Nichole was frustrated, ever since her fight with Candi the other day everyone had been tip toeing around her. Nichole wanted to know why she was the only one bothered by Candi's bizarre behaviour, specifically why she was always sneaking off with Snape. Especially when she was apparently in 'detention' but she is photographed at some snobby party. Why was the professor taking Candi to parties.

After breakfast everyone seemed to have vanished, Nichole wondered where all her friends and Candi went. Candi no longer fell in the 'friends' category, but even people she was still friends with had been distancing themselves from her recently. Nichole wasn't sure where everyone had disappeared to, but she wanted to hang out with someone. She liked spending time with Hermione and Harry, but Ron was driving her up the wall. He seemed to think their ginger hair made them sole mates, it was creepy to say the least. Nicole tried to remember what people had said at breakfast about their plans for the morning, she seemed to recall someone mentioning Quidditch.

Nichole slowly made her way down to the Quidditch pitch, but to no avail, it was empty. Perhaps they were in the changing room? Nichole thought. She entered the women's changing rooms, "there you are." Nichole said quietly as she spotted Sammi getting changed out of her burgundy Quidditch robes and back into her plain ones. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel on top of her head, she had clearly just got out of the shower.

"Hi Nicole," Sammi said very loudly with her head inclined towards the showers.

Nichole hadn't even noticed that a shower had been running till she heard the water stop falling, "did you say something Sammi?" Oliver yelled out of the shower, before coming around the corner with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

Sammi had never been so red in the face in her entire life! She knew what this looked like, her getting changed after a shower... Then him getting out of the shower... It looked really bad and she knew it... What is she tells someone? Sammi thought... What if Oliver gets fired?

Speechless Sammi, Oliver and Nichole exchanged awkward glances before Nichole spun around and made for the exit, talking over her shoulder, "well you are friends with Candi." Oliver quickly jumped in front of her, "wait a second."

Nichole paused wondering what hilarious explanation the practically naked man was about to offer. "Sammi's catching skills needed a bit of work so we were practicing on foot just out the front of the castle." Wood started, Nichole clearly didn't believe a word of it, even though it was mostly true. "Then I accidentally threw the ball too hard, Sammi went for it but dripped and she fell into the lake. It was freezing so we came and showered separately." He emphasised the last word.

Sammi tried not to smirk, that story had been partially true. She had fallen in the lake, but it hadn't happened the way Oliver told it. Oliver had been chasing her at the time, this had happened when Oliver explained the rules of Quidditch and they decided that Sammi would be the snitch and Oliver the seeker. When he had caught up to her, after previously not trying very hard, he gentle grabbed her around the waist. In an attempt to escape Sammi had tried to duck sideways, failing miserably they had both fallen into the lake. It had been a playful romantic moment, until the hypothermia started setting in. Oliver and quickly led the way to the showers, there was no one around so Oliver showered in the stall next to Sammi, he wasn't going to bother to walk the extra few hundred metres to the men's changing rooms.

DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF

Making a quick exit after hearing Oliver's lies Nichole decided to head back indoors where it was warmer. But she had a letter to post first so she headed up to where she knew the owls lived just outside the castle. She knew there were owls that belonged to the school that anyone could use them to send letters and that if a parcel you were expecting didn't make it with the morning mail, here was the place to pick it up. Nicole knew the owlery was used a fair bit but she was surprised when she saw Candi waiting just inside the archway entrance.

A guilty look came over Candi's face when she saw Nichole's face. She quickly shook it off and tried to act casually.

"Who are you writing too?" Candi asked casually.

"My parents. You?" Nicole asked civilly.

"I just sent a letter to my cousin," Candi lied.

"Then why are you standing here like you are waiting for something?" Nicole asked with a grin on her face. Something was up here and she wanted to know what.

"I'm not!" Candi insisted firmly as she turned and went to talk out the door. Although when she heard an owl she stopped and spun around, Nichole noticed Candi's interest in the package and grinned even wider reaching for the package. Before Candi could stop Nichole she slipped on the icy step and fell to her knees with a loud thud. She had one hand on the stone floor of the owlery and the other had subconsciously landed on her stomach and before she had the chance to remove it she heard Nichole gasp. Candi quickly stood up before snatching the small parcel out of Nichole's hands, Nichole hadn't been able to stop her as she was still in shock about what she had just seen.

