A/N: -Jaw drops- This is an incredibly long chapter. I got completely carried away with the description in the first half, and before I knew it- BANG! I was at three thousand words. It's quite funny really; you'll notice the paragraphs get gradually smaller. Hope nobody minds… I really didn't want to split this up.

AGH! Once again, very sorry. And oh, pants, I just realized I forgot to acknowledge my reviewers last time. I'm sorry for that too!

Thank you very much to ennaxor (by the way, you're very right about the Ronald part- I reread two of the books just to check. I'll fix it for next time), Embers of Twilight, Wassermagierin, ErikxxChristine (that's a really nice name by the way, they're my favorite :D), and LittleGreenFae.

One last thing, I've added this new little gizmo, which I'm sure most of you will appreciate:

Next Scheduled Update: Friday February 22nd, 2008. You know how to make it quicker ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked or Harry Potter.

A Little Bit of Magic

Chapter Two: (Un)Merry Meetings

Elphaba's long, black hair hung freely down her back like a heavy curtain, their shiny strands toying with the afternoon sunlight. Although she would have never admitted it aloud, she had spent a few extra minutes 'beautifying' herself that morning- she even went as far as to steal one of Nessa's 'deep hair conditioners'. What was so deep about it, Elphaba had yet to discover, but the fact remained that whatever was inside that bottle had made her hair feel especially silky. Listen to yourself, she chastised inwardly, you sound exactly like Galinda!

A large jolt awoke Elphaba from her musings as the wheels of her father's wiry, black carriage bumped along the famous bricks of the Yellow Brick Road. Her intelligent brown eyes peered outside the tinted carriage window as she mentally assessed how much longer the journey would take; she had never been comfortable sitting for large periods of time. Elphaba smoothed the newly formed creases in her long, navy frock self-consciously, afraid that all the jostling had caused the skirt to ride up.

"Will you quit fidgeting, Fabala? It is most distracting," an angry voice inquired. Frex had been ignoring Elphaba for the better part of the journey; and he would only break the tense silence in order to coddle Nessarose, who now had fallen into a light slumber. Elphaba slowly turned away from the window, her large eyes narrowing in a glare. Her father, balding and angry, gazed up from his thick novel to return the look with equal hostility. Well, at least I know where I get it from, Elphaba thought bitterly.

"Of course Father," she murmured submissively, all the while pondering why she had not taken the train. Galinda would be most furious that she had been stood up, Elphaba realized. Besides, the blonde's incessant babbling would be an improvement over this tense atmosphere any day. Clicking her pearly teeth impatiently, Elphaba returned to admiring the scenery.

I wish I could somehow make time flow faster, she thought miserably, having resorted to counting the Quoxwood trees that passed by. Six, seven, eight… she continued, unable to better occupy herself. She flicked her eyes forward and noted a fast approaching forest, effectively putting an end to her little game. I wonder if there are Lions in there, she thought curiously, before switching her gaze back to the book currently trapped in her father's hands. She had finished her own novel more than an hour ago, and she couldn't bring herself to reread the thing again- it would be a waste, she reasoned, because she already knew the ending.

"Well, what are you staring at?" Frex snapped impatiently, his muscles bulging from within the tight confines of his black wool shirt. His dark eyes fixed upon his eldest daughter disdainfully as Elphaba shrugged her bony, green shoulders.

"Nothing," she replied darkly, causing her sleeping sister to moan tiredly. Nessarose blinked her large, hazel eyes owlishly and emitted a large yawn. Her lithe, pale arms stretched out on either side of her and then proceeded to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"Now look what you've done, Elphaba!" Frex hissed quietly as Nessa readjusted herself against the smooth leather of the carriage seat. "You've woken up your sister."

"Are we there yet?" Nessa asked primly, clicking her freshly painted, dark red nails (courtesy of Elphaba) against the windowpane. Thank Lurline, Elphaba thought. She had been wondering the same thing for nearly an hour, but knew better than to ask the question herself.

"Yes dearest," Frex replied tenderly, running a large hand fondly through his daughter's dark brown hair. "We will be arriving at Shiz in about five minutes. Ah, before I forget," he added, waving a long, thick finger in the air for emphasis, "these are for you."

Frex handed Nessa a brightly coloured shoebox and Elphaba leaned over curiously, despite herself. Nessa untied the pink ribbon around the box carefully, before laying the cardboard parcel onto her lap. Her shaky hands lifted the lid eagerly, displacing a vast amount of baby blue tissue paper.

