Setta stared into the massive pots in Herbology that morning; it was their first class of term, and Professor Sprout seemed to be pulling out all the stops for it. Hermione, as usual, stood beside her, while Susan Bones of Hufflepuff was placed on her other side; Harry and Ron stood across the room, with Dean, Seamus, and Neville, while Malfoy stood a few feet away from Hermione and Setta, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. Professor Sprout was still in her office, waiting for class to officially begin; breakfast that morning had been uneventful, although Malfoy seemed to want to begin their argument at Flourish and Blotts, which had happened a few weeks, previously, over again...

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potters?!" he'd demanded, surrounding them as soon as Gilderoy Lockhart had released them. "Famous Potters, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page!"

"Leave him alone," Ginny growled, sidling up to Harry.

"You'd have to know them enough by now to realize they didn't want that," Ron proclaimed, moving to Setta's side.

"Oh, look Potters!" Malfoy said, grinning as if he'd won something. "You've got yourself some partners! Although you're downgrading a bit, aren't you?" he asked, sneering in Ginny and Ron's directions.

An elegant came then, clipping Malfoy roughly upon the shoulder, which caused Malfoy to visibly deflate and retreat, with a taller gentleman taking his place. He looked exactly like Malfoy, although his shoulder-length hair and being so much older set them apart. "Now, now, Draco," came his sibilant voice, "play nicely," he ordered, and turned to face Setta and Harry then, positively gleaming when he caught his first glimpse of them. "Mr. and Miss Potter," he said, his voice filled with glee, as he offered them each his hands in turn. "Lucius Malfoy. We meet at last. Forgive me," he said, and proceeded to yank them both forward, Harry by his collar and Setta by her wrist, and utilized his cane and his fingertips respectively to clear their hair away from their foreheads. "Your scars are legend. As, of course, is the wizard who gave them to you."

"Voldemort killed our parents," Harry said through clenched teeth, pulling himself away from the senior Malfoy's grip.

"Voldemort was nothing more than a murderer," Setta said, yanking herself away from him, and felt relieved when Harry put his arms around her.

"You must be very brave to mention his name," he said, observing them seriously, before a smirk developed upon his face again. "Or very foolish."

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself," Hermione said, eyes narrowed, practically spitting at Malfoy Sr. as an angry cat might.

"And you must be Miss Granger," said Malfoy's father, regarding Hermione as one might mud upon their best shoes. "Yes, Draco has told me all about you, and your parents," he said, turning his head to where they were currently standing, in an enthusiastic conversation with Arthur Weasley, just across the shop. "Muggles, aren't they?"

"Seems to me as if you don't have anything better to do, sir," Setta said, pulling out of Harry's arms and affixing Malfoy Sr. with a dark look. "It is an unattractive quality, you know, thinking you're better than everyone else. It doesn't make you better, just because you believe yourself to be so," she informed him, and felt gleeful when he stared down at her angrily.

Malfoy Sr. dragged his gaze away from Setta, obviously looking for something, or someone, else to insult, and his gaze rapidly fell upon Ron, still standing beside Harry and Setta, as if a knight would do for a king or queen. "Let me see... Red hair, vacant expressions," he said, and reached out then, picking up copy of one of Ginny's first-year texts from her cauldron, "...tatty, second-hand book. You must be the Weasleys."

"It's mad in here," Arthur said quickly, coming to stand in between Hermione and Draco. "Let's go outside," he offered.

"Well, well, well. Weasley Sr.," said Malfoy's father condescendingly.

"Lucius," Arthur said, his tone clipped, and Setta came to the direct conclusion that neither patriarch was fond of the other.

"Busy time at the ministry, Arthur?" he asked. "All those extra raids? I do hope they're paying you overtime... But, judging by the state of this," he said, still retaining his grip upon Ginny's book, "I'd say not." He smirked at Arthur, pure evil radiating from his every pore. "What's the in being a disgrace to the name of wizard...if they don't even pay you well for it?"

"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," Arthur said firmly, his dark eyes filled with controlled rage.

"Clearly," Lucius Malfoy said, his tone one of disgust. "Associating with Muggles... And I thought your family could sink no lower," he said.

Setta stepped forward then, and yanked the book out of his hands, glaring at him as she placed it back into Ginny's cauldron. It was when she did that she noticed that the book appeared to be heavier than a standard first-year text, and she felt something positively evil seeping through her then. Turning, she locked eyes with Harry, whose expression confirmed that he had felt it, too, due to their shared magical cores.

"I'll see you at work," Lucius Malfoy said, giving a particularly evil and vile look towards Setta, likely disparaging her behavior, as he left the bookshop.

"See you at school," Malfoy declared, sharing a final look with Setta, one that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Professor Sprout came proudly into the third greenhouse, tapping her wand firmly onto the pot positioned just in front of her. "Good morning, everyone," she called out.

"Good morning, Professor Sprout," everyone replied.

"Welcome to Greenhouse Three, second-years," she said proudly. "Now, gather around, everybody," she went on, gesturing towards the table, so as everyone was standing opposite their very own pot. "Who here can tell me what we're looking at?"

