A/N: Continuing the reposting and such. Edits include reformating, obviously, and adding a bit more as far as things like Hermione's character goes. So, enjoy! Spiv
Sarah flung herself into the common room and over to Hermione, who was sitting with Ron by the fireplace.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Hermione asked.
"Did Malfoy do something?" Ron asked angrily. Sarah shook her head.
"No, it was something much worse," she said. "But I wanted to tell you that I'm going for a walk and ask you not to tell Harry where I've gone. Will you do that?"
"Er-" Ron began, but Hermione cut him off.
"Of course we won't tell him," Hermione asked.
"Thank you," Sarah said as Sam scampered up her arm. "I'll see you at dinner."
She turned and walked out of the common room. Ron looked at Hermione, who glared at him.
"Did you tell Harry to do something?" she asked.
"I told him to ask her to the ball, is that a crime?" Ron said.
"Well, he obviously didn't," Hermione said. "Otherwise she wouldn't have been coming in here looking all angry."
Ron opened his mouth, but he was cut off as Harry flew wildly into the common room. He flung himself over to where Ron and Hermione were, gasping for breath.
"Has she been here?" he panted.
"No," Hermione said. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Harry said. He turned to run back out the common room but Hermione grabbed his arm.
"Harry, you're going to stay right here and tell us what's going on or I will be forced to hex you," she said. This was a formidable threat, so Harry ceased in his wild escape attempt and sat down with a sigh.
"Fine," he said. "You know how Sarah and Cho have been giving dancing lessons? Well they were teaching just now and I went down there to wait for the time to ask her, right? Well Cho grabs me and starts dancing with me, and before I know it she's said I'm going to the ball with her and kissed me! And Sarah-"
"Saw it and flipped?" Hermione said. Harry nodded morosely.
"She even called me a liar," he said. He looked at Hermione. "Can you go find her and talk to her? You understand girls better than us-"
"Because I am a girl," Hermione said sternly.
"Exactly!" Harry said. "Can you please, please go explain things to her?"
Hermione sighed.
"I suppose I'll try," she said. "I'll see you at dinner."
She left the common room and Ron looked at Harry.
"You're not having very good luck, are you, mate?" he said. Harry shook his head.
Hermione quickly found Sarah sitting with Sam outside the library. She looked up when she heard Hermione approaching. She stood up.
"He sent you after me, didn't he?" she asked.
"Yes," Hermione said. "And he told me what happened."
"You mean he told you he was snogging Cho Chang?" Sarah said with a bitter edge to her tone.
"He said he came to the dance lesson to ask you to the ball," Hermione said. "But Cho, who for some reason fancies him again, grabbed him and told him he was going to the ball with her and had kissed him."
Sarah laughed.
"I don't know if I should believe that," she said.
"I do," Hermione said. "Harry's never lied to us before, not about something like that."
Sarah looked at her.
"So, you're saying I should believe him?"
"Yes," Hermione said.
Sarah sighed and rubbed Samhain's head. She looked up at Hermione and grinned.
"He was going to ask me to the ball?" she said. Hermione grinned back and nodded.
"Now come on," she said, "we've got to finish our robes! There's only a week until the ball!"
Sarah laughed and stood up, racing Hermione back to the common room. Hermione followed less enthusiastically. Her thoughts were racing. Considering how angry she'd been, Sarah had been very easy to convince of Harry's innocence. Either her moods were always exaggerated, or she saw reason well…or something entirely different was going on.
Harry and Ron were already in the Great Hall for dinner when Hermione and Sarah bounced in wearing very satisfied looks. Harry braced himself for Sarah's wrath, but it didn't come. Instead, she kissed his cheek as he sat down.
"Well, Harry," she said. "You've got a lot to thank Hermione for. Because of her, I've decided to forgive you."
Harry sighed with relief.
"And," Hermione said. "We've finished our robes."
"Excellent," Ron said. "You'll have to show us back in the common room."
"No," Sarah said.
"What?" Harry asked.
"You're not to see them until the night of the ball," Hermione said. Ron looked at her, his face the image of indignation.
"When did this happen?" he asked.
"It's a tradition," Hermione said. "Like weddings, the groom's not to see the bride in her gown until she walks down the aisle?"
"I can show you mine," Sarah said. "Since I've not got a date."
"Yes well, er...about that," Harry said, wincing as Ron kicked him under the table. "I was wondering if…"
He trailed off as the food appeared. He quickly stuffed a great amount of green beans into his mouth, shrugging as Ron glared at him. Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed, reaching for her own food. Hermione watched Sarah discreetly, a very thoughtful look on her face.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sarah sat in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom waiting for the teacher, Lamia Teres, on the Monday before the ball.
She came in soon, tall, pale and beautiful, with long silky black hair and dressed in black, flowing robes that reminded Harry of Snape, but much more elegant and soft. The lights dimmed as soon as she entered, as they always did, and the black shades fluttered down to cover the windows.
"Welcome, class," she said in a sultry voice, her black eyes glittering. "Today, we'll be looking at a little history. But before we start, Sarah, welcome to our class."
