The following day, Rosie was so sleep deprived that she felt like she had been drinking too many vials of Befuddlement Draught. She had intended to speak to Madam Pomfrey as soon as she had the time, but realized that she had somehow forgotten a DADA essay that she was supposed to complete for the following day, and she had to work on that instead. It wasn't until the day after that she started feeling like a normal witch again.

Her first class of the day was Potions, and she kept getting the impression that Professor Snape was giving her looks, but whenever she glanced at him, his attention was focused elsewhere. She wondered if she was just being paranoid because of her concerns about Harry. Defense was next, and she handed in her essay, and spent the rest of the class mulling over her own worries rather than listening to Professor Lockhart.

Over her lunch break, she decided to head to the hospital wing, rather than eating in the Great Hall. She could always grab food afterwards. When she entered the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey was stocking the potions cupboards.

"Miss Potter! What are you doing here?" Madam Pomfrey asked when she saw Rosie. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Hello Madam Pomfrey. I'm fine. I'm actually here because I had a question for you."

Madam Pomfrey smiled warmly. "Eager as always - you couldn't wait until tomorrow?" However, when the matron noticed Rosie's troubled expression, her smile turned into concern.

"Is everything alright, Miss Potter? What was it that you wished to ask?"

"It's about my brother, Harry," Rosie told the matron. Without being aware of it, Rosie's hands were clutching at her robes nervously.

"Is something wrong with Mr. Potter? Is he ill?" the matron asked with worry.

"Well - I'm not sure. I used the diagnosis charm on him, and -" Rosie bit her lower lip uneasily. "I saw black. Mostly in his head."

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened and she laid both hands on Rosie's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

"Oh poor dear - I didn't want you to find out this way. The headmaster insisted it be kept quiet -"

"The headmaster? What does he have to do with this? Are you saying Harry is cursed?" Rosie exclaimed, her voice high with bewilderment and anxiety.

"Come, sit. I shall explain," Madam Pomfrey replied, leading Rosie to one of the hospital beds. Rosie sat down, and her eyes were wide and fearful as she searched Madam Pomfrey's face for answers. At that moment, she looked every bit like the eleven year old that she was. The matron's heart went out to the child, having to discover such a thing about her brother.

"The fact is that Harry's scar is cursed - the scar he received from He Who Must Not Be Named," the matron explained, her tone more gentle than usual.

"What? Harry's been cursed since he was a baby?" Rosie cried out, shocked. "But - but -"

"Yes, Harry has been carrying the curse since he received it. Unfortunately, we aren't yet certain what the curse entails. The headmaster has been keeping a close watch on your brother. But the scar is undeniably cursed."

"Is - that is, in that diagnostics book - it said that some curses can't be cured. Is it like that for Harry? Is he going to be stuck with this curse for the rest of his life?"

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that. Harry's scar and curse is one-of-a-kind, as far as we are aware. No one has ever survived the killing curse before," Madam Pomfrey explained.

Rosie's knuckles were white as she gripped the fabric of her robes over her knees. Her face had lost all colour, and she felt completely helpless. "Is - does - does Harry know about this?"

The matron shook her head. "No, Mr. Potter doesn't know. The headmaster wanted to keep it a secret - he felt that Harry deserved to have a childhood."

"What? But -" Rosie's thoughts were a confused whirl. Should Harry know about this? Was it right to keep it from him?

"What does the curse do?" Rosie asked, after a pause.

"We're not sure - we don't yet have an answer. Has Harry said anything to you? About the scar?" the matron inquired.

"Well, I know it aches sometimes. It ached a lot in his first year. Harry told me it was especially bad in Professor Quirrell's class," Rosie replied. "What happened to Professor Quirrell anyway? Why doesn't he teach anymore?"

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips. "The headmaster told us that the Professor had gone away, and wasn't coming back. He wouldn't elaborate."

"Oh." Rosie was silent for a moment. "Is there anything I can do to help Harry?

