Dark Phoenix Rising

Chapter Six: A Snake in Lion's Skin

Maia wandered through the corridors of St. Mungo's with Theo, wondering where Emily's mother was. Supposedly, they were supposed to have gone with her, but she didn't seem to be in the hospital any more. Maia knew that Tonks, as Mrs. Wood liked to be called, was very forgetful, and that day's incident may have made everyone frenzied and panicked. It had been hours since Theo had woken up and met Maia and the others in the tea shop. However, Maia had needed to get away from the reporter for the Daily Prophet, Rita Skeeter, so she and Theo had hidden in a broom closet. When they had emerged, they had found that the others had left.

Theo seemed to be in a horrible mood. He walked... or rather, nearly stomped through the corridors after Maia, scowling at everyone they saw and glaring at the back of Maia's head. Maia could almost sense the heat of the look. He was letting off a rant in Spanish under his breath, and Maia had the feeling that if Great-Grandmother heard it, she would have promptly fainted. Theo stopped muttering, and said in a sharp voice, "Well? Have you found anyone we know yet?"

Maia ignored him and fixed her eyes on random people in the hospital lobby. A very unwelcome voice interrupted her search. It was a voice her mother and Aunt Hermione, not to mention her great-grandmother, had told her to avoid at all costs. Rita Skeeter, a witch in her sixties, yet still bouncing about to the chagrin of most of the wizarding world, towered over Maia, brandishing her infamous acid-green quill.

"Why, if it isn't Maia Potter! Maia, I was hoping to run into you today. Perhaps I could have an interview? Maia, how do you view the Aurors, especially your mother? What do you think of Astiliris? Do you hate him? Has he ruined your relationship with your mother? Have you anything to say?"

"No comment," Maia said quickly. She turned to Theo. "Come on, Theo, we have to go. Sorry, Ms. Skeeter, but I must be going. We're busy right now." She grabbed Theo's arm forcefully and started to steer him away.

"Oh!" Rita said in surprise. "I see! Maia, is this boy your special friend?" She bent down and peered at Theo, adjusting her purple-rimmed glasses. "He looks familiar." Theo cleared his throat.

"No!" Maia said quickly. "He's... I... we're just..."

Rita smiled indulgently. It made her look like a constipated turtle. Maia could see Theo fighting down a laugh next to her. "Of course, Maia," she said. "Well, maybe another time. See you around, dearie!" She stuck her Quick-Quotes Quill into her handbag, waved her clawed hands, smiled in the turtle-ish way again, and disappeared into the crowd. Maia frowned. Rita Skeeter wasn't that bad, actually. She had hardly asked Maia anything, not really, compared to what Maia's family had said.

Theo groaned, burying his red face into his hands as soon as Rita was out of sight. Maia imagined her face wasn't pale either. "Um... maybe we should keep on looking for someone," Maia said quietly. Theo nodded in agreement, and Maia began to scan the room again, looking for a familiar face.

Finally, she spotted Ernie Macmillan, who was a distant friend of her mother and family, who sometimes went to the Burrow for supper. Maia had met him a few times at a few of the gatherings, and she liked him. He was rule-abiding and kind, even though he was a little pompous. "Mr. Macmillan!" Maia called. Ernie looked her way and grinned.

"Hello, Maia," he said. "You may call me Ernie, you know; I told you that the last time I was at the Burrow." His eyes found Theo. "Ah! You must be Theo. Ginny's told me all about you, of course. I'm sorry about your parents."

Theo nodded. Maia cleared her throat, then said, "Mr. Macmillan, we were supposed to go home with Mrs. Wood, but it was such a hectic day that they forgot us. Do you... do you think you could loan us some Floo powder, please? We haven't any money, but we'll pay you back."

Ernie chuckled. "Don't worry about paying me back," he said as he pulled out a small drawstring bag of Floo powder from his long Muggle overcoat. He winked. "I carry a bag around with me all the time, in case I meet someone who needs it."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Macmillan. I promise I'll buy you another bag," Maia said.

Ernie laughed again. "Maia, why so formal? I'll see you soon. And no, don't think about buying me another bag. Now I really must go, my mother's waiting for my visit." He grinned at them kindly and walked off.

"Come on," Maia said, leading Theo to the Floo Powder hub. Many families with children were arriving and departing, and they were nearly knocked over a few times by the jostling crowd. Maia was glad Great-Grandmother wasn't there. If she had been, she would have marched straight to the Ministry and complain for hours.

"Where are we going to go?" Theo said when they had reached an empty departure fireplace. Maia frowned. She hadn't really thought about where to go.

"I-I suppose we should go to the Burrow," she said. "Mother mentioned there was going to be a gathering there tonight, since it's time we all had supper together anyway... but that was yesterday, before the attack. You haven't ever been to the Burrow yet, have you? I'm sure they'll let you stay. My mother's side of the family loves company."

"A-all right," Theo said. "So... I just say 'the Burrow', right?"

Maia nodded. "You can go first, you know."

