AN: So here it is, chapter two. There are some explanations at the bottom, and if it doesn't answer any of your questions then just ask me :)
This chapter is dedicated to paperandpencil, (tumblr name) who made the awesome cover of this story. I'm so happy with it, thank you.
I am sorry for any errors that I maybe haven't seen yet. Inform me about them.
If someone had asked about Santana's summer, she would reply that it was worthless shit.
Quinn spent most summer at her house; even Draco came over to hang out. They mostly talked about school, trash talked the Golden trio, but they mostly played Quidditch together. Draco seemed to like Quinn a little more than just a friendship, but not once the blonde girl responded to his attempts to bond with her.
She noticed that Draco was like a lost puppy around her brother too. He adored the older man and constantly tried to impress him. It had been a little irritating, but Caleb brushed him off often, but sometimes showed him things so he could improve the broom riding.
They all grew a lot that summer, her and Draco's relationship began to deepen drastically. Their families had meetings that they weren't allowed to be a part of; even her brother was with them. Caleb told her before they all arrived, that the Malfoy family was an honorable and proud. Purebloods', like them and the Quinn's family.
At first she didn't understand at all, but when Lucius and Narcissa entered their home with Draco in tow, she understood what he had tried to tell her. They were respected, and Santana was supposed to be nice and polite.
Lucius had given her a tight smile while telling her that Draco had told him about her.
"Only good things, I hope," she had replied with a forced smile while shaking his hand.
"Yes, yes only good things," he had assured her and then greeted her brother with a firm handshake.
She had noticed that her brother had been different around the guests, but she never questioned it.
Narcissa told her that she was a pretty girl, she seemed more relaxed than Lucius, but Santana got this weird feeling about her anyway.
Once she'd greeted everyone, they all disappeared into the manor's dining hall and weren't seen until after nightfall.
When the meetings had a pause in the middle of the summer, Caleb told her about something called animagus. Apparently, all of the family members in the Lopez clan could turn into one of those. The next day, Caleb showed her when he turned into a Raven. And then they began her training, for two weeks every day until Quinn and Draco came to visit with their families again. But she had to swear not to tell anyone about it.
"So what's the deal with this meetings?" Quinn huffs and throws herself onto Santana's bed, while Draco and she plops down on two armchairs, all of them exhausted after a whole day of flying in the Lopez backyard.
"I have no idea," Draco sighs, "no offense, but I want to go home,"
"Yeah, me too," Santana tease and he smiles at her.
"Why don't you just ask Caleb?" Quinn asks her and she puffs her cheeks, and then release the air.
"He won't tell me," she answers simply with a shrug.
"But he tells you everything," Quinn states with a raised eyebrow.
"Not anymore, he just told be that we'll find out eventually when we get older."
Draco groans, "I hate it when they treat us like little children," his nose scrunches like he's disgusted, "we're old enough to know."
She and Quinn agree with nods and silence falls.
Santana briefly wonders what Brittany is up to this summer, but doesn't dwell on it too long. They haven't talked even once, but she is too scared to use her father's owl to send her a letter. He doesn't have a problem with the Ravenclaw house, but he has made it clear that she should stay with her own kind. Which means, the Slytherins.
Quinn speaks up after a little while, making her thoughts about her favorite blonde interrupt. But she's always in the back of her mind, even if she doesn't notice.
They head to Diagon Alley to get their things. Draco's father brings them, her and Quinn and Draco, because their parents are busy. First, they head to Madam Malkin's to get their new robes. They don't see any reason to carry them around, so they just put them on. Maybe because they're proud to show the people they pass that they're Slytherins. Then they head to the Magical Menagerie to get the cat her father promised her.
Santana finds a Norwegian forest kitten while Draco and Quinn is looking at the lizards. His fur is all grey, and his nose is dark. The little kitten runs over to her when he sees her, putting his paws on the side of the cage and meows loudly.
And that's it. She needs him. When she picks him up, he clings to her new Slytherin robe likes he needs her too. Quinn and Draco coos and pets him as she pays for him and a new cage for him to travel in.