"Jeweled shoes!" she exclaimed, her left palm diving greedily into the box. Elphaba's breath caught in her throat as Nessa withdrew one of two handcrafted, silver sequined shoes. They're very beautiful, Elphaba commented inwardly, as Nessa struggled to place the shoe on her foot.

"Here, let me," the green girl said generously, taking the proffered shoe from Nessa's limp grasp. With graceful ease, Elphaba slipped the shoe around her sister's tiny ankle, vaguely remembering a childhood story about a peasant girl with a pair of glass slippers. How impractical, she'd thought at the time. But now, she realized she would have accepted any pair of shoes from her father, even if they were glass.

"Elphaba," Frex said tiredly, turning to his eldest daughter. Elphaba spun in her chair, her brown eyes glimmering with something akin to hope. Could it really be? she thought eagerly, refusing to allow her emotions to show on her pointy, green face.

"Take care of your sister," her father continued, refusing to meet her eyes. Elphaba immediately felt deflated; much like one of Galinda's pink balloons, a couple of days after her birthday party. Still, the green girl couldn't help but remind herself that her disappointment was partially her fault- after all, Frex had never given her anything before… not even on Lurlinemas. What kind of fool had she become, to expect anything more?

"I will," she deadpanned, unable to hide the sudden frown which crossed her sharp features. Flicking an imaginary speck of dust off her travelling cloak, Elphaba lifted her left index nail to her lips and began to nibble on the blunt end of it.

"That's a disgusting habit, Fabala," Nessa chastised gently, reaching forward to remove the assaulted finger from Elphaba's sharp fangs. "You heard Doctor Dillamond in Life Sciences last year- there's a lot of bacteria under there. We don't want you getting sick."

Frex regarded his youngest daughter proudly, as if inwardly musing how he could have come to have such an intelligent child. Elphaba merely snorted at Nessa's advice and continued to gnaw at the digit with gusto.

"Oh for Lurline's sake, listen to your sist-" Frex began, only to be interrupted by the nasally voice of his coachman, Chester.

"Shiz University," the snobby Munchkin announced, lifting his pug nose into the air with authority. Elphaba supposed that one might have found his crisp, white button down shirt and black tuxedo ensemble complete with tails intimidating, had Chester been more than four feet tall. Still, he was rather tall for a Munchkin.

"Thank you Chester," Frex replied dismissively as the ornate coach door swung open. With confident, calculated steps Frex descended from the steel stairs, held steady by Chester's strangely firm grip. Elphaba watched as Chester turned to Nessa and wrapped his thick arms under the future Governess's useless legs, before depositing her gently into her gold-rimmed wheel chair.

Finally, Elphaba scooted along the dark leather interior, and felt a sudden giddiness overcome her- she was back. Wincing slightly as the bright sunlight temporarily blinded her, she raced down the steps, the only one unassisted. In fact, she noted acidly, Chester discreetly moved away from her as she made her way down the stairs. He probably thinks I have rabies, she mused with sinister amusement.

Elphaba inhaled deeply as the cool, clean air of Shiz University entered her lungs. Her brown eyes widened in happiness as they looked upon the familiar flower-fields and the over-grown ivy covering most of the gargantuan walls of Crage Hall. The blue skies were clear and bright- as if painted by the gods and goddesses of Oz, themselves. Or by a very eager-to-please Headmistress, Elphaba thought mischievously. She strolled languidly behind her father as Frex wheeled Nessa away from the carriage and across a cemented path cutting across the lush, green fields.

"Nessarose, as you know, I had your things shipped here in advance. They should be waiting for you in your private suite- if not, write to me and I will send new ones," Frex said dotingly, rubbing his daughter's arms comfortingly. "Elphaba, ask Chester for your suitcase," he added as an afterthought.

"Yes sir," Elphaba said, turning on the heel of her black boot and marching back towards the coach. Not a moment after she arrived, she found her suitcase dumped unceremoniously into her arms. She narrowed her eyes at the annoying little coachman, and grew quite pleased when he visibly cowered in fear before her. "See you next year, Chester," she said warmly.

"You as well, Miss Thropp," Chester said, unable to conceal his dislike. Elphaba cackled at the obvious insincerity in his voice, causing the Munchkin to jump and lose his black top hat.

