"I don't understand why you must scream so much," Draco said from beside me, adjusting his ear muffs. "It's so uncivilized."

I laughed and waved my small soggy Gryffindor flag in his face, "Because, Draco, that is my brother out there. The second-best chaser in Hogwarts. I have to show my support."

He gave me a disgusted look as he swatted the flag away, "That red is so garish."

"Just because you wear monochrome and green doesn't mean everyone el-"

I was cut off by the scream of a younger Slytherin. "What is that?" the boy sitting to my left asked, pointing up into the sky.

I looked up and squinted through the rain. Someone was falling, and falling fast.

"Is that Potter?" Draco questions, his lip curling. "He's going to show off again. Just because he got on the team first year doesn't mean he can-"

I grabbed his arm as something went whizzing past our stand toward the school.

"That was a broom!" I look back up, "That was Harry's broom!"

Students all over the pitch were screaming as Harry lost altitude. Many of them I could hear crying.

There was a slight pause in the rain, a calmness, a moment of silence but it was quickly interrupted by a red streak diving after the boy.

"No," Draco breathes, paling.

"Zenith! Zenith, no!"

He was going in for a deep dive, too deep. I could see the minute his grip slid and he flipped,I watched helplessly as he flailed, trying to grab onto his broom again. He misses.

"ZENITH!" I scream.

He hit the ground with a wet thump that I could barely hear over the din around me and the rushing in my ears. I  could feel myself beginning to hyperventilate before I felt hands on my shoulders, guiding me to the stairs.

I don't remember walking down them, but suddenly I'm on the pitch and Zenith's there, lying face down with one of his arms pinned.

I could feel tears running down my face, mixing in with the rain.

"Zenith," I cry, running to him. "Please be ok. Please be ok."

My breath hitched as I reached him and tried to turn him over. When I laid him on his back, I felt his heartbeat and sobbed in relief.

I held him in my lap as the teachers finally made their way down. I watched as Dumbledore ran over to where he carefully set Harry down. Madame Hooch was telling the teams to go to the locker rooms as they landed.

Madame Pomfrey runs over to us quickly, "It will be alright."

She uses her wand to run a quick diagnostic spell on my brother, and sighs in relief.

"It's just a broken arm and a couple bruises. Nothing life-threatening."

I feel Draco beside me. He's sitting in the mud, ruining his tailored pants. He pets my wet hair down with his hand as he pulls me into his side.

"It happened so fast," I gasped. "He was trying to hold on, but he just slipped."

My breath hitches on another sob and I can't breathe, I can't breathe, can't breathe, I can't-

"Shh," Draco says softly. "It's alright. You need to let go of him so he can go to the hospital wing."

I opened my eyes. When did they close?  Madame Pomfrey still crouched in front of us with a stretcher conjured beside her. The other teachers were carrying Harry away on another.

My hands were cold and shaking when I unclenched them from Zenith's uniform. Pomfrey carefully levitated him onto the stretcher before turning back to me.

"You'll be coming too. You need some Pepper-Up to help with the shock." She gives me a smile and wraps her arm around my shoulder, "He will be just fine, Miss Black. You know he will want you to take care of yourself too."

I nod numbly as she pulls me up and begins to lead me away. I turn around to look at Draco. His blond hair is plastered to his head, his gel gone, and dripping into his eyes. His robes aren't in much better shape than his trousers; muddy, wet, and most likely ruined.

He doesn't seem to care though as he gives me a nod and a quickly disguised look of concern regarding Zenith.

The hall outside the hospital wing was silent except for my footsteps as I paced. Madame Pomfrey had quickly shooed me out after giving me a pepper-up so she could  focus on her two patients.

I couldn't get the image of Zenith lying on the crisp white sheets, pale with grass in his hair and mud on his face, out of my head. He was always so lively it was strange to see him still.

A soft voice interrupted the silence.

"Cressida?"

I turned to see Neville standing there, nervously holding a brown bag in his hand.

"Neville," I give him a small smile.

"Are you doing ok?" he questions as he walks forward.

I shrug, "As good as I can, I guess."

He fiddles with the bag in his hands for a moment more before taking a breath and holding it out to me.

"I-I got these for you," he blushed. "I asked Zenith what your favorite was. It's the closest thing I could find."

I look at the bag, surprised, before carefully grabbing it.

"Thank you," I said appreciatively, peering into the bag. "What is it?"

"Um, acid pops," he says, "They're the closest thing I could find to anything spicy at Honeydukes."

"Oh," I smiled stiffly. I'm going to murder Zenith. "Thank you. I bet they're going to be great!"

