Happy Halloween readers, here's a second chapter for you. Thank you to all those who have followed/favourited and a special thanks to 'Cause I'm Awesome Like That' for your review.

Onwards with the story. Enjoy!

Effy was not looking forward to Thursday and her Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson with Professor Moody which made her classmates excitement all the more irritating. She'd been dragged away from lunch early by Ron and Harry, Hermione was once again in the library and Effy was secretly wishing she had joined her.

Hermione arrived just in time for the lesson. "Been in the…"

"Library." Harry finished her sentence for her. "C'mon, quick or we won't get decent seats."

Effy allowed her brother to pull her over to a seat right at the front and she sat down reluctantly, taking out her textbook; The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection. Soon after Moody entered the room and looked around. "You can put those away." He growled, moving over to his desk and sitting down. "Those books. You won't be needing them."

Everyone did as Moody instructed and put their books away. Moody took the register, before putting it away and leant back in his chair and looked over the class. "Right then." He folded his hands and rested them on his chest. "I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures – you've covered bogarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas and werewolves, is that right?"

There was a general murmur of assent.

"But you're behind, very behind, on dealing with curses. So, I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark…"

"What, aren't you staying?" Ron blurted out.

Moody's magical eye spun around and stared at Ron and after an apprehensive pause, for the first time Effy had seen, Moody smiled. "You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh? Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago… Yeah, I'm staying just the one year. Special favour to Dumbledore… One year, and then back to my quiet retirement." He gave a harsh laugh and clapped his hands together, getting to his feet. "So straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you counter curses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourselves against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking." He snapped the last sentence.

Lavender, who had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope under the desk, jumped and turned bright red.

"So, do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizard law?"

Effy along with several others tentatively rose their hands, including Ron's and Hermione's. Moody pointed at Ron, but his magical eyes was still fixed on Lavender watching her put her horoscope away.

Ron cleared his throat. "Er, my dad told me about one… Is it called the Imperius Curse, or something?"

"Ah yes." Moody nodded his head. "Your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse." He opened his desk draw and pulled out a glass jar, continue three large black spiders. Moody reached into the jaw and caught one of the spiders in his hand, holding it in his palm so the whole class could see it. He pointed his wand at it and muttered. "Imperio."

Effy felt sick to her stomach as she watched the spider leap from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing back and forth as though on a trapeze. She watched the spider stretch out its legs rigidly, then did a back flip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel. With a jerk of his wand, the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance.

The whole class was laughing. Everyone except Moody, Hermione and Effy.

"Think it's funny, do you?" Moody growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?"

The laughter died almost instantly. Effy crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath through her nose and out through her mouth. In her mind she tried to tell herself that this was the worst thing Moody would show them, but she didn't think it would be.

"Total control." Moody muttered as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats…"

BANG. Effy was on her feet, her chair crashing to the floor but she didn't care. She couldn't, she wouldn't listen to anymore. She snatched up her bag and turned heel and ran from the classroom. She kept running until she was as far away as she could possibly get. Effy stopped and slumped into the window seat, dropping her bag and pulled her knees into her chest. She couldn't fight back tears any longer and they began to fall.

"Potter?"

Effy jumped and looked up to see the last person she'd ever want to catch her crying. Draco Malfoy. His arm was in a sling and he was clutching his bag in his free hand. "Malfoy." Effy replied curtly quickly wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Why aren't you in class?"

"I just got let out of the hospital wing. You were right about the internal bleeding." Malfoy replied with a frown. "Why aren't you in class?"

"None of your business." Effy snapped.

Malfoy shrugged. "Whatever, not like I care."

"Wouldn't expect you to."

"I'll be going then."

"Good."

"Fine."

Malfoy turned to leave.

"That man should not be a teacher."

Malfoy turned back. "Who Moody?"

Effy nodded. "He started showing us the Unforgivable Curses. At least I think that was his intention I didn't make it past the first one."

"Because of what happened last year with Flint?"

