Chapter 2

The next morning, they all met for breakfast in the great hall. Thalia could feel the other student studying her with curiosity. It was weird being the new kid, but at least she had new friends.

"So, potions with Slytherin eh?" she asked, helping herself to some eggs and bacon.

"Yeah, starts right after breakfast too." groaned Ron.

"Well, I was horrible at potions at home. So i guess it's not going to be a picnic for me either."

"I could help you out if you like, it's just a matter of remembering what ingrediants to use." Hermione said. She had awoken in a much better mood.

"Sure, that would be nice." Thalia replied, smiling. It was nice to know her cousin wasn't mad at her anymore.

Harry walked in at that moment and sat beside Thalia. He was looking a little rough around the edges.

"Harry, did you sleep at all last night?" Ginny asked, looking slightly worried.

"Yeah, i'm fine Ginny. I just had trouble getting to sleep, must be coming back to school I guess." He replied, rubbing his eyes. "Do you mind passing the pancakes?"

Ginny passed them, and they all finished eating. Thalia was a little shocked when a large owl plopped down on the table in front of her and deposited a letter onto her now empty plate. She patted him on the head, and he flew away again.

"Now what on earth could mom be writing about already?" she wondered aloud, opening the letter. "Just wanted to see how you liked your new school. Things are going fine here, your father and i hope that you're getting along with Hermione's friends. Owl us back when you have a free minute, love mom and dad." she read aloud.

"You're parents seem nice checking to make sure that you're doing okay." Ron said.

"Yeah, but it can get embarrassing sometimes. They're a little overprotective."

"Well... at least you have parents that care about you." Harry said, looking off into space.

"I'm sorry Harry... " Thalia trailed off. "I didn't mean to offend."

"No Thal, it's okay. I just miss Sirius is all, it would've been nice to go live with him and have a family. But i don't want to bring everyone down, why don't we head to class?"

They picked up their books and bags and headed towards the dungeons. By the time they got there, the Slytherins were already lined up and waiting outside the classroom. Malfoy was talking to Crabbe and Goyle, but when he saw Thalia he walked over to them.

"So Potter, must feel good to have a beautiful woman walking around with you. I mean, you couldn't even keep Cho Chang interested. I guess being famous doesn't help with everything." he smirked.

"Stuff it Malfoy" Harry shot back.

"Honestly Malfoy, you're a prefect. Don't you have anything better to do than cause trouble." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Someone who thinks he's as great as you do must surely have a hobby. Being a jackass must surely be yours." Thalia looked at him coldly.

Draco's eyes flashed with barely perceptible anger, then cleared. He looked about to say something, but Professor Snape came down the hallway just then.

"All right, everybody into my classroom before i have to take points for being late..." He noticed Thalia. "You must be the exchange student from America. I expect you to be with the rest of us. I know the potions teacher at your school and she's quite capable."

"Yes sir. I'll try my best." Thalia replied, slightly caught off gaurd.

"We'll see." Snape said, opening the door to his classroom and walking to his desk.

'Well this aught to be fun.' Thalia thought to herself. 'My first day of class and one teacher already hates me.'

"Don't bother with him, he's that way with everybody." Harry whispered to her as they walked to a cauldron together.

Thalia smiled and thanked him. They listened to Snape's lecture, then set about cutting the roots and measuring the ingredients for the sleeping draught he had written on the board. They worked on their potion and chatted quietly. Snape was walking up and down the rows, complementing Slytherins and cutting down Gryffindors. Eventually, he came to Harry and Thalia's cauldron.

"I see that you haven't been paying attention to Professor Mystica in America Thalia. Those roots are cut wrong." he sneered at her. "And Potter, you're supposed to boil the newts eyes before you add the scarab wings. Maybe if you wouldn't have been talking to your new friend during the lecture, you'd know what you were doing."

Harry's face turned red and it was all he could do to keep from saying something smart. He knew what Snape ws doing for the order was stressful, but since he was on the same side he could at least be a little less horrible.

"Sir, Professor Mystica told us that it was less wasteful to cut the roots diagonally." Thalia replied.

'Uh-Oh' Harry thought.

"Miss. Smith, you will be staying after class and ten points will be taken from Gryffindor for getting smart with me. I don't know what they accept from their students in America, but I certainly will not be expected to put up with attitude from my students." Snape sneered before walking off to critisize Neville.

Thalia looked at Harry in shock. She couldn't believe that she had just managed to get into trouble on the first day, she was only trying to be helpful. Harry shook his head at her, trying to make sure that she didn't say anything and get herself into more trouble.

'I'll come get you after detention.' he mouthed to her, knowing she'd never find Professor Sprout's class without him. She nodded, and they went back to repairing their potion. From across the room they heard a crash and they turned to see what had caused it. Malfoy was standing over his tipped cauldron with a look of shock on his face that didn't seem quite genuine. Crabbe, who had been his partner, more confused than usual look on his face.

"Malfoy, I can't believe that you would be so careles." Snape was yelling. "You are to stay after and clean up this mess."

Thalia rolled her eyes. 'This is just great.' she thought, 'Not only do I have to stay after, but I have to stay after with him."

When class ended, she watched her friends file out the door. Harry sat the vial with their potion in it on Snape's desk, and winked at her as he left.

