I gripped my ailing wand, praying that I could send red sparks. An owl hooted nearby, piercing the otherwise total silence of the deserted woods. Watery, feeble sunshine filtered down from above as I fought to contain the strong urge to panic. It was still morning, which meant I had plenty of hours to find my way out before real darkness fell. I couldn't be too far from the trail.

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. Think. Think. I lived in the country back home in Bellinghall. This was no different than that. Except that here, there were blood-sucking bugbears, wild hostile centaurs…

I shut my eyes tightly. "Stop." I said tightly. I prayed for my wand to work. If I didn't, I would be helpless, and would need to rely on my own limited understanding of the Forbidden Forest.

"Vermillious." I muttered.

A single drop of red dropped pathetically from the tip of my wand and disappeared before it even hit the ground.

I swore and tried again. This time, the wand issued two, but they both vanished within seconds of being conjured.

I stared at the wand in disbelief. Ollivander had made me try several different ones, before this one had chosen me. This wand, with a phoenix feather core, a feather from the tail of Fawkes, the phoenix that called Professor Dumbledore his master. So far, in my entire life (aside from a corporeal Patronus Charm), it had always accepted the challenge of new spells. It had never failed me or showed signs of dying.

Until now.

When I needed my wand most, it had chosen to become obsolete. Was its allegiance to another? Or was it just… rejecting me?

Why?

I turned on the spot, trying to glimpse anything that would jog my memory and help me gather my bearings. But every tree was as dark and unfamiliar as the rest.

I decided to keep trying. I held my wand in my palm. "Point Me."

The ash wand gave a tiny shiver. It was supposed to rotate and point north, but it didn't move after the initial flicker of life.

I gave up. Swallowing the rising urge to panic, I stowed my wand in my robes and carefully backtracked, but there was an abrupt flurry of activity. A flock of blackbirds erupted from a nearby tree and took off into the sky, giving loud cries of alarm. I turned back, just in time to catch the eerie reflective glow of a pair of yellow eyes staring at me from the shadows.

I froze. The eyes watching me blinked.

Folsom. I thought in horror.

Holding my breath, I took a slow step backwards. And another.

The eyes moved closer.

Panic now threatened to overwhelm me. My wand was all but useless in my pocket. How could James have left me unprotected and vulnerable? How could he have-

Just then, the animal that they eyes belonged to sprang forward. It was huge, shaggy, black, and coming straight for me.

It was a wolf.

I reacted by pure instinct. I knew if I ran, it would consider me prey. I shut my eyes and held my ground. I opened my mouth and let out a piercing scream, desperate for anyone close by to hear me.

Silence met my outburst. My muscles ached from anticipation. No pain was coming. Nothing. I opened my eyes a sliver to see what was going on.

The black wolf had stopped in its tracks. It was on all fours, staring up at me with those enormous yellow eyes. It raised its hackles, growling.

I growled back.

The wolf's ears pricked forward. I stood still, pretending I was a statue. I took a cautious step back, but froze when the wolf let out a snarl.

A tense minute followed. Then, the wolf moved forward. Before I could whip out my wand and pray for a spell to work, the wolf dropped its hackles.

And wagged its tail.

Dumbfounded, I stared as the wolf nosed my cold hand with its even colder nose. It sat down on its haunches in a very non-canine like manner and gazed up at me, nonplussed.

I watched the animal for a long moment. I knew I wasn't supposed to look into its eyes, but I couldn't help it. He seemed too intelligent… too human.

The dog let out a woof.

I squeaked in fright. The dog got up and paced, before rearing up on its hind legs. I stumbled back, tripping over on a fallen branch, and landing hard on my bottom. A second later, the wolf was gone. In its place... was Sirius Black.

I gaped soundlessly at him. He looked very pleased with himself. He dusted off his robes. "Looks like I scared you, Harkstone."

"How… did… how did you…?" I blustered.

Sirius laughed, barklike. "You weren't the only one with summer homework, you know. Professor Smith made us learn all about Animaguses. Last year, James and I talked about becoming them. We decided to keep trying this summer... you know, behind her back. I got the hang of it about a week ago."

