Romina tugged on the ribbon bow of her high pony-tail. She turned her head towards the window of the compartment and looked at her reflection. She shouldn't have done it, but she did. And in secret again. Using transfiguration as soon as she stepped on the Hogwarts Express, Romina changed her hair all over. Instead of it being incredibly short, it was now incredibly long. Bright red shined on the tips of her hair. She'd done her best to look as different as possible from her mother.

According to Pansy, it had not been enough.

"Oswell," Pansy Parkinson proved to be a pain once you were on the recipient side of her wrath. She had Milicent Bullstrode on her side, also proving they were getting thick as thieves. "You decided to come back? And with a new hair-do? It's not going to work. You'll always look like Mummy-dearest."

Romina looked into Pansy's eyes, searching for anything that would give a sign of doubt, or at least regret, but there was nothing. Pansy now looked at her the same way she looked at Arden: with hatred. They were no longer friends. A part of Romina did lament the fact but she wouldn't let herself fall, especially to the likes of Pansy.

Romina did a small nod as she accepted the new reality. "So that's how it's going to be, then?" Pansy raised an eyebrow, not quite sure where Romina was going with the question. "Fine," Romina shrugged. "Hate me. But if you're going to do it, then be prepared for a good game because I'm not going anywhere." Pansy smirked, but it appeared she was more amused than threatened. "And fair warning, you do anything like what you did before Christmas again, and I might just have to live up to my parents' reputation."

"You? Okay!" snorted Pansy. Even Millicent snickered behind.

Romina didn't let that make her falter. Instead, she just smiled. "And just remember that I do also live with muggles so I've picked up on a few things that can and will make you hurt in a different way. Starting with…" she brutally stomped on Pansy's foot, making the girl shriek. "Scuse me!" she then moved around the girls, making sure her black suitcase knocked them against the glass door of a compartment.

Yeah, that kind of felt good.

All the way towards Hogwarts, Romina had spent it alone. No one wanted to sit with the daughter of Elora and Caplan Oswell apparently. It was fine. It gave Romina more hours to accept what might be waiting for her at school. When the train finally stopped, she got her suitcase and headed for the horseless carriages waiting for the students. Despite her best efforts to be aloof, she couldn't help notice that everyone passing by would give her a certain look, along with hushed whispers.

Romina had never felt so alone in those few minutes...

"Hey Oswell, I thought you weren't coming back?" Romina heard behind her, pulling her out of her darkening thoughts.

Draco had recognized her bright red ombre tips a mile away. He picked up his pace to catch up with her and seeing this, she stopped walking.

She rolled her eyes as the young platinum blonde came up beside her. "You'd like that wouldn't you, Malfoy?"

"Well, it does sound rather appealing. No more constant badgering for my more-than-clever Muggle jabs and Potter insults. Would make my life a lot easier, frankly."

Romina rolled her eyes and looked away as a smile crossed her lips. His playfulness was heartwarming. He chose to ignore everything and still treat her the same. There were no overwhelming questions like the "are you okay?" or the damned "how are you feeling?" one she hated the most. He chose to be himself with her. His rude, snarky self but himself nonetheless.

That's all she wanted.

"As if," she shrugged casually, though her smile was growing by the second. "Then who'd you have as a potion's partner? Dare I say…" she pretended to gasp, and even stopped for dramatics, "Hermione!"

The utter disgust that etched across Draco's face was both amusing and offensive on behalf of Hermione. "Don't ever say that again, Oswell. Ever."

"I would honestly pay to see who would kill each other first," Romina chuckled. Hermione was a force to be reckoned with all on her own.

"It's honestly insulting that you would ever entertain the idea Granger would stand a chance against me," Draco looked away, missing Romina rolling her eyes. He should be grateful she was entertaining this whole conversation at all. According to Arden, Romina had done everything in her power to avoid her friends. "And what the hell did you do to your hair now?"

Romina shrugged. "I just...tweaked it."

"Tweaked it!? Gave yourself a whole new look!"

