Disclaimer: No I don't own anything but Xan

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews, some of you got the headline hint others didn't. But don't worry, this story won't be all dark, far from in fact. Anyway, thank you all so much for your feedback, here we go.

Chapter Four: Games We Play

I stayed up all night trying to figure out how to reverse that hex on my hair and it could not be done. It could not be done! I am rather good with hexes, if I do say so myself but whatever the fuck Potter had done to it, I could not fix it! So I got so worked up I sat smoking a fag in front of the fire from 2-3am in order to unwind.

Suddenly, someone came running into the common room. I tried to remain calm as I looked to see who it was. "Malfoy?" I said trying to eliminate the surprise from my tone. "What the hell happened to you?" his hair was disheveled, clothes everywhere, looked like he had just run out of sex. Hm, maybe he did.

"Just running from a fling?" I asked, turning back to the fire.

"No," he said standing up and smoothing out his clothes. "She just got a little to attached."
"I always knew you were never one to sit in bed and smoke after sex."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he said, sitting in the chair next to.

I took a drag of my cigarette, "It means whatever you think it means."

He groaned and grabbed his hair. "You and your fucking games, Marlow." Something tells me that he didn't have as much of a satisfying conquest as he would like me to think. "What are you doing down here anyway?"

I shrugged, "Smoking."

"I can see that," he said with an unappreciative sneer. There was silence for a few minutes. "What happened to your father?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Draco never did like explaining himself, "why did the daily prophet say he was evading a trial date?"

I winked at him, "Wouldn't you like to know all my little secrets."

"Marlow if you want my father's help, he'll give it."

"Draco," I said exhaling, "if I want your help, I'll ask. If my father wants it, he will ask."

"Suit yourself," he said standing up, giving up on trying to pry. "Good night, Marlow."

"Good night, Draco."

"Oh and Marlow," he said stopping by the stairs, "are you coming to the quidditch game on Saturday?"

"Who are you playing?"

"Hufflepuff."

"Why do you want me there?"

He smirked, "I need my posse present."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah I'll be there."

This week seems to have dragged on forever. I finally turned in my project that I did with Ronaldo, I was given top marks and he was given half because Snape claimed there were problems with the potion and since he knew Ronaldo brewed it . . . you get it.

Anyway, the really weird thing that happened to me that Friday, was as I was coming out Herbology, Seamus Finnegan ran right into me. The strange thing about this red hair is no one recognizes me. Even slytherins so I wasn't surprised when the Gryffindor was asking my name. I introduced myself as Xandra.

"Well nice to meet you Xandra," he said smiling. I couldn't decide whether I liked or loathed his accent. He saw me fumbling with all my books spilled onto the ground. "Oh jesus let me help ya wit' that."

'"Thank you," I said, my red hair falling into my face.

"You wouldn't happen to be a Weasley would ya?"

"No," I said trying not to sound too offended, had to keep my cool.

"Well, if ya aren't a Weasley than I hope ya wouldn't mind tellin' me who ya are?"

I winked at him. "You'll have to wait and see not won't you?"

He grinned. "If it isn't too improper, seein' we only just met, but wouldn't ya be so kind as to accompany me to Hogsmeade on Sunday?"

"Are you asking me out?"

"Let's just say ya sparked my curiosity."

"Why not?" I replied with a bit of a cheshire cat grin.

As I walked into the building I asked myself what on earth I was thinking! A Gryffindor . . .really had I sunk to that level. Why had I not told him I was a slytherin? Actually, I knew why I had said yes, because he had asked me and didn't seem to think I resembled a goblin.

I made my way up to the library, searching for Justin and on the way, I found Baddock exiting the Ravenclaw dorms. "You can cross Mariette Edgecomb off the list," he said triumphantly.

"Malcolm you are impressive," I said. "How on earth did you get a Ravenclaw to skip her last period?"

He shrugged. "Her dorms were guaranteed empty."

"Amazing. Why tell me now and not tomorrow at breakfast."

"You see, Xan," he said putting an arm around my neck and pulling me closer. "You remember that list we made a few years back?"

"Yes."

"I intend to finish that list, this year. I have twenty to go and I want you to be my recorder."

"Why not the group?"

"Because I don't want to risk gossip," he said looking at me. "I, like you, manage to keep our affairs hush-hush and –"

"You want to know if you can trust me," I finished.

"Oh that's not it. I know I can trust you, Xan. For as much of a gossip as you are, I am proposing a pact."

