A/N: Extremely important chapter here, JJ's finally set about doing things she should have a while ago.

xxxxx

"JJ, what are you DOING?"

"Sorry, I'm SORRY!" she yelled back at Charlie as she swooped down to catch the Quaffle. It was the third time in about ten minutes that she'd let what should have been an easy save through one of the fifty foot goal hoops. As arguably the best Keeper in the school, this was highly unusual for her.

"JJ, get on the ground, now!" Charlie yelled at her. She dived to the ground and got off her broom, waiting for him to land beside her. As soon as he was off his own broom, Charlie was in full-on angry Quidditch Captain mode.

"What the bloody Hell is wrong with you? Those were easy saves, JJ, you can catch passes like that in your sleep! What the hell is going on with you lately? You're playing like crap!"

JJ just stared at the ground and waited as he continued: "The first match of the season is in a little over a month, we've got four new players this year, FOUR! I need to be able to rely on you, and I just can't! I mean, last week, you smashing up your hand and all, and now not even being able to catch a bloody Quaffle! I can't put you out against Slytherin like this! What's happened to you? You're just not, I don't know, you anymore!"

Sighing, JJ realised that his last statement had been absolutely correct. For six years she had been JJ, class clown. The silly one, the funny one. The one everyone could get along with. She had always been clever, but her laid-back attitude and general cheerful dispostion was not that of a studious and calculating Ravenclaw. She had been one of the most popular people in her year, purely for the fact that she tried her very hardest to be nice to everyone, even the Slytherins. Really, the only person who she really, really disliked was Isaac, and that wasn't anything to do with his house.

Now though, she was so different. Serious, closed off and altogether quite anti-social. And stressed. Most people would put that change down to her being Head Girl, and very few knew better. Only herself, Snape, and possibly Katie. But that wasn't right. There was someone else who should know, someone else she should have told by now. Severus had been right, she was dangerous. She could hurt herself and everyone around her so easily that it scared her. No, she couldn't keep on like this.

As she reached her decision to start fixing the mess she had made for herself, she realised that Charlie was still glaring at her, waiting for an answer. As she met his eyes, they softened. "JJ, are you alright?" he asked.

"No. But I will be. Don't worry Charlie, I promise," she told him. "But for now, there's something I have to go do."

"Fine," he told her. "As long as you're there to beat Slytherin, I don't care what you've to do."

She smiled at him, a proper smile, and turned toward the castle.

Half an hour later, JJ sat in front of the fire in her room when there came a knock on the door. "Come in," she called, looking up from the flames as Owen walked in.

"Hey J," he greeted her. "You said you needed to talk?"

She nodded, and averted her gaze back to the flames as he sat down. She couldn't look at him, not now. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak:

"Owen, over the summer I told you about being called to Hogwarts by Professor Dumbledore. I told you why as well, that he didn't think I was safe on my own and that he assigned me a protector. You know that. What you don't know is that something happened with him. I made a mistake, and I slept with him. I couldn't tell you before, partly out of guilt, partly because I wanted to forget it had happened, because he hates me now. But that's not right, you deserve to know. Because, Owen, you're a good guy, and I don't deserve you. I've hurt you. I'm too dark and twisty and messed up. And I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I should have told you before. Actually, I shouldn't have done it in the first place. I was a stupid Gryffindor idiot, and I didn't think about what I was doing. You're much better off without me, anyway. You deserve someone who loves you, that won't hurt you, and that can't be me."

JJ looked up at him. He was staring at her in shock, his blue-green eyes full of emotion. Hurt, betrayal, disbelief. He had trusted her, and she had broken that. Betrayed him. Hurt him. She looked away before she started crying.

It was a few minutes before he spoke. "Who?" he asked.

Sighing, she told him. "Professor Snape."

"Snape? You cheated on me, with Snape?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why? I mean, was it because of him, or because of me?"

That caught her off guard. Damned Ravenclaw logic. "Him," JJ told him. "I never wanted to do anything to hurt you, it definately wasn't because of you."

"Him. Do you love him?"

"Owen I -"

"Just answer me JJ," Owen interrupted. "Because if you do, that makes this easier to deal with."

Oh Owen, she thought. Don't do this to me. He wasn't angry. He had every right to be angry, but he wasn't. His voice held only hurt.

"Yeah, I think I do."

Owen stood up. "Well then," he said quietly. "I guess that's all there is to say."

"Owen, I mean it, I'm sorry." JJ's voice cracked.

He just shook his head, and went to leave. As he reached for the door handle, he turned back and said one last thing to her, leaving her with no doubt as to where they stood now.

"Have a nice life, JJ."