Zero tolerance

This year, the usual cheerful hustle and bustle of King's Cross Station was replaced by frantic people scurrying around, trying to protect themselves from the ever-present heavy downpour with umbrellas, handbags, newspapers or-in the case of the truly unfortunate-just bare hands.

Harry was already comfortably inside, a minuscule smile on his lips as he watched a young girl with long blonde hair prance across the platform, whistling happily and seemingly oblivious to the rain. Why someone would risk making a fool of himself by getting soaked on the first day of school was completely beyond him, of course, but it was amusing to witness nonetheless.

Movement outside the compartment door forced him to avert his attention, and he subtly readied his wand, putting the magazine in his other hand aside.

'Shut it already, Tracey!'

'It's hilarious!' came Tracey's voice, thick with laughter and completely out of breath.

A thoroughly annoyed-looking Daphne yanked the door open, smiling apologetically at Harry before she sat down, leaving her trunk in the middle of the compartment. Tracey followed immediately, her expression gleeful, and she threw herself on a seat in front of Harry, still fighting down the fit of giggles. With a swish of his wand, Harry stowed the trunks away.

'Harry! I hope you've been alright?' asked Daphne pleasantly.

'Yeah! Hi, Harry! Sleeping well?' jeered Tracey, still sniggering.

'I knew I shouldn't have told you after all,' said Daphne with a groan.

That comment seemed to push Tracey over the edge again, and she slapped her seat in-between the hysterical fits of laughter, tears of mirth flowing freely from her eyes.

'Hello, Daphne. Nice to see you, too, Tracey,' added Harry, a little frosty.

'H-hey, Harry,' she snorted with laughter. 'It's good to know I can trust you not to take advantage of little Daphy here!'

'Tracey...?' growled Daphne warningly.

Harry just glared at the petite witch.

'In case you can't make it as the evil offspring of darkness, you might consider a career as the languorous lover-boy!'

'Tracey!' snapped Daphne, who looked at least as uncomfortable as Harry felt. 'We were just dancing!'

'Sure, Sweetie, sure! That's why you were sulking for three whole days afterwards, right?'

Daphne playfully hit her best friend on the shoulder, a noticeable shade of red now colouring her face. 'Stop it already!'

'You guys are too cute!'

'Who's cute, now?'

Harry reluctantly looked up from the scientific paper about animation charms on living matter. Draco stood in the doorway. Tracey's exuberant grin turned into her trademark fake simper at record speed. 'Not you, definitely.'

'Don't kid yourself,' said Draco haughtily, taking a seat next to Harry. 'Hope you guys have lived through the deluge alright? My summer plans have been swept away – literally.'

'I'm so sorry about your precious stamp collection, Draco,' said Tracey with the most shamelessly obvious of fake expressions, which managed to give the entire concept of commiseration a bad name worldwide.

'What's a "stamp collection"?' asked Draco, taken aback.

'Don't ask me!' replied Daphne.

'No idea,' said Harry with a shrug. 'It's some kind of Muggle thing, isn't it?'

Tracey sighed dramatically. 'You guys are all so sheltered.'

'Draco's got a stamp collection?' Hermione stood in the doorway, looking at Draco as if he'd started to grow a second head.

'Oho?' Tracey sat up expectantly, sporting a saucy smirk. 'You interested in Draco's stamp collection, Hermione?'

Hermione's non-verbal answer was a look of pity and revulsion in equal measure.

'Oi! I don't know about this stamp business, but I somehow feel offended,' said Draco, looking from Tracey to Hermione. 'Anyway, don't stand there like a lost little girl, Granger. You're blocking what little light there is due to this accursed weather.'

'Yes, nice to see you, too, Draco. Hey, Harry. Greengrass. I hope everyone's been having a good summer?'

'Good day, Hermione. Good to see you, too,' Harry greeted her back, his eyes flickering to hers and back to his essay for just a second.

'It was quite alright. Thank you for asking,' said Daphne politely.

'This must have been the most boring of summers – ever!' complained Draco loudly. 'It wouldn't even stop raining for three days, so we had to delay our vacation plans again and again!'

'Poor little Draco,' quipped Tracey with a grin.

'Bugger off!'

'So?' asked Tracey with a knowing smirk, turning towards Hermione, who was just settling down. 'How was your summer?'

'Er, fairly normal? I spent a lot of time with my parents, and we were on a short vacation in France, too!'

'I like France!' said Tracey with a glowing look, either ignorant of both Daphne's and Draco's patronising looks or choosing to tune them out. 'Where exactly?'

'Lots of places, though Nice and the Gorges du Verdon were my favourites! The landscape was just wonderful!'

'Ever been to Corsica?' asked Tracey excitedly.

'Not yet, sadly. We'd planned to, but our trip was cut short because of the weather wreaking havoc with the flight plan.'

'You flew to France?' inquired Draco sceptically.

