Ginny Weasley stormed through the doors of the Great Hall her face nearly as red as her hair. She sat heavily across from her brother Ron.

Ron raised an eyebrow at her. He could recognize the Weasley temper brewing behind her eyes. "You ok?" He asked carefully.

She just glared back at him. "I don't want to talk about it."

He raised his eyebrows at her again.

"And stop looking at me that way or I'll hex you," she said warningly.

"Hello," said Hermione breezily joining Ron and Ginny at the table. She leaned over and kissed Ron and then pulled a large book from her bag. Ron poured her a glass of pumpkin juice and put a sandwich on her plate. Without noticing she took the juice he had poured her and drank it down. Ron smiled. She was liable to go through the entire lunch period with her nose buried in a book and not eat if he didn't watch her carefully.

When she reached for her sandwich she looked up and caught Ginny's annoyed expression. "What's the matter, Ginny."

"Snape," she said simply.

"Which one?" Hermione asked through a grin.

"Wait a second," interrupted Ron. "I asked what was wrong a minute ago and you threatened to hex me."

"Shut up, Ron." Said Ginny with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Ron started to respond, but Hermione placed a hand on his arm and cut him off. "What happened," she asked again.

"Nothing completely out of the ordinary, just Snape being his usual charming self. We had double potions this morning with the Slytherins and Snape deducted about fifty points over the course of an hour and a half from Gryffindor."

"Why?" Asked Ron indignantly.

"First we weren't quick enough copying the Potion, then we weren't fast enough getting our ingredients out and prepared and then none of us managed to make the potion to his liking. Of course the Slytherins could do no wrong."

"Hey," interrupted Hermione. "Wasn't Ann in that class with you? How did she react to her father?"

"It didn't bother her in the least as far as I could see. She seemed in her own world. She made the potion perfect of course."

"Well he'd hardly mark his own kid off," said Ron.

"Yeah, well she didn't have such an nice time in Defense."

"Why," asked Hermione. "What happened?"

"She just seemed put out the whole time. Actually Lupin asked her a question and she was quite rude to him. Reminded me a bit of Malfoy."

"Malfoy? Why?" Asked Ron.

"She just seemed a bit condescending. Like Lupin was beneath her or something."

"Really? How did Lupin respond?"

"Oh you know how he is," Ginny began but was interrupted when Harry joined the three.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"Hey mate, Ginny was just filling us in on her morning's classes with the two Snape's," said Ron.

"That's right," said Harry. "You had class with Ann today. How was she? She was supposed to meet me for breakfast this morning, but she never showed."

Ginny looked uncomfortable. "She seemed fine to me."

"So what happened in class then."

"Nothing important," she said. "I think I better go. I have to get a book for my next class." She stood quickly and left.

"But you just said. Ow, Hermione!" Ron's hand went to his forearm where Hermione had just pinched him.

"What?" Asked Harry looking back and forth at his two best friends. "Did I miss something?"

"No," said Hermione quickly.

"Come off it, what did I interrupt?"

"Nothing," insisted Hermione. Harry shot a look at Ron who shrugged.

Harry rolled his eyes. He would have pressed Hermione to come out with it, but he wasn't in the mood to drag it from her. He would ask Ron in private later.

Harry piled food onto his plate and began eating quickly. He wanted to look for Ann before his next class.

Ron looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You're going to make yourself sick eating that fast."

"I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Why?"

"I wanted to go look for Ann."

"Well you won't have to look far," interrupted Hermione. "She just walked in."

Harry whipped his head around to see Ann Snape enter the Great Hall. He tried to catch her eye, but she didn't look his way. She sat at the Slytherin table. A few minutes later, Draco Malfoy and his two cronies Crabbe and Goyle approached and sat next to her. "Why is she talking to Malfoy," he muttered.

"Harry," Hermione said sharply.

Harry turned his head back to Ron and Hermione. "What?"

"I know you like her and all, but that doesn't change the fact that she's a Slytherin."

"So."

"Well, you're going to have to accept the fact that she's going to be friends with people like Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle." Hermione's eyes were flashing and her voice was tinged with anger.

"Why are you so upset?"

"I'm not upset. I just think you're getting a bit preoccupied by this girl. You take every chance you have to be around her lately."

"Hermione," Harry said exasperatedly. "Don't you ever get tired of hanging around with the same people all the time. Don't you ever want to be around someone new and interesting."

Hermione's eyes filled with anger. "Yeah, well I'm sorry Ron and I aren't interesting enough for you."

"That's not what I meant," interrupted Harry.

"I think we both know what you meant," she said. She stood, picked up her books and left the table.

"Hermione, come on," Harry called after her, but she didn't turn. Harry looked back at Ron who had also stood. "Ron," he said, "I didn't mean it to come out that way."

"Right Harry. Sure." Ron said and walked quickly to catch up with Hermione.

"Damn it," Harry said under his breath and pushed his plate away. He turned and looked at Ann again, but she was laughing at something Malfoy was saying. He turned away in disgust and as he turned back he caught a glimpse of Professor Snape watching him. He stared back for a moment and then got up to leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ann had spent most of the day feeling disconcerted by her earlier meeting with Lupin. Luckily, she had Potions as her first class and even at her worst days she could mix up a potion blindfolded.

