Beyond the Veil

by the little bit

When Su Li falls down a rabbit hole and out of the Veil, her whole life is turned upside-down. Not only has she appeared in the universe of Harry Potter, but she's also right at the beginning of the story... and she doesn't know how the story ends. But if she chooses to change the story, is it for the better, or for worse?

4. Halloween

Author's Note:

Sorry for the incredibly long wait! Crazy how I get a job and lose motivation for five minutes but actually five minutes is four years :/ BUT at least I was able to get this Halloween chapter out in time for the Halloween Season!

This chapter is dedicated to riseofnations36 for writing a very sweet comment on Ao3 (I'm cross-publishing) that reminded me that this fic even existed and that there were people in the world who might be interested in how this story plays out.

Shoutout also to laughinginthecorner who is my best friend, beta reader, and strong support through my sloth-paced writing efforts!

Please be warned - an incredible amount of worldbuilding and infodumping awaits you. This is basically 60% worldbuilding, 25% character development, and 15% actual plot.

I hope you enjoy

---

Halloween

Su was in the Department of Mysteries again, walking down a long corridor. The black marble was terribly cold under her bare feet, and Su shivered. She was dreaming – she knew that she was dreaming – but she had never felt so physically present in a dream before.

As she walked, the walls seemed to stretch out further and further away, until there were no walls at all, only empty space. And then that space was no longer empty, but sparsely dotted with small wisps of glowing mist.

With growing terror, Su stopped walking. However, though her feet did not move, her surroundings continued to do so. She realised that she was no longer standing on marble, but was instead floating through the air, enveloped in a familiar glowing mist, her own skin lit with starlight.

No.

Terrified, Su tried to turn around, desperately willing herself back towards the solid ground of the corridor she'd been walking through. However, everything around her was black, and she couldn't see the corridor anymore, if it was even there anymore.

She wasn't in control of her own movement, even as she clawed at the empty air, attempting to swim away, she felt herself being dragged backwards and downwards. Turning around again she saw the arch of the Veil appearing in the distance.

She thought she could hear a voice from beyond the Veil calling her name.

Su. Su, where are you? Don't leave me here. Come back, Su.

"No!" Su shouted, thrashing desperately. "No! I don't want to go!"

Something was waiting for her beyond the Veil. Something frightening. Something that wanted to swallow her whole.

"Somebody help me! Please!"

"Su! Wake up!"

Su woke with a start, her head feeling fuzzy and her whole body paralysed. She was still gripped with terror, her hazy eyes latching onto a shadowy figure above her head. Moments later the room was filled with light, and Su managed enough control over her body to sit up.

The shadowy figure beside her was Padma, who was holding her hand. In the doorway stood Isobel and Penelope, the latter holding her lit wand ahead of her. Her other roommates were all still in bed, looking at her with concern.

"You were having a nightmare," Padma explained.

Su nodded her head. She remembered.

"Thank you for getting me, Runcorn," Penelope sighed, patting Isobel's shoulder. "I'll take it from here. The rest of you girls should get back to sleep."

She approached Su's bed, offering a polite smile to Padma.

"You should sleep as well, Patil."

Reluctantly, Padma let go of Su's hand.

"Thanks for waking me up," Su whispered.

"Any time," Padma whispered back.

Su followed Penelope out of the dorm room, throwing on her cloak and slippers as she went. The nights were getting chilly, now that it was October.

In the Common Room, Penelope placed an extra log on the low-smouldering fire, then carefully sat Su on an armchair close to the fireplace.

"Bibsy," she called out. "Come here please."

Su almost jumped out of her skin when a house elf popped into existence next to Penelope. The house elf had a long, pointed face and large blue eyes, their pointed ears sticking up and out from their head. They were dressed in clean tea-towels bearing the Hogwarts Crest, tied around their waist in a toga-like fashion.

Su tried not to stare – she didn't want to be rude.

"Hello, Miss Clearwater!" Bibsy chirped. They – she? – were clearly happy to be called upon, despite the late hour. Su glanced at the grandfather clock in the Common Room. It was not quite five in the morning.

"I was hoping for a couple of mugs of hot chocolate, if it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble, Miss Clearwater," Bibsy shook her head, her large ears flapping with the movement. "Bibsy is always happy to help such a polite student."

She looked over at Su, who was curled up in the armchair, still trembling in the wake of her nightmare.

"Hello, Miss! This one is Bibsy," she introduced herself. "This one works in the kitchens most of the time."

"It's lovely to meet you," Su squeaked. She cleared her throat, embarrassed. "I'm Su Li. I'm a first year."

Bibsy nodded, smiling kindly at her.

"If you is ever visiting the kitchens, say hello to Bibsy!"

"I will."

"I will be getting the hot chocolates for you two misses," Bibsy nodded. "I will not be very long. Hot chocolate is very easy to make."

With that, she once again popped out of the Common Room.

After a brief hesitation, Penelope approached Su and knelt beside the armchair.

"Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" Her eyes were very soft and kind as she looked at Su.

Su hesitated. The Veil was a secret of the Department of Mysteries. Her own death was a secret that she planned to take to the grave. Her nightmare wasn't something she could possibly share with anyone except Uncle Nate and Aunt Bea.

She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes.

Penelope nodded understandingly.

"Do you want a hug?"

Su immediately flung herself into Penelope's embrace, wrapping her own skinny arms around the older girl's neck. It was such an incredible relief to be held in the arms of a warm, living human. It wasn't quite the same as a hug from her own mother, or even Uncle Nate, but she felt much safer and more solid in someone else's arms.

It was a reminder that she was still alive.

Penelope gently patted Su's back as the younger girl cried into her shoulder, trembling like a leaf in her arms. Su didn't know how long they sat in front of the fireplace, hugging each other, but after a long time her tears began to subside.

"Do you want some hot chocolate now?" Penelope asked gently.

Su nodded.

There were two mugs of steaming hot chocolate on the coffee table nearby. Su didn't know when Bibsy had dropped them off, but she assumed that they had been spelled to stay hot while Su and Penelope were distracted.

Su scrubbed her wet eyes with her sleeve, feeling rather embarrassed. She felt that she was too old now to be weeping so desperately in anyone's arms, let alone someone she admired as much as Penelope. But she'd been truly affected by her nightmare.

"You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to," Penelope said after a little while. "As your prefect I've been told a little about your… family circumstances."

She coughed awkwardly.

"I can't pretend I know how you feel, but just know… I'm always here if you need me."

"Thanks, Penelope," Su murmured into her hot chocolate. The warmth and sweetness of the hot chocolate certainly made her feel much better. "I don't really want to talk about it right now, though."

"I understand."

The two of them sat in silence, staring into the flickering flames of the Common Room fireplace. Though they didn't speak, the silence wasn't uncomfortable, merely companionable. Soon the sky outside the tower began to lighten and the first rays of dawn began to pour into the room. The sound of other Ravenclaws waking up and preparing for the day – chatting and getting dressed and going to the bathroom – began to filter into the common room, breaking the peaceful bubble of silence.

Penelope finished her hot chocolate and stood up.

"Come on, sweetie," she helped Su stand up. "We should get ready for class."

---

Harry was eating breakfast with Dean and Seamus at the Gryffindor table when Professor McGonagall approached him.

"Mr Potter, may I borrow you for a moment?"

Harry stood up, flattening his hair nervously.

"Can I help you, professor?"

"Follow me, please."

Harry exchanged an awkward look with Dean and Seamus, then glanced over at the Ravenclaw table. He hadn't seen Su yet this morning – Padma and Isobel were still sitting by themselves.

When he turned around again, Professor McGonagall was several feet away, waiting for him with an unreadable expression on her face. Harry scampered after her, walking with her into the Great Hall and then out of the castle.

"What do you know about Quidditch, Mr Potter?" McGonagall asked as they walked.

"Not much, professor," said Harry, trying to remember everything Ron and Draco had told him about the sport on the Hogwarts Express a few weeks ago. "There's three balls— no, four, I think— three? And six players. And it's played on brooms."

"Brooms indeed," McGonagall fixed him with the same stern expression, but this time Harry sort of thought there was something sad and soft in her eyes. "No need to fret, Mr Potter. I understand you weren't raised in an environment that… allowed an understanding of the wizarding world."

Harry glanced up at her, slightly confused, but McGonagall had turned away from him and continued to lead him out towards the large stadium next to the castle.

"Madam Hooch told me about your reckless flying yesterday – and assured me she had removed the appropriate number of house points for such behaviour." They arrived at the entrance of the stadium and passed through the gates into a wide shadowed tunnel before emerging again into daylight.

They were in the middle of the crowd stands. There were stairs on either side of them that led up into the higher seats and also paths further down. The pitch itself was sunken down into the earth, a grass-covered oval twice as big as a football field, with three towering hoops on either end, each of varying heights.

Harry could see that at the end of the pitch closest to McGonagall and himself were several students in bright red robes flying around under the direction of the boy sitting on his broom in front of the central hoop. Harry didn't recognise any of them except for the Weasley twins, Ron's infamous older brothers.

Professor McGonagall put a hand on his shoulder and Harry blinked up at her.

"Madam Hooch also told me that you had displayed some of the best flying skills she has seen in her entire career." McGonagall's lips twitched up into a proud smile. "That's rather high praise, Mr Potter."

Rather helplessly, Harry looked from Professor McGonagall to the Quidditch Pitch and then back again.

"That's really nice, Professor, but, er, I don't understand what I'm doing here?"

McGonagall's smile widened and she beckoned for Harry to follow her down to the front of the stands, right in front of where the Gryffindor Quidditch team were practicing. The twins were the first to notice them, almost falling off their brooms in excitement when they saw Harry.

"Wood! Oi, Wood! It's McGonagall!"

The boy shouting orders – Wood, apparently – spun around on his broom, with much more grace but no less enthusiasm than the twins.

"Professor! What brings you to practice?"

"Introductions," McGonagall waved him over. Without hesitation Wood zoomed over on his broom until he was hovering right in front of Harry and Professor McGonagall. The rest of the team zipped over as well, hovering a little behind their leader. "Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood – I've found you a seeker!"

Seeker? Harry started. Weren't first-years not allowed to join their Quidditch teams?

"Madam Hooch told me this morning – he made a fifty-foot dive after a marble and caught it inches from the side of the Astronomy Tower. Not a scratch on him! Not even Charlie Weasley could have pulled it off."

"Are you serious, professor?" Wood peered at Harry with barely restrained excitement. It was a different type of curiosity than Harry had grown used to, these last few weeks – less morbid interest and more passionate optimism.

"The boy's a natural," McGonagall nodded, a gleam of pride in her eyes. "Was that your first time on a broom, Potter?"

"Well, it was our first flying lesson…" Harry offered cautiously.

Wood nudged his broom closer to Harry and McGonagall, looking Harry up and down.

"You've the build for a Seeker, too," he beamed at Harry, his eyes lit with a passion that Harry recognised from both Ron and Draco – a fervour for Quidditch. "Light. Speedy. We'll have to get him a decent broom, professor. A Nimbus or Cleansweep or something sleek like that."

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see what we can do." McGonagall seemed almost as excited as Wood. Harry guessed she must be a fan of Quidditch. "Heaven knows we need a good seeker. We were flattened in that match with Slytherin last year… I couldn't look Snape in the face for weeks…"

Harry nodded to himself. Definitely a Quidditch fan. An avid one too, though the grievance over the loss might also just be house pride.

McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry, though the intimidating effect was somewhat lessened by the smile playing about her lips.

"I have high hopes for you, Potter," she told him. "Your father would have been proud. He was an excellent Quidditch player himself – a Chaser, though, not a Seeker."

"My father played Quidditch?" Harry perked up, eager to hear more about the family he had never known.

McGonagall's expression softened, a hint of nostalgia and sorrow in her eyes.

"He was one of the best players Gryffindor has ever seen," she said. "So natural on a broom you'd think he was born with wings, though he could be quite cheeky about it. I'm sure you'll be a credit to his legacy – though I'd hope for less funny business from you."

