p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" There was no set time to wake up, just be on time and eating breakfast before your first class./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" This was where you got your schedules; they were handed out to you over breakfast./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Ace had grilled Aurora on all her questions regarding the morning last night, and Aurora could only answer so many before it got too late, but of course, only a fraction of her questions were answered./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She woke up to people in the room rustling about and opening and closing their wardrobes and luggage./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" The lake water light up the room in a completely green hue, brighter and more vibrant than last night./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She had only removed her cape last night before passing out from the exhaustion of questioning he prefect and from her travels earlier that day./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She had fallen asleep in her robes from yesterday, and they were quite stale./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Come on, Ace, get dressed and let's go eat breakfast." Elara beams at her, and Ace frowns./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Of course, she was placed in a room with an early bird, that was just her luck; it had always been her luck./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "When's breakfast?" Ace asks./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Starts at seven ends at eight-fifty-five," Elara says and throws on her robe, fastening it in the front./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Alright, save me a seat." Ace says, and Elara nods and walks out of the dorm room./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Ace pulls a fresh set of clothes out of her trunk and throws them on, she quickly fixes her hair and throws her shoes on and heads down to the great hall, the teachers were up on the back wall sitting at the long table once again./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" McGonagall was walking around handing out papers, along with Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick who were doing the same./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Professor Snape was nowhere to be seen at the long table; he had seemed to have disappeared./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Looking for our head of house, Ace?" Says the brunette boy from last night./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yeah, I figured he'd be handing out our schedule like the rest of 'em."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "No, he tries his best to not interact with us as much as he can, he uses the prefects for everything, and I mean everything." He looks down to her, her eyes filled with questions, she was not pure-blood, but even muggle borns can look pureblood sometimes. "I'm Caspian; everyone calls me Cas." He says and holds out his hand, and she shakes it./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Hey! Ace!" She hears Bill shout her name and she turns around and sees him waving at her. She smiles, still so kind to her even though he didn't want her in that house./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Cas, do you mind if I sit with them?" He shakes his head no./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "None at all, be sure to get your schedule from Aurora though." She nods and walks up to Aurora./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Can I get my schedule?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Last name again?" Aurora asks her, annoyed with all the first years./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Skotadi." She pulls a piece of parchment out of the stack with hir name on it in the right-hand corner and hands it to Ace who grabs it and runs to Bill./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Mind if I sit with you?" Ace asks Bill, who had already started to slide down and make room for her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "None at all, you're always welcomed here." Ace grins at Bill./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You're fantastic; you know that?" She winks, and Bill blushes./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Thanks." A beat. "How is Slytherin house?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You know, when they said dungeons, I wasn't expecting high-quality everything, I thought it would be dark, cold, and gloomy."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "That's your house for ya, full of rich bratty kids, Slytherin is." Says a Gryffindor across from them./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Oi, shut your mouth, Jake," Bill snaps sticking up for her. "Not every Slytherin lives up to the stereotypes."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Bill, it's alright, really." Ace says and puts a hand on his arm, looking to him. "I've dealt with worse people and worse stereotypes." She says, and Bill looks to her, gentleness in her eyes./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Fine." He grinds his teeth together. "But only cause you asked me to." Ace nods. "What are your classes like Ace?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Well," Ace looks at the piece of paper in her hand, her schedule consisted of seven classes, one rest period and lunch. "I start with transfiguration and then go-to Charms followed-"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I'm assisting McGonagall first period. I can walk you to class if you want." She smiles at him./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yeah, that would be wonderful actually."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" A girl with straight brown hair, tanned skin, and brown eyes comes flying between Jake and another Gryffindor./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Bill, you're not gonna believe what we found out! It is absolutely mad, but it all makes sense now and…" She looks Ace up and down, examining her, and when her eyes fall on the Slytherin emblem, she snarls. "Who is she and why is she her?" She points a scrawny finger in Ace's direction./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Easy Ri," Bill says, and lowers her finger to the table. "She's a first year, and she's a friend."