The next morning Cameron slipped into the shower as quickly as usual. He went out to the common room and headed towards the portrait hole.

"Cameron."

The black haired teen jumped and spun around.

"Oh Nia." He said. "You scared me."

Nia sat on the couch, hugging her books to her chest with her knees tucked under her. She barely nodded as she looked at her friend.

Cameron shifted his weight uncomfortably. He looked down at his feet and stuck his hands deep in his pockets.

"Um." Nia said uncertainly before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I was out of line to ask you and I-I'm sorry."

Cameron shrugged and joined his friend on the couch.

"I heard Ashton let you have it." He said.

Nia nodded and hugged her books even tighter.

"I didn't mean to make her…or you so angry. I was just, I don't know, curious. I promise to never, ever bother you about anything ever again." She explained as she studied her knees. Cameron studied her face.

"Nia…"

"Wotcher Cameron, Nia." Braxton said, coming out of the sixth year dorm.

The pair turned slightly to see their friend.

"Hi Braxton." Nia offered.

Cameron waved.

"Everything alright?" Braxton asked a bit uncertainly.

Cameron looked back to Nia and patted her once on her right knee. She looked up at him with sad eyes.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Cameron said with a smile.

Nia beamed and her eyes shone with relief. She laid down her books and wrapped her arms around Cameron's neck. He smiled and hugged her back. Braxton grinned at the pair.

Cameron pulled away and stood.

"Are Ashton, Draco, and Blaise coming?" he asked.

"Well Blaise is on his way but Draco never came in last night." Braxton answered. "He's been gone since Snape took him from lunch yesterday. What do you suppose happened to him?"

Cameron shrugged just as Ashton and Blaise entered the common room.

"M-m-morning all." Blaise said, failing to stifle a yawn.

"Morning Blaise, Ashton." Nia said.

The boys all looked at Ashton who crossed her arms over her chest.

"Nia." She said shortly.

Nia nodded and looked at her friend uncertainly.

"Look Ashton…"

The younger girl raised a hand.

"Don't bother. Cameron's obviously forgiven you." She said as she lowered her hand to rest on her bag. "There's no reason for me to be angry at you if he isn't but I meant everything I said."

Nia nodded quickly.

"I know. I know. I already told Cameron that I was never going to bother him about anything ever again." She said excitedly. "I'm not going to even try to make him tell you about Knowlen's class duel."

Nia gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Cameron turned on her, his eyes burning as color shot into his face. Braxton, Blaise, and Ashton all looked at the back of his head.

"What?" Blaise asked.

Nia met Cameron's fierce gaze with wide eyes.

"I'm so so so sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I'm such an idiot. I'm so sorry. I guess it doesn't matter what country I'm in I just can't keep my mouth shut!"

"What's she talking about Cameron?" Braxton asked as Nia continued to ramble apologies.

More Slytherins of every year began filtering through the common room. Braxton, Ashton, and Blaise moved closer to the couch.

"What duel?" Ashton asked.

Cameron deflated before his friend's eyes. He sank back against the cushions. Nia continued with her apologies

"I'm so sorry! It slipped I swear!" Cameron raised his hand to signal for her to stop. Nia bit down on her left index finger and looked at him with wide, apologetic eyes.

Braxton, Blaise, and Ashton all pulled chairs closer to their friend.

"What duel?" Braxton asked again.

Cameron sighed.

"As a review of everything we've learned up until now, Professor Knowlen decided to split the class up into six groups of three." He ran a hand through his hair. "The teams battle and the winner gets no homework for a week and is free from the next test."

"What else." Ashton pressed.

Cameron looked down.

"I'm on Thomas's team."

Braxton shook his head and grunted.

"That's tough mate." Blaise said.

Cameron nodded once.

"Wait." Ashton said.

Cameron looked up and met her eyes to find an unsettled understanding. He nodded and she closed her eyes.

"What?" Blaise asked looking between his friends. Braxton looked lost as well for a moment but suddenly it clicked.

"Dawson's in your Defense Against the Dark Arts class." He whispered.

Cameron glanced at him and nodded.

"And you're not on his team." Braxton added.

He was answered with a solemn shake of the head.

"Bloody hell." Blaise breathed.

Around them the crowd was beginning to thin as most of the house had already gone to breakfast.

The group sat in silence for several minutes.

"What are you going to do if your teams face off?" Blaise asked.

Cameron shrugged.

