You'd think that by two months in to the year at Hogwarts, Raelyn would have exhausted any shortcuts she thought there would be. Apparaently, late the previous Friday she had stayed up late with Harry and Hermione, looking at a map that Harry had. She was convinced that she had taken a shortcut that wasn't on the map. Remilda told her over and over again while Raelyn dragged her along to Potions that the odds of Raelyn finding a new shortcut were next to none.

Eventually the two of them had to end up running down a narrow staircase, down a empty corridor, realized they were at a dead end of unused room...so they had to turn around and back tracked. When they got to the main corridor right outside the Great Hall, there were only a few students peering at the new rules that were on display.

"Pick up your feet!" Raelyn said reaching back and grabbing her arm, "Snape said if I was late again I'd get detention!"

"How is that my fault!? You're the one that spent all of last week trying to find a place for the you-know-what." Remilda retorted.

Rae didn't say anything at first, but then finally released her arm, "Just please run faster." she groaned as there was a pack of first or second years gathered on a landing of the enchanted staircase. Looking around trying to decide to go left or right. "You lot lost too?" Raelyn asked as she sped closer to them, "You won't get anywhere not moving-" she paused as they quickly jumped to the sides to let the two girls pass.

"Sorry," Remilda said quickly, "can't help. Potions class..."

"You're going the wrong way then!"

Remilda stopped quickly, nearly falling. Suddenly all the running hit her like a truck and she was gasping to breath as she leaned on the railing before turning around. A girl in Ravenclaw robes, with light brown hair in two braids across her shoulders and square glasses was pointing to the left staircase.

"Raelyn!" she called over her shoulder and began back up the stairs. "Thanks..." she said, still gasping for air as she made her way in the right direction. She could hear Raelyn close behind her.

Today can't get any worse, Remilda thought. First at breakfast she spilled her orange juice all over her bag and was still waiting for a time where she could make sure everything was clean. She had used a cleaning charm on her books and such, but her bag still smelt like orange juice. Then Luna Lovegood had to but right into Remilda's usual conversation with George.

"So is it official yet, Remilda?"

Luna's question shocked Remilda beyond words. Absolutely mortified her actually. At first Remilda hadn't been sure why, and she hated what she was beginning to think; she liked him. She didn't want to like him. She didn't want to like anyone. At least not while she was so new still and while everything was going on in the Order. But George was so nice, all of the Weasley's were. But it was just so easy to talk to George.

Remilda quickly shoved those thoughts out of her head as she stopped in front of the door to the Potions room. She took a moment to catch her breath as Raelyn caught up with her and did the same before they entered the room. The two of the girls calmly pushed the door open, only to interrupt Snape as he spoke...

-welcome to class." he said coldly, "thirty point from Gryffindor...each. And Raelyn Potter, see me after class,"

"It was my fault, professor." Remilda said quickly as she took her seat in front of Malfoy. "I thought I knew a faster way to get here..."

He watched both of them for a moment as Raelyn stayed as quiet as she could while she took her usual seat in the second the last desk towards the back. "It seems that you were mistaken." he said slowly.

Malfoy and Zabini who were in the desk behind her and Hermione, snickered along with a handful of others in the class before Snape went on with his lesson.

"As I was saying before the Potters decided to make a dramatic entrance," Snape began, "now that we've covered the basics, you will all have this period to complete your first potion in class."

Remilda slouched further into her seat, Potions had never been her best subject when it came to actually making it. She had all of the book knowledge down, but the hands on part either went well or really bad.

"If you would turn to page ninety seven you will find the list of all the ingredients you will be needing."

Remilda grabbed her textbook and flipped to the correct page. She glanced at Hermione as saw her simply reading the page and then looked back at Snape. When it came to Potions, Hermione was so calm and knew what she was doing. She glanced at the next desk over, and saw Ron and Harry both reading over the page with a pained look on their faces...