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You're friends with a Slytherin? How could you?" She hisses at him, and Ace looks to him, he's offended./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Look, we met in Diagon Alley, McGonagall asked me to look after her, we became friends, and she got sorted into Slytherin."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Oh," Ri says, and starts laughing sarcastically at Ace. "Oh, I remember you, little miss hat stall, got the whole school talking, you." She spits at her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Riona, enough!" Bill says in a stern tone./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "What?" She snaps./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You know what. I would expect you of all people to understand. She's not Merula, Ri. You saw for yourself; the house had a difficult time placing her between the three houses, come-"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yeah, and she publicly humiliated Gryffindor along with her little trick. I'll take my findings to Rowan." She says abruptly getting up. "When you decide to stop fraternising with the enemy, you can join us." She storms off./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Ace has never felt more out of place in her life. She was attacked for just being a Slytherin, for something she couldn't control. It wasn't truly her choice to be in this house, had she taken the time to think she would have done it over, she would have chosen Gryffindor. She hated being here already. She was already tired of the unwarranted prejudice./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You know, maybe I should go I don't want to cause any issues for you or complicate things worse. I am a Slytherin after all." Her voice breaks and tears form in her eyes./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She was unwanted by everyone, except Bill it seemed. Perhaps she could talk to McGonagall about switching houses; maybe she really did belong to Gryffindor./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She gets up, taking her things, and a green apple, with her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Ace, wait!" But it's too late; she's stormed off, she's already made her way to the Slytherin common room./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Quia in somno, nostrum vincemus somnia." She whispers to the wall, and it opens, letting her into the common room./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She throws her belongings onto the ground and takes a seat near the fireplace./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "God, I'm so stupid." She whispers to herself and wipes stray tears off of her cheeks and sniffles./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You must be our twelve-minute hat stall." A female voice says behind her, and Ace turns to look./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She was shorter than most girls, either not fully grown or just short. Her hair was short and brown with a streak of ginger, her skin paler than milk, and her eyes were what was disturbing, Her eyes were of a violet shade./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Ace asks the girl who stood on the bottom step that led up to the girl's dorms. She grinned maliciously at Ace and walked closer to her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "The name is Merula Snyde, the best witch of our time," Merula? Like Bill and Riona's Merula? The one that seemed to strike fear into the hearts of the two Gryffindors. "And, next in line for a prefect, and, eventually, head girl." She winks at Ace and sits in a chair across from her. "I heard you were with the Weasleys this morning."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yeah, Bill is a friend."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "That Weasley boy is no friend of yours, nor will he ever be, he hangs out with Riona and her stupid, useless friends group," Merula says rolling her eyes and then crossing her legs. "If you stick with me, I can show you the way to greatness, and help you prove your worth as a witch, and as a Slytherin. You and I, we could rule the school. What do you say?" SHe leans forward and holds out a hand for Ace to shake./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Ace stares at her hand, she could sense the cruelty, and she could feel the contempt for her schoolmates rolling off of her in waves./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She was the school bully./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I think, I'm gonna have to pass." Ace says, shutting Merula down. Merula sneers and stands, clearly offended that the popular kid didn't want to be friends./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You should watch your back Skotadi. Otherwise, you just might end up with hair like your lover boy Weasley." She storms out of the common room, leaving ace to herself./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Tears stream down her face and she sniffles, trying to get ahold of herself. She was devastated, how could she already be hated so much when she hadn't even done anything? It was her first day, she hadn't said much, and she sat with Bill at the Gryffindor table./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Perhaps sitting with him was the problem, maybe she would just ignore him next time she saw him, it was the only logical thing to do./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" em"All by yoursssself, firsssst year? /em" Something hisses at her, and she looks up to see a sea snake outside the common room windows./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Who are you? What do you want?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" em"I am Ssssevin, and I want to friend you."/emThe snake hisses back, her glowing yellow eyes piercing the green water./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Why, what do I have to offer you?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" em"You're the only one who can understand my kind."/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "So?" She says and getting up goes over to the window with the snake./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" em"Sssso, we could be friendssss, it looksss assss though you need one."