Chapter One- The New Girl

            “Harry! Get up! We’re going to be late,” said Ron Weasley frantically as he tried to wake his best friend, Harry Potter.

             “I’m up,” Harry groaned and sat up.  “What time is it?”

             “Nine thirty.  Come on, get dressed,” Ron urged and began to dash around his room packing his things. 

             Harry hurriedly dressed and ran downstairs to see if he could find anything to eat for breakfast.  He had been staying with the Weasleys at the Burrow for over a month now and he felt it was his true home—he now scrounged around for food without feeling like he had to ask permission.  He was so thankful that Dumbledore had granted him permission to stay with the Weasleys after performing several strong protection charms around the Burrow in hopes that Harry would be safe from Voldemort and his followers.

             Voldemort—Harry shuddered at the thought.  It had only been a little over two months since the Dark Lord had risen and killed Cedric Diggory.  Minister Fudge had tried to keep it secret for a while, but the press found out and all hell broke loose.  Furious with Fudge for keeping it from the public, the other department heads in the Ministry removed him from office and replaced him with a rather intimidating Arthur Weasley. 

             Harry was shaken from his thoughts when he felt someone wrap their arms around his waist.

             “Morning, sweetheart,” Harry said and kissed his girlfriend’s forehead.

             “Good morning, Harry,” Hermione replied in a sleepy voice.  “Did you talk to Ron last night?”

             He shook his head and sighed.  “No.  Every time I brought you up in our conversation, he’d change the subject.  I’m pretty sure he suspects something, though.”

             Hermione nodded.  “I think he does, too.  Harry, we need to tell Ron that we’re together.  I know he’s probably going to be incredibly angry with us, but I can’t stand keeping our relationship a secret anymore.  I want to be able to hold your hand and kiss you without looking around to make sure we’re alone.  More than that, I want everyone in the world to know that I love you and you love me and that we belong to each other.  I want that so bad.”

             Harry smiled and kissed his love softly on the lips.  “I want that too.  We’ll tell him soon, I promise.”

             Hermione kissed him on the cheek and went upstairs to finish getting ready.  Harry watched her go then grabbed a Wizard pop (the Wizard version of a pop tart) and returned to Ron’s room.  He immediately noticed Ron watching him with a slight frown on his face.

             “What?”

             Ron shook his head.  “Nothing.  Just lost in thought.”

             Harry eyed him warily for a moment, and then resumed gathering his things.  He didn’t hear Ron mutter, “Just lost in thought on how you got lipstick on your cheek.”  

             Once everyone was ready, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione set off for King’s Cross in a huge Ministry limousine.  During the ride, Ron quietly observed the interaction between Harry and Hermione, looking for any clue to confirm his suspicions that they were together.  When he’d first started to suspect something was going on, he had been furious.  After a while, though, he realized that he was over his crush on Hermione.  Now he was just afraid that he’d be left out if his two best friends became something more to each other. 

             Once they arrived at the station, the group quickly headed for platform 9¾, afraid that they would be late and miss the Hogwarts Express.  Ron hung in the back and watched as his siblings and friends went through the barrier that only a witch or wizard could pass through.  While waiting for his turn, he noticed a girl running in his direction carrying several bags.  He drew a sharp intake of breath when he got a closer look at her.

             The girl seemed to be about his age and was absolutely the most beautiful thing Ron had ever set eyes on.  She had shiny, rich auburn hair that hung down to her waist and her eyes were a startling shade of green.  They were very bright and seemed to change from dark green to blue green to emerald green and back.  Her complexion was extremely fair and she was covered with light freckles, but not nearly as much as any of the Weasleys.  She was quite short, possibly 5’2 or so, and was neither fat nor skinny.  The girl looked just perfect and had curves in all the right places.  And the outfit she wore defiantly made an impression on the young wizard.  She wore knee high black boots, a dangerously short black leather mini skirt, and a tight dark green shirt that showed a bit of her stomach, which sported a belly button ring, and a black leather jacket.  Ron was too busy studying her to realize that she had walked right up to him.

             “Hogwarts?” she asked in a silky voice with a very distinctive American accent.

             “Ye-yeah.  You too?” he stammered.

             She flashed Ron a dazzling smile and nodded.  “Could you help me carry this stuff? ? I’m such a klutz that I’m afraid I’m gonna drop it when I go through the barrier.”

             “Sure,” Ron replied and gladly took several of the bags off her hands and added them to the top of his cart.  “Don’t you have any luggage with you?”

             “No, they’re already at the school.  I’ve been there since August, but I had to pick up some things at Diagon Alley and thought I’d ride back to Hogwarts with my classmates,” she said as the two ran though the barrier and onto platform 9¾.” 

              “Why have you been there since August?” he questioned while she helped him load his stuff onto the train.

             “Playing catch up.”

             “What do you mean?” 

            She laughed.  “Sit with me and keep me company on the train and I’ll tell you all about it.  Name’s Alexandra Wood, by the way, but please—call me Allie,” she said and offered her hand.

             Ron shook it and tried not to think about how soft it was or how perfectly it fit into his.  “I’m Ronald Weasley, but call me Ron.  Give me just a minute to say goodbye to my mum and then we can go grab some seats.”

             “Do you mind if I go with you and meet your mom?” Allie asked shyly.

