Notes:

The Ghora demons are part of the Buffyverse and I did not create them. Once again, just borrowing.

Allen Pitt: Thank you for your review. I think it subconsciously helped me write this chapter. After I wrote it, I went back and read your review and realized it addressed some of those issues. I hope you like it.

Chapter 10

Harry sat down next to his two best friends but didn't say a word to them. He thought briefly about rubbing it in Hermione's nose that he had been able to talk to Ava without her walking off or ignoring him but he immediately felt bad thinking that way about his friend. Deep down he knew Hermione only had his best interests at heart even if he knew she was wrong. He couldn't say anything to her about it anyway because the entire 6th year Gryffindor and Slytherin population were now sitting in their seats waiting for class to start and talking in small groups and he didn't want to risk being overheard.

"Pretty pathetic, don't you think, Potter?" Draco Malfoy had turned around from his own seat in front of them to sneer at his nemesis. "You think that just because you're the famous Harry Potter that any girl will just fall at your feet?"

Harry's face was turning an angry shade of red and Hermione tried to diffuse him, "Just ignore him, Harry."

"I wasn't talking to you, filth," Draco spat back at her. His expression became falsely angelic, "Besides, I was only trying to help little Harry out before he made an even bigger arse of himself in front of the entire school."

"What are you going on about, Malfoy?" Harry asked, shooting daggers with his eyes, his hands itching to grab his wand and make Draco sorry he'd opened his mouth at all.

"I saw you talking to the new girl. She didn't look too interested in you. In fact, she looked bored to tears." Draco's eyes wandered to Ava's form, "Besides, she looks like the kind of girl who needs a real man," he finished smugly.

"And I suppose you mean yourself?" Hermione said through snorting laughter. "The only thing man-sized about you is your ego."

A couple of the Gryffindor students in the surrounding chairs laughed and Draco looked like he was about to jump over the desk and strangle the life out of Hermione. Ron and Harry tensed up their muscles, ready to attack back but thankfully the whole scene was cut short by the icily deep tones of Professor Snape. "Quiet, all of you" he commanded.

Severus Snape had known the second that Ava stepped into his classroom that day. Without looking up he had known she had been standing uncertainly in the doorway but he chose to ignore her completely and go about the task of preparing for the lesson. After a minute or so he heard her sit in one of the chairs in the back of the room. He found it hard to look at the new addition to the school. Everything about her reminded him of Lily Potter and it was almost like she had risen from the dead. Everything, that is, except her infuriatingly dark hair that matched James and Harry's hair color so perfectly. It had been like a taunting stab in his heart when she had walked into Dumbledore's office that morning. To add insult to injury, she had displayed the same cavalierly offensive attitude as the Potter males as well. He was infuriated that the headmaster had decided to not only make him help tutor the willful girl in magic but also be her watcher. As if he didn't have enough on his plate at the moment he had to go about learning how to be a watcher.

Severus had heard the entire exchange between Draco and the trio and though he didn't mind seeing Harry's pride get knocked down a peg or two he supposed he should stop it before it got out of hand and he had to levitate someone to the infirmary. Facing his unruly class, he called them to order and he felt the small twinge of pleasure that he always felt when he commanded a room of students to attention. Teaching was the only aspect of his life that still gave him any joy whatsoever. He would never let anyone know that although he suspected Albus already did.

With all eyes facing toward the front he began that day's lecture in his usual flat droll, "Today we will be learning about The Ghora Demon. Does anybody know what the Ghora Demon is?" As per usual Ms. Granger's hand shot high in the air but he chose to see it. "No? Shocking." He raised his wand toward a white screen and said, "Prodeo Ghora." Instantly a picture of the demon appeared on it. "As you can see the Ghora demon is of the amphibious variety. Its' three heads make it useful as a guardian, though it can be very hard to train. A wild Ghora demon will use it's heads to guard it's own eggs." As he continued to talk about the cave dwellings of the creatures he noticed that instead of paying attention to his lecture, Ava was studying her nails. Apparently she was a know-it-all like her brother who didn't think listening in his class was worth the time of day. He decided to teach her the same lesson he had taught Harry in his first year. "Ms. Emerson, as a welcome to the class, would you like to tell them how one would dispatch this demon if necessary?"

