I don't own Hellsing or Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money from this.

Constance found herself wondering if Harry's words that afternoon in Hogsmeade didn't have some form of magical power of their own.

After getting back to the castle and indulging in the Halloween feast in the Great Hall, all the Gryffindors headed up to their common room like they usually did. This time, though, there was a huge crowd of people around the portrait hole that barred them from getting too close.

"Neville's probably gone and forgotten the password again." Ron said with an irritated huff.

Connie and Neville were standing side by side right behind him. "Hey!" the boy exclaimed. "I'm right here!"

Constance narrowed her eyes at Ron and gave him a punch to his back. It wasn't as hard as it could have been, but it was enough to get the point across. The ginger headed boy winced and apologized. Meanwhile, Ginny managed to fight her way through the crowds to get to them. The poor girl had tears in her eyes, looking horrified about something.

"The fat lady! She's gone!" she told them in a worried sounding voice. "And the portrait has been ripped up... like an animal attacked it!"

Good God in heaven, what had happened while they were out? The news made everyone around them go into a confused panic. Portraits didn't just randomly get ripped up, and their contents didn't disappear for no reason. Percy, who was now acting as Head Boy, kept yelling at everyone to calm down, but no one listened to him. Dumbledore was called and he pushed his way through the mass of students to examine the portrait. After taking one look at it, he ordered Filch to search all the paintings in the castle to find the fat lady.

They wound up finding her in a painting of an African landscape, hiding behind a large hippo. It was difficult to hear her exact words with all the talking going on around them, but Connie distinctly made out the words 'Sirius Black' and 'eyes like the devil'. That horrible man had somehow found his way inside Hogwarts, even with all the protection in place around it. Dumbledore ordered all the students to report to the Great Hall, where they would sleep for the night while the castle was searched.

"How the bloody hell did Sirius Black get inside?" She demanded once they all got set up with sleeping bags. "With all the protective enchantments, the dementors, the teachers... and he got all the way up to our dormitory and back out again without being seen! Am I the only one that sees something wrong with this?"

"He probably did it the same way he got out of Azkaban." Ron stated. He looked nervous about the whole thing. "No one can explain how he managed that either."

In Connie's mind, there was a big difference between being able to break out of a prison or get into and out of a heavily guarded castle, and doing it without being noticed by a single soul. Getting past the dementors was understandable. Black had already done it once. Getting past the enchantments was possible. A wizard with enough intelligence and ability could figure out how to break them. And maybe it was plausible that he could have snuck past all the staff and ghosts without being seen. But getting to the Gryffindor dormitories required going through the Grand Staircase. There were thousands upon thousands of paintings and portraits lining the walls in there! And the fat lady – who had actually been attacked - was the only one who had seen him? Those damn things had to be in there for a reason, and they obviously weren't doing a very good job of keeping an eye out! Now she had to sleep in the Great Hall, in a sleeping bag on a stone floor, and figure out some way of keeping her gun hidden while doing it. This was a goddamn nightmare.

Hermione pursed her lips together, then glanced over at Harry. "How are you doing?' she asked in concern.

Given that he had said he wanted Black to find him only a few hours earlier, the boy was probably shocked it had nearly happened. He paused in rolling out his sleeping bag across the floor.

"I'm okay." he said, then shook his head. "I just... don't want to think about it."

Ron nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I mean, if Fred and George hadn't gotten you out of the castle, you'd have been here when he..."

"You're not helping, Ron!" Harry snapped.

"Oh. Right." Ron said. He slumped, realizing he'd been doing exactly what Harry was trying to avoid. "Sorry."

McGonagall came around to instruct everyone to climb into their sleeping bags and get some sleep. The girls had to keep theirs in a line closest to the wall, while the boys bags were laid out in a row above them, closer to the middle of the room. Each of the houses had their own sections (to avoid fighting, most likely), and everything was arranged so there was a large walkway in the center of the room where the teachers who remained behind could walk back and forth as they did their rounds. Connie wondered how Mihnea would fare like this. With the way he was, she couldn't imagine him having an easy time sleeping while there were other people around... Her thoughts halted when she felt something grab at her toes.

