The common room was full and loud in the morning. Alicia stopped to look and take it all in. The fire was low, but the room was still warm from the flame through the night, and the room was now flooded with light tinged blue-green from the lake. Now, however, the room didn't seem solemn as it had the night before. It was teeming with students, filled with the sound of jovial voices and the rustle of books and parchment as people readied their bags for the first day of classes.

Alicia stood against the wall now and checked her own bag, the edges of which were slightly frayed, though Alicia hoped not noticeably so. She had waited until her dormitory was empty before taking the messenger bag out and cutting off the Ravenclaw emblem and border with a haphazard charm. For now it was the best she could do; she'd never actually been taught how to perform spells.

Alicia made sure to jot down the password before hurrying out to breakfast behind a group of fifth-years, shoving it into her bag before the ink had a chance to dry.

"Morning," Harold greeted Alicia, moving his bag to the floor to make room for her.

"Good morning Harold, and Victoria," Alicia responded sweetly, though she was startled at the sudden appearance of a paper, face down, on her plate. She frowned curiously and picked it up.

"We have Defense Against the Dark Arts first," Harold informed Alicia as she poured over the paper, which she divined was her schedule.

"With the Hufflepuffs? And that's the new professor, isn't it?" Alicia continued scanning her timetable, looking for a class marked with a blue "R" that would mean a class shared with the Ravenclaws. She saw the blue mark at the corner of a box and sighed in relief. Tomorrow they would share a double period of potions. "What other classes do you have? It seems there are a couple here without our houses."

"Arithmancy and Divination," Harold replied before spooning more scrambled eggs into his mouth. Victoria and Alicia looked at each other.

"You should see Professor Slughorn about that," Victoria offered, smiling kindly. She then helped herself to some more pumpkin juice. Alicia reached over Harold's timetable and wand for some sausage for herself.

"About what?" Harold asked through a mouthful of food.

"About fixing your schedule! There's obviously been a mistake; first years can't take Divination. And definitely not Arithmancy."

"Oh, it's not a mistake," Harold muttered, folding his parchment chart up and stowing it in his robes. "It's a special arrangement."

The two girls nodded, but exchanged a confused look. What kind of arrangement pushed a first year into such advanced classes?

Harold seemed to recognize their skepticism. "I-uh, I've gone to another wizarding school, in the past. Family tradition, kind of." The girls nodded and continued eating, appeased.

"Hey what kind of wand is that?" Alicia asked the boy, pointing to his wand next to his plate. It was a grayish kind of color, and in spots looked almost like bone, where longtime use had smoothed and polished the grain away.

"Cypress," Harold replied through another spoonful of eggs. He swallowed before continuing. "It has a double core of fairy wing and Augerey tailfeather, made by Grindelwald himself. It's been passed down in my family for years."

Alicia was impressed. Wandlore didn't particularly interest her, but she knew enough about it to recognize the elegance and rarity of such a wand. Harold, however, must have had the wand so long its impressiveness had worn off for him, as he didn't seem to handle it with much reverence, or bother to keep it away from greasy food.

"So what classes are you guys looking forward to?" Victoria asked enthusiastically, taking out her own schedule and reviewing it.

"Arithmancy, I guess. I'm not sure if I'll like it yet, though."

"Herbology, but everything, really! There's so much to learn, you can feel the history and knowledge of this place leaking from in between the bricks."

Victoria laughed. "Wow, how are you not in Ravenclaw?" Harold grinned also into his plate, but Alicia felt a cloud come over her. She had gone to sleep and woken with the same sinking worry in her stomach.

All of a sudden there was a sound of hoots and hundreds of feathery wings coming from above, a sound which got much louder in the following seconds before a flood of owls appeared. The windows where they entered must've been high above the enchantment on the ceiling, for it looked as if they were dropping straight from the sky.

"Mail's here!" Victoria cried happily and a tawny owl landed on her shoulder. She smiled at it and it stuck its leg out, a letter tied securely to its ankle.

