At the Edge

Chapter 5

Impressions and Lessons

'... and Harry Potter has caught the snitch yet again. Gryffindor wins the Quidditch cup for the twentieth time this year. Isn't Harry Potter just a fabulous Captain?' called out Professor Snape joyously. For some reason he was commentating the game and he had changed his greasy hair to look like Gilderoy Lockhart's hairstyle.

'Potter's amazing; I knew he would make me proud. Yay!' yelled Professor McGonagall while jumping up and down on the Quidditch pitch - waving pom-poms.

'Harry, you are the best captain in the world,' Katie Bell cried out as Harry caught the snitch within two minutes of the match.

'We love you, Harry!' called out the Creevey brothers while performing a little cheer for Harry, and cameras flashed.

'Yeah, mate. You should be the king of this team, not me,'

Harry spun around on his broom to find Ron, who was sitting on a floating throne instead of a broom, wearing a crown that was so embedded in jewels that it nearly blinded him. Ron appeared dejected and beaten.

'Your highness, you are the rightful king; I am merely your Seeker. Isn't that right, Malfoy? Sing us a round of "Weasley's the King"' asked Harry while bowing in front of King Ron.

Malfoy merely cringed and started singing the song in high-pitched girly voice. He was clad only in a torn and filthy pillowcase, resembling a huge house-elf. King Ron looked down at his slave in disgust and snorted.

'You useless piece of scum, go and fetch me a Butterbeer,' King Ron yelled at the cowering Malfoy who obeyed him immediately. 'And polish my boots!'

Out of nowhere, King Ron received a whack on the head by Hermione Granger who was armed with a heavy "Hogwarts: A History" book.

'Oww! Are you mental, woman?'

'How dare you, Ronald! You are supposed to treat everyone as equals. You should know better as a prefect,' screeched Hermione looking enraged. 'Apologize to Malfoy, now. In fact, give your crown to him. It's a good way to support inter-house relations,'

Everyone present at the match yelled in disagreement - including the professors - and threw rotten eggs at Hermione who ducked behind King Ron's throne. Unfortunately, King Ron received some in his face.

'Oi! Righteous Hermione, shut up for a change!' Harry found himself yelling.

Suddenly Hermione started laughing maniacally. King Ron abandoned his throne and leapt into Harry's arms, yelling, 'Save me, my Seeker!'

Hermione turned out to be Voldemort in disguise. When he saw Harry, he giggled and blew a kiss towards him making Harry drop Ron in shock and disgust.

'Harry, my darling! Come here and give me some lovin'!' Voldemort crooned. 'Why do you always run away from me, baby?'

'Stay where you are, you bloody villain! I am the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Fear me! If you come any closer I'll kick you in the arse with my Firebolt!' Harry yelled as he unsheathed a magnificent sword and flew towards Voldemort, at break-neck speed.

Voldemort screamed in terror ... and clutching his robes, he scampered off as fast as he could while bawling his head off.

Somewhere nearby, Ron screamed as well.

*

Harry woke up abruptly from his bizarre dream to hear someone screaming. What's happening? Harry wondered wildly and he jumped out of bed with his wand ready. Any hints of sleep drained off his face when he realized that the yelling was coming from Ron's bed.

It's probably a nightmare, he thought anxiously as he sprinted towards his best friend's bed and opened the hangings quickly. By that time, Ron had stopped screaming; instead, he was trembling violently as he twisted around on the bed still asleep.

'Wha's wrong?' came the sleepy drawl of Seamus who was poking his head out of his bed hangings. 'Harry, is that you?'

Harry ignored Seamus' inquiries and tried to wake Ron desperately.

'Ron, wake up, mate. It's just a dream, Ron! Come on, wake up!' Harry seized Ron by the shoulders and shook him aggressively; fortunately, Ron stopped shaking and opened his eyes slowly. He lay on the bed for a while with a dazed look on his sweaty face. Harry just stared down at him, chewing his bottom lip nervously. He had never seen Ron react so violently to a nightmare before and it scared him. It was usually the other way round - Harry was the one who had the bad dreams and Ron was the one who always woke him up.

'Is he OK? What happened?' This time it was Dean. He was frowning deeply as he squinted at Ron's bed trying to see his face, but Harry was blocking his line of vision.

'Ron?' Their fifth roommate Neville was also up and in the process of getting out of bed.

'I'm fine, I'm OK,' said a hoarse voice. Harry whipped around to see Ron sitting up in his bed, still looking so pale that his freckles stood out darkly in contrast with his skin. Nevertheless, he managed a weak smile at Harry who relaxed visibly, 'Sorry, guys. It was just a stupid dream. Go back to sleep,'

However, Harry did not think that it was just a stupid dream. His best friend still looked unnerved by whatever it was that he saw in the dream, and Harry felt his curiosity prickling. Ron avoided Harry's questioning look and his ears flushed when he realized that the boys were still watching him restlessly. Knowing that it would be best if he left Ron alone - from personal experience - he patted Ron's shoulder reassuringly and walked over to his own bed. He felt a wave of relief wash over him, knowing that Ron was safe in bed and not being tortured by a Death Eater.

Then an uninvited thought occurred in his head, What if Ron is having nightmares about the Ministry incident? Memories of watching Sirius fall to his death invaded his mind at once, and he tried to swallow the bile that rose in his throat as the memories filled him with a sense of heart wrenching loss and cold fury. His elation at being made Quidditch Caption rapidly washed away to be replaced with guilt. Even as Tonk's words replayed in his mind, he could not help feeling as though he was betraying his godfather's memory by being happy.

'What's the use of going back to sleep? It's already six in the morning, might as well get ready for breakfast,' mumbled Dean as he also climbed out of bed. 'Come on, fellows. Get your arses out of bed! We have school today, remember?'

Startled out of his dismal thoughts, Harry looked at the windows to see some light streaming through the curtains. Everybody in the room except for Dean groaned loudly, not wanting to go to lessons yet.

'Sorry, guys,' said Ron looking rather grumpy and guilty now that he was fully awake.

'Why are you apologizing? Are you the one who brings out the bloody sun?' Seamus asked incredulously, rolling over to look at Ron. Unfortunately, he was lying at the edge of the bed, so this resulted in him rolling right off the bed. The nervous tension in the room broke as everyone laughed at Seamus who was cursing impressively as he lay on the ground in a jumble of limbs and covers.

As soon as everyone apart from Harry and Ron had disappeared off to the bathroom, Ron cleared his throat a few times and said, 'Er - Harry, thanks for waking me up,' He still looked a bit embarrassed.

Glancing quickly at Ron, he just shrugged his shoulders absently, 'No problem ... So, are you really OK?' Harry retrained his urge to ask Ron about the nightmare; he decided to wait until Ron was ready to tell him. After all, Harry hated it when people pried into his problems, and Ron always seemed to understand that. So, couldn't he do the same for Ron?

