Chapter 2: Fifth Year Begins

"You do not write your life with words…You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do." – Patrick Ness

A peaceful calm surrounded the room as Ava stirred gently the next morning, a pleasant warmth radiating on her face as a few beams of sunlight peeked through the emerald velvet curtains. The softness of the silky sheets was heavenly as she nestled deeper into the mattress, unwilling to open her eyes just yet.

Five more minutes of sleep couldn't hurt…

Unfortunately, Ava's solitude was swiftly broken as the duvet was suddenly yanked off her, promoting her to shriek in surprise. The crisp air caused goosebumps to erupt across her skin as she glared unamused at her friend.

"Time to wake up prefect."

"You really need to be less of a morning person Emma." Ava yawned, sighing as she conceded defeat and swung her legs out of bed. Emma just flashed her a wicked grin before tossing her uniform at the end of the bed.

"And, you my friend really need to get up." Emma told her teasingly. "Everyone else has already headed down for breakfast."

Ava looked around the room a little startled by the absence of their dormmates. Had she seriously overslept on their first day of lessons? Then again, early mornings had never been her thing. Late nights up studying were much more welcome.

Emma chuckled at her confusion. "Ava, I swear you could sleep through a confringo curse." She sighed, shaking her head in mock disappointment as she flopped down on her own mattress.

Ava just rolled her eyes before grabbing her uniform and beginning to dress quickly. Emma Vanity was one of the few housemates she could truly call a friend. Determined, ambitious and clever the two girls had grown closer over the years, despite their differences on the surface. Relations in the Slytherin girls' dormitory had always been cordial, but both Ava and Emma had always felt a little bit distant from the others – thanks in part to Ava's 'tolerant' nature and Emma's, at times, overbearing confidence.

It seemed that many of the young pureblood witches didn't appreciate Emma's goal of becoming a trailerblazer in Quidditch. No doubt they turned their nose up at the thought of a woman 'overstepping' her mark. The news that Emma had been made captain this year, promoted above her male teammates, probably hadn't thrilled them either.

But that hadn't stopped Emma. Ava could only admire her confidence and self-assurance. Perhaps she was even a little envious of her friend's deep conviction and complete faith in herself and her abilities. She just wished that she could sometimes be as certain about her own…

"So, will I see you at try-outs later?" Emma asked, biting back laughter as she saw the incredulous look on Ava's face.

"Most definitely not! You have my complete support as captain, but you know I have nightmares just looking at a broomstick."

"That is the one thing you've never mastered." Emma snorted, chucking a pillow at Ava playfully. "I've told you it's all about your fear of losing control. Honestly, there's nothing better than flying through the air with nothing holding you back." She said wistfully, running a hand through her long dark locks. "It's more than about Quidditch, it's true freedom."

Ava stifled a laugh at the dreamy look in her friend's eyes. "Erm, I'll take your word for it Emma." She told her friend, cheekily throwing the pillow back at her. "Besides my place is in the stands, cheering you on as you crush Gryffindor in November."

"Ah!" Emma mused, pulling on her robes. "Beating Potter really will be the sweetest victory of all."

Ava grinned. Oh, how she'd love to see that…

Unfortunately for the Slytherins, they didn't have to wait until the first Quidditch game of the school year to encounter their arch-rivals.

"Bloody hell! Potions with the Gryffindors? What a way to start fifth year." Alexander Wilkes hissed angrily.

Ava tried to ignore the rumbles of agreement behind her, deciding to focus on the positives. After all, it was their first day and potions was one of her favourite classes. Of course, it helped that Professor Slughorn was particularly generous to students of his Slug Club.

Ava would have usually protested receiving special treatment – especially as a result of her family connection to the infamous headmistress Elizabeth Burke whose portrait continued to scream insults at muggleborn students who dared to walk past. However, the bumbling and jovial nature of Slughorn and the opportunities his help offered made her rather grateful of the attention.

