Winterstar

A man, only five or six years older than the seventh-years, entered the classroom. He was tall and very well-built, with long, blond--almost white--hair tied back into a ponytail, looking a bit like a man from colonial times. The ponytail looked good on him, very good, and Sabrina's cheeks flushed as his eyes traveled over the class and stopped on her. "Good morning," he said smoothly, not unlike Sirius's voice when the latter called himself James Bond. "Good morning," the class responded, many of the girls' voices higher than usual. Narcissa's face was positively radiant as she gazed at the handsome Potions assistant professor. "You will all please refer to me as Lucius," he added. "Madame Horchinberry has been so kind as to allow me to be her assistant, so I will try to be kind to you all." Sabrina wasn't sure how much of that was a joke.

Horchinberry would never knowingly admit that she had a smart class, but she showed it by assigning them ("On the first day of school!" James grumbled) a particularly complicated potion whose name none of them could even pronounce. Sabrina looked warily at the list of ingredients written on the board--she had never heard of half of them--and hoped that the two jokers sitting behind her would have some idea of what they were doing. Narcissa Black, whom she assumed was related to Sirius in some way, was no help at all. The moment Horchinberry turned to write on the board, she was flipping her hair, which was undeniably quite a nice golden color but annoyingly perfect, and smiling dreamily at Mr. Malf--Lucius. He ignored her, but Sabrina could see the faintest of smirks on his face.

There was a scuffling noise behind her, barely detectable but loud enough that the new student glanced over her shoulder. James and Sirius were looking for something in James's desk drawer, and it did not appear to have anything to do with the potion they were making. In fact, they hadn't yet written down the ingredients list. Sabrina watched them with mild interest until a flash of motion appeared out of the corner of her eye, and she turned back to see Narcissa's hand fluttering like some kind of flag. So much for subtle tactics, Sabrina thought, amused.

Lucius stood and walked--no, almost sauntered--over to their desks. "Is there something I can help you with?" he said softly, paler-than-pale silver-blue eyes sweeping over them and coming to rest once again on Sabrina. She retreated from that gaze; she smiled, but she scrutinized him carefully from her mental distance, gray-green eyes measuring him. Lucius's eyebrows went up the tiniest fraction before he turned to Narcissa. "Miss Black."

Narcissa positively lit up as she realized that Lucius remembered her. She gave him her best smile. "Please, call me Narcissa."

Someone poked Sabrina in the back, and she turned to see Sirius making a hideous face, tongue stuck out and hands clasped at his heart. James was trying not to laugh. She gave them the tiniest of smiles, not wanting to attract Lucius's attention. It failed; she felt his eyes on her, and whipped back around, an innocent look on her face. His eyebrows did go up this time, but all he said was, "I don't believe I know you."

"I'm Sabrina Godfrey," Sabrina replied in what she hoped was a normal voice. The memory of Sirius's face was hard not to smile at.

"A pleasure to meet you. Now," he said curtly, turning back to Narcissa, "What seems to be the problem?"

Narcissa flashed a venomous glance at her partner, and smiled sweetly. "I don't believe I understand how to do this step," she said, pointing at something on her parchment.

Sirius guffawed, and Narcissa whirled to stare at him. "Just what," she hissed, while trying to sound ladylike in front of Lucius Malfoy, "is so amusing, Sirius Black?" She spat their last name, as if he tainted it in some way.

James grinned. "Well, you see, Narcissa, it appears that you don't understand how to...what was it?...ah yes, 'mix the crushed beetle with the essence of nightshade'." He pretended to concentrate hard as he made exaggerated stirring motions with his wand, Sirius laughing in the background. Sabrina couldn't help the snicker that escaped, and clapped a hand over her mouth. Narcissa turned a--pretty, it must be said--light pink and glared at her cousin and his best friend.

Lucius stood. "That will be enough," he said. "Five points from Gryffindor." Sirius and James stopped laughing, but their eyes still danced, and Sabrina swore she could see a hastily-written "Spaghetti-hair hex" on the bottom of James's scribbled ingredients list before it was whisked out of sight.