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Chapter Two

Falling in Love

"Where have you been?" Whispered Hermione harshly. "I've been speaking to Professor Snape." She answered quickly. "What about? Did you get into trouble or anything?" Hermione probed. Lleannon decided to keep their conversation to herself, for now at least, " No, no trouble. Just wanted to speak to me a moment about where I was in Defense is all." They finished out their classes up until lunch time and retreated to the Great Hall.

* * *

"I totally agree with you, Hermione. It's sad that house-elves have been brought up to even think they should be treated the way they are. They think it's RIGHT for heaven's sake!" Lleannon protested with Hermione. Ron yawned tremendously loud and Harry sat with his head rested on his left hand looking utterly petrified with boredom. "Oh come now, Harry… you don't honestly think it's alright that they think this way?" Lleannon looked hopefully at him, her blue eyes sparkling. "Well, to be totally honest with you I don't care. This is the way they want to live their lives. Why can't you be happy that their happy?" Harry was right. Not to her or Hermione, but he was. "But they're NOT happy. They've just been, like, programmed to think that they are. Can you really tell me you'd be happy cooking and cleaning all day and get no pay for it? No days off, no comfort, nothing? No recognition of the least bit?" Hermione argued. "You guys! Harry is not a house-elf. Maybe if he were and he were like Dobby, yes. But they are at peace knowing they don't get all that. Leave it be." Ron shouted. The two girls were taken aback at Ron's sudden outburst. "Well, I'm never going to agree with it. If I ever own a house-elf he or she will take pay and days off and she will like it!" Lleannon told them. "She must be thinking of adopting one of Dobby's offspring for a house-elf." Harry sniggered. But Hermione and Lleannon didn't hear him. They finished lunch and their chat just in time to be off to their next class which was Potions.

"I haven't seen the new teacher. I wonder who it is?" Lavender whispered to Padma Patil. They all ushered into the cold dungeon that looked the same as it always had. A young woman swept into the room carrying a book. She set it down on the desk and looked around at the faces. "Good afternoon class. My name is Professor Kraine. I am your new Potions master this year." Some of the boys gawked at her stunning beauty. And, hard to admit, she was beautiful. She had long blonde hair, light brown eyes, and full facial features. Her robes were deep purple and flattered her complexion. Potions rode by smoothly and so did their following class. The first day was now over.

"Harry, what'cha doin'?" Lleannon asked as she skipped into the common room. Harry was sitting alone at a table looking through a large album of some sort. She sat down beside him before he answered. "I'm looking at some photos of my parents and I guess their friends." Harry replied. She looked through it with him until one picture caught her eye. "Harry, who is that?" Lleannon asked pointing to a picture of a woman with long black hair and blue eyes standing with two men and a woman. "I don't know…" Harry took the picture out of it's covering and turned it around. Writing appeared on the back of it.

James, Lily, Sirius, and Kim two years after Hogwarts graduation.

"Harry! That's my mom! And-and your… did you know your parents and my mom went to school together? She was in Slytherin but she was very good friends with them…" And she told Harry all about the conversation between her and Snape. "Wow! I never knew that. Do- do you want the picture, or have you got any?" Harry asked. "I only have a few. Could I have it? Oh thank you, Harry!" And she ran back up the spiral staircase just as Hermione walked in the door with a stack of books from the library, "Where'd she run off to in such a hurry?" "I dunno, I just gave her a picture of her mum and she dashed away." Harry answered. Hermione ran up after dropping a couple of books along the way.

Lleannon finally told her about her conversation with Snape. They talked and talked and talked about it until it was time to go eat supper. They sat once more to a meal in the Great Hall. Lleannon finished rather quickly and began glancing around the room. Finally she looked up at the staff table and noticed Snape staring at her. He quickly turned away but she kept on him. Warm thoughts swept over her. Something about his less-than-aristocratic appearance was endearing to her. Given, many of the staff looked even worse than he, but he was still a little bit shabby looking. She studied him for a moment. His black unkempt hair, his pale skin, deep black eyes, full lips, his posture… he sat up straight but it appeared as though he was slouching the way his left leg was crossed over the other, his robes were a tad wrinkled, but clean-looking. The expression on his face said `I'm deep in thought' and finally Lleannon realized he was staring at her again. She shook away and started laughing with the rest of the Gryffindor table at what she hadn't heard. Then she slipped back into thought, `Why was I thinking of him in that way? Why was I describing him as though he were anything more than my teacher? Why had he been staring at me? Why had I been staring at him?' Questions like this raced through her mind all night. Before she knew it she was in her bed staring up at the canopy. And most of all… why did all this seem so important to her? Was she overreacting? Was she playing at something that was insignificant? Or was there something to the way they looked at each other obliviously?

"HEY!" Hermione jumped through the curtains onto her bed. Lleannon just jumped, "My gosh! Don't scare me like that ever again!" Lleannon exhaled deeply. "Heh, sorry. I wanted to know if you wanted to study for a few minutes before we go off to sleep?" She asked. "Hermione… I've been a straight-A student all my life and I've never pounded myself the way you do to study. It's our first day! Relax a little bit. Live a little. Do you know what coffee smells like? Honestly Hermione, it's like you don't even have a life outside of school. Name the worst thing you've ever done." Lleannon ordered. Hermione turned red, "I-I lied to a teacher to get Harry and Ron out of trouble." Lleannon's mouth fell open, "Okay, that's it! This Friday we're going to sneak down to the kitchens and get the elves to give us a couple of bottles of the stuff the teachers have at supper and you, Ron, Harry, and I are going to go have a little party somewhere." "We're going to go take pumpkin juice?" Asked Hermione curiously. "NO! Wine… we're going to go get some of that wine!" Lleannon whispered. Hermione looked at her with surprise, but didn't dare contradict her. Hermione knew Lleannon wasn't kidding.

They passed through the whole week of classes. Snape and Lleannon still glanced awkwardly at each other, but he still hadn't attempted to speak to her again outside of class. This was a thorn in Lleannon's side. He stared at her thoughtfully and looked away as fast as he could when she saw him but never talked to her. Why? Did he know this was driving her insane? Or was he really trying to ignore her? And for what reason? Now, even more questions tore at Lleannons insides. This was about to drive her insane.

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