Willow watched Harry disappear through the back door and join the other Champions. Her stomach flipped, and she suddenly regretted eating all that food. She gripped her chest and willed herself to calm down. There was no need to panic. Either Dumbledore would find a way to get him out of the Tournament, or he would have to compete, but the new precautions would protect him. The Ministry had done extensive work to ensure the safety of the Champions. He would be okay. Yeah, he'd be okay...right?

"Off to bed, students!" McGonagall urged.

The noise level quadrupled instantly. Whispers turned to full on hysteric shouts. Conspiracies flew around faster than the speed of light. Harry had used Dark Magic to age himself, then he'd bewitched an older student to put in his name, then he'd made a secret compact with Dumbledore and the Ministry officials. Willow's head spun. Her ears rang. Suddenly, the light was too bright. There were too many people touching her. Her chest tightened, and her nerves prickled painfully.

"I need to get out of here," Willow rasped.

She ignored her friends' multitude of questions and shoved her way through the crowd. Her vision blurred slightly. She was hardly aware of all the odd stares she got. Willow simply made a beeline for stairs outside the Entrance Hall. She sat down out of view of the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students, panic slowly seeping in as she realized her airways were tightening. She struggled to force deep, even breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth, just as her dad had taught her when asthma had affected her soccer training. Just picturing Carlos's face was nearly enough to calm her down. All she needed to do was forget about Harry...he was going to be fine...she needed to think about her family–

Grace, NO!

Do it now!

Ava...avada ke...kedavra...

No! Willow screamed at herself. Every time I think about my family peacefully! LEAVE ME ALONE, STUPID PAST!

But she could do nothing to stop it now. Memories rushed at her like a hurricane. Willow kept seeing Rion's smile, her mum's laughing face, her dad's joy, and all the good times, only for them to be swallowed up by horrible ones. The Fawleys busting down the door; Grace fighting with Carlos; Rion crying into Willow's shoulder after an argument; it was like being strung up by a yo-yo from Hell. Willow found it harder and harder to breathe. She couldn't anchor herself in reality anymore. She was slipping away faster and faster and faster–

"Willow. No estamos en peligro. No tenga miedo."

Willow's eyes snapped open. Someone was holding her arm. She finally recognized Paige, and George was there, too, on her other side. Willow realized what had happened and abruptly stood up, clearing her throat. Everything felt raw and raspy. The burning in her chest was fizzling out, but not fast enough that she could breathe properly. Willow couldn't look her friends in the eyes as she wiped away some sweat on her forehead.

"Sorry. You didn't need to see that." Willow drew in an uneasy breath. "That was stupid. I'm letting everything get to me again – better work on that – can't have me breaking down every five seconds– "

"Willow. That's the second time this year. Something's changed," Paige said.

"Nothing's changed. I'm still the same old me, just a little weaker, apparently, since I can't get my emotions under control– "

"Do you put other people down for having panic attacks?" George pointed out.

"No..."

"Then you're being a hypocrite to yourself," Paige concluded. "Stop it. You have nothing to apologize for."

"See, that's where you're wrong. Other people have panic attacks. I, however, do not. I simply allow myself to get wrapped up in my thoughts to a ridiculous point. I need to stop. It's my own fault, and I have complete control, but I'm choosing to be lazy."

"Is it just me, or is everything coming out of your mouth a lie?" George said.

Willow deadpanned. "I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth."

"And my adoptive parents smother me in love," Paige retorted. "You need help, Willow. There's plenty of people who can give it to you."

"I don't want help. I can get through this on my own. I have to get through this on my own." Willow let out a mirthless chuckle. "If I can't control my own emotions, how in the hell am I supposed to finish this prophecy?"

"You know it's okay to be human and a hero at the same time, right?" George commented.

"I don't think you understand. I need to get this crap under control. I have three years to get this done, or you all die," Willow reminded them. "If I bring any one of you into this, the prophecy isn't necessary. You'll die before it can even take effect."

"We're not afraid of a prophecy. We're afraid of losing you to yourself."

Willow balled up her fists. "Well, stop being afraid, because I'm fine. Guerreros don't lose themselves."

"You're not fine! Have you taken a look in the mirror recently?"

"Yes, I have! And you know what I see? A worthless piece of rubbish that isn't anything close to a Gryffindor! I'm trying to impersonate a version of myself that I'll never be! My brother died, and you know what? I could have stopped it! The warning signs were all there! My parents were fighting, the Fawleys were constantly stopping by, and Rion was getting scared of their conversations. And when he was murdered, right in front of my eyes, I laid there like a dead fish. I did nothing. I watched him die, and I could have stopped it!"

"You would have died if you tried to stop it!"

"Good! It would have solved a lot of problems! This stupid prophecy wouldn't affect anybody!"

"Do you even hear how suicidal you sound right now?"

"I'm not killing myself. That's stupid. The prophecy won't stop now that I've gained my powers. And I'm done wanting to end my life. That was a dark phase that lasted all of three months."

"What the hell– you never told us about that!"

"Well, maybe it's because I didn't want to talk about it! I didn't want anyone to know!"

"Willow, please," Paige pleaded. She stepped closer to her. "Let us help you help yourself. I can't stand seeing you this broken."

Willow swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I really am. But you can't fix shattered glass, Paige."

Willow sprinted away, faster than Paige or George could follow. She found her way to the lowest level of Hogwarts, then followed the passageways to the Hufflepuff common room. She knocked on the barrel in a certain pattern, and it sprung aside, revealing the cottage door. Willow slipped inside and quietly shut it behind her. She looked around the common room and found Oliver almost immediately. He was the only one left up. He sprang to his feet when he saw Willow.

