Chapter VI
Boys and Bowtruckles

Vail's second official morning at Hogwarts was, thankfully, less chaotic than the first. As there was no rush to get down to breakfast in time to receive their timetables, Vail got to stay in bed for another thirty minutes, and it was an excellent thirty minutes. While Pansy still monopolised the shower when it was her turn, the girls managed to make it to the Great Hall just after half past eight.

They were likely among the last to arrive as the table had nearly filled up to capacity, but the group was able to find a spot they could all squeeze into near the top. This afforded Vail the opportunity to finally meet the widely known rival of Harry Potter: Draco Malfoy.

He and his "gang" (as Theodore had put it), which consisted of himself and two other boys named Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe, were seated next to this open spot. Upon seeing this, Pansy had immediately rushed to sit down next to Draco and engage him in conversation, taking the time to introduce Vail to him and his friends.

Vail wasn't sure what to think about her first impression of the boy. He sat there, seemingly detached from the world around him. He had worn an air of nonchalance, his silver-blonde hair perfectly styled, and his posture relaxed. When Pansy had introduced her, he acknowledged her presence with a nod, but his attention had quickly returned to his own group. Not exactly a social butterfly, then.

Since the first class of the day - Transfiguration, taught by Professor McGonagall - wasn't until the period before lunch, Daphne and Tracey had decided to take Vail to the courtyard near the classroom. The trio had to go without Pansy and Millicent as those two elected to stay with Draco and co., and Vail couldn't help but notice the dejected look on Tracey's face.

"She has a go at me for spending time with my boyfriend last night, but then picks Draco over us? Ugh!" Tracey scoffed as she flopped down onto the grass of the courtyard. They picked a spot under the tall tree growing in one of the corners, preferring some privacy from whoever may pass by in one of the surrounding corridors. "And did you notice how we all basically just became strangers to her yet again?"

"I know, but I keep telling you to stop taking it personally," said Daphne. She and Vail had taken up the spaces either side of Tracey, sitting with their legs tucked under them. "Pansy and Draco have been friends since they were kids, so they have a special kind of relationship."

"We've lived with her for four years, and seen every one of her bad days since then. Merlin, I even held her hair back for her while she puked all the alcohol out of her body during the Yule Ball afterparty! That kind of thing should mean something, you know?"

Vail listened to Tracey's frustrations, feeling empathetic towards the other girl's plight. In the brief time she'd known them, they were nearly always together and clearly bonded so much over the years, which was to be expected for members of the socially exclusive house.

While Vail had witnessed students from different houses mixing together in casual settings, green was almost consistently missing from such combinations. Slytherins were a much tighter-knit group than she had expected, but she wasn't yet sure if that was by choice or if they were forced into ostracism by their peers. That would make the sting of betrayal all the worse.

Looking over at Daphne, who seemed to be searching for the right words, Vail decided to offer her own perspective as an unbiased third party.

"I understand how you feel," she began gently. "It's difficult when someone you consider a close friend prioritises others over you. It's natural to feel hurt by this, but… perhaps there's more to this situation than meets the eye?"

Tracey raised an eyebrow at this, but Daphne nodded in agreement, encouraging Vail to continue.

"I mean, have you talked with her about this? Maybe Pansy just doesn't realise how much it affects you. You've been friends for quite some time, right? Maybe you should give her the benefit of the doubt."

The frustration and hurt were evident on Tracey's face, but she appeared to contemplate Vail's suggestion nonetheless. She reached behind her and pulled her braid over her shoulder so that she could fidget with the end of it.

"I suppose. I haven't exactly directly mentioned it, just tried to… nudge at it every now and then," Tracey admitted, her voice carrying a hint of guilt. "I guess I've been so caught up in my own emotions that I haven't given her a proper chance. But it's just… so hard with her sometimes."

Just as Vail was about to ask for clarification, Daphne cleared her throat to get her attention. "Pansy isn't very good with emotions," she started, also giving Vail a look to try and remind her of their conversation in the showers. "She can be quite emotional but struggles to express herself with words. For example, last year on her birthday we pitched in to get her this collector's edition of a book we knew she liked-"

"Oh, she cried in the dorm for like an hour!" Tracey interjected, chuckling with a bright grin on her face, her mood flipping as she recalled the pleasant memory. "I remember us panicking thinking we had fucked up or something, but turns out Pansy just didn't know how to tell us how touched she was that we had paid attention to her interests. Her reaction was quite sweet, actually…"

A few minutes of silence went by, Vail and Daphne now laying down to join Tracey in looking up at the clouds. The sun peeked through the gaps, casting gentle rays of light onto their faces. A sense of tranquillity settled over them, each lost in their own thoughts.

Daphne pointed up at one of the clouds, however just as she was about to open her mouth and break the silence, Tracey beat her to it.

"I think she fancies him," Tracey said aloud suddenly.

"You what?" Daphne spluttered, whipping her head to stare at Tracey in disbelief.

"I think she fancies him but can never have him because he fancies Potter."

That got Vail's attention.

She held her breath, waiting for the look of disgust to make an appearance. Tracey's face contorted for a brief moment, but it was difficult to decipher whether it was in revulsion or amusement.

Daphne, on the other hand, appeared genuinely taken aback by the remark. Her eyebrows shot up, and if she had been drinking anything at that moment, it would now be all over her robes. "You can't be serious. Draco and… and Potter?! They hate each other!"

