The next morning, Kayla had woken early, shaken by a nightmare that had again, felt too real to dismiss. She dressed quickly and headed down to the Great Hall for Breakfast. She was one of few early risers. She looked around for Catherine but knew better than to find her best friend up early and eating breakfast in the Great Hall before sunrise. Especially after the events of the previous day.

She dipped a piece of slightly burnt toast into the yolk of her sunny-side up eggs and bit into it, the creaminess of it seemed to erase the chill that had taken over her brain since she had woken from the nightmare. The scar near her collarbone burned fiercely and she tried to recall exactly what had happened during the nightmare. Normally, she was able to recall the events of her dreams and recount vivid details. But now, her mind was empty, as if the very dream itself had fallen out of her ears. She rubbed the scar beneath her collarbone and winced.

Across the Great Hall, she spotted Maggie, whom she'd met on the Hogwarts Express.

Her white blond hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she was dressed in Gryffindor Quidditch robes. She smiled at Kayla from across the room and gestured, asking if she could sit with Kayla.

Moments later, Maggie sat herself across from her, a gleeful smile on her face.

"Fancy meeting you again," she said loudly before biting into a piece of sausage.

Kayla didn't know what to say. She could feel her face growing hot.

"Heard you tried out for Quidditch. I assume by the robes you got a position on the team?"

Maggie nodded, her mouth full. "Guess which position?"

Kayla blushed, remembering how Maggie's body had collided with hers on the train. She had the wind knocked out of her but had been too shocked and embarrassed to admit it.

Kayla shrugged.

"Beater!" Maggie exclaimed. "Guess I'm pretty good at colliding with people, eh?" She winked.

Another thought crossed Kayla's mind and it cause her to nearly choke on the egg she was in the middle of chewing. The thought of Maggie's body against hers was too much.

"You okay? You look a bit peaky." Maggie handed Kayla a napkin but she waved it away.

"I'm fine. Just had a sleepless night, that's all. -So you found out that you made the team that quickly?"

Maggie gulped down a goblet full of juice, wiped her mouth on her sleeve and nodded. She turned and showed Kayla the back of her Quidditch robes with the number 04 and the name Skarsgård.

"Yep, got practice today. You're more than welcome to come and watch. Could use a bit of cheering to help me get through. -I mean if you wanted."

Kayla thought of Catherine. She hadn't seen her friend since Catherine had stormed down to the dungeons, muttering incoherently and completely inconsolable. She'd heard Neville's story of what had happened in the Herbology shop, but she needed to hear the story from Catherine. Over the years, she'd seen Catherine develop crushes. Oftentimes, Catherine would spend long hours up on the Astronomy Tower writing or sketching. Kayla knew this was her friend's way of working out her feelings. But it always left Kayla in the dark and wishing that she were practiced in the art of Legilimens.

If only my dreams predicted Catherine's actions, I would be more than happy to embrace being a Seer.

"You don't have to though…" Maggie's words shook Kayla from her thoughts. Kayla sipped the last of her tea and stood after wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Sorry, I've had a row with one of my friends and I need to find her. But perhaps another time?"

She could tell that Maggie was disappointed. She imagined her on a broomstick, knocking Bludgers and flying high and mighty in the sky. It was something she would have loved to watch.

"How about next Saturday you meet me next to the Quidditch pitch after practice?"

Kayla felt a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.

"Ss…Sure!" She replied.

Maggie smiled, "It's a date then."

Kayla stood outside the Great Hall for a moment and closed her eyes. By this time, Catherine had to be somewhere hiding the in the castle or it's grounds. Kayla imagined her friend, curled up in a corner somewhere sketching or writing, probably still muttering "Sea Lavender," to herself.

She thought of the Astronomy Tower, but that didn't seem right. There was no way Catherine was going to stay cooped up in the Slytherin common room with students drifting in and out. She would be somewhere that would be mostly uninhabited. She would be somewhere she could think and continue muttering to herself without criticizing looks from her peers.

Kayla opened her eyes and raced out of the Great Hall.

When she made it to the grounds, she saw the Hogwarts greenhouses in the distance. The greenhouses had long, serpentine dragons running along their peaked roofs. Normally, the greenhouses were locked during the weekend. But Kayla quickly found one of them to be unlocked and she slipped inside.

"Catherine?" She called, looking over the rows of tables, topped with various plants. There was no reply, but she felt confident that Catherine was hiding somewhere among the dense shrubbery. There was a tray full of small shovels and stacks of terracotta pots. The sun shone brightly through the windows, creating a lovely glow throughout the greenhouse.

Kayla glanced out of the windows just in time to see Maggie walking toward the Quidditch pitch. Her heart leaped into her throat as she watched Maggie, tall and strong, clutching her broomstick. She walked with confidence, a smile plastered on her face. A few other Gryffindor Quidditch players joined her. They clapped her on the back and nudged her playfully. Maggie looked back though, in the direction of the Great Hall, then the greenhouses and Kayla instinctively ducked as to not be seen.

Was she looking for her? Maybe she was hoping Kayla had changed her mind after all.

She peered up from the table to look out of the window again, but the Gryffindor players had vanished, including Maggie.

Suddenly, Kayla heard a faint scratching sound near the back of the greenhouse. She stood and walked slowly, following the scratching sound.

A heavy sigh of relief fell from her as she saw Catherine, sitting on the floor of the greenhouse, a notebook in her hand, sketching with a quill.

"I didn't sleep," she mumbled, without looking up.

Her fingers were stained with violet colored ink. Bits of crumbled up parchment lay beside her.

Kayla kneeled and placed a hand on Catherine's shoulder. Catherine jumped, as if coming out of her trance for the first time since the previous night.