Alicia searched the air with lead in the pit of her stomach, looking for the family's barn owl. It was easily recognizable as it flew over from the Ravenclaw table, with a snowy white face and bronze and brown feathers that seemed to turn grayish blue in the light. She felt her face burn as it landed almost on her plate and gave her a haughty hoot before sticking its leg out. She hurriedly untied the letter and the owl was on its way.

All over the great hall owls were dropping large packages and letters, mainly reminders or things that had been forgotten at home the day before. A large owl swooped just above the Slytherins' heads and dropped a moleskine notebook in Harold's unsuspecting lap as Alicia stared nervously at her letter. She stuck it beneath the rim of her plate, promising to open it later, and began to eat.

"Welcome all to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Professor Lahniban announced gaily, circling his name in chalk on the board. Everyone open your textbooks to the introduction." There was a great scuffle as the students all reached into their bags. Alicia grabbed a notebook and quill as well. Upon putting it on the desk, however, she quickly flipped it open, fearful should someone see the bronze embellishments on the cover.

The young professor tsk'd as many uncapped their inkwells. "No, only the textbooks; you won't be taking notes. This is a hands on class, we are only going to use the textbook to verify incantations and state a general purpose. All quill work will be done, if at all, as homework. Now, let's look at the introduction, shall we?"

Alicia begrudgingly snapped her notebook closed again and stowed it along with her quill. Harold caught her eye and they exchanged a skeptical look. In all her years of lessons, a strictly hands on approach had never been used successfully.

Professor Lahniban strode purposefully back and forth down the middle of the classroom, between the two sections of desks. His shiny brown hair, in neat waves, bounced slightly as he walked and gesticulated animatedly. His disposition reminded Alicia of a child in a toy store.

"Now," he said cheerfully," can anyone tell me the purpose of this class? What is the meaning of Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Alicia looked quickly around. Did anyone else know the answer? But no other child said a thing, and only a few (mostly Huffelpuffs) even flipped through their open books in search of a clue. Finally a boy with jet black hair and a mole on his cheek raised his hand.

"Yes?" Professor Lahniban recognized.

"It's to defend against the Dark Arts," the boy sneered, obviously thinking the question stupid.

"Very good, but does anyone have a more in depth answer" the professor replied with a glimmer in his eye. He turned looking around the classroom. Alicia hesitantly put her hand up. "Yes?" Lahniban called warmly.

"It is to educate us on all types of magic, and prepare us for defense against magic and creatures of all kinds." She could've gone on to explain the entire curriculum, for she knew it well, but this seemed satisfactory. It was practically word for word the definition supplied on the third page of the introduction, anyway. Professor Lahniban beamed.

"Very good! Five points to Slytherin! What is your name, miss?" the boyish-faced man strode back to the front of the classroom and turned to smile at her where she sat in the front row.

"Alicia Bracing," she offered quietly there were murmurs from the rest of the Slytherins behind her.

"Very good Miss Bracing," the professor smiled. "Now, let's start with basic defensive spells. Does anyone know any?" This time a few Hufflepuffs raised their hands.

Alicia and Harold trudged down the stairs, headed for the main doors. The next class was flying, and both were eager for the fresh air. They had left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom as soon as possible, travelling ahead of the rest of the first year Slytherins.

"You ever flown?" Alicia asked her companion, looking down again to make sure her bag was staying closed. Trimming the edges off of it had given it the tendency to open, revealing and threatening to spill its embarrassingly blue and bronze contents.

"Yes, but not recently. I used to fly in the yard with my father. "He descended the stairs carefully.

"I've never flown, is it hard?" Alicia asked as they reached the bottom of the grand staircase.

"Not really, once you get a sense of going up and down," Harold smiled. "You know, I can fix your bag for you. And the cover of your notebook." Alicia flushed; she had thought she'd hidden them well.

"Would you? I'd appreciate it."