After all, if she ever hoped to get into the Ministry of Magic and fulfil her ambitions, she'd have to be willing use every tool at her disposal.

A soft thud beside her pulled her out of her thoughts. She glanced up to see Evan Rosier leaning towards her. "Is this seat taken?"

She paused for a moment, half-wishing to nod her head. It wasn't that she didn't like Evan. He was her fellow prefect this year and he'd always been perfectly polite and courteous to her. But there was something about his looming presence that made her stomach twist uncomfortably. His tone was always difficult to place.

And, then there were the rumours about his family. The Rosier family who were so immensely proud of their place in the sacred twenty-eight…

Evan took her hesitation as an invitation, smirking as he sat beside her. Ava smiled softly as he engaged her in polite conversation about their scheduled prefect rounds later, attempting to shove any doubts about her housemate aside as Slughorn began the lesson.

One of the benefits of being partnered with Evan was that he was one of the few Slytherin boys bright enough to be of real help in potions. Together, he and Ava had managed to race ahead of everyone else in the class (with the exception of Lily Evans and Snape) and were finishing up as others were only just adding powdered porcupine quills to their Draught of Peace.

Ava grinned as she poured the turquoise concoction into the waiting vials, secretly thrilled that she'd managed to brew the notoriously difficult potion. Perhaps fifth year wouldn't be so bad after all.

A loud explosion at the back of the class suddenly startled her, causing her to jump in fright and accidentally spill some of the potion on Evan's hand which had been clutching the next vial.

"Merlin! I'm sorry Evan." She exclaimed, quickly grabbing her wand and with a simple flick caused the now smoking potion to vanish from his skin.

He flexed his hand as if to assess any potential damage. "No harm done." Evan announced coolly, a smirk playing on his lips as he glanced up at her panicked expression. "Can't help it if Black and his friends are determined to be tossers."

She frowned in confusion before Evan pointed at the rowdy group at the back, scowling at the four boys as they roared with laughter. Of course, it would be them to cause an explosion.

Ava rolled her eyes as Sirius pulled James into a headlock, ruffling his untidy hair affectionately as James grinned goofily. The two of them looked rather pleased with themselves as surrounding students chuckled at the sight of their melted cauldron, the potion steadily dripping onto the floor.

Sometimes it seemed that James and Sirius never paid attention in class. But luckily for them, they were apparently bright enough to excel at most subjects whilst dedicating most of their skills to entertaining others.

Remus looked slightly exasperated but amused nonetheless by his friends' behaviour. Meanwhile, Peter squealed loudly and attempted to dodge the smoking potion making its way towards his feet.

"Really boys! I would have expected better behaviour from you this year." Slughorn scolded them half-heartedly. Even he didn't seem to believe his own words. "Now look at Miss Evans potion over there. That is what you should be aiming for a-"

Evan scoffed scornfully, his eyes darkening as he glanced over at the smiling redhead stood in front of them. "Honestly, I don't understand why he fawns over that mudblood. She's nothing special."

Ava felt a chill creeping up her spine at the venom in his voice. How she hated that word. How could a fellow prefect throw it around so casually? Weren't they meant to set an example?

She didn't know where the courage came from, but she couldn't stop herself.

"I don't know." She mused quietly. "She seemed pretty special when she beat your grades last year." She paused for a moment, relishing the surprise in Evan's eyes before daring to continue. "Imagine that, a muggleborn besting a pureblood at magic." Her voice was calm but laced with obvious distain.

The biting remark wasn't lost on Evan who flexed his hand once again, his fingers curling as he fixed her with an odd look.

"You might want to watch yourself Ava." He murmured quietly. "Views like that can be dangerous these days."

Against her better judgment, Ava felt her mouth again opening of its own accord. She just couldn't let him treat someone so poorly. "It's not a view. It's a fact." She replied evenly, desperately trying to ignore the unpleasant thudding of her heart as Evan leaned closer. His blue eyes flickered strangely; his emotions masked perfectly.