"It's an improvement," she commented nastily, before stalking off to rejoin her father and sister. She'd never liked the little imp, even as a child. Anyone so thoroughly whipped by her father was no one she would willingly associate with.

The throngs of people had greatly increased, she noticed, as she wound her way through various squealing girls and palm-slapping boys. Very few turned their heads as she passed by; then again, she recognized most of them from last semester, so they were already familiar with both her abnormal skin colour and her sarcastic personality. Pushing her way through a gaggle of blonde bimbos, her keen eyes searched for where she had left Frex and Nessa, only to find with a mixture of both disappointment and relief that they had disappeared.

Turning on the spot, she did a double take when she spotted the most amazing pair of dark, blue eyes she had ever seen. Further inspection revealed them to belong to a tall, muscular boy with floppy, light brown hair. His deeply tanned arms were thick and muscular, his chest hidden beneath a pristine, white dress shirt. His face was gorgeous, she noted- broad, square cut, and decorated with just a hint of stubble.

Prince Fiyero Tiggular, her mind finally registered, images of the article Galinda had sent during the summer flashing before her eyes. Well, now I can see what the fuss was about, she thought with interest, before mentally slapping herself. It was one thing to appreciate beauty, but it was another thing altogether to be swept away by it.

Suddenly, Elphaba felt her feet being swept out from underneath her, and she fell painfully onto her back. The battered suitcase flew from her hand and into the air, before bouncing along the ground several feet away. Her long, dark hair hid her face like a curtain, but did little to obscure the peels of laughter coming from a group of bleached blonde girls less than three feet away. Elphaba, sensing the presence of somebody nearby, growled deeply and began rubbing her bruised spine. That really hurt, she complained inwardly, those stupid little idiots- they probably think that they are so clever.

"Are you all right?" an amused, baritone asked from somewhere above Elphaba's head. Parting her hair with a spidery, green hand Elphaba glared menacingly into a pair of sparkling, blue eyes.

"Fine," she replied through gritted teeth, and attempted to pick herself up off the ground. She winced as mini spasms shot up her spine, and her back muscles shrieked in protest.

"No you're not," the Winkie prince said loudly, reaching down out to help her up. Elphaba watched his hand skeptically, quite sure that he was joking. No one, asides Galinda of course, had ever offered to help her before; and even then, she was lucky she survived that help. "Look at you," the handsome boy continued, "you're turning all green."

Elphaba wrenched her hand from the Prince's grasp immediately, glaring icily into his sparkly eyes. "Cute," she spat sarcastically, before picking her bruised body up off the floor. Empty-headed prick, she scoffed, before hurrying over to her cheap suitcase. Picking the filthy thing up with as much dignity as she could muster, she marched down the path without as much as a glance back.

Up ahead, Elphaba could hear the large, stone clock tower chime twice, indicating that it was now two o'clock in the afternoon. Damn, Elphaba cursed inwardly, Galinda! I was supposed to meet her in the dormroom! Her long, green legs sprinted across the field to the gilded Main Entrance, her movement inhibited by the length of her skirt.

Elphaba considered shedding the blasted thing, before realizing that such a thing was completely out of the question. Flushing a darker green, she slowed to a fast jog, her suitcase swinging frantically by her side.

Dashing along the white marble floors, Elphaba rushed along the winding corridors she remembered instinctively. She barely glanced at the familiar portraits which hung in golden frames along the way, having memorized the piercing faces of the previous Headmasters and mistresses from her many journeys through the hall. Floor Two, Room 7, she reminded herself unnecessarily. Here it is.

The dark, Quoxwood door was slightly ajar, and Elphaba's pointy ears picked up traces of girlish giggles from within. Preparing herself for the onslaught of golden curls and feminine perfume, Elphaba inhaled deeply and pushed on the door handle.

Galinda had her back turned, Elphaba noticed as she crept inside the room. Pastel dresses in pink, yellow and baby blue formed a massive heap on the top of Galinda's magenta bedspread, and a pink leather suitcase, filled entirely with shoes, lay open on the floor. "Guess who?" Elphaba blurted out, unable to contain herself any longer.

"Elphie!" Galinda shrieked happily, turning in a flurry of pink tulle and satin. Elphaba barely had time to catch her roommate as the blonde girl leapt into her scrawny, green arms. Elphaba felt a tiny smile creep onto her face, despite herself- it was nice to see her only friend again, especially after such a long time.

"Elphaba Thropp," Galinda said snootily, once the surprise had worn off. "I'm very angry with you! You never showed up on train today; I was sitting all by myself like a little waif!"

