Becky and I went with Draco to his house afterwards for dinner. I took a chance while Becky and Draco fought about some odd thing, also while Becky's parents and Lucius talked, to go find Dobby.

I walked around to see if I could find him, and when I finally did he cowered before me.

I put my hands up to show him I wasn't trying to hurt him with anything. "Why did I see Harry Potter at Diagon Alley today?"

"Dobby tried, he really did. He stopped the mail from getting to Harry Potter so he thought his friends forgot about him. When that seemed to make him still want to go to the school, Dobby went to talk to him, to reason with him. He wouldn't listen! But he's such a wonderful person… Dobby never knew –"

"It's okay, it's okay," I said, trying to keep the house elf from going into hysteria. "There's more you can do."

"Like what, miss? Like what?"

"Keep him from getting on the train somehow. I don't know of any other way to school, so neither will he." I said.

"Good plan! Dobby will do it gladly."

"Great," I whispered to him, "You can just come to me if you run in to any problems. That okay with you?"

He nodded vigorously. "Anything to keep Harry Potter safe!"

Later in the night before Becky and I went home, Lucius started talking about Draco's grades again. "You need to try harder this year to get better grades. Otherwise you can forget about Christmas presents."

Draco made as many protests as he could against this.

"What if Becky and I help him, Mr. Malfoy?" I asked, surprising him.

"Well, I suppose… what grades did you two get?"

"I got some really good marks." Becky said, with her chest puffed up in pride.

"I got full marks on everything." I said.

Lucius' eyes widened considerably.

"She's an overachiever." Becky added.

I glanced at her, "Thanks a lot."

Becky and Draco laughed.

"You got full marks? Then yes, I would like for you to tutor him." Lucius said. "Sorry, Becky, but you wouldn't help him very much if your constant arguments prove anything."

"Agreed. That will give me a lot of free time then." Becky said cheekily.

"Shut up," Draco said to her.

"I'm not the one that could've failed my first year." Becky said sing-songy.

Draco glared at her.

"I'm in the student tutor program at school, I could ask Professor Snape if I can start this year and request Draco as one of my students." I offered.

"Really? That would be great," Lucius said with a smile, "Here, I'll write to him about it."

For the rest of the summer I stayed at home reading all my schoolbooks. The standard book of spells was much the same format as last year. But, I had learned some of the spells in there from Professor Snape already. The previous year he'd taught me, for the tutor program, a variety of spells varying from second year learning skills to seventh year learning skills.

Gilderoy Lockhart's books I found strange, including his autobiography which said the oddest things about him. They were things I wouldn't possibly strive to learn otherwise. Even his other books said things about him; in Year with the Yeti, at some point, he notes to the reader that his favorite color is lilac. For no odd reason except to have it there.

When I gave my mom his note, she read it and frowned as though faced with a difficult challenge, sparking my curiosity. This was even more so when she hid it in her pocket from me and Uncle Gerald and walked upstairs to hide in her room.

Why didn't I sneak a peek at the letter before giving it to her? I guess I just thought he'd given her a fan note but now it seemed to be more than that.

"Why do I have to read this rubbish mom?" I asked her one day. "His books may be about him doing amazing things, but he has to note in almost every single page about things he likes or wishes for. This isn't schoolwork for Defense Against the Dark Arts, this is a novel. I honestly don't believe he's done all this."

"Well, that's exactly why I told you to buy his autobiography…" she said with a sigh. "I knew him when I went to school, and I remember him being this selfish. Some people never change."

"Oh so you gave me a pointer towards an easy A," I said with enthusiasm. But then frowned, "I didn't want to know this much about him, though…. What House was he in?"

"He was in Ravenclaw with me."

I was almost shocked by this considering how out of it he seemed to be to me - because he was more interested in himself than anything else.. besides mom, of course. Well, he did write a bunch of books about amazing things he's done, now didn't he? Yet, I felt like there was more to it than that.

"How smart was he?"

A hesitation. "Um, he could've done better at school… it wasn't that much of an easy feat for him as it usually is to Ravenclaw students."

I looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "How bad was he?"

She looked at me in the same way, "Why the sudden interest in his past? Just a moment ago you were complaining about his books being all about him."

I scoffed and left the room. "I was only curious." And now I know she must be hiding something else from me.