"Connie!" George whispered as softly as possible. "Turn around the other way!"

He had managed to claim the spot that was directly below her feet, meaning that if she opened up her sleeping bag and laid with her head at the bottom, she'd be able to see him. Seeing as how she wasn't going to be getting much sleep anyway, she figured it couldn't hurt. Connie lifted her head slightly to make sure Filch was on the other side of the room, then squirmed around in the bag until she was facing the right way. If she laid on her stomach, she could turn her head a certain way so she could look at him without propping herself up.

"What?" she questioned.

George held a finger up to his lips, then nudged at Fred. It looked like all the boys had positioned themselves the same way he was. Fred grabbed Hermione's feet to get her attention, while Ron did the same with Ginny. Hermione made an irritated noise, like she didn't appreciate being bothered one bit. Ginny seemed more eager to take part in whatever discussion the boys had planned.

Once everyone was facing the right way, Fred lifted his head and looked at each of them. "Alright, so what are everyone's plans for Christmas?"

"Christmas?" Hermione asked. "It's just now Halloween!"

Ron shushed her by holding up a finger. "Yeah, we know, but Mom wants to know if you guys want to come to our house." he said.

Next to him, Harry's eyes lit up. "That's awesome! I figured I would just stay here again, but..." he paused thoughtfully. "Is there enough room for all of us? I mean, your house is great and all, but it is kind of small."

"There's plenty of room." Fred said with a scoff. "We had the girls with us for a week with no trouble. As long as you don't mind sleeping on a cot in his room." he jerked a thumb toward Ron.

Harry looked at Ron and shook his head. "I've done it before, so I don't care." he said. The corner of his mouth turned upwards slightly. "We're in the same dorm here, so I've gotten used to the snoring..."

"I do not snore!" Ron exclaimed, looking horrified.

The light from Filch's lantern turned in their direction, forcing all of them to pull the covers over their heads to make it look like they were asleep. Connie heard his heavy footfalls as he marched over to inspect their area. It took a few minutes, but he finally walked away, muttering something about 'damn kids'. Everyone peeked out from under the sleeping bags, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do it again Ron, and I'll shove a dirty sock in your mouth." George warned.

Connie shot him a sharp look, then cleared her throat. "When we stayed with you in the summer, Harry wasn't there and Percy was gone." she pointed out. "Is your brother going home too?"

All the Weasleys shared a mutual look of dislike. "We don't know yet." Fred replied. "He and Dad have been arguing a lot. Percy thinks that the reason we never have much money is because Dad doesn't have any ambition. The stupid prat said he should be willing to let go of some of his 'foolish ideals' to make it further in the Ministry."

Connie's eyes went wide. That was such a horrible thing to say! "He did not!" she said quietly.

"He did." George replied. "He came for a visit after you guys left last time and got into a huge row with Dad about it."

Ron nodded. "You guys have seen our Dad. He hardly ever gets mad and he never yells. But... I swear, he was worse than mom that day. They've been going at each other for a while now, but it's never been this bad before."

Fred nodded. "Mom was pissed too. And Ginny..." he paused to glance over at his sister with an approving grin on his face. "Ginny was right brilliant! Dumped a whole plate of food on Percy's head! Me and George were so proud."

Ginny seemed to enjoy the praise, but frowned at the thought of Percy. "The stupid tosspot deserved it." she muttered.

"Anyway, they're still at odds with each other, so we don't know if Percy is going to come home or not." George told them. "With the way things have been lately, Dad might not let him in the house, even if he wanted to come. So we should have two empty rooms like last time."

Fred nodded. "If hell freezes over and Percy does show up, one of you girls could stay in one room, and the other share with Ginny."

George shot Connie a playful look and reached out to poke at her nose. "Or me and Fred could split up and you can share a room with me." he offered with a wide smile.

Constance's mouth fell open and she felt her cheeks grow warm. "Shut your mouth!" she said, slapping his hand away from her face.

"What? I'm just saying..."

