Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, although I would love to. Everything you recognise is J.K. Rowling's, though I made up the names and appearance, whatever, for Blaise's parents.

The Serpent and the Lion

Hermione ripped off an envelope which was being held by a very official looking owl, and upon seeing the Hogwart's crest, tore it open. Her eyes flicked backwards and forwards as she scanned the text. Her eyes fell as she didn't see what she had been looking for, and she muttered "Only the damned list…"

She made to throw the envelope, but noticed there was something else inside, making the envelope heavier than normal. She took the heavier piece of parchment out of the envelope, ignoring what seemed to be a badge that was also inside. Hermione started to open the parchment a little apprehensively, as if she was scared of what was written inside, or rather, scared of what she would find written inside. She bit her lip absent-mindedly as she read it's contents:

"Dear Miss Granger,

As you know, two people are selected each year to be 'Head Boy' and 'Head Girl'. We would like to congratulate you on becoming Hogwart's 7819th Head Girl!!-"

"YES!!" Hermione squealed, punching an arm in the air. She giggled at herself, giggling more when she thought of how stupid she would have looked. "Oh well," she laughed, "I got it!!!" Then she had a "mad five minutes". Ok, for the boys out there, girls do have made five minutes. It just happens, you can't help it. Hermione went into crazy peals of giggles and dived on her bed, the letter still clutched in her hand. She sat in the middle of her bed, tittering more as the Hogwarts Owl looked at her censoriously. She laid back, her head hitting the pillow with a loud "THUMP" before she went back to the letter, still optimistically beaming.

"-Please read the extra enclosed piece of parchment, informing you of your duties as Head Girl. You will meet with your fellow pupil, who is to be Hogwart's 7816th Head Boy, on the Hogwart's Express, on September 1st. There is a carriage reserved for Head Boy and Girl only, though after the first hour and a half you may allow visitors in. This first hour and a half is for the Head Boy and Girl to get to know each other. You will not leave this carriage; there is a toilet attached so there will be no need to. Please wear your Head Girl badge from entering on the train, until you leave at the end of the next school year. We await your reply, confirming that all of this is OK, and you can take the placement of Head Girl this year.

Best wishes,

Professor Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Head-Teacher and Transfiguration Professor of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"

'I wonder why there's been three more Head Girl's than Head Boys…' Hermione pondered silently. She then turned her attention to another owl - which had turned about half way through the rest of the letter - after carefully folding up her letter and putting it into the drawer by her bed. "You're a pretty darling, aren't you?" she said to the owl, who cooed affectionately as Hermione rubbed its head. She then took the letter from it, and opened it up upon seeing Ron's familiar scrawl of handwriting on the front. She jumped slightly, setting Ron's letter down on her bed quickly, hearing the Hogwart's owl impatient hoot. "Oops, sorry." She said before quickly scribbling down on a spare piece of parchment;

"Dear Professor McGonagall,

Of course I accept!! Thank you!! You didn't mention who the Head Boy was…I guess I'll find that out on the train. Once again, thank you! Oh - and say thank you to Professor Dumbledore, please, if you see him.

Love, Hermione Granger."

She rolled it up and tied it onto the owl's leg. Hermione turned to grab an owl treat for it, but when she turned back around; it had gone. She blinked for a moment and then took the letter from Ron, opening it up.

"Dear Hermione," it started in Ron's very familiar scruffy text. "-Sorry, that sounds a bit formal, doesn't it? Oh well. Don't know if you've been reading the 'Daily Prophet' at all, but the Dementor's have finally gone and joined You-Know-Who. Dumbledore says it's not that bad, but I don't think anybody else believes him. Especially with the way he's added the Patronus onto the curricular for every year. Maybe it's just Dumbledore being his usual optimistic self…

Since the start of the holidays, me, Ginny, and Mum and Dad have been staying at Grimmauld Place, along with a few other Order members, like Remus and Tonks. Sirius left it to Harry, but Harry says he doesn't care if we use it or not. I suppose he wouldn't want it to be left to collect dust or something, but we know he doesn't like it here; he showed that enough last summer! Even Fred and George have been staying with us. Dad was a bit surprised they left their posh flat to come live here with us, but Mum's positively delighted and hasn't stopped cooking. I think she loves having a house full of people to cook for again…she's crazy. We've tried cleaning the place up more anyway. In the time we were at school last year, Kreacher went and messed everything up again. Oh, that reminds me! About Kreacher, well, finally, he went and popped his two-timing wrinkly feet and died, under his boiler. Sirius would've been pleased. Don't go all moody on me because I'm saying this, Kreacher deserved it Hermione!!

Anyway, to get to the point of the letter, Harry's coming over in three days, so mum said you should come to. Not that we wouldn't have invited you over soon anyway. He's staying here for the rest of the summer, so you might as well do so too.

I know you live in London, so you could probably meet Harry and his "guards", Moody and Tonks at Diagon Alley. I think they're meeting sometime like 3pm. So yeah, that's it really. Ginny says hi, and she has to tell you something as soon as you get here. She's been a bit weird this summer…all nice to me, and even Fred and George though they've pulled as many pranks as possible on her. Weird. Owl me back as soon as you get this.

Ron.

P.S. – The owl's mine! Fred and George got her me saying she was a present. They said that they "felt sorry" for me, what with them both in that flat of theirs. Her name's Aurelie. Don't ask, Ginny named her again as she did with Pig. At least I kinda like this name."

