Quinque Valens

Chapter 3 Dungeons Deep and Troubled Sleep

Disa walked around Dumbledore's office, carefully looking at all of his interesting bits and pieces. By one window, a table held what had looked like a transparent globe from a distance. However, upon closer inspection, it actually was a miniature representation of the entire galaxy. It mesmerized Disa for a few minutes, but she then proceeded to search for other extraordinary objects. Her eyes fell upon Dumbledore's desk, where she saw a multicolored box. Picking it up, Disa realized what it really was. It was not some magical instrument with amazing powers. In fact, Disa was slightly disappointed with her discovery.

"A Rubik's cube?" she said aloud.

"Yes, and let me tell you, no magical powers in the world can help one to solve that puzzle," a voice said.

Turning around quickly, Disa saw that Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape had entered the room silently.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore," Disa said, putting the cube back down. "I shouldn't have been looking at your things."

Dumbledore smiled and said, "No need to worry. My puzzle is not a dangerous thing to handle. Unless, of course, you count the possibility of going insane from trying to finish it. I bought it in a Muggle toy store three years ago, and it isn't any closer to being done now then it was then." Dumbledore shook his head and muttered, "And they say Muggles have no real intelligence. I'd like them to see this cube."

Snape cleared his throat impatiently.

Dumbledore looked up. "Oh, yes," he said. "Back to business. You had a very interesting Sorting, Ms. Volyn."

Disa lowered her eyes and nodded sheepishly.

"No need to be ashamed. We always need a little variety," Dumbledore smiled. Disa looked back up at him. "Do you know what House you are in, Ms. Volyn?"

Disa shook her head again.

Dumbledore sighed and said, "Well, neither do we. In fact, I believe that you are in two Houses."

Disa stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that both Professors Snape and McGonagall looked very uncomfortable.

"Two Houses?" Disa croaked.

"Hmmm, yes, it appears to be that way," Dumbledore said, crossing the room and sitting down at his desk. "The question is, not why you are in two, but what to do about it."

Disa looked at him quizzically. Dumbledore noticed this and said, "Oh, I suppose you do want to know why you are in two Houses. My best guess is that you were equally qualified for both, and since the Hat puts you in the best suited one, in this instance, it could not do so. But of course, we will never know for sure." Dumbledore folded his hands on top of his desk and looked at Disa. "But what should we do with you?"

Disa was silent for a moment, and then said, "I don't know, sir."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful and said, "I know you have only been here for a little while, Ms. Volyn, but have you met anyone from either Slytherin or Gryffindor?"

"Yes, I have," Disa said. "I met Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger from Gryffindor." She paused, then said, "And Draco Malfoy from Slytherin."

Out of the corner of her eye, Disa saw Snape move suddenly. When she looked at him, he was looking back at her with an odd expression upon his face.

Dumbledore did not seem to notice this. "Well," he said, "I suppose what we should do is..."

"Let her decide where she wants to be," Snape said abruptly.

Dumbledore and McGonagall looked at him. "Why do you say that, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

Looking agitated, Snape began, "I think it should be up to Ms. Volyn to..."

"But we can't go against what the Sorting Hat said, Severus," McGonagall said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Professor McGonagall is right. Moreover, I do not think Ms. Volyn could decide where to go just yet. She has not had any experiences at Hogwarts. Could you decide, Ms. Volyn?" Dumbledore asked Disa.

"I think I would decide to be in Gryffindor, Professor, if I could choose," Disa said honestly. "I would be with my friends then."

Dumbledore considered this, then sighed. "While I do not want to purposefully separate you from your friends, Ms. Volyn, I do not think I can overrule the Hat's decision solely for that reason. As I was going to say, I think you should try both Houses, each for an equal amount of time. Then, at the end of the school term, I think you will have had enough experiences in each to make an educated decision on where you want to spend your remaining years at Hogwarts."

Everyone in the room stared mutely at this statement.

Noticing this, Dumbledore said, "Well, I thought it was a good idea."

McGonagall cleared her throat. "While I would like to see Ms. Volyn in my House for the entire school year, I see your point, Headmaster. Both Gryffindor and Slytherin offer many opportunities for their students to develop different attributes. Nevertheless, I fear it shall be difficult for Ms. Volyn to interact with all of the members of her... Houses, especially when she will not be spending time with some of them half of the year. The sense of community the Houses pride themselves on cannot be reached in that manner."

"You are absolutely right, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "And, I think I have a solution to this dilemma. Ms. Volyn would live in one of the Houses' dormitories for half of the year and spend mealtimes with the opposite House during that time. Then, the Houses will switch!"

Disa felt confused. While she wanted to be with her friends in Gryffindor, there was a nagging voice in the back of her head urging her to go to Slytherin. Although she had no desire to speak to Draco Malfoy again, she could not help but wonder what a Slytherin life had in store for her.

Finally, Disa spoke. "I think I could handle that Professor, if that's all right with you and Professors Snape and McGonagall. I don't want to go against the Hat, especially after I tore it apart."

Dumbledore looked at her in an unexpected way. "You're accepting this without any resistance? You want to be a Slytherin and a Gryffindor?"

Thrown off by his unusual look on his face, Disa stammered, "Well, yes. I...I feel as though I have to be in both." Disa realized what she had just said. "Well, that doesn't make any sense whatsoever," she murmured to herself.

Dumbledore got up from his desk and walked over to Disa. "No, my dear," he said, looking at her very directly. "It makes perfect sense." He then looked at Snape, whose appearance had become more agitated in the last few minutes.

By that time, Disa had given up any hope that she would be able to make any sense of what was going on, so she let the look Dumbledore gave Snape slide. She would question it some other time.

