Falling: Chapter Seven

Hermione and Kali walked down the halls side by side as they came back from Arithmancy and wandered in the direction of Gryffindor tower. Scuffing her feet along the floor, Kali's stomach was begging for food. She had very little to eat at breakfast after getting there late, and then she barely ate at lunch noticing that the Malfoy boy was still missing. It may have been her second day at the school, but she was concerned about the boy and had hoped to get hold of Blaise Zabini at dinner to find out how he was doing.

"Oi! Mione! Kali!" came a voice, and the two girls looked down the hall to see Ron and Harry rushing toward them. "Hi," said Harry as he joined them.

"And where were you two?" teased Hermione.

"We were messing around on the Quidditch Pitch since we had the period free."

"I was telling Harry about this weird dream I had," added Ron.

"A wet dream."

"Just a dream, Harry. I'm not you. I guess you had Arithmancy."

"Yes, we did," replied Kali.

"I don't know how you put up with that. It looks like a lot of work," said Harry.

"But it's fun." Hermione nodded.

"So what are you two up to?" asked Ron, falling into pace next to Kali and thus squeezing between Harry and the girls. Harry fought back a laugh but moved to the side.

"Hermione was going to show me her rooms."

"We get to show off?" asked Ron and Hermione nodded again. "Wicked. I'll show off my rooms after Hermione does."

Kali laughed. "Okay. I feel so intimidated. Everyone wants to show off or show me things. No one was ever like this back at Chivington. At my old school, they were like, 'Don't touch my shit and you won't lose an arm' sort of thing. If you stole anything, some of the kids were so scary that you'd almost think they'd cut off your hand or at least do something really revolting with their wand."

"I would expect that out of those slimy Slytherin bastards," muttered Ron.

"You don't think highly of the Slytherins, do you?" asked Kali.

"No, not really."

"My dad was a Slytherin. I met one of them today, too. He seemed like a nice guy."

"You met a Slytherin that seemed nice?" asked Ron. She nodded.

"Who?" asked Hermione.

"Blaise Zabini."

"He's pretty good friends with Malfoy," muttered Ron in a way that said, 'Anyone who's friends with Malfoy can't be good.'

"Blaise is a rather nice guy, though," said Hermione.

"He is," added Harry.

"I guess," muttered Ron.

"He seemed nice to me," said Kali. "Not all the Slytherins are bad. Even that Malfoy kid seems okay." Granted, he was unconscious when you were near him but the way Blaise talks about him. . .

"Yeah, sure, Malfoy's okay now, but if you'd've gone to school with him since first year, you wouldn't think the same way of him. He's already had a breakdown and tried to end his own life. This is after he lost his rich daddy to hide behind. When he was still an insufferable git, you'd have been claiming death to the Slytherins with the rest of us."

"No, I would not," she answered, grinning. "My daddy was a Slytherin and I love him dearly, even if he does insist that I have the makings of a Hufflepuff. Frequently. Okay, so it's a Slytherin quality to get pleasure out of seeing me bitter over the Hufflepuff alludes but I still love him. And I guess if I had known Malfoy before, but I didn't, and so I can think he's a pretty good guy."

"Fair enough," answered Ron still smiling. "I didn't mean to offend your father." Oh yes you did. "I just don't like most of the Slytherins I've met. Blaise is rather nice and I reckon Malfoy would have been nicer if he had the chance. I mean, things were so bad for him that he wanted to die."

"Apology accepted."

"I didn't really apologize."

"Apology accepted anyway."

"Okay," he said with a stupid grin on his face. "Er - where are 'Mione and Harry?"

Kali now looked around them as well only to see that Harry and Hermione were nowhere in sight and that both she and Ron had been conversing at a standstill before the portrait of the fat lady.

"I believe they left you," said the portrait. "You were so engrossed in your conversation that you didn't even notice." She gave them a big, knowing smile and both Kali and Ron could feel their faces going hot. "You look so much like your father but your manner is so much like your mother. Drusilla was a sweet girl."

"Thank you," said Kali. "Pixie Dust."

"Indeed. Pixie Dust," repeated the fat lady and she opened up to the let them in.

"We can go into my rooms from the common room if you'd like," said Ron.

"Okay," she answered. "I just wanted to get in and away from her. Every time I want to get into the common room she starts talking about how wonderful my mum was. It kind of bums me out because I never got to know her, and my dad doesn't tell me much because it's still painful for him to think about her."