A kitten later, they head to the bookshop where Gilderoy Lockhart has his signing for his new book. Mr. Malfoy is off somewhere, so they decide to go up stairs and wait for him to appear.
Draco swears under his breath as that Harry Potter takes his pictures with Gilderoy. Her brother talked about him as well over the summer, saying that he was a brat who thought that he was so important and famous. Even her parents seemed to dislike him, which made her in turn despise him to the core. If her family didn't like him, and none of her friends' or their families', then she wasn't going to either. He is 'The Boy Who Lived' after Voldermort's attempt to murder him. To her, this seems ridiculous, because her parents have spoken so highly of Voldermort, saying he's the greatest wizard of all time.
"Bloody Potter," he spits with disgust and scowls down at the scene. "thinks he is better than all of us."
Quinn mutter something in response as Potter gets all of Lockhart's books' for free, and Santana matches their scowls while she holds her cage with her new kitten.
As they see the 'Potter gang' leave, with that pathetic excuse of friends', a mudblood, and the Weasleys', Draco makes a sign to follow him down, and they do. They reach the end of the stairs as Potter and his friends are just about to leave.
"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" Draco spits, she and Quinn stands at either side of him. She sees Harry's eyes flicker between them all. The mudblood girl tries to look into the cage she's holding but she angles it in a different direction and gets a scowl in return from her, and she glares back.
"Famous Harry Potter, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page!"
That red haired little girl, she doesn't know her name, steps forward.
"Leave him alone," she growls in an attempt to seem threatening, and she and Quinn giggles, and she decides to speak up.
"Awh," she coos with a fake voice, "look, Potter got himself a girlfriend."
Draco looks at her with a smirk playing on his lips, and Quinn chuckles.
The voice of Lucius Malfoy cuts through the air, and suddenly a snake cane pushes them all to the side. She can hear the sarcasm in his words when he talks to Harry, looking at his scar. When he talks back to Mr. Malfoy, she is quite chocked, but doesn't show it. Poor boy, obviously doesn't know whom he's talking to.
As Harry speaks Voldermort's name out loud, she finds that Lucius seems chocked. No one in her family has said his name out loud, just that time when she was little and her brother told her about the legend of him.
That Hermione girl speaks up, and Lucius directs his gaze towards her with arrogant features. "And you must be…" he gets a nod from Draco, "Miss Granger?"
"Draco has told me all about you, and your parents." He states with a disgusted undertone. "Muggles, aren't they?"
No one replies, so he turns to the red haired boys and the girl and picks up an old book from the latter's cauldron. "Second hand books, red hair," he seems to think. "you must be the Weasley's," he concludes and Santana feels so much respect to this man. She would've pissed her pants if he talked to her with that voice.
A man with red hair with an ugly hat and familiar features to the Weasley's appear, and Lucius seems to know him. "Arthur," he smirks.
"Lucius," the man, Arthur, replies. He sends them a glance quickly, but pays no unnecessary attention to them. Doesn't he know who my father is? she thinks, but just glares at him, like Quinn and Draco.
"Associating with muggles," Mr. Malfoy sighs, "and I thought your family could sink no lower." He mutters and Santana smirks as he leaves with a, "see you at work."
They don't leave immediately, because Draco is in need to show the gang that he's not afraid or affected by them, or his father.
"See you at school," he sneers and with that, they leave, side by side.
They are currently on King's Cross-station with all of their parents and even Caleb is with them.
He gives her a long hug, ending it with a tight squeeze. "Have a great year, S," he whisper before he releases her with a smile.
Her father embraces her as well, and makes her promise to behave and get good grades this year. Her mother has tears in her eyes that make her a little sad, but it passes as Quinn walks over to her side and drags her onto the train.
Draco finds them not long after, Crabbe and Goyle in his heels. Jesse and Sebastian appear soon enough and they makes their way to a train carriage after waving their families' goodbye.
