Disclaimer - Obviously I didn't make up the characters that are in J. K.
Rowling's books but this is just a fanfic with the plot totally and
completely original. It makes references to characters and situations from
the books and the descriptions are similar to those in the book but they
are original as well.
Chapter Three: Loup & Lupin
Hermione, Oscie, and Ron sat together in the girls' room while the girls packed their stuff for Hogwarts. They weren't talking much since Ron was reading The Daily Prophet, the newspapers for witches and wizards in England, while Hermione and Oscie were trying to make sure all their stuff was accounted for. Just as Oscie began to pack her robes an owl flew through the door and landed on her bed with a letter attached to its leg. She had never seen the snowy white owl but pulled the letter off and stroked the owl's head.
Dear Loup, We went to Transylvania today and I thought about you the whole time. I even saw Josh and he asked about you! If only he knew all the times we have spied on him and his friends in our own way! This message is basically an I MISS YOU TONS! Keep in touch all throughout the year and I will too.
Love,
Cerf
"Who's it from?" Hermione asked as she moved her massive pile of books into her bag.
"One of my friends from Salem Academy. Her name's Jen and we were inseparable but I guess that has changed drastically," Oscie said with a smile that was obviously false.
"Well you'll see her again. It's only for a year that you'll be here," Hermione said in a comforting tone. Oscie shrugged and continued her work of packing after she had handed the note from Jen to Hermione to read.
"Loup? Is that your nickname?" Hermione questioned.
"Yes, I know it's strange but hers is Cerf. It doesn't get any odder than that. The nicknames are a long story as to how we got them. I'll tell you about that later," Oscie replied.
"According to The Daily Prophet there still hasn't been any activity by You-Know-Who," Ron stated as he set down the paper. Most witches and wizards refused to call Voldemort by his name and even cringed at the sound of it.
"That's odd. There should have been something done by now and that's the worst part. He's going to strike when it's least expected," Hermione concluded.
"It doesn't make sense though," Oscie said. "I mean if he's back and at large again and everyone knows it then people will be preparing for him. It seems that if he wanted to keep the upper hand he would strike while people are still unprepared. Unless he thinks he is too powerful to be stopped by Aurors on alert or Ministry officials."
"She thinks like you do, Hermione," Ron commented and both girls smiled.
"Or maybe he's planning one large attack and is trying to build up an army large enough to complete the goal of wiping out all Dumbledore supporters," Hermione mused.
Oscie shrugged. "Whatever it is, I don't like it," she stated. The two in the room with her agreed.
After the three were finished packing they ate dinner with Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Mungdungus Fletcher. Mrs. Weasley had Ron and Hermione help her in the kitchen but Oscie was excused to be with Lupin on their last night before they had to leave for Hogwarts in the morning.
Lupin and Oscie went to a room that seemed to be the cleanest in the house. It had old curtains hanging in front of windows but they didn't appear to be moth eaten. The cabinets that appeared to be for displaying objects were all empty as though someone had cleared out all the objects and the corners of the room were not dark and menacing.
"What room is this?" Oscie asked when they first arrived there.
"It's where The Order meets whenever we have meetings," Lupin replied. He sank into a chair and for the first time Oscie noticed how worn out he appeared.
"Have you talked to your parents since you've been here?" Lupin asked. His speech was always slow but soft which led Oscie to feel as though he was wise despite his appearance.
"No. They haven't tried to contact me either," she replied, turning to look at a picture so the pain she knew that was in her eyes couldn't be seen. She turned back around to find Lupin staring at her. "What happened between you and my parents?"
"What makes you think something happened?" he questioned. His face showed no sign of emotion and Oscie was lost as to if she had actually figured out the riddle or not.
"Why else would my parents, who have loads of money, avoid just flying over here to visit? It just doesn't make any sense," Oscie replied, sinking into a chair near Lupin's.
"You're observant," he said after a moment. "It was more of a grudge your father held against me. He didn't like that his wife had an 'odd- ball', I think that's what he called me, in the family. I'm your mother's brother but he didn't seem to appreciate the art of magic." Lupin sighed. "I suppose that might have been part of it but I still visited you once because I wanted to meet you. But then I had my encounter with a werewolf and it was too risky to visit anymore so I was stuck in England."
