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Chapter 11

Only Hermione knew why she seemed to hate Potter whenever he approached the Slytherins. No one ever found out why he kept trying to talk to her, but her words kept sending him scuttling away. She also sat, unlike in her other lessons, right of the back of the class during History of Magic. If the Potters were ever brought up among her housemates when she was around, she'd snap with venom about them that had the whole of the house confused, but agreeing. It gave them an insight into her temper, and caused several who had been planning to try and ridicule her and push her to the bottom of the house food chain, to back off.

She had written a letter about the incident and sent it off to her family as soon as possible. The response was a hasty one, with her father writing to tell her that they would be dealt with for talking with her without him or one of her family members present soon. Kysa knew that when he said soon, he could mean the next day, or in a couple of years, depending on what action he decided on taking. The decision itself wouldn't take long. It would be the way he took his revenge that could take a while.

Apart from McGonagall and Professor Potter, Kysa was soon the favourite of all her teachers. She was sure that the reason McGonagall didn't like her was because James and Lily Potter had been two of her favourite students, and she was giving them both grief. However, the two teachers that she didn't have in her back pocket could never catch her out on anything. Her work was always top standard, and if anything went wrong like, oh, Potter junior finding himself hanging by his underwear from a chandelier, she could never be proven to have done it. What the teachers didn't know was that she had managed to sweet talk the Hufflepuff prefect that had caught her during one prank where she had turned McGonagall bright pink, and had not been told on. After all, she had learnt from the best where it came to not being caught, and talking her way out of it if she was.

Where Kysa's housemates were concerned, there were four categories. Friend, acquaintance, follower and enemy. Hermione was her only real friend in the Snake Pit. Draco and Daphne were her acquaintances. Then she had the house mates who sucked up to her, all to be connected to her in any way, therefore her followers. Finally, her enemies. For those who were supposed to be cunning, they still had a long way to go. The looks they shot her and Hermione were downright hostile in some cases. Others tried to hide it, and act like the followers, and failed. She knew it raked that they were sucking up to a half-breed and a mudblood, but all they wanted was to try and put her and Hermione in what they thought were their right places.

Kysa knew they were planning something, and they wanted to assert control of the situation soon, but she was preparing herself and Hermione for just that situation. Their room was safe- protected by spells and ritual charm bags to dispel spell work that was dangerous and or humiliating to the rooms' occupants. Rhan had reached her full size, and she was very large, with her head coming up to just below Kysa's shoulders. She most certainly would not be messed with, and if she wasn't hunting, she was at Kysa's side. Sometimes with Hermione if Kysa believed her friend to be in danger, up until the would-be attackers had been scared off by the large cat's presence.

Rhan was currently stretched out in-front of the fireplace. Kysa, Hermione, Draco and Daphne were sat on the leather sofa and arm chairs and Crabbe and Goyle, Draco's ever present body guards, were at a small table, playing a game of exploding snap.

"Here comes trouble." Daphne noted softly. Kysa looked up. Parkinson, Bulstrode and several others from the older years were heading their way. She hid her smirk and leant back in her seat, lounging comfortably and giving off the air that she was completely relaxed and at ease.

"Alright Half-Breed, this is our house. You and your pet mudblood may have gotten in somehow, but while you're here, you'll follow our rules." An older student, Montague, said.

Kysa tutted, shaking her head. "You truly are idiots. You're supposed to be a part of the house that represents cunning. I see none of that here among you. So I see no reason why Hermione and I should follow your rules. Your ambition is limited to inheriting daddy's fortune, isn't it Montague? It is not as if you're a better Slytherin than I am. I, after all, was taught by- and raised by for that matter- someone that Salazar probably based his characteristics on. Cunning, ambition- no one is better at that than my dad. Whereas you come here and try and intimidate me like a group of brash Gryffindor's." Kysa turned back to her book. She knew that ignoring them and acting as if they weren't important would rile them up. Then she would have a reason to give to the teachers for what she would do afterwards. "Now, if you don't mind I would like to read in peace."

Her book was snatched out of her hands and Montague pulled her to her feet by her collar. Hermione, Daphne and Draco stood up, drawing their wands and Crabbe and Goyle soon followed Draco's lead.

"What are you going to do Montague? Do you think you are strong? Guess again." Kysa grabbed his wrist and squeezed. He howled, and let go of her, dropping to his knees. She was crushing his bone. "I am far stronger than I seem to be. It is all part of my nature, mortal." She briefly let the others in the common room feel her power radiating. Rhan padded over to her side, growling. The students were beginning to back off. "I will not tolerate your hostilities any longer. I am a part of this House, and so is Hermione. Just as much as you are. Any attempts to discriminate against us because we are not 'purebloods' will see the perpetrator wishing all I had done was crush a bone. I can get highly imaginative." She pushed the older student away, and he fell onto the floor in the foetal position, cradling his arm and crying. "Someone get him to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey can fix him up in a heartbeat." The two Slytherin beaters pulled Montague up and led him out of the room while the rest of the group dispersed. Kysa nodded to herself and sat down. "That should take care of the problem."

"That was…" Draco was staring at the portrait hole that the three older boys had disappeared through.

"Sit down and stop gaping, Draco. It's unbecoming." Kysa said. He immediately did as she said.

"I'll finish Draco's sentence for him then. That was amazingly handled." Daphne said, resuming her seat.

"Amazingly handled? Kysa, you were brilliant! You didn't even have to take them all on!"

"You don't always need to." She told Hermione. "Sometimes, bringing down the biggest of the lot and putting enough intimidation in- just a right amount- is enough. We should be fine now. Until one of them gets cocky again at least. But that won't be for a while, I'd guess." She then pulled the letter she had received from home this morning from her bag. She hummed while frowning.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"A sickness is spreading at home. Like a bad case of your flu- but it only affects children up to a certain age."

"You can become ill?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Not with your diseases, but we do have our own. However, it is very rare for an outbreak like this- oh no!" She was so surprised by what she read next that she hadn't thought about her outburst. Thankfully, none of those she'd just discouraged were around.

"What?" Daphne asked.

"My cousins, Aaric and Amdis, have fallen ill too. It's why it's been a while since they wrote last. Lady Eir has almost managed to get the infection in others under control. It's just them and a few others who remain affected by it. But they seem to have it really bad."

"Will they be alright?" Hermione asked.

"I hope they will. Apparently, my dad, grandmother and Eir are all doing what they can to help."

"What's the flu?" Draco asked.

"You know when you get a really bad cold?" Hermione asked.

He nodded.

"Well, it's a bit like that, except you're bed ridden, aching all over, unable to lift your weight around, sometimes sickness, that sort of thing."

"Pepper up potion." Draco shrugged.

"It's not that easy. Trust me, if it was, Eir would have done that by now. But when I say it's like the bad case of the flu, I'm really understating it. It has…"

"Kysa?" Hermione was becoming worried now.

"It's claimed lives before. And, no matter who they are, if they die of a sickness, they'll never get into Valhalla." Her shoulders slumped and Rhan placed her large head on Kysa's lap, lending support, as Hermione wrapped an arm around her friends' shoulders.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. You said that they have three very skilled magic users looking to help them heal." Hermione assured her.

"Hermione's right, Kysa," Daphne said. "Your cousins will be fine."

"If others can heal with less help, they'll be fine." Draco said confidently. "Or do you doubt their strength and your father's, grandmother's and healer's abilities?"

Kysa shook her head. "No."

"Well, there you go. There's no need to worry if you can't do anything. Have they actually tried pepper up potion?"