I'm back from vacation, which was cool, but I'm also glad to be back. And I don't like being without my laptop. Not one bit.

Anyways, thanks to the four people who reviewed, it's greatly appreciated.

"Selene! Selene, hey stop for a sec'!"

I turned around, once again faced by my brother. "What do you want?"

"I heard about that Evans girl. She's a friend of yours, isn't she? How is she?"

"She's fine. But that only disappoints you, doesn't it?"

He smiled coldly. "Listen, sister, I don't know how you found out, I don't even care – but stop. Interfering. In my plans."

I squared my shoulders. "And watch as she's being choked by some girl you placed the Imperius on? Too much of a coward to do it yourself? I don't think so."

A slap echoed through the air and it was only then that I realized the sting in my cheek. He had actually hit me. As if in trance I reached up to touch my cheek as he stared at me, somewhat dumbstruck.

"Great," I whispered. "That's what I need my big brother for."

"Problem?"

"Potter," Evan acknowledged coldly.

"Rosier." Potter looked at me quizzically. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Thanks, James."

Potter nodded slowly. "Great. Then let's go."

I opened my mouth and he said, before I could even make a sound, "Studying, remember? You asked me for help in Transfiguration?"

I caught on to what he was doing and nodded. "Sure. Sure, let's go. Until then, Evan."

I followed Potter up the stairs and around a corner. There, he stopped and looked at me with a sort of worried expression. "Are you okay?" he repeated.

"Yeah. I said so, didn't I?"

"Damn, I saw him hit you, that's not what I understand by everything's fine."

"Doesn't even hurt."

He groaned. "Honestly, Rosier, are you that stupid? Or is there some grand scheme that I'm not figuring out, 'cause just ignoring your own brother is hurting you isn't exactly smart."

I leant against the wall. "Why do you even care?"

"Oh, I don't know, but I've been spending the past weeks watching over you, it's sort of a habit by now."

I snorted. "Yeah, right."

He smiled awkwardly. "Since when are you calling me James anyways?"

"Keeping up appearances. They expect us to be friends."

"How very Slytherin of you."

I laughed. "I heard that before."

He grinned at me. "Okay then. I better get going... Remus is letting me copy his Charms essay, so..."

I shook my head, but smiled. "Sure. Hurry off."

I watched him as he turned the corner and thought that maybe, it wasn't only to keep up appearances after all.

"I heard Lily Evans was attacked by a fellow Gryffindor."

I didn't even look up from the essay I was writing. "I can imagine that you heard about that."

Reg sighed mockingly. "Will you ever look at me?"

"I don't think so."

He was silent for a moment. "You don't even want to know if it was me?"

"No."

His voice hinted at surprise now. "Why not?"

I put down my quill and finally looked up. "Honestly, Reg, don't you see that I don't want to talk right now?"

"Why not?" he repeated, grey eyes sparkling. Apparently, I had caught his interested with that.

"If it has been you, I don't want to know. See, I don't want to hate you. Most of the time, you just don't leave me any choice... but I don't want to. I really liked you, once. But now – you're one of those people. One of those maniacs. You're like my brother! Obviously, I didn't know you at all! And that hurts. So, if it was you – keep it to yourself. Search someone else who's interested in you bragging about it. It's not me."

His eyebrows rose higher and higher during my tirade and he was now smiling stiffly. "It wasn't me."

"Good to know."

I picked up my quill again in order to return to my essay, but he interrupted me at once. "How's the little mudblood?"

"Don't know who you're talking about."

"Evans, how's Evans?"

"She's fine. I'd be more worried about McKinnon. She still wants to go and choke Lily."

Reg stared at the table before him. "We can't lift the curse. The one who had put it would have to go up to the Hospital Wing and..."

"He should turn himself in."

"Are you nuts?" he exclaimed, but quickly lowered his voice to a normal level as some Ravenclaw girl snapped at him to be quiet. "They're going to Azkaban for this if they're caught."

"Yeah," I said. "That's where they belong."

I grabbed my paper and quill. I wouldn't stay any longer and listen to him. With a sudden movement, Reg grabbed my hand. "Selene, listen, I'm sorry – I should've never threatened you or those other Gryffindors..."

I pulled my hand free. "You know as well as I do, that I can't accept that apology. Not if you're that kind of guy... you better stay away from me."

"You really said that to him?" Lily asked. We were sitting in the Great Hall, assembled on the Gryffindor table. No one looked at me strangely anymore. I had been sitting here for weeks now.

"I did," I said quietly. "And I don't feel very good about it."

"Nonsense," Sirius said. "He deserves it all!"

"It's just that he wanted to apologize," I muttered. "And I turned him down. It feels wrong."

"You're just too compliant," James said, frowning. "Haven't you told Sirius about your brother?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What about him?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. "What about him?"

I glared at James. "It wasn't anything important."

"Then tell me," Sirius urged. "If it's not important, there's no need keeping it quiet."

"I don't want to tell you."

James groaned. "He hit her. Right there in the hall."

I huffed in annoyance. "Was that really necessary?"

"He hit you? He hit you?"

"Straight in the face," James offered.

Sirius' eyes darted over to the Slytherin table. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him for that."

"No," I interrupted him sharply. "No, you won't kill my brother. You'll stay where you are. It was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing!" James exclaimed. "I was right next to you I saw..."

"Shut it, Potter."

James frowned at me, then sighed. "You really are stubborn."

"We have enough problems as it is, I can deal with family problems on my own. And this was a family problem and had nothing to do with the likes of you. I mean it, Sirius," I added as he was still glaring at the Slytherin table. "You'll leave him alone."

The next morning provided us all with the horror that only war can inflict. As I was putting butter on my toast, a terrified scream sounded through the Great Hall and everyone turned automatically toward the Hufflepuff table, where a girl collapsed onto the table, sobbing hysterically.

"Oh Merlin," Lily whispered next to me. "That's Hazel Carruse. She's in our year."

"What do you think has happened?"

Wordlessly, she handed me the newspaper. ATTACK ON MUGGLE-BORNS IN EXETER.

My mouth fell open as I read on. Hazel Carruse was the daughter of two muggle-borns. Death Eaters had killed her family; murdered them ruthlessly in their sleep. It was cruel, out of thin air. There was no way to see it coming, for no one. I wondered what Hazel's parents had done to attract attention.

My eyes searched for Sirius, hoping he would have something comforting to say. His eyes were fixed on the Slytherin table, though and as I turned to have a look as well, I saw Reg and my brother talking quietly and both looking incredibly smug.

"Bastards," I whispered.

"Are you sure I'm not allowed to kill him?"

"Absolutely," I answered as he finally met my eyes.

"It's horrible." I turned in my seat to look at Remus who was staring at the Hufflepuff girl, sobbing in the arms of a friend.

I shook my head slightly. "I don't understand... I just don't understand why."

"Why don't you ask my brother, he sure knows an answer," Sirius said bitterly.

"Padfoot-"

"Leave him," I said. "We're all a little irritated right now. If you don't mind... I think I'm finished with my breakfast."

I got up, leaving the Gryffindors and my untouched meal behind.

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