"What are you doing here? Did something happen? Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Oh, please don't tell me Snape gave you detention– !"

"I'm fine, Oliver, but can I...can I stay in the common room tonight?" Willow sighed. "I can't go to Gryffindor Tower right now."

Oliver examined her face. "You know I won't make you talk, but do you want to?"

Willow shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'll tell you what happened in the morning. Right now, I just want to sleep."

"Okay. I'll sleep out here, too."

"You don't have to– "

"I miss sleeping near my sister."

Willow couldn't help but smile. She pulled a few blankets from underneath the couch and spread them out. Oliver gathered the majority of them for himself and curled up into a ball on the closest reclining chair. Willow turned the lights out and laid down, watching the stars outside the kitchen area window. She eventually closed her eyes and listened to the sound of Oliver's soft breathing, her heart rate finally relaxing. She sighed with relief.

Why are you such a stubborn arse? Willow asked herself.


Monday morning dawned cold and partly cloudy. Willow had avoided her friends all Sunday, and even went so far as to spend a great deal of time with Luna in the Forbidden Forest. She refused to step foot in Gryffindor Tower. Paige and George were bound to be extremely pissed about the way things went down. She didn't like being on their bad side, and she certainly wasn't going to accidentally hurt them if her powers acted up. So Willow found herself crashing in the Hufflepuff common room once again, and although she knew the Hufflepuffs were perfectly okay with her, she felt bad about invading their safe space. Gryffindor had taken enough from them already.

Willow folded and tucked away her blankets. With no one else stirring, she made certain to open the door quietly and let herself out. She breathed in the deliciously cold air of the dungeon corridors. Her stomach growled when she picked up on the smell of freshly-baked rolls from the kitchens. She pondered whether to grab a few, then decided against it, realizing that tickling the pear might make it laugh too loudly and wake up Oliver. Willow sighed disappointedly and trudged up the stairs.

The entire castle was silent. Willow wouldn't have expected anything else. After a full day of exciting whispers and exhausting theories, the whole student body had to be sleeping like a rock. Willow still hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Harry about what happened with the Goblet, but she got the sense that he didn't want to say a word about it yet. Ginny had told her about the party Saturday night in Harry's honor, and although Harry seemed to be in the middle of it all, he had escaped to his dormitory the first chance he got. He didn't want to be in this tournament as much as Fred and George did want to be in it.

Willow risked a quick trip to her dormitory to rescue her soccer ball, and was already running through some drills by the time six thirty rolled around. She weaved through cones, flew across the field, took countless shots on the makeshift goal, blowing off steam bit by bit. It helped her forget about the prophecy, forget about her past, forget about anything and everything that made her worry. Stress rolled off her muscles the harder they worked. Willow imagined she was back on the Ugandan soccer field, fighting tooth and nail with that older boy for the win. Her mind transcended her body, and she was defeating player after player, scoring goals left and right, winning fifty/fifty balls with ease. She was so happy to be at peace for once that she almost forgot to pay attention to the time. At seven thirty, Willow sprinted up the steps to the Entrance Hall and grabbed an apple, then was on her way again.

It took fifteen extra minutes of waiting outside the Fat Lady's portrait until Willow was sure her roommates, Paige, and George were gone. She snatched her textbooks from her dormitory and was about to leave when she heard Dean and Seamus arguing outside the door. She quickly hid herself from view and listened in.

"You messed up that painting! I had all the details perfect, but you insisted on tweaking it, and now it's ruined!" Dean accused.

"I had to! A self-portrait of you has to actually represent the painter!" Seamus retorted.

"What do you mean, actually has to represent the painter? I painted myself exactly as I saw in the mirror!"

"Well, the mirror was lying! You were too modest to give yourself a jawline and muscle tone! And your dimples? Where were those? And your smile– not nearly bright enough!"

"Wait, what?"

Willow heard a soft shuffling. Seamus must have been uncomfortably shifting his positing. Willow could clearly imagine the red blush on his cheeks. Dean's too, for that matter. She had a feeling she knew what was going on better than the boys themselves did.

"I went too far," Seamus muttered.

"No, no, I think you were in the middle of complimenting me. Go on," Dean said, the note of laughter in his voice unmistakable. "Muscle tone? Jawline? I believe we left off somewhere in there?"

"Shut up..."

"You pay close enough attention to know about my dimples. And this thing about my bright smile? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're looking."

"I am not!"

"Would you still claim you're not looking if I told you I was?"

There was a pause, then Dean walked down the stairs, a slight smirk on his face. Willow stepped out of her hiding spot to find Seamus gawking after him. She burst out laughing when he looked back and forth from her to Dean, trying and failing to speak. Seamus couldn't meet Willow's eyes when he finally managed words.

"You heard that, didn't you?"

"Yep."

"I was accidentally flirting again, wasn't I?"

"Yep."

Seamus sighed. "Of course I was. Great. I always thought I'd flirt by blowing things up, or making cool fireworks, or something that involves fire. He's turning me into an art critic."

"If it makes you feel any better, he's very obviously flirting back," Willow said. "And the sheer amount of art with you in it? I know plenty of girls that ask for Dean to paint portraits of them, but he refuses."

"That does not make me feel any better. He has the upper hand– again. How the hell does he do that?"

"I wouldn't know. I stuff all my feelings into glass bottles and chuck them against the wall."

Seamus deadpanned at her. "You need serious help."

