Title: Memory Laine

Authors: Destria and Darkrose (the_keyboard_gang@yahoo.com)

Series:  Other Side of the Mirror (Part 3)

Note: We forgot to mention this before; the story takes place during Harry and co.'s 5th year. And, as far as we're concerned, OotP never happened. So, if you haven't read it, you're in no danger of catching spoilers…okay, maybe one or two.

~*~

  "No Daddy," five year-old Laine cried defiantly, cowering in a corner of the large dining room. "I won't do it."

  "Excuse me?" Lucius Malfoy's voice was soft and deadly.

  "I won't do it!"

  "You won't?" It was obviously rhetorical. "That's odd, for I believe you will."

  Narcissa, standing in the doorway looked from her husband to her daughter, her face a mask of malice. She made no move to stop what she knew he was about to do, no move to do anything other than watch and laugh.

  "Imperio," Lucius whispered, pointing his wand at his daughter.  "Now, you're going to do it, aren't you?"

  "Yes, Father," Laine stood, her face still as stone and walked to the kitchen. There she pulled a knife out of the drawer and went to find the kitten she had saved from a gutter two days before.  It mewed pathetically at her as she put the knife to its neck, tears leaking from her eyes and her mind screaming at her.

 "LAINE!" Someone shouted, snapping her back to reality.

  "Yes?" She shook her head, waiting for her eyes to readjust to the light inside the great hall. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were all shooting her weird looks. "Is something wrong?"

  "Are you okay?" Hermione asked.

  "Yes," Laine lied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

  Harry looked vaguely amused. "Funny, here I thought I was the only one who went into catatonic trances like that. Finally, someone to take the spotlight away."

 Ron shot him a poisonous look, then turned back to Laine. "Usually when someone has tears running down their face, they're upset."

  Laine raised a hand to a cheek and wiped at her face, then looked. Something glinted silver in the early light reflected from the windows and the ceiling.  "I was crying…"

  "Yeah, amazing, isn't it?" Harry muttered sarcastically. "That's what most people call it, anyway."

  Hermione smacked him over the head with a book. "ENOUGH, Harry."

  Ron grinned at him and Harry rubbed the back of his head. "Hurts, doesn't it? Now you know what I have to deal with."

  Harry muttered something no one else could hear…which was probably a good thing, considering the fact that Hermione had a positively lethal look in her eyes.

  Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Care to repeat that?"

  "No."

  "Then shut up."

  Harry, for once, didn't respond. Laine was impressed. "Wow. He actually does have a brain." Ron snickered as Harry opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it with a snap as Hermione raised her book menacingly.

  "I'm fine, really," Laine told them, tearing her bagel into pieces. They were all staring at her. "What?"

  Ron laid one of his hands over hers. "It's dead already, Laine. You don't have to kill it again."

  "Huh?" She didn't get it. Ron nodded toward the mutilated bagel. "Oh…" His hand was still over hers. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Although they didn't see it, from across the room, Draco's expression mirrored his little sister's. Ron ears turned pink and he hurriedly moved his hand, clearing his throat as Hermione quickly hid her grin behind the pages of her book.

  Harry, although he was frowning, looked rather amused, if only at Ron's pink ears. "C'mon, Ron, we've got divination first. Long walk."

  "Uh…right…" Ron shot him a grateful look. "I'll see you later, Laine. Hermione." He all but ran from the room.

  Hermione giggled at his retreating back, (ears still flaming) then sighed. "It's sad, really."

  "What is?"

  "Ron."

  "Excuse me?" Laine didn't get it.

  "Well, I have Viktor, Harry thinks he'd like to have Cho-" Hermione shook her head at Laine's questioning look. "You don't want to know. Basically, Ron's the only one left…well, an Neville, but he's got his eye on Ginny…best not to tell Ron, though, he'd try to kill Neville."

  Laine's eyes widened a little, but Hermione looked perfectly serious. "Just what are you getting at?" Laine asked slowly.

  Hermione snickered. "Nothing, nothing at all. Just letting you know the facts."

  "Right…" This girl had something not quite right going on today. "I think I'll just…go. Get my stuff for Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies…"

  Hermione, once again absorbed in her book, waved goodbye as Laine walked as casually as she possibly could from the room.

  "Laine!"

  She sighed as she turned around. "Draco, dearie, we really must stop meeting like this. People will begin to talk."

  "Yeah, well, you should really stop holding Weasley's hand at breakfast, PEOPLE TALK!" She had never seen her brother so upset…at least not at her.

  "What?"

  "You. Weasley. Holding hands! DO YOU GET IT NOW?!" People walking by were shooting them both weird looks.