Jesse and Sebastian seem more mature this year, which is a huge relive. Their families' was at the Lopez manor this summer as well, but they didn't tag along like Draco and Quinn. She has this fading memory of shaking the Crabbe and Goyle family too.
"So, how was everybody's summer?" Sebastian asks, and all of them engage in the conversation that envelops.
When they get off the train in Hogsmeade, her eye catches a flick of blonde hair.
Brittany has grown, her features more mature but at the same time child-like as the first time she saw her. Her eyes glow with excitement and she feel her mouth twitch into a small smile as she watches Brittany talk to her friends. She's taller too, and her body is more feminine she notices.
Brittany looks her way and their eyes lock. The blonde offers a faint smile that makes her heart swell and her grin widens even more. Five seconds later, Quinn takes a hold of her elbow and they join the group again.
The Slytherins greets their new first years with open arms, but at the same time shows them that they're losers at the moment.
Santana feels the looks the boys in her year give her, she knows that she has grown and as Brittany, her body has grown a little womanlier and her hair is longer. But there is one look that is different and kind of boring into her. She looks up to find Brittany staring at her.
Her eyes are not like the boys, they're adoring and longing and Santana finds that she can't wait to see her tomorrow in the library.
They keep sneaking gazes at each other, smiling slightly as they catch the other one looking. Draco sneers any time a Gryffindor is being announced; Quinn just looks bored by it all while the other boys actually seem interested.
As they leave, she catch Draco shoving that Potter boy on the way out and that bushy haired girl- Hermione, gives him a glare that falters when she lays her eyes on Santana. It makes her smirk, that she still has that effect on people with her glare.
She goes to bed early, leaving Quinn with Draco and the others'. She's tired, and wants some time alone. Brittany keeps coming into her mind, every time she pushes it away, but can't help that she's the last thing on her mind as she falls asleep.
Quinn wakes her up before breakfast and they don't wait for the rest of the group to get to the Great Hall. They eat in silence as they look at their lessons for today.
The boys' joins them, and shortly Brittany and her friends' walks in as well. They share a look that makes Santana believe that Brittany has just seen than they share a lot of classes.
This year, they have Defense against the Dark Arts, and Herbology with the Gryffindors', Transfiguration and Astronomy with all of the second years', and the rest they shared with the Ravenclaws.
"Why couldn't we get the Hufflepuffs' instead of those proud damn Gryffindors'!" Draco groans, Crabbe and Goyle instantly mimic his actions. "I don't want to be in the same room as that Potter."
She is too caught up in watching Brittany take a sip of her pumpkin juice to notice Draco groans. Brittany is watching her across the tables, a little smile adoring her lips. That feeling comes back to her, like she was about to explode or something.
The blonde holds up six fingers a little discreetly and gives her a bigger smile than before when she nods in understanding. Six o'clock- the library.
After dinner, she almost runs towards the library, she can't wait to see the blonde and tell her about her kitten- Canus.
She enters the library, and with quick steps approach Brittany who is sitting at their table.
"Hi," she breaths out, and Brittany snaps her attention to her and stands up.
"Hey," she replies and grins. Soon, her slender arms are around her waist and she throws her arms around the taller girls neck.
That fruity smell hits her, and she smiles into blonde hair. "hi," she whispers, because it's so unreal. She has imagined about this moment so many times, but in hugging Brittany in real life can't even compare.
"How was your summer?" Brittany asks as they let go of each other, about ten seconds later.
"It was fine," she replies, "Quinn, Draco and I mostly played Quidditch, my parents held this meetings at our place and there was a lot of people there." She explains with a bored tone. Her summer was boring, and it was nothing to share. "How was Germany?"
Brittany's eyes lights up at the question. "It was great, I got to met all of my cousins. I even got a new one! My aunt was pregnant when we came, and then needed to give birth," she says excitedly, "she is so cute, San, you should see her!"
She can't help but smile at her pet name, Brittany is the only one to call her that. It's special, because Brittany is special.
"What's her name?" she asks.
