***Part 12***

The night was dark, few starts glimmered through the thick clouds, and the moon was in a late stage of waning. The darkness wasn't breached from inside the stately manor surrounded in tangling fur trees.

"Now," began a bone-chilling voice, "You must be ware that no one must be aware of my presence, Lucious."

"I guarantee you, my lord, that I will not breathe a word of your position to any one."

"That pleases me, Lucious. Mind you, you are far from returning to my favour after your past actions."

"I regret them to the core of my existence, my lord."

"Yet, I am glad you are still with me. Otherwise, I am sure you would be missing the core of your existence. Much like what awaits those who were less intelligent with their decisions."

A pure white hand spilled out from behind the scarlet, high backed chair. Lucious heard the clapping of water from behind the elegant-winged chair.

"Thank you, Amaya, that will be all. Your following is strong and you shall be rewarded beyond your simple thoughts."

The tall women kneeled on the ornate rug. Her long, black hair touching the ground as she bowed her delicate face to her master, sponge in hand. She rose slowly, and walked over to Lucious.

"Good night, my lord," she said in heavily accented Russian.

She grasped Lucious's arm and lead him out of the room, where she closed the thick, wooden doors behind them. Lucious wrapped his arms around her, smelling her hair before he spoke.

"I am so glad you are back," he whispered into her ear.

*********************

Claudette pushed open the picture and stepped into the dim common room, books in hand. The day had been rather uneventful, and she was rather bored.

She slowly walked towards a table near the north side of the common room, and set her books onto the hard polish. She looked at the wall clock on top of the mantle piece. Five 'O clock. Maybe dinner was almost ready, although she was not hungry. Maybe she should ask someone when dinner was served. Draco was siting near the fire. Crabbe and Goyle were with him, like always.

'He's pretty good looking,' Claudette thought to herself, 'Pretty powerful family, too. And it sure would piss Pansy off if I went over and talked with him. Well, that three pro's and no con's.'

Claudette grabbed her books and went up to the dormitory. She was really going to make an impression on this one. She dropped her books off, put some extra Shine serum on her lips, ran a brush through her hair, and lost the hat. Tightened her silver belt and walked down the sloping steps, pushing open the door to the common area.

Claudette walked slowly over to Draco, with her best helpless expression on her face. She swept her hand over the arm of the green velvety chair and looked at his eyes for a moment before speaking.

"Hey."

"Hey," he replied, still in shock from her penetrating look.

"I was wondering when dinner was? Could you tell me?"

Draco seemed to snap out of it, as he stood up and grabbed her around the waist and lead her to the potrait hole.

"It should be almost ready. I'll go down with you."

*********

"So, Claud, how'd you like your first day?"

"It was pretty Ok, actually, Padma."

"Excellent! You totally killed! Every one was wondering who the new girl was!"

"Oh," Claudia replied, she felt kind of phony with all the make-up on, "I don't know about that."

"Would I lie to you?" Padma said casually. Honestly, Claudia didn't know.

"I wonder what they'll have for dinner? I'm not that hungry so I hope they have some soup or something light. Maybe a salad, or a roll. If they have angel food cake for dessert I'll just skip all that nutritious junk…"

Claudia's mind wandered as Padma went off on a tangent. Today was really fun, being admired and all, but this really wasn't like her, and she kind of liked her old self.

'What's wrong with me?' she thought as she pushed open the doors to the great hall, 'I've become one of those people that totally change when they fall in with a different crowd. I hate those people.'

Padma seemed to realize that she was being ignored, and tugged on Claudia's robe.

"Over here!"

Padma took Claudia to the end of Ravenclaw table, closest to the stage. The hall was beginning to fill in now, scattered groups of Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors were seated at their tables.

Claudia saw Claudette from across the room. She didn't look up, she was too busy giggling with a blonde guy. Claudia didn't realize she was staring until Padma gave her a jab in the ribs.

"Oh I know," she began snottily, "That girl sure seems to be adjusting well. Her and Draco sure are getting on."

Padma put her head down and giggled.

"Look at Pansy!"

She pointed to the other end of the Slytherin table to a pretty girl with her arms crossed and her skin blushing. She was positively fuming.

"That'll right her. She thinks she owns him. It's time someone else got their turn with that fine specimen."

"Heeh, yeah." Claudia said in return, she figured breaking the triplet thing to Padma could wait.

Suddenly, the food appeared on the table. There was soup, much to Padma's relief. She ladled the heavy, cream mixture into the delicate, porcelain china, offering Claudia some.

"No, that's all right. I'm more into solids, thanks."

Claudia heaped up some potatoes and roast beef on to her plate, getting funny looks from Padma and the other girls around her.

Noticing the disapproving looks, she backed away from her plate, feeling rather uncomfortable, noticing that Padma, and Bianca had taken only soup, and Cloreece was only starting with a small salad sans dressing. Cho was no where to be found.

She took a few more fork-fulls and declared that she was full, although she wasn't even close. The three girls around her seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. It was so uncomfortable, being judged constantly by the three quarter-portion eaters.

"Who feels like a walk around the grounds?" Cloreece declared, half her salad still on her plate.

"That sounds great," Claudia said, anything to keep her mind off food.

"I hear Gryfindor started early practices. They have a lot of rebuilding to do. We could go and watch and tell Cho some of their 'secrets'!" Bianca mentioned.