  "Do you mind not humiliating me in the main hall?"

  "LAINE!"

  "What?"

  "EXPLAIN THIS!"

  Her face set, she marched down the staircase, grabbing Draco's collar, and continuing to march into the nearest corridor. Thankfully, it was empty. She let go of him and glared, crossing her arms. "Try this again, without yelling at me."

  "I saw it! At the table just now, you and Weasley holding hands!"

  Laine sighed. "That's not what it was, Draco."

  "That's certainly what it LOOKED LIKE." He was losing the battle to keep his voice at a reasonable level.

  "If you must  know, he was trying to keep me from mutilating my food any more than I already had."

  Draco opened his mouth, fully ready to continue his tirade, then stopped. "What?"

  "You heard me," she said quietly.

  "You never mutilate your food…unless you're worried or scared or…angry…" he looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "What did Potter do to you? I swear, if he laid a FINGER on you, I'll kill him."

  "Oh, Draco, I didn't know you cared. Besides, Harry didn't do anything."

  "Harry? You're on a first-name basis with him, now?"

  "AAH!" She yelled. "I had a Daymare, that's all, all right?"

  "About what?" Draco sounded disappointed he couldn't beat on Potter, but curious, too.

  "Must you know everything?"

  Draco grinned at her. "Yes."

  She shook her head. "Nevermind. Come on, we're going to be late for our classes." She dashed out of the corridor before he could respond, tearing up the staircases towards the common room.

  "Well," Draco muttered, slightly put out that she had left him so suddenly. "Maybe YOU weren't holding HIS hand, but as for the other way around…" he chuckled quietly. "That I'm not so sure about. Weasley and I must have a little…chat. Sometime soon, I should think…yes, after dinner sounds good to me…"

~*~

   Harry had been staring at Ron for the last half an hour, completely ignoring Professor Trelawny, who was making her usual predictions of death befalling him at an early age. It was beginning to get on Ron's nerves. Not so much that he was staring, but the irritatingly smug smile he had been wearing since breakfast.

  "What?" He hissed at Harry while Professor Trelawny complimented Lavender and  Parvati on their 'incredibly accurate' horoscopes.

  Harry's grin widened. "Oh, nothing…"

  "Like hell it's nothing," Ron shot back. "Now, WHAT?"

  "Nothing-" Harry tried again. Ron shot him a death glare. "Well, I was just thinking about breakfast…"

  "I thought I was the one who constantly thought about food, not you."

 "Ron," Harry looked exasperated. "Please."

  Ron's ears turned slightly pink. "I haven't a clue what you're talking about."

 "Uh-huh," Harry patted his shoulder. "Whatever you say, Ron. Whatever you say."

~*~

  Laine was the first one to the Gryffindor table for lunch, not that she cared…much. She was used to Hermione being there first, her nose already in the latest book she was tackling, followed by Harry and Ron, deep in discussion about some Quidditch move, team, match, etc. that no one else had even heard of…she was usually last…given they had only been there three days, and in that time had eight meals together. Still, a pattern had emerged.

  She sat down, helping herself to a large bowl of soup and a cheese sandwich. It was so like being back at the Institution, it was scary. Moments later, Hermione sat down across from her, flashing a smile as she grabbed her own food.

  "Have a good morning, Laine?"

  Laine looked up, startled. Hermione hardly talked at lunch, if at all. And yet, here she was, watching Laine carefully as she initiated conversation.

  "Yeah," Laine said quietly. "It was...fine…what about you?"

  "Oh, it was wonderful. Arithmancy is such a good class."

  "Really? I have it this afternoon."

  "You'll love it. Hi guys," Hermione caroled as Ron and Harry sat down next to Laine.

  Ron just looked at her dully. "Why are you so happy?"

  "Yeah," Harry agreed. "It's different."

  "What, so I'm not allowed to be happy, anymore?" Hermione demanded, looking offended.

  "We didn't say that!"

  "You implied it!" Hermione whipped out her book and was lost to the world.

  Laine looked at them, amused. "Great job."

  The boys sulked as they inhaled their food, but Laine could swear she saw Hermione hiding a smile. She laughed quietly, finishing her soup. Pulling out her schedule, she examined what the rest of the week looked like for her.

Monday: 9- Potions
         1030- Transfiguration

         1230- Charms

              2- Herbology

Tuesday: 9- Care of Magical Creatures

          1030- Muggle Studies

          1230- Arithmancy

               2- History of Magic

Wednesday:  9- Astronomy (practical lessons as announced)

                1030- Astronomy

                1230- Defense Against the Dark Arts

                      2- Defense Against the Dark Arts

Thursday: 9- Care of Magical Creatures

            1030- Muggle Studies

            1230- Arithmancy

                 2- History of Magic

Friday: 9- Potions

      1030- Transfiguration

      1230- Charms

            2- Herbology

  "Yeesh," a voice over her shoulder said.  She looked. It was her brother, of course.

