Chapter Five: The Crystal Ball

Draco stood by the large oak doors that lead in and out of the castle. He waited for Tesania to exit so he could show her around the grounds so she wouldn't get lost. He thought about the time he had to go in the Forbidden Forest with his arch-enemy in the first year. He had ended up running away in fear of a mysterious creature that he couldn't even tell if it was dangerous, but fear and instinct told him that it was dangerous and would have killed him if he hadn't left to get the half giant, Hagrid.

The doors creaked open and he came out of his thoughts. There stood Tesania wearing a tight purple tank top with a silver skull and another pair of black parachute pants. She must have changed when she had received her new robes for the Slytherin House.

She was now wearing the school cloaks that held the Slytherin emblem on it. Her hair was up in a sloppy bun and she had dark eyeliner and mascara on. She looked dark and mysterious, as if she was trying to draw something towards her. She cleared her throat and he shook his head.

"Sorry didn't mean to stare." He apologized quickly and then he noticed the annoyed look upon her face. She didn't seem too happy. She no longer seemed like the sneaky girl he had talked to the night before. Her eyes held caution and they seemed to be alert, ready for something to pop out at her.

"That's fine. I have a question for you." He looked at her and so she continued. "Are people who have breaks able to come out here for them?" he was surprised by the question. He expected something more important or something like a secret.

"Yeah I believe so. Most of the people if they come out here go sit by the lake to study, read, sleep, or just look at the scenery." He answered calmly. It was the best answer he could give and this was one of the first times he didn't lie when giving an answer. She started walking off and he followed her. "What class you got next?" He asked her as she headed towards the lake. He walked besides her with his hands in his pockets. She found a willow tree and sat under it and faced the lake and pulled out her books.

"I have Divination, but I'm not exactly sure where that is." She looked up at him and he gave her the directions on how to get to the class. He also pointed out where the rest of her outside classes were. She thanked him and he left saying he had to meet a few of his friends before he had to head to Divination.

Harry, Hermione and Ron walked to the library and found a secluded table in the far corner to where they could talk.

"This mornings class was pretty odd." said Ron. "Though you were able to actually get turned into an animal and successfully turn your partner into a hawk." Hermione blushed.

"Speaking of partners; how was the new girl? Is she cool, mean, quiet? What?" Hermione thought for a moment.

"She's actually pretty cool. She's nice and all, quiet to. We didn't talk all that much, we basically just introduced ourselves to one another and when we did the transfiguring spell we actually began to trust each other." Ron gave her a look that suggested that she might actually be going crazy, but instead of waiting for her to answer the look he had just given her, he opened his Potions book and started reading the forth chapter.

"I guess if she was nice to you, she might be nice in general."

"Oh come on Harry she looks creepy." said Ron.

"Ron, we look creepy to most students." said Harry back at him. "Everyone considers us that American word, goth." Ron looked away defeated. He was right. Harry, Hermione and himself did where nothing but black and some mixture of other dark colors. "She would seem to fit in our group." Ron looked up at Harry.

"Except we are not in Slytherin. Though many people think that is where we might belong, well except for the Gryffindors, because they actually know us." Hermione looked up from the book she was reading.

"Ok shut up the both of you. Bottom line is, she was nice to me so maybe she just might be a nice person who for some reason got dumped into the Slytherin house. I'll talk to her more in my next class. Now can we get back to studying?" Ron and Harry looked at her in disbelief; she never really blew up like that unless she was really annoyed. The two turned back to their books and began their work.

Draco walked over to where Crabbe and Goyle stood. They were talking quietly amongst the two of them.

"Crabbe. Goyle. I need your help." The two looked at him and waited for his request. "I want you to find out as much as you can about Tesania Nightshade." The two nodded and walked off. They usually knew where to find the best places to dig up dirt on people. Pansy walked down the hall toward Draco. He rolled his eyes and waited for her to reach him. He was getting sick of her sticking to him like glue. She didn't know when to shut up or leave him alone. She was mostly the reason he wanted to be alone on the train.

"Draco, what is going on? I keep seeing you hanging out with that new girl, Nightshade. Why are you so interested in her all of a sudden?" Pansy looked up at him with an angry glare. Draco knew she would only take a straight answer and if she didn't get what she wanted she would force someone to give it to her. She placed her arms across her chest and waited.

"I've been trying to find out who she is and why she came here in the seventh year instead of the first. It's a bit odd don't you think?" he snapped at her. He was getting tired of her nagging as well and her always being suspicious of him. "Can't you go nag on someone else for awhile?"

