The Dangers of Sugar and Spice

A/N: I have returned! Sorry it took me so long to get this posted, I tried to start this chapter so many times…anyway, here it is! Review! Tell your friends! Yay!

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

Chapter One

She had been hurt. There was no doubt in anyone's mind about that. That pain had added another block to her tower and had kept her shut up in her dorm room for days. When she had realized that people could reach her there she moved her tearful headquarters to the Head Girl's dormitory, where she spent more than a week hiding, not eating, and not attending many classes.

She had been looking forward to Christmas break since school had started in September. That was all she could talk about. Raphael, Raphael, Raphael.

Along came Christmas break. Hermione had decided to stay at Hogwarts. She didn't fancy seeing the reunion of Pepper and Raphael. Pepper, on the other hand, had left Hogwarts as soon as she could, only to return three days later.

Her story was told through many tears. When she had gone home she spent time with her family. She hadn't gotten away from them until the next afternoon. Then, she had bolted across the street to Raphael's house. She'd knocked on the door and waited. Raphael had answered the door a minute later…half naked, hair-disheveled and,(this is the part that took Pepper a long time to get out, due to her tears), he had an equally disheveled and scantily clothes college girl hanging all over him. Pepper's eyes had gone wide and Raphael's had too. He had shaken the girl off of him and said, "Oh, shit, Pepper."

Pepper had started backing up, shaking her head, hot tears springing to her eyes.

Raphael had stepped out of his house after Pepper, leaving the girl in the doorway looking rather angry. "Pepper, come back, I can explain," he had pleaded.

"No," Pepper had gasped. She'd stepped out into the middle of the street and almost got flattened by a car. Raphael had to dash out into the street and get her out of harm's way. That's when she had raised her hand to slap him. But she couldn't do it.

"Pepper…" his eyes had been pleading. "It's nothing. She's….she's no one…I just missed you."

"So you needed to fill your bed with someone that was willing to have sex with you!" Pepper had hissed at him. "Some…some whore!"

"Excuse me?" the girl in the doorway said. She had then stepped out onto the street. "Little girl, I don't know who you are, but you don't know a thing, so don't start calling me a whore."

"All I know is that I'm Raphael's GIRLFRIEND!" Pepper had screamed. By this time, tears were making their way down her cheeks.

"Poor baby," the girl had chided.

That was when Pepper attacked her. She had just run at the girl full force and knocked her over and started scratching and punching her. Raphael had had to pull Pepper off and hold her still. "Rose…are you all right?" he had said, and lent his hand to the girl lying on the ground.

"Rose...Rose…! I thought she was no one Raphael. No one!"

He had turned to Pepper in desperation. "Pepper I missed you. I care about you. Don't, don't do this."

"I love you…..I-I loved you, Raphael! I thought that I LOVED YOU! And to think…to think that I almost told you my secret!" Pepper had screamed.

That was when she had frozen them. And started to sob. She had left the two of them like that: half naked on Raphael's front lawn and she ran across the street to her house.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

She had returned to Hogwarts the next day, thoroughly depressed, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. When she'd walked into the Entrance Hall, dinner was letting out. She was standing there, backpack dangling from her hand. The students had been headed up and down staircases to their various common rooms. No one had been paying much attention to Pepper. Only a few people had noticed her standing there, and no one thought anything of her. Pepper was keeping her eyes open for her friends. When she had seen them walk past, Blaise on his own, Hermione and Ron hand in hand, Harry and his girlfriend hand in hand, and Draco with his arm around a girl's waist, Pepper had burst into tears.

Hermione had caught her before she collapsed to the ground. "Pepper, what is it? Why are you back so early?" Hermione had asked, holding Pepper close.

Pepper had just mumbled incoherently, and continued to bawl.

Harry had been kneeling next to Pepper, his hand on her back. Ron, Draco, Harry's girlfriend, and Blaise had all been standing in a half-circle, trying to turn away the attention that was pointed their way.

"Pepper, what's wrong?" Hermione had repeated.

This time, Pepper had been able to get out a semi-audible answer. "He…her…he had a girl….you were right…you were all right…"

"Oh, honey," Hermione'd said, tightening her grip.

Harry had then suggested to his girlfriend that she go back to her common room. She'd gone gladly, not being too fond of Pepper.

"Black, you're attracting a lot of attention here," Blaise had said, ignoring the fact that Pepper was sobbing into her friend's shoulder.

Hermione had shot him a death glare. There was a stretch in which no one said anything and the rest of the students had filed out of the Entrance Hall. "Pepper, do you think we could get you up to my common room? You need to lie down."

By the time they had gotten Pepper upstairs, she was calmed down considerably and she was able to tell her story.

