Sure enough, her name was there. Chaser 1. Team A. Her eyes skimmed quickly through the entire list. It was dominated by Slytherins--

And--*gods* The simple yet powerful name under Team B glared at her. Of course. She had witnessed how good he was, firsthand, did she not?

She tried hard to swallow whatever was causing the volatile churning mix of ice and fire in the pit of her stomach. She congratulated her fellow team members who were nearby, then headed up to Gryffindor Tower to return the Rakurai to her room. She was momentarily stopped in the halls by random people who congratulated her, but otherwise her trip was uneventful.

She said the password to the Fat Lady and entered the Common Room.

Jon Sinclair was seated on one of the armchairs near the fire reading. He looked up as Shinrei entered. He smiled and closed the book and walked over to her.

"I understand congratulations are in order. I'm happy you got on the team, Shinrei." News had travelled fast.

It felt like ages ago since they last spoke. Shinrei still did not understand up to now why he had chosen to assume a considerable distance between them since that day in Diagon Alley.

All she knew was that the loss of his company had made her more lonely and afraid than she already was. The past few days, especially, had been harrowing. But she would never admit such a thing to him or anyone else.

He was smiling. It was a good sign.

"Domo arigatou, Jon-kun," she replied with a smile and a bow. When she looked back up at him, there was something in his eyes that seemed to cut through the jumble of thoughts in her head.

Without really knowing what she was doing, Shinrei let her precious broom drop to the floor and threw her arms around him. "I could not have done it without you," she said. "I will always be in your debt.

For this and many other things."

Jon was more than a little taken aback by Shinrei's emotional outburst. For one wild moment he thought she might have discovered she loved him but then reality and common sense returned. He'd done a lot of thinking over the weekend about her and his feelings for her. Despite Luis Verga's perceptions, Jon knew that he would never set this or perhaps any girl's world on fire.

He took no satisfaction in being so cold to her as he had since his fumbling attempts in Diagon Alley. Yet there was enough pride in him to not wish to humiliate himself any further.

So he had promised himself he'd never impose his feelings upon her. He would be the good friend, the big brother and deal with any sense of disappointment he felt in his own way.

He allowed himself a brief hug then wisely let her go before she broke it off. A first step.

"I love the sport Shinrei and I'm glad I was able to help you practice this summer. You'll be a great Chaser, a great asset to our School team. So where are you off to now? Dinner?"

Jian heard the news that he was named to be part of the team long before he actually got to read the list. His Hufflepuff friends were apparently speedy in terms of relaying news.

After returning the borrowed Cleansweep and thanking the younger students, he promptly went up to Gryffindor Tower in search of Dylan, as he promised Nicola that he would.

Dylan was nowhere to be found in the dormitory. There was something about his absence that disturbed Jian, but he did his best to ignore it. Hogwarts was, after all, a much more complicated place than the Mian-Ju-Tao temple.

Perhaps Dylan is in the Common Room now, he thought. He decided to head back downstairs for one last ask-around, then he was going to eat. Jian's euphoria at being chosen for the team, though well-hidden from others, made him hungry.

Maybe he really deserved to be //chosen//...at least in terms of being able to learn fast and-

His train of thought was cut off when he reached the base of the staircase and saw what was going on in the Common Room.

Embracing. They were embracing.

And he was staring. It wasn't polite. He shouldn't care. It meant nothing to him. He was here for a purpose and he was better off having no complicated thoughts...and feelings...and even fears.

He was //stone//.

He tore his eyes away from Jon and Shinrei and tried to be as invisible and quick as possible while he made his way towards the portrait hole.

"Jian!" said Jon with enthusiasm as noted the other boy heading to the portrait hole. "Congratulations on also making the team. A fine showing and both Chasers."

He smiled at the two of them. "Shall we all go get something to eat I'm starved?" A sure fire way to kill any attempts at deep and meaningful soul searching.

Still very happy with Jon's reaction--and the fact that they are back to being friends now--Shinrei's uncharacteristically bright smile even extended to Jian.

"Hupi-san!" she said enthusiastically. "Congratulations!" She turned back to Jon and said, "You should have seen how quickly he changed tactics in mid-play, Jon-kun. We played against each other and I witnessed for myself how good a Chaser Hupi-san is."