             Ron grinned.  “Sure,” he said and led her over to where his mother, Fred, George, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione were talking.  “Everyone, this is Allie Wood.  Allie, this is my mother, my brothers, Fred and George, my sister, Ginny, and my best friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.”  He smiled as she shook everyone’s hand and felt a little bit of triumph when he noticed that she didn’t seem to care that it was Harry Potter’s hand she was shaking and didn’t even look at his scar as most people in the wizarding world did when they met him.

             The group said their goodbyes to Mrs. Weasley and climbed on board the train.  Ron turned to Harry and Hermione and said, “Do you two mind if I sit with Allie?”

             The two exchanged looks and shrugged. 

             “That’s fine with us,” Harry said, unnerved by the mysterious girl who Ron already seemed to be attached to. There was something off about her.

             “Right then.  See you when we reach Hogwarts!” Ron said cheerily and led Allie to an empty compartment, passing several curious students.

             The two said down opposite one another and smiled at each other. 

             “So…you were going to tell me why you’ve been at Hogwarts since August,” Ron prompted once the train began to move.

             Allie nodded.  “I’m a transfer student from Alamo Institute of Magic in Texas.  I had to arrive early to make sure I knew everything that the fifth years at Hogwarts did.  I knew some things that y’all had not yet learned and didn’t know some things that y’all had learned, so the professors had to make sure I was caught up.”

             “So you’re going to be a fifth year?”

             She nodded.

             “That’s great! So are my friends and I.”

             Allie grinned.  “Really? That’s so cool! I hope I’m in the same house as you.”

             “Have you been sorted into one yet?”

             Something flickered in her mesmerizing eyes that Ron couldn’t figure out.  “No.  Professor D said I had to be sorted this evening at the feast.  So, what other classes are you taking?”

             “Divination and Care of Magical Creatures.  What about you?”

             “Divination and Arithmancy.  Is the Divination teacher any good? I don’t want a fake.” 

             Ron laughed.  “I’m afraid you’re out of luck.  Professor Trelawney is a mental and I would drop dead from shock if she was a true Seer.”

             Allie groaned.  “Great, just what I need.  Oh well, I suppose I’ll have fun making up my horoscopes again.”

             “You do that too?” Ron asked with a grin.  “Harry and I do that all the time!”

             “You know what? I think you and I are going to get along great,” Allie mused softly, looking into Ron’s eyes.

             Ron smiled and the rest of the trip passed with small talk and comfortable silence, until Ron’s least favorite person interrupted them.”

             “I can’t believe you’re not sitting with Potty and that Mudblood, Weasley,” Malfoy said from the doorway with Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. 

             “Go away, Malfoy,” Ron seethed.

             Malfoy then noticed Allie and eyed her appreciatively.  “And who is this gorgeous lady?” he asked smoothly, plainly trying to get a rise out of the other boy.

             Allie raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and replied, “You’re hitting on me after insulting my friend? You have a lot of nerve, Draco.”

             Malfoy frowned.  “How did you know my name?”

             “I know your father,” she said with a shrug.

             Malfoy looked a bit startled.  “I still don’t know your name,” he said with less confidence than before—he usually knew everyone his father did, especially the ones his age.

             “Alexandra Wood.  Sound familiar?”

             Apparently it did because the boy’s ice blue eyes widened and he backed away from her quickly.  “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

             “She’s transferred to Hogwarts,” Ron answered.

             “Y-you have?” Malfoy stammered.

             Allie nodded and walked up to the Slytherin.  She placed her hand at the back of his neck and pulled him forward.  “Yep, and if you don’t leave Ron alone there will be hell to pay,” she whispered into his ear in a deadly tone of voice. 

            Malfoy quickly nodded.  “The same goes for you two idiots,” Allie said to Crabbe and Goyle.  They also nodded and the three boys hurriedly left the compartment.

             Ron stared at his new friend with his jaw dropped.  “What is it about you that has them so scared?” he asked in awe.

             Allie just shrugged innocently.  “I don’t know.  I didn’t think that Draco actually knew my name.  Who knows why he acted the way he did?” 

            Ron knew that there was something she wasn’t telling him, but decided not to push.  The two changed into their robes and made more small talk until the train pulled up to the station ten minutes later.  They got off and were met by Professor Snape.  Ron groaned inwardly at the sight of his least favorite teacher.

             “Good evening Mr. Weasley, Ms. Wood.  I trust your trip was enjoyable?” Snape said in a pleasant voice.

             While Ron fought to keep his jaw from dropping, Allie smiled and replied, “It was, thanks.”

             Snape nodded.  “Well, I am to escort you up to the school so that Professor Dumbledore and I can have a word with you before the feast.”

             “Sure.  I guess I’ll see you later, Ron,” she said and hugged him impulsively. 

            Ron was a bit taken back, but quickly returned the hug.  “Yeah, see you,” he whispered and walked off to meet with Harry and Hermione.  

             Once Ron was out of ear shot, Snape said, “You like him, don’t you?”

             “Yeah, I do.  So, Severus, what do you and Albus need to discuss with me?” Allie asked as he handed Allie her Firebolt from her trunk.

             “Wait until we get there,” he replied and the two flew toward the castle. 

            They were there within minutes and quickly headed for the headmaster’s office. 

            “Canary creams,” Allie said with a grin and the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore’s office stepped aside to let Allie and Snape pass.

             “Good, you’re here,” the professor said with a smile as the two entered his office.

             “You wanted to see me, Albus?” Allie asked.

