A/N: Thanks, as always, to my Beta readers, usakoesm and Naughty*Witch. Also thanks to everyone who has reviewed on ff.net and on The Sugar Quill forums.
Hex Holmstrom, Maeve Moondaughter and the winning Hufflepuff Quidditch team belong to Ara Kane and are used here with her permission. They can be found in her story, Sounds Like a Breakfast Cereal. Note: the only parts of her universe that appear in this story are Hex, Maeve, the Hufflepuff team, the Hufflepuff/Gryffindor match, and Hufflepuffs winning the House Cup the prior year.
Chapter 11: The Meeting
Zora practically floated from the Gryffindor Common Room up the stairs to the girls dorms. She tried as best she could to slow the beating of her heart, but it continued at its excited pace. Her roommates knew that she was coming from detention with Draco, and they would not expect to see her happy about it. She tried to look flustered, which in reality she was, but she had to look annoyed as well.
Zora took one last deep breath before opening the door to the sixth-years' room. She was amazed to see that three huge four-poster beds were taking up almost the entire floor space of the room, having already been magically expanded. Ginny and Hermione were sitting on the largest bed, both stretched out on their stomachs. Hermione had her normally bushy hair pulled back into a thick braid. Ginny had what looked like a Muggle teen magazine open in front of her, and she was reading aloud questions to Kira Quigley, who was sitting with her legs crossed on the next bed. Parvati and Lavender were doing something horrible to Kara's long, blonde hair on Lavender's unusually large bed. All the girls looked up excitedly when they saw Zora.
"What are you two doing to poor Kara?" Zora asked the older girls.
"Oh," Lavender giggled, as she charmed a section of Kara's hair neon pink, "Kara bet us that she could talk Emma and Jessica into joining us. She lost."
"How was detention?" Ginny piped up, handing the magazine to Kira.
"Much better than I could've expected," Zora said, thinking that much of the truth would be okay. "Malfoy didn't bother me much. I brought my music with me and tried to ignore him as best I could." Well, I did try; I just wasn't able to ignore him for that long.
"That's good to hear," Hermione said, whilst digging through a box full of nail polish bottles. "Of course, he's usually less of a prat when Crabbe and Goyle aren't there to protect him."
"The sleeping arrangements…," Parvati explained to Zora, "…if we sleep, that is, are as such: You, Hermione and Ginny will sleep in Hermione's bed. That's why it's the biggest. Kira and Kara are in my bed, and I'm sharing Lavender's with her. But in the meantime, feel free to sit anywhere." Zora joined Kira on Parvati's bed. "We actually only came up about twenty minutes ago. We were waiting as long as we could for you to get back."
"I still can't believe I agreed to it," Hermione's voice full of regret, "McGonagall gave us much more homework than I expected her to."
"Too bad, Hermione," Ginny said. "These are your terms. You agreed to this last year. And besides, we've already sealed all your books in your trunk." The other girls fell about with laughter.
Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "You didn't!" she exclaimed, and ran to her trunk, removing her wand. "Alohamora," she cried, but the trunk wouldn't open. She tried two more unlocking spells, and neither would work. The girls laughed harder at each of her attempts.
"Give it up, Hermione," Kira sputtered, "We'll release the hostages in the morning."
"Yeah," Parvati added, trying to catch her breath, "We couldn't have you sneaking off in the middle of the night to study."
Hermione was beet red. "Well, as long as you'll let them out in the morning. I can't believe I didn't even notice they weren't on the shelf." She sat back down, and Ginny put a nurturing arm around her, trying to hold in her giggling. She looked up at Kira. "And you! You're a prefect! And you let them take my books?!" Hermione tried to sound angry, but she was smiling herself.
"Let us?" Ginny said, "It was her idea!"
"Hey, girls, guess what," Kara interrupted. "My star chart in Divination said that I'm to expect a tall, dark, and handsome boy to ask me out!"
Hermione only rolled her eyes. Everyone knew her views on the subject. Parvati and Lavender were extremely excited though.
"Oooh," said Lavender, "I wonder who that could be? And how dark is dark? Because Seamus is darker than me, but I wouldn't consider him dark in general. And Lee Jordan is dark, but he's not really that tall…" she kept mumbling possibilities.
"Well, I'm sure it can't be Dean," Ginny said mischievously, "because he fancies Zora."
"Ginny!" Zora cried with mock indignation. She threw a pillow at her cousin.
"Now let's not start another pillow fight," Hermione warned.
"You know, I think Ginny's right," Parvati added. "He is always smiling at you and talking to you. I've never seen him act that way."
"It's true," Kira said, "He even asked me about you at the last prefect meeting!"
"I can find out from Seamus!" Lavender offered.
"That's okay, Lavender. Dean is nice and all, but even if he does fancy me, I wouldn't have time for anything more than friendship. I'm going to have a really busy year as it is." Especially if I'm going to be getting to know Draco—I'll need all the spare time I can get.
