Christmas break seemed to last longer than Alli had expected. She was anxious for classes to start back up. So when the day came Alli jumped out of bed and dressed as quickly as she could. Ashley was still asleep when Alli got up. Alli didn't seem to care about being politely quiet so Ashley was woken up when Alli slammed the door shut. Ashely groaned and pulled her silky green sheets over her head.

Alli reached the Great Hall before hardly anyone else in the school. She often got up early anyway so she was not nearly as exhausted as the few students that were present. Alli sat down at the empty Slytherin table. She was greeted by breakfast foods appearing in front of her. She reached for an English muffin and began to spread honey on it when Ashley sat down beside her.

"I was actually trying to sleep in this morning as long as I could," Ashley grumbled. Alli looked at her blankly.

"Okay," Alli said in a really-not-caring type of voice.

"You were loud. You slammed the door. Don't you care at all that I was sleeping in the bed across from you?" Ashley paused as Alli continued to stare at her blankly. "Oh, wait. No, you probably don't. Do you?"

"No," Alli replied. "I really don't."

Ashley rolled her eyes. Alli shrugged her shoulders and turned back to her meal. Ashley shook her head slowly.

"Sometimes I really don't understand you," she said.

"You don't have to," Alli replied with another shrug of her shoulders. Ashely laughed quietly and began to spoon porridge into a bowl.

The first class on Alli's schedule was Charms. Alli held up her map once more to find Professor Flitwick's classroom. Surprisingly, Alli found it with ease. Maybe she was finally beginning to understand the layout of the castle.

Her success of finding the classroom excited her a bit. She wasn't late this time which was great because being late stressed her out. Alli had to be on time for everything. It was a manner that she had been brought up with when she lived with the Herndon's back in America. They had a weird thing about being on time and Alli had picked up the same trait in her personality. It was one of the few mannerisms she picked up from them. Everything else seemed to come from, well, she wasn't sure. Perhaps she inherited her personality from her mother. Alli was confident and mostly sure of what she wanted, and she loved that part of herself.

Alli had been looking forward to Charms class. She sat down in the front row and placed her book on the table. The classroom filled up. Little Professor Flitwick appeared and stepped onto a stool at the front of the classroom.

"Welcome to Charms for sixth years everyone!" Professor Flitwick said in a high-pitched voice.

"I suppose everyone is here now so we will begin. But, first of all, I would like to introduce Colton Taylor."

Flitwick held out his arm gesturing to a tall boy standing behind him by the chalkboard. Colton Taylor stepped up beside Professor Flitwick. "Taylor will be assisting me with this class because this is a rather big class, and I am a rather small man." He chuckled at his own joke. Alli fixed her eyes upon Colton Taylor. Taylor had short tousled light brown hair and deep-set pale-blue eyes that held a calming gaze. His eyes scanned the class. His eyes landed on Alli for a moment and then quickly flickered away.

"Taylor is a 7th year Hufflepuff; very skilled in Charms. I'm sure he will be a great help to both myself and you this term."

Taylor smiled and nodded his head once.

"Thank you, Professor Flitwick," he said with a strong, deep voice.

"Now, today," Professor Flitwick continued, "we will be learning the Aguamenti charm. This particular charm allows a stream of water to come from the end of the wand. There are several ways of how strong or light the water can stream. It is up to you to determine how the charm shall be cast." Professor Flitwick looked excited. Coming from such a tiny wizard it was rather adorable. "Taylor would you like to perform a demonstration?"

Taylor smiled and pulled out his wand from the inside pocket of his robes. He stepped closer to the class.

"I'm going to first demonstrate the light 'spitting' type of the Aguamenti charm," said Taylor.

A few girls in the back of the classroom giggled. Alli turned her head to look at them and realized it was Pansy Parkinson with two other Slytherin girls. Alli recognized them as Millicent Bulstrode and a girl named Joyce Harbean, one of Pansy's friends. They must have been gossiping somewhat loudly because they caught Taylor's attention. Taylor smiled lightly.