"Ok, then," Padma said, "Let's go get our cloaks, or is it warm out?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine, let's go."

*********************
"Claudine!" Neville called from the other end of the common room, "Ready to go down to dinner?"

'Oh, god,' Claudine thought to herself as Neville bumped and slipped as he hurried through the crowds of people. 'Should I pretend I don't see him? Oh, I think it's to late for that!'

"Hermione!," Claudine called to her as she walked though the door, "Hide me! Neville's coming!"

"Claudine," Hermione said questionably, she couldn't see anything from behind the stacks of books she was carrying. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me! Help, he's almost here!"

"Well, just come up to the dorm room. He's not allowed up there."

"All right then."

Claudine and Hermione hurried up the steps to the girl's dormitory.

"Fewf, I thought he had me that time!"

"Oh, Claudine, he just wants to have friends! He's just trying to be liked."

"Yeah, well he's been following me around all day; making sure I got to all my classes all right. It's annoying!"

"Well maybe you should tell him instead of childishly running away." Hermione said calmyly, thumbing through a large text on her bed.

"Oh, you know as well as I do he'd be crushed of I told him that I didn't appreciate his 'checking up on me.'"

"Sometimes the truth hurts."

Hermione gathered up all her books and bolted for the door. Claudine could have sworn she saw tears gathering in her eyes.

"Ohhh! Loooks like Neville has a crush on Claudine! Ha!"

"Lavender! Don't be jealous. Acceptance is the key to moving on!"

The girls continued to giggle over this for a while before Claudine interrupted.

"And who might you be?" she drawled in a sarcastic toned, surprised by Hermione's attitude.

"Oh yeah," one of the girls said casually, "I'm Pavarti, she's Lavender. Pleased to make your acquaintance," she added, doing a mock curtsy.

"Well done," Claudine said nonchalantly, "Quite graceful, really."

"I know."

"So, Claudine. I guess now you know the truth about Hermione, eh?"

"Yeah, at first I didn't think she was moody, but she just turned like that."

"We've been putting up with her for years. If you think it's bad now, wait 'til examinations."

"No doubt," Lavender chimed, crossing her legs on Pavarti's bed, "She's a total obsessive freak."

"Uhh, like can I help you colour code your notes," Pavarti said, cocking her hand and giggling to Lavender.

"The earlier you find out the better," Lavender said seriously, looking Claudine right in the eye, "The girl's incapable of friendship with her own kind. She prefers the less social grunts and prehistoric gestures of males. God knows why, but who am I to delve into the psyche of Hermione Granger?"

"Hmm," Claudine mumbled. She and Hermione seemed to have so much in common; and she had been so nice before. Maybe she was just having a bad day. But Pavarti and Lavender say she's always like this?

"Well, want to have some dinner, Ev?"

Lavender nodded in response, tossed her long blonde hair and repositioned her hat.

"Yah going to join us, Claudine?"

"Uhh, yeah I guess. Thanks."

The three walked out of the common room, through the many twisting, winding halls and stair ways to the Great Hall.
****************

"Let's go check out what Rodger and Ethan are doing over there." Cloreece suggested as they walked along the cobblestone path near the lake. The sickle moon was up, but the sunset was still providing enough light for an aggressive game of frisbee.

"Mind if I join in, Ethan?," Padma called to the group of boys playing frisbee on the sand behind the castle.

"Yeah, I guess we got room for a couple. Come here."

Ethan tossed her the frisbee, which she made an attempt to catch, but missed it completely, but Claudia reached up and grabbed it and handed it back to Padma. Ethan looked mildly impressed, but his small smile turned to laughter as Padma tried a pass back, which went into the lake.

Padma bit her nails and mouthed, "oops."

"Wait a go, Pads. Now Rodger has to get wet," he said jokingly, giving her a playful shove on the shoulder.

They heard a splash and saw that Rodger had dove into the water to retrieve the frisbee. His school robes were strewn on the beach, as he swam out into the silvery water.

"Oh, shit," one of the boys said to Rodger, "Here comes Hagrid. Get the hell out of there."

Hagrid was storming towards them, the echo of his slamming cabin door still in the air. Rodger was still leisurely wading towards shore, winking at Padma, and showing off his stomach.

"I've told yehs again and again!" Hagrid began, yelling at Ethan and turning to stair at Rodger, who was mocking him behind his back, "Yeh, can't swim in the lake. 'N if it's not goin' to sink in this year, I'm goin' to hafta start assingnin' detentions. Now get back up to the castle."

Hagrid turned and walked back to his cabin, as Rodger picked up his robes and began to walk barefoot towards the girls with the rest of the guys. He walked behind Claudia and gave her hug, his wet flesh driping through the airy weave of the school robes. When she turned her head he looked surprised, and quickly unwrapped his hands from her waist.

"Hey," he said, cocking his head to Cloreece, "Who's this?"

He stared at her with his pale blue eyes.

"Oh, this is Claudia. She's new; from North America."

He didn't remove his gaze. Claudia felt awkward.

"Hi," she said shyly, still kind of embarrassed from his hug.

"Hey." He turned his head and started talking to one of the boys behind them.

It was growing steadily darker as they reached the stairs at the back of the castle. The first stars were coming out and lighting the glaze on the cobble stone of the path. They pushed open the doors and made their way through the cold castle walls to Ravenclaw common room.
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