She fixed Harry with a stern look before glancing sidelong at the Weasley twins who were hovering nearby.

"You two, I want you on your best behaviour now as well."

George offered a stiff salute while Fred attempted a grand bow, almost falling off his broom in the process. Harry hid his laughter behind his hand.

"Well, I'm glad to have things sorted out," McGonagall nodded. "Classes will be starting soon. Wood, let the team pack up and get ready."

"Erm," Harry coughed awkwardly. "I'm sorry, but am I— am I joining the Quidditch team? I thought first-years weren't allowed to join?"

McGonagall blinked at him.

"That rule is generally for the safety of unpractised students," she explained to him. "Of course we'll make an exception for excellent natural talent."

Harry blinked, feeling his face warm immediately. It was the nicest thing any teacher had ever said to him.

"I won't let you down, professor," he promised.

"I'm sure you won't. Miss Johnson, please lead Mr Potter back to the castle and give him a brief explanation of the rules before class."

"Oh, you don't have to bother Angelina, professor!" Fred shouted, having clambered back onto his broom. "George and I will be most obliged to teach young Potter the ways of Quidditch!"

"We would be indubitably honoured to instruct him in this most ancient and hallowed sport!"

"We would—"

"Oh shut up!" Johnson – according to her the back of her uniform – swiped at the back of Fred's head, laughing as he easily ducked under the blow. "Let's go. You two clowns can walk Potter through the basics on the way back to the castle."

"I'll see you in class, Mr Potter," McGonagall smiled at Harry, walking away as the Weasley twins hopped off their brooms in front of Harry and excitedly started dragging him away with them.

They were chattering in his ear, eagerly explaining all the ins and outs of Quidditch with perhaps even more enthusiasm than Ron and Draco on the train-ride to Hogwarts.

Harry was only half paying attention, his distracted mind conjuring a blurry image of a tall, dark teenager in Gryffindor red flying out over the field, trying to imagine what his father would have looked like, playing the game.

What would he say to Harry, if he were here? Would he be proud of him? Excited, like the Weasleys, or calm, like McGonagall?

Harry would never know.

---

Su was still shaky as she made her way to her first class of the day – History of Magic with the Slytherins. Isobel and Padma walked with her, awkwardly silent but determinedly supportive. Likewise, the other three Ravenclaw girls kept shooting Su concerned looks.

"Are you sure you're okay, Li?" Mandy Brocklehurst asked.

"I'm fine," Su shrugged, mustering up a smile. "It was just a nightmare."

"What about?"

Isobel coughed loudly, making exaggerated faces at Brocklehurst to indicate: don't ask any questions! Be sensitive!

"Just… I dreamed of falling off my broom," Su lied weakly. "I guess Harry scared me yesterday."

The other girls nodded and turned the topic to the flying lessons the day before, particularly Harry's reckless dive. Su was able to take a few deep breaths, letting the conversation continue around her.

She was calmer now than she had been, but there was a chill up her spine that wouldn't go away no matter what she did. She felt as though she could still hear that haunting whisper just behind her ear – Come back, Su. Don't leave me here.

Professor Binns and the Slytherins were already inside the classroom, and Blaise, Theo, and Daphne had saved some seats for the three of them. Su took her usual seat beside Blaise, who immediately noticed her pale face and shaky hands.

He frowned and glanced at Isobel, who mouthed 'nightmare' at him.

Su hoped he wouldn't ask her anything. She'd had enough of concerned looks and sly whispers that morning and didn't want to deal with it anymore.

"I'm fine," she said before he could ask anything.

Blaise nodded and simply brought out his History of Magic notes.

"Want to go over the homework?"

Su nodded and quietly went over the homework with Blaise, with Binns' dull voice droning in the background. More often than not, Su found herself zoning out, unable to concentrate on anything.

Her whole body felt cold, though it was only the middle of September.

A scarf was draped over her neck, startling her into looking up and meeting Daphne's bright green eyes.

"You looked cold," she said, carefully arranging Su's hair around the Slytherin scarf. "You look good in green, you know."

Su smiled weakly.

"Thank you."

"She looks better in blue," Padma sniffed jokingly. "Obviously it is the superior colour."

"Oh really?" Daphne arched an eyebrow. "Do you agree, Bel?"

"Oh no," Isobel shook her head. "I'm not getting into this. My parents will hear about it and then one of them will disown me."

Blaise chuckled. "Your dad hasn't disowned you yet."

Daphne sobered quickly.

"Was he upset about it? That you were sorted into Ravenclaw?"

"It's hard to tell, through letters," Isobel admitted. "Mum's really happy that she and I share a house, but Runcorns have been Slytherins for at least two-hundred years. It feels like I'm breaking tradition."

"It's not your fault, though," Su pointed out. "The Hat sorted you. It put you in Ravenclaw for a reason."

"I suppose."

"It's just a school house," Padma pointed out. "It doesn't really matter in the long run."

"Doesn't it?" Isobel raised an eyebrow. "Do you really believe that? Houses mean alignment, and alignment means alliances. Look at our parents. How many of them really interact with families from other Houses?"

"But that's mostly just Gryffindors and Slytherins," said Daphne. "Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs are neutral."

"But House still matters," said Isobel, with an air of finality.

Su privately disagreed - Hogwarts wasn't the only magical school to exist, and even if it were, the world was so much larger than just one castle with different coloured sports teams. Uncle Nate had certainly told her as much whenever the subject of Hogwarts houses had come up before the school year started.

However, the subject was becoming uncomfortable, and so the six of them lapsed into silence for the remainder of the lesson.

Fortunately, by the end of the lesson it seemed that Su's classmates had moved on from the excitement over her panic-attack. Isobel and Padma still remained close, but no longer wore expressions that made Su feel like she might fall over in a faint at any moment.

She was touched by their concern, but was also weary from reassuring them she was fine all morning. She decided to spend her break at the library, looking for books on dreams, in case there was something important about it. Unfortunately, there were whole shelves full of books on the crossover between dreams and divination and Su had no idea where to start.

She borrowed an armful of books that seemed the most reliable – though she was unsure 'reliable' was a suitable adjective for books written about divination, which was a notoriously inscrutable subject.

Most of the books' contents were vague and difficult to understand. Su found herself skimming through the pages, unsure of what she was looking for and what answers she was hoping to find.

Soon it was time for Transfiguration with the Gryffindors. Su sighed and returned all but two of the books – the two that seemed easiest to understand – and resolved to ask Penelope for pointers later. She was unsure if the prefect was taking Divination, but she surely knew other students who were and might be able to provide some answers.

She decided to put the nightmare to the back of her mind to concentrate on Transfiguration. She had only been at Hogwarts for less than a month, but she was still frustrated by her lack of progress in certain subjects, with Transfiguration feeling particularly difficult for her.

Su didn't quite understand why she struggled so much with the class. She felt that she had a natural aptitude and understanding of Charms, but Transfiguration seemed a whole different kettle of fish.

When she walked into the classroom she noticed Harry out of the corner of her eye, making wide-eyed and excited faces at her. She gave him a half-hearted wave, but decided to sit next to Padma for this class period. Padma had a much better understanding of Transfiguration than her, so hopefully she'd be able to help Su improve.

Harry seemed a little disappointed, but he was quickly swept up in conversation with Ron and Neville in the next moment.

The lesson seemed to stretch out into eternity for both Su and Harry, though for different reasons. Harry was practically buzzing in his seat, eager to share his good news with his first friend, while Su was struggling with her magic.

She was becoming increasingly frustrated with her inability to successfully complete the transfiguration of a matchstick into a needle. Despite the majority of her classmates having already succeeded on different levels, Su was among the few remaining students who had made absolutely no change to her matchstick at all, while many of her classmates had already moved on to transfiguring dried biscuits into buttons.

Professor McGonagall gave the rest of the class instructions to practice the new transfiguration spell and gestured for Su and Neville to come to the corner of the classroom. They were the only students still yet to complete their matchstick-to-needle transfiguration, much to their chagrin.

Professor McGonagall spent a few minutes with Neville, watching with stern eyes as he waved his father's wand over the matchstick in front of him. She gave him a few pointers on his posture and his determination, and then walked over to Su.

"What's on your mind, Miss Li?"

Su hesitated, before looking up at McGonagall. Despite her rather stern expression and stiff posture, her eyes were kind.

"Am I… am I a failure, Professor?"

McGonagall's expression softened.

"Not at all," she said. "You are an incredibly bright girl, Miss Li. I believe, in time, you will become an exceptionally capable witch."

"But I can't do magic. How can I be a witch without magic?"

"You would not be a student at this school if you were not able to do magic," McGonagall fixed her with a no-nonsense look. "However, you may simply need some more specific instructions than your peers."

Su frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"You have a solid understanding of the spell itself – your posture and pronunciation is quite excellent, in fact. However, there appears to be some trouble with your magical intent. Mr. Longbottom has somewhat similar difficulties – however I believe you both require slightly different forms of guidance."

She passed Su a small scroll of parchment – a short guide to meditation and sensing one's own magical core.

"For this lesson I want you to practice timing your breathing based on this guide," McGonagall explained. "Once you've done so, I'd like you to try and sense your magic. This will not be easy – it requires some concentration. Your magic exists as part of the energy within your body, from deep within your bones to the tips of your fingers. Once you feel that you've achieved this step, then I will help you with the next step. Understood?"

Su nodded, and McGonagall left to walk around the classroom, checking in on the other students practicing the next spell. Nearby, Neville was also taking some deep breaths, repeating the wand movement for the spell without saying the words – practicing the muscle-memory of the spell.

Su looked over the scroll – it very briefly introduced the concept of meditation and then suggested a deep and steady breathing pattern – four seconds inhale, 2 seconds hold, 4 seconds exhale. While breathing in this way she needed to focus her attention to the magic inside her body, using her sixth-sense – so to speak – to locate her magic.

Su followed her instructions, trying to sense the magic under her skin. At first she felt nothing, only the weight of her own body and the anxious beating of her heart.

She continued to meditate with her eyes closed, taking long, deep breaths, letting the air pool in the bottom of her lungs before slowly exhaling, sensing her body deflating. She had some vague understanding of her own magic – mostly due to her practicing wandless levitation for the last year.

However, that understanding was mostly about using her magic externally, and not sensing it within her own body.

After a few minutes she became more aware of her body – from the tips of her ears to the bend of her knees, her spine pressing against the back of her seat, to the slight tickle of a stray hair over her eyelid.

She brushed her hair behind her ear and refocused. As her awareness grew, she began to sense what she suspected was her magic.

It wasn't warm and inviting, as she'd half expected. It felt cool, like a very light breeze touching her skin, the ghost of a breath on the back of her neck. She followed the sensation under her skin, sensing that chill circulating through her body, feeling goosebumps raise where she sensed it near the surface.

Her magic filled her, but it was a tangled mess, stretched thin in some places and clumping elsewhere. Su frowned and checked the parchment McGonagall had given her – it included a very rudimentary diagram of a body, with arrows indicating that the flow of her magic should spread more or less evenly through her body stretching out to her limbs.

"I got it!"

Su jumped in surprise looking over at Neville beside her, waving a needle in the air. Professor McGonagall gave him a stern look from across the classroom and Neville sheepishly placed the needle back on his desk, although he couldn't quite smother his victorious expression.

He caught Su's eye and she gave him what she hoped was an encouraging thumbs up, though privately she was dying of shame. She was officially the worst student in the class. The last of them to achieve their very first transfiguration.

McGonagall approached and checked Neville's handiwork. It was a perfect needle, finally. She gave him one house point for perseverance and assigned him the reading for the next chapter – catching him up with the rest of the class. Then she walked over to where Su was still meditating, placing Neville's needle on her desk.

"How is your progress, Miss Li?"

"I can sense my magic," she told McGonagall. "It's kind of… lumpy."

McGonagall smiled.

"I'm impressed, Miss Li. Most students take more than a single lesson to sense their magic."

Su perked up at the praise, finally feeling somewhat accomplished in her most difficult class.

