The twins met with their uncle after breakfast. They were slightly annoyed to find Draco shadowing the professor as he handed them their schedules. "Commensurate with your age, we are placing you with the rest of the sixth years. I've assigned you the same high level class load as Mr. Malfoy, who has graciously offered to escort you around till you are familiar with things." He gave the girls a chance to look over their schedules then asked, "Any questions?"
"Just this first class today sir," and Bailey pointed to Thursday, 9:00 am.
"Yes, I know, but it's required for all sixth years. Now hurry so you're not late."
Draco waited till they were out of earshot of the professor before he made any comments. "You girls do know what Apperating is, right?"
"Of course we know what apperating is," answered Lake as she rolled her eyes. "It's just that…"
"You're afraid to try it right? Well, you shouldn't worry. I'm sure you can't do any worse than that knit, Patty Patil. She actually accomplished to apperate one leg last week. You should have seen the look on her face," and Draco laughed boisterously.
The girls raised their eyebrows as they stared at him. They could imagine the horrified look on someone's face and didn't find anything funny about it. Lake actually smacked his shoulder as she declared, "That's not funny! She must have been terrified. And just how much have you accomplished?"
Draco sobered slightly under Lake's scolding. He looked into her eyes, "You know your eyes turn a lovely shade of violet when you're angry."
"Why, you pig," and Lake looked as if she were reaching for her wand.
"Miss Snape!" The sharp reprimand was issued from down the hall.
Lake halted and looked up at Professor McGonagall.
"Hurry up all three of you. We're ready to begin class." As the students hurried into the class, the professor sent Draco to sit with the rest of class, while she pulled the twins aside. "Now, since this is your first class, I want you two to sit and listen. Get the idea of what's going on so that you can join us next week."
Lake looked as if she was going to protest, but Bailey nudged her. "Thank you Professor McGonagall, I'm sure we can catch up in no time."
The professor smiled at them and shooed them off to the bleachers. The girls found a spot near the top and settled in. They watched diligently as the professor began the class. They soon found themselves giggling as they watched the other students' efforts. The professor fixed a stern gaze on them more than once and they would immediately straighten and pay attention.
After the third interruption, Professor McGonagall called the whole class to order. "Miss Snape," she clapped her hands to get their attention. "Yes, I mean both of you. Please join me down here. Quickly now and don't waste any more of my time."
The girls exchanged glances. The air around them crackled for a second and then there were two soft pops as they disappeared off the bench. They immediately reappeared on either side of the professor.
"Very good ladies," said the rather startled professor. "That will be ten points from Slytherin and two hours of detention for each of you for disrupting class. You will serve your detention this evening in my office. See me right after dinner so we can proceed. Now, maybe you two would like to help some of the other students in their task. Let's see, how about Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy?" The professor motioned for the two young men to step forward.
Harry was the first to step forward. However, not to be outdone, Draco made a grand show of stepping up and made a fuss over already being associated with the girls.
"Bailey, I would be honored if you would assist me," and Draco extended his hand. "We can work over here."
"Yes, well Mr. Potter, you'll be working with Lake then." Professor McGonagall clapped her hands. "All right students, back to work."
Harry and Lake stepped over to where Bailey was trying to avoid getting to close to Draco as she explained how to apperate.
"Well, Mr. Potter what exactly seems to be the trouble?" Lake's voice was kind as she regarded the other student.
"It's Harry, Miss Snape," he accomplished to blurt out as he shifted uneasily under her dark blue gaze.
"Nice to meet you, Harry, I'm Lake," and she extended her hand. "I think my sister and I met some friends of yours. Do you know Fred and George Weasley?"
Harry looked surprised, "Yeah, they're friends of mine. How do you know them?"
"We met them yesterday in Diagon Alley while we were waiting for our uncle. They seemed like very nice fellows. Oh, the professor is looking. So, can I give you a little hint about apperating?"
"Sure, any help would be great."
Lake leaned in close, cupping her hand over Harry's ear. "Quit trying so hard."
