The feast had helped to pick up Susan's spirits and had passed with little incident except when Harry himself rushed through the Great Hall towards the end of the feast, blood still covering his face.

"What do you think happened to him?" Susan had asked, doing her best not to stare.

"I can hazard a guess," Cynthia said, nodding to Malfoy sitting at the Slytherin table scowling across at Harry.

Eleanor couldn't stop her gaze from lingering on Draco and before she could look away he had spotted her, his own grey eyes locking on to hers. They hadn't spoken over the holidays, except for at the very start when they'd received their OWL results and were both enthusing over their guaranteed acceptance into alchemy.

Eleanor had worried that this year they would return to the sniping, argumentative relationship they had formed over the duration of last year, but as Draco continued to stare he offered her a smile. Small and barely there, but it was a smile, an acknowledgement of her before she turned her attention back to the feast and the sorting, watching happily as Imogen was placed into her house, Slytherin.

She saw her sister glance in her direction once, offering her a big grin and nodding at her to take a seat at the Slytherin table where the rest of the first years had gathered.

"How's your dad going to feel about that?" Asks Cynthia, following Eleanor's gaze.

"He can get over it," she shrugs, "Not all Slytherins are evil, Merlin himself came from that house and I refuse to alienate my own sister just because of the house she is given."

"In other words, he's going to be pissed."

"Yeah."

The next morning Eleanor had joined Cynthia at breakfast as they waited impatiently for their classes to be sorted.

"I can't wait for the free periods this year," Cynthia says, reaching for another piece of toast. "All that time to relax in the common room with no first years around - it'll be great."

"Yeah until you become inundated with all the homework we'll have," Susan says popping down in the seat opposite having slept in.

"Please, I have these next two years in the bag," Cynthia says waving off the look Susan gives her.

Just then Professor Sprout appeared beside them, a pile of blank timetables in her hands as she started with Susan, approving her for her classes before moving on to Cynthia - neither of them were continuing with potions this year, instead taking Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Herbology, Divination and Astronomy. Susan would also be taking charms and Eleanor waited as her own classes were approved.

"Now, Potions and Transfiguration are fine, I see you'll also be taking alchemy this year Miss Wicks? Best of luck with it," the head of house said, continuing to go through her classes, "Defence Against the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes are also fine for you to continue with."

With that the witch handed Eleanor her own timetable, a class for Ancient Runes first off so she said a quick goodbye to Cyn and Susan and scurried out of the Hall to her first class.

When she reaches the classroom she takes the first seat she sees, only realising after that she has sat beside Hermione Granger. The girl turns to face Eleanor, smiling lightly before a frown creases her brow.

Before she can worry about it though class begins and Hermione is too swept up in listening to the teacher's every word to remember whatever it was she had been planning on saying. When the lesson ended, without giving Hermione a chance, Eleanor is out of her chair and on her way to the common room to wait out her free before the rest of her classes.

Cynthia and Susan had joined her in the common room a few minutes later and they filled each other in on their first class and all the work they had already been assigned.

"I can't wait to be done with school, I can properly move in with George then and I even think I might be able to line up an apprenticeship with one of the papers for work," Cynthia says, clearly disgruntled when Susan leaves them for the company of a girl who she'd had her eye on at the end of last year.

"I take it you'll be going back there for the Christmas holidays then?" Eleanor asks.

"Yeah. You're welcome to come along too if you like, it'd be a bit tight but there's space on the lounge. I'm guessing it's going to be weird to stay at your parent's house this year."

"A little," Eleanor says, "Thanks for the offer, I'll think about it."

When their free is over the two of them trudge their way up to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"Who knows maybe now he's in the job he's wanted for years he could be so much nicer," Cynthia says hopefully before they reach the classroom.

"Not a chance of that," says another student beside them who had overheard. "He taught the Gryffindor's just before, Harry Potter really riled him up by the sounds of it."

"Oh well that's just great," Cynthia groans, making sure she wasn't still grimacing when they entered the room and took their seats.