"I suppose the only thing we have to do now is decide where you will be spending the night," Dumbledore said. He turned around and arranged something on his desk. When he turned back, he held a small, black pointed hat in his hands, upside down.

Disa was wondering whether she was supposed to put it on like the Sorting Hat, or do something else, when Dumbledore said, "Please take out your wand, wave it once over the hat, and say 'Desumo! '"

Curious, Disa nevertheless did so. As she removed her wand from her robes for the second time that night, she saw Dumbledore and Snape exchange another glance. Pretending she did not notice, Disa waved her wand once, as instructed, and said, "Desumo!"

Immediately, a piece of parchment flew up into the air and landed in Dumbledore's hand. Putting the hat onto his desk, Dumbledore said, "I put two pieces of parchment in the hat, and the one you have just drawn, perfectly, I might add, is the name of the House you will be spending your time in until the end of January. Whichever name you did not choose is who you shall be eating with tomorrow morning, as the Welcoming Feast is almost over." He opened the folded parchment, glanced at it, and then looked back at Disa.

"Slytherin," he read. Disa felt her stomach twist in an odd way. She was not disappointed, but she honestly did not know how to feel. She glanced at Snape, who looked back at her with an almost nervous look on his face. Disa looked back at Dumbledore, who said, "Slytherin. A most admirable House. I'm sure you will be able to fuel your ambition there."

Disa felt dizzy. The feeling was similar to the one she had experienced on the train. A familiar voice murmured in her mind.

"...And in my choice to reign is worth ambition, though in Hell; Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven."

A woman spat, "And to Hell you shall go."

Disa shook her head. "I'm sure I will," she croaked.

Dumbledore looked at her as though he was sizing her up. He then took a pocket watch from his robes and glanced at it. "A quarter to ten. The students should be in their respective Houses by now. I suggest Ms. Volyn go to hers and introduce herself to her new Housemates. All of the details of this situation will be worked out by tomorrow morning. I bid you goodnight, Ms. Volyn," he said with a slight bow of his head.

Disa nodded back to him and looked at Snape. He was gazing at Dumbledore with a look of doubt on his face. However, he soon realized that Disa was waiting for him, and he quickly beckoned to her. As Disa followed Snape out of the room, she could hear McGonagall say, "Albus, what can be going on?"

Snape and Disa's footsteps echoed eerily down the deserted corridor. When they had reached the Entrance Hall, Disa had a quick look into the Great Hall before she was led down a set of stairs under the main staircase. There were a few lights left, but for the most part, the Hall was dark, and the sight left Disa with an empty feeling inside.

Disa walked quickly to catch up with Snape. Obviously, they were in the dungeons now, and Disa felt the sharp change in temperature as she walked down the dark corridor. She could hear a steady drip, drip of water trickling down some distant wall. Real homey, this is, she thought.

Suddenly, Snape stopped in front of a bare stretch of wall and turned to Disa. He had not said anything since they had left Dumbledore's office, but he spoke now.

"When you enter the common room, the girls' dormitories are on your right. Fifth year girls are the farthest ones down the hall. Your things will be waiting by your bed. The password is 'hawk and a handsaw,'" he said, hardly looking at Disa.

"Er, thank you, Professor Snape," Disa said, as she watched a section of the wall slide over to reveal a passage way lit with torched glowing a pale green. She sensed that Snape was about to turn away and leave her. She quickly said, "Do you not want me in your House, Professor?" That question had been plaguing Disa's mind since the scene in Dumbledore's office. She has the distinct feeling that she was unwanted by the Head of Slytherin House.

Snape stopped where he was. He slowly turned around and looked at Disa straight in the face. His black eyes were unreadable. "I apologize if I have given you that impression, Miss Volyn, but the truth is..." He trailed off. Sighing, he took a step closer to Disa and said, "The truth is, I'm not sure if you belong here. If you should belong here."

Stunned, Disa stammered, "Well, that's what I'm trying to figure out, isn't it?"

Looking at her more steadily, Snape said, "Miss Volyn, listen to me. There are some members of Slytherin whom interactions with will not be beneficial to you, or to anyone else. While I do not wish to speak ill of my students, and of my House, I do not think Slytherin will provide you with opportunities you need to become the one..." He stopped. "To become... whatever you desire to be," he said composedly. He lowered his eyes. "Just a word of advice, Ms. Volyn. Do not conform to Slytherin ways. If you have any true Slytherin in you, as the Hat seemed to think, then you will mold Slytherin to you and your needs. I urge you to do so." He glanced at her quickly, then said, "Good night," and walked away.

Disa stood in front of the entrance to the Slytherin common room, bewildered, for a moment. She had been experiencing odd situations all night, and this one was no exception. Shrugging to herself, she stepped into the passageway and walked quickly down it. Within a few moments, she entered the common room. It was modeled after the rest of the dungeons, complete with stone walls and floor and the now familiar green torches. High backed emerald chairs were scattered throughout the long room, as were tables and a few ottomans. An empty bulletin board was hanging by the passageway into the hall, and tapestries were hung on the walls. Many depicted snakes, coiling menacingly around various objects, but there were some with large dragons and manticores embroidered on them, and a select few showed scenes of ferocious looking creatures terrorizing villagers in ways Disa never could have imagined.

