AN: This was just something that my muse pushed me to finish. I might have an idea for a third and final chapter, but we'll see what happens. As always, I am not JKR, so I don't own Harry Potter. Enjoy!

In the days since I broke down just outside the Room of Requirement, I had come to a decision regarding the tutoring. I knew there was no way to get out of it, Professor Snape made that quite clear. I had to face him, whether or not he actually wanted to spend time with me. I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom that morning, determined to make sure they didn't get the best of me today. I swept my hair up into a ponytail, curled the ends and after tightening the laces on my trainers, I headed down to the Great Hall.

I rolled my eyes as I entered, spotting him surrounded by his usual crowd. My steps didn't falter as I made my way to his table. The crowd of girls surrounding him grew quiet at my approach, and each one fixed me with a glare. While those glares would have made me feel embarrassed before I had long decided to ignore them. I was a Slytherin for a reason.

Harry kept talking, ignoring my presence behind him. "So, I figure if I don't go to tutoring, I can still pass Potions on my own to keep my spot on the team."

I let out a soft chuckle, earning more glares from the girls surrounding him. My ponytail swished back and forth as I shook my head. "I don't think that's how that's going to work ."

Harry turned to face me, an indifferent expression on his face but a challenge in his eyes. "Oh really?" He quirked an eyebrow, "And why's that?"

I folded my arms across my chest and let a soft grin overtake my features. " I happened to speak with the Headmistress yesterday regarding our tutoring. I asked what would happen if, for some unknown reason to me, you failed to show up."

Harry pushed his body back from the table, choosing to stand. He was much taller than I was, and he looked down at me with those eyes of his. I was almost pulled back in but held myself back at the last minute. "And what's going to happen? Nothing. She wouldn't risk losing the Captain of the team right before our crucial match against Slytherin."

I stepped forward bravely, my voice quiet and low. Harry had to lean his head closer to hear me speak. "But that's where you are wrong. I asked her, and she told me if you failed to show up for any reason, you would be benched. For the rest of the season."

I could see the barely unchecked anger in his emerald eyes as he stared at me. The entire Hall had grown quiet, watching us.

I stepped back from him, adjusting the strap of my bag. "I expect you to show up at the library later this afternoon at 2 pm. If you don't, then I expect to see Slytherin win the House cup as well as the Quidditch cup."

I turned and walked out of the hall to the snickering of my fellow Slytherins. Even though I was considered a loner in my own house, we never missed a chance to knock those Gryffindor's down a few pegs. I knew they would enjoy my little show this morning. As I walked out of the hall, I didn't notice Hermione Granger watching me with an interested expression on her face.

I watched Quinn White walk out of the Hall, her bag swinging gently over her shoulder in time to her hips. Her fellow housemates were snickering as she left. Harry had a murderous look in his eyes, and the simpering girls he was always surrounded with instantly tried to calm him down. I shared a look with Ginny before rising and leaving the Hall.

I followed her down the halls until she reached the library. Quinn chose one of the study rooms and shut herself up in them. I wasn't sure if she would follow through with her threat of telling the Headmistress if Harry didn't show. After I waited at one of the tables for a while, it was almost curfew. Quinn left the library with a determined look in her eyes. I followed her to the office of Minerva McGongagal.

Breakfast the next morning was quiet. The owls flew in softly, dropping letters and one letter dropped onto Harry's plate. He was so caught up in the attention of the girls he was with, he didn't notice at first. Just as he was about to drop some scrambled eggs on his plate, he noticed the letter. He opened it, his eyes following the script. His eyes widened and his face grew red as he reached the bottom.

"White!" His voice carried loudly in the Hall, and the silence that descended was quick. Every eye was drawn to where Quinn sat at the Slytherin table. She calmly sipped her tea and ate her breakfast, seemingly oblivious to Harry's loud shout. She kept her cool even as he walked toward her.

Any other student would have quaked to see Harry before them, angry as he was. It didn't take a genius to see she'd followed through with her threat. She pointedly ignored him as she finished her breakfast. She slipped her bag over her shoulder and tossed a soft smile to Draco Malfoy, who was staring at her. Along with the rest of the Hall.

Quinn walked towards the large doors of the Hall and stopped as Harry called her name again. "White? Didn't you hear me?"

It was interesting to see the differences between the two. Harry's face was bright red, his hands shaking as they balled into fists at his side. His eyes were wide and full of anger. Quinn was the opposite. She was the essence of calm. Her hair was flowing down her back in soft curls, and her dark eyes were soft and gentle. It was hard to read her, but then again, she was a Slytherin. They were almost always hard to read.

She raised an eyebrow, "I think there were people a few miles away who didn't hear you, Potter."

Soft snickering rose from the Slytherin table at her words. Gryffindor's were different. Some glared, out of support for Harry and others snickered. It wasn't a secret that Harry had let the fame go to his head a bit. He'd pushed both Ron and me away in the months after the war, and had even broken up with Ginny, claiming he was too important to be tied down to one witch.