  "You have a really bad habit of doing that," she muttered, turning back to her food.

  "Could you have taken any more classes?"

  "Yes, actually, I could have." She, and Draco, it seemed, were ignoring the glares the other Gryffindors were shooting at him. "But I figured I would save that for next year. O.W.L.s, you know."

  Draco shook his head. "You're crazy."

  "It runs in the family."

  "Hey!"

  "Look, did you need something specific?" She asked him, pleading with him mentally to just go away.

  "No…" He said quietly, heading over to the Slytherin table. Every Gryffindor watched him go, following his movement with their eyes, then turned back to their lunches. Laine just shook her head.

 After a moment, conversations broke out again, filling the hall with its' normal buzzing sound. She breathed a sigh of relief and stood.

  "Where're you going?" Harry asked as Laine made to leave.

  "Class, I'll see you guys in the common room, later."

  "All right," Ron called back, watching her leave.

  "But we have another twenty minutes…" Harry said to himself more than anyone.

~*~

  Laine sat down in a chair towards the front of the Arithmancy classroom and rested her head in her hands. Draco was up to something, and she didn't like it. As was Hermione…and Harry, for that matter…it was a conspiracy, part of her mind decided. But why would the three of them work together? They didn't even LIKE each other…

  Pain ripped through her body, her skin felt like it was on fire. She couldn't help it, she had to scream…

"Oh, Miss Malfoy, You're here early."

  Laine looked up, smiling at the wizard who must've been her professor. "Yes, sir. Call me Laine."

"All right then."

~*~

  "There's something not right about that girl, I'm telling you!" Seamus insisted to Ron and Harry that afternoon before dinner. "She's…well, she's a Malfoy for one thing, for another, she's…well, she's just crazy."

  "You're only saying that because she's better at Charms'n you are," Ron muttered, rifling through his schoolbag.

  Seamus flushed a little. "That's not the point, Ron, everyone's better at Charms than me, even Neville!"

  "Gee, thanks," Neville inserted from the general direction of his bed, where he was engrossed in an obscure Herbology text.

  "I mean it, watch her- something isn't right there."

  "Whatever you say, Seamus," Harry groaned, tired of the argument.

  "She cries in her sleep!" Seamus tried.

  "How do you know that?" Ron asked sharply.

  "Ginny told me. She can hear her at night, whimpering, sobbing. Now answer me this, is that normal?"

  "I hardly think we're entitled to define normality, Seamus," Dean grinned. "After all, we're here to learn magic."

  Seamus groaned. "You know perfectly well what I meant."

  "I did, and I still say you have your panties in a twist over nothing." Ron snapped, decidedly, ending Seamus' tirade- he was too busy trying to come up with a suitable comeback. "I'm going down to dinner." With that, he left the room.

  Seamus crossed his arms and sat down hard on his bed. "I still say she's out of her tree."

~*~

  "Weasley!" Draco called down the hallway. "Hey, WEASLEY!" Still no response. "RON!"

  The tall redhead stopped in his tracks and turned around. "You talking to me, Draco?"

  "Is there anyone else standing here named Ron? Or Weasley for that matter?"

  "Well…" Ron sighed. "No. What do you want?"

  Draco smiled beatifically. "Oh nothing. I just wanted us to have a little chat, you and I."

  Ron was wary. "About…?"

  "Just people…you…me…my sister…" He leaned against the wall. This early, they were the only ones in the corridor, so there would be no harm to either one of their reputations.

  Ron sighed. "Get to the point."

  "Stay away from her," Draco said bluntly, managing to keep his pleasant tone of voice, if only barely.

  "She's my friend," Ron protested.

  "So she told me," Draco winced. "All the same, I've got my eye on you, Ron."

  Ron blinked. This was perhaps the first time in his life Draco had used his name conversationally. It was a very odd experience. "Is that supposed to be a threat, or a warning?"

  "You decide," Draco pushed himself away from the wall. "Although if it were me, I'd say neither, and consider it to be more like a promise."

  "I see…"

  Draco locked gazes with the other boy. "I mean it, one finger on her and you'll wish you had never seen nor heard of her. Have I made my point clear?"

  "Abundantly," Ron replied grimly. "But Draco, answer me this."  Draco raised an eyebrow expectantly. "How will you keep her away from me?" He smiled sweetly. "Have a nice evening, Draco."

~*~