Chapter 2

A Missing Book

Stephano ran a hand through her short hair and pushed her bangs off to the side of her face. A memory surfaced to the forefront of her mind as she remembered getting her hair cut.

Ever since she had changed her name last year, she had been trying to convince her Muggle mother to let her cut her hair. Well, finally her mother had relented and had allowed her to cut her long dark brown hair. The final result had been the best: short almost guyish hair with long bangs in the front so she could push them back if needed. Her mother had been furious, but what had been done, had been done.

Stephano smirked as she remembered the incident and the smirk slowly became a frown as she remembered the scene when she left home.

Her mother had refused to acknowledge her when her father had left them inside the house together to go start the car. She knew she was a disappointment to her mother, especially since she had found out that she was a witch. That had been a great and painful day.

Anyway, her mother was ignoring her. Again. But this time was different. Stephano wasn't sure if it was the fact that more disappointment was radiating off her mother than normal or if her mother was envious of her for some reason. Stephano had shrugged and said a quick goodbye to her mom before heading off with her father to Jasmine and Rosalina's house to pick them up to head to London together.

Sighing, she filled her plate up with food after the Sorting. Her thoughts turned towards the book her father had given to her. Since he was a Squib, he didn't have a need for it and thought Stephano would find it to be an interesting read. She had been shocked that he had given it to her, especially when she had laid eyes on the title, Wandless Magic. Wandless magic was considered out of date and many people called it Old Magic. It could be either good or dark magic and it was based even more strongly on emotions than wand magic was.

In other words, it was a very important and highly dangerous book to have lying around. Her father had actually said that after giving it to her and had made her promise not to lose it anywhere. Currently the book was stashed in her bag that she carried everywhere, even to classes, and was very safe. She had been glad when Astra had thought quickly enough to hide the book from Draco's prying gaze earlier on the train, but a nagging thought was trying to get her attention. She knew the thought and really didn't feel like giving into the suspicion that Draco had seen the book.

Quickly she glanced down the table towards the seventh years. Draco was moodily staring at his food while Crabbe and Goyle sat next to him gobbling their food down like they hadn't eaten for months. She nodded to herself and began to eat, watching Draco out of the corner of her eye.

When dinner had been finished, students dispersed and Stephano watched Jasmine and the other Ravenclaw prefect lead their first-years to their common room. Her hand absent-mindedly patted the pocket that held her fake Sickle that Jasmine had made for the four of them from the ingenuity of Luna's Galleon for Dumbledore's Army and made meeting up far simpler than having to search for everyone all the time.

Stephano jumped a bit when her Sickle burned slightly and she quickly looked at the message. Brownies? Hufflepuff Common Room. 7p.m.

She smirked as she thought of Rosalina baking the brownies for them all and looked at the time. It was only six so she had plenty of time to go to her dorm and get to the Hufflepuff common room by seven. She straightened her robes and stalked out of the Great Hall. Snape had taught them well enough on how to strut and be a Slytherin. Now was the time to take it all into stride so people wouldn't mess with her.

Still stalking across the floor, she made it to the dungeons without incident. It was only when she entered her common room that the trouble began. She faced the wall that lead to her common room and muttered, "Filth."

The wall slid back revealing the dungeon that served as their common room. Gliding over the stone tile, she was stopped only when a voluminous mass stepped in front of her, blocking her way to her dormitory. Not even glancing up, she knew who stood in her way.

"Malfoy. What do you want?" she demanded, irritated that he was blocking the way. Draco slipped from behind his cronies and paced a circle around her to which she just rolled her eyes and glared at him. His answer really didn't justify his actions as he replied, "Why, my dear, I just wanted to talk to you."

"I regret to say that I don't want to talk to you, Malfoy," she stated through clenched teeth and palmed her wand in her pocket. Draco sneered and chuckled, "You heard her boys. She has regrets!"

For some reason or another, that sent all three of them into fits of laughter and Stephano used the opening to slip away from them. She heard their shouts of disapproval as she made her way to her dormitory and smirked. She thought, They really should learn to be more subtle.

Opening the door to her room, she found one of her roommates, Malfada Prewett, sitting on a bed, writing in a journal. They acknowledged each other and Stephano began to tune out Malfada as she began to gossip about everything and anything.

Digging around in her trunk, Stephano found her stash of firewhiskey and pocketed it, thinking, If I don't need it, then maybe one of the others will.

She slid her bag off of her shoulder and laid it on her bed. Sitting down on her bed made her feel like she was finally home and everything was right in the world, even if she did have annoying roommates like Malfada was. She casually tuned the other girl back in as she began to describe Bill and Fleur's wedding.

"Oh, it was just grand! There was music and dancing afterwards and I was just swept away by the most handsome boys! But Harry Potter wasn't there, which was a surprise," Malfada said disappointed. She sighed suddenly though, "I wish though it hadn't ended as badly as it had."