Hermione, predictably, raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Professor Sprout said.

"They're Mandrakes, also known as Mandrágora," she said happily. "They can be used for potions once they're mature. They're also quite dangerous, because the scream of an adult Mandrake can be fatal."

"Excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor!" the Head of Hufflepuff proclaimed. "These Mandrakes, however, are still quite young. However, you must all wear earmuffs while we re-pot these little creatures. To do so, you must grasp the Mandrake," she continued, reaching out and gripping the bit just beneath the impressive head of leaves, "and yank it upwards to re-pot it!"

Professor Sprout did just that, and the Mandrake which she held squealed and screamed in protest at the notion of it being so rudely awakened and pulled from its soil. Everyone in the class moved to do so, save for Neville, who became too overwhelmed, despite his earmuffs, and fainted from his place between Seamus and Dean. Hermione, Setta, Harry, Ron, and the rest of the class nevertheless potted the Mandrakes, and Setta had to do her best to bite the inside of her cheek once Malfoy stupidly, and a trifle hilariously, decided to get a bit too friendly with his own baby Mandrake by sticking his index finger into its mouth.

After shifting the soil around in their Mandrakes new pots, they were given a lecture and told to take notes on Mandrakes for the final portion of the class. Once completed, they had to read the chapter in their texts about Mandrakes and, by the end of the week, produce an essay based on the Mandrake and their benefits towards wizardkind. While Hermione and Setta believed it to be an appropriate assignment, Harry and Ron were annoyed all the way to History of Magic, which didn't give their moods just cause to improve, and neither did Transfiguration.

"Maybe they'll have those turkey legs you love for lunch," Setta suggested as they walked along, knowing that Ron wouldn't be looking forward to Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch, or double potions after that.

Ron made a face as they entered the Great Hall, and made his way towards the Gryffindor table, Harry at his side and Setta and Hermione walking behind him. "Don't know must that can make me feel better at this point," he groused, sitting down, Harry beside him, and Setta and Hermione across from him. He reached into the pocket of his robe, pulling out his wand, and Hermione and Setta drew back at the state of it—it was broken, snapped about a quarter of the way down, and Ron was currently attempting to use Spello-tape in an effort to mend it, although this was doing no good at all. "Say it... I'm doomed," he said softly to Harry.

"You're doomed," Harry said, a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Honestly," Setta and Hermione whispered together.

"Hi, Harry! Hi, Setta!" came an enthusiastic voice, and a camera flash immediately temporarily blinded both of them. The camera lowered, a Muggle one from the looks of it, and a young boy with a shock of honey-blond hair and dark blue eyes stared at the pair of them filled with excitement, gripping onto his camera. "I'm Colin Creevey. I'm in Gryffindor, too," he said, a faint blush appearing on his face.

"Hi, Colin," Harry said.

"Nice to meet you," Setta put in.

Colin shuffled from foot to foot. "Say, do you think your friend here could take a photo of the three of us standing together?" he asked, gesturing towards Ron with his camera. "You know, to prove I've met you. It's for my dad," he went on, clearly excited to talk to Harry and Setta about his father. "He's a milkman, you know. A Muggle, like all our family's been until me. No one knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till we got our letter from Hogwarts. Everyone just thought I was mental!" he said, chuckling gleefully.

"Imagine that," Ron said, obviously trying hard not to laugh, directly causing Hermione and Setta to kick him upon both his shins beneath the table.

"Ron," said Dean, turning in his seat just a couple away from Harry, "is that your owl?" he asked, obviously curious.

Errol, in all his powder-gray glory, came swooping down from the entryway for owls in the Great Hall, and came down, with an almighty crash, splattering a bowl of crisps in the center of the table, much to the amusement of the Slytherin table. Setta and Hermione looked at each other, pretty convinced as to what the letter would be. Given that James, Sirius, and Remus had written a congratulatory letter to Harry, which had arrived at breakfast that morning, about thinking on their feet after missing the train, and taking Arthur's Ford Anglia, it wasn't difficult to deduce what this letter could be.

Ron reached out and took ahold of the letter, with a muttered, "Bloody bird's a menace," before he got a good look at what he held. "Oh, no!" he cried out.

"Look, everyone!" Seamus cried out. "Weasley's got himself a Howler!" he said joyfully, causing the vast majority of the students to laugh.

"Silencio," Setta murmured, waving her wand in Seamus's direction, which caused his lips to lock together, and everyone looked shocked at the turn of events.

"Go on, Ron," Neville said, looking a bit concerned; he was one of the few students in the Great Hall that hadn't laughed. "I ignored one from my gran once. It was horrible."

Ron tentatively moved to open the letter; however, no sooner had he done so that it began to scream, causing him to drop it.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" it yelled, and Ron stared, open-mouthed and wide-eyed at it, especially when it came to life, forming dark red lips which hovered in mid-air. "HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR?! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER IS NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT IS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!" it declared to a vigorously nodding Ron, before it preened slightly and turned to Ginny, its voice much softer this time around. "Oh, and Ginny, dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud," it gushed, before it swooped in on Ron again, sticking its paper pink tongue out at him with an audible raspberry, and tore itself into a thousand pieces.

