Everyone was crowded in front of the billboard in the common room. On it, were the new quidditch schedules, and the date for the next Hogsmeade weekend. And I was right in the thick of it. Students pushed each other around, craning their necks arounds others. Fred stumbled in behind me and nearly knocked me over. He grasped my shoulders to steady us. "Sorry, Jo!"

"No problem." Easing away from the flock I popped out and found Ginny and Eileen waiting for me in the armchairs.

"Did you get it?" Ginny asked.

"Quidditch practice is on thursday night, and this weekend is our trip to Hogsmeade." I reported.

"Really?" Ginny gasped.

"Yeah." I said, now I was suspicious. "Why so exited?"

"No reason." But Ginny was obviously hiding something. Her cheeks flushed and she was clamping her mouth with her hands, hiding a smile, the corners of which were turned up. I looked at her, faking sternness.

"Ok! Ill tell you. But not here." She cracked.

I grabbed Ginny and Eileen's wrist and led them upstairs to our dormitory. We all plopped down on my bed as Ginny started to talk. "Ok." She started. "Once I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone! Or I will curse you! And if you want to join, were going to meet at the Hogs head in Hogsmeade."

"Just tell us what it is!" Eileen said calmly.

"Well, Harry, Ron and Hermione are creating a club, where we can practice defence against the dark arts, without Umbridge knowing about it. We haven't found a room yet, but its going to be great!"

Of all the things I was expecting Ginny to say, it wasn't that.

"Really?" I asked.

Ginny nodded.

"Of course I want to join! This is exactly what we need!" I said.

Ginny beamed. "What about you Eileen?"

Slowly but surely Eileen began to nod.

"Oh, and Ginny?" Suddenly I remembered something, I would rather of remembered later.

"What?"

"Im going to resign from my beater position."

"WHAT?"

I cringed under her glare.

"Are you serious? Jo, we need you!"

"No," I said. "You need someone with more experience. Honestly. Anyone would do better than me. Eileen could play this position. "

"Aw, hell nah." Eileen interrupted.

"C'mon Jo! Please!"

I buckled under her innocent puppy face. I'm too soft.

"O.k, fine!" I exasperated. "But if I make a fool of myself. Its your fault."

"I can live with that." She said, rather satisfied. "Lets go. Were going to be late." Together we jumped off my bed and hopped down the stairs into the common room. On the grand leather armchair (that everyone loves, but cant sit in because Fred and George are always occupying.) sat Marisa, and she was refusing to move. Fred was trying to convince her to get out.

"Please! Alright, what do you want?"

"I want an apology!"

"What did I do?"

"Thats just the thing! You don't know! While I have been worried sick, and angry at you, the entire year!" She practically screamed at him.

Fred frowned and looked worriedly at her. "Marisa, you have to let this go!"

Nearing tears she ran out of the common room and streamed through the hole in the wall, into the stairwell outside. Quite a few spectators had seen that little scene and were looking peculiarly at Fred.

"Well, I bet she's a real party pooper." A bold, bossy sort of voice sounded in the common room. Everyone looked round for the source of the voice. Crossing his arms, and knowing full well who was speaking, he said. "Tell me about it!"

Hurriedly I walked swiftly to the mantel and took Claude down from his high thrown.

I shoved him inside my robes and hurried out of the common room. I tried pass it off like I was going to go comfort Marisa. Even though Eileen had scurried off as soon as Marisa wasn't in her sights.

Ginny followed me into an empty room, she lit the candelabras and shut the door firmly behind us.

"Claude!" I screeched. I took him out of the bag and slammed him on the nearest desk. "What do you think your doing!"

"I was just trying to have a little fun." He said stubbornly. I crossed my arms.

"Someone could have noticed you!"

"You didn't seem to care if anyone saw me when you put me on that hard mantelpiece AND LEFT ME THERE!" Ohhhh...

I sighed. He did have a point.

"Im sorry Claude."

"Sorry's not going to cut it, Josephine!"

"What do you want?" Ginny asked. She had sat down at the desk Claude rested on and was leaning over him reproachfully. I pushed her back down.

"I want to go out."

"What? There is no way-"

"Not that kind of 'out' you sick, sick girl. I want you to take me out around the castle at night. Padfoot and Prongs did it all the time. Hide from teachers, peeve off peeves! I love that. Too bad we don't have an invisibility cloak. There very useful."

I considered this. "What might be our mission?"

"Lets steal something!" Claude grinned widely, but it was an evil kind of grin, the one you avoided when you saw it on strangers.

"No!" I said. "Im not stealing anything."

