Alright, guys. Here's the next chapter for Magical Mates. I hope you don't hate me for the amount of time it took me. I was a bit busy recently and as you can see these chapters are huge...

For those who haven't voted on my next stories yet. There's a Poll going concerning the Alchemy Lab. I just noticed that guests can't vote but if you want to vote, just write the five votes in a Review...

Enjoy,

Nick

*Dream*

"Little love?" Kol spoke up, catching the eleven-year-old gently "What happened to your arm?"

Selene looked up at the two Originals and blinked sluggishly. That Potion was pretty strong, even though it was only a low dose "Shoulder broken… Flying… Caught… And…"

"What?" Finn questioned, crouching down to pull his mate into his lap "Can you try that again?"

"First Flying lesson. Caught Neville when he fell," Selene muttered into the oldest Mikaelson's shoulder "Broke shoulder… Potions are good."

Kol snorted and poked the girl "Brother, I think our little mate is stoned."

"Quite possibly," Finn nodded, tilting Selene's head up to look into her eyes "I don't like this school very much, brother. She hasn't even been there for a month and she has already gotten hurt. And there is this boy she told us about…"

Kol sighed "I know, Finn. But there is nothing we can do. Think about it… Lyra had friends now. Those twins and the other one… Lee, was it?"

"I don't like how close they are to her though," the older brother mumbled.

"Are you jealous, Finny?" Kol teased lightly.

Finn's head snapped up "No. That's not it…"

"Relax, brother," the younger brother laughed "I'm kidding. We will find a way to get her to us…"

"Speaking of," Finn realized "What about Niklaus and Elijah. Do you think that they are connected to Lyra as well?"

Kol tugged at a strand of his Lyre's hair "I really don't know. It's a possibility. But we won't know unless Elijah gets daggered – which never happened before. Nik won't be able to see her…"

Selene moaned a bit and twisted in Finn's arms, fading from the dream mansion slowly.

*End of Dream*

"Professor?" I spoke up hesitatingly, peaking up at Professor McGonagall. She had ask me to be Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Whatever that meant. Apparently, she had seen me save Neville and was so impressed with my flying skills that she wanted Oliver Wood – the Quidditch captain to at least see if he could work with me.

"Miss Potter?"

I bit my lip nervously, tugging at my sweater "Could I stay in the dorms on Halloween? I – I just don't feel like celebrating when…"

The Professor's stern face softened and she smiled sadly "I would like to say yeas but I can't. Students have to be present during feasts or be with a Professor."

"Oh," I mumbled, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes "Alright. Sorry to bother you, Professor." When my hand touched the doorknob, I heard the Professor sigh but since she didn't say anything, I just walked out. It was worth a try… I really didn't want to be there. In three days was Halloween and ever since I found out that my parents died on that day, I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy it anymore. Holidays had never been nice to me but the Dursleys made me Trick-or-Treat in some shabby outfit, taking the candies I got for Dudley along with the stuff he collected and stole himself.

"Are you alright, Lyra?" Gred questioned when I sat down on a couch next to him. I shook my head silently and buried my face in his arm "Hey… Come on, little one. We can only help you if you talk to us."

I sniffled "I don't want to go to the feast… I don't want to do anything on Halloween…"

Forge breathed in sharply and went to sit on my other side "It's alright, Selene. Maybe there's still a way…"

"Hey, Wood told us that you're meeting him on the Quidditch pitch tomorrow evening. Mind if we tag along?" Gred questioned, looking down at me.

I shook my head "No. Erm… I'll go to bed now if you don't mind. I'm tired." It's been a long day and I'd rather be alone at the moment. While the twins and Lee were amazing friends, I really wasn't used to letting people in. The three already knew more than I wanted them to but I still loved being around them, pranking several other students. Sometimes even each other.

In my dorm, I immediately went to my bed and drew the curtains. I had never really talked to any of my dorm mates but I knew a lot about them already. More than I wanted to actually. Hermione Granger was a know-it-all and she made sure that everyone knew it. She was constantly waving her hand in the teachers' faces and correcting people in a way too bossy voice. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown loved to gossip and talk about boys and fashion and way in general too girly and kitschy for my taste.

