A/N:

So I thought I'd just say – Karida's name is all weird because I wanted it to have meaning, since JK put so much thought into each of her characters. Karida means pure and loyal. I'm honestly not too fond of it, but I really like the meaning for her.

Also, her last name is a bit confusing – Her father is Rodolphus and Rabastan's brother. Karida goes by her mom's maiden name because he doesn't want her to be seen as a Lestrange. Hope that clears it up a bit. She'll explain eventually, but I thought you ought to know :)

Chapter III

There was nothing in the world that could wake a person up quite like Pansy Parkinson's snoring.

Karida stretched as she untangled herself from her blankets, and sat up slowly. Today she'd get her class schedule. So, which subjects would she be condemned to share with her least favorite people this year?

After peeking out from behind her curtains, Karida noticed that it was still relatively dark, and none of the other girls seemed to be awake. She let herself fall back onto her pillow. Sleep was impossible now however, as Pansy's snores filled the room.

Karida lay back down to rest her eyes, and maybe try for more sleep. But soon, Daphne woke up as well. From her shrouded bed, Karida could hear Daphne going about the room and waking everyone up. Loudly.

Soon her own curtains were thrown open. "Gooooood morning!" The blonde cheered much too happily. Karida waited for her to turn around before drawing them closed again.

The other girls took quite a long time getting ready, all the while talking about Malfoy, what classes they were taking, Malfoy, Pansy's hair, and Malfoy. Karida didn't want to be part of those conversations, so she stayed in bed, waking up all the way.

When the giggles were finally lost down the hall, Karida shot up from her four-poster and got dressed as quickly as she could. Judging by the ray of dim light shining through the single window in the room, it was almost breakfast. Karida decided she'd have to wait until her next time alone to unpack.

After she straightened her tie, Karida pushed open the heavy door and walked down the dormitory corridor. She had to sidestep a couple puddles, and the same drips from the ceiling.

The common room seemed busy at first glance, but Karida noticed Malfoy, Pansy, and the few new Slytherins were the only occupants.

"But… Ms. P-Parkinson…" A tiny little boy in crisscross applesauce on the floor started timidly. "H-How are we supposed to know where all our classes are if the castle is a mile long?"

"And he – " A girl pointed at Draco, "said that there would be monsters in the dark hallways! I don't know any good spells…" She looked on the verge of tears. Karida gave Pansy a haughty glare and left the common room quickly, not wanting to hear any more.

Dumbledore had definitely picked the best Slytherin prefects, all right.

The corridors were unusually empty as Karida made her way to the Great Hall; taking the back routes so she wouldn't have to go up all the stairs she'd descended the night before.

This was a strategy she picked up after being completely out of breath after her first breakfast not being escorted by a prefect.

The day after that, Malfoy had boasted that his father told him all about an alternate route, and wound up getting himself and the other first-years even more extravagantly lost than usual. Luckily, Snape had found them wandering around on the third floor before Malfoy could get any farther.

By the time she'd arrived, the Great Hall was full. Karida shakily asked some third-years to scootch over. When they wouldn't, she got frustrated and shoved them aside. She was getting sick of having to sit alone.

Since she had been starving all night, Karida was impatient for the food to appear. When it did, she all but snatched a berry tart out of the third-years' hands.

She wasn't having the best morning.

By the time Karida had stuffed herself with the house-elves' cooking, the schedules had been handed out. Her Monday consisted of:

Charms ~ Filius Flitwick

Double Potions ~ Severus Snape (Dungeon Three)

History of Magic ~ Cuthbert Binns

Double Defense Against the Dark Arts ~ Dolores Jane Umbridge

Double Potions ought to be fun enough. Except for Malfoy. But it was Defense Against the Dark Arts that Karida was most worried about. She recounted her previous teachers.

First year, Professor Quirrell had fallen over when she had asked him a question after class. After she had repeated herself, he lost his temper in a matter of seconds and shouted the answer at her. And he turned out to be the Dark Lord.

