PROLOGUE

September 1991

Theodore Nott was transfixed. This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on the towering majesty that was Hogwarts Castle, and, like the three other boys in his boat and the countless other students in the boats behind him, he was in awe. The castle loomed in front of them, welcoming them to the next seven years of their lives.

As his boat finally reached the rocky banks surrounding the castle, Theo hopped out, brushing off his brand new robes and cloak.

�It�s nice, isn�t it?� asked Draco, grinning at Theo pompously. �I knew it�d be amazing; I�ve heard it�s one of the grandest buildings in all of Great Britain.�

�Yeah, Father says the only thing wrong with it is that it�s overrun with Mudbloods,� said Theo, wrinkling his nose.

Draco laughed. �I reckon we can change that, don�t you?� he said with a wink. Theo smirked, but felt a tiny shadow of unease in the back of his mind. He himself hated Mudbloods, but wasn�t quite sure if they should be exterminated.

Theo and Draco -- after impatiently waiting for Vince and Greg to laboriously clamber out of the boat -- hurried after the rest of the students who were making their way in wide-eyed clusters through the massive, oak double-doors of the castle.

After they were led inside by a tall, bespectacled, severe-looking woman who was called Professor McGonagall, the crowd of students were instructed to wait in the Entrance Hall, a huge room with a marble staircase at its center, while Professor McGonagall prepared for the Sorting. The students, who numbered around two-hundred-fifty, huddled together in the packed Entrance Hall, their nervous, chattering voices amplified by the size and height of the room.

Theo glanced at Draco out of the corner of his eye -- he appeared to be engaged in a less-than-pleasant conversation with a boy with black hair and glasses, whom Draco had identified on the train as the Harry Potter. Good, thought Theo, casually drifting away from Draco, Vince, and Greg. He wanted to take in the surroundings, to fully appreciate its beauty and newness, and he knew he wouldn�t be able to with Draco and the others nearby.

He squeezed in between the throngs of first-years, trying to get to the back of the crowd, where, against the beige stone walls, stood two shiny suits of armor, their impressive swords shining grandly. Theo didn�t think it at all strange that he was more interested in his surroundings than in his classmates, but anyone else observing the scene would notice that every other student except Theo was excitedly whispering to their neighbours, either out of enthusiastic friendliness, nervous anxiety, or a combination of both.

Every other student except one -- a freckled girl with long, curly black hair and an upturned nose, who was standing in the back of the crowd near a set of four massive hourglasses. Theo stared at the girl, who was gazing up at the beautifully painted, high ceiling, and wondered why she wasn�t busy chatting with the other students. For some reason, he couldn�t take his eyes off her, which was strange in itself, since she wasn�t particularly pretty.

Her eyes suddenly left the ceiling and fell upon Theo, who immediately looked away, his heart beating fast. After a moment or two, he dared to glance back at her, and found that she was smiling at him shyly, her light brown eyes shining with amiable exuberance.

Theo stared at her, unsure what to do. Her smile was so sweet, so beautiful, that he felt an intense urge to smile back. However, she was a stranger, and Theo didn�t often go around smiling at random strangers. But there she stood, still smiling, although it was starting to fade a bit with obvious doubt. Before he knew what he was doing, Theo found himself grinning at her, and to his surprise, the girl grinned back, her round face beaming. She hesitated, then stepped forward, evidently ready to introduce herself -- when Theo saw something that made his smile disappear at once.

In her right hand was a small paperback book that all respectable Purebloods shunned and ridiculed: A Muggle�s Guide to the Wizarding World: Tips and Tricks for Fitting In. Her finger was lodged between the pages, as though she�d just been reading it and had decided to take a break. Theo was standing there, grinning stupidly at a Mudblood.

At once, his smile disappeared and was replaced by the most hateful sneer he could muster. His eyes burned with loathing and his jaw set fiercely. The girl blinked, her smile fading quickly. Her large eyes searched his face, evidently trying to discern the reason for his abrupt change of expression. He stood there resolutely as her face turned red and her eyelashes fluttered, trying to hide whatever embarrassment was in her eyes.

Turning on his heel, Theo marched past the girl, dodging between the packed crowds of first years. However, he found himself involuntarily glancing at her as he passed, and noticed with a small amount of alarm that her eyes were filled with tears. Theo smirked, but felt a tiny shred of guilt in his heart. Fortunately, Professor McGonagall had returned and was leading the students, single file, into a cavernous adjacent room she called the Great Hall. Abolishing all thoughts of the curly-haired girl from his mind, Theo followed his classmates into the regal Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony.

CHAPTER ONE

January 1996

She was swimming in the depths of the Arctic Sea, deeper and deeper down, until all she could see were brilliantly colored fish and the monolithic forms of icebergs in the distance. The water was pleasantly cool and refreshing, and not a sound could be heard at all--

�Moon! Answer my question!� snapped Professor Snape�s biting voice, jarring her out of her vision. �What plant is the primary source of Mothflax?�

Celia Moon felt her face become hot as she looked around the gloomy Potions classroom. Everyone was staring expectantly at her, and some students were snickering loudly.

�I--I don�t know, Professor,� she said.

�Idle, ignorant girl,� hissed Snape, glaring at her. �Daring to fall asleep in my class--ten points from Hufflepuff.�

Thankfully, the class ended soon after. Lia had packed up her books and was headed up the curving, underground staircase leading up to the Entrance Hall when she was felt herself being shoved forward and into the cold stone wall of the staircase. Whirling around to see what was the cause of this, she saw four boys she recognized as Slytherin fifth years leering at her.

�Oh, drat, sorry �bout that,� drawled Draco Malfoy, who was at the front of the group. Lia had been in Transfiguration with him last year, and knew enough of him to hate him fully. �I didn�t see you! But then again, you're as ugly as all the other Mudbloods, so you kind of blend in -- silly me.�

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, two very large thugs that were standing on either side of Malfoy, grunted in laughter, while the other Slytherin--who stood a little further back from the group and was a weedy-looking, dark-haired boy Lia didn't know -- smirked.

�Sod off, Malfoy,� said Lia in a voice that concealed her apprehension.

�Oho!� said Malfoy in an exaggeratedly scandalized voice. �Watch your attitude, Mudblood,� he barked, shoving past her again with his cronies; but this time she�d anticipated as such and did not have to bear the entire weight of Crabbe and Goyle.

Dinner in the Great Hall was spent as usual, at the far end of the Hufflepuff table, closest to the door. Lia wasn�t very close with most of the other Hufflepuffs, as they all happened to be the opposite of what she was--social, outgoing, and popular. She glanced over at Ernie MacMillan, Hannah Abbott, Zacharias Smith, and Justin Finch-Fletchley, who were sitting at the middle of the table, laughing loudly. Zacharias was using his wand to twist Hannah�s pigtails into a sort of candy cane that caused her to levitate a foot off her seat, while Ernie, Justin, and most of the table were doubled over in laughter. Lia� gaze lingered on Justin, whom she had been fancying since fourth year. Besides his charming personality and handsome appearance, there was something about Justin that Lia was drawn to, something she couldn�t exactly place but that nonetheless caused a little flutter in her stomach every time she saw Justin.

Lia didn�t very much like crowds, and always made it a point to sit as close to the door as possible; an added benefit of sitting there was that more people sat towards the other end of the table and she was free to take out her sketchpad and draw without being questioned.

�Is that a mermaid?� said a dreamy voice from behind her. She jumped, and saw Luna Lovegood peering over the table, her wand behind her ear.

�Well--yes, but not the type that actually exist.�

Luna picked up Lia� sketchbook, studying it closely. �You�re right. Real mermaids are highly grotesque and frightening...my father knows several of them, and we have them over for tea all the time. Of course, we have to Transfigure huge cauldrons for them to sit in...� She glided away, still muttering about mermaids and giant cauldrons.

Lia returned to sketching, sighing. Usually, the strangeness of Luna Lovegood did not annoy her; in fact, Luna was one of the few friends Lia actually had at Hogwarts. Ever since she�d come to the school when she was eleven, she�d known that she would never fit in, and would be lucky if she had any friends at all. Why can�t I just get over my shyness and start talking to people? she thought sadly. Oh, that�s right--every time I try to, I immediately realize the depravity of human nature and have no desire to associate with them anymore. Then she would retreat back into her sketches and for the most part keep to herself. It was how it always was and would always be.

Sighing, Lia got up and packed up her sketchbook and quills. She was going to turn in early tonight; her Potions homework and Charms essay would have to wait for tomorrow.

Lia waved at Luna, was now sitting at the Gryffindor table, talking to a few students whom Lia wasn�t friends with, but knew a little, for there wasn�t a soul in Hogwarts who had not at least heard of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.

She headed out the doors to the Entrance Hall, down the East Corridor, and up the stairs to Hufflepuff Hall, where she carefully drew back the golden curtains, changed her clothes, and crawled under the sheets. The room was completely empty, and, looking at her stopwatch, she wasn�t surprised. It was only eight 0�clock, and everyone was probably downstairs, socializing and laughing with their friends. She turned and blew out the candles near her bed.