It made sense to Oscie and she nodded. "Sounds like my dad," she said with a sigh. Lupin shifted uneasily in his chair.
"Oscie," Lupin began, he seemed slightly uncomfortable, "nobody at Hogwarts knows you and so you basically have your options open for what group you want to associate with. Maybe if you got in with the wrong crowd for the right reasons The Order could benefit, but I'm not asking you to do this. I'm just letting you know the doors are open and without realizing it you have just walked in on a very secret organization that cannot be talked about except with Harry, Ron, or Hermione. Underage wizards who are still in school aren't allowed to join The Order but we'll take information where we can if it's a reliable source. From the work I've seen you do here with magic I can tell you're very talented. Not many overage wizards or witches can make wolfsbane potion or invent their own potions. Don't be hasty to decide. This could be very dangerous, especially if you were caught, which is why I'm hesitant to suggest it." Oscie's head began to spin and she couldn't believe that gentle, loving Uncle Remus would suggest such a conniving idea.
"I sound like Sirius. This is something he would suggest," Lupin mumbled under his breath, seeming very troubled. Oscie heard every word but didn't remark.
"Well I'll sleep on the idea," she replied with a forced smile. He smiled too and they both got up and left the room.
When Oscie reached her room she told Hermione what had been said in the room with Lupin. Hermione seemed shocked and appalled.
"That is definitely something Sirius would have suggested! I think Sirius' death has affected Lupin. That idea is totally out of the question!" Hermione exclaimed. Oscie sat there quietly.
"He has a point though," she said more to herself than to anyone else.
"Oscie!" Hermione exclaimed. Oscie met her eyes.
"Look.it might work! Some of those students have to have Death Eaters as parents and if I can get them to trust me or drop some Veritaserum in their drink then I could definitely help The Order and my uncle. Plus, I'll be very careful and you can't tell me that you've never taken risks or done something that could have ended in your death," Oscie replied. Hermione couldn't argue since she definitely had done such things.
"But this is totally different. You're asking to get caught," she replied.
"And running off to the Ministry of Magic to battle Voldemort wasn't asking to get caught or killed?" Oscie retorted. Her eyes had become steely gray and were on the verge of turning black if the argument continued.
"Did Ron tell you?" she asked.
"Yes," Oscie replied. At the end of the last year at Hogwarts Harry, Ron, Hermione, and three others went to the Ministry of Magic since Harry had a vision that Voldemort was torturing Sirius there. In the end the vision was falsely conjured by Voldemort and had almost resulted in the death of the students from Hogwarts. Luckily members of The Order arrived but it was in that battle that Sirius was killed by a Death Eater.
"I don't agree with it at all, but maybe we should talk to Harry and Ron about it on the train and see what they think about the idea," Hermione suggested. "Besides, if you befriend the son or daughter of a Death Eater you're most likely dealing with Slytherins and that could end in the whole school despising you. Especially if your target were Draco Malfoy, which I would suggest were you to carry out the plan, but that just makes it even more dangerous and harder to get information since he isn't stupid enough to answer questions to just anybody."
"I haven't made up my mind yet but my instincts are telling me to go for it," Oscie said with a sigh. "Nothing like being confused."
"Hurry up Ron! We're going to be late!" Hermione called as she and Oscie raced down the stairs with their luggage. Ron was still in his room trying to grab all his bags. Oscie and Hermione reached the entry hall to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley standing there waiting for them. Lupin and Moody came from another room to join the party in the entry hall.
"So how exactly are we getting to the platform?" Hermione asked just as Ron came up, panting, behind them.
"We're taking a port key," Mrs. Weasley replied. "It's this little piece." She pointed to a book on the top of the desk.
"Not the best way to travel," Moody said, "But definitely the safest at the moment. Get ready to grab a hold."
They gathered around the book to wait for the signal to touch it.
