Being His Daughter CONTINUED

Barry

"Hello," someone greeted, sitting in front of me.

I looked up. "Oh, hey, Hermione," I said, smiling.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

I was bent over one of my Potions books. "Magical Drafts and Potions," I told her. "Snape mentioned the Swelling Solution and I remember it, but some of the details are fuzzy..."

"Oh thank goodness!" Hermione exclaimed, beaming. The librarian, Madam Pince, appeared out of no where, shushing Hermione viciously. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Hermione whispered, and Madam Pince disappeared, looking suspicious, as Hermione turned back to me. "But thank goodness," she repeated in a whisper, making me giggle. "I'm so glad someone else actually tries to learn more knowledge! I was beginning to think I was the only one."

"It's mostly when I'm bored," I explained, glancing back down at the list of the potion ingredients.

Hermione laughed quietly. "Bored?" she repeated, eyebrows raised. "How could you ever be bored? Malfoy is practically glued to your hip everywhere you go. Where is Malfoy, anyway?" Her nose twitched slightly, but she politely masked her dislike for my best friend, which I appreciated.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, probably off somewhere with his followers." I rolled my eyes.

Hermione hummed approvingly. "Oh yes, Crabbe and Goyle. What, do you not like them?"

"I hardly know them," I said. "They hardly ever talk, and when they do, they just agree with whatever Draco or I say. Or they'll mess with someone smaller than them, trying to be funny. It's really quite annoying, actually." We'd been at Hogwarts for nearly a week, and Crabbe and Goyle's behavior had been consistent. "But sometimes they can be okay, I guess. When they're not being rude imbeciles. I guess... I don't know."

"Woah, not so Slytherin, I see," Hermione said.

I looked up at her quickly. "What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Nothing," she replied calmly. "It's just that Slytherins have a reputation for that sort of stuff. You know, picking on others more vulnerable than them. I thought you'd be like that too, in the beginning, but you don't seem like it."

"I'm not," I said, rougher than I'd intended.

Hermione placed her hand on top of mine. "I know," she said soothingly. "And if you ever need someone who's not like the other Slytherins, I'm here."

I grinned at her. "Thanks, Hermione."

Δ

"Sierra!"

I turned around and someone crashed into me. They wrapped their arms around me just to steady us, and I blinked, bright-green eyes staring straight into mine.

I instantly pushed Potter away from me. He stumbled back, looking a bit shocked.

I quickly tried to cover up my mistake. "Oh, P—Harry!" I said. "I didn't realize that was you, sorry..."

He didn't look suspicious, and I exhaled subtly with relief. "That's alright," he said. "Sorry I bumped into you."

Bumped? I thought to myself scathingly.

"I was just wondering..." Potter continued, "if you'd like to come with me and Ron to the Black Lake? His brothers said they wanted to show us something and I thought you'd like it..."

I tried to hide the sly smirk that was inching onto my face. My mission was going perfectly. "Oh. Uh, sure, why not? When?"

"Right now." He grabbed my wrist and, before I could snatch it away, we were racing down the hall toward the castle's exit.