"But you notice she didn't say that he wasn't cute!" Parvati pointed out. "That means… possibilities! Should I do a Tarot reading?"
"No!" Zora and Hermione both shouted at once. The girls doubled over again. Kara's hair was now a series of bold, colorful stripes. Her head looked like a rainbow.
"Now does anyone have nail polish in Mystic Mood?" Zora attempted to change the subject. "It's my favorite because it's got that swirling metallic thing going, but still changes color according to your mood. They were all out the day I went to Diagon Alley."
Parvati made a quick grab for her makeup bag. "My mum's a beautician in Diagon Alley," she explained, "She's always sending me samples of new products. If you like Mystic Mood, then you'll love Crystal Ball," she took out a bottle of polish that looked like it was filled with fog. "Instead of swirling, it's all foggy, but the color still changes! And each time it changes, your nails give off a little puff of color. It's so cool!"
"Parvati, is it hard for you to be in a different house from your sister?" Kara asked, her colorful locks now pulled back into a ponytail. "Because I couldn't imagine not sharing a room with that monster." She pointed to her Kira, who made a rude gesture in return.
"Not at all!" Parvarti answered as she moved to Zora to paint her nails. "I love my siblings, but Padma and our little brother are a lot like my dad. He was a Ravenclaw too. But I'm just not bookish like they are. No offense, Hermione."
"None taken."
"What about your mum?" Ginny asked curiously, "What House was she in?"
"Actually, she went to Beauxbatons."
Ginny nodded. "Our whole family has been in Gryffindor," she said, nodding towards her cousin, "so it's weird to hear that other families have members in different Houses. I sometimes wonder if the Weasleys will ever permeate the other Houses."
"Our family was mixed as well," Kara said. "Our mum was in Slytherin—but she's not evil or anything," she quickly added. "But our dad was in Ravenclaw. It was a shock that we were both sorted into Gryffindor."
"Both my parents were in Gryffindor," Lavender told them. "I thought they would die of shame had I been sorted any where else.
Hermione smiled, "Both my parents are Muggles. They had no opinion on the matter." The girls giggled again.
For several hours they talked about anything and everything. Lavender gave them all the details about her and Seamus. They teased Hermione about Ron, and Ginny about Harry. They made a list of the cutest guys at school (Zora did not suggest the name that topped her list). At some point they questioned the way in which Colin Creevey's broom flew. There were a number of theories on that topic. The girls told Zora humorous anecdotes, and Ginny and Zora told them all about life as a Weasley. Parvati asked them all about Charlie and Bill, much to the cousins' dismay. Even Hermione joined in some of the gossip, and shocked them when she suggested that Colin and Justin Finch-Fletchley could make a good couple.
They stayed up most of the night, intentionally ignoring the irony that while they were safe in their dormitory, talking about nothing of importance, the wizarding world was in the midst of a war. Instead, they simply cherished the fact that they could still have these moments. They eventually drifted to sleep, feeling much closer to each other than they had just a few short hours ago.
* * *
The next morning, the girls slept in so late that they missed breakfast. When they finally did wake, Ginny and Kira snuck down to the kitchens for some food to bring back up to the room. Hermione and Zora changed the beds back to their normal size, while Lavender undid all the colors in Kara's hair, and Parvati unlocked Hermione's books.
"I still don't know what locking charm you could have used," Hermione was saying. "None of my unlocking charms worked!"
"We didn't use anything special," Parvati informed her once the trunk was successfully open. "You were actually using the right counter charms; you just didn't use enough." She smiled devilishly. "We layered them! We didn't think you'd try more than seven times, so we used twenty, just in case."
Hermione grumbled something about wasted study time, but the others girls weren't paying attention. Just then Ginny and Kira came back, loaded with breakfast foods. Zora quickly transfigured Parvati's nightstand into a table big enough for the seven of them. Then she shrunk the legs so that they could eat sitting on the floor.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Kira asked, stuffing her mouth with a donut.
"Hmmm," Ginny racked her brain, still tired from the sleepover. "Ron's forcing us to go the Hufflepuff Quidditch trials. Says we really need to take them the most seriously after last year."
"I wasn't here last year," Zora reminded them as she grabbed some bacon, "What happened with Hufflepuff?"
"They played us in the Quidditch final. Their Seeker even beat Harry to the Snitch!" Kara filled her in.
"But we still won the cup," Kira added.
At this point the three older girls rolled their eyes. "Gee, I forgot that all four of them play for our team," Lavender complained. "Now we know what future Girls' Night In conversations will be like."
"Oh, hush, Lavender," Kara said, pushing her playfully. "This is the first time we've mentioned it."
"So, how'd the 'Puffs get to the final?" Zora was curious. Her mom had some Hufflepuff friends that she kept in touch with, but she got the idea that as a House, they weren't too impressive. Daphne Witherspoon certainly hadn't seemed impressed with them.