"On the count of three," Mr. Weasley said while staring at his watch. Everyone held out their hand over the book to wait for the right moment. The three students clutched some of their luggage while the adults held a few of their bags for them. "One.Two.Three!" Mr. Weasley yelled. Oscie touched the book and immediately felt a tugging like a hook grabbing around where her stomach was and pulling her backwards yet spinning at the same time. She felt dizzy and slightly sick when finally her feet hit the ground hard and the spinning stopped. She stumbled slightly but caught her balance.
The entire party was standing in a circle just as they had before and they all had a hold on the book. They were now in the corner of a train platform. The train was bright red with the words 'Hogwarts Express' written on it in gold letters. Many students were bustling around the platform and boarding the train.
"Now, time to board the train," Moody said. His magical eye was scanning the crowd around them. "We'll put your luggage with the rest if you leave it with us."
"Where's Harry?" Ron asked. "And Ginny?" Ginny is Ron's younger sister.
"He should already be at the school by now," Mr. Weasley replied and put up a hand to stop Ron from asking another question. "And Ginny is with her friend that she stayed most of the summer with. She should be somewhere on the train, but don't go looking for her. Now Ron, make sure you stay within the grounds of Hogwarts. You're safe there. Same goes for you two as well."
"Be safe," Lupin said to the group but was looking at Oscie. "Don't do anything brash." He seemed as though he was trying to take back his earlier suggestion and Oscie could tell the night before he hadn't been reasoning the way he normally did. She smiled and gave him a hug.
"You stay safe, too," she replied. He chuckled slightly. The rest exchanged similar words of warning and the three students went to the train and boarded. There were many different compartments with students already in them and they looked for an empty one. Near the end of the corridor they found an empty one and they went in and closed the door.
"We're Prefects so we're going to have to leave for a while to have a meeting at the front of the train," Hermione said to Oscie, but Oscie's puzzled face prompted Hermione to explain, "We help enforce school rules and help out the first years. Just stuff like that, you know, patrol hallways."
"Oh, we called them Tribunals. Kind of a joke since those are what witches in Salem had to go before when they were being tried for witchcraft," Oscie replied. "Then I guess I will see you two later!"
"We'll be back before you know it. If you'd like you can borrow one of my books," Hermione replied.
"Or one of mine. I've got great Quidditch ones," Ron added.
"Thanks," Oscie replied as the two left the compartment and closed it behind them. The train had just started moving and she moved to the window and put her feet up on the bench right across from her. The train was now out of the station and was zooming across the countryside.
Oscie had just begun to dig through her bag to get out a book when the compartment door slid open. She looked up and saw a boy that appeared to be either a sixth or seventh year student and was wearing finely made obsidian colored robes. The color lining the robes was green and there was an emblem on the chest of the robe that had a silver snake with the word 'Slytherin' below it. He was about the same height as Ron but had white blonde hair slicked back. His mouth was thin and his eyes were a dim green with a slightly pointed nose. Oscie smiled politely.
"Yes?" she questioned, sitting back up and leaving her bag at her feet.
"Have you seen Crabbe or Goyle?" he questioned with a slight drawl. Oscie shrugged.
"I can't say I have because I don't know who they are," she replied. He squinted slightly as if in shock that she had never heard of them, then he appeared to notice that her robes had no house name on it.
"Are you new here? You can't be a first year though," he asked.
"I am new here but I'm a sixth year. I moved here from the United States," Oscie explained. The boy raised one eyebrow in mild astonishment.
"Well I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," he said walking into the compartment and extending his hand toward her. Oscie's stomach leapt as she thought of the conversation she had with Hermione the night before. She took his hand.
"I'm Oscie Whitmore," she replied. He smiled slightly but it appeared to be more of a smirk than a smile.
"Mind if I sit down?" he asked Oscie motioned that he could. He sat across from her and closed the compartment door. "Do you know anyone from Hogwarts yet?"
"I've met only two people but I don't know anyone that well really. I've heard there are four houses students are sorted into and I suppose that emblem means you're in Slytherin. Well I'm assuming I'll meet more people once I'm assigned to a house," Oscie replied. Draco nodded.
"Slytherin is a good house. My entire family has been in Slytherin and is good friends of the professor who heads the house, Severus Snape. He's also the potions teacher," Draco replied with a smirk.
