"I only have one thing to say… Why?" Daphne huffed, as we made our way to our Care of Magical Creatures lesson, trekking through the snow.

Professor Hagrid had finally returned to the castle. His sudden reappearance Monday morning had stirred up a number of mixed reactions from students. I, for one, couldn't be happier. Grumpy-Plant knew how to structure lessons so students would like her, sure. But how was I expected to learn with her boring choices in lectures? An entire week simply staring at Bowtruckles, and that's supposed to be educational? Now, things were back to how they were meant to be.

Making our way through the cold and snow, we marched on our way to Professor Hagrid's first lesson of the year. Sure we weren't in the most favorable of conditions, normally I would suggest we postpone the course. But all I had in me now was the anticipation of what we would learn, now that we could actually learn, that is.

"I can't believe you convinced me to come," Daphne complained, hugging her thick cloak closer to herself. "It's cold, and he probably brought a dragon he wants us to try to tame. Or maybe he's made another of those hybrids! What if he wants us to design our own? No one knows, with that oaf!"

"Then turn back," I glowered at her. "Return to the castle if you want, no one will stop you. I, for one, am looking forward to finally getting a proper lesson from this class."

"All I'm saying is—"

"For only having one thing to say, you sure are talking a lot," Theo gave her a playful smirk. Daphne huffed to the side, letting out a puff of hot breath in the cold air. "No one attempted to convince you to stay in this class. This is not a necessary course for anything I imagine you'd do after Hogwarts. Suffice it to say, you can choose to drop it whenever you'd like."

"You two—"

"Way to make it obvious you don't want her around," Draco laughed, interrupting her again. Daphne shot him a look, but Theo shook his head.

"That was not what I said," he sighed, watching as Daphne was already starting to pout.

"Where's Umbridge when you actually need her?" Daphne complained, impatiently waiting for the class to begin. Or, better said, she couldn't wait for the class to end. "I heard she basically shut down one of the Divinations lessons after a bad professor review."

"I would say that's an exaggeration. Umbridge was harsh, I'm sure, but I wouldn't say that she shut down the class. That was a rumor started by… specific students," I spoke slowly, glancing at Draco ahead. He turned back to give me a smile. I frowned at him. This whole year had been a disappointment so far, and now that it was finally getting better, I didn't want them making it worse.

"I'm with Greengrass on this, actually. I have a bad feeling about what that oaf is doing," Draco turned to make a face ahead, once we finally reached the class.

Before us, Hagrid stood at the edge of the forest. I was a bit disappointed when I didn't see anything notable standing behind him. Next to me, Draco gave me a look and a smile, being able to tell what it was I was feeling. In return I stuck my tongue out at him as he walked past, closer to the entrance of the wood. Further ahead, the Gryffindors were already stood waiting.

"Oh, Merlin, tell me whatever creature he spawned this time didn't do that to him."

Daphne sputtered, shuffling to grab the end of Theo's robes, wanting to be comforted by him it seemed. Looking in the direction she was glowering, the professor's face still looked like it had taken a beating. I had noticed those wounds in the Great Hall the first day of his return, but it was much more profound now that we were up close. A proper Healer could have fixed most if not all of his injuries by now, it made me wonder why he still looked so rough. Professor Hagrid should have known better than to approach a class in this state, it would cause discomfort. That, or the dead meat carcass he was carrying, was already making Daphne hyperventilate.

"We're workin' in here today! Bit more sheltered! Anyways, they prefer the dark…" Professor Hagrid called down to the class, gesturing to the dark of the woods. I smiled at him. Finally!

"What prefers the dark?" Draco called sharply to his side. Goyle shrugged at him, which only made his tone sharper. "What did he say prefers the dark—did you hear?"

"Ready?" Professor Hagrid called happily, looking over the class. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em—"

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" Draco called loudly. I gave him a strict frown. The lesson had not yet started and already he was trying to initiate the fear mongering. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

"Oh god, he's right!" Daphne quickly rattled under her breath.

I turned to frown at her too, before turning back to Draco, hearing a few other voices softly complain right after her. Sure I loved him, but if he ruined this for me, I'd make sure he was punished for it. I would feed him to whatever Professor Hagrid had brought along instead of the cow he was carrying, if he brought back that Grumpy-Plant woman.

"'Course they're trained," Hagrid frowned back, but that was not enough apparently.

"So what happened to your face, then?"

"Mind yer own business!" Hagrid spoke up, and I swung my arm at Draco's stomach. He gave me a look. "Now, if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!"

