The trio soon fell into the the routine of school in the following days. There were a couple of nights when Harry moaned and thrashed in his bed, but it wasn't loud enough to wake the other Slytherins, and in the morning, Harry never acted particularly troubled. He did sometimes furrow his brow in the mornings, and mutter something about needing to find a secret chamber, but then the matter would be soon forgotten amidst lessons, and friendship and tormenting and increasingly frazzled Professor Lockhart.

Before they knew it, Quidditch tryouts were upon them, and Harry and Draco were bundles of irrepressible excitement. Though all the Slytherins knew that Marcus Flint was a sadistic slave-driver of a Quidditch captain, that did not make the younger students any less eager to try out for the team. Draco seemed to vacillate between a state of eye-gougingly obnoxious bravado and 'what if they somehow accidently don't see what a good flyer I am' mental breakdowns of self-doubt. Meanwhile, Harry was sunny-natured, and was, as he put it: 'just happy about the chance to fly around for a bit.'

Callidus did not particularly care either way. On one hand, he did genuinely want the Slytherin team to do well, because frankly, they deserved to win the Quidditch Cup and House Cup every year, as far as he was concerned. On the other hand, Draco would be intolerable if he did not get onto the team. Callidus really hoped Draco would get onto the team.

On the day of the tryouts, Callidus found himself debating whether or not to go and watch. He knew it would be the supportive thing to do for his friends. But then again, he could go to the potions lab instead and try and make headway on vapourizing some Pepper-Up Potion. The book that Harry had suggested to Callidus had proved to be a great help, but now it was just a matter of finding the right spell that would have a minimal impact on the magic of the potion. In this regard, Callidus's magical sensitivity abilities helped a great deal.

In the end, Callidus elected to go out to the Quidditch pitch to watch his friends try to get on the team. He had heard that Marcus Flint had a talent making people cry, and what better form of entertainment could there be, than to watch a bunch of students getting their dreams of being Quidditch stars crushed? There was nothing quite as invigourating as the utter humiliation of a bunch of starry-eyed imbeciles.

With a smile of anticipation tugging Callidus's lips upwards, he followed Harry and Draco out to the Quidditch pitch, taking a seat on the nearby stands. Before Flint had the students starting on drills, Callidus noticed that Draco had pulled the Quidditch captain aside, and was speaking to him in hushed tones. Whatever Draco was saying, the blond did not look deferential or nervous. If anything, Callidus almost thought that Draco was acting rather sly. Did his friend/brother have something up his sleeve that he hadn't mentioned earlier? Flint's expression was speculative as he looked down on Draco. And was that a look of greed that Callidus saw in his eyes? It was too bad Harry hadn't been paying attention to the scene. The raven-haired boy was already on one of the school brooms, doing reckless barrel-rolls without being prompted to.

The tryouts ended up being more or less what Callidus expected. Flint seemed to go suspiciously easy on Draco, but Harry managed to fly well enough to impress the Slytherin Captain. Flint also managed to make no less than five hopeful players cry, and one person even ended up breaking their arm when a bludger bashed into it. Harry earned himself the position of seeker for the Slytherin team. Meanwhile, Draco was made a chaser. Both boys were in extremely high spirits, and Callidus had to spend the rest of the day subjected to the minutia of Quidditch maneuvers.

Callidus was happy for both of his friends'/brothers' success, until the grueling Quidditch practice sessions started, and Callidus began to realize just how much of his friends' time would be eaten up. In first year, he had often felt as though Harry and Draco were close in a way that he wasn't - especially since Draco was so selfish that he never hesitated to monopolize Harry's time and attention. Callidus had spent a great deal of time in the library or potions lab, in part because he enjoyed learning, but also, as a way to convince himself that he was just the solitary type and that it was no big deal to be separate from the other two boys. Then, over time, their bond had gotten stronger, and he felt as though he were truly a part of the trio.

But now, with Harry and Draco on the Quidditch team, the two boys once again had something bonding them closer together - something that Callidus wasn't a part of. Callidus hadn't fully considered the implications of what it meant for him, with his friends/brothers on the Quidditch team. Now that he was aware, he felt a rising jealousy within him, mingled with guilt for his selfishness.

What made it worse was that Harry and Draco appeared to be completely oblivious about the whole matter. They had become even more engrossed with flying and Quidditch than ever, that they hardly noticed that they were excluding Callidus in their conversations. After all, they still spent most of their free time together, so the external impression of unity still remained, even if Callidus was feeling as though he was being left behind, like a beetle that had befriended caterpillars only to see them transform into butterflies.

Callidus had tried to steer their conversation towards other topics numerous times. But in the end, Harry and Draco seemed to gravitate back towards long and excruciatingly detailed Quidditch debates. Their talks of various formations and maneuvers started to sound like a foreign language at some point, and Callidus started to retreat to his mind more and more, planning out potions in his head.

