AN: Sorry it's so short! And, I only got THREE STINKING REVIEWS for chapter nine. Of course, it was better than nothing, but it still saddens me to know that there are only a few people reading this when I am on the Favorites list of 28 members and the Author Alert list of 58 members. Anywho, it's time for shout-outs for the three people that DID review!

nickole (a.k.a. Sirius is alive, have faith) - Much thanks for reading one of my stories like i requested you to. (It would be nice if you read all my other stories, too, but I won't push you, since you probably don't have time for that, lol)

realistic mystic - Draco isn't making friends with the trio just yet, he's just not insulting them. And, Draco probably wouldn't wind Cassandra being in Griffindor nearly as much as his parents would.

Iluska - I don't blame you for forgetting about this story, it happens to me all the time! I'll just go into my review history one day, and see a review for a story I don't remember, and then I'll have to read the whole story over again to remember it!

Now, Chapter 10 . . . Stunning Practice

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Last time: (Draco's POV)

"Ummm, Draco?"

"Yes?"

"Well, thanks, for, umm, sticking up for me like that, even though you lost both our houses 50 points in the process."

"Oh, no problem. He was just being unfair as usual by not taking any points from me, so I decided to make up some story about how we were just discussing the lesson and see if he would give the points back. I didn't think he would take what I said about the house points seriously."

What I didn't say was 'I'm just doing my duty as you're brother'.

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---Present Time---

----Cassy's POV ----

All I could think about for the rest of the day was my detention with Malfoy the next evening. Although Malfoy and I were on good terms, I still didn't like the idea of going into the forbidden forest. I was in such a daze that I didn't come back to earth from planet horror until I was back in the common room that evening with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

I was sitting in one of the armchairs by the fire, staring into the orange flames in front of me. I wasn't paying a bit of attention to the essay in front of me, or the quarrel Ron and Hermione were having about the copying of homework, or Harry's frantic scribbling of the same essay I was neglecting. All I cared about at the moment was how to face my detention tomorrow. I didn't even notice when the squabbling between Ron and Hermione stopped abruptly, or when Harry's scribbling suddenly didn't sound.

"Cassy?" I barely heard it. I didn't even know who spoke it.

"Cassy!" I think it was Harry.

"CASSANDRA!" I heard it that time. Loud and Clear. In Harry's voice. I slowly turned my head to face him, Ron, and Hermione.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked curiously, but concerned.

"No," I said, and then corrected myself from the automatic answer. "Yes. I'm just worried about my detention tomorrow."

"Oh, c'mon, it can't be that bad. The worst Snape can do is make you scrub out the hospital wing bedpans. What's the worst that could happen?" spoke up Ron.

"Judging by the way she's been acting, Ron, I think it's much worse. After all, she hasn't said a word since the end of Potions." Said Hermione.

"Just how bad is it?" asked Harry.

"I – I have to go into the – the Dark Forest, to collect five Era - no, Edwa - no, uh, Ele something, umm, Eledoras. That's it! I have to collect five Eledoras with Malfoy." I said shakily.

"Actually, the proper plural form of Eledora is just that – Eledora." Started Hermione. "It's much like the plural form of deer or moose . . ." She trailed off, however, when she saw the harsh looks on Ron and Harry's faces.

"How could he do that?!" said Ron angrily. I mean, sending someone who hasn't known the magical world all her life until about a month ago into the Dark Forest to get some stupid plant!"

"He said he needed it for his seventh year class," I said, more unconfidently still.

"Bull! He just wants to get you injured, or – or killed!" said Ron even more angrily.

"RON, SHUT UP!" said Hermione. "We all know that Snape would never want to – to kill a student! He saved Harry's life in first year! Besides, he would be endangering Malfoy, too, and we know he wouldn't want to injure his star student!"

"Well, still, he has no right to go sending someone with almost no experience – no offense, Cassy – into the Dark Forest!"

