Claire walked into the cold dreary potions dungeons, second years jumping around her. They'd started her with the second years because they had thought an enchanter would know a bit about magic. She hadn't told Dumbledore that she knew absolutely nothing. She sat down beside her 2nd year partner who talked more than anyone Claire had ever met. Claire didn't hear half the things she said because once that little girl started, Claire's mind just blanked out. Potions wasn't particularly hard, it was rather like muggle cooking. She'd had another lesson with Chrestomanci that night, all about controlling her powers and etcetera. He was such a bore. It had been a relief to get away from the glares of Harry and Ron in the common room though. Snape passed her, he sneered and said "A bit dark, don't you think Banter?" Claire looked down
"Hmm, maybe, is that a problem" she said carelessly.
"Is that a problem? Do you want to turn into a snail, Miss Banter?"
Claire raised her eyebrows "Well why don't you test it for me Professor, your looks need improvement"
Snape and half the class gasped "Detention for you and your partner and 15 points off Gryffindor"
Claire gave a sharp intake of breath at the unfairness he showed at giving her partner a detention too she got a good spoonful of her too Dark potion and sent the too dark potion across the room to hit Snape's overgrown nose. Snapes ugly face turned a nasty shade of purple. At first Claire thought he was angry and then she realised it was the potion. He grasped his throat. She felt a cold feeling go through her body. Obviously the cold feeling went through the class to because she turned around and the whole class was frozen over.
Draco Malfoy walked up the stairs slowly and deliberately. He had just been to Professor McGonagall and was in no hurry to get back to History of Magic. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Claire until she was right on top of him. "You must be the clumsiest person on earth Banter," he snarled. Claire was in too much of a hurry to notice his unpleasant tone. "Oh Draco you have to help me, there all frozen and I can't tell him, he'll never let me come back." She said in a fast panicky tone. Draco sneered at her. She wasn't making any sense at all. "Don't you get it Banter, you're a Gryffindor and I'm a Slytherin. There is no reason I should help you at all. You're common filth to me."
Claire stared at him for a second and then he flew across the room and hit the wall. He felt pain course through his arm, he looked at it, and no bones were broken. Draco noticed that her wand was still neatly in her pocket. The look on her face was desperate and for a second he almost felt sorry for her. Then he pulled himself together. He grabbed his wand but before he could cast an incantation she was running back towards the dungeons in a wild panic. He followed her quickly. In the dungeon he saw the most extraordinary site. Everyone was frozen, stuck in the middle of doing all his or her routine things. No wonder Banter had panicked. She stood in the middle of the room and said very miserably "Chrestomanci, Chrestomanci, Chrestomanci." She then stopped and waited. There was a wind in the classroom and then a middle-aged man wearing the most exquisite clothes Draco had ever seen arrived in the room. He surveyed the room and then looked at Claire. "They're frozen, "she said dumbly.
"I can see that" he said very calmly and coldly. He raised his eyebrows at Claire and looked at her in a disappointed stare.
"We, will talk about this later" he said and set to work on unfreezing the class. Each person woke up looking like they were from the ice age, cold and dripping. The man put a warming charm on each of them and they were sent up to the common room to change. "What happened?" Snape asked. Chrestomanci turned to look at Claire prompting her to explain. But Claire didn't feel like explaining anything, which was obvious. "Not sure " she said breezily and then swept out of the room, with the two adults glaring at her.
It didn't take Claire long to move up to sixth year. Wand magic was so phenomenally easy for her that all she had to really do was say the words. She was always excessively bored during lessons and had taken to reading novels during class. It didn't take long for Dumbledore to call her up to his office and discuss moving her up to a higher grade. After several different tests, Dumbledore allowed her to move into sixth year. The only problem was that Claire was lonely, Harry Potter and his friends were looked up to in the common room and because they didn't like Claire neither did anyone else. She had taken to walking around with Ryan and his friends, which wasn't particularly fun as Ryan's friends were the Creevey brothers and they talked non-stop about Harry Potter, Harry Potter and more Harry Potter. Ron and Harry had associated her with the enemy and nothing she could do would redeem herself.
Draco stared into the blazing fire. This was not the first midnight meeting he's had with his father. His father was full of suspicion and didn't trust owl. Sometimes Draco didn't think his father trusted anyone, especially him. His father's pale, thin face appeared in the fire. His father's piercing gaze swept the drab common room looking for any other life form. When he was satisfied he turned to Draco. "Boy, its been rumoured that there's an enchanter in your midst, enchanters are rare people that don't need wands to do magic. They are seemingly unheard of at wizard school but it had leaked out that one is right with you at Hogwarts. An enchanter could assist Lord Voldemort no end. Find out who this boy is and convince them to come to Lord Voldemort, if they refuse then they are too much of a threat and must be destroyed.
Draco gulped "What makes you so sure it's a boy?"
"Of course it's a boy, fool. Do you know how rare it is for a girl to be an enchanter? It's almost impossible."
With that Draco's father disappeared. Draco thought about Claire and he seriously doubted that she was a guy. In fact he laughed at the thought. Draco knew he had to become a Death Eater when he was older. His father had explained it to him, his blood was made for it. Both his parents had powerful magic in their blood. He knew what was expected to do. But destroy Claire? Well she was pretty damn annoying. He'd extend his hand to her so she would come to Lord Voldemort but he felt he was betraying himself as well as Claire.
Claire sat down in potions, her partner for potion was nearly always Neville Longbottom as everyone was too scared to be with him. The Slytherins forwarded into the room and she realised that Draco was sitting next to her.
"You know I think we could be friends," he said oozing charm.
Claire looked at him with round eyes " Oh No" she said in a mocking tone " I'm much to dirty and common for you, in fact I think I should quit Hogwarts all together and go marry the boy on the knight bus. Would that please you Draco?"
"We could be friend's, you know. I can introduce you to the real people" he said decidedly ignoring her sarcasm.
"Oh, you think I should get together with Crabbe and Goyle?
They are the real people aren't they? They'd have about my intellectual
standards wouldn't they, since I'm a Gryffindor and all." Draco looked at her with
what looked like sadness or was it pity? "You should take every saving chance you
get, you know," he said. And he turned on his heel and walked away. Neville
sank into the seat beside her with relief that he had a partner. Claire looked
at Draco's now calm, cool face and felt more confused than she had ever been.
All Characters except Claire, Katie and Ryan belong to J.K Rowling and Diana Wynne Jones.