Disclaimer: I have decided this is the last disclaimer you'll see. I don't own any characters from the original Harry Potter books by Ms. Rowling. I don't own any song lyrics if I happen to use them (unless of course…I made them up…which probably won't happen). So yeah. I have fifty-seven cents if you want to sue me.

AN: Aah, and I have finished with the revamping of chapter one. It's really not all that different. Hmm…maybe I'm just lazy. Thank you to Jackie for the constructive feedback.

Chapter 1: Girl Talk

It seemed that in the interlude between teaching her two sixth-year classes (Gryffindor-Slytherin and Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff), Seraphim would be looking into a few classes of her own. She had sat in on the sixth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures classes as well as the seventh-year Herbology and the seventh-year History of Magic (which, it was said, she didn't always attend). By the end of the first week, she'd also decided to observe the sixth-year Potions class.

Most nights she could be found in her room going over lesson plans or notes from the day. One evening Hermione joined her to go over the technique for the wandless levitation spell.

"Yes, that's better. The incantation must be over-enunciated to make up for…yes. That's good."

Hermione beamed and took her wand out of the air. "So, how's your Potions class?"

Seraphim grimaced. "Boring as hell. He gave me homework. I'm not even technically in his class. But, of course, I need to go over my own lesson plans. Aunt Minerva told me even though I'm just an assistant, it's a good idea to have hands-on experience in everything."

Hermione laughed and sat at the foot of the bed. "That is a little demanding."

After a moment's deliberation, Seraphim flopped on her bed. "So, how are things around here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Teachers, students, whatever. I'm a 'teacher', I'm sure I have no clue about what really goes on here and, hey, I am a teenager," Seraphim rolled over so she was looking at Hermione upside down.

"It's all right. Snape, as you've noticed, is a little less than satisfactory but it's all right. The house teams will be pretty good this year. If you plan to stick to a Gryffindor crowd, expect to get flack from Malfoy. In fact, expect flack from him anyway since you're rooming here." Hermione shrugged.

"That bad a character?" Seraphim grinned.

"That bad." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"All right. How about his entourage? They any harm?"

"Not really. They do what he says but not much else."

"I see." Seraphim flicked a piece of lint from her bed.

"So, what about you?" asked Hermione.

"What about me what?"

"I need some information if we're to become friends."

Seraphim laughed. "All right. I'm a Mage. I'll be seventeen in December of this year. Aunt Minerva told me to help her with her students this year because I don't know what I want to do as a career. My parents are always abroad for their work as researchers so I see them a few times a year for holidays and birthdays. I love Muggle inventions; they're so interesting. I'm an only child. Um…" Seraphim thought a moment.

"Pets? Hobbies?"

"No pets. But I like music. I play the flute." Seraphim gestured to the glass flute in the case resting on her desk. "I also like to write and argue."

Hermione nodded. "What about boys?"

Seraphim giggled. "What kind of boys? Hogwarts boys?"

"Of course."

"Hmm. Most boys here seem all right. I hear all the good ones are taken though," she winked.

Hermione shook her head, "Harry's still free. He's good-looking, charming, agreeable-"

"So why don't you date him?"

Hermione looked taken aback and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm dating someone," Hermione blushed.

"Oh right," Seraphim rolled over again, "I read about that in a tabloid. You're going out with that Krum fellow, right?"

Hermione giggled. "Yes."

"Well, if I tinkered with his personality a bit, Malfoy would be a catch. The bad boy attitude is quite appealing if you're into the whole S&M thing. Which I'm not. But whatever," Seraphim shrugged.

"I think you could spruce him up," Hermione interjected.

"Tcha. If I wanted to get my head blown off. The little rascal is rather irritating. Did you see him try to trip me in the hall after your class with me?" Seraphim wrinkled her nose. "No thank you. I'd rather Harry."

"Would you like me to put in a good work with him for you?"

"Aren't I a little old for him?" she raised an eyebrow.

Hermione shook her head. "Not at all. He used to like this girl, Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw, last year and the year before. He has no problem with older women."

That caused Seraphim to giggle. "Well, not right now. I need to settle in and figure out a routine. God, I remember being in tutoring and thinking, 'I can do better than this git.' But now that I am, it's really difficult to make everyone understand," she sighed. "Aunt Minerva wants me to take a position here since she's thinking of retiring soon but I don't think I'm cut out for it."

"What about an Auror? I heard that a lot of Mages are chosen for those jobs because of their ability to go undercover in the Muggle world," Hermione suggested.

Seraphim sat up to pull her hair into a bun. "Dumbledore suggested that. I don't know though. That's why I've taken this year off to 'find myself' according to my parents."

Hermione nodded understanding. "I see. Well, I'm planning to be an Auror. So are Harry and Ron since summer."

"You guys are really good friends aren't you?" Seraphim smiled.

"Yeah, we are. Under very strange circumstances," Hermione laughed.

"Oh yeah. Aunt Minerva told me about the troll incident. So what really happened down there in that bathroom?"