"But you're so… so…" I floundered.

Sirius puffed out his chest. "So what? Handsome? Fearsome?"

"...black." I finished lamely.

Sirius frowned. "Well, I guess that works, too. Come on. You're all peaky."

I struggled to my feet. Sirius watched me curiously. "Why didn't you draw your wand?"

I said nothing. I glanced at him again, shaking my head.

"Look," Sirius said, "I'm sorry I scared you. But James came back without you and said you'd be along. But you didn't show. I thought Remus was going to kill him. So I decided to track you down. You're not hard to smell, especially when you're scared." He wrinkled his nose. "And lay off the perfume."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for that piece of advice. I'll definitely take beauty tips from a boy who's clearly never heard of a comb or mirror."

Sirius shrugged. "The ladies like a rugged looking man."

I rolled my eyes again. "Honestly!"

Sirius grinned. "Come on, you've gotta admit… my animal form is pretty cool. I thought I'd be a bear or something… but James said it was obvious I'd be a dog."

"Are you sure it wasn't a wolf?" I asked dubiously.

Sirius nodded. "Oh, yeah. We checked it out in the library."

My jaw dropped. "You actually went to the library? I'm somewhat impressed. I didn't know either of you could read."

"Very funny." Sirius said darkly. "Come on. Remus's gonna have a baby if we don't hurry."

We wandered through the thick undergrowth. I hadn't realized how far off the track I'd wandered until Sirius led me back. I whistled softly.

"Yeah," Sirius said, understanding, "you were lost, mate. Come on."

It took us another five minutes, but we caught up with the rest of the class, who were about to exit the forest, lead by Professor Kettleburn. Clearly, no one else had noticed my absence.

Remus looked immensely relieved at the sight of Sirius and I. "Are you alright?" He fussed. "Look, you're bleeding again. You've opened your old wound."

"Oh, shut up, Moony." James chortled. "She'll be fine. She's tough as rocks. Right, Harkstone?"

Peter and James snickered while I glared at him. Remus pressed his sleeve gently to staunch the flow of blood on my forehead, where the cut had indeed reopened.

"I'm fine, Remus," I insisted, pulling away. "I'll go see Madam Pomfrey after class. She probably knows a really easy spell to fix this."

"Alright." Remus said quietly, but looked put-out. He didn't leave my side for the rest of class as we navigated our way out of the woods.

"I'll be collecting your notes now!" Professor Kettleburn barked as we left the cool shade of the forest and emerged under the bright, warm sunlight. I squinted in the change of light. Remus passed his notes over to Kettleburn, who grunted in approval and fixed me with a disapproving look before shuffling over to James and Sirius.

"I had no idea Sirius had already become an Animagus," I confessed to Remus as we left the edge of the woods and started the hike back to the castle. "Did you know?"

Remus smiled. "He made me promise not to tell you. He and James said they'd find a way to show you."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for that. He left me out in the woods without a working wand-"

"He did what?" Remus interrupted sharply. "He left out without a working wand? What did he do to it?"

Nonplussed, I drew out my wand. Remus frowned. "It's not broken. Did he hex it?"

"No." I stared down at my wand, still in disbelief at how much it failed to work for me anymore. "It's like it's sick or something. Like it's... dying."

"That's not good, Amber." Remus said seriously. "That's not good at all. You haven't encountered any Dark Magic lately?"

I shook my head.

Remus sighed. "Then it might be something internal. Something to do with you. Maybe…" He trailed off.

"Maybe what?" I pressed.

Remus looked uncomfortable. "Maybe the wand is rejecting you."

I stared at him, crestfallen. "You really think that?" I said in a small voice, my worst fears confirmed.

Remus handed my wand back gently. "I think," he said, "you need to see Professor Smith immediately."

I watched James and Sirius jostling each other, racing up the hill, Peter hurrying after them, clearly out breath. James cast a jinx on Sirius, who was suddenly pulled up into the air, hanging upside, roaring with laughter as James and Peter sped past him.