"Well they got this new Beater," Parvati spoke up, suddenly very interested in Quidditch. "He transferred last year. From America, actually. Zora, you should meet him. He's really cute."
"And taken," Ginny added. "He's seeing the Hufflepuff Seeker, Maeve Moondaughter."
"Her name doesn't ring a bell," Zora said, frowning.
"She's in our year," Hermione pointed out, "So you wouldn't have any classes with her or anything."
"I see. So who is this cute, but taken, American Beater?"
Parvati jumped in again. "His name is Hex…"
"Chris," Ginny corrected, and Parvati blushed.
"You're right. Chris. Chris Holmstrom. He led them to win the House Cup last year too."
Zora was a bit confused. "But I thought Harry said that Gryffindor has won every year since he's been here."
Ginny and Hermione both laughed. "Well, Harry and Ron conveniently forget about last year," Hermione told Zora with a wink.
"And they don't like to be reminded, either," Ginny said knowingly. "Chris is very nice though. He danced with me at the ball last year to try and make Harry jealous." She took a swig of her pumpkin juice. "Anyway, Ron wants all team members at the trials today. He said we should 'thank our lucky stars,'" she said this in a perfect Ron impression, "that he didn't make us go to the Ravenclaw trials yesterday. And then he wants to meet with us to discuss possibly strategies against the different teams. He says the reason we didn't have to go to the Slytherin trials is because no matter who plays, they are all the same… bloody cheaters."
"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed.
"His words, not mine," Ginny looked up at Hermione innocently. A little too innocently.
* * *
The common room was abuzz with activity, as it was the first Saturday of the term. Ron had Harry at a table in the corner, drawing out Quidditch strategies in the air with his wand. When he saw his sister and cousin, he scowled at them.
"Look who's finally decided to wake up!" he said, nodding towards them so Harry would know who he was talking about. Ginny moved to stand behind Harry, giving him a small squeeze on his shoulder. He put his hand on top of hers, leaned his head back, and smiled. Both Zora and Ron were immensely grateful that the new couple was still too shy to kiss in front of them.
"Hey! No public displays on Quidditch time!" Ron chided them. Harry suddenly looked very embarrassed.
"It is most certainly not Quidditch time!" Ginny protested, red in the face.
"It would be, if not for the goodness of my heart. I let you have the morning to yourselves. This would normally be practice time; therefore, you should refrain from snogging at the moment."
"Goodness of your heart, my arse!" Zora cried, winning shocked looks from the other three. "We couldn't have practice this morning because Hufflepuff's trials are this afternoon. Besides, Ron, they're far from snogging, and you know it."
It was Harry's turn for revenge. "But since he brought up the subject, Zora, do you know where Hermione is? Ron here is quite curious as to what she might have told you girls last night." Ron's face was now redder than Ginny's had just been.
"Yes," Zora said, contemplating the best way to make Ron nervous, "Wouldn't he like to know." She shot Ron a look. "Actually, Harry, she's in her room studying."
"She's not!" Ron said, only half shocked.
"Well," Ginny giggled, "We sort of locked her books in her trunk last night. She's just making up for lost time."
"You locked her books in her trunk?" Harry asked disbelievingly.
"That's bloody brilliant," Ron mused. "I ought to try that sometime." This comment won groans from the other three.
Once Hermione finally joined them, the five headed down to lunch in the Great Hall. Zora noticed right away that Draco was not there, although his two fat followers were. Ron insisted the Gryffindor team sit together to start "thinking like a team." The team members didn't come alone though, with Amara came Dean (who probably used his sister as an excuse to sit next to Zora), with Angelina came Lee Jordan (which was okay, as he was the commentator), and with the Quigley twins came Brad and Colin. Ron couldn't criticize this, however, as Hermione was seated next to him as well.
Just then a good looking boy with blonde hair and an eyebrow piercing approached the Gryffindor table with a tiny dark-haired girl at his side.
"Well, Red," he addressed Ron with a good natured smile, "looks like the gang's all here." He scanned the faces of the Gryffindor team.
"Alright there, Hex? Maeve?" Ron asked, as he stood and shook the boy's hand, whilst nodding and smiling at the girl. "Let me introduce you to the newest members of our team. You know Harry, Ginny, and Angelina, of course. This is Amara Thomas; she's our new reserve Chaser." Amara smiled shyly. "These are our new Beaters—to give you a run for your money—Kira and Kara Quigley."
"You know, the whole twin Beater thing is starting to get a little old," said Hex, laughing. "What's Gryffindor going to do when you run out of twins?"
"Very funny," Ron said sarcastically, "Just wait until you see them in action. And this," he pointed to Zora, "is my cousin, Zora Weasley, our newest Chaser. She just transferred."
"Nice to meet you both," Zora flashed her usual smile. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she could have sworn she saw both Dean and Maeve fight back a scowl.
