Chapter six:

Just In the Neighborhood.

Haruka stared down in disbelief of what was left of her princess.  "Koneko, what the hell happened to you?"  The corner of her mouth twitched, wanting to form a smile.  Her future queen looked utterly ridicules. 

Usagi pouted, "Someone played a nasty prank on me."  Chuckling, the taller woman shook her head; "I'd say this was a new look for you."  Haruka pulled back, holding the smaller girl by the shoulders.  "Hai, the honey looks good.  I'm starting to get some ideas, hime."

Noting the mischievous glint in the older woman's eyes, Usagi backed away, "Well they better stay as thoughts.  You can have fun with Michiru later."  Haruka nodded in agreement, "Most defiantly."

She rolled her eyes, and turned from her friend, "Haruka…  what would Michiru say?"

Haruka replied with a sexy growl, which made Usagi yelp in shock.  "Oh she would not!"  The smaller blonde looked down at herself, and groaned, "I'm a mess.  Tell me no one else came.  Please." 

"Usagi-mama!!"

Usagi was startled by the new voice in the room.  She looked back to the piano to find a dark haired girl standing there.  She was still a child, and yet she wasn't.  She was no older than ten, with thick black hair falling to her shoulders.  Her dark violet eyes were filled with a childish glee.  Something Usagi had never seen before.

Just seeing her, standing there, with a smile on her face, made the older girl want to cry.  "Hoto-chan."  The younger girl ran forward, knocking her smaller frame into Usagi.  The two hit the ground, and rolled.

Usagi burst into laughter, "Hotaru you came too?  How'd you guys get here?"  She hugged the younger girl tightly, afraid that if she let go, Hotaru and Haruka would vanish.

Haruka frowned as she finally noticed the other people standing in the room.  Standing apart from the four huddled together, was a white haired boy around Usagi's age.  She instantly glared at the boy, daring him to even look, at her princess in the wrong way.

"Setsuna let us come.  We wanted to see how you were doing out here alone."  Usagi climbed to her feet, "so the other's aren't coming."  She pouted towards the older woman.  Haruka sheepishly smiled, "Gomen koneko.  They miss you though.  You gave us all quite a fright disappearing like that."

Hotaru nodded, but then added after a brief hesitation on her part, "and Rei's really mad.  She says you took her mangas with you.  You didn't, did you Usagi-mama?"  The blonde laughed nervously, thinking over the stack she had piled in the corner of her new bedroom.  "Nope, don't know what she's talking about."

Walking up behind her, Haruka asked, "So Usagi, why don't you introduce us to your friends there."  She waved a hand to the group near the door to the music room.  The blonde nodded, "Hai, hai.  This Is Albus Dumbledore, he's the Headmaster of this school.  Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape, they're sensei's."

Haruka nodded to the three older people.  The man in the black robes looked highly displeased with the whole situation.  After introducing the teachers Usagi continued to the two younger men, "That is Harry Potter, and Draco Malfoy, they're students of this school."

"Oh and these are my friends Haruka Ten'oh and Hotaru Tomoe."

Harry looked at the youngest of the three, as he asked hesitantly, "If you don't mind me asking, why does she call you- mama?"  Usagi blinked, "Uh, well it's because I helped raised her."  The child giggled, "Hai, Usagi-mama, and Haruka-papa, and Michiru-mama, and Setsuna-mama."  Harry grinned, only having to bend over a little, so that he could be the same height as the child, "Sounds like you have a big family."  Hotaru nodded, "Hai."  She turned to the older woman, and tugged at the woman's pants to catch her attention.

"Haruka-papa, I'm tired."  Smiling, Usagi answered for Haruka, "Okay Hotaru, since you guys will be staying here, you can sleep in my room.  My bed has plenty of room."

