Renae's day continued without strife. She spent her free periods and breaks with Harry and Ron and, on an occasion, Hermione. They gave her a tour of the school and told her who to stay away from. As lunch rolled around, Malfoy had still not awoken from his unconsciousness. Renae, feeling slightly guilty that she had knocked him out, sat down with the Gryffindor's at their table.

"What a day…" Ron groaned, piling his plate with food.

Renae touched nothing. She stared at her empty plate and sighed. "Damn it, why did I have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Knock him out!" Renae threw up her arms in frustration.

"'Nae, it's not your fault," Harry said. "He hit a chair, you couldn't do anything about it."

"But-"

"Leave it," he said, simply. "Now eat, you have five more hours until dinner and I don't want you passing out in the middle of the corridor."

Renae rolled her eyes and picked up an apple. She continued to glance at the doors into the Hall, as if to see if Malfoy would burst through at any moment, but he didn't appear. Afterwards, Renae followed Harry, Hermione, and Ron up to a portrait of a rather large woman in a pink dress.

"Password?"

"Renae, close your ears," Hermione said.

"Why?"

"Because, you're not supposed to know our password," Ron replied.

Renae put her hands over her ears and closed her eyes, to resist using her lip-reading skill. Harry then tapped her on the shoulder and she followed them through a hole in the wall into the common room. There was an assortment of armchairs and rickety tables, surrounding a fireplace.

"Renae! What are you doing here?"

Seamus jumped up from one of the armchairs and enveloped her in a hug. Dean, Lavender, and Parvati looked around to see what he was doing. She breathed in the smell of his cologne and smiled. Damn, that's hot…

"What was that for?" Renae laughed.

"I dunno… but really, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"They brought me," Renae said, nodding her head towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Oh…. Are you allowed in here?" he asked suspiciously.

"What does that matter? As long as I don't get caught-" she flopped down into one of the armchairs "- we're good."

Seamus looked wary, but took a seat next to Renae. Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined them. Renae looked around at everyone, who was staring back at her. Lavender gave her a particularly loathing look as she stared between Renae and Seamus. She crossed her arms and slumped down into her chair, looking mutinous.

"So, is everyone having a good first day back?" Hermione asked.

"It's been better," Dean said, pulling at a loose thread in his chair. "Not having as many classes as usual is actually kind of boring."

Everyone mumbled in agreement.

"How many O.W.L.s did you guys get?" Renae asked.

"Seven."

They all looked at Hermione, who blushed and muttered, "Eleven."

Ron rolled his eyes and looked in astonishment at Hermione. She blushed even more.

"But Renae passed all of hers, too!" she retorted.

"Yeah, but I only took seven classes, and they're all really easy," Renae responded. "It's different when you've been home-schooled for your entire life. I didn't have to deal with classes that I didn't like."

"Lucky," Ron mumbled. "It would've have been wicked if I could've just dropped my classes if I got bored with them. I wish I was home-schooled…"

"Why were you home-schooled, any way?" Lavender asked. "Did your family not have enough money to send you to a real school? I mean there are four of you. That's a lot to support, even with two parents."

Everyone stared at her in amazement. Ron stood up and bellowed in rage.

"You filthy bitch!" he yelled. "There are SEVEN kids in my family and only my Dad works! And you're here, saying that FOUR is hard to support? Even with five of my brothers working, we still don't have enough money to buy Ginny new robes! I can't believe you'd even think about saying something like that!"

He stomped through the portrait hole and it slammed shut. Renae ran after him, pushing a second-year aside.

"Renae!"

Seamus too, hopped out of his seat and ran out of the room. Lavender let out a shriek of utmost rage and stormed upstairs, to be heard kicking and screaming in her dormitory.

"She's going to be pleasant tonight," Hermione said sarcastically.

Renae ran through the halls, shouting his name. She looked around wildly and bit her lip. For the past ten minutes, she had been rushing around, trying to find Ron. Now, she had run up so many flights of stairs and through multiple doors disguised as walls, she had no idea where she was. A tear escaped from one of her already red eyes and she sat down beneath a window. Renae closed her eyes as more tears ran over her cheeks. Where was he?

"Renae! There you are!"

Seamus rushed towards where she was sitting and crouched down next to her. He wrapped his arms around Renae and she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I don't know where he is!" Renae wailed. "What if he did something stupid? What if he like… launched himself off of the Astronomy Tower? I didn't save him! If he's hurt, it's all my fault!"

"No it's not," Seamus whispered. "He wouldn't do something like that."

"You don't know him as well as I do!" she wept. "He's always been ashamed of his family, always saying how lucky I was to have money and to be the oldest! It was just a matter of time before someone really pissed him off and-"

She let out a moan of despair and continued to sob. Seamus held her closer.

"He's fine," he said. "When I went looking for you, I found him outside, chucking rocks into the lake."

"Really?" Renae gulped.

"Yeah," Seamus answered. "We split up to go look for you. I think he's somewhere around the dungeons."

They found Ron ten minutes later in the Entrance Hall. Renae immediately rushed forward, hugged him tightly, then slapped him across the face.

"Don't scare me like that!" she yelled. "I was looking for you forever, and you didn't even bother to at least let me know you're okay? Believe it or not Ron, I worry about you! You're like the brother I never had!"

"But you have two brothers," Seamus interrupted.

"Well, they don't count," Renae said. "Honestly, I would run to India and back for you Ron, with my legs and arms chopped off! So don't do that to me!"

"Fine," Ron said. He pulled her into a one-armed hug. "I didn't know you cared that much. I mean, I knew you cared, but not to that extent."

"I come from a compassionate family," Renae shrugged.

Seamus looked at his watch and jumped.

"Damn, we have class in five minutes!" he gasped. "Our stuff's still back in the Common Room! That's a mile away!"

