I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters. That privilage lies with JK Rowling, Schoolastic, Bloomsbury and Warners Bros.

Chapter 9

Harry, Ron and Hermione went up for Lunch in the Great Hall. They had just sat down when was Ron looking over at the new girl, then quickly looked at Harry.

"What do you think she said to Malfoy to get his knickers in a twist?"

"What I'd like to know is what he said to her. It must have been something foul." Hermione commented while reading her Advanced Arithmancy book.

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked her while Star got up with some food and left the Great Hall.

"Didn't you see the way she looked at him before she said something back to him? She wasn't shocked by what he said, she must have been thinking of a good comeback." Hermione said to Ron and Harry.

"Well whatever it was, if she doesn't like Malfoy that's good enough for me." Ron commented with his spoon halted in midair between mouthfuls.

"Come on, Transfiguration next." Harry said as he was getting up from the table.

Ron and Hermione quickly gathered their belongings, finished what they were doing and joined Harry to Transfiguration

In Transfiguration, they were attempting to change parchment into cats. This was a fairly difficult spell, as you had to take a thin piece of parchment and give it a spine. Hermione got it after a few tries earning Gryffindor House 10 points. Harry couldn't even get his parchment to grow fur and Ron was having the same problem. Most of the class, with the exception of Hermione was given a roll of parchment to write and practice the spell.

The rest of Harry's day went in the same way of Transfiguration. He was finding it very hard to concentrate on the tasks that were being set for him by his professors. His mind kept flitting back to Sirius and the Department of Mysteries. Then to the prophesy that his headmaster showed him from the Pensive. To what Malfoy had said to him before the end of the last term. He was thinking all about the past years he had spent with his best friends. How without them, he would not be where he was without them, or where he would be without them. He wondered whether Ron and Hermione knew how much they meant to him.

Harry had it in his mind that all he wanted to do when he walked into the Gryffindor common room that evening, was to go up to bed, but the amount of work that he had to do for his classes was on his mind. Ron Hermione and Harry sat down at their favorite squashy chairs by the fire and set to work.

Harry was halfway through his potions notes when he realized that Ron and Hermione were halfway through a rather heated discussion on their Transfiguration class.

"Why weren't you paying attention then? If you had you would have had this done already. Come on it's not that difficult." Hermione's voice came

"I know that you were paying attention, why can't you just let me have a look at your notes. I must have missed something." Ron said raising his voice a little.

Harry didn't want to hear them having a row this early in the term. "You know she would never let us copy, just finish the essay, and have her look over it." he said trying to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand.

Slowly, the common room was emptying around them. Hermione finished what she was doing, and bid Ron and Harry goodnight. Ron looked up at Hermione, almost as if he was going to say something, but thought better of it and said goodnight to her.

Harry couldn't take it anymore. "So, when did you and Hermione start seeing each other?" he asked Ron. Ron went pink around his ears, confirming Harry's question.

"We were going to tell you mate, but with everything that was happening, we thought it would be best to let you know later. I wanted to tell you, but Hermione thought it was best this way." he said with a pleading voice. "How long have you known?"

"I didn't, I guessed.. You never answered my question though. How long have you two been snogging?" He asked with a grin.

"It wasn't official until this summer, but on and off since our fifth year." Ron said going back to his parchment. "Hermione wanted to be able to break it off with Vicky, and concentrate on O.W.L's. I can't do anymore with out her here anyway. I going to bed. See you in the morning."

"Alright then," Harry said going back to his parchment.

The common room was almost quiet, except the scratching of a quill on parchment. Harry looked over and saw the new girl, sitting at a table with books and parchment spread all over. Harry was wondering what Malfoy had said to her. He decided to walk over and introduce himself

"Hello." he said as the girl looked up at him and gave him a smile and went back to what she was doing. "I'm Harry Potter, who are you?" he tried again.

"Star." she said simply and looked up at the boy. He wasn't trying to be rude, she thought to herself. Besides, she couldn't simply ignore everyone like she initially planned on. That Malfoy asswipe proved that theory wrong. People were bound to wonder where she came from. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, it's just I was planning on getting some of this work done this evening." Harry had picked up her accent.

"Where are you from?" he asked her.

"The suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." she told Harry.

"Do you mind if I have a seat then?" he asked her.

"Sure." as she moved her parchment and books. She really didn't want him there but was not going to be rude. If it was true, and he is who he says he is, she really didn't want to talk to a glory hound. She had heard story's in the girls toilet.

"So how did you get to be at Hogwarts?" he asked her

"Uh..exchange student."she said looking at him. He wasn't going to leave her alone was he?

"I saw you talking to Malfoy today after Potions. What did he say to you?" Harry asked.

"Why are you friends with him?" she asked looking at him with more and more dislike.

Harry snorted at this. "No, enemies is more like it." He saw her smile at this and realized he was getting further into the conversation this way.

"Well," she said "if that's the case. He asked me for a favor. He wasn't to happy with my answer." she said with satisfaction in her voice.

Harry thought about this. If Malfoy was asking for a favor, he stopped himself there. He didn't want to press the matter and it looked as if she didn't want to talk about him. "I didn't see you on the train to Hogwarts." he thought to himself.

"Mmm well that's because I wasn't on the train. I drove. Professor McGonagall didn't seam to thrilled about the idea, but I insisted. She said something about a couple of idiots flying a car here a couple of years ago," at this Harry had a chuckle "but I told her I would stay on the roads. What's so funny?"

"Nothing, It was nice to meet you. I suppose I'll see you in the morning?" Harry said getting up from the table.

"Sure. Night." she said going back to her parchment.