/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "What did you mean I'm the only one who could understand you?" She inquires, and she swears she can see the sea snake smirk./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" em"You're the only one to sssspeak parssseltongue in over fifty yearssss."/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Parseltongue?" The snake nods its head. "I can speak snake?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" em"Yesss." /emIt hisses./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I'm the only one?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" em"Yesss."/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Who was the last person to speak it, then?" The snake blinks at her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" em"You're kind do not ssspeak his name."/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Who-" She begins, but the snake is startled and swims away./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Ace, who are you talking to?" She turns around, and Cas is standing a few feet away from her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "The sna…" SHe trails off and then realises just how insane she sounded. "No one, I was talking to myself." Cas just eyes her, he knew she was lying, she was talking to someone or at least something, but it didn't matter that's not why he was here./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Are you okay?" He asks her changing the subject. "I saw that you left breakfast in a rush, did you even eat?" He takes a seat in a chair, keeping on the edge of it in case she needed him./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I'm fine, and yeah I took an apple." She pulls the green apple from a pocket in her robes and shows it to him./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Careful now, don't get caught stealing food from the kitchens, Snape will kill you." He says in a playful tone and winks at her; she gives him a half smile in return. "Anyways, it's almost time for class, do you mind if I walk you to your class?" She's flattered by his request, he's one of the few people to show her kindness thus far, and it was probably because he was in her house./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I would love that actually." He stands up and gathers her things./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Well, come on then, don't want to be late do we?" She nods smiling and walks over to Cas who, then leads them out the dorm and down the halls towards Transfiguration./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I can take my books Cas; I don't want you carrying double of everything." She says, walking beside him./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" He had ended up carrying his books along with hers, and she had all her books for all her classes./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Well, then don't carry everything you need for every single class. We have a break between second and third, and you can swap your books out then along with lunch, you're gonna get tired of carrying these around all day."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Alright, I'll take the advice, it's been the only useful thing so far." He stops and turns to her, gently grabbing her arm./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Hey, don't let them get to you, they don't know how great you are, and they don't understand you." He says searching Ace's green eyes for a sign of acceptance at his words. "Give them time, and they'll come around." She gives him a smile that reaches her eyes./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You think I'm great?" He nods./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yeah, o'course, I mean who else can talk to the serpent outside the dungeons window?" Her eyes go wide, so he had seen her taking to the snake./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You saw?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Of course, I won't tell anyone, and you shouldn't either, it'll only cause you problems." He sighs and giver her arm a gentle squeeze. "But, Ace, seriously, you're brilliant, don't let anyone tell you differently." He gives her a soft smile, and then they hear Bill yelling at them./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Ace!" They look to him, and he's pushing past everyone in the crowd and getting some curses thrown his way. "Ace, hey!" He says coming to a stop in front of her and Cas./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Bill, you okay?" She asks him, and he was panting hard, obviously out of breath./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yeah, I was hoping to catch you on you're way to Transfiguration class." Cas squeezes her arm again, bringing her attention back to him./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I'll let you two catch up." He hands her the books, and then winks at her before walking off and losing himself in the crowds./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Who is he?" Bill asks, pointing to Cas./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "His name is Caspian; he's in my house." She says and turns to look at Bill./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Oh," Bill says defeated./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "It's nothing like that; he's just one of the few people who's been nice to me, Bill." She sighs. "So, what's this class like?" Bill grins at her, and they begin to walk to class, and he rambles on, talking about transfigurations, and how McGonagall is a brilliant teacher./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "And, honestly Ace, you're gonna love the subject and the teacher, I can't wait to hear all-" Someone bumps into them and then another person pushes Ace onto the ground, and her books and paper go flying. Bill looks to the person standing over her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" He would recognise those cruel, violet eyes anywhere./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Merula." He hisses./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Weasly."