"Hold on…" Renae said. She flicked her wand and her, Ron, and Seamus's bags came zooming towards them.

"Who ever invented Summoning Charms is my hero," Seamus said, pulling his bag onto his back. "Well I have Astronomy next… me mam wouldn't let me drop it. I'll see you guys later."

Seamus waved farewell and headed up the stairs and out of sight. Renae turned to Ron, who had his schedule pulled out.

"Wonderful, we have Potions next," he mumbled. "Follow me."

Renae and Ron traipsed down the steps to their left, which lead to the dungeons. Renae pulled her robes tighter around her as they descended further beneath the school. Soon, her teeth began to chatter.

"Is it always this c-cold down here?" she asked.

"You get used to it," Ron said. He, however, was not shaking at all.

Soon, they came to a door with a few students standing around it, waiting to be let in. Ron and Renae found Harry and Hermione. They were talking to a rather pompous-looking boy, who was the only Hufflepuff there. Three other Slytherins and four Ravenclaws were also there.

"There you two are!" Hermione said. "We were just talking about you. I thought you might've gotten hurt or in trouble or even-"

"Shut it, Hermione," Ron laughed. "Do we look dead? No, I think not."

"Well, you never know…" Hermione muttered.

"And who are you?" Renae asked the boy.

"Oh, where have my manners skipped off to?" he chuckled. "I'm Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff. Absolutely thrilled to meet you at last."

He held out his hand. Renae looked at it warily, but shook it anyway. His face lit up and he gave her a large smile, which she returned, though not as cheerfully. Then, the door opened and a large walrus-like man appeared in the doorway. He smiled broadly and moved aside to let them enter.

Renae looked around at the dungeon. There were a few tables, each supplied with cauldrons, some of them already containing bubbling potions within them. Renae took a seat with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ernie at the nearest table. The cauldron atop it was filled with a gold liquid, which, to Renae's much pleasure, was giving off the scent of fresh oregano, a summer storm, and well-worn Quidditch robes. She breathed deeply and smiled. Harry and Ron did the same.

"Well, that seems to be everybody," said the walrus-man. "I am Professor Slughorn, your new Potions master for this term. As you have come to be N.E.W.T. students, we shall be working with more difficult potions than you are used to. But, before we proceed with today's work, I must take attendance."

He pulled a scroll of parchment from one of his pockets. Every now and then, he would stop and ask the students about their families, sometimes commenting on what great witches and wizards they were. When he came to Renae's name, he paused.

"Cantera…" he murmured. "Where have I heard that before? Was your father Nikolai Cantera, the Quidditch player?"

"Yeah."

"I can sense the Quidditch energy within you," he said fondly. "Power and strength… your father was a good man. I didn't teach him in his younger days, but I did meet him at the National Quidditch Society Christmas Party. Very witty… I hope you carry the same greatness in you… Who else do we have here? Ernie Macmillan… I don't think I've met a Macmillan before…"

Slughorn continued to discuss the whereabouts and achievements of students he taught. Finally, he began showing each cauldron on the tables to the students, asking what they were. Renae, feeling slightly embarrassed that her teacher knew her father, let Hermione answer the questions. This wasn't the best moment to show off her knowledge of Potions.

After going through the different concoctions and their distinct powers, Slughorn ordered the students to make the Draught of Living Death. Renae pulled out her scales, book, and ingredients and began. About ten minutes later, the door burst open and none of than Malfoy came swaggering in, his head still covered in bandages.

"Ah, Mister Malfoy," said Slughorn. "Madam Pomfrey informed me of your accident before class. How is your head?"

"It's been worse," he said conversationally. "But maybe if somebody would aim better, I wouldn't be like this."

He shot an angry look at Renae, whose mouth gaped open.

"It wasn't my fault!" she yelled. "I can't help it if I know how do to non-verbal spells! Besides, you're fine; Madam Pomfrey fixed your thick head, you were just unconscious. Stop complaining and pretending to be some war hero."

She flicked her wand towards him and the bandages unraveled to reveal his perfectly normal, blonde head. He gave her a look of disbelief, glared, and slumped down into an empty seat. Without bothering to keep quiet, he started to pull out his supplies, banging them onto the table and muttering furiously as he went. Renae rolled her eyes and continued with her potion.

"I thought Malfoy liked you or something," Harry said as they walked down the lawn towards the lake. Ron made a gagging noise and he, Harry, Hermione, and Renae all laughed.

"I thought so, too," Renae said. "He was perfectly fine this morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts… a little quiet, but pleasant, nonetheless."

"Quiet?" Hermione asked. "That doesn't seem like him."

"Yeah it's weird," Renae said as she shook her head. "Oh I forgot to tell you guys… When we were at the station, I ran into him, literally, and he introduced me to his mom. Then, she got all fidgety and started dragging Draco away when she found out who I was."

"Do you know how weird it is to hear his first name?" Ron said and cringed. "It's like you guys are friends or something."

"Well I would be, but you guys won't let me," Renae laughed. They sat down on the edge of the lake and Renae pulled off her robes. "Jesus it's hot out here. Do you think he was just doing that to keep up his "image"? I mean I'm a Slytherin with Gryffindors as my best friends. That's got "blood traitor" written all over it. Maybe he just doesn't want to be seen as friends, or even familiar, with people like me."

"Well, how does the thing about his mom come into this," Harry asked.

"I have no idea," Renae answered, rubbing her eyes. "Let's just hope she doesn't know something that's not supposed to get out."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because that's the worst kind of information."

Reviews!

Paprika90- thanx chica! Omg I feel so loved, having someone that always reviews my fic! Snaps for you! snap snap

Zepplin Girl- thanx a bunch! Well im not going to tell you! You just have to keep reading and find out!