Dreaming Of You

Dreaming of You

Part 22 - What You See

Don't open your eyes, you won't like what you see.
The devils of truth steal the souls of the free.
Don't open your eyes, take it from me.

Chapter 37

"Are you feeling okay, Autumn?"

"Huh?" Autumn looked over at Blaise as they walked from the Slytherin Common Room to the Great Hall for breakfast. "What do you mean?"

"You've been all quiet since yesterday," Blaise said. "Are you sick?" He reached out and felt her forehead.

Autumn swatted his hand away irritably. "Stop that. I'm not sick. I'm thinking. I do that occasionally."

"Really?" Blaise frowned. "Can't you think and talk at the same time?"

"Not about two different subjects," Autumn said.

"Well, you could tell me what you're thinking about," Blaise suggested hopefully. "Then it would only be the one subject. And it might make you feel better."

Autumn scowled. "I feel fine. And I don't want to talk about it." Blaise sniffled, looking like a kicked puppy. Autumn sighed. "Stop that, Blaise. I'm okay. I just need to be quiet and think. People do that sometimes, you know." An idea occurred to her. "You know, I bet Terry likes to be quiet and think a lot. Why don't you practice letting me think, so you'll be prepared for Terry?"

Blaise's face lit up. "Okay!" he agreed cheerfully, before closing his mouth in an expression of intense concentration.

Autumn fought the urge to sigh with relief. She really didn't feel up to Blaise pestering her to share her feelings. It wasn't like she'd tell him anything in any case. He was sweet and cute, sure, but she didn't trust him to keep a secret anymore than she'd trust Mandy. She was certain the only reason Blaise wasn't as much of a gossip as Mandy was that no one in her right mind would tell Blaise anything of importance.

And anyway, even if she did decide to tell him something, what would she say? Would she tell him that she kept thinking about Draco Malfoy and how unfair it was that someone so nasty should be so gorgeous? Or maybe she could say that kissing Draco had been exhilarating, electric, and that she kept wondering what it would be like to do it again? That would go over really well, she was sure. And it would be even better when she added that she still wanted to hit Draco, too, or maybe turn him into something small and squishy. Provided he'd kiss her again before she did.

Autumn scowled. The whole situation was maddening. Why couldn't Draco have kept on trying to drive her out of Hogwarts? It had been easier then. All she had to do was come up with a way to get revenge on him. She didn't have to worry about what had caused this sudden change of heart, in either her or in him.

Well, she knew what had caused it in her. He was stunning, was what it was. Silky blond hair, dark silver eyes, that mouth that looked twice as lovely when smirking. She'd been able to ignore it when she was convinced he hated her, and she could devote all her energy to hating him, but then he'd had to go and change that. Why the hell had he done that? He might as well have gone and tried to put the moves on Harry Potter. It would make about as much sense.

Lost in her thoughts and not noticing that Blaise was still looking at her with growing concern, Autumn reached the Great Hall and headed in. She didn't even bother going towards the Slytherin table, remembering the cold reception she'd had there the day before. Besides, she didn't want to have to face Draco.

So Autumn was extremely startled when Tabitha stepped out in front of her. "What do you want now?" Autumn snapped. "Come to tell me I can't sit with the Ravenclaws, either?"

"Yes," Tabitha said, smiling for all the world as if she and Autumn were the best of friends. "Or rather, to tell you that you needn't sit with them. You were truly the one who broke Draco's nose?"

"Yeah," Autumn said, ignoring Blaise's startled gasp. "He's a jerk and he had it coming. So what?"

"So you can hardly want to sit with the Ravenclaws after that," Tabitha said, laughing brightly. "We couldn't waste such a fist on a bunch of intellectuals, now, could we?"

Autumn's eyes narrowed. "Oh, no, you don't," she said, voice low. "I may be new to Slytherin politics, but I'm not stupid. You lot have set up some horrible little game system and all these rules about who wins and who loses, and you've got it set up so that you're always the ones who are going to win. I'm not going to waste my time begging to be allowed to sit with you, and doing everything I can to get in good with you or Draco. I don't need people like you."

"Oh, very nice!" Tabitha laughed. "That was lovely, dear. You can certainly sit with us after that! Pretending that you don't want to be with your own housemates - "

"I don't," Autumn said, flatly cutting Tabitha off. "I am not going back over there, I am not going to get into that game, and I am sure as hell not going to play on your terms. I won't be second place to you and your friends, not even in a contest you've had rigged from the start. I'm leaving. And I'm not coming back till I'm the one calling the shots."

With that, Autumn stalked past the stunned Tabitha and threw herself into the seat beside Mandy at the Ravenclaw table. She wasn't all that surprised to see Blaise hurrying to take the seat beside her, either.

"Well, that was certainly impressive," Mandy said, eyebrows raised as she watched Tabitha return to the Slytherin table. "Maybe not the brightest move in the world, but nonetheless extremely impressive."

Autumn was still seething. "She had the nerve to think that I'd come when she called," she snarled. "I don't do that. I won't. She doesn't get to have that kind of power over me. No one does."

"No one?" Mandy asked.

"Not anyone," Autumn said fiercely. "I won't play by anyone's rules but my own. That's it, isn't it? That's where I've been going wrong. I've been going along with them and getting sucked into their world. I can't win there. Half of those kids over there can't, and they've been here way longer than me."

"So what exactly are you going to do?" Mandy said skeptically. "You're still a Slytherin. That's never going to change. You won't become a Ravenclaw just because you're sitting here."

Autumn glared at Mandy, her nails tapping a harsh staccato beat on the tabletop. "Oh, I'm going to be a Slytherin," she said coldly. "I'll be the best fucking Slytherin of the lot of them. You wait and see. They're going to play my game before I'm through, and they are not going to beat me at it."

Blaise and Mandy watched Autumn pensively as she sat glowering at the Slytherin table. "I knew she wasn't okay," Blaise said sadly.

~*~

"Well. That's certainly interesting," Sinistra said, as she and the other professors watched the Slytherins and Ravenclaws go their separate ways. "And fortunate. I thought we were going to have to prevent them from shredding each other."

"We still might," Sprout pointed out. "A Slytherin refusing to sit with the rest of her House? That's just asking for trouble. Can't we make her go back?"

"We haven't forced students to sit at their own House tables yet," Deva said. Everyone turned to look at her, and she turned a little red. "Well, Miss Vance isn't really doing anything wrong, is she? And it would be a bad precedent to forbid her to sit with her friends."

"I knew letting that girl start in the middle of her sixth year would cause problems," Snape grumbled.

"Much as I hate to admit it, Severus, you do have a point," McGonagall said reluctantly. "I thought the balance of power in your House had finally stabilized, and then Miss Vance had to go and start the in-fighting again."

"Then isn't it good that she wants to sit with the Ravenclaws?" Sprout said. "That might tone the fighting down a bit."

"More likely she'll make it worse," Sinistra said judiciously. "She's a third camp, a rogue power. Possibly Miss Nott and Mr. Malfoy will join forces to squash her resistance, but I doubt it. They aren't used to working together. She might be able to use that to her advantage."

"You sound like you approve," Deva said, astonished.

