I made a whoopsie. Turns out I skipped out a chapter by accident. I guess that's what happens when you watch films and write stuff at the same time :D Sorry guys!

Wherein an ogre causes trouble and boys are surprisingly knowledgeable with gossip

"All the ghosts? All of them? Just vanished?"

Breakfast in the Great Hall was slightly more subdued than normal. Only slightly.

The professors were certainly more serious than normal, talking in low whispers at the top table. Everyone else, except for the occasional comment on the recent event, was happily eating, or scribbling down last minute homework.

I helped myself to some more Cheery-Owls as Antony Goldstein spoke, wide eyed in disbelief.

"Apparently," I said, scooping a handful of dry cereal before shoving it in my mouth, "The Grey Lady did. Just screamed."

"Eerie."

"Mweh." I agreed, chewing.

"And it's not Halloween for another month," Terry Boot said, leaning across to steal the marmalade, "Wonder what's happened?"

"Flikledips disappear like that all the time," Luna Lovegood chimed in, "It's perfectly normal."

Antony's lips twisted as he tried not to grin,

"If you say so."

"Urm..Hi Meg."

The husky voice broke into our conversation, and I turned round to see Ron, looking like whatever he was about to say was about to cause him great pain.

"Hi Ron," I said carefully.

"Sorry I copied your test. It was just it was so bloody hard, and Hermione can't sit next to me due to the seating plan and-"

"It's cool," I said, reaching for the orange juice, "I copy you anyway."

"You do?" Ron was diverted by the sentence, "Why?"

"'Cause you copy Hermione when she sits next to you."

"But you're a Ravenclaw."

"It's remarkable how often that is used against me." I observed drily, but before I could get much further in my broodings a new person joined our conversation.

"Weasley," The drawling voice meant there could be only one person standing behind me. I shuffled round to shield myself against whatever Malfoy might be hurling my way in a few minutes once he was finished with Ron, "I just heard your dad stalled an important raid by trying to take a muggle piece of machinery. Is it true you live with muggles in a one room apartment?"

"Shove off Malfoy," Ron muttered.

"Why?" Malfoy's voice was gleeful, "It is true, Weasley?"

"No, it's not." Ron's teeth had come to grit together, so I wasn't entirely sure if that was what he had said,

"Just as well," Malfoy grinned, "You wouldn't all fit in there; your parents are a little too eager; if you see what I mean."

"Don't you have anyone else to annoy?" I said, looking at him in disgust, "Harry Potter's just over there."

"Yeah, shoo." Ron added,

"Hey, just stating the obvious." Malfoy sneered, as two more shadows falling on me announced Crabbe and Goyle's arrival, "I guess some people don't like the truth."

"I'll give you the truth." Someone muttered in a very, very quiet voice. But Malfoy evidently hadn't heard, and with a final smirk to Ron he departed, Crabbe and Goyle lumbering after him.

"Why is punching a git like that in the face," Ron said in a slow, agonised voice, "Against the rules?"

"Hey, if I ruled the world, it would be completely justifiable," I said, getting to my feet and swinging my bag onto my back, "You coming to Defence Against the Dark Arts, Antony?"

"Yeah," The boy said, staggering to his feet with as much toast as he could carry. Ignoring him as he cast a wistful look at the orange juice, I said a hurried goodbye to Terry, leaving the hall.

Walking down the corridors past numerous students chatting, or huddling around new Zonko products which were hurriedly stowed away if a teacher walked past, me and Antony headed towards the staircases.

They were oddly vacant without the usual ghosts swirling overhead or casually making first years freak when they suddenly appeared through the walls. I didn't care about what Terry had said; by the looks of the teacher's faces when they were together, this was definitely not a Halloween joke.

I was left to ponder what had happened then; to cause the Grey Lady to scream in such pure terror. Maybe my wish of exorcism had come true. I shuddered.

"Is that you're boyfriend, Forester?" Pansy screeched as she shouldered past me on the moving staircase. I wonder what I had done to earn such a great deal of dislike from her that she felt obliged to shout something out every time she walked by me, "Isn't he a little too good looking for you?"