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed in my school uniform. I really didn't feel like going to classes today but I also knew that I had to. They were important, even though I knew most of the theory already. So far, my favourite subject were Charms, Transfigurations and Potions. Not only were the teachers good, but they also were the most. Not that Herbology wasn't fun or Professor Sprout was a bad teacher. No, it's just… I don't know. It just reminded me so much of having to do the chores back at the Dursleys'. The other teachers almost weren't worth mentioning. Professor Sinistra wasn't half-bad either. The trouble was the late hour of the class. Why on Earth would anyone let a bunch of eleven-year-olds stay up until midnight to go to a class in a very high tower?

"Morning, Sel," Lee greeted with a small smile. It had become a ritual for us. Since we both woke up early on most days, he would always wait for me in the Common Room and walk down to breakfast with me.

"Hey," I mumbled, wrapping myself in my cloak. I was freezing even though it was pretty warm in here.

Lee wrapped his arm around my shoulders "Are you okay? You're looking a bit down…"

"It's just," I broke off "I don't know. I really don't want to think about Halloween. It's… Ever since I found out my parents died on that day… Maybe that explained why I didn't like the day when I was younger."

"You didn't like Halloween?" Lee gaped with wide eyes "Why? The candy, the Trick-or-Treat?"

I shook my head a bit "My relatives would force me to go out every year. The candy I got… Well, they gave it to my cousin. Listen, can we drop it now? I don't want to talk about it…"

"Sure," the dark-skinned boy agreed, tightening his arm around my shoulders.

Fred and George soon joined us, completing our group of trouble makers. The teachers had gotten a pretty good taste of the fact that the twins had gotten new inspiration from somewhere. Their pranks were geared more towards hilarious and not cruel like some people would say "Is that owl heading for you, Lyre?" Forge blinked, looking up at the flock of owls.

I barely glanced up because I knew that no one wanted to write me. In the two months I had been at Hogwarts the only person that had written to me was Madam Pomfrey because she wanted to do another check up as well as get my immunizations done. When a black owl landed in front of me, I startled back a bit "What?" I frowned, not reaching out for the letter.

"Told you," Forge mumbled through a mouthful of food "Are you going to take that?"

The owl hooted at me in annoyance and pecked at my hand lightly until I finally relieved it of the letter it was carrying. As soon as the parchment was untied, the bird took off and I glanced down, recognizing the elegant handwriting from my Potions assignments.

'Miss Potter,

Your Head of House has informed me of your wish to stay away from the feast on Thursday.

If you would be agreeable, I need help in the Potions Lab.

Come to the Potions Classroom on Thursday two hours before the feast begins.

Professor Snape'

"Who's it from?" Gred questioned nosily. I blinked down at the words and read it over a few times before I handed it over "That's… Nice of him?"

"He's really not that bad, you know," I mumbled reluctantly. Professor Snape hasn't been as nice as he had been in Diagon Alley but he wasn't horrible towards me. Mostly ignored me in class instead of attacking me like he did with the rest of the Gryffindors. Hermione and Ron especially. I partnered with Neville and actually got him to breathe and not blow up as many Potions. He had been a bit of a walking disaster in the first few classes but it got better when I tried to get him to see that he could use his Herbology affinity to master Potions as well. I might have also given him the Potions books I got from Professor Snape. They explained everything in detail and were really helpful when it came to the difference of slicing, dicing, crushing and whatever else there was.

After breakfast, the first class I had was DADA and I really didn't look forward to being in a room with Professor Quirrell. My scar hurt whenever I was in the proximity of him. It was manageable but I always got tired from trying to fight it off.

"D-D-Does a-a-nyo-o-ne k-k-know the O-O-Origin of H-H-Hallo-o-oween?" Professor Quirrell stuttered, making at least half the class stare at him in confusion. Of course, Granger's hand snapped up immediately "M-M-Miss Granger?"

"Halloween is a feast of magic. It originated in the Norse tradition," she replied bossily.

I bit my lip and hesitatingly raised my hand. Usually, I didn't really want to say anything in class but this was something I talked about with Kol. He taught me all about the different holidays and even some important days for the nature witches. It was really interesting and he definitely knew how to make teaching enjoyable "Halloween originated as Samhain. It's Celtic," I spoke up when Quirrell called on me "Back then people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Over the years, those traditions were forgotten and the children started dressing up for fun, collecting candy." When I was done talking, Hermione glared at me and I looked down, biting on my lip harshly.