Sinistra shrugged. "I might," she admitted. "Depends on where the girl goes from here. If she's just going to cause trouble, that's one thing, but if she manages to make Slytherin into something other than two armed camps, I'm all in favor."

"We all would be," McGonagall said dryly. "And I'm sure this has nothing to do with the fact that she likes your Ravenclaws?"

"It does show good taste," Sinistra acknowledged. "Maybe I should've offered to help tutor her, after all."

"Offer again and we'll take you up on it," Flitwick said. "We could certainly use you."

Sinistra raised an eyebrow. "I'll consider it. I'm quite busy, you know." She frowned. "On which note, I need to return to my office. My fifth years have not been paying proper attention, and I was planning to inform them of this by way of a surprise test." She stood and left.

"I'm glad I'm not in her class," Sprout muttered. "Surprise tests, really!"

This turned the conversation to other topics, away from any feuds that might be brewing. The only two that did not join in new conversations were Snape and Miache, though those two rarely condescended to join breakfast conversations in any case. Miache left without a word when the mail arrived, and ten minutes later Snape excused himself as well. Leaving, he headed not to his own office, but to Miache's.

"You should 'ave vaited longer," the vampire said, once the door was closed. "People vill start to notice if ve leave meals too close togezzer."

Snape rolled his eyes. "The worst that will happen is that the students will get it into their heads that we're having a secret love affair," he said. "And the other professors either already know that we're conferencing, or don't care."

Miache snorted. "No vonder you are no longer a spy," she said. "It is amazing you survived as long as you did, if zhat is ze attitude you take towards caution." She frowned. "But I admit ze love affair idea 'as merit, if ve ever need an explanation for meeting." She eyed him for a moment. "As a last resort, per'aps."

"Oh?" Snape raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly offended in spite of himself.

"Your nose is extremely large," Miache said calmly. "It vould be most unbelievable unless I exerted myself more zhan I vish to do." Without giving him time to respond to this, she handed him the letter she had received that morning. "Mrs. Black answered my letter. She did not reveal anyzhing about Miss Vance."

"Erin Connor replied to me, too," Snape said, giving Miache that letter in exchange for the one she had received. "They seem to have spoken to one another."

"Obviously," Miache said acidly, scanning Erin's letter. "Zhey are friends, are zhey not?" She tapped a nail against the paper thoughtfully. "Do you zhink ve may 'ave spoken too soon?"

Snape frowned. "Those girls' lack of background is too suspicious to ignore."

"True," Miache said. "But its meaning could be different from vhat ve assumed."

"Her behavior today would be strange, if she really is the Witness," Snape said. "I could understand causing difficulties between the two groups, but not being so obvious about it. The point of being a spy is not to draw attention to yourself."

"And if she vanted to leave ze Slyzzerins, vhy choose ze Ravenclaws?" Miache added. "If any students could discover 'er identity, it vould be zhem."

"I think it's time we found ourselves a spy of our own," Snape said. "Guesses and what-ifs aren't going to be enough." He gave Miache a pointed look.

She smiled. "Your timing is impeccable," she said. "I 'ave gotten in touch viz my contact - "

"At last," Snape muttered.

" - and 'e is villing to meet viz you," Miache finished. "You needn't grumble at me so, sir Potionsmaster. You know as vell as I 'ow difficult recruiting agents can be."

Snape nodded curtly, gesturing for her to go on. Yes, he knew finding a willing spy was a dangerous, lengthy job. He ought to be grateful that Miache was doing it, rather than forcing him to try. But the vampire's presence unfailingly set his teeth on edge, making him want to provoke her. It was irritatingly distracting, especially when he was trying to concentrate.

Miache sniffed at him, almost as if she could hear his thoughts - and at that, Snape paled. Miache stared at him. "Vhat?" she demanded.

Snape's eyes narrowed. "You're a vampire," he said.

"You 'ave only just realized zhis now?" Miache asked incredulously.

Snape ignored this. "Can you read my thoughts?"

Miache rolled her eyes. "Ayy. You 'umans. I should 'ave known it vould - " She stopped short. "I cannot!"

"Read my thoughts?" Snape breathed a sigh of relief.

"No!" Miache looked as thought he had personally offended her. "You 'ave shielded your mind against me - and yet you still 'ave ze nerve to ask if I know your thoughts?"

Snape shrugged offhandedly. "I wanted to be certain," he said.

Miache's eyes narrowed. "You are 'uman," she said. "A vizard, yes, but still no more zhan 'uman. 'Ow is it zhat you can shield your mind from me?"

"How have you not noticed before now?" Snape countered.

Miache's lip curled. "I certainly do not go around reading ze minds of all 'oo come near me," she snapped. "Most minds are excessively dull. I dislike being bored." She scowled. "You vill tell me about zhis strange magic of yours, and 'ow it is so much like a vampire's power. Never 'ave I met any 'uman viz ze strength of mind to stand against my own."

"I'm hardly the only one," Snape snapped, irritated that she spoke as though she had the right to command him. "It's called Occlumency, a way of shielding the mind. Did you think I became a Death Eater spy for the fun of it?"

"Zhat is vhy - " Miache stopped, frowning. "I shall 'ave to zhink about zhis. Zhere are many ozzers, you say?"

"Not many, no," Snape said. "But some. Dumbledore, for one, and Voldemort."

"Zhat, I zhink I could 'ave guessed," Miache said. "Is it exactly like my own powers? I vonder..." She shook her head. "Later. Ve shall continue zhis discussion later, along viz a comparison of our magics. For now, go back to your class, and I vill go to mine. Unless," she smirked, "you vish to spread ze rumors of a love affair, after all."

Scowling darkly at that, but determined not to let that vampire breeze out of the room ahead of him as she was trying to do, Snape stalked from her office. He only realized after he was halfway to the dungeons that he had still ended up following her orders.

~*~

It was decidedly unfair to wake up with a massive hangover when he hadn't even drunk anything. That was Draco's first coherent thought as he struggled into consciousness in the morning. He cracked open an eye, and groaned at the shock of light that slammed into him. Light was bad. He buried his head in his pillow. It was dark, and soothing. Dark was good.

Draco very nearly decided to go right back to sleep. He felt rotten, but there was always the chance he would feel better when he woke up again. But memories of the previous night were beginning to resurface, from the back of his mind. This wasn't a hangover, he realized, reliving the sounds and sensations that had overtaken him. The screeching, the flashes of light, the smoke - this had to be a curse.

Despite the pounding in his head and the roiling in his stomach, that thought gave Draco the energy to drag himself off his bed. Squinting against the light from the torches, he managed to find his wand and stumble to the doorway. Fortunately, when he'd collapsed he'd still been dressed. He didn't think he'd be able to get his robes on in this state.

Opening the door took a few tries, but Draco managed it in the end. When he got to the Common Room, however, his legs gave out on him, and he fell into the nearest chair. He didn't think he could move any further. His stomach twisted, his head ached, and his legs wobbled like jelly. What kind of curse did all these things at once? Draco resolved to learn what curse it had been, as soon as he got rid of its effects.

