All disclaimers are in place. Refer to the Prologue section for details.
A/N: If you like what you read, tell me!
PART TWO: NUISANCEThe short carriage ride up to the castle steps was pleasantly unremarkable. Halo's carriage companions had been tolerable, most likely due to the fact that she had petrified them with a venomous glare upon taking her seat across from them.
Students parted like the Red Sea as she walked up the steps into the entrance hall. Had she had the inclination, she could stick her arms out and spin around without hitting anyone. Halo snorted in amusement at this thought. If she acted upon this mental image… no, she didn't even want to think about it. Perhaps later, in private, she might indulge in this childish, dizzying behavior.
"Halo!" A distant voice caught up with her. Halo turned abruptly as Oliver Wood came skidding to a halt beside her. "I was calling you, didn't you hear me?" The young boy's face was all smiles. He regained his balance and walked with her into the Great Hall. "How was your holiday?"
Oliver was a spirited ball of carefully harnessed energy, as usual. Somehow they had become quite good friends, despite the opposing houses. All they really had in common was the fact that they both had entered Hogwarts a year early.
"Well aside from an overabundance of sunburned and peeling skin and a bothersome tendency to revert to the American accent, I must admit… spending the summer on a Pacific Island was rather enjoyable." Halo offered him a small, rare grin. Of all the students at Hogwarts, Oliver had been the only one that she hadn't managed to scare away. He was also the least annoying. Halo was quite amused that he had shown interest in her.
"I hope you got my letters." He was looking at her with unobstructed curiosity. That was something she valued in him; he wasn't afraid of her. She had initially given him plenty of reasons to avoid her like the plague, but he had continued to pursue her friendship. It was a shame they didn't share the same house.
"I did, thank you. I regret however that I was often too preoccupied with activities to respond to all of them."
"Activities? Do tell."
"The Muggles," she referred to the couple who acted as her parents during summer holidays, "signed me up for surfing lessons every day, thus the undesired change in skin color. But I also snuck away every afternoon to take some potions lessons with a witch who lived down the beach from where we stayed."
"I should have known you couldn't last all summer without studying something. Oh I forgot to tell you… I found out about a secret passage out of the castle. We'll have to check it out." Oliver's grin spread across acres. He turned suddenly to look over his shoulder. Professor McGonagall had entered to announce the arrival of the first years. "Uh oh, we'd better take our seats. I'll meet you later, you room then?"
Halo nodded discreetly and took a seat halfway up the Slytherin table. She glanced down front to the head table, Headmaster Dumbledore had begun his usual start-of-term speech, peppered with useless remarks. Surveying the head table, she set her eyes on what must have been the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, before moving down the line to Professors Sprout, Flitwick and Snape. The latter locked eyes with her for a second before returning his attention the Dumbledore's rendition of Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment and Tweak!
"Halo, don't look so sour." Blaise Zabini chided her in a whisper from across the table. Zabini suffered from a fresh cheek and horrible timing. The prat then suffered a vile look from Halo, who then turned her attention to flexing a fork between her fingers as she sat through the impossibly long sorting ceremony. When the food appeared, Halo took enough to satisfy her until breakfast and spent the rest of the time scooting the remains smeared on her plate to resemble Arithmancy calculations. It was another half hour of festivities before she set off to her room.
Yes, her room. A moderate-sized and quite uninhabited teacher's bedroom near the dungeons, complete with high stone cathedral ceiling, had been hers since a week after her first year had begun. It had taken all week and all her roommates' tears and the complaints of a large number of the Slytherin students from all years to have her moved away from the student population. Halo had had no complaints; the absence of her house mates' impulsive little bodies and excessive conversation habits when she was around was actually quite pleasant.
Oliver was waiting for her at her door when she arrived with her key. "I suppose you haven't been up to the tower yet," she assumed. The key in her hand pulled away from her fingers and melted into the lock. Brushing her fingers across the heavy wooden door, it creaked open to allow her entrance. Oliver followed her in.
"Not yet. I was hoping we could take a walk first. I learned some new tricks in Quidditch camp this summer that I'm just itching to show off.