"Well done, Miss Potter," the DADA teacher nodded, making my head hurt worse. Hold on, did he stop stuttering? I looked up at him and groaned in pain when my eyes met red ones for a second. What was that? Oh, my head was killing me…

After DADA, I told Neville to tell Professor Sprout that I had to go to the Hospital Wing for my headache. It was like a hammer in my brain, smashing everything in sight "Are you alright, Selene?"

"I'm fine, Neville," I grimaced "It's just a headache…"

"I'll tell Professor Sprout. Hope you feel better soon," he smiled, running off towards the Greenhouses. I sighed and slumped against the wall of the corridor, rubbing at my head anxiously. What the hell was wrong with Quirrell? The headaches weren't normal and they were originating in my scar and only there. How? What was the man doing to make me feel that way?

As seven o'clock drew nearer, I walked out of the Common Room with Fred and George following me. I had to go to Professor McGonagall's office to grab the broom she organized for me. I had asked her not to send it to me via owl… It would draw way too much attention on me and I didn't want that. The Quidditch pitch was amazing. I had never been inside the stadium before. There were hundreds of seats raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to actually see what was going on. At either end of the fields were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They kind of reminded me of those sticks that you could blow bubbles through.

To say that Oliver Wood was excited to have me on the team was an understatement. According to Fred and George, the Gryffindor Captain could get worse and that I would only have to wait and see. Not sure whether I was scared or looking forward to it.

On Halloween morning, I woke up to the smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the hallways and I stopped myself from shuddering. Ten years ago today. My parents were murdered ten years ago. I was sent to live with the Dursleys who made my life a living hell. Who thought that was a good idea I didn't want to know. I didn't like hating people except for my relatives. Hate was so… unnecessary and way too tiring. But if I ever find out who left me on the doorstep of 4 Privet Drive, I wouldn't be nice about it. If I hadn't had Finn and Kol, I wasn't sure what would have happened. They were my rocks.

After the last class of the day, I went to my dorm, throwing my bag onto my bed. I had another hour until I had to be at the Potions Classroom and I wanted to spend it alone. The dorm was my way to escape from the looks, the whispers. Granger spent most of her time in the library, while Lavender and Parvati were off somewhere. I never cared enough to find out. A quiet meow had me look down at the two kittens that were playing with the strap of my bag. I smiled lightly and picked them up, settling them in my lap when I curled up on the bed "I'm sad… It's the first year that I know what happened to my parents… Do you think that I'm overreacting? I just don't feel like celebrating. Not when I was the one who caused them to die, you know?" I flinched when Midnight bit into my finger "What was that for?" The black kitten glared at me and I snorted "It was my fault. He was after me, apparently. I -" I glanced at the clock and gasped "I have to go to Professor Snape." I kissed their heads and petted them quickly "See you later."

"Come in," the man called through the door when I knocked "Miss Potter."

"What do you want me to do, Professor?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

Professor Snape shook his head "Not here. We'll be going to my private Lab."

I tilted my head in confusion and shrugged, following the man to his office and through another hidden door "Woah," I gasped, looking around the room "This is awesome."

"Thank you," the Professor chuckled "Now, do you want to tell me why you didn't want to go to the feast?"

I shrugged "I just didn't feel like celebrating. Did Professor McGonagall tell you?"

"She did," he nodded, gesturing to a chair "We talked about your situation, you know."

"What do you mean?"

Professor Snape sat down next to me and looked into my eyes "The Dursleys. Your Head of House and I are trying to get you away from them."

"What are you saying?" I breathed, my eyes wide. They were trying to get me away from the Dursleys? No one had ever tried to help me before. Not my teachers, no one. They all saw but didn't care. Maybe it was because the teachers at Primary School were in Uncle Vernon's pocket…

"I do not want you to go back to them," Professor Snape said "I will do everything in my power to prevent that, alright?"

I looked at my feet, swinging them a little bit "Why? No one helped before."

"Miss Potter - Selene… What I tell you now doesn't leave this room, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," I nodded quickly.