"Now what do I do? How do I fix it?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have time for that today," said McGonagall, putting her hands on Su's shoulders and facing her towards her desk. "Now don't be upset if you can't do this next part straight away – it is quite difficult, especially for beginners. I want you to take your magic and cast it over the desk, like a net. Keep your eyes closed – I want you to try and sense the shape of the matchstick with your magic."

Su closed her eyes, trying to sense her magic once again. She was aware of the desk in front of her, if only because she had just been looking at it. She concentrated for several minutes, attempting to control the magic inside her and 'cast' it out over the desk. She had done similar things before, with her wandless magic, in order to move small objects. But it was different with her eyes closed.

"Deep breaths," McGonagall reminded her.

Su hadn't even realised that her breathing had become shallower. She tried to calm herself down, concentrating on pushing her magic forward. She raised one hand, feeling the magic rising from the base of her spine to her shoulder, and rolling down her arm to settle in her palm. She knew that the desk was just below her palm.

Slowly, her magic moved outwards, spilling out of her palm like a mist. Through the mist Su could sense the edge of the desk, the flat tabletop, the shape of it… and even the small matchstick laying on top of it.

"I think I can sense it," she whispered, afraid that if she moved an inch everything would be undone.

"Very impressive, Miss Li," McGonagall murmured.

Su opened her eyes, but the moment her concentration broke, everything she sensed disappeared and she felt like an ordinary girl again. The loss must have shown on her face because McGonagall patted her gently on the shoulder.

"Now the next part is to break the spell into smaller pieces – this is sometimes referred to as 'compartmentalised spellcasting'. What are the three aspects of spellcasting?"

"Wand movement, incantation, and target," Su recited.

It was one of the first lessons McGonagall had taught, before they had even thought about casting a spell in class.

Incantation was self-explanatory – the name of the spell determined the type of spell being cast. Wand movements when casting the spell could sometimes affect the details – the strength, scope, or distance, for example. The target was sometimes more elusive – when casting at a single object it could seem straightforward, but when dealing with summoning, conjuration, or more abstract spells like illusions, the target sometimes became more nebulous and it could be confusing where one needed to aim their wand.

"Just as there are three aspects to spellcasting, there are three aspects to transfiguration," McGonagall explained. "First, the shape you have; second, the shape you desire; third, the shape of the magic that transforms it. The Rule of Three is very powerful in magic – however you will learn more about that in Arithmancy class, should you elect to take it."

"The shape I have is the matchstick," Su picked hers up in her left hand. "The shape I want is the needle." She picked up Neville's needle – which McGonagall had placed on her desk – in her right hand.

"But what is the shape of the magic? How can I tell?"

McGonagall pursed her lips and studied Su carefully.

"The shape of the spell can vary depending on the witch who casts it – is a visualisation of the spell in action. For simple spells like this most only need to visualise the end result, but in your case I believe you need a bit more structure to the transition."

McGonagall offered her a gentle smile.

"Perfectionists often do," she said. "I know I myself struggled with the same, when I was your age. You need not fear obstacles in your learning – you only need to change your approach."

Su frowned, looking at the matchstick in her left hand and the needle in her right. They were similar in size and length – but how were they different? Material – metal and wood; function – firestarting and sewing; and the shape of the needle was obviously much sharper than the blunt head of the matchstick. This was the target – the shape she had versus the shape she wanted.

The wand movement of the spell was a quick slashing motion, cutting across from left to right. Su imagined this action as a line of transformation starting at one end and 'peeling away' the matchstick to reveal a needle underneath.

Su placed the matchstick back on her desk and put the needle aside.

"Do you have an idea now?" McGonagall asked.

Su nodded.

"Good. Now try to cast the spell again."

Su closed her eyes and reached for her magic again, breathing deeply and trying to recreate her 'sense' of the desk and the matchstick in front of her with her magic. She hovered her palm over the table – with her magic, she could sense where she'd left her wand, just next to the matchstick, and picked it up with her other hand. It might've been her imagination, but her wand felt heavier than usual, and cool to the touch.

"Maintain your connection with the matchstick, picture clearly in your mind the needle it will become, and with sharp, precise movements, perform the incantation."

Su gripped her wand tightly, imagining the shape of the match peeling away, revealing something thinner and sharper, the material becoming denser and shinier.

"Astul Argentisuo." She waved her wand over the matchstick with a determined flick of her wrist. WIth her eyes closed, she could feel her magic flowing through her body, condensing in the tips of her fingers and bursting out the tip of her wand. Through her other hand she could sense her magic collide with the matchstick, and immediately knew that the spell had – finally – been a success.

Su opened her eyes, grinning when she saw the shiny needle on the desk. McGonagall picked up the needle, examined it, then struck it against the table. Nothing, it was a needle in all ways.

Silently, McGonagall handed Su a second matchstick. Su put her palm down this time, concentrating on recreating the feeling of her magic flowing through her body and directed through her wand again.

"Astul Argentisuo." Before her eyes, the matchstick transformed.

"Well done, Miss Li," McGonagall smiled and adjusted her spectacles. "Five points to Ravenclaw, for achieving a feat beyond many of your peers."

"Really?" Su sat up straighter in excitement.

"The act of using your magic to sense and affect your environment will be part of your OWLs and NEWTs curriculum," McGonagall explained. "It is required in order to master more complex transfigurations. For your peers, targeting their magic at the matchstick was instinctual. However, in your case, Miss Li, you require a slightly more tangible connection with the subject of your transfiguration."

Su glowed at the praise, but her face crumpled moments later.

"I still don't understand," she said. "Why is it so much easier for everyone else? A lot of the other kids could do this by the second lesson, by instinct, like you said. Why didn't it work that way for me?"

McGonagall pursed her lips, pinning the full weight of her gaze on Su's face.

"Miss Li, I have taught at Hogwarts for many years, and have come across many kinds of witches and wizards. All of them have their own strengths and struggles. For students like yourself, magic is as much connected to your conscious mind as it is your intuition. This may seem a burden at first – however, I have found that such students have exceptionally bright futures as master spell-crafters, enchanters, and potions masters. Your precise and deliberate mind can be your strength, rather than your weakness."

"So… what happens now?"

"You will have to hone your awareness of your magic, and deliberately cast it out when you perform spells. This kind of precision is less important in your other classes for now – lesser charms and jinxes do not require too much accuracy. However, this practice will aid you in the long run, when you must perform more powerful and complex spells later."

"Thank you, Professor," Su gathered her books and prepared to leave the classroom.

"Now that you have a solid foundation, you can move on to the second transfiguration in our next class," McGonagall patted her on the shoulder. "Now I think you'd best find Mr Potter – it appears he is bursting to share some good news with you, though I had advised him to keep such news to himself."

He's joined the Quidditch team! Su immediately assumed. She'd been afraid that because the flying lesson had played out differently than in the books that Harry wouldn't be able to join the Quidditch team – one of his greatest sources of joy and one of the few times he was allowed to be a normal kid at Hogwarts.

But it looked like fate still had a few happy things in store for Harry.

---

Harry craned his neck, peering at the entrance of the Great Hall. Su had stayed behind after transfiguration to talk longer with Professor McGonagall. He felt bad for her – the rest of the class had already succeeded in transfiguring their matchsticks into needles and Su was the only one who couldn't do it.

Harry didn't understand. She was the one who had explained the magical theory to him enough that he was able to succeed in only two lessons – why wasn't the magic working for her?

He thought back to the day they'd first met – when they'd first bought their wands. What was it that Ollivander had said of hers? That it was unforgiving and precise – to Harry that just sounded like the wand was as much of a perfectionist as Su was. That made sense, then, that they would match like that.

Maybe the spell would only work when Su 'perfectly' understood it – and then she'd be able to perform it perfectly.

When Su walked into the Great Hall for lunch, Harry immediately stood up and waved her over to the Gryffindor table. She grinned at him and bounced over, clearly in a much better mood than when he left her in the Transfiguration classroom.

"I did it!" She threw herself onto the bench beside Harry, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I finally turned that stupid match into a needle!"

"That's amazing!" Harry threw his arms around her in a quick hug.

"Good work, Su," Neville grinned at her from Harry's other side.

"Yeah, good work," Ron nodded. "Enough of that – Harry's got big news for us!"

"Oh really?"

"You can't tell anyone, okay?" Harry told them, leaning in. The other three leaned in as well, a small circle of conspiring eleven-year-olds.

"We won't," Ron vowed.

Neville and Su nodded in agreement, miming zipping their lips.

"This morning, Professor McGonagall asked me to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Seeker!" Harry grinned. "Madam Hooch told her about my dive yesterday and she thinks I have enough natural talent to join the team!"

"They certainly need it!" Ron grinned. "With my brothers on the team, Gryffindor needs all the help they can get! That's bloody brilliant, though, mate."

"Congratulations, Harry," Su beamed at him. "I'm sure you'll be amazing."

"But first years never make the team," Neville frowned, pointing out the one hiccup in their celebration. "Will the school really make an exception for you?"

"Professor McGonagall says they will make exceptions for natural talents – as long as I don't fall off my broom in the first match I think I'll be allowed to stay on the team."

Su immediately remembered Quirrell's attempt to throw Harry off his broom in his first Quidditch match. She'd have to think of a way to distract him… maybe something less dangerous than setting him on fire though.

Now that she understood magical theory a little better after talking it through with McGonagall, she decided to practice some simple spells in her spare time – off the top of her head the unlocking charm, repairing charm, and summoning charms seemed the most useful. Maybe an unravelling charm? If Quirrell's turban blocked his eyesight he wouldn't be able to jinx Harry's broom, would he?

Su ignored the vague nagging thought that she might be biting off more than she could chew.

"I'm so excited to see you play," Su told Harry. "I'll be cheering for you… except in a Ravenclaw match. I don't think Cho would like it if I cheered against her."

"Who's Cho?" Ron asked.

"My cousin. She's the Ravenclaw reserve Seeker – but Midgen's graduating this year, so hopefully next year she'll get first line."

"Reserve seeker?" Harry squinted in confusion.

"Back-up," Su shrugged. "Not every team has them – I think Hufflepuff has a reserve keeper and a reserve seeker, but only Ravenclaw has reserves for every position. Always, always have a back-up plan, Harry."

"What about Gryffindor and Slytherin?"

"Cho says that Gryffindor and Slytherin think they don't need reserves – that they're talented enough to end a game in only a few hours. It really does all depend on the Seeker though, doesn't it?"

"Well Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff aren't exactly peak athletes, no offence Li," Ron said.

"You're not exactly a peak athlete either, Weasley," Su replied archly.

"Children, children, let's not fight," Harry tutted, putting a hand between Ron and Su's faces to interrupt their staring-match.

"Telling the ickle-firsties the good news, Harry?" Twin shadows appeared behind them and Neville and Su found themselves being shoved aside as Fred and George forcefully took their places on either side of Harry.

"Hullo, little brother," George leaned forward to ruffle Ron's hair.

"What's this?" Fred peered at Su, whose seat he had taken. "You're not a Gryffindor."

Su bit her lip, slightly nervous. She hadn't really interacted with the Weasley twins since bumping into them on the train with Malfoy. She didn't think they would hold her association with Malfoy against her, but the Weasley-Malfoy feud was infamous.

"This is Su," Harry introduced her. "She's my best friend."

"Best friend, eh?" George leaned around Harry to peer at Su as well.

"Hmmm," the two of them leaned backwards to make eye contact with each other behind Harry's head. At the same time Harry and Su exchanged a baffled look.

"Acceptable," said George.

"For now," said Fred.

"Erm…" Su glanced nervously between them, "… thank you?"

"You're very welcome," Fred replied, with comically exaggerated pompousness. He then grinned, breaking character, and turned back to Harry.

"So, technically, Quidditch tryouts are next week – but everybody knows Wood's not changing the team for anything. The only free spot is the Seeker – but before you, Wood didn't have much hope. Sure there are some good fliers in Gryffindor, but between you and me, most of them don't have the coordination to catch the snitch."

