- - - Hermione - - -

We went 'home' for the holidays. It wasn't a request made by the Weasley matriarch, it was more of an order, meaning we didn't have a choice. As much as I wanted to stay at Hogwarts and avoid the entire Weasley family, I couldn't ignore the summons. Besides, it would have been awfully rude to actually ignore the letter. They accepted me into their family, they're supplying us with an allowance - that we didn't ask for - so we can shop at Hogsmeade, they've been sending gifts and trinkets throughout the year, and Brian has already gone public with his role as our father, playing his part as a new doting parent to perfection.

I don't regret going 'home' for Yuletide either. I received books from the Weasleys and, surprisingly, Dumbledore. Thankfully I sent them gifts as well: wool socks for Dumbledore (who thankfully chuckled when I told him the story of my first year), toys for the boys, a few random Muggle items for Arthur that Dorthea bought at a Tesco for me, and a bunch of yarn for Molly who recently took up knitting. I'm really looking forward to my first Weasley sweater! Gifts for Brian, Nonno Septimus and Nonna Ella were more difficult to decide, but I took the easy way out and gave them all a token of my gratitude by making a personal gift to each.

I think the most surprising gift was the one from Brian. Ginny was given a necklace that is a Weasley heirloom and I was given a watch pendant that I may actually wear. It's so sweet of him to think of us.

As fun as it was spending time with the Weasley extended family, the train ride back to Hogwarts is... interesting. Ginny, Dorthea and I are sitting in a carriage together. What I find absolutely fascinating, confusing, and utterly frustrating beyond reason are the visitors that keep invading our privacy. There are so many people from all houses and they aren't just showing up for Ginny or Dorthea. Some of those visitors have come to speak with me... with me !? I greet each one as politely as possible, all the while wondering why they're here.

Ginny, naturally, finds it hilarious. Every time another person, male or female, comes to visit me, Ginny mocks and teases me relentlessly the moment they leave. Huffing in exasperation, I exclaim, "I don't even know them!"

Dorothea sighs dramatically. "I wish I had your problems. No one looks at me that way."

I round on the girl in utter surprise. "No, you really don't. People staring at you wherever you go, whispering behind your back as if you don't understand the language or hear their comments - which are both embarrassingly flattering, and horribly hurtful because they aren't true - girls glaring at you because a boy they fancy looks at you too long or the wrong way and you don't even know their name." Tirade through, I deflate with a soft sigh. "I wish they would stop."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

I close my eyes, relaxing in my seat for as long as possible. Perhaps if passers by thought I was sleeping or meditating, they'll leave me alone? I'm almost afraid to look towards the window of the compartment door. Too many people pass by to gawk at us as if we're some weird, exotic birds on display in the zoo. Heaven forbid I accidentally make eye contact with one of them. If/when that happens, they suddenly think it's okay to open the door and invite themselves inside. "It is exactly like that," I grouse. I huff and pout at a snickering Ginny. "At least the silly little boys in Ravenclaw only ask me the most inane questions simply to hear me talk. According to Kingsley Shacklebolt, they like my accent." With a huff I flail. "Boys are so weird."

"I wonder..."

"Wonder, what?" When Dorthea shoots a nervous glance at a confused Ginny, my insides squirm uncomfortably. I don't think I'm going to like whatever it is that Dorthea is wondering about. Still, I need to know so I repeat, "Wondering what?"

"The boys, at least," Dorthea flinches when Ginny and I lean forward, "you don't think they're maybe betting..."

Betting? I sit back, confused.

"Betting what exactly?" Ginny's voice sounds hard, like a warning. I think she's ready to hex someone. Has Ginny figured it out already? What could boys be betting?

"To see who can get with you first?" Dorthea asks and I blink at her. I'm sorry... What?! Ginny... Ginny growls.

"Get with...?" I repeat... or try to repeat the question. Honestly, I want to pretend I don't understand. I truly do and when Dorthea starts to elaborate, I hold up my hand to stop her. "I understood the first time, I simply don't want to believe it."

"It makes sense," Ginny states, crossing her arms. I can't suppress a shudder. It does make sense, but I do not have to like it. "Boys have done it before." The look Ginny gives me after that statement makes me think - perhaps - her brothers have warned her in the past.

I hope Dorthea is wrong. I really, truly do. That is such a horrid concept. Just the idea of someone making such a wager makes me feel as if I need to reevaluate all of my friendships, not that I have many, but still...

I jump in surprise when Dorthea grabs my hands in hers and earnestly tells me, "It's just a theory on my part. I mean, you're quite lovely, smart, and nice and maybe I'm wrong and they all just like you because-"

"I'll hex them," Ginny looks furious as she interrupts, "I'll hex their balls off."

