She walked briskly into the Great Hall and up to the staff table. The few people who were present stared at her in shock as she walked up to Severus Snape and whispered something in his ear. They all noticed how his eyes widened in shock, and then he stood up and followed the small girl from the hall. An excited buzzing broke out after they left, about how Snape was actually going to talk to someone he hated… and he didn't look mad.

"Why are you talking to me?" hissed Snape as the door to his study closed with a snap.

"I need to know some things… do you have a relation also named Severus? An older relation, if you please," Usagi said, rather sharply and unlike Usagi.

"My father…" he said softly. "My father's name is Severus as well."

"And who was your mother?" Usagi pressed.

"She was a queen… long, silvery hair, laughter in her eyes… but she left us when I was very young," Snape said, pain striking his eyes.

"Why do you, and almost everyone else, look at me like I'm a ghost?"

"Because we think you are… you look too much like her," Snape said softly.

"But I can't look a lot like her… I mean… we're of no relation…" but Usagi remembered the dream, and remembered how much she DID look like the queen that Snape described. Without a single word more, Usagi turned and fled from the room, too confused to do anything more. Without realizing what she was doing, she had wrenched open the door to the broom shed, grabbed the nearest broom, and taken off, landing on the roof of the castle. She crept along until she came to a statue and then leaned her back against it, sliding down to a sitting position as the tears flowed freely along her face.

She didn't hear the approaching footsteps over her tears, and didn't even look to see who had come and put an arm around her shoulders. She simply buried her face on the shoulder and sobbed more. The person waited until her tears had stopped coming, and then asked gently, "What's wrong?"

Usagi looked up into Oliver Wood's concerned face, and said simply, "I no longer know who I am."

He leaned down a bit and whispered to her, "I know who you are. You are the girl I couldn't take my eyes off of since that first day you went outside to eat a meal. You are the girl who can light up a person's day with her smile. You are the girl that I care about more than anything else. You are Usagi, and that is all that matters."

Usagi smiled slightly at this declaration, and buried her head back on his shoulder, letting her arms steal around his waist in a gentle embrace. "Thank you," she whispered into his shirt collar.

They stayed like that for a long time, neither knew precisely how long, and then finally Oliver shifted and said, "Let's go back… we're not really supposed to be up here, but if you don't stay for too long, you don't get caught."

"All right," Usagi agreed. She felt very drained after her long crying spell, and decided to go take a nap before she finished her homework.

She skipped dinner that night, knowing that she'd be getting odd looks from everyone once they knew that she'd actually approached Snape, and instead went out to the edge of the lake. She climbed a rather comfortable-looking tree, and sat in the V where the trunk had split.

"Hi, Usagi," said a familiar voice.

Usagi looked down and saw a figure with messy black hair sitting at the base of the tree. Leaning back again, she said blankly, "Hi Harry."

"Haven't talked in a while…" he said slowly, "So I came out to see how you were doing."

"Fine, now," was the short reply he received.

Sighing, Harry stood and leaned against the tree, and came out with the question that had been on everyone's minds. "Why did you talk to Snape this morning?"

"I had to ask him something," another short reply.

"Oh. All right," Harry said, starting to leave.

"Harry?" Usagi said in a broken voice, "Why does everybody hate me?"

Startled, Harry stopped and turned back. "Not everybody hates you… I don't hate you, and neither does Ron. I think the reason the rest of the people don't like you a lot, though, is because you're Slytherin."

"But even the Slytherins hate me," she pressed.

"Because you're too nice to be in Slytherin. You just don't fit in with them." Harry began to walk away again, and Usagi let him go this time.

So Ron, Harry and Oliver don't hate me… that's three people, and they're all boys… I need to have a girl I can talk to, Usagi thought as she watched Harry walk away in the direction of the gamekeeper's hut.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Hermione? Can I sit here?" Usagi timidly asked the brunette girl next potions lesson.

Startled, Hermione looked up and saw a Slytherin being polite to her! "I guess so," Hermione said, just as tentatively and putting a lot of stress on the word 'guess'. Usagi looked a little hurt, but still claimed the seat next to her.

"I'm really sorry if you've gotten a bad impression of Slytherins…" Usagi said, trying to get on the muggle-born's good side. "I just can't stand them, though!" she burst out, suddenly. "They're all so mean, and they make me so uncomfortable… I can't even stand to eat in the dining hall anymore, sitting at their table." Usagi broke off and shuddered.

Hermione was giving Usagi the strangest look. It was one of disbelief, and even a little bit of… pity? Well, Usagi guessed that pity was a good enough way to try and start a friendship. "I only have three friends here, and none of them are even in Slytherin… there's Harry and Ron, but probably only because I met them before the sorting, and then there's… there's…" Usagi broke off, blushing a bright scarlet.

"Who?" said Hermione, now interested. She'd known that Harry and Ron liked Usagi, but she hadn't heard of anyone else.