"I'm looking forward to that class," Oscie stated. "That was my favorite class at Salem Academy in Massachusetts."
"It's my favorite, too," he replied, raising his eyebrows. Oscie decided at that moment to test the waters a little further to hurry the process of seeing whether or not she could even attempt to get Draco to trust her. Without realizing it she had already committed to Lupin's half- baked idea.
"I have a few potions I brewed with me in my bag," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out one of the few illegal potions for underage wizards in her bag. The slimy green potion was beginning to turn to gel in the jar. She realized that if Draco wasn't going to grab at the idea of being friends with her that she could be in a grave situation for having the illegal potion but something told her that he wouldn't mind. "It's getting old since I haven't used it but this is Cecitum Potion," she said. Draco's eyes widened slightly and he stared at the jar.
"You made it?" Draco asked, astounded. Oscie simply nodded and placed the jar back in her bag. "You do realize that is illegal for underage wizards, don't you?" he questioned, scrutinizing her with his eyes. Oscie smiled to herself but kept her face expressionless.
"I was just experimenting, came across it this summer, and made it. Is that a problem? Because if it is." she stated. Draco's mouth erupted into a crooked smile.
"It's not a problem as long as you don't show anyone else. You could get in serious trouble at Hogwarts with the old gawk Dumbledore as headmaster," Draco replied, his eyes flashing at the mention of Dumbledore. Oscie's stomach lurched at the realization that he was falling into the trap nicely.
"You don't like Dumbledore?" she asked. Draco's mouth went tight and it almost disappeared.
"Not in the least and I would hope any sensible person wouldn't either," Draco said with a glint of malice in his green eyes.
"Well I've never met him but I'm sure I won't since I'm very sensible," Oscie replied, matching the smirk that had appeared on Draco's face. Draco stood up.
"I've got to go find Crabbe and Goyle now," he explained.
"Who are they?" Oscie asked.
"Two of my friends," he replied. He smiled crookedly at Oscie. "I'll see you around?"
"Yeah, I'll see you around," Oscie replied. Draco slipped out of the compartment and closed the sliding door behind him. Oscie exhaled and stared out the window. It was definitely tricky to match his demeanor but she felt up to the challenge.
"So how was the Prefect meeting?" Oscie asked when Ron and Hermione had returned. Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione sighed.
"The exact same as last year.boring," Ron said in a dull tone.
"One thing I did notice was that Malfoy wasn't there," Hermione said with a grin. "Hopefully he's been ousted from the Prefect position."
"He was looking for Crabbe and Goyle," Oscie said, offering some information. Ron and Hermione looked at her, brows furrowed. "He came by and asked if I'd seen them, I said no, he stopped and talked for a while, and then he left." Ron's jaw dropped and Hermione's face went slightly pale.
"Hermione, don't say anything!" Oscie warned before Hermione could put in her two cents worth. "He started it; I just went along with it. If he wants to begin something then I will go along with it and play it up because this is a major thing. Think about it!"
"Wait.what is going on here?" Ron asked looking back and forth between the determined gray eyes and the pale face.
"Lupin wasn't right the other night and suggested that Oscie use the fact that nobody knows her and get information," Hermione explained in a low voice since the compartment walls weren't extremely thick.
"So, you're going after Malfoy?" Ron hissed. Oscie sighed.
"Well I hadn't decided if I was going to or not because Uncle Remus basically retracted the suggestion today but Draco came in here and said he would like to see me around. It's too good of an opportunity to pass up," Oscie whispered to the two sitting with her. Ron looked grim but seemed to warm up slightly to the idea.
"It would be a good opportunity is right. But if you're friends with us I'm not sure that Malfoy will want much to do with you," Ron said. Oscie thought for a moment.
"We can meet secretly or talk some but seem just like acquaintances," Hermione suggested. Both Ron and Oscie looked surprised at the suggestion.
"If you're going to do this we've got to do it correctly," Hermione stated. "It also seems as though I've been outvoted. Maybe Harry will take my side."
"He won't," Ron replied. "I know him and he'll like the idea of getting info out of Malfoy." Hermione smiled.