"Facts can be the most dangerous of all."

Ava's heart thudded as he brushed past her, his shoulder bumping against hers as he slinked away towards the store cupboard. Was he angry? Disappointed? Indifferent?

That was the trouble with Evan, you never quite knew were you stood with him.

It wasn't until his frame disappeared from sight that she finally released the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. She exhaled deeply, silently calming herself and regaining her composure before turning back to the vials.

However, she froze in her tracks as she saw who was stood opposite her desk. Lily Evans.

A tense moment passed as the two witches stared at each other. Ava's cheeks flushed as she realised Lily had overheard their conversation. A part of her felt deeply embarrassed. Should she apologise for Evan's behaviour? How could she possibly explain?

But Lily didn't ask any questions. Instead, she titled her head, almost as if she were trying to answer a difficult riddle. Then she gave Ava a slight nod, her lips twitching upwards into small smile before she turned back to her own cauldron.

It was turning out to be a very strange day indeed.

The rest of the morning was a blur. Herbology with Benjy had been entertaining as usual. It seemed that her quick-witted friend was always able to lift her spirits – especially whilst wrestling a Fanged Geranium. His panicked expression as he desperately attempted to dodge its snapping jaws had definitely lifted her mood.

However, despite Benjy's best efforts, the tense potions lesson earlier still continued to hang over Ava like a moody cloud, creeping into her thoughts unwarranted. By lunchtime, Ava more than eager to fling herself down at the Slytherin table, collapsing next to Emma dramatically as she rested her head on a pile of books.

"First day going that well?" Her friend asked brightly, gently prodding her side in an effort to stimulate a response. When she didn't receive one, she decided to press the issue. "I saw what happened this morning in potions between you and Evan."

"It gets worse." Ava mumbled, choosing to ignore her comment about Evan. Her eyes fluttered shut, a groan escaping her lips as she thought about the afternoon ahead. "We've got Defence Against the Dark Arts next."

"I've told you before you're not bad at-"

Ava swiftly cut off her friend's protests. "I'm not good at it!"

"You are!" Emma insisted, chuckling softly as Ava shot her an exasperated look. "You just need more confidence…and to accept that you're a unpleasable perfectionist."

It was true. DADA had never been Ava's subject. It wasn't that she couldn't master the spells, in fact she's always been able to learn the theory behind them rather quickly. It was just that as soon as it came to using them practically, she'd struggled with summoning up the confidence to perform them – especially in front of the entire class.

After four years of trying, it seemed hopeless to believe that this year would be any better.

"I can't-"

However, her protestations were rudely interrupted as the jug of juice in front of her suddenly exploded. A startled scream escaped her lips as she attempted to dodge its contents, failing miserably as she stumbled off the bench.

"What the-"

Before Ava could finish her sentence, a loud chuckle rose above the familiar lunchtime bustle. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as Sirius Black stood opposite her, his grey eyes glittering in amusement as they took in her dishevelled appearance.

"Consider it payback for the detention you gave us." He told her smugly, barking with laughter as Emma endeavoured to sponge the worst of the damage off her robes.

Ava barely noticed her friend's efforts, her mind replaying the Gryffindor's words. What detention? Her brown furrowed in confusion trying to make sense of the situation. "What on earth are you on about Black?" She hissed quietly.

"And I thought you Slytherins were meant to be cunning?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "What a disappointment."

"Sirius, why don't you just-"

Ava had barely noticed Regulus before his soft voice spoke up. Apparently, even he had something to say about his brother's behaviour.

"Ah, speaking of disappointments, how are you dear brother?" Sirius said, flashing his sibling a teasing grin. Ava saw Regulus's jaw tighten and his fists clench at the spiteful tone in his brother's voice.

A sudden wave of anger crept up inside her. Who did Black think he was? His careless attitude might amuse his friends and his recklessness might impress other students. But all Ava could see in that moment was immature idiot.

