Chapter Three: A Slytherin in Gryffindor

The next morning, a bushy-haired and fiery-eyed Gryffindor stormed down to the common room out the portrait of the Fat Lady and down to the great hall. People moved out of her way as she passed, afraid she might hex them if they got in her way, and even the Slytherins gave her a wide berth, not wanting to get slapped like Draco Malfoy had by her in third year. Even her two closest friends looked quite ready to run when they saw her, but they swallowed their fear and waited anxiously for her to sit by them.

Sit by them she did, and she immediately loaded up her plate with food, practically stabbing the bacon that was in front of her in an angry attempt to bring them onto her plate. Ron bravely reached over and grabbed her fork before she could do any further damage to the defenseless meat.

"Hermione! What on earth is the matter?" Ron asked as he wrestled the fork, the spoon, and then the knife from her struggling hands. He very nearly lost an eye in the process, but Hermione was finally disarmed, for now anyway.

She glared up at him and refused to speak to him. Instead she turned to Harry, who had not done anything, and she began speaking to him. Ron chalked that bout of favoritism to the fact that he had stolen her silverware and leaned over to listen to her.

"Oh, it's those awful, inconsiderate, wicked, Japanese girls!" Harry and Ron looked at each other over Hermione's shoulder and Ron raised his eyebrows in a sign that said he had no clue whatsoever. Harry almost sighed at Ron, but he managed to catch himself before Hermione noticed. That would've made her angrier.

"What about them Hermione?" Harry asked gently as possible, trying to calm Hermione down before she turned violent against him as well. The fact that Hermione was able to hex him with a flick of her wrist sent shivers of unease down Harry's spine. What had those girls done to make Hermione so mad?

"They're simply terrible! I haven't met such a disagreeable person as that Hoshimi Yamino since I met Pansy pug-faced Parkinson." Harry looked over at Ron again. As bad as Pansy Parkinson? The girl had seemed cold to them last night, but that hardly made her that bad, right?

"What happened Hermione?" Ron ventured to ask, and she turned to him visibly upset, but, thankfully, over her anger with him. She pursed her lips together in her best impression of McGonagall before telling her story.

* * *

Hermione had made her way up past the fat lady, through the common room and up to her dormitory. It was eleven at night, and she had just finished her prefect rounds with Ron, and the new prefects, Ginny, and, of all people, Colin Creevey. She was exhausted beyond words, expression, and all she really wanted to do was sink into her four-poster bed and fall asleep.

She was so intent on her plans that, when she entered her room it took her a moment to realize that something was amiss. For one thing, a sweet herbal scent had filled her dormitory, despite the chill of the open window. For another, four girls were laying on the same bed, smoking something then passing it to another. Parvati and Lavender were laying in Hoshimi and Asayake's lap, their eyes glazed and bodies limp. Hoshimi's hand was trailing over Parvati's hair and shoulders gently, lightly, and manipulatively. Parvati was like putty in the girl's hand, ready to be molded and shaped into whatever Hoshimi desired her to be.

Hoshimi looked up at Hermione as she walked in; her soulless black eyes all too clear and her smile all too evil. This girl should have been in Slytherin. Hoshimi lifted what Hermione now realized was a joint of marijuana and took a couple short drags, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply before exhaling a small cloud of smoke. She then finally addressed Hermione, and the girl had to hold back a shudder at the poorly hidden malice in her voice.

"Hello Hermione. Why don't you come and join us?" She lowered the joint to Parvati's lips and let the girl inhale some of the insidious drug as well, which the girl did in eager bursts before falling back with a smoke-filled, happy sigh. Hermione scowled at the girls, moving forward with the purpose of snatching up the drugs, but just walking near it made her dizzy. She glared at them and her eyes caught sight of a bottle of liquor on the night stand. They were drinking too!

"No, I will not join you, and I insist that you put all that away before I tell Professor Dumbledore what you're doing." She boldly moved forward and reached out to grab both Hoshimi's and Asayake's joint.