~*~

"I just don't know what in Merlin's name you see in him, Hermione," Setta said, wrinkling her nose at the sight of Lockhart's latest assignment, in which they were ordered to write an essay about why lilac was his favorite color. It was a cool Sunday in late-September, and they all three were studying in the courtyard. "We're not learning anything, and the Cornish pixies absolutely hated him on that first day of class..."

"They were probably picking up on his nerves," Hermione said quickly, and Ron and Setta just looked at each other. "What? My aunt Miranda is a new age healing instructor—yoga and the like—and she says that bad energy and effect the people, and creatures, all around us."

Ron made a face. "Did she actually go to university?"

"Yes," Hermione replied with a huff. "Cambridge, if you must know."

"Ah-ha," Setta joked. "But your parents went to Oxford."

"Yes, and I myself plan to attend their Wizarding Division," Hermione said primly. "You can't just judge Professor Lockhart if you don't understand his methods."

"What methods?!" Ron demanded.

"Exactly!" Setta cried out. "He's a fraud, 'Mione! Why can't you see that?!"

Hermione shook her head. "He's not..."

Setta let out a noise of exasperation. "We're supposed to be discussing how to ensure you're not manipulated into being turned into a vampire," she said impatiently.

"Seduction," Ron muttered under his breath, and Setta elbowed him in the ribs.

"I know you hate deferring from the syllabus," Setta continued. "Why is it all right to do it if it's Lockhart in charge?"

Hermione appeared to be saying something, but her attention was caught by Marcus Flint leading the Slytherin Quidditch Team out through one entrance of the courtyard, while Oliver Wood was attempting to do so with Gryffindor's team from another entrance. Setta and Ron followed their gaze, and were easily distracted by this, given that Gryffindor's team had booked the field that day to practice before the upcoming match against Slytherin. It was all Harry, Fred, and George could talk about leading up to the weekend, so Slytherin's team just showing up and attempting to get the space for themselves wasn't going to bode well.

"I smell trouble," Ron declared, and he, Setta, and Hermione promptly put their belongings away and moved closer, to hear Flint and Wood speaking harshly to one another.

"Easy, Wood," Flint was saying as they stepped closer. "I've got a note," he declared, and handed a scroll over to Wood, who took it and unfurled it.

"I, Professor Severus Snape, do hereby give the Slytherin team permission to practice today, owing the need to train their new Seeker," Wood said, clearly annoyed as he lowered the scroll to look back up at Flint. "You've got a new Seeker. Who?"

The crowd of the Slytherin team parted, permitting their new Seeker to walk through unaided, and Setta felt her skin prickling then at the sight of Draco Malfoy, smirking as usual, gripping onto a broom and looking smugly in Harry's direction.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked, as Wood looked infuriated from behind him.

"That's right," Malfoy declared. "And that's not all that's new this year," he said, moving his broom from one gloved hand to the other.

Setta felt her eyes narrowing then at the sight of the brooms; once she got a good look at them—their sleek black broom handles, their green-tinted straw at the base...

"Those are Nimbus 2001s!" Ron cried out, clearly angered. "Where did you get those?!" he demanded.

Setta scoffed. "For all things that Malfoy is, Ron, he wouldn't stoop so low as to steal these attention-seekers," she said, crossing her arms.

"They were a gift from Draco's father," Flint said, cutting across Setta, although Malfoy didn't look best-pleased at Setta's comment.

"You see, Weasley, unlike some," Malfoy said, sneering openly at Ron, "my father can afford the best."

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," Hermione declared. "They got in on pure talent."

Malfoy stood there, silent, for a moment before he advanced upon Hermione, until he was standing just opposite her. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he said scathingly, to the point where several Gryffindors gasped.

"How dare you?!" Setta demanded, glaring at Malfoy.

"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" Ron declared, taking out his wand and, for once, Hermione made no move to stop him. "Eat slugs!" he shouted. His wand, however, backfired the curse, throwing Ron backwards, causing him to zoom in mid-air, before he came to a crash onto the ground behind them, looking as if he was going to be sick.

Hermione dashed after him, Harry, Setta, Fred, George, and Oliver Wood at her heels; Hermione crouched beside Ron, while Setta and Harry did the same, but the rest of them just stood by, seemingly waiting for Malfoy to step in and potentially do more harm. "Are you okay, Ron?!" asked Hermione. "Say something!" she cried out, as Ron turned over onto his hands and knees and vomited a slug onto the grassy field.

"Wow!" cried Colin Creevey, snapping a picture with his camera, completely captivated by the situation. "Can you turn him around, Harry?" he asked.

"No, Colin!" Setta cried out, moving him out of there.

