So..hehehe…Hi there..So..umm…How many of you actually remember me? None? Excellent. So, I'm PC. I've been writing this. And while I was a horrible updater to start with, I got caught up in school. And then in exams. And a few mini projects for summertime. So here we are, the day before the Fourth of July, and, um, I haven't updated in like four months. So I'm just going to apologize. And about 2/3 of this was written about two months ago and I finished the last 1/3 a little bit ago. So if it sounds weird, that might be why. I'm going to try to work on longer chapters and all, but I just wanted this up.

Not mine. Not really in the mood to write a disclaimer.

Ari awoke the next morning to see a petite redhead with big brown eyes and butterfly earrings bending over her. Who was it again? Oh yeah, Maeve Bolger. How did Ari not recognize her? Probably because it's early in the morning and she wasn't used to seeing Maeve's face bent over her.

"Maeve?" She asked.
"Oh! Sorry Ariel!" Maeve replied. "I just…Well, it's almost breakfast and you were still asleep and no one else was around to wake you up, so I was going to."

"Oh, thanks!" Ari said, getting up and getting out of bed. She ran around getting dressed. Robes, check, shirt, check, pants, check. Hair? Looked horrible. She gave it a brushing, but it only slightly improved it, so she put it up into a ponytail and hoped for the best. She looked at Maeve, who herself had just finished getting ready for the day.

"You ready?" She asked. Maeve smiled at her.

"But of course." She said. The two walked down together, to the dining hall where Reb was already sitting at the Ravenclaw table. Professor Flitwick was beginning to pass out schedules, which meant that Ari and Maeve had just barely gotten there on time.

"Ok, what have I got here?" Ari muttered reading hers. "Potions first, then History of Magic, Defense against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Muggle Studies. Excellent."

Reb took her schedule.

"I've got Potions and Arithmancy with you. I dropped Ancient Runes though last year. Just wasn't worth it anymore." Reb said. Reb passed the schedule to Maeve who was reading over her shoulder.

"I've got Defense against the Dark Arts with you, and Muggle Studies." Maeve said. "Why are you taking that class anyway? You're a muggle."

"So? I figure I should learn how the Wizarding World views muggles when they're portrayed in a positive light. After all, we all know how they view them when it's a negative light." Ari said. ''Why are you taking it?"

"My Mum said I should." Maeve said, shrugging. "Said that it was a class worth taking."

"Well, you two can have fun with that. While you took Muggle Studies, I took Divination!" Reb said. "I've loved that class since I first started it….Ahhh, the memories."

"And the insanity. That teacher is bonkers." Ari said.

"I like Professor Trelawney personally." Maeve said. "She's interesting."

"See! Maeve agrees with me! Two against one! You lose Ari!" Reb said.

Ari rolled her eyes and grabbed a piece of toast sitting in front of her and began chomping on it. It was rather yummy toast, toasted perfectly with just enough butter to make it savory but to not over power the toast. It would have tasted better, of course, with a jam upon it, such as boysenberry or cherry, but as she couldn't find the jam, she'd have to just make do with butter. Not that it tasted bad with only butter, it would just be better with jam.

Reb had apparently found the pumpkin juice, as that was what she was currently drinking her third glass of and Maeve was also eating a piece of toast.

Ari wondered about Maeve. They had shared a dorm for years and while they engaged in pleasant conversation with one another, they had never really bonded before, nor had Maeve ever sat with them for a meal. And yet, on the first day of their last year, here she was. Ari didn't mind. She thought Maeve was a sweet girl, if somewhat eccentric and usually had her head in a sketchpad. She didn't know much about her, but maybe that would change. After all, Reb had always been saying that they needed to make their duo a trio so that they can be the Three Musketeers. Why Ari had loaned Reb that book, she wasn't sure. Besides, the Three Musketeers added a fourth and that's what the whole book was about. So if they really wanted to be like them, they needed to be a trio adding a fourth.

Breakfast ended and Reb and Ari gave their goodbyes to Maeve, whom Ari would see in the next block, and they headed off together to Potions. Snape was Snape. Thank goodness they had this class with the Hufflepuffs, or else Ravenclaw would have lost several points just for not being Slytherins. Or so it seemed most of the time.

Ari's potion did not explode in her face, like it did with Reb's, for which she was forever grateful for she enjoyed having the pleasure of owning eyebrows. It did however receive a failing grade from Snape and apparently a couple of points from Ravenclaw because it did not turn lavender, it turned royal purple. And apparently royal purple was not acceptable.

After helping Reb to regain her eyebrows (There was a spell for that! Who knew?), Ari bustled off to her next class, which then ended. Time for Defense Against the Dark Arts, which apparently she not only had with Maeve, but also with the Gryffindors, which made her immensely happy. She was one of the last to slip in, but before Fred and George got there, which should have seemed obvious, looking back on it. Maeve had saved her a seat, which Ari gratefully took. There were at least three seats next to her, since Maeve had sat in the back, so assuming that Lee Jordan came in with the twins, there should be enough room for them all.

Oh, hey. Lee did come in with them. Fred slid in next to Ari, then George, then Lee. This back row was going to be a party.

"Fred, George, Lee, this is Maeve." Ari said, introducing them to Maeve. "She's a Ravenclaw in my year that sleeps in my dorm. And I think all of that was self-explanatory, but whatever. Maeve, these guys are Fred, my boyfriend; George, his twin; and Lee, their friend. They're all Gryffindors. Don't let that scare you off though, they're pretty cool people. Or so they think."

"Hey! Thinking is a dangerous activity for me to be doing and I attempt to refrain from it at all costs." George protested.

"That's because it's me who does the thinking." Fred teased.

"You just wish you did." George countered. "But the truth is Fred, you think just as much as me. This is to say, not at all."

"Neither of you think and it's all me." Ari said, as the boys sit down.

Down at the front of the classroom was Professor Umbridge, the toad looking woman from the night before.

"Welcome class, to your N.E.W.T level Defense Against the Dark Arts. Now, I know that up until now, your previous tutelage was fractured and at best subpar." She began. Her comments began to draw some murmurs of disagreement. "But here and now, we will start anew. You in this class will learn the theories of Defense Against the Dark Arts and we will start at the basics. Given that this is your last year, we shall have a lot to cover if we ever can hope to get you up to par for your N.E. . Wands away, please, and take out your textbooks. Read Chapter One. There will be no need to talk."

There was grumbling and dissatisfaction, but they did as they were told. Already, at least for this class, Ari could tell that it was not going to be a fun year.