"I guess that's becoming popular." I said darkly. "That jinx."

"We'll see." Remus said. "Come on. Let's get that head of yours looked at before next class."

"Good idea." I said, watching James yell out the countercurse and charge, laughing, after Sirius and Peter. I didn't even notice Lily, watching me and Remus, with a look of revulsion and sorrow on her face. All I could think of how it was my wand, not me, who needed help.

The first days of classes went quickly. Most of the time, it consisted of just the usual introductions of expectations and milestones. Professor McGonagall was especially cross with James and Sirius when she reminded us that magic was to be used at Hogwarts for academic purposes only. The last class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts, the one I had been looking forward to all day.

The room which had served as Folsom's classroom a year prior was redecorated. Instead of the windows being covered, they were open to allow the sinking sun to cast its warm rays inside. Mirrors reflected the light to give an illusion of a larger room. Portraits of various Dark creatures were featured around the room. A chart of human anatomy hung on the back of the door. At the front of the room, in a large owl cage, cast in shadows, was a black bat, hanging upside by its toes. As I entered the room and took my seat the front of the class, the bat peered at me from inside the folds of its wings. Its tiny, almond-shaped eyes were blood-red. It let out a low hiss and wrapped its wings snugly around itself again.

The class filled up quickly. Remus sat quietly beside me, staring at the bat in the cage. James and Sirius blundered in right behind him, Peter in tow.

"Do they have to sit with us?" I complained.

"I'll ask them to leave if they bother you that much." Remus said.

"Harkstone!" James moaned. "Why'd you pick the front row? The back row's the best! The teachers hardly notice anything there."

"Then you go sit back there." I responded coldly. "Don't worry, you won't be missed."

"Harsh." Sirius sniggered.

James lifted a shoulder. "Alright. Coming, Moony?"

"Don't think so." Remus responded. "Someone needs to protect her jewellery."

James let out a snort. "Alright, I get it. Hoes before bros."

Sirius gaped at James, knowing he had gone too far. I sprang to my feet, but not before Remus had grabbed hold of James by the collar of his shirt. His face was contorted in rage.

"Take. It. Back." He snapped.

I had my wand out, but I was unsure if anything would help. James tried to pull away from Remus, but his iron grip was firm.

"Come off it, Moony." James said lightly, but there was a note of warning in his voice. The entire class was silent, waiting to see what would happen.

"Apologize to her first." Remus growled. I noticed an ugly vein pounding in his forehead. I glanced out the window and noticed a faint, waning half-moon hanging in the sky. Remus' cycle clearly was still affecting him.

"Alright." James said coolly. "Sorry, Amber."

"Like you mean it!" Remus snarled.

"Sorry. Okay? Will you put me down now?"

Remus had lifted James off his feet. He had grown several inches this summer, while James clearly hadn't. Remus slowly lowered him back to the floor.

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice inquired.

The whole class turned to look at Professor Smith. She was descending the stairs leading to her office, a puzzled look on her scarred face. Her gaze found mine, and then drifted over the boys. She frowned deeply.

"Just settling some business, no matter." James said quickly.

"I'd expect better behavior from third years." Professor Smith said, disappointed. "Take your seats."

There was the sound of many chairs scuffling across the floor as students obeyed. I watched Sirius, James, and Peter move to the back of the room. Lily and Angelina were sitting at the other set of desks in the front row.

"You need to calm down." I whispered to Remus, who still had his fists clenched. I could have sworn I saw his eyes were golden, not their usual green.

Remus took a huge inhale through his nose and out through his mouth. He closed his eyes briefly, and when they opened again, they were definitely green. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"Don't worry about it." I said easily, but I privately wondered how close Remus had come to really losing control. How far could a werewolf go, when he was still human?

"Welcome back to Hogwarts." Professor Smith said, standing in front of a blank chalkboard. "In your third year of Defense Against the Dark Arts, you'll be learning how to defend yourselves from Dark creatures, Dark arts, and other dark charms. If you listen and participate in my class, as well as take notes and complete your homework, you will have no trouble obtaining a good grade for yourself and your House."

