Chapter 2

The mood in the Great Hall was one of great anticipation. The students were all gathered at their respective house tables chatting excitably about what Headmaster Dumbledore might say. The previous day's less than satisfactory performance was a distant memory. 'The only way to go from rock bottom is up.'

"Well obviously the Headmaster is going to be telling us about how classes are going to run this year," Hermione said confidently. Ron looked at Harry and rolled his eyes. The redhead was playing with fire, if Hermione had seen the gesture she would have been shouting at him within seconds.

Harry wasn't sure how the morning was going to unfold. Dumbledore did not tell Harry that anything different was happening this year when he had accompanied the Headmaster to Slughorn's house in the summer. Since then, Harry had only seen Dumbledore twice, at the welcoming feast and at dinner last night. It was not unusual for the Headmaster to be absent from time to time, but it did seem that it he had been absent an awful lot more than normal over the first two weeks of this year.

'He's been busy preparing something. I suppose we'll find out what it is very soon.'


"I know the first two weeks of the year have been fairly unsettling," Dumbledore said to the gathered crowd. Harry hadn't noticed anything different to previous years in terms of classes so far, but he did agree that there had been an odd feeling in the air. It was as if school hadn't really started yet. All the teachers were revising old material and hadn't really set any assignments as of yet. Come to think of it, the First Engagement was the only thing that Harry could think of that was out of the ordinary so far.

"Starting from today all students in fourth year and above will begin an intensive training program." The Great Hall was mostly quiet, but there were a few students here and there who looked concerned about exactly what the 'intensive training program' would entail. "You will take the same classes as you always have, but they have been geared towards more... pratical magic." The way Dumbledore hesitated on the word practical told Harry all he needed to know. 'Ahh, so we are being trained as fighters then. About bloody time.'

"There are five more Engagements scheduled between now and the end of the year. These battle simulations will be used to judge your progress and indentify your weaknesses so that we can address any areas of your magical education that are not up to standard. Think of them as practical exams." Harry was amused to hear a few groans at the mention of exams. It didn't matter if they were theoretical or practical, there were very few students who didn't outright hate exams.

"There is one last small piece of business that must be taken care of this morning. We, as your teachers, have used the information we gained from the First Engagement to pair students together based on their skillsets. You will be required to work with your partner during your normal classes and the upcoming engagements. Your success and failure this year will depend on your ability to work as a team. Shortly, your Head of House will hand you a letter informing you who your partner is." The foreboding silence from the previous evening had briefly returned.

"It is important at this point to remind you that whilst you are separated into four houses, now is not the time for petty house rivalries. I can gurantee you that the students who perform best in the Engagements, and thus be best prepared for any future upheavals, will be the students who take the time to build an effective working relationship with their partners."

Harry couldn't help but look across the table at his two best friends. He was not surprised to see Hermione staring back. Eividently, she had read between the lines as well. 'We haven't necessarily been paired with people from the same house.'

It appeared a good proportion of the student body was oblvious to the obvious connotations of Dumbledore's announcement. Everywhere Harry looked, the foreboding of a moment ago had been forgotten and students were now chatting excitedly with their friends. It was as if they all expected to be paired off with people they already knew and had strong relationships with. Dumbledore said a final few words of encouragement and sat down. It was only then that Harry noticed all four House Heads had started to make their way down their respective tables with large bundles of letters in their hands.


Dear Mr Potter,

Based on the results of the First Engagement, you have been partnered with Daphne Greengrass (Slytherin).

Please meet with your partner as soon as possible to discuss how you are going to proceed with your studies.

If you have any queries or concerns, please schedule a meeting with either Professor Dumbledore or myself.

Kind regards,

Professor McGonagall

Head of House

Gryffindor

Harry couldn't help but feel disappointed and apprehensive when he finished reading his letter. The idea of being paired with a Slytherin wasn't repugnant as such, although it would surely present some difficulties. 'As far as I'm aware, the whole house hates me.'

Greengrass. What did Harry even know about her? Well nothing really. She had a reputation for being cold and aloof. That was about the extent of his knowledge of the girl. From memory she had worn one fo the Potter Stinks badges during the Triwizard Tournament along with the rest of Slytherin House. Harry was not sure if that was an immediate mark against her. 'Ron didn't speak to me for the better part of a month after the debacle with the hoodwinked Goblet of Fire.'

