Chapter 2: The Brown-Haired Boy

The bright sun shining through the curtains of the girl's dormitory is what awoke Bethany. She blinked a few times, disoriented, and stretched her arms over her head. Smiling, she re-thought the events of last night. Was it all a dream? Or had Malfoy actually acted human?

Rising from her four-poster bed, she grabbed her school uniform. Heading off to the showers, she didn't try to duck away from the rest of the Gryffindor girls. As she continued through her morning shower she let her thoughts wander. She was curious to see if anything had changed between them; somewhere in the back of her mind, however, she was sure nothing was different. There was no way a Malfoy would be that kind to a Gryffindor nobody in public. Last night would be their little secret, most likely.

Sighing, she finished up in the showers and threw her uniform on. Surveying herself in the mirror, she frowned slightly. Her appearances never really bothered her before; although she never did anything with her hair or make-up. Looking thoughtful, she ran a comb through her hair before pulling it up in a loose bun. Smiling, she took her wand out and ever-so-slightly raised the hem of her skirt a tiny bit. Applying a touch of make-up to even out the blemishes, she smiled to her reflection.

Today was the day that she would change. No more would she hide from everyone; no longer would she be an outcast. Practically skipping, she grabbed her books and her bag and left for the Great Hall for some food.

Right as she had reached the doors to the Great Hall, a hand roughly grabbed her upper arm and dragged her in the opposite direction. She didn't even have to look to see who it was; she knew his touch anywhere. Biting her lip and holding back the tears, she allowed her brother, Brendon Kingham, to drag her off down a darker corridor. Fighting back would only cause her more pain.

"Why the hell are you wearing all that make-up? Trying to look like a skank?" His words stung as she was shoved against the stone wall. "Fucking go back to the dorms and take the paint off." His eyes narrowed at her and he almost resembled a snake; no wonder he was a Slytherin. "I don't want to be known as the older brother of the girl who looks like a whore."

Her shoulders sagged as some tears escaped. After all these years of her parents and his abuse, she had learned just to listen and abide; it wasn't as bad in the long run. Nodding her head, she lowered it so he couldn't see her tears. It would just be another reason for him to get upset with her. The upper of her back throbbed as he pushed her one last time and stalked off. Any good mood that she had been in was now soiled.

The sound of footsteps echoing down the hall made her quickly wipe her tears away. Surely most of the make-up had been cleaned off by the tears by now. Keeping her head down, she headed back in the direction of the stairs.

Another hand touching her made her jump away. The only difference was this hand was gentler. The arm attached to it wrapped itself around her and the familiar scent of vanilla that had enveloped her the night before. Sniffling, she let it consume her and moved her arms around his torso so she was hugging him. Looking up, she found those pale blue eyes, filled with concern.

"This is the second time in a row you've found me crying…" She murmured, burying her face in his robes. He chuckled and loosened his hold on her.

"May I inquire why you've been crying in the first place?" She stiffened and shook her head. He gazed down at her in curiosity, pulling away from her embrace. "That's understandable. Well, keep your head up." He smiled slightly at her. "I don't want to catch you crying again. Be strong with whatever it is." She suddenly felt cold, missing the warmth of his body against hers. She watched, disappointed, as he turned and strutted away. The next moment, his pack of Slytherin friends rounded the corner and joined him. With them sneering in her direction, they ambled away to the Great Hall.

After rushing to the lavatories to take the remaining make-up off and to fix her skirt to its regular length, Bethany hurried to Potions class; surely she was going to be late. Just as Professor Slughorn had finished taking roll, she burst through the doors panting. Accepting her excuse of finishing a Transfiguration paper, Slughorn ushered her to a table in the back. Ignoring the Slytherin jeers, she rushed to the table and plopped into her seat.

"Hello." A voice projected from her left. Turning to face her new partner, she was surprised to see an incredibly handsome boy. He was obviously in her year, and his robes suggested that he was a Slytherin. Instantly she became guarded, ready for the insults to begin.

"Hi.." She muttered, turning her head away. As the Professor dropped a copy of instructions for a potion on their table, she whispered a polite thank you.

"Now class, today we will be having ourselves a little competition!" By the end of his sentence, his voice had raised in excitement. "Each of you has a different set of instructions for different potions. Whoever finishes theirs first and it's high enough to my passing standards, each of you will receive a vial of Amortentia, which is an incredibly strong draft of a love potion."

Glancing down at the parchment, Bethany read the title of their potion aloud for her partner to hear, "Forgetfulness Potion."