"Wow!" Said Hex, excitedly. "You're the only other transfer student I've met here, besides me, of course. I'm from New York."
"I was just there a few weeks ago. I always love visiting New York. My last school was in Pennsylvania though."
"Oh, did you get kicked out?" Hex thought she looked capable of being a trouble maker; she had that short, funky hair cut, and those blazing green eyes that looked like they could shoot daggers if she really wanted them to. Plus, that was how he came to be at Hogwarts: he'd been kicked out of a number of schools in New York. He assumed that was the reason any transfer student would come to Hogwarts.
"What?!" Zora was upset at first, but the look on Hex's face made her laugh. "No. My mom just wanted me to finish here, that's all." Her eyes darted to his eyebrow ring. "Oooh, did that hurt?" Hex shook his head while Zora continued, "I want to get my nose pierced, but my mom says I have to wait until I finish school." She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.
"Well, we ought to get going," Maeve told Hex, looking at her watch.
"Yeah, you're right." He turned back to Ron. "Our trials are this afternoon. You comin' to scope out the competition, Red?"
"Of course," Ron answered him. "We can't have another match like last year. It'll ruin our reputation."
"Good to meet all of you. I'm sure I'll see you around." With that, he slipped his hand into Maeve's and they left the Great Hall.
* * *
"Now do you see why they are the team to beat?" Ron bellowed at the Gryffindor team later that evening after the Hufflepuff trials. "They only had one spot to fill! They have more experience working together than we do, so we'll have to work extra hard."
Zora leaned over and whispered to Angelina, "As if he wasn't going to work us extra hard anyway."
"I head that, Weasley!" Ron shot her a look. "Don't forget that we have a reserve Chaser!" Zora's mouth dropped open in indignation. She folded her arms across her chest in silent protest. Harry coughed to hide a snigger. Ron had the team in the corner of the common room and he was already drilling them. "By the way, team, after seeing Puffs play today, I went ahead and booked the pitch for Wednesday. We will train earlier this year than we ever have before!"
Zora's heart sunk. Wednesday was her night with Draco. How was she ever going to manage both?
"Ron," Ginny said, annoyed, "this is not the World Cup."
He rounded on her. "It's exactly that kind of attitude that will keep us from winning. You saw them out there, Ginny. You've seen them play."
Ginny only nodded, but exchanged a look with Harry that said, your friend is crazy! Harry found himself almost wishing Oliver Wood was back.
"Alright guys, I have to head out now. I have lessons with Professor McGonagall tonight." Zora already had her Animagus book with her.
"Glad to see where your priorities are, Zora," Ron said with a huff.
Zora groaned. This was getting old. "I'll be back when you've regained your sanity, Ronald Weasley. Bye, everyone!" With that, she Portkeyed to her classroom.
A moment later she heard the doorknob turn with a click. In walked Professor McGonagall, but instead of her usual formidable appearance, she actually looked relaxed. Her long, dark hair was hanging in a single braid, instead of pulled up in her usual bun. She wasn't wearing a hat, and her robes looked simple and comfortable. The teacher smiled at Zora, and for the first time, Zora noticed how pretty Professor McGonagall really was when she wasn't being firm.
"You will want to transfigure a desk into something comfortable to sit in," the Professor told her. Zora turned it into a big armchair and climbed into it. Professor McGonagall did the same with her own chair. "I presume you have studied the chapters on theory, correct?" Zora nodded.
"Then you understand the difficulty of what you are trying to undertake. Becoming an Animagus is not as much about inherent magical power as it is about hard work and patience. There are only seven on the register this century. On the other hand, in this century there are at least fifty known cases where the wizard in question died, an additional seventy-two who have been severely and permanently disfigured, and nine who are stuck with mixed animal forms. Now some, like Fiona the Foolish, are content being part cat and part bird, but I would not recommend it." Zora listened quietly, trying very hard not to become discouraged.
Professor McGonagall continued, "One of the most important steps in becoming an Animagus is discovering what it feels like to become your animal before you actually transform. It helps prepare the mind and body, so that you do not go into shock. This step relies almost exclusively on serious meditation. Now some wizards feel ridiculous spending time in meditation, and thus they think this step unimportant. I will advise you to take another look at the possible deformities should you begin to feel this way. Transfiguring your own body is the most difficult of all transfiguration. If I were to transfigure you into a fox right now, I would be able to do it easily, because I cannot hear your body protest. However, if you tried to do it yourself, your body will argue with your brain. It is this confusion of the senses that causes deformity. Therefore, we will spend your first few lessons meditating. You will still meditate at the beginning of each lesson even when we have moved on to the next step. I cannot stress its utmost importance enough." She was very serious, but there seemed to be a note of excitement in her voice as well.