Like lightning, two hands reached out and gripped Hermione's wrists tightly, twisting them at opposite angles until Hermione gave a small cry of pain. Then the girls both pushed Hermione away. She stumbled backward against one of the four poster beds and watched the girls in shock as Hoshimi slipped out from under Parvati, pulling out her wand, and approached her; the pure menace in the girl's eyes now plain and easy to see.

"You will take extreme care not to anger either Asayake or me," she whispered plainly, but with such seething hatred that Hermione felt herself shudder. Hoshimi saw this and her malicious grin returned. She stepped even closer to Hermione, her hand resting gently on Hermione's cheek as her wand now pressed against the girl's heart. "You're not afraid of me Hermione are you?"

Hermione glared at the girl, summoning her courage, and she spat in the girl's face. "Get away from me! I'm going to get McGonagall!" The spitting proved the wrong thing to do, because it made Hoshimi even angrier.

The girl had gone still when Hermione had spit on her, and her eyes were frighteningly cold. She lifted her hand from Hermione's cheek and wiped the spit from her own cheek. She then smiled that cold smile again and smeared the remains of the saliva back on Hermione's cheek and leaned forward, her mouth brushing Hermione's ear.

"Go on and try it Hermione. They won't do a damned thing to me. I promise you that. They need me. So, I suggest you just turn around and go to bed. Forget everything that happened tonight ne?" Hoshimi then pulled away and flicked her wand, sending Hermione flying into her four poster bed. The covers rolled up tightly around her and over her, so that all she could hear was Hoshimi's quiet, sadistic laughter.

* * *

Harry looked positively appalled. He gently took Hermione's hands in his own and pulled up the girl's sleeves. There, in stark, undeniable proof, were the dark bruises of Hoshimi and Asayake's hands. "Oh, 'Mione."

"Don't you pity me Harry. Don't you dare." She looked up and her eyes narrowed dangerously. She grabbed some toast and put it into a napkin before getting up and leaving the great hall. Harry watched her go, watching her purposely bump into Asayake and spill the buttered toast all over the red-eyed girl as she walked in with Hoshimi and Parvati and Lavender. If looks could kill, Hermione would have been crucified. Asayake looked as though she was ready to jump Hermione, but Hoshimi gave the smallest of smirks, resting her hand on Asayake's arm. Asayake calmed down and cleaned her robes with a flick of her wand then continued walking, not once looking back as Hoshimi leaned over and whispered to Hermione, who turned bright red and quickly fled the great hall.

Harry clenched his fists as Hoshimi turned and made eye contact with him, her features calm and implacable. How could anyone so cold and ruthless be in Gryffindor? He didn't know, but he found himself hating the young Japanese woman. He felt Ron tense beside him and knew that he was very well ready to jump out of his seat and throttle Hoshimi. Harry was ready to go beside him, but something made him look up at the staff table.

Snape was up there, watching the situation intently. He was practically salivating at the chance to get Harry into trouble, not that it surprised Harry any. Harry then turned to Dumbledore and saw that his normally twinkling blue eyes were cold and fixed quite intently on Hoshimi. Harry was confused and turned back to Hoshimi to see her tilt her head in a duelist's nod toward Dumbledore before finally making her way over to Asayake and their two groupies at the end of the table. What was going on here?

* * *

Hoshimi watched Harry and Dumbledore very carefully, trying not to break out into a grin. Yes Harry, hate me; I want you to hate me. The boy was already annoying her, and she had barely known him more than a night, barely spoken to him for more than a minute. Maybe it was some predisposed bias, but she already despised him more than she thought she would have.

She sat down with Parvati, across from Asayake, and she then trailed her hand lightly over Parvati's arm. By anyone watching, it would've seemed a friendly gesture, but Parvati, remembering last night, shivered under its true meaning, and Hoshimi's eyes took on a more malicious light. She was such a little sadist.

Unfortunately, before Hoshimi could really do anything, Hoshimi felt the weight on her bench shift, and she turned her cool black eyes to meet Harry's enraged green ones. She raised her slim, dark eyebrows and regarded him with her usual cool expression. "Good morning Harry. Is there something you wanted?"

Harry's green eyes flared, and he looked as though it was taking everything in him not to strike her. "Don't you ever go near Hermione again, or I'll..." She placed a finger to his lips, silencing him as she gave a grin.