"Cara," Brittany answers dreamily, "she is so cute, even when she's screaming. I want one too someday!"
Santana chuckles at her happiness, it affects her. She always finds herself happy around Brittany.
"Taking about cute," she begins and her smile widens when the blonde leans into her. "I got a kitten."
"Really?" Brittany coos, "Is it a he or a she?" she asks.
"It's a him," she replies, thinking of her grey little kitten that is probably on her bed right now, sleeping peacefully. Brittany grabs her arm and it sends tingles through her whole body and her stomach makes flip-flops.
"What's his name?" she leans in and rests her head on her shoulder, which in turn makes her blush as well.
"Canus," she announces proudly and turns her head a little to sniff at her blonde hair and the arm that embraces hers tightens.
"What does it mean?" she asks and her hand starts playing with the sleeve of her shirt. "If I know you, it means something smart."
She chuckles in response and her smile turns fond. "It means 'grey' or 'silver' in latin, which is perfect for him because sometimes, in the moonlight, it looks like his fur are silver."
"So he has grey fur, but not in the moonlight?" Brittany adds curiously.
"Yeah."
Brittany removes her head to look at her properly, "Lord Tubbington and Canus is going to be the best friends ever!"
She just grins and nods in response.
"My father asked if we wanted an advantage to get on the Quidditch team," Draco tells her and Quinn in the common room. "he's buying new brooms' for the entire team, and he asked if you wanted on the team as well."
Santana smirks, and she can see that Quinn does too. They look at each other, and don't even need to discuss it further.
"Yeah," she answers for the both of them, Quinn nodding in agreement.
"Great," he grins, try-outs are this afternoon."
Marcus Flint, the captain, seemed impressed by all of their try-outs. Santana knew that she was better than her friends, which made her feel a little better. Flint grinned at her when she was finished, and she was guaranteed one of the Chaser positions even before he knew that Draco's father was giving the team new brooms'.
They where on the way to the Quidditch pitch, and crossed the courtyard when the Gryffindor team appeared- looking rather angry. Wood, their captain, asked Marcus what they were doing, because he had booked the pitch apparently. Which she didn't know. But then he held up a letter from Professor Snape, saying that they were allowed to use it so they could train their new addition to the team.
"New players? Who are they?" Wood asked dumbly, making her roll her eyes.
Marcus stepped aside to give them room to step forward.
She could see Draco grin wickedly in the corner of her eye, and she smirks at the face Harry is wearing.
"Malfoy?" he asks mostly to himself- in disbelief, and then eyes her and Quinn up and down as well.
"We're not the only thing that is new this year," Draco says smugly and shows off the new Nimbus 2001 he is holding.
Santana grins at their expressions, holding her broom so that they can easily see. She doesn't notice that Granger girl and the Weasley boy next to her until the boy speaks up.
"Those are Nimbus 2001s'! How did you get those?" he asks with a chocked voice.
She scowls at them, irritated of how close they were. Before she could do something about it, Marcus spoke.
"They're gifts from Draco's father." He explains with a little smile.
"You see Weasley, unlike some, my father can afford the best." Draco mocks and she chuckles along with the other Slytherins'.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in by pure talent." Everybody's head turns to the Granger girl, and Santana eyes her up and down, having the best come-back on her tongue, but just as she's about to say it, Draco steps past her towards her.
"No-one asked your opinion. You filthy little mudblood."
Her eyes widen, and she stares at Draco's head. He has crossed the line, by miles. The rest of the team chuckles nervously, while the Gryffindor team gasps in time with each other, muttering under their breaths.
She can't bear to see the Granger girl's face, so she averts her gaze towards one of the benches across the courtyard. Her eyes wides even more than before when she sees Brittany sitting there with two of her friends. They have obviously listened to everything that has been said, and Brittany doesn't look very happy.
For the first time, she's ashamed. Of Draco, and for being his friend. For being a coward and not say anything.