Second year, Gilderoy Lockhart simply graced the classroom with his presence… In his mind. But in reality he was a scaredy cat, hiding from those Cornish Pixies. Hermione Granger had frozen one that had been pulling on Karida's hair rather hard. She was grateful.

Professor Lupin was the first teacher who seemed to understand Defense Against the Dark Arts at all. But he missed class quite a lot. And he picked favorites.

Karida was still haunted by the feeling of the Imperius Curse Moody had put on her. But he did turn out to be a Death Eater, after all.

But what would Umbridge be like? If she knew Lucius Malfoy, Karida couldn't hope for her to be any better than the rest.

Karida naturally thought Snape was and had always been the best choice for the post. But for some reason, he never got chosen.

As she was getting up, the cluster of first-years passed her.

" – But how do we – "

" – Where – "

" – What if – "

" – I bet – "

They were each trying their best to look unnerved, but all of them looked absolutely terrified.

Malfoy and Pansy were watching them, shaking with giggles. Though it was part of their prefect duties to lead them to their first week of classes, they obviously thought it would be much funnier to just watch them wander aimlessly.

Karida took a last bite of toast, washed it down with a swig of pumpkin juice, and stood up with a huff. She may not be a prefect, but she wasn't about to let these firsties get attacked by Peeves.

When she caught up to them, they each looked up at her nervously.

"Who are you?" One of the boys asked rudely, obviously trying to show off.

"I'm Karida. Malfoy and Pansy can't seem to take you to your first class –" The group of fifth years was starting to get up, Malfoy pushing a second-year on the way. " – So I'm going to… Help them out, and take you myself." She finished, trying to look as kindly as she could down at the tiny firsties. Maybe she could prevent that one rude boy from becoming a Malfoy. That would be nice.

"We don't need your help. I can lead us to Snape's dungeons just fine." Maybe not.

The girl from the common room stepped up. "Don't listen to Xavier! What if the monsters get us?"

"Don't worry, there aren't any monsters. Just a few ghosts. But the only one you have to watch out for is Peeves. If you're not careful, you'll get a bucket of ink on your head."

The girl looked petrified.

"Lucky for you, I know most of his schedule," She said hurriedly. "I'll be able to steer us away from him. And he's not very good at being quiet most of the time, so you'll get the hang of it, too."

She started walking down the rows of tables, gesturing to the first-years to follow her. "So, you guys are off to potions today?"

The girl sped up to walk next to her. "Yeah!" She said, checking her schedule. "We're in… Dungeon Five…"

"See, I know where that is!" Xavier scowled. "It's right next to Dungeon Six…"

"Actually, it's next to Dungeon Four. Dungeon Six is on the other side of the castle." Karida said coolly, and that shut him up.

After passing through a few tapestries, trick doors, and crowded corridors, they descended a flight of damp stairs; arriving in the dungeon. Karida pushed open the heavy door into the classroom, and held it open while the firsties streamed in. The Gryffindors were already sitting, their cauldrons set up.

Professor Snape had been writing at his desk at the front of the dimly lit room, but at the sound of the door opening, he spun around. "You're late," he said slowly as he stood up, letting his black coat swish around his ankles. He looked intimidatingly down at the first-years.

"Sorry Professor," Karida started, and his attention shifted to her immediately. "Our wonderful prefects decided to take an off day."

Snape's lip curled. "I am sorry to see that Mister Malfoy and Miss Parkinson have neglected their duties. Even so," he paused, "you stepping up to take their jobs was very responsible. Ten points."

Karida smiled a bit smugly. She knew Snape wasn't being fair. But she was content with him finally realizing a mistake of Malfoy's.

After nodding at the apprehensive eleven-year-olds, Karida walked back up half of the stairs from Snape's dungeon, turned, and went through a ripped tapestry of a cobra striking a mouse. Again she murmured "Pureblood" to the hidden door, and stepped into the empty common room.

