I've decided to keep Andromeda, mostly because I think she's a BAMF ;-) Thanks to all for the encouragement, & enjoy!

Chapter 4

"This is just not my day, is it?" Rani sighed, dropping her head into her hands after she had landed on her butt for the third time that Transfiguration class. They were trying to practice giving themselves feathers instead of hair, but it kept on going horribly wrong for some reason. Not to mention she had overslept, had her hair catch on fire (it was still smoldering), spilled the pumpkin juice at lunch, and the strap on her new book bag had already broken on her way to class.

"You'll get it, promise," Andromeda said, giving her a small smile and offering a hand. Rani eyed her as she pulled herself up once again.

"What's wrong with you? You look pale."

"I don't think the fumes in Potions agreed with me," Andromeda said with a grimace. "And eating lunch right after didn't help. I'll be fine."

"If you say so. I think you should go see-"

"Miss Shacklebolt! A word, if you please!" Professor McGonagall called over the din of practicing incantations. Andromeda gave her a sympathetic look as Rani resigned herself to approaching the Professor's desk.

"Miss Shacklebolt," McGonagall said in lowered tones as she drew near. "I'm aware that it is only partway through the second week of school, but you are still having troubles with spells that should be fifth or sixth year." Rani was quite aware of this, and felt the heat of embarrassment and resentment creeping up her neck.

"Yes Professor," was all she said.

"Well, Rani, have you ever considered a study partner? A sort of tutor that will practice with you every day, beyond just what we do in class or what I help you with?" Rani stared at the woman for awhile, aware that she was trying to help her save her grade, but resenting the fact that she was being singled out as the stupid kid who didn't get it.

"I haven't really thought about it," she answered shortly.

"Well," McGonagall continued. "I have an idea for you, to help you shape up." Rani tried not to make it too obvious she was clenching her teeth. "One of the Gryffindors in my other seventh year Transfiguration, Remus Lupin, is an amazing student in pretty much any area you can think of. Why don't I suggest to him that you two meet in the library two or three times a week to go over what we cover in class? I really think it would help you improve." Rani stared at her. Lupin? She didn't mind Lupin, but honestly, she hadn't talked to him much since fourth year. Why couldn't she and Andromeda just practice? Or she and Lily? Although it was possible McGonagall was aware no actual work would get done in these situations. So all she said was:

"Sounds great, Professor, thanks. Starting next Monday would work out, if you could pass along the message to Lu- Remus."

"Excellent, I'll let him know," the Professor said in satisfaction, going back to writing on a piece of parchment stretched out in front of her.

"Really, really not my day," Rani muttered under her breath as she turned to walk back to her spot.

"Wotcha, Yaxley. Anyone sitting here?" Rani, not bothering to wait for and answer, dropped her bag in the empty seat at the library table and starting digging around in it for her quills.

"Apparently now there is," the tall, dark-eyed youth already seated said, smiling at her. "How're you doing, Shacklebolt?"

"Life's wicked, Yaxley, let me tell you," she answered sarcastically. "What about you, Avery?" The skinny brown-haired boy sitting next to Yaxley glanced up.

"Hellish, actually. Yaxley's got to help me with this Potion recipe; that's how bad it's gotten."

"You know it's awful when Yaxley is your hope," Rani agreed, grinning. "That's 5/8ths ladleful, by the way, not 4/5ths." Avery gave a nod of thanks and carefully crossed out the incorrect measurement.

"You done the Charms practical report yet, by the way?" she asked Yaxley. He shook his head, glanced up, and said:

"Hey, Snape, you done the charms?" Rani followed his gaze to find a gangly, black-haired, awkward looking teenager approaching the table.

"No," he answered shortly as he reached them, eying Rani with a look of distinct mistrust. She, knowing exactly what was going through his mind, raised an eyebrow at him as she set her inkpot decisively on the tabletop.

"Look Snape, whatever grudge you and Evans hold between you is your own damn business- as long as you don't ever call her Mudblood in my presence again, I have no intention of getting dragged into it. So you're welcome to sit with us, but I have no notions of moving just because you're a little squeamish," she stated boldly, spearing the boy with her gaze. He blinked slightly, seemed to consider her for awhile, and finally set his books down near them.

"So, you're not going to hex me again and dunk me in the lake?"

"Only if you're stupid enough to go flinging around dirty words like Mudblood."

"Fair enough," he said, and bent his (rather unwashed) head over his work. Rani exchanged looks with Yaxley and suppressed a satisfied grin. She had never quite gotten why people thought Slytherins were so slippery- she had always considered them ridiculously easy to figure out. And if you understood them, it was easy enough to live together in relative peace.

"Where's Mulciber?"

"Detention," Snape answered, already puzzling out an Arithmancy problem.

"This early in the year?"

"He got smart with McGonagall."

"Ouch."

Their little group had managed a solid hour of actual studying when they were interrupted once again by a voice addressing their table.