'Planes, Draco.' Tracey rolled her eyes. 'I bet you've seen them. Big, noisy, leaving gigantic vapour trails in the sky, you know. Just because you don't want to deal with those things doesn't mean you can pretend they don't exist!'

'But I can try!' Draco sniffed disdainfully.

'Anyway,' said Tracey with a look of someone about to open a big present they'd been waiting for all year, 'tell us about your trip with Harry.'

From the corner of his eye, Harry saw both Daphne and Hermione tensing slightly. With a sigh, he closed his book, choosing to diffuse the situation. 'Have I done anything to warrant this somewhat contumelious behaviour, Tracey?'

But she just ignored him. 'So?' Tracey egged Hermione on. 'Tell us!'

Hermione looked with a certain measure of hesitation from Harry to Tracey and eventually to Daphne. 'Er, I'm not sure I should, to be honest.'

'Why ever not?'

'Well, it's quite personal,' returned Hermione, biting her lip nervously.

Tracey seemed disappointed whereas Daphne looked relieved.

'Guys, heard the latest? My father told me some random dude from Hogwarts got a warning, killed the Ministry owl and escaped the dispatched Aurors with someone else in tow.'

'What? That's crazy!' exclaimed Daphne disbelievingly.

'Who'd ever do something so stupid?!' shouted Tracey.

Harry was careful to avoid looking at Hermione or Draco. 'That seems a little far-fetched, Draco. You shouldn't believe all the rumour mongering the Ministry's up to.'

'Really, Harry. You mean to tell me that you don't know anything at all about that?'

Harry casually opened his reading again, skipping to the page he'd left the bookmark on with exaggerated care. 'I'm not sure what you're talking about. I haven't asked Grandfather about what passes through the Ministry grapevine these days since he's been so busy.'

'Is that so?' Draco drawled with pronounced scepticism.

Harry shrugged, not looking up. Freaking Malfoys!

'Anyway, guys, wanna hear about Harry's latest clanger?' Tracey laughed again.

'Tracey!' Daphne jumped up from her seat and tried to silence her best and currently most annoying friend by pressing her hand onto her mouth, but the considerably smaller witch managed to snake her way out of her grip and jumped out of her reach, standing on top of the seats and, comically, even still not much taller than Daphne. She was still laughing rambunctiously. 'You can't silence the truth, Daphy!'

Harry sighed, rubbing his temple. In the background, Daphne was desperately trying to get ahold of Tracey, who incredibly enough managed to escape her quite effortlessly in the relatively small compartment and still had the time to retell her take on how he'd fallen asleep on Daphne.

Harry sighed, turning a page. Whatever, it's not like that really matters.

'Can you believe it?! Dancing closely like that under the stars, and the next moment,' she clicked her fingers for emphasis, 'he's asleep – just like that!'

'TRACEY!'

'For real?! He really outdid himself this time! Brilliant!'

Even Hermione was apparently trying very hard not to laugh. 'W-well,' she said, trying to sound diplomatic while suppressing a giggle. 'He must've been really tired!'

Harry frowned, gazing out of the window. The storm was still raging with such fervency that the train occasionally shook slightly from the gale, despite its momentum and weight. In the distance, he spotted branches and even entire seedlings being swept up by the wind whenever a bolt of lightning illuminated the dismal landscape. Rain hit the windows with a ferocity that suggested a personal feud.

For a second, his eyes lingered on the reflections of his friends that were either cheering or, in the case of Hermione, desperately trying to hold in their reproving remarks as Daphne finally managed to grab a fistful of Tracey's robes, causing both of them to topple.

Wind howled, and another flurry pressed a bundle of leaves and some smaller stones against the glass. This kind of weather, Harry thought, his frown deepening, would be remarkable enough in December, but weeks of constant windstorms that never let up during summer and now September was simply unheard of.

His eyes, once again, strayed towards Tracey, who was still laughing gleefully while Daphne desperately tried to shut her up at last, though her attempt was somewhat weakened as she also tried to burrow her face in her friend's robes to hide the uncharacteristic blush that adorned her face. Just you wait, Tracey. I haven't forgotten about you telling Hermione, either...

~BLVoD~

The carriage, Hermione decided nervously, was even less comfortable than the train, mostly because she felt even more exposed to the thunderstorm over their heads. The clouds were so thick that the lamps had been lit – as if it were night time. Tracey and Daphne were still mucking around, egged on by Draco's comments. Harry, on the other hand, had for quite some time now been staring into the darkness outside.

'So,' said Draco eventually. 'Why were Leo and the other one not in the compartment with us?'

Tracey and Daphne both shrugged, still eyeing each other warily, hands raised to ward of the next attack that was sure to come.

'They said they wanted to "have a look at the competition". Make of that whatever you want,' Harry replied.

'Who is?' asked Hermione, confused.

'Oh, right.' Draco groaned. 'You haven't met yet, have you?'

'Like I said, who're we talking about?' she repeated her question.

