Harry Potter 1. What

It was torture for him, pure torture to be in a potions class with Hufflepuffs. He didn't think he would survive. Snape had placed him next to an ordinary girl who had odd metal things on her teeth.

"Miss Katherine."

"Yes, sir," the girl next to him answered.

'Miss Katherine'? Why didn't he call her by her last name like he did everyone else?

"What is a bezoar?" Professor Snape asked.

"Um… I know it, I do… I swear, it's on the tip of my tongue," the girl, Katherine, seemed to think for a moment, "Oh! It's a something found in the stomach of a goat and it has nullifying effects on most poisons."

"Correct on its effects, but what is it? Draco?"

He spoke, "It's a stone, professor."

"Good. Now, I am feeling generous today so I want you all to get to know the person sitting next to you. It is not often the headmaster groups Hufflepuff and Slytherin together." He swept into his office.

A few stagnant moments passed.

"So… I'm Katie. I'm gonna assume you're Draco." The girl beside him said.

She was the first to speak.

"Yes." He answered stiffly.

"Cool, cool."

Another moment passed.

"Well, this is awkward."

He agreed.

"Okay, I know what you're thinking. 'Ugh, class with the Hufflepuffs. Totes boring. Worse than the Gryffindors. I can't believe this.' Although, probably much more refined." She giggled.

She stumbled over her words, seeming to stutter slightly on some of them.

"Honestly, though. I been paired with Gryffindors before, and they're worse than us Puffs," she said.

She spoke in a sort of rapid fire way. As if she had no reticence about what she was going to say.

"I mean, at least we Hufflepuffs know what two plants will explode if they go in a pot together."

That startled a chuckle out of him.

"Yay! I made you laugh!" She grinned, "That's another one of the bucket list."

He was suddenly confused.

She must have known… Somehow.

"A bucket list is a muggle expression of things they want to do before they die." She explained.

"So… I bet you're wondering why Professor Snape called me by my first name, not my last."

His eyes widened slightly. Was she a legilimens?

"Well, that happens to be because no one knows my last name, not even me."

"So I could be the descendent of the most powerful wizard in the world, or I could be the child of muggle. You'll never know. But… If I were you, I'd tread lightly 'round me."

"The bell's bout to ring, so I'd pack up if I were you."

The bell did indeed ring soon after that.

"And no," she said, giggling and grinning, showing off those odd metal things, "I am not a legilimens. Hard as that may be to believe."

Maybe, just maybe a potions class with the Hufflepuffs wouldn't be that bad.


	2. Huh

She had been walking to the prefect's bathroom when she heard quiet, almost silent, footfalls behind her. She had turned, only to see nothing. Thinking it was Peeves or something, she continued on.

"H-hey! Wait up!" A voice sounded quietly.

She flinched slightly, as the voice had honestly surprised her.

She looked around again, scanning the hall.

She turned back around.

"Hi there!"

"Ah!" She screamed and fell back.

"Oh, goodness gracious, are you alright?"

She looked up.

What she saw surprised her. She had been expecting a large man with bulging muscles with a knife, not a small statured girl in a bathrobe carrying a towel.

As she got up, without the girl's help, she noted just how tiny the girl was. Smaller than even her, and she was petite by pureblood standards. The girl's size wasn't natural, she was sure of it.

"So, u-um, what's your name?"

She stopped, then realized she had started walking.

"You don't know?" She asked.

"Oh, no. I do know. You're Pansy Parkinson. See, I'm the type of person who knows everyone, but no one knows me and could you maybe stop walking so quickly?"

"No, we're here anyway."

"Oh, coolios."

The two walked in, and Pansy couldn't help but notice their size difference again. It was unnerving to her. She couldn't believe no one had said anything.

"Aren't you coming?"

Apparently while she had been thinking the girl had undressed and gotten into the pool of water, which was already filled, strangely enough.

"Yes. Keep your robes on," She couldn't understand why she had said that. There was something about this girl that pulled on her softer side. She simply couldn't understand it.

"Um… I'm sorry to tell you this but they're already off," The girl was strange. Then she turned, her backside to Pansy.

She was shocked, and was stupid enough to show it. That surprised her even more. Her years of training to never show emotion failed her. Still, the only shift in her face was her eyes widening slightly.