"Yes, he probably is," I agreed, "But that additionally means he is way too good looking for you."

Pansy's face coloured at the easy, if weak insult.

"No need to get over-protective!" She finally cried, before we went down the hallway in the direction of the Defence Against the Dark Art's classroom.

Antony was still chuckling at the prospect of being the source of an argument when I shoved open the classroom door, my sprits being shot further down by what I found there.

I had actually begun to like Defence Against the Dark Arts once Professor Lupin had taken up the job. For once, we seemed to have a teacher who could get us to pass our exams. In fact, the lesson was rapidly becoming my favourite subject. But what I saw today was something that could only bode for an appalling hour.

Snape's black eyes were turned on the blackboard, where he was directing his wand, so chalk lines began to wriggle around to form notes for the lesson.

Antony's chuckling abruptly ceased into a strangled choke; we exchanged a look and scurried to find seats before he saw us.

I couldn't have chosen a worse place than to sit next to Harry Potter, but by the time I'd noticed who it was I'd plonked my bag down next to I could hardly get up and move again.

However, he was engaged in muted discussion with Hermione Granger and Ron, who were sitting at the desk in front of us, gesturing at a piece of parchment that looked something like a map. From their expressions, they were arguing.

I turned to study the dragon skeleton that had come crashing down in our second year when a herd of Cornish pixies had been unleashed by a rather incompetent teacher. Peering up at the immense fangs and empty eye sockets, I was interrupted in the study of the long dead beast when a paper ball hit me in the face.

Straightening up, the paper in my hands, I looked to see who it was that was going to get smacked in the face with a heavy piece of parchment by me. But Padma Patil waved at me from across the room and a paper fight disappeared to the back of my mind.

Opening the paper, I found she had written a message on the back of her timetable.

'Does Antony have a girlfriend?'

I choked, looking from the blonde-haired boy beside me, to the girl a few seats away. She blushed and gave a sheepish grin.

I shook my head, dumbfounded, and she giggled.

"What are you talking about?" Antony asked, looking from Padma to me. She blushed again and looked away,

"Boys." I replied casually, beginning to take out books from my bag,

"Me, I suppose?" He joked, leaning back on his chair. I couldn't quite bring myself to answer. I don't think I could have pulled off an untailored dismissal.

It was almost fortunate that at that moment Snape began the lesson.

The mood in the classroom was unsurprisingly subdued as they looked at their teacher as he paced the room. It sunk further when Harry wanted to know where Lupin was, to which Snape replied he was ill, and probably would be for a while, giving Harry a nasty look as he did so which slid on to me. Just what I needed. Snape to think I was great friends with his most hated student.

With a downcast expression, I began to write the title, Ogres and their habitats, with a nice illustration of an ogre to make it more interesting. Antony snorted at it, evidently jealous of my drawing skills. The door to the classroom creaked open, and everyone turned to see the unlucky person who was arriving late. Thankfully, this time it obviously wasn't me.

It turned out to be two people. Pansy and Malfoy walked in, looking like they were in the middle of a heated discussion. It all seemed to be kicking off today.

Not glancing at the teacher, they sat down, Malfoy taking a space a few seats away from her next to Blaise Zabini.

"You're late, Mr Malfoy," Snape's voice glided over the words, as he looked at Pansy until she stammered out a somewhat snivelling appeal for forgiveness.

"Oh," Malfoy's voice was offhand, "Yeah. Sorry."

I found it extremely unfair that Snape seemed to accept the sarcastic apology. Antony sent me a look that showed he found it just as irritating.

Even my wonderful doodle couldn't soften the lesson that was rapidly becoming more and more difficult. For an incredibly stupid creature, ogres were certainly complicated. Snape went over their preferred habitats, dietary partialities and even their relationships with other ogres.

"An ogre can be extremely violent when it feels its relationship to its mate is threatened by another." He said, his voice cold as he we all meekly turned our textbooks over to reveal a drawing of two ogres fighting with another looking on. I found it pretty funny to see an ogre love triangle, and had to stop my shoulders shaking with the sense that Snape was standing right behind me.