'Yeah ... yeah. I'm fine; I think I just ate too much last night,' (Harry snorted), 'I was just having a strange dream, that's all,' And that was all Ron would tell him, so Harry just smiled faintly at Ron and said, 'Talking about strange dreams, wait till you hear mine,'

*

In the Gryffindor common room, Hermione flicked through her new Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook while waiting for her best friends to meet her for breakfast. However, instead of focusing on the book, her thoughts kept wandering into unwanted territory: memories from the horrific incident at the Ministry.

It had been like this over the whole of summer. Every single night she had woken up in tears as she dreamt about her near-death experience. The curse that nearly took her life had not left a visible scar on her due to the miracle work of Madam Pomfrey - but it did leave a permanent mark on her, mentally. The slight spasms of pain that she still felt around her midriff sufficed as a constant reminder of the horrible experience.

Not a single day went by without her constantly worrying about Harry - hoping against hope that he would not do something rash like going after Bellatrix Lestrange to avenge Sirius. Sirius's sudden death had shocked her badly and she did not even want imagine how Harry must feel at having lost his father figure at the hands of a Death Eater. In fact, when they had finally met up at Diagon Alley, she was surprised at how normal Harry was after such a huge loss. He seemed calmer and more controlled than last year - his explosive mood from last year had dampened to a resigned one. Then again, this did nothing to reassure her. She knew him well enough to realise that he was simply covering his pain under a convincing facade, refusing to acknowledge it, for it was easier that way. Even if Harry did not show any signs of weakness, someone as observant as Hermione did not miss the sorrow hidden behind his smile or the dark shadows under his eyes. She sighed sadly, for once at loss on how to help one of her most loved ones.

In addition to all this, she also feared for her parents' safety. Voldemort might not have made any public attacks yet, but Hermione could not deny the fact that it was only matter of time before he started his slaughter of the Muggleborns and Muggles. She would not be able to live with herself if anything happened to her parents, but it was an inevitable fact that she would be one of his main targets for being a close friend of the boy who lived. Yet, the unfairness of it all sickened her. After all, what did her parents ever do to deserve death at the hands of an angry, twisted wizard? They did not even belong to the magical world.

During such moments of weakness, she sometimes found herself doubting her friendship with Harry. Her mind betrayed her by harbouring thoughts of how much easier life would have been if she had never met him. Fortunately, common sense always won over leaving her feelings of immense guilt at her unfaithful ponderings. Hermione knew that they would be playing right into Voldemort's hands if they were to abandon Harry, and she would sooner die than give up to the Dark Lord. After all, she was a true Gryffindor.

Hermione looked up quickly, startled out of her troubling thoughts when Ron's deep laughter floated down the stairs leading to the boy's dormitory. Very soon, her best friends walked into her sight, unaware of her fond gaze. Her troubles faded into the background when she saw the cheerful boys. Harry looked comfortable and happy; she knew he was glad to be back in Hogwarts - the only place where he felt he truly belonged. Her attention wandered to Ron. He chuckled away at whatever Harry was saying, though he also had dark shadows under his eyes - proof that he also was not sleeping well. Although, he refused to talk about his own troubles, insisting that neither Harry nor Hermione needed to hear about any more problems. For someone who regularly irked her, Ron could also be very thoughtful and sweet most of the time. She knew that he would stand by Harry and her, no matter what happened.

A smile brightened her face when her friends noticed her. They called out a greeting to her, but she barely heard them. A torrent of feelings overwhelmed her at that instant: happiness, relief, hope and a taint of sadness. Her eyes watered just as they had when they met her at Diagon Alley, but she held them at bay not wanting to scare her friends. Acting on impulse, she ran over to them and gave each one a big hug.

Ron spluttered incoherently and just gaped after her, while Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. Instead of explaining her sudden show of affection, she led them to breakfast, thankful to have them with her. Yes, she could survive this war by their side.

*

'Listen here, I need you guys to make me look good today. I have to make a lasting impression on the new Slytherin. She's a bit sceptical at the moment, but ...'

Blaise rolled over onto his side and covered his face with a pillow in hopes of blocking out the irritating voice of Draco Malfoy. Even though he had gone to sleep immediately after arriving at the Slytherin dungeons last night, drowsiness still tugged on his eyelids stubbornly. He did not want to wake up and face any of his haughty roommates. The idea of going to lessons was so unappealing to him that he speculated running off to the Hospital Wing, feigning a fatal illness.

'So, we should not hang out with you?' asked Crabbe hesitantly.

'That's not what I meant!' snapped Malfoy irritably. 'All I'm saying is that we should be careful not to start a disagreement with the Dream Team today. So try not look too threatening, smile more often and leave all the talking to me. Got it?'

What is he on about? Blaise thought curiously, sitting up on bed to listen more closely to what Malfoy was saying.

'Oh, and Nott ... try to keep Zabini away from us. I don't need him hanging around, putting stupid ideas in her head,'

'No problem, Malfoy. That's easy enough; he wouldn't even go near you with a ten-foot long broomstick!'

He suppressed a laugh, silently congratulating Nott for his true statement. Blaise did not have to peek through the bed hangings to know that Malfoy's face would have looked murderous at the moment. Briefly, he made a promise to follow Malfoy around the whole day. Who is he talking about, anyway? Blaise pondered as he jumped out of bed hastily.

Blaise called out a cheery greeting, 'Good morning, my fellow prats!' And when he caught sight of Malfoy, he fluttered his eyelashes rapidly at him and said in a girly voice, 'Oh, Malfoy. I absolutely adore your "hair-plastered-to-the-scalp" look, which hair-potion did you borrow from Pansy? And for how long did you stare at your ugly face in the mirror today? Two hours?'

Malfoy shot a scathing glare his way. 'You think you are so funny, Zabini. Let's see what happens to your foolish humour in the future,'

'Oooh! Is Draky-poo actually threatening me? I'm trembling in my shoes,' Blaise shot back sarcastically, borrowing Pansy's nickname for Malfoy.

Nott clapped a hand over his mouth to try to stifle his sniggers while Malfoy visibly cringed at being called the horrible nickname. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be having some difficulty in deciding whether they should laugh or glare at Blaise.

'Y-You just wait! I'm a prefect, I'll ...' sneered Malfoy, swelling in anger.

'I would love to wait, but as I'm running late, with my deepest regret I would like to inform you that I simply can't wait around listening to your mind-numbing speeches,' Blaise said, smirking. 'Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to take a shower,' He bounded out of the room, shoving Malfoy rudely out of the doorway. A cry of outrage followed him as he rushed into the boy's bathroom, laughing loudly all the way.

By the time Blaise arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast, the hall was full of students who were chattering away while enjoying a good breakfast. As he strolled over to the Slytherin table at a lazy pace, he spied Malfoy sitting at the middle of the table. Blaise nearly tripped over his own feet when Malfoy smiled at the person who was sitting across him. Usually Malfoy either sneered or smirked. Deciding to investigate his motives closely, Blaise approached them with a smirk already in place. However, before he could utter a single word, Nott called him over.

'Hey, Zabini. Over here,' He turned his attention towards his so-called best friend to see Nott sitting in the middle of Parkinson's group of giggling girls. Amazed, he made his way over to them. Nott was never considered to be much of a ladies' man in their house. So, what was he doing in the company of The Slytherin Sirens?