"Aw, C'mon."

"No!"

"Why are you so uptight?"

"Im not uptight!"

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are!"

"No! I'm-"

"GUYS!" Ginny yelled. "Honestly, your both acting like two-year olds."

"He/she started it!" We both said in unison, I pointed angrily at Claude. And if he had arms, I bet he would of done the same as well.

"I dont care who started it! Ill finish it!" Ginny argued.

I am not going to fight with a book. "O.k." I said, I turned to Claude. "I will take you with us to the Hogsmeade trip. Hows that?"

Claude contemplated this. "Sure." I visibly sighed with relief. Aren't I, supposed to be the dramatic teenager, not this forty year old book.

...

The next day, after quidditch practice:

Ginny and I hauled our tired, sore bodies into the great hall and sat down sulkily on the hard, flat benches. Eileen bounced in after us, happy as a pig in mud.

"I'm so tired!" I complained. "Does it always feel like this? After one practice?"

"You kind of get used to it." She said. Ginny leaned forward on the table and unwrapped a chocolate frog she had hidden in her pocket. Eileen sat herself in the seat across from myself.

"Ugh!" I groaned. "I don't think I could handle another practice! Much less a game!" I rubbed my arms with care. It takes a lot to make those stupid bludgers change direction. On the bright side, my upper arms were feeling much more tense.

"There actually slightly less gruelling." Ginny said.

"Im finding that hard to believe."

"Well, ever since Wood left, Harrys had a lot to work with, and he has been trying." Ginny took a bite off her chocolate frog. "And now that Harry's off the team. And I'm captain..." Ginny shrugged. "I just want to work hard at it." I nodded along, although it irritated my shoulders.

"Your doing great Ginny." I reassured her.

She smiled in response. Then Eileen looked above my head and her smile immediately turned into an 'inside joke' smirk. That kind of smirk you see on your best friend when you crush walks by. That kind you just want to slap of their face.

"Looks like you need a neck massage Clearwater." Someone said behind me. Without really bothering to see who it was I nodded along. "That would be lovely."

A pair of strong hands grasped my shoulders, by my neck, their thumbs dug into my sore spot. He continued for a few more moments then stopped.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Thank you, thats great."

"No problem." Then he walked away. I didn't even turn in his direction. Eileen began to giggle uncontrollably, and Ginny glared in shock at the student who rubbed my neck. I slid a piece of chicken pot pie from its platter onto my empty plate and nibbled on a bite of it.

"Do you realize who that was?" Ginny asked indignantly.

"No," I said "I should thank him later."

"That was Draco Malfoy!" Eileen burst out.

"What?!" I nearly choked on my pie, and had to cough a few times to clear my throat. Fred, who was seated beside me, patted my back a little. "Yes." He said. "I know, my presence can be overwhelming." With what breath I still had within me, I laughed shortly and calmed my face, I'm sure it was blushing. Ginny was still staring at me. Probably expecting me to be angry. I shrugged again. And as I did, Harry, Ron and Hermione came hustling over and sat down in our group.

"Do they know?" Hermione asked Ginny. Likely talking about Eileen and I.

"Yeah." Ginny said. "They're in."

Hermione smiled and began to lay out the plans. "O.k, so, have you guys been talking to people about our meetings?" Fred, George, Ginny, Harry and Ron nodded. "Good, now I have talked with Neville, and it seems he has found somewhere to hold our meetings. He's not going to show us though until after the meeting in Hogsmeade."

"Why not?" I piped up.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, but at least he's going to eventually."

...

That night when I was undoing my white shirt and pulled it off, a small piece of parchment fell out of the folds of clothing. I picked it up and smoothed it out. On the paper, it read:

Bailey? Beatrice? Brian? Brianna? Brittany? Bertha? Just tell me so I can kiss you!

I laughed quietly to myself and took out my quill from my bag. I bent down to the stool beside my bed. And using it as a backboard, I began to draw 'X's over the names and underneath I wrote.

Keep guessing Malfoy

...

The next morning I woke to a tapping on the window. I threw back the covers and sat on the mattress for a few more seconds before stumbling to the window and letting in the huge black owl. I unfurled the note and read it.

Dear Clearwater,

Cathy? Carolina? Carrie? Caitlyn? Cora? I'll bet two kisses I can get it before the Hogsmeade.

I smiled. He tried. He really did. I bet he stayed up all night trying to compose this letter. I walked to my bed and pulled a quill from my bag. Using the head board as a back I crossed out the names and wrote under it.

You can have all the kisses you want if you can guess it before four O'clock.