But then a thought hit her; Draco became furious because Granger had practically insulted her and Quinn, too- saying that all three of them didn't earn their titles. So she became angry again, and offended. He was standing up to them, to his friends- just like Granger had.
Next day at lunch, Draco tells her about how everybody found Harry where the blood-y wall had been, with Mrs. Norris hanging from a hook, and what the wall had said.
"The heir?" she asks confused, "who's that?"
"I have no idea," he chuckles, "probably just someone who made a prank, but Dumbledore seemed upset, so I don't know."
They head towards the next class, Transfiguration, where that Granger girl asks Professor McGonagall about the Chamber of Secrets. She don't believe any of if, but Draco seems pretty interested for once.
That crap about a monster going after the mudbloods' were just bizarre, and that an heir was supposed to be able to open up a damn chamber that was secret? Well sure.
She met Brittany after dinner in the library. They hadn't talked about all of this crap about the chamber, and about what Draco said to Granger in the courtyard. But maybe it was time.
"Hey, Britt," she began, a little unsurely. All this talk that was going around, about how all the mudbloods' will die and so on made her uneasy. In the back of her mind, there was a warning signal about all of this. There was a possibility that this was true, all of it.
She wasn't sure about if Brittany was pureblooded of not, if she wasn't; for her it didn't matter. But she would be worried about her all the time.
"A-are you a pureblood?"
Brittany stares at her with a face she can't read. "I-I mean all thi-"
"Does it matter?" Brittany asks, and still, she can't read her.
"No," she answers quickly, and Brittany's gaze turns cold.
"Then why are you asking, Santana?"
She swallows the nervous lump in her throat; her heart is beating so fast. She doesn't want Brittany to think she minds, she is just scared of her disappearing. To go away.
"All this talk about… the monster," her eyes flickers everywhere possible and she clenches the quill in her hand. "I don't want anything to happen to you,"
The blonde's eyes soften and she offers a small smile as she drops her quill to lay her hand on hers.
"San," she whispers and her hand drops the quill she was almost breaking. "They're not sure that it's even true," she says and entwines their fingers.
"Yeah, but still," she whispers back and takes a deep breath. "I want to be sure that nothing can happen to you."
Brittany gives her an adoring look, and she smiles weakly back at her. "I'm a pureblood," she confirms and squeezes her hand. "I'm not going anywhere."
This gives her closure. Legend said, that only the ones Salazar Slytherin wanted gone, which is everyone who is not pureblood, are in danger.
"I will protect you Britt," she assures her and Brittany grins at her fondly. "I won't ever let anything happen to you, you know that right?"
She is not sure, but Brittany seems to blush at those words. But she turns away too quickly for her to se properly.
"Yeah," she murmurs as a response and squeeze her hand again and then starts to play with her ink stained fingers. "I'll protect you too."
When that irritating boy from Gryffindor, the one that always takes pictures, is announced to be… she's not really sure what he is. There is a rumor going around that says he has turned into stone.
Why, no one knows. Weren't that monster supposed to kill those who didn't have pure blood?
At least Brittany was safe, sitting behind her in Astronomy. Which, tonight, was different.
"So, today I'm going to give you a partner for the rest of the year," Aurora Sinistra says to the class, and in return everybody groans.
"I think that it's important to be able to work with the people you don't always hang out with." She explains and smiles their way- at the Slytherins.
Draco left her side to be paired up with that black girl Brittany hangs out with, and Quinn gets this annoying small brunette that sings under her breath all the time.
"Miss Lopez," Professor Sinistra calls her, "you're with Miss Pierce,"
She needs to stop herself from grinning when she turns around slowly, just to see Brittany doing the same. They get to have each other as partners for the rest of the year. Finally, she can tell people that her and Brittany are friends, at least after a couple of weeks.
She can see that Brittany is drumming her fingers against the table; she only does that when she is nervous or excited. When she makes her way to her, Draco catches her eyes and he makes a puking face. She smiles back slightly and shrugs.
"Hi," the blonde chirps happily and moves her telescope so Santana can have any room for hers.