"Were they together for a long time?" asked Ron as they entered his rooms.

She gave a half shrug once the portrait of the lady in the violet dress with the parasol shut behind them. "This is nice."

"I know."

Kali walked further into the room and began trailing her fingers over the material of the bed sheets. He sleeps here, she thought with a bit of excitement but she tried to conceal it. She was already embarrassed enough, she didn't need to make an even bigger fool of herself, getting excited over touching his bed or anything. "My parents were engaged when I was born and she died. I was a bit of a surprise. They were together at Hogwarts, which I guess was a big deal or something because he was a Slytherin and her friends had problems with him, but then they graduated and dad proposed a few years later. Mum got pregnant with me and they didn't want to get married while she was pregnant. Dad says that mum told him it looked like she was getting married just because of me and she didn't want that. She said it created too much gossip. But mum died just after I was born and Voldemort was killing so many people. If she lived, I probably wouldn't have had to go, but he was so scared he'd lose me, too."

"So they never got to get married?" asked Ron as he sat down in one of the plushy chairs by the bookcase.

Kali shook her head. "Nope."

"Sad."

A short laugh. "Yep."

"You hungry?"

"Kinda. Why?"

"Its dinnertime and I thought you might want to eat. I noticed that you didn't eat much at breakfast or lunch. You really should eat something."

"Do you care?"

This question seemed to fluster Ron for a moment and he thought for certain that his face was turning the color of his hair. From the slightly amused look in Kali's face, it wasn't only his imagination and his skin gave an intense sensation of burning as if it would burn right off.

"Well, we're friends, aren't we?" came his response and the amusement faltered.

"I hope so," she answered. "Will you walk me to dinner?"

"Of course," he answered hopping up from his seat and holding his arm out to her which she took graciously. Neither one said a word as they walked to the Great Hall receiving stares from many of their classmates. When they walked into the hall, Harry and Hermione were already eating and both looked considerably surprised at the position Kali and Ron seemed to be in.

"What?" asked Kali. Harry motioned to their linked arms. "Oh." She looked down at her arm and reluctantly pulled it out of Ron's hold. "He was just escorting me to dinner. It didn't mean anything. It was meant to be . . . not exactly funny -" Kali could feel her face going hot and beside her, Ron was turning red right up to the tips of his ears.

"Well that's not what it looked like," mumbled Harry. Hermione glared at him.

"Now, Harry, if Kali says that there was nothing to it, then there was nothing to it. We're all friends here; I don't see why it's such a crime to show a little friendly affection."

"Yeah, yeah."

Kali cast Hermione a thankful look before sitting across from her. After what seemed like a brief moment of hesitation, Ron slid in next to Kali and began to pile food onto his plate without the usual ravenous demeanor that Ron often possessed when sitting before a meal. Piling food on her plate as well, Kali began to nibble on a chicken leg while avoiding the many stares.

"Sorry we left you but we didn't even realize you weren't with us anymore until we got to my rooms. I just showed Harry around and when we came to look for you, you were already gone. I guess Ron showed you his rooms, then?"

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Once we realized that you were gone, we headed inside and Ron showed me around. We weren't even in there long." This was pointedly said to a smirking Harry. "Don't you go thinking like that, Harry Potter. All he did was show me around and then we came down here."

"Yeah, I bet he did."

"Harry Potter!" hissed Hermione. "You knock that off right this instant."

Harry snickered but he shut up. From next to her, Kali could see that Ron had once again turned the very violent shade of red that matched his hair. She had to admit, he was really cute when he blushed. The thought made the blood start rising to her cheeks again and Kali cursed herself for being so ghostly white. When in doubt, she blamed her genes, and this particular pale shade of skin she could attribute to her father, stupid Slytherin git.

"Hi, Kali."

Kali, Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked up to see Blaise Zabini standing over their table. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his robes and he was shifting rather uncomfortably.

"Hi, Blaise."

"I just wanted to come over to thank you for helping me out earlier today."

"It was no problem."

"Cool. Look, I just wanted to tell you that and to let you know that I told him what. . .er, you know. . ."

"That I guessed?"

"Yeah."

"Oh," she said giving a brief glance to her thoroughly confused friends. "Was he mad?"

"I think he was but he didn't show it. Anyway, thanks for this morning. I hope we can meet again sometime without having to drag around unconscious bodies."

"Yeah. Me too."

"Well - er. Okay. See ya."