"There's a difference between flying and seeking after all," George nodded. "At any rate we'll need you to lay low until after the tryouts – don't want anyone knowing you got a head start, after all. You can't really join practice until you've got a broom anyway, so we'll have to get you one."

"But how?" Harry asked, finally managing to squeeze a word in. "I don't know anything about brooms, and I can't leave school to go shopping. Besides – I don't have any money. And my aunt and uncle aren't going to pay for anything…" freakish.

Harry swallowed the last word without saying it, feeling it settle uncomfortably in his stomach.

"The school has some decent brooms you can borrow," Fred shrugged. "That's what Bill did, when he was in 3rd year, then Mum and Dad got him his own broom for Christmas. Now I've got his old broom, and George has Charlie's."

"And you can always mail-order," George nodded. "We've got a few magazines with broom ads you can look at. Not too pricey."

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Su leaned past Fred to pat Harry's shoulder. "It'll work out. I'm sure McGonagall will figure something out – she's the one that got you on the team, after all."

She thought about Harry's beloved Nimbus 2000, how it would arrive by owl only a few chapters from now – weeks? Was it before or after Halloween? The timeline in the books was vague, and it had been a while since she'd read the first one, now.

A lifetime ago.

---

After class Su went to the library to see if she could find any books on casting her magic as McGongagall had taught her earlier. She found one book on 'Magical Meditation', but she wasn't sure if that was exactly what she was looking for. She also picked up another book on spellcasting theory, so she could write some notes on the rule of three and the components of casting.

While she was there she also grabbed a book on charms to see if she could find something that would be useful in distracting Professor Quirrell once Harrys' first Quidditch game came about. Transfiguration may have seemed like an insurmountable road block, but charms came much more easily to her.

She could already perform wandless levitation after all, and a few colour-changing charms on small objects. She had a small jewellery box that she could practice her unlocking and locking charms on. If she wanted to practice an unravelling spell she could easily use a bit of ribbon to practice on.

Su gathered her books into her arms, trying to pinch the top book with her chin to keep the pile steady. She was so focused on not dropping her books on the way to the librarian's desk that she almost didn't see the other person walking her way.

"Whoa!" Penelope caught hold of Su's stack of books before it could topple over. "That's a hefty reading list. It's only your second month at school, I don't think the professors have started any of these subjects yet."

Su offered her a sheepish grin.

"I'm a bit keen," she admitted. "There's so much to learn, you know?"

"Don't bite off more than you can chew," Penelope told her, taking half the books and walking with Su to Madam Pince's desk. "I was actually looking for you, you know. I wanted to see how you were feeling after this morning."

"Better," Su admitted. "I've almost forgotten the nightmare, really. And Professor McGonagall helped me with my spellcasting. I was– um– I was the last in my class to change the matchstick into a needle."

"Oh?" Penelope arched a concerned eyebrow at her.

"I can do it now!" Su reassured her. "I just needed to, er, be more specific with my magic? I'm not sure how to explain it – Professor McGonagall said that I needed to sense my magic within my body and then cast it deliberately? And I have to really think about my casting with my 'conscious mind' and the Rule of Three."

Penelope's eyebrows flew all the way up in surprise.

"Is that what this is for then?" She waved the book from the top of Su's pile – about magical meditation. "We're learning about this too. We started at the end of fourth year, but we're only really getting into it now. That's pretty advanced, Su."

Su felt her ears warm with both pride and embarrassment.

"I mean, she only taught me because I wasn't able to do the spell properly by myself. If I'd just gotten it right the first time I wouldn't need all the extra lessons."

By now they'd reached the librarian's desk, and Madam Pince was giving them both an impatient glare.

"Name, house, and year?"

"Su Li, Ravenclaw, First Year."

"Hmph," Madam Pince scanned her judgingly. "If any books are returned with stains, rips, or – Merlin-forbid! – dog-ears it will be straight to detention. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Su squeaked.

"That goes for you too, Clearwater," Madam Pince levelled a stern gaze at Penelope. "I remember your last mishap all too well."

Penelope blushed.

"It won't happen again, Madam Pince. I've never taken a book to Hogsmeade since."

"Just see that it stays that way," Madam Pince finished stamping the borrowing cards in the books and handed the pile back to Su.

"Yes ma'am."

The two Ravenclaws scurried out of the library with bated breath.

"Sometimes I think she's scarier than Snape or Filch," Penelope whispered to Su, as they rounded the corner. "I swear she doesn't even blink! Last year I accidentally spilled butterbeer on a library book that I took to Hogsmeade and she gave me detention and I had to dust the whole library by hand – no magic allowed! It took me all weekend!"

Su pulled a face at the thought.

"I'm glad you're feeling better though. The Veil's always a bit thinner this time of year so things can be a bit worse if you're vulnerable."

Su almost tripped over her own feet.

"The Veil?" she asked. Could Penelope know? How could she possibly know? Did she talk in her sleep? Had she let something slip?

"Oh, you know it's," Penelope waved her hand vaguely in the air. "The Veil between us and spirits, or like, the magic of the universe or something. It's not exact. But things like spirits or divination or destiny are always a bit more, erm, intense, maybe? Around Halloween and so on – you'll learn more about it in Astronomy, probably in the next couple of weeks."

"What does that have to do with me?"

Penelope grimaced.

"Oh, well, I just meant," she coughed awkwardly, "since, um, since you're on your own now, you're more vulnerable to, er, hauntings or, like, dreams from the other side, or something. We were talking about the Veil in divination this week."

"Oh, um," Su was still a bit confused, but decided not to keep asking, since Penelope was starting to look quite embarrassed. "Well, I'm okay now. Hopefully I won't have any more nightmares - but if it gets really bad I could ask Madam Pomfrey for a Dreamless Sleep Potion."

"All right then," Penelope smiled. "You can always come to me if you ever need anything. If you ever need to talk or… or anything."

"Thanks, Pen," Su smiled back.

Penelope helped Su carry her books back to her dorm and placed them on her bedside table. Turpin and Brocklehurst were studying together on one of the beds at the other end of the dorm. Su wasn't as close with them as she was with Padma and Isobel - perhaps partially because they and Perks were on the other side of the dorm. Funny how friendships are made based on something as small as proximity.

"Have either of you seen Padma and Isobel?" she asked. They shook their heads.

Su thought about going out to look for her friends, but it was getting late and she figured they'd be back before curfew. She reached for her new library books before she remembered something that Penelope had mentioned - that she'd learn about 'The Veil' in Astronomy soon.

She picked up her Astronomy textbook and grabbed some parchment, ink, and a quill to take notes. Even after a year of practice she still wasn't fully comfortable writing with a quill, finding her writing patchy or blotchy far too often, her fingers often inkstained. She was much better than when she started, but it was still tricky. Maybe she could ask Uncle Nate for a self-inking quill or even a fountain pen instead - the pen would truthfully be much preferred.

With all the caution of a perfectionist, Su carefully wrote down a heading on her parchment: THE VEIL AND ASTRONOMY

Su checked the table of contents for her textbook, hoping a chapter called 'The Veil' would jump out at her. Unfortunately, research was rarely that easy. She instead skimmed through the chapter on seasons and how they affected magic.

The magic practised at Hogwarts evolved from a druidic system, closely tied to nature, the weather, and the natural rituals of millenia of star patterns, moon cycles, and the changing of the seasons. This could have an effect on magic - most notably in potions, which was the oldest and most 'ceremonial' form of existing magic. However the seasons and moon phases could still have an effect on the strength of charms, enchantments, and transfigurations depending on the type of magic being cast and the time of day or year.

In particular, the time between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice was prone to heightened sensitivity to prophecy and spirits - the world of reality and the world of dreams and spirits becoming much closer than during the rest of the year, especially around Halloween.

Su took careful note. The 'veil' that Penelope was referring to was more metaphorical than the physical object that Su had passed through. It seemed as though this time of year was closely tied to death, rebirth, and great destiny as the past and future all seemed to converge with the present.

Su tilted her head and wrote another bullet point under her notes: plot relevant? She was vague on the timelines of the books, but she felt like there was always something big happening around the time of Halloween in the books.

Destiny?

Was it still fate if it was penned by an author's hand? Su wondered. Was an author a god and creator of a world, or did they only catch a glimpse of it, like a record keeper?

How much could she really change? Were people like Cedric Diggory and Sirius Black really destined to die? What if it was the opposite – what if her interference meant that Harry wouldn't ultimately triumph over evil?

Su's head hurt, she could hear her blood rushing in her ears, and her skin felt cold. It felt as though her world was shrinking, that she was wrapped up in cotton wool and that nothing around her was real or solid.

Shakily, she grasped around in her pocket searching for her snitch. She found something cool and round, but pulling it out of her pocket she realised it was her small jar of Calming Pills.

Is this an emergency? She wondered. Maybe not – she should save them for later. She felt dizzy and her vision was blurry – was it sweat, or tears, or perhaps neither?

She found the snitch in the next pocket. She clenched in her fist, feeling the ridges of the metal pressing into her palm. She squeezed until it almost hurt, the sting of pain acting as a tether to reality.

After taking a few deep breaths Su opened her palm. She concentrated on the snitch in her hand, willing it to float up and then carefully flying it around in a small circle over her palm. There was a clock ticking somewhere in the dorm room and Su focused on timing the flight circles with the passing seconds – one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four…

Su didn't know how many minutes passed as she gazed intently at the snitch, flying it in tiny circles. She didn't hear Padma and Isobel come back to the dorm, flopping on their beds nearby. She didn't notice them calling her name.

She was jolted back to reality when Isobel patted her on the shoulder - letting out an embarrassing shriek of surprise.

"Are you okay?" asked Isobel.

"Fine," Su blushed, stuffing the snitch back in the pocket of her robes. "Just zoned out. It's been a long day."

"What were you doing?"

Su picked up her Astronomy textbook, shoving her parchment of notes under a pile of other papers.

"Just reading ahead for class. It's easier to do it now when I have more light, than up at the Astronomy tower under the moon. Honestly, it's a bit boring." Su yawned for effect, but she must've been more tired than she thought because she realised she was actually quite ready for bed.

Padma peered over her shoulder and grimaced.

"Ugh, star charts," she groaned. "Parvati's been obsessed with them lately. She keeps reading her horoscope in Witch Weekly and telling me who my 'soulmate' might be."

"Are you Geminis?" Isobel asked, stifling a laugh.

"Because we're twins?" Padma rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't that be a bit too on the nose?"

"Well, are you?"

"I'm a Virgo."

"Of course you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Su packed up her desk while her friends bickered, feeling much more grounded as she listened to them laughing at each other. All her big problems seemed much more far away now.

She would face destiny – or whatever – in the morning, after a good night's sleep.

---

A few weeks passed and everyone was settling comfortably into the rhythm of school, classes, and homework. Halloween was only days away, and everyone was excitedly preparing for the upcoming feast.

Aside from classes, Harry had been attending training with the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He didn't have a broom of his own yet, but Wood had assured him that a school broom would be fine for the basic manoeuvring exercises they were practising for now. Harry didn't mind - just being able to fly at all was the most exhilarating feeling he could imagine.

Neville and Ron would often come to watch practice, doing their homework in the stands. Su had come once, but she didn't do well sitting out in the cold, so more often than not she stayed back in the castle and studied with her other friends from Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

Harry was a little disappointed, but Su promised that she would always be front and centre for his actual games, so he tried not to mind it so much. At least they often sat together for meals and she would always help him with his homework when he was stuck - Potions was especially hard for him as the theory was so dense, but Snape was always reluctant to explain himself more than once and seemed to have a particular distaste for Harry personally. Fortunately, Potions was one of Su's best subjects, since her uncle was a professional Potioneer, and she was always able to help him.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," he sighed, finishing the last sentence on his parchment.

"You'd manage," Su told him mildly as she finished her breakfast. It wasn't that cold yet, Harry thought, but she was already bundled up in a sapphire blue sweater, her heavy black winter robe, and an emerald green scarf - courtesy of Zabini, who had draped it around her neck as soon as he saw her this morning.

"How're you going to manage when it starts snowing?" he asked, tugging on the offending scarf.