"You need to ask Dean out."

"Fine. Let's agree to a not-doing-either-of-those-things truce."

"Truce. Now get your Herbology book before you forget again."

Willow waited for Seamus to grab his textbook, then they were on their way to Herbology. To Willow's disappointment, the tension level in the greenhouse had never been higher. The Hufflepuffs gathered on one side of the room, refusing to look anywhere near Harry. Only Oliver was still talking to him normally, but that was because they were close-ish friends. Harry had stolen the glory from Hufflepuff, and the spotlight rarely shone on that hardworking house, no matter how much they deserved it. What astounded Willow most of all, however, was cold Ron and Harry were acting toward one another. They spoke to Hermione, who sat between them, but other than that, they exchanged zero words. Willow could hardly believe it. Was Ron seriously jealous of Harry?

"Good morning, class!" Professor Sprout said. She pulled a vibrating pot onto her table. "Today we'll be repotting Bouncing Bulbs. They're tricky, these ones are. You have to get a firm grip on them, or you might find yourself sporting a few bruises by the end of the lesson. Make sure you bury them deep and pat in the soil very firmly! Off you go, then!"

Willow grabbed her group the tray full of Bouncing Bulbs and brought them back to their station. Neville, Oliver, and Sam helped the best they could as she repotted the Bulbs one by one. Willow understood very quickly what Professor Sprout meant about a firm grip. The first chance they got, the Bulbs slipped out of her hands and bounced all over the place. Willow got smacked in the ear, then the arm, then the collarbone. She slammed her open palm down and trapped it on the table.

"Well then. I guess gentle handling is not a requirement with these guys," she said. "Sam, you actually get to handle the plants today!"

"Rude."

Sam did, however, enjoy wrestling the Bulbs into their pots. Neville and Oliver winced every time he and Willow had to rough up the Bulbs, but in the end, it did the trick. The resilient little things didn't scratch or break under high pressure. Willow found a spot on the top of the Bulbs that, when squeezed, rendered them motionless. She helped Sam find it, and afterwards repotted the rest of the plants in minutes. Professor Sprout awarded five house points to each of them for their work and moved on to check on Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry lost control of one of the Bulbs as she passed by.

"Careful, Potter!" she barked. Ernie and Justin snickered. "And make sure you bury them deeper than that!"

"Her too?" Willow said. "They really are a little cold with Harry today."

"I wish they wouldn't be like this," Oliver sighed. "But we're all a bit stubborn. When someone steals the spotlight, we end up disliking them as an entire House."

"I get it. I wish Hufflepuff would get more attention, too," Sam pointed out. "You guys are amazing, yet half the Gryffindors don't think much of Hufflepuff at all. You're literally the only sane ones in this school, and the only ones who are kind no matter what. Sarah Brown? Best person in the world? Hufflepuff."

"I wanted to be in Hufflepuff before I got sorted," Neville remarked. "I guess I was so stubborn about it the Sorting Hat put me in Gryffindor."

"We are a bull-headed bunch, aren't we?" Willow said.

"Hufflepuffs can be even more bull-headed," Oliver reminded her. "We just compromise better in the end."

"Teach me how!" Sam wailed dramatically. "Sally and I have had so many stalemated arguments, it's not even funny."

"That, I cannot help you with," Oliver chortled. "Sibling rivalries are impossible."

"I'm doomed..." Sam groaned.

When the bell rang minutes later, the four headed over to Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid was carefully walking out of his garden by the time they got there, balancing several crates of skrewts. He set down the precarious pile near Willow, and she peered inside to find a three-foot cross between a crab and a scorpion. Her eyebrows shot up. The gray, shapeless creatures had now evolved into armoured, giant fire-farting monsters, even though no one had yet figured out what they ate. Willow wondered what on Earth Hagrid had planned for them today, given that most of the students wouldn't possess the strength to handle the skrewts. She soon found out: they were going to take them for a walk to expend their extra energy.

"You must be joking," Miranda groaned.

"Well, it's not a joke, so we might as well get to it," Willow suggested.

After tying a tether around a skrewt for each of her friends, she led the way around the grassy Hogwarts grounds. Every once in a while, a skrewt's end would explode, and they'd shoot forward several meters, dragging a student behind them. Willow couldn't stop herself from laughing when that very thing happened to Sam. He yelled at her to stop it, but that only made her laugh harder. Cypress ended up taking the skrewt and walked it for him. Willow was beginning to have the most fun Care of Magical Creatures class ever when a familiar drawl reached her ears.

"You really think he'd make it to the second task? That imbecile? No, I guarantee they'll have to send him to the hospital wing with permanent brain damage ten minutes into the first task."

"I wish I was allowed to give you permanent brain damage, Blondie," Willow retorted. She smirked as Draco whipped around. He sent Crabbe and Goyle ahead. "I might not have to hear your whining anymore."

"I would say the same, but I doubt the wizarding community would allow their precious Fire Flier to go to waste."

Willow was caught off guard by the nickname. "What are you talking about?"

"You haven't read the Daily Prophet lately? You're in every issue now. The Head Auror is still raving about how you saved his daughter and husband from the fire. And now everyone is claiming that they've seen you in action before, at places you definitely haven't been to."

"Let them talk. I don't want the spotlight, anyway. I just want to live my life in peace."

"Oh, no, I think you do want the spotlight. All of you bloody Gryffindors do. You seek it out every chance you can, vying for a shot at getting your name in the history books. And now, just because you have extra powers, you want to use them to stand out. You're getting an awfully big head, Wisp. Don't forget where you came from."

