I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATING! It's just that time of year where I had to get assignments done plus I was just in my school musical and a close friend of mine had someone pass away in her family which has been really hard. I'm not making excuses I'm just trying to explain why I haven't had as much time BUT I will be updating at my usual rate hopefully because the term is nearly over! Yay!

TO:

Nina: sorry for the suspense but they will be together very VERY VERY VERY SOON I PROMISE! Thanks for the feedback! Keep reading and reviewing! T

Percy-potter-pond: it's good to have a fellow Aussie around! Shrimp on the barby kills me too! I'm glad you're liking my story so far and I promise I update much more regularly than this! Keep reading and reviewing!

Fanficlover32: I'm not stopping this story until it's done, don't worry! Jaddie will be a thing very soon, I promise! Keep reading!

Hysterisch: glad you like my story! I really try to develop my characters so they aren't two-dimensional and I'm excited to hear you like them! Jaddie all the way too! Keep reading and reviewing!

Hp head: I actually pissed myself laughing at your review! It was actually such a pisser! (some aussie humour there, 'pisser' means something was hilarious)! I also like that you think my aussie humour is funny because some people just don't get it : ) : ) you have no idea how thankful I am to have you as an avid fan seeing as how this is actually my first ever fanfic and first ever story written! I also promise a lot of Jaddie is coming up… keep reading and reviewing, I always love hearing from you!

Cap92A: sorry about being a little MIA but I promise I'm updating regularly from now on! And trust me, Maddie has some bold actions coming up… keep reading and reviewing because you're always amazing to hear from!

Tigs0701: thanks for the kind words : ) I promise I'll be updating normally again and I hope you like this chapter! Keep reading and reviewing!

This chapter has some interesting bits so pay close attention… ;);)

I LOVE YOU ALL FOR STICKING WITH ME THROUGH ALL OF THIS! AND I PROMISE JADDIE COMING UP!

Chapter 25: Enrico's a dick.

My chest almost exploded. Lupin was… was injured? How badly?

James's face turned a sickly shade of grey and he looked ashen. "What? How badly is he hurt?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Al shook his head, his eyes glistening. "Badly. As in, he could possibly die. I found out from Rose and I just knew I had to find you, James," Al said desperately, looking at James.

James shook his head. "Let's go. We have to see him," he muttered to himself as he walked off, fast, Al running after him.

I didn't move – how could I? Teddy Lupin was basically his brother and he might not even be alive tomorrow. I didn't want to intrude or slow them down – I didn't want to distract him.

James must've noticed I hadn't moved because he stopped and turned around. "Why aren't you coming?" he asked, obviously confused.

I shook my head. "You're his family. He needs you two," I explained, staying put.

James frowned, even more confused. "But, we need you," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I'll admit, my heart jumped. "You mean a lot to me and Al and Teddy." Way to ruin it.

Not even missing a beat, I strode over to him, grabbed his hand and started pulling him along. "Why didn't you say so?" I asked quietly, smiling a small smile.

James nodded thanks and squeezed my hand, shooting tingles down my arm, which I reprimanded immediately. I mean, Teddy could be dying or something and there I was, worrying about tingles.

We sped-walked back to Hogwarts in silence, the three of us not saying a thing. Worry was gnawing at me as well as annoying thoughts that were along the lines of 'what was James going to say' and 'do you think he likes me' and 'do I still like him'.

When we reached the gates, we started running, our breaths all puffing in the cold air.

We raced through Hogwarts and other corridors until Al led us to the DA DA classroom. We slowed to a walk and pushed past the crowd of students and teachers alike.

I saw him sitting in a chair, nasty bruises on his face. James, still holding my hand, hauled me over to him. Teddy looked up, his now blue hair in his face.

James let out a breath. "What happened?" he asked, his voice surprisingly calm.

Lupin shook his head. "Not really sure exactly. One minute I'm cleaning the classroom and the next, someone has me on the ground, putting the most odd jinxes and charms on me. Obviously an amateur… whatever he was," Lupin said, his mouth twitching up slightly at the corners. "It was actually kinda funny."

"You say getting attacked was funny again and I'll knock you out, you hear me?" Al said, threateningly but smiling all the same.

"Why was it funny?" I asked, curious.

Lupin smiled. "Well… he was so dramatic. It was all 'The Pure's will destroy you for being such a dirty creature' and stuff like 'I will come back to destroy you if it's the last thing I do'. All that crap," Lupin said drily.

