A/N: It seems like I'm always opening this with a greeting and then some sort of apology for the late update... so let's skip that, as you now know it still applies. I hope I didn't make you wait too long! We haven't forgotten what happened, right? No need for a previously-on section? I'm going to take your silence as a "no, thanks". Anyway, this is chapter 25! One-fourth of 100! Just to clarify, I am not posting 100 chapters in this fic. It's just fractions. And a perspective. And holy crumbs this story is already way longer than I thought it would be...

Also, I'll try to get another chapter out within the next few days as an apology for the late update, but it will be a filler chapter with some character development. Like a lot of my writing these days, I suppose.

Reviewer Response at the bottom!

Disclaimer: I like to have warnings, but their kind of dull most of the time... I'm American, sorry for any term mess ups. And I don't have an editor or anything, so there will probably be spelling mistakes and stuff.

On with the story!

When February first rolled around, Amy approached Hermione Granger to make sure she really was doing okay. Amelia had never gone into the Hospital Wing to visit, mostly because she was pretty sure they weren't that close. They had only managed one conversation, and it was just after something pretty dramatic so Amy didn't feel it counted. However, after Hermione was released from that wing of the castle, Amy had no trouble going to her and asking how she was doing.

However, there were some in her company that were not so sure of that logic.

"Why did you go talk to Granger?" Asked Vincent Crabbe as Amy returned to her seat in the Great Hall.

It was lunchtime, and they'd ended up sitting across from each other. Lynne was on her right, as was normal now. But across the table sat Vincent, Gregory Goyle, and Draco Malfoy. The last of the trio pointedly ignoring her presence the majority of the time.

"She's just spent over the last month in the Hospital Wing due to some unfortunate accident," Amy said. "Released this morning, in fact. I'm just asking how she's doing."

"Obviously better, since she's making us suffer through her presence again," Draco muttered, digging his fork into his food.

Amy gave him a pointed look. "She hasn't even been within three meters of you yet. This is the first time you've been in the same room since Christmas."

"Yeah, well, that know-it-all shouldn't be here in the first place." Draco stabbed the prongs of his fork hard enough onto the dish to make the plate squeak in a painful pitch. They all froze, each of their eardrums echoing the sound uncomfortably for a few moments.

Amy nodded thoughtfully, looking at her plate.

Lynne observed her friend carefully. Lynne understood that Amy knew Draco's point of view, and she would respect it. No matter how much she clearly disagreed with it. And maybe it was the lack of jam on the table that made her irritable, or perhaps she'd just grown tired of Malfoy's jibes, but Lynne couldn't stand her friend's idleness that day.

"Why not?" Lynne snapped at the Malfoy.

Amy looked up from her food. "Lynne, I don't think—"

"Why doesn't Granger deserve to be here?" Lynne asked. "She's top of her classes. All of them. Everyone knows it, and it's really no surprise. She respects the study of magic as if it were a sacred art, which is what you're claiming. Even at our age. So what's your problem with Granger?"

Lynne Morr had been very quiet whenever they sat together. Whenever Amy insisted she would be sitting by Malfoy and his friends, Lynne tagged along out of a weird urge to protect and defend. Amelia was her friend, and she knew first-hand what the prejudice was doing to her. It was ugly and immature, but it was happening. The only reason it hadn't gotten to Lynne first was because of Rory. However, the Slytherin girl had stayed quiet most of the time, simply observing each situation.

"It's because…" Malfoy trailed off and went from glaring harshly at Lynne to staring curiously at Amy. After a moment of complete silence from Draco, he returned his gaze to Lynne, glaring once more. "I don't need to explain myself to you."

"Your argument is that you don't need to argue?" Lynne huffed, taking a piece of buttered bread into her hand as she continued sarcastically. "Well, I'm glad you have a solid reason for your bias."

Draco looked steamed then, and Amy traded a tired look with Vincent and Gregory.

As Draco opened his mouth to respond, Amy lifted her hand as if in a classroom and she was waiting to be called upon. For some reason, this caused both him and Lynne to pause. "Yes?" He snapped.

"Why are we arguing about this?" Amy asked, lowering her hand. "It's pointless. Hermione Granger is here, I'm here, and there's really nothing anyone can do about it at the moment." Her voice sounded tired as if she were repeating herself for the hundredth time. "So can we please just enjoy lunch?"

