3rd Person's POV

"Karina wake up! Wake up now or we'll be late to breakfast!"

Karina sits up hearing her roommate call her name. Opening her eyes she sees Pansy throwing things on her bed. The two girls were so ecstatic when they found out that they would be sharing a room.

"Oh shoot. The alarm didn't go off." Karina says as she jumps out of bed just missing Marvel's small body on the ground.

The two girls grab their belongings and run down the hallway to the girls bathroom. After freshening up they dress in their Slytherin house robes and run out the dungeon. As they speed walk down the hall to the Great Hall they see Harry Potter and Ron Weasley get stuck on the moving stairs. Cackling they choose to continue on the breakfast.

When they get to the table they see the boys already stuffing their faces. Karina sits beside Draco and Pansy sits beside Blaise who is infront of Draco. Goyle sits on the other side of Karina and Crabbe is beside Pansy.

"Well thanks for waiting for us." Pansy jokes as she grabs a piece of toast.

"Sorry Pansy but I haven't eaten food this good since...never!" Blaise laughs and stuffs his mouth even more while groaning.

"Ew Blaise how about chew, swallow, then breathe." Karina looks disgusted yet giggles on the inside at the boys' hunger.

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"There look"

"Where?"

"Next to the kid with the red hair."

"Wearing the glasses?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar?"

Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day.

People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring. Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.

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"What do we have?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron.

"Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them-- we'll be able to see if it's true."

"Wish McGonagall favored us, " said Harry.

Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework this morning for being late.

~Flashback~

Harry and Ron run down the hallway knowing that they are terribly late. They hope and pray that they don't get in too much trouble. Since it is day 1. They get to the room and see everyone sitting at desks writing on parchment with quills and ink.

"Oh thank godness Professor McGonagall isn't here. Wouldn't want her knowing we were late." Ron laughs to himself.

The cat that was sitting on McGonagall's desk suddenly jumps off and turns into the Professor.

"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter, perhaps I should turn one of you into a pocket watch so that the other of you can read it and not be late to my class."

"Sorry Professor McGonagall. We got lost." Harry says shyly seeing Karina look up at him.

"Perhaps a map then?"

Ron and Harry nod.

"Take your seats. Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

~Flashback over~

Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.

This morning, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once.

It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

Dear Harry,

I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and havea cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.

Hagrid

Harry borrowed Ron's quill and scribbled: Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again. It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far. 

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Schedule 1

Monday Wednesday Friday

Transfiguration with Professor McGongall

Charms with Professor Flitwick

Potions with Professor Snape

Potions with Professor Snape

Schedule 2

Tuesday Thursday

Flying with Madam Hooch

History of Magic with Professor Binns

Herbology with Professor Sprout

Defense Against Dark Arts (DADA) with Professor Quirrell

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Karina looks at her schedule that she received and grins. Draco comes up to her and puts his beside hers. Every single class was the same.

"Wow well now this is just crazy. First the same house, now every single class the same?" Draco says smirking.

"Weird but it's fine by me."

Karina smiles a little while looking over at Draco who had already been staring at her.

She stares into his silver eyes and he looks into her hazel ones. For some reason, Karina begins to feel butterflies. She's not sure what has been going on recently but she does know she is going to hide whatever feelings she has.

Draco on the other hand wants to say something so badly. He just doesn't want to ruin their friendship. They have been best friends for years. He doesn't want something so small to ruin his life. Although if it turns out the way he wishes then it could change his life.

Just as Draco leans a little bit closer someone yells their names.

"Draco! Karina! We have potions with Snape. Let's go now or we'll be late and he will embarrass us so bad we won't be able to show our butts for weeks."

Draco and Karina jump away from each other then stand up and grab their books. Together the three leave their common room and rush down the halls to their class.

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At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry-- he hated him.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.

"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new-- celebrity."

Harry looks over at Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands.

"Draco Malfoy."