James gave a small snort. "Sounds like the most ridiculous assassin ever."

Lupin nodded. "I know! And I don't know why everyone is fussing over me – I wasn't even hurt that bad! Just a little scratch on my side," Lupin said, pulling his shirt up to show us a thin scratch across his torso.

Al tilted his head. "Why did Rose tell us you could possibly die then?"

Lupin ducked his head. "Well, the cut was serious but I heal pretty quickly."

James shook his head. "Always being over-dramatic about injuries, Rose is."

Lupin opened his mouth to reply but was cut short by a figure bursting in. Her blonde hair was messy, her perfect face lined with worry and her lips thinned in a line… until she saw Lupin.

"Vic," he said, standing abruptly. Victoire burst into tears and flung herself into his arms so hard, he staggered back.

"You absolute idiot, scaring me like that! For gods' sake, I thought you'd died! Everyone kept on telling me you could've died and that you were seriously injured!" she cried, her voice breaking.

Lupin wrapped his arms around her fiercely and I became envious. Relax, not crushing on Lupin. It was just… Vic and Teddy were so simple and relaxed and easy with each other. They laughed and smiled and loved each other so much, I felt like I was drowning in it by just standing near them.

And, of course, I wanted that. All of it.

"It's ok. The guy didn't even get close to besting me," Lupin soothed, smoothing her hair out repeatedly.

"But what if he did? What if he injured you seriously or killed you? What if you didn't heal?" Vic asked, pulling away only slightly so they were still embraced but face-to-face. She shook her head, a look of determination on her face. "Nope. I'm not going to think about that."

Lupin smiled.

Vic's face was still distraught and determined when she pushed him away suddenly and shook her head. "You're not ever going to put me through that again, ok? And for gods' sake just marry me already!" she yelled loudly in frustration.

I froze. James froze. Al froze. Teddy froze. The whole room froze.

Teddy's face went slack. "Are you… proposing to me?" he asked in disbelief, as if he were afraid of the answer.

Victoire shook her head, not showing any fear even though the room was watching. "I'm not proposing because I'm not giving you a choice! You're marrying me whether you like it or not," she said, her face stern like she scolding a child.

Lupin barked out a laugh. "My, you always surprise me." With one stride, she was in his arms and they were kissing. Lupin pulled away. "Looks like we're getting married."

After the whole proposal, all of the students were rushed away so Lupin could be questioned… but that never stopped us before.

Sneaking around, Al, James and I all peeped in through a window. "Isn't the window a bit obvious?" I whispered and as if on cue, the blind on the window snapped down. "See, there you go."

James sighed and cracked the window open slightly. From his pocket, he pulled an Extendable Ear from his pocket and shoved it through the crack.

Al, baffled, stared at him. "Do you just happen to have those lying around?"

"No, dimwit. We visited Zonkos today quickly so I bought a few."

And with that, we started listening.

The voices were muffled but we could make them out.

"Harry and Ron are coming as fast as they can and will be here by morning," McGonagall said.

We heard Lupin sigh. "Good. Look, I made it out to be much more minor than what the attack was."

"What do you mean?" Victoire asked seriously.

"I said it was the Pure's so-"

"How did the Pure's get into our walls?" McGonagall interrupted, her voice shaking slightly.

"No, no, no," Lupin rushed. "You cut me off. What I wanted to say was that the attacker was a complete amateur but did some serious damage. If I wasn't trained in Defence of the Dark Arts, the outcome may have been worse. Plus, he came at me with a knife."

"So what you're saying is that he was a skilled amateur?" Vic said, unconvinced.

"No. Professor Gerard, the charms teacher, was talking to me yesterday about the charms he was teaching Sixth Year. They were dangerous ones that could cause some serious damage if used in the wrong context. And the attacker attacked me with those very same charms!"

"So Gerard attacked you?" McGonagall asked, surprised.

"Not Gerard, but one of his students. A sixth year," Lupin explained.

My stomach dropped. I shared a look with James.

We were in Sixth Year. Which meant…

"There is a Pure inside our walls? And it's a student?" McGonagall asked, shocked. "Did you get a good look at him?"

"No. He was wearing a ridiculous ski mask, I don't know why. I could only tell he was a boy. As well as casting charms, he also tried to slice me open with a kitchen knife which was where the cut came from." Lupin's voice grew quiet and muffled after that.

Sighing, Al pulled the ear back in. "That's a bombshell. A traitorous student at Hogwarts? Who could it be?"