"It does sound appealing, doesn't it?" she said with a grin as her great dislike for Malfoy overshadowed her doubts.
Chapter Three: Loup & Lupin
Hermione, Oscie, and Ron sat together in the girls' room while the girls packed their stuff for Hogwarts. They weren't talking much since Ron was reading The Daily Prophet, the newspapers for witches and wizards in England, while Hermione and Oscie were trying to make sure all their stuff was accounted for. Just as Oscie began to pack her robes an owl flew through the door and landed on her bed with a letter attached to its leg. She had never seen the snowy white owl but pulled the letter off and stroked the owl's head.
Dear Loup, We went to Transylvania today and I thought about you the whole time. I even saw Josh and he asked about you! If only he knew all the times we have spied on him and his friends in our own way! This message is basically an I MISS YOU TONS! Keep in touch all throughout the year and I will too.
Love,
Cerf
"Who's it from?" Hermione asked as she moved her massive pile of books into her bag.
"One of my friends from Salem Academy. Her name's Jen and we were inseparable but I guess that has changed drastically," Oscie said with a smile that was obviously false.
"Well you'll see her again. It's only for a year that you'll be here," Hermione said in a comforting tone. Oscie shrugged and continued her work of packing after she had handed the note from Jen to Hermione to read.
"Loup? Is that your nickname?" Hermione questioned.
"Yes, I know it's strange but hers is Cerf. It doesn't get any odder than that. The nicknames are a long story as to how we got them. I'll tell you about that later," Oscie replied.
"According to The Daily Prophet there still hasn't been any activity by You-Know-Who," Ron stated as he set down the paper. Most witches and wizards refused to call Voldemort by his name and even cringed at the sound of it.
"That's odd. There should have been something done by now and that's the worst part. He's going to strike when it's least expected," Hermione concluded.
"It doesn't make sense though," Oscie said. "I mean if he's back and at large again and everyone knows it then people will be preparing for him. It seems that if he wanted to keep the upper hand he would strike while people are still unprepared. Unless he thinks he is too powerful to be stopped by Aurors on alert or Ministry officials."
"She thinks like you do, Hermione," Ron commented and both girls smiled.
"Or maybe he's planning one large attack and is trying to build up an army large enough to complete the goal of wiping out all Dumbledore supporters," Hermione mused.
Oscie shrugged. "Whatever it is, I don't like it," she stated. The two in the room with her agreed.
After the three were finished packing they ate dinner with Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Mungdungus Fletcher. Mrs. Weasley had Ron and Hermione help her in the kitchen but Oscie was excused to be with Lupin on their last night before they had to leave for Hogwarts in the morning.
Lupin and Oscie went to a room that seemed to be the cleanest in the house. It had old curtains hanging in front of windows but they didn't appear to be moth eaten. The cabinets that appeared to be for displaying objects were all empty as though someone had cleared out all the objects and the corners of the room were not dark and menacing.
"What room is this?" Oscie asked when they first arrived there.
"It's where The Order meets whenever we have meetings," Lupin replied. He sank into a chair and for the first time Oscie noticed how worn out he appeared.
"Have you talked to your parents since you've been here?" Lupin asked. His speech was always slow but soft which led Oscie to feel as though he was wise despite his appearance.
"No. They haven't tried to contact me either," she replied, turning to look at a picture so the pain she knew that was in her eyes couldn't be seen. She turned back around to find Lupin staring at her. "What happened between you and my parents?"
"What makes you think something happened?" he questioned. His face showed no sign of emotion and Oscie was lost as to if she had actually figured out the riddle or not.
"Why else would my parents, who have loads of money, avoid just flying over here to visit? It just doesn't make any sense," Oscie replied, sinking into a chair near Lupin's.
"You're observant," he said after a moment. "It was more of a grudge your father held against me. He didn't like that his wife had an 'odd- ball', I think that's what he called me, in the family. I'm your mother's brother but he didn't seem to appreciate the art of magic." Lupin sighed. "I suppose that might have been part of it but I still visited you once because I wanted to meet you. But then I had my encounter with a werewolf and it was too risky to visit anymore so I was stuck in England."