             “Yes.  I’ve talked to the Sorting Hat and he’s going to pretend to sort you into Slytherin.”

             Allie groaned.  “What? I wanted to be in Gryffindor! No offense, Severus.”

             Snape nodded.  “None taken.  I know you want to be in Gryffindor and that that’s where you probably belong, but we need you to go to Slytherin so you can keep an eye on the students who have Death Eaters as parents.  It will also help you with getting Voldemort to ask you to join him.  I know he’s already shown an interest in you and this will seal it.”

             “Fine,” Allie muttered.  “I guess it won’t be too bad.  I mean, I can make Draco Malfoy’s life a living hell.”

              Snape snorted and gave Allie an admonishing look that she just smiled at.   Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled—those two were behaving as they always did.  “That’s my girl.  Now, come along.  Its time for the feast.”

             The three left the office and entered the Great Hall together.  Every head turned as Dumbledore and Snape walked in with the mysterious new girl.  Allie caught Ron’s eye and winked.  She grinned when the handsome boy’s ears turned pink.  She walked up to the staff table with Dumbledore and Snape and took a seat on a stool on the far left side.  A moment passed and then Professor McGonagall entered with the first years.

             After the first years had been sorted, Professor Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement.

            “Good evening students.  Before we begin our meal, we have one more student to be sorted--Alexandra Wood.  She’s a transfer student from Alamo Institute of Magic in San Antonio, Texas.  She’s joining us as a fifth year and I expect everyone to make her feel welcome.  Now, Ms. Wood, if you would please put on the Sorting Hat.”

             Allie walked up to the stool and gracefully sat down.  McGonagall lowered the hat onto her head.

             “Ah, Alexandra Wood, I presume,” the hat said so that only she could here. 

            “In the flesh,” she replied.

             “I’m supposed to sort you into Slytherin, but would you like to know where you would have gone if I were to truly sort you?”

             Allie thought for a moment then agreed.

             “Hm, I sense much power in you.  Perhaps that is why Voldemort wants you so badly.  I also sense sharp wit, great intelligence, and much cunning.  However, I also feel much bravery, nobility, and loyalty.  Yes, I think I would have sorted you into Gryffindor had I the choice.  But since it is not my decision, better be SLYTHERIN!”

             Allie took off the hat and made her way to the cheering Slytherin table.  She locked eyes with Ron and smiled sadly.  “Shoot me,” she mouthed and his frown grew into a grin.

             “We’ll talk later,” he mouthed back and she nodded.

             While walking to the Slytherin dungeon dorm after dinner, Allie made up her mind that she was going to talk to Ron the next day and tell him the truth about who she really was.  She only hoped that he wouldn’t turn away from her once he knew the truth.

Chapter Two~ The New Members of the Psycho Squad

            “Not to worry, Wormtail, we shall soon have the most powerful witch in history on our side.  Once she becomes a Death Eater, nothing will be able to stop us.  Not even Dumbledore or that wretched Potter boy,” Voldemort said in a voice with a hissing quality.

             The short, bald wizard before him looked shocked.  “M-M-Mistress Serena is joining us? How did such a miracle occur?” he stammered.

             Voldemort grinned his evil grin.  “Lucius Malfoy has been observing the girl for months now and has seen her use the Dark Arts quite a bit.  She caught him watching her one day and approached him, saying that she wanted to join me.  She has transferred to Hogwarts and will be doing my biding for me.”

             “Such as what, Master?” Wormtail questioned.

             “Terrorizing Potter and the entire school, of course.  She’ll probably be able to sway quite a few students to our side with her good looks as well.”

             “When will she be joining us?”

             “On Halloween.  That is the day of one of the school’s Hogsmeade trips.  She will take a Portkey put out by another Death Eater, come here, and be initiated.  With the Mistress by my side, the entire world shall succumb to our powers and we will rule over wizards and Muggles alike.  If only we could persuade Potter to cross…alas, that will never happen,” the Dark Lord said with a frown.  “However, I will enjoy killing him once and for all.”

             Voldemort suddenly turned around and shouted “Crucio!” at an unsuspecting Death Eater and laughed manically.  On the other side of the country, the boy named Harry Potter shot up in bed clutching his scar.

             Harry immediately began to try and remember his dream.

             “Voldemort…Wormtail…Halloween…Mistress Serena…Malfoy,” he muttered to himself.  The fifteen year old cursed when he couldn’t remember the details of his dream.

             Reaching for his glasses, Harry noticed Ron walk into the room, fully dressed and fresh from the shower.  He glanced at his watch and his mouth dropped open in shock.

             “Ron? You do realize that we have a good three and a half hours before class, right?” Harry asked, stunned that Ron was not still asleep.

             “Yeah, what’s your point?” his red headed friend replied, desperately trying to fix his hair.

             Harry stared at Ron incredulously.  “My point? My point is that you never wake up early, never! What are you up to?” he demanded.

             Ron grinned and made his way to the door.  “Nothing, Harry, nothing at all.”

             “Nothing my ass.  You’re going to see that Slytherin girl, aren’t you?” Harry asked accusingly.

             His best friend frowned at this.  “Her name is Allie, Harry.  And yes, I’m going to go talk to her.  She’s not happy about being in Slytherin, you know,” Ron snapped and walked out of the room.

             Harry sighed and flopped back onto his pillow.  “I don’t trust her,” he whispered to thin air.

