Chapter Five � The Much Debated, Leah Toulouse

Everyone was up late talking to Thomas. Guys kept asking about his sister and girls were asking if his brother and himself were available. Harry didn�t bother to stick around for this and called it an early night. Retreating to his bed, he closed the red velvet curtains and lied down to think. He liked this new girl. He liked her a lot. She was gorgeous, sassy and he was sure that she was smart and talented as well. But she was in Slytherin. Gryffindor/Slytherin relationships were unheard of! If they existed, their existence was short, and usually based on some sort of greater plot. There was no such thing as true love between Gryffindors and Slytherins. If Harry had even had a chance, he was sure he lost it the moment the Sorting Hat shouted out �Slytherin.�

�Slytherin� Slytherin�� A voice, much like the Sorting Hat�s, echoed in his head. �You could do great things in Slytherin�� Oh, why did he have to tell the hat to put him into anything but Slytherin? Sure, he wouldn�t have met Ron or Hermione or Aria � well no, he would probably meet Aria anyways � he would be labeled as a slimy bastard, but at least he�d have a chance with her.  But no, he was in Gryffindor. He could date anyone in his own house or Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff � but not anyone in Slytherin. He wouldn�t have cared... until now. That was all that counted right now. It was all that counted, and it was against him. Harry sighed helplessly, closing his eyes and entering sleep.

He dreamt about Leah�s beautiful face. She was standing right there. Harry started to move towards her, but like a rainbow, she was always out of Harry�s grasp. 

When Harry woke up, he felt extremely hollow inside.

*

Hermione felt excited. It was the first week of classes and according to her schedule, she only had Arithmancy with the Slytherins this week, and Malfoy wasn�t taking that class. 

Hermione glanced at the classroom she�d been in so many times. There was a blackboard on the far wall, and several desks made for pairs to sit in. Hermione took her usual seat next to the window and set all her books on her partner�s side - or where her partner would sit if she had one. Hermione flipped through one of the books she had read several times already and was quite startled when someone spoke next to her.

�Is this seat taken?� A pair of reddish-brown eyes was looking at her. She had shiny black hair and black cherry lips. Hermione recognized her as Leah Toulouse, the new girl. Her voice had an accent. She was definitely not British. Perhaps she was American, but it didn�t sound like that either. Hermione didn�t think too highly of Leah. Aria and her had talked about the girl late last night and thought, rather judgmentally, that the girl was a slut. The wild-haired girl eyed the other girl suspiciously. She was in Slytherin. Why would she want to sit with me? Hermione asked herself.

�Umm� alright,� Hermione said unsurely, moving her books to one side, giving Leah room.

Leah sat down and dropped her bag on the bench. There was still five minutes before class. Hermione could feel the weight of the stranger�s eyes on her back as she read her book.

�So�� Leah began; her voice was low and bored. �Is this all you do before class?�

Hermione nodded, not taking her eyes off the book.

�But how can you stand it? I mean� it�s not even a novel! It�s just a textbook full of boring junk!�

Hermione was offended, but she wasn�t about to loose her cool in front of a Slytherin. �It is not boring junk! It�s fact! And fact is very interesting, thank you very much! And besides, if I�m not to be reading before class, what do you suggest I do to keep myself occupied before Professor Vector comes in?� Hermione took a calming breath after that sentence.

The girl smiled, bemused. �Talk!� she exclaimed as if the answer was obvious.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and Leah laughed.

�Talk? About what?�

�Stuff!�

�Like what?�

�Your name for starters. What is it?�

�Hermione Granger,� Hermione replied automatically. �And you, of course, are Leah Toulouse.�

�I�m so popular already!� Leah flashed a movie star pose in her chair. Hermione grinned. �Oh yeah, especially with the guys.�

�Oh of course! Where would any girl be without hundreds of men at her feet, willing to do her bidding?�

Hermione laughed. �Then I must be short about ninety-eight men!�

�Really?�

�Yeah� All I�ve got are Harry and Ron.�

�Harry � Potter?� Leah asked to clarify.

�Yeah,� Hermione confirmed.

�You�re friends with Harry Potter?� the girl was practically falling out of her seat.