A hand was raised. It belonged to James Potter.

"Yes?" Professor Smith said.

Sirius was already laughing. James grinned and asked, "is it true, Professor, that you played for the Holyhead Harpies?"

There was a buzz of excitement in the class. Professor Smith's frown deepened.

"I'll remind students that I will only be answering relevant questions in my class." She said coldly. "Any other questions can be asked privately after class."

"Ouch." I said smugly as James dropped his hand.

"Now." Professor Smith said bracingly. "Who can tell me about some Dark creatures we will be learning about this year?"

My hand, as well as Lily's, shot into the air. Professor Smith raised her brows, inviting us to speak.

"In our curriculum," Lily said, jumping into speech, "you told us to study boggarts, grindylows, hinkypunks, kappas, red caps, salamanders, and…" she slid a quick look at Remus, "werewolves."

"Excellent." Professor Smith said. "Ten points for Gryffindor."

Lily swelled with pride.

I raised my hand. "Excuse me, but she forgot a big one."

I didn't look in her direction, but I felt the accusatory stare Lily threw me. Professor Smith nodded. "Go on."

I took a deep breath, thinking of Folsom. "Vampires?"

Professor Smith nodded. "Yes, we will also be covering the subject of vampires. In addition to learning about Dark creatures, we will be learning several defensive spells to combat these creatures and Dark wizards. Riddikulus is the only known way to rid a boggart. The Freezing Spell, Seize and Pull Charm, Lumos Duos Spell, and Orbis Jinx will be required for you to master this year… and why aren't you all writing this down?"

With the exception of me, Remus, and Lily, no other student was taking notes. There was a flurry of activity as the others raced to copy down her words, which were appearing on the blackboard in neat white calligraphy, even though the piece of chalk was moving on its own.

Professor Smith waited until everyone was done. Then she cleared her throat. "Today, we will be touching on the basics of vampires."

I stared at Professor Smith, who didn't look back. I could feel my heart beginning to race. She was going to teach about vampires, and I knew why. There was a particular one who was very interested in seeking revenge, and who happened to be Lord Voldemort's lieutenant.

"Can anyone tell me the characteristics of a vampire?" Professor Smith, just as Lily's hand and mine shot into the air again. This time, Professor Smith started with me.

"Well," I said, feeling heat rise to my face as the whole class pinpointed their attention on me. "They live off of blood. Mammalian. They have fangs that they can conceal to hide their identities. They have an aversion to sunlight, garlic, and crosses. They don't have reflections."

"They also can transform into bats." Lily burst.

"Very good." Professor Smith intoned. "Take two points for Gryffindor and ten points for Ravenclaw."

"Yes." I hissed under my breath, low enough so that no one could hear it, but Remus grinned, and I knew he had heard. I blushed deeper.

"Vampires are known to exist worldwide," Professor Smith added. "But some are more powerful than others. Your best chance of defense against a vampire will be to deter it before they even consider you prey. Don't travel alone at night, and be sure to carry your wand with you after sundown. The spell Lumos Solem will generate a beam of light that is equivalent in ultraviolet radiation to a beam of sunlight."

There was the frantic scrabbling of notes being written down. Lily raised her hand again.

"Professor, how can we identify vampires from normal people?"

"They're usually gaunt, from nearly constant hunger." Professor Smith replied. "They don't like sunlight. And they will quite often stare at necks. Who knows… maybe we have a vampire with us right now."

Several students looked around in alarm, but Professor Smith chuckled and waved a hand.

"No need to worry… None of you are vampires. But there is one in this room."

Confused, many students looked around, mostly up at the buttresses in the rafters. But Remus was staring fixedly at the cage that housed the black bat. I followed his gaze. I gave a startled flinch.

"No way…" I breathed. The bat peered at me again, narrowing his small red eyes. "That can't be…"

"Is that it in there?" Angelina said, her voice much higher-pitched than normal.

