Chapter 2
A shrill ring pierced the dormitory. Aya scrambled and fell out of bed. She slowly dragged herself up, as the other girls groggily got out of bed.
"What the heck was that?" Perdita asked, her pink nightgown askew.
"That was my alarm," Pansy said. Daphne glared at Pansy.
"What?" Pansy asked innocently. "We have to get ready anyway."
Aya snuck off to the showers before anyone else could get there.
Breakfast was being served at the Great Hall. Aya loaded her plate with muffins, scones, eggs and bacon.
"How can you eat all that?" Draco asked, his plate neat and respectable, with a muffin, a helping of eggs and three slices of bacon.
"How can you just eat that?" Aya asked, mouth full of blueberry muffin.
Draco grimaced in disgust. "You have no manners. Where you raised in a hovel?"
"No, I was raised in a house silly! Weren't you?"
Draco stared at her incredulously. "You are an idiot. How did you get into Slytherin anyway? I'm sure Hufflepuff would want you."
Aya frowned. "The Sorting Hat put me in Slytherin. It said I was cunning and smart."
"I think the hat was wrong," Draco said as he bit into his muffin.
Aya ignored his jibe and took out her schedule. "Our first class today is History of Magic. Sounds interesting Draco."
"Probably not. It's probably just things I learned from my tutors when I was young."
Aya sighed. Not everyone can be as rich as the Malfoy family and afford tutors.
"I don't know where Classroom 4F is!" Aya wailed in despair. She had left the Great Hall early, as to not be late into class, but ended up miserably lost.
"I'm lost!" a wail came from down the hall. "Where is Room 4F?"
Aya approached the voice. Two heads were better than one and Aya was eager to share the misery. The source of the voice was a first-year girl like herself, with long blonde hair and shining blue eyes. She was wearing black robes outlined in yellow, revealing herself to be a Hufflepuff. She finally noticed Aya and her face broke out into a brillant smile.
"You don't know how happy I am to see you! Now I won't be the only one late!"
Aya smiled back just as brightly. "Are you looking for Classroom 4F?" She asked.
The girl nodded enthusatically. "Oooh, I should introduce myself! My name is Minako Aino! I have two older sisters that go here! My family would be all Hufflepuff if one of my sisters weren't in Ravenclaw, but then I'll get help on my homework!" Minako talked a lot while they were searching for Room 4F, but Aya didn't mind. She had finally found a kindred spirit.
"My mother is a model! She sings too! I want to be just like her after I graduate Hogwarts! My dad works as a potions-brewer! It's boring. What about your family?" Minako whispered, paying no attention to Professor Binns' droning. They had finally found the classroom, Professor Binns paying no attention to their tardiness and sat next to Draco.
"Well, my father works at the Ministry and he's a Hogwarts Governor." Draco preened, happy to find yet another person as easily impressed as Aya was.
"That's so cool, Draco! I wish my mom was a high official at Hogwarts, but she can't do magic. What about you, Aya?"
"My father is a Magizoologist. He specializes in marine creatures." Aya boasted.
"Does that mean he works with dragons? Cool!! I wish my dad would work with dragons, but if he gets burned and has to leave for St. Mungo's, my mom would have to take care of us and she can't do magic."
"Minako," Draco asked. "Is your mother a Squib?"
"What? No!" Minako answered. "She's a muggle, so we have to be careful when we do magic in the house, 'cause it startles her somethimes."
"I see," Draco said softly, before ignoring Minako for the rest of the class. The two girls noticed this, and, with the conversation dwindling, turned to their notes. Minako fell asleep as soon as she tried to listen to Professor Binns, snoring softly. Aya was nodding off as well, until a sharp huff woke her up. The huffer was a boy with long sliver hair tied back into an immaculte ponytail and sharp emerald eyes.
"Good, I've been trying to get you awake for the past five minutes." he said, in a slighlty shrill voice. "Can you get your friend there," he motioned to Minako, who was snoring louder and drooling all over her parchment. "to shut up? Some of us are trying to learn."
Aya bit back a laugh. The only students awake were her, the prissy boy, Draco, and a pair of Hufflepuffs that were playing Exploding Snap.
"I think you are the only one trying to learn, Kou." Draco said, bored with Professor Binns and his class. "Why don't you turn around, ignore Minako, since she's not really being a nuisance and cry to your Gryffindor mudblooded brother?"