Perhaps it was the insult to her friend and the fact that her hair was now dripping wet and smelt sickeningly of oranges. Or, maybe it was just that she'd had a terrible first day back. Either way Ava felt the fury bubbling inside her and she just couldn't stop herself. It was as if her wand raised of its own accord and pointed straight at Black.

He didn't even see it coming.

Sirius let out a surprised shriek as the green sparks hit him in the face, a cloud of smoke swallowing his body as he coughed and spluttered. A moment passed before he emerged angry, dishevelled…and sporting bright green skin.

Roars of laughter erupted across the Great Hall at his expense as he swore loudly, utterly horrified by his new emerald appearance. A laugh escaped Ava's throat as he hopped around, eyes wide with shock. Thanks to his green skin he looked almost frog-like, nothing like his usual elegant and composed self.

Emma howled with laughter next to her, clearly impressed by her friend's bold move. She'd been the one to teach Ava the amusing hex last year, but had never thought she'd have the nerve to use it. It was rather hysterical to watch as her eyes filled with admiration, flashing Ava a proud smile. "Excellent spell use!"

Ava grinned sheepishly as her eyes landed on Regulus. The poor boy looked rather stunned as Sirius continued to curse loudly, glaring at Ava as he gestured furiously at his skin.

"What the hell do you think-"

However, a voice rung out above the commotion, interrupting his outrage and carrying such authority that it quietened even the rowdiest of Slytherin laughter.

"Miss Burke! I am appalled! Explain yourself, now."

Ava's heart sunk as McGonagall's advanced towards her. This wasn't going to end well…

It turned out that her spat with Sirius Black gave Ava her first ever detention. The injustice of it all caused her to flounce from the Great Hall in an uncharacteristic rage, glowering at the boy who had caused it all with such fury in her eyes that she hoped it would melt him on the spot.

Even later she remained silently fuming as Benjy cackled at her misfortune and Dorcas cast her a concerned glance. The two of them had sought her out after her dramatic exit and had even managed to smuggle food with them so they could finish their lunch outside.

Not that Ava felt like eating.

The disappointment gnawed at her insides. She hadn't once been in trouble at Hogwarts and now on her first day in fifth year she'd been scolded by one of the sternest teachers and landed in detention.

It wasn't even a consolation that McGonagall had dismissed Sirius's pleas that he was a "blameless victim" and dealt him the same punishment. All that it meant was that Ava was stuck spending her night with a boy she found herself disliking more and more by the minute.

And, on top of all of that she still had to face Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindor's this afternoon.

Why couldn't anything go to plan?

"Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. I'm Professor Fabian Prewett and, as you might have guessed, I'll be your new teacher." The young-looking auburn-haired man flashed them a confident smile as he perched on his desk, leaning forward as he surveyed them with curiosity. "Now I'll be doing things a little bit differently this year…starting with seating arrangements." He clapped his hands, jumping up with a start. "Don't worry it's nothing to radical! Just alphabetically order I'm afraid."

A confused murmur echoed around the class as students quickly tried to determine their desk partners. Dread shot through Ava as she suddenly realised the misfortune of her surname. It couldn't possibly happen. It just couldn't…

"Black and…Burke. You two take this desk here."

She bit back an audible groan at the announcement, her heart sinking as Professor Prewett flashed her a knowing grin.

"Don't look too disappointed Miss Burke." He told her, his warm brown eyes sparkling with amusement. "This is being done in the true spirit of Hogwarts. Perhaps you and Mr Black can improve inter-house relationships during these troubled times."

The teasing tone of his voice and the responding laughter from her classmates did nothing to improve Ava's mood as she reluctantly took her seat, deliberately shifting it as far away as possible to the one beside her.

Fortunately, it seemed like Sirius was just as averse to the seating arrangements as she was, scowling as he too childishly distanced his seat even further away.