****

�Consider this a warning,� rang Professor Snape�s voice, sounding strangely hollow and far-off. �If these essays a minute late, you will serve detention with me for a week. These had better be on my desk on Wednesday, at eight AM sharp.� Lia awoke with a start at 6:01 to the jarring realization that she had not yet started her Potions essay that was due at precisely 8 AM, today. Why in the world had she forgotten it was due today? Last night, she�d been quite sure Snape had said Thursday! She jumped out of her bed, dressed at the speed of light, grabbed her books, and raced downstairs to the library, running a hand through her limp black curls, an action that only made them look even worse. The only other person in the cavernous, brightly-lit library was the vulture-like librarian, Madame Pince, who eyed Lia suspiciously as she hurried past Pince�s desk. Lia paused, scanning the room. She wanted to find a private, enclosed seat -- preferably a booth -- where she could write her essay in peace; in an hour or so, there would likely be several students in the library. She finally saw one near the northwest corner of the library, near the Restricted Section. Perfect, thought Lia. She hurried past the heavy velvet ropes blocking the Restricted Section and dumped her things on the small desk, pushing aside a towering pile of textbooks someone had evidently forgotten to put away. The desk was enclosed on three sides by dark wood panels and faced the wall; this was ideal, since there wouldn�t be any distractions. Lia sat down, draped her cloak on the back of the chair, and laid out her books in front of her. �Excuse me,� said an accusatory voice behind Lia. She turned around in her seat and saw the weedy-looking Slytherin who�d helped Malfoy and his cronies shove her into the wall yesterday. Tall and thin-set with unruly dark hair and a petulant sort of face, he was now frowning at her through darkly-lashed blue eyes. �Er, yeah?� said Lia uncertainly. She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach -- why would one of Malfoy�s obviously prejudiced housemates feel the need to approach her? Why was he here this early in the library anyway? She�d thought it was empty! �You�re sitting in my seat,� he said, gesturing to the huge pile of textbooks Lia had carelessly shoved aside. �Oh! Er, sorry about that,� said Lia, starting to pack away her things and get up. �Hang on,� said the Slytherin, narrowing his eyes. �Aren�t you that Mudblood girl Malfoy and the others pushed in the Potions hallway yesterday?� Lia frowned. �If you must put it so politely, yes,� she said, a bit shocked at herself for speaking so brazenly. The Slytherin�s expression was as though something horribly repulsive was in front of him. He swiftly reached past Lia and grabbed his pile of books. �On second thought, don�t bother getting up,� he muttered, not looking at Lia. �I�d rather not sit in a seat that�s been contaminated by Mudblood germs.� Lia felt the unpleasant sensation of humiliation creeping up into her cheeks, causing them to turn deep red. She blinked, hoping the hot burning feeling in her eyes didn�t have anything to do with tears... �You can have your stupid seat,� she snapped, promptly getting up and shoving her books into her bag. �Just leave me alone.� �I have no desire to talk to you,� snarled the Slytherin. �Don�t flatter yourself, Mudblood.� �Excuse me!� barked a malevolent, booming voice, causing Lia to jump. Madame Pince was standing behind the Slytherin, her hands on her hips and her face white with fury. �How dare you use that kind of language in my library? Speak your name and House, now!� The boy threw a hateful glare at Lia, then turned to Madame Pince, his expression immediately respectful. �Theodore Nott, Slytherin.� �Well, Theodore Nott from Slytherin, I don�t know what gave you the idea that there may be any form of conversation in this library, much less the idea that that type of language is allowed in here!� said Madame Pince. �I thought you would know; you�re certainly in here enough! Twenty points from Slytherin.� She turned to Lia as Theodore Nott�s face turned an angry shade of crimson. �And you, Miss, need to realize that the library is not a place you can conduct your little arguments with your classmates. What are you people doing here at this hour, anyway?� �I -- I have to write an essay for Professor Snape,� said Lia, trying to maintain an even gaze at Madame Pince, though this was difficult, since the elder woman was glowering at her like a furious bird of prey. �It�s due at --� �What about you?� barked Madame Pince, turning to Theodore Nott. �Arithmancy and Herbology,� he muttered sullenly. �Oh, is that so? Well, if I hear so much as a peep out of either of you, then you can forget about studying anything in this library ever again!� She stormed off. Lia didn�t bother to see what Nott�s expression was, or worse, to wait for him to throw some more insults at her, however quiet they were likely to be. She swung her bag over her shoulder and brushed past him, settling her things down at a large round table at the other end of the room. After all this precious time had been wasted, there was no point in worrying about privacy and quiet; hopefully, not many people would decide to come to the library that morning. She chanced a quick glance at the other end of the room, where Theodore Nott had decided to sit in the booth next to the one in which Lia had formerly sat. Banishing all thoughts unrelated to Potions from her mind, she set to work on her essay, which was to be about the practical application of Foxpur leaves in Intimacy Draughts. She worked steadily, the sky outside slowly changing from midnight black to purplish-blue to a brilliant pink. She was on the sixth page of the ten-page essay and shivering due to the freezing January air coming in from the window, when she realized that she didn�t have her cloak on. Oh no, she thought miserably, her eyes falling on the chair next to Theodore Nott�s booth. Now she was forced to face the very likely possibility of another conversation with him. She took a deep breath and got up from her table. There was no way around it; she would need her cloak not only to keep warm, but also for lessons, since they were required of all students. She made her way slowly over to the booth where Theodore Nott was sitting, his back towards her and his face buried in a massive Arithmancy textbook. He slowly turned in his seat to see her, a frown deepening on his face with every second. �I�m just getting my cloak,� said Lia coldly. Her knuckles were very white, to her dismay. She didn�t need to be afraid of this boy...or did she? He stared at her. �Didn�t I tell you not to talk to me?� he said very quietly, so as not to incur the wrath of Madame Pince. �I don�t associate with your kind.� �Trust me, the last thing I want to do is talk to you,� whispered Lia, reaching for her cloak, which still sat on the back of the adjacent chair. But Theodore Nott acted more quickly, snatching Lia�s cloak and holding it in front of him, out of her reach. He smirked, as if challenging Lia to try and reach for it. �Wh -- give me my cloak!� hissed Lia, trying to keep her voice down. �And why should I?� said Theodore Nott, closing his book and leaning back casually. Lia clenched her fists, trying to channel every angry, negative feeling she�d ever had onto her face and hoping this would radiate outward. �Because. It�s mine. Now please give it back to me!� Theodore Nott chuckled. �I�ve always thought there was nothing more ironic than a Mudblood trying to act like they own the place. Here.� He tossed the cloak at her; it landed in her face and the impact caused her to fall back a few steps. That was it. Lia had had enough of this boy�s stupid smirks and insults, not to mention the way he looked at her and treated her, like she was some sort of inferior creature not worth treating decently. �What�s with you? Why do you treat me like that? Just because I�m not Pure or whatnot?� The words came pouring out of her mouth, and as soon as she�d said them, she was shocked at herself for actually speaking like that. Nott stopped leaning on his chair and glowered. �You really are thicker than I thought.� �You�re a git, and I�m not thick,� said Lia, staring determinedly at him. He narrowed his eyes. �I don�t even know why I�m talking to scum like you. You have your cloak, so leave.� Lia bit her lip. He was staring at her, open contempt on his face. Instinctively, she nervously looked down, happening to glance at her watch on the way--and with a horrible, sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized that it was half past seven. She now had half an hour to write four more pages! She turned on her heel and ran back to her table, her cloak now wrapped around her shoulders where it should be. Stuffing her books in her bag and shoving the chair under the table, she dashed out of the doors, passing a scowling Theodore Nott along the way. �NO RUNNING IN MY LIBRARY!� shouted Madame Pince. **** In Potions that morning, Snape had glanced at her essay, leafed through it to make sure there were indeed ten full pages, and then tossed it unceremoniously into the �To Do� bin on his desk. Lunch was spent in the surprisingly crowded library, where Lia finished up Flitwick�s Charms homework; it turned out that everyone else in the library was studying for OWL�s, and Lia had felt a pang of guilt at not having even opened a single book for OWL�s yet. Why did she always have to procrastinate? She was very glad when, at six o�clock, her classes were finally over. After dinner in the Great Hall, Lia started to head upstairs to the Hufflepuff common room to start on her Transfiguration homework, but stopped when she passed the Gryffindor table--she had something to ask Harry Potter. �Er, Harry?� said Lia, glancing around nervously at the table. It was crowded with talking and laughing students, a few of whom stopped what they were doing and looked up at her when she arrived. Harry Potter had been talking in a low voice to Hermione Granger, but looked up at Lia, too. �Hey, Celia. What�s up?� �Are we still having a D.A. meeting tonight?� she said quietly, after making sure the coast was clear of any nosy people or, worse, Slytherins. Hermione Granger answered for Harry. �No, tonight�s meeting is cancelled; Harry has detention with Umbridge.� Ron Weasley snorted malevontly. �As usual. That fat toad is always ruining our plans one way or the other.� �It could be worse; at least she doesn�t know about the D.A. yet,� said Harry. He turned to Lia. �I�ll let you know--well, your coin will let you know--when our next meeting is. Until then, just try to read up on Patronuses, we�re doing those next.� Lia nodded and left the table, feeling rather excited. Patronuses were extremely advanced magic--why were they learning them so soon? With a sinking feeling, she realized why. If Harry Potter was to be believed, then the dark lord Voldemort had returned at the end of last school year, and was now alive and well, strengthening his forces and probably recruiting new allies. Of course, most of the school thought all this was pure rubbish, but ever since October of last year, Lia had slowly begun to believe what Harry said, and had even decided to join a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group, called Dumbledore�s Army. As she walked up the stairs to Hufflepuff Hall, she suddenly remembered that she�d been waiting anxiously for a chance to finish her mermaid picture, but had never had enough time, what with the massive amount of homework teachers had been throwing at the fifth years. Turning around, Lia half-ran back down the stairs, into the now-quiet Entrance Hall, and out the doors into the grounds. It was only half-past-six, and there were three more hours in which she could draw peacefully until the nine o�clock curfew. Besides, ever since first year, she�d been using the Greenhouses for drawing, and no one had yet happened upon her--but this year, she�d had to be extra careful, because of Umbridge�s ridiculous decrees and rules. Luckily, none of the rules said anything about being on the grounds before curfew. Skipping down the stone steps and onto the manicured grass, Lia excitedly planned out the medium she was going to use this time--she finally decided on oil pastels, as they would be perfect for conveying the shimmery, ethereal effect of a mermaid. She went halfway down the hill, making an abrupt right at the vegetable patches, and finally reached the door of Greenhouse #1. Lia checked her watch--six thirty on the dot. There would be no students there, as Herbology lessons were only during the day, and she doubted that even Professor Sprout would be in there. She opened the door gingerly and got out her wand. �Illuminatus obscurus!� she whispered, swishing her wand. The reflective glass of the greenhouse walls suddenly brightened, casting a pleasant golden glow all around the room. She quickly stepped outside the greenhouse, and saw, to her satisfaction, that its exterior was as dark as ever. This was one of the cleverer spells she�d found in Rare and Unusual Advanced Charms. Lia shut the door behind her and settled down on one of the benches in the room, laying out her materials before her. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her battered sketchbook and a painting of a mermaid with long, rust-colored curls and a rather disdainful expression, and began to sketch carefully. �Hiding out here, are you?� said a voice from the direction of the door. Lia started, dropping her charcoal pencil. Leaning casually on the doorframe was none other than Theodore Nott. �How--why--what are you doing here?� she sputtered. �I don�t have to explain my whereabouts,� he replied, shrugging aloofly. He strolled into the room and stopped near the bench, glancing around and wrinkling his nose in disgust. �This place smells like manure, I don�t know how you can sit in here.� �It�s a greenhouse,� Lia said curtly. Nott simply glared at her. After about two minutes of utter silence, Lia started to wonder what in the world was going on. Nott was standing there, not saying anything, but she didn�t know what his expression was, as she was determinedly staring at her hands. Why couldn�t he just leave? Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to her, causing her stomach to tighten in fear. Umbridge didn�t know that Lia used the Greenhouse to draw, and even though there was no decree stating that students had to be in the castle at all times, this Slytherin could easily make up some tale about Lia sneaking about and tell Umbridge. It was well-known that she favored the Slytherins above all the other students. She looked up at Nott--who was still standing there and now looking bored--and took a deep breath. �Look, I use this room to p-practice my drawing, and Umbridge hasn�t issued some ridiculous decree about sitting here yet, so you�ve nothing to tattle about. Why don�t you just leave and get back to your rotten gang--� �Is that supposed to be a mermaid?� interrupted Nott, gesturing over to Lia� sketchbook dismissively. Lia frowned. �Yes, I�m drawing Griselda the Green. She lives in the Hogwarts Lake. Why?� Nott laughed. �And you�re using a painting as inspiration?� �Well...yes...I mean, I can�t very well sit out there in front of the lake, waiting for a mermaid to surface. Plus, I--I prefer privacy.� Nott was still frowning at her. �Only when you draw?� Lia was confused. �Well, I always need privacy if I�m drawing, but...I like to be alone at other times, too.� She gulped, fully expecting this spiteful Slytherin to laugh and insult her for being a loner, but she found herself not caring. She was used to it. However, he just looked at her and said, �I�ve always thought no company was better than lousy company.� Lia was surprised by the lack of contempt and mocking in his voice, but didn�t say anything. Neither did Nott, to Lia� dismay, and the room was again silent for a few minutes. This time, however, Lia bit her lip resolutely and turned back to her sketchpad. She had no idea why this Slytherin boy had shown up at the greenhouse after lessons were over, why he was talking to her after he�d expressly said he doesn�t associate with �her kind�, and why he was now standing there silently. Perhaps if she ignored him completely, then he�d leave... �What�s your name, anyway?� he said, after what felt like an hour. Lia looked up. Nott was still standing there, his hands in his robe pockets and a green and silver scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. He was looking rather bored. �Celia,� she said curtly. �What�s your last name?� Lia was going to prepare herself this time. �D�you want to insult me some more? You already seem to know I�m Muggle-born or whatnot, so why do you want to know my last name?� Nott stared at her, open dislike on his face. �You watch who you�re talking to, Moon.� Lia stared back at him. How did he know her name? And if he�d known it all along, then why was he asking her? �How--how did you know my name? I thought you said you barely knew of my existence for the four-and-a-half years we�ve been here?� Nott snickered. �I�m a Slytherin, you�re a Mudblood--we like to know what the enemies� names are.� Lia suddenly remembered something. �Is that also why you and Draco Malfoy�s gang knew I was a Mudb--Muggle-born yesterday on the dungeon staircase? Because you...want to know the enemy?� �Yes. At the beginning of every school year, they -- my friends, I mean -- sneak into Filch�s office to see the list of new first-years and check who all the Mudbloods and Halfbreeds are. Then, we do our magic.� He chuckled. �The idea is to torment them until they have no choice but to leave the school.� Lia felt a surge of white-hot anger rising up inside her...and whenever this happened, she always regretted how she would act, what she would say... �How commendable,� she snapped.. �It is, really,� said Nott, yawning. �The world would be a better place without Mudbloods and Halfbreeds. Of course, the scum of the earth is Muggles � but there are too many of them to efficiently get rid of, really�� �For your information, my parents are both Muggles, and so are all of my family, and I don�t appreciate your blatant and disgusting insults of people who haven�t committed a single crime except for having the wrong kind of lineage! I may not have Pure blood, but at least I�m not an evil, narrow-minded dunderhead like you!� Lia was breathing very hard. She didn�t care what this Slytherin thought anymore, or what he would say or try to do to her. She mentally dared him to insult her again. But he just stood there, his expression unreadable. Lia sensed the beginning of another uncomfortable, never-ending silence, and wasn�t sure if she should return to her sketchbook or stand her ground and defend herself against him. But she didn�t have to decide. �Good luck with your drawing,� said Nott, and walked out of the greenhouse door. CHAPTER TWO The next morning in Double Potions, Lia got the results of her Mothflax essay: a solid B. She was shocked, because she�d only had four hours in which to do it, and Snape was usually graded assignments very strictly. She didn�t see Theodore Nott at all in class, and was quite glad of it, albeit surprised, because he seemed very studious and never missed class. When lunch finally arrived, Lia set to work on her Transfiguration homework (she�d been too tired to finish it the night before, what with drawing and arguing) at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall. BANG! HOOT! SCREEEEECH! The high windows of the Great Hall flew open with as hundreds of owls came speeding in, screeching at the top of their voices. Lia stared, wondering what was going on, while everyone around her did much the same. �What the--� said Ernie MacMillan, looking dumbfounded. �Why are they delivering letters now?� When a huge grey owl dropped a thick copy of the Daily Prophet in front of Lia instead of a letter, and so did all the other owls in the vicinity, she knew something was not right. She placed a Knut in the owl�s claws and peered at the front page of the paper. Her stomach flipped when she read the headline. MASS BREAKOUT AT AZKABAN: TEN DEATH EATERS ON THE LOOSE �Eeeek!� squealed Hannah Abbott, dropping her spoon in her porridge. �Blimey,� breathed Justin Finch-Fletchley, staring at the headline in terror. Lia couldn�t believe it. The wizards� prison Azkaban was the single most heavily guarded place in all the world; how could ten people possibly escape it in one night? Now...now there are ten Death Eaters on the loose, she thought, her hands white. Everyone in the Great Hall was exclaiming and voicing the same questions Lia was thinking, while the teachers at the staff table were talking in hushed tones and looking tense. The rest of that day was marked by hushed whispers in the halls, cancelled Care of Magical Creatures lessons, and a general feeling of unease throughout the school. Every student, teacher, portrait, and ghost had an _expression of tension and fear on their face--except the Slytherins. Lia noticed, with slight disgust, that they seemed unusually cheerful and benevolent. Draco Malfoy hadn�t even attempted to trip her or insult her in the halls that day. �Hallo there, Moon,� he�d snickered as he and his usual gang of Slytherins passed her in the corridors, �better keep an eye out for yourself, hadn�t you?� Lia had stared daggers at him, but kept silent, as she walked away, but not before seeing Nott walking a little behind Malfoy�s gang, his nose buried in a book. Lia had sped up her pace to avoid him, but fortunately he hadn�t seemed to notice her. That evening, Lia had thought she�d felt the coin that Hermione had given all the members of the D.A. to alert them of future meetings, warm up in her cloak pocket, but she found that she was wrong. After dinner, she decided that she�d go down to the greenhouse and sketch for a bit before heading for bed. But then she remembered what had happened earlier that day--what if it wasn�t safe to go outside? Care of Magical Creatures had been cancelled, after all...but then again, the professors hadn�t said anything about not being able to go out for a bit... She decided that it would be safe, and at seven, she headed down the familiar path towards the vegetable patch, anxiously glancing around every so often. The sky was a dark, purplish-blue, and steadily getting darker as she walked. The biting January air caused her hands and ears to go numb, and she was glad to finally reach the door of Greenhouse #1. Taking out her wand, she opened the door...only to find that someone was already in there. **** Sitting at the bench in the middle of the room, his head bent over a piece of parchment, was Theodore Nott. The room was brightly lit with a golden glow, and a fire was crackling in the hearth at the far end of the room. Nott looked up when she entered, his usual scowl in place. �How--why--what are you doing here?� she gasped. Her hand was loosely at her side, holding her wand, with which she�d been planning to light the room; obviously, this was no longer necessary. Nott frowned, looking as if he�d just heard the stupidest question in the world. �What does it look like I�m doing? Sketching, of course.� He turned back to his parchment. Lia stood there, not knowing what to do, say, or think. The greenhouse had been completely dark when she�d been outside it; how could he have known the Illuminatus Spell? That was advanced Magic; she herself had found it by chance when doing research for Charms homework! On top of this, why was he even here? Their last conversation, like all their others, had ended on a very nasty note, and he obviously hated her very being. �Well don�t just stand there stupidly,� he said, not looking up from whatever it was he was sketching. �Why are you here?� she finally managed to squeak. He looked up, his eyes narrowed. �I don�t have to explain myself.� Lia bit her lip, glaring at him. �I wanted to sketch, and couldn�t find a proper place, is all,� he said more quietly, turning back to his parchment. Lia couldn�t possibly stay there and draw, what with him sitting there--but she�d been waiting to work on the mermaid picture for ages! And she couldn�t leave, because that would show him that he�d won, that he�d chased her out of her secret place and proven that Purebloods ruled over Muggle-borns. Without quite knowing what she was doing, Lia marched over the far end of the bench, dropped her backpack onto the tabletop, and sat down. She then reached into her backpack, pulled out her sketchbook, the old painting of the mermaid, and charcoal pencils, and set to work. It was hard to concentrate though, because Lia didn�t normally even light the hearth when she drew in here, much less sit so close to it. The heat was starting to make her dizzy. She also felt uneasy, wondering what the Slytherin might be planning next. Would it be more insults? Or would he perhaps call Umbridge and turn Lia in for violating some new decree? She nervously pressed the charcoal over the smooth parchment, shading in the top of the mermaids long, flowing curls. The charcoal slipped and fell right out of her hands, onto the floor. She bent to pick it up, going a bit red. This was a right jolly way to draw. �What did you expect? Smooth parchment never works as well as textured,� came Nott�s voice from the other end of the table. Lia straightened up and glanced at him. He appeared to be sketching something, but she couldn�t see what it was. �I--I don�t have textured parchment,� said Lia. �I�ve always used paper, anyway.� Nott frowned, looking confused. �Paper? Like newsprint?� Lia laughed nervously. �No, not newsprint...paper, y�know, like...like this,� she picked up her sketchpad and held it up for him to see. �My parents got it for me over summer holidays.� He squinted and then made a disapproving sound. �Oh. Muggle parchment.� He turned back to his sketchpad. So did Lia. A moment later, something flew towards Lia and bumped into her wrist. Startled, she looked up and saw a blank, creme-colored piece of textured parchment. �You�ll want to try on that. It�s probably easier than Mu--than paper,� said Nott. Lia tentatively picked up the parchment and glanced at Nott. He was still bent over his own parchment. Well it�s worth a go; maybe this�ll hold charcoal better... She placed her sketchbook on the seat beside her and started etching out the outline of the mermaid�s crown and curls. It was very sturdy and seemed to absorb the charcoal rather than repel it, to Lia�s delight. �Thanks,� she said. �It does make a difference. The shading seems more three-dimensional and realistic.� �Yeah, textured parchment works well with oil pastels, too,� said Nott. �Do you use those often?� Lia nodded. �Actually, this picture is going to be an oil-pastel; right now I�m just doing the preliminary sketch.� She paused, amazed--they had just had a halfway decent exchange of words. �Well, you�re not going to get as good an outcome if you use that as inspiration,� said Nott, waving his hand at the small painting in front of Lia. �I have to use it; I�m not going and sitting outside by the lake, looking for mermaids when there are ten Death Eaters running around,� said Lia, shuddering involuntarily. Nott�s unpleasantness returned abruptly. �Yeah, a Mudblood like you has to watch your back. Wouldn�t want to get caught, would you?� he said, smirking. Lia went red and looked down at her parchment. �Everyone at this place is shivering in their boots about the Azkaban breakout; it�s hilarious,� he continued. �Oh dear! They�re coming to get us!� he made his voice very high-pitched as he said this, and flailed his arms around madly. Lia stared at him, the familiar sense of anger assailing her. �It�s not something to joke about,� she said. �What do you know about Death Eaters, anyway?� Nott snorted. �You�d be surprised.� He suddenly stopped smirking and quickly glanced around the room. �Well, I see that foul plant smell has gone,� he sniffed the air delicately. �What�s that new smell though?� �It--it must be the fire. Professor Sprout received this hearth as a Christmas gift from Professor Trelawney a long time ago. It�s bewitched to give off fragrant smoke.� �Fascinating,� said Nott, and returned to his drawing. They sat like that for a good hour or so; Lia had now progressed to the initial coloring stage, and was mixing shades on a page in her sketchpad. Nott was bent over his mysterious work, every so often crumpling up a piece of parchment and tossing it across the room into the fire, muttering to himself. �Erm, what are you drawing, anyway?