For the first time, she made eye contact with the boy next to her, "I'll collect the ingredients if you'll set up." He eyed her thoughtfully before agreeing. Sliding from her chair, Bethany went to collect the items.

Quickly returning, she dutifully got to work with crushing the flower petals. Watching her with little interest, the boy looked up from the cauldron of water he was slowly boiling. "I'm Noah Conway, by the way." Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she was some-what shocked. Most Slytherin's she encountered didn't want to ever speak to her unless it was strings of insults.

Pausing with the flower petal crushing, she turned her head to face him. Offering a small smile, she spoke for the second time, "I'm Bethany Kingham." When he held out his hand she grasped it loosely and gave it a small shake. Grinning at her, he returned to the boiling water.

"Well, Bethany, this is ready whenever the petals are." He gestured to the cauldron, knocking his hand against it. Nodding, she gingerly picked up the remains of the petals and tipped them into the pot. A gust of white smoke shot upward, causing the two to begin coughing fits. Swatting the smoke away, Bethany chuckled. The corners of Noah's mouth twitched upward in response.

The rest of the class went by fairly fast. Although they didn't win the love potions, the two had fun. Bethany didn't remember a time when she had smiled that much. As they exited the classroom, Bethany bid her goodbyes and headed off in the direction of her next class, Divination.

"Hey, Bethany! Wait up!" Abruptly stopping in the mass of students, she turned to face Noah.

"Yes?" Her eyes narrowed in confusion. It was one thing for a Slytherin to talk to her during a class, but on his own accord outside of the classroom? This boy was odd.

"I was just wondering if I could accompany you to Hogsmeade this weekend." He was slightly out of breath from pushing through the crowd to catch her.

Shocked, Bethany's mouth gaped open. A few people snickered at her as they passed but she could care less right now. "Yes!" She blurted out, suddenly aware of how idiotic she probably looked. Relief graced Noah's face and he grinned toothily.

"Great, how about we meet at the doors then?" She nodded, unable to contain her smile. As he walked away, excitement bubbled within her and she began to giggle like mad. Today had just turned for the better.

Bethany danced throughout the rest of the day and to her other classes. Her brother pulled her aside again to inform her that she was acting like an idiot and it was embarrassing to him, but it didn't faze her. By the time dinner came 'round her mouth was aching from her smiling.

As she headed to her usual spot at the end of the Gryffindor table, she was happily surprised to find the body of a brunette boy occupying her seat. Hugging her books to her chest, she timidly approached him. "Hello Noah." She still wasn't fully comfortable around him, but she could see herself getting there. Her people skills hadn't been fully developed yet.

He grinned at her, "Hey Beth. I hope you don't mind if I keep you company." It was a statement, but she could hear his polite question in his tone. Nodding, she smiled and sat next to him.

"How did you know I sit over here?" This end of the table was mostly vacant and no one ever really paid must attention to it; that's why she liked it. Here, she could escape the spotlight and attention of others. Now though, she liked his attention. A warm feeling swelled in her gut and for the first time in her life, she felt content.

Shrugging, he passed her a bread roll. "I've seen you over here before. Just because you sit away from everything doesn't make you invisible you know." He teased her, turning his full gaze on her. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she felt her face heat up. She hadn't been aware that anyone noticed her, let alone an attractive Slytherin boy. "Why do you hide?" His tone held genuine curiosity when he asked.

Swallowing the rather large helping of mashed potatoes she had taken, she shrugged. "I'm used to hiding. Being put in the spotlight doesn't appeal to me. Plus, there's more of a possibility of getting hurt…" She said the last bit quietly, but he still heard.

"Sounds awfully lonely." He observed, blinking at her. She grimaced and nodded her head, suddenly not hungry anymore. Placing her hands on the table she sat quietly. Placing his hand on hers, he squeezed lightly. Looking up, surprised, she came face to face with Noah. Painfully aware of how close they were, she felt the urge to close the gap between their lips. Parting her lips, she wet them and gazed down at his. His voice broke her out of her trance. "Well, you aren't alone anymore."

His words soothed her and she couldn't help but smile at him. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she felt content again. As of now, she was still broken, but hopefully this boy could change that. Maybe, she would let him in at some point.

Across the large room, a pair of blue eyes stared icily at the two; how dare Noah move in on his territory. Malfoy had specifically told the boy to back off the other day when he had shared his thoughts on Bethany. How dare he mess with a Malfoy.