She rushed into the dormitory to get her schoolbag (which required much digging through her trunk), and hurried off to Charms class.

In one of the more secluded hallways, she passed both the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan, talking to a Gryffindor first year. One of the twins was leaning with his arms crossed against the wall while his brother held something out to the boy. He watched Karida as she tried to casually crane her neck to see behind Jordan's back. She accidentally caught the redhead's eye, and he winked and shook his head slowly, smirking.

Karida felt her face heat up furiously, and stared determinedly at her shoes until she reached the end of the hall.

When she reached the classroom, all of the seats had been filled up but one. She was forced to sit next to Millicent Bulstrode at the end of the row, meaning they would probably have to be partners.

It wound up not mattering anyway, as the entire class period was spent by Flitwick standing on his makeshift pedestal and lecturing the Slytherins about the importance of the O.W.L.s.

"Soon this year, your head of house, Professor Snape, will talk to each of you about career choices! So make sure you try to brainstorm your options!" He squeaked.

Career choices? Karida hadn't even thought about career choices. Sure when she was little, she wanted to be a dragon trainer, but that was in the past. Now that she was older, Karida had no idea what she aspired to be.

The bell rang, and Karida heaved her rucksack laden with heavy school books over her shoulder, still wondering what she'd be able to discuss with Professor Snape. It had begun drizzling lightly, and the autumn chill was starting to settle over the castle. She pulled up her hood as she crossed through one of the courtyards on the way to Dungeon Three.

After descending the same steps she had earlier that morning, Karida stood with the crowd of intermixed Slytherins and Gryffindors waiting in front of the classroom door. Soon, Snape arrived and opened the door for the class, and they all shuffled in. Karida took her spot with the other Slytherins in the front of the room.

"Settle down," said Professor Snape, as he reentered the classroom himself. Every student went silent. "Before we begin today's lesson, I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions."

Karida put her elbows on the table and leaned on to them. She knew Snape to be very blunt. Hopefully he wouldn't take the whole class time to lecture them all, as Flitwick had.

"Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'acceptable' in your O.W.L., or suffer my… Displeasure." His stone-cold gaze was directed at poor Neville Longbottom, who looked abnormally pale.

"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," He paused, appraising each of his students for their reactions to this statement.. "I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye."

Karida would have hated to be on the opposite side of the glare Snape was giving Harry Potter that second.

She very much wanted to continue Potions, but what if she didn't get an 'Outstanding' on her O.W.L.? What if the job she wanted didn't call for Potions training? What if she got below 'Acceptable' and Snape hated her for the next two years?

Karida calmed herself down. It's just O.W.L. stress setting in, she told herself. Just O.W.L. stress.

"But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell, so whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students." He let out a sharp breath and shuffled some papers on his desk before continuing. Karida realized he was changing the subject, and went back to the usual rapt attention level she had in Potions class.

"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation," Professor Snape restarted, talking much faster than he had been. "Be warned: If you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing." He gave Malfoy a warning look; he had just been whispering to Pansy.

"The ingredients and method are on the blackboard" - and after a lazy flick of his wand, so they were – "You will find everything you need in the store cupboard," The doors of which swung open, revealing much more advanced ingredients than the first-years she had directed this morning would have been working with. "You have an hour and a half… Start."

Karida hurried to the front of the class to gather some ingredients needed for her potion. After almost dropping her bottle of powdered porcupine quills, she sat back down at her table and lit her fire with her wand. The potion proved to be one of the most difficult she had ever experimented with.

Meanwhile, Professor Snape was circling the classroom, surveying everyone like a hawk. Goyle's cauldron was on the table adjacent to hers, and was smoking a dangerous red color. Snape ignored it.

When he arrived at her desk, Karida's hand started shaking as she added the powdered moonstone to her potion. She almost started stirring it clockwise when Professor Snape murmured, "Three times counterclockwise, Miss Talon…" She jumped and let go of her wooden spoon immediately.