"Get out of the way!" Harry shouted, as Fred and George stepped forward, heaving Ron upwards, as another slug made its way out of his system. "Can we get him down to Hagrid's?" he asked the twins.

"Sure, Harry," Fred replied.

"Anything for our brother," George concluded, and they hurried Ron out of there and towards the direct route for Hagrid's hut.

Setta whirled around then, waiting for Hermione to hurry after them, and faced the Slytherin team. She noticed Wood giving Flint a talking-to about potentially sanctioning Malfoy, but she couldn't wait much longer. Sooner or later, Professors McGonagall or Snape would be out there to get a report of the situation, and she knew she had to act quickly. Moving as if to leave the courtyard, she pointed her wand directly at Malfoy, and whispered, "Locomotor Wibbly," and, as a second thought, uttered, "Furnunculus," and darted behind a pillar, hoping that the desired result would indeed happen. Quickly, orange and golden lights flew through her wand and hit her intended target of Draco Malfoy, causing him to double over once his legs failed, and small purple tentacles to erupt from the surface of his face. Smirking to herself, Setta darted down the corridor and towards the Entrance Hall, hoping that people wouldn't catch on to what she had done as she made her way through the doors and outside.

Dashing down the hill towards the hut, she saw smoke coming out through the chimney, but no sign of Fred, George, Harry, Ron, or Hermione. Thinking that they must've already gotten inside the hut, she ventured forward and let herself in, making a show of putting her wand back into her robes. Looking around, she saw Hermione, Ron, and Harry sitting on a bench, with Hagrid sitting on a stool opposite, Fang at his feet.

"Fred and George went off to see Lee," Harry explained, and Setta nodded, perching beside Hagrid on an additional stool.

"As I said," Hagrid said, shooting a smile to Setta before turning to the rest of them, "there's nothing to do but wait till it stops, I'm afraid."

Ron, meanwhile, was holding onto a massive wooden bucket, and was vomiting up the slugs into it, while Harry patted him on the back.

"Better out than in," Hagrid said, looking briefly uncomfortable. "Who was Ron trying to curse, anyway?" he asked.

"Malfoy," Harry said. "He called Hermione..."

"Don't say it," Setta said firmly, cutting him off.

Hermione, meanwhile, had gotten to her feet and had moved to the opposite end of the hut, her entire body pulled taut with emotion. "He called me a Mudblood."

Hagrid gasped. "He did not."

"It's disgusting," Ron whimpered, his face pale from excursion.

"People called Mum that back when she was at school here, Dad said so, when he deigns to tell us anything about the past at all," Setta said softly, holding herself rigid. She turned over and looked at Hermione, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry."

"It means he thinks I'm dirty, that my blood is made of mud, and that I'm not welcome at this school," Hermione said bitterly, tears flowing out of her eyes. She scoffed. "You would think that they taught Malfoy something about civilized conversation."

"It's amazing that there are still people around, like the Malfoy family, who think that they're better than anyone else, just because they're Purebloods," Hagrid said sarcastically. "It's completely codswallop," he went on, shaking his head. "Dirty blood... Why there isn't any witch or wizard alive today that's not 'alf-Blood or less. More to the point, they've yet to think of a spell that our 'Ermione can't do."

Hermione scoffed, a laugh escaping from her then. "Don't leave Setta out just to make me feel better, Hagrid," she told him firmly. She turned and looked over at Setta then, her eyes taking on a new understanding. "I saw you put your wand away when you got here. What did you do to him? To Malfoy. You did something to him, didn't you?"

Setta nodded, getting to her feet. "Of course I did. You're my best friend. Not that Ron wouldn't typically be capable of defending your honor..."

Ron looked up, just after a particularly nasty slug was vomited up. "I don't blame you for stepping in and defending Hermione," he wheezed.

"Thank you," Setta said, and turned to Hermione. "I read about something over the summer, and it seemed appropriate to test it out."

"It won't 'urt 'im, will it?" Hagrid asked.

"Just his pride," Setta said with a smirk. "I combined the Jelly-Legs Curse with the Pimple Curse," she said proudly. "His legs will be locked up for a while, and, once combined with the curse of the pimples, some lovely purple tentacles grew out of Malfoy's face."

"But someone will be able to cure it, won't they?" Hermione asked.

"That's the thing about spells, curses, and jinxes," Setta explained. "Apparently, it all comes down to intent behind them. If it was in defense of yourself, in a particularly dangerous situation, or of another person, then typical remedies are rendered ineffective." She grinned once she saw Hermione doing so. "So, Professor Snape, the headmaster, Madam Pomfrey..." She spread her hands with a smirk. "Their magic will be rendered useless to help him. And, and this is the most beautiful part," she went on, "no one will be able to figure out the magical signature attached to it, because I was defending you."

Hermione gasped, laughing and crying all at once. "So, how long will it last?"

"The intention behind this punishment was for a week, so luckily the entire school will see him, due to mealtimes," Setta informed her.

Hermione dashed forward, throwing her arms around Setta. "Thank you," she said breathlessly, clinging onto her. "Let's just hope he'll learn his lesson."

