A/N: You know, I used to get really apprehensive about reading reviews, but you guys are so sweet and kind and supportive! Thank you so much.

Enjoy!

Chapter Five

Badgering badgers

Befriending Cedric Diggory was, well, a bit worrying.

When their dinner ended, the elves provided them with even more sweets. As they laid their eyes on the goblet full of pumpkin pasties, Alex suddenly remembered why Cedric was so familiar to her.

He was the boy who died at the Triwizard Tournament – the martyr who helped convince the school that Voldemort was, indeed, back.

Alex left the sweets untouched.

When Cedric asked her why she wasn't having any, she brushed him off by claiming she didn't have much of a sweet tooth. Well, it would've been more accurate to say she didn't have much of an appetite at the moment. And how could she? Her dinner mate was destined to die in around five years' time. Unless she prevented it.

Oh, and wasn't that another issue altogether? With great power came great responsibility, she knew, but Cedric's death was significant for the war in and of itself. How different would things be were she to prevent it?

Dear Merlin, she was turning into Dumbledore.

Feeling queasy, Alex quickly pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She had a few years yet to deal with that.

Of course, Cedric's prevalent presence threw a spanner in the works. You'd think you wouldn't often see someone from a different year level, but it was almost like Cedric was seeking her out. Or someone up there was basking in her misfortune. Whichever.

Alex could've gotten rid of him. A few harsh words, maybe a jinx or two, and Cedric would learn to steer clear of her. But she enjoyed being around him. He was a step up from Grant and Duncan in terms of maturity—but only slightly—and it was surprisingly easy to talk to him. A Hufflepuff through and through.

"I never did thank you, did I?" she asked, prying her eyes from the Great Lake. It was the middle of the day, and the water was sparkling so prettily she was almost tempted to dip her toes in. She would've, too, if she hadn't known what was lurking beneath its surface.

Cedric was leaning back, his hands flat against the green grass as he eyed her curiously. "For what? Accompanying you out here?"

She scoffed, amused. "You did that yourself," she noted wryly. That wasn't necessarily true; sure, he had spotted her, walked over and asked if he could sit, but she still acquiesced, mildly surprised and rather pleased. "No, I meant for not telling anyone about what happened on Halloween."

"Oh, that?" Cedric thumbed his nose. "I actually forgot all about that."

"Cedric?"

"Yes?"

"You're a terrible liar."

Cedric laughed aloud. He sobered a few moments later. "They haven't been bothering you, have they?" he asked apprehensively.

Why was he so worried, though? This went above and beyond casual caution. Maybe he was naturally nurturing? She was his underclassman, if only technically. That would also explain why he accompanied her whenever he ran into her; he'd come and sit next to her in the library, the kitchen, and random spots throughout the castle and its grounds. A small, lonely first year was quite pitiful, wasn't it? Especially when the first encounter was one which involved bullying, essentially.

"Not particularly," she answered. "I find them glancing at me at times, with a touch of hostility too, but they never try to come close." Perhaps the Baron had chewed them out? After that incident, she began to notice him and the other house ghosts much more. Had Sir Nicholas spilled and revealed her secret to them? Gryffindors were infamous of their tact, or lack of, after all.

Cedric ran a hand through the tufts of grass. "May I ask why they were behaving like that?"

Alex made sure to screw up her features into a look of bemusement. She had plenty of practise moulding her expressions over the years. "They never said. But it seems like it'll only happen on Halloween." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking forward to next year's."

"You have the spells I taught you."

"True," she said easily, even if she doubted they would be as potent on such an eerie night. "How'd you find them?"

"Oh, my aunt is researching on how to exorcise ghosts," he said proudly. "Her husband—awful fellow, my uncle—was trying to hustle a couple of Dark wizards and witches, and was killed because of it. Of course, he was always afraid of death, even though he pulled ridiculous stunts like that all the time, so he became a ghost. He regrets it. Being a ghost can be dreadfully dull."

Alex nodded. "And so your aunt feels bad for him and is trying to end his suffering by discovering a method of exorcism?"

