CHAPTER 9
A/N for everyone who thought that I had lost my sanity temporarily and thought that Lee was a girl, I am sorry. I in truth meant that the stripper on the card was pulling off her pants and that if he lost he would have to as well. I don't own them all! Oh and to those beautiful people who were so kind as to review…I LOVE YOU!!!
***-
I stared at the new Slytherns. They were a wild bunch, but several of them looked less fierce and dark. Belle laughed at a couple of the new girls gazing with longing looks in my direction. She walked over as I turned to glance behind me and make certain that they weren't looking at some one else.
"Come Draco, vee need your 'elp with va 'omework. Eet is very diverent than vat vee 'ave at 'ome."
"Vell Belle vis is your 'ome now," Jonathan cried out spining her around and grabing her around the waist, something I found out later that if any other boy had tried they would have had been cursed with one of the three tragedies. The three tragedies were the three unforgivable curses, but as Jonathan called them. The homework was extremely depressing, as it had been what Professor Moody the original had assigned after exiting his crate. There were pictures of people suffering under the three and you had to identify and explain why.
"Vee are like veese three tragedies," Jonathan cried out in a sickeningly cheerful voice as Belle and I wrote Adva Kedadva next to the picture of a man lying. It had been the only picture that hadn't moved since we turned to that page.
"Vat in Merlin's name are you rambling on about now?" Belle said smirking as she looked up at him from the packet.
"'Onestly! Draco, you are Imperious, putting girlz under your zpell. You make vee others follow your every command. I am the Cruticus, vrightening the others. I am even 'urting some, not that I mean to," he added when Belle shot him an angry look.
"But you," he said recovering quickly, "You are Adva Kedadva, instantainous death, vith a strange sort of beauty." She nodded approvingly. "Let us promise, that even if vee are split up in va Knight's challenge, we will stay vriends and 'elp eachother."
"I agree!" I cried thrusting my goblet of hot chocolate against each of theirs in turn. We drank and took off to our dormitories.
It took me a brief moment to realize that some one was following me.
"What were you talking about with the other transfers?" Pansy walked up to me grabbing my hand Jonathan turned to look at my reaction. His eyes held curiosity of whether I'd tell or not.
"None of your concern… Pansy." I sent her an angered face hoping she'd catch on but she didn't.
"Come on, you use to tell me all your secrets, tell me again…like you use to." She slid my hand down against her cheek and let it linger there for a moment before tracing her curves with it. I felt Jon's eyes on my back and another set down the hall and at the common room waiting with unpleasant anticipation. I let her continue holding my hand as I traced the waist of her skirt gingerly. I played her game gripping her hand a little and pulling it behind her back… and then tighter as I heard her gasp out in pain a little. I had stopped and my fake smile disapeared. I held her hand tight behind her back.
"You," I said calmly in my practiced drawl, "were not invited and do not need to mess with my affairs, got it? Now let go or I will pull harder- possibly even break your arm."
She obeyed and stepped back a bit. I looked over at Jonathan smiling happily. I turned back towards Pansy and found her glaring at the nasty grin of Belle.
"You 'eard 'im. Get lost!" Belle smiled at her pug-like face.
"Do you really think he likes you better than me?" Honestly, could Pansy not catch the hint? Belle was enjoying herself though. She let out a scary laugh and pushed her self against my stomach. I felt her arms curve around my back and I protectively placed mine wrapped around her stomach. I barely caught a tiny glimpse of envy in Jonathan's eyes.
"'Ow could 'e ever like you vhen there is someone like me?"
Pansy let out a gut piercing cry, and stumbled back towards the commons.
Belle let go and bowed as we began to clap.
"Vhank you, I'll be 'ere all year. Now you guys get some good sleep, uh? We'll be 'aving some of vhat double potions tomorrow." She playfully punched Jonathan and skipped back towards the girls' dorm singing 'I think I am going to 'ave a good year!'
***-
I was frightened. Well actually slightly scared. No I was very scared. I had whispered my findings about the poker game to both Raven and Zachary. Both had become a bit giggly, but Zachary was because he had drank that bottle of butter beer from under the red couch that the date was so old the label faded and begun to crack off. At least we thought that it was butter beer. He kept muttering 'low tolerance' and fell on top of a couple of squealing first years. He pulled out an arrow and quickly thread it into his bow and pulled back aiming to fire.
Everyone jumped or ducked except the poker players to immerse in the game to notice. He let it fly just as Charlie opened the door shirtless. It whipped right over his head, gently fluffing his hair before impaling an arachnid right in the arch of the doorway. Then Zach simply passed out. Charlie smirked.
"What's up with him?" Charlie asked, grinning as he shook Zach's shoulder.
"We dared him to drink a bottle of butter beer that we found under one of the couches." Raven giggled, sending a quick glance over at the poker table. Lee didn't look like he was doing to well.
"Under which chair?" Charlie ran a quick hand through his untamed hair. His grin had turned into a wild smile and he glanced around. Raven pointed to the couch furthest from the fire. Charlie let out a yell and dashed over. "Adler! Dint! Get your lazy butt's out of bed and get over here!" They did, Dint still with shaving cream covering most of his face and his razor/transfigured wand in hand, and Adler's black hair dripping and clinging to his face. He must have just gotten out of the shower as he was only wearing a towel.
Charlie flipped over the chair working on a loose board on the bottom. Adler let out a sort strangled cry and sprinted towards him jumping over a pair of first years (Let's hope they didn't look up) and began to pry at the board also. Dint walked over slowly shaving with his wand as he did.
"No wonder I was the only one of us to be put in Ravenclaw." Dint tapped the board with his wand and it came off. The other two shot him feigned nasty looks and tossed him another of the bottles just like the one we had fed to Zachary. "Whoah, you don't drink a whole bottle of this at once! It strengthens in time too. This stuff's like ten-twelve years old at least."
"Hey Dint, Adler," Charlie said and they both looked up. "See that boy on the couch? He just drank the whole bottle thinking it was butter beer."
"Your kidding?" Adler walked over to Zach who was crying out things like 'it was I who let the beast out', 'I will take you on with my bare hands', and 'well aren't you a pretty little lass."
"You will be my bride," said in barely above a whisper, though the whole common room could hear it. The room was in silence except for the occasional grunt from the poker game and reshuffling the deck.
"Enervate," Adler whispered, bringing Zachary back to consciousness. To reassure everyone of this, he let out a terrified scream.
"Where the heck did the beautiful princess go? I was about to say 'I do' when you had to come…" Zachary got a good look around. Everyone was laughing.
"Get up Romeo, zis iz not zee best place for you right now." Raven laughed and helped him up. He suddenly clenched his stomach and raced over to the window sticking his head out. He was throwing up and sobering quickly.
We heard a nasty splashing noise and a scream. Raven gazed excitedly out the window.
"Direct hit! 'E got zee couple making-out down zhere like a bullz eye." Everyone laughed and several people raced over to get a look. "Zey say what you 'ad to drink waz Vire Vhisky, Zach. Zach? You are not going to throw up again are you?"
