Chapter four: Conflict

Ithaca would admit that finding your way around the castle was more difficult than Moony had led her to believe, but then, he admitted that he and the Marauders had a secret map that had been confiscated by Filch a month before they graduated. She was proud of herself for not being late the first day with Harry and Ron to Aunt Minnie's class, and that she remembered to only call her professor. Moony was ecstatic to hear that she and Neville both made Gryffindor with Harry and their new friends. He sent her a rough sketch from memory of the layout to her classes and such. He did not, however, encourage her to find out what was on the third floor. She didn't have to tell him how tempted she was.

She loved her classes. She read her wand book in History of Magic, was able to turn her matchstick pointed and silver in the first lesson and a real needle in the second. Her Charms class was going alright, if she could somehow stop getting paired with Seamus Finnegan. She liked her eyebrows on her skin. Defense Against the Dark Arts, well, let's say she was disappointed. All Professor Quirrell seemed to want to talk about were vampires. Herbology was always Neville's strength and she was happy to pair with him and have him explain what Professor Sprout's words to her just couldn't. Her favorite so far, aside from Transfiguration, was Astrology. She loved looking at the night sky with Moony at home. They would lay outside on a blanket and he would explain the different constellations and stars. Ironically, though she would never say this out loud, her favorite was Sirius; the dog star.

Friday morning, she had Potions. She wasn't looking forward to it as she had her other classes as she had some trouble with the text and the theory of the subject as well as Moony's guilt-ridden tales of the Potion Master vs. the Marauders. Moony told her he honestly wasn't sure which the man hated more- James or Sirius. The night before, she read the second chapter in the text just to be safe.

The dungeon was freezing and Ithaca was happy Moony had thought to put temperature charms on all of her robes before she left. Along the shelves and tables inside were strange jars of various animal skulls and potion ingredients. Some she recognized vaguely, others she didn't want to. She sat next to Neville and then a door slammed open and there was a soft shifting of robes as a tall, pale man that she had seen at meals strode through- robes trailing behind him like a superhero cape. She couldn't help but think no human being should be able to move that smoothly and effortlessly.

His deep, rich voice never rose above a low tone, but looking around, Ithaca was positive everyone heard every word. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He had the gift of speech. That gift that when you open your mouth, people pay attention. "As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquid that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses.. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

She wanted to tell him how amazing that speech was, when his cold eyes settled on her and he narrowed them. "Black! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Oh! She knew this one. "Draught of Living Death, sir."

His face didn't change, but she saw a flicker in his eyes like they had been challenged. "Where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

Something's stomach. Sheep, cow, goat! "The stomach of a goat, sir."

"What, is the difference, Black, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

What kind of a question was that? There wasn't one, was there? "There, isn't one? Sir?"

His eyes narrowed again. "Are you asking me or telling me?"

"Telling." He turned on his heel and went back to his pacing.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Black." Draco and his goonies snickered.

Harry stood up, indignantly. "But she answered every question right!" He turned to Hermione, who had raised her hand at every question, and she nodded to confirm.

"Detention, Potter!"

She sighed to herself and shook her head at Harry, who looked as though he was going to say something else. He sat back down with a grumble. Next disaster struck when they were brewing. She had turned away for a second to look at the book and their cauldron oozed green- covering Neville in painful looking boils. She groaned.

"Neville, we're supposed to add the quills after we take the cauldron off the fire."

"Idiot boy! I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off of the heat?" Ithaca sighed as he barked at Seamus Finnegan to escort him to the Hospital Wing. "Black! Why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought it might be amusing to see him get into trouble, did you?"

"That's exactly it," she said sarcastically. "I let my best friend get hurt because I thought it would be funny. It definitely couldn't be because I was looking at the directions or anything. That's utterly inconceivable!"

"Five points!"

"Thank you, sir, I'm sure Gryffindor appreciates your contribution."

"Another five."

"For what? You have been awful since we sat down. Did you forget your morning tea?"

"Detention!"

Ithaca crossed her arms and glared at the professor, but said nothing- knowing Moony was going to have words with her as it was.