'Two friends of mine who'll be joining us at Hogwarts this year,' Harry replied, still looking outside.

'That...Leo and another one?'

'Right,' responded Draco, blanching slightly. 'Both have fairly...unique personalities.'

'Are they siblings?'

'They sure are,' said Tracey. 'Outwardly a bit different maybe, but they're fairly similar in other ways, you'll see.'

'What's the second one's name, then?'

Draco shivered in an exaggerated manner. 'Let's call her Leo's sister, please. At least for now!'

Hermione bit back the question that immediately rose in her, but she looked at both Tracey and Harry, silently asking for clarification.

Clarification Tracey seemed only too willing to offer. 'Amy once played an amusing prank on our good Draco here.'

'That wasn't a prank!' Draco shouted hotly.

Tracey only sniggered. 'Apparently, Draco was a bit of a snob when he was younger, and he was quite fond of condescending others, especially those younger than him.'

'What's it with you today, Tracey?! Shut up already!' barked Draco.

'So he thought he could boss cute and harmless little Amy around a bit. And she let him. When he was asleep, however, she sneaked into his room and put a generous measure of permanent all-purpose glue on his eyelids. Let's just say, Draco had a pretty rude awakening.'

Hermione wasn't sure if she was supposed to laugh or cringe, so she bit her lip as a compromise. 'Well, I can see how you'd be upset about that, but...'

'Oh, you misunderstand, Honey! You see, Amy continued to sneak into his room every night for the next fortnight. No matter what he did, no matter who Draco cried about it to, she always managed to silently pull some rather malicious pranks on him. And let me tell you, the glue was positively nice and harmless in comparison to some of her later ones.'

'How do you know, anyway?' demanded Draco with a snarl. 'I certainly haven't told you!'

'Amy told me,' replied Tracey with a smile. 'In excruciating detail, I might add.'

'Me, too,' Daphne threw in.

'She bragged to me about it, as well,' said Harry with a nod.

Draco cussed under his breath, making a face.

'And that's why you don't call her by name?' Hermione asked, rather shocked about Draco's brutal re-education at the hands of a girl one year younger than him.

'Better you don't tempt your luck unnecessarily!' he murmured uncomfortably.

Tracey slapped him on the back, grinning from one ear to another. 'And there you have it, Honey! No matter how bad a character you have,' she went on, pointing playfully towards Draco, who snarled at her in return, 'there's always someone worse.'

~BLVoD~

They spent the rest of the ride in pointlessly tense silence, everyone glaring at someone else, except for Harry, who knew to be more subtle, and Hermione, who was far too intimidated to glare at anybody. Once the conversation came to a grinding halt, the storm seemed even more daunting, occasionally rattling the carriage, causing the Thestrals to snuffle nervously. Harry didn't mind the supposed harbingers of bad luck, but he knew for a fact that they were hardly something you'd consider easily shaken, and yet this weather seemed to have them on edge, almost skittish. But no matter how hard Harry looked, there was nothing – except wind, rain and noise.

The coach trundled jerkily towards Hogwarts Castle, the scenery occasionally illuminated by the blinding strikes of lightning. The strange weather phenomenon had, if anything, gotten even worse closer to their destination. Harry certainly didn't envy the first years that had to cross the lake this time around. He wasn't worried about Amy and Leo, of course. He idly imagined Amy revelling in the fear of the others, soaking up their dread to savour it at some later time like a good wine.

That was probably going a bit too far, but she really had him worried at times.

Harry was quite grateful when they finally reached the front court, and he politely offered his hands to the girls to help them climb out, though Tracey got left out without further comment.

'Thanks!'

'Thank you, Harry.' Daphne beamed at him.

Harry was aware that his cousin seemed to be paying even more attention to him as of late. She wasn't as obvious about it as she used to be, but he could feel her eyes on him often enough. Nevertheless, and this certainly was a pleasant surprise, she seemed to be keeping her distance more often than not. Considering that mastering his behaviour on her birthday had left him in bed for three days with a splitting headache, he was certainly thankful. In all fairness, it had to be pointed out that he still wasn't sure if that was due to his training in Occlumency or the potion Amy had...procured for him.

Leaves rained down on them, and the howling gale ripped at their robes, the fabric fluttering violently in the wind that threatened to deafen them.

'What is it with this storm?' Harry asked in annoyance as another blindingly dazzling bolt of lightning illuminated the massive castle for a fraction of a second, the all-mighty roar of thunder following within the second. The world almost seemed to come to a stop while the thunder blared. But eventually, the moment passed, and the cold rain once again bit their exposed skin, and faint violet light shone dimly through the narrow cracks in the thick blanket of blackly clouds that loomed under the sky.

'Is it just me,' Tracey asked, 'or has Hogwarts become slightly sinister over the summer?'

'I-It actually looks a bit...bodeful, doesn't it?' Hermione asked in a slightly unnatural tone.