Tracey tried to maintain her composure, but her lips kept twitching in an effort to stifle the laughter that burst out seconds later, her shoulders shaking. "No, no, I was just kidding! Draco's been fixated on Potter for years, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't fancy him. Their rivalry is very strange, though."

Vail allowed herself a small sigh of relief.

It was then that Tracey gasped and shot up, looking at Vail with her mouth wide open. "I forgot! You wouldn't know a thing about that, would you?"

Vail stared back at Tracey, her brow furrowed. "Draco and Potter? Well, no, but I can connect the dots-"

Tracey shuffled back so that she could look at both Vail and Daphne at the same time. There was an oddly excitable expression on her face, like she had just stumbled onto a pot of gold. "Oh, listen up, because this is juicy."

"You cannot pass an O.W.L. without serious application, practice and study. I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work," McGonagall said resolutely from the front of her classroom.

After Tracey (and Daphne, occasionally) spent nearly all of their free time detailing the events of the last four years at Hogwarts, Vail could feel her head spinning from information overload. How an institute built for learning could have such disasters happening every year, she had no idea, and Harry Potter at the centre of every single one! It just seemed so… bizarre. Not to mention the fact that the position for DADA professor never kept someone for more than one academic year. One may assume Hogwarts was just one big social experiment.

Also… Tracey may have had a valid point about Draco and Harry.

For the remainder of the Transfiguration lesson, McGonagall instructed them in the Vanishing Spell, Evanesco, a useful spell for making objects or creatures disappear. The Slytherin was fairly certain this spell was mentioned in her study guide, but it didn't seem as intriguing as the others and so she hadn't taken a proper look yet. At least she would be able to tick it off the list after today.

Initially, Vail had concerns about the potential consequences of using such a spell on a person. However, after over an hour of repeatedly trying to cast the spell successfully, her worries vanished, much like the snail from her desk shortly before the lesson ended. If it had taken this much effort for one teeny tiny creature, there was probably little risk of the same happening to a fully grown human.

As the lesson drew to a close, McGonagall assigned homework to those who hadn't managed to completely vanish their snails. Fortunately for those people (everyone in the class except two), the assignment wasn't too demanding - it simply required practising the spell so that they were ready for a fresh attempt the following day.

After a quick lunch in the Great Hall, Vail gathered her belongings and joined her housemates as they made their way towards the Care of Magical Creatures class. The afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the Hogwarts grounds, and a gentle breeze rustled through the trees.

Millicent was the only one that did not join them as she dropped the subject as soon as she could - "I can't stand the smell out there".

Exiting the castle, they descended the sloping lawn, their footsteps crunching on the gravel path that led them towards the hut (apparently belonging to Hagrid, the Keeper of the Grounds, who she was yet to meet as he was apparently on leave) at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Vail's excitement grew with each step, as Care of Magical Creatures was a subject she had really been looking forward to. She hoped that the professor would, at some point, introduce them to some truly wonderful and beautiful beasts. Something large and majestic, with a strong build. Wings would also be very cool.

Approaching the hut, Vail noticed Professor Grubbly-Plank standing outside, waiting for the students. The trestle table in front of the woman displayed a number of sticks, and she wondered if the students were supposed to use them to play with… some kind of dog creature.

The professor greeted them with a warm smile and a nod, indicating that they should gather round.

"Everyone here?" the woman shouted, standing on the tips of her toes to look over the heads of the students around the table. "Alright, let's get started. Who can tell me what these things are called?" she asked, gesturing to the sticks.

Hermione's hand shot up near the front of the group, and towards the back Draco put fingers on top of his head and jumped around, showing the top set of his teeth. Vail gathered it was some kind of rabbit impression and found herself picturing the Gryffindor girl with a set of rabbit ears on her head. She felt her face turning pink.

Pansy shrieked in laughter, which almost instantly turned into a frightened scream when the 'sticks' on the table jumped up.

'Oh!' thought Vail as she stared at them in wonder. 'They are the creatures.'

Tiny green things that looked identical to twigs you would find on tree branches, with two fingers at the end of each hand and a pair of little beetle-brown eyes.

"They're Bowtruckles," said Hermione when the professor pointed to her. "They're tree-guardians, usually choosing trees of wand quality."

"Well done, that's five points to Gryffindor. Yes, these little fellas are Bowtruckles, and as Miss Granger pointed out, they generally live in trees whose wood can be made into wands by wandmakers. Anyone know what they eat?"

"Woodlice," said Hermione again, before anyone else could answer (though it didn't look like anyone else was going to). "But they do also enjoy fairy eggs, if they can get them."

"Good girl, another five points." Professor Grubbly-Plank reached into a bag on the table and pulled out a handful of what looked like brown rice - must be the aforementioned woodlice. She scattered some across the table, and Vail watched, fascinated, as the Bowtruckles fell upon the food eagerly. "If you ever need leaves or wood from a tree in which a Bowtruckle calls home, it would be wise to have a gift of woodlice ready to distract or placate it. They may not look all that dangerous, but trust me, they will try to gouge at human eyes with their incredibly sharp fingers if they are angered.

"So, if you'd like to gather closer, take a Bowtruckle - there's enough here for one between three - you can study them more closely. I want a sketch from each of you with all body-parts labelled by the end of the lesson."

The class surged forward, and in groups of three they all took a Bowtruckle - the only exception being Harry, who engaged the professor in a conversation a little further from the table.