Effy looked up at him. "You know about that?"

Draco nodded. "He was bragging about what he would have done if Professor Lupin hadn't come around. Disgusting." He sneered.

Effy turned to look out of the window. "Yeah, it was a trip down memory lane I would have rather avoided. And I didn't much fancy sticking around for what was next."

"Understandable." Draco sat down next to her and pulled a handkerchief out of his bag, offering it to her.

Effy couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously?"

Draco shrugged. "Mother says a gentleman should always carry a handkerchief. It's clean."

Effy accepted it and smirked. "And embroidered. DLM. What does the L stand for Lucifer?"

"Close. Lucius after my father." Draco mumbled.

Effy shook her head of course Malfoy wouldn't know who Lucifer was. She wiped her eyes with the soft cotton and offered it back.

"Keep it. I've got loads." Draco waved her off.

"This doesn't mean I like you." Effy held onto the handkerchief.

"Likewise." Draco agreed. "But you did spare me from public humiliation and further injury so call it even."

Effy sighed and leant back against the cold stone wall. She stared out of the window at the grounds. "Sometimes I really hate this place." She muttered.

Draco nodded. "Sometimes I wish my father had won the argument and sent me to Durmstrang." He admitted a little unsure of why he was still talking to Potter.

Effy smirked. "Me too."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I always wonder if I'd have had a chance of making friends."

"What do you mean you have friends?" Effy frowned.

"Please, Crabbe and Goyle are basically lackies and everyone else tolerates me because I'm a Malfoy. I don't get the luxury of friends, not like you."

Effy clutched a hand to her chest. "Oh Merlin, don't make me actually feel sorry for you." She teased him. "You know how you make friends? Stop being asshole." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "People generally don't like it when you call them horrid names and act like you're better than them."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He stood up. "Well, I better be off. I'd say it was a pleasure but…"

"See you around Malfoy." Effy smiled at him.

"See you around Potter."

Effy watched him leave and then looked down at the handkerchief she was still holding. She shoved it in her bag and went back to staring out of the window. The lesson would be over soon, and everyone would be filling the corridors for dinner. Not wanting to get caught lingering, she got up and headed for the Great Hall. She was halfway there when the bell rang, and the corridor filled with people. Effy took a seat at the Gryffindor table and started serving herself some dinner, her favourite, lasagne with chips and garlic bread, she needed real comfort food. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Malfoy sitting by himself at the Slytherin table, but she quickly averted her attention. One pleasant conversation didn't make up for years of abuse and mistreatment of her and her friends.

She was just helping herself to more chips when Harry, Ron and Hermione joined her. Harry opened his mouth, but Effy cut him off before he could speak. "I don't want to talk about it." She said pointedly.

Her friends seemed to realise the lesson was not a topic to broach and moved on to talk about other things. About halfway through dinner, Neville approached them, clutching a book and looking a bit nervous. "Er… Effy. Professor Moody asked me to tell you he'd like to see you in his office after dinner."

Effy nodded. "Okay. Thanks Neville."

Silence fell over the table.

"You really shouldn't have left the lesson." Hermione said in a scared voice. "I know it wasn't the nicest topic but…"

"Hermione. I get your worried for me but please, don't." Effy warned her.

Hermione nodded. "All right."

Effy finished eating and stood up. "I'll see you all later." She made her way to Professor Moody's office. Once she arrived, Effy knocked on the door and waited for the gruff command to enter before pushing open the door and stepping inside. Moody was sat behind his desk scribbling something on a piece of parchment.

"Come in Potter, have a seat."

Effy closed the door and took a seat in front of the desk. She paid very little attention to the weird objects scattered around Moody's office keeping her focus on the man in front of her. Moody put down his quill and looked up at her. "Well Miss Potter, we really are off to a rough start, aren't we? I understand the content of my class was upsetting, I'm afraid it will only get more so if this one upset you."

"It didn't upset me sir. It disgusted me." Effy spat.

"It's harsh but you've got to know what you're up against." Moody shook his head.