Fred decided he just had to get involved in embarrassing the hell out of her. "Mom and dad wouldn't have to know a thing." he said, doing his best to look serious. "We've gotten good about sneaking around the house at night. I figured you might want to share with Georgie after what happened last time you were at our house..."

The girl narrowed her eyes and was about to tell him exactly where he could stuff it, when Hermione turned her head to examine her accusingly.

"And just what exactly happened last time?" she demanded.

"Oh, that's right." Fred said, remembering. "You had gone to bed when it happened, so you wouldn't know." he jerked his thumb at his twin. "George here snuck into Connie's bedroom and stayed in there." he shot a mischievous look between the two of them. " For four hours."

Hermione's mouth fell open in shock. "Four hours! What on earth were you doing for four hours?"

Constance was certain that her face was a bright shade of red. "With all due respect, it's none of your business what we were doing."

Most of that time had been spent in conversation. However, toward the end, there might possibly have been some serious snogging involved. So much so that she had been forced to use the twins newly invented salve for bruises to hide a few small hickeys on her neck. God knows her mother would have skinned her alive if she came home with one of those. No one else knew about it, but Fred had caught sight of them and made damn sure she knew that he knew at every opportunity. It was a good thing she didn't live with him, because Connie could imagine she would kill Fred if she had to deal with him giving her hell all the time.

From the expression on her face, it was clear that Hermione's mind had gone directly into the gutter and was thinking of the worst possible things that could have happened. Harry was staring with wide eyes, like he couldn't even fathom such a thing, and Ginny had her hand pressed to her mouth, giggling like she thought it was hilarious. Ron, of course, had his hands clamped firmly over his ears so he couldn't hear anything. George just beamed with pride and said he wasn't giving out any details either.

Once their little spot of teasing was out of the way, Connie said she didn't mind sharing with Ginny if she had to. It was a doable plan, seeing as how the youngest Weasley was so enthusiastic about it. The she probably wanted the girls to come so she wouldn't be stuck by herself in a house full of boys. The only problem was that Hermione had given up a skiing trip with her parents to stay at school for the holidays last year, and she had promised them that she would go home to spend Christmas break with them. There was no way she could go to the Burrow. Connie had a similar problem. Christmas was a big deal, and she really didn't want to miss it after being forced to stay at Hogwarts last year. However, it was Christmas day itself that was most important. There were several days before and after that were open. And there was a new factor to consider as well. George had asked her out on their first date on December 22nd, meaning that they had a one year anniversary coming up. God, had it really been that long? It certainly didn't feel like it. When Constance thought about it, she figured that her parents couldn't argue with letting her stay the few days before Christmas at the Burrow if she reminded them of that. She would have to ask to make sure, but she was almost certain they would allow it.

"You're sure you can't come at all?" Ron prodded once Constance confirmed she would come if she could. "Not even for a day or two?"

Hermione looked torn. "I... I would if I could, Ron. I would love to spend Christmas with you guys again. But... me coming to Hogwarts has been really hard on my parents. I attended public school before, so they got to see me every day and we all were really close. Now, I only get to see them on holidays and I don't want them to think that I'm pulling away, or that I love them less because I'm a part of this... new, magical world now. Christmas and summer are the only times I have to spend with them, so I have to go back. For them."

Constance was close to her parents and the Weasleys all came from a big, loving family, so they understood the sentiment. Harry only had his aunt and uncle, but if his parents were alive, he'd probably have the same level of closeness with them. He cleared his throat carefully.

"So, will you be going to the mountains again?" he prodded.

Hermione inclined her head slightly. "It's still early yet, but I think that's the plan. I promise I'll take loads of pictures..."

She was interrupted by a collection of dark figures sweeping through the doorway at the end of the Great Hall. It looked like the teachers were coming back from their search of the castle, and Professor Dumbledore was at the very front. All of them ducked down and pulled the covers over their heads to act like they were asleep. Each teacher reported to the headmaster in soft voices that the areas they'd been assigned to were clear. It then sounded as though they dispersed, but two voices remained behind, speaking quietly to each other. From the soft footfalls, they were slowly walking down the open area toward them.