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Leave her alone Merula; she hasn't done anything to you." Merula glares at him, and gets up in his face, she was a few inches shorter than him, he had a growth spurt over the summer, and now he was taller than everyone in his friend group./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Oh but she has, she's been hanging out with you and your little friend group, and that's more than enough to incite me." Merula pulls out her wand and holds it up to him in his face, and he reacts just as quickly putting his wand against her neck./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Ms Snyde." Comes Professor Snape's drawn-out voice. "Attacking the first years already?" He takes a few steps closer to Bill and Merula. She quickly pulls away from Bill, and they both shove their wands in their pockets. "May I remind you, it is the beginning of the year, and you have already caused an incident?" Merula gulps, and Bill goes to help up Ace who was watching everything go down. "Need I remind you, that you, are being watched?" Merely shakes her head and looks to her feet./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""No, Professor Snape." Merula was only terrified of one person in the entire school, and he was standing in front of her, criticising her, belittling her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Good. Should there be any more incidents I would be more than happy to have you, expelled." He walks right through Bill and Merula, and they both stumble out of the way before Snape could push them aside./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Well, looks like you're one step away from being expelled, Merula, I'd be careful if I were you." Bill says taunting her, and she just sticks her tongue out at him./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "See you losers." She says and storms off going to her class./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Bill pulls Ace off of the ground and hurries to pick up her books./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Come one, or we'll be late." He keeps her books and looks at her. "Ready for frantic running?" She grins wickedly at him, and they take off running, barely making it in time for class./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Mr Weasley, Ms Skotadi, please take your seats, class is about to start." McGonagall says as they rush into the room panting and out of breath./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Here." Bill says and hands her the books, and she can see only one spot left, in the very front row, just before the step up to her desk./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Ace slowly and begrudgingly makes her way up to the front and takes her seat. The ceilings are vaulted and rounded out, and the floor is made completely of marble, like the rest of the castle./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" The bell tower signals the end of breakfast and beginning of the first class./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Everyone take your seats," Says McGonagall walking up to the front of the classroom between the desks that had been moved to create a walkway. "Welcome first years to transfigurations, you will need A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch for this class. Now onto a more serious note." She gets to her desk and turns around facing the class. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "We will begin with the basics, the rules governing this area of magic, the different branches of it, and the wand movements and spell incantations. We will do all of this before we begin to even touch on what we're going to change. We must understand it before we attempt it, and that is why you must have the required book./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You will read all of that book before the semester is up and you will be able to recite to me everything from it. You will have become a master of the book. Are we understood?" She asks the group, looking pointedly to students./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yes." Several students answer at once, and she gives a curt nod./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Good." She turns to the blackboard next to her desk and begins to write. "Onto our lesson."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Needless to say, the first lesson on transfiguration was a complete bore, it droned on and on, and she thought the hour would never be up, and when the bell rang she was out of that classroom faster than a snitch./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Hey! Wait up!" Bill yells hoping Ace would slow and, wait for him, but she just continues her speed. "Ace!" He yells again, and he can see her take a breath and turn around to wait for him. She was obviously put off by him, or maybe perhaps the class, because her once sparkling eyes now seemed annoyed, especially with her lips pressed flat. "Ace, are you okay?" He asks, finally catching up to her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I thought you said this was a great class? Bill, this was a drag!" She says and gives him a half smile./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I know, I know, but it will get better, the first few weeks are always tough, but they get better, and they get so much more magical!" He says and grabs her shoulders. "I mean you get to learn about animagus in year three, you see McGonagall transform into her Animagus! Is that not fantastic?" He says and practically vibrates with happiness./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Animagus?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yeah, shapeshifters essentially." Her eyes go wide./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I want to hear all about this during lunch, save me a seat, I've really got to get to class, or I'll be late for this one."