I'd simply like to start by saying sorry for my pitiful writing and for my strange punctuation: I still use the french «» rather than the english " ", simply because i started the story that way... If it bothers too many people, I'll simply change it. Also, thank you so much for reading, and please keep reviewing!!!

(I've kept the original comment though I've changed the quotation system simply because I still apologize for my pitiful autograph.)

Harry wasn't sure what he was looking for in the dark corridors of the castle. It was only a few minutes past the student curfew but still, the hallways were empty. The boy had to admit Wednesday nights were rarely the scene of mind-blowing parties. Nevertheless, he expected to find some sort of entertainment within the castle walls. He sighed. Even Peeves was nowhere to be seen. The young man stared at his wristwatch until his eyes finally managed to distinguish the time in the obscurity. Ten past ten. He silently walked up to a window and let his eyes wander on the school grounds. The surface of the lake was still, and in the dead of the night, it's immobility reminded Harry of Muggle parking lots. He felt as if thought he was watching a picture of the huge yard. The surrounding darkness was only broken by one little light, flickering in the midst of the park. Harry quickly recognized the small circular house that Hagrid considered home. Though his entire head was filled with grim thoughts, he smiled. His friend was probably still awake, taking care of one of the strange, deadly creatures he had recently adopted. Suddenly, a small clang reached the boy's ears. He turned his head in time to see Snape quickly marching down the corridor, an old, creaking lantern swinging in his hand. As soon as the teacher reached the end of the corridor and left Harry's sight, an idea crept into his mind. If Snape was assigned to patrolling the corridors and Thalia was out helping the Slytherin students, then the Thin Ices were probably free to visit. He began heading to the DADA class, but as he passed by another window, he turned back and walked towards the school exit. He knew his head was already packed with concerns of all sorts, and that adding any other worries to it would certainly be a form of mental suicide. Therefore, he returned to his original plan: let Hagrid's warm and hearty welcome blow his troubles away.

As he silently approached the teacher's cottage, the Gryffondor caught a sight of the two silhouettes cut out in the small, lighted windows. Apparently, someone else had thought of visiting Hagrid before Harry. That someone's else identity became clear as Harry heard two glasses loudly hitting something made of wood – probably Hagrid's table – and a voice he recognized too well. "You know what I mean," Thalia said. "Argh, a giant, run away! He can't possibly be good, can't he?"

"It's not like that…" Hagrid mumbled in answer.

"Oh please Rubeus, you know as well as me that you were fired because of the few feet you had, well still have, more than the others."

"It's not only that, I mean, Aragog …"

"Stop defending them Hagrid! You told me everything, the letters of indignation coming from the parents who thought that no monsters shouldn't be allowed in Hogwarts. Monsters… They sicken me."

As Harry perceived the clinging of a bottle hitting a glass, he took the risk of peeking into a window. Thalia was sitting on an over-sized chair, Fangs's head on her lap. Hagrid was facing her, and tears were filling up his eyes. Harry knew he hated to bring his years in Hogwarts back to memory, and it seemed that Thalia also understood the pain he was feeling, as she quickly changed the subject, deposing a half-empty bottle of Fire Whiskey on the table. "Well anyways," she said, "we were different. For that you go kicked out, and for that I got raped."

"Well you chose to be different," Hagrid objected.

"I'm not talking about the Dark Mark. I understand people that hate me because of that. I hate myself because of that," Thalia replied, waving a lazy hand into the air.

"You mean… in school?"

"Yes I mean in school! I mean that I was a Gryffondor who had Slytherin friends, and that because of that, everybody thought I would be a Death Eater," Thalia said, gulping down the content of the glass she held in hand.

"Well you are a Death Eater," the giant continued.

"Only because they pushed me to it. I'm telling you, they pushed me to it…"

As Harry was about to return to the Gryffondor common room, he heard footsteps coming towards him. By the time he dove under his Invisibility Cloak, Hogwart's headmaster was knocking on the thick wooden door that guarded the entrance to Hagrid's sanctuary. Harry held his breath. During the previous years, Dumbledore had demonstrated more than once that he could see through Harry's magical cloak, and the student knew that now was not the time to be caught out of bed. He prayed for the man to quickly enter the log cabin, but as hard as Harry prayed, nothing happened. Dumbledore was still standing in front of the door, and the two drunken teachers were pursuing their conversation. Hagrid was vigorously shaking his head from left to right as Thalia nodded, repeating the word "Yes" over and over again. Finally, she explained herself. "Yes, it was their fault," she said. "I was a frustrated young woman who thought that all beauty, nobility and courage was simple bullshit, and my only friends had all clearly demonstrated their intentions into joining Voldemort's ranks, and what did they do? They let me go into the wild, thinking I would be fine. So yes, this," she added, pointing her forearm, "is their fault. And you would have had all the reasons of joining us too – they let you down. You were on their side and they let you down, rejecting you, humiliating you."

"But Dumbledore took me under his wing."

"Well I didn't have that luck, did I?" Thalia replied, bitterly.

Before she had time to add anything on his account, Dumbledore swung the door open and stepped into the log cabin.

"Why, there you are Miss Beauregard," he said with a fatherly smile, "I've been looking all around the school grounds for you."

"Of course, seeing we really did all our possible to hide, with the lights on at this hour," Thalia said.

"Not as drunk as you want me to think, I see," Dumbledore added with a wink.

"You know it takes more to knock me out, Albus."

At that moment, Hagrid realized the headmaster had entered his house, as he tried standing up, mumbling some form of welcome. Sadly, he fell back on his chair seconds later, where he simply abandoned his attempts of greeting the man in question. "Third bottle," Thalia explained. Dumbledore nodded and with a flicker of his wand filled the fire place with roaring flames. He then magically brought an old tin kettle in the chimney. Within a minute, a steaming cup of coffee was placed before Hagrid, who was already half asleep on the table. "Now that this is taken care of," Dumbledore tokd Thalia, "would you do me the pleasure of accompanying me back to the castle, my sight is quite pitiful nowadays."

"You promote division."

"I'm sorry?" the old man asked, walking away from the door he had just opened.

"The Four Houses. They divide the students, make them enemies as they are just kids."

"We've already went over this Thalia, this system is as old as the school itself…"

"So is the obsession over pure-bloods you fight with such ardor."

Dumbledore, rather than replying, simply closed the door behind him, preventing Harry for observing half the scene. He still managed to see the man sit down beside the teacher and take a small sip from Hagrid's cup of coffee. "I know you are upset," he said, "but we can't change the entire school over a night." He took a small pause, then resumed. "Severus was really worried you know."

"Very probably," Thalia said, indifferent.

"Well if he can't get you back in Hogwarts," Dumbledore laughed, "I sure can't."

"You could convince me to go back if I knew I could actually see him, not whisper him goodnight and then leave until I see him next morning."

"I simply stated the rules, you can't stay in each other's apartments…"

"Even if you let us change rooms… Strangely, every time I have free time, he is assigned to patrolling the corridors…"

"Well it's simply…" the man protested.

"And vice versa," Thalia finished.

"Well in about ten minutes, you'll both be free. And I think the headmaster will be sleeping. He's not getting any younger you know. But just before you throw yourself in the dungeons, simply remember that if you want this to stay secret, you'll have to may far more cautious than this."

Harry didn't hear Thalia's answer as at that very moment, he secured the cloak around his frozen stiff body and ran towards the Main Entrance, slipping regularly on the thick layer of ice that had formed itself over the entire grounds. If this frozen layer had not prevented Harry's footsteps from imprinting themselves in white snow, the boy would have pulverized it with his wand at once. Finally, he reached the massive door that guarded the entrance to the school, which was open, as usual. Cautiously avoiding to make any sound prone to echoing on the marble staircase, he rushed towards the DADA classroom. Thalia and Snape in the dungeons, the way to the Thin Ice was safe.

***

Harry arrived in the empty classroom out of breath. Magically locking the door behind him, he allowed himself a few minutes of rest. The boy carefully sat on the desk facing the small wooden door at the back of the class, looking for a way to penetrate it. He knew that a simple Alohomara would probably break through it, but that was not the problem. He had to find a way into Thalia's apartments, he had to get passed the steel door he had seen earlier without the little silver key Thalia had used. For a second, he regretted not bringing Hermione with him on this nocturn walk. When his breath came back to a normal rhythm, he stood up and marched towards the door. He rapidly drew his wand and by the time he had pronounced half the magic formula he had in head, the door swung open. Filled with confidence, the boy entered the narrow room. He then turned himself towards the large metal door. It was entirely composed of rough steel, and strange symbols were engraved on it's surface. Asymmetrical circles and volutes that ressembled plumes of smoke covered the entire door. Harry gently brushed the cold steel when he suddenly heard a loud bang coming from behind him. He quickly executed a half turn, but he was too late to see what had caused that sound. All he could discern in the obscurity was that the wooden door had shut itself by accident. The teenager let out a helpless nervous laugh. He gave the door a litlle push, but it wouldn't budge. He directed his wand at the door knob and shouted, louder than he would have wished, the same formula as before. The flash of light skipped of the old handle and flew a few inches over his head, finally crashing into the pile of records occupying half the office. A few of them slided slowly down the slope of albums, but the general untidyness of the pile remained unchanged. Thought it was a good news, Harry barely noticed it. His entire mind was now focused on an escape plan. He was ready to tear the heavy stone walls apart if that could permit him to run away from this dreadfull place. Thalia would obviously find out sooner or later that he was the student responsible of the wreck and she would chase him down like she did Malfoy, only she would have to do it in daylight, under Dumbledore's supervision. On the other hand, if she found him there, under the secrecy of the night, God only knows what ancient spell would appear into her mind.