"It is curious, don't you think, that Black was able to enter the castle undetected?" Snape's silky voice questioned. "Do you have any theories on how he managed it?"

"A thousand theories, Severus." Dumbledore replied. "And each one is more unlikely than the next."

Snape made a sound, like he didn't like the man's comment. "Headmaster, if you recall, before the start of term I expressed great concern about..."

"Your insight is valuable to me, and I appreciate your input as always." Dumbledore interrupted. "But there is no need for concern in this matter."

"Should Potter not be warned?"

"Perhaps." the headmaster admitted. "But for now, let him sleep. For it is in dreams that we may be transported beyond the fears of this world. Rest assured, I've seen to it that Mr. Potter is well protected. Beyond what even you could imagine."

Given that all of them had been wide awake at the time, the others heard the conversation between Snape and Dumbledore as well. But there wasn't enough information at hand to figure out exactly what they meant. Snape's mention of being concerned about something obviously had something to do with Black getting into the castle. Perhaps he noticed some way of him getting in before school started? But Dumbledore talking about ensuring Harry was well protected beyond imagining... that was riddle none could figure out.

"Maybe there are accessory enchantments on the castle he's not told anyone about." Hermione suggested. "It could be any number of things. You can never tell with Dumbledore."

Constance was beginning to wonder if she already knew what this 'extra protection' for Harry was. It was an outlandish idea, really. Something no one in their right mind would consider... but you couldn't exactly say Dumbledore was in his 'right mind'. Being a little crazy could make one do exceptional things that were brilliant, after all.

After all the teachers found that Black was nowhere in the castle, the students were allowed to return to their dormitories the following night. When the weekday began, they were back in classes like always. However, there was one notable difference to be found in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Lupin wasn't in there waiting for them as usual. Instead, once everyone was seated and looking around trying to figure out what was going on, the door at the back opened and Snape entered in a flurry of black robes. He snapped all the windows in the room shut with a wave of his wand, then activated the projector.

"Turn to page 394."

He wasn't even going to explain what he was doing there? But Constance knew better than to question the Potions Master. She figured it had to be for a reason. Harry, however, didn't seem to think about things the same way she did.

"Sir?" he called out without raising his hand. "Where's Professor Lupin?"

Snape gave the boy only a passing glance as he began walking up the row of desks. "I don't believe that's any of your concern, Potter." he said shortly. "Suffice to say, your professor finds himself ill and unable to teach classes at the present time. Now open your books. Or do you require lessons in how to appropriately turn a page?"

Snape was in a fouler mood than usual. Constance immediately grew wary. She liked Snape's potions classes and had learned the right way to 'work' with his sort of personality, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't like him at all from the way they spoke about him. Being in the room while they all put their feet in their mouths wasn't going to be very comfortable at all. She shared a desk with Hermione so once Snape got past them, she grabbed her arm under the table and whispered into her ear.

"Don't say a word unless he speaks to you first." she warned. "Please."

If she could have gotten the same warning to the boys without being caught, she would have. But Harry and Ron had a desk one row over from them, so there was no way. When everyone was turning to the page Snape indicated, Ron went very still and stared at it.

"Werewolves?" he questioned much too loudly.

Hermione got her book open to the right place as well and studied the chapter title in surprise. She whirled around in her seat. "But, sir! Professor Lupin has just begun lessons on redcaps and hinkypunks. We're not supposed to cover nocturnal beasts for weeks!"

Goddammit. Constance wanted to beat her head against her desk. Why did Hermione have to go and do exactly what she told her not to?

"Five points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger." Snape said snidely. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it. Until then, you are to keep your mouth shut."

Hermione turned back around and glared at the top of the desk. Snape's voice poured forth, beginning his lecture on werewolves as the projector flipped between multiple images of them from various points in history. Unlike her potions lessons, Constance wasn't the least bit comfortable with this class. Something about it felt so... wrong. Like the only reason Snape was doing it was to prove a point.

"Can anyone tell me how to properly identify a werewolf?" The professor questioned, interrupting her thoughts.

