It had taken much less time than expected to arrive to Kings Cross, or at least in Odile's mind. Of course, she had spent most of the trip chatting to both Weasley twins about a secret project the rest of the car were not privy to. She seemed much happier, Hermione observed, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She and Fred were closer than ever before, and were being "mind-numbingly couple-y" according to Ron. Then again, he did have the emotional range of a teaspoon, so he didn't really have room to judge.

"So Harry," Odile said suddenly snapping the boy out of his angsty teenager-staring-out-of-the-window mode, "Fred tells me you have a secret club in the works. How's that going?" Harry shot a glare at Fred who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"You told her?" He spat viciously at the red headed twin. Fred leveled Harry with a cold look of his own.

"Of course. She's one of us Harry. You need to accept that." Harry glared at him for a bit longer, before sighing and slumping back into his seat. He rubbed his eyes, and looked at the girl warily. Odile was struck by how old he looked. He was a boy, no older than 15, and yet he was so mature for his young age. She couldn't believe that she used to hold the boy in such low esteem. He was not an attention seeking child. Quite the opposite actually. He was a boy that was forced to grow up too fast. From his parents murder, to his first encounter with death at 11. He had the whole of the wizarding world on his shoulders, and he looked so tired. It was a wonder he was still sane.

"Look I'm sorry Odile, it's just-"

"Hard for you to trust an outsider. I understand. I get that you'll not just welcome me with open arms. I just want you to know that I'll back you Harry. I'm in this for the long game." She replied simply, surprising him. The children glanced back at the processing Harry and towards the blank faced Odile.

"I… thanks Odile." He finally said in a small voice. She nodded sharply before cocking her head.

"So… the club?"

They spent most of the rest of the car ride discussing how the club was progressing, and future lesson plans. It turned out that Odile was quite insightful on what spells that would be useful to learn, certain stunners and counter-jinxes that even Hermione hadn't thought of. The rest of the car really hadn't been around the girl all that much and were surprised at what they found. She wasn't at all what they assumed she'd be. She was expressive and quite funny, and very intelligent, but also immensely sarcastic. She was definitely a puzzle. She had a deeper voice for a girl, but it seemed to add to her character. And one thing none of them had counted on was her genuine interest in their world.

Perhaps they had just judged her by house, but she was actually interested in hearing about Hermione's mum and dad, and Ron's deep seated love for a certain Bulgarian Quidditch player, even if it had been tarnished a slight bit. She chatted to Ginny a bit about Dean, a boy she'd been "crushing" on (the girl was not slick with her attempts to make Harry jealous), and even managed to crack a joke with Harry. By the time they'd reached the station, they'd forgotten all preconceived notions about the girl. Odile smiled up at Fred when he grasped her hand as they exited the car.

"Well… you did it. You somehow got everyone to like you, even mopey over there." He whispered into her ear, motioning to the aforementioned Harry. She chuckled before flipping her hair back with her free hand.

"What can I say? It's called Southern charm for a reason." He rolled his eyes before giving her serious look.

"Are you up to this?" She shot him a confused look before he motioned towards the platform they were approaching.

"Oh you mean the complete isolation I'm about to get from my house for dating a Weasley? Or the fact my father might actually disown me for being a 'blood traitor'? Or for the fact that the gossip will going in overtime now that I've actually got a ring?" She chirped to his surprise. His eyes fell the ring gleaming from around the silver chain on her neck. She never took it off, not even to sleep, and it made him grin every time he saw it on her. He scratched his head at her words, trying to think of a response.

"Well, I guess all of the above?" She laughed at his response, before pressing a gentle kiss to the back of his hand.

"As long as you stand by me, I think I'll be alright." And if he said that that didn't make him feel like a fire had been sparked in his heart, he would be a damn liar.

"Come on then. To Hogwarts we go."

"Alright, let's make this year our bitch. They won't forget about us." She declared with a smile on her face, and thrust a fist in the air. He gave her a strange look, and cocked his head to the side.

"Oh come on man, the Breakfast Club? One of the greatest cult classics of all time." When he simply shook his head she flung a hand up to slap her face, and dragged it downwards.

"You know, the moment we leave Hogwarts, I am so renting that VCR."

"... VCR?"

"OH FOR SALAZAR'S SAKE FRED!"

###########

The rest of the train ride consisted of their regular banter, but it was much more light-hearted, and was mostly made up of discovering the multitude of cultural differences. For example, the literal ten minute argument of whether colour was spelt with a u or not. They finally agreed to agree to disagree, but only because George threatened to spike their pumpkin juice if they didn't stop. Odile managed to get along pretty well with Lee, and let her inner scheming Slytherin release itself. They spent a majority of the trip discussing what pranks they could unleash, yet still get away with. When Lee left to go grab some food from the cart Fred motioned for the two remaining members to lean in closer and muttered a quick silencing spell.

"Something's got to be done about Umbridge. Someone just needs to step up to the plate and take over. And I've got just the plan." He whispered as he pulled the journal that Odile had given him from his pocket. The two brothers exchanged wicked grins while Odile leant forward, ready for whatever mischief and misconduct they were planning.