Professor Snape relaxed back into the chair "I owe it to your mother. We were friends when we were children. I was the one who told her about magic."

"You knew my mother?" I breathed "What was she like? How did she look? Sorry, sir. You don't have to tell me anything."

His lips twitched a bit "It's alright, child. I wouldn't have told you, had I not wanted to talk about it. You mother, Lily, she was the smartest witch in our generation. Amazing with Charms… She studied to become a Charms Mistress after Hogwarts..." The man got up for a moment, walking over to a desk I hadn't seen earlier "Here." He handed me a picture and I ran my finger over the beautiful woman.

"We have the same eyes," I smiled in wonder, studying every detail of the photograph "Did you know my father as well?"

"Yes," the Professor's voice got a bit colder and I flinched back automatically, curling into myself "You better ask Professor McGonagall about him. I didn't have the best experience with him."

I swallowed nervously "Why not?"

"You do not need to worry about that, Miss Potter."

"Why don't you like him?" I asked again.

The Potions Professor closed his eyes for a moment "Your father and his friends were bullies, pranksters. I was their favourite target when I was in school."

"Oh," I breathed "It's alright, Professor. If he was a bully, I don't want to know about him anyway. Dudley didn't like me either… He and his friends…" I shuddered, tightening my arms around my stomach.

"No, that's not…" Professor Snape sighed "How about you talk to Professor McGonagall or Hagrid? They have quite a few stories of your father… Maybe you'd like to hear those?"

I frowned in confusion "Who's Hagrid again?"

"He's the half-giant? The really tall man," the Professor explained "If you'd like, you could go and visit him some day. He lives in the hut out on the grounds."

"I might," I nodded "Thanks, sir… Can you tell me more about my mother?"

The dark man nodded "Of course. There was that one time…" I settled in and just listened to the Professor talk about my mother. He talked for hours until I slowly drifted off to sleep.

Halloween passed and apparently a troll got into the school shortly after I fell asleep… When I woke up, Professor McGonagall accompanied me to the Common Room and checked up on the others.

Months passed quickly and soon it was Christmas. I had talked to Hagrid. Not alone... Fred and George came with me because I was scared of the huge man at first. He was so tall but as tall as he was, he was just as gentle. The half-giant loved talking to me and I liked being around him and Fang. I hated Ripper - my aunt Marge's dog but this one. He was just as tall and gentle as Hagrid. I won the first Quidditch game, even though someone tried to kill me by jinxing my broom. I didn't know who it was, only that it stopped just when I was about to lose my grip completely.

I was the only Gryffindor who decided to stay at Hogwarts this Christmas, so I had the entire tower to myself. Since I didn't know the other students that were staying, I mostly stayed in the Common Room, studying, doing my homework. Professors McGonagall and a Professor who was called Vector were in charge of the people who had stayed at school. In total, we were ten students. Me from Gryffindor, five Hufflepuffs and four Ravenclaws. They were mostly upper years who wanted to spend the time studying in silence.

When I woke up on Christmas Day, I gasped, seeing all the presents on the end of my bed. Salem and Midnight were jumping up and down, batting at the bands that were wrapped around them "I have presents?" I scrambled to the end of my bed, pulling one of the packages to me. I never got present. Never… And now I had nine? No, ten. The last one was a card that was hidden underneath the one I grabbed first. 'Use it wisely' I mouthed, carefully removing the wrapping paper. Inside the package there was a silvery cloak. What was that? I shrugged and placed in to the side for now, looking at the other presents. There were pictures of both of my parents and even some with me in them from Professor McGonagall, a few new Potions books from Professor Snape along with a diary that turned out to be my mother's, sweets from Neville and Lee along with prank Potions from the twins.

I picked up the last envelope, recognizing Hagrid's untidy scrawl "Come to my hut later on. I have a surprise for you." Now that sounded ominous…

I hurried to get dressed and looked around "Salem?" The white kitten was gone from the bed and so was that cloak I found "Midnight? Where's Salem?" Midnight meowed at me and pulled something with her teeth, revealing the missing kitten along with the cloak "What the hell?" I picked up the smooth material and pulled it around my shoulders. When I checked in the mirror of the dorm, my body was gone "An invisibility cloak? A real cloak that made me invisible? That actually existed?" I'd think about that later. I really wanted to know what Hagrid got for me... "Do you want to come to Hagrid with me?" I asked the kittens making them jump up excitedly. They were rarely allowed out of the dorm because they were still pretty young and I didn't want them to get trampled. I grinned and let them climb up my arm, where Midnight perched herself on my shoulder, while Salem made himself comfortable in my arms "You're so spoilt," I mumbled, scratching him behind the ear.