The two were the first to the quidditch pitch. Alicia had only to follow Harold, for he somehow knew his way around the large castle; a phenomenon only explained by a shrug and blink of his lazy eyes. Alicia was nervous for the next day, when she would have her first class without him to guide her to the proper wing of the building.

"Here, lay out your bag," Harold instructed, and helped Alicia set her heavy messenger bag on the grass. He looked silently at it for a moment before taking out his wand and tapping the ragged corners of the bag's flap a few times. "Engorgio," he muttered, and after a few tries the flap was left with a (slightly uneven) border of thick cloth, as if the edges had become swollen and heavier. "That'll keep it laying flat and closed, I think," Harold said.

"Yes, that looks like it'll do," Alicia smiled gratefully. "I'll add a buckle if I can find one, too."

Now Harold opened her bag and took out Alicia's notebook. The bronze eagle in the corner shone obviously in the mid-morning sunlight, and both first years looked behind them to make sure no one was looking. The other Slytherins had yet to find their way, and only a dark-robed figure stood on the grounds, near the broomshed some forty feet away. Alicia assumed with was their teacher.

"So I'm guessing your family expected you to be in a different house, huh? Or did you just want to be a Ravenclaw?"

"Oh, no. I didn't want to be in Ravenclaw," Alicia said quickly, a twinge in her heart highlighting her own doubt. She would've been surrounded by others with hunger for knowledge, something she was just coming to realize wasn't a staple in the Slytherin mind, despite how intelligent many of her classmates seemed. "It was my family. You ever had somebody expect something great for you, something you're not sure you wanted? Or maybe it was just too great of an expectation?" Harold didn't answer right away, instead studying the notebook cover.

"Yeah. Sometimes I do feel that way," he said finally, his frown seeming to go all the way down to the bones of his face. Alicia felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. Maybe she had a lot more in common with quiet Harold than she thought. "Do you know how to do a severing charm? I don't remember the incantation."

"I know more incantations than probably anyone," Alicia replied without pride. "I've never actually learned to do the spells, though."

Soon the two had taken off the cover of her notebook and reattached it backwards, so the non-incriminating inside faced outward, though it did make the high-quality notebooks look cheap. Alicia couldn't bring herself to really care, though. Before the other Slytherins had arrived, Harold had promised to help Alicia disguise all of her Ravenclaw-themed school supplies after supper, hinting that ink could act as a wonderful dye.

Madame Hooch had already laid out the brooms in rows by the time the other first years came loudly to stand by their two classmates, and Alicia knew then that the rest of the year in Slytherin wouldn't be quite as lonely as she had feared.

At lunch Alicia saw Eliza again. The shy girl had caught her eye as the Slytherin first years had filed into the Great Hall after flying lessons. She was wearing her glasses and seemed to be talking to another girl, one with red hair who was sitting beside her. Alicia had wanted badly to go over and say 'hi', but hadn't been willing to call attention to herself by leaving the group.

Alicia sat down with Harold at the Slytherin table and helped herself to two small sandwiches off of a platter. One was corned beef and cheese, which she bit into with relish.

"You want some carrot juice?" Alicia asked Harold, but he just waved her off. He hadn't touched any food, and instead was scribbling in one of his moleskine notebooks. Alicia looked over as she chewed a bite of her sandwich. "You're writing down everything we learned today?" she asked, watching lists of defensive spells appear beneath his quill.

"Hmhmm," he grunted, scribbling, his brow furrowing as he wrote from memory. Finally he stopped, tapping his quill like a metronome against the paper for a few moments before closing the moleskine. "And now I'll do the homework. I have Arithmancy next and that'll be more work. Unlike Defense Against the Dark Arts," he went on, adopting a bit of a haughty tone, "how serious of a class is it where you learn no theory and spend the whole time just waving your wand around hopefully?"