"OlieWood," Usagi mumbled, indistinctly.

But Hermione had picked up on the 'Wood' part, and she said, "Oliver Wood? Really? I wouldn't have thought of him liking someone outside Gryffindor…" Hermione lowered her voice, and whispered, "How good a friend is he?"

Usagi was saved answering when Snape walked in and promptly began class. Usagi once more was in a daze while she took her notes. How good a friend is he? I don't know… it's not like we've kissed or done anything that would declare us as a couple… but he seems to be more than a friend. There's a dance on Halloween, isn't there? I'll find out then… The rest of Usagi's day went on like this, but when she went in for supper, a huge buzz of conversation erupted, everyone glancing at her and then Oliver the whole meal.

Do they know that we're friends? Usagi thought back to the seating arrangement in potions. It had been her and Hermione in the front, with Harry and Ron next to them, and directly behind them was… Oh, no! Lavender and Parvati must've heard us talking! What have they told everyone?

Usagi got up and crossed the hall to the Gryffindor table. The teachers all immediately tensed up when they saw the Slytherin approach the rival's table, and grew somewhat suspicious when all they saw was Usagi bending down, whispering in Hermione's ear, and beckoning her out of the hall with a jerk of her head.

"Hermione!" Usagi wailed. "Do they know about me and… and… and Oliver?"

"I'm not sure what the exact rumor is…" Hermione began, but Usagi cut her off.

"Well, can you talk to Lavender or Parvati? They were sitting behind us in potions, and they must have heard!"

"Don't worry, Usagi, I'll figure it out and fix it," Hermione said soothingly. Usagi could only believe her, but couldn't go back in to face everyone. Instead, she wandered up the big staircase, following the route that she saw the Gryffindors take so often. She seemed to sense their trail, and it stopped right in front of a portrait of a big, fat lady in a pink dress.

"Password?" the lady asked, half asleep.

Usagi hesitated only a second before saying, "Caput Draconis."

The portrait swung open, and Usagi climbed into the Gryffindor common room.

She didn't even stop to wonder how she knew the password, or where to go, but she climbed up the left-hand staircase and stopped in front of the door that said 'Fifth Years' on it. She pushed it open, and went to the bed that called her the most. Rummaging in the side cabinet, she found parchment, a quill, and ink, and she scribbled a quick message.

Meet me in the common room at midnight.

She placed it carefully on the pillow, and put the writing materials away exactly where she found them, and left the Gryffindor tower without a trace of her presence. Magical, or otherwise.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Oliver slumped on a couch in his common room, facing the stairways, wondering for whom he was waiting. He didn't hear the portrait hole behind him open and close quietly, nor notice the small figure drop onto the couch beside him.

"Can we talk?" a small voice asked, the person speaking staring into the fire.

Oliver jumped a bit, but he recognized Usagi's voice and drew her into a hug. "Of course we can," he muttered into her hair.

"Three things," Usagi said, holding up three fingers, "One: Do you know what people are saying about us?" she said, putting down a finger, "Two: How close are we as friends?" she asked quietly, putting down another finger. "Three will come after."

"Well," said Oliver, somewhat surprised at her forwardness. "One: I'm not quite sure, but it's obvious they think our friendship is odd. Two…" he pulled her closer and kissed her. Usagi felt a thrill run through her, a tiny shock racing up and down her spine. She didn't kiss him back, though. "What was three?"

"Will you go to the Halloween dance with me?" Usagi asked smiling into his chest.

"Of course! Now, I have a question for you. How close do you think we are as friends?" Oliver said, expectantly.

Usagi stole the same response he had given. She leaned up and kissed him, hugging him as close to her as she could. This time, though, the receiver responded, drawing the giver even closer, kissing her more passionately. Neither one noticed the two boys with red hair coming down the stairs, stopping and staring, shocked, at them. They pulled apart, and Oliver smiled. "So, my Little Rabbit, how did you come to be in this room? I believe that not many know where our entrance is to begin with, and then there's the small matter of a password."

Usagi frowned slightly, saying, "I'm really not sure… I just… did. I just knew, somehow. I should go now, Oliver," Usagi added, regaining her feet at leaving as silently as she came.

"How was it, Oliver? Kissing the enemy, I mean."

"Must've been really exciting."

"When are you going to tell her it meant nothing?"

"Of course you'll tell her soon, right?"

Oliver stared, speechless, at the twins standing before him, both looking angrily at him.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Oooo, little cliffie there, huh? ::grins evilly:: But! I will be writing another chapter today :-) :-D because my babysitting gig was pushed further back. Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I didn't want to write much more for it. I wonder how Usagi knows where everything is? Hm… well, reviews are nice… almost as good as chocolate! ALMOST! Hehehe well, I'll stop jabbering and write the next chapter!

Anime Luver- I'm glad you like it, and I'm really happy that you approve of Oliver being in the story ;-) he's one of my faves, especially after the movie…