Professor Hagrid started to walk, but not many followed right away. I began to take a step but, noting the others weren't following, I paused and turned. None of them were the least bit excited. When I turned back, the Gryffindor trio, encompassing Hermione, Potter, and Ronald, were all leading the trail. With another glance at the Slytherins, I continued forward once more. After the lead, the class slowly walked forward.

"It's not stupid to want to know if I'm going to end up the same," Draco complaned, scowling in the professor's direction.

"Like your face is so much better now," I grumbled from ahead. Draco made a face at me, and I didn't have to turn around to know that.

"First day back, and already we're fearing for our lives," Daphne shuffled further up, until she reached Theo walking beside me. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Oh, would you stop," I hissed, causing my breath to become visible in the cold air. "I'm sure you would love to have that Grumpy-Plant woman—"

"Grubbly-Plank."

"Whatever," I snapped at the interruption. "She didn't teach us anything anyway."

"I think she taught us plenty," Pansy spoke up, walking at a pace to match Draco's. She clung to him, with an arm wrapped around him.

"Well that's not saying much from you, is it," I complained, staring ahead. But from behind, I heard her huff. "I'm actually interested to know just what creature he's planning on showing. Did you not hear? 'Only one in Britain who's managed to train them'."

"So he says," Draco contended. I turned to give him a look, but before I could reply, Daphne spoke up.

"If he brings out a dragon, I'm leaving this damned school!"

"Let's hope then," Draco let out a chuckle, and Daphne shot him a look. Ignoring her, he gave me a stupid smirk.

"You all could stand to be a little less complicit," I rolled my eyes once more.

"Just because you wouldn't mind being mauled in the face, it doesn't mean the rest of us should suffer with you," Pansy's voice rattled.

"And I was so looking forward to that…" I spoke under my breath. Pansy looked as though she hadn't heard me, but could tell it wasn't a compliment. Normally I would repeat it, but instead turned forward. I had to remember, I was trying to be nice to her. With a sigh, I kept on forward.

We walked for a few more minutes. The trees were more densely packed the further in we went. It was dark, no snow, as the trees above refused to let it, or any sunshine, in. Finding the proper clearing, Professor Hagrid slowed his pace and eventually stopped. He tossed the dead cow he had been carrying on the ground, letting it fall with a loud thud. I saw Daphne flinch closer to Theo at the sound, looking around nervously as was most of the class. But things were a bit too dark to see anything coming quite yet. We didn't have much time to look around, however, before Professor Hagrid called for attention

"Gather roun', gather roun'," Professor Hagrid announced encouragingly to the class. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me…."

Professor Hagrid shook the hair from his face, took in a deep breath, and let out a sudden shrieking cry. An echo resonated between the dense trees of the forest, the quiet making it sound all the more profound. I couldn't say it sounded like any bird call I'd heard before, and I couldn't think of what other sort of creature would be willing to respond the sound. And as expected when nothing came, he did it again. Students looked around urgently at what could be emerging from the sound, as did I. By the third call, I noticed Potter gesturing something to Ronald, trying to get his attention, and I followed where he seemed to be pointing. In the black space between the trees, I saw what Professor Hagrid had brought us down to see.

From the dark, a creature etched closer from the wood. Their eyes big, white, and pupil-less stood out even from afar. The next most noticeable feature were its wings, large with black leather, clinging to its skeleton like on its dragonish face. They stretched above its frame as it began to carefully walk forward. I looked around at the students a moment, noting they probably weren't used to seeing them outside of the entrance. They had passed by me plenty of times, but this was my first time I would be seeing the creatures this close. Turning myself slightly, I saw Theo looking carefully at it. Just as the creature leaned down for a bite, I watched Theodore let out a distasteful grimace.

Turning up once more, I looked around at the rest of the students. Most looked distracted, still looking into the forest. It made sense, they couldn't see. From in the crowd, Ronald leaned in to whisper something to Potter, who was staring down at the thestral. It seemed, like Theodore, he could also see them. So that made two of them. Continuing to sweep the clearing, my glance landed on Longbottom. His eyes seemed to follow as the thestral's tail as it lapped back and forth. Three. And that looked to be everyone, as others still looked around helplessly. Draco, noting I wasn't being impatient as I normally would be, gave me a curious look. But before he could ask, Professor Hagrid called for attention once more.

"Oh, an' here comes another!" Hagrid spoke proudly, in the direction of the woods.

"Another?" Draco whispered as the second thestral emerged from the trees. Meanwhile the other creature glanced at, but otherwise ignored the students, and trailed towards the meat.