*

Moony definitely wasn't happy, but he didn't blame her. He knew Snape would have found any way to get her and Harry into trouble. He did, however, tell his ward that she probably could have done without the attitude. At this, she insisted she couldn't- that her silence would have been a stab to both her pride and soul. He shook his head at the letter and hoped that they at least didn't have to serve with Filch.

Instead, Saturday morning she and Harry reported to the Potions classroom, both bitter about their detention. Fred and George, upon hearing, cheered that they could get a detention their first class of his, and offered to prank him for them in celebration. Harry and Ron were all for letting them, but Ithaca wanted to prove to the sour professor that she was more than he seemed to think she was. She couldn't do that while charming his robes pink.

He was ready with a long pile of dirty cauldrons for them to clean, but that wasn't enough. He began talking to them as they scrubbed.

"Insolent children." He started. "You do not talk back to your teachers. Rude, arrogant, spoiled." After a while, Ithaca was able to block him out- not wanting to make matters worse. Then, "How very like your fathers you are, the both of you- "

"I am nothing like my father," she said vehemently.

He smirked. "Oh, but you are. He too was exceedingly arrogant in everything, thinking he was Merlin's gift upon the world."

"Having confidence is not the same as arrogance and even if I was, that doesn't mean anything."

"And being associated with a Potter? Being a Gryffindor? Having an affinity for wild animals? At least he was only friends with one, you on the other hand were raised by- "

A nearby desk exploded in splinters and Ithaca jumped, never having experienced such violent accidental magic. She felt something strange in her arm and looked down at a four-inch sliver of wood in her skin. Harry, who'd been silently watching the whole exchange, widened his eyes. Professor Snape came around his own desk to look at it, mumbling a few spells to help.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "for the desk. I've never done anything like that."

"I suppose it was to be expected considering the circumstance." Once her arm was better, with nothing more than a small mark where it had been, he told her and Harry they're detention was served and to leave. On the way back to the common room, they both agreed to keep it to themselves.

*

Their detention was soon forgotten about by them between visits to Hagrid and the new post about upcoming flying lessons.

"Great," Harry said. "Just what I need, to make a fool of myself in front of Malfoy."

"You'll do fine," Ithaca told him. "Uncle James was the Gryffindor Seeker. You'll be just as great."

Harry was still unsure, and tried not to listen to the tales some of their peers told about flying. Ithaca loved to fly, thinking herself fairly decent, but knowing it wasn't a great strength of hers. Neville was nervous, never having been good at flying. Hermione was nervous which was apparent by the amount of reading she did on the subject. The morning of, they were subjected to random facts she found in the library. A familiar barn owl swooped in with the morning post and Neville untied a letter for Ithaca and the small package for him.

"It's a Remembrall!" Ron said.

"I've read about those," Hermione added. "They're supposed to turn red when you've forgotten something."

"That's the problem," Neville said with a worried expression. "I can't remember what I've forgotten."

Ithaca shrugged, feeding Powder a bit of melon. "Did you forget to do that Transfiguration assignment?"

He groaned and nodded. Yes, that was it. Come to think of it, she still needed another three inches for it. They all walked in clumps to the Quidditch Pitch where Slytherin was waiting already, along with twenty brooms in two neat lines ready for use. It was a lovely day and she found herself just wanting to run and explore. Powder agreed, seeing trees that just begged to be climbed. Ithaca wondered what it would be like to swim in the lake with the squid.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" A hawk-like woman asked with spiky hair. "Everyone stand by a broom. Come on, hurry up."

Ithaca stood beside one between Neville and Harry. Hers came to her with a second delay, but she was still among the first four to have theirs; as well as Harry whose was immediate, Blaise Zabini who she had talked to in passing since the boat ride, and Draco Malfoy who gave the broomstick a gloating smirk. Ron's smacked him on the nose and she chuckled before looking over at Hermione having issues with hers. She was ridiculously amused to see that Malfoy had been mounting the broom wrong all these years.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle, three- two- "

But Neville, whom she was ashamed to admit she hadn't realized was this nervous, pushed off hard before the whistle even touched Madame Hooch's mouth. Ithaca tried to grab his broom, succeeding only to rise with him before falling a few feet. He rose higher and higher.