"Now, Miss Weasley, you should sit in a manner that is most comfortable for you. Clear your mind of doubt and imagine your animal form." Professor McGonagall walked her through the visualization until Zora could concentrate on her fox by herself. It was amazing how real it all felt. She swore she could really feel the blades of grass underneath her padded feet, the way in which her tail offered her balance as she ran across the field, the wind affecting the fur that covered her body. She felt which muscles it took to move her ears on the top of her head, and she got used to the feeling of using her arms as additional legs. For a moment she thought she could transform right then and there, but Professor McGonagall's voice brought her back to reality.
"Alright, Miss Weasley, that is all for today." Zora's eyes snapped open, and she blinked to get accustomed to the light. McGonagall was smiling at her. "Your meditation went very well, but it is not wise to do more than an hour's worth at a time."
An hour? I was meditating for an hour? "Thank you, Professor." Still a little dazed from the meditation, she wasn't sure what else to say.
"I would suggest you meditate on your own at least four nights a week, for at least twenty minutes each. We will have another lesson in one week's time. You may want to relax for a few moments, or else you might try to walk on all fours to the common room." She grinned at Zora as she returned her armchair to a desk. "I will see you in class." With that, she left the room.
Zora blinked again, in a bit of a daze. She felt like she'd only been there for two minutes. It couldn't be over already. She climbed out of the armchair, but when she reached the floor she found herself trying to crawl, just as McGonagall had warned. How weird, she thought, it's like my body can't switch between the different forms. I hope this part gets easier as the lessons go on. I can't imagine being an Animagus would be worth it otherwise. She reminded herself that McGonagall could transform at will and walk away just fine afterwards. That thought gave her some hope.
Once she got the hang of walking on her two feet again, she Portkeyed up to the common room (she wasn't sure she could walk the entire way). However, when the Portkey flung her into the entrance way of Gryffindor Tower, Zora's legs were useless. She stumbled to the ground immediately. In an attempt to stand up, she realized that her body still wanted to use her arms as legs, but her perceived loss of a tail made balance nearly impossible.
Panic filled her as she was lying helpless on the floor. Was she going to have to sleep there if she couldn't move? Her legs weren't working and she suddenly realized that she was truly exhausted. She tried calling for help, but she couldn't find her voice, almost certainly because foxes can't speak. Had she really meditated that deeply? Why wasn't Professor McGonagall concerned? Was this supposed to happen?
A wave of relief came over Zora when she spotted his messy black hair. Harry had his wand out, apparently checking on the racket Zora made when she crashed. His green eyes widened in alarm when he saw Zora slumped on the floor, unable to move or talk. Immediately, he was at her side, checking her for injury. Zora tried to give him a look of gratitude, but she wasn't sure if her face muscles were cooperating yet.
"Zora, what's happened? Are you hurt?"
She tried desperately to communicate to him that she was okay, but she knew she wasn't making any sense.
"Do you need me to take you to the Hospital Wing?"
Mustering all of her strength, she took control of her neck muscles and shook her head. Harry did not look convinced.
"Just…rest…Animagus…" was all she could get out. Her voice was raspy, as if she hadn't used it in years.
"Ginny!" Harry called out to the Common Room.
A moment later, Ginny's fiery red hair and freckles appeared. "Harry, what is it? What was that noi—Zora!" Her pitch spiked in alarm when she saw her cousin. Ginny dropped to her knees. "What happened to her?" Her brown eyes darted between Harry and her cousin.
Harry stood and pointed his wand. "I don't know. She can hardly talk. Help me levitate her to the couch."
Ginny nodded and conjured a stretcher to Zora's horror. It's not that big a deal! She screamed inside her head, but she found it impossible to utter a single word. She silently complied as Harry lifted her onto the stretcher and floated her to the couch by the fire.
Once inside the common room, the scene caught the interest of the other Gryffindors, who gathered around to see what had happened. Ron and Hermione both abandoned their chess game and rushed over.
"Who did it?" Ron demanded, his face flushed with fear and fury.
"She can't talk," Harry informed them as he and Ron lifted her useless body onto the couch. "It's like she has not control over her muscles. I've never seen a hex like this in Defense."
Hermione chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully until understanding registered in her eyes. She pushed in front of Ron, knelt down in front of Zora, and cupped Zora's chin in her hands. "Zora, I'm going to ask you some questions," she explained. "Blink once if the answer is no. Twice for yes. Do you understand?"
Concentrating all of her effort on her eyelids, she open and closed them twice.
"Good," Hermione replied. "Now, are you just coming back from Animagus lessons?"
Zora managed to blink once. Then again.
Hermione nodded in acknowledgement. "Did you meditate?"
Blinking twice, Zora was thankful that Hermione was so well-read.