"I suppose you're right. It is a strange way to teach, but it was fun, wasn't it? Maybe he's just trying to get us to enjoy the class. It's only the first day." Alicia took another gulp from her goblet. "And I have a free study period next. I think I'll go to the common room, maybe I'll do my homework, too."

"Do you know when the last class ends?" Harold asked, finally reaching for some food. He put the sandwich on the edge of Alicia's plate for a moment as he rearranged his papers. He had stacked his own plate on the place setting next to his to make room for his parchment. Alicia smiled crookedly; no one in her family was this careless with their food. Hogwarts was so different from the cramped London flat that she was so used to.

"Around three, I think." Alicia looked over at the Ravenclaw table. Maybe she could find and talk to Eliza then. "I'll help you with your Arithmancy homework then," she joked, and Harold smiled, biting into his sandwich.

After lunch Alicia made her way to the dungeons as promised, feeling quite cold and alone in the dark stone corridors without anybody by her side.

"Chained baron," she told the stone wall after carefully replacing the scrap of parchment she'd written the password on. The common room was filled with the greenish light from the lake, more direct now than it had been in the morning. There was also a swarm of activity as people rushed around, gathering their things for their next class. Alicia could tell which ones were definitely going to be late. She found her way to the islands that were the sofas and found some of her fellow first years there, who must have shared her free period. She seated herself beside a dark skinned boy in impeccably ironed robes. She self-consciously rearranged her own so as not to show the suspiciously blue-striped shirt collar beneath. As they waited for the storm of older students to subside Alicia took a moment to inwardly hate her fanatic parents.

"My name's Sean, by the way," the dark-skinned boy said. "Sean Gallaway," he added proudly. Alicia nodded respectfully. She knew his father, Bruce Gallaway, by name as someone very important at the ministry.

"Alicia Bracing," she offered in return, smiling shyly. Sean smiled handsomely but the silence between them stretched uncomfortably before he turned to an acquaintance on his other side. Alicia shifted awkwardly. Sean had done beautifully in Defense Against the Dark Arts, succeeding in repelling a feather the farthest with the most advanced shield charm in the class.

The common room cleared quickly as classes started and soon Alicia was free to move from her spot beside Sean. She got up quickly and hurried through the girls' door to her dormitory in order to get her books. She swiftly strode out of the common room and up out of the dungeons, feigning purpose. Once in the entrance hall, however, she was struck with indecision. She had no one to spend her free time with, since Harold was in Arithmancy and Eliza was presumably in class. It struck Alicia that she would be alone this time in the week for the rest of the year, and she frowned.

Alicia's first instinct was to retreat to the library and the ever familiar smell of old parchment and moth eaten leather. She stopped herself, though, at the base of the grand staircase. Looking at her options, she realized that the entirety of the Hogwarts castle and grounds were open to her, and she was going to return to the musky prison of a library. She looked backwards, out of the wide open front doors of the castle. The early September sun was basking the world in a bright light, the sound of children's laughter filling the air, and as she watched, a group of second years flew across the main lawn after each other, yelling in glee. She smiled and stepped off of the stone staircase. This was a new place, a new home for her, and she was going to live differently, as if she didn't have a father at home who kept her locked in with her books and lessons. She checked once to make sure her bag was securely closed before walking across the entrance hall and into the sun, a light summer breeze hitting her face and bringing to her the scent of the grassy grounds and lake water.

Harold was waiting by the door to the Transfiguration classroom when Alicia got there, thanks to multiple sets of directions from older students. Or really, from older Slytherins. It seemed that the friendliest looks came from others in green and silver. The students of other houses seemed to either ignore her or sneer in the direction of her striped tie.

"Hey, class is about to start. I see two desks near the back, if we hurry," Harold smiled.

"How was Arithmancy?" Alicia offered in greeting, following him inside the airy classroom.

"It was fine. The professor seems nice, at least," he said, then quieted as they squeezed to the two free seats. He looked at her as she unpacked her textbook, then made a strange face and plucked a long piece of grass from behind her ear.

