Razi stood before the desk, doing her level best to keep her face serene.
"This is not your usual brand of rule breaking, Miss Levine," Dumbledore said, looking at her over the rims of his glasses. Razi tried to convince herself he couldn't know everything going on in her head, even if he looked like he did. "A fist fight? Really?"
Razi nodded. "Yes sir."
"Forgive me for reminding you of deeds for which you have already served penance," the headmaster continued, "but I find this deviance from… shall we say, your regular kind of infraction? I find it startling. And against members of your own house, no less."
"It is unusual, sir, I admit that," Razi said.
"And to little else," he observed. "Would you care to pretend I've listened to your clever wordplay already and we've moved on to the heart of the matter? Not that I do not appreciate your wordplay, but I have a school to run, Miss Levine, and four more troublemakers to deal with before I can."
"I was rather close to Alyssa when the altercation began, sir. I believe Dolohov – the elder, not the brother – assumed I would join the fray and reacted prematurely. I'm afraid I responded instinctively."
"How dreadfully teenager of you," Dumbledore said. He sounded amused, though the corner of his lip barely twitched. "Probably knowing that is punishment enough for you, but alas, I must bow to societal expectations of justice. Four days detention with Professor Flitwick, Miss Levine, and an essay on how you, at least, could have avoided a visit here. Lemon drop? I've found them to be very soothing."
Razi blinked, both at the change of subject and the open tin in his hand. "I'm not very fond of sweets, sir," she said, lying through her teeth.
"Pity. I can't seem to kick the habit." He eyed her long enough that she wanted to shift her feet. Razi wasn't uncomfortable with silence, far from it, but Dumbeldore's particular brand of it felt like being weighed and measured. "On second thought, I would prefer that essay to be about a civil conversation with one of your housemates. Perhaps if you knew one or two a little better you would be slower to reach for violence in your dealings with them. It might at least make for a more comfortable common room."
Razi doubted knowing her fellow Slytherins would make her less likely to hex them into oblivion, but she wasn't going to say so. Dumbledore nodded a dismissal and asked that she send in Pratchett when she left.
Alyssa and Delaney hovered at the bottom of the stair with Jonathan, who was examining Alyssa's hand while she insisted she just needed to conjure some ice.
"What's the verdict?" Delaney asked.
"Detention with Flitwick for a few days and an essay on communication with my housemates," Razi said. "If it was actual parseltongue it would be less dangerous. Alyssa?"
"Detention with Slughorn for a week. It won't be so bad, he'll just have a captive audience for his namedropping while he has me do prep work for the other classes."
"You got off lightly," Jonathan scolded, including Razi in his lecture. "Punching someone? Bad enough to fight at all! And don't think I don't know you're using concealing spells, Levine, there's no way you got out of that without a few bruises. Let me take a look."
Razi rolled her eyes but complied, letting Jonathan tilt her head up so he could look at the cheek Dolohov had gotten to first. She'd managed to avoid much else, thanks to Wesson, Lupin, Delaney, and Jonathan himself. Jumping in had been stupid, no matter what she told Dumbledore about Dolohov striking first.
"That's not so bad," Jonathan said in a suddenly softer voice. "That black eye will be gone by the time you finish your detentions. Ice?"
Alyssa grimaced. "You really shouldn't have done anything, Razi. I mean, I appreciate the support, but-"
"You won't let me hex Avery with anything permanent, the least I could do was back you up when you tried to disfigure him," Razi muttered as she accepted the conjured bag of ice from Jonathan, feeling perversely driven to defend her actions.
"Undying declarations of friendship aside – don't pretend, Levine, I can speak Slytherin – you two shouldn't be fighting at all," Jonathan said. "I don't know what possessed you, Alyssa."
"Momentary insanity," his sister replied, sounding subdued. "It won't happen again."
"Good," Jonathan said. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Go to class, Jonathan," all three of them said in exasperation, perfectly in sync. He raised his hands in surrender and obeyed.
"While we wait for Amanda and Pratchett, can we discuss my impossible task?" Razi asked after a bit. "I was just in a fight that included Avery. No one is going to speak civilly to me."
"There are plenty of Slytherins who don't like Avery," Delaney protested weakly.
"Ninety percent of them I'm sure," Razi agreed, "but he was friends with Malfoy before he graduated, he's a prefect, and he's a member of Slughorn's little club. You didn't think Alyssa avoided those meetings because she's against mingling with high society, did you?"
"I am against mingling with high society," Alyssa said. "They always try to make small talk when I'm reading."
"Slytherins won't talk to me because nobody wants Avery angry with them," Razi continued, ignoring Alyssa. "I'm almost surprised we haven't run into Mulciber in a dark corner somewhere already."