Draco only laughed. 'Come on, girls. We're supposed to be the unholy children of blood-loving, curse-spewing, devil-worshipping villains. Who'll take us seriously if you quiver at a bit of lightning?'

The wind eased a bit, putting a small smirk on his lips. 'See? It's not so ba-'

A curling bolt of lightning struck the earth barely fifty yards away, miraculously missing the towering trees or spires of the castle, causing the earth to tremble beneath their feet.

'On second thought,' Draco said calmly, though Harry rather thought the young Malfoy looked a bit sweaty, 'maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to hurry up a bit.'

'This is nuts!' Tracey shouted to make herself heard over the gale, as they sprinted towards the oaken door that had never seemed so welcoming. 'There aren't supposed to be tropical storms in Scotland!'

'Especially not for weeks and weeks...' Harry remarked to nobody in particular.

With an almighty leap, he finally managed to cross the threshold of Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall stood grim-faced next to the heavy oaken portal, crossing names off a list. 'Hurry along, Mr Black! It's not safe outside!'

Harry nodded in return, dragging Daphne and Draco along with him so that they wouldn't block the entrance.

'I can't believe this! That was barely thirty yards from the carriage to the door, and I'm drenched!' moaned Draco, wringing out his hair.

Tracey and Daphne, too, seemed to share a dark look.

'Harry? Can't you do that warming Charm thing?' asked Hermione with a hopeful smile.

'What? Oh, well, I can do better, actually,' he admitted distractedly. With a swish and a sharp downwards snap of his wrist, Harry aimed his wand vaguely at the floor that was the centre of their little group. Immediately, hot air seemed to engulf him from within his clothes, drying his skin and his clothes both in a matter of seconds.

Tracey yelped loudly, clutching her robes with a shocked expression. 'What IS that?' she demanded, even more high-pitched than usual.

Daphne, by contrast, leant against the old stone wall, eyes closed, sighing exaggeratedly. 'I like it!'

'Just a Charm,' said Harry vaguely, quite unwilling to dally any longer. 'It's actually meant to help people who suffer from hypothermia, but it has its uses if used moderately.'

'What year?!' Hermione demanded with something a Gryffindor might call a snarl.

'It's, er, not featured in the Hogwarts curriculum, I believe.'

'Of course not,' she replied angrily. 'Can you show it to me some other time? With that other one to warm your clothes?'

Harry shrugged half-heartedly. 'I guess. Come on, let's get going. I don't want to get a seat that's close to the teachers.'

In the antechamber of the Great Hall, Madame Pomfrey was checking every new arrival, administering Pepperup Potions and distributing warm towels.

'That'll take forever!' complained Draco loudly, his eyes lingering on the long line of students wishing to enter the Great Hall.

And it did. That was mostly due to the first years, though. The tour across the lake had at some point been accelerated with magical aid, as more and more terrified newcomers kept capsizing, and some were quite shocked from their first ever Hogwarts experience by now.

'Nobody's keeping them here,' hissed Draco under his breath.

Hermione frowned but didn't seem to consider his statement worthy of a reply. 'Can you point out your friends, Harry?'

'No need,' he answered with an amused grin. 'Look at the first years and tell me who it is yourself.'

He saw her eyes darting from face to face. Most of them were either annoyed, overwhelmed or frightened to some agree, and only three really stood out: the strange girl Harry had seen dance in the rain, an almost irritatingly prim and proper-looking boy with grey eyes, and a girl with similar eyes who had apparently decided that she didn't want to stand anymore and had casually taken a seat at the Ravenclaw table, much to their amusement.

'It's not, you know,' Hermione paused delicately, 'the blonde who seems to be trying to catch a really small bug or something?'

'No.'

'Come on, Granger. Does she look like an associate of Harry's?'

'Er, no, I guess not. How about the boy who's...just taken out a suit brush?'

'Bull's eye!' shouted Tracey happily, ignoring the turning heads. 'That's Leo. Guess again!'

'Er, the skinny brunette in the second row?'

'Nope,' replied Tracey, making a clown-worthy sound of a disappointed horn.

'The grumpy one maybe? Backline, petite redhead with freckles?'

'Oh, the Weasley? Good catch, but no dice,' said Draco.

'Er, the dark one at the front in the short robes?'

Harry made a face at that. 'Those aren't robes, that is an accident!'

Draco and Daphne sniggered in agreement, though it was easy to see that Hermione failed to share their opinion. 'Well, I don't see anyone else with needlessly expensive robes or an annoyingly smug expression!'

'I somehow get the feeling you're trying to hurt me here, Hermione,' said Harry with a raised eyebrow. 'Ravenclaw table, front seat, curly dark hair.'

'Ravenclaw? What are y... Hey, I haven't seen her around?! She can't just sit there! She's yet to be sorted!'

'Amy, however, doesn't seem to share your opinion.'