A tear slips down my cheek as I swipe it away in frustration. Those boys want to bet something like that? I'll make them sorry for participating. "If it's true and there is a wager out there, they will regret underestimating me. I am not a trophy for their game. I am not gullible enough to fall for their false charms." I smile at my sister. "I'll hex them within an inch of their life and if I manage to miss anyone, I have faith you'll take care of the rest."

- - - Ginny - - -

All of my winter homework is completed. Mostly. Over seventy-five percent. Even closer to ninety percent. Well, if I don't consider Potions, then it'll be a hundred percent. And I don't. Count Potions, that is. I sigh, leaning my cheek against the table in the library. Unfortunately for me, the professors do count Potions so I have to scramble to put something together for the essay on the different Everlasting Elixirs, which needs to include how they each differ and how they are similar.

I strongly suspect Slughorn won't accept: they're made differently and they are all categorized as Everlasting Elixirs.

Someone slips into the chair in front of me and I'm positive it's either Mia or Dorthea. So I dramatically sigh and say, "Kill me now."

They wait too long and I realize... no, it's not Mia or Dorthea. I straighten and see Snape sitting in front of me with his eyebrow raised - how does he do that? - and smirking at me. "I will refrain from doing so. Your sister would attempt to avenge you."

"Well, you're slightly right." I grin. "Mia wouldn't attempt, she'd succeed. She's scarier than me when angry. You wouldn't see her coming."

Snape doesn't reply to that, instead he looks down at my notes on my essay which are sparse. He glances at me and asks, "How much of this essay have you completed?"

I pull together my notes with a sigh. "Spoilsport, talking about Potions ." I wave a hand and say, "I have a list of a large amount of different Elixirs, a list of their ingredients, and brewing times for all of them. It's just, the only thing that I can really see that they have in common is that they're part of the Everlasting Elixirs." I lean back and shrug. "I'll think of something."

"I can help you."

Narrowing my eyes, I cross my arms under my chest and stare at him. I see him grimace while he speaks and I answer, "You don't tutor anyone, even though if you did you'd have less Slytherins against you. You certainly wouldn't be ostracized like Mia and I." I brush my hair behind my ear. "In fact, the more time you spend with either of us the more likely you'll be targeted by Slytherins."

"That is true, however I don't owe them anything."

This again? "Oh honestly, you don't owe me anything. Sure, I suppose you could say I helped you get your friend back, but you helped me with my previous essay. We're fine and even."

"Do you consider friendship on the same level of importance as a singular essay?"

I huff. "When said friend is so self-absorbed she can't see past her own tits, yes."

Snape snorts - SNORTS?! Snape is laughing ? - before hastily covering his mouth, eyes widening, as he glances around. I just got Professor Snape - dungeon bat with a permanent scowl and horrid demeanor - to laugh? What alternate dimension did I wind up in this time?

He coughs and says, "It was because of -"

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but let me stop you there. Who you're friends with or why you forgave her is none of my concern. That's between you and her."

"That is true." Snape... admitting that someone is right? I pinch my leg. Right, not a dream. "However, it is also not your place to define how I determine the worth of my friendship." Friendship. Singular. That explains... a lot, actually.

I sigh. "You're right, of course. I'm sorry for presuming. But I also don't want you to put yourself through something you don't even particularly enjoy." I can't help myself. "Unless you want to practice teaching since you secretly want to become a professor."

Snape has a look of utter disgust before he shakes his head. "No. I think not." Then why did he go into teaching?

"Right. So. We're at an impasse. You feel as if you owe me a debt and I don't want to put you through the horror of tutoring me."

The boy sighs and pinches his nose. "How are you not in Gryffindor with how blunt you are?"

"I bullied Mr. Hat into putting me in Slytherin." I snap my fingers. "How about this? Give me a hint of where I can find the similarities of these elixirs. If that doesn't clear our debt, if I'm ever stuck on anything in Portions I'll ask you and you can point me in the right direction. You don't have to teach or walk through explanations and I won't bollocks up my potions homework too badly. We both win."

His mouth pulls down into a frown, but at least I gave an option instead of saying no? I mean, he can't really argue with that, right? He's not having to spend hours with me attempting to teach me potions - and I refuse on principle because I had him as a professor for four years, no thank you - which I think he should count as a win.

"That is fine for the time being."

I frown at him. "I won't change my mind, you know."

He shrugs and summons a book and places it in front of me. He taps the cover and says, "This book is organized in alphabetical order of all potion ingredients. They explain what they are used for. I suggest going through the list of ingredients you have and see which ones seem to fit the branch of elixirs you are looking into." He stands, nods, and walks away.

Snape is weird.

- - - Hermione - - -

Winter in the Scottish Highlands seems to linger longer than anywhere else. That's my opinion on the matter and no amount of arguing will change it. Still, there are times when I simply need a break from the people in the castle and will hide somewhere on the grounds for as long as I can manage.