Satisfied, Hermione gently laid Zora's head back on the couch before turning to the others. "Zora had to meditate on her animal form," she told them knowingly. "Of course it makes sense that she would meditate so deeply on her first lesson, since she's managed to speed through the other steps." She looked up to three blank looks. "Her body is confused. Part of her wants to walk like a fox, the other part like a human. Until she can decide on one form or the other, none of her muscles will cooperate. It's nothing to be concerned about," she added, almost as an afterthought. As understanding crept into their expressions, Hermione huffed. "Honestly! Don't you ever do additional reading?" Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Zora.
"It should wear off shortly. Next time, you should just stay there until you can at least walk unaided. It's safer. We'll let you lie on the couch until you have the strength to talk. Then we'll help you to bed."
Zora only managed a short nod. Harry and Ginny sat down in the armchair next to the couch, while Hermione joined Zora. They all seemed to calm down a bit, and the other Gryffindors went back to their business. Only Ron seemed unconvinced, as he began pacing and ignoring Hermione's exaggerated sigh. He only stopped when Zora was able to speak.
"It was so odd," she told them weakly. "I was meditating for an hour, but it… felt like minutes. And it was all… so real…" her voice trailed off.
Hermione's natural excitement about the process perked up again. "Zora, I'm willing to bet you'll complete the process by the end of the year. I'm sure Professor McGonagall is thrilled. I wonder if your fast pace has anything to do with your Soothing ability. I don't recall reading anything about it, but as there are few Soothers, and even fewer Animagi, I don't suppose there would be a whole lot on the subject. Still, I know some books I could look through. And Harry, perhaps you could write to Sir… erm, Snuffles and ask him if this ever happened to him." Exhausted as she was, Zora was still amazed that Hermione had said all that without taking a breath.
It was Ginny who finally came to Zora's rescue. "Come on," she suggested, "let's get her into bed." Hermione nodded and stood. Ginny turned to Harry. "We'll be right back."
The boys mumbled their goodnights to Zora, and the girls helped her up the staircase. Zora would have preferred to be levitated, but Hermione insisted that she use her muscles before going to sleep. Zora was immensely grateful for their help. She wasn't sure if she would have made it to bed on her own. Her exhaustion was nearly overwhelming, and she felt asleep immediately.
* * *
Before she knew it, it was Wednesday evening, and she was a bundle of nerves again. She thought that perhaps Draco was feeling nervous as well, because he was glancing at her in the Great Hall more often than usual. The day itself had been annoyingly long, however, especially since Zora couldn't get rid of her jitters. Her nerves had even interfered with Quidditch practice, and Ron certainly noticed. Fortunately for Zora, he was still worried about her after what happened Saturday night and didn't yell at her too much during practice.
Get a hold of yourself, Zora, she had reprimanded herself earlier. You can't let him get in the way of other things in your life. But the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't go away, and her mind kept drifting during practice. She botched up the Porskoff Ploy twice, which was supposed to be their secret scoring weapon, as the three Chasers worked so well together. On the one hand, Zora was glad they weren't yelling at her, because that would have increased her nerves. On the other, she felt guilty, because she knew it was not Saturday's events that were bothering her, but she couldn't very well tell them what really was. When practice finally ended, Zora rushed to the showers as quickly as possible. Then she grabbed her things, told her friends that she needed some time to herself, and Portkeyed to her empty classroom at ten till eight.
To both her delight and horror, Draco was already there.
"How long have you been here," she asked angrily, as Draco snapped shut the cover of the Animagus book on her desk. "If you've been coming here throughout the week without my knowledge… I'll… I'll change the password."
"Settle down, Weasley. I've only been here five minutes. I have better things to do with my time than sneak around an empty classroom." He held up the book and looked at her suspiciously. "Why do you have this?"
"Why do you always ask questions about things that are not your concern?"
His eyes narrowed. "Fine. If you don't want to admit that you're studying to be an Animagus, then don't." He tossed the book back on the table and shrugged. "I wouldn't tell people either. They might expect you to succeed at it, and that is very unlikely."
"What would you know about it?" Zora asked defensively.
He rolled his eyes. "Don't take it personally Weasley. If you've read anything about Animagi, you'd know that the process is quite difficult and dangerous. We wouldn't want you walking around with permanent whiskers on your pretty little face, now would we?" His voice was laced in sarcasm.
"Listen, if all you're going to do is insult me, then feel free to leave."
"Trust me; I am free to leave… when I choose to do so. You were the one that told me to come. It wasn't my idea to come in the first place." He took two menacing steps towards her, stopping only a foot in front of her. "Besides, what will you do if I don't leave? Hex me again?"
Zora didn't back down from him. "No. Lucky for you, my mother has warned me not to be rude to you."
"Smart woman." His grey eyes were full of electricity. If Zora hadn't known better, she would have thought he was enjoying this little exchange.
"Awfully presumptuous for someone who doesn't know my mother. Perhaps she was warning me for your sake, not mine."
They stood there, almost toe to toe, saying nothing. Zora noticed that he smelled really good, and her heart sped up as she wondered if he had put on cologne for the occasion.
