Disclaimer: I don't own much.

Author's Note: I have to thank all my reviews so much, they really keep me motivated to do this story.

Chapter Seven: The Genius Here

I opened my eyes and the world was spinning. Yes, spinning. I gripped the pillow tighter and tighter as though I would fall off the world if I let go. "Are you okay, Dear?" I heard someone ask.

"Don't touch me," I cried. It felt as though a barrel of sweat was dropped upon me.

"What happened, Dear?"

"Happened, what do you mean what happened?" I shrieked. I couldn't tell what was in front of me. I gripped tighter onto the pillow. I saw Seamus wait no, it was Blaise. Wait, wait, wait it was Granger! No, no, no. Then I passed out again.

I woke up later but refused to open my eyes. I was seeing colors behind my eyelids. "I can't believe you did that, Harry!" someone was saying. "She could die! Do you know what happens when –"

Suddenly, without control over myself I interjected, "Nott and Parkinson! Dementors of Azkaban I command thee! Granger and Zabini in a tree!" I think I made some sort of weird noise before passing out . . . again.

When I woke up for real, no swirly eyes or anything, I found Granger sitting at the foot of my bed, reading a book. "What are you doing here?" I groaned. God I felt like I had just been run over by a train.

"Madame Promphery told me to watch you while she took care of other patients."

"What happened to me?" I asked reaching for the water on the bedside table.

"Madame Promphery diagnosed you with alcohol poisoning."

I glanced at her, she didn't see to think it was true, why should I. "Fire whiskey was mother's milk. What really happened?"

Granger snorted as though she was disgusted with the outcome. "You drank a faulty potion."

"Let me guess, Potter and Weasley made it."

She looked at me. "You are clever, aren't you?"

"Coming from the greatest witch of the age, I suppose that is a compliment." I reached for my cigarettes. "Of course, why else would you be here? Care to tell me what the potion was supposed to do?"

"I am not here because I feel sorry for you," she said, cutting right to the chase. "I am here because when you were utterly delirious you mention my name in the same phrase as Blaise Zabini's."

"I did?" I suddenly remembered why I would do such a thing. "Oh I did."

"Now," Granger began. "I would like to know the extent of your knowledge regarding Blaise Zabini and myself."

I smirked. "I know you're doing something with a slytherin that you wouldn't want to tarnish your running for Head Girl."

She glared at me before continuing. "I would to set up a meeting."

"What time?" I asked, lighting a cigarette and climbing out of bed.

"After dinner in the library."

"Alright," I threw on my robes then blew out smoke.

"Should you really be doing that inside a library?" Granger remarked in a thick condescending tone of voice. "Lung cancer comes faster the more of those foul things you smoke."

I shrugged, "We all gotta go sometime."

"Madame Promphery didn't want you to leave."

"She can come find me then," I said. "I have to get to DADA."

I strolled down the hall, talking my time. I grabbed my (still) red tresses and pulled them back. "Marlow!" I jumped.

"What do you want, Teddy?" I said breathing. "Almost gave me a fucking heart attack."

"So nice to see you haven't died of lung cancer. Draco was shitting himself."

"Nice to know I'm so loved. Why aren't you in DADA?"

"Skipped," he said with a shrug. "And I wanted to talk to you but the mudblood wouldn't let me."

"I'm here now, what did you want to say?"

"I propose we change the rules to the bet."

"Oh ho," I said raising an eyebrow. "Finding it a bit difficult, are you?"

"I saw we narrow the focus. You pick my target, I pick yours. The loser . . ." I raise my eyebrow again, telling him to continue. "Hits on Snape."

"Alright," I said, intrigued, Teddy seems confident. "Your target it is . . ." I smirked in delight. I am such a genius. "Hermione Granger."

"What!" Theo exclaimed. "But Zabini's after her!"

I shrugged. "Get him into the bet and I'll give you a different girl."

TWENTY MINUTES LATER

"Why do you guys want me in this thing?" Blaise asked.

"Because we have decided to mix it up," Teddy said.

"So who is my target?" Blaise asked.

"Hermione Granger," Theo and I said.

"Too easy," he said with a flip of his hand.

