Chapter Three: The Rumour

Dear Mum and Dad

As this is my first letter written at Hogwarts, I should probably begin by telling you that I arrived here safely, though I did have a little trouble finding the right platform in London. Never mind that, I got help from some of the other 'kids', two boys and a girl. You might have heard of at least one of them. They're Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Actually, I've become great friends with them. Oh, and I've been sorted into Gryffindor, which is their house, by the way. That means I'm brave. Yeah, I know, who would have thought it? So far classes have been fine, except for potions, where I couldn't help laughing at the teacher, so I lost some house points. Ron said, I was lucky not to get a detention and I guess, I was. Please don't get angry with me. If you could meet professor Snape, I'm sure you would understand me, but I'm afraid that a proper explanation is impossible in letterform. He has to be experienced, live.

Now for the serious part. Do you know about this Voldemort type? Dark Lord and all that? I've only just heard about him myself and he seems pretty important. Everyone practically jumps when I ask them about him. They don't like it when I say his name, for some reason or other. Harry and Hermione are the only ones here who use it, you know. They said, he was a pretty big problem in the late 70's, I mean really big, so I just wondered why we've never heard of him at home?

Well, I just thought you might explain it to me.

I hope you're both well and settled.

Kisses and all

Di

Dithea looked the letter through one last time before she sealed it and ran up to the owlery. Her first week at Hogwarts had passed quickly in a whirl of activities and impressions. She felt at ease in Gryffindor and got along with nearly all of them. Well, The Creevy brothers were a bit annoying sometimes, but all in all she was pretty content. Her fellow Gryffindors had been invaluable guides, when she had to find her way round the huge castle. She still had to get used to the staircases shifting places. They had more than once been the reason why she had been late for classes. Professor Snape didn't appreciate this but oddly enough he hadn't even punished her with detention yet.

Ron marvelled at the fact.

"It's amazing! How do you get away with it?" he asked after a particular trying potionlesson.

"With what?" she asked

"Oh, come on! Arriving late for classes, laughing at Snape, the slimey git...I mean, if it had been me, he would have expelled me long ago!"

Dithea shrugged.

"How should I know? Maybe he isn't such a git after all"

"Yeah, he is" Harry intervened "but there's no denying it. He treats you as if you were in slytherin or something."

Dithea blushed as she remembered the sorting hats first choice for her.

"Maybe he's just trying to be nice" she ventured "you know...seeing as I'm new here and all"

"Nah ah" Ron shaked his head "Not him." Suddenly his eyes went wide open, as if some horrific idea had presented itself to him.

"Bloody blodgers! What if he fancies you!"

"Ew, Ron! What are you on about? That's disgusting!" Hermione exclaimed. For the first time lifting her head from her homework.

"I know, but think about it" he said "Di is almost always late, she laughs at him, doesn't get the potions right and so far he's only taken a few points from Gryffindor beacuse of her. I mean...Harry has only to look at Snape and then it's detention every night for a week!"

Hermione looked at Dithea in a worried way, taking in her appearence. Harry also turned and looked at her.

"Come on, stop it" all of the sudden she grew very selfconcious.

"Well, you're not exactly bad looking" Harry said, considering her figure.

She blushed.

"Thanks, I suppose," she had never been any good at receiving compliments "but don't you think he would prefer someone in his own house...like that Parkinson-girl or someone like that. She's a lot prettier too."

Hermione sniffed.

Harry shook his head.

"She whines too much" was Ron's reply.

Dithea couldn't believe it. Snape couldn't possibly have a crush on her. No way. It was ridiculous. The man was twice her age for heavens sake. Unfortunately it wasn't only the trio who had noticed. The slytherins seemed to have too. Parkinson had sneered at her, calling her the teacher's pet, while passing her in a hallway. Bullstrode seemed to bump into her all too often, leaving Dithea with bruises from the encounter. She had even heard Malfoy say something about her being old Snape's sexdoll. She had blushed fearsly at the thought. How dared they? She knew there would always be a lot of gossip around on a school like this, but she had never thought that she would ever have to be the victim of it.

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She was sitting alone by the lake, brushing her fingers over a copy of 'Hogwart's history' that she had borrowed from Hermione . It had been weeks and she still hadn't heard from her father. It worried her a bit. But then again, he was probably busy. As usual. It had always annoyed her, her father's addiction to his work. She had always felt like it as taking him away from her. She sighed and looked back at the school. She really ought to get back or she would miss dinner.

"Well well, what have we here?"

Malfoy was strolling towards her along the shore of the lake, hands in his pokets.

"If it isn't Snape's little..."

"Snape's what?!" She interrupted impatently.

Malfoy cocked an eyebrow and smirked. Leaving her question unanswered as he looked her over.

"I always thought he prefered blondes"

"Well maybe he does" she shot at him, before getting up and walking towards the castle. She wasn't going to let him continue this conversation.

He followed her, the annoying prat.

"Then there must be some other reason" he said "maybe you have some hidden qualities" Draco looked over her body suggestivly.

"Snap out of it will you? Professor Snape is my teacher, nothing more!"

With these words she stormed into the castle and missed Draco's answer.

She joined the trio at the Gryffindor table. Ron was as always stuffing his face full of food.

"Wher've u bing?"

"Huh?" She looked on in amazement as he swallowed the huge amount af turkey.

"Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you"

"Oh...er...outside...needed air, you know" she noticed Malfoy enter the great hall. He sent a smirk in her direction. Annoying bastard.

"Is something wrong?" Harry said, following her gaze and

"Malfoy? Did he do something to you?"

"I suppose you could say that he was being himself" she answered.

"That bad huh?" Ron threw a dirty look towards the blond before he took another bite.

"Why does everyone think I'm having an affair with Snape?" she asked

"Hush!" Hermione warned "He's coming this way!"

Snape came walking towards them and as he past, he glanced at Dithea, with an irritated glint in his eyes.

She exhailed and looked triumpantly at the others.

"Did you see that? He couldn't possibly fancy me!"

Ron shrugged as if it didn't mean a thing.

"Then why is he so nice to you all the time?"

Dithea looked offended and exclaimed:

"He isn't nice! He's just less..less..." she tried to find the right word "...less mean!"

"Exactly!" said Harry

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