�Umm� yeah.� At this, the girl lost her cool composure.

�Oh My God! What�s he like? Is he nice? Does he have a girlfriend? Is he as hot as he looks in those pics you always see of him? He must be popular eh? Did he really go bonkers?� the questions came flying out of her painted mouth one after the other and Hermione did her best to answer them.

�He�s ok�Yeah� No�Well, I suppose he�s all right looking� Well everyone knows who he is if that�s what you mean� No! Of course not!�

Just then, Professor Vector entered the room and silenced the class. As he spoke, Hermione mechanically started to take notes. She felt something slip under her elbow and looked over to see what it was. There was a torn piece of parchment placed there. Hermione looked up at Leah, who returned a meaningful look. Hermione picked up the note and secretly scanned it. The neat, bubbly, spaced out printing said,

�Hermione,
Wud u like 2 catch up later after class?
How bout durin lunch break?
Meet me outside the Great Hall after u finish eatin k?
Rite bak k?�

Hermione smiled at the spelling shortcuts Leah had used. Flipping the scrap over, she wrote in her neat handwriting,

�I�d love to!
Do you mind if I bring my friend, Aria, along?�

and slid it across the table to Leah. After reading the note, Leah looked up at her and nodded.

Hermione felt joy bubbling up inside her like a good Hobble Potion. She had made a new friend! And this Slytherin girl wasn�t such a bitch after all! In fact, she was quite pleasant. Hermione felt guilty for calling her a slut the other night. It was really very prejudice of her. Hermione was so happy! The walls of rivalry were starting to crumble in the school of Hogwarts� Too bad this was after Voldemort�s time, she thought.

Professor Vector gave the class some time to work on answering textbook questions. Hermione and Leah (with the help of Hermione) had finished their questions in no time and were quietly chatting away.

�So where are you from? You don�t exactly have a British accent or an American one.�

�Yeah� My family moved to America from France when I was about ten and I started at the Witchcraft and Wizardry School there. So I guess my French accent wore off, but not completely.� Leah explained, fingering her ring.

�Oh! How interesting! Wow! That�s an awesome ring you�ve got there,� Hermione said, automatically picking up Leah�s hand to observe the ring. The silver loop bore a blood red stone, held in place by four silver bands, shaped to look like fangs of a mouth. Leah quickly snatched her hand back.

�It�s really beautiful,� Hermione said meekly, taken aback by the sudden rudeness.

�Yes, my father gave it to me before�� Leah trailed off and did not continue.

Hermione decided to drop the subject and move on to something else when Nikk came up to them.

�Hey babe, whaddare you doin with this mudblood trash here?� he asked.

�We�re givin each other hand jobs cantcha tell?� Leah snapped back.

�Oh! Do we have some lez action goin on here?� Chris asked, skipping over a desk to join Nikk.

�It would appear to be so wouldn�t it? Too bad Hermione�s not as hot as Leah� if she was this might actually be good.� Nikk commented.

�What the hell are you talking about? I�d pay to see these two get down an dirty together!� Chris retorted.

�Well, as flattering as you boys are, no one�s getting �down an dirty� right here,� Hermione put in.

�Awe, c�mon! Don�t be a spoiled sport,� Chris whined.

�Yeah, show us sum�in!� Nikk begged.

�Fine! If you promise to leave!�

The boys nodded. Leah stood up and undid the clasp that held her robes together. Hermione gasped, then let out a laugh. Underneath her robes, she was wearing a sleeveless garment that was made out of some sort of netting. Under that, she wore a black tank top with a very rude hand gesture printed across the chest and the letters �F U� printed in silver below that. 

�Do you think Sexy is tryin to tell us sum�in?� Chris asked his buddy. They both looked at Leah�s chest, at each other, then back at Leah�s chest. �Nah,� they said together.

�Pervs!� Leah spat, covering herself up with her robes.

�Aw c�mon! Ya know we�re only messin with ya!� Chris laughed, placing his arm around her.

Leah muttered something under her breath and all of the sudden, Chris� nose started to turn round and pink. Nikk laughed heartily. �You � You got a snout!� He managed to say between his howls.