"No, I don't believe so. But if Harry's scar acts up at all, please inform me or the Headmaster immediately. I'm sorry dear."

Rosie sighed. "Alright. Thank you for telling me this, Madam Pomfrey."

The matron nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Potter. Now go and have your lunch. I can hear your stomach growling."

Rosie was lost in thought as she made her way from the hospital wing towards the Great Hall. As she turned a corner, she encountered Fred and George Weasley, who had just finished eating and were on their way towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Rosie!" one of them called out. Rosie really couldn't tell them apart, so she just smiled politely.

"That is your name right? Or was it Rose? Rosebud?" said the other. Considering they had only spoken to her once (and it was a rather short introduction) she was surprised they even remembered at all.

"Rosie," said told them with a weak smile. She was still feeling emotionally drained from discovering Harry's curse. "Hello George, Fred. How are you two doing?"

The twins shared a glance. "We're having a bit of a dilemma."

"Oh?" Rosie asked.

"Well, we've been trying to think up a way to prank that second year git, Draco," said Fred

"After that prank he pulled on all of us," added George.

"Wait - How do you know it was Draco?" Rosie asked. She had had her own sources, but she was surprised the twins knew of Draco's involvement.

"Didn't you see his face in the Great Hall?" asked George.

"If he smiled any wider, his face would have cracked in half," Fred scowled.

"I suppose -" Rosie replied. She looked at the twins curiously, wondering what they wanted. They seemed to speak to Harry often (especially since they were in the same House and they were all on the Quidditch team). She had occasionally seen them in the halls, and they would wave at her, but this was the first time they approached her.

"Anyway, it's been impossible to get Harry on his own, these past few days" Fred continued.

"We usually run our ideas by him," added George

"He's got good suggestions -"

"Being an honorary Marauder and all,"

"And he does usually let us try the new Marauder's products in advance -"

"Ah - so - what you're saying is that, since you couldn't get a hold of Harry, you thought you'd try me instead? I guess I'm the back-up Harry?" Rosie asked.

"Well -"

"We didn't plan it as such -"

She smiled mischievously, her anxiety melting away in the face of the twin's antics. "And here I thought you were just being friendly."

"Of course we're being friendly!" George exclaimed.

"It's just that we'd never hesitate to take advantage of an opportunity," Fred concluded.

Rosie smiled. "Fair enough. So, what did you two have in mind?"

"We considered turning his hair red and gold -"

"Or casting the crying hex on him in the Great Hall -"

"Or cursing him with uncontrollable flatulence -"

"Hm - all fair ideas. I'm guessing you're goal is to humiliate him as much as possible?" Rosie asked.

"Naturally," they chorused.

"We have a few more ideas -"

"The plan is still in the works -"

"Ah - you know, Sirius was telling me about one of his projects that might be suitable. But - well -" Rosie trailed off.

"Well?"

"Well, I wouldn't want you two to lose your edge - you know - relying on the Marauder's products and all." Rosie replied innocently.

"Did she just accuse us of losing our edge, Fred?"

"I think the little Eagle is asking for trouble, George."

Rosie laughed. "I've got more than enough trouble on my hands. You do know that many of these products are still experimental, don't you?"

"Well, that just adds to the fun," George grinned.

"You never know how well a product works unless you actually try it on someone," added Fred.

"Just think of it as - us, doing a favour to your Godfather."

Rosie grinned. "That's an interesting way of spinning it. Anyway, I don't have it on hand - I'll have to ask Sirius to owl it to me."

"Do tell -" both twins said.

"It's called a Crupcake - I think Sirius is still tweaking it. I haven't actually seen it in action. Anyway, when the victim eats it, they'll think they are a crup. It doesn't actually change them into a crup though I know - that doesn't sound all that exciting - but here's the twist. Not only do they think they're a crup, but the prank allows you to choose who the 'owner' of the crup is. Whoever eats the Crupcake will essentially spend the day worshipfully following their owner around, peeing all over chair legs, and eating anything you give them. It's - well - honestly, it's hard to think of anything more humiliating than that. Oh - and I think Sirius is making two flavours: Vanilla for a well behaved crup, and chocolate for a badly behaved crup," Rosie explained.

