What is this? A new chapter? You guessed it! I'm still on my semester abroad in Brussels, but it's raining like crazy here and I don't feel like going out. So translating seemed like a good alternative, what with studying Translation and all … I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 4

– Lucky Devil –

Next morning, I have to get up at a seriously ungodly hour – oh, how I hate Wednesdays – in order to get to McGonagall's Transfiguration class on time. Prior to running in the general direction of the classrooms, I gobble down a slice of toast. Before I can reach said classrooms, though, a certain person holds me back.

"Hufflepuff! Hey, wait up!" I sigh – it could have been a good day! – and turn around. Beverly, Cindy, Cassandra and Fara approach me in lockstep and with identical looks of doom. One could almost start to panic …

"You have never heard of any kind of courtesy, I guess?" I ask dryly and feign absolute disinterest, which makes Fara snort.

"You think you're something special?!"

"Is that a trick question?" I smile at her.

"So, it's not enough to badmouth Sirius – no! – you had to attack James, too, and insult him! You're scum! Lily is the only one we could bear to relinquish our possibilities to and you have nothing better to do than create more problems for them? Really, you should be ashamed of yourself."

I snap my fingers at her, as if I just had an epiphany. "Now I know where my deja vu stems from! Have you read 'The Powdered Vigilantes'? Great book, and you four are so much like the protagonists."

"That's not funny, Hufflepuff! Merlin – I'd like to curse the hell out of you, but that would be cowardly of me, considering your abilities. One should always protect the weak, after all, no matter how stupid they are."

I just shrug. "Well, can't do anything about that. You could pour concrete over my feet, though, and throw me into the ocean – because that would totally fit your attitude. Can I call you by Italian names?"

"What?" Fara frowns with a confused look on her face, she obviously can't follow me. She isn't the first …

"You're right. The lake will have to do, considering how far away the next ocean is. But it doesn't really matter, does it? I doubt that much of the drama would be lost."

"Hufflepuff, you're not talking sense. But you should take your hat off to Sirius and his friends, because they're much older and smarter than you. Granted, that's not much of a feat. Also, you should know that we will be visiting Hogsmeade this weekend, which means that's the deadline for our bet. You have only three days left."

My smile doesn't waver and I decide to wait until Saturday to tell Fara about my surrender. No need to dispel the excitement just yet. I decide to talk some nonsense to confuse her some more.

"What? No evil revenge? I insulted your Jamsey-honey. You have to do something! How about … scratching 'Beware, outcast!' into my arm? Or 'Beware of cooties!'? That's a little primitive but also nostalgic, right? But … wait, no! It'd be brilliant if you scratched 'Kick Me!' into my back! I'd just have to wear a backless shirt and be the star of the evening!"

Fara wrinkles her nose. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No, I'm just a little masochistic."

"Okay, you're a freak!"

"Suum cuique – for the less knowledgeable: To each his own." I say with unchanged buoyancy.

"Veni, vidi, vici." Chester appears in my field of vision. "I came, I saw, I conquered, ladies. Write it down," he says with a remarkably captivating voice and raises an eyebrow which throws Fara for a loop. Beverly doesn't seem to have that problem because she starts giggling.

"Good morning, beautiful!"

"Good morning, Bev." Chester smiles disarmingly. "Want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" He asks her, while I ask myself whether my hearing just failed me. Did my comrade-in-arms for equality seriously just say this?

"Have you changed sides, Ches?" I ask him and yes – I am somewhat piqued! I also send him one of my very derogatory looks, which he ignores.

"I'd love to! Can you pick me up in front of my common room?" Beverly ignores the aghast looks of her friends.

"Sure," Chester replies and winks at her. I want to ask him whether there is something in his eye.

"Well, we have Herbology so we'll see each other around, I suppose," she says and turns away with the other Gryffindors. I turn around without another word and can't suppress a shake of my head. Chester soon catches up with me.

"You don't have a right to be mad at me, Ches, because it's your fault we started fighting."

"Why do you think I'm mad?"