"No, she finds him annoying and wants to get rid of him."

Alex laughed long and hard. "Wise woman," she choked out.

They continued chatting until the sun set, whereupon they headed to the Great Hall for dinner. Alex was in a good mood, so she actually attended this time. She felt lighter than she had in weeks. Granted, as soon as she was conscious of that, she grew grave.

Alex made a decision then and there. She would protect Cedric Diggory's smile no matter what – even if she had to face the Dark Lord himself.

Before she even thought of fighting Voldemort, though, Alex was busy trying to defend herself from her own schoolmates. The more she and Cedric hung out with each other, the more she found herself being used as target practice by Hufflepuffs. Whoever said they were the marshmallow house were dead wrong, because their jinxes were nasty.

It started with a few distrustful stares and some muttered insults. It was a little nostalgic, actually. When the schoolyard bullies (because that was what they were. Honestly, wizards and witches thought they were so above muggles, and yet…) realised it had little effect on her, judging by the lack of acknowledgement she provided them, they upped things up and started using their wands instead of their words.

But they were her age – the oldest couldn't have been over thirteen. More so, they were Hufflepuffs, and so it wasn't as bad as it could have been, say, if they were Slytherins instead. There were a few tripping jinxes here and there, but Alex either dove out of the way, or simply rolled with it when she was hit. In the meantime, it was a great motivator for getting her to learn the Shield Charm.

This morning was one of those occasions where she managed to get to class unbothered. Alex settled into her usual seat at the back of the Transfiguration classroom, preparing for class. By the time she was done, Duncan and Grant had arrived. They shared a meaningful look between each other before glancing at her.

"What's going on with you and the Hufflepuffs?" Grant said bluntly. Well, at least he didn't beat around the bush.

"Are you all right, Alex?" asked a much more careful Duncan.

Alex kept her demeanor as casual as possible. "The Hufflepuffs aren't too pleased with the fact that a Slytherin is hanging around one of their own," she said wryly. "Which is pretty ironic, considering they're prized for their loyalty."

Duncan looked horrified. "You're being bullied?" he hissed.

"Seriously?" sniggered an unfamiliar voice. "A Slytherin bullied by a Hufflepuff? Merlin, Fortescue, you put our House to shame."

Alex instinctively scowled at the condescending tone before schooling her features into cool puzzlement. "Sorry, who are you?" she asked, genuinely clueless.

Her Housemate was turning a lovely shade of red. "I'm Yatin Bhagat, halfie. Remember my name and learn your place."

"Yatin Bhagat Halfie?" she repeated innocently. "That's a bit of a mouthful." She purposefully misconstrued the way he was practically trembling with rage. "It's okay, though, I don't mind what your name is. After all, I'm not the type of ignorant bigot who discriminates people based on circumstances they can't help."

Before Bhagat could reply – with a slew of swears and slurs, no doubt – Agatha nudged him with her elbow. "Careful, Yatin. Remember Halloween? Who knows what influence she has on the Baron," she murmured. The blonde shot Alex a mildly frightened look over her shoulder.

"Oh, please," scoffed Bhagat. "No one could even hear what they were saying. For all we know, he could have been threatening her."

"I'm not sure that was it," whispered the quiet girl on his other side. Judging by her dark hair, Alex guessed it was Katherine. She didn't bother turning to look at Alex like her friends did.

Bhagat looked like he still had something to say, but he was interrupted by Professor McGonagall's entrance. He settled for one dirty look at Alex before facing the class once more.

Duncan and Grant shot her looks, too, but theirs was tinged with concern rather than anger. Alex gave them a small smile in return, all the while thinking that, even though they must have witnessed the Hufflepuffs harassing her, they had done nothing to help.

It was lunchtime, and she still hadn't been bothered by the Hufflepuffs. That gave her that extra boost of confidence she needed as she entered the Great Hall and, spotting Cedric, sat next to him at the Hufflepuff table.

Nearby conversations stopped. Cedric's eyes were wide with surprise, but his lips were slowly twitching into a smile. "What're you doing here, Alex?" he asked.