             Whistling merrily, Ron made his way to the Slytherin common room with the help of the Marauders Map, which he had “borrowed” from Harry.  He didn’t really have much of a plan—he was just going to wait outside the room until Allie came out.  Then they could talk.  He couldn’t believe that the sweet and funny girl he had ridden on the Hogwarts Express with had been sorted into Slytherin.  The only thing that made him feel better about was the look on her face when the hat made its announcement.  Allie had not looked happy at all. 

            Ron was shaken from his thoughts when the Slytherin portrait opened to reveal his dream girl.  Before he could make his presence known, Allie began to walk down the hallway in the opposite direction—toward Snape’s classroom.  Ron hesitated for a moment, and then decided to follow. 

             Allie quickly made her way down the corridor to her friend’s classroom and office.  She reached out to open the door and jumped in surprise when Snape opened the door first.  The greasy haired man clutched at his chest and glared at the young witch.

             “You scared me half to death!” he hissed. 

             “Sorry,” Allie mumbled sheepishly.

             Snape waved his hand dismissively.  “Its okay.  What did you need?”

             The young girl spat out in one breath, “IwanttotellRon.”

             “Come again?” he asked.

             Allie looked at the floor and replied, “I said that I want to tell Ron.”

             Ron raised an eyebrow at this, as did his professor.

             “Tell Ron what?” Snape said slowly.

             “The truth about who I am and why I’m here.”

             She glanced up and couldn’t fight the giggle that escaped her at the look on his face.  For once, Severus Snape was completely speechless.

             “Say something!” Allie prompted after several minutes of silence.

             Snape just stared at her.  Finally, he hissed, “What do you want me to say? That you’re mad? That you would be risking the boy’s life? That you hardly know him? That it could ruin our plan? That it—“

             Allie clamped a hand over Snape’s mouth.  “Enough! I get it, but I still want to tell him.  We can trust him, Severus.”

             Her friend pulled her hand away from his mouth.  “How do you know that? What makes you so sure that he’ll keep it a secret?” 

            “I just know,” she said with a soft smile.  “When I first saw him at King’s Cross, I felt this pull toward him and it just strengthened as I spent time with him on the Hogwarts Express.  I’ve never opened up to anyone as quickly or as easily as I did with him.  Sure, I’ve barely known him for a day, but I already feel things for him that I’ve never felt before.  Its scary, but in a good way.  If I want to have any chance of having a relationship with him, he has to know the truth.  Otherwise, he’ll never really be accepting me, just the person I appear to be.”

             When she finished her speech, Snape was a bit startled at the fiery passion burning in her eyes.  He rolled his eyes and muttered, “Fine, do whatever you what.  I’m warning you, though, if that boy screws up our plans, I’ll kill him.”

             Allie’s face lit up in a luminous smile.  “Thanks, Severus.  There’s just one more thing I wanted to discuss with you.”

             Snape groaned.  “What now? You’re moving Potter into Slytherin, making me share a room with Black, what?”

             “I was thinking more along the lines of you adopting Harry.”

            Snape blanched and looked like he couldn’t decide whether to be angry or sick.

 “Seriously, Severus, you know me better than that.  It’s nothing like that.  I’ve just made a seating chart for class,” she said with amusement in her eyes and handed him a piece of parchment.

             Snape looked it over and raised an eyebrow.  “This is an interesting arrangement.  Care to explain it?”

             “I was hoping you’d ask,” Allie said with an evil grin.  “Since there is an uneven number of students in our class, my table will have three at it.  As you can see, Neville, Ron, and I will be taking the table at the back right hand corner of the room.  This is for several reasons.  The main reason is so that I can keep an eye on the entire classroom at all times—you know how paranoid I am.  The second reason is that poor Longbottom is scared shitless of you, from what Ron’s told me, and he will be as far away from you as possible at this table.”

            Snape scowled at her, but she continued.

             “Also, I know you treat him horribly and this way I can make sure he passes.  Ron will be sitting with me for obvious reasons.  Now, I’ve placed Potter and Granger at the table in front of us so that Ron will be close to them and I can keep an eye on Potter.  I also want to add that whenever Granger raises her hand and is the only one who knows the answer, you will call on her.  I don’t want anymore of this nonsense about never letting the poor girl answer.  Let’s see…oh, yes.  I placed Malfoy and Goyle at the front left hand corner for two reasons.  The first is so he is as far away from Longbottom, Potter, Granger, and Ron as I can get him without actually kicking his white haired ass out of the room.  The other reason is that it’s right in my line of fire and I can hex him easily.  Everyone else was assigned seats at random since I only cared where these people were placed.” 

            Her professor sighed and shook his head.  “I can’t believe you’re in my house,” he muttered.  “Is there anything else you would like to torture me with or can I go eat breakfast now?”

             Allie grinned.  “No, that’s all.  Enjoy your meal, Severus!”

             “Right,” he said sarcastically and walked off toward the Great Hall. 

             Allie chuckled to herself and turned around, running straight into a confused, yet intrigued, Ron.  The teenaged girl immediately went scarlet.

             “Ron.  Hey.  Um, how much of my conversation with Snape did you hear?”

             “The whole thing and I must say that I love your seating chart,” Ron said, eyeing her warily.

             Allie just stared at him, apparently at a loss for words.

             “What did you want to tell me, Allie?” he asked gently.

             “Can we talk about it in private?”