Theo nodded, then put his hand into the bag, drawing out a handful of Floo Powder. Throwing it into the flames, he said loudly and clearly, "The Burrow!" With a loud noise, he disappeared. Maia threw her Floo powder in and stepped into the flames.

***

"Estrella brillante..." Lena sang softly to herself. Soft as her voice was, the words still echoed off the walls of her cell. She was probably the only occupant of the dungeons the cell was in. There had been someone before her who had scratched some words into the wall, but they were written in English, a language Lena wasn't proficient at. Her thoughts turned to her best friend... the same one she had yelled at and broken it off with.

Lena knew she looked a mess. Her hair was a bird's nest, and she had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse nearly every day. But she was ready to give in, to do Astiliris's bidding. It hurt too much. Lena wasn't as brave as Matteo.

The footsteps came. Normally, they announced the beginning of a new torture session, in which Astiliris would demand answers, and all Lena would do was plead for him to stop. Then the blackness would come, and she would wake about an hour later. And she would wait in that cell until a few days later, when Astiliris would come again. Lena looked up as the hooded figures unlocked her cell, allowing one figure to come in, his cloak swishing. Astiliris.

"Buenos dias, Magdelena," Astiliris said in his usual soft but incredibly frightening voice. "O buenas noches," he added, laughing coldly. "I wouldn't know," he said in English. "I haven't looked out the window since I don't know when. Time doesn't exist for me." He spoke slower than normal, but to Lena, it was still too fast to comprehend. She merely nodded. Astiliris went on. "Shall we move on?"

Lena nodded, as always. It was fruitless not to; Astiliris would just bend her neck magically, causing her to nod. "Good," Astiliris hissed. "Magdelena, you know your little friend has sent the Aurors to look for you? And you should know my question by now." He raised his wand, as if ready to send the usual curse at her. "It would be easier if we could just give you back to your sister, wouldn't it?"

Lena gulped. Then she looked straight up, into Astiliris's strange glowing eyes. She let out a breath, then said one word: "Yes."

Astiliris laughed softly. "Good. We have finally gotten somewhere. You are a Cimmerian now, Magdelena Buscando. You will be my spy when the time is right. And you will carry the sign of the Cimmerians, carefully, of course." Astiliris waved his wand, and Lena felt an invisible weight under her blouse... the invisible signalling necklace of the Cimmerians. She would never be able to remove it, and no one would ever be able to, not unless she died. "What is my name now?"

"Master," Lena said coolly, the opposite of what she really felt like. Inside, she felt like sobbing uncontrollably. She had betrayed everyone.

"Good," Astiliris said. "You will be mentored by Bella. She will set up... lesson times with you later. And then we will return you to your family... or should I say Bella, Michel, and Gabriela."

Lena nodded. She was no longer just Magdelena Buscando, but a Cimmerian.

***

The window was open. A breeze wafted in, waking Maia. "Lily?" she said softly, disbelievingly. Lily hadn't visited for over a month.

Lily smiled. "Hello again, Maia," she said softly. "Off to Hogwarts soon, aren't you?" Her green eyes seemed to dull a little. "Maia, I can't visit you anymore..."

Maia's jaw dropped, but she was able to close her mouth. "Why?" was all she said. "I... is it because you've been visiting the wrong person the whole time? Or that you don't want to visit anymore?"

Lily shook her head sadly. "No. It is because you have grown too restricted for me to enter. Your mind is not free. And so I must seek another to help."

"What do you mean?" Maia implored, her voice wavering.

"You... you would do well to listen to Matteo's friend," Lily said. "The Malfoy."

"Xavier? Malfoy?" Maia said disbelievingly. I... I can't listen to him. He-he called me names the first time we met, and was terribly rude to me. Not to mention that I was rather rude back to him. Besides, his idea is for me to go about with him and the other two, spying and playing pranks on everyone. Great-grandmother would hardly approve..."

Lily smiled sadly, as if Maia had just proved a point. Finally, she sighed and said, "Come. We have one more night. And I want you to meet someone." She trailed off, as if unsure, then said in a more confident voice, "Yes. You should meet her."

A girl appeared in the room. She was transparent, just like Theo had been the time Lily had shown him to Maia. Her surroundings seemed to be a ragged bedroom with peeling walls and a moth-eaten bed. She was crying, but stopped when she sensed that others were there, looking to her just like she looked to them. She said something in rapid Spanish that Maia didn't understand.

Maia's confusion must have shown on her face, because the girl said in accented English, "Who are you? What are you doing in here? Are you a ghost?"

"No," Maia said. She turned to Lily. "Who is she, Lily?"

"I am Lena," the girl said. "Who are you, and how did you get in here?" She sounded sharp and angry.

"I'm Maia," Maia said quickly.