"Yeah," grunted a girl on the other side of the yellow-bannered table. "What're you doin' here, snake?"

"Grabbing lunch," Alex replied, snagging a few sandwiches. "I love food," she said gravely. It was a good thing Hogwarts was so large, because it kept Alex moving almost constantly. Without the exercise, there was no doubt she'd double in size by the time the year ended. She wouldn't be able to dodge all the spells thrown her way if that happened.

Cedric nodded. "That's a good motto." Despite his easy-going demeanour, Alex noticed the subtle stiffening of his spine as well as the clenching of his fists as his eyes darted around the table. Ah, so he had noticed the hostility from the majority of the Hufflepuffs, too.

"I was thinking about getting it tattooed on me," she continued, taking a bite of her tuna salad sandwich.

"I meant," the girl continued, "what're you doin' here? Go back to your nest."

"Unfortunately," she said, swallowing, "I managed to tick one of my Housemates off, so I thought it best to stay as far away from them as possible today. I could've sat with my Ravenclaw friends, but that table is too close to the Slytherins'. I don't have any Gryffindor pals"—not yet—"so Hufflepuff was my only option. Right, Cedric?"

Cedric wasn't even fazed. "Sure," he answered immediately, perhaps used to her oddness. Very adaptable, that boy was.

"Cedric," whined a boy on his other side. "Why are you defending her?"

"Because she's my friend."

Alex brought a hand to her mouth, smothering the wide smile threatening to bloom.

"On that note," she continued, moving onto the next sandwich, "what would you do if you saw your friend being bullied?"

Cedric's brow wrinkled in confusion. "I'd help that friend and call out the ones doing the bullying."

"And if the bullies were also your friends?" Alex flicked her eyes towards the nervous students around her before staring Cedric dead in the eye. "What then?"

"I'd…do the same thing, but much more intensely."

Alex's smile shined like artificial light. "Great," she said brightly. "Mind passing me an apple?"

The 'Puffs were grateful for the change in topic, judging by the way their bodies loosened and their small, almost silent, sighs. Cedric's friends spoke to him normally, ignoring Alex all the while. But that was to be expected.

What was unexpected was how frequently Cedric ended the conversation pre-emptively, and instead tried to spark a conversation with her. When his friends doubled their efforts to engage him, he tried creating an opening for her so she, too, could be included. Alex was touched, but didn't reciprocate the effort; the Hufflepuffs were looking like they wanted to hex her then and there the way things were progressing. That didn't seem to stop Cedric, though.

Lunch couldn't have ended any quicker. Alex wanted to do nothing more than to dash right out of the Great Hall, but she forced herself to walk at her usual pace. She waved goodbye to Cedric, who gazed at her speculatively as his friends ushered him to class.

That was a rather risky play. Cedric's buds could have easily turned on him, and then where would they be? But no, Alex had faith in him. The Goblet of Fire had chosen—would choose?—him for a reason.

Alex forced herself to head to the dungeons for her next class. Some doofus paired the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs this year for Potions, which was a recipe for disaster. While Snape—she refused to call the petulant adult 'Professor' in the privacy of her own mind—behaved decently to the Slytherin half of the class, the same thing could not be said about the Hufflepuffs. He seemed to share the Slytherin sentiment that Hufflepuff students were basically all sugar and no spice.

Snape swept into the room just as the last of the students filed in. Alex forced herself not to roll her eyes at the dramatics. Slytherin or not, he would not take kindly to mockery, despite his penchant for tormenting his students himself.

"We'll be brewing the herbicide potion today," he drawled without preamble. "Anyone with half a brain can deduce that it is used to damage and kill all sorts of plants. Can anyone tell me why this is needed?"

The class shuffled awkwardly, either oblivious to the reason or too shy to answer. Snape would be more likely to bite someone's head off for answering incorrectly than smiling at a student's correct reply. Then again, it was unlikely that they had ever worked in a garden, much less actually use the herbicide potion.

Alex wanted to sigh at her class's recalcitrance. She raised a hand, and when Snape nodded in her direction, she said, "The potion would be useful for the removal of unwanted plants such as weeds."

