After Cameron, Clara, and Kimmy had left, Oswin spent the rest of the day in the library, playing with her snowglobe. It was a clever gift, she thought. She hoped the others liked it.

She wasn't just idly playing with it, however. Somehow, she'd managed to get hold of a list of names who were staying over Christmas. When she'd seen Janice Foster near the bottom, she'd started her scheming.

She needed a way to get Foster back for what she'd done to Cameron, and make sure she never laid a finger on that poor boy again. Oswin liked Cameron, and she wanted him to be safe in his own damn common room.

She knew from her brother that before Foster, most muggle borns had been accepted without complaint. But Foster was a natural leader, and so she'd changed the house to fit her blood purist ideals. It was awful.

Of course, it wasn't all Foster, and not the whole House. So many Slytherin's were Purebloods, raised to believe that they were the ideal, she just gave the the extra push. And She had little control over the older years, but most of them couldn't be bothered to step in; they had bigger things on their minds.

Oswin had met with her brother a few weeks ago, ranting and raving about how ridiculous it was that Slytherins, who were supposed to be ambitious, not destructive, and calm, not volatile, where crushing Cameron under their thumbs.

His response had been to very carefully explain how Slytherins were ambitious and calm, but also manipulative. "Janice Foster," he'd said. "Is rather good at that last one. Before her, Slytherin was what you described. But she changed it, Oswin. Made it what she wanted. The younger years revere her, will do anything to make her proud. And the older have more important issues on their mind than a bit of bullying."

"It's not a 'little bullying'! He's scared to sit at his own house table for Merlin's sake!"

She'd gone away pissed at the world, and it had only grown when Cameron had come to her with more stories of Foster's bullying. It had died down, from what she'd heard, but not stopped. And after the fight he was in, she was especially sure that he needed help.

So now, out of anger, and a need to protect him, Oswin was planning her revenge.

In addition to that, she was trying (and failing) to use the empty castle as a chance to discover more about the Mist. It was coming to the point where even Oswin was noticing things missing from picture. Anything from teapots to long swords to the quiet ladies in the background of Renaissance pieces.

Once, she even saw the Mist as it swirled into a painting. It had taken a suit of armour off of a knight, who'd proceeded to rush off.

In short, Oswin was curious, but had very little to show for her curiosity.

Sighing, she stood and stretched. Pocketing the snowglobe, she set aside her plans of revenge and instead headed down to speak to the painting that Cameron was apparently on speaking terms with (really, it would be that boy who made friends with a painting of all things).

"You're Joey, right?" she said as he approached, and the boy nodded, shoving a teacup into his pocket. "I'm Oswin, a friend of Cameron's. I was wondering if you could tell me about the Mist."

"Last I heard," he answered, looking thoughtful. "The Mist was taking people from pictures. It stopped taking random things and started taking weapons, like it was preparing for something."

"For what?" Oswin wondered.

Joey shrugged his small shoulders. "I dunno. Like a battle, I guess."

"Why would paintings need to fight?"

"Maybe to get out of these canvases. It's weird only touching things that have been painted for us." Joey shrugged again. "But who knows? I'm perfectly happy in my frame."

Oswin knew, of course, that paintings had personality and emotion. When she was younger, she'd spent much of her time talking to the paintings on the walls of her families house. But then she'd grown up, a bit, and realized that paintings were really just things.

She'd never thought that maybe the paintings felt differently.

So she simply hummed, and made up something about needing to go, and walked off with much on her mind.

Rodger found her several hours later, pacing through the north tower, and snapped his fingers to make her look at him. It was their code, as siblings.

"Hey," Oswin murmured.

"Hey back." He replied, coming to stand next to her. "I'm sorry I upset you before."

She shrugged. "You're right. Slytherin isn't a very safe house right now, is it? Foster appearing and changing the way it works… It used to be nice, didn't it?"

"Sometimes, the muggle borns were the best part," he confessed. "They had different ambition, and could help us to understand things better. They gave a new perspective, and taught us things we never knew. It was charming, and they could use it to their advantage."

"How very Slytherin of them."

"Of course, sometimes we'd end up with pure blood elitists, but after a year or two they'd learn." Rodger smiled fondly. "Protective of our own, we are."

"And then came Foster."

"And them came Foster." He agreed. "I was in year three when she arrived. I don't know how she did it. Her manipulative nature was he key Slytherin trait, and she convinced the younger ones that she was right. Soon, she'd gotten herself to a pretty powerful position within our house, and… Well, the older ones couldn't be bothered to stop her, until it was too late."

Oswin sighed. "I guess it's lucky not many muggle borns have been sorted there, then."

"Makes it all the worse for your friend, though. They finally have a way to prove their loyalty to her. A muggle born the can poke and prod."

She hummed, leaning against the window sill and stating at the sky. "It's Christmas tomorrow."

"I know."

"Why didn't we go home?" She sighed, her head falling against her chest.

"Mum and dad are away, you know that."

"I know… But this place… It's amazing, but it feels cold when no one is here."

"I know what you mean." Rodger laughed. "Come on, sleep in my common room tonight."

She agreed, and they went together to get her things.

Christmas morning, for her, didn't officially start until eight o'clock. So when Cameron called her and she explained the gift, that didn't really count as her morning, and she managed to sleep another hour.

Then, she woke up to all of the remaining Slytherins crowding into the common room, shouting happily at each other.

"Come on, let's open our gifts!"

It was then she opened her eyes, and realized that in one corner of the room, a giant Christmas tree was propped up, with a mountain of presents at the bottom.

"Do Slytherins always do this?" She asked her brother, looking baffled.

"Every Christmas. Come on, yours are there too."

With a laugh, she joined the group, and started unwrapping her presents.

A few hours later, she was holding her gifts (a new jumper, a new dress, a golden pendant, a detailed map of Hogwarts which told her where she was standing (only her though- she wondered if there was a way to make it show the others), and several boxes of sweets) and throwing them into her own common room.

She had spent the entire morning with the Slytherins, watching how they interacted. They were tight knit, but not loud as she thought they would be. When talking to each other, they would smile and joke, but when talking to her, they were more closed off.

Janice Foster didn't look at her, not even once.

In fact, Foster remained quite aloof the woke morning. She didn't speak to anyone, and they gave her a wide berth. She was an icy cold queen, and although she didn't speak, her presence was still known and acknowledged.

It was interesting, but Oswin was starting to see what Rodger meant. Foster ruled with an iron fist, and an unspoken threat.

Finally, once Oswin got away, she had come up with a plan.

She had to kick Foster off her unofficial throne, but seeing as that was currently impossible, she's have to settle for something else.

She spent the next two days searching for a spell, and when she finally had it, she brought it to Rodger and presented her idea.

"You want me to what?"

"You heard me."

"It's a good plan, but if we get caught…"

"You have to time it just right, R, and then no one will know it was you." She snapped her fingers and his eyes snapped instinctualy to hers. "Please?"

He relented at her expression. "Fine. But you owe me one."

"I know." She kissed his cheek and headed off, a new smile on her face.

The first day of term couldn't come fast enough, in her opinion.

Authors Note:

All right, the second chapter today! I hope you enjoy it!

I will warn you right now-Oswin's plan is horrible and downright mean. This is, however, addressed within the story, and she will learn her lesson. At this point, Oswin is a very volatile character. She is fiercely protective of her 'own' and that comes across quite horrible. Don't worry- she mellows.

Thanks for reading!

LJxx