Harry turned to her, cocking one eyebrow in a surprised expression. Lake grinned as she bobbed her head. "Until now, you've been taught to concentrate to make your magic work. You've been taught to use your wand to invoke your magic, but you don't need it here. Just relax and imagine where you want to be. See the place then see yourself there. Whenever you're ready, give it a try."
Harry drew in a big breath and released it slowly. He closed his eyes and imagined the other ring he was supposed to apperate into. He saw himself standing in the other ring. He drew in another breath and holding it, thought of himself in the ring. The air over his head began to crackle and Harry quickly lost his concentration.
He released the breath and his shoulders sagged in defeat. "I'm never going to get it."
Lake smiled and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "That was a really good try Harry. You almost had it. You just need to stay focused a little longer. Just remember to relax. You might try going on the inhale of breath instead of the exhale. There's less opportunity to hesitate that way. Oh, look at that! That's what I call poetic justice." She nodded in the direction of her sister, who stood in one of the circles with the top half of Draco Malfoy, while his bottom half remained in the first circle.
Harry thought her comment was odd, but couldn't stop laughing long enough to ask her about it. He quickly sobered though as the professor rushed past to help Malfoy. As she hurried past, she was trying to regain order in the class. "All right students, this isn't the first time we've seen a partial apperation. Our time is about gone anyway, you're all dismissed. Miss Patil, please go fetch Madame Pomfrey. Let her know that we have three to treat."
Bailey joined her sister, who had already gathered her books. They were looking over their schedule, when Harry appeared beside them, a rather agitated girl and a tall red haired boy in tow. His eyes were still alight with amusement. "Lake, I'd like to introduce my friends, Hermione Granger and Ron…"
"Weasley," interrupted Bailey. "There's no mistaking the resemblance. Hi, I'm Bailey."
"Bloody hell, how'd you know that? Resemblance to who?"
"Fred and George, of course," answered Bailey as she summoned her books to her from the upper riser. "They told us to look you up, but we haven't had much chance. So instead, you found us."
"How do they…" Ron looked from Harry to the twins. "How do you know Fred and George?"
"We met them yesterday," answered Lake as she looked over their schedule again. She turned to her sister. "Well, good going with the pig. Now how are we supposed to find our next class?"
"It wasn't my fault," defended Bailey. "I had apperated to the other ring to get away from his inane chatter. How was I supposed to know he'd try and follow me? Besides, with the way he was carrying on, I figured he'd apperated a hundred times already."
Even the ever-skeptical Hermione found herself warming to the twins' casual, easygoing manner. She looked over Lake's shoulder at their schedule. "Oh, you have Advanced History of Magic next. I'm in that course. After that, we break for lunch and then a double class in DADA. It will be nice to have more females in AHM. Until now, there have only been two of us. We better hurry. We don't want to get caught if the staircases aren't cooperating."
"Staircases?" the twins asked as one as they followed Hermione.
"The staircases are continually shifting and if you're not careful, you can end up trapped in a corridor or on a landing with no way to get to where you need to go. Haven't you read your Hogwarts handbook?"
The girls shook their heads. Hermione thought it odd, but didn't have time to dwell on it as they entered the main stairwell. She assessed how the staircases were moving and quickly plotted their course. Lake and Bailey stayed one step behind their guide as the slightly shorter girl made her way up the steps.
"I've never seen anything like that," said Lake as several moments later, they stood in a corridor trying to catch their breaths.
"How did you know which way to go," asked Bailey? "I'd have been lost in two seconds."
Hermione just beamed. "It takes practice, lots and lots of practice."
Half way through the History class, Draco walked in with a note from the infirmary. The professor nodded and waved him to his seat. He looked none the worse for wear, considering he had been in two pieces when they had left him. He settled next to Millicent, but kept casting baleful glances at the twins.
"I wish he would stop that. He's giving me the creeps," whispered Bailey as the three girls leaned over their text books.
Hermione gave a course grunt. "Draco Malfoy is a creep. My best advice to the two of you, stay as far away from him and his lot as you can. They're nothing but bad news.
"So we're discovering," said Lake. "Harry seems okay though."