"Here Professor." Draco sneers at Harry.

"Karina Grey."

"Here sir."

As soon as Harry hears that name he looks up in the direction of Karina. She smiles to herself as she flips through the pages of her potions book. Then Draco notices Harry's eyes on her and glares as hard as he can manage. Harry pays no attention to Draco and diverts his attention back to his quill.

Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began.

He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word-- like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort.

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses.... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death-- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed this little speech. Neville and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead. While Harry was slwoly writing down every word that Snape was saying.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? Harry thought glancing at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was.

Hermione's hand had shot into the air.

"I don't know, sir," said Harry.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer. "Tut, tut-- fame clearly isn't everything."

He ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.

"I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi?

Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione.

"For your information, Potter, it would do you good to open a book. This is all things you need to know. So does anyone know the answers to my questions?"

Hermione's hand shoots up yet again.

"Other than Miss Granger.... Ah Miss Grey. Please save me from the disappointment that we call Mr Potter."

"Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite."

Karina smirks at all the dumbfounded faces. Glancing at Harry who had the most confused face of them all she grins widely and winks.

Professor Snape actually smiles a little while looking at Karina then shakes his head at his incompetent class.

"Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment.

Over the noise, Snape said, "Five points to Slytherin for Ms Grey's preparation of this class and a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."

Harry looks over at Draco and Karina who are hugging as their friends cheer for their points.

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy and Karina, whom he seemed to like.

He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy and Karina had stewed their horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon.

Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs. 

Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley,but that was before he met Draco Malfoy.

Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan.Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday-- and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together. 

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Karina's POV

Walking to the Great Hall with Pansy, I notice that her favorite subject to talk about is Draco. For some reason this annoys me. I really like Pansy don't get wrong, but hearing her ask me all day long,

'What's his favorite color? Favorite book? Favorite movie? What was he like growing up? What kind of girls does he like?'

First of all, why do you need to know all of this. It's not important. Second of all, ask him yourself.

Sitting down beside Draco, I don't realize I'm staring at him until he calls my name.

"Hey Karina. You okay?" He looks concerned as he lays his hand on top of mine.

"Yeah, I'm fine Draco. Just not that hungry."

I push the plate away from me. Draco looks at me for a second then grabs my hand and pulls me towards the door. Walking out the Great Hall, I ask where we're going but he doesn't answer. We get outside and he leads us to this big tree in the middle of the courtyard. We sit down beside each other in silence before he speaks up.

"Do you miss your Gram?"

Tears start to form in my eyes. Why does he always know what's wrong with me?

"It's just I didn't even get to say bye. And that makes me think of my parents, which makes me feel even worse. I don't even know them. Professor Snape is telling me how wonderful my mother was as a Slytherin and how amazing my father was at Quidditch and blah blah blah. It's just every one knows them except for me. How am I supposed to make them proud and complete my life's purpose when I haven't the slightest idea about anything?"

Draco holds my face in his hands and wipes away my tears with his thumbs.

"Karina, love, I can't say that I understand how you feel but I do know what you're going through. You know my father. If I don't make him proud I'm failing. But you know what? At least I'm trying. That's all you have to do. Be yourself and try. Of course you don't know what to do right now but you shouldn't have to. We still have time I promise. And if you really want to know more I know there's got to be yearbooks or some kind of information on your parents in the library. After classes I'll help you look."

I look up at him with surprise on my face. He'd do that for me?

"Really Dray?"

"Of course Karina."

His silver eyes meet mine yet again. For some peculiar reason we always seem to end up like this.

Leaning forward I press my lips to the corner of his mouth. Slightly a kiss on the lips and slightly a kiss on the cheek. Nothing to drive me or him up the wall.

His eyes widen a little then he smiles. Picking up my hand he presses a kiss to my knuckles.

"Come on love." Draco says pulling me up off the ground. He pulls me into a big hug and then we walk back into the Great Hall.