Willow couldn't sleep the whole night. She laid in bed so long, willing herself to fall asleep, but she didn't so much as slip in and out of fitful sleep. Her entire body was burning with anticipation of her first quidditch practice. It meant so much to her that Oliver Wood, upon seeing her fly just once, was willing to have her as a reserve player. He put her before all the other kids that didn't make it at tryouts that fall. She knew she was getting way too excited over barely anything, but nothing she told herself calmed her racing mind. Willow was going to play quidditch for the Gryffindor team, and though she was going to suffer the consequences of hours of long practice and play very little, she was ecstatic. Maybe it was the magic, or maybe it was her looking forward to hanging out more with Harry, Fred, and George. It could be neither of those. No matter what it was, Willow was just excited to be playing on a quidditch team at a magic school. She would never have even imagined the possibility of this two years ago, stuck in her Muggle primary school. How her luck had turned for the better!

The sun finally began to rise over the trees. Willow was down in the common room by that time, her equipment already piled next to her. She enjoyed the comforting warmth of the sun's rays on her face as they turned the canopy of the Forbidden Forest to a sea of beautiful scarlet. Some of the leaves were already in brilliant shades of warm colors. Willow thought back to her earliest memories of fall, back when her mother and father were together and her home life wasn't in pieces. They could have magically raked the thousands of leaves in their large backyard, but they preferred to do it as a family by hand. She would bounce up and down excitedly until Carlos handed her favorite rake down, which was bigger than she at the time. They would rake for hours, only to jump into the pile together. Willow held her locket in her hand, holding onto the memories that her mum's photo brought back with it. Those were the good times. But they were long gone. Now, she had a much different future ahead of her, a fateful path to follow. Eventually, she would have to move on. That didn't mean she had to yet, though, and she knew she was too stubborn to give in any time soon.

Willow sighed. She really needed to stop getting in so deep with her depressing thoughts. Cebba would yell at her soon if she didn't get a move on and stop feeling sorry for herself. Willow stuffed her locket into her shirt, shoved aside her melancholy, picked up her things, and made her way to the quidditch locker rooms. Harry caught up with her shortly.

"There you are! I thought you'd gotten a head start on me," he panted. "I can't believe Wood invited you on the team! You're really going to play quidditch with us!"

"Don't get too excited, it's not like I'm going to play in the matches," Willow said. "I'm simply a reserve player."

"Still, this is pretty exciting!" Harry insisted. "You're amazing, from what Fred and George told me! You can play every position, something about versil- vertils- oh yeah, versatile! George was bragging that he'd taught you everything, but that's rubbish. You've got natural talent and you worked hard to get here. I'm not sure if they know you're on the team yet, though, because they would have gone absolutely nuts about it. You'll be a nice surprise. Do you know what position you'll practice at?"

Willow smiled shyly. "Thanks. I'm hoping all of them, honestly. It's best to keep up my all-around skills for whoever gets hurt before the next game. I wouldn't want to specialize and end up filling in for a Beater when I've trained to be a Seeker, would I?"

"True, true," Harry said.

They reached the locker room, where Fred and Angelina were leaning against each other, half-conscious, George was downright passed out on a bench, Katie and Alicia were putting on their practice robes upside down, and Wood was excitedly drawing something on the board. Harry had told her how Oliver could talk for hours on end before a practice. She hoped dearly that today wouldn't be one of those days. After everyone was finally assembled, wearing their gear haphazardly, Wood began speaking like a rabbit with its tail on fire.

"Okay, so, we've got our most important match of the year coming up, against Slytherin, of course, you all know that- the dirty rotten cheats- anyway, I think my new training program has been working, we've gotten much better over the past week- come on guys, don't doubt yourselves, enough with the long faces- and we can, with a bit of hard work, destroy Slytherin. It's going to be epic, and Lee has promised to throw a big party afterwards when we win. Oh, and I almost forgot!" Wood pulled Willow to the front of the room. Only Harry seemed to perk up at this. Everyone else had fallen back asleep already. "We have our first official reserve player, Willow Guerrero! She's here to make sure we're not short for any practices or games, but you already know how reserves work, I shouldn't need to tell you this, should I? Anyway- " Oliver quickly shoved Willow back onto her spot on the bench- "I don't have much to announce. We're going to have a lighter practice today, since we've been going at it hard this week and all, which means no new things to learn, just improving old stuff. Come on, everyone, hit the pitch!"

Fred and George suddenly perked up. Their brains seemingly caught up to what Wood had said a whole minute before, and the fact that Willow was standing in full practice gear finally registered.

"What? Willow, you're a reserve player? Since when?"

"Blimey, when did this happen?"

"I always knew you'd be on the team!"

"I can hardly believe it!"

Willow's cheeks were flaming red. "Wood asked me yesterday. He just wanted to make sure there was always a sufficient amount of players, that's all. I'm a reserve. Thanks for training me up to this point, guys. I think it made all the difference."

"You're welcome," George said, pretending to take all the credit. "See, Freddy, I told you I'm a good teacher!"

"Sorry, mate, she did this all herself," Fred said, messing up George's hair. "Let's get out there, shall we?"

The Gryffindors took to the field, this time having it all to themselves indefinitely, unlike the last time she'd stepped foot on it. She suppressed the horrible memories that threatened to surface and took off, hoping she was displaying enough confidence for Wood. He took them through a warmup, did a few speed drills, and finally the team broke off into their respective positions, Wood giving them a few drills. Willow waited on the sidelines, wondering if she was supposed to join anyone in particular. Wood approached her before she could question herself.

"You'll switch to practice each position a different day," he explained. "For today, I'd like you to do one-on-one with Harry. With you around, he can practice much more game-like situations. It's simple. I'm going to release the Snitch, and you two and going to pretend it's a game. Do as many rounds as you can get in before I call time. Got it?"

"Got it," Willow said.

Wood released the Snitch, called Harry over, and on the count of three, the chase was on. Willow and Harry took off at breakneck speed in the direction of the Snitch, shoulders nearly touching. She knew her broom was slightly faster, but didn't dare push Harry yet. He needed to win first. As much as it hurt her, being super competitive and all, she pretended to reach the Snitch just after him, thus losing after fifteen minutes of searching and chasing. Harry waited for her to catch up before taking it back to Wood.

