"Ouch!" cried Lily as she gave her brush another firm tug. Her hair was always so messy in the morning; just brushing it was a new form of torture. "You are so lucky," she stated "Your hair is just perfect, you wake up in the morning and you look perfect!"

"I'm not perfect" Serina muttered without moving her eyes from her book.

"But you are amazingly pretty!" Lily said "Must be all that…"

"I don't want to talk about it" Serina interrupted "In fact I would rather just forget about it"

"Sorry" Lily whispered uncomfortably and went back to trying to untangle her hair.

The atmosphere in the room was tense after that. None of them knew what to say. Lily was the only one who knew about Serina's special condition. Serina would prefer it if no one knew at all but she had to share a room with at least one person and the new headmaster-Albus Dumbledor- thought Lily was the prime candidate.

"So are you going to the spring ball?" Lily asked obviously trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had captivated the room.

"What?" Serina asked. She had only been at Hogwarts a day how was she meant to know about the spring ball?

"Yeah" Lily turned and started to explain "It's a new thing that we're trying out this year, for OWL students only. It could be fun. I don't know about you but I am definitely going solo! We should go together! You know, make it a girl thing!"

Serina was miles away. Her head was full of dread about the day about to start. She was going to be four and a half years behind everyone else. How on earth was she meant to catch up and now this ball! Everyone was probably going to have a date.

"Serina!" Yelled Lily "were you even listening?"

"Yeah I was" Serina muttered absent-mindedly "that would be fun, but don't you have someone you want to go with?"

"No!" Lily hissed "I bet that James Potter will ask me though! I wish he would just leave me alone! He's such a jerk!"

"I thought he was quite nice!"

"Quite nice!" Lily screamed and Serina new she was about to go into full rant mode, "he's a complete bastard, he plays with all the girls at this school, he's dated half the school for gods sake! Not to mention how much he shows off and bullies people. I mean take the way he reacts to severus, he picks on him for no reason! And then there's me! He's always trying to black mail me into going out with him! Like I would! He is such an arsehole! Words can barely describe how repulsive he is…"

"Actually you're using quite a lot of words!"

"Well like him if you want but it won't take you anywhere good!"

Lily stood there drowning in her own fury. She took a quick look at the time and then walked out of the room down the stairs to the common room.

Serina grabbed her books and bag then followed her.

At the bottom of the staircase they found James waiting for them. Lily looked disgusted.

"See my stalker!" she snarled and stormed off to join Sarah and Michelle.

James smiled weakly and said sarcastically, "So she's only told you good things!"

Serina laughed. She felt that same rush she had felt the night before. She didn't know what to say. He throat was tight. She felt him radiating heat. Her head was floating above the clouds. She could almost taste him. But no, she couldn't, not with him, not with anyone.

"So I was wondering if you have got your time table yet?" James said

He looked so adorable. It was obvious he had made this up to come and see her. He looked so sweet, but she couldn't think that. It was too late, she had fallen, but she wasn't going to let him take her so easy, she couldn't be with anyone. No one would understand.

"Um yea!" lily said smiling "I noticed I had potions first! It's the one I've been looking forward to!"

"Potions!" James exclaimed

Oh my god she thought! I've blown it! He thought she was major weird!

"Why isn't it good?" she asked worriedly

"Well I suppose it is if you can be bothered to take the time to actually learn"

"and you can't?" Serina's hopes were dashed. The rumours were true. How could she have been so stupid? She knew it was wrong from the start but she had humoured her fantasy about a person she barely knew.

"Well who can be?" James chuckled giving her a cheesy smile.

She took a deep breath and whispered "I can be"

"Oh well I didn't mean anything by it" James started to explain.

"I've got to go" Serina muttered and pushed past his muscular body.

"Damn!" James hissed and kicked the wall which promptly moaned back "ow control your temper!"

Tears were flowing from her eyes. Serina didn't even know why she was so upset. She barely knew James but yet she was so hung up on him. She didn't know why but she was so hurt by his real character. But the thing that hurt her most was the fact that she knew she would always be alone. Always, because no one could ever know.