Effy shook her head and finally looked away from him. "Well, I refuse to be a part of it."

"Unfortunately, Miss Potter you do not have a choice." Moody crossed his arms over his chest. "You have to attend all your classes."

"I have to pass the class." Effy argued. "Which means handing in all homework assignments and passing the exam. There is nothing in the rule book about class attendance. I checked because of the amount of times my brother and I end up in the hospital wing." Effy stood up. "So, sir I will be completing all homework and the exam, but you will not be seeing me in your classroom." She turned and left before he could say anything else. Effy hurried back to the Gryffindor common room and found Harry and Ron sat writing up some horrid predictions for their Divination homework.

Effy really didn't feel like doing any sort of homework and so pulled out a clean sheet of parchment and began writing a letter to the one person she really wanted to talk to right now.

Dear Remus,

I hope you are well. I miss having you at Hogwarts, our new teacher has nothing on you. In fact, I don't think I can learn anything from him. Or at least I don't think I want to learn anything he has to teach. I know he's supposed to be this amazing auror guy and stuff but he's just awful and I don't trust him.

So firstly, he transfigured Draco Malfoy into a ferret and bounced him around the Great Hall which resulted in a dislocated shoulder and internal bleeding and then today he showed us the Unforgiveable Curses, well I only stayed in the class for the first one. But anyway, I just don't really know what to do, maybe there's something wrong with me, because like everyone else thinks he's brilliant and I just… I hate him.

I feel like this year everyone is going in one direction and I'm going a different one. Did you ever feel that way at school? Could you maybe make it to Hogsmeade if I find out the date? It would be great to see you? Hope you're doing okay.

Love

Effy

Glancing at her watch Effy saw that there was still an hour before curfew, so she quickly put her letter into an envelope and made her way up to the owlery. Luckily, she didn't encounter anyone on her way up and then began searching for Athena her barn owl. Athena flew down and nipped at her ear before allowing Effy to attach her letter to her leg and took off into the night sky.

"We really must stop meeting like this Potter."

Effy jumped and whipped around to see Draco Malfoy walking into the owlery a letter in his hand. An eagle owl flew down and landed on his shoulder. The grand owl took the letter in its beak and soared off through the window. "Stalking me Malfoy?"

"In your dreams Potter." Malfoy scoffed. "Although I'm sure you dream about me often."

Effy rolled her eyes. "In your dreams Malfoy." She pushed past him and started heading back down to the common room. She felt someone following her and glanced over her shoulder in time to see Malfoy falling into step beside her. "What are you doing?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Well, if you'll recall our common rooms are in the same direction and I don't much fancy walking behind you like a creep."

"Oh." Effy crossed her arms over her chest. "Right, I knew that."

"Who were you sending a letter to?" Malfoy asked.

"Why is that any of your business?"

"For Merlin's sake Potter I'm just trying to make small talk but if you would prefer to walk in awkward silence then fine."

Effy pressed her lips together and they walked in awkward silence for a minute before she gave in. "I was writing a letter to Remus Lupin."

Malfoy frowned. "Why?"

"Because he's my godfather and sometimes it's nice to have an adult to talk to about things you can't really talk about with your friends." Effy shrugged. "Who were you writing a letter to?" She asked.

"My mother." Draco responded. "Because sometimes it's nice to have someone to talk to who doesn't just agree with everything you say because they want something from you."

Effy looked down at the ground. "What do you tell her?"

"Mostly about my studies and things and... You."

"Me?" Effy looked up with wide eyes.

"I told her about the other day, what you did for me. I'm not sure why the whole affair is very confusing." Draco shrugged. "What did you tell Mr Lupin?"

"Actually, I told him about you. Because you're right it is very confusing, and I told him about Moody and how I don't think I'm going to learn anything from him and that I don't particularly want to learn anything from him. I think it's more the latter. He has things he could teach me but they're not things I want to learn about." Effy shrugged. "Like you said it's all very confusing."

