I don't own Harry Potter! I also don't claim to own "Superman" by Five for Fighting!

Harry Potter

And

Dumbledor's Secret

Chapter4

            "Class, let's start with the basics," Snape began to explain that he wished us to begin memorizing the ingredients for potions. We began studying right there. Snape glared at me a lot, so much in fact that I trusted my instincts and knew it was best if I watched him carefully.

*********

            "Hi Mary, so how was your day?" Harry asked.

            "First hour was bad, and then it got a little better throughout the day," I replied.

            "Well, that's good," Harry smiled.

            "Snape is always watching me in class," I mumbled.

            "He does the same to me," Harry replied softly.

            "He just creeps me out, but I guess that's normal. Well, I'd better go find Hermione, she's going to get on my case otherwise," I smiled at him. I gave him a hug, "Thanks for being my friend." I ran up to the girl's dormitory, leaving Harry in dumb surprise at the steps.

            "Hermione… what are you up to now?" Rebecca sneered at my friend.

            "Hi Reebok!" I smirked as I entered the room and took Rebecca's attention away from Hermione.

            "STAREYE!" she growled back angrily.

            "So did you hear that Fred and George have a crush on you?" I twirled my finger around a few strands of my hair. She ran out to the common room and told the twins she hated both of their guts, in turn, the twins promptly showed her theirs. Rebecca turned and ran off to the restrooms.

            "Mary, why did you do that?" Hermione asked.

            "She had it coming to her, and you deserve a break. Getting teased all the time is really a drag, I should know."

            "How should you know?" Hermione asked.

            "I don't want to talk about it," I replied softly and turned away.

            "Okay, but if you need to talk to someone, feel free to tell me."

            "Thanks Hermione," I walked out to the common room and sat down on a sofa.

            "Hey Mary," Ron began to smile, but frowned when he saw the expression on his friend's face. "What's wrong?" he sat down next to me.

            "Nothing," I whispered softly. After all this time, how could it still hurt me to remember?

            "If it was nothing, you wouldn't be crying," Ron wiped away my tears and hugged me.

            "What would you do if remembering something, that happened a long time ago, still hurt?"

            "I really don't know, but if it's any consolation, I wish I did."

            "W-when… I was little… I was teased, and humiliated… by many of the students. One boy kissed me without my permission and I know he had problems, but it still hurt my feelings. I told the recess teacher and he got a timeout on the wall. I only had one friend… no make that two, when I first entered the class. I was only a little immature, but they called me a freak. I made all these animal noises… It's funny, but only one was half useful, and I guess all their teasing accomplished to make me a little stronger… but it still hurts."

            "Hey, I understand…" Ron smiled, he hugged tighter.

            "Thanks for listening to me, Ron," I looked up at him and smiled.

            "Hey, what are friends for?" Ron grinned. "Besides, I owed you for backing me up when Malfroy started name calling."

            "Don't worry about that… I just have one question, why was Reebok in here?"

            "WHAT!" Ron was shocked.

            "Isn't she Slytherin?"

            "Yeah… I wonder who let her in."

            "Wonder not, I, Percy, let her in to show her our common room was very similar to hers…"

            "Dammit Percy! I don't give a damn if you are Ron's brother! That bitch was in here and was being rude to Hermione! She cussed out your twin brothers, for Pete's sake!" I began yelling at Percy, the perfect.

            "Uh, I thought she'd left…"

            "She needs to get out of here right now!" Ron glared at Percy. "Even you should know that!"

            "Um, yeah, I'll get her out of here ASAP," Percy grimaced and sulked until he threw Reebok out and her stinky sock bombs with her. "She was in the boy's dormitory."

            "Percy, you need to think before acting," I sighed in annoyance.

            "Mary, shouldn't we check the room for traps?" Ron asked.

            "Let's get to it," I smiled at him. "Percy and you get the boy's rooms, and Hermione and I'll take the girl's. Just remember, it may not necessarily be a spell…"

            "ACK! There's sand in my bed!"

            "That was done by hand…" Ron sighed.

            "Good luck guys," I squeezed Ron's hand before we went off in separate ways.

            "ARGH!" Percy roared angrily. Everyone in either the common room or girl's rooms ran towards the boy's rooms.