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yeah, I'll save you a spot, see you in a bit." He says, and she walks off to charms/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Charms were far more interesting, Professor Flitwick introduced the class, and they started on the leviosa charm, or rather studying it, and tomorrow they'd begin the second half of the lesson./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She had her break where she dropped off her unneeded books and took the two she needed for potions and defence against the dark arts, and she was now headed to potions./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She was heading down the stairs when she spotted Merula, and she was going to stay clear away from her, she didn't want another incident. She still felt bruised on her back from earlier when Merula almost threw her to the ground./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She made it past her, almost completely out of the door, almost to freedom, but then Merula spotted her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Where do you think you're going mudblood?" She yells over the crowd of people sitting and chatting in the common rooms./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "To my class, so if you please, I'll be on my way." Ace says and starts once again towards the wall./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Merula was fast, and Ace wasn't fast enough. She grabbed ace's collar and pinned her to a wall./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Who do you think you are, telling me you're going to leave without my permission?" The Slytherin's in the room had begun to stare, and those that were standing circled the two./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I just need to get to my classes Merula, have all of lunch to pick on me if you so choose." Merula glares daggers Ace, and Ace gives her a blank stare back./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "No, I choose now. You refuse my friendship, get me in trouble with Snape, and tell me when I can torment you, and you think you're going to get away with it?" Ace casts her eyes aside, not bothering to look her in the eyes, Merula didn't deserve the time of day from anyone, and perhaps that is why she acted the way she did. "Look at me!" She screams, and Ace covers her ears due to the ringing in her ears from her yelling. "Fine, you don't have to." She pulls out her wand and touches it to her hair. "Since I can't harm you, I can torture you and drive you insane," There's an evil glint in her eye when Ace looks up to her, and she knows that Merula is going to pull something. "Crinus muto," she whispers, and suddenly her smoky white hair turned the shade of Bill's, ginger. "As I said before, you'd end up with hair like your lover boy's." She lets go of Ace's collar and walks back over to her friend group, where they stand laughing at Ace and her new hair colour./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Ace takes one look towards the Slytherins in the common room, none of them, not one, interfered with or stopped Merula, they just sat there and watched it all go down./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Where was Cas when she really needed him, needed his help?/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She was really starting to regret being in Slytherin; she thought she would find a home, a family here, but so far the only person here who actually cared for her was Cas./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Tears swell, and she leaves the common room in a hurry, not giving Merula the joy of seeing just how deeply hurt she was./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" They were supposed to be a family, that's what Snape had said last night, and he had also said that they were wizards now and needed to work out whatever was wrong among themselves./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Snape was of no use; he probably wouldn't even fix her hair if she asked./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She walked with her head down, not watching where she was going just following her feet to the potions room, which was evidently in the dungeons./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She saw a pair of shoes in front of her and tried to move out of the way of the person, but she didn't move fast enough./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She walked right into the figure, looked up to see that it was Professor Snape, and she took a few steps backwards in doing so./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I'm sorry professor, I'll be sure to look next time." She says, and he can see the tears begin to spill over. It was the first day how could anyone cause her to feel this way; no one had that much control on someone./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Yet, her eyes and ginger hair reminded him of someone./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Ginger hair, didn't she have white hair before? He swore she had smoky white, almost grey hair. A rare trait, something he had never seen before./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Had it not been for the fact that she looked like someone from his past, he would have stopped her, told her she had detention and been on his way, but instead, it was he that was stood frozen in his spot, he couldn't get rid of the uncanny resemblance to his someone./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Needless to say, he let her pass in peace, he would get her later whenever she showed up in his class./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She had made it to the potions classroom and she made sure to sit in the back, as far away from people and the professor as possible./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She didn't want anyone else making fun of her for her hair, she would just have Bill help her when she saw him at lunch, he had to know a spell, and if not him then Cas./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Professor Snape comes barging in, slamming the room door open and almost runs to the front of the room with his cape billowing behind him, it hit Ace's knee and he realises it's the same girl from the hallway. Now was his time to embarrass her, and he would do just that./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he begins. He spoke in nothing more than a whisper, but there was no need for anything louder. Everyone knew the potions master demanded attention, undivided attention at that so it was hard for the first years to miss what he was saying. They hear every word he was saying, just like McGonagall had commanded the room with transfigurations, and perhaps there was some magic behind that, but like McGonagall, he had the ability of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." Complete silence followed him, and then he turned his attention back to the redhead that ran into him earlier./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Ms Skotadi," He draws out with a louder, more even tone, and grabbing her attention. She looked purely frightened of him, more frightened than anyone else in the room, perhaps more frightened than anyone else in the years he's been teaching./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Her eyes were red puffy, she had been crying and her once curly silver hair, had been frizzled and turned ginger./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She really did look like someone he lost long ago, and he wasn't ready to come to terms with the pain, so he dealt with it the only way he could. He belittled his students./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yes, Professor?" She squeaks out, turning her contact to her desk and focusing on her books i nfront of her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "What, would I get if I crossed the powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Most likely the draught of living death, Sir." Snape squints his eyes./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "And where might I find a bezoar, and why would I need one?