"What's our first class?" Asked Van.
"I'm pretty sure its charm." Answered Hermione.
"Yea, its charm." Confirmed Harry.
The five of them walked to Charm class. Professor Flitwick had told them before end of term that they were to learn how to use their magic to do house old chores. And as said, the lesson was completely dedicated to learn how to make their broom sweep the floor alone.
Van had it right in her. She was the best of the five for that. Hermione could just not get the broom to push the dust pile in the garbage can. Harry and Ron weren't making any progress, their broom would hover for a moment, and with a loud "tud" it would fall to the ground. Steph managed to do it at the last 10 minutes of the class, which frustrated her since the only reason she couldn't do it is because she didn't say the incantation right.
"Do we really have to go to divination?" Complained Ron at the end of the lesson.
"Ronald! Don't tell me your thinking of skipping class after 3 long week of vacation!" Exclaimed Hermione.
"No, I just don't feel like hearing Trelawney's story about me dying prematurely attacked by biting teacup…"
"Why do you still take that class anyway, its aload a of rubbish!"
"Oh yea, and ancient ruins is much better, hearing about the story of a piece ofrock the size of a Knut."
Its not like that Ron! You-"
"Will you stop it you two!" Exclaimed Harry. "Hermione, your class is that way by the way.
Hermione, which was so caught up in her fight with Ron, didn't realized that she had missed her turn to the right corridor. So they each took their right way to their class, Van and Hermione to ancient ruins and Ron, Harry, and Steph to divination.
"So, Van, how is it going, you know, you and Kertis?" Hermione asked Van.
"Very well. He asked me out on valentines day!" She answered.
"That's super! And what house is he in? Surely not in Griffindor."
"I don't know, every time I ask him, he changes the subject!"
"That's surely interesting, its like he doesn't want you to know…"
"Yea…"
Van spent the rest of the day thinking about Kertis, which stretched to the rest of the week. Soon enough, two weeks had passed and they had their first potion class since the beginning of term.
"Now, In this lesson, you will all come to the front to present you essay that you should of finished for today." Said Snape looking at everyone, daring them to say that they haven't done it. "Hermione Granger, You come up first, now!"
Hermione's presentation went quite well, then Draco was called, after his it was Neville. Harry fallowed(Which he could expect to get an "F", Snape asked him the most difficult question he could ask a student. Even a "T" would be not so surprising…) after,
"Kertis Malfoy!"
Van's head spun around so fast that she was sure to have broken it. Malfoy…Malfoy! And a Slytherin! Why didn't he tell me, Kertis…Kertis Malfoy…Van thought. Harry, Ron, Steph, Hermione all looked around at the same time to see her reaction. They were as shocked as she was. Why did no one realize that he wasin Slytherin, before? probably because they didn't pay attention to him. And a Malfoy, they would of never thought it, he was so…not malfoyish. Nice, not arrogant, well, the whole opposite of a Malfoy.
During the whole presentation, Kertis did not look at Van once. She was trying to make eye contact, but failed. At the end of class she ran after him. When she reached him, she pushed him in an empty class room to talk undisturbed.
"Slytherin!" Van exclaimed, "Malfoy? What's that all about! Why didn't you tell me!"
"Why? So you could hate me!?!" Kertis shot back at her.
"No! I don't care which house your in, I'm mad because you didn't tell me! And, and… That why you didn't want to come and sit with me at the dance, Draco was there, and of course, you didn't what him to se you with a mudblood, a Muggle born or even a Giffindor! Its all about your little reputation as a Slytherin, is it?!"
"Its…Its not it! You don't understand I… Ok, I'll tell you everything you what to know ok."
"Its about time…"
"Look, letspipe down and sit down ok."
"Right…Sorry, lets sit, I really want to know." They found a couple of chairs at the back of the room and sat down.
"OK, here it goes, I didn't what to be seen with you because of Draco, your right with that, but not because of my reputation with him, but because if his connection with me…" Kertis Started.
"You mean, you're related?" Van asked.
"Isn't is obvious! Were both Malfoy's. Even the Weasley's are connected to us somehow, there are few purebloods left, and it really hard to be not related to each other… Scary really…"
"Tell me about it…" Van interrupted. Kertis had a little laugh.
"So, I'm Draco's cousin. And if he would have seen me with you, he would of told my dad for sure! And my dad is as Malfoy as they come. I was bound to be in trouble. He would do anything for me not to see you again, even change me school!"
"That's terrible!" Van exclaimed.
"Tell me about it. So their basically controlling my love life, a bit more and they chose my future wife!"
"You tell them! Tell them that you love a mudblood and that there's nothing they can do about it!"
"You don't know my dad… He's terrifying when he wants to… Look, I really don't mind that were going out, like, I love you, but we have to make sure that nether Draco or his friends- well, we have to make sure that no Slytherin sees us."
"OK, its going to be a-" She looked around her, suspicious like, "James Bond like relationship."
"James Bun?"
"Oh never mind! A muggle thing." She said with a little laugh.