Su grimaced.

"I'll have to learn a warming charm, I think," she said. "It shouldn't be too hard, but I might ask Pen later."

"Mail's coming!" Patil exclaimed, shaking Su's shoulder. Harry looked up as a flock - parliament, Su's voice corrected in his head - of owls swooped into the Great Hall, shadows against the cloudy 'sky' above them.

Xun glided down and dropped an envelope next to Su - she received letters from her family at least once a week - and then started pecking at the small bowl of treats Su had already set up for him.

To Harry's surprise, a large, thin parcel was dropped right in front of him, and would've made a huge mess if the plates of sausages and bowls of porridge hadn't jumped out of the way of their own accord. An envelope floated down on top of the parcel, with Harry's name written in swooping calligraphy.

He opened the letter first, which was lucky, because the first sentence read:

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus 2000. Oliver wood and I agree that no one is to know that you are Gryffindor's seeker until the first match, so don't tell anyone about it who doesn't already know. Wood will meet you on the Quidditch Pitch tonight at seven o'clock for training to catch the snitch.

- Professor M. McGonagall

Harry grinned and showed the letter to Su, who beamed at him.

"That's so exciting Harry!"

"Will you come tonight? It'll be my first time with my own broom."

"Okay, Harry," Su nodded. "I'll ask Pen if she can help me with a warming charm or something. It's been freezing lately."

"I'm going to open it," Harry picked up the parcel. "Do you want to come?"

Su shook her head. "I'll look at it tonight, you go ahead. I'm sure Neville and Ron would love to see it though."

She watched as Harry raced off to show his friends his new toy. It was very exciting, but she would see it later anyway. Instead she turned her attention back to the letter from Bea and Nate. She'd been writing to them on and off - it wasn't very easy to hand-write everything, but she was getting used to it slowly.

The letter this time was written by Nate, though Su could tell that Bea had been around when he'd written it as there were many interjections of 'Bea says' in the letter. He'd looked into muggle fountain pens as an alternative to quills - both he and Bea were pureblood wizards with little exposure to navigating the Muggle world, so they were going to ask Yao to help them shop around in London. Yao was also happy to send her some books on magical cores and magic control that he'd accumulated during his time at the DoM.

Su made a note in her diary to write back over the weekend, after Halloween. She wondered what they'd make of the incoming 'troll incident' that Quirrell was about to orchestrate.

She'd already looked up trolls in her Defence textbook - they looked large and hideous. Although she was confident in performing the levitating charm (it wasn't that different from the wandless levitation she could already do) she didn't know how well she'd hold up under the pressure of battling a live troll. Well, maybe if she could just avoid the situation entirely it would be fine.

Now that she had a better grasp on the theory of magic, thanks to McGonagall, the practice of it came much easier. It had still taken her a few tries to change her beetle into a button, but when she did succeed it was exactly perfect - no stray legs or wings or anything.

She'd found that transfiguration took a lot of concentration, and that she was usually better able to succeed in her spells when she took the time to close her eyes and 'find her magic' first - unfortunately that kind of meditation took a minimum of several focused minutes. If she was interrupted or distracted, she would have to start all over again, and in the midst of the classroom surrounded by the chatter of other students practising, it was difficult to get into the right headspace.

She would have to keep practising until it became more instinctive, otherwise performing magic was going to become ridiculously inefficient.

Besides transfiguration, Su had also been practising charms in her own time. The levitation spell was blessedly easy in comparison to transfiguration - she succeeded on her first try. She realised that the 'shape' of her magic when cast through the wand was actually very similar to when she practised wandless levitation.

When she concentrated more she noticed that using the incantation and the wand movements seemed to 'anchor' her magic to her target object more quickly and more powerfully. With a little practice she noticed that without her wand she could levitate small and light objects - her little snitch, quills, a small piece of parchment - but anything heavier or larger was much more difficult. However with her wand she was able to levitate her entire trunk - although less gracefully than her zippy little snitch model.

Magic is like a muscle, Su thought, the first lesson Nathan had taught her about magic. If she practised more she could probably levitate almost anything.

She could also cast lumos very easily - the visualisation of the charm was very simple since all she needed to do was imagine having a flashlight. However, she was still having a little trouble with slightly more complicated charms, like alohamora, which she had been practising on a small jewellery box Aunt Ellen - Nate's sister and Cho's Mum - had gifted her last Christmas. The charm only worked maybe twice out of five tries, and Su couldn't quite put her finger on what she was doing wrong.

"Something the matter?" Su almost jumped out of her skin when Blaise sat beside her. He'd given her his scarf before breakfast and then gone over to sit with Theo and Daphne at the Slytherin table, but she didn't know when he'd come over to sit beside her again.

"Just thinking about class," she told him.

"Are you still having trouble?" he frowned.

"Not as much. It still isn't easy, but I think I'm getting the hang of it."

Blaise hummed in vague agreement, squinting at her face.

"Your nose is still red," he said. It was the reason he'd given her his scarf in the first place, because her nose and ears were red from the cold this morning. "I should get my other scarf - it's got warming runes sewn in."

"You don't need to do that," Su protested. "I should go back to the dorm and get my own scarf anyway, before class."

"You look better in green," he smirked.

"Oh shush," snorted Padma, sitting on Su's other side. "Ignore him, Su. He's just trying to get a rise out of us. And of course you look better in blue."

Su rolled her eyes, having heard this from her friends several times in the last few weeks.

"I should just learn a warming charm as soon as possible," Su sighed. Despite how cosy Hogwarts could be, the stone hallways were usually draughty and cold. Su probably needed to switch to woollen socks soon, but she hated how itchy they were - all the more reason to learn a warming charm as fast as humanly possible.

She ended up keeping Blaise's scarf, too lazy to go back to the Ravenclaw dorm before class. They walked together to History of Magic, which Su had tuned out of after the first week - Professor Binns was basically reciting the textbook anyway and Su already read the whole chapter in the first lesson.

Most students took the opportunity to either sleep or study for other classes while Professor Binns droned about Wand Taxes in the background. Su had already finished her homework for other classes so far this week and had brought a book of her own – The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts by Ambrose McLusky.

Interestingly enough, Harry was mentioned in the book, in the chapter about the fall of Voldemort. There wasn't a lot of detail about the incident, only that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had attacked James and Lily Potter - young and formidable wizards who resisted his terrorism - but when he turned the killing curse on the child, it backfired. The child survived and the Dark Lord was defeated and the child saviour disappeared like mist, hidden away from those who would do him harm.

Besides that, there were chapters on Dark Lords preceding Voldemort, including Gellart Grindelwald, who was at the height of his power during 'the Muggle War', which Su supposed was referring to World War II. He wasn't even a Hogwarts student - so much for the idea that every Dark Wizard was a Slytherin.

She flicked through the book, skimming through the chapters on the other Dark Lords - there actually weren't that many, at least there had only been five of note in the last 300 years. Interestingly enough, only one of them - besides Voldemort, whose true identity no one really knew anyway - was a Slytherin. Two had been Durmstrang students, and the last Dark Lord was actually a Ravenclaw Witch, who had practised Dark Magic in the pursuit of knowledge and immortality. She had disappeared sometime in the 1800s - it was unknown if she was dead or in hiding, but no one had seen or heard of her for over a hundred years.

Su frowned. The way Slytherins had been described in the books, it seemed as though they'd been spitting out Dark Lords every ten years or something, but according to this book at least, there had only been two - and even Voldemort being an actual Slytherin student instead of just the 'heir of Slytherin' as he claimed was up for debate since no one (besides Dumbledore perhaps) knew his identity as Tom Riddle before he rose to prominence.

Why do people think all Dark Wizards/Witches come from Slytherin?

"Lots of Slytherin families practise Dark Arts," Blaise whispered to her, startling Su out of her skin for the second time that morning. He'd leaned over her shoulder and must've read her notes.

"What do you mean?"

"Not everyone who practises the Dark Arts is classed as a Dark Lord," he explained. "And a lot of Ancient and Noble houses have been practising magic that could be classified as 'Dark' even before people decided it was 'Dark'. Like Blood Magic, for example."

"Blood Magic?"

"I mean, of course it can be used for evil purposes," Blaise was whispering, and they huddled over her paper on the desk. "But not always. A lot of the time it's used for security and protection wards. You know, Lily Evans actually wrote a really good paper on Blood Wards before she died - my says she'd be her biggest competition in the warding market if she were still alive."

Lily Evans.

"Isn't that Harry's mum?" Su asked, flicking back through the book on the table to find the chapter on the Fall of He Who Must Not Be Named. Lily Potter nee Evans.

"I guess so."

"Harry Potter's mum wrote a paper on Blood Magic?" Su asked again, because she didn't quite believe it. Harry's mum, of all people.

"That's what my mum says," Blaise said, shrugging. "And she'd know. She's one of the best Wardists in the business."

"Huh." Su didn't know what to do with that.

"Anyway, that's why Slytherin has a reputation for being Dark - Ancient and Noble families practise Old Magics, which are often called Dark these days, and a lot of those families get sorted into Slytherin. And from there people just associate Old or Dark magic with families that are sorted into Slytherin therefore associating Dark Magic with Slytherin. It's not as though all Ancient and Noble families are sorted into Slytherin - there are plenty in all the other houses." Blaise paused, glancing at the Slytherin crest emblazoned on the scarf around Su's neck. "I suppose the snake motif doesn't help - most people aren't really endeared to snakes."

Su thought about the snake Harry had freed from the zoo in the first book, at first thinking that they weren't that bad. Then she remembered the Basilisk that was scheduled to terrorise the school next year - never mind, they were very scary.

The clock chimed and class was dismissed. The next class was Astronomy, which the entire cohort took together. Su wasn't in a hurry as she and Blaise meandered through the castle on the way to the Astronomy tower.

She had already spent hours over the last few weekends just wandering the halls, marvelling at the magical architecture. She had tried sketching out a map of her own in the first few weeks, but obviously the floorplan of the interior of the castle had very few match-ups with the exterior - all magical expansion, moving staircases, and hidden rooms and passages to mess up her approximations.

Almost every room and wing in the castle was bigger on the inside, and yet many of the corridors were shorter than they ought to be, so despite how massive the school was, it was actually fairly quick and easy to navigate - if you knew which shortcuts to take.

The prefects had shown them around for the first week, showing the relevant passages to their core classes, and then told them that they would 'figure it out' over the next seven years if they were ever to get lost.

"Careful now," Blaise grabbed Su by the elbow, dragging her out of the path of a senior student - probably a fourth or fifth year racing through the corridor in a hurry. "You're going to get hurt if you don't watch where you're going, Su."

"Sorry," she blushed. "There's just always something to look at."

"And unless something goes terribly wrong, you have seven years to look at them," Blaise shook his head.

Su glanced at the nearby landing - the entrance to the third floor corridor which was maybe the only place in the castle Su hadn't already explored - for obvious, deadly reasons. Blaise was right - if all went well, she would have all the time in the world to explore Hogwarts and all it had to offer.

---

Harry was almost vibrating out of his seat with excitement by dinner time. He couldn't wait to fly his new broom at Quidditch training that night. He, Ron, and Neville had already had a look at the broom that morning, for a few scant minutes before classes started.

It was nothing like the muggle brooms that Harry had used to sweep the floors back at Privet Drive, which were made of silver-coloured plastic with a rectangular head of cheap bristles and a rubber fin that would always catch on the floor.

This broomstick was a beautiful, sleek thing, made with a warm, reddish wood with a glossy polished finish. The words Nimbus 2000 were engraved at the top of the handle, and the twigs of the tail were lacquered into a tapered finish that reminded Harry of a rocketship - not designed for sweeping floors at all, but certainly very aerodynamic. There were also gold stirrups attached to the broom for him to brace his feet against.

"So you don't slide off the end," Ron had explained helpfully, as he'd examined the broom with hungry eyes. "Nimbus brooms accelerate so fast that wizards have been left behind on the ground before, so they had to build countermeasures into the latest models. Apparently it interferes with the cushioning charms though, so you can't fly cross-country, but that's not a big deal since they're sports-brooms anyway."