'Now, if you will all line up in an orderly fashion, please. Miss Lestrange, get up and in line already!' barked Professor McGonagall, placing the ragged hat on the stool in front.

Amy yawned in an unconcerned kind of fashion before she lazily got up and walked towards her brother, who looked at her disapprovingly.

Immediately, a lot of whispers broke out over at the tables of the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Some were craning their necks, and a few were even openly pointing.

'She doesn't seem popular,' stated Hermione drily.

'Of course, she isn't, silly,' said Tracey with a grin. 'But don't worry about them; they can take care of themselves.'

'Why all the angry hissing though?'

'Honey, really? I thought it'd gotten better!' Tracey raised her hands dramatically as if despairing over the very heavens.

'The Lestrange family,' said Daphne in a very low voice and to both Hermione's and Harry's surprise, 'is the only line left who openly supports the Blacks in the Wizengamot.'

'You mean, she's suspect by default because she might be close to Harry?'

'Well,' said Harry, deciding to intervene – maybe Hermione deserved some kind of warning in advance. 'Yes, but the Lestranges also have a nasty reputation for being slightly...imbalanced.'

'Imbalanced?' Hermione repeated slowly.

'Don't anger her when she draws her wand,' translated Draco. 'She's not one for talking when she's angry. Leo, too, can be a bit...obsessive, though his mood swings are thankfully not as volatile.'

And then it clicked in Hermione's head. 'They're who you've been alluding to, Tracey?'

The girl in question blinked rather rapidly for a few seconds, obviously trying to remember that discussion.

'You said "I hadn't met the really nasty part of Harry's family yet",' quoted Hermione helpfully.

'Did you, now,' said Harry coldly, his eyes slightly narrowed as he allowed a bit of the anger he felt at those words to shine through.

'I, uh, I just meant – oopsie!' Tracey grinned guiltily.

'Don't speak about such things here, Hermione. We'll talk later, Tracey.'

Harry continued to stare at her until Tracey was nervous enough to switch seats with Daphne. He didn't mean anything particularl by it, and Tracey's warning was true enough, but he just felt like paying her back a bit right now. The Sorting was like soporific at any rate.

'Lestrange, Amadina.'

Harry looked up, unable to conceal the little smile as he watched Amy striding towards the chair. She was her usual self – she always was. Casual, calm and probably already making a list of people whose faces she didn't like. She quickly sat down and McGonagall put the hat down on her. Not a second later, Amy grinned and a voice called, 'SLYTHERIN!'

Professor McGonagall looked confusedly from Amy to the hat, not quite sure what had happened. Harry had only caught on because he'd been watching her very closely, but it was really something how she managed to copy the voice of the hat to such a degree.

Professor McGonagall creased her brow. Amy, seeing the confused looks all around, stood up.

'Just one second, Miss Lestrange.' Dumbledore, too, had stood up, his eyes twinkling with entertainment. 'Ingenious, really, but I fear I must insist you let the Sorting run its course properly.'

'It's quite alright, Headmaster. Slytherin it is,' proclaimed the hat with a sigh and somewhat less fervour than usually. 'Blasted Lestranges,' it added with a murmur that was still perfectly audible thanks to the puzzled silence. Except for the strange blonde, who was clapping politely, of course.

A lot of people were looking at each other strangely, but Harry paid them no mind and made a bit of space for Amy, waving her over. She happily settled down next to him, sighing contentedly.

'Hey, Amy! Er, what just happened?' asked Daphne, looking from Amy to Dumbledore.

'Hey, good to finally be here! I was just trying to get it over with,' Amy replied with a shrug.

McGonagall coughed pointedly to get everyone's attention back.

'Lestrange, Leandros.'

A few people sniggered at the call.

Harry subtly leant over the table and said in a hushed tone to Hermione, 'Don't make fun of his name. Just a tip.'

'I, er, it is a bit unusual, but who am I to judge?' she replied with a small smile.

'Good call.'

Harry watched Leo walking up to the chair. He had to suppress a smirk as he observed his cousin scowl at the state of the furniture, pull out a small cloth from within his robes, and hastily wipe the seat a few times before settling down with an expression of someone making a notable sacrifice for the greater good. A lot of people were laughing and pointing. McGonagall, on the other hand, pursed her lips in an unfriendly manner. Maybe Daphne has found a serious contender for the top spot of unpopularity with the Gryffindor Head of House at last. Many Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were still looking curiously at both Leo and Amy. The elder sister watched on indifferently, though Harry had no doubt that she privately took note of every unfriendly gaze, filing them away for later evaluation and, possibly, forced re-education.

Seemingly getting bored already, Amy changed her posture and inspected her curly black hair critically, her legs now carelessly dangling sideways over Harry's knees. Chuckling a bit, Harry wished he could take a place in the sibling's classes with McGonagall or Prewett; they would likely prove quite entertaining.

