Snape and Lily's daughter

That's what friends are for

The next day the storm had passed, although the ceiling of the Great Hall was still threatening. Grace and her friends were examining their new schedules.

"Today it's not so bad." Grace said. "Charms with Ravencla and Herbology with Hufflepuff."

"The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws are nice people, at least." Ella said.

Megan and Melia frowned.

"Come on girls, it's not a problem to have friends from other houses, I think it's really cool. Thanks to Grace I met a lot of nice people from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."

"So, Ella, have you made friends with anyone from Hufflepuff? I've never talked much with the people there." Grace asked.

"I got to chat a bit with the Patel twins, they are very sweet." Ella said.

" So, which electives did you choose?" Astoria asked, trying to change the subject.

"I chose Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy, Harry practically forbade me to choose Divination because of the teacher." Grace said.

"I'm going to take Ancient Runes and the Muggle Studies." Ella said.

"Megan and I have chosen Divination and Care of Magical Creatures." Melia said. "What about you, Astoria?"

" I chose Divination and Care of Magical Creatures as well."

As on every Monday, the owls began to arrive and spread out around the hall giving letters. Like every other beginning of the year, Grace receives a letter from Severus wishing her a good start to the school year, asking her to study hard and not to get into trouble.

After breakfast the third year Slytherin and Ravenclaw students headed to Charms class.

" So, Luna, how was your summer?" Grace asked.

"I helped my father with The Quibbler all summer." she answered.

"What's The Quibbler?" Ella asked.

"It's a wizarding tabloid where my father works as editor."

"Ah. How nice!" Ella said.

Charms class passed quickly after Professor Flitwick taught the Banishing Charm. Soon the third year Slytherin students joined the Hufflepuff students and went to the greenhouses for their Herbology class, where Grace barely paid attention to the valerians.

In the class break Grace joined the fourth year students, where Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise were, when Ron, Harry and Hermione walked past them.

"Weasley!" Draco called Ron.

"What?" said Ron shortly.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley! Listen to this!"

FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.

"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" Draco crowed.

"Stop it, Draco." Grace looked at him angrily.

"And there's a picture, Weasley!" he said, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "A picture of your parents outside their house — if you can call it a house!"

Ron was shaking with fury.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Harry said. "C'mon, Ron..."

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" Draco sneered. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"

"Draco! ENOUGH!" Grace said.

But none of them paid attention to her.

"You know your mother, Malfoy?" Harry said. "that expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"

"You two, STOP!" Grace said, almost crying.

Both boys continued to offend each other in the Hogwarts courtyard, while Grace ran off to the second floor bathroom, where she knew she would be alone.

She flew into the bathroom and slammed the door on the first stall she saw. She went in, sat down, and cried even more.

After a few minutes, someone enters the bathroom gently and knocks on the door of the stall where Grace is standing.

"Get lost, Myrtle!" Grace yelled.

"Who?" a male voice said confusingly.

Grace was startled to hear that voice. She opened the door and there was Blaise Zabini on the other side, waiting for her.

"Blaise, this is the ladies' room!" Grace said.

"Yeah, but nobody comes here anyway..." Blaise said.

The two of them were silent for a few seconds.

"Why did you follow me here?" Grace asked, still sobbing.

"I saw how bad you were in the yard, and I thought it would be good to have a shoulder to cry on, or if you want to vent, I'm here too."

"Thanks, Blaise." Grace said, before she hugged the boy.

After some time cuddled together, Grace managed to calm down.

"Now that you are calmer, could you tell me what is going on?" Blaise asked.

"I can't stand to see Draco and Harry fighting! Two people I love so much..." Grace said.

The girl realized what she had spoken, without meaning to.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this. But I was already suspicious about this feeling." Blaise said.

"My brother and the boy I like are enemies." Grace said, without knowing what to do.

"No one said that relationships are easy..." Blaise said.

"And on top of that, my father, who seems to be watching me more and more every year... I don't know if it's to keep me out of trouble or to keep me from getting into relationships with boys..."

"That's what parents are for. They give us a hard time when we least want them to. But just think that whatever you need, whether it's to talk or cry or whatever, I always hope I can help. And I bet your friends would do the same and help you too."

"Thank you so much, Blaise. I think that's what I needed, a shoulder to cry on, a friend who can listen to my grievances, and try to understand and help me."

"Of course, that's what friends are for, isn't it?"

"I think so," Grace said, chuckling. "Anything you need I will also try to help."