//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: The two Potters and the Three Princesses // by Vladimir //------------------------------// Griphyx awoke with a start, as he opened his eyes he saw Hermione was gently shaking his shoulder. "Wake up, we have a few more hours till we reach the station and I was wandering to ask you some questions, if you don't mind." She asked. Griphyx yawned and nodded his head. Luna and Nightmare were curled up on both sides of him, sleeping no doubt. He looked towards Harry, who was talking with Ron and Celestia. "Looks like those three have bonded..." Griphyx stated with an oddly cool voice. His eyes were still slit which made Hermione jump slightly when he looked at her with his gaze alone. "You wanted to learn more about me? Alright, ask your questions." He stated as if bored, when it was the exact opposite. "R-right. I was hoping to know why your eyes seem so..." She paused, looking for the right word without it sounding like he was judging him. Harder than it looks as she had found no way around the biased words. "Strange? Freakish?" Griphyx said calmly. Hermione nodded her head silently. "I see, well sorry to say this, but I have no idea why the hay my eyes are the way they are. I guess you could say they are special in their own way." He continued. "Do they scare you? Put you off into not becoming my friend?" Hermione was taken aback, sure his eyes were weird, but to be afraid of them, to not want to be his friend? That's just odd. "They don't scare me, I find hem, interesting. And of course I want to still be your friend, why would you think otherwise?" She asked, truly curious. "Because that's how other humans treat me. Like a monster, not that it bothers me now and about the friend thing, I was merely curious. Unlike my older brother, I am not completely normal, if not at all..." Griphyx stated in a calm voice, however pain was in it as well. Hermione nodded her head. "That's okay, I think they suite you, besides, they are pretty cool. Ominous but they show compassion." She said to Griphyx who stared at her silently. He had not met very many people who were like her, the only beings that truly accepted him were his brother and the three princesses, no one else. He looked her up and down, unlike Harry, Griphyx was a bit more developed than most kids were. Harry was just starting to get over his puberty 'squeaks' as they had called them. Griphyx focused on Hermione's eyes, which caused her to flush slightly. "is there something wrong Griphyx?" She asked, her face still flushed. "You have beautiful brown eyes, they compliment your fair skin and lovely chestnut colored hair." He stated as if fact. Hermione blushed this time, no one besides her family had complimented her on her looks. "Thank you Griphyx, that was sweet of you." She said as she started to genuinely smile at the strange Potter. Griphyx softly smiled back. Luna yawned and raised her head from Griphyx's lap and looked around the room. When she saw the slight blush on Hermione's face, she looked at Griphyx with a small grin. "Someone making a new friend eh?" She playfully batted a hoof at him. Soon Nightmare awoke and scowled slightly, tightening her grip on Griphyx in a possessive manner. Luna soon stopped, but she let out a slight a giggle. "Oh fine, but it is nice to see Griphyx gaining a new friend is great! Besides, she will become your fellow student." Luna stated with a happy grin on her muzzle. "indeed, I think it will be fun to have more learning from you three, huh Luna? Nightmare?" Griphyx said with a small smile. The two of them smiled back, both were positively beaming. Hermione looked at the three and smiled. "Well I hope I'll be a good student." She stated. The three of them stopped before looking at Hermione. "You....want to learn Night magic, instead of learning sun magic? why?" Questioned Nightmare, leaving an astonished Luna and Griphyx eerily quiet. "Well I have always enjoyed the night and stars, not that I don't like the sun, I enjoy both!" She cheered out. The two night princesses smiled and then looked at Griphyx. "We like her." Nightmare said with a grin, however her tightened grip did not falter. Griphyx nuzzled Nightmare gently before looking at Hermione with a gentle smile. "Welcome aboard then. However, you will have to go through a LOT of practicing magic, probably not the same amount of time as Harry and I have had, but a sizeable amount." Griphyx said with a serious tone which was betrayed by his smile. Hermione nodded her head, a serious look on her face. The two princesses lay their heads back into Griphyx's lap for more rest. An hour had passed and the car was silent, that is, until a familiar boy knocked on the door of the car. "Oh, it's you." Said Malfoy with a scowl on his face from seeing Griphyx. Griphyx made a growl and his body stiffened. "What do you want?" Griphyx growled out with clenched teeth. Malfoy got a haughty look on his face, not that Griphyx care any. He then looked at Ron, Harry and Hermione, his scowl seemed to deepen when his gaze was upon Hermione. "Ugh!" groaned Malfoy. "A Muggle born! What is IT doing on this train?" He scoffed when Hermione looked down casted. Griphyx snarled and stood up, his wand out and his slit eyes narrowed on Malfoy. "The buck do you want?" He snarled. Malfoy recoiled slightly, before he scoffed as two boys were behind him, both scowling at Griphyx. "And what can you do him? Your out numbered." Griphyx let out another growl shaking the two boys to the bone. "I don't care, nobody insults my friends! Now leave, or else I will make you..." He growled out, before scowling at the three boys. "Do you know who my father is!? I could have