"The only thing I can do."

"But doesn't Knowlen know about…" Braxton began.

"No or at least I don't think he does." Cameron stood and ran his hand through his hair as he began to pace. "Even if he did I doubt it would have made a difference."

"Go to Dumbledore…" Blaise said.

Cameron shook his head.

"I'd look like an idiot if I went crying to Dumbledore."

The group fell silent for several seconds.

"Alright then we'll help you practice." Braxton said.

"What?" Cameron asked.

Braxton shrugged.

"Practice. We'll make sure you've got all your spells down especially the defensive ones." He said.

"Thanks but it's not really the spells I'm worried about." Cameron explained.

His friends looked thoughtful but Cameron groaned and put his head in his hands.

"Don't get down mate we'll figure something out." Blaise offered clapping his friend on the shoulder. Cameron shook his head.

"Maybe it would be better if I took myself out of the problem completely. I could just skip class that day." He said.

"No." Ashton said firmly. "Then you'll be doing exactly what Dawson wants. This is your chance to redeem yourself Cameron."

Beside Ashton Nia was chewing on her thumbnail and following the conversation with her eyes.

"What if…" Cameron sighed. "What if I don't want that chance?"

His friends were silent for a moment.

"What do you mean?" Blaise asked quietly.

Cameron stood and put his hands on his head, turning his back to his friends.

"Well what am I gaining out of this? No homework or test." He shrugged. "I don't need that." He whispered.

Ashton glanced at the rest of her friends before standing.

"What about getting back some of the things you lost?"

Cameron dropped his arms and turned to her.

"What did I lose?"

"Your confidence." Braxton offered.

"Your self respect." Blaise supplied.

Cameron felt his face flush with embarrassment. He looked down at his feet until Ashton used her finger to guide his face back up by his chin.

"It may just be a class assignment but if you don't participate you could be passing up more than no homework." She said.

Cameron sighed again.

"I don't know if I can do it." He admitted.

Now Braxton stood and stepped beside his friend.

"Sure you can mate. We'll help you get ready. By the time the duel comes around you'll be so ready it won't matter who you're battling and since you won't have any of your own work to do, you can…" Braxton glanced at Ashton and leaned close to Cameron to whisper conspiringly in his ear. "help me with mine."

Cameron laughed. Braxton patted his friend on the shoulder. The first bell echoed through the castle.

"We missed breakfast." Blaise said.

"Sorry." Cameron offered.

"Don't worry about it." Braxton said.

"We'll start your training tonight right after dinner." Ashton stated.

Cameron looked at each of his friends individually.

"You don't have to do this. Honest."

Nia stood.

"No I really do." She said. "I've managed to screw up royally twice in the past two days. That's a record, even for me."

"But you can't help me Nia. You're in the class too." Cameron pointed out.

The girl shrugged.

"Don't worry about me Cameron. Seriously I really want…no scratch that…I need to do this. Please let me help you. Pretty, pretty, please." Nia begged grabbing Cameron's arm and hugging it tightly while looking up at him with wide puppy eyes. Braxton, Ashton, and Blaise laughed. Cameron smiled.

"Alright. We'll start after dinner." He said.

The rest of the day passed quickly and before Cameron knew it, he was standing in the courtyard with his friends standing in a circle around him. Draco still hadn't returned from his visit with Snape. Cameron covered for him but he had to admit he was getting a little worried about his friend.

Ashton, who stood directly in front of Cameron, had his Defense Against the Dark Arts book in her hand.

"It's three on three right?" Ashton asked as she flipped through the pages.

Cameron nodded.

"Thomas is on your team, who's the other one?" Braxton questioned.

"A Hufflepuff girl named Valerie Tennor." Cameron recalled.

"Alright then. Well it's pretty obvious that you're on your own in this one. Tennor might be some help but…" Ashton said fading off as she landed on a promising page.

"Alright, this is a defensive spell that's supposed to be more effective than a simple protego." She said. "The incantation is placitum and you have to move your wand just like this." Ashton mimed the motion demonstrated in the book.

Cameron copied the motion.

"Placitum!" he said. Light shot out of his wand with so much force he was thrown backwards.

"Watch it Cameron!" Braxton shouted but he was a second too late. Cameron's legs buckled when they collided with the side of the fountain. He waved his arms and threw himself sideways. Cameron's elbow slammed against the concrete fountain as he fell.