Nodding the older woman replied, "Good idea koneko.  Lead the way."

~~~~

"Oh not again."  Artemis hung his head, when the blonde girl rolled over, burying her face into the pillow.  "This girl will never change."  The white cat hopped from the bed, just as the door to the room opened.

"Why the long face Artemis?"  Haruka massaged her scalp through the white towel she was using to dry her hair with.  Her blue eyes moved to the lump on the bed.  Faintly she could hear the soft snores muffled by the pillow.  "Oh."

Moving further into the room, she tossed the towel aside.  "Here Artemis, let me give it a go."  The white cat rolled his shoulders, "By all means.  Kami only knows how many times I've tried."

Haruka chuckled, as she approached the bed.  Bending down, she grasped the blanket with both hands.  With one hard yank, she wrenched the comforter and sheets from the huddled body.  Usagi whimpered in reaction.  Instinctively she padded around for her covers.  Next, Haruka jerked the pillow from under the girl's head, promptly waking the blonde.

"Haruka…" she pouted, looking up at the taller woman indignantly.  "Give me five more minutes."

Chuckling, Haruka waved a finger at the younger girl.  "Ah, ah, ah hime, its time to get up.  You'll have to dream about Mamoru-san later, right now you have classes."

"Who?"

Usagi frowned, as she sat up.  It was much too early for her to think.  What was Haruka saying?  At the strange look she received, she asked, "Gomen, what?"

Haruka burst out laughing, at the sleepy blonde still half lying on the bare bed.  "Koneko, your head is still in the clouds.  Don't tell me you've forgotten all about your Mamo-chan."  The sarcastic tone, snapped Usagi from the sleepy state she was in, and she fell back down to reality.  "Mamo-chan?  Oh hai, hai."  She pursed her lips together, "I thought you didn't like Mamo-chan."  She stood from the bed, and attempted to get dressed for another day at school.

Turning to follow her princess, Haruka answered, "I don't.  But since you care for him, I don't believe it is right for me to object to your decision."  Usagi nodded wearily, as she slipped from her pajamas and into her school robes.

Once dressed, she quickly did her hair, and looked about the room.  "Don't worry koneko, Hotaru went down to breakfast already."  The blonde nodded, but yet, her eyes scanned the empty room, with what looked like a forlorn gaze.  "Well, I guess we better go then."  Haruka nodded, and followed Usagi out of the room.  Crossing her arms over her chest, she asked, "Haruka, will you be coming to my classes as well?"

The taller woman replied, "Hai, both of us will.  It will be so much fun."  Usagi slid a weary look to her friend, "Why doesn't that sound like a good thing?"  Haruka chuckled, "You're just being paranoid.  It will be fun."  She grinned, her boyish blonde hair falling into her blue eyes.  "Great fun."

They reached the Great Hall, where there was a loud commotion coming from inside.  Usagi frowned, at the sound of loud cheers, and she pushed the door open to look.  At first all she saw was a loud crowd of students surrounding one table.

How odd.

"Well would you look at that?"

Usagi glanced at Haruka, and then followed the direction her finger was pointing to.  "Hotaru!"  She pushed forward, working her way through the mob of bodies.  In the middle was the Gryffindor table, with a small girl, with thick black hair, and deep violet eyes was standing on it.  She was dressed in her sailor form, and she held her glaive tightly in both of her hands.

Reaching the table, she felt a shove from behind.  She fell forward into the bench.  Turning, she glared at who pushed her.  "You!"  She gritted her teeth at the white haired boy who continually, annoyed her.  Why, she would never understand, and yet she had the gall to have a dream with him in it.  She sighed, when he finally looked at her, with those calm blue eyes of his.  His lips formed a smirk, and she wondered faintly what she had done to deserve his criticism.