"Bugger! This is the worst hangover!" Zach walked over and snatched the arrow from the wall. He sat on the sill of the window rubbing his forehead. Raven walked over still giggling as she patted his back.
"Crap! No! Dragon Crap!" Lee threw down his cards and walked over hoisting himself up on to the mantle above the fire place. "Might as well do this the right way. George, hit the lights, Fred, my music…"
Suddenly the lights flickered out leaving it pitch black. Several people gasped.
"Ladie's and Gent's, Warthogs and Roosters, young and Old-"
"GEORGE Hurry up and get on with it!"
"-I present you with L-eeeeeeeee Jo-rdan, dang I've waited a long time to do this…"
The lights flashed back on and there stood Lee wearing only his -
BOXERS!
The girls shrieked and all of a sudden, a song came on.
"He's got dumps like a truck, truck, truck, thighs like what, what , what, baby move your butt, butt, butt." (A/N I'm not a hundred percent certain on those lyrics) He jumped off the mantle and began to dance around the squealing girls. He even lip-synched the words.
"Thong, th-thong, thong, thong, thong, I like the way the beat goes, baby move your booty ohhhh"
Suddenly Professor McGonagall burst through the common room portrait. She gasped. The music stopped. The lights quit flickering to the beat. There standing in the middle of the common room was Lee Jordan looking super embarrassed, but really hot in nothing but his boxers.
"Mr. Jordan and the two Weasley twins, come with me, as for the rest of you… BED!" and we scrambled out of her sight as quickly as possible. She left and I checked the clock.
The common room was empty and it was 5 till midnight!
Perfect.
***-
Two minutes to midnight. I stood back in the now empty common room waiting. I had put out the fire and was holding a candle as my only source of light. All of a sudden there was a whoosh and a beautiful hawk soared down and out of the fireplace. Attached to it's leg was a letter. It read
Good Evening,
Take the hawk to your dorm and set it on your bed. Get in and close the curtains. Quit making that disgusted face that I know you are right now. Just do it. Trust me.
Love,
Ginny
Feeling beyond crazy I followed her instructions. I thought of the terrible sight that awaited Jonathan if he suddenly decided to wake up and saw me closing the curtains around my self and a bird.
Luckily he didn't.
I shut the curtains and the bird changed. Ginny. I should have known. She smiled and wrapped me in her arms. She looked exhausted so I just let her fall asleep in my arms. I woke up before her and so did Jonathan.
He swung open the curtains yelling good morning, gasped, apologized and swung them shut.
"Draco, Merlin's beard I'm sorry! So Sorry." Ginny who had woken up pushed herself off my chest and smiled.
"Is there any one else out there?" I asked, knowing that if he was making a scene then everyone else would want to know who was with me.
"No just ve and uh vell, Belle is 'ere too." He answered.
"I am 'ere Draco dearest, vas I missed?" She spoke.
"I missed you like a lion does a thorn, it's Ok Gin. They don't mind." Ginny opened the curtain and looked into the two other people's faces. I just stared shocked, in a tiny black nightgown, Belle looked hot, but I wasn't really looking for anyone else. I already had Ginny.
"Well it looks like vee Imperious is doing vine, much better van I ex-pected avter seeing vat Pan-asy girl try at 'im last night." Ginny looked at Belle in surprise and with some curiosity. "Don't vorry about Draco, 'e told 'er to sod off, if a few more vords."
Now Ginny gazed at me with a quizzical look. "Draco darling, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"
"Nothing doll. Just an old flame turned cold." She laughed at this and pushed herself off the bed.
"I do not believe vhat vee 'ave meet. I am Jonathan and vhis iz Belle… Belle? Vhere did she go?" Jonathan turned to where she had been standing before she had disappeared. She stepped out of another bed that had had the curtains pulled and carried Jason on one hip. Jason was grinning sluggishly as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"Morning Jason." Ginny smiled so warmly at him that I had to be jealous, even though he was only 3 and a half, and would never even dream of stealing Ginny from me. I saw her stand and tap her fingers in a neat little pattern on her wrinkled robes. Instantly they became smooth and a majestic green that had gold embroidery on them. They swept the ground behind her where they came to a thicker black edging that some how managed to never pick up the thick dust that had accumulated over the summer.
Belle watched with a grin that I would later learn that meant she was up to no good. Jonathan was looking slightly miffed that she had not yet used her wand.
"Very neat trick, but vee must change ju----st a little bit." Belle produced her wand, which we had no clue where from in that tiny night gown. She bit her bottom lip as if concentrating, then hummed a few notes while swishing the wand. Jon and I let our moths hang wide open.
Ginny's robes turned a more forest green and the edges became velvet. The entire robe tightened and the front ban to lace up tightly in a satiny string. The sleeves became belled and her hair elegantly pulled it's self up into a high tail with a few lose strands still falling into her amber eyes. Her lips darkened a more blood red and her cheeks flushed rose. The boots she had conjured with her robes grew a few inches so that she was only an inch shorter than me. I goggled at Belle's final product. Only Jason's applause brought me back to my normal state of mind.
"Like I said, zee zmall changes and it's perfect. Mind you. She could 'ave done it 'erself, but it needs my fashion statement. Zoooo- vhat due you think?" Belle elbowed Jon in the stomach awaiting his response. He could only nod. Ginny who had not yet seen herself, clapped her hands together, and as she pulled them apart a mirror formed floating between them. She gasped at the reflection then turned and wrapped a dumbfounded Belle in a hug. Belle was quite surprised and responded to the gesture quite akwardly.
"It's beautiful." Ginny breathed pulling away and looking back into the mirror.
"It's not beautiful, you are," I said smiling and she blushed even more, smiling warmly at me.
"I'm hungry!" Jason pulled my eyes from where they were locked in Ginny's.
"Shoot. Nearly forgot. Ginny, how are you going to get back?" I asked, suddenly realizing a load of problems.
"Like yesterday. The same way as I got in," She said with a wink, and walked over to the window. As she squatted in the thick stone frame, several inches of skin from between her boots and waist showed. I began to stare, but quickly caught myself. She leaped from the small window, quickly changing into a pure white dove this time. She flew out of sight with the four of us gazing at her through the window.
"Wooooah Imperious, you pick vhem vell, very vell." I smirked at Jon's comment.
"Let's go slow-pokes. Jason and I vill leave with out you…" We turned to see Belle. Her night gown only two inches longer and had gone from satin night wear to velvet, still black, and only having a single silver studded strap that wrapped around her neck. Her short hair was unnaturally straight, and she wore thick so-dark-brown-it-seems-black boots with fur cuffs on the edges. She laughed at our looks.
"But Belle, I vought vhat you bought your 'Ogwart's robes?" Jonathan stared at her increduously.
"Do you really vink I'd miss this opportunity to vorget vee dress code, Cruticus?" With that Jonathan and I were left to quickly change and hurry down to breakfast.