"Oi, you lot," Sirius Black said gruffly, coming to a stop near them and folding his arms in a defensive way. "Have any of you seen my good-for-nothing slimy little bro- Rani!" Rani stopped sucking the end of her quill and grudgingly looked up at the charmingly unkempt boy regarding her with surprise. She raised an eyebrow slightly at the use of her first name, and Black flushed the slightest bit. "I mean, er- Shacklebolt, your brother's friends with mine, right? For some unexplainable reason?" She raised the other eyebrow and waited for this conversation to go somewhere. "I mean, you don't know where he might be, do you?" She gave him her very best blank stare for a moment, then looked back down at her essay.

"At the Quidditch stadium, I'd imagine. Kingsley's trying out for Hufflepuff Beater," she answered, a chill rolling off her words. She tried not to like Black- he inspired too much… uncomfortable emotion. He was also arrogant. His best mate was constantly on Lily's case and was a lousy boyfriend besides. And anyway, she didn't have time for the whole boy- not that she would ever actually go for…

Rani bit on her tongue to pull herself out of these dangerous thoughts and tried to get back to her essay, but Black was still hovering around their table. It had to be the longest time he'd stuck around Slytherins without bullying one of them. Next to her, she could sense how tense Snape had become, his eyes practically burning a hole in his paper. Yaxley and Avery were both regarding the Gryffindor with intense dislike, and Rani was aware that it was only her mediating presence that was stopping anyone coming to jinxes. Wearily, knowing she had to do something to diffuse the situation, she heaved a sigh and stood.

"I have to go find a book," she said, very pointedly. Purposely not looking at Black, she swept past him into the stacks. As she had expected, he followed. What was with this newfound attachment to her? Rani headed down a row, Black making a lame attempt at strolling nonchalantly after her in that loping way of his. She crouched to look at the bottom shelf, finding an excuse to not meet his eyes.

"Um, listen, Ra- Shacklebolt, I was wondering, for Potions, I'm kind of-"

"Hey, will you do me a favor, Black? Next time you see Lupin, ask him to come find me," Rani interrupted, not taking her eyes off the spines of the books. She didn't think she wanted to know where the rest of that sentence had been going.

"Er, Lupin?" Black repeated, confused and completely distracted.

"Yeah, Lupin. You know, your best mate?" she said, grabbing a couple books at random and standing up to regard her assailant, who looked rather like a lost puppy at the moment. She felt the ridiculous urge to laugh bubble up, and had to fight it back down. "He's supposed to meet with me about Transfiguration. Would you just remind him for me?" She glanced down at the books she held as she started to walk back down the aisle towards the table. "Oops, wrong one. Would you mind putting that back?" she added, practically smacking one of the books into Black's chest so he had no choice but to grab it. "Thanks!" And she brushed past him, heading back to the table she had been sharing with the Slytherins. Rani didn't glance backward, and yet somehow she could sense the speechless mouth of Sirius Black gaping at her retreating back. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Rani strolled languidly across the lawn towards the darkening Quidditch pitch, hoping to catch her brother as he came out of his tryout. She had just managed to wrangle open the chocolate frog package in her hand when she spotted him coming towards her with her old remodeled Silverarrow slung over his shoulder- she had passed it onto him after she decided to drop her Keeper position in fourth year. Kingsley looked just as preoccupied as she felt.

"Wotcha, Kings- how'd it go?" she greeted him, pulling him into a quick one-arm hug when she reached him, since there was no one else around.

"Great- I'm on the team now!" he said distractedly, his eyes sweeping across the grounds. "You haven't seen Regulus around, have you?"

"What is this, have Rani keep track of all her brother's friends day?" Rani demanded, speaking around the head of the chocolate frog she had just bitten off with relish. Kingsley looked at her quizzically. "His older brother just asked me the same thing," she elaborated. "And no, I haven't seen him. He didn't come watch?"

"No," Kingsley answered. "He said he was going to. I haven't seen him a whole lot over the last week- he's been hanging around with the Carrows." Rani wrinkled her nose in distaste and offered her brother a conciliatory chocolate frog.

"Mum and Dad just sent them. They say good luck on your Beater position, but I guess you don't need it any more. The letter's in my bag, if you really want to read it." Kingsley took the sweet and attacked it with equal vigor, opting to start with its legs.

"So, how'd classes go today? Any luck in Transfiguration?" Rani snorted in annoyance.

"I've got a tutor now." Kingsley made a sympathetic noise. "At least you did well on that Arithmancy test. And you continue to shock and amaze Slughorn, even after all these years. He never misses the opportunity to mention either you or Lily to me during class." Rani grunted in reply, and the two of them were silent for a while as they walked. "Some week, huh?" Kingsley finally said, sensing his sister's melancholy mood.

"Yeah," she sighed as they headed back to the castle, "some really crappy week."