'Nott, what are you doing here?' he asked, ignoring the giggles that followed his question.

Nott closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, as if to calm himself. 'I'm having breakfast, can't you see? Come on, join me,' The last bit came out sounding more like a plea, and Blaise felt the least bit of sympathy for his friend who was certainly feeling very uncomfortable in the company of the girls. Nevertheless, he knew that Nott was merely carrying out the instructions given out to him by Malfoy. And he could not stand to be ogled at by Pansy Parkinson, who was currently batting her eyelashes at him. Ugh! Therefore, the sympathy was short-lived.

'Er - I'd rather not, I'm gonna sit over there. With the guys, you know, where you normally sit as well,' Blaise said disdainfully.

'Oh, come on, Zabini. Sit with us today, you never talk to us. Let's get to know each other better,' Pansy said in what she obviously thought was a sexy and throaty voice (she sounded more like a strangled cat to Blaise). Blaise just pretended not to hear her, and stared at Nott in exasperation. However, Nott looked up at him expectantly. Shaking his head in disbelief, he walked over to Malfoy while ignoring Nott's desperate attempts to stop him. He was sorely disappointed in his friend, for being so easily manipulated by scum like Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy never saw him coming, until he was almost sitting in his lap. Blaise shoved Crabbe away and seated himself beside Draco.

'What ... what are you doing here?' sneered Malfoy, sending a scorching look towards him. 'That is Crabbe's place,'

Aah, now that's more like the Malfoy I know ... nasty little prick, Blaise thought smugly.

'Oh, I'm sorry, Crabbe. You don't mind, do you?' he asked Crabbe, who just shook his head absently as he was too involved with his breakfast. 'Really, Malfoy. Is this any way to greet a friend?'

Draco looked like as if he had just swallowed a lemon. After a minute of staring at each other in a silent challenge, Malfoy managed a painful smile on his face. And then he faced the person he was previously chatting with. In smug victory, Blaise followed Malfoy's gaze and then nearly choked on his glass of pumpkin juice.

'Rheah, this is ...' started Malfoy in a strangled voice.

'Blaise Zabini, I know. We've already met,' and then, seeing the bewildered look on Malfoy's face, Rheah explained, 'on the train.'

Meanwhile, Blaise was speechlessly gawking at her. He had not expected her to be sorted into his house. Where was she last night? Blaise wondered incredulously, trying to remember if he had seen her get sorted at the Sorting ceremony. But his mind drew a blank.

'You've met? Oh, well. That's - er - great,' stammered Malfoy, losing his cool exterior.

'Hi Rheah. I didn't expect to see you in Slytherin ...' Blaise said with a nervous laugh when Rheah narrowed her eyes at him.

'Yeah, me neither,' she retorted shortly, and then she turned her attention back to Malfoy who looked a bit lost and irritated. 'What were you saying, Draco?'

Her aloof attitude towards him had not changed, and through out the rest of breakfast, she ignored him steadfastly. Blaise tried to join the conversation several times, but he finally gave up when Malfoy "accidentally" spilled a jug of pumpkin juice onto his pants. The only thing that stopped him from giving the smirking Malfoy a good bashing was the fact that all the professors were present at the staff table. He did not want detention so soon. As he stormed out of the hall, he heard Malfoy and his gang roaring in laughter. However, Rheah did not join them and was giving them a disbelieving look when he glanced at them from the doorway.

Maybe there's still hope for her, he thought optimistically. Now that he knew that Malfoy was trying to convert her into one of his followers as well, he vowed to himself to save her from the idiot's clutches. That would be a nice little revenge on Malfoy, for brainwashing all the Slytherins.

*

Ron was staring at his plate ... again. A plate that contained only a half-eaten piece of toast.

'Ron, why aren't you eating? Are you OK?' A concerned Hermione asked the redhead who was seated across her.

At this query, Harry also turned to his side to check up on their silent best friend. However, the question flew past unnoticed by Ron who was deeply immersed in his thoughts. In fact, he was so distracted that he had not eaten anything except for some toast. Something was seriously troubling Ron Weasley.

'Ron?' she asked again while touching him lightly on the hand.

He blinked, shook his head and looked up in surprise.

'What?' he sputtered looking back and forth between Hermione and Harry, who were sporting worried frowns on their faces. 'Oh ... yeah, yeah. I'm fine.'

Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. Honestly, why does Ron even try to lie?

'Ron, you aren't eating. I really don't think you are fine,' she pointed out matter-of-factly.

'Yes, I am,' came Ron's indignant reply.

To prove his statement, he shoved the rest of the toast into his mouth and tried to swallow it hurriedly. As expected, Ron's face turned a violent shade of red as he choked on the huge pieces of bread. Harry started to thump him on his back with a look of mingled alarm and amusement. Quickly, Hermione passed Ron her glass of pumpkin juice, which he gratefully gulped down. However, it was a very unwise move on Hermione's part, as Ron spat it right back at her.

'Ron!' screeched Hermione furiously, while wiping her face.

'Bugger! I'm so sorry, Hermione,' Ron cried out apprehensively. Harry disguised a chuckle under a weak cough. Fortunately for them, the newspaper that an owl had just delivered soon distracted Hermione. Eagerly, she scanned the front page of the Daily Prophet.

'Anything?' Harry asked solemnly. His cheery mood seemed to have suddenly switched into one of wary concern.

Looking up, she saw both Ron and Harry staring hard at her. Ignoring the question, a sense of relief washed over her as she looked through the rest of the newspaper. However, the feeling did not last long as Hermione's brain registered the strangeness of the situation. The newspaper reported nothing about You-Know-Who or any Death Eater activities.

But why?

*

As soon as Hermione and Harry set off towards the dungeons for their Potions class, Ron made his way out of the castle. As Ron had not achieved an "Outstanding" grade in Potions, Professor Snape had not allowed him in to his Advanced Potions class. At first, he had been sorely disappointed because it meant that he would not be able to become an Auror. However, now he felt relieved at the thought of never having to learn from a miserable old git like Snape.

The wind whipped against his face as he strode over to the lake. He desperately needed to get some fresh air to clear his thoughts. Even though he had tried to act normal in front of his best friends though the rest of breakfast, Ron could not shake the terrible feeling, which had settled in his stomach since morning.

What's wrong with me? He wondered desperately, as his thoughts flew back to the odd dream he had that morning. It was the same dream again; the one where he was running along the dark corridor. However, no matter how much he tried, he still could not recall what had terrified him so much in the dream. And this only added to his frustration.

I wonder if this is how Harry usually feels, Ron thought miserably, if so I can't blame him for being so cranky most of the time.

For a while, he sat on the grass watching the water rippling on the lake. The giant squid was nowhere to be seen.

A furious debate was raging in Ron's mind, trying to decide whether to tell his friends about his recurring dream or not. Hermione would probably get overly concerned, rush over to the library and tell him to go to Dumbledore. However, he did not think that Dumbledore would appreciate being disturbed over a silly dream - after all, these dreams were not connected to You-Know-Who in any way. On the other hand, Harry might actually be able to help him. He certainly had the most experience with nightmares than anyone else Ron knew.