"Using Transfiguration — again — so you can go ahead and be impressed now."

"Romina!" Arden's loud call startled the two into an abrupt stop. Arden was coming in a sprint towards them, along with Angel and Carolinha.

"Rom!" Arden threw her arms around Romina. "We missed you on the train!"

"I didn't feel like being with company," Romina said honestly as she pulled away from Arden.

"You didn't write back," Angel added when he gave Romina a hug, though he did it with no hint of reproach.

"It wasn't as if she was going to write to anyone," Draco bluntly said, missing the whole 'gentle' point. He didn't see any reason why they should be treating Romina so delicately, honestly. She didn't need it. If anything, they were probably annoying her with all their mushy behavior.

"I just wasn't in the mood," Romina continued, still attempting to play things off. She could really do with moving things along. "What Pansy did...it really messed me up, more than I already am anyways. I just needed some time."

"You can't let her do this to you," Carolinha warned. "We'll get her back."

Normally, Romina would say that there was no point in revenge, that it was wrong. But this time, she felt a different type of rage towards Pansy that couldn't be quelled with a simple muggle get-back.

"By the way, what did you do with your hair now?" Arden asked.

~ 0 ~

It was quite surprising for Romina to find out that the golden trio weren't right with each other. Romina found Hermione sitting outside in the courtyard with a book in hand. Once she questioned Hermione where the boys were, Hermione spilled the story of the firebolt present Harry had mysteriously received for Christmas. She started normally but as she got to explaining how she gave the firebolt to McGonagall despite Harry's and Ron's refusal, all of Hermione's words tumbled out together. Romina struggled to separate each of her words, but she ultimately got the jist.

"I mean, I just did what was right," Hermione said twice now since the girls started walking. She was back to speaking normally since she needed air. "I had to tell McGonagall about the present. It could've been sent by Sirius Black as a trap! You agree with me, don't you?" she looked to Romina for some well needed support she clearly hadn't gotten from the boys.

"I guess so," Romina scratched the back of her head. She probably wouldn't have thought that the Firebolt was a trap like Hermione did, but she supposed they should be grateful Hermione had. She was thinking reasonably, unlike the others. "Better safe than sorry."

Hermione seemed relieved to have at least one person on her side. She sighed in relief and gave Romina a quick hug. They continued to cross the courtyard shortly afterwards. "And McGonagall told Harry he could have the Firebolt back if it was safe, so...things will turn out fine. He'll get it back."

Romina knew Hermione was saying it to feel less guilty about the situation. Romina nodded her head, reassuring Hermione she'd done the right thing. "Harry will get over it because he knows you were only trying to do the right thing."

Hermione hoped she was right because it had been a rather quiet, lonely vacation after Christmas. She was glad school was starting again to at least see other friends. "You seem to be doing better," Hermione commented after a brief moment of silence between them. "Though I guess you changed your hair again because of what Pansy did? I'm so sorry about that."

"Pansy will get what's coming to her," Romina said as she came to a stop and turned to face Hermione. "She and I are no longer friends."

"I imagine so," Hermione could tell from Romina's face she'd meant every word. "But how do the other Slytherins treat you? I know Arden's okay...but the others?"

It'd never really been established what kind of relationships Romina had with the rest of the Slytherins. Neither Hermione, Harry or Ron had made any assumptions past the fact they were all Slytherins and they needed to be cautious around them.

"Honestly, so far, it's kind of confusing," Romina folded her arms and thought about the common room as of late. "Angel, Carolinha and Daphne say it's nothing to be ashamed of. My parents are not who I am."

Hermione smiled. "They're right."

"Theodore and Blaise just laughed and shook it off. And then Draco, believe it or not, has been helpful too. I think he gets me more than the others because of his own parents."

There, Hermione's smile faded. "I wouldn't believe Malfoy so easily, Rom."

"I know your problems with him, and I get it, but it's a bit different between us."

Hermione visibly cringed. "I'm sorry."

