Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, my name would be J.K. Rowling.

Kitreen had gone as far as the passage to the tunnels to the kitchen when she realized someone was following her. She started feeling nervous, but couldn't really think why. It was probably just Mrs. Norris or Filtch or one of the school ghosts. She didn't turn around because a part of her was afraid to find out if it was just a ghost or someone who wanted trouble. She could really not afford another detention. She had just made up her mind that it was nothing to worry about because Filtch would have caught her by now when a hand touched her shoulder and a voice said "Wait up!"

She let out a scream that she instantly up by placing her hands over her mouth. She had recognized the voice, but was startled none-the-less.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her heart beating so fast she thought she might have heart failure.

"I was going to ask you that." Draco replied. "I saw you leave from the Great Hall and I wanted to talk to you."

"Why didn't you talk to me earlier? It took me almost five minutes to get here? You scared me half to death."

"Why did you scream?"

"I thought you were someone out to get me. I was really nervous before you said anything and I had no idea you were so close."

She started walking again and he followed. She was confused as to why he was there at all. She had been thinking about him while she was working, but she didn't expect to see him until their next class.

"So," Draco said, searching for a topic, "Snape had you cleaning floors?"

"Yeah. I thought he would give me more homework or an essay or something."

"That makes more sense. But how are you going to get tonight's homework done? It's past midnight."

She looked at him surprised.

"You already have it done," he answered.

"I finished it before dinner. I really hope it's O material. I can't afford another detention."

They reached the portrait hiding the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. She stopped and waited, wondering what more he wanted with her. They stood in silence for a few minutes before she broke the silence.

"It's late," she yawned. "I think I'm going to bed."

"Oh, okay. I'll see you tomorrow? In class?"

"Ah, yeah," she stammered. She was no less confused than earlier when she had been thinking about him. Why was he talking to her right now, in the middle of the night? He had obviously been waiting for her until she had finished her detention. Why?

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," she said, passing through the portrait.

"Goodnight, Kitreen."

She paused, about to shut the door.

"Goodnight, Draco."

Kitreen often saw Draco in class, but she refrained from speaking to him as much as possible. Draco, on the other hand, tried his hardest to say something to her every time he saw her. He couldn't help but feel pleased whenever she responded, which was becoming more and more often. As long as he stayed away from the more personal topics she would at least answer the question or make a comment. As time progressed she would expand her sentences until what they shared resembled close to a conversation. Around this time it was starting to snow and the headmaster announced that he was throwing a Winter Dance. He was scheduling it for the day before everyone would leave for holiday so that no one would feel obligated to stay away from their families. Immediately people started pairing off, determined not to be dateless for the dance.

"I was thinking," Pansy simpered after Potions one day, "that maybe we could go together. I mean, I've always liked you. So it only seems natural."

"Don't you think if I liked you back I would have asked you out sooner? Of course I knew you liked me, everyone knows you like me, you make it quite clear. But really, I don't feel anything for you. And as for the dance, I'd rather go with just about anyone else."

"Like maybe that mudblood you nearly killed last year?" she hissed. "Everyone's been talking, Draco. You pretty much make a spectacle of yourself trying to talk to her. What's wrong with you? She's way out of our class."

"Our class?" he yelled. "If you're talking about blood status, then I guess you'd be right if I cared about that anymore. Otherwise she's no different than us. But you see, I've been realizing something for quite some time now. I don't want to follow the old ways anymore. And another thing," he added as he started walking away, "I think I will ask her. She far nicer than you and has interesting ideas to contribute to conversations. Not just petty gossip."

She screamed and stormed off in the opposite direction. She walked until she reached the tallest of Hogwarts's staircases, the one Kitreen had fallen from almost a year ago.

By accident, Kitreen herself was walking past. She had avoided the spot until now but she was so engrossed in her book that she had no idea where she was or who was waiting for her with an evil smile on her face.

"Well well, come back for more, have you?" Pansy cooed. "I didn't think I'd get the chance to release my anger so quickly, but it must be fate that you showed up here. Fate and your moronic self."

A crowd of students had gathered around them. The Slytheren's looked excited. Those that had missed the event last year were now thinking that there would be a repeat spectacle. Others looked on with worry, fearing that they would be targeted next if they tried to help.

Kitreen looked up from her book, astounded to find herself amongst people. She instantly focused on the source of the trouble, Pansy jeering at her, and shut her book.

"What do you want?" she asked. "I haven't been bothering you, all I wanted was to get to my common room so that I could finish reading."

"You've done everything to bother me," Pansy retorted. "Just by being here, by being alive, you bother me. But you didn't stop there. You thought you would just break all the boundaries didn't you? You thought you could make Draco like you. You thought you could change the natural order of things, but you can't. Like Draco would ever like a piece of blood-trash like yourself, when he could have a pureblood like me."

"If he liked you," Kitreen replied, "he probably would have asked you out, right? But he hasn't, and that's not my fault. I didn't try to get him to like me, if it happened, it was on accident."

"You know what I think?" she sneered. "I think you scared Draco into liking you. You did something to him, blackmail or something, and now he has to like you. But I think you'll find I'm not as easy to intimidate, and frankly, I don't care if you die!"

She pushed Kitreen, who was once again standing at the top of the stairs, and once again she teetered. All she could do was close her eyes and prepare for another painful fall as she clawed the air once again.

Author's Note: I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this fourth chapter up. There were a mixture of problems including heavy class loads, a broken computer, and a period of several months where the notebook I had written this in was lost. But I found it and now I'll be updating more and with shorter intervals. Thanks for sticking with me!