The Shadows Cast

Chapter 1

Varian was thinking. Often that usually lead to unwanted trouble and chaos. But he was always thinking, thus life was never normal for a teenager. Not that he was a normal teenager to begin with. For starters, he was practically one out of a thousand people who had magic abilities. On top of that, he was one of the brightest minds since probably Demanitus, but he wasn't one to brag. But he sure did like show his brilliance, even if it caused more trouble than what it was worth.

He stared out the window, his finger curled on his chin as he was in deep thought. The trees passed by in a blur as the train rode along the tracks towards Hogwarts. It would be his sixth year. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to skip years for more challenging curriculum, but he was taking a lot of honor classes.

His thoughts were interrupted by the door to the compartment sliding open. Varian looked over, startled. After all, not many students wanted to really sit with him lest he blow them up just for looking at them or talk about his creations until they were bored to death. To be fair, he did typically hold true to his reputation. Just not intentionally, but it wasn't like he actually killed anyone. Sure, there may have been a few incidents with some minor injuries. Nothing enough to ever get him expelled at least.

The person who had opened the door froze. Her eyes met his and they just stared at each other. Varian wondered what she wanted and raised a brow. The girl rolled her eyes, letting out a huff as she closed the door behind her. She slumped in the seat across from him, crossing her arms and looking out the window. It was very apparent that she didn't want his presence, but figured it was better than going back to her original compartment. At least, Varian couldn't figure out why she was still there and having a sulky attitude.

Varian recognized her as Caine. He never really spoke to her. She was always intimidating. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, draping over her shoulder. Her pale fingers tapped on the wood to the armrest of her seat as her sharp brown eyes darted across the window. She was not a force to be reckoned with. He had no doubt that she could rule all of Slytherin had she so much as wanted to, but she was a woman who kept herself. As long as you stayed out of her way, there wasn't an issue.

Despite sharing the same house, Varian knew little to nothing else about her. He heard rumors of course, but nothing he actually believed or cared about. It wasn't like it was his business. The less he knew about her, the less he saw her the better. He wished she didn't know of his existence and it was close enough because she ignored him. Even as she sat across from him, she acted as if he wasn't there. He was not going to complain.

However, he couldn't help but wonder what was on her mind. What had gotten her in such a foul mood that she would even think as being within the same six feet as him. It was definitely new. The years had all flown the same to an extent. Nothing too crazy ever happening, though now he figured that he should knock on wood for that thought.

Silently, Varian picked up a book and began to read in order to pass the time. Surprisingly, the ride was going smoothly in spite of sitting in same space as Caine. Perhaps it was because he would rather keep his nose crammed in a book like a Ravenclaw. He often wondered if he had been miss-sorted, and a few speculated the same concerns. But what was done was done and there was no point in trying to switch houses. He frankly didn't even care to begin with, though he supposed it was probably his deep ambition that caused his sorting into Slytherin.

Eventually, he forgot that Caine was even present while he became immersed in his book. He began to have the uneasy feeling that he was being watched, so he peeked up over his book, his blue eyes barely showing. To his dismay, Caine was looking at him very intently. He could even swear that she was studying him. His cheeks grew a little red, he could feel the heat of his blood rushing to them. Was she interested? Or was she checking him out? He couldn't tell, nor was he sure if he wanted to. Her eyes and face was unreadable.