Nicola Straight was seemingly flawless. Beautiful, active, clever... She had it all. Or so it seemed.
People didn’t like Nikki because of her perfections. They didn’t know that she would rather be homely, lazy, and stupid and have people that like her. She had two good friends, people she could rely on, but she felt lonely.
She wasn’t supposed to be a witch. She wasn’t born one, and her parents and big sister were muggles. But being a witch and being perfect came with the package.
The package of being a vampire.
She was bit when she was five, on a dreary rainy night and she was sitting on her front porch. She remembered it well. Before she was bitten, she was a homely child. Most children had red, pudgy cheeks; she didn’t. Most children had thick locks; she didn’t. Most children had thoughtful big eyes; she didn’t.
She remembered someone coming up to her, and even though Mummy told her never, ever to talk to strangers, she remembered the cloaked figure giving off an air of familiarity. Like she’d known him for her whole life.
“Hello, cutie,” the figure said. People didn’t often call Nikki cute. Maybe that’s why she didn’t run screaming into the house. “What do you got there?” it asked.
Nikki looked down at her feeble attempt to draw a bird. She looked up into the figure’s eyes, noting how bloodshot they were. “A picture of a birdie,” she replied, pointing at the beak of her bird drawing.
“I can help you if you’d like,” the figure said seductively. “I can help you make it better and more pretty.”
It was something about the eyes that drew her in. They looked kind, thoughtful. But there was something deeper in them, something that looked... thirsty.
She edged closer to the figure. “How can I make it better?” she asked. She was right next to the figure now.
She remembered him leaning in closer, like he was going to whisper something in her ear. She remembered her mum coming out to tell her it was time for bed. She remembered feeling a tingling on her neck, then the oozing feeling of blood.
Her mother screamed, and the figure let go of it’s tooth grip on her neck and ran into the night. Nikki touched her neck and felt to scars and dried blood there, and was surprised at how easily the wound healed.
Nikki looked out into the darkness to see if she could catch a glance at the cloaked figure. To see if she could look into those bloodshot eyes again and feel that warmth again.
Nikki heard a crack, and saw two more cloaked figures approach her. Nikki’s mother, Carol, stepped in front of her, to protect her.
The figures got closer. A woman with a heart-shaped face and purple hair spoke. “We aren’t going to hurt your daughter, miss. But we think she was just bitten by a vampire.”
Over the night, Nikki transformed from a caterpillar to a butterfly. She got to be perfect, and all she had to do was drink two potions every night. One to prevent her from biting, and another to allow her to stand sunlight- for awhile.
According to the good cloaked figures, she is one of the very few muggles that get bitten by vampires. And in all cases, after the bite the muggles found that they were no longer muggles. She was very fortunate (or unfortunate) to have been bitten at such a young age, so that she can continue her magic studies at a school called Hogwarts.
Nikki listened to all of this happily while her family sobbed. Nikki didn’t understand why they were so miserable. She was pretty now and looked at the world differently. Through different- more thoughtful- eyes. Not only that, but she had magical powers.
Over the next six years, she was happy. People looked at her differently, and she could stop them in their tracks. They only sped up when Nikki grinned, and showed her large and sharp incisors.
None of this mattered, though, because she was happy. She was pretty and she was happy, which she hadn’t been before.
She remembered turning 11, and hoping that she really did get the letter they said she would. Hoping it wasn’t some mistake.
It did come. She watched the mailbox for weeks, only to find out it came on an owl. She squealed when she read the letter. Her dreams were coming true.
From the letter to September 1st, things when by in a blur. She only vaguely remembered going to Diagon Alley. She only vaguely remembered the night before, August 31st, and laying in bed thinking about Hogwarts, and thinking about getting to do magic, meeting new friends, and being the pretty popular girl she never was before.
Her family dropped her off at King’s Cross the next day. Looking at her ticket, Nikki wandered through the station, looking for platform nine and three-quarters. She wandered around for what seemed like hours, until she saw someone run through platforms nine and ten.
Huh.
She readied herself in front of the platforms, preparing for the crash that would surely come, but it didn’t. Instead, she looked up and saw a brilliant red train: the Hogwarts Express.
She felt eyes on her, following her long dark brunette curls. She learned long ago not to smile, which caused her to have permanent frown marks on her full lips. This did not decrease her beauty. It made her even more beautiful, if possible.
She heard the whistle blow, and ran for the train. With the help of a boy, she lifted all of her luggage onto the train, just in time. “Thank you,” she said to the boy, and smiled, being careful not to show her teeth.
After what seemed to be a long time, she found a compartment with a group of giggling girls in it. “Can I sit here?” she asked tentatively.
The girls looked at her. They surveyed her up and down, taking in her pale appearance. “Sure,” a girl with light brown hair and bright chocolate eyes said. “I’m Wendy. Wendy Jacobs.”
Nikki smiled. “I’m Nikki Straight. How long till we get to school?”
A pudgy girl who sat next to Wendy said, “It usually takes awhile. I haven’t seen you around before. Are you in your first year?”
“I’m going to be,” Nikki acknowledged. “I’m really excited. I’ve flipped through some of my school books, but I don’t quite get all the stuff they say about Houses.”
The pudgy girl smiled. “Well, there’s Hufflepuff, which I’m in...” She then told Nikki all about the different Houses, and how she heard that Harry Potter’s daughter was supposed to be in her first year. And also how she had a crush on Trenton. Then how she needed to lose weight so Trenton would notice her.