He was still sitting in that chair, trying to scrape up the energy to move again, when Pansy came into the Common Room. "There you are, Draco," she exclaimed, hurrying towards him. "Flitwick said - " Then she got a good look at him. "What happened? You look terrible."

Draco grimaced. Always nice to have his looks commented on. "Curse," he said tersely, not sure he could manage more than the one word.

"Really?" Pansy's eyebrows shot up. "Was it Autumn Vance again?" When Draco didn't answer, she shook her head. "Well, you've got to get to Charms class now. Flitwick said he'd hold me personally responsible for seeing that you got there." She pulled out her wand. "Finite incantatum."

Nothing happened. Pansy frowned, but Draco wasn't particularly surprised. That spell wouldn't cancel advanced magic, and since he didn't recognize this curse it had to be fairly advanced.

"Do you know what the curse is?" Pansy asked. "I can't cancel it if I don't know."

Draco sent her a withering look. If he knew what curse it was, wouldn't he have cancelled it himself? It wasn't as though he enjoyed feeling this way.

"Well, I'd better take you to see Madam Pomfrey," Pansy decided. "Can you walk by yourself?"

Much to Draco's disgust, he was forced to shake his head no. Pansy smirked as Draco leaned on her, an arm around her shoulders for balance. The smirk quickly disappeared as she realized how heavy a sixteen-year-old boy could be. She hurried Draco to the hospital wing, instead of going slowly to enjoy his dependence on her.

Madam Pomfrey was not pleased when they reached her. "Don't you feed me some story about a curse, Mr. Malfoy," she snapped. "I know a hangover when I see one. I've got no sympathy for anyone stupid enough to overindulge themselves that much. If I had my way, you'd just have to deal with your symptoms, as a lesson." Nevertheless, she poured Draco a dose of Madidus's Hangover-Be-Gone Tonic. "Drink this, so I can get you out of my clinic and back to your classes where you belong."

Draco followed orders, ignoring the bitter taste of the potion. He'd put up with anything short of poison, if it meant he would feel better.

But not if it didn't work. Once he realized the hangover remedy had had no effect, Draco glared darkly at the empty glass. Not only did he still feel rotten, he had a nasty aftertaste left in his mouth.

Madam Pomfrey frowned, peering suspiciously at Draco. "What were you drinking?" she wanted to know. "That tonic ought to have worked on anything you could have gotten hold of."

"He wasn't drinking," Pansy said. "He's been cursed." She leaned forward conspiratorially. "I bet it was that new girl, Autumn Vance. I think she ought to be punished for doing this to poor Draco, don't you?"

This rather obvious tactic only earned Pansy glares from both Madam Pomfrey and Draco. "Are you ill as well, Miss Parkinson?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "No? Then I suggest you get back to your class."

"Oh, I couldn't leave without Draco," Pansy said, with a sincerity that was almost believable.

"You can and you will," Madam Pomfrey said sharply. "Out. Out right now, or I'll start taking points from Slytherin." Once Pansy was gone, the nurse turned her eye on Draco. "Well?" she asked. "Did Miss Vance curse you?"

Draco grimaced. He wasn't sure he could keep hold of the contents of his stomach if he opened his mouth again. His insides did not seem to be reacting well to the hangover remedy.

Madam Pomfrey noticed this and scowled. "You Slytherins and your voices," she grumbled. "You were perfectly fine till this year, and now you're losing them left and right." She sighed. "Now you listen, Mr. Malfoy. I expect you're feeling absolutely awful, and you want me to make that feeling go away. I can't do that unless you answer my questions honestly. Just nod or shake your head. Do you understand? You'll give me honest answers?"

Draco nodded, giving the nurse his best "honest eyes." Madam Pomfrey sniffed. "Well, if you aren't telling the truth, you're the only one who will get hurt. Now, to start with, was Miss Parkinson telling the truth about that being a curse?" Draco nodded. "So you weren't drinking?" Draco shook his head. "And was it Miss Vance who cursed you?"

Draco hesitated at that. He wasn't sure who had cursed him. He'd been alone in his room, after all. Probably someone had set the curse on him earlier, and it had only just kicked in. He settled on a shrug.

"Maybe?" Madam Pomfrey frowned. "So you don't know who cursed you, is that it?" Draco nodded. "All right, then. I'm going to try to treat this as a curse, instead of a hangover, and we'll see what I can do. But if it turns out that you've lied to me, and you've been drinking after all, you will rue the day you entered my hospital wing under false pretences. Do you understand me, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco nodded hurriedly. Who'd have thought Madam Pomfrey could be scary?

"Good." The nurse nodded decisively. "Then let's see about getting you healed, shall we?"

~*~

Autumn drummed her fingers on the desktop. She was supposed to be listening to Miache explain the principles of Transfiguration, but she couldn't concentrate.

"I can see you aren't listening, you know," Miache said at last, irritated. "If you do not vant to learn magic, you 'ave only to say so. I 'ave ozzer zhings I could be doing viz my time."

Autumn looked up, thinking for a moment. Then she looked straight at the vampire. "Why were you trying to get Erin and Lianne to tell you about me?"

"Ah." Miache leaned back in her chair. "Zhat troubles you, does it?"

"Yes," Autumn said. "Why?"

Miache considered her answer. "I do not like mysteries," she said finally. "Your background presents a mystery indeed, and I sought more information about it."

"And you couldn't just ask me?" Autumn said. "I think I have a right to know why you were poking around for information that's none of your business."

"Per'aps you do." Miache shrugged indifferently. "I vanted to know. Zhat is all." She raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you vould tell me?"

"Like I said, it's not really any of your business," Autumn said. "Li and Erin don't want our past spread around. Personally, I think it's unbelievable enough that it wouldn't matter much, but if they want me to keep my mouth shut then I will."

Miache frowned. "So you vill not speak of zhis because your friends refuse, and zhey vill not speak because you vill not? Zhat makes no sense."

Autumn started to object, then paused. "You know, you're right. It doesn't." Her eyes narrowed. "You never said why you want to know so badly, anyway. There's no way I'm spilling my secrets if you don't spill yours."

"Zhen ve are at an impasse," Miache said. She sighed. "I am sorry, Miss Vance. I vould 'ave preferred not to do zhis to a friend of Miss Connor's, but zhis is somezhing I must know." She fell silent, her head tilting to one side as though she were listening.

Autumn frowned, worried. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "Stop looking at me like that! Answer me right now, do you hear me?"

Miache resurfaced, lifting an eyebrow at Autumn's tone. "It is not considered vise to speak so to a vampire," she said mildly.

"What were you doing?" Autumn repeated impatiently.

"I vas reading your mind," Miache told her. "I vould 'ave done it in ze first place, but I zhought I owed it to Miss Connor to try ozzer vays first."

"You read my mind?" Autumn exclaimed indignantly. "You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can. I just 'ave. It vas most informative." Miache smirked. "But you needn't vorry zhat I vent prying into your personal secrets. I just looked at your memories about coming 'ere."

Autumn didn't know how to respond to this. She was horrified that Miache would simply read her mind without even asking first, but what could she do about it? Miache had done it already. It was a little late to stop her.