James shrugged. "Beats me. But we're gonna find out."

Al and I were walking back to the common room when we were ambushed by Jo. And I mean literally ambushed.

"Do you think she'll wear a white or cream wedding dress?" I asked Al when we both screamed, loudly. Jo jumped out at us, pointing.

"Where the hell have you guys been? I was so worried! I mean, Lupin was attacked and I couldn't find you guys and it was all really stressful…" she rambled, trailing off.

My eyes were wide. She was worried about us? I mean, the same person who'd full-on yelled at me at Quidditch practise a few days ago? The one who hated my guts because she thought I was closer to Rose and Miranda than to her? The one who hadn't spoken to me in weeks?

"Are you still mad at me?" I asked bluntly, getting right to the point.

She nodded vigorously. "Yeah. I am," her bright, blue eyes hard, her thick lips pined in a straight line.

But she stepped forward and hugged me anyway.

The next few days were rough. I spent most of my time updating Scorp and Jo with Al and I's theories and plans about the mystery traitor. When I wasn't doing that, I was avoiding James.

I mean, I ran into him in the hall once and he stopped and fumbled and it was SO AWKWARD. I can't even. So, I was avoiding him and he was avoiding me… until Al came up with a grand idea…

"We've got to tell James about all our speculations."

My head jerked up from my desk in Charms class. I shook my head. "No."

Al cocked his head to the side. "Yes. You know we've come up with so many new theories and you and I both know he probably has been thinking about the traitor too," he pointed out.

I grumbled and hunched down lower in my seat. Words could not begin to describe the fear and the cold lump in my stomach I got when I heard James's name. So I like him. And we both got dumped. And I think he might kind of like me.

But we haven't spoken in days.

Jo leaned over, her dark hair in her face. "I agree with Mads. We don't need to tell Potter anything," she whispered.

Scorp shook his head from in front of us. "No, we need to tell James. I think he could really help and- hey! What are you doing in here?" he asked Al incredulously.

Pausing, I turned to look at Al. "Why are you here? This is Sixth Year charms class," I said, narrowing my eyes.

Al shrugged. "I needed to tell you that we need to tell James. And you guys have DA DA after this with the Gryffindors so it's perfect timing."

"No, we mean why aren't you in Fifth Year divination?" Jo asked plainly.

Al shrugged again. "I wanted to speak to James with you in DA DA and my divination was a double. Couldn't sneak out during it. I just snuck in with you guys. And I knew we had to talk to him during class otherwise everyone would get suspicious. I mean, the whole of Slytherin hates James and the whole school knows that. Suddenly, we start talking and BAM! The whole school is talking."

It was good logic, I'll admit. After a moment of silence, I tilted my head. "How did no one even realise you snuck in?"

Al shook his head. "Doesn't matter! But we're going to tell James. You know it's a good idea, Mads. You just don't wanna talk to him," Al said pointedly.

I fumbled a bit, blushing. "That's not true!"

"You don't wanna talk to him because you like him!" Jo teased, brushing her hair away.

Scorp and Jo laughed, wolf-whistling and whooping.

"I thought you judged me for 'liking' him?" I asked Jo teasingly.

Jo nodded. "Oh, I'm judging. But I'm also teasing!"

I just rolled my eyes.

DA DA was torture. We walked into the classroom, huddling around Al so Lupin wouldn't see him. We then hurriedly sat down, Scorp sitting right in front of Al so that you couldn't see him.

Al and I were having a whisper-fight which ended in us arm wrestling… which caused some attention.

"Miss Taylor," Lupin said sharply. I looked up, my arms tangled in weird angles. "Who're you wrestling today?" he asked.

"Uhhh…" I looked around, desperate for help. If Lupin caught us, the plan would be ruined. "Xavier," I said suddenly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Xavier look confused for about a second before Jo and Eva, who were next to him, shoved his head down below the table.

There was a small yelp and I stifled a giggle.

"Well, can you two please keep the wrestling to a minimum?"

I nodded quickly. After Lupin turned around, Al and I shared a relieved look.

"Close one," he whispered.

"Too close. Maybe we shouldn't go through with the plan after-" I mused before Al cut a look at me that could kill.

Sulking, I sunk back into my chair, muttering useless curses.

After a while of taking studious notes (more like worrying what was going to happen when we talked to James), Lupin finally asked us to make a group of four – two Slytherins and two Gryffindors. As usual, we got to pick the groups ourselves.