"Hey B," she murmurs discreetly, just as happily. She pulls out her telescope.
"I don't like the midnight classes," Brittany whispers so Professor Sinistra won't hear them talking, "I'm always confused at breakfast the next day because it feels like lunch." She scowls.
She chuckles under her breath and gazes at Brittany in the now dark classroom, their Professor has opened the roof in some kind of way and everything is pitch black except for the sky above them.
Twenty minutes later of studying the moons of Jupiter through their telescopes, she feels a warm hand nudge her own at the table and it sends chills down her spine. She takes a look around them, everyone is too occupied with their telescopes to even notice when she links their finger together in her lap, and stays there through the whole lesson.
Christmas break isn't like she thought it would be this year, because she writes her parents and tells them she doesn't want to go home for Christmas. Brittany is staying, but her friends are going home. Someone needs to look after her.
They're mostly in the library, not studying, just talking. Lord Tubbington and Canus are playing under the sofa they're currently sitting on.
"So your parents said it was okay for you to stay?" Brittany asks and sits a little closer, making her a little nervous. She has noticed this lately; that she finds herself nervous and blushing in the company of the blonde.
"I think they were going to have these strange meetings again, so they didn't protest," she explains and lets Brittany hold her hand. "I wanted to stay, to take care of you."
Brittany smiles at her, and she can't help but notice those freckles across her nose, and how happy she seems to be around her.
"I can take care of myself," she murmurs and rests her head on Santana's shoulder. "Someone needs to take care of you though." She teases and Santana grins while she nudges her shoulder against her chin lightly.
Canus hops onto her lap and starts to purr as Brittany reach out her hand to pet him. She can see that he likes Brittany, very often when she's with them he seeks her out and makes himself ten times cuter than he already is. He knows that Brittany has a soft spot for him; she gives him treats when she thinks Santana isn't looking.
He has grown, but at least he's not as big as Lord Tubbington who barely makes it up onto the sofa.
They sit there for a really long time, just enjoying each other and stoking their cats.
Since almost everyone in Slytherin has traveled home, she takes Brittany down to the dungeons the night before Christmas. Every girl in her year is home, so no one will notice that Brittany spends the night.
She has thought a lot about what to give Brittany, but nothing great comes up in her head. So she buys more treats for Lord Tubbington and gives Brittany a silver necklace her grandpa gave her when she was little. He told her to give it to someone special, and Brittany is that special person. On the silver chain is the Lopez family's crest animal; a wolf.
When she wakes up on Christmas morning, Brittany is lying behind her, an arm wrapped around her waist and her face snuggled into her neck. Her breath tickles, but she doesn't move from this position. It feels so good, having her front pressed into her and being so close to her.
She slowly turns around in her arms after a while, only to find that Brittany is awake too.
"How long have you been awake?" she asks hoarsely, staring back into Brittany's blue eyes.
"A while," the blonde replies, grins and tightens her arms around her.
A blush creeps up her cheeks and she buries her face into Brittany's neck so she can't see it. She grins happily as the blonde places a kiss onto her head and tangles their pajamas' clad legs together.
"Merry Christmas," she hears the blonde murmur into her hair, and her whole body feels on fire. Her stomach is crazy, like there is a large elephant stomping around and makes ninja-moves at the same time. She wants to squeal out of happiness.
"Feliz Navidad, Britt," she sighs and snuggle closer.
Soon, they are both asleep.
Brittany gives her a new pair of goggles that she's been talking about ever since she got on the team, when it rains she won't have to worry about drops of water conceal her sight when playing Quidditch, because they will just slide off. And they have night-vision as well.
She knows that they're expensive, a little too expensive, but Brittany won't take them back.
The blonde gave her a new necklace for Canus, because one day he came into the dormitory without his old ones. She scolded him for being irresponsible and muttered under her breath about how cats never are grateful.
Brittany had been so happy about her grandpa's necklace; she even gave her a light kiss on the cheek, making her blush harder than ever before. Not that Brittany noticed, she was too caught up in her present.