"I know you were holding back," he said simply.

"Yeah, I was," Willow admitted guiltily. "But this time I'm not going to. You need to compete with Draco's Nimbus Two Thousand and One. I'm sorry if I annoyed you, but I needed to see just how much faster my broom was."

Harry bristled at the mention of Draco. "How much faster is it?"

"Not a heck of a lot, but it's more than marginally," Willow said. "You're really going to have to find the Snitch and get it before Draco realizes what's going on, or you're doomed."

"Considering the fact that he's only on the team because his dad bought his position, he's not very good," Harry said, acid lacing his tone. "I bet I can beat him, but he might be better than anticipated. He works well under pressure, unfortunately, and he uses cheating tactics when it comes to quidditch, just like the rest of the Slytherin team. Willow, I need you to go as hard as you can with me so I get a better understanding of how fast he can get to me. If he knocks me off my broom, we're going to lose to those douchebags, and it would be all my fault. I can't let that happen."

"Copy that." Willow smirked. "Are you sure you're ready to race me?"

Harry gently bumped into her. "I don't need to race you if I find the Snitch faster."

"Oh, look who's being arrogant now!"

Harry gave the Snitch back to Wood, who immediately released it again. They waited for a good thirty seconds. Then, with a competitive glance at each other, they pushed hard off the ground and dashed after the Snitch, searching everywhere for it. Willow pulled ahead from Harry within seconds, leaving him far behind in her wake. She spent more energy shutting her senses down than actually searching for the Snitch. The adrenaline rush of playing for the quidditch team for the first time mixed with the crisp morning air meant that Willow's powers were going to be a bear to wrestle. Every time her adrenaline or emotions spiked, her powers spiked, too, and it got worse each time it happened. Her ears tried to listen in for the Snitch. Her eyes sharpened and picked up every little detail of the landscape. Her sense of smell even increased in sensitivity. Willow internally shouted at herself for a good ten minutes straight before it stopped.

Twenty minutes passed, then thirty, and still both she and Harry had caught no sign of the Snitch. They continually barreled around the pitch, high above the ground, searching and searching for the tiny golden ball. Willow's powers only resurfaced once, but she quickly diffused them. It was completely wrong to use them. They were an unfair advantage, and therefore they were absolutely not allowed. The last thing she needed was Draco accidentally accusing her of using them on the pitch in front of hundreds of spectators, revealing her powers to everyone. They had to stay away for her own and everyone else's safety.

Suddenly, a golden glint caught her eye. The sun was just beginning to peak out behind the covering of clouds. Willow searched for the source of the glinting and ended up seeing Harry already chasing the Snitch, a good fifty feet below her. She dove after him, catching up slowly but surely. The Golden Snitch was just out of his reach. Harry seemed to pay her no attention when she pulled up next to him. He was laser-focused on the Snitch. Willow knew she would gain on the Snitch faster than him if it kept up its current course. As much as she was excited to win, she desperately screamed at Harry from inside her head to make a move.

And move he did.

Without grabbing her broom or cheating in any way, Harry slowly tilted his broom in front of Willow's, forcing her to slow down. He continued to point his broom slightly diagonally until he was completely in front of Willow, sealing her off. The Snitch hadn't moved a bit in its course. Harry smiled victoriously and snatched the Golden Snitch. Willow clapped proudly and circled around the pitch with him.

"Yes! That is how you play this game!" she cheered. "Who needs cheating when you have ingenious moves?"

Harry tried very hard not to blush, but he was just like Willow when it came to praise. "No one, I guess."

"I'm so proud of you!" she squealed. "You're going to kick Draco's sorry arse!"

Right as they touched down, Wood blew his whistle, calling time. The quidditch balls were returned to the box, and it started to rain. Everyone sprinted into the locker room before they could get wet for what must have been the millionth time that month. It was pouring by the time they were all in, markedly happier than usual.

"Great practice, everyone!" Wood panted. "You're welcome for the break today. Don't come tomorrow expecting this, though! It's enough to take a break for one day, but two is really pushing it! Now change and get on with the rest of your day."

Willow changed, put away her broom, and cracked her back (leaning forward on her broom really did a number on her upper back muscles), then headed back to the common room with Fred and George. She found herself more exhausted than she had ever been and flopped on her favorite couch, the farthest from the fireplace she could get.

"A bit tired, are you?" Fred chuckled. "Is quidditch already kicking your arse?"

"Apparently, being out in the elements is more exhausting than I thought," Willow panted, sprawling out. "Is it just me, or is it hot in here? I thought I sat far away from the fireplace."

"Oh, it's hot now that I'm here," a voice said.

George rolled his eyes. "No, it's because I'm here, Paige, get it right.

Paige jumped over the back of the couch and sat in a squashy armchair, crossing her legs. "I'm pretty sure I'm the hottest here by default, George Weasley. Well, maybe it's Willow, because her hair's the prettiest." Paige had a pouty look on her face. "How does your hair always look good no matter what style it's in? It isn't fair!"

"Hey, don't ask me," Willow said, putting her hands up in surrender. "I don't touch it except to brush it."

"I'll try that, then," Paige said. She turned in her chair so that she was upside down, her legs resting lazily on the back. "So, how was practice? Did Willow do okay? Wait, did she get thrown through a hoop? That should be part of the initiation process."

"Hold on, how did you know about her being on the team?" Fred asked. "She didn't tell anyone! Harry and Wood were the only ones to know."

Paige winked mischievously. "I have my sources."

"Care to tell?"

"Absolutely not."

"Fine, be that way," George said. "When I figure out who it was, you're going to pay for it."

"You're never going to put that much effort into something so useless."

"I will if I- "

"Oh, shut it already, you two," Fred interrupted. "You're bickering again. I'll have to be down a twin if you don't stop sometime soon, and pranks are much less fun when it's just Lee and I."

"You'd never- " George started.

"Fine, I'll talk about something else, but bear in mind, Fred Weasley, you brought this upon yourself," Paige warned. She wore a teasing expression on her face. "I'm getting right into it. You can thank me later for sparing you the pain. I've heard from multiple gossip sources that you've been hanging out quite a lot with a certain chaser, Weasley. Care to elaborate?"