"Yeah, Harry's great. Ronald too, most times," and Hermione sighed softly.
"I know that sigh," said Lake. "If you ever want to talk, girl to girl, we're here for you."
Hermione gave them a smile, "thanks. I've never had a girlfriend before, but I think the three of us are going to be great friends."
Lake and Bailey nodded in agreement as they returned to their studies.
The rest of the day was a sobering affair for the twins. At the lunch break, they joined Hermione, Harry, Ron and a girl who was unmistakably Ginny Weasley out in the courtyard. They were laughing and enjoying the company of their new friends when Draco decided to join them. Without being invited, he walked up and settled himself beside Bailey.
"What are you doing sitting with this Gryffindor rabble? Come join me and the other Slytherins over there. The air isn't so…. polluted."
Bailey glanced to where he was pointing. Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent sat in the shade of a large Poplar tree. "Sorry Draco, but I'm allergic too Poplar trees. Besides, I'd much rather sit here, in the sun."
Undaunted, Draco turned and stretched his legs out. He reclined on the bench, placing his head in Bailey's lap. "You're right, the sun does feel good. Would you mind rubbing my temples? I have a headache after this morning's class. Besides, you owe me that much after distracting me and causing me to do what I did. That's never happened to me, just so you know."
"That's because you've never apperated before," growled Ron, staring at the intruder into their circle.
"Why, I should…" Draco stopped himself just short of cursing Ron. "Shut up and mind your own business you mud-blood loving blood traitor."
Ron raised his wand and Draco rolled off Bailey's lap, his wand at the ready. Hermione jumped up as well and tugged on Ron's arm while Bailey rose to stand between the two young men. She was facing Draco and there was a strange spark in her eyes. Without hesitating, she walked up to Draco, who still had his wand raised and whispered something in his ear. His normally beady eyes went wide and he dropped his wand hand to his side.
"You wouldn't dare," he hissed.
"Wouldn't I?" replied Bailey, her eyes narrowing slightly. "It's not like you wouldn't deserve it, you pig."
"This isn't over yet," spat Draco as he leaned around Bailey to glare at Ron. He spun on his heels and marched over to where the other Slytherins sat.
"That was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen you do," said Lake as she joined the others in releasing a collective sigh. "You should know better than to ever stand between two wands. Dad would have tanned your hide royally for such a stunt. So, what are you holding over old toe-head anyway?"
"I'll tell you later," Bailey said, turning to gather her books. "We should hurry or we're going to be late for Uncle," she stopped and shook her head, "Professor Snape's class."
The others groaned at the reminder that they had to spend the next three hours in Defense Against the Dark Arts, with a teacher that hated them and students that despised them. Grudgingly, they gathered their things and trudged down to the 'Dungeon' as they had aptly named Snape's classroom.
Snape seemed more dower than ever as he stared at the students entering his class. Bailey and Lake sensed that his displeasure centered on them and they tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as they took the empty seats at the back of the room.
"It would seem," and Snape's glare shifted to Ron and then Draco, "that some of us need a reminder of what is considered proper school policy. While others," and his dark eyes fixed on his nieces, "need to be schooled in some rules." He began to walk slowly among the rows of tables. When he reached Bailey and Lake's table, he turned quickly and slammed his hands down on the desk. Leaning forward so that his nose was mere inches from their faces, he looked from one to the other. "Tell me girls, was it proper in your old school to continually disrupt a teacher while she is instructing?"
"No, sir," they answered together.
"Then why did you feel the need to do so here?"
"We were just…"
Snape raised his hand to silence Lake's protest. "You can explain it to me in a two page essay. I'll expect one from each of you on Monday." He turned to the rest of the class. "As for the rest of you, it seems that wands and tempers," he looked at Millicent this time, "have been flaring lately. Miss Bullstrode, what is Hogwart's policy on hexing?"
"It's strictly forbidden, Sir, along with cursing, outside of carefully instructed classes," answered Millicent, a satisfied grin pasted on her face.
Snape just walked past her and her grin faded. She had often thought of herself as one of the professor's favorites, but suddenly she found she had been toppled and she knew who to blame. She turned and cast a scathing glance at the twins.
