And next chapter!

To Bubba: Sorry I didn't reply on your other review! Thanks for both though!

Enjoy!



Hermione shrieked as the box with diaries and the one she was reading just disappeared. She had gone to the bathroom and come back to find them all gone. She sprinted from her room and into Harry's. The boy glanced at her distraught figure and worried started to glint behind his green eyes. She explained quickly that her diaries were gone and he sighed in relief and promised to help her. They found the diaries in the possession of Fred, reading out loud experts with no meaning towards the others, in the living room. She screeched at him and promised to hex him into oblivion if he didn't give it back. When he refused, she tackled him to the ground, grabbed her diaries and box and stalked from the room. She wasn't even sure she was supposed to find them; much less did she want someone else reading it.

*

Amanda filled her senses with the scent of the rose. She knew whom it was from. She always did. She didn't know how he did it. Or when he got the time to conjure perfectly healthy roses, but she always found one on her bed when she went to bed or any given time into the dormitories. She had found one on her plate once. Often she's found a box of chocolate on the desk of her classes. A slow smile spread across her face.

Going out with Tom Riddle sure as hell had many perks. No Slytherin would dare look at her wrong in the fear that she would complain to Tom about it. She wasn't sure what he did that scared them so badly, but she didn't particularly care. But there were the times she felt like he was keeping something from her. It was as if he didn't trust her with what he knew.

She had to admit, she felt guilty about not talking to Edward anymore. She had seen the hurt looks he would give her from the Gryffindor table. She knew that sending him letters with the owl post wasn't the same as talking face to face. She missed his safe air. She missed his warm smiles and bubbling laughter. He was the exact opposite of Tom.

She loved Tom, she was certain of it, but sometimes she wished he would lighten up. He was the charmingly warm boy only when he needed to be and that didn't seem to be too often at all.

"Have you seen Kelly?" Nina's question interrupted her thought train. She blinked for a moment or two then remembered what Nina had asked.

She frowned. "Seen Kelly? Not recently, why?" She asked confused. When was the last time she had seen Kelly? This morning? She wasn't sure. Kelly hadn't exactly been speaking to her since she started going out with Tom. It was as if the older girl had deemed it a treachery to date Tom.

Nina frowned and shook her head angrily. Her red curls flying everywhere. "We're supposed to do a project together in transfiguration, and she's been missing since last night." She grumbled exiting the room.

Amanda frowned and followed her. Last night had been a Friday; normally the four of them spent Saturday morning doing homework and then the afternoon with whatever it was that we wanted to do. "Are you sure?" She didn't like thinking about Kelly being missing. The girl had probably fallen asleep somewhere and with no alarm to go off accidentally she probably wasn't awake yet. She was sure of it. "Maybe she's just in the library." She said brightly.

"Go visit Tom." Nina snapped. Amanda cringed and stood in the empty common room as Nina left. Nina was never temperamental. Amanda slowly walked out, stopping only to leave the rose on the table next to the portal to the rest of the castle. She walked slowly towards the Great Hall.

Her feet automatically took her towards the Slytherin table. The very same table she had feared sitting at. She took her place next to Tom and sat, gazing at the plate being filled for her. Orion Black wasn't a Tom Riddle follower. He respected Tom, but didn't want anything to do with his ideals. Whatever those ideals were. He always filled her plate for her when she didn't do it herself. Normally it was because she was too busy having a moral difference argument with Abraxes or talking to Tom. She could hear the chatter around her as she moved the food around on her plate. Her stomach churned at the thought of actually eating.

She wondered where Ashley was. Ashley would explain to her why Nina snapped at her. Ashley would tell her not to feel too guilty about it. "Riley!" She looked up into the flashing silver eyes of Abraxes. "Pay attention. Some of us don't actually enjoy repeating ourselves a hundred times." She wondered how he was the only one who openly got away with showing her dislike.

"Abraxes." Tom said calmly before returning to his conversation on the other side of him. He rarely said more than the Malfoy's name in warning.

She glowered at Abraxes and continued to ignore him further. She knew Nina was more annoyed at the fact that she could possibly get a failing grade, but it still worried her. Nina was never agitated, no matter how much she should be. It was as if agitation slipped of her like water across a duck's back. She got up just as suddenly as she had sat down. She suddenly remembered the rose. She dropped a kiss onto Tom's cheek, thanked him for the rose and marched out of the Great Hall.

She was going to find Kelly even if it took all day.

She refused to have her friends angry with her. She found herself in the library easily. Ms Patricia asleep at her desk as she so often was. She claimed little creatures tore into her books at night and refused to leave the library. Many of the students and their parents thought it was time to replace Ms Patricia, but Professor Dippet didn't think so. Amanda searched how and low. She started at the way back, in the restricted section, and searched every crevice and corner to find out where Kelly was.

Kelly was not in the library.

Next she hit the quidditch pitch. Kelly had always believed that it was her given right to practice as much as it was the boys' given right. The only thing she didn't do with Ravenclaw's team was fly on match days. Otherwise she practiced with them every Saturday from eight to ten after which the pitch would be given over to the Slytherin or Gryffindor house, whichever got the pitch first. She hated the track to the quidditch pitch, the only reason she actually wasted time to witness the rather brutal game was because Ashley insisted on watching each game Abraxes played in and deemed it a wrong if they didn't watch Edward's games while he buggered the bludgeons in the direction of the opposite team. Nina was rather insistent that they watch the Hufflepuff team, while not telling them why. They knew it was because of a boy, but which one just didn't seem to come to them.