---*
Wow. Oh wow! I am not changing this gown back. I entered the Great Hall… and caught the attention of… The Great Hall. I EVEN had the TEACHERS gawking. That is, until Belle arrived. The two boys followed her, catching the large, heavy wood door and panting. Some how, even when Draco is flushed and tired he still manages to hold his cool arrogant look. His hair is slightly slicked back but a few of his bangs fall into his eyes. I can tell he's sleepy.
I won't exactly admit this to anyone, but last night he had a nightmare. Or at least I think it was a nightmare. He looked as if he was trying to scream but no sound resulted. And he clutched his wrist and I discovered a small scar, kind of deep and purple with a faint glow of silver running through it. Kind of like the one on Jason's arm too. They are a scratch and two slits running across it. Like the books. They have that same design etched into their leather covers. I better remember to tell some one.
I'll go to Delvi, or Dumbledore. No I can't, or rather I shouldn't. I'll confront Draco about it tonight. That's what I'd want if it were about me.
On a happier note, Pansy is eyeing Draco in his sharp looking forest green cloak, as a person dying of thirst does water. I wonder how intimate their relationship is. Scratch that, how intimate it was. He' s mine now. But as jealous as I am, it's nice to see Belle watching over him for me. He keeps fingering the silver dragon clasp on his cloak as if it means the world to him. Another thing I must ask him about. I'll probably have to make a list.
Does Belle not see that Jonathan is staring at her? Perhaps she's playing hard to get. God, I just need to take my eyes out of other people's love affairs, and prep for my first class as a fifth year.
I've got potions first. That means Draco. Unfortunately that also means Snape. Who returned last night and seems even more cranky than usual.
Good. That was the bell.
***-
Servus is back. I'm surprised. Well, not that much as I know that he was spying for the good side and that he probably has been officially found out. He's done a poor job at hiding the dark bruises on the left side of his face. He limps as well. Perhaps the Death Eater's were less than pleased with his priority and even reluctant in his release. Did he escape?
Perhaps Potions won't end up being so pleasant first thing on Monday mornings. I walked to class quickly, smirking to myself each time Pansy glances at me and then Belle. I sat at a table before I noticed place cards. Just Great! He paired my group up with Potter, Weasel, and Granger. Unfortunately no sign of Ginny's name. At least I am with Jonathan and Belle.
"How tragic it is that your Headmaster feels the need to entertain you so." Snape's voice icily hung over the class as everyone filed in. Some of the new students shivered. Belle and Jonathan nodded in approval. "A game, a challenge, when you, the student body should, would and could better use the time to wizen yourselves in such subjects. Miss Weasley! What are you doing in my classroom at this hour? Might I suggest that you go attend transfiguation with your year? Perhaps transfigure your self a watch?" Snape glared at my girl, allowing me to notice her for the first time in the potion's room, eyes furrowed as she looked for her place tag.
"Excuse me sir. Professor, she has taken and passed a test to allow her to skip a year." I had found my voice before Potter had, as he was looking oh so attractive with his mouth open wide, as if preparing to speak.
"A terrible mistake if you ask me. Perhaps your test was not properly graded? Very well. Join Draco's table so he can look over you…"
Ginny found her place at my side, looking both nervous and uncomfortable.
"Relax you'll be fine." I mentally sent her.
"You all will be working up batches of a potion to sort you into groups for this little… game, that the headmaster has prepared for you. This is too difficult for the younger years," (He took this time to send an angry glare at Ginny) "but too easy for my 6 and 7th year classes. In other words, 5th year will make this potion for the whole school, and therefore will be back in this classroom, not only after double potions, but I believe your elective class as well." He paused to hear the groaning effect fall over most of the class. "But before we start, I will be collecting the homework packets…"
More groaning followed this, as well as some sniffling from Neville who had some how misplaced his. Ginny pulled her completely finished packet, as thick as a text book, out of thin air and handed it to a now very disturbed Snape. Up until that point he had come up to her holding out his hand thinking she would have had to make some excuse up.
"I think that I shall question you all through out the period on random questions, to see if you all were severely stupid enough to copy and expect to get away with it." With this comment he sent another glare toward Ginny who was pulling out ingredients for the potion. Ron groaned and mumbled something about not being able to memorize an entire packet.
"You will be using the schools supplies-" He leaned over her shoulder with brows arched to examine the trays Ginny had been filling with all sorts of ingredients that most people, even I, a Slythern, couldn't recognize. "Obviously everyone in the classroom has not brought this amount to class… What?! Powdered Unicorn hoof can not be sold with out proper permission. Miss Virginia, I strongly hope you have not stolen or smuggled this." He looked more like he hoped she had, not only so he could punish her, but perhaps to confiscate it as well. He held it up to the small window's light.
"I promise you, Professor, that I did all that was necessary before obtaining that specific ingredient." She quickly clapped her hands and all of her ingredients were back inside of her sack. His scowl made the heavy dark bruises on his left cheek more evident.
He handed her back the bottle of ingredients and then as if to say 'you're not that special' clapped his own hands together to produce a beautifully calligraphy copied page of important instructions at each of the tables. From what I could tell from the glaring daggers of the both of them, Ginny had accepted the challenge. She did not, however, allow it to distract her concentration on her potion work.
"Ah Malfoy. If something good must be brought out of this, I guess at least you won't try anything while you are in our group." Ron glanced up from where his dagger sliced into Dragon Root to tell me. His eyes held mine with a mixture of dislike and confusion.
"More like, was so tragically joined into by absolutely no doing of his own of course, because he would rather lay down and die," I shot back and I heard Jonathan and Belle both laughed, as well as a boy with long blond hair and a bow and set of arrows on his back. I didn't know him but it seemed that Ginny did as she turned and spoke quickly to him and a girl with black curly hair. Both grinned and nodded. I looked over at Hermoine who was concentrating so hard on the instructions that she didn't even notice her fingers gently caress over her new shining prefects badge. That didn't hold my attention long though as my eyes drifted back to Ron's dagger. The blade was obsidian-black wrapped neatly in silver Celtic knots.
"Weasley, where did you get that knife?" It was clearly too expensive to fit under his normal category of belongings. Ginny didn't seem happy enough with him right now to have made it for him.
He looked up at me with his ice blue eyes holding curiosity now rather than that dull hatred. "A gift… from my brother in Egypt. Why?"
"Charlie?" I asked, having him answer my questions before I would answer his.
"No, Bill. He is a curse breaker. It belonged to an angry Pharaoh, he said, before it was cursed. Why the bloody Hell do you care Malfoy?"
"I guess I just like knives and sharp objects. I wouldn't use it to cut the Banshee Hair though. It will ruin the blade."
"Kind of like stabbing that great sword of yours through my sister, right? Or is killing a virgin at the tip of it suppose to make it better… perhaps worth more?" His hate for me had resurfaced instantly, and his knuckles were white with the tight grip on the dagger.
"Cool it. Unless you don't know the rules to Wizard fencing, which you Ron obviously don't, it is not proper to kill the opponent-" I began.
"When a woman, and unless under conditions where the audience is great enough or the woman's wrong doing is suffice enough… besides you don't even know Ron if I am a Virgin or not." This statement from Ginny caught more eyes than just her brother's. "Relax! I am. Don't put those in till I add the powdered Griffin Talons."