             Ron nodded, took her hand, and led the way to the library.  The two slipped past Madame Pince and sat down at the most secluded table in the room.  Allie glanced around suspiciously and murmured, “Privatus.” 

            “What does that do?”

             “Makes whatever we say private and alerts us if anyone is trying to listen in.” 

            “Very handy.  So, what is this all about?” Ron questioned.

             The normally calm girl began to fidget.  “Okay…God, I don’t even know where to begin,” Allie admitted glumly.

             Ron reached across the table and squeezed her hand.  “Just start at the beginning.”

             Allie nodded and took a deep breath.  “Have you ever heard of Mistress Serena?” 

            “Who hasn’t? She’s supposed to be the most powerful witch that’s ever lived.”

             “Have you ever noticed that there are no pictures of her, that no one knows what she looks like, and that very few people have ever seen her?”

             Ron nodded.  “Yeah, it’s always been a big controversy.”

             “Well, I know the reason why.  Many people have met her or are even friends with her, yet they don’t know who she is.  You see, her first name isn’t Serena—its Alexandra,” Allie said, willing Ron to understand what she was saying.

            His eyes widened and he stammered, “You mean that you—you’re the Mistress?”

             She nodded.  “Yeah, I am.”

             “But you’re a fully trained witch! Why are you here at Hogwarts?”

             “I want to tell you, but first you must swear to me that you won’t repeat a word of what I say.  Not even to Harry or Hermione—especially not Harry.  Swear to me, Ron.”

             Ron swallowed nervously.  “Why do I get the feeling that this is going to royally complicate my life?”

             “Because it is.”

             “I was afraid you were going to say that.  Okay, I swear.  I swear on my family’s honor that I won’t tell anyone what you tell me.”

             Allie nodded.  “I’m joining up with Voldemort.”

             Ron gaped at her.  “You’re what?”

             “Joining Voldemort.  As of Halloween, I’m a Death Eater.”

             “Are you mad?”

             “Quite possibly.” 

            “Wh-why are you doing this?” Ron nearly shrieked.

             “Because if I don’t everything and everyone that I love will be destroyed!” Allie hissed.

             That seemed to settle Ron down a bit.  “What do you mean?”

             Allie sighed and rubbed her temples.  “As you’re probably aware, Voldemort is steadily gaining power and followers.  In his opinion, only Dumbledore, Harry, and I pose any threat to him.  I have my spies and I discovered that he was planning to kill the three of us because he thought that none of us would join him and he had to be rid of us.  Naturally, I freaked.  I began plotting with Albus and Severus for a way to keep Voldemort from killing us.  Our only solution was a dangerous one—I had to join Voldemort, lure him into a false sense of security in regards to me, and then kill him.  After we worked out all of the details, I began to set the plan into motion by learning and performing the darkest of the Dark Arts in order to attract Voldemort’s attention.       

             One day, I caught Lucius Malfoy spying on me while I tortured a huge bug with the Cruciatus curse.  He commented on my skill and power, and I told him that I wanted to join him and his master.  A week or so later, I received instructions from Voldemort that told me to enroll here so that I could ‘wreak havoc on all of the Mudbloods and unworthy ones.’ I told Dumbledore and Snape what I was to do and they had me come here in August to make sure I knew exactly what I was supposed to know as a fifth year.  They didn’t want me to slip up and do things that only seventh years or fully trained witches could do.  To further help me, Dumbledore made sure that I would be placed into Slytherin.”

             “Huh?”

             “The hat was told not to truly sort me and just place me in Slytherin.  I actually belong in Gryffindor, but oh well.”

             Allie finally looked up and saw Ron’s deathly pale face.  “Are you okay? Look, I would understand it if you didn’t want to talk to me—“

             “No!” Ron exclaimed.  “That’s not want I want.  Its just—“ 

             Ron fainted.

             “Ron!” the red headed witch screamed and dropped to her knees beside him. 

             She checked him over to make sure he wasn’t injured, conjured up a stretcher, and took Ron to the hospital ward.

             “Goodness! What happened?” Madame Pomfrey exclaimed when she caught sight of the unconscious boy.

             Allie was at a loss.  “I—er—kissed him and, uh, he fainted.  I think it was his first kiss,” she mumbled while fighting to keep a straight face.

             Madame Pomfrey smiled.  “It’s about time something good happened to Mr. Weasley.  The poor boy and his friends are always getting hurt and escaping death.  You’re going to be good for him, I can tell.”

               Allie forced a smile.  ‘Good for him my ass,’ she thought guiltily.  ‘I’ll probably be the death of him.’

             A few minutes later, Madame Pomfrey roused Ron.  The handsome boy sat up and muttered, “Where am I?”

             “You’re in the hospital ward, dear.  I believe you gave Miss Wood quite a fright fainting like you did after you two kissed.”

             Allie groaned and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment while Ron looked at her quizzically.

             “Right.  Well, we just need to practice some more so I don’t faint again,” he said with a smirk.

             Allie’s face turned bright red and Madame Pomfrey just laughed and handed them each a slip of paper.

             “Here are your schedules since you two weren’t at breakfast to receive them.  You’d better hurry since your first class is about to begin.”

             Both students said goodbye to the nurse and left the room.  After a few minutes, Ron grabbed Allie’s arm and turned her around to face him.

             “You do realize that your plan is completely crazy, right?”

             “Yes, I am well aware of that.”

             Ron nodded.  “Good, I just wanted to be clear on that.  So, when are you and I going to become Death Eaters? I forgot what day you said.”