"Hey, Selene," a voice ripped me out of my thoughts when I was about to cross the entrance hall.

I looked around to see a boy in Hufflepuff uniform. He looked to be about the twins' age "Hi?"

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, holding out his hand "I'm Cedric. Cedric Diggory. I'm in Fred and George's year."

"Nice to meet you," I murmured.

Cedric smiled "Where are you going?"

I waved my hand at the doors "Going to see Hagrid."

"Cool. Why are you going there?"

"Why do you want to know?" I questioned defensively Why are you even talking to me?"

Cedric took a surprised step back "No, I - I saw some of the pranks the twins pulled. They were your ideas, right?"

I shook my head "Innocent until proven guilty. I have nothing to do with the pranks." Well, I did but I wasn't going to tell him that. Kol had taught me better than that "I really should go."

"Alright," the boy murmured, slightly disappointed "Have fun."

I nodded at him and hurried out of the smaller door outside. The walk across the grounds, slippery with snow looked like a winter wonderland. It never snowed in Surrey or at least not as much as it did here. It wasn't as nice to walk over it though… The snow and ice turned the grounds into a slippery death trap and I had to be extra careful with where I stepped. I tripped quite a few times and was surprised that I didn't lose Salem in the brightness of the snow. Hagrid's hut loomed over me and I smiled a bit at the warm feeling it emitted.

"Selene," Hagrid boomed happily after he opened the door for me "Come in, come in. You go' me message then."

"You didn't have to get me anything, Hagrid," I murmured shyly, petting Fang as I walked past. The arm chair as usual swallowed me whole and I loved it. It was so comfy and huge and flushy that you couldn't help but just relax into it.

"I did. When I found her I thought o' ye," the half-giant replied, handing me a large, covered object "H're ya go. Careful."

I pulled off the sheet to reveal a beautiful snowy owl "Hagrid… Thank you," I whispered, reaching out to push my fingers through the bars of the cage "She's beautiful."

"I talked to P'fessor McGonagall. She said that yer owl will have ta stay h're until summer but ye can come visit 'er an' she will most likely want to visit ya as well," Hagrid explained "So, what are you going to name her?"

I bit my lip thoughtfully, looking into the snowy owl's blue eyes "What do you think about… Hedwig?" Hedwig hooted happily and nodded her head. I blinked "Did she just nod?"

"She's smar' like tha'," Hagrid smiled "An' that's a nice name."

At that moment, Salem pooked his head up, his nose twitching. He was always more curious than his sister "That's your new friend Hedwig, Salem. How about you go meet her?" The white kitten scrambled forward, pressing his nose through the bars as well. Hedwig looked down at him and brushed her wing over his nose, making him jump back.

Hagrid was right. Over the rest of the school year, Hedwig continued to come at breakfast to steal some bacon. When the twins, Lee and I went back to see the groundkeeper a while later, two weeks from the end of year exams (Granger had already drawn up an insane study schedule. I had caught sight of it when she ran into me… Trust me, it's insane), Hagrid had a surprise for us "Who is it?" Hagrid called through the door.

I exchanged a look with my friends "It's us, Hagrid," Gred called out.

"Holy crap. Why is it so hot in here?" Lee cursed before shrugging at me sheepishly "Sorry, Lyra. Slipped out."

I waved off "I heard worse but honestly Hagrid. Why is it so hot? It's summer."

"Yeah," Gred and Forge nodded "Can we open a window? It's boiling."

"Can't, sorry guys," Hagrid murmured, glancing over to the fireplace.

There was something in it. I took a couple of steps closer and gasped. There in the very heart of the fire , underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg "Is that a dragon's egg?" I blinked, making the boys join me.

"It is," Fred nodded and looked down at me "Remember? Our older brother Charlie works with dragons in Romania."

