Blood (thicker than) Water (but what about) Lemonade?

What The?

Avril went through the rest of the week with flying colours. It turned out that in Transfiguration they would be studying self-potency spells as well as in Charms, as they had a lot to do with the shifting and changing of the bodies. Defence Against the Dark Arts proved, despite the continuous stares and drooling from the boys, to be very educational. Fluer Delecore seemed to know what she was doing, and seemed to enjoy it as well. Care for Magical Creatures were as interesting as ever; the Crups turned out to be extremely intelligent and even the Slytherins had a difficult time pretending not to enjoy the period.

Friday was forcasted by Ron to be a 'dread' day. It was to start out with History of Magic, then Divination, which they hadn't been to yet, and end with double potions. Astronomy would occur at midnight at the top tower. Avril joined her new friends in the common room and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast that morning, feeling considerably cheerful. Harry, Ron and especially Hermione had all been amicable to Avril. She was agreeable and friendly, and though she tried to hide it (due to her fear of involving others in her problems) obviously downhearted.

That remained one thing that everyone seemed to wonder. Why was Avril so frightened to appear depressed? "Probably," Hermione replied to Ron one afternoon, while Avril was down feeding their Crup, Franchesca (Frankie for short), "she's so used to not having them around that it's just as easy to pretend that they're on a mission rather than accept the reality. She's in denial, Ron."

Avril, in fact, was not in denial. She had always been a happy, bright person, and found it difficult, even in this situation, to always be upset. It just wasn't her. Hermione was half right, though. In the course of Avril's life, she'd probably seen her parents (if you were to total the days) in six years all together. And although Hogwarts was working for her, no matter what happened, no matter what Ron joked about, no matter what Hermione conversed her in, no matter what Harry said about Quidditch, she couldn't make the cold lump of despondency in her stomach disappear.

Perhaps thats why, on Friday morning, when a large barn owl belonging to a Canadian post shop delivered her a letter reading

Dear Avril, I'll keep this quick, as they charge by the length of the parchment here...

Love from Mrs. Walker, Avril excused herself and headed up toward the Gryffindor Tower. Ten minutes later, Hermione came into the girls' dormitory. Avril's back was to her, but Hermione could see her packing her shoulder bag with the day's books. "We've got History of Magic first," she told Avril, grabbing her own bag and following suit. "I know," Avril replied quietly, filling her quills with blue and black ink. Hermione turned to face her. "Are you alright?" she asked, peering into Avril's face, which looked dull and reflective. Suddenly, without warning, the water jug by the window shattered, sending porcelain pieces in all directions. Hermione shrieked and dove behind the bed. "What happened?" she cried, looking bewilderedly at Avril, who hadn't leapt aside, but looked as shocked as Hermione.

"I-I don't know," Avril replied hurriedly, pressing a finger distractedly to her temple and trying to hide her eyes from Hermione's view, "we'd better get to History. The bell's going to ring any minute."

Hesitantly, Hermione stood up and grabbed her bag. Her eyes shifting quickly from Avril to the broken jug, she repaired it with a flick of her wand and a muttered "repairo" and followed her strange friend to class.

History was as monotonous as ever. Professor Binns told them briefly about what was to be expected during the term and then began to read aloud his notes on the deciding and separating of beasts and beings in the fourteenth straight up to the seventeenth centuries. The whole class fell into a familiar stupor, pausing only to write down a name and date now and then.

"Burdock Muldooon was the Chief of Wizardry back then, and decreed that any memner of the magical community who could walk on two legs would henceforth be granted the status of 'being'," he read aloud from the book 'Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them'. Some of the class read along, and some pretended, but actually drew pictures and wrote notes to each other instead.

Harry, tried of listening, scribbled a note on a scrap piece of parchment to Ron, exclaiming how boring the class was.

He folded it a certain way and flicked it across the table to his best friend, when it suddenly stopped in mid air, in front of Avril's desk. She was resting her head on her arms, and gazing out the window. All of a sudden, her temple began to twinge with pain. "Ouch," she muttered, rubbing it. It was then that she felt someone watching her. Harry, his eyes wide, stared at Avril, who's eyes were flashing slowly. Blue, violet, green, gray.