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "A stone from the stomach of a goat, and it should save you from most poisons." Snape raises his head slightly, looking at her down his nose./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "And the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I'm sorry, Professor?" Does she ask looking back up to snape?/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Did I stutter, Ms Skotadi?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "No, Professor, I'm just, beg my pardon, but why are you asking me about aconite?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Because most students don't bother to open their books and rather prefer to try charms on the hair, Ms Skotadi." He slams his hands down on her desk, and she jumps back almost falling over in her seat, but she catches herself just in the nick of time. "For your stupidity, you have already cost your house a point, and earned yourself detention." He shoots off from her desk and walks back up to the front, grabbing a piece of paper off his desk he holds it up to his face and begins to read off names, but he never read her name, in fact, his exact words were "I'm not calling your name, I know you're here."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Potions didn't pass soon enough, and when it was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts, that didn't move fast enough either./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" SHe just wanted to get back to Bill and have him change her hair, or perhaps see Cas and have him help her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She rushes to the common rooms as soon as class lets out, and takes one of her house scarves and wraps her hair up in it, making sure to hide every strand and her hairline so that no one would be any wiser./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She runs down the stairs and out the common room where she spots students coming from Snape's classroom and presses herself into the shadows of the hallway, hoping to make herself invisible, but more for the chance to avoid Merula./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" The crowd that came from the potions room seemed to be smiling and laughing, talking about their summer and how glad they were to see each other, and then she spots ginger amongst the crowd./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" She quickly identified them as Bill, someone she didn't plan on meeting here but her luck chanced out, and he was walking and talking with some other Gryffindor members./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Bill!" She yells and grabs his attention, but his eyes don't land on her. "Over here!" She calls to him again, and this time his eyes search the wall to his left, and he spots a student wrapped in a Slytherin scarf, with the face Ace/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I'll catch up with you later." He says to his group and parts from them walking over to where Ace stood./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Thank god you're here, I need your help." She says and grabs at the end of her scarf./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "With what?" She begins to unwrap the scarf and slowly reveal her red hair./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Well, I'm not freezing if that's what you're wondering." She takes the scarf off, ultimately showing her ginger hair to him./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Wow," He says, examining her hair and he reaches out to touch a piece, soft and curly. "It looks nice on you."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yeah, well, Merula charmed me with it, and I lost a house point to Slytherin and earned detention, all in one class." She takes a deep breath, letting her lungs catch up to her. "Do you think you can change it back?" Bill slowly turns his attention back to her face and presses his lips together./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I only know one thing that reverses charms, but I don't know if it will work."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "If it doesn't we go to McGonagall or Flitwick; someone will know something." He nods and pulls out his wand from his robe, he touches the tip of the rod to her hair, except he was far more gentle than Merula, who had caught Ace's hair in her wand./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Reverte." He says, and it takes a few seconds before the ends begin to turn silver and eventually the silver slowly chases the red away./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Ace throws herself onto him, hugging him./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Thank you. Thank you so much. I owe you!" She squeals and then pulls away./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Hey, what are friends for?" He says and gives her a crooked smile. "Now, come on, before Snape catches us and assumes we're up to no good, and besides you don't want any more trouble, whether Snape or Merula."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Good idea."