Willow's powers reacted before she could. Tree roots grew right out of the ground and wrapped around Draco's ankle, sending him sprawling. To make matters worse, his skrewt exploded, and he was dragged several meters across the grass. Willow tightened her hands into fists as he scrambled to his feet.

"You think I can forget where I came from?" she seethed. Draco took a step backwards. "I wish I could, but it's been burned into my brain more times than I can count. I hate that awful name. I wish I could destroy that house and all the people in it without looking back. But I can't. I'm powerless to change anything right now, and even if I could, I wouldn't be able to live with myself after killing so many people."

"God, you're such a goody-two-shoes," Draco muttered.

"And you're such a prick! You don't mind that your family is still actively oppressing Muggleborns!"

"I do mind!" Draco thundered. He looked around, then lowered his voice. "You think I actually like what my father does?"

"You don't let on otherwise, bullying Muggleborns at every turn, making loud comments about blood status, and constantly raving about your father– "

"I have to do that, Wisp! If the others question my allegiance, they'll question my father's, and then when they start moving again, there might be consequences!"

Willow peered at Draco's whitening face. "Hang on...'when' they start moving again? Not if?" The rest of the colour drained from Draco's complexion. "Something's coming, isn't it? That's why you're being, well, you, more than usual."

"I don't know anything specific, but there's been too many whisperings to ignore. My father has been disappearing more often and not saying a word about what happens when he does. I think they're starting to meet again. The only reason I can think of for them to restart their gatherings is– "

"–Voldemort." Willow's heart skipped a few beats. She ignored Draco's wince. "Sorry, I forget people are afraid of his name. You really think he's making a comeback, though?"

"He has to be. They wouldn't be gathering otherwise."

Willow gulped. "That means the Fawleys are there, too, which in turn means Grace is getting roped into the festivities. How wonderful. My mother's going to die brainwashed and scared."

"You-Know-Who wouldn't kill her straight away," Draco said. "She turned away from her new family and rejoined the loyal Fawleys. That's got to count for something."

"Thanks, Draco, that makes me feel so much better," Willow said sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it like that! I'm just saying you don't have to worry about her. She'll be safe as long as she stays loyal."

"But she isn't always loyal. Every once in a while, I see my actual mother break through their brainwashing, and she is so against the Fawleys, she'd be horrified to know what she's done. If Voldemort happens to find her during one of those episodes...it's game over."

"That won't happen."

"How do you know that for sure?" Willow asked, looking him right in the eyes. "How can you be so certain?"

Draco's gray eyes stormed. "Because I have to be."

In that moment, a thousand words of understanding passed between the two. Willow finally realized what was going on with Draco. He was so scared all the time, because if Voldemort came back, his entire family would be tested, day in, day out, for their loyalty. Draco had been forced to follow in his father's footsteps to protect not only himself, but his mother as well. He had to stand out as loyal to pureblood mania, or there would be too many questions. He had to be a bully. He had to convince himself that his father would be okay when Voldemort returned. He had to do all of this, because if he didn't, he could lose everything.

"I'm...sorry," Willow whispered.

Draco only nodded. He wouldn't look at her. Willow exhaled slowly, and swallowing her pride, indiscreetly walked alongside Draco and took his hand. He tensed up for a moment, then relaxed. To Willow's surprise, he didn't shove her away or drop her hand. He just ignored her completely, but in his own way, Willow could tell he was begrudgingly appreciative. She finally stepped away after a few moments.

"If you want...I'm open to trying this friendship thing again," Willow murmured.

Draco's head snapped in her direction. "You seriously want to be friends? After all that fighting?"

"I think I understand now. I won't bother you about your bullying. I won't bother you about the snide remarks. You never take it too far, and I see that now. Just...prove to me every once in a while that it's not fun for you, alright? I do value a little honesty."

"I don't know how I'd do that, but...I guess it's worth a shot, if only for some light-hearted bickering now and then," Draco admitted, smirking. He held out his hand. "Shall we start this over?"

Willow grinned as she shook his hand. "Gladly. I'll tease you later, Blondie."

"Can't wait to make fun of you, Wisp."

Willow practically skipped back to her friends. They raised their brows at her glowing expression. Oliver and Cypress were the only pair without grass stains all over their robes, and Neville was downright covered in mud.

"We missed your help over here. Please tell me something went well?" Miranda said.

"Perfectly well, actually. I might have an excuse to prank the Slytherin common room later. Does anyone know how to enhance frog-spawning soap? I've got a few ideas I'd love to try out..."


A few days later, Willow still hadn't slept in her dormitory, and she refused to go anywhere near Paige and George. Fred and Lee had managed to corner her on Wednesday of that week, but she wouldn't tell them what was going on, even when they grilled her with question after question. They pleaded with her to talk to George and Paige, that they said to tell her they were getting extremely worried. Willow only clammed up further. She felt bad about ghosting her friends, but she couldn't let them get to her with this anxiety crap. She didn't have it. She never would. All she needed to do was get a little tougher, and she'd be fine...right?

Cypress managed to sneak Willow into the Slytherin common room one night. He helped her come up with an intricate plan to get back at Draco for his recent comments about Harry and Gryffindor in general. It may or may not have involved several of Cypress's newest potions; neither would ever tell if someone asked. They schemed late into the night without managing to turn any heads, and Willow passed out on a couch close to the fireplace. She couldn't say she didn't enjoy the colder temperature of the dungeons.

