Unlovable

It had been late that night when the odd pair ran into each other in the library, neither one expecting the other to pop up after what had transpired earlier that day in the corridor. Emerald eyes met ultramarine ones, gazes interlocking and the air around them dissipating into an eerie silence. It wasn't until the vulture of a librarian – Madam Pince – prowled along the bookcase shelves did they realize where they were and come to.

“What is going on here?” Pince inquired suspiciously, her eyes shifting between the two tense students.

“Nothing, Madam Pince,” Harry reassured.

“Well, it certainly doesn't appear to be nothing, Mr. Potter.” She retorted firmly. “If you both are not here to make use of the books, then you don't need to be here at all. In addition, it's nearing curfew; both of you gather your things and head back to your dormitories at once.”

“Yes, Madam Pince. We'll be out of here in a few minutes.” Variel agreeably nodded.

Irma Pince looked to the girl with a careful eye, gauging her and her possible intentions, and when she could sense or feel no attitude coming from her, she let out a silent scoff before walking off and murmuring, “Please be quick about it, then.”

As soon as the vulture of a woman was gone from the towering bookcases, Variel turned to the table that she had placed her things on, stuffing her notebooks, quills, and parchment and such into her messenger bag silently as she felt Harry's eyes linger upon her. She paid him no mind as she usually did, figuring that things could be taken the wrong way or a conversation could be started up between them. She truly disliked the idea of being around Harry more than necessary after the incident with Malfoy.

And as she walked away and into the corridors, she heard hastened packing and footsteps rushing towards her. “Wait!” The voice of the Chosen One rung throughout the halls as he caught up with her fast pace.

Her brow furrowed when she realized there would now be interaction between them, but nonetheless she slowly came to a stop and turned around to face the boy who was jogging to her side. When he joined her company, another moment of awkward silence graced them for a minute, and she immediately grew uneasy as he stared at her, looking like he was trying to figure her out.

She couldn't take the suffocating atmosphere a second longer and she cleared her throat, asking, “Was there something you needed?”

That seemed to snap him out of his brooding and he quickly shook his head, mumbling, “Uh, um... no, er... yes, sort of.” He scratched the back of his neck in a sort of embarrassed manner for stuttering about so idiotically. “About our tutoring sessions, the next exam for class is coming up soon, so I wanted to know when you were free to study.”

Variel felt a bit better hearing an explanation for him coming to talk with her. “I'm available whenever, really. I don't mind if you pick the times we meet.”

“Alright,” Harry nodded, “just to see where you are in class, let's go ahead and meet tomorrow. Do you know where the Room of Requirement is?”

“No, I don't,” she answered.

“Alright, well, tomorrow I have Quidditch tryouts for the Gryffindor team. Come by the pitch around noon when it's ending and we'll head there together to show you where it is.”

“I'll see you tomorrow then.”

Harry nodded and just like that, their small, unplanned rendezvous came to an end as both students walked away from the other in the silence of the deserted hallways.



Gryffindor's tryouts were in full swing and nearing their completion. The few spectators that gathered in the bare wooden stands cheered their close friends on in the final leg of the event, and those on their broomsticks rose to the occasion with new vigor.

One figure blended into the scenery perfectly as she quietly made her way into the benches, plopping down on an available section of seating and immersing herself in the cheerful atmosphere. Supposing she had no other choice, Variel then did her best to become interested in the tryouts being held before her, noting that that position of Keeper was now up for grabs for by Ron Weasley and Cormac McLaggen according to the murmurs of the large crowd that was still accumulating.

“C'mon, Ron...” a soft sigh escaped the person on Variel's left, and she curiously looked over to see who it was. Hermione Granger, having realized she spoke aloud, covered her mouth a bit and hesitantly looked to see if anyone had heard, and when she saw Variel gazing back, her cheeks were tinted a light pink hue. “Oh, hello,” she greeted with a small nod.

“Hello,” Variel replied.

Silence enveloped the two young girls, though Hermione was quick to chase it away and quell her curiosity at the same time. “What brings you here to Gryffindor's tryouts?”