Amy kicked him playfully without looking up and spoke in a clear voice, not bothering to soften the words that easily reached halfway across the hall, 'Harry, please take this farce seriously! We're supposed to be hush-hush and all that rubbish, so mind your manners.' After a short pause, she added conspiratorially, 'If you ask me, the old bat in the middle looks like a stickler for etiquette.'

Gleeful sniggering broke out between the Slytherins, though those who were faster on the uptake looked rather worried already, clearly considering how many house points the first years were going to lose this year. Harry's concentration was focused back on Leo, who still sat rigidly on the chair, brows furrowed.

'What's taking him so long...?' Amy asked eventually while stretching.

'He's been sitting there for more than five minutes already. Let's hope he won't take as long as Harry!' chirped Tracey.

'Well, I had business to attend to.' Harry said calmly, ignoring the indignant huffing of Hermione.

Finally, the brim of the hat opened and shouted for all to hear, 'Slytherin!'

A look of great annoyance briefly flickered across Leo's face, but he made his way towards Harry's group without hesitation. Once he had primly taken a seat to Amy's left side, Draco dramatically wiped his forehead with a silken cloth and spoke in a relieved manner, 'Whew! I thought we'd be stuck here for a few hours.'

'What was all that about, Leo?' Harry asked, once more choosing to ignore Draco's antics.

Leo raised both of his hands with an air of defeat. 'I'm truly sorry, Harry. I tried my best to get myself into Hufflepuff to feed you inside information and for operational access to the enemy. But the Sorting Hat insisted that my actions, while demonstrating loyalty, leaned too heavily towards Slytherin as I apparently never considered a sorting into Hufflepuff as more than a means.'

Amy laughed wildly, drawing many onlookers towards their little group. 'Well, that was bound to happen, considering we're talking about Gryffindor's magnanimously benevolent headgear. But getting bested by a hat? You're losing your touch! Consider this, maybe the hat did make a mistake. I mean, people without anything to show for being sorted into Hufflepuff sounds about right, doesn't it?'

Leo instantly assumed a fierce scowl that was quite at odds with his usual calm attitude and shouted at his sister, 'Very funny! If that distasteful rag wasn't so repugnant, maybe I could've come up with something better, but half my mind was preoccupied with the thought of how many showers I'll have to take to get the stench out of my hair this night!'

Again, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly. 'If Mr and Miss Lestrange would be so kind as to settle down so the rest of us don't have to wait purely for their benefit?' she asked icily.

'Lovegood, Luna!'

The sorting seemed to drag on and on after that, tormenting Harry with its sheer and utter dullness. Professor Snape sent them a few warning glances, so eventually, Harry had to rein in Amy a bit, further lessening the entertainment value offered.

When they were finally done (Slytherin had acquired a grand total of five first years), Dumbledore unhurriedly rose from his chair and beamed at his students. 'Welcome! Welcome to Hogwarts. A long, arduous journey lies behind you all, more so than usual even, and I'm sure your patience is wearing thin, so let me shorten my speech to the quintessential: Dig in!'

'Is he always like that?' Amy asked with a disbelieving look.

'Pretty much,' answered Tracey. 'Just ignore the strange beardo. But don't get on Snape's bad side! I swear he's as resentful as any ten-year-old brat.'

'Thank you, Miss Davis,' said a cold voice behind them. 'Your continued enthusiasm is duly noted.'

Tracey blanched. 'P-Professor, I meant n-'

'I'm sure,' Snape drawled leisurely. 'Detention. But since I'm such a vengeful little brat, how about we make it a detention for every Saturday the next eight weeks?'

'B-but Hogsmeade, Professor...!'

'Such shame, but I'm sure the village can survive without your senseless antics for a few weeks longer. Greengrass, Black, Professor Prewett wants a word with you.'

Tracey slumped down on her chair like a balloon running out of air.

Harry's and Daphne's attention, however, wasn't focused on their friend at all. 'Pardon me, Professor?'

'Yes, Black?'

'Did I hear that right? Prewett wants a word with us?'

'Maybe he's had an accident this summer and hit his head?' speculated Amy loudly.

Snape regarded her for a few seconds as if to decide whether this remark warranted disciplinary actions on his part. In the end, he just sneered uglily. 'Professor Prewett is still a teacher at Hogwarts, and I will brook no further derogatory remarks on his person. Is that clear, Miss Lestrange?'

'Yes, sir,' she said at once and with a plainly obvious fake smile.

'If you've wasted quite enough of my time now, yes, Professor Prewett wants a word with the both of you.'

'I'm not going,' said Daphne instantly, one hand clenching the table until her hand was white as snow.

'Neither am I,' added Harry. 'I will, of course, accept any detention you deem necessary.'

Snape's gaze alternated between Harry and Daphne. Then, apparently settling on Harry as the more reasonable person in this matter, he began anew, 'Be that as it may, I must at least insist that you present your case to the Headmaster in person, directly after the feast.'

'No!' Daphne rejected the offer on principle.