"Well done, Miss Fortescue," Snape replied with all the enthusiasm of a dying man. "A point to Slytherin for being the only one in this entire class to answer."

People glanced her way, either approving or envious. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't clear cut which house was feeling what. Right, right; people were people, and not generalisations. That wasn't going to stop her from watching her back, though.

Snape continued. "You'll be using your brewed herbicide potion for your next Herbology class. You'll be tending to Spiky Bushes, I believe?" Several students nodded despite the rhetorical nature of the question. Snape's lip curled. "Succeed with your brewing, and they'll be simple to get rid of. Fail, and, well, let's hope Professor Flitwick has taught you all the Fire-Making Spell."

Alex heard more than one person swallow nervously. Snape seemed to revel in their fear, for his smarmy smirk grew a little. She glared down at her cauldron furiously. Their chances of success would be much higher if their professor stopped acting like an overgrown bat and ceased flitting through the classroom, hovering over the shoulders of students as they anxiously stirred and adjusted their concoctions.

But it seemed today was not the day. The only silver lining Alex could find was that Snape focussed on harassing the Hufflepuffs much more than the Slytherins. Once her partner Katherine had gathered all her ingredients, Alex started on prepping them before cooking them in the saucepan- uh, cauldron. Right.

Class progressed peacefully, despite the occasional whimper from an uncertain student. In fact, it was far too peaceful, considering who was in attendance. Alex could feel the scowls on her without even bothering to turn around. It seemed the badgers hadnt taken too kindly to her little display during lunch.

And then it happened. She saw it from the corner of her eye – a flash of something as it flew in the air, and straight towards her cauldron. Unfortunately, Alex lacked the precious Seeker skills her house sorely desired, and the—lionfish spine?—was quickly sinking to the bottom of her cauldron.

Nothing happened at first. Since the lionfish was already part of the potion before this new addition, perhaps it would have no effect. Just as the thought flashed through her mind, however, the previously milky liquid began to bubble furiously before turning a violent shade of violet.

Snape appeared before Alex could even say "Professor". He snatched some leftover ingredients on their table, threw them into the cauldron and stirred counter-clockwise once, twice, until the potion returned to its former state.

Snape might have been a bit of a twat, but she couldn't deny his sheer skill as a Potions Master. And if she was looking at him with slight awe in her eyes, that was quickly quashed by his deadly glare.

"What happened?" he demanded. Katherine was gazing anywhere but in his direction, so naturally his eyes fell onto Alex. "Well, Miss Fortescue?"

Alex flicked her eyes around the classroom, before coming to a decisive stop ahead and to the slight left of her. "Someone threw an extra lionfish spine, sir – from that direction." Also known as the direction of the Hufflepuffs.

She could have lied, but there would've been no point. Snape was smart and intuitive, and it would take a liar much more skilled than her to deceive him, Legilimency or not.

Snape glided over to them, focusing those who were trying way too hard to look innocent. "I see," he said softly, dangerously. He grabbed one of the Hufflepuffs' hourglass and turned it over. "I'll give you all one chance to confess the identity of the culprit. If, by the time the last grain of sand has fallen, no one confesses, then you will all be facing detention – and a loss of ten points each."

Soft gasps and amused snickers pierced the air. There were at least eight Hufflepuffs, which meant a loss of eighty points in a single moment. The House of Badgers may have been generalised as the kindest and least competitive, but even they wouldn't take it too well if they learnt their entire first-year class caused such a setback. Not to mention, any detention assigned by Snape was bound to be terrifying. Terrifying enough to act as veritaserum, apparently.

Half of the sand in the hourglass had barely trickled out when someone squealed. "Stebbins did it!"

"Tristan Stebbins," said Snape. He peered down at the blonde Hufflepuff boy. "It seems your potion is coming along nicely."

Whatever the class was expecting, that wasn't it. They were baffled, as was she, but Alex could spy a knowing glint in Katherine's eyes.

