So yeah, I became really unpopular among the Slytherins.

I spent most of my time in the library away from everyone.

Quinn joined me once in awhile when she was mad at the other Gryffindors which coincidentally, was a lot.

I was walking down the hall one day with my nose stuck in a book avoiding eye contact with everyone when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hi, Z!"

I turned to see Millie's beaming smile.

I blinked. Did she just call me Z?

"How's it going?" She asked excitedly

I shrugged.

I turned the corner sharply almost losing her but... well... she's a Hufflepuff.

"How are things?" She asked again appearing right in front of me.

"Fine."

"You're not a person of very many words, are ya?" She teased.

I shrugged again.

Suddenly she snatched the book away from me and studied my face intently.

"You," she said point her finger in my face, hiding the book behind her back "Are suffering from loneliness. Usually caused by a lack of vitamin P."

"Vitamin P?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Vitamin People."

She grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hall and outside and then to a group of friends.

********

I was stiff to them all for a week and tried to dodge them, unsuccessfully, and it took them a couple of weeks but they finally got me to crack a smile.

I wasn't exactly besties with any of them but I began to consider Millie one of my best friends and without realizing it I sorta started treating her the way I would treat one of my sisters.

What I mean by this is one time someone commented on her unusually pale blue, blue eyes quite 'teasingly' and let's just say the result of my actions was ten points from Slytherin.

After a couple of weeks, the rest of the Slytherins began to drop the grudge against me and a few of them actually told me that they thought I was ignoring them and that's why they didn't really include me. Sydney would only exchange words if needed which didn't really bother me because I had Millie and her friends.

Matt ignored and dodged me most of the time which I probably wouldn't have noticed except he nearly tripped over himself trying not to pass me in the hall. I normally would've ignored it, but then Quinn intervened. And there was no escaping.

"ZANDER COSMO WHITEHURST!"

I was so startled the books I was carrying slipped from my hands and I turned to see Quinn dragging Matt towards me.

"Is there something wrong, Quinn?" I choked. Trying to compose myself.

"Yes, Zander Cosmo Whitehurst!" she snarled gesturing to Matt who looked quite pale "Mathew Ichabod Ludiker would like to say something to you."

How in the whole wide world did she figure out our middle names?

"Sorry for being an idiot," Matt mumbled, then he seemed to gain confidence after a small glance at Quinn, who was giving him a harsh glare, and he raised his head to meet my eyes "I mean it. Quinn didn't need to yell at me to admit it. Friends?" He stuck out his hand.

I studied his face for a second trying to tell if he was lying when suddenly a strange thing happened. It was as if I entered his head and everything else tuned out.

Matt pacing his room rehearsing what he'd say to me.

"I'm so sorry about not talking to you- no. That won't do...I'm sorry for avoiding you- Gah!"

Then it went back further.

A boy falling out of a tree and breaking his arm.

Suddenly Matt's startled face snapped back to my consciousness. We stared at each other for a moment until I reached forward and grasped his hand and nodded.

"Friends," I said, smiling.

****

"Try this spell!"

It was just a day before Halloween and Matt, Millie, and I was having a joyous time studying in the library.

I hope you detected my sarcasm.

On the contrary, we had been studying when I had slipped a book off the shelf that contained fifth-year curriculum and was studying and performing the spells it contained. Matt and Millie had noticed and was seeing what spells I could do by memory.

The funny thing about it all was I could do all of them by memory. Even the ones I didn't know.

"Come on, please?"

"Haven't we studied enough? I know I have." I sighed and pushed back my chair and picked up my books.

"No! Just this one last spell? PLEEEEEEEEASE?" Matt begged.

"That's what you said twenty-three spells ago."

"Please!!!!!"

I sunk back into my seat.

"One last spell." I sighed in resignation

Matt began to push a book in front of me but Millie stopped him.

"I want to test something."

She looked around and pulled a book off a stack to the side.

"Have it read what it has written to us."

I nodded and lifted my wand and said a spell, not really thinking

The book quivered, then closed and began to talk.

"The Arts of the Darks by Sollemnia Naumov. Chapter one-."

I said another spell and it was quiet.

Millie was scribbling something down.

"What was it you wanted to test?"

Millie looked up. Her eyes were shining.

"Zander, that spell doesn't exist. How do you know all these?"

"To tell you the truth I just say something. I don't actually know what I'm saying."

"Z, I think you have a gift of some sort!"

"A gift or a curse?" Matt asked inquisitively

Millie frowned and thought for a moment.

"What was your childhood like, Z?" She said after a while.

"I need to go," I said suddenly standing and scooping up my books. I knew this was gonna come up eventually.

"Wait! I didn't mean to offend you!" Millie said catching my arm.

"It's fine. You didn't offend me," I tried to pull away.

Suddenly some of Matt's fellow Gryffindors rushed into the library.

"Matt, you've got to come! Right now!" One of them shouted

"Why?" Matt questioned but before I could hear anything they said they dragged him away.

"I'm sorry," Millie whispered, letting my arm go "You don't have to tell me, I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."

I began to walk away but I sighed, turned, then said:

"My sisters and I were physically abused when I was six," I deadpanned. But I didn't tell her about the thing.

And with that, I left. No explanation. No reason. No looking back at her. I just left.

[Editor Note: Hello Sheeks!! This is the Editor here to just say, I barely had to do anything! Shakespeare is really getting better at writing and doing most of my work, not that she wasn't before, but I'm just saying she's come a long way and I'm proud of her, so keep being Awesome S!! X3 and you too readers for being really positive about her story!!]

That is all, just keep being Awesome!!

~The Editor, Krayzee

Thanks, Krayzee!

-Shakespeare