The Slytherins lead their new members to their dungeon and show them around, pointing out their beds and explaining all about Hogwarts. After the little tour, the students meet in the common room and chat.

Morticia now curiously glances at the Fudges whom she hadn't really noticed before due to being so upset about Marvo being led away. "So, it's Randal and A... Arcadia? So, how do you like Hogwarts so far?"

"That's right. I'm Randal and this is my little sister Arcadia." He smiles at Morticia and moves a stray wisp of hair from his eyes. "Hogwarts is everything that dad told us it would be. And the weather is a little better than Switzerland. I am just waiting to see how good the lessons are."

With that he sat in a chair and picked up a book called Charms for the advanced student, and started to flick through it. While he waited with interest to see what his sister would say.

Arcadia's eyes narrow at her brother's remark and Pantalaimon growls slightly. "Oh don't listen to him. He thinks he's so much better because he was born five minutes before me!"

She turns to Morticia "Yes, We were in Switzerland, but now we have moved here" She smiles at Morticia. Are you a Prefect? Wow you must be very good to have such a role. I love your hair by the way. How do you keep it so shiny?"

Morticia looks a bit shocked. "Prefect? No, sorry, too much honour for me!" She grins. "And why do people always comment on my hair? I don't do anything about it. Now that I cut it it's healthier, you know, I used to have it almost to my waist but I grew tired of it. Shoulder-length is enough, don't you think? So, what were the schools like in Switzerland?"

Arcadia looks a little disappointed, but hides it quickly. "I never have any problems with my hair" She flicks it. " Switzerland was okay. A bit smaller than here and we didn't have a town for about a hundred miles. Great for skiing though. I remember the Time 'Randy' got lost and everyone had to stay inside a whole day while the teachers looked for him... But I'm sure he wouldn't want me to talk about that. Probably try and beat me again or something!"

She glances at Randal a slight smile on her face. Pantalaimon starts to purr.

Niki stares at Pantalaimon. "That's a wolf, right?" she asks. "It's adorable!" She smiles at Arcadia. "I actually have a question for both of you, Morticia and Arcadia. You're both third years, so what classes did you add? I'm thinking about Divination, Runes, and Arithmancy. Tish, you do Divination, right? Is it good?"

Arcadia pats Pantalaimon. "Yes. He is a wolf, a snow wolf, very rare. He's still a cub at the moment, but still knows what he wants. Don't you Pan?" She strokes his fur and he purrs almost cat like.

Tish hesitates for a moment. "Yes, I thought so, until I had these dreams... Just pick what you think is best. What's your special interest? I mean, what subjects do you like best? I totally hate Potions although Snape's the teacher... I just can't get into it. I used to like Divination a lot but ... well... I have these weird dreams at time, you know, and I think that's more Divination that people should get."

Niki curls up in a chair- it doesn't look very comfortable- and puts her head on the back of the chair. "Tish," she asks, "when do I get a timetable? Classes start tomorrow.

"I don't know!" Morticia looks at her a bit confused. "I guess we'd better go and ask Snape, right? If anybody knows, he does." She gets up. "Better now before it gets too late."

Niki hops up. "Okay. I had an interminable conversation with Prof. Snape earlier today... He knew Mother, you see," she adds, raising her eyebrows, "and he wanted to ask about Hadrian. I should have asked then. Where is his office, anyway?"

"On second thought," Morticia yawns, "it's late and we'll probably run into Filch or Snape will be angry. We'll ask him tomorrow morning, okay?"

Niki nods, and sits down again. "Papa went to Hogwarts, Filch was here even then... Ages and ages ago," she adds with a grin. "That was back when they were allowed to use corporal punishment." She glances towards Arcadia, interested to hear her answer. "I went to l'École de la Magie à Rabat before we moved here."

Randal just looked at the gathered students and said, "I don't know why, but little KD here insist that it is always my fault. It isn't worth trying to defend myself as you'll all hate me if she has her way anyway." He grins as if challenging them to believe that he really is a bad guy.

"And Tish, do you mind if I call you that? You really do have lovely hair. Shame to hear you don't like divination anymore. I have to say that I hate it. My favourites are transfiguration, care of magical animals and potions. All very useful subjects. And in many ways intuitive. I seem to remember someone mentioned getting timetables tomorrow at breakfast."

"Tish is fine. As for Divination - it gets frustrating when you realise that the only person in the room who really can see what will happen is you and not the teacher! My granny was famous for predictions, too, it runs in the family, and I've seen so much this year... I saw Josslin being killed before it happened, I saw that we had to go into the Forbidden Forest...I just wish I'd taken Arithmancy."

Niki smiles. "Thanks. By the way... Is it true that the Care of Magical Creatures teacher is half-giant? That's what Rita Skeeter said, but you know, you can't always trust her articles."

Randal ponders the question. "Well I have never met him, and obviously being new here I can't really comment. But I do believe there are strong possibilities it is true. That Rita Skeeter woman is usually talking rubbish, but I believe she may have been right on this occasion."

"I'm not fond of Rita Skeeter," Niki says in reply, "She wrote some pretty nasty articles about Mother."

Peesey comes and sits down next to Arcadia. "Yes, Nikki, I'm sure that the Magical Creatures Teacher is half giant, I take it, and he's pretty big!"

"Anyway, I am going to head for bed, it's been a busy day. Good night." Randal glowers at his sister as he walks past and starts for the dorms.

