Chapter 10 – Thirteenth Sleepover

Okay, I'm so sorry that it's taken me forever to update! Seriously, I am – but school is out now and I got all caught up with school (thank heavens) so I'm back to writing. Anyway, hopefully this chapter will get everyone to forgive me. I would also like to add that I've managed to get to chapter 10! Yay, this is the furthest I've ever gotten with a fanfiction. All right, here's the chapter.

Zatora lay on her stomach with a pillow wrapped tightly underneath her facing her best friend Padma. It was the summer before their third year and the girls were having their last sleepover of the summer. Zatora could hardly believe that she was finally a teenager, despite her brother's warnings that it wasn't all that great. All the same the two teenager girls lay facing each other both attempting not to blink, or in this case, move at all. Suddenly Zatora sneezed and Padma laughed, "I win, okay… What could I dare you to do?"

"That doesn't count," Zatora said sitting up and brushing back her dark hair, "I sneezed. I thought we were allowed to sneeze at least."

"Nope, not in this case," Padma grinned. "Besides, I have a good one. I dare you to tell me why you were so freaked out last year – and no lies."

Zatora sighed. It was true, last year she had almost lost it every couple of months when she would hear a voice that only herself and Freddy could hear. Of course, they found the whole story behind the mess – basilisk living in the lower parts of the school. Still, for the longest time she had thought she was going insane. That in mind she took a deep breath and said, "Well, you know how I can talk to snakes?"

"Yeah," Padma said sitting up and looking Zatora straight in the eyes.

"A basilisk is a giant snake so I could hear it when it talked," Zatora said quickly. "Freddy could hear the voice as well, but it would still make you scared if you had no idea where it was coming from or why it was coming."

Padma grinned, "That makes sense. Hey, did you know that Harry Potter can talk to snakes too? That's seriously weird that everyone in Slytherin thought that he was behind the attacks and you can talk to snakes too. I wonder why no one accused you."

"Ugh," Zatora said throwing her pillow at Padma, "don't talk about Harry Potter; I get enough gossip about him in the dorm room and it's driving me insane. Just because he's in Gryffindor and Draco hates him doesn't mean that the whole house needs to talk about him."

Padma grinned, "Fine I won't talk about him."

"Good," Zatora said grabbing her hair brush and running it through her hair with a little added force.

"You know," Padma said shooting Zatora a furtive look, "if I didn't know any better you might actually like him."

"Like who? Draco, ugh don't even suggest that!" Zatora said putting down her brush.

"No I mean—"

"—Harry Potter?"

"Yeah," Padma said biting her lower lip.

Zatora laughed for a couple of long seconds before managing to say, "I don't even—"

"—Know him? So what, you've heard enough about him in Slytherin."

"Yeah, enough to know that I don't want to hook up with him; Tell me why I would want to hook up with someone who's popular for something he doesn't remember?"

"I don't know, because he's cute," Padma said sighing.

"Sounds more like you love the boy who lived to me." Zatora snickered.

"I do not," Padma said sitting up now and remaking her bed on the floor.

"ha ha, yeah right. You suggest that I like him when you're the one sighing at the very mention of his name." Zatora laughed getting up and falling backwards onto her bed.

"I just think he's good looking, especially when he's playing Quidditch. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not." Zatora said wishing the conversation would move from Harry to someone else. She truly was tired of participating in the gossip involving Harry Potter. It drove her nuts during the school year when the girls in her dorm room would discuss about the latest gossip about the boy. Why did it matter if he was a famous, good for nothing, Gryffindor?

"I still think you'd like him if you actually paid attention during the matches," Padma said stifling a yawn.

Zatora held back a laugh. "Yeah right, he's probably just showing off his skill for all his adorable little fan girls."

"No, he's actually got talent."

"That's what you believe, I beg to differ. Again, I hear enough about him to know that I don't want to hook up with him so let's just drop the subject about him?"

"All right, calm down Zatora," Padma said rolling onto her side and propping herself up on her hand so she could look up at Zatora's bed.

There was a deep silence for several seconds before Padma said, "What do you think are new classes are going to be like?"

"I don't know," Zatora said gazing up at her ceiling, "exciting and strange most likely. What did you sign up for again, I keep forgetting."

"Umm, let's see… I believe it was Divination the—"

"—Seer blood, of course—"

"—And The Study of Ancient Ruins." Padma finished, "what about you?"

"Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Ruins," Zatora replied calmly. "I hope the classes are good, you know."

"Yeah," Padma sighed, "I want to be able to learn as much as I can."