Neville's smile fell, "You don't like them, do you?"

"No!" I hastily corrected, grabbing one and putting it in my mouth. So sour. "No, I do. They are delicious. Thank you, Neville."

He smiled again and sighed, "Good, I'm glad. I was nervous."

I laughed awkwardly, trying not to think about the taste in my mouth as he said goodbye and walked off.

I wait a few seconds after he turns the corner before spitting out the Acid Pop.

"Ugh," A voice says behind me, "You know, it would have been easier to tell him you hated them. Instead of sparing his feelings."

I rolled my eyes and turned around, glaring at Draco Malfoy.

His hair was perfect again, and his clothes looked freshly pressed. He was holding a small bundle of something in his arms.

"Not all of us are prats, Malfoy," I say, once again grimacing at the aftertaste of the candy.

"Sometimes a bit of pratness is warranted," he smirks. "Daphne and Ivy wanted me to bring these to you."

He holds out the items in his arms, and I see they are some of my clothes.

"Thank them for me, will you?" I narrowly avoided his stinging hex as I grabbed the clothes from him.

Before his hands fully pulled back, I quickly grabbed one and stuck the nasty candy in his palm. Yes, the candy that had previously been in my mouth.

He jerked back in surprise before staring in shock at his hand. After a moment, he flapped his hand around, trying to dislodge the candy.

I was doubled over in laughter as I watched him. His eyes were wide, and his lips curled in distaste. He finally grabbed the end of it with his other hand and vanished it with a wave of his wand. 

"You," he breathed, running his untouched hand over his hair, fixing a few flyaways. "Are a nuisance, Black. Why I put up with either of you is unknown."

"Oh come on, Malfoy,"  I breathed, still laughing. "Your life would be boring without us."

He didn't give a response, yet he merely fixed his robes again. Suddenly, the doors to the hospital wing opened, and the medi-witch stuck her head out into the hall.

"They are sleeping, but I will allow you to visit for a while."

As if summoned by an invisible force, the entirety of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, plus Ron and Hermione, made an appearance in the hall, coming around the corner.

"Is he alright?" Hermione questioned worriedly.

Madam Pomfrey stepped fully into the hall with her hands on her hips and sighed.

"Fine, I will allow you all a few minutes, but if you stress out my patients, you are out!"

They all nodded and quickly pushed past us to get in. Draco and I rolled our eyes.

"Gryffindors," we agreed.

The once quiet hospital wing was now full of a large group of loud, boisterous lions dressed in red.

They were spread out between the two beds. A majority were closest to Harry, although Ron passed me on my way to my brother. He was holding something in his arms.

"Lucky the ground was so soft," I could hear one of the players say. I could not see who.

"I thought he was dead for sure," another, similar voice replied. Must be the Weasley twins then.

I tuned them out as I reached Zenith. He seemed a lot better now. He was still pale, and there was a bandage wrapped around his head. His left arm was in a sling, and I felt a pang as I saw it.

"You are so stupid, Zenith," I whisper, sitting in the chair beside his bed.

I grabbed his right hand and settled it on the edge of his bed. I turned towards the other bed as I heard a commotion. Harry must be awake then. Draco was standing silently a few yards away, giving me some privacy with my brother.

"Are you surprised at all?" a voice croaked from beside me.

I turned back quickly, "Zenith!"

I grabbed his shoulders and quickly hugged him, pulling back when he winced.

"Sorry! Sorry, I was just, I was so scared."

Zenith winced again as he slowly pushed himself up against his pillows, and I handed him a glass of water from the small bedside table when he coughed.

"Well, as you can see, I'm alright."

He handed back the glass as he adjusted and winced. He looked down at his arm and flexed his fingers.

Pomfrey walked over, "Your arm healed with some Skele-gro, but will still be weak for a day or two. Take it easy. I will keep you here for a few days, then you'll be back with your yearmates."

We nodded in relief. Neither of us liked the hospital wing much.

"Thank you," Zenith said. She nodded and walked away.

Zenith turned to me, "What happened? With the game?"

"I don't actually know," I said, "I've been outside in the hall since you fell."

"Do you know who won?"

Before I could respond, Drace stepped forward.

"Hufflepuff's seeker caught the snitch. He's been attempting to get a rematch." He rolled his eyes, "says it wasn't a fair game, and doesn't want to take the win."

Zenith scowled at the news and looked up at the ceiling.

I punched his good arm. He just looked so miserable, I had to.

"Ow!" he cried, cradling both arms to his chest now. "What was that for?"

