"Will you please shut up" I snapped, the thick leather-bound book connected with his shoulder with a 'thwack', a dust cloud materialising on contact. He dusted himself off with an affronted smirk; "Touchy. It's not my fault the mudblood stood you up". I sighed, pausing with book halfway onto the shelf,
"She did not stand me up Draco, she just happens to be running late", he raised his eyebrows and shrugged, "If you say so Heredis" he executed a low mocking bow, walking backwards for a few paces before turning on his heel, colliding with the Gryffindor, sending her pile of books everywhere. "Look where you're going Granger" he sneered, before jerking his head towards the door, summoning Crabbe and Goyle, both of which were eager to leave the library. I bent down to help her gather her books with a weak smile, "Don't worry about him, he's nice really"
"He's a rude, obnoxious, prejudiced pig!". I raised an eyebrow, fixing her in an intense gaze, "he is also my god brother". Her expression faltered but she remained resolute in her severity, "That doesn't excuse his behaviour or change my opinion".

I stood up, leaving the books I had piled up on the floor, and took a seat on the closest available table. I traced my finger over the worn wood, a polished mahogany, flecked with the amber of chips and ancient graffiti. Granger dumped her collection of literature on the table with an unceremonious thud, flopping down into the seat opposite me with a strained smile. I tried to be courteous, but my expression remained wan and cold, I couldn't help but slouch against the rigid backrest of the chair, I could feel my eyes grow heavy and my gaze wander petulantly as if I had been called into the office; though, in my defence, I was here on my godfather's orders and not out of my own free will. A scripted, gold leaf title, emblazoned on the spine of a book caught my attention. I reached across the table with a sudden urgency, snatching it from the middle of Hermione's stack of books, sending the others crashing on to the table. "Secrets of Alchemy, by Nicholas Flamel"
"Yes, why is it of interest to you?"

I glowered over the page, making it perfectly clear we weren't about to become best friends and discuss Witch's Weekly or mundane problems, "It's a subject of personal interest if you must know,"
"I was just curious"
"I am curious as to why you deem it acceptable to stick your nose in where it doesn't belong and pry in other people's business, Granger". She frowned at my abruptness, "What do you know about Nicholas Flamel?" I slammed the book down with an aggravated sigh, "Well considering I haven't managed to work my way through the forward without you interrupting me, not much. When I finish, I will leave a brief synopsis on your desk immediately, Professor" She glowered, her lips pursed as if she had just sucked a particularly bitter lemon, "I was going to read that!". I raised an eyebrow and flicked back to the cover and glanced across the stamped library check-out card, "I don't see your name here?"
"I was going to check it out!"
"What a shame, you'll have to wait"
"That's not fair!"
"Life is not fair Granger, the fact I am enduring your whining in my free time is not fair". I rolled my eyes as she huffed, if looks could kill.

"I'll see if you can borrow my godfather's copy, he has a first edition written entirely in elder futhark. That was you can learn runes and desist from bothering me… if you don't mind, I think I'm going to my common room, away from the likes of you!", I hugged the newly acquired book to my chest and swung my satchel over my shoulder, heading towards Madame Pince's desk to check out the book. "I'll tell your godfather!" she blurted. I stopped mid-step and whirled back on myself, my robes floating in the updraft; "You can tell Professor Snape whatever you want Granger, it doesn't change the fact that I am checking out this book, you can't read runes and I am better than you in every conceivable way. I mean seriously, look at yourself for once; stop picking at the faults of others and focus on your own. I don't know how they let the likes of you into Hogwarts, though Dumbledore is a quaffle short of a quidditch set these days; he probably let the troll in thinking it was you!" Her bottom lips began to quiver as she glared at me furiously. Neither of us looked away, and soon a tear rolled down her cheek; "And now you're crying!" I laughed incredulously; "Pathetic".

I marched out of the library victoriously with the book weighing down my satchel, not stupid enough to check out a book from the restricted section or in anyway associate myself or my name with anything that would land me in detention, or worse.

All eyes were on me as I entered the common room, the uncharacteristic broad smile I wore attracted suspicion. "Did you kill Granger?" asked Draco, moving the quaffle to balance on his hip, his mouth in an open smile as he panted. It appeared that either his natural charisma or his constant childish whining had drawn the majority of Slytherin house into a lively game of catch, leaving an armchair overturned in their wake. "Would I be so cold… I did make the mudblood cry though!" as I grinned, the smiling faces around me fell.
"Oh, please! You haven't turned into liberal blood-traitors, have you?!" I flopped down in a chair, throwing my satchel down lazily. I grinned, convinced I had walked into some kind of practical joke, taking a date from the bowl on the table and chewing it, eyeing my housemates with bemusement.
"Um… god sister…" began Draco, he pulled the quaffle against his chest and clutched it like a safety blanket, his voice quiet and trembling.
"Don't like you're going to piss your pants Draco!" I laughed, "I didn't kill the mudblood, relax. Do you honestly think I would risk Azkaban for a dirty muggle-born, especially one as worthless as Granger? My house elf has more class than her"
I heard someone clear their throat and my face paled, my cocky expression turning to one of terror as I spun in my chair to meet the familiar eyes of the man stood behind me, his arms folded over his chest. "Uncle Severus, I-"His onyx eyes burned with rage and the defence died on my tongue. Usually I would have been embarrassed to have addressed him so informally in front of the hoards of other students watching, but my pride and sense of propriety had been replaced with fear. He beckoned me with a nod towards the door and I got up stiffly, walking out with my eyes set straight ahead, determined to hold myself together until I was out of sight.