"Or you'll what Harry? Don't make idle threats dear. I find it rather boring." She took a sip of the tea Asayake handed her and stood up, turning away from the table and exiting without looking back.

She left the great hall and sighed, leaning against the wall of the entrance hall. Sure, she had made an excellent exit and now Harry would either be even angrier or he would be mystified, perhaps both. Now though, she could no longer eat breakfast, and she had no idea where she was supposed to go for her first class. Damn that pride of hers. She gave a sigh and looked for somewhere to sit and wait for Asayake to come and find her.

Hoshimi moved slowly down the corridors, looking for something familiar, and she stopped at a fork in the path not far from the great hall. She stood there a moment, pondering her choices. She did not hear the foot steps until they were upon her, pulling her by her hair against a large, boulder-like body. She gave a short cry, which was quickly muffled by a large hand clamping down over her mouth and nose. She couldn't breathe. She thrashed in terror as the large man gave a guffaw and forced her to look up as an equally large man came into view, smashing his fist into his open hand threateningly. What in the nine hells?

Oxygen was quickly being used up by her brain, and her body was screaming for air. She needed to breathe. Hoshimi then did the only thing she could think of doing. She slammed her Mary Jane covered foot hard into the large man's shin, and raked her nails down across his face.

He cried out and released her. She dropped to the ground, gasping for that much needed oxygen. Hoshimi looked up and watched the one that had been holding her as he covered his now bloody face and howled in pain. The other watched the scene for a second before turning on her and running at her. She reached for her wand and braced for the impact of the large man's foot.

It never came.

"Petrificus Totalus!" A male voice cried out, and her attacker fell, like the rather large stone he was, to the floor with a loud thud. Hoshimi looked up and saw a lean young man with silver blonde hair and sharp features come running toward them; his wand drawn, and a look of disgust on his face. He reached her and looked down at her with mild concern on his face.

"Are you all right?"

Hoshimi nodded mutely, her breath still coming in harsh gasps, and she clutched her chest in a futile attempt to slow the beating of her heart. He held out his hand to her, and she took it gratefully, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"I'm fine. Just a little surprised..." Her rescuer nodded at her and walked toward the one whom she had scratched. He watched the ogre-like man whimper pathetically a moment before his face twisted, and he brutally grabbed the ogre's hair and pulled it up, making the man pull his face away from his hands.

Hoshimi winced. She had scratched the man truly bloody. Blood oozed from several long gashes across his skin, and Hoshimi was amazed that she hadn't scratched out his eyes. Hoshimi looked down at her hand and cringed as she saw bits of the man's skin under her fingernails. She quickly performed a quick scouring charm, trying not to vomit, as she turned her gaze back to the sniveling man with some amount of pity inside her. The man who had saved her, though, did not look as sympathetic.

"Stop your whimpering Crabbe!" He snarled brutally, and the Ogre, Crabbe, amazingly stopped. "Go on! Head up to the hospital wing, and you better not say who gave you those scratches, unless you want to be expelled." Crabbe nodded mutely and disappeared down the corridor. The man now turned on the petrified rock, and released him from the curse. "Get out of my sight Goyle and stay away from her."

Goyle looked rather confused, as though he wasn't sure quite what was going on, but he also left, disappearing down another corridor. Hoshimi turned her gaze to her rescuer as he regarded her in return. He made it seem so easy. She almost didn't believe it. Almost.

"Thank you." She murmured softly, giving him a short bow. He seemed amused by the bow, but he did not say anything about it. Instead he approached her and gently grasped her chin, turning her head from side to side. She pulled away from him in shock and took a step backward. Did all men here do that?

"It's no trouble. You seem to have no bruises, which is a good thing." He released his grip on her chin and held out his hand for her to shake. "My name's Draco Malfoy. I already know your name Hoshimi Yamino." Westerners simply did not know that you said someone's name with some kind of suffix.

Hoshimi looked at the hand, but she did not take it. She was not fond of this western way of greeting. "I'm sorry. I don't shake hands." He smirked, seeming unbothered by it. Instead, he took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, gently brushing his lips against it.

