A/N: New chapter! Yay! On time! Even better! A lot of exclamation points! So happy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the things. Or else I could pay for other things. (Okay, I'll leave this alone as is - because I'm sure it totally makes sense - and remind you that the disclaimer is more detailed in Chapter 1. Everything there is still accurate.)

Also, if you guys want to see anything specific, or have ideas for coming chapters, or there's something you're curious about, please let me know. This can only be so long if I have to go from my inspiration alone. And "my inspiration" is normally pretty thin, so... Help me out.

Will respond to review(s) at the bottom.

The next week was blowing past, and the transfers began to melt into their houses. Mostly. Jasper still hadn't gotten used to the intense generosity and politeness that seemed to drench most of the Hufflepuff house. Elisa was easily enjoying the extra energy the Gryffindors had to offer, but refused to give up her reading habit; the lions couldn't get her nose out of a book long enough to talk about, well, anything really. Amelia still didn't feel welcome, as while no one had been directly hostile toward her since that first night, there were still glares and strange silences. Max was getting used to the experiments that went on, and found himself suddenly able to sleep through almost anything.

But at meals it was uncomfortable. Instead of everything being different, as it was with different classes and different rooms, it was only different tables. They sat at their new places, and saw where they used to interact with others from a distance as they struggled to adjust to the new environment with their comfort zone at fingertip length. But no one complained, and no one moved to change it. The teaching staff that were paying attention could practically see the unrest in the students, but had no way to fix it.

It was Max who finally did something. It was supper on a Tuesday, and during a particularly tedious (in his opinion) discussion about one magical theory or another, Maxwell stood from his table, and approached the one littered with red. His next action surprised those few who were watching, because he didn't sit down with his friends as onlookers had suspected. He went straight for the only speck of blue at the table.

Max whispered something to Elisa. She looked up from her book for the first time that entire evening, and her eyes traveled first to Max, then the Hufflepuff table, and finally the Slytherin group. After a pause, she closed her book with a solid thwap.

Half of the Gryffindor table started, flinching away sharply, before staring at the closed novel that she left on the table as she stood. Elisa and Max then went over to Amelia. Elisa seemed to tell her something, and their gazes fell on Jasper, who was looking overwhelmed as quite a few people were talking to him at once. A small grin appeared on the younger girl's face, and they all trotted over to the previously-snake-now-badger. Amelia squeezed in next to a startled Jasper, gently nudging the other Hufflepuffs away from him. Max and Elisa did the same on the other side, sitting next to the oldest boy, but allowing him the elbow room he didn't have until that moment. Some Hufflepuffs were like tiny puppies; constantly at your heels if you were new.

And they began eating with each other, the mix of green, yellow, blue, and red an odd thing to see from the Head table, but none of the professors minded.

Jasper was breathless, his cheeks flushed. "Thank you." He told the other three. They grinned.

"No need to thank us. We need to stick together." Max said, thrusting out his hand.

Jasper eyed it, shock showing on his face. The lion was offering his hand. He suddenly remembered himself and took it firmly, the Slytherin and Gryffindor rivalry forgotten, if just for a moment.

"You know, all you have to do to keep them away is tell them." Amelia informed him. "I don't mean that you should be rude. But they would understand if you needed a break."

The boy smiled at the young girl. "Thanks for that."

She nodded. "Any time you need someone to do it for you, let me know."

"I'm surprised the teachers haven't told us off yet." Max said carefully, glancing at the head table in apprehension.

"I'm not." Elisa said, much to the small group's surprise. They turned to stare as a way to portray their confusion. She shrugged in response. "It doesn't say anywhere in the rule book that we have to sit with our houses. Not even on a regular day. It just said that we should during Sorting. The rest of the time, it's just easier for the Heads of the houses to keep track of us so the fact it isn't an established rule isn't widely spread. But most people don't even look past the initial rule to see that it doesn't apply on regular days anyway."

They blinked at her.

"Interesting fact." Jasper noted, and Max nodded his agreement.