Arcadia looks daggers at Randal and mumbles something as he passes. Pantalaimon Growls softly and moves closer to Arcadia. Then she turns to Morticia and Niki with a beaming smile. "See what I mean?"

Now that Randal has left Arcadia decides to comment on Rita Skeeter. "Yes I've seen the Daily Prophet recently. She's been very quiet, didn't say anything about these murders or anything. They must be keeping it very quiet! But... Is it true! A half giant as a teacher? Is that allowed? I mean. We had some trouble with a giant once in Switzerland, and well, it was SO bad. Randy hid the WHOLE time of course, but it took a dozen wizards to kill it. Horrible it was!"

She seems to say all this in one breath without pausing then smiles again.

Nathan suddenly appears and looks at Arcadia and Niki. "Nathan Lagrand," he introduces himself to Arcadia, "so you're new like Niki? Arcadia Fudge, I suppose, and the one eager to kiss his pillow must be your brother, right?"

"Oh. Hello. Yes. I'm Arcadia. Very please to meet you." Pantalaimon sniffs at Nathan and Arcadia smiles. "Yes. That was my brother. Sorry to say" SO. Em.. What classes are you taking?"

When she sees Nathan approaching, Niki stands up. "I think *I'll go to bed too. I'm tired." She sweeps out of the common room towards the dormitory.

"Where on earth is Riala?" Peesey said looking quite depressed. "I haven't seen her since, what happened" There wasn't much response. Someone suggested she'd probably been removed by her family from the school.

"So, then," Peesey said to Arcadia, "is this your brother?" Peesemould points to the boy in the chair.

Arcadia smiles (again) at Peesemould and Pan starts to pant. "Oh Hello again Peesemould. Who's Riala?"

Peesemould explains to Arcadia at some length about Riala Blackfire. Peesemould says to Arcadia in a whisper, so that Tish can't hear (as not to offend her) "I wouldn't speak him," he indicated Nathan, "before Christmas when we were playing Quidditch, he bewitched the balls so that they tried to eat us!" Peesey pauses and swallows "Then one of them went after Kat Black and knocked her off her broom. She had to go to the infirmary" He then says aloud "I think I will go to bed as well, see you all later!" Peesey goes up.

Arcadia listens to Peesemould and as he goes off to bed just look at Nathan and says. "Cool!"

Nathan gives her his nicest smile and winks at her before disappearing into his room with some of his fellow older Slytherins.

Arcadia BEAMS, flicks her hair and sighs. "Well. Off to bed I guess" And she heads towards the dorms glancing back to where Nathan has gone.

Niki returns, her face white. She wears gray cotton pyjamas, and her gaze is fixed on a clipping from a newspaper. The headline is visible: 'Greek Ambassador's Wife Convicted.' Then, in smaller print, it reads: 'Maryam Pheidippides Guilty as Charged in Murder of Aurors. Article by Rita Skeeter.'

"How did this get on my bed?" Niki demands, staring around the room.

Randal, who hadn't quite made it to the dorm yet comes back in and looks over Niki's shoulder. "Ooo. That is an old clipping isn't it? Here let me look at it."

Randal takes the clipping and looks at it. He doesn't look at the words, more everything else about it. He holds it up to the light, and turns it over, and holds it to his nose inhaling deeply.

"Umm. It does have an interesting smell about it." He said this before he thought about it. Then he realised what he had said. "I imagine it is very distressing for you to find something like this. Are you ok?" He handed the clipping back trying to wash over his small slip. "I do not know who put it there, but whoever it is obviously doesn't like you."

Niki sighs. "Yeah, I'm okay." She sits down on a chair, and sighs again. "It's eight years old. That was Mother, you know, I don't remember that article, since I was five when it happened... I've no idea how it got in there, though! It would have to have been one of the Slytherins..." She glances at Nathan, but doesn't say anything. "Oh, well."

When Randal leaves the room he sees from the corner of his eyes That darn Cat again! That cat is hissing at him, and than meowing again...this time, Alpha doesn't succeed in calming the cat down, and the cat keeps hissing.........

Randal just looks at the cat, and makes a strange noise in the back of his throat. It sounds a bit like a growl. The cat suddenly stops hissing at him, turns on it's tail and runs out of sight.

"I would suggest you talk to your cat Alpha, and persuade her that I am not worth being interested in. Goodnight." He brushes past towards the dorms.

After a few minutes, Niki throws the newspaper clipping in the fire, and returns to the dormitory. Several hours later, she is found sitting up in bed, screaming. Catching her breath, she calms down, but she still breathes heavily. "Sorry," she says quietly to the other girls in the room. "Nightmare." Rolling back over in bed, she tries to sleep, but can't.

Arcadia wearing a light blue night dress jumps out of bed, but only walks over to Niki, making sure she is not the first one there. Pantalaimon stays very close to her side. She looks over the shoulder of whoever is there first and listens.

"I'm sorry," Niki repeats. "It... It's just a nightmare. It's not true, it won't happen..." She shudders. "I'm sorry."

A notice is on the Slytherin common room notice board is discovered the next morning:

"Egreen has left Hogwarts to spend time with his Father who is still helping
the Ministry with their investigation into last terms events. Due to his
Fathers role in those events it appears that Egreen, his Mother and Father
will be staying in a safe location for the foreseeable future. His further
education will be taken care of by the Ministry.