"So will you tell me what you found out?" Autumn asked eventually.

"You 'aven't ze faintest idea 'ow you came to be 'ere," Miache said. "Zhat is most annoying. I should like to see zhat mystery solved someday. But aside from zhat, it vas razzer confusing. You vere speaking to Mr. Malfoy by cell phone for a short time, by tapping into ze netvork established for communications betveen British and American students. But before zhat - zhis is vhat I do not understand." Miache frowned deeply, her eyebrows coming together. "You read about ze magical vorld in a book series?"

Autumn shrugged. "I know, it's weird. I don't get it either. That's the part Li, Erin, and I don't want spread around - the books and the communications. We've looked for the books - well, Lianne and Erin have, and they can't find them. So basically we've got this crazy story and no proof to back it up. Hence the not telling people."

"I see," Miache said. "Yes, your logic does make more sense now."

"So any chance you'll tell me now why you wanted to know that so desperately that you had to go picking through my mind to find it out?" Autumn asked, scowling.

Miache frowned consideringly. "Per'aps. Zhis does make a difference, knowing vhere you come from. And you may need ze varning."

"What warning?" Autumn asked apprehensively. She didn't like the sound of that.

"Zhere is a spy somevhere at 'Ogvarts," Miache said. "A female 'oo is called ze Vitness. Ve are attempting to determine 'er identity."

"And you thought I was a spy?" Autumn was stunned. "Why?"

"You and ze Vitness appeared at much ze same time," Miache said. "And you vere placed in Slyzzerin, viz zhose 'oo may join ze Dark Lord's ranks. Until zhis morning, you vere ze best candidate."

"Oh." Autumn grinned. She felt oddly flattered at the thought that she'd been suspected of being a spy. Then she frowned. "What do you mean, this morning?"

"Your little drama viz Miss Nott and ze Ravenclaws," Miache said. "Very intriguing, yes, but very stupid for a spy." She smiled suddenly. "I look forvard to seeing vhere you plan to go from 'ere, Miss Vance."

"Oh." Autumn blinked. "Well... okay. Good. Me, too, I guess."

Miache raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on that. "Now, Miss Vance - your Transfiguration."

~*~

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, it seems I'm going to have to let you go." Madam Pomfrey frowned at Draco, standing beside his cot. "Your symptoms are gone, at least, though it doesn't seem to be a result of anything I've done for you."

Draco shrugged, swinging off the bed. It was the end of the day, just before dinner, and he felt fine. Actually, he was starving. He'd slept through breakfast, and Madam Pomfrey had doubted he'd be able to keep down anything at lunch. "So I can leave now?" he asked, just to make sure.

"I suppose," Madam Pomfrey said, reluctant to let a patient go when she wasn't convinced of his cure. "But if any of those symptoms come back, I want you back in this hospital wing. If it is a curse, it might not be gone."

Draco grimaced at that. He hoped it was gone. He never wanted to wake up that way again. He headed for the door, not wanting to stay in the hospital wing any longer.

"Mr. Malfoy."

Draco turned back to look at Madam Pomfrey, one eyebrow raised. "What?"

"This fighting among the Slytherins is getting out of hand. I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Miss Vance when she came in here cursed." Madam Pomfrey's eyes narrowed. "I don't want you going after whoever did this on your own. Honor and revenge are all well and good in their place, but I'm getting tired of treating Slytherins who have gotten cursed in your little war. If I see too many more of you, I may have to do something drastic."

Draco smirked. "Whatever you say." He turned and left, shaking his head. He dismissed Madam Pomfrey's threat from his thoughts. After all, what could a nurse do to anyone?

Chapter 38

"So what about these robes? Do you like these?"

Autumn sighed as Blaise showed her yet another set of robes, in preparation for his upcoming meeting with Terry. "Blaise, that is your school uniform. Every set of robes you've shown me so far has been your school uniform. You don't have any robes with you other than your school uniform. They are all exactly the same, so just pick one and be done with it!"

Blaise ignored this, laying the robes down on the bed beside his other sets. He peered down at the set he was wearing, then compared it to the first set. "Maybe I should try those others on again."

"Can't you just look at them?" Autumn demanded. "They're right there in front of you."

"Oh, no," Blaise said seriously. "I want to see the way they hang again. Clothes look different when someone's wearing them." He sighed. "I tried to do a spell to inflate them earlier, but they kept trying to walk away."

Autumn rolled her eyes. "So was that an effect of the spell, or the casting?"

"Huh?" Blaise wrinkled his forehead, confused.

"Never mind," Autumn said, annoyed. "Look, it's a quarter after three. Can't you just pick something? After I went and made Terry agree to meet you, if you're late I'll curse you myself."

"Really?" Blaise's eyes widened. "I didn't know you liked me that way, Autumn!"

Autumn sighed, and dropped her head into her hands. "Never mind, Blaise," she told him. "Just get dressed."

"But you said - "

"Get dressed, Blaise."

~*~

Finally, Blaise managed to choose a set of robes, which Autumn still thought was indistinguishable from all his other sets of robes. After a brief fuss with his hair and eyeliner, Blaise all but dragged Autumn out of the room to the Astronomy classroom.

"If you were in such a hurry, why didn't you finish getting dressed earlier?" Autumn grumbled.

"I wanted to be pretty for Terry," Blaise explained, as though it should be obvious. He paused, looking briefly insecure. "I do look pretty, don't I, Autumn?"

Autumn sighed. "I guess," she said. "As much as any guy ever does."

A brilliant smile blossomed across Blaise's face. "Thank you, Autumn!" He flung his arms around her suddenly, engulfing her in a hug. "You're the bestest friend ever. I'm glad you're here."

"Right..." Autumn disentangled herself from Blaise's arms, trying to pretend her face hadn't turned slightly pink. "Come on, then. You're going to be late if you don't hurry." She quickly walked on up ahead. Blaise grinned, and followed.

When they reached the Astronomy classroom, Blaise frowned. "He's not here. Why isn't he here?" He turned to Autumn, eyes wide in panic. "What if he doesn't come? What if he doesn't love me anymore?"

"Get a grip, Blaise," Autumn snapped. "He never loved you in the first place, remember? Anyway, he'll be here. He'd better be here, or I'll - well, I'll do something bad to him." She scowled. "I've really got to come up with more threats. I've been sounding pathetic, and not at all threatening."

"You could poke people," Blaise suggested.

Autumn gave him a Look. "No."

"Maybe if you poked really hard?" Blaise persisted.

"You know, I think this is one of those conversations that you really just don't want to know how it got where it is," Mandy said thoughtfully, entering the classroom.

Autumn stared at her. "What happened to your hair?"

"Huh?" Mandy held out a few strands and peered at them. Instead of being purple and spiky, her hair was now chin length, and a rather drab pale brown. "Oh. I changed it. My cousin got hold of a picture of me, and she told me there's an Auror with the exact same hairstyle. So it's back to my natural state till I come up with something new."

Blaise didn't look too interested in this conversation. "You aren't Terry," he told Mandy accusingly.