No! He already has enough on his plate, Ron argued with himself. Anyway, I don't want to seem like a ninny who can't even handle a stupid dream.

'Ronald?'

He jumped slightly in surprise and looked around to see Luna Lovegood standing behind him, with the usual dreamy look on her face. Annoyed, he quickly stood up and nodded at her in greeting.

'Is something bothering you, Ronald?' she asked quietly, tilting her head to the side.

'No!' he replied rather abruptly, and then felt a bit guilty. Nevertheless, Luna did not seem to register the harshness of his answer.

'You look troubled. Is everything OK?' Luna pressed on, ignoring his irritation.

Biting back a groan, Ron ground out, 'Yes, everything's fine.' Then in a desperate attempt to change the subject he asked, 'What are you doing out here?'

'Care of Magical Creatures, we did Bowtruckles today. It was quite interesting. Now I understand what the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover" really means. They are such weak looking creatures, yet they are very deadly, aren't they? No wonder Lucius Malfoy has a whole army of them to guard his manor. What did you think of them, Ronald?'

Ron wondered curiously about Bowtruckles guarding the Malfoy Manor for a while, and the rolled his eyes in irritation as he set off towards the castle at a fast pace. His day had already been bad; he did not need to listen to Luna's batty talks. Unfortunately, she seemed to think that he needed company.

'They were OK,' he muttered, looking away from Luna's protuberant blue eyes. For an unfathomable reason, he always felt very uncomfortable around the girl. Once they reached the castle, Ron muttered a quick goodbye to Luna and started up the stairs that was packed with students bustling around to get to classes.

'You are having bad dreams,'

He stopped. It was not a question. It was a statement. 'What?' he asked while turning around to face Luna slowly.

Luna blinked up at him, and to his surprise, he could see concern in her eyes. 'You are having bad dreams,' Luna repeated.

'How do you know?' he asked hesitantly. 'Did Ginny say something?'

And if she did, I am going to teach her a nice lesson, he thought angrily.

'No - Pig is just worried about you. Take care of yourself, Ronald.' She reached over and wrapped her slender arms around his waist.

Then Luna was gone, leaving a baffled Ron behind. Pig? As in, my owl? he wondered incredulously. What is she on about?

Suddenly the bell rang, shaking him out of his stupor.

'Damn! This is not a good day for me,' he groaned in frustration as he rushed off to Defence against the Dark Arts, already late.

*

'Where were you?' hissed Hermione, as Ron slipped into the seat next to her.

'Nowhere,' Ron panted, still trying to catch his breath from all the running.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her friend suspiciously. But before she could pester Ron anymore, Professor Lelaina Knight sauntered into the classroom.

'Good morning, class. I'm sorry for being late.' She spoke in a low and husky voice. When Hermione heard Ron sigh deeply, she turned to him to see a huge, silly grin on his face, much to her annoyance. Why is he smiling like an idiot?

However, it was not only Ron who was behaving oddly. All of the boys in the class had sat up in their chairs, observing the professor's every move - including Harry. Every single one had a stupid smile plastered on their face. Although, the girls did not seem to share their happiness. Feeling strangely offended, Hermione frowned at the beautiful witch who was walking around the class. What's so special about her, anyway? she wondered spitefully.

'All right, let's see,' said Professor Knight as she looked around the room after taking the attendance, her penetrating gaze locking onto every face. 'First of all, I would like to congratulate all of you on your OWL results for Defence Against the Dark Arts. The Headmaster has informed me that each of you fared extremely well,'

As she said this, her gaze wandered over to Harry, who coloured faintly. Hermione wondered if the Headmaster had told her about the "Dumbledore's Army".

'Most of you probably think that this year is going to be a breeze. Well, I suppose that compared to last year, this year will be less stressful,' ('Yes!' hissed Ron), 'Though, this class is called Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts for a reason. So, if any of you are planning to fool around in this class, I want you to leave the classroom now.'

Professor Knight looked around the room imposingly. The students looked on as the silence lengthened - even the Slytherins were quiet. Finally, the professor's lips rose at the corners in a small smile.

'Very good. Well, then what are you lot waiting for? Put away your books and take out your wands. This is going to be a practical class,'

'She's brilliant, isn't she?' whispered Ron while the professor made a clearance in the centre of the classroom with a flick of her wand.

'Well, I'm not sure yet. She has only talked to us for a few minutes. That is not enough to qualify her as brilliant,' Hermione whispered back, trying not to let her irritation show. She felt guilty for judging the friendly Professor Knight so harshly, yet she could not help but feel a little envious of the woman.

Honestly, I must be going barmy. Am I actually feeling jealous of a professor? Hermione wondered incredulously.

'Still, she seems cool, doesn't she?' Ron said, looking at Professor Knight appreciatively.

'Yeah, she does. I mean, she is teaching a practical class. At least we will to be able to learn to perform new spells, unlike last year with Professor Toad!' replied Harry, scowling at the memory of the detestable Professor Umbridge.

'I suppose so,' Hermione reluctantly agreed, half hoping that the boys would be wrong. Then, she could dislike the professor in peace.

However, by the end of the class she was feeling utterly frustrated. Professor Knight was truly a very nice person and certainly very generous with house points. Since the practical class was really a summary of their past syllabus, most of the DA members had managed to snag at least ten points each. On top of that, Professor Knight had praised Harry's spell casting, kindly assisted Neville with his aim and awarded forty points to Hermione. How could she dislike the professor after that?

'So, what's the verdict?' asked Ron, displaying a self-satisfied smile as the class piled out of the classroom.

'I enjoyed every single minute of that class. Finally! After all these years, Dumbledore has managed to give us a lovely teacher,' Seamus piped up as he followed the trio with Dean and Neville. 'The way she moved, mate ... I've learned so much,'

Hermione frowned disapprovingly at the boys as they laughed at Seamus who started to blow kisses towards the classroom.

'Honestly, stop being so silly, Seamus! You just like her because she's an attractive witch and you can't get a hold over your raging hormones,' snapped Lavender Brown who had overheard the conversation. 'Or could it be because none of the girls in this school would ever come near you, even if you were the last wizard in the world!'

'Shut it, Brown. Nobody asked for your lowly opinion,' growled a red-faced Seamus.

Lavender glared menacingly at him while Parvati jumped into defend her best friend, 'It's not only her opinion, and even I have to say that there is nothing extraordinary about Professor Knight. All she did was just make us practice all the old spells! So, why are you all worshipping her?'

'We are not worshipping her,' replied Neville quietly, his eyes darting around nervously. Hermione, who had been gaping at the small group of Gryffindor for the past few minutes suddenly realised that they had attracted the attention of many other students as well. In fact, even Draco Malfoy was leering down at them.

'What is it to you, anyway? So, we like the new professor. Big deal! I think that's supposed to be a good thing,' asked Dean, looking more curious than angry.

