Snape and Dumbledore are talking, when suddenly there's the sound of a throat being cleared - both of them turn to look down at Bloom Potter, who's standing in the archway they're in front of. Snape asks "What are you doing up?"

"Had to use the Loo. And I couldn't sleep. I know what's waiting for me if I do." She pushes past them, giving off an aura of heat that's far above what most would be able to survive - much less be conscious.

Dumbledore asks "Are you alright, Bloom? Something bothering you?"

"I'm fine, Professor. Nothing you would care about."

That right there makes Snape pause - what wouldn't Dumbledore's prize student, the famous Bloom Potter, tell the Headmaster she so clearly trusted in Year One? Or, what wouldn't Dumbledore care about in her life, when he always said she was being raised somewhere she'd be safe, when he always said she was doing well, when he always said things were going according to plan?

Things about her aren't adding up, honestly haven't been adding up since the Sorting Ceremony where she looked around at everyone so warily, and he decides to try and figure out why. He might've hated her father, but she doesn't give him any reminder of the man whatsoever - except for her penchant of breaking the rules occasionally - so he's treated her like any other student instead of outright hating her. Still, she's too wary of everyone - was far too jumpy that first class he had with her - for everything to be going according to plan like Dumbledore says. And her display with the troll was truly astounding…and worrying.

She sits down on the cot she occupied earlier, but doesn't lay back down. She stares at a nearby torch, seeming to get lost in the fires for a time. And, he swears, the fires start changing - burning higher, making shapes briefly, etc.


*Hogsmeade*

Draco's walking through the snow at Hogsmeade, shivering slightly in the freezing cold, when he spots Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger talking quietly.

"Ron, she's got some kind of plan. I'm sure of it. I don't know what it is, and she just gives me that smile that means she won't say a word and then changes the subject. And she's got the bag I gave her everywhere now, like it's the most important thing in the world to her or something. Ron, she's got a habit of rash decisions, we both know that all too well, and she's stubborn enough to never back down from it."

"What's she going to do, though, Hermione? Really? Underage magic isn't allowed outside of school, we both know this and so does Bloom. What's she going to do, buy a Charmed Tent from Diagon Alley?"

Draco clears his throat, and asks "Talking about somebody?"

They both whirl around on him, staring at him warily, until Hermione frustratedly says "Alright, lets drop the act, shall we? We both know you like Bloom. Have ever since the incident with Buckbeak."

Draco opens and closes his mouth for a moment, his face turning bright red, then says "Fine, you bloody well found me out. Happy?"

Ron relaxes some, at that, and says "A little. Guess that explains why you stopped with the insults."

Hermione eyes Draco carefully, then says "If you really do like Bloom, then you're worried about her as well, right? I've seen the way you glance at her when you think nobody notices."

"And I've seen the way everyone in our year in Gryffindor seems worried about her. Spill."

Ron and Hermione share a look, and Ron says "Fine. But not here, not where others might hear."

Draco nods, then plasters on a fake smirk when he hears other footsteps coming - not Bloom's though, a few other Slytherins in their year. Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Pike. They start mocking Ron for the fact that his family doesn't have much money, call Hermione a Mudblood…and then Draco notices Bloom in hearing, with a dark glare on her face for his Housemates. A glare that morphs into a smirk, and she makes what looks like a figure-eight in the Slytherins' direction with her fingers.

Pansy, Blaise, and Pike get nailed with snowballs instantly - and hard. Pansy turns to glare at the offender, then smirks when she sees Bloom leaning against a tree casually…in just her regular clothes, no coat or anything for the winter. Hermione groans quietly, even as Blaise asks "Why so underdressed, Potter? Don't own a coat?"

Bloom smirks up at him, and says "Don't need a coat, Zabini. Pansy, I see your looking warm."

Pansy glares at her even as she shivers violently from a cold wind that blows through. Which doesn't seem to affect Bloom at all, for some reason. "And why aren't you cold? Hey!" They all whirl around to find their mystery assailant, making Bloom snicker quietly.

Draco nearly falls over when he realizes she used wordless magic on the Slytherins.

Bloom walks forward, and they all notice the snow around her starts melting. "Easy. Magic."

The three Slytherins get chased away by snowballs, and Draco says "That was bloody brilliant. Did you really just use wordless magic?"

Bloom rolls her eyes, and says "No, I sprouted wings from my back. Yes, I used Wordless magic - they'd have heard me if I didn't!"

Draco notices she refrains from saying the little detail about it being wandless as well.

Hermione throws snowballs at her, saying "Would. You. Stop. This. Stuff. You're going to make yourself sick or something!"

Draco crosses his arms, and asks "What stuff? Going out in the middle of winter in a shirt, pants, shoes, and nothing else but a bag?"

Bloom rolls her eyes, and mutters "I can't believe you didn't figure it out with that day in Hagrid's class. Or the forest. No, Draco, I can control fire. Got quite a bit of it inside me. I'd give a demonstration, but its keeping me warm - 'sides, you've had one. Hermione, before you say a word, I used the Impervius Charm on my shoes. Happy?" They all look down and see she's standing in at least an inch of water.