Vail looked around towards her housemates, seeing them naturally form into two trios: Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle, and Pansy, Tracey, and Daphne (who shot her a brief apologetic look when Tracey linked arms with her to take the group over to spot on the grass). Just as she was about to find some strangers to join up with, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Turning around to see who it was, she was mildly surprised to see Theodore Nott standing there, alongside a fairly tall boy with dark skin and striking facial features.

"Care to join us?" he asked. "We need a third."

Vail had only briefly exchanged words with Theodore at the welcoming feast on Sunday, and she had no idea who the other one was, but she agreed to join the two boys anyway as it was probably about time she got to know more of her fellow Slytherins.

"Great. This is Blaise Zabini," Theodore said as he gestured to his tall friend. "Blaise, this is Tempest Vail."

"Just call me Vail," she replied, holding out her hand for a handshake. It was only the polite thing to do.

Blaise seemed to eye her up and down for a moment, like he was deciding if she was worth the effort. Apparently she was, as their hands met in a brief, succinct motion, rising and falling in a single fluid movement.

"Right, well. On that note, call me Theo. Only my father calls me Theodore and only when I've done something wrong," said the boy with a chuckle, his hand coming up to brush his fingers through his curly brown hair.

As Vail was about to reply, Blaise stepped forward to brush past them both. Looking over his shoulder, he said, "Come on, let's get one of these stupid Bowtruckles."

Theo rolled his eyes, but gestured for Vail to follow after his friend. "Ladies first."

Walking alongside them, Vail couldn't help but take note of the contrasting personalities between the two. Theo seemed fairly friendly and approachable, if a little awkward, whereas Blaise exuded an air of aloofness. Perhaps this was simply an example of 'opposites attract'.

Once at the table of Bowtruckles, the trio noticed that there were only two left, and another group was struggling to get a hold of one of them. Ron Weasley yelped, swiftly pulling his hand back from the Bowtruckle he had tried to pick up, while Hermione chided him for being so rough with the small creature.

"Watch it, Weasley," Blaise smirked at the redhead. "I know your family specialises in hand-me-downs, but I doubt one of your brothers would be willing to give you one of their fingers."

Ron shot a glare at the Slytherin, which quickly turned into a smirk when the other Bowtruckle took a swipe at Blaise's incoming hand, only narrowly missing. The boy sneered at the creature and clenched his fist, like he was about to strike it, but realised how silly that would be at the last second.

"What's wrong with them? Everyone else managed to just snatch one up," asked Theo as he looked around at all the other groups that had already managed to begin sketching the Bowtruckles.

"Evil little bastards," the Weasley muttered, sticking his bleeding finger in his mouth. Hermione swatted his arm with the bundle of parchment, earning a flabbergasted look from him. "Wha' was 'at for?" he asked around his finger.

Vail looked down at the Bowtruckles as they picked up some of the remaining woodlice, contently feasting upon them while simultaneously keeping an eye on the towering giants that surrounded them. 'Poor things probably decided to fight back after seeing all their friends being manhandled.'

The blonde Slytherin chose to take a different approach. Reaching a hand into the bag on the table (chuckling at Ron's look of disgust), she pulled out a small handful of the little brown crustaceans. She then held her hand out flat on the table in front of the Bowtruckles who eyed her warily, exchanging a look with each other like they were deciding who between them would take the risk.

Eventually it was the one on the left, the one that Ron hadn't tried to pick up, that carefully approached her outstretched hand. Vail watched with a gleeful smile on her face as the creature tentatively placed one spindly green leg on her hand, soon followed by the other. Still, Vail waited patiently for the Bowtruckle to settle itself as she didn't want to risk spooking the cautious being.

"Wow," came a murmured voice as the Bowtruckle finally sat itself down on her hand and picked at the woodlice. Vail glanced up, seeing Hermione looking intrigued down at the creature in her hand, perhaps a bit of awe as well. "Brilliant."

For the second time, Vail felt a light redness creeping across her face.

"Nice job," complimented Theo. Even Blaise showed a hint of approval. "Let's go find a spot so we can sketch this thing."

Vail nodded in response and followed Theo and Blaise, eager to find a suitable place for sketching the Bowtruckle. As she walked away, her curiosity got the better of her, and she turned her head to catch a glimpse of Hermione's progress.

To her utter delight, she saw Hermione successfully replicating the technique, as the Bowtruckle had perched itself on her outstretched hand, mirroring the scene she had just experienced.

With a smile on her face and a joyful hum coming from her mouth, Vail turned her attention back to her small group, joining them as they settled near a gnarled old tree, its branches providing a shade that cast interesting patterns on the ground.

Blaise pulled a textbook from his bag and placed it on the grass between them all, indicating that Vail should let the Bowtruckle sit there. Vail picked up the remaining woodlice and dropped them on the book, encouraging the Bowtruckle to follow them, which it did. Retrieving some drawing supplies, the trio got to work on sketching the creature, trying their best to capture the fine details.

Time passed as the three Slytherins immersed themselves in the work, occasionally exchanging advice to keep each other right. Vail even found herself beginning to enjoy spending time with the two boys, especially when Blaise started to warm up to her. He still seemed rather reserved and calculating, but he was shown to have a quite dry sense of humour that she liked.