Harry would've liked to stay and admire every inch of the broom in loving detail, but unfortunately he still had classes to attend. He floated through the day in a happy daze, gazing out the window in almost every class he had, wishing he was flying instead of studying.

Fortunately he didn't have Potions or Defence Against the Dark Arts today - Snape and Quirrell were difficult teachers, though for different reasons. Snape was hostile and disliked explaining himself more than once, whilst Quirrell's shrinking fear of the subject he taught made it difficult to understand what he was saying even without the stutter.

At dinner, Harry shovelled food into his mouth without even really tasting it. By quarter-past-six Harry couldn't wait anymore. He raced up to Gryffindor Tower to fetch his broom and would've launched himself out the nearest window to use it if he knew how to open any of them.

The sun was setting by the time he arrived at the Quidditch Pitch, the sky awash with gold. Wasting no time, Harry mounted his broom and launched into the air. The wind whistling through his hair was freezing, but Harry didn't care. His stomach swooped with excitement while he did barrel-rolls and loop-de-loops above the Pitch. He'd been on a rollercoaster once, for one of Dudley's birthdays, but this was so much better.

"Harry!" Su was waving at him from the stands, standing next to Neville and Ron. The rest of the Gryffindor Team were nearby, admiring Harry's flying. Harry swooped down and dismounted in front of them.

"You really are a natural on a broom," Wood beamed at him. "I'm going to go set up the lights for the pitch, and we'll meet on the ground in five minutes for training."

"Okay." Harry nodded. Wood mounted his own broom, flying over to a tall post at the side of the Quidditch Pitch. He must've cast a spell or activated an enchantment of some kind, because the post suddenly lit up like a floodlight, beaming onto the pitch. Harry noticed that there were several more posts stationed around the rest of the pitch and guessed that Wood was going off to light the rest of them as well.

"May I see the broom now, Harry?" Su asked, appearing at his shoulder.

"Of course!" Harry held it out. Su cast lumos and held her wand close so that she could see the details.

"I wonder how they enchant these," she murmured, running her fingers gently over the broom. It seemed pretty seamless - she couldn't see any groves or indications that there were any runes or anything engraved in the wood. Then again, her wand seemed pretty seamless too - but there must have been a way to insert the magical core and craft it into a magical conductor.

Maybe she'd pick up some books about broommaking - and maybe wand making too - at the library later.

"Hang on a minute," a hand landed heavily on Su's shoulder – Oliver Wood had finished lighting up the pitch and had come back to collect his Seeker. "You're a Ravenclaw student - what are you doing here?"

"She's my friend," Harry spoke up for her. "Su, this is Oliver Wood - he's the Gryffindor Team Captain. Wood, this Su Li."

"Hello?" Su waved nervously as the older squinted suspiciously down at her.

"Are you a spy?" he asked.

"No!" She shook her head so fast that she almost dislodged her earmuffs. "I promise I am only here for moral support."

"Hmmmm," Wood drew back. "A spy wouldn't admit that they're spying… but for Potter's sake I'll let you stay. Don't make a habit of it."

"Come on, Potter. I've got something special planned for you today." Wood leapt onto his broom and dropped off the side of the stands.

"Good luck, Harry," Ron clapped him on the back, grinning excitedly.

"You'll do great, Harry," Neville nodded.

Su was adjusting her earmuffs, but she smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up.

"See you in a bit, guys," Harry mounted his broom - his broom! - and flew off after Wood.

Su watched him go and then sighed in relief.

"It's a good thing I gave Blaise his scarf back," she told Neville and Ron. "Imagine if I'd been wearing a Slytherin scarf."

"Oh, that'd be a disaster," Ron nodded. He'd heard enough about Wood from his brothers to know that he was obsessed with Quidditch and almost equally intense about the Gryffindor rivalry with Slytherin - especially since Slytherin had won the last few Quidditch Cups.

Harry landed on the pitch and stood by while Wood directed the rest of the team to drill separately - the Chasers were to flying laps around the pitch practising their passing, whilst Fred and George were to aim the Bludgers not at the players, but at the Quaffle - a smaller and faster target to increase their accuracy.

Once they'd started moving to Wood's liking he turned his attention to Harry.

"Since it's your first time on that broom, we won't set you on the Snitch just yet - we'll use these instead." He held up a basket of neon yellow golf balls. "Dunno what they are - Ian O'Gorman gave 'em to me. Something about a gulf?"

"They're golf balls," Harry supplied.

"What's golf?"

"Er, it's a muggle sport," Harry scratched his head, unsure of how to explain it. "You hit the ball with a club and try to get it in a tiny hole in the least moves possible. It's dead boring though - my uncle used to make me carry his clubs sometimes before he got embarrassed of me. Football's much better."

"What's football?" Wood asked, and then held up a hand to stop Harry from answering. "Nevermind. That's not what we're here for. Follow me, Potter." He hooked the basket handle on the tip of his broom and flew over by the goal rings at one end of the pitch. Harry mounted his Nimbus 2000 and followed behind.

"Now don't worry if you miss any of these," Wood told him. "I can just summon them back - easy enough. Are you ready, Potter? Show me what you've got!"

Harry grinned, eyes on the golf ball in Wood's hand. He was glad that he was starting out with such a bright colour - even with the lights around the pitch it was still fairly dark now that the sun had set.

Wood sat back and tossed the golf ball lightly to one side. Harry zoomed over and snatched it up immediately. Wood gently threw another and Harry caught that as well - flying back and depositing both balls back in the basket.

"Good work," Wood smiled. "Let's get a bit more interesting now, eh?" He took his wand out, murmuring "Wingardiam Leviosa" and a golf ball floated into the air. Harry didn't have time to be fascinated, because Wood immediately swung his wand around like a slingshot and pitched the golf ball high into the air.

Without a second thought Harry raced after it - by the time he crossed the distance the ball was already in a sharp freefall, so Harry dove after it as well. He stretched out his hand and snatched the golf ball out of the air. His fingers were feeling a little numb from the cold, but that didn't affect the thrill he felt at flying like this. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another golf ball falling, and after that everything seemed a blur.

They spent maybe an hour running drills. At some point - Harry wasn't sure when - the rest of the team had finished their own drills and were watching him fly around the pitch catching golf balls. Fred and George heckled him a bit, but honestly Harry hardly even registered them talking, he was so focused.

Eventually, Wood stopped throwing the golf balls. Harry brought back the last one and Wood tucked it into the basket, grinning widely.

"This is our year," he said to Harry, clapping him on the shoulder. "I just know it!"

---

Su was dreaming again. In the dream she was walking around Hogwarts but she was small - or at least, smaller than she already was. Everything around her seemed ten times larger, including doors, tables, and chairs.

In the dream she wandered out of the castle and into the field by the lake, under the stars. By the lakeside was an enormous arch, with a translucent curtain billowing gently in the wind.

The Veil.

Su wasn't as afraid as she had been a few weeks ago. She'd had a couple of dreams since then, but this was the most vivid dream she'd had since that first nightmare. She could feel the grass prickling under her bare feet as she approached the giant dream version of the Veil, very much where it shouldn't be.

The wind picked up, gusting behind her, almost as though the Veil was taking a deep breath, trying to suck her back in. Su dug in her heels and resisted. After a moment or two the wind died down again.

Why are you haunting me? She asked the Veil. What are you trying to tell me?

In the dream she blinked, and suddenly she was transported to a forest. It could be the Forbidden Forest, but she'd never ventured into it so she couldn't be sure. The Veil was gone now, but there was a light in the distance - a flickering soft and warm glow. Distantly she thought she heard voices, a muffled murmur like her ears were stuffed with cotton. Su felt tempted to follow the voices and move towards the light, but once again she dug in her heels and stayed her ground.

Is this a trick? She asked. There was no answer, but she wasn't expecting one.

She blinked again and she was in a graveyard - or perhaps a caricature of a graveyard. There was grey dirt and grey skies for as far as the eye could see, with uniform headstones lined up in neat rows stretched out to infinity. Su approached the nearest one to see if she could read the name on it.

As soon as she took a step the graveyard evaporated into smoke.

Su opened her eyes and climbed out of bed. Nearby was the dorm window - she crept into the window nook and closed the curtain behind her so that she wouldn't wake the other girls in the dorm.

The sky was growing lighter but the sun hadn't yet risen. There were still some stars in the highest part of the sky, while the horizon was glowing pink and orange. It was perhaps the most beautiful view Su had ever seen, high up in Ravenclaw tower, tucked into the cushioned window nook, quietly existing in her own small world.

It was Halloween today - Professor Quirrell was going to let a troll into Hogwarts and attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone.

Su wasn't worried about the stone - Quirrell wouldn't even get past Fluffy, and even if he did, she doubted that the Philosopher's Stone was even hidden at the end of the corridor at all, since the Mirror of Erised wouldn't be placed there until after Christmas when Dumbledore let Harry see it.

The Philosopher's Stone.

Su pressed her forehead against the window glass, the October chill of it frosty on her face as she gazed out upon the slowly waking scenery.

Harry wasn't that interested in the 3rd floor corridor yet - not any more than any other student at Hogwarts at least. The specific details of the first book were a bit fuzzy, but Su was pretty sure that Harry's rivalry with Malfoy had triggered some of the original plot points of the book, such as meeting Fluffy before Halloween - and that had been with Hermione's help with the unlocking charm, which Su couldn't perform.

Harry and Malfoy weren't enemies now, in fact, they were almost friendly - although of course Malfoy and Ron couldn't stand the sight of each other. Su wasn't quite sure exactly where their relationship changed, but she wasn't silly - of course it was because she interfered somewhere along the way. The Butterfly Effect.

Should she encourage Harry to pursue the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone? If she did, would she take the role Hermione or Ron were originally given? Could she handle that? Could Harry handle that?

Su shivered and drew back from the window, turning her gaze from the magical scenery to her own, tiny hands. They were trembling, ever so slightly. There was a reason the Hat didn't sort her into Gryffindor, even when she'd asked.

Beyond the curtain, Su could hear the rustling sounds of her dorm-mates waking up. Out the window she watched the shadows shrinking away from her as the sun rose. After a few more blissful moments of quiet, she left the window nook and gathered her robes to get ready for the day.

The atmosphere around Hogwarts seemed much more festive than Su expected. Everyone was buzzing with energy, eagerly awaiting the expected excess of the Halloween feast, each guessing what fanciful twist dinner might take. Animated eyes on cookies, colour-changing spaghetti, bloody red velvet cupcakes - even Su's dry mouth started to water as she listened to the older students describing their favourite dishes from previous years.

Despite the energy around her, Su felt strangely disconnected from everyone, as if she was still in the window, observing everything around her from a great distance. She was quiet throughout breakfast, robotically spooning porridge into her mouth, and she floated through the first few classes of the day.

Padma was the first to notice Su's distant mood, but she was unsurprised by now. Su had a few nightmares over the last few weeks. Though none had been as terrifying as the first one, they had still left her quiet and withdrawn on those days. Her friends had noticed that she would be more lethargic and withdrawn than usual at times, but fortunately never pried into the details of her mood. She simply tugged Su along from class to class, prodding her when the Professors asked a question or needed her to hand over her homework.

Lunch rolled around - a preview of the feast to come. The Great Hall was decorated with jack-o'-lanterns, cottony spiderwebs, shadowy 'ghosts', and festive autumn-themed banners strung around the walls. Lunch was a buffet of roast chickens, baked potatoes, steaming pies, and fruit platters - delicious, but not themed or exciting. They had to keep some of the drama for dinnertime.

Su was no closer to having a plan than she was this morning. If she were to follow the story, how exactly would she prod it along and would she even be able to guide Harry from plot point to plot point correctly, and most importantly, safely. The magical world might be a fairytale for now, but the grim turn things had taken in the last few books that Su read were impossible to ignore.

A hand waved in front of her eyes and Su snapped out of her reverie.

