"So, second Hogsmead weekend this year, coming up in two days." Zoe heard Ashley say happily as she sat beside her at dinner that night.

Zoe shrugged. "Yeah. So?"

"Well, did we have any plans?" Ashley asked.

Zoe shook her head. "I was going to stay here and pretend I know what I'm doing for my Transfiguration homework."

"So you aren't going with Trainston?" Ashley asked cautiously.

Zoe shook her head. "Like I said, Transfig, and his name is Samual." She responded. "Anyways, him and I didn't make it past our first date, remember. He's dating Jasmine now… did you forget already?" Zoe demanded.

Ashley giggled a little at that, and Zoe brought her head up to see exactly what she was giggling at. She noticed the Marauders come in, and Zoe was pretty sure it wasn't James, Sirius, or Peter she was giggling over.

"You ok Ash?" Zoe asked.

Ashley shrugged. "Of course I'm ok." She said, a little to forcefully, then a guilty look descended across her face. "Sorry, minds gone." She said as she picked at Zoe's food, which really irked the girl.

"Hey Ash." James said as he sat down across and slightly to the right of Zoe.

"Hey James." Ash answered, in no way giggly, which only reinforced Zoe's opinion.

"You going to Hogsmead?" Sirius asked as he popped one of Zoe's chips in his mouth.

Ashley shrugged. "That's this weekend?" She asked.

Zoe looked at her with surprise written all over her face, completely forgetting in her shock, that she was irritated at the people who kept picking at her food. Ashley ignored her.

"Yeah." Remus piped up, not lifting his head from whatever book he was reading now.

"I don't know, I should probably stay and help Zoe with her Transfiguration." Ashley said with a shrug and a bit of hair playing.

Zoe knew she probably had this weird mix of surprise, exasperation, and eye-rolling type expression on her face, but she couldn't help it.

"Dammit." Remus said, surprising everyone at the table. He gave a sheepish look, "I stabbed myself." He explained, waiving his hand a bit.

Sirius looked from Remus to Ashley and back, then a slow grin appeared. "I'll help her, I owe her for last year's DA anyways." Sirius said quickly.

Ashley blinked a couple times. "Well, she's kind of the only one who allows herself to be drug threw the bookstore." Ashley explained.

James caught on to what Sirius was doing immediately, and smiled. "Take Remus. He always drags us threw that stupid place, he'd love to go."

Remus looked up. "I would?" He asked. Then shook his head. "I would." He said, more assuredly this time. "I would love to, if you don't mind me asking about some of your better Muggle authors that is."

Ashley smiled and did some half shrug, smile, shy thing Zoe hadn't ever seen before either. "I'd love to." She said, then looked back to the plate Zoe had finally slammed in front of her.

"Great." Remus said a bit too quickly. "It's a date." He said, then froze. "A non-date, date. That is." He said shakily.

Ashley smiled. "Perfect." She said, then stood and left, not even bothering to eat anything Zoe had placed in front of her.

"W-o-w." Sirius said slowly, and loudly. "That wasn't a freakfest at all."

Dawn slammed her elbow into his ribs. "Be nice." She demanded harshly as Anya chuckled.

Sirius threw up his hands in surrender. "Hey. I'm not saying it's bad, just odd."

Zoe sat forward so only Remus could hear her. "Do you like her?" She asked.

Remus shrugged.

"Well, when you find out -" Zoe paused for a moment. "Just realize she's a good person underneath all her oddness." She finished with a wink and stood, heading for the Library.

That Friday, Zoe ran towards Charms class, late. Unfortunately someone else was late as well.

"Hello my pretty little bird." She heard none other than Amycus Carrow whisper in her ear after grabbing her arm and wrenching her back into his chest.

Zoe sighed. "Oh, I can't believe I didn't smell you." She threw at him as she tried to wrench her arm back.

That was one thing about Amycus, he may not look all muscled, but he was definitely hiding strength under all that fat of his.

"Well, well, well. I see you haven't lost that tongue of yours." He said as he blew against the back of her neck.

Zoe stiffened, hating the feeling that it always gave her, the one that reminded of her mother standing behind her. "I'm going to be late." She said stiffly as she finally wrenched her arm away. She winced slightly, feeling the bruising that would definitely be black by tonight. "Goodbye." She said as she turned and stomped away.