"So, who wants to be with who?" Lupin asked, smiling. He loved this part of class best because he loves watching everyone squirm. It usually took about five minutes before someone reluctantly asked to be paired with someone.

"Ok, put your hand up and ask to be with James," Al whispered. What a terrible idea! In front of the whole class? I don't think so.

"Nuh-uh. No way!" I hissed angrily.

"Do it. Otherwise someone else might choose him!" Al whispered back.

"I'm not going to do it."

"Well, I can't do it seeing as how I'm not meant to be here!"

"Please don't make me do it in front of everyone!"

"Just do it!"

"No!"

"Do you care more about finding the traitor or not having any contact with James?"

"I care more about not having any contact with James."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Just ask for James!"

"No!"

"Do it!"

"Fine! For gods' sake Al, I will."

"…"

"…"

"What the hell are you waiting for?"

"As in now? I ask now?"

"Well, um, yes! That's the plan!"

"Do I do it now?"

"Yes!"

"Or now?"

"You're being ridiculous!"

"I am not!"

"Just ask to be with goddamn James Potter!" And on that, Al pushed me out of my seat. I stumbled but remained upright, thank god. With the entire class looking at me, I closed my eyes and blurted as quickly as possible:

"I'll be with James!"

Shocked silence. My eyes were still closed and I could feel my face heating up. My nose was scrunched up when I opened one of my eyes slightly.

At the sight of everyone staring, open-mouthed, I quickly shut it again.

I heard a little giggle and I knew instantly it was Scorp.

"You can open your eyes now," Jo said loudly which caused the room to laugh.

Opening my eyes, I casually glared at Jo. I tried to act normal and like it wasn't such a big deal I wanted to be partners with Slytherins sworn enemy but on the inside I was freaking out.

"Ok then. With a surprise turn of events, James and Maddie are in a group with…" Lupin said a little hesitantly.

"Rose and my partner at my desk," I said instantly.

Lupin nodded, smiling. "Ok then. And I want to make sure you guys actually do the work. I'm talking to you, James and Maddie." I can't believe Lupin just said that in front of the entire class!

Blushing furiously, I gaped. I saw movement, from the Gryffindor side of the room out of the corner of my eye, a flash of black and red.

"Maddie?" a soft voice asked me, loud in the silent classroom.

I jerked my head and looked at Rose. "Hm?"

"You ok?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, 'course I am!"

I glanced at James and quickly ducked my head and sat next to Al at our desk, James and Rose following. The moment the four of us were sitting, the whispering around the room started.

Al rolled his eyes. "Don't mind them."

Rose nodded. "Yeah. I don't even see the big deal and – hey! Al! What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.

James frowned. "What's going on?"

Al shook his head. "Doesn't matter. The thing is, Maddie, Scorp, Jo and I have been discussing the whole attack thing on Teddy. I mean, a student attacked him and nothing has been done to even start looking for the person responsible! It's crazy! Plus, we have solid evidence now that the Pure's were behind all of those massacres. And the Ministry still doesn't do anything!" Al stated clearly, a little outraged. His words were compelling and I found myself willing to do anything he said. "We've been discussing who it could be. The attacker, I mean. The student would have to know that Lupin is part-werewolf and also a metamorphmagus. That really narrows it down," Al explained.

"Yeah, it narrows it down to our closest family, you idiot. Unless you're saying a Potter or a Weasley or a Lovegood did it, then we're screwed," James cut in. I jumped on hearing his voice, not expecting it.

"Well, the attacker had to know. They could have overheard something?" I offered, my idea hanging in the air.

Rose nodded, her red hair bouncing. "I think that's pretty plausible."

James shook his head. "Yeah, but who talks openly about Lupin being, you know, part freaking werewolf?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. I bet you've talked about him being a werewolf before with someone," I said accusingly.

James arched an eyebrow. "Not in the open, I haven't. Have you?" he retorted.

Jutting my chin out, I replied. "Yes, I have actually."

James froze. "You have? Where? When?"

Finally realising what I'd just said, I paled. "But… but it was with Al! And it was near the very start of the year! And no one was there because it was a Hogsmeade weekend. Only first years and second years and they couldn't take down Lupin, right? And remember, Lupin said it had to have been a sixth year, right?" I asked desperately, my eyes wide. If it was my fault that Lupin was attacked…

I was freaking out, thinking over exactly what I'd said to Al that day. Al interrupted my chain of thoughts, his face grim.