Still, Harry wasn't thrilled by the idea of spending time with a snake. Harry had battled against some of the parents of Slytherin students just months ago in the Department of Mysteries after all. He looked over at the Slytherin table and sought out the blonde girl who he was being forced to work with. She was sitting next to the Italian boy Blaise Zabini and across the table from Malfoy and Parkinson. Sparkling emerald met cold grey for the briefest of moments. The girl's face did not betray a hint of emotion. Harry looked away, her piercing gaze was disconcerting to say the least.

"So who'd you get?" Ron asked loudly. The question wasn't directed at anyone in particular.

"Blaise Zabini." Hermione was the first to speak. Ron scrunched his nose up in disgust.

"Oh," was all he could say. Hermione didn't look pleased.

"I got Seamus," Ron said smugly nodding to this dormmate who was sitting next to Dean and Ginny a couple of feet away. "What about you Harry?"

"Daphne Greengrass."

"Urgh," Ron said. "The only way you two could have been more unfortunate is if you got paired with Malfoy or one of his goons. Oh well, at least one of us will have a good year."

Hermione, clearly frustrated, glared at Ron. Harry was surprised to see an almost vicious glint in her eyes. Unsure whether to speak or not, Harry was saved from making a decision when Hermione stood, collected her satchel and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"What's her problem?" Ron said confused. Harry sighed deeply.

"I don't know mate," Harry lied, "I'll go check up on her." It was the ideal cover for leaving the Great Hall. "I'll catch up with you later."


Unsurprisingly, the Common Room was mostly empty when Harry entered some fifteen minutes after leaving the Great Hall. A few second year girls were gathered at the steps to the dormitories whispering enthusiastically to one another. Apart from them, the only other person in the Common Room was Hermione who was sitting on one of the overstuffed couches near the fire place, furiously turning the pages of a large, leather-bound book.

"I'd wager that you won't find a castration hex in there," Harry said as he slumped into the chair next to Hermione.

"Not, but there's a good severing charm, that should do the job," she said bitterly, not missing a beat.

"Ron's right, you are scary," Harry observed playfully.

"Only to over-bearing, ignorant boys with the surname Weasley." The mischievious smile on Hermione's face was disconcerting. 'Ron better hope to god that she doesn't find that severing charm.'

Harry, wanting to lighten mood tried to sound affronted. "Hey, surely Bill and Charlie shouldn't be punished so severely for what their brother said..."

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny," Hermione said sarcastically whilst closing her book. It was a bad joke, but the tension of a few moments ago seemed to be all but forgotten.

"You know, I just wish that for once in his life he would consider other people's feelings."

Harry had to agree. Sometimes Ron's lack of tact was exhausting. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm sure he'll apologize though when he realises how much of a prat he was."

A brief, comfortable silence settled over the room. The whispering second years had moved out of the room, leaving both teens deep in thought.

"So, Greengrass hey?" It was Hermione who spoke first.

"Yeah, I honestly don't know what to think about it all. On one hand it's good that the professors are taking the situation seriously, but on the other hand..." Harry left the though unfinished.

"She's a good student you know," Hermione said encouragingly.

"So is Zabini apparently," Harry replied, "but we both know that isn't the problem."

Hermione didn't say anything more, she didn't need to. She simply nodded, re-opened the book on her lap and returned to her fantastical search for a curse that would adequately punish Ron.


The owl that dropped the letter in front of Harry after dinner that evening was one of the most elegant birds he had ever seen. Silky black feathers covered the owl's entire body save for the underside of its tail which was a brilliant shade of emerald green with shimmering, dark purple highlights. The owl did not land but instead looped around the Gryffindor table before exciting through the large window near the apex of the Great Hall's roof.

"Who's it from?" Ron asked through a mouthful of potato bake. The boy had apologised to Harry and Hermione that afternoon, but even so, he and Hermione weren't exactly on speaking terms yet.

"I don't know," Harry replied, "I don't think I've ever seen that owl before." Curious of who could be sending him notes at this hour, Harry unrolled the small piece of parchment and read the short missive written in impeccably neat script.

Meet me in the library in one hour.

We have some things to discuss.

D.G

"Greengrass wants to meet in the library after dinner so we can discuss our predicament," Harry told no one in particular.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ron asked, speaking much more clearly now that his mouth wasn't full of food.

"I don't know. I don't think she'd try anything in the library though. Pince would have her head."

"Still..." Ron began, but Hermione cut him off.

"You should go Harry, maybe she won't be so bad after all."

"Or maybe she will be standing behind one of the bookshelfs with a dagger in her hand waiting for you to let your guard down." Oddly enough, Harry found himself thinking that Ron's assessment of the situation was far more likely to be accurate than Hermione's. It just seemed so unlikely that the Slytherin girl would play fair given Harry's history with her House.

Harry shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to go and find out."