They were all silent for a short while, staring at her. She nodded as if that had been exactly what she wanted. "Thank you."

The rest of the group watched her eat for a second before they slowly returned to eating themselves. First Crabbe and Goyle. Then Malfoy and Morr.

Vincent and Gregory shared an amused glance behind Malfoy's head, sending Amelia Ross a look of pride. She'd just seemed so fed up with the situation. It was hilarious.

For some reason, however, that was the end of the majority of Draco's comments. Not all of them, as Crabbe and Goyle still heard the pure-blood Slytherin make a stinging statement about one muggle-born or another. But suddenly, the frequency shortened. And often, when the two of Malfoy's long-been-friends normally expected to need to hold Draco back from offending Amy, there would instead be a thoughtful silence in place of a sharply-spoken word.

Draco was thinking before he spoke. A very mature thing to find in someone only twelve. He was, of course, expected to be mature in his home, as his father was often in the center of a lot of politics. This wasn't always the case, though. Children are normally more honest in their emotions than adults. This isn't always a negative trait, but when one is full of anger or irritation, it can lead to conflicts faster.

But the normal companions and friends of Draco Malfoy noticed a decline in these conflicts. It was a slow process, and the majority of the time they could practically see the contemplation in his eyes. He still sounded obnoxious often, and they had expected that as Draco couldn't just drop his standard identity.

In that moment, though, Amy had given him something to think about. Something to ponder. If he only made snide remarks about a situation, it wouldn't change. It wouldn't get better. And it certainly wouldn't turn around into something that he wanted to happen. So, perhaps, the best option he had was to make a strategic peace with the Hufflepuff-transfer.

Jasper had never seen such a cheesy display in all of his life. Upon exiting his dorm that morning, the normally-golden-with-sunlight common room appeared covered in a blanket of soft pinks and deep reds. Inwardly, Jasper wondered why. Why would there be hearts… everywhere? And then he remembered the day.

Valentine's Day.

The very first thing that shot through his head was a very simple thought; Oh, dear.

And not a moment too soon, as he'd been spotted.

Bene was energetic that day, her thick hair was in ringlets as bouncy as she was, as always. "Hey, Jasper!"

"Hello, Bene." He greeted her easily, looking around the room still.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" She said excitedly, holding something out to him.

Jasper looked at her hands, startled for a moment, before realizing she was handing him something. He took it in gentle fingers. It was a small, red card. It simply read It's great having you as a badger! And a repeat of that most common phrase: Happy Valentine's Day!

The Slytherpuff smiled slightly as he read it before he looked up at her. "Thank you, but… I don't have anything for you."

"That's fine." She waved her hand dismissively. "I just hoping I would get to you first."

Jasper frowned at her then. "Why?"

"To warn you," Bene admitted. "Professor Sprout encourages platonic gift-giving on Valentine's. Cards are the easiest thing for students to get to and afford. You're brand new to this house… have you done the math yet?"

Jasper had, but he wasn't sure if his calculations were correct. "I'm going to get a few more of these?" He offered the idea as a question for confirmation.

"More like a few dozen more." Bene corrected. "Have fun." She gave him a smirk and walked away.

"Gee, thanks." He muttered as she retreated, shaking his head. She could have been over exaggerating. In fact, she most likely was. Right?

Amy held the card out to Lynne with a smile. The brunette took it with excitement dancing in her eyes and opened it. She read the words, and Amy shifted her weight nervously.

The Hufflyn had written a small thank-you note inside to try and show some of her gratitude for Lynne helping her feel more at home in Slytherin. She wondered how it would be received.

The answer was simple enough Amelia could have predicted it. It was received with a broad smile, and a tight hug, and a transferred letter of her own. Amy was surprised by the card she'd been given, but took it without hesitation, opening it to read the inside.

"To: my best friend, Amy. Thank you for all of the fun times this year. Happy Valentine's Day!"

"I hope you don't mind the address," Lynne said suddenly. "I know we didn't actually say anything about it, but—"

"Of course we're best friends!" Amy interrupted her nervous rant. "We're the best of friends!"