"Just like Meg with Antony." Pansy sneered, spinning round to give me a rather ugly leer. The whole class made that 'Ooooo' sound when they realised that was extremely below the belt. They looked at me, expecting a retaliation. I suppose it was like watching a muggle tennis match.

"I may act like one," I shot back, "At least I don't look like one; like some people I could name." The lame insult certainly wasn't the smack in the face I desperately wanted to deliver, but it was certainly better than bursting into tears or gaping like a fish. I didn't want to meet Padma's eyes now either.

"Watch your tongue, Miss Forester," Snape said through clenched teeth, "This is a place of learning, not half-witted insults."

Deciding it was probably best to ignore that particular comment, I gave Pansy my falsest, most cheesiest smile. I hope she saw the underlying threat in my eyes.

Just you wait.

She did not have to wait very long.

Once Snape had finished the lecture and was bringing around the guidelines for a new essay, I lifted my wand, directing it upwards towards the ceiling. Absent-mindedly, playing with my hair with the other hand, I rotated it, spinning it gently. With a suddenness that took even me by surprise, there was a huge rushing sound and a torrent of water came thundering from the ceiling to cascade onto Pansy's head. Her shrieks and squeals set the whole class laughing.

Looking up to admire my handy work, I caught Malfoy's eyes. He gave me a subtly raised eyebrow and I returned it with a sheepish grin.

"Who," Snape was speaking slowly, not showing much care for Pansy's continued exclamations, "Was responsible for that?" Pansy turned in her seat and gave me a look of thunder. I pretended innocence and gave her a terribly wounded expression.

"Why are you looking at me? Snape just told us ogres can't cast spells to save their lives." Some people in the class let out muted sniggers. From the look on Snape's face, he hadn't been one of them.

"Ten points from Ravenclaw." He said slowly, and I paused to try and recall how many points I had lost in the previous few days. It didn't look good. At least I was upping the ante for the next Quidditch match where a win would find us more house points. Right now though, not one Ravenclaw seemed to appreciate that fact.

"Stupid Slytherins," I muttered to Terry later, trudging back to the common room with him before our next class, "Why are they all so smug and hateful?"

"Not what I heard," Antony said, catching up with us, flushed and laden with books.

"Well you heard it wrong," I said before he could get another word in,

"Actually, that's not what I heard either," Terry said, seeming to catch on to something. I glanced between their smirking faces and frowned,

"What?"

The two continued their secretive smiles, and I paused so I could shoulder Terry towards the edge of the moving staircase. He staggered and the two started to laugh,

"What!" I exclaimed, feeling left in the dark,

"I heard that Evan Mulciber likes you," Chortled Antony, leading us from the now stationary stairs and along the short corridor with arching windows that showed glimpses of the distant mountains,

"WHAT!" I wasn't impressed that they continued to laugh. It was either because Mulciber was way below my league, or I was way below his. Most likely the latter, which brought on my next question, "Why?"

"He must think you're funny," Terry said,

"Or pretty," Antony supplied, beginning the trek up the spiral staircase towards the common room,

"We're fairly sure he deluded," Terry concluded with a snicker.

"Ha-ha." I sighed, loosening my bag from my shoulders to drag it up the stairs behind me. I couldn't help but think about Mulciber though. Now that was gossip.

The eagle knocker spied us coming and spread its winds majestically. I snorted and it emitted a harsh croak.

"May we get through, please?" Terry grinned at it, knowing that the eagle knocker and I had a long waged battle between us.

"What's faster?" The eagle chimed immediately, "Hot or cold?"

Terry pretended to think for a moment,

"Hot," He said with a grin, "You can catch a cold."

"Correct." The eagle opened the door, sending me a cautious look in case I whacked it against the wall again. I heaved a great fake smile as we passed.

"You'd think it would get bored, thinking up riddles for every single student." I muttered, hoisting my bag back up again,

"Just read a riddle book, like me," Terry said, sending me a rather devious grin, "Now I'm just humouring it." I laughed, going up to my dormitory to dump some stuff in attempt to make my bag lighter. I figured we wouldn't be needing textbooks for potions today. At least, I hoped not.