Her saying that brought Stephano fully into the conversation as she continued on, "It was just horrid. A bunch of Death Eaters came barging in after some guy's Patronus warned us about their coming. My Uncle Arthur ushered all of us kids away before the Death Eaters arrived, but Ron, Hermione, and this second cousin of mine (I think he's a second cousin), were nowhere to be found! How strange is that? Aunt Molly was almost beside herself until Uncle Arthur sent a Patronus message to Ron. I think he came home eventually, but during his disappearance, he contracted spattergroit. Ew… Just thinking about it, makes me want to puke."

While Malfada uttered a few more reasons about why she didn't want spattergroit, Stephano ignored her and concentrated on why what she was just told was important. Her face scrunched up in a thinking expression, but no matter how much she tried to figure it out, she just couldn't. Finally she resigned herself to just asking her group of friends about it.

Looking at the time, she realized that she was going to be late to the common room meeting. She hurried out of her room, forgetting her bag and book on her bed, and about ran to the Hufflepuff common room.

Panting a bit, she slowed her gait and slid next to the barrels in front of the common room. Slowly tapping out the rhythm to get into the common room took but a moment and she smirked at herself as she successfully opened the passage.

Jasmine was already seated in their usual spot by the fireplace in one of the overstuff chairs by it. She was gazing into the fireplace, drumming her fingers on the armrest, and was lost in her thoughts it seemed like. Stephano strode across the room and took her place in the chair directly opposite of Jasmine and lounged over it. Jasmine glanced over and had to do another take as she realized Stephano was there. Smirking, Stephano cocked her head to the side and asked, "Something the matter?"

A crooked smile appeared on Jasmine's face and she stated matter-o-factly, "Nothing that needs to be discussed right now."

Stephano quirked her eyebrows up in curiosity, but they were interrupted by Astra sitting on the couch in between the chairs, mumbling some nonsense about vinegar. Rosalina quickly appeared soon after that with a fresh plate of brownies which drew the other Hufflepuffs like a plague of locusts. Shooing them with a promise of more brownies in the kitchen, Rosalina sat herself down and relaxed.

"Cheers," Stephano said as they each picked up a brownie and began to eat them. Together they went through two plates of brownies, four jugs of butterbeer, and a couple shots of firewhiskey as it seemed to Stephano, Jasmine really needed the alcohol to sleep that night.

Before curfew even came close to being a problem, Jasmine left with the excuse of needing her sleep for the next day. She left and Stephano and Astra both turned expectantly towards Rosalina to explain her sister's need of alcohol. Sighing, Rosalina said, "It's really a stupid reason really. Jasmine got asked out by the other Ravenclaw prefect and panicked. You know how she is about guys… She thinks most of them are idiots and wants nothing to do with them at the moment."

Astra nodded, agreeing, "Who would? Especially this year with how screwy everything is going to be… Plus doesn't she have some big aspiration that doesn't really include a boyfriend or even a husband?"

A quick nod from Rosalina settled the question and Stephano smirked, stating the absurdity, "And I thought she just wanted to see if I had actually brought my store with me and take away House points."

They laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of it, but were interrupted shortly before they could comment on it. A Hufflepuff prefect stood there with a wry smile and his eyes twinkling as he observed the inter-house meet-up, but he quickly got down to business. Clearing his throat, he stated matter-o-factly like only a Hufflepuff can (which to Stephano is always quite annoying) "I think it would be wise for you to be making your way to your own dormitories as curfew will be beginning shortly."

Astra and Stephano heeded his words, mostly because it was too late at night to be losing House points. As they were leaving, Stephano could have sworn she heard him asked Rosalina, "So where are all those brownies I've heard rumors about?"

Stephano and Astra quickly made their way to the Great Hall's foyer where they said their goodnights and went their own separate ways. Stephano glided in the shadows of the dungeon so that she wouldn't be caught by any of the professors who roamed the hallways.

After Slughorn had noisily rounded a corner and passed her, she glided across the floor to the common room entrance and slipped stealthily in without incident. She yawned as she walked across the room to her dorm and for once was glad that a prefect had told her to go to bed.

Her room was dark when she arrived and she assumed that Malfada was already asleep in her bed. With that assumption in mind, Stephano didn't bother changing her clothes as she fell on her bed and slept.

The week passed rather quickly after that first night and soon she found out that she really disliked the new teachers. Even though they put the Slytherins on pedestals, both of the Carrows delighted in pain a bit too much. They seemed to be almost worse than Umbridge was two years previous.

That Saturday, the four of them met back up in the Hufflepuff common room, where it seemed that Jasmine was a bit happier now that the other prefect had been put in his place, Astra was already wishing for Christmas, and Rosalina was just as bubbly as ever with her plate of brownies. Stephano grinned at the sight of her three friends around the fireplace with her and decided now was a good time to peruse the Dark Magic book she had forgotten about all week.

Rosalina and Astra were discussing what was good in brownies with Jasmine looking on pleased with herself when Stephano let out a strangled scream. Jasmine was up and out of her seat in an instant, "Stephano, what's wrong?"

Stephano looked up at her friend and then at the other two before whispering, "It's gone."