"I'm afraid it'll take a bit more than that," Setta replied.

Hermione sighed, nodding before pulling back, and wrapped her arms around herself. "Yes, I do suppose you're right," she acknowledged. "But, a witch can dream, can't she?"

~*~

All that the school could talk about was that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened on Halloween, to the point that the upcoming match of Gryffindor vs. Slytherin was hardly an appropriate conversation topic. Of course, Mrs. Norris being petrified was another matter entirely, and the student body was divided on her incapacity, however temporary it would turn out to be. Once game day had arrived, however, Setta felt something ominous in the air, although she couldn't figure out why. After breakfast, Harry went to get changed with his fellow Quidditch team members, and Ron, Setta, and Hermione went upstairs to get their warm clothing, for the stands were said to be cold that early-November day. Once dressed appropriately, they ventured outside and towards the stands, unknowing what the match would ultimately bring.

Watching the match turned out to be eventful, especially given the fact that Harry and Malfoy's animosity seemed to filter out onto the pitch as well. It was when a Bludger seemed to be making a play for Harry that Setta knew where her previous feeling of ominousness had come from. She could sense, as well as feel, Harry's anxiety through their shared magical core, and it wasn't easy to focus on much else during the game.

"Blimey!" Hagrid shouted. "Harry's got himself a rogue Bludger! That's been tampered with, that has!" he declared.

Ron, in between Setta and Hermione, promptly pulled out his wand. "I'll stop it."

"No!" Hermione cried out, shoving his wand back down. "Even with a proper wand it's too risky! Besides, you could hit Harry and Setta could be hurt, too!"

Setta winced as Harry got himself a bit of whiplash in an effort to evade the Bludger. "It's not going well either way," she said, the pain radiating through her.

It was when Malfoy got momentarily distracted by the Bludger that he fell from his broom and onto the ground, seemingly in too much pain to recover. Lucius Malfoy had come to watch his son's first game, and was sitting in the stands with Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape, watching it all happen. Setta was amazed at how angered Mr. Malfoy looked at his son's perceived failure, and wondered what Malfoy's consequences would be as a result.

Harry, meanwhile, took off after the Snitch, but was ultimately knocked down by the Bludger, to the point where Setta's knees buckled and she fell onto them. Looking up through her hair, she saw that Harry, now lying on the base of the pitch, was now holding the Snitch. Gryffindor was proclaimed the winner, but the Bludger suddenly came out of nowhere, attacking Harry, to the point where it slammed into his arm, crushing it.

Setta jumped to her feet and came running, watching as the Bludger was still flying around, as if it was triumphant at hurting Harry. She vaguely heard Hermione destroying the Bludger from behind her, but hadn't stopped running, and got to Harry first, barely realizing that her own arm was hanging at an awkward angle. "What the...?"

"Both our arms are broken," Harry stated.

Hermione dashed forward, and hesitated for a moment when she saw the states of both their arms, looking worried. "Merlin," she breathed. "Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" Setta asked sarcastically.

Lockhart then entered their midst, and Setta promptly covered up her own arm when she saw their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor leering at Harry's. "Not to worry, Harry," he declared pompously. "I will fix that arm straightaway."

"No!" Setta cried out.

"Not you," Harry said emphatically, shaking his head.

"Oh, the children don't know what they're saying," he said, in a mock-consoling tone, as he took ahold of Harry's arm, and rolled up his sleeve, both Setta and Harry wincing in pain. "This won't hurt a bit. Brackium Emendo!" he declared, a bluish-light filtering brightly from the tip of his wand, and enveloping Harry's arm.

Setta winced then, but was surprised when the own pain in her arm remained the same, but gasped audibly when she saw Lockhart folding over Harry's arm effortlessly. "What in Merlin's name have you done to my brother?!" she demanded.

"Yes, well, that can sometimes happen," Lockhart said awkwardly. "But the point is," he continued, "you can no longer feel any pain, and, very clearly, the bones are not broken," he said, almost as if the alternative was a decent one.

"Broken?!" Hagrid demanded. "There's no bones left!"

"Much more flexible, though," Lockhart said, wiggling it around a bit.

Without thinking much of it, Setta got to her feet, using the strength of her only good arm, and shoved Lockhart out of the way. "You've done enough!" she said, and pulled Harry close to her, affixing him with a scathing look.

"Miss Potter!" came Professor McGonagall's voice as she hurried over. "I am surprised at you, being so impolite to a professor—!"

"I think you can forgive me, professor, if you saw the things I saw," Setta said, moving with Harry off the pitch, Ron and Hermione at her heels, as she heard Hagrid passionately retelling their Head of House what had befallen Harry. They got through the crowds of other students and around the spectator stands, before Setta set the most direct course for the hospital wing, and looked over at her brother, who Ron was now helping carry. "How in Merlin's name did Lockhart's spell not affect me?" she asked him.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know," he said softly.