Harry's voice was laced with anger as he spoke, " You actually spoke to the Headmistress? I've been benched for the remainder of the season unless I attend tutoring with you."

Quinn's voice was calm as she spoke, "I told you I would, did I not?

It was interesting to watch her calmly stare him down at his obvious anger. She glanced down at her skirt and calmly flicked a piece of lint to the stone floor below.

Harry was obviously too angry for words, and his face grew even redder at Quinn's calm manner.

Quinn turned away, her hair swinging softly as she walked away from Harry and out of the hall.

Her voice was clear, "I expect to see you in the library."

As she disappeared from view, the Slytherin's soft chuckling gave way to loud laughter. It was interesting to note that even Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's had joined in. Harry stood stock still in the doorway of the hall, his face still quite red, and a dumbfounded look on his face as he turned to face his fellow peers. When he noted several Gryffindor's doing the same, he scooped his bag up and left the hall quickly.

I had managed to keep my cool as I headed for the library, choosing a room in the back as I waited for him. I knew he'd show up. And sure enough, he did, though he wasn't happy about it. He sent me glares and was silent as I pulled out my Potion's book.

"So, where are you exactly struggling?" I slipped the book closer to him and he pointedly ignored it.

We sat in silence for the required hour and he rose quickly leaving the room as if I had a contagious disease. Clearly he wasn't going to make this easy for me. But if he wouldn't take the tutoring I was going to give him, then he'd fail his exams, and still wouldn't be allowed back on the team. The ball was in his court. I just wondered how far he would let his pride lead him before he fell flat on his face... again.

I walked away from the library still fuming with anger. I waved away the girls that usually surrounded me and headed outside. I needed fresh air. I needed to be away from people. I headed outside, far away from the castle and girls and Potions tutors.

As I made my way over to my favorite spot near the lake, I saw someone was already there. I let out a large groan. This day couldn't get worse, could it? As I walked closer, intent on telling whoever was there to go away, I started to recognize certain features. Dark curls flowed down her back as she leaned against the tree. The Slytherin crest on her robes was also a dead giveaway. Quinn.

Not wanting to deal with her right now, I reached in my bag until my fingers slipped over the silky fabric of my invisibility cloak. I pulled it out and without a second thought, slipped it over me. As I got closer, she wasn't alone. Shock flooded my system as I saw her talking to Hermione. I crept in quietly, curious as to what they were saying.

Hermione was speaking as I walked up, " So, why did you go to the Headmistress?"

Quinn's voice was soft, " I had two choices. Knuckle under and just ignore him, or report him. I knew that eventually he would get benched from the team for his poor grade in Potions, and then he'd blame me for not helping him like I was supposed to. Better to report him now and deal with the backlash."

I glanced over at Hermione and heard her chuckle, " Yeah, that's probably what would have happened, although, Harry's been surrounded by so many simpering girls lately, he's not used to being told no."

I heard Quinn laugh, "That sounds about right."

They were silent a moment, and Hermione spoke, "Truth be told, I haven't spoken to Harry in a long time. He changed a lot after the war and pushed away his oldest friends in the process. I don't understand this new Harry. The old Harry wouldn't have ever behaved like this."

Quinn was silent, her eyes staring out over the inky waters of the lake. "Sometimes war can change us for the better, and sometimes it can change us for the worst. While I don't presume to know all the facts, I know Harry lost a lot of people close to him. Maybe this is his way of dealing with the loss. He had to be strong for so long, he doesn't trust anyone to be his shoulder to cry on."

Hermione nodded, "You're probably right."

The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch and Hermione grabbed her bag. "You coming to lunch Quinn?"

Quinn shook her head, her curls sliding over her shoulders. "No. I think I'm going to stay here awhile. I don't want any more scenes in the Hall. You go ahead."

Hermione gave her a soft smile, "If you need to talk, I'm here."

Quinn nodded and Hermione began the walk to the castle for lunch. I stood in my spot, watching her walk away for a moment before turning my attention back to Quinn. She reached into her bag and pulled out a worn notebook, flipping through the pages absentmindedly while she stared at the Lake.

A soft grin lit up her features as the Giant Squid's tentacles rose from the lake. She stopped at a page near the back, her eyes following the print a moment before she pulled her quill out and began writing. The sound of her quill on the parchment was oddly soothing, and I began to feel uncomfortable standing here watching her. Something felt wrong.

As quietly as I could, I walked back to the castle, shedding my cloak and stuffing it in my bag. My stomach churned as I remembered how rude I had been to her recently. She hadn't warranted that behavior from me. And she was right if she had just let it slide I would have been benched anyway, and would have blamed her.

As I neared the doors of the castle, I realized I had two choices. I could continue treating Quinn horribly, or I could turn over a new leaf and rebuild the friendships I had neglected since the end of the war. I stood in the door to the Hall and a pang of loneliness swept through me as I watched Ron and Hermione talk. I missed them. We had been friends since we were 11. I couldn't be the selfish boy I had let myself become. I needed the strength of my friends. I needed to make things right with not just my two oldest friends, but Quinn as well. But how?