"That," I said, smirking as Draco tried not to laugh, "was to stop your pouting like a first-year and for what you did to poor Neville! Why in Merlin's name would you tell him I liked that sort of candy?"

He smirked, "It was funny!" he turned to Draco who was looking for an easy way to slip out. "Come on, it was. I wish I could have seen your reaction."

"Are you going to do that with every person who shows an interest?" I huffed, sitting down again.

"Yes," he said. "Obviously. I'm your brother, I have to."

He sighed again as he looked over at the team still by Harry's bed.

"We really lost?"

"Afraid so, Zen." One of the voices from earlier piped up from beside me. When did he get there? Fred and George Weasley now stood on each side of the hospital bed, still in their beaters gear.

"How are our favorite other twins doing?" Fred asked.

"We saw you dive after Harry-"

"Watched as you slipped off your broom-"

"And then you were both falling-" they were doing their twin-speaking thing.

"At least thirty feet-"

"Quite heroic, in my opinion-" George swooned over Zenith.

"Our knight in shining armor," Fred laughed.

"I looked good as I did it though, right?" Zenith questioned, laughing along.

"As good as ever, Black," the twins replied.

"How could you ever threaten to leave us without your stunning looks, Zenith?"

"Yeah, how would we even live?"

With that, the redheaded twins dramatically draped themselves over my brother. They confessed their love for his beauty as he sat there laughing until Madam Pomfrey came over and kicked us all out.

    I gave my brother one last punch to the shoulder as a goodbye and left him to the quiet of the sterile hospital wing.

The Slytherin common room was busy as Draco and I walked through the door. There were multiple groups of students spread throughout the room. A few first years were playing a game of exploding snap in the back corner, Crabbe and Goyle were leaning against the wall, talking in low tones to each other, Blaise and Parkinson were sitting at a table doing some homework together, and Ivy, Daphne, and Daniel were immersed in Wizard's Chess.

"How do you always win?" Daniel demanded as he watched Ivy once again wipe the board.

She just gives him a serene little smile as she sets up the pieces again.

Daniel crosses his arms, "I am not doing another round right now, we all know who is going to be the winner."

"You always act so surprised," Daphne said from the seat beside them.

"Ivy beat you again, Daniel?"

"Oh shut it, Cressida. Like you've ever won."

"And I have accepted that."

I nudged Daphne over in the seat so I could fit in beside her. She motioned for my hands, and began to do my nails as I watched Draco go to Zabini.

"You have the prettiest nails, Cress," Daphne said. Her own nails were painted a soft pink. "Curse those perfect Black genes, I'm jealous."

Ivy showed me what Daphne did for her nails, "I always bite mine, but she says they aren't horrible."

Daphne pulled out the matching pink to both of their nails and began to paint mine as we all sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

Daniel finally broke it when he asked, "How is your brother?"

Daphne stopped for a moment and looked up at me, "Yeah, it seemed like a nasty fall, from what I heard."

Daphne didn't go to any quidditch game unless it was Sslytherin playing.

"He's ok, already back to his annoying self," I laughed. "His arm was broken but I think that's the worst of it."

"Have you talked to your father yet?" Ivy asked. "He came by looking for you just a few minutes before you came back. He probably went to see Zenith."

Daphne finished my nails and I gave her a hug in thanks, "I haven't seen him yet, I will go find him once he's done checking on Zen."

Daphne and I watched as Snape stormed through the door of our Defense class a few days later. We looked at each other confused.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Ron asked from the front row.

"He says he is feeling ill today," Snape said with a smirk. "Sit down, Weasley."

He stared at him for a moment.

"What's wrong with him, sir? Is he alright?"

Snape sneered, "Nothing life-threatening. Now, I told you to sit down. Five points from Gryffindor. Do not make it fifty."

I looked at Daphne. Papa was sick? Why didn't he say anything over the weekend?

Hermione finally sat down, face red.

"As I was saying, Professor Lupin has not left any record of his lessons to show what you have covered so far-"

"Please, sir," Hermione interrupted. "We've done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows."

"And," I continued, "we were just about to start-"

"Quiet. Both of you," Snape glared at Hermione before turning to me. "I did not ask you. I was merely commenting on Lupin's horrid lack of organization."

"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we have had!" Dean Thomas, a 3rd year Gryffindor sitting beside Ron said. Many of us agreed.

Snape rolled his eyes, "You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overworking you. I would expect first-years to be able to deal with Red Caps and grindylows. Today, we are going to be discussing Werewolves."

The class went silent and I looked at Snape suspiciously. Why out of everything would he be teaching about werewolves today?

