Hot Water

Chapter 3: Battered

Disclaimer: I don't own any of J.K.R.'s characters, but Liliya is mine. Happy Bunny and all related items belong to Hot Topic Co. thank you and R & R. And, the more review, the more I write!

Minerva gave Harry and Liliya a smile, Snape looked up from his hands, which he'd become interested in, but only for a moment as they walked in. Flitwick smiled brightly at Harry, he was obviously still thankful to him about The Quibbler thing last year... The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was missing, whoever it was that year. The two students found their seats at the Gryffindor table and waited.

The sorting began and Liliya set her plate and silverware on the floor beside her, keeping only the teacup on the table. Harry and Ron gave her strangle looks that drew a chuckle from she and Hermione.

"Japanese Culture, no big meals, I ate breakfast, against the rules, so no dinner." Lil explained and Hermione sighed.

"What a wonderful diet." She marveled, earning her a giggle from Liliya.

"It's hard to keep it up in a place like this!" She cried as the sorting ended and, after a word from Dumbledore, food appeared. Her mouth watered as Harry chuckled; shaking his head before digging into the food that he had previously piled onto his plate. Ron did the same causing Lil to gape discreetly.

"Don't they know that it's unsafe and impolite to eat in such a way?" She asked Hermione, looking around uneasily at all the sloppy Brits.

Hermione laughed. "This is England, dear. It's perfectly normal..." She glanced at Pansy Parkinsons who was acting in the same manner.

"Well, normal for men..." Lil laughed, noticing the direction of her gaze.

"How... dare I say, primitive?" Hermione choked on the biscuit she was eating.

"That's the little Princess of Slytherin, I wouldn't say that so loud..." She muttered. "I do, but if I were new to the school I wouldn't..." Liliya smirked.

"You do, I do, hell, everyone does. She won't be the Princess long." Pansy glared and stormed over, she had obviously overheard the conversation.

"Just WHO do you think you ARE?" She demanded irritably. "Talking about ME like that when you JUST got here, and RIGHT behind MY back!"

Liliya sighed as she continued ranting before interrupting.

"Do you EVER shut up?" She growled loudly. "I mean, come on! You all care about purity of blood, someone oughtta wash your mouth out with soap, make it purer since you're so piss fitty over cleanliness."

She stared hard into the other girl's eyes.

"DRAKIE!" She wailed, breaking into sobs and running, with Draco, out of the Great Hall. Hermione noticed the stolen glance Draco gave her, but just barely. A smile darted across her lips; she'd no idea why though.

"So, what did you say your name was?" Hermione asked with a welcoming smile.

"Liliya Black." She was more informing herself than her new friend. I am no longer Kuronue Yurika... My name is Liliya Black...Liliya smiled broadly. "So I take it you're no longer jealous or angry with me? Whichever it was." Hermione's glare returned.

"I was neither, Miss Black, I was simply uneasy at the new year." Liliya held up her arms in surrender.

"Forgive me, Oh Great One." She growled. "I didn't mean to offe-oh, no, wait, might as well not lie. I did mean to offend you." She hissed and Hermione stood.

"Wanna say that again?" The girl's wand was out. Liliya pulled hers from her pocket.

"Deaf are we? I. Meant. To. Offend you." She repeated, a little over zealously as Severus walked down and grabbed Hermione's robe collar, summoning Liliya to him from across the table.

"Both of you, detention with me at seven all week." Liliya struggled at the grip he held on her wrist, but a weal soon formed where his hand had been as he strode off.

"Is he always like that...? He seemed nice enough when I was here earlier in the summer." She asked quietly, massaging her wrist, which a red welt had appeared on.

"You weren't a Gryffindor who hung out with Harry back then." Hermione replied, rubbing her collarbone. "He... dislikes Harry. James, Harry's father, and Snape didn't get along too well in school..." Lil nodded and charmed the name 'Snivellus' onto a sign that hung on Severus's back. Harry stared at her.

"How'd you learn that name?" He demanded quickly and she shrugged.

"It just fits him." She admitted, returning to her tea. Harry gave her an uneasy look, earning him strange glances from the other two. Liliya remained oblivious to their gazes. "So, what classes do you all have?" She asked with a stoic smile. "I've got Muggle Studies and Divination, apart from our beloved basics." She sneered, drawing a hearty laugh from Miss Granger.

