Willow woke up to Fidget tickling her nose. He perked up when she opened her eyes, making that adorable little purring sound. When Willow smiled, Fidget emitted a small humming sound. Fidget always tended to react happily to Willow's positive emotions. She sat up in bed, letting Fidget crawl in her hair. The bowtruckle sweetly untangled her messed up hair, careful not to pull it, and finally slid down its full length to her pillow. Achelous sleepily opened his eyes on her nightstand, his pink tongue lazily hanging out of his mouth. Willow looked on as Fidget gently batted Achelous with the leaves on top of his head to wake him up. All three of her creatures, including Iris, who was bound to be returning to the Owlery at that hour, had thankfully decided to get along with one another. If she wasn't there to scold them for fighting, it would probably have been a completely different story, but she was happy to see her creatures forming a sort of family.

Willow checked her watch. It was already seven in the morning. She and her roommates had to get going soon if they wanted to get breakfast in before classes. Willow stood up and threw her pillow on Sue, then Sally.

"Come on, guys, wake up!" she whispered. "You're not allowed to miss breakfast."

"Willow, no, just...no," Sally groaned. "I have to deal with your morning obsession over in Gryffindor Tower. Give me a break for at least one morning!"

"I did yesterday, remember?"

"She's right, Sally, she let us sleep in yesterday," Sue chimed in, yawning and sitting up in bed. "You decided to waste half the day and sleep in until noon. It's not our fault that you stay up half the night."

"But night is so much better than morning!" Sally whined. "I mean, who wouldn't want an excuse to drink a boatload of sugar and caffeine at 1am? Then you get to gossip with your friends, dream together while completely loopy...it's awesome."

"Well, you can't do any of that if you don't eat breakfast, so get your butt up," Willow said. "You could have joined us for several competitive rounds of Exploding Snap yesterday if you hadn't slept so long and been too tired to function until dinner."

"Meh, I'm awful at that game anyway."

Willow went to the bathroom and got dressed, allowed Fidget to hop into her pocket, and shoved Sally out of bed to finally get her moving. She and Sue waited an extra five minutes for her before leaving for the Great Hall. A few Slytherins were up, but the majority of people exiting the common room were from the house exchange. Willow found it odd. Did Slytherins always wait until the last second to have breakfast? She would have thought she'd have paid more attention to them.

Cypress and Oliver were groggily trudging through the dungeon halls when Willow, Sally, and Sue caught up with them. They perked up, though it was barely noticeable.

"Hey, guys!" Cypress greeted. "Is it just me, or are you guys more exhausted than usual this morning?"

"I feel like I drank five bottles of butterbeer," Sally agreed. Her eyes widened. "Not that I've ever been drunk before. Nope, never happened. I don't know how many bottles I can drink before I'm completely drunk. How could I if I've never tried it, right?"

"You're an awful liar," Sue giggled.

"Me and every other Gryffindor. Guilty as charged. It was so worth it, though." Sally glanced at Oliver. "How was your first two nights staying in Slytherin? You don't seem any more tired than usual."

"It's been good," Oliver replied.

Cypress rolled his eyes. "Back to clamming up at all times, I see. Don't worry, it's fine."

"Guys, do you smell that?" Willow asked. She inhaled deeply, eyes brightening. "I really hope that is what I think it is. Come on, let's get going! I want to eat as much as I can before class starts!"

Willow's friends had to run to catch up with her. She scaled the stairs, ran into the Entrance Hall, and practically bowled over the Slytherin table. Sally and Cypress were both clutching their sides by the time they sat down.

"Blimey, Willow, don't make me run!" Cypress said. "I can't remember the last time I actually did exercise!"

"Good luck living around Willow, then, because she never stops running," Sally panted. "I learned that the hard way. The only good thing about that run is now I actually get to eat more for breakfast!"

"Oh, don't tell me you've started watching what you eat," Willow said.

Sally threw up her hands in defeat. "Hey, I'm in love with food. It's a love-hate relationship, so I always get enough, but never starve myself. You have full permission to hex me out of existence if I ever starve myself."