Snape now had obviously decided we had had enough chatting time and began to quiz students out loud.
Neville was his first victim. He had of shocked everyone by stuttering out the answer correctly. Disturbed so much by this, Snape spun on to one of the transfers.
"You!" he cried out limping over to the table with the boy with long blond hair. "What is your name."
"Zach." The boy's reply was short but he set down his supplies and looked up at the professor.
"How muggle-American." Snape smirked at the name to himself. "Tell me, what ingredient can be added to the blood of a sphinx to make it fatal?"
"Goblin teeth if the sphinx blood is boiled, The horn of a Welsh dragon if at room temperature.---"
"Stop looking at the girl!" He pointed at Ginny making her flinch. "Why are you looking at her?"
"Because she helped me find the answers last night…"
"She helped you… Perhaps by showing you her paper?"
"No sir, hers was not done last night either as we both received ours last night, sir. Her because she had just been approved to skip a year and mine because I was a late transfer." He said now staring hard at the aging professor's gleaming black eyes.
"Why are you such a late transfer, as to have only gotten you work last night?" Snape was not trying at all to keep the bitter cold out of his voice. It jumped to my conclusion that this was because he wanted to hear that the boy feared Voldemort. That the dark Lord was the reason he had transferred, and it had all been out of fear. That way the old man could praise himself in being so strong in his spying at his own risk for our side. So brave and deserving.
"Because, Voldemort killed my parents, sir. My only remaining family is near here. If it was up to me I wouldn't be here. I would be out trying to stop him. I don't fear for myself. Voldemort has caused their deaths, and I wish to cause his."
All the students had swiveled on their stools to look this boy in the face. Even Snape had lost his energetic anger. Each time he said 'sir' he looked as if he was struggling to keep from snapping. The boy held a knife carved intricately into a wolf's head at one end and with the last bit of anger he had plunged it in to the depths of the wooden table's surface. He sighed suddenly and drew the knife out of the wood with out touching it. He closed his eyes and breathed methodically for a moment before returning to the tedious work of separating the main vein from the long skinny leaves piled on his table. Then to shock everyone even more, he continued his list of answers to the professor's problem. "The tongue of a banshee if brewed at midnight, sticking the blade of the Excaliber has been said to work at all times but noon on Wednesday, the scales of a balisk…"
"That will do Zachary. All those are fine except the one about the Banshee. I believe that simply puts the victim into the same state of mind as a dementor's kiss… Very well, will you please speak to me at my desk?"
No one, I repeat, no one on the planet has ever seen Servus Snape speak to someone, especially a new Gryffindor, that way. He didn't even sneer once. The boy, Zach, wiped the blade of his knife off on his tunic and pocketed it before heading up to the teacher's desk. Though the whole class was watching his every move, neither he nor Snape seemed to realize or care. The room was entirely too quiet and Zach walked over to him, stepping so nimbly that even the hard echoing dungeon floor didn't make a sound as his leather boots hit the floor. Snape finally noticed the concentration level of his class and burst out at us to get back to work.
We did with out needing a second telling. Ginny briefly left our table to comfort the girl with ebony black hair. She is a friend I guess of the boy's and hadn't been told that yet. She looked sickly pale all of a sudden and near fainting.
Ginny returned looking miserable in the least. "I have a feeling that Zachary wouldn't have told anyone if he had the choice, it seems he hates being pitied," she whispered so that only our group could hear. In that way I admired the boy and related to him in a way.
Zach stumbled his way to his seat not smiling in the least, but he no longer looked nearly so angry.
By the end of double potions each group had finished nearly four batches each, but Snape was growling that if we didn't work faster there would not be enough to have the competition.
I was slightly discouraged because I had been thinking that by the end of class I would know which group I was to be divided into. Ginny must thought the same, but she kept glancing at the small purple star on the back of her wrist. She told me that she had hid it from Snape to avoid any further ridiculing from him. I grabbed up her hand and looked at it to inspect the star more closely.
"Maybe you should go to see Madam Prophmey. I don't know about it being purple." I looked up and noticed Harry and Ron both eye me strangely.
Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?
"What? Snape said to watch over her… K?" I spat savagely at them with little effect on their part.
I said good bye to Jonathan and Belle as both had something else next. With a quick look at my schedule I realized that I had divination with that old bat woman next. I'm sure she use to make me happy in her classes with each continual mention of a death of one of her other students and then bring up Potter in some way. I really could care less about Potter now as long as he keeps his hands off Ginny. I just realized in a terrible sort of light that I am starting to sound like one of her over protective brothers.
As I climbed the new tasseled rope ladder to the hole in the wall, which they consider a classroom, I realized that the class was larger for some reason. I found my name once again on a tiny sparkly name plate and once again next to Potter, and Weasley. It seemed Ginny was their with the girl with black hair, and Zach.
"Welcome, Welcome back to Divination class." Her usually misty voice sounded hoarse and cracking. "I have merged my classes into one due to the fact that some could not bare the tremendous difficulty of this art and have dropped out." More like got sick of listening to her annoying fake and false predictions. "My inner senses tell me that you have yet to be sorted for the tournament. Am I correct?" Several people nodded while others rolled their eyes. A couple students even began to cough out 'staff meeting'. Padama and Lavender, however, looked intensely impressed. "Well of course I am correct, as my innermost senses never lie. I think we will start out with special tea leaves to decipher what team we will end up in before we are actually in it. Then we will move in to the tarot cards and star charts as a review of last year, and perhaps have a closer look at the success or failure of our teams. It really is a pity that the head master would not allow the crystal ball to work its magic in how to decide which team a student belongs in. Ah, speak of the inner eye, Virginia, didn't I tell you that your studies would improve and would see the results so clearly as this?" The crazy woman stared at Ginny, her yellow teeth gleaming as she nodded.
"No professor. I am afraid you did not. I do remember that you told me a dark-haired mysterious man would cause me much pain and suffering when he would not allow me his love and then die a tragic death just as things were looking up. But I can't really say that has happened either." Ginny bit her lip to hold back a smile as the woman straightened back up and coughed pretending she hadn't heard her quite properly.
"Maybe it just hasn't occurred yet. The star chart never lies."
"Yes but the whole thing revolved around a star, the Alpha star to be exact, which has ceased to exist for over 14 years now. I due believe that the star in it's place-"
"Nonsense child! Are you questioning my authority or ability in the subject that I was hired to teach?"
A/N ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH that chapter took so long that it hurt to write. The whole time I was wondering if I would get to the actual sorting, but there was just too much to cram. Oh yeah, no excuse but I fried my face on vacation and hurt my knee. Oh Drill team tryouts are next week. Wish me luck if you aren't too peeved at me for taking my time with this over due chapter. Pay close attention to details as they will come in to play in later chapters. Thanks for reading this, and if you find yourself bored out of your mind or enjoying it just a little…a few reviews would be pleasing. I know I am really not that deserving but they keep me writing faster. Well I think I ought to go crack the remnants of my peeling sunburned skin off. Maybe I'll do it
A/N for everyone who thought that I had lost my sanity temporarily and thought that Lee was a girl, I am sorry. I in truth meant that the stripper on the card was pulling off her pants and that if he lost he would have to as well. I don't own them all! Oh and to those beautiful people who were so kind as to review…I LOVE YOU!!!