"Later." She gave him a sympathetic smile as he left the Gryffindor table and headed over to Slytherin. As Kali's gaze drifted ahead of his progress to the table in question, she spotted the figure from earlier that morning. Draco Malfoy, if memory served correctly to his name, was indeed sitting by himself pushing the food around on his plate. He didn't look much better from this morning other than that he was awake instead of hanging faint in Blaise and Kali's arms.

"What was that all about?" asked Harry once Blaise had made it out of earshot.

"I already told you. I met him this morning on my way to breakfast and he was - er - well, Draco Malfoy passed out in the hall and I helped Blaise carry him back to the common room. It was no big deal. The guy just needs more sleep, I guess. Anything else - well, I'd have to kill you if I told you and I'm rather fond of all three of you."

"Some more than others," snickered Harry while staring directly at Ron. Hermione swatted his wrist.

"I think he was flirting with you," said Ron.

Kali bit back laughter at the thought of Blaise flirting with her. Just this morning he had admitted to being in love with the formerly unconscious blond in question. She hardly could imagine Blaise flirting with her.

"Jealous, are we?" said Harry before Kali had a chance to respond.

"Not at all," said Ron, glaring.

"Not even a little?" asked Kali in what she hoped was a nonchalant tone. Instead her heart was hammering. It was probably too soon to be digging for information but she wasn't about to wait around for someone else to grab Ron first. There were too many girls already who were noticing Ron's newly broadened shoulders and chiseled facial features.

"Er-" was all Ron managed to croak out before Harry was opening his mouth again. Kali wondered why not once in the books Harry was mentioned in did they describe him as such a blabbermouth. Parselmouth she knew, but a full on chatterbox? Kali sighed.

"That was very suave. Sure you aren't jealous."

"Shut up, Harry," he mumbled. Harry snorted a second time only to have Hermione swat him in the chest. "Thanks, Mione."

"No problem."

"Hands off the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Arrogant, much?" said Ron.

"I may as well be if everyone else is going to throw it in my face."

"I don't give a fuck if I draw attention," came Blaise's voice across the Great Hall and thus cutting into their conversation. The four halted and heads turned in the direction of the angry voice bellowing at the Slytherin table. "You attacked me last year and you're attacking me this year, too, and I'm sick and tired of being attacked. Knock it the fuck off, Draco, before you don't have anyone who cares about you anymore. I know that you loved your father but the best of you died when the dementors sucked his soul away."

Kali couldn't see from clear across the Hall nor did she know Draco Malfoy, but she was certain that if she were standing right by him, fire would be spitting from his eyes.

"Shut up, Blaise. I don't want to fucking hear it."

Chairs started to shift up at the Head Table. Kali exchanged glances with Ron.

"Well you're going to fucking hear it anyway. I know what happened to Lucius was terrible. We all know that what happened to Lucius was terrible."

"Shut up, Blaise."

"The dementor's kiss is pretty bad shit, but it didn't happen to you, and you act like it did."

"I told you to shut up."

The professors were now scrambling toward the two boys, both of whom looked murderous.

"You're upset and that's expected, but you can't push everyone away because pretty soon you're going to have no one, and you're going to end up back on the floor in our common room without Ruby being around to find you. What would your mother do? She can't lose her husband and her son."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU FUCKING PRICK!"

Kali saw Draco pounce on Blaise, knocking them both to the floor. His hands were clamped around Blaise's neck, his body straddling Blaise's waist, and both faces were looking very red. Blaise's hands were flailing, his fingers trying to pry Draco's away from his neck. Some of the Slytherins, mostly younger students, were grasping at Draco but no one could get him off. By the time Professor Snape clutched Draco with both arms and ripped him off the other boy, Blaise's face was a deep purple. Kali was sure she could hear the oxygen filling Blaise's lungs once Draco had been removed from him. McGonagall was helping Blaise up and then he was being coddled in her arms as he fought to regulate his breathing. Draco had gone limp in Snape's arms and only once Blaise could breathe with some regularity, did the four leave the Hall.

"What was that all about?" mused Harry. "Making Ron turn twenty shades of red is looking really lame after that!"

Ron glared at Harry but its potency wasn't nearly as powerful as it had been before the fight.

"That was really cold what Blaise said to Malfoy," said Hermione.

"But Blaise is right. Malfoy does need to face what happened otherwise he'll probably try to kill himself again. I mean, it sucked, yeah, but there's nothing anyone could do about it. Malfoy's not the only one with a dead parent, you know. Look at me. Look at Kali."