"So you're saying that it says we can sit with anyone at any time?" Max wanted the clarification.

Elisa smirked. "No, it just doesn't say we can't."

The Griffinclaw grinned deviously. "Loop hole. I like it."

Amelia looked thoughtfully at the biscuit in her hand. "I say we sit together more often."

"That's a good idea. Are we thinking at the last meal of the day?" Jasper asked.

"We could alternate which table every day, that way." Elisa added.

Max nodded in agreement. "That sounds good to me."

"Then it's settled." The older three were startled to note the obvious relief on the little Hufflepuff-turned-snake's face as she said this. "Whose table should we sit at tomorrow?"

"Let's go in order. That would make tomorrow Ravenclaw, the next night Gryffindor, the one after Slytherin, and then we repeat."

"Good idea, Morgan." Jasper nodded. "Then we'll be able to keep track easier."

And thus an allegiance was born.

This resulted in more than just eating together. Soon they also met up in the library to study. And high-fived each other in the halls as they passed one another on their way to classes. And spent free-time with each other outside while the weather was still relatively warm. Their meetings every fortnight became every week after their second one, full of anecdotes of classes, and the ridiculousness of Professor Lockhart. They slowly went from allies to friends, the transition going unnoticed.

Jasper sneezed, and made a miserable noise at the back of his throat as he pulled his elbow away to find his robe covered in snot. He felt horrible; an annoying headache, stuffed sinuses, itching eyes… He wanted to go to Madame Pomfrey, but wasn't sure if getting a little sick would qualify as a reason. Everyone got sick. It would probably just waste her pepper-up potion.

He frowned; that was oddly selfless of him to think. Jasper glanced around at the warm golden glow of the Hufflepuff common room and sighed. They were affecting him.

"Jasper?"

He turned at the sound of his name to find a familiar face; the Hufflepuff prefect that had shown him around upon his first arrival. He offered a small wave of his hand as greeting.

She frowned deeply, concern widening her eyes. "You don't look so good. Are you feeling all right?"

He sniffed, and rubbed his nose with his robe; it was already covered in snot now, so he couldn't make it much worse. "Just caught something, I think."

The prefect tipped her head, eyeing him carefully. "No… puffy eyes… do they itch?"

"My eyes? A little, I suppose." He admitted.

"Do you have a headache?"

He shrugged. "A bit."

The prefect nodded slowly. "I need to take you to Madame Pomfrey."

"What?" Jasper froze. "Why?"

"It's an allergic reaction… lucky for us it isn't any worse. Yet. But it's been getting more severe as time passes. Come on, Jasper." She urged, nudging him lightly toward the door.

"What could I possibly be allergic to?" He asked, digging his heels in.

She put her hands on her hips. "Look around. A plant, obviously. Now come on."

"I have a class!" He objected.

"I'll inform the professor." She replied.

"You don't even know who it is." He countered.

"You're a fourth year; schedule says Professor Flitwick. He'll excuse you for today."

He stared at her as she opened the door and pushed him out, and in that moment he realized something. Or realized he didn't know something. And perhaps it was his clouded mind that allowed him to ask the question as soon as he thought it. "What's your name?"

She didn't tell him that he was a hopeless case because he'd forgotten it, or tease him about his bluntness. She didn't shake her head at how impolite it was to not remember when she obviously remembered his. She didn't accuse him of not caring enough to know. Instead, she gave him a kind smile and answered. "Bene."

Amy slid out from her covers, and went to her trunk to begin removing the books she would need for the day. Only to find her chest locked. Frowning, she sought the key; it was in the drawer of her nightstand. But even though the key fit into the lock, and it turned, the trunk still wouldn't open. She sat back for a moment, contemplating this.

"Having trouble, Ross?" Asked one of the other girls in her dorm, Lynne.

Amelia nodded. "It won't open."

"How unfortunate." Another student, her name Mavis, spoke from across the room by her own bed, her tone sarcastic.

Lynne knelt by the trunk. "The key isn't working?" when Amy shook her head, the other second year nodded hers thoughtfully. "Did you magically lock it?"