At first, Disa thought the common room was empty, but there were two boys playing chess in a corner. They regarded Disa with a quick glance, but Disa could hear faint whisperings going on. Ignoring them, Disa walked over to the large fireplace. As she neared it, she noticed that the mantle was ornately decorated with intricate woodcarvings. At one corner, a serpent's head stared out, its opened mouth almost hissing at Disa. Touching it with her fingertips, Disa was surprised to feel how cold it was, despite the fact that it was over a roaring fire. Disa saw that the body of the snake was entwined in a very delicate, wavy pattern, almost like a maze. The line that was the body of the snake was uncertain to the onlooker. Slowly, Disa traced the body with her fingers along the top of the fireplace. Her hand slipped from the pattern only a few times before she reached the opposite end of the fireplace. There, instead of finding the tail of the serpent, as she was expecting, an identical head was there, facing the other way. Disa smiled to herself and turned to head to her dormitory. However, when she turned around, she saw a sight that made her smile disappear.

Draco Malfoy looked up at her from his jade chair near the fireplace. Disa heard herself gasp, and mentally kicked herself for doing so. Smirking, Draco got up and walked directly to her. He ended up as close as he was to Disa earlier on the train. Disa could not step back any farther unless she deeply desired for her robes to catch on fire. She could see that, even though Draco's mouth was smiling, his eyes certainly were not. "Welcome to Slytherin," he said scornfully. Disa just looked at him with narrowed blue eyes. His smile disappeared and he turned abruptly, walking to a doorway on the left side of the room and entering it.

Disa closed her eyes. This night was not going well. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the two boys in the corner giving her disdainful looks. She quickly crossed the room and went into the doorway opposite to the one Draco had entered. She walked to the end of the corridor, as instructed, and was met with a wooden door with a plaque that read 'Fifth Years'.

Taking a deep breath, Disa knocked softly on the door.

"Enter," a muffled voice said.

Pushing gently on the door, Disa opened it as it emitted a tiny squeak. Her eyes were met with a medium sized room, with five four-poster beds, each with dark green hangings. Disa was also met with four pairs of cold and calculating eyes.

"Hi," she said sheepishly.

No one answered.

Uncomfortable, Disa looked around. There were a few tapestries on the walls, mostly of beautiful, longhaired blonde women, and one wall had a line of high windows that looked out upon a dark forest. Even though the room was located in the dungeons, it was reasonably warm. Nevertheless, Disa still felt chilled.

Disa turned to the girl who was sitting on her bed closest to her. She was a rather pug faced girl, and she had her arms folded across her chest. Disa extended her hand and said, "I'm Disa Volyn."

The girl did not move. She stared at Disa. Disa's hand slowly returned to her side. The girl looked at it with some satisfaction. "Pansy Parkinson," she said suddenly. "Millicent Bulstrode, Agatha Safaras and Francesca Viscotti," she said, gesturing to the other girls in the room. Disa smiled at them, but none of them returned the favor. Pansy continued to stare at Disa. "So, you're in Slytherin and Gryffindor," she said in such a way that Disa knew it was a statement, rather than a question.

"Uh, yes, that's true...How...how..." Disa stammered.

"How did I know?" Pansy asked. "I have ears, you know. I heard what the Hat said." By now, Pansy's stare had evolved into a full-blown glare. "Half and half, are you? Well, we don't like Gryffindors, do we girls?" she said. Disa saw the others shake their heads. "So that means, for starters, there's half of you we don't like, Volyn. You'll really have to work hard until we start to consider liking the other half of you," Pansy sneered. If Disa had known a really awful hex, she would have performed it right then and there. Unfortunately, she did not, so she resolved to concoct a most terrible revenge. She returned Pansy's glare tenfold.

Pansy smirked, not unlike what Draco had done earlier. She pointed to a bed by the far wall. "That's yours. Be careful of the window next to it. It leaks. A lot." And with that, she shut her hangings. Following her lead, the other girls did the same.

Disa looked at the closed hangings for a moment, then turned and walked to her bed, mouthing obscenities all the way. She threw herself down on the mattress and closed her curtains angrily. She tried to get comfortable, but as she was moving around, she felt that one side of her bed was wet. Opening the hanging closest to the wall, she saw a small window was behind it. Touching the wall, Disa felt that it was damp, but not wet enough to have caused the moistness of her mattress. She figured Pansy and the other girls must have helped with that situation. The tiny window also looked out on the forest, and stars were just visible above the treetops. Disa left her curtains open just enough to look out the window. "Oh, Nana," she whispered. "What is happening to me?" She lay there for a long time before sleep overcame her. Her dreams were filled with snakes and dragons, and Disa's cries for help from Harry.

*

Harry looked out of the window in the Gryffindor common room. "What's happened to Disa, you suppose?" he said.

Ron was examining a tray of cookies on the table next to him, suspecting they were one of his brothers' creations. Hermione was looking at the new Prefect's badge she had received earlier that evening with a dreamy look on her face.

"Maybe Snape locked her in the dungeons," Ron said, poking a cookie with the tip of his wand. A tiny puff of smoke appeared.

"Dumbledore probably just wanted to talk to her, Harry," Hermione reassured him. "If she's going to be in Gryffindor, I'm sure she'll be here soon."

"If?" Ron said. "Like I said before, I cannot imagine Disa being a Slytherin." Shuddering, he said, "I hope, for her sake, she's not."

Hermione nodded and then yawned. "I'm getting tired. I think I'll head up to bed. Disa will probably be coming in within the hour. She can have the bed near me." Gathering Crookshanks in her arms, she said goodnight and went to the girls' dormitory.

"She's right, Harry," Ron said. "Disa will be here soon. And she has the right idea about going to bed." Ron also yawned and got up, giving the cookies one last withering look. "You coming?" he asked.

"In a minute," Harry said, returning his gaze to the window.