             Allie stared him, utterly dumbfounded.  “Come again?”

             “I asked you when you and I were going to become the newest members of the psycho squad.”

             “You want to join with me?”

             “Yes.”

             “Can you even perform Dark spells or curses?”

             “No, but you can teach me.”

             Allie continued to stare.  “Can you even say Voldemort’s name?” she asked, piercing him with her gaze.

             Ron flinched and hesitated before whispering, “Voldemort.”

             “Ron, are you sure about this? You do realize that you’ll probably have to torture and kill people, and that you’ll have to bear the Dark Mark, right?”

             “I know that.”

             “Once you make this decision, there’s no going back.  Voldemort will kill you if you try to back out of it.  You need to fully comprehend the danger and risk you’ll be putting yourself in.”

             “I know the risk.  You’re not joining…Voldemort by yourself.  I’ve made my decision,” Ron said in a tone that Allie knew meant that she couldn’t change his mind.

             “Okay then.  We’ll definitely have to talk to Snape and Dumbledore about this.”

             “Speaking of Snape, we have his class first.  We better go or we’ll be really late.  We can discuss this later.”

             Allie had no choice but to agree and the two took off for the dungeons.  They walked in ten minutes late.

             “Allie, Ron, so nice of you to join us,” Snape commented dryly.

             “Morning, Professor!” they cheerily said in unison.

             Snape just rolled his eyes and the two took their seats next to Neville.  Allie and Ron were totally oblivious to the disbelieving looks everyone was sending their way.  No one could believe that Snape hadn’t killed him or her for walking into his class ten minutes late on the first day.  Harry and Hermione were especially shocked.

             “Where have you two been?” Hermione hissed.

             Ron shrugged.  “We just lost track of time.”

             “How did you lose track of time that you missed breakfast and the first ten minutes of Potions?” Harry whispered.

             Ron shrugged again.  “Making out tends to have that effect,” he replied with a mischievous grin.

             Allie put her head down of the table and fought the urge to laugh while Harry, Hermione, and Neville stared at them in shock.  Yes, she and Ron were going to get along just great.

Chapter Three~ Young Love

Throughout Potions class, Allie and Ron were subjected to many curious glances, especially from Harry, Neville, and Hermione.

            “Do you really think that they were making out?” Hermione whispered to her boyfriend.

             Harry glanced back at his best friend and the girl he seemed to be drawn to, and then turned back to Hermione.  “I don’t know.  They’re up to something, though,” he said darkly.  “I hate it when he keeps stuff from us.”

             His girlfriend smiled and gently squeezed his hand.  “I know, honey, but we’re hiding something pretty big from him, too.”

             Before Harry could respond, Snape barked, “Potter! Granger! This class is not a social hour.  You two can confess your undying love to each other later.  Twenty points from Gryffindor since you’re both prefects.  I expect better behavior from the two of you in the future.”

             Harry and Hermione both turned bright red while the Slytherins howled with laughter and their fellow Gryffindors glared at Snape.  During all of the commotion, Harry caught sight of Ron and Allie out of the corner of his eye and was shocked to find them fighting laughter.  Ron had his hand clamped over his mouth and tears screamed down his face that was made bright red from his struggle to not laugh.  Allie clutched her sides and shook in silent laughter.  Harry shot them a glare and turned back around.

             The class’s laughter eventually died down and everyone went back to work.  When class was almost over, Allie looked up and caught Snape’s eye.  He glanced toward Ron and Allie nodded.  “We need to talk,” she mouthed.

             Snape gave a curt nod and said, “Allie, Ron—I need to speak with you two after class.”

             “Sure, Professor,” they replied.

             The bell rang soon after and the two went up to the front.  Harry and Hermione stood by the door to wait for Ron, but he told them that he’d see them in Care of Magical Creatures.

             “So, he knows?” Snape asked without preamble once they were alone.  Allie nodded and he turned to Ron.  “What do you have to say about it, Weasley?”

             Ron smirked.  “I say that you, Dumbledore, and Allie are bloody mental if you think that she’s going to do this by herself.”

            Snape blinked.  “What do you mean? She won’t be alone; I’ll be with her.”

             “All of the time?”

             “Well, no—“

             “That’s not good enough, but it doesn’t matter—she will be accompanied 24/7.” 

             Snape frowned.  “By who?”

             “Me.  I’m joining Voldemort and the Death Eaters with her,” Ron said firmly.

             Their professor looked back and forth between the two of them who looked grim, yet strangely happy.  “I think you’re the one who’s mental, Ron,” he finally muttered.  “Very well.  I shall inform the Headmaster and I expect that he will want to meet with the two of you.  In the mean time, you had better get to class.”

             The two redheads nodded and turned to leave, but Snape’s voice stopped them.  “What you two are attempting to do is enough to make a fully trained and adult wizard die of fright or nerves.  Even if you don’t succeed, I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of the both of you.  Now, get out of my classroom!”

             Ron and Allie smiled faintly and passed several confused seventh year Gryffindors, including the twins.

             “Ron, did Snape just tell you that he’s proud of you?” Fred asked in amazement.

             “Yeah, why?”

             George gave his younger brother a look.  “Snape’s never ‘proud’ of anyone, especially a Gryffindor who happens to be Harry Potter’s best friend.”

             Allie shrugged.  “Maybe Ron and I are just too lovable and smart to not like or be proud of,” she said and pulled Ron away from his brothers.

