Harry Potter and the Crystal Dagger

"I think this is definitely going to be one of our most interesting Potions classes yet," Harry said.

"Which isn't really saying much because nothing interesting happens in this class," Ron said, who was sitting next to Harry and Aubrey looking grim.

"It can't be that bad," Aubrey said.

"Oh yes it can," Ron told her.

Snape then walked into the room and went to the front of the classroom.

"Let's hope that all of you idiots haven't lost everything I've taught you over the summer," Snape sneered at the class. "Longbottom, what the number one substance you should never mix with dragon's blood?"

Neville turned bright red and simply shook his head.

"Well I'm not too surprised. What about you miss Know-It-All Granger?" he shot at Hermione who, for once, didn't have her hand up.

She looked terrified and said, "I don't know Professor."

"So Miss Know-It-All doesn't know it all," he jeered. "Let's try one more time. Does the slacking American know?" He glared at Aubrey.

"You should never mix dragon's blood with unicorn's blood. You would get a chemical reaction because it is like mixing an acid with a base."

"Lucky guess," Snape snapped. "Next time you won't be lucky."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I hope we have a good teacher this year," Harry said. They were sitting in the Defense Against The Dark Arts classroom.

"Well whoever it is must have a pretty busy schedule to miss the beginning of term feast," Hermione said.

"I never did like the DADA at my old school; it was just a load of junk I knew I would never need," Aubrey said.

They were all interrupted by a man in neon yellow robes coming into the classroom.

"Morning everyone," he said in a kind voice. "I am Professor Snow."

"What kind of a name is Snow?" Parvati said from behind Harry to Lavender.

But Aubrey's face had gone pale and was staring at him like an insect.

"And just what is a bitch like you doing here?" she yelled at the top of her lungs as she stood up.

"Well something tells me this is going to be a very interesting class. I of course am here to be your Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher for this year. I will please have to ask you to take your seat," he said without turning around to look at her.

"You don't even recognize me do you? Oh yea that's right you wouldn't. Looks like jail finally got to your head," she snapped.

"I am certain I don't know what you are talking about Miss..." he turned around to look at her, "Aubrey...is that you?"

"No, it's Britney Spears," she said sarcastically. "Well I refuse to have classes with an unimaginable bastard like you."

She gathered up her things and somehow managed to practically throw her book at the Professor. She walked out of the door, slamming it behind her.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked Ron.

He just shrugged and looked back at Professor Snow who was starring at the door where Aubrey had left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to dinner that night they found Aubrey sitting at Gryffindor table writing something.

"What 'cha doing?" Ron asked, sitting down next to her.

"Writing a letter to Professor Dumbledore asking if I can drop out of DADA. If he doesn't let me, I'm not going anyway. I'm just asking him so that I can see if I can spare myself from getting a failing grade," she said as a tear ran down her cheek.

"What was that all about?"

"That fuckin' moron, that absolute idiot is my dad! He is the entire reason I left Salem in the first place. He just ruins everything! He deserves to be hung for what he did to me!" She exclaimed. "I absolutely refuse to spend any time with him no matter what."

"What did he do?" Hermione asked soothingly.

"You know what, it's nothing. But I'm suddenly not hungry anymore."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After Aubrey had run up to her room she flopped down on her bed and started crying. After all those years of living a life without her father after what he had did to her, he was back.

She reached into her open trunk and pulled out a photo that was framed in a gold frame. It showed her, her twin brother Zak, and Kaze on their 10^th birthday, only days before he had died. Aubrey and Zak were attempting to get Kaze into the new collar Zak had gotten her.

~§**Flashback**§~

"Don't forget that it's not only our birthday, but Kaze's too, so I got her this neat collar," Zak said. He reached into a bag that was sitting next to the table on the patio on the outside of the house.

He pulled out a beautiful black collar with glimmering gems in it.

Aubrey gasped. "Are they--"

"Diamonds. Let her try it on for size."

He handed Aubrey the collar who inspected it more closely before putting it onto Kaze. She noticed the dangling diamond on the front. They was jingling along with her dog tags.