***-
I stared at the new Slytherns. They were a wild bunch, but several of them looked less fierce and dark. Belle laughed at a couple of the new girls gazing with longing looks in my direction. She walked over as I turned to glance behind me and make certain that they weren't looking at some one else.
"Come Draco, vee need your 'elp with va 'omework. Eet is very diverent than vat vee 'ave at 'ome."
"Vell Belle vis is your 'ome now," Jonathan cried out spining her around and grabing her around the waist, something I found out later that if any other boy had tried they would have had been cursed with one of the three tragedies. The three tragedies were the three unforgivable curses, but as Jonathan called them. The homework was extremely depressing, as it had been what Professor Moody the original had assigned after exiting his crate. There were pictures of people suffering under the three and you had to identify and explain why.
"Vee are like veese three tragedies," Jonathan cried out in a sickeningly cheerful voice as Belle and I wrote Adva Kedadva next to the picture of a man lying. It had been the only picture that hadn't moved since we turned to that page.
"Vat in Merlin's name are you rambling on about now?" Belle said smirking as she looked up at him from the packet.
"'Onestly! Draco, you are Imperious, putting girlz under your zpell. You make vee others follow your every command. I am the Cruticus, vrightening the others. I am even 'urting some, not that I mean to," he added when Belle shot him an angry look.
"But you," he said recovering quickly, "You are Adva Kedadva, instantainous death, vith a strange sort of beauty." She nodded approvingly. "Let us promise, that even if vee are split up in va Knight's challenge, we will stay vriends and 'elp eachother."
"I agree!" I cried thrusting my goblet of hot chocolate against each of theirs in turn. We drank and took off to our dormitories.
It took me a brief moment to realize that some one was following me.
"What were you talking about with the other transfers?" Pansy walked up to me grabbing my hand Jonathan turned to look at my reaction. His eyes held curiosity of whether I'd tell or not.
"None of your concern… Pansy." I sent her an angered face hoping she'd catch on but she didn't.
"Come on, you use to tell me all your secrets, tell me again…like you use to." She slid my hand down against her cheek and let it linger there for a moment before tracing her curves with it. I felt Jon's eyes on my back and another set down the hall and at the common room waiting with unpleasant anticipation. I let her continue holding my hand as I traced the waist of her skirt gingerly. I played her game gripping her hand a little and pulling it behind her back… and then tighter as I heard her gasp out in pain a little. I had stopped and my fake smile disapeared. I held her hand tight behind her back.
"You," I said calmly in my practiced drawl, "were not invited and do not need to mess with my affairs, got it? Now let go or I will pull harder- possibly even break your arm."
She obeyed and stepped back a bit. I looked over at Jonathan smiling happily. I turned back towards Pansy and found her glaring at the nasty grin of Belle.
"You 'eard 'im. Get lost!" Belle smiled at her pug-like face.
"Do you really think he likes you better than me?" Honestly, could Pansy not catch the hint? Belle was enjoying herself though. She let out a scary laugh and pushed her self against my stomach. I felt her arms curve around my back and I protectively placed mine wrapped around her stomach. I barely caught a tiny glimpse of envy in Jonathan's eyes.
"'Ow could 'e ever like you vhen there is someone like me?"
Pansy let out a gut piercing cry, and stumbled back towards the commons.
Belle let go and bowed as we began to clap.
"Vhank you, I'll be 'ere all year. Now you guys get some good sleep, uh? We'll be 'aving some of vhat double potions tomorrow." She playfully punched Jonathan and skipped back towards the girls' dorm singing 'I think I am going to 'ave a good year!'
***-
I was frightened. Well actually slightly scared. No I was very scared. I had whispered my findings about the poker game to both Raven and Zachary. Both had become a bit giggly, but Zachary was because he had drank that bottle of butter beer from under the red couch that the date was so old the label faded and begun to crack off. At least we thought that it was butter beer. He kept muttering 'low tolerance' and fell on top of a couple of squealing first years. He pulled out an arrow and quickly thread it into his bow and pulled back aiming to fire.
Everyone jumped or ducked except the poker players to immerse in the game to notice. He let it fly just as Charlie opened the door shirtless. It whipped right over his head, gently fluffing his hair before impaling an arachnid right in the arch of the doorway. Then Zach simply passed out. Charlie smirked.
"What's up with him?" Charlie asked, grinning as he shook Zach's shoulder.
"We dared him to drink a bottle of butter beer that we found under one of the couches." Raven giggled, sending a quick glance over at the poker table. Lee didn't look like he was doing to well.
"Under which chair?" Charlie ran a quick hand through his untamed hair. His grin had turned into a wild smile and he glanced around. Raven pointed to the couch furthest from the fire. Charlie let out a yell and dashed over. "Adler! Dint! Get your lazy butt's out of bed and get over here!" They did, Dint still with shaving cream covering most of his face and his razor/transfigured wand in hand, and Adler's black hair dripping and clinging to his face. He must have just gotten out of the shower as he was only wearing a towel.
Charlie flipped over the chair working on a loose board on the bottom. Adler let out a sort strangled cry and sprinted towards him jumping over a pair of first years (Let's hope they didn't look up) and began to pry at the board also. Dint walked over slowly shaving with his wand as he did.
"No wonder I was the only one of us to be put in Ravenclaw." Dint tapped the board with his wand and it came off. The other two shot him feigned nasty looks and tossed him another of the bottles just like the one we had fed to Zachary. "Whoah, you don't drink a whole bottle of this at once! It strengthens in time too. This stuff's like ten-twelve years old at least."
"Hey Dint, Adler," Charlie said and they both looked up. "See that boy on the couch? He just drank the whole bottle thinking it was butter beer."
"Your kidding?" Adler walked over to Zach who was crying out things like 'it was I who let the beast out', 'I will take you on with my bare hands', and 'well aren't you a pretty little lass."
"You will be my bride," said in barely above a whisper, though the whole common room could hear it. The room was in silence except for the occasional grunt from the poker game and reshuffling the deck.
"Enervate," Adler whispered, bringing Zachary back to consciousness. To reassure everyone of this, he let out a terrified scream.
"Where the heck did the beautiful princess go? I was about to say 'I do' when you had to come…" Zachary got a good look around. Everyone was laughing.
"Get up Romeo, zis iz not zee best place for you right now." Raven laughed and helped him up. He suddenly clenched his stomach and raced over to the window sticking his head out. He was throwing up and sobering quickly.
We heard a nasty splashing noise and a scream. Raven gazed excitedly out the window.
"Direct hit! 'E got zee couple making-out down zhere like a bullz eye." Everyone laughed and several people raced over to get a look. "Zey say what you 'ad to drink waz Vire Vhisky, Zach. Zach? You are not going to throw up again are you?"