Avril returned his stare and then, pink with embarrassment, pretended to be interested in what the Professor was saying. She noticed the little bit of parchment hanging in the air in front of her, and reached out tentatively to take it. Almost immediatly, Avril noticed the name Ron scribbled on the front and, growing even pinker, tossed it to him. Ron unfolded the note, read it and looked up, grinning, at Harry. Avril lowered her head back onto her desk.

Divination came next. Hermione hurried off to Ancient Runes and Avril walked reluctantly with Harry and Ron (who chattered and joked non-stop) to the top of the north tower. "So I wonder what the declaration of the day'll be Harry?" Ron laughed, when the reached the trap door leading to the classroom.

"I wonder," Harry replied, looking wistfully at the long silvery ladder dangling from the door.

"Trelawny always 'foresees' Harry dying," Ron explained to a distracted Avril, as they climbed the silvery ladder into the little chamber, which was hot and thick with the scent of perfume.

"I imagine that gets a little aseptic after awhile?" Avril said to Harry, sinking into a stuffy armchair.

"You said it, er, I think," replied Harry glumly, hoping that by 'aseptic' she meant 'tiresome'.

"Good morning, my dears," a misty, far-away voice said, "I hope we are all ready and eager to begin our new term." Professor Trelawny stepped out from the shadows, her enormous glasses sliding down her tiny nose in the heat. "For the beginning of this term we will be studying the precise art of Tarot card reading. Please, extract your cards from their packagings and lay them out on your table. Then, take out your books and decipher their meanings."

Avril reached to the middle of the table where a packet of cards was sitting. She opened it and pulled out a handful of brightly coloured and beautifully designed tarot cards.

"Give those here Avril," Ron said, reaching out his hand to take the cards.

Avril handed them to him and took out her Unfogging the Future book. "OK," she said, flipping the pages to chapter eleven: 'Tarot Cards and What They Mean,' "this pretty one here means that you will have a new flower to gaze upon?" She gave a skeptical look to a brilliant shimmery coloured card featuring what looked like an empty vase. "I don't see any flowers, but, OK..."

They tried, for about a quarter of an hour, looking up the meanings of the cards, but to almost no avail. In the end, Ron shuffled and dealt the cards and they played fish, using cards with similar meanings ("got any deaths and/or injuries?").

Professor Trelawny made her way around the class and peered over their shoulders, pointing out mistakes in a very superior manner.

She finally got to Harry, Ron and Avril's table towards the end of the lesson. There had been a bit of trouble with Neville's cards; it seems that someone (most likely Fred and George Weasley) had switched the Tarot cards for Exploding Snap during their first period class in the tower.

"All right, my dears, terribly sorry for the delay... yes, what have you got here Harry?" Professor Trelawny bent down to take a look at the cards that Ron had dealt to Harry. "Hmm, the

Bubbling Cauldron...that predicts the coming of a new friend..." she looked at Avril pointedly and went back to Harry's cards. Suddenly, she gave a small scream. "My dear!" she cried, stifling another horrified cry, "you have the bleeding skull!" Almost instantly, the entire class swarmed around the little table. "Oh, 'tis a most unfortunate thing!" the Professor continued, casting her arms dramatically into the air, "for the one who unveils it is doomed to suffer a painful, horrendus death!" Lavender and Parvati both gasped simultaneously, covering their mouths, eyes wide. The rest of the class stirred, and Harry looked uncomfortable.

"I guess it's a good thing then," Avril's said, her voice cutting through the constrained silence like a sharp knife, "that we were only looking up the meanings and not actually using them?"

A few people snorted; Ron let out a laugh, and Harry looked relieved to see the awkwardness broken. Professor Trelawny's hand flew distractedly to her frizzy hair, and she hurried over to Lavender's table without another word. Avril watched her go with a incredulous look on her face before turning back to Harry and Ron, who shook her hand. "Nice job mate," He snorted again and gathered his books as the bell rang.

"Thanks," Harry muttered as they made their way over to the rope ladder. "For what?" Avril asked, handing her bag down to him and climbing down to the corridor, "shutting her up? What a bunch of b.s.!" she gave small laugh. Divination had certainly taken her mind of of things. Like the letter from Mrs. Walker, and the incidents in the common room and History of Magic. But now that there was no heat and heavy perfume to distract her, Avril slipped back into her nettled shell, much to the confusion of Ron, Harry and Hermione, once she met them after Ancient Runes.