"Now… put yer hands up, who can see 'em?"

"See what?" Draco hissed again to our group. Quickly Potter raised his hand. Draco frowned in his direction, as Hagrid gave him a nod.

"Yeah… yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," Hagrid spoke seriously. With that opening, he took a glance around the area. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An'—"

"For the love of—" Draco called, when Theo put a loose hand up. With that, seemingly he lost his patience, and raised his voice. "Excuse me, but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

Without a word, Hagrid pointed down at the ground. In the direction was the cow carcass, that had lain so far unnoticed by the class. That was made all the more obvious when one Gryffindor screamed. Flesh and bone were being stripped from each other. I was sure the sight was unsettling, if you couldn't see the creature causing it.

"What's doing it? What's eating it?" a Gryffindor girl demanded loudly and quickly pressing herself to a nearby tree, as if that would offer any sort of help.

"Thestrals," Hagrid answered proudly, not noticing the reaction. "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows—"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" the Gryffindor girl interrupted, feeling rather talkative today. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once—"

"As if she's such a reliable source," I grumbled to no one in particular.

"Oh and you think this oaf is?" Pansy complained louder, but turned to coo at Draco behind me. I began to turn to them, but turned back, deciding to focus on Hagrid's explanation.

"...it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate—an' here's another couple, look—"

"He's kidding, right? Those things don't actually pull the carriages, right?" Daphne exclaimed as the Gryffindor girl caused another uproar from a ways away.

Daphne turned quickly to Theo, shaking him for answers. Having raised his hand, it was obvious he would know. In turn he made a face, not quite sure how to word his answer without crushing her hopes. But that only seemed to make her more nervous, not hearing any words of reassurance. Instead Theo decided to fix his gaze forward, with a small smile, as Professor Hagrid continued the lecture.

"Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' you can see them an' some can't?"

"Ugh, of course," Pansy gagged, as Hermione raised her hand. Hagrid smiled, calling on her.

"The only people who can see thestrals," Hermione spoke, "are people who have seen death."

At Professor Hagrid's confirmation, a few more displeased faces popped up. Daphne turned to Theo with a worried expression, who was still staring ahead. From the corner of my eye I noticed Draco subtly shoot the same concerned expression my way. Not feeling it the appropriate time to discuss this, I chose to ignore it. And before he had the chance to start, we heard a familiar annoying tone.

"Hem, hem."

Umbridge trotted over with heavy steps like the oaf she was. Instead of her usual insufferable, pink-vomit decor, she had on a green tweed cloak. With her just as awful matching hat with hanging earflaps, she pulled her clipboard up, ready. When Professor Hagrid didn't recognize her choking sounds as a call for attention, she tried again.

"Hem, hem."

"Oh hello!" Hagrid smiled, having finally noticed her.

"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning? Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?" Umbridge called in a loud and slow voice. She was making each word very clear, as if he wouldn't understand her if she spoke regularly.

"Oh yeah. Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see—or, I dunno—can you? We're doin' thestrals today—"

"I'm sorry? What did you say?" Umbridge asked loudly, cupping her hand to ear frowning.

"Er—thestrals! Big—er—winged horses, yeh know!" Professor Hagrid, tried again. He flapped his arms, as if to give her a hint, since she was clearly hard of hearing. In turn, Umbridge raised her eyebrows at him, muttering to herself.

"'has… to… resort… to… crude… sign… language…'" Umbridge spoke as she fiddled with her clipboard. Professor Hagrid tried to continue, though a little flustered now. Umbridge went on, making sure her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. "'Appears… to… have… poor… short… term… memory…'"

Draco was beaming, as I scowled. Literally, the only enjoyment I had gotten from this class, or any this year for that matter, and here she was trying to ruin it. Once more, Professor Hagrid tried to continue his lecture, regardless of his interruptions. Still, he looked uneasy at her presence, which could only make things worse. Beside me Draco was still smiling like an idiot, enjoying the scene taking place. Noting my look he gave me a smile, either ignoring or not caring about my expression. But before I could reprimand him in any way, Umbridge's loud shrill voice interrupted us again.

"Are you aware, that the Ministry of Magic has classified thestrals as 'dangerous'?"

"Thestrals aren' dangerous! All righ, they might take a bite outta you if yeh annoy them—"

"'Shows… signs… of… pleasure… at… idea… of… violence…'" once more Umbridge scribbled obnoxiously on her clipboard. Professor Hagrid gave her an anxious look.

"No—come on! I mean, a dog'll bite if yeh bait it, won' it—but thestrals have jus' got a bad reputation because o' the death thing—people used ter think they were bad omens, didn' they? Jus' didn' understand, did they?"

"Please continue teaching as usual," Umbridge commented, clearly not listening, still writing on her clipboard. After the last note, she looked up at Professor Hagrid. Again, she continued to speak to him in the very loud and slow manner she had done before. This time, however, she also began to mime each phrase. "I am going to walk… among the students… and ask them questions."

Hagrid looked at Umbridge rather confused, as to why she felt the need to act out her words. Next to me, Draco and Pansy couldn't stop their giggling. Most likely also hearing their sounds of joy, Umbridge put away her clipboard and began to walk towards us. Probably finding specific ones in our group more agreeable, and willing to cooperate with her, she started with us. This was especially true of Pansy, who was starting to get tears from her own hooting.

"Do you find, that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he talks," Umbridge asked Pansy, who took a moment to compose herself before she was stable enough to respond.

"No… because… well… it sounds… like grunting a lot of the time…" Pansy tried to answer, still between breaths of leftover laughter. Eating it up, Umbridge scribbled on her notes.

"Er… yeah… good stuff abou' thestrals," Professor Hagrid tried to go on, pretending like he couldn't hear her. "Well, once they're tamed, like this lot, yeh'll never be lost again. 'Mazin' senses o' direction, jus' tell 'em where yeh want ter go—"

"Assuming they can understand you, of course," Draco called loudly, seeing the perfect opening.

Pansy giggled loudly at his remark, finding him once more the funniest thing in the world. Umbridge smiled freely at the two, approving of their awful behavior. Happy with their contribution she moved to speak to Longbottom, who was among the few to raise his hand earlier in the lesson. Once she was a few paces away I turned to Draco who was still giggling happily. With a yank of his arm, I pulled him aside for a bit of a talk.

"You better not ruin this for me or I swear…"

"Why can you never let me enjoy myself?" Draco gave me a look of distaste in return.

"'Students… are… too… intimidated… to… admit… they… are… frightened…'" mumbled Umbridge from a few paces away, scribbling more nonsense onto her clipboard. Longbottom tried to correct whatever he had said but she dismissed his remarks quickly. Instead, she turned back to our professor. "Well, Hagrid, I think I've got enough to be getting along with… You will receive… the results of your inspection… in ten day's time."

She concluded herself, holding up ten fingers, miming to him once more. In turn, she was making herself look like the idiot she was pretending he was. Umbridge gave him one last wide, seemingly innocent smile, as some of our group kept on cackling. With that said, and a frown on my face, I decided to leave the area and moved to the other side of the alcove. I crouched a bit, watching as the thestrals munched on some of the red meat, as the toad of a woman trotted off and back to the castle. Beside me, I heard the crunching of the earth as someone approached. Glancing up, I saw Theodore, making an unpleasant face at the creature in front of us.

"It's odd seeing them so close, isn't it?"

"We see them at the start of every year. And in parts of the forest before," I whispered back, matching his low tone.

"Not this close… or for this long," he replied, which was true. Normally we would glance at them from behind, before they disappeared once more. I turned back to the group we had walked away from, where Pansy lay laughing almost forcibly at something Draco had said. Theo let out a sigh. "While I don't normally condone our professor's lectures, I don't believe we would have gotten this opportunity had we studied under Grubbly-Plank."

"I doubt it," I grumbled back. "And if those idiots ruin it for us, with their little jokes, I won't let them hear the end of it."

"I wouldn't look too much into it," Theo smiled a bit at me. "We all know well enough Dumbledore plays favorites, and Hagrid seems to be one of his. I highly doubt he will be going anywhere anytime soon."

"I hope you're right," I gave him a small smile in return.

Professor Hagrid continued the rest of the lesson, trying to reign back what Umbridge had disheveled. After a bit more information on the thestrals, some which I knew from studying myself, and some that was actually quite new, he explained in detail his experience with the care and breeding of them. Draco and Pansy continued to play around and make jokes through the lesson. Daphne kept asking Theodore if the thestrals were real, set in her denial of the morbid creatures. Personally, I thought it would be hilarious to show her an artist rendering of them, but Theo convinced me otherwise, as it would most likely mean having to hold her hand anytime we approached the forest or carriages.

The afternoon soon passed, and after another lesson, came dinner. We ate gingerly, and the talk among our group continued. From the Slytherin table, I glanced towards the Gryffindor's. On that end, someone looked back at me. After a second, he nodded towards the entrance, and I nodded in return. With that in mind, I turned back down to my food to finish. Since our prior argument, things had been… complicated. Neither party had apologized and both silently agreed that, for the time being at least, it was alright to leave it that way. Once I finished what felt like the appropriate amount of food, I dismissed myself from the others and stepped outside. I stood in the courtyard, walking idly, and waiting. Somehow, I had finished with my meal before he had. But it didn't take long for the footsteps to reach me.

"Have a nice dinner?" George asked, stopping just behind me.

"Yes," I nodded in response, turning to look at him.

George turned down a second, kissing my cheek. With that he grabbed my hand and began walking, leading me along with him. For a second he paused and turned back. My gaze looked back along with him, unsure if there was someone he was expecting would follow. But before I could focus on anything, George continued forward once more. We turned a corner, a little ways from where others lay, and sat against one of the walls of the castle.

A moment passed where we sat quiet. This was how things had been since our last talk. He was right in saying we had yet to have a proper fight, it was mostly squabbles up to this point. I hadn't thought about it until recently, but if George really had been just 'letting me win' as he claimed, it did explain why this hadn't been resolved yet. Knowing that, of course, only worsened my feelings about all of this. I frowned at a distant group, running past the lake, just as something shiny caught my eye.

"Here," George handed me a coin he pulled from his pocket. I looked at it a second, then turned my frown up at him.

"Thanks, but I don't really need any Galleon."

"Oh, I'm sure," he replied in a specific tone. "But that's not a real Galleon."

"So, fake currency. That's better?" I asked, not sure where he was going with this. He chuckled a bit at that.

"It might be," George smiled, a bit more relaxed. "Didn't have a chance to tell you, with you constantly being gone with what I'm sure now was Quidditch practice—"

"We said we weren't going to talk about that," I interrupted. George gave me a sigh, slipping an arm around my waist.

"I know, I know," he pulled at my side, leaning in to look at the coin in my hand. "What I meant was, I didn't get a chance to tell you about Dumbledore's Army."

"So you're really set on the name, then?" I gave him a small smile. He returned it.

"Apparently," George smirked at me. "Anyway, we each got one of these."

"Is it like a sort of club entrance token? A memento?" I asked, turning to see if I caught the error in the fake.

"Not entirely," George leaned in. He caught my hand, as I tried to turn it once more, and pointed at the coin's serial tag. "These numbers here, that's how we know when the next meeting will be. Since we can't be constantly whispering between different houses and years without coming off suspicious, we got these. There's a main one that reflects onto all these little copies. They get changed to a time and date, depending on what our next meeting will be, whenever it's decided."

"Who came up with this—that's a stupid question. Hermione," I answered myself, to which George confirmed with a nod. "But… did she come up with just the concept, or…?"

"Nope, made a whole batch of them herself."

"She used a Protean Charm… on a batch…" I muttered to myself. As George nodded, I let out a frown. "That's incredibly advanced."

"Jealous?" George gave me a chuckle.

"A little," I admitted with a frown, taking a closer look.

This was a N.E.W.T. level charm, at least. It wasn't something we had been taught, and I doubted we would be. Even so she did it herself, and to such a large degree. At the meeting there had been twenty-odd students present. Even if only a portion of them had joined, that was not a small feat. Not to mention she was now taking lessons on Defense Against the Dark Arts. Though it may not be by a proper professor she was a ways ahead, and I would need to catch up. I turned to give George his coin back, still frowning over it, but he shook his head at me.

"Keep it."

"You're not serious," I asked, trying again. And again, I was denied.

"I'm sure Fred will tell me when the next meeting is," George joked, ignoring my attempt.

"But I'm not part of your little army."

"You could be," he cooed. When I gave him a look, he returned a smirk. "Not just me wants you there, you know. Hermione was the one who invited you. And yeah, I know, you don't want to be the only Slytherin there. You've said that, but—"

"If literally any Slytherin, from any year, besides me were to suddenly show up to one of your meetings… would you be even the least bit suspicious of them?"

"Absolutely," he agreed with my interruption, not bothering to lie, or pretend otherwise.

"Well, that's how the rest of your little group will feel with me there. And, when something most likely goes wrong, I do not want to be a part of it," I assured, trying to return his coin once more.

"It's been interesting, the meetings," George went on, pretending not to see my outstretched hand. "Nothing fancy, but some useful things. So far it's been mostly stunning spells and independent jinxes. Going over the basics."

"That is the basic principle to learning any skill, I suppose," I mumbled.

"So you'll join—?"

"No."

"Why must you be so negative?" George chuckled, unphased by my interruption.

"There are, what, almost thirty students in total in your group? If everyone from the meeting is participating, that is. Are you really telling me you trust every single one of them to keep their mouths shut?" I asked, raising a brow. George turned away, not answering, but I had seen the answer clear on his face.

"Keep it anyways," George said after a moment, leaning his head against mine. "Y'know, in case you change your mind."

"I won't," I assured.

"You might," he insisted in turn. When he raised his head, he grabbed the coin from my hand. But instead of doing the predictable, he reached for my bag, opened it, and dropped the coin inside. Looking back up at me, he gave me a smile. "Just be careful not to lose it between all your other Galleon. Besides, how else are you going to practice for your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.s?"

"I've actually been thinking about that," I admitted, closing my bag, accepting his actions as the decision on that.

"And?" he asked. I hugged my bag against me with a sigh.

"Well, with Umbridge being absolutely zero help…" I grumbled resentfully. George gave me a smirk, and leaned his head against mine once more. "I decided to practice on my own some time ago. But Hermione mentioning your little Army made me realize I would probably learn more with a practice partner, so I've started working with one."

"Malfoy?" George asked. I didn't see his face, but I heard the frown.

"No, Theodore… Nott," I added, when I heard the confused huff. Apparently that didn't help. Yet he always complained that it was me who couldn't remember people in his life. "He's the one you hate the least from my year."

"Oh, yeah, from the train?" he nodded against my hair.

"Yes, that one," I confirmed with a chuckle. "We've been focusing on structuring lessons for ourselves so far. We have kept it to texts and technical work, research and such. But we haven't gotten to the physical practice yet. Stunning spells and independent jinxes you said… I might suggest that, then."

"Glad I could be of service," George chimed, though I couldn't be sure it wasn't sarcastic. "Well, as of right now, that's all we have. Might eventually reach a patronus. Harry produced a corporeal patronus, y'know."

"So I've heard," I nodded, patting the side of his head. "Maybe you'll get the chance to get your own too."

The conversation soon shifted between us. We began to talk about his efforts with the shop and other such simple things. Nothing of substance overall. At the moment certain topics were off limits, the argument still fresh on both our minds. Quidditch would bring up the match, and even my plans for the winter would lead to my progress on becoming a healer, which would eventually work its way to Draco's injury. I knew this from experience. So with the talk of Dumbledore's Army already used up, we really only had small talk as a safe space. For the time being, at least.

It didn't last too long before we said our goodbyes. George went off to find Fred as I headed down for the night. Following the stairs to the Slytherin dungeon, I fished out the Galleon I had been gifted. I didn't want it to get lost. Honestly, I thought it rather stupid that he would just give it away like that. Of course, I knew he wasn't an idiot, but sometimes he did things that made me wonder. He had even told me how the cypher worked, though I'm sure it wouldn't take someone more than a few tries to figure it out. Complex as the spell might be to create, it seemed to have a simple way of distributing the information.

I was still looking at its detail when I entered the Slytherin common room. Thinking of how Hermione was able to cast such a large spell, I found a seat among the hoard. Of course I always found her talented, but this was just unfair. I didn't think myself so virtuous that I couldn't admit that what I felt was a bit of jealousy and… resentment. Here I am, trying to find ways to pass my O.W.L.s for the necessary courses, and she was teaching herself advanced incantations. At the thought, I let out a frown. And at that, I felt the cushioning behind me dip down, as someone leaned themselves on the back of the seat.

"Thinking of buying something?" Draco spoke into my ear. I jumped a bit, feeling how close he was, but I shook my head at him.

"Not exactly," I answered, quickly placing the coin in my robe's pocket.

Draco circled the sofa and came to sit next to me. Neither said anything. I figured if I said something now I might accidentally let slip one of the things he shouldn't know about. If I did, he would only ask more questions, and I still hadn't told him what I had been off doing during Hogsmeade. I wanted to tell him but Draco was smart, even with just a little piece of information, I'm sure he could figure out the rest from there. It was a wonder what he could do when he put his mind to something. Not only that, but it would cause yet another sensitive issue between me and George. And I didn't need any more of those at the moment.

So far, we had avoided the question of Hogsmeade by luck. A lot had happened since then. And it wasn't long after that we had started the Quidditch practice, so we really just hadn't had the time. Part of me hoped he had forgotten, but I knew that was only wishful thinking. Another thought it would be better to just tell Draco, get everything out into the open, but I couldn't do that. If I became the reason that their little group got caught—

"What's wrong with you?" Draco frowned when I didn't answer right away, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I'm wonderful, thank you for asking, Deedee. How are you today?" I replied, making the sarcasm heavy in my tone. Draco rolled his eyes at me.

"I'm serious. You seem… off somehow," he mumbled, leaning closer to me. Turning to the side, he looked directly at me.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," I sighed, which was true. Just thinking too much, as usual.

"That's a lie," he called matter-of-factly, squinting at me. "Did that… thing from Care of Magical Creatures spook you?"

"Spook?" I scoffed, but looked down.

"You know what I mean. I can't see the damn things but… I know you can," Draco added quietly. He leaned forward a moment, resting his elbows on his knees. His look was a serious one. "Even if you didn't raise your hand, I know you'd be able to see them. I imagine anything that requires you to have witnessed a murder can't exactly be pleasent."

"Not a murder, just a death," I corrected. "And they're fine. I'm fine."

"Don't bullshit me, I know something is bothering you. I can tell," he replied harshly. I turned up to frown at him but stopped. His words may have been rough, but his expression was soft. Draco straightened back, bumping his shoulder against mine. With that, he smiled. "What, suddenly you're off the team and we can't flirt anymore."

"Shut up," I let out a giggle, pushing back against him. Draco leaned himself against the back of the seat before turning to smirk at me. "I'm fine, really, I've just been thinking about a few too many things."

"You think too much for your own good."

"Maybe," I admitted, giving him a smile in return.

The smile was meant for more than just his words. He was different. We were different. At the start of the year, if we had been in a similar situation I would have tried running away. But now I wasn't, and he wasn't letting me go off and sulk. Instead he was sitting next to me, cracking his dumb jokes. I wasn't sure if this was all thanks to our Quidditch practices, but it was certainly a major part of it. George was still upset by it but, at the moment, I didn't regret what I had done. I was able to have a nice conversation with my best friend again, that was worth George getting a little upset. He'd get over it.

"Remind me to buy Daphne something nice for Christmas, will you?"

"Why the sudden change?" Draco asked, raising his brows at me.

"It's not sudden. I like Daphne," I defended. "I can get her a present if I want."

"Sure, but since when does it have to be nice," he insisted.

"Since she helped me with something I was having trouble with earlier in the year," I explained, though vaguely.

"What, your lessons?" Draco scoffed. Bumping his shoulder against mine again, his smile grew bigger.

"No, but it was something I was having trouble with… let's just leave it at that," I answered softly. Draco looked at me for a moment, trying to see if he could figure out what it was I was keeping.

"She's been real helpful this year, huh," he huffed, apparently not figuring it out.

"Did she do something for you?" I asked. By his tone it sounded as though she had been helpful to more than just me. Draco didn't respond right away. He looked at me for a second, before turning up to the ceiling.

"The Weasley pins," Draco spoke after a moment. "She helped sell them, remember?"

"Right," I nodded, but didn't elaborate.

Something seemed off in the way he had paused. His face still looked a little bit off. It was as though he was hiding something. I knew he had helped her, with a gift she planned to give someone, but was selling pins really all he had asked in return? It had to be something else. Exactly how many secrets was that woman hiding? I frowned down at the thought. When I turned back up, Draco gave me a sarcastic smile.

"What's with the look? Did you remember something you needed to lecture me on?" Draco asked arrogantly.

"Like I don't have an endless supply of those," I gave him a smile back. But that smile faded when I saw someone plop down on the arm rest just beside him, rudely intruding on our conversation.

"What are we talking about?" Pansy asked, wrapping an arm around him.

"Nothing," I sighed, taking that as the sign I needed to call it a night. I was trying to be nice and when I couldn't do that it was best to remove myself from the conversation. It was about that time, anyway. I grabbed my bag and pulled it up on my shoulder. With a look to Draco, I stood up. "Actually, I was just about to go to bed."

"It's a little early, isn't it?" Draco asked, unironically. I gave him a shrug.

"I actually have a couple of things I want to organize before bed, but I'm feeling tired. Figured I should do it upstairs, in case sleep gets the better of me," I lied. Being able to tell, Draco gave me a frown.

"We were talking."

"If she wants to go to bed, let her go," Pansy interrupted, not helping his frown.

"We weren't done talking," Draco continued, looking at me, but it felt as though the words were directed at her. It caught me off guard. Pansy acted as though she didn't notice a thing.

"That's what breakfast is for, isn't it? Go on, get your rest," Pansy gave me a look. I frowned between the two. They were acting weird, even for them.

"I was," I spoke slowly, still watching.

"You don't have to go."

"But she wants to go."