"Ron, come of it. Look, Cassy, we'll be willing to help you find out about the Eledora, so you won't go into the forest totally unprepared." Said Hermione reassuringly. "As a matter of fact, I think I have a book from the library with me that will help you. Just let me go get it . . ." and she was up in her dormitory in a flash, and back down again in what seemed like seconds to me. She was holding a thick book in her hand titled "Magical Plants and Fungi of Rainforests and Dark Forests." She brought it to our table and started flipping through the pages rapidly, until she stopped somewhere in the middle of the book and began reading:

"'The Eledora is a magical plant which, when handled correctly, can be used to brew a temporary truth potion, called Eledorserum. This potion is a weaker version of Veriteserum. Eledora are located mostly in Dark Forests, but can also be found in certain rainforests. Muggles often mistake it for a leafy plant called a fern. They do look very similar, but when agitated, the Eledora can be deadly. No one knows exactly how it is agitated, because so far on record, every human - wizard, witch, and muggle alike - who have come into contact with this deadly plant, have been killed by it. No one knows how it kills, because, once again, no one lives to tell the tale. There are rumors that it works like the muggle plant, the Venus Fly Trap; others think that it strangles its victims with its claw- like leaves. The only way to prevent an Eledora from attacking is to stun it before it awakens. It is suspected, but not proven, that if it is stunned after it has awakened, the spell will only increase it's power. The Eledora should never be handled with bare hands, and should always be held and handled with protective dragon-hide gloves.' It shows a picture here, look," said Hermione, and she showed the book to the rest of us. It was right; it very much resembled a fern.

"Well, now that I know WHAT it is, I have to practice HOW to dispose of it."

"Hey, doesn't that mean . . ." started Ron, and then, realization dawning on him, he finished, "Oh no! I'm not being Cassandra's test dummy for Stunning! I did it before with Harry in fourth year, I'm not doing it again!"

"Oh all right, I'LL be the 'test dummy' this time, Ron," said Harry. He turned to me. "Want to practice tomorrow, during lunch, Cassy?"

"Sure, that's fine." I replied.

"It's really getting late you guys, maybe we should go to bed." Said Hermione. Three replies of "Yeah, sounds good," followed.

As I walked up to my dorm with Hermione, I silently hoped that this wouldn't be my last night alive.

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It was the next day, and, as Harry and I walked out of the Charms classroom, we waved goodbye to Hermione and Ron, and headed in opposite directions. Harry and I were headed to the Room of Requirement. We got there a long 10 minutes later, and Harry walked past where the door was supposed to be three times, and then the door just magically appeared there. Harry opened the door and motioned me inside. I went in and he followed, closing the door behind us. The room was full of nothing but cushions, and a small table where there was a pitcher of water and some cups.

"Now, do you know what the stunning spell is?" he asked me.

"Yeah, it's 'stupefy', right?"

"Right. Now, you may not get it the first time, and you might have to work on aiming, too. So, let's get started, shall we? I've never been stunned before, so I don't exactly know what it feels like." He finished uneasily. "So, um, just, give it a go, ok?"

"Ok." I said. He braced himself and closed his eyes, just in case I got it on the first try, which I doubted. I took a breath, took careful aim, and yelled "Stupefy!" A jet of red light came out of my wand and hit Harry strait in the chest. He promptly fell backwards, unconscious.

"Oh my gosh! I did it!" I said to no one. I ran over to Harry and pointed my wand at his forehead. "Ennervate," I said quietly. He stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, and then said, in complete astonishment, "Wow! You did it! And on the first try, too! Let's try one more time, just to make sure it wasn't luck, and then we'll head to lunch, to see if we can wolf down some sandwiches before D.A.D.A."

"Ok," I replied. We once again took our stances, and I once again yelled "Stupefy!" and once again, a jet of red light hit Harry strait in the chest, and, once again, he fell backwards. And I, once again, roused him. (AN: A lot of "once again"s!)

"Ok, that was fabulous!" he said after shaking his head rapidly to clear it. "Now, let's go down to lunch, shall we?"

I nodded, but before we left the room, for no apparent reason, I gave him a kiss . . . square on the lips.

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AN: oOoOoOoOoOoOohhhh, surprise ending! How did you like it? Yes? No? Tell me in your review, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanx!

SpicySugar