Theo proved himself yet again to be very intelligent, offering insightful observations during the session. He had a knack for identifying the intricate details of the Bowtruckle's anatomy, which the other two missed. He helped them to refine their sketches and ensure they were labelled accurately, which was the most important part of the assignment.

After the bell tolled in the distance, signalling the end of the class, the trio collected their things and handed in their sketches. Vail made sure the Bowtruckle was returned to the table, and Professor Grubbly-Plank gave an appreciative nod. Much to the chagrin of some students, homework was issued to those that had not completed their sketches.

Their next - and final - lesson of the day was Charms. Vail was only mildly disappointed to see that Slytherin would be sharing this class with Hufflepuff, as it meant she wouldn't be able to sneak glances at a certain Gryffindor when no one was looking.

"What you must remember," said Professor Flitwick, a man so small that he had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk, "is that these examinations may influence your futures for many years to come! If you have not already given serious thought to your careers, now is the time to do so. And in the meantime, I'm afraid, we shall be working harder than ever to ensure that you all do yourselves justice!"

"Do you have any career aspirations?" Theo whispered to her, seated beside her in Flickwick's classroom. The room was organised with two rows of desks on each side, the professor's desk positioned between them at one end, while a training dummy caught their attention at the other. Vail occupied a seat in the back row, with Theo on her right and Daphne on her left.

"Not as of yet. I'm waiting to discover any potentially hidden talents before making a decision," the blonde whispered back, her attention divided between her desk neighbour and the professor at the front of the classroom. Flitwick was going over the lesson plan for the day, which was to revise the Summoning Charm as it was bound to come up in their upcoming O.W.L. exam.

"Fair enough," he replied. "You do seem to have a talent for handling creatures though. Have you ever considered Magizoology?"

Vail wanted to ask, 'Like Grubbly-Plank?' but realised the answer was probably obvious. While she enjoyed her time with the Bowtruckle, she couldn't imagine dedicating her entire life to magical beasts.

"I haven't, and even if I did, I don't think I would be interested. Today's lesson was enjoyable, but at most, it would remain a hobby rather than a full-fledged career," she explained, and Theo nodded in understanding. As Flitwick instructed, Vail retrieved her wand. The wizard conjured a stack of parchment and charmed them to fold themselves into bird shapes, which took flight all around the classroom.

"What about you?" Vail asked curiously.

Theo pondered for a moment before responding, "I'm not entirely sure yet. Lately, I've found myself drawn to magical artefacts. The idea of becoming a curator at a museum appeals to me, but I don't think my father would approve."

"Really? Why not?"

"I don't think he'd like me going into such a… passive, career," he said, his brow furrowing. With a determined look, Theo attempted to summon one of the parchment birds to himself using Accio. The bird wobbled in the air but didn't move towards him as he had intended. "Perhaps I need more practice," he remarked with a hint of amusement. "Haven't used this charm in almost a year."

Looking up, Vail fixed her gaze on one of the birds and confidently cast the charm herself. To her satisfaction, the bird was pulled towards her on the first try, landing gracefully on her outstretched hand. "I used it fairly recently," she said while smiling, thinking back to their Potions lesson the previous day. "As for what your father thinks, I understand, but your own happiness should come first."

Theo looked relatively impressed by her display of magic, his eyes lingering on the bird perched on her hand. "Good with a wand, are you?" he asked, seemingly ignoring her second comment. Vail wasn't going to point that out, however.

"I really hope so," she replied with a chuckle, loving the familiar warmth that spread down her hand.

As Vail excited the Charms classroom, she felt someone link their arms together. It was Pansy, and she was grinning practically ear to ear.

"Was that Theodore Nott I saw you whispering to?" the brunette probed with an excited tone. She began pulling Vail along through the corridors as everyone made their way to dinner in the Great Hall. "Going for gold, are we? So to speak."

"Sorry?"

"You were flirting, yeah? If so, then you're definitely picking right. The Nott family go way back; in a lot of ways, they're like the Malfoys."

Vail became utterly confused. "I- wait, hold on. I wasn't-"

"No need to be shy!" Pansy had a roguish look about her, like she knew something Vail didn't. "You're quite pretty, you know. And you've still got your 'mysterious aura' surrounding you from being new. My advice? Use it to your advantage."

"Oh, come off it, Pansy!" exclaimed Daphne. She, Tracey, and Millicent were left to walk behind Vail and Pansy as the corridor wasn't wide enough for all five of them to walk in sync. "Leave the poor girl alone. Not everyone spends their days meticulously planning out their romantic futures."

"Jealous, Daphne dear?" Pansy shot a look over her shoulder, smugness plastered all across her face. Perhaps she assumed Daphne would begin spluttering out excuses in embarrassment, or perhaps she would simply give the silent treatment. What she did not expect, judging by the surprised expression, was for Daphne to quickly catch up and force herself between them, replacing Pansy's arm with her own.

"Now that you mention it, yes. I am jealous. Vail is all mine, didn't you know?"

Vail gave Daphne a wide-eyed look, and received a knowing smile in return. Ah, she was saving her.

"Now bugger off with all your silly questions, you're making her uncomfortable." There was an unspoken 'again' at the end.

"Hold on!" cried another voice, this one belonging to Tracey. She ran up to Vail's other side to mirror Daphne, which forced Pansy to fall back in line with Millicent. "What if I want to call dibs? It's not fair that you get to have her without some competition."

"Tracey, you have a boyfriend."

"As I always say: never let your boyfriend get in the way of finding your wife."

