A Present?

As Transfiguration finially came to an end with the sound of a bell, you quickly packed up your things, and left the room. You were in no mood to talk to Potter about feelings. You shuddered at the thought.

" Think I need a smoke." you muttered as you finished putting books in your bag. You left in such a hurry , you still had parchment and your book out.

" Hey! Amber! Wait up!" yelled Harry from a ways behind.You rolled your eyes. Nothing like Saint Potter to come and make things right.

"screw off Potter." said Mac, as soon as he caught up to you.Harry didn't seem to hear him though.

" Can I talk to you?"he asked.

" Its still a free country." you replied, looking straight ahead.He sighed.

" I ment alone."

" This is alone as I'll ever be and besides Mac here doesn't listen. Goes in one ear out the other. Isn't that right Mac?"

"...Sure..."

"Besides to be alone is a state of mind. Even when you're surrounded by people you can feel alone. I'm sure you all people could understand that." You turned and caught his eye.

" we-well I'm really sorry about this. I had no idea he was your brother." You noticed Harry had some trouble saying was, and you could tell he was trying his hardest not to choke up.

" Thanks I guess. Now If you excuse me I've got to go to my next class. C'ya round Harry-Blaise wait up!" You were just lucky you had to go to class. It was just too weird with Harry pitying you.

" What was Potter doing talkin to you?" Blaise asked the minute you caught up to him.

" Oh you know, not a day goes by until he's saved everybodies lives." Blaise snorted. Mac you noticed, just seemed to realize you were no longer back there and started sprinting

"Man, I need to smoke less." he panted

"Like that'll ever happen." Blaise snorted.

The rest of the day went as smooth as it could of gone. Mac kept nagging about skipping the next class, and Harry kept eyeing you and trying to get a word with you. Trying to be nice you never told him to screw off, but by the end of the day it was already getting rather old.

" I can't believe he hasn't given up already." said Drew, at dinner. You all weren't really at dinner, but it was dinner time. You had all managed to get out to have a smoke. One you desperately needed.

" I would of just slugged the kid." said Drew, lighting another smoke.

" Thats where you and I differ my friend."

" Aw Hufflepuffs really turned you soft around the edges hasn't it." said Railyn.

" No it hasn;t. Shut it." You spent longer than you usually did outside that night. You must of had at least a half a pack in the 2 or so hours you spent out there.One by one your friends left to go do homework or sleep or something else you hoped still was legal. Soon only you and Blaise were left outside, and he was getting irritated with waiting for you.

" Just go then. Don't you have that stupid Slug Club to worry about." you snapped.

" Oh come off it. Nothing interesting there. Just a bunch of people with high connections, but I don't see how Longbottom got in, or that Weasel."

" Which one?"

" The girl."

" Did you like her?"

" I'd never date her, and shut your mouth about it, weren't you the one who went outwith Nott."You rolled your eyes. You knew that one was coming.

" Will you ever get new material Zabini?" you laughed.

" I better get that stuff done for Snape or he'll have a field day." Blaise said, standing up." Don't smoke that whole pack.You'll get sick."

" Don't worry. I'll be coming in after this one."

" I have to admit, you smoke too much. You never used to."

" Well I guess I should take that seriously, you of all people telling me I smoke too much. " Blaise snorted, and then made his way back to the castle. It was getting dark and you knew that soon you wouldn't be able to get back in, but you didn't care, you slowly smiked your ciggarette trying to forget about the first day back at Hogwarts.

" Aren't you scared about getting caught?" came a voice. You jumped, and then quickly put your half finished cigarette behind your back.

"haha, don't worry I'm not Hermione or anything." said Harry who seemed to appear out of thin air.

" How'd you get out here?" you said immediately.

" I walked." he said slowly.

" Thats not what I ment." you told him, taking your smoke out from behind your back and inhaling deep."Want one?" you said, offering him one from your pack. He shook his head." Yah thats what I expected." you said.

" Uhh I was wondering how you were doing?" he said.You eyed him for a second, but didn't answer.He looked really uncomfortable but kept talking." You know, I really had no idea whatsoever. I've seen you before but never put two and two together. Now that I think about it, when your hair wasn't dyed black you looked almost exactly like your brother. On the train you gave clues to. I was just being dumb." You blew a puff of smoke in his face.

