Another long time of not updating. This summer I'm spending it in Hong Kong in China...and there's only two weeks of said holiday left! I'm really sad. But then I get to upload a bit of the next chapter here, I suppose. Gotta love Hong Kong public libraries!

It was in one of those free periods for extra-curricular Ancient Runes, during which Harry and Ron have Divination, that Hermione and Amber have the common room to themselves, Elizabeth having Divination at the same time as well. Amber yawned and turned over in the comfortable armchair, curling up and staring blankly into the fire. Hermione was having trouble differentiating between ehwaz and eihwaz again. She sucked on the back of her quill, gazing into space.

"It's Hogsmeades this saturday, Hermione," Amber said suddenly, unmoving. Hermione's thought bubble burst and she stared bewilderedly at her friend.

"Excuse me?"

Amber got up slowly, groaning, "Oooohh...I believe it's my old age, the Gorpwats have gotten into my liver." She stretched slowly, wincing as her bones cracked.

"Gorpwats?" Hermione asked, even more bemused. Amber made a classical Luna Lovegood look and smiled.

"Hogwarts this weekend, I said," she got up and joined Hermione at the table and stared sceptically down at the Runes deciphering. "You want eihwaz, defence. The other one is partnership. You mixed it up last year, didn't you?" she grinned again. Hermione stared down in anguish at her homework. She had finished practically everything, from Arithmancy and Muggle Studies down to Transfiguration and Potions. List the magical properties and common useage of a bicorn horn when grinded and dissolved in an essence of salamander tail. She felt her brain spin giddily. "What're you wearing for the Halloween Ball? Wanna go to Zonko's and get something wacky?" She paused. "There's this new shop as well, some sister of Madam Malkin's from Diagon Alley, it's next to Madam Puddifoot's. There are really new outfits there too, but they're sort of peaceful, nice and calm." She cocked her head, a funny expression on her face, as though peaceful and calm outfits for a Halloween Ball are impossible beyond belief. Hermione smiled faintly.

"Yes, perhaps we can go there," she said quietly, as the Divination class returns to the common room. Her eyes immediately caught Angelica, amidst the torrent of chatter and shrieks of the sixth-years, clinging desperately onto Harry, with Ginny Weasley on the other arm.

Amber saw the three too. She gagged, pretending to throw up - "You're joking!" - as Elizabeth came up to them, a toothpick in her hand. "What the heck is that, Liz?"

Elizabeth giggled. "It's a fortune-telling stick from Divination. When you throw it into the fire on a waning moon night, crouching in front of the fireplace with a tawny owl on your right shoulder and a newborn salamander on your left and you say 'Eeny Meeny Miny Mo, Is it yes or is it no? Which will stay and which will go? Eeny Meeny Miny Mo'."

Hermione choked.

"Really?" Amber, despite being a quarter Muggle, had had no contact with her Muggle maternal grandmother, ever, and so gazed in fascination at her gentle-natured friend. So one would think, Hermione thought, recovering from her fit. Gentle-natured my cloak!

But soon the talk turned back to Hogmeade and purchasing their Halloween outfits.

"The ball's next saturday, Hermione!" Elizabeth said earnestly, grey eyes shining. "It'll be so much fun! I hear Flitwick's dressing up as a troll!"

Amber shrieked with laughter, gaining some peculiar looks from Seamus and Dean, and a sniffily disapproving look from Angelica and Ginny. Hermione smiled faintly again at the craziness of the sporty girl. It had been bugging her for quite a while. What should she dress as? Animals? Plants? Her thought dwindled on dressing as a Muggle, but she felt certain that some pureblood-mad Slytherins would sneer at her and she cast away that possibility.

"I dunno what to dress as," she said defeatedly. Amber grinned at her.

"Guess what I'm dressing as?" She paused for effect. Hermione eyed her suspiciously.

"I'm dressing as an aubergine!"

Hermione choked again.

Thanks for all the reviews that I have no time to individually credit (sorry xx) but I'm still here and will still upload whenever I have time!