Harry sat down luxuriously on the rarely-used couch in the Slytherin common room. Most Slytherins immediately retreated to their separate rooms to go about with whatever they happened to be doing, and many non-purebloods took the chance to stay in the common room without being disturbed. The purebloods were heavily outnumbered, for that reason, but still commanded control in the room. Harry'd not had a chance to observe this yet; yesterday night, he and Draco had escaped to Harry's dorm room and Harry had explained away a few things under the title of 'personal project', which was technically true of the marauder's map. He'd discovered the object's existence through some chats with the Hogwarts ghosts and was eager to make a map of his own.

He sighed at his book and peered over it at the students in the common room. Many were muggleborns, sharing information and making plans to escape the tricks of the other Slytherin purebloods. In fact, the only other pureblood in the room at the time was Draco.

Draco had a strange reputation among the Slytherins. Being the main contest to Harry got him fame, and he was known to have a sense of humour and mostly ignore the remainder of the student body outside of Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson and Zabini. This was probably why the muggleborn and halfblood Slytherins felt comfortable discussing their plans around him.

Harry, himself, was under a light disillusionment charm; after all, he'd worried that the common room would be much more dangerous than this. Regardless he kept it up; he didn't know if anything would happen.

Carla, Harry was glad to see, had quickly been adopted into the ranks of the muggleborns and halfbloods. She was currently practicing some detection charms with one of the older students, and making quick headway.

Draco sat down next to Harry with his own book and began reading, ignoring Harry completely. This went on for fifteen minutes until a boy approached them and leaned over the couch.

"Resorting to books without Potter around, Malfoy?" He asked, not unkindly.

Draco huffed. "None of your business, Delcund." He turned a page.

'Delcund' shrugged. "I don't know. You seem pretty tame at the moment. Following Durst around?"

"Of course not," Draco objected. "Durst is following me."

"I don't think we follow anyone, Draco dear," Harry quipped, stretching. "Delcund, was it? Nice to meet you."

Draco stared incredulously at Harry as he nodded politely at Delcund, who nodded dubiously back. "Er... nice to meet you," he replied, before backing off entirely.

"Disillusionment charms? What for?" Draco asked, finally snapping out of his daze.

Harry shrugged. "Wanted to read unobstructed."

Draco accepted that and went back to his own book for another few blissful minutes, until at last Harry noticed something was off. The door creaked open silently to let in a student who bustled by, but the door remained open for a while longer before creaking shut again. Harry got up and sat on the end of the couch, watching the empty space over the top of his book.

He saw a sliver of robes from nowhere, and caught sight of the shimmering material of the invisibility cloak as it disappeared again. Harry tapped Draco's shoulder and got his attention.

"Someone's infiltrated, there's something invisible in here," Harry murmured into Draco's ear. "Be on high alert, don't say anything." Draco nodded quietly and returned to his book, although Harry could see his attention was now around the empty space.

With a flash, Harry suddenly turned, crying out, "Petrificus Totalus!" A thud resounded through the room as the students turned, Harry continuing by ripping some of the loose ropes from the Slytherin decorum and wrapping up the invisible person tightly, adding in a quiet silencio.

"I'll deal with the intruder," Harry announced. He cast another spell and continued, "Someone shut the door, there aren't any others. I'll deal with this one." He lifted the invisible package over one shoulder and walked up the steps to his room.

Dropping it, he took off the ropes and murmured 'finite', hearing the soft, shuddery breaths of one bushy-haired Gryffindor as he pulled away the cloak and the remaining spells. She peered up at him fearfully for a few seconds before finally saying, "Ari."

"That's Durst to you, Miss Granger," he replied softly, tossing the cloak onto his bed. "Now. Please tell me what you were doing sneaking into the Slytherin common room."

Hermione got to her feet quickly and responded, "I had some suspicions. About Harry." Harry rolled his eyes.

"I see," he replied, frowning. "what exactly were those suspicions, then?"

She looked shifty. "Harry doesn't have a great track record with the students in this house," she began, "so I figured they might attack him or trap him here, which would be why we haven't heard from him at all." Harry paused for a moment to feel bad, but shook it off.

"I can assure you that no one in Slytherin house has done that, even if we do have some evil little buggers in this place," he told her calmly, shuffling quietly closer to the door in case she attempt an escape. "I would know."

"Then what happened to him?" She retorted, glaring at him. "It's the only explanation I can act on! He could very well be... dead and you don't even care!" she let out a choked sob and began breathing heavily.