"I bet you are. Give me a moment to find my cloak."
"You will do no such thing." A low, authoritative voice drawled from behind them. Halo and Oliver turned silently around, Oliver much more quickly.
Professor Snape hovered in the doorway, his long black robes spilling from his shoulders. His vicious glare gave him the appearance of Dracula incarnate. "Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Wood. You should feel relieved that I am not revoking your Quidditch privileges as well. Run along to you tower."
Oliver gave Snape a stunned, objective nod and mouthed "Sorry" to Halo as he swept past the dark clad figure and headed up the stone steps. Snape had not removed his gaze from Halo, possibly because Halo was returning an equally menacing glare at her Head of House. Unlike each other student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including those in Slytherin House, she was not the least bit afraid of him.
But there was the little matter of her friendship with an outsider, a Gryffindor outsider to be exact. Snape had expressed to her his opposition, rather, his extreme distaste for her friendship with Oliver Wood. He had even tried to mislead her into believing that she was not permitted to speak to members of other houses in private. However, he had no basis to forcefully terminate the relationship, even the Headmaster encouraged it. Dumbledore was openly fond of inter-house friendships.
"Explain to me why you feel the need to break the rules set forth for your protection, Miss Mandelor." Snape's mouth curled unpleasantly, his arms folded across his chest. "You are aware that there are Dementors stationed at every exit to this castle and should you venture out after hours you would most certainly be returned to us in a catatonic state."
Dementors. She had missed that part of the Headmaster's speech.
"Apparently not," he glared at her critically. "I will not hear of you attempting to break the rules again, am I quite understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
Snape gave her a final, warning glance and swept from the doorway, pulling the heavy door closed behind him.
Hear of me breaking the rules he will not… but break the rules I certainly will. She sucked in a lungful of air and expelled it, and with the breath also released her guard. She went to the window and cracked it open a bit. It was time for bed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Early morning rays of sparkling light fluttered through the now wide open window. Halo woke to a small weight on her left shoulder and a nibbling sensation in her ear. She pushed the light weight from her shoulder, and it hopped from the bed to rest on the back of a chair. Halo peeled her eyes open and settled them on the blue sentinel owl perched on the oak frame of her desk chair. "Luna, go to the Owlery if you want breakfast."
The owl ruffled her feathers and emitted a few clicks from her beak before launching herself out the open window. Halo flung herself out of bed and stumbled into the adjoining washroom.
Breakfast was nothing out of the ordinary. She had arrived late after struggling to pull her washed-wet hair into a tight braid and shared a fleeting glance with Oliver, who had seated himself near the front of the Great Hall. He'd looked a bit concerned, but Halo figured he was just anxious to find out what had transpired after he'd excused himself the night before. He caught up to her as they were headed off to their first class of the day, which luckily they shared, as Halo had been placed in Advanced Potions this year with the seventh year students.
"He informed me in so many words that he doesn't want to catch me trying to sneak out again." Halo snickered cleverly. "He doesn't want to catch me. It's doubtful he will."
"That's it? no detention?"
Halo shrugged. "Guess I'm not worthy of his time. Nothing new to me."
"Yeah well… on to other matters. How did you get promoted to my Potions class? I mean, you're good and all…"
"The Headmaster felt that holding me back would lead to my eventual boredom." Halo rolled her eyes. "Boredom, indeed. I'll be bored three minutes into the class anyway."
Oliver laughed. "Probably. Are you coming to watch Quidditch practice later? I still have those tricks to show you."
Halo sighed heavily. "Sure, why not? Like I care if my house thinks I'm fraternizing with the enemy."
"Just so long as they don't bind you in shackles and make you give away our secrets." Oliver nudged her lightly in the arm with his elbow, then recoiled suddenly holding up his hands apologetically. "Sorry, I forgot." He knew she was hostile toward being touched.