"Can we not talk about this?" asked Kali turning back to her new friends. "I mean, I'm sure the school will be raging with gossip. The least we could do is not help spread it."

Harry shrugged. "Okay."

Silence.

"What do you talk about after something like that happens?"

Kali's laugh was more bitter and sardonic than amused. "I don't know. Hey, I'm not very hungry anymore. I'm just going to go and wander."

"Need any company?" asked Ron. A smirk immediately crossed Harry's face.

"Not right now, but thanks for the offer. I'll take a rain check, though."

Ron's face brightened. "Okay."

"I'll see you guys later then."

They waved goodbye and Kali headed for the exit. Instead of heading for Gryffindor, she wandered towards the dungeons once again, wondering what had happened with Blaise and Draco. She aimlessly meandered, feeling a little lost but she kept repeating the directions over and over again in her head until she came to the office she had been looking for. Muttering the password, she slipped inside and sighed at seeing it empty. Taking a seat in a chair before the desk, she propped her feet up on the rolls of parchment that were being graded and waited.

"You really shouldn't put your feet on those, Miss Strauser," came an icy voice from behind and Kali whirled around to see Snape leaning in the doorway.

"Sorry," she mumbled and removed them from the desk.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Strauser?" Snape left the doorway to sit on the other side of his desk.

"Oh drop the formalities, Dad. You can call me Kailah. No one will hear you."

"I don't appreciate that tone of voice. You sound like a Slytherin and we both know that you are a Hufflepuff."

"I'm a Gryffindor, Daddy! Stop calling me a Hufflepuff!"

A rare smile crossed Snape's face. "Sometimes I question the Sorting Hat's judgment. This is one of those times."

"Not a Hufflepuff. I'm a Gryffindor. See. Scarlet and gold. Just like Momma."

Snape's eyes faltered at this. "Yes. Just like Dru. Is there something you wanted, Kailah?"

"You said to stop by tonight. Here I am. I'm stopping by. I believe you said that you missed me."

"I was delusional from hunger." Kali cocked an eyebrow. "I thought the agreement was that if I wrote down something that showed any sort of caring that you would never mention it aloud."

"I lied."

"Maybe not a Hufflepuff."

"I told you so." Snape picked up a nearby essay and began to grade it snarling at the work before shoving it back in the pile. "Couldn't deal with it?"

"The grammar is terrible. First years," he muttered. Kali grinned.

"So. . .what happened with Blaise Zabini? Is he okay?"

"Are you already acquainted with Mister Zabini?"

"Yes. Draco Malfoy, too, except he was unconscious at the time."

"That is the way most people prefer him."

"Dad. So what did happen?"

"Mister Zabini is fine. They are both in the hospital wing and I expect Poppy will let them out when Hell freezes over. Speaking of your acquaintances, Kailah, I saw you enter the Great Hall for dinner this evening with a certain red-haired Gryffindor."

"Oh, Daddy, not you, too." Kali buried her face in her hands.

"Too?"

"First Harry and now you?"

"I assume you're referring to Mister Potter," he snarled.

"Yes I was referring to 'Mister Potter,'" she said, mocking Snape's voice. He didn't look amused. "Honestly, I don't know what your problem with Harry is. He's a really nice guy."

"And what about Mister Weasley? Is he a nice guy as well?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, he is. Ron's sweet. And no, since you're so keen on the subject, there is nothing going on with him. Even if there was, you should be happy for me. Ron's so much better than Bryce Light was."

"I told you that boy was no good."

"You tell me that every boy is no good."

"They aren't. I was once a boy. I know how they operate. Mister Weasley is no good."

Kali rolled her eyes. "Daddy, just because there is nothing going on with Ron, doesn't mean that I don't want something to be going on with Ron." Snape grimaced. "Daddy. Don't be like that. He's been really nice to me so far and I think he likes me, too. He offered to keep me company." Snape's eyes widened. "Not like that! Honestly!"

"Well, Kailah, don't just go saying things like that casually. Offered to keep you company, indeed."

"You are impossible."

"And what does Mister Weasley think about your descent?"

"Um - I may have failed to mention that you're my dad."

"May have failed to mention or did fail to mention?"

"May have?" Snape cocked an eyebrow.

"Could it have been that most of the students hate me and thus you thought it best to keep it private so as not to lose your newfound popularity?"

