Natalie let Harry and Hermione put their Herbology gear in her office, draped over the back of a chair, to avoid the common room, really to avoid Neville and the others. Although, that last part never entered their conversation, but it loomed over their heads and was stained on their eyes.

At dinner time, as Natalie stepped out of her office, after them, and pulled the door shut behind her, they shared looks of mutual dread about going to the great hall. However, they had all skipped lunch and their stomachs growled, faintly.

Besides, how long could they really put off facing the other students and staff?

The crowd moved out of their way, leaving a narrow path, as Hermione, Natalie, and Harry headed down the marble staircase. Everyone gave them shocked or disapproving looks and they caught a few whispers about the three of them, Isaac, and Filch having been seen together.

They passed right by Malfoy, who darted his eyes, scornfully, from Hermione to Harry. Natalie had spotted him, from the top of the stairs, and realized who he was, before even seeing his face, by the shade of his hair. She felt like vomit was sliding back in her, as she thought, It's Lucius Malfoy's son!

Natalie went against her own fear and turned to lock eyes with him. He gave her an incredulous look, she knew, because he couldn't even comprehend why she would want to be around a muggleborn and Voldemort and the death eater's greatest enemy.

Hermione turned around, as soon as she noticed Malfoy was looking at Natalie, in time to see Harry step between Natalie and Malfoy, put his arms around Natalie's shoulder, and usher her down the stairs.

Hermione got on Natalie's other side, when they were at the bottom, and glanced over her shoulder. She whispered to Natalie, "That guy-"

"Draco Malfoy. He's Lucius Malfoy's son. I know." Natalie informed her, which left Harry and Hermione feeling a little dumb for not thinking she would.

"Have you met him before?" Hermione asked.

Natalie shook her head, "No, but I've met his dad and I've seen pictures of him."

Hermione shared a concerned look with Harry, then remembered to point out, "He's following us, I think."

Natalie looked slightly alarmed and asked her, "Are you sure? We're all going to the great hall-"

Harry glanced over his shoulder and added, "No, Hermione's right. He's looking right at you."

Hermione saw Natalie weigh her options, like a parent for their child, which made Hermione feel sick in her stomach and throat, and asked, nervously, "What are you thinking of doing?"

She turned to her, shrugged, and explained, "Well, I'll have to talk to him, eventually. I might as well do it now."

"You don't have too."

"Well, he'll probably just come over to all of us, if I don't go over to him."

Harry said, "We're used to him. We can handle whatever he does."

Natalie turned, as she laughed over something she had just recalled, and gave Hermione a half smile, "I know you definitely can."

As she left them, from midway down the Gryffindor table, on the side opposite Ron, who watched them, Hermione shared a stunned look with Harry. Then, they turned and watched Natalie walk over to Malfoy, who was now joined by Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Malfoy looked triumphant about getting her away from them, as he introduced himself, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Non-Slytherins passed by them, with should have known expressions that angered Harry and Hermione.

Ron, who was already sitting on the opposite side of the Gryffindor table, studied his friends' reactions and took a few glances at Natalie, Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle too.

Hermione suddenly snapped out of it and remembered nothing was really keeping her back but her own free will and she charged over, followed by Harry.

They heard Malfoy tell Natalie, "We've always considered Professor Snape as the best teacher here."

"He should really be running this school." Pansy insisted.

"He'd be much better than Dumbledore, I'm sure," Malfoy remarked.

"I like Professor Dumbledore." Natalie admitted, as Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle noticed Hermione and Harry had come over.

Hermione put her hand on Natalie's shoulder and told Malfoy, "I like him too."

"So do I." Harry admitted.

Hermione added, matter-of-factly, "Most people realize he's the best headmaster Hogwarts has ever had."

"I wasn't talking to you, Granger." Malfoy turned to Harry, "Or you, Potter."

Harry was going to respond, but he, Natalie, and Hermione noticed an angry, anguished look in Malfoy's eyes.

They all jumped, when Malfoy's wand was disarmed out of his pocket, just as he was about to grab it himself. It flipped, repeatedly, over to Isaac, who was standing, with Filch, in the doorway.

The room fell silent and everyone looked from Harry, Natalie, Hermione, Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle to Isaac, who had caught Malfoy's wand with ease and showed no signs of alarm. It was enough to make Filch and Natalie completely forget about why Isaac had to constantly wear long sleeves.

Lupin stumbled as he left his seat, at the teacher's table, but grabbed the table to stop himself from falling. He sprinted ahead of Dumbledore and McGonagall and got in front of Harry, Natalie, and Hermione. Isaac and Filch reached them, at the same time, and Lupin gave Isaac a thankful look that Isaac responded to with a short nod.