"You three there in the back," Taylor called in the girls' direction. Joyce shut her mouth and the three girls faced the front. "Which one of you would like to be my assistant?"

The girls exchanged glances. Then, Pansy stepped forward.

"I'll do it," said Pansy. She walked to the front of the classroom.

"Thank you," said Taylor. "What is your name?"

"Pansy Parkinson," Pansy said.

"Good, Miss Parkinson. Now, stand there," Taylor told her. Pansy crossed her arms. Taylor raised his wand.

"Wait a minute," Pansy said. "What are you doing to—"

"Aguamenti."

Taylor flicked his wand to the side and a small stream of water spat from the end of his wand, splashing Pansy in the face in the cold, dripping, wetness. The class erupted with laughter. Pansy's mouth dropped open.

"That was completely—" Pansy began. But Taylor cut her off by touching her back and pushing her towards the class.

"Very well done, Miss Parkinson," said Taylor. "Thank you for your help."

Alli caught Pansy's eye and gave her a sarcastic, closed-mouth smile. Pansy rolled her eyes and rejoined her friends in the back.

"Thank you, Mr. Taylor," Professor Flitwick piped up. "Class, I would like each of you to partner up with the one sitting beside you. Alli looked to her right and saw a boy with a gangly posture, long greasy hair, and bright red pimples covering his face.

"Hi," the boy said in a nasally voice. "I'm George Thompson."

"Hi," Alli said slowly with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm Allison Potter."

"Yes, I know who you are!" said George excitedly. He slightly bounced on his toes as he said this.

"Great," she muttered. "It just has to be the weird kid."

"What?" George asked, his voice cracked.

"Nothing, nothing," Alli said.

"I guess we're partners," George said.

"Well, obviously," Alli replied. She crossed her arms and faced the front. As Professor Flitwick gave the instructions to practice the Aguamenti charm Alli tried ignore George Thompson's strange shallow mouth-breathing noises. He was standing unusually close to her.

"Remember, all, only raise your wand and slash it down slowly so that just a small amount of water emits and sprinkles your partner," Professor Flitwick instructed. "Now, off you go."

Alli turned to George.

"Would you like to go first?" George asked her in the same nasally voice. Alli uncrossed her arms.

"Sure," Alli said. She smirked and tried to decide whether she should just do the small sprinkles of water or "accidentally" do it wrong. Alli sighed silently. This boy hadn't done anything to her except be slightly annoying. So, Alli figured it was not enough evidence to be mean to him. Alli raised her wand at George. Before she had a chance to slowly lower it, she felt someone's hand grab her wrist. Alli looked over her shoulder to see Colton Taylor with his hand wrapped around her wand arm.

"You know you were about to emit more than just sprinkling from your wand, right?" he said with a small laugh.

Alli raised her eyebrows showing him that she was clearly offended by his forward statement.

"You're raising your wand too high and if you were to angle it in the direction you had it you could possibly drench your partner," said Taylor, "and we wouldn't want that."

But, then again, he seemed to know what he was doing, and that was something Alli felt was rather… attractive. So, she just nodded, slightly embarrassed by her immediate response to his help.

"Here," Taylor said. He helped Alli lower her wand and angle it a little less than 45 degrees towards the floor. "When you anchor your wand downwards you need to give it a sort of flick at the end. Then, say, 'Aguamenti'."

Alli nodded. She did as she was instructed and a small sprinkle of water spat from the end of her wand towards George.

"Good," said Taylor. "Your wand seems very loyal to you. You know, a wand made of holly is known to be very bonded to its owner."

"How did you know my wand is made of holly?" Alli asked.

But Taylor did not answer her question, instead, he offered to see her wand. Alli handed it to him curiously.

"Holly, twelve inches, unicorn tail hair core. Very nice," said Colton Taylor. He winked at her. Alli felt a little warm inside—a feeling she hadn't felt in a while. But, her curiosity pushed that idea away.