"Please explain your reasoing."

"Oh come on, Xan," he said as we walked up the stairs. "You and I both know Slytherins is the house for having secrets, keeping secrets and getting secrets. I have known you since first year, Xan and I am asking you, as a friend, to listen to my secrets with lock and key. I in turn will do the same."

"Why me?"

He slapped me on the back. "I have known you since forever, Marlow. Our fathers are practically related and –"

"They are," I said flatly. "Third cousins."

"Anyway, the point is I trust you Marlow and when I need a secret, I go to you."

"You and your silver tongue, Malcolm," I said chuckling slightly. "You could McGonagal into bed."

"It isn't as though you aren't blessed with the silver tongue either, Marlow. Why are you complaining?"

"Boy's get away with more," I said reaching into my pocket for a cigarette. "It's the way it is. You are a sex-god for sleeping with girls from every house. If I did that, I would be nothing more than another slytherin slag."

"Magic's in the make up," he said with a wink. "Us gentlemen are only priviledged because you make the world seem so."

I looked up at him and lit my cigarette while staring. This indicated I half-though he was full of shit. He just winked at me again, "Magic's in the make up, babe. Now go have fun with your hufflepuff."

"What makes you think I am involved with a hufflepuff?"

"Unlike you, Xan, I have see things with my own eyes for my intelligence." Then Malcolm did one of his famous disappearing acts. Seriously, he is there one minute then he's gone and without aperating. Impressive indeed.

As I climbed the stairs to the library, I thought about what Baddock had said. Magic's in the makeup. Catchier than magic's in the controlling the way you tell the truth. Malcolm is a lot like Blaise. They both are playboys and come from prominent families but they came from opposite sides of the riverbank. Malcolm Baddock was extremely comfortable with himself and slept with girls for reasons outside the relationship (like his list for example). But Blaise is a victim of raging hormones and repressive family life. Other than they, they could be twins.

I peered into the library and just my luck, I spotted Justin. I stamped my cigarette out and walked in. He was sitting amongst five hufflepuffs, all of whom were worth nothing. Ernie Macmillan was a slightly chubby kid who was so honest it made me want to hurl. He lacks all sense of planning and strategy. For example, he stood by Potter for that ridiculous DA. Umbridge could have been taken down in a much faster way of intelligence and planning but no one listens to Xan Marlow now do they?

Then there was Susan Bones and by god did she hate me. I think she loathed more than any hufflepuff has every hated anyone. She tried to find out who had given voldemort her parents whereabouts and what do you know, the name Marlow popped up. Don't make me get into the politics of it but let's just leave it at the fact that she hated every organ in my body. Specifically my lips and tongue.

Then there was Hannah Abbot, a true hufflepuff who slept with a true slytherin and I am sure she was embarrassed down to her core. She is annoyingly loyal her house and hates slytherins in general. Just because Parkinson hassled her a bit she holds a grudge. What do you want me to do?

Nina Suchoknad was a rather pretty Thai girl whom was in my herbology class. If I remember correctly she was dating Dean Thomas. More like arm candy if you ask me but then again I am a cynic and I didn't care much about her. Her best friend, Lindsey Kognovich, was whom I find irritating.

Lindsey Kognovich was the daughter of quidditch star, Mikhail Kognovich who now played for Scotland. She transferred from Durmstrange last year and was loved by all for she was the perfect girl in many guys eyes. Pretty, sweet, connections and charming. I hope she falls of a cliff and dies because she just gave Justin a peck on the cheek. Time to remind Justin where his loyalties lay.

"Why hello there my badgers?" I said with a leering grin. "Excited for the game?"

"Don't you have something better do you, Marlow?" Bones asked nastily, we call this hn, hufflepuff nasty, because let's face it, slytherin nasty wins out always. Just wake Pansy up on a Sunday morning.

"Hm, not right now," I said running my fingers across Justin's shoulders and flicking Kognovich in the head.

"I think we'll play our best," Kognovich said smiling at me.

I glared at her. "Ten galleons says you lose."

"I don't gamble."

"But I do," Abbott said. "It's a bet."

I gave her a smirk then casually touched Justin as I walked away. I waited in the corridor for Justin to come out and like clockwork he did. I kissed him fiercely and backed him into an even thinner corridor. "What was that all about with Kognovich?" I growled when I broke away.