It was going to be an awfully long lesson.

Sirius Black was without doubt the worst partner to share a desk with ever. If it wasn't the constant doodling or swinging restlessly in his chair, he'd be arrogantly flicking his long dark hair back.

Not only was that in itself distracting, but the embarrassing swooning it prompted from the girls sat behind them made Ava prickle with annoyance. Not that Sirius seemed to notice anything. He was too busy exchanging love letters with Potter.

The relentless scratching of his quill was slowly driving her insane.

She'd tried her best to ignore his presence entirely, but when the responding paper bird rudely hit her in the back of her head it snapped her patience. She shot James Potter a deadly glare as she launched it back at his face. For a brief moment she enjoyed the offended look on his face, before the boy sat beside her snorted with amusement clearly entertained by her annoyance.

Ava spun around in her seat; her jaw clenched as she tried to reason with herself that she'd regret hexing Sirius Black twice in one day. "Can't you go an hour without gossiping with your boyfriend Black?" She snapped angrily.

Sirius only scowled in response.

What was wrong with this girl?

Sirius's grey eyes darted to the student sat beside him, her long dark hair shielding her face as she clearly tried to ignore his stare and listen intently to Prewett's enthusiastic speech about the importance of practical defence. His lips curved into a smirk as he glanced down at her notes, the impossibly neat handwriting confirming what he'd suspected.

A prim proper perfectionist.

He'd always resented Slytherin. Perhaps it was a result of the worst of his family belonging to the house that seemed to value self-importance and backwards traditions. All he knew was that even the sight of that green and silver serpent inspired a hatred inside him. It was everything he'd ever rebelled against at home and everything he was determined to aggravate at school.

True, he had been a little put out by getting his second detention in two days. But it had been entirely worth it to see the horrified shock on Slytherin House's new prefect's face earlier thanks to their prank.

Of course, he hadn't then expected to be on the receiving end of a retaliatory hex.

Sirius glanced down instinctively at his fingers which still displayed a faded green tinge underneath his nails. A smirk crept across his face. Perhaps a part of him rather admired her nerve to use the hex and maybe he was even a little impressed by the fact that even McGonagall had struggled to rectify it completely. Not that he'd ever admit such thoughts of course…or that he'd been bested by a Slytherin.

But a silly hex had never hurt anyone and gazing at the brunette now sat beside him, he found himself even more amused by her standoffish behaviour. Perhaps he could have a little fun with these seating arrangements after all…

"Mr Black, why don't you give us a demonstration?" Professor Prewett called out, snapping Sirius from his wandering thoughts. The smirk on his face told the Gryffindor that he knew he hadn't been paying attention. However, Sirius had mastered the art of multi-tasking in lessons years ago.

"Of course Sir." He replied cockily, flicking his wand lazily and causing red sparks to shoot up into the air. He could see James grinning at him out of the corner of his eyes whilst Remus shook his head, a fond smile creeping onto his lips regardless. "Anything else I can help you with?" He asked cheekily, leaning back on his chair.

Peter looked as if he was about to burst out into applause as students chuckled at Sirius's witty words. However, the person sat beside him looked less than impressed, promoting Sirius to flash her a smug grin.

She only rolled her eyes, ignoring his pompous behaviour as she listened to Professor Prewett's instructions on how to cast the spell. Moments later incantations could be heard as students attempted it themselves, red sparks flying across the classroom as they got to grips with the new spell.

Sirius barked with laughter as he observed the intense concentration on his partner's face. "Looks like you're struggling there Burke." He grinned as he leant back in his chair, eyeing the flustered Slytherin with great amusement. "Very disappointing. Especially for a…cunning Slytherin."

A/N Thank you so much for reading! I've got so many plans for this story and can't wait to dive in. It will be slow burn, but hopefully well-worth the wait. By the way, if you can't tell I'm a massive Slytherin (and proud).

As always, please do let me know what you think! :)