"Uranus Eternal Power!"  Usagi blinked, as bright lights filled the air, and she felt the rise of power near the doorway.  Both her and the rest of the student body turned to look.  Sailor Uranus stood there; with one hand on her hip, while the other propped her saber on her shoulder.

Her sky blue eyes smoldered with contained anger, as she shouted, "Get to your seats!  Show's over!"

Draco snorted towards the woman who was trying to boss them around.  He turned to look down at Usagi, and drawled, "So Professor, do you by chance wear a short skirt like your dear friends?"

Shooting the taller boy a glare, Usagi turned her back to him, so that she could concentrate on the girl standing on the table.  "Hotaru, come here"

The young girl grinned, as she walked towards her princess.  Still smiling, she asked, "Usagi-hime, why didn't you tell us your otooto was here to?"

Usagi jerked back, and she bumped against Draco, who out of the few left, had remained standing.  "Nani?"  She looked to the boy still standing on the table.  He looked much older than she remembered him.  He had only been twelve when she had left home to come here.  This boy, staring at her, with a detached gaze, she didn't recognize, must have been at least fourteen years old.

He looked older, and yet, he was still the same.  The same mop of brown hair, and blue eyes, but the look on his face, was something she couldn't recognize.  Not ever had she seen him look at her, the way he was looking at her now.  Squaring her shoulders, she asked carefully, "What's your name?"  She preyed Hotaru was wrong, that she, even her own assumption was incorrect.

"Tsukino, Shingo"

How, could she not have seen him before?  In any of her classes, how could she not have seen his name, or seen him sitting among the heads of kids she taught?  "I- I see.  Why haven't we, I mean?"  She struggled for the right question, and yet nothing sounded right.

"Why am I not in your class?  Because I dropped it."  He crossed his arms over his chest.  "I'm taking another class instead."  The empty answer, the one he neglected to say rang through the air.  The reason why he wasn't taking the class.  He wasn't taking the class, because of her.  But why?

"Oh wow."  Haruka stood next to her, still transformed.  "He looks just like your Otooto Usagi."  Her blue eyes moved over the younger boy, "I would swear that was him, if I hadn't seen him just the other day at your house."

Usagi nodded, a frown forming on her face.  Setsuna must have neglected to tell her something.

Haruka glanced at Hotaru, "I see I shouldn't have taken my eye off of you.  Now get down, and get something to eat.  If Michiru had been here…" She shook her head, knowing that Hotaru understood the hidden meaning to her hidden threat.

The girl dropped down from the table, "Gomen papa, but Shingo got mad at me, and used this stick he had.  It shot fire at me."

She looked over her shoulder, and stuck her tongue out at him, before running off to find an empty bench.  Usagi gave the boy, who still stood on the table, one last look, before she turned away.  She was greeted by Draco, who was standing right behind her.  "Ah, Mr. Malfoy, why don't you take your seat like everyone else."

Turning to the pair standing with her, Haruka frowned.  "You better take your seat."  She pushed her way to stand in-between the two, not liking the way the boy had been looking at her princess.

Draco lifted his head so that he looked at the woman at the end of his nose.  "Do not think for one second that you can order me around, muggle."

A single blonde brow lifted in questioning.  She wasn't sure if he was trying to insult her or not.  "Haruka, please."  Usagi held the older woman back.  Hoping to stop a fight before it began; she turned her eyes onto the boy, and begged, "Please."

He grunted his reply, before he turned and left the two, so that he could sit at his table.  The smaller blonde sighed, "Okay, come on Haruka, let's eat."

Haruka nodded, her eyes still on the white haired boy.  How interesting…  She smirked, her blue eyes glinting with mischief, as thoughts and ideas began to turn in her head.