"Now, Teddy," I said continuing to puff on my cigarette. I whispered briefly with Blaise to nodded at my choice. "Your target is . . . Ginny Weasley."

He cringed and looked as though he was going to hurl. "Oh you will eat that smirk, Marlow." He whispered with Blaise who laughed. "Your target is . . . Harry Potter."

I put on a façade of confidence and grinned. "You act like I should be scared."

"So what are the postmarks?" Blaise asked.

Teddy gave us a slytherin smile. "You have to have to bed your targets."

Blaise laughed. "Xan . . . you have to sleep with H-Harry Potter!" he doubled over laughed.

"Well Teddy here has to sleep with Weasley. God it would be like being in the same bed with every single member of that family."

"Don't call me Teddy," Theo growled. That of course in my opinion was a cover for, fuck you.

"Is this for time?" Blaise asked.

"The sleeping, yes, but you have to take them to the next ball," I replied. "So we all have a deal, loser seduces Snape?"

"Yep," Blaise said grinning. "This is going to be enjoyable." Theo just grumbled.

That night at dinner, everyone wanted to know what had happened. I was a bit surprised to find Draco half-way to a conspiracy against whoever had done (though he didn't know the culprit). "Just give me a name, Xan."

I shrugged, "I have no name."

"Then let's fucking find one!" he shouted. "We have been attacked!" He continued to rant for a few minutes about protecting our honor while I red a note that had just been delivered to me.

Ms. Marlow-

I would like to see you in my office before your detention in order to discuss your alcohol poisoning.

-Professor Snape

I didn't know what to make of the note. Was it about who did it (which I know) or what it did to me? Either way, I don't think Snape though it was actually alcohol poisoning. Which it wasn't.

After dinner I walked up to the library, puffing on my trademark cigarette and fiddling with a sickle in my pocket. I was still wondering how to change my hair back to black. Maybe Granger would know.

I strolled into the library and found Granger already waiting for me. To be expected she lived there after all. Figuratively speaking of course but sometimes I wondered. "You're smoking in the library?" Granger exclaimed.

"Ten points from Slytherin!" Madame Pince shrieked and I rolled my eyes, pretending to put it out.

"You wanted to see me, Granger. So I don't believe you are in a position to poke at my habits."

She stiffened. "Can we get right to business."

"Let's," I said sitting up in my seat. "What did you want?"

"I need information about Blaise Zabini and what you know about Blaise Zabini and I."

I smirked. This was my opportunity. Hack one end of the golden trio. "I'll make you a deal Granger. For whatever I tell you about Blaise, you have to tell me about someone else."

"I thought it was rumored you knew everything."

I winked, "Don't degrade yourself Granger."

She clenched her teeth. "Deal." Wow, she must not be fooling around. "Who do you need information on that requires me?"

"Harry Potter," I said with a smirk. "I want Harry Potter."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "First of all, why Harry?"

"Why Zabini?" She blushed and I took that as an invitation to get ideas. "Someone challenged the bookworms femininity? Perhaps the other gryffindors don't think of you as a girl?" I said leering.

"Shut up," she said sharply. "A slytherin is chasing after Harry Potter. Why on earth would you want to do that?"

I shrugged, "I don't have to explain the workings of attraction to you."

"Can we get back on topic?"

"Sure," I said crossing my legs and blowing out smoke. "You already know that Blaise has the hots for you. Getting into his pants shouldn't be hard. But you've already done that haven't you?"

She snorted. "Carnal lust. I am not looking to be another slytherin conquest. For the record," she said looking me in the eye. I liked that type of challenge. "The reason I am even consulting you is because of Zabini's obvious carnal lust."

"You want more?" I asked with a raise of the eyebrows. "Out of Blaise Zabini?" A smirk came onto my face. "Then you most definitely will have to make him stew in that lust."

"Is that your first piece of advice?"

"Yes," I said, using the end of my cigarette to light a new one. "Do not give into Zabini's seduction. You will have to take him past the point of drooling, begging etc. Just being Granger isn't going to cut it either."

"Excuse me? What are you suggesting?"