"Do you remember why we were the only ones there? Because you didn't want to be alone with Enrico and his friend, Cheeseburger. That's why I was there because I offered to stay with you," Al said hesitantly, as if he didn't want to say it.

My stomach dropped. "Does that mean… do you think they heard?" I whispered, staring at the wall, my face still.

Rose flung her arm around me. "The probability of them hearing your conversation is quite low. I really think that theory is-"

"Is the best one we've heard all day," James cut in, his face serious.

Al leaned back in his seat, head in his hands. "Oh my god. Do you think it was Enrico and Cheeseburger?" Rose pulled away from me to hug Al.

I shook my head, hand to my mouth. "I can't believe it. I was so stupid," I hissed quietly, thinking no one heard me. A rough hand grabbed mine that was covering my mouth and held it. Tingles went through my hand and I shivered lightly.

"Hey," James said softly, forcing my eyes to his. His dark blue eyes were filled with sympathy and his mouth was curved in a soothing smile. "It's not your fault. And you're not stupid. And you know what? It might not have even been Enrico because he might not have heard you. We just don't know," James whispered gently.

I shook my head. "Don't lie. You said just before it was the best theory as to who attacked Lupin and how they found out about him."

James shook his head. "That was me being a loud idiot who doesn't know shit about what he's talking about," he said, smiling a little.

"But you're always a loud idiot who doesn't know shit about what he's talking about," I said, acting confused.

James gave a little laugh. "True. I'll admit it."

I giggled softly. "Glad to hear that you're honest about it."

"You know it. I'm actually a very honest person," James said mock-seriously.

I snorted, smiling. "Yeah, and I'm super sweet," I joked.

James frowned. "I am honest!"

"You are not! Need I remind you that you had a secret girlfriend at the start of last term! And it was Willow Vain!" I teased, glad to see him laughing. I realised I'd missed talking to him and teasing him and making him laugh. I looked down and saw he was still holding my hand and was tracing patterns with his thumb on my palm. I smiled and wrapped my other hand around our hands.

He jerked, wincing. My heart stuttered and I looked down, blushing. "Oh, sorry. I was… just, uh… I'll move it," I mumbled pulling both hands away. Looks like I read what he was doing completely wrong. Disappointment crashed into me. I thought we were friends and friends hold hands… right? And I liked him and I thought he liked me… Maybe I was acting weird putting my hand on his. The more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself he thought I was a weirdo who likes to touch people creepily.

"What? No!" James rushed loudly. He smiled bashfully and his eyes warmed. "Your hand was cold, is all," he laughed as he took my hands again.

I smiled and decided to act normal as I could. "They're always cold. And my feet. Always."

James smiled.

Rose cut me off just as I was about to say something. "Ok! We've come up with a very plausible theory as to how it wasn't Enrico or Cheeseburger and it wasn't Al and Maddie's fault. Ok, first of all, Al and Maddie were sitting alone at the couches in the Common room and were very careful about who was listening. Second, why wait all of this time to attack Lupin? Thirdly, Cheeseburger is horrible at spells and couldn't take a fully grown man! Plus, Cheeseburger is a weakling who couldn't cut Lupin with a knife!" Rose said, pleased with herself.

I frowned. "But Enrico is pretty decent at spells and kind-of strong," I stated, confused.

Rose waved her hand, dismissing the thought. "Doesn't matter, we just know it wasn't them because it wasn't your fault," she said forcefully.

I frowned skeptically. "Ok… if you're sure," and I decided to expel the thought that it could've been Enrico who attacked Lupin. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.

After class was lunch, thank the lord. The rumour mill was turning with some interesting stories about me and James which was just dandy. To make matters worse, James and Rose insisted that they eat lunch with me, Al, Scorp and our friends.

Why? Why would they torture us like that?

"Are you sure you wanna eat with us? At the Slytherin table?" Al asked, glancing at me worriedly. I shot him the same look back.

Rose nodded. "We're sure. We need to update Scorpius and Jo anyway."

Al frowned. "About what? All we did was decide it wasn't Enrico who attacked Lupin," Al argued.

James shot Al a look. "Careful! Enrico is coming up to us so shut your face," he said under his breath.

I looked up, startled. "He is? Where?" I looked around for his pimply face and carrot-hair. A strange feeling came over me. My eyes unfocused and refocused, honing in on Enrico immediately.

A jolt shot through my side and I yelped in surprise. The jolt continued through my head, piercing me over and over again.

