Disclaimer: You know the whole shpeal…

If I made any mistakes, don't kill me. Not a big deal; it's a fanfic.

Chapter Four

The Strange New Girl

It was the first week of October, and the trees were almost bare. The skies had darkened slightly, and the frost began to creep over the school grounds, each night creeping several inches further. The air that had once been summery and warm became crisp and chilly. As usual, Harry was trying to get Sai on friendly terms with him, and, as usual, Sai continued to reject him.

One Saturday morning at breakfast, Harry—as stubborn as he was—was about to ask Sai to pass him the bacon, just to get her to say at least one word to him, when Dumbledore rose from his seat at the front of the Great Hall and cleared his throat loudly so that everyone could hear. Every student stopped chatting with each other and gave Dumbledore their undivided attention.

"Good morning, students," he said, smiling. "I apologize for the interruption of our delicious morning meal, but I have two very important announcements to make—one being a bit longer than the other, but both I'm sure all of you will thoroughly enjoy." His eyes twinkled. "First, I will begin with the longer one. As you may very well know, one of the greatest holidays—my favorite actually—" he chuckled, "—is swiftly approaching. Yes, Halloween is no more than three weeks away, and, as a school treat, I've decided to hold a Halloween Ball for all fourth years and up. I plan to hold this ball every Halloween from this year on."

There was a great deal of commotion at these words.

"Yes, yes, it is quite exciting. As for the first years, second years and third years: do not despair, for you all will have later bedtime curfews than the standard and still have the delight of the traditional Halloween feast.

"Now, as for the Ball, it's optional to attend in costume, though I do encourage you to do so. I always find it especially jovial to dress in the Halloween spirit. I, myself, am planning to masquerade as—" he stopped himself. "—Ah, but that will be a surprise." He gave a small chortle, but then his expression became somewhat serious.

"I also encourage you to bring another with you, a partner, if you will. I do not wish to see anyone attending alone, or to see anyone not attending at all. I daresay everyone should be merry on this joyous day, and should be in the company of another—be it a friend or more. It is not required, however, but please think wisely of your decision.

"The second announcement of this fine morning is that Quidditch tryouts will be held all through this weekend and the next. The first Quidditch match will be scheduled for the first week of November, closely following Halloween. I hope you all will be looking forward to a riveting match as much as I will.

"Thank you all. Now, get back to your scrumptious meal and tuck in!"

Dumbledore gave a fulfilled smile and sat back down as the entire Hall became filled with the loud buzzing of excited students asking each other who they were planning to take to the Ball.

Harry, however, was not excited for the Ball at all. On the contrary, he had a distaste for anything date- or dance-related. He recalled the last ball he attended: the Yule Ball (held for the Triwizard Tournament during his fourth year at Hogwarts, which he participated in), and a sudden embarrassment overcame him as he felt a bit queasy. Dumbledore did say it wasn't required to have a date, so Harry pushed aside his nervousness and kept on eating. Then he remembered his initial intentions.

"Hey, Sai…um, could you pass the bacon, please?" he asked.

Sai, three seats down from Harry, didn't look up as she picked up the plate of bacon and handed it toward his outstretched arm.

"Er, thanks," he said, reaching over to take the bacon from her, disappointed once again.

Sai didn't respond. She just kept on eating while she read the Daily Prophet.

Hermione rolled her eyes, which Ron saw and caused him to give her a snort as he shoveled more food into his already full mouth.

"Sho, ooyoo ana aytoo abaw?" he asked through a mouth stuffed with eggs and toast.

But no one had time to answer, because at that precise moment, Malfoy came shoving past, followed by his nasty group of friends, knocking Ron over into his porridge.

"Ugh! Ranks alluh, Mawfoy, yooarsh!" Ron shouted, his mouth still full.

Malfoy ignored him and continued walking up to Sai. As usual, Crabbe and Goyle flanked him. Beside them were Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode (who were both sneering), and a few other rather unpleasant Slytherins, though it was fair to say all Slytherins were pretty much unpleasant.

"Hey, Say," Malfoy mocked, standing behind the girl, slightly to her left so he could see the side of her impassive face.

She didn't look up when she said, "It's Sai. You know, like to 'sigh?' Rhymes with 'sky?' Oh, wait, that's right, you're too dense to get that through your thick, ugly head. Ha, silly me." She kept her eyes on the paper.