Ron shrugged his shoulders and crossed the room. When he was gone, Harry sighed aloud. He was genuinely worried about Disa, and about himself. Memories from his own Sorting kept invading his mind. He questioned that if Disa was put in both Gryffindor and Slytherin, which it seemed as though she had, why wasn't he? Unable to answer that, Harry trudged up the stairs to the fifth year boys' room. Climbing into bed, he wondered what had really happened that night. A sense of something bigger than just a mistake or fluke by the Hat settled itself on Harry. Just before Harry dozed off, an image of Snape saying, "She's here," to Dumbledore flashed across his mind. Still unable to figure out what he meant, Harry fell asleep with questions chasing each other around his mind.

*

Severus Snape paced around his office. He had not felt as agitated as he did now since the end of the school year last term when he knew the Dark Lord had risen again. In fact, he was more agitated now. He knew Dumbledore was beginning to believe him, after he explained most of what he had kept secret for many years. But Snape himself could not fully believe it. Not just yet. In all honesty, what was happening was almost impossible to believe. Myths, fairy tales, legends...these things simply do not come true. Snape shook his head. Unbelievably, one was.

He wondered if he was direct enough with the new girl, Disa Volyn. She did not look too keen on going into the Slytherin common room. Good, he thought. Thinking of whom Disa would have to spend the night with, Snape smiled bitterly and knew that Pansy Parkinson would make sure that her night was horrible. Even better. Perhaps Pansy would be the one to force Disa out of Slytherin forever. Pansy would never know what service she would have performed for the world...

But even with the thought of Pansy tormenting Disa to comfort him, Snape still worried. Some nasty detail was stuck in his mind, telling him there was something that he missed. Glancing at the clock on the mantle, Snape grabbed his wand and walked out of his office, despite the fact that it was one-thirty in the morning.

He walked up the steps leading from the dungeons and headed towards the library. Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, darted from behind a suit of armor and stared at him with bright eyes.

"I hate that cat," Snape muttered under his breath.

Soon he reached the library, and unlocked the doors with a quick wave of his wand. He knew exactly where to look for what he needed.

The Restricted Section.

Snape ran his hand over the bindings of many books until he found what he was looking for. The title was in an ancient runic language that Snape could decipher. It read, "Dark Tales for the Future."

He flipped through until he saw what he needed. Dark eyes roving over the symbols, lips moving slightly as he read, Snape spent a half an hour in that dark corner of the library reading. His eyes suddenly widened and he swore aloud.

Closing the book and putting it back, Snape sighed and whispered, "There's nothing I can do." Seeing the page he had just read in his mind, Snape murmured,

"Though Good may intervene,

And try to prevent things that may mar,

Evil will always have an equal hold,

On the True Leader of the Star."

Snape shook his head. "She has come...and she's in Slytherin. Have mercy on us all."

*

Disa awoke late on Saturday morning. For a moment, she stared curiously at the dark green hangings that surrounded her. Vaguely, she wondered where she was. Then the events of the previous night flooded over her as she mistakenly rolled onto the patch of dampness on her bed. She groaned audibly.

Wary of opening the curtains, Disa nonetheless did so. The girls' dormitory was empty. The other Slytherins has apparently gone down to breakfast. Eager to find Harry, Hermione and Ron, Disa quickly pulled on her jeans and a blue sweater. Grabbing a small bag, Disa put in one of the new schoolbooks she got, entitled Medicinal Magic and You. She figured that she could read it during breakfast if her friends were not there. As she got to the door leading to the common room, Disa wondered whether she needed her wand or not. Deciding against it, she hurried along the corridor and entered the common room.

If she was expecting any visible difference from the night before, Disa was sorely mistaken. Even though she knew bright daylight was streaming outside, the common room looked as dark as ever. The only difference was that there were far more Slytherins there than the previous night. A few were playing a card game by the fire and many were talking in small groups. However, as soon as Disa entered the room, a silence fell over it. Everyone turned their eyes onto her and a few whispered comments to their neighbors. Disa wished she could curse them right then and there, but instead she smiled quickly and made for the door. As she reached the passageway that led to the dungeons, the secret doorway opened and Pansy Parkinson stepped through with a handful of Slytherins in tow.

Narrowing her eyes, Pansy smiled wickedly at Disa. "After you," she sneered, bowing and gesturing to the hallway with her arms. The girls behind her did the same.

Giving the group a withering look, Disa raised her head and marched right past them. Before she could proceed into the hall, however, Draco Malfoy stepped into her path.

"Excuse me," Disa said coldly. Her voice surprised her. She had never sounded so hardened and mean in her life.

Perhaps it surprised Draco too, for he only glanced at her quickly and let her pass. Disa swept out into the hall and did not look back.

Disa heard a large group of voices as she climbed the steps to the Entrance Hall. Stomach growling, she quickened her pace and went into the Great Hall. Bright light was streaming through the high windows and the enchanted ceiling. Scanning the room, she spotted a pair of identical red heads at the far table. Recognizing Fred and George Weasley, she hurried over to them.

Sliding in next to one of them, Disa said, "Hi boys!"

"Disa!" the twin next to her said. "What happened to you? Where did you go last night? And do you know my name?"

Laughing, Disa said, "Well, honestly, I don't know what happened last night. I went to go talk to Dumbledore in his office, and apparently, he doesn't know either. And, I believe that you are George." She playfully poked the boy in the arm.

"Blimey," he said, looking at his brother. "She catches on quick, she does."

Smiling, Disa started to ladle some porridge into her bowl.

"Allow me," Fred said, trying to take the spoon away from Disa.

"No way," Disa said. "I am never letting either one of you handle any of my food again."

The three of them burst out laughing as Harry, Hermione and Ron approached the table.

"Disa! What are you doing here?" Hermione said.