Nikki was surprised at how open the girl- Alison Temple- was to her, and she’d only known Alison for an hour at the most.
The train ride went amazingly fast. Nikki decided that she didn’t like Wendy much, she was a bit to snooty. Alison was a bit simple and dull, but she was nice enough. She also had the courtesy of showing Nikki how to play Exploding Snap.
They were almost there- and six Exploding Snap games along- when snooty Wendy said, “Did you hear? I heard there is going to be vampire this year.”
Nikki felt all the blood rush from her face. “A v-vampire?” she asked.
Wendy smirked, thinking that Nikki stuttered from fear. “Yeah, a vampire! I hope he’s not in my house.”
Nikki was steaming. “Who says it’s a he?” Nikki’s mother was a feminist, and raised Nikki to be one, too.
Alison and Wendy grinned at each other. “I hope it’s a he,” Alison said. “I heard vampires are devilishly good-looking.”
Wendy laughed, and Nikki reluctantly followed suit. “It’s not as bad as when they once had a werewolf as a teacher!” Wendy exclaimed.
Nikki perked her ears. “A werewolf?”
Wendy grinned. “Yep. A werewolf. He taught a long time ago, I guess. Back when Harry Potter was at Hogwarts.”
Alison sighed. “Trent talks about how his father is friends with a werewolf. I overheard him once talking to his friends about him.”
Nikki snorted. “You mean you eavesdropped.”
Wendy and Nikki laughed at Alison’s sudden blush. When Nikki calmed down, she said, “You seem to be talking about Harry Potter a lot. Who is he?”
Wendy stopped laughing. Alison looked at her in awe. “You don’t know who he is?” Alison asked.
Nikki shook her head. “Nope. I’m muggleborn. Didn’t I mention that?”
“He defeated You-Know-Who. Do you know who You-Know-Who is?” When Nikki shook her head, Wendy continued. “He was the darkest wizard that ever walked this planet. And Harry Potter defeated him two times! The first time he was one year-old, and no one knows how he did it. The second time when he was 17.”
Alison looked out the window. “Look,” she said, pointing outside the window, “the sun is coming out!”
Nikki saw that, indeed, the sun was coming out. The sun rays peered through the window, resting on Nikki’s arm. She pulled away quickly. “OUCH!” she exclaimed. The sun had burnt her, and she now had a red mark on her arm.
“What’s the matter?” Alison asked. She had a look of genuine concern on her face as she studied the red mark on Nikki’s arm.
“Do you think we could shut the blinds?” Nikki asked, moving to the window. “I’m feeling a little overheated.” She yanked the blinds closed, but not without getting burned again.
Wendy looked at her as is she just spontaneously combusted into flame. “Uh... I guess you can,” she replied. “The sun won’t be out much longer, though. It’s almost nightfall.”
Wendy was right. The sun soon settled under the horizon, but it left it’s mark. Nikki was still healing her wound when the train came to a sudden halt.
“O’er her’! Firs’ ye’rs, o’er here!” a grumbling voice called out. Nikki followed the voice to its owner, and was shocked to find a giant, with a large beard streaked with grey, calling them, leading them to a dock filled with boats.
Wendy, Nikki and several others found an empty boat and got in. Nikki gasped at the sight of the large stone castle, along with several others. The beauty and magnificence of it astounded Nikki, but what really surprised her was how large it was.
“Alison told me all about how they sort us. They use this thing called a sorting hat...” Wendy’s voice trailed off as they approached the gate.
All 100 students filed off of their boats, to be greeted by an elderly woman. “Hello,” the woman said. “I am Headmistress McGonagall. Please follow me.” The first years formed five long lines, and stumbled into a great hall.
Sure enough, resting on a wooden stool was mangy-looking hat that Nikki took to be The sorting hat.
“Accola, Roxanne,” McGonagall cried out, and Roxanne was to become the first Ravenclaw. “Benjamin, Shawn,” became the first Hufflepuff.
Wendy became the first Gryffindor, much to Nikki’s surprise. There were many things that Nikki thought Wendy was, but brave wasn’t one of them.
The list continued, and soon the headmistress said, “Potter, Tabitha.” Harry Potter’s daughter had long red hair, and sparkling green eyes, which astonished Nikki. She, for some reason, imagined Harry having cold eyes, and expected his daughter to have them, too. Tabitha Potter became the next Gryffindor.
The list moved along. “Sage, Guy” became a Slytherin. “Smith, Quinn” became another Gryffindor.
“Straight, Nicola,” McGonagall’s voice called out, and Nikki stepped towards the stool. The headmistress placed the hat on her head, and soon her eyes were covered in darkness.
“Oh, my. A vampire,” said a voice in her head. How’d he know that? she asked herself. “Oh, I know many things,” the voice said. “GRYFFINDOR!” the hat called out, and Nikki went to go sit next to Tabitha, Quinn and Wendy. The all clapped her on the back. “You can call me ‘Tabby’,” said a voice in her ear, and she turned to see smiling green eyes looking at her.
“Call me ‘Nikki’.”
AN~ There’s just the start of Nikki’s story. I have a feeling you all are surprised to find Nikki being a vampire, weren’t you? Well, to tell the truth, she wasn’t originally. It was one of those things that just happen along the way.
This chapter goes out to KalthiaQueenofAll for leaving a bunch of great reviews. They make my day, hun.
And a big thanks to my BETA, butterflykisses!