“Harry,” she answered, much to Hermione's immense surprise.

“Harry?”

Variel nodded, adding, “Yes, he's my tutor for Defense, and we're supposed to meet after the tryouts are completed.”

“Ahh,” Hermione nodded in understanding, although she was still shocked to say the least. Harry had never mentioned being the tutor for Variel Helling – not once. She wondered how long this had been going on for? Perhaps not that long, though, as both she and Ron usually were aware of what their friend was up to. Still, being a tutor for a Slytherin... it was a bit odd that Harry hadn't announced it to them right when the decision was made.

More cheers sounded off besides them as Ron and McLaggen took to the air on their broomsticks. The newly selected team of Chasers – Demelza Robins, Ginny Weasley, and a returning Katie Bell, followed soon after, following the team captain's orders to give it their best to make it into the hoops while those in the stands heckled the players.

McLaggen was up first. The built Gryffindor exuded a smug air about him as he glided besides the goal posts, and he may have just had a reason for it as he skillfully protected his post from the shots the girls threw at him.

As he went in to protect the final toss of the Quaffle, Hermione – who had been fidgeting about nervously in her seat during Cormac's trial, covered her mouth and whispered, “Confundo.” McLaggen's outstretched hand then went to the broom beneath him in order to steady himself as it went awry and out of the Quaffle's path, the ball making it through the middle hoop as a dazed Cormac tried to shake off the miss and his inflicted confusion.

Variel glanced at Hermione in awe that she would go that far and cheat to try and help Ron's odds of becoming Keeper for the team. She assumed that the brunette must have cared for the redhead quite a bit to ruin McLaggen's chances of joining the team.

Feeling eyes upon her, Hermione turned towards Variel as Ron began his trial run of acting as Keeper. “Is something wrong?” She asked.

“No,” Variel shook her head, “I just didn't think you would Confund Mc—”

“Shh!” Hermione's eyes widened and darted around to see if anyone had heard their small exchange. “You heard?”

“Don't worry, I think I'm the only one who did.” Variel motioned to the crowd of students surrounding them who were far too engrossed in Ron securing the fifth and final Quaffle toss and securing his place as Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. “Looks like Weasley's Keeper now, too.”

“Um, could you... please not tell anyone?” Granger inquired softly.

“Sure,” Variel shrugged, ending the conversation.

As Variel's gaze returned to the field, Hermione continued to look over the dark haired Slytherin beside her wearily. Hermione didn't think ill of Variel – she still didn't have a good enough reason to do so, but she was still unable to feel at ease around the girl. Her indifference to everything was off-putting, and if a normal Slytherin had been around, she was sure that news of her having Confunded McLaggen would have spread like wildfire and would have ended up in Ron's possible termination from the team.

Yet there was something else about Variel that made her think that she was truthful in her compliance, that she wouldn't tell about how she Confunded Cormac and helped secure Ron his position as Keeper. And so although there was an uneasiness residing in the pit of Hermione's stomach, at the same time she could still feel a sense of security in trusting Variel's word. She couldn't believe she was thinking this, but she was going to give a Slytherin – this Slytherin, and only this Slytherin – a chance.

The benches were soon being cleared out as the tryouts came to their end, Hermione offering to walk along with Variel as they were both about to see the same person. As they reached the field, Harry and Ron were bidding the team goodbye, and when Harry saw the two girls approaching, he felt like a massive fool.

He had completely forgotten about his previous plans to meet up with Variel for tutoring. It had kept him up all night last night – the thought of being with her one-on-one not quite sitting right with him, but when he woke up, it had slipped his mind. Not only that, but on the way to the Quidditch pitch, he and Ron had been pressured into being dragged towards Hagrid's after tryouts by Hermione because of her guilt for them no longer being enrolled in his Care of Magical Creatures lessons.

As they grew closer, Ron questioned, “Who is that with 'Mione?”

“Variel Helling, a Slytherin,” Harry said.

“What? What's she want with her and us?” The redhead's voice was becoming laced with a protective undertone.