"Eating breakfast of course," Ron said, grabbing a muffin. "What else?"

"When did you come in last night? It must have been late; we didn't see you," Harry said, sitting next to Disa.

"I didn't see your things this morning, Disa," Hermione said, looking worried. "I didn't even know you came in at all."

"I, er, didn't," Disa said sheepishly.

"What, did you sleep outside the common room portrait? The Fat Lady must have been suspicious," George said.

"No, I slept in my dormitory," Disa said. Hermione's mouth opened slightly and she raised her eyebrows. Harry looked at her face confusedly, then comprehension dawned on his own. He quickly turned to Disa, with an expression mixed with confusion, disbelief and pity showing. The twins looked at each other and shrugged. Ron was the only one who had not taken any notice.

"Oh, well, if you slept in your dormitory, Hermione must have been asleep when you came in and you just woke up before she did. Funny she didn't see your stuff though...," he said, muffin in his mouth. He soon noticed everyone looking at him. "What?" he asked.

"Ron," Hermione said. "Disa's in Slytherin."

Ron's jaw dropped and a piece of muffin fell out. "Wha...what?"

"Well, sort of," Disa said as the twins looked at her with strange expressions on their faces. "I am for the first half of the year, but I still get to eat with you. Then, I'll switch Houses after Christmas."

"Slytherin?" Fred said. "Disa...I...wow," he finished.

No one spoke for the next couple of minutes. Disa ate her porridge feeling quite depressed. The jolly atmosphere she had shared with Fred and George had disappeared. Ron sat there, his mouth still slightly open, and Hermione kept shooting worried looks between Disa and Harry. Harry said nothing.

"Well," George said, standing up. "Best be off. Probably should do the homework that was assigned last June. See you all later. Oh, and Harry," he said, turning. "There's a meeting tonight in the common room about the team this year. We'll meet at eight." He smiled at the group and he and Fred walked off, deep in conversation.

"That went well," Disa said, burying her head in her arms.

Hermione patted her hand gently. "Everything's fine, Disa. We still like you, even if you are a Slytherin." Disa raised her head slightly and looked at her. Hermione glanced at the boys and prompted, "Right?"

Ron blinked a few times. "What? Oh, yeah, sure," he said. Hermione jabbed him with her elbow. "Ow! I mean, of course we do, Disa. I was just surprised that you weren't only in Gryffindor."

Disa smiled weakly at him. She saw Hermione give Harry a stern look.

"Yeah, you're still our friend," Harry mumbled. Ron looked at him curiously. "I've got go," Harry said quickly, getting up from the table.

Disa watched him leave the Great Hall. She turned back to Ron and Hermione. "This is not my day," she sighed.

Ron looked lost for words. Hermione, however, asked, "So, why are you in two Houses, Disa?"

"No one seems to know," Disa said, and went on to tell them about what had happened in Dumbledore's office. She also told them about Snape's strange behavior at the common room entrance.

"That's what I found the most odd about the entire evening," Disa said honestly. "Why wouldn't he want me in his House?"

"Well, most everyone in Slytherin is a pure-blood. They don't really like any Muggle born witches or wizards. Did you have Muggle parents?" Ron said.

Disa shook her head. "I'm a pure-blood, as far as I know."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "The oddest thing about what Snape said to you was that it sounded like he was looking out for you. To be brutally honest, Snape is not nice. At all. Especially to Gryffindors." She pursed her lips, deep in thought. "I would have thought that since you told him you were friends with us, that fact would have made him like you even less."

Disa groaned. "All I wanted to do was learn how to turn my worst enemies into slugs! I didn't ask for all this!"

Ron smiled. He was about to say something when his smile faded and he looked past Disa's shoulder. "There goes Harry."

Disa turned and caught a glimpse of a black haired boy walk quickly out of the Entrance Hall doors.

"I wonder what's up with him," Ron said.

Hermione shrugged. "We should probably just leave him alone for a little while. How about I show you the library, Disa?"

Disa nodded. Ron, however, rolled his eyes. "Hermione's answer to everything is to go to the library."

Getting up from the table, Hermione snapped, "Well, maybe in the library we can find out why you are such a prat all of the time!"

"I don't think there's a book big enough to hold all the reasons why," Ron said cheerfully as he followed Disa and Hermione out of the Great Hall.

*

The early morning air was crisp and cool as Harry walked towards the lake. He roughly stuffed his hands into his pockets as his mind raced with millions of different thoughts. Slytherin. Harry had to admit that the fact that Disa was in Slytherin was not the real reason why he felt the way he did. Of course, he did not welcome the idea of befriending a Slytherin, but there is a first time for everything, he told himself. The thing that kept on nagging him was why Disa was placed there. And why he wasn't.

A brisk breeze lifted Harry's hair up at the roots. If only he could talk to Sirius right now. The last time they had spoken had been over three weeks before. Harry wasn't sure what advice Sirius could offer, but any advice was better than none at this point. But how could he tell his beloved godfather that he was almost put in Slytherin? Disappointing Sirius was one of the worst things Harry could think of. Unless you counted being put into Slytherin.

Harry sat down at the edge of the lake. A tentacle from the giant squid waved lazily at him and Harry waved back. He looked over his shoulder at the castle. He was starting to feel a little guilty about leaving his friends so abruptly. He resolved to apologize as soon as he returned. Harry picked up a rock that was next to him and threw it into the lake. It made quite a large splash as it hit the water, and, to Harry's surprise, it released a lot of the anxiety he had built up overnight. He picked up another rock and threw it hard, thinking, Stupid Sorting hat. He threw another. What does it know about where I belong? A rather large rock, or, rather, a small boulder, made a gigantic splash in the lake next. I'm a Gryffindor, not one of those slimy Slytherins...