Malfoy's eyes narrowed maliciously with anger. His mouth opened to reply.

"So, Malfoy," Sai continued before he could say anything, still focusing on the paper in front of her, "have you come all the way over here just to attempt to make fun of me? Or have you made the long trek to the Gryffindor table only to be rejected after asking me to the Halloween Ball?"

Malfoy was taken aback, along with Ron—a piece of toast fell from his mouth—and Harry—whose bacon was left forgotten. Harry was clinging onto every word between Sai and Malfoy, as were all the other Gryffindors at the table. They, as well, wanted to know what Malfoy's business was being over there in the one vicinity of the Great Hall he despised most.

"Well, my sweet," Malfoy sneered with lust in his eyes, "it seems you're a lot smarter than I thought. But you were wrong when you said I'd be rejected. No one rejects Draco Malfoy."

Pansy Parkinson's eyes grew wide with surprise.

"Omigod, Draco! You really are asking her to the Halloween Ball? I thought that was a joke! But—how could you? She's nothing but a stupid Gryffindor! And, on top of that, an American!" she squealed.

Harry felt Ron tense up next to him.

"That—stupid—Pansy—" he heard him mutter.

Malfoy told Pansy to keep quiet, saying she was being out of line. Sai, on the other hand, completely ignored Pansy's comment.

"Is that so, Malfoy? No one rejects you? What, did 'Father' tell you that? Well, I'm about to prove you both very wrong," she said, folding up the Daily Prophet and setting it down on the table, swiveling her body around in her seat to look into Malfoy's cold, gray eyes. She looked just as dangerous as he did, despite her lack of expression. "Try me."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the other Gryffindors all ogled at them. Even some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs stopped what they were doing (and eating) to watch intently.

"All right," said Malfoy with confidence, an evil grin spreading across his face. "You will go to the Halloween Ball with me," he said surely with a smirk.

Sai stood up.

"Bullshit." She grabbed her glass and raised it into the air. She then poured its entire contents, which happened to be orange juice, all over Malfoy's head.

The entire Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff tables hushed with a sharp gasp, only to burst with laughter less than a moment later. It was a wonder that none of the teachers at the staff table had noticed anything. The Slytherin table remained thunderstruck. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in complete shock. Did Sai really just do that?

"That means 'no,'" Sai said, her voice and face expressionless. And she coolly made her way around Malfoy without another word. At the exit, she continued to calmly walk out of the Great Hall, leaving behind a dumbfounded, wet and sticky Malfoy with his baffled fellow Slytherins, a bewildered Harry, and a throng of laughing students.

"That was bloody brilliant!" cried Ron through tears of laughter as Malfoy stormed off out of the hall, followed by his flabbergasted posse. He was pounding his fists on the table in a fury of snorts and laughs. "See, Hermione? That's why I like her! It's 'cause she can do things like that!" he hooted.

"Did…did she really do what I think I saw her do?" Harry asked.

"Well, it definitely looked like it," said Hermione, forgetting her toast. She, too, was in a state of shock, and looking a bit pleased.

"The git deserved every drop," said Ron, stifling another laugh with a forkful of eggs.

The entire week it seemed no one could stop talking about Sai's victorious battle of wits with Malfoy—after all, Malfoy wasn't one of the most liked students at Hogwarts. Students passing through the corridors continuously gossiped away about the "lunch incident" in the Great Hall. Even the Slytherins thought it amazing, even though they thought of the whole thing as an insult to their House.

"The American completely snubbed him! That's right! She gave that Slytherin exactly what he deserved!" Harry heard a seventh year boy telling a co-ed group of what looked like Hufflepuffs.

Several sixth year Ravenclaw boys walked by and he could hear one of them say, "That new girl sure is something! She's a hero! It's not even Christmas yet and she already took Lucius Malfoy's son down! I hope she says 'yes' when I ask her to the Ball!" Then they all began arguing over who deserved to take Sai to the Ball.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were on their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts when they heard yet another group of students deep in discussion about Sai. Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust. Three girls, in a frenzy of giggles, were standing in the hallway babbling.

"That Gryffindor girl—yes, the new one—she's definitely got spunk! I wish I had that!" they heard one girl squeal.

"Ugh. Let's walk faster," Hermione urged Harry and Ron. Ron was grinning madly.