"Fascinating lesson!" she exclaimed, sitting down beside Avirl and reaching for the plate of egg salad sandwiches, "We're starting on the more difficult, complex runes now. Really intriguing!"

Ron and Harry didn't reply. Rather they gave a shy look at Avril, who was picking at her food, not responding. "What's with you?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Nothing," Avril answered, trying to look cheerful.

"Right," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes, "excuse us for one moment, please?" she directed this to Harry and Ron, who were watching them closely. "Oh! Sure! Right!" they both said, sliding down to sit with Seamus and Dean.

"OK," Hermione turned back to Avril, "no one's around-whats up?"

Avril looked even more uncomfortable now. "I'm sorry, I just... Miss them... My parents, I mean. Thats all. It happens- I'll get over it."

Hermione nodded and smiled apologetically. "I understand, Avril. You can't be expected to forget about them so fast."

Avril nodded distractly, her mind wandering. Perhaps on the Hogsmeade weekend (about week from now) she'd send a post owl with a letter to Mrs. Walker, and some of her friends. One second thought, maybe she'd send Athena. It was a long way, but the poor hawk owl needed to stretch her wings... Besides, Mrs. Walker would probably like to see her... She wished that she could see her personally... Would it be possible for her to visit her during the holidays? Probably not this year...

"Avril?" Hermione's voice broke into Avril's thoughts and jolted her back to reality.

"We're due in Potions in about ten minutes," Harry said, checking his watch. Ron groaned. "If we're lucky Neville'll spill something on Snape and put him out of his misery-" Ron stopped speaking suddenly. Avril was staring at him with the utmost disbelief. "What?" she asked suspiciously, reaching for her bag as the majority of the Great Hall began to move towards the door, "what did you say?"

"I, er, Avril, what I meant was-" Ron stammered, looking at Harry for help as they shuffled into the Entrance Hall.

Avril folded her arms in front of her chest, waiting. Hermione and Harry stood nervously between them.

"You were talking about my uncle." Avril said accusingly, "You said-"

"Listen, we know what he said," Hermione cut in, "Ron doesn't mean it, do you Ron?"

Ron opened his mouth angrily, but was inturrupted by Harry. "No, he didn't-of course he didn't. You know Ron, he likes to make jokes! C'mon, we're going to be late for potions." Without another word, but with a lot angry glares, the four hurried down to the dungeons corridor. The bell rang just as they burst in the door. Almost everyone looked up, and it appeared as if class had already begun. Malfoy's face was particularly visible, grinning obnoxiously.

"Take your seats," a cold voice said. Avril looked up into the face of her uncle and smiled.

Snape glared down his nose at her, fighting the urge to take a round fifty points from Gryffindor.

It was so totally and utterly typical. Why, if his niece had to be in Gryffindor, did she have to make friends with them? The only students in the entire school he could honestly say he detested.

Potter, Weasley and Granger were, beyond all doubt, the most irritating and self-absorbed people in the entire school. No matter what, they always seemed to get under his skin.

The worst part of it was that Dumbledore sided with them everytime there was a dispute.

And now there was a new addition to their little trio, but this time it was someone he had begun to like. Didn't she know how much he hated those three? She couldn't have, Snape reasoned, still glaring at her as Avril sat down at a table with Hermione.

Well, he'd just have to show her, thats all...

"Veritaserums!" he announced to the class, his black eyes glittering unpleasantly, "there are five different types of this particular truth potion, each varying in efficiency. Does anyone know what they are?"

Hermione's hand shot up into the air and sat there, wavering slightly. Almost everyone in the class knew she was wasting her time; Snape hated calling on Hermione for anything.

"Anyone?" Snape smiled, looking around the room with a foul expression, "Potter! What are the five different varieties of Veritaserum?"

Harry sighed. "I don't know, sir," he said warily.

Snape made a disgusted noise. "Weasley? What about you? Name the five types of truth potion and how they differ where power is concerned."

Hermione waved her hand in the air. Snape ignored her, his eyes fixed malevolently on Ron.