"Isn't that right, Su?" Blaise said, in a tone that indicated it wasn't the first time he'd asked. Su didn't even know what they were supposed to be talking about.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening," she sheepishly admitted.

"We know," Daphne rolled her eyes across the table. "We were just discussing the potions homework. What's the right knife for slicing wiggentree bark?"

"Oh," Su checked the parchment Padma was writing on. "Depends on what potion it's for."

"Wiggenweld."

"Obsidian then," Su said. "Or some other non-metal like ceramic or glass."

"The options were iron or silver," Isobel frowned, picking up her own parchment.

"I mean, if it's between those, then silver's probably better," Su shrugged. "Wiggenweld is a healing potion, so for maximum potency the wiggentree shouldn't come into too much contact with strong mineral materials like metal. If you can strip it with your bare hands that's better than shaving it with a knife as well, but slicing with obsidian is the easiest way."

"How do you know that?" Isobel asked.

"My Uncle's a Potions Master," Su quickly scribbled out her own answer - silver - for the potions homework. Snape would only take points away if she tried to give a smarty-pants answer outside of his curriculum. "He taught me a few tricks based on the first year potions before I came to school. Snape'll want to hear 'silver' though - you know how cross he gets when we try to be 'smart'."

The Ravenclaws shuddered, while the Slytherins simply exchanged bemused glances.

"Oh shut up, Daph," Isobel rolled her eyes.

"I didn't say anything," Daphne retorted smugly.

Su's mind drifted away as her friends continued to bicker light-heartedly. The false sky above her head was blue and bright, with golden sunshine falling over the tables as they ate. Everything about the scene around her was so picturesque she almost couldn't believe that a Dark Lord and his minion were plotting patiently just at the other end of the Great Hall.

At the Gryffindor table she could see Harry eating lunch with Neville and Ron, with Fred and George making a small ruckus nearby. Harry was laughing so hard he almost choked on his food - and Su didn't see his scar, or his green eyes, or a boy from a story. She just saw her friend, having a good time, and enjoying his life in a magical castle far away from his miserable family.

Su had Charms with the Gryffindors after lunch. Professor Flitwick was finally going to let them try the levitation charm, which everyone had been excited for ever since his first lesson where he'd flown Neville's toad all around the classroom - poor Trevor.

"Magic is familiarity," Professor Flitwick explained to them. "It follows the pathways carved by centuries of faith, language, and association. Patterns wear grooves in magic that make it easier to cast. Other countries around the world may have other ways of performing this same charm, springing out of different languages and habits. But this one is ours."

He raised his wand delicately, like a conductor's baton, as if he were about to lead an orchestra in a symphony, instead of instructing a scattered classroom of eleven-year-olds.

"Now the wand movements for the levitation charm are a swish and a flick," he said, demonstrating the movements in a sharper and more exaggerated way than usual, so that they could see each gesture clearly. "Imagine the swish of your wand scooping up an object - in this case, our feathers. Then imagine that the flick is your wand catching the object on the end of an invisible string."

He demonstrated again, then had the class follow the movements - no casting, no magic, just the gestures of the spell, swish and flick.

"Now does anyone know the incantation for this spell?" Several hands shot up into the air. Su could see Hermione Granger, sitting across the classroom, almost spilling out of her chair with the excitement of putting her hand up. Beside her, Padma also had her hand up, as well as a few other classmates.

"Miss Patil?" Professor Flitwick actually pointed at Parvati, who smirked triumphantly at her sister.

"Wingardium Leviosa, sir," she said.

"And what does that sound like to you? Do those words mean something to you?"

"Er, it sounds a bit like 'wings' and 'levitate'?" Parvati answered, though she sounded slightly less sure of herself this time.

Professor Flitwick beamed at her.

"That's exactly right," he said. "One point to Gryffindor, Miss Patil. 'Wings' and 'levitation' conjure up in our minds exactly what kind of spell we're casting. Again, class, magic finds familiar patterns and associations and transforms them from an image in our minds into an action in reality. Magic is a force that moves through us, but it is also a force that is shaped by us."

"Wingardium Leviosa," he chanted, lifting up the feather sitting on his desk and letting it float gently around the classroom as everyone gawked - slightly less in awe than their first day in class, but excited nonetheless.

"Now everyone pair up, and take turns trying to levitate your feathers." Professor Flitwick bustled around the classroom grouping students into pairs, seemingly at random. Su found herself sitting opposite Dean Thomas, whom she hadn't interacted with much up until this point. Nearby Padma was with Lavender Brown, Harry was paired up with Seamus Finnegan, and Ron was grouped with Hermione.

Ron and Hermione were scowling at each other - Su hadn't really spent much time with either of them, so she wasn't sure where their animosity stemmed from, but she did remember them clashing a lot before the Troll Incident and Hermione becoming the third member of the trio of protagonists.

The troll - Hermione will be cornered by it after crying in the girls' bathroom. How do I rescue her without Harry getting involved?

"Er, should I start?" Thomas asked.

"Oh," Su snapped out of her daze. There was still time to figure out what to do. "Sure. You go ahead." She'd already succeeded with this charm anyway.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Thomas concentrated on the feather, raising his wand in a quick swish and flick motion, almost like spinning his wand in a circle. The feather didn't move.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he repeated. Nothing. Thomas frowned.

Su tilted her head, trying to figure out what was going wrong.

"Maybe try breaking up the wand movement," she suggested. "Swish on 'Wingardium' and flick on 'Leviosa'? See if that works?"

Thomas shrugged and lifted his wand again.

"Wingardium" - swish - "Leviosa" - and flick. The feather jumped into the air, just above their heads, but when Thomas went to direct it around the room, the feather simply floated back down to the desk in front of them.

Su's nose twitched and she could smell smoke. Across the room Harry was trying to smother the feather Seamus Finnegan had set on fire. At the next table Ron was waving his wand with more and more exaggerated movements, while Hermione watched, arms folded and eyebrows arched in increasing annoyance.

"Li? Earth to Li?" Thomas waved a hand in front of her face. Su blinked and turned her attention back to him.

"I think I was pretty close this time," he said. "Why don't you give it a go?"

Su nodded and picked up her wand. She was just about to cast the spell when Professor Flitwick cried out in joy.

"Oh well done!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Look here class, Miss Granger's done it!"

Hermione had her wand raised and the feather was dancing above her head. She looked triumphant, but Su could see Ron slouched moodily in his seat.

I'm running out of time, she thought. But there was nothing she could do right now.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she swished and flicked her wand and could vaguely sense the feather 'catch' on the spell. It wasn't a literal sense of weight, but more like a sixth-sense tied to her magic, that she just knew the feather was tethered to her wand and exactly how to move it to any point in the air that she pleased.

Su directed the wand above Thomas' head as he gaped at the feather, idly noticing how much more powerful and easy to control the feather was with a proper incantation and a wand compared to just mentally casting an idea of magic with her mind and pure willpower as she usually did with her wandless levitation exercises.

"Wow! How'd you do it?" Thomas asked.

Su spent the rest of the lesson helping Thomas, breaking down the magical theory Professor Flitwick had explained earlier and trying to explain the vague 'sense' of catching the feather - or whatever other object she wanted to levitate - with the spell. By the end of class he had successfully performed the charm, thanking for her help as they packed up their parchments and textbooks for the day.

Su gathered her things and quickly rushed out of the classroom to catch up with Harry, Ron, and Neville. Unfortunately, she caught up just in time to catch the end of Ron's sentence.

"-she's a nightmare, honestly," He declared - obviously talking about Hermione.

Just ahead of Su, the girl in question sped up, lowering her head and shoving her way through the crowded corridor to get away from Ron and his bad attitude. Su paused as she watched Hermione rush away, feeling a sense of deja vu, like she was back in Diagon Alley choosing between following Harry or walking away from him.

Should she chase after Hermione and try to talk to her and comfort her after Ron made her so upset? Should she chase after the boys and scold Ron for his callous attitude?

The corridor was slowly emptying out as everyone moved towards their next classes, but Su was frozen, unsure of what she should do.

Truthfully, she was afraid of talking with Hermione. It was why she hadn't spoken to her at all since term had begun. She felt - perhaps foolishly, perhaps not - that she had taken Hermione's place in Harry's life, and by extension, his story.

In many ways Hermione's place in the books had been 'the girl' or 'the smart one' - that wasn't all there was to her, but that was often the role she filled. So when Su saw her in class, or in the hallways, or in the library, she shied away, feeling guilty. As though she'd stolen something from Hermione that she wouldn't ever be able to return.

"Su!" Su jumped when someone called her name. Turning around she saw Padma and Isobel down the hallway, obviously wondering why she wasn't coming to her next class. Without even realising it, Su's feet carried her towards them.

Maybe she'd talk to Hermione after class.

---

She did not talk to Hermione after class.

Su was distracted all through the afternoon. Her friends didn't think much of it, used to her occasional eccentricity, and distracted by their own excitement for the Halloween feast. Meanwhile Su was anxiously fretting, her mind turning in endless circles, her stomach twisting into uncomfortable knots.

She kept her fist closed tightly around the snitch Bea and Nate had given her for her panic attacks, but this wasn't an attack. It was more like a siege, a numbing fear that was spreading through her mind until she almost felt as though she were floating.

She felt paralyzed, even as she dreamily wandered through the rest of her classes for the day as if she weren't in control of her own body.

Should she let the story play out as it was supposed to - and let Harry and Ron rescue Hermione and set on the path of unravelling the mystery of the third floor corridor and the Philosopher's Stone? Or had she already changed things enough through her friendship with Harry that the story had already gone askew?

Before she realised it was almost time for dinner and she found herself walking to the Great Hall with Harry and Ron, who had gone to Ravenclaw tower to look for her.

"Is Granger still in the bathroom?" Lavender Brown asked Parvati.

"Yeah," Parvati whispered back. "She's been crying all afternoon. I asked her if she wanted a handkerchief but she just wanted to be left alone."

Su stopped walking. Harry and Ron almost ran into her.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"I just –" Su glanced at Ron and then looked away. "I feel bad. For Granger, I mean."

Ron shuffled awkwardly, crossing his arms and suddenly finding his feet incredibly interesting to look at. Harry looked at him as well.

"You were a bit harsh," said Harry.

"I wasn't wrong," Ron bit out, but contrary to his words he did look ashamed of himself. "I mean she's a bloody know-it-all."

"So am I," Su said quietly. Her heart was beating fast, so fast and loud she could hear her pulse rushing in her ears. Was she doing the right thing? Did she know what she was doing at all? "At least, it wasn't very nice to say she has no friends."

Ron pouted mulishly for another moment. Then he uncrossed his arms.

"Which bathroom?" he asked.

"I'll show you," Su said.

She led them back down the corridor, away from the Great Hall.

Neville saw them walking away and ran over to them.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Ron's going to talk to Granger," Harry told him. "She's still crying in the bathroom."

"Oh," Neville looked deeply uncomfortable.

"Why don't you save us a spot at the Gryffindor table, Nev?" Harry patted him on the shoulder. "We'll come join you soon."

Neville nodded, a bit reluctant, and continued on towards the Great Hall.

The corridors were almost empty now, the three of them only passing by one or two students sprinting towards the feast at the Great Hall. They got a few odd looks, but no one stopped them. The girl's bathroom wasn't very far away, but there were a few twists and turns before they got to it.

The three of them paused outside the door, suddenly at a loss.

"You go in first," Ron nudged Su.

"You're the one who should apologise," Su retorted.

"I don't have to do that in the girl's bathroom," Ron made a face at the thought. Su almost slapped her own forehead - she hadn't thought of that.

"Okay, I'll go in first."

"We'll wait out here," Harry nodded.

Su took a deep breath and opened the door. When she'd first arrived at Hogwarts she'd noticed the bathrooms were surprisingly big, with fairly high ceilings and what seemed to be a fleet of sinks along one side and numerous stalls on the other. It felt very much like a modern conversion in a mediaeval castle, with the basic mass-produced style of the plumbing clashing with the regalness of the stonework of the original room.

There was only one stall that was occupied, and Su could hear the sound of muffled sobs - like someone sniffing to try and keep their tears in.

