"Wheph, that was close one!" Muttered Lairy as she snaked around the corner and into the Leaky Cauldron. Hagrid was waiting for her there, looking very cross.

"You know you're not supposed to wander off, Ms. Took. If you do this one more time, I'll have to tell Professor Dumbledore." He said, thrusting a package at her. "Your school needs are in there, so you shan't be sneaking off again."

She put on her disappointed face. And the show begins. "Oh, but Hagrid, I wanted to get an owl. You remember what happened to my other pet." She grimaced, thinking of her pet toad, Silky, who had been dismembered by the great wheels of the Beauxbatons Carriage in her fourth year.

Hagrid frowned. "Yes, I do. I suppose we can just pop over there an—"

"Great! Let's go!" She seized his coat sleeve and pulled him towards the entrance to Diagon Alley, yet again.

"Diagon Alley. What fun times I've had here." She said as they emerged into the crowds of people flocking the streets of the alley. Indeed, she had had some fun times here. This was where she first met her friend, Jenna Greim, and where she had her first kiss. She sighed, remembering her ex, Draco Malfoy. She had broken up with him after four weeks when she had caught him kissing Pansy Parkinson.

"Right; here we are. Choose an owl, Lairy." Said Hagrid, interrupting her thoughts. They had arrived at Magical Menagerie, and Hagrid was holding the door open for her. She smiled and walked inside. Lining the walls were animals of all sorts. The owls were perched above the cages on pegs; there were so many she couldn't count them all. She took a few minutes scanning them all, amazed. Her brown eyes came to rest on a group of Black and White Owls near the shop window. One in particular gazed intently at her, his golden eyes enraptured.

"Hagrid," She said suddenly. "I think I'll have this one." Hagrid nodded, but a woman standing by the counter swooped over, eyes large. "Oh no, dear child, you don't want that one. He's been causing trouble for weeks!" Lairy grinned and slapped some money into the woman's up faced palm. "Well, then, it would be only too kind of me to take him off your hands." The woman put on a strained smile and went back to the counter, ringing up the price and payment. " Mr. Malfoy's going to kill me for this…" Lairy heard her mutter. Aha, so that's why this lovely owl hadn't been bought yet. Mr. Bloody Malfoy had been holding it in reserve. Lairy frowned and collected her now caged owl, turning and walking out the door.

"So what're you going to call it?" Asked Hagrid, interrupting her thoughts yet again. Lairy shrugged. "'Dunno. I'll think about it."

A few minutes later they were back in the Leaky Cauldron, and Lairy was waving farewell to Hagrid, who was having a drink, and climbing the stairs to her room. The owl hooted happily as she opened her door and let him out. He hopped around on the floor for a while before flying up to perch on her headboard.

"Gah!"

There was a boy lying on her bed, sleepily contentedly. He moaned in his sleep and turned on his side, curling into a ball. Lairy raised an eyebrow. And I thought I was tired.

She sighed and set the cage down. Lairy was tempted so wake him up for a moment, but thought better of it.

"Lairy," She heard. It was Jenna's soft, floaty voice, and it was echoing in from the hallway. "I thought you were going to—" she came into the room carrying a long Cinnamon colored skirt, and a lacy crème colored tank top on hangers. "Ooh, Lair, why is Harry Potter on your bed?" She winked ruthlessly. " You really ought to tell me before you bring boys in here. It is our room after all."

Jenna was her only friend that remained from her first school. When Lairy had moved on from another school, by the name of Bloor's Academy, which was well known, Jenna had been the only one to keep in contact with her. In a few weeks Jenna had arrived at her doorstep, saying that she'd been expelled. Jenna was welcomed at Hogwarts with open arms, seeing that she was a witch with unusual powers, as was Lairy.

Lairy sputtered for a moment. "That is not Harry Potter, and I certainly did not invite him here. I found him sleeping on my bed."

Jenna scowled, all humor. "Well why was he on your bed and not mine? Mine is even a nicer color." She gestured aimlessly to the purple bed beside Lairy's green one.

The boy rolled over in his sleep, his face the picture of utter innocence.

"By Joe, it is Harry Potter." Exclaimed Lairy, striding over to the bed and carefully lifting a few loose strands of dark hair from his forehead.

"Looks like he's struck up residence in our room, mate." Answered Jenna, tossing the clothes onto her bed next to Lairy's.

"Damn. This is going to make my Order assignment rather difficult. I heard he's shaken off his Order guards before. " She sighed miserably.

"Cheer up mate," Said Jenna, always the happy one. "I'm sure there's plenty of upsides to getting to know your stalkee."

At that moment Harry gave a loud yawn and sat up, half awake. "I'm up, Ron." He muttered.

Lairy exchanged looks with Jenna.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the open hallway door, and Draco Malfoy stumbled in backwards, pursued by a very angry Ron Weasley. "If you ever utter that word—" Ron stopped short, noticing his environment. He straightened, looking mildly confused. "'Ullo. Harry. We've all been looking for you! I had a feeling you went to the wrong room."

Malfoy was still surveying the scene, not moving a muscle, and looking very apprehensive.

"Hello Draco dearest. How nice of you to drop in." Said Lairy suddenly, looking at Malfoy with a severe defiance that shined through her chocolate brown eyes.

