“And the first class of the day is…damn!”

“Wha’?”

“Ah, we get the lovely joy of looking at – no, excuse me – through Binns face this morning.”

“HoM firs’?  Wha’ are they thinkin’?”

“Obviously that we Slyth’s have no need for work today and should be put to sleep by another astounding lesson on goblin rebellions.”

“‘Ave ye ever noticed that’s all ‘e talks abou’?”

“Yes.  Strange, isn’t it?”

“Yep.  Well, a’ least we ‘ave Potions afterwards.”

“Ah yes.  I have the joy of seeing all of the lovely Gryffindor faces.  Y’know, with the exception of the Weasley’s and Hermione, I hate the Gryff’s.”

“Y’know, the res’ o’ the Slyth’s think we’re crazy ‘cause o’ tha’.”

“Ah, bugger to them.”

“Hey, guys.”

Harry and Niamh looked up from their conversation and said, “Hi, Ginny.”

Then they did a double take.

Niamh asked, “Gin, what are you doing over here?”

Ginny simply pointed at her house badge and Niamh’s eyes widened.  Harry said simply, “Welcome ter Slytherin, Gin.”

Ginny smiled and sat down across from them.  She said, “It’s not as bad as Fred and George made out.”

Niamh grinned.  “Of course its not.  Me and Harry are here, aren’t we?”

Ginny nodded.  “Yeah.”

“Ah, don’t worry, Gin.  We’ll keep the yokel’s off you.  Harry and me have a rather…interesting reputation…”

Ginny blinked at them and Harry grinned.

“Known far an’ wide fer our immaculate knowledge o’ curses an’ hexes.”

“And our scowls,” added Niamh with a grin.

Harry nodded then looked up.

“Damn.”

“Wha…  Damn.  And I was going to have a good few minutes before being bored to death in HoM!”

Ginny blinked at them and asked, “What?”

“Malfoy,” growled Harry and Niamh, sending identical glares down the table at the blond.  If looks could kill, Draco would have been dead.

“Well, hello Potter, O’Feir.  And a Weasel.  What are you doing here, Weasel?”

Niamh rose out of her seat and snarled, “She’s got as much right to be here as you do, Malfoy.  No, wait.  I was wrong.  She has more of a right to be here than you do.”

Draco sneered then saw Ginny’s house badge.

“What!  A Weasel in Slytherin!”

Harry rose out of his seat now, eyes flashing and his right hand on his wand.

“Sod off, Malfoy.”

“Or what, Potter?  You’ll curse me?  There are teachers in the room.”

“Ye think I’m scared o’ cursing ye when there’s teachers ‘round?”

“Yes.”

Harry laughed harshly then hissed, “Well, I’m na.”

“Harry!” hissed Niamh, prodding him in the side and hissing, “Dumbledore!”

Harry shot a glance up at the staff table, where Dumbledore was watching him intently, motioning a rising McGonagall to sit down.  Turning back to Draco, he snarled, “I’m na afraid of ye, Malfoy.  Mess wi’ Ginny an’ ye mess wi’ me an’ Ni.”  He narrowed his eyes and continued, “An’ ye really doan wan’ ter do tha’, do ye?”

Draco paled, eyes widening, then gained back his composure.  He sneered at Harry and spat, “I’m not afraid of you or O’Feir, Potter.  You had better watch your back.”  With that he turned and walked down the table.

Niamh sneered at his turned back as she sat down and snarled, “The bloody bastard!  I’d like to show him how scared he should be of me!”

Harry sat down again and growled, “Shut i’, Ni.  ‘E’s plen’y scared.”

“Yeah.  Of you, Mr. I-Beat-Up-Draco-Malfoy-Twice-And-Hate-His-Guts.”

“Ni.”

“Yes?”

“Shut up.”

Niamh scowled at him but he ignored it, turning back to Ginny.  Smiling, he said, “Doan worry, Gin.  ‘E woan mess wi’ ye wi’ me and Ni ‘round.”

Ginny smiled weakly and said, “Thanks, Harry.”

“No trouble, Gin.”

Harry grinned then looked up at the Head Table.  His eyes met Dumbledore’s and the older wizard nodded.  Harry grinned then looked down at Snape, who was watching him with…pride?

“C’mon, Harry.  Let’s go see Binns lovely face.  C’mon, Gin, you can walk with us.”

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“You flew in the car?”

Harry nodded as the left the Great Hall.  Niamh had begun telling the story of yesterday’s events as soon as they had got up and Ginny had been listening intently.

“Hey, Harry!  I was wondering if I could borrow your…”  Ron’s voice trailed off as he ran up and spotted Ginny.

“…charms book.”  His eyes flicked to her house badge then back up to her face, which had turned white.

Ginny began, “Ron….”

“No.  Tell me it’s a joke.”

Ginny shook her head.  “It’s not a joke, Ron.”

Ron’s face turned red and he spat, “You slimy Slytherin!”