'Fine,' said Harry with a sigh, 'I will have a few words with the Headmaster about the topic – in your presence, Professor. Is that acceptable?'

'For now.' Without another word, Snape turned and marched towards the teacher's table, where he took a seat next to Aenor. The Defence professor winked at him sneakily.

'Oh!' escaped Amy's lips. 'I didn't know that you continue your little flirt with your teacher at school, Harry.'

'W-what?' he spluttered.

'Well, just now she winked at you. Is there something I can do for you, Daphne?' she asked sweetly.

'No, thank you,' Daphne returned insincerely. 'Are you really going to talk to Dumbledore, Harry?'

'Not really. I'm just going to say that we'll refuse no matter what they offer or threaten to do – end of discussion.'

Daphne looked visibly relieved at that. 'Oh, good.'

Without any enthusiasm, both Daphne and Harry listened to Tracey gossiping about McGonagall to Amy, who seemed genuinely interested. Leo and Draco were discussing some Quidditch match that had played out a few weeks ago, and Hermione was trying to look as if she belonged. Harry might have made an effort to integrate her a bit, but his mood wasn't really up to it right now.

'Now that we've gorged ourselves,' said Dumbledore eventually, standing up again to address them all, 'there are a few things I need to point out. Firstly, the Forbidden Forest is, as semantically savvy savants might suspect, forbidden. There is also an extensive list of items that are restricted on school grounds. Please feel free to inspect that very list in Mr Filch's office, should you find yourself wishing to avoid the temptations many of your predecessors fell prey to. Quidditch tryouts will take place as planned by the captain of your respective House team. And lastly, I wish to speak a word of warning to all of you. Until further notice, all Hogsmeade visits and outdoor classes will be postponed until further notice.'

That didn't go over well with a lot of the older students. The low murmur continued to swell until Dumbledore raised his hands in a pacifying manner. 'Now, now, no need to get angry. I do not wish to frighten you, but today was a relatively mild day in comparison to the last two weeks. It would be entirely irresponsible to let you wander the grounds alone at such a time. As soon as this troubling situation ceases to exist, all restrictions will be lifted immediately. But, please, I must urge you not to wander.' He gazed down at them, his piercing eyes resting on a few individuals who'd been particularly outspoken in their indignation. 'Some darkness is more than lack of light. Now off to bed, chop chop!'

'What was that all about?' asked Daphne, bewildered.

'It seemed like a warning to me,' said Hermione, her expression tense. 'Do you think he knows what's up?'

'He may not know, but he might nevertheless suspect. I agree with you, Hermione. Better be careful for now,' Harry agreed. He fully turned around to look at his company, already noting one absence. 'Er, where's Leo?'

'He stole away to wash, I think,' said Amy with a shrug. 'He's such a baby.'

'Yeah, he told me he couldn't bear it anymore,' complemented Draco.

'Ah, by the way, we haven't had the pleasure yet, have we?' Amy turned towards Hermione, looking her over, head to feet. 'Hm...'

'Amy, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, Amadina Lestrange,' introduced Harry, interested to see what'd happen next.

'Wow, the Mudblood!' Amy casually offered her hand.

Hermione hesitated for a second. Then, she bowed. 'Glad to make your acquaintance, Miss Lestrange.'

Amy's eyes went wide, and she looked from Hermione to Harry and finally to a smirking Draco, before she dropped her hand and showed a small grin of her own. 'I guess that one isn't so bad. Good to meet you, too, Little Miss Mudblood. I need to get going; there's still a nail that needs to be hammered in.'

Bowing curtly in return, Amy stood up and left after briefly patting Harry's arm.

'Ahem, did I do anything wrong?' Hermione asked nervously.

Draco simply laughed. 'No, you did good, Granger. She deliberately tried to bait you into shaking hands. Good thing you refused, too.'

'But why did she...'

'Aw, come on, Granger. You really still have so much to learn. If you'd taken her bait, I don't doubt she would've refused to acknowledge your existence hereafter, so that was a big deal. But her little "Mudblood" show was simply to throw you off.'

Hermione blinked. 'What? She was simply having a go at me?'

Harry stood up, sporting a small smile. 'That's the way she is, Hermione, don't let it get to you. If you have any doubt left, why would she bow back otherwise?'

Draco mimicked honking his nose in a dramatic fashion, 'I can't believe it, it's so sad how fast they grow up. Yesterday a Mudblood, today almost a real witch.'

'Very funny, Draco,' said Hermione scathingly.

'Yes, yes, amusing as you all are, let's get going, please. I don't want to talk to that...person,' said Daphne, crossing her arms uncomfortably.

'Harry, you coming?' asked Draco.

'No, I need to have a short word with Dumbledore, remember?. You guys go on ahead.'