"Then I won't shake hands." Draco was smooth; she had to give him that. He was very comfortable with women, and he seemed accustomed to getting what he wanted from them. She was tempted to let him get his way. He was a very attractive guy. Hoshimi nodded as he released her hand, trying to blush at his familiarity. He picked up the bag that she did not realize until that moment was hers. He swung the bag over his shoulder and started walking, leaving Hoshimi no choice but to follow.

"Shame about getting into Gryffindor. You certainly looked none too pleased about it last night," he rambled on, slowing his long legged stride, so that she could keep up with him. She nodded her agreement. Some one had noticed her emotions? She would have to work harder at hiding them for her own sake.

"Yes," she murmured when she realized he expected a more oral response. "I would have been better suited in Slytherin." He looked over at her, considering her very carefully, going so far as to stop in front of her, as though to get a better look.

"Then why are you in Gryffindor?" It was such a simple question, but Hoshimi had to give it thought. She could not tell this boy she hardly knew the reason she was here. Damn...

"I suppose I have more bravery than wit." He looked slightly perplexed at her answer. He didn't quite get her meaning.

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm stuck here aren't I?" Draco laughed. A beautiful melodic laugh that had a cruel, sarcastic quality she rather liked. He smirked at her, shaking off his mirth and running a free hand through his silver-blonde hair.

"I don't think you lack wit. In fact, after watching you interact with that mudblood Granger, I'd say that you were rather poorly placed." He looked rather pleased with her, while she was rather perturbed. Hoshimi had been told about the pure blood prejudices that were the cause of all of England's problems, but this was the first time she had ever heard it for herself.

"Her blood had nothing to do with what I thought of her. I just hate by the book goodie-good people. Where are we going anyway?" She had noticed that they were traveling down beneath the school and into what looked like dungeons. She shivered as the temperature turned colder, and she blinked her eyes as it became darker, adjusting to the light.

"We're going to our first class. We have double potions together with Professor Snape. Have you met him?" Flashes of memory filled her eyes a she remembered the tall, dark, imposing man who had grabbed her by the chin yesterday. Her hand sub-consciously touched her chin, and she nodded.

"Yes, we met yesterday when I arrived." Draco seemed satisfied with her answer, because he did not ask her any more questions on the subject. It seemed that he had expected it.

"Well, he's strict so watch yourself, and he's particularly cruel toward the Gryffindors, so you might just want to keep out of his way." She crinkled her nose in minor distaste. She did not move for teachers.

"I think it would be best that he stay out of my way. There's never been a teacher that I didn't control." He seemed amused by this as they reached their destination. He opened the door and held it for her, whispering in her ear as she passed through.

"Professor Snape isn't your ordinary teacher Hoshimi. I'd tread carefully." He then led her inside the room and set her bag on a table, moving further to the front. "It will be better for both of us if we don't sit together." As though she couldn't figure that out on her own. She didn't reward him with a response and sat down on the stool.

She was early. Draco and she were the only ones in the classroom. She glanced down at her watch and realized that she had a good twenty minutes before people would start arriving. Damn, what would she do with her time?

"By the way." Hoshimi looked up as Draco's voice sounded out in lazy drawl. He would have been comfortable in a medieval court. "Why are your eyes black, and Asayake's red?"

Hoshimi blinked then she remembered that Asayake's eyes were indeed red. It was easy to forget sometimes, especially when you were so used to them.

"It's a sign of the school clans we belong to. Asayake is a member of the Hi clan, and I'm part of the Kage clan." He looked confused by her explanation, and Hoshimi wasn't sure if that was because it was strange, or that it had Japanese in it.

"They change your eye color? What does Hi and Kage mean?" Obviously both. He had stumbled over the foreign words, completely unfamiliar to his tongue. Hoshimi gave a smirk of her own as she pulled her bag off her table and let it sit beside her.

"It's a permanent mark of the clans at our school, and it's been done for centuries. Hi means fire, and Kage means shadow. There's also the Mizu or water clan, and the Chi or earth clan. Our school is extremely different from yours." She reached down into her bag and pulled out a muggle portable CD player that she had brought with her. It had been spelled by wizard merchants, so that it ran on magic rather than the batteries that muggles used. She flipped it open and looked at the CD inside it. Finding it satisfactory, Hoshimi put the earphones over her ears and pressed play. She really didn't want to talk any longer.

