A few days after New Year, Harry, Ron, Ginny and I gathered by the fireplace at the Burrow to return back to Hogwarts by the Floo Network, which the Ministry had especially arranged.

"Don't cry, Mum," said Ginny, patting her on the back as Mrs. Weasley was sobbing into her shoulder. "It's okay..."

"Yeah, don't worry about us," said Ron, "or about Percy. He's such a prat, it's not really a loss, is it?"

Mrs. Weasley started sobbing even louder by those words as she went to hug Harry as well. "Promise me you'll look after yourself... Stay out of trouble..."

"I always do, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. "I like a quiet life, you know me."

She gave a watery chuckle and stood back. "Be good, then, all of you..."

One by one, we each stepped into the fireplace with a bit of Floo Powder in our fists, letting it go as we shouted, "Hogwarts!"

I finally disappeared into an uproar of green flames, only to find myself moments later in McGonagall's office.

"Evening, Hooper," said Professor McGonagall, not raising her head from her paperwork and merely throwing a glance at me as she was sitting behind her desk.

"Hello, Professor," I said with a half smile, soon walking out of the fireplace so the next person wouldn't fall onto me.

I made my way out of her office and toward the Gryffindor tower that I suddenly came to a stop when I heard someone calling after me.

"Lexi!"

Turning around, I saw Hermione hurrying toward me and before I could know what was going on, she threw her arms around me and brought me into a hug.

Chuckling, I hugged her back tightly before pulling away shortly after. "How are you?" I asked her with a smile. "How was the holidays?"

"Great. How about you?" she said as we carried on our way toward the common room. "Had a good Christmas?"

"Yeah," I said with a bright nod when we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Abstinence," Hermione said the password.

"Yes," said the Fat Lady unenthusiastically and so the portrait swung open, revealing our ever so familiar scarlet common room.

"Oh, hello!" Hermione said excitedly as Crookshanks gave a meow and hurried toward her. She chuckled, getting down on her knees to pat the ginger cat on the head. "I really missed you."

"Missed her?" I repeated curiously. "Hadn't she been home with you for the holidays?"

"Oh, I meant I missed her since I arrived here. It was a few hours ago," Hermione said casually, yet avoided my eyes as she stood up.

***

The next morning, there was an exciting news awaiting us sixth years on the common room's notice board, announcing our upcoming Apparition test.

The fee for the lessons was twelve Galleons, and even though I didn't have that much, I was glad to know that the school fund was there to help the people who couldn't afford it.

I had already Apparated a few times alongside Dumbledore. And I kept hoping that it would feel better if I did it myself.

At the morning of our first Apparition lesson, Hermione and I made our way toward the Great Hall where the class was going to be held. They had lifted the protective enchantments off the Hall, so we could Apparate within the walls of it.

Hermione still wasn't on speaking terms with Won-Won and she was mad at Harry more than ever for using the Half-Blood Prince's book in the Potion classes and becoming the best at it.

While the two of us were walking down the corridor, I took aback when I caught a few Slytherin girls throwing nasty glares at my direction.

"Ugh, what have I supposedly done now?" I said moodily.

"They're probably not happy that you stole their dreamy Draco from them and invited him to Slughorn's party," Hermione said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Just ignore them, Lexi."

But it was getting harder and harder to ignore them as their deadly glares followed me into the Great Hall, where the four tables had been removed for our Apparition class.

Throughout the whole time as the Ministry wizard in charge of our training explained the three D's for Apparition — Destination, Determination, and Deliberation — I could see Pansy Parkinson from the corner of my eyes, watching me bitterly as she kept whispering to her Slytherin gang of girls.

I tried to ignore her once more, before our training started and we all got to trying. But all was forgotten when Susan Bones suddenly Splinched, leaving a leg behind.

The four Heads of Houses rushed toward her, waving their wands at her to fix everything as she shrieked in pain.

Other than that, the rest of the lesson went quiet uneventful, except for everyone losing their balance and falling down on their backs.

"I'm headed to the library. Wanna come with me, Lexi?" Hermione asked as we all walked toward the entrance hall after the lesson.

I groaned, shaking my head. "Nah, I'm still on holiday mood."

"Okay, then," she said, chuckling lightly, "I'll see you later." And so with a wave of her hand, she left my side.

The truth was, I didn't want to go to the library with her because I had another idea in my mind, wanting to visit somewhere else first.

So with that thought, I started walking down toward the trophy room, going through the back of the place where I hadn't been to on the night of my detention.

That was where they kept the pictures and trophies belonging to all the Quidditch teams of the last few decades.

And there, after minutes of searching, I finally found a picture of my father and the Slytherin Quidditch team, standing there at the front.

      I then noticed a chain around his neck, but its necklace was hidden underneath his green Quidditch robes.

I smiled to myself at his sight. No wonder he used to excuse himself by saying he was an orphan; he didn't want me to ask for his old school photos or family pictures.

It was slightly weird to me how both my father and uncle were great Quidditch players, yet I was still afraid of heights. I probably had gotten that from my mother.

With my thoughts still racing and a smile dangling on my lips, I finally left the trophy room after long minutes, strolling down the corridors as I walked toward the common room.

But I suddenly came to a halt when a cold voice behind me said, "Hello there, little Mudblood."

Turning around, I saw Pansy Parkinson standing there with two of her friends beside her, sniggering.

Whenever she called me a Mudblood, I had the sudden urge to say, 'bitch please, my father's blood is purer than your whole family put together', but I held the Slytherin in me back, only staring at her blankly.

"Piss off," was all I said as I turned back on my heels to leave, but I was once again stopped when Pansy hurried toward me and blocked my way, raising her wand.

Glancing behind me, I saw that the other two girls had their wands out as well, all smirking at me as they surrounded me.

I wanted to reach out for mine, but before I could, Pansy snarled, "Don't even think about it." Her smirk then widened again. "You think you can just sip Draco a love potion and get away with it?"

I gaped at her for a few seconds, before I suddenly burst out in laughter, which seemed to anger her even more.

"Do you have any idea how stupid you sound right now?" I said with a mocking grin after my laughter had faded away.

"After we're done with you, you're gonne be the one left looking stupid and pathetic!"

With that, she held her wand even higher and opened her mouth to curse me, but before she could get a chance to, a voice behind us suddenly snapped loudly,

"Leave her alone!" And before we could even turn around to see who it was, the person yelled, "Expelliarmus!"