But Callidus was aware that Harry and Draco weren't his only friends, even if they were his closest. There was also Hermione as well. Thinking of Hermione reminded him that he hadn't been spending quite as much time in the library as last year, and he really needed to focus his efforts if he wanted to be able to match (and surpass) Hermione's academic performance. Since when had he started doing his homework and studying in the Slytherin dungeons instead of the library? It would be nice to see the Gryffindor girl, and finally have a discussion that wasn't in any way related to Quidditch.

It was an afternoon in which the Slytherin team would be busy with Quidditch practice, so after their final class of the day which was Transfigurations (in which Harry was proud to be the first to change his centipede into a necklace), Callidus picked up his book bag and made his way to the library. He searched the various tables for a familiar head of bushy brown hair, and to his surprise, he saw that Hermione wasn't alone. She was sharing a table with two other familiar girls: Caiside and Ginny Weasley.

For a moment, Callidus wondered if he would be intruding. He debated turning around, and returning to the dungeons, but then, Hermione happened to look up, and when she spotted him, she smiled and waved. Feeling vaguely sheepish, Callidus ventured over to the table. At this point, Caiside and Ginny Weasley had seen him as well. Caiside arched her eyebrows at him, an amused smile pulling at her lips, while Ginny Weasley wore an expression of open curiosity.

"Hello Callidus!" Hermione welcomed brightly. "Here to study? You can sit with us."

"Hello Hermione, Caiside, Weasley." Callidus sat in the open seat next to Hermione and across from Caiside.

"You can call me Ginny," the red-head chirped. "It'd be rather odd to call me by my last name when you call Hermione and Caiside by their first, wouldn't it."

"Callidus," Caiside murmured, her expression almost sly. "Hermione mentioned that you were friends, and I confess, I almost didn't believe her, seeing as I've never really seen you associate with one another, aside from that rather - amusing encounter with poor Colin Creevey in the courtyard."

"You doubted Hermione's word? Since when has she ever spoken anything other than a true fact?" Callidus rejoined.

Caiside smirked. "Yes, I'm learning that now. I never realized until now, how refreshing straight-forward honesty could be. Most other people are all too happy to deceive themselves. Or others."

"Caiside was telling me about how you were staying with her over the summer," Hermione informed him.

Callidus glanced from Hermione to Caiside. "Was she now?"

"Mm hmm. It sounds like you had a lovely summer," Hermione continued. "And you got to see Caiside's garden. She's quite the herbologist - I've learned a lot!."

Callidus smirked. "Yes, I may have survived the garden of torture and death."

"Only thanks to my protection," Caiside remarked cheekily.

"Yes, it was a harrowing experience," Callidus deadpanned.

"You're friends with Harry Potter," Ginny interjected.

Callidus looked over at the red-head, startled by the sudden shift in the conversation. "I am."

"Will you tell me about him?" Ginny asked, her light brown eyes bright and eager.

Callidus blinked, surprised by the girl's forwardness. Hadn't she been the one to hide behind the displays at Gambol and Japes? He had expected her to be extremely shy and reticent. The girl before him didn't look as if she had a trace of shyness - instead, she was leaning towards him, meeting his eyes easily and wearing a very expectant expression.

"Don't mind her." Caiside made a casual brushing off gesture. "All she ever wants to talk about is Harry. She's already found out all she could from Hermione and now she's hoping to squeeze more information out of you."

Ginny's expression became mulish. "Harry's a hero. Why wouldn't I want to hear all about him? Besides, no one ever expected him to end up in Slytherin. It's all so rom-" Ginny's cheeks flamed when she realized that she had almost said too much.

Caiside's expression became wry. "She seems to think he's some sort of tortured hero. The dark and mysterious Slytherin Harry Potter."

"I don't think anything of the sort!" Ginny protested. "But there must be something more to him than meets the eye if he ended up in Slytherin." She turned to Callidus. "Is it true that he made the Slytherin Quidditch team?"

Callidus could feel a vein begin to pulse in his forehead. "Say one word more about anything related to Quidditch, and I swear I'll never tell you a single thing about Harry, and neither will anyone else," he snapped.

Ginny's eyes widened, and she blinked at him rather comically. "Er - oh - kay."

"And yes, he made the team, and that's all I'll say about that," Callidus added sharply.

"So what brings you here?" Caiside queried. "And without your two bosom buddies."

Callidus gave Caiside a disbelieving look. "Bosom. Buddies."

Caiside grinned wickedly. "Isn't that what they are?"

"I'm still trying to process the fact that that phrase actually came out of your mouth."

Somehow, Caiside's grin widened even further. "It's a perfectly apt little phrase."

"And they are, aren't they?" Hermione asked. "Your -" Callidus was already cringing and he could hear Ginny's muffled laughs. "- bosom buddies?"

"They're my friends," he answered, glaring at Caiside. "As for what I'm doing here, I imagine my reasons are the same as the rest of the populace. I'm here to study and read. Harry and Draco are at practice, since you seem so eager to want to know the reasons for my solitary status. But since we don't seem to have moved past pleasantries, tell me Caiside, how did your mother take the news of your sorting into Gryffindor?"

Caiside chortled. "Oh Merlin! I'm so glad you asked. Every reminder of my mother's abject chagrin makes my 'unfilial and unnatural' heart flutter with glee."

Callidus raised his eyebrows, an amused smile quirking his lips upwards. "That good?"

"Better!" Caiside crowed. "You should see the letters she wrote me! I could tell that she wanted to write a howler, but she doesn't like to air our 'private business' to others. Which is a shame, really - I think I would have enjoyed the added piquancy of hearing the shock and dismay in her voice."

"How can you speak of your mother that way?" Hermione asked.

Caiside shrugged. "You'd understand if you met her, 'Mione. Though to be honest, she probably wouldn't speak to you. I told you she's a massive bigot."

"Still, she's your mother," Hermione pointed out. "You could try and educate her so she has a better understanding of why her prejudices are so wrong."

Caiside made a humming sound. "You know what, 'Mione? If you ever meet her, I'll leave that to you. You'd be able to explain so much better than I ever could."

"Don't do it, Hermione," Callidus warned, wondering how Caiside could bait her own friends like that. "Just - imagine the Malfoys. And then take away all the subtlety."

"Callidus!" Caiside mock reproached. "I thought you liked my mother!"

"Madam Filodoxos is - well-meaning. But I'm not blind or deaf, Caiside. Even your father, as oblivious to the world as he might act, pretty much seems to think that muggles and muggleborns alike are completely unreasonable barbarians who'd as soon cart his only daughter off to some muggle lab to perform nefarious experiments on, followed by a good old fashioned burning-at-the-stake."

"They don't really believe that, do they?" Hermione questioned. "It's beyond ridiculous!"

Callidus turned back to Hermione. "Hmm. I forget. I suppose you're fairly insulated from a great deal of the bigotry and prejudice since you're in Gryffindor. I might not be a muggle-lover, but even I know that muggles don't go around tying stones around witchs' ankles and then tossing them in bodies of water to see if they float. Which, I should add, people do believe."

"But how can they still be so ignorant?" Hermione gasped. "You'd think that after the last wizarding war, that people would take the time to fix the errors of their thinking, if only to prevent another war."

"An idealistic notion, but when it comes to muggles, no - they wouldn't bother," Callidus answered. "If anything, it just gives people's hatred time to fester. Humans are simple-minded creatures. They like having someone to blame. Besides, fear sells, or have you not been reading the Daily Prophet?"

"It's irrational," Hermione muttered mulishly.

Callidus shrugged. "I can't argue that."

"What does Harry think?" Ginny wondered.

Callidus looked over at Ginny. "About -"

"Muggles and muggleborns, and stuff."

"Ah. Thank you for that wonderfully clear and detailed elucidation of your question," Callidus drawled.

"Oh, shut up!" Ginny retorted. "You know what I mean."

Callidus arched a black eyebrow. The red-head was certainly impertinent. "He's not prejudiced, if that's what you're asking. And while he has suffered severe abuses at the hands of his muggle relatives, he's always been rather forgiving. Perhaps too forgiving."

"Oh." Ginny's expression became contemplative, and a smile spread across her face. Callidus had the horrible feeling that he had just somehow made the red-head's infatuation with Harry even worse.

"It just isn't what I expected," Hermione said pensively.

"What isn't?" Caiside questioned.

"The wizarding world," Hermione admitted. "When I found out I was a witch, I thought -" she smiled wistfully, "- I thought things would be different. I thought I finally found a place where I'd belong. The bigotry - the bias - I wasn't expecting these things. I suppose I hoped that magic would make people more open-minded and understanding."

"Wizard and witches are still only human," Callidus pointed out.

"I know," Hermione sighed. "I just hope things get better. Perhaps if people were better educated -"

Callidus couldn't help smiling. Of course Hermione would think that education would be the answer to everything. If only it were true.

Eventually, (after being shushed by Madam Pince,) the group of them turned their attention to their homework, studying together in a comfortable silence (though Hermione kindly answered any questions that Caiside or Ginny had for her.) When Callidus finished the last of his essays, he stood up to leave, slinging his book bag across his shoulder.

"You know, as a friend, you should come by more often," Caiside suggested.

Callidus narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to imply?"

Caiside shrugged casually. "Just. You know. Friends spend time with one another. And not just when their other friends are busy."

"Oh, just leave him be, Caiside," Hermione scolded.

Caiside looked over at Hermione before shrugging, as if she were indifferent to the whole matter. "I'm just saying that one ought to enjoy the company of one's friends."

Callidus raised an eyebrow. "Are we friends now, Caiside?"

Caiside's expression mirrored his own. "What makes you think I'm talking about myself?"

Callidus's eyes darted over to Hermione, but the girl was studiously avoiding his eyes, though her cheeks were flushed pink. He felt like something was going on - did the girls talk about him behind his back? For some reason, the idea made him incredibly uneasy. But there was no sense letting Caiside's words get under his skin - she was just the sort of person who liked to rile people up. Saying his good-byes to the Gryffindor girls, he made his way back to the Slytherin dungeons.