"Julia!" someone whispered loudly in her ear. "Julia!" they just about yelled. Julia opened her eyes and looked up into Artemis' eyes. She was standing there with a grin on her face. "Time to get up, we have school today. And Potions first, you don't want to be late for Potions."

"Damn," Julia mumbled, she was really tired; all the excitement was wearing her down. "Ok, I'm up," Julia said quickly as Renee, who was on the other side of her bed, got her wand out.

Julia stretched, and then, against her better judgement pulled the blankets back and stepped onto the cool floor. "Man its cold!" she exclaimed.

"Not really," Haley said. She was just getting up herself it seemed. Julia shook her head at their madness and quickly pulled the hangings around her bed and got dressed.

After everyone was ready, with their school bags packed, the six of them all went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Julia was just looking for some vegemite for her toast when someone came and sat in the vacant seat next to her. She looked up. It was one of the Gryffindor boys, Daniel... was it?

"Hello Julia," he said. "What are you looking for?"

"Vegemite."

"Ah... we don't have that at Hogwarts."

"Oh, alright. May I ask your name?"

"Sure, I'm Daniel Lovegood, at your service," Daniel took her hand and kissed it. That was sweet.

"I'm very pleased to meet you. How may I help you?" Julia noticed that all the other girls around her were listening in, some looked jealous and some had knowing grins on their faces.

"Well, you've got Potions with us first, so I was wondering if you wanted to sit with my friends and I? you know... just to like, get you used to everyone!"

"Well, I promised my friends I would hang out with them today, so maybe tomorrow," Julia lied. She didn't know why, but she wanted to get used to the classes with people she knew, first.

"Oh, well ok then, but if you change your mind, we'll be just over there," Daniel pointed over to his other friends. There was a set of girls wearing Gryffindor colours sitting there now.

"Alright, thank you for the offer, I'd like to get to know you all."

"Ok, bye then!" Daniel said, getting up.

"See ya."

Daniel left and the girls all started chattering. Julia held up a hand. "What's wrong with the Ravenclaw boys?" she asked. "I don't think those Gryffindor girls are going to be too pleased if you move in on their men," Julia grinned and some faces dropped.

"They wouldn't be able to hurt us, we're smarter than them," Millicent announced.

"I'm sure they won't hurt you," Julia said, "but how would you like it if they all went for Ravenclaws?"

"I'd love it! Because then their guys would be free for us!" Lee Smith suddenly piped up. Julia shook her head grinning. In her opinion the Ravenclaw boys weren't that bad looking. And anyway, weren't Gryffindor's full of themselves? Wait... no that was the Slytherin's...

"What about that guy down there? Do you want him?" Julia pointed to a rather chubby boy halfway down the Gryffindor table. "I didn't think so."

David, Daniel, Robert, Sarah and Alicia Derby, another Gryffindor sixth year, all made their way down to the dungeons, chatting about the Hogsmeade weekend next weekend. The only reason they knew was because Alicia was a Prefect.

"I don't think I can go with you guys," Robert said, his freckled face turning slightly red, and his ears burning.

"How come?" Sarah asked.

"Because, well, I kind of promised the Ravenclaw sixth year Prefect, you know her? Lee? Yeah, well I promised her that next Hogsmeade weekend we could do something together."

"OOoh, got a crush eh Rob?" Daniel asked, grinning. "Go you good thing!" he laughed.

"I don't know yet, I'll ask if she still wants to," Robert, said, choosing to ignore Daniel's comments. David looked on smiling. Robert had told him last night that he had ran into Lee on the train last night as they were getting off, and she had suggested it.

"Of course she'll want to," David told him reassuringly.

"What about you, Dave? Got your eye on anyone yet?" Daniel asked, he had a look on his face that David didn't like... David started feeling a little hot under the collar, and was able to avoid answering as they entered the dungeon. The old Potions master, Snape, was sitting at his desk, growling at the students as they came in. He gave David the look saved especially for him and David glared right back.

The three guys sat in their usual seats right up the back of the classroom, and the two other girls sat in front of them next to their other friends.

David watched as the group of giggling Ravenclaw girls entered with the exchange student. She was laughing at something one of them, Renee Chang, had said and Renee was looking pleased with herself. David shook his head slightly and watched them sit down.

Snape stood up once they had sat down, his greying hair looking as greasy as ever and his weird eye staring unseeingly ahead. "Today we will be brewing a kind of Veritaserum, but not a strong one. Open your books to page 260, and copy down the notes while I write up the procedure on the board, and no talking."

Snape turned his back on the class and started writing on the board, holding up his left arm with his right hand. Robert's dad had told them he'd injured it in the war. But Dumbledore had told David that it was because of his old Death Eaters tattoo. Dumbledore, who was getting extremely old, was like a grandfather to David. He had expressed the concern that he wouldn't be around much longer.