"I doubt that," Elphaba said skeptically, after all, Galinda never went anywhere without at least one member of her loyal band of followers; or the Pink Princesses as Elphaba liked to call them. Surely one of them must have accompanied Galinda on the train.

"I was too, Elphie!" Galinda whined, stamping her foot in childish agreement. "I know you don't think much of Shen-Shen and Pfannee and Milla-"

"God knows why," Elphaba muttered sarcastically under her breath.

"- so I told them not to meet me on the train today. They were most put out, I tell you! Shennie even started to cry. But I told them, I said 'I'm meeting Elphaba, because we have a lot of catching up to do'. I even turned down Tiggular Touring!"

"I beg your pardon?" Elphaba asked, cackling hysterically. "'Tiggular Touring'?

"Yes!" Galinda said, exasperatedly. "Try to keep up with the slang, Elphie. Oh, well, on second thought don't. If you used slang or even understood it, you wouldn't really be Elphaba Thropp anymore."

"Gee, thanks," Elphaba said sarcastically, but her biting edge was noticeably lost. "I'll have you know, it's a waste of time anyway. I bumped into Fiyero Tiggular early today, and let me tell you-"

However, only two words had registered in Galinda's pinkified brain- Fiyero Tiggular. "You what?" Galinda shrieked, her tiny pink mouth popping open in shock. "Even you've met Fiyero Tiggular? Well, go on! What's he like?"

"No different than I thought he'd be," Elphaba said moodily, turning to face the far, cream wall. "He was very rude, and idiotic and cruel…"

Galinda shook her blonde head, causing her bouncy ringlets to bob up and down. "Are you sure you're not just being sensitive?" she asked reasonably, twirling a curl thoughtfully around her ring finger, "because Ozmopolitan didn't say anything like that. In fact, they said he was a very sweet, down to earth, Winkie princeling."

"That's a derogatory term," Elphaba corrected absentmindedly, crossing her thin arms defiantly. She was unsure what made her jump to defend the prince so quickly; after all, he had obviously had no problems insulting her.

"So?" Galinda asked dumbly, biting her full bottom lip. Elphaba gave her roommate a pointed look, causing Galinda to fidget uncomfortably with the bottom of her dress. "What does that mean again?" Galinda asked quietly.

"It means politically incorrect," Elphaba said proudly, fixing her brown eyes on her roommate's blue ones. Noticing the quizzical look crossing Galinda's perfect features, she elaborated, "Tt means that it's not a very 'goodly' thing to say." Wincing at the over all deplorable structure of her sentence, Elphaba waited for Galinda's blonde brain to register what she had just said.

"Oh no!" Galinda exclaimed, once she had worked out the kinks in Elphaba's explanation. "You mean," she cried, her blue eyes glistening with tiny tears, "that every time I say 'princeling' I'm being mean?" Elphaba burst out laughing as she noted the sincerity in her roommate's voice.

"My sweet," Elphaba purred hysterically, "I was referring to the word 'Winkie'. It's not a very nice thing to say. Now, stop crying before you ruin your mascara- the Hogwarts boys won't like that, now will they?"

The moment the words 'Hogwarts' and 'boys' left Elphaba's mouth, Galinda immediately stopped sniffling. "Sweet Oz!" Galinda shrieked, grabbing a pink makeup bag from her beside table, "Come on Elphie! Or we're gonna be late… Morrible said they get here at two thirty. Move it!"

Elphaba's shoulder shook in silent peals of laughter as Galinda raced around the dorm room with the speed of a bullet. "Galinda, calm down. You look beautiful without all that paint on your face."

Galinda scoffed at this, and turned her cerulean orbs sympathetically to her roommate. With the grace of an artist, she twisted the top off a fresh tube of coral lipstick, and expertly applied a coat to her lips. "Oh Elphie! Nobody looks their prettiest without make-up, silly. You know what? C'mere!"

"Oh no," Elphaba deadpanned, her brown eyes widening. "No way Galinda. I-"

"Rubbish!" Galinda exclaimed, latching onto Elphaba's pointy elbow with her death-grip. "You are going to make a perfect first impression, today. Plus, I spent so much time looking for a pink that would match your skin tone…" she trailed off sheepishly. As Galinda widened her doe-eyes hopefully, Elphaba knew she had no chance.