"What is that?!" Unfortunately, Draco seemed to have more questions. He walked over to her and looked at the device in a mixture of horror and distaste. "It looks like some muggle thing!"

"It is," Hoshimi muttered, annoyed. She pressed the pause button and looked up at him. "So?" If possible, he looked more horrified. He backed away, as though he had made a horrible mistake in talking to her.

"Why would you have something muggle?" He asked, in disgust now far more evident than any fear. She was also more annoyed. She wanted to listen to music, not be interrogated. As though Amuro Namie would solve all her problems... Perhaps in her dreams.

"Because I happen to like this thing, and everyone in Japan has one. What is the big deal?" He looked at the thing suspiciously and at her even more so. What the hell was wrong with this boy?

"You're not a mudblood are you?" Hoshimi glared at him, the first time she had actually showed anger on her face, but it faded quickly as she closed her eyes and calmed herself, but her eyes were still as sharp as daggers as they re-opened and fixed him with an ice cold stare.

"My blood is probably purer than yours if you must know. I come from the royal family of Japan, and my blood has no impurities." It didn't much matter in Japan. Not as much as it used to anyway. Ever since Japan had become modern though, everyone in Japan was obsessed with all things muggle, and they collected them and showed them off, as though they were the rarest objects on earth.

Draco looked thoroughly shamed by her speech though, and she was secretly enjoying it. She wished he had been a weaker man. Then she would have insulted him and tried to make him cry. He wasn't though.

"Sorry about that then. You can never be too careful though." He said it as though it was obvious, and Hoshimi rolled her eyes in annoyance. This man was beyond arrogant.

"I'm sure. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to listen to music for a little while." The conversation was most decidedly over, and he knew it. He walked away, looking over his shoulder at her and smirking. Damn the fact that she found his arrogance attractive. She berated herself inwardly and pressed the play button, lowering her head in her arms and shutting her eyes. It was already a long day.

* * *

Hoshimi awoke as Asayake gently shook her. She looked up at the ruby-eyed girl and sighed, turning off her CD player and putting it away. There were already quite a few people in the classroom, including the two that had attacked her earlier. In fact, they were sitting right behind Draco, who was conversing with a tall boy with dark hair. There were also quite a few Gryffindors, including Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione was not looking at Hoshimi, but Harry and Ron were giving her dark glares that Hoshimi was sure were death threats.

She ignored them all as she sat up and glanced down at her watch. She had one minute left. She then turned to Asayake. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?" Hoshimi asked her in Japanese, causing a few heads to turn their way. The girl shrugged and laid her wand on the table, rolling it between her hands.

"You looked too cute to wake up, so I let you sleep a little more," Asayake answered in the same language, and Hoshimi grumbled under her breath. She did not get to do much else though, because then the doors swung open with a rather loud bang, and Professor Snape swept into the room.

He looked the same as he had the day before, sallow cheeked and greasy hair. Apparently this was a normal thing for him though, because no one looked surprised at his appearance.

"Quiet everyone," Snape commanded, not that it was needed. The classroom was already so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. "Now, I have one more rule to add to our classroom. In this class, we will speak only in English, which is the language that everybody understands. If I hear any thing in a foreign language, I will assume that they are obscenities and deduct house points."

He looked directly at Hoshimi and Asayake, looking smug. Hoshimi merely raised an eyebrow. She should have expected something like this from him, but she hadn't, and she was rather upset over it. She didn't show that though. She was not about to give him any sort of victory. Instead she gave him a look that quite clearly told him to watch out. He wanted a war, and Hoshimi was not about to say no.

"Now then, I have the instructions on the board. Follow them and I will observe. This is no longer regular potions where you must be coddled every step of the way. This is NEWT potions, and, if you don't belong, I suggest that you leave now, before you humiliate yourself." Snape again fixed his gaze on Hoshimi and Asayake, but they both just looked back at him blandly, unimpressed. Hoshimi then looked at the board.