you taken away, as well as your little...friends." Malfoy said loudly making all heads look at him. Griphyx on the other hand was now mad, he snarled in Malfoy's face, his sharpened canine's showing for all to see, even Harry was just seeing them, they were longer and sharper than what they should have been. This caused the three boys to recoil in a bit of fear, Malfoy raised his hand, which was quickly slapped from his hand in the blink of an eye. "Is that a threat you little whelp!?" Griphyx raged down on Malfoy, his wand starting to shiver. Harry placed a hand on his younger brothers shoulder, and spoke calmly despite the situation. "Leave him be Griph, he isn't worth it. Now lets get back into the car, we are making a scene." Much to Harry's word, Griphyx had made a scene, a few adults watching as well. He growled softly before leaving behind the three cowering boys, Harry was by his side and when the car door closed, all hay broke loose. "What the bloody hell was that Griphyx?" Questioned Ron, who was staring at Griphyx's 'fangs'. In all their minds, they could only picture a vampire, however, to the princesses, they saw a dragon that was protecting it's hoard. "I got mad, so what? He was making fun of Hermione, and then he threatened all of you! How could I not get mad?" Griphyx said, defending himself. "And please stop staring, it's making me feel...weird." He whispered softly, a slight blush on his face. They stopped staring but soon they were asking more questions. Griphyx answered them all to his best abilities, some he could, others he could not. He felt like a freak for showing them his teeth, that it until Hermione and the two night princesses said they looked interesting and hat they suited him well. He smiled at them showing off his 'fangs'. Soon the train stopped next to a lake with boars with torches that were pointed towards a castle of sorts. The princesses noted that the castle looked similar to Canterlot castle in many ways. They met with Hagrid who was smiling at them until he caught a glimpse at Griphyx's teeth, they did not settle well with him. when Griphyx stood before Hagrid, he purred softly an nodded his head to Harry. "He has passed..." He stated which made Hagrid raise an eye brow until a green glowed resonated from Griphyx's wand and caused Hagrid to rub his eyes. When he looked at Harry, he saw the princesses in all their glory, they looked towards Griphyx an eye brow raised. "Is there a reason you allowed him to see us Griphyx?" Luna asked softly. Griphyx looked at Luna with a soft smile, he was going to explain until Hagrid spoke. "What are they exactly?" He asked. The group groaned slightly before Celestia had explained to Hagrid everything. Once all was said and done, Hagrid looked at the boys and smiled. "That's one heck of a story! So you can teach human's magic eh?" Celestia nodded her head, a smile on her muzzle. "Well that be fine with me, but let me guess, I got to keep you three a secret from anyone else huh?" He was met with six heads nodding in affirmation. He sighed, but then smiled. "Well alright then, just don't cause too much trouble ya'hear?" "Don't worry, we will be on our best behavior, that is, unless somebody harms our Potter's, then things WILL get ugly." Stated Nightmare with a haughty expression. Hagrid nodded his head in understanding. When they reached the shore they were met by an old woman. "Hello, I am Professor McGonagall. I will be taking you all to the dinning hall, where you will be judged to go to a certain house. Please follow me." She said before walking into the castle, all the students following her. When they got there however, the princesses were amazed to say the least, the ceiling had clouds and a moon shining just above them. They had passed by ghosts, who stopped and stared at the princesses, before bowing in respect to the goddess of the sun, and the two goddesses of the night. Hermione, Harry, Ron and Griphyx sat at the same table. The princesses floated above them. "Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts. I am headmaster Dumbledore, it is a pleasure to meet you all. I hope you will enjoy your stay here." The old man had said to them, his voice being projected out. Griphyx stared at Dumbledore, before rising and walking up towards his table. Griphyx's strange eyes fixed on the old man, who looked back at him. "Ah, Griphyx Potter, it is good to see you. Was there something you needed?" Dumbledore asked. Griphyx merely stared at the old man, before he began to purr slightly, his wand glowed in a green aura once again. "You...have passed." And with that, Griphyx went back to the table. Dumbledore, however, was already capable of seeing the princesses, but knowing that he somehow 'passed' made him smile softly. Princess Luna looked at Dumbledore, as if she had met him before. Dumbledore winked discretely at her, which made her blushed slightly. The two other princesses looked at Dumbledore, and nodded their heads, giving him a 'we'll talk later' look. "Now then, I would like a student to approach the hat, one at a time, to be assigned tot their new 'houses' where they will be capable of gaining points each an every year." Oddly enough, Harry was first up, who was placed into Gryffindor. Next was Hermione, then Ron, both in Gryffindor . When Griphyx was up, however, the hat had a hard time on deciding where to put him. They had a debate but he was soon placed into Gryffindor. Malfoy and his goons were placed in Slitherine. After all the student's had been assigned a house, Harry, Griphyx, Hermione, Luna, Celestia and Nightmare were asked to follow Dumbledore. It was going to be a long night, Griphyx could feel it. Oh how right he was.