When they arrive at Hogsmeade station, Ursa joins up with her friends. "Hey Potter!" Draco says and Ursa groans. "I'm surprised the Ministry's still letting you walk around free."

"Draco!" Ursa exclaims.

"I expect there's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it." Harry tries to physically attack Draco but Ron holds him back and Ursa stands between them. "What'd I tell you? Complete nutter."

"Shut up Draco."

"Just stay away from me!" Harry yells before Fang barks at Draco.

"It's only Malfoy." Ron says. "What'd you expect?"

"Yeah, Draco..." Ursa says. "Sucks. I'll probably jinx him later."

"You don't have to." Harry says.

"I have ten days of torturing him to catch up on."

"What is it?" Harry says as they approach the carriages, him and Ursa seeing the black, fleshless horses.

"What's what?" Ron asks.

"That." Ursa says as she points at the horses. "Pulling the carriage."

"Nothing's pulling the carriage, you two." Hermione says. "It's pulling itself like always."

"No. There's something pulling them."

"You're not going mad." A blonde in the carriage says. "I can see them too. You're just as sane as I am." Harry looks uneasy at that comment while Ursa just smiles. Everyone gets into the carriage and sits, Ursa next to the blonde.

"Everyone this is Loony Love... Luna Lovegood." Hermione says.

"Nice to meet you." Ursa says. "I'm-"

"Ursa Malfoy." Luna says. "Everyone knows who you are."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Not sure." Ursa notices Luna's butterbeer cork necklace.

"What an interesting necklace." Ursa says.

"It's a charm, actually. Keeps away the nargles. I'm hungry. I hope there's pudding." Ursa chuckles softly.

"What's a nargle?" Ron whispers to Harry.

"No idea." Harry replies.

When they arrive at the castle, Fang follows Ursa into the Great Hall. Ursa goes up to the teacher's table, eyeing the woman in pink. "I assume you do not want Fang in the walkway." Ursa says to Dumbledore. "May I leave him up here?"

"Yes." Dumbledore replies.

"Come here Fang." Professor Sprout says. Fang walks over to her and lays at her feet.

"Well I guess that answers where I should leave him." Ursa says with a chuckle. Ursa goes to the Slytherin table and sits across from Draco, her back to Hermione and Harry.

"Good evening children." Dumbledore says. "Now, we have two changes in staffing this year. We're pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who'll be taking the Care of Magical Creatures, while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave."

"Good riddance." Draco says.

"Crabbe." Ursa says and Crabbe pushes Draco.

"If you notice anything with the creatures of the castle, please alert Professor Grubbly-Plank or Miss Malfoy." Dumbledore says and the woman in pink looks to Ursa who stands. "We also wish to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge."

"Isn't she the Minister's other ass kisser?" Ursa whispers to Draco and Draco snorts.

"Yes." Draco replies.

"I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing our professor good luck." Dumbledore says. "Now as usual, our caretaker, Mr Filch has asked me to remind you-" Umbridge dramatically clears her throat.

"She was at my hearing." Harry says. "She works for Fudge." Ursa turns and leans over to her friends.

"Pretty much in bloody love with him actually." Ursa says. "May be more of a suck up than Percy."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Umbridge says as she walks around the teachers table and Ursa sits back up. "For those kind words of welcome."

"Oh boy." Ursa mumbles.

"And how lovely to see all of your bright... happy faces smiling up at me. I am sure we're all going to be good friends."

"That's likely." George and Fred both say and Ursa snorts.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered... the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each headmaster... has brought something new to this historic school... progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved... perfect what can be perfected... and prune practices that ought to be prohibited." Dumbledore starts hesitant clapping.

"Thank you, Professor Umbridge." Dumbledore says. "That was... most illuminating."

"Illuminating." Ron says. "What a load of waffle."

"What does it mean?" Harry asks.

"It means the Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts." Hermione says. Harry leans back towards Ursa.

"Ursa." Harry hisses. Ursa and Hermione turn and lean over too. "What's going on? Why's the Ministry interfering at Hogwarts?"

"How should I know?" Ursa asks and Hermione gives her a pointed look. "Later."

