A/N: Hello children! Sorry it's been eight days, but hey! You can't rush perfection! LOL, this isn't actually that good, sorry. I was having zero in speciation this week, which was really annoying. But this chapter is even longer than last chapter, 2,024 words long! Happy unbirthday! Also, you'll probably get a really short two chapters, because I'll update on Halloween and then Sunday, at least I hope.

IMPORTANT: Updates will probably be slower in November because I have myself the challenge of a 25k first draft of a Fanfiction that should be published sometime in December. That's about a thousand words a day, so about three hours' work per night, if guess.

Replies to Reviews:

HayleyGoth: Yeah, I noticed those. Thanks for reviewIng yourself! (LOL, I'm a bit odd, can you tell?)

Id65: On chapter 1: Thanks so much, but it's nothing compared to yours!

chocolatecheesecakes: Thanks to you, too, and it is completely amateur to your stories! And of course I'll keep going, I am determined to see this story through to the end! Don't worry, if I was related to Rick Riordan each chapter would have huge cliffhangers and probably two people would have died by now with Meissa blind already or something. :)

Cookies to all you nice reviewers! (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)

Disclaimers: are worse than younger sisters because all they do is crush your dreams.

Read on! Hope you enjoy! Review!

Previously on The Dating Game:

"Let's go, we've got Charms first." Brown dragged me up by the wrist.

As we all left the Hall, the only thoughts that ran through my mind were:

How will I ever fit in with them, or anyone?

The days went by, all pretty mundane. Wake up, go to the Great Hall with Brown, meet up with Potter and Malfoy, eat, go to class, do homework, teach my dorm mates French, and sleep.

Sigh.

Until the end of October. It was our first Hogsmeade weekend. I couldn't wait. Mama said she would try to come down and meet up with me to see how I was doing. I have some pretty great parents. Especially Mama. She goes out of her way to do things for me. I absolutely adore her- when I have kids, I hope to be like her.

Back on topic. As I was getting ready for the weekend, putting on my sweater and black (Black, last name, colour... Haha!) coat, Brown asked me if I was planning on hanging with the Silver Trio (our group)- Or, as it was recently re-christened, the Silver Quartet. I was the "new addition". Some people got pretty angry with me for joining them so quickly whilst they've been trying for years. Mostly only Slytherins since prejudice wasnt gone yet, but still.

Huh. Go figure.

But, off topic. Again. Back to Brown's inquiry.

"Well, yeah, for a bit. But my mama said she'd meet me in Three Broomsticks to see how I was doing," I replied.

"Is that even allowed?"

"Well, I wouldn't know; I am the newbie, after all."

At this comment Brown scowled and stuck her tongue out at me. I responded by sticking my tongue out at her. Childish? Yes. Do we care? No.

"Whatever. Time to go. Come on, we don't want you getting lost." I started to follow Brown when I realised that, huh, I still hadn't learned my way around the castle. That's what friend are for, though, right?

{{{{{{}}}}}}

"Meissa!"

"Mama!"

True homesickness is only felt when you see a reminder of home. Hogwarts is so different that I can never feel homesick, but seeing Mama made my stomach twist and turn, and my eyes to water up.

I never knew I was so attached to home, to my family. Sure, I loved them, but I never knew they were so important until now. But you never really know how much something matters until you have to live without it.

Isn't there some American song that says something like that in it?

Ah, yes. Papa can't stand that song. Says the guy's voice annoys him... It is kinda annoying.

But off topic!

What was the topic, anyway?

I have no idea so let's scroll back up to find out! That's the convenient thing about writing stories, you can easily find your thoughts where you left off. I should do this more often... That'd be rather smart, don't you agree?

Oh, yes, we're talking to Mama. Past the name part, not there yet, oh! We're at that part.

"Oh, my love, I've missed you so much!" My mother cried in French, squeezing the blood out of my veins in her tight hug.

