After dinner, the girls swallowed a bit of their pride and asked Draco to show them to Professor McGonagall's office. He refused to do so until they agreed to each take his elbow and be led out of the dining hall properly. Rolling their eyes and sighing heavily, they nodded and he offered out his arms.

Thankfully, the professor was waiting in her doorway as the three arrived and the girls were able to forgo the second stipulation of giving him a kiss for his kindness.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy for seeing these young ladies to my office. Now, off with you. There's no need for you to dawdle about. I'm sure they can find their way back to the dormitory and I'm sure there are studies you should be concentrating on." She waved the girls into the room and shut the door behind them. "Well, since I understand that Professor Snape has already covered the issue of disrupting a class, I guess I don't need to assign an essay on that. So, I hope you girls are skilled at transfiguration? My first years made a mess of things today and I now have a whole cabinet full of squeaking, furry teacups."

The girls smiled brightly as they remembered their first classes in transfiguration and the innumerable squeaking teacups they had created. Many of which had been pranks that they had played on fellow students as they were drinking.

"I'll take that as a yes," McGonagall said as she pursed her lips in an attempt not to join in the girls' merriment.

Sobering slightly, Lake went to fetch a cage while Bailey got the first furry teacup out of the cupboard. "Leviosa," she said and using her wand, made the cup bob and dip along through the air and into the cage.

Lake then tapped the cup and it returned to a furry brown door mouse, which quickly scampered to the farthest end of the cage and burrowed into the shavings. "Aww, guess the poor little guy didn't like being a tea cup."

"Would you?" asked Bailey as she delivered the second cup into the cage.

"Ladies, in silence please. I'll remind you only once what you are serving detention for." McGonagall stared at them over the wired rim of her glasses.

"Sorry, ma'am," they said together as they continued their work. Within the half hour all the cups had been re-transfigured and the cage of mice placed gently on a shelf among the menagerie of animals in the professor's collection.

"Done so soon?" inquired McGonagall as the girls stood in front of her desk. "Well, I suppose you could organize these files, alphabetically by last name please. Oh and girls, leave your wands on my desk please. That should take you the rest of the session."

The girls each picked up a heavy box and carried them to a long desk. They opened the boxes and concentrated on the contents for a moment or so. Soon, the folders started levitating out in neat stacks. When the boxes were empty, the files started moving back into the box, shifting and rearranging themselves as they settled in alphabetical order.

"Amazing," said the professor as she stepped up behind the girls, "To have such control at such a young age. You certainly are your mother's daughters. Your father's as well, I suppose."

"You knew our mom and dad?" Lake turned to look expectantly at the professor.

"Of course, they were students here at Hogwarts. Didn't they tell you that?"

"Yes, but that's about all they told us." Bailey turned and sat down heavily in a chair. "They never spoke much of their past. They always said it was too complicated and riddled with grief. There was always a tear in mom's eye when it came up and dad would quickly change the subject. Can you tell us about them professor? Anything at all would help. How were they in school? Dad always laughed when he got reports from the headmistress at Salem that we had acted up again. He'd say we reminded him of himself when he was in school."

Professor McGonagall's usually dower expression softened. "Yes, I see a lot of your father in you, your mother as well. They were both excellent students and Sina was quite the cleaver witch. Derrick, well he was very skilled, but tended to become board with his studies. If he hadn't been two years older than the others, he would have probably fallen right in with the gruesome foursome. As it was, he had his own band of merry miscreants who caused quite a heap of trouble in their day. Sina tended to be a loaner. That was until she became friends with Lily Evans. They were both third years as I recall and had to share a desk during my class. Lily's easygoing manner seemed to reach something in Sina and they quickly grew close. It was a real tragedy, what happened after they graduated. I'm truly sorry that they are gone." The professor reached out and squeezed both the girls' hands as she summoned a silk handkerchief to dab her eyes.

Lake nodded her acceptance of the professor's comfort while Bailey turned her head away. She swallowed hard before she turned to face the professor. Her voice was soft, even if her words weren't. "I suppose you're going to tell us we're too young to know as well?"

"I'm sorry dear, but I can't. That's up to your uncle. I'm sure he'll tell you when he feels the time is right." Suddenly, the large clock on the wall started to chime. "Oh my, it's nine o'clock already? Well, I think you girls have served your time, off to bed so you can be fresh for tomorrow."

The girls were quite solemn as they rose. Together they apologized to the professor and promised not to be a nuisance in her class. They thanked her for the small glimpse into their parents' lives at Hogwarts then headed for their room.

They were less than in the mood for Draco's shenanigans as they entered the Slytherin common room. Bailey rolled her eyes when she saw him waiting for them and Lake shot him a hard stare. Her fists tightened as she confronted him, "You didn't have to wait up for us. We were perfectly capable of getting back here."

"I just wanted to make sure that you made it back safely," replied Draco as he flashed them a brilliant smile. He walked over to them and turned his cheek to face them. "Besides, you each still owe me a kiss."

"You know, in America, there's a slang term for a kiss," said Bailey.

"Oh, and what's that?" inquired Draco, falling right into her trap.

"A smack," answered Lake as she drew her hand back and laid it across his cheek, leaving her handprint in the wake of a loud crack.

"Why, you ungrateful little bitch," he hissed as his hand went up to stroke his stinging cheek.

"We also take exception to being called a bitch," said Bailey in defense of her sister and before Draco could blink another smack was delivered to his other cheek.

"Why, I ought to…" and Draco reached for his wand, but found two already hovering in his face.

"You ought to what, Mr. Malfoy? Put more admirus instantalus in our pumpkin juice? Or maybe try to hypnotize us into liking you? Or possibly, be stupid enough to try and grab my robe tails again when I apparate?" Bailey's mouth cracked in a wicked smile.

Lake shook her head as she grinned as well. "Did you honestly think that would work? Now, I don't know what angle you're trying to work here, but I suggest you end it now before you find yourself in a situation you can't get out of."

The girls lowered their wands and stepped around Draco and headed for their bedchambers. Once safely inside, they both sighed and fell into their beds. They rolled to face each other and Lake was the first to speak.

"Is that what you were holding over him at lunch? He tried to hypnotize you?"

Bailey's smile grew, "Yeah, the big idiot, and he was doing a piss poor job of it. I finally got tired of it and apparated to the other ring. I'm not sure what he was thinking when he grabbed my robe."

"Who knows? 'Tis not our lot to ponder the thought processes of an idiotic mind, but to rise above the idiocy and reach for something much more clandestine.'"

"Thank you, Mrs. Niche," said Bailey as she wiggled under her blanket.

"That was Bastine," corrected Lake as she slipped under her blankets as well. She snapped her fingers and the candle snuffed out.