The next morning, Willow headed down to breakfast with Cypress and even sat at the Slytherin table with him. Oliver joined them, and Willow got to enjoy their light-hearted banter. Cypress made a comment about Oliver's green eyes shining even brighter in the cloudy weather, and the Hufflepuff couldn't stop blushing, even after breakfast was finished. Willow traveled back to the Slytherin common room with Cypress to pick up his books, and they were off to Divination.

"When are you going to ask him out?" Willow pressed. "You two are like the couple that everyone knows is a couple, but you're somehow not officially dating."

"I told you, I'll ask him when the time is right," Cypress said. "I have a feeling this year is the year, though, so get your creativity ready. I'll need to pick your brain for the perfect plan."

"God, you're such a romantic. It's disgusting and adorable at the same time."

"Spoken like the true Willow Guerrero."

"I'm always the true Willow Guerrero."

"Are you, though?"

Willow scoffed. "What is that supposed to mean? I'm always me."

"Says the one that pretends to be a social butterfly all day long, when you really want nothing to do with human interaction." Willow stuck out her tongue at Cypress. "Hey, if I take over the world, you don't have to interact with anyone if you don't want!"

"Wow. It's almost like you're tempting me not to stop you."

"Is it working?"

"No."

Cypress stuck out his lip and pretended to pout. "One of these days, Willow, I'll get you on my side. But then I've got to deal with Oliver's puppy eyes...that's going to be a work in progress forever, isn't it?"

"Definitely."

The pair reached the North Tower. Willow let Cypress climb up the ladder first, then followed, immediately getting hit with the horrible perfume of the Divination classroom. She did her best to breathe as minimally as possible and cracked open a window to let some fresh air in. She rubbed her forehead where a headache was already beginning to pound against her skull.

Professor Trelawney performed as she usually did, that misty voice of hers hardly penetrating the sleepiness threatening to shut Willow's consciousness down. Instead of paying attention as she usually did, Willow entertained herself by watching Oliver and Cypress accidentally flirt with one another– well, "accidentally" only applied to Oliver. Cypress just outright flirted with Oliver all the time, whether anyone was watching or not. Willow couldn't wipe the stupid grin off her face if she tried. The pair were so perfect together: chaotic neutral, lawful good. They always pulled one another in the opposite direction, and in the end, it balanced them out. Willow had never seen them leave a disagreement unresolved. In fact, their "fights" usually led to laughter and teasing five minutes later. It was downright adorable.

Willow must have drifted off at some point, because one moment she was giggling over the ship name Cyver, and the next, she was standing in front of her mother's mansion. She groaned and tried to pinch herself awake, but it did no good. Willow was stuck in the same vision she'd had earlier in the year. Her legs forcibly carried her after Grace into that weird, creepy tunnel, and she saw the item once again, and Grace said the same exact thing she'd said before. Willow sighed and braced herself for the collapse of the house, and she patiently waited for the dirt to half-suffocate her before waking up.

But she didn't wake up this time. The dirt slowly filtered away, and Willow found herself standing in a massive crater. The Fawley house stood broken, decrepit, and water-soaked around her. Precious artifacts had been destroyed, paintings ripped in half, and furniture scorched. Willow wondered for a moment if someone had set off a bomb, but then she saw a figure standing at the edge of the destruction, wand still aimed at the center of the crater. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a clear image of who it was, but the figure only blurred, and Willow was suddenly ripped out of the vision. Oliver was shaking her awake.

"Willow, come on, you can't fall asleep during every lesson!" he scolded. "How do you do your homework if you don't know what you're doing?"

"I make it up," Willow snorted. "Trelawney loves a good tragedy." At Oliver's pointed look, she sighed and put her hands up. "Fine, fine, I'll pay attention today. Maybe I'll get ideas for an even more interesting death sentence."

"What did you see in today's vision?" Cypress asked. Willow furrowed her brow, and the blonde rolled his eyes. "Come on, Willow, you think we haven't noticed the difference between you napping and passing out from a vision? You were saying things while unconscious again. Something was different this time, wasn't it?"

Willow nodded. "I saw a little more. After the explosion, or whatever it was, I dug myself out, and I was standing at the bottom of a crater. Someone was standing at the top. Their wand was drawn. I think it was the person that destroyed the house."

"But you didn't see who it was."

"Of course not. Why would any of my visions actually be helpful?" Willow sighed frustratedly and picked at a scab on her shoulder. "I really, really need to start working with Cebba to get rid of these prediction things. They're starting to grate on my nerves."

"I thought they were grating on your nerves two years ago?"

"Oh, shut it, Cypress, you've procrastinated worse."

"I wouldn't procrastinate this long if the fate of the world was at stake."

"The fate of the world can wait. I've got at least three years before it all goes to Hell. In the meantime," Willow said, leaning back in her chair, "I'm going to learn how the movement of Saturn is going to cause my immediate death on a random day."

Cypress chuckled, and they dropped the conversation. Trelawney droned on and on for a seemingly super long time. Willow struggled to fight sleep the whole class. When the bell finally rang, Willow praised the Lord and darted out of there, Cypress and Oliver on her heels. They had a quick lunch together, then Oliver parted ways to go to Transfiguration, and the other two headed down to the dungeons for double Potions. Willow and Cypress skidded to a stop when they saw the Slytherins gathered in front of Snape's classroom.

"What the hell is this, some sort of legacy meeting?" Willow said.

Draco snickered. "See for yourself, Wisp."

The blonde tapped a button on his chest. At first, it glowed with red letters, spelling out "Support Cedric Diggory– The REAL Hogwarts Champion," which was bad enough as it was, but at Draco's touch, the letters disappeared and two green words replaced them: "Potter Stinks".