Hermione apparently hadn't learned her lesson the first time she spoke. Her hand immediately shot high up into the air. Snape looked around the room, pointedly ignoring her.

"No one?" he asked. "How disappointing."

"Please, sir." Hermione said, then put down her hand as if imaging that she'd been called upon. "Werewolves only endure their forced transformation during the full moon. Their snouts are noticeably shorter than a normal wolf, while the limbs are much longer. Furthermore, they only respond to the call of their own kind..."

Several rows over, Draco put his hands to his mouth and let out a loud howl, which sent the Slytherins sitting around him into a giggling fit. The professor glanced in their direction.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy." he said, then turned his full attention onto Hermione as he slowly walked forward. "Are you incapable of understanding directions, Miss Granger? I believe I told you to remain quiet until I call upon you. Or perhaps you simply take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?"

Connie winced at the harshness of the comment, and Hermione completely deflated. Snape turned on his heel to face the projections on the screen, presenting his back to the class.

"Miss Granger has so thoughtfully used her enormous intelligence to quote directly from the textbook." he announced, still using that snide, disapproving tone of his. "If I wanted to hear information presented in such a manner, I would enchant the book to read itself." he paused and whirled back around. "Miss Stryker!"

Constance was so startled by the force of his voice, she nearly jumped out of her seat. "Sir?"

"Give me an explanation for all of the qualities mentioned by Miss Granger."

Oh shit. He wasn't seriously going to put her into this position, was he? But there was no way to argue about it in the middle of class without getting into trouble. She carefully cleared her throat.

"When a werewolf is transformed, it is neither man nor wolf, but has characteristics of both." she began. "It... is logical that the snout would be shorter and the limbs longer than an ordinary wolf, since the human face would have to lengthen and the arms and legs would shorten during the transformation. The vocal chords would undergo a similar change, making them able to produce a wider range of sounds than a wolf, but less than a human. A werewolf would be able to detect the differences and identify a member of it's own kind."

A faint twinkle of triumph showed in his black eyes. "Correct, Miss Stryker." he glanced pointedly at Hermione. "And to think one could formulate an answer without looking at the book."

Hermione's nostrils flared and Connie imagined she was going to be pissed as hell once class was over. God, she hoped that one question pitting them against each other would be the end of it...

But it wasn't.

"Can anyone tell me whether it is possible to identify a werewolf while they are in their human form?" the professor called out.

Once again, Hermione's hand shot into the air, like she was going to take the opportunity to redeem herself. "Sir." she began, not waiting for him to call on her. "There are no known methods to identify a werewolf when they are human. They look just like everyone else."

"Five more points, for speaking out of turn, Miss Granger." Snape called out. He narrowed his eyes at her in warning. "One more outburst, and you will receive detention."

Constance closed her eyes and crossed her fingers under the desk where he couldn't see them, praying to whoever was up there listening that he wouldn't call on her. But either no one was listening to the silent plea, or they thought her being put in uncomfortable situations that made her best friend angry was highly amusing.

"Miss Stryker." Snape said, coming to halt directly in front of her. "Is it possible to identify a werewolf while they are in human form?"

Her eyes slid open and she stared at the surface of the desk. She didn't dare look up. Constance was doing her best to imagine being anywhere other than sitting next to Hermione. She wasn't deliberately ignoring him, but she must have been silent a bit too long for his liking.

"I asked you a question, Miss Stryker." he said in a low voice. When Connie finally looked up, Snape had his hands pressed flat on the desk and was leaning forward in an intimidating manner. "If you choose to pretend that you don't know the answer, I will put you in detention for the rest of the year."

For as awful as being forced to correct her friend's mistaken answers in front of the whole class was, detention was absolutely unacceptable. Constance gave the professor a small look to indicate she didn't appreciate what he was doing at all, then grit her teeth.

"Yes, sir." she said quietly. "It is possible."

"I can't hear you." he prodded. "What is possible, Miss Stryker?"