I looked her up and down. "You want my help right? I know Zabini down to his first year boxershorts. You have to everything he is attracted too and more, in doing so, you will be out of his reach."

"Should I really trust beauty advice from a girl whose hair was turned weasley red by Harry Potter?" I gave her a short sneer. "I am surprised you haven't changed it back yet."

"It would be easier of Potter's curse was fucking reversible."

Hermione laughed, as though I was stupid. "You can't hex it back. You have to use a counter charm. Don't you slytherins take charms?"

I sneered. "Wait here, I have to go get Parkinson's beauty advice for you."

"No!" she grabbed my wrist even though I wasn't actually going to leave. "No one can know."

"Likewise," I said. "Trust me, Granger. If you fuck me over you will burn twice as bad as I." I glanced at the clock. "Let's cut this short, I have to meet Snape."

"You tell me one thing I can start doing and I will do the same for Harry."

"Alright," I said. "You can smile at him on the way to breakfast and say good morning, but only after he approaches you, which he will."

"I see," she said, halfway between accepting and rejecting the idea. "Well Harry hates your guts."

I laughed. "I knew that actually."

"He says you give him a headache."

"Not surprising."

"Tonight in detention, just don't be smartass with him."

I faked shock. "Me? A smart ass? No . . ."

She rolled her eyes. "This is no time for jokes, Marlow. If you can carry on a single conversation without being sarcastic, you have a start."

"Oh and I thought I could get him with just my shocking beauty."
Granger snorted.

I sneered then continued. "If you retrieve information from Potter's archeives Granger, I will compensate you for the same amount from Zabini."

"Do we meet here tomorrow night?" she asked.

"I thought you were the genius," I said, gathering up my stuff and exiting the library.

When I arrived at Snape's office, I found him waiting for me while flipping through some dusty potions book. "Hello professor," I said, poking my head into his office. "You requested my presense?"

He looked up, shut his book and walked towards me. In one swift motion, he pulled the cigarette from my lips and stomped it out. "Come in, Ms. Marlow."

"You wanted to speak about my alcohol poisoning sir," I began as I stepped into his office. He motioned for me to sit. "No thank you sir, I prefer to stand."

"Just like you father," he commented. All heirs get this. Draco is constantly compared to Lucius, Theo to Nott Senior, Blaise to his father. Let's not mention if you have older siblings like Avery, his father's dead and his mother's a loon. Perfect. Then there are people like Baddock whose family is split. Little sister is a fucking hufflepuff. His mother was a slytherin heiress and his father was the diggory of his time. I myself however, always wonder where my father starts and I begin.

"I think you and I both know Ms. Marlow, that despite you terrible habits regarding your health," he motioned to my cigarettes, "alcohol poisoning is highly unlikely."

"We are both of slytherin house sir. You think the same as I do."

"Yes," he said in that condescending voice while looking me up and down. "You must get rid of that hair, Ms. Marlow. Your father will have fit if he sees you like that at his trial."

"His trial sir?"

"Let me be frank with you, miss Marlow," he said looking at me hard. "Your family is in a very polarized position and a great inheritance is awaiting you."

"You don't have to explain my family's status to me sir."

"You should be aware that not only will you name be on Gringotts accounts but you will be on the lists of aurors, papers and the rest of the society looking for a single flaw. Once they find that weakness, Miss Marlow, they will do everything they can to rip the Marlow empire to shreds."

I grinned. "Professor, with all dear respect, if you are about to suggest I marry right after I graduate to protect my name, I decline. If you are suggesting I am not fit to play ball with the fathers and empires of my closest friends, I assure you I will suffer the same fate as my mother or my father."

Ah yes, the mother. That glorious figure supposed to guide their daughter into womanhood and be their prime confident. Bah. My mother was the first daughter in an heir to a legacy similar though not as grand as mine. Her father married her off to the prominent Zarek Marlow in order to protect her name. Who knows if my parents every had the vaguest interest in one another beyond the occational sex (how else would I have come along?) but all I know for sure is she disappeared from my life when she saw nothing but Marlow behind my eyes. I am not being metaphoric, she literally disappeared. I was raised by my father and his people.

