Lucy's POV

As Harry, Ron and I entered in the Gryffindor common room, Seamus, Neville and some of

the other Gryffindors hover nearby.

"Detention? On the first day?" Neville asked in astonishment.

"That must be some kind of record." Seamus bemused.

We nodded sorrowfully.

"And stupid." An angry voice spat behind us. We tensed and slowly turned around and came face-to-face with Hermione, obviously pissed off.

She crossed her arms. "Care to explain the rumors that the three of you flew here to Hogwarts using an enchanted car?"

We stayed silent, not knowing where to start.

A 'light bulb' suddenly, popped in my head. "I have an idea. Why don't you boys go upstairs and get some rest, and I'll be the one who will explain what entirely happened to Hermione so that, she won't easily jump into conclusions." I suggested, giving Harry and Ron a 'do-what-i-say' look.

They simultaneously nodded and rushed upstairs to their dorms.

I grabbed Hermione's hand, and went to our own dorm.

We plopped on my bed. Hermione is literally bouncing, waiting for informations.

"Tell me all the details! And no skipping!"

And, yeah... I told her why we have to use Mr. Weasley's car, the invisibility booster of the car damaged, and that the whomping willow attacked us.

After I'm done, her jaw dropped and stayed like that for minutes.

Once she regained her composure, "Wow.... But I have one question. Did Ron's wand snapped into half?" I nodded. She snickered, shooking her head.

"Obviously. By the way, go to sleep now, you'll have eye bags."

I hate Eye Bags!

She get off my bed and lay onto her own.

"Night Lucy!"

"Night Hermione!"

But I remembered the Diary I found tucked in my book at the Burrow.

I get up and searched it inside my luggage.

I pulled out my quill and ink, and started writing on it,

"I am Lucy Conner." To my surprise, the ink vanished, and a new writings appeared.

"Hello Lucy. My name's Tom Riddle." It replied.

I stared at it in disbelief, but curiosity takes over me and I asked,

"Is this real?"

"Apparently it is."

Tom and I talked for minutes until my eyes started to droop.

"It's nice talking to you, Tom, but I must get a sleep. I have classes tomorrow."

"I understand. Let's talk again if you have enough time."

"No problem. Good night."

"Good Night, Lucy."

I closed the Diary and put it on the table besides me.

I turned off the lamp and fell into a peaceful sleep with a smile on my face, thinking I made

a strange new friend.

____________________________________________________________

I woke up by Hermione, shaking me furiously.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty! You don't wanna be late for classes, do you?"

Instantly, I threw my covers and head to the bathroom and do my usual routine.

I dressed in my uniform and fix my hair. I cast a drying spell on it and braided like a headband and curled it. I got my kitten ears and pin it where my braid is.

"I'm ready Eveready fully Charge!"

She squealed. "I love your look, so cute!"

I laughed. "Come on. Let's head down to breakfast!"

In the Great Hall, students are chattering. Except for Ron who's stuffing his mouth with who-knows-what.

We approached them, I bend down on their ears and shout,

"GOOD MORNING BOYS!" They jumped and bumped their head to each other and fell off their sits.

Hermione and I are laughing hard on the floor with some students and -suprisingly- Professors.

Harry and Ron stand up, caressing their heads, groaning.

"Blimey, Lucy! I didn't know that you can be so loud." Ron muttered the last sentence.

I smiled sheepishly and sat down beside Harry and Hermione. "Sorry."

Harry glanced at my kitten ears and touched it softly.

"These are cute." He cooed and flicked the tip of my nose.

"Ouch!"

"That's for shouting on us a while ago." I sticked my tongue out and he did the same.

"Okay, Love Birds. Once your done flirting to each other, can we head to our first class

now?" Hermione spoke amused.

We blushed and get up.

Damn you, 'Mione!

"We're not flirting.." Harry and I muttered to ourselves.

She scoffed but didn't respond.

__________________________________________________________

We're here at the Greenhouse Three for Herbology, our first class.

Unfortunately, Hermione and Ron are fighting... Again.

"I should think you'd count yourself lucky that's all you got." Hermione commented.

"I should think you'd mind your own business." Ron shot back.

They glared at each other until I spoke.

"Can you two stop quarreling like an old married couple!" I snapped angrily.

They flushed and quickly avoided each other's eyes.

I rolled my eyes and glanced at our Professor.

Professor Sprout was standing behind a trestle bench in the center of the greenhouse.

About twenty pairs of different-colored ear muffs were lying on the bench.

"We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" She asked the class. To nobody's surprise, Hermione's and I's hands were first into the air.

"Yes, Ms. Conner and Granger?"

"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," We chorused. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Excellent. Twenty points to Gryffindor," Professor Sprout awarded.

Hermione and I beamed and high-five each other.

"The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous.

Who can tell me why?"

My hand narrowly missed Harry's glasses as I shot it up again.

"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it." We answered promptly.

"Precisely. Take another twenty points," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young."

She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a

better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in color, were growing there in rows.

"Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout.

There was a scramble as everyone -including me- tried to seize a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy.

Choosy much... But I'm really not a fan of pink..

"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered," said

Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right - earmuffs on."

I snapped the earmuffs over my ears. They shut out sound completely.

Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.

Instead of roots that I'm expecting, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs.

I crinkled my nose in disgust. Even though they're quite useful, they're still nasty.

Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible.

Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave us all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs.

"As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet," she said calmly as though she'd just done nothing more exciting than water a begonia. "However, they will knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up."

"Five to a tray - there is a large supply of pots here - compost in the sacks over there - and be careful of the Venemous Tentacula, it's teething."

She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder.

Plants here in the Wizarding World are really scary... And deadly.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were joined at our tray by a curly-haired Hufflepuff boy that I knew by sight but had never spoken to.

"Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said brightly, shaking Harry by the hand. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter... And you're Hermione Granger - always top in everything." Hermione beamed as she had her hand shaken too.

He turned to me and slightly blushed. Why does every boy -except Ron and Harry- blush when I'm talking with them?! It's getting annoying...

He shook my hand. "And you're Lucy Conner, Hogwarts' Sweetheart, everybody knows you, too." I looked at him confused.

"Hogwarts' Sweetheart?" He nodded.

"Yeah. Everybody adores you, including the Professors. Always top in everything like Ms. Granger here, generous to everyone, has an angelic voice, a smile that can make others smile as well and very beautiful, too." He gushed. I'm in shock, of course.

I blinked numerous times. "Oh. I-i'm very flattered. Thank you!"

I saw Harry from the corner of my eye, glaring at Justin, and Hermione and Ron smirking, amused.

"Anyway, that Lockhart's something, isn't he?" said Justin happily as we began fiIling our plant pots with dragon dung compost. "Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I'd have died of fear if I'd been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and - zap - just fantastic."

After that, we didn't have much chance to talk. Our earmuffs were back on

and we needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. Professor Sprout had made it

look extremely easy, but it wasn't.

The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but didn't seem to want to go back

into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their

teeth; I spent ten whole bloody minutes trying to squash a particularly fat one into a pot.

By the end of the class, Harry, Hermione, Ron and I, like everyone else, were sweaty, aching, and covered in earth.

Everyone traipsed back to the castle for a quick wash and then the four of us hurried off to The Great Hall.