'OK, that's enough! Come on, guys,' Hermione ordered feeling embarrassed on behalf of her fellow housemates. 'It's lunch hour.' However, even the lunch comment sailed past them unnoticed.

'Good? Good?! It's not good at all!' screeched Parvati, and to Hermione's surprise, she saw all the other girls nodding in agreement as well. 'She is a teacher, you are not supposed to treat her as a - er - sex symbol! That's immoral behaviour.'

'Who said anything about a sex symbol?' muttered Ron, looking annoyed at the girls' outburst.

'But, that's how you are treating her! It's revolting. You ought to be ashamed at your behaviour,' Lavender thundered as the boys looked on in amazement. 'Don't you agree, Hermione?'

To her disbelief, everyone focused their attention on her. As if her statement was going to settle everything. Hermione, on her part, dearly wanted to agree with the girls. After all, the boys - especially Ron! - were obviously biased towards the professor because of her good looks and ... er ... sex appeal. However, much to Hermione chagrin, the boys were also somewhat right. In the end, she chose to stick with the most diplomatic and sensible answer.

'So far, she does seem better than our previous teachers - of course, excluding Lupin - but then again, that was just the first lesson. I can't really pass a judgement on her yet. Still, I do have a good feeling about her. Nonetheless, that does not mean that you boys are allowed to act like total morons whenever she's around. You will make us Gryffindor look weak and sleazy,' she stated woodenly. 'All right, shall we head to lunch, then? '

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron open his mouth to protest. Luckily, Harry silenced him with a warning look and they followed her to lunch without any further argument. As they passed the Slytherins, she heard Malfoy murmur, 'Like I said before, Gryffindors are foolish and uncivilised. It would be best to stay away from them.' Glancing back, Hermione realised that Malfoy was actually advising another Slytherin - as odd as it seemed.

Malfoy? As a mentor? Now I have seen everything, Hermione thought wryly as the tense group of Gryffindors settled at their table for a much-needed lunch.

'I still don't understand why those girls made such a big commotion out there,' Ron's muffled voice broke through her thoughts (he was chomping on a chicken leg). Harry shot a panicky look at Hermione, pleading with her not to get mad at their clueless friend.

'You never will, Ron,' she sighed resignedly. Honestly, sometimes Ron Weasley just drove her up the wall.

*

Thick silence hung in the air, only broken by the occasional scratching of a quill against parchment. Merely a few students sort out refuge within the tall, looming shelves of the large room. If one were to observe, they would see that the colours blue and bronze decorated the robes worn by most of these students. It was only the first day back in school and already some studious and keen students were poring over heavy texts, eager to get on with their work as soon as possible. Rheah Ali shared the same sentiment as she sat at one the tables, hidden in the corner of the school library. Draco Malfoy had gone off to his Arithmacy lesson after lunch, with a promise to join her in Transfiguration class afterwards. Alone and desperate to fill a whole hour of freedom, she had asked her way to the library in hopes of loosing herself within homework - a ten-inch long essay on Reviving Potions assigned by Professor Snape, whose class she had enjoyed previously.

So far, she was making progress at the pace of a flobberworm. Thoroughly irritated, Rheah pulled impatiently at an unruly curl that had escaped her meticulously braided hair. After a few minutes, the sound of her slamming a book shut echoed in the deathly quiet library and all of its occupants jumped in surprise. Rheah ducked her head guiltily as Madam Pince shushed her angrily from across the room. Feeling self-conscious under the curious gaze of the students, she glared at the pile of unhelpful books that covered at least a quarter of the big table before dropping her throbbing head onto the table in defeat.

Maybe I should just wait for Draco. He certainly seems well informed in potions and he is rather helpful after all, Rheah mused tiredly as she thought back to how friendly and pleasant Draco had been earlier. Even though she had been a bit offended by his behaviour towards Blaise Zabini during breakfast, his sincere apology to Blaise during Potions class had put him back in her good books. He certainly was well mannered and very polite towards her and she felt a bit guilty for judging him so harshly the previous night. After all, he had insisted on being her partner for both the Potions and DADA class, just to make sure she would not be left alone. Surely, not everyone would spend all their time trying to make a new student feel comfortable, and so Rheah appreciated his patience with her.

Even so, she still could not really understand why he disliked the Gryffindors. Granted, some of them had acted foolish after the Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson and it was true that they barely acknowledged any of the Slytherins - even Neville had ignored them and Rheah could not help but feel offended. But then again, neither did the students from any other house much to her surprise and dismay. So, why was Draco so adamant on blaming Harry Potter and his friends?

'Are you all right?'

Startled, she jumped up in her chair. A surprised squeak left her open mouth and she blushed a bit, feeling silly.

Blaise Zabini stood before her, leaning casually against an empty chair.

'Er ... I'm fine,' Unfortunately, her voice came out rather high-pitched. Rheah cursed inwardly as the look of concern on Blaise's face changed into one of amusement. To make matters worse she felt herself flush again.

It would be false to say that Rheah had been pleased to see him at breakfast that morning, sitting next to Draco. Not true at all. In fact, she had been rather horrified, remembering their encounter on the train. Normally she made a point of being very polite to people, especially during first meetings. However, on the train Blaise had managed to tick her off and intimidate her at the same time. Naturally, this brought out the worst in her. As a result, at breakfast, she had felt too abashed to talk to him and so she covered up her discomfort by ignoring him. But seriously, ignoring someone is so much harder when you have to share the same classes, meal table and common room. On top of that, it seemed like he was following her around. Darn!

'Really?' he asked again, but did not wait for an answer. 'We need to talk,'

Rheah blinked in surprise. 'We do?'

He slipped into the chair across her and gave her a small smile. 'Yes,'

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, wondering why he was being so nice to her. He certainly was not behaving like this yesterday. After a while, when he realised that she was not going to initiate the conversation, he cleared his throat and said, 'I think we got off on the wrong foot,'

'Oh!' Rheah mentally slapped herself for being so articulate.

Blaise shifted uncomfortably, and then cleared his throat again. 'You know, on the train yesterday. I realise now that I was being a prat, and - er - you just caught me at a bad time. My friends were being right idiots, and I guess I vented all my frustration on you, which is very wrong. Of course.'

She held her breath as he took a deep breath. 'Anyway, I just want to say that I'm sorry for being so ...' He trailed off, looking uncertain as Rheah raised her eyebrows enquiringly.

'Rude?' she finally supplied and he nodded in agreement.

She smiled, glad that he had apologised. 'OK, I will accept your apology ... on one condition,' When he looked confused she continued, 'That is, if you will forgive me for being equally rude to you,'

The smile that followed that statement was dazzling.

'It's a deal.' Then he stuck out his hand, and Rheah shook it feeling much better. 'So, where's Malfoy? Wasn't he supposed to show you around?'

'Oh, yeah. He is showing me around; he just had to go to his Arithmacy class,' she replied. 'He's going to meet me at the common room in a while,'

'Right,' Blaise nodded, and then opened his mouth as if to say something else, but then he seemed to change his mind.

Curious as to what he was going to say, she asked, 'What?'

