A/N: Well, I hope you liked the first chapter. If you haven't reviewed me, do so pleeeaaase.

CHAPTER TWO: Serpent Dreams

After Cerasi and Joelle left Mcgonnagal's office, the two of them changed their clothes in their common rooms, and then reunited by the great oak front doors to relax outside, where it was almost dark.

They traversed the grounds together in an unsuccessful search for Hagrid, and then came to rest next to the lake amongst some maple trees that had not shed their leaves yet. Joelle sat down against a big hulking tree, and Cerasi began to skip rocks on the slushy water.

'Sorry I slipped up Cerasi,' Joelle said earnestly 'In front of Mcgonnagal I mean…'

Cerasi waved her hand in a dismissive way. 'Don't worry about it. She was bound to find out eventually. No sense whining about spilled milk.'

'Yeah, but… you'll have to be on the Quidditch team from now on. You hate sports.'

'I know, I know, but there's nothing I can really do about it,' Cerasi answered, and then she scowled. 'Don't know how I'll have time for anything now. I've gotta watch your back, and Dietman's too. Then there's homework, and composition twice a week. Now I'll have Quidditch practice to drag myself to.'

Joelle rolled her eyes. 'Homework? Cerasi, you don't even do your homework.'

Cerasi sniffed. 'Sometimes I do.'

'Right.' Joelle answered. 'But anyway, what about that guy? Did you know you had a godfather named Ron?'

Cerasi shrugged. 'Well, I remember my mom mentioning a guy named Ron Weasley a few times. He was a friend of hers, I think. She said… she dated him once. But she also said that dating him was the result of a childish teenage conquest and her emotional immaturity. I guess it didn't work out in the end.'

'It would certainly seem so,' Joelle said, and then added cautiously, 'you know… I've known you for two and a half years, and that's the first time I've ever heard you talk about her.'

'Who?'

'Your mom.'

There was a flicker of surprise on Cerasi's face. But she quickly hid it as she skipped another rock. Joelle asked rather bravely, 'Do you ever miss your mom?'

Cerasi turned to look at her. 'Yeah,' she said, 'sometimes.'

Sensing that the conversation had reached a point of security, Joelle decided to inquire further. 'What was she like?'

Cerasi went over to Joelle and sat down next to her. She leaned her head against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes. 'She was smart. And brave. Nothing like me.'

'What about your dad?'

'I never knew him. They say he died when he killed the dark lord. That was before I was born. I don't really know much about him, except that he saved the world. My mom never talked about him much.'

'Why?'

'How should I know?' Cerasi looked out at the lake, and then looked back at Joelle. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace.

'I've never shown this to anyone before,' she said.

Joelle took the necklace from her and examined it. It was actually a fancy old-fashioned golden locket of some kind. It was huge and elaborate, but rather plain, set on a heavy chain. 'It's so pretty. Where did you get it?'

'I don't really remember. I think it was my old man's. He and this old prune named Albus Dumbledore dug it out of an underground zombie cave or something. They thought it was a horcrux. It wasn't, it got switched or something. Too bad for Dumbledore. Someone killed him after they found it.'

'Albus Dumbledore,' Joelle said, amazed. 'I have a wizard's card of him. Does it open?'

Cerasi shrugged. 'I tried to open it once, but it's a real piece of junk. No one can get it open. I don't know why I even keep.' She pulled a leather brown pouch out of her pocket that was emblazoned with bronze runes. It contained what looked like big cigarettes, only they were black and gray instead of brown and white. Also, when Cerasi lit one and puffed on it, the ashes at the end turned blue instead of red.

'You smoke?' Joelle gasped.

Cerasi grinned at the shocked look on her face. 'Don't worry, these aren't anything like muggle lights. They're called blugars. They aren't harmful to your health, but they are addictive, And expensive. And it really bites when you get withdra—rrgghhh'

She quickly chucked her blugar in the lake. Joelle looked around and saw Ron coming towards them across the ground.

'Was that what I thought it was Cerasi?' he asked her with a frown when he reached the base of the tree. 'Aren't you a bit young to be smoking?'

'Smoking what?' Cerasi asked with a blank look on her face.

'There was a young Slytherin bloke looking for you… Bit of an odd fellow. Told me my shoes didn't match my cloak… Why would he say that, I wonder?' Ron honestly had a confused look on his face as he said this.

'Deitman,' Joelle said. 'I hope Smith wasn't bothering him again. You know how sensitive he gets when people confront him about his… you know…. I hope he didn't get in a fight.'