"Mhm," Romina dropped her arms to her sides and sighed. "Should I even ask what talks go on in the Gryffindor common room about me?"

Hermione smiled once more because she got to relieve Romina's fears about that. "Most of them are understanding. They know you and they know you'd never hurt anyone."

"I'm glad," Romina locked eyes with a few Ravenclaws walking past them. "I hope it's the same in the other Houses."

"I'm sure it will be," Hermione patted Romina's arm and coaxed her into walking again.

~ 0 ~

"We're doing this one," Romina presented Draco with a small parchment paper. She didn't necessarily wait for his reaction since she took off to go retrieve the needed ingredients for their potion.

Snape commanded the students to create a simple (in his perspective, anyways) potion that class period to demonstrate that they had indeed been listening to his lectures. The idea was for each pair of students to choose a potion falling under a minimum of five ingredients for its creation.

Draco's face had scrunched after reading the name of the potion Romina chose for them, and when she came back he made sure to voice his opinion on it. "You want us to create a measly Bulgeye potion?"

"It's not measly," she said calmly as she laid their ingredients on their desk. "I chose it with great care."

"It's boring," Draco slammed the parchment on the desk, gaining several looks from the other students as well as Snape who, after a few seconds, dismissed it and went back to his desk.

"It won't be, I promise."

Draco studied the girl who continued to calmly prepare things. "You're up to something, Oswell." Romina only raised her gaze for a couple seconds, but it was all Draco needed to see her hidden intentions. "It won't be boring?"

Romina smirked. "Not at all."

Draco tilted his head and shrugged. "Alright then, let's begin."

The two worked quietly throughout the class period. They were actually good partners and after a long year of Romina being detached and distant, Draco was glad (and relieved) to have his partner back. He did, however, wonder how long this would last. It wouldn't be the first time Romina duped him and everyone else into believing she was completely back to normal.

"That looks wrong," Pansy stopped by one hour into their work time. Her eyes disapprovingly looked over the brewing cauldron. "I'm so sorry, Draco, that you got stuck with her."

Romina secretly side-glanced Draco and made a 'shh' noise under her breath. Oh, he wanted to know what she was up to now. She looked very certain of herself.

"I'll have you know we're doing pretty good unlike yours," Romina sent a nod in Pansy's desk where her cauldron was spewing some type of odd color.

Pansy sourly smiled at the girl. "It would be a shame if something happened to yours, then, wouldn't it?"

Romina leveled Pansy's look with her own, a plain blank one. "I suppose." She waited a few seconds before glancing at Draco. "We need more of the sac fungi. Can you help me?"

"...sure…" Draco said slowly, knowing full well she most certainly didn't need help carrying the tiny portion they required.

Romina made a show of leaving a few ingredients neatly cut beside the cauldron. She flashed Pansy a sour smile, like the girl had before with her, and walked away.

"What the hell are you doing?" Draco hissed as he was forced to walk along with her.

"Teaching Parkinson a lesson, that's what," snapped Romina. She yanked him towards the table of ingredients and made sure he wouldn't move from there.

"What are you up to?"

"Shh," Romina put a finger over her lips. She looked over her shoulder to catch Pansy examining their desk. "She's so goddamn predictable," she whispered.

Because when no one was supposedly watching, Pansy picked up several ingredients Romina left on the desk and started tossing them into their cauldron.

Of course when Draco saw Pansy, he became infuriated. "I'm going to—" Romina had to yank him back before he stormed over and ruined it.

"Just wait for it," Romina turned him back to the table but continued to watch over her shoulder.

Just as Pansy was about to drop the last bit in her hand, the cauldron bubbled and suddenly threw its contents directly at her face. The girl's scream froze everyone in their spots.

"IT HURTS!" Pansy wailed as she staggered away from the cauldron. Her face was growing blotches of bubbly green while other clear parts were swelling up.

Snape was the one to storm over, but he showed no sign of sympathy for the girl. "Well of course it does! You're covered in toxic fungi! Just what were you doing here?"