It made sense to Oscie and she nodded. "Sounds like my dad," she said with a sigh. Lupin shifted uneasily in his chair.
"Oscie," Lupin began, he seemed slightly uncomfortable, "nobody at Hogwarts knows you and so you basically have your options open for what group you want to associate with. Maybe if you got in with the wrong crowd for the right reasons The Order could benefit, but I'm not asking you to do this. I'm just letting you know the doors are open and without realizing it you have just walked in on a very secret organization that cannot be talked about except with Harry, Ron, or Hermione. Underage wizards who are still in school aren't allowed to join The Order but we'll take information where we can if it's a reliable source. From the work I've seen you do here with magic I can tell you're very talented. Not many overage wizards or witches can make wolfsbane potion or invent their own potions. Don't be hasty to decide. This could be very dangerous, especially if you were caught, which is why I'm hesitant to suggest it." Oscie's head began to spin and she couldn't believe that gentle, loving Uncle Remus would suggest such a conniving idea.
"I sound like Sirius. This is something he would suggest," Lupin mumbled under his breath, seeming very troubled. Oscie heard every word but didn't remark.
"Well I'll sleep on the idea," she replied with a forced smile. He smiled too and they both got up and left the room.
When Oscie reached her room she told Hermione what had been said in the room with Lupin. Hermione seemed shocked and appalled.
"That is definitely something Sirius would have suggested! I think Sirius' death has affected Lupin. That idea is totally out of the question!" Hermione exclaimed. Oscie sat there quietly.
"He has a point though," she said more to herself than to anyone else.
"Oscie!" Hermione exclaimed. Oscie met her eyes.
"Look.it might work! Some of those students have to have Death Eaters as parents and if I can get them to trust me or drop some Veritaserum in their drink then I could definitely help The Order and my uncle. Plus, I'll be very careful and you can't tell me that you've never taken risks or done something that could have ended in your death," Oscie replied. Hermione couldn't argue since she definitely had done such things.
"But this is totally different. You're asking to get caught," she replied.
"And running off to the Ministry of Magic to battle Voldemort wasn't asking to get caught or killed?" Oscie retorted. Her eyes had become steely gray and were on the verge of turning black if the argument continued.
"Did Ron tell you?" she asked.
"Yes," Oscie replied. At the end of the last year at Hogwarts Harry, Ron, Hermione, and three others went to the Ministry of Magic since Harry had a vision that Voldemort was torturing Sirius there. In the end the vision was falsely conjured by Voldemort and had almost resulted in the death of the students from Hogwarts. Luckily members of The Order arrived but it was in that battle that Sirius was killed by a Death Eater.
"I don't agree with it at all, but maybe we should talk to Harry and Ron about it on the train and see what they think about the idea," Hermione suggested. "Besides, if you befriend the son or daughter of a Death Eater you're most likely dealing with Slytherins and that could end in the whole school despising you. Especially if your target were Draco Malfoy, which I would suggest were you to carry out the plan, but that just makes it even more dangerous and harder to get information since he isn't stupid enough to answer questions to just anybody."
"I haven't made up my mind yet but my instincts are telling me to go for it," Oscie said with a sigh. "Nothing like being confused."
"Hurry up Ron! We're going to be late!" Hermione called as she and Oscie raced down the stairs with their luggage. Ron was still in his room trying to grab all his bags. Oscie and Hermione reached the entry hall to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley standing there waiting for them. Lupin and Moody came from another room to join the party in the entry hall.
"So how exactly are we getting to the platform?" Hermione asked just as Ron came up, panting, behind them.
"We're taking a port key," Mrs. Weasley replied. "It's this little piece." She pointed to a book on the top of the desk.
"Not the best way to travel," Moody said, "But definitely the safest at the moment. Get ready to grab a hold."
They gathered around the book to wait for the signal to touch it.
"On the count of three," Mr. Weasley said while staring at his watch. Everyone held out their hand over the book to wait for the right moment. The three students clutched some of their luggage while the adults held a few of their bags for them. "One.Two.Three!" Mr. Weasley yelled. Oscie touched the book and immediately felt a tugging like a hook grabbing around where her stomach was and pulling her backwards yet spinning at the same time. She felt dizzy and slightly sick when finally her feet hit the ground hard and the spinning stopped. She stumbled slightly but caught her balance.