�Hmm, nicely done. Turning him into the pig that he is,� Hermione commented.

�Thank you. Now boys, there�ll be plenty of me to go around� later. So you may as well stop your drooling and let me and my muggle born friend chat in piece. Kapeesh?�

�Ka � what?� Chris asked, his voice screwed up by the snout.

�Kapeesh. It�s an Italian muggle phrase.� Hermione explained, �It means �understand�.�

�Oh�� Chris muttered something and his nose, and voice, returned to normal.

Professor Vector walked over to where the group was talking. �Are you all done your work?� he inquired, his eyebrow slightly raised. There was a mumbling of �Yessir� before the professor nodded and left.

After watching him move farther away from earshot, the group quietly began again.

�That horny prick freaks me out!�

Hermione was completely bewildered at Leah�s outrageous comment.

�Leah, Leah. Tsk Tsk. We�d thought we�d get better manners from you,� Nikk smirked.

�Well he does! I swear he�s checked me out like ten times since I came here. Pervy little man has some sort of pedophilia! I mean, come on, he�s got to be, say,� Leah glanced at their professor sideways. �At least, at the very least, 48! I mean, can you say �Ew� or what?� 

�Well, pervy as he may be, he�s got good taste!� Chris leered. Leah sent him a cool grin back. �Thanks, but I�d prefer to keep the people who like me between the ages of 16 and 20 please.�

�Well, that leaves me as a qualifying candidate!� Nikk grinned.

Leah laughed so hard that, had she been drinking milk, it would have come out of her nose. �You? You think you have a chance?� she said between gasps. Nikk seemed to have a hurt expression on his face, but quickly added mock to it.

�You � you mean I don�t?� he blubbered.

�Sorry, Hun,� Leah said with a slightly nicer tone.

Just then the bell rang. �See ya later Hermione!� Leah called as she walked out with the other Slytherins. Hermione went to her next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. 

This year, the new professor was Kit. He was an excellent teacher, as good as Lupin had been. Not to mention he was ravishing. He had light brown wavy hair that curled slightly at the bottom. His jaw was square and had a bit of manly stubble on it. His blue eyes were deep and piercing. He was gorgeous.

Hermione caught sight of Harry, Ron and Aria. Taking a seat next to them, they chatted quietly while they waited for the professor to enter and begin.

�You know that Toulouse girl�� Hermione began.

�Oh, you mean that bitch?� Aria asked, venom spitting out of her mouth on the much emphasized word �bitch.�

�She�s not really a bitch� in fact she was quite pleasant! She�s a lot like you, you know?�

�Hermione! I�m insulted!� There was no trace of sarcasm in Aria�s voice.

�Well it was actually quite funny. She came and sat down next to me and we started talking and I�m gonna meet her at lunch. And when Nikk n Chris started to pick a fight or something, she stopped it, and managed to insult em as well!�

�Ooh� how interesting�� Aria�s tone was definitely skeptical this time.

�They were asking for a flash or something� and she removed her robe and she had the funniest thing under!�

�What, a see-through bra? No bra at all?�

Ron and Harry blushed and turned away.

�No� a shirt, with the finger on it.�

�Oh� yeah� that�s a laugh��

Hermione was speechless and angered, so she made a disgruntled noise, folded her arms and turned away.

Ron and Harry looked quizzically at each other, not knowing whether they should get involved or not.

�Oh honestly! What�s the big deal if I think she�s a complete whore?� Aria asked.

�But she�s not!� Hermione protested.

�And you would know how�? You�ve only known her for � what? Say 40 minutes at the most? Yeah, you know whether or not she�s a whore.�

�Well you don�t know her any!�

�Oh yeah? You wanna know what she was doing during Study Of Muggle History?�

�Umm� what?� Hermione asked, uncertainly.

�She was playing tonsil tennis with that Ravenclaw, Derek Something-or-Other. For hours! Even when the Professor told her to cut it out and took off like 100 points because she ignored him.� Hermione�s mouth hung slightly. She couldn�t think of anything to say. Harry turned away. Ron looked at his three friends. �All this over some Slytherin slu� � he didn�t finish his sentence because of the look that Hermione gave him.