"Perhaps you should explain to Jon-kun some time your unique Bagua Zhang approach, Hupi-san."

Jian tried very hard to suppress the surprised and flustered expression that was beginning to become evident on his face.

No one had ever smiled at him like that before. Bright and so full of life. So different from the fear on her face in the broomshed earlier that day. His fists clenched. He could feel his joints hurt at the sheer force.

"Thank you," he said to Shinrei and Jon. "It is my honour to be part of team. It was a...surprise, yes." //More than you will ever know.//

"Perhaps I will tell Jonathan over dinner?" He looked at the prefect and nodded. "I did not even realize until lately that my martial arts principles could be applied so closely to Quidditch."

"Previous training in various disciplines would indeed make a person a good Quidditch player," Shinrei agreed.

She picked up her broom from the floor and gave Jon's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. She missed his company terribly. It would be so good to have a friend again. "Jon-kun is likewise a very good trainer for anyone who wishes to be a serious Chaser," she said fondly.

"I regret it much that you will not be on the team with us, Jon-kun," she added sincerely.

She gave both boys a bow. "I am afraid you gentlemen have to go ahead. There are still some, well, matters I have to take care of. Girl matters, if you will." She smiled a little apologetically at Jon and began to ascend the steps to the girl's dorm.

The matter was, of course, her medicine. Only *this girl's* matter.

The moment she entered the girl's dormitory, Shinrei felt something wrong. There was something distinctly amiss in the air. It was a sense of foreboding that was too strong yet too irrational because it only sprang from what she felt. No more.

A gust of wind blew from the east window, where she always stood in the morning to watch the sunrise, making her shiver. It was not cold air. It was balmy. Why did she feel cold--inside?

The Blue Dragon-God of the Eastern Skies was roaring. It was a time of great tribulation, when the dragon-god roared. *Kami-sama.*

Shinrei shot across the empty room straight to her bedside table, simultaneously pointing her wand at the locked drawer and reciting a complicated Japanese unsealing spell. One more wave opened the compartment.

Afraid to take one more step, she said softly, hesitantly, "Accio Chishio Draught." She was summoning the large flask that contained her medicine. She had exhausted the supply she had on hand at the broomshed, shortly before Jian found her. She had about an hour or two to spare before she would start feeling the "attacks" again.

In confirmation of her worst fear, no flask flew out of the drawer and into her hands. She had no more medicine.

*Kami-sama. I miscalculated. It was supposed to last until the end of the week.*

"Sei Ryuu"--Blue Dragon--"is this what you bear me evil tidings for?" she whispered into the air. "I was wrong. And I--"

No. Her eyes drifted back towards the window and further out. She had no other choice, it would seem. Her tiny room in the dungeons could no longer be used. To look for a new brewing place would mean another good search of the castle--and she did not have the time for this, not with so many people already suspecting the true reasons behind her activities.

She returned the Rakurai to its box and sat mechanically on her bed, staring blankly out of the window. She was going to wait for several minutes, to bide her time as the others left the Common Room to have dinner. She would then sneak out of Gryffindor Tower, out of the castle, and into the Forest.

But, she swore solemnly, this would be the last time she was going to do it.

************

If the people in Hogsmeade saw him walking towards Hogwarts that afternoon, they would have remembered a boy in azure, his overall appearance paler than the sky. He wore light blue robes, similar to the uniform of his former school, Beauxbatons Academy. His pale blue eyes were even lighter than his robes, resembling ice. His blond hair, cropped to fall loosely around his face, was almost white in its silvery glow.

Ian Blaise took his time in completing the trip to the Hogwarts gates. He had plenty to think about. Yet another move by his parents, this time to London. It was the reason why he was transferring to Hogwarts after three years of being educated at the French school. Fourth Year. This plus three more years to go. He wondered where he would be spending the next school year, though.

He also wondered about his desire to become the world's best Chaser. He had been a star at Beauxbatons, untouchable once in the sky and bearing down against the opposing team, the Quaffle deadlier than a bomb. Quidditch at Hogwarts would be different. Firstly, he would have to start all over again.

For Ian, reputations did not really matter. You always have to prove yourself. Repeatedly. Exhaustively.

He cared about three things in the world: his future, Quidditch and the Nimbus 2000 broom that he would never allow to be replaced. Only those things kept him on his feet, despite his parents' constant decisions to live at one place now, then another place tomorrow.