"Ah, well you see. They'd actually insulted me and I'd gone off because of it. Then the bloody monstrosity found me and was about to finish me off when Harry and Ron showed up and did their best to incapacitate it," Hermione shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. "We were a little thicker back then."

"Don't worry, mischief gets easier as you get older because people trust you more and you know more ways to get out of trouble," Seraphim grinned. "I know this from experience."

"And here I thought you were a perfect little girl who always did what your teachers said," Hermione chuckled.

"Hah! Far from it. I'd do what they said when it suited my own purposes. Then I figured out the rest myself, bad habit of mine. But it usually worked."

"So what kind of pranks did you pull if you were tutored?" asked Hermione.

"Well, I had a few tutors and their kids were about my age; Lillian and Darius, who's my cousin, are now engaged and Jesse, my best friend. Their parents would always catch us doing something during the holidays. They all went to Beaubaxtons during the school year," Seraphim explained.

"So Jesse is a…?"

"Boy. He's pretty good-looking and I'd date him if he wasn't like a brother to me," Seraphim summoned her wallet from a table and took out some pictures. "There he is, the tall Spanish one."

Hermione took the photo and looked at the four teenagers. Who she supposed was Darius because of his similarities to Seraphim, Lillian, a pretty blonde who Hermione remembered from the Triwizard tournament, Jesse, the Spaniard, and Seraphim were all waving at the photographer. It seemed they were in front of the Hogwarts castle before the start of term.

"Do you miss them?" she asked.

Seraphim shrugged. "Kind of. I guess you could say they're like my Harry and Ron. We're something of a team. But Dare and Lillian are off exploring some artifacts in the arctic and Jesse is working on getting onto a Quidditch team. We met your Oliver Wood over the summer you know. Nice chap," she smiled.

"He's something of a fanatic but he is a relatively nice guy. He was nice to Harry when he first started playing," Hermione affirmed.

"Do you play?"

"Quidditch? No. But Harry and Ron are both on the Gryffindor team. Harry's a seeker and Ron's keeper."

"Ah, I see."

"Do you play?" Hermione moved to sit beside Seraphim on the bed.

"Mmm, I have a broom, Cleansweep Seven, but I can't fly all that well. Jesse's been trying to teach me since we were young but I never got the hang of holding on long enough to do much of anything worthwhile on the thing. I love flying, but I can't stay on the darn thing. I must've fallen off a broomstick more times than anyone else in the world at the hands of my 'loving, caring teacher.' Pshaw. But really, when he's not trying to make you fall to your doom, Jesse's a good guy," Seraphim laughed.

"I'd like to meet him someday," Hermione suggested.

"All right. I'm staying for the winter holidays and they'll be coming round for a few days. You can meet them all then."

Hermione smiled. "That'd be nice."

There was a lull in the conversation in which Hermione looked at the clock. "Oh, I've got to go to sleep. I have Transfiguration with your Aunt tomorrow morning and she'll kill me if I'm late."

Seraphim glanced at the timekeeper on her desk. "I guess you're right. Hey, tell any of the other students that they're more than welcome to come in for help on my subject. I know I come off as sort of stuck-up but that's to dissuade the slackers who'll waste my time."

Hermione nodded. "Sure thing. Well, see you tomorrow."

Seraphim blanched. "Damn, I forgot. Potions."

Hermione laughed as she exited the room. "Don't worry, we're there with you."

"Good night!"

"Night."

Outside in the common room, Harry and Ron were just finishing up their Astrology charts and were comparing notes.

"Hey Hermione," Harry moved over for her to scoot in between them.

"We should be getting to bed soon," she told them, scanning their charts. "And Polaris goes in the second…no, right there." She pointed at a spot a little to the left of Harry's Polaris.

"Oh, thanks," he scribbled a bit and changed his mistake.

"So, how's miss Mage?" asked Ron.

"She's nice. I think you'll like getting to know her; we'll be great friends. She says she's pulled a number of the type of stints that we're all so famous for throughout the school. And she says we can go in for help anytime," Hermione nodded, rearranging the papers in front of her.

Harry and Ron exchanged looks. "Cool."

Then Hermione smirked and faced Harry, "She also thinks you're cute." Leaving the two boys, Hermione walked toward her dormitory, satisfied with herself.

Harry and Ron sat, stupefied. "Bli-mey," Ron punched Harry in the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" Harry rubbed the sore limb.

"She thinks you're cute," Ron stated.

"That doesn't mean you have to hit me," Harry replied.

"Ask her to the next Hogsmeade trip," Ron prompted.

"But I don't like her like that," Harry protested.

"You will," Ron ordered.

The two walked off to their dormitory bickering over the pros and cons of Harry dating their sort-of Professor.

And :flourish: it is done! Sort of. I mean the story's only just started but that's the end of the chapter. So please do me a favor and review because it makes me happy and you can write it down as your good deed for the day! (Or if you do bad deeds I guess you could flame me instead…)

Aloha and good night! :huggles: