Thanks to Chuck for looking this over.

Chapter 5: The Polyjuice Plan

"Uno!" said Holly triumphantly after placing a red seven.

Alex groaned and picked up a card from the deck. Confident in her victory, Holly grinned and put down a red four. "Uno out! I win again!"

"I'll shuffle this time," grumbled Alex as he used his foot to mix up the cards.

"I thought winner got to mix-up."

Alex huffed as he gathered the cards. "That was before you won four times in a row." His hand deftly shuffled the cards as he straightened out the deck. "I'm on to you, Potter." He stuck out his tongue.

She laughed. "This is fun. How'd you get the game?"

"Dad bought it at Tesco." Alex dealt. "You first."

Holly dropped a red five on the starting card. "How's summer?"

"We're going to go on holiday soon." He placed a yellow five. "I can't wait!"

He's leaving? Holly paused with her hand on a yellow skip card. "Holiday? When are you going?"

"Next Saturday. My parents want to explore other...places."

She ignored the odd pause and placed the skip followed by a yellow five. "Even with the twins?" she asked as she referenced Alex's younger brother and sister Samuel and Rhea. They were adorable three-year-olds that always hid Alex's things. Holly found the sibling rivalry sweet.

Alex nodded, placing a blue five.

"When will you guys come back?" Holly asked, holding in a breath as she added a blue one.

"I dunno. Dad said he wants to spend at least two weeks there, so that's"—he counted softly—"fourteen days." A green one.

Holly gasped. She and Alex had been almost inseparable since they became friends, and the news that he was just leaving shocked her. "That's half of the month! By the time you get back, it'll be August!" He'll miss my birthday!

"I know. I asked if you could come, but my parents said—"

"I can't leave unless the Dursleys say so." Holly finished feeling annoyed. Suddenly, she didn't feel like playing anymore.

Alex winced, clearly seeing her disinterest. "I'm sorry."

"Where are you guys going?"

He immediately looked off to the side. "No clue."

Holly rolled her eyes. "That's rubbish. You know everything." Alex had one of the highest grades in the class. His parents were Doctors, after all.

"No, I don't. Elizabeth scored higher on me on the last test." He frowned. "I was so close too."

This again? "Alex, it was one point!"

Alex's competitiveness was something she'd never understand, but at least he wasn't too obnoxious about it. She nudged him to get back to the topic at hand. "Where are you guys going?"

He looked at his cards. "I'm not supposed to say anything. Mum and Dad only told me because I said I'd keep it to myself."

"Please? I won't tell anyone." Granted, she had no one to tell, but that had to count for something, right?

Alex looked at her, still uncertain. "You're not going to believe me."

"Yes I will."

"You're sure?"

"Positive." Holly grinned and set her cards face down next to her. "Now tell me!"

"We're going into space," Alex said excitedly, forgetting the game entirely. "My dad rented a spaceship and we're going to visit all the planets and stuff. Seeing Mars should be fun and all, but I want to see all of the Galilean moons. Did you know Jupiter's smallest moon, Europa, is covered in ice? Dad says that water might be under the surface! It'll be brilliant to visit, don't you think? And then we're going to tour—"

"Wait a minute, did you say you're going to space?" asked Holly, confused. That was impossible.

But that didn't stop Alex's excited ramblings. He nodded so quickly she thought his head would fall off. "Yeah! I mean, there's not a lot there and we'll have to stay inside the ship because the gravity and at-mos-phere of some planets and moons, but Dad said I can add some rocks to my collection—"

"You don't have to lie to me," Holly snapped.

"What do you mean? I'm not lying!"

"Yes you are! You told me it's been almost five years since the last spacewalk!"

"Yeah, but that was before dad told me about the spaceship."

"Spaceship? People don't have spaceships! That's impossible!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

Alex crossed his arms. He looked angry. "I knew I shouldn't have told you about my family holiday. It's not like you're going with us."

Holly reeled back as if she'd been slapped. How could he? She felt sick. "Yeah? Well...well—"

"Well what?" Alex said, challenging her.

"Don't bring it up then!"

Alex leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're just jealous."

With a snarl, Holly threw her cards in his face and stormed out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

How could he? He's supposed to be my friend! Holly practically stomped down the Crescent. If he thinks he can lie to me he can bugger off! She crossed the road and entered the Alley through Wisteria Walk.

She kicked a stone across the pavement. Stupid Alex and his stupid space obsession! Everyone knew only grown-ups with special training could go into space. They had to train for years and years and years and only a few people got the chance to go. Every single VHS tape they watched about space said that! He told her that! Now he was lying to her and she hated it.

In her anger she'd crossed from Wisteria to Hazel Grove and was at Privet Drive in no time at all. Both cars were gone.

Good.

But deep down, she was hurt. She knew Alex and his family were a little strange, but they were always nice to her. She spent more time at number thirty than at number four and had even slept over more than once. Why would they lie to her? Was it because she wasn't part of the family?

Once she was inside Dudley's former toy room, Holly kicked off her shoes and fell back on the bed.

"I'm not jealous," she muttered as she wrapped herself in a thin sheet. "I'm not."

~•~

"Try again."

"Lumos," whispered Ron, barely audible. His wand lit up.

Now for the moment of truth, thought Holly. "Now…"

Ron flicked silently and the light went out. He flicked again and the spell was recast, his wand glowing brilliantly.

"Yes!" cheered Holly. "You did it!"

"I couldn't have gotten it without you," said Ron with a sheepish grin.

"All right, let's try the tickling charm," suggested Holly.

"We don't need to learn that yet."

Holly raised an eyebrow. Rictusempra. A jet of silver light hit Ron in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing.

"Holly!" he laughed. "Stop it!"

She wordlessly cancelled the charm.

"I didn't know you were that far ahead," said Ron once he recovered.

"I did some reading," she admitted sheepishly.

Ron gave her a shocked look. "Oh no."

"What? Is something wrong?"

"I'd say so! You've become another Hermione!"

"Well I can't teach you how to cast non-verbally if I don't know how to do it myself!" Then she noticed his mouth twitch. "Oh very funny."

Ron laughed, and she couldn't help but join in.

"So, tickling charm?"

Ron nodded.

"Remember to believe. Not just in the spell but in your own abilities." Her mouth went on without permission. "Just like I believe in you."

Holly immediately ducked her head, staring at her textbook.

Centuries passed.

"Uh, right." Ron's ears were pink. He cleared his throat. "Is it alright if I..."

She forced herself to look up. "Yeah?"

"Cast the spell on you?"

"Um, okay."

As awkward as the non-verbal magic session the previous day was, Holly was remembering it quite fondly as she laid in bed in the hospital wing, the events of the last six hours whizzing through her head.

WHAM.

"What the —"

"Aha. We've won."

"Great capture, Holly!"

"...the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind."

Her distaste for Lockhart was increasing by the moment and Colin wasn't far behind. She'd destroy the entire video of the match if she had to if it meant the image of her being de-boned remained only in memories.

And how could Hermione still defend Lockhart? Had she and Ron taken her straight to Madam Pomfrey, she'd be out in minutes! Now she'd be stuck the whole night, and it was all his fault. Incompetent poof.

After sending Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Gryffindors away, Madam Pomfrey gave her a pleasant-tasting Calming Draught before coming back with a steaming goblet of Skele-Gro. It tasted awful and made her splutter.

"You're in for a rough night, I'm afraid," the matron said sympathetically. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business."

She waved her wand over her and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

The matron paused for a moment, then said, "Did you know you have an extra pair of ribs?"

I have what? Holly shook her head in disbelief.

"And your shoulder joints are a great deal more flexible than normal, as is your pelvis."

She swallowed. "Is that bad?"

The medi-witch shook her head. "Your mother had the same eccentricities. It apparently ran in her family. Through her father's side, if I'm remembering correctly. Something to do with Muggle genetics, through why it wouldn't have corrected itself by now is beyond me. Anyhow, eat your dinner and tuck in; you're in for a long night."

Holly sat up, ignoring the stabbing pains in her right arm and ate with her left. The soup was delicious, and she finished quickly.

"Madam Pomfrey?" she asked when the matron came around again with some blankets, "how long do potions last for?"

She tapped the tray with a wand and it disappeared, presumably back to the kitchens. "Looking into healing?"

Holly gave a noncommittal shrug. "Just wondering. Sn—Professor Snape never talks about it."

"That man," muttered the matron. "Well, it depends on the potion. Some grow stronger with age, like love potions, others grow weaker, and a few become toxic. The general rule of thumb is that the more magical ingredients there are in a potion, the longer it will keep. Keeping potions in a cool and dry place can also extend the shelf life, but it all depends on the quality of the ingredients to start with and the skill of the potioneer."

Holly nodded. It made sense. "So what about the potions we make in class?"

"During your first few years the potions you make won't last very long. Less than six months in some cases, most less than three. Boil cure is notorious for becoming weaker after three months, and after a year, it won't work at all. By your third year the potions you'll begin brewing potions that last increasingly longer periods of time...the antidote for poisons lasts nine months, for example."

"What about the Essences, like Murtlap and Dittany?"

"Murtlap will keep about six weeks, Dittany lasts about twice that."

"Huh." She'd have to let Alex know right away.

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand to dim the room. "Time for bed, dear."

Hours later Holly awoke to an arm full of splinters and a pitch-black room.

"Lumos."

Despite the bones in her right arm being half-grown, she was able to get the needed light out and illuminate her surroundings. After pouring herself a glass of water from the jug by her bed, Holly laid back and sighed.

An extra set of ribs. I have an extra set of ribs. Why?

It was well known that magic made sure physical deformities were nonexistent in the bodies of witches and witches. Why did this stay? And supposedly her mother had it too, and her grandfather. Did Petunia have an extra set of ribs and hyper-mobile shoulders? Did Dudley?

Experimentally she raised her left arm and slowly rotated it back. There was nary a movement in her joint as the rotation finished, and as she shrugged her shoulder clicked back into place. Disconcerted, Holly reached under her nightshirt and pulled her skin taut, counting her ribs carefully.

Thirteen.

The other side was the same and she shivered. Twenty-six ribs instead of twenty-four.

Holly drank another glass of water and sighed again. Probably nothing to worry about. Children inherit things from their parents all the time, she thought, thinking of all the diseases Muggles passed on to their children. An extra pair of ribs and flexible shoulders is nothing terrible, besides, I got bad eyesight from my dad, too, and it's not so bad. It might even be helping me at Quidditch.

She let the light extinguish and fell back into a troubled sleep.

Exiting the Hospital wing with a fully functional albeit stiff arm by late morning, Holly headed to the Common Room to find Ron and Hermione. The entire room stilled. Normally she'd be greeted with friendly nods, especially the day after a winning match, but now there were fearful stares and hushed whispers. Holly did her best to ignore them as she headed to her friends.

"Holly!" said Hermione once she saw her. "How's your arm?"

"Fine." She took a seat next to Ron. He was sitting on a cushion, his hair slicked back and his clothes pressed, writing in his ever-present journal. "What's going on?"

"Colin was found petrified early this morning," said Ron, not looking up. "One of the seventh years overhead Flitwick and McGonagall talking."

Hermione nodded in confirmation. "We wanted to get started on the potion—"

"You wanted to get started on the potion," corrected Ron.

She shot him a look. "But we decided to wait for you."

The redhead extended his palm and Holly handed him her wand as she had done several times before. Ron waved it in an unfamiliar pattern and handed it back.

"Privacy charm," he said by way of explanation, closing the journal.

"So the potion?"

Hermione nodded. "Polyjuice. Depending on how well we brew it, it'll last anywhere between ten minutes and twelve hours."

Ron looked thoughtful. "Will we be able to get it out of the Slytherins in ten minutes?"

"What if we're stuck like them for hours?" Holly asked aloud.

"I doubt it," said Hermione, though she looked pained to admit it. "But getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called Moste Potente Potions and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library."

"Hard to see why we'd want the book, really," said Ron, "if we weren't going to try and make one of the potions."

"I think," said Hermione, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance."

"Oh, come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," said Ron. "They'd have to be really thick..."

Holly gave him a look. "There is one teacher..."

"Bloody hell," muttered Ron.

"Wait, why can't we just make or buy the Mandrake potion ourselves?" Holly asked Ron as they waited for Hermione outside Lockhart's office. "Cut out all this dodging about with Polyjuice. Dumbledore said Filch's cat would be able to take it once the Mandrakes are ready."

Ron shook his head. "Mandrakes mature really late in spring, and even with preservation spells, they don't last too long. Imports are expensive, too. St. Mungo's doesn't keep much of it on hand since it loses potency pretty quickly, especially compared to ones like Pepper-Up Potion or antidotes."

"But the Mandrake Restorative Draught is used to restore those that have been cursed or suffered a transfiguration accident back to normal," said Holly, confused. "Shouldn't there be more call for it?"

"Most magical accidents and curses can usually be dealt with in other ways," explained Ron. "If someone broke an arm or something, you wouldn't use Mandrake, you'd give them Skele-Gro. That's what it's for, after all. It's the really bad stuff that requires Mandrake."

"Ah," Holly said, nodding. "It'd be like bringing a knife to a fistfight."

"Huh?"

"Er—like using Incendio to see in the dark when Lumos works better," clarified Holly.

"Oh."

Just then Hermione came out of the office, looking very pleased. "I've got it."

"I don't believe it," said Holly as the three of them examined the signature on the note. "Did he even look at the book we wanted?"

Hermione flushed. "Well…"

"Of course not, because he's a brainless git," said Ron. "But who cares, we've got what we needed—"

"He is not a brainless git," said Hermione shrilly as they half-ran toward the library.

"Hermione's right, he has to have some sense in order to sell so many books," said Holly, rubbing her chin.

"Holly!"

"Guess what?"

"You got your braces off early?"

Alex seemed to run his tongue over his teeth for a moment. "No. But we did it."

"You finished the paperwork?" Holly beamed as Alex grinned back at her. "That's brilliant! How'd they approve it so fast?"

Alex didn't meet her eyes. "Oh, you know, I guess they weren't so busy after all."

Holly rose an eyebrow but decided to let it go. "So what now?"

"Just keep brewing. Dad and I will get all the non-magical supplies you need."

"We still have to find a way to send them here," said Holly.

"Hedwig?"

She shook her head. "Too obvious, and it wouldn't stop the teachers from searching what you send through her. And I can't use the Hogsmeade Owl Office either. Only third years and up can go and it's only once a month."

Alex drummed his fingers, his brow furrowed in contemplation.

"Don't worry, I'll figure something out," promised Holly, making a note on her parchment.

Getting the magical ingredients was far easier. The Forbidden Forest was full of potion ingredients, and with Hagrid's help she was able to get Dittany and porcupine quills for free, in exchange for helping with the weekly food harvests. She quickly discovered there was quite a difference between dried, bottled ingredients and would-be ingredients on the vine—and where to find the vine altogether. Sometimes Ron joined her, and they were able to practice their non-verbal spells under Hagrid's tutelage.

One afternoon, in a rare show of cunning, Ron was able to get knotgrass and full-moon picked fluxweed from Hagrid's stores.

"For the potion," he said, the brightness of the fluxweed making his blue eyes look colder than they ever were.

"I'm starting to regret this," muttered Holly as they made their way back into the Great Hall at eight. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Hermione as they edged into the chattering crowd.

"Bill told me Flitwick was a duelling champion when he was young—maybe it'll be him," said Ron.

"That's fine, as long as it's not—" Holly began, but she ended on a groan: Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black.

Ron didn't look pleased, either. "I can see this will be a waste of time."

Hermione shushed him as Lockhart began speaking.

"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in her ear.

Holly looked to see Snape's murderous expression. "Well, Snape will probably finish off Lockhart first."

After Lockhart stood after Snape's Expelliarmus—which unfortunately left him none worse for wear—the two teachers started splitting everyone into groups. Ron was lucky enough to get partnered up with Seamus, but Holly and Hermione ended up with Slytherins.

It only got worse from there. After the disaster of letting hundreds of students duel each other ended, Snape and Lockhart decided to demonstrate how to 'block unfriendly spells'—with her and Malfoy taking centre stage.

"Three — two — one — go!" Lockhart shouted.

Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "Serpensortia!" The end of his wand exploded. Holly watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.

She swallowed nervously, looking between the snake and her friends.

"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight. "I'll get rid of it..."

"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.

"Leave him alone!" she shouted.

And miraculously—inexplicably—the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Holly.

It worked? She let out a breath of relief. It worked!

She looked up at Justin, grinning, expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful — but certainly not angry and scared.

"What do you think you're playing at!?" he shouted.

Holly was confused. "Justin—"

But before she could say anything else, Justin stormed out of the Hall.

Snape gave her a calculating look before finally Vanishing the snake. She could hear the muttered whispers of the crowd and someone tugging her robe.

"Come on," said Ron, his face deadly serious.

Ron steered her out of the hall, Hermione following alongside them, until they reached the Gryffindor common room.

Then Ron pushed Holly into an armchair and said, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm a what?"

"A Parselmouth!" said Ron. "You can talk to snakes!"

Holly shrugged. "I didn't know I could talk to them. I knew I could understand them, though," she said, thinking of Alex's tenth birthday trip to the zoo. "I don't see what the big deal is. I bet loads of people here can do it."

"Oh, no they can't," said Ron. "It's not a very common gift. Holly, this is bad."

"What's bad?" said Holly, starting to feel quite angry. "What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin—"

"Oh, that's what you said to it?"

"What d'you mean? You were there—you heard me—"

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue," said Ron. "You could have been saying anything—no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something—it was creepy, you know—"

Holly gaped at him. "I spoke a different language? But—I didn't realize—how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?"

Ron shook his head. Both he and Hermione were looking as though someone had died. Holly couldn't see what was so terrible.

"D'you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin's head?" she said. "What does it matter how I did it as long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?"

"It matters," said Hermione, speaking at last in a hushed voice, "because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."

Holly lay awake for hours that night. Through a gap in the curtains around her four-poster, she watched snow starting to drift past the tower window and wondered. Could she be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin? There wasn't much she was able to learn before Hogwarts, since Mrs Kann didn't like going into the Alley often, and she hadn't done any research beyond what was needed for potion-making and distribution.

Why didn't I use Transfiguration? Vera Verto or Reparifarge could have worked. Better yet, a Freezing charm, like Hermione used for the pixies in Lockhart's class. A Slowing charm would have also helped, giving me some extra time to think, or so that Lockhart and Snape could do their jobs and Vanish the snake. Anything would have been better than telling the snake to stop, like an idiot.

Holly reached under her pillow and called Alex.

Her Muggle friend answered with a groan. "Are you okay?"

"Physically, I suppose," she whispered, casting a wandless Silencing spell.

Alex rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Holly, do you have any clue what time it is?"

"No."

He sighed. "Well, what is it?"

Holly quickly explained what had happened. "Why didn't your mum tell me about Paselmouths?"

"Parselmouths?"

"People that can talk to snakes."

"It never came up. Mum's old books only have so much information."

Holly sighed. "I should have let that bloody snake bite him. It would have saved me a whole lot of trouble."

"You don't mean that."

"I'm serious, Alex! This is all Snape and Malfoy's fault! Lockhart too. And I can't believe Justin didn't even stay to hear me out."

"You can always talk to him tomorrow...or today, rather. I'm sure if you explain things to him in a calm, rational manner, he'll understand."

Holly grimaced. Given how Justin bailed on their study 'date' the moment the Heir of Slytherin business started up, she wasn't going to hold her breath. "I doubt it."

"What about Ron and Hermione?" asked Alex.

"They aren't thrilled, I'll tell you that much, but at least they're keeping most of them away. They're upset I didn't say anything."

Alex hummed. Holly could tell Ron and Hermione weren't the only ones displeased.

"I didn't know for certain either, you know," she huffed. "It's not as if there are snakes just lazing about in yards! The only time I might have spoken to one was at your birthday at the zoo."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," said Alex.

"The thing I don't understand is that Malfoy screamed 'Mudbloods are next!' but I'm the only one getting blamed. Same with Colin—I was asleep in the Hospital Wing when he came in, but everyone is still blaming me."

Alex paused. She could hear his arm fall intermittently on his mattress, an annoying habit of his when he was lost in thought. "I don't think it's you necessarily."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just how hu–people react. People are scared about an attack and it's easier for them to blame one person rather than worry about everyone. It's mentioned in one of mom's psychology books."

"Even when it's a second-year?"

Alex shrugged. "I didn't say it was right. I'm sure deep down everyone knows it's not you."

"Yeah, deep, deep, deep down, maybe."

Holly tried to find Justin later that morning to apologise, but her plans to catch him in Herbology were thwarted by a snowstorm that cancelled the class. With Hermione's encouragement, she ventured out to find him in the library instead.

She overheard some Hufflepuffs gossiping about how they'd advised Justin and a few other Muggle-borns to hide up in the dormitory since Holly had obviously marked him for attack after letting slip he was down for Eton. Holly lurked in the shadow of a bookshelf and eavesdropped some more; Hannah Abbott, Lily Moon, Megan Jones and Ernie Macmillan were there, as well as some others she didn't know by name.

Lily seemed sure she was the Heir, and suggested maybe the reason the Dark Lord attacked her was that he'd recognized Holly's potential to grow up to be a rival Dark Lady herself.

Ernie looked unsure, but did comment on how so far only Potter's enemies had been petrified, which seemed very suspicious.

Hannah was initially inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt, but was growing more anxious the more the others talked.

"My mum said the Potters were only a minor pure-blood family until Potter defeated You-Know-Who," Lily muttered warningly. "Maybe she wants to raise her family name up."

"Well, half-blood now," said one girl with an accent reminiscent of McGonagall's.

"Is that why she's doing this? Is she ashamed of her mum?" asked another boy.

Holly couldn't take it anymore and stepped out to confront them, but hearing she was looking for Justin failed to reassure them. She tried to tell them how she was ordering the snake not to attack, but no one seemed to believe her.

"You're just jealous because Justin doesn't like you back!" accused Hannah.

Holly felt her face grow warm. "W-What do you mean?"

"Don't try to deny it," said Lily with a sneer. "Parvati told Padma yesterday!"

"That's why you set the snake to attack him, isn't it?" added Megan, and Holly felt her face grow even warmer.

"I was trying to stop the snake from attacking! Malfoy was the one who Conjured it in the first place!"

"So? That just means you had your chance at revenge and took it!" said Lily.

"If I wanted revenge," she began slowly, "I wouldn't have done anything when the snake slithered to him."

Hannah crossed her arms. "I don't believe it."

"I didn't see any of you try to help!" snapped Holly. "You all had wands too! Why didn't you do anything?"

A strawberry-blonde–haired girl moved to speak, but Megan pushed her back.

"All we saw," said Ernie stubbornly, though he was trembling as he spoke, "was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake toward Justin."

"I didn't chase it at him!" Holly said, her voice shaking with anger. "It was already moving towards him!"

"It was a very near miss," said Ernie. "And in case you're getting ideas," he added hastily, "I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so—"

"I don't care what sort of blood you've got!" shouted Holly. "Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns?"

"I've heard you hate those Muggles you live with," said Megan swiftly, rubbing her nervous friend's back.

"It's not possible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them," said Holly, holding her tongue with effort. "I'd like to see you try it."

She stormed out of the library. Stupid Hufflepuffs.

Dinnertime on weekends was rather less crowded than on weeknights, as food was served for a longer period; the nearest Gryffindors were several arm-lengths away.

"I can't believe I'm getting blamed for this," said Holly as her fellow Gryffindors eyed her warily. But wary stares were the least of her worries, given how the Hufflepuffs looked about ready to commit murder.

Justin's petrification and further hospitalization yesterday had only made things more tense. Her wand was in her hand at all times and she was brushing up on her wandless skills if worse came to worse.

"It's silly, you were in the hospital when Colin was petrified," Hermione pointed out smartly.

"And right at the scene when Justin was found," said Ron unhelpfully.

Holly glared at him. "Thanks Ron."

"No problem, mate."

"It's ridiculous," Hermione said, ignoring him. "You don't hate Muggles or Muggle-borns either. I mean, two of your friends are Muggle-born."

"I shouldn't have to have a Muggle-born friend," Holly said in frustration. "That's like saying that everyone ought to have a minority friend so people will know that they're not racist."

Ron's forehead crinkled. "What's 'racist'?"

Holly stared at him, too surprised to speak.

"Honestly, Ron! Racism is when you think that one race is better than another race," Hermione explained. "You know how Deans' skin is...brown? And Parvati's?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, some Muggles would think they aren't as good as they are because of that," said Holly.

Ron looked even more confused. "But that's ridiculous."

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "And so is the pure-blood/Muggle-born debate."

Ron looked thoughtful. Turning to Holly he said, "Hey, wasn't one of your friends a—Ow!"

"What?" asked Hermione.

"Nothing!" said Holly quickly, withdrawing her elbow from Ron's side. "It's not important."

"Well, at least you know Lavender and Parvati can't be trusted," said Hermione after an awkward silence. "I can't believe they'd gossip about your crush like that after they said they wouldn't say anything."

"Yeah."

"Why, what happened?" asked Ron.

"I told them I fancied Justin and they told Justin's friends," said Holly. "They think that I set the snake on him because he said he didn't like me back."

"WHAT!?"

Holly elbowed him again. "Get a grip, mate! I'd rather the whole school not know."

"But Justin?" he continued flabbergasted, looking between her and Hermione. "Are you having me on?"

"Honestly Ronald, we're in adolescence. Fancying the same or opposite sex is quite normal," said Hermione with a huff.

Holly wasn't impressed either. "This is why girls don't share these things with boys. You all overreact."

"I'm not overreacting!"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, I suppose he has a nice smile."

"I liked his hair," admitted Holly reluctantly. "But it's not like it matters. I'm over him."

Hermione rolled her eyes as if she didn't quite believe her. "Have you two completed the History assignment?"

"Dark Witch!" a girl hissed as she passed her by.

Holly grit her teeth and kept walking. For years the Dursleys had treated her the same, and she had to listen to them constantly belittle her. The other students in Primary school had always ignored her because of Dudley or her accidental magic, but this felt different. In her heart, she knew why.

The Wizarding world was supposed to be where she belonged and the rejection cut worse.

She did realise something though; fame was fickle. It was something she should have learned last year after Norbert, but since the blame was spread between herself, Hermione and Neville, it didn't hit as hard. Plus, it was only the students who were angry at her. Now, it was completely on her and her alone, along with the Professors turning a blind eye. Even Dumbledore was suspicious of her, despite Hagrid willing to defend her. Being the Girl-Who-Lived meant nothing. People would just as easily turn against her as they flocked to her. It was a hard lesson to learn.

And expensive, she grimaced, thinking of her sabotaged potion. It would be impossible to figure out who did it—everyone in the Tower knew she "practiced" making potions in the brew room.