Halo had to hold herself back, emitting a visible air of Touch Me Not. She forced herself to relax, but made no indication that it was 'all right.' It was never 'all right' to touch her. But she forgave him, as he was not only her sole friend, but also human and had honestly slipped.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"This will be your most difficult term in my class." Snape prowled the room. "With the exception of you, Miss Mandelor, seeing that you've managed to weasel your way into an advanced class you'll have it harder than anyone else," he lowered his voice has he passed Halo's work table. Some more unfortunate students began to tremble as he passed their desks. Snape again raised his voice. "Let me further assure you that should you not pass this class you will not graduate from this institution."
He cracked the whip over the students' heads as their cauldrons bubbled and vapor seethed across the desks. Halo and Oliver had went to work on the beginnings of their veritaserum mixture. Oliver took it upon himself to stir while Halo glanced longingly at a volume on Snape's library shelf, wondering if he'd say anything if she retrieved it to help with their potion. It's not like the book was forbidden, she'd read it before with the Potions instructor's supervision. In fact, she'd probably read every book in his library. Snape eyed her closely as she dashed over to the bookshelf. He restrained himself from deducting house points for not first acquiring permission. He had always forced himself to turn a blind eye where she was concerned, but only under certain circumstances, and was not about to break the habit.
Halo verified her hypothesis with the information she found in the book that she had brought back to the desk. She fingered through the pages for further hints when Snape announced that it was time to test their potions. He called a handful of students to the front of the room, while a representative of each cauldron came forth with a sample of their work. From their cauldron it was Oliver who was called to participate, and Halo who brought a vial of the perfectly blended, crystal clear liquid.
I should have volunteered, Halo thought. Who knows what the man will ask him?
"Mr. Flint," Snape began, after Marcus had downed a vial of liquid that had presented a purplish tint. "Did you or did you not produce an offensive gesture this morning when Professor Lupin's back was turned?" Snape knew, of course, that he had.
Flint gulped, his Adam's Apple running nervously up and down his throat. "Of course not, Sir."
"Five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Alderman. Apparently, your potion has relatively the same effectiveness as pumpkin juice." Flint's cauldron partner by insistence, as no one else wanted to work with Flint, sunk into noticeable despair and retreated to the back of the room. Flint got up from his stool in the spotlight and sauntered gleefully back to his seat.
Snape moved routinely down the line, deducting points from Gryffindors when convenient and distributing Slytherin House points where he felt generous. Then he stopped as Oliver took the stool.
"Mr. Wood, have you ever touched Miss Mandelor in a way she would find uncomfortable?"
Oliver did not hesitate, fully under the potion's influence. "Yes sir, just this morning."
"Did you, now?" Snape looked mildly amused, but even more triumphant over this confession before contorting his face in the usual bitter frown. "Fifty points from Gryffindor. And the Headmaster will hear of this."
Oliver leapt to his feet. "No sir, I simply slipped! I only nudged her in the arm, I would never knowingly do anything to hurt her!"
"Hold your tongue, boy or I shall make it a Hundred!" Snape hissed. He didn't care that the two-sided confession had just been made invalid, thanks to the truth potion. He would do anything to break up their little dream team.
Oliver opened his mouth to press the issue, but the look Halo shot at him stopped him. He retreated in defeat back to their cauldron.
"The man's more hurtful than a Howler, but no matter," Halo whispered once they had reached their seats in the corner. "I will see the Headmaster immediately to clear this up."
"I'm so sorry…" Oliver returned the low voice. "I can't imagine what I've done to your reputation…"
"Nothing at all. I'm sure most will believe that had you laid a hand on me I would have kicked you down below." Which, in all reality, she would have, had she not restrained herself earlier. "I'm more worried about yours. If I know the Slytherins in this class, the whole school will have heard by lunchtime." They rose as Snape dismissed the class and disappeared into his office.
"Time to do some damage control. I'll see you at lunch."
Halo climbed the steps to Dumbledore's office in record time, spouting half of Honeydukes' inventory to the Gargoyle who sat peacefully by the office door before swinging open before her. "Ah, Halo. We were expecting you." Dumbledore moved from behind his desk to reveal Snape seated in one of the visitor chairs.
