Okay, if you are still following my story, and you are reading this, thank you so much for your patience. I'll let you get to the story, so… Read, Review, and Enjoy. :)

As Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny stroll back into the Great Hall, Ginny can't help but feel someone is watching her. She pauses and looks around, wondering if a friend is trying to get her attention. When she sees no one, she shrugs and trots to catch up with her friends.

"I can't believe it, I just can't believe it!" Ron exclaims.

"Oh leave off it Ron." Hermione snaps as she gently socks the ginger.

"Hermione, I swear, you've done that so many times, I bet I'm bruised. If I am, you can be that I wi-" Ron begins, only to be cut off.

"Or you'll do what? Will you run to your mommy or will you curl into a fetal position and cry?" The bushy haired girl taunts.

"Oi, I never said I'd run crying to my mum!" Ron splutters, his face flushed with fury.

Ginny pushes herself between Ron and Hermione and says "Ron, calm down, just because Fred and Geo-"

"FRED AND GEORGE ARE THE REASON WE'RE IN TH-" Ron bellows before being cut off because Harry has put his hand over his mouth. Harry pushes Ron down to sit on the bench at the table.

Once seated, Ginny glares at Ron."Stop interrupting people!" She snaps before continuing "As I was saying, just because Fred and George sent us that … package with all those… those…" Ginny trails off, not knowing what to call the items inside the package without giving away what they are.

Hermione steps in continues where Ginny had trailed off "I think what Ginny is trying to say is that just because the twins sent us those little souvenirs from their business, and just because things didn't go as they had planned, that doesn't mean you have to be so irritated with them."

Harry looks up, and his emerald eyes flash, sending a slight shiver down Ginny's spine. She'd rarely seen him greatly upset, but this time, he is quite furious, and his trying to hide his anger makes her all the more nervous. He shifts his gaze towards Hermione and quietly says "Ron's right, their pranks are typically funny, but this, this is not right."

Ron, who has been quiet for a while, looks up, quite pale. "Oh no…" he moans "We're… no… I, I'm doomed. Mum's going to have a cow when she hears about this, and I don't think she'll believe me when I try to tell her that it was the twins."

"… You're right, Mum is going to murder us." Ginny says.

Hermione pats Ginny's back "I'll be sure to help you. Between the four of us, I'm sure we have enough brains to find a way to get back at the twins and prove to everyone it was them instead of us."

Harry smiles, albeit slightly grimly. "You're right Hermione, we can, we will, or we're going to be eaten by one of Hagrid's beasts." He good naturedly punches Ron in the arm, not realizing it is the one that Hermione had been punching repeatedly before. Ron half manages to dodge, but slams into Hermione, who in turn slams into Ginny, who is then pushed off the bench.

She lands, but not on anything hard. Surprised, she looks down to see that she hasn't exactly landed on the ground. Someone has cast a spell that stopped the hard collision between her backside and the ground. She gets back up and sits down "Wow, thanks Harry, that was quick thinking." She chirps. Upon being given an odd look, she turns to Hermione "Thank you."

"I didn't cast any spell, and I know for a fact you brother didn't." Hermione replies.

"… Then who did?" Ginny says. The magical layer that was between her and the floor had disappeared, and Ginny looks around, wondering where it went, and who cast it.

Before she could really look around, the several owls arrive, seeming to signal the start of the flood of owls that should come. However, seconds, then minutes pass, and no more owls arrive.

Ginny, was distracted by the owls and had momentarily forgotten her fall. She'd started to eat, and half into her meal, she stops to see if Harry receives any mail from Hagrid. However, something is wrong, and Hedwig, who typically stops in, doesn't. It seems as if she isn't alone, for many other people still look around wondering why their owls haven't come.

Small pieces of conversations float around Ginny and her friends, and most seem to sound about the same.

"Where's my owl?"

"That stupid owl must have gone off course!"

"But today's a beautiful day, there hasn't been bad weather in a while! Where's my-"

"He never veers off course, even in bad weather. Is something wrong?"

"A package was due to come today, and I need it desperately!"

"Oh, I do hope she comes soon, I really need to send a letter to my cousin!" Conversations continue, all seeming to focus around the missing owls. Even by the end of the meal, the talk is still buzzing about the lack of mail.

Harry looks at Hermione, Ron, and Ginny before saying "The meal's almost over. I don't know where Hedwig is, but I plan on finding her." With that, he stands up and pushes through a crowd, trying to get out of the Great Hall.

"Blimey, I don't think that Hedwig has ever not shown up with mail." Ron mutters. "You know, I think I'll go help Harry look around."

Hermione looks up to talk to Ron. However, he has already rushed away. Turing to Ginny, Hermione sighs and says "There's no use going right now, if you look, most of the people who haven't gotten their owls are trying to leave. The crowd trying to get out of those doors is immense, and the boys probably won't be able to get out until the meal is over."

Ginny nods "Your right…"

"Ginny, ever since you were pushed off the bench, you haven't said a single thing. Why in the world are you sulking?" Hermione inquires.

Her dignity stung, Ginny looks up with a scowl "I'm not sulking, I'm thinking. You honestly don't think that I'm such a brat that I'd be mad because I was accidently pushed off the bench, do you?"

"If not that, what's wrong?"

"… I dunno Hermione, I don't know at all. I've got this feeling that something is up and I don't know what it could be. You, Ron, nor Harry cast that spell that cushioned me, and I know I didn't. If not any one of you, then who? Also, Why the heck are the owls missing? As if that's not enough, I keep feeling like I'm being watched."

Hermione looks concerned "Well, you could just be paranoid, it's probably just another secret admirer, or maybe you imagined it. As for the owls, I feel a bit worried about that as well. Maybe, the-"

Before Hermione can continue, all the candles that float in the air splutter. A bone chilling wind blows through the air and makes the candles go out, leaving the Hall in total darkness.