"Oh, I forgot about that," Alicia whispered, embarrassed. She had lain in the grass as she did her homework for DADA, reveling in the afternoon sunshine and new sense of freedom. She was still on a high from the afternoon sun as the door at the front of the classroom opened and Professor McGonagall strode in, her face serious, her eyes darting around the room on the lookout for someone out of step. Alicia felt herself inadvertently sit up straighter as her sharp eyes passed over her.

"Welcome to first year Transfiguration," she said curtly, swishing her emerald green robes to turn back to the front of the room. She flourished her wand at the blackboard and chalk writing appeared, spelling out her name and the name of the class, along with the page number of the class introduction in the textbook. "Transfiguration is defined in the introduction of your textbook as the changing of an object from its original form. That is very vague. We will be learning about magical transfiguration, which is not limited to just normal objects. Living things and even thoughts can be transfigured, which makes it a very dangerous subject. It is a magic to be respected, and anyone who does not pay that respect will be punished severely, along with having to deal with whatever damage they have done to themselves or others. Am I clear?" The class was still for a moment before they all nodded and muttered their assent at the same time. "I'm sorry. I don't think I got through to you. Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous types of magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Do you understand the consequences of disrespecting it?"

"Yes Professor McGonagall," the class said loudly in unison. She nodded curtly.

"Very good. Now get out your textbooks, turn to page fourteen. And get your quills and parchment ready. Before any wandwork is to be done you will know the theory inside and out. You will have at least seven inches of homework each night, which will be collected and graded. I will not put up with bad behavior or half-done work."

It seemed Professor McGonagall wasn't a huge fan of Slytherins.

Dinner was festive, though not as extravagant as the welcoming feast the night before. There was an excited buzz from the students, who hadn't been in class long enough yet to grow tired of it. Alicia knew it was only a matter of time. The first years seemed especially optimistic, leaving Harold and Alicia alone in a sea of beaming faces. They bonded in their shared lack of enthusiasm. It was great to be someplace new, of course, and the castle was magnificent, but both had a feeling of having been there before, Alicia through years of study prior to arriving, and Harold by some hidden knowledge that, while strange to Alicia, he seemed well acquainted with.

"Where's Victoria?" he wondered, finally snapping closed his copy of A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration and turning his attention to the food before him for the first time since they'd sat. Alicia had realized that he was more of a bookworm than anyone she'd ever known, even in a family of Ravenclaws. She wondered what hidden traits had landed him in the house of the serpent.

Alicia shrugged, looking down the table towards the older students. She didn't see her. "Probably meeting up with old friends." She felt her eyes wander over to the Ravenclaw table, and found her brother's mess of hair. He was chatting animatedly with a friend, but she saw him glance across the hall to her table, a worried gleam in his eyes. She hadn't spoken to him yet. Maybe she should. She could feel the letter from her parents pressing against her chest in the breast pocket of her robes, and decided she'd read it after dinner, once she was alone. Did her parents even know yet? Probably; Bryce would've written her parents right away, since he was such a good son. She searched further for Eliza and saw her near the front of the Great Hall, listening to a redhead talking with her mouth full. She seemed to be distracted from the conversation.

"You should sit next to Eliza tomorrow in Potions," Harold offered, following her train of thought. "It sounds like it will be an interesting class." He smiled before he bit into his chicken, and Alicia reciprocated. It might mean that he would have to sit elsewhere, with people he didn't know, and she appreciated his sacrifice.

It was almost ten o'clock when Alicia ripped open the envelope as quietly as she could; she'd waited until all the other girls in the room were asleep. It had taken a while for one chatterbox to stop describing in detail how exciting the classes were and how good the food was; almost better than at home. Alicia had long ago doused her bedside candle, feigning sleep to encourage them. Now she crouched beneath her covers, the curtains around her four-poster drawn, to light her wand tip.