"Mama- can't- breathe," I choked out. We were getting some odd stares. Probably because we were speaking French and, well, I was a Hogwarts student with my mother.

Psh. Lame-o's. My mama loves me so much, she comes down from France to see me, unlike all your lame mothers. I probably shouldn't think that, it's a bit rude.

But... Mama is amazing. Maybe I should provide some of her back story...

{{{{{{ABriefHistoryOfAludraHydraLynx-Black}}}}}}

Aludra was a normal French child. She lived in a fairly small town and attended school. She had a few siblings and an uncanny ability to stay out of trouble.

Her first obvious show of magic was when she was six years old. Her twelve-year-old sister, Margaret, had taken her stuffed bear, named Eight, and refused to give Eight back to Aludra until she apologised for telling Bruce Hemningway that she had a crush on him.

Now, you see, Aludra was a very stubborn person. You could rely on her to hold her breathe until she passed out or not talk until she had to see a doctor for any serious signs of muteness.

Obviously, Margaret's actions were completely and totally pointless.

Sure, Aludra loved Eight. But Aludra knew she could get her bear back without to much trouble. Plus, she always got what she wanted. Always.

And this time was no exception. Margaret would lose.. And be scarred for life. Later, she could recall every detail, but never remembered who it was that she had had a crush on at the time. As it turns out, Bruce isn't very memorable. Only Aludra would remember because she wrote the entire event down later, using her new-found writing abilities.

"Give."

"No."

"Give."

"Apologise."

"No."

"Then no."

Margaret and Aludra glared at each other. Margaret's eyes were icicles and Aludra's lasers. Yes, I said lasers. It's what she wrote in her journal after.

"I. Said. Give."

Aludra got mad. Suddenly, the air ripped Eight out of Margaret's hands and flew toward Aludra's outstretched hands. As Margaret lunged for the bear, a rope materialised out of thin air and tied Margaret's hands and feet together. Duct tape also appeared to cover Margaret's mouth. She wouldn't need moustache waxing for another loong time after.

"Mhhhhmhhmmmmmhm!"

"Useless."

Aludra waved her hand and Margaret was locked in the coat closet.

Aunt Margaret wasn't found for four hours, in which case it took cutting Aludra's hair with safety scissors to find out what had occurred, along with revoking dinner privileges for three days. As told before, Aludra was very stubborn.

Margaret was glad, to say the least, when Aludra started attending Hogwarts, and, when Aludra was twelve, Magaret leaving home.

From the stolen letters to my mother from Aunt Margaret, I've been able to tell that she's gotten no better over the years. I'm glad I've never met her, from Mama's stories. If I ever had, she would probably be as scared of me as she is of Mama.

{{{{{{BackToPresent}}}}}}

"Have you made any friends? What's it like? Are any people mean to you? Do I need to file any complaints?"

I laughed at my mother's overprotectiveness. "Mama, all's well. I'm friends with Brown, Potter, and Malfoy. They're pretty cool. And I love Hogwarts, the curriculum is amazing. And sure, there's this one girl, Astrid Parks, from Gryffindor, but she's not that bad."

My mother glared. "Tell me all about this Parks girl. Your first meeting, what she looks like, what she does, everything. And by everything I mean EVERYTHING."

And so I told her.

{{{{{{StoryTime,Kids!}}}}}}

Brown, Malfoy, Potter, and I were walking around by the War Memorial in the garden when I first saw her. Pounds of makeup and such fake laughter it burned my ears to hear. Brown, standing next to me, sneered. "Astrid Parks. Git. She should just transfer. Wish she got expelled for that spell last year. Only woulda been fair."

Malfoy nodded. "My father told me that even in his school years, rivalries never got that bad. Honestly, she deserved Azkaban for a month or so, at the very least, for her crime."

Potter played with his robe sleeve. "There's no way that was an accident. My dad said that her dad paid a bunch of fines and such and they took away her wand for the summer, but he still doesn't think that it's enough."