Harry sighed, shaking his head, “Dumbledore's asked me to tutor her in Defense.”

“Blimey, are you serious?” Ron questioned, soon whispering, “Is it because she might be linked to You-Know-Who?”

“No, at least that's what Dumbledore says.”

The boys continued to watch and wait for the girls come over, and as they did, Harry realized that without her school robes on, Variel appeared to be more significant and noticeable among the other students. Still, she managed to blend into the background effortlessly as most people who passed her didn't shoot her a second glance, and he assumed it was because of the way she carried herself, as well as the serene air that seemed to radiate off her.

“You did brilliantly, Ron!” Hermione congratulated as they reached them.

“I did, didn't I?” He questioned proudly. “Though I thought I would miss that fourth penalty shot. Demelza put a good spin on it, didn't she, Harry?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “you'll both make good additions to the team.”

“Did you guys see the way that McLaggen was lumbering off to the side on his final penalty? It almost looked like he was Confunded,” Ron mused airily, Hermione stiffening up as both Harry and Variel looked her over knowingly.

“Oh, and Harry, you never told us you were tutoring Variel.” Hermione looked to her friend curiously, expecting an answer.

“It was just decided yesterday,” he muttered, soon realizing that Variel was still standing beside their group quietly, blending in well as she usually did. “Variel, could I push back our meeting to a little later today? I forgot I have something to do with Ron and Hermione.”

“I don't mind—” she began, only to be cut off by Hermione.

“Harry, she was waiting all this time to meet you for tutoring. You can't just turn her away now.” Hermione pushed, not wanting for their tutoring session to be canceled. “We're only visiting Hagrid for a moment, she can come with us.”

“'Mione...” Ron's voice trailed off stiffly.

Both boys seemed to stare at her as if she were demented. Why was Hermione having such a change of heart concerning Variel? They had never hung out with her before, and why should they begin now? There was no need to. Just because Harry would be tutoring her didn't mean that they had to grow close with one another.

Variel could sense the awkward air around them and voiced her opinion. “I'm fine with pushing it back to later today. It's no problem. Thank you for the invite, though.”

Ron gave a satisfied grin. “See, Hermione? She says she's fine with pushing back their meeting.”

“Ronald, you are so incredibly thick-headed,” Hermione glowered, smacking him on the arm lightly, though hard enough to get her point across. “Variel was kind enough to let us stay with her on the way to school, and you can't even return the gesture?”

“Sorry,” he mumbled, rubbing his slightly throbbing arm.

“Please, come with us, Variel. It'll only take a few moments. Then you and Harry can head off to your tutoring session.”

“If you insist,” she replied, hiding the reluctant tone of her voice well.



The group of four made their way across the grounds, the trio leading the way while Variel opted to linger at the back to not intrude on their conversation. As they reached the quaint hut that Hagrid called home, they passed the hippogriff that he kept as a companion. Harry bowed low to the creature before it returned the gesture, and soon the Chosen One was petting it's head with the utmost care and respect.

A large figure soon came round the home – a burly dog walking beside him, and a booming voice called out, “Get away from 'im! He'll have your fingers – oh. It's you lot.” Hagrid seemed to lose all the energy his voice held previously when he took notice of who it was.

Fang, who usually was enthralled with licking Hermione and Ron, instead ran up to Variel and began to bombard her with affection as he licked her face and everything he could reach, the girl trying to calm him down and get him to sit, murmuring. “I haven't seen you in a while, Fang.”

“Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes, Variel. Don't think I've seen you round here much.” Hagrid greeted her in a more cheery tone than he had the other three, confusing them endlessly as to how Variel knew Hagrid on such good terms.

“It's good to see you again.”

“Come on in, I'll put on some tea.” He encouraged, waving her towards his hut's front door. “And I won't be takin' no for an answer.” She silently obliged and followed him into his home, Fang trailing alongside the ebony haired beauty pleasantly. As the door closed behind the three, the other trio was left speechless.