"I um, spoke with Neville." Kayla said softly.

Catherine stood, dropping her quill and notebook to the ground.

"You did what?!"

Kayla backed away, "Actually, I may have roughed him up a bit…"

There was a pause and for a moment, Kayla wasn't sure if Catherine was about to hit her or hug her. Then, without warning, Catherine burst out laughing.

"You did what?!"

Kayla put her hands on her hips, "I may have jinxed him."

An array of emotions crossed Catherine's face. Surprise. Anger. Frustration. Confusion.

"You jinxed him?"

Kayla nodded and looked away from Catherine for a moment.

Why had she done that again? It had been as if something else had taken over her that night. A burning rage had filled her and she had felt unable to control her actions.

"I knocked him against the wall. He had a whole box of sweets he'd been saving up for. They were scattered all over the place. It was completely mental now that I stop and think about it. He probably thinks I'm a complete nutter."

Catherine laughed collected her notebook and scraps of parchment.

"I think I hurt him. I didn't mean to."

"-Is he alright?" Catherine asked a bit too quickly.

Kayla tried to keep herself from smiling. "Yeah, he's fine. Just a bit bruised is all."

Catherine had dark circles beneath her eyes. Kayla imagined Catherine tossing and turning in her bed all night, unable to sleep.

"I asked him about what happened in the Herbology shop."

Catherine turned sharply, "What did he say?"

Catherine looked exhausted and ashen as she clutched her notebook, quill, inkwell, and several scraps of crumbled up parchment.

"How about we go to the Great Hall for some food and I'll tell you everything he told me. Then, you need to tell me your side of the story. Because I'll be damned if the stories don't match up."

Catherine smiled weakly and then nodded. "I am pretty hungry…"

Kayla wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Good."

They made their way out of the greenhouses and back toward the Great Hall when Kayla looked back at the direction of the Quidditch pitch.

"Go ahead," Kayla said, "I've forgotten something. I'll meet you to eat in fifteen minutes."

Catherine nodded sleepily, her eyes half open. Kayla watched as Catherine drowsily ambled her way down the corridor before she turned and ran down the hill toward the Quidditch pitch.

There were lots of other important things she could have been doing. She could have been in the Great Hall at that very moment, making sure Catherine got her eggs and toast into her mouth instead of her lap. Or at the very least, making sure her friend didn't fall asleep in her porridge. She could have been in the library, getting caught up on her homework for the week. She had two rolls of parchment due on Monday on the various uses for non-verbal spells. She also had tons of reading to do for Transfiguration and Potions. Instead, she was hiding in the players' quarters of the Quidditch pitch. She peered out onto the field just in time to see the Gryffindor players putting on their equipment. Harry Potter stood at the front of the team alongside Ginny Weasley. He was telling them all something. Probably about the results of tryouts and who was now on the team.

She spotted Maggie right away and everyone clapped as Harry announced her as the new Beater on the team.

Kayla could have easily made her way up into the stands to watch, but something inside her felt ashamed. She wasn't sure why she felt that way, but the feeling was heavy and it kept her in hiding. But then, Maggie was suddenly running toward her.

"Forgot my bat!" She yelled back at the team. The Gryffindor team laughed and someone shouted, "You're a bloody beater, how do you forget your club, mate?"

There was nowhere to hide now.

When Maggie spotted Kayla standing in the shadows she smiled and let out a playful laugh. "Couldn't stay away, eh?"

Kayla leaned down and picked up a large club that was leaning against the wall."
"Forgot this?" Kayla breathed, as she handed Maggie the club.

Maggie grasped it, never taking her eyes off Kayla. They stood there for a moment, both holding the club.

Without warning, she leaned down and kissed Kayla firmly on the cheek. Kayla stood stationary for a moment as Maggie walked back onto the pitch.

"Hey, am I not supposed to wish you luck?"

Maggie turned and winked, "You already did," she said.

Catherine wasn't entirely asleep in her porridge when Kayla arrived and sat beside her. But her eyes were closed as she munched on the end of a piece of toast.

"Where were you?" Catherine asked after Kayla shoved her, startling her awake.

Kayla told Catherine about her quick trip down the Quidditch pitch and the kiss so fast that Catherine had barely enough time to digest the information.

"—So I'll tell you what Neville told me."

"Hold on," Catherine held up a hand. "Maggie kissed you?"

Kayla cleared her throat and grabbed at a goblet of juice. Her mouth had become suddenly dry.

"Yes, but that's not important right now!"

Catherine retreated, sleep blanketed her brain and prevented her from being pushy for details.

Kayla told Catherine the details of the previous night. She recounted Neville's story and made sure to include every little detail.

When she finished, Catherine's face turned from a light pink to a harsh crimson.

"Is there anything that he said that wasn't true? I swear if there is, I'll get him right now…"

"No…" Catherine sighed.

Kayla didn't know what to say. So, the events were true? Then why had Catherine been so angry that Neville had guessed her favorite flower correctly?

Catherine stood up from the table and walked languidly out of the Great Hall.

Kayla followed Catherine down the corridor toward the dungeons.

"So, what he said was true?" Kayla challenged. Prying details from Catherine when she was sleepy was no easy task.

Catherine nodded her head.

"Then why the hell were you so bloody angry last night?!" Kayla shouted, her voice echoing down the corridor. Catherine stopped, sighed and turned toward her friend.

"He knows something about me…" She said, her eyes were brimming with tears.

"And that's okay," Kayla assured her. "It's okay."

After several moments, Catherine pulled away and headed back down the corridor toward the Slytherin common room.

"What does that mean for you though?" Kayla prodded.

Catherine heaved a heavy sigh before saying hoarsely, "It means I like him too…"