My bag much less heavy, I practically ran down the stairs again, running into Padma Patil.

"Hi," I grinned, giving her the 'I know you're secret' smile. It was rarely used on my face.

"Hello," She smiled sheepishly, "Would it be alright if my friends and I ate with you at lunch?"

"Is that for the benefit of my company?" I asked shrewdly, "Or Antony's?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She giggled, and I couldn't help but laugh along.

I deliberated about teasing Antony in a sing-song voice that somebody liked him, but I doubted I would be able to keep it a secret for long, so I just gave him a large smile before me and Terry headed in the direction of the dungeons for Potions Class.

Waiting outside in the dark corridor, next to a suit or armour that was extremely tempting to push over, Padma came over to join us with her friends. The source of this sudden friendship was totally unknown to Terry, but he didn't seem to be complaining.

As I was pretending to listen to the conversation, I noticed the group of Slyterins arriving. Although drawn immediately to Malfoy's somewhat alarming white-blond head, my gaze flickered to Mulciber, who was standing at the end of the group, a bored look on his narrow face. For some reason, I felt my face heat up a little.

It was probably made worse when Terry elbowed me with a meaningful look on his features.

It was definitely made worse when he accidentally pushed me back into the suit of armour and I found out what it was like when it was pushed over.

With a swiftness that surprised even myself, I leapt forwards, leaving Terry looking like the likely candidate for causing the armour's careful arrangement to meet an untimely end. Most people laughed, whilst the Slyterins jeered and catcalled. When Snape came out to see the source of the commotion, nobody waited for him to say they could enter; we all just rushed in.

"Before you all dash in and claim desks," Snape said in a silky voice, "I have two matters to address. Firstly, I have made a seating plan-" Here he was cut off by a ripple of moans that issued around the class. It immediately cut off with strangled croaks as his brows lowered, "Owing to the fact that some of you can't seem to make potions without your friends... or your pets..." He trailed off to raise an eyebrow at me. I edged behind Terry in the most furtive way possible.

"Does this mean he's putting us next to people we don't consider friends?" I whispered to Terry, "How very perceptive of him to know who that is!"

"Shut up, Forester. You don't want to knock another piece of armour over do you?" Malfoy leant forwards to whisper to me. I pulled a face at him and turned to see Snape beginning to tell us where we were now to sit.

Nobody looked very happy. Grumpy Slytherins were soon sat next to terrified looking Hufflepuffs, or Gryffindors who didn't look so brave all of a sudden.

"There can't be enough hate to make this seating plan." I continued to wonder, "I mean, it's only the Slytherins that cause that, right?"

Terry shrugged, not joining me in my stupid theories on how Snape had made this seating plan,

"You going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?" He asked, trying to keep his voice down. Unfortunately his voice was pretty deep, and it seemed to carry regardless. Snape just sent him a dark look over his reading.

"Yeah," I replied, but before I could say much else Terry was placed next to Pansy Parkinson. I shot him a look more suited to someone at a funeral giving a family member their condolences.

A few more miserable people made their way to their new seats.

"Draco Malfoy." Snape said, gesturing faintly to a seat in the middle of the class.

"Man, the next name is the most unlucky person in the entire world," I sniggered to Padma, who gave a weak grin in conformation.

"Megan Forester."

"No!" I howled, before I could clamp a hand over my mouth. A few people sniggered, and Snape actually let a grin twist his mouth. It was more a 'this is what happens when you give me cheek' grin though.

Malfoy was looking extremely disgruntled as I stomped over, slamming my bag on the desk to reinforce my displeasure. I was glad he didn't talk to me.

Behind me, I turned to see Neville sit next to Blaise Zabini, his face so pale I was sure if Zabini even looked in his direction he would pass out. Looking to my left, where the gaps between the next desk provided a small walkway for Snape, I cringed as I saw Mulciber sit down.

Surrounded by Slytherins. Excellent.