Very soon, he would be free. His future would then be shaped as to how he willed it to be.

Ian walked up the steps of the Hogwarts castle. His luggage case was beginning to feel heavy. He could still feel the wrapped Nimbus 2000 clutched under his arm. It gave him strength, this broom. Strength he would need for his Sorting.

Oriana was walking the corridors casually and quietly. She noticed a boy, rather handsome, whom she hadn't met before. He looked about her age so feeling extremely happy that Arcadia had stopped bothering her, she introduced herself.

"Hello," she said. "I'm Oriana. 4th year Slytherin. I don't believe I've seen you around. Are you new to Hogwarts?"

Someone seemed to be watching him. He could feel eyes following his movements as he entered the school. With the quickness he was known for in being a Chaser, Ian spun around, intent on catching his observer. He could see the big oak front doors. Aside from that, no one or even nothing was there.

He tried to shake this feeling aside as he walked through what seemed to be the main hallway. Where in god's name were the teachers who were supposed to meet him? In Beauxbatons, new arrivals were very well received, with tea and croissants in the drawing room, not a dank, cold hallway reception.

He silently cursed his parents.

Then the girl spoke to him. Pretty. He gave her a smile, baring very bright white teeth. "You're right. I am new to Hogwarts. My name is Ian Blaise, a fourth year transferee from Beauxbatons Academy. I'm pleased to meet you, Oriana."

True to his French heritage and the past several years spent in France, he placed his travel case on the floor, took the girl's hand and bowed over it, bringing it close to his lips but never touching.

"Please, call me Ian." In the dim corridor, his pale blue eyes glittered like ice as he looked up at her.

Oriana blushed. She flashed him her perfect smile. "Nice to meet you, Ian. I hope you enjoy Hogwarts. It's a lovely school. I arrived only last year and I love it."

He was so handsome. And his eyes...there was something about his eyes. They were so beautiful. She smiled again. "Do you know which house you've been sorted to?"

Ian straightened from his elaborate bow and returned her smile, letting his lids droop lazily. His eyes looked even more glacial than before.

"I am aware of the four Hogwarts Houses," he replied carefully, "and what they seek to represent. I find Slytherin house to be most suitable for my, should we say, tastes."

"Of course, in Beauxbatons, we were taught to settle for nothing less than the best. That is, apparently, still applicable to my present preferences."

Yvette had been passing by the two, and giggled to herself as she attempted not to roll her eyes. Of course Oriana -had- to be talking to a guy...hmm. Slytherin? Grey eyes surveyed the stranger, and thin eyebrows raised, at first one, then the other.

She'd know a Beauxbatons student anywhere. Wrinkling her freckled nose, she turned her attention back to other things, such as homework and that essay she had to write. A student from the French school would doubtless have known Estelle...then again, many students at Hogwarts had ties at Beauxbatons.

She continued on her way, standing out only because she was again wearing that bright pink jacket that she'd somehow managed to steal back from Professor McGonagall.

"Yvette!" Madison called out, spotting her jacket and grinning. She ran to catch up with her friend, then pausing to catch her breath. "I can't believe how loaded down I've been with homework...I'm buried. Remind me NEVER to take this many classes!" She paused again, then grinned and gestured to Yvette's jacket. "Either there's two of these floating around, or somebody's been doing some snooping..."

She caught sight of Oriana out of the corner of her eye, talking to a boy she had never seen before. "Who's that?" she asked Yvette quietly. "Another new student?"

"Oh, hush. I was freezing. I don't see it as violating the dress code, I see it as..." The French girl paused for a moment, then grinned. "Lending fashionable warmth to an otherwise droll ensemble. I mean, just looking at me makes you feel warmer, doesn't it?"

"He's from Beauxbatons." She makes a face, then giggles. "You've met Estelle and Nathan. They're all just like them."

"As I said before, I'm in the Slytherin house. I find it most...interesting. Of course the house of Slytherin does seem to attract a certain crowd. I'm sure you'll be a fine addition."

Oh yes, Oriana was flirting. "Would you like me to show you around the castle or do you think you can find your way?" she asked.

"I suppose I will have to find out for myself what really makes Slytherin so attractive," Ian replied, allowing his eyes to burn icy promise straight into Oriana's.

