Someday, I'll own something of great worth. This will not be Harry Potter, as J K Rowling already owns that.

Arithmancy

Ugh. As much as Ryua hated her home life, at least her bedroom was warm. Even still during the warmer months, the Slytherin dorms were cold in the mornings, and would only get colder as the year went on. She untwisted sheets that had got tied up during the night, and padded down to the bath rooms. Ryua always enjoyed soaking up the heat from the showers, the only warm thing in the dungeons.

Classes started today. And, the first class was Arithmancy. This day looked a lot more promising than yesterday. No dementors in the school, a new class, and it wouldn't have her brother, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, or Millicent in it. Ryua dried herself with a quick charm (one of the few she could get to work properly) and got into school robes, ready to start her term.

Sure enough, breakfast was a cheerful affair, even at the Slytherin table. Most of them were enrolled in Food Spelling, a class Ryua wasn't in the least bit interested in. Everyone else picked it because of the fact you got to eat whatever you charmed, but Ryua didn't want another charming course. The mandatory one was more than enough. She helped herself to scrambled eggs and bacon, not looking over at Crabbe and Goyle, who had already managed to get covered in syrup, toast crumbs, and bits of egg.

Arithmancy took place in a smallish classroom in the north wing. Professor Sinistra wasn't there yet, so Ryua leaned against a wall, watching the students milling about. It was mostly Ravenclaw students, and Ryua spotted Padma Patil talking with a group of her friends under a window. She was the only Slytherin present, with a smattering of Gryffindor to fill out the class size. In fact, Granger came dashing around the corner, out of breath, looking relieved to see students still outside. Professor Sinistra came around the other corner then, and everyone stopped their conversations and filed into the classroom. It was round, the ceiling one complete skylight, probably had been a solarium before Hogwarts became a school. Ryua smiled at that. The sunlight streaming in guaranteed a nice, warm classroom, something she always enjoyed. Charts lined the walls, (or wall, it was an unbroken circle except for the door) and the two-person desks were arranged around the teacher's desk in a double circle.

"Please have a seat, students. And if you wouldn't mind," Professor Sinistra said, "sit next to someone you can work with. It saves me the work of having to assign work partners."

A teacher with a sense of humor. That was a first, unless you counted Lockhart (Ryua did not). Padma immediately plunked down next to one of her friends, eliminating the only person Ryua had ever spoken with. Actually, nearly everyone was paired up immediately, leaving only a few students left. "Very well, Mr Poucette, next to Miss Laundreau," Professor Sinistra paired off two Ravenclaws (as head of the house, she naturally knew them) "And Miss... Malfoy, correct? In front here, please."

She was indicating a seat next to Granger. Ryua didn't quite sigh as she moved to sit next to the Gryffindor she knew only by reputation. Hermionie Granger, the most incredible teacher's pet to hit Hogwarts in 50 years (Actually, the last teacher's pet to get marks that high was the Dark Lord, but Ryua doubted Granger would appreciate that comparison). She felt a little automatic revulsion at the thought of working with a muggle-born, then fiercely stamped it out. That was her Father talking, and she wanted no part of it. Ryua smiled as she sat down, slinging her bag over the back of the chair. Granger didn't say anything, but she didn't edge away or make a face either.

Arithmancy was actually cool. The lesson for the day involved taking the name of their partners and assigning the proper numbers for the type of reading they were doing. Professor Sinsitra projected the chart for base personality traits, and set the class to work. "H, E, R, M, I, O, N, E." Granger had to spell out her name, as there was no chance of Ryua actually spelling it on her own. She set to work, having nearly twice the letters to decipher as her partner but refusing to be slow.

"Alright." Ryua set down her quill with a flourish, "Took me bloody long enough, but here's your results. You've got an active mind, and can easily understand even the most abstract ideas. However, you sometimes worry about things others find completely simple, as you can have problems understanding practical concepts. Although you can be difficult to get along with due to your strong beliefs and values, you make an excellent friend to those worthy."

Granger just stared. "Eerie. That's so much more accurate than Trelawny's tea leaves. Alright, your turn. You are a loner, having different ideas than the majority of your peers, but feel you have little choice in the matter. You enjoy what you do best, sometimes with a fervor which puts others off, but you don't need their approval. Although can you appear harsh, even cruel, you have a distinct sense of honor, and would never do something immoral, or let yourself or anyone else be slighted."

Ryua was just quiet. Weird. That is just too weird. How did she get all that from my name?

"You... you're not really that much like your brother, are you?"

Ryua snorted, remembering Draco betraying her to Father, leaving her to Dementors, and said, "Not a whole hell of a lot, no." She smiled. "Nice of you to notice. Maybe you aren't so bad, for a Gryffindor."

"What, the muggle blood doesn't worry you more?"

"Hmm... no, not really. Purebloods have more to be ashamed of anyways."

Grang-Hermione actually grinned. "I don't know. I've met some pretty nice purebloods."

Ryua decided she'd like Arithmancy.

Author's note: That last chapter was completely random, as I'd originally intended it to be this chapter. The interesting thing is that Athena Diagon Cat had wondered if Ryua would ever become friends with the Slytherins, and I hadn't found out until after I'd uploaded the chapter. Weird, eh?