Zatora nodded mutely, "Wonder if this will be the year we finally figure it out."

"Figure out what?"

"What we want to be, a career… You know, like our passions, what we're extremely good at and that we can take farther, after our schooling is finished."

"Why are you worrying about that? We still have five more years including this year."

"Only five," Zatora said turning to face Padma, "we're taking OWL's in two years and we're supposed to know what we want to go after that year."

"Well, when you put it like that it seems a lot less." Padma said grinning.

"Yes, but it's the truth."

"You really need to live life fully a little bit more, Zatora."

"And you should be taking things more seriously, Padma."

"I believe you're mixing me up with my sister, and I thought you were my best friend," Padma joked pretending to look hurt.

"I am not mixing you two up," Zatora said, "but while we're on the topic, you are Padma right?"

"Last time I looked in the mirror I was pretty sure, but then again we look almost exactly the same so I could be wrong."

Zatora sat up and grabbed Padma's magic eight ball that she had brought along and tossed it to her. "Why don't you ask the all mighty magic eight ball, it might know the answer to our burning desire to know if you're Padma or not."

Padma shook the ball hard and asked in a mystical voice, "Am I Padma?" She turned the ball around and looked at the bottom, "'No', the Magic Eight Ball has spoken."

"Well, you'd better ask if you're Parvarti then," Zatora laughed.

"Am I Parvarti then?" Padma asked shaking the ball with all her might before turning it around and saying, "'No', the Magic Eight Ball has spoken. Well, then I suppose I'm an imposter aren't I?"

"Oh dear, what ever will we do?" Zatora mock cried.

"Hang me on the nearest tree I suppose, do you think your parents would hate to find my body hanging in their backyard?"

"Of course they would mind," Zatora said, "that's a horrible picture you just painted in my mind."

"Sorry," Padma said softly. "I promise I have no death wish; in fact if we could avoid the hanging I would prefer that."

"Well, I bet we could call the aurors, they would come take you away if you're an imposter."

"They would take me to Azkaban, I don't want to go there either!"

The two girls looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing. For a good time the girls laughed hysterically until finally they began calming down, their breath coming in gasps. Zatora yawned and looked over at her alarm clock which read that it was two in the morning. She sat up and looked down at Padma, "we should get some sleep, you're being picked up at ten."

"Yeah," Padma sighed sinking into her blankets and pillows. She closed her eyes and said softly, "good night, Zatora."

Zatora snuggled into her pillows and breathed out, "night, Padma."

Padma and Zatora walked groggily up the stairs still in their night gowns and sat down at the kitchen table. Padma rubbed at her eyes tiredly while Zatora picked at her food. Daniel was poring over the Daily Prophet with his Father who had an extremely worried look on his face. He looked up and saw the girls and said, "Padma, your parents called. They're picking you up an hour early."

"What? Why are they coming early?" Padma said, looking at Zatora and then back at her father.

"There was a break out from Azkaban last night. Sirius Black escaped and your parents don't want to take any chances. So they're picking you up early." He answered looking back down at the paper.

Zatora looked at the paper, "who is Sirius Black, Daniel?"

"He's only the most devoted follower of You Know Who," Mathew cut in before Daniel could even open his mouth. "He killed thirteen muggles and a wizard with one spell; I believe those are the correct numbers. Sirius Black is a completely insane and now he's loose. That'll make you feel really safe in your bed tonight, won't it?"

Zatora glared at him, "no, it will not make me feel safe in my bed tonight Mathew. Or should I say Daniel, you answered for him?"

"Eww, why would I want to be Daniel? He's so strange," Mathew stated looking over at Daniel.

"Thanks," Daniel said smiled forcedly.

"Come on Zatora," Padma said quietly, "I'm going to need help packing my stuff before my parents get here."

With that Padma and Zatora got up from the table and went downstairs. Neither of them talked about Sirius Black but Zatora knew that they both had the same thoughts. If one man could break out of Azkaban did that mean the others could too? What was going to happen with a known killer on the loose? Zatora knew there was no point in bringing up these questions. If she didn't know the answers why would Padma be able to answer them? Padma glance at Zatora before they both began looking for all of Padma's belongs and talking about happier things to keep their mind off of Sirius Black.

All right, how was it? Horrible, bad, good, or great? Reviews would be nice. I promise I'm not going to leave this fanfiction in the dust. I want and plan to finish this fanfiction. I hope you liked this chapter. I know it's shorter, but I've been out of this fanfiction writing for a while. Hopefully the next chapter will be more interesting then this one.

Hermione-Hermyown