Back again...

From a sweet and pleasant dream involving hooded people behind masks and the bite of a gigantic serpent Lucius Malfoy was drawn back into reality by a penetrating, squeaky voice that confused him at first, then made him sit bolt upright.

'Severus!' he snapped and the sqeaking disappeared at once, 'how dare you wake me up at,' he glanced at his watch and frowned, 'three? It is three o'clock in the morning? What the devil are you here for?'

'Lucius,' the minute second-year sobbed, 'can you help me? I - I don't know what to do.' Severus' voice was back to normal, but shaking. He rarely spoke in more than a whisper, forcing people to listen very closely if they wanted to hear what he had to say. An agitated, timid child. Hardly anyone liked him. Lucius sighed and sat up.

'All right then,' he said, 'what is it this time? Don't tell me there's another ghost in your bedroom.' Severus shook his head.

'Lucius, my - my homework is gone again. The whole lot. I put it in my bag. I know I have. But it is gone. A whole week's work.'

'What?' hissed Lucius now fully awake. 'But that would be the third time this month. How can all your homework disappear at once - three times within two weeks?'

'I don't know. But I've been doing it. I swear, Lucius. I was sitting in the library, and...'

'You've done it in the library?'

'Yes, I know you've told me to do it down here, Lucius, but I need books to do most subjects. I need to look things up.'

Lucius sighed and shook his head slightly, just enough for Severus to see. 'When you are up there you keep bumping into those Gryffindors, aren't you?'

Severus shrugged.

'Don't be so thick, Severus. They keep hexing you. It is disgraceful.'

'Are you saying... it is a spell that made my homework disappear?'

Lucius sighed, got up and took his wand from the table next to his bed. He pointed it at the notes Severus was clutching against his chest and muttered, 'Evanesco.'

The parchment vanished.

'You know,' he said, restoring the wand to its usual place and sitting down at his bed again, 'these things are not exactly difficult. You'll need to learn how to protect yourself against them. Better yet, how to strike back.'

'What do I have to do?' asked Severus eagerly. 'I'll do anything.'

'Very well then,' said Lucius, looking slightly drained, but perfectly concerted, 'I will show you a couple of spells and which books will lead you the right way. Tomorrow.'

'But Lucius,' Severus's voice had assumed a frightened tone again and was squeaky once more, 'what about my homework?'

'Well, you'll just have to do it again,' Lucius replied sleepily, pulling his blanket up to his chin, 'that'll teach you not to do your homework in the library. I advise you to do McGonagall's stuff first. She'll be furious if you tell her you have failed to do that essay again.' He closed his eyes and heard Severus's short, jerky breathing in the darkness. 'And don't you dare cry,' he added as an afterthought. 'It is getting embarrassing.'

***

The day had started with a pleasant surprise. Remus was back, looking as healthy as ever, though still pale.

'It was terrible this month,' was all they got out of him, 'but then again - it always is.'

'You sure you don't want us to help you?' James asked in a would-be casual sort of voice. 'Sirius has found some excellent spells to keep a wizard safe from a werewolf. We could try them some time.'

'No!' Remus hissed and his voice was becoming slightly nervous. 'I don't want you endangered. I would never forgive myself if I injured or killed any of you. I can only say it again: keep away from the Shrieking Shack when I'm in there!'

'All right, mate,' James laughed. 'I get it. But if we found a perfectly secure way to keep you company - wouldn't you like that?'

'It would be heavenly,' Remus sighed.

Today's first lesson was Double Transfiguration - with the Slytherins. Strictly obeying the second year's usual timetable. ('What the...' James had said when they had learned about it. 'A whole year Transfiguration with those dunces? No way!' But it had been no use, of course.)

Professor McGonagall had asked them to do an essay on the transfiguration of invertebrates, which had taken an annoying two hours to write. For once, however, James refrained from complaining to his best friend Sirius Black about the waste of time homework was in general, as the lesson provided entertainment of much higher quality for a change.

'MR. SNAPE,' McGonagall shouted, 'I GET THE IMPRESSION THAT YE'RE NOT TAKING THIS CLASS VERY SERIOUSLY. DO I LOOK STUPID TAE YOU?'