The girl felt a small prickle. Very faint, but noticeable. Mind reading was an art that was extremely difficult to learn, and only the most powerful of wizards were accomplished at it. Snape was using Legilimency on her. He knew exactly what she was thinking and what she was going to do. The knowledge that he could do that and would dare to use the power on her when he knew that most people her age couldn't fight it off was infuriating. Connie knew how to push him out, but it required a great deal of concentration and effort. When she made an attempt, it felt like she was pushing up against a psychic wall. Snape was profoundly more powerful than her.

"I said it is possible to identify a werewolf that is in human form, sir." she repeated louder.

One of the Potion Master's brows lifted slightly and he pushed himself back from her desk. "Explain."

Constance took a deep breath. To calm herself so no one could see how pissed she was getting. "The transformation from man to wolf requires a lot of energy, and it is impossible to gather the required amount in a short period of time. In the days leading up to a full moon, the werewolf could possibly be observed as being more hyper and energetic than usual. Likewise, after the full moon, the werewolf would be in a state of exhaustion and lethargy for several... days..."

Oh God... Suddenly, the reason for this lesson and the intensity of Snape's behavior all made sense. These qualities he had her listing off... Professor Lupin acted that way. And last night was a full moon. Which would be why he wasn't in class. The poor man was probably laid up somewhere recovering from the trauma of a transformation. How could she not have figured that out? Mihnea hadn't gotten into any trouble with him, but he'd mentioned talking to Lupin on several occasions. That meant he probably knew about it, and Lupin knew about him. Oh, this was bad. What the hell did Snape think he was doing?

Since her trail off had been at the end of her statement, it could easily be attributed to Snape's attitude toward her. Hermione didn't seem to notice altogether.

"With all due respect sir, there is nothing about this in the textbook." she began, sounding more than a little miffed. "How could anyone be expected to know that without it being covered in the class material?"

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Miss Granger." Snape shot back at her. "I'll see you in detention." As Hermione's mouth fell open in shock, he looked at Constance intently. "Is there anything else you want to add to your list, Miss Stryker?"

She had no idea what else he wanted her to say, but Constance was through playing this game. He already knew what she was thinking and how she felt about it. She actually dared to give him a hard look that would definitely be noticed by others.

"No, sir. I believe I've said more than enough." she replied. Narrowing her eyes, she directed her thoughts at him, knowing that he would hear them, and gave him the mental equivalent of a hard shove. Get out of my head!

The professor's expression didn't change. There was only a tiny glimmer in his dark eyes. A spark of surprise. He hadn't expected her to recognize what he was doing or figure out a way to push him out, and was taken aback by it. Snape took a step back, studying her.

"Very well." he said at last, then cleared his throat and addressed the class as a whole. "I want two scrolls of parchment on the characteristics of the werewolf, with a special emphasis on recognizing it in both of it's forms. Class dismissed."

When he marched between the rows of desks toward the back of the room, Constance wanted to rip her hair out and scream. How dare he? Teaching a lesson that was meant to clue them all in on what Professor Lupin was and then snooping around inside her head to figure out if she put the pieces together? If Lupin was a werewolf, it was nobody's business but his. And he had deliberately pitted her against Hermione just to see what would happen. For the simple enjoyment of watching her grow uncomfortable, and Hermione angry. Snape had no right. She'd always had enormous amounts of respect for him as a teacher, but that was low, even for him. The girl squared her shoulders, quickly packed up all of her things, then marched out of the classroom – making sure to pointedly glare at the teacher's desk as she walked out.

"What was that?" Hermione demanded later that night.

Constance didn't have to ask what the girl was upset about. She'd been pissed for most of the day, so it was pretty obvious. "Hermione, please. I don't want to fight about this."

"Fight about what?" she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. "The fact that you helped Snape humiliate me in front of the whole class, or about him favoring you?"

Harry and Ron were sitting nearby playing wizard's chess at one of the many tables. But the moment Hermione returned from her detention in the dungeons looking upset, they started paying attention to what was going on. Connie cleared her throat.

"Hermione, I wasn't trying to humiliate you..."

"But you did." she interrupted before she could finish. "And you knew that's what Snape was doing! Honestly, do you think that it's funnythat the man will take your answers, but wont take mine?"