~~~~

Usagi glanced at her friends with sympathy.  They looked utterly bored, as the three of them waited outside on the lawn.  "Haruka you don't have to hang around.  You and Hotaru can check out the school if you like."

She frowned as she noted again, that the two had neglected to change.  Still garbed in the sailor uniforms, Usagi had received several sneer comments, and odd stares.

Her blonde haired companion looked up at her, from the book she had been trying to read.  For the last hour, she had been trying to read one page, and she had yet to catch anything.  It appeared, or so she thought, that muggle was an insult.  But why the boy had called her it, was beyond her attention span.  Usagi had even been unable to aid her in her quest to learn the wizard language.  Her princess had refused to learn the extra vocabulary, until she was capable of getting to classes on time, and teach her students something they needed.  Haruka quickly came to the conclusion that that was highly unlikely to happen anytime soon.

"Iie, koneko-chan, I enjoy seeing you being a sensei."  She grinned, at the thought of the day so far.  It was still funny to think of Usagi as a Professor.  It was comedy all in itself.  And with the demonstration she had been given so far, she was in the right mind to believe that her princess was not cut out to be a teacher.  Let alone control the whole school, once the old guy retired.

Hotaru, who had managed to find herself a broom, nodded whole-heartedly.  "Hai, Usagi-mama, I would love to stay and see you teach more."  She kicked up off the ground, and Haruka was given a sight of seeing a real broom fly.  Who'd a thought?

Usagi sighed, and her eyes gazed about the several items of furniture, she had managed to stuff into her subspace pocket.  It was quite handy, but hard to conceal when she pulled out a chair from seemingly nowhere.  It was hard to not see the shocked faces from those who saw.

But it was a small price to pay.  She would rather be gawked at, then spending an hour walking up and down those infernal stairs, carrying each and every item, one at a time.  "Okay, if you're sure.  The class should be here any minute."

Haruka slapped the book shut, and tossed it to the ground from where she had picked it up earlier.  Walking towards the shorter woman, she asked, "Who do you teach next?"  Placing one hand on her hip, she looked over her blonde friend's shoulder, to see what she was looking at.

Not bothering to look up, Usagi answered, "Gryffindor and Slytherin.  They're 7th year students."

"Hey Professor."  At the sound of a new voice, the blonde looked up from her schedule book.  "Oh hey Harry, you're early."

The boy grinned, as he approached, "Yea, I guess I'm a little excited about today."  Nodding, Usagi inwardly winced at the thought of what was planned.  She was giving the class a test on the spells they had learned so far.  Even though there were only a handful of them, it was she; they had to use them on.  One by one, she would go down the row of students, and grade them.

"Oh, hai, the first test.  I notice you know quite a few of the spells already, so I'm sure you're going to do just fine."  She beamed him a smile, not catching the flush that streaked across his face, because she turned away.  Looking towards the doors to the school, she spotted the rest of her class.

They were doing fine so far, many of them exceeding far beyond the rest of the class.  But a few were lagging behind.  As her students drew closer, she noted each and every face.  Several were confident, a few too cocky for their own good, and a few who were pale and worried beyond belief.

Their last class had ended on a serious note.  She knew she had made this test seem harder than it should have been.  And looking at poor Neville Longbottom, she feared she might have overdone it, just a wee bit.  She wasn't looking forward to his turn, considering every time that boy used his wand, something horrible conspired.  But she wasn't about ready to give up on him yet.  In a way he reminded her of herself, clumsy, and slightly incompetent.  So she vowed to help him and anyone else in any way she could.

Not one person was going to fail this test or any other.

The group reached the spot where their class had been residing for the last few weeks.  "Hello everyone, welcome to another day of DADA.  I hope you are all well rested, since this is our first test today."

Haruka looked at her with surprise, and at that moment, Hotaru dropped from the sky landing only a few feet away.  Usagi glanced at the younger girl briefly, to make sure she was okay.  She seemed to be enjoying her flight, unlike how Haruka had taken to it for the first time.  After that first try, she had slowly gotten used to the broom.  But had stated it was nothing like her baby back home.

"Okay so why don't you guys practice for the next ten minutes, before we begin."  With that said, the students split off to the respective pairs.

Turning to her taller friend, Usagi asked, "Haruka, why haven't you or Hotaru changed back?  It must be draining, to keep up that form all day."

With a shrug of her shoulders Haruka answered, "Someone needs to look out for your safety hime.  Who better to have than Sailor Uranus and Saturn?"  Usagi looked over to see Hotaru jet off into the sky once more.  "Okay, how bout just me, since my trusty partner has taken off to visit the moon."

Usagi grinned at the older woman, "Ruka chan, what would I do without you."  Giving her a hug, Usagi held her tightly.  "I just wish the others could have come too.

"Ah, Professor such public display of affection, is not permitted.  Filch would have you honeyed and feathered for such acts."

A growl escaped passed Usagi's control, and she slowly extracted herself from her friend's waist.  "Oh, go just jump off a bridge, Malfoy."  The boy smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.  "Well, that wasn't very nice."  Rolling her eyes at him, Usagi snapped, "Go bother someone else for a change.  I get enough sarcasm from Rei to last me a lifetime."