"Lumos," she breathed, one of the only spells she'd practiced into perfection while at home. The letter came into view as she stuck the wand in between her knees and unfolded the parchment against her stomach below it. She held her breath as the paper crinkled, noticing how loud it sounded amongst the muffled breathing of her roommates beyond their drapes. "Dearest Alicia," she read, moving her lips as she went. She recognized her mother's impeccable script immediately. "How are you finding Hogwarts? Do you like your dormitory? You must write and let us know how your classes go today. How many friends have you made yet? The greatest bonds are made between wizards and witches at school, and I'm sure you'll find many Ravenclaws friendly and intelligent. I'm so happy that you've started this experience. How was your first night away from home? Would you like us to send you anything, in case you become homesick? We noticed you left your stuffed cat in your closet. Whisckers is his name, right? You've never slept without him! Write back soon, your father and I want to hear all about it. Your father mostly wants to hear about how the teachers are. He's standing over me and trying to tell me how to write! But I want to hear it too. Are they nice? Do they teach well? You can tell how good a teacher is in the first hour… but your father says he's already told you that. I miss you sweetie! Write us soon! Love, Mother." Alicia breathed out her nose carefully. So they didn't know. Or they hadn't, when they wrote this. She inhaled again and debated whether to write back immediately. She decided not to risk getting out of bed and waking the others. Besides, she was tired. It may not be the travel-weary type of exhausted after the excitement of yesterday, but she was definitely sleepy. It was the first day of her new life, and she was to sleep in her new bed now. Except it was the second night, and it hit her that it wasn't temporary. She folded the letter again and laid it and the envelope underneath her pillow, laying back. "Nox," she commanded, and closed her eyes.

Alicia was late to breakfast the next morning, and scrambled alone through the huge doors alone, having just ran down from the Owlry. Hopefully she hadn't missed the post. Harold scooched over on the Slytherin bench to allow her to fit next to him. She squeezed into place awkwardly.

"Good morning! Why so late? Already behind on homework?" Victoria giggled across the table. Alicia cast her eyes downward before answering.

"I was writing to my parents." Harold chewed quietly beside her, watching her expression out of the corner of his eye.

"So we have potions first thing this morning with the Ravenclaws," Harold reminded Alicia, and she nodded, exchanging a glance with him. She would get to see, and hopefully speak to Eliza for the first time since before the sorting. The feel of the ancient hat over her head seemed like a memory from a century ago.

"Oh you do? Professor Slughorn, is so fun! He's the best, and always helps a Slytherin in need," Victoria enthused. "But watch out, those Ravenclaws like to suck up to him just for the grades; he so sweet he always falls for it. I always try to stay on the good side of Ravenclaws. Sometimes they can be so sneaky and nasty, yaknow?" She continued eating and chattering on about her favorite moments in Potions class, and Alicia turned to her own food. Since when were Slytherins scared of anyone? And since when was anyone but a Slytherin sneaky and nasty? Alicia was beginning to feel like even though she'd spent her entire life preparing to come to Hogwarts, she actually knew very little about it.

The Potions classroom was in the dungeons, and Alicia and Harold followed their fellow first years back towards their common room, only this time they were accompanied by a group of young Ravenclaws. The Ravenclaws' chatter became dampened as the students travelled farther into the dungeons, sunlight slowly replaced by torchlight and the stone walls became darker for lack of the bleaching sun. The classroom wasn't as deep under the castle as the Slytherin common room, and the group quickly came upon it, the large almost cavernous room with its high ceilings intimidating despite the warm candlelight and jovial man in long robes in the middle.

"Ah! Come on in, yes, welcome to the Potions class! First years… ahahah. Take a seat! Come along, fill in the front row, I don't bite!" The man chuckled roughly as his twinkling eyes watched the children file in. Harold pushed Alicia into an aisle seat before she could locate Eliza in the group, and she looked around to see the bespectacled girl just as she pulled out the stool next to her, oblivious. Harold took a seat diagonally behind her, pulling out a moleskine quietly.