Kou turned a splotchy red. "I am NOT related to those two! My name is Yaten Kou, no relation to Seiya Kou or Taiki Kou! I am a pureblood! Not some mudblood or half and half!" And with that Kou Yaten swished around, ponytail hitting Aya in the face, and returned to his notes.
Aya spit out a silver hair as Draco smirked.
"What's gotten you so happy?" Aya asked, wondering if she should tell Yaten that he was shedding, as she peeled a long silver hair off her tongue.
"It's a pureblood thing Aya. You wouldn't get it." Draco explained. Aya was sure she would get it, after all, her daddy always told her she was smart.
Next class was Herbology, with the Ravenclaws. Minako gave Aya a tight hug and dashed off towards Defense Against the Dark Arts, while Aya and Draco walked off towards the greenhouse, Crabbe and Goyle in tow.
"Herbology is a useless class. We aren't all going to be lowly gardeners. Why should we have to take this class when we can just hire fools to do it for us?" Draco drawled.
At this Yaten spoke up. "Knowing how to identify and protect yourself against magical plants could be very useful!"
"Yeah, a lowly gardener like yourself and the rest of your mudblooded family would need to know. I want all the weeds out of my front lawn." As Draco, Crabbe and Golye snickered at Yaten's embarrssment, someone rushed past Aya, knocking down her books. As Aya bent down to pick up her books, she found a small purple box. Figuring it must have belonged to the person who knocked into her, Aya quickly gathered up her books and the box and dashed after the person. Lucky for her, they were headed towards the greenhouses as well. Aya entered Greenhouse One and saw the only other student there, a tall Ravenclaw with dull red hair. He was shuffling through his bag, furiously looking for something. Aya apprached the frantic Ravenclaw.
"Is this what you were looking for?" She held out the purple box.
He looked up and saw the box in Aya's outstrecthed hand. His eyes were a lovely shade of violet and red from crying. He took the box from Aya's hand and scrubbed his hand over his eyes. Aya handed him a tissue.
"I always have some on me. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Just some mean Slytherins," he said before he saw her robes.
"I know I'm a Slytherin." Aya smiled brightly. "But they can be mean needlessly sometimes. Its all the purebloodedness going to their heads."
The Ravenclaw laughed. "My name is Taiki Kou."
"Kou?"
"No relation to the other Kous in this school. I'm a muggleborn or Mudblood, according to that blond."
"Draco was just being a meanie. He usually is. Don't let it get to you."
Taiki nodded.
"Hey Tai-Tai! Want to be partners?"
Taiki raised an eyebrow at the nickname. "Tai-Tai?"
"Of course!" she said, taking a seat next to Taiki. "I don't wanna say Taiki all so boringly. Tai-Tai is adorable!!"
"Please don't call me that."
"Okay Tai-Tai!"
Taiki sighed and smiled a bit as he prepared his notes. He had made his first friend.
Draco approached Aya after class, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed, spitting a little in Aya's face.
"What's wrong?" Aya asked. "Tai-Tai is a nice person. And he's really smart."
"Do you know what he is? You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are much better than others, Aya. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort."
Aya puffed up and pouted. "I appreciate that Draco is looking out for me, but I can tell who the wrong sort is by myself."
Draco glowered for a bit. "You don't know what you're doing! You could ruin your entire life by being seen with a muggleborn!"
Aya twirled on her heel and stomped away from Draco, leaving him alone in the hall.
"I thought that the Devil's Snare liked light. I mean, it is called the Devil's Snare, and the Devil's name is Lucifer, which means 'Morning Light'. That would also mean that it would like heat, as Lucifer reigns over Hell and it is hot there."
Aya, Taiki and Draco looked at Minako in shock. Taiki recovered first and flipped furiously through his notes, while Aya gently shut Draco's mouth.
"Impossible!" Taiki hissed. "I'm never wrong! I am always right!" Taiki's face fell when his notes failed him. He shut his notebook with a huff, and calmly started reading a heavy book.
"Mina is soooo smart!!" Aya gushed. "She's a genius!! I know a genius!"
Draco scowled at Aya. "You know, I'm smart too. I could have easily told you that."
"Looks like someone is jealous," Taiki remarked from behind his book.
"What?" Draco flushed red. "I don't need this!" And with that Draco stormed out of the library, a la Yaten Kou.