"No? Oh dear," Snape said, shaking his head in mock disapointment, "you're a fifth year, Weasley! You're in your fifth year and you don't even know the five types of Veritaserum."

Sniggers from the Slytherins followed, and Ron's ears grew red.

"The five types of Veritaserum are V1, V2, V3, V4, and V5," Avril said.

The sniggers died away almost immediatly, and all eyes fell on her.

"The strongest of them all is V1, and the strength in the truthfulness depletes as the numbers get higher," Avril finished, holding her hand straight up in the air, facing Snape's back, "if you had been paying attention to the people who had had their hands up, you would've gotten your answer a lot quicker."

Hermione lowered her hand and glanced nervously at Avril, who looked erratically calm. Harry himself felt frightened for her. Niece or not, you just didn't talk to Snape that way.

Snape turned slowly, his body rigid. His beady black eyes cold and severe, Snape glared at Avril, and for a moment looked as if he were ready to snap. "I don't believe I asked you, Miss Ardree," he whispered, using the venomous tone of voice he usually reserved for Harry and Ron, "you aren't unlike Miss Granger here, who doesn't know when to keep her hand down and her mouth shut."

Hermione now went red, but was too worried for Avril to notice.

Avril stared at her uncle, the one she had defended at lunchtime. The one she had stood up for. How could she have been so wrong? What was his problem?

"What's your problem?" she asked, before she could help herself. She stared insolently at Snape, not seeing the extremely dangerous expression on his face.

"My problem," he said, now trying desperately to keep control of his temper, "is the lack of respect I am receiving from this class. Detention, Avril, and a further twenty points from Gryffindor."

Avril smiled. "Lovely!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air, "we can spend some real quality time together!"

Snape opened his mouth again, but simply curled his upper lip angrily. Without another word, he swept up to the chalkboard and began to write the recipe for a Veritaserum 1 potion on it, purposely squeaking the chalk. Then, quite suddenly, a nearby cauldron, brewing a very hot, nearly ready second year's engorgement potion exploded, sending a wave of steaming green liquid everywhere. There were screams as people were hit, and pandemonium broke loose.

Some ran to Snape for help, but he was distracted. Avril was watching the place where the cauldron had stood with a look of horror on her face, her hands pressing either side of her head. Even from the far side of the classroom Snape could see the familiar, brilliant flash of colours in her eyes, and immediately knew what was going on.

Meanwhile, Hermione had taken over, shrinking Seamus Finnigan's enormous, drooping ears with a reduction charm. Snape decided that 'it' could wait, and that he needed control back.

"Anyone who was splashed, come here for an antidote!" he bellowed, digging a small vile from the back of a cupboard.

Harry and Ron were just as dumbstruck as everyone, and couldn't help but think how lucky they were that they had chosen a place at the back of the classroom.

Class ended an hour and a half afterward and the class streamed out into the corridors, talking fast about what had happened.

"I'll bet it was a firecracker!"

"Probably some dumbass second year put a wrong ingredient in-"

"Whatever it was, I'm just glad I was on the other side of the classroom," Ron said as the four emerged from the dungeons room, glad the day was over, "the last thing I needed was an even bigger nose!" He looked around expectantly, waiting for a laugh, but nothing happened. Harry was trying to stuff his potion book into his bag, and Hermione was gazing thoughtfully into the distance. Avril was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Avril?" Ron asked, looking around.

"Talking to Snape about her detention," Harry muttered, "I can't believe her! If that'd been me, I would've been lucky to get away with my life-hell, a detention would've been a gift!"

Hermione nodded. "I can't believe her either-she was really mad! I wonder though..."

Hermione was interrupted by Avril as she walked past them, following Snape as he strode down the hallway.

"I'll meet you later!" she whispered, looking very frightened, "I'm in so much trouble!"

"Where're you going?" Harry hissed, trying to keep up with her.

"I don't know!" Avril replied, her whisper panicky, "I'll see you at dinner- hopefully!"

She disappeared around a corner, leaving all three friends standing, shocked in the middle of the corridors.

Avril had never, in her life, been so petrified. She didn't dare to say a word.

Trying to keep pace with Snape, she thought back to what had happened and tried to pinpoint the exact moment when she had really pissed him off.