'I wouldn't worry,' Cerasi told her. 'If Deitman got in a fight, Mcgonnagal would have me hanging from the North Tower by now.'

'She was the same way when I was in school,' Ron said heartily. 'Your dad and I were always in trouble with her.'

Cerasi merely looked at him as she lit another blugar. Ron knelt down in a profound sort of way, and rested his hand on the top of Cerasi's head. 'I hope you've washed that,' she said lazily. 'My hair oils very easily.'

Ron got a teary look in his eye, and Cerasi looked at Joelle, mortified. 'Listen…' He mumbled, and Cerasi realized immediately that she was about to be subjected to a gruelingly touching speech.

'I know you don't know me, but I feel like I know you… Every time I look in your eyes, I see…her, and him. I look up at that blasted castle and I wonder why I'm here again without your mum and dad beside me. But I look at you and I realize they are. Do you see?'

Cerasi merely blinked up at him, and then looked impatiently at her watch.

Ron rambled on dramatically. 'And… I only found out about you a year ago… you couldn't possibly imagine what that was like. But I want to be a part of your life. If you'll let me…'

Cerasi carelessly flicked a blue ash from her cigarette away from her. It landed on Ron's nose. 'Are you done?' she asked irritably.

Ron seemed flustered. He stood dumbstruck for a moment, considering his options, and then decided to turn his attention to Joelle. "So what did you say your name was again?" he asked casually.

'Joelle'

'How 'bout your last name?'

'It'sMarigold. Joelle Marigold. I won't get into my middle name. Too embarrassing.'

'Where are you from?'

'I'm a half blood. My dad is a wizard and my mom is a muggle,' Joelle explained. 'And I'm half French Canadian, half Australian. My mum is a college secretary from Montreal, and my dad is an Australian Wizard who plays Keeper for the Thundelarra Thunderers. My twin brother Mick goes to a private school in Canada called McDonald Hall.'

'Blimey,' Ron said. 'Complicated background you've got… explains why you speak French too. How about you Cerasi? How do you know French?'

Cerasi had been paying little attention to the conversation. 'Learned it from mom,' she said shortly. Joelle suspected she disliked the fact that the topic of her parents, one she particularly disliked conversing about, had been brought up as frequently throughout the day as though they were discussing an up and coming Quidditch match.

'How did Her—your mum, know French?'

'She knew a lot of languages. She had to. Now if you'll excuse me, Joelle and I have to go. We have to find our friend Marco Dietman and make sure he isn't dead.' She turned her back to Ron, motioned to Joelle, brushed her hair out of her eyes, and the two of them began trudging through the old trees, up the hill toward Hogwarts.

'Oy! Wait a sec!' Ron yelled. He rushed to catch up to them, panting. 'Wait a minute! Cerasi! I need to ask you…Why don't… you and me have lunch at Hagrid's this Sunday? Just you and me and Hagrid? And I'll make sure he doesn't provide us with food. That would just be suicide, as I'm sure you know.'

'Fine,' Cerasi said 'Whatever.'

'Excellent!' Ron said happily, not noticing the half exasperation, half-secret fury in Cerasi's voice. 'Now you best be off. I don't want Mcgonnagal accusing me of keeping you out late. In fact, I had better escort—

Cerasi made an alarming growling noise and Ron said quickly, 'Right, never mind.'

Ron decided to crash at Hagrid's that night, as he was too tired to apparate and had had a long trip. He needed the rest.

Hagrid had not changed much over the past fifteen or so years. He had trimmed his graying, black bushy hair and beard very short, so that all of his hair was like inch thick, curly wires poking out of his face and head. As if this wasn't odd enough to Ron, he was dressed all in black. Ron suspected his clothes had been dyed that way. He doubted that the tattered suede jacket, sweater knitted by Ron's mother, and fake Dragon skin overalls had always been black.

Anyway, when Ron knocked on the door to his hut, it had flown open and Hagrid had enveloped him into a backbreaking hug. 'Good to see yeh!' he had roared. There was no Fang greeting Ron at the door. The old dog had long since passed. Instead, Fang's son, Reggy, a puppy that looked similar to its predesor, except it was brown, barked at him happily.

Hagrid had laid a werewolf skin mat on the floor for Ron to sleep on, along with some musty blankets and a pillow that smelled like dog pee. He had then had sat Ron down in a chair and boiled up a pot of tea.