"Wow, how very clever of you," Willow said, rolling her eyes.

"I know, it took me hours to get the charms right," Draco agreed. He pulled another button out of his pocket and offered it to Cypress. "Do you want one, Mudblood? All the other Slytherins are wearing them. You should join your house for once."

"If the greatest insult you could come up with is 'Potter Stinks', I'd be insulted just to wear something created by someone so unoriginal."

"Whatever, Mudblood." Draco turned to Willow. "And I suppose you don't want one, since you're constantly following after Potter like a lost dog. Do you know how he got his name in the Goblet? Was it Dark Magic? I always wondered if he hadn't gained an affinity for it, after what happened with You-Know-Who..."

"He didn't put his name in, and some people are above using Dark Magic to get their way, Draco," Willow said, shooting him a glare. "And by the way, I don't follow anyone."

"Ah, I forgot, you're committed to going against the grain at every chance you get. How does it feel, being the first blood traitor of the Fawley family line?"

Willow whipped out her wand and pressed it into Draco's neck. He calmly backed into the wall, actually smirking at her. Willow only got more frustrated and raised her fist.

"I am not a Fawley," she growled. "Don't you ever use that name with me in public!"

"Careful now, Willow. You wouldn't want Snape to give you a month-long detention, would you?"

Willow begrudgingly released him. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Draco wasn't doing this because he liked it. He has to act like this, she reminded herself. But looking at his smug face and gleaming, silvery eyes, she struggled to not ignore everything he said the previous day. Either he was a really good actor, or he was lying to her. Willow preferred to believe the former.

Cypress pulled her away before she could do anything stupid. Draco went back to cracking jokes at Harry's expense with the other Slytherins. Willow dug her nails into her palms to keep herself from going crazy. Letting Draco back into her life was going to be especially difficult, but she couldn't deny the similarities between them, however dark. If Voldemort really came back, she couldn't leave him to the wolves. They would both be caught between a rock and a hard place. They might even end up relying on each other to make it out alive. Willow wished it was anyone else, but since when had life ever granted her wish?

Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived on the scene moments later. Willow saw them too late, and she couldn't prevent Harry from seeing the "Potter Stinks" buttons. She clapped a hand to her forehead when Draco got into a heated exchange with the Gryffindor– again. Draco eventually insulted Hermione with a Mudblood comment, and both boys drew their wands. Willow groaned and pushed Cypress farther down the corridor. Draco always baited Harry into fights, especially around Snape, because the Slytherin was too smart to know that he wouldn't get punished when Harry was in the mix.

The boys fired off their spells, and the aftermath didn't surprise Willow one bit. The spells, of course, ricocheted, and now Goyle and Hermione were dealing with the consequences of the fight. Goyle was sprouting nasty boils all over his face, and Hermione was covering her mouth, refusing to let anyone see her. Willow was about to step forward and help when Snape swept into the corridor.

Great, now Draco's going to get off scot-free, she thought as the Slytherins simultaneously launched into an explanation. Snape quieted them and specifically asked Draco what happened. Willow's blood boiled at his innocent version of the story. She was proud of Harry for interrupting and telling Snape that both of them attacked one another. Snape sent Goyle to the hospital wing, then forced Hermione to show him what happened to her. Willow gasped as Hermione revealed super long front teeth. They were still growing, and now reached the top of her chin. The Slytherins burst into laughter. Snape said he saw no difference. Hermione burst into tears and ran away.

That did it. Willow was done. Right as Ron and Harry hurled a torrent of expletives and insults at Snape, Willow joined right in. Snape didn't hear her, however, and took fifty points from Gryffindor before giving Ron and Harry detention. He wore an ugly smile as he disappeared back into the classroom. The Slytherins howled with laughter and pointed at the boys. Willow rounded on Draco and punched him in the chest. He smashed into the wall and sank to the ground.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" Draco coughed.

"You want to laugh at other people's pain? You have to be able to laugh at your own, then!" Willow kicked him in the shoulder, and he let out a strained grunt. "How do you like it now, Blondie?"

"I think you broke something," Draco spluttered. He winced as he gripped his shoulder. "Or popped something out of place."

"You want a real injury to complain about? I'll give you a real injury."

Willow grabbed Draco by the ear and dragged him down the corridor. Draco scrambled along beside her, a chorus of ow's following. Willow forced him up the steps and through the castle, all the way to the hospital wing, where she paused outside the door. She held Draco against the wall with her palm on his chest.

"You're a damn good actor, Draco. Did you actually enjoy that?"

"What do you think?" he snapped. "You think I wanted to hurt anyone? The only part I enjoyed was seeing Potter's face when I showed him the button. It took a lot of work to make these, I'll have you know!"

"I can deal with rivalry, but not what you did to Hermione. Answer me. Honestly."

Draco's eyes stormed. The grey suddenly darkened a few shades. "No."

Willow released him, but not before getting in another sharp blow to his shoulder. He recoiled and put his other arm up in a "What gives?" gesture. Willow rolled her eyes. "I'm helping you, idiot. Your father would be over-the-moon to hear we're rivals. Tell him we got into a fight and you won. Embellish it as much as you want. You're good at that."

"You know, some people would call this a very unhealthy friendship."

"Nothing about me is healthy. Now go make sure Madam Pomfrey fixed Hermione, and get yourself checked out. You're welcome. I got you out of being poisoned by Snape."

"I didn't say thank you."