Fred sat up straight. "I am not spending an exorbitant amount of time with Angelina!"

"Ah, so it is Angelina," Paige drawled. "How long have you been...intimate, with her, should I ask?"

"Not long at all, actually. Zero seconds, to be exact."

"Don't make me use Willow to read your mind, Fred Weasley," Paige threatened. "Come on, spill! You know I've been dying to be your wingwoman forever!"

"There's nothing to spill! I do not fancy Angelina!"

George snorted. "Are you sure about that, Freddy? You do talk about her an awful lot. How her hair flows so beautifully when she's chasing down the quaffle, how amazing she was in that fight with the Slytherin chaser the other day, how strong-willed she is compared to all the other girls...I could go on for hours with the amount of things you've said about her."

Fred scoffed "I have not said all of that."

"Give in already, Fred," Willow giggled. "Even I have heard you talking about Angelina in the halls. It's quite poetic, actually. You could be a real charmer if you wanted."

"I wouldn't go that far, Willow," George said. "He still has a long way to go if he ever wants good grammar."

"I can't say I disagree with that statement," Paige said. She turned to George. "Onto my next target, then. Do you have anybody special to talk about in your sleep, George?"

"I do not talk about Angelina in my- !" Fred intervened.

"Shut it!" Willow hissed.

George sighed and sat back in his chair, ignoring his twin. "I don't have time for those things, Paige. Everyone knows I've got better things to do. Besides, I willingly admit I can't take anything seriously, as hard as I try."

"You avoided the question," Willow pointed out.

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"How about I make you a deal?" Paige offered. "I will give you a clue about who I fancy, George, and you have to give me a clue about who you fancy, or I'm using Willow to read your mind. Got it?"

George sat bolt upright. "How is that an offer when you're forcibly going to use Willow on me otherwise?"

"Alright, I'll go first," Paige continued, ignoring his response. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure that the massive group of people gathered on the other side of the room hadn't wandered near, then grinned with an embarrassed tint to her cheeks. "They're in this room."

"Who is he? Ooh, is it that fourth year boy, Travis?"

"Ew, no, he's unattractive as they come," Paige said, disgusted. Her face returned to normal. "Let's have it then, George, give us a clue or I'll force it out of you."

George crossed his arms. "Do I have to?"

Paige rolled her eyes. "Yes, George. Come on, it's good for you to talk about something serious once in a while! You just said that you can't take anything serious, so here's a chance to improve that!"

George sighed. "Fine. She's in this room, as well."

Fred's mouth dropped open. "George! You didn't tell me you fancied someone!"

"I know, but it's never going to happen," George laughed. "That's the best part about it. I have zero worries because of that. It's completely insignificant, wonderfully nonexistent. Like I said, I don't have time for it."

"Geor-ge," Paige groaned. "When are you going to wake up and figure out that anything is possible?"

"Now you sound like a Hufflepuff," George chortled.

"I thought you were a bloody Gryffindor like the rest of us," Fred said. "Or are you one of those poster children?"

"If you're so much of a Gryffindor, Fred Weasley, then you should tell me everything about Angelina!"

"Oh, now you're being ridiculous!"

Fred, George, and Paige, erupted into a small argument. Willow couldn't help but laugh at them. She sincerely hoped that they would start making moves on their crushes soon, because she couldn't wait to be their wingwoman.

October flew by much faster than Willow anticipated. She continued practicing with the quidditch team, which wasn't going good or bad, and the rain never seemed to stop. Suddenly, one morning at breakfast, Willow was startlingly reminded by Dumbledore's announcement that the house exchange would begin the following day. She accidentally spilled some milk on her robes and had to clean it up while Colin and Ginny looked on in confusion. The next day, she was going to surprise half the school by staying in the Slytherin Common Room. She stole a glance at Fred and George, who were guffawing about something Lee said. This was going to be a nasty shock for them, but maybe, for the first time since she'd met them, they could open their mind for once. Willow knew full well she was being a hypocrite, being just as stubborn as they were most of the time, but this wasn't the time to dwell on that. She had more important business to attend to, such as packing her things.

Then, the day finally came. On Saturday evening, Willow hastily double-checked that everything was in order, waited until the coast was clear, resisted the urge to sprint out of the common room, and found Professor McGonagall waiting outside the portrait hole. A small group of Gryffindors were waiting with her.

"Ah, Miss Guerrero, I was wondering if you'd forgotten," McGonagall said coolly. "You happen to be the last one. Now then, the house elves will take your belongings to your new room, and I shall escort you to your common rooms. You will each receive a schedule tomorrow morning detailing your classes for the week. Should you lose it, I'd hope you've befriended a student from another house by now. Let us go."

Willow nervously shuffled into the center of the group. They walked through the halls at a brisk pace and incited excited murmurings from passing students. Willow was terrified that Fred and George might see her. As much as she wanted them to grow up and quit being stubborn, she knew it wasn't realistic. She was in too deep. If they found out about this, she would be hot water with them for a while. She had to keep it under wraps until a good time came about for her to explain her decision to them.

Slowly, house by house, a handful of students were dropped off at Ravenclaw Tower, then the Hufflepuff common room, and finally, they arrived at the Slytherin common room. Willow and Sally were the only ones left. Professors Sprout and Flitwick arrived shortly after them, equally small amounts of students trailing behind them. They all seemed just as on edge as she was. Did they have the same problem with their friends? She hoped that there weren't as many people that hated Slytherins as there seemed to be, but there wasn't much to hope for. The Head Girl and Boy of Slytherin appeared from inside the common room and smiled warmly at the Heads of House.

"We'll take it from here, Professors," the girl said. "Have a good evening."

The professors left, leaving the small group of students all alone. Willow gravitated towards Sue, Sally, and Oliver. They waited until the professors were well out of earshot before giving the password to the giant stone guarding the entrance.

"Mudbloods do not belong in Slytherin!" the boy whispered.

The girl hit him so hard that Willow sensed and instant bruise forming. "Don't sound so excited! For god's sake, you promised to tone it down! Is this what you call your good behaviour?"