Haruka frowned at the boy who so smugly held himself higher than anyone around him.  That is except for a certain blonde haired girl.  It was quite interesting, to see him look down at the shorter girl as if she wasn't the dirt off his shoes, like he did to everyone else in his presence.  But with Usagi, he seemed to look at her, as if she were an equal.

Smirking, Haruka placed a comforting hand on her princess, as she spoke softly to the boy, "Why don't you take your unwanted, stuck up remarks and shove them up your ass, before I do it for you."

Usagi whirled around, and looked up at her, slightly aghast.  Without Michiru around, Haruka felt a small ounce of freedom.  She would not have to watch her mouth around anyone, as long as Michiru was back in Tokyo, and Haruka was in London.  Any inch closer to her lover, Michiru would surely have her whipped for such language.  Even though the idea was sort of appealing.

Draco glared at the older woman, his blue eyes moving over her frame in an assessing manner.  "And what are you, her mother?"  He snorted in disgust, and he wrinkled his nose at her choice of clothes.  "Why don't you go back to where you came from mudblood?"

Haruka scowled, it was one of those words again.  Damn him for using that against her, since she had no idea what the hell he was saying!  But for that she admired him.  Not many actually stood up to her like he seemed to do.  She could see the challenge in his eyes, and the confidence in his smirk.

It was almost like looking into a mirror.

Fearing the outcome of this battle, Usagi moved to stand in between the two, and pushed them back with her hands.  "Now, now, this is not the time to start a fight."  Shooting both of them a heated glare, she grabbed Draco, and drug him to where the rest of the class waited patiently.  She should have known instantly, that letting Haruka stay was a major boo boo.  But now it was far too late to correct her horrible mistake.

She sighed, as she let him go, and faced the class.  "Okay, why don't we get started.  There are only three spells, so this should go relatively fast.  I'll be picking random, so be prepared for your name to be called next.  While I'm with one student, you may partner up and practice, or talk if you like."  Eying each and everyone one of them, she nodded, when she noted they were all listening.  "Granger you're first."

Hotaru climbed off the broom, and rested it against her shoulder as she joined Haruka.  Smiling at the older woman, she asked, "How's she doing Haruka-papa."

Looking down at her, Haruka replied, "Fine.  She has taught them well it appears."  Nodding, the child looked across the lawn for a certain face.  "Setsuna-mama didn't just make a simple mistake, did she?"

She frowned, her eyes trying to spot what the younger one had sought.  "What do you mean?"  Lines creased her forehead, when she spotted Draco Malfoy.  He was who the child was looking at.

Setting the broom down, Hotaru replied with intelligence beyond her years, "Setsuna-mama has left many connections to this world, linked to ours.  Have you scanned Mr. Malfoy's powers?"

Haruka studied the boy who stood several feet away from her.  Now that she looked at him, without anger, and contempt, she did feel the connection.  "Hai I do.  What do you suppose it is?"

The little girl crossed her arms over her chest, and her dark eyes moved to her princess.  "Setsuna-mama mentioned mistakes.  I believe he might be one of them, and Shingo-san is another."

Tapping her chin thoughtfully the blue senshi hesitated, before she added, "From the conversations I've heard in the halls, I would say Setsuna did a lousy fucking job at severing the ties between these two worlds."

Not the least bit affected by the older woman's curse, the girl nodded gravely.  "Hai, I agree.  That must be why Setsuna had to send Usagi-hime, and not someone else.  Should we help?"  She lifted her head to look at the one of the few people in her life as a parent.  The outers had raised her, cared for, and loved her like she was one of them.  But at some points in her life, she missed her real father.  Even though she hadn't met him in this lifetime, she still felt the bond between her and Dr. Tomoe.

Haruka waited, not saying anything at first, before she shook her head.  "Iie.  Setsuna made a mistake by not severing all the ties.  It's not our problem."  After a brief pause, a smirk formed on her face, as her eyes moved from one person to the other.  The boy and her princess, and back again.

"Iie, I think we should have a little fun, what do you say Hotaru?"

The child slowly smiled, and a glint sparked from somewhere deep within the depths of her dark eyes.  "Setsuna-mama will be furious."