I fell to the floor in what felt like slow-motion. I saw… weird things. Velvet heels, golden necklaces, evil-looking kittens and piles of broken bodies burning. That image seemed to zoom in and I saw that the bodies weren't human but beautiful, glittering mermaids, their once colourful tails grey and vibrant hair in rags. I felt like I'd seen those same images before but before I could think about it, my eyes flew open. All I saw was a blurry and hazy image. For some reason, I was in Lupin's office. I turned around and saw Enrico standing there, putting a black ski mask on. Confused, I looked down and saw my body as a hazy image, like a hologram. Turning back to Enrico, I saw him knock on the door.

"Come in," Lupin's voice rang loud and shot through my head like a bullet. I held my agonized head and could feel the image slipping away. I wrenched my eyes on the scene and tried to hold onto the scene longer.

"Is that you, Professor Gerard? Thanks for coming because I really need some help cleaning! The fourth years utterly destroyed my – hey!" Lupin screamed as Enrico barrelled into him. I could barely see, the image was so blurry. I walked closer, slowly and painfully. Every step seemed like an eternity. A very painful eternity. I could see Enrico's wand sparking and heard him yelling spells and curses. They were rolling around on the floor, Lupin struggling for his wand.

A sound from outside his office made me turn my head. "Hey, Ted. What did you need me for?" Professor Gerard's voice rang loudly. I turned to see Enrico scramble off Lupin.

"You are a disgusting creature and you will be eradicated! The Pure's will defeat you and the rest of your kind! And I will kill you if it's the last thing I do!" Enrico's nasally voice stabbed through my head. I stumbled, gasping. Everything was turning hazy and the room was tilting, but I could dimly see Enrico lunge at Lupin with a knife. I heard Lupin grunt in pain.

"What?" Lupin said incredulously. With that one word, I was flung back to reality.

I opened my eyes to see dark blue eyes staring at me.

"Maddie? Wake up! C'mon, you need to – hey! Her eyes opened! Someone get Madam Pomfrey for me!" James yelled.

My head was resting on the floor. Drips of sweat rolled off my head. I was hot. Too hot.

I knew I was on the floor and I could feel James kneeling over me like a shadow. And I was hot. So hot. I didn't know what had just happened. I was just so hot. Everything was a blur. Everything hurt. My head was killing me. Someone was stabbing my head over and over again.

"Why is someone stabbing my head? It hurts," I whispered, my voice whiny. Tears ran down my face and my lips thinned into a line.

James leaned closer until I could smell him. "No one's stabbing you, Maddie," James frowned.

"I'm… I'm hot. James, I'm hot," I mumbled, my eyes darting all over the room. James's hands cupped my face and he directed my eyes to his.

"Tell me what hurts again?" he asked calmly.

My body started shaking and shivering. My teeth chattered. I arched my back slightly, my back sticking to my clothes with sweat. Hot. Why was I so hot? "Hot. Hot. Enrico. It was him. I saw it. James, I'm so hot," I replied, my voice getting higher and louder as my head pounded louder.

James leaned over me even further, holding my body still, his face confused. "Enrico did what?" he asked, smoothing my hair back.

I shook my head, but it hurt to even do that. Wincing, I turned my head slightly so it rested on the cool tile floor, relief flooding through me. The floor felt like ice on my skin. "Hot. So… hot…"

And I blacked out.

My head hurt. Like hell. Like I'd just been slammed into about fifty walls, thrown into a slab of concrete, fallen off a building and been run over by a dragon.

It hurt that much.

My eyelids felt like sawdust. I can't really describe it but you know the feeling – they're all crusty and dusty and you just can't open them.

It annoyed me.

So I scrunched up my eyes and squinted them open. It was dark and I couldn't see much. I moved my stiff arms under me and lifted myself so my back was upright. Looking around, I saw I was in the infirmary.

Why was I in the infirmary?

I looked down and saw I was wrapped in pristine sheets and tucked into a hospital bed. Ugh, I hate those beds.

Grunting, I swung my legs over the side and stood up shakily. Black dots swirled around my eyes and it a while for me to be steady again. "Ugh, head rush," I muttered quietly. Taking a tentative step forward, I surveyed the room. It was just me in the room and I could hear a faint humming.

I stretched my sore limbs out and held my pounding head. I decided to wander off and look for Madam Pomfrey so she could give me some headache relief.

I stumbled slowly to the door and fumbled with the handle. I eased the door open but I couldn't push it all the way open – it was caught on something. Something soft.

"Ow!"