"How fortunate," continued Snape. Despite his words, he didn't look pleased at all. "Since your prank rendered Miss Fortescue's and Miss Doge's potion practically useless, I think it's fair that you exchange potions."

"What—?"

"A detention as well, it seems," he added. "Friday night. Straight after dinner."

Stebbins had enough tact left to keep his mouth shut. That didn't stop him from glaring balefully at Snape, however, as he grabbed a pair of flasks and poured his concoction into the one named Fortescue and Doge. The one marked "Stebbins" was completely empty.

Katherine looked pleased. As Slytherins went, she wasn't a bad companion to have. Then again, "companion" was stretching it a bit, since they were only paired up because they were the leftovers in the class. The twins were paired up, as well as the two first-year boys in Slytherin. What were their names again? She'd try to remember next time.

Bhagat and Agatha were seated on a desk close to Katherine, smirking at the Hufflepuff's failure. They were closer friends than either of them were with Katherine, and had chosen each other as their Potion partners. More than once did Alex wonder if Katherine ever felt left out.

But there were more pressing matters to contemplate. Why on earth was Stebbins so opposed to her existence? She hadn't done anything to offend him, had she? Unless he took his Hufflepuff loyalty spiel too far, and latched onto the second years' disdain for her and her friendship with Cedric. Maybe she should start a petition to change Hufflepuff's symbol from badger to sheep.

Alex checked her watch and sighed when she registered the time. There were still ten minutes of Potions left. Since she was technically done, she was allowed a little free time, right? Alex flipped to the next chapter of her textbook and began to read, allowing the rest of the world to slip away for just a moment.

The moment was quelled by the chime of a bell, signalling the end of class. Students rushed to pack their equipment away and rush out of the cold, dim classroom. Alex had only tucked her stool beneath the table when Snape's voice rose over the din of hasty students.

"Miss Fortescue," he drawled. "Stay back. I require a word with you."

Just one?

She could feel the curious gazes on her back as the others left. Alex simply nodded and headed towards her Head of House's desk.

Snape finally looked up when the door clicked shut. His eyes held hers solidly, but Alex was prepared for the possibility of Legilimency, so she focused on her complicated relationship with the Hufflepuffs, which was most likely what he wanted to speak to her about.

The grave man laced his fingers together before his face. "What is your quarrel with the Hufflepuffs, Miss Fortescue?" he asked.

Alex couldn't help but scowl, and she redirected her irritated gaze to the floor. "They don't approve of my friendship with one of them. Apparently, Slytherins aren't to be trusted."

"I see. I assume what happened in today's lesson isn't a one-time incident?"

"No, sir. They tend to use me as spell practice."

Snape's lips pressed together into a firm line. "Do you fight back?"

Alex looked up in surprise before focusing her eyes on the crown of his greasy, greasy head. "No, sir. I dodge."

Snape nodded in…approval? No way. "Retaliation can be used against you, Miss Fortescue, keep that in mind. I daresay few would side with a Slytherin if a few Hufflepuffs claimed you cast the first spell. You can't keep dodging forever, however. You need to put an end to this. The reputation of our House is at stake as well."

Indignation flared within her. She stood up straighter, careless of who she was now directing her anger towards. This bastard was supposed to be a professor – and her Head of House, no less. Shouldn't it be his job to deal with bullying?

Instead of reacting to her visible offense, though, Snape remained infuriatingly tranquil, allowing her to calm down just a tad. A moment of clarity pierced through the haze, and Alex was forced to address the situation from a Slytherin point of view. Snape couldn't help her without damaging both the reputation of the House as well as her own. The other snakes wouldn't be too impressed if she went running to the nearest authority figure instead of sorting things out herself. It didn't matter that she was a first year fighting against students older than her and with greater numbers. Wizards were stupid like that.

"Yes, sir," she finally replied, a taut frown on her lips. Part of her wanted to ask Snape what, exactly, she should do, but she had a feeling he would tell her to shove off and figure it out herself. He seemed like the type.

"That is all, then," dismissed Snape, handing her a slip that probably explained her tardiness for her next class. "You may leave."