School continued normally. Kurt and Hermione worked tirelessly on Hargid's hippogriff case. The Ministry of Magic was considering removing Buckbeak for attacking Malfoy on the first day. The elf and the witch worked to save him though, and since Ron and Harry weren't really talking to her, she had more time and more incentive.

Lance continued dating Tanya and Roger continued his pursuit of a relationship with Kitty. She'd flirt with him, but when it came around to having an actual relationship she'd back down. She was still hoping on Lance. The note he had sent with Pietro had given her hope. Perhaps too much… perhaps not.

Roger was beginning to be annoyed by his unrewarded fight for the Valley girl and Lance had to listen to his complaints. This was making Lance like Roger less and less and worry about Kitty more and more. He liked Tanya a lot, but things were just different with her. He didn't know how to describe it, but he was curious himself if Kitty was still interested in him. But for that matter, he didn't know if she ever really had been. She treated Roger like she had treated him. Always flirting but when it came to the asking out she'd get all shy and nervous and decline. He didn't get it.

Pietro continued to lead half of Slytherin around on leashes and annoying Malfoy to no end. Malfoy on the other hand continued to annoy Rogue, not letter her pass him without saying something.

Rogue began leaving food out for Sirius and by morning it would be gone. At night when she figured everyone was sleeping she'd sneak down into the kitchen and usually got meats. One night she crept down and things went a little different from normal. She began dishing some left over steak onto a plate and heated it in the microwave. It was a lot of steak really and she wondered if Sirius would be able to finish it. He was after all though a starving fugitive though, so even if he didn't finish it which most likely he would, he would probably save it.

"Don't know where it all goes." Came a rough voice so sudden Rogue jumped. She whirled around to see Logan eyeing the plate. He lifted one eyebrow and looked at her inquiringly.

Rogue didn't know what to say, she just gaped at him holding onto the warm plate of steak.

"I saw you eat dinner, so what's with that? I'd expect Kurt to do something like this, but not you, and I've seen you down here numerous times before. Where does it all go?" He demanded, walking further into the kitchen. Rogue quickly looked around hoping she could think up an excuse. She couldn't though and now Logan was standing in front of her, arms crossed.

"Ah, uh, erm, Ah've been pretty hungry lately? Ah mean, a teenage girl's gotta eat… a lot." Rogue replied desperately.

Logan shook his head. He wasn't buying it. "You've got to do better then that Stripes." He replied.

"Logan, please don ask meh to explain. Ah've just been helpin' somebody out, but Ah promised t'keep it a secret." Rogue pleaded.

Logan eyed her suspiciously. "Can I at least have a name?" He asked a bit threateningly. All the same Rogue shook her head.

"Look, please jus trust me. Ah'm not doin' anythin' dangerous! Just feedin' someone, and it's not lihke someone else is gonna finish this!" Rogue continued.

Logan sighed, but nodded. Rogue smile gratefully and walked quickly past him.

Rogue had also spent a lot of her time doing extra chores, helping the newer recruits a bit extra, and training more. This was all for the new bike and Logan's insistence that she needed to get a license and that he would pay her for doing those things. Logan had a tendency of paying less then one deserved though and also insisted that some of it go into a savings account so really she only got half of each payment. This did really annoy her, but she appreciated it none the less. It showed just how much Logan really did care.

Ravenclaw went up against Slytherin in a Quidditch match. Every team except Ravenclaw hoped that Slytherin would win and that's exactly what happened. This was good for Gryffindor and Ron, Harry, Kurt, and even Hermione couldn't hide their happiness that Slytherin had won. That gave them a chance to win since they lost their first game because of Harry falling off the broom. Kurt tried to not show his enthusiasm around Rogue though since it was her house, but she told him it was okay. She had nothing to do with the sport anyway.

January turned into February and at school, the weather didn't change. In New York however, it had gotten a little warmer. There was another quidditch match coming up now and that was Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw. The mutants and the three witches/wizards were all hoping Gryffindor would win. Even Rogue.

