracefully walked over to the table and, to my displeasure, she sat next to none other than Draco Malfoy who seemed smug but slightly speechless by the honour she had given him.

She paid no notice to him nor the one-liners all the boys were trying on her and turned to watch the rest of the sorting.

Dumbledore politely applauded along with the rest of the staff and then turned his twinkling eyes back to those waiting to be sorted.

"Emmett Cullen, please take a seat as our next 7th year." Smiled the aging Professor.

The big burly looking guy stepped forward, his face completely emotionless though his big muscles flexed as he put the hat on his head.

I felt Cedric squeeze my hand slightly and I looked at him; he was watching Emmett and when I turned back the hat proudly shouted "GRYFFINDOR!!"

Immediately the table exploded with cheers as they welcomed Emmett. I slowly – for a vampire – began to understand why Cedric had squeezed my hand when he saw Emmett. If I thought he was big and slightly scary as a vampire, he must be almost terrifying to humans. And as if to confirm my thoughts, I saw the first years that sat near him, shift away uneasily.

"Alice Cullen, next please to be sorted into your 6th year house." Dumbledore smiled as the pixie-like girl grinned and gracefully danced over to the stool and took a seat, placing the hat on top of her head.

It didn't take very long until the hat suddenly said, "HUFFLEPUFF!" I let go of Cedric's hand so that I could applaud with everyone else; I glanced around and saw the boys mainly seemed to be staring at either Rosalie or Alice.

She whipped the hat off her head and winked at Carlisle before she practically danced her way towards our table, never stopping to sit down until she seemed to be stood in front of me. Grinning happily to turned to the boy sat on my other side, Peter I think his name was. I didn’t really talk to him.

"Would you mind if I sat there?" she fluttered her eyelashes and flashed a dazzling smile at him and he was all too eager to slide along to make room for her little body. "Hey!" she greeted me happily and then she looked to Cedric and then to me within a fraction of a second and smiled. It was as if she already knew.

Well DURH! Everyone in school knew about me and Cedric. We'd been going strong together as a couple for about a year now.

"Would Mister Jasper Hale please step forward so we can sort you into your 6th year house." Smiled Professor Dumbledore and the boy who had been sat next to Alice went and sat down below the sorting hat.

He was tall and very very handsome with honey-blonde hair and lean muscle all over his body. I wasn’t sure whether or not the humans could see the crescent shaped scars all over his body but I could see them very clearly.

The hat was silent for a while, taking a little longer on Jasper than it had on any of the others until he finally said "I know…HUFFLEPUFF!!" I applauded and cheered loudly with everyone else.

Jasper let a relieved breath escape him as he took that hat off his head and smoothly walked over and sat next to Alice. She smiled brightly and kissed his cheek, taking his hand in her own and turning to see where the final vampire would be sorted.

"And now Mr Edward Cullen would you please come to be sorted for your 6th year." Requested the professor.

Edward…so that was his name…I could see from my peripheral vision that I wasn't the only girl who was very taken by his appearance. Who could blame them? Though this did make me burn with jealousy. Why was I even jealous? I didn’t need to be. Hmph. I had Cedric, and he was more than perfect enough for me.

I squeezed Cedric's hand slightly in order to reassure myself and I could see from the corner of my eye that Cedric smiled but didn’t look at me and began stroking my soft skin with his thumb.

GAH! I wished I knew what the hat was whispering to Edward in his head! I wanted to know, what was his mind like? What thoughts was he having? He looked totally calm but was he in fact really nervous about where he was being placed?! UGH!! This was taking way too long for my liking.

It had only been a few human seconds but I was already becoming impatient and testy. Finally, after a minute or two, the hat shouted into the silent hall, "RAVENCLAW!!"

Rather disappointedly I politely clapped with the rest of the houses whilst he walked over to the cheering table of smarty-pants.