“Ron!” shrieked Niamh, throwing an arm about Ginny’s shoulders.

“Slytherin!  How could you, Ginny?  How could you?”

“Ron…”

“No!  I don’t want to talk to you, you Slytherin.  I want nothing to do with you!  Your not my sister!”

Harry stepped forward, hand on his wand.  “Ron, stop bein’ a prat.”

Ron whirled on him.

“A prat, am I?  Ginny’s a Slytherin, Harry.”

“So’m I.  Ye goin’ ter disown me too, Ron?”

Ron turned red then shot off down the hallway.  Harry turned back to Ginny and Niamh, the former of which was sobbing into the latter’s shoulder.  Niamh gave Harry a sad look before glaring at something over his shoulder.  Harry whirled, pointing his wand at the group of students standing in the doorway.  He snarled, “Ge’ los’.  There’s nothin’ ‘ere ter see.”

A few of them skittered backwards but most stayed.  Harry scowled at them then turned back to Ginny and Niamh.  He said, “Le’s ge’ ‘er back ter the common room.”

Niamh nodded and they both took a hold on Ginny, leading her towards the dungeons and the Slytherin dormitory.

“Oi!  Let us through!”

Fred and George suddenly burst through the crowd and ran after them.

“Harry!  Niamh!  Wait up!”

Harry and Niamh stopped, throwing glares over their shoulders at the twins, who blinked at them in confusion.  Niamh snarled, “What?”

“We wanted to see how Gin was,” replied George.

“Heard what Ron said,” added Fred.

“The bloody prat.”

Fred and George were practically snarling.  Niamh tightened her arm around Ginny and snapped, “Bloody git’s more like it.  I hope the two of you don’t see Ginny as he does.”  She glared at them coldly as she said this, joined by Harry a moment later.  The twins shuffled their feet under their cold glares.

“No,” mumbled George.

“Not in the slightest,” echoed Fred.

Niamh nodded sharply and Harry said, “Goo’.  Talk some sense inter Ron, will ye?  I wou’ but I doan think ‘e’ll listen ter me.”

Fred and George nodded then Fred leaned forward and softly asked, “Ginny?  Gin?”

Ginny lifted her head, eyes puffy and red and smiled.  She wrenched herself free from Niamh and Harry, throwing herself onto Fred, who hugged her.  She then hugged George before hugging the both of them at the same time.

Niamh smiled then said, “You two’d better get to class.”

Fred asked, “What about you three?”

“Break for personal matters.  Me and Harry have already got detention with Snape.  He’ll understand.”

Fred and George snorted.  George then said, “We’ll talk to Ron.”

“Don’t know what his problem is,” said Fred.

“Nope.  Not at all.”

“After all…”

“…Niamh’s a Slyth…”

“…and your okay.”

“So’s Harry…”

“…he’s almost okay.”

“Oi!” said Harry, grinning.

Fred and George grinned in return then set off after hugging Ginny once more.  Niamh and Harry wrapped their arms about Ginny again and they set off towards the dungeons.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“I can’t believe Ron actually said that!”

< He was angry. >

“That’s no excuse and you know it, Jar!” snapped Niamh irritably at the raven.  It was after classes and she, Harry, and Ginny were sitting in a corner of the common room in three plush chairs.  Jardin had made his way down from the Owlery and was perched on the back of Harry’s chair, preening the feathers of his left wing.

< Perhaps.  But, look at it this way.  Ginny is the youngest, Ron’s little sister.  The entire family is made up of Gryffindors.  They obviously expected Ginny to be one too. >

Niamh frowned at that then turned to Ginny.

“That comment spurs my question.  Gin, how did you get in Slytherin?”

Ginny shrugged slightly and replied, “I-I told the hat I wanted to be myself, not overshadowed by my brothers.”

“Ye wanted power,” muttered Harry.

“I guess so…”

Niamh nodded and said, “Well, that’s definitely a Slyth trait.  I told the hat something of the same sort.”

“Really?” said Ginny.

“Yep.  Hey, Harry, what’s your story with the good ole’ Sorting Hat?”

Harry blinked and sat up slightly from his slouched position in the chair.

“Well…  ‘I tol’ me I had plen’y o’ courage, a good mind, lots o’ talent, and a….ah! – a thirs’ ter prove myself.  I tol’ i’ ter put me anywhere and ‘ere I am.”

Niamh arched an eyebrow and said, “Courage, aye?  I suppose so.  Must’ve took courage to pickpocket that purse off Lockhart.”

Harry looked at her in amusement for a moment then burst out laughing.  He said, “Na courage, Ni.  Ye could ‘ave gotten tha’ out o’ ‘is pocket.”

Niamh laughed while Ginny asked, “What purse?”

Still laughing, Niamh launched into the story of the meeting in Flourish and Blott’s and Harry’s pickpocketing of Lockhart’s – ahem – purse.  By the time she was done the three of them were laughing loudly with Jardin looking on in amusement while the few other people who came into the common room stared at them.