The entire party was standing in a circle just as they had before and they all had a hold on the book. They were now in the corner of a train platform. The train was bright red with the words 'Hogwarts Express' written on it in gold letters. Many students were bustling around the platform and boarding the train.
"Now, time to board the train," Moody said. His magical eye was scanning the crowd around them. "We'll put your luggage with the rest if you leave it with us."
"Where's Harry?" Ron asked. "And Ginny?" Ginny is Ron's younger sister.
"He should already be at the school by now," Mr. Weasley replied and put up a hand to stop Ron from asking another question. "And Ginny is with her friend that she stayed most of the summer with. She should be somewhere on the train, but don't go looking for her. Now Ron, make sure you stay within the grounds of Hogwarts. You're safe there. Same goes for you two as well."
"Be safe," Lupin said to the group but was looking at Oscie. "Don't do anything brash." He seemed as though he was trying to take back his earlier suggestion and Oscie could tell the night before he hadn't been reasoning the way he normally did. She smiled and gave him a hug.
"You stay safe, too," she replied. He chuckled slightly. The rest exchanged similar words of warning and the three students went to the train and boarded. There were many different compartments with students already in them and they looked for an empty one. Near the end of the corridor they found an empty one and they went in and closed the door.
"We're Prefects so we're going to have to leave for a while to have a meeting at the front of the train," Hermione said to Oscie, but Oscie's puzzled face prompted Hermione to explain, "We help enforce school rules and help out the first years. Just stuff like that, you know, patrol hallways."
"Oh, we called them Tribunals. Kind of a joke since those are what witches in Salem had to go before when they were being tried for witchcraft," Oscie replied. "Then I guess I will see you two later!"
"We'll be back before you know it. If you'd like you can borrow one of my books," Hermione replied.
"Or one of mine. I've got great Quidditch ones," Ron added.
"Thanks," Oscie replied as the two left the compartment and closed it behind them. The train had just started moving and she moved to the window and put her feet up on the bench right across from her. The train was now out of the station and was zooming across the countryside.
Oscie had just begun to dig through her bag to get out a book when the compartment door slid open. She looked up and saw a boy that appeared to be either a sixth or seventh year student and was wearing finely made obsidian colored robes. The color lining the robes was green and there was an emblem on the chest of the robe that had a silver snake with the word 'Slytherin' below it. He was about the same height as Ron but had white blonde hair slicked back. His mouth was thin and his eyes were a dim green with a slightly pointed nose. Oscie smiled politely.
"Yes?" she questioned, sitting back up and leaving her bag at her feet.
"Have you seen Crabbe or Goyle?" he questioned with a slight drawl. Oscie shrugged.
"I can't say I have because I don't know who they are," she replied. He squinted slightly as if in shock that she had never heard of them, then he appeared to notice that her robes had no house name on it.
"Are you new here? You can't be a first year though," he asked.
"I am new here but I'm a sixth year. I moved here from the United States," Oscie explained. The boy raised one eyebrow in mild astonishment.
"Well I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," he said walking into the compartment and extending his hand toward her. Oscie's stomach leapt as she thought of the conversation she had with Hermione the night before. She took his hand.
"I'm Oscie Whitmore," she replied. He smiled slightly but it appeared to be more of a smirk than a smile.
"Mind if I sit down?" he asked Oscie motioned that he could. He sat across from her and closed the compartment door. "Do you know anyone from Hogwarts yet?"
"I've met only two people but I don't know anyone that well really. I've heard there are four houses students are sorted into and I suppose that emblem means you're in Slytherin. Well I'm assuming I'll meet more people once I'm assigned to a house," Oscie replied. Draco nodded.
"Slytherin is a good house. My entire family has been in Slytherin and is good friends of the professor who heads the house, Severus Snape. He's also the potions teacher," Draco replied with a smirk.
"I'm looking forward to that class," Oscie stated. "That was my favorite class at Salem Academy in Massachusetts."
