I can't believe I've made it through the semester! Well I'm still alive so I'm assuming that's a good thing; ) Sorry for the UPTEENTH time about the late update! GOMENASAI! Please review and I apologise for the bad grammar that's bound to make its presence known soon enough :'(

"Marina! Oi!" Knowing the trio were gaining I stopped turned around and placed a fake pout onto my lips.

"Hurry up! I haven't eaten since last night and I am NOT missing out on another meal." To justify my point my stomach began to rumble. Hermione looked relieved that I wasn't still worrying about Snape…she was wrong of course, for once in her life she was very wrong.

"Blimey you missed out on breakfast? No wonder you're legging it." I motioned for the dining hall and forgot my worries as the four of us chatted about frivolous unimportant things. Opening the doors of the dining hall it struck me that I'd have to go on and sit with the Slytherins. Well I suppose it's okay, Luna's not in Gryffindor…then again she's not in Slytherin either. When the three noticed by stares the awkwardness manifested…again.

"How about we do something special on the Honeydukes weekend that's coming up?" I grinned at Hermione, and thought about all the other stuff we could do together, and remembered Quidditch try outs were coming up.

"That sounds great! Hey Harry is it true you're the Gryffindor's Quidditch captain?" He smiled hesitantly, probably thinking where I was heading with this.

"Err yeah…why do you ask?"

"Do you know when Slytherin's holding their try outs? I was kind of busy when they held the notices." Hermione groaned as the topic of Quidditch popped up.

"I didn't know you played Quidditch Marina!" I looked at Ron and winked slyly.

"Oh? Ron didn't tell you? That's quite surprising actually." I started to laugh as Ron turned a violent shade of pink.

"She's pretty good Harry…if she was in Gryffindor you'd probably keep her close to the-"

"WON-WON!" My laughter died as a very girly looking girl bounded up to our little group nearly tackling the further blushing Ron to the ground. My eyes jolted to Hermione who stood frozen. "Oh you didn't wait for me in class today won-won is something wrong? Is that snake girl bothering you?" snake girl? Oh right…me.

"Ahem…snake girl present." She looked up from her mouth attack that everyone was trying to look away from. She blushed slightly when she saw I was standing there.

"Oh-"

"Lavender I really think you should think about what you say before you let that Weasley spit infested mouth of yours open." I nearly choked on my own spit when Hermione snapped out at her…oh Merlin this is going to take a lot of work to fix, and why in he*l did Ron kiss Miss. Weasley Spit like that…did I not already tell him about my Mrs. Hermione Weasley vision? Gawd! Men are such stupid- Speaking of which…in came the stupidest ferret of the lot. Where was his comrade anyways? The sneaky, greasy haired teacher…oh right in his office. Guess I may as well corner him now itself.

"Don't you have some large dusty book to read Hermy?" I feel like I'm jumping into one dark dangerous position into another…Hermione looked like she was going to enchant one of the forks on the table to keep poking at Won-won's lover. Intervention was of the essence and Harry and I rushed to put it into action.

"So err…I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Marina, I take it you're Lavender Brown?" The ever giggling girl paused from her rant with Hermione to face me.

"That's right, has Won-Won been talking about me? Oh you're so sweet!" She went to kiss him again but Harry had already dragged him off toward the feast calling out about Quidditch practice. So now it was my turn to pull Hermione away.

"Easy Hermione, you need to think calmly if you're going to win this war." She blinked and sighed. Poor thing…

"I know I'm sorry. I shouldn't be acting like this especially not when he's obviously in love with her." Her fingers clenched and I laughed scoffing at the thought of Ron loving anyone other than Hermione.

"Oh please! Ron isn't in love with Lavender. He's just swept up in her childish and selfish crush on him." She looked hopeful until I said the next part of my view on things.

"However you'd better act now otherwise he's going to think he IS in love with her. But from the looks of things I think it's all just physical, it won't last long." Just physical…why does that sound very familiar. "Cheer up Hermione, Harry and I are rooting for you. I'd better grab something quickly before heading off to Snape." She was so worried about Ron it took her a while to realise what I'd just said.

"Wait! You're GOING?" I clamped her mouth shut before telling her to quit yelling. A few Gryffindor heads turned…thankfully the only table group to hear.

"Of course I'm going! I want to know why he was trying to get into my head in the first place…knowing your enemy and all." She looked ready to protest but I shook my head sealing the fact that it was a closed discussion.

"Be careful, if he tries anything you have to tell Dumbledore!" I winked at her and walked towards the Slytherin house's table. Pansy and Felicia had obviously been watching me for a while…actually a fair few of the Slytherin's had been watching me but it was only those two who waved for me to come their way.