             Fred shook his head.  “There’s something strange about her.”

             “Yeah, but I can’t put my finger on what it is,” George agreed and the two went into the classroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~           

            Allie and Ron stood at the top of the main stairs, not ready to part.

             “This plan really is crazy, you know.  Why can’t we just go after Voldemort with the good guys? Why do we have to go all sneaky and evil?” Ron questioned.

             Allie grinned.  “Eagles may soar, Ron, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.”

             The six foot two boy just stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.  “Life with you is never going to be boring, is it?”

             “Nope, ‘fraid not.”  Allie glanced at her watch and sighed.  “I guess we better get to our respective classes before we’re seriously late again.”

             Ron nodded and kissed Allie’s cheek.  “I’ll see you at lunch,” he murmured and walked away.

             Allie watched him for a moment, and then ran giddily up the stairs.  She was starting to fall for Ron Weasley, hard.

             “There you are!” Hermione said grumpily as Ron ran up to join their Care of Magical Creatures class.  “You’re late again.  What did Snape say to you?”

             “Oh, he said that he wanted Allie and I to arrive on time from now on and that he wants us to help Neville in class,” he said, not even believing it himself.

             “What?” Harry exclaimed incredulously.  “Why on Earth would he want you to do that?”

             Ron shrugged.  “Beats me as to why he wants me to help Neville, but Allie was the top Potions student at her old school.  I guess that’s why he put the three of us together.”

             Hermione frowned.  “I guess,” she mumbled and the three friends turned their attention to Hagrid’s lesson on magical seahorses, which were literally horses that lived under water.

             After a few minutes, Ron’s mind began to drift toward the beautiful girl he’d only met yesterday at King’s Cross.  He had barely known her for two days and it already felt as if he’d known her his entire life.  Allie was everything he’d ever wanted in a girl: she was sweet, caring, smart, sassy, brave, and good-looking.  God, who was he kidding? She was more than just good-looking—the girl was drop dead gorgeous.  Then there was the fact that she was the most powerful witch in history.  Ron just could not get over it.  You’d never guess that she was that powerful by talking to and hanging out with Allie.  She wasn’t egotistical, arrogant, or even pompous.  However, what stuck with him the most was the conversation he had overheard her having with Snape and the way she looked at him.

             No one had ever looked at Ron the same way that Allie did.  Unlike most people he knew, he could look into her enchanting green eyes and know exactly what she was thinking or what she was feeling.  When she looked at him, there was open admiration and attraction in her gaze.  Ron loved it because he could read her so easily, yet it seemed that others had a difficult time doing so.  Perhaps, he mused, she only opened herself up to him to read.  After all, that’s basically what she said to Snape earlier that morning.  Ron grinned at the memory.  His favorite part had been when she said that she wanted a chance at a relationship with him.  Just thinking about it made him giddy.

             “Ron!” Hermione said, obviously not for the first time.

             Ron jumped and looked around.  Harry, Hermione, Hagrid, and himself were the only ones left outside. 

             “Oh, is class over?” he mumbled. 

            Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid just rolled their eyes.

             “C’mon, Ron, its time for lunch,” Harry said, shaking his head.

             Ron perked up.  It was time to see Allie! He grinned and tore off for the castle.

             “Ah, young love,” laughed Hagrid.

             Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled.  Young love indeed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~             

            Ron ran into the Great Hall and immediately spotted Allie, who had been cornered by Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.  His blood boiled at the sight and he stalked over to the four Slytherins.  As he neared, he caught some of their conversation.

             “I still don’t get what you want with me,” said Allie, sounding a bit bored. 

            “Don’t be daft, Serena.  I know that you’re joining the Dark Lord and I’m just curious as to whether or not your precious Weasley knows,” Malfoy hissed evilly.

             “If you’re wondering whether or not I know that Allie’s joining Lord Voldemort, the answer is yes,” Ron said from behind the three goons.

             Allie’s face lit up with a grateful smile and pushed past Crabbe to hug Ron.  Malfoy looked utterly confused.

             “You know and yet you still care for her? Your last name is Weasley, right? I mean, your best friend is Harry Potter and your father is a Muggle lover! How can you not turn from her?”

             Ron looked down at the petite girl in his arms and looked back up at Malfoy.  “Because I’m joining Voldemort with her,” he replied softly and Allie buried her face in his chest.

             The other three students could only stare at the couple.  “Oh,” was all Malfoy murmured before he, Crabbe, and Goyle slowly backed away and took off for the Slytherin table.

             “Nicely done,” came a voice from behind the two red heads.  Ron and Allie turned to face a smiling Dumbledore.  “Neither one of you used magic or violence against your enemy—you attacked him mentally by completely surprising him.  You two will work well together against Voldemort.” 

            “Snape’s told you of our plan,” Ron said rather than asked. 

            Their professor nodded.  “You are very brave, Mr. Weasley, very brave.  Professor Snape and I would like to meet with the two of you in my office after dinner tonight.  Is that a good time?”

             “Yes, Albus,” Allie replied.

             “Good,” Dumbledore said and made his way to the staff table.

             Allie glanced sideways at Ron and asked, “You hungry?”

             “No, you?”

             “Nope.  C’mon, let’s go practice a bit of Dark magic,” she suggested and took Ron’s hand.

             “Sure.  We can use the Quidditch pitch.”

             The two future Death Eaters left the Great Hall, unaware of the eight pairs of eyes watching them.