"We've made this potion before." She muttered quietly to herself, feeling rather relieved. She was decent at potions, but it was much more helpful that she wasn't doing anything new.

"Begin." Snape commanded and everyone got out of their seats and over to the ingredients. Hoshimi quickly gathered hers, and made her way back to her cauldron, narrowly missing getting hit in the stomach by Ron. She returned his attempt at kindness with one of her own. Her foot connected soundly with his toes, and he gave a cry of pain, causing everyone to look at him.

Hoshimi pretended to be sympathetic, patting him on the shoulder. "Oh I'm so sorry Ron, did I step on your foot? I didn't mean to do it." Professor Snape then swooped down on them, his eyes glinting maliciously.

"What's going on here?" He asked softly, not really caring about the problem, but rather the punishment he could mete out to them. Hoshimi was not about to let it happen though.

"Oh nothing professor, I had just accidentally stepped on Ron's foot, and I was just apologizing." Snape looked down at her, trying to hide his complete disappointment, but he was also looking deeper. Hoshimi blinked and broke his eye contact. Did all teachers here read minds? How completely annoying. Snape then looked down at Ron, and a faint glimmer of hope returned to his features.

"Is this true Weasley?" Ron was most definitely considering his options. He could either admit that a girl had hit him hard enough to make him scream, which would get her in trouble, but it would also get him teased for the next month or so.

"Yes, Professor, it's true." Apparently the getting teased part of the equation had won out, because he was willing enough to go along with her lie. Snape again looked very disappointed. He started to turn away, but then he thought better of it.

"Miss Yamino, I'd like to see you after class to talk about your... clumsy behavior. Now get to work!" Hoshimi tilted her head, a faint smirk present on her lips as he turned away.

She leaned over to Ron as he walked by, having difficulty keeping the smug amusement from her voice. "For next time Ron, please remember that I hit back." Her mouth widened as she made her way back to her seat, and she heard Ron growl angrily from behind her.

It was just too easy.

The rest of class passed with only minor incidents. Namely, when Snape had come up to her table to find her sitting on her stool, reading a book, he looked down at her a moment before sneering. "What are you doing Miss Yamino?"

Hoshimi politely set down her book and looked up at him, her expression bland and her eyes cool. "What does it look like Professor? I'm reading."

"I can see that Miss Yamino, but you should be working on your potion, should you not?" Hoshimi gestured to the cauldron beside her table, where the bright lavender potion was brewing.

"I already did Professor. I'm just waiting to be told what to do with it." She nearly chanced a sneer of her own, but she decided not to when she saw the near dangerous look on his face.

"Put it in a flask and set it on my desk then and ten points from Gryffindor." He started to turn away, expecting her to cry out about his unfair taking of points, but she didn't. Surprised, he looked over his shoulder at her to find her nose buried back in the book as she filled her flask one-handed. Damn girl...

* * *

After class, Hoshimi put away her rather interesting muggle fantasy book and waited patiently for Snape to address her. He was taking his time about it, pretending to shuffle papers and clean off his desk. The bastard.

"Professor," she finally called out, "You're the one who asked me here, so could you please stop wasting precious time and tell me what you wished to discuss?"

Professor Snape looked up at her, his beetle black eyes colder than she had ever seen them. "Are you trying to get expelled Miss Yamino?" Hoshimi gave a heavy shrug and looked at him blandly.

"Perhaps Professor, what is your point? He set down the papers that were in his hands and stood up, fixing her with his cold black stare. Hoshimi once again felt as though her mind was being invaded, but she did not break eye contact. Damn that pride of hers.

"Miss Yamino, you realize that it's impolite to step on someone's foot on purpose? Even if they tried to hit you first?" Hoshimi gave a small smirk, unable to help herself, and she nodded.

"Yes Professor, but is it not also impolite to read someone's mind without their permission?" Snape scowled openly, and he looked positively deadly. He pointed to the door and looked back down at his papers.

"You're dismissed Miss Yamino, and another ten points from Gryffindor." As though she cared. She tilted her head politely then turned and picked up her bag, walking from the room.

Hoshimi, one: Snape, zero.