A/N: Yeah, I own things not owned by JK Rowling. So, Courage is totally on a major hiatus. Sorry guys. But I'm having major writer's block with that one. I had something written out but I looked over it and it sucks, so I'm racking my brain for something and it's not happening. Suggestions are much appreciated. Just review here and of course read this story. It's my 'I-like-Ravenclaws-and-think-that-Slytherins-are-mighty-cool-too' story. So read, enjoy and review. Thanks so much guys. Again, I'm really sorry about Courage. I'll keep trying, I promise. Here's the next chapter of In Love And War:

NEWT Potions ended and Annie and Katie headed toward NEWT Transfiguration together, talking in low whispers. Adrian and Christian walked in silence. Katie and Annie knew that they would be able to get more information out of Adrian during this class, for he and Annie sat next to each other. Professor McGonagall had long ago wanted to get rid of all this hostility between the houses. Don't get me wrong, she still had a lot of Gryffindor pride, it was just she hated having to stop a lesson because of sparks going across the room at other people. However there were only 3 mixed tables: Annie and Adrian, Rob and Katie, and James and Alicia. Funny how only one table was a Ravenclaw/Slytherin table as Gryffindor and Ravenclaw got along just fine. Don't ask me how McGonagall's mind works. So Annie and Katie entered the room and took their seats. They sat next to each other, but just an aisle separated them. Adrian and Christian came in behind them and sat down. Adrian sat next to Annie and Christian sat behind Adrian with an annoying Slytherin girl next to him. But unfortunately for him (if an annoying Slytherin girl isn't unfortunate enough), Amos and Kate sat behind Christian, and Roger and David didn't sit too far off from them. Christian was surrounded and couldn't do anything about it. He would never be able to sneak glances at Annie from his spot without getting caught by one of them. Class started and McGonagall was teaching them how to transfigure a rose into a rock.

As she taught them the intricate wand waving techniques and the right pronunciation for the words, Christian couldn't help but notice that Annie and Adrian weren't paying attention at all. Well, maybe not to the lesson, but they were certainly paying attention to each other. That git! He knows I fancy her and he has to go off and flirt with her! See if I talk to him later. I could kill him right now! But what Christian didn't know was that Adrian and Annie were finalizing the terms of their deal made in Potions. All they were doing was passing notes to each other. No big deal, right? Wrong.

Christian wasn't the only one who could see what was going on with the genius and the flirt. Rob was leaning back in his chair casually and could see some shuffling around Annie's desk. He looked over and saw that she and Adrian were passing notes to each other. What the hell? He saw Annie read something that Adrian had written. She looked back up at him wide-eyed and he nodded. He saw her look back down at the note and then back up at the Slytherin. She blushed slightly and nodded. He watched as a grin grew on Adrian's face as Annie's attention turned back to the note. What the hell was that about? He made a mental note to talk to Amos at dinner and ask him what Annie was doing with Slytherins.

But Rob didn't have to tell Amos at dinner. He had seen the whole exchange. So did Roger and David. The latter two looked at each other before looking at Amos. Amos was completely livid, and turned his attention back to the front of the room. However instead of looking back at Annie and Adrian, his attention was caught by another Slytherin. Christian. He was beyond angry. He was… what's the word… Amos couldn't put his finger on it. Jealous? Was that it? Why would he be jealous? Unless… no… he couldn't… could he? She's a Ravenclaw. He would never… Maybe he would. Amos decided he had a pretty good idea of what was making Christian mad and turned back to David and Roger to point this out. He got their attention and pointed to Christian. The boys looked at him and then back at Amos. Roger mouthed 'He likes her?'. Amos mouthed back 'I think so.' Roger and David shook their heads at the thought of that and sat fully back in their chairs, prepared to talk about this at dinner.