"What?" Mandy looked around, confused. "Oh." She went back into the hall. "Come on, Boot, get inside. That which does not kill us makes us stronger, and all that." She ushered Terry into the room ahead of her. He was scowling, true, but at least he was there. Autumn suspected the scowl might be his natural expression.

"Terry..." Blaise breathed, his face lighting up.

Terry took one look at Blaise, then turned to Mandy. "You've got to be kidding. He's wearing makeup."

Mandy smiled brightly. "You agreed, not me," she reminded him.

"Agreements made before noon ought to be invalid," Terry mumbled. He looked around the classroom a moment, then snagged Sinistra's chair from the desk as the most comfortable seat. "Let's get this over with, Zabini. Clock's ticking."
Blaise, however, seemed content just to stand staring at Terry. Or maybe he was frozen with shock at being confronted with the object of his affections. Either way, he wasn't talking. Terry shrugged. "Okay, then. Don't talk. Easier for me." He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.

Autumn and Mandy glanced at each other. Autumn snapped her fingers in front of Blaise's eyes irritably. "Wake up," she snapped. She looked over at Terry. "Both of you." Both boys looked at her, startled. "Mandy and I are going to leave - "

"What?" Mandy asked, horrified at the thought of missing these events.

" - but you two are not going to sleep through this meeting," Autumn said, pointedly ignoring Mandy. "You can sleep any time you like. Right now, you're going to chat." She only got an eye roll from Terry and a perplexed look from Blaise, but she figured that was the best she'd get in any case. She nodded sharply. "Okay, then. Come on, Mandy, let's leave them to it."

Much to Mandy's disappointment, Autumn dragged the other girl out of the classroom. "I would've liked to see that," Mandy said regretfully, once they were out of earshot of the classroom.

"Why?" Autumn asked.

"Well, if Terry really is going to squish Blaise's heart like a bug, it would be pretty entertaining to watch," Mandy pointed out. "He can be pretty nasty when he bothers with it."

Autumn stared at Mandy incredulously. "Why aren't you in Slytherin?"

Mandy shrugged. "Ask the Sorting Hat. If it comes to that, why are you in Slytherin? You're being awfully nice to Blaise for someone who's supposed to be nasty and evil."

"I like Blaise," Autumn said. "He's kinda like a girl I know. And no one gets to hurt my friends. Not anyone, not ever."

Mandy shook her head. "Half the time you act like a Gryff, the other half you're as sickeningly true-blue a friend as a Hufflepuff," she complained. "And then you go trying to sit on a fence between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Can't you just pick one House like the rest of us?"

"I didn't ask to be stereotyped," Autumn snapped. "I didn't ask for any of this! Lianne and Hazel were the ones who really wanted to go off and have some stupid magical adventure! I was perfectly happy back in America. Okay, sure, I liked reading fantasy books, but who doesn't? That doesn't mean I wanted this to be real!"

Mandy looked rather confused at this point. "Autumn? What are you talking about? Are we having the same conversation here?"

"I don't know," Autumn yelled. "I don't know anything here, haven't you noticed? I'm stuck in a world where nothing I've learned is useful, and everyone's strange and magical and British! Is this some cosmic punishment on me for something? Did I go on a major killing spree in a past life or something? Was I a mass murderer? A cannibal? What? Because I don't know what's going on, and I hate it! I hate all this!"

"Okay, then." Mandy took a couple steps back. "I'm glad you got that out of your system. It's probably good for you. Do you want to lie down?"

"No," Autumn said, closing her eyes against the world. "No, I don't want to lie down. It's just - everything. All at once." She shook her head. "I think I need to be alone for a while. I'm just going to go outside until an hour is up. I want to be back there when the boys are done, and make sure Blaise is still intact."

"Right. Good." Mandy nodded. "I think you should be alone, too. Frankly, you're starting to scare me. Let me know when you've decided to join us in the land of the sane again." She hurried away.

"Oh, that's great," Autumn grumbled to herself. "Let's alienate one of the two people you actually managed to make friends with. Brilliant plan. And then for an encore, you can stand in the middle of the hallway talking to yourself like a crazy person." She shook her head.

Autumn did go outside eventually, but first she stopped back at the dungeons, so she could pick up Mali from her dorm. The ferret liked going outside, and anyway Autumn figured she'd feel less crazy talking to an animal than talking to herself.

It was actually fairly cold outside, as Autumn realized as soon as she left the castle. Well, she supposed it made sense. This was November in Scotland, after all. She shivered, but she didn't want to make another trip back to the Slytherin dorms to fetch her cloak, so she decided to press on regardless of the cold. After all, how bad could it be? Still, she decided that cold wind off the lake wouldn't make things any better, so she headed in the opposite direction, figuring she'd just walk around the castle till she had to go back in to meet Blaise. Maybe the cold would shock some sense back into her.

Autumn sighed, absently petting Mali as she walked. She was going to have to apologize to Mandy, wasn't she? She hated apologizing, but she couldn't see any way around it if she wanted to keep her friend. And she definitely wanted to keep Mandy's friendship, if only so that she'd have somewhere to eat now that she'd left the Slytherin table. It wasn't as though she could just go back and sit with the Slytherins again after that outburst.

"I've been screaming at everyone lately, haven't I?" Autumn asked Mali. "Think something's wrong with me? Maybe Hazel had a point, and we really are a pair of loonies." The ferret didn't answer, of course, and Autumn shook her head. What had she expected? She walked on, the thought of Hazel making her even more depressed. She missed the other girl. Actually, she missed all three girls, Hazel, Erin, and Lianne. They hadn't actually known each other that long, but they'd been close. Lianne had joked that they were kindred spirits. Or maybe she hadn't been joking. Autumn had never quite been able to tell.

Maybe she ought to write to Lianne or Erin again? No. Autumn dismissed that thought. They were different now. They'd moved on, built new lives. She couldn't go running to them every time she had a problem. And she wasn't sure how much contact she wanted to have with them now, anyway. Were they still girls she'd been friends with? She wasn't sure. Erin had changed in a hundred little ways, and Autumn had no doubt that Lianne had as well. Probably more, really. Lianne was old now. No matter how silly she still sounded in her letters, she'd grown up.

"Of course, I don't suppose I have any room to talk about people changing," Autumn mused. Mali paid her no attention, wriggling so he could get a better look at the grounds. "I mean, I never used to act this way." She paused, reconsidering. "Well, not this much, anyway." She'd always been a little grumpy, a little cynical, a little violent, but since coming to Hogwarts that was all she ever seemed to be. She'd even hit someone. Admittedly, Malfoy had had it coming to him, but she'd never hit anyone other than a human-shaped punching bag before. And the threats! Usually a list of a dozen or so really good threats would last her several months. She'd been here less than a month and she'd already run out.

Was it being exposed to all those Slytherin personalities? Was the way they behaved drawing out her potential to be nasty? Autumn wasn't quite sure. Maybe the Sorting Hat had seen that potential in her. She briefly considered the idea that the Hat was just a vindictive piece of felt that took its evil pleasure in placing students in Houses at random, but was forced to abandon the thought. The Hat had to have put her in Slytherin for a reason. However she was acting now, it was something that had always been in her.