Willow grinned and pushed Draco towards the door. "Go, Blondie. I've got a greasy-haired arsehole to deal with."

"Have fun with detention, then."

"You know I will," Willow called over her shoulder.

She took her sweet old time returning to Potions, much to the frustration of Professor Snape. His jaw was so tight that Willow could have imagined it wired shut. He didn't say a word as she made her way to Cypress's brewing station, instead glaring daggers. Judging by the fact that Harry was missing and Snape's attitude was even more sour than usual, the Gryffindor had been stolen away on Triwizard Tournament business. Karma had worked fast that afternoon. Willow smiled patronizingly and sat down in Cypress's spinny chair. He was already hard at work on another concoction, muttering to himself as he added pickled frog legs to the cauldron.

"Please tell me you've been working out a way to get back at Snape," Willow said under her breath.

"As if it's even a question," Cypress hissed. "That man only lets me do my thing because I'm a Slytherin and a potions prodigy, the only two kinds of people he doesn't kick around. Getting back at him will be a sweet revenge. He won't give me detention, and he certainly wouldn't dare deduct points from his own House. There's no way he can retaliate, especially if we're discreet about it."

"What do you have planned?"

"Oh, just an old favorite of mine. I used to be quite the pyrotechnic before I knew I was a wizard. Now I just enhance my talent with magic." Cypress used a ladle to scoop out a vial full of brownish-orangish liquid. "Aha! Easiest thing I ever made. Only takes ten minutes, if you're practiced." He eyed Snape, who was passing by some Gryffindors. Willow figured he would check on them any second now. She caught Cypress's eye, and she nodded. "Just follow my lead, and it'll go fine."

Willow did her best to suppress a conspiratorial grin as Snape prowled behind them. Cypress went to hand her the vial, but at the last second, almost imperceptibly, he released two fingers from it, sending the vial hurtling toward the floor. Willow jumped backward, and the glass shattered. Cypress began to warn Snape as he backpedaled, but he was purposely too late. The potion reacted with the impact and exploded. Dark soot covered every exposed inch of Snape's skin. His robes were singed. Willow and Cypress pretended to be beside themselves with concern and immediately mopped up the mess.

"I'm so sorry, Professor! I should have been more careful in handling the situation!" Willow wailed.

Snape turned his menacing cold face to her. His eyes narrowed. "Maybe next time you should be more careful of your actions, Miss Guerrero. Actions...speak far louder...than words."

Snape stormed across the room, already repairing his robes with his wand. He growled in frustration when the black marks wouldn't come off his face. Cypress high-fived Willow while the Professor's back was turned.

"I hope he knows that those ashes don't come off for two hours!" Cypress whispered, eyes sparking with electricity. "He's going to make a fool of himself at dinner!"

Snape would have made a fool of himself– if he had shown up at dinner, which he wisely did not. Willow could hardly believe her luck. She didn't get detention, she'd pissed off Snape, and she'd gotten back at Draco without destroying their fragile friendship. Hermione wasn't at dinner, either, but Willow assumed she was still working with Pomfrey to fix her teeth. The rest of the Gryffindor Sisters had trapped Benigno at the Gryffindor table, loudly going on about how he should have been Champion, that he was very talented, and much more. Benigno shot a desperate look at Willow, and she silently promised to save him after dinner.

At the end of the table, Harry sat completely and utterly alone, appearing rather exhausted and downcast. Willow seized the chance and dropped into an empty space to his left. Harry showed her a strained smile, then dropped the act.

"What did they do to you, throw you in a fighting arena?" Willow chuckled.

"Worse. They let some woman named Rita Skeeter interview me."

Willow winced. "Ouch. That woman couldn't tell a truthful story if her life depended on it. Let me guess, her magical quill kept writing down false observations and embellishments?"

Harry nodded wearily. "And she insisted on putting me front and center for the photograph."

"Yuck. As if you don't have enough going on. How are you holding up, anyway?"

"Just amazing. Ron thinks I put my name in the Goblet, so now he won't talk to me. Hermione thinks he's jealous of all the attention I'm getting. I think he's being a pain in the arse."

"And they said girls cause the most drama," Willow chortled. "At least our seriously crazy friend is still talking to you, right?"

Harry cracked a smile. "Yeah, I've been owling him back and forth about this Tournament. He's back in the country now, all because I told him my scar was hurting over the summer."

"He's what?"

"I know. I tried to get him to play it safe and stay south, but he refused. He's well-hidden, wherever he is, so I'm hoping he'll be okay. I still hate the idea of him so near the dementors..."

Willow shuddered. "Me too. I've got enough problems without those creepy bastards digging up my worst memories. I don't need to remember more death."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, you remember a death, too?"

Willow nodded. "My brother."

"What?!"

"Oh, look at that! I have to go rescue Benigno from my roommates," Willow said, abruptly getting up. Harry spluttered as he scrambled to find words to say. "No need, Harry. I don't talk about him much. You'll learn about him sometime. For now, please don't die before that sometime. Go get yourself ready for this death Tournament."

"Will...do?"

Willow skipped away, and within moments, she'd come up with a viable excuse to get Benigno away from her roommates. Benigno thanked her profusely. Willow apologized on her Gryffindor Sister's behalves; she promised, they could be a bit much, but once they settled down, they were extremely caring. Benigno took her word for it and parted ways with her. Willow waited to make sure he caught up to Fleur without being intercepted by more girls, then turned to leave the Entrance Hall. She stopped short of the marble staircase and froze.

"Hey, Willow," George greeted.

