Got my first favorite for this story! Up to 2 followers and an old friend stopped and said hello, leaving a nice review for me. I got some awesome people rooting for me and I really appreciate that so much. Hope you all enjoy this next chapter and I appreciate any and all reviews. Now without further adieu,


Rumplestiltskin waited anxiously for Belle to come down for dinner. He wanted to get her out of that dungeon she was living in as fast as he could without disrupting the plan. Sue him, he was ambitious not a monster. He cared about things. For example, winning the House Cup. He'd arrived early and made sure that she could sit between him and Zelena.

"Rumplestiltskin, If you don't stop worrying you're going to stare that doorway into oblivion," Regina told him.

He quickly turned to face the rest of the group. "Dinner's halfway over and she's still not here yet. I'm sorry if I'm concerned that our plan to win the house cup is falling apart," he told her more angrily than concerned. "She said she would be here so why isn't she?"

"Maybe her Mr. Filtwick held back to talk with her," Zelena offered.

"The lass could have had a dilemma that needed her full attention and merely forgot to tell one of us," Hook said.

"Yes and she could have also broken a limb or something. That doesn't really ease my nerves right now," Rumplestiltskin told them.

"Well lucky for you, She didn't because here she comes now," Regina told him.

Had Rumplestiltskin's head moved any faster they swore it would have snapped clean off. He sighed relieved that he finally had affirmation she was alive and well and that his plan was going well according to plan. Zelena waved Belle over and she quickly made her way over.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, I was helping Madam Pince reshelve some books and time got away from me," She told them as she sat down.

"It's all right darling," Zelena said placing a hand on Belle's shoulder. "We're all just happy you're alive."

"Belle this is Regina, Hook, Pan, Maleficent, Cruella, Jafar, Gaston, Hades, Ursella, Ingrid, and Arthur," Rumplestiltskin introduced everyone. All of them gave her their greeting when called on.

"Nice to make your acquaintance lass," Hook said extending his good hand to her.

"Nice to meet you too," she smiled.

"So Belle, Rumplestiltskin here, tells us that you're quite the wiz with potions," Regina started off the conversation.

"Oh I don't know about that," she told her. "Mr. Snape used to let me help out in class as his personal assistant so I just got a little extra practice in. Unfortunately, This year I'm unable to because I need at least one credit of Charms in order to graduate and I've been putting it off for so long I have to do it this semester."

"Wait, Professor Snake, The man who made sure I didn't get anything higher than a B, pulled you out of your charms class, for six years, just so you could help him out around that man's prison?" Regina asked.

"It's mostly to help the first-year students," she explained. "You know how bad we all were when we first started."

"Oh We all remember Hook's first attempt to make a potion," Peter Pan said smirking. "That's how he lost his hand in the first place."

"Oh my gosh, What happened?" Belle asked very concernedly.

"Oh relax love," Hook assured her. "It's been over six years now. I'm quite alright."

"Hook got bitten by a poisonous snake when he went to grab some ingredients for the potion he was making, poor thing," Zelena told her. "If Rumplestiltskin hadn't taken his hand off as fast as he did, Hook here, would have been dead in three minutes."

"Plus, I got this cool magic hook in the process," he showed her smiling. "Along with my colorful moniker."

"That sounds just awful," Belle said with a queasy feeling in her stomach.

"Don't worry, He got over it a long time ago," Regina told her. "Unlike his obsession with Emma Swan."

"What is this? Pick on Hook day?" he asked not too offended because he knew that none of them were actually making fun of him.

"I know Emma," Belle said. "She the blonde girl with the red jacket that transferred here a couple of years ago right?"

"That's her alright," Hook said.

"Wait were you the one that caught her when she fell off that rope in gym class four years ago?" she asked.

"Indeed I am," he answered.

"She comes in the library sometimes and I overhear her every once and a while," she started. "She still remembers you. She'd hoped you'd ask her out a long time ago. I remember her saying she wished it was you instead of Neal. She broke up with him because she couldn't truly care for him because she cared for someone else."

"Are you serious?" he asked her.

"Absolutely. She was talking about it with Snow, Ruby, and Ella," she told him. "But I wouldn't ask her out yet. Get a white rose, those are one of her favorites, and ask her out during lunch when we're all eating outside at the picnic on Wednesday. She'll love it."

"Alright, Thanks," he said. "I'll give it a shot."

"Hey Belle, Zelena said you found a cool looking creature in your textbook, a Bangerdosh?" Pan asked.

"A Bangnosh, I'd show it to you but Professor Nagadom took my textbook and I don't know when I'll be getting it back," she told him.

"He made a big example out of her in class," Hook said. "It was not pretty."

"I had the old coot last period," Maleficent told them. "All he did was go on and on about that stupid attack. I actually wanted him to start teaching us from the book."

"I say, One of us goes and gets her textbook back tonight," Rumplestiltskin suggested. "Show that twit he can't mess with us."

"But if he sees me with a book, he'll think I'm the one who stole it and I'll just get in more trouble," Belle told him.