She heard a laugh behind her. "I'll be seeing you, just like I promised." He said sweetly, reminding her of a creepy stalker. She shook off the feeling as she took off towards Charms.

Zoe gave a sigh of relief and absently rubbed at the bruise on her arm as she finally sat in her last class of the day, History of Magic. She'd beaten everyone to class, having rushed from Herbology to escape the Slytherin stares she'd been receiving all day. At least now she could save a seat for Sirius and wouldn't have to worry about any of the girl's she'd been basically fighting all day. When had Sirius become such a top item on every females list?

She was rummaging through her bag. It wasn't until she sat up and almost fell back over in surprise, that she realized someone had sat beside her.

"That seats taken." She informed the greasy Slytherin sitting beside her. She then turned to her other side. "As is that one." She informed the Slytherin on her other side.

"By whom?" The first Slytherin asked.

"Not you." She informed him, acid in her voice.

The second Slytherin lifted up and dropped a piece of her bangs that were hanging over her eyes. "You really should stop surrounding yourself with filth you know." He informed her.

She rolled her eyes. "You know, just because my mother happens to be a Muggle hater, doesn't mean I do. And the Marauders aren't filth."

The first Slytherin snickered. "If your mother could see you now."

"Right at this moment, she'd probably say I was sitting with those beneath me." Zoe informed the two Slytherin. "And I'm not talking about the Marauders."

The second Slytherin got his back up a bit at this and grasped her already bruised arm, causing her to wince. "You'll learn your place." He informed her as he stroked the sleeve of her robes and pressed harshly on her bruise, as though he knew it was there.

Sirius had walked in with James, Remus, Peter, Dawn, and Anya when he'd noticed the Slytherin surrounding Zoe. He noticed one grab her arm and he saw the immediate wince that came to her face. He angrily stalked forward, noticing with each stroke of the boys thumb, her face seemed to pale.

"Yeah, well her place isn't with you." He informed the boys as he heard one of them threaten her.

The Slytherin turned and dropped his hand, stepping back slightly in fear. "You can't touch us." The first Slytherin said quickly.

"You want to bet?" Sirius asked with a cocked brow.

"Your nothing more than filth, surrounding yourself with filth." The first Slytherin snarled. "You could be so much better. You're a Pureblood."

Sirius scoffed at the words he'd heard most of his life. "I am better, and it isn't because I'm pure." He informed the two, reaching for Zoe, but making sure he didn't grab her upper arm. He picked up her bag and book from the floor. "Now, we're leaving. Have a good class." He finished as he led her away.

"What was that about?" Dawn asked when Zoe sat between her and Sirius.

Zoe shrugged, saying nothing.

"You ok?" Anya asked from beside Dawn.

Zoe nodded, flipping through her book and trying to forget the little incident. Because she knew she wouldn't, couldn't actually, tell them anything.

Sirius couldn't keep from staring at her. There was something she was hiding, and it wasn't just the odd behavior of the majority of the Slytherin House.

All through class Zoe kept her head down, ignoring everything, even the professor. She doodled a bit on the page of notes she was trying to write, but all in all it was an unproductive class, just as all the classes with Slytherin had been today.

That night Zoe sat in the Library, trying to concentrate on her assignments, when Sirius marched up to her. "What happened to your arm?" He demanded without ceremony.

Zoe looked up, then glanced at her arm, making sure her sleeve was still down. "Nothing." She said quickly after being sure her sleeve still covered the bruising.

Sirius arched a brow but said nothing, instead he stood and walked away without a backward glance.

Zoe browsed the library after that, trying to find the last book she needed to finish the essay before she had to head to her dorm for the night. She was so far back in the library she didn't realize it was empty until she was cornered in between two shelves with no one around to call out to.

"What do you want?" She asked the Fifth Year Slytherin standing directly in front of her.

"Well," the white haired Slytherin said shortly. "I wanted to extend my protection once more to such a beautiful little Pureblood."

Zoe scoffed. "Why?" She demanded.

"Your mother and my father are old friends and your mother asked if I'd watch out for you." He explained.

Zoe glared at the boy. "Well, thanks but no thanks." She said, repeating what she'd said the year before.

The pale haired boy grinned but said nothing more and just walked away. She had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time she saw that boy, he'd likely be around quite often if she wasn't mistaken.