Finally, he stepped past her. "So, are you going to try to Sooth me, or are you just wasting my time?"
Soothing! She had completely forgotten that was the reason they were meeting! She pointed her wand to her chest, "Finite incantatem," and then transfigured two desks into armchairs that were facing each other. Then she motioned for him to sit in one.
"What are you going to do?" He asked harshly, but there was a note of nervousness to his voice that left Zora strangely satisfied.
"I'm just going to sit and read. Accio yearbook." She had checked out the yearbook with their parents' pictures earlier that week. She hoped he would notice. If not, she was sure she would bring it up. "Don't be alarmed if you have a sudden urge to talk to me about things you would normally keep to yourself, or if you begin to feel relaxed and sleepy. Both are normal reactions to Soothing. And by the way, I'm magically bound to secrecy."
"So you're going to read, while I just sit there doing nothing?" She knew it was a vulnerable position, which was exactly why she hoped he wouldn't bring anything with him.
"Sure, until you start talking. Then I'll listen. But if you're uncomfortable, you can read my Animagus book. There are some interesting chapters on possible deformities and rare animal forms that you might enjoy, since you won't have any use for the chapters on theory and practice."
"Fine. But I want it understood that I am only here to prove that your Soothing won't work on me." He summoned the book and sat with it in the chair. Zora did the same thing. She could feel the tension in the air, and she was glad to know that she was having similar affects on him as he was on her. Attempting to focus on the pictures in the yearbook, she kept stealing glances at him. She was thrilled that he was there with her, alone, in an empty classroom. There was something very exciting about the forbidden nature of it all. She pictured what Ron would look like if he ever found out and was torn between fear and amusement. Part of her liked being there with him simply because she shouldn't be.
Sitting in the chair, deeply involved in the book, a stray hair fell across Draco's forehead and Zora was happy that he made no attempt to move it back into place. He looked awfully handsome sitting there reading, his brow furrowing occasionally, as if trying to make sense of the book. She tried not to look at him for more than a few seconds at a time, lest he catch her. After about thirty minutes, she noticed that he was stealing glances at her as well.
"What are you reading?" He finally asked, trying his best to sound rude.
"It's an old Hogwarts yearbook." She held it up for Draco to see the cover. "My parents are in it." She was torn between telling him about their parents and letting him find out for himself. She opted to ease the information to him. "Draco," she asked quietly, "why do you hate my family?"
His usual sneer faded momentarily, but returned immediately. "Why does your family hate me?"
"They don't," she said plainly. "At least not all of them. And the ones that do dislike you do so because you are mean to them. So, answer my question. Why do you hate us?"
"You wouldn't understand," was all he said, trying to find his place in the book again.
"For someone who knows next to nothing about me, you sure do presume what I can and can't do an awful lot."
"There are certain ways in which wizarding families ought to behave. Your family… refuses to behave in the… appropriate manner." He was choosing his wording carefully. It was true, of course, but as he was not ready to leave, he did not want to make her angry just yet.
"And did you learn the appropriate ways to behave from your father?" Her heart jumped in her throat as his face clouded over.
"You know nothing about my father," he said in a low voice that made Zora quite uneasy.
"I know that he hates us as well. And I know that that wasn't always the case." Draco looked up at her, his face muddled with anger and confusion.
"What are you on about, Weasley?" His voice was cold and hard.
She took a deep breath. Perhaps this wasn't a good idea after all. "Our… our parents. Draco, they were friends."
Perhaps her Soothing ability allowed her to sense other's feelings, because at that moment she could almost feel Draco's world come crashing down. His pale cheeks became tinged with pink, and his grey eyes darkened even further. He stared at her as if he was trying to curse her with his eyes.
"That…is… utterly ridiculous," he spat. "My father… never…he wouldn't. You don't know him."
Zora stood up slowly, the yearbook in hand. She flipped to the page with their fathers on it and handed it to him delicately. "I'm telling you, our parents were once friends." She pointed to the picture. "That's my dad and my Uncle. And my mom told me in a letter that she was friends with your mom."
"She must be mistaken." His lip curled.
"Look at that picture and tell me there's a mistake, Draco! They're happy. You can't fake that in a picture."
"Well, they must have," he snapped the book shut, his face clearly flushed as he struggled to maintain his composure. "The Malfoys and the Weasleys are not friends. It simply doesn't happen." Draco stood with his back to her, his arms folded across his chest in defiance, but he made no move to leave.
She wanted to scream, then why are you in here with me?! But she decided better of it. They both stood there in silence for a moment, Zora sensing that her Soothing might be working after all. If she was going to reach him, she needed to proceed with caution. "Have you ever asked him?"
Draco's stance softened, but just barely. He spoke to her, not daring to look her in the eye. "There are certain topics that are not brought up in conversation. Even if I were to ask him, he would tell me that they were never friends."