Probably for the best. If the business takes off it'd be impossible to keep it secret. I need to find someplace else. She made sure the corridor was clear before taking out her PDA.

Holly's Secret Hideaway (name pending)

-Close to Gryffindor Tower

-Spacious

-Must vent potion fumes

-Hidden from the public eye

-Easily protected

Hmm. She would have to consider what spells to add onto the Hideaway. Notice-Me-Not, some sort of repelling enchantments, illusion and warming charms...

"Oi, Holly, fancy a game of chess?" asked Ron as he joined her at their table in the Common Room.

She shook her head, nibbling on her sugar quill. "Maybe later."

Ron sat next to her. "What are you reading? Magical mail history?"

Holly nodded, looking up to write something down.

"Why? You've got Hedwig, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I was wondering if there is a way to instantly deliver messages and possibly other objects, aside from the Floo Network," she answered honestly. "I don't want to force her to stay on wing twenty-four hours a day."

Ron looked pensive. "Well, you could try Vanishing Cabinets. They're two connected cabinets. You can put something into one, close the door, and it appears in the other one. It only works between two people, but it is faster," he suggested. "They're a bit pricey though."

"That's all right," said Holly. "And anything can go in it?"

"I think so," confirmed Ron. "As long as they aren't damaged or anything."

"Do you know where I could get a pair?"

"Dervish and Banges might have them. It's in Hogsmeade. They make magical instruments and stuff."

"Hmm."

The portrait hole opened and Hermione stepped in, crossing the empty common room. "It's ready."

"Really?"

She nodded. "We have to use it within the week."

"How about tonight?" asked Holly, more than ready to reveal Malfoy as the culprit. Most everyone had left yesterday morning.

"We still have to figure out how to get in," said Ron.

"How about Christmas Eve?"

"Deal."

~•~

Holly could feel her dress cling to her back. Her ice lolly was melting faster than she could eat it, and by the time she got to the park, a large chunk fell off the stick.

She glared at the half-melted treat. That was a pound fifty. She tossed the rest away and went to the play area. The swings were free, so she sat there. A few of her yearmates were there with their parents, running through the grass and playing catch. She began to move, going as high up as she could.

I wonder what it would be like to fly? she thought as a cooling summer breeze drifted by. Alex would—

Holly stopped swinging. She wouldn't think about it. Weeks had passed since the fight and he hadn't apologized for lying to her. She would rather he didn't tell her anything at all instead of making something up.

"Holly?" a familiar voice asked.

She didn't turn around. "What?"

"Can—May I sit with you?"

Holly shrugged and he sat on the swing next to her. Neither looked at the other.

"I'm back," he said.

"Clearly." She began to swing again.

Alex followed. "Can I talk to you?"

"We are."

"Properly."

"Fine," she snapped, stopping for a second time. She still refused to look at him. "What do you want?"

Alex took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for lying to you and calling you jealous. I shouldn't have."

Now, she finally looked. He was far less cheerful than usual and seemed sorry for what he did. "Alright. Where did you really go then?"

"France," he said easily. "We saw the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum and loads of other places." He pulled a postcard from his pocket. "See?"

She removed a sticky hand from the chain and held the card by its corners. A photo of the Eiffel Tower was on the back of it, along with a taped picture of him and his family, smiles on their faces as they stood in front of an odd, triangle-shaped building. The beauty of the background was clear even though she was looking through her smudged lenses.

Holly swallowed, handing the card back to him. "Okay."

"And?"

She looked at him in confusion. What is he going on about—Oh. She stared at the ground in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. For throwing cards in your face."

He patted her back. "It's okay."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Holly?"

"Yeah?"

Alex had an odd expression on his face, looking between her and the sky that was now turning orange. "Um...did you want to get something to eat? Mum's picking up lamb curry."

She never had curry before. Uncle Vernon said it was too 'foreign' and not 'proper British fare'. That had to mean it was good. "Okay."