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Life continued at Hogwarts as usual. Except there was a definite increase in their workload from lessons. Effy still refused to go to Defence Against the Dark Arts but because she continued to do the required work, no one could do anything about it. She'd even gone so far as to tell Professor McGonagall, who had called her into her office about it, that the Professor could put her into detention every day for the entire school year and she still wouldn't attend the class and as school requirement was all students must hand in all homework and pass the final exam that there were no grounds to do so. Everyone had given up on talking Effy into going, even Hermione.

Effy nearly lost it though when she found out that Moody had been putting the Imperius Curse on the class individually to see if they could throw it off.

"Come on Effy, it's important for us to know what it feels like." Ron argued.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Effy pushed her plate away from her.

"Aren't you curious?" Hermione asked. "Don't you think we should be prepared."

"Come on Potter, let's see what you're hiding underneath those baggy clothes."

Effy swallowed back bile and tears. "Can't say that I am. I'm going for a walk." She got up from the table and marched out of the Great Hall. Effy headed outside and as soon as she was far enough away from anyone, she doubled over and vomited the contents of her stomach onto the grass. She leant against the tree and pushed her hand through her hair wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"Potter?"

Effy jumped and looked up to see Draco Malfoy sitting up in the tree. "Malfoy? What the fuck?" She exclaimed. "Why are you in a tree?"

Draco shrugged and climbed down, vanishing the puddle of puke before jumping down onto the ground. "What's wrong?"

Effy rested her back against the tree and felt a small sob escape her lips. "They were telling me that Moody put the Imperius Curse on them in class today and it er… brought back some very unwanted memories." She squeezed her eyes shut trying to stop the tears from falling which just made her cry more. "Fuck." She growled pressing her palms into her eyes. "I swear I don't just go around crying." She reached into the bag and pulled out the handkerchief still in there.

"I mean it was fucked up what happened. You wouldn't be human if you didn't cry." Draco told her, leaning against the tree next to her.

Effy wiped at her eyes. "It just makes me so angry. How can Dumbledore let him teach here?" She exclaimed.

Draco shrugged. "Dumbledore does things he thinks suits him."

"What do you mean?" Effy frowned.

"Dumbledore doesn't really care about anyone other than himself. He sells everything as being for the greater good but really most of the time he's just acting in his own interests." Draco shrugged. "He helps people who have something he wants."

Effy shook her head. "No, he doesn't." But there was a sour taste in her mouth as she said it and it wasn't the lingering bile in her mouth.

"If you say so." Draco rubbed the back of his neck. "Look I can help you write a letter to the governors about Moody if you want."

"Why?"

"Because it's upsetting you and I agree with you." Draco frowned. "Oh Merlin."

"I can't believe you just said that." Effy looked at him disgusted.

Draco nodded. "I know, is the sky falling?"

Effy laughed. "You're funny."

"One of my charms no one ever sees." Draco smiled at her.

Effy shook her head. "You need to stop messing with my head Malfoy."

"Well, you should stop messing with mine." Draco looked down at her.

Effy frowned looking up at him. "Why did you kiss me?"

Draco shrugged. "Dunno, seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Charming." Effy rolled her eyes looking away from him. "I don't get you Malfoy. There are these fleeting moments when I think you might actually be a decent human being and then I remember all the crap you've done and…"

Draco sighed. "I'm a shit." He admitted. "I've done some shitty things too." He nodded. "I don't know why I do them I guess I just felt that was what I was supposed to do. How I was supposed to act. And then I got turned into a ferret." Draco looked down at the ground. "And I kind of realised that how I felt must be how I make other people feel and I just… realised how much that must suck. And then I started thinking about how no one not even my so-called friends tried to stop it. But you did and you're one of the people I've treated the worst and I don't know it really messed with my head."

Effy nodded. "So, what will you do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well in my head you have like two choices. You can continue to be shitty knowing how it feels to be on the receiving end or you can do better. Try and be kind." Effy shrugged.

Draco sighed. "I wouldn't even know where to start." He shook his head.

"Well, you can stop using offensive slurs for a start." Effy crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side. "Not being horrid about other people's families. Not hexing people in the corridors for no reason. Not trying to start trouble for people."

"Ok I get it." Draco nudged her.

Effy smiled. "But you have to do it because you want to. And it won't be easy."

Draco nodded. "Will you help me?"

"Me?"

"Do you see anyone else standing by this tree?"

Effy bit her lip. "Ok."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'll help you." Effy agreed. "What lessons do you have after lunch on Thursday?"

"Nothing." Draco told her. "I used to have Divination, but I dropped that last year."

Effy smiled. "Ok then. Well, I have nothing on a Thursday since I don't go to Defence anymore. So how about we meet up out here and I'll help you."

Draco nodded. "Sure."

"Ok, well I'm going to go inside before I freeze my tits off." Effy shivered in the cold early October air. "I'll see you here after lunch on Thursday." She backed away.

"I'll see you."

Effy turned and hurried back into the castle.

All the teachers seemed to be piling on work as the weeks carried on. From McGonagall to Snape and even Hagrid, who had announced that it might be good for them to come down to his huts on alternate evenings to observe the Skrewts which were growing at a surprising rate considering no one had figured out what they eat.

"I will not." Draco protested flatly when Hagrid said this with an air of Father Christmas pulling out an extra-large toy from his sack. "I see enough of these foul creatures during lessons thanks."

Hagrid's smile faded. "Yeh'll do wha' yer told." He growled. "Or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Professor Moody's book… I hear yeh make a good ferret, Malfoy."