Now, it wasn't as if there were scars or wounds all over the girl's back. Or, well, there might have been but Pansy would never know. As for the reason, it was because the girl had finally let her hair down. If Pansy had been looking she would have seen that, in the hall the girl had had her hair in a tightly wrapped bun. But now it seemed as if it covered her like a sheet. I blanketed down her shoulders and floated on top of the water. It looked as though it would reach the back of her knees if she was standing on the ground.

"How on earth did you get all of your hair into that bun?" She asked incredulously, whilst walking into the pool of warm water.

"Practice," The girl said simply.

"Well, if you were pureblood you'd have your hair in a different style every day, not just that plain little bun," Pansy was eager to know if the girl would let her get her hands on all of that hair. There were so many possibilities, so many intricate choices for all of that hair.

"Yeah, I wish I could. I love it when people mess with my hair. I let the kids back home do it all the time," The girl looked at Pansy, laughter in her eyes.

"Don't tell anyone, but I think the mermaid's jealous," She giggled, gesturing to the mermaid on the stained glass high above them, who sniffed and looked away.

"It wouldn't surprise me, because I am too," Pansy looked at the girl, who smiled at her.

"So, what is the name of the long haired girl?" She asked.

"Rapunzel," was the immediate answer.

Pansy laughed, then stopped herself. What was with this girl? How had she managed to get inside her mind and pull on emotions she hadn't felt in years? How? She was extremely curious.

"You know you're allowed to laugh, at least with me," The girl looked at Pansy, an unreadable emotion in her eyes, "I won't tell. I promise."

Pansy smiled, and for once it was a true smile. Filled with the happiness this girl somehow managed to bring out in her.

"So… Any chance I could get you to help me wash my hair?"

"Absolutely," Pansy stated, "just let me do all of it though."

"Alrighty, then," The girl, Rapunzel, as she had dubbed herself, waded over and sat on the step that led into the pool.

Pansy strode over, splashing water, and sat behind her. Summoning a vial of shampoo, she poured some into her hands and began her work.

It took a bit longer than she had anticipated.

"Alright, rinse," Pansy commanded.

"Thanks. Usually I just spell it clean." Rapunzel said.

"Why?" Pansy asked, though she was certain she already knew the answer.

"Because it takes too long to do it manually," She answered. With that she climbed out of the pool and began braiding her hair.

"Here," Pansy said, pointing her wand at the girl, "Plectere Capillos."

"Oh. Wow," Rapunzel said, feeling her braid, "It's perfect. I've got to remember that one."

"If you come again next week I'll show it to you," Pansy offered, knowing full well, that Rapunzel could easily just look it up in a book and never come back.

"That would be wonderful, and maybe I'll let you do my hair for the Yule ball," The girl laughed, her voice lilting.

Pansy watched as Rapunzel made her way to the door. When she looked back, Pansy looked away.

"By the by, my actual name is Katie," She giggled, "See ya later, new friend."

She skipped out the door.

Friend she had said. Pansy had a friend. A real actual friend.

Katie. Her name was Katie.

Pansy sighed, put her proverbial mask on again, and made her way back to a world of lies and deceit. She made her way back home. She allowed herself one more smile in the darkened silence of the school.


	3. Eh, I feel horrible about uploading this

Hello there,

It's the author here.

A formal apology needs to be applied for my horrendous grammar.

I know it's not the best; English isn't really my best subject.

Also…

PROCEED WITH CAUTION. THIS STORY WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE FEELS THAT WILL MAKE IT HARD FOR ME TO WRITE SEE I THOUGHT ABOUT THE PLOT A LOT LIKE A LOT A LOT A LOT AND IT'S JUST GONNA BE SO FREAKING SAD EEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUGH *SOBS IN THE BACKGROUND*

*clears throat*

I just thought it would be kind to warn you.

And… I need ideas.

I'm having a bit of trouble deciding which character Katie should meet next.

I've got my heart set on either Blaise Zabini or Theodore Nott, but I don't know much about either of their personalities or what the setting for them would be.

So please, I need help (and possibly encouraging words if you can manage them).

Remember, reviews make an author smile and update faster.

Sorry about this not being a real chapter.

I know how pissed that makes me.

-MySanityIsAMatterOfOpinion.


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Harry Potter, Friendship, Hurt-Comfort