"Thank you," Brittany eyes the necklace with a calm, but happy expression. "Can you put it on?"
She nods in response, the knot in her stomach increases as she gently puts Brittany's hair to the side to fiddle nervously with the clasp.
"It means something, right? The wolf." Brittany asks then, and she can't believe that she didn't think Brittany would get it.
"It's my family crest animal," she begins as Brittany turns around on her bed and crosses her legs, copying Santana's position. "It stands for cunning and loyalty."
Brittany watches her closely as she explains, her eyebrows knitted together lightly and her bottom lip between her teeth. Her hand grabs the necklace and she looks down on it.
"So what says your crest? Every crest has a quote in it,"
She licks her lips before answering, "'to win and gain'," she mutters, she has never really understood it- but it doesn't matter.
"The Pierce crest says 'the truly brave are soft at heart'," Brittany tells her, and she nods and asks her about the animal in the crest.
"A bear," Brittany states proudly, "they're so cute!"
Santana laughs under her breath at her happiness, "Britt you think every animal is cute."
"Because they are," Brittany exclaims and her hand finds Santana's. "you're cuter," she murmurs and smiles as she blushes furiously in response.
She is on her way back to the common room after a 'study time' with Brittany, when Draco runs into her in the dungeons.
"Santana, have you seen Crabbe and Goyle?" Draco asks hurriedly.
"Hm, I think I saw them when they left for dinner, they were carrying loads of cookies. I heard something about them talking about trying to 'save them until later'. Which is highly impossible."
He doesn't laugh as he usually do when I make fun of them, just scowls.
"When was that?" he asks instead.
"Like two hours ago? I've been studying, I don't know," she shrugs.
"Okay," he replies and passes her, away from the common room.
"Did something happen?" She asks, because he looks kind of upset.
"They were just acting strange, they ran away when I was talking to them."
"Maybe they were hungry," she states with a smile, and this time he returns it.
"Probably," he looks towards the stairs that leads up, "I'll go check on them."
"See you later." She replies and opens the wall to the common room with the password.
The break ends, which makes her irritated. It means that she can't sleep in the same bed as Brittany anymore, or wake up with the blonde's arms wrapped around her. She has learned to sleep next to her, and last night she found that she couldn't. She needed Brittany.
It's spring when Hufflepuff and Gryffindor are supposed to play Quidditch against each other when she match suddenly is off. No one knows why, but doesn't question Professor Snape when he commands them to head to the dungeons.
Three days later, she finds out that the Granger girl has been turned to stone as well. It makes her uneasy, and scared for Brittany. She was apparently found near the library, just an hour after she had headed back to her common room, after making sure Brittany made it to the Hufflepuff common room safely before making her way to the match.
There are new rules after that. They need to have the company of a teacher between classes and such. They're not allowed to walk the corridors after six o'clock, they were trapped in the common room.
Which meant that she couldn't meet Brittany in the library anymore. Which made her pissed. Which made her want to kill someone.
At least they would meet in class, but it wasn't the same. If Brittany was secure, she was happy. And these new rules made her safe. But at the same time, she was pissed.
In class, they didn't hide the fact that they were friends anymore. Draco gave her a confused look, and Quinn didn't seem to mind. She had befriended that irritating Gryffindor girl who was singing all the time. Even Jesse and Sebastian had made new friends, these two boys from Hufflepuff.
They were in Transfiguration class, listening to Professor McGonagall talking about turning animals into water goblets again, because no one never really learned that.
"Hey, Santana!" Brittany's hushed voice says from behind her, and she points at the empty seat next to her. "Come sit here?"
Next to her, Quinn shrugs. Santana knew that she couldn't care less, so she moves her stuff to sit next to Brittany.
"Hi," she says when Professor McGonagall finished speaking and demonstrates once again how to cast the spell.
Brittany smiles and takes her hand under the table, resting them on her skirt-clad thigh.
"You have to show me how to do it," Brittany states, "I don't understand when she shows us."