“Bloody hell,” Ron mumbled. “What was all that about? How does Variel – a Slytherin – know Hagrid so well that he'd invite her in for a cup of tea!”

“Be quiet, Ron!” Hermione shushed him down some. “They'll be able to hear you if you go shouting it about.” The brunette turned to Harry, curiously asking, “You didn't know about this either, did you?”

“No...” Harry mumbled softly, wondering the same thing his friends were.

“Well, what do we do now?” Ron questioned.

“I doubt Hagrid will even consider letting us in. He's taken us not taking his class anymore far more personally than I expected.” Hermione bit her lip, mulling over how distraught Hagrid really was at their absence in his lesson.

“Don't worry about it.” Harry told her, marching up to the front door of the hut and knocking loudly. “Hagrid, open up! We need to talk to you!”

From inside, Harry could hear the giant oaf chatting away pleasantly with Variel, not acknowledging the boy's cries from the outside and indulging himself with what he considered to be more amiable company.

“Hagrid! If you don't open the door, we'll blast it open!”

“Harry! You can't possibly—” Hermione shouted.

“Yeah, I can,” he began to withdraw his wand, “so stand back!”

The door flung open seconds before Harry could do any damage to the property. In the doorway stood their towering friend, and although he still wore the flowery apron he put on to prep the tea for Variel, his face was flushed with color as he glared intimidatingly down at the boy in front of him.

“How dare you threaten to blow down my door, Potter! I'm a teacher – a teacher!”

“I'm sorry, sir.”

“Since when have you called me, 'sir'?”

“Since when have you called me, 'Potter'?”

“Oh, that's clever. That's me outsmarted, ain't it?” Hagrid grumbled. “Fine, come in, ya ungrateful little...” Hagrid continued to mumble incoherent nothings as the trio gained entry into his home, the large man sauntering back over to the table where Variel sat with her now empty cup of tea.

With three new bodies in the home, it was becoming slightly cramped, and while Variel wasn't claustrophobic by any means, she rose from her chair and walked over to Fang, rubbing the dog under his chin and behind the ears before turning to Hagrid who was now placing three new cups of tea onto the table bitterly.

“Thank you for the tea, Hagrid. I'm going to take Fang out for a bit, is that alright?”

Hagrid seemed to perk up a bit at Variel's voice, replying, “Oh, 'course it's fine. Take your time.”

Variel then guided Fang out of the home, petting him tenderly as she did so until they were completely out of the house, once again leaving Hagrid alone in the company of the trio.

A conversation then started up again, with Hagrid moodily, and reluctantly, partaking in it. Hermione tried to ease their friend's hurt emotions, explaining that with preparing for their N.E.W.T.s, there was much to do with studying and other obligations that led to them having to withdraw from Care of Magical Creatures. Once he was soothed as much as he could be, a normal discussion that they usually would share came about, making the atmosphere once that was much welcomed and appreciated by all until the subject had changed to Aragog, Hagrid becoming an emotional wreck soon after with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Hagrid, what is it?” Hermione asked, concerned for him.

“It's... him... Aragog... I think he's dyin'...” he sputtered out through his sobs. “He got ill over the summer and hasn't gotten better. We've been together so long.” He paused to blow his nose and began to wipe his eyes. “I remember when I first got 'im. He was still in an egg, he was.”

As Hermione tried to console the man before him, hearing Hagrid talk about how he got the overgrown arachnid made Harry think of all the animals that Hagrid had cared for over the years, from Buckbeak to Norberta and even Fang. And then remembering about Fang made him remember about Variel, and how Fang had greeted her so energetically.

“Hagrid,” Harry began, catching his attention and stealing it away from Hermione. “Just asking, but has Variel ever met Fang before?”

Hagrid looked puzzled for a bit, before responding, “O' course she has. Didn't you just see her playing with him before? Not to mention they've known each other long before coming to school.” He stated matter-of-factly.

“Before Hogwarts?” Ron pipped up.