"Bugger! This is the worst hangover!" Zach walked over and snatched the arrow from the wall. He sat on the sill of the window rubbing his forehead. Raven walked over still giggling as she patted his back.
"Crap! No! Dragon Crap!" Lee threw down his cards and walked over hoisting himself up on to the mantle above the fire place. "Might as well do this the right way. George, hit the lights, Fred, my music…"
Suddenly the lights flickered out leaving it pitch black. Several people gasped.
"Ladie's and Gent's, Warthogs and Roosters, young and Old-"
"GEORGE Hurry up and get on with it!"
"-I present you with L-eeeeeeeee Jo-rdan, dang I've waited a long time to do this…"
The lights flashed back on and there stood Lee wearing only his -
BOXERS!
The girls shrieked and all of a sudden, a song came on.
"He's got dumps like a truck, truck, truck, thighs like what, what , what, baby move your butt, butt, butt." (A/N I'm not a hundred percent certain on those lyrics) He jumped off the mantle and began to dance around the squealing girls. He even lip-synched the words.
"Thong, th-thong, thong, thong, thong, I like the way the beat goes, baby move your booty ohhhh"
Suddenly Professor McGonagall burst through the common room portrait. She gasped. The music stopped. The lights quit flickering to the beat. There standing in the middle of the common room was Lee Jordan looking super embarrassed, but really hot in nothing but his boxers.
"Mr. Jordan and the two Weasley twins, come with me, as for the rest of you… BED!" and we scrambled out of her sight as quickly as possible. She left and I checked the clock.
The common room was empty and it was 5 till midnight!
Perfect.
***-
Two minutes to midnight. I stood back in the now empty common room waiting. I had put out the fire and was holding a candle as my only source of light. All of a sudden there was a whoosh and a beautiful hawk soared down and out of the fireplace. Attached to it's leg was a letter. It read
Good Evening,
Take the hawk to your dorm and set it on your bed. Get in and close the curtains. Quit making that disgusted face that I know you are right now. Just do it. Trust me.
Love,
Ginny
Feeling beyond crazy I followed her instructions. I thought of the terrible sight that awaited Jonathan if he suddenly decided to wake up and saw me closing the curtains around my self and a bird.
Luckily he didn't.
I shut the curtains and the bird changed. Ginny. I should have known. She smiled and wrapped me in her arms. She looked exhausted so I just let her fall asleep in my arms. I woke up before her and so did Jonathan.
He swung open the curtains yelling good morning, gasped, apologized and swung them shut.
"Draco, Merlin's beard I'm sorry! So Sorry." Ginny who had woken up pushed herself off my chest and smiled.
"Is there any one else out there?" I asked, knowing that if he was making a scene then everyone else would want to know who was with me.
"No just ve and uh vell, Belle is 'ere too." He answered.
"I am 'ere Draco dearest, vas I missed?" She spoke.
"I missed you like a lion does a thorn, it's Ok Gin. They don't mind." Ginny opened the curtain and looked into the two other people's faces. I just stared shocked, in a tiny black nightgown, Belle looked hot, but I wasn't really looking for anyone else. I already had Ginny.
"Well it looks like vee Imperious is doing vine, much better van I ex-pected avter seeing vat Pan-asy girl try at 'im last night." Ginny looked at Belle in surprise and with some curiosity. "Don't vorry about Draco, 'e told 'er to sod off, if a few more vords."
Now Ginny gazed at me with a quizzical look. "Draco darling, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"
"Nothing doll. Just an old flame turned cold." She laughed at this and pushed herself off the bed.
"I do not believe vhat vee 'ave meet. I am Jonathan and vhis iz Belle… Belle? Vhere did she go?" Jonathan turned to where she had been standing before she had disappeared. She stepped out of another bed that had had the curtains pulled and carried Jason on one hip. Jason was grinning sluggishly as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"Morning Jason." Ginny smiled so warmly at him that I had to be jealous, even though he was only 3 and a half, and would never even dream of stealing Ginny from me. I saw her stand and tap her fingers in a neat little pattern on her wrinkled robes. Instantly they became smooth and a majestic green that had gold embroidery on them. They swept the ground behind her where they came to a thicker black edging that some how managed to never pick up the thick dust that had accumulated over the summer.
Belle watched with a grin that I would later learn that meant she was up to no good. Jonathan was looking slightly miffed that she had not yet used her wand.
"Very neat trick, but vee must change ju----st a little bit." Belle produced her wand, which we had no clue where from in that tiny night gown. She bit her bottom lip as if concentrating, then hummed a few notes while swishing the wand. Jon and I let our moths hang wide open.
Ginny's robes turned a more forest green and the edges became velvet. The entire robe tightened and the front ban to lace up tightly in a satiny string. The sleeves became belled and her hair elegantly pulled it's self up into a high tail with a few lose strands still falling into her amber eyes. Her lips darkened a more blood red and her cheeks flushed rose. The boots she had conjured with her robes grew a few inches so that she was only an inch shorter than me. I goggled at Belle's final product. Only Jason's applause brought me back to my normal state of mind.
"Like I said, zee zmall changes and it's perfect. Mind you. She could 'ave done it 'erself, but it needs my fashion statement. Zoooo- vhat due you think?" Belle elbowed Jon in the stomach awaiting his response. He could only nod. Ginny who had not yet seen herself, clapped her hands together, and as she pulled them apart a mirror formed floating between them. She gasped at the reflection then turned and wrapped a dumbfounded Belle in a hug. Belle was quite surprised and responded to the gesture quite akwardly.
"It's beautiful." Ginny breathed pulling away and looking back into the mirror.
"It's not beautiful, you are," I said smiling and she blushed even more, smiling warmly at me.
"I'm hungry!" Jason pulled my eyes from where they were locked in Ginny's.
"Shoot. Nearly forgot. Ginny, how are you going to get back?" I asked, suddenly realizing a load of problems.
"Like yesterday. The same way as I got in," She said with a wink, and walked over to the window. As she squatted in the thick stone frame, several inches of skin from between her boots and waist showed. I began to stare, but quickly caught myself. She leaped from the small window, quickly changing into a pure white dove this time. She flew out of sight with the four of us gazing at her through the window.
"Wooooah Imperious, you pick vhem vell, very vell." I smirked at Jon's comment.
"Let's go slow-pokes. Jason and I vill leave with out you…" We turned to see Belle. Her night gown only two inches longer and had gone from satin night wear to velvet, still black, and only having a single silver studded strap that wrapped around her neck. Her short hair was unnaturally straight, and she wore thick so-dark-brown-it-seems-black boots with fur cuffs on the edges. She laughed at our looks.
"But Belle, I vought vhat you bought your 'Ogwart's robes?" Jonathan stared at her increduously.
"Do you really vink I'd miss this opportunity to vorget vee dress code, Cruticus?" With that Jonathan and I were left to quickly change and hurry down to breakfast.