Once arriving at the hospital wing, they ignored Draco Malfoy's pitiful wails from another bed as they guided Harry over towards another bed on the opposite end of the room. They set him down as quickly and gently as possible, and Madam Pomfrey was not best pleased when she got a look at Harry.

"You should have been brought straight to me," she said firmly.

"Lockhart wouldn't allow it," Setta said, cutting her off. "We tried to stop him, but he just wouldn't listen. Wish I'd done more than shove him, though," she muttered, attempting to cross her arms, but was unable to do so completely. "Ow."

"Merlin, Setta! Is your arm broken, too?!" the matron demanded, looking over. "Odd. It seems to be a typical broken arm."

"As opposed to Harry's?" Setta asked, moving to sit beside him on the bed when she had been directed to do so.

"Most assuredly," Madam Pomfrey replied, looking them both over. "It's clear to me that Harry here shielded his core, once he sensed danger or failure from Professor Lockhart, and thus made your already broken arm the same, whereas he took all of the man's spell," she said, sneering the last word, making it quite clear how she felt about the man.

"I didn't even know that was possible," Hermione breathed.

Madam Pomfrey smiled, before summoning a bottle of something called Skele-Gro, and placed it down upon Harry's bedside table. She then got a cup and poured it for him. "You'll have to stay the night here, Mr. Potter, and this will ensure your bones will grow back accordingly," she told him, before turning back to Setta. "And as for you, Miss Potter," she went on, lifting her wand, "this shouldn't hurt much. Episkey Grandis!" she said, a healthy green beam of light exiting the tip of her wand, and wrapping itself warmly around Setta's own arm, before it sank into her skin, and her bones promptly re-attached themselves.

Setta lifted her arm and waved it about. "Merlin," she breathed, and looked up at the matron with a bright smile on her face. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

"Between you and me," the matron said, lowering her voice so as only the four of them could hear her clearly, "I would have liked to shove Lockhart, too," she said, a small grin on her face, before she turned back to Harry. "Come along, dear. Drink up."

~*~

The second weekend in November was permeated by a visit from James, Sirius, and Remus, with an inevitable argument from Setta, who demanded to know why James seemed unable to parent them properly. What followed was Sirius and Remus jumping to James' defense, and James, in a huff, cutting their visit short. Although Harry was, at first, annoyed by Setta's outburst, he later informed her that he would always stand by her, no matter what, and that he wholeheartedly agreed with her assessment about their father.

"I'm sorry," Setta said softly, for what must've been the hundredth time that weekend. "I just don't know what came over me..."

"You inherited our mother's temper, that's for sure," Harry replied, grinning at his sister. "Like I keep telling you, I'll stand by you."

"Even if people think that we're the ones who've..." Setta cut herself off then, as they rounded a corner of the corridor they were currently walking in, and saw Nearly Headless Nick, suspended in midair, along with fellow-year Hufflepuff, Justin Finch-Fletchley, who was lying on the ground, each with a surprised look of terror on their faces. "What...?"

Harry dashed forward as soon as Setta did, and gently touched Justin's hand. Ever since the incident with the Dueling Club before Halloween, and they'd been branded the Heirs of Slytherin, with the entire school now knowing they spoke Parseltongue, Justin hadn't been too keen on either of them. It was, however, no just cause to wish him ill, so seeing him lying there still with both eyes open was nothing sort of shocking.

I want blood.

They all must die.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

Setta turned to Harry. "Did you...?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Caught in the act," came the telltale voice of Mr. Filch, who was always lurking somewhere he was not wanted, and Harry and Setta promptly turned around to face him. "I'll have you out this time, Potters. Mark my words," he said, and slinked off.

"No, Mr. Filch!" Setta called after him.

"You don't understand!" Harry tried, although the man was already gone.

Setta got shakily to her feet then, Harry copying her movements. "This can't possibly end well," she said quietly. "You know that, don't you?"

Harry nodded. "I do," he assured her.

Setta heard the rapid sound of feet approaching, and gasped as Professor McGonagall stood there, looking altogether shocked at the situation. "Professor..." Setta said, her voice shaking and slightly broken. "We swear..."

"We swear we didn't," Harry said, following Setta's train of thought.

"This is out of my hands, you two," she declared, and motioned for them to follow her. She up the grand staircase and kept on going, before going down a familiar corridor, and went towards the gargoyle that guarded the headmaster's tower, and gestured to it. "The headmaster will be waiting for you," she told them. "Sherbet Lemon," she declared, and the gargoyle jumped out of the way, exposing the staircase, which Harry and Setta hopped upon, and were taken directly up to the headmaster's office.

"Hi, I'm Justin."

"Pleasure to meet you," Setta said, taking the hand on offer.

"We're..." Harry began.

"Oh, I know who you are," Justin said warmly. "Even us Muggleborns know about the infamous Potter twins, but my dad says you can't believe everything you read. Personally, I think you have to know a person before you decide to like them or not."