             “What’s going on with Ron and that Slytherin?” Ginny asked, curious about her brother’s new addiction.

             “I don’t know, but Fred and I overheard Snape telling them that he was proud of them.  Didn’t we, Fred?”

             Fred nodded.  “It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen or heard.”

             “Well, I don’t like her,” Hermione huffed.

             Surprisingly, this upset Neville.  “I don’t see what you all have against Allie.  She’s really nice and I know that she genuinely likes Ron.  Why don’t you people like her?” he demanded, slamming his hand on the table.

             Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, and Harry all looked down at their plates.  Finally, Harry spoke up.  “Its not so much that I don’t like her—I just don’t trust her.”

             The others nodded in agreement.

             “Why? Because she’s in Slytherin? Not everyone in that house is bad, you know,” Neville hissed and stormed out of the room.  The seven Gryffindors sat in shock in the wake of Neville’s anger.

             “Who the bloody hell was that?” Dean muttered.

             Seamus shrugged.  “I’ve never seen him so angry.  Tell you what, he scared the piss out of me.”

             “I wonder why he was so touchy about Wood,” George wondered aloud.

             Harry shook his head.  “I don’t know, but I do know that Ron’s a million times more touchy about her.  Come on, Hermione, we should go talk to them.” 

            “Why?” his girlfriend asked.

             “Because the last thing we need is for us to not give Allie a chance and lose Ron.  I think he already knows that we don’t exactly like her and we need to make sure that we give her a chance before we judge her.”

             “Blimey, Hermione, your boyfriend sure has gotten mature,” Seamus said.

             Hermione grinned and kissed Harry on the cheek.  “I know and I’m so proud of him for it.” 

             The couple left the room hand in hand and stopped outside of the Great Hall.  Harry pulled out the Marauders map and located Ron and Allie on the Quidditch field.  As they neared the stadium, Harry and Hermione were horrified to hear Ron shout, “Crucio!”

             “What the hell?” Harry murmured and they sprinted in the direction of Ron’s voice.

             The two fifth years peered around the bleachers that blocked their view of the field and were shocked to see Allie and Ron watching a huge spider wither in pain on the ground with smiles on their faces.  Ron took the curse of the spider and reduced it back to its original size.

             “Very good, Ron,” Allie commented.  “I think that spider will make sure to stay away from you from now on.  Now, try the curse on me.”

             Ron stared at her.  “That’s not funny, Allie.”

             “It wasn’t meant to be.  Put the curse on me.”

             “You’re mental!”

             Allie rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively.  “Yes, but that’s beside the point.  Look, you can’t hurt me.  I’ve learned to get past the pain and beat the Cruciatus curse.  C’mon, curse me.”

             Ron was extremely pale.  “But what if I do hurt you?”

             Allie smiled and kissed his cheek.  “You won’t.  I’m a fully trained witch, remember? Now, do it.”

             Taking a deep breath, Ron pointed his wand at Allie and bellowed, “Crucio!”

             The girl grimaced and bit her lip.  After a moment or two, Ron lifted the curse.  Allie drew a deep breath and leaned against Ron, his tall and well built body easily supporting her tiny frame. 

             Ron slipped his arm around her waist and asked, “Are you okay?”

             She smiled.  “Yeah, don’t worry.  You’re really powerful, ya know that?”

             Ron blinked.  “I am?”

             “Hell yeah.  It takes a lot of power to pull off any of the Unforgivable curses.  It’s almost impossible to do at the age of fifteen.  I doubt that any of the students at this school could do them, with the exceptions of you, Harry, Malfoy, Neville, and possibly Hermione,” Allie said thoughtfully.

             “Whoa, back up.  What are you saying?”

             “I’m saying that you, Harry, Malfoy, Neville, and Hermione are probably the most powerful wizards and witch at this school.”

             “I’ve never felt this powerful before, though.  Its like you give me strength or something.”

             Allie blushed at his words and Ron felt his ears turn pink. He cleared his throat and asked,  “And Neville? How is he powerful?”

             Allie studied Ron for a moment before speaking.  “He's never told you about his parents, has he?”

             “No.  What about them?”

             Allie sighed.  “Frank and Christina Longbottom were extremely powerful Aurors back in the day.  Shortly after Voldemort’s fall, Barty Crouch, Jr., and several other Death Eaters tortured them with the Cruciatus curse to find out Voldemort’s whereabouts.  Instead of killing them, the endless torture drove them insane and they currently reside at St. Mungo’s.  They don’t even recognize Neville anymore.  Neville was so traumatized by what happened, that the majority of his powers have stayed dormant.  If and when his powers show their full potential, he will be a force to be reckoned with.”

             “I had no idea,” Ron said in shame.  “I’ve known the guy for five years and I had no idea.” 

            “Not many people are aware of it, so don’t worry.”

             “Did they attend Hogwarts?”

             “Yeah.  Frank was in Gryffindor and Christina was in Slytherin.”

             “Are you serious?”

             Allie grinned.  “Yep.  Christina was quite sly…oh my God! Ron, we’re going to be late to Divination!”

             Ron glanced at his watch and cursed.  “You’re right, let’s go.”

             With that, the two took off for the castle, leaving a very confused Harry and Hermione behind.

             “Wow, I really don’t trust her,” Hermione muttered.

             “Amen to that,” Harry agreed and they slowly made their way after the two red heads.

Index