Disclaimer: I don't own the 'Harry Potter' series.

AN: This takes place the day after the previous chapter. There's a little extra something at the end. Thankyou for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this…

Chapter Twenty-Five: Stupid Housemates

"I still reckon this is the stupidest idea you've ever come up with. Worse than freeing the house elf! It's a newt level potion!" argued Steph, sitting on the end of my bed in the hospital wing. I still couldn't believe Professor Slughorn had actually allowed Marcus, Sandy and me to sweet talk him into letting us do it, but then we were all in his 'Slug Club' so he obviously liked us. Sometimes favouritism has an advantage.

"It's okay, the second years are helping, and the Professor said he would help if we needed it," I said. She wasn't happy when I told her our plan just after breakfast this morning – she said it was dangerous since I was apparently a 'walking disaster'. I wasn't. Mulciber was, and it was his stupid fault that I was stuck in the stupid hospital wing on only the second day of lessons.

Then again, he was in the hospital wing too, lying completely unconscious on the bed next to me.

The problem had started yesterday in potions, when Avery had discovered that Mulciber was even worse at potions than Robert was. I hadn't noticed because I had been busy doing my own potion, but the two of them had somehow managed to explode the cauldron and cover themselves in lurid pink gloop. Understandably Avery had told Mulciber that he never ever wanted to work with him again and in Herbology this morning had decided to work with Millicent. That had left me to work with Mulciber, who then decided to pull out a mandrake before I'd put the earmuffs on. I had fainted and was now in the hospital wing. My irritating partner had escaped unharmed but had managed to get burnt after setting fire to the desk when jabbing his wand at a feather that had been reluctant to float in charms class.

I glanced at him lying in the bed and hoped he wouldn't be such a nuisance with Devil's snare next week.

"What an idiot," said Steph. I couldn't agree more. Next herbology lesson, I would take my chances partnering with the Gryffindors like Steph. Would I rather be ridiculed by my housemates for talking to a 'Gryffindork' or risk disembodiment?

I sat up in the bed as Madam Pomphrey began poking me with her wand. She came to the conclusion that I was perfectly fine and that it would be best to hurry along before I missed any more lessons. Luckily I'd only missed one so far, and I already knew how to do 'Wingardium Leviosa' before hand anyway.

Steph noticed that Mulciber had stirred slightly. The two of us ran out of the hospital wing before he could wake up and see us together. When we got to the courtyard, we parted: Steph going to potions with Slughorn, and me heading towards the grounds for our first class flying lesson. This class was with Becky and the other Ravenclaws so I could easily get away with not talking to my housemates (Marcus had told me to make friends with them, but I still didn't like them very much).

I sandwiched myself between Becky and Nicola.

The flying part of the lesson was easy. All we had to do was make our broomsticks hover, and then climb on and fly about three feet off the ground. It was frustratingly dull but I understood that we had to start off easy because some people had never flown before and some people were scared of heights (like Grace who started screaming when her broomstick caught with the wind and floated at seven feet in the air).

"Why do we have to go so slow for the wusses and Mudbloods, Professor?" whined Barty.

"Mr Crouch, do not use that kind of language in lessons! Ten points from Slytherin!" shouted our flying instructor. I glared at Barty and he glared right back at me.

"But I could fly better than this when I was four, Professor."

"Well if you don't want to do this, don't come to the lesson," said the Professor. Barty stormed off back towards the castle and I was glad to be rid of him.

Of course, whilst all this was going on, she hadn't noticed that Evan had now speeded up considerably and was whizzing in and out of all the other broomsticks, trying to make the girls fall off. It was a good job that threats of being 'banned from flying if he didn't come down that instant' were enough to prevent disaster.

Apart from all that it was quite an uneventful day.

…..

AN: Sorry nothing much happened. Regulus will get to have a perfect day with Sirius soon, and Becky will get to have quite an interesting chat with James. But first, Andromeda makes a rather terrifying discovery, and the only person she can talk to happens to be Regulus. Sorry that Regulus's dorm mates are being annoying. He will become more friendly with them later.

Anyway, here is a little scene from a different chapter that I left out because Regulus didn't hear it. I've done it in a third person point of view because I wasn't sure whose view to put it in. Orion is Regulus's father. Cygnus and Alphard are the brothers of Regulus's mother, but both are Black's because Walburga and Orion are second cousins.

…..

DELETED SCENE

"Don't you think it is a little harsh not to allow him to play Quidditch?" Alphard Black had taken Orion into a little room off the hallway where Regulus wouldn't be able to here them.

"He's only ten," said Regulus's father.

"Yes, but we were much younger than that when we played on broomsticks. Don't you remember when we played 'bludgers' in the drawing room?"

Orion Black laughed, remembering the look on his Grandfather's face when he had caught them all and seen the state of the room. Then he was serious again. "Yes, and were our parents happy? No, they wouldn't let us do anything for weeks!"

"Yes, but I'm not suggesting you let him play indoors. He could play in the garden."

"Do you remember what happened when we played in the garden?" said Regulus's father.

Alphard tried to think back to when they were all young. There were several hundred memories of playing Quidditch in the garden and he couldn't think of any that were bad. He wondered which one Orion was thinking about. "Which time?"

"The one when I fell off and broke my leg and wasn't allowed out of bed for months on end," said Orion. Oh yes, Alphard could certainly remember that incident. All the whining and complaining and reading stories to the irritating six-year-old were rather difficult to forget.

"Yes, but you were six then. Regulus is ten. He'll be going to Hogwarts next year."

"He's on his own. There's no one there to notice if he falls off. I have to work and Walburga wouldn't notice or care enough to take him to St Mungo's if he got hurt."

"But he's bored. I caught him playing with biting books in Cygnus's library! Do you really want him reading about Horcruxes and being cursed by dark books? I'm telling you it's going to be a lot harder to try and ban him from reading than to stop him playing Quidditch!" argued Alphard.

Orion thought about it. He didn't mention that the book Bellatrix had given to Regulus probably mentioned Horcruxes anyway, but he could see that Alphard has a point.

"Ok. He can play Quidditch as long as myself, you, Cygnus or Druella are watching him."

…..

AN: That was just a little something extra for you that didn't fit in anywhere. Please review.