"Wow," she whispered.

She tried to get the collar around Kaze's neck but she just wriggled out of it. Zak came over to help her but Kaze just kept wriggling out of it.

At that moment her mother took a photograph, which was the one in her hand at that second.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Why exactly do you want to drop out of Defense Against the Dark arts?"

"Professor, I just want to do something better with my time such as... Divination," Aubrey lied. She just had to convince Dumbledore to chan her schedule.

"Miss. Yelantes, I can tell when you are lying. Would you like to tell me the truth?"

Aubrey sighed. Harry had been right, he could see through anything.

"Well, I have a slight problem with the teacher sir."

"Why is that?"

Aubrey just shifted in her chair uncomfortably. This was one of those things that you really didn't really want to tell anyone unless you really had to.

"I-I mean..." she said. "It's just a family problem."

"Would you like to tell me?"

Harry had been right. Dumbledore was just one of those people you couldn't help but trust.

"Well it all started when..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I thought you said that Dumbledore would understand if I told him!"

"What, didn't he believe you?"

Aubrey and Harry were arguing in the Gryffindor Common room after Aubrey had gotten back from Professor Dumbledore's office.

"He wouldn't let me drop out of DADA!" she exclaimed.

"He probably has some good reason," Hermione said. "He never does something for absolutely no reason."

"Well he kept Snape as a teacher didn't he?" Ron mumbled.

"Well it's just not fair, I refuse to have classes with that--"

"Don't say it out loud," Hermione said.

"Fine I won't. But he just...it's just that...if I don't go to his classes, I will get an automatic failing grade. But then I will have to tell mother why, and then she will be furious that that...insert word here...is teaching here and then she will make me go back to Salem. Then I won't get anywhere."

"Then why don't you just not tell your mom?"

"Looks like that's probably what I'm going to have to do. But that means I am going to have to put up with him the entire year."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At breakfast the next morning, Professor McGonagall called attention to the staff table.

"I have two announcements to make. Firstly, if anyone would like to join the quidditch team for their house, please consult the house team captains," Dumbledore said to the entire hall.

"Who is the captain of the Gryffindor team?" Aubrey whispered to Harry.

"Angelina Johnson. It's her last year here. I wonder who's going to take Wood's place this year."

"And secondly, there will be a Halloween ball this year for anyone in the 5^th year and up. We have decided to do this because of the great success of the Yule ball last year. We are still deciding whether or not to have a Christmas ball as well."

"Not another time we have to find dates!" Ron moaned to Harry.

"Look at the bright side. We don't have to find dates this year. And I think I've already got mine," he replied. Then he turned to Hermione and said, "Hermione, will you go to the ball with me?"

"Sure."

"See? Piece of cake. Who do you think you are going to ask?"

"We have almost a month, I want to enjoy the time that I don't have to worry about anything."

"Good point, but man, you better get a move on. All the good people are going to be taken."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, who are you going to the ball with?"

"For the millionth time, no one!"

"Come on someone has to have asked you!"

"Well obviously, but I'm not going with any of them!"

"So there is more than one person?"

Aubrey sighed out of frustration. It had been two weeks since Dumbledore had announced there was going to be a Halloween ball. For the past hour Parvati and Lavender had been trying to get her to answer every one of their questions.

"Well? Spill it!"

"No. The only thing I will tell you is that there has been three people and I said no. I'm probably not going to this thing at all. I don't dance."

"Who ever said you have to dance? All you have to do is get a really cute date and then walk around with him and show him off!"

"Are you saying that's what you are doing Seamus, Parvati?"

"Of course not!"

"Sure. Anyway, I don't care. The only way I would possibly go is if the one person I like in the entire school asks me."

"And who would that be?"

"Once again, I'm not telling."

"Why don't you just ask him?" Ginny said from Parvati's bed.

"Because this isn't a Sadie Hopkins dance and I don't want to go anyway! Plus he would probably think I was a total idiot if I asked him! Who are you going with anyway?"

"Neville again."

"Well you can't win them all," Aubrey mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."