Her week of confinement began. During that week, she and Blaise got a lot closer. The two of them usually hung out in Draco and Hermione's common room while Draco and Hermione themselves were busy and the rest of their friends were busy with boyfriends and girlfriends. Pepper and Blaise both had the password to their best friends' rooms and Draco and Hermione let them come and go as they pleased.

Since Blaise had experience with cheating, he was able to help Pepper a lot. He hadn't been in a relationship with anyone since Alana. It seemed that he was the only one of Pepper's friends that didn't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend.

Draco seemed to flit from girl to girl, as usual, but he did more than sleep with a lot of them. Hermione and Ron were, of course, still together, and still in love. Harry and Ginny had gone their separate ways in November and Harry had gotten a new girlfriend the next month. Candie. Candie Marie Lowell. She was a witch like Pepper. She had natural powers, and she had come to Hogwarts this year because her parents needed to put here somewhere for the school year while they went on vacation. She was sorted into Slytherin.

Pepper did not like her at all, she hadn't from the start. To Pepper, Candie was stuck up, conceited, rude, and mean. She was rude to Pepper especially because Pepper was the daughter of a Charmed One. She acted like she was better than Pepper because she could control the wind.

Ginny had also gotten a new boyfriend. There were literally a handful of boys who had been waiting for her to break it off with Harry.

"PEPPER LILLIAN HALLIWELL-BLACK YOU HAD BETTER GET YOUR FAT ARSE OUT OF THAT ROOM AND DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Ginny shouted up the staircase to Hermione's room. Pepper was still locked up in Hermione's bedroom. "YOU NEED TO GET OUT!"

"NO!" came Pepper's voice. "I DON'T WANT TO!"

"IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S A CLASS PEPPER!" Ginny cried, putting her hands on her hips. "STOP BEING SO STUBBORN! YOU NEED TO GET BACK OUT THERE!"

"I DO NOT!" Pepper shouted. She opened the door and poked her head out. "I'm hurt, Gin, can't you see that?"

"Pepper, it's been over a week. You need to come to this party. I'm going to find you a new boyfriend."

"NO!" And Pepper slammed the door, shutting herself back in.

Blaise came up to stand behind Ginny. "Is she still in there?" he asked, staring at the door with a raised eyebrow.

Ginny nodded.

"This is getting ridiculous," said Blaise. "Hasn't Hermione tried to get her out?"

"Yes, but she finally gave up and went to help Draco get some food."

Draco and Hermione were throwing party in their common room. It had taken Draco a very long time to convince Hermione to let him throw a party, but she had finally given in. Her only condition was that there was no alcohol.

Blaise walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Leave me alone, Ginny!" yelled Pepper.

"It's Blaise, Black. You can't stay in there forever!" Blaise said, sounding bored. He was getting sick of Pepper staying locked in Hermione's room.

"Yes I can! Blaise, you of all people should know how I feel right now!" said Pepper.

"Black, this is getting ridiculous," Blaise sighed. "Get your arse out here now."

"NO!" Pepper repeated once again.

Blaise turned the doorknob and opened the door, rolling his eyes. "Blaise!" Pepper said. "Get out!" She'd been sitting on Hermione's bed, but she got up when Blaise entered.

"Black, I'm getting sick of this. You're coming to this party, and that's final. I agree with Ginny: you need to stop wallowing in self-pity and find someone else," said Blaise.

Pepper crossed her arms. "I'm not going. You can't make me," she said.

"Don't give me attitude, Black," Blaise said, challenging her. "Now come on before I drag you down there."

"I'd like to see you try," said Pepper, raising her eyebrow in skepticism.

They were both too stubborn for their own good. Pepper knew that Blaise was going to win this battle because he could, in fact, drag her downstairs if he wanted to, seeing that he was stronger than her.

He walked deftly over to her in two steps, picked her up effortlessly, and threw her over his shoulder. She protested all the way down to the common room, beating his back with closed fists.

When Blaise put Pepper down, he warned, "Don't you dare try to go back up there."

"But I don't have the right clothes on!" Pepper said. "I look a mess. I can't find a…" she gulped, struggling with her next words, "a new boyfriend if I look a mess."

"She's right, Blaise, I'm sorry," Ginny agreed, eyeing Pepper. "I'll go upstairs and help her dress. Don't worry; I'll come down with her."

Hermione and Draco returned with food a few minutes later. Blaise helped them set up a table, set out refreshments, and push the couches and chairs closer to the fireplace to open up the floor for dancing.

While Hermione went to transfigure a side table into a stereo, Draco pulled a few bottles of assorted alcoholic beverages out of the folds of his robes and put them on the table.