"Neville! Lean down!" Ithaca's words were lost on him as he began to slip sideways off the broom- plummeting to the ground. Ithaca gasped and covered her mouth before running after him with Madame Hooch. His wrist was at an odd angle that had to be painful.

"Broken wrist," the professor muttered. "Come on, boy- it's all right, up you get. Miss Black, please rejoin the class."

"All due respect, ma'am, but he's my best friend. May I please come with you? He gets nervous around hospital wings and such by himself."

"I suppose that will be alright." She turned to the class. "None of you are to move while we take this boy to the Hospital Wing. If I see one broom in the air, the person riding it will be out of Hogwarts before you can say Quidditch."

Harry watched them go, feeling bad for the boy who couldn't catch a break. No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter. "Did you see his face, the great lump?"

Ithaca talked soothingly to Neville on the way to Madame Pomfrey. "You should never grab a broom like that," Madame Hooch told her. "You could have gotten yourself hurt as well."

"I had to do something," Ithaca insisted.

"Well, no one can say you aren't a good match for Gryffindor then."

Neville laughed a little, his attention shifting from the painful break. "That's Ithaca. Remus said she would jump off a mountain if she thought she could. Or swing from vines like Powder in the Amazon. There was a Muggle phrase about being ten feet tall or something."

"Ten feet tall and bullet proof," Ithaca said with a smile.

"Remus, Lupin?"

Ithaca nodded. "He's my godfather."

"You're Sirius Black's daughter," Madame Hooch said. "I don't know why I didn't realize that. You look just like him. He would have grabbed the broom as well. Recklessness must run in the family."

"I prefer to think of it as fearless."

*

Madame Pomfrey sent Ithaca to dinner with the promise that Neville would be back later that night. She grinned madly at the tale of Harry's heroics, and almost choked on her pumpkin juice when he told them about being the new Seeker. He remembered that was his father's position on the team and couldn't wait to start training.

"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"

"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground with your little friends." Ithaca smirked. Maybe she was a bad influence on Harry. Or good, depending on your point of view.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own." Malfoy said. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only- no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a Wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

"Of course he has," Ron said, wheeling around.

Ithaca fumed. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

Malfoy looked to either side of him, sizing his friends up. "Crabbe," he decided in a bored tone. "Midnight, in the trophy room? It's always unlocked."

"We'll be there," Ron said, and Malfoy walked off with his pointed nose in the air.

Harry turned to them. "What's a wizard's duel? And what do you mean my second?"

"Well, a second takes over for you if you die." At Harry's concerned expression, Ron was quick to add, "But that only happens in real duels. The most either of you will be able to do is throw sparks at each other."

"What do I do if nothing comes out?"

Ron looked at Ithaca who looked at Harry, "Throw it down and punch him on the nose."

Hermione came in at that point. She and Ron had immediately disliked each other and Ithaca and Harry often had to run interference. Like, when Ithaca, Harry, and Ron were just about to leave to go to the trophy room and Hermione stopped them.

"You're going to get into trouble and lose points from Gryffindor."

"Hermione, there are more important things than losing points."

"Like dueling Slytherin?"

"Like adventure! Come on, don't be cross."

Hermione huffed and followed them out to where Neville had been waiting because he forgot the password. Ithaca sighed. "Oh, Neville."

So, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ithaca, and Neville made their way to the empty trophy room, then running through the corridors away from Filch and his cat- with Ithaca laughing wildly the whole way. Then the end was near as they came upon a locked door.

"Oh, move over." Hermione said, pushing Ron with her elbow. "Alohomora."

The heavy door opened with a click and they scrambled in just in time to hear Filch come after them. They all sighed in relief. Then, Neville squeaked and Ithaca turned around to see a giant, three headed dog just waking up from a slumber- and grumpy. They had stumbled upon the forbidden corridor. Ithaca's eyes widened and Harry fumbled behind him at the doorknob, the five of them tumbling backwards back into the hall. By the time they made it back to Gryffindor Tower, their feet hardly touching the floor at all they ran so fast, she was grinning so big her cheeks hurt.