Pansy didn't know if it hurt more to put her hands on her face or let everyone see her face covered in fungi. Course when she saw Romina smirking from the ingredient table, she knew exactly what happened. "It was Oswell's fault!" she immediately pointed an accusing finger in Romina's way. "She did something!"

Romina was fast to stop smirking and hold her hands up. "But I was only getting ingredients we needed. How could I do something to my own work? And what's more, how could I do something all the way from here? I don't have the skills for that...do I?" she glanced at Draco innocently.

"Well, no not really," he was completely honest.

Pansy's eyes were almost bug-eyed from rage. "I know it was you! You did this! You did-"

"Parkinson, this wasn't even your desk," Snape stopped her from going any further. "Perhaps instead of dilly-dallying you should have remained at your own table working like I instructed you to."

"But can't you see? Oswell tricked me," Pansy all but stomped her foot like a child would when they weren't getting their way. And she wasn't getting her way.

"I don't think so," Snape took one look at Romina's and Draco's desk to see the remaining ingredients. "I do, however, believe you two" — he said for Romina and Draco, — "have mistakenly added some ingredients that don't belong here."

"Maybe that'll stop Parkinson from sticking her nose where it doesn't belong," Romina said all too proudly for the rest of the class not to snicker.

"Silence!" Snape commanded. "Parkinson, get to the infirmary now. Oswell and Malfoy, you better get this cleaned up if you expect to make my deadline on time."

Romina nodded and started back for their desk. She met Harry's and Ron's face with a proud smirk. They both knew this had not been any accident. The only one who seemed a bit disapproving was Hermione, but that was no surprise.

"You planned all of this, didn't you?" Draco was careful to whisper while they started cleaning up.

"Is it my fault Pansy is so nosy and sadly so predictable?" Romina innocently shrugged. "Maybe next time she'll think twice before messing with me," she said in a darker tone.

"Harsh," Draco paused for a moment to think it through. It was clearly the reason why she chose such a simple, boring potion. And yet, it turned out to be the funniest thing ever. She wore her victory with a proud smirk while she cleaned up, and he rather liked it. "Keep that up, will you? You might get more interesting."

Romina smirked. "Thanks. Now let's hurry so we can make the actual potion."

~ 0 ~

Word spread about Pansy's unfortunate accident and while Romina did feel an unusual satisfaction from it, there were others who now looked at her a bit differently because of it. She didn't think about what the other students would think about it and perhaps she should have. If people murmured about her before, now they didn't even bother hiding it.

"I'm not gonna hex you!" she hissed at a couple second year Hufflepuffs in the hallway who, in response, rushed to get away from her. "Geez, it was a simple prank."

Not a second later was she picked up from her arms by the Weasley twins.

"And what a genius prank it was, my dear Aline!" Fred said proudly.

"Would you hush before someone hears you?" Romina snapped. "And would you put me down!?" Her legs flailed in the air while the twins held her and brought her down the opposite end of the hallway.

"Course," George snickered. They stopped at the courtyard threshold and put the girl down on her feet.

"Now what was that all about?" Romina crossed her arms over her chest.

"We just want to commend you on your fabulous prank today," Fred dramatically flapped his hands in the air.

"Yeah, you've proven you can be a sly, sneaky prankster," George added.

"Great…" Romina looked between the twins without much understanding. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That in the near future we might ask you to join us," Fred replied with an air that indicated she should be proud as well.

Romina couldn't help but chuckle. That made both twins grin.

"There's Romina! Glad to see you're doing better!" George took her in for a surprise hug.

Of course it only took Romina a couple seconds to figure out the purpose of this odd conversation. They were trying to see how she was doing in their own subtle way. Her prank was an indication she was doing better than before. And she even looked better.

"Thanks boys," Romina smiled softly at them and hugged them each. "But what have I said about carrying me like that?"

The twins each grinned mischievously.

"I've no idea," George shrugged. "Do you know, Fred?"

"Why, I don't believe I do, George."