And truth be told, Autumn was kind of enjoying her new feelings of freedom. It was liberating to be able to tell people exactly what she thought of them, and simply not care how they answered. She'd never been able to get away with that back in America. And as for the violence... well, why not? She remembered what she'd said after dealing with Terry. Violence got results. She'd always thought that there were a lot of problems that could easily be solved by a fist in someone's face, but she'd never quite dared, for fear of consequences.

But what consequences could her actions have here? Points lost from Slytherin? Good. Autumn hated the lot of them. Maybe she could misbehave on purpose, just to see how many points she could lose. Detention? A few evenings gone. So what? Autumn found she didn't care in the slightest. The worst she could imagine had already happened. She was stuck here in Scotland, far away from her home. Her friends had changed, and weren't there when she needed them. Her father had mysteriously disappeared from the face of the earth. What could this stupid school do to her that would be any worse?

Almost as if he could sense her depressing thoughts, Mali wriggled his head comfortingly against Autumn's hands. Autumn blinked. "Well, aren't you being sickeningly sweet?" she said, puzzled. Then, "Hey!" Mali had in fact used his squirming as a ploy to get Autumn to loosen her grip on him, and the ferret sprang free and went galloping off through the grass. "Bloody hell," Autumn growled, taking off after her pet.

She ought to have been able to outrun the ferret easily, and indoors she probably could have. But on the grounds, the grass was just tall enough to shield Mali from Autumn's view. The ferret only had to zip merrily along in whatever direction he pleased, while Autumn constantly had to scan the movements of the grass to figure out where Mali was heading. Once or twice she pounced on the ground, thinking to snatch the ferret up, but only found herself with a handful of dirt.

Intent as she was on her search for Mali, Autumn took little note of the high-pitched chattering that was growing increasingly louder as she ran. All her attention was focused on the movement of the grass, now confined to a single small area. She threw herself forward, intending to grab Mali before he had a chance to escape again.

"Ow!" Autumn howled, yanking back her hand, bloody from where it had been bitten. "Stupid ferret! What the hell's wrong with you?" A stream of the chattering was sent back at her, all of it extremely rude. Autumn's eyes widened. "The hell?"

"If yer lookin' fer a ferret, miss," a voice said, from somewhere far above Autumn's head, "that's not 'im."

Autumn looked up... up... up to see a bushy black beard and twinkling black eyes. "You've got to be Hagrid," she said faintly. "You're... very tall."

"Sure am," Hagrid said cheerfully. He stooped down and scooped up a creature that Autumn realized was not, in fact, her ferret. Or any kind of ferret at all. It was much larger, for one thing. For another, it was spouting out dirty words faster than a truck driver. "An' this feller here's th' subject o' me next class, called a Jarvey."

Autumn raised an eyebrow, clutching her injured hand as she stood up. "I call it a bloody menace," she groused. "What's it done with my ferret?" She had a sinking feeling that she'd been chasing the Jarvey for a while now, and that Mali might have escaped into the nearby Forest. If he had, she was afraid the poor ferret would be gone for good.

"Oh, is 'e yers?" Hagrid asked. "Li'l grey one, real friendly? Cause I found one jus' like that righ' before this one ran off. 'E was tryin' to get inter th' pen I had this one's brothers in. Natural enemies, ferrets and Jarveys. Too similar, see?"

"So he's okay?" Autumn asked, relieved. "Oh, good. Good. Thank God." She was surprised to find out just how relieved she was. She hadn't realized she'd been that attached to her pet. "Where is he?"

"Back at my house," Hagrid told her. "I left 'im wi' some friends while I went after this one." He glanced down at Autumn's hand. "Bit yeh, did 'e? Madam Pomfrey gave me some salve fer bites when she heard I was gettin' in a litter o' Jarveys. Their bites can hurt somethin' awful if yeh don' treat 'em quick. Best follow me back, then."

"Those things aren't poisonous, are they?" Autumn asked suspiciously, as Hagrid led her back to his cabin.

"Jarveys? Nah," Hagrid said. "Jus' like ter bite."

"Oh." Knowing what she did of Hagrid, Autumn interpreted this to mean that Jarveys were nasty, vicious creatures that lived for the sole purpose of feasting on the flesh of all other beings. "Right."

"Here we go," Hagrid said, as they reached his house. "You go on in, while I stick this feller back wi' his brothers an' sisters." He disappeared around the back of the house.

Autumn shrugged, and pushed the door open. Then she groaned. "Doesn't it figure?" She recognized two of the three students sitting around the wooden table as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and she assumed the girl with them was Hermione Granger.

"What're you doing here?" Ron demanded suspiciously.

"Hagrid caught my ferret," Autumn said. "And one of his little monsters bit me."

"If you mean the Jarveys, they aren't monsters," the girl informed her. Yep, that was Hermione, all right. "They're helpful. Some gardeners use them to get rid of gnomes and other pests."

"Yeah, well, it still bit me," Autumn snapped. "That counts as monster from where I'm standing. Plus I think some of them were fighting with my ferret."

"So this ferret you keep talking about," Harry spoke up. "Is this it?" He held up a silver ferret that had been curled up on his lap.

"Mali!" Autumn hurried forward to snatch her pet away from the Gryffindor's clutches. "You stupid little rodent! Don't ever run away from me again, or I'll feed you to Millicent's cat!" Mali just ran up Autumn's arm, settling in his favorite spot, curled on her shoulder.

"You named it Mali?" Hermione asked in distaste. "Isn't that a little effeminate for a male ferret?"

Autumn shrugged. "I like it." She grinned suddenly. "But Mali isn't his full name, of course. His actual name is Draco Malfoy the Amazing Bouncing Ferret, but that's a bit long for everyday use."

Ron gave a great snort of laughter, forgetting that this was a Slytherin speaking. "Oh, that's priceless! Does Malfoy know?"

At Autumn's nod, Harry frowned. "That seems a little mean," he said.

Ron stared at Harry incredulously. "Are you insane? This is Malfoy we're talking about. Mean is the only thing he understands."

Harry laughed. "I meant, mean to the ferret," he clarified. That caused Autumn to raise an eyebrow. She was fairly sure he hadn't meant that at all. He strengthened her suspicions when he quickly changed the subject. "I'm glad you're feeling better," Harry said, looking at Autumn. "After that curse on your voice, I mean. There weren't any permanent effects, were there?"

Autumn shrugged uncomfortably. "What do you care?" Harry just kept looking at her. "No, there weren't. I'm fine, okay?"

At that point, the back door swung open and Hagrid entered his hut. "Oh, good, yeh got yer pet back," he said, seeing Mali on Autumn's shoulder. "Now, let's take a look at that bite on yer hand." He got a jar of ointment and a roll of bandages from the cupboards.

"Now - " Hagrid stopped, looking from his giant hands to the small jar and bandages, and it was just possible that his face flushed red under his beard. "Well - uh - Harry, why don' yeh help out? Jus' spread that salve - "

"That's okay!" Autumn said hastily, nipping that plan in the bud. "I can do it myself. Really." She had no intention of letting Potter spread anything on her.