"Bloody hell!" he cried as he hugged his arm to his chest.

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked as he and Nia rushed forward to help him back up. Braxton went to look at the book over Asthon's shoulder. Cameron pulled the sleeve of his robe back and inspected his now bleeding arm.

"Yeah, I'm great." He hissed.

He conjured a strip of cloth and wrapped it around his arm several times before fusing the ends together with his wand. Nia and Blaise went back to their places in the circle.

"What happened?" Blaise asked.

"Ashton read the book wrong." Braxton said taking the book from his friend. "This is how the motion is supposed to go." He preformed the action and handed the book back to Ashton who glared at him.

Cameron took several steps away from the fountain and raised his wand again.

"Placitum." He said. This time light shot out of his wand and zipped around him twice before disappearing.

"What was that?" Cameron asked.

"The book says it's like a three hundred sixty degree shield." Ashton said. "Stupefy!"

The spell shot at Cameron but exploded before it touched him.

"Okay what next?"

The group ran through several new spells and then finally broke up into teams of two against three. Everyone took turns partnering with Cameron. Finally it became too dark to do anything more and the group dragged themselves to the Slytherin Common room where they collapsed wearily into chairs.

Cameron, Braxton, and Blaise took the sofa while Nia and Ashton sat in two of the large puffy chairs.

"That w-w-wasn't bad for the first day." Braxton said through a massive yawn.

"We'll go again on Friday." Blaise said.

Cameron groaned.

"I can't I've got detention with Pince."

"What?" his friends chorused.

"I told you that." Nia said.

Cameron glanced at her and she shrugged.

"You didn't say I had to keep that a secret."

"Not that it would have made a difference." Blaise whispered to Cameron.

The pair smirked and Nia shot them a glare. Cameron went on to explain what had happened in the library.

"Those gits." Braxton spat.

The group continued to complain about the injustice behind the punishment when the portrait hole swung open and Draco walked in.

"Draco…" Nia said breathlessly as she took in the appearance of her friend.

His eyes were rimmed with red. His hair was stringy and messy due to his habit of grabbing it whenever a moment turned especially stressful. His tie hung untied around his neck. Draco smiled tiredly at his friends and offered them a half hearted wave.

"'Lo." He said in a low voice. Cameron stood, crossed the room and put a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked so that only the blonde could hear.

Draco met his eyes and nodded wearily.

"I will be." He said.

Cameron smiled and slung his arm over his friend's shoulders as they made their way over to the rest. Nia had pulled up another chair from the other end of the common room. Draco sat down heavily and sighed as he relaxed against the cushions.

"Where have you been mate?" Braxton asked.

"Yeah you look terrible." Blaise said.

Draco cracked the barest hint of a smile and ran his hands over his face. He sighed heavily.

"I've spent the day making arrangements so that my mother will be able to leave for America on a moment's notice." He explained in a low voice.

Cameron returned to the middle of the couch resting his elbows on his knees.

"But why?" Nia asked.

Draco looked at Cameron who nodded his encouragement. The blonde took a deep breath.

"Yesterday Snape gave me some…less then pleasant news." he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I told Cameron right away and I've been arguing with myself on when I wanted to tell the rest of you."

"What is it about?" Blaise asked.

"It's about my…father."

Draco went on to explain everything that he'd already told Cameron. His friends sat in complete silence as he shared his story. When he finished the blonde worked not to meet anyone's eyes.

There was a long pause as the group digested the news. Draco twisted his hands nervously.

"Could..could someone say something." He said in a small voice. "anything."

Ashton stood and Draco expected her to walk away. He expected anger from his short tempered friend and looked down at his knees so that he didn't have to see the anger in her eyes. He was completely shocked when she knelt in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

After his shock disappeared Draco slowly hugged her back.

"You're not going to be a Death Eater. You're not going to follow his choices. We'll help you." She whispered into his ear.

Draco nodded into her shoulder.

"Thank you." He whispered back.

When the pair separated Draco found his other friends kneeling around Ashton. They all looked up at him with determined eyes.

"Nothing's going to happen to you Draco. You're not going anywhere." Braxton said putting his hand on Draco's shoulder and squeezing hard.

"Yeah we would never let you become a Death Eater, that's against our group's code." Blaise said with a wink.

Everyone laughed lightly.

"See mate, what did I tell you?" Cameron said crossing his arms over his chest. "Everything's going to be fine."