In the corner of the classroom, next to (in fact, almost behind) the massive window curtains sat Severus Snape, a tiny, greasy-haired Slytherin, whom James had disliked from the first moment he had set eyes on him. A feeling that was perfectly mutual, of course.

Snape was shaking very badly at the moment and his already sallow skin had lost whatever colour was left on it. James thought that he looked a bit like an ill-treated cat. Then again, he had always felt sorry for those, whereas although Snape was clearly on the verge of tears, James could not say with honesty that he had any sympathy for the slimy little git. McGonagall, on the other hand, had clearly noticed that something was wrong and lowered her voice ever so slightly in what seemed an effort of sounding sympathetic.

'You will do the essay this week and hand it in next time, along with today's homework, if you please,' she said, sounding extraordinarily composed all of a sudden. 'You will also do fifteen inches on the punctuality of homework for me. And I will have tae write a letter to your parents for your failing tae hand in your work for the third time in a row.'

James noticed that some of the other Slytherins were glaring derisively at Snape and exchanged a quick glance with Sirius, who seemed full of suppressed triumph. James winked, not knowing that Sirius had more news.

'Standard Book of Spells,' muttered the tall boy, a sneer playing around his handsomely curved mouth. 'Grade 4. Did I mention I discovered it only a month ago?'

James almost dropped his wand. 'You did that? You - what did you do?'

'Made his homework disappear,' grinned Sirius. 'The whole lot. I don't think he was too pleased when he found out - this morning. He was all shaky at breakfast. Don't think he managed to catch up.'

'You're evil,' replied James appreciatively. 'Can you teach me how to do it?'

Sirius nodded. 'It'll have to wait, though. We need to make sure no one notices. We're not supposed to do advanced spells yet. Only that... I couldn't keep my hands off it once I'd discovered it.'

'How come you read the fourth year's textbook?' James muttered under his breath, still careful to pretend he was turning a pea into a flea. Sirius shrugged.

'Found it in the library the other day. Madame Pince asked me what I was doing, and since I could hardly admit that I was looking for werewolf defences, I pretended to be interested in the OWL requirements for Charms. So she gave me the whole bunch of Standard Spellbooks, from grade one to five. They were quite interesting, actually. Did you know that there's a spell for-'

'Mr. Black! I am in no doobt the topics you two discuss are of profound interest, but might I ask ye tae keep yer mind on yer studies?! Where's your flea?'

James raised his eyebrows. Neither of them had got as far as to have an attempt on their pea yet. In fact, now he thought about it, Sirius had not even taken out his wand, which was not remotely supportive now they had to look like they had been working.

'Right,' said Sirius, putting a hand into his pocket in search for his wand. 'You see, Professor, I have some difficulties picturing the flea in my mind. They're so small, you see. How am I supposed to have a clear idea of what I want?'

'If ye'd care tae have a look,' said Professor McGonagall, now in an unmistakably sarcastic mood. 'There is this somewhat gigantic picture of a flea on the blackboard, due to the fact that Mr. Nott discovered this very problem - about fifteen minutes ago.'

Sirius stared at the board, then back at Professor McGonagall and grinned apologetically. 'Right,' he said again, having successfully pulled out his wand without her noticing. 'I... I'll have another go then, shall I?' He glanced at James, grinned, pointed his wand at the pea and muttered the incantation. A flash of light appeared and, to James's great surprise, the pea turned into a tiny insect which, to his eyes at least, looked everything a flea was supposed to be. Professor McGonagall was obviously surprised, too, but nevertheless very pleased.

'Well, Black,' she said approvingly, 'I see ye have bin paying attention after all. Very well then. Get oot yer quills and some parchment, everyone. I'm going tae dictate a few basic rules of Transfiguration.'

The rest of the lesson passed without much excitement. McGonagall handed back their latest homework (an essay on Transfiguration basic theory) when the bell rang, and James threw a curious look at Sirius's work, which seemed to have earned a couple less points than his own. Grinning at his friend's expression he stuffed the paper into his bag and they made their way towards the dungeons, where they would be doing Potions after the break.