"Calm yourself, miss Granger, panicking does nothing to help anybody," Harry said, pulling his wand and hovering over a calming draught he'd pinched from Snape earlier that day. All the Slytherins did it, apparently. "here, calming draught. It's up to you whether you take it, but I don't have time for emotional females," he said with a firm nod, handing it to her. She eyed it dubiously, but eventually took it, taking a deep breath and finally giving Harry a tentative smile as it took effect.

"What should I do?" She asked simply, sitting down on a seat he'd placed in the room. "Sorry I bothered you, it just... seemed logical at the time. Harry doesn't have that many enemies other than You-Know-Who and I'm just a student, I can't do much of anything."

Harry sat down next to her and waited for a moment before he answered. "The Potter vault," he said at last, "was accessed just before the school year began."

Hermione looked up suddenly, peering at his face in confusion. "How would you know?"

"I'm a good friend of the Goblins," he said simply, smirking. "It helps to have a good relationship with them, miss Granger. They are very smart, and fiercely protective of their allies and those who benefit them most. They informed me of such upon questioning."

"Why do you care?" She asked bluntly, her suspicion showing in her defensive stance.

"Why should I not?" he shot back.

Hermione frowned. "Because you're not his friend!"

"Ah, but what if I was his distant family? Which I am?" He informed her.

Hermione swallowed visibly. "You're Harry's family?" She inquired. "But... I thought he said he had no family left. And that his family was known for being in Gryffindor."

Harry nodded. "Durst family members are expected to be Slytherins. You may not know this, but blood has a heavy influence on who gets into Slytherin. The hat is kind enough to place some students here for their protection." He paused to shift his stance. "I am reminded strongly of the case of one mister Sirius Black, who was named traitor to his family and disinherited in favour of his younger brother upon entrance into the house of Gryffindor. We can see how well he turned out." Hermione shuddered and nodded quietly, accepting that.

Getting up, Harry took the cloak in his hands. "Now, as heir to the Durst family," he continued, "it is my responsibility to watch over Potter's vaults as well, in his absence. Until recently it was under the..." he twitched, "...watchful eye of one Albus Dumbledore, and I have a right to put this where it belongs, considering it never should have left the vaults. Thank you ever so much for returning it, miss Granger." He sent her a wicked smile as she hung her head in defeat. He placed it in his trunk quickly and led her back out of the room.

Draco eyed Hermione warily as she left with Harry, deciding to lead her out so that nobody would touch her. Draco got up and followed him as they left, closing the door behind them.

"Now, since I'm not cruel," Harry said with a smirk, "and since you've returned that valuable property, I'll let you off the revenge you would have faced from Slytherin house. However, I'm sure you agree as such a rule-stickler that it is far too late for any of us to be outside the dorms," he continued, and a shudder of dread went visibly through Hermione's body.

"We'll give you five minutes to get from here to the Gryffindor common room," Harry told her seriously, "before we alert our darling Mrs Norris of you, and I'm certain she'll take exquisite pleasure in outing you to Mr Filch. Go." Hermione wasted no time, hightailing it towards the Gryffindor rooms and never looking back.

"How would you out her to Norris or Filch without getting caught yourself?" Draco inquired as they went back in.

"Simple," Harry replied, holding up Hermione's tie, which he'd managed to pinch off of her when she'd left his dorm room. "Place this in the hall. Mrs Norris, as far as I've heard, likes to patrol the doors to the common rooms. She'd find it quickly, I assume." Draco let out a low whistle.

"Impressive," He commented, picking up his book. Harry shot him a smile and took his own book, about to leave when Draco followed him.

"So, what else did you get from the mu-" he cleared his throat. "er, muggleborn?"

Harry smiled. "A very rare artifact she borrowed from our dear friend mister Potter, it seems. How else did she manage invisibility?"

Draco got an evil glint in his eye. "It grants invisibility?"

"I believe that's the cloak's namesake," Harry agreed, going to his trunk and pulling it out. "Try it on, it's brilliant." He handed it off to Draco, who slung it over his shoulders and glanced into the mirror, his disembodied head grinning like a loon.

Privately, Harry smiled to himself. He was glad to have it back.