"My trunk? No. I have no reason to." Amy had a feeling she knew where this was going.

Lynne's words confirmed her suspicion. "If that is the right key, and it isn't working, it's because the chest is magically locked; you can only open it by magical means."

Amelia took a deep breath to try and steady her nerves as she pulled her wand from her sock, suddenly happy she didn't place it in the trunk with all of her other things. She didn't fail to notice Mavis' half-surprised, half-irritated look as she held up the maple wand. "Alohamora." She whispered, and heard a firm click. Smiling slightly, she lifted the lid.

And only had three seconds to be happy about her success when she noticed quite a few items missing.

"What's wrong?" Lynne asked, seeing her sad look.

Amy shook her head, catching Mavis' smirk over Lynne's shoulder. "Nothing, Lynne. Thank you very much for your help."

The brunette nodded her reply, and made her way to standing and get herself ready for the day.

Elisa stood back for a moment as her eyes caught sight of Amelia walking in the corridor intersecting hers, wanting to say hello. But she noticed that Amy wasn't paying attention to where she was going, and was looking at the ceiling instead. Elisa frowned before approaching the girl; she had ten minutes until her next class. "Amy, what are you doing?"

"What?" The Hufflyn looked to the Ravendor. "Oh! I, uh… I'm observing the architecture."

"You're observing the architecture?" Elisa repeated monotonously.

"Yup! It's beautiful. This castle is ancient. Sometimes I don't think we appreciate it enough." The blonde looked briefly back at the ceiling before returning her eyes to her fellow student. "How has your day been?"

"Decent." Elisa said, allowing the change in topic.

"Only decent?" Amy inquired.

"My first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts." Elisa shifted to heft one of the novels written by Lockhart farther onto her arm.

Amy looked both amused and sympathetic. "That's horrible. What was it today?"

Elisa sighed. "Mostly about vampires."

"Learn anything interesting?" Amy had to hope.

"Oh, of course. Professor Lockhart knew exactly what to do and when. He's a genius and has the best smile…" She said all of this in a mockingly airy voice, which dropped flat as she added "And I'm wasting precious brain space to attend his classes."

Amelia snorted before giggling. "No joke. If I pass any test this year relating to that class, I'll be impressed with myself." She gasped, a sudden thought occurring to her. "You've taken second-year defense classes!"

Elisa blinked. "Professor Quirrell had You-Know-Who attached to the back of his head. I really don't think he qualifies as an adequate teacher."

"He was more adequate than Lockhart." Amy deadpanned.

Elisa smirked. "Touché."

"So… I was thinking… Maybe you could tutor me?" Amy said hesitantly.

Elisa's smile vanished. "Sorry?"

"Well, I mean, you know what you're doing. And I actually want to learn." Amy told her.

The older girl understood this. In fact, every Ravenclaw did, and she couldn't help but sympathize with Amy's situation. She sighed deeply. "Alright. Fine. Free time, Wednesday mornings."

Amelia beamed. "Thank you so much!"

"We start next week." Elisa looked down the hall to where most of her classmates has vanished. "I need to get to my next class. See you tonight?"

When Amelia nodded in response, she watched the Ravendor walk off in the direction of the other Gryffindors in her year before sighing. Her next class was DADA. Technically, she didn't need any of those books, as they wouldn't teach her anything anyway. But her History of Magic textbook was missing as well, so on her way to class, she looked up, and around all over. Behind statues. Behind paintings. Around standing armor. The other side of tapestries. She began to wander away from her destination.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked.

Amelia turned sharply, her robes swirling about her as she faced the speaker. A Gryffindor, going by the color of his robes. But she didn't recognize him, even though he was old enough to be a fourth year. "Looking."

"For what?" He asked.

"My books."

He frowned. "Why would they be behind a statue?"

She hesitated. "Is this you offering to help me look, or are you just curious?"

The Gryffindor paused, gave her a thoughtful look, and then began walking away. "I have a class to get to."