"So?"

She giggled, "Okay Haruka-papa, I'm in."

~~~~

Draco rolled his shoulders, and then rolled his head from side to side.  It had been a long day.  Interesting, but long.  Not that he minded really, at least, not this year.

Shutting the door to the Slytherin's common room, he glanced around cautiously.  The room was very much empty, much to his relief, since he wasn't in the mood for company.  Moving across the floor, he pulled out the folded letter, he had neglected to read that morning.  Opening it, he scanned the contents inside.

He sighed openly, his loathsome mood barely contained.  It was only October, and already his parents were asking if he was coming home for Christmas this year.  What a bother.

Dropping into the empty chair by the glowing hearth, he reached over for the discarded blank piece of parchment.  There was no one around to claim the paper and quill.  With a shrug, he propped up one leg and began his reply.

What was the point in coming home anyway?  And why did they bother to ask him every year?  It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter.  His father clearly made all of his choices. 

Staring at the line he had written he frowned.  Another false holiday with the endless boring family.  Crossing it out, he started again, trying to convey to his family, that he didn't have much choice in the matter.

Who would want to stay here anyway, with no one but the Professors to keep you company.  Them and Potter.  He gritted his teeth in agitation.  That boy thought he was everything, well he was wrong.  Someday, he would prove to everyone that Harry Potter was a fraud.  How, he wasn't sure yet, but he believed he would find a way sooner or later.

Hopefully it was later, since right now he had a letter to write.

Frowning, he reread his paragraph, and shook his head.  No, it is all wrong.  Reaching into his pocket for his wand, he jerked it out.  And in the process something fell out, and landed with a soft clank on the hard floor at his feet.  He set the parchment and quill aside, so that he could bend over and pick up the object that had fallen from his pocket.

Holding the item up in the light of the fire, he watched as the prism lights flickered on the walls, and on the floor.  It was a small chunk of some kind of crystal.  He wasn't sure where he had gotten it from, even though he did remembered finding it.

Leaning back into the soft chair, he studied the crystal, which he held in between his index finger and thumb.  He had had it for some time, since that day he had woken to find himself in a strange room with Potter.  It had been strange, but nothing horrible had happened to him.  Or so he had tried to reason with himself, and had failed miserably.  He had felt a sense of loss, after that day, which nagged at him day and night.  Cupping the rock in his palm, he just stared at it, wanting desperately, to know why the crystal's shine darkened each day.  It was like everything heavenly was being sucked dry, leaving behind just a shard of a rock.

"Why do I feel like there is this big hole in my mind?  And why do I have a feeling that you have something to do with this giant hole?"  There was no answer, not that he expected it to speak or anything.  He knew so far, that the hole evolved around his fifth year.  He remembered some of it, but there was a hug chunk cut out, or stored away somewhere where he could find it.

He remembered nothing about the attacks everyone talked about.  Not even the disappearance of Pansy Parkinson.  Not that he missed her.  She made sure he didn't.  Speaking of which…

"I guess I should go find out the culprit on the attack on Usagi."  Draco blinked, a frown etching across his face.  Had the crystal flashed?

He must be losing his mind, because he could have sworn when he said, "Usagi?"  He tried it again, just for good measure.  Low and behold, the crystal flashed with life, responding to the very name he was forbidden to say outside of his own room and in his mind.

Glancing about, and still catching no sign of peers, he whispered, "Usagi Tsukino."  He jerked back, his body going rigid, when the crystal lashed out at him.  The whole room was filled with light.  It was beyond anything he had ever seen before.  It was like being in a dream.

He couldn't see anything, but the glowing light coming from the jewel in his palm.  His body went numb, and pain flared at the temple of his head.  Crying out, he nearly dropped the crystal, but he somehow managed to grip it in his fist.  The light from the crystal flared, searing his eyeballs, and lashing through his brain like fire.

The pain ripped through his head, burning anything it touched.  It was like his whole brain was being cut into pieces.  What the hell was happening to him?