The Gryffindors except for Effy roared with laughter. She glanced at Malfoy and saw the pain flash in his eyes and felt a small bubble of anger boil. She turned around. "Hagrid, as much as I hate to say it, I think Malfoy has a point. These creatures are incredibly dangerous and have done injuries to this class already and we don't know how big they're going to grow. Also, I'm sure you'll agree Professor Moody's form of punishment was incredibly cruel and I know you are not a cruel person."

Hagrid stared at her completely flabbergasted and most of the class stared at her in shock as well. Hagrid cleared his throat. "O' course I'm not Miss Potter. And I can assure you, I approved the study of the Skrewts with Dumbledore, they're perfectly safe."

Effy caught Draco's eye and saw him mouth the words 'thank you'.

She followed her brother and friends back up to the castle when Ron whipped around and glared at her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Effy frowned. "Me?"

"That's the second time you've defended Malfoy." Ron snapped at her. "Have you lost your mind?" He glared at her.

Effy crossed her arms over her chest. "Hagrid was out of line. What Moody did was so wrong Ron. No one deserves that, no one. And yeah, Malfoy had a point. Do you want to spend more time with the Skrewts?"

"No." Ron replied. "But that doesn't change the fact that Malfoy tried all of last year to get Hagrid fired, he has a right to put Malfoy down."

Effy frowned. "Does he? Two wrongs don't make a right Ron." She argued. "And maybe if we stopped fighting each other and tried actually understanding each other and trying to work together then maybe this school wouldn't be so fucking toxic." She shook her head.

Ron scoffed. "You're losing it if you think we can actually make friends with the Slytherins, with Malfoy." He sneered. "Have you forgotten all the crap he's done?"

"Of course I haven't." Effy shook her head.

"So why are you defending him?" Ron pushed her. "What do you fancy him?"

Effy scoffed. "Get a grip."

"All right you two leave it." Harry stepped between them. "Let's just go get some dinner."

"You guys go I'm not hungry." Effy swung her bag further up her shoulder and headed in the direction of the library before changing her mind and headed back outside. She found herself walking to their tree and sat down leaning against the trunk. Effy pulled out her battered copy of Little Women she had picked up at a charity shop and decided to escape into the world of the March sisters. She felt a body flop down next to her and glanced to her left to see Malfoy sat next to her holding out a bowl of chips and a couple slices of garlic bread.

Effy frowned at him. "How did you?"

Malfoy shrugged. "You always have it on a Wednesday and Friday. I couldn't fit the lasagne in there though." He held out the bowl. "Figured you probably were hungry."

Effy accepted the bowl. "Thank you."

"Least I could do since I guess I'm the issue." Malfoy rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks for sticking up for me and I'm sorry it's causing you problems."

"Don't worry about it." Effy said through a mouth of garlic bread. "I knew what I was getting into." She swallowed and blushed. "Sorry."

Malfoy smiled. "It's okay."

Effy smiled back.

"What are you reading?" Draco asked looking down at the now discarded book on her lap.

Effy handed it to him. "It's called Little Women. You can borrow it if you like?"

Draco looked down at the book and flipped it open. "Thanks." He pressed his lips together. "This is a muggle book?" He asked her.

"Welcome to a new world of awesome literature." Effy clapped him on the shoulder. "And actually, I think that's our next step. Introducing you to the wonderful world outside of the magical one." She took a bite out of a chip. "You ready?"

A flicker of uncertainty flashed across his face but then Draco nodded. "All right, blow my mind." He reached over and stole a chip. "Also, they've announced that Beauxbaton and Durmstrang are going to arrive in a week. Day before Halloween."

Effy nodded. "Great, because that isn't going to end in disaster."

"Hey, it's Hogwarts does anything ever go right here?" Draco smiled at her stealing another chip. "And let's be honest life would be pretty boring if it did."

"True."

"But you're looking forward to the Tournament? It should be amazing."

"I guess." Effy agreed. "I just feel like it's a recipe for a disaster. It's meant to be dangerous and like I know that the Ministry have put like rules and safety measures in place but like I don't know I just have this feeling of dread in my gut." She explained.

Draco nodded. "I guess with your previous three years it makes sense that you'd feel like that." He nudged her. "But luckily for you, you're not seventeen and neither is your brother, so I think you'll be safe."

"Oh, even if we were old enough neither of us would willingly enter." She shook her head.

"No, I didn't think you would. You two aren't fond of the spotlight."

"Nope. Not at all. Hate it." Effy pressed her lips together. "We kind of grew up doing everything we could to just be invisible and then we got dropped in this world and suddenly we're the saviours of the wizarding world... Well, Harry is... I'm just his sister, and yeah… I don't think either of us will ever get used to it." She admitted.

"Yeah, children are seen and not heard in the Malfoy household too." Draco shifted a little bit closer to her. "Used to read books to escape." He motioned with the copy of Little Women in his hands.

Effy nodded. "Yeah, books and my own brain."

Draco pressed his lips together. "When I was little… I used to imagine I could run away and become a pirate. I used to have this book you see about famous wizarding pirates, and I thought it sounded so cool."

Effy smiled. "You know I could totally see you as a pirate. Eye patch and big hat with a feather." She squinted at him. "And a pet parrot. Hey why are pirates called pirates?"

Draco frowned. "I don't know."

"Because they ARRRRRRR!"

Despite himself Draco laughed and shook his head. "That's terrible."

"Thank you." Effy did an over-the-top bow. She sighed. "Right, I better get inside and face the music. See you on Thursday?"

"Can't wait." Draco smiled at her.

Effy nodded. "Cool, enjoy the book, no pirates but it's a great read." She turned and walked away heading into the castle.

And that's chapter three hope you enjoyed it :D