They reached the classroom, and Professor Londrang was sitting on the edge of his desk patiently waiting for his students. The three took their seats near the front of the room; they were among the first students to arrive. A few minutes later, the rest of the Gryffindors, along with the Slytherins (Malfoy scowling more than ever), came pouring in, still talking about the "incident." Sai was among the last to walk in, and she took her seat in the far corner of the room. Malfoy shot her a dirty look before taking his seat, but it was completely ignored.

Londrang rose from his sitting position and stood in front of the class.

"Well, students," he spoke. "I think today we should do something slightly different. Instead of the traditional lesson, I say we try for something a bit more fun." He grinned.

There was a shifting among the students as they turned their heads to whisper to one another.

Hermione's hand shot up in the air.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Professor…What exactly do you have in mind?" she asked innocently.

"Why, thank you for asking, Miss Granger. But what I have in mind is a surprise, actually," and Londrang gave a wry smile at this. "I think you will enjoy it, though," he said, and walked to the back of the room to retrieve a large trunk. "Wingardium leviosa." The trunk hovered in the air until Londrang finally set it down upon his desk. "Ah, now this will be today's lesson." He beamed.

"It's nothing but a grimy old trunk," Malfoy snorted.

"Ah, but what do you think is inside the grimy old trunk, Mr. Malfoy?" Londrang asked.

A few students giggled. Malfoy sneered.

"How should I know?" he said plainly. "For all I know it could be empty!"

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Malfoy, but the grimy old trunk is, in fact, quite full. Now," Londrang said, clapping his hands together, "can any of you guess what resides in the grimy old trunk?"

No one raised their hand.

"Anyone?"

Still, there was no answer.

"Hmm…Well, I guess it will be even more of a surprise, eh? Let's see…I'll need a volunteer…."

At these words the students shifted nervously in their seats.

"Ah, Mr. Potter."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were snickering into their hands.

"So much for 'volunteer,'" Malfoy said teasingly.

Harry was unfazed. He merely imagined Malfoy soaking wet with orange juice and said, "Yes, sir?"

"Would you mind stepping over here, Mr. Potter?" said Londrang, indicating standing in front of the trunk, but slightly to the right so that the class could see.

Harry arose from his seat and walked over to where Londrang motioned for him to stand.

"Take out your wand."

Harry did.

"Now, what I want you to do, Potter, is try to block out your deepest thoughts," Londrang was whispering in Harry's ear, so that only he could hear. "Don't let your emotions show whatsoever. But the important thing is to not let whatever it is reach into your mind. It will try to get the truth out of you, and what you need to do is lie. Imagine something so false as to fool it. Then say, 'fibarretus.' Fib-ARE-uh-tis. Emphasis on the 'arr.' Can you remember that?"

"Um, Professor," Harry whispered back, a look of puzzlement on his face, "what is it I'm dealing with again?"

Londrang simply gave a grin and opened the trunk. Harry heard the class suck in their breath. He looked at the open trunk before him, and he, himself, couldn't help but hold his breath as well. Neville's squeaking was audible behind him.

Something was crawling slowly out of the trunk—no—more like slithering. The thing resembled a jet black eel, only its head was almost reptilian. Its gleaming, flat, scaled body was no less than five feet long and half a foot wide. It raised its snake-like head, like a cobra poised to strike, and leered straight at Harry. Its eyes began to glow a portentous blue.

Harry suddenly heard a voice inside his head, only it wasn't exactly a voice. He could hear a strange clicking sound rattling in his ears when he heard Lavender squeal, "Look!"

There was a gasp from the class and Harry turned around to see students looking and pointing to a spot directly above his head. When he looked up, he saw what all the commotion was about. A large, foggy patch of silvery blue smoke hovered above him. It closely resembled a dream cloud that one would often see in common Muggle comic books when a character was thinking or dreaming. Inside the cloud, Harry saw a piece of parchment in a pair of hands, which looked to be his. This was in his point of view; it was what he had previously seen. The parchment was his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. This was his memory of when he first discovered he was a wizard.

But suddenly the image dissipated and there was the sound of a high-pitched laughter.

Voldemort, Harry thought.

He wasn't about to let the entire class see any memory with Voldemort in it, so he focused hard on lying, and imagined a clown laughing. To his great surprise and relief, the image of a clown at the circus came into focus in the cloud. Harry used this chance to point his wand at the eel-like creature and shouted, "Fibarretus!"