Romina rolled her eyes while the twins went back and forth oh-so-innocently. That's one game she wouldn't be able to put a stop to.

~0~

As DADA came to a finish, Romina saw firsthand how Harry, Ron and Hermione interacted with each other. It truly was a sight to see when they all bickered, well mostly Ron and Hermione. They were arguing at a full level outside the classroom.

"Whatever, she just wants us to talk to her again," Ron said after Hermione had stormed away.

"You're so nice, Ron," Romina stepped into Hermione's spot, flashing the ginger boy a glare.

"Well…" Ron gestured after Hermione but his sputtering didn't exactly make the best defence.

"Please don't fight either," Harry quietly pleaded. He looked at Romina with a different type of expression, one that Romina recognized straightaway. It was the same look most of her friends gave her at the return of vacation.

"I'm good, Harry," Romina offered him a small smile. "Better than I had been anyways."

Ron snorted. "Well, with what you did to Parkinson who wouldn't be better?" Romina rolled her eyes but her smirk did indicate some agreement from her part. "How'd you pull that off, anyways?"

"She's predictable," Romina proudly pushed her hair over her shoulder.

Ron eyed the long mane of black hair peeking around her body. "Have I mentioned your hair is kind of weird?"

Romina looked at Harry. "And then he wonders why he gets into arguments with Hermione?"

"What?" Ron frowned while Harry shared a smile with Romina.

"Look, Hermione told me about the Firebolt incident…" Romina lowered her voice to a whisper though as soon as she mentioned the Firebolt, Ron went into a fit.

"The blasphemy! How dare she do that!? It was a Firebolt for God's sake—"

"Ron," Harry hissed for him to be quiet. "We don't need the entire school knowing McGonagall is in possession of it."

"You don't look as mad," Romina took note of Harry's rather calm exterior. "Must mean you understand what Hermione felt she had to do."

"Oh you cannot be taking her side!" Ron pointed a warning finger at Romina.

"I'm not, I'm just saying that what Hermione did was out of precaution. And judging by Harry's attitude, it looks like he might be agreeing too."

"He's not!" Ron immediately said but then wondered if Romina had a point. He turned to Harry with a questioning look. "Are you?"

"No, well...I mean…" Harry sighed, "I was upset but then...I don't know...I guess it wouldn't hurt if McGonagall took a look at it. What would I do with a curse Firebolt anyways?"

Ron looked like he'd heard the end of the world.

Romina clapped a hand on the ginger's shoulder. "And there you have it. Now you don't need to be so mean to Hermione. Now let's move onto why you talked to Lupin after class, Harry. You seem so buddy-buddy with him."

"Am not," Harry was quick to say.

"Really? I'm not an idiot. You want to try again?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "He knew my parents, alright?" Romina stiffened at the mention of his parents. It was just a plain reminder of what happened to them and by who. "And he's going to teach me how to defend myself against the Dementors."

"Oh…" the black-haired girl bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry, Harry. I-I didn't know."

"You're okay," Harry smiled at her.

"Can I ask why you waited this long to learn from him?"

"He hasn't been feeling well. You've seen him."

"Yeah," Romina had to agree. Anyone with eyes could see Lupin's deteriorating health a mile off. "What do you think is wrong with him? Has to be something chronic but I don't know what."

"Well, Hermione seems to know," Ron shrugged. "It's what she was saying earlier. I don't think it's true, though."

"Oh Ron," Romina chuckled. "Never doubt Hermione Granger. She's the one who saves your life." Ron huffed and looked away. "So Harry, when are you going to take these lessons from Lupin?"

"Tonight. So don't tell anyone."

"Never," Romina raised her hands in defense. "Who knows, you might be able to teach us a thing or two afterwards." Harry chuckled with her.

For a moment, it was almost as if nothing had happened to either of them.

A/N:

P.S. As always, I have AO3/Wattpad accounts under "noblecrescent" and a tumblr account under "saiilorstars" if you'd like to follow :)