Annie, being a genius herself, had noticed the looks her brother and her friends were giving each other. She knew what this meant. A council, as she liked to call it, during the next meal they were to have. In this case: dinner. She knew that they would ask her to go sit somewhere else, as they need to talk about 'guy stuff', she would roll her eyes and go sit a few seats off where they thought that she couldn't hear them. The last council they had was about when she got hurt during a Quidditch game. Amos had suggested that Roger talk to her and make her a reserve for the remainder of her time at Hogwarts. Roger refused, saying that they needed her and that he knew that. Roger told Amos that he should know that both of them couldn't deal without her. Amos, Annie and Roger were the Ravenclaw Chasers. They could read each other's minds on the pitch, a very good skill to have out on the field. Roger knew, as did Amos deep down, that if they got rid of Annie, they would lose the magic. Roger eventually convinced Amos in the end and the council dispersed. But Annie knew that in this one, all odds were against her. Usually, during a council, Rob or Roger would stick up for her, knowing that sometimes Amos got too protective of his twin sister. Amos knew that too, but couldn't help himself sometimes. That was just the way he was. He knew that, everyone knew that.

When Annie walked over to the Slytherin table during dinner and knew that her brother and friends had stopped their council to watch her. But she wasn't alone; she had dragged Katie with her. There was no way she would be able to do it alone. Back at the Ravenclaw table, the guys watched her with horror stricken across their faces.

"What is she doing?" Amos hissed to the other guys.

"Walking over to the Slytherin table," James suggested, still surprised more than horrified.

"I got that," Amos responded with a glare that would have killed James right then and there. That is if glares could kill. "Why though? Why would she do that?"

They soon saw the reason, and their horror was confirmed. Annie and Katie walked over to the Slytherin table and were greeted as if they had sat there all their lives. They were greeted warmly by all of the Slytherins there, including all of the Slytherin Quidditch players. Troy Montague and his girlfriend even moved over to give the girls spots to sit. Coincidently those spots were right next to Christian and Adrian. Annie looked over at the Ravenclaw table and right into her brother's eyes. Her eyes gave the look of defiance. He knew it; she knew it. She looked away and whispered something to Christian. Christian nodded and both got up from the table and left the Great Hall from the doors behind them. Amos was pissed to say the least. Katie stayed at the table but had watched the two leave. She turned to talk to Adrian but caught sight of Rob's face; it was the face of betrayal. She had betrayed him. If anything was going to go wrong in this big plan, it was that Adrian was never going to get Katie. Her heart already belonged to someone. That someone was the person who looked at her like she couldn't have betrayed him more. She felt guilty but needed to help Annie. She needed to help her show her friends that she wasn't a little girl anymore. She needed to help.

As Katie's thoughts battled with each other, Rob was having thoughts of his own. It was common knowledge between the two that both liked each other. He couldn't believe that she was sitting at the Slytherin table. He knew that she had to be there on a different motive. Maybe it was to help Annie. Help Annie with what? Was she trying to make a point again? She certainly chose extreme ways to prove herself. Maybe that's what it was. He made a mental note to talk to Katie later. He just hoped that Adrian Pucey had nothing to do with it. His mind was gone from the thoughts of Annie and Christian; it was on the thoughts of Katie. He thought McGonagall a saint for putting him and Katie together in Transfiguration. He would do anything for that teacher now. Well… maybe not anything… but you get my drift. He had seen Katie play Quidditch many times. He had played against her, unwillingly of course, but that's beside the point. She was everything he looked for in a girl. She was smart, talented, pretty… no, beautiful. She was a damn good Quidditch player too. He probably would do anything to be with her, or even just to get to know her better.

Christian had felt the same way about Annie before she dragged him out of the Great Hall. Now he had unpredictable to add to the list. He never would have expected her to come over to the Slytherin table and drag him out of the hall. He waited for her to explain herself when they got out of the hall, but she did no such thing. She started to loosen his tie and un-tuck his shirt from his pants. He stared at her with wide eyes. Yes, she was definitely unpredictable. She looked him over and messed up his hair a little bit. Finally Christian found his voice.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she messed with his hair.

"I'm pissing off my brother and friends," she answered, meeting his eyes with hers.

"Thank you for letting me be a part of it," he said.

"Thank you for not objecting," she said as she loosened her tie a little.

"Why wouldn't I help you?"

"I'm not a Slytherin," she answered simply.

"That's true, but you are an exception," he stated. Annie smiled at him, and he couldn't help but smile along with her.

"Adrian was right about you," Annie told him. Christian raised his eyebrows at her.

"What did he say?" he asked. Annie laughed softly.

