I got most of the teachers on my side again in a matter of a month. Word was out. I'm back on top. Star pupil. I wasn't happy though.

I sigh as I fall into the pile of cushions on the floor in the Room of Requirement. Muggle music is playing and we got alcohol again. Sirius falls down next to me a little later. Lily is on another set of cushions with James. Remus is with July, talking about school. Sirius' arm drapes around my shoulders. I pay it no mind.

"Prongs says he got Lily to be his date to the dance," Sirius says while drinking a muggle beer. I'm doing the same thing.

"I know. He's like her for a long time."

We don't talk for a bit. I'm moving my foot to the music.

"Do you have a date yet?" he asks.

I stop and think.

"Had lots of offers. Avery scared them all off."

"I could always take you."

I stop with the beer to my lips. I turn to him.

"You're asking me to the dance?"

"I'm asking you all together," he says slyly with a smirk.

I frown at him.

"What do you mean?"

He laughs.

"I forget how new you are to this world. I'm asking to go steady."

I search his face for any lie. Show that he is joking. Nothing. He's serious.

"I'm engaged."

"I don't care. Do you like him?"

"No."

"Is he here?"

"No…"

"So why not?"

I smile as I look at him. "Why not," I say in that same care free way he is.

He smirks. There goes his ego. The Bee Gees comes on. He puts out beers down suddenly and pulls me to my feet. I laugh as he starts to dance us.

"Their right," he says as we dance, "You should be dancing."

I laugh with him. I've had so much fun with him. I've never had fun like this. I flick my hand at the room. The lights go out and a disco ball comes on. I laugh as the music turns up and Potter pulls Lily up. July pulls Remus out. Peter watched us dance.

All in all. It was the start of my change.

July and I start sitting at the Gryffindor table after a few days. I evened out my day. Half of my classes I sat with Sirius, the other half I sat with Severus. I spent most of my nights with Sirius and some nights with July and Lily for girl nights, as they called them.

Today I wore a gold sweater, one of Sirius' ties, a pair of red jogging pants with gold stripes on the sides, and red shoes. I had Sirius' scarf around my neck and a strip of red and gold paint on each cheek. Lily stood with me, Severus, and July in the risers. Severus wore his school robes. Us girls were decked out in red and gold. None as much as me.

"GO SIRIUS!" I yell over the crowd.

We were going against Slytherin today. Gryffindor was winning by a landslide. I'm cheering and yelling with the best of them. My eyes shift to Alex Avery. My eyes widen.

"SIRIUS!" I scream in panic. Avery had the beaters coming up on him.

He smirks as he glances at me. He sees my panic. He looks behind him. Too late. The bat smacks the side of his head.

I scream and react before Dumbledore. Sirius' freefall stops suddenly, about a quarter of the way down. My hand is out stretched to him. The strain is clear on me as I keep the boy hovering in mid air.

"Lily, summon his broom here," I say with my teeth clenched.

"Accio Sirius' broom!" she calls with the swish of her wand.

It flies toward us. Avery I frozen like the rest of the players. Avery is frowning at me.

"Here," Lily says while holding the broom out.

I leap over the edge of the stand in a flash as the spell snaps. Sirius starts to fall. I dive for him. I know I'll make it. The crowd watches with baited breath.

I fly off the broom with the impact of him hitting me. I circle my form around him and smack the ground. My breath gushes out. He's so heavy. I roll him over and painfully get up to lean over him. Pomphery is coming.

"Come on, Sirius," I say in a hushed, soft voice, worry touching it.

I turn his head a little. I don't have my wand. I search his form for the wand I know he has. In his shin guard. I pull it out and start muttering spells as Pomphery reaches me. His gash knits shut and the smashed bone reforms. His eyes weakly flutter as I pull back.

I go to stand. Pain flashes through me. I stagger to my knees. Pomphery goes to stop me. I grit my teeth and stand again. My right leg isn't right. Knee's dislocated. Few ribs broken.

Avery stands with his team cheering. They stop as I limp over. They fall silent as I push through them. They all move out of my way. I go for Avery fast. He has no time to think. Nor do I. My fist swings.

He cries out as he falls back. He frowns up at me, shocked I had hit him like a muggle. I don't use the wand in my hand. I grab his broom and snap it over my leg. I don't pay any mind to the people yelling my name. I don't pay mind to the throbbing pain, cuts, or bleeding gash from where a rib had pushed through my skin.

I swing the broom at his head like a cricket bat. He fails at dodging. It gives a resounding crack. Joyous for me. I pull back, breathing hard. I'll kill him if I do anything more. I won't stop until I kill him.

"Stupid, git! You could have killed him!" I growl in my dark voice. He looks up, fear fills his eyes.

I'm lifted from the ground and pulled away. I throw the broom end at Avery. He understood what he had done. He knew the consequence now. James carries me away. He puts me down next to Sirius in the Hospital Wing. Pomphery looks at me. I still have Sirius' wand.

Sirius turns to look at me as I let out a cry of pain when Pomphery touches my ribs.

"Just bloody fix them!" I yell. It hurt so much. She uses a spell to remove my sweater. The skin is already bruising and one rib is cut clean through the skin. Blood runs from the hole.

"I have to get your knee," Pomphery says, trying to calm me.

"I DON"T CARE ABOUT MY KNEE!" I yell. "I CAN"T BLOODY FEEL IT! FIX WHAT I CAN FEEL!"

"Calm down, Ethriana," she says in a calm voice.

I lock my eyes on her. She looks a little frightened now.

"Alright," she says while turning to the ribs.

I scream as all of the bones snap into place. God this hurt so much. Nothing like a broken rib. I don't even care if my top is clad in only a lacy bra. Pomphery heals the hole from the rib and rubs the bruise paste on quickly.

"Potter, lift her in the air," Pomphery orders while pulling out the rolls of bandages.

He uses his wand to lift me. My eyes are shut tight in pain. She puts the paste on my back before coving my form from under my breast to my hips in the bandages. She moves to my knee. It's a quick fix. It still hurts. She passes me a potion. I look at it then her. A frown. I know what potion this is.

"I know," she says sadly. "But you need it."

"It'll knock me out. I haven't tested it yet, Poppy," I hiss in pain.

"Test it now," she says with pleading eyes.

I look at her one last time. I snatch it and gulp the foul thing down. The beaker falls to the floor as all the muscles in my body contract. I let out a sharp cry before falling into nothing.