"Permission received," Willow said. "You better not force my hand. In the meantime, I'm going to dig into these wonderful blueberry muffins." She took a bite, the fruity flavor combined with the savory muffin batter melting her senses. There was no doubt she would finish all three muffins that were sitting on her platter. "If you don't like these, get out of my life."

"Good thing I like them, then," Cypress said, biting into a muffin. His voice was muffled when he spoke again. "You're cool enough to tolerate."

"Just cool enough to tolerate?" Willow asked, eyebrows raised.

"Eh, I think I'll keep you around, you know, in case you come in handy," Cypress said.

Willow shook her head. She wasn't about to dig deeper into that argument, however lighthearted and fun. She had a schedule to memorize. Willow pulled out the sheet that had appeared on her nightstand the day before. Her first class of the day happened to be Potions, which was with her very own house, Gryffindor. Willow gulped. At least she would get the shock over with sooner rather than later, right? The Gryffindor Sisters were in for a nasty surprise this morning.

The bell rang, signalling the end of breakfast, and the entire Great Hall proceeded to their first class of the morning. Willow noticed that the Slytherins had finally made an appearance. They were mingling among the students, grumpily sticking together in tight groups, acting even more irritable than usual. Only Cypress and Lila seemed to be the exceptions. Willow had never seen them like this before.

"Wisp, are you going to ignore me all day, or are you going to answer me?"

Draco appeared at Willow's side, obviously disgruntled. Crabbe and Goyle roughly shoved Sally and Sue behind them to make room for themselves. The girls scowled deeply at the Slytherin boys. Willow elbowed both of them in the gut and slipped behind them, wand out and pointing between the two buffoons.

"If you want to keep your eyebrows, I suggest you treat my friends with respect," Willow growled. She centered her wand on Draco's face. "That goes for you too, mierdita."

Draco stared at her for a long moment, fighting a glare, before barking, "Crabbe, Goyle, don't touch them ever again."

Crabbe and Goyle blinked stupidly, then shuffled behind the girls. Willow picked up the pace to leave the chubby boys way behind. Sally and Sue didn't complain. Draco tried very hard not to be irritated by this. He fumed silently for several minutes, hardly making the walk to class any less awkward, until they reached the corridor that would take them to Potions. Willow stopped abruptly, letting Sally and Sue go ahead. Cypress nearly ran into them from behind on his way down the stairs. They all quizzically glanced at her.

"Go on, guys, I'll be there in a second," she promised.

Sally, Sue, Oliver, and Cypress warily continued to Snape's classroom, casting worried looks in her direction more than once. Draco pouted, leaning against a wall and glaring at his feet. Willow waited for her friends to get well inside the Potions class before speaking to him.

"What's wrong with everyone, Draco?" she whispered.

"What do you mean?" he said smartly.

Willow sighed. "Alright, fine, be an insufferable git. Don't come crying to me when it gets you nowhere."

Draco stood up straight, nostrils flaring. "I'm not being an insufferable git today, Wisp."

"Have you seen yourself lately? Yes you are."

"I'm actually not being a git for once, Willow!" Draco hissed. "Have you not noticed what's going on? Everyone is acting the same way. In Slytherin, at least. And you call yourself observant." Draco glowered at her. "How did you not notice that the Slytherin table was empty this morning? Everyone was whispering about it in the halls!"

"I've been having a little trouble with my senses lately, Draco," Willow snapped. "I only have two options when they get overwhelming: dull them, or let them run wild. I'll let you guess which route I chose. Not that you cared to ask, anyway."

"How is anyone supposed to notice something that imperceptible?" Draco retorted. "I would have asked- " Draco sighed. "You know what, Wisp? I'm not going to give this one to you. Figure it out on your own." He started towards the classroom, then turned when he realized Willow wasn't following. "Well? Are you going to take the Troll on this assignment or are you going to help me?"