"It's my favorite, too," he replied, raising his eyebrows. Oscie decided at that moment to test the waters a little further to hurry the process of seeing whether or not she could even attempt to get Draco to trust her. Without realizing it she had already committed to Lupin's half- baked idea.
"I have a few potions I brewed with me in my bag," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out one of the few illegal potions for underage wizards in her bag. The slimy green potion was beginning to turn to gel in the jar. She realized that if Draco wasn't going to grab at the idea of being friends with her that she could be in a grave situation for having the illegal potion but something told her that he wouldn't mind. "It's getting old since I haven't used it but this is Cecitum Potion," she said. Draco's eyes widened slightly and he stared at the jar.
"You made it?" Draco asked, astounded. Oscie simply nodded and placed the jar back in her bag. "You do realize that is illegal for underage wizards, don't you?" he questioned, scrutinizing her with his eyes. Oscie smiled to herself but kept her face expressionless.
"I was just experimenting, came across it this summer, and made it. Is that a problem? Because if it is." she stated. Draco's mouth erupted into a crooked smile.
"It's not a problem as long as you don't show anyone else. You could get in serious trouble at Hogwarts with the old gawk Dumbledore as headmaster," Draco replied, his eyes flashing at the mention of Dumbledore. Oscie's stomach lurched at the realization that he was falling into the trap nicely.
"You don't like Dumbledore?" she asked. Draco's mouth went tight and it almost disappeared.
"Not in the least and I would hope any sensible person wouldn't either," Draco said with a glint of malice in his green eyes.
"Well I've never met him but I'm sure I won't since I'm very sensible," Oscie replied, matching the smirk that had appeared on Draco's face. Draco stood up.
"I've got to go find Crabbe and Goyle now," he explained.
"Who are they?" Oscie asked.
"Two of my friends," he replied. He smiled crookedly at Oscie. "I'll see you around?"
"Yeah, I'll see you around," Oscie replied. Draco slipped out of the compartment and closed the sliding door behind him. Oscie exhaled and stared out the window. It was definitely tricky to match his demeanor but she felt up to the challenge.
"So how was the Prefect meeting?" Oscie asked when Ron and Hermione had returned. Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione sighed.
"The exact same as last year.boring," Ron said in a dull tone.
"One thing I did notice was that Malfoy wasn't there," Hermione said with a grin. "Hopefully he's been ousted from the Prefect position."
"He was looking for Crabbe and Goyle," Oscie said, offering some information. Ron and Hermione looked at her, brows furrowed. "He came by and asked if I'd seen them, I said no, he stopped and talked for a while, and then he left." Ron's jaw dropped and Hermione's face went slightly pale.
"Hermione, don't say anything!" Oscie warned before Hermione could put in her two cents worth. "He started it; I just went along with it. If he wants to begin something then I will go along with it and play it up because this is a major thing. Think about it!"
"Wait.what is going on here?" Ron asked looking back and forth between the determined gray eyes and the pale face.
"Lupin wasn't right the other night and suggested that Oscie use the fact that nobody knows her and get information," Hermione explained in a low voice since the compartment walls weren't extremely thick.
"So, you're going after Malfoy?" Ron hissed. Oscie sighed.
"Well I hadn't decided if I was going to or not because Uncle Remus basically retracted the suggestion today but Draco came in here and said he would like to see me around. It's too good of an opportunity to pass up," Oscie whispered to the two sitting with her. Ron looked grim but seemed to warm up slightly to the idea.
"It would be a good opportunity is right. But if you're friends with us I'm not sure that Malfoy will want much to do with you," Ron said. Oscie thought for a moment.
"We can meet secretly or talk some but seem just like acquaintances," Hermione suggested. Both Ron and Oscie looked surprised at the suggestion.
"If you're going to do this we've got to do it correctly," Hermione stated. "It also seems as though I've been outvoted. Maybe Harry will take my side."
"He won't," Ron replied. "I know him and he'll like the idea of getting info out of Malfoy." Hermione smiled.
"It does sound appealing, doesn't it?" she said with a grin as her great dislike for Malfoy overshadowed her doubts.