"Oh very well then," she snapped finally, glancing hesitantly towards the bathroom. "But by Oz, if you make me resemble some emerald tramp…"

"You worry too much Elphie!" Galinda squeaked, forcing the green girl into the bathroom. "Don't worry, I'm gonna make you gorgeous… you'll see!" Galinda grinned, her tiny hands moving as blurs through her make up bag.

"Okay. So," Galinda said happily, withdrawing an expensive silver powder set, "Ozmo says to always start with foundati-" she trailed off as Elphaba raised an eyebrow, pointing to her green skin. Galinda smiled sheepishly, before adding a lame, "Oh who cares about foundation? You've got really good skin!" she said, tossing the little compact over her shoulder.

"I wish others had the same opinion," Elphaba muttered sarcastically, looking warily at Galinda's frantic hands. After several moments of rummaging through her pink bag, Galinda withdrew a thin, grey tube with a triumphant squeak.

"So we skip foundation, skip blush and move straight onto eyeliner," she said happily, grabbing Elphaba's cheek roughly with her hand. "Now, don't move Elphie," Galinda warned as she pulled at Elphaba's eyelid. "Cause, I don't wanna slip! I'm just going to trace-"

"I know what you're going to do, Galinda," Elphaba interrupted, before she could stop herself. Upon noticing Galinda's skeptical look, Elphaba elaborated, "Nessa always like make- even when she was a child. I- well, my mother died, as you know… and I was the only female left in the house; so I always applied it…"

"Oooh that's fantastical!" Galinda squeaked, handing Elphaba the eyeliner. "You do it then, 'cause I don't wanna mess up!"

"But," Elphaba protested immediately, her eyes widening in fright, "I've never put it on myself before! I wouldn't know where to begin…"

"Just trace your bottom and upper lid with the sharp end of the pencil," Galinda instructed, with a toss of her hair. "And while you do that, I'll find my plum eyeshadow. It'll look so prettiful against your skin!"

"Pretty," Elphaba corrected absentmindedly, before carefully drawing the charcoal liner to her eye. With a deep breath, she pulled the lid back, and drew two, perfect lines along both lashes, before repeating the process on her other eye.

"Wow," Galinda said, as she watched Elphaba apply the eyeliner in awe. "You're really, really good! In fact, I'm going to get you to do my eyeliner sometimes!" Elphaba shrugged at this, before handing the grey pencil back to Galinda. "No seriously, Elphie! This is such a useful talent! Much better than you being all smart- this you can really use!"

It didn't occur to Elphaba to put Galinda right- she was much more concerned with the prospect of applying the Perfect Plum Eyeshadow to her eyes. "Galinda," Elphaba said, "none of this make-up is water-based is it?" she asked fearfully.

Galinda looked stunned for a moment, before smiling weakly and shrugging. "I once asked my Mumsie what was in make-up… and she only smiled and told me I wouldn't want to know. Oh Oz, I hope there isn't any water in it. It looks solid though," she pointed out.

"So does ice," Elphaba quipped, "but it's still made out of water."

"We-ell… there's no point in fretting about it now, is there? I mean, it's on you already… nothing we can do now," Galinda said, forcing a cheerful edge into her voice. Elphaba grunted in agreement, silently noting that the blonde did have a point.

"Okay, so Perfect Plum Eyeshadow?" Galinda asked hopefully, squealing when Elphaba gave a resigned nod. "Kay. Just close your eyes- no lightly- and try not to blink."

"Ummm hmmm," Elphaba agreed lazily as she felt quick brush strokes coat her eyelids.

"All done!" Galinda said, closing the lilac lid with a firm snap. "Now all that's left is lip gloss and lipstick. Open your mouth!" she commanded firmly, holding her metallic lipstick tube like a weapon.

Elphaba did as she was told and dutifully opened her mouth. "Pout," Galinda said. Elphaba did. "Perfect, now just hold still- oops…"

"Oops what?" Elphaba asked aggressively.

"I, um, kinda… put the wrong colour on?" Galinda tried innocently. Elphaba spun around and looked in the gilded bathroom mirror (imported from Gillikin).

"Holy terror!" she spat angrily as she took in her appearance. Her eyes looked fine- almost nice even, rimmed with charcoal and purple eyeshadow. Not that she would, of course, consider making herself up every day, but the plum was tolerable for now. However, another look at her lips made her shriek again.