Draco nodded. "Why did you stop him? We're not friends and I did try to curse your brother and said some horrid things."

Effy pressed her lips together and thought hard. "I guess I know what it's like to be at the mercy of a bully who's more powerful than you."

"Even though I'm a bully?"

"You're a bully because you're ignorant and misinformed not because you like having power over someone else." Effy stopped walking realising they'd made it to the place where they'd split to go in different directions to their respected common rooms. She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and chewed on her lip. "Well, I'm this way." She pointed behind her up a flight of stairs.

"And I'm this way." Draco pointed down the stairs.

Effy nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, I guess this is… goodnight."

"Goodnight." Draco repeated not moving towards the stairs but closer to her.

Her heart thudded in her chest as he closed the distance between the two of them. His hand came up to cup against her cheek, his hand was so soft. Effy looked up at him and felt like her heart was going to jump out of her mouth. She should move away or run or do something. Then Draco Malfoy was kissing her, his lips brushed hers and then her brain seemed to wake up and she brought her knee up into his stomach.

Malfoy doubled over and gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. "What… What was that for?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Effy exclaimed moving back about ten feet. "You… You can't go around kissing people."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Oh, I should beat you with my shoe." Effy clutched her hands to her hair. "We are literal enemies, if anyone had seen… If my brother…"

"I'm not scared of your brother." Draco leant against the bannister.

Effy glared at him, pointing her finger at him as she backed up the stairs. "You stay the hell away from me Malfoy. You hear me." She turned and bolted up the stairs and down the corridor towards the common room, not stopping until she was in front of the fat lady. Panting, she leant against her knees before righting herself and walking into the common room to find Harry and Ron exactly where she'd left them.

"Hello, I've just finished!"

Effy jumped and whipped around to see Hermione standing right behind her. She clutched her hand to her chest. "Jesus Hermione, you need a bell or something. Where did you come from?" She asked her.

"The library." Hermione replied giving her a knowing look.

"Oh right of course." Effy slipped into a chair and glanced at Ron's Divination homework he claimed that he'd just finished. "You know you're drowning twice this month?"

Ron frowned looking down at his homework. "Am I? Oh, so I am, better change that to… Getting trampled by a rampaging Hippogriff."

Hermione cocked an eyebrow taking the final free seat. "Don't you think it's a bit obvious you've made these up?"

"How dare you!" Ron gasped in mock outrage. "We've been working like house-elves."

Hermione hmphed and set the box down on the table.

Harry glanced down at it. "What's in the box?"

"Funny you should ask." Hermione shot a nasty look at Ron before opening the box revealing about fifty badges, all different colours, but all with the same letters stamped across them: S.P.E.W.

Harry looked at Effy in confusion. "Spew?" He turned to Hermione, picking up one of the badges. "What's this about?"

"It's not spew. It's S.P.E.W. It stands for the Society for the Promotion for Elfish Welfare." Hermione replied with pride in her voice.

Ron looked perplexed shaking his head. "Never heard of it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well of course you haven't heard of it. I've only just started it."

"Yeah, how many members have you got?" Ron asked already knowing where this was going and shot a glance at both Effy and Harry.

"Well… If you three join… Four." Hermione replied sheepishly.

"And you think we want to walk around wearing badges saying spew, do you?" Ron tossed a badge back into the box for emphasis.

Hermione glared at him. "S.P.E.W." she said hotly. "I was going to put Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status."

"Catchy." Effy mumbled.

"But it wouldn't fit. So that's the heading of our manifesto." Hermione continued ignoring her best friend. She brandished the sheaf of parchment at all of them. "I've been researching it thoroughly in the library. Elf enslavement goes back centuries. I can't believe no one's done anything about it before now."

Ron sighed. "Hermione, open your ears." He exclaimed. "They. Like. It. They like being enslaved."

Effy sunk in her chair and buried her face in her hand.

"Our short term aims." Hermione spoke louder than Ron and acting like she hadn't heard a word he'd said. "Are to secure house-elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long term aims include changing the law about non-wand use and trying to get an elf into the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures because they're shockingly under-represented."