'Nothing,' he said firmly as he held her gaze steadily. After a while of staring at each other, Rheah broke off her gaze and looked away feeling a bit awkward. She could not help but wonder if it was a Slytherin trait to be so intense.

'What are you working on?' Blaise suddenly asked.

Rheah rolled her eyes at the reminder of her fruitless work when he gestured at the pile of books crowding the table. 'Potions essay. Since I had an hour free, I thought, why not?'

'You have already started the essay? But it's not due till next week,' he asked in surprise.

'Your point is ...?'

'My point is that you should not be wasting your first day at Hogwarts on homework,' he smirked. 'You need to explore the castle; it is so much more interesting than a boring Potions essay. Trust me,'

'Potions is not boring, and anyway, if I get this essay done by today I would have the whole weekend free for exploring, wouldn't I?'

'Hmm .... I guess that makes a lot of sense,' he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

'Yes, it does.' She jutted out her chin haughtily and said, 'I am a very sensible person, you see.'

Blaise chuckled softy. 'Well, I guess that depends ...' (Rheah raised an eyebrow) '... on whether you are sensible enough to take me with you when you go exploring. It is a huge castle, after all. We don't want a lovely lady such as you getting lost, do we?'

At being called a lovely lady, she felt another blush creeping onto her face. She stared fixedly at the table, a faint smile playing on her lips until an idea crossed her mind. 'Yes well, but I think I'd rather take the person who helps me finish this essay ...' she smirked at the look on his face.

'Aah ... a true Slytherin at heart, aren't we? And here I was thinking that the hat made a mistake by placing you in Slytherin,'

Rheah frowned. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Look around, Rheah. Do you see any other Slytherins here, apart from you and me?' Still confused, she shook her head. 'It's usually like this, the people who see the library as their asylum are usually Ravenclaws,' Blaise pointed out when Rheah lifted her eyebrows in question.

'Oh, right. So, you think I am too studious for a Slytherin?' she asked him challengingly.

'Not only that. You seem to be very trusting as well,'

Rheah could not help but laugh at that statement. 'Trusting? Me? Boy, have you got the wrong idea. You know, I really don't think you know me well enough to pass that sort of judgement about me,' she muttered sarcastically.

Blaise remained silent for a long minute, which seemed more like hours to Rheah as she regretfully wondered whether she had blown her chance of friendship with him again. However, she did not appreciate anyone calling her gullible or a bookworm, least of all by a complete stranger who had known her for only a few hours. Nonetheless, she wished that she could handle her defensiveness better.

'You are right. I don't know you at all, but I would like to' he said finally, and a strange look flashed in his eyes before being covered by an apologetic smile. 'I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to be offensive.'

'None taken.' She opened her mouth to apologise again as well, but then changed her mind. If they kept apologising to each other all day, their friendship would get absolutely nowhere. 'So, are you going to help me with the research or not?' she asked brightly, to cover up for the awkwardness that had developed between them again. Looking slightly relieved, Blaise nodded in agreement and for the next half an hour both of them said nothing to each other as they pored over the heavy texts in front of them.

Eventually, Blaise pushed away the book he was currently examining and hissed out in frustration. 'Merlin! These books are so useless,' He glowered at the book. 'Trust Snape to give us such an elusive Potion to research. Seriously, I bet he thinks it is fun to give us such a hard assignment right at the start of term.'

'Hmm ...' mumbled Rheah absently as she flicked through the book in vain. She still refused to give up on the task at hand. How could she - Rheah "Brainy" Ali - fail to dig up any relevant information? It was impossible!

'Rheah, just give up already! We'll come back later and look through some other books, all right? Anyway, we better head off to Transfiguration,'

This reminder jolted her out of her battle with the books. 'Is it time?' She did not want to be late, not on her first day at Hogwarts.

Blaise nodded at the clock that hung on the wall behind her. 'Oh no! There is only ten minutes left!' she cried out only to be shushed vehemently by Madam Pince, again. 'Blaise, why didn't you tell me before?' she whispered heatedly as she dumped her stuff unceremoniously into her school bag.

'I have been telling you for the past few minutes,' Blaise spoke calmly. 'Weren't you listening to me at all?'

'Apparently not. Now, come on,' she grabbed the front of his robes and led a very surprised Blaise out of the library at a brisk pace.

'Er - Rheah, try not to strangle me, will you?'

'What?' She looked around and saw to her horror that she had accidentally grabbed his tie as well. 'Oh! Goodness, I am so sorry. Are you all right?' she asked him as she tried to straighten his tie hastily.

'Yes, I am ... Leave the tie, Rheah. We are late,' And with that he started to walk off with large strides, but then halted abruptly when he heard a loud gasp behind him. 'What is it, now?' he asked looking a bit irritated.

'Draco! He was supposed to meet me at the common room. He must be there now,' she turned on her heel and fled towards the stairs leading downstairs with Blaise right behind. 'Oh no! I can't believe I forgot about him. He's going to be so pissed off at me,' she rambled on in panic.

'Oi! Wait up, Rheah! I'm sure Malfoy must have figured that you had already left, don't worry about him. In fact, I think he would probably be in class now,' he gasped as he caught up with her. 'Look, McGonagall doesn't like it when students are late to her class. We should really go to class, Rheah.'

Bloody hell! Professor McGonagall is the Transfiguration professor?! Rheah wondered desperately as she tried to remember her way to the Slytherin common room, but all the corridors in the dungeons looked the same to her.

'Rheah -,'Blaise started to protest again but was silenced by her.

'Blaise, you go ahead. I'll catch up with you later,' she stated firmly. She had promised to wait for Draco, and she was not one to break promises.

At her words, Blaise gave her an incredulous look and asked, 'Do you remember the way to the common room, then?' When she did not answer, he just shook his head and muttered, 'I can't just leave you stranded here, can I?'

The next thing she knew, she was running down a corridor clutching Blaise Zabini's hand. If someone had told her this yesterday, she would have recommended the Loony Ward for them.

'What I can't understand is why you are so adamant about meeting Malfoy, even when you are going to be late!' Blaise panted as they ran. 'Malfoy is so not worth all this.'

'We will make it in time. Anyway, I can't just leave Draco to make a fool out of himself when he has been nothing but kind to me the whole day,' she protested. 'He is my friend, I can't stand him up.'

As soon as she uttered those words, Blaise let go of her hand as if she had burned him. All of a sudden, he looked annoyed and when he turned to her, a frown marred his face. 'You might want to choose your friends wisely, Rheah,' he said warningly. 'When I said that you are too trusting earlier, I meant it. Malfoy is not all he appears to be.'

Rheah flushed as she trued to contain her irritation. The nerve of this guy! 'Are you telling me that Draco can't be trusted?' she asked incredulously, but Blaise did not answer. 'Look, I don't know what you have against him. All the other Slytherins seem to like him just fine. In fact, I would have to be blind not to notice the respect they give him. Have you ever thought that maybe you don't like him because you are too jealous of him? I noticed your immature attitude towards him during breakfast,'

Blaise's eyes widened and he spluttered, 'W-what? My immature attitude?' When Rheah nodded curtly, he snorted in disbelief. 'I can't believe this. He has poisoned you already, hasn't he?'