"How soon can you get it?" the twins asked, with a gleam in their eyes.

"Probably some time next week. Sirius usually makes the cupcake from scratch, and - well - baking isn't exactly his strength. Especially since we have a house elf that usually cooks for us. But - how do you plan on getting Draco to even eat it? Slytherins are a pretty cautious lot."

"Just leave that to us," the twins replied.

"Oh - and one more thing -" Rosie added. The twins looked at her expectantly. "I'm sure you can tell from the description that it's the sort of product that'll never come to market, seeing as it uses some pretty strong compulsion charms on the victim. Just - make sure no one knows where you got it from. Sirius'd kill me if it ever got back to him."

"Never fear, little Eagle!" said George.

"No one will ever know," said Fred.

"And also -"

"Chocolate, please," the twins grinned wickedly.

After a quick lunch, Rosie went to her final class of the day, Herbology. She had noticed that since the day of the prank, the Slytherins had distanced themselves from the rest of the students. The Ravenclaws were giving the Slytherin cold looks, and many of the Slytherins acted aloof and disdainful. Rosie made an effort to be friendly to Luthais, Mathilda and even Harper. She saw no reason to increase the interhouse conflict, and moreover, she had no interest in conforming to Ravenclaw behaviour.

Once classes were done for the day, Rosie and Luna headed for the library. Rosie was hoping to see Harry there, and she wasn't disappointed. Rosie and Luna walked over to the table where Harry, Hermione and Neville were busy doing their homework. There were books and papers everywhere, and the three of them were occupied with scribbling on parchment, or referencing their texts.

"Hi Harry, Hermione, Neville," Rosie said, giving them a weak smile. The trio greeted her and Luna in reply. Rosie and Luna sat down at the table and started pulling out their own homework.

"How have you been? Rosie asked the trio.

"Fine. Well - Angry," Hermione replied with a fierce expression on her face. Rosie could tell she was still thinking about the prank.

"Most of Gryffindor is pretty upset," Neville added. "It was a hideous thing to do."

The group chatted about the prank for a bit. Hermione railed against the Slytherins, and Neville agreed with most of what she said. Harry was quieter than usual. Rosie could tell through the link that he was not anxious, but he was certainly troubled. He hadn't yet brought up the incident with the diagnosis charm either. Rosie found herself conflicted about whether she should tell Harry about his cursed scar. How would he react? Would it be the right thing to do? Did Sirius know about this? In the end, she was unable to decide. She hated the idea of keeping secrets from Harry, but on the other hand, nothing could be done about the curse. If she told him, he might end up worrying needlessly.

She tried to imagine how she would feel if she found out she had a curse. Would she want to know? If she did, she'd probably want to research anything at all that she could find about it. She wouldn't have been happy to remain in ignorance. But she recognized that she and Harry weren't the same - something she wanted might not be the same as what Harry would want.

Rosie had tuned out of the conversation that Harry and his friends were having. When she started listening again, they were discussing their plans.

"The polyjuice should be finished by next week," Hermione was saying. "We should use it before the Christmas break, since none of us are planning to stay at Hogwarts."

"Yeah, I don't think I can wait until January to find out," Neville added.

"We just need to add the lacewings, and then the parts of Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode," Harry said.

"Should we do it on the weekend?" Hermione asked. "Or in the evening?"

"We'll need to get Draco alone," Harry said. "I don't think he'll talk in a common room full of other people."

"Well, I don't know," replied Neville. "I always thought Draco seemed like the sort who had to brag. Would he really keep it a secret from other Slytherins?"

"This would have been so much easier to do this over Christmas break," Hermione sighed.

"There's no way my parents would let me stay over Christmas. I wouldn't want to be here when I could go home," Neville said.

"Yeah, as much as I do like Hogwarts, it is lovely to see my parents over the hols," Hermione admitted.

"Can you tell me what the transformation feels like?" Luna asked, curious. "I've always wondered."

"Erm - sure Luna," Neville replied, startled. The trio seemed to have forgotten that Luna was at the table with them.

"How are you planning to get pieces of the Slytherins?" Rosie asked.

"We'll probably try and get their hairs," Harry explained. "But - we still have some details to work out."

"I just know Draco's responsible for all of it. He has to be!" Neville exclaimed.

"You're still convinced he's the Heir?" Rosie asked the group.

Harry and his friends nodded. "It's just too much for it to just be a coincidence," Hermione reasoned. "First, the Chamber of Secrets, and then covering muggleborns, and muggleborn supporters with snakes? It all points to Slytherin."

"And it's obvious that Draco hates muggleborns, and the so-called blood traitors" Harry added. "Poor Ginny - she's still really upset about the whole thing."

"Have you noticed how Ron shoots you daggers with his eyes, every time you talk to Ginny?" Neville asked.

Harry frowned. "Who cares? Ginny's really nice."

"And she completely worships you," Hermione added, rolling her eyes.

"She doesn't worship me!" Harry exclaimed, his ears reddening. "She's just always been nice to me, sharing chocolate frogs and all that, so I'm just being nice to her. She's just a firstie anyway - this whole thing has been harder on the firsties than anyone else."

Hermione and Neville nodded sympathetically. Many of the students that decided to pull out of school were first years.

Harry and his friend spoke for a while longer about their plans. When they got up to leave, Rosie made them promise that they would tell her immediately if they discovered anything. While she still doubted that Draco was the Heir (she trusted the words of her Slytherin friends), she wanted to know how Draco had pulled off the snake bite prank.

November soon turned into December. Many of the students at Hogwarts were still jumpy and nervous after the snake bite prank that had happened late last month. Rumours were flying, thick and heavy, and it seemed that the Ravenclaws had more interesting and varied theories than most.

Almost all the Ravenclaws were convinced that the prank was related to the Chamber of Secrets, though some students thought that the Chamber didn't actually exist. Very few students believed that the events were independent. With their research abilities, most of the Ravenclaws thought that the Chamber held a monster, but some students seemed to think the monster was a myth or perhaps a metaphor.

Some of the students thought that Duncan Inglebee's petrification was the result of a dark wizard casting a curse on him or the result of a cursed item, but others speculated that it could be a gorgon, or a cockatrice, or the Svartálfar, or a basilisk. A few students thought the whole thing was a hoax and a prank taken too far. Some believed it was all the actions of Death Eaters. There was a lot of speculation about whether all the Slytherins were involved, or whether it was only some of them. But nearly all the students believed that the Slytherins were somehow at fault.

As all this was occurring, Toby continued his 'friendly' act towards Rosie. Irritated about the whole matter, Rosie decided to strike back with her own displays of sickening sweet friendliness. She had no desire for him to get the better of her.

They had been in the common room together, Toby sitting with his friends, and Rosie sitting across from Romulus, reading up on curses. Toby had left his spot, and walked over to Rosie, sitting on the arm of her chair and ruffling her hair. She longed to scowl at him. Instead, she pasted a smile on her face and looked up at him.

"Hello, little one," said Toby in his silken honey-warm voice.

"Hi - Tobs." Rosie kept her eyes locked on Toby's, wondering how he would react to the obnoxious nickname. There was a flicker of something in his eyes, but it lasted only an instant before it was gone. Toby had immediately understood what she was trying to do. Internally, he felt a bubbling amusement. He could tell she wanted to provoke him. After all, hadn't she said that he was a fake? The girl was too easy to read - it was obvious that she wanted to bring things to a head. She wanted things out in the open for all to see. Well, there was no way he would indulge her.

Toby smiled playfully, though as always, Rosie could see the hint of mockery in his eyes. "What are you reading, sweet Rose?"

Rosie hoped her smile wasn't turning into a grimace. "Oh, I'm just reading up on curses."

Toby leaned down, presumably to get a better look at the book, but Rosie had a feeling that he just wanted to invade her personal space and make her uncomfortable. He examined the book and then turned his face to look at her. "Would you like me to help you with anything? I have extensive knowledge about curses."

Rosie wanted to scream 'No! Go Away you Big Fake.' Instead, she widened her eyes and her smile, and said, "Would you? That's so nice of you, Tobs! You're a true friend!"

The edge of Toby's lips twitched. "Anything for you, little one," he replied gallantly. And thus, she found herself having to endure more of Toby's company than she ever would have wished. Even though she wasn't looking at Marietta and Sarah, she could feel their death glares. As for Romulus who was sitting across from her, he was looking at her as though he thought she had suddenly lost all her wits.

Rosie had received the Crupcake by owl from Sirius on the second day of December. Being the consummate prankster that he was, he did not even question her request for the item. If anything, he seemed delighted that she was 'living up to the family name,' and he demanded that she tell him all about the results. When Rosie gave the Crupcake to Fred and George, and asked them how they planned to get Draco to eat it, they just gave her a mysterious smile, and refused to reveal anything.

Thus, one evening in the Great Hall, Rosie was unsurprised to see the heads of all the students turning towards the Slytherin table, and the sound of excited and confused chatter. The only question was, who would Draco-crup think was his owner? Before long, students were laughing and pointing as the blond Slytherin bounded around the Hall on all fours, barking excitedly. Draco-as-a-crup ran up to the muggle studies teacher, Professor Sheppard, and started pawing at the bewildered man, licking the side of is face. The Professor's expression was one of horror. It seemed the twins had a strong sense of irony.

As students picked up on what was happening, there were calls of "here boy!" "Come boy!" "I've got some treats for you!" The Gryffindors seemed especially thrilled to see what was happening, and they kept throwing food at the blond Slytherin, which he eagerly ate. Though it was amusing, Rosie also couldn't help but feel rather disturbed and guilty as well. The prank was dangerously similar to casting the imperius curse which took away the victim's free will. It was one thing to prank someone in good fun, but she knew that this experience wasn't fun for the Slytherin boy.

She found herself regretting giving the Crupcake to the Weasley twins. While she could understand their desire for revenge, it was surprisingly painful to witness a person's utter humiliation. The prank had sounded funny in theory, but the reality of it was worse than she expected. Through her link with Harry, she could tell that he wasn't happy as well. Though most of the other Gryffindors were delighted, Harry looked troubled.

The other Slytherins were watching Draco in shock and dismay. Professor Snape had stood up, and called out: "Enough!" which frightened some of the students, but was largely ignored by the Gryffindors, who felt that the Slytherins were getting their just desserts. Professor Snape circled the High Table, and took Draco by the arm, awkwardly pulling the boy away. Draco-as-a-crup looked uncomfortable trying to walk on two feet, and kept attempting to bend down on all fours. Several of the Slytherins followed behind, concerned for their friend and housemate.

When Draco and Professor Snape had left the room, many of the students were chattering with gleeful excitement. The teachers at the High Table were attempting to calm the students down, but they were largely ignored. When Rosie looked over at the Weasley twins, there was a glitter of vindication in their eyes, and she was thankful that they weren't do anything to draw attention to themselves.

Eventually, the students in the Great Hall settled down. Many of the students seemed more cheerful and happy, but the Slytherins seemed more guarded and isolated than ever. It left Rosie wondering whether the Crupcake prank had just increased hostility between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors. She suddenly wondered what she had been thinking when she suggested the idea to the Weasley twins. Evidently, she hadn't been thinking at all.

Though there were no major pranks since the Crupcake incident, there was an increase in fighting and attacks in the halls. Jinxes and hexes were casted with complete disregard to the school rules, and many innocent students were caught in the crossfire. Of course, the antagonism was the most intense between Gryffindors and Slytherins, but a large number of other students were involved. The day after the Crupcake prank had been the worst - several students ended up in the hospital wing, and even though it wasn't a day that Rosie usually went in to the infirmary to study, she had volunteered to help Madam Pomfrey. The punishments doled out to the students had been severe, and since then, the hex war (as the students called it) continued, with the same fierce determination, but the jinxes and hexes thrown were no longer as damaging. The students still wanted to maintain their conflict, but now it was a matter of pride, rather than actual harm.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Mathilda Travers couldn't help but think that this was not a good year to be a Slytherin. She was, of course, aware that the Slytherins had always stood apart from the other Houses in Hogwarts. She knew that many witches and wizards were suspicious of Slytherins, and that the House of Slytherin was often synonymous with Dark Wizards and Dark Magic. Nonetheless, it was the house of all her forebears, and it was a noble House to be in.

There were many things she liked about being a Slytherin. She liked the core value of solidarity and looking out for one another. She valued cleverness and cunning. She saw the value of being ambitious and trying to reach one's fullest potential. Yet there were things she didn't agree with as well. For one, she didn't believe that purebloods were superior to muggleborns - at least not in terms of skill and raw talent. Of course, being a pureblood had other advantages - she was proud of wizarding culture and traditions. She preferred the polished pureblood manners. She took pride in being able to trace her ancestors, almost to the time of Merlin. However, she had met far too many pureblood who were magically mediocre, and had met many talented and smart muggleborns and half-bloods.

That said, she was no muggle-lover either. She had no strong inclination to learn about muggle culture. She could easily believe that muggles were brutish and cruel - after all, muggles burned witches, didn't they? And she couldn't help but think that muggleborns and half-bloods should be willing to leave the muggle world behind, and cut all ties. It was difficult to imagine a world where muggles and magical beings lived together in peace.

So, in many ways Mathilda found that she could relate to the blood-traitors. Oh, she could never bring herself to marry a muggleborn wizard - that just felt like too much of a break from tradition - but she thought that half-bloods would be acceptable, and understood the idea of welcoming the muggleborns and half-bloods into wizarding society with open arms. After all, magic was magic. If muggleborns had magic (and better yet, if they renounced muggle society), then they should be welcome in the wizarding world. Mathilda was aware that most other Slytherins didn't share her perspective. Luthais was very tolerant of muggleborns and half-bloods but even he struggled to get past the bias of believing in pureblood superiority.

In many ways, Mathilda was an odd duck in the Slytherin House. Naturally, she knew better than to speak her views out loud. She didn't even dare voice her opinions to her own family. She had a perfectly healthy self-preservation instinct, and had no desire to be ostracized by the other Slytherins. It was this very self-preservation instinct that made her think that the recent events that had occurred were the height of foolishness.

She and her friend were fairly certain that the snake bite prank could be laid upon Draco's doorstep, and it would have been fine if they were the only ones to think so, but thanks to Draco's hubris and the belief that he was somehow untouchable as a Malfoy, it seemed as though most of the rest of the school blamed him for the prank as well. Wasn't this recently made as clear as glass when Draco was pranked into acting like an untrained crup? As much as Mathilda thought Draco deserved to be revenged upon, it was still humiliating to watch one of the Slytherins brought so low.

Mathilda thought back to that particular evening. It had been like any other supper in the Great Hall. She was sitting next to Luthais at the end of the Slytherin Table. Across from her was Astrid and her friends, and diagonal to her was Draco and his entourage. She had noticed that Astrid had brought a lovely looking chocolate cupcake to the table, and once the main course was finished, Astrid stood up and offered the cupcake to Draco. It had struck her as being a little strange at the time. Mathilda was aware that Astrid looked up to Draco, but Astrid also was a pureblood young lady. Usually, pureblood women expected to receive gifts from gentlemen, rather than giving them.

It was when Draco started eating the cupcake that the normalcy of the supper was completely shattered. In retrospect, Mathilda couldn't help but wonder what Draco was thinking, eating that cupcake so soon after the snake bite prank. He should have been on his guard, and should have been suspicious of everything, but it seemed that Draco was just too arrogant, and too certain of his father's power to think that anything could happen to him. Mathilda couldn't help but think of Professor Snape's speech about the Slytherin traits. Draco embodied so few of them.

Unfortunately for the Slytherins, since the rest of the school was aware that Slytherins were a tight knit group, by blaming Draco, the other Houses seemed to think it was fair to blame all of Slytherin. And because the Slytherins were in fact a tight knit group, by attacking Draco, it meant the battle lines had been drawn. Whether or not the Slytherins agreed with Draco's initial actions or not, they had to look out for their own, even if it meant that the conflict had turned into a full scale undercover hex war. Well, mostly undercover - there were a few students foolish enough to get caught by the teachers or by Filch. And in truth, the teachers at Hogwarts were extremely perceptive - there was no denying that they knew what was happening behind their backs.

And so, Mathilda found herself questioning being sorted into Slytherin House. As happy as she had been to be a Snake, she wasn't particularly pleased to be stuck with the likes of the Malfoy Heir. But she did like her Slytherin friends, and she liked the few students that she spoke to outside of the Slytherin House, such as Primrose Potter in Ravenclaw.

Since the snake bite and crup prank, the Slytherins (as well as the other Houses) had been furiously sending owls back and forth to their parents. The events were simply too dramatic to ignore, and so, it was no surprise when Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, had swept into Hogwarts' Entrance Hall the day after the crup prank, demanding the expulsion of the guilty students, as well as the removal of the headmaster for failing to protect his beloved Heir. The headmaster had ushered the senior Malfoy up to his office, and after a long discussion, Lucius had come back down, looking as furious as ever, since his wishes had undoubtedly been thwarted.

Mathilda knew that after the prank, the senior Malfoy had tried to pull his son out of Hogwarts and transfer him to the Durmstrang Institute instead. Durmstrang was certainly more open to the Dark Arts, and their rejection of muggleborn witches and wizards was a view that fell in line with many pureblood families. Curiously enough, Draco had refused to go. Despite his humiliation, there was the fire of revenge in his eyes. In the end, Lucius Malfoy had relented, and allowed his son to stay, promising to do his utmost to have Professor Dumbledore removed from his position.

It was early December, about a week after Draco had been pranked and humiliated in the Great Hall. Mathilda was in the Slytherin common room, working on her homework with Luthais and Harper Harris. She and her friends were sitting by one of the grand tapestries that depicted a Medieval Slytherin warlord riding the back of an Aethonan winged horse into war. Across the room, she could see Astrid Rowle with her friends Amphillis Burke and Casper Shettigar. Astrid's expression was somewhere between angry and hopelessly miserable. Since the day of the prank, Draco had been furious with Astrid. Once the effects of the prank wore off, Draco had immediately wanted to attack Astrid (which was shocking because one simply did not attack pureblood ladies). If not for Crabbe and Goyle holding Draco back (and who knew that they had the wits to do such a thing), then Astrid likely would have been hexed or even cursed. Draco undoubtable knew some very painful curses, but then again, many of the other Slytherins did as well.

Surprisingly, Astrid had cast aside her pride, and had begged and pleaded with Draco to forgive her. She claimed that she couldn't even remember what she did, and had no clue how it happened. Astrid was tearful and abject, and had promised to do anything in her power to make it up to Draco, but unfortunately for Astrid, Draco refused to forgive her. It seemed that Draco was the only one who failed to see Astrid's point of view. The rest of the Slytherins were aware of how much Astrid looked up to Draco. It was painfully obvious that Astrid practically saw Draco as some sort of demi-god. Thus, most of the Slytherin House was sympathetic towards Astrid and her plight. Sadly for Astrid, she really only cared about Draco's opinion, and Draco was determined to see the worse.