"Then he would be lying to you."
Draco whipped around to face her, but by the look on his face, Zora could tell he hadn't the slightest idea what to say. He was clearly torn between the truth that was staring at him from those pages and the 'truth' that he had been brought up to know. Perhaps she had told him too much too soon. She certainly had not meant to destroy all that he had been taught in his life, at least not in one night.
"What exactly did your mother lead you to believe?" Draco's voice was quiet, controlled.
Although she did not appreciate his insinuation that her mother was lying, she could understand why this was bothering him. There was no doubt in her mind that he had been brought up to hate her family, but because she hadn't a chance to probe her mom for more details, she couldn't offer him too many answers.
Mustering her Gryffindor courage, she wondered if he could handle it. This feud between their families was obviously bigger than she expected. Why else would her aunt and uncle never mention their friendship with the Malfoy's to their children? Even her own mother had been stingy with answers. What exactly caused their falling out? Why was Draco brought up to hate the children of his mother's friend?
Taking a breath, she told him what she knew, which wasn't much. "Your mom grew up with my mom and my Aunt Molly. I don't know much else, except that they all lived in the same area of Diagon Alley, perhaps in the same building. She even knew about you—my mom did—she mentioned you by name in her letter." Draco stood there, unflinching, his face unreadable. "Our fathers and my uncle… they were very close in school as well. They were all friends until just after Percy was born, but that's all I know. My mom didn't say what happened." Zora looked at Draco with concern: he wasn't moving at all, not even blinking. "Are you okay?" she asked him quietly.
The truth was that he wasn't okay. He was the opposite of okay. Here she was telling him that his father, Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater for the Dark Lord himself, was once friends with the biggest Muggle loving family to ever live in the Wizarding world. Draco already thought his father was a hypocrite, after the things he'd witnessed that past summer, but this was worse. Far worse. Lucius had taught Draco how to behave and act at a very young age, lessons that were not easily forgotten. Now Draco was just supposed to accept that there was a picture of his father with his arm around Arthur Weasley lying around Hogwarts for any student to see? To make matters worse, he could feel Zora's Soothing aura. It was tugging at his heart, and she was right—he did want to tell her everything. About his father wanting him to become a Death Eater. About how Lucius used Cruciatus on him that summer to prepare him to see the Dark Lord. How Lucius had been furious when Voldemort said Draco was of no use to him. That look of rage and disgust in his cold eyes. For the first time in his life, Draco had been terrified of Lucius. How Voldemort had…Voldemort! A wizard who was nothing more than a half-blood himself! Lucius was nothing more than his lackey, and he had been friends with… Draco chanced a look at Zora.
Her intense green eyes were studying his face from only a few feet away. It was then that he realized he was clenching his fists tightly in an attempt to keep from coming unhinged. Slowly closing his eyes, he allowed himself to succumb to the Soothing for just a moment, as he carefully relaxed his hands. Fighting to keep his breathing under control, he stepped forward and gently took the book from her grasp. He didn't dare look at her.
Draco turned away from those powerful eyes and set the book down. He was too disgusted to look at it. Besides, he was already in a vulnerable position. If he looked at the picture, his emotions might have caused him to lose what little control he still had. And Zora is seeing you like this, you great big git! Never let a girl see you lose control! Yet, she wasn't fawning over him like Pansy. She was concerned, but respectfully so. Draco could tell she wanted to help him, but she wasn't sure how, and he wasn't going to make it easy on her. He had to keep some kind of upper hand. There was no way Draco could let her know how she was affecting him.
Draco glanced up in time to catch Zora running her slender hand through her perfectly styled hair. She caught his eyes too, and they both just stood there for a moment, looking at one another. They both were silently amazed that the moment was not awkward in the least.
Finally, Zora broke the silence. "There's a lot your father hasn't told you, isn't there?" She wasn't being nosy, that much Draco could tell. But there were more answers to that question than he was willing to give her right then.
Draco nodded. "More than even I imagine, I'm sure."
"Draco," she suddenly rushed towards him, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. There's obviously more to it than I realized." She lifted up the same hand that had just been in her hair and squeezed his arm just below his left shoulder. His body tensed automatically, and Draco was seized with a sudden urge to embrace her. Heat flashed through his arm where she touched him and jolted through his body. It was all he could do to continue standing. It wasn't pain that he felt, but her simple touch seemed to render him as helpless as Crucio.
"It wasn't fair of me," she told him as she pulled her hand away. Draco was relieved; if she would have kept her hand there any longer, she would have certainly felt his pulse quicken.
"Listen," she said, beginning to collect her books, "I'm here. You know… if you need to talk about…"
A click at the door caused them both to jump. When Draco glanced at Zora again, her wand was already out. "Accommodare," she hissed, and she quickly snatched up the white ferret that had just been Draco and shoved him into her sack. She looked up in time to see Professor McGonagall's stern face appear through the door.