"Sorry guys, I'm not staying long. I need help on that question for potions." They nodded slowly before bombarding me with a few questions. All of which I gave a short reply to. Only one of them made me pause, it was Pansy who had posed it.

"So you don't like Draco?" I dropped my fork actually and went down to reach for it when I noticed someone from across the table was waiting for an answer as well.

"I don't hate him." And that was ALL I was going to say. Pansy looked a bit put out, I guess she was hoping for me to say 'No Pansy, please by all means I'm rooting for you and Draco!' I crammed the last bit of ravioli into my mouth and shot up happy that my stomach seemed to feel full for once. "See you later I guess." They seemed a bit cheerier and waved me off. So that's a total of two Slytherin friends…well then again there were the two first years that were pretty sweet too.

"So you decided to come?" I glared at the tall dark figure sitting leisurely at his desk.

"Yes professor, like I said there was a question in potions I wanted to ask you." His face was distorted with that lovely sneer I've grown accustomed to from Slytherin house.

"Let me ask you a question first Miss. Eve. How is it that a girl whose family tree rests in Gryffindor finds herself in Slytherin?" He wanted to know why I was in Slytherin?

"I suppose you could ask the sorting hat couldn't you professor?" He ignored me.

"And how is it that this same girl happens to have the Dark Lord's mark upon her? Yes Miss. Eve I know all about your mark." I paled at this, who else knew? Albus told me to keep it hidden but how did this person know? Did my blocking skills have no effect on him after all?

"Did…Al-Professor Dumbledore tell you?" He looked up sharply and rose from his chair, while his clothes kept me from seeing I could tell he was unreasonably skinny…anorexic?

"Dumbledore? Dumbledore knows?" Oh…If he didn't hear it from Albus then that means…

"You were there! You were one of the people in my dream! But…why?" He gripped his sleeve and revealed a mark, one that was a near twin to my own.

"Why? The same reason you had that 'dream', the same reason we have this mark. We are his followers." I shook my head and stepped back as he drew nearer and nearer. "We all want the same thing, that's why he chose us. He leads us…and we follow."

"No…" I wasn't a bad person! I've lied a few times sure but nothing so bad as to be thought of as one of his followers…surely not. "No, you're lying. I didn't choose this!" His eyes were glowing, it was rage but it wasn't aimed at me, somehow I knew this.

"Who are you Marina Eve? Who are you really?" I leant on one of the benches to steady myself…who am I?...you are mine. "Why did the Dark Lord choose you. Let me see…" NO! I fell to the floor writhing. My guard was down and he had chosen that moment to tear through my mind. Images flashed through my head, accounts of what had happened when I was but a babe and of just a few moments ago when Lavender's lip attack was in motion…urgh. He can't see this…he's getting close to it. My name is Riddle, Tom Riddle. NO! I repelled him from my mind, the effort leaving me gasping for air. He looked very irritated, obviously upset about not seeing the most vital memory he required. With a sigh he held out a glass of water. Oh how very generous of the turd. "Stop being stubborn and take the glass." I glared at him.

"What sentimental words coming from the man who put me in this position." So it wasn't just some Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry. The man was bad news…like that guy in Charlie's Angels…creepy thin man.

"Suit yourself." Placing it on the table again he came closer…probably to jinx me silent I supposed. Instead to my astonishment he reached out a hand for me to hold, I complied grudgingly knowing I had about as much chance of getting on my feet by myself as the coyote had of catching the road runner. "You remind me of a girl I knew once." He spoke as if this girl was someone he'd loved, or maybe still loved. Why were all these dark people so passionate about love?

"How so?" I'd realised to my mortification that I was still holding his hand, not wishing to disturb his train of thought I slipped it out softly.

"She too was stubborn, charming and fell for the wrong man." Excuse me? I haven't fallen for ANYONE! I'm a single lady, I swear! Sure I may have let my thoughts wander towards a certain blonde haired git now and then but that was a mistake…

"Not you, you mean. What was her name?" He blinked and realised he'd let me into his inner thoughts for far too long.

"I think you'd better be off Miss. Eve. We'll continue our earlier conversation tomorrow at lunch." Conversation? There HAD been no conversation. If this creep honestly thought I'd be stepping one foot into his office AGAIN he had another thing coming.

"You can't. You can't see it, I'm sorry. All you need to know is that I've been marked and am reluctant and angered at the thought that I'd be chosen to be one of his rotten, evil followers." He looked alarmed at my parting line and called out for me to stop, I refused and walked away. He'd have to finish that unrequited love story of his one day I mused. You can't fight me forever! You will belong to me. I shuddered at the voice. STOP IT! Laughter…laughter echoed and it was not my own, nor was it anyone else's' in the hallway.