Willow's face flushed. "I...I'm sorry, I know you don't like seeing me with Benigno – I'll go now – no need to linger and bother you– "

"Wait! You're not bothering me," George said. Willow shot him a quizzical look. "I've been trying to find you for the past several days now! Fred and I came up with the perfect prank to use on Draco, and we wanted you to be the first to test it."

Willow raised her eyebrows. "You're serious? What is it?"

"We call it the Ferret Finder, in honor of Moody's disciplinary actions earlier this year." George handed her a tiny rocket. When she peered closer, she could see it was roughly shaped like a ferret. "All you have to do is tap it with your wand, and it will do the work for you. Fred and I charm these to find a single person at a time, and when they find said person, they'll explode into fireworks. I charmed this one to find Draco."

"What are we waiting for, then?"

Willow pulled her wand out and did the honors of tapping the Ferret Finder. It sprang to life and scuttled along the floor, making a direct beeline for the Slytherin table. Draco didn't notice the device as it crept closer to him. When it touched his shoe, the Ferret Finder went crazy and launched itself into the air. Fireworks shaped like ferrets exploded over Draco's head. The whole Great Hall burst into hysterical laughter, and the Slytherin did his best to hide his reddening face. Willow and George made a dash for it when the professors tried to figure out who started the madness. The pair didn't stop until they were safely in the pranking hideout.

"That...was the best thing...you've ever created!" Willow panted.

"The look...on his face...priceless!" George agreed.

They high-fived, then collapsed to the floor, dissolving into intoxicating guffawing. Right when they were beginning to settle down again, Willow pointed out Crabbe and Goyle's stupid expressions, and they laughed all over again. They eventually had to calm down to be able to breathe again, but Willow could have cared less how much her chest hurt. It had been a long time since she'd laughed this hard. She and George sat on the edge of the tower and hung their feet off the tiny balcony, watching the stars slowly blink into view.

"I'm sorry I shut you and Paige out," Willow suddenly said. "That was stupid. You guys are only trying to look out for me."

"We're sorry, too," George admitted. "We didn't mean to push you that far. We were just worried."

"You know, it's good to be slightly paranoid every once in a while. It might prevent you from getting pranked yourself."

"What do you m– ?"

Willow seized the opportunity and tossed the Puddle Pod from her pocket directly at George. The ginger was knocked over by the force of the water. He wiped a wet strand of his hair out of his eyes and gaped at Willow.

"You used my own prank against me!"

"Yes I did," Willow said, smirking. "You're lucky I didn't use both."

"You're saying you have another?"

Willow realized what he was saying too late. George dove forward, stole to Puddle Pod out of her pocket, and dropped it over her head. Willow was nearly washed off the balcony. She tackled George in retaliation, and the two of the them tried and failed to pin one another. Eventually, they gave up and collapsed beside one another.

"We're good now, right?" George said.

"Yeah, we're good," Willow replied.

"Great, I just wanted to make sure this wouldn't tick you off."

Willow barely threw up her arms in time to stop a tiny pod from hitting her in the face. When she removed her hands, she saw that her robes had turned bright pink, and George was howling with laughter. Willow tackled him to the ground and pinned him, trying to be angry, but ultimately giving into uncontrollable chuckles.

"You – you know – I hate – hot pink!" she wheezed.

"Personally, I love the colour, but I take no offence," George said.

"Change it back."

"No."

"Change it back!"

"Nope!"

"Ugh, please? I can't go walking around school in magenta robes! McGonagall would have a heart attack! I'd be misrepresenting the school, or dishonoring my ancestors, or some other bogus!"

"Oh no, we can't have that," George said sarcastically. Willow shot him a look, and he relented. He pulled another pod out of his pocket. "Fine, here you go."

Willow dropped the pod on herself, and her robes turned back to their normal colour. Her hair, however, was highlighted lime green in a few different places. Willow rolled her eyes to the heavens as George beamed mischievously. They made eye contact for a few seconds, then, as if simultaneously giving up, they both burst into a giggling fit again. Willow found that fluttering feeling clambering around in her stomach, and before she knew it, she leaned down and quickly pressed her lips to George's cheek. The redhead blinked in surprise when she pulled away. Willow bit her lip to keep herself from blushing.

"Thanks. I've always wanted my hair highlighted like this."

Before she could do more damage, Willow got up and escaped down the ladder, walking towards Gryffindor Tower at a brisk pace. She couldn't tell whether it was because she was happy or terrified, but either way, in the back of her mind, she could imagine George grinning like an idiot, and that alone put a smile on her face.

Willow arrived at the Gryffindor common room and collapsed on a couch. Paige entered moments later. The older girl furrowed her brow at the new hairstyle.

"George's doing," Willow explained.

Paige's face brightened in recognition. "Ah. That was my brilliant plan. So we're all cool with each other again, right?"

"Right."

"Good, because I missed you." Paige laid lengthwise along the couch and placed her head on Willow's lap. "Don't you dare call me clingy, or I'll hex you into next week."

"I missed you too, Paige," Willow chuckled.

"By the way, the hair makes you look even hotter than before."

"Are you purposely making me blush?"

"Is it working?"

Willow rolled her eyes. "I'm not answering that."

The girls teased each other the whole night between talking, laughing, and helping each other with homework. Even after everyone else went to bed, they remained on the couch together, Paige in her typical upside-down position, Willow fast falling asleep. The younger Gryffindor smiled to herself when Paige threw a blanket over the two of them. She certainly had missed her, more than she was willing to admit. She'd missed both of her sixth-year friends.

Paige and George...why can't my emotions make up their mind?