I paused and stood, waiting. Even though they were both looking at me, it felt as though I wasn't part of this discussion anymore. What was more surprising was that, until recently, I couldn't remember a time when I saw Pansy and Draco arguing like that. They were fine this morning… They must have had an argument sometime in between then and now. Maybe when I had gone to talk to George?

But things between them had been confusing for a minute now. It seemed that way since around the time we had that Quidditch match against Gryffindor. One day, she'd spend the afternoon talking his ear off about something entirely meaningless, the next she couldn't stand the sight of him. It was exhausting trying to decipher which mood they were in, honestly. But it wasn't my place, and I'd had my own problems to deal with since then. Draco closed his eyes for a moment before turning to Pansy with a look. Standing her ground, she returned it.

"Fine. We'll talk later then," he directed, turning back to me.

"Alright…" I spoke slowly, still confused. But, again, it was none of my business. "And like I said, I'm fine, but thank you."

"And, like I said, we'll talk later," Draco repeated, speaking clearly.

Figuring he would keep insisting, I gave him a nod. We would talk later. After they got done dealing with whatever was wrong with both of them, we could talk. For now, I made my way up the stairs, but not before turning a look of confusion at the two. Turning only for a second, it was enough for me to catch their kiss. Clearly disgusted, I turned forward and let out a frown. More confusing than ever, those two sure got over that quick. Trying to erase that image from my mind, I walked faster up to my room.

"Hello," Daphne smiled warmly at me as I entered the room.

Daphne sat on the floor, brushing out Lev's fur. I had already done so in the morning, but with his hair it couldn't be helped. Fall was part of his shedding season. It was almost over, but we had to get what loose hairs we could. I didn't need Pansy jumping down my neck about picking up the little white hairs that the house-elves missed in their cleanings. Besides, he felt happier with his coat well cared for, and that's all I cared about.

"Daphne," I called, setting my bag down, still watching him.

"Yes," she answered slowly, sounding nervous at my tone. I waited a moment, but she didn't seem as patient. "What is it?"

"Daphne, what are you hiding from me?"

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, but her hand stopped, no long brushing Lev's fur. So she was hiding something. Daphne noticed my stare and pulled the brush away from Lev, standing herself up. "I'm keeping stuff for you, is that what you're talking about—"

"Forget it," I mumbled. I took in a breath, sitting down on the edge of my bed. Now free from his grooming, Lev came to join me. He nestled himself against my thigh and I pet his head. "It's fine. It's nothing."

"Why are you asking all of a sudden?" Daphne asked, but I didn't answer right away.

"Draco's keeping something from me," I spoke quietly, running my hand through Lev's fur. Normally I wouldn't say any of this to her, but she already knew enough. "I'm just not sure what it is yet."

"If he is, I'm sure he'll tell you when he's ready. You remember what happened last time you tried to force a secret out of him," Daphne added with a small smile.

"Funny," I replied, with a face that displayed the exact opposite. But that did seem to lighten her mood. Daphne gave me a smile and moved to sit next to my bed.

"I know, I know," she sighed, reaching a hand out to my hair, "but I am serious. You and Draco already have this wonderful bond. You're essentially already engaged. I don't know why you bother with that good-for-nothing—"

"Daphne," I warned with a tone. Pulling her hand away, she cleared her throat.

"What I'm saying is…" Daphne continued, "you don't need to push anything out of him. I'm sure if he is hiding something he'll tell you when he's ready. Besides, I doubt it would be anything bigger than telling you he's been in love with you for the past ten years."

"Nine," I corrected quietly. Daphne let out a giggle, and I couldn't help but smile back. "You're right. You're right, I should just wait."

"The thing with you two is that, even when you keep things hidden, it feels like you're being more honest with each other than with anyone else," Daphne spoke longingly. "First you keep a secret, then he does; it goes back and forth but you always end up telling each other. Because, in the end, you always end up opening up to each other. All you really need to do is figure out the timing. And as soon as you're done with this little act of rebellion, you'll see that the two of you are meant to be! So it's only a matter of time before you break it off with—"

"Goodnight Daphne," I called loudly. But not nearly as concerned as she had been before, Daphne giggled to herself and got up from my bed.

"All I'm saying is I want to be a bridesmaid—Goodnight!"

Daphne added the latter part quickly, as if that would erase the previous comment. I gave her a look but she pretended not to see as she scurried off to her own bed. Finding I was already tired enough, I decided to call it a night as well. I gave Lev a long sigh. Leaning down to give him a kiss, I pushed myself off the bed, off to get ready for the night.