AN: a week late but my exams are approaching and last minute revision and c/w has to be handed in, but the next chapter should be up tomorrow or Wednesday!

Chapter Three

Lunch was an interesting affair. Pansy made it more tan obvious that she was unhappy with the current seating arrangement, having been forced to move from Draco's side (at his request that she "Move") only to have her usual seat occupied by Amy.

All through lunch Pansy sulked. She alternated between glaring at Amy and muttering insults into her salad, not that her behaviour was acknowledged by anyone but Amy who was finding it a little daft to be upset about where she was sitting.

Nudging Draco, Amy pointed out Pansy's colourful insults towards her salad before enquiring "Did the salad personally insult you or something Parkinson?" Her face the perfect picture of innocence as she spoke. Baiting the other girl was far too easy.

An unbecoming scowl crossed Pansy's face as she choose instead to stab her lettuce leaves, pretending to not have heard Amy's question.

Turning to Draco she said "It looks as if your girlfriend if upset" A small smile causing her lips to quirk at the corners for a moment. Draco's eyes snapped from his lunch "She's not my girlfriend" he hissed. He knew Amy was teasing, but still, he'd never date pansy, he could bare her only slightly more than Amy could.

"Well have you told her that specific detail in your...relationship?" Amy asked, her eyebrow quirking "because she's fairly mad at me for simply sitting with you, I mean, what would a friend be mad about something as trivial as that?" Standing from the bench Draco said "Let her stew, we have class" just as the bell went.

This year, Defence Against the Dark Arts was taught by Snape much to the slytherins delight. He was after all, their head of house, and it had been his dream job to have for the last 16 years.

The shutters were, unsurprisingly, shut on the windows, the only light source coming from the hundreds of candles that were floating overhead. The room gave the impression they were still in the dungeons. The affect, Amy supposed, was to intimidate the students.

The door swung open, admitting the students. As Pansy pushed past Amy, she couldn't help but roll her eyes as she watched the other girl claim the seat next to Draco's. What was this, a contest? Pansy insured that Amy didn't miss the smug smile she threw her way, before turning to talk to the boy in question, batting her eyelashes in a ridiculous fashion.

"Does she seriously think that she's getting on over on me?" she asked Blaise who was just behind her, in an agitated whisper. Blaise shrugged as he took his seat between the two girls. "You're a 'threat' now" he told her. Amy turned to face is, eyebrow raised, arms crossed poised to argue to the contrary. "I know" Blaise interrupted before she could start "You're not interested in him like that, I know" he sounded, if anything, exasperated, he'd heard the same story from Amy for the past few years, but he still didn't believe her.

"Draco's not even interested in her" Amy mumbled, Blaise rolled his eyes, turning his attention away from the seething girl sitting next to him, ignoring the obscenities she was muttering under her breath about Draco and Pansy. The class falling silent as Snape shut the door, the small class immediately falling silent.

Snape started with the same speech they had been given by Slughorn that morning in potions. That mean that the rest of their professors would be giving them the same speech and by the end of the day, the 6th years would be able to repeat it word for word is asked.

After listening to him talk about how he was amazed that most of them managed to scrap a passing mark, let alone an O and the subjects they would be covering this term before barking at them that they should be writing down what he was saying, and how he would be checking their defensive and offensive spells next lesson, before dismissing them as the bell sounded.

Out the door the class split into three groups, the Slytherins who were continuing with Herbology went to join the Ravenclaws, whilst the Slytherins who were continuing Charms went to join the Hufflepuffs. Those who had dropped both subjects going their own way.

The six Slytherins walked down to the first floor together, Amy, Pansy and Theo heading to Charms, whilst Draco, Blaise and Millicent continued to the grounds to the greenhouses for Herbology with Sprout.

Charms was followed by Arithmancy, for which Blaise joined them and Pansy left in a rush to do Merlin knows what.

Watching Parkinson rush up the stairs to the 6th floor, Amy couldn't help but sneer "Could she be any more desperate to rejoin her precious Draco?" her voice loud, the hesitant foot fall allowing her to know that Pansy had indeed heard her.

"No, but it's starting to look like you are jealous Amy, especially if you keep baiting her like that" Amy jumped as she felt Blaise's presence behind her "I don't know why you give her the time of day."

"Didn't we have a conversation that spookily resembled this one not two hours ago?" Amy demanded. Blaise shrugged again "Yes, but try looking at it from an outsiders point of view, it looks like you're rather jealous, or afraid that she'll worm her way into his life".

Amy's yes narrowed just as Prof Vector opened the door, allowing the class to entre and take their seats. Amy took a seat next to Blaise, but didn't spare him a second glance during their lesson. She was too preoccupied with the ideas Blaise seemed set on putting in her head.