"Pig snout, pig snout!"

They all collapsed, breathing hard with sweaty faces. "What are they doing keeping a thing like that in a school?" Ron asked.

"You don't use your eyes, do you?" Hermione asked. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry guessed. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was a bit too preoccupied with its heads."

"Or didn't you notice there were three?" Ron asked incredulously.

She rolled her eyes. "It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed before any of you get another bright idea that could get us killed- or worse, expelled."

Ithaca and the boys watched her go back upstairs and she turned to them, having been silent so far. "That was so cool!"

Neville whimpered.

*

By the next morning, Harry and Ron had decided they agreed with Ithaca about the night before being an excellent adventure and were excited for the next one. Harry told them about the mysterious package Hagrid got out of Gringott's and whether or not that could be what was being hidden underneath the trapdoor. Ithaca told them that Hagrid was awful at keeping secrets and that they could just ask. Moony was very happy for Harry making the team and getting a new broom, sending the boy his personal congratulations. Harry showed Ithaca, who wasn't surprised, simply telling Harry that he was family.

Hermione had decided to avoid Harry and Ron, only talking to Ithaca and Neville in passing. Neville went back into himself, sticking to Ithaca's side, but making sure she knew he was not going near the third floor again. Potions was easier after the first lesson. Professor Snape didn't mention her father or Moony again, nor did she lose control of her mouth again. She was best at Astrology, sneaking out after dark to the Astronomy Tower. The first time, she was caught by Professor Sinistra, who was only happy to find someone who loved her subject as much as she did.

Halloween morning, Ithaca woke up to the smell of baking pumpkins- as did everyone in the castle. She and Neville raced to Charms class, happy that they would be starting their levitating today. Professor Flitwick paired them all up, Harry with Neville, Ron and Hermione, and Ithaca and Seamus. He looked at her sheepishly and she sighed.

"I'll bet you a sickle it's within the first ten minutes."

"Now, don't forget the nice wrist movements we've been working on," Professor Flitwick reminded them. "Swish and flick. Remember to enunciate properly. Everyone ready? Here we go."

Ithaca and Seamus swished and flicked the best they could and still nothing, until Seamus became impatient and prodded it with his wand, making the feather explode with soot all over their faces. Harry helped put it out with his hat and Ithaca laughed.

"How do you set fire to a feather by trying to make it fly?" She asked. "Have you met the Weasley twins? You three should talk."

Ron wasn't having much better luck. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his arm like a windmill.

"No, no, no," Hermione admonished. "You're saying it all wrong. It's Levi-o-sa, not Leviosar. And make the gar nice and long."

"Well you do it then, if you're so clever."

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her uniform and lifted her arm. "Wingardium Leviosa."

The feather began to rise high and Professor Flitwick clapped his hands together excitedly. "Oh, look everyone. Miss Granger's done it."

Ithaca sighed, knowing that Ron was going to be off. She wasn't wrong. She, Hermione, and Neville walked behind Harry and Ron as Neville wiped the soot off her face with his handkerchief. "She's a nightmare, honestly. It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends. Ithaca only talks to her because she feels bad for her."

Before Ithaca could say anything, Hermione pushed by in tears. Harry muttered, "I think she heard you."

It was luck that at this moment, Snape was walking near on his way to the Hospital Wing to get an inventory list. He watched Ithaca turn the two boys around to face her by their arms.

"Yes, she heard you," she snarled. "We were walking right behind you! How dare you suggest something so ridiculous as me only speaking to someone out of pity! And you- "

She turned to Harry who took a step back. "I-I didn't say anything," he said.

"You're right. You didn't say anything. You just stood there while your friend did, which is just as bad. You two are no better than Malfoy."