"Hold on, how do you know that?" Alli asked. "You don't even know me." Colton Taylor smiled at her.

"My grandfather is a wandmaker," said Colton. "I used to help out in his shop when I was younger. I watched him construct wands and I learned a little bit. That's all."

"Can you do that to my wand?" George piped up suddenly. George handed Taylor his wand.

"Let's see," Taylor said. He slid his fingers from the tip to the grip at the end. "Pear wood, ten and a quarter inches." He tuned the wand vertical and seemed as if he were looking inside it. "Phoenix feather core." George looked at him in awe. "Owners with wands made of pear wood are often generous and warm-hearted. You must be good spirited for it to have chosen you."

George beamed.

"I assume you all have had a good bit of practice with the Aguamenti charm by now," Flitwick said to the class. "Mr. Taylor and I will now demonstrate a way to repel water with the Impervius spell."

Taylor left George and Alli to stand next to Flitwick at the front. Flitwick pulled his wand from inside his cloak and held it out delicately in front of him. Flitwick raised his wand and swished it downwards at a 45-degree angle sending water towards Colton Taylor. Taylor responded quickly.

"Impervius."

The spell acted as a shield around him. The water seemed to dissipate at first, then was shot away from him. Taylor lowered his wand completely dry. Flitwick clapped his hands together.

"Wonderful! Absolutely brilliant, Taylor," said a proud Flitwick.

"Thank you, sir," he said.

"Alright, everyone. Find a new partner and begin practicing!" Flitwick instructed.

"Bye," George said to Alli with a small wave of his hand. Alli gave him a small smile and then rolled her eyes once he had walked away. She looked around the room with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Would you like to be my partner?"

It came from that same sweetly fake voice that made Alli want to hit something. Alli groaned and looked at Pansy Parkinson.

"Why do you always have to show up?" Alli asked with a sigh.

"Will you be my partner, Potter?" Pansy repeated. No, of course Alli did not want to be her partner. Was Pansy mental? But, Alli didn't want to seem weak for declining so she reluctantly agreed.

"Sure," Alli said in her own sweetly fake voice. She smiled at Pansy but her eyes gleamed with distaste. Pansy smirked.

"Good."

They stepped in front of each other.

"I'll cast Aguamenti," Alli told her. "You can try and deflect it, kay?"

"Why do you get to choose who does what?" Pansy said slightly angry.

"You were the one who wanted to be my partner," Alli replied with a smirk. Pansy decided not to respond. "Alright," Alli said, happy to know that she had won that little argument.

Alli raised her wand.

"Aguamenti!" called Alli. Completely aware of what she was doing, Alli slashed her wand straight down with no care about the angle of her motion nor how fast she had done it.

"Impervi—"

But, it was too late, and to Alli's amusement Pansy was drenched in cold water. Pansy let out a small scream and wiped her wet hair out of her eyes.

"Are you mental?" Pansy growled taking a step towards her.

"You were the one who wanted to be my partner," Alli said again with another little smirk playing on her lips.

"Miss Potter!"

Flitwick had appeared beside Alli.

"Yes?" said Alli innocently as if she were completely unaware of what she had just done.

"Now, just look what you've done to Miss Parkinson," Flitwick said angrily. Alli looked at Pansy.

"My bad," said Alli with a shrug.

"Detention, Miss Potter."

Alli's mouth dropped open.

"What? Why?" she exclaimed. Their discussion had now silenced the class turning everyone's attention.

"You knew perfectly well what you were doing," said Flitwick.

"It's not my fault. Pany didn't do anything to try and defend herself!" Alli objected.

"You didn't give me time," Pansy whined.

"If this were in the real world your opponent wouldn't have given you time, either," Alli replied.

"Enough," Flitwick said. "Miss Potter, you will meet me in my office at 6 o'clock this evening to do lines."