So, if he's in Ravenclaw, then he must be really smart… I couldn't help thinking to myself. I almost forgot about the other two still left to be sorted.

"Seth Clearwater would you please step forward and we'll sort you into your 4th year."

The bright bubbly looking Seth eagerly walked forwards and jammed that hat on his head as he sat down. Not with as much grace as the others before him, clearly, but there was a friendly and happy aura to him that can't be escaped.

"Wait…so he's only in his 4th year?!!" I heard a girl a few seats down from me whisper. "Holy cow but he's taller than my dad!" that same voice whispered.

"Yeah but look at his face, he's too cute to be so old. Besides, you can't help how tall you are." Someone contradicted in a whisper as a reply to the first girl.

That's when I realised that there were a lot of whispers going around the hall about these new students. Until they were all silenced by a giant proclamation of "GRYFFINDOR!!!"

I applauded politely while he swiftly took the hat off his head and headed to sit at the table next to Emmett and, I was happy to see, near Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Good. At least Seth will make some nice friends in his own house and year easily. He seems too cute and likable not to make friends easily…ignoring the way that he smells.

"And lastly, our Mr Jacob Black. Let's see which 6th year house you'll be in." Smiled the professor and I could hear a few girls giggle about how cute he is and some guys mutter about how bloody tall he is… well like they said before, it's not as though you can help your height.

It was hardly a few human seconds before the hat shouted proudly, "GRYFFINDOR!!"

Once again the table erupted with cheers whilst the rest of us applauded politely.

"Excellent. Excellent." Chuckled the professor while Jacob took the hat off his head and went to sit beside Seth at the Gryffindor table. "Now before we begin our excellent feast, I would like to introduce our new Muggle Studies Teacher, Professor Esme Cullen. I trust you will all make her feel very welcome." Smiled Professor Dumbledore and I saw as Esme shyly stood and smiled to everyone as we applauded for her.

"And, our second addition to this years faculty members, let me introduce Dr Carlisle Cullen who will be working in the Hospital Wing with Madam Pomfery."

Again there was the polite and kind applause from the entire school and faculty as Carlisle stood up and smiled to everyone very calmly.

"Finally, as you know we've been needing a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, so to fill the position for this year only, allow me to introduce my dear old friend Alastor Moody." There was again the same amount of applause from everyone. "Now I do believe I have babbled on enough for one night, there will be time for speech-making later. For now, tuck in."

And with that the magical feast appeared before us all and I restrained from laughing to myself as I heard Seth and Jacob go WOAH! Together and then I think I clearly heard Seth whining cutely to Jacob: "Jake…it all looks so good… I don't know what to eat first!!"

I glanced to my new vampire comrades beside me and I saw them pile food on their plate but not eat any. Subconsciously I checked my pockets and grinned, pulling out a white paper bag and popping one of the sweets into my mouth.

"Blood pop?" I asked quietly and held the bag towards them.

"A what?" Alice asked but took one anyway, I knew that the smell must be drawing her in. They smelled delicious compared to the food that surrounded us.

"A blood pop." I said in the same quiet tone, knowing they would hear me but above the noise of the rest of the hall, others would not. "They're perfect to look like you're eating at the feasts and they taste good." I grinned at them as they put it in their mouths.

Their cautious and curious expressions turned into huge grins, as they tasted the pleasure of a blood pop.

"We've never heard of these before." Jasper complimented, helping himself to another one.

I smiled and put the packet in the middle of us three, therefore right in front of Alice. "Yeah they're only available in the magical world and they're better than animal. Though don't get addicted, we have a forest on grounds that we can go hunting in."

"You have a forest on the grounds? That sounds so cool." Grinned Alice.

"Yeah but-"

"Right. Forbidden Forest. Well yeah for good reason. If we were hunting and one of the students got there then they'd be kind of screwed."

I stared at her a second. "How did you know that?"

She gave me a big smug smile, "I have the ability to see into the future. It's my gift but its kind of conditional seeing as if someone changes their mind then it can change the outcome of the future."