� asked Lia gingerly. �Nothing of importance,� he said brusquely. Lia sighed and glanced at her watch. With a start, she realized it was ten till nine; she would have barely enough time to get back to the dormitories before curfew... Nott seemed to realize this too, because he abruptly stood up from the bench and shoved his quills into his bag, stretching and yawning widely. Lia also stood up and carefully packed up her things, before turning to the fire in the hearth and taking out her wand, to cast an extinguishing spell. �Hold on a minute,� said Nott, striding over to the hearth. He reached into his bag, pulled out the latest piece of parchment he�d been working on, and unceremoniously tossed it into the crackling fire. Lia glanced up at him out of the corner of her eyes. He was a head taller than her and as weedy-looking as ever, his green-and-silver scarf draped haphazardly around his shoulders, brushing against the edges of his overlong dark brown hair. Before Lia had a chance to ask him why he was throwing all his work away, he turned on his heel and headed toward the door, wrapping his scarf around his neck. �Make sure you don�t forget to cast Caput Illuminatus,� he muttered, as he walked out the greenhouse door. He knows the counterspell, too? Lia thought, astonished. The past few hours had been some of the strangest she�d ever experienced...she suddenly realized that she�d been sitting with a haughty, snide, Muggle-hating Slytherin for the past three hours, peacefully drawing away. Not only that, but they�d also been talking quite civilly for a bit. What had gotten into her? She quickly extinguished the fire, grabbed her belongings, and cast the counterspell, throwing the greenhouse into darkness. Then, shutting the door soundly behind her, she began to jog past the vegetable patch and up the grounds leading to the castle. The giant clock that stood on Ravenclaw Tower chimed once, twice...nine times, and, panicking, Lia quickened her pace. I can make it...I�m almost there...oh, Umbridge is going to catch me! Suddenly, Lia stopped in her tracks, halfway up the huge hill. What was that sound? She�d thought she�d heard quiet footsteps behind her... The headline on the Daily Prophet rang in her ears, the deranged pictures of the escapees swimming before her eyes. I shouldn�t have gone out on the grounds at night, she thought, her heart sinking. Before she could think further, she broke into a run and didn�t stop until she reached Hufflepuff Hall. **** �Celia, we�ve got an exam in twenty minutes!� came Eloise Midgeon�s squeaky voice. Lia felt her shoulders being shaken, and she woke with a start. �Eloise...what is it?� said Lia, completely exhausted. Her eyes slowly came into focus, and she saw Eloise standing over her, looking frantically at the clock on the bedside table. Eloise was a chubby girl who was severely teased for her acne, but Lia had always been decent to her, a little out of pity, but also because Eloise was really rather nice. �We�re going to be late for Umbridge�s exam!� cried Eloise. Lia jumped out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. The other three beds, belonging to Hannah Abbott, Megan Jones, and Celia Moon, were all neatly made. She�d completely forgotten about the exam that Umbridge had announced last week. The previous night, Lia had been so tired that she�d fallen into bed as soon as she�d arrived, breathless, in her dormitory a little after nine. She and Eloise ran down the stairs of the dormitory and into the grand common room, Lia pulling on her cloak haphazardly as they went. Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons were held in an airy second-floor classroom, and with the Ravenclaws. During her first four years at Hogwarts, Defence had been one of Lia� favorite lessons, especially during third year. This year however, Lia and most of the rest of the school hated the class, owing to Professor Umbridge�s strange insistence that no real Defensive magic be tought and the only assignments be achingly boring theory texts. Lia hurried into the classroom behind Eloise, and sat at a desk at the back of the room. Luna was sitting there, gazing at a large painting on the wall at the far end of the room and playing with her radish-and-onion necklace. Umbridge hadn�t arrived yet, and most of the students were either frantically flipping through the pages of the five-inch-thick text or angrily muttering about the sheer loathsomeness of the class. �The scenery is stunning,� Luna whispered to Lia. �I wish I had the gift, but it�s so very rare...� Lia stared at Luna. The large windows of the room were all covered by heavy, dark curtains, and Lia couldn�t imagine what scenery Luna was whispering about. �Erm, what?� Luna sighed dreamily. �Look at his red hair...he looks just like Ronald.� �Who does?� Lia glanced around the room, not seeing anyone with red hair. �Luna, what are you talking about?� Luna pointed, rather impatiently, to the painting at the far end of the room, just behind Umbridge�s desk. In it, a ginger-haired wizard in his thirties was snoozing peacefully in front of a turbulently swirling gray ocean, his hair billowing in the gusty wind. �That,� she breathed. �Don�t you think he looks like Ronald?� Lia squinted at the inscription just below the painting. �Gaylord the Gallant, Arctic explorer,� she said aloud. �I wish I could make such beautiful scenery spring to life,� said Luna. �Oh, I�m sure you could if you really wanted to,� said Lia distractedly. Umbridge had walked into the room and now was shuffling through a stack of papers, humming cheerily, her usual saccharine grin in place. Luna shook her head. �Celia, I couldn�t possibly paint that even if I was the best artist in the world...it�s a rare gift, there are only about twenty real Painters living in England...� she trailed off. Umbridge was clearing her throat and passing out the exams, which Lia saw, to her dismay, were around an inch in thickness. **** Lia had Ancient Runes that afternoon, an elective class she greatly enjoyed, as she loved learning the art of deciphering ancient artifacts. Another reason she liked the class was that it was a mixed group of students and a repose from the usual cliques of fifth years. In total, there only twenty or so students, all of whom were extremely serious about the subject matter, and in this environment, Lia thrived--the other students� studiousness and motivation seemed to rub off on her. Today, they were deciphering hieroglyphics on huge slabs of stone that were apparently from Ancient Egypt. Lia was working with Hermione Granger, Marietta Edgecombe, and Terry Boot, all of whom had their heads bent low over their notebooks, furiously scribbling down everything the Professor said. When the lecture was over, the students were instructed to go to the back of the room and retrieve two of the huge stone slabs for their group to decipher. As the rest of the students got up and headed over to the shelves at the back of the room, Hermione and Terry were still bent over their notebooks, apparently in a heated argument about whether the hieroglyphics were from the first or second century. Marietta glanced at Lia. �Celia, could you go get the stones from the shelf? I�ve just been so tired lately...� She yawned hugely. �Yeah...okay.� Lia got up and walked to the back of the room, waiting at the back of the crowd of students clamoring to get the best, most easily-readable stones. After about five minutes, the crowd had dispersed, and Lia surveyed the few remaining stones, shaking her head. There were only four left, two of which were the size of the Professor�s huge maple desk and probably just as heavy; the other two were so faded that their ancient writing was almost entirely invisible. �Hey!� Lia suddenly squeaked, feeling a slight tug on the edge of her long braid. She whirled around to see Theodore Nott, who was surveying the shelf in front of them, his eyes narrowed in appraisal. �Didn�t know you were in this class, Moon,� he muttered, reaching over her shoulder and picking up the two mammoth-sized stones. �Oh--er, you�re in this class, too?� Lia said, shocked. Wait a minute...he�s been in this class all along, ever since last year, she thought. I remember now... �Keep your voice down,� he hissed, looking annoyed. �I don�t want the whole school knowing I�m talking to a Mudb -- to some Muggle-born Hufflepuff.� �Well if I�m so horrid, then why are you talking to me?� Lia whispered angrily. Nott heaved the stones over his shoulder. �See you later, Moon,� he said, walking off towards a table at the front of the classroom. Flustered, Lia glanced at the two remaining stones. She�d have to use these. �Celia, hurry up!� snapped Marietta�s voice from the center of the classroom. �We�ve waiting to start the assignment!� Lia reached up and grabbed the surprisingly lightweight stones, and then hurried back to the table. She sat down, glancing over at Nott�s table at the front of the room. Why hadn�t she noticed him at the start of the class? And why had he said �See you later�? Was going to be at the greenhouse again? He and his partners were bent over their stones, but he glanced up and happened to meet Lia� eye. She turned away and set to work on deciphering the stones, trying to tune out Marietta�s loud whining about their completely faded carvings. **** At six-thirty that evening, Lia was in a most unpleasant quandary. As she sat at the edge of the Hufflepuff table at the end of dinner, she played with her fingernails, anxiously glancing around her, not knowing exactly why she was doing so. For the past half hour, contradictory thoughts had been running about inside her mind, bumping into each other and making her thoroughly and miserably confused. I�m not going down to the greenhouse tonight. He might be there, and I don�t want another uncomfortable three hours...but last time hadn�t been all that bad, had it? We�d actually talked for a while...Wait a minute -- he won�t be there! Why would he want to see me, anyway? I�m not particularly interesting, and I�m a Muggle-born...he was only there last time because he�d wanted a place to draw that one time. He won�t be back. But then that�s a good thing, isn�t it? WHY am I even obsessing about this? Sighing exasperatedly, Lia looked around the Great Hall, which was slowly clearing out of chattering students. She slowly turned around to look at the Slytherin table, taking a deep breath. The table was practically empty of students, including Nott. Lia got up and picked up her backpack. If all the other Slytherins had left for the common room or wherever else they were going, then it was likely that Nott was with them, wasn�t it? Lia left the Great Hall and walked towards the huge doors of the Entrance Hall, silently willing herself to stop thinking about where Nott was. He�s just some nasty, prejudiced Slytherin...I don�t give a whit whether or not he�s going to be in the greenhouse. Five minutes later, Lia arrived at the greenhouse door, the sky completely dark and a blustery wind blowing. She shivered, took a deep breath and turned the doorknob. �Illuminatus obscurus,� she whispered. As the golden glow appeared, Lia saw that the room was completely empty. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to the bench, setting down her bag and flopping into her seat. Of course he wouldn�t be there. Why should he voluntarily come down to a greenhouse and spend time with her? Lia reasoned with herself as she took out her set of oil pastels and set to work. Humming to herself, she began to sketch Griselda the Green�s glowering emerald visage. The minutes ticked by, and Lia busily worked on her picture, blocking out any other thoughts from her mind. An hour and a half later, there was still no sign of Nott, and Lia was upset, but not because of his absence, or anything ridiculous like that...she was upset because she couldn�t decide whether she was relieved that he wasn�t at the greenhouse or lonely because he wasn�t there. Lia laughed inwardly at her silliness. A minute later, there was the sound of footsteps outside, and the door to the greenhouse quietly opened. �It�s bloody cold outside,� Nott said as he walked into the greenhouse, his usually pale face bright red from the cold. Lia looked down at her picture, determined not to make eye contact with the person over whose absence she�d been obsessing for the past two hours. �Well hello to you too, Moon,� he said. He strolled over to the bench, sat down across from Lia, and pulled off his Slytherin scarf, which was covered with snow. When did it start snowing? thought Lia, looking out of the corner of her eye at the greenhouse windows. Lia decided she should probably say something. �It -- it wasn�t snowing when I got here.� �Started about an hour ago,� said Nott. He glanced shiftily around the room. �Er -- sorry I�m late. Umbridge called a meeting of -- well, Umbridge wanted to talk to a few of us.� Lia was astounded, but didn�t dare show it. Theodore Nott was not only there at the greenhouse after she was convinced that he wouldn�t show up, but now he was apologizing for being late, as if this was a long-standing appointment. �It�s okay,� said Lia. Nott reached into his backpack and took out a sketchbook filled with his fancy parchment, a set of paints, and an mixing palette. He then took out his wand and muttered an incantation; a small pewter pot appeared in front of him. �Are you doing watercolors today?� asked Lia in an attempt to be conversational. �Yeah.� �Cool...what�s the subject of your painting?� �The mountains behind this school.� Lia turned back to her sketch, slightly annoyed. Clearly, Nott didn�t want to talk, and this perplexed her...why was he coming all the way down to the greenhouses if he wasn�t planning to say anything, preferring to silently work on his art, and every so often tossing the piece he was working on into the fire? Griselda the Green stared up at Lia, her barely-drawn eyes vacant and hollow. Shaking her head at her procrastination in coloring the mermaid, Lia reached across her parchment for her oil pastels, and brushed against Nott�s hand. �Oh--er--sorry,� she said. Nott scowled at her for a moment, then returned to his painting. Lia quickly took the box of pastels and started on Griselda�s eyes. The thought suddenly occurred to her that Nott was probably angry and disgusted at the oh-so-abominable fact that a Mudblood had dared touch him, albeit by mistake. Lia angrily pressed her pastel down harder than she meant to, causing Griselda�s eye to be about four times its normal size. She remembered in horror that oil pastels were indelible. �Just use a bit of this,� said Nott�s voice. He was holding out a paintbrush identical to his own and a tiny vat of white paint. �It won�t erase it, but it�ll cover it up.� Lia looked suspiciously at the paintbrush and the vat. Ever since she was four years old and could pick up a pencil, she�d been drawing, and when she�d come to Hogwarts, she�d vowed that she would never use magic in any way while creating art. �No thank you...I -- I don�t want to use magic,� she said. Nott frowned. �It�s not -- it�s just normal paint,� he said, looking annoyed. �But fine, suit yourself. Typical of someone like you not to be able or willing to use magic.� �I can jolly well do magic,� said Lia hotly. �I just have a rule that I don�t use it while creating art...I don�t think it�s right.� �Neither do I, but -- oh forget it,� said Nott, making an impatient sound. Lia stared at Nott, then at her drawing, and lastly at the vat and brush in front of her. Surely it couldn�t hurt to use a dab of it... She picked up the paintbrush, dipped it into the vat, and then dropped a bit of paint onto the huge blue blemish that was Griselda�s left eye. At once, the spot was completely obscured. �You�re awfully young-looking for a fifth year,� said Nott out of the blue. Lia frowned. �I�ll be sixteen on March 4. I�m just as old as everyone else in our year.� She was so tired of people thinking she was around eleven! She bit her lip, wanting to keep the conversation smoothly flowing. �What about you?� �I turned sixteen in January,� said Nott, carefully mixing shades of yellow and silver on his palette. �You�re in Hufflepuff, right?� "Yeah...and I'm taking a wild guess you're in Slytherin," said Lia. "Of course. Evil, nasty, vengeful Slytherin," said Nott quietly, still working busily on his color palette. Lia agreed wholeheartedly with this assessment of Slytherin House, but got the distinct feeling that Nott's words were marked with what sounded distinctly like bitterness. "Er, I'm sure not everyone in the House isn't all that bad..." she said, immediately regretting it. Of course they were that bad! She'd had plenty of firsthand experience with their bullying, insults, and scare tactics to know this well enough. "Er, I mean, I don't know every Slytherin, so I couldn't really judge." "Are you done with the paint?" Lia pushed the vat of white paint towards him and started to blend together various shades of gold for Griselda's hair. "Are you using high chiaroscuro in the background?" asked Nott, looking intently at her drawing. "Er, yeah, I like how the dark background brings out her gold hair," said Lia nervously. "That's a good idea," said Nott. "I like how you're making the light drift in from behind the tops of the trees -- that's pretty brilliant." "Thanks," said Lia, smiling in spite of herself. "How's your mountain picture coming along?" "They're looking more vanilla-covered cupcakes as of now," said Nott, glaring at his painting and then pushing it towards Lia. "Oh my gosh -- this is gorgeous!" said Lia, staring at the painting. "How can you say it's bad? It looks like a photograph!" Nott shrugged. "A photograph of vanilla cupcakes, maybe." Lia laughed and pushed the painting back to him. They worked in silence for a while, both accomplishing quite a bit in their respective pictures. The snow was now falling fiercely and pattering the glass sides of the greenhouse, the cold air causing Lia to be able to clearly see her breath in icy white puffs in front of her. Nott got up and strode towards the hearth at the other end of the room, taking out his wand. "Ignito," he muttered, tapping the empty hearth. Brilliant magenta flames blazed into life, immediately engulfing the room with a sweet, strawberry fragrance. "Thanks," said Lia uncertainly as Nott sat back down. After an hour or so, Griselda's hair was complete, and Lia had set to work on the mermaid's enormous silver-and-emerald fin. Suddenly, a particularly pungent whiff of the strawberry scent, combined with the cold she�d been suffering, caused Lia's nose to tingle a bit, and then-- "AH-CHOOOO!" she bellowed. When she opened her eyes, her oil pastels were scattered all over the table and floor. Lia stared at Nott, mortified. "Oh gosh -- er -- excuse me..." Nott was frowning at her and the mess all over the tabletop. And then Lia saw, with horror, that his vat of sky blue paint was now emptied all over the beautiful mountain landscape he�d been drawing for nearly three hours. She held her breath, prepared for the worst. Nott stared at his painting, and then across the table at her. "Bless you," he said. They stared at each other for a moment, and then burst into laughter. "I'm so, SO sorry," gasped Lia, in between giggles. "It was my cold, and--" "That acrid strawberry smoke," said Nott, grinning. "Honestly, Moon, you could probably knock down Hogwarts with that sneeze of yours." "Next time we're just going to have to endure the freezing air and forget about that fire," laughed Lia. Suddenly, she felt vaguely ill. Next time? Why did I say 'next time'? Nott glanced at her for a moment, and then around the room. Lia doubted she'd ever felt this presumptuously foolish in her entire life. Surely he wouldn't want to meet her again in the greenhouse. She was, after all, a lowly Muggle-born Hufflepuff with no friends and nothing to recommend her. Lia glanced at her watch and quickly shoved her picture and box of pastels into her bag. "It's almost curfew time," she mumbled, getting up from the bench and pulling her cloak over her shoulders. "I'd better go--" "I was thinking," Nott cut in. "Next time, we should keep our cloaks and scarves on so we don't freeze to death." He wrinkled his nose. "Anything to avoid those horrible strawberry fumes." Lia found herself grinning. They left the greenhouse together after Nott had packed away his things and bundled up; although Lia felt strange about walking with a Slytherin all the way back up to the castle, neither she nor Nott said anything about it as they shut the greenhouse door behind them. They tramped along in the snow, which by now was falling as hard as ever and had already dumped several inches on the ground. The pair of them didn�t say much as they walked, their faces bundled up against the icy gusts of wind, but Lia found that this silence was more companionable in nature than uncomfortable. At five minutes till nine, they�d reached the stone steps leading into the castle. �Well, see you around, Moon,� said Nott, as they stood just inside the huge, carved wooden doors of the Entrance Hall. �Er, yeah -- �bye,� said Lia. �Oh, good luck on the Ancient Runes test tomorrow,� she started to say, but stopped abruptly, hearing the faint sound of footsteps hurrying towards them from towards the Great Hall. She squinted towards the sound of the footsteps and made out the stout form of Professor Sprout hurrying towards them. �Oh no!� ��Bye,� said Nott, and he disappeared through a dark doorway at the left side of the Entrance Hall. �Celia! Oh, there you are, dear!� said Professor Sprout, gasping for breath as she reached Lia. �Professor Sprout, what�s wrong?� �It�s the Headmaster,� she said, leaning against the huge wooden doors to catch her breath. �Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you in his office.� �Er -- right now?� asked Lia, completely nonplussed. �But why?� �I can�t say why, Miss Moon, but we�ve been looking for you for two hours! Where have you been?� Lia swallowed. �We -- I -- well, you see--� �Oh, never mind, girl! Come with me!� With that, Professor Sprout grabbed Lia by the crook of her elbow and led her up the marble staircase all the way up to the seventh floor, not stopping once for breath. Finally, they reached a wide corridor in which stood a huge gargoyle that seemed to be guarding some sort of entryway. �Fizzing Whizbee,� said Professor Sprout clearly, still holding onto Lia. The gargoyle sprang to life and leapt aside, revealing a slowly revolving spiral staircase. Lia and Professor Sprout climbed aboard it and were taken up, farther and farther, till they reached a dim landing, where two gleaming mahogany doors stood, their brass knocker in the shape of a Griffin. �Professor Sprout! Why does the Headmaster want to see me?� Lia whispered urgently. What in the world was going on? Professor Sprout said �Shh!� and, using the griffin, knocked twice on the door. �Come in,� came a deep voice from inside the room. CHAPTER THREE Professor Dumbledore�s office was a huge, round room with very high ceilings covered with paintings of sleeping ex-Headmasters; on tables all around the room were strange, whimsical gadgets the likes of which Lia had never seen before. On a shelf near Professor Dumbledore�s desk was the Sorting Hat that Sorted students at the beginning of each year into their Houses, and on a small spindly table also near his desk was a large, beautiful bird with red and gold plumage. Having read about them before, Lia realized at once that it was a phoenix, her eyes widening with respectful awe as she looked at the sleeping bird. �Good evening, Miss Moon,� said Albus Dumbledore, who was sitting in a high-backed, violet chair behind a massive mahogany desk. �Have a seat, please.� Lia sat down at a chair across from him, her throat dry and her hands cold. She couldn�t be in trouble, she just couldn�t! She never did anything illegal, or broke any rules--Oh no, she thought suddenly, they�ve found out about me sneaking into the greenhouses at night... �Would you care for some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans?� asked Professor Dumbledore politely. �No, thank you,� said Lia in a tiny voice. Professor Dumbledore chuckled. �Miss Moon, you surely do not need to be so nervous! You are not in any sort of trouble, nor have you ever been, at this school. Now, do you know of what I am going to speak to you?� �No, Professor, I have n-no idea.� Professor Dumbledore pressed his fingertips together, surveying Lia. When he finally spoke, it was in a calm but serious voice. �Miss Moon, I have summoned you to my office to ask of you a favor, something of urgent importance, that I would be very honored indeed if you agreed to grant me this favor.� He paused, and then continued, his __expression very grave. �Do you know that Lord Voldemort is back, Miss Moon?� Lia fidgeted in her seat. She, like most of the Wizarding world, did not like to hear the name of Voldemort uttered, and got very uncomfortable when she did hear it. But she still had to answer Dumbledore�s question. �Yes, Professor. I--I believe that You-know-who is back.� Dumbledore looked at her appraisingly. �Might I ask why you believe this to be so?� �I--er, I believe Harry Potter, Professor, and I think that what happened to him last June was real, and that--� she swallowed, �--that it was really You-know-who that killed Cedric.� Dumbledore nodded gravely, the gaze in his blue eyes darkening for a moment, before they returned to normal. �It is indeed the truth, and alas, it is a pity that most of the wizarding world do not share this belief. What happened last June and what lies ahead are of such a serious nature that we must act at once, but nothing can be done until everyone believes.� Lia agreed with this, but didn�t know what to say. Why was Dumbledore telling her this? He continued before she had to ask. �Alas, I am going off on a tangent. Miss Moon, I have summoned you to my office because I had a feeling that you believed. I had a feeling that you know the dire nature of recent events and the state of our world, and I need you to remember this belief as you perform the task which I ask of you.� Lia blinked. �Er, okay...� �Miss Moon, you have been at this school for nearly five years, and I have come to know that you are in possession of certain gifts that are rare and unique. Am I correct to say that you are talented in drawing and painting?� Lia didn�t know what to say. �Er, I do love art...� Dumbledore smiled. �Ah, ever the modest one, Miss Moon. You are indeed very gifted in art, and for this I am glad, because Hogwarts students represent so many different talents and hobbies. However, Miss Moon, you are also in possession of another gift, a much rarer gift. Do you know of what I speak?� Lia shook her head. �You are a Painter.� Lia swallowed, not knowing what to say. Of course she was a painter, but Dumbledore had just said that earlier--what was this other gift she supposedly had? �Miss Moon, since you came to Hogwarts five years ago, when you were eleven, did you notice the nature of the magical paintings you saw? You might have noted that their subjects are rather alive and move quite freely, as do their backgrounds, especially if they are of an outdoor persuasion. These paintings are always advanced works of art, requiring months, sometimes years, of hard work, and are revered in the halls and homes they grace. These paintings do not, however, merely come into existence spontaneously; on the contrary, they can only be created by a Painter, an individual who has the specific ability to make pictures �come to life�, so to speak.� Lia stared at Dumbledore, her mind running in a million directions. �Being a Painter is an extremely rare gift. Today, there are only �round twenty of them, scattered all over the world.� He paused, smiling kindly. �Miss Moon, you were born with this talent. You are a Painter.� �Professor, I -- I just love to draw and paint...� Dumbledore smiled again. �Ah, but that is not the full case. You should be proud of your gift, Miss Moon -- there are many who would love to possess it.� Lia stared at her hands, utterly dazed. Could it be that these very hands were able to create beautiful, magical, moving paintings, like the ones that lined these very walls? �Now,� Dumbledore continued. �There is a task at hand that has yet to be done. A painting of this wizard, Caradoc Dearborne, needs to be painted, and taken to a place that I am not at liberty to disclose, but rest assured that this painting will undoubtedly aid in the war against Lord Voldemort. Miss Moon, I would like you to create this painting.� Lia had never been so shocked in her life. She sat there, staring, and then finally attempted to speak. �Professor -- I don�t know -- I don�t know if I have this gift or whatnot...what if I don�t paint the wizard the right way?� Dumbledore smiled. �I have full faith that you will do a superb job. And,� he said, leaning slightly forward in his seat, �haven�t you ever noticed that paintings you did when you were younger sometimes seemed to blink up at you, or make some other sort of movement?� Lia had noticed that, but she�d always just thought she was imagining things. Dumbledore sat back in his seat. �Miss Moon, you must always remember this -- you can do anything that you set your mind to, if you would only just realize and appreciate your gifts.