It was only a day later that Harry decided it was time to do some research. He knew, now, that Dumbledore was not to be trusted; how he'd come to think the man was alright alarmed him. It seemed so obvious now; heck, he had proof from age nine, when Galldaxe had discovered him and found his aunt and uncle's funds being redirected elsewhere. A short inquiry, and indeed, it was the beloved headmaster who had reclaimed those very funds. Harry wondered why Dumbledore needed the money; after all, he held so many positions. They all earned him a decent fortune. Where did Harry's money go? Was Dumbledore using it for nefarious purposes?

After mulling over what to do next, he'd finally settled on writing a few letters to his goblin peers. They had access to some of the rarest books in existence; surely their knowledge would be able to help him.

Which reminded him, he needed a book from the restricted section. He knew last time he'd been refused and had nearly been caught, but the book he wanted to read in particular was opened with Parseltongue. He knew because the magic he needed was linked to Parseltongue as well; there was no doubt in his mind. For once, he was glad Slytherins didn't shun him for reading; Merlin knows the Gryffindors would have been after him to party at this point.

The spell he wanted - no, enchantment - was a particularly rare and complicated spell, but he was sure he'd manage it. After all, half the reason nobody had used it in so long was because it needed a Parseltongue to be used.

He finished his letter and sealed it delicately, breaking away from his musings when he heard a sharp tap tap tap on the door.

"Ari? It's me," Carla's voice said through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Enter," Harry grumbled half-heartedly, rereading his letter before giving it a firm nod and placing it on his desk as Carla opened the door and walked in, shutting it as quietly as she could behind her. They quivered in a nervous silence for a bit until Harry continued, "Can I help you, Carla?"

"I do have some questions," she nodded, breathing out a near-silent sigh of relief. "I... about Death... Death Eaters." She shuddered. "And You-Know-Who. They stopped talking when that invisible person infiltrated the common room, and they said we had to be careful, but I... I can't wait for this information, it's too important-"

"Calm yourself. I'll give you a basic rundown on where things stand," Harry said agreeably, waving his hand at the seats still set up in his room from when Hermione had visited.

She sat down with a thankful nod, and gulping deeply, she waited for Harry to begin.

Instead, he snapped, and said, "Tea, please, steamed Asphodel." Instantly a small house-elf came to his side and summoned the green tea, placing it on the table between them.

"Thank you," Harry said quietly, with a nod, and the House Elf glowed with pride before popping off to another part of the castle.

"What was that?" Carla inquired, before retreating into her seat again and covering her mouth.

Harry smirked at the shy display, though privately he figured that he'd done that once or twice in his life. "A House-Elf. They take care of the school and its students. You would be wise to befriend them; they, despite the cruel treatment they get from most wizards, are some of the wisest and most powerful creatures in existence. They are immune to many spells, but must be bound to a cause - usually a family or individual - to survive, and must serve said cause without question. It's... often disturbing at first, for muggleborns." He explained. "Do not worry for their rights or health; I assure you that the Hogwarts elves are some of the happiest on the planet, and are treated with utmost respect." Carla slowly relaxed, though her thoughts obviously dwelled on the magical being for a bit longer.

"So, you wanted to know some recent history?" He started, after a brief silence. Carla nodded mutely, squirming in her seat. "Alright," Harry said amicably, "Well. I'll begin with the rise of Voldemort, I suppose. Drink your tea."

She picked up the cup and sipped it delicately, placing it down again a moment later and quietly hiding the burn on her tongue. Harry snapped. The burn was gone.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle," he began, "was the son of a misguided pureblooded woman, and final heir to Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders, and a muggle known as Mr. Riddle." He took a sip form his tea, taking a deep breath. "Mrs Riddle, as she became known, had used some potions to make Mr Riddle fall in love with her. Please remember this, Carla," He made sure he had her attention. "Never, and I repeat, Never have a child under the influence of love potions, or use love potions that last longer than a day. They are highly illegal, and furthermore, children conceived this way become damaged beyond repair." He shook his head. "It's a despicable thing to do, and it's what happened to the child, Tom Riddle."

Carla shuddered. "Right."

"Well, his mother foolishly believed that she could lift the potions one day, and Mr Riddle immediately left the family," He explained, stopping to stare into his tea. "leaving her heartbroken and poor. Without the funds to care for her unborn son, she gave birth to him at a muggle orphanage, dying in the process, where he stayed until he received his Hogwarts letter and thus began gathering followers." He paused to remember the story he'd read in the library, remembering the facts he'd gotten about Tom Riddle from Moaning Myrtle, who he'd struck up a tentative friendship with as Ari Durst. She was a good friend in the castle if you bothered to get to know her.

"He grew to be a very handsome young man, and an influential individual who tricked others into seeing things his way." He frowned. "Hating his muggle father for leaving him behind, he spurred on some rumours, and soon people were turning against the muggles, the small group growing the seeds of hate for non-magic folk. They began rumours, too, about why muggleborns had magic and some purebloods were born without, claiming muggles stole it from magicals." He shook his head. "A ridiculous notion, but some people believe it. Anyways, this created a sentiment for blood purity - for people to marry into the already small gene pool of those who had two magical parents. Inbreeding is the reason many purebloods today are magically weak." He smirked. "I seem to recall a few members of our own house having difficulty in class."

Carla gulped. "So... what did they do?"

"Well, Carla," he stirred his tea to concentrate and ignore the pit in his gut, "you've got to realize, these people who followed him already thought this way. There was already an anti-muggle sentiment in the community from the last Dark Lord. Well, Tom rearranged his name to read 'I am Lord Voldemort' and created his own little cult of muggle-hating blood purists, who then proceeded to use any means necessary to eradicate muggleborns and rule with an iron fist." He stopped stirring and stared at Carla for a few moments, probing her mind for emotions.

She was nervous, a bit terrified, and also concerned.

"You are right to be nervous," He continued, "because their influence continues, even if Voldemort is no longer alive... at least, not entirely. He lives on as a wraith, searching for vessels to carry him to his success, mostly muggles and his most loyal followers. He is not gone," He reiterated, "so I would advise you watch your back."

Carla nodded, contemplating something. Harry left her to brood as he finished his tea.

"You... do you believe him?" She inquired suddenly, recoiling again moments later.

"No." Harry said, allowing her a moment to sag in relief. "I do not believe in anyone, Carla, none but myself. However, should war break out again - and trust me, it will - I will, out of obligation, be fighting for the side of the 'Light'." He snorted. "Light my arse. They just want to be the heroes. Be on high alert, Carla, because the wizarding Britain isn't a nice place. The Ministry is incredibly corrupt, the leaders of our time denying the existence of a threat, the public placing all their hopes on one child in the foolish hope that they will never have to lift a finger, convinced that the Light cannot lose while he lives." He paused. "This boy is Harry Potter."

Carla nodded vigorously. "I hear of him a lot," she commented, pausing to sip her tea quickly before it got colder. "why do people think he's going to get Voldemort again?"

"Because they are fools, and because nobody bothers to study Divination properly," Harry explained bitterly, casting a hushed warming charm on Carla's tea. "I know it isn't right for me to say, but the idiots in the Ministry don't believe him every time he brings up the fact that Voldemort is returning, however slow his progress. Understand that when I say the Ministry is corrupt, I mean it. They take bribes, let criminals go free and prosecute innocents. Never, never get involved in the law if you know what's good for you. Stay on the straight and narrow if you want a shot at protecting yourself from judgement."

Carla stayed silent for a long time. Finally, she finished her tea, and said, "Today, a fifth-year approached me and told me to go to the Transfiguration classroom after dark, if I knew what was good for me," she shuddered. "When I told the Carrow twins, they told me not to go alone. They were scared that the student was a junior Death Eater."

Harry's throat was dry. He didn't know how well he could protect Carla if she went. And after dark? She'd have points taken off if she was discovered, not that he particularly cared. What could he do?

Think rationally, he chided himself, getting up and pacing. you need to find out if she'll be safe.

Finally, he laid eyes on his invisibility cloak, forgotten on his bedspread. He silently accio'd the artefact, going over to Carla.

"This," he explained, "is an invisibility cloak. I can't give it to you, since it's a family heirloom," he said calmly, "but I will lend it to you. I will join you, and together we will inspect the classroom, after which we will leave again and enter, with you leading the way." He pulled his wand and cast a quick Tempus. "When did he want you to go again?"

"Midnight," she said faintly, her breath strained. "Will... will you be alright? Associating with me? Aren't you a pureblood?"

"The Durst family is notoriously neutral," Harry said with a smirk. "Just because I chose to alleviate a friend's concerns, does not mean my reputation will suffer, Carla. I assure you that this isn't a problem for me; you were right to ask for my help." He paused. "Go back to your room. I'll join you at eleven forty-five."

She got up, and as she left, he added, "And Carla?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone about my cloak. It's rare enough that some students will be idiotic enough to attempt to steal it."

"Right."

Click.

The moment she left, Harry got to work, recalling his protection spells, as well as anything else he could do to protect Carla. He supposed that, if Carla's hunch over him being a death eater was correct, he'd need to damage them somehow, escape, and report. He wasn't stupid; it would be foolish to go in there unprotected, and even more foolish to try and take them on on his own. He needed something foolproof, some help, something to get Carla out of there safely in a worst-case scenario...

He decided they needed some sort of apparition, regardless of the wards. But how? It would be impossible to teach her apparition anyway, so that was pointless, but he didn't know if Floo worked outside of fireplaces or if portkeys could be made in a matter of hours. Groaning, he got up and sorted through the books in his special suitcase, trying to find a title that could help him.

Art of Apparition? Nope. Spells and Spam? No. Tales of Terrible Trips? No way in hell.

...The Magic of Snakes? Why was he even looking at this-

Wait.

Harry snapped, sorting his books out, and summoned forth the few that mentioned magic related to Parseltongue. Maybe there were some lost arts he could use to apparate in an emergency? One that the school wouldn't ward against, being such a specific skill? That was it, this was the one thing that might work. All he needed to do was find a book that could show him how!

Closing his suitcase again, he got up and grabbed his invisibility cloak, stuffing it into the bag he carried from class to class. Dashing out of the Slytherin common room, he walked for a few halls until he found an empty one, flung the cloak over himself, and cast silencio on himself before racing for the library. If he was lucky, someone would need to go into the restricted section. All he'd have to do was pull a Hermione and sneak in after them.

Creeping into the library, he waited by a corner near Madame Pince's desk, waiting for someone to ask permission to go into the restricted section. Fifteen minutes later, to his surprise, Draco walked in and began chatting quietly to Madame Pince.

Curious, Harry creeped closer and listened in.

"The usual, Madame Pince. Professor Snape has given me permission to do another search of the restricted section for... solutions." He shuddered. "You know."

"Yes, I do know," Pince said sympathetically. "Don't worry, Draco, go on in. If you're going to find any way to avoid taking the mark, it will be in there." She gestured to the door. "Good luck."

Draco nodded dubiously as Harry digested the information. Draco was trying to find a way to avoid taking the Dark Mark? He didn't want to follow Voldemort?

He bemoaned his cruel actions against Draco for just a few moments before following him into the restricted section.

Draco wasn't an organised searcher, or perhaps he simply didn't know where to look any more. Harry knew where he had to look, though; the bookcase near the back had books considered useless but potentially dangerous. He could search back there.

He quickly found a few titles in Parseltongue, much to his delight. Still under his cloak, he peered at the titles, reading the ones that he could tell were in Parseltongue.

Snakes and how to care for them, one title softly explained itself.

Origin of Snake Healing, another proclaimed proudly. It looked a bit more like a history book than one to learn healing itself.

Finally, he found one that fit his needs. Movement with the Snake Tongue, it was called, and he slowly, carefully, pulled it from the shelf. To be safe, he hissed, "I need to find a way to apparate. Forgive my intrusion."

Luckily, the book was not one of the ones that screamed whenever someone unauthorized picked it up, and he quickly skipped to the teleportation portion. It was rather simple; He needed to make some marked runes to teleport to, but once he did he'd be able to freely go between them, regardless of wards. If he was quick, he could use some common stones and teleport whenever he pleased.

Noting down the incantations and what he needed, he put the book back. He wasn't risking the castle telling Madame Pince he had the book. He was about to leave, but his curiosity over Draco stopped him, as the blonde was flipping through a book in the section, scowling.

Harry hovered near his shoulder, watching as Draco stopped at one of the pages. "No," Draco muttered, "That won't work, I don't know where I'd ever get those ingredients." He sighed in exasperation and put the book back. A suddenly hopeful look crossed his face, and he dashed to the shelves where Harry had been.

He skipped the Parseltongue books, and finally found one that met his criteria. He skimmed it quickly, made a noncommittal noise, and began storming towards the door. Harry followed quickly, not wanting to be left behind in the restricted section, and quickly headed for his dorm room. He'd need to be quick if he wanted this to work.

Harry had been working for two hours straight when he finally managed to apparate within Hogwarts grounds. It was very interesting; while the initial incantation and the runes on the stones were in Parseltongue, the keyword for teleporting was chosen, and so he chose the word 'Moon' for it. He figured, after all, that he might move the location stone later, so there was no point giving it a location-based keyword.

He put it in the bed next to his in the dorm room, quietly hiding it under the covers in the center of the bed. Satisfied, he began practice, rubbing the keystone and saying 'Moon'; it promptly threw him into the bed, the other stone under his feet. He repeated this a few times, and grinning at the possibilities, he put the keystone in his pocket.

A few minutes later, Carla knocked on the door quietly, and Harry slipped out before shutting it silently behind them.

He flung the cloak over her, and then shuffled underneath it with her, creeping along to the door and wincing as it creaked in opening. They made quick work, dashing to the classroom, and got there five minutes beforehand.

"Stick close to me," Harry told her, gripping her hand. He felt her ragged breaths on his shoulder as they snuck in through the door, peering at the students in the abandoned Transfigurations classroom. Something occurred to him, and he continued, "Please do not be alarmed; I'm going to mask my identity quick." She nodded numbly, and Harry quickly morphed his face and features into a plain and unremarkable face, brown eyes and brown hair being accented by skin a shade darker. Smirking as he made himself just an inch taller, he paused, then turned to Carla.

"I'll follow you in in the cloak," he explained. "Please be wary while entering, and do not look at me, no matter what. I'll be there, I promise." Carla nodded fearfully and steeled herself before leaving the cloak and walking up to the door.

She reached out to the doorknob, frowned, and instead knocked on the frame, waiting patiently. The door swung open silently and Harry walked past her silently, edging into the corner of the room, where at least four fifth-years stood, staring down at her with some sort of amusement as they stood over a potion, a first-year Slytherin boy sitting on a desk nearby, shivering ever so slightly.

"What do you want?" She asked quietly, eyes darting around as she tried to keep an eye of them. The door slammed shut behind her, and she whirled around in shock before turning again, not wanting to turn her back on the perpetrators.

"You should've stayed in your common room, mudblood," a Hufflepuff girl remarked dryly. "if you had, you'd not be part of this. Well, we'd actually go after you, but at least this way we can use you without attracting attention."

A Slytherin boy which she seemed to recognize walked up to her. "Remember me?" he said smoothly, smirking. "Of course you don't. You mudbloods don't remember anything... like your place." He grabbed her wrist roughly and dragged her over to the bubbling potion.

"What are you doing to me?" she asked, keeping her voice level as she could. Harry snuck forward; soon he'd have to mark these people and run.

"Well, we need someone to torture to get into the ranks," Another boy said freely, not even flinching at the idea. "It's about time you get to experience the cruciatus. You know what that is, at least, right?" He snickered. "of course you don't. You're just a mudblood."

Harry had enough. He reached for his wand and kicked the potion over, knocking it down. The Hufflepuff girl screeched and hopped away, her foot eroding away in some sickly torture method. Harry winced at what the liquid would have done to her innards, had they made Carla drink it, but ignored that and quickly cast some parseltongue marking spells.

Angry red marks appeared where they were touched, turned into little red snakes and slithered into obvious places; places like their cheeks and forehead, the backs of their hands and their left arms, where he bet some had dark marks. He raced over to Carla, grabbed her hand, and cried, "Moon!"

There was a snapping sound, like a bear trap crashing down on thin air, and the two of them were in Harry's room. He tossed the invisibility cloak at Carla, snapped and called out, "Dixie!"

"Yes, master Durst?" she cried, popping into existence at his side, a bit tired but ready to work.

"Get a teacher, any teacher, and take them as quickly as possible to the transfigurations classroom," he announced. "Also - beware those with red snakes upon their body." She nodded quickly and popped away, as fast as she had come.

"Ari?" Carla asked fearfully.

"Good on you asking for my help," Harry said solemnly. "Those were junior death eaters, I'm sure. Do not leave the Slytherin common room alone after this, understand?"

She nodded quickly, and in a sudden burst of thankfulness she hugged him.

Not really knowing how to react, he merely took it, placing a hand around her shoulder.

A/N: Woo! Finally done!

If you're curious, there will definitely be more Draco next time. The whole 'doesn't want to be a death eater' thing will be explained later.

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed - it means a lot to me to know that people enjoy this story enough to give it the attention I honestly thought it would never get! Regardless of the overwhelming response, every review means a lot to me, so don't hesitate to send one in, even if there's only one word to be read!

Til next time!