Two down, five more to go.

I nearly jumped off the train and ran all the way home on our journey to Hogwarts when it stopped to let a Dementor onboard.

Not a promising start to the third year.

"Don't worry, Neve," Harry said kindly as I convulsed with trembling fear over dinner, upon discovering that more Dementors were going to be guarding the castle for the foreseeable future. "They're only here because I've got a murderous godfather on the escape from Azkaban looking to kill me. Gravy?"

I nodded mutely as he cheerily drowned my dinner in brown liquid.

"Pssst, Potter!"

Both Harry and I turned our heads to see Draco Malfoy trying to get his attention from the Slytherin table. I blinked. He looked different somehow. I couldn't work out what it was though.

"Is it true you fainted? I mean, you actually fainted? What a loser!"

Harry just gave a derisive scoff. "If scoring some free chocolate makes me a loser, then yes, Malfoy - I'm a loser."

Draco didn't have an answer to that. Instead he gave us his best sneer before tossing his head back round.

And that's when I knew.

"Malfoy's changed his hair," I said quietly to Harry. "It looks... different."

"Finally discovered he doesn't need to use an entire pot of Brylcreem to look like a smarmy git." Harry sneered.

I stole a quick glance back at the white-blond haired Slytherin and was surprised to feel my stomach give a little flip.

Merlin only knew what that was about.

*****

We had two new classes this year. Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.

"You, girl," Professor Trelawney barked suddenly, making me nearly topple off my pouffe during our first lesson of Divination, "is your grandmother well?"

"I think so," I said tremulously.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, dear," she said darkly before turning to her next victim.

I gulped. I didn't much like this class already. Especially when I broke two teacups (both breakages predicted by Trelawney, of course.)

I was a quivering wreck by the time the lesson ended, especially as Trelawney had seen a freaking Grim in Harry's teacup.

As we walked down to our first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, I comforted myself with the thought that at least it couldn't be as bad as what we had just endured.

I was wrong.

After nearly being eaten alive by my Monster Book of Monsters, I stood in my shredded robes and watched on in horror as Hagrid asked for a volunteer to ride this terrifyingly fierce looking giant bird like animal.

To cut a long story short, Harry rode it like a king whilst Draco got butchered alive.

Luckily, it didn't affect his hair.

*****

Snape was worse than ever.

I was reduced to tears one particular Potions lesson when my poor Trevor's life was put in mortal peril.

Draco had sauntered in with his arm trussed up in a sling, for some reason getting Snape to order Ron to assist him with his potion.

I looked down at my own potion which was supposed to be a bright, acid green.

"Orange, Longbottom," Snape sneered as he peered down at it disdainfully. "Tell me, girl, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

I felt my cheeks flush as sniggers rose from the Slytherins. I was on the verge of tears.

"Please, sir," Hermione piped up, "please, I could help Neve put it right-"

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," Snape spat coldly, causing Hermione's own cheeks to turn pink. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."

Snape moved away, leaving me breathless with fear.

"Help me!" I moaned to Hermione.

Hermione spent the rest of the lesson muttering instructions to me out of the corner of my mouth so that Snape wouldn't see as I feverishly stirred my potion.

I was cowering over my cauldron in pure terror by the time Snape strode over to me towards the end of the lesson.

"Everyone gather round," he announced loudly, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If she has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, she has done it wrong, her toad is likely to be poisoned."

The Slytherins looked on in excitement, especially Draco, who looked almost hungry with glee as Snape picked up Trevor in his left hand, and dipped a small spoon into my potion.

I held a frightened breath as he trickled a few drops down my Trevor's throat.

There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped, then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm.

I almost wept with relief as a sour looking Snape pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, making him reappear suddenly, fully grown.

"Five points from Gryffindor," he snarled, glaring at Hermione. "I told you not to help her, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."

It was no surprise when he ended up being my Boggart.

*****