Applying the salve to her own hand was awkward, but Autumn managed it. The bandages, however, were another story. "Oh, here," Hermione finally said, exasperated with Autumn's attempts. "Let me do it, if you don't want a boy touching you." Ignoring Autumn's protests that that wasn't what it was, Hermione expertly wrapped the other girl's hand and tied the bandage off. "There."

Autumn wrinkled her nose. "How long does that have to stay on? I thought magic was supposed to make healing go faster."

"It does," Hermione said. "And it prevents scarring. The bandage is to keep the bite clean. You'll need it for an hour or so."

"Don't tell me you've read books on those ferrety things," Autumn said in disbelief.

"I've read books on healing magic," Hermione said with a sniff. "It's quite interesting."

"Whatever," Autumn said, stepping back, away from the Gryffindors. "I'm going to go now, before something else jumps out and bites me." She looked from the trio to Hagrid, debating a thank you. She settled on a shrug and, "See you around," before she hurried out.

After that encounter, Autumn didn't waste much time wandering aimlessly. She was cold and grumpy, and her hand hurt. She was going back inside that castle. Actually, she realized as she checked her watch, she had to go back in the castle, if she intended to catch Blaise finishing his meeting with Terry. She walked faster. If Blaise did come out of that room with a broken heart, Autumn wanted to be there for him when he did. He could watch while she beat Terry to a bloody pulp. She studiously ignored the fact that Terry was considerably larger than she was as she made these plans.

As Autumn approached the Astronomy classroom, she slowed nervously. Mandy was there already, finger-combing her hair pensively. "Hi," Autumn said uncomfortably.

Mandy looked up. "Oh. Feeling better, are you? Not going to shout again?"

"Not at you, anyway," Autumn said, with a small smile. "Maybe at Terry." She looked down, too embarrassed to meet Mandy's eyes as she said the next part. "Look, I was taking stuff out on you that wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have yelled, so I'm sorry." She looked up, to see how Mandy would take it.

The Ravenclaw raised her eyebrows. "Well, at least you know you messed up," she said. "Don't do that again, okay? I'm not like Blaise - I actually have other friends, and I'm not going to spend my time with someone who screams at me."

"Right." Autumn nodded. "No more screaming. Got it. So does that mean we're good?"

Mandy took a moment to consider this. "Yeah," she agreed at last. "I guess we are." There was a moment of silence, neither girl quite sure what to say. Finally, Mandy said, "So what color should I dye my hair next?"

That conversation entertained them long enough that they didn't realize it was past time for Blaise and Terry to be done until the door to the classroom opened. Terry strode out, followed by a beaming Blaise, and approached Autumn. "One hour," he told her.

Autumn checked her watch and frowned. "That was more than an hour," she said. "Closer to an hour and fifteen minutes. Do you think I'll give you extra stuff for talking longer?"

Terry gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I was explaining fractal spells to Zabini," he said. "I figured I might as well finish."

"Terry's so interesting," Blaise added dreamily.

Mandy snorted. "You'd think flobberworms were interesting, if Terry was talking about them."

"You like flobberworms?" Blaise asked Terry, puzzled. "Why?"

"I hate animals," Terry said flatly. "They make noise, smell bad, or bite. Or all of the above."

"Except flobberworms, right?" Blaise said. "Do you like them because they don't do any of those things?"

Terry stared at Blaise. "Are you mentally unstable?"

Blaise blinked. "I don't think so." He looked at Autumn and Mandy. "Am I?"

Terry shook his head. "Never mind." He turned to Autumn. "So I get coffee every morning from now on?"

Autumn nodded. She'd gone back to the hospital wing earlier to get more specific instructions about talking to the House Elves from Madam Pomfrey. "I'll arrange it later today."

"Good." Terry began to walk off.

"Wait!" Blaise wriggled past Autumn and Mandy, to follow Terry. "Are you going to the Quidditch match tomorrow?"

Terry turned around slowly. "You're still talking to me."

"Yep!" Blaise grinned. "Are you going?"

"Why?" Terry asked suspiciously.

"Well, if you're going to go, maybe you could sit with me," Blaise said hopefully.

Terry frowned. "Are you asking me on a date?"

"Will you say yes if I say yes?" Blaise asked.

Terry closed his eyes at that, and raised his hands to rub his temples. "You're going to keep stalking me, aren't you?" he asked. "No matter what I say right now, you're going to sit near me regardless."

"Well..." Blaise blinked. "Yeah. Of course."

"Thought so." Terry sighed. "Whatever. You can do what you like." He turned and walked away.

Blaise couldn't contain his excitement, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "He said yes!"

"No, he didn't," Mandy said. "He said 'whatever.'"

"Which means yes!" Blaise flung his arms out and spun in a circle. "I'm going on a real date with Terry, to a real Quidditch game!"

"Bloody hell. Are you joking?"

Autumn and Mandy looked across the hall. Draco Malfoy had approached while they were occupied with Blaise and Terry, and he seemed to have no qualms about eavesdropping on their conversation.

"It's none of your business," Autumn snapped. "Get lost."

"In a straight hallway?" Draco looked first left, then right, with exaggerated concentration. "Bit difficult, that."

Hearing the voice of his namesake, Mali looked up from where he'd been dozing on Autumn's shoulder. He snarled. Autumn grinned. "Oh, look, he remembers you, Malfoy. Isn't that cute?"

"You still have that thing?" Draco stared at it in horror.

"Of course," Autumn said sweetly. "How could I get rid of my darling pet?" She held Mali out towards Draco, and the ferret stretched out to snap at Draco's arm. Draco jumped back quickly. "I think he likes you," Autumn said.

Draco straightened at that, his expression rapidly changing to a smooth smile. Autumn frowned suspiciously. Had he decided it was beneath him to be afraid of a ferret? She wouldn't be surprised.

"Of course he likes me," Draco said. "I'm very likeable, didn't you know?"

Mandy rather spoiled the delivery of that line by laughing loudly. Draco shot her an annoyed glance. "Shut it, Brocklehurst," he snapped. "Just because I've never chosen to waste my charm on you doesn't mean I can't be likeable when the mood takes me."

"Yeah, sure," Mandy said, grinning. "You just keep on telling yourself that, Malfoy."

Draco sniffed, and pointedly ignored her. "It's possible I overreacted to your pet," he said to Autumn. "I apologize. Would you allow me to make it up to you?"

Autumn stared at him as if he'd sprouted a halo and wings. "No."

Draco looked briefly flustered, but recovered quickly, turning the dazzle of his smile up a notch. Autumn swallowed hard, and told herself very firmly that she did not care whether Draco smiled at her or not.

"I'll just have to surprise you, then," Draco said softly.

"Like you surprised her with a curse?" Blaise wanted to know. "Or will this surprise be more like flowers?"

"Shut up, Zabini," Draco ground out, not taking his eyes off Autumn.

"You're acting like it's going to be flowers," Blaise said thoughtfully. "Roses, I think. Red ones. I thought you didn't like Autumn. How come you want to give her roses now?"

"I'm not going to give her roses!" Draco snapped.

"Any flowers you gave a girl would probably be poisonous," Autumn retorted, noting with horror that her face was heating up with a blush. The way Draco was acting reminded her far too much of the way he'd been right before kissing her. She decided to ignore it. Maybe it would go away.