"You have never said that before. Ever."

"Well, now I do." A pause hung in the air. "Don't tell him."

"I'll think about it."

Amidst the banter, Vail could hear Pansy huffing in annoyance behind her. Her attempt to tease Vail had been so rudely thwarted by Daphne and Tracey, and Vail found herself inwardly praising her two dorm-mates for their intervention.

As Vail walked on, a mischievous smirk slowly crept across her face. It occurred to her that having a bit of ammunition to use in return might not be a bad idea. After all, if engaging in a simple conversation with a boy one-on-one was perceived as romantic in nature in this era, what did that say about Pansy and Draco? Tracey's earlier rant had strongly suggested that such encounters were not a rare occurrence between them.

The mental image of Pansy's face souring from embarrassment brought her much delight on the way to dinner.

The following day passed uneventfully for Vail. Despite feeling annoyed at having a class right after breakfast at 9 o'clock, which was far too early for her liking, she was pleased when said class turned out to be Arithmancy. However, her hopes for engaging in conversation with Hermione were dashed as Professor Vector deemed it necessary to lecture them for the entire period, leaving little opportunity for meaningful interaction.

That being said, when Hermione suggested meeting up in the library again that evening, Vail eagerly accepted the invitation. With Astronomy scheduled for all of fifth year after dinner, they decided to walk down to the library together afterward. Their plan was to make the most of the time before curfew forced them both to retire to their common rooms for the night.

Still cautious about being seen with one of their so-called 'enemies', Vail discreetly packed up her belongings as the Astronomy lesson drew to a close, deliberately taking her time to be one of the last students to leave. When informing her housemates of her decision to head to the library instead of their common room, she mentioned her desire to get a head start on the homework Professor Sinistra had just assigned. They accepted her explanation easily, offering well wishes, although Daphne, being aware of Vail's true motive, gave her a knowing smile.

One interesting thing to note, however, was that Hermione seemed to be engaged in a similar discussion on the other side of the classroom. Vail caught snippets of Hermione telling her two friends about her plan to visit the library for some revision, to which they responded with casual nods, as if it were a routine occurrence not worthy of an investigation.

Undeniably, the notion of both of them clandestinely meeting behind their friends' backs held a certain appeal to her.

So there she was, occupying one of the study tables near the back of the expansive library, sitting across from Hermione with only a small stack of tomes to separate them.

Vail tapped the end of her quill against the wooden table, her notes laying in front of her. She should be forcing herself to divert all of her attention to the task at hand, but she found her mind wandering and her gaze shifting to the adorable bookworm.

In the time she had been sitting there, she couldn't help but take notice of the little crease that would form between Hermione's eyebrows when she paused to ponder. How her thumb gently glided across the pads of her first and second fingers, a subconscious habit that was so very endearing. The way her lips would press together with a touch more intensity when she stumbled upon something of particular interest.

Each fleeting gesture and every expression etched itself in Vail's mind, leaving a profound impression that she just couldn't shake off. She wondered how many people before her had the privilege of seeing Hermione like this, under the soft glow of the library's lamplight. It truly was nothing short of mesmerising, and Vail realised with only a minor amount of guilt at the selfishness that she wanted to be the sole witness.

A few minutes later, Hermione pulled back her sleeve and glanced at her wristwatch. "Curfew will be soon," she said with a sigh, breaking the spell. "You should start packing up and head back to your common room."

Snapping back to attention, Vail looked at the Gryffindor in confusion at her word choice. "Just me? What about you? Or are you not concerned about getting into trouble?"

Hermione lifted the hood of her robe where it had folded over at her collarbone, revealing the shiny prefect badge underneath. "I have a little more leeway when it comes to being out at night."

"Well, would you punish me for wanting to stay here with you? I wouldn't mind losing a few house points if that's what it takes," Vail said with a smile. The Gryffindor's eyes widened by a fraction, but it was enough to be noticed by the blonde. "I'm just really getting into Arithmancy, you know? It's all very… captivating. Yes, captivating. I'm beginning to understand the allure," she stammered, hoping to steer the conversation away from any unintentional flirtatious undertones.

She hadn't meant for it to come out like that, but her tongue had betrayed her.

"Ah… I see," Hermione pursed her lips, but the slight upturn at the corner of her mouth indicated amusement. "Since it's only your first offence, I won't deduct any house points," her eyes twinkled mirthfully, and Vail breathed a mock sigh of relief. "However, others won't be so lenient. If one of the professors catches you, or even another prefect, you'll probably get detention."

"I suppose I'll have to be cautious then," Vail replied, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Wouldn't want to land myself in detention and miss out on our library study sessions, now would I? I'd definitely be screwed if that were to happen. Watch as I kiss my 'Outstanding' in the O.W.L. goodbye."

Hermione's muffled giggles filled the air around them, a melodious sound that brought a smile to Vail's face. The Gryffindor's amusement was contagious, and Vail found herself joining in while hoping the librarian wouldn't hear them from her desk near the entrance.

"Speaking of Arithmancy," Hermione said, her laughter subsiding after a few moments, "let me have a look at what you've done so far."

Vail quickly looked down at her notes, only to realise with a sinking feeling that her work was only half-finished. Her mind had been so preoccupied with… other things, that time had flown much faster than she thought. How embarrassing.

Hermione reached a hand over the table to grasp the parchment, only for Vail to snatch it up before the other girl could touch it.

