Once term started, the first year Hufflepuffs fell back into a general routine: they'd wait for one another in the common room each morning to go to breakfast together; from there they'd go to their lessons; to lunch; to lessons; drop their bags in their separate dormitories; to dinner; and then either work in the common room or library (although this depended on who had work they needed to do, or whether anyone could really be bothered).

Lizzie spent about half her evenings each week in the library. Between Cedric, Hermione, and any other bits of homework she didn't get done during the evenings spent with them, it was the easiest place to get stuff done. Apart from this she was either in their common room, dormitory, or spending time with Draco, but even this had become less frequent. Not for any particular reason that is, just due to life and homework and other things.

Occasionally Draco gate-crashed her library sessions with Cedric, but he'd always sit and do work too so that didn't bother her too much. However, it did bother her when she was with Hermione, he'd see them together and pull a face or go on a rant about it next time she was with him. After the second time he did that she told him he needed to mind his own business about who she spent her time with, and if he didn't like it then she didn't really care. It shut him up pretty quickly.

Ernie and Justin laughed when she told them, and Justin said he wished he'd seen the look on Draco's face when she put him down like that. In response she laughed as well; it had been pretty funny to see the Draco Malfoy gape like a goldfish.

"I just can't get to grips with it though."

Lizzie was taking a walk round the castle with Neville, who was struggling in Transfiguration again.

"Neville, you've had one class on it, you'll get there."

"But what if I don't? We have exams at the end of the year that we need to pass to get into second year."

"Neville, you have the entire rest of the year, you will be fine," Lizzie laughed, coming to a stop and slumping down against the wall. They were round the corner from where Lizzie knew the Gryffindor common room to be, although she was pretty sure she wasn't meant to know that.

"I know," he moaned, plopping down next to her and leaning his head on her shoulder.

She rested the side of her head on top of his, and they stayed like this for a while, in a comfortable silence.

"I'm glad I have you as a friend," Neville said, breaking the silence.

"I'm glad I have you as a friend too," she replied. She meant it, Neville had a whole other perspective on life and it was refreshing to hear it.

"I don't feel like I have many friends," he said in a very small voice. Lizzie almost didn't hear him, it was so close to a whisper, or a whimper would be more accurate.

"Neville, I know that's not true."

"It is."

"Neville, I spend time with Hermione, remember? I know everyone in Gryffindor in your year thinks of you as their friend, and I know my year in Hufflepuff all think of you as their friend as well. I don't know the Ravenclaws well enough to know their opinions, and I know you don't care about the Slytherins. That's at least half our entire year who like you."

She felt Neville shrug.

"Don't shrug at me, you know I'm right."

She felt him giggle a bit, "thank you."

"Any time," and they lapsed into a comfortable silence again.

Lizzie didn't often spend time with just Neville, but it was really nice when she got the chance to, and it saddened her to know he thought that little of himself, but knew the Slytherin's tended to bully him a fair bit. She didn't like that it happened, and it was one of the more common arguments she and Draco had.

"Elizabeth!" well, apparently if you think about someone they just appear, and she felt Neville tense slightly next to her at the sound of Draco's voice.

"Hi, Draco," she replied, her voice cool, silently warning him not to try anything against Neville.

"Longbottom," he nodded at Neville, who jerkily nodded back.

"Elizabeth, are you free?" He asked, now seemingly ignoring the fact that Neville was next to her.

"Not really," she frowned at him.

"Longbottom, can you leave?" he asked. "Please," he added, seeing the glare Lizzie sent his way.

"Ummm, I can, I guess," Neville said, going to stand.

"Neville, you don't have to," Lizzie said, standing up. "Draco, I'm busy spending time with Neville, can you not see that?"

By this point they were all standing; Neville fidgeting with his jumper cuff and looking frightened, Lizzie glaring at Draco, and Draco standing with his hands in his pockets, looking completely chilled.

"But I want to spend time with you."

"But I'm busy," Lizzie said through gritted teeth. She knew he was just doing this to rile her up, that he would piss her off as much as he could before apologising and leaving them alone.

"Fine, Neville, can you help me practise this spell?"

"What?" Neville looked as shocked as Lizzie felt as that sentence.

"I need to practise a spell, can you help?"

Lizzie looked at Draco with complete distrust, "what spell?"

"Just a simple little charm."

"What charm?"

"Well I would tell you, but you didn't want to spend the time with me to help, so I'll only tell Neville."

"Draco, you're being a child."

"It's okay, Lizzie," Neville said, "I'll help Draco."

She met his gaze, he looked slightly frightened but also brave; that was why he was in Gryffidor.