The wind is a bit harsher than the last Hogsmeade trip and so instead of sitting near the frozen Black Lake, I opt for a bit of a walk. A large black dog comes loping up beside me, brushing against my side, nearly toppling me over. The brat. I sigh softly and scratch the tall canine's head. I find it startling just how tall the slobbering beast is. Even on all fours Snuffles' shoulder is at my hip.

We walk silently along the path until we're almost to Hagrid's hut. Just beyond the building, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, is a stag. It's beautiful. Tall, majestic, standing so still you could mistake him for a statue. "Wow," I say in a whisper. I didn't mean to say it aloud, but I think the stag hears me. His ear twitches.

Snuffles nudges me as if to remind me he's still there. "What?" I ask, distractedly and realize the dog is trying to urge me back to the castle. Oh. Right. "Okay, I'll go back inside." I look back to the forest and am not surprised to note that Prongs must have run off already. I look at Snuffles and remind him, "Be careful tonight." I scratch him behind his ears again before heading quickly back to the castle. How did I forget it's the night of the full moon?

- - - Ginny - - -

None of the boys here are good snoggers. Not. A. Single. One.

At least, none of the ones I've snogged.

I pout down at my food before stabbing a piece of roast beef. Dorthea snickers and asks, "No luck with Jordan?"

Mia looks over at me and quirks an eyebrow. I finish my bite of food and explain, "Jordan is a bloke in Hufflepuff. He's a bad snogger, even if he's nice enough."

Mia giggles. "I'll keep that in mind, sister mine."

"But honestly, is it too much to ask that boys be good at snogging?"

"Of course it is," Dorthea answers, "they're too busy trying to cop a feel."

"Boys," we all mutter before dissolving into giggles.

Movement behind me catches my attention, but no one is there. I glance over at Mia and she's on alert as well. Dorthea hasn't noticed and continues, "Honestly, though, I feel like we'll have to wait longer for boys to be interested in anything more than themselves."

My hand goes to my wand in my pocket and I see Mia doing the same. I hear a whisper of ' Calvorio ' and both Mia and I act at the same time.

" Protego! "

" Expelliarmus! "

The Hair Loss Curse bounces off Mia's shield and slams into the wall in a shower of purple sparks and a wand lands - invisible - in my hand with Potter and Black pressed intimately close to one another and crouched, Black's front against Potter's back. Black's wand is gone and Potter is staring wide-eyed at us.

"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall calls out in the hall.

Mia stands and I do the same, but I glance down at my hand and shift the fabric around until I see Black's wand. "Professor McGonagall, one of them cast the Hair Loss Curse at Ginny. We just protected ourselves." The entire hall is quiet at Mia's words, but I set Black's wand on the table before I fiddle with the - is this an invisibility cloak?

My eyes widen as I cover my shoulders with the item and sure enough, the majority of my body disappears. Potter flinches before lurching forward, crying out, "That's mine!" but freezes when both Mia and I turn our wands on the boy.

"That is enough, Mr. Potter!" McGonagall now stands in front of us and demands, "Your wands. All of them. And the cloak, Miss Weasley."

The hall erupts into whispers. The professor quickly casts the spell to see what we all cast last, takes the cloak, and turns to the boys, "Detention for a week, the both of you. And ten points from Gryffindor for both of you. Mr. Potter, I will be confiscating this cloak. At the end of the year, I will send it to your father. If I see it here next year, you will earn more than a week of detention, is that understood?"

Black and Potter glare at Mia and I, but Potter mutters, "Yes, Professor."

She nods and shoos them to the Gryffindor table after returning all of our wands then looks at Mia and I. "I will not deduct points for you defending yourselves." She glances at the hall and snaps, "Enough gawking. Back to your dinner."

Mia and I sit and Dorthea shakes her head, "Honestly, there's never a dull moment with you two around, is there?"

- - - Hermione - - -

When I finally make it to the Room of Requirement, I concentrate on the perfect room. After the third pass, the door appears, and I'm pleased - and surprised - at what awaits me. Magic is a wondrous thing, the Room of Requirement is brilliant, and the space I'm presented with is perfect.

I drop my disillusionment charm when I have the door closed behind me and pull off my robes. I had my yoga gear on underneath - and while I know I was disillusioned and most likely wouldn't have been spotted - I didn't want to risk it and then be seen in such a low cut, form fitting outfit. My scar is much too visible. I would have been mortified if anyone had seen me. Plus there is already the possibility of that stupid bet, that I have yet to verify, I don't need to be seen walking around like this .

I walk to the center of the room. It's a replica of what had once been in my parents' workout room, or as close as Hogwarts can get to it, and I smile nostalgically at the area before setting my mat on the floor. I swiftly warm up and run through my poses as a familiar sheen of sweat coats my skin.

