The Comrade.
Chapter 2.

Karena walked calmly to the Slytherin table at the Great Hall, Malfoy smirking at her side. Pansy smiled at Malfoy as he sat beside her, facing the Gryffindors while Karena sat beside Blaise and leaned against him.

Karena thought herself as a loner since she could remember, always preferring to read a book or to stare out a window. First year, after she was sorted, the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and especially the Hufflepuffs avoided her and some of the Slytherins (who attempted to talk to her) were taken aback by her aloofness, avoided her too. The others simply kept away, afraid they would irritate the heir of the Mignonne family and get blacklisted in the wizarding world.

Blaise, however, had decided to break into the girls' dormitory to read Millicent Bulstrode's diary. He woke Karena up by laughing too loud and to his utmost surprise, she joined him and both of the first years became friends. Later, Blaise insisted that he knewKarena would be friends with him because no one sane would give up a chance of reading a girl's diary and that he purposely laughed loud enough to wake her up. It was actually Karena's dislike for her dorm mates.

"The both of you are late." Blaise nudged her and turned to Malfoy, "You missed a depressing speech by the Sorting Hat."

"Why do you even bother listening?" Malfoy scoffed, "It's just a piece of filth."

"I agree with Draco." Parkinson announced. Karena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. That sentence was frequently said by Parkinson whose brain was probably just filled with thoughts of Draco and make- up.

"You always agree with Malfoy." Karena said, earning a chuckle from Blaise.

"You're just jealous, Mignonne." Parkinson scowled.

"Do tell." Karena popped a piece of broccoli into her mouth, "I want to know why I am apparently jealous."

"B-because my Drakie loves me!" Parkinson answered as Malfoy's eyes widened and he choked on his food. Blaise reached over the table to thump Malfoy on the back.

Malfoy struggled to get the dark skinned boy off and when he succeeded, he smirked, "Potter's back."

Karena followed his gaze to Potter whose face was currently covered in blood.

"So that was why you and Malfoy stayed back." Blaise realized, "Was he in our compartment? Did he hear anything?"

"Yes, that was why." A small smile touched Karena's features as the main courses disappeared and tall glasses of vanilla ice- cream took its place. "Invisibility cloak, don't know. I reckon we didn't say anything to obvious."

"-And then I stomped on his nose and blood splattered everywhere!" Malfoy received laughs and applause as he mimed the shattering of Potter's nose. Malfoy noticed Karena's lack of expression and said haughtily, "Wow, Mignonne. You smile at the sight of ice- cream but you don't find Potter's predicament funny?"

"I was there." Karena straightened her back, "It's not that funny."

"Or maybe she didn't laugh because there's a stick shoved up her arse." Theodore Nott commented as the others laughed.

"It's more action than you are getting." Karena replied, putting an expressionless mask.

"Ouch." Blaise said, a smirk forming on his lips.

"Just shut it, Mignonne." Nott added after a pause, "Bitch."

"Takes one to know one." The brown haired girl smirked. Slytherins (other than Blaise, Malfoy and her dorm mates) rarely picked a fight with her and when they did she usually won. She should do this more often, she decided. It was fairly amusing to her.

Blaise threw his arm over her shoulder, "Yes, yes, now please shut up, Dumbledore's beginning his speech."

"It's not worth your time listening to his rambles. He's clearly loony." Malfoy rolled his eyes and decided to levitate his fork.

"The very best of evenings to you!" Professor Albus Dumbledore said, smiling broadly as his sleeves rolled black to reveal a blackened hand.

Karena thought it was curious and felt a little disgusted at the sight of his hand which looked like it was dead.

"Oi, Mignonne," Malfoy hissed, "Stop gawking at that fool's hand."

Karena shot a glare at him before she composed herself, pretending to pay attention to Dumbledore while she was actually staring at the ring her mother gave her last summer, watching the emerald snake coil around her finger.

She felt confused as she remembered her mother's curious behaviour. Her mother- usually poised with an expressionless mask- was fussing about earlier this morning, making her breakfast (even though they had house-elves and Laurelle Mignonne couldn't even make toast but she did enjoy her nearly burnt bread), making sure she packed everything… and she did not let Karena read a word of The Daily Prophet throughout the holidays. Laurelle managed to distract her with new books and even letting her read books about muggles, which were really interesting and seemed to fuel her obsession about them… not like she would openly shout to everyone that she was, indeed, taking Muggle Studies again.

Karena made a conclusion that her interest in muggles were just because they were so strange.

They travelled in boxes with wheels under it! Sort of like the Knight Bus but it couldn't bend through tight places or go that fast… and plugs! Why did they use those bloody things for?

Coming back to the subject of her mother, Laurelle let her get away with kicking Malfoy under the table when they had dinner with Mrs. Malfoy… which was also curious.

Karena was jolted out of her reverie and glowered at Blaise who had nudged her.

"Up for a game of chess later?" He asked hopefully.

"I don't know, don't ask me." She said, waving her hand at him dismissively while her eyes never left the ring on her finger, "Go play with Malfoy."

She ignored Blaise who was muttering something about not having friends or something of that sort, she didn't really care, suddenly finding Dumbledore's speech interesting.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Said Dumbledore as Snape waved a lazy hand of acknowledgement.

"Well, that was unexpected." Blaise said to no one in particular,"Snape shouldn't have taken the post, reckon he'll be gone by next year since the job's jinxed."

Karena did not reply, neither did Malfoy who was still making his fork hover in midair. Blaise hid a scowl and muttered his breath.

"Now as everybody in this hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and growing in strength."

The entire Great Hall was silent as Dumbledore continued his speech and she tried to tune out whatever he was saying. She did not want to hear about the Dark Lord that she would need to sacrifice her time for and even though Dumbledore was an old fool, he did have the ability to make someone feel guilty. But the moment of glory they would get –if they succeeded- was something she was looking forward to and it would all be worth it.

"Malfoy, you suck." Karena blurted out without thinking. Fortunately, no one heard her since she was quiet enough but Malfoy and Blaise, however, did.

"Oh, Merlin. Not another lovers spat." Blaise groaned as they stood up to leave for the Slytherin Common Room.

"Did you notice that we share the same last initial?" Malfoy said indifferently as he discreetly handed her a piece of parchment.

She gave him a strange look for his comment and slipped the parchment into her pocket, "Uh, well, you still suck."

Malfoy excused himself and Karena did the same when she reached the Common Room, telling Blaise that she left something at the Great Hall.

Once she was out of the Common Room, she opened the parchment Malfoy gave her earlier.
As she read the seven words on the parchment: "Requirement Room, right after you read this", she started to smirk.

And now the games begin.


A/N: Oh, god. Sorry for the very late update. I've been too busy with school and I can't go on the internet much. But anyway, review, and I hope I can see you all again in another chapter, hopefully, soon. Thanks for the reviews, faves, alerts and a big mug of butterbeer for Yohohoho for helping and sugar quills to the rest of you! Hopefully there isn't any mistakes, I'm watching some movie while doing this.