Willow took a deep breath and followed him into the classroom just as the bell rang. Both she and Draco plopped down, slumping in their chairs, facing away from each other. Professor Snape started the lesson promptly. He wrote a long list on the board, then let them loose to get their ingredients and brew the potion. Willow stubbornly waited for a while, and after Draco refused to move as well, angrily stood up and got them herself.

"Thanks for the help, Blonde," she said, dumping the ingredients next to their cauldron. "Are you going to get over your tantrum or are you going to sit there and let me sabotage our Water-Breathing Potion?"

Draco snorted. "You'd never do that."

"And how do you know that?"

"You're too much of a perfectionist to even think about not doing an assignment." When Willow tried to say something, he interrupted her with a shake of his head. "Don't bother. I've seen the way you overreact to anything less than an Outstanding. Your face is priceless." Draco's face darkened. "Of course, you wouldn't know what I think about an Acceptable. You don't pay attention to anyone but yourself."

Willow slammed her knife down on the table. "Really, Draco? You're going to pull the self-pitying thing on me to get me to feel bad for you? Newsflash, it isn't working!"

"I'm not pulling the self-pitying thing on you. I'm telling you the truth, but you can't accept that, either."

Willow seethed with anger. "I can accept the truth, Draco, so why don't you start by telling me what the chip on your shoulder is? In fact, spell out exactly what's wrong with all of Slytherin, because I'm too dumb to figure it out, am I not?"

Draco abruptly stood up, sending his chair flying and attracting the attention of nearby students. "You are too dumb to figure it out, you stupid bloody Gryffindor! You can't see past your nose, you're so bloody thick-headed! Do you want to know what's really wrong with Slytherin? I'll tell you what's wrong with us. This house exchange has brought in a large group of students, most of which don't want anything to do with us in the first place, and they're invading our living space. The one place that's safe from your torment, teasing, and stereotypes. We can dodge your hexes and curses there. There's no other place that won't call us evil or throw us out for fear of an unforgivable curse. We're not evil, Wisp, but no one can seem to figure that out except you. Slytherin has been invaded and we can't do anything about it. We no longer have a safe place to come back to. We're trapped, and somehow you can't see that. It's ridiculous, Wisp. You can see us but not our struggles. How can you call yourself fair like that?"

Willow stood very still, stunned to her core. How could she be so stupid? All the wary stares, the fidgeting and avoiding eye contact, the unfriendliness; it all made sense now. The Slytherin students were scared. There was nowhere for them to go anymore. Willow felt like she'd been kicked in the gut. Draco was right. How could she call herself fair if she didn't empathize with Slytherin, too? She had a sudden desire to march up to every student spreading lies and rumors about Slytherin and give them a piece of her mind. The jaw or cheekbone would do.

"Oh, so now you're suddenly all defensive of us, are you?" Draco spat. "Forget it, Wisp. The damage was done centuries ago, and now it's filtered down to us. There's nothing you can do. Just let it run its course and stay out of it, like you always do. You'll find some other way to get in detention."

Willow silently prepared the ingredients to the Potion, ignoring the fact that Draco wasn't doing anything. Professor Snape passed by several times in the next half hour, never once making a comment about Draco's inactivity. Willow tried really hard not to let on how hurt she was by this self-discovery. She had been thinking she was honest and fair her whole life, but now she realized just how wrong that assumption was. She was not fair until she empathized with every part of Slytherin's problem, not just part of it. There was a big picture that she had somehow been missing. Now that she saw it, in all of its sad, astonishing glory, she wondered how on Earth she could have overlooked it.

"You're doing it wrong," Draco whispered.

Willow paused, about to put in the last ingredient. "What do you mean? Is this not the last step?"

"You were so lost in thought you forgot to stir it, imbecile," Draco said. He stood up, taking the ingredient and stirring rod from her. "Let me do it before we have to start over."

Willow watched in silence as Draco finished brewing the Potion, brow knitting in concentration. Professor Snape gave them an immediate Outstanding mark, appearing to materialize out of nowhere, the moment Draco finished it. Snape prowled away in Neville's direction where, unfortunately, he and Seamus's cauldron appeared on the verge of exploding.