"What is this?" an unpleasantly familiar voice drawled. "Item number fourteen in The Gryffindor's Guide to Releasing Teenage Angst? 'To alleviate stress or general hatred against the world, throw sharp, pointy rocks at unsuspecting marine life. Be sure to stay a safe distance away from the following: giant squids, giant octopi, jumping and flying piranha fish with a vendetta against stupid Gryffindors with large rocks in their hands...' "

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry said, annoyed, without even turning around to look at the Slytherin boy.

Draco dropped himself next to Harry and smirked at him. Since it was Saturday, Harry himself was wearing jeans and a scarlet Weasley sweater. However, Draco did not find the weekend an excuse to dress even remotely slovenly. His pressed black trousers and his elegant jade cashmere sweater made Draco look as though he stepped out of a Muggle fashion magazine. "Are you ready for the Quidditch season this year, Potter?" Draco asked.

Harry looked at him suspiciously. What was he trying to pull? Draco was acting almost...normal. "More than ready. What about you, Malfoy? You ready to play Quidditch? Oh, right, I forgot. Slytherins don't really play since they don't play fair. They cheat."

Something sparkled in Draco's eyes. "Well, Potter, a wise man once said, 'Eagles may soar, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.'"

Harry snorted. "Where did you get that one, Malfoy? The Slytherin's Guide to Witty Quips?" he asked sarcastically.

"Actually, yes," Draco said quite seriously, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small green book. Embossed on the cover was the title The Slytherin's Guide to Witty Quips.

"Hrmph," Harry grunted.

"Sorry, I don't speak Troll," Draco said cheerfully, twirling a stick between his fingers.

Harry took a deep breath. "Again, Malfoy, I ask you, what do you want?"

"Fame, fortune, a birthday cake full of scantily clad women. You know, the usual," Draco drawled, stretching out and lying back on the grass. "And a pillow. A pillow would be nice right about now."

Harry got up hastily. He had originally gone to the lake to think, but the presence of Draco Malfoy certainly did not allow him to think of anything but a few hexes with interesting results. "Well, forgive me for not rushing to get you one, but I have more important things to do," he said, turning and walking towards the castle.

"Oh, Potter," Draco called. Harry stopped but did not turn around. "I've just remembered why I came to talk to you." He got up off the ground and walked over to Harry, brushing himself off. "Don't expect that Volyn girl to stay friends with you or your gang of misfits for very long. She is in Slytherin, you know. She'll soon realize the error of her ways," he smirked.

Angry, Harry said, "She's in Gryffindor, too."

"Ah, yes. How unfortunate," Draco said. "She soon will be cured of that ailment. I'll see to that. And the cure will be provided free of charge, so your friend Weasley won't have to sell anything to help pay for the bill. Have a nice day, Potter," he said and walked off toward the castle.

Harry fumed silently for a few moments. It looked as thought an apology for his friends would have to wait. There were a few rocks near the lake with Malfoy's name on them just waiting to be hurled in.

*

"Disa. Disa!"

"Huh? What?"

"What are you doing?" Ron asked quizzically, looking around as Disa herself was.

"Books," she whispered. "Look at all the books!"

Ron raised one eyebrow at her. "Er, well, we are in a library, Disa, so I think books are a prerequisite for these kinds of places," he said.

Disa gave him a withering look. "I know that, Ron. I just have never seen so many books in one place." This was very true. There had to be tens of thousands of books on thousands of shelves, some tomes as big as coffee tables, others smaller than the palm of Disa's hand. "It's almost like heaven," she murmured.

Ron took her by her elbow and led her over to a group of tables where she could see Hermione sitting. "You sound like Hermione. I am almost positive that heaven is filled with Chocolate Frogs and Sugar Quills, not the Hogwarts library."

"That's Ron for you. Always thinking with his stomach," Hermione said, flipping through a huge volume entitled Hogwarts, A History.

"It's the only way to think," Ron said cheerily, but his expression soon changed from one of mirth to one of horror. "Hermione, what are you doing?"

"Reading, Ron. Obviously," she said, taking out a roll of parchment and writing something down with her quill.

"Are you taking notes? Hermione, classes haven't even started yet!" Ron said, utterly horrified.

"I'm just seeing if anything similar to what happened to Disa last night had ever happened before," said an annoyed Hermione.

"Oh, right. Good thinking," Ron said, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "Have you found anything yet?"

"Well," Hermione began, "in 1878, the Sorting Hat was placed on a first year student's head and after ten minutes, it still had not decided anything. It turns out that a Muggle boy had accidentally gotten onto the Hogwarts Express and joined the rest of the first years. His memory had to be modified, and new protective wards were placed on the Express and it stations." She flipped a few pages forward, then said, "So, not really."

"Oh no!" Ron said in a mocking tone. "Your precious book doesn't hold all the answers! What are you going to do?"

"Ron, maybe if you actually read this book you would see all the vital information it holds..." Hermione began.

"If I read it, I would be dead before I even reached half way through!" he said.

"You just don't understand..." Hermione said and she and Ron were off and running with one of their arguments that Disa had learned to expect.

"I'm just going to have a look around," Disa told them, but they were too involved in their spat to notice her.

Smiling to herself, Disa began to explore the stacks of books that surrounded her. She found a section devoted to dragons (many boys were eagerly reading these books), one all about beauty charms (a lot of second and third year girls were here), and one section seemed to be completely written by some wizard named Gilderoy Lockhart (no one was looking at these). Soon, she found herself in front of a roped off section and saw the librarian, Madame Pince, guarding the entrance like a hawk. She had a raven perched on her shoulder. Both she and the raven glared at Disa.