"Thanks, Locomotor Mortis," Draco said, pointing his wand at Neville.

There was a flash of purple light, and Neville's legs jumped together, causing him to topple onto the floor.

Draco started to laugh, and Lizzie bent down to help Neville back up.

"Thanks, Longbottom, just wanted to make sure I could do it right."

"Fuck off, Malfoy," Lizzie spat at him.

His laughter stopped, "Elizabeth, I only meant it as a joke."

"Well it's not funny, piss off back to your common room."

"Elizabeth," he made to step forward and she pulled her wand on him.

"I mean it."

He looked at the pair of them, shoved his hands back into his pockets, and slouched off down the corridor.

"What did he do to me?" Neville whispered, genuine fear filling his voice.

Lizzie ran a hand through her curls, "it's the Leg-Locker Curse, and I don't know the counter-curse."

"Hermione will, or someone else hopefully," Neville said, trying to stand and falling back down.

"I'll give you a hand to your common room, come on."

With some help from Lizzie, Neville managed to bunny hop his way to outside the portrait that hid the entrance to Gryffindor tower.

"You okay? I should go now."

"Yes, thank you, Lizzie."

"Anytime, I'll have a word with Draco if I can."

"You don't need to," Neville said, panic filling his eyes.

"Yes, I do," Lizzie replied, "be careful, okay? Don't fall over."

"I'll be careful," Neville smiled at her, and Lizzie headed back down the corridor so she didn't overhear the password.

Lizzie was crossing the entrance hall before she next saw anyone she knew.

"Lizzie, have you seen Draco?" Blaise was walking up the stairs that lead to the dungeons.

"Not since he cursed Neville in front of me about 10 minutes ago."

Blaise shook his head, "he's an idiot."

Lizzie raised her eyebrows at him, unsure whether he meant Neville or Draco.

"Draco, I mean, he's an idiot."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Lizzie scoffed.

Blaise laughed, "do you want me to pass a message on at all? When I find him."

"Not really."

"Really not happy with him, are you?"

"Not at all, no," Lizzie frowned.

"I'll tell him to leave you alone for a while."

Lizzie grinned at him, "thank you."

He nodded in response and walked past her, up the stairs to the upper corridors in an attempt to find his friend.

Lizzie continued her journey back down to the common room, and found Ernie reading on one of the sofas.

"What you reading?" she asked, sitting at the other end of it.

"A History of Magic," he said, not taking his eyes off of the page.

"Again?"

"Yes, again."

"Where's everyone else?"

"Library."

"Are you wanting to be left alone?"

"Don't care."

Lizzie sighed, leaning back against the cushions. She'd wait for him to talk to her; he would once he reached a good place to pause.

A couple of minutes later, or what felt like a couple of minutes because Lizzie had fallen asleep, Ernie nudged her.

"How's Neville?"

She grimaced, "Draco did the Leg-Locker Curse on him."

"What? When?"

"When I was with him, we had been happily chatting and then Draco rocked up, was being a bit of a dick, asked Neville if he could help him practise a spell, and did it."

"What did you do? Is Neville okay?"

"Yeah, we were only round the corner from the Gryffindor common room at the time so I helped him hop to the entrance."

At the look on Ernie's face Lizzie grimaced again, "I know I probably shouldn't know where it is, but I don't know their password or anything."

"You definitely shouldn't know where it is."

"Oh it'll be fine, it's not like I'm going to rob the place."

Ernie shook his head in disbelief at her.

"And I told Draco to fuck off," she finished answering his question.

"You what?!" Ernie spluttered, clearly pretty shocked at what she had just said.

"I told him to fuck off," Lizzie repeated, slower than before to give her brother a chance to process it.

"You told Draco to fuck off… you?"

"Yes, me, why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because it's you, and it's Draco, and it's you."

Lizzie glared at him, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"You've always been so nice to him."

"Not always," she rolled her eyes, "I just put up with him more than other people would."

"True, how did he react?"

"I don't think he was best pleased," she laughed.

Ernie started laughing as well, "I'm not surprised."

"He just tried to act cool and slouched off, and then I saw Blaise on my way down and he's going to tell Draco to leave me alone for a while."

"I doubt he will though."

"What? Blaise?"

"No, Draco, he won't leave you alone and you know it."

"So I'll tell him to his face that he needs to."

"But he won't," Ernie smirked, "he'll miss you too much."

Lizzie rolled her eyes at that, "he can manage a few days without me."

"Can he though? Can he?"

"Just because you rely on me for everything doesn't mean that so does he."

Her brother scowled at her, "I do not."

"Whatever you say, brother dearest, whatever you say," Lizzie teased.