I look at him with the intention to annihilate him where he stands. "Sure, Bev-honey-baby-darling-sweety-poo." I imitate him and shake my head again. Chester shows me his immaculate teeth by grinning like an idiot.

"Pray tell, are you jealous?"

I snort. "Jealous?! Have you lost your mind?! I'm mad at you because you want to provoke me by dating that Gryffindor bimbo. But like I said – you have no reason to be mad at me, because I didn't do anything! You couldn't keep your mouth shut in front of Rodrick."

"Snap out of it, okay? You really think I would go to such lengths just to pull your leg? Seriously, Ems. I just thought since you want to go to Hogsmeade with Blacky-Sweety that I'd have to look for a date. Et voila: I notice the hot lioness and take that chance. That's all, okay?"

"It seems like Black-Sweety and I won't work out."

"Impossible!"

Sarcasm is dripping from the word and I clench my teeth, to avoid saying something stupid. Because a lot of stupid things are on my mind right now.

"Well, go on! I'd like to know why the hell it didn't work out between you two? Considering how you were made for each other! Really, I already thought about names for your children – Regula and Emilio. Isn't that sweet?"

"No, it's a little demented actually. If you don't shut up I will have to hurt you." We enter the classroom and we're actually on time!

"Oh, Ems! You know I don't like SM much." Chester grins a crooked grin at me. I head butt him which leads to him headlocking me with some expertise. He even dares to tousle my hair. When I can finally free myself – and I can literally feel my hair starting to fly since it's now statically charged – Chester can't contain a giggle. "Ems, you should get a mohawk as well, looks dashing on you."

I don't get an opportunity to retort because Regulus Alphard Black enters the classroom. I usually share this class with two Slytherins, but the gossip is that Demetrius Bulstrode sustained a nasty head injury during their last Quidditch training session. I stare at Regulus even though I don't really know why. I mean, I look horrible why should I draw attention to myself?

Well, it doesn't matter now because Mr.-Know-It-All looks at me only for a fraction of a second with a very weird look in his eyes. Then, he sits down a couple of rows away from me. I stare some more but I sit down as well because Professor McGongall enters the classroom and starts the lesson almost immediately.

"Now I'm curious! What happened between you and Black?" whispers Chester.

"Nothing!"

"Come on, Ems! Please tell me! We're friends."

"No."

"We're not friends? That's surprising."

"No, I'm not going to tell you."

"Emiiily... tell, tell, tell!"

I kick him in the shins and he fails to contain a low sound of pain. "Ow, you sadist! I only want to know about your love life."

"Please, you only want to laugh at my expense."

"Was it funny? I never thought Black had any humour to be honest. Or did you pull out your horrible mudblood joke?"

"I don't even know any mudblood jokes. Besides, you should say muggleborn jokes."

"Yes, but you should, too."

We're silent for a while and I even understand what Professor McGongall is trying to teach us with her talk about how to turn a desk into a pig. I don't really see when I could possibly use a charm like that. Maybe during a famine when you have to eat your desk? It's a little stupid, if you ask me.

"I know one," whispers Chester thoughtfully.

"One what?"

"A Muggleborn joke. "

"From where?"

"Dad."

"Asshole!"

"Yeah. Do you want to hear it, though?"

I roll my eyes. "Of course not."

"Ha! You know what? I'm going to tell you anyway – if you don't tell me what happened between you and Blacky-Boy."

"Sod you!" I growl a little and Professor McGonagall looks in our direction.

"Is there something you want to share with the class, Miss Amandus?"

"Well, we were talking about how we could use the spell you were talking about in the real world." I immediately talk about the thoughts I had previously entertained myself with.

"Are you criticizing the subject matters that have been taught at this school for generations and have never been doubted before, Miss Amandus?"

Ouch. Did she get up on the wrong side of the bed? Most likely the Marauders made some trouble and I have to face her anger about that. Me – the poor, innocent Hufflepuff. Great.

"Can you tell me any good reason why I would want to turn my desk into a pig?"