"And how do we do all this?" Harry asked.

Hermione beamed at him. "We start by recruiting members. I thought two Sickles to join, that buys a badge, and the proceeds can fund our leaflet campaign. You're treasurer, Ron, I've got you a collecting tin upstairs and Harry, you're secretary, so you might want to write down everything I'm saying now, as a record of our first meeting. And Effy, you're our campaign manager, you'll design all our leaflets and documents and help me run the group."

Effy removed her hand from her face. "Hermione, I love you but I'm not doing that."

Hermione stared at her with a blank face. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by a tap-tap-tap at the window. The four turned to see a snowy white owl perched on the windowsill.

"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed jumping up and opening the window.

Hedwig soared into the room and landed on the table with a flop, a letter attached to her leg. She hooted happily at Effy, who moved to detach the letter from her leg. "She's got an answer." She held the letter out to Harry who snatched it from her, sitting back down and tore into the letter while Hedwig jumped down onto his knee hooting softly.

Effy watched her brother scan the letter, his face fell as he read. He looked up finishing and handed the letter to Effy who quicky read it.

"He's flying north?" Hermione whispered, reading the letter over Effy's shoulder. "He's coming back?"

"Dumbledore's reading what signs? Harry what's up?"

Harry had just hit himself in the forehead with his fist, jolting Hedwig out of his lap. "I shouldn't have told him." He exclaimed angrily.

"What are you on about?" Ron asked.

"He thinks he's got to come back." Harry slammed his fist on the table so that Hedwig landed on Effy's shoulder, hooting indignantly. "Coming back, because he thinks I'm in trouble! And there's nothing wrong with me!"

Effy scoffed. "I can think of a few things."

Harry glared at her. "And I haven't got anything for you." He snapped at Hedwig who was clicking her beak expectantly. "You'll have to go up to the Owlery if you want food."

Giving him an extremely offended look, Hedwig took off from Effy's shoulder, cuffing him around the head as she went with her outstretched wing.

Effy rolled her eyes. "You're such a drama queen Harry. Grow the fuck up." She grabbed her bag and headed up the stairs to the girl's dorm. She tossed her bag on the bed and flopped down on the mattress.

Two minutes later Hermione walked into the dorm and sat down on the bed next to her. Effy shifted to look up at her. "You saw, didn't you?"

"I'm not sure what I saw." Hermione shrugged. "I walk around the corner to see you kissing Malfoy and then you shoved your knee into his stomach and ran off. So do you want to tell me what happened?"

Effy groaned and pressed her palms into her eyes. "Urgh, I don't know." She admitted. "We ran into each other again at the owlery and basically walked back because it was the same direction, and he didn't want to creepily follow me and he's still Draco Malfoy and an ass, but I don't know. We were just talking and then… I don't know. I don't know what is going on." She shook her head.

Hermione nodded. "Do you like him?"

"No!" Effy scoffed. "He's Malfoy." She sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "But then… There was like a second, a second where he seemed like a decent human being." She shook her head. "It was a lapse in judgement, and it will not happen again. Can we please forget it ever happened and not tell Harry and Ron?"

Hermione smiled. "Sure. So long as you help with S.P.E.W."

"Hermione Jean Granger, are you blackmailing me?" Effy gasped.

Hermione pressed her lips together. "I think I might be."

Effy placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I've taught you well. Fine I'll help by designing your leaflets and posters but that's it."

"Thank you. I'm going to bed, goodnight." Hermione stood up.

"Goodnight." Effy also decided to put on her pyjamas and climbed into bed. As she lay there in her bed, she couldn't help but think of those few seconds when Malfoy's lips had been on hers, it suddenly felt like her lips were tingling and she brought her fingers up to touch them gently. Effy scoffed and rolled her eyes at herself, rolling over onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow, falling asleep.

And that's chapter two. I hope you all enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the next instalment :D