Then she and Neville ran off to find Hermione. Harry, Ron, and Snape stared after her- the latter wondering to himself. Harry felt guilty. She was right. While he didn't say anything about the girl, he didn't stop Ron. Ithaca, Neville, and Hermione missed the rest of the day's classes. Hermione refused to attend dinner and Ithaca agreed to stay with her, but encouraged Neville- who was nervous about being caught in the girl's bathroom- to go eat. Ithaca was just convincing Hermione to come out with her when they heard something. It was a thud, scraping sound. Thud. Scrape. Thud. Scrape. Powder made his noise and Ithaca out her finger to her lips as the stall beside them was leveled by something large. Hermione screamed and they ducked as a club of sorts crashed through their stall as well, a piece of the wall falling on the bushy haired girl.

There stood a tall thing with large ears and smelling awful. Ithaca's jaw dropped. "W-what is that?"

"I think it's a troll. A mountain troll."

Ithaca quickly tried to pull the wall off Hermione and the troll came thumping towards them, knocking sinks off the walls as he went. Powder tried to pull Ithaca toward the exit.

"Ithaca! Hermione!"

"Harry?"

"OI, pea brain!" Ron threw a metal pipe at the thing to get its attention and Harry came around to where they were.

"She's stuck," Ithaca told him. "What are you guys doing down here?"

"Neville told us you were here, so we came to get you and warn you about the troll. He's gone to get the teachers."

Between the two of them, they were able to move the wall as the troll advanced nearer to Ron. Harry then did something very brave according to Ithaca, very stupid according to everyone else. He took a running jump at the troll's back, his wand sliding up into the troll's nose.

"Eww," Ithaca grimaced. "Oh, that is so gross."

The troll howled in pain, twisting around where Harry had to lock his arms to hold on. Powder climbed on with Harry, tugging on the troll's ears as Ithaca grabbed a sharp pipe and swung hard, not really being able to tell where she would hit. She got him square on the knee cap and was kicked away like the shooing of a bug. Ron raised his arm.

"Swish and flick," Hermione shouted from her spot in the corner.

"Wingardium Leviosa." The troll's dropped club rose high and everything stopped as the club dropped, clonking him on his bald head.

"Powder!" The monkey, and Harry, jumped down as the creature fell to the floor. Harry went over and pulled his wand from the troll's nose, a stream of green slime following it.

"I'm going to say it again," Ithaca said. "That is gross."

"So gross," Hermione agreed.

"Two syllable gross." Everyone turned to her in question as there was a slamming and loud, running footsteps. Aunt Minnie came in first, followed by Snape, and Quirrell coming in last. He took one look at the fallen troll and let out a whimper, sitting down quickly and clutching his heart.

"Aren't you supposed to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Ithaca questioned. Ron snickered and Snape, inwardly trying not to chuckle, knelt down to examine the troll.

Aunt Minnie turned to Ithaca with thin lips of fiery anger that made Ithaca pale. "Why aren't the four of you in your dormitory?"

Harry and Ron looked to Ithaca, who stepped forward, "Well, you see, professor- "

"Miss Black, I suggest you keep in mind that I will be writing your godfather about this. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how disappointed I am, or how he will be."

Ithaca hung her head, speechless for once. "It's my fault, professor," Hermione said. "I was upset about something and came here. Ithaca was with me trying to cheer me up. We were just about to join the feast when the troll came in. If it weren't for them, I'd probably be dead."

*

Remus wasn't expecting an owl this late, much less one from the school. He tore it open and read, his blue eyes shifting from one side of the parchment to the other with each line.

Remus,

Tonight, we had a bit of a close call where a mountain troll got loose in the school. It came upon Ithaca and a friend of hers in the bathroom during the feast and she, along with several of her friends were somehow able to knock the beast out. Ithaca is fine, only suffering a cut on her palm that will likely scar and a few bruises. I thought you might like to know.

Minerva McGonagall

Remus stared at the lettering. A troll. She fought a troll? Why was there a troll in the school? He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. He was glad she was at school, and in all honesty having the time of her life about the troll. His moon schedule interfered with his work schedule again and he found himself having to look for another job. He would be eating canned green beans for a while.