The rest of the class had left, and Avril remembered waiting patiently in her desk for the lecture, the scolding, and the detention to be granted. But instead of yelling, 'preaching' or even so much as seething, Snape simply surveyed her with a curious stare and said "follow me."

As far as Avril could see, there hadn't been any other belligerent words said to further infuriate her guardian, so you could understand her confusion when they stopped in front of a gargoyle statue.

"Fizzing Whizzbee," Snape muttered.

The gargoyle suddenly aside.

Without a word, Snape led Avril through the gap in the walls and onto a spiral staircase that moved slowly upwards as the doors closed behind them, taking them up to a large oak door.

Snape knocked on the large brass knocker.

"Come in," called a pleasant voice from inside.

"Wait here," Snape ordered Avril as he opened the door, "I'll call you in a moment."

Avril waited tentatively, wondering vaguely if she should make a break for it, when the door opened again.

Dumbledore stood in the doorway, smiling kindly down at her. Avril managed a weak smile back. Somehow, now, it didn't seem like she was in that much trouble, Avril thought as she stepped cautiously into his office. It was a beautiful circular room lined with pictures of the past Headmasters and mistresses from Hogwarts. Beside the door stood a golden perch, and on it sat a large bird with handsome gold and purple plumage.

"Please, Miss Ardree, sit down," Dumbledore said, taking his place behind his desk. On it sat a small, pretty glass ball with revolving planets and stars inside of it.

Snape, standing at the corner of the desk, his hand resting very close to the ball, eyed her strangely.

"Now, Professor Snape has been to me with a very interesting intuition," said the Headmaster, pressing his fingertips together and resting his elbows on the arms of his chair.

"Er, really?" Avril asked, trying not to look guilty, but not stupid either. The trouble was, she didn't know what was going on, so it was rather difficult to presume which facial expressions to use.

"Yes, actually, he seems to be under the impression that the most unusual happenings occur whenever you are present or in the area," Dumbledore said, still looking amused.

"Er, really?" Avril said again, now feeling incredibly idiotic.

"Just little things..." Dumbledore continued, "ink cleaning itself up, cauldrons exploding without warning, and I believe you've been suffering headaches?"

"Why d'you think that?" Avril asked, glancing briefly at her uncle, who returned the stare.

"Avril, you've been holding your head- I've seen you pressing your fingers against your temple," Snape said, illustrating the motion, "like this- am I correct?"

Avril looked down at her feet. "Yes," she replied softly.

"And your eyes?" Dumbledore prompted gently, "your eyes change colour, don't they?"

"Huh? Um, yes, sometimes," Avril admitted timidly. So what? Suddenly, she knew what this was all leading up to.

"Listen," she said, inturrupting Dumbledore, "it doesn't mean anything. My eyes, I mean. They don't bother me; they've been like this as long as I can rememeber! I get little headaches sometimes, but everyone gets headaches, right? And as for weird stuff happening, it doesn't have anything to do with me... I think." Avril finished quietly, not totally sure what happened in that area of suspicion. She glanced around uneasily at the two wizards, who were both watching her with inquisitive looks on their faces. Then, to her immense surprise, they both smiled at Avril.

Snape smiling was certainly something new to her- the most she'd ever gotten from her was a resistant twitch (which was still quite an accomplishment where winning-over Snape was concerned).

"What?" Avril asked, having absolutly no idea what the hell was going on and now feeling desperatly confused.

"Miss Ardree," Dumbledore began, standing and offering his hand to her (which she shook hesitantly), "you have successfully shown all the signs of a Lamia."

Avril frowned and leaned forward. Had he said a llama?

"Sorry, sir, but, did you say llama?" she asked, avoiding Snape's eyes.

Dumbledore chuckled. "No, no, but, my, they are fascinating animals, aren't they? No, my dear, I said a Lamia. There is, however, one more thing I'd care to assay before we establish anymore assumptions..." The next moment, Dumbledore had scooped up the glass planet ball and had flung it at Avril's face with all his might.

It happened very quickly. Avril felt a familiar stab of pain behind her eyes and the ball stopped dead, centimeters in front of her face. With trembling fingers, Avril reached up and took hold of the ball. She peered into it and saw her reflection. Her eyes were a very pale blue. Then, a violet. Green, gray, violet blue.