I know I said they wouldn't be regular updates, but this is so fun to write!

I thought I should write something about a Slytherin, and this is what it turned out as. Well, I like it :). Plus I found this awesome list of phobias while I was looking up the word for fear of snakes... it gave me a lot of laughs.


4.Fear of Snakes is called Ophidiophobia...

"Look!" said little Theseus Nott. "A snake!"

Everyone in the Slytherin moved towards where he was pointing.

Except for Lucinda Zabini. "How awful," she said, shivering. "I think I'll just go outside."

She slipped out of the room quietly into the dark corridor.

"It's nearly time for dinner," she said to herself. "Perhaps I'll go upstairs."

She started that way and came out at the Entrance Hall. It was empty except for one person.

Elliot Weasley was a Gryffindor one year above her. He played Seeker for his house Quidditch team and was really good at it. Lucinda knew, a few months ago she had made her debut as Chaser for the Slytherin team. What had really surprised her though, was how little he had jeered them when Gryffindor won. He was good natured and friendly and one of the pupils who was willing to let old prejudices die.

"Hey Elliot," she said to him.

He looked up from his perch at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh hi, Lucinda is it?"

"Yup," she said happily. "What are you doing all the way down here?"

"Oh, um, nothing." he answered looking away quickly. Lucinda gave him a "I know you're lying" look.

"Well, um, actually." He looked her in the eye. "Can I tell you something?"

"Okay," she answered, sitting down on the same stair as him but on the other side. There was no point in pretending they were anything like friends.

"They have a cat in our common room," he explained.

"So?"

"I hate cats. You could almost say I'm afraid of them."

"A Gryffindor? Afraid? Of cats of all things."

"I know! It's stupid. But when I was little, my aunt this big old tom cat, it was so old, I'm not actually sure...anyway, its name was Crookshanks and it scared the living daylights out of me. And once it pounced on me and I fell over and all I could see was ginger fur..."

Lucinda fought the urge to laugh. "What aunt was it?" she said, knowing the Weasleys were a large family, some of them quite famous.

"Hermione," he said. "She went ballistic. Crookshanks died soon after that. She had had him since she was thirteen."

"I'm thirteen now," Lucinda said.

"Me too," said Elliot. "So why are you here?"

"There was um, a snake in our common room."

"And?"

"And I'm terrified of them! The way they move, ugh, it's horrible!"

Elliot stifled a laugh. "A Slytherin scared of snakes!"

"A Gryffindor scared of cats!"

His smile vanished. "I guess we're square then."

"Guess so." They both looked at the hourglasses. "Hey!" said Lucinda. "We're even. Look! Slytherin: three hundred and twenty five, Gryffindor: three hundred and twenty five."

"Yeah, but Hufflepuff beat you both." said a voice. They turned around. Behind them was Elliot's sister Sophie.

"Boo!" she said. "What you doing down here Elliot?"

"Fred brought a wild cat into the common room."

"Ah." Sophie said.

"What were you doing up there?"

"Looking for Amelia, she owes me money." Sophie frowned. "And you? Is it Lucinda?"

"Yeah. Theseus found a snake in our common room, I have a phobia of them."

"Fear of snakes is called Ophidiophobia." said a matter of fact voice behind them. All three looked around to see Amelia Weasley. "Oy, loser," she said. "Two Sickles, no, Teddy Lupin isn't going out with our cousin."

"Great," said Sophie pocketing the two silver coins.

"What are you doing here Elliot?" asked the curly haired Fourth Year.

"Fred, cat, common room."

"Aw, you're scared of this little thing?" said Fred coming down the stairs holding a tabby cat.

"Ailurophobia, fear of cats." said Jean-Paul.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in the middle of a Weasley family reunion?" asked Lucinda.

"Don't worry, we all feel like that sometimes," said Sarah, Fred's sister. "It's a fact of life I'm afraid."

"One that we will strive to overcome!" said Fred tearfully.

"We're sorry for your loss," said Cameron as he and James came down the stairs from the Gryffindor tower. "Hey, Sarah, I want my part of the package Mum and Dad sent you."

"It's only fireworks," said Sarah. "I checked. I'll give them to you after tea."

"Too many, too many!" said Lucinda standing up.

"Too many what?" asked Victoire as she came down the stairs as well. "James, give me back my Prefect's badge, I know you and Cameron took it."

"You've been spending too much time with Uncle Percy Vicky," said Fred.

"Hey!" said Amelia. "What's wrong with him?"

"Ah, well, we all know you're a loose cannon, Meals, he's been training up Victoire to be Head Girl."

"I am not a loose cannon!"

"No, she isn't really. She just has some gambling issues," said Elliot. Amelia kicked him.

"Ow!" he said and punched her leg.

"Elliot, have you done your Transfiguration homework? I need help on mine," Sarah interrupted.

"And obviously you couldn't ask the clever one!" said Jean-Paul.

"You're not in my class though!"

"Like our cousin Elliot has done his," said James.

Lucinda's head flicked from one to the other of them, utterly confused as to who was whose sibling's, and they all began to talk over each other. In the end, she got up and ran back to the dungeons. She'd rather have the snake.

The eight Weasleys and one Potter looked on.

"Oh dear," said Sophie.

"Poor girl," agreed Elliot.

"It wasn't unexpected," frowned Victoire.

"We could have been less harsh," suggested Jean-Paul.

"I would have bet that I saw that one coming." said Amelia.

"Some people can't help it," said Fred.

"It was obvious," said Sarah shaking her head sadly.

"She must suffer from..." started Cameron.

"Weasleyphobia." finished James as his cousins pounced on him.