"I'm going to help Crabbe and Goyle," Draco announced quietly. "See you in the common room."

Willow opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it and let him go. He was hurting from letting out everything at once. She could understand that, if nothing else.

"Willow, there you are!"

A pack of girls swarmed in front of Willow. She recognized her Gryffindor Sisters, bubbly and over-concerned as always.

"We were looking for you all last night!"

"We've been wondering where you and Sally had gone off to!"

"Where have you been?"

Willow really tried. She wanted to tell them the truth so bad. But it wouldn't come. Willow opened her mouth to say something, but not a single syllable came out. She had to lie. Willow gulped and hoped no one could hear her stomach dropping. She cleared her throat inaudibly and said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Rough nightmares lately. Sally had them, too, so she came with me."

"Oh, Willow...!"

The Gryffindor Sisters enveloped her in a hug. They cast her apologetic and worried glances simultaneously, seemingly on the verge of tears. Willow wanted to scream with the guilt that was piling up so fast. Her stomach was getting queasy from that one simple lie; how would she get through this week without dying of shame?

"We'll go check on Sally, then," Lavender announced. "See you later, Willow!"

"Wait, Sally doesn't want to talk about it," Willow hurriedly interrupted, hoping the panic didn't show on her face. "She told me so last night. This one isn't something she wants to share with anyone. I'd leave her alone for now."

"Are you sure?" Fay asked. "She seems lonely."

Willow glanced over at Sally, who was absentmindedly staring at the wall while Tracey Davis, her partner for the year, faced away from her, chatting across the aisle with Millicent Bulstrode instead. She bit back her immediate reaction and said, "I'm sure, guys. Go on. Sally really needs some time to...sort out her thoughts."

"As long as you're sure," Mia said quietly. "Bye, Willow. See you in the common room."

"See you in the- common room."

The Gryffindor Sisters marched away, gathering in a corner of the room to probably talk about the boys they were currently fancying. Willow wished she wouldn't have suppressed her senses lately. She could have participated from afar. It was her own fault that she was separated from them, of course, but she missed them more than she thought she ever could, and she was still within the walls of Hogwarts! Willow sighed, slumping in her chair. This was going to be a long week.

An explosion went off on the Gryffindor side of the room. Smoke curled to the ceiling from Seamus's hair, and Neville's cauldron was blackened with soot. Snape angrily marched over to their table to clean up the mess. Willow was zoning so much at that point that she didn't notice Cypress tapping her on the back until he practically knocked her out of her chair.

"Hey! What- oh, hey Cypress, Oliver!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Cypress is working on a new potion! He got an idea from the one we just did!" Oliver exclaimed.

Willow smiled. "Did you figure out how not to cave in the first floor corridor?"

Cypress smacked her with a book and scoffed. "I know exactly how and how not to do that, thanks! The last time was an experimental success! You guys were in the right place at the right time, or you wouldn't have met me, and I don't know how you would be doing without me right now."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Come on, sabihondo. Let's see what you're blowing up today."

Cypress glanced at Oliver. "Did she just call me...what I think she did?"

"Yep."

"You just keep getting better and better, Willow," Cypress chuckled. "Let's go back to my lab, then."

For the rest of Potions, Willow, Oliver, and Cypress experimented with a new ingredient in Cypress's old potion. He came close to obliterating the classroom a couple of times, but Cypress was quick to fix the situations. They ended up completing a successful "rough draft" of the Strength Potion, as Cypress called it. Instead of a black, brown, gray, or another dark color, this potion was bright yellow. Cypress estimated that it would change to a shade of green by the time he got it right. Maybe it would be the color of Oliver's eyes. Oliver seemed to like the idea of a potion matching his eye color. They went to lunch very happy, laughing at every joke Cypress made.

Then, Sally sat down next to Willow with a huff. She pulled out her Potions textbook, crossed out a few steps, scribbled down a few notes, and roughly shoved it back into her bag. Tracey Davis plopped down across from her, equally huffy and pouty. Willow raised an eyebrow.

"Did I miss something?" she whispered to Sally.