"Do you want to find out?"

The Head Girl rolled her eyes and turned to the group of students as the entrance magically crumbled away. "Sorry about him. Davies is an idiot. You can follow me inside."

She strode confidently inside, the Head Boy nursing his arm as he followed. Willow was the first one to step in after her. The common room was the same as it had been since she'd last seen it. There wasn't a huge amount of light, like there was in her own common room, but the light from the porthole to the Black Lake cast a lovely shade of green on the silver walls. The furniture scattered about was perfectly placed so that it was randomly grouped yet still appeared purposeful. She was not nearly Ravenclaw enough to have the willpower to figure out the pattern. Nothing shouted evil or demeaning to her. In fact, it almost appeared welcoming, like it was a secret hideout for someone who'd had enough for one day. The few Slytherins that were present in the common room stared at the incoming students with guarded expressions.

"Welcome to your new home for the next week!" the Head Girl chirped. "Isn't it pretty? At some point, you'll figure out where the upper years hang out and the ickle first and second years blow each other up. I'll show you to your rooms, then."

"Lila, are you seriously into this exchange that much?" Davies snorted.

Lila whipped out her wand and cast a jinx on the Head Boy. His legs instantly began to wobble, increasing in fluidity until Davies fell over, having lost control of his body. Willow giggled when she recognized it as the Jelly-legs Jinx.

"Yes, Davies, and you are not going to ruin all the fun!" Lila retorted. She levitated a small desk onto him, then smiled sweetly at Willow and the rest of the exchange students and continued on to a single door on the far side of the room. It opened to reveal two more doors. Lila chose the left, which opened into two more doors, and after Lila took the right one, three more appeared. Lila opened the middle one to reveal a hallway that had a door on the left labeled "Girls" and a door on the right labeled "Boys". She pointed to each one simultaneously.

"These are the second year dorms," she explained. "If you forget how to get here, come ask me. Most of your roommates should be waiting for you. Alright, everyone else, what years are you?"

Lila left with a few others, shutting the door behind her and leaving Willow, Sally, Sue, and Oliver alone. They all glanced at each other, their nerves prickling in the quiet atmosphere.

"Well, this is it," Willow said. "It's too late to back out now. Should we…go meet our roommates?"

"…Yeah, I think so," Sally said after some time. She put a brave smile on her face. "Come on, guys, this is going to be fun! We're doing this in the name of house unity, remember? We might as well enjoy it!"

"She's right," Sue sighed. "Well, let's get going then."

Willow turned to Oliver. "Be brave, okay? Come straight to me if they give you even the slightest bit of trouble. Or Cypress, for that matter. He should be around here somewhere."

Oliver nodded, brightening at the mention of Cypress. "I will."

Willow watched him, worry nagging at the back of her mind, as he opened the door and slipped into the boys' dormitory. She paused, staring after him, then shook her head and lead the way to the girls' dormitory. Sally and Sue followed, obviously as nervous as she was. Willow put on the best mask of confidence she could. Then, she stopped in front of the door, turned the handle, and pushed it open.

The room wasn't much different than her Gryffindor dormitory. There were no more than ten four-poster beds, each with a name magically inscribed on them. Above each bed was a porthole that allowed for a small view into the Black Lake. Just like in the common room, green light shimmered against the silver wall, but this gave the room and even homier feel. The house elves had already brought their things and set them on their beds. Willow walked over to hers, reminding herself to thank the house elves later. A scratch on her bedpost caught her eye, and it took a few seconds for her to register her own name, carved in intricate and beautiful calligraphy on the dark wood. Sally and Sue found their names on their beds, too, and stared at them in awe. Willow bit her lip as she remembered all the stereotypical images she'd imagined when she thought of the Slytherin dorms. These weren't evil lairs, but relaxing, personalized places where you could unwind- alone or with friends.

"It's better than I could have ever imagined," Sue breathed. "Look at this detail in the wood! These beds must be hundreds of years old, if not more! It would have taken weeks of consistent hard work to carve these, and polishing them alone, with this much attention to detail…"

"You must be the Ravenclaw girl, aren't you?" a voice sneered.

Sue nearly jumped out of her skin. Standing in the doorway were two drop-dead gorgeous girls. One of them- Willow assumed it was the girl that spoke- was leaning on the door frame, looking at Sue with an expression of disgust. The other, a good few inches smaller than the other girl, was standing behind her, appearing rather disgruntled.

"Yeah- Yes, I'm the Ravenclaw girl," Sue managed to say.

"Well, thank God you're only saying here a week, because it's going to take everything I've got to get your Muggleborn filth out of here," the tall girl said, flipping her blond hair obnoxiously over her shoulder. "I've got better things to do with my life than clean, you know."

Sue's face went bright red. Sally instinctively, but unobtrusively, grabbed Willow's balled-up fists and secured them tightly behind her back. Willow did her best to keep at bay the tidal wave of anger that had her chomping at the bit.

"Excuse me, but I'll have you know that Sue is the cleanest human being on the plant. I mean, she has a habit of cleaning up other people's messes before they can even say a word. She's a very nice person, and I hope you can learn that."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I can tell we'll get along just nicely, won't we? Let me guess, you and that other girl are the Gryffindors?"

"Yes," Sally said evenly. "We were just admiring your dormitory before you rudely made a racist comment about Sue."

The girl rolled her eyes and wore a bored expression. "I only speak the truth, honey. Now, what was I about to do before you distracted me? Oh yeah! I've got to fix my hair before my hot date comes to get me."

She strolled into the bathroom, leaving them alone with the other Slytherin girl. Willow could sense that she wasn't as stuck-up as the other girl. She wouldn't have even needed her powers to know that. The girl warily eyed the three of them, as if internally struggling, then spoke, her voice hesitant.

"I'm Tracey Davis," she said. "Welcome to Slytherin, I guess. That was Daphne that just went to the bathroom. From what I've heard, everything's the same in each dorm except design, so I don't think I need to explain everything. I'm going to common room to do homework, so…bye."

Tracey turned on her heel and left, barely avoiding slamming the door behind her. Daphne came running after her moments later, and the three were alone again. Willow, Sally, and Sue exchanged surprised glances, waiting a long time for each other to speak before Willow piped up.