Ava's eyes shot open at being singled out while the students all turned to look at her in one single wave. Of course Jonah had gone over Ghora demons with her and she knew the answer, "Decapitation, sir."

"Decapitation…." The professor slowly repeated as if it was the lamest answer ever.

Ava knew she was right though and she defended her answer, "I think people would be surprised at how many demons can be 'dispatched' by decapitation."

Snape smirked, "Though I'm sure that's true in theory, you misunderstand my confusion Ms. Emerson. The creature has three heads, decapitation is the obvious course of action."

"I didn't think it was that obvious," Ron whispered to Harry, just loud enough to be heard by the other nearby students who silently nodded their heads in agreement while they watched the scene in front of them.

Snape continued, "What I was asking you for was the mode d'operandi, in other words, the specific spell you would use to accomplish such a task but since you clearly don't know it, I think I will let the ever eager Ms. Granger inform you."

Now it was Hermione's turn to be surprised at being singled out, as she was use to Professor Snape routinely avoiding letting her answer questions. "Abscido ter," she said, looking apologetically at Harry's sister who just shrugged in return.

The professor looked almost annoyed, "Correct."

The class continued with Ava glaring at Professor Snape the entire time. At the end, all the students were assigned to write a paper on the other positive attributes of the Ghora demon. She watched as the teenagers packed up their bags and drifted out towards the Great Hall for lunch. A few of them looked like they were going to stop and talk to her but she busied herself with her own things until they passed. Ava decided she had a bone to pick with Professor Snape so she was making her way past the desks while digging in her book bag for her newly acquired wand when she ran into another body, sending the bag to the floor with some of it's contents. "Sorry," she muttered bending to pick up her stuff starting with a wayward stake that had rolled towards the person's big black boot. The boot lifted up and trapped the stake just as her hand reached for it and she looked up the length of the body to find none other than Draco Malfoy's face wearing his trademark smug expression. She gathered everything but the stake, stood up and crossed her arms, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

He ignored her question, "What's with the thick wand thing?" he asked rolling the stake under his foot.

"It's not a wand thing," she scoffed, "It's just a piece of wood."

"Well then, what's with the piece of wood?"

Ava thought fast, "I whittle in my spare time to relax. It's a hobby... a really lame hobby and I don't see how it's any of your business." Ava inwardly cringed. 'Whittle? Seriously?' she thought to herself. "What do you want?" she asked mostly to change the topic.

"I saw you talking to Potter earlier and I just thought I'd be a good friend and let you know who to hang with around here. That prat and his equally boring friends are not it. Tell me, Ava Emerson, are your parents affluent in the wizarding communities of America? I've never heard that name before."

This was a conversation that was way over her head and she could only hope her answers wouldn't reveal it. She decided the best way to deal with Malfoy was to act even smugger than he was. She tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder and did her best to look offended, "Of course they are. Obviously you know nothing about wizards in the states if you've never heard it."

He moved his face a little closer to hers, "So both your parents are wizards then?"

Didn't everybody here at Hogwards have wizards for parents? Could a non-wizard even have a wizard child? Was the Malfoy boy smarter then he looked and could this be some kind of trap? She didn't know the answers to these questions and decided to play it safe. Putting on her best haughty expression she replied, "Of course they are. Aren't yours?"

He bent down to pick up the stake and handed it to her with a smile on his face, "The Malfoy name is synonymous with wizard. You would do well to remember that when you're picking out friends in this school."

"Yeah, thanks," she said sarcastically. Ava tried to go around him but he put his hands down on the tops of the desks on either side of them and became a human roadblock. He was towering over her menacingly and she didn't like it one bit. She was just about to take his hand and forcefully move it out of her way when she mentally stopped herself. She had to appear as weak as any other girl her size would be.

"I'm serious," he said. "Who you choose to align yourself with now will define you. Don't you want to be on the right side?"

She looked into his grave face and didn't know how to answer. Luckily, Professor Snape chose that moment to reappear on the balcony of the DADA office. "Ms. Emerson, please come in here. I need to have a word with you." She imagined this would be the only situation where she would be relieved to see him.

Her eyes locked with Draco's and she saw he was still expecting an answer from her. "Could you please move aside?" She asked him.

Reluctantly, he did so. "Just remember what I said," he told her as she passed by him.