"Gather round, gather round!" Lockhart said, moving back and forth on the temporary stage set up in the Great Hall. "Can you all see me? Can you all hear me?" he asked, looking back and forth for a moment, a smile on his face. "Excellent. In light of the dark events of recent weeks, the headmaster has granted me permission to start this Dueling Club to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves, as I myself have done on countless occasions. For full details, see my published works. Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," came his commanding voice.

From the other end of the platform, Professor Snape advanced, his dueling robes a stark contrast to the plumage and bright colors of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It seemed as if the potions master preferred dark colors, although what else was new, really, and clothes that were fashioned by being cut close to his body. He stood on the other end of the platform before moving down towards Lockhart, looking as if he truly didn't stand on ceremony, and merely wished for this entire charade to be over.

"He has sportingly agreed to help with a short demonstration," Lockhart continued "I don't want any of you youngsters to worry. You'll still have your potions master when I'm through with him, never fear. One," he said, holding up his elegantly carved wand, as Professor Snape did the same, although his was much more practical in design. "Two. Three."

"Expelliarmus!" Professor Snape declared, easily disarming the defense professor, so much so that he flew to the very edge of the opposite end of the platform, falling down flat.

"Do you think he's all right?" Hermione asked, worriedly, as Harry and Setta merely held their sides from beside her, in an attempt to keep from laughing.

"Who cares?!" Ron demanded, all smiles.

"An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape," Lockhart said, clearly a bit embarrassed as he got to his feet, "but, if you don't mind me saying, it was obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy."

Professor Snape merely raised an eyebrow at the man. "Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, professor."

"An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape!" Lockhart said, albeit a bit too enthusiastically, as if he had thought of it himself. "Let's have a volunteer pair, shall we? Potter, Weasley, how about you?" he asked.

"Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells, and we will be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox," Professor Snape said softly. "Of course, Potter would be ineffective if he would even attempt to partner with anyone without his twin sister present, due to their shared magical cores. However, might I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy, perhaps?" he asked.

Lockhart nodded his assent, and nodded for Harry and Setta to get up onto the platform, while Professor Snape all but ordered Malfoy with a snap of his fingers.

Harry and Setta thanked Lockhart for wishing them luck, and moved to stand where Lockhart had previously, while Malfoy took Professor Snape's spot.

"Wands at the ready," Lockhart said loudly.

"Scared, Potters?" Malfoy asked.

"You wish," Harry and Setta said together.

"On the count of three," Lockhart continued, "cast your charms to disarm your opponent. Only to disarm," he added quickly. "We don't want any accidents here. One. Two..."

"Everte Statum!" Malfoy shouted, and his wand beamed dual orange lights, which flew directly into Harry and Setta, knocking them off balance and having them fly through the air, crash landing down upon the stage.

Setta was up first, although Harry was just behind her. "Tarantallegra!" she yelled, a beam of purple light erupting from the tip of her wand, and Harry's, and blasting towards Malfoy at top speed, causing his legs to proceed to stamp and kick this way and that upon the surface of the stage, flinging him this way and that as a direct result.

"I said disarm only!" Lockhart said from behind Harry and Setta.

Malfoy managed to get the spell to stop, and held up his wand again. "Petrificus Totalus!" he uttered, the white light hurtling towards them, but Harry and Setta fell down flat on their stomachs, evading the curse, which bounced off the stone walls, and was, thus, rendered ineffective against them.

"Rictusempra!" Harry bellowed, the silvery light flowing from both his and Setta's wand tips, and hurtling toward Malfoy, who couldn't stop it, and slammed into him, whipping him around and causing him to fall on his arse before Professor Snape, who looked enraged, and dragged him onto his feet, shoving him forward.

"Serpensortia!" Malfoy cried out, a white light escaping from his wand, before it took the form of a black serpent, which slithered this way and that upon the stage.

"Don't move, either of you," said Professor Snape as he stepped forward, although his tone appeared bored. "I'll get rid of it for you."

"Allow me, Professor Snape!" Lockhart said jovially, stepping forward. "Alarte Ascendare!" he said, again, in that way-too-excited voice, causing the snake to fly upwards into the air, before coming crashing back down onto the stage.

The snake, meanwhile, was hissing drastically now; whereas before its sound were merely curious, now the serpent appeared angered, and with good reason. It slithered viciously towards the edge of the stage, and locked eyes with Justin. Justin, meanwhile, was understandably scared at the turn of events, and shrunk back from the creature, who appeared to be moving towards the Hufflepuff to strike.

"Leave him," Harry declared, advancing upon the snake, to the point that other students were looking at Harry in fear, while others turned towards Setta, curious as to what she would do and say, now that Harry seemed mad.

Without hesitation, Setta stepped forward as well, and spoke directly to the snake, as Harry was doing. "Leave him," she said, her tone just as firm as her brothers', although the students around them doubly shrank back this time.

"Leave him," Harry and Setta said together, to the point where the snake turned, locking eyes on both of them, and seemed to hesitate.

"Vipera Evanesca," came Professor Snape's voice from behind them, sounding as commanding as he typically did, although there was a definite edge in his tone that had never been there before now. Black smoke escaped from his wand and enveloped the snake, vanishing it as quickly as it had come.