I jerked my head around the crack and saw a couple of bodies sprawled out next to the door.

"What the…?" I muttered, my voice ringing out. I held my head, the humming getting louder and louder.

Sighs of relief filled the halls and I saw the bodies all scramble up.

"We thought you were Madam Pomfrey coming out to yell at us for being in the halls at night!" I heard a rough, English accent exclaim. A tall figure rushed towards me and hugged me fiercely. "I'm so glad you're ok," the girl said.

"This is Jo, right?" I asked, my voice scratchy.

The girl laughed. "Yeah! It's me!" Jo said as she hugged me tighter. She quickly let me go and stared me down. "That's the only hug you'll ever get from me, understand?"

I smiled tightly, nodding. "Who else is down here? And why are you guys all sleeping outside the infirmary?" I asked, my voice still coarse. The humming had progressed into a wave of sound, crashing into me over and over. The humming was sickly sweet and it was bugging me.

A lanky boy stood up, his bright hair glowing in the dark. "So it's me, as in Scorp, Al, Jo, Hope, Maria, Xavier, Eva, Rose, Miranda and James," Scorp gushed as he pulled me into a hug. He stepped away, smiling. "You scared us to death! Don't do that again," he warned.

My smile faltered. "Do what?" I asked loudly over the humming, confused.

Al came forward, smiling. "Why are you yelling? Doesn't matter, I'm so happy you're ok!" he came forward to hug me but I took a step back, the humming so loud I could barely hear anything anymore.

"What the hell happened? Why am I in the infirmary?" I shouted, blocking my ears with my hands. "And would someone please stop humming!" My voice rang out loud, almost cutting through the humming. Groaning, I slid to the floor, holding my ears. "Make it stop! The humming! Make it stop!"

It kept on getting louder and louder until it filled my head completely, enveloping me in a cocoon of sound. I was getting more frantic and stressed, worried that the sound would continue forever.

I could faintly hear muffled voices around me and heard my name being shouted but the humming grew louder until all I could hear was that.

My eyes were scrunched shut and I started singing, humming, shouting – anything to block out the sound and the pain it was ripping through my ears and head.

The humming changed into a tune, like a bedtime story, sung in the same sickly voice that coated the insides of my head like honey. I couldn't focus on the words but I heard snippets of random phrases:

"They're next."

"Be prepared."

"Do you doubt me?"

"It was a mistake! The boy was meant to kill him!"

"Make them all burn. Burn them all."

"What's next, madam?"

"Should we syphon the power now?"

"We're running out of time! We need to take action before it's too late."

"Rules are rules, Mr Potter."

The words tore through my mind and I gasped for breath. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't breathe. I gasped and choked on unsaid words and thought 'I'm going to die'.

That was all I could think of…

Until the humming, the singing and the voices ceased at a final crescendo. It was like they'd been cut.

I opened my eyes, gasping and spluttering out water. Water?

My eyes searched the room and my quick breathing filled my ears. Water droplets dripped down my face and I started shivering. What just happened?

"Wh-wh-wh-why am I-I-I-I w-w-w-wet?" I chattered, rubbing my eyes free of water, confused as to why I was lying on the floor.

I heard a short bark of laughter. "You just had a massive seizure and went crazy for about two minutes and the question you're asking is 'why am I wet'? You're barking mad, you are," James quiet voice filled my head and I took a sigh of relief. I looked up to see him kneeling in front of me with an empty pitcher of water, a humorous look in his dark blue eyes.

I pointed at the pitcher. "You. You threw water at me. Why?" I asked simply.

James laughed again as if he couldn't believe what I was saying. "Because you went mad for a couple of minutes and no one knew what to do!" he said, laughing.

"Why the hell are you laughing? She went crazy and you're laughing?" Maria scolded as she adjusted her glasses.

I gave James a light smack. "Yeah, this is not a laughing matter," I teased, smiling.

James gave me a small smile. "But seriously, are you feeling… ah, better?" he asked quietly, his eyes soft.

I nodded. "I think so. What happened? As in, why was I in the infirmary and why am I now lying on the floor?" I asked, scrunching my nose up.

James frowned. "You mean… you don't remember?"

I smiled. "Remember what?" I asked, confused.

James rubbed his hands awkwardly and looked down. "Well, you were in the infirmary because… well, you, Rose, Al and I were walking and talking about… you know… Enrico?" he stated like a question.

The memories of us walking down the hall played like a movie in my head. And Enrico…

Oh shit.