            Percy was covered in green slimy goo; Ron was shocked, but had apparently fallen on the floor and was ignored by everyone, because they were staring at Percy. "Ron! Ron, are you okay?"

            "Hm? What happened?" Ron slowly sat up with Harry's and my help.

            "We all heard Percy scream, and then everybody came running to him," Hermione replied a little worried for her friend.

            "I saw… swamp-thing…" Ron shook.

            "What?" Harry and Hermione blinked in confusion.

            "It's okay Ron, I understand," I helped him up and walked him to the common room. "You aren't the only one that thought that Percy looked a lot like swamp-thing."

            "I just remembered one of my nightmares was about swamp-thing and it really was…"

            "It's okay; you want to know the real story behind swamp-thing?"

            "Not really…"

            "He was a shy science teacher during the fifties in America. He was going to propose to a very beautiful English teacher. It was one of those days when they were taking a field trip to the swamp. He lost the ring in a swamp pool and fell in trying to get it back. Unfortunately it was full of toxic chemicals, and it made him horribly disfigured. About ten years later, he returned looking for the English teacher, only everyone ran away from him, and on first sight, the English teacher fainted. He waited for her to wake up and tell her how much he loved her, and so he did. They got married and went to live in the swamp."

            "But I thought he wanted to kill everybody…"

            "No, he just wanted his girl," I replied softly.

            "I like that story," Ron smiled.

            "I'm glad you liked it," I smiled. I turned and saw everyone including green, dripping, Percy standing on the steps listening to the end of the story. "Oh good grief! I'm an American for Pete's sake! Just because I come from there doesn't mean I don't know stories! Besides, I have to make some up for the kids I baby-sit and my little sister!"

            "…"

            "Bunch of yo-yos," I muttered angrily.

            "A bunch of what?" George looked confused.

            "Forget it," I snapped and walked to the girl's side. "I don't fit in here… where do I fit in?"

            "Mary?" Hermione questioned.

            "I know, sorry," I replied softly.

            "Mary, what's wrong?" Hermione asked concerned.

            "I don't belong here," I replied.

            "Mary… what do you mean?"

            "I don't fit in or understand why. I keep fighting myself, but I tire of it. I'm sick and tired of it all; I'm supposed to be free. Are any of us really?"

            "Mary, nobody really fits in," Hermione gave me a hug. A song played on my radio.

~ I can't stand to fly, I'm not that naïve.

I'm just out to find, the better part of me.

I'm more than a bird; I'm more than a plane.

I'm more than some pretty face, beside a train.

And it's not easy to be me.

I wish that I could cry, fall upon my knees.

Find a way to lie, about a home I'll never see.

It may sound absurd, but don't be naïve.

Even heroes have the right to bleed.

I may be disturbed, oh won't you concede?

Even heroes have the right to dream.

And it's not easy to be me.

Up from hell away, away from me.

Well it's all right; you can all sleep sound tonight.

I'm not crazy, or anything.

I can't stand to fly, I'm not that naïve.

Men weren't meant to ride, with clouds between their knees.

I'm only a man, a silly red sheet.

Taken for kryptonite, on this one way street.

Only a man, a phony red sheet.

Looking for special things, inside of me.

Inside of me… Inside of me…Inside of me… Inside of me…

I'm only a man, a phony red sheet.

I'm only a man, looking for a dream.

I'm only a man, in a phony red sheet.

And it's not easy… It's not easy to be me… ~

            The words hit me like bricks, "That song actually just made sense."

            "What do you mean, Mary?" Hermione asked releasing me from her hug.

            "I can almost always make sense of songs, and I'm always learning from them…" I sighed. "I know it's odd but music does soothe the troubled soul."

            "Mary, can we talk?" Ron asked.

            "Sure, what do you think we're doing now?"

            "I meant just you… and me…" Ron swallowed.

            "Okay," I shrugged. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Hermione."

            "…"

            I followed Ron until we were outside Gryffindor's rooms, "Well?"

            Ron sighed and pulled me forward into his arms; he hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek. I froze. He let go and looked at the ground in shame… "I'm sorry."

            I blinked as he walked away, "Ron?"

            When I entered Gryffindor, I couldn't look at anyone. I knew I was blushing and I walked to my room and turned on the radio.