I didn't fancy going straight back to the Room of Requirement after lunch, so I decided to do some exploring.

This school - to put it mildly - was incredibly amazing. I walked around in complete awe. People moved about in paintings, suits of armour saluted as you passed, and ghosts floated up and down the hallways. The whole place felt like some surreal dream.

I was just about to step up onto the landing at the top of a staircase when the whole set of stairs beneath me suddenly jolted, making me fall sideways, almost toppling down to my certain death - if it hadn't been for a hand reaching out and grabbing me.

"Blimey! Are you okay?"

A voice came from above my ear as I grabbed at my chest, waiting for my heart rate to return to normal.

I turned round to meet my saviour, and came face to face with a freckled, ginger haired, lanky looking boy dressed in Gryffindor robes.

"I wasn't expecting that!" I laughed shaking, allowing him to steady me. I grabbed hold of the bannister, trying my best not to look down as the staircase carried on its journey to another landing.

"Sorry, I don't know your name," he said kindly, his eyes flashing warmly into mine, "I'm Ron, but I guess you already knew that."

I shook my head, wondering why on earth I was supposed to know him. Was he famous or something?

"I'm Astrid," I said quietly, "I'm from Hufflepuff."

"Well, hello Astrid from Hufflepuff," he said amusedly, "it's nice to meet you."

The staircase finally came to a stop, and I gratefully stepped up onto the safety of the landing.

"What class are you off to now?" Ron asked, stepping up behind me. "I'm guessing you are not in sixth year because I haven't seen you in any of my classes before."

"I'm in fifth year, and... err... I've got a free, so I'd thought I'd just... you know..." I stammered, gesturing pointlessly in the air.

"Swing about?" he grinned, "Well I've got a free too, so maybe we could just... swing about together, if you like?"

"Shouldn't you be studying?" I asked, suddenly feeling anxious by this boy's over-friendliness.

"Probably," he shrugged, "But I have just spent the morning enduring Defence with Snape and then Potion's with the Slytherin's, so now I feel like taking a well deserved break."

"Oh," I said, as we walked side by side along the corridor, "you're not a fan of the Slytherins, then?"

I jumped slightly as Ron let out a loud bark of laughter.

"Where have you been, Astrid?!" He chuckled, looking at me almost pityingly, "it's the second biggest thing we're famous for in this school, after the whole Harry Potter and Voldemort thing, of course - our rivalry with Malfoy."

"Oh, yes... Draco," I muttered, wondering who was this 'we' Ron kept going on about.

"Oh, you know him well, then?" Ron asked, looking surprised. "I'd be careful if I were you, Astrid. You seem like a nice girl and Draco is... well, all I will say is that he is a bloody git. He's from a bad family and we have our suspicions about him."

"Well, thanks for the heads up," I answered dully, wondering how much longer I had to walk with this boy. He seemed to be following wherever I was going. Didn't he have anywhere to be? I literally had no idea where I was heading.

"So, what do you fancy doing?" Ron rabbited on, "it's still nice outside, we could go chill out by the lake if you want? Perhaps I could help you with some homework? I didn't do too badly at my OWLs, despite all the drama of last year - but of course that was thanks to Hermione."

I gave him a blank look.

"Surely you've heard of Hermione Granger?" he said, looking at me incredulously as I shook my head, "She's just as famous as me!"

"I- I'm new here," I explained apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I don't really know many people yet."

"Well, follow me!" Ron said jovially, "I'll introduce you to my two best mates."

And without waiting for an answer, he grabbed my arm and started leading me in the opposite direction.

"Guys, this is Astrid," Ron announced after shoving me through a portrait.

We were in what appeared to be a cosy room with a fire and comfy looking maroon sofas. A boy and a girl were occupying one sofa each and they both looked up in surprise as Ron thrust me towards them.

"Ronald!" the girl, who sported bushy hair exclaimed, "you can't invite non-Gryffindor's into our common room!"

"But she's new, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, "and she was really keen to meet you guys!"

"Umm... I can go," I said, backing away, feeling horrendously awkward.

"No, it's okay," said the boy on the other sofa, waving his hand dismissively, "you may as well stay."

I looked gratefully towards him - and couldn't help but let out a little gasp as I suddenly realised I'd seen this boy before.

He was the boy from the train.

"Yeah - Harry gets that look a lot," Ron grinned at me, "the trials of being famous."

"So where have you moved from?" The girl called Hermione glared at me. I didn't like the way she was looking at me. She looked pissed off.

"Er, I transferred from Beauxbatons," I murmured, wishing I could get the flip out of there.

"Figures," Hermione muttered, her eyes now fixed upon Ron, who I was startled to see was staring at me in an almost dreamlike way.

"Look," I said, backing away again, "I've just remembered I've got to be somewhere."

"I'll walk you out," Harry said, jumping up, looking warily from Ron to Hermione.

He led me out through the portrait after I said my awkward goodbyes ("Looking forward to catching up in the hallways!" - "Ronald! I'm sure she's got better things to be getting on with!").

"Don't mind them," Harry said beckoning back towards the now closed portrait of the warbling fat lady, "they have a sort of weird thing going on between them."

I smiled, grateful for his kindness.

"I'm glad to see your nose is better," I said, not thinking.

His face instantly dropped. "What do you mean?"

"Oh!" I spluttered, realising my mistake, "I-I just meant I saw you yesterday and- and there was blood..."

His hand flew straight to his nose as he shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing I couldn't handle - just a run in with a prick not worth my time."

"Oh," I whispered quietly, "Well, whatever you did, I'm sure you didn't deserve it. No one deserves that."

He dropped his hand from his face and gave me a funny look; his eyes focusing on certain points of my face - the points where I knew white squiggly scars lay. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks and cast my eyes downwards.

"Why are you really here, Astrid?" He murmured gently, making me swallow uncomfortably at the concern in his voice.

"I-I have to go," I stammered, turning on the spot, feeling extremely disconcerted.

"Astrid! Wait-" I heard him call after me as I scurried hastily away.

But I didn't look back as I ran - ran all the way back to the safety of the room that awaited me on the seventh floor, vowing from now on to avoid Harry Potter.

What I hadn't realised, was that Harry had a map. A map that he had immediately went back into his dormitory to anxiously peruse.