"You told me," I said, still staring at the egg "And, erm, Bill works for Gringotts as a Curse Breaker, right?"

George grinned "Yep. Where did you get that, Hagrid? It must have cost a fortune."

"Won it," the half-giant proclaimed proudly "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

Lee tilted his head "What are you doing with it when it's hatched?"

"Well," Hagrid murmured "I've been doin' some readin'. Got this otta the library." He held up a book from under his pillow "'Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit' it's a bit otta date, o' course, but it's all in h're. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em. See? An' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken bloos every half hour. An' see here - how ter recognize diff'rent eggs - what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them." The half-giant seemed awfully pleased with himself, humming merrily as he stoked the fire.

I leaned over to the Third Years "Aren't Norwegian Ridgebacks known to be aggressive and dangerous? Plus, they have poisonous fangs…"

"I have no idea if he's mad or a genius," George murmured, before speaking up "Listen, Hagrid. We should go. Study, you know."

Then, one breakfast time, a few days later, Hedwig brought me another note from Hagrid. There were only two words on the scrap of parchment 'It's hatching'

I tugged at Lee's sleeve and handed him the note "Holy…" he gasped "Gred, Forge, look at this."

"No way," they grinned "Hey, let's go down there now."

"I have Herbology," I pointed out.

Fred rolled his eyes "Oh, come on, Selene. How often do you have the chance to see a dragon hatch?"

"Shh," Lee hushed him, glancing around to see whether anyone had heard. The youngest Weasley brother - Ron - who was a bully in his own right was standing behind us fighting with Granger, while Draco sent me a small smile while he walked past "We'll go now. You come after class, alright?"

"Thanks, Lee," I nodded, walking off to the Greenhouse.

Granger and Weasley fell into step next to me "What was that about?" the girl questioned nosily "What did they mean with dragon?"

"Nothing," I bit out, walking faster.

"Oh, come on, Potter," Ronald prodded "We're friends, aren't we?"

I blinked at him in shock "What are you talking about? I don't even like you."

"Don't be like that, Selene." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

I stiffened and shoved him off "Leave me alone. I don't like you. Either of you." That said, I started running the rest of the way, just trying to get away from them.

After Herbology I made sure to be the first one out of the classroom, running down to Hagrid's hut. Fred opened the door for me, letting me in "It's almost out," he murmured as I walked in, closing the door behind me.

The egg was lying on the table with deep cracks all through it. Something was moving inside, trying to get out. We all drew chairs up to the table. As soon as I sat down, Fang's huge head was in my lap, drooling on my uniform. I was so glad that the twins taught me Scourgify… It made my life a lot easier.

All at once, there was a scrapping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty but cute in its own way. Its spiny wings were huge compared to the skinny jet body. It had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes. The dragon let out a high-pitched sneeze, letting a couple of sparks fly out of its nose.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid cooed, reaching out to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs "Bless him… Look, he knows his mommy."

"Erm, Hagrid," I spoke up hesitatingly "Are you sure it's safe to raise a fire-spitting dragon in your very wooden home?"

The half-giant was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face. He leaped to the window and looked outside anxiously "Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains - it's two kids - they're runnin' back ter the school."

Fred bolted up and checked it out "It's Ron and that bossy girl that you don't like too much," he called over his shoulder, looking at me.

"Granger?" I questioned "Yeah, she's annoying…"

Lee took a step back from the table, cursing and shaking his hand "It bit me. Dammit, Hagrid… You have to get rid of it."

"I can't," the half-giant exclaimed "He's too little. He'd die."

"Not if we contact Charlie," George told us "Charlie can take him and then put him back in the wild."

Hagrid hesitated "Are you sure that's safe?"

"Hagrid… Charlie is an expert when it comes to dragons. That dragon…"

"Norbert," Hagrid cut in.

"Norbert will be just fine," Fred assured, a small grimace on his face because of the name.

I glanced at Lee who was staring at his hand in shock and a small bit of horror "Guys… How about you two write a letter to your brother while I take Lee to Madam Pomfrey. He's looking a bit green."

"No," Lee shook his head "She's recognize the bite. I'll be fine… Really."