I raised my hand, but Snape ignored it.

"Sir," I called, he glared. "We aren't supposed to begin Werewolves for a while yet. We were just about to start on Hinkypunks-"

"Miss Black," Snape ground out, "I was not under the impression that you were the one teaching this class. Turn to page 394. Now! All of you!"

I glared at Snape's back as he waited for us to open our books. He had never taken a liking to me, even though he was my head of house. What happened to Slytherin's stick together? Jerk.

Once we had all opened our books to the specified page, Snape addressed us, "Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?"

Nobody except Hermione and I raised our hands.

"Anyone?" Snape ignored us. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the distinction between-"

"We told you, sir," a Gryffindor, Parvati said. "We haven't got as far as werewolves yet. We're still on-"

"Silence!" Snape snarled. "Well, well, I never thought I would see a third-year class that couldn't tell me how to recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make sure to inform Professor Dumbledore about your lack of education."

"Sir," I said. Nobody would kick my father out of this school. Especially not Snape of all people. "The werewolf differs in small ways from a real wolf. Its snout is-"

"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn today, Black. I would have expected such from a know-it-all like Granger, but it seems she's going to have some competition."

A few of the students snickered as I glared into Snape's eyes. I felt my face go red. How dare he?

"You," he continued, "are just like your miserable excuse of a father-"

Ron suddenly stood up, face red and fists clenched, "You asked a question and she knew the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told the answer?"

The class held their breath as Snape stalked down the aisle to Ron.

"Detention, Weasley," He said, his voice dangerously smooth. He moved his face very close to Ron's, "And if I ever hear you criticize my teaching again, you will be very sorry indeed."

He walked away, and Ron sat in a huff. I got his attention and smiled in thanks. He gave me a nod and looked away with a red face. Huh? Strange.

The rest of the class period went by in a slow, oppressive silence. No more students spoke, afraid of getting yelled at by Snape because it seemed even he wasn't holding back from the Slytherins today.

By the end of class, I had two rolls of parchment on werewolves and I was very confused. One of the topics in the book was moon phases, as they are what control the werewolf transformations.

Tonight there will be a full moon.

Papa was sick today.

I thought back to all of the times Papa's "allergies" acted up. Last month? Full moon. Last July? Full moon. Too many times to be just a coincidence.

'At all other days of the month, a werewolf is almost indistinguishable from a normal human. They age prematurely, and gain a pallor as the full moon approaches. Many have scars from self-inflicted wounds during transformation...'

I sat back in my seat. It was impossible. Papa, a werewolf? How did he hide it from us? Why would he hide it from us? We are his children, doesn't he trust us?

The more I sat there reading and thinking it over, the more obvious it became. Papa, my Papa, Remus J. Lupin was a werewolf. How could I have missed this? How was I so stupid?

I looked up from my notes to see Snape watching me with a smirk. That bloody bastard. He knew! He knew Papa was a werewolf and created this lesson in hopes we found out! I glared at him until he looked away to continue his rounds.

The bell finally rang, and we gathered our things until Snape stopped us.

"You will each write an essay, handed into me, about how to recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls and I want them Monday morning. Weasley, stay. We need to discuss your detention."

If looks could kill, that stupid potions master would be six feet under and rotting. Good thing I was already going to be doing extra research, two rolls of parchment would be easy. I grabbed my stuff and stormed out of the room, pausing only to give Ron a quick hug and a thank you. He turned bright red and stuttered as I left.

A few hours later, I finally spotted a head of red hair leaving the Hospital Wing.

"Ron," I called, catching up to him and Hermione.

"Cressida!" He smiled.

Hermione, who was carrying a bunch of books, glared at me, "I'm going to the library, Ron, join me when you're done."

"Yeah, no thanks!" the freckled boy laughed, making a face.

Hermione rolled her eyes and with a final nod at me, headed off to the library. We were what could be considered frenemies. We tolerated each other because of mutual friendships but were brutal in classes and tests because we were both the top witches of our year. It was honestly a fun way to make sure I kept doing my work.

"Did you need anything?" Ron asked as he rocked on his heels.

"Oh! Yes," I smiled as we started heading towards the Great Hall. Dinner wouldn't be too far off. "I wanted to thank you for standing up for me today in class, and to apologize for getting you detention."

Ron waved it off with a smile, 'It's fine! Snape was being a bloody berk. About time someone tells him off in my opinion."

I laughed as he puffed out his chest.

"Did you just see Zenith?"

He nodded, "Yeah. He cannot wait to get out. He's going mental in there."