"What are you playing at?!" came Justin's voice, all friendliness gone.

Harry and Setta surveyed the room, but Lockhart, Professor Snape, and the rest of the student body were all giving them varying looks of fear, combined with anger. Not knowing what else to do, they got down from the stage and dashed from the Great Hall. Inevitably, Ron and Hermione were at their heels, and followed them all the way upstairs and into the common room.

"You're a Parselmouth?!" Ron demanded as soon as the portrait slammed shut behind them, his blue eyes wild. "Why didn't you tell us?!"

"What?!" Setta demanded, staring at him.

"You can talk to snakes," Hermione put in.

Harry made a face. "We know. I mean, we just always assumed that other people could do it, too, so what does it matter?"

"What does it matter?!" Ron asked, looking at them as if they'd grown two heads.

"No, they can't. It's not a very common gift," Hermione said, looking back and forth between them, worry evident in her expression. "This is bad."

"What's bad?" Setta asked, confused. "If we hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin, he would have..."

"That's what you said to it?" Ron asked.

"You were there," Harry said, confused.

Setta's brows knit together at that. "You heard us."

"We heard you two speaking Parseltongue," Ron said quietly. "Snake language."

Harry blinked. "We were speaking a different language?" he asked. "But I didn't realize..."

Setta swallowed, slowly but surely becoming uneasy. "How can we speak a different language without knowing we can?"

"I don't know, but it sounded like the two of you were egging the snake on or something," Ron said, clearly traumatized.

"Harry, Setta, listen to me," Hermione said, her voice firm, with more than a hint of worry for two of her best friends. "There's a reason the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth. He could talk to snakes, too."

"Exactly," Ron said, clearly freaked out. "Now the whole school's gonna think you're related to him or something."

"But we're not!" Harry said quickly.

"We can't be," Setta said, looking over at Harry.

"He lived over a thousand years ago," Hermione said. "For all we know, you could be."

Setta blinked then as the door to the headmaster's office swung open, and she and Harry promptly stepped inside. Looking around, neither saw any sign of the headmaster, but the sight of the Sorting Hat caught them momentarily off-guard. Stepping closer, the hat seemed to awaken and stare down at them critically.

"Bee in your bonnets, Potters," he said quizzically.

"I..." Harry began, and turned to look at Setta.

"We were just wondering if you put us in the right house," Setta said softly.

"Yes," the hat drawled, "the pair of you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said last year. You both would have done well in Slytherin."

"You're wrong," Harry told him firmly, and the hat growled slightly.

Setta turned at another sound across the room, and spotted an old-looking bird perched on something behind the headmaster's desk. She stepped forward, Harry just behind her, and the pair gazed admiringly up at the bird. The bird crooned slightly at the sight of them, before it promptly burst into flames, causing both Harry and Setta to dart back in fright.

"Harry? Setta?" came the familiar voice of the headmaster.

"Headmaster," Harry said, clearly stumbling over the title.

"I... We... Your bird," Setta said lamely, grimacing at the sight before them. "There was nothing we could do. He just caught fire!"

"Oh, and about time, too," the headmaster said sadly, coming down from the staircase he was standing on and moved into their midst. "He's been looking dreadful for days. Pity you had to see him on a burning day... Fawkes is a phoenix, my children. They burst into flame when it's time for them to die, and then they are reborn from the ashes." The headmaster approached the pile of said ashes then, and smiled, watching as the head of a baby phoenix popped slowly through, cooing, and Setta found herself melting at the sight. "Fascinating creatures, phoenixes, you know. They can carry immensely heavy loads. Their tears have healing powers..."

A crash interrupted them, as the door came open and Hagrid stood there, a couple of dead chickens in his hands. "Headmaster Dumbledore, sir! Wait!" he said, lumbering as fast as possible across the office and towards them all. "Listen! Headmaster Dumbledore, sir, it wasn't Harry or Setta—"

"Hagrid," the headmaster said gently, lifting his hand.

"I'd be prepared to swear it in front of the Ministry of Magic—"

"Hagrid! Relax," the headmaster said, more firmly this time, causing the half-giant to cease. "I do not believe that Harry or Setta attacked anyone," the man declared, gently placing hands on each of their shoulders.

"Of course you don't," Hagrid said, grinning, before his mind caught up to the entirety of the situation. "Oh. Right. I'll..." He cleared his throat then, awkwardly. "I'll just wait outside then," he said, grinning before he left the room.

"Yes," the headmaster said, watching him go.

Harry and Setta turned around then, regarding the headmaster. "You don't think it was us who attacked anyone, headmaster?" Harry asked.

"No," the headmaster said. "I do not think it was either of you. But I must ask the two of you... Is there something either of you wishes to tell me?"

Setta blinked, but nevertheless shook her head. "No, sir," she said. "Nothing."

"Very well, then," the headmaster said with a nod. "Off you go."

Harry and Setta nodded, promptly moving to leave the headmaster's office, although Setta couldn't help but think that something was truly amiss.