Van hummed the James Bond theme song as they left the room together, their relationship better than ever now that they, well, that Kertis revealed his identity.
----
"What took you so long!?" Exclaimed Steph as Van arrived late to care of magical creature class.
"I have a talk with Kertis." Van answered. Steph had a painful look. "No, it didn't go bad. As a matter of fact, it went great! I know him much more better now!" Van finished.
"Really?" Steph looked intrigued. "Go on."
"Well, I learned stuff like, Kertis is Draco's cous-"
"WHAT!" Steph exclaimed, dropping her toad thing. She managed to catch it before its escape in the forest.
"Ah! Vanessa! Ter ya are, I thought ya were sick!" Exclaimed Hagrid, who suddenly became aware that Van had arrived because on Steph's scream.
The two could not continue their conversation because of the fact that caring for their creature revealed itself as a more demanding task than they thought. At the end of the lesson, the five headed for the Great Hall to eat a well-deserved lunch. Van had almost lost an eye, and Ron his whole arm(as he was holding the rat he was going to feed the "toad", it jumped up and grabbed the whole arm with the rat. Luckily, Hagrid was close.), which he was still in shock.
"Look! Mail!" Informed Van as they ate.
A great black owl landed in front of Hermione, handing over a copy of the Daily Prophet. She paid the owl and it flew away.
"No way! No bloody way!" Exclaimed Hermione.
"What!?" The four all said at the same time.
Hermione pushed the news paper in front of them, letting them read the front page article.
Robbery at the Ministry of Magic
Yesterday, at the Ministry of Magic library, three cloaked figures entered. "It was horrible, I swear real death eaters!" Said Mr. Booklice, who was working at the library that day. "They asked me on a book about human transfiguration, I told them no of course! It's in the restricted section, only people with a note singed by Mr. Fudge himself can have access to these books! So they finished by jinxing me! It was horrible!" He admitted. Why a book on human transfiguration? A trick from the dark lord? Can we trust our best friend anymore; will they end up being terrible death eaters?
"I really didn't see them come in." Informs Mr. Iseyou, who was on guard duty that night. "How could they come in without being seen? The ministry is heavily surveyed since the last entry on the Dark Lord."
What's going to happen next? (For a more detailed interview with Mr. Booklice and Iseyou, turn to page 4)(Ten ways to see if you friend is a transfigured Death Eater by Imnot Transformed, starts at page 10)
"What do you think its for?" Ron asked Harry.
"How should I know…nothing good I reckon." He answered.
Hermione, who had turned to page 10 out of curiosity looked over at the four.
"Rubish!" She said laughing. "Listen to this: Way number one, ask your friend to eat dragon blood, if he twitches and dies, its was your real friend. Way number six, ask your friend this question Are you a Death Eater? . If the answer is yes, he's definitely a Death Eater."
The five of them burst in laugher, Ron took the paper from Hermione and read on.
"Who would be stupid enou-" He said, interrupted by Seamus.
"Dean! Are you a Death Eater?" He said.
"What! No!" Dean Answered.
"Seamus?" Ron called. "You surely don't believe this rubbish!"
"Of course not! But hey, its worth trying!" He laughed. "He's always weird!"
"Who isn't…" Ron finished, sarcastically. "Harry, Put your thumb on your nose and say I am not a Death Eater If you turn red, your one, if green, you safe." He paused. "It says here that unfortunately, the color you take is permanent…"
-----
A week passed, with no more news of the Death Eater robbery. Harry's mood was getting more and more gloomy. He seemed quieter and less joyful. Obviously, the robbery had cut right through him. But the mid term exams were in two days, which added to the atmosphere of the school. Soon enough, the first exam day was here, and the five barely talk between exams. Finally, the first day ended, and students could relax for the after noon.
"So how went your practical section of herbologie?" Randomly asked Neville to Van and Steph who were studying Potion.
"Well…I guess…" Steph answered. "I totally forgot how to properly feed the Carnivorus Folianaros. I almost lost my hand."
"That's not so bad," Van Started.
"Not so bad!" Exclaimed Steph.
"I dropped the bucket of dead flies on myself, five Carnivorus Folianaros who happened to be close by jumped out of their pots and ran after me. I climbed in the nearest tree, which happened to be home to a family of Doxies…"
"Oh…" Said Neville and Steph at the same time, before exploding in uncontrollable laughter.
"Oh my! I forgot, I have to do something…Important…" Steph Exclaimed.
"I'll go with you, I need to stretch those legs anyway." Said Van getting up.
"NO! Euh, I mean no, Its alright, you stay here and watch… Watch Neville, he doesn't look to good does he." Said Steph before leaving in a hurry.
A panicked look appeared in Neville's face.
"What does she mean, I…I…Van?" He said, worried.
"Your fine Neville," Van started, "its Steph that you should be worried about…"
"Hein?" He asked.
"I don't know, she's been neglecting he school work, leaving every day at height to go somewhere… I wonder what she's up to."