" Well I've been here forever, lived near Ottery St. Catchpole all my life. I've always been here, but I can see why you never suspected it. Hufflepuff and Slytherin don't normally go hand in hand."

" Yeh, but i can't get over the fact. When he-uh you know, you must of been devisated. Losing someone like that." You threw your ciggarette on the ground and stomped it out. You didn't answer his question. You really didn't see the need. " Well I promised Blaise that one would be the last tonight so if you don't mind Potter, I'll leave you here." You walked alittle way back to the school but then stopped and turned around. "Hey Potter!"you called at him, " Here, looks like you need them more than me." With that you threw him your half full pack of smokes, and then walked all the way back to the comman room without looking back. You woke groggly the next morning to Pansy talking at top speed about how Draco was so great. You almost hit the roof.

" We know! You've told us, I think I know more about him than he does!" you said angrily as you went to the bathroom to get ready. She just stood there mouth wide open.

" You don't like him do you? Cuz hes mine." You rolled your eyes as you came out of the bathroom fully clothed and just putting on your black eyeliner.

" I'd rather be in Gryffindor than go out with him."

" So thats a no?" You nodded.She seemed more at ease after that." You know Nott's always talking about you. You guys should go out with him again."

" No thanks, but if you like him so much, by all means go ahead." Mornings with Pansy were always like this to some extent. You had mostly gotten used to it, 6 years of her , it started rubbing on you. You more of expected it now, more than dreaded it.

Harry Potter sulked back to the Gryffindor comman room under the saftey of his invisability cloak. After Amber had left he spent awhile sitting, thinking, and staring down at the "present" she had given him. When he finially made it back to the comman room Hermione and Ron were left, sitting by the fire, looking very worried.

" Harry! Where were you, we looked everywhere." Hermione said, just as Harry entered. (He had taken off the invisability cloak to get into the Comman Room)

" Obviously not everywhere if we didn't find him." Ron pointed out. Harry chuckled.

" I was outside talking with Amber.Well talking to Amber. I don't know why I feel the need to talk to her ever since I found out Cedric was her brother."

" Its natural to want acceptance." said Hermione, "Even when his parents didn't blame you."

" Shes a dodggy character isn't she. Nothin like her brother." said Ron.

" RON!"

" sorry."

" You used to think she was pretty."

" No I thought that Slytherin that looked kinda like-oh."

"People change when your in school. They're discovering themselves." said Hermione.

" Shes nice guys. Not like most Slytherins."

"But she is a Slytherin.I still don't like the fact you were alone outside with her." siad Hermione.

" I think she might be that way because of the way she grew up. I bet shes the first Slytherin in her whole family." said Harry.

" True."

"Whats that in your pocket Harry?" asked Hermione.

" Oh no-nothing."

" Mate we can see it. Its right here." said Ron, pulling out the pack.

HARRY!" hissed Hermione. " Where'd you get those.

" Amber. She said it looked like I needed them.

" Just liek a Slytherin- you didn't smoke all the missing ones did you?"

" No! I'm not stupid, she thrw them to me as she left, and it was half empty."

" and you didn't give them back!"

"That would be alittle rude."

" Oh shut up Ron!" said Hermione,"Well anyhow you're going to give them back to her.Tommorow after classes and be careful not to get caught."

" Yeh, I guess. I'm goin to bed." said Harry, as he took back the cigarettes from Rons hands and went up to the boys dormitories. Seamus Dean and Neville were all either sleeping, or jotting down last minute points in there homework when he got up there." Hey Harry." whispered Neville, trying not to wake Seamus." Saw you going outside tonight. You do know those Slytherins like to, well you know, do stuff out there." Harry snorted.Neville was one of the last people anyone would ever expect of knowing that." On;y reason I know that is one time last year I was walking passed them and saw. Mean they are. Made fun of my gran, well everyone but that Amber. She told them it wasn't worth the time. Really thats an insult, but I'd much rather be ignored than poked fun of by some Slytherins." Harry nodded. Amber was different, and he needed her to understand what happened those years before.He shut away the pack of cugarettes in his bedside table and pulled his curtins around his four poster bed. He sat there thinking about the right way to go about it.