"I do not think it's funny!" Connie exclaimed. "Hermione, I told you at the beginning of class to keep your mouth shut and not say anything unless he spoke to you first! That's how Snape works. It's how he's always been. And what did you do? You threw your arm up in the air and blurted out the answers without him calling on you!"

"Because I knew the answers and he was ignoring me!" Hermione shot back.

"Have you ever considered that he knows that you know the answers and is giving someone else the chance to answer them?"

"Giving you the chance to answer them, you mean." she retorted. "And where do you get off blowing holes in everything I said and making me look like an idiot?"

"Hey!" Ron called out, making both of the girls look over at him. "What's your problem, Hermione? You didn't see how Connie was glaring at him the whole time? Snape was acting like a right slimy git and it's not her fault he decided to go picking on you."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Stay out of this, Ronald."

"I will not." he shot back. "You're just sore that you gave the wrong answer and Connie fixed it. It's not like she was rubbing it in your face. He forced her to answer. And you do butt in and take over answering questions all the time. Got all upset and huffy when Lupin picked Harry to answer a question over you during the boggart lesson last week, didn't you?"

Harry's eyes widened a hair. He held up his hands at Ron and shook his head. "Oh no. Don't pull me into the middle of this."

Constance was surprised it was Ron who was standing up for her. But she didn't want Hermione to go and get upset at the boys as well. This argument was between the two of them.

"Hermione, Professor Snape is a teacher." she said, forcing the girl to turn her attention back to her. "A strict teacher. When he speaks, you listen to him. If you want to be the one to speak up and answer every question that's ever asked in class, that's fine with me. I didn't want to say anything. I would have stayed out of it altogether, but he threatened to put me in detention for the rest of the year. The rest of the year, Hermione! What would you have done if he said that to you?"

"Well, I already have detention with him, don't I? That's not even point!" Hermione said. She gave a sniff in Connie's direction, then turned on her heel to walk out. "I'll be working on my essay alone, thank you very much."

Connie just blinked. As much as she hated to admit it, Hermione had earned that detention Snape gave her. He'd given her a warning after the third time she spoke out of turn, and she chose to do it again anyway. But she didn't want to make the girl more upset by pointing that out, or the fact that the Potions Master had been incredibly generous to not toss her into detention the first time she spoke without permission. But that last comment she made about working on the essay on her own... was that supposed to be a threat or something?

"Fine." she said without emotion. "You go do that."

Apparently, she was supposed to get upset about Hermione refusing to work with her, because the girl got even more irritated. She let out this angry huff and stomped back up to the dormitory. Once she was gone, Constance slumped. She knew Hermione would be miffed about the whole thing, but she didn't think she'd get that mad...

At the table with Ron, Harry carefully cleared his throat. "Just leave her alone for a while." he suggested. "She'll get over it."

Ron nodded in agreement. "See? That right there is why we say she's mental all the time. Gets upset about the stupidest things in the world..."

"Hermione is not mental, Ron." Connie cut in. She gave him a hard look. "I told you how I feel about that."

"Well, you can feel however you like about it, but she is." he went on, then looked across the table at Harry. "Right? You agree, don't you Harry?"

Harry blinked at him, then took to waving his hands again. "No comment." he said. "Last time I said Hermione was mental, she kicked my butt." he pointed at Connie. "Literally. I had trouble sitting down for week. I'm not going through that again."

That was actually kind of funny in a way. The corner of Constance's mouth turned slightly upwards. "You learn your lesson, did you?"

"Absolutely." Harry said with a serious nod. He paused and looked at her in understanding. "I do mean it though. She'll get over it eventually. Hermione's not stupid and she knows you didn't do anything wrong. She's just... sensitive."

Well, maybe she was sensitive, but Connie hoped it didn't take too long for her to get over it. With the way Hermione and Ron were going at each other lately, she didn't want to be getting into fights with her as well.

A.N: I am going to be busy and unable to get to a computer with internet access for the next week. This chapter is going to be the last update I can make until I get home next Monday. Just so everyone is aware. :)

All of you readers continue to be incredibly awesome! Much love to all, and remember to leave a review!