Kurt met up with Harry one day while he was walking to the Gryffindor tower. Harry wasn't very talkative though and wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Kurt saw her right before Harry bumped into her.

"Do watch where you're going, Potter!" It was McGonagall.

"Sorry, Professor-"

"I've just been looking for you in the Gryffindor common room. Well, here it is, we've done everything we could think of, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all. You've got a very good friend somewhere, Potter…"

Kurt was looking down at the broom McGonagall was holding. Vow! Is zat ze broom Harry got for Christmas?! I never thought I'd say zis about a broom, but it's magnificent! Kurt thought.

"I can have it back? Seriously?" Harry asked in a bewildered voice.

"Seriously," McGonagall smiled. "I daresay you'll need to get the feel of it before Saturday's match, won't you? And Potter… do try and win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night…"

Kurt grinned. McGonagall wanted to win just as bad as the other Gryffindors.

Harry and he walked up to the Gryffindor tower in silence. They were both just marveling at the thing. When they turned a corner however, they saw Ron running toward them with a huge smile on his face.

"She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Me too! Vill you teach me! I've never ridden on a broom before!" Kurt questioned. He thought it'd be cool to ride on a broom! He'd feel like a true witch… or… wizard.

"Yeah… anything… You know what- we should make up with Hermione… she was only trying to help…" Harry suggested.

"Ja! You two need to make up viz her, she's been miserable!" Kurt agreed anxiously.

They were interrupted however by Neville Longbottom fighting with their new portrait keeper Sir Cadogan. He had been their new portrait since the Halloween incident and he drove Kurt crazy!

"I wrote them all down!" Neville said desperately. Sir Cadogan wasn't letting him in. "But I must've dropped them somewhere!"

"A likely tale!" Sir Cadogan said. He then noticed the three other boys there. "Good even, my fine young yeomen! Come clap this loon in irons! He is trying to force entry to the chambers within." He exaggerated.

"Oh, shut up." Ron growled as they approached Neville and the portrait.

"I've lost the passwords!" Neville whined. "I made him tell me what passwords he was going to use this week, because he keeps changing them, and now I don't know what I've done with them!"

"Oddsbodikins." Harry said. Sir Cadogan looked suddenly disappointed and he opened the portrait unwillingly. They then quickly headed into the common room where Harry's firebolt attracted a lot of attention. A crowd formed around him and the broom was passed around and everyone admired the work. After a while though, the crowd began to thin until it was only Ron and Harry. Kurt had left earlier to talk to Hermione.

Harry and Ron headed over to Hermione and Kurt's table. Hermione tried to ignore them and continue to work on her homework, but finally she looked up.

"I got it back." Harry said with a grin as he showed her his broom.

"See Hermione? There wasn't anything wrong with it!" Ron pointed out.

"Well-there might have been! I mean, at least you know that it's safe!" Hermione replied. Kurt nudged her. He knew she was right, but if she wanted to get along with Harry and Ron like normal again, she needed to let it rest.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Harry said to Kurt's relief. "I'd better put it upstairs-"

"I'll take it!" Ron said quickly. "I've got to give Scabbers his rat tonic." Ron quickly grabbed the Firebolt and held it as if one wrong touch could break it; then carried it upstairs to the boy's dorms.

"Can I sit down then?" Harry questioned Hermione.

"I suppose so." Hermione agreed as she moved her homework off the other chair next to her.

"How are you getting through all this stuff?" Harry asked her bewildered. And he was right. She had so much homework Kurt wondered how she ever even had time to talk to anyone.

"Oh, well-you know-working hard." Hermione replied nervously.

"Why don't you just drop a couple subjects?" Harry asked her, and Kurt agreed. He had suggested this to Hermione a few times, but she wouldn't listen to him. Perhaps she would listen to Harry…

"I couldn't do that!" Or perhaps she won't. Kurt thought a little disappointedly.

"Arithmancy looks terrible." Harry said picking up one of Hermione's huge books.