"Yes." Professor Smith said. Several girls screamed or jumped out of their chairs in fright.

"Silence!" Professor Smith said sharply, as the bat ruffled its wings, irritated. "I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the cage. The vampire can't transform and break free. You aren't in any danger right now. The reason why I've caught this vampire today is to help you understand how easy it is to be oblivious to Dark creatures around you every day. This particular vampire was in his bat form, hanging from the rafters of Professor Kettleburn's storage shed. I captured him very early this morning, just after dawn, to present to the class."

The girls who had vacated their seats returned to them now, warily. I noticed that no one was laughing now, not even James and Sirius.

Professor Smith held up the cage deftly. The bat jostled slightly, but didn't unwrap its leathery wings.

"Does anyone notice anything unusual about this bat, compared to normal bats?" She asked calmly, walking down the aisles with the cage. Several students shied away from her when she came near. "There's a page of normal bats vs a vampire bat on page 102…"

The sound of flipping pages filled the air. Lily and I almost cut each other off in our haste to answer her.

"A vampiric bat has a distinctive squashed face and triangular ears." Lily recited.

"They also have two close-together incisors, and two much larger canines. They use those to bite into their prey."

"Very good." Professor Smith said. "Five points for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. These bats can walk on their thumbs and hop like a rabbit. Unlike normal vampire bats, real vampires in their bat forms will always go for the neck. They are also much larger than typical vampire bats. Those are usual the size of a tennis ball. However," she rattled the cage slightly, so that the bat opened his wings to flutter them in annoyance, "true vampires in bat form are the usually the size of a small dog, like a Pekingese or a Maltese."

The class was staring at the caged vampire, who let out an ominous hiss, exposing its very sharp fangs.

"Professor," Angelina asked timidly. "Why are we starting with vampires? I thought we would start with basics…"

"Normally, Miss Azadian, that is what I would do." Professor Smith said grimly. "But this year, I feel it is important to prepare my students adequately for what lies outside the classroom in the real world. Anyone can face a flobberworm or a gnome."

"But Professor," Peter piped up from the back of the room. "Do you really think there's danger out there?"

She paused, and then nodded once. "Yes, I know there is."

I raised my hand into the air. I didn't look at Remus or Lily, because I didn't want to see what they would think of me after I asked the question.

"Professor," I said, "could you tell us what the Death Eaters are? And do you know if they attacked Platform 9 3/4 ?"

The silence that followed my question pressed in upon my ears. Someone a few rows back dropped a quill, which clattered loudly in the quiet.

Professor Smith pursued her lips. I could tell she was disappointed in me. I felt heat climb into my cheeks. I should have waited to ask her after class. I thought, kicking myself inwardly.

"The Ministry does not wish for me to tell you this." Professor Smith said slowly. She rested the cage on the heavy wooden desk at the front of the room. "Dumbledore was going to make an announcement about this later, once everyone had settled back into the routine of school. But I feel that it would be unfair to withhold this information from you if you were personally involved."

Mutters filled the classroom. Professor Smith raised a hand. Instantly, the sounds dropped off.

"Roughly thirty years ago, there was a charming young student here named Tom Riddle. He was brilliant, cultured, admired, and very good at hiding who he really was. You may know him by his other name… Lord Voldemort."

There was a collective gasp from most the room. Remus let out a slow exhale.

"Some of his most loyal followers began calling themselves 'Death Eaters'. One of them was your teacher last year."

An explosion of noise followed this. The babble of confused and horrified students chased away any chance of peace. I glanced at Lily, who looked back at me very briefly.

She looked disappointed, too.

"You mean Professor Folsom was a Death Eater?" shouted Edmund Pepper, a third-year Gryffindor.

"Why would Dumbledore let him teach?" called a third-year Ravenclaw, Zoey MacDonald.

Professor Smith held up her hand for silence, but none came. She pointed her wand at the class and said, "Silencio."

The noise was shut off. Students tried to speak, but no words came.