"Don't worry. It all was good," she said.

"I'll make a deal with you," Christian started. "If you help me with NEWT Potions then I'll help you piss off your brother and friends." Annie grinned at him.

"It's a deal."

"Meet me in Dungeon 4 tonight."

"I will." Annie took his arm and they entered the Great Hall.

They entered the hall to see Annie's brother and friends all looking at them. Annie couldn't look at them. Although it was her idea to get them royally mad, she still felt slightly guilty. Christian noticed this and turned to her. He put his hand on her cheek and rubbed her cheekbone with his thumb. Annie couldn't help blushing at his touch.

"Don't worry. They'll come around," he whispered to her before leaving her to wait for Katie. Katie glanced at the Ravenclaw table and caught sight of everyone's reactions. She led Annie out of the hall and down to the lake. Neither one talked until they reached the shore. Both sat under a tree and Annie sighed.

"What did they look like?" Annie asked. "I couldn't look at them."

"Amos, Rob and David were livid. Roger looked like he was going to kill Christian and James looked more surprised than anything. I think I helped with Rob though," she added, more to herself than Annie. The girls sat in silence for a couple of minutes until a thought struck Annie.

"We should probably get in there before they kill each other," she said. Katie nodded her agreement and stood up with Annie. They entered the castle and the Great Hall. As they did Annie could see Amos, Rob, Roger and David walking toward them and the Slytherin table. Christian and Adrian stood, Troy Montague and Brian Warrington right behind them. Amos looked absolutely livid; he didn't even notice Annie and Katie come in the door. Annie watched as her brother reached for his wand.

"Leave them alone!" Annie yelled at him. This made everyone stop and look at her. She walked over to the boys and placed herself between Amos and Christian. Katie looked on from the side but looked just as serious as Annie did.

"Why?" Amos asked.

"Because he did nothing to you or your friends," she said. Amos scoffed.

"He did something to you," Amos tried to reason.

"He didn't do anything to me," Annie said. "All he did was ask if I could help him in NEWT Potions." Christian nodded behind Annie to confirm her statement.

"Why didn't he ask Montague to help him? He's his friend," Amos pointed out. We're stuck, Christian thought. But there was a reason Annie was a genius.

"Because I struck a deal with him," she said. Alright, maybe she wasn't the genius we hoped for.

"What kind of a deal?" Amos asked, clearly upset that his sister would even speak to Slytherins.

"That's for us to know. You have no right to know what the deal is. In fact, part of it is going on right now," she stated.

"What?"

"You're pissed off aren't you?" Annie asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. Then his part of the deal is done."

"Why did you want to piss me off Annie?" Amos asked, genuinely sounding hurt.

"Because I'm not eleven anymore Amos. I know what you and the other guys were talking about earlier. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of all of it. This stupid rivalry that goes on, I'm sick of it. Just because someone is in a different house doesn't mean that we have to hate them. There are difficult times coming Amos. You know that as well as I do. That's why Mum and Dad aren't home nearly as much as they used to be. And you know why. This is why. This is where it all started and this is where it should end. Here. At school. This is where the fighting begins; all the rivalry. Someone hates someone else because they reside somewhere other than they do. It's sickening Amos. And it has to stop. Whether I get the ball rolling or not, I know that I'm not going to be involved in the hate. I'm not going to let the rivalry get me. You shouldn't either. It's better that you don't. We have to trust one another now. Especially now. And I know you know that," Annie said. Amos stared at her as she made her speech. He didn't know what to say. Who would? He watched silently as Annie and Katie left the hall.

That night, Annie went down to her Potions classroom to meet Christian. As she walked there she felt a sense of foreboding. Why was she really going there? To piss off her brother? No. She already did that. What made her go down there? It was her promise to help him in Potions, she kept telling herself. But that nasty voice in the back of her mind kept telling her that that wasn't the reason. There was another reason to why she was going down to the dungeons. She wanted to. She wanted some reason to be near him and this was it. She remembered earlier that day when she had loosened his tie and messed up his hair. She remembered un-tucking his shirt and the rush she felt. Nobody had ever made her feel that way before. She was scared. He was a Slytherin. She wasn't supposed to feel that way about him. He wasn't supposed to be that attractive. What's going on with me? I'm not supposed to feel this way about him! What's going on? With this still going on in her mind, she continued onward to the dungeons.

