curiosity killed the cat

Chapter 1

The whispers reach Eliza's ears before she even enters the Great Hall.

"—don't know who—"

"—new student—"

"—already sitting there—"

"—American?"

She frowns when she hears Sabé's voice enthusiastically exclaim something about sky walking from the front of the crowd, the choppy pieces of information floating through the throng of students in front of Eliza refusing to connect in her brain.

Next to Eliza, Cody shoots her a similar look of confusion. "What's going on?"

"Uh—a new student is . . . walking across the sky in the Great Hall?"

Cody stares at her for a moment. "Like . . . the bewitched ceiling above the dining tables? How the hell?"

Eliza shrugs, playing with the worn-down strap of her wristwatch. "Hey, I'm just the messenger." She turns to the portrait of a jolly-looking wizard in flowy silk pajamas that's currently next to her on the stone wall of the Entrance Hall. "That's what you heard too, right?"

The portrait beams. "I'm not sure, dear, but good for them!"

Eliza watches as Cody holds up his palm suddenly before tilting his head and leaning forward, evidently having caught another tail of the rumor mill from someone talking in front of him. After a moment, he straightens proudly. "I got it. Dormé is saying that it's a female student named Sky Walker."

"Relaying rumors from Dormé?" Eliza grins. "You know, Cody, you really are a gossip girl." Ignoring the affronted expression on her friend's face, she hums musingly. "Sky Walker does sound like a very American na—"

The words are barely past her lips when a small blur shoots sideways through the crowd and suddenly barrels into her, nearly knocking her over.

"What the—"

"Sorry!" the small blur squeaks, and through the vertigo clouding Eliza's vision, she watches as it slowly morphs into the shape of Ahsoka Tano.

"Where'd you just come from?" asks Cody, leaning over Eliza's shoulder and looking at Ahsoka in alarm. "Weren't you right behind us?"

Straightening, Ahsoka shoulders in between him and Eliza, twirling at her dyed blue-and-white hair sheepishly as she starts walking with them. "I was, but I realized right before we were about to enter the castle that I left my school bag with all my school books on the train. I had to rush back and ride one of those invisible horses back to the train before it left!" She hoists up the thick bag slung over her shoulder as if to prove her story.

"You left your entire school bag on the train?" asks Cody disapprovingly, while Eliza gapes at Ahsoka in disbelief. "You rode a thestral?"

Ahsoka waves her hand dismissively. "It was just like riding a broom." She then turns belligerently to Cody, jabbing a finger towards his face. "And, in my defense, you were the one who asked to borrow my bag to read Advanced Potion-Making so you could brew a whole bloody potion in the compartment! And then you left my bag under your seat!"

"I was just caught up in my brewing, alright? You need to let a potioneer-in-the-making do his thing."

"You made Lizzy bring a whole sliced lemon for your brewing, for Merlin's sake! Why were you even brewing a potion on the Hogwarts Express?"

"A potioneer brews whenever he feels like he needs to!"

Eliza watches half-amusedly and half-fondly as her two friends begin to bicker. Although it's a usual occurrence, she knows neither of them really mean any of the playful insults they hurl at each other.