Memories of the past sweep over me, distant and recent. My mom doing yoga with me, my dad meditating as we did, and Brian sending me to Nonna Ella for my yoga gear because he misunderstood me, thinking I was asking for womanly products. I can't help but smile at the memories and exhale, releasing any stress that I had been feeling.

- - - Ginny - - -

"Is anyone sitting here?" I look up and stare at Black the younger. I look at the table that is covered in books. I look back up at Black.

"Do you really think I'm reading all of these by myself?"

He huffs and crosses his arms. He opens his mouth to say something, but then Dorthea and Mia come out of the aisle they had wandered down earlier, laden down with more books and chatting about something. Black's fingers twitch before he turns on his heel and leaves.

- - - Hermione - - -

Many sixth year students of each house, and a few seventh years, are standing in the Great Hall. I'm not sure what to expect, but the seventh year students who have taken his class already are whispering about the instructor - Wilkie Twycross. They claim he's oddly colorless, with transparent eyelashes, wispy hair, and an insubstantial air, as though a single gust of wind might blow him away. I think that's a heartless thing to say about a person… or I do until I see him walk into the Great Hall.

Wow. The rumors are true. Twycross is as described. He really does seem colorless. I never thought that was possible. How can a person be so transparent and still live? That is so creepy.

Twycross waves his wand, muttering to himself, and old-fashioned wooden hoops instantly appear on the floor in front of every student. It is time for class. If we're already seventeen - which I am - we can test for our apparition license. Hmm, which could explain why there are a few seventh years in the Great Hall, too.

I'm a bit nervous, but pretty excited about learning something new. Being able to apparate can be a true convenience, even if it is a tad frightening. Twycross is droning on about splinching, which is a strange way of saying that you can accidentally leave bits and parts of yourself behind. How utterly terrifying. I bite my bottom lip and question my choices in life. How badly do I want to learn this?

"The important things to remember when apparating are the three D's! Destination, Determination, Deliberation!" Twycross is still yammering on, but he's just saying the same thing in different ways, so I tune him out.

Destination, Determination, Deliberation.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this . I huff. Well, I can. I really can… right? Yes. Of course, I can. Fred and George used to apparate in Grimmauld Place. Right. If Fred and George can do it, could do it, will do it… I can, too.

I take a calming breath and focus. Destination, Determination, Deliberation.

Destination, the hoop in front of me. Determination, I'm quite determined to make it into that hoop sitting idly in front of me. Deliberation. What does that even mean? How does that even fit with the others? Deliberation is a long and careful consideration or discussion. How long must I carefully consider this bloody hoop? I'm plenty determined, I know where to go for my destination, how important is it to deliberate?

There's a loud crack. Followed by others. I look around and see that it is the seventh year students that are already practicing. They've taken the course before but either failed the test or were too young to take the test last year. I stare at the hoop again and figure I've deliberated long enough. I take hold of my waning Gryffindor bravery and there is a blood curdling scream from across the Great Hall.

Did someone splinch? I try to see who it is and Snape moves, taking a few steps before I grab his arm to stop him. Snape looks at me with a snarl. It must be Lily then. I shake my head and he huffs. There is screaming, yelling, shouting and it all seems to be coming from the same person.

I squeeze Snape's forearm to gain his attention and ask, "Does she usually talk to people like that?"

"No." Snape frowns and winces.

I can barely see through the others. Being smaller is not always beneficial. "What?" I ask because now I'm curious.

"She lost…" Snape shakes his head as if unsure. "I think she lost part of her hair."

Stebbins moves closer and hisses, "She lost more than just some hair, she lost part of her scalp!"

I wince. "That has to hurt."

"More than just her head," Avery pipes in. "She's so vain and everyone is seeing her half bald. No wonder she's cursing at everyone."

Snape snorts in amusement and tries to cover his reaction. I smile up at him and ask, "What?"

"Lily punched James." Snape is openly grinning now. Good. It's good to see him amused.

Twycross claps his hands and gets the room back on track. Lily has been taken out of the Great Hall and sent to the hospital wing. I take a calming breath and stare at the hoop before me. I can do this. I can… I can…

I twist with a crack of noise and I'm in the hoop. I look behind me at the spot I was in before and realize… I did it. I squeal in surprise. Nothing is left behind! I did it! I didn't splinch! I clap in my excitement, dancing with joy. "I did it, I did it, I did it!"

Stebbins, Avery and Snape are openly laughing at me. "Yes, you did," Stebbins agrees.

I pause in my celebration, blushing profusely, and brush my hair behind my ear, but my smile refuses to dim because I did it!

A/N-Elipsa: Sorry this is late! Work has been a bit crazy.