"Hot pink, Galinda!" she yelped, trying desperately to rub the vile stuff off. Of course, the dye had already begun to stain her lips, and while some of the ferocity of the shade had come off, Elphaba still looked like a circus clown. "How on Earth could you mix up light pink and hot pink?"

Galinda dropped her head, and her shoulders began quaking. Elphaba felt a wave of remorse wash over her; what had she done? "Oh Galinda… I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's not your f-"

Suddenly, Elphaba realized Galinda wasn't crying. Galinda was laughing. "Elphie, I'm sorry!" Galinda said between giggles. "But, quite honestly, I never thought I'd live to see the day when Elphaba Thropp yelled at me, because she disliked the shade of pink I used on her lips!"

Elphaba tried to glare icily, but felt herself melting. Before long, both girls were sitting on the white, tiled bathroom floors, laughing hysterically. Elphaba felt a strange, warm sensation rise within her- for the first time; she felt as though she actually belonged somewhere.

"But seriously Galinda," she said after a moment. "How are we gonna get this stuff off?"

Galinda was silent. Suddenly, her entire face lit up comically as she lifted a victorious hand into the air. "I know! We'll just cover it with another colour!" Reaching for her make-up bag, Galinda missed the sudden ticking of Elphaba's left eyebrow.

Another colour?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Elphie! They're really here!" Galinda shout-whispered giddily, as the two roommates tiptoed into the Crage Hall Courtyard. It was exceptionally beautiful this time of year- the red cobblestones complemented the newly changing leaves perfectly. A white marble fountain lay in the middle, with a bust of Sir Shizian (or Shir Shizian, as Galinda liked to call him) acting as its center. However, it was the gardens Elphaba liked best- the delicate little wild flowers which sprung up in random, colourful patches. If Galinda were the wild flowers, then I would be the weed, Elphaba thought cynically.

"Very astute," Elphaba replied, adjusting her glasses with her index finger, so that they lay comfortably on the bridge of her long nose. She would play the part of a knowledgeable, proper tour guide, and by Oz, she would not lose her temper! "Let's go face the raptors," she said finally, before striding into the courtyard.

Thankfully, the whole make-up fiasco had been resolved; Galinda, in an unusual show of brilliance, covered Elphaba's lips in a layer of dark green lipstick (from a costume shop), which not only complemented Elphaba's skin tones, but counteracted the hot pink lipsticks effects. Buoyed by their success, Elphaba strode forward confidently and addressed her new classmates.

"Excuse me, everyone? May I have your attention please?" she called with authority, eyeing the new students like one might a rare piece of art. The idle chattering died down, and Elphaba was unsurprised to hear a number of the Hogwartians gasp as their naïve eyes registered her skin colour. "Welcome to Crage Hall," she continued, undaunted, "My name is Elphaba Thropp-"

"And I'm Galinda Upland- of the Upper Uplands," Galinda added flirtatiously, already eying a lanky, dark haired boy near the front. "And we're going to be your tour guides! Isn't that exciting?" she said perkily.

The majority of the boys called out eagerly, causing the rest of the population to glare at the bubbly blonde moodily. Oblivious to the crude looks she was now receiving, Galinda carried on. "I'm so very happy to meet each and everyone of you. I guess my cousin was right!" she chimed happily, causing Elphaba to roar to a start.

"Yes, well um- thank you Galinda. Now, I would like you all to accompany me on a tour of the campus. Feel free to ask me any questions you'd like along the wa- yes, you in the front?" Elphaba said, pointing to one of the many, cloaked witches.

"Have you always been green?" a girl with silvery blonde hair asked dreamily. Elphaba narrowed her eyes; those weren't the type of questions she'd had in mind. Feeling her temper pick up, Elphaba answered the girl harshly.

"I hardly think that has any merit whatsoever. However, I will humor you this once. Yes I've always been green. Oh, and to head off any further questions: no I'm not seasick, no I did not eat grass as a child-"

"Okay then!" Galinda said brightly, heading off Elphaba's touchy temper. Widening her eyes at her friend in a silent reprimand, she chirped, "We were going to go for a tour, right?"

"Um, yes," Elphaba answered, lowering her eyes to show her remorse. With a raise of her perfectly plucked eyebrows, Galinda let her know she was forgiven. "Now, if you'll follow me please…" Elphaba asked politely, before turning on her blunt heel and stalking away.

The throng of people followed her dismally through a Quoxwood archway, and across the lush, grassy field. Thank Oz the morning dew has dried, Elphaba thought as her dark boots crushed the many blades of grass.

