Star smiled politely, grabbed her folder, and excited the room. For a while, she wanderd the corridors, aimlessly, but then a thought struck her. Maybe she would go and watch the Quidditch team practice. So, Star ran back to the common soom, threw her folder onto her bed, and wrapped her silver and green scarf about her neck. As she reached the grand double doors leading to the school grounds, she spotted Harry and Ron wasling down the stairs from the Gryffindor tower. Star grinned as she saw Harry carrying his Firebolt and Ron carrying his Cleansweep 7. Ron waved to her.

"Hey Star, wanna come watch us pracitce?" Ron asked.

Star smiled and nodded, but looked at Harry quizically. "But didn't Umbridge take your broom away last year?"

Harry let out a small laugh before he answered her. "Yeah, but she's not here anymore, is she?"

Star grinned. "Are you going to get back onto the team?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, Ginny decided that she wanted to give the seeker postion back to Harry. We've gotta have the famous Snitch-Catching Potter back where he belongs."

The Slytherin girl laughed and followed the two Gryffindor boys outside.

While they practiced in the air, Star stood in the grass and threw apples for Harry to catch. Then Harry would use those he caught and try to get them past Ron. Surprisingly, Ron had gotten much better than he was last year. Star smiled. Slytherin would definately have some competition this year;provided that they didn't cheat.

After about half an hour of practicing, Ron and Harry landed to rest. Ron looked over at Star after ge took a large gulp fo water from a bottle he brought.

"Why don't you join the team? You've got a really good arm," Ron remarked.

Star blushed slightly. "You know I hate heights," she replied.

Harry stood up and grabbed his Firebolt. "Well, let's change that."

Star's emerald eyes widened as Harry walked toward her with his magnificent broom.

"No... no that's all right... I-I can always learn during the summer," she said quickly.

Ron grinned. "No ya can't. 'Cos then Harry and I won't be here to watch you."

"What? Watch me fall?" Star asked.

"Of course! I mean... wait. No," Ron said cheerfully.

"Gee, thanks Ron. I feel so much better," Star said sarcastically.

Harry laughed and held out his Firebolt to her. She stared at the finely polished wooden handle.

"I'm honestly not sure about this you guys," Star siad, a hint of fear clearly audible in her voice.

"Don't worry Star," Harry said reassuringly. "Ron and I both have our wands. You won't fall. We'll make sure you're ok."

Ron pulled out his wand and smiled at her.

Star looked up into Harry's bright green eyes. For some reason, she couldn't help but trust him. He was almost like an older brother at some points. She smiled and took the broom.

"All right. But if I die, I'll haunt you two forver," She said, laughing.

Ron started to catcall as Star swung her leg over the broom. Star laughed and looked back at him.

"Ron, you git," Star laughed at herself, the British slang word clashing horribly with her American accent.

The red head grinned innocently at her. Star shook her head and looked back at Harry, waiting for him to tell her what to do.

"All right. Just kick off the ground. But not too hard."

Star looked down at the broom in between her legs. She felt so idiotic, but she did as he instructed.

It was like gravity had been stripped from her as the broom jumped up high into the air. The wind whipped her curly brown hair back and her blonde highlights shimmered in the setting sun. Star breathed in the fresh air. She could smell the seagrass from the lake a little bit away. It was a wonderful feeling; it was a perfect sense of freedom. She'd never felt something like this before. She opened her eyes and looked around her. Her gaze fell to the ground and she froze. She didn't think that she was up so far. A cold rush of fear flooded through her body. Her knuckles became white with the effort of holding onto the handle so tightly. As she turned her head to look back down at Ron and Harry for help, she spotted the Slythering Quiddicth team coming back from the pitch. Just perfect, she thought through her fear. A pale pointed face looked up at her from the cluster of green cloaks. Star turned her gaze down to Harry and Ron again. This was going to be exactly like the last time sher was on a broom. She'd somehow injure herself and end up in the hospital wing again.

Suddenly, the broom started to jerk and buck. Her grip tightened over the handle once more. Instantly, the broom jerked hard, throwing Star off it. The wind roared against her ears as she plummeted toward the ground. She closed her eyes tightly, readying herself for the blow of the hard ground. But, she landed quicker and softer than she had expected. Fluttering her eyelids open, she noticed that Star was still in the air. And, she was on a broom, but it wasn't Harry's Firebolt. Star turned and was face-to-face with Draco. She let out a small yelp, but quickly covered her mouth with a hand. Draco's arms were around her sides, acting as a railing. But Star couldn't help thinking that she would have been safer on the insane Firebolt than she was right now, riding side-saddle on Draco's Nimbus 2001. He didn't speak as he flew to the double doors and landed on the stone steps. As he helped her off the broomstick, his voice finally found him.

"Star, are you all right? Potter's broom could've killed you! Lucky I was there to catch you," Draco said, examining her for any wounds. "Come on. We better take you to the hospital wing and make sure you're ok." To Star, Draco sounded a bit too overprotective of her.

As Draco took her hand, Star looked back at Harry. Ron had obviously flown up to fetch Harry's broom. The look Harry gave Star told her that the broom was not suppsed to act that. Star let out a sigh and nodded to Harry. She would have to talk to him tomorrow about what happened, considering night was quickly approaching.

Finally, Star reached the common room after being harassed by Madam Pomfrey. She let out a small sigh, but she knew that the witch had the students' interest at heart. As she walked into the common room, she spotted a large crowd surrounding Draco. She rolled her eyes, knowing Draco was telling his "heroic tale" the the others. A few girls rushed over to Star and started to ask questions.

"Why'd Potter try to kill you?"

"I can't believe how brave Draco is!"

"What was it like to be in his arms?"

Star simply blew off the other girls. The whole ordeal was very irritating, but oe good thing did come out of it. While Draco was showing Star off like some sort of prize, she spotted Pansy Parkison. She was sitting in a chair away from everyone else, looking irate. Her face would turn a bright red each time Draco would touch Star or talk about her.

As some far away clock sounded eleven tones, Star decided to head for bed. Draco could continue the story without her. Besides, she would have to wake up early in the morning and meet Snape. Most of the girls were still awake, hanging on every word Draco said, so the dormitory was empty. Star quickly changed into her pajamas and slipped into her large four-post bed. She pulled the silk covers close to her chin, shivering in the cold, dark room. Even though she had recieved more attention than she would in a week, Star felt so utterly alone. She couldn't wait to talk to Dumbledore tomorrow morning. Maybe she would ask him if she could use Fawkes to deliver her letter to Brian. The phoenix would be quicker than the snowy owl. Besides, Brian was one of the few people Star really trusted. She knew he would understand these weird feelings and comfort her. And with a very detailed image of Brian shimmering in her mind, Star let sleep conqure her.