As soon as the light appeared, it vanished, leaving him feeling naked and vulnerable.  Not something he was taking kindly to.  Climbing to his feet, he staggered, his knees shaking by the sudden unexpected weight put on them.

What the hell happened?

Glancing about the room, he frowned as his legs began to move on their own accord.  Instead of going to the boy's dormitory, he went up to the girl's, and entered the 7th year's dorm.  Slipping inside, he shut the door, and was thankful to find it empty.

And yet it wasn't.

When he entered the room, his eyes were instantly drawn to her, where she was seated on her bed.  She looked up at him, and then at the door.

Smirking to himself, he moved about the room, silently pleased to find that her eyes moved to look at him again.  "Looks just like our room." His eyes fell onto the blonde haired girl, dressed in Slytherin robes, before he directed his eyes to the room itself.

"I didn't see you in the library so I figured you would be here. Are you ready?"

The girl looked at him strangely, her blue eyes weary.  As if she didn't understand what he had said, she asked, "Ready? Ready for what Draco-san?"

He scowled at her his eyes narrowed.  'Why did she have to insist on calling him that?'  "Didn't I say not to call me that?" The girl nodded, but she held her chin up, as she replied hotly, "And I told you not to call me a first year, but you still do."

"I can call you what I want first year, I'm a Prefect." He gave her a sharp look that meant she should take his word for it.

She shook her head, a frown marrying her lovely features, "But Harry-san says, that a Prefect still has to be courteous like everyone else." He growled, "Do you listen to everything Potter says?"

A few seconds passed, before the girl nodded, "Hai, I do, because he's my friend." He instantly scoffed his lips curling into a sneer, "Slytherins don't befriend Gryffindors."

The girl, who still was seated on the bed replied, "Well this Slytherin did make a friend, and his name is Harry."

He narrowed his eyes, not liking the fact the she was refusing to abide by his rules.  And yet he admired her for doing so.  "You better watch what you say first year." She met his glare with one of her own, and he felt taken aback by it.  "Stop calling me first year!"

He scoffed, trying to hide the surprised emotion he had let slip seconds ago. Smirking, he asked with an amusement dripping from each word he spoke, "And would you rather I called you Odango?" The girl frowned as if the nickname was an insult to her dignity, "Actually, I rather you didn't. I prefer Usagi."

He shook his head unfazed by her stubbornness, "Well I prefer, first year." She rolled her eyes at him, but changed the subject, "And what was it that I should I be ready for?"

 He grinned, unable to contain the emotions bubbling at the surface.  Fighting it back, he crossed his arms crossing over his chest, "To work. I'm you're new tutor."

"WHAT?!?!"

Draco blinked, bringing the room into focus.  He was alone in the room.  There wasn't anyone sitting on the bed like he had just seen.  There was no younger Professor Tsukino staring at him with a haughtiness that he found appealing.

He frowned, his head aching from the image he had just watched moments ago.  Turning back to the door, he left the room, to allow himself space.  What had been that that thing he had just watched?  He might not understand what it was, but he was sure he knew what it had done.  He felt as if the hole in his mind was slowly being filled.

Moving back down to the common room, he collected the piece of parchment, and quill.

There was something very interesting about that rendezvous in the girl's dormitory.  He remembered it, as if it had been a locked away memory that had just now broken free.

Pausing, he glanced at what he had written so far.  No, this would not do.  Besides, he wasn't about to go home for Christmas.  Not if Usagi was going to be here, with Potter.

Crumpling the paper in his hand, he started for the door.  Right now he had a date to keep, so the letter will have to wait, and then he would think more about the memory he had just experienced.  Surely there was much more to come.

Hopefully they would come sooner than later.

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All right peeps, this chapter has been written and edited, and printed for you to view.  Criticize till your heart is content.  I hope you like it, it took me nearly a month to write it, struggling against writers block all the way.

          Hopefully this chapter cleared up, or filled in a few holes about what had happened after Usagi died.  If not ask in your reviews, and I'll answer any questions to the best of my ability, without giving out the end and all.

          Well I hope the next chapter wont be to hard to write, and I hope to get it out sooner.  So I will speak with you then.  Until that day comes, good morning good afternoon, and good evening. :D

LP signing out.