"I think you like her." He was going to blow his top.

"Well maybe I do, what the hell are you going to do about it?"

"For one I might just as well be pissed at you since we are the ones who are going out damn it. Not you and little Miss Mysterious." she said to him in a deathly tone. Draco held back a little. She was right about that. They were going out. He forgot that little detail. He felt a little twinge of regret of what he had said. She held sadness and pain in her eyes, but also anger and regret.

"Fine, fuck you then." She turned and walked back to where she had come from. Draco turned back and walked down to the herbology classes. He wanted to find Zabini. He knew he was good at convincing things out of people. He walked to the gardens where found Zabini kneeling over a greenish yellow plant that seemed to move with his hands. He was the best student from the Slytherin house in herbology. Zabini looked up as he heard Draco walk up to him.

"What are you doing here? Isn't it your free period?" Draco smirked at his friend. Zabini had crazy spiky black hair with stone grey eyes. He was tall with a dark tan. He was wearing skater, black Capri's with a wallet chain linked to his belt that was studded. His long shirt was sporting his favorite American band that he saw when he had visited over the continent with fifty states. Zabini stood up and brushed of his hands and put his school cloak on.

"I was just finishing up a project. So what's up?" He walked over to his best friend and smirked.

"I have a job for you that only you can help me with." Zabini smirked back.

Tesania walked over to where the Divination class was gathering. In the distant she saw Hermione walking over to her with her bag on her back and a book in her left arm. She smiled at her and waved. Tesania smiled softly and waved back. Hermione walked over to her and dropped her bag to the ground.

"How's it going?" asked Hermione with a soft smile on her face. Tesania heard the clinking of her chains as she walked. She looked over at the teacher. Firenze was a centaur and had become a teacher at Hogwarts when his family and friends of centaurs banished him from the group. He calmly walked over to the students and smiled.

"Students today were going to try something new. I would like you all to follow me." Hermione picked up her bag again and she and Tesania followed behind the teacher. His tail swished from side to side causing a small breeze which felt rather good to the two girls. They entered a partly dark tent. It was a bit small, but it managed to fit the whole class and his horse body. "We are all going to attempt to make a sphere glow. When the sphere glows it means that you have managed to lock hold of your inner magic." He moved his body towards the back of the tent. "Alright, I want everyone to form a circle."

Draco and Zabini sat across from Hermione and Tesania. Zabini glanced over at the two girls. Tesania sent him an annoyed look. He looked away and then went back to talking to Draco.

Tesania went back to watching and listening to the teacher.

"…then I would like you to concentrate on the sphere that is set in front you. You will draw all of your magic to your hands and then concentrate on the sphere." Firenze grabbed a small ball and a stand. He looked around and found a student he thought best to start. He held out the sphere and stand to Hermione and she took it and placed it front of her. "Alright now Ms. Granger, you have one minute to get it to glow." Hermione nodded and placed her hands around the sphere. She closed her eyes and concentrated all of her magic in her hands. She could feel the energy flow through her and then she tried to concentrate with her eyes open on the glass ball in front of her. It began to glow but it only glowed a dim light and then went out. Firenze nodded and then spoke.

"Five points for Gryffindor. Thank you Ms. Granger, can you please pass it to another person." Hermione nodded only feeling a little disappointed. She passed the ball over to Tesania who pulled the ball in front of her. She mimicked Hermione's first move. She cupped her hands around the sphere and closed her eyes. She pulled her energy to her hands and felt the magic flow through like a river. She pulled it through her and then aimed the magick into the sphere. She opened her eyes and saw that it was glowing. The room around her became dark and her features were illuminated. She seemed to have pulled the light from the room into the glass ball. Draco watched her with intensity. Around him people gasped at her achievement. She looked down at the glass ball and smirked a small smile. She let go of her concentration and the light went out and more light filled the room. Firenze looked shocked and startled and happy at the same time.

"Fifteen points for Slytherin. Very well done Ms. Nightshade. Alright pass it off to another student." Tesania looked around and saw Draco sitting on the opposite side of where she sat. He had one leg bent and his arm resting on his leg. He watched her as she turned to face him. She slid the ball over to him. He brought his leg down and tried for himself and in turn ended with the same result as Tesania. He looked up at her and smirked. She looked disappointed for a short moment and then looked over at Zabini who was now trying it as well. He also achieved the same result as his fellow Slytherin students.