Lena's eyes grew wide. "Quick! Leave, before-"

The door to Lena's bedroom opened, and a woman who looked like an older version of Lena came in. She said something in Spanish. However, coming from her mouth, the words sounded harsh and hoarse. And suddenly, the woman's appearance changed to Maia, although her original appearance still remained underneath it. It was as if a piece of tracing paper with the alternate countenance had been put in front of the first one.

Maia had read many history books. She had seen the woman's face numerous times in pictures, and lately, many of the Aurors were talking about her. Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the most loyal Death Eaters of Lord Voldemort, was standing what seemed like a mere few feet away from Maia. And she was under a Polyjuice Potion, which Maia could somehow see through.

Lena looked frightened. "Nadie," she said softly.

Bellatrix laughed. "No one?" She scowled. "The Spanish is annoying. Now to whom were you speaking to? You were speaking in English."

"Myself," Lena lied smoothly. "I am speaking to myself. I practice my English."

"It's 'I was practising my English,'" Bellatrix said sourly. "Learn your grammar."

Maia looked between the former Death Eater and Lena. Lena didn't seem to know she wasn't speaking to who she thought she was speaking to. Maia wanted to call out, to warn Lena, but before she could do so, her eyes snapped open.

"Get up! GET UP RIGHT NOW, MAIA ELIZABETH POTTER!"

Maia bolted upright. It was a moment before she realised groggily that it was not Lena standing in front of her, but Great-Grandmother, who was looking livid. She was holding up a copy of the Daily Prophet's morning edition, which she promptly slapped down onto Maia's legs painfully. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" she demanded loudly.

Maia turned the paper so that she could read the headline. "Young Love at St. Mungo's," she read silently. Oh no. She couldn't have... but Maia saw the by-line. Rita Skeeter. Gulping, she started to read.

"Maia Potter is a charming young girl with the manners and fame. And she has also discovered young love. Yesterday, she was spotted at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries with her special friend, Matteo Finnigan, son of the late Seamus and Lavender Finnigan."

"Maia, who is part veela, has not bloomed fully yet. However, she makes up for her average looks with her social skills and gracefulness. When this Prophet correspondent approached her, she shied away, grabbing her young boyfriend's hand and steering him away. However, she later admitted her love in the way of a typical eleven-year-old, making her all the more charming."

"'Age doesn't matter in love,' her highly charismatic friend said. He ended his statement with a polite cough to stop Maia from chattering on too long."

"Maia realised that they had to leave, and unfortunately, they were unable to talk to this reporter for much longer. However, this reporter was able to see young Theo's face burning with passion and love while Maia gazed at him adoringly before the two were swallowed by the busy crowds."

Maia fought the urge to retch right on her great-grandmother's frilly black robes. Before she could even say anything in defence of herself, though, Great-Grandmother screeched, "WELL?"

There were footsteps from outside, and Ginny came in, rubbing her eyes. She looked as if she had dressed top-speed, as her robes were askew and her hair tousled. Her eyes darted between the pale woman looming over the bed and the tiny girl trying to hide. Finally, she grabbed the newspaper and read the article, her face growing more horrified with every passing second. "Mother?" Maia ventured tentatively.

Ginny finished the article and threw it to the side with a noise of disgust. Great-grandmother nodded. "Isn't that horrible, Ginevra? Maia's been gallivanting around St. Mungo's, saying such ridiculous things!"

Ginny shook her head. "No, Grandmother, it's just that Rita Skeeter... well, if you remember, she was the author of that... thing about how Harry was really half-vampire, and had bitten Voldemort to defeat him. I... I highly doubt that this article is the truth."

Great-grandmother mouthed like a goldfish. "Well," she said stiffly after a few moments of silence. "It... it seems that my opinions on any subject regarding my great-granddaughter no longer matter." She strode out of the room briskly, nearly toppling the house-elf Toomy over as he entered the room, carrying a roll of parchment.

"Mistress," he greeted Ginny. "And young Mistress, of course," he added, bowing deeply to Maia. "Toomy has a message that he took from the Malfoy owl for Miss Ginny," he said, holding the parchment out to Ginny, who took it and unrolled it. She read it, her eyebrows furrowing.

"All right," she said to herself.

"Mother?" Maia asked.

"Just a message from Ic... Mrs. Malfoy, Maia. They've seen the article too," Ginny said, looking at Maia. "Don't worry," she added quickly as she saw Maia's crestfallen face. "I don't think Theo will mind much, and no one believes Rita Skeeter anyway."

Maia nodded, but she doubted it would all go as her mother had said.

***

"Hey, Theo," Xavier said with a smug look on his face as they re-emerged from the barrier between the Muggle world and Platform 9 ¾. "Ready to see your passionate girlfriend again today? I heard her charms have gone up a notch since you last saw her a few days ago," he added with a smirk.

Theo smacked him with his leather-bound copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. "Shut up," he snarled. "I doubt you even know what passionate means, since you used it in the wrong context." Colin, who was on Theo's other side, scuttled away nervously as if afraid Theo would turn and smack him as well.

"Ooh, touchy on the subject of girls, aren't we?" Xavier said. He became mute when Theo raised the book again in a threatening way, his blue eyes flashing.