I raced to the Slytherin common rooms and flung myself onto one of the silk green couches. I needed to breathe and calm down. No one was in my head, absolutely no one was in my head…just my own thoughts…Once the chanting was done and a sigh left my lips I brought out my timetable. Checking it I smiled as I realised that the next class I had was with Gryffindor house again, defence against the dark arts…wonderful.

"What happened? Did he-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Did something-"

"Hermione! I said I don't want to talk about it." She looked put off and even a little annoyed, I know she cared for me and all but…there is no way I was telling a soul what just happened or that I might actually go back. Not to Professor Snape but maybe Albus, I could trust him.

"Fine. Nothing must have happened seeing as you're so calm about this lesson." I must have looked absolutely blank for the next moment she sighed and shook her head. "Professor Snape is our new defence against the dark arts teacher." I dropped my books and scrambled to pick them up. Well if my earlier crease lines hadn't given me away this sure would.

"I don't understand! I thought he was our potions teacher!" She helped me with the last book and smiled sarcastically.

"Oh now that the new potions master has gotten better from his bout of…well basically we have our real potions teacher back so Professor Snape can now take on the defence against the dark arts class. Like he's wanted to for the last-"

"Merlin we have to sit through the best class in the school with HIM!" We turned quickly to see Harry, Ron and Lavender behind us. I was surprised to see Ron had managed to say anything at all with her draped over him like a pashmina…or a python. Harry looked as uncomfortable as I felt with the two around and Hermione? She'd already ran ahead although why anyone would want to run into a nosey, depressed man's classroom I had no idea…guess it was that bad. "What's wrong with her?" I snapped the book I had been feigning interest in shut and stormed after Hermione, Harry following close by eager to get away from the couple.

"Is Ron really that dense? Honestly you wouldn't think he'd realise if slugs came out of his mouth…stupid red haired Weasley." Harry started to laugh and I aimed my outrage at him. "What! You don't agree?" he shook his head whilst struggling to stop the giggles that still escaped.

"Oh no I agree it's just…Ron's already thrown up slugs. Believe me when I say he noticed THAT." I laughed in disbelief. Knowing Ron he probably shot himself with the spell. You know how they say yawning is contagious? Or Spattergoit is contagious? Well apparently so was laughter.

"What on earth are you laughing at?" I stopped long enough to bring Hermione to peals of laughter.

"Oh please tell me someone got that on film?" She looked a little better after laughing so hard, which was great for now…Ron and his little Barbie had better sit at the back is all I can say.

"Actually I think Colin Creevey managed to get a shot." I would hug whoever this Colin was for taking the picture…I think I may even get a few things from Fred and George with a photo like that. I grinned mischievously but all thoughts of trading vanished when Hermione spoke next.

"Too bad the basilisk destroyed the camera though." A WHAT! The worst part was I couldn't ask any more questions as our lovely teacher strutted his way down to his table…talk about centre stage fever!

"As most of you know Professor Slughorn has resumed his duties as Potions master and I will now take your class. I will not accept any talking, muttering, or any other stupid behaviour so prone to Gryffindors in this class. Those of you who do not follow my rules will be spending the night in the dark forest with half of their house points diminished. Turn your books to chapter five, we will be discussing…" I tuned out of his lecture and took to staring at the man. He still thought about her, this girl that apparently I remind him off. I wonder if she married someone else, her child would probably be about our age…what if they were at the school? What if they were in this classroom right now! Oh…no wonder this guy walked around with a stick up his arse. That still doesn't excuse him from being one of his followers my inner voice scolded. Maybe he had his reasons? He seemed to fear him but at the same time revere him…no he chose to follow willingly. What about Draco… I looked sideways at the Slytherin partition and found he was staring at me, a blush reluctantly crept up onto my cheeks when I realised he had probably spent the whole lesson staring…did he notice me gazing at Professor Snape? Did he get the wrong impression? WHO CARES! Focus on the book!

"Are you okay Rina?" I whipped my head to look at Harry…so that made two people to call me that.

"Yeah…why wouldn't I be?" I was astonished Professor Snape hadn't noticed us talking and realised Harry must have cast some sort of spell…unless he just enjoyed having his wand out.

"I figured you were thinking about something else what with you being six pages behind." Oh dang! I quietly flipped the pages to the where everyone was up to and focused on the reading material. With a sly look to the side I noticed he wasn't looking at me anymore, but rather scowled at his own book. Oh Merlin someone save me from myself!

I've always pitied Severus Snape and held him in respect after finishing the series so if Marina sounds a little sappy when it comes to him…despite his awful prying…well it's a biased outlook :p PLEASE REVIEW!