Amelia watched him go, and sighed. Again. Of course he wouldn't help her. Everyone was busy today, not just her. And others had problems worse than lost text books.

"Hey, Ross." Amy turned her head at the greeting to find a fourth year Slytherin. She'd seen him before. What had his name been?

It came to her. "Hello, Rory."

He paused. "You actually remember my name?"

"I try to remember everyone's names." Amy told him.

Rory tipped his head in question, but didn't actually ask it. Why? She smiled at him, and he shook his head. "I'm assuming you're looking for your books."

She straightened at his statement. "You know about that?"

"Seeing a group of second-years running out of the common room at six in the morning with a stack of books in hand is kind of hard to miss." He told her. "And it was only one stack, so they wouldn't have been studying."

Amelia tried not to look hopeful. "Do you happen to know where they went?"

Rory looked away from her, and down the hall. "I'm not certain, but I'll help you look after the next class ends. It's a bit of free time and then lunch, right?" When Amy nodded her head, he smiled at her. "I'll meet you outside of the Great Hall." And with that, he left.

Amy watched him go for a moment, before looking at her watch. Her eyes widened and she took off at a full sprint to try and make it to Defense Against the Dark Arts on time, as it was in an entirely different wing. She'd gotten so distracted, she'd nearly ended up lost.

Jasper took the medicine from Madame Pomfrey's outstretched hand. "Thank you, ma'am."

"I still don't think it's good that you're around… what plant is it that you are allergic to?" The aging witch asked.

Jasper shrugged a single shoulder and took the medicine in one gulp. It was mildly bitter, the aftertaste slightly garlic. "We can't figure it out. There are so many in the common room that it could be any of them." He paused thinking. "Well… not any of them. Most of them my mother keeps in her garden and I've never had a problem before."

"But now you do." Pomfrey shook her head. "It's as soon as you walk through the door that it's the worst?"

"Every time." Jasper confirmed.

"Then I say after supper, you let me go with you and we figure it out."

The ginger student blinked owlishly at her for a long moment. "Why?"

She smiled at him. "My job as a healer is to confirm the health of my patients. Or, in this case, Hogwarts students. Allergy medicine will only get you so far. Removing the problem completely would be better for everyone in the long run." Pomfrey nodded, as if agreeing with herself. "And then we can figure out what you're allergic to, and keep you away from it in the future."

Jasper nodded wordlessly, not entirely sure what to say in return.

"I'll be in your common room by the time you get there tonight. Now go on. You'll miss lunch." She nudged him out of the door with a gentle hand to send him on his way.

Jasper was nearly to the Great Hall when he spotted Amy with a Slytherin he recognized; Rory Nelson. He never quite understood why the Sorting Hat put Nelson, of all people, into the snake house. He acted more like a Hufflepuff most of the time, and Jasper was happy to see that Amelia had found a friend in his classmate. Jasper had been worried that she wouldn't because of her blood status; the bias had increased tenfold when Draco Malfoy showed up. It was as if everyone was trying to outdo the other in showing the young Malfoy just how trustworthy they could be in their hatred of muggles. It was... unsettling.

But Amelia Ross looked calm around Nelson, so Jasper could only assume that they were friends. Ross, Jasper believed, could become anyone's friend if she was given enough time. It was a talent of hers. A talent he wished he had.

Jasper sighed deeply, and moved with the flow of the small group that was walking past him into the Great Hall. Those weren't thoughts for the present, and his mind was quickly distracted by the fragrance of the food already filling the tables. The meal to come held the rest of his attention.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Again, please give me ideas if there's anything specific you want to see; I can't guarantee I will use your idea, but I will credit you if I do, or if I'm inspired by it. Now Review Response!

Jahaha27: Your comment made me laugh so very hard. As if you had not a single clue in the world... Of course, this is the only OC in this story you didn't technically help me with, isn't it? Janna is a fantastic name. I've always loved it, and I'm glad I finally had an opportunity to use it for a character that works well with it. You'll be seeing more of her. I promise.