"For your information," Theo said coldly, "I don't like Maia Potter at all. She's a horrible snob, and she's too tight about everything."

"Ooh, what's too tight?" Xavier mocked. The comment earned him another whack in the face.

Theo glared at him. "And she's probably going to turn into a tattletale know-it-all," he finished with a growl. Neither heard Colin's sigh.

Xavier suddenly smirked. "Oi! Potter!" he yelled. Maia turned, and frowned when she saw who had called her name. "Your boyfriend's here! OW!" He turned and glared at Theo, who had hit him again with his textbook. Theo raised the book again, along with an eyebrow. "What was that for?" Xavier said sourly. "I was only teasing." He smirked again. "Why? Did you have another friend at home?"

Theo gulped. Lena. Xavier must have noticed the change in his expression, because he said softly, "Forget about it." Theo nodded, and pushed his trolley to the train.

Maia came up to the boys with her own trunk. "Hello," Colin said in a friendly tone. She smiled briefly at him. Xavier just smirked at her. Theo didn't even acknowledge her existence. He busied himself with hoisting his trunk up into the luggage compartment, making a show of pretending to be having trouble with it.

To his horror and embarrassment, it was Maia who piped up, "Do you need any help with that, Theo?"

"No!" Theo said sharply and rather rudely.

Maia's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, all right," she said in a miffed tone. "I was just trying to help." Her voice darkened, and she sniffed. "Not that you care, anyway, Finnigan." Theo heard Xavier inhale sharply in surprise. Maia wasn't finished. Apparently, she did have a 'daring' side. "Did anyone ever tell you that you look like you've got splattergroit? A painting at St. Mungo's told me that 'it was affecting your already gruesome face.'" She turned away with a smirk.

Theo just stared. But Xavier, who had inherited his hot-headedness from his mother, started forward. "Theo does not have splattergroit! You do! You know, I'll bet you're not part-veela. I'll bet that you're all Weasley. You know, that's what Father's second cousin told me once. That Weasleys had children with their brothers and sisters. You're probably not a Potter. You're probably... that Percy bloke's daughter!"

Theo stared incredulously at his friend. Next to him, Colin was making disbelieving noises. Maia only looked at Xavier in shock, turning paler than before, until she was nearly the colour of Muggle paper. Then there was a loud, "CRACK!" as Maia slapped Xavier across the face hard and darted away before anyone could react.

The three boys stood, dumbfounded, until Theo gulped and said, "You deserved it, mate." Xavier threw him a positively ugly look, and swept away to say goodbye to his parents, who were still talking to other parents, oblivious to what had just transpired. Theo glanced at Colin, who looked back at him, and the two resumed stuffing their trunks into the luggage car.

***

Maia was fuming as she forcefully pushed the sliding door of a compartment open, nearly shattering the glass. She sat down on a seat, glaring out the window, where the green English countryside was rolling past. Sighing and trying to calm down, she pulled out Sapphires, the sequel to the book she had been reading earlier in the summer, called Rubies.

Lady Annalisialynn moaned and wept piteously. "Please stay," she sobbed. "Please, Sir Thomas, I love you! I cannot live without you!"

Sir Thomas just looked at her stonily. "I can. And will. Because Princess Demitrula is far more beautiful, rich, powerful, charming, and smarter than you. And I love her, not you."

"But can't you see? She is..."

"You are jealous," Sir Thomas spat.

There was giggling from outside her compartment, and then whispers. A moment later, the door slid open, and a girl with a Ravenclaw badge holding a copy of Standard Book of Spells: Grade Two came in. "Hello," she said. "I'm Christina Peters. Mind if I sit here? You're Maia Potter, aren't you?"

For some reason, Christina annoyed Maia. It may have been because of Maia's nasty mood. "Yes," she snarled.

Christina looked affronted. "Well," she said, sliding out. The door slid closed behind her, and Maia could distinctly hear the Ravenclaw say, "She's a total snob. Her attitude is horrid. You know, she belongs with that insane Malfoy brat we met in the corridor, doesn't she, Amelia?" There was some more giggling, and Maia heard footsteps as Christina and Amelia walked away.

The compartment door opened again, and Jack came in. "Hey, Maia," he said. Maia tried to smile at him. "What's this I heard just now about you belonging with Malfoy?"

"I-I..." Maia said. Then she looked quickly out the window.

"You...?" Jack said.

Maia found herself telling her cousin everything that happened that morning. When she reached Xavier's insult, Jack nearly growled and stomped out of the compartment. "No, Jack!" Maia said, panicking. Jack, however, did not seem to even hear her, so Maia chased after, determined to stop him before he was caught beating up an eleven-year-old.

Jack slammed the boys' compartment door open, and stormed inside, Maia wincing and following. "Jack, please, don't," she said.

Jack didn't hear her. He was glaring at Xavier, who was glaring steadily back. Jack's arm lunged forward and grabbed the collar of the younger boy's robes. Xavier didn't make a sound as he was brought up and thrown back down to the ground. Maia gasped as there was a loud crack. Colin's eyes went wide, and Theo's jaw dropped. Xavier winced, but got back up using his right arm. "Satisfied?" he said icily, gulping hard, his eyes watering from the pain. Jack looked concerned, and tried to reach for Xavier's left arm, but Xavier backed away, and sneered. "No touching, Granger. You might contaminate it."

Theo looked at his friend in surprise. Colin's eyes, however, were narrowed, as if he had seen such behaviour from Xavier before that day. Jack looked one more time at the broken arm, then said tersely, "I'll get someone."

Maia didn't say anything. Instead, she wheeled around and walked back to her compartment.

***

Colin had seen and heard the same line before. Shut up, Mudblood... hey, Weasley, see that gold over there? Oh, wait, that's just Potter's watch... get away from me, Weaselette, you might give me lice... Potty and the Weasel...

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud wail as soon as the compartment door was closed. He looked up, startled, and saw Xavier sobbing and cradling his broken arm in pain. Theo looked surprised to see Xavier crying after his performance as well. "Xavier?" Colin said incredulously.

"It... bloody... hurts!" Xavier blubbered.

Theo looked at him. "Well of course it hurts," he said. Xavier just hiccuped and resumed his crying.

The compartment door slid open, and the Head Girl, Emily Wood, came in, followed by an embarrassed and remorseful looking Jack and the witch who usually pushed the snack trolley. "Oh, dear," the witch said. "Mr. Weasley, you do realise that I will have to inform Headmaster Snape about this, don't you?" Jack nodded in a defeated way. Xavier had ceased crying, and was sniffling as the witch bound his arm the Muggle way. "I'm afraid I'm only allowed to help you the Muggle way," she explained, "as it is up to the school to decide whether or not you need to be taught a lesson."

Xavier nodded demurely and sniffled some more. The witch, Emily, and Jack left, leaving a silent compartment behind them. Theo cleared his throat and excused himself to go to the toilet. Colin began to think. His mind turned to the Order meeting they had attended. He and Xavier had kept to their word, and hadn't even mentioned it to each other. However, Colin found himself wondering if the Order was meeting at the moment, and what they were talking about. And the plastic ring...

"Look, there's a Muggle castle," Xavier said dully. Colin nodded, and turned to look at the door as Theo came back in and sat down. "What house are you going into? I'm definitely a Slytherin. Mother and Father both were Slytherins, so I'm bound to be one," Xavier said. He sounded less than excited at the prospect.

Colin shrugged. "I was in Gryffindor before," he said, pulling his new camera (Dennis had bought it for him) out and snapping a picture of a ruined Muggle castle. "Probably where I'll end up again."

"Gryffindor," Theo sighed. "Mum and Dad were in it."

Xavier nodded, and looked back out the window. Theo turned to Colin. "Fancy a game of Exploding Snap?" he said half-heartedly. "Pierre Weasley loaned me a deck when I passed his compartment." Colin sighed, then nodded. The two began a nearly silent game of Exploding Snap, in which the only noise was the sound of the cards exploding from time to time.

Slowly, the sunlight in the room dimmed, and the train's lights became brighter as night came. The boys, who had changed into their robes on the platform, went on with their silence while everyone outside became rowdier as Hogwarts approached. "Hey, Steve!" someone said loudly. "How's your toad?" A group of fourth year Gryffindor boys passed, laughing. One of the boys was quite red. He seemed to be denying that he had a toad.

Colin, Theo, and Xavier grabbed their things and followed the fourth year Gryffindors as the train stopped at Hogsmeade station. The fourth years turned and looked surprised at Xavier's Muggle sling. They began talking in hushed whispers. "He looks like a Malfoy," the boy who was probably Steve said.

"I heard he got in a fight with Jack Weasley," another boy said. Xavier didn't seem to hear the fourth years' conversation, or else he was pretending not to. The boy went on. "I heard Jack threw him across the entire car." Colin nearly rolled his eyes at this.

As soon as they got off the Hogwarts Express, they were nearly separated from each other by crowds of older students. A cultured male voice called, "First years, over here! Right over here!" The three managed to make their way to the man. He was a strange sight. His hair was shoulder length and straight and pulled back by a black ribbon. He was aristocratically pale and would have not been bad to look at if his face wasn't twisted into a horrible Snape-like scowl. And if his face hadn't had long, disfiguring scars all over it. His robes were tattered and old, as if he couldn't afford new ones.

The group of first years huddled in a group was tiny. It only had fifteen people in it, compared to the thirty or so Colin remembered from his first time as a first year. He remembered hearing Ginny talking in a hushed voice with Xavier's mother about how many of the first years had been killed in Diagon Alley. Many of the older students seemed to also know about the diminished number of first years. "Aw... look, Kelly, there's only fifteen..." a Hufflepuff girl said to her friend as they passed.

"Poor Denise," Kelly said. "She was there that day too. And she saw Polly being killed. She couldn't stop crying the whole day, and she still has nightmares, according to the letter she sent me."

The strange professor beckoned for the first years to follow him, and he swept towards the lake, where boats were waiting. Colin remembered his first journey on a boat to Hogwarts, and felt lucky that he would travel by boat three times instead of just twice. He clambered into a boat with Theo, Xavier, and a boy with dark hair, a nasty facial expression, and crooked teeth. The boats began to move across the mirror-like surface of the lake.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the great, all-powerful Malfoy," the dark-haired boy drawled. Xavier turned to look at the boy.

"Flint," he said. His mouth turned into a frown. "Aren't you supposed to be a second year this year? Father said that you're already thirteen."

"My father decided to send me to Hogwarts this year," Flint said. "He wanted me to be in your year." They ducked their heads, and oohs and aahs came from the other first years. Flint, however, kept on talking. "Father wants me to be friends with you. After all, both of our fathers are highly influential people. Father says your father is clever for taking the job he's in." He looked distastefully at Colin and Theo. "Half-bloods and Mudbloods, Xavier? Hardly good company for a Malfoy." He snorted. "Heard you had a run-in with a Mudblood Weasel."

"For your information, Brian," Xavier said coolly, "The half-blood and the Mudblood are my friends. So you can just bugger off, Flint," he added as the boats docked and they got out. "Tell your father that it was a waste of two years." With that, he strode off, leaving a very angry Flint behind him.

***

Maia had been in a boat with three very chatty girls who had paid no attention whatsoever to her. The professor led them up to the front doors of the castle, and knocked three times. The doors opened, revealing a worn-looking professor. Maia supposed it was Professor Lupin, the Deputy Headmaster. Lupin smiled at the other professor, who did not smile back. "Thank you, Scorpius," Lupin said.

The professor named Scorpius nodded, and swept past Lupin, into the Entrance Hall. Lupin bit his lip as he saw the diminished group of scared-looking first-years. "Welcome to Hogwarts," he said warmly. "Because of... circumstances... we will be housing you all in Gryffindor Tower. Apart from that and lessons, you will have the same House experiences as all the other students."

Maia saw Theo and Xavier look at each other. She was surprised to see that a Muggle sling was on Xavier's arm. She turned back to face Professor Lupin, who led them into the Great Hall, which was filled with chattering students. However, as soon as the first-years arrived, the hall quieted, leaving Maia even more nervous than before. She knew that they would be sorted into Houses by a hat, and it was what came after the hat that scared her.

Many of the Muggle-borns were pointing in awe at the ceiling of the Great Hall. Maia barely glanced at it; she was so nervous. Some of the older students gaped at her as she passed. She wished they wouldn't. At the front of the room sat a three-legged stool, on which a tattered, patched old hat rested. As soon as all of the first-years were gathered around the hat, it opened its brim and began to sing:

I was once just a normal hat,

On noble Gryffindor's head.

It was only after Hogwarts came, that

The Founders worried about being dead.

You see, they wondered who,

Would divide the students into four,

When they were gone, what would they do?

Gryffindor's idea of using me was given an encore.

So I was made to sort,

And sort I shall.

In this noble court,

I will quarter standing tall.

To Gryffindor you shall go,

If you are brave,

If you are reckless just so,

If you have a bit of the blood of a knave.

In Ravenclaw you will dwell,

If you are clever,

If your thirst for information will never quell,

If learning is your lever.

Hufflepuff is your new House,

If you are loyal,

If working makes you bounce,

If you are patient and never boil.

And Slytherin is your friend,

If ambition is what you contain,

If you've ancient rules not to bend,

Whether you are wild or tame.

It is time,

Put me on,

In less than a single rhyme,

I will tell you the House to which you will be upon!

There was some applause, and then Lupin pulled out a scroll of parchment, and began to read off names. "Altwater, Lewis!" he called. A small boy with a slight body and sun bleached hair stepped forward, looking shaken.

The Sorting Hat was placed on his head. Lewis was pale, and seemed ready to faint. After a moment, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Lewis seemed relieved as he went to sit with the cheerful looking Hufflepuffs.

"Amber, Quinn!" was followed by, "RAVENCLAW!" Quinn Amber, a slight boy who bore a resemblance to Xavier, smiled slightly and walked over to his new housemates.

Colin was after Quinn. The hat hadn't even touched his head before it shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!" One of the girls from Maia's boat, Dana Dickinson, was put in Ravenclaw. After that, another girl from the boat, Laura Falton, was also placed in Ravenclaw. Theo went after that, and was placed in Gryffindor. He went off to sit with a beaming Colin. Xavier looked rather sour. Brian Flint was the first new Slytherin. He leered at the young Malfoy as he passed to the Slytherin table. Henry Langton was put in Hufflepuff. Xavier went after him, and was automatically placed in Slytherin. He scowled darkly for a moment, then pasted a smirk on his face. And then it was Maia's turn.