The two of them sipped on it in silence for a few minutes until Hagrid spoke. 'Yeh look diff'rent,' He said. 'Yeh look well dressed. Ain't wearin' one o' them damn sweaters yeh used to wear all the time. Got a real nice tan an' a bit of a go-tee, I see. Looks good on yeh.'

Ron stroked it and grinned. 'There was a Danish bird I used to fool around with back in Greenland. She fancied go-tees. You look different too.'

Hagrid plucked his black sweater. 'I been in mournin' ever since Olympia was killed.' He took a huge gulp of whiskey, then added, 'and Dumbledore'

'I've mostly been in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for the past decade or so. Gotten myself a decent position in their ministry,' Ron told him. 'I'm almost head of the department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sometimes I go hiking in the mountains and fly around the peaks with my broomstick. People there are quite nice once you get to know them. Nice place to live, as long as you distance yourself from the muggle government.'

'Ridden any magic carpets?' Hagrid asked.

'Yeah' Ron said. 'I don't know why they're banned here. They're actually quite comfortable.'

Hagrid and Ron were shifted into uncomfortable silence until a large Barn Owl swooped into the window of the hut and landed in front of Hagrid. It stuck out its leg, where a large, square tin of shepherd's pie was tied. Hagrid stroked the owl's head, and it flew over to an oak perch near his huge bed. 'Tha' owl's bin livin' around here fer' a while. Ever since Cerasi rescued 'em from the forest. Had a bad run in with a troll I'm guessing. Anyway, she named 'em Trojan, after the condoms but also the Roman Emperor she says, and he comes round here fer grub. Always stealin' bacon in the morning. He goes out to yeh're mum's house ev'ry Wednesday and he comes back with steak and Kidney Pie. Nice Owl, even if he's annoyin''

Ron leaned forward to pear at the owl. 'Did you say Cerasi… rescued that owl?'

'Mmm, why?'

'It just… doesn't sound like something she would do'

'What? Yeh' mean yeh've met her already?'

'Of course' Ron said.

Hagrid hesitated, and then said, 'I know she's a bit… er… rough around the edges, and…'

'Cynical?' Ron asked.

'Yes'

'Blunt?'

'Yes'

'Rude?'

'Yes'

'Narrow?'

'Yes! She's all o' them things. I know she's a bit… hard to reach. But she's got a good heart Ron. Very very deep down. Jes' give her some time.'

Ron shook his head. 'She isn't what I thought she would be,' he said.

Hagrid was silent, allowing him to continue. 'She isn't like Harry at all. Or… Hermione. She looks like Hermione. She has Harry's eyes, but she's not like them at all.'

'What'd yeh expect her ter be like?'

'I dunno, a bossy bookworm, a heroic basketcase maybe. She's not either of those things though. She's just… a punk.'

Hagrid laughed. 'I wouldn't tell her that.'

'Do I look stupid?'

'Yes'

Ron responded to this with a cold glare. Hagrid didn't mind. He pulled his nightcap on and took off his overalls, then crawled into his enormous bed and said, 'She stays with Ginny over the Christmas Holidays.'

'Ah,' Ron said bitterly. He was still sitting at the table, and was now staring into his empty teacup at the leaves in the bottom, lost in memories. 'Over at Privet Drive I suppose? With Ginny's porky husband?'

'He's gotten a lot better since he married her,' Hagrid said sternly.

'Yes, but what would poor Harry say?'

Hagrid chose to ignore this question. He simply gave Ron a concerned look before saying, 'An' over the summer she stays with her grandmother.'

'You mean Mrs. Granger?'

'Aye. Her two second cousins live there too.'

'Cerasi has second cousins?'

'Aye. They're the only family she's got left. All the rest o' the Grangers were killed. Anyway, her cousins are nice girls, both her age. She's close to 'em. One o' them, name's Stephanie Beachwood, actually she's Cerasi's second cousin twice removed, she goes to school here with Cerasi. She's in Hufflepuff. Her real second cousin is a muggle, named Jenny Phinwic, lives with Mrs. Granger an' goes to a private all-girls school called Stalag 14. She writes Cerasi letters all o' the time.'

They didn't talk much the rest of the night. Ron finished his tea and lay on the mat on Hagrid's floor. The last thing Hagrid said before he fell asleep was, 'I'm glad yeh're back Ron.'

He came out of nowhere from the darkness. She was scared at first, but he took her hand and she wasn't afraid.

She thought she was safe with him.

But now there was no way to escape.