Christian sat on his desk in the Potions classroom thinking to himself. Occasionally he thought out loud, but decided against it. Annie could come into the classroom at any moment and he didn't want his thoughts overheard. Why is she really doing this? Is she even going to bother showing up? Why do I keep thinking she's going to show? Stupid Christian! Stupid! What was that? Christian looked up as he heard noise from outside of the classroom. Did she really show up? I can't believe she showed up, he thought as Annie entered the classroom. He slid off the desk and the sound of his shoes hitting the stone floor echoed off the walls of the silent dungeon.

"Hi," he greeted her. She looked up at him and smiled a little.

"Hi," she said back to him. Christian and Annie were stuck in silence for a little over a minute. One minute and 12 seconds to be exact. Christian was the one to break the silence.

"Pretty interesting dinner tonight," he mentioned. That was all Annie needed to start laughing quietly.

"Yeah it was," she said eventually. "I can't believe all of that happened."

"What you said, it was true though," Christian told her. "All of it was. I'm sick of the rivalry too. It's disturbing and it should end here. Whether we end it or not, I don't want to be a part of it anymore."

"We end it?" she asked him. Christian nodded.

"You can't end a rivalry by yourself, someone has to help you," Christian told her. "Is it alright if I help you end all of this?"

"Of course. But how are we going to do that?" Annie asked. Christian frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. I have an idea, but you won't like it, he thought. Damn.

"I don't know. Do you have any ideas?" Christian asked. I have many ideas. Unfortunately you wouldn't like them, Annie thought. Damn.

"I can't think of any," Annie said not looking at Christian. He noticed and used it to his advantage.

"Can't think of any? Or not willing to share?" he asked her. She looked at him, slightly red.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she told him. Christian grinned as he stepped closer to Annie.

"I have an idea, but I don't know if you would like it," he whispered to her.

"What is it?" she asked. Christian looked at her intently before both closed their eyes. Each moved closer to the other, silently hoping the other wouldn't back away. A million things were going through their minds as they inched closer to each other. But unfortunately, one made Christian back away.

"Why don't you help me with those potions?" he asked her. Annie opened her eyes and nodded. She turned away from him and sighed quietly.

"Which ones have you been having trouble on?" Annie asked, not turning around to face him.

"A lot of them, actually."

"Is there one in particular that you wanted to start with?" she asked.

"Actually I wanted to start with the one we were doing today in class," Christian answered. Annie turned to look at him.

"Why that one?" she asked.

"Isn't it the one that you found that 'breakthrough' in?"

"Yes."

"What was the breakthrough, Annie?"

"Nothing important," Annie answered, before turning back around, not wanting to face Christian. She couldn't help it even if she wanted to. She hated being praised for being smart and well… a genius. She was one, and everyone knew it. But she had other qualities about her that people looked over. She was really funny but no one cared. She probably had the most beautiful eyes in Hogwarts, but no one noticed because they always found them looking at a book or narrowed in concentration. She was an outstanding Quidditch player but was overshadowed by her brother and friends. The only place she stood out was in the classroom and she hated it.

"Why isn't it important?" Christian asked her.

"Because I'm not important. I hate being smart. I hate it so much. It's all people see when they look at me. They see some smart little girl. That's it. I do other things too. I'm on the Quidditch team and have been ever since second year. I was on the team before my brother and his stupid friends! I beat them out at the try-outs second year and they didn't even congratulate me. They were jealous. But now they get all the recognition and I get treated like I'm just another lowly Quidditch fan. Sometimes people forget I'm even on the damn team! I hate it," Annie finished as she slumped into a chair at a desk: Christian's.

"I noticed. I had to; you kept putting too many goals past me during games. I noticed you were there. I'm not the only one either. The entire Slytherin Quidditch team had it out for you. Even Marcus Flint, when he was still here that is. He hated you because you were so good. At times he even wished that you were in Slytherin," Christian told her.

"Sometimes I wish I was in Slytherin," Annie said. Christian just looked at her. He didn't know what to do. So he did the only thing that came to mind: he kissed her.