"Nothing," he said. "We are just friends." He sounded breathless and I didn't do anything to cure that. As far as I was concerned, Justin was mine and would stay mine. He always came back to me. I had a year of experience with him. Did Kognovich have that?

At the quidditch match that Saturday I shoved a second year out of their seat and plopped down next to Pansy and Millicent Bulstrode. "Who's winning?" I asked.

"Morgan almost scored," she replied.

Okay, here is the low down on the slytherin quidditch team. Draco is the seeker, Avery and Cappar were beaters, Morgan, Zabini and Graham Pritchard were chasers and MacDougal was the keeper. The only people I really cared about on the other side were Kognovich, the keeper and Justin, a chaser. Quidditch is war for this team. They tore the hufflepuffs apart.

I spotted Malcolm across the seats and so I got up, smoking a fag and started to walk towards him. He has a sister in hufflepuff on the team, Eleanor that must be why he is here. "Hey Baddock!" I said sitting down next to him. "Here for your sister?"

"Yep. God I wish I had asked Moon to take it easy. I don't want her to die."

"I highly doubt moon would have cared."

"I agree."

"You want to know something," I said, seeing boy wonder off in the corner.

"Sure," he said, his eyes on the game.

"It was Potter that turned my hair red."

He turned to me sharply. "Really?" I nodded.

"Watch this," I pointed my want to wonderboy and murmured one of my many hexes. Suddenly, Potter's hair was neon blond. Baddock started cracking up and wonderboy searched around frantically after he noticed what had happened. When he locked eyes with me, I just winked.

I thought steam was going to blow out of his ears. He stood up and shouted the curse to have a snake thrown at me. It landed on Baddock however who was rather petrified. "Hang on to that," I said. "I have business to take care of. Come and get me wonderboy!" I shouted.

I went down the stairs and pointed up. When Potter came into the stairwell, I called the skin curse (makes you itch like mad). He yelped in pain and I made it down the stairs as he scratched himself. On the grass, I stood and waited, wand pointed at the entrance. However Potter shouted a curse before came out. I was tossed up into the air than slammed back down into the earth, got the wind knocked out of me.

Wonderboy walked out and I screamed a short latin word. His robes caught fire. Potter shouted the water charm onto himself. I made the mistake of throwing the snake curse right back at him but then there was the thing that he was a parsyle tongue. Fuck. "Experiamus!" I shouted, and threw wonderboy back into the bleachers. He threw another curse and I was thrown to the ground in a seizure of sorts. When I snapped out of it my lip was bloody and my nose as well, not to mention hair everywhere.

Out of no where Baddock shouted a curse and spiders were all over wonderboy. "Carnes!" I shouted and one of my famous two headed hell dogs. They're dobbermans with a hanckering for flesh, I made them after I mixed a transfiguration assignment with a charms spell.

Wonderboy was backed up against the wall with his robes torn when someone shouted, "Enough!" Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick had arrived. "This is quite enough, Ms. Marlow, Mr. Potter. I want to see you in my office immediately."

So we were in the coots office almost minutes later listening to McGonagal going on and on about using dueling spells in school. "As if there isn't enough tension between houses already, you two," she pointed at me, "are respected students in your houses and should no better!"

"What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Potter? Ms. Marlow?" Snape asked. "I would love an explanation for your hair, Mr. Potter."

Wonderboy blushed and I filled the gap. "When I was speaking with Mr. Weasley about a potions assignment, Potter here came out of no where, hexed me and now my hair is permanently red," I said, fumbling for a cigarette.

"She was harassing Ron!" he pleaded, looking to Dumbledore for support.

"My hair is fucking red, Potter," I said lighting up. "You deserve to be neon blonde. I didn't deserve a snake thrown at me. And it didn't even hit me, it hit Malcolm Baddock."

Snape plucked the cigarette from my lips and put it out not saying anything about the habit. "That does sound quite uncalled for."

"I am sure Mr. Potter has an explanation," McGonagal said, looking to him to defend himself.

"Whatever reasons these two may have," Dumbledore said raising a hand. "It doesn't change the fact that it is a ridiculous conflict. Therefor I believe the two of you will be spending your evenings for the next two weeks alone in one of the classrooms on the bottom floor helping Argus Filch with his chores."

Potter groaned.

"Is this really necessary?" I asked. "Wouldn't it be more punishment to just take points?"

"I am not looking for punishment," he said. "I am looking for a solution. Your detention will begin Monday evening."

I see no solution in this because I will only finish hexing him Monday.