Hermione makes a sound of utter disgust, though Draco doesn't know of what, and then asks "Where were you before?"

Transfiguring snow into a very soft pillow and mattress, then shrunk those items and put them in my bag. Bloom shrugs, and says "Went for a walk, enjoying the snow and all. Speaking of which…" She darts away, scoops up enough snow, and then lobs it straight at Hermione.

An all-out war between the four of them breaks out, and Draco finds he actually quite - dare he say it - enjoys the threesome's company. They're certainly better than Crabbe and Goyle, who he ditches at every chance he can. They're a bunch of idiots, and he truly can't stand them anymore.

After the mock snow-war, Hermione says she'll go with Bloom back to the castle - leaving Draco and Ron to their own devices. Ron motions for Draco to follow him, and then when they're sure nobody's around Ron quietly says "Bloom's got a bad home life. Fred, George, and I had to go get her before last year began, actually. They won't let her write anyone, according to her they'd have a fit if she got an Owl, and they bloody well hate her to no end. Just because she's got magic."

Draco feels his mouth go dry - damn, he was right. He wishes he wasn't right. "So why not celebrate every time she leaves for Hogwarts?"

Ron shrugs, and says "No clue. They bloody well barred her window, though. So she couldn't get out that way. And it took her uncle nearly two minutes to get through all the locks they'd put on the outside of the door - you could hear him fiddling with it all. This year, though, I think something bad happened. Worse than usual. Hermione and I found her in the Leaky Cauldron. No explanation as to how she got there, and she just changed the subject. She's…we think she's planning something. Hermione says she's got all these books with her, Charms, Transfiguration, Divination, Defense Against the Dark Arts, all of it. Even Occlumency and Legillimency. Enough to keep one occupied for a while, right?"

Draco nods, remembering the stack of books she put in that bag of hers.

"She didn't have those last year, and I'm pretty sure she wanted to throw out the Lockhart set, but decided it could be useful for something. Probably, for distracting someone with. Or beating them unconscious with."

Draco snorts, then says "The bloody git. He was an idiot."

"He was also a fraud. Only thing he could do was Memory Charms. Let his other skills go so bad that he was useless."

"That explains a bloody lot."

"Yep."

"Back to Bloom."

"Right. She's been pouring through Charms, Transfiguration, stuff like that. Been practicing on stuff a lot. It's like she's trying to prepare to go underground or something."

Draco looks highly confused, and says "She can't, though. The Ministry tracks all uses of magic outside the school."

Ron nods, and says "Bloom's different, though. Don't know why or how, but she is. Remember what she said about the fire she has?"

"I thought she was being metaphorical. Her stubbornness, or maybe the anger she has so much of."

Ron shakes his head, saying "No, she was being very literal about that. She can shoot off a stream of fire from her hands with ease, control fire at will…it just takes a lot out of her, particularly at the beginning of the year. Remember Hagrid's class and Buckbeak?"

"Yeah, how she was so shaky."

"Did anything happen? Anything at all?"

"Yeah. She was injured. Badly, at that. And then…she just healed. Right in front of my eyes."

Ron nods his head, and says "That's more of what she can do. This kind of magic of hers, it can heal her. It's kept her alive to, she says. Says she can subsist on it if she has to go without either food or sleep - not both though, she found that out the hard way."

Draco's eyes go huge in his head, and he says "I don't want to know what that means."

"Neither do I. If she uses that power of hers though, after going for a stretch like that, she passes out. Given how she does so at the beginning of the school year…"

"They either starve her or work her all through the night."

Ron nods grimly, and says "Given the way she eats, I'd say the former. After the first few weeks, she settles down, only fills her plate once instead of two or three times to the brim as stacked as she can make it. You'd swear she was making up for the entire summer break!"

Draco glares at a tree, and says "She is. Why does she go back there?!"

Ron shrugs, and says "Dumbledore made her. Twice. She asked to stay at Hogwarts the first year, he refused. She didn't ask the second year. Said it would just be the same answer."

"Bloody hell, what was he thinking?!"

"We don't know. We really don't. What we do know is that house isn't 'home' to Bloom, it's 'hell on Earth' to her. She hates it there, I'm surprised it was still standing when we came to get her."

"Well, we have to do something."

Ron incredulously asks "Like what? They're the only family she has left, apparently."

"Well, someone's got to be able to take Guardianship of her! What of a Godparent? Surely her parents would've named one!"

Ron shrugs, and says "No clue. And they haven't come forward in twelve years so they might well be dead."