"Hey Goyle," Elphaba heard a smug voice say, "I bet I can get the guide to go out with me!" She stiffened marginally, but kept walking; Galinda was clever enough to spot a user when she saw one. After all, no one Elphaba knew had more experience when it came to boys.

"Wha? The green one?" the boy named Goyle said slowly. Elphaba nearly laughed aloud- that was a stupid comment if she'd ever heard one! Clearly this large, burly boy wasn't very bright.

"No, you idiot," the smug voice drawled, "I'd rather date the Mudblood. No, I mean the blonde, ditzy one." Elphaba stopped suddenly once she heard the bastard's reply- nobody spoke that way about her friend.

"I hardly think you'd have a chance, sir," she said acidly, glaring at the boy for the first time. He was very tall- nearly her height in fact- and he had strange, sleek, bleached blonde hair. His face was pointed, long, and pale, and his two black eyes glinted cruelly.

"Why? Hoping I'll try my luck on you, Greenie?" the blonde boy sneered, causing Elphaba to cackle.

"Oh very original!" she snapped back, tossing her long, black mane wildly. "But I repeat what I said earlier: I hardly think you'd have a chance."

"Except I believe you added a sir last time," the boy reminded, his pale, thin lips smirking. "It's good to know you odd folk know how to address your superiors!"

"Oh, lay off Malfoy, you great git!" a dark haired boy stated, fixing his piercing green eyes on the newly dubbed 'Malfoy' character. Elphaba noted that he too, was very tall (what did they feed these wizards?), but in a lanky, thin sort of way. Still, he had a pleasant face- lightly tanned and square shaped. She also noticed that, in the middle of his forehead, lay a peculiar, lightning shaped scar.

"As you wish, Potty," the Malfoy boy sneered, marching off. Potty glared at the blonde boy's retreating back, unable to conceal his extreme dislike.

"Excuse me?" Elphaba asked curiously, "Is your name 'Potty'?" The dark haired boy laughed, and shook his head 'no'.

"Nah, it's Potter actually. Harry Potter," he said, extending his right hand. Elphaba couldn't be sure, but she felt as if he was expecting something- like a reaction of some sort. Quite honestly, she couldn't quite pinpoint why he would be looking for such a thing- it was typically she who received the 'reactions'.

"Elphaba Thropp," she said finally, taking his proffered hand with a strong grip. "Thank you, Master Potter," she said formally, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Harry, please. And no worries really- Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, is the world's biggest slimeball. Besides, you remind me of one of my friends, Miss Thropp," the boy replied.

"Well, thanks anyway. And please, call me Elphaba," she returned, a ghost of a smile spreading across her face. "Forgive me, Harry, but I really must continue this tour- your friends look rather antsy."

"New school, new crowd," Harry said, shrugging his narrow shoulders. "Surely you can understand why?" he inquired kindly.

"Of course," Elphaba stated. "I'm sorry for the delay," she called out firmly, "but please, follow me." She turned away from the dark-haired Harry,only to see Galinda rushing towards her in a ball of pink fluff.

"Who's your new friend?" she asked excitedly, pointing in Harry's direction. He waved jovially, and smiled at the perky blonde. Galinda tossed her hair and smiled seductively back.

"His name's Harry Potter. He protected my, pride, I suppose, against that foul blonde haired boy," Elphaba said, in a low voice.

"Well he's really cute!" Galinda squealed. "Does he have a girlfriend?" she asked with interest.

"Oh Galinda, I don't know!" Elphaba said, her green cheeks flushing. "Why don't you go ask him?" she bit sarcastically.

"Good idea!" Galinda chirped, advancing forward. Luckily, Elphaba managed to snag her by the back of her dress.

"No wait! We, um… have a tour to finish!" she said quickly, using the first excuse that came to mind. Galinda drooped a little, but nodded anyway- after all, a lady of high society never abandoned her fellow people.

"Afterwards then?" she chirped, brightening once more. Elphaba rubbed her temple with a long, spindly finger.

"If you feel you must," she finally answered.

Yes, yes I know I'm an awful person for combining the two Fiyeros, but I honestly couldn't decide which one I liked better. I think I'm going to keep the Dancing Through Life personality, however. But, to counter that, he's still got his diamonds. And yes, Yero will be showing up a lot more in the next coming chapters.

Coming Up Next: Completing the tour, and the roommates find themselves receiving some very important gifts.