I closed my eyes and sighed "Okay. Then you're going to lay down and I'll check and see if I find anything about the anti-venom in any book."

"Deal."

In the end, it only took me an hour to find out about the Murtlap Essence. I wasn't sure whether it would help with the bite but it was worth a try… I snuck down to the dungeon, knocking on Professor Snape's office door. He had promised me that I could brew Potions in the classroom as long as I was careful and he was nearby "Miss Potter?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Professor. I was wondering whether I could try to brew this," I shoved the parchment with the instructions into his hands.

"Murtlap Essence? Why would you want to brew that?" he questioned suspiciously.

I swallowed nervously, scratching the back of my neck "I have a question first… Purely hypothetically, of course. Would the Essence help with… I don't know… the bite of a newborn Norwegian Ridgeback?"

"A what?" the Professor blinked "Please tell me that there is no dragon on the grounds."

"Alright. I won't tell you then," I grinned.

Professor Snape sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation "Hagrid?"

"Yup," I nodded, not even trying to hide anything "Charlie Weasley is picking the dragon up tomorrow though."

"Who was bitten and how bad is it?"

I shrugged "Lee Jordan and it's not too bad. His hand is a bit green-ish but it helped when I cleaned it out with water and a bit of rubbing alcohol I still had."

"Why didn't he go to the Hospital Wing?"

"You ask me," I snorted "The twins and Lee are allergic to Madam Pomfrey, I think."

The Potions Master cracked a smile and turned around "I think I have something that will help." He grabbed two vials "Here. This one is an anti-venom. It should be strong enough to work for the bite. The other one is a salve. Spread that on the wound and wrap it with a bandage."

"Yes, Professor," I nodded, grabbing the vials from him "Thanks, sir." Before I was at the door I turned "Out of curiosity. Would the Murtlap Essence work?"

"No," he shook his head "Not in the way you wanted it to in any case It would have helped with the bite but not the venom."

I made a note of that "Thanks again, sir."

"Do not get into trouble," he warned "And for Merlin's sake be careful. A dragon isn't supposed to be anywhere near children or Hagrid. No matter how much he wishes it."

"Can't you help?"

Professor Snape shook his head "Officially I don't know about this supposed dragon. We were only talking about a purely hypothetically scenario here."

I ran back to the Common Room as fast as possible and immediately went up to where Lee was still passed out "Wake up," I whispered, shaking him a bit.

"What? Lyra?"

"Drink this and give me your hand," I commanded, holding out the vial to him. I carefully spread the salve on the wound and pointed my wand at his hand "Ferula," I intoned. I had looked into simple Healing spells. Knowing myself, I would profit from knowing them…

Well, we weren't careful that was for sure. Lee stayed in bed because he still wasn't a hundred percent, so Fred, George and I went alone to deliver Norbert to the dragon tamers… We forgot the Invisibility Cloak at the top of the staircase. Filch caught us walking back to the Common Room and immediately dragged us to the closest Professor who happened to be Professor Snape. The three of us along with Ron and Hermione got detention.

A few days later, we had to serve a late night detention in the Forbidden Forest where Hagrid took us to look for an injured unicorn or something. I didn't find a unicorn but a centaur and a leech that turned out to be Voldemort who was still alive. After that detention, I tried to push that issue into the back of my mind, focussing on the exams instead.

"Selene," Hermione hissed, shaking me.

I groaned, getting pulled out of the nice dream I had. It had Kol and Finn in it along with two men I didn't know yet "What?"

"Hurry up. Come on… There's something I need your help with," the muggleborn whispered urgently, pulling me out of bed and out of the door.

"What are you doing?" I frowned, trying to free myself to get back to bed.

Hermione shook her head "Sorry, Selene." When I turned around it was to see Ronald there with his wand pointed at me "Let's go. He's going to steal it tonight."

I raised an eyebrow "Steal what? What the hell is going on?" The two idiots pulled me to the third floor and through a door at the end of a corridor. Why did they need me? I didn't even know what was going on or what they wanted from me.

"Sorry again but Dumbledore said that you had to go with us," Granger muttered, pushing me through a trapdoor that was to the feet of a huge sleeping three-headed dog.