I laughed, "He can't stay still for the life of him."

We reached the doors of the Great Hall and I could hear the murmur of voices inside.

"I hope you have a good dinner," I said smiling, "and sorry again for your detention after."

He laughed it off again, "It's alright. It was worth it to keep you out of detention. I would easily do it again for you."

He froze and we both turned red.

"Um, well." he began, face covered in a blush. He scratched the back of his head with a small smile, "Cause you know, you're such a good mate and all. And I do that for my friends, and-"

"Well, thank you, Ron. I'm glad to be friends with you."

He gave me a big smile, and still blushing, waved me goodbye and walked into the Great Hall.

I followed after him and went to the Slytherin table, sitting across from Daphne and beside Daniel. Ron and I made eye contact once more and I looked away when Daniel elbowed me with an eyebrow raised. I shoved him back with a blush. That was weird.

The next few weeks seemed to fly by, and with Ravenclaw's monumental win over Hufflepuff in their last game, the tensions were high for the team.

Our team captain, Marcus Flint, was a big seventh-year with a mean face. He was one of my fellow chasers, along with Graham Montague. Cassius Warrington was a backup in case one of us was injured, which seeing how the boys played, happened quite often. The whole team was made up of mainly muscle, but thankfully, he made the right choice in letting me join last year alongside Malfoy. It was mainly due to the sleek Nimbus 2001's Lucius Malfoy bought, but I have more than proven my worth these last two seasons.

Being the only girl on the team, and smaller than almost every other player was a challenge. At first, I had to constantly prove to them I deserved my spot, but once they realized not every game could be won through brute force, especially against Gryffindor, they reluctantly realized they needed some brains on the team.

Our beaters, Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole hit the opposing players with their bats almost as much as the actual bludgers. Miles Bletchley, our Keeper, was very focused on his job. Did that mean he was always good? No, definitely not. As Lee Jordan liked to point out every game, Flint really liked going for size rather than skill. Draco Malfoy wasn't a horrible seeker, he got the job done, and enjoyed it. He always tried his hardest.

Marcus worked us all ragged throughout the month. We practiced at least three days a week, and in the week leading up to the actual game, he got permission from Snape to get more time. By the time game day dawned, we were all ready to win and get it over with.

The team and I met in the common room, already in our gear, and headed down for breakfast.

"Remember our maneuvers," Flint said, his voice gruff.

I nodded, "It's not me you have to worry about, I know how to play." I pointed towards Montague, who was asleep on the table, "You should make sure he remembers."

Marcus stalked forward and slapped the back of Graham's head, "Wake up, you oaf. No sleeping until we grind Ravenclaw into the ground."

I rolled my eyes at the violence and quickly made my plate of food, Draco following my lead. The others were always so prone to violence on game days, it was best to stay out of their way until after we won. The rest of the team eventually finished eating and Marcus motioned for us to get up and head to the pitch.

I heard a voice yell my name and turned to see my brother giving me a big thumbs up. I smiled and hurried after the team. Even if he hated Slytherin, Zenith always cheered for me.

The Ravenclaw team was not at the pitch when we arrived and Flint gruffly ordered us to get our brooms and begin warming up.

I smiled as I grabbed my Nimbus 2001 from the locker room. It was my pride and joy, and though I would never say so, I was thankful Draco got them for the team, as Papa could never afford one on his own.

Out on the pitch, we began warming up. Flint had us doing team maneuvers and threw us a quaffle. He told the beaters to begin stretching before joining us in the air. We had a pretty tight formation, and could be a good team when my fellow teammates focused on playing rather than being rough.

We continued our warmup until Hooch and the Ravenclaw team arrived on the pitch. Marcus led us to the locker room, and gave us a pep talk as the other students filed into the stands.

"Just as we practiced. Montague, you're big, use it. Black, you're small, stay quick," I nodded, "Malfoy, get the snitch as soon as you can, don't let that Chang girl win. If we lose, you're doing laps for two weeks, and I'm not going easy on any of you in practice."

We all gulped, nodding. Marcus Flint could be scary when he wanted. Which was often.

Hooch came to the door and told us to get ready, the game was about to begin.

We all lined up at the door, and when introduced, flew out on our brooms. The air was crisp, and frost still covered the grass of the pitch. I shivered as the wind blew against my face, thankful for the thick gear that kept me warm.

We got in formation as Hooch reiterated the rules as she does every game. I was floating between Montague and Flint, Malfoy above us to the right, and our two beaters behind us.