"What's got his panties in a knot?"
Aya burst out laughing. "Mina is funny too!"
"Shush! Must I remind you that you are in a library?" Madam Pince stalked up from behind then and hissed in their ears. They were silent after that.
Defense Against the Dark Arts was pitiful. Professor Quirell could barely get through a sentence. The Slytherins ran rampant in his classroom. Aya felt sorry for the poor stuttering man.
Potions with the Gryffindors was an entirely different matter. Professor Snape could make a class quiet and well-behaved with no effort at all. Aya found herself captivated by Professor Snape. She had never met anyone who had such a presence with such a soft voice. Aya spoke loudly all the time. If she didn't, her no-one would ever hear her. As he spoke of the marvels of potion brewing, Aya found herself wanting to be the best potion brewer in the world. She did feel sorry, however, for poor Harry Potter, whom Snape really seemed to hate. When Professor Snape divided them into pairs, Aya was partners with a girl whose hairstyle gave her hunger pains.
"Why does your hair look like food?" Aya asked the girl.
"It doesn't!" She glared at Aya. "It is not food."
A black-haired Gryffindor boy leaned back and flashed a smile. "It looks like Dumplings, Odango."
"Stop calling me that, Seiya!"
"Can you pay attention to the cauldren?" A shrill voice that could only belong to one person said.
"Hi Yaten!" Aya greeted.
Yaten glowered at Aya and then turned to his partner. "Come on! Stop fooling around! We need to complete this boil-removing potion!"
The one called Seiya, rolled his eyes and continued chatting with Odango.
Yaten scowled and shot his hand in the air. Proffesor Snape came over immediately.
"Is there something wrong, Mr. Kou?"
"I don't want to be his partner!"
"So Mr. Kou doesn't want to be partners with...Mr. Kou?"
"I am NOT related to that idiot!"
"I am not an idiot!" Seiya defended. "And I wouldn't want to be related to you either, girly-man!"
"Five points from Gryffindor, Kou. I do not tolerate name-calling in my classroom."
"But he called me an idiot!" Seiya retorted.
"I said I do not tolerate name calling Kou, statements are perfectly fine."
Seiya stared dumbly at Professor Snape.
"Kou, you are now Miss Tsukino's partner. Mr. Kou, you are Miss Reiko's partner."
Seiya shut his mouth, scowled and swtiched seats with Aya. If possible, Yaten looked even more pissed.
"You better not ruin this for me," he hissed, slightly hysteric. "I will NOT fail because of a buffon like you!"
Aya pouted and looked indignant. "I'm not a buffon, Yo-Yo!"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. You did NOT just call me Yo-Yo."
"That's your new nickname!"
Yaten took a deep breath and counted to ten. He glanced at Aya and saw her stirring the cauldron delicately. At least she was doing better than Seiya, who was currently dumping frog eyes into the green goop. Yaten smirked. Their potion was a lovely shade of lilac, that smelled like lavenders.
"You aren't half bad." Yaten complimented.
"It's just like cooking Yo-Yo. I'm a pretty good cook."
"As long as I get full marks, I'm good." Yaten added a gram of salt dust. It was turning out wonderfully.
"Good job Miss Granger, even though you are a know-it-all. Miss Reiko, Mr. Kou, great job on the potion. You both have talent." Professor Snape said as they handed in their flasks. Aya had a bright smile and even Yaten looked happy. Draco met up with Aya after class.
"Didn't know you were great at potions, Aya."
"It's like cooking! I always have to cook for my dad because he's usually too busy." They walked side by side to the Dungeons.
"Don't you have house elves?" Draco asked.
"No, my father doesn't believe in using house elves. He says that house elves are like mini-people, and have feelings and hopes and dreams like we do."
Draco snorted. "Sounds to me like your father could be a blood traitor. Bet he says that about Mudbloods too."
"Draco, they can't help who they are. Just like you can't help who you are. Just leave them alone."
"Why? Your boyfriend might start crying or something?"
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Yeah he is. 'Oh, Tai-Tai!'" he said in a poor impression of Aya's voice. "'Can you be my partner? Let'd be friends, Tai-Tai!' You were clinging to him all class!"
Aya frowned and stormed to the library. Draco watched her leave with a dark look on his face.
"She's going to get into trouble someday." He said to Crabbe and Goyle, who just nodded.