Candi stared at Nichole angrily, "if you tell anyone I will get you out of this school before I even have a chance to pee on this stupid stick!" She threatened.

Fighting the urge to laugh Nicole bolted out of there, she almost slipped on the floor where Candi had just fallen, but she grabbed the wall and managed to make it down all the steps before Candi had even got to the doorway to watch her sprint towards the castes from doors. Great. Just freaking great, Candi thought. Could this situation possibly get any worse?

DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF

Nichole decided maybe she should stop looking for people and head back to the safety of her own room! She wanted to talk to someone so badly about what she had just witnessed, so she decided to write it down and send it to a friend back home. She had only just made it to the bit where she was walking up the stairs in her letter before she was interrupted by laughing outside her door.

"This is such bullshit, you are private rooms and we have a dorm full of roommates. Do you know how sucky it is sharing a room with that many guys? At least one of them is George, is he wasn't there I would go insane." Nichole heard a voice say, it was obviously a guy, she quickly deduced that it was that red headed one Raven seemed to be spending a fair bit of time with. Nichole quietly snuck up to her door so Raven and her friend didn't know she was there. Nichole heard a small thump and the wall ever so slightly vibrated, Nichole carefully opened her door so she could see what was going on. Thankfully for Raven the door squeaked, by the time Nichole's head was out the door all she saw was a flash of the man's coat as he went around the corner into Raven's room.

"Nichole. Hey." Raven said quickly, shutting the door behind Fred. "I will be in in a minute," Raven said loudly, she was hoping Nichole would take the hint and go back to her own room."

"We are not allowed to have guys in here," Nichole said plainly in a quiet tone.

"Guys?" Raven questioned very quickly in a concerned tone.

"Yeah no guy is allowed in here," Nichole repeated, she noticed Raven's body language relax and couldn't help but wonder. Why?

"I will tell him to go," Raven said apologetically, again doing her best to get Nichole to leave her alone.

"I think I will do it myself," Nichole insisted, she knew how sneaky Nichole could be when she wanted to be!

Nichole roughly pushed past Raven who was guarding the door and swung it open. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw not only Fred Weasley but him twin George.

DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF

Nichole's then retreated to the library; she figured she would find, Emily, Rachael or Jane here. Those three would surely listen to her; she had to tell someone about all the insanity she had just witnessed!

Nichole wasn't surprised when she saw Rachael and Jane sitting together at a desk in the library, although she was slightly concerned with who was sitting opposite them. Nichole wanted to know how two of the sweetest girls she had ever met were now sitting opposite from the schools pureblood supremacists and the schools biggest man whore?

"Hey Nichole," Rachael smiled, pushing Shaun's hands away from her own.

"Hey Rach. Hi Jane." Nichole smiled.

"Hey," Jane replied, something didn't seem quite right with Nichole... Although she was probably just uncomfortable because of Jane's little outburst earlier. Jane didn't have the best start to the morning, after Candi's comments this morning about Draco using her she went to go find him. Draco make some snide comment about not wanting to catch some before explaining that he genuinely just wasn't interested in her.

"It's not the same with you, I respect you, why do you think I haven't tried to kiss you yet?" Draco said quietly glancing up from the floor to look her in the eyes.

It was true, Jane though, he hadn't even tried to hold hands with her let alone kiss her.

"I understand," Jane said honestly.

"No I don't think so, Candi and I hung out for a bit, we even made out a few times. But it wasn't like this, your different." Draco said with his shoulders hanging low and his back slightly hunched.

"So you didn't have sex with her?"

"No," Draco lied blatantly. There was an awkward moment silence before Draco looked back at the floor and shrugged, "I'm sorry you fought with Candi."

Jane gently slipped her hand into Draco's, "it's fine. I believe you."

With that Jane squeezed his hand and when he looked up a few moments later she ever so gently pressed her lips against his. It had only been a short peck but Draco couldn't believe how well this had worked out. He had heard the whole timid-in-touch-with-feelings-I-respect-you-thing could work with the quieter girls but her certainly hadn't expected her to kiss him. He smiled to himself wonder what Candi would say if she knew he had just kissed one of her best friends.