Eileen Prince stalked pass her as she made her way towards the quidditch pitch. Eileen was the only normal Slytherin Amanda could say existed. "Eileen!" She called out. Well considering the girl being in Slytherin, it was strange, but then, Eileen didn't exactly act normal. "Eileen, have you seen Kelly?"

Eileen frowned for a moment. "No. I don't think she's at the pitch either. I didn't see her and your boys are flying." She murmured thoughtfully. "Have you checked the library?" She asked.

Amanda sighed. "Yeah." She shook her head. "Thanks Eileen." The latter nodded before stalking off again. Eileen didn't walk. She stalked in an impressive billowing of robes. It was half scary watching her as she moved. Not even the teachers could copy that patented little move. As Eileen disappeared, she walked to the quidditch pitch anyway. Kelly had to be there if she wasn't in the library.

And again she was proven wrong. As Eileen had said, Kelly wasn't anymore near the stupid quidditch pitch. She didn't make just any sort of scan of the quidditch pitch, she searched the bleachers. She wasn't in the locker rooms and she wasn't hiding in the closet where they kept the quidditch apparel. Not that Amanda would've understood if she was hiding in the closet.

She was making her way back to the castle when she spotted a familiar body. "Hagrid!" She yelled, drawing the large boy's attention

*

Hagrid? Oh, of course, Hagrid would've been at school at that time. But…wasn't he kicked out? Hermione frowned for a second. No he did come back. She sighed as she remembered the nagging in the back of her mind. Tom Riddle's name was connected to Hagrid somehow. Why she couldn't remember she wasn't sure, but it was driving her insane. She knew it was something she should be remembering, but couldn't for the life of her remember what it was.

*

Hagrid smiled at her. "What are you doing here?" She asked. She felt a guilty at the look crossing his features. "I mean we haven't seen you in so long." She said in explanation.

He waved his big hand and shook his head. "Professor Alesander asked me ta help 'im with somethin'." He explained slowly.

She smiled. "Are you staying?" She asked. She hoped so. Hagrid was always a nice kid. She figured that was probably the reason that she didn't believe Hagrid killed Myrtle. Or anything he owned. But she was also certain that Tom had merely made a mistake. After all, Hagrid's love for all types of creatures was bound to get him into trouble at some point. She just wished the circumstances of his expulsion weren't what it was.

Hagrid shrugged. "Dunno. Professor Dippet won't say." He mumbled.

She grinned brightly. "Don't worry too much about it Hagrid." She punched him lightly on his arm. "I'm sure he'll agree, after all who better to look after the creatures in there." She said nodding towards the forest. He laughed. "Oh, has Kelly passed by here?" She asked remembering what she was actually doing.

Hagrid was silent for a couple of minutes and then shook his head. "No. Sorry." He said. "I've gotta go now." He said waving towards where Professor Alesander stood.

"Sure." She muttered and watched him go. A moment later she made her way towards the castle. She searched everywhere. She searched high and low. She searched the places where she knew Kelly spent her time and she searched most of the places she knew Kelly wouldn't set her foot at, but the girl was nowhere in sight.

She was walking back towards the common room, deep in thought when she walked into the open transfigurations class. She grumbled a dark reply and heard a soft chuckle. "Sorry about that, my dear." Professor Dumbledore said cheerily.

She didn't understand how he could be so cheerful. Or how he did it. It was wildly known that he had one hell of a confrontation over the summer with Grindelwald. "Hallo, Professor." She greeted, dropping her hand from the mark on her head. It didn't really hurt that much either. A bright thought occurred to her. "Professor, have you seen Kelly?" Professor Dumbledore knew everything. He always did.

He was silent for a couple of minutes, considering her words and then shook his head slowly. "No, I'm sorry to say I haven't, Ms. Riley." She sighed and nodded slowly. "But Ms. Carter's been looking for you." He said as he left her.

"Thank you Professor." She said before heading to her common room again. Nina was pacing a tear into the carpet, grumbling dark comments towards the girl not in attendance. "I searched the whole castle." Amanda murmured. "I couldn't find her."

Nina stopped and glowered at her. "You actually left Tom's side to do something for a friend?" She asked snappishly.

Ashley looked up with a scowl. "Knock it off, Nina. It's not Amanda's fault you got paired with Kelly. And also not the latter's fault that the girl isn't around." She said angrily.

Nina glared at them both before storming upstairs. Amanda sighed. "If it really bothered her that much, she should've just said something." She grumbled sitting down next to Ashley.

The blonde scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Tom's your boyfriend, if you want to spend the day with him…and not looking for spoilt brats, then so be it. She can't be angry that you want to spend a stress free day with him rather than worrying about a grade that isn't yours." She said, sending a cold look towards the stairs leading to the common room.

Amanda frowned, wandering what had happened to her friends. Why were they constantly arguing now? They've been friends since first year and suddenly they were arguing about something as silly as boys. It was silly and ridiculous and it made her feel guilty. It wasn't like she's ever been angry with them for having a relationship. She sighed and shook her head.

Kelly would probably show up before nightfall with some plausibly witty remark about where she had been. And she would be completely sassy about it too.

*

Hermione frowned, wondering what Nina's problem was. Really. There was no need to be mean to someone else because of something they didn't do. It was ridiculous in fact. She shook her head. She was sure Amanda and the other girls would soon see eye to eye again.