Sarah nodded to her, looking a little intimidated. Professor Teres nodded in return and looked at the class again.
"As we all know from the History of Magic classes you don't pay attention to, witches and wizards have been persecuted immensely in the past," Teres said. "Today we'll be looking at some of the ways they would test a woman to see if she was a witch."
"Why not men?" Lavender asked. Professor Teres looked at her, then looked at her class.
"A very good question," she said. "Why not men? Why were women thought more likely to have pacts with the "Devil," who was the believed root of all witchcraft? Would anyone like to try to answer that question?"
Hermione instantly raised her hand, and Professor Teres smiled at her.
"Hermione?"
"Religiously, women were thought to be the bearers of 'original sin'," Hermione said. "Because they were weaker than men, and more easily persuaded and seduced by the Devil."
"Yes," Teres said. "Now, it was believed that the Devil placed a mark on his servants, and especially on the ones he thought might deny him if revealed. Think about it. If you were a servant of the devil and the Church found out, and you were accused, how many of you would agree? Raise your hands."
Everyone in the class looked around at their classmates to see who raised their hands, but no one did. Teres nodded.
"You see? So whether you said yes or not, you'd be stripped and your body would be searched for the Devil's Mark.
"The nature of the Devil's Mark varied. It could be in any sort of image but was usually an animal or something related to an animal. In fact, this was almost always the case, and usually reflected the stature of the individual in the Devil's service. It could be found in such places as under the eyelids, armpits, lips, shoulders, or for the women, the privates or breasts, don't laugh," Teres said sternly, her eyes glittering at the glass. The giggling ceased immediately. "Occasionally it could even be found right out in front on such places as the forearm, usually the left," she added with a significant glance at Harry.
"The Devil's Mark was not the only mark witch hunters looked for. They also looked for something called the Witch's Mark, which signified a pact between the Devil and a witch, bonding her—or him—in service to the Devil. However, these weren't believed to have a specific shape," Teres continued. "Both the Devil's and the Witch's Mark could be signified as scars, warts, acne, moles, freckles, birthmarks or any other sort of visible blemish. "There is however one exception to this rule. Does anyone know it?" Teres asked. Hermione's hand shot up once more, and Teres smiled at her.
"Let's let someone else answer, Hermione," she said. Hermione put her hand down reluctantly, but as Teres scanned the room, no one put their hand up. She sighed. "Come now," she said. "If no one volunteers, I shall have to pick someone."
Three hands went up, belonging to Sarah, Neville and Harry. Teres looked at Neville and smiled gently.
"Yes, Neville?" she asked.
"I think it was- Hermione told me once for a History of Magic quiz," he said, his face thoughtful. "Something about skin that won't bleed?"
"That's exactly it," Teres said. "Yes, the Witch's Mark was also believed to be a spot of normal looking skin that won't bleed when pricked and where no pain could be felt. Witch hunters used bodkins, or pins, to prick skin. However, this method was not to be trusted. Can anyone tell me why?" Sarah raised her hand and Teres nodded to her.
"The bodkins were made so that the pin retracted into the handle when pushed against something," she said. Teres nodded again.
"Exactly. Now, for the rest of the class I'd like you to research tools and methods of determining if one was a witch, and write a foot and a half essay on it for next Monday," she said with a smile. "I'll give five points extra credit for every five inches you go over. You must have at least five inches, by the way. This is not a point per inch extra credit opportunity."
There was a rustle as people got out their books and parchment. When the bell rang, Professor Teres dismissed them and Sarah looked at Hermione as they left the room.
"Is she a vampire?" she asked. Hermione nodded.
"We're all sure of it," she said. She looked at Harry. "I think she gave us this lesson for a reason."
"I'm sure she did," Harry said. "I just hope everyone else got the hint."
"What hint?" Sarah asked. Harry looked at Hermione, who sighed and began to explain.
"Voldemort marks his Death Eaters with a skull and a snake on their left forearm," she said. "Most of them are really good at getting out of things, though. The Dark Mark is a surefire way to tell, especially since he's back, but not a lot of people know about it."
Sarah nodded, flicking her left wrist in an almost unnoticeable motion—Hermione's eyes caught the whip of her robe sleeve and she narrowed her eyes at it.
"I see. But, she couldn't say anything about it, eh?" she asked. "Not directly."
"No, parents would get upset," Ron said. "They're already raving mad that Teres's a vampire."
"I see," Sarah said again, and they made their way to the library to work on the essay during lunch. None of them wanted to worry about it after the Ball on Sunday.
"Harry. Harry, wake up!"
Harry rolled over in bed, blinking his sleepy eyes at the figure before him. He put his glasses on and continued to blink at Hermione.
"'Mione? What're you doin' here?" he mumbled. "What time s'it?"
"I wanted to talk to you about Sarah," Hermione said. "I think there's something suspicious about her."
"Wha?" Harry said, squinting at her. "Nah…you're just o-o-over-thinking things," he added, stifling a yawn. "Go back to bed, Hermione."
And much to Hermione's indignation, he rolled over and went back to sleep.