"Yeah, of course, Britt." She squeezes her hand and entwines their fingers and then starts to play with the tips of Brittany's fingers.
When they get to test it out themselves, Santana gets it right on her second try. She smiles and turns to Brittany, who is wearing a deep scowl.
"That is it, Brit-Brit?" she asks gently and tries to seek out her eyes that currently are staring at her lap.
"I'll show you again," she says immediately and grabs Brittany jaw to make her look at her, "It's not so hard Britt, everyone fails sometimes. Even Professor McGonagall fails,"
A tiny smile plays at her lips and she looks deep into Santana's eyes, that feeling flows through her again and she need to swallow to make the butterflies calm down a little.
Two minutes later, Brittany turns the frog in front of her to a goblet and gives her a long, kiss on the cheek as thank you. She looks up to find Draco watching them, and when he sees her looking; he smiles genuinely and turns on his seat again.
They get to choose what class they are taking next year, and Brittany makes her select Care of Magical Creatures, like the blonde did, because 'I want to spent as much time as possible with you, San'
What? She couldn't say no to Brittany, there was no way. But she convinced Brittany to choose Study of Ancient Runes with her in exchange. She hated all animals except Canus and Lord Tubbington, but if it made the blonde happy, then fine.
It was the day before graduation again, and like last year they sat by the lake. Not secluded this time, Santana was brave enough to show people they are friends, even if some of the older Slytherins' gives her a hard time about it.
"Can I owl you over the summer?" Brittany asks as she watched how the giant squib moves under the water, breaking the calm water surface.
"Of course," she replies and throws a stone where the water was moving. It stopped immediately.
"Stop throwing rocks at the squib," Brittany grins and takes her arm when she's about to throw another one.
The sun is shining, making Brittany look like an angel. Her hair is so blonde, and her eyes have never been bluer than now. Their eyes locks and they smile shyly at each other as Brittany slides her arm over to her lap and inches closer to her on the grass. She starts to play with her exposed forearm. It's too warm to wear their robes today, so they're only in their white shirt, the house tie and a skirt. They took off their long socks long ago to dip their feet in the cold water.
She sighs as she thinks about that she's going to leave this place and go home over the summer. She'll miss Brittany; it already hurts just thinking about it. Caleb told her that they're going to practice whole summer on the animagus thing. He owled her and told her that their father has given him permission to go on with the lessons. He apparently thought that it was a very good idea, and gave Caleb the responsibility of her becoming one.
The summer would be better if Brittany owled her, maybe it would become more bearable.
"I'll miss you Santana," Brittany murmurs and buries her nose in her neck, making her shiver.
"I'll miss you too, and Lord Tubbington," she replies gently and kisses the top of her hair.
"I'll miss Canus as well, but you the most."
She can't help but grin goofily at this confession; it makes her want to squeal like a little girl again. She takes a look at the clock on her wrist, and notes that it's time to go back to the castle.
"We need to go back," she sighs and pulls Brittany up with her as she stands. They pull their socks and shoes on, and she begins to walk back when Brittany pulls her back and into a tight hug.
They stand there for a long time, but she doesn't mind. She doesn't want to let go, ever. She buries her face into the blonde's neck and breathes in the fruity smell that she becomes high of every time it reaches her nostrils.
Eventually, they let go. Brittany links their pinkies together as they walk up towards the castle, it feel like a silent promise to never let go.
AN2:
Santana's family (and Quinn's) is like the Malfoy family, their blood is pure and they're very wealthy. But as a tradition in the Lopez family, they all become an animagus and begin their training as the second year on Hogwarts ends. All of them are unregistered.
Since Santana (and Quinn) are great friends of Draco, they are likely to be by his side when he makes appearances in the real story; I hope it's not disturbing, because there is a reason why I paired them.
When Ron and Harry, (in the books) takes polyjuice potion to look like Crabbe and Goyle, I thought it was fitting that Hermione takes the cat hair from Santana's robes, because she was supposed to turn into her, but failed as the used the wrong hair.