The blackboard said to let the potion simmer for seven minutes before adding syrup of hellebore, so Karida flipped through her potion book impatiently, keeping a close eye on the flames. Malfoy came over from his seat next to Goyle and peered into her cauldron.

"Are you sure it's supposed to be that color?" He asked. Just because Snape treated him the best in his class, made Malfoy think he was the best at potions.

"Well, considering Professor Snape hasn't had to add anything to my potion, yeah, I think it is." She said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. When Snape had passed his cauldron, he had indeed added an extra pinch of a powdered substance.

Malfoy looked at her incredulously, and rushed back to his desk.

Ten minutes before the deadline, Professor Snape addressed the entire classroom. "A light silver vapor should now be rising from your potion," he said lazily.

Like all the other students, Karida stole glances at how the rest of the class was doing with the potion. Hermione Granger's seemed to be emanating the right color vapor, just as her own. While Karida had been calm and collected during the entire process, Longbottom was looking very pale and panicky. Seamus Finnigan had managed to light yet another thing on fire, and Ron Weasley's ears were almost as red as his hair as his potion spat green sparks.

Professor Snape walked past all of these screw-ups casually though, as he zoned in on his target.

"Potter, what is this supposed to be?" He said coldly, but also with a bit of enjoyment in his voice.

Malfoy looked back at Potter excitedly. He always loved Potions, just so he could watch Snape torture the Gryffindors.

"The Draught of Peace…" Potter said, staring at his cauldron.

"Tell me Potter… Can you read?"

Malfoy practically shrieked like a hyena.

"Yes, I can," Potter said dangerously.

"Read the third line of the instructions for me."

Potter's voice fell as he read through the instructions and realized that he had forgotten the hellebore.

Snape grinned triumphantly and emptied his cauldron with a wave of his wand. He slunk his way back to his desk at the front of the room. "Those of you who have managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name, and bring it up to my desk for testing. Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in on Thursday." Karida scribbled this in a notebook, and ladled her potion into a crystal flagon.

While waiting for the line at the front of the room to shrink, Karida scoured the rest of the potion from her cauldron and set it back on the supply table. There was a loud crash, and Karida saw that Goyle had shattered his flagon. She rushed over to put out the scarlet fire that caught on his robes, since Malfoy and the rest of his cronies were already at the front of the room.

Soon she joined the queue herself, and waited for Professor Snape's approval. When it was finally her turn, she handed her sample over. He noted the color, uncorked it, and smelled it with his hooked nose. He looked pleased.

"Well, Miss Talon, it seems that your potion would be the only one in this class that would be safe to drink." Karida beamed. "Ten points. You may take this to your dormitory. I'm sure it will help you sometime before the examinations." He said, and handed back her flagon.

"Thank you, Professor," she said before walking away, grinning. She tried not to look at Hermione Granger, who was giving her a cold stare.

As soon as he had graded the last potion – ("Atrocious, Finnigan…") – Snape retired into his office, and the bell rang. Karida packed the last of her things into her bag and started out the door when Longbottom tripped over his own foot and knocked over his cauldron and what was left of his ingredients onto the floor. They were the last two students in the classroom.

Longbottom was wringing his hands and starting to look green, all while never taking his eyes off of Snape's door.

Karida decided there was no reason to rush to lunch, and set her bag down on a nearby table and whisked out her wand. Neville looked at her, petrified.

She pointed her wand at the glass and copper shards on the floor, and whispered, "Reparo." The pieces all flew back onto Neville's desk with a clink. Karida smiled at him. "Lucky that Professor Snape didn't hear that, eh, Longbottom?"

He stared at her, mouth agape, and then whirled around to put his things away, keeping his back to her. Karida stayed for only a minute longer before realizing that he wasn't going to say anything back anytime soon. She picked up her bag and was off to the Great Hall for lunch in a flash.

It was always a shock to everyone when a Slytherin did something nice.

Thank you! If you review, I will love you forever. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Feel free to ramble. I know I sure do.