Lynne's eyes sparkled with happiness. "Really?"

"Yes," Amy confirmed. "How could we not be?"

"Aw..." Lynne blushed slightly, before reaching up to her hair. She patted one of her braids for a moment before looking suddenly appalled. "I didn't grab my heart pin!"

"You go get it, and I'll meet you at breakfast, okay?" Amy offered.

"Sounds good to me. Though I may be a bit; I haven't worn it in a while, and I don't remember where I put it." Lynne admitted sheepishly.

"That's fine, I don't mind waiting for you," Amy tried to reassure her. Then she looked past Lynne to see more people she knew, and some of them had a card addressed to them in her hands. "Excuse me, Miss Lynne." Amelia politely dismissed herself with an over-exaggerated bow. Lynne giggled, and Amy skipped away.

"Rory!" She passed the tall boy a card. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Thanks," He said through his surprise before she hopped away to catch someone else.

"Hey, you three," Amelia greeted as she slid into step next to Vincent Crabbe. "Happy Valentine's Day." She passed Vincent his card first. And then to Malfoy. And then another to Gregory.

"Christmas and Valentine's Day?" Vincent asked with a smirk. "We must be friends or something."

"Your wit is noted," Amy said with a roll of her eyes and a mirrored smile. "See you at breakfast!" She rushed off, not wanting to pressure them into reacting to her sudden arrival.

Amy then continued her hastened pace out of the Slytherin common room, going up the stairs from the dungeons. At the top of the staircase, she turned the corner and abruptly tripped. Cards flew into the air as she released them to try and catch herself. They fluttered slowly to the ground in contrast to her instant plummet to the floor. She grunted upon landing and could guarantee her elbows were bruised.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

Amy recognized the voice that spoke, and the coldness concealed in the phrase. Malice wrapped in the soft fabric of polite words. A hand reached down in front of her face. Not to offer her help to her feet, looking instead to lift one of the bright-colored cards from the ground. Amy followed the thin fingers to a wrist, then up the student's cloaked arm to a sneering face. Her round nose lifted snootily into the air, there was Mavis.

That was, of course, the only name Amy knew her by. It was her surname, but her first one had never been offered. Amy's mindset on the subject was that if her roommate didn't want to share her name, it was her own business.

"Who's Beany?" Mavis asked as Amy quickly pushed herself to her feet.

"It's Bene." Amy put extra emphasis on the last syllable in spite of herself, the "ay" in the pronunciation drawing itself out. "It's French. She's a Hufflepuff prefect."

"So you're still keeping in touch with your old house," Mavis observed.

Amy nodded mutely and bent over to pick up the rest of the cards. An extra set of hands began helping her. She didn't recognize the boy they belonged to.

"You are so kind, Matt," Mavis said, obviously to the other student, in a patronizing manner. But when the boy stood, a pile of cards in hand, he made no move to give them back to Amy.

So she took initiative. "Could I have those back, please?"

The two Slytherins traded a look. Mavis tipped Bene's card in her hand until it was sideways, locked eyes with Amy, and then tore it in half.

Amelia's eyes widened. "Why did you do that?"

"You're not even going to do anything about it," Mavis threw the pieces over her shoulders and grabbed another one from Matt. "Are you?"

"Please, don't—"

Amy's plea was interrupted by the sound of more ripping paper. The Hufflyn clenched her fingers around the cards she held, pulling them protectively to her chest. She stared at the other girl with an expression nearly blank. I can fix them later. She repeated the sentence like a mantra in her head.

Still tearing each card, Mavis was frowning thoughtfully. "Wow. Nothing. It's like you're too stupid to comprehend that I'm doing this. Because how can anyone be mean, right?" Mavis shook her head, her voice a sickly sweet. "Hufflepuffs with their heads in the clouds, and an idiot of a mudblood. Put them together, and it's always going to be a useless combination. Aw, look, Matt. I think she might cry."

Amy's eyes were wet, sure. But it was with a low-boiling rage as she stared into the other girl's eyes.

As the last card fell to the ground, Amy forced a smile onto her face, the wrinkling of her eyes causing the near-tears to become more prominent and her vision blurred. "Happy Valentine's Day." She worked out eventually.