"I know this is shocking and troubling information," Professor Smith acknowledged, "but Dumbledore agrees that it is best for you to hear it from your teachers, rather than other sources. We have reason to believe that the Death Eaters were indeed responsible for the attack."

I shot an alarmed look at Remus. Only yesterday, we had discussed this very topic. I threw a look back to James and Sirius, who shared the same awed look.

We had been right.

"The best thing we can do is continue our studies as normal," Professor Smith went on, "and teach you to defend yourselves as best as we can."

There were further mutterings of dissent at this, but no one argued with her. The vampire hissed and flapped its wings, still hanging upside-down from its perch. I stared at it, lost in thought.

Folsom was a vampire. I had suspected it long before it was confirmed. And his cohort, his boss, his… whatever… was this Lord Voldemort.

"What's so bad about Voldemort?" I asked loudly, before Professor Smith could redirect the class. This time I could feel Remus staring down at me, his gaze boring into the side of my head like lasers.

Professor Smith held up her hand. "Miss Harkstone, we can discuss that more after class." There was a note of cool finality that made it clear the subject was now closed. "Now, onto normal vampires… can anyone tell me how to fend one off?"

Lily's hand shot into air, but I kept mine down. I watched the innocuous-looking bat with a look of mistrust and disgust.

How often had Folsom changed into this alternate form? Did that make him an Animagus? Or just simply one of the living dead?

I didn't participate for the rest of class, other than write down notes that Professor Smith wrote across the board. Rather, her piece of white chalk did, moving by itself without needing her to touch it. After several lengths of parchment were filled in with black calligraphy and an hour passed, Professor Smith released the class. "I would like you to write me a roll of parchment on vampires, due a week from today. Also, start to ponder your greatest fears and how to combat them. You may go," she said dismissively, waving at us with one hand and placing the bat cage back on her table with the other.

The sound of students stuffing their quills, books, and parchment back into their bags filled the air as I rose and copied them, albeit much more slowly. I waited until everyone else had left, save for Remus, who stayed by my side.

"You ready?" He asked, lifting a brow in question.

I glanced at a gaggle of boys lingering near the doorway. Sirius, Peter, and James were all talking together, waiting.

I looked back at Professor Smith, who was erasing the board with a levitating cloth. "I'll catch up with you later, Remus. I need to talk to her."

He gave me a measured look. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but decided against it. "Alright," Remus grunted. "I'll see you later."

He rejoined the boys and they left.

Professor Smith turned back to face me, arms folded. "You had a question?"

Now that we were alone, it felt just like summer classes. I could feel myself relaxing back into the routine. "Yes. About this Lord Voldemort."

A shadow passed across her face. "Is there anything academically relevant you have questions about?"

I blinked. "I'm sorry?" Professor Smith had never deliberately dodged a question before.

As if reading my thoughts, Professor Smith let out a deep sigh. "I don't think you're old enough to concern yourself with adult matters, Amber. Isn't it bad enough that you've got to worry about Mackenzie Folsom?"

I knew by the way she wouldn't meet my gaze that she was hiding something. I folded my own arms. "In my first year, I read an article about Voldemort. It was written by a man named Vincent Backe. My mother knew him."

Professor Smith took a few steps and stood near the cage holding the bat. "Vincent is also Folsom's true first name. In school, he was constantly teased… students would call him terrible names. Several wizards have been named Vincent. Most famous, perhaps, is Vincent the Idiot. He could never escape the taunts or cruel joke. That is, until he met Tom Riddle, who also believed in different names than the ones our parents give us."

The bat sniffed hopefully at her, but jerked back suddenly as if repelled by some invisible force.

"So, his real name is Vincent Folsom?" I reiterated.

Professor Smith nodded. "Yes. He chose Mackenzie, because in Gaelic, it means 'born of fire'. He certainly wanted power. And I believe he got it."

"But Voldemort," I said, bringing the spotlight back to him, "What's he got to do with all of this?"