"You missed something, alright," Sally growled. "Tracey was insulting Sam right to my face all of Potions. I did all the work- not that it matters, it's her grades that are going down, not mine- and she kept gossiping about Sam with Millicent the whole time!" Sally appeared to mentally take a step back. "Well, Millicent wasn't really committing to it. She was kind of squirmy about it. But Tracey...sometimes I really question how hard I want to fight against believing these stereotypes."

"Keep fighting, Sally," Willow encouraged. "We don't understand what a person's going through every day. You can only try to correct them and leave it alone. Let it go in one ear and out the other. I think I've figured out how to confront them pretty well now." Willow paused. "Do you want me to talk to Tracey?"

"No, let me handle it," Sally said, brightening a bit. "We all know how badly you handle fights. Punching people in the face doesn't make people like you, Willow, it just makes them bruised, bloody, and madder than before. Do you tend to tick everyone off at some point?"

"I have a tendency to anger people, yes," Willow admitted. "I'm not very agreeable, with my radical ideas and all."

"Yeah, because you're totally radical," Sally said. She shook her head. "Come on, let's eat before I get hangry."

Willow and Sally piled rolls onto their plates, teasing each other about eating too much every day. They made it into a competition to eat as many rolls as possible before they blew up. Willow ended up eating eight, and Sally seven. They gripped their stomachs, groaning and in a temporary food coma. Oliver and Cypress each gave them a small bowl of blueberries.

"Okay, I know you love carbs more than anything else in the world, but you have to eat fruit before you die of scurvy, you crazy pirates," Cypress teased.

"But I'm so full..." Sally whined.

"Can't eat another bite..." Willow agreed.

"I'll eat some, then," Oliver said, grabbing a handful and eating one. "They're amazing."

"Fine, I'll eat a few." Willow forced herself to eat a handful of blueberries. "Will this be enough to keep away scurvy, Cypress?"

"Just enough," he replied. "Hey, is that your- "

"Willow Guerrero! What are you doing over here?" Paige half-shouted, half-whispered. She stopped a foot away from her, hands on her hips. "Why would you ditch us for Slytherin, of all- " Paige's voice abruptly cut out, her eyes taking in the mix of second years standing around her. She sounded hurt when she said, "You signed up for the house exchange, didn't you?"

Willow couldn't lie yet again. Paige, of all people, didn't deserve that. They had a policy of honesty now, even when it hurt. This time, her voice came in strong, and she said, "I did, Paige, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Paige took a step back, letting out a strong breath. "Well...this is not going how I thought it was going to."

Willow blinked. "What?"

"Fred and George are going to kill us," she sighed, running a hand through her hair and staring off at the wall, frowning. "They are so going to kill us."

Cypress, Oliver, and Sally were glancing between Paige and Willow, brows knit in confusion. As the older girl paced silently, Willow came a sudden realization. "Wait a second...you signed up too?"

"Took you long enough to realize!" Paige exclaimed, then fearfully glanced at the Gryffindor table, where Fred and George were currently preoccupied. She lowered her voice. "I'm cheating, technically, by sitting with Gryffindor, and I'm also going back and forth from my classes and Slytherin's- Merlin's beard would a time turner be helpful right about now...anyway, yes, I'm staying in Slytherin."

"But...I didn't see you on Saturday night when we first went there."

"Oh Willow, you have so much to learn," Paige chuckled. "Lee had a little Polyjuice Potion left on the Black Market. I do have a reputation to keep up, you know. Also, I was the last one to sign up for the exchange. Right before it was taken down, actually. It's exhausting to keep it a secret. I'm sure you feel the same."

"Ye- Yeah, it is," Willow said, her breath catching in her throat. "How is it so far?"

"Pretty bad, actually," Paige said, throwing a glare in a few older girls' direction. "Lila's the only one that's been nice so far, as I'm sure you've noticed. That girl is impossible to miss- " Paige cleared her throat. "Back on topic. The girls in my year for Slytherin happen to be almost entirely pureblooded, so I catch all kinds of hell from them for being a Muggleborn. It doesn't hurt, and I think that really pisses them off, but hey, I'm known for pissing Slytherins off all the time. They've only attacked me once so far."