Dumbledore? What did the Headmaster have to do with anything? Where were we going and why was there a three-headed dog in a school full of nosy children? I shifted around a bit and froze when a snakelike tendril wrapped around my waist. Several more vines joined the first and without even wanting to, I felt myself falling through whatever plant that was.

"What the bloody hell?" Ronald shouted, struggling against the killer plant "Hermione, do something."

"I don't know," the muggleborn cried back. I rolled my eyes and cast a quick Lumos to see where I was. That seemed to have worked in more ways than one. My classmates fell to the floor next to me, while the plant shied away from the light. Now I remembered. Devil's Snare. They didn't like light. Clever.

There were several more tasks that we had to solve and by the end of it I was pissed off. They dragged me out of bed for this… I really didn't like them or even Dumbledore. What gave him the right to endanger me? Why me? And why would he tell two First Years to get another eleven-year-old to help them?

"Go through," Hermione snapped, shoving me through the black flames in the room with Professor Snape's riddle.

I stumbled and almost fell to the floor on the other side. The chamber I landed in was pretty big. There were several columns and in the middle of the room there was a mirror. Quirrell was the one standing in front of it "Okay, what's going on?"

"I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter," he laughed, not stuttering at all.

I hummed "So that stutter really was fake… Typical."

Quirrell rolled his eyes "You're too nosy to live, Potter." He snapped his fingers, making ropes spring out of thin air. They wrapped around me tightly, making my body hit the ground with a loud thump "Scurrying around school…"

"What are you talking about?" I cried in annoyance "I have no idea why you're here and I don't know why I'm here either."

That stopped the man in his tracks "What?"

"Apparently, Dumbledore ordered Granger and the younger Weasley to kidnap me… So, really, what is going on here?" I questioned, struggling to sit up with the ropes squeezing me.

Quirrell whirled around to face away from me, glaring at his reflection in the mirror "I want the stone. How do I get it?"

I blinked at him in confusion "What stone?"

"The Philosopher's Stone," the man sneered "The same one Dumbledore hid in this school."

My head tilted to the side "Sorry… I have no idea what you're talking about. But I'm sensing a theme here... What does the stone do anyway? I doubt it's just a trinket."

Quirrell rolled his eyes in annoyance "You really don't know anything, do you?"

"Nope. And I don't necessarily care much either," I shrugged "Now, stone?"

"It's a special stone that grants you immortality."

"But why?" I frowned, making myself more comfortable "Why the hell would anyone want to be immortal? The world is a fucking horror show… Not something I's want to spend eternity in." At least not without my mates by my side, I added silently.

The man dismissed me "You're just a child. What do you know about the world?"

"Enough," I told him.

"Quit talking," a high voice rasped from somewhere in the room "Use the girl. Use the girl."

The ropes vanished with a snap of the man's fingers "Come here, Potter."

I got up carefully and walked over to the crazy guy who wanted to be immortal "Now what?"

"Look in the mirror. Tell me what you see," he demanded. I glanced in the mirror and could stop the gasp from escaping. There, inside the mirror, there were Kol and Finn and the other two guys along with several people I knew and some I didn't. My family? A family of my own… "What do you see?"

"My family," I breathed in shock "They're all there."

The voice started to talk again. It came from Quirrell. How? "That's impossible… No. The stone can't be lost to me."

"Master, please," Quirrell cried out, falling to his knees "I can still get it."

"Fool. There's no getting the stone now." A large cloud of black dust escaped from the crumpling body of my former Professor and shot through me, to the exit. I blinked dizzily and slowly fell backwards, my consciousness fading.

When I came to again, I was in the hospital wing with many cards, sweets and flowers surrounding me "What?"

"Oh, you're awake," Madam Pomfrey smiled, looking relieved "You have been out for quite a while."

"How long?"

The Mediwitch sighed lightly and ran her wand over my body "Almost two weeks. It's time to go home tomorrow."

"What?" I breathed "No… I can't go home. Please don't send me back there. You promised."

"The Professors tried, Miss Potter," Madam Pomfrey muttered sadly "But the Headmaster wouldn't allow it. He said that you're safest there."

I laughed bitterly "Safe? Safe from who? Because the worst monsters are in that house."

"I'm sorry… I really am."

I closed my eyes, curling into a tight ball "So am I."