"Miss Stellar, be quiet, ten points from Ravenclaw."

Julia's jaw dropped open and David almost laughed at the look on her face. He hadn't even heard her talking.

"I was asking what one of the ingredients were, we don't have it in Australia, I'm sorry!" she said, glaring and stressing the 'sorry'.

David noticed that throughout the rest of the time writing down notes she glared non-stop at Snape. She didn't even seem to need to look down at her book as she wrote, and now it seemed she was copying down the procedure.

Daniel nudged David with his elbow and David turned his attention to him. He raised his eyes brows in a query.

"You're staring, really obviously," he muttered. Snape, it seemed, didn't hear. That is, until he turned around and rounded on David. He walked right to the back of the classroom and all eyes were on David as Snape put his face so close David could smell his foul breath.

"So, Mr. Martin, what were you staring at?"

"Nothing," David said glaring. What the hell was his problem?

"Well then why would your friend here be taunting you about it?"

"I was staring at the board, OK!"

"Don't talk to me in that tone of voice, 20 points from Gryffindor!" Now it was David's turn to glare as Snape walked back to the board.

"That's not very fair!" Sarah piped up from in front of him. "He was just telling you what he was doing!"

"And a further ten points from Gryffindor."

"What?" Sarah exclaimed.

"Sarah, just leave it," David whispered from behind.

"And another five."

"We'll get them back in Care of Magical Creatures, don't worry." David whispered again. Sarah didn't say anything and Snape just continued to write.

"Now, you have the rest of the lesson to finish this, so that's 30 minutes, and 5 at the end for testing."

"What's his problem?" Julia asked as everyone started getting up and moving to do whatever it was they were doing. Julia didn't pay much attention; she'd been too busy glaring at the teacher. Oh, how she hated him, already!

"Don't worry about him," Renee said as she was paired with her. "He's always taking points of Gryffindor, mainly David. I don't know why, though, I would have thought he'd pick on Robert, because he's a Weasley, and he doesn't like Robert's dad."

"How do you know all this?" Julia asked as she starting slicing up a root that felt and looked suspiciously like a slimy worm. "What the hell is this?" she added looking at it with disgust, as it started oozing slimy white stuff.

"That's a worm root; they come from a tree in the forest. It's not exactly a root, they are like the leaves, but it's called a worm root. And I know all that because everyone knows the story of the Gryffindor Trio. Snape hated them, mainly Harry, as in Harry Potter, because of a grudge he had against his father, but Ron and Hermione, that is Professors Weasley and Granger, were Harry's best friends. Hermione being Robert's mum doesn't help either," Renee finished.

"Oh, ok. I thought you must stalk them or something."

"That too," Renee joked.

Julia shook her head and grinned. That would be freaky, having someone stalk you.

"Yeah, well anyway, after the Gryffindor Trio's famous story, it's like an honour to be a Gryffindor now. My mother was a Ravenclaw, and my father was a Slytherin I think. But my cousin was in Gryffindor, he's out of school now. Basically, Slytherin are the scum of the earth, I feel sorry for you when you've got to stay with them, Hufflepuffs are the all rounded sweeties, they have all different qualities, and their on the same line as us, as in, we're not the best, but not the worst, and the Gryffindor's are, well... you've seen how we act towards them, I think you get the picture."

Julia thought about it for a moment. She had finished slicing the worm root and now moved on to a carrot looking plant. She looked back at her book... grate it... ok then.

"Well," Julia said, as she started grating the carrot thing, "I don't think any of that is true. You're all as good as one another, everyone has their own qualities."

"Yeah, maybe..." Renee said. "You'll just have to tell me once you've stayed with us all."

"That I will do."

After they had brewed the potions, Snape collected them all with their names on them, and taken them to his desk. He picked one up and read the label.

"Ah, Mr. Martin. Come here will you please?"

"You're not trying that thing on me!" David sounded scandalised, and Julia almost laughed at the look on his face. It was one of horror mixed with fury.

"Oh, so your Gryffindor courage is running out, is it?" Snape taunted. David's eyes narrowed and Julia got slightly scared. He stormed up to Snape's desk and put his face right up to the Potion Masters own.

"Listen, Professor," he said in a loud whisper, Julia could just hear what he was saying. "I'm not my father, I know the difference between stupidity and bravery, and that is stupidity."

"So, you doubt your own potion?"

"No, but I don't want you asking me questions I don't want others to know the answers to."

David walked back to his desk calmly, packed his things in his bag, and walked out. Snape stared after him. "Another twenty points from Gryffindor," he seemed pleased. Julia was busy staring at the door, with her mouth open. Renee's warm hand touched her jaw and shut her mouth for her.

"There you are," she whispered.

"Thanks."

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Ok theres another chapter out! Hope you like it! Please review! ALLIE!