Chapter 32

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Draco liked Khadija, she seemed like a lot, but she wasn't unkind, just seemed excitable. She clearly admired Natasha a lot, as she spent almost half the time they were together talking about her. He hoped she would be a good friend to Harry, at least while he wasn't there for him.

Draco found his lessons boring, they were clearly the ones they had been taken to when they were being shown around, but somehow nothing was practical. Even potions was all theory, how on earth could anyone in these classes be expected to be able to use any of the magic they were taught, or make the potions he knew they needed to in order to pass their OWLs. Draco guessed it was possible for them to do all the theory for everything in the first few years, and then do the practicals later, but they were behind where they were in Hogwarts, so that's unlikely.

Was it that Professor Wilkins had just selected the one or two students who knew the subjects? Or was there some other secret to how the students did well?

Draco missed Hogwarts a lot, he didn't think he had realised he had grown so attached to the castle, the other Slytherins, or the magical creatures. King Arthur's was a school that felt lifeless, more extremely than he had seen before. He wanted to go back to Hogwarts, and the only reason he was here was to be there for Harry.

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Over a few weeks Khadija and Harry became fairly close, to the point where Harry could whisper in front of her, although he was so quiet that she couldn't hear a word he was saying. She didn't want to embarrass him, or make him feel awkward about it, so she mostly read his lips to keep up.

Their teacher was definitely more fond of Khadija than Harry, but both seemed to be treated as black sheep by him. It seemed almost as though the teachers saw them as some kind of criminals that needed to be punished, but what they should be punished for was unclear. None of the teachers were kind to the two, although Professor Wilkins seemed to look at them with a particularly cold gaze.

Some of the teachers, while unkind, seemed fairly normal, but others walked around with eyes that seemed permanently dull. Those teachers were all for the pureblood courses, so Harry would only see them if it was during meal times or they happened to be in the same corridor, so he didn't know if they were like that in class too. Even some of the generally unpleasant teachers would sometimes have dulled eyes. These times Professor Wilkins would often not be seen for a while, but Harry didn't know or care where she was.

"Harry!" Khadija said loudly, jumping onto his back and almost making him fall over, her bag accidentally swinging forwards and hitting him smack in the back of his head. "Oops, sorry."

"It's okay." Harry said so quietly you would need super-hearing to pick up on it. "Did you revise?"

"Oh, I knew there was something I was supposed to do." Khadija laughed, although she had spent most of the previous night revising and also teaching herself part of the course. Both she and Harry knew she was way too nervous about her grades to not being good enough, and their tests were often graded unfairly or simply incompetently.

"Good luck." Harry murmured, getting to his seat and taking the clear pencil case they had to use for tests out.

"You too, of course, luck might not be enough to save us." Khadija sighed, slumping in her seat, tugging the neck of her jumper away from the front of her throat, feeling a little choked. "Did you eat any breakfast his morning?"

"I had enough." Harry muttered, his cheeks a little warmed as he said it.

"Yeah right, you realise I'm just as early as you are, I know you barely ate. Eat this." She said, taking a slightly bruised green apple out of her bag and tossing it at him. "If you don't I'll hex you."

"Fine." Harry practically mouthed, biting into the apple, looking up at Khadija. He gave her a small half smile in thanks for the apple.

"Draco would be mad at me if I didn't look after you when he's not here and let you go without enough breakfast." Khadija laughed, ruffling Harry's hair affectionally.

Harry had only eaten about half the apple when the door opened and their teacher walked in. Khadija and Harry's heads immediately snapped to the front of the room, Harry hiding the apple under the table as quickly as he could.

"Potter, Petterson, Is there any reason you're here this early?" He asked coldly, his eyes dull.

"So we're not late professor." Khadija said with a sickeningly sweet smile in response.

"Then you should start the test now. Potter, move to the back of the room in the far corner." He said, looking angry, Harry too scared to argue, jumping up and immediately rushing over to the seat he was told to go to. Harry's eyes looked brighter then normal.

-----

"Khadija Petterson, I understand you were put in the muggleborn classes due to a misunderstanding." Professor Wilkins said, sitting behind her desk, looking at Khadija over her folded hands.

"It wasn't a misunderstanding, Professor, you said that it wasn't witchly to wear a hijab, and that made me not good enough for the halfblood course when I refused to take it off." Khadija said, standing due to there only being one chair in the room with her arms folded over her chest, returning an equally cold glare.

"Khadija-" Professor Wilkins started.

"When did I say you could use my name?" Khadija demanded, glaring at Professor Wilkins.

Professor Wilkins sighed heavily before continuing, "Miss Petterson, this really is all a misunderstanding, I can move you back to the halfblood course where this will all be put behind us."

"I appreciate it, really, but you're around a year too late for that. I have friends in the muggleborn class now, and I don't really want to leave them." Khadija said, annoying Professor Wilkins by how relaxed she seemed, Khadija was looking like she was in control.

"Khadija, dear, how good are your muggleborn friends really? Friends that are as good as you are better, and you might even be able to become as good as Natasha McGonagal, or you could join the Dark Lord." Professor Wilkins whispered, circling Khadija, putting her hand on Khadija's head.

Khadija seemed to sag under Professor Wilkins' hand, her eyes dulled to an extreme, her arms flopping down. Professor Wilkins' eyes were glowing a bright aquamarine, brighter than any of the times she had so far since Harry had joined.

"Have we come to an understanding?" Professor Wilkins asked, smiling down at Khadija.

"Yes, Professor." Khadija said, her voice as dull as her eyes.

"From now on in you'll be in the halfblood course." Professor Wilkins said, taking a seat again, not hiding her sick delight as she didn't need to.

"Yes, Professor." Khadija said in the same tone.

"Good, get going back to your dorm, your new uniform will be there shortly." Professor Wilkins said, frustratedly waving Khadija away, taking a tissue to wipe away the small stream of blood from her nose.

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