"Do you have a note from a professor?" she inquired, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Uh, no," Disa stammered. "I was just looking."

"Well, there's no use looking in the Restricted Section unless you have a note, so off with you," Madam Pince said, shooing Disa away with her hands.

"All right, all right!" Disa said, uncomfortable with the way the librarian was giving her wary looks. Instead of looking at the shelves near the Restricted Section as she was planning to do, Disa walked over to the far corner of the library where, judging from the amount of dust on the shelves and the books themselves, not many people ventured there. As Disa looked at the titles, she knew why no one ever came back here. The books were boring. There were books describing all of the charms one could perform on a piece of broccoli, others about the evolution of the black pointy hat and one large book was entitled Bore Your Friends and Enemies With This Book.

Disa ran her fingers along the books' bindings, amused at how the dust floated off of them. When she reached the end of the shelf, Disa heard a light thump behind her. Turning around, she saw a small hardcover blue book lying on the ground. Assuming she had knocked it off the shelf, Disa bent down and picked it up. The cover was slightly velvety to the touch and there were small silver symbols imprinted on it. Disa flipped it over to look at the back, but nothing out of the ordinary was there. Opening the cover, she noticed that other than the first page, which had the same strange symbols etched into the paper in a silvery ink, there were no words at all throughout the book.

"Strange," Disa murmured, leaning in to examine the symbols more closely.

"What are you doing here?" a voice sharply asked.

Quickly, Disa slammed the book shut and spun around, hiding the little blue book behind her back. Her gaze was met by the piercing eyes of Madam Pince, who was holding a feather duster and looking suspiciously at Disa.

"Er, just looking," Disa stammered, wondering why she was hiding the book from the librarian. It was almost as if she didn't want anyone to know about the nearly blank book.

Madam Pince narrowed her eyes. She didn't seem to trust Disa to tell the truth, especially since she had been snooping around the Restricted Area.

"Well, I'm off!" Disa said as cheerfully as she could and hurried away from the librarian. She could sense her piercing gaze upon her back. Disa quickly put the book in her pocket, and turned a corner, looking for Ron and Hermione.

She found them as she had left then, bickering away over the open Hogwarts, A History. She sat down next to Hermione and took out her discovery. After a few minutes, Ron, who was quite pink in the face, noticed that Disa was looking at a book quite closely.

"Oh, no, not you, too!" he exclaimed, and Hermione turned to look at Disa. "Hermione has already rubbed off on you!"

"I am going to let that one slide, Ronald Weasley," Hermione said slowly and evenly. "What did you find, Disa?" she asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Disa admitted. "I've been trying to find a pattern of some sort within these symbols, but I can't at all."

"Could I see?" Hermione asked. Disa nodded and handed her the book. After a few minutes, Hermione said, "I've never seen anything quite like this." She flipped through the rest of the book. "Why," she exclaimed, "the rest of the book is blank!"

Disa took the book back from her and said, "Yes, I know, I found that quite odd myself. Do you know if there is anyway to see if something was written in invisible ink, Hermione?"

"Well, a few years ago, I did have a Revealer, but I misplaced it last year. But I have some across a simple spell that reveals hidden things on the page. Just wave your wand over the page and say 'Exstego,' " Hermione said.

"Oh, but I don't have my..." Disa began, glancing down into her bag. To her surprise, her wand was sticking out near the top. "Funny," Disa murmured. "I thought I left this in my room."

Noticing that Ron and Hermione were looking at her curiously, Disa quickly grabbed her wand and performed the spell. Not to her surprise, nothing appeared on the blank pages. Shrugging, Disa closed the book and said, "Oh, well, no big deal."

Ron glanced at his watch, then exclaimed, "Oh, blimey, I've got to go! I said I would meet Fred and George for some Quidditch practice."

"Are you on the Gryffindor team?" Disa asked.

"Not yet," Ron smiled. "Tryouts are in a few weeks. Our House needs a new Keeper, so hopefully that will be me."

"You'll do great, Ron," Hermione said.

Blushing slightly, Ron said, "Thanks, Hermione. Well, see you two lasses later!" He hurried out of the library.

"Well," Hermione said, "do you want to see where the Owlrey is? I could show you where the kitchens are and introduce you to the house elves!"

"Sure," Disa said, a little wary of the excitement Hermione spoke with about the house elves. "Sounds like fun."

"Great! I just have to ask Madam Pince about something very quickly and I'll be all set," puffed Hermione, who was struggling to get Hogwarts, A History into her bag.

"I'll just meet you outside, then?" Disa called as Hermione walked over to the far side of the library. Hermione waved at her, so Disa pushed everything into her bag, including the mysterious blue book, and walked out of the library doors.

As Disa was waiting in the hallway for Hermione, she witnessed the harsh rules of the library go into effect. Some poor young first year walked past the gryphons that guarded the library doors with a book in his hand. Before he could step into the hallway, the marble animals sprang to life and blocked his path. Terrified, the boy cringed as a piercing alarm went off somewhere and he jumped when Madam Pince suddenly appeared next to him out of nowhere.

"Did you forget to check that book out with me?" she screeched. "You should know the rules!"

Madame Pince's raven swooped down and grabbed the book in its talons. The boy whimpered as his friends looked on and laughed. Hermione walked past and shook her head.

"Never leave the library with a book that's not checked out, Disa," she warned. "Those gryphons won't budge an inch, and you'll be on Madam Pince's bad side for your entire stay here if you don't." She sighed and said, "Ready for the grand tour?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Disa replied, all the time thinking that she herself had walked straight past those gryphons with the small blue book in her bag without them ever blinking as much as a single eyelash. Hermione didn't need to know that. Did she?