By the time Pepper and Ginny came back down the stairs, Harry, Ron, Candie and Ginny's current boyfriend, Liam were in the common room. Ginny had gone all out with Pepper's look. Her goal for the night was to get Pepper a new boyfriend. Pepper was dressed in a flowing shin-length skirt and a sleeveless top. Ginny had done her makeup so that her eyes stood out. She was certain that this look would get Pepper some attention. Ginny hoped she would at least make an effort to smile when the guests started to arrive.

The eight of them finished setting up for the party, though Pepper was reluctant. No one paid much attention to her whining.

The guests started to arrive as soon as they were ready. The common room filled up quickly and soon the party was in full swing.

Pepper, who was sitting on a couch facing the cold, dark fireplace, couldn't help but tap her foot when music started pouring into the room.

Hermione and Draco had somehow found a way to hook up the transfigured stereo to play Muggle music. Electronics weren't supposed to work at Hogwarts, but somehow, the two of them had gotten the stereo to work.

Hermione had discovered her love of Muggle music over the summer. Her parents hadn't played much music, besides jazz, in the house and they didn't approve of the recent pop music. However, since Pepper had spent so much time with Raphael this summer and Hermione found herself with a lot of free time, she'd raided Pepper's large CD collection. Now, music was one of her greatest passions.

The spot cleared out for the dance floor was deserted, except for a few people that were standing there, talking. For the most part, that was all that was going on: people were talking.

Ginny came over to Pepper and pulled her up by her hand. "Wh­-at?" Pepper whined.

"Come dance with me," Ginny said. "No one's dancing. Let's be the first on the floor."

"Dance with Liam," Pepper said, trying to resist Ginny's pull at her arms.

"No, come on, dance! You need to get out there Pepper, you'll feel more like yourself on the dance floor," urged Ginny, managing to pull Pepper out into the clear space in the middle of the floor.

Ginny was right; once Pepper started to dance, she felt more like herself than she had all summer. Ginny grinned at her and she grinned back. One of Hermione's favorite songs came on and they danced closer to each other, laughing. As soon as Pepper started moving her body the people around her melted away and she forgot all about what had happened two weeks ago.

However, neither Pepper nor Ginny melted away to the people standing around talking. In fact, they rather drew attention to themselves, seeing as they were the only ones who were dancing, and rather provocative dancing at that.

Soon, Liam had to battle his way through the crowd on the floor to his girlfriend so no one else would dance with her.

The music was turned up and most of the party guests milled out onto the dance floor to dance. After a few songs, dancing with no one in particular, Pepper headed over to the refreshment table that was already littered with empty alcohol bottles. She abandoned the idea of alcohol and went to find Hermione. Hermione was on the dance floor, Pepper discovered, dancing with Draco, so Pepper headed off to find Ron.

He was sitting in an armchair up against the wall, sulking, and a bottle in his hand. Pepper sat on the chair's arm. "Hey Ron," she greeted.

"I don't like him," Ron growled. He was staring at Hermione and Draco. "I think he fancies her."

"He has a girlfriend, Ron," Pepper reminded him. She brushed a sweaty piece of hair from her forehead. "Plus, I don't think Hermione's his type."

"Hermione's everyone's type," said Ron angrily.

"Well if you just danced with her then she wouldn't have to dance with the absolutely fabulous dancer, Draco Malfoy," Pepper pointed out.

Ron got out of his chair, went over to Hermione and shoved Draco out of the way to dance with her. Pepper grinned. She was glad that Ginny and Blaise had made her come to the party tonight, she hadn't thought of Raphael much the entire night, and he was what had been on her mind for weeks.

Draco came over and sat in Ron's vacant chair. "Hey second cousin," said Pepper.

"Hey," Draco said, looking up at Pepper. He sounded a little out of breath. "What's with Weasley shoving me out of the way like that?"

Pepper laughed. "He thinks you like Hermione," she said, "so I guess I made him a little jealous by saying what a great dancer you are…?"

Draco shook his head, though he was smiling. He had been doing that a lot lately. Over the summer, when Pepper had been writing to him and Blaise, she had gotten closer to the two of them. Then, when Draco and Hermione had been made the Heads, Pepper, Blaise, Draco and Hermione had gotten closer. Ron and Harry had been less reluctant to become friends with the Slytherins, but the inevitable had finally happened. Plus, Draco seemed much happier now that his parents were dead and he was living with Blaise and his mother.

"So where's that girl you've been hanging with lately?" Pepper wondered, kicking her heel on the chair.

"Oh, I dumped her a few days ago, Pepper, where've you been?" Draco smirked.

"You mean you slept with her then kicked her aside?" Pepper asked, looking at him with a dark raised eyebrow.