"No, no, that's alright. I think it's all fine."

Hermione looked up with a curious expression on her face. "If you're worried about getting things wrong, it's okay. No need to feel ashamed, just let me see so we can make sure you're on the right track." She went to reach for it again, but frowned when Vail pulled it further away.

Vail knew Hermione only desired to help, and she wanted to let her, truly, however she also abhorred the idea of appearing less than in front of the Gryffindor. Even though Hermione had tried to assure her that there was no reason to feel that way, Vail didn't want her to see any flaws. Vail didn't want Hermione to think, even for a second, that she was slow or stupid.

Catching her struggles in class was one thing, as she had been thrown into late O.W.L. material with no preparation, but for the past hour she'd been working on the basics taught in third year (not really all that difficult, she must add) which Vail assumed had come to Hermione with ease.

Sensing the slight disappointment in Hermione's voice, Vail tucked her Arithmancy work away into her bag and pulled out her notes from Charms, specifically the page that detailed the staggering amount of homework that Professor Flitwick had assigned.

"What you could help me with - if you're okay with that - is this Charms homework. Flitwick went over it earlier but… well, I've never had to write any essays before," she said with a hopeful look in her eyes, making sure to leave behind the page of notes that Flitwick himself had generously provided to help her.

At this, Hermione's face lit up with a radiant smile. Perhaps the other girl took great joy in others coming to her for help, or perhaps Charms was just another subject that she especially liked. Either way, when Hermione pulled out the chair next to her and gestured for Vail to sit, Vail nearly knocked her own chair over in her haste to join the Gryffindor.

Vail wanted to scold herself acting like a childish schoolgirl with a little crush, but… that's exactly what this was, wasn't it? All it took was one look at Hermione that Monday morning and Vail was practically enamoured with her already. It was completely foolish, a distraction that would inevitably amount to nothing-

… his smile captivating as he whispered something in Tracey's ear, causing her to giggle and lean closer.

- and yet, she wanted it. It was selfish and silly of her, but she couldn't control how she felt any more than she could control the weather. She'd sooner be able to call forth lightning from the sky and obliterate someone.

Vail wondered if she had been an avid reader of romance novels in the past. Maybe she had been the lonely type, only able to find comfort in exploring pages filled with fantastical ideals of love and companionship. That could explain why her infatuation had come on so quickly, why Hermione's hand resting innocently on the table next to hers looked so inviting. If she wanted to, she could reach over and slip her hand into Hermione's. She could intertwine their fingers, stroke the back of Hermione's hand with her thumb, she could-

She should be listening to what Hermione was saying. It was rude to allow her thoughts to wander like that, especially when she had asked the other girl to put in the effort to help her. Hermione was spending her own free time doing this for Vail, and Vail absolutely would be listening intently if the Gryffindor's knee hadn't just briefly brushed against her own, momentarily throwing her off balance again.

"That's everything, I think. If you start on this essay while keeping in mind what I've said, I'm sure you'll do great," Hermione finished, turning to the blonde next to her with a smile on her face. "Any questions?"

Vail looked up from the parchment she had blankly been staring at. Hermione seemed to have been making notes on it for her, which worked in her favour as it meant she at least appeared to have been paying attention.

"I'm good, thank you," the Slytherin replied as she sat up straighter and cleared her throat. "I appreciate all the help you've given me."

"No problem at all. I'm actually glad to have met someone that takes their studies seriously; it's such a refreshing change of pace," she said, handing back the parchment. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Harry and Ron dearly, but sometimes their lack of care and attention to their schoolwork really gets on my nerves."

"Yeah, I get it," Vail chuckled nervously, her fingers tracing the fabric of her sleeve under the table. 'Lack of attention… I could never even dream of it…'

Hermione glanced at her wristwatch for the second time that night, her brow furrowing. "Right, this has been nice, but even I must call an end to our time in the library." Vail took a quick look, and almost cringed. It was getting pretty late. "I can escort you down to the Slytherin common room, that way if any professors or prefects see us, they'll just assume I caught you skulking around and have already dealt with you."

"Oh no, I've already taken up so much of your time. I can head down alone," the blonde said as she stood to collect her belongings, Hermione following suit.

"Don't be ridiculous, there's no need to risk you getting caught. It won't take more than ten minutes out of my night."

"It's fine, I won't get caught. I have a spell for that," the Slytherin smirked while recalling the charm she had read about a couple nights ago. She had practised it in the dark the previous night, gasping in delight as she watched herself fade from view while on her bed. It wasn't complete invisibility as the air seemed to shimmer when she moved, but she imagined that from a distance it would be near enough impossible to see her. "I'll keep that in mind, though. There may come a day I'd like to use you for your prefect privileges."

Hermione rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh at the last comment, but the smile tugging at her lips gave a different message. "And what spell might that be?"

"Ah, proving the rumours wrong, I see."

"What rumours?"

"That you know everything, of course." By this, Vail was referring to the "know-it-all" comments she'd heard her housemates say.

"I've never claimed to know everything," Hermione huffed indignantly as the two girls made their way out of the library. They had waited for the librarian, Madam Pince, to leave her desk as she periodically did to either fetch something or stretch her legs, before exiting through the doors and out into the corridor. "Just… a lot," she added quietly, but Vail still heard it and snorted in amusement.

Hermione's curiosity must have gotten the better of her, as she couldn't resist probing further. "What miraculous spell will get you to your common room unseen?"