Halo sighed in defeat. "Professor Dumbledore, I must insist that Oliver Wood hurt me in no way. He is just a friend. He simply slipped, as friends do, from time to time, I imagine."
Dumbledore smiled at her from behind his half-moon spectacles. "Well there you have it, Severus. The child seems fine to me. And to the best of my knowledge, she would never lie."
Halo had to hold back a snort of contradiction. She knew she would most certainly lie if the circumstances asked it of her.
"I must insist, Headmaster," Snape stood, furious, "that the boy be suspended from the first Quidditch game for his..." Snape hissed out the words like venom, "slip-up."
Dumbledore held up his hand to quiet the dark wizard. "I believe the young man's fate rests with Halo." He turned to her. "My dear, do you believe that Mr. Wood's blunder warrants such a severe consequence?"
Halo shook her head adamantly. "No, Headmaster. He stopped himself right after he did it, he only nudged me in the arm, you see. He told me immediately that he hadn't meant to do it on purpose."
"Well Severus, if the rest of your class heard it the way you did, I believe you'll have your hands full putting out some fires. I trust you can ensure Mr. Wood has a clean reputation by suppertime." The old wizard didn't like having to put his staff in their place, but there were times when it was more important to ensure that he wouldn't begin receiving hundreds of owls from parents demanding the expulsion of a student who can't keep his hands to himself, for the safety of the other children.
Snape shot a vile glare at Halo, nodded curtly to the old wizard and swept from the room with a swoosh of black satin robes.
Dumbledore turned back to Halo. "You'll have to excuse him, my dear. He is quite upset about the circumstances surrounding the escape of Sirius Black. I do believe he will be quite disconcerted until the situation is resolved. Now, how was your class, other than the apparent mishap?"
"It was informative… but undemanding. I do hope I'll have more of a challenge in the next class."
"As do I." Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Well you should be off to your next class." He conjured a slip of parchment and handed it to her. "Take this with you as an excuse for your tardiness."
Halo took the slip of parchment gratefully and turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway and turned around. "Sir, he took a great deal of house points from Oliver for this…"
"It has been dealt with. Now, off you go."
Halo knew better than to further press the issue with the aged wizard. With a nod of acknowledgement, she went from the room and down the steps.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As ordered, the rumors had all but ceased by late afternoon. Halo passed a note to Oliver in the Great Hall at dinner. After taking her seat at the Slytherin table, she watched his face as he read the note. My charitable act for the day has come to pass. Time to be the rogue, she mused, looking across the table to Millicent Bulstrode, who was making rather pleasant conversation with Pansy Parkinson. Halo's stomach turned at a sudden remembrance of how the two girls had been the first and most frequent to complain about her over the previous two years. Why stand in the way of tradition?
Halo kicked Millicent hard in the shins from under the table simply because she could, but also because Pansy's shins were further out of her reach, forcing one Slytherin third year girl to dump the contents of her goblet all over her robes and fall backward off the bench, and the other to squeal, startled. Halo ignored the glares she got from the surrounding Slytherins, including Millicent who went dripping to the head table to do some serious tattling.
Halo gave a look of unadulterated innocence when both Dumbledore and Snape turned their heads to glare at her. She couldn't help not liking Millicent, who had made her miserable from the very first day of Halo's second year and Millicent's first. She could remember the girl's nasal, high-pitched voice. "A girl named Halo in Slytherin! How out of place is that?" Millicent had jeered. Halo tripped her at the top of the stairs, making her fall flat on her face and subsequently spend an hour in the hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey struggled to get the young Slytherin's nosebleed to cease.
"You have to start taking an interest in that girl," Dumbledore muttered to the dark shrouded Potions Master seated at his right hand side. "She's unforgivably anti-social, with the one exception named Oliver Wood. This behavior has to stop."
"She simply needs to be sent away from here," Snape replied, his mouth full of food.
"That doesn't work Severus, surely you must realize that. She needs guidance. It's time you took charge of the situation. And she's in your house, which means you must take even more responsibility.
The dark wizard snorted. "I don't want it."
"You have to. You must do something before it is too late."