When I finished the books, I almost felt relieved. Even though it was mostly about him, it meant I knew something about Professor Lockhart's class. He would be more interested in himself than anything else. Probably won't even learn anything. I can only hope I will be proved wrong.

The night before I was to get on the Hogwarts Express I had dinner with my family, just enjoying my last night with them.

"When you get back I'll quiz you on what I taught you over the summer!" grandpa told me.

"Dad, no!" mom said.

I laughed, "It'll be fine mom, and I'll remember everything perfectly well."

Uncle Gerald chuckled, "Will you be coming back for Christmas, scruffball?"

"We'll see if I miss you enough to come back as fast as I can." I said jokingly. "Not that I can imagine missing you, Gerald. I already see you for three months out of the year."

His hand went to the back of my head and shoved my face into my food. Next thing I knew, he and mom were dueling with their wands over the act… then they were both on the ground rubbing their heads after grandpa hit them with his bare fists.

The next day, my mom and Uncle Gerald brought me to the train station (grandpa set this as his punishment for what he pulled last night). Grandma and grandpa said goodbye to me at the house. On the ride there I thought of how different this year would be for me. Would it be really different? Or would it somehow end up the same?

We were about fifteen minutes early today, whereas the previous year we got there between a half an hour to an hour before the train was scheduled to leave.

We got into King's Cross Station, Uncle Gerald took a trolley and we placed my trunk and Bodoujn in his cat cage upon it. Walking to platforms nine and ten, I was the first to go through, running at the barrier and coming through the other end where there was Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

Uncle Gerald and my mom came soon afterward to help me onto the train. Draco and Becky saw and ran toward me to show us where our compartment was and we loaded my stuff in. Greg and Vincent were already in there. Although, when Becky and I went to look for Addy, we found her in a compartment with other Hufflepuffs.

"You don't want to sit with us?" Becky asked her.

Addy shook her head sorrowfully, "I have friends in my own House, too."

I didn't realize this would happen, though of course it would. Slytherins and Gryffindors were enemies, and all the other Houses had the similar favorite of Gryffindor.

We went back to our own compartment where Draco, Vincent, and Greg sat on one side of the compartment together again. Becky and I sat across from them, and just then the Hogwarts Express tooted a whistle and started to move. I poked my head out of the window and waved goodbye to mom and Uncle Gerald.

"I hope we have enough free time." Becky said.

"I hope so, too. It would give us more time for homework and studying." I said softly.

"That reminds me," Draco said, "Father sent the letter to Professor Snape asking for you to tutor me, and he sent one back agreeing to it."

I smiled. "Well, that's good news. I wonder how many students he'll let me tutor."

"He said that, too! He said that this year you'll only be allowed to tutor three students."

I nodded slowly. "So, maybe I could help you two." I said, gesturing to Vincent and Greg.

"Perfect!" Draco said.

Greg and Vincent stood up, so Draco did too.

Becky let out a sigh of exasperation. "When are you going to stop harassing other people?"

"I'd say 'never,' but I could be wrong… not." Draco said with a smile. The three then left.

"Wow, okay, you know what? I feel like following them and mocking the way they make fun of people. Want to come with?" Becky asked, standing up.

"As much as I would love to see you make a fool out of Draco, I think I'll pass." I said with a smile. "Have fun, though."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Go! Have fun! Annoy Draco! But don't do it so badly that everyone will also make fun of him, we want that privilege to stick with you."

Becky smiled maliciously and left the compartment.

Soon after, the compartment door slid open again, and there was Hermione Granger. She was already adorned in her Hogwarts robes.

"Is anyone sitting in here with you?" she asked.

"My friends, but they'll be gone a while. They're out harassing other people." I said. "What's up?"

"Ron and Harry aren't anywhere on the train. I can't find them!" Hermione said, sitting next to me. "I don't know what's happened. I saw Ginny, Percy, Fred and George, but not Ron and Harry!"

I pulled a confused facial expression. So Dobby succeeded in keeping Harry from coming to school, and in some such way that Ron can't coming either. If only Hermione was with those two as well, then they'd all be safe.

"Have you asked Fred and George?" I asked.

"Did someone just call my name?" two red-headed people from the doorway asked.

"I can't find Ron or Harry anywhere!" Hermione screamed at them.

They came in and sat down across from us. "Really? And you first came to a Slytherin instead of us?" they gaped.

"Well, don't act like I'm some strange creature!" I said to them. "You know me, too."

"You two know her?" Hermione asked.

"You know her?" they asked Hermione.

"Okay, yes, you all know me, but we're not here to discuss that. Did Ron and Harry come to King's Cross with you?" I asked Fred and George.

"Yes!" they said. Fred added, "We were running quite a time behind, though. When we went through the barrier, we had about a minute or two left before the train was leaving. We never saw Ron and Harry cross."

"They probably missed it, then…" I said. "I know I haven't seen them, I've even gone all the way down to where most of the Hufflepuffs like to sit and I didn't see them once."

"What were you doing with the Hufflepuffs?" Hermione asked.

"My friend Addy was down there, she's a Hufflepuff. My friend and I wanted to see if she was going to sit with us instead… and, as you can guess, she declined." I said with a sigh. "Being a Slytherin can be sad."

"I'm sure." George said. "You're stuck with Draco for the rest of your years at Hogwarts."

I laughed. "Draco isn't bad, honestly. It's that none of the Houses like Slytherin."

They all nodded.

"We're not all bad. My friend Becky would've been in here with me if she hadn't had a burning desire to mock Draco's way of taunting other people." I said.

"I like her already." George said.

"Hermione," Fred ventured, "Do Harry and Ron know that you're friends with Melody?"

"Not really. They know I know her, but they don't know we're friends."

"Well, Melody, you really have guts." George said with a smile.

I looked at him in bewilderment, "For what?"

"For what?! For what? You're a Slytherin, and you have three Gryffindor friends!"

I looked down at my hands. "It's not my fault I'm nice."

Everyone laughed heartily.

Soon after the three had left, my four Slytherin friends came back. I had dressed into my Hogwarts robes by then. Draco was glowering at Becky but was mostly cheerful.

"Potter and Weasley are missing. I guess they finally decided not to return." Draco said.

"Amazing. Who did you taunt, then, in the time you've been gone?" I asked.

"A couple first years." Draco said with a smirk.

I smiled and stared outside the window while they got themselves ready for Hogwarts. It was getting darker outside as we continued the journey, so I knew we'd get there soon.

First years annually followed Hagrid along a dark path. But I wasn't sure what we were to do now being second years. Walk a different path?

A short time later, the familiar voice of the captain echoed throughout the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

"Finally," Draco said, "I'm starving!"

"I'm surprised." Becky said.

Draco scoffed, "Why?"

"With all the sweets you stole from first years, I'd have thought that was your feast. You ate those like a pig just as you did at the feast last year."

He glared at her.

"Let's all calm down." I said softly.

"This is another reason I'm glad you're my tutor this year and Becky isn't." Draco muttered softly. "She'd make fun of my mistakes."

"Well, it'd get you to work harder at not failing." Becky said with her big, Cheshire grin.

"I'd rather not stress out to do it." Draco said.

When the train stopped, we all left the train and followed the rest of the students to a set of stagecoaches. Though, what pulled them surprised me. They had blank, white, shining eyes; a dragon-like face; long, black manes; great leathery wings, and a seeming skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse. I had no idea what they were.

My friends went right into a carriage without a second glance at the creatures, and I felt confused. Was this a sort of creature that everybody who grew up with wizardry knew about?

I hesitantly came into the carriage, still peeking out of it to look at the creatures.

"Melody," Becky interrupted my thoughts, "What's wrong?"

"What are those things pulling the carriages?" I asked, still looking at them.

"Melody, Melody!" Becky tapped my shoulder, causing me to look at her. "There's nothing pulling the carriages. What are you talking about?"

"But…" I began, looking at the things again. They were still there. "They're right there! How can you not see them?" I described the things to them, and nobody knew what I was talking about.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked nervously.

I looked at the creatures, and then slowly shook my head as if to clear them from my thoughts. "I'm fine – just fine. Ignore me."

When we got to the castle, we filed out of the carriage and walked up the cobbled steps through the gate. Every once in a while I looked back at the creatures to see if they were still there. They were real, but why was I the only one who could see them?

We went into the Great Hall, but I was stopped by Professor Snape storming out. He wasn't storming out because of me, but along the way he grabbed my arm and pulled me along. I waved to my friends and struggled to keep up with his strides. I hadn't seen him for three months, and already he was dragging me along to talk about something.