"What? Who attacked you? Where are they?" Willow asked.

"Easy there, Willow, don't get kicked out of the house exchange already," Sally said, subconsciously taking Willow's hands and pinning them behind her back. "Paige can pick and choose her own battles."

Willow sat back and scowled across the table at the fourth year Slytherin girls. "Fine. I'll give them another chance. But one step over the line, and I'm hexing them out of existence."

"Don't bother," Cypress sighed. When Paige gave him a quizzical glance, he said, "I'm Cypress, the better Slytherin Willow chose to hang out with. You've heard about me already." Recognition flashed across Paige's face. "Anyway, hexing someone out of existence only removes you from Hogwarts, and Slytherins never forgive someone for attacking them. Trust me, there's been a fight between a Ravenclaw and Slytherin that's been going strong for six years now. It's a constant revenge story. You don't want to get stuck in that, Willow. It sucks."

"Um, guys?" Oliver whimpered. He pointed to the other side of the Great Hall. "Sue's in trouble."

Willow shot to her feet just as the entire Great Hall turned their heads. Two Slytherin boys were thoroughly enjoying their torment of a fellow student. Sue, who was at least a foot shorter than them, was backed up against the wall, tears streaming down her face. The boys held her at wandpoint, laughing in her face and egging each other on. They fired a jinx each at her. Sue crumpled to the ground, sobbing, while the boys taunted her and threw insults at her. "Mudblood!" rang in Willow's ears. Infuriated, she glanced at Sally, who gave a decisive nod, and charged towards the scene.

"Stay down, you filthy Mudblood!" one boy shouted. "How dare you enter our common room!"

"It's called a house exchange, chingadero!"

A few students gasped, but Willow ignored them. She wasn't about to filter her language when she was going to get detention anyway. Willow fired off a few jinxes, only managing to lock one boy's legs together, and ended up casting the full body-binding curse on him. Then, she shoved her wand into her pocket and jumped onto the other boy, punching him in the face. A sickening crack! echoed off the stone walls. The boy screamed and fired a curse at Willow. She dodged it. He fired again. Willow was forced into a somersault to avoid it. The third time, the boy got lucky. Willow tripped and was hit in the leg with a curse. She let out a yelp as a single shallow cut slashed through her skin. Even more aggravated than before, Willow dashed to the boy, slammed him into the wall, and hit him hard in the gut. He grunted in pain and crumpled to the ground, where he received an even harder kick to the ribs. The boy tried to rapid-fire spells in Willow's direction, but his aim was way off and he ended up hitting another student. Willow whipped out her wand and was about to cast another body-binding curse when her arms were suddenly pinned behind her back by a magical force. The other boys' arms were thrown behind him, too. Willow fell on her face and bruise her cheek. Seething, she shot to her feet, only to meet the furious gazes of Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. She gulped and shrank away. McGonagall cast the counter-curse on Sue.

"Miss Li, you may leave," she said evenly. Sue glanced thankfully at Willow, wiping the tears off her cheeks, then made her way to the Slytherin table, covering her face because everyone was staring at her. Mandy, Lisa, and Sam sprinted to her from their respective tables. Professor McGonagall then turned her menacing expression on Willow and the boys. "My office. Now."

"But Professor, Daniel can't- " the boy started.

"I will perform the counter-curse on him, Smith," Professor Snape said. "Go with Professor McGonagall. Now."

Smith lowered his eyes. He glared at Willow for good measure, then followed Professor McGonagall at a brisk pace. The entire walk was in a deafening silence. Willow didn't feel one scrap of remorse for what she did. The boys were torturing Sue. They deserved what they got, even though it meant detention on her part. It was such a statement to torture an exchange student in the middle of the Great Hall. They had obviously had plenty of time to reconsider, but they didn't. The boys were trying to make a statement, and Willow told them exactly what she thought of it. She had made her stance clear. No one should be taunted for their blood status, especially her friends. Everyone knew what was coming when they made the decision to be an arsehole now.