"Well, that was…better than I thought."

"Are you serious? She insulted Sue!" Sally exclaimed.

"Actually, I've gotten insulted much worse by Daphne," Sue said. "She can be downright mean, but I think she's actually just super insecure. It's not her fault she was brought up by pureblood maniac parents. From what l've gathered, the Greengrass family is the most prestigious pureblood family in the wizarding community. That's a pretty hard thing to live up to. The pressure must be insane."

Willow raised her eyebrows. "You've given that a lot of thought, Sue. You're a much better person than I am by default at this point."

Sue shrugged. "It's nothing, really. I've found that the key to being confident in myself is to seriously consider what contributes to making me feel so awful, analyzing why it's hurting me, and coming up with a way to deflect it or ignore it entirely. It's a whole system."

"You could sell it to half the school. You'd be a millionaire," Sally chuckled. "In all seriousness, though, that's pretty cool."

"Thanks."

"Well, since everyone's in the common room, should we try and meet a few people out there?" Willow asked.

"Good idea. Let's go."

It took until their third attempt at navigating through the sets of doors to find their way book into the common room, but they made it. The sun had gone down too far at this point to naturally light the room, so several pale green lights hung from the ceiling, giving off just enough light to make the room comfortable, but not too bright to make it impossible to study. Willow already missed the warm, roaring fire of the Gryffindor common room. There was a fire place on one wall, but it wasn't the same. There was a metal curtain drawn over it, making it more of a decoration than a heat source. Sue started to shiver. The temperature had already dropped ten degrees since they'd last been in the common room. Sally drew her robes closer to her body, trying her best to remain inconspicuous about it. Willow took off her robes and forcefully put them over the two before they could object. The cold had never bothered her in the first place; she always thought the robes were much too hot for day-to-day activities. Since she was the only one, she kept her mouth shut and suffered in silence. Willow was not about to miss an opportunity to cool off.

"You made it back out! Congrats!" Lila boomed enthusiastically, walking in their direction. "I hope the others have as good of memories as you! Anyway, would you like me to point out the different areas of the common room?"

"If you don't mind," Sue said politely.

Lila covered her heart with her hands. "You are so sweet! Why can't Davies be like you?" She shook her head. "Forget about that. So, as you can see, there's about seven clusters of furniture in here." Willow most definitely could not see that, but went along with it. "It's fairly simple: the first years are closest to the entrance, the second years are behind them, the third years are behind them, all the way up to seventh years, the group closest to us."

Sally furrowed her brow. "What about that group of girls over there?" she asked, pointing to the middle where seven girls of obviously mixed age were gossiping about something. "They don't look like they're the right age."

"Oh! I almost forgot," Lila said. "Those guys are purebloods. They're allowed to kick anyone out of their spots, and if they want to bring their friends with them, the friends each have to face off with another pureblood to win leniency." Lila shrugged as if this were perfectly normal. "It's a beautiful hierarchy, don't you think? I find it nice and simple. I'm a halfblood myself, so I had to face off with one of my best friends. She and I have the best duels. There was this one time where we both ended up in the hospital wing with a bad case of boils, and we couldn't stop laughing the whole time! Davies wasn't happy, but he's never happy, anyway, so who cares?" Lila rolled her eyes. "I'm going off to find Kayla. Let me know if you guys need anything!"

Lila skipped to the dorms and disappeared behind the crazy doors. The three stood in a stunned silence until Willow was able to break it.

"Okay, so, um...Lila's...pretty chatty," she stammered. "At least we know she's there for us. We should probably stick very close to the rules, since we don't want to get hexed and all, and...hang on, is that Oliver?"

Sally, Sue and Willow gaped in shock. It was definitely Oliver. Standing just outside the door to the dorms, Cypress right behind him, was a very handsome-looking Oliver. He was adorned in a fancy suit, sparkling with a bright green, moving Slytherin symbol over his chest area. Oliver's hair was groomed to perfection, the complete opposite of his usual mess, and it was decorated with little green snakes. Even his freckles were brought out perfectly in the green light, appearing as though they had been brushed with similarly colored glitter. His eyes shone proudly as Cypress adjusted his sleeve. Oliver's cheeks were blushing a cute pink, more than typical for the shy boy. Cypress officially put his hands on Oliver's shoulders and presented him to the girls.

"Well, does he look like a dashing Slytherin prince now?" he asked.

"Oh my God, he's adorable!" Sally squealed, her hands flying to her face. "Look at you! You're so cute in green! It brings out your eyes so well! Everything's just perfect, Cypress! You're magic!"

"Duh, we all are, that's why we're here," Cypress said, rolling his eyes playfully.

"I hope you're ready to get out there, Oliver, because you're going to attract some attention," Sue giggled. "Come on, let's sit down somewhere so the ladies can get to him! Cypress, lead the way!"

"I'd prefer it if no girls- " Oliver started.

"Oh, let them have their fun," Cypress interrupted, smirking. "They'll pay for it later."

"Hey! We better not!"

"You should know by now- especially you, Willow, you hang out with Draco way too much for your own good- everything comes with a price when a Slytherin's name is on it," Cypress teased. He took Oliver by the arm. "Shall I escort you to your table, sir?"

Oliver shyly smiled, trying to stop blushing so much, and let Cypress drag him away. Willow pulled out her camera and snapped a few photos of them before Oliver could object. Cypress lead them to a place safely in the middle of what Willow hoped was the second of seven sections. She didn't really have another choice except to trust the resident Slytherin. Cypress extravagantly sighed and flopped down on the couch, pretending to act like a bored rich man. Willow noticed he was dressed similarly to Oliver. In fact, when she glanced around, most of the Slytherin guys dressed in fancy suits while they weren't in their robes. Oliver was by far the best at pulling off the look. He was getting a few jealous stares from the guys, and from the girls, excitable whispering. Of course, Oliver pretended to be oblivious to it, instead preferring to exchange friendly talk with Cypress. The two were getting along better than any new friends Willow had ever seen before. She was excited for him; this was a huge step forward in improving his social anxiety.