The professor called the class to order just as Eliza's redheaded friend discovered a Slytherin at her table. "Ugh, Elise, look, a Slytherin girl has nobody to sit with. Let's not get roped into conversation with her, I bet she'll just want to copy notes off of you," gesturing towards Alicia. She felt her neck flush against her will. Why would she assume something like that? Eliza turned to notice Alicia for the first time, meeting her eyes with surprise before smiling uneasily. She broke eye contact quickly as the redhead engaged her in a whispered commentary on the professor's rich-looking robes.

"Well, are we all ready to learn something?" Professor Slughorn called happily, clapping.

Eliza was swept off by her friend directly after class, who Alicia knew from eavesdropping was named Laura, and either didn't know Eliza's real name or had nicknamed her already. Alicia knew either way Eliza wouldn't correct her. Eliza had been so distracted by Laura she'd barely been able to pay attention to the professor, though Alicia knew she was desperately interested. She'd wanted to smack the redhead herself for being so disruptive.

"Ah, Harold, isn't it?" Slughorn's voice erupted through the bustling first years as they tried to escape the depressing room. The large man found his way to the quiet boy and Alicia as she watched Eliza disappear into the corridor. "Ah, good man. So, Slytherin, is it? I've been waiting to meet you. Here you are, lad! I hope you'll come see me later at dinner. I'm having a small get-together with some of my students, and I'm sure you'll fit right it! Oh, and who is this?" the professor turned to Alicia, "Do you have an older sibling here? You look mighty familiar. What is your name, young lady?" Alicia was startled out of her thoughts by the man, and she yanked her eyes from the note that had been thrust into Harold's patient hands.

"A-Alicia Bracing," she answered quickly.

"Ah! A Bracing! That must be it! Why of course, I've taught your brother, and your sister before that! I must say I'm surprised to see you in my own green and silver, but that only means you show a different promise!" He smiled broadly, a strange look in his eye. "Perhaps Slytherin will catapult you to greater things, as it has for many others. Your parents should be very proud to have such a promising child in Slytherin, as I am. I hope you can come to dinner too! Here, have an invitation!" He quickly pulled another small envelope from his robes and handed it to Alicia, who could think of nothing to say. Harold thanked the professor and pulled Alicia out of the classroom then, directing her towards the Great Hall for lunch.

"So how'd it go with Eliza? She didn't seem to look at you much," Harold urged his friend.

"Oh, yeah," Alicia murmured, flipping the envelope over in her hands. It had a silver engraved S on it, and she couldn't decide if it stood for Slytherin or Slughorn. "That girl, Laura, seems to have claimed her, she basically told her not to talk to me because I'm a Slytherin."

"That's not nice! You're incredibly nice; being a Slytherin has nothing to do with it!" Harold said fervently, exhibiting the most passion Alicia had seen in him yet. "Don't worry; you'll have other chances to talk to her. And if Laura is still a pest, I'll make sure she stops bothering you. What a pigheaded way to treat people!" He seemed angrier than Alicia had expected; she hadn't expected the prejudicial comments from Laura, but that type of thing didn't seem out of place here at Hogwarts. She'd gotten several nasty looks from other students from different houses. He seemed personally insulted that she had been judged by her house.

"So why do you think Professor Slughorn wants to see us later?" Alicia asked him. She'd heard from Bryce that he sometimes had students to dinner, but had gotten the impression that her brother hadn't been in regular attendance; something her father encouraged, adamant that Slughorn was a simple minded old man. Alicia had found the professor quite nice in person, however, and was intrigued at the idea of becoming friends with the man.

"It's this thing he does…. I know because he liked my father,too," Harold paused looking away for a moment, "he becomes friendly with students who show promise, invites them to dinner, and it's like an exclusive club. It's an honor, really, and helpful, when suddenly you're friends with the smartest and most talented kids at school. We should go. I am." Alicia smiled. Her father must be wrong about the professor.