"Yes, isn't it?" Said a cold, icy voice from the hallway. A boy stepped onto the threshold, smiling grimly. Lairy visibly paled, shocked. "Manfred, I'd like you meet my ex Lairy Took." Said Draco, standing up and straightening his clothes.

"We've met." Said Manfred, narrowing his eyes. Jenna poked Lairy in the side and pulled her over to the bed to sit down.

"Why is Manfred here?" She hissed. Lairy didn't answer, and Harry, sitting next to them both, looking very puzzled, stood. He was quite awake now and he had watched the whole scene. "Hello, Malfoy." He said.

Ron went over and pulled him to the door. "We'll be leaving now." Ron glared at Malfoy as they went through the doorway.

"Awe, Lairy, you don't look very well. You shouldn't press yourself so much; lie down." Manfred locked eyes with Lairy and she felt herself sliding into his terrible, black gaze. He smirked and swept out the doorway, Draco at his heels.

"Lairy!" cried Jenna, shaking her roughly. "Snap out of it! You can do it!" Lairy didn't answer, but turned to stare at her with wide, indifferent eyes, only to lie back on the bed.

"Great!" Shouted Jenna sarcastically. She jumped up and went into the hallway, locking the door behind her.

Usually her friend was defiance in the face of everything, but with Manfred she couldn't help it. Manfred often said that Lairy was the easiest person to hypnotize he'd ever met. The school Lairy and Jenna had been going to was an academy for the gifted. For the gifted, and for the endowed ancestors of the Red King. Rarely the endowed children's powers had nothing to do with wizarding magic, so they were hardly ever known to one another. Lairy was the first of the endowed children found to have Wizarding magic. Wandless magic, though, was a rarity in the wizarding world; thought to be a myth. Lairy, however, possessed that skill.

Jenna rounded the corner of the hallway and ran into Harry, coming the other way.

"Oh, er, I'm terribly sorry about that. I didn't mean to go in your room earlier." He said. There was a tall boy with mass of thick wiry red hair standing behind him, looking on.

"Charlie! What are you doing here? Did Bloor's give you all a holiday or something?" Cried Jenna bounding forward and grabbing him and Harry while continuing to talk. "Here, I need your help real quick Charlie. Lairy's—"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Yelled Harry. "Slow down. All right, I'm Harry Potter, you're--?"

"Er, Jenna Greim." Harry nodded.

"This is Charlie Bone, Ron's cousin. Now who needs help and what happened?"

"Never mind the who and the what's just come here!" Cried Jenna, turning on her heel and running down the hallway, the boys following.

They opened the door to the room and walked inside. Lairy was still lying on the bed, now looking thoroughly engrossed in the ceiling.

"Oh no." Said Charlie. "Manfred paid you a visit?"

Jenna nodded. "Who's Manfred?" Asked Harry, sitting down on the bed.

Both Jenna and Charlie simultaneously sighed. "He's this boy that's endowed. Hypnotism. Didn't Ron tell you about Bloor's?" Said Charlie. Lairy turned to look at them, and Jenna said, "You know, I can tell she's fighting it. I know she is. But you know how it is, Charlie…" She shuddered.

"What's her name?" Asked Harry, which struck the other young people as funny. "Lairy Took." Said Lairy suddenly, looking quite bewildered. Jenna jumped up, "Lairy! Is it gone now? The hypnotism?" Lairy nodded, yawning. "I think so. It was a lot different than before though." She began to shiver and pulled the blanket from the bed onto herself.

"I have—" She gave a huge yawn. "A new owl… Holy House Elves am I tired…" She yawned again and fell back on the bed. Jenna groaned. "What?" Lairy muttered, sitting up again. "How long have I been out?" She looked at her watch. "Oh…so not that long then." This time her yawn was big enough to stick your fist in her mouth. "Uh, no." Said Jenna, raising an eyebrow.

"How tired are you, exactly?" Said Charlie, making Lairy start.

"Bone! How the hell did you get here?" Lairy shouted, jumping up; all traces of fatigue gone.

Charlie smiled. "My third cousin on my mothers side is a wizard. So I'm staying with him for the summer. Bloor's has been having tons of trouble, and closed for a while…" He trailed off, wincing. "Pain in the ass, huh?" Said Lairy, now twirling her fake wand in one hand. She looked over at Harry and instantly felt very weary. "I wish life had a sound track."

"That was random," Jenna muttered, standing up. "Uh, so ---well, do you guys have to be anywhere?" They shook their heads.

"No, Charlie and I have been wandering around for a while now; Ron and Hermione are in Ron's room, playing Wizards Chess. We're actually supposed to be in Diagon Alley for a few more hours now." Said Harry. Charlie nodded and went over to the door. "I'm sure you guys have stuff to do." Jenna stood up, protesting, and Lairy shook her head. "Go get Ron and Hermione, and meet us outside of the Leaky Cauldron. I'll get rid of Percy and Hagrid," She said, reading Harry's face.

They exchanged glances, and shrugged. "OK," "Great!" They left.

Jenna scoffed and threw her sweatshirt at Lairy. "'I'll get rid of Percy'? How will you manage that?" Lairy grinned. "Lets just say I have a habit for illusion spells."