Although it hadn't been Candi who had found out about the kiss, it had been Shaun and Rachael. Shaun had offered to help in the Jane-hunt when he saw Rachael nervously leave the great hall. It was also Shaun who spoke up when they arrived in the presence of Jane and Draco, as Rachael had been rendered speechless. "Hey Guys. We are heading to the library to hang out, would you like to come?"

"Sure," Draco agreed surprisingly, Shaun was positive that Draco would have taken this opportunity to bail. Holding hands Draco and Jane followed Shaun.

"What's up Nichole?" Jane asked casually.

"I just thought I would come let you know, well I assumed you wanted to know but now I am not so sure," Nichole said glancing between Draco and Jane.

"Nichole what is it?" Shaun asked to the point.

Nichole looked around and savoured this moment, "Candi's pregnant."

Jane and Rachael all looked upset by this announcement, Jane saw Shaun get out of his seat and squat next to Rachael try to reassure he wrapped an arm around her. When Jane turned to Draco she saw him get out of his chair, he was paler then usual and in an instant Jane realised what had happened. He had lied to her about his relationship with Candi. He had just heard this news and was about to go look for her instead of comforting the woman he had just been holding hands with. His first thought had been Candi! Draco was now half way across the library floor heading towards the exit.

Nichole sat back and watched the mayhem unfold.

"Look after Jane," Shaun whispered quickly as he kissed Rachael's cheek.

"Malfoy, wait up," Shaun yelled after Draco.

Draco paused momentarily to let Shaun catch up to him, "what?"

"Just relax for a second. You don't want to talk to her when you are like this, she is probable upset and confused as it is, you don't even know if it is true." Shaun said logically. Shaun wondered what was happening, normally if drama like this happened he would be taking a front row seat and enjoying it. Perhaps it had something to do with his upset girlfriend and her friend? Whatever the reason he wasn't going to let Draco go make the whole situation worse.

"I'm going to talk to her," Draco stated.

"No. You are not." Shaun said frankly as he stood in Draco's way. Draco knew he didn't really have a chance against Shaun, Shaun was not only the year above him, but he was also three inches taller and was of a bigger build. Disregarding this Draco tried to pass Shaun, who then grabbed his arm, Draco shouted, "let go off me." Before he tried to punch the bigger guy. Shaun manuvered Draco like he was chess piece, suddenly Draco had the arm Shaun was holding tucked behind him like a chicken wing.

"What is going on?" Victor asked as he entered the library responding to the commotion. Emily trailed closely behind him, although not closely enough so any observers would think their relationship was anything more than professional. Although when she saw her friends looking upset she quickly ran to their aid wondering what was wrong.

"This idiot," Shaun started letting go of the squirming Draco, "was about to go do something stupid. Well something more stupid then he has already done."

"What stupid thing has he done?" Victor asked loudly.

There was awkward silence throughout the library, so when Draco whispered, "Candi's pregnant." Everyone heard including Emily, it had taken her a moment to notice as she was soothing her friends, especially Jane. Jane was sobbing hard, Emily was only be able to catch a few words... of them were 'Draco' and 'stupid'. When she looked up next she saw the ill look on Victor's face. Leaving Rachael to ease Jane, Emily walking towards Victor hastily, something was seriously wrong. She quickly led him outside the library, ignoring Shaun and Draco who were now tussling on the ground.

"Victor what is wrong?" she asked as she rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe the very ill looking man who was now leaning over the balcony.

"I'm so so unbelievably sorry Emily, it was so stupid," Victor said clearly upset and frustrated with himself.

"This isn't your fault, Malfoy is the idiot..." Emily said before trailing off. Why has he apologising? Why was he saying it was his fault?

Emily felt in that instant the sensation of having her heart ripped out of her chest and eaten by wild animals. She didn't even realise it but she was shaking and for a few moments she wasn't breathing. Although she couldn't tell, Emily was equally as pale as Victor. Her chest felt hollow, yet it still ached as if it was there.

DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF DF

This was longer but I didn't like it! Drats, so I deleted a chunk out of the middle! Next chapter is 'Pick your battles." Next chapter is some relationships ending... others reconciling.

This chapter is dedicated to the amazing Emily who was not feeling well today and I though could use a laugh and some drama! Feel better Emmie