"What'd she do?"

"In the halls, it was well known that she and her gang hated Slytherins. Especially Rose Nebberi. Rose was really loud and fun to be around, a super likeable Muggleborn. She and I grew up in the same town and went to the same Muggle school, actually," Brown told. Museum sign moment, much?

Malfoy picked up where she left off. "Rose was super talented at duels, too. One passing period, Parks ran into her, and next thing you know, the two are duelling their fiercest duel yet."

"Everyone stayed out of spell-shot range. About a minute later, after complete fair play, Parks screams out 'Crucio', and Rose was on the ground screaming bloody murder," added Potter.

"The Cruciatus Curse?" I gasped. No way could a student use that on another and act like it's an accident.

"Yeah," gossiped Brown. "You familiar with it?"

All too well, I thought. But instead I said, "I've heard of it and its effects."

"Mhmh. Because of my great aunt using it, Professor Longbottom's parents went completely insane and are still currently insane. It's pretty sick that Parks used it on a fellow student and wasn't punished," Malfoy told us uselessly.

"No punishment? Like, she didn't get parol or anything?" I pressed.

Malfoy looked clueless. "What's parol?"

"It's where, if you get in trouble with the law, they track you and keep someone in law enforcement with you at all times so as to ensure that you don't go around committing more crimes." I explained. I knew it was something used in America, at the very least.

I stopped walking a few minutes later when I bumped into something. "Oh, sorry," as sickly, sugarcoated, high-pitched, annoying voice apologised in a mocking manner.

I walked on, ignoring it.

"Excuse me, but won't you at least say, 'It's fine'?" The same voice asked. I tried to ignore it, but, I mean, it's life. We can never get away with anything productive, now can we?

I turned around to look at the speaker. She looked like she had so much make up on her face that she used up all her make up at once. Even her uniform looked, well, flashy. In the bad sense. Shirt and skirt a few sizes too small. Loosened tie. Too-tight robes. Did this girl understand the point if clothing or not?

Clearly she didn't understand anything. Too much air in her head for her minuscule brain to fit.

"No, I don't believe that was required. After all, you only say that to living people, now don't you?" I mocked in a fake sickly sugar-sweet voice. A sneer began to take form on my features. The girl- I'd deduced she was Astrid Parks by now- lost all traces of any humour or happiness she could've faked.

"I'll have you know, I'm more human than you Slytherins." She hissed out the last word, as if it was a cunning comeback.

"Oh, are you sure? I'm pretty sure we don't buy out a make up store and put all of it on at once. And not only that, but we also have hearts. Unlike you." I spoke flatly, making sure no emotion crept into my voice or eyes as I stared right through her eyes.

She made an annoyed sound. "Ugh! You act like I'm the bad one. I'll have you know that I am a pure-blooded Gryffindor. There's nobody better than me," Parks taunted.

And I just walked away. Well, technically Potter dragged me, but I'm saying that I walked away.

{{{{{{}}}}}}

"She sounds hideous- both inside and out." Mama stated as if it were fact. "She's worse than Libby Palament."

She was referring to my school rival at Beauxbatons. She was like Parks' long lost twin sister. Daughters if devils are evil together and apart, you could say. I mean, honestly, I thought pureblood supremacists were gone. Was it possible they still existed! I guess so.

"Why don't we go to Honeydukes? Old Dog told me I absolutely had to pick up some Pepper Imps for him and Grandpappy wanted Acid Pops. Apparently those were their favourites in their school days." Mama reported to me as she stood up.

We both left, chatting happily and exchanging stories.

At least there was good before the bad, right?

A/N: Good? Bad? Want to give me more reason to write? Review! I know this is really slow going in terms of review and reads, but just think- if you review, maybe more people will! I hope you enjoyed, please please please review!

Stay tuned for Halloween's chapter of The Dating Game!

*Hayles