She strode up to the hat purposefully, ignoring the stares of all the other students. The brim of the hat covered her eyes as she put the hat on, and a tiny voice began speaking in her ear. "Ah... a Potter, eh? Mix of both your parents, I see. But not raised by them, but by your great-grandmother? Hmm... strange. What's this? And an ambition to prove your heritage and yourself. Oh... and this... no this makes it certain, right here..."

"Please, just put me in any house," Maia pleaded. "Please."

"Very well, then, Miss Potter. You will do very well in... SLYTHERIN!" The hat was taken off her head. Slytherin? Maia was surprised. By any house... she hadn't meant... Or did you? said a nasty voice in her head. Maybe you did want to be a Slytherin, deep down. Maybe you deserve it.

As if in a daze, Maia made her way to the Slytherin table. There was some surprised clapping from some of the students, like Emily, who looked shocked. Jack was staring at Maia like she had admitted her love for him. Jackie and Pierre were trying to clap, but were open-mouthed. Theo and Colin were also staring. Xavier was scowling, however, and he moved away from her as soon as she sat down at the first year end of the House table.

Lupin went on. Victoria Pulter was put in Gryffindor, and then Adam Rathbone was placed in Slytherin. He leered unpleasantly at Xavier and Maia as he took a seat across from them. Two twin girls, Katherine and Kimberly Ruth, took their places in Hufflepuff. Finally, Franklin Toland was determined a Slytherin after five minutes of waiting. As he took his place next to a scowling Adam, Maia thought that he might be decent.

The Sorting Hat and its stool were taken out of the Great Hall, and then Headmaster Snape stood, silencing all of the students who had started chattering immediately after the Sorting. Maia shivered. Snape was a sallow man with a vampiric look and long, greasy, lanky hair that had grayed over the years. "Welcome to Hogwarts," he said in a soft voice. However, Maia caught every word. A pin drop could have been heard in such silence. "As a reminder, no students are allowed into the Forbidden Forest, and first and second years are not allowed into Hogsmeade. The caretaker, Mr. Filch, has created some new rules, which may be viewed outside his office. Also, due to recent... events, all first years will be staying in Gryffindor Tower, to save the house elves some work. I believe that is all."

The conversation took a while to get going, as many of the students were worried about Snape starting to talk again, and then getting put in detention. "So," Adam Rathbone said, sneering at Maia. "It looks as if we've got a Potty in our midst." Brian Flint snickered quite nastily at this remark. Xavier didn't say anything, and glared at Flint. Franklin Toland merely looked at his chicken and ham pie.

"And what an ugly Potty she is," Flint remarked. "I thought you were supposed to at least be able to look at a part-veela. But I think I'll turn to stone if I stare at anyone any longer." He and Rathbone collapsed on each other, guffawing.

"Shut up, Flint," Xavier drawled lazily. "I think I'll faint if I see your teeth one more time. I've already lost my appetite. Tell me, Flint, did you have someone piss all over your teeth this morning, or was it years of not cleaning your teeth that gave them their lovely yellowish colour?" Maia looked at Franklin, who had the shadow of a smirk on his face as he scuffed his shoes.

"Well, well, well," Rathbone said nastily. "Look who fancies the ugly freckled Weasel-in-the-Potty Medusa." He and Flint leered at Xavier.

"I do not," Xavier snarled. "The ugly freckled Weasel-in-the-Potty Medusa can go to hell for all I care. It was your teeth, Flint, that set me off." He smirked at them sarcastically, then turned to his pie distastefully. Maia felt tears prickle the corners of her eyes. Why was Xavier being so mean?

Flint looked murderous. "One more comment about my teeth, Malfoy, and you'll be dead by tomorrow morning."

Xavier didn't even bat an eyelash. "Was that a threat, Flint? How are you going to kill me? Poison my toothpaste? I doubt it. You'd probably die of fright if you ever went near toothpaste." He sneered at the reddening Flint. Flint continued to look more and more like a tomato with yellow crooked teeth and a mop of black hair, until he pounced onto the table, splattering everyone with food, trying to strangle Xavier.

Everyone was watching, and a few of the teachers were coming over. "Why you bloody little ferret!" Flint snarled, groping for Xavier's neck. Xavier just looked coolly over at him, looking dignified even with pudding splattered all over his face, hair, and robes. "Argh!" Flint screamed as he grasped thin air again.

"Mr. Flint!" Snape shouted. Flint stopped, shaking, and turned towards the headmaster. Snape was glaring at him dangerously. "Detention, and twenty points off Slytherin. You too, Mr. Malfoy, for provoking him." He sneered and turned towards Maia. "And a detention for you too, Miss Potter, for not trying to stop Mr. Flint."

Maia's jaw dropped. "Severus, that's..." Lupin said.

"...necessary," Snape finished, his lip curling. "Yes, and I believe you, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Flint, and Mr. Granger will have to see me in my office tomorrow morning, before classes. We have some... disciplinary topics to discuss with your parents and guardians."