She had almost skipped Defense Against the Dark Arts, but she didn't want Lupin to think she was afraid to face him. The class was hardly taxing. She had known a lot of what Lupin was teaching for years already, thanks to her father. Her sentiments seemed to be shared by most of the Slytherins. The Gryffindor's on the other hand seemed delighted by the class. They all seemed like they were having a lot of fun, but Ann couldn't help feeling bored.

She was thankful when it was finally time for lunch. She sat at her house table ignoring Harry's stare. A few minutes later a boy with blond hair accompanied by two ogre-looking boys sat beside her.

"Hi," said the blond. "My name's Draco Malfoy and this is Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hello," Ann replied.

"You're Professor Snape's daughter, right?"

"Mmm Hmm. And you're Lucius Malfoy's son."

"That's right," said Draco proudly.

"Proud of your old man, are you?"

Draco paused uncertainly.

"I imagine you haven't seen much of him since he broke out of Azkaban. What was he sent there for again? Wasn't it trying to steal something out of the Ministry and using a whole bunch of illegal spells on Harry Potter and a bunch of other fifteen year olds?"

Draco's eyes turned black with anger. "My father is not a thief."

"No, just a Death Eater. Personally, I'd rather my father be a thief."

"Would you?" He said his voice masked behind a thin veil of rage.

Ann was getting irritated by this pompous kid, "look, is there something you wanted?"

Draco regained his composure and sat up straighter. "I just wanted to extend the hand of friendship to Snape's daughter. Our father's are friends from the old days and I wanted to let you know that if you needed anything."

"Our father's were friends?" Ann said incredulously and laughed out loud. "My father would never be friends with someone like Lucius Malfoy." Just then she was distracted as she saw Harry get up abruptly from his seat and start to leave the Hall. Her eyes followed him out.

"Oh and another thing," said Draco, not bothering to hide the rage in his voice. "I'd stay away from Harry Potter if I were you. Odd things always seem to happen to the people around him."

Ann narrowed her eyes at Draco. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she said sarcastically and got up and followed Harry out of the hall.

She caught up with Harry just outside the door. "Harry, hey."

He turned and looked at her blankly. "Hi."

"Well, aren't you going to ask how my morning was?"

"Where were you this morning? I thought we were going to meet for breakfast?" Harry asked trying to keep the bitterness from his voice.

"I know, I'm sorry." Ann said breezily. "I wasn't hungry."

"Yeah, well, I've got to go," he said turning.

Ann reached out and grabbed his robe, "What's the rush?"

"I've got to get to class," said Harry simply.

"Not for twenty minutes."

"Did you have a nice chat with Malfoy?" Asked Harry pointedly.

Ann laughed, "Jealous much?"

Harry pulled free from her grasp and continued walking, but Ann matched his pace. "Oh come on, Harry. That Malfoy kids an idiot." Harry rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly. "Although, I must say. He did have some very good advice for me."

"Oh really," he said.

"Yeah, he told me to stay away from you. I've been getting that particular bit of advice a lot lately."

"Yeah, I bet," he said sarcastically.

"Is that why you're so upset? Because I was talking to Malfoy."

"No, not really."

"Then why," she asked.

"Forget it. It's not important. So, how were your classes this morning?"

"Potions was great. I think my father has a well deserved reputation."

Harry laughed.

"He was a bit merciless to the poor Gryffindors," she laughed.

"You know, you should talk to him about that," he said

"Why?" She asked incredulously.

"Because, it's unfair."

"It's got nothing to do with me."

There was an awkward pause and Harry decided to steer the conversation away from Snape and potions. "So, how was Defense? Isn't Lupin great." He said this more as a statement than a question.

Ann shrugged.

"What?" Asked Harry.

"Nothing, I just think you overrate Lupin a bit."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know. I found his class rather elementary."

"You thought Lupin was elementary?"

Ann shrugged again.

"Is this because he's a werewolf?"

"I'm not a bigot, Harry," she said offended.

"I never said you were."

"Yeah, well you implied it." They both paused, then Ann continued. "Look, there are just some things. that is. let's just say that Lupin rubs me the wrong way and leave it at that."

"How can he rub you the wrong way. You just met the guy."

"Well, yes and no."

"What's that mean?"

"My mother and father knew him back when they were all at Hogwarts together and I just know a few things about him that you don't know."

Harry gritted his teeth. "None of that is true, you know. Lupin was innocent. It was." Harry paused. He had been about to put the blame on Sirius, where it belonged, but somehow it felt disloyal to his godfather.

"How would you know?"

"Because Lupin and Sirius told me all about it."

"Oh yeah, that's really impartial."

"Just about as impartial as your father."

"What are you talking about. My father never even knew. My mother was the one who told me."

"What?" Asked Harry confused. "How did your mother know?"

"Because it happened to her."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Harry completely bewildered.

"What are you talking about?" Returned Ann.

They eyed each other warily and then students began streaming into the hallway. Harry glanced at his watch and realized he would be late for his next class if he didn't hurry.

"I've got to run. Can we finish this later."

Ann nodded. "Does that mean I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, definitely." Harry said eagerly. "How about I take you to meet Hagrid."

"Ok," Ann agreed. "I'll meet you by the lake."

"Ok," Harry called over his shoulder as he walked swiftly to his next class. "See ya."