Ignoring him, Rheah continued, 'Get over it, Blaise. You clearly don't like Draco. So, you don't want anybody else to, either. But, do me a favour. Keep your opinions to yourself, and don't ever try to tell me how to choose my friends,'

He looked completely taken-aback for a while. Rheah looked at him miserably, feeling angry with him for ruining their delicate friendship again, just because of his insecurities. Before either of them could say another word, the stone wall beside them slid open (Rheah jumped in shock) and Draco Malfoy stepped out with Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. They all stared at each other in surprise and then Draco smiled at Rheah.

'There you are,' he said as he took her arm and started to lead her away from Blaise. 'I have been worried about you. Where were you? And what are you doing with Zabini?'

She buried her disappointment and started to explain to Draco. She felt relieved when he brushed off her apology with a laugh, and shot one last look at a surly-looking Blaise who was following them at a distance. He glared at her in return. Rheah looked back at Draco's sincere smile and decided right then that Blaise was up to no good. Draco might be an intense person and he had his own share of faults, but then, who didn't? She did not think that was enough a reason not to trust him.

However, she might have changed her mind if she had seen the triumphant look Draco shot at Blaise as soon as they had settled themselves in Transfiguration class.

*

Excited chattering filled the great hall. Everyone was reflecting upon their first day back at school as they fulfilled their hunger with a delicious dinner. At the staff table, all the teachers were conversing quietly among each other, glad that the hectic day was finally over. Sara was discussing the fifth-years' Transfiguration homework with Ginny.

Ginny Weasley turned out to be a very exciting person. She was quite popular in Gryffindor, due to the status of Weasleys in the house. Apparently, her older twin brothers were legends in the school, for trouble making. And she seemed to have inherited a bit of this trait according to others. In addition to this, her other brother - Ron was one of the best friends of Harry Potter, which impressed Sara very much. She also seemed to share Sara's enthusiasm for Quidditch and even encouraged her to try out for the Chaser position. Ginny had acted as her personal tour guide for the whole day - pointing out useful facts to her and Sara was thankful for it all. She had a made a mental note of all of them:

However, this last fact bothered her. Even though she took Ginny's word for it, she did not want to believe that all Slytherins were nasty. After all, her sister was one. When she had expressed this to Ginny, she had just shrugged and told her dubiously that even Slytherins might have a few golden eggs, which did nothing to comfort her. Still, she could understand why the school did not look kindly upon the Slytherins. They had not been very nice in the classes that the Gryffindors shared with them (Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures). Even so, she was still willing to keep an open mind.

Sara munched on some carrots as she listened to Ginny and Colin Creevey chat away about the Switching spell that they had learnt in Professor McGonagall's class. She gazed at Colin for a few minutes before he turned towards her, and then he flashed a bright smile at her when he caught her eye. Sara blushed slightly, feeling flustered at being caught while staring. Colin was another interesting character. He was so full of energy and always seemed cheerful. Even a severe lecture from Professor Snape for spilling a cauldron full of the Draught of Living Peace had not dimmed his bright mood, and it was infectious. He reminded her of an overexcited puppy. Chancing another glance at him, she decided that he was also quite nice-looking with straight, light brown hair and warm brown eyes. Another fact she noted was that he also seemed very keen on Ginny. Between Ginny and Colin, she realised that she would never be bored.

'Hey Sara.' She looked up to see Neville smiling down at her. Behind him, she could see the rest of the sixth-year Gryffindors also making their way over to where they sat. Very soon, everyone was exchanging pleasantries and enjoying a much-needed meal.

'So, how was your first day?' asked Neville while helping himself to a healthy portion of mashed potatoes.

'It was great,' Sara replied quickly, thankful to have Neville around as Ginny had become a bit preoccupied with her boyfriend - Dean Thomas, and Colin was currently talking to his younger brother, Dennis. 'I really enjoyed all the lessons,'

'Oh, that's cool then,' he grinned. 'What classes did you have today?'

'Let's see ... I had Transfiguration, Herbology - er, ' she paused for a while, as she observed her sister walk into the Great Hall with a tall blonde boy and two other rather bulky boys, '... Divination and Potions,' she said, turning back to Neville.

Neville, however, did not seem to note her distraction as he attacked his steak happily. 'Potions, eh?' he asked wryly, 'How did you find that?'

'To tell you the truth, I actually enjoyed it.' She laughed when she saw a horrified look appear on his face. 'Oh, come on. Potions is not that bad,'

'It would have been a good subject if not for Professor Snape,' Neville muttered, shooting a dark look towards the staff table where Professor Snape was sulking, as usual. 'That man doesn't have a kind bone in his body,'

'Well, I suppose he is a bit grumpy, isn't he?'(Sara giggled as Neville adopted a look of disbelief.) 'Oh, all right. I have to agree with you, Professor Snape does add a menacing air to Potions. Still, he knows his stuff,'

'Yeah, true. He does know how to imitate an overgrown bat!' cried Ginny, who had turned her attention on the pair.

Neville, Dean and Seamus Finnegan chortled as Sara rolled her eyes at her new friend. 'Say, Neville. Did you get to talk to Rheah today, at all?'

Surprisingly, he tensed up at the question. He cast a quick look at the Slytherin table before mumbling something incoherent. Confused, she glanced at Ginny who looked a bit uncomfortable.

'Pardon?' she questioned.

'Er - no, not really. I didn't really get a chance ... was too busy. It was a very hectic day,' he muttered after a while, staring at his hands as if he had just seen them for the first time.

'Oh,' That was all she managed to say. Ginny was avoiding her eyes as well, and for the first time she felt a sense of apprehension creep into her over the house rivalry.

The rest of dinner passed in a blur as she sat there, listening to the stories of everyone around her. Seamus kept gushing loudly about the new DADA professor, all the while shooting quick looks down the table where two pretty sixth-year girls were sitting. He looked a bit disappointed when both of them steadfastly ignored him. On the other side of Neville, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were talking quietly among themselves. They looked as if they were in their own little world. She still could not believe her luck, to be sorted into the very house that Harry Potter belonged to as well, and she promised herself that she would try to get to know them better very soon. Sara scanned the Slytherin table quickly and located Rheah, and to her relief and slight surprise, it looked like Rheah was fitting in as well.

'You all right?' Ginny asked her as they got up to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rheah get up to leave as well. Sara dearly wanted to speak with her as both of them had not even met each other the whole day.

'Yeah - erm, listen. I want to catch up with Rheah quickly. I want to know how she's settled in and everything,' she said while examining Ginny's face carefully, 'and I would really appreciate it if you came with me. I want to introduce you guys, if you'd like that.'

For a while, the other girl just stared at the Slytherins table. 'Sure, I would love to meet her,' she finally said, smiling brightly at Sara.

Sara held back a sigh of relief and started to walk over to where her sister stood, talking with the blonde boy outside the Great Hall. However, as they walked closer, she heard a sharp intake of breath and Ginny swore very quietly.