Yes she had always thought Draco to be attravtive, who hadn't, and how could he not be when he had inherited those aristocratic features (Yes, the same thing could have been said about Blaise with his olive tanned skin and dark brown hair, he too was attractive, but a complete opposite to Draco), and yes, at one point they had been closer than they were at the moment, but it didn't mean she yearned for more.

Arithmancy passed similarly to Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms had. Professor Vector starting the lesson with a lecture about the upcoming NEWTs and that they were only two years away and how it would be best for them to start revising now. Before, she assigned then several calculations to do that they'd learned last year in an attempt to 'refresh their memories'.

By the time they made it back to Snape's newly appointed classroom for a second hour of Defence Against the Dark Arts, the 6th years had been given more work than ever. A six foot essay on an invigoration draught for Wednesday, they had to read the first chapter of Magical Theory and Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6), and produce an essay on the usefulness of the charms mentioned and what they had in common for the next lesson, as well as having to finish off the calculations they had started in Arithmancy.

And it was more than certain that Snape would give them homework as well. It seemed as if the teachers weren't starting them off lightly after their two month summer holiday.

As soon as the words "get into pairs and start practising" left Snape's lips, Amy knew it had been a bad idea to sit next to Draco, especially after the look she received from Pansy.

She had paired up with Draco, Theo with Blaise and Pansy with Millicent. They were supposed to be practising stunning and deflecting, but when Amy felt a familiar stinging sensation on her cheek the look of pure glee on Pansy's face told her exactly who had sent the stinging hex.

Draco raised his eyebrow a fraction at the forming welt on Amy's cheek, but she shook her head, she'd explain later. Aiming her wand just over Draco's shoulder, she muttered blatero.

"Miss Rookwood" came the familiar drawl, causing Amy to spin on the spot "I believe Mr Malfoy is your duelling partner, not Miss Parkinson" "Sorry sir, I wasn't aiming for Parkinson, I guess I must have slipped" a small victorious grin fell onto her lips.

"Well next time you should be more careful" Snape drawled "Yes sir" Amy agreed as she watched Snape walk back to where he had previously been standing.

Much to Amy's pleasure he hadn't removed the babbling curse from Pansy, as she watched Millicent throw up shield after shield, deflecting the rogue curses Pansy was spewing in an attempt to find a counter curse to cure her of the babbling.

The bell rang, and over the rush to leave the class Snape could be heard shouting out their homework for the next lesson "Rookwood, if I were you I would get that welt sorted at the hospital wing , Parkinson come here and I'll remove that jinx.

Amy sighed, she'd hardly been back in the castle 24 hours and she had already been sent to see Mme Pomfrey.

"You know, I think Snape might just be sadistic enough to choose who partners with who, so he can pair you and Parkinson together and then we can critique your skills whilst you fight to the death over a certain blonde" Came Blaise's familiar voice, somewhere to Amy's left.

"As much as you are no doubt wanting to see that Zabini, did you actually want something?" she demanded, arms crossed over her chest, her cheek throbbing from the stinging hex.

"Sorry Rookwood" he exaggerated her surname "Would you like accompanying to the Hospital Wing?" Amy shook her head "no thanks, I'm sure I'll manage" "Okay, but just so you know, if Snape did pair you up and make you duel, my money would be on you" Blaise informed her before glancing at something, or someone over her shoulder "I'll see you later then" he said before scampering off.

Before Amy could so much as start to make her way to the Hospital Wing, she felt a familiar presence behind her.

"That was a rather childish stunt to pull Tatty" the voice was a smooth drawl she'd know anywhere, and, for a minute, she briefly wondered whether he was trying to improve on Snape's well rehearsed drawl, goose bumps breaking out across her skin.

"It was no more childish than the hex she sent at me" she replied, her voice a quiet whisper for some reason unknown to her. "You could have just ignored it" Draco pointed out, his breath ghosting over her neck as he spoke. Briefly, Amy wondered what it would be like if she could just lean back into the taller boy, un aware of a similar thought running through Draco's mind.

"That would have been very unslytherin of me don't you think?" she questioned, she was feeling slightly breathless.

"Would you like me to accompany you to see Pomfrey?" he asked, moving away from her coming to stand beside her, "That stinging hex has brought up a rather unsightly welt" he told her, brushing his fingers over the inflamed area of her cheek causing a small hiss of pain to escape Amy's lips.

"I don't need a sitter, but yes, the company would be nice" she admitted with a small smile, her eyes lighting up.

"Lead the way" he said, gesturing for her to go ahead of him, placing his hand on the small of her back in an attempt to guide her, even though the corridors and staircases were virtually empty. At his touch a ghost of a smile crossed and settled on Amy's lips as she allowed herself to lead back into his touch.

AN: blatero meaning to babble, in Latin I hope, I don't speak/do Latin.