Her friends shuddered, but a moment later Amanda and Pratchett appeared around the bend of the stairwell.
"I have to go," Razi said, duty discharged. "I don't want to be late for Transfiguration."
Her friends waved as she left.
McGonagall's lecture on transfiguring objects that had already been altered was complicated enough that everyone was bent over taking detailed notes, but even so Razi noticed a few glances in her direction. She shouldn't have had to – she sat in the back for a reason.
McGonagall appeared next to her desk as class ended. "You detention begins promptly after dinner, Miss Levine. Professor Flitwick will meet you in his office."
"Yes ma'am."
McGonagall looked over Razi's work for the day. "Excellent use of Frezner's Principles of Mutation. Did you find it easier to transfigure the paper when it was folded?"
"A little," Razi said warily.
The Professor nodded thoughtfully. "Five points to Slytherin, Levine," she said before turning to leave. "For sticking to principles."
Razi stared after her, eyes narrowed. Was she imagining the wordplay? She tabled the question for later, hurrying to pack up her things. She had Defense Against the Dark Arts, which meant she would see the Ravenclaws.
Her path down the stairs was blocked. Pepper Green looked up at her; Razi considered stepping over her. She was probably short enough.
"Do you tutor?" the Gryffindor asked.
Razi took a moment to stare, dead-eyed, at the younger girl.
"I know," Green said, as if Razi had actually said something. "Snakes and lions don't mix, you're big and bad, danger Will Robinson, do you tutor?"
She ignored the reference, though she hadn't thought many people would have seen the American television show. "You're a first year, what subject could you possibly be behind on? And what's in it for me?"
"It's not for me," Green retorted. "But if there's something in it for you you'll do it?"
"I'd consider it," Razi said. "Much the same way I'm considering what happened to the last person who made me late to class."
Green snorted. "Stark didn't have a mark on him. I'll let her know."
She ran off before Razi could ask her who 'her' was, which was just as well. If they kept talking Razi might start to like her, which would be inconvenient. She had too many people she liked, and she already had a Gryffindor she had to be nice to. She shook her head and headed off to lunch.
Delaney had saved her a place next to her but unfortunately near the other Slytherins. It took a special effort to speak kindly with friends in the presence of smug enemies, and none of the friends seemed inclined to rise to the occasion: instead the Ravenclaws held true to their house by immersing themselves in books, though she noticed that Amanda had pulled out her Magical Creatures text instead of her Defense. Razi leaned back in her chair and made herself look nonchalant as she pondered who in Slytherin she could talk to without risking bodily harm.
The list was depressingly short. She was repeating it in her mind when the new Defense professor entered the room and asked where their previous professor had left off.
Some of the answers, while serious, were a touch mean-spirited.
"The auror department is kind enough to send us people with practical knowledge of defense. We've been taught by two interns, a full Auror, like yourself, on sabbatical to deal with the loss of a partner, and another who was writing the text book you've selected for us, Professor," Dolohov the younger said from the front of the classroom listed off.
Delaney added, "We learned a lot of theory last year. It was fascinating."
The professor, a middle-aged woman who seemed in good health, of strong mind, and of quick temper, grimaced and flicked her wand at the board. The chalk darted across the board, leaving hard, fast marks, as if someone was writing angrily. The wedding ring on her finger slipped a little, showing skin not discernibly lighter than the rest of her. Newlywed. Razi wondered if someone was going to receive a Howler for benching her.
"Theoretical knowledge will serve you well on your OWLs," Professor Ramsey said in the clipped tones of someone trying not to sound put out, "but this year we will make a point of focusing on the practical. Defense, particularly in such times as these, is of vital importance. It demands attention and diligent practice."
The look she shot at them all made Razi consider what she meant by diligent practice. Ramsey did not seem inclined to let anyone skate by, which was a pity. Razi and most of her other friends didn't have any difficulty in Defense, but Alyssa had never gotten the knack. She made up for it with the essays, but Ramsey wasn't listing any on the honest-to-god syllabus the chalk was inscribing on the board. She supposed she would have to talk to Amanda about making Alyssa practice more.
Razi snuck a look at her friend, who was copying down the syllabus, face set and mouth tight. It grew tighter when Ramsey mentioned dueling practice.
"It'll be fine, Alyssa," Amanda assured her when they finally escaped. "We'll throw some duels or something for class and they never test you on dueling in OWLs anyway."
Razi shook her head. Amanda wanted to solve Alyssa's problems for her because she thought that was what friends did. Alyssa wanted to solve her own problems. Razi would prefer no one knowing she had problems at all.
Speaking of which…
"I'm going to go sit at the Slytherin table," she told her friends. "Then at least Dumbledore can't say I'm not trying."