'Is everything all right?' she asked her friend anxiously.

Ginny looked a bit flushed and sick. 'Oh, everything's brilliant. Except for the fact that your sister seems to be in the company of bloody Malfoy,'

Sara's eyes widened as she looked back at the tall boy who was still chatting with Rheah. According to Ginny, he was one of the most despicable people around in the whole school. Oh, great! Did you really have to befriend the most hated Slytherin in the school, Rheah? she wondered exasperatedly. Ginny hung back a little and as they approached, Rheah looked up and her face immediately broke into a broad grin. She exchanged a few words with Malfoy and rushed over to Sara, and before she could say anything, Rheah had given her a quick hug. She smiled happily at her elder sister, a bit shocked at Rheah's display of affection - usually, Rheah did not like being affectionate. Wow, she must have really missed me, Sara thought.

'Hey, kid sis,' Rheah said as she turned to beckon Malfoy over to them. 'How're you? How was your day? Have you settled in well? Where are your friends?'

Sara blinked and then smiled, and shot a hesitant look at the boy who stood a few feet away from Rheah, looking quite uncertain as well. 'I'm fine, Rheah. Calm down, girl,' She giggled. 'My day was great, and yes, I have settled in well. Are you getting on well?

'Oh, yes. Draco's been really nice, he has been showing me around for the whole day,' Rheah explained, while nodding appreciatively at him. Malfoy merely gave a brief smile, which Sara returned.

'Come here,' Rheah took his arm and pulled him closer to them. 'Don't mind him, he's a bit shy,' she whispered loudly, while giving him an exasperated look. 'Sara, this is my friend, Draco Malfoy. And Draco, this is my little sister - Sara'

'It's a pleasure to meet you,' he murmured, nodding at her.

'Likewise,' said Sara, wondering what it was about him that repulsed Ginny so much. He was quite attractive and polite; she could see why Rheah liked him. Well, maybe he has changed, she thought uncertainly. Sara just could not get around the fact that her sister might like some one if they were so unpleasant and arrogant.

Malfoy's gaze shifted from her face to focus on someone behind her. Curiously, she noted how his jaws tightened and a brief look of disgust flashed across his face to be replaced immediately by an easy smile that left Sara wondering whether she had just imagined his disgusted look.

'Aren't you going to introduce me?' Rheah whispered quietly into her ear.

Sara had completely forgotten about Ginny as she was busy scrutinising Malfoy. 'Oh, silly me! How rude am I?' Malfoy smirked at her, and Rheah rolled her eyes. Ignoring their amused looks, she quickly gestured Ginny to come over. For a while, it looked like as if Ginny wanted to thump her on the head more than anything. Then, she sauntered over with an air of indifference.

'Rheah, this Ginny Weasley,' Rheah smiled at Ginny who grinned back, to her relief, 'Ginny, this is Rheah, my annoying big sister,'

Rheah's indignant cry was drowned as they laughed - Draco Malfoy cracked a smile as well.

'Nice meeting you, Rheah. And let me tell you, I know all about annoying older siblings. Sara has my sympathies,' joked Ginny. Rheah cocked an eyebrow at her and smiled good-naturedly. 'You know, I don't know why, but you look really familiar. Have we met before, by any chance?' Ginny asked Rheah, squinting at her as if to place her amongst the faces she knew.

Rheah nodded as well. 'I was about to say the same thing. But I really don't know how we could have met earlier. Have you ever been to France?'

Malfoy, who had been quiet through out the whole exchange made a strange noise between a snort and a cough. Sara looked at him strangely as Ginny flushed a bit and took a deep breath before answering, 'No, my family doesn't like to travel that much. Actually, I might have seen you at Diagon Alley, you guys did go there, right?'

'Oh ... y-yeah, that could be a possibility,' said Rheah, looking quite uncomfortable all of a sudden.

After that, Ginny did not talk much and resorted to glaring at Malfoy, who kept his gaze focused on the wall across him, pretending as if Ginny did not even exist. To avoid any more awkward moments, Sara quickly said good night to her sister, agreeing to meet up during the weekend to catch up. Malfoy smiled politely at Sara and then led Rheah down the stairs, without even acknowledging a certain redhead.

She sneaked a look at Ginny and gulped nervously when she saw the thundering look on her face as they walked to the Gryffindor common room in silence. After a small debate with herself, she decided that she would definitely find out more about the history behind Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy - but not tonight. If she wanted to survive until tomorrow, it looked like she would have to wait until later to ask Ginny.

*

The consuming darkness of the night threatened to overwhelm a small fire that crackled moodily under a hearth. The only sound in the air was that of the wind as it rattled the closed windows occasionally. Apart from the high-backed armchair that sat in the centre of the room, it was eerily bare of furniture. One of the huge doors permitting entry to the room cracked open and a short, tubby man scurried inside, closing the door behind him quickly. He stood by the door for a while, not daring to move. Out of the corner of his eye, he observed a sudden movement, and the next thing he knew, a huge snake was staring him directly in the eye. Fear crept through his blood like a slow spreading poison, until his entire body shook with barely controlled tremors. From one of the corners of the room, a low, throaty laugh sounded.

'Were you successful?' A harsh, feminine voice demanded abruptly.

Trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, he whimpered, not wanting to make any sudden movements in front of the large reptile that was still moving around him in slow, deliberate circles - almost as if it was playing with its captured prey.

'Speak up, you bumbling coward!' the woman snapped, and suddenly he felt a rush of hot energy brush past him. He cried out in surprise and fear.

'Now, now, Bella. Try not to frighten him into a quivering mess,' drawled an emotionless, high-pitched voice. It came from the armchair that decorated the room. 'You can have your fun with him later.'

'Yes, master,' whispered Bella respectfully, bowing away into the shadows at once.

He looked on fearfully as a hissing noise suddenly filled the room. The snake uncoiled itself from around him and slowly wandered over to its master and the man started as a skeletal hand beckoned him towards the chair as well. Gathering his wits, he hurried over and then sank into bow in front of the chair. Out of habit, he reached over and kissed the hem of the dark robes his master wore.

'Is everything going as planned?' his master asked him quietly.

'Yes, master,' he whispered, nodding vigorously.

'When will we be ready?'

'Tomorrow, by sunset, my lord,' he said, fearing that his answer might earn him a cruel punishment.

His master chuckled softly - a sound that terrified him to death. It could mean either that his master was pleased, or that he was going to be at the brunt of a torturous Cruciatus curse. Usually it was the latter.

'Rise, my faithful servant. You may not be the cleverest of my servants, and yet, you have pleased me tonight, Wormtail,'

Taking a deep breath to calm his frazzled nerves, he slowly rose on shaky legs even though his head was still bowed in respect. 'Look up into my face,' The Dark Lord ordered him firmly.

Wormtail lifted his gaze and found himself staring into the dark slits embedded within the glowing red eyes of Lord Voldemort. He subdued a shiver as it threatened to wreck his body. For an endless second, the Dark Lord watched him with an almost hungry look, a sneer distorting his gaunt, white face.

'Do not fail me,'

*