True to his nature when Professor Snape swooped in, his black cloak billowing a bit behind him, his face held a scowl on it that told everyone the first student who so much as breathed wrong was getting a detention.

The entire hour passed with baited breath as they listened to him insult the instructions of their previous teachers before beginning his own introduction to the year's curriculum. He spoke with a fervour and Eleanor could tell that in this darkened room he was truly in his element when he talked about the Dark Arts - it chilled her a little.

When the lesson finally ended no one wasted time in clearing the room, Eleanor and Cynthia no exception, only daring to make a noise when they were well out of the classroom.

"This year is going to be unbearable," Cynthia scowls, "At least I have a free now, how about you?"

"Potions," Eleanor says, cringing for a moment before remembering it was now being taught by the much more temperate Professor Slughorn.

"Oh, have fun then," Cynthia says, leaving her to finish walking down to the dungeon classroom on her own.

Unlike when Professor Snape had been teaching the room, though still dark and gloomy being in the dungeon, felt warmer than it ever had, the atmosphere one of ease. Standing to one side of the room Eleanor notes the other students entering, four Ravenclaw students she didn't know, Harry, Ron and Hermione, a fellow Hufflepuff Ernie Macmillan and then four Slytherins, the cool, unimpressed face of Draco amongst them.

The room itself was set up in grouped tables, a different potion bubbling at each one. The Ravenclaws instantly gathered at one together, the Slytherins another and that 'golden trio' as Susan had sometimes referred to them took up seats together, Ernie Macmillan apparently joining them.

She was the only one left, standing on the edge of them all, unsure of where she'd be welcome. She had no interest in spending her lessons in a group with Hermione, who, although she was perfectly nice, set her on edge sometimes with her 'know-it-all' attitude. The Ravenclaws also weren't an appealing choice for similar reasons and because they would look at her - a hufflepuff, and see her as a hindrance and an annoyance.

That left the Slytherins - or working on her own. She was sure if it was just Draco she wouldn't have any qualms with sitting there, but surrounded by his peers, one of which was clearly some sort of friend from the way they laughed together - she didn't think she'd be welcome.

She had just decided to swallow her pride and take a seat at the empty remaining table to work on her own when the boy Malfoy had been talking with turned around. He was tall and lanky, his brown hair hung in his eyes and a grin she could only describe as cheeky spread across his face.

"You're the one that kept helping this dork with getting into alchemy last year right?" The boy asked, leaning closer to Eleanor who had frozen entirely for a moment at the question. She hadn't thought Draco was the type to talk about getting tuition to his friends - or that he'd have mentioned her, and yet apparently he had, enough that his friend had recognised her.

"Uh, y-yes. I helped a bit." Next to the boy Draco sat frozen, glare boring into the side of his friend's head, clearly unsure of where this was going.

"Did you want to join us? It's no fun to sit alone."

She blinked a few times, wondering if she should just decline the offer. But he was right, she hadn't looked forward to being alone at the back of the classroom, and she was intrigued by the boy who was still grinning, patting an empty stool beside him.

"Sure," she says, picking up her books to move seats. She swears that Draco blinks in surprise and as she walks around to the stool she can see him whisper something furiously to the boy.

"Theodore Nott," he says when she's seated, offering a hand to her which she accepts.

"Eleanor, Wicks, but I guess you probably know that."

The other two Slytherins sitting at the table frown a bit but after a moment shrug and turn back to their own conversation, clearly not bothered with her presence.

"You know, Draco I didn't believe you at first but I'll admit you're right, she is quite stunning."

Across the table Draco scowls at Theodore, a mumbled threat escaping his lips.

"I said it's stunning how annoying and uppity she could be, you ass."

Eleanor can't help the laugh tumbling from her mouth, as Theodore winks at her lazily. The boy is a charmer and she can't help but like him as he dodges Draco's slap at the same time Professor Slughorn enters the classroom, a beaming smile directed towards Harry when he spots him.