After several moments, he let his eyes droop once more and began to glance around, disinterestedly.

"I was hoping that someone will be expecting me," he said with a slight frown. "Father said he had made the necessary arrangements in allowance for my transfer." He shrugged.

"But I would be very thankful if you will help me find a teacher, Oriana. And, later, it would be my pleasure to accept your offer of...." He deliberately let his voice trail off, dropping it to a husky level. "Showing me around."

**********

Anastasia Butterall made her way down from the girls' dorms in the Hufflepuff tower to the main hall for dinner. She sighed as she walked through the common room, noticing the slight cover of dust on the chairs in the left half of the room. Every year there were less and less Hufflepuff students. 'No one wants to be a *Hufflepuff*,' she reminded herself, rolling her eyes, 'because our name sounds funny and everyone thinks we're all dumpy.' The Hufflepuff house had reached an all-time low this year, and it near literally drove Annie up a wall. She had no friends because she was a Hufflepuff, and had little to no friends IN the Hufflepuff house because everyone was so depressed about being a Hufflepuff! She wanted to learn how to transfigure them all into slugs, and then they'd REALLY have a reason to be depressed.

By now she was in the great hall, and she plunked down next to a half-asleep looking boy. She looked around for any of her friends, and idly munched on a carrot.

Priscilla Jacobson, 4th year Hufflepuff, looked at her reflection in the mirror as she tied back her long black hair. /I should have been a Slytherin,/ she thought, sneering at her reflection. /Oh well, if I hadn't been a Hufflepuff, I wouldn't have met Annie!/ A smile played about her lips as she thought about that first day with the sorting hat..

Ah well. She made her way down to the great hall after dumping her stuff on a table in the Hufflepuff commons room. Once again, Annie had forgotten to wait for her, it seemed. Oh well.

She soon found Annie in the great hall, next to some kid who looked like he'd been up with his Potions homework _way_ too long last night. She chuckled as she sat next to her friend. "Annie Butterall, you forgot me again!"

Forgive me for I don't know what I gain
Alone in this garden of pain
Enchantment has but one truth:
I weep to have what I fear to lose
"Gethsemane" ~ Nightwish, Oceanborn

Anastasia Butterall made her way down from the girls' dorms in the Annie looked over at the taller girl that had just sat down next to her, and glared at her. "Say my last name again and I'll forget we're not supposed to shove carrots up people's noses!" she waived the vegetable threateningly, then made a silly face, and stuck out her tongue. "Sorry Priss," she said, "I'm an airhead, and you know it."

Priscilla laughed. "Okay, okay!" She threw her hands up in defence. "Just remember that you're the _only_ one who gets away with calling me Priss!

"And yes, you are an airhead, but I forgive you." She grinned. "You would have just yelled at me anyway, I was doing my hair." Laughing, she looked down at her empty plate. "Wonder what's for dinner tonight, hmm?"

Annie grinned. "Hair?" she said, jokingly, "jeeze, you're such a primadonna!" she laughed. "Dinner is .. whatever's left. We're late, again, and everything's pretty much picked clean." she nabbed a remaining chicken leg. "Did you see the posts up for the Quidditch team? S'great line-up. I can't wait to watch."

"Eh..." Priscilla poked a greenish meatball with her fork. "Well, so much for my appetite."

After gulping down some guava juice, she responded, "Yeah, they looked pretty good. I figured Joe would be on the team after tryouts, he's so fast. Gah, I can't believe I fell off my broom _again_ this year! Geez, at this rate, I'll never make the team!"

Annie burst out laughing, nearly choking on her food. "You didn't tell me you fell off again!" she giggled. "We'll have to tie you to your broom!" she shook her head.

"Joe didn't try out this year," she said. "He got sick that week. I don't think he would have made it, anyway... the people they got on there are fantastic." she cast a sympathetic look to a 4th year sitting across from them. "No offence, Joe!" Joe grinned and shrugged.

"Oh hush, will you?" Priscilla playfully tossed the meatball in Annie's general direction, and purposely missing. "I can't help it that I get so nervous." She sighed.

Glancing at the boy across the table, she nodded. "Yeah, we might even get second place this year. I..somehow doubt we'll win the cup, but you never know! Ravenclaw's team looked real nice too."