I leaned forward on my broom in anticipation as the snitch was released in a golden blur. My eyes were trained on Hooch as the two bludgers shot off, and she picked up the quaffle.

"Let the game," she took a deep breath, "begin!"

She threw the quaffle in the air and with her whistle I flew into the throng of chasers. Ravenclaw took first possession and Flint and I squeezed Randolph Burrow between us. He was forced to drop below, where Montague was waiting, and dropped the quaffle.

Graham quickly turned and shot off. I was right behind him. Our Nimbus' were good, just enough to outpace them for now. A bludger came from the right, and with a yell Montagu rolled, throwing me the quaffle. I spun over Jeremy Stretton, one of the other Ravenclaw Chasers, and looped around the goal post, scoring our first points as Grant Page missed his catch.

The quaffle was thrown to Burrow again and this time he was smart enough to stay out from between us, but wasn't paying attention to the other players.

Derrick angled a bludger straight at him, and it impacted with a crack. I winced as he cried out and fell back, the quaffle falling. His fellow player Jason Samuels caught it and went to score for Ravenclaw.

I hit the side of my broom in frustration as the game continued on like this, my teammates growing more and more violent as Ravenclaw scored. At one point, Stretton took a page out of our book and slammed into me, knocking me off balance and causing me to lose possession of the ball. I wasn't watching out as I regained my composure and was almost taken down again by a bludger.

"Watch it, Bole!" I yelled. He only sneered at me as he went after one of the Ravenclaw beaters.

I flew back into the group of players, fighting Samuels for the quaffle as we spun in an almost freefall. I was hanging on with just my legs and as we got closer to the ground, he finally let go, and I shot off towards the goal again.

The game was brutal. Slytherin was losing by a large margin now, and I only hoped Draco reached the snitch before Cho Chang.

As if by some miracle, Draco suddenly flew right past me, arm outstretched. I saw a flash of gold about ten feet ahead of him and smiled, we only had to hold out a few minutes more. Chang was right behind Draco but I knew that unless he somehow fell, she wasn't going to reach it before him.

Montagu scored once more before the green stands began to roar. Draco was holding up the snitch as he landed. I smiled and flew down beside him.

"Yes, Draco, yes!" He gave me a big hug and left his arm over my shoulder as the team all came down to celebrate. I looked at the scoreboard and let out a breath.

210-190. That was close. Just a few more goals, and there would have been no way to catch up even with the snitch.

I smiled as the team yelled around us.

"WOOO!" a voice yelled behind me. "Look at that! We might be having a Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match soon after all."

I turned with a big smile and a laugh as Zenith pushed himself to the front of the crowd. He paused and gave the arm Draco still had around me a weird look, glaring at Draco. Draco only smirked and brushed his sweaty hair out of his face before bending down to whisper in my ear.

"We'll see you later in the common room. I know your friends will want to celebrate."

He gave me one last squeeze and a smirk at Zenith as he walked past him.

My brother gave me a look that told me we would be having a conversation later, but for now he only gave me a big hug and a pat on the head.

"You were amazing! Second best chaser!" he laughed

I pushed him off, "You mean the best chaser. I didn't fall off my broom."

He rolled his eyes, "Pish posh. Without you, Slytherin would have no chance at winning."

I laughed again as he led me away, waving to the rest of the team.

"Come on, I think Papa has some of his favorite chocolate stored away still. I don't think he'd mind sharing for your big win."

After a few weeks of in-depth research, I had finally come to a decision. I was going to confront Papa about his Lycanthropy.

Classes were finally done for the day, and after saying goodbye to my friends, I marched to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. The door was slightly ajar, and I knocked before pushing it open.

"Papa?" I questioned as I walked in. He was sitting behind his desk grading papers. He looked up, his eyes were tired but he gave me a big smile.

"Cressida," he said happily. "How was your day? We haven't talked in forever."

"Well, we're going to talk now," I said, pushing the door shut. His smile slowly fell as he looked at my face.

"Is everything alright, little crow?"

He thought using that nickname would get him out of whatever trouble he was in, but not this time. It had worked before, but this was too important.

I walked toward his desk and crossed my arms. He leaned against the front of his desk and sighed.

"Are you alright?"

"No," I said angrily, "I am not alright!"

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I could feel tears burning in my eyes. I would not cry. We must talk this out first.

"Alright," he said slowly, "Why don't we go into my office? I can see this is very important, Cress."

I nodded and followed behind him as he led the way to his office. His office was a circular room at the back of the classroom up some stairs. I had been here before, but the cozy feeling was gone, instead replaced by one of dread and expectation, and I hated the change.