Matt and Mavis looked at each other in confusion before looking at Amy in irritation. Something in their eyes said that it wasn't the last time Amy would be interrupted by them. The lack of reaction from the Hufflyn was stopping them from having ammunition, however, and neither knew what to do about it at that moment. So, they left, Mavis pointedly treading on the torn paper beneath her feet.

Amy was going to wait until they were gone, but the presence of other Slytherin students exiting the stairway pushed her into action. They gave her odd looks as she arranged the pieces of cards into piles on the ground. It was a few seconds later when she was approached again.

"Ross?" The voice was confused and hesitant. Amy didn't look up at them, not wanting to show the pure emotion she knew was plastered on her face. She pulled out her wand and sniffed, her sinuses getting runny from her holding back tears.

"Ross, are you okay?" The voice again. She ignored it.

"Reparo," Amy cast the charm on one card, and its halves bound together again with a soft flutter of paper.

"Uh… Ross?" A new voice this time. She knew them. Both of them. The first one had been Gregory. The second, Vincent.

"Reparo," She muttered again, on a different card, and it mended itself as well. Her voice cracked on the next one, and she stopped, leaving the cast unfinished. Maybe it would be easier silently.

There were footsteps as someone walked around her to stand in front of her and her pile. Nice shoes. Probably expensive. Not big enough to be Gregory's. The thought didn't get much further as she then saw knees, the other student kneeling on the ground. Amy lifted her eyes to meet the cool irises of Draco Malfoy.

The blond looked away from her face uncomfortably, probably seeing the unshed tears there, and shifted around the pieces of paper like a puzzle. Before long, he was muttering the Mending Charm himself, putting the cards back together.

Amy didn't have the breath to thank him, still trying to contain her own emotions. She didn't trust her voice. Vincent and Gregory quickly knelt down as well, working on the cards themselves. They were antsy as if they'd wanted to act but had waited for Draco's move first. That didn't surprise her; they were as loyal as Hufflepuffs. She didn't think much more about it as she watched them mend some of the cards. There were quite a few; Amy had made some for the professors as well as for most of the students she knew in her original house.

Not wanting to speak at all for the moment, Amy began casting the charm silently, her focus completely on the task of performing each one correctly. It was almost calming, the method of her actions. After doing the last, she realized the three boys across from her had stopped to stare at her.

She cleared her throat and gathered all of the now-fixed cards into a bundle. "Thank you," She said simply.

"That was insane," Gregory muttered. "You didn't say a thing!"

"She's been taking classes," Draco told his friend.

"Oh, right!"

"Are you okay?" Vincent asked. "What happened?"

Amy sniffed and made her way to standing. The boys followed. She gave them a shaking smile. "I'm fine. It happens all the time. Just some pure-bloods in Slytherin showing their opinions."

The three boys traded looks rimmed with mild amounts of guilt. Draco frowned at her. "Why didn't you fight back?"

She shrugged. "As much as it angered me that they could just… do that, I didn't want to make a scene. And I knew I could fix them."

"But… you worked hard on them." Vincent said.

"Yeah, well, I could just work hard again to fix them. It's not a problem, really." She shifted the stack in her hand to try and line the cards up so they were easier to grip. They were silently observing her.

She sighed. "Listen, I'm going to head to breakfast. Are you three coming?"

"Sure." Gregory was the only one to answer.

Amy smiled kindly and began walking, following a group of Slytherins that had just exited the dungeons themselves. As she fell into step behind them, the trio that had helped her did so as well. And they walked to the Great Hall together.

A/N: Why am I so mean to these characters? I feel like such a terrible person sometimes... Anyway, a relatively short chapter in acknowledgment of the upcoming holiday. This is sort of a filler, and the next one will be too, but I'm hoping to get back into the actual plot soon. Thanks for sticking around, you guys!

Reviewer Response:

imasurvivor21: Hello again! Goodness, I'm sorry this one took so long to get to you. I'm super excited that you're still enjoying it, though. Thank you for the review!

mathgirl92: HI! I, as a Hufflepuff, will now frequently use the following quote from your review as a personal response to many things: "Badgers are persistent, (he/she/they is/are) just delaying the inevitable." I actually laughed out loud at your review. Thank you for it!

Catch you later!