In an instant the clicking in his head stopped and the cloud burst into a shower of twinkling blue dust that glittered as it rained down on the heads of the students. The creature's eyes stopped glowing and it lowered its head. Harry turned around.

The entire class looked at him in awe.

"Very good, Potter!" Londrang said cheerfully, clapping. Slowly, the class joined him in uncertain applause, still stunned at what they had just seen. "That was absolutely perfect! Ten points to Gryffindor!"

Ron gave an enthusiastic whoop.

"Professor? What is that thing and what did it just do?" Harry asked. The creature hadn't moved from its position.

"That, students, is a Leering Prython. Leering Prythons are used to unveil the truth, much like Veritaserum—only these marvelous creatures allow the person who sets it on his enemy to see that person's deepest memories, thoughts, and emotions. They make great weapons to Dark wizards. I am actually rather surprised, yet very pleased, that Mr. Potter fended off one perfectly on his first try. Mr. Potter, have you had any experience with any spell of some sort that shares the same objective as the Leering Prython?"

"Um…yes," Harry responded, remembering the practice, though the very little and disappointing, he had with Snape the previous year. He had taken private Occlumency lessons with Snape to learn how to protect himself from Voldemort's using Legilimency on him—Voldemort had reached numerous times into Harry's mind and extracted his feelings and memories.

"Is that so? Well, I am quite impressed with you, Potter. You are full of surprises," said Londrang, smiling proudly. "You may go back to your seat, now."

Harry nodded and returned to sitting in between Hermione and Ron.

Londrang explained to the class how to defeat the creature and had all the students do what Harry did with the same Leering Prython—some of them not succeeding and so everyone got to see glimpses of people's worst memories. They weren't that bad though; they were mostly embarrassing moments. Harry almost bowled over from laughter when he watched one of Malfoy's worst experiences: Malfoy whistling to the back of a very attractive blonde woman, only to find out it isn't a woman, but a man; the man chases after Malfoy for miles, threatening to give him the appearance of an ugly girl as payback. While the entire class howled with laughter, Malfoy gave them an angry leer that almost matched the Leering Prython's.

When it was Sai's turn, she refused to go near the thing.

"Don't worry, Miss Ildred, the Leering Prython won't bite. It only intimidates the victim, to catch him off guard."

But Sai wouldn't have it. She glared sharply at the Professor with hate gleaming in her eyes. There was no changing of her mind, so Londrang gave up.

When the bell rang, the students ran for the door, talking enthusiastically about the Prython, some still laughing at the embarrassing shows they'd witnessed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the last to leave, along with Sai. But Sai took her time and when the others left the classroom, she didn't follow. Harry noticed this after they were a good distance from the door and Sai still hadn't walked out.

"Wait," he said to Ron and Hermione in almost a whisper, "walk slower."

"Harry, what—"

He put an arm out to stop the two in their tracks, saying, "Quiet…." He was still whispering. "Odd…" he said.

"What? What's odd?" Ron asked softly, following Harry's orders.

"Harry, what's going on?" said Hermione sternly, also whispering.

"She should have come out by now.…"

"Oh, Harry, not this again! She's not going to talk to you!" Hermione whispered loudly, frustrated.

"No, don't you see? She's still in the classroom."

"So?" said Ron.

"Maybe she's asking about a homework assignment."

Harry shook his head.

"Didn't you see the way she looked at Professor Londrang when he asked her to go up to that—thing? She looked furious! Why she did, I don't know, and that's what I'm going to find out."

"Harry, don't you think we've done enough meddling to last us a lifetime?" asked Hermione.

But Harry had already inched his way back to the classroom doorway, sidling the wall. He kept his back pressed as close to the cool stone as possible, his ears perked.

"Here we go again," Ron said, following Harry. Soon Hermione did the same, though reluctantly.

"I don't know why we're doing this—"

"Shh!"

Sai's voice resounded from the near empty classroom, causing Harry to shush Hermione and listen attentively.

"I can't believe you did that! Professor Dumbledore will be especially angry with you. You should've known better, you know that? I mean—who knows what they all could've seen?" they could hear her say.

"I'm sorry, Sai," Londrang's voice answered. "I wasn't thinking. I wanted to do something a bit more fun. You know, to entertain the stu—"

"Fun? You think everyone seeing the crap I've seen is fun? You're nuts!"