---*
Wow. Oh wow! I am not changing this gown back. I entered the Great Hall… and caught the attention of… The Great Hall. I EVEN had the TEACHERS gawking. That is, until Belle arrived. The two boys followed her, catching the large, heavy wood door and panting. Some how, even when Draco is flushed and tired he still manages to hold his cool arrogant look. His hair is slightly slicked back but a few of his bangs fall into his eyes. I can tell he's sleepy.
I won't exactly admit this to anyone, but last night he had a nightmare. Or at least I think it was a nightmare. He looked as if he was trying to scream but no sound resulted. And he clutched his wrist and I discovered a small scar, kind of deep and purple with a faint glow of silver running through it. Kind of like the one on Jason's arm too. They are a scratch and two slits running across it. Like the books. They have that same design etched into their leather covers. I better remember to tell some one.
I'll go to Delvi, or Dumbledore. No I can't, or rather I shouldn't. I'll confront Draco about it tonight. That's what I'd want if it were about me.
On a happier note, Pansy is eyeing Draco in his sharp looking forest green cloak, as a person dying of thirst does water. I wonder how intimate their relationship is. Scratch that, how intimate it was. He' s mine now. But as jealous as I am, it's nice to see Belle watching over him for me. He keeps fingering the silver dragon clasp on his cloak as if it means the world to him. Another thing I must ask him about. I'll probably have to make a list.
Does Belle not see that Jonathan is staring at her? Perhaps she's playing hard to get. God, I just need to take my eyes out of other people's love affairs, and prep for my first class as a fifth year.
I've got potions first. That means Draco. Unfortunately that also means Snape. Who returned last night and seems even more cranky than usual.
Good. That was the bell.
***-
Servus is back. I'm surprised. Well, not that much as I know that he was spying for the good side and that he probably has been officially found out. He's done a poor job at hiding the dark bruises on the left side of his face. He limps as well. Perhaps the Death Eater's were less than pleased with his priority and even reluctant in his release. Did he escape?
Perhaps Potions won't end up being so pleasant first thing on Monday mornings. I walked to class quickly, smirking to myself each time Pansy glances at me and then Belle. I sat at a table before I noticed place cards. Just Great! He paired my group up with Potter, Weasel, and Granger. Unfortunately no sign of Ginny's name. At least I am with Jonathan and Belle.
"How tragic it is that your Headmaster feels the need to entertain you so." Snape's voice icily hung over the class as everyone filed in. Some of the new students shivered. Belle and Jonathan nodded in approval. "A game, a challenge, when you, the student body should, would and could better use the time to wizen yourselves in such subjects. Miss Weasley! What are you doing in my classroom at this hour? Might I suggest that you go attend transfiguation with your year? Perhaps transfigure your self a watch?" Snape glared at my girl, allowing me to notice her for the first time in the potion's room, eyes furrowed as she looked for her place tag.
"Excuse me sir. Professor, she has taken and passed a test to allow her to skip a year." I had found my voice before Potter had, as he was looking oh so attractive with his mouth open wide, as if preparing to speak.
"A terrible mistake if you ask me. Perhaps your test was not properly graded? Very well. Join Draco's table so he can look over you…"
Ginny found her place at my side, looking both nervous and uncomfortable.
"Relax you'll be fine." I mentally sent her.
"You all will be working up batches of a potion to sort you into groups for this little… game, that the headmaster has prepared for you. This is too difficult for the younger years," (He took this time to send an angry glare at Ginny) "but too easy for my 6 and 7th year classes. In other words, 5th year will make this potion for the whole school, and therefore will be back in this classroom, not only after double potions, but I believe your elective class as well." He paused to hear the groaning effect fall over most of the class. "But before we start, I will be collecting the homework packets…"
More groaning followed this, as well as some sniffling from Neville who had some how misplaced his. Ginny pulled her completely finished packet, as thick as a text book, out of thin air and handed it to a now very disturbed Snape. Up until that point he had come up to her holding out his hand thinking she would have had to make some excuse up.
"I think that I shall question you all through out the period on random questions, to see if you all were severely stupid enough to copy and expect to get away with it." With this comment he sent another glare toward Ginny who was pulling out ingredients for the potion. Ron groaned and mumbled something about not being able to memorize an entire packet.
"You will be using the schools supplies-" He leaned over her shoulder with brows arched to examine the trays Ginny had been filling with all sorts of ingredients that most people, even I, a Slythern, couldn't recognize. "Obviously everyone in the classroom has not brought this amount to class… What?! Powdered Unicorn hoof can not be sold with out proper permission. Miss Virginia, I strongly hope you have not stolen or smuggled this." He looked more like he hoped she had, not only so he could punish her, but perhaps to confiscate it as well. He held it up to the small window's light.
"I promise you, Professor, that I did all that was necessary before obtaining that specific ingredient." She quickly clapped her hands and all of her ingredients were back inside of her sack. His scowl made the heavy dark bruises on his left cheek more evident.
He handed her back the bottle of ingredients and then as if to say 'you're not that special' clapped his own hands together to produce a beautifully calligraphy copied page of important instructions at each of the tables. From what I could tell from the glaring daggers of the both of them, Ginny had accepted the challenge. She did not, however, allow it to distract her concentration on her potion work.
"Ah Malfoy. If something good must be brought out of this, I guess at least you won't try anything while you are in our group." Ron glanced up from where his dagger sliced into Dragon Root to tell me. His eyes held mine with a mixture of dislike and confusion.
"More like, was so tragically joined into by absolutely no doing of his own of course, because he would rather lay down and die," I shot back and I heard Jonathan and Belle both laughed, as well as a boy with long blond hair and a bow and set of arrows on his back. I didn't know him but it seemed that Ginny did as she turned and spoke quickly to him and a girl with black curly hair. Both grinned and nodded. I looked over at Hermoine who was concentrating so hard on the instructions that she didn't even notice her fingers gently caress over her new shining prefects badge. That didn't hold my attention long though as my eyes drifted back to Ron's dagger. The blade was obsidian-black wrapped neatly in silver Celtic knots.
"Weasley, where did you get that knife?" It was clearly too expensive to fit under his normal category of belongings. Ginny didn't seem happy enough with him right now to have made it for him.
He looked up at me with his ice blue eyes holding curiosity now rather than that dull hatred. "A gift… from my brother in Egypt. Why?"
"Charlie?" I asked, having him answer my questions before I would answer his.
"No, Bill. He is a curse breaker. It belonged to an angry Pharaoh, he said, before it was cursed. Why the bloody Hell do you care Malfoy?"
"I guess I just like knives and sharp objects. I wouldn't use it to cut the Banshee Hair though. It will ruin the blade."
"Kind of like stabbing that great sword of yours through my sister, right? Or is killing a virgin at the tip of it suppose to make it better… perhaps worth more?" His hate for me had resurfaced instantly, and his knuckles were white with the tight grip on the dagger.
"Cool it. Unless you don't know the rules to Wizard fencing, which you Ron obviously don't, it is not proper to kill the opponent-" I began.
"When a woman, and unless under conditions where the audience is great enough or the woman's wrong doing is suffice enough… besides you don't even know Ron if I am a Virgin or not." This statement from Ginny caught more eyes than just her brother's. "Relax! I am. Don't put those in till I add the powdered Griffin Talons."
