Note:

This story should have been uploaded a long time ago, I forgot to post it up.

Thanks to my betas:

Aya + Nadin

The summer sunshine was steaming all around the castle grounds at Hogwarts. Birds were chirping, and fish were jumping. Why just that morning the Giant Squid had managed to ovulate.

The peaceful rest of the Slytherins was jarred by a piercing scream from none other than Ron Weasley.

"Ron!" Draco shouted punching the boy awake. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Spiders," Ron murmured, alarmed." I don't want to dance."

Draco looked at Ron strangely, and then began to laugh psychotically. "Dance, monkey!" he grinned convulsing in fits of laughter.

The topic of Ron's comedic alarm clock was the talk during breakfast at the Slytherin table. Draco had persisted to laugh all through his shower, and only stopped when Harry mentioned a joke about dropping the soap that no one else seemed to get.

After the last of the dishes were gone, there appeared in their place a piece of parchment in front of every student except for the sixth and seventh years who Professor Snape was talking to privately.

Harry peered down at this schedule curiously, as butterflies seemed to race around in his stomach. It was hard to believe he had thought himself a regular muggle earlier this year, Harry said to himself.

"Good haul for our first year,"Draco said looking over the first year schedule. "Defense with the Hufflepuffs first, Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws, and double potions with the Gryffindors on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays."

"And," Neville said chiming in. "Double Charms with the Ravenclaws, Care of Magical Creatures with the Gryffindors, History of Magic and Astronomy with the Hufflepuffs on Tuesdays, and Thursdays."

"What happened to Herbology?" Hermione asked coming down from the other end of the table with Millicent Bulstrode and Pansy Parkinson in tow.

"Professor Sprout is still on vacation to Majorca," Ardin said stepping over. "I hear she'll be back next month. Of course, that means we'll have Herbology lessons on the weekends."

"Okay, First Years," a tall, female Slytherin prefect said from the end of the table." Off you get to class, I'll only show you once where everything is. So follow me!"

Professor Quirrell was a strange man. His classroom was located on the first floor of Hogwarts; its every window was open streaming sunlight in that clashed with the gothic colours. The strong smell of rotten garlic assaulted you as you entered, and various holy muggle motifs decorated the walls.

"So, when are we going to do some magic?" Blaise asked over Professor Quirrell's lesson.

"Now is not the time for questions, Mr. Zabini," Quirrell stuttered.

"Never, then?" Draco shouted over the professor.

The duration of Defense Against the Dark Arts continued like this, with Draco, Blaise, and Professor Quirrell taking turns shouting over each other and straying further and further from the lesson plan. Draco seemed to have the most to say, and his ramblings continued on to Potions.

"You know what I really think about that git?" Draco said, standing a top his part of the workbench.

"I'm curious to find out, Mr. Malfoy." A silky voice said from the entrance to the door. Draco gulped, and sat down his face quickly becoming enflamed.

"Now," Severus said shutting the door dramatically, and striding to the center of the room. "As I trust there will be no more interruptions."Ah, yes. Mr. Potter, our new celebrity. Finnegan! What would I get if I added powdered Wormwood to the Draught of the Living Dead?"

"I don't know sir," Seamus said looking furiously at Harry.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Tell me than. When is the best time to pickle Lupine saliva?"

"Again, I have no clue Professor." Seamus said barely keeping the fury from his voice. "But, why don't you ask Dean. He seems to know the answer."

"I Practically gave you the answer Finnegan, ten points from Gryffindor for Irish drunkeness, and a detention Friday."

"Adding powdered Wormwood to the Draught of the Living Dead renders it useless, Lupine saliva can only be collected or manipulated at night. You should know this from basic Latin, just by name alone. Well! Why aren't you all copying this down?"

Instantly the room was full of the sounds of shuffling paper, and busy Quills. Professor Snape turned to the board and began to write out instructions using his wand; finally turning back to the class he seemed to roll his eyes with disgust.

"Today we will attempt, and attempt is the key word. To make a simple Pepper Up Potion. The ingredients are on the board; you will have the rest of the period save ten minutes. And to make it even easier, everyone at your table may work together. Get started."

And with that he was gone in to his office with a swirl of his robes.

"I'll go get supplies," Draco said getting up and walking towards the storeroom.

"So, Harry. "Blaise said looking bored. "I hear you fancy Draco."

"What!" Harry sputtered looking shocked, as his face went red. "I do not."

"Touché, I was joking. Oh, but you do fancy him don't you? I won't tell."

"I'm serious, Blaise," Harry said as Blaise began to giggle. "Oh, he's back."

"Are you good at potions?" Draco asked, as he sat back down.

"No," Blaise said rolling his eyes.

"Yes," Hermione said as she began to add ingredients to the cauldron.

"I'm not sure," Harry said as he watched Neville's cauldron blow up from a table away. "But I don't want to find out."