“I actually got Fang when he was just a wee pup from Variel's grandparents. They were both just little ones back then, but Fang was already so keen on her.” Talking so fondly about memories of Fang seemed to bring Hagrid back into a more positive mood from earlier, and Hermione gave a soft sigh of relief.

Harry curiously pressed on. “You knew Variel then?”

“And her mother, Wendy.” He answered, not realizing that Harry was fishing around for more information. “I tell you, the Hellings – despite their name – are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. If I remember right, her grandparents were both Gryffindors and Wendy was a true Hufflepuff. It seems Variel's the only one who's been sorted into Slytherin.”

Harry thought this had to be the most information that he'd gotten on Variel before, and although it wasn't much, it did give him some insight on where she came from. If her family had been in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, they had to have been decent people, but then it didn't help explain why she had been sorted into such a mischievous house as Slytherin, whose people were usually more devious and cunning than any others. Perhaps her father had something to do with it?

“What about her father?” Harry asked. “What house was he sorted into?”

Hagrid's expression seemed to darken. “He was never part of their lives. It's a good thing too. What happened to Wendy was so unfortunate...” as his voice trailed off, Hagrid seemed to realize that this was going far too into Variel's personal life and it wasn't his place to talk about it. “I should not have told you that. I should not have told you that. Forget what you heard me blabbering on about. It's nobody's business.” He insisted.

That seemed to have ended their discussion. Hagrid saw them off from his porch in better spirits than when he had greeted them, and they were glad that things seemed to be on better terms. As they slowly made their way towards Variel who sat with Fang down by the Forbidden Forest's treeline, the trio discussed in hushed voices what they had just uncovered about her.

“What do you suppose Hagrid meant by something unfortunate happening to Variel's mother?” Hermione voiced.

“No clue, but if Variel's father not being in their lives is a good thing, he must be a pretty bad guy then,” Harry concluded.

“You reckon this could mean why she's in Slytherin?” Ron commented.

“It's possible,” Harry nodded agreeably.

“But I don't think this means Variel's a bad person either,” Hermione pointed out. “While she's not the most approachable person in the world, she isn't the meanest either. In fact, I'd say her being in Slytherin's a bit... weird, if anything.”

“Hermione,” Ron began, “do you like Variel? You've been pretty good to her all day today.”

“Think about it, will you, Ron?” She sighed out tiredly. “She allowed us to stay in the compartment on the train with her, and when we were talking about Harry, she didn't spread anything bad at school.”

“She could be waiting for an opportune moment,” he retorted.

“Oh, Ron, grow up!”

“Me? 'Mione, I think you need to see what's really going on here.”

“Oh? And you do?”

“Well, I think—”

“Guys,” Harry interjected harshly, “knock it off.”

It was then that Harry began to mull over his own impressions of Variel. They had met while he was on the floor of the train, sprawled under his invisibility cloak, paralyzed and with a bloody nose after what Malfoy had done to him. Their meeting had been by accident, and when he saw her retrieve her wand, he believed her to be as low as Malfoy, thinking she meant to inflict more harm upon him. However, she stunned him. She had aided him, even going as far as to help get rid of the dried blood on his face when they reached the Great Hall. He had thought she was up to something, that she had some ulterior motive for her actions and that she would end up becoming just another Slytherin who meant to do him in, but even after some time passed, she had never become anything more than she had ever been.

With the recent development of becoming her tutor in Defense Against the Dark Arts, he wasn't sure what to expect. There was a lot to think about, a lot to prepare for. He was somewhat of the mind to keep her at bay, to make sure she kept out of his private and personal life at all costs; but at the same time, he was unsure if that were actually a necessary precaution, especially after that way that she had lashed out at Malfoy only yesterday.

At the memory of her backlash at the ferret, he had to bite back an amused grin. He had to admit that it was rather brilliant to see Malfoy get told off, and for some reason knowing it was done by Variel who was the invisible one, the one to never go out of her way to stand out in any way, made it that much better.