"The Draught of Peace is a very advanced Potion," Snape began, "but as long as you follow the instructions there's no reason it shouldn't work. It's supposed to rid the drinker of anxiety. However, does anyone know what could happen if the measurements are even a bit off?"

Immediately Hermione's hand shot up, "If there is too much, then it will cause someone fall into a deep sleep."

"And if there's too little?" Snape replied, "Mr. Crouch?"

Remild looked at the very back corner desk. Lorenzo Crouch had in fact done Remilda's homework and got her an exceptional grade. Now however, that she knew that was...an option that was also against the rules...last week she had actually asked him to do her Charms paper. Which he did for a mere ten galleons.

"It could increase someone's anxiety and basically send them into a psychotic episode."

"I bet that's what happened to his brother, he was loony-"

Remilda and half of the class heard Ron's muttering voice. It wasn't hard to hear. He wasn't very good at whispering.

"Would you like to say that to face, Weasel-Bee?" Lorenzo asked sharply.

Ron's ear began to flush red with embarrassment.

"What did his brother do?" Remilda whispered to Hermione.

"He impersonated Mad-Eye Moody last school year. He put Harry's name in the goblet of fire."

The class then went on with the assignment, and Remilda carefully did the exact same thing as Hermione did it. On more than one occasion she would stop Hermione and tell her to slow down. After Potions dragged on and on, everyone went to lunch then. Remilda tried to stay back a bit, Snape was clearly waiting for everyone to leave so he could speak to Raelyn. So she walked with Hermione, Ron, and Harry back to the Great Hall.

"Where were you guys?" Harry asked.

"Raelyn was convinced she could find a shortcut that wasn't on that map you showed her." Remilda stated a bit coldly, "Did you tell her that there might be more or something?"

"You can't honestly be trying to blame me for you two being late," Harry stated in a snippy tone.

"No, I'm blaming you for showing her that map in the first place." Remilda stated, "It's Raelyn's fault for being late. But she wouldn't have done that if you hadn't shown her the map..."

"That's what you think," Harry mumbled.

Remilda scowled at him, he had gotten to be more and more snippy recently. Just over the last few days. maybe the last week.

"So are you going to go to the Quidditch match this Saturday?" Hermione asked sharply, quickly changing the subject between Remilda and Harry.

"Of course," Remilda replied, smiling a bit. "I've never actually seen a Quidditch Game in person."

The four of them approached the Great Hall, but Hermione gently grabbed Remilda's cloak to stop her.

"I just have to ask Remilda something," she said simply as Ron and Harry both looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Then once they were practically at the Gryffindor table. "don't get too mad at what Harry says," she sighed. "he's just...I don't know," she paused, "I think everything that happened last year is catching up with him. He's been having bad dreams."

"What kind of dreams?"

"Ones about Voldemort, and the Ministry of Magic..." she said quietly as they began to walk into the Great Hall. "he doesn't mean to be..."

"Rude?"

"Yeah."

The two of them sat down and right away began to dish up their lunch. As Remilda did so, she scanned the table for anything that they didn't have around them. Her eyes caught the twins. Who were sitting across from Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell, probably discussing the Quidditch match. It was between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Did she like him?

That wouldn't really be a bad thing, she thought. There wasn't anything bad about him that she could see. Although when he was around Fred, he was much different. When George was on his own, he was a good listener. He made a few jokes here and there, and he enjoyed talking about the shop that he and Fred planned on starting after school. When Fred was around, snarky remarks, jokes, and less serious and meaningful conversations happened. By no means was that a bad thing. Not at all. The twins were probably two of the kindest people at the school-- the dynamic of them each on their own versus together was just entirely different. Fred was more of the ice breaker, starting and leading conversations was something that he just did well. George was a listener and didn't try to steer the conversations. That was what Remilda liked about him most. Back at Ilvermorny, she had dated one guy for a few months and now looking back on it, she didn't know why. He liked to talk about himself or news, as boring as that was.