Draco was also in the common room that day, sitting by one of the windows that showed the bottom of the lake. Every so often, silvery fish would dart up to the window before swimming away. While many other students would have hid themselves away in their dorm after being humiliated, Draco was far too proud to slink off with his tail between his legs. He sat on the blackish-green leather sofa as though he owned the room. Curiously, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle weren't with him. Mathilda found herself wondering where the pair of second years were, when they suddenly entered the common room, trailing behind one of the third years who had opened the entryway.

Vincent and Gregory might not have been the brightest of students, but for some reason, they looked especially daft this afternoon. As they entered the passage into the common room, they were practically gawking as though they had never been in the common room before. They were followed by another second year, Millicent Bulstrode, who nudged them both rather aggressively with her elbow. Vincent and Gregory snapped their mouths shut, and looked around the room. Were they looking for Draco? It would have been odd if they were, since Draco almost always sat in the same spot.

Mathilda glanced at Luthais and Harper to see if they had noticed Vincent, Gregory, and Millicent's odd behavior. Harper was engrossed in finishing his charms essay, but Luthais was looking at the trio of second years curiously. Mathilda and Luthais shared a look before turning their attention back at the second years to see what they were up to. The rest of the students in the common room seemed content to ignore the second years. Most of the other Slytherins were rather eager to finish all their homework and assignments before the winter break.

Vincent and Gregory lumbered towards Draco, looking as though they expected to be pounced upon at any time. Their eyes were wide, and their gait was stiff. Millicent looked as though she were furiously whispering something to the pair of boys. That itself was rather odd - Millicent never seemed all that close to Draco and his friends. True, Millicent and Pansy Parkinson sometimes interacted with Draco, Vincent and Gregory. But in those cases, Pansy did most of the talking while Millicent would hang back.

Vincent and Gregory sat down across from Draco on a set of chairs, and Draco gave them his characteristic sneer. The Malfoy heir did not appear to notice anything unusual in their behaviour. As for Millicent, she was circling the room, observing the other students. Draco was speaking to Vincent and Gregory - or perhaps speaking wasn't the right word for it. From the looks of it, he was complaining about his mistreatment, and probably discussing the ways he would make the Gryffindors pay for what they had done. Gregory seemed to be asking Draco a question and Draco looked at him oddly, before shrugging and answering.

Mathilda looked over at Luthais again, and in his eyes were the same questions she was mentally asking herself: What was going on? Why were the second years behaving so oddly? Gregory seemed to ask Draco another question, and this time, Draco narrowed his eyes with suspicion. However, Vincent spoke up, and after a couple of seconds, Draco rolled his eyes, and answered the question. Mathilda scanned the room to see what Millicent was doing. She appeared to be speaking to Pansy Parkinson. Pansy was a bit of a gossip, so she was dominating the conversation while Millicent nodded. Based on Pansy's annoyed expression, Millicent was asking unpleasant questions.

Then, strangely, before the hour was up, Millicent cut short the conversation with Pansy, and stood a bit behind Draco's sofa, tilting her head with jerky movements towards the common room exit. When Vincent and Gregory spotted her, they shot up, startling Draco, and the trio of third years dashed out of the common room as though they had an angry Fire Crab nipping at their heels.

When they were gone, Mathilda turned towards Luthais. "What was that?"

"I have no clue," Luthais replied, as bewildered as she was.

"Should we - follow them?" Mathilda asked her friend.

Luthais considered the question. "No. We'll probably find out soon enough."


A/N: I appreciate the reviews. I don't really have any relationships planned. But there'll definitely be feelings discussed in the later chapter.