My shoulders slumped as the wall slid closed behind us, but my relief was short-lived as I spun round to face my godfather with a whimper. I rubbed my backside silently, shooting him an accusing look. "What did I tell you would happen?" he snapped harshly.
"Nothing, you spoke to Draco!" I bit back, unshed tears burning in my eyes.
"And you believe yourself an exception to the rules?"
"Do you?! If you did not tell me not to do something and it would usually be acceptable behaviour, then how am I supposed to know not to do it!"
"Watch your tone child!"
"Watch your tone! Isn't this a bit rich coming from a death eater!" I yelled angrily, stamping my foot childishly. I knew I looked ridiculous, of course I did, but this was ridiculously unfair. I snarled and pulled away as Uncle Severus grabbed the material of my robes above my shoulder roughly, dragging my down the corridor towards his office. "Get off of me, you filthy blood traitor! I won't stand for this!"
"You are not in a position to be making demands, Lady Rosier. I suggest you bear that in mind if you want to live through this". I screeched in protest before slumping my shoulders in defeat, letting myself be dragged through the halls at an inhumanly swift pace, glaring in response to the hushed chatter of the portraits who were resident in the dungeons.

"Weasley, did I tell you to start collecting ingredients?!" growled Uncle Severus, slipping easily into the role of potions master as we entered the lab. I turned scarlet as I realised he was in the middle of teaching a class. He shoved me forward roughly, letting go of my robes in the process. I met the eyes of Stevos, who raised a questioning eyebrow but seemed otherwise unfazed by the situation. I sent him a pleading look but either he had either somehow not noticed or was choosing to ignore me, turning his attention back to the pristine special edition text book that lay open on his desk.
"God brother, will you look at me"! I growled, as I was jerked back roughly by our godfather.
"Get ready to practise those shield charms ladies and gents!" guffawed one of the twins, "Each man for themselves" added the other.
"Shut up, both of you!" snapped Uncle Severus, jerking his head towards the door to his office. "Where do you think you are going, Lady Rosier?!" I looked up dumbly as my hand hesitated on the door handle. "Corner". My jaw dropped in disbelief as I looked between my god father, the corner and the door next to it. For the first time in my life, I was lost for words. "Get a move on, I have a lesson to teach!". I walked backwards into the corner slowly, still eyeing my godfather with shock and appalment. He raised his arm and twirled his index finger, indicating for me to turn around to face the wall. I sent a desperate look in my godbrother's direction, he was blushing slightly, clearly embarrassed by my display. He directed his eyes to the corner pointedly and I set my chin stubbornly but spun on my heel, to face the corner with a huff. "Fascist" I muttered to myself, earning a stifled laugh from a nearby desk.

"As I was saying, this is a very complex potion. If it were to go wrong, which I expect it will, the consequences will be disastrous… and I mean physically scarring… not just by my hands if you make a mess in my classroom. This means I require all of you to. Pay. Attention. Yes, that includes you; Mister Jordan. Undoubtedly all, bar a select few, will fail, but if you follow my instruction. Not the steps in your books, so. pay. Attention. And. Take. Notes. We will get through the next two hours without any fatalities, I cannot even begin to stress the importance of not killing yourselves or your classmates. Quite frankly, I do not care to do the paperwork, regardless of how much pleasure it would bring me to watch your parents cry over you deceased idiot corpses. And if you survive… I will kill you myself. Am I clear?" There was a murmur of 'Yes, sir's and I groaned inwardly, already the muscles in my legs were burning and I was shifting my weight from leg to leg with as much subtlety as I could manage. The monotonous grey of the castle brickwork swum before my eyes in all the blurry detail of a boredom induced hallucination.

I could hear tutting coming from the direction of the portrait of Lord Abraxas Malfoy, and I narrowed my eyes at the in-descript brick before me, hoping it was just a visitor and not the usual occupant of the gilded frame. "Is this how you thank my son for his hospitality? By embarrassing him in front of the entire staff and student body of a well-regarded institution?"
"I am being penalised for using the term 'mudblood'. I am a political prisoner." I whispered, irritation clouding my voice.
"If you had shown a little more decorum I would extend my sympathies. However, it seems, the gentle nature of my son, has done little to curb your penchant for dramatics".
"Gentle nature" I scoffed
"I would never have tolerated your disgraceful behaviour"
"Well unfortunately for you, your reign of tyranny ended when you snuffed it!" With a sniff of affront, it was silent in the corner once again. I would never admit it, but Abraxas was better than silence, not just because it would mean that he wasn't running back to Malfoy Manor to inform his son of my 'treachery', anything was better than silence. Even that vicious old goat.