The door shut behind me and we stood there for a moment before moving to the chairs. It was awkward. We had never been awkward around each other, he was my father. My Papa.

There was a smoking goblet on his desk, and I turned back to Papa. I took a deep breath.

"Did Snape brew that for you?" He froze, "You know, for your allergies. The ones that you get every full moon? The ones you lied about? The ones you have hidden for twelve years?"

I was yelling now and Papa had paled after my first question.

"You're our father! You're not supposed to lie to us! Why did you never tell us? Did you not trust us-"

Papa stood up and reached for me, "Cressida, no, of course I trusted you-"

I slapped his hand away, "But you hid it! You hid something so important from us! You didn't trust us! I tell you everything. Everything, Papa! And you couldn't trust me with this one thing? I-"

"Because I was afraid!" he yelled, panting. He had tears in his eyes as he stood in front of me. "I had just lost everyone I loved. I never told anyone because I couldn't lose you! I couldn't lose you too. You two are the most important thing in my life, ever. I would never do anything to jeopardize that. You are my children!"

I froze and looked at him. The scars on his face were standing out as a few tears ran down his cheeks.

"Oh, Papa," I whispered, hugging him. He held me to his chest tightly and smoothed down the hair on the back of my head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled."

"No," he said, I could feel him shake his head. "It's alright. You had every right."

"But I didn't! I didn't have a right to know," I sniffled. "It wasn't my secret to know."

He pulled back and brushed my hair from my face, kissing my forehead, "I'm sorry for not telling you. You're right, I should have trusted you with this now that you're older."

"It's ok, Papa. You have us here, you're not going to lose Zenith and I. You are our father. We love you."

He fully pulled away and gave me a small smile, "I should have known you would figure it out soon given how smart you are. Does Zenith know?"

I scoffed and gave him an 'are you joking' look, "You really think Zenith would figure this out? He wasn't even in Snape's class. He wouldn't realize you were a werewolf until we slapped him and told him straight to his face."

He laughed, "I hate to say it, but I agree with you."

He looked away, "So you're alright with this, Cressida? That I'm a werewolf?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I mean, yeah, I was mad. But that was because you kept it from us, not because of what you are."

He opened his mouth but I cut him off, "If you say you're a monster, I will throw away all of your chocolate."

He laughed again and relaxed, hugging me again, "Speaking of chocolate, want me to make you some of my world-famous hot chocolate?"

"Yes, please! You're the best dad ever, Papa!"

He gave me a bittersweet smile before beginning to make us a drink. I sighed in relief. It was ok, it was all out there now. We would be ok. Nothing else can hurt us, right?

The trips to Hogsmeade were probably the highlight of the year so far. Living in a castle was fun, but after three years, it could get repetitive. I was looking forward to the trips over the next few years.

My favorite part so far was Honeydukes. Year-round access to chocolate frogs? Sign me up.

Daphne and Daniel had other ideas, however.

"Won't you eat anything else?" Daphne asked, her hands full of an assortment of treats. I quickly moved forward to grab a tipping box of ice mice as it fell. I carefully set it against the sugar quills she held, along with a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and her licorice  sticks.

"Like you're one to talk," Daniel said. He simply held two pumpkin pasties and a chocolate frog. A man of good taste.

"All candy is good candy," Ivy said, already munching on her jelly slugs. She held a few chocolate cauldrons as well as cockroach clusters, a single blood pop, and a few acid pops. Her taste was for stranger things, but at least she enjoyed them.

"I would survive off of chocolate if I could," I said as I took my handful to the checkout. I turned to Daphne, "And look! There is some variety: chocolate frogs, cauldrons, a few regular pieces, and some peppermint! I am all set."

I smiled in thanks as the lady behind the counter handed me my bag, and pulled out a frog as I waited for my friends.

"One day," Daphne stated with her hands on her hips, "I will show you what good candy is."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. We had this argument every time we went shopping for candy together.

"Does anyone want to grab a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks?" Ivy questioned.

I nodded, "Yes! It is quite chilly."

On our way to the inn, we passed by my brother and his friends. He seemed to be acting suspicious, and as I watched, he and Ron seemed to be walking into something that was not there. I watched in confusion as an extra set of footprints followed them in the snow.

"You know what," I said, turning to my friends, "I just remembered something that I have to tell Zenith. I'll catch up with you guys!"

"Can't it wait?" Daphne huffed, "This is one of the last trips before the holidays."

"Sorry," I said, thinking quickly. "But it's a message from Papa, so it's important."