Professor Smith gazed out the window. The light outlined her harsh scar, cutting across her face in a severe line. A few strands of silver hair glinted. When she looked back at me, I was shocked to see how tired she looked.

"You're on a need-to-know basis," she said in a brittle voice, "just like every other student. Please don't expect special treatment from me just because you were my pupil this summer."

I stared at her, feeling as if she'd just slapped me. "Wh-what?" I stammered, sure I'd heard her wrong.

Professor Smith turned away, but not before I saw a muscle jerk in her cheek. "Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, aren't a group I want to celebrate or give more attention to than they deserve. Each of them deserves a life term sentence behind the walls of Azkaban. Vincent Backe believed they had an agenda and was hoping to cast some light on them. Speed up the system of justice."

"He's been missing since last year." I added tentatively. "My mum said she went to school with him. He wrote an article about Voldemort."

Professor Smith half-turned her head. "Voldemort seems to be nothing more than an extremist fueled by hatred and darkness. It's my job to teach you and many others how to defend yourselves from that kind of evil. I'd appreciate it if you'd leave the subject alone."

She started towards the stone steps that led into her office. I held my tongue, more questions raised in my mind. Just before she entered her office, I blurted out, "Did you know Tom Riddle personally too, like Folsom?"

She paused. Without turning around she said, "Enough. You ask too many questions, even for a Ravenclaw."

She closed the door firmly behind her, leaving me alone with the bat. It hissed at me again.

I stood, rooted to the spot. Too many questions… even for a Ravenclaw…

Had I pushed too far? Just like I tended to with Mum?

I picked up my bag of books robotically, trying to think of anything but what we had just said. It hurt too much to think that I drove people I looked up to and admired away. How come I didn't know when to just leave it? Was it curiosity, or something more? Something malevolent like what Folsom and Voldemort possessed?

The bat let out a shriek of anger and frustration as it beat its wings against its cage fruitlessly, making a racket. Peeves zoomed in, cackling.

"Oh, looky!" He said shrilly. "Rocky's got another vampire on her tail! Better watch out or he'll bite you! Can't bother me, I'm already dead!"

He did a somersault in mid-air and looked at me gleefully with his face between his legs.

I rolled my eyes and pointed my wand at the bat. "Silencio!"

The bat hissed loudly, banging so hard it sounded like the cage door would burst open.

"Oopsie!" Peeves cackled. "Looks like brainy Rocky's a Squib!"

"Shut up!" I raged, horrified and frustrated with my wand's refusal to obey. I stuffed it in my pocket and marched out of the room, Peeves' mad laughter echoing down the hall.

It wasn't until I was almost at the entrance to the Great Hall that I remembered Lily's caution to speak to Professor Smith about my failing wand, which I hadn't done. Instead, I'd spurned that idea and had chosen to ask about a man I hardly knew, a man that was shrouded in mystery and darkness.

I sat next to Angelina at dinner, and was quickly joined by Remus. He helped himself to a plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes. "How did it go with Professor Smith?" He asked casually as Angelina giggled furiously.

I eyed her. "What's your issue?"

Angelina looked at Remus and then averted her gaze, twirling a lock of her raven hair. "Nothing." She said innocently, clearly lying.

I rolled my eyes and swallowed a bite of bread, along with my rising disdain. "It went worse than I thought. I talked to her about Voldemort."

Remus lifted a brow. "Why is he so interesting to you? My dad says he's just a maniac with radical ideas that won't come to fruition, not with the Ministry the way it is."

"I don't know." I answered honestly, turning my back on Angelina, who was whispering to Zoey MacDonald and beside herself with giggles. "Maybe because he and Folsom were pals when they went here."

I looked over at the Slytherin table to where Regulus sat next to Avery, Nott, and Mulciber. I was disappointed to see that Severus was also seated very close to them. All five seemed to be in deep talk.

"I just… have a weird feeling." I went on. "I mean, do you really think it was any coincidence that she chose to talk about vampires on the first day back?"

"You've got a point." Remus agreed. "I think she was referring to Folsom a bit. But I still don't understand why you think Voldemort is involved."

I added a scoopful of roasted vegetables to my plate. "I think he's the kingpin. The one running the show behind the scenes. I know Folsom had some influence on people, like the Slytherin gang over there, but I think that Folsom has allegiance to Voldemort as his leader."

I frowned at the amused look on Remus' face. "What?" I said, half-annoyed. "What's so funny?"

Remus shook his head good-naturedly. "You."

I playfully punched his arm. "Well, I'm trying to be serious, mind you."

Remus sipped his pumpkin juice thoughtfully. "I know. And I think you've got the brains to back up your views. But let's just slow down. I think the Ministry can take care of this Death Eater business before it gets out of hand."

I opened my mouth to argue, that only yesterday, these same people had likely been the ones to attack Platform 9 3/4 . But after the memory of my doomed conversation with Professor Smith, I chose to fill my open mouth with a forkful of vegetables and stuff my words back inside.

"So, you didn't talk to her about the wand?" Remus asked after a moment. "And its issues?"

I could feel the ash wand, stowed away in my robes. I didn't want to think about it, or what it could mean. Both Remus and Lily had good theories, but neither one made me feel very good. One meant that I was having a loyalty breach with my wand. The other meant something more.

I tried to stuff away the possibility that it may not be the wand who was the problem… but me.

"So, Remus," Angelina said, her voice strangely high-pitched. "I heard you play Quidditch."

"I don't, as a matter of fact," Remus said calmly, sipping his drink again.

"I do." I said. "I'm going to try out for the Ravenclaw team."

Remus spat out his pumpkin juice, spraying a fourth-year Ravenclaw boy in the face. Remus turned red and tossed several napkins at the boy, who glared at Remus before leaving the table.

"You're what?" Remus said increduously. "You hate flying. Remember last time?"

"I remember." Angelina said loftily. "You crashed and burned. Didn't Sean Locke bring you to Madame Pomfrey?"

"I stopped you from falling to your death." Remus snapped. "No, you shouldn't. It's a stupid idea."

"Do you like swimming?" Angelina asked Remus hopefully, but he was ignoring her. He was staring down at me, his green eyes electrified with anger.

I shrugged. "I want to try out. And I actually do like flying. Professor Smith taught me this summer after we went to see a colony of dragons."

"You went to see what?" Remus gaped.

I brushed back my hair. "And then she kind of… dared me to jump off a cliff with her and fly."

Remus set down his drink hard. "That woman… what was she thinking? That's the kind of teacher we can expect?"

"Honestly, I think you're overreacting Remus." I said patiently. "Well, I think I'll go polish my Silver Arrow. I should practice tomorrow before classes."

"No… you can't just… you could… Amber!" Remus blustered as I rose from the table.

"Good night, Remus." I said over my shoulder. He looked ready to rise and chase after me, but Angelina said loudly, "So, Remus, do you want to come down to the lake with me?"

That stopped me in my tracks. I glanced over, making brief eye contact with Remus.

Just then, Sean Locke slid in front of me. He was taller than Remus and wider, built like a powerful tree. A golden Head Boy badge glinted on his lapel.

"I couldn't help overhearing," Sean said evenly, but his grin gave him away, "that you want to try out for Quidditch."

I frowned, sizing him up. I folded my arms. "That's right."

Sean grinned, showing his teeth. "Alright, then. Let's go get you ready. If I can't beat Potter and Black, I'll bet you'll give them a run for your money."

Remus looked furious. Smirking, I nodded to Sean. "Let's do it."

Sean clapped once. "Excellent. Give me five minutes and I'll meet you outside on the Quidditch Pitch."

I nodded in acknowledgement and edged past him. I didn't look back to hear or see if Remus had agreed to go to the lake with Angelina or not. The only thing on my mind was proving him and Lily wrong.

If I'm not a witch, I thought, then I can't fly on a broom. Or play Quidditch.

James and Sirius were pointing at me and laughing. I winked back.

"Just wait until tryouts, boys," I said under my breath. "And we'll see who's laughing then."