Professor McGonagall unlocked her door, then marched Willow and Smith in. She sat them down directly across from her. Willow waited in silence for Professor Snape and Daniel to arrive, fuming in her chair. When Snape and a now mobile Daniel finally arrived, Professor McGonagall flicked her wand to shut the door, then stared at each student in turn. Willow met her gaze with an even, unwavering, relentless expression. McGonagall seemed to dissect this reaction, then paused before speaking.

"What were you two boys doing to Miss Li?" she asked.

Daniel wore a mask of apology. "We didn't mean to hurt her, Professor, honest. She was just making remarks about our Potions work- "

"As I recall, second years had Potions last hour, not fifth years," McGonagall interrupted. Daniel and Smith shrank beneath her withering gaze. "Do not attempt to lie your way out of the situation. You will receive extra detention for this."

"But Professor, she was really- " Smith started.

"Silence, Smith," Snape snapped.

Smith stared at his shoes, frustration and guilt mixed in his expression. Willow really wanted to feel bad for him, but she couldn't empathize with a racist pureblood-maniac. He was beyond her level of comprehension at the moment. She couldn't spare him any sympathy.

"As for you, Miss Guerrero," Professor McGonagall said, "why did you attack these boys?"

"They were torturing my friend, Professor," Willow said, trying to refrain from demonizing the boys further than she already was. "Sue was not fighting back when I saw them attacking her. I couldn't let them keep hurting her, so I attacked them."

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "And did you attempt to injure Mr. Smith in any way?"

Willow lowered her eyes, seething. "Yes," she admitted through gritted teeth. "I try not to go by the saying 'An eye for an eye', but when it comes to my friends, I struggle not to get even with attackers for hurting them, especially when they aren't fighting back."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I see. Were you aware that your actions cause Mr. Smith to injure another student?"

Willow almost jumped out of her seat. She'd forgotten about the stray spell. "They're injured? Is it bad? Oh no, I didn't provoke him into nearly killing someone, did I? Who's been hurt?"

"Settle down, Miss Guerrero, it was merely a minor hex," McGonagall reassured her. "He has already been taken care of. Draco Malfoy should be out of the hospital wing within minutes."

Great, I'll never hear the end of this one, Willow thought to herself.

"As it is," Professor McGonagall said, glancing at each of the students again, "you have all broken a sufficient number of school rules to receive maximum detention. Professor Snape, you may take Smith and Daniel from here and decide their punishment. Good day to you all."

Professor Snape nodded curtly, took Smith and Daniel from the room, and shut the door behind them, leaving Willow all alone with Professor McGonagall. She sensed a bit of an internal struggle within McGonagall. It was several agonizing moments of waiting before she gave her the sentence.

"You will be serving three nights of detention, Miss Guerrero, for attempting to injure students in the name of justice. I suggest you control that anger of yours. You will not be let off so easily in the future. Return to the Great Hall, please. You will receive your detention slips tomorrow evening at dinner."

"Thank you, Professor," Willow said, standing up to leave.

"Miss Guerrero," McGonagall said quietly.

Willow turned around. "Yes, Professor?"

"Do remember that the house exchange is only going to succeed with the cooperation of the students," Professor McGonagall said. "And be careful with that bowtruckle of yours. He has a knack for attention. Good day to you, Willow."

Willow's hand flew to her breast pocket, where Fidget was waving a spindly arm at McGonagall. She simply smiled back. Willow paused for a moment, unsure of what to say, knowing full well that she was causing the house exchange to backfire, then thought better of speaking at all and left the office.

On the way back to the Great Hall, Willow gave a stern talking-to to Fidget. He seemed to let it go in one ear and out the other. The little bowtruckle did like lots of attention, now that she thought about it. She wondered if that was because his previous "caretakers" had neglected him. Willow could hardly stand the thought of it. She tickled Fidget, causing him to laugh in that adorable way that made his whole body squirm. Willow thought herself so lucