I apologize for the length between my chapter uploads. It is Christmas time, and my place of employment goes crazy around these sorts of times, so I have been working more. I want to ask some questions of you guys: Do you like chapters that are longer, or shorter? My last Chapter (Potions, Transfigurations, and Flying) was over 4000 words, and this one is over 5000. Is that too long? Also; what sort of plot conflicts would you all like to see, keep in mind everyone is around 11 yrs old at this time. I think by the way things are going, I am going to accelerate things and wrap up the first year in the next four or five chapters.

Give me opinions! I WILL take all suggestions into consideration. I pwomise. Also; to everyone who has read and followed, favorited, and even reviewed, I am so THANKFUL that you have taken the time to read my work. You are forever endeared to me. 3 much love.

I haven't done a disclaimer in a while so...not mine. I am just puppeting Rowling's idea babies.

Also; about a month has passed between this chapter and the last.

Also also; how big of a douchenozzle is Ron?

Neville wasn't as good at his studies as he would like to be. He didn't like to read, unless it was about plants. Neville loved plants. Herbology was his favorite subject. His parents understood, and encouraged him to work through the difficult things, and then reward himself with things he likes. If he does his Potions or Transfiguration homework early, for example, then he can stay up late reading about new botany discoveries, or researching about obscure and rare plants.

He didn't much involve his professors in his study troubles-Snape scared him something awful and McGonagall assigned enough to keep even the smart kids busy-but he sometimes felt like he just needed someone to explain it to him again. He loitered around the Library after dinner, because of this. If maybe he could catch the attention of an older student, and get their help...or even Madame Pince the Librarian-but she intimidated Neville too. She snapped at kids-especially the first years-for misbehaving and not handling the books right. Neville didn't want to get into trouble by her, so he tried not to talk to her unless he was trying to take a book out, even then, sometimes her glare caused him to stutter. She made him feel guilty without him even having done anything!

Harry and Ron never went with him to the library. Neville tried to impart the importance of studying and actually doing the work to them, but Harry was confident he always paid enough attention in class to get by, and Ron just didn't seem to care because Harry didn't seem to care. Either way, it wasn't Neville's business.

One person he had realized he should ask for help was Granger. She seemed to be in the library every spare second she had, even if it was only long enough to run in, locate a book, flip through it to a specific sentence, read it, and then leave. Neville had noticed her do this several times over the month they had been going to Hogwarts. She was sitting across from him at a study table, now. Well not directly across from him. They were seated at one of the longer study tables, and she was a few seats to his left. He bit his lip a little, as he tried to summon some courage he knew he had in him (he was in Gryffindor after all) and cleared his throat to get her attention. Her eyes scanning the page of her book paused, but she didn't look up. He cleared his throat again. She sat taller in her seat, set her jaw, and then kept reading. Neville drew in a deep breath and closed his parchment into his Potions book and then stood and walked all the way around the table to sit next to her. He started to perspire in his nervousness.

She didn't look up at first. Her nostrils flared faintly in frustration but she looked up at him, her eyes set in a hostile glare. She didn't like him, Neville knew, but it wasn't because of anything he did. Harry wasn't necessarily mean to her, but neither of the boys ever stopped Ron from his constant harassment. They tried talking to him when Granger wasn't around, but Ron never had a coherent reason for being so nasty to her. They just didn't understand it. Neville didn't think there was anything wrong with the girl-sure she was friends with Malfoy, but that wasn't THAT big of a deal. Yeah, one of Malfoy's relative's almost tortured his parents into insanity with one of the Unforgivable Curses, but she was stopped by the Order. Neville shuttered to just think of it, but Malfoy was their age. He hadn't been around when any of that was going on, nor could he do anything about it now. Malfoy was put into Ravenclaw, instead of Slytherin, so Neville believed he wasn't like those Death Eaters during that time-even if his father had been one. It also wasn't like the Malfoy manor was crawling with Death Eaters now either-most had been imprisoned in Azkaban, a majority of those had already received the Dementor's Kiss.

It wasn't like Neville was ever going to be an Auror like his father or mother either, he wasn't that kind of wizard.

Hermione looked at him expectantly. "I...I just had some questions about what Professor Snape wanted for our assignment in Potions today." Hermione actually looked surprised for a moment, before a small-very small-smile crossed her expression.

"Of course," she said, she opened his textbook to the ingredients they had gone over this week and immediately launched into a lecture about them almost as complicated as the one Snape gave them that morning. Granger used a lot of big words.

Whenever Neville had a question about something she said she would stop, grin, and then answer his question slower than she had been speaking. When Madame Pince suddenly arrived at their table, materializing from the books it seemed, she told them it was time to go back to their common room, because it was time for the library to close. They gathered their things and walked back to their common room, talking about Potions all the way.

In the Common room, Harry and Ron were going against each other in a game of Wizard Chess, a few other students were around the common room as well. Neville asked for some more help from the girl, but after Hermione caught sight of Ron's sneer, she excused herself and ran up the steps.

"Yeah, I'd want to hide if I had that face too!" Ron yelled after her.

"Mate..." Neville trailed off as he sank onto the couch with his work in his lap. "You don't have to be like that all the time. She never did anything to you."

"She's fraternizing with the enemy!" Ron's argued with a wide gesture of his hand.

"Since when is Ravenclaw, Gryffindor's enemy?" Neville asked him.

"Not Ravenclaw, you daft knob!" Ron yelled frustrated, not only because he was thinking about Malfoy, but because Harry had him in Check. "Malfoy is the enemy!" He turned his eyes away from Neville, who had that blank look on his face like always, and glared at the chess board. If he moved his king out of this particular check, Harry's side castle could still get him. Ron looked all about the board several times, trying to imagine each possible outcome.

"I don't really see what is wrong with Malfoy." Neville said, more to himself than to Ron, but Ron heard him, of course.

"Nothing wrong with him?!" Ron's face was a few shades darker than normal.

"That's not what I sai-" Neville began, but Ron cut him off.

"Have you forgotten how Bellatrix Lestrange, Malfoy's aunt tortured your parents?!"

"Of course not!" Neville jumped to his feet, a rare sure of anger coursed through him, "but Malfoy was barely a week old when that happened! He had nothing to do with it! What do you expect him to do?! And since before the sorting, he literally hasn't done anything to you! YOU are the one acting like a...like a bully!" The look of rage that painted the red head's face, scared Neville enough for him to blurt out, "Harry thinks so too!"

Harry's eyes widened at being drug into the fray, but he sighed and nodded faintly. "Seriously, mate, you need to just leave those two alone. Especially Granger. She's a sweet girl who just likes to study."

Ron didn't seem to be breathing, just mulling over this 'betrayal' as he thought it. He put a hand under the Chess board and flipped it onto the floor. When the little porcelain pieces hit the floor, they shattered to hundreds of pieces. He crunched over them as he stomped out of the common room, even though they didn't really have that much time until curfew. Neville glanced at Harry, apologetically.

"Sorry mate, he just..."

"Yeah I know. He just needs to calm down." Harry patted his shoulder. Harry took his wand out from his robe pocket and held it over the mess Ron had made. "Reparo!" He said the incantation to the Repairing Charm they had been going over in Charms class earlier that day. He managed to get most of the pieces put back together with one spell, but had to do the charm again to get everything. They didn't go after Ron, but decided to stay up and wait for him in the common room.

Behind them, on the stairs, Hermione stood in the shadows with a ghost of a smile, for a few reasons. Neville had defended her and Malfoy, and also because Harry considered her, 'a sweet girl who likes to study.' Not a...hideous hairy mountain troll like Weasley was always calling her. With much brighter spirits, she walked up the stairs to her room and got ready for bed.

Ever since Hermione had stayed overnight in the infirmary and Draco had discovered that secret passage, he had been adamant about finding new ones. On his own, so far, he found a few secret exits in the library, that took him to different hallways, and even some secret rooms. In one particular room, he found a pool of water. He didn't find anything magical about it. It just seemed like a big pool of water. In another room, he had found a mirror. The dark and creepy room, at that particular time of night, spooked Draco enough to leave before he walked up to the mirror. Seriously though, why have an entire room devoted to a mirror? It didn't make sense.

Draco knew there just had to be more, but where ever he looked, he couldn't find any more. He would hate himself if he asked the Weasley twins for help, but it seemed like that was going to be his only option. It was late now, probably a little after curfew (9:00pm) and he was wondering the halls on the third floor, when he heard walking. He was next to a lavatory, a girls one, but he had not choice but to duck into it. He held his breath as the footsteps thudded by-they were heavy foot steps. He glanced around the bathroom and found that this one didn't seem to be used much.

He heard a faint sniffling coming from one of the toilets. He hesitantly stepped forward to inspect. Who would be out this late and crying in a bathroom? In an instant he picture Granger, and felt a pang of hatred towards Weasley, but he also wasn't about to jump to any conclusions. When he made it to the door, he knocked faintly but didn't say anything. The crying person hiccuped and went quiet.

"What do you want?" The crying voice asked him. It was a female, but not one he recognized.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"What is a boy doing in my bathroom?" The reply was angry now. Draco anticipated the door opening so he took a few steps back. He wasn't prepared for a ghostly face to come through the wooden door. The ghostly image was of a dark haired female with glasses and in Hogwart's school uniform.

"I needed a place to hide, then I heard you crying. Are you okay?" He asked. Seeing her was making him feel uncomfortable, but for the life of him-

"No, I'm not okay!" She screeched, then looked around, worried. "I'm dead!" She hollered, with tears in her ghostly eyes.

"What is your name?" Draco asked, trying to change the subject, she was making him uncomfortable.

"Myrtle. Moaning, moping Myrtle." She let out a shrill whine and floated back into her toilet. "Go away boy! This is MY bathroom!" With a glare pointed at the stall, Draco went back to the door and poked his head out and looked about. He didn't hear that person anymore.

With a decision that it was time to go back to his common room, he pointed himself in that direction. He had just put his foot onto the steps of the Marble Staircase, when someone grabbed him roughly by the collar and pulled him backwards into the hallway. He fell as he was being drug backwards and the fall caused his attacker to drop him. Draco lurched to his feet and spun to face them, his wand in his hand.

It was the young Weasley. Ron was fumbling through his own robes for his wand, so Draco used his chance and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" Weasley's arms and legs snapped together, his face was frozen in shock as he fell backwards. Draco looked smugly down at the boy, the urge to kick him was enormous. Before he gave in to the urge, he turned and ran up the stairs to his common room. Let Weasley get caught after hours, like that, but Draco had no intention of getting in trouble. When Draco got back into his common room, he went straight up too bed. He had a feeling Weasley would say who cursed him the moment a teacher preformed the countercurse.

In the morning, Neville and Harry went straight to the Head of Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall about their friend not coming back in last night. She seemed a bit surprised because he hadn't been caught in the corridors after hours. McGonagall asked the two boys exactly when Ron left the common room, and for what reason-they just said he was angry at the way their chess game had gone-and where they thought he would have gone. They had no idea, but McGonagall was sure he would turn up. There was only a limited number of places he could be. She sent them on their way to breakfast while she sent a message to all of the prefects and Head Boy and Girl, who should have been patrolling that night.

Neville and Harry went on to breakfast. The only seats that were still available at the Gryffindor table were around Granger. They hoped she didn't mind as they sat down. To their surprise she smiled at them. "Good morning," she told them. They echoed her greeting and she went back into her book, she had the cover against the table so they had no idea what it was that she was reading. "Did you get your Potions work done?" She asked curiously after a few minutes. Neville had to finish his mouthful of food before he replied.

"Almost done. I wouldn't have been able to finish without you. Thank you Granger." Neville smiled as a faint blush tainted his cheeks. Harry nudged him with a faint grin. Got a crush? His expression seemed to say. Neville's eyes rounded and he shook his head fiercely. Hermione missed the exchange in its entirety.

"Well splendid. If you have any more questions, just ask." She smiled up at him and then went back to her book as she nibbled on her food. Harry and Neville got to talking about the start of the Quidditch Season, and how they were excited for the first match, Gryffindor against Slytherin. Hermione didn't seem to be on the same planet anymore. As breakfast wore on, the two boys became uneasy about their friends absence. They trusted McGonagall to find him, but where could he have gone? It seemed that Hermione suddenly noticed and she looked up and around the table, her eyebrows knit together.

"Where is Weasley?" She asked, worried he was about to show up and start insulting her. They exchanged a look.

"He never came back last night."

"Maybe he just got lost," she said faintly. She gathered her books and back up and stood. "I'll see you all in Potions." She said as she turned and left the room. As she headed towards the exit to the hall, the Weasley they had just been discussing stood in the doorway. His clothes were badly wrinkled and slept in. He had tremendous black bags under his eyes like he didn't get any sleep. Hermione's eyes widened in shock. She was frozen at the horrible sight of him and when he came up to her, he shoved her out of the way, her foot caught the leg of the nearby bench and she fell nearly on top of a sixth year Ravenclaw. The boy exclaimed in protest and lurched to his feet. He saw Hermione struggling to get up right, and Ron glaring daggers at her.

"Oi! Weasley what's the matter with you?! Shoving girls around like that!" He towered over the boy, who glared up at him.

"She was in my way."

"There are words, like 'excuse me' and, 'pardon me' to let someone know to move. You don't just shove them like that," the boy put two hands on his shoulders and shoved him backwards. By the sheer force the boy put into the shove, Wealsey had to take extra steps backwards so he didn't fall. Ron let out a yell and threw himself at the older boy-it was a stupid move but it didn't stop him. The Ravenclaw boy grabbed both of Weasley's wrists and spun him around so his arms were crossed over his chest and his back to the Ravenclaw boy. Wealsey let out another enraged yell, and beat the back of his head against the boy's chets, which was the only thing he could do.

Hermione, through all of this, finally noticed that the entire breakfast hall was watching, including Potter, Longbottom, and Malfoy-who seemed extremely shocked. The there were a few teachers on their hurried way across the hall to deal with the outburst.

"Detention, Weasley." The low hiss came from Snape, who had just entered the room, he pointed at the Ravenclaw boy and said, "Detention, Langley." The boy shrugged his shoulders and let Ron go, who lurched away from him and then stormed out of the room. McGonagall made her entrance then. She stopped Weasley with her expression as she looked at his face.

"Fighting, Weasley?" She demanded.

"After Malfoy cursed me last night, someone drug me into an empty room and left me there! The spell wore off and I went to breakfast, when Granger," he spat in her direction, "got in my way and made a big scene by throwing herself all over that prat," he gestured to Langley, "Who shoved me, and I was just going to defend myself." The sixth year snorted.

"Maybe from his demented perspective that is what happened." He looked between the two professors, "But he shoved the girl out of his way hard enough for her to trip and fall over."

"Langley, Weasley, Granger, with me. Where is Malfoy-" McGonagall cast her eyes down the Ravenclaw table, spotted the blond headed boy and beckoned him over with two curled fingers. Snape excused himself as Malfoy approached. When he reached them, McGonagall turned and left with the four students behind her. Once inside her Transfiguration office, she sat down in her chair before she asked for Langley's take on things, and then Hermione's.

"I, I was just so shocked to see him and his appearance, that I didn't move. He just came up and pushed me out of the way, and then angrily lashed out at Langley." She said looking between them. McGonagall's nostrils flared as she glared at Weasley, thinking up a punishment. She glanced at Malfoy, then.

"Mr. Weasley says you cursed him with a Body Bind spell last night?"

"Did he mention the part where he had grabbed me and started to drag me somewhere?" Malfoy replied instantly, glaring at the boy. "I was just defending myself. And after I did, I turned around straight away and went back to my room. You can ask my bunkmates, they know when I got in last night." He didn't mention the Weasley incident to them, though. She nodded her head faintly. She glanced between Malfoy and Granger.

"You may go," she dismissed them.

"Professor!" Weasley yelled, "You're going to believe the words of a traitor over a Gryffindor?!" He demanded. McGonagall had looked irritated before, but now she looked down right pissed off. She stood so fast her chair tipped over.

"Mr. Weasley, this misguided hatred of yours is over. The Malfoy family has ostracized those traitors after the end of the War. I can understand a mistrust for Mr. Malfoy just because of who his father is and what he did to your parents, Weasley, but Mr. Malfoy is your age and had nothing to do with the war! This unacceptable behavior is over!" She pointed a finger at Weasley threateningly. He ground his teeth together, a seething glare directed towards Malfoy. As far as Draco had known, however, his father hadn't done anything to Weasley's parents, but that didn't mean he hadn't.

"Do you understand?" She demanded, Weasley's face was nearly as red as his hair as he fought with his anger.

He finally bit out a short, "yes."

"I'm writing your parents, and taking 50 points from Gryffindor for your blind actions. Langley, I am taking 15 points from Ravenclaw for getting physical with a younger student. Malfoy, I am deducting another 15 points from Ravenclaw for you being out past hours." She nodded her head faintly and dismissed the two Ravenclaw's and Granger, again.

Malfoy stopped her on the other side of her office door, though Langley let out a short laugh and kept walking. Draco looked in her eyes before glancing around her appearance to make sure she was okay. "Are you injured?" He asked her. She shrugged his hands off her shoulders.

"I can take care of myself, Draco, thank you." Though she felt stupid for just being thrown around by Weasley. "But are you? He attacked you last night? What were you doing out so late?" Her questions cut straight to the things he was keeping from her. He didn't like hiding the information, but he had also kind of agreed with Hooch and McGonagall for keeping the information from her. He sighed.

"I just wanted to explore, okay? I had accidentally found this room once, and I wanted to find it again."

"Well lots of the rooms in Hogwarts move around, depending on many things. There is never a guarantee one could find a room again because of the magic involved." Hermione seemed to be quoting her favorite book, Hogwarts; A History. He shrugged faintly and they turned and started to walk head towards the dungeons for Potions class.

"The charm we will be going over today is the Levitation Spell," Professor Flitwick explained. Everyone had a feather before them. Hermione and Draco glanced between them, their eyes issuing the challenge to one another. First one to do it wins, not the first one seen by Flitwick. They had done this in all their other classes as well. They would compete to see who could finish first, and finish correctly. In most cases, it was their ability to do a charm, or a transfiguration spell. In Potions, it was who could make the potion correctly. Herbology worked a little differently than their other classes, but they still competed against each other.

"The incantation for this spell is Wingardium Leviosa. Repeat after me. Win-GAR-dee-um Leh-vi-O-sa. Wingardium Leviosa." He slowly enunciated the incantation and then repeated it in normal verse. The first years echoed him. "Good. Now everyone take out your wands and practice the florish. It is a swish-" he moved his wand from the left to the right and lifted it up slightly, "and a flick." He gestured it faintly downwards after his swish and he repeated it again more fluently.

Hermione and Draco practiced several times, while mouthing the incantation as they gazed at the feather in front of themselves.

"Okay, good. I want everyone to practice on their feather. The incantation should be completed at the finish of the wand movement, like this." He said the incantation and brandished his wand at the same time, the result was that the feather before him lifted gently as he raised his wand. Hermione shifted in her chair with excitement.

Draco glanced at her and began his first attempt. Hermione watch out of the corner of her eye and felt conflicted when he was unsuccessful in his first attempt. She was inwardly glad he was not able to do it, but upset for her friend because he was not able to do it.

Hermione looked at her own feather and drew in a deep breath. She drew herself up to her height and held her wand out in front of her. Delicately she swished her wand and said the spell, and then flicked it towards the feather at the end. She lifted her wand faintly and nearly lost her concentration as the feather lifted with her movement. She gestured upwards with her wand like she was repeating the flicking motion and the feather drifted higher and higher into the air.

"Ah! Well done Miss Granger! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed happily. Hermione let her wand drift down and land on her desk. She grinned cheekily at Draco, who scowled initially but then smiled.

"You win, Granger," he conceded, "but I'm still awesome." He turned his focus back to his own feather, after he did his second attempt, he was rewarded for his effort as his feather lifted up into the air. Hermione gave her friend a congratulatory pat on the back before she turned and practiced some more with her feather. She made it do all sorts of flips and loops in the air instead of just going up and down.

Draco saw what she was doing, and the two of them quickly turned it into a contest of who can make their feather do more complicated things. Draco won when he stood his feather by the quill onto the tip of Flitwick's hat. They convulsed into silenced giggles until he moved and the feather drifted to the ground.

At the end of class, Flitwick encouraged the students to try lifting other things-heavier things-outside of the classroom. Hermione and Draco glanced at each other, and it was understood they would pick up this challenge at another time.

Next stop was Potions. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw walked next to each other as they made their way down to the Dungeons. They had just entered the corridor that led to the dungeon stairs when an announcement was carried out via portraits, from Headmaster Dumbledore.

"All students are to head to the Great Hall with the utmost urgency! This is no warning, boys and girls! Head straight to the Great Hall immediately!" The portraits told the students all about the school. Hermione and Draco exchanged a tense look as an old man in a white powdered wig pointed them back into the direction they had come. Without an argue from either of them, the two students turned and headed back to the Great Hall.

As they walked, they were joined by more and more students and once the Great Hall doorway came into view, they were bottle-necked to a stop. The portrait's kept up their messages as they stood their and waited for the crowd to make their way through the doors. It took a while, but when they made it inside, they noticed several big changes to the room they feasted in.

All of the tables, including the professor's table, had been removed. The School banners that usually flew on each sides of the hall were also missing. The day sky on the ceiling was missing and it was simply a normal, cathedral like ceiling. Hermione and Draco exchanged glances as they noticed these changes. The professors were shepherding the students in through the door, making them fill up to the front of the room so the rest of the school could make it inside. Hermione and Draco got stuck behind a few tall upperclassmen and made their way around them, and somehow managed to make it up to the direct front of the room.

Headmaster Dumbledore stood their, silent and watching the student body stand around, with so many questions whispering from ear to eat. Once everyone was deemed inside, the professors left the back of the room to look for students still outside. Dumbledore took out his very interesting looking wand and pointed it to his throat. Hermione didn't hear what he said, but read his lips, he said, "Sonorus." Hermione was puzzling over what sort of spell it was, until Dumbledore started to speak, his voice loudly filling the room and successfully silencing all the students.

"Students," he had said to gain attention. "It is with a very heavy heart that I have gotten you all here for this announcement." Dumbledore began with a saddened voice. Hermione and Draco exchanged another look. "We have just received word from the Ministry of Magic of terrible news." Draco wished he would just spit it out.

"Azkaban prison has been broken into. All the inmates have escaped." Draco and Hermione's mouths-along with most of the other students-dropped open in shock. Hermione took Draco's hand, knowing the boy needed a bit of support at hearing his evil father was on the loose. Draco responded to her hand by grabbing it firmly.

"The Ministry has sent their best Aurors on the case-" Hermione noticed Neville and Harry push their way to the front. The Longbottoms and the Potters were reknowned as perhaps the best and most efficient team of Aurors, and no doubt had been the ones assigned to the task of finding the inmates. "-and it has been the decision of the Ministry to send protection to our school as well. Students, please do not be afraid. No harm will come to you. We must all hold together in a difficult time such as this. And...because of these developments, I have decided to cancel classes for the rest of the day." While that would have gotten thunderous cheers, no one said a word. "Return to your common rooms, write your parents, stay with your friends. But students, do not fear." He touched his throat and Hermione watched his lips again, he mouthed, 'quietus.' She filed those charms away for practice later and threw her arms around Draco in a tight embrace-the first one she had given him, she realized-and whispered in his ear over the sudden clammer from the students.

"Don't worry. No one has ever broken into Hogwarts. They can't. Especially with Dumbledore here to protect us." Hermione told him. He shivered from his breath at her ear. He whispered something back to her, that caused her blood to turn to ice.

"I'm not scared about me. I'm scared about my mom."

Holy crap!

Riiiiiight?

Tell me what you think!