"Not if you have a different book than the one he took," Regina started. "If one of us grabs your book, you can have our old one and we just hang on to yours until you need."

"Then you could show me the Bangnosh during our off time at some point," Pan continued.

"Okay so who's going to grab the textbook?" Zelena asked. "It can't be me. I'm too obvious."

"Alas, My pickpocketing skills are not all that great," Hook said. "Although my lock picking is pretty good."

"I could take a go at it," Maleficent offered. "I'm in an entirely different period. I forget to bring my book, ask to borrow one, he gives me Belle's, and I forget to give it back."

"Sounds like a plan," Rumplestiltskin said.

"Hold on, I don't want anyone getting in trouble just so I can use a book," Belle told them. "I can't ask you to do this."

"You didn't, darling," Zelena told her putting a hand on her shoulder. "We want to do this for you. Professor Nagadom need's to be taken down a peg. Plus we'll take any excuse to cause a little mischief. As long as we're careful, nobody gets hurt."

"So it's official, Maleficent will grab the book tomorrow and will give Belle her old one, Everyone?" Pan asked for the vote.

"Aye," everyone but Belle agreed. Quite frankly, she was still flabbergasted over what had just transpired. She'd heard that the Slytherin were cunning, ambitious, conniving, and above all not to be messed with but these people were all so caring and nice. Not at all what she'd expected. They all seemed to like her. Not to mention it was really nice to finally have some friends again.

"Well as much as I hate to ruin good conversation," Zelena started. "Belle, You and I have some studying to do."

"Oh, Yes of course," she said as they stook up to go throw away their trays.

The rest of the table watched them as they left. Rumplestiltskin couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in Belle. She seemed to fit well into the group. It wasn't awkward and she didn't seem too uncomfortable. This was good. His plan was moving very well to where he wanted it to be. "What do you guys think about her?" he asked them.

"I think she's cool," Pan said. "Can't remember the last time someone cared about if we got caught or not."

"I like what I've seen so far," Maleficent agreed. "I think she's one of our better projects but I want to make sure she is who she appears to be before we go making her one of us."

"Well, I for one, like the lass," Hook told everyone. "She's a keeper."

"You just like her because she told you that you could and how to get with Emma," Regina said. "I'm not convinced just yet. Something about her doesn't sit with me right."

"You mean other than the fact that she's forced to live in a storage closet and hasn't been talked to in four years?" Pan asked flippantly.

"As a matter of fact yes," she spat back. "There was a reason that this happened and I want to know what it was. You don't just get kicked out of a house like that without a decent reason. And it was Hufflepuff for Pete's sake."

"Well lucky for you, dearie, she's not moving in just yet," Rumplestiltskin told her. "You'll warm up to her, just give her a chance. We'll find out soon enough what the reason was. She'll tell us that part when she's ready."

"I think we should speed this up a bit," Hook said. "Maybe she could be better friends with Pan in their Alchemy class, Rumplestiltskin and Zelena could meet up with her a little more often outside of class. We all wave the lass when we pass her in the halls. Just some small things to make her feel more at home until we are her home."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Pan said. "I could use her expertise in this department and the sooner we get her out of that dungeon the better I think."

"If all I have to do is wave, fine but don't push too fast," Regina warned them. "The minute anyone of us slips up and she figures out we know where she's staying, she gets scared and runs. She needs to tell us herself or all of this would have been worthless."

"You don't need to remind us, dearie," Rumplestiltskin told her. "We are all more than aware that if we fail, she will be living in that daft place for the rest of the year, we'll her completely and we'll be also be set way back a good ways back from winning the House Cup as nicely as we thought."

"I need to ask you Rumplestiltskin," Regina started. "Have your priorities changed?"

"What exactly are you referring to?" he asked annoyed that she would even question him.

"Is your first priority the House Cup or… is it Belle?" she asked. "Lately I'm concerned that your losing which priority should be coming first. You're rushing. Out of anyone here you could easily out wait all of us. You're playing risky. Is it us you're worried about or is it her?"

Rumplestiltskin should have been able to answer her much faster than he did but he couldn't because she'd asked him something he wasn't completely sure on either. The past few days had been full of so much craziness that he hadn't really had a chance to step back and look at it all. She was right in the fact that he had been more reckless in this whole scheme but they were also playing for higher stakes. They were playing for someone's life.

At the same time, he could easily say that Belle didn't make him unhappy. She was different than most people he'd met. She did good and expected nothing in return, not even recognition or much less a thank you. She was this warm, comforting thing that made him truly feel the way he hadn't felt in a long time. He wasn't unhappy that she was around him or that her smile made him want to do a lot of things to keep it there. This life meant whether or not they won the Cup. But was she worth more?

"My motives have not changed," he answered. "Whether you believe that or not is your problem. I want to win this cup. I thought you did too."

"I'm just making sure we're all on the same page," she told him. "I'd hate to be mislead and made a fool when it all our cards are folded."

"Believe me, dearie, I have never been more confident in my hand," he told her. He just hoped his bluff didn't cost him in the end.