"Mr. Weasley, please tell us how the school views dueling."
"Me… what? Dueling, right," stammered Ron. "There is to be no unauthorized dueling on or around the Hogwart's premises by any student. Only approved matches, during club practices or events will be tolerated."
"Ten points from Gryffindor for Miss Granger feeding you the answer and ten more for you being too stupid to remember, Mr. Weasley," declared Snape as he reached his desk and turned to face the class. "That will be another ten from Gryffindor for your protest, Miss Granger."
Hermione dropped her hand to her side, knowing from experience that there would be no reasoning with Professor Snape.
"I think, since we all seem to be lacking in our knowledge of school rules and policy, that we will spend the class studying them. I will expect a two thousand word essay from each of you on the importance of maintaining and following these rules, due on Monday." As he finished assigning the work, a fresh copy of the 'A Guide to Hogwarts' appeared in front of each student. "Bailey, Lake, I will see you girls in my office."
With their heads hung between their shoulders, they slowly walked to the front of the room and followed their uncle through the door behind his desk. The door slammed shut behind them and they both flinched at the sound.
Snape gave them no warning as he whirled and started yelling at them. "What is going through those thick little skulls of yours? Not even here one full day and you have been involved in an incident in the dining hall, earned detention and been the center of a near duel. I know that the American schools are lax, but I didn't think they were that bad. What do you two have to say for yourselves?"
Bailey was the first to look up, "Sir, you said yourself that last night was just an accident. All I did was deflect her hex. Does Hogwarts have a policy about not defending yourself?"
"Well, of course not," he snapped back. "How did you do that, by the way? When questioned, none of the kids around you heard you cast a spell."
"Sir, mom and dad pulled us out of Salem Prep when they moved to North Dakota. They had been instructing us themselves for nearly two years. They said that we weren't getting the skills we needed from Salem," replied Lake.
"Well, they've certainly done a good job." He turned to Bailey. "So would you care to tell me why you would stand between two raised wands?"
Bailey blinked at her uncle. For a moment, she thought he sounded exactly like her father. She rationalized that it was probably because they were brothers. She shrugged her shoulders. "It seemed silly to me that they would duel over name calling. Uncle, what is a mud-blood loving blood traitor?"
Snape's scowl deepened. "Where did you hear that?"
"Draco called Ron that just before Ron raised his wand."
"Here, that's a very nasty insult." Snape pressed his fingers to his temples. He seemed to regain some of his calm, quiet composure. "Mud-blood is a derogatory term for a witch or wizard born to non-magical parents, or muggles. A blood traitor is a pureblood who refused to join He-who-must-not-be-named."
"Oh, well that's about as clear as a windy day in Oklahoma during the dead of summer," groused Lake.
"What?" Snape shot back, noting her sarcastic tone.
"Sorry uncle, what I meant to say is that we don't understand. Who is this must-not-be-named person?"
Snape's snort was caustic, "I'll explain when you're older. Now, I believe you two have some work to do. I'll expect those essays as you come through the door Monday. I'll not have my nieces disgracing me and turning into slackers." With a dismissive wave, he sent them back into the classroom.
"They're going to need to know, Severus."
Snape closed his eyes and continued to rub his temples. "I know, but why me?"
"Because, Derrick and Sina named you as their secret keeper," answered the image in the picture. "You stood with them the day the girls were named and swore a vow to protect them with your life. They trust and believe in you, Severus. Besides, you're the only family they have."
Snape shook his head as he looked up at the picture. "You and I both know that that isn't true."
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. "What?" yelled Snape.
"Sir, class time is over, may we be excused?"
"Yes, tell them all they may go," he hollered through the door as he slumped into his chair. He listened to the racket in the classroom as books slammed shut, chairs scooted about and the students began to chatter as they left. When all was quiet, he looked up at the picture. "So, what do we do with them now? They're skills are obviously beyond what they will learn here."
"I'll discuss this with Minerva. Maybe she will have an equitable solution. I'll see you at dinner," and Dumbledor's image faded from the picture.