Snape now had obviously decided we had had enough chatting time and began to quiz students out loud.
Neville was his first victim. He had of shocked everyone by stuttering out the answer correctly. Disturbed so much by this, Snape spun on to one of the transfers.
"You!" he cried out limping over to the table with the boy with long blond hair. "What is your name."
"Zach." The boy's reply was short but he set down his supplies and looked up at the professor.
"How muggle-American." Snape smirked at the name to himself. "Tell me, what ingredient can be added to the blood of a sphinx to make it fatal?"
"Goblin teeth if the sphinx blood is boiled, The horn of a Welsh dragon if at room temperature.---"
"Stop looking at the girl!" He pointed at Ginny making her flinch. "Why are you looking at her?"
"Because she helped me find the answers last night…"
"She helped you… Perhaps by showing you her paper?"
"No sir, hers was not done last night either as we both received ours last night, sir. Her because she had just been approved to skip a year and mine because I was a late transfer." He said now staring hard at the aging professor's gleaming black eyes.
"Why are you such a late transfer, as to have only gotten you work last night?" Snape was not trying at all to keep the bitter cold out of his voice. It jumped to my conclusion that this was because he wanted to hear that the boy feared Voldemort. That the dark Lord was the reason he had transferred, and it had all been out of fear. That way the old man could praise himself in being so strong in his spying at his own risk for our side. So brave and deserving.
"Because, Voldemort killed my parents, sir. My only remaining family is near here. If it was up to me I wouldn't be here. I would be out trying to stop him. I don't fear for myself. Voldemort has caused their deaths, and I wish to cause his."
All the students had swiveled on their stools to look this boy in the face. Even Snape had lost his energetic anger. Each time he said 'sir' he looked as if he was struggling to keep from snapping. The boy held a knife carved intricately into a wolf's head at one end and with the last bit of anger he had plunged it in to the depths of the wooden table's surface. He sighed suddenly and drew the knife out of the wood with out touching it. He closed his eyes and breathed methodically for a moment before returning to the tedious work of separating the main vein from the long skinny leaves piled on his table. Then to shock everyone even more, he continued his list of answers to the professor's problem. "The tongue of a banshee if brewed at midnight, sticking the blade of the Excaliber has been said to work at all times but noon on Wednesday, the scales of a balisk…"
"That will do Zachary. All those are fine except the one about the Banshee. I believe that simply puts the victim into the same state of mind as a dementor's kiss… Very well, will you please speak to me at my desk?"
No one, I repeat, no one on the planet has ever seen Servus Snape speak to someone, especially a new Gryffindor, that way. He didn't even sneer once. The boy, Zach, wiped the blade of his knife off on his tunic and pocketed it before heading up to the teacher's desk. Though the whole class was watching his every move, neither he nor Snape seemed to realize or care. The room was entirely too quiet and Zach walked over to him, stepping so nimbly that even the hard echoing dungeon floor didn't make a sound as his leather boots hit the floor. Snape finally noticed the concentration level of his class and burst out at us to get back to work.
We did with out needing a second telling. Ginny briefly left our table to comfort the girl with ebony black hair. She is a friend I guess of the boy's and hadn't been told that yet. She looked sickly pale all of a sudden and near fainting.
Ginny returned looking miserable in the least. "I have a feeling that Zachary wouldn't have told anyone if he had the choice, it seems he hates being pitied," she whispered so that only our group could hear. In that way I admired the boy and related to him in a way.
Zach stumbled his way to his seat not smiling in the least, but he no longer looked nearly so angry.
By the end of double potions each group had finished nearly four batches each, but Snape was growling that if we didn't work faster there would not be enough to have the competition.
I was slightly discouraged because I had been thinking that by the end of class I would know which group I was to be divided into. Ginny must thought the same, but she kept glancing at the small purple star on the back of her wrist. She told me that she had hid it from Snape to avoid any further ridiculing from him. I grabbed up her hand and looked at it to inspect the star more closely.
"Maybe you should go to see Madam Prophmey. I don't know about it being purple." I looked up and noticed Harry and Ron both eye me strangely.
Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?
"What? Snape said to watch over her… K?" I spat savagely at them with little effect on their part.
I said good bye to Jonathan and Belle as both had something else next. With a quick look at my schedule I realized that I had divination with that old bat woman next. I'm sure she use to make me happy in her classes with each continual mention of a death of one of her other students and then bring up Potter in some way. I really could care less about Potter now as long as he keeps his hands off Ginny. I just realized in a terrible sort of light that I am starting to sound like one of her over protective brothers.
As I climbed the new tasseled rope ladder to the hole in the wall, which they consider a classroom, I realized that the class was larger for some reason. I found my name once again on a tiny sparkly name plate and once again next to Potter, and Weasley. It seemed Ginny was their with the girl with black hair, and Zach.
"Welcome, Welcome back to Divination class." Her usually misty voice sounded hoarse and cracking. "I have merged my classes into one due to the fact that some could not bare the tremendous difficulty of this art and have dropped out." More like got sick of listening to her annoying fake and false predictions. "My inner senses tell me that you have yet to be sorted for the tournament. Am I correct?" Several people nodded while others rolled their eyes. A couple students even began to cough out 'staff meeting'. Padama and Lavender, however, looked intensely impressed. "Well of course I am correct, as my innermost senses never lie. I think we will start out with special tea leaves to decipher what team we will end up in before we are actually in it. Then we will move in to the tarot cards and star charts as a review of last year, and perhaps have a closer look at the success or failure of our teams. It really is a pity that the head master would not allow the crystal ball to work its magic in how to decide which team a student belongs in. Ah, speak of the inner eye, Virginia, didn't I tell you that your studies would improve and would see the results so clearly as this?" The crazy woman stared at Ginny, her yellow teeth gleaming as she nodded.
"No professor. I am afraid you did not. I do remember that you told me a dark-haired mysterious man would cause me much pain and suffering when he would not allow me his love and then die a tragic death just as things were looking up. But I can't really say that has happened either." Ginny bit her lip to hold back a smile as the woman straightened back up and coughed pretending she hadn't heard her quite properly.
"Maybe it just hasn't occurred yet. The star chart never lies."
"Yes but the whole thing revolved around a star, the Alpha star to be exact, which has ceased to exist for over 14 years now. I due believe that the star in it's place-"
"Nonsense child! Are you questioning my authority or ability in the subject that I was hired to teach?"
A/N ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH that chapter took so long that it hurt to write. The whole time I was wondering if I would get to the actual sorting, but there was just too much to cram. Oh yeah, no excuse but I fried my face on vacation and hurt my knee. Oh Drill team tryouts are next week. Wish me luck if you aren't too peeved at me for taking my time with this over due chapter. Pay close attention to details as they will come in to play in later chapters. Thanks for reading this, and if you find yourself bored out of your mind or enjoying it just a little…a few reviews would be pleasing. I know I am really not that deserving but they keep me writing faster. Well I think I ought to go crack the remnants of my peeling sunburned skin off. Maybe I'll do it