Draco glares at nothing, and finally says "I used to be bloody well jealous of her. The girl-who-lived, and all. Dumbledore's favorite, the Wizarding World's shining hope. Now, though…"

Ron snorts, and says "Everybody sees the legend, most don't see past it to the bloody cons unless they get thrust into her adventures. She hates it all. It bloody well sucks to be her. What family she does have hates her to no end, she learned to survive without food by turning her magic inward long before she bloody well came to Hogwarts, and everyone expects her to just sit around and play by their rules until they need her, then run around like a madwoman when there's trouble. Did you know we got awards for Special Services to the School last year? We jumped down a hole, Lockhart Obliviated himself, and Bloom killed a great dirty snake and burned a diary. After my heart nearly stopped beating altogether thanks to Aragog and his children - one of Hagrid's schooldays pets, a giant Acromantula he sent us out to talk to! We broke at least a dozen school rules that night, so I honestly don't think Bloom will particularly mind breaking a few more rules if it means she doesn't have to go back where she's honestly in more danger than from some bloody dark Witches and Wizards."

Draco looks over at Ron suddenly, and asks "Are you going to tell her?"

Ron smirks at him, asking "Tell Bloom you like her? Nope. That's all on you, Draco. I'd start looking for a bit more courage."

Draco glares at him, and says "I was put in Slytherin and not Gryffindor for a reason, you know."

Ron just snickers.

"I'll try to keep Parkinson and the others in check. She's really got it out for Bloom."

"You do that. Otherwise she might not survive the school year."

"Bloom?!"

Ron scoffs, and says "No, Pansy. Bloom's the best fighter in the school - without her magic. Don't want to know why that is either."

Just before they split up, Ron says "Oh, and the lot of us in Gryffindor are planning something for her on Christmas. Considering a few presents nearly put her in tears - and I'm talking right on the edge, Draco - we figure she's used to not getting anything. Ever. So, we're going to get her stuff. You want to pitch in, I'll pretend I don't know who bought her the most expensive gift in the pile. Though…" he grimaces and adds "I wouldn't go too expensive. You might blow her brains out altogether."

"Any ideas?"

Ron shrugs, and says "She likes to draw. Bloody hell, she's got a talent for it like nobody else I know. Unfortunately, her so-called family hates her and would likely destroy any sketchbook she had. Never got her anything, that's for sure."

Draco nods, and they head off in different directions.


*Gryffindor Common Room, Christmas morning*

Ron waits in the Common Room Christmas morning for Bloom - she honestly didn't think she had any presents in Year One, so he figures they've got to get her in the habit of getting gifts before she leaves the Dursleys for good. She staggers over to the railing, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and looks at the tree for a minute. "Oi, Bloom, get down here - you've got some stuff to open!"

She blinks in shock - yet again, third year in a row - and looks at Ron silently. The question's written all over her face though - 'do I really have presents?!'

He just points to a pile of stuff he arranged the night before - all the boys in his dorm got her stuff, along with a 'mystery' package that he's pretending he doesn't know is from Draco. It's fairly big, oddly-shaped, and rattles - at least it doesn't sound dangerous, though.

Seamus got Bloom a box of all her favorite sweets from Honeydukes, Dean got her a set of fiction books - not Lockhart's garbage - Neville got her a book on Herbology, he got her stuff from Zonko's Joke shop - and a few additions of Fred and George's own invention - and he's not sure what Draco got her.

She hasn't opened the package from Draco yet when it suddenly seems to be too much for her - she emotionally says "Ron, get over here." The resulting hug from her nearly breaks him in half and cooks him through at the same time, but its absolutely worth it.

When he pushes her back enough to get a breath of air in, he realizes she's got tears running down her face silently. She's like a sister to him, so he does the same thing he'd do for Ginny - he pulls her back into a hug.

When she opens Draco's gift, it turns out to be a giant sketchbook and a large pack of colored pencils - of every color. It breaks what little control Bloom has over herself, and she starts full-out sobbing. And nearly decides to keep the wrapping paper - Ron convinces her not to by telling her she'll get more next Christmas.

He's going to Hex those damned Dursleys for this, she clearly didn't expect a damn thing for Christmas. He figures her birthday present can be all her friends - and Draco and whoever in Slytherin he can convince to come - coming to 4 Privet Drive and hexing the Dursleys into oblivion.


AN: Hey, everyone - yeah, I know, real sappy Christmas scene that completely sends Bloom into tears. And Ron and Hermione are catching on to the little detail that Bloom absolutely has a plan up her sleeve. After living with the Dursleys, i can't believe Harry didn't cry that scene in the first movie - he got presents! For him! From his bio, the only thing he got before was one of Vernon's smelly socks - I'm thinking presents should've sent him into tears. For Bloom's first Christmas, think hands covering her mouth, tears in her eyes, the whole bit. And Draco is teaming up with Ron and Hermione - yeah, he absolutely likes Bloom and a little thing like her not even tolerating him much isn't going to keep him from winning her over. Not that he made a good first impression, though. Anyway, enjoy! More updates are coming soon! Classes are going well, if anyone was wondering - and, I've started working on that idea I had! Going to make sure it won't fizzle out before posting it anywhere, though - one of my pet peeves is stories that just stop after four or five chapters. Please review if you've got suggestions!