#########

Her happy mood was quickly shot down once she reached the Great Hall. She knew she had to separate from Fred and George, and while she wasn't that clingy, she honestly didn't want to have to deal with her house and their prejudices. They were both already getting judgemental stares at their linked hands. She let out a deep breath before preparing to walk into the grand room, mentally preparing herself for the scrutiny of the Slytherins. She felt herself being gently pulled to the side before she could enter and turned to face Fred, who had grasped her chin in his hand.

"Hey, listen to me. These people don't matter. Their opinions of you don't matter. You are the strongest girl I've ever met, which is amazing given that I know both Hermione and Ginny. Alright? Chin up Black Swan. Be proud of who you are. Because who you are is so much more powerful than any charm or spell." She swore upside and downways she felt her insides melt after that little speech. He didn't tell her that he would protect her always, because he knew full and well that that wouldn't go down well with her independent attitude. He didn't tell he loved her, because he knew she wasn't ready for that step yet. He reminded her of her inner strength, and that ladies and gents, was the way to win over Miss Odile Abigail Reisinger.

"Alright, let's do this before I change my mind." He nodded with a grin at her resigned tone, and slung an arm around her. She could already hear the whispers starting, which annoyed and confused her. Did these people really have nothing better to do? Had no Slytherin in the history of Hogwarts dated a Gryffindor or something? Or were they just so bored that they latched into anything different? As they entered the Hall Fred pressed a kiss to the side of her head and walked off to his table in the opposite direction of hers. Recognising the eyes on her she calmly sauntered towards her table and took a seat. She could practically feel the heated glares on her skin, but she brushed them off.

People were always going to judge, she had learnt that from her father. When she was first removed from her home and forcibly brought to jolly old England her father had hosted a dinner party to welcome his daughter. Or at least that's what he said. It was really just a political play given the fact there was no one in attendance even close to her age, apart from her asshat of a half brother, and no one acknowledged her existence. Not that she was really up for a party given the fact her mother had just died. Later she had been told that she had looked insolent and anti-social for not interacting. So when the next dinner party had rolled around she'd done her best to interact and be sociable. Afterwards she'd been berated for speaking before being spoken too, and was told that children should be seen and not heard. There really was no way for her to catch a break. People judged her for being quiet, or for being social. They'd always judge. It's human nature. It was human nature to be cruel.

################

She sighed a little once the feast was over, and once she returned to the common room, she immediately curled up in a armchair by the fire, ignoring all those around her, fingering the ring hanging around her neck.

"Did Weasel give you that?" She was knocked out of her musings by a snooty sounding voice. She looked to her left to see Draco and his gang sneering at her. She rolled her eyes before running a hand through her hair.

"Yes, Fred did give me this ring." She answered in a clipped voice, hoping that that would be the end of the conversation.

"Told you Drake-y." Pansy snarked in her nasally tone from atop her perch on the arm of Draco's seat.

"I thought you said that there was nothing going on between you and the Weasel twin." She huffed and shot him a look.

"His name is Fred. And things change. Not that it's any business of yours mind you." He growled and sat forward at the last bit of the sentence.

"None of my business? You're disgracing the good name of Slytherin. That's my business." She rolled her eyes once more at his reply and turned her body to face him.

"Really? My relationship is disgracing your house's good name? Perhaps the Slytherin name is weaker than I thought." That got the attention of the entire common room, everyone waiting on pins and needles for Draco's reply.

"You can't say that!" Pansy cried in outrage.

"Shut up Patsy, no one is talking to you." Odile replied, not bothering to look at the girl, still locked in a glare battle with Draco.

"How dare-"

"Pansy. Enough." Draco cut across, causing the girl to pout and lean back. He cocked his head and observed the girl in front of him. She was pretty enough, and a pure blood. And sure enough, her father was very high up on the totem pole, in both the Ministry and the inner circle of Death Eaters. Just why this girl was associating herself with blood traitors was lost on him. She could be with any eligible Slytherin bachelor. So why a Weasley?

"So you're perfectly alright with disgracing not only our house, but your father's name and position?" She snorted at that and shrugged her shoulders.

"He doesn't care. I've been a disgrace since day one to him." Draco could empathise with that, though he didn't dare admit it. Perhaps that's why he disliked the girl so much. She reminded him of a carefree version of himself, perhaps what he would have turned out like had he not been placed under so much pressure to succeed. He scoffed at her answer, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then you're just as bad as your mudblood loving, blood traitor of a boyfriend." She narrowed her eyes and stood, marching over to where he was seated, causing Crabbe and Goyle to stand uneasily.

"Listen here brat," she hissed, pointing a finger at him in a way that was somehow threatening, "You can say what you want about me, but don't you dare insult Fred. Only I get to do that. Capisce?" He nodded quickly, ashamed to admit how frightening this girl's temper could be. She nodded once before heading towards her dorm, but not before turning around to face the room once more.

"I may be in a relationship with a Gryffindor, but that doesn't mean I've gone soft. I will not hesitate to make your lives a living hell if you mess with me. I'm still a Slytherin, and if there's one thing we're excellent at, it's revenge." And with that she ascended the staircase, closing the door behind her. She didn't slam it, which in its own way, was scarier. She had this sort of cold fury, that no one felt like going against. At least not yet.

Alright kiddiewinkies, that is all. Hope y'all enjoyed! See you Friday!

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EDITED= 09/14/17