"Did you know Hagrid wouldn't be here?" Harry asks.

"Yes. That's why I had Fang."

After dinner, Ursa takes Fang down to Hagrid's hut. Lyra lands on her shoulder as she pulls her key ring out of her pocket. She finds the key and unlocks the door. Fang pushes the door open the second he can and runs to Hagrid's bed. "Come on." Ursa says. "We have to check in with Clawhoof." Fang whines before following her to the hippogriff enclosure. "Clawhoof!" Clawhoof walks over to Ursa with Hothoof next to him and Ursa smiles. "Did I miss something over the summer?"

"Yes." Hothoof replies.

"You're telling me later. Right now I just needed to tell you Lyra will be down here and to send her to me if you need something. We already set up a signal system. I will come down daily so only send her in emergencies please."

"Alright."

While Ursa is outside, Harry goes to the Gryffindor common room. "Dean, Seamus." Harry says. "Good holiday?"

"Alright." Dean says. "Better than Seamus' anyway."

"Me mum didn't want me to come back this year." Seamus says.

"Why not?" Harry asks.

"Let me see. Because of you. The Daily Prophet's been saying a lot about you and Dumbledore."

"What, your mum believes them?"

"Nobody was there the night Cedric died."

"Except for me and Ursa Malfoy. I guess you should read the Prophet then. Like your stupid mother."

"Don't talk about my mother!"

"I'll have a go at anyone who calls me a liar." Harry addresses the entire the common room. Ron enters the common room.

"What's going on?" Ron asks.

"He's mad is what's going on." Seamus says. "Do you believe the rubbish he's come out with about You-Know-Who?"

"Yeah, I do." Ron says. "Has anyone else got a problem with Harry? Do I need to get Ursa to deal with you all? She may be our friend but she likes messing with Gryffindors as much as any Slytherin and would be more than willing to jinx you all." The room remains silent and Harry and Ron leave.

In the morning, Ursa sits at the Gryffindor table, eyed by Umbridge. Ursa notices Seamus glaring at her. "Why is Finnegan glaring me harder than normal?" She asks.

"Ron." Harry says and Ursa looks at Ron.

"I may have used you to threaten him." Ron says. Ursa rolls up her newspaper and shoots up.

"Ronald Weasley!" Ursa exclaims as she reaches over the table and hits Ron with the paper repeatedly. "Do not use my name to threaten people!" Ursa stops hitting him and notices a lot of people looking in their direction. "What are you looking at?" Everyone turns away and Ursa chuckles as she sits.

"Ow! He was calling Harry a liar 'cause of what the Prophet's been saying."

"Why are they going so hard after Harry and Dumbledore but not you, Ursa?" Hermione asks. "You were just as vocal as Harry was about him being back and you were there that night."

"Fudge thinks Dumbledore is forcing me to agree with him." Ursa says. "Or at least that's what he said. He told the Prophet not to include me in anything. Probably because I'm a Malfoy."

"Sometimes I hate that you're a Malfoy." Harry says.

"Do you think I enjoy being related to so many bad people?" Ursa whispers. "Like my father."

"Speaking of your father, why is the Ministry interfering with Hogwarts?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know." Ursa says.

"Fudge's paranoia?" Hermione questions.

"That Dumbledore wants to take over the Ministry, yes. That's why the Prophet is writing all this stuff and Umbridge is here." Ursa notices the time. "Crap I'm going to be late to Herbology. Professor Sprout asked me to come in a little early. See you in potions."

"Great." Harry says sarcastically. "Potions with Slytherins again."

"Hey!" Ursa says as she stands. "May I remind you I'm the only reason you don't get in trouble as often in potions?"

"Sorry." Harry mumbles as Ursa walks away.