Her heart lurched, and she shoved her hand into her pocket, grasping her snitch for comfort and for courage. She felt so awkward and so unreasonably guilty that she kind of wanted to lurch into a stall of her own and puke.

Instead, she cleared her throat.

"Erm, Granger?" she called out softly. "Are you in there?" A stupid question she already knew the answer to.

"Leave me alone," Hermione huffed. She probably wanted to sound tough and a bit mean, but hours of crying had left her voice hoarse and weak.

"I'm Su. Li. I'm here with Ron Weasley. He wants to apologise."

"He can sod off for all I care," Hermione spat out.

Su sighed. She felt like Hermione and Ron were quite similar in many ways actually - both were smart, stubborn, and they always felt the need to get both the first and last word in.

"He really is sorry," she said. "He's outside in the corridor if you're feeling up to talking to him."

There were a few moments of silence, and the soft sound of rustling fabric. After a minute Hermione opened the stall, her face puffy from crying.

"I might have a handkerchief," Su said, rummaging around in her pockets.

"I have one," Hermione said, fishing one out of her pocket and bringing it to the sink. She wet the handkerchief and cleaned her face with it. She then pulled out her wand and cast a drying charm on the same handkerchief before using it to wipe her face again.

"Oh that's handy," Su gasped. "I'll have to learn that."

"It's not that hard," Hermione shrugged.

"Don't sell yourself short. You're the smartest witch in class," Su smiled. "Well, at least for now." She leaned forward and waggled her eyebrows exaggeratedly, to make sure Hermione knew she was joking. It worked, and Hermione let out a weak chuckle.

"Come on," Su grinned. "Ron's got an apology to make. Don't worry, Granger. I have your back." Su was surprised how much she meant it, too. She'd spent all day in anxious knots over talking to Hermione, but now that she was here, it felt so easy.

It was almost silly of her to be scared - Hermione was the same as her - just a lonely and nervous eleven-year-old with a propensity for overthinking everything.

They were both distracted when they heard screaming outside, and then the boys burst into the bathroom together.

"TROLL!" Ron was shouting. "THERE'S A TROLL OUT THERE!"

"AAARRRGHHHHH!" Harry was screaming, which was less helpfully descriptive.

Behind them was the troll. Su's not sure what she was expecting, but the CGI model in the movies she'd watched had not prepared her to see a real troll in the flesh.

The doorway of the bathroom magically expanded to allow the giant creature inside - perhaps a useful feature in any other situation than this one - it was four times as tall as Su and eight times as wide as her, stooping even beneath the high ceilings of the bathroom, it's wide frame blocking off their exit from the room. Disgustingly smelly, it looked like a fleshy boulder, with grey lumpy skin and a bald head, and it was dressed in ragged burlap-looking clothes. And, of course, it was armed with a gnarled-looking club that was easily as big as Su was.

"Oh shit," said Hermione - language which shocked Su almost as much as the appearance of the troll. Every plan that Su had vaguely calculated about confronting the troll escaped her mind. Every spell she'd ever learned escaped her too. Operating on pure instinct, she grabbed Hermione by the arm and dragged her backwards, while the boys scrambled as well away from the lurching troll.

"What do we do?" Su shouted, unsure who she was asking.

"Confuse it!" Shouted Ron.

He and Harry had dived to opposite sides of the room. Harry started banging on the pipe of a nearby sink, the clanging sound reverberating through the bathroom. The troll lurched towards him, lifting up its heavy club poised to strike.

Hermione limply fell against the wall, and Su tried to wedge herself under the other girl's arm to support her, though her own knees felt quite weak as well.

"Oi Pea-Brain!" Ron shouted at the troll, throwing a metal pipe at it to get its attention. "Leave Harry alone!"

The troll paused, swinging its tiny head around to squint at Ron. It seemed to decide that he was a more annoying target, because it carelessly swung its club above Harry's head - destroying several sinks and half the wall in the process - and spun around to advance on Ron instead.

Su was just trying to keep Hermione on her feet - they'd stumbled all the way to the back of the bathroom, which was a decent distance from all the action, but it also meant that they were on the opposite wall from the exit, with a flailing troll standing between them and their escape.

"C'mon, Granger," Su grunted, trying to jostle Hermione into action. "We should make a break for it while it's distracted."

"I- I can't move," Hermione whispered, horrified. "I can't feel my legs."

Su, who was holding Hermione's entire body weight it seemed, used the remainder of her composure to not say 'I've noticed'. She really hoped the boys could knock out the troll as they had originally. In the books, luck had played a huge factor in their escaping the troll - Su just hoped that her presence hadn't disrupted that luck too much.

As if reading Su's mind, Harry picked up the pipe of a broken sink and leapt up - probably using some instinctive magic - and somehow flung himself high enough in the air to conk the troll on the head with the pipe. Of course he then had nowhere to go but down and found himself clinging to the back of the troll's raggedy shirt.

The troll, distracted from Ron, spun around to search for its assailant, but because Harry was hanging off its back, the troll couldn't see him, and started spinning in circles trying to find whatever was clinging to it.

"Ron! Do something!" Harry shouted.

"I'm out of pipes!" Ron shouted back.

"You've got a magic wand!" Su shouted as well.

Hermione was just trying to stay out of the way at this point.

Ron pulled out his wand and shouted the first spell that came to mind: "Wingardium Leviosa!" The flailing club slipped out of the troll's hand and time seemed to freeze for just a moment.

Then the club was hurtling towards the troll. This, however, seemed to be the moment where everything fell apart. The club didn't hit the troll in the head, instead crashing into its shoulder. The troll stumbled into the wall, almost crushing Harry, who dropped off its back and landed heavily on the floor.

The troll roared, kicking away the club that had attacked it. Su and Hermione screamed as the club crashed into the wall beside them, showering them with rubble and dust.

"We're going to die!" Hermione sobbed.

I really hope not, Su thought.

The troll stomped towards Ron next, swiping at him with its large fist.

"RON!" someone shouted from the doorway.

Ron dove out of the way, rolling in front of… Percy Weasley?

"Stay behind me, Ron," Percy pulled his brother by the arm and shoved him behind him, shielding him with his body. "Petrificus Totalus!" Percy jabbed his wand at the troll, the spell launching like fireworks at its face - and bouncing off, perfectly harmless.

"Troll skin is resistant to magic!" Su shouted, finally remembering something from her DADA studies.

Percy nodded and waved his wand again. Su couldn't hear what spell he used over the troll's shouting, but whatever it was, it caused the ground beneath the troll to dissolve into quicksand.

Harry had limped over to Hermione and Su - it looked like he'd injured his leg when he'd fallen off the troll's back - and they watched as the troll writhed and wriggled, sinking deeper into the floor. Percy's spell seemed to wear off, and the troll was stuck in the floor up to its waist, roaring and flailing its arms about.

Su spotted its club nearby, and dug around in her pocket for her own wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" She felt the club catch on to her magic with a practised ease - this was the spell she'd used the most recently after all - and this time she was able to finish what Ron had started. The club landed sharply on the troll's head - perhaps a bit more forcefully than was needed, but Su wanted to be sure to knock it out properly.

The troll groaned, losing consciousness just in time for a crowd of professors - and Neville - to rush into the room. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape burst in first, with Professor Quirrell trailing behind.

Professor Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and wilted against the wall, clutching his heart. Su couldn't help but roll her eyes - fortunately everyone was too distracted by the troll to notice.

"What's going on? Why is there a troll in the school?" Su asked, before the teachers could get angry at them for 'seeking out the troll' - she and the others had never even stepped foot in the Great Hall, so aside from her prophetic knowledge of the books, there was no possible way they could have known they'd be attacked by a troll.

Professor McGonagall's instinctive rage seemed to cool down at Su's question - Professor Snape's hackles remained raised, and he glared at Harry as though he'd personally opened the door and invited the troll into Hogwarts for tea.

"It appears some… miscreants… have allowed the troll to enter through a secret passage in the school. This requires further investigation," he sneered. Su almost rolled her eyes again, but resisted the urge as Snape would definitely notice.

"Harry! Are you all right?" Neville rushed past the professors - and the unconscious troll - towards Harry, Hermione, and Su. Hermione was a little steadier on her feet, now that the troll was indisposed, but Harry was still wobbly on his.

"I think I hurt my leg," Harry said, pulling up his trousers to look at his left ankle, which was starting to swell and blacken with bruises. Su recalled Harry getting slammed against the wall and was sure that he would have other bruises too. Ron as well. She and Hermione had managed to emerge relatively unharmed, thanks to the boys' bravery.

"Professor Quirrell came into the Great Hall during the feast and told us there was a troll," Neville explained, helping Harry to stand. "But you weren't back yet - so I told Ron's brother because he's a prefect - but then Professor McGonagall asked me where he went so I told her too - and then we ran into Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell on our way here!"

Su glanced over at Snape and Quirrell, obviously having been intercepted after some kind of altercation on the third floor corridor. Snape had his long robes draped carefully over his legs, but even Quirrell looked even paler and more pathetic than usual.

"What on earth were you four doing?" Professor McGonagall asked, still aghast at the thought of four first-year students getting killed by a rogue troll. "You're lucky you weren't killed! Why on earth weren't you at the Great Hall?"

"Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me," Hermione said weakly.

"Miss Granger!"

"For tutoring!" Su interrupted. There was literally no reason for Hermione to be self-sacrificing and lie about why they were all here. "Ron needed help after Charms class."

"Yeah," Ron limped over, his face clean - Su could see Percy tucking a handkerchief in his pocket. "I was upset in class because I couldn't get the levitation spell - so I asked Granger for help. Because she's smart."

"In the girl's bathroom?" Percy asked.

Su shrugged. "Hermione and I needed to go. We didn't think a troll would appear out of nowhere and attack us. I mean, Hogwarts is supposed to be the safest place in Britain besides Gringotts Bank."

The professors at least had the grace to look a little sheepish at that comment.

"Well, I still say you were lucky - not many first-years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll unscathed," Su did not point out the fact that some of them were very much scathed. "Five points, for each of you. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this incident as soon as possible. Mr Weasley-" she gestured for Percy to come over "- please accompany the students for a quick checkup with Madame Pomfrey. If they are unharmed they may return to their dormitories. The rest of the students are finishing the feast in their house commons."

Percy nodded, then turned to survey the miserable-looking first years.

"Longbottom, help Potter up - he probably can't walk to the Hospital Wing on his own. Granger, you and, er-" Percy didn't recognise the other girl - she wasn't a Gryffindor and he hadn't really bothered to learn the names of first-years from other houses.

"Su Li," Ron whispered loudly.

"Li," Percy pointed decisively, as if he'd known her name all along. "Can you follow along as well? Or will you need assistance?"

"I think we can manage," Hermione stood up shakily. She was still holding Su's arm, but that was probably more for emotional support than physical. Su could feel Hermione's fingers trembling by her elbow.

Percy nodded, cast a feather-light charm at Ron, and then scooped him up into his arms.

"Hey!" Ron protested. "I can walk! I'm not a baby!"

"Your leg is bleeding," Percy retorted. "I'm your big brother. I can do this much."

"This is so embarrassing," Ron wailed, but he stopped trying to wriggle away.

The six of them quietly made their way to the hospital wing, where Madame Pomfrey fixed them up within minutes, tutting about dangerous environments and rogue trolls as she did so. It was mostly Harry and Ron, who had physically fought the troll, who were worse for wear. Hermione was told that she was quite dehydrated - probably from crying all afternoon - but that a big glass of water and some rest would fix her right up.

Percy told the Gryffindors to go back to their Common Room first, as he would escort Su back to Ravenclaw Tower. Penelope met them at the door and fussed over Su for a little bit before Su excused herself to bed, exhausted.

She lied to her friends - saying that she'd gone with the Gryffindors to their tower in the chaos when Quirrell had announced the troll in the dungeon. Eventually she untangled herself and fell into bed, still fully clothed.

As sleep quickly claimed her, Su only had one vague thought floating around in her head.

That could have been worse.