"Oh that’s so cool! I wish I had some random gift like that." I pouted, annoyed. "Do you have a gift too?" I asked Jasper, taking another blood pop.

"Yeah I can influence emotions around me and I can feel them too." He smiled as he sucked on the sweet that I had never before been able to share with other people.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my eyebrows creasing together in a small frown.

"Like, I can tell right now you're feeling confused but serene and relaxed and…flirty?" he raised an eyebrow to the last one.

I shrugged and grinned, "So you can tell what someone's feeling?"

He nodded, "Yeah but I can influence their feelings too. Like I could make this entire room feel seriously tired if I wanted to. But I don't, obviously otherwise I'd blow our cover."

"So…how do you get these…gifty thingies?"

"It's not like we ask for them." Alice began to explain, "It's more based on what we were like before the…err… condition started. Like Jasper was really charismatic so his gift was based on that. And I always had a good feeling about what would happen if someone did one thing, and what would happen if they did another. So my gift was kind of based on that."

We continued to talk about this topic of their gifts and I soon learnt that not all gifts were actively useful like theirs was; it was just based on what you were like as a human. They gave the example that Carlisle brought into his vampire life his extreme compassion from his human life. Pretty soon, it was the end of the feast and the hall quietened as Dumbledore began his start of term speech.

Soon, just as everyone else, I was shocked to find out that this year the Triwizard Tournament would be taking place at Hogwarts. I was tempted to enter but then I realised that that would be slightly unfair, considering that all us vampires would have a greater advantage than any human taking part. Leaving us with the knowledge of the tournament and the other schools who would shortly be joining us later in the year, Beauxbatons Academy and Durmstrang, Dumbledore began to dismiss us for the night.

"…now I believe I have kept you long enough. Off you trot for a good night's sleep so that you are well rested for a full day of learning tomorrow morning."

"Are you going to enter?" Cedric asked as we all began to get up and head towards our house dormitories.

"Are you kidding?" I laughed, "No way. I could so win it, I know, but then it'd be obvious about my…umm…'condition'." I hinted and he laughed as he held my hand and we walked together, Alice and Jasper following shortly behind.

"Yeah I see your point. You know I turn 17 in a month…"

"Yeah I know." I grinned and he smiled.

"Well I was thinking I might try to enter. No harm in trying right? And if I get picked, then all the better." He laughed and all I could manage was a smile.

"Ced, I'm not sure about that. I don't like the sound of it. It's all too dangerous."

"Oh and dating a v—"

"SHH!" I quickly put my icy hand over his mouth to stop him from saying the V word. I scrunched up my face in playful anger at him whilst his eyes twinkled and he grinned at me from behind my hand. "Yeah ok so dating one of ME is quite dangerous too. But I'm just not sure. Think about it before you enter ok?"

He smiled at me and removed my hand from over his mouth, "We have a month or two before we even have to try to enter so don't worry. I'll think it over a lot."

I smiled at him and leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss him, he bent down to close the gap.

It was a sweet and gentle kiss, not one that could lead to anything just yet but it was definitely one that made me want more.

All too soon, he pulled away and I pouted cutely, dissatisfied.

He laughed at my expression and kissed my forehead. "Good night."

"Sleep well." I answered and we parted to our separate dorms. He went up to the boys where he was probably sharing with Jasper because when I got to mine I saw another name added to it, Alice Cullen.

I walked in and Alice was sat brightly on her bed, "So what do we do now?"

I shrugged and sat on the bed next to hers, my bed. "Usually I just read or something…"

"Yeah but now you have me to talk with!" She grinned brightly and turned to face me, bouncing slightly impatiently on her bed.

I laughed at her eagerness and we soon began talking about random stuff, amazingly this lasted all night. And we were so quick, silent as our vampire voices would go, that our other roommates never noticed.

No one ever did notice.