Vail grinned mischievously, recognising the hint of scepticism in the Gryffindor's tone, yet also intrigue. With a twirl of her wand, Vail felt the magic shower her from head to toe. She knew she had successfully hidden herself when Hermione let out a small gasp.

"You're… you're actually invisible," said the Gryffindor in amazement. "Almost, anyway. But if I didn't know you were there, I'd probably just chalk it up to a trick of the light."

"Invisible, but still tangible," Vail rubbed at the spot on her shoulder where Hermione had poked her, and the brunette gave a quick apology as she hadn't meant it to be so hard. "I'd be happy to teach you, if you like. In the meantime, I should probably get going."

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the opening of a door further down the corridor. Despite earlier teasing the idea of getting caught past curfew, Vail didn't actually want to be berated by any of the Hogwarts staff if she could avoid it, so she immediately booked it in the other direction, taking shelter in an alcove nearby.

"Hermione!" came an angry whisper. It was Ron Weasley, dressed in pyjamas with his school robes on top.

"Ron?" Hermione, who had been confused by Vail's sudden departure, turned to her housemate and fellow prefect (evident by the badge he was wearing) with a befuddled look on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"Harry sent me to check on you. He was going to come himself, but with Umbridge up his arse I told him not to risk it."

"What? Why would Harry want to check on me? This is hardly the first time I've spent an evening down here."

"Well, yeah, but… this time was different."

"Different? How?"

An awkward silence permeated the air, and Vail watched with lively interest as Ron avoided eye contact and shifted his weight back and forth between his legs. There was something he didn't want to say, but Hermione had a cross look on her face and it seemed Ron couldn't ignore it any longer.

"We know you were with… you know. Her."

'Oh,' Vail thought, a frown appearing on her face. 'They've been talking about me again.'

"'Her'? For the love of- not again, Ronald Weasley. We've talked about this."

"Have we, though? From what I remember, Harry just brought up how suspicious she is and you immediately shot him down!"

"Because he was being paranoid!" Hermione threw her hands up in frustration.

"You agreed at first!" Ron crossed his arms in front of his chest, apparently gaining enough confidence to fight back. "Back during the Sorting Ceremony, when Harry told us how weird it was to get a transfer student right after You-Know-Who's return. And in bloody Slytherin, no less! You agreed that it was weird. What changed?"

Suddenly it all clicked in Vail's mind. The reason Harry had looked at her funny before their DADA class, and probably why Hermione had lied to them about meeting her in the library. They, like Snape, assumed she was a spy. She supposed she couldn't fault them for coming to that conclusion, as it seemed like a tumultuous climate to start trusting strangers, but still she felt a slight sting at the implied accusation.

"I talked to her, Ron. Maybe you and Harry should give it a try," Hermione glanced down the corridor in the direction Vail had run to, likely trying to see if she could spot the shimmer of her presence. Vail pressed herself further into the alcove. "And for the record," she said, turning back to Ron, "she's quite nice. Delightful, even."

With that, Hermione pushed past the Weasley and marched down the corridor towards the door he had entered through. Ron mouthed the word 'delightful' with a puzzled expression, and as for Vail, she could feel herself growing a bit warmer, especially around her face.

Hermione yanked the door open with a huff, but then paused before walking through. The crease between her eyes meant cogs were turning in her head, and Vail waited with bated breath for Hermione to finish whatever thought was going through her pretty head.

"Ron," she started, slowly turning to face him again, hand still on the open door. "How did you and Harry find out that Vail was with me?"

"Um," the boy mumbled, but whatever answer he might have given didn't appear to be necessary.

A look of righteous fury passed over Hermione's face, and she immediately stormed through the open door, loudly muttering a threat of violence towards their famous friend. "Harry Potter, I swear, I will shove that map so far up your-!"

The door closing muffled the ending, which was probably for the best.

'She thinks I'm delightful,' Vail reiterated to herself, practically skipping her way down the corridors to the dungeons. After Ron had nearly whimpered at the sight of an enraged Hermione, he chased after her to try and get her to calm down before they returned to the Gryffindor common room. After that, Vail had taken her leave for real this time, and was now almost back to her own common room.

Seeing Hermione defend her in front of her Gryffindor friends was certainly a cause for celebration, even though it might have driven a wedge between the trio. She couldn't help that it had made her feel all fuzzy inside, and it had absolutely poured fuel into the fire that was her crush on the bookworm.

One downside to all of this, however, was that she could never tell her housemates. There was no doubt in her mind that they'd crucify her if they even got a whiff of such a relationship between one of their own and their enemy. Alas, their secret rendezvous must remain a secret. She just hoped Hermione would be able to make sure Ron and Harry kept their mouths shut.

Speaking of her housemates, voices from around the next corner caught her attention. Turning into the corridor, Vail ducked into yet another alcove as an added precaution to ensure she stayed out of sight.

"You've been pretty quiet lately, more than usual. Are you sure everything's okay?" asked a voice that Vail knew to be Pansy's. Peeking out from her hiding place, Vail spotted Pansy leaning against the far wall next to, unsurprisingly, Draco.

'Must be their turn to patrol,' Vail thought, finding it humorous that it would be tonight that Pansy decided to do her duties.

"I'm fine, you know I always am," replied Draco, picking at his nails. Pansy looked up at him with concern etched on her face, and she reached up to place a hand on his upper arm.