Harry cleared his throat, turning to face Ron and Hermione with a serious expression. “I'm not sure if Variel's someone that we can trust either, Hermione,” he began, Ron smiling satisfactorily at his best mate for agreeing, “but she's not completely bad either, Ron. Do you remember the first night at school how I came in later than everyone else?”

“Yes, you said Draco did that to you.” Hermione noted. “Variel couldn't have played a part in that, could she?”

“Well, I never told you guys, but she was actually the one who helped me get off the train. She helped me up, fixed my nose, and we walked to the grounds together since the carriages were gone.”

Harry's friends were silently soaking up this new information. Hermione was smiling gently, feeling glad that she had chosen to stick up for the girl. Perhaps she truly wasn't bad, maybe – if given the chance – she was someone they could believe in. Ron, however, was still a little skeptical of the ebony haired girl. A few good deeds didn't necessarily make someone worth trusting, did they?

“She could still be up to something,” he muttered bitterly.

“All I'm saying is, from what I can tell, she's not a bad person, but we should still keep our guards up.” Harry concluded, his eyes making their way over to Variel who was still petting Fang with care.

As they continued on their way over, their footsteps reached her ears, her head perking up as they approached her at their comfortable pace. Harry began to look her over a bit, the words he had just spoken still buzzing about his head like an echo that wouldn't die off.

Variel's someone that we can't completely trust, but she's also not a bad person.

As he thought those words, he took her image in, burning it into his mind. Her skin was fair and light, which was a great contrast with her dark locks of hair that fell past her shoulders and to her mid-back neatly, and as he gazed into her deep blue pools that held those peppered freckles of green within them, an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach grew, and part of him sincerely hoped that someone like Variel wasn't a bad person at all.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Variel.” Hermione apologized. “We're done talking with Hagrid now, though, so you can go with Harry to your tutoring lesson.”

“It's fine, I didn't mind waiting.” She replied. “I'll just take Fang back to Hagrid and then we can go, Harry.”

“We'll take him!” Hermione offered up, pushing Ron towards the dog to collect him. “You and Harry need to get to studying!”

Hermione then handed Variel over to Harry who was just as confused as she was. However, Harry knew that it was so like Hermione to make sure that he helped Variel study. As they made their way to the Room of Requirement, Harry decided to ask Variel a few small questions.

“So what are you not good at in Defense?”

“I'm not horrible at it, honestly. I usually pass, even if just barely, but now that Professor Snape is teaching the lesson, I've really lost all interest in the subject.”

“Does that mean you couldn't stand Potions either?”

“Not necessarily. I had a bit of an affinity for Potions, so I managed alright, but Snape really loses my attention a lot of the time because of the way he talks.”

Harry looked at Variel curiously. Did she really find the head of her own house to be so monotonous – although he did have to say that he agreed with her on that. “I can understand what you mean.”

Variel nodded in acknowledgment and then answered his first question. “I guess what I'm bad at in class is executing the spells, and occasionally remembering the incantations for them.”

As they arrived at their destination, Harry summoned the door to the hidden room by walking by it a few times, a door appearing on the third and Harry motioning for Variel to come inside. It was set up like it had been last year for their secret Dumbledore's Army meetings, a few dummies and practice areas being set up in various places.

“So this is the Room of Requirement, huh?”

“Yeah, it's a room that changes to fit the user's needs.”

“Neat.”

Harry couldn't help but softly snicker at her comment, drawing her attention as he quickly cleared his throat as if nothing had happened. “Alright, so we're just going to try to do a few spells that you should be able to do and we'll work our way to the harder ones. Let's start with the Shield Charm. Ready?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, getting out her wand from her jacket pocket and positioning herself in a ready stance.

Harry then flicked his wand, shouting, “Stupefy!”

In return, Variel swiftly lifted her wand and yelled, “Protego!”

Their small lesson carried on for a bit as such, each yelling out spells, charms, and jinxes, seeing what each other knew to get a feel for where they were. When Variel was unable to produce a spell effectively, Harry would come beside her to guide her, showing her the correct form and wand motion to use to master it.

For that moment in time, they weren't two different people from opposing houses – they were simply Variel and Harry.