"Pepper," Draco scoffed, "don't think so lowly of me. We talked for a little while, snogged, and I slept with her twice."

"Ah," said Pepper. "When are you going to look for someone to have a serious relationship with, Draco?"

"I figure in four or five years," Draco replied. "Why look for a serious relationship when you know you're not going to marry that person?"

"Well, you could marry them," Pepper argued. "Plus, that way, you won't get anyone pregnant." She looked pointedly at him.

"Don't look at me like that," said Draco. "I won't get anyone pregnant, don't you worry your pretty little head. Speaking of which, have you danced with anyone yet?"

"Besides Ginny? Not really," Pepper said. She shrugged, "I don't really want to."

"Pepper," Draco said incredulously, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

"What, I don't want to," said Pepper, her eyes wide. "Oh, no, don't tell me you're on Ginny's side."

"What side would that be?" Draco asked.

"The Pepper-needs-a-new-boyfriend-to-forget-about-Raphael-the-arsehole-who-she-was-so-dumb-to-fall-for side," Pepper replied.

"That's a long side to be on," said Draco. "I don't think that's the way Ginny put it, exactly. However, I do think you need to get over him, and getting laid isn't a bad idea."

"I don't think Ginny meant getting laid," said Pepper, cracking a smile. "Though that doesn't sound like such a bad idea."

"Yes it does, Pepper, I don't want to put you off of your virginity streak," Draco said with a smirk.

Pepper hit him lightly on the back of the head, flinging his blonde hair out of place, which he quickly tried to right.

"Have you seen Alana around anywhere?" Pepper asked, changing the subject. She strained her neck to look over the dancing, talking and drinking crowd.

"Nope," said Draco. "We invited her, but I think she and Blaise are still avoiding each other."

"I don't know if that would stop her from coming, though," said Pepper, crinkling her brow and continuing to spot-search the crowd.

"What about me?" said Blaise, coming over with three red bottles in his hands. He handed a bottle to Pepper and one to Draco.

"We were just talking about Alana," said Draco, uncapping his bottle.

"Oh," Blaise said, his tone harder. He took a swig of his drink.

Pepper sniffed at the contents of the bottle warily. "What is this?" she asked the boys.

Blaise shrugged. "Dunno," he replied. "Just drink it, Black, it's harmless." He had taken to calling her Black at the beginning of the summer, for some reason Pepper wasn't entirely sure of.

"So's Alana," Pepper muttered as she took a drink from the bottle. She shivered involuntarily as the liquid went down her throat. "Hasn't Hermione found out about all the alcohol you brought in here?"

"Apparently not," said Draco. "She would've blown up by now."

"Black, you'd better finish that and go searching for a bloke to dance with, or Ginny will be on your arse," said Blaise. "You know how dead-set she is on finding you another lying bastard to snog."

"Nice Blaise, thanks for that confidence boost," Pepper said, biting the inside of her lower lip and nodding her head slightly. "You're so cynical."

Blaise shrugged and raised his dark left eyebrow nonchalantly. "Blame it on the harmless Alana."

"I'll take this as my cue to find a lying bastard to go dance with," said Pepper, standing. She took her bottle with her and wove her way through the dancing mass of bodies. She figured now was the time to be bold and ask someone to dance before Ginny found her. Leaving the dance floor, she found a group of boys standing in a circle, talking to each other. Being the superficial seventeen-year-old she was, she picked out the best looking one, put on her best smile, and walked over to him.

"Hey," she greeted. "Would you like to dance?"

His friends were wiggling their eyebrows and egging him on. The boy didn't seem too fazed, he just said, "Sure."

Pepper handed one of his friends her half empty drink and lead him out onto the dance floor.

They danced for a song before they started to talk. "I'm Trent Holbrook," the boy said. "You dance well."

"I'm—" Pepper began, but Trent cut her off.

"You're Pepper Halliwell-Black," he said.

"Woah," said Pepper, "that's a little freaky."

"You're famous," Trent said, flashing Pepper a smile. "After what happened with You-Know-Who and everything last year. Plus, you're the daughter of a Charmed One and Sirius Black."

"Ah," said Pepper, and the song changed to a slow one. "So tell me about yourself, then." She wrapped her arms around his neck and his found her waist.

"Well, I'm a sixth year Ravenclaw," said Trent as they turned on the spot.

"You wouldn't happen to be friends with Liam, would you?" Pepper asked. Ginny's new boyfriend Liam was also a sixth year Ravenclaw.

"Yeah, I am," said Trent. "Not really good friends, but we get along well."

"It's a small world."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHP

A/N: Alright, please review so I know if I should continue this or not…