"Aurelie is a lovely name," retorted Hermione to nobody in particular. She smiled to herself though; she could not wait until three days away. She had to reply to Ron, but for now, she had to tell her mum and dad about getting Head Girl. Finally, something in the Wizarding world that they would actually understand.

A dark haired, brown eyed boy who was usually classed in Slytherin as one of the quieter, gentler sorts – if there even was a kind like that – swore under his breath. 'This was not supposed to happen…' he thought silently, panicking slightly within, though he did not show it on his interior. He grimaced as he read through the letter again and again, and then sighed when the Head Boy badge slipped out of the envelope, the gold lettering reflecting in the small amount of light there was. All he had ever worked for, ever really wanted was now happening, he was Head Boy. But, he knew his father wouldn't allow it. Not this. This was something a Gryffindor or Ravenclaw; a Hufflepuff should have got this. Slytherin's were sometimes known for getting Head Boy, but it was a rare occasion, and many Slytherin's despised it, that is, when it did happen. It basically meant that the person that had gotten this position had practically swotted up to the teachers, most particularly McGonagall and Dumbledore. Blaise supposed he did do that sometimes, but mostly it was to Snape. A Slytherin has to keep in Snape's good books, or else you could suddenly find your life turned upside down. 'Example, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.' His brain thought dully, 'Snape has some sort of grudge against Potter because of his father, and he gets it. Weasley and Granger happen to be friend's of Potter…they get it too.'

Blaise swore again, though louder this time, as he heard a loud, echoing voice forcing it's way through his closed doors.

"BOY!!!" it came again. 'Oh no,' thought Blaise, turning around just seconds before his father wrenched open the door. A tall man, much taller than Blaise who stood at 6'2", rose slowly, his silhouette framing the doorway as he came closer. He seemed to have long-ish hair, just a few shades darker than Blaise's own. His eyes though, were as dark as the night was at midnight. A few short and ragged, though annoyed breathes came from his mouth, before his lip turned into a sincere smirk. "Blaise, Blaise, Blaise." He started, in an obvious fake, silky-smooth voice. There was a slight pause before… "Why the hell did you go and get Head Boy?" he barked suddenly, loudly. Blaise flinched as his father's words cut through him like a knife.

"I-I didn't mean to get it…" Blaise started looking at the floor.

"What do you mean; you didn't mean to get it?"

"I didn't mean that. I meant," Blaise paused slightly, racking his brains for anything that he could think of that could save him out of what he usually got when his father was angry with him. "I just meant that-"

"Wait." Blaise's father said abruptly. "I have an idea... of course; I'll have to clear it with my Lord first but…" Blaise's father talked to himself for a couple of minutes before snapping his head up. "Tell your mother I'll be back by six. I have some…business to attend to." With that he turned on his heel, before walking out of the room, nearly stepping on several small house elves. "Watch where you walk." He snapped at the nearest. "Yes, my master." Said the elf timidly, bowing to the floor.

At seven o' clock that evening, when Blaise's mother and himself had given up waiting and started to eat, Blaise's father walked in through the door. He saw them both eating and frowned. Blaise seemed to be picking at his food, just twirling it around on his plate, while his mother looked a pale white. "What've you done to your mother, boy?" he snarled.

Blaise snapped his head up, his face turning whiter upon noticing the dangerous look crossing his face. "I-I didn't do anything, father." He replied in a deathly whisper.

"DON'T LIE TO ME!!!" his father roared. Blaise backed up in his chair, trying to get as far away from his father as possible. Blaise's mother stood up abruptly. "That is enough Victor," she said in a soft yet thick French accent. "He has done nothing wrong…"

Victor laughed lightly, a hollow, empty laugh. "You expect me to believe that Adeline?" he said, still laughing like a maniac. She walked slowly over to him and looked him nobly straight in the eye. "Yes, I do." Victor raised a hand to hit Blaise's mother, and Blaise watched on in horror as he brought his hand down, hitting Adeline on the side of her face. There was a small scream before Adeline kneeled on the floor.

"You will both learn not to disobey or lie to me, understand?" Adeline nodded quickly, her gaze on the floor, one of her hands tenderly placed over the red patch on her left cheek. Blaise looked from his mother to his father and nodded, slowly. "Good," replied Victor. He then proceeded to walk to Blaise. "I have spoken to my Lord, and he has agreed with the…idea, I had earlier. You are to do this, without any hesitation, understand?"

Blaise went to shake his head, but decided to ask against it for now. "What is it I have to do?" he asked instead, choosing to not look his father in the eye.

"Hermione Granger is to be Head Girl. As many of us know, she has good connections with Potter. You are to find out as much as you can about Potter, Dumbledore, anything you can, through the Mudblood. Get close to her…do anything you have to, to do this. Understand?"

"But Hermione's done nothing wrong-" Blaise started before he felt a sharp stab of pain on his face. Victor had hit him too.

"What did I tell you about obeying me?" he said austerely, glaring at his son. Blaise muttered what his father had said a few minutes earlier. "Right. And if you don't, you will pay the consequences. It is not just me this is for, it is for the Dark Lord."

Author's Notes: First chapter!! Hehe, read and review please XD
To all those that had me on their author alert or anything because of the story I had a desc. of on my author page, I'm really sorry. I had the inspiration, ideas etc for it, and then it went. I also cannot think of a title, so if anybody thinks of absolutely ANYTHING then email me on , or drop a note in your review for it. I'll try and get that story up soon. Real sorry!!
Love, rachel xx