Harry grimaced, as Pansy and Millicent began to berate Neville while trying to clean their clothes off.

"Hey, Potter!" A voice called out as Harry turned back around.

"Do I know you?" Harry asked to the boy Severus had called, Finnegan.

"Finnegan, Seamus Finnegan." the boy said smirking.

"Is that like Bond, James Bond?" Hermione asked, Harry was the only one who laughed with her.

"Shut up mudblood," Seamus said hostile.

"Who are you calling a mudblood, mudblood?" Millicent said stepping up from the back, "As if you're much better, and the product of drunks too."

"Thanks Millie, but I can handle this myself. "Hermione said stepping up to Seamus. "If you have a problem with me, then we can settle that. But, don't try and look down on my family. I'm proud to be a muggleborn, at least I'm not inbred like most of your family."

"What are you going to do, eh wench?" Seamus asked, nodding at Dean.

"How about a duel?" Hermione suggested, looking calm.

"Okay, meet me in the abandoned classroom on the third floor corridor. Tonight, at eleven."

"Fine, I'll be there. Just make sure you don't go boasting and get us caught."

Seamus stormed away, with Dean in tow as Millicent and Pansy began to act as if they were going to castrate him.

"Whoa," Draco said looking in awe. "Go Hermione!"

"I didn't know you could duel," Harry said. "Wicked!"

"Well," Hermione said looking down at her feet. "The thing is..."

"You can't duel," Blaise said with his hands on his hips. "Can you?"

"Not exactly," Hermione whispered.

"Not exactly?" Draco shouted. "You are a class act Hermione, and we've only got a few hours to teach you."

"Yes," Millicent said pushing Hermione in the direction of the Slytherin common room. "We have to teach you how to duel, before you get yourself hurt."

The Slytherin common room was a buzz that night as everyone was giving Hermione tips on dueling.

"Teach her the cruciatus!" one-seventh year boy yelled.

"Don't be stupid, that's illegal!" another person said from by the fireplace.

"How about the bat boogey hex?" Ardin asked coming in to the common room.

"Nah," Ron said. "My sister can do that one, and she doesn't even have a wand yet."

"I know," Draco said smiling. "Serpensortia!"

"Good idea," Pansy said nodding. "Every little Gryffindor is afraid of a big, bad snake."

"So, do you think you can do this?" Ardin said to Hermione as he showed her the wand movements for the spell.

"I think so," Hermione said looking anxious. "Serpensortia!"

A burst of black light shot from her wand, and a large grey snake began to emerge. Its brightly glowing red eyes seemed to follow the students around appraisingly. It began to increase towards Harry menacingly, knocking him over.

"Stop," Harry said but his voice coming out as a loud hiss.

"Holy fuck!" Neville yelled from his seat in an armchair. "You're a Parseltongue."

"A what?" Harry hissed.

"Stop it!" Ron yelled.

"Sorry," Harry said in his normal voice. "I'm a what?"

"A Parseltongue," A strange boy with wispy blonde hair and bulging blue eyes said from behind him. "That is to say, a wizard who is able to communicate with snakes."

"Tom Lovegood," the tall boy said helping Harry up. "Seventh year."

"Thanks," Harry said standing up. "For the lift up, and the explanation."

"This stays in the house!" Ardin said making sure everyone heard him. "I don't want to hear anyone else discussing this, or else Professor Snape will know."

"Come on," Draco said stepping towards the portrait. "We need to go, don't want to miss the duel."

"What about dinner?" Ron asked.

"This is more important than food," Blaise said dramatically. "Besides, my older brother told me how to get in to the kitchens."

"Fine," Ron said as they exited the common room. "But I'm still hungry."

The walk to the third floor corridor was mostly quiet, except for the few outbursts Ron continued to make about his increasing hunger. The floor was oddly deserted when they reached it, and the only sign of life was what seemed like the shadow of a cat running.

"Does anyone find this kind of..." Pansy started.

"Creepy?" Neville finished.

"Yeah."

"One time," Draco said. "I was chased by a group of dementors. This kind of reminds me of that."

"Is this like the time the muggles chased you on your broom, and you had to do amazing aerial maneuvers to get rid of them?" Millicent asked.

"Busted!" Hermione laughed, pointing at Draco.

"Oh relax guys," Neville said as they opened the door to the abandoned room. "It's not like we'll run in to Cerebrus up here or anything."

"Who?" Harry asked puzzled.

"Cerebrus, the three headed dog that guards the underworld." Blaise answered.

"Oh," Ron said wobbly. "Why didn't you say so? You mean like that one right there?"

"What the hell are you talking about Weas..."? Draco was cut off as his mouth gaped open in horror.

There standing in front of them was a giant three-headed dog with massive teeth that had just been awoken from its sleep.