Ursa is already in the potions classroom when Snape lets the students in. "Now as you know this year you will be taking your O.W.L. examinations." Snape says. "As... dim as some of those in this class are, I expect you all to scrape at least an 'Acceptable' in your O.W.L.s." Snape looks at Neville. "There are very few of you that I expect to get 'Outstanding' and join me in N.E.W.T level potions class." Snape looks at Ursa and Ursa rolls her eyes. "Today we will be making a potion that often comes up in O.W.L.s, the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be careful, for if you add too much of an ingredient, you will put the drinker into a heavy, sometimes irreversible sleep so pay attention." Snape continues talking but Ursa tunes him out. She opens her textbook to the Draught of Peace and compares it to the directions on the board. "Miss Malfoy." Snape says as he walks up to her table. "This is a potion I would rather you follow my exact instructions for than your notes." Some of the Gryffindors giggle, thinking she's in trouble.

"Then it's a good thing my notes match your instructions isn't it?" Ursa says with a smirk.

"Know-it-all." Ursa hears Snape mumbles as he walks away and Ursa chuckles. Everyone goes to the shelfs for ingredients while Ursa stays at her table. She pulls a small pouch out of her bag.

"What's that?" Hermione asks as she walks by.

"Ingredients and supplies." Ursa replies before opening the pouch. She says everything she needs and it flies out of the pouch.

"How many of those infinite bags to you have?" Ron exclaims.

"I only have one bag with an Extension Charm on it. The rest of these are runes and enchantments." Ursa tunes out the classroom and gets to work. She doesn't hear anything until Snape speaks with ten minutes left in class.

"A light silver vapor should be rising from your potion by now." Snape says. She doesn't completely tune back in until she hears... "Potter what is this supposed to be?" Ursa looks over to see copious amounts of dark grey steam rising from Harry's cauldron.

"The Draught of Peace." Harry says tensely.

"Tell me Potter, can you read?" Draco laughs and Ursa rolls her eyes.

"Yes I can."

"Read the third line of the instructions aloud Potter."

"'Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counterclockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes, then add two drops of syrup of hellebore.'"

"Did you do everything on the third line?"

"No. I forgot the hellebore."

"I noticed. Evanesco." The contents of Harry's cauldron vanish. "Those of you who have managed to read the instructions, fill one vial of your potion, label it, and put it on my desk for testing. Homework is twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion making due on Wednesday." Ursa fills a vial and takes it up to Snape's desk. "Check my stores before cleaning up Malfoy." Snape says to Ursa. "I know Madam Pomfrey will request more anytime now."

"Yes sir." Ursa says. She waves her wand at her cauldron as she walks by and it glows. Ursa goes to the storage and tries the door. "Right. Accio key ring." Ursa's key ring shoots out of her bag and over to her. People yelp as it wizzes past them. Ursa unlocks the storeroom door and goes inside. She checks to find the supply of the draught low. Ursa grabs an empty bottle and a new label. She takes the bottle and label towards her table, kicking the door closed behind her. She chuckles as she sees Ron try to touch her cauldron and Ron yelps as it shocks him.

"Something wrong Weasley?" Snape asks.

"The cauldron shocked me." Ron says.

"Cauldrons do not shock people Weasley." The Slytherins laugh.

"They do if there is a jinx on them to keep people from touching them." Ursa says as she walks up. "It is my fault Professor. I put a jinx on it in case one of my friends or brother decided to be nice and try to help me clean up." Snape rolls his eyes and walks away. Ursa sets the bottle and label down and uses magic to funnel her potion into the bottle before corking it. She write the potion name and her own name on the label. She levitates the label with magic and lays it against the bottle. "Epoximise." The label glues itself to the bottle and Ursa smiles. "Do you want me to put this in storage or take it to Madame Pomfrey, Professor?"

"Storage." Snape says.

"See you at lunch Ursa?" Hermione asks.

"Maybe, if not, at DADA." Ursa replies before walking into the storeroom. When she come out it is just Snape in the room. "Do you have to be an ass to Harry?"

"Yes."

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"Have you seen who he looks like?" Ursa sighs.

"He reminds you of James. Still not an excuse to be an ass."

"He's Gryffindor."

"Still not an excuse. You have no excuse Severus. I know James and Sirius put you through hell but that is no reason to bully a child."

"Why do you have to be so mature?"

"Cause I had to grow up fast. 'No time for playing if you are going to be a powerful little witch.'"

"Beatrice?"

"Mhm."