"Oh no, it's wonderful!" Hermione said quickly. "It's my favorite subject! It's-"

Suddenly a piercing scream erupted from the boy's staircase. The whole room went quiet as the students stared at the staircase. There was then loud footsteps coming down the stairs and Ron leapt down them holding a bed sheet. 

"Look!" He yelled moving quickly over to Hermione. "Look!" He roared while waving the sheet in her face. She looked startled.

"Ron, what-?"

"Scabbers! Look! Scabbers!" Ron continued to roar.

Hermione had leaned as far back in her chair as she could looking completely dumbstruck. Kurt looked at Ron bewildered then looked the sheet. He saw it then…

"Blood! He's gone! And you know what was on the floor?!" Ron continued to yell through the deadly silence.

"N-no…" Hermione replied trembling.

Ron shoved something onto Hermione's ruin translation she had been working on and Hermione, Harry, and Kurt all leaned forward to see what it was. A few long ginger cat hairs was what they saw.

Hermione looked up at Ron quickly, his face was red. "Now Ron, calm down a second…" Kurt stared.

"NO! I knew something like this was going to happen. I warned you Hermione, I warned you! You just couldn't take care of that cat!" Ron growled. He quickly turned on his heal and angrily made his way to his dorm. Hermione's mouth was moving slowly, but no sounds were coming out.

Finally… "I, I need to be alone." She said before jumping out of her seat and rushing to the girls dorms leaving her work behind.

Kurt sighed and looked at Harry. Harry shook his head in defeat. "I better go talk to Ron." He then got up and headed for the stairs.

Kurt breathed heavily before standing up and piling Hermione's books up neatly. He then left Gryffindor tower to find talk to Kitty, or perhaps Rogue. Whichever one he ran into first.

^~^

"Scabbers is dead?!" Rogue questioned in disbelief as Kurt told her the story.

"Ja, but zat's not vhat's important. Zey vere finally about to get alone vhen zis happened." Kurt said hopelessly.

Rogue shook her head. He didn't get it. Peter… he was Scabbers. He couldn't be dead. Hermione's cat, Crookshanks had been the one to do it? She doubted even a rat with a human mind would be caught by a cat but… She had to talk to Sirius.

"Ah'm sorry Kurt. This must be awful. They put ya rawt inta the middle didn't they?" Rogue asked. She was trying to feel sorry for Kurt, but she knew that something bigger; worse was going on. Sirius had set his mind on killing Peter, but Rogue knew that Peter was the only way to show the Ministry and everyone that he was innocent. She couldn't have just stolen the rat from Ron though, he loved Scabbers. He had no idea who or what Scabbers was really.

"It vasn't zat bad. Not like zey vere hurting me at all. It's just, Hermione; she's been having it rough. I mean, taking so many classes, helping viz Hagrid's case, and her problems vith Ron and Harry. I mean, it didn't have to get any vorse… but it did." Kurt said sadly.

Rogue patted him comfortingly on the shoulder with a gloved hand. I'm really going to have to talk to Sirius tonight. Was all that kept running through Rogue's head though. She had to stop him before he did anything irrational… and she had a feeling he would.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

kosumi: ^_^ Glad you enjoyed the Rietro! I didn't know weather or not to have her kiss him or not… but I guess I just decided against it. *shrugs* I'm glad you enjoyed it!

IceBlueRose: Well… ^_^ I'm glad you reviewed now. I haven't been getting as many of those lately and I'm going through withdrawl. . I'm glad you did though! :D

Yumiko: Sorry Remy hasn't been in this as much but I have future plans for him. As for now though… I doubt you're going to see him much. . Sorry… Oh… and the bike… Remy left it for her when he left. Sorry if I made that confusing… I thought I had made it clear… *slaps head* My mistake.

Hey… you guys want me to update sooner… reviews motivate me! The more you review the faster I update. ^_^ It's been very difficult though. Working on several fics and school and sharing the computer with everyone in the house. Difficult *pants* tiring…

^Crysala^