"Miss Smith, you are to scrub the cauldrons out the muggle way. Draco, clean up your mess. I'll expect no funny buisness, I would stay to watch you but i'm afraid that i have some buisness to attend to." Snape ordered. He handed Thalia a rag and some cleaner before he turned and walked out of the room.

Thalia busied herself with the first cauldron she came to, trying to ignore Draco as she worked. She worked for a couple minutes, and when she straightened up to spray more cleaner on her rag she noticed that he was leaning against the table and watching her.

"Well, aren't you going to clean up your mess? I suppose a man of your upbringing is too good to clean his own messes?" she snapped at him.

"I'm quite able to clean up after myself." he said, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the large puddle on the floor. The liquid began to evaporate and dissapear. "Would you like some help with that?"

"I can manage quite fine on my own." She replied curtly.

"You know, I'm not quite as bad as you think. I'm sure you could even like me if you got to know me." He was leaning against the table again, with a self assured glint in his eye.

"I'm sure." Thalia finished the cauldron she was on and moved to the next one.

"There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up in a few weeks. Would you care to give me the honor of you company? I assure you it would be worth your while."

Thalia straightened up again, looking at him. He was quite handsome, he had beautiful eyes and the cool confidence that radiated off him was kind of attractive. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, she could always leave him and find her friends. What was she thinking? Of course she couldn't go anywhere with him, he was repulsive.

"I'd rather not." She answered, turning her back on him to go on to the next cauldron. She didn't realize he had walked up behind her until she felt his breath on her neck.

"Just one day, if you still don't like me you don't have to talk to me again." he whispered.

His breath was warm on her ear and she felt herself blush. Her new friends hated Malfoy, and she didn't think she liked him. He had said that she wouldn't have to talk to him again though, and it was just Hogsmeade. What could it hurt?

"Fine, if it'll make you back off I'll go. But just the once, and after that i want you to stop bugging me." She said.

"It's a date then. I'll meet you at the bottom of the main stairs on Saturday morning." Draco grabbed his wand and books off the table and walked out.

Thalia sighed and returned to her cauldrons, only a few more to go and the work wasn't too bad. She didn't know what she was going to tell Hermione, she was obviously going to be pissed. Maybe if she told her that she was only doing it to get rid of him? Thalia shook her head with confusion. She was just bending over to get the bottom of the last cauldron when she heard someone walk into the room.

"Honestly, I told you I'd go with you what more do you want from me?" she snapped.

"Take it easy Thal, i just wanted to make sure you were getting done here. It's almost time for our next class."

Thalia pulled her head out of the cauldron and noticed Harry standing in the doorway looking confused. She tossed the rag and cleaner onto Snape's desk as she walked to the front of the room.

"I'm sorry Harry, yes I'm done. Let's go to class." She replied.

"Go where with who?" He asked. "Malfoy didn't talk you into going to Hogsmeade with him did he?"

"It's just to get rid of him i assure you. He said if i don't like him I don't have to speak to him again and trust me, I don't like him."

"Thal, he's bad news. I really don't think you should..."

"I've made up my mind and i only want to get rid of him. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself." she replied, hugging him. "But thank you for the concern Harry."

Harry turned pink and shrugged his shoulders

"I just don't want you to wind up with the wrong people. You don't know anyone here." He said, by this time they had made it to the bottom of the main stairway where Ron and Hermione were waiting for them.

"I'm sorry about that Thal, I really should've warned you more about him. I didn't think that he'd have it in for you as bad since you're from a diffrent place. I guess I should've known better." Hermione said apologetically.

"Yeah, you should've." Ron said, poking Hermione in the ribs. Hermione blushed, and pushed his hand away.

"So what did he make you do?" she asked, composing herself. Ron normally didn't touch her, not that she minded.

"Just clean some cauldrons. I have to tell you something."

Thalia told Ron and Hermione what Harry already knew. She had expected her cousin to be mad, and Hermione didn't dissapoint.

"Your first day here and already you're mingling with the wrong kind of people. Don't you remember what happened last year? That wizard you thought for sure was "the one" and turned out to be exactly what your mother told you he was, a dark wizard with nothing but the worst on his mind. Malfoy's worse Thal i promise you." She yelled.

"I don't see why it's neccessary to bring Nikolas into this, and i'm not starting a relationship. I told you I'm just doing it to get rid of him. I'm not like that anymore Hermione, and you know it. I told you I didn't want my past to be brought up here."

"Hey now, what you don't want us to know don't tell us. Hermione didn't tell us anything. I don't know who Nikolas is or what you two are talking about." Ron said, getting in between them.

"Ron's right Thal we don't care about any of that. Why don't you two calm down?" Harry put his arm around Thalia, and tried to calm her down.

"I'm going to trust you on this one Thal, but don't get yourself in another mess." Hermione snapped.

"Whatever. It's just a day." Thalia shook her head. "Besides, if I get tired of him I can always punch him like you did last year.

This got them all laughing and the moment of tension passed. Harry couldn't help but think about what Hermione had said though, what had happened to Thalia last year? He assumed that Nikolas was an ex who had hurt her, but how? He decided to let it go, it was obvious that Thalia didn't want to talk about it and he wasn't about to push her. He hoped she knew what she was getting into with Draco though, they had all warned her. Malfoy was devious, and with a father like Lucious he had to know how to convince people. Harry just hoped that he wouldn't try to hurt Thalia, and that she was smart enough to see through the Slytherin.