They reluctantly agreed, and I told them I would meet them at the inn soon. As they walked away, I quickly followed them through the throng of people, and hid when they reached a clearing.

I watched as my brother, Ron, and Hermione freaked out for a moment before suddenly Harry was there. Hermione had walked up to a rock and pulled a shimmery material away from Harry. An invisibility cloak? Those were so rare!

I tuned in to the conversation when I realized Harry was crying.

"He was their friend," he cried, standing up. "He was their friend. And he betrayed them!"

I was confused. Who betrayed them? And who is them? Could it be- no.

Harry turned around, "I hope he finds us, Zenith! I hope he does because I will be ready. When he does, I will kill him."

"Harry, what?" my brother asked.

"Black! Sirius Black! He was friends with them. My parents!"

My brother looked very confused, "My Papa told me that he was friends with them too-"

"You knew?!" Harry was outraged, his hair even crazier than normal. "You knew he was friends with them this whole time? Your father killed my parents! He led Voldemort straight to them."

"He is not my father," Zenith said, his voice quiet. Harry didn't seem to hear him.

I stood up and began to make my way towards them, this could get nasty.

"Your father is a murderer, and a traitor!" Harry yelled with tears in his eyes, "It involves my parents too, how could you keep it from me? Are you a traitor too?!"

"Harry!" I yelled as he ran forward and pushed my brother. "Stop it!"

He turned to me, crying, "Did you know too? Are all the Blacks traitors?"

"Harry," I said softly, "Shut up."

He glared at me, and seemed to snap out of his anger, looking between me and Zenith.

" I know this is a shock," I said, "but there is no need to take it out on us. We aren't our father. We were never a part of what happened to your parents. And I'm so sorry you had to find out like this, Harry."

He looked ashamed, "I'm-I'm sorry." he said quietly, looking at my brother, "I shouldn't have said any of that. I didn't mean any of it, I swear! I know you are not a traitor, Zenith. You're one of my best friends."

Zenith stayed quiet, not looking at Harry. I could see his fists were clenched as he tried not to lash out.

Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted down from the small road. Draco.

Ron's eyes were wide as he looked at Harry, who quickly grabbed his cloak and covered himself up just in time for Draco, along with Crabbe and Goyle, to crest the snow-covered hill.

"Well, well," Draco said, smirking at Ron, "look who's here. Shopping for your dream home?" he motioned to the shrieking shack in the background, "Seems a bit grand for you, Weaselbee. Doesn't your family all sleep in one room?"

I held Zenith back as the three other Slytherins laughed meanly.

"Draco," I said. "Stop. That was uncalled for."

He looked at me as if he had just realized I was there, but Ron interrupted.

"Keep your mouth shut, Malfoy."

By Merlin, these boys would be the death of me. Can't they leave the rivalry alone for just one minute?

"Now, that's not very friendly. I think we're going to have to teach Weasel and his friends to respect their elders."

I walked up to the platinum blond, "Draco, now is not a good time. Put aside your petty rivalry with my brother and his friends this once, and leave."

He didn't move.

"As your friend, I am asking you to leave."

His face turned a little pink and he looked at me, shocked. I had never called him my friend before.

He debated with himself for a moment, before finally saying, "Fine. This once I'll leave, but don't expect this to become a new normal."

He began to turn around, still glaring at the trio (plus Harry) below us in the snowbank. Before he could walk off, however, a snowball came out of nowhere and hit him in the face.

"What?" he spluttered as the others laughed. "Who did that?"

Nobody answered, but I knew there was only one person who could make a snowball appear from thin air. Harry in his apparent invisibility cloak.

Another snowball comes at the Slytherins in front of me, but I quickly cast a spell to make it freeze a few inches from Draco's scared face.

"Well," he said,  "don't just stand there!"

Crabbe and Goyle try to run after the attacker, but seeing as there isn't one to be seen, Harry takes quick advantage as the other three laugh.

Crabbe's pants are pulled down and he is pushed face-first into the snow. Goyle follows with his scarf shoved over his eyes, and Draco barely stays on his feet as he too is kicked.

I grabbed Draco's arm and helped him straighten before I turned to look at the Gryffindor's.

"Real mature, you three," I said angrily.

I looked at Zenith, who was standing away from Hermione and Ron, glaring at the proceedings.

"We'll talk later," I promised.

I pushed Draco in front of me and he ran off. I turned around one last time to see Harry's floating head, and in a split second, I marched over, slapped him in the face, and stomped off back to the school. I didn't even pause to say goodbye to my friends.

Damn, those blasted Gryffindors.

k. rae & agc here ! thanks for your continued support! <3