Dumbledore reached them, shortly after, with McGonagall, and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, gave him a concerned, apologetic look, and then scolded Malfoy, "Hogwarts is not a place for attacking your fellow students, Mr. Malfoy." He raised his palm, just as Malfoy was about to speak, "Don't say anything here. You and your friends can explain yourselves in my office. Dumbledore locked eyes with Harry a moment, before he told him, Natalie, and Hermione, "I'll need you three to come too." He swept his eyes over Filch, Isaac, and Lupin to let them know they also had to come. Then, he held his hand out and told Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle, "Give me your wands."

Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle turned to Malfoy, expecting him to protest, but he just stared at them, sulkily.

Pansy was the most surprised and, when she turned away from him, she told Dumbledore, "Draco didn't do anything-"

Dumbledore was about to respond, but Malfoy beat him to it, quietly, "Just give him your wand, Pansy."

Pansy widened her eyes and met his, which looked so defeated, that she couldn't make herself argue with him. She scowled at Dumbledore, but handed over her wand, like Crabbe and Goyle.

As Dumbledore, who just remembered to wave his wand to get the food to show up, led them out, Harry and Hermione looked back at Ron, but McGonagall ushered them forward. Harry wondered, to himself, why it never got easier, being stared at by the students and staff.

When they were gone, far enough for people to feel free enough to whisper, Ron turned and shared a concerned look with Hagrid.

Five people down from Ron, Neville stopped looking at the door and turned to Ginny, who suggested, "Maybe, Mr. Snape isn't so bad. He did just stop Malfoy. So I… Well…"

Neville nodded, hesitantly, "Yeah," and then Ginny watched him sweep his eyes over other students and various parts of the room.

Ginny looked over at the Hufflepuff table and saw that Justin, Ernie, Hannah, and Susan had been watching them. The five of them exchanged helpless looks.

Across from where Ginny and Neville were sitting, eight people down, Fred confessed to George, Lee, and Dean and Seamus, who were across from them, "I just can't figure out how he saw Malfoy about to attack Harry."

Lee pointed out, "Yeah, he was all the way at the door and it's not like he would have had a clear view of them, with everyone moving around."

Seamus asked, "Do you think he put some charm on his eyes, to give himself better eye sight?"

"Could be." said Fred.

George told them, "Yeah, well, at any rate, we'll have to watch ourselves, around him. I know he saved Potter and Granger, but who knows how unlike or like his brother he'll be. With eyes like that, how are we supposed to get away with anything?"

The others nodded, all except Dean, who was staring past the Hufflepuff table, at the Ravenclaw one, at Luna, who swept her eyes over her fellow Ravenclaws, as they chatted about what had just happened.

Dean got up, absently, and heard Seamus ask, in confusion, "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back." Dean told him, eyes still on Luna.

Seamus exchanged confused looks with the other boys, before he asked Dean, "But where are you going?"

"I'll be right back." Dean told him again, as he started walking.

His friends watched him walk towards the head table, where Hagrid was telling Professor Flitwick and Madame Pince, "I always thought Isaac was a good boy, when he was a student. Maybe, this will earn 'im a better reputation."

Dean's friends were more confused as he walked right by the teachers' table and the Hufflepuff one. Seamus took a glance at the Slytherins, who were all outraged, and asked, a little nervously, "What is he going to do?"

But Dean didn't go over to the Slytherins, he sat beside Luna and commented, with a half-smile, "Hi, Luna. That was pretty interesting, wasn't it? Fantastic, even."

Luna told him, "Hello, Dean. Yes, that was something. I wonder if all the people who aren't Slytherins will start trusting him, now. I'm not really sure how I feel about him, now, but it was nice what he did for Harry and Hermione, and his niece."

Dean nodded, "Yeah. I'm not really sure if I can like him either. He is Snape's brother."

Luna theorized, reflectively, "Which is why people won't change their minds about liking him, except," she glanced at the Slytherins, "maybe, the Slytherins. I wonder if that would affect Professor Snape."

Dean considered it a moment, but Luna misunderstood what he was doing and offered, "You can eat some of our food, while you're here."

Dean looked up, "Oh, I— Er, thanks, Luna.

As he reached for the chicken, so did Luna, who pulled her hand back, "You can get some first."

Dean said, "No, er, ladies first, isn't it?"

Luna smiled and mused, as she took a drumstick, "I guess chivalry isn't dead."

"Er, no," Dean told her. "I mean my mum and dad, before he got killed-"

Luna turned to him, as she put the drumstick on her plate, quickly, "I didn't know your dad was killed."

"Most people don't." He confessed, as he took a drumstick, himself, "I don't mention it much, but he got killed by a wannabe death eater, when I was seven."

"Oh," Luna nodded. She offered, "If you ever want to talk about it-"

He looked her right in the eyes, "Thanks."

They were both surprised and unsure about where to go from there.

Dean took a bite of his chicken, and, after he chewed it, motioned his fork to it, "It's really good today."

Then, Luna took a bite and nodded.

Over at the Gryffindor table, Fred shared with Seamus, "Lee, George, and myself saw them talking earlier, but we didn't think anything of it."

George pointed out, "Well, we were a bit too preoccupied with trying to figure out why Potter and Granger were with Snape's lackeys and Filch."

"He basically counts as a lackey too." Lee decided.

Seamus glanced at Luna, "Well, Lovegood's not bad looking, but she's so…"

"Unique?" Fred suggested, comically.

Seamus grinned, with the others, "That's a way of putting it."

Dumbledore stood in front of his desk, with McGonagall by his side. The pair of them made Harry and the other non-Slytherins think of a king and queen.

The Slytherins were standing in front of Dumbledore and McGonagall, had declined food and milk or water, while Harry, Natalie, and Hermione ate their chicken together on a dark red couch. Filch, Isaac, and Lupin were on the other side of Dumbledore's desk, seated on the other couch, as they ate their dinners.

Isaac hadn't touched his food yet, because he was too busy explaining, "I couldn't actually hear the conversation, but I saw Mr. Malfoy reach for his wand, so I immediately disarmed him."

Dumbledore looked over at Filch, who, because his mouth was full, nodded.

Then, Dumbledore turned to Natalie, "After you're done chewing, would you tell us what the conversation was about?"

Natalie nodded and chewed her chicken quickly, wiped her mouth with a napkin, then said, "Draco told me he and his friends always thought my uncle Severus was the best teacher here and," Natalie gave Dumbledore an apologetic look, "then Pansy said that my Uncle Severus should be headmaster and she and Draco agreed that he would make a better one then you, but I told them that I like you and so did Hermione and Harry." She locked eyes with Hermione a moment, before she added, "And Hermione said that most people realize you're the best headmaster this school has ever had, which you are-"

Dumbledore smiled, "Calm down, Natalie. You don't have to praise me." With a reflective twitch of his eyebrows, he added, "I'm not worthy of it, really."

"Yes, you are." Isaac decided, in a way that made Dumbledore give him an understanding look.

Harry, as he recalled the part of the memories that involved Dumbledore, finished chewing and added, "Yeah,"

Dumbledore turned to him, surprised, but with a hint of a smile on the corners of his lips and a light in his eyes, like he used to have, when he looked at Harry, before last year.

McGonagall, reluctantly, interrupted, "Albus…"

He turned to her, remembered the task at hand, nodded, and then turned to Natalie, "After that, what happened?"

Natalie recounted, "Well, Draco told Hermione and Harry he wasn't talking to them and after he told Harry that, he, Draco, looked angry and sad, well," she looked right at Malfoy, "obviously because Harry was there when your dad got caught."

Malfoy scowled at her, but she didn't look scared, just that she felt bad for him.

Dumbledore turned to Malfoy, sympathetically, "Mr. Malfoy-"

"I don't need you to feel sorry for me!" Malfoy barked.

Dumbledore didn't change his expression and insisted, "You're hurting and it's perfectly understandable, although it doesn't excuse your attempted attack on your fellow classmates and Natalie. I think you know you need-"

"I don't need anything!" Malfoy's fists were clenched at his side and he was shaking. "I don't need anyone!" That stung for Pansy the most, as well as Crabbe and Goyle. "And I especially don't need you or this school! You're just going to expel me from it! So just do it!" He loosened his fists and added, in a quieter voice, "Just don't expel my friends. They weren't going to do anything."

The way he had requested it, was so much like begging that even Dumbledore was speechless. Harry had to admit that, if he hadn't have known Malfoy, he would have admired the way he tried to save his friends.

"I was never going to expel you, any of you." Dumbledore confessed, so compassionately that Malfoy had to avert his eyes. Dumbledore exchanged a sad look with McGonagall, then he added, "But I'll have to suspend you until November. You'll be given your school work every day, so you won't have to worry about falling behind."

The Slytherins nodded and then just stared at him, blankly.

Dumbledore told them, "The other professors, Mr. Snape, Mr. Filch and I will escort you to your dorms for you to pack your things and then, if you want to say goodbye to anyone, you can." He added to Harry, Natalie, and Hermione, "You three may return to the great hall. As difficult as it may feel, I suggest you go face the students and staff now."

The three of them looked to each other and then nodded at Dumbledore, who, as well as McGonagall, gave them a little, sympathetic smile.

As they got up and headed for the door, Harry, Natalie, and Hermione swept their eyes over the Slytherins, who avoided eye contact with anyone. It was like the moment where you figure out you ate something that wasn't ripe enough.

The three of them ran down the stairs, like they couldn't escape the sound of Dumbledore explaining how Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle would be escorted beyond Hogwarts to the point where he, McGonagall, Lupin, Isaac, and Filch would apparate to their houses with them.

After they were in the hall and the stairs started to disappear, Harry confessed, with a heavy pang in his chest, "I never thought of Malfoy as a person before. I mean…" He looked away and admitted, "I never felt anything more than hatred for him before."

Natalie watched Harry being attacked by his own thoughts. She pressed her lips together, hesitant to speak. She looked at Hermione, who gave her a curious look.

Then, Natalie told Harry, "He might have turned out the same, even if you had accepted being his friend."

Harry looked at her, surprised.

Hermione looked at both of them, "What are you two talking about?"

Harry explained, "Our first train ride, Malfoy came into Ron and I's compartment and told me he could help me figure out the right people to be around and, well, that basically meant we would be friends."

"Oh." Hermione added, "Why didn't you mention this before?"

Harry shrugged, "I never thought of it. I mean I never thought much of it, until now."

Hermione nodded, then said, "Come on, before," she looked up, "they come out." When Natalie and Harry followed her, Hermione asked Natalie, "Natalie, before, when you said you knew who Malfoy was—"

"And I said he's Lucius Malfoy's son." She explained, "It's just how I think of him and I was so nervous about having to talk to him I just didn't think. Like I said, I haven't actually met him, but I've met his dad and his mum once-"

Harry admitted, "I thought your families were close-"

"Not really." Natalie informed them, a little sickened by the idea of their families being close. She was silent for a moment, as she thought things over, then said, "My uncle Severus was in the same house as Draco's parents. Apparently, they were always trying to make him part of their gang."

"It's ok." Harry assured her.

"No, it's not!" Natalie insisted, desperately. Harry and Hermione were immediately taken aback and concerned over her outburst, which made Natalie close her eyes, regretfully.

Hermione reached out, but stopped short of holding Natalie's shoulder, "Natalie?"

"I'm sorry." Natalie told them, sulkily.

"You don't have to be sorry." Harry and Hermione insisted together.

Natalie smiled a little, but lost it almost the second after. She glanced at both of them, hesitantly, like the adults did before they shared something as big as Sirius being Harry's godfather.

She confessed, "Well, you know why it's a good idea for my uncle to be," she added, in mild disgust, "friendly with Lucius Malfoy and his family too, but, Voldemort and the death eaters, they know what the rest of my family is like." She grimaced, "But because I'm only a kid," she said it as if it was even hard for her to realize, "they think I might eventually…" She swallowed and then said, "They think I might eventually join them, like they think my uncle Severus has."

Hermione gasped, silently, and looked like she was going to be sick, while Harry felt like lumpy sludge was in his stomach and throat.

Harry impulsively promised Natalie, "I'll have defeated Voldemort, long before he would have asked you to become a death eater."

Natalie gave him a small, but thankful smile, "Thanks."

Harry smiled back in return, a moment before Hermione thought to ask, "Natalie, when you said you knew I could handle Malfoy-"

Natalie explained, as if it was obvious, with a smile, "Because you punched him, when you were third years."

"I didn't think Malfoy told-"

"He didn't." Natalie informed her, "My uncle Severus saw you." Harry and Hermione gave her incredulous looks, so she told them, happily, "He didn't think it was right, how Malfoy and his father were getting Buckbeak, I mean," she grinned, "Witherwings, killed."

Harry and Hermione felt smiles tug at their lips and Harry confessed, "I never figured Professor Snape as being an animal lover. Not that I thought he'd ever hurt an animal, but I didn't expect him to be so concerned about Buckbeak."

Natalie nodded.

Hermione looked away, as she giggled. She turned back to them and admitted, "I can't believe he didn't do anything about me punching Malfoy."

Harry agreed wordlessly, while Natalie gave Hermione a look that revealed she had just figured out Hermione had a crush on Snape. Hermione understood and smiled, mouth clamped shut, awkwardly.

Harry changed the subject, unaware of the girls communication, reflectively, "I wonder if things will change for your uncle Isaac. He did just save me and probably the two of you."

Hermione stopped smiling and insisted, "Everyone should think better of him now."

The three of them exchanged somber looks.