Enough reflections. Snape dismissed me and I had to get into Get-wonderboy-to-sleep-with-me-then-go-out-with-me-and-not-think-I'm-a-slut mode!

I walked into the detention room and noticed something different. Wet rags and buckets. Wonderboy did not look pleased. "McGonagall told me to tell you that we are to clean the corridors. . . the muggle way," he added.

I had the most perfect sarcastic comment on the back of my tongue but I forced myself to hold it. God no wonder I have done this before, it sucks! "Let me guess," he said, picking up a rag, sponge and bucket, "you've never done real work before."

"I beg your pardon," I said picking up the same. "We have a very different definition of work."

He grumbled something and while I was tempted to make a nasty comment, I held back . . . again. He set down the bucket, got on his knees and started scrubbing. If I was to forgo my slytherin convictions, which I currently am, I would say it was hot. I folded my robes and carefully kneeled down.

"So Potter, what's your favorite color?"

"Oh no," he said sitting up. "I am not going to fall for that again."

I rolled my eyes. "It isn't truth or dare, Potter. Just question for a question."

He gave me a look as though he was keeping an eye on me. "Fine. Green." I let the surprise who on my face intentionally. "I had favorite color before I knew about house colors. You?"

"When I had black hair, I didn't mind crimson but now with red hair, I have to go with ice blue or emerald green. New question," I stated. "Favorite food?"

"Anything Mrs. Weasley cooks," he answered without thinking. "You?"

"Liquor filled chocolates. Come on Potter, these questions don't have to be so PC." He blushed and I continued. "Was it you who spiked my drink?" He blushed. "I'll take that for a yes."

"You're not going to ask why?"

"I know why, Potter. You hate me. But it isn't my question. It's yours."

"Alright. Um, who was your first kiss?"

I smirked at the memory. "Draco Malfoy."

"Why am I not surprised."

"We were never together if that is what your thinking," I said as I continued to scrub. "In second year he called me a tomboy. So I tripped him then kissed him."

"Sounds like something you would do."

"What about you, Potter? Oh wait. Strike that, I already know."

"You do?" he seemed very surprised.

"Your involvement with Cho Chang was so obvious. But don't worry Potter. I tend to pick up on things most people don't. Here's the real question. Who have you fantasized about kissing?"

He thought for a moment. "Hermione."

"Granger? Oh that answers no fun," I said with a laugh.

"Do you have someone better?"

"Oh god when he was alive Cedric Diggory," I said, not putting any mourning in my voice. Perhaps a mistake. "But recently Potter, you have become quite a number."

"Tell me you're not serious, Marlow . . ."

"Why else would I not want Draco to sodomize you?" I replied with a wink.

"So," I continued just after he finished shivering. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

I looked at me as though I was insane. "You never everything else about me yet you don't know what I do in my free time?"

"Hm, good point. Thought I might ask anyway." He didn't respond. Instead he kept scrubbing and scrubbing until finally he spoke.

"Sorry about you and Seamus," he mumbled.

I was surprised but took it in a stride. "Call it karma."

He looked at me. "Did you actually like him?"

I shrugged, "He didn't treat me like another snarky slytherin. Which was nice."

Wonderboy seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. My question brought him out of it. "If I may ask, what was the potion supposed to do?"

"Verasirum, you know make you tell the truth."
I laughed. "Clever, Potter, clever. But no wonder you fail potions. I am sure Granger didn't lend a hand."

He looked away and mumbled something.

"Let me tell you what Potter," I said. "Why don't we start over. We have another week and a half of detentions anyway." I held out my hand. "Hello. My name is Alexandra Xerxes Marlow. I am in slytherin, a sixth year and you may call me Xan."

He hesitantly took my hand. "I am Harry James Potter. Gryffindor sixth year. You can call me uh, Harry . . . I guess."

I grinned like the cheshire cat. "Nice to meet you."

If you thought that was sincerity well then folks you have bore witness to my increidble skills. This was going to be too easy. Of course, when I got back to the common room, I unleashed a verbal assault on some 2nd year because of all the pent up nasty comments. I am such a genius.

Author's Note: Whoa, a long one. Anyway, how did you like it? We're finally getting somewhere. Anyway, see you all in the next chapter!