"Are you saying you'd like poisonous flowers?" Draco asked swiftly.

"What, you're threatening me now?" Autumn demanded. "You've already cursed me, are you going to try to kill me? And then people wonder why I won't sit with the Slytherins anymore!"

"Do you want to come back?" Draco asked. "I'd be honored if you'd sit with me, if you wish."

Autumn couldn't decide whether to turn her incredulous glare on Draco, for whatever bout of insanity had taken him over, or on Mandy, who was now laughing so hard she had to lean against the wall for support. "Is that what this is about?" she asked, finally deciding on Draco as the far more glare-worthy of the two. "You're making a fuss about Slytherin solidarity? We all have to band together against the other three nasty Houses?"

"People usually say Slytherins are the nasty ones," Blaise said helpfully.

"Yes, I'm aware," Autumn said, looking at Blaise. It was a relief not to face Draco anymore. She didn't like the way he looked at her. It threw her off balance. "That was sarcasm."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of humor," Mandy said, grinning.

"You aren't helping," Autumn said coldly.

Mandy's grin only widened. "Wasn't trying to." She looked at Draco. "Well, come on, where's the snappy retort? You've had plenty of time to come up with something clever."

Draco gave her a withering look. "Don't you have homework to be doing?"

"That's it? That's the best you can do?" Mandy laughed. "Please. I'd at least have gotten in a crack about doing teachers for grades. That was just sad."

"He must be losing his touch," Autumn said. She smiled maliciously. "Want me to come up with some good insults for you, Malfoy? I'd hate to have you coming into our little fights unarmed. I'm sure I can put a few insults into single-syllable words you can understand."

"I'm sure you can teach me a considerable amount," Draco said, inclining his head.

Autumn very nearly backed away in her suspicion. What the hell was wrong with this boy? Since when did he refuse to insult her? And what was with his response to her insult - had he been trying to compliment her? It sounded scarily like he had. She was about to reply when Draco froze, head tilted as if listening for -

An explosion thundered through the air above them, quaking across walls and ceilings. Autumn staggered as the stones in the floor shifted under her feet, reaching out for the wall to steady herself. Draco scrambled forward, knocking her over in his haste, as a chunk of the ceiling crashed down on where he'd been standing. Autumn stared up at him, hating herself for noticing just how close he was to her. She shoved him away from her, pulling herself to her feet.

Draco met Autumn's eyes for a moment, and Autumn was sure she saw something there that shouldn't have been. Was it recognition? Horror? Disgust? She didn't have long to consider it, because he turned and bolted for the nearest set of stairs. Not about to let him run off until he explained that look, she took off after him.

But when she reached the stairs, she had another shock. Draco wasn't running down, away from the explosion - he was going up.

~*~

Smoke. Fire. Burning feathers. Owls screeching. It was all so familiar. Was he hallucinating them again? Was this a flashback to the curse from earlier? Draco couldn't tell. As he raced up the stairs, unsure why he was so desperate to reach the top, frantic human screams mingled with the other sounds.

Finally, Draco reached the Owlery, at the top of the stairs. He stopped dead in his track, causing Autumn, who he hadn't realized was following him, to crash into him.

"Oh, my God," Autumn whispered, staring over Draco's shoulder at the ruins of the Owlery. Sinistra and McGonagall were already there, casting hasty spells in attempts to prevent more damage. "What happened?"

"An attack is what happened," McGonagall answered sharply. "That's plain to see. Where did you two come from?"

"We were downstairs," Autumn said. "There was an explosion - "

"We noticed that," Sinistra snapped, edging around an unstable-looking owl perch. "This is no place for students. Get out, both of you! Go back to your Common Room."

Draco ignored her, entering the Owlery to get a better look at the destruction. His stomach roiled as a new stench hit him. Blood. The sharp, nauseating smell of blood was all through the room. He gagged as the taste of it seeped into his mouth, but that didn't stop him. He had to see it. He had to know if it was what he feared.

Picking his way to the center of the Owlery, or as near to it as he could get, Draco forced himself to turn in a full circle, taking in as much of the scene as he could. The sight of the dead birds made his stomach heave again, but he swallowed hard and kept his attention on the room. Somehow, he could remember this scene. He felt as though he'd been there before, so long ago that the memory was hazy.

When Draco turned to face the large window through which owls entered, Draco gasped, turning white. Spectral flames of orange and red danced before him, and clouds of shadowy grey dust flew up in his face. He couldn't help it - he screamed - the flames would burn him to cinders -

"Mr. Malfoy!" McGonagall slapped Draco sharply on each cheek. "Calm down! If you must shriek, go to the hospital wing to do it. I'm certain Madam Pomfrey won't notice one more student in shock after this."

"The fire," Draco stammered, shaken at how quickly the flames had disappeared. "The dust - it's gone. What - how - "

"It was a bomb," Sinistra said impatiently. "Some Muggle contraption, by the look of it. We'll need Angela up here for the specifics, of course. Now get out of here. Go to the hospital wing or your Common Room, I don't care, but go! We don't have time to nursemaid hysterical children!" She looked around. "You, Vance! Help Malfoy out of here. I don't think he can make it on his own."

But Draco jerked away from Autumn, before she could say a word. He didn't want her to touch him. He couldn't stand the thought of her touching him. He couldn't explain how, but he knew that the Witness had done this. The thought made him sick, though it might have been the effects of the smell of blood and death. He made his way to the stairs and stumbled down, eyes glazed.

He'd seen it before it happened. He was sure of it. What had happened before, when he'd collapsed, it hadn't been a curse or a hangover. He'd seen this. Well, smelled it mostly, and heard it. But he'd known about it before it happened, and he hadn't used tea leaves or a crystal ball or any other props the Divination classes used.

Draco leaned against the wall, feeling himself trembling as though his body belonged to someone else. He tried to stop shaking, but he couldn't. Why was he reacting this way? He felt ashamed of his body, disappointed in its weakness. After all, he was a Malfoy. Malfoys didn't get sick at the thought of a little blood or a few dead birds. They didn't wish that they'd realized what would happen sooner, so they could have stopped it.

Footsteps followed Draco down the stairs, slowing as they approached. Draco looked up. It was Autumn. His whole body convulsed with horror at the sight of her. The Witness had done that. He knew it as surely as he knew he'd seen the disaster beforehand. The Witness was the cause, and Autumn was the Witness. Autumn had done it. And now she had the nerve to stand there staring at him as if she had no idea what was going on.

"What was all that?" Autumn demanded. Draco braced himself against the wall, looking away. He'd flirted with her. He'd kissed her. The smell of death tainted the air about her, and he'd kissed her. "Did you know that was going to happen?"

That was it. That was the breaking point. She knew he'd known about it, she knew he knew she'd done it. She was going to prevent him from telling anyone. Draco turned and fled down the stairs, away from her, away from the fiery death and the sickening blood above her. He didn't care what his father said. He didn't care if she was a Death Eater, if she reported his actions to the Dark Lord. He couldn't stand to be near Autumn Vance any longer.