"Hey, Mudblood," a girl whispered, though everyone nearby could hear it. "Cypress. Who's your friend, there?"

"Why should I give you his name?" Cypress asked lazily. "Are you interested in him?"

"Maybe," the girl said, her group of friends giggling excitedly nearby. Willow saw that this girl was part of the pureblood group from earlier. She had to bite her tongue so hard to keep from bursting out in laughter. Wait until she finds out he's not her type!

"How about I make you a deal?" Cypress offered. Willow sensed the mischievousness hiding below his surface. "You admit something, anything I tell you to admit, and I'll let you know something about him."

The girl giggled flirtatiously. "Alright, anything! Go ahead!"

Cypress smirked. "Admit you're racist."

The girl's nostrils flared. "How dare you! I'm not racist! I love everyone! Please, come on, just let me know his name, at least! He's the cutest boy to come to this school! Come on, Cypress, you know this is mean!"

"Alright, I'll tell you a few things," Cypress lamented. "Are you ready?"

The girl bounced on her toes excitedly. "Yes, yes, please tell me already! I'm dying to know!"

Cypress sat back, appearing aloof from the girl and everyone else entirely. "He's the most amazing person I know. His eyes are that rare emerald green, he's great at Herbology, and he's proud to be better than you and all of your friends combined because he's a Muggleborn. Hands off, Lacy. This is my Hufflepuff. You would never treat him right anyway."

The girl's mouth dropped open, then she snapped it shut, growled furiously, and stomped away to her friends. They retreated to a corner of the room, whispering darkly. Oliver beamed appreciatively at Cypress. Willow, Sue, and Sally clapped loudly, laughing at the girls' defeat. There was no stopping Cypress when he got on a roll.

"You're so good at being a tease!" Sally exclaimed. "How do you do it? Teach me your ways!"

"A master never reveals their secrets," Cypress said mysteriously. "I only perform for your guys' enjoyment."

"Well, I thoroughly enjoyed it, so thank you for brightening up my evening," Willow laughed. "How do you even know those girls? Have they spoken to you before or something?"

"Not really. I pick up information here or there, and they make it their life's goal to know anything and everything about each student that goes here. Oliver must have been especially interesting to them, being all secretive and whatnot."

"Oh, because Oliver's so mysterious," Sue said sarcastically.

"I've got my own secrets, thank you," Oliver said brightly, stretching out happily on the couch and laying his head on Cypress's lap. "It's just that I prefer to share most of my life with others."

"Good, because it's interesting, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise," Cypress said.

Trust me, you don't even know the beginning of interesting, Willow thought quietly to herself.

The rest of the evening passed in a fun blur. Oliver continued to be his usual adorable self, his persona attracted a clueless girl now and then, Cypress continued to reel them in and piss them off in the end, and Sally, Sue, and Willow thoroughly enjoyed spectating. Cypress and Oliver were getting along really well. Willow had never seen Oliver so excited to stay up with someone, so excited to try something new. He never seemed to care about all the attention he was getting, instead focusing all his attention on Cypress. The Slytherin boy really was something to marvel at. His social skills were adept for someone so introverted. Oliver listened with rapt attention when Cypress told a story, though somewhat self-centered, about his potion expeditions. Cypress was never the typical self-centered boy, though. Unlike Draco, he made remarks that, to someone who didn't know him, would sound extremely arrogant, but it was always in a fun way that seemed to mock arrogance itself. Willow had taken a strong liking to it already. By the end of the evening, they had all laughed themselves hoarse because of Cypress.

Oliver yawned around ten thirty, and Cypress immediately suggested they turn in. Oliver seemed surprised by his compassion at first, then accepted it, letting Cypress lead the way back to the dormitory. Sally and Sue decided to go to bed, too, leaving Willow by herself. She was too restless to sleep. Soon, though, she realized how lonely it was in the common room without them, and decided to head for her dorm, too.

"Psst, Wisp!" a voice hissed.

Willow recognized Draco's voice. She glanced around, but didn't see anyone. "What the heck- Where are you?"

"Are you sure you're not lying about your powers? Find me with them, imbecile!"

Willow bit back a retort and reached out with her senses. She rolled her eyes when she sensed Draco behind a thick curtain. Before she could even come up with something witty to say, he yanked her behind the black curtains with him. Willow ripped her arm out of his grip.

"I can get myself back here, thanks," she said hotly.

"Yeah, I know, but you were taking too long," Draco said. "You were drawing attention to me. Did you not see Astoria and Tracey searching the common room?"

Willow peeked around the curtains. Indeed, Tracey and a brown-haired girl she assumed was Astoria were trying their best not to look suspicious as they tiptoed around the common room, every once in a while glancing over their shoulder. They were obviously looking for someone. Willow smirked at Draco.

"You're considered attractive in Slytherin, are you?"

"Oh, shut up, Wisp," Draco hissed. "I'm the best-looking second year there is. That doesn't mean I want them fawning over me, though! They're downright obsessive! It's disgusting!"

"And this is coming from who, now?" Willow teased.

Draco pretended not to hear her, opting to focus in on the girls, who were making steady progress towards them. Willow was tempted to formulate an embarrassing plan.

"You know, this might look bad," she began. "The pretty boy in Slytherin fraternizing with a Gryffindor enemy? Sounds fairly suspicious to me. The gossip would be all over school. You would be the center of attention, just like you want, hm?"

"If you make even the smallest squeak, I'm hexing your voice box out of your throat," Draco growled.

"Squeak."

"I hate you."

"Tell me something I don't know. And you made an empty threat."

"If there's one thing you should know about me, Wisp, it's that I don't make empty threats." Draco's eyes flashed. "Great, they're still coming this way. Follow me, and don't you dare reveal me on purpose!"

"So I'm allowed to do it on accident?"

"No!"

Draco paused, waiting for the girls to be turned the other way, then darted to a nearby door, dragging Willow along with him. He nearly slammed it behind him until he remembered at the last second to make no sound and gently let the handle click into place. Willow inhaled a lung full of dust and coughed quietly.

"This place is awfully dusty," she wheezed.

"Yeah, well, it's a storage closet, what do you expect?" Draco retorted. He pulled out his wand. "Lumos!"