Chester stares and I wish to be able to follow his example because I'm on dangerous territory here. McGonagall is known for her neutral behaviour toward all houses. She has punished Hufflepuffs as well as Slytherins quite severely. Usually I would have applauded her but now …

"Please," I add in a small voice but before McGonagall can add a voice to her look of doom, there is a knock on the door. I make a mental note to send the visitor some flowers and kisses.

"Come in!" barks Professor McGonagall. The door opens and the visitor struts into the classroom with a dimwitted grin on his lips. Well … about those kisses …

"Mr Black?"

"Please excuse the interruption, Professor McGongall." Professor McGonagall waves his excuse away with a look that says 'Talk or disappear, whichever is faster'. "But Professor Slughorn asked me to hand out his invitations."

Professor McGonagall raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but shouldn't you be brewing potions instead of handing out questionable invitations?"

Sirius waves his hand at her and smiles at the girls in the front row. What an all-round talent … "A potion that I can't brew has yet to be invented. Professor Slughorn thought it best to send me."

"Well, to throw a party like that in the middle of the week doesn't seem very sensible to me."

"But Professor, the party won't go on until dawn. Besides, only sixth and seventh years are invited and I think they can decide for themselves whether that party is going to harm their studies."

Professor McGonagall looks at him quizzically and then nods. "Well, hand out your invitations then but get back to your classroom as fast as you can."

"Sure." He starts to move through the classroom, throws an invitation at Regulus, goes over to Gwenog Jones (the star of Ravenclaw's Quidditch team), to Elliot Masey (whose father owns the Daily Prophet), to Malvin Cornell (who's very gifted at Arithmancy and his father owns a gigantic observatory – and then he stops at my desk. I'm not really surprised because Slughorn has been inviting me to his stupid parties ever since my fourth year.

Black looks at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes and puts the little envelope down on my desk with torturing slowness. I'd love to wipe that arrogant smile off his lips. "We will see each other tonight, Emily." He stresses my name and looks me deep into the eyes. "I'm looking forward to it."

Before I can say anything, he struts away from me (with a sexy smile towards a couple of girls who all blush like crazy) and towards Professor McGonagall. He looks at the half-transformed desk, which is actually a rectangle made out of wood with the legs and tail of a pig.

"Oh, you're still transforming your desk into a pig? I thought that after my remark last year you'd have switched to something more amusing for the students. But I guess some things never change."

"Get out!" barks Professor McGonagall and points at the door. Black takes a couple of steps backwards.

"Easy – did you get up on the wrong foot?"

"Mr Black, you fulfilled you task so would you please stop disrupting my lesson with your misplaced commentary!"

"Okay, okay." He looks at the students one last time and than finally leaves the classroom.

I feel like someone punched me in the stomach. And just where my pride is located.

"It appears as though you have met your soul mate, huh?" Chester giggles next to me because of which I look at him with one my looks – one that would have made anyone's blood run cold. Anyone's but his it seems. He continues to grin.

"We just made the same comment. That doesn't mean we're soul mates, okay?!"

"That's what Juliet said to Romeo."

"Okay, so I'll just kill myself with a dagger now to spare me the pain." I growl at him.

"But Ems, every Ying will find his Yang at some point."

"Say that again and I'll put you six feet under."

"Every dog has its day."

"Shut up!"

McGonagall seems a little distracted because of the interruption because she touches her forehead before continuing. "Can we please continue this lesson?"

I raise my hand hesitantly and she stares at me with a death stare. "Um, Professor. I wanted to apologize for my behaviour just now. It was wrong to doubt your competence and it will never happen again. Excuse me – I forgot myself."

Her eyes look lighter and she seems almost relieved. "Well, if that is the case, Miss Amandus, I will forgive you of course. But you will still hand in three rolls of parchment tomorrow concerning the development and use of this transformation with the help of the library."

I stare at my desk. "Of course, professor."

"Since that is settled, we will continue with our lesson. I will show you the spell again and then you can try it for yourself."

Out of the corners of my eyes I can see that Regulus is smiling and shaking his head. I turn away from him completely and Chester leans towards me.

"Which Black is it supposed to be, Ma'am?" Since his voice sounds like he's a butcher behind a meat counter I don't have to think hard.

"Neither, I'll take the bacon, please."