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "How did your hair incident happen?" Bill asks, making small talk./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Merula cornered me in the commons room, grabbed my collar, said she couldn't fight but that she would drive me insane." Bill nods, signalling that he is listening./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "If it happens again, and I'm sure it will, don't change it back for a while. SHow Merula that you're not truly affected by what she does." The heard footsteps behind them and Ace knew who they belonged to; she had run into him, of course, just after Merula charmed her hair to be ginger./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" Ice flowed through her veins, and she froze in her spot, what had Professor Snape seen, and would he say anything, would she get another day's worth of detention, or would she get them both detention. Would he take more points from Slytherin, could it be possible to get negative house points, what about Gryffindor, it was known that Slytherins, including Snape, hated the Gryffindors? Would she be expelled for talking and befriending a Gryffindor, and a Weasley at that?/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Ms Skotadi, Mr Weasley." Comes Professor Snape's smooth baritone voice, barely above the whisper, but certainly far louder than when he was talking to his students in the potions classroom. There was no need for him to be any more emphatic, and he did not need to be any quieter because as most everyone knew in the school if he was going to ridicule you, he was going to make a show of it. "What, are the two of you doing, emlurking /emabout?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "We were hardly lurking about, Professor Snape," Bill begins, and Snape raises a single eyebrow and gives him a very pointed look to shut him up, and Bill stops and looks down to his feet./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Professor Snape, if you'll please, I didn't know a spell to change my hair colour back, and I thought Bill would know, and when I saw him coming from your classroom I pulled him aside and told him I needed his help, and-"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Enough-" He draws out, clearly annoyed with her babbling and explanation. "I can see that you fixed, your, hair, but since no one is around to vouch, for you, it-" There was another pair of footsteps and fast-paced straight towards them, or rather the professor. /p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "On the contrary, Professor," Caspians tenor voice reaches the three's ears and snape looks up and seems even more annoyed than before if that were possible. "I watched it all godown, I was actually beginning to make my way over when you stopped them."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Mr Villin." Snape enunciates, his annoyance now evident in his voice./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Professor."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "You say you saw them, do, just, that?" Cas nods and Bill and Ace look up to him, and Ace smiles./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Yes, Professor, on my word, and you should know, I don't lie." Ace turns away, covering her face with her to hide the smirk. Snape steps around the two kids and walks up to Cas, who straightened his posture and puffed out his chest, trying to be as intimidating as Snape./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Were it emnot /emfor Mr Villin, here," Snape says towering over Cas. "I would have both of you in detention, but seeing as it may, I will deduct two points from emeach /emof your houses," Snape says and then sidesteps Cas, who begins to grin because he just beat Snape at his own game, and walks away from the scene, his cloak billowing behind him./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "I've just lost our house three points," Ace says looking to Cass, her brow furrowed and her lips curved slightly down, she was embarrassed./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "It's alright," He says and gets closer to the two, and he places a hand on the side of Ace's face, a gesture of comfort. "You lost the house point, but he knows what Merula did to you, and he's punishing her for the first point." He says and then takes his hand away and turns his body sideways, and ushers them down the hallway. "Now, before anyone else suspects us of being up to no good," And he holds out his hand to make sure they were heading in the right direction. They hurry out of the corridor and up to the main level where the great hall was, where lunch was being held./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Thank you, Cas." Ace says, and he nods./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" "Anything for you, now go, I'll go join the Slytherins, stick to friends, they're more useful; than you know." He winks and heads off to his friend group at the Slytherin table./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"strong /strong/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"strong /strong/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"strongFebruary 20th, 1969/strong/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" emThe dreariest day of the year so far had been today, it had been overcast all day, but just recently did it start to pour, and there was no promise or even a glimmer of a hope that it would let up. In fact, it seemed only to get worse./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"em /ememA woman stood on the edge of a street, a telephone box next to her, she had just gotten out of it, and with a wary eye, she looked around, checking to see if any muggles had noticed./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"em /emem"Scarlette, is that you?" A man's voice comes from the shadows, and she lifts the umbrella overhead as she squints her eyes, trying to see in the darkness and haze of the rain./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"em /ememA man walked out of the shadows, and she instantly recognised him./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"em /ememHow long has it been since she saw him, ten years? The last they saw each other was when he was an assistant to some shop in Diagon Alley./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"em /emem"Tom?" The woman says glad it was him and not someone else who had meant harm, Merlin knew that it was a trying time, especially with Voldemort infiltrating everything, including the ministry of magic./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"em /ememShe was more than glad he wasn't a death eater./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"em /emem"It's been a while." He grins and winks at her. /em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"em /emem"Yes," She says breathlessly. "It really has./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"em /emem"Do you want to get a drink?"/em/p