"I know that you often pretend to be, even though you think you're hiding it well."

"I do hide it well."

"Not to me. You forget that I know you, sometimes better than you know yourself." Draco mumbled something under his breath, and Pansy just sighed before taking her hand back and crossing her arms. "I do wish you'd talk to me more."

Like with Ron and Hermione, the two Slytherins let a silence grow around them. Pansy and Draco both retreated into their thoughts, and Vail allowed herself a moment to feel bad for stepping in on an intimate moment between them, but the door to the common room was right there and it's not like she had anywhere else to go.

Besides, part of her was sort of pleased to see this. Next time Pansy tries to get under her skin about Theo or anyone else, all she'd have to do in response is bring up her one-on-one meetings with Draco past curfew. That'd certainly raise eyebrows with their dorm-mates.

"Are you coming to the Quidditch try-outs this weekend?" the boy asked, finally raising his head to look at the brunette in front of him.

"I always do, don't I? Someone has to cheer you on from the sidelines, because Merlin knows no one else will once you start flailing on that broom as you do." Draco chuckled at the insult, which caused Pansy to smile in a way that Vail hadn't seen before. "Ah, there he is. I was wondering when dear old Draco would finally make an appearance tonight. The mopey one was getting boring."

"Oh, shut up. Besides, even if I wasn't going to try-outs this year, you'd still turn up. I heard there's finally going to be some eye candy for you to look at," he said with a smirk, which was instantly replaced by a scowl when Pansy smacked his shoulder.

"Watch it! That's my dorm-mate you're talking about, not some pro-Quidditch hottie on a poster to drool over."

"I'm still not wrong. I bet you jumped for joy when she told you that she was finally going to join the team. The thought of her returning to your dorm, all dirty and sweaty in her Quidditch uniform. 'Oh, Pansy, I'm just so exhausted after carrying that match against Gryffindor. Help me out of these so I can take a shower, will you? In fact, why don't you just hop in with-'" Draco's teasing was cut short when Pansy reached around to grab his hood, pulling it down sharply over his head.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she cried, her face turning redder than Ron's hair. "Ugh, you're so annoying!"

"Says the girl that's been causing me headaches for the past ten years," Draco said after scrambling to throw the hood back. "Sometimes I really do wish you'd just get a girlfriend, then maybe you'd finally go bother someone else," he chuckled, patting the creases out of his robes. Looking back at Pansy, Draco's face fell when he saw the defeated look on her face. "Wait, Pans, I didn't mean… I was just kidding…"

"I know what you meant," she replied forlornly, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "I wish for the same, but my family would… you know. A future like that just isn't possible for me."

'Shit,' Vail thought, feeling her stomach turn. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, both in shock and to stop the groan from escaping her mouth.

She should not be listening to this. It was something funny to tease Pansy with before, but now it had just taken a turn into the very personal side, and Vail wished she knew what the Memory Charm was so that she could erase the last few seconds of her life. What a terrible way to end the day.

Once Pansy and Draco had taken off to finish their patrol, Vail swiftly made her way into the common room while she had the chance, taking the steps up to her dormitory two at a time while constantly repeating swears in her head at how awful she was. Reaching the door to her dormitory, she dispelled the Disillusionment Charm around her and whispered a prayer for the others to already be asleep, but such luck was not on her side.

"And where have you been?" asked Tracey as she sat up in her bed, staring at Vail with an open-mouthed smile on her face. "Out for a moonlight tryst, were we? Or was the library really just that fascinating?"

"The latter, I'm afraid. Lost track of time," she explained, throwing her robes over her bedpost and hurriedly changing into her pyjamas behind the privacy of her curtains. There was nothing she wanted more right now than to just sleep and forget everything, even though she suspected her dreams would be plagued with thoughts of deception yet again.

"Wow, I never knew paper could be so interesting," the brunette mumbled, flopping back down onto her bed and making herself comfortable again.

"Are you okay?" Daphne whispered to her from her own bed, leaning slightly across the gap between them. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing. Nothing happened at all," Vail replied, yanking the last of her curtains closed and trying to erase the image of Daphne's concerned face from her mind.

Author's Notes:
I just couldn't resist tacking on Vail's thoughts and feelings for Hermione. Of course, it's not love (yet), but she is 15/16 years old which is typically the common age for young people to obsess over fairy tale-like romance. I'm also definitely playing into the cliché of Victorian era teenagers' whimsical sense of love and intimacy. It's a fun concept, especially when you consider all the things modern (90s) teenagers get up to in comparison.

Again! Sorry for this being a little late. I got a small case of writer's block for this chapter and to try and get myself out of it I started writing scenes that'll come up in the future, one of which I know you're all looking forward to. I do have to admit something to you all though, and it's that I may not be able to keep up with one chapter a week like I wanted to. I'll be returning to active study in just a couple of months and there's been a lot to sort through in the meantime in preparation for that - a lot more than I expected - so I haven't had as much time to dedicate to this as I had assumed I would.

I did say on my profile that I may have to reduce updates to once every two or three weeks, but I didn't think it would come this quick. Sorry to disappoint, but from this point on I wouldn't expect chapters to come sooner than once a fortnight. Theoretically I could rush them, but I'd really rather not as it would mean producing chapters that were either shorter or below my standard.

P.S. Angry Hermione Granger and lesbian Pansy Parkinson is my religion.