"Please calm down. I'm sorry," he repeated, "I really am. It completely slipped my mind."

"How could it have slipped your mind? I mean, how could it? If my father…" she stopped.

"Listen, I apologize for having been so oblivious. Please forgive me. It won't happen again, I promise."

There was a pause.

"Fine. It's fine. Whatever. Just—just think next time."

"I will, don't you worry."

There was a rustling of movement that told Harry and the others that the conversation was over.

"Quick!" he said under his breath. "Run!"

As they bolted down the corridor, they heard Sai say "I'll see you tomorrow, Professor" before they quickly turned a corner and ran down a hidden passageway behind one of the dusty old tapestries. Once they were safe, they came to an abrupt stop to catch their breath.

"What—" Ron gasped, "—what was that all about? Is she allowed to talk to a professor like that?"

Harry allowed time for his breathing and pounding heart to slow down before he answered, "I—I don't know." He was wondering what Sai didn't want everyone to see, and why it was so bad that she had to get angry with Londrang for almost letting it slip. What was weirder was that Londrang seemed to know exactly what Sai was talking about. He knew what she was hiding from everyone else, and he apparently wasn't doing a very good job in helping her.

"Well," Hermione said severely, "I've had enough of this for one day. Harry, you need to stop with all this eavesdropping and groping into other people's business. It'll only get you into trouble. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for Potions. As are you two."

"Oh, great," Ron said sarcastically, groaning in complaint. "Snape'll have our heads for sure!"

"Well, we better get going before he has more than that," said Harry, and they all trudged their way to the dungeons, the pits of their stomachs churning.

Snape was definitely not happy about their late arrival. In fact, he was far from it. His temper only got worse when Sai finally tumbled in the classroom moments after they did, hastily flopping into her seat two rows in front of Harry's. Snape's lip curled into an ugly sneer.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor and detention for all of you!" he bellowed.

"Professor," Sai said calmly, "I had a meeting with Professor Lon—"

"Do you have a note?"

"N—"

"Then you may sit quietly, Miss Ildred. Come see me after class. You three as well," he said irritably, pointing to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins sniggered.

Sai raised her hand. Snape looked as if he had reached the end of his tether.

"Yes, Miss Ildred?" he said lethally.

"I think it's unfair, sir, that I am forced to serve detention for meeting with a professor—"

"That's enough!" roared Snape, eyes gleaming furiously. "You will serve detention—along with these three—" he glared at Harry "—with no complaints! If you have a problem with that, Miss Ildred, I will gladly enforce your punishment!"

Ron looked shocked.

"Fine," said Sai coolly, unaffected by Snape's tantrum.

"Good then. Now, who can tell me—"

"No, I mean, fine, I have a problem with that. By all means enforce my punishment, but that won't stop me from having a problem with your unfairness. Actually, your enforcing my punishment will only make it even less fair."

There was a long, awkward silence as the entire class gaped at Sai. No one ever interrupted Snape, or, for that matter, talked back to him. Harry had half a mind to shout to her to never do such a thing with Snape, but decided to let it go. He, himself, didn't want to get in trouble.

"Ex—excuse me?"

"You heard me—"

"OUT!" Snape was shrieking louder than a banshee. "GET OUT!" He pointed a finger, which shook with incredible fury, toward the dungeon door.

Sai grabbed her things and, unperturbed, made her way to the door.

"YOU WILL FACE TREMENDOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR DISRESPECTING ME, MISS ILDRED! SEE ME AFTER CLASS!" Snape snarled viciously at her retreating form. She had left.

Harry had never seen anyone stand up to Snape—never in his entire five years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There was only once when he had witnessed Snape this enraged and this abashed—when he accidentally ended up in Snape's memory of being publicly humiliated as an outcast in his years at Hogwarts, and the present Snape had caught him in the act of watching it.

Beside him, Ron murmured "Brilliant, but mad!" into his ear. Harry saw Malfoy wearing a very impressed expression.

Snape looked as if he was about to explode before he unexpectedly opened his mouth to say testily, with an irritated tone of voice, "Who can tell me what the Klerris thorn, otherwise known as Klerandris spine, is used for?"

So? Getting more interesting for ya? I'll bet it is! R/R please! Or I won't write anymore!

Sora