"I dropped that class two years ago. I have Muggle Studies, Arithmacy and Advanced Potions." Harry and Ron both gaped.

"How did you manage to sneak past Snape into Advanced Potions?" They asked, somewhat angrily. Hermione chuckled.

"I didn't annoy him, and I did a little extra credit." Harry snickered, as did Ron, earning a slap from Mione. "Minds out of the gutter! Christ, two prepubescent boys to hang around... I'm glad you're here Liliya. Can I call you Lil?" The Japanese girl nodded furiously and smiled.

"I dunno, I think they're cute." She winked comically at Harry, drawing a laugh from them all. Harry wiped tears of pure amusement from his eyes and read his schedule aloud. It consisted of the base classes, Divination and Arithmacy. Ron blushed as his only held core classes.

Liliya shrugged him off; she began chatting away about Japan with Hermione, who had gone there that summer.

Harry and Ron found things, like Quidditch, to talk about. The two girls giggled and smiled at the two boys.

"We're gonna go upstairs and get some study time in. See you both in the morning!" They chanted, running out, pulling disturbed looks over Ron and Harry's faces.

"They need to study already?" Ron asked, baffled.

"For what?" Harry questioned back. They both sighed and shook their heads, finishing dinner and going up to bed.

THE NEXT MORNING

Harry rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at Ron. "Morning, Mate. Ready for classes?" The last part was a bit grouchy toned. Ron nodded sleepily and sat up.

"As ready as I'll ever be, we've got Snape first thing this morning." He growled.

Meanwhile

Liliya rolled out of her bed, landing hard on the floor with an 'Oof.' Her excuse was overexposure to futons, when Hermione asked at least. Hermione Granger sat up in her own bed.

"Morning Liliya." She greeted perkily, almost too perkily. Liliya nodded in the same manner, early risers as they both were.

"Think we can squeeze in some studying before Potions?" She asked hurriedly, pulling a black T-shirt on that read 'Live Fast Die Pretty' in glittery blood red lettering on, along with black and crimson pants with laces on the abnormally small front pockets and chains running from the front and crossing in the back. Hermione smiled.

"I hope so." She herself wore a hot pink happy bunny (( A/N: Happy Bunny and all related products are © by Hot Topic)) T-shirt that read 'Boys stink, throw things at them' and a black mini skirt under her Hogwarts robes. Liliya noticed Hermione's robes and cocked her head.

"We have to wear them?" She groaned.

"Yeah, sucks huh." Hermione replied easily, lacing hers. Liliya sighed and pulled them on as well, complaining about heatstroke until they were out of the dormitories, where she promptly silenced herself. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass her family by speaking in public when not spoken too. Lil then remembered that they were no longer in Japan and sprinted up the boys' dormitories stairs, finding the one that belonged to Harry, Ron, Dean and Seamus before running back to Hermione with a deep blush.

"They were changing." She mumbled almost incoherently. To say the least, Harry and Ron weren't in pleasant moods when they came down, as Liliya had caught them in their knickers just minutes ago. Harry froze suddenly.

"Wait... your name's Liliya Black?" ((A/N: God this makes him seem like the slowest retard ever.... UU)) She nodded slowly.

"Yeah, that's what I said isn't it?" He nodded as well.

"My godfather... his name i-"He showed his solemnity for a moment. "Was." He corrected. "Sirius Black." Liliya's eyes flashed, recording the name it seemed.

"Do you mean my father..."? She snorted. "Was a wanted criminal by the European Ministry? What a..." She fell silent; her father actually was wanted in London. "Eh..." Harry nodded.

"Your father was my da's best friend." He established. Liliya chuckled inside, where assumptions could get her when she was undercover.

She gaped outwardly though.

"Wow... I mean, wow... So we're practically..." Harry cut her off.

"God-siblings." He finished.

"Which isn't really related so it doesn't matter." She confirmed, waving him off. "Now, I've a load of studying to do and we've only got breakfast before Potions, you guys get to it and I'll see you in class." She waved and disappeared on her way to the Library.

"What a whack job." Ron muttered, earning a slap over the head from Hermione.

"She is not a whack job, as you so kindly put it, she's simply her own person. You should learn to respect that." Granger growled, walking off. Harry and Ron looked at each other, shrugging easily and heading to Breakfast.

--------------------------------

R & R, that's about it. New chappy soon.