A small ball of light illuminated the room. Draco brushed himself off, then cursed when he stubbed his toe on something. Willow stifled her giggle and walked over to him.

"So pretty boy does curse like a sailor, just in oversized storage closets. This is quite a large area, don't you think?"

"Shut it, Wisp," Draco snapped. "You curse much worse than me. Don't give me that face, you know it! I've heard your mouth. I do have to agree with you, though, this storage closet is suspiciously oversized." He shined his wand on a few more items. Willow's senses were overwhelmed with dark magic with each item the light fell on, but Draco didn't seem to get the same feeling. "Huh. There's a lot of cool stuff in here. It's kind of weird that I've never explored this place before."

"I'm not sure you want to," Willow said. "Draco, this stuff doesn't seem right. We shouldn't touch anything."

Draco paused, already midway through attempting to pick something up. "Why?"

"There's something…dark about this stuff," Willow explained, trying to keep her voice steady. Her head was buzzing with electrical signals. Something was not right about the room. "I'm not so sure this is the best place to be right now."

"Wisp, are you still afraid of the dark?" Draco drawled.

"No, you idiot, my head is pounding because my powers are going crazy," Willow snapped. "That's not a good sign!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "You're a pain, you know that?"

"Well, if being a pain means saving you from getting blasted into the Black Lake, then I'll keep being a pain." Willow lit up her wand, too. "Let's just look at this stuff while we're in here, okay? Just don't touch anything. The last thing I need is to rush you to Madam Pomfrey and explain that you decided to touch a creepy object against my better judgement."

"Fine, but I'm holding this against you."

Draco firmly put his free arm against his side and continued deeper into the closet. Willow followed closely behind, not willing to admit her mistrust of him to heed her words, but too caring to let him get hurt. Several dark, sinister objects were piled along the walls, reminding her of Borgin and Burkes. It wasn't exactly evil that was emanating from the dusty storage closet. It wasn't good, either. Willow couldn't place the exact sense her powers were trying to give her. All she knew for sure was the items in this place were potentially dangerous.

"Wow, look at this," Draco whispered, his eyes glittering. "It's some sort of fancy chair."

Willow's eyes burned with the strength of the light reflecting off the chair. She rubbed them until they cleared and pulled out her wand. The chair was very ornate, being decorated with all types of gold, silver, and bronze. It had to belong to someone high up in society at one time. As Willow more closely examined it, her head went off like a metal detector, except this wasn't a metal detector. This was a major warning.

"Draco, I think we should move," Willow warned. "This isn't a good item to hang around."

"It looks like some dusty old throne to me," Draco said, shrugging. "What's the harm in it? It's not like the gold is going to poison us."

Willow swallowed hard. "Draco, seriously, step back. The chair isn't good."

Draco crossed his arms. "What, do you think it's booby trapped or something? Look, I'm going to sit down in it to prove to you it's fine. Watch me, Wisp, see? It's fine- "

Right as Draco sat in the chair, Willow's sensitive ears heard a click! Panic seized her heart. Reacting upon instincts only, Willow tackled Draco out of the chair just in time for the backrest to slide open. An extremely sharp dagger sliced through the air, inches from Willow's face, and flew into the opposite wall with a hard thwack! The two remained on the floor for several heartbeats afterwards, trembling in fear. Then, when the danger seemed to have passed, they shakily rose to their feet, fear swimming in each other's eyes.

"Okay, I'll listen to you from now on, I promise," Draco said, his voice hoarse.

"Good, I'd hope so after that," Willow said. She carefully made her way to the other side of the room, inevitably knocking a box over on her way, and finally ended up beside the knife. It was embedded deep within the wall, all the way up to its hilt. A chill washed over her as she realized that could have been in Draco's internal organs. She thanked her lucky stars that her powers had been there to save the day for once.

"Hey, Wisp, come check this out," Draco said, picking up the box she'd knocked over. "You broke something."

"Great. It probably should be broken, considering the high chance that it's full of dark magic."

"No, seriously, come here."

Willow made her way back to Draco, this time managing to keep everything intact. He held a glass vase in his hands, staring in wonder at the magically moving black stains on it, which resembled storm clouds during a particularly bad thunderstorm. Willow reached out with her senses, deeply analyzing the object, but found nothing dark about it. She found the wrappings and offered them to Draco.

"This vase is okay," she concluded. "I'm not sure if you want it, but you can safely keep it. You can charm it to look even cooler, if you want. I might even be able to grow something nice in it for you."

Draco shrugged. "Sure. I might be able to sell it, for all I know."

"You're never going to change, are you?" Willow sighed.

"Only if it benefits me in every way possible," Draco replied. "And you're too stubborn to change for anyone."

"Yes, and that includes myself."

Willow floated back to the golden chair, concerned with all the mixed signals she was receiving from it. The chair had already done its damage, so why was it giving her so many bad vibes? She traced her fingers along the compartment that held the knife. It was too shallow to be a Muggle contraption, and the power that knife had was way too much to be non-magical. This chair had to have been created by someone practiced in the dark arts- or even by someone with something to hide. An intricate carving depicting an old man and a gray-haired woman was embedded into the backrest, and in full color. There was something familiar about the man.

"Hey, Draco, does this guy remind you of someone?" Willow asked.

Draco wandered over. His eyebrows shot up and his face went slack. "How can you not recognize this guy? He's the basis of all magical stories! Even Muggles know about him! We have loads of expressions about him! That's the most powerful Slytherin to ever exist- Merlin."

Willow gasped. "The Merlin?"

"Yes! Do you know any other Merlins?" Draco scoffed. "He could blow up an entire country with a snap of his fingers, Wisp. This guy was extremely powerful. His family was dead, his life was a complete mess, and he apparently turned that into fuel to learn magic. He's every Slytherin's idol." Draco peered closer at the relief. "I don't know who that woman beside him is, though. She could be a friend, or a close relative that somehow survived. Either way, I don't think she's important."

"Wow." Willow lit up her wand and turned to stare at the knife again. "If this guy was so great, then what was he trying to hide with this chair? I mean, it's booby trapped with a high-powered knife of all things. This is pretty serious."