Alyssa hung back after the others made faces of distaste and headed for their own table. "Are you really worried? I haven't seen Mulciber around, but if you want me to sit with you..."
"And do what?" Razi asked. She kept her tone gentle, though. "Of the two of us, I'm better equipped to handle Mulciber."
Alyssa shifted uncomfortably, looking down at her feet, but nodded quickly and followed the others. Razi hoped she hadn't hurt Alyssa's feelings, and truthfully Alyssa seemed to have a sort of Mulciber-repellant aura these days, but Razi wanted to be alone. And it was true: she knew to her bones that Alyssa would stand and take any curse aimed at Razi, but that would be the extent of her use if an altercation broke out and then Razi would have to worry about her.
Though she supposed Alyssa could use her heretofore unknown and apparently effective right hook, if that first spell didn't immobilize her completely. Her friend didn't lack gumption, only tools.
Razi had wanted to be alone, and she got her wish all through dinner. There was a conspicuous amount of space on either side of her, and the bench across from her remained empty as well. She refused to look at the Professors' table to see if Dumbledore noticed her comprehensive shunning.
It was after she had finished eating, and after she had waited for a large group of other students to depart the hall so she could join them, that Pepper Green called to her. Razi found herself stopping and waiting for her to catch up.
With the first year Gryffindor was a first year Slytherin, a waifish dark haired girl who eyed Razi warily.
"Here's your pupil," Green said. "Elaine Walker, Razi Levine. She's a little touchy, Elaine, but I think if you feed her she'll like you."
"Is that what I'm getting out of this?" Razi asked, eyebrow raised and mildly insulted. "Free food in a castle full of free food?"
"The loving company of another muggleborn Slytherin?" Green suggested, undaunted. "A sense of decency and accomplishment?"
"Letting me know if you hear anything interesting in the halls of Gryffindor?" Razi countered.
Green blinked at her. "I am advanced for an eleven-year-old, but I am still eleven. How am I supposed to know what you'd find interesting?"
Walker cleared her throat. "You have someone to talk to for that essay requirement I've heard rumors about."
Well. That was interesting. And annoying. "You shouldn't put much stock in rumors, small child."
"I am three years younger than you, not an idiot. And I heard it straight from Potter."
"We heard it straight from Potter," Green added. "And he was telling it straight to Lupin. In our hearing. As we happened to be passing by. Completely coincidentally."
Razi held back a sigh. Potter. She decided Pettigrew must have told him; had probably been lurking around the hallway waiting for his hero and gotten the information directly from her. As she told it straight to Alyssa. As Pettigrew was passing by. Completely coincidentally. Brown-noser. "Say the rumor's true. What would it cost me?"
"Tutoring," Green said before Walker could answer.
"Tutoring in what?" Razi asked with exaggerated patience.
"Slytherin!" Green exclaimed, as if the answer should be obvious.
"Pepper, I can talk. Stop it," Walker said before Green closed her mouth entirely. She turned to Razi. "I met with McGonagall before school and she recommended books, and I know some stuff. I read my school books. I just get the feeling there's more to this world than they'll tell me up front."
"You know enough to hang out with all those purebloods and not look wicked confused," Green put in before covering her mouth with her hands. "Sorry," she mumbled through them.
Razi examined Walker. Tiny, as she had noted before. Black hair. Wary expression. Obviously clever enough to use extortion on the only Slytherin who might have some investment in her existence if given a small push. New enough not to realize that only Alyssa and Pratchett were purebloods in the group, and new enough to think that getting on with the purebloods was a matter tutoring could solve. "The purebloods I'm friends with aren't the ones you need to look out for. The others still hate me plenty. Being seen as my friend won't help you with them."
"Pepper mentioned that when I asked," Walker said. "Nobody says much about Blythe, but it's not the same way they don't say anything about Mulciber or Lestrange or Dolohov. Them hating you is a recommendation, from what I understand. Will you help me?"
Maybe not as new as Razi had thought. She considered the girl for another moment.
"She can't sleep in my common room every night," Green said. "For one thing, I have sympathetic back pain. For another, I have actual back pain, because I sleep down there so nobody asks why she's there."
"Well if it's a matter of your comfort, Green," Razi said, adding just a touch of dryness to her tone, "how can I refuse? Sunday, Walker. After breakfast, at the main entrance. Your first lesson will be warding charms so you can sleep in a bed."
"Can I come?" Pepper asked.
"Do you need bed warding charms?" Walker asked, turning to her friend.
"Not as such, no…"
"Then work on your transfiguration. God knows you need practice."
Razi left before she heard Pepper's reply. She didn't bother to make sound, and let herself smile at Pepper's exclamation when they found her gone.