"It could have been. . ." she said slowly. "Oh, Daddy, people actually like me here. They're just awful about you and since I haven't had a Potions class yet, I can't really agree or disagree, but even so, I'm rather offended. Despite my paranoia that they know and I'm being personally insulted, no one would like me if I told them right away. I'm sorry."

"Whatever for? I know what the students think of me. You aren't telling me anything new."

"Aren't you upset that I'm - well - kind of embarrassed."

"No. I'm cold and heartless. I don't have feelings to hurt."

"You're a liar but I'll let you believe that."

Snape made a grumbling sound but it was defied by a hint of a smile. "Kailah, listen, if you're interested in," he paused and made a sound that sounded something like a groan, "Ron Weasley, it is fine by me. If you want to keep quiet about our relation, it's also fine by me. However, if anything-" another groan, "-develops of this little crush you have, I am reserving the right to have a talk with him. Your boyfriend should know who fathered you."

Kali grinned. "Okay, Daddy. I'll keep you posted. I should get back to Gryffindor."

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Snape stood up from the desk to give Kali a hug before returning to his seat. "Oh, and Kailah?" he said as she was about to leave.

"Yeah?"

"You can date Ron Weasley. You can marry him and bear a Weasley litter for all I care. Just make me one promise."

Kali grinned. "What?"

"Never, ever, procreate with Neville Longbottom."

She tried not to laugh, tried not even to smile, but the severity that the look on his face was making this situation out to be was far too funny. "Okay, Daddy."

"Promise. This is of the utmost importance."

"I promise, Daddy," she said, still trying not to laugh. "Night." Her chest was slightly shaking with the suppressed chuckles as she left his office. She had only ever met Neville Longbottom twice and both times she got the distinct impression that he was more or less inept when it came to his schooling. He was definitely not the type of student her father would favor.

"Kali!" came a voice once she had entered the hall where the fat lady portrait hung. A few feet down was another portrait of a witch sleeping on a chaise lounge. Ron Weasley's head was sticking out from behind it and seeing him reminded Kali of her conversation with Snape only a little while ago. It took everything in her not to laugh. "We've been waiting for you. Come on!"

Kali hurried up her pace and slid inside Ron's rooms. Hermione and Harry were seated by the fire grinning up at her.

"I told you last night I wanted to show you two somethings. We all agreed that we can trust you," said Harry. "You should feel privileged. By seeing these things we've initiated you into our group."

"It was my request. I need more estrogen around," said Hermione. Kali laughed at this.

"What is it?" Harry grinned and held up a piece of shimmery fabric. "No way!" Harry's grin turned into a smirk accompanied by a chuckle. "Invisibility cloak?" The three nodded. "You really are the best when it comes to sneaking out late at night for the pure thrill of being bad. I used to have one. It was my mum's but my cousin, Servius, sold it to some kid at school for sweets."

All three looked like this act was a crime of the utmost severity. In fact, they looked a lot like her father had when requesting she never mother Neville Longbottom's children. Both situations were rather humorous.

"He actually did that?" hissed Harry. "And you remained friends?"

"I had to. Aunt Serena made me. Don't worry. He was punished. He went to school for the next three weeks with purple hair. Most of the girls have thought he was gay ever since. Aunt Serena knows how to kick you where it'll hurt the most. She, also, was a Slytherin."

"Well that's not all we have," said Harry mischievously pulling an old and tattered piece of parchment out of the folds of his robes. "I bet you never had one of these." He tapped the parchment with his wand and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

At once, lines began spreading out over the parchment into what looked like it was a map of Hogwarts.

"Marauders Map," explained Harry. "Shows all the passages out of the school. Then you have the little dots on it that show you where people, specifically teachers, are so that you can avoid them."

"Where did you get this?" she asked in awe as Harry handed it to her.

"Fred and George Weasley gave it to me. They nicked it from Filch's office and he confiscated it from the marauders themselves. The best part about it is who the makers are. Prongs was my dad."

"Excellent," she said before Harry told her all about the marauders and the infamous floating head in Hogsmeade encounter with Draco Malfoy.

"And when I got back Snape was waiting for me. Thankfully I cleared the map before. When he tried to get to the information in it, it ended up insulting him," Harry recalled. "You should have seen some of the stuff it said. It was great."

"You guys don't really like Professor Snape, do you?" she asked as she handed the marauders map back to Harry.

"That greasy git?" exclaimed Ron. "He's only been impossible to us since the first day of Potions. You just wait until tomorrow, Kali. You'll see."

"I guess I will," she mumbled more to herself, anxiety building over what would happen the next day.