"Who knows? Everyone's got something to hide, but some more than others."

Willow shook her head. "And to think, you almost got impaled by Merlin's chair- "

She never got to finish her sentence. Apparently, she had said a keyword, because the knife suddenly tugged itself out of the wall and raced back towards the chair at an even greater speed than before- and Willow was standing directly in her path. She may have had quick reactions, but nothing could have dodged this dagger. Willow barely moved an inch to the side before the knife made impact. It slammed into her stomach, at first feeling like a prick, then a punch to the gut. Draco yelped. They both stared in horror as a red stain made its way across Willow's abdomen. It took quite a few moments for Willow to speak.

"That's unfortunate," she wheezed. "Oh no, shock's wearing off. Here comes the pain." Willow winced as an agonizing burning sensation spread from wound to the rest of her body. "Initiating bodily shut down in three, two, one, and...oh no."

Willow collapsed to the floor, trying not to scream in pain. Every breath brought only more agony. Warm, sticky, scarlet blood slowly seeped out from around the knife, thankfully held in by the knife. Willow reached around her back, feeling around with her hand, only to find that the knife had not completely impaled her. She breathed a sigh of relief and immediately regretted it.

"Wisp, what is it with you and always getting hurt?" Draco groaned. Willow could tell he was just trying to sort through the situation. "You're extremely frustrating, you know that? Why is it that I always have to deal with you bleeding out?"

"Ha, joke's on you, isn't it?" Willow chuckled weakly. She winced as a fresh wave of pure agony spread through her abdomen. She refused to give into the pain. "It looks like you will be taking me to the hospital wing, not the other way around."

"This isn't the time for jokes!" Draco snapped. "Tell me what to do! You know I have zero experience with injuries."

Willow gritted her teeth and sat up, expecting another round of pain, but receiving nothing. In fact, it was beginning to fade. She was still in agony, of course, but...her pain cells were desensitizing themselves. Willow flashed back to the previous year when she had punched Draco in the face. Her hand had started healing almost immediately. And all those other times she'd gotten hurt...she hadn't noticed it, because she was busy dying, but the pain had dulled itself. Her powers were literally dulling her pain and healing her faster. Willow's eyes widened as she slowly realized what she had to do.

"Hey, Draco, don't take this advice for anyone else, but I need you to listen to me," she said. "My powers extend to healing myself at a fast rate. They're strong enough now that I need to test them out. You have to be ready to sprint to the hospital wing if things go downhill, okay? Good. Alright, so for anyone else, you do not pull the knife or sword or whatever out of the wound. That allows fatal bleeding out to occur. You normally want to leave it in. This isn't the case for me tonight. I'm going to pull out the knife, and all I need you to do is keep an eye on me. Don't run unless I tell you to."

"Wisp, don't do this, this is suicide- " Draco started.

"It's not suicide, Draco," Willow said, the steely light of resolution in her eyes. "This is my curse to bear. If I'm ever going to control it, use it to my advantage, I have to stretch it to the limit, which means stretching myself to the limit. I have to take the pain now to become strong enough to bear everyone else's. It's my sole purpose in life."

Draco eyed her for several moments, clearly not okay with this plan. "Fine. But I'm going to Madam Pomfrey the moment you pass out on me."

Willow struggled to get to her feet, but made it without Draco's help. The pain was overwhelming at first, then died down. Willow knew she was going to have to keep an eye on that in the future. Though the pain would be dulled, the injury would still not heal itself fully, and if it was left unchecked to long, she could die unexpectedly. She shook her head. Now was not the time to think about that. She had more important things to attend to. Gripping the hilt of the knife with both hands, Willow yanked it out with all of her might. It came clean out of her stomach. Blood gushed forth, soaking her shirt with a deep red stain. Draco worriedly paced nearby.

"Why do you make me watch this?" he whined.

"I didn't say you had to watch, dummy," Willow retorted. She pressed her shirt closer to the wound, though it was unnecessary at this point. The blood was beginning to clot already. "But if you want to watch, it's pretty cool."

Draco turned around and watched with wide eyes as the knife wound agonizingly began to close, inch by agonizing inch, until there was only half as much bleeding, which was still a lot, but more of a long-term threat. Willow whimpered in pain. Her powers seemed to summarize all the pain into a small amount of time when it sped up the healing process. She could hardly stand it. Her lip was almost bleeding, she bit into it so hard. Willow drew her sleeves over herself to cover up the blood.

"I'll be fine now, you go on," she said to Draco. "I can bandage myself up. I've done it before."

Draco didn't budge. Even when Willow raised her eyebrows in inquiry, he stood, rooted to the spot. She was about to say something rather snarky when he finally asked, "Is it...worth it? I mean, all the pain?"

He might as well have kicked Willow right in the gut. She internally coughed and spluttered, taking several moments to recover from the shock. Then, she realized Draco was actually waiting for an answer. Willow knew exactly what he was asking. Whether it was the pain from the knife wound, or the agony of bringing up the few memories that kept her going, her voice cracked when she answered with a resounding, "Yes." Willow cleared her throat. "What makes it worth it is not the pride of overcoming the pain, but knowing that you've spared someone else the same suffering. That is what makes everything worth it."

Draco stood there for several moments, lost in thought, then absentmindedly said, "I'll see you in the morning," and cautiously exited the broom closet, leaving Willow alone with her bloodstained shirt. She bandaged herself up by the light of her wand, then tiptoed into her dormitory, finding everyone already asleep. They were snoring fairly similarly to the Gryffindor Sisters, but it wasn't the same.

Willow stared out of her porthole for a long time before she went to bed that night. The dark water was a deep hue of green during the midnight hours. A few fish swam by, though Willow hardly noticed them. She was staring at the stars, far above the water, shining on its surface and refracting broken rays of light to the bottom. Willow sighed inwardly, missing the days she had played with someone from her past, running until their legs gave out, playing each other in soccer until the sun went down, holding each other close during severe thunderstorms until they fell asleep, feeling one another's heartbeats against their chests.

It will all be worth it, if only I can be with you again, Willow whispered to the stars.

Even though he couldn't answer, Willow could still hear his voice.

I am always with you.