"Professor, slow down please." I said, gasping for breath.

He slowed down, but was obviously irritated about it.

He was a thin man, with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair. Something to note about him, all he wore was black robes and he was regularly referred to as cruel and sarcastic. He was Head of Slytherin House, therefore being my tutor on spells that other students my age shouldn't learn yet.

"I got a letter asking for you to tutor Mr. Malfoy." Professor Snape said to me, still walking. It was then that I noticed a newspaper in his hand.

"Draco told me, and said your reply was yes."

"On the condition that you can only tutor three students. They must all be from Slytherin House and cannot exceed second years."

"Yeah… and so I was thinking it may be a good idea for me to also tutor Vincent Crabbe and Greg Goyle." I said.

"As you wish," Professor Snape said, "Good luck with them."

"Thanks, I guess…. Hey, I don't lose my ability to tutor them if they still don't do well, right?" I asked.

"Depends. After they've failed something, I look at what your studying plan with them is. If it isn't satisfactory, I take you off of tutoring."

"Great…" I mumbled softly. When Professor Snape led me outside, that's when I wondered what was going on. "What –"

"Off to look for Potter and Weasley. They didn't arrive with the rest of the students, so I believe they took this form of transportation." Professor Snape handed me a copy of the Evening Prophet. The headline was: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MuggleS. To myself, I read:

Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower… at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing… Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police…

It went on. I gave the paper back to Professor Snape.

"So, you believe it's them?"

"According to the direction in which it seems they went in order for all these sights to happen… yes. It all leads over here."

"Shouldn't I get back to the feast?" I asked.

"Go on, I'm not stopping you."

Sometimes, there's no point in arguing with him, I thought exasperatedly. But then I remembered, "First, I have a question."

"What?"

"W-What is it that's pulling those carriages?"

"Doesn't concern you or anyone, they get you to school from the train." Professor Snape said.

"Yes, I see they do that. Yet, it concerns me when I see something pulling the carriages and no one else seems to." I said, causing Professor Snape to give me a look but still walk along the grounds.

After a moment's consideration, Professor Snape finally said, "They're Thestrals. Thestrals are only seen by people who have seen death."

I thought a bit, "Quirrell."

Quirrell was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor the previous year. Throughout the year, dad shared his body and plotted a way to get to the Sorcerer's Stone guarded within the school. Unluckily for me, he decided I could help him out with his scheme. In the end, in trying to kill Harry Potter, Harry's very touch was what killed Quirrell and left dad without a body… hence why he was now roaming around in a python called Nagini.

He gave a curt nod.

"I don't understand, though."

"You saw Quirrell die. Something that at least wasn't hard to watch, the annoying twit he was." Professor Snape said.

I couldn't help but laugh. "True that, it's just that I wonder how Thestrals have this weird power to them. It's -"

"A mystery," he replied softly.

A short ways off we saw Harry and Ron with their trunks looking into a window that allowed them to see into the Great Hall. I left Professor Snape alone to decide their doom himself and went back to the Great Hall.

I donned myself with the Disillusionment charm, causing my invisibility, so I could sneak in with no notice from anyone. The sorting had already begun.

I took a seat next to Becky and removed the Disillusionment charm, causing her, Draco, Vincent, and Greg to jump.

"Where have you been?" Becky asked.

"Professor Snape had to talk to me about my tutoring job. And he found Harry Potter and Ron Weasley outside. Apparently they drove a bewitched car here. Perhaps to make a sort of grand entrance."

Draco scoffed, "Of course famous Potter wanted a grand entrance for the first day back to school. After that time in Flourish and Blotts."

That reminds me… I looked up at the staff table to find our new professor dressed in aquamarine robes with a big smile on his face. He looked out at the tables, mostly eyeing the Ravenclaws. When he looked at the Slytherin table and saw me sitting there, his eyes widened, but then he winked at me.

Okay then, I thought. As the sorting went on, we earned a couple Slytherin students, but I really paid no attention to it. I only noticed the part where Ginny Weasley became a Gryffindor.

The feast began and ended quickly. Perhaps because there wasn't all the stress of wondering what House I'd be put in

When Becky and I got to our dorm, I let Bodoujn out of his cage, lie down on my bed, and fell asleep instantly with him on my chest.