� Lia had no idea what to say. Lia didn�t tell anyone about Dumbledore�s revelation and request--it wasn�t as if there was anyone at Hogwarts who could qualify as being close enough to Lia that she�d tell such a secret. Besides, Dumbledore had asked her not to tell anyone about the request (she was free to mention to others that she was a Painter, though). That Saturday, Lia had decided that she�d devote the entire day to studying for OWLs. It would be her first official preparation attempt, and she was mentally ready, waking up at seven in the morning and freshening up. The room was still quite dark and the four other beds in the room full, their owners sleeping soundly. Lia felt momentarily guilty as she settled down into a table in the completely empty library. She�d promised Dumbledore that she�d try to get the painting done as soon as possible, but today she felt she really should study. She desperately wanted to do well on the exams, and besides, Dumbledore had told her that he wanted her to put her studies first, before the painting. She stayed in the library all through the morning, memorizing Astronomy charts and poring over her Transfiguration notes. At noon, she sat back in her chair, stretching and glancing around the huge room. It was now full of students who were bent over their books, anxiously sipping coffee, talking in low whispers (to Madame Pince�s frustration), or doing a combination of these things. At the table closest to Lia sat Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter, who were all bent over their textbooks. Hermione happened to see Lia stretching and gave a little wave, and Harry, noticing the same thing, followed suit. Lia waved back and glanced around at the other tables, trying to prolong her break before she started on Ancient Runes and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Near the bookshelves sat Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, and Terry Boot, all whom Lia recognized from the D.A., and over near the water fountains sat a table full of Slytherins, including Malfoy; his huge cronies, Crabbe and Goyle; his presumed girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson; a blonde girl Lia was pretty sure was called Daphne Greengrass; and...Theodore Nott. He appeared to be immersed in a textbook, and wasn�t partaking in the whispering conversation of the others at his table. Pansy Parkinson and the other girl, who had blonde curls, were giggling loudly, and Lia saw Nott glance up at them rather malevolently. Lia decided she should probably return to studying. She suddenly wanted to get her work done and leave as soon as possible, but she didn�t know why. She reached for her Ancient Runes book and turned to page seven-hundred-and-three, which was the start of the current chapter they were learning. After looking over the chapter, Lia realized that she had to do further research to decipher a particularly tricky Rune from Hungary. She got up and walked towards the Ancient Studies shelves, trying not to make eye contact with anyone at the Slytherin table, which she had to pass to get to the shelf. �Oy!� said Malfoy in a very loud whisper. �Look who it is!� Lia kept her eyes averted and walked faster. �Studying for OWLs, are you, Moon?� called Malfoy. �You know it�s no use...non-magic people like you will all fail the OWLs anyway...� Crabbe and Goyle grunted and Pansy shrieked with laughter. Lia wondered nervously where Madame Pince was. She reached a shelf marked �Runes and Such� and stood on her tiptoes, searching for a book on Hungarian runes, when-- �Ouch!� Something small and hard had hit her shoulder. Glancing down, she saw a black beetle with red eyes and razor-sharp pincers crawling around her feet and madly trying to leap up to her ankles and bite her. Just ignore them. They�ll eventually get tired of this. She hurriedly found a book, stepped around the beetle, and headed back towards her table, her hands cold and her mouth dry. Malfoy stared at her as she passed, his eyes glittering viciously. She walked quickly past the water fountains, staring steadfastly ahead, but then...slipped and fell on the polished wood floors. The table of Slytherins erupted in laughter, and Lia saw the other students in the library look up curiously. �Good one, Moon!� shrieked Pansy. �I didn�t even have to try to humiliate you!� �That should teach you, Mudblood,� hissed Malfoy, glaring at her. �Your kind don�t belong at our school...this is a sign...maybe you should just leave...� Lia stared back at them, her eyes filling with tears. Malfoy was glaring at her viciously, a terrible smile on his pale face; Crabbe and Goyle were guffawing; Pansy and the other girl were giggling loudly. Nott was staring at Lia, a sneer on his face. Lia fought back her tears, desperately willing them to stop. �Didn�t you hear us, Mudblood?� said Pansy. �We told you to leave! Get out!� Lia got to her feet, brushing off her skirt and grazed knees, and wiping her eyes. �Oh look,� said Daphne Greengrass, in an exaggeratedly sympathetic voice. �She�s crying! Isn�t that sad, Theo?� She elbowed Nott forcefully. �Yeah, too bad,� he said, still sneering at Lia. �Teaches her a lesson, it does. Draco, we need to get moving with Chapter Forty-Three...� He waved his parchment in Malfoy�s face, but Malfoy glanced at it dismissively. �Come on, Theo, can�t you ever think about anything other than studying? We�re in the middle of chatting with the Mudblood!� He turned back to Lia. �You know,� he said in a low voice, �things are changing around here. Soon, dirt like you are really going to have to watch your backs...wouldn�t want to end up with the same fate as your disgusting Muggle aunt and uncle, would you now?� Lia felt her tearful humiliation immediately replaced by fury. No...they were not going to bring this up...not even they were that low... �Shut up, Malfoy,� she said. He snickered, exchanging glances with the others. Pansy and Daphne burst into vicious giggles. �Don�t think we don�t know about your filthy relatives,� continued Malfoy, his eyes glittering. �If you ask me, they deserved what they got...the Dark Lord always knows best--� �Shut up, Malfoy! Don�t you dare speak about my aunt and uncle! You-know-who is a disgusting, horrible, murderer!� Lia�s tears were spilling freely now, her face red. �We really need to get a move on with this Transfiguration,� said Nott. �You know what? You lot are all like him,� said Lia, wiping her tears. �It makes sense that you idolize him, because you�re all disgusting, stupid, malicious--� �Shut up, Moon!� said Nott, glaring at Lia. �Get out of here!� Crabbe and Goyle stood up, knocking over their chairs and cracking their knuckles menacingly. Nott stood up too, but he seemed to be directing his attention to Crabbe and Goyle. �Shut your mouth, you filthy Mudblood,� hissed Malfoy. Lia whipped out her wand, staring steadily at Malfoy and his gang. �Call me that again, Malfoy,� she said. �Going to try and use magic, are you?� shouted Malfoy, getting to his feet and taking out his own wand. �Well I�ll show you what real magic is like--� Suddenly, there was the sound of several footsteps around Lia and a chorus of loud voices. �Shove off, Malfoy!� boomed Harry Potter�s voice. He was standing next to Lia, his wand also out. �Leave her alone, all of you!� shouted Hermione Granger. �She hasn�t done anything to you!� �Oh, look, it�s her bodyguards!� shrieked Pansy. �We told you to leave her alone!� said Hannah Abbott. Lia saw that Hannah, Ernie, Justin, and Zacharias were all standing there, glaring at the Slytherins. Not far behind them were Michael Corner, Terry Boot, and Anthony Goldstein. The Slytherins� bravado seemed to lessen a bit as they stared around at the small crowd, most of whom had their wands pointed at the Slytherin table. �We�re not scared of your little army of Mudbloods and Half-breeds,� said Malfoy, his pale eyes narrowed in hatred. Suddenly-- �WHAT IN MERLIN�S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?� Madame Pince was standing there, her chest heaving with fury. Lia saw that a small vein in the side of Madame Pince�s throat was pulsating dangerously. No one said a word. �OUT! OUT! ALL OF YOU! I�M GIVING YOU UNTIL THE COUNT OF FIVE TO GET OUT OF MY LIBRARY! ONE! TWO!� Before she could go any further, everyone dashed to their tables, grabbed their things, and ran out of the library faster than a bunch of rogue Bludgers. **** That evening, the showdown in the library was all anyone and everyone could talk about. In the Hufflepuff Common Room after dinner, people were coming up to Lia as she sat in a corner, finishing up her Ancient Runes homework, and asking her countless questions about what exactly had happened. Finally, at around eleven o�clock, the younger students had all gone up to bed, and the only people left in the room besides Lia were Hannah, Ernie, and Justin, who were sitting at a table near the fire and talking in low voices. �Celia,� came Hannah�s voice awhile later. Lia looked up and saw the three of them standing in front of her table, all looking rather nervous. �Er, could we sit down, Celia?� �Er, sure...� Ernie and Justin pulled up chairs and the three of them sat down, staring at her expectantly. Lia blinked. What were the smartest, most popular fifth-years in her House doing approaching her? For five years, they�d never been mean to her or anything like that, but they�d also never expressed any desire to be friends with her... Hannah smiled nervously. �Celia, we just wanted to say that we�re really amazed at how you handled the Slytherins in the library today. We�re -- we�re proud of you.� �Yeah,� said Ernie awkwardly--an amazing fact itself, because in five years, Lia had never seen Ernie do anything awkwardly. �Proud that you�re in Hufflepuff. Oh, Zacharias told us to tell you that he�s proud, too.� Lia bit her lip, trying not to laugh. �Er -- thanks, but you lot really helped me out...you didn�t have to, but you did.� Hannah, Ernie, and Justin grinned at her. She grinned back. Their crowd wasn�t really all that clique-ish and elitist; in fact, they were really rather decent. When she went up to her dormitory for bed later that night, most of the unpleasant thoughts of the incident at the library had been banished from her head and replaced by worries about the painting Lia had yet to start for Dumbledore -- well, almost all the thoughts. As much as she tried, Lia could not understand how Theodore Nott, whom she had been starting to actually like, could have been so utterly callous at the library and had not bothered to say a word in her defense. On the contrary, he had sneered at her along with all his Slytherin comrades and taunted her until she was reduced to tears. Lia turned over on her side, vowing never to speak to him ever again. CHAPTER FIVE February rolled in with more snowstorms and dark, dreary days, and Lia was happy that she hadn�t run into Theodore Nott for an entire week. The evening after the library incident, Lia had stayed in her bed and started sketching out ideas for Dumbledore�s painting, determined to stay as far away from the greenhouse as possible. She�d done the same for the six remaining days of that week, but, once her four roommates had started curiously asking her what it was that she sketched every night under her covers, Lia realized that she�d have to find a new place to work on the painting. Dumbledore had asked her to keep it a secret at all costs. Of course, she�d seen Nott a few times in the corridors, during meals, and in classes, but she�d made sure to avoid any and all eye contact. On Monday, she�d passed him on the second floor corridor between classes, walking with Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and another Slytherin named Blaise Zabini, who had all been engrossed in a conversation that sounded like it was about Quidditch. Lia had quickened her pace as soon as she�d seen them, but luckily they didn�t seem to have noticed her. Nott however had made a strange movement that seemed like he was deciding whether or not to wave at her. Then, during the very difficult Ancient Runes exam on Thursday, Lia had had a cold and was forced to look up several times during the test to blow her nose; she had spotted Theodore Nott looking at her during each of these nose-blowing sessions. She was sure he was getting annoyed at the unnecessary noise, but every time, she had quickly looked away before she could discern his __expression. She was walking out of the Great Hall on Monday night, headed for her bedroom for some sketching, when she heard someone call her name. �Celia!� said a male voice. Whirling around, Lia saw Justin Finch-Fletchley dodging in between the throng of people leaving the Great Hall, to catch up with her. �Hi, Justin,� she said, wondering why he was rushing to talk to her. �Hi...ouch! Er -- maybe we should move out of the stampede...� �Yeah, good idea,� laughed Lia uncertainly. They hurried over to the wall that displayed the four huge hourglasses displaying the House Points. �So, how was your day?� asked Justin, his face red from all the running. �It was good, thanks,� said Lia. �Er, how was yours?� Justin gazed at a spot above Lia�s head, leaning casually against the wall. �It was quite good, thanks.� �So...what did you want to talk about?� �Nothing, really...� he said, still staring off into space. �Okay...� �Well, see you later, Celia,� said Justin, and dashed off towards Hufflepuff Hall. Lia stared after him, completely nonplussed. What was that all about? She stood there for a moment, trying to decide whether to go to her dormitory and start on some sketches for the painting or venture into the library and beg Madame Pince to let her sit there and sketch. Since last week, all the students who�d been there during the showdown had been officially banned from coming within twenty feet of the library, and Lia did not enjoy thinking of what the expression on Madame Pince�s face would be when she saw Lia. �Lost, Miss Moon?� said a kind voice. Lia looked up and saw Professor Dumbledore standing there and smiling benignly, the silvery stars on his brilliant purple robes glimmering. Lia smiled and shook her head. �No, sir...I was just deciding where I should go--� she lowered her voice to a whisper, �to work on you-know-what.� Dumbledore�s eyes twinkled. �Well, in that case, you might want to give Greenhouse # 1 a go.� Lia turned white. He knows I�ve been sneaking out there! �Good evening, Miss Moon,� said a still-smiling Dumbledore, and walked off towards the Great Hall. Lia bit her lip and glanced around the emptying Entrance Hall. I really, really need to get started on this painting--Professor Dumbledore is counting on me. But I can�t go down to the greenhouses, not with the risk of Theodore Nott showing up there...but I seriously doubt he will be. How he acted in the library proved that he wants nothing to do with me. I have to listen to Professor Dumbledore, and start this painting, and the only place that will do is the greenhouse. She adjusted her bag on her shoulders and marched out the doors of the Entrance Hall, eager to carry out Dumbledore�s request and completely certain that Nott would most definitely be nowhere near the greenhouse. The air was bitingly cold, and Lia had to rub her gloved hands together to keep them from going numb. She reached the greenhouse entrance, took out her wand, and opened the door -- only to see Theodore Nott leaning casually against the tabletop of the bench. Lia stopped in her tracks and turned abruptly around, half-running out the greenhouse door. �Wait!� Nott caught up to her and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to whirl around to face him. �Let go of me!� He kept hold of her wrist, but loosened his grip a little. Staring down at her, his expression was unreadable and his usually pale face red from the biting cold. �LET GO OF ME!� shouted Lia, angry tears stinging her eyes. She had no idea what to do -- she was now stranded far from the safety of the castle, near a greenhouse with a nasty Slytherin cornering her. �Keep your voice down, Moon!� he hissed. �Listen, I just want to talk! Can�t you calm down for a bit?� �I don�t want to talk to you!� He glared at her, his blue eyes narrow. �You haven�t been coming to the greenhouse lately,� he muttered. Lia laughed hollowly. �Fancy observing that! If you don�t know why, I�ll tell you! I refuse to sit and draw in a room with someone who gangs up on me in the library and insults me in every possible way!� He stared down at his feet, his dark hair falling over his face and obscuring his expression from view. His hand was beginning to feel uncomfortably cold, clamped around Lia�s wrist. She tried to wrench free, but failed. Then he said something that Lia couldn�t hear, what with the gusty wind combined with his strangled sort of voice. �What?� Lia demanded. �I�m sorry,� he muttered, still staring fixedly at the ground. �Now will you come inside? It�s freezing out here,� he said tersely. Lia bit her lip. She needed to start on this painting as soon as possible, and there really was no proper place to do it than the greenhouse. She would just sit at the opposite end from Nott and try her best to ignore him. �Fine.� He let go of her wrist and they walked into the greenhouse. It was thankfully and surprisingly warm, considering that the magical hearth at the other end of the room wasn�t lit. Lia marched over to the far end of the table and sat down. Nott sat at the other end, where his bag, cloak, and scarf lay. She wondered why he�d removed his cloak and scarf -- he must have been sitting there for awhile before she arrived. �How�s your picture coming along?� he said from the other end of the table. For a second, Lia panicked, but then she realized that he was only talking about the picture of Griselda the Green. Then, a worse thought occurred to her. She wouldn�t be able to start her painting of Caradoc Dearborn in here if Nott was sitting at the very same table! Where was she to go? �It�s coming along fine,� she said curtly, taking out her picture of Griselda. Maybe she could get a bit of that done now, and then she�d head up to the dormitory after a while. Hopefully the other girls would be asleep... Lia set up her oil pastels and got to work, slowly losing herself in the depths of her picture. Neither she nor Nott said anything for over an hour, and Lia preferred it this way. For a minute, she questioned herself about whether she was doing the right thing by agreeing to stay in the greenhouse rather than go off and find another place to draw. After all, he�d completely betrayed her a week ago, by openly taunting her with his cronies. But why should he have stuck up for me anyway? It�s not as if he needs to express any loyalty me...I�m not even his friend. Lia frowned. Why am I even surprised? He�s just a typical Slytherin, anyway. I can�t expect anything else. For some reason, Nott had left his seat and was now pacing all over the room. He stopped at the hearth, took out his wand, and then seemed to change his mind and put the wand away. Then, he strolled by the mandrake plants set out for the second years, his nose wrinkling in disgust at their rather pungent smell. Suddenly he stopped, facing Lia, a frustrated frown on his face. �Look, I know that it�s not the same with us -- I mean, we�re not behaving in the same way that we were before what happened in the library -- but you have to know, I had reasons for it! -- I�m really not like them -- but you won�t ever believe me...� Lia stared blankly at him, her hand holding the green oil-pastel frozen in midair. He continued in a manner that was more controlled and bordering on brusque. �I saw you sitting there as soon as I walked in, but I didn�t come say hello or whatnot, because everyone would�ve seen. Then Draco and the others showed up and sat plum down with me. I was hoping you wouldn�t try anything foolish, but you had to come flouncing by, making yourself prime bait for Malfoy.� �I was getting a book from a shelf!� said Lia indignantly. �It�s wasn�t my fault that Malfoy went for me!� �And then you had to go and get them fired up, didn�t you?� Nott continued, ignoring Lia. �I told you to keep quiet, but you went on, and they got huffy and whipped out their wands. They would�ve hexed you halfway to London if it hadn�t been for your self-righteous little army of rescuers.� Lia�s mouth dropped open. He was blaming her for what had happened at the library! And to top it off, he was totally disregarding her having stood up for herself! �Then you go and stop coming to the greenhouse all last week -- not that I cared, I had better things to do -- but yes, you stopped coming, and I knew you were upset.� Lia surveyed him. His hands were in his trouser pockets and his eyes were boring deeply into hers, as if trying to delve into the mysteries of her mind. She couldn�t let him succeed -- she had to keep her guard up. �I wasn�t upset. It�s just common knowledge that people who -- that people who�ve been starting to develop a friendship stick up for each other when one of them is getting attacked by bullies,� she said coldly. �I�m a Hufflepuff, and we�re like that.� �And I�m a Slytherin,� said Nott, just as coldly. �We don�t operate like that.� �Well, then enlighten me, Theodore -- how do you wonderful Slytherins operate?� He looked startled for a moment, then recovered quickly, starting to pace again. �We have pride and unity, but not for trivial values such as friendship. We know what we should really be proud of, and we take it seriously.� As he said this, he stared determinedly at his hands, avoiding Lia�s eyes. �You shouldn�t have provoked Malfoy and the others, because it�s natural for them to single you out -- and hate you.� �I have never once done anything to make them hate me!� cried Lia. �It�s who you are!� said Nott, glowering at her. �You and your kind don�t belong here, or anywhere in the wizarding world--� �I�m not going to leave!� Lia found herself shouting. �I don�t want you to!� Nott bellowed. �I mean, er, you shouldn�t have to, and all that. I don�t believe in eliminating your kind. Law-enforced separation would be better.� Lia glared at him. �Well, thanks for that generous allowance. Why can�t you Purebloods just get over yourself? Why can�t we all just live together in peace?� �We don�t need to get over ourselves,� said Nott testily, his pale blue eyes flashing. Lia sighed and turned back to her picture. They�re all the same. Even the seemingly decent ones. He sat down across from her, glancing around the room shiftily. �Look, I agree that we�ve been starting to -- to see each other around more often, and -- I�m sorry I didn�t defend you in the library. It�s not as simple as you may think,� he added, his face darkening. �I prefer not to call attention to myself, and defending you would�ve immediately alerted Malfoy and the others. They would�ve known that we -- know each other.� �And what�s so wrong with knowing me?� asked Lia quietly. �My kind don�t generally associate with yours,� said Nott shortly. �If you haven�t noticed, I�m a Slytherin and you�re a Mud-- a Muggle-born.� �Then how come you�re talking to me?� He looked slightly uneasy and stared down at his hands. "You're not so bad," he said with a shrug, his ears a bit red. The next two hours passed surprisingly quickly; Lia found herself almost done with Griselda�s face and figure, and was ready to begin working on the background -- the shimmering, effervescent, underwater world Griselda called home. Nott had gone back to his side of the bench and resumed his painting, which, Lia found out after asking, was of the Scottish moors. Their conversation was sparse, but for some reason, Lia found herself feeling surprisingly comfortable sitting there, listening to the gusty wind blowing fiercely against the greenhouse walls. At ten minutes till nine, they�d packed up their things and left the greenhouse, Lia casting the counterspell to turn off the greenhouse light. As she pulled out her wand from her cloak pocket, her hand-knitted mittens fell out, fluttering away in the billowing wind. �Oh, bollocks!� she cried, setting her things down and starting after the mittens, which were flying off -- in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. But Nott acted more quickly, breathing shallowly as he walked back from the far side of the grassy knoll near the Forest. �Here,� he said, handing her the mittens. �Thanks,� said Lia, grinning in relief as she put them safely away in her backpack and tightened her scarf around her neck, not wanting that too to fly off. �I really should�ve been more careful...� �It�s okay,� he said. He picked up his bag, brushed it off, put it on his shoulders, and then stood there, staring at Lia expectantly. �Oh -- er -- I just have to make sure I�ve all my things...you don�t have to wait for me,� she said uncertainly. �It�s dark,� he said, and left it at that. After five minutes, they�d reached the empty, quiet Entrance Hall, grateful to shut the huge doors behind them and escape the biting February night air. �So, er...same time tomorrow evening?� said Nott, his hands in his pockets and his over-long, windswept hair falling in his eyes. Lia gave a small smile and nodded. �Good, then,� he said, grinning for the first time since Lia had met him. �Er -- �night, Moon.� ��Night, Theodore,� said Lia, grinning back. They turned and walked off in the direction of their respective dormitories, their footsteps resounding in the cavernously empty Entrance Hall. **** The next few days passed rather slowly, what with Umbridge's absurd new decrees and her ponderously horrid classes. Lia was performing in Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons adequately, completing all the necessary work and getting decent grades, but hating every minute of the class. Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms were more rewarding, and Lia found herself getting excellent grades in the latter two. But her favorite class by far was Ancient Runes, which also happened to be the most challenging, but the most enjoyable. When the long, cold days ended, Lia would have dinner in the Great Hall, freshen up in her dormitory, and head down to the greenhouse to work on her picture of Griselda, and, more importantly, Dumbledore's painting, on which she'd already completed the preliminary charcoal outline and shading. The greenhouse drawing sessions were Lia's favorite time of the day, because Theodore's company was becoming more and more pleasant with each evening in the greenhouse. They would spend the three hours working on their respective projects diligently, but not without often lively conversation, on topics which ranged from Quidditch (which Lia knew very little about and did not enjoy discussing) to Ancient Runes class to their favorite topic, art. But Lia and Theodore never once broached the subject of wizarding heritage or blood prejudice, and although Lia was grateful for the lack of tension brought on by this fact, for some reason she wished that they would talk about it. Another thing that was rather strange was Theodore's hesitation to talk about certain topics relating to Professor Umbridge, as Lia had found out on a particularly rainy Monday evening in the greenhouse. "Did you hear about the look on Professor McGonagall's face when Umbridge sat in on our Transfiguration lesson last week?" said Lia, perched on the edge of Professor Sprout's desk at the head of the room, taking a break from Griselda's lake. "She looked like she was going to go over to Umbridge and breath fire in her face any minute!" "Wouldn't it be nice if McGonagall had decided to?" yawned Theodore. He was stretched out on his back on the tabletop, his hands behind his head. "I would've enjoyed the fat toad's _expression after that." Lia chuckled. "I hate that woman so much -- she's ruining Hogwarts." "For some reason, Father says she's good for this school...but he doesn't actually have to deal with her everyday of the school year." "I know what you mean. I write to my parents complaining about Umbridge, and they just say 'oh, Celia, always listen to your teachers!' -- they just don't understand...of course, this was before Umbridge started scanning our letters...now I can't complain about her anymore!" Lia said desperately. "Her stupid decrees are horrible -- I wonder what she's going to do next, start some sort of decree-enforcement group?" Theodore suddenly sat up and leapt off the tabletop. "We need to get on with our paintings," he said shortly. Lia raised an eyebrow jokingly. "This, coming from someone who was sprawled out on the tabletop a second ago?" she said. "We only have half an hour left," said Theodore moodily, sitting down at the bench and returning to his painting. Then there was the matter of the strange insistence of secrecy regarding Lia's association with Theodore. On Wednesday during lunch, Lia had found out most unpleasantly that Theodore seemed to have no idea who she was unless they were alone in the greenhouse at six in the evening. She'd been sitting at the Hufflepuff table and looking over her Potions notes, when she'd chanced to look towards the Slytherin table and saw Theodore looking in her direction as well. She'd grinned and given a little wave, but to her surprise, he'd quickly turned away and resumed his conversation with the blonde girl from the library incident, Daphne Greengrass, who was sitting very close to him and talking to him intently. At the greenhouse that evening, Lia had brought the subject up as soon as he'd arrived, albeit ten minutes late. "Sorry I'm late -- Snape wanted to talk to our House," he said, setting his things down at the bench and sitting down heavily. "Finally, some time to draw..." "Oh, I saw you during lunch today," said Lia, busily mixing oil pastels on a scrap piece of paper and not looking up. "But you didn't seem to notice I waved." She saw out of the corner of her eye that he looked decidedly uneasy. "Er -- no -- okay, I did notice, but listen," he said, leaning forward in his seat, "we can't very well go gallivanting around the school together -- everyone would know, and my House would ridicule me. Hell, they'd skip that, and just toss me out." "So, basically, we don't know each other unless we're in the greenhouse, right?" said Lia, still mixing colors. "Yes -- I mean, we have no choice, you know?" said Theodore somewhat nervously. "Of course," said Lia tersely. "Have you started painting the clouds yet?" Later that night, Lia was sitting at her small bedside desk in her dormitory, working on Dumbledore's painting. She had now finished shading the preliminary sketch of Caradoc Dearborne and was desperately thinking of more shading details to put into each lock of his wavy hair. For some reason, she was dreading the very thought of starting on the actual painting of the wizard, even though she knew that it had been over two weeks since Dumbledore had approached her with his request. "Celia?" said a voice right behind her, causing her to jump. She hastily shoved the sketch under Practical Defensive Theory and turned around to see Hannah standing there, looking uncharacteristically smug -- about as smug as Ernie usually looked. "Er, hi Hannah -- what's up?" said Lia uncertainly. "Oh, nothing...Celia, you know about the Hogsmeade trip this Saturday -- Valentine's Day -- right?" said Hannah. Lia nodded. "Cool. Are you planning on going?" "Well, I wanted to drop in at Scrivenshaft's to get some new paintbrushes, so yes," said Lia slowly. "Are you going with anyone?" asked Hannah rather impatiently. "No...I don't think so," said Lia, utterly confused as to why Hannah was asking these strange questions. Hannah smiled triumphantly. "Excellent -- would you perhaps be interested in going with Justin Finch-Fletchley then?" Lia stared at her, stunned. Did she hear Hannah correctly? Why in the world did Justin Finch-Fletchley want to go to Hogsmeade with her? "I knew it!" cried Hannah, dashing towards the dormitory door. "I'll go tell Justin!" "WAIT! I didn't say yes! Are you sure -- I mean, why would he -- Justin wants to go to Hogsmeade with me?" Hannah turned around and grinned excitedly at Lia. "He couldn't pluck up the nerve to ask you directly, so I offered to." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Celia, I think he fancies you!" Lia stared blankly at Hannah. Justin Finch-Fletchley, whom Lia had been pining over for all of fourth year, but who had never even noticed her existence, was now asking her to go to Hogsmeade with him, and on Valentine's Day of all days! In essence...this was a date. Hannah was looking at her intently. "Don't tell me you're thinking of saying no -- any girl would love to go out with Justin!" Hannah was right -- Justin was handsome, popular, and smart. Lia had never been able to pin down what exactly about him had appealed to her last year, but she had a feeling it was a combination of all these things. Besides, what would be the harm of going into Hogsmeade with him? She would have someone to talk to and go into the village with -- something very rare indeed. Lia considered other students she could have gone with if she had wanted any company to begin with. Luna had mentioned in Care of Magical Creatures that she would be meeting some people at the Three Broomsticks...Eloise always skipped Hogsmeade visits and preferred to stay in the dormitory...and then there was Theodore -- Lia dismissed this idea from her head at once, as it was completely ridiculous. He clearly did not want to be seen with her in public, and besides, he was probably going to the village with that Daphne girl. Hannah was still staring at her expectantly. "Well?" Lia sighed. "I suppose so -- yes, I'll go with him," she said, shrugging and with a resigned sort of smile. CHAPTER FOUR Friday was hectic for Lia because she had two big exams -- one in dreaded Potions, the other in Ancient Runes. Ever since she'd started taking that class last year, she'd noticed how oddly frequent the exams were, also taking note, with a small bit of pride, of just how much work she devoted to studying for that class, often giving up her favorite activities in order to study. The Potions exam went by horribly slowly, and when Lia was finally walking out of the Great Hall after lunch, reviewing her Ancient Runes notes, she could barely think properly what with the unfair questions and grueling practicals Snape had thrown at them. The atmosphere in the fourth floor Ancient Runes classroom was thoroughly anxious and uncomfortable, and Lia noticed several students nervously chewing on their quills and muttering to themselves, as if willing answers to pop out of the quills' feathery tips. She herself felt mostly prepared, as she'd devoted most of the hours of the previous day, as well as the wee hours of the night, to studying. She and Theodore had agreed to cancel Thursday evening's greenhouse session to prepare for the exam, in their separate common rooms of course. (Lia had offered a suggestion that they collaborate their efforts in the library, to which he had vehemently declined.) The Professor passed out the exams, a hush immediately falling over the room. Lia filled her inkbottle and began, clearing any fleeting doubts or worries from her mind. After forty-five minutes time, she had finished. Glancing up around the room, she noticed to her surprise that nearly everyone was still hunched over their parchment, furiously scribbling away. Lia looked around at Theodore, who had also finished early. He gave her a curt nod. She smiled, turning back around to proofread her parchment. Maybe their deciding to cancel Thursday night's drawing session had paid off, Lia thought, feeling satisfied as she went over her detailed answers. When the Professor called time and the last of the students had left the room, Lia lingered at her desk, hoping to catch Theodore before he too left the room -- she wanted to make sure they were still meeting that night. Surprisingly, he also stayed behind, and when the distracted Professor hurried out of the room, they were alone, the door of the classroom swinging shut. "I cannot believe how easy that was," said Lia, hurrying over to Theodore's desk and tightening her scarf around her shoulders. "What was everyone so terrified about, anyway?" "It was easy for us," he said, stuffing his books into his backpack and shrugging moodily. "I bet the others didn't stay up all night." "You seem a touch moody," said Lia, raising an eyebrow. "What's up?" Theodore sighed. "My Housemates are meddlesome fools, that's what. Parkinson is determined that I go to Hogsmeade with this other girl from our House. She fancies it'll be some sort of double-thing with her and Malfoy." "Oh, d'you mean Daphne Greengrass?" said Lia a little too quickly. Theodore looked at her curiously. "Yeah -- I didn't think you knew her. She's in league with Parkinson -- for some reason both of them have been cornering me in the common room whenever I'm there, dropping cryptic hints about the blasted Hogsmeade visit and what I'm to wear." Lia chuckled and pulled on her mittens. "So...you are going with her, right?" "I suppose I have no choice in the matter," said Theodore, leaning against his desk and twirling a brightly hued, plushly feathered quill absently in his fingers. "What about you, are you going? I reckon the whole school will be, considering it's Valentine's Day and all." He wrinkled his nose. Lia laughed. "Everyone in Hufflepuff is about to combust with excitement about this visit and whom everyone else is going with -- it's quite sad, really," she said, shaking her head and adjusting her backpack on her shoulders. "But yeah, I'm going with Justin Finch-Fletchley." As she said this, she went a bit pink. "I can't imagine why he asked me, and I don't even really want --" "You're going with whom?" said Theodore, his quill falling to the floor with a loud crack. "Oh, Justin -- he's in my House and year," said Lia, peering at Theodore, who wasn't bothering to pick up his quill. "He asked me -- well, he sent someone else to ask me -- and I didn't know what to say..." She bent and picked up Theodore�s quill, handing it to him with a disapproving smile. "Didn't you say your father gave this to you on your birthday? Honestly, Theodore, you should really take more care--" "I'm going to be late for Transfiguration," he said, and abruptly walked out the door of the classroom, leaving Lia standing there with his quill, utterly confused. The rest of that day passed very slowly, especially since Lia had three more classes after Ancient Runes. During dinner in the Great Hall, Hermione Granger tapped her on the shoulder and said something in a low whisper. "Celia, I'm letting everyone know that there won't be any D.A. meetings for at least another two weeks. Ron's got Quidditch practice -- there's some game or other coming up -- and Harry's got another week's worth of detentions with Umbridge," she whispered, before nodding gravely and hurrying off towards the Ravenclaw table. Lia was disappointed -- the last D.A. meeting had been in January and she really wanted to learn some real Defence Against the Dark Arts, especially since their were ten Death Eaters running loose in the country. Why didn't everyone seem to realize the danger of this? The week after the Daily Prophet article about the escape, everyone had been very anxious and frightened indeed, but after a week this had seemed to dissipate and was replaced by the ever-present anxiousness about OWLs and NEWTs. That evening in the greenhouse, Lia decided that she really ought to start on the painting of Caradoc Dearborne. She'd already completed the preliminary of the background and the plan of the overall painting, and decided that today she'd finish the charcoal drawing of Caradoc; tomorrow, she'd buy paintbrushes from Hogsmeade and begin work on the actual painting. She set her things down on the bench and sat down, taking out her sketchbook and charcoals. Theodore wasn't there yet, so she opened to the very last page of the sketchbook and glanced at the sketch of the forbodingly gray, desolate moors Caradoc was to appear in the foreground of. She peered at it, shaking her head and comparing it to the small photograph Dumbledore had given her as a model. She'd done a decent enough job, having carefully copied the exact outline of each grassy knoll, each fluttering leaf, and every gloomy cloud. But there was something missing, something that she hadn't quite captured while transcribing the image from the old photograph onto her sketchbook. She frowned at her sketch, trying to figure out what exactly she'd forgotten. Ten minutes later, Theodore still hadn't arrived. Lia glanced at her watch -- it wasn't like him to be late...maybe he had another meeting with Snape or had been delayed at dinner. She put away her sketch and the photograph and turned to the first few pages of the sketchbook to her picture of Griselda, and set to work on the shading of the shimmering lake. Close to an hour passed and Lia had finished about half of the lake shading. Where in the world was Theodore? She got up and walked over to the greenhouse wall directly facing the castle and gazed out of it, pressing her nose to the cool glass. The grounds were still and silent, the sky a deep black and decidedly cloudy; it felt like it would rain soon. Sighing, she went back to the bench and sat down. Theodore had seemed rather moody after the Ancient Runes exam -- perhaps he hadn't done as well as he wanted to? Lia dismissed that thought quickly -- he'd stayed up all night reviewing for the test and besides, he always seemed to do excellently on exams. Perhaps he thought that their meeting tonight was cancelled because the previous night's had been? No, there was no reason for it to be cancelled, as neither of them had any exams for two weeks. Suddenly, an idea crept into her mind, but she dismissed it as soon as she thought it: Theodore had exited the Ancient Runes classroom strangely abruptly -- right after she'd told him she was going into Hogsmeade with Justin on Valentine's Day -- tomorrow. Could he have disagreed with this, or disapproved of it in some way? Lia couldn't imagine why. He never seemed to care before about whom she was friends with... She returned to her picture and set back to work on the shading of the lake, keeping her ear open for any sound of footsteps or the greenhouse door opening. Two hours later, it was close to nine and Lia packed away her sketchbook and pastels dejectedly. She whispered the spell to cast the greenhouse back into darkness, shut the door, and trudged up the hill up to the castle, entirely gloomy and not looking forward to the next day at all. **** Saturday morning dawned overcast and windy, the freezing air wafting through a slightly open window in Lia's dormitory. Rubbing her eyes, she got up and shut it, staring outside. It was definitely going to rain. She wondered, slightly hopefully, if the Hogsmeade visit would be cancelled, but vaguely remembered Professor Sprout telling them in third year that Hogsmeade visits were never cancelled, except of course if there were murderous criminals on the loose. Lia briefly considered reminding any professor who would listen that this was exactly the current situation, but instead sighed and got into the shower. When she got out, she stared at her reflection in the intricately carved vanity beside her bed, frowning slightly. Her drab brown hair hung as limply as ever, not quite dry enough to be placed into the neat braid Lia always forced upon it. Her freckles were ever-visible and annoyingly situated on her nose. Fortunately, she looked rather fresh-faced and dapper, her cheeks unusually rosy and her hazel eyes bright. She pulled on some jeans, a red turtleneck sweater, and her favorite fuzzy purple socks. After braiding her hair, she decided to wear the cr�me-colored knit hat her mother had sent her for Christmas. Throwing on last glance at her reflection once again, she headed out the dormitory door, chiding herself for being so vain. As she walked down the corridors towards the Entrance Hall, a disturbing thought occurred to her. What if her sudden vanity somehow meant she was becoming more and more like Hannah, Cho Chang, Pansy, and all the other popular, attractive, superficial girls? What if going on a date with Justin was the first step in the short and dangerous road to total airheadedness and snobbery? She reached the crowded, noisy Entrance Hall, slightly breathless. Students were milling around, waiting for Mr. Filch to arrive with the long list of students eligible to visit the village. The general atmosphere of the room was one of excited nervousness, and Lia did not doubt that many of them were on dates. "Celia! Over here!" Lia looked around and saw Justin standing by the giant hourglasses, waving extravagantly. She walked over, dodging in between socializing students. "Hi, Justin," she said, still a bit breathless. She suddenly remembered the extreme strangeness of this situation. She was going on a date with someone whom she used to fancy, who never expressed any romantic interest in her, and who suddenly wanted to go on a date with her. "Hi," he said, grinning and running a hand through his light brown curls. "Ready to go?" Lia nodded and smiled. "Cool," said Justin. Lia glanced around the room, hoping to find something to comment upon, but didn't find anything particularly extraordinary. Luckily, she was spared anymore of this task by Mr. Filch's yell of "Alrigh' you pockmarked little demons! Get in line and spit out yer names!" She and Justin left the Entrance Hall after joining the queue and being approved to go into the village, throngs of chattering students traveling down the hill along with them. "So you're Muggleborn, right?" said Justin. He had a confident, upright sort of walk that Lia had always been rather impressed with. "Yeah, my parents live in London, near Fairfax Street. The only other magical person in my family is my Aunt Amelia; she works in the Ministry of Magic. What about you? " "I'm Muggleborn too," he said. "My parents live in the countryside, near Worcestershire. They weren't too thrilled about me going here -- I was on the list for Eton, you know." Lia did know, because she always heard Justin mentioning this fact, whether in the Common Room, the Great Hall, or in lessons. A few minutes later, they reached the gates leading out of the castle grounds and onto the narrow dirt path into the village. Lia wondered where exactly they were going to go, what they were going to do, but Justin didn�t seem to offer any answer to this. They walked along rather quickly, passing several strolling, hand-holding couples along the dry dirt path. Suddenly, a large group of Slytherins passed them, several among them paired up and immersed in their private conversations. Near the back of the group was Theodore, his green-and-silver scarf billowing in the wind. He was looking at the ground as he walked, and didn�t catch Lia�s eye. Daphne Greengrass was beside him, clinging to his arm and chattering away. �So, where do you want to go?� Lia said, returning her attention to Justin. �I was thinking we could drop by The Three Broomsticks and get some Butterbeers,� said Justin, shrugging. �The Hog�s Head is rather dodgy for my tastes.� Lia laughed. �Good idea. Oh, do you mind if I stop by Scrivenshafts? I need to get some paintbrushes--� �Ahoy! Smith!? I thought you hurt your ankle at last week�s Quidditch practice!� Justin exclaimed, stopping abruptly in his tracks. Zacharias Smith strolled over to them, a simpering girl clutching his arm. �Ah, Finch-Fletchley, here with a date, are you?� He nodded at Lia and flashed a grin. �This is Sally-Anne,� he said, nodding towards the girl, who batted her eyelashes in Justin�s direction. The four of them walked towards the stone gates marking the entrance of Hogsmeade Village, Lia�s arms crossed in front of her to shield her hands from the cold. Justin and Zacharias were talking animatedly about the latest Quidditch match, in which Hufflepuff had effortlessly beaten Gryffindor. �They didn�t stand a chance!� said Justin. �Without their Beaters and Seeker, they might as well quit Quidditch altogether...and Weasley can�t guard a goal to save his life!� Zacharias laughed cruelly and then elbowed Justin. �Hey, don�t you think you should, er, perhaps pay attention to your date?� he said, flashing Lia another toothy grin. Sally-Anne made an indignant sound. Justin glanced at Lia as well. �Oh, er, of course,� he said dismissively. Zacharias and Sally-Anne strolled off towards a cozy little shop whose pink-painted sign read �Madame Puddifoot�s Tea Shoppe�. Justin and Lia walked towards the Three Broomsticks, when suddenly, a booming clap of thunder resounded in the noisy square, followed by torrents of icy rain. Lia and Justin broke into a run and dashed inside the Three Broomsticks, breathing heavily. Once inside the completely packed pub, Lia sat at a tiny corner table while Justin placed the orders for the drinks. Shivering and rubbing her ungloved hands together to keep warm, she looked around the room, and saw that it was packed with several students she recognized, as well as adult wizards and witches she�d never seen. At a table near the bar sat Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, and a woman who looked vaguely familiar, talking in low voices. �Blimey, it�s crowded,� said Justin, setting down two bottles of Butterbeer and sitting down across from Lia. They opened the bottles and started drinking, Lia savoring the wonderful soothing feeling of the liquid warming her throat. After five minutes of silence, Lia decided she should probably make some attempt at conversation -- something that she knew was difficult for her unless she knew the person very well. �So -- er -- how did you do on the last Herbology exam?� she said in a falsely chipper voice. �Quite alright, I think,� said Justin, glancing around the room. �I don�t think I�ve ever seen this place quite so crowded -- everyone I know is here. Isn�t that wild?� �I suppose this is the central meeting place in the village,� said Lia, shrugging. �So --� she grasped for something to say -- �It�s awfully cold in here...� �D�you know,� said Justin, frowning slightly. �Madame Rosmerta is the fittest woman of her age that I�ve yet to see. All my friends fancy her. What do you think?� Lia stared at him. �Well, yes...I suppose she does get alot of male attention, owning a pub like this and all...� Justin turned to glance at her, apparently no longer interested in the fine details of the pub. �So, you said you had to get some supplies from Scrivenshaft�s, right?� �Yes, I�m looking for some new paintbrushes.� �Ah, cool, I didn�t know you were interested in art -- what do you paint?� Lia looked at her hands shyly. No one really seemed to care or inquire about her art -- this was a pleasant surprise. �Well, lots of things, really...I�m alright with scenery and all, but I�ve always preferred drawing portraits--� �Boot! Corner! Over here!� Justin waved hugely, his voice booming over the din in the pub. Lia sighed and studied the painful hangnail peeling merrily away on her index finger. She was now feeling gloomy beyond belief, after the initial indignation of each of Justin�s obviously preoccupied, decidedly lackluster comments had worn off. Why had she thought he would be more interesting than this? And why did he seem to be paying attention to everything around him except for her? �They�re sitting with a bunch of people and can�t leave their table -- I�ll be right back,� he said apologetically, getting up and grabbing his butterbeer. Lia gave a halfhearted smile and took a sip from her bottle. Five minutes later, Justin still wasn�t back, and Lia didn�t find herself feeling particularly upset about this. Her head was starting to ache and she felt a bit dizzy, looking around at the throngs of people chattering away, laughing loudly, and having jolly good times. Her discomfort around crowds was starting to cause her head to pound, her eyes throbbing as well... She got up from the table, setting her butterbeer down with a clunk. Then she turned and squeezed her way as quickly as she could through the crowds of people, her head pointed down and still pounding. She didn�t want to be here anymore, listening to the chattering crowd anymore, making dull, unimportant, forced conversation with Justin anymore. She had to get out, into the fresh air. She hoped against hope that the rain had stopped, and heaved a sigh of relief to walk out into a gray, cold, but fortunately dry Main Street. The square was completely deserted, to Lia�s shock. She supposed that everyone had found a cozy pub or tea parlor in which to get away from the oddly short-lived rain. She stood aimlessly for awhile, not sure where to go. Luckily, her head was starting to pound a bit less intensely, and she took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. I�ll just walk around and take a look into the store windows -- it�ll be a nice bit of fresh air. She made her way up a side street, rubbing her hands together to keep warm. �Lia?� called a low voice from halfway down the street on which she stood. She turned and saw the lanky form of Theodore standing in front of Scrivenshaft�s, his hands in the pockets of his slacks and his scarf blowing violently about him. She smiled and hurried over, stopping in front of him and not knowing quite what to say. �Er -- why did I just call you that?� he said, frowning -- though the corners of his lips turned up slightly. �I am not one to use foppish pet names on anyone.� Lia laughed, feeling immediately at ease. �It�s not entirely foppish -- in fact, it�s what I prefer to be called. Celia is just so...simpering. Very well, I shall have to call you �Theo�, then, � she said triumphantly. �Now that�s utter foppery if I�ve ever heard it!� he said, making a face. �Must you call me that?� �Alas, I must.� �Well, then I�ll have to smite you, CeCie...� She hit his arm in half-real indignation. �You wouldn�t dare call me that!� He gave a half-smile and sniffed delicately. �So, where�s your sweetheart Justin?� He glanced around smugly. �Left you already, did he?� Lia frowned. �No, I left him. I was getting a headache. What happened to Daphne Greengrass?� Theo shrugged, his hands still in his pockets. �I got bored,� he said simply. They started up the street, their breath coming out in frosty white puffs. �So, why didn�t you come to the greenhouse last night?� said Lia, trying very hard to sound casual. He shrugged again. �I had things to do.� �Like what?� said Lia tentatively. �I -- I was waiting there for three hours; I was worried.� �Arithmancy homework.� She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye. He was looking at the ground as he walked, his eyes shifting around, avoiding hers. She knew at once that he was lying, but decided not to pursue the subject. Theo was secretive, to say the very least, and Lia got the feeling that sometimes it was best not to dig too deeply. �Wait a minute -- how come you�re actually daring to be seen with me in public all of a sudden?� said Lia, raising an eyebrow. �There�s no one around, of course. Everyone�s snogging in the pubs and tea shoppes; we�re quite safe out here,� he said, glancing around as if to double-check. Lia was about to thank him sarcastically for granting her the honor of speaking to her in public, but changed her mind. �So, do you have alot of studying to do tomorrow?� she asked. �Wait, why am I asking -- you always have alot of studying to do,� she said with a grin. �No, tomorrow I�ll be done; I�m planning on getting some studying done this evening after the Hogsmeade visit. D�you want to meet up and draw tomorrow?� She was taken aback. �Er -- well, that�s not why I -- sure.� �I�ve been waiting to do some contrast work with the trees in my painting,� he said quickly. �How�s Griselda coming along, by the way?� �Quite well, I�m almost done with it, in fact -- Oh!� Lia halted in her steps, suddenly remembering that she needed to go to Scrivenshaft�s in order to be able to start on Dumbledore�s painting. She knew it would be safe for Theo to know that she was going there, because paintbrushes after all could be used for any paintings, not just top-secret, Headmaster-ordered paintings. �What�s up?� asked Theodore, peering at her. �Is it okay if I stop at Scrivenshaft�s? I need to pick up some paintbrushes.� He shrugged. �Okay, I�ll go in too -- I need to get some parchment.� �Are you sure that�s a good idea?� said Lia, raising an eyebrow and smiling. �I mean, it�ll be really crowded in there --� �It isn�t,� he said, leading the way inside. �I checked earlier.� They walked inside the small, tidy shop and browsed the isles, stopping every now and then to glance at particularly interesting quills, paint sets, and ink vials. The shop was indeed not crowded at all, with only a few scattered students Lia didn�t recognize walking around and perusing the shelves. She glanced at Theo -- he was absorbed in a set of expensive-looking acrylics. Lia slipped away towards the small desk in the corner of the room, where a petite, bored-looking witch sat, sipping coffee. �Excuse me,� said Lia, �do you know where -- where I can find --� she dropped her voice to a whisper. �Paintbrushes that activate magical portraits?� The witch looked at her blankly. �What?� �You know,� whispered Lia desperately, �magical paintings, ones that move! Aren�t there special paintbrushes designed specifically to--� �What the --!� the witch at the counter suddenly exclaimed. �Those are antique porcelain ink vials!� she hollered, dashing past Lia to a frightened-looking second year who was standing in front of a once-elaborate display of vials, which was now in shattered pieces all over the floor. She glanced around the room, hoping there was another store employee who could help her find the paintbrushes, but the only other person who was there was Theo, who was standing by the acrylics section and gazing at her shrewdly, an eyebrow raised. He couldn�t have heard -- and even if he had, then it was alright, because she could just tell him that she was painting a moving portrait of any old witch or wizard... �Whose portrait are you painting?� he asked as soon as she walked over to him, waiting for the now-yelling lady to finish cleaning up the porcelain pieces. The second-year dashed past them and out the door, panting heavily. �What -- oh! Erm, portrait? It�s -- nothing, just a -- a witch I�ve always wanted to draw...� she turned bright red and stared nervously at him, hoping he�d lose interest and abandon the question. If there was one thing Lia was hopelessly inept at, it was lying. He stared at her intently, as if trying to read her mind. She stood rooted to the spot, holding her breath. �Interesting,� he finally said. �And you want special paintbrushes for what reason?� �Aren�t -- aren�t those the kind you need? To create truly moving portraits?� Theo snorted. �Well of course not,� he said condescendingly. �You just use regular, everyday paintbrushes. But I think you�re unaware of the fact that you probably wouldn�t be able to make the portrait move even if you used twenty bewitched brushes. In case you didn�t know, only Painters can create true portraits.� Lia swallowed and tried to appear as if she didn�t know this. He was still gazing at her penetratingly as if he knew she was hiding something very important. She could not, above all else, let him know that she was in fact a Painter and that she was on a top-secret mission for Albus Dumbledore. �So that�s why the lady at the counter looked at me strangely,� said Lia, trying to sound incredulous. �Because there are only very few true Painters in the world!