Ginny was flipping through the library books, searching for a hex that she could use for Lupin's assignment. It was not supposed to be harmful, but rather distract the attacker sufficiently. It could, however, be uncomfortable. Or a spell that facilitated escape. But Ginny preferred a more direct approach. They were supposed to master their spell and write an essay about its uses and disadvantages, difficulty, history, and other interesting facts about it.

After the horror that she had endured the year before, Ginny had discovered a great interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Or maybe it was the way that Lupin was teaching it. Everyone agreed that you couldn't help but be interested when he was teaching. You took notes because you wanted to remember what he had said and did the assignments because you wanted to find out more of the subject.

She wanted to find a really good hex for this project. She had already searched Jinxes to Annoy the Annoying and was nearly halfway through Harmless Hexes and Joyful Jinxes.

The jelly-legs jinx. She already knew six people were doing it. And it was boring. Everyone knew about it.

The sneezing hex. Interesting, perhaps useful. She marked the page.

The pumpkin-head jinx. Encases the subject's head in a pumpkin. Ginny giggled.

The bat-bogey hex. Caused the subjects bogeys to become enlarged, shape into bats and attack the subject. She wondered how hard it was. It was mischievous, funny and seemed effective. Who could possibly duel with bat-shaped bogies attacking their face?

She copied down all the information she needed and put the book away. Walking through the castle, looking for an empty classroom, Ginny realized that she couldn't simply practice this on her own. She needed a subject. No problem. What else were the Slytherins good for? She headed downstairs and out to the courtyards, where students were lying about in the cool October sun.

She picked a hidden corner, secluded but not so hidden that she would appear to be up to something if noticed. A group of Slytherins weren't far. She took aim.

"Nasis Chiropteras," she whispered. Nothing happened. She tried again, moving her wand a little differently.

Twenty minutes of this went by before Blaise Zabini seemed unable to shake an odd discomfort in his nose. He sniffed, rubbed at it, and made funny faces, but something was clearly bothering him. Ginny giggled.

Ten minutes after that, Goyle was attacked by uncontrollable sneezing. And soon after that, Miles Bletchley became her first full-fledged victim. Yellow-green bogies enlarged into bat-like shapes at flapped mercilessly at his face and eyes while he yelled in surprise and confusion.

Pleased with herself, Ginny hopped down from her perch and skipped back into the castle, leaving Goyle and whoever chose to help him to battle his bogies. She was pretty sure this essay would be, if not enjoyable, and least far more tolerable than most.

Fred and George were standing in a corner, heads together. Up to something, as usual. Not that she minded their troublemaking. When it embarrassed her in some way, then it became an issue.

"Darling big brothers," she called, too sweetly.

They turned.

"This is for the last month of being a pain. You have a long way to go before we're square."

"Gin, what—"

"Nasis chiopteras!"

She left her confused and very distracted brothers to wrestle the spell until it wore off. This was going to be a good year.