Enrico. Now I remembered the theories and how he might've overheard me and Al talking about Lupin.

James must've seen my look of realisation because he leaned a little closer, shaking his head. "No, no, no, no. Remember we agreed that we didn't think it was Enrico because of what Rose said? About probability and stuff?" James said softly, as he took my hands. He gave a little wince. "Like ice, they are."

I smiled tentatively. "As usual."

James shook his head as if he were clearing it. "Anyway. Well, we said Enrico's name and you just… freaked out, I guess. Saying random things, muttering about being hot even though you were ice cold. It was a little creepy. You blacked out so we took you to the infirmary. All of us," James motioned to the group, "were there, waiting for you to wake up. When it was curfew, Madam Pomfrey kicked us all out. But we snuck back about two hours ago and decided to wait out here until you woke. Then you walked out and everything was normal but you looked a little greenish. Then you just started screaming about humming. You said 'make it stop' and 'everyone stop humming' and then you lay on the floor, jerking and screaming and groaning. We didn't know what to do so I ran and got some water and threw it on you. You stopped moving and opened your eyes. So yeah. That's what we know," James said calmly.

I was chilled to the bone. Memories were coming back in snippets. I remember the sickly sweet humming filling my head. I remember feeling like I was drowning in the sound. I remember feeling like I was being ripped apart as I stood in Lupin's office. I remember hearing strange things and weird voices and horrible words.

And I remember Enrico.

My face fell and I stilled. "He did it. He did," I muttered under my breath.

James looked at me, confused. "He did what? Who?" he asked softly.

"Enrico," I said in a daze and my eyes unfocused. A haze started to drip over me and I could feel myself falling into an abyss. "He attacked Lupin. In his office. With a mask. He did it. I was there. I saw it. I know it," I muttered, completely in a daze.

Al stepped forward. "Mads? You aren't making any sense?" his hand reached out but I jerked away.

"It was him. I saw it. Hot. It hurts. My head hurts. It was him," I rambled, my eyes not focusing properly. And I was hot. So goddamn hot!

"Maddie! What the hell?" James shouted. He let go of my hands and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. "Snap out of it! What are you doing?"

And just like that, I was back to normal. "Hm?" I said, looking at James. What just happened?

Al backed away. "This is weird. I'm getting Madam Pomfrey. And Headmistress McGongall," Al said as he turned and sprinted off, Scorp following him.

James looked at me again, his eyes locking on mine. "Are you ok? What hurts?" he asked, his tone reasonable, something I'd never associated with James before.

"I'm fine. Nothing hurts. What happened?" I asked, confused.

Hope sighed. "Again? She doesn't remember again? This is getting crazy."

Xavier nodded. "Maybe we should put her to bed," he suggested.

I shook my head, memories slipping back to me slowly. "No! I remember!" I said desperately, trying to grasp any memory.

James nodded, prompting me. "Something about Enrico?"

My gut clenched, but I was determined not to black out or do… whatever it was that I did again. "It was him. Enrico. He attacked Lupin," I said with conviction.

James looked at me, puzzled. "How do you know?"

"I saw it. I think I did, at least," I replied, shaking my head. "Doesn't matter! I just know," I insisted.

Hope shook her head. "She's saying mumbo-jumbo now, which is a sign that she's probably going coo-coo! Let's get her to bed before she has another episode. They really creep me out! I mean, do you think she'll need to go to St Mungos? That'd be sad because-"

"Shut up, Hope," Eva said quietly.

Footsteps echoed down the hall. I looked up to see Al, Scorp, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey heading towards us.

"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall asked, her voice sharp.

James stood up, pulling me with him. "We don't know," he said worriedly, his forehead creased with concern.

McGonagall headed towards me, cupping my face in her thin hands. "What happened, dear?"

I shook my head. "Not too sure. I mean, there was this humming and it was just drowning me and I couldn't breath and then I went weird and-"

McGonagall cut me off with a wave of her hand. Her face was grim. "I think it is as I feared. I think we need to have a very serious talk, Miss Taylor."

DUN DUN DUUUUN! Sorry about the cliffhanger and creepy chapter but it's pretty important to the story! I promise Jaddie will be back NEXT CHAPTER so keep an eye out for updates!

I will try and have it updated by the weekend!

THANKS GUYS FOR READING! LOVE YOU ALL TO BITS!

Kat xx

P.S. just a reminder that i'm an Aussie so I spell some words differently like colour not color and etc. just letting you know in case you thought I just couldn't spell :)