*

Draco was sitting in the Slytherin common room, reading The Slytherin's Guide to Witty Quips and writing in some of his own, when Pansy Parkinson flounced over and sat down on the couch quite close to him. Draco, as he watched her do this, noted that Pansy was the only person he had ever seen who actually flounced. It was a very strange sight, indeed.

"So, the other girls and I hexed some pieces of bubble gum to tangle themselves in the new girl's hair," Pansy said, a malicious smile on her face. "Think of anything else we can curse, Draco?"

Draco looked at her, his face expressionless except for a faint glimmer in his grey eyes. He closed his book slowly and said, "Bubble gum? How simply sophomoric of you, Pansy. Congratulations. Did you think that one up by yourself, or did the genius Millicent Bulstrode have a revelation?"

Pansy was taken aback. Usually, Draco contributed innovative ideas to their conversations about tormenting Gryffindors, but for some unknown reason, he seemed to have lost his touch. After all, Pansy thought, that Volyn girl is still a Gryffindor, no matter where she lives. She should be treated as such. Which evidently meant that she was to be attacked with flying devious pieces of chewing gum.

"You've been acting very strange ever since we came back from holiday," Pansy accused, trying to look Draco in the eyes. He stubbornly refused to meet her gaze by inspecting his fingernails. Her eyes widened as she asked, "Your father didn't bring you to see..."

"No," Draco said sharply, almost baring his teeth. "He didn't."

Pansy shut her mouth quickly. This subject was obviously not one to be discussed at this point. She was still puzzled about the way Draco was acting, but couldn't quite place her finger on the reason why. She decided to stop pressing for answers that she wasn't going to get.

"So, what do you think of the Volyn girl?" she asked, looking at Draco out of the corner of her eye. "Is she a freak or what?"

Draco shrugged elegantly. "I have no business with her. She hasn't even crossed my mind since she got here," Draco lied, convinced that Pansy would believe him. He had not given her a reason to disbelieve him. The truth, however, was that Disa Volyn had crossed Draco's mind. She had, in fact, crossed it several times. Usually, Draco never busied himself with the affairs of lesser life forms, but for some unknown reason, he was resolved to keep tabs on this new girl. She obviously did not come from a family of power, so no political gain could be made from befriending the girl, thought Draco. She did not seem to pose a threat, either, so their was no need to try to break her down. The only reason Draco could think of as to why he should be friends with Disa was that he had a chance to take something away from Harry Potter.

Ever since the first day he had met Harry, he wanted to punish him for refusing to be friends with him. Not that he wanted to be chummy with that smarmy git now. He just did not deserve what he had. And Draco, slowly but surely, intended to take all of that away.

"Well, I think she's a prat," Pansy said, crossing her arms in front of her. "She shouldn't even be here at Hogwarts, let alone in Slytherin. She's going to bring the whole House down with her Gryffindor tendencies. All of that so-called 'bravery' and such."

Draco's left eyebrow rose slightly. "Who needs bravery when you have Evil and Cunning Plans to Get What You Want, eh, Pansy?" he asked.

"Exactly my point, Draco," Pansy said vehemently, completely missing the subtle sarcasm that Draco injected in his question. She got up off the couch. "You know what's important in life," she said as she walked towards her dormitory.

Draco sat at the couch staring at the low fire that was burning slowly in the grate, thinking that while he may not know what was important in life, he knew what was important for his life at that moment. And that was to make Potter miserable, preferably through Disa.

At that moment, Disa herself walked through the common room door. She had owl feathers all over her clothes. She glanced around the room and her eyes met Draco's. She quickly looked away and headed towards her room. Draco got up and stopped her before she could enter the hallway to her dormitory.

"Good afternoon, Volyn," he said, trying to sound pleasant. Disa thought that Draco sounded as though he was going to be sick in a few moments, but when she saw him smile at her almost kindly, she realized that he was trying to be nice. Which, she thought, probably was making him sick to his stomach.

"Hi, Dra- Malfoy," she said, wary of his motives.

"How was breakfast?" he grinned.

"Er, fine," Disa said, looking around her. She placed her hand on her head, feeling her hair. She had noticed some suspicious-looking pieces of chewing gum sitting on Pansy's desk that morning, and she did not put it past Draco to charm them to fly into her hair. Her tresses were gum-free, however.

"Do you have plans this afternoon?" Draco inquired. He delicately picked an owl feather off of her sweater and inspected it. "I was going to ask if you wanted a tour of the Owlrey, but it appears that you have already been there."

Hastily, Disa brushed off her sweater. Draco's behavior was surprising, to say the least, especially after the cold welcome he had given her the evening before. "I actually have to meet with Professors McGonagall and Snape this afternoon to go over my schedule of classes for this term. But thank you for the offer nevertheless," she said. "That's where I'm going to go now, in fact. I have to pick up a few things, first."

"Well, good luck, then," Draco said, surprising himself and Disa with his apparent kindness. "See you later."

Disa looked oddly at him then waved as she made her way towards the dormitory. Before she could enter the hallway, however, she bumped into Pansy. Pansy looked between Disa and Draco and back again, a surprised look upon her face. Disa's expression hardened as she slid past Pansy into the hallway.

Pansy turned to Draco, her mouth open as if she was going to say something. Before she could speak, Draco said, "Well, I should get some flying practice in today. I won't have much time once classes start. See you later." He quickly walked across the room to the boys' dormitories.

Pansy looked after him, an unreadable expression on her face. When Disa walked past her and out the door, however, Pansy's look of suspicion and hate was easy to see.