"I have prepared the potions in front of you for you all to have a look at and see the types of things you should all be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. Can anyone tell me what this one is?" Slughorn asks, gesturing towards the potion by the Slytherin table, the liquid inside it looking just like water.

Before anyone has a chance Hermione's hand has shot into the air and she's reciting the name of the potion - veritaserum, along with a textbook definition. The next potion by the Ravenclaws, Polyjuice potion, is also identified immediately by Hermione. Eleanor had recognised the potion from her second year, when she'd been escaping from Pansy Parkinson and gone into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom for a reprieve. She'd stumbled across it brewing in one of the stalls but hadn't known what it was called.

The final potion in front of the Gryffindors and Ernie was Amortentia, a love potion that was emitting the most delicious smells even as Eleanor sat across the classroom; the faintest whiff of mint and fresh coffee and something else she couldn't identify.

When Slughorn informs everyone that it is possibly the most dangerous potion in the room Draco and Theodore snort derisively, a disbelieving look on their faces.

The final potion sitting on Professor Slughorn's desk is splashing about, its golden colour mesmerising. "Ah, that is Felix Felices. I take it you know what it does Miss Granger?"

"It's liquid luck. It makes you lucky," Hermione said.

Draco snapped to attention, an almost desperate look flashing across his face as he listened to Slughorn rattle off information about the potion before finally declaring it to be the prize for whoever creates the best Draught of Living Death by the end of the class.

Malfoy was in a fervour as everyone began to study the instructions, and when Theodore slipped away to gather ingredients from the store cupboard Eleanor spoke to him. "You really want that liquid luck."

"You wouldn't?" He says without looking up from his work.

"It'd be okay, I'm not going to tear through my book in a rush to find this recipe to win it." He had indeed torn several pages as he searched for the recipe and wordlessly Eleanor cast a charm to repair it while he added weights to his scale.

"Is there a particular reason you're in need of so much luck?"

"Is there a particular reason I need to have?" He snaps back and Eleanor just shakes her head.

"No I guess not."

He can sense that she's uneasy from the way he snapped and, just as Theo returns, a bunch of ingredients in hand, apologises. "I just really would like to win it."

"Tell me about it." Theo says, hearing the end of the conversation, handing Eleanor some of the ingredients for her to use to which she smiles in thanks. "Lucky for a whole day? Do you know how much fun I could have with that?"

"What would you do, if you had it?" Eleanor asks him, glad for the light hearted atmosphere he seems to radiate.

"Well first, I'd want to use it to get out of all my schoolwork and class for the day and then I'd ask out some ravishing beauty that normally would never look my way - just for the bragging rights I'll have when she says yes."

"I don't know. Even lucky potions might not be able to perform magic like that," Eleanor grins as Theodore places a hand over his heart, a half-heartedly offended look on his face.

"Did you hear that Draco? I thought you Hufflepuffs were supposed to be kind, you've been rubbing off on her too much with that cruel wit of yours."

Draco, still fervently working on his potion barely glances up but manages a light smile, never stopping his work.

"I don't know why you're bothering," Theodore says, "We all know if it's going to anyone it'll be Granger."

But it didn't. At the end of the lesson Harry Potter received the Felix Felices and Draco's mood was not improved as they packed up their belongings.

"Nice to meet you Eleanor, I look forward to annoying Malfoy with you in the future," Theodore says as they head out of the dungeon classroom, Malfoy still seething behind them.

Eleanor waves goodbye to Theodore, Malfoy falling into step beside her, his face set into a scowl.

"Are you okay?" She says, her voice dropping so only he can hear her.

"It was going to make it so much easier," he hissed before he remembered himself and who he was talking to. "I'm sorry, I barely wrote in the holidays and the first day back at school all I do is ignore and snap at you. Not the nicest behaviour after you helped me so much last year. I'm just a little stressed I guess."

They part ways at the top of the stairs, Eleanor saying goodbye and that she'll see Malfoy later, the whole time wondering what exactly is playing on his mind.