� �That�s right,� said Theo, still staring. Lia was feeling extremely uncomfortable, and hurried past him over to a large shelf lined against the wall. �Are these normal paintbrushes, then? I mean, for my regular, unmoving painting?� She stared up at the endless rows of boxes and boxes of paintbrushes of all shapes, sizes, and textures. He joined her at the shelf, a huge roll of parchment tucked under his arm and two ink vials in his hand. Glancing up at the shelves, he grabbed a large set of brightly colored brushes from the highest one. �Here, these are the best,� he said, holding out the box. �Wow,� she breathed, examining them in delight. These were indeed top-of-the-line brushes -- she could tell. �These are perfect.� He put the box under his arm, turned abruptly, and walked over to the desk, where the woman was sitting and gulping her coffee in a decidedly snappish manner. �Wait! What are you doing?� said Lia, jogging over to the desk. �Young lady, I will have no running or loud voices in my store! There are breakables here! Or haven�t you noticed what just happened five minutes ago?� �Sorry,� Lia mumbled. �Forty galleons,� said the woman curtly. Theo fished around in his pockets. �Theo!� �Be quiet! Here,� he said, handing the woman the gold. They left the store and stepped out into the bitter cold, Lia glaring furiously at Theo. �What was that all about? I could�ve bought those myself!� He rolled his eyes. �First of all, you couldn�t�ve. Secondly, it�s the proper thing to do.� �How�s it proper?� demanded Lia. �And what do you mean, �I couldn�t�ve�? �Celia, do I have to explain everything to you? You�re a Mudb -- a Muggle-born, and I�m a Pureblood. You�re a woman, and I�m a man. Get it?� �So you�re saying that all Muggle-borns don�t have money or something? Because it�s not true!� Lia suddenly felt a surge of pride for her father, even though his profession as a furniture deliveryman was less than admirable. �Look, just get over it, will you?� said Theo, looking irritated. They walked along in silence, the equally silent street causing their footsteps to echo most unpleasantly. Lia was angrily marvelling at Theo�s antiquated, chauvinistic, prejudiced mentality. It was strange, how they got along perfectly well when they talked about school, art, and basically anything else besides Blood prejudice and family status. She was struck by a sudden determination to get him to talk about just this. Maybe it would shed light on some things -- Lia was willing to risk more tension by bringing up the topic -- plus, she was exceedingly curious. �So,� she said in a casual voice, �How come your lot -- you know, Purebloods and all -- how come you don�t like non-Purebloods?� He stiffened, looking straight ahead. �You already know. Why are we talking about this now?� She shrugged. �We should get things out in the open; we haven�t ever talked about this before. Now would be a good time to start, you know.� �No it wouldn�t!� he said angrily and walked faster so that Lia had to half-jog to match his long strides. �Come on,� she said persuasively. �My parents are both Muggles -- I really have no clue about certain aspects of the Wizarding world.� He stared straight ahead for a moment, then turned to Lia sullenly. �Well, what do you want to know?� �Y�know, just about why your kind doesn�t like mine. I think it�s rather hard to be friends with someone who isn�t theoretically supposed to talk to me, y�know?� �Yes, I know,� he said irritably. �We don�t like Mudb-- your kind -- and halfbreeds because -- because, that�s just how it is. That�s how our world operates.� �By �halfbreed�, do you mean someone who�s from a mixed Wizard-and-Muggle family, or someone who�s half-human, like Hagrid? Or a werewolf?� asked Lia, hoping very much that her tone was still casual and noncommittal. �Both. People like Millicent Bulstrode and -- and Potter -- they�re halfbreeds. And no, they�re not properly magical, either. Although I can�t stand Bulstrode for other reasons -- she�s a belligerent rhino, really.� Lia forced a laugh. �I thought everyone in Slytherin was Pureblooded?� �No, there are definitely halfbloods, but no Muggle-borns. I don�t think they�d survive, to be quite honest,� he said. They were now on another side street, leading towards the outskirts of the village. He paused, looking thoughtfully at Lia. �You know, your aunt is a witch; she works at the Ministry.� �Really? Wow, Theo, I never knew that!� laughed Lia. �Well I meant -- I was just surprised is all. I thought you were the only witch in your family for some reason.� �No...Auntie Amelia surprised my grandparents when, as a toddler, she somehow made her plate of baby food fly across the room and throw itself in the trash bin.� Theo gave another half-smile. Lia could tell he was still uncomfortable about their topic of conversation, but he did seem to be easing up a bit. �But no, other than her, I�m the only magical person in my family. My Dad delivers furniture and my Mum�s a hairdresser.� They were now at the very edge of the village, near a huge hill surrounded by a rickety wooden fence. Atop the hill stood the Shrieking Shack, a dilapidated old house rumored to be severely haunted. A slight wind blew, causing Lia to shiver and rub her hands together again. �What about your parents?� she asked, stopping in front of the rickety fence and leaning against it. �What are they like?� Theo had also started to lean against the fence, but quickly turned and glared at her. �Nosy one, aren�t you?� Lia frowned, alarmed. �I was just asking about them, that�s all --� �Fine,� he snapped. �My Father�s a governor for the school, and -- and my Mum -- she...� he didn�t finish his sentence and instead stared forcefully at the barren gray hill in front of them. Lia stared at him and then down at the aged, graying wooden fence. �I�m really sorry,� she murmured, her eyes moistening. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. Lia felt miserable for bringing up the subject of parents. Why did she have to be so curious all the time! Clearly, there�d been a reason he didn�t want to talk about family! �What the -- yowch!� said Theo, suddenly swatting his hand around wildly. Lia looked up and saw a fairly large bird with brilliantly hued creme-and-violet wings twittering madly around his head, occasionally swooping down to peck at his forehead with its sharp, pointed nose. Lia tried not to laugh, but was very alarmed when the bird suddenly flew at her instead. �Eek!� She swatted at it fervently, before it finally flew off in the direction of the village. �What was that all about?� said Theo, shaking violet feathers out of his hair. �I dunno, it just came out of nowhere,� said Lia, looking around to make sure the bird was gone. �I think it was a turtledove, but why in the world was it in the village? They�re extremely rare in Scotland...� They leaned back against the fence, Lia shivering as a particularly angry gust of wind very nearly blew off her knit cap. She was tugging at its ends and securing it about her head when she felt something soft and woven being placed swiftly around her neck and shoulders. Looking around to see what it was, she saw Theo�s green-and-silver scarf, placed there in such a haphazard fashion that it barely hung off her left shoulder. �Oh -- oh no, it�s okay,� she said, astonished. She pulled off the scarf and handed it back to Theo. �I�m not that cold, really --� �You�ll wear it!� he said firmly. �Your sporadic teeth-chattering has been annoying me all afternoon.� �I�m quite warm, thank you,� said Lia equally as firmly. �Besides, there�s no way in the world I�m wearing a Slytherin scarf!� She wrinkled her nose in exaggerated distaste, then winked. �Oh yeah?� he said, advancing towards her, brandishing the scarf dangerously. �Aaahhh!� She darted off towards the other side of the fence. �You�ll never catch me, you loathsome Slytherin cur -- or rather, snake!� she said, laughing. �At least we aren�t rodents,� he bellowed, holding the scarf high and going after her. �How incredibly boring is a badger, anyway?� This went on for a few minutes before breathlessly, Lia resigned herself and kept the scarf on; at least she�d finally be comfortably warm. Laughing, they leaned back against the fence, gazing around at the grey, dreary day before them. It was now late afternoon, and it would soon be time to head back to the castle. (The students were expected back no later than 6 o�clock in the winter months, as that was when it got dark outside.) �You know,� she said, twirling the ends of the scarf between her fingers thoughtfully, �I�m surprised they�re even letting us go into the village. Remember third year, when Sirius Black escaped Azkaban? There were Dementors all over the place; we weren�t allowed to step outside school grounds! And now, there are ten Death Eaters roaming around -- d�you think it�s safe for all of us to be out here?� Theo shrugged. �I�m sure it�s fine.� �I really don�t think so,� said Lia worriedly. �I mean, Death Eaters are serious -- these are murderers who practice the Dark Arts! I don�t ever want to meet one, I know that,� she added with a shudder. �I don�t know what�d be worse, one of them or You-Know-Who.� �You don�t know squat about any of this,� snapped Theo, his eyes icy. Lia stared at him, stung by his tone and words. Why was he assuming that just because she was Muggle-born she didn�t know anything, even something as obvious as the capabilities of Death Eaters? Suddenly, guilt assailed her mind, causing her to feel slightly ill. How could she have forgotten? �Actually, I do know,� she said hotly. �My auntie and uncle were killed by Death Eaters. How�s that?� He looked taken aback. �I didn�t -- er, I�m sorry,� he muttered, staring determinedly down at his hands. For the next hour or so, they steered clear of sensitive topics such as family and Blood prejudice and instead stuck to neutral things like art and school, but all the same, Lia was glad they�d at least approached the topics. She preferred to have everything out in the open. They were having such a good conversation that they barely realized the village clock had struck six and it was time to head back to the castle. They hurried through the village, noticing that it was uncharacteristically empty, save for the locals who lived there. Lia was rather alarmed to see a small crowd of distinguished-looking men in very expensive robes sitting at a window inside the Hog�s Head, their heads bent low over their drinks. Why would people like them visit such a dodgy place as the Hog�s Head? After ten minutes she and Theo reached the stone steps of the castle, slightly breathless from having walked so fast up the Hogwarts hill to make curfew. Luckily, the Entrance Hall was quite empty -- Lia figured that everyone had gone straight to their dormitories after the Hogsmeade visit. �So �round noon then, in the greenhouse?� said Theo, his hands in his pockets. �But of course,� said Lia, smiling. They went off to their separate dormitories, Lia realizing only when she settled into bed in Hufflepuff Hall that she�d just spent the better part of Valentine�s Day with Theodore Nott--literally. CHAPTER SEVEN The next day went by quickly -- too quickly for Lia�s tastes. She and Theo spent the entire afternoon in the greenhouse and went to the castle only for dinner in the Great Hall, after which they returned to the greenhouse till curfew time. Lia was nearly done with the painting of Griselda, but had no clue what Theo was working on, because he seemed exceedingly secretive about it, sitting at the far end of the bench and casting a Obscuring Charm on his painting every time Lia tried to sneak a peek at it. �Honestly, Theo! You�re never this secretive about your paintings; what is it you�re hiding?� huffed Lia, after another failed attempt at creeping up behind him and looking at the painting. �I told you, it�s nothing,� muttered Theo, frowning suspiciously at Lia until she returned to her seat at the other side of the bench. �Why don�t you just stay at your end of the bench, Miss Unendingly-Curious.� Lia flopped down onto the bench, smirking at Theo. �Ooooh, I know, it�s a painting for your dear girlfriend Daphne,� she said jokingly, but noticing that her voice sounded rather strangled. �Ha ha,� said Theo. �Since we�re making arts and crafts for our lovers, why don�t you work on some doilies for Justin-kins. I�m sure he�d enjoy them.� He ducked as Lia threw her smudging-rag at him. Monday morning dawned unusually cold and dull, the great, high windows of the corridors covered with fog and precipitation. As Lia trudged, half-asleep and very cold, into the crowded Great Hall for breakfast, she noticed at once that the room was abuzz with odd, hushed whispers and murmurs. The tables were filled with students who had their heads bent over what looked like the morning Daily Prophet, and Lia noticed that even the professors seated at the Head Table were bent over the paper. She found a seat at the crowded Hufflepuff table and helped herself to some orange juice and bacon, wishing her post owl would hurry up so she could see what all the fuss was about. �Mr. Potter claims that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned and has been plotting his next move since last June,� said a very tense-looking Ernie, who was sitting nearby and reading aloud from his copy of what was in fact not the Daily Prophet -- in his hands was the most unreliable, overly sensational newspaper in the wizarding world, The Quibbler. Looking around the table, Lia saw that everyone had a copy of the newspaper. Now achingly curious, she was immensely relieved when a large barn owl swooped down and dropped a wrapped copy of The Quibbler into her plate of bacon. Unfolding it, she peered down at the headline on the front page: AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH THE BOY-WHO-LIVED: WHY WE SHOULD ALL BELIEVE THAT YOU-KNOW-WHO HAS INDEED RETURNED Lia started to read the article, but found that she didn�t need to, since everyone around her was declaring out loud nearly every statement made in the three-page expose. �What Harry told us in the Hog�s Head that day was right!� said Hannah, her eyes filled with fear. �You-Know-Who did kill Cedric last June, and the only person who�s believed Harry up till now has been Dumbledore! The Ministry has been denying it!� �He saw the entire thing first-hand,� said Zacharias, his eyes narrowing as he pored over his paper. �Or so this paper claims.� �Zach, you have to believe him -- he has proof to back up everything he says,� said Hannah, thrusting the paper in front of Zacharias. �The scariest part is that he�s named You-Know-Who�s inner circle, each and every one of them!� �I can�t say I�m surprised,� came Michael Corner�s voice from directly behind Lia. �I mean, Malfoy�s dad -- big shocker. Malfoy�s two thugs, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle -- their dads are also named. The only one that surprises me is Theodore Nott -- that chap�s in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy with me, and he seemed decent enough...� Lia�s breath caught in her throat and she grabbed the newspaper in front of her, skimming the words until she came across the bulleted list of names that Harry Potter had declared to the news reporter. Her heart fell as she saw that Michael was right -- along with Lucius Malfoy, Walden MacNair, Daniel Crabbe, and Bruce Goyle, was an Octavius Nott. Lia stared at the words on the page. Theo�s dad is a Death Eater. **** That day, the entire school seemed fully unable to concentrate on their lessons and instead were completely preoccupied with the Quibbler article. Professor Umbridge, to the collective annoyance of the school, posted up her latest Educational Decree, which ordered that anyone in possession of The Quibbler would face immediate expulsion -- but this didn�t stop the entire school from having a copy of the newspaper stashed away somewhere on their person or in their dormitory. After Lia had read the article at breakfast, she�d tried to spot Theo at the Slytherin table, but he hadn�t been anywhere in sight. His table was unusually subdued and Lia noticed that many of the eyes in the Great Hall were fixed upon it. Lia was filled with so many conflicting thoughts and questions; she was so upset that she didn�t know what to make of the article. She needed to talk to Theo, but to her dismay and further confusion, he seemed to be keeping an even lower profile than usual and, worse, avoiding her the entire day. During Ancient Runes, the students received last week�s exam results, but Lia couldn�t enjoy the triumphant, glowing �Outstanding� stamped at the top of her parchment; she was too bewildered and hurt at the fact that Theo seemed determined to avoid eye contact with her during the entire two-hour lesson. When it was finally over and the Professor dismissed the class, Lia tried to catch Theo�s eye to signal him to stay behind so they could talk after everyone else left. She was caught completely off-guard when she saw that he was one of the first to rise and hurry out the door into the corridors; Lia wouldn�t have been able to follow him at any rate, since a dense crowd of chattering students separated him from her. After dinner in the Great Hall (during which Theo had again been absent) Lia knew that there was a good chance that he wouldn�t show up for their evening drawing session in the greenhouse, so she decided to go to the most likely place he would be -- the library. As she walked through the library doors, Lia saw with dismay that the room was filled with students. Of course -- it�s only a few more months till OWLs... she thought, scanning the room for Theo. Sure enough, there he was, at a table in the middle of the huge library, along with Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle. The four of them were huddled together and talking in low voices, and Lia saw with some curiosity that their attention seemed to be focused on a table a few feet away from theirs, at which Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seated. Lia hurried to a vacant table near the window -- luckily, a very large Gryffindor seventh-year was in front of her so she doubted that Theo or anyone else saw her -- and set her books out in front of her, prepared to get some reading done until an opportunity arose to catch Theo alone; but she doubted that would happen, since he was with his friends... Lia was glad that after only ten minutes, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle rose and left the library after muttering �goodbye�s� to Theo. Lia hesitated before getting up and walking casually over to his table -- their one ground rule was that they weren�t allowed to speak to each other anywhere other than the greenhouse. He had his books spread out before him, and he appeared to be engrossed in them. �Hey,� Lia whispered, standing a little behind him. He made a startled movement before turning around, his eyes narrowing as soon as he saw her. �Wh -- ? I have to go.� He abruptly got up, packed away his things, and headed past her for the library doors. �Hold on!� hissed Lia, hurrying to keep up with his long strides. She no longer cared if anyone saw them together -- she was going to talk to him once and for all, now. They dashed through the darkened corridors, Lia half-jogging behind him. �Theo stop right this second; what is with you? Theo!� �D�you really want to talk to me, the son of a Death Eater?� he muttered, not slowing down in the slightest. �What -- of course I do! But I can�t really talk to you if you�re walking at an Olympic pace!� she said. They turned and headed into a quiet hallway off the main corridor, where Theo finally slowed down. He stopped and leaned against the wall, scowling at Lia. Relieved, Lia tried to catch her breath before she spoke. �Theo, what�s with you today? You weren�t in the Great Hall for meals; you�ve been avoiding me all day... I know you�re probably upset about the article -- � �A brilliant theory,� said Theo, straightening up and turning towards the main corridor. �I have to go finish my homework, I�m done with this conversation.� �I know you�re angry about the paper, but why don�t you want to talk to me?� said Lia desperately. �Why are you talking to me?� snarled Theo. �Aren�t you afraid, or angry, or disgusted, like you should be? The wonderful revelation this morning -- it spells it out, doesn�t it? The sole purpose of my kind is to kill your kind -- why would you want to associate with me?� Lia stared at him. �I know that, but -- look, I don�t care. Just because your dad is a Death Eater, that doesn�t mean you are, or will be -- I know you, Theo, and you�re different...� Theo eyed her suspiciously. �You�re not frightened of me?� Lia found herself considering this question for a second longer than she felt she ought to. �No I�m not,� she said, with a grin. �I think yours is one of those cases in which the bark is worse than the bite.� Theo allowed himself a small smile. �And as for the Quibbler article -- I told you, you�re different, Theo. You�re not like Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. You associate with me, a Muggle-born from the working class -- really, how many future-Death-Eaters do that?� He didn�t say anything. Lia bit her lip for a moment, before continuing. �I just wish you�d told me and all. I mean, it would�ve been better if I knew.� �I doubt you�d have wanted to know me if you knew,� muttered Theo with a shrug. �Besides, I wasn�t about to go broadcasting it to the entire school that my father�s a Death Eater.� �What�s going to happen to him and the others?� Lia asked tentatively. �Do you � do you think the Ministry is going to charge and arrest them?� �That�s what Malfoy, I, and the others were talking about,� said Theo, his _expression darkening. �The one good thing is that The Quibbler is universally regarded as a piece of trash, so we doubt that the Ministry will take the article seriously. But there�s a good chance he�ll be fired from the Board of Governors.� Lia swallowed, trying to decide whether she was glad to know that an elitist, murdering, member of Voldemort�s circle was going to be dealt some justice, or whether she was worried about Mr. Nott�s fate for Theo�s sake -- he was really the only family he had. �I�m -- I�m sure everything will be alright,� she finally said, reaching up and giving him a quick hug. He looked extremely surprised. �Er -- thanks,� he mumbled. �Now,� said Lia cheerfully as they strolled towards the now-empty main corridor. �A certain someone is technically standing me up at the moment, by not showing up to the greenhouse for a drawing session.� �Really? It�s not as if you�re my girlfriend and I owe you my time,� said Theo, grinning. �Oh, and good thing, too,� said Lia, with a wink. �Imagine the scandalous horror -- a Pureblood and Death Eater�s son, in love with a common Mudblood!� �A horror indeed,� said Theo. Two hours of sketching in the greenhouse and one hour of Charms homework later, Lia was exceedingly tired, but was finding it impossible to fall asleep. She couldn�t help thinking about the conversation that she had had with Theo in the corridor. After they got the bigger questions out of the way, she had made a concerted effort to cheer him up, and was very glad that his mood had indeed lightened as they joked about his greenhouse absence ... but for some reason, she�d still felt an odd sort of ache, a painful hollowness, when he�d said that she wasn�t his girlfriend. She did not know why she felt this way, and thought herself ridiculous for it. Turning over to her side, she chided herself for being so selfish -- the purpose of that conversation was to get him to think about something other than the Quibbler article, and she ought to be glad that she�d succeeded in lightening his mood. But it was proving very difficult to feel glad. **** Tuesday morning was the first sunny, albeit cold, day in what seemed like ages, and the resultant high spirits could be felt all across Hogwarts. In Charms, Professor Flitwick handed out Frolicking Chocolate Truffles every time someone answered a question correctly, to the students� delight. Care of Magical Creatures was unusually enjoyable, considering that the past several lessons had been outside in the freezing rain or snow, and also that Hagrid�s choice of magical creature, the Six-Toed Whizbee, was for once something that wasn�t a lethal threat to humans. As wispy grey clouds drifted over the sky, the Hufflepuffs trooped up the hill after the lesson. Glancing upwards, Lia hoped it wasn�t going to rain, as she and Theo were planning to sketch by the cliffs that evening. The evening before, they had both had the sudden desire to sketch the rocky cliffs near the castle, and after much discussion of the matter, decided that the likelihood of them being spotted near the cliffs was very small. It was still February, after all, and most of the students seemed averse to unnecessarily being outside. Rummaging through her bag to make sure her sketchpad was there, she felt a small tap on her shoulder. �Jolly boring lesson, wasn�t it?� said Justin breathlessly as he caught up with her. Lia suddenly felt extremely sheepish. This was the first time she was talking to Justin since the Valentine�s Day disaster; she was also surprised to find that neither he, nor the incident, had crossed her mind even once since then. �I thought it was rather interesting,� said Lia, with a small smile and a shrug. �So�how�ve you been?� �Alright, I suppose.� Justin had his hands in his pockets and looked decidedly uncomfortable. �Er, listen, about what happened in The Three Broomsticks on Saturday, I really am sorry. I didn�t realize I was ignoring you, until Terry and Anthony and the others pointed it out to me.� Lia blinked, surprised � she wasn�t expecting him to even realize he�d done something wrong, much less apologize for it. �Oh, er, it�s alright�� �Yeah, er, I was really disappointed after you left the pub,� said Justin, his ears red. Lia found herself going slightly red as well. They reached the stone steps leading into the castle and walked through the oak doors, Justin holding it open for Lia. As they made their way towards Hufflepuff Hall, they were completely silent, but Lia felt that this silence was decidedly uncomfortable and even unnatural. �Well � good luck with the Transfiguration exam today,� said Lia awkwardly, stopping in front of the doorway to the girls� dormitory. �Thanks, you too,� said Justin. Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, he reached forward and took Lia� right hand. She jumped. �Listen, if you want to go out again sometime, I�m game,� mumbled Justin. �I�ll try to be more attentive this time and all.� Lia swallowed, at a loss of what to think or feel. �Okay,� she said, for lack of anything better to say. She grinned feebly, feeling it was necessary. Justin beamed. �See you later, then!� Lia hurried up the stairs to her dormitory, feeling oddly dull and discontent. **** Unfortunately, it did rain that evening, and heavily. Lia and Theo spent the three hours in the greenhouse instead, but decided that if they weren�t going to sketch cliffs, they weren�t going to sketch at all. Instead, they spent the first hour-and-a-half going over their Potions notes (Theo was very adamant about this) and the second hour-and-a-half gossiping about their schoolmates. �I really don�t want to be judgmental, but Millicent scares me,� said Lia, perched atop the greenhouse bench. �Since we�ve been at school, I�ve seen her beat up seventeen first- and second-years. And then there�s the fact that she�s four times the size of all the girls in our year.� �Most of the fellows too,� said Theo, tossing his paintbrush high into the air and catching it. �Parkinson and the others are pretty nasty to her � they pretend to include her in their little group, but behind her back, they say all sorts of unflattering things.� Lia scowled. �Pansy is the cruelest, most insufferable girl in this school. Ugh, no offense, but I loathe her.� �So do I!� said Theo indignantly. �But unlike you, I�m forced to be civil to her.� Lia chuckled. �And her little gang is just as bad! Especially that horrid, deathly-skinny, beaky-nosed Daphne. And that voice of hers�� Lia suddenly broke off. She�d totally forgotten that she was talking about Theo�s girlfriend. �I mean�er�� Theo looked uncomfortable as he reached down to the dusty floor to pick up the paintbrush he�d just tossed too high. �She has the voice of an angry chipmunk,� he finally said, straightening up and resuming tossing the paintbrush. Lia grinned, breathing a silent sigh of relief. �And speaking of girls who are similar to chipmunks, Granger beat my score in Ancient Runes, as usual,� said Theo darkly. �You and I both got 92�s on last week�s exam, but what did Granger get? 97. A �Double Outstanding�.� �She�s a genius,� said Lia, shaking her head appreciatively. �And you should see her in DA meetings! She�s the first to pick up on even the trickiest spells � � suddenly, Lia heart leapt to her throat. She was talking about the DA, which was strictly forbidden, and whom was she telling? A Slytherin! �Hang on,� said Theo curiously. �The DA? What�s that?