Great-grandmother was coming... Maia didn't even want to think about what would happen.

***

The first years had all been let into Gryffindor Tower, and directed to their dormitories. Many of the Gryffindors had stared at the group of Slytherins distrustfully. Xavier held his head up, but he could see Maia staring into space as she had been since Snape had given her detention. He resisted the urge to snort. Honestly. What was so bad about detention? His parents had been in detention many times, and his mother had told him that Maia's parents had been in detention even more often.

He was in a bad mood. Flint was annoying, and his echo, Rathbone, just made him more so. Xavier considered the two to be like gnats, or fleas, or some other troublesome pests. He did not have time to argue with the over-sized, crooked-toothed bumbling caveman with the suitable name of Flint.

Talk of the devil. "Oh, hello Malfoy," Flint said behind him in a sickly sweet voice. It was a falsetto that reminded Xavier of that woman, Umbridge, who worked for Fudge. The toad woman's voice always riled Xavier's temper.

He paid Flint no attention, and continued throwing his robes carelessly into a wardrobe. Flint's voice hardened, and he growled, "I said hello, Malfoy. I thought Malfoys had manners, the way you lot always brag about your interbreeding like it's something to be proud of."

"All pure-bloods are interbred," Xavier said coolly. "And, Flint, I don't believe I understood the rest of what you said. It sounded like a caveman's grunts to me. Can't you speak any clearer, so we non-Neanderthals can understand you?"

Flint clamped a hand on Xavier's shoulder and spun him around so that Xavier nearly lost his balance. "Shut up, you little shite," he snarled. Xavier just smirked up at him. Flint was at least a head taller than all the other first years, as he was thirteen and nearing fourteen, and was very hairy. His yellowed teeth and poor hygiene made him look like he had been raised in a cave, and Xavier was tempted to ask if he had had raw mammoth for dinner. Flint shook him. "You really need to shut your gob," he said.

Xavier smiled sweetly. "Did I say anything, Flint?" Theo and Colin had arrived, and were watching the two out of the corners of their eyes while unpacking. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaw hadn't noticed anything yet, and Rathbone had not gone upstairs yet. "Hey, seen any dinosaurs lately?"

Flint looked dumbfounded, which enhanced the caveman look. "Huh?" he said in confusion. "What-?"

"Die-no-sore," Xavier enunciated slowly. "A big animal," he added.

Flint scowled. "I know what a dinosaur is!" he snarled.

"Sorry?" Xavier said, sneering. "Didn't catch that last bit. Sounded like caveman grunts to me. Can you repeat that in English? Oh, and Father told me about this Muggle product called Listerine. Apparently, it freshens your breath better than a Mouth-Cleansing Spell."

At this, the Ravenclaw, who was a distant cousin of Xavier's, snickered. He shut himself up after Flint glared in his direction. "Good, you're a smart Ravenclaw," Flint grunted before he spun back towards Xavier. "And you're not so smart, ferret-face. You're going to get a beating."

"Aw... poor Flint." Theo had joined in. "Why? Can't beat anyone up who's your own age?" He smirked.

"Shut up, you midget with splattergroit," Flint said sharply. Theo just raised an eyebrow. "Malfoy, mate, this is gonna hurt." His fist lunged forward. Xavier sneered and ducked, and Flint's fist went slamming into the wardrobe, creating a hole in the thin wood.

"Oh, poor Brian," Xavier cooed mockingly. "He got hurt! Hey, Flint, you should take Divination in two years. You're a Seer!" Flint writhed on the floor, clutching his fist and gasping in pain.

The door to the boys' dormitory opened, and the Head Girl, Emily Wood, stepped in. "What was that-" She screamed as she saw the blood from Flint's fist. Flint himself was sobbing on the floor. "What happened?"

"Malfoy..." wailed Flint from the floor.

Emily sighed. "Flint, come with me to the Hospital Wing. Xavier, I suppose Professor Snape will deal with you tomorrow." She left the room, followed by a hysterically crying Flint. The door closed softly behind them, and the Hufflepuffs immediately busied themselves with unpacking their trunks again. Colin cleared his throat and began taping posters of various Muggle football teams up with a roll of Spellotape he had borrowed from Jack.

Theo sniffed and pulled out a book in Spanish. From the looks of it, the book was Theo's copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. With a significant glance at Xavier, Theo crawled onto his four-poster and began to read. Xavier sighed, and made his way to his own bed, which was between Theo's and Quinn's. Quinn was sticking photos of his family onto the wall behind his four-poster, but Xavier knew he had been paying attention. He saw that one of Quinn's pictures had been taken the time the Ambers and Malfoys had gone on holiday to Japan, and he and Quinn had actually persuaded their parents to take them to the Muggle Disneyland.

Quinn did not look up, though, so Xavier didn't bother him. Instead, he grabbed his copy of Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1, and flipped through it, thinking that if he was bored, he might as well get ahead in schoolwork.