Harry sat down again, watching his friends leave the Great Hall. This year would be amusing, he was sure. Draco seemed quite smug at how Hermione had passed that admittedly pathetically easy little test. Amy would try to show him up – or her. Harry privately suspected it wouldn't really matter to her as long as someone got embarrassed. Hermione, on the other hand, would probably like to succeed purely because she loathed losing. That being said, it was hard to be around Draco all the time without him getting at least somewhat on your nerves, so having Amy there to put him in his place every once in a while might be quite refreshing.

'Ah, Harry. I'm glad you could make time for this little talk.'

Harry looked up. Gathered behind him, and lording over him due to their rather impressive frames, stood Snape, Dumbledore and Prewett.

'I realise,' continued Dumbledore with an empathic expression, 'that the situation must be quite difficult for you and Miss Greengrass, but if you could find it in yourself to at least attend the le-'

'No.'

Snape kept a blank expression, and Dumbledore looked more disappointed than angry – in contrast to Prewett.

'Harry, this is a school, you can't simpl-'

'With all due respect, sir, yes, I can. I will not attend those lessons. I will not speak to that person,' he said gesticulating vaguely towards Prewett as if he were some muck on the floor. 'I will not attend his detentions if he ever proves foolish enough to try me. And neither will Daphne. I have so far refrained from working actively against the appointment, but if you push me, I will do everything I can. I need not remind you who controls a significant number of seats of the Hogwarts board. This discussion is over.'

Harry got up, turning around. Remembering the words of advice Snape had once chosen to offer, he turned around again, briefly bowing to Snape and Dumbledore respectively. 'I apologise for my insolence. Good night, Professors.'

His heart was racing. It was a bit worrying how hard it was, in the presence of Prewett, not to succumb to his rage, to the urge to draw his wand. He couldn't even bear to look at the man, and it must be a thousand times worse still for Daphne.

Lost in thought, he left the Great Hall, heading straight for the dungeons. The castle was unusually cold, as if the stormy half-nights outside were slowly draining the heat from the stone. Still trying to calm his temper, he suddenly swirled around when he heard someone clapping behind him.

'The mighty Black stands up to Dumbledore, Prewett and his Head of House. Oh, Merlin, please witness the joyful coming of your successor!'

A first year stood in the corridor behind him, flanked by a few other first years and one older student – four in total. The boy who'd called out to him wore Hufflepuff colours. He seemed to limp, and one half of his face seemed oddly tense. His wild blond hair was vaguely familiar though...

'Oh, I see you fail to recognise me. Let me introduce myself, my lord,' he spat sarcastically. 'I'm Titos Fawley. You've met my sister, of course.'

Harry's eyes took in the group before him. None had yet reached for their wands, but it was fairly obvious that this was no social call. Well, this is annoying. I kind of promised Terese to help her brother survive around here. It's good that he's in Hufflepuff, so I won't be bothered too much, but hexing him here might leave a foul taste...

'What do you want?' Harry asked without any inflexion.

'What I want?' he screamed hysterically, fingering his wand. 'You made my sister an outcast! My family banished her. She's not even a person anymore in the eyes of the law. You did this to her. And I will have you atone for it!'

In response to his words, the others closed in.

Harry was slowly being forced towards the wall while he played with his own wand in his sleeve, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation without breaking his promise.

Great, now what? I'd like to avoid sending him to the hospital with a fried brain if at all possible...

'Not so uppity now, Black? You really crossed a line, you know? I know what you did! Your family can't protect you from everything, get it?'

Five people raised their wands as one, though Harry did so rather reluctantly.

Well, I have to admit I didn't expect Fawley junior would be so reckless. Now, there are exactly two choices; either get beaten like a little girl or make Auntie Bella extremely proud and the Ministry equally furious.

'Oh, are you sure about that, wreck-face?'

Five witches and wizards turned their heads, and Harry let out a soft groan. He knew that voice.

On the other side of the corridor, not the slightest sign of worry on her face, stood what others could only identify as a lone first-year girl with curly dark hair and a raised wand.

Most understandably–even Harry had to admit–laughter erupted.

'Wreck-face? You got spunk, little miss, but what are you gonna do? Throw that stick at me? Have they even started classes for the first years yet?' The older student, a third-year, said, chuckling impishly.

'Hey, Black! Is that your girlfriend? I thought you were in bed with Greengrass,' a boy with short and thick hair mirthfully intoned.

The Hufflepuff girl playfully swatted their leader on the shoulder. 'Wreck-face? That's kind of harsh. I mean you're not too bad looking, Fawley. Or did the other cute Slytherin really try to threaten you?'

Suddenly a streak of dirty yellow light shot lightning-fast through the corridor and collided with Fawley's face, who had obviously not expected to be attacked while surrounded by other students.

Blood gushed everywhere, and only Fawley's ongoing screams of agony were clearly discernible over the ruckus that ensued.

Harry sighed and watched Amy lowering her wand slightly, her unforgiving eyes still glued to the wildly braying Fawley. 'I don't make threats, wreck-face.'