� Lia swallowed. She was the worst liar ever known to man; what was she going to tell him? �Oh, the DA? It�s � it�s -- a Hufflepuff study group thing,� she sputtered, her throat very dry. �Then why would Granger be there? She�s a Gryffindor,� said Theo, his eyes not leaving Lia�. He knows I�m lying! thought Lia, terrified. Hermione had said that there might be consequences if a DA member let the secret of the group out � but Lia hadn�t meant to; she really hadn�t! �Yes, that�s very true, good point,� said Lia, smiling weakly. �But -- but you see, Hermione is friends with Ernie � they�re both Prefects and all � and �and she comes to the meetings sometimes to talk to him, and study with us,� Lia finished, crossing her fingers and eyeing Theo. To Lia� utter relief, Theo seemed to believe her, and they resumed gossiping about various classmates till it was time to go back to the castle. At five past nine, they were standing in the deserted Entrance Hall, arguing about whether Marietta Edgecombe bore a greater resemblance to a carrot spotted with fungus or a deep orange grasshopper, when loud, clicking footsteps resounded from a spot to the left of the Entrance Hall. Lia and Theo froze, staring anxiously at each other, their eyes wide. �I�ll see you tomorr�� Theo started to say, but stopped abruptly. Professor Umbridge was striding quickly over to them, her pudgy, short-fingered hands on her hips and her hideously saccharine smile in place. �Well, well, well! Unless my pocket watch is much mistaken, it is currently ten minutes past nine,� purred Umbridge, her watery eyes bulging as she surveyed the two of them. �And as all good Hogwarts children know, you are to be in your dormitories by nine o�clock!� She glanced at Theo, who was about double her height. �Theodore, Theodore, I didn�t expect such an infraction of the rules from you of all people!� Theo shuffled his feet and avoided Umbridge�s gaze. Umbridge�s eyes swept over to Lia�, her wide, pouchy smile fading slightly. �Ah, Miss Moon,� she said in her nauseatingly girlish voice, �Tell me, what exactly are you doing outside your dormitory?� Lia bit her lip. This was the second time she had to lie within the span of two hours. But surprisingly, this one came more easily than the first. �Because � because I was trying to get him �� she gestured towards Theo � -- to let me copy his Ancient Runes homework. I followed him from the Great Hall after dinner and caught him as he was heading for his dormitory.� She pouted, trying to feign an _expression of guilt. Her eyes shifted sideways to Theo, who was looking at her with a horrified _expression on his face. Lia shot him a warning glance. Professor Umbridge, on the other hand, looked positively gleeful. �Is that so, Miss Moon? Tut tut, pressuring others to let you steal their answers � you should be ashamed of yourself!� she said with relish. �Professor, that�s not �� Theo started to say, but Lia suddenly burst into tears, covering her face with her hands as she pretended to cry. �Professor, I�m so ashamed of myself!� wailed Lia. �It�s just that Ancient Runes is such a hard class, and I�m so stressed, what with OWLs and all! And he gets really good marks, so I just thought � !� She broke off, gasping for breath. Theo stood speechless as Umbridge reached over and patted Lia delicately on the shoulder in an attempt to seem comforting, all the while her bulging eyes glinting with delight. �Now, now Miss Moon � you are understandably ashamed and upset, but that doesn�t change the fact that you have broken not one, but two very serious school rules. Forty points from Hufflepuff, and you will serve detention tomorrow. With me.� �Okay, Professor,� mumbled Lia, sniffing exaggeratedly. �As you are innocent, Theodore,� said Umbridge sweetly, �you will not be punished. Now, return to your dormitories, both of you.� She stood there expectantly. Lia glanced at Theo, who was staring at her, his _expression impossible to read. She rubbed her eyes and winked at him through the gaps in her fingers. Then, she turned right and hurried off towards the Hufflepuff dormitory. CHAPTER EIGHT �She did what?� �You heard me, Smith, she tried to copy answers off some Slytherin�s homework, and in the process, lost our House 50 points. 50 points!� huffed Ernie MacMillan. �As a Prefect, I especially have to bear the weight of such a dishonor for our House.� Zacharias Smith was wearing an even bigger pout than usual, and Lia, standing halfway down the stairs into the common room, noticed that it was markedly angry in nature. �But Celia Moon? I know her, and she�s the last person who�d try to copy answers off someone,� insisted Susan Bones, frowning thoughtfully. �Well she did, and we�re the ones getting punished,� barked Zacharias. Lia stood, half-hidden behind the curvature of the staircase, biting her lip. She�d known that there would be trouble regarding what happened last night, but she hadn�t expected it to be this bad. But she couldn�t stand here forever and hope that the others would leave the common room -- she needed to go to the library to study History of Magic and Herbology. Squaring her shoulders, she hurried down the remaining steps and into the elegant yellow-and-black common room. �And speak of the devil!� said Zacharias loudly. �Zach...� whispered Susan, looking worried. Lia cleared her throat. �Look guys, I�m -- I�m really sorry for what I did, but I can explain -- � �Explain? You just lost us fifty points, and not only that, you tarnished our reputation,� said Zacharias. �Hufflepuffs just don�t steal other people�s homework -- we leave that to the Slytherins!� �But in this case, it was the other way around,� said Hannah quietly. She was curled up on one of the sofas and looking very dismal. �Celia, I can�t believe you did that.� Lia swallowed, her throat becoming very constricted as she stood and bore the heavy weight of all the stares of her Housemates. Stares of anger, of disbelief, and of disappointment. �I�m really sorry! I just -- I -- � she started, but stopped. What could she give them as a reason for what she�d done? That she�d been trying to protect a Slytherin who she�d been secretly meeting for almost two months and had grown to like very much? That she�d been willing to sacrifice her own House�s reputation and chance at the House Cup for the sake of this Slytherin? �We�re supposed to be hard-working and true and all that stuff,� said a voice from the sofa nearest the fire. Lia suddenly saw that Justin was sitting there, a disapproving, almost pained expression on his face. �I know,� said Lia, tears of shame starting to sting her eyes. �It�s just that -- � �Forget it, just forget it,� snapped Zacharias, turning his back to Lia and staring into the fire. Before he turned around, however, he�d evidently caught a glimpse of Lia�s overstuffed backpack and jumbo-sized water bottle. �Off to the library, are you? Good, you can go there and copy someone else�s homework and lose us some more points.� �Zach!� said Susan. Lia bit her lip, her throat painfully constricting and her eyes burning with hot tears. She was not going to allow herself to cry, not now, not here, not in front of all her Housemates. Without another look at the common room or the people in it, she turned and ran out the door. **** �Are you saying Umbridge broke your wrist in detention?" Lia nodded mutely, holding out her bandaged wrist. Theo reached over and examined it gingerly, anger written all over his face. "She's insane! What kind of a teacher does that?" "I told you, she's completely sadistic, but you wouldn't believe me -- you were in her stupid Squad and everything!" Theo put her wrist down and started pacing around the room frustratedly. "I had to! D'you really think I could've just said, "Oh, I'm not like the rest of my House, I hate you, leave me alone"? She would've told Father as soon as I said no!" Lia slumped down onto the bench, quite sure she was about to burst into tears. "Well, now, because of the lovely Inquisitorial Squad, I won't be able to -- Dumbledore's painting will be -- oh!" she broke off, covering her face with her functioning hand. "He t-trusted me; he said this painting was going to be u-used against You-Know-Who --" Theo was standing very stiffly and looked perfectly frightened as he stared at Lia. "And now the p-painting won't be c-completed and Dumbledore will h-hate me and You-Know-Who will win..." she was beside herself, everything that had happened over the past few days seeming to descend upon her like a pounding waterfall. Theo reached over and patted Lia awkwardly on the shoulder. "Er, it's alright, Moon, really..." "I c-completed the whole thing, all of Caradoc Dearborne, all except for the b-background," said Lia, tears spilling down her front. "It was s-so close..." Theo stopped patting Lia and walked towards the bewitched hearth, his hands shoved in his pockets. "I don't know w-what's going to happen n-now --" gasped Lia. Her head was starting to pound what with all of the crying. "I'll do it." Lia hiccupped. "W-what?" she said, reaching for a handkerchief to blow her nose, still heaving with tears. Theo gazed at her, his hands still in his slacks pockets. "I'll do it. I'll paint the background of the painting." Lia stared at him, her eyes swollen and red. Had she heard him correctly? Was he, the son of a member of You-Know-Who's inner circle, willing to risk everything and help Dumbledore in the fight for good? She stared at him more intently, wiping her tears from her face. "You'll -- you would -- oh, Theo!" She jumped from her seat and rushed over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank y-you so much..." "Er," he muttered, again patting her stiffly on her shoulder. "It's alright..." After a minute, Lia stepped back, feeling slightly embarrassed--but this was replaced by disappointment. "No, it's hopeless-- how are you going to paint it without a picture to paint from?" She had momentarily forgotten that Umbridge confiscated the tiny picture Dumbledore had given Lia. Theo looked at her thoughtfully. "The painting takes place at night, in the countryside, right? On a moor?" Something suddenly occurred to Lia, something very wonderful indeed. She jumped up from her seat. �Theo, you live on a moor! In Derbyshire!� �I know that,� he said irritably, turning to stare into the hearth. �Don�t you realize what this means? We can go to your house, and you can paint the background over there! We�ll have a real-life background; Caradoc was from Derbyshire!� Theo whirled around to stare coldly at her. �No.� Lia looked back at him, her eyes wide. �Why not? It�s perfect! Once we�re done, we can owl the painting to Dumbledore, and --� �No. Absolutely not, never. It�s too dangerous and we�d be breaking one of the most serious school rules, leaving the castle -- oh, and hmm, leaving the country.� Lia wrung her hands. �Theo, you have to lighten up. Think about what we�re doing -- we�re helping Dumbledore against You-Know-Who! You told me that you don�t agree with all of You-Know-Who�s ideas --� �I don�t particularly feel the desire to rebel against them either. We�re not going to Derbyshire, and that�s final!� He walked over to the bench and began packing up his things. �We�re going to miss curfew.� Lia followed him to the bench. �You don�t want to rebel against what you believe is wrong; you just want to passively disagree with it, right? What does that achieve, Theo, tell me?� �Stop nagging me,� he said quietly, shoving his easel into his bag. Lia stood there, feeling completely crushed. This was their only chance to finish the painting, their perfect chance, and here Theo was, refusing to cooperate. �Please, Theo...You-Know-Who is plotting something big, I know it, and all of us are in danger -- well, alot of us, and we have to do something about it, we just have to!� Theo pulled on his cloak and heaved his bag over his shoulder. Lia stared at him as he fiddled with the cuff of his shirt, folding it up distractedly. He doesn�t care about anything! she thought furiously. �Oh, but You-Know-Who�s evil plans won�t endanger you at all, you�re safe -- your Dad�s one of his inner circle, after all, and you�re Pure. Who cares that half of our population is going to be attacked any day?� He stood there for a moment, staring at his cuffs, and then turned to face her. �How do you propose that we get there?� Lia blinked. �What?� �How are we getting there?� he repeated very coldly. �We�re going? Y-you�re agreeing to go with me to your house?� �Well, obviously,� he snapped. He set his things back down again and slouched onto the bench. Lia too sat down, folding her hands with mingled nervousness and relief. �Er, well, Umbridge�s got the fireplaces under surveillance...� she said. �And the Hogwarts Express doesn�t run in the middle of the year,� muttered Theo. �We could take a taxi,� said Lia cautiously. �I mean, I doubt if Muggle taxi-drivers know how to get to Hogwarts, but we obviously can�t take the Knight Bus, because Umbridge would find out we�ve left --� �I�m not setting foot in a Muggle vehicle,� said Theo, glowering at her. �Fine, fine, I get it,� said Lia hurriedly. �What else can we do, though?� �Portkeys are out of the question...� said Theo, closing his eyes to concentrate. He opened them again quickly. �We could fly. On brooms.� �I don�t have a broom,� said Lia desperately. �Besides, we�d be seen!� �I have one, and I�ll dab some Invisibility Balm on us.� Lia stared at him, running through the idea in her mind. It was completely dangerous, but as long as they got the painting done... �Okay,� she said nervously. They picked up their bags and headed out the greenhouse door after casting the spell to turn off the light. It was a clear, cool night whose sky twinkled dreamily with stars, a half-moon glowing brightly. Lia and Theo hurried up the hill towards the castle in a kind of anxious silence. When they reached the Entrance Hall, Lia stayed by the double-doors while Theo went downstairs to the Slytherin dormitories to fetch his broom and brew a batch of Invisibility Balm. Lia offered to make it herself while he went to get the broom, but Theo insisted on doing it himself, to which Lia reluctantly consented, remembering how she�d been doing abysmally in Potions these past few weeks. He returned ten minutes later, a large, expensive-looking broom over his shoulder and a round vial filled with a clear, translucent liquid in his hand. �Did everything go well?� whispered Lia worriedly. �Yeah, but Malfoy saw me with my broom and insisted he�d get his, too, and that we take a fly around the grounds -- but I fended him off,� said Theo. �Come on, it�s getting late.� They hurried towards the double-doors leading outside, but Lia stopped, grabbing Theo�s elbow. �Maybe we should use the Astronomy Tower -- we�ll have less chance of passing by windows with people possibly staring out them.� They turned right and rushed through the corridors, keeping a good five feet�s gap between them, as there were still a few students strolling the corridors. After a few minutes they half-jogged up the spiral staircase to the roof of the Astronomy Tower, panting as they reached the top. Theo set his broom on the cool stone floor of the rooftop and uncorked the glass vial, pouring out some of the liquid onto his hands -- which started to gradually fade, until they disappeared completely. Lia stared at the scene in wonderment. �It�s supposed to be thicker, but I diluted it so we�d be able to cover all of ourselves and the broom,� he said, splashing some of it onto the rest of him. �The downside of it is that the potion lasts half as long, for exactly half an hour. Here --� he started to smooth some of the potion on Lia, but quickly handed her the bottle instead. �Er, just dab some of it all over...� By the time they were done, only Theo�s head was visible. Lia thought it was most bizarre to be looking down at completely empty space as she fumbled about, trying to tie her invisible shoelace. �We�d better hurry,� said Theo�s head as it floated above the broomstick he was making invisible. �Hop onto the broom before it disappears.� Lia tightened her backpack on her shoulders and climbed behind Theo onto the slowly fading broom, a hard task, since she couldn�t exactly see her arms or legs. �Hold onto me,� said Theo, dabbing some of the potion onto his face so that it started to slowly fade. �Okay,� said Lia nervously. She�d never been on a broom before, much less completely invisible on an equally invisible broom. She hoped they wouldn�t fall off entirely. �Oh, er, move your hands up a bit,� said Theo hastily. �Oh my gosh! Sorry,� said Lia, refusing to imagine where her hands had been. All this was so difficult, not being able to see any of herself, Theo, or the broom! (She was, however, quite glad her face was invisible, as he wouldn�t see that she was flushing beet-red.) �Ready?� he said. �Ready,� said Lia tentatively. Before she could ask him if it was safe for two people to be riding on one broom, she felt her body lurch straight upwards and away from the roof of the tower. She felt the immediate impulse to scream, but thought twice -- they had to make sure they weren�t noticed. Instead, she just tightened her arms around Theo�s waist, fleetingly frightened that she was suffocating him. They sailed over the deserted grounds and then the black canopy of the Forbidden Forest, the surprisingly cold night air beating against Lia�s face and causing Theo�s overlong, invisible hair to mercilessly hit her eyes. �Alright back there?� shouted Theo above the wind. �Yes! But why are we going so high? And fast?� �We only have half an hour!� he said. �Hold on tightly, I�m speeding up...� They soared through the night sky, the twinkling stars seeming near enough to reach out and touch. The forest flashed quickly beneath them, followed by the village of Hogsmeade, the craggy mountaintops of the neighboring wilderness, and then, most terrifyingly, an expansive stretch of darkened ocean that marked the end of Scotland and the start of northern England. Daring herself to glance down at the ocean and feeling slightly ill from the speed at which they were flying, Lia found herself feeling immensely happy that Derbyshire was in the far north of the country. �How much longer?� she called. �Twenty-five minutes,� came Theo�s voice. Lia gripped Theo tightly as she looked down at the rolling scenery miles below them; they were flying thankfully over land, above rocky coasts peppered with forebodingly high cliffs, which turned into lonely valleys, fields, and meadows. The valleys turned into a tiny village, which in turn was replaced by a huge, dense forest that seemed to stretch for miles. �This is so strange, not being able to see ourselves or the broom!� shouted Lia. They were now soaring over a great expanse of dark, gloomy flatland -- the moors. No villages were to be seen, but every so often appeared the rooftop of a huge, isolated house surrounded by rolling fields and black iron gates tipped with sharpened points. Lia felt herself dipping lower and lower until her toes were grazing the tall, rippling grasses of the flatlands. She shuddered with excitement coupled with the oddly cold air of the moors. Glancing behind her, she saw tall, wrought-iron gates with �Nott Hall� carved into them quickly fading away, and when she turned to face front again, she saw that she and Theo were approaching a large home that, even though lying far in the distance, loomed hugely and majestically. �Oh! You�re becoming visible again,� said Lia. Theo�s messy, dark brown hair was slowly emerging in front of Lia�s face, and her own braid was billowing behind her most visibly. She glanced down and noticed that the rest of them, and the broom, had also reappeared. With a small thump, the broom touched down onto the ground, Theo steadying their landing with his feet. Lia climbed off the broom and stared up at the mansion in front of her. It was clearly an ancestral property that had been passed down through many, many generations. Several sections of its light-gray bricks were severely faded and a portion of one of the four chimneys had come off entirely. The left side of the house was almost completely obscured by overgrown moss that reached up four floors to the house�s black roof. Except for a solitary light emitting from a window on the ground floor, the house was in complete darkness. However, the house had a very classy sort of elegance about it that shone through its age and deterioration. �I see you didn�t fall off the broom,� said Theo with a smile. �No, it was actually -- quite fun,� said Lia, still in awe at the appearance of the crumblingly magnificent mansion. �Your house -- it�s really nice.� He shrugged. �I like that it�s out in the middle of nowhere. We don�t get company very often, which is good.� Lia glanced at the lit window with a sudden rush of panic. �Er, is your Dad home? D�you think he can see us through the window?� �No, he�s in London this week, on -- on business,� said Theo. Lia had a feeling she knew what kind of business this might be, but as she didn�t want to get into a row with Theo, she didn�t say anything. They walked through the overgrown grass of the lawn and stopped on the stone steps leading into the house, as Theo fumbled in his bag for his key. When he found it, he opened the door and motioned for Lia to follow him. Once inside, Theo used his wand to light a few of the torches that lined the house�s foyer, and Lia�s eyes explored the sprawling, high-ceilinged front hall before her. Before she could ask Theo when the house was built and other questions that were begging to be asked, two tiny figures who Lia guessed were House Elves ran into the room, panting heavily. �Young Master! Sir, what is you doing at home this time of year, sir? Klippy was not expecting you, sir! Nor was Hoppus, sir!� squeaked one of the elves, who was very tiny and had a piquant, pixie-like face. �I don�t have to explain my business,� said Theo coldly. �Klippy, brew two cups of tea, it�s freezing outside...� He pulled off his bag and put it on an antique table in the nearby parlor room, fumbling inside it for something. Lia peered down at the two elves, neither of whom had moved and both of whom were staring up at her intently. �Er, hi there, I�m Lia,� she said, offering her hand to shake. This was the first time she�d seen actual House-elves in person. The elves merely glanced at each other silently, but Theo came back into the foyer, clutching his sketchbook, palette, and paint set, and laughing. �They�re servants, Lia. You�re supposed to treat them as such. Now, Klippy, didn�t I just tell you to fetch us some tea?� The elf called Klippy bowed and dashed off towards the back of the house. The other elf, larger and with a tuft of graying hair atop its head, still stared up at Lia. �Young Master, who is your friend? Hoppus is not used to seeing womenfolk in Nott Hall, Hoppus isn�t...is she Young Master�s sweetheart?� Lia felt herself blushing, and Theo too turned red. Lia answered for him. �Er, no, Hoppus -- Theo and I are just friends from Hogwarts --� �You are Pure?� cut in Hoppus, staring intently up at Lia with bulging yellow eyes. She found herself shuddering involuntarily. �Oh, er, no --� �Hasn�t Father told you not to ask questions, you stupid gnome?� snarled Theo, to Lia�s surprise. �Shut up and go put yourself to use. This place is a mess -- you haven�t been tending to the yard, it looks like a jungle.� Hoppus bowed, but didn�t budge. The elf called Klippy returned to the foyer, holding out an ornate silver tray with two cups of tea. �Father�s still in London, right Klippy?� asked Theo, handing a china cup to Lia and taking one for himself. Klippy nodded emphatically. �Oh, yes, Young Master. Master is not to return until next week; he is still conducting secret business at the Min --� �Okay, okay, shut up!� said Theo, glaring at the elf warningly. In response, her huge, floppy ears wilted and her nose turned bright red. He turned to Lia. �Er, let�s go get started -- we can sit in the garden --� Before they could turn to leave, Hoppus muttered something after them in his low, scratchy voice. Theo ignored him and reached for the doorknob, but Lia turned back to the elf politely. �Er, sorry Hoppus, we didn�t hear you --� The elf cleared his throat loudly. �Hoppus said that Master won�t like it if Mudblood filth is in Nott Hall,� he rasped, his yellow eyes bulging more than ever. �Young Master would be advised to get the dirty, impure beast out of here --� Theo swooped down and grabbed the elf by his scrawny neck, shaking him fiercely. �Didn�t I tell you to shut up and do some work?� he thundered. �THEO! Stop it!� squeaked Lia, rushing forward and trying to ply Hoppus from Theo�s grip. He dropped the elf unceremoniously to the floor and turned back to the door. �Come on,� he muttered. Shaken, Lia cast a glance back at the two House-elves before heading out the door alongside Theo. Klippy was bent over Hoppus, whimpering slightly as she checked to see if his arm was broken. Lia hurried to catch up with Theo as he strode across the lawn to the side of the house, where the gardens presumably lay. �Theo! I can�t believe you! How could you treat them so horribly?� �Hoppus is a meddling, lazy wart,� said Theo matter-of-factly. �Now, I was thinking we could sit over there, on those chairs. It looks directly over the moors...� Lia silently fumed as they walked to a set of fancy-looking wrought iron chairs in the middle of a sprawling but thoroughly unkempt garden, Theo shaking his head in disgust as he surveyed it. They sat down on two of the chairs and stared out at the scene in front of them. It�s perfect, thought Lia. The garden directly overlooked a seemingly endless, completely desolate valley that was dotted with tufts of billowing grass and vein-like streams of murky water. It looked like a mirror image of the background in the photograph that Dumbledore had given her. Lia rummaged in her bag and pulled out the painting of Caradoc, handing it to Theo. He set up an easel and began mixing colors on his palette, as Lia looked on. She felt immensely grateful that he�d agreed to do this -- in all the excitement of the evening, she�d neglected to tell him so. But she didn�t say anything as he began painting, since she knew full well that complete concentration was needed. The night was getting progressively colder and Lia shivered fiercely -- her t-shirt and jeans were clearly inappropriate for the climate of the moors. She glanced over at the easel, as Theo�s paintbrush flew over its canvas, bringing to life the gloomy and foreboding colors of the moor. She found herself marveling at how talented he was -- his painting style was such that, no matter how quickly and seemingly haphazardly he splashed colors onto the canvas, he always managed to produce a visual masterpiece. Her own style was more laborious and time-consuming, a fact that she�d always wished she could change. �You�re shivering,� said Theo, pausing and frowning at her. �Why didn�t you wear something warmer?� Lia laughed, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. �I hadn�t exactly planned on flying cross country to the Derbyshire moors.� �Stay here while I go fetch a jumper or something from my bedroom,� muttered Theo. He started to get up, but Lia pushed him back down onto his chair. �No, you stay here and paint, I�ll go get the jumper. I don�t want you to interrupt your painting -- your style is all about spontaneity and flourish, isn�t it?� she said, winking. He stared at his paintbrush, apparently trying to decide something. �Okay, but don�t hang around inside too long -- those ruddy elves will start pestering you.� Lia got up and patted him on the shoulder. �If by �pestering�, you mean �throwing Muggle-born insults at me�, I�ll be quite alright -- I�m used to it by now,� she said with a sad sort of smile. �Which is your room?� Theo looked very doubtful, but said, �Fourth floor, last door on the right.� He handed her the key and Lia skipped off towards the house after calling out, �Don�t worry, Theodore, I�ll just get the jumper and leave -- I won�t go poking about your secret, personal belongings!� As she opened the door and stepped into the cold foyer, Lia noticed that it was completely empty and flames in the torches had been blown out. Surmising that the House-elves had gone up to bed, Lia decided that she wouldn�t re-ignite the torches -- she didn�t much want them to wake up and run into them. �Lumos!� she instead whispered, her wand tip casting a dim, soft glow that only reached a few feet around her. She squinted left and right, trying to locate a staircase, but seeing nothing but black emptiness. Standing there in the pitch-black foyer with nothing but the eerie glow of her wand to guide her, Lia suddenly felt herself shuddering -- this was the first time she actually realized the full ramifications of the situation -- she was in the middle of a desolate moor, in the house of a Dark wizard...and she was a Muggle-born. She hurried forward, finally spotting an elaborately winding staircase at the far end of the foyer, but before she set a single foot upon it, she paused. Something inside her head was nagging at her incessantly, seeming to say, �Here you are, in a practically empty old house that�s just begging to be explored, and you�re going to just go upstairs, get a jumper, and leave?� She shook away the feeling, remembering the many occasions in which her curiosity had gotten the better of her -- and the consequences of this. But it was of no use -- Lia just had to have one, quick, tiny look around. She turned away from the staircase and instead crept towards the left, holding out her wand in front of her. She crept along a dark hallway and paused at the first room, peering into it. The floor was covered in an exquisite, red and silver Persian rug and the walls were paneled in what looked like imported teak wood. Lia stepped into the room, her eyes drifting over the beautiful, polished wood desks, delicate china sets, fancy porcelain dolls, and sets of very real-looking peacock feathers placed together in elaborate arrangements. She peered down at a small photograph on one of the polished tables and picked it up to get a closer look. A strikingly pretty woman of about twenty-five with long black hair and dark blue eyes stared up at her, smiling slightly. The inscription on the bottom of the photo said �Ravena Lestrange-Nott�, and Lia realized, her own eyes wide, that this must be Theo�s mother; and, from the looks of the room, this must have been Mrs. Nott�s study or parlor. A high, girlish voice coming from the direction of one of the shelves suddenly rang out, causing Lia to drop her wand. When she picked it up and held it out in front of her, she almost fainted. On the shelf near the empty hearth, sat a group of antique porcelain dolls, and one of them, was leaning forward and smiling widely at Lia. �Get out of here, intruder,� trilled the doll, who wore a frilly blue dress with ruffles. �You aren�t Mrs. Nott -- this study is only for her and her kin!� Lia stared at the doll, certain she was going to faint, but instead turned and ran out of the room as quickly as her feet could take her, for ever since she could remember, she�d been terrified of any and all dolls. Gasping for breath, she hurried quietly along the hallway, pausing every so often at the doors of various rooms and hoping that they didn�t contain any dolls. She paused at a set of ornate double doors at the end of the hallway, into a cavernous, dimly lit room. Hang on -- weren�t all the lights in the house turned off? thought Lia curiously. She stepped into the room and held her wand out to cast even more light. The room was completely oval in shape, with mahogany-panelled walls and a plush green carpet. Glancing upwards, Lia saw that the oval ceiling was embellished with a painting of several ferocious-looking serpents intertwined around a plaque containing an indiscernable Latin inscription. Lia walked quietly to the massive desk at the end of the room, from which the dim light seemed to be coming. Indeed, there was a small lamp with a winding pewter serpent around its base -- which also contained the same Latin inscription. Lia fervently wished she could remember anything from the Latin lessons she�d been forced to take when she was eight... She peered around the room, holding her wand out in front of her. A large framed photograph directly above the desk contained three very haughty looking people sitting in high-backed chairs; when Lia stepped closer to the photograph, she saw a stern-looking, grey-haired man of around sixty-five, the striking young woman who Lia earlier figured was Mrs. Nott, and a stringy, sapphire-eyed boy of around ten -- Theo. Lia leaned forward and stared at the picture intently; he still had the same sullen __expression and unruly dark hair of sixteen-year-old Theo, but was a great deal shorter than he was now. Lia smiled in spite of herself. She walked past the desk to a shelf that rose from the floor all the way up to the painted ceiling. Her eyes drifted over several gold plaques with the inscription �Hogwarts Board of Governors -- Lysander Nott� followed by various dates, from 1981 to the present. Next to the plaques were several photographs of distinguished-looking wizards shaking hands and handing out more plaques; beneath these photographs were names...�Lysander Nott with Augustus Rookwood�, �Lysander Nott with Walden MacNair�...�Lysander Nott with Lucius Malfoy and his young son, Draco�. At this last name, Lia scowled. She knew that Malfoy and Theo were friends, but she didn�t know their fathers were, as well. Looking up at the next-highest shelf, she saw a large, very faded banner with the words �Knights of the Walpurgis� embroidered across it in black letters. Next to this banner was a small, cracked bas-relief carving that Lia had to lean on her tiptoes to see. What she did see sent a shiver down her spine -- carved into the aged gray clay, above the inscription �T. D. L. Grindelwald�, was a hideous, leering face with hollow, black eyes and a forked tongue. Lia practically fell over backwards and, turning away quickly, walked over to another floor-to-ceiling shelf, trying to put the horrible face out of her mind. This shelf too contained several photographs, paintings, and plaques, but Lia�s interest was grabbed by something else: a single, shiny dagger with a set of emeralds in its hilt was floating on the highest shelf. Its blade glinted dazzlingly, seeming to invite Lia to reach up and touch it... Lia stared up at it, but could not have reached it if she tried...she found herself wishing Theo was here; he�d certainly be able to reach it -- �What the hell are you doing here?� bellowed a voice behind Lia. She whirled around to face a furious-looking Theo glaring down at her. �This is my dad�s office -- you were supposed to go straight upstairs to my room and come back!� �I -- I was just --� Theo grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from the shelf, fuming. He stopped near the double doors of the room and turned to face her. �Insufferably curious, aren�t you? Do you know what you could�ve seen?� Lia stared at him, slightly frightened at his behavior and rubbing her wrist. �I�m sorry! I was just -- I just thought I�d have a quick look around!� She paused, raising an eyebrow. �And if you�re worried that I saw some Dark Arts paraphernalia, don�t be. There�s nothing like that in here, just photographs and plaques and things.� �Well of course not,� snapped Theo. �D�you really think we�d keep stuff like that in the first floor office for meddling Ministry officials to see when they come poking about on their raids?� Lia folded her arms and gazed at him evenly. �I�m sorry, okay?� He glowered at her, but seemed to have calmed down a bit. �I finished the painting; it�s in my bag,� he muttered. He glanced at a grandfather clock near the second shelf. �We really need to get back to the school now -- let�s go, my broom is --� He suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed upon the large window near the clock. Lia followed his eyes and stared at the window. Her jaw dropped. Beyond the hazy glass, one by one, masked figures clad in black cloaks were appearing, seemingly out of thin air. There were five, then seven, then ten total, all standing in a circle right outside the window and talking in low voices. Death Eaters. Lia looked at Theo, who was standing very still, his eyes wide. Suddenly, he turned and grabbed her wrist again, pulling her behind the massive desk and forcing her head down out of the line of view of the window. �Hey --!� squeaked Lia, bumping her head hard against the desk. Theo covered her mouth with his hand. �Shut up!� he hissed. �Listen to me Lia, you need to get out of here -- now!� Lia pried his hand away from her mouth and stared at him, frightened. The voices outside were fading away, and Lia had a bone-chilling feeling the Death Eaters were approaching the doors of the mansion. �You said your Dad wasn�t coming home till next week!� �That�s what I thought!� hissed Theo, his face very pale. �You have to get out of here. You can�t let them see you -- remember the Purity detector in the foyer? You�re a Mudblood, they�ll kill you!� �Where am I supposed to go?� cried Lia. �And what about you, won�t they hurt you?" �Keep your blasted voice down! Of course they won�t hurt me, why would they hurt me?!� He leaned closer to her, gripping her wrist. �Get out of here, Lia -- run upstairs to my bedroom, they won�t go in there --� �No, Theo!� hissed Lia, tears stinging her eyes. �I�m not leaving you alone to deal with them! I�m staying with you!� He grabbed her round the shoulders and shook her fiercely. �BE QUIET! You�re not staying with me! Go upstairs, NOW!� �Where am I supposed to go?� cried Lia. �And what about you, won�t they hurt you?� �Keep your blasted voice down! Of course they won�t hurt me, why would they hurt me?!� He leaned closer to her, gripping her wrist. �Get out of here, Lia -- run upstairs to my bedroom, they won�t go in there --� �No, Theo!� hissed Lia, tears stinging her eyes. �I�m not leaving you alone to deal with them! I�m staying with you!� He grabbed her round the shoulders and shook her fiercely. �BE QUIET! You�re not staying with me! Go upstairs, NOW!� But neither of them had a chance to go anywhere. A loud creaking noise sounded from the foyer and the front doors opened. Theo and Lia stared at each other. �Quick, get behind the clock,� muttered Theo, grabbing Lia before she could protest and pushing her behind the towering grandfather clock at the other end of the room. She ducked behind the clock -- it had a tiny glass window through which she could peer around the room -- watching, with bated breath, as Theo strode out of the office. The voices were sounding louder and clearer, and were mingled with the voices of the house-elves, who had run down the stairs after the door had opened. �Yes, Klippy, have ten cups of tea ready -- we are one short; Avery hasn�t arrived yet, but he�ll Apparate shortly,� came the low, raspy voice of a man. �And shut all the drapes -- what in the -- Theodore? What are you doing here? Why aren�t you at school?� �I -- er -- left one of my Ancient Runes textbooks here -- in my bedroom,� came Theo�s voice from the foyer. �What about you, Father? I thought you were in London till next week.� The voices were getting louder, and were accompanied by loud footsteps. �I have business to take care of,� said the raspy-voiced man. The footsteps were getting still louder... �In your office? Can�t you take care of it in the parlor or something?� said Theo. �Theodore, is this what they teach you at that Mudblood-haven of a school? To be insolent to your elders?� said the man. A woman�s voice spoke up as the footsteps got even louder. �Now now, Lysander, do be gentle with my dear nephew!� Lia�s stomach plummeted. She stared, transfixed, at the doorway of the cavernous office, as the double doors opened and Death Eaters drifted into the room, all clad in black cloaks, their masks now in their hands. Theo was at the front of the group, looking very tense. �Yes indeed,� said a man with slicked-back, white-blond hair. �Be lenient with Theodore, Lysander, for he is merely a year or two away from joining our ranks, and I daresay he will prove very clever and a fine addition to our cause.� The man reached forward and shook hands with Theo. �Evening, Mr. Malfoy,� muttered Theo, shaking hands. �And how is my idle son Draco doing at Hogwarts?� said Malfoy. �I do hope you�ve been encouraging him to adopt some of your own study habits, Theodore? I daresay he could use them.� �Yes,� said Theo. He seemed determined to avoid glancing in the direction of the grandfather clock. �And do you remember me?� said a gaunt, dark-haired man with a goatee. �We last met when you were very young -- I am your uncle Rodolphus, and this is your other uncle, Rabastan, and --� he gestured toward a woman in the shadowy corner of the room -- �your aunt, Bellatrix.� Mr. Nott gave Theo a little push between the shoulder blades, and Theo stepped forward to shake the mens� hands. One of the men, presumably Rabastan, had a haunted, bitter __expression as he shook hands with Theo. �We have heard tell of our sister Ravena�s fate, though only a few weeks ago. The Dementors tell us nothing in our cells...� �Your father tells us you are excelling at school and are quite accomplished at Quidditch,� said Rodolphus. �Ravena would have been proud.� �If what your father says about your stellar academic performance is true,� said a man with a long, twisted face and a strangely hollow __expression in his eyes, �then you�d prove very worthy of the Death Eaters indeed...but you must act quickly and join us, for the Ministry will want to recruit you for their own purposes first.� �Then let us hope, Antonin, that my son makes a swift -- and correct -- decision,� said a stooped, stern-looking man whom Lia recognized immediately to be Theo�s father, judging from the photographs around the office. Theo said nothing. The Death Eaters were spaced all around the room, some sitting in the high-backed chairs at the corners of the room, some leaning against the wall. All of them were men in their thirties and forties, except for Theo�s father and a heavy-lidded, dark-haired woman in her thirties, who was strolling around the office as if she owned it. Lia squinted to see the woman�s face, and, her heart racing, recognized her as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the murderous Azkaban escapees from January. �Let�s move onto business, shall we?� said Mr. Malfoy, sitting down at one of the high-backed chairs. Mr. Nott turned to Theo. �Upstairs, Theodore, this is confidential business.� Theo didn�t move. �I think I may have left my textbook in here, actually...� he walked around the room, bending to peer under desks, in pretense of looking for the book. �Nonsense, son, why would your textbook be in here? No one ever uses this office but me!� said Mr. Nott. �Upstairs with you.� Mr. Malfoy cleared his throat. �Perhaps Theodore should sit in and observe our meeting,� he said silkily. �Let us call it an orientation, of sorts?� Mr. Nott looked skeptical, but Theo quickly sat down in one of the high-backed chairs. �Thanks, that�d be very enriching,� he said in a falsely eager voice. The heavy-lidded woman abruptly stopped strolling and stared around at the Death Eaters and Theo, her eyes flashing. �Sit in on our meeting, Lucius? Sit in on our meeting? This is top-secret information for the Dark Lord!� She waved her hand at Theo. �He is a mere teenager -- he will reveal our secrets!� �Calm yourself, Bellatrix,� said the man with the goatee. �Our nephew is not stupid -- why would he reveal anything? Besides, his circle of friends includes those whose relations are allied with our cause.� The man nodded at Mr. Malfoy and two very beefy Death Eaters leaning against the wall, who grunted dully. Theo nodded. �Yeah, I have no reason to tell anyone; don�t worry.� The woman called Bellatrix glared around the room, cold fury in her eerie, sunken eyes. Mr. Malfoy looked smug, Mr. Nott glanced around shiftily, and Theo, leaning back casually in his chair, chanced a quick glance at the grandfather clock, where he met Lia�s eyes. Don�t move or make a sound, he seemed to say with his own eyes. Lia blinked in assent. Theo�s father started to lower himself onto the chair behind the huge mahogany desk, but paused. �Why are those blasted House-elves taking so long with the tea? And where is Avery?� A deafening sound came from the foyer, and all the Death Eaters turned to stare at the office door. A moment later, they seemed to decide that it was worth investigating, and all rose and hurried out the office door. As soon as the double doors swung shut, Theo leapt up from his seat and dashed to the grandfather clock. Lia poked her head out from behind the tiny glass window. �What d�you think that sound was?� she whispered. �I don�t know, but good that it happened,� whispered Theo, taking Lia�s hand and pulling her out a little from behind the clock. He nodded towards the large window beside it. �Now climb through there, find my broom, -- it�s laying out on the front lawn -- and fly back to Hogwarts.� �Are you kidding?� hissed Lia. �I already told you, I�m staying with you! Even if I wanted to fly there I couldn�t -- there�s the tiny fact that I�ve never flown a broom in my life!� �Look, this is the perfect chance -- they�re distracted by something; I think Avery�s back --� Indeed, there were loud voices coming from the foyer, and Lia and Theo -- who still had Lia�s hand in his own -- strained to hear what was going on. �I just made an honest, foolish mistake,� came the bawling voice of a man who was clearly in pain. �Thirty agonizing minutes of torture I endured for it!� �The Dark Lord is not forgiving, you incompetent fool,� said Bellatrix Lestrange�s voice. �But he always knows best. Bear the pain -- with pride and glory!� Lia squeezed on Theo�s hand to retrieve his attention. �Theo, your aunt -- she scares me. D�you think You-know-who is...here?� she whispered. �No, we�d know if he was here,� said Theo simply. �Now, go! I�ll hold the window open while you climb through, and I�ll meet you in our greenhouse in a while --� �How entirely precious! Young love is so inspiring,� came a falsely saccharine female voice from the office doorway. Bellatrix Lestrange was standing there, her sunken eyes gleaming with twisted delight. Theo and Lia stared at the woman, Lia's grip on Theo's hand tighter than ever. Her heart had dropped to her stomach and both their hands were like blocks of ice. "Well, well," said Bellatrix, stepping into the room. The double doors swung shut behind her, as if of their own accord. "Theodore, my dear nephew, you didn't tell us you had a guest," she said, smiling oddly and walking over to them. She stopped in front of Lia and looked down at her. Lia dared to look at her, her throat completely constricted. Bellatrix was nearly Theo's height and, up-close, Lia saw that her striking face was haggard and sunken, her gray eyes dancing with a haunted madness. Suddenly, she seized Lia's chin and turned it from side to side. "And what a pretty guest she is! Tell me, my dear, whyever were you hiding behind this grandfather clock? Have you, perhaps, something to hide?" Lia's chin was aching with pain as the woman gripped onto it, staring down at her. "Speak!" Theo let go of Lia's hand and cleared his throat. "Er, Aunt, this is -- a friend from school -- we were working on a project --" Bellatrix released Lia's chin and turned to Theo, a twisted smile returning to her lips. "Dear, dear Theodore -- the spitting image of my wonderful sister-in-law! Do you know, boy, that you have the same eyes, features, and stature as the lovely Ravena?" She sighed exaggeratedly heavily. "Pity that she didn't have the brains to match her beauty, eh?" Lia a muscle twitch in Theo's jaw. "Ravena never did approve of her precious brother marrying into the Noble House of Black, known for its history of Dark wizards and witches," continued Bellatrix in a singsong voice. "And she certainly did not approve when I and both her elder brothers all became Death Eaters, the poor dear! And then lo-and-behold, she discovers that her very own husband has been allied with the Dark Lord since before she was born! I almost feel sorry for the girl! But," she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially, "I daresay she got what she deserved!" "Shut up," said Theo quietly, his eyes burning with cold blue fury. Bellatrix raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. " My, my! Shocking, how today's youth dare to speak to their elders! Well, you are certainly foolhardy like your mother -- although I would rather call it foolish -- I always wondered why I married into a family that possessed such a stupid, ignorant girl who couldn't respect the noble work of --" "I SAID SHUT UP!" shouted Theo, brandishing his wand and causing Lia to jump. Bellatrix was staring at Theo, a delighted leer on her face. Theo was standing inches from her, his jaw set, but his hand that held his wand hovering uncertainly at his waist, as if he was unsure whether to attack Bellatrix or not. "Are you going to hex me, boy?" said Bellatrix in a voice barely above a whisper. "I, who have been taught by the Dark Lord himself, and who possess such powers that you could never hope to have?" "Theo, we really need to finish our Ancient Runes assignment!" Lia cried, stepping in between them. She had to do something -- she had a feeling that Theo was about to be exposed to the full wrath and powers that Bellatrix spoke of. Luckily, they both turned to look at her. "Silly me, I forgot about the real issue at hand," trilled Bellatrix, gazing at Lia, who felt her blood run cold. "We are ignoring Theodore's little girlfriend, who was, for some strange reason, hiding behind a clock and didn't have the manners to come and introduce herself during the meeting ten minutes ago!" Lia bit her lip, not breaking eye contact with Bellatrix. "Hiding behind a clock," said Bellatrix softly, "could only mean that you have something to hide yourself -- tell me, dear, what is it you are trying to conceal?" "N-nothing," said Lia in a choked voice. "Tut tut, little girls who lie aren't very nice, are they? Why ever did my nephew say that "someone like you" shouldn't be at this house? Are you perhaps, someone of whom the Death Eaters do not approve? Say, perhaps, a Muggle, or--" her eyes blazed with furious hatred-- "a Mudblood?" Lia found herself unable to speak. Bellatrix stepped very close to Lia and bent slightly, so that her face was level with Lia's. "Tell, me, what is your name?" Lia swallowed. There was no way she could reveal her name -- the very name that Death Eaters had sought out ten years ago and recognized as belonging to Muggles, and that too, Muggle enemies. "Do not ignore me, girl!" shrieked Bellatrix, causing Lia to jump. "Daphne! Daphne G-greengrass!" cried Lia, hoping against hope that she would believe her. Bellatrix straightened up, her eyes not moving from Lia's. "Greengrass, you say?" "Yes!" said Theo. "She's a Pureblood!" To Lia's dismay, Bellatrix merely laughed. "You teenagers do not comprehend the danger of lying to me! I happen to know that every member of the Greengrass family has curly hair of gold! This girl," she waved at Lia, "clearly does not! She lies! She lies!" Bellatrix clenched her bony fists and her face contorted with rage. "A dirty, filthy Mudblood was in this very room during a most important gathering -- hearing all our secrets, seeing all our members!" She turned to Theo, heaving with rage. "You should be ashamed of yourself -- not only associating with, but also consorting with the scum of the Earth! My very hands are contaminated with dirt now, for having touched her face!" "Her name is Daphne and she's not a Mudblood," insisted Theo, his face very pale. "She's as Pure as anyone!" "Stop lying! Stop it, I say!" shouted Bellatrix, seizing Lia as if she had spoken and not Theo and shaking her violently. "How dare you set foot in the house of a Pureblood? How dare you fraternize with one?" "I -- I'm not -- �Speak your name, girl!� shrieked Bellatrix, ignoring Theo. �Your true, filthy, common, Muggle name!� �She�s not a Muggle!� shouted Theo. �She�s as much a witch as you are!� Bellatrix�s face went very white, her fists clenching tighter than ever as she advanced on Theo. �How dare you?� she breathed. �How dare you compare me, daughter of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, to the scum of the earth!?� Lia stared, terrified, from Bellatrix, who was heaving with fury, to Theo, who was glowering at her. She made eye contact with Theo and mouthed the words Please don�t make her any angrier... �I�m giving you one last chance to tell me her name!� bellowed Bellatrix. �I will no longer speak to such filth! Tell me her name and I will rid this room of her!� �I told you her name,� said Theo evenly, although Lia saw something in his eyes that she�d rarely ever seen -- fear. �LIAR! I will have her name, once and for all!� And then, as Lia watched in horror, Bellatrix took out her wand and pointed it straight at Theo�s chest. �CRUCIO!� Theo fell hard to the ground, twitching and writhing. �Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!� �THEO!� screamed Lia, rushing over to Bellatrix. With all the strength she could muster, she threw herself against the woman, but to her shock, Bellatrix merely flinched and flung Lia against the wall at the far end of the office. Lia crumpled to the floor, her shoulder searing with pain, tears of horror and desperation spilling down her face. Bellatrix cackled as she watched Theo�s body contort, his face twisted with anguish. �Are you ready to tell me now, my dear, handsome nephew?� �NOOOO! STOP IT!� sobbed Lia, struggling to her feet and rushing towards Bellatrix again. �YOU�RE GOING TO KILL HIM!� But Bellatrix did not stop. She merely continued laughing with mingled glee and insanity as Theo writhed horridly on the floor and yelled out in agony. Suddenly, Lia saw it -- a large, liquid-filled vial fell out of his slacks pocket as he contorted on the floor. Without thinking twice, she dashed forward, snatched up the vial of Invisibility Balm, uncorked it, and flung the contents on Theo and then onto herself. Bellatrix stopped cackling at once, her wand shifting from Theo�s chest as she waved her arm around the room, clearly confused. �What the -- where did he -- !?� As if by instinct, Lia sensed where Theo was, even though he was completely invisible. She rushed over to the spot on the floor where he lay, slipped his limp arm over her shoulders, and heaved herself upwards -- a very difficult task. However, Bellatrix didn�t seem to realize where the pair of them were, as she dashed around the room, holding out her wand and shrieking in rage. �SHOW YOURSELVES!� Lia pulled urgently upwards, hoping against hope that Theo was still alive and willing him to move, stand up, do anything at all. Slowly, she found herself able to pull him upwards, and felt a surge of joy that she didn�t think she�d ever experienced when she heard a low, barely audible moan come from his direction. �Yes!� Lia allowed herself to whisper at Theo, since Bellatrix was at the other end of the room, shouting malevolently. �Almost there, Theo, almost there...� The pair of them stumbled over to the open window and managed to climb out onto the dark lawn. Once their feet touched the overgrown grass, Lia was shocked to discover that the invisible Theo seemed to gain a burst of energy, as he somehow grabbed Lia�s own invisible hand and pulled her toward the other side of the lawn. They ran, ran along with the billowing wind, not once looking back, as fast as their feet could take them. �What was that sound?� Lia heard Bellatrix shriek from the ever-fading office. �SHOW YOURSELVES! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO ESCAPE FROM ME?� Lia and Theo didn�t stop running until they reached his broomstick, lying on the front lawn, where he�d left it what seemed like an eternity ago. They leapt onto it, and Lia wrapped her arms around Theo�s waist as he kicked off from the ground, their hair billowing in the gusty wind as they soared miles up into the midnight sky. Neither of them uttered a word for the entire thirty-minute journey back to school. **** When they could see the towering visage of Hogwarts Castle emerge below them, Theo and Lia, who were again visible, seemed to come to a silent, mutual decision to land in front of Greenhouse #1 rather than the castle. It was as if the greenhouse represented to them warmth, comfort, sanctuary from the dangers and evils of the outside world. Lia whispered the incantation for the Illuminatus Spell and they walked numbly into the glowing light of the greenhouse, the doors shutting behind them. They made their way silently over to the small, red velvet rug beside the empty hearth and collapsed onto it, leaning against the brick walls surrounding the hearth. Theo leaned his head back and shut his eyes, his face pale and drawn, his legs stretched out before him. At once, Lia flung her arms around his neck, burying her head in his shoulder as she spoke through muffled sobs. �Oh, Theo, I�m s-so sorry you had to go through that...I�m so sorry...� Lia felt him stiffening for a moment. Then, he gently wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer to him. �Er, it�s alright,� she heard him say. �Don�t worry about it. I�m okay, really...� �Everything that�s happened tonight -- it�s all my fault -- all of it --� she whimpered into his shoulder, her tears flowing freely. He drew back a little and lifted her chin slightly, gazing at her tear-stained face. �It is not your fault.� �Are you sure you�re okay?� she whispered. �Yes. That was quite brilliant of you to use the Invisibility Balm, you know,� he said, using the sleeve of his starchy, pressed oxford shirt to dab away the tears flowing down her face. Lia stared up at him, her eyes threatening to spill forth with even more tears. �It -- it was really sweet of you not to reveal who I really was to -- to that woman. You could�ve easily -- I�d rather you had, in fact, but...thanks...� �I couldn�t tell her,� said Theo very quietly, his eyes bearing into hers. �I couldn�t let anything happen to you.� Lia gazed up at him, so many strong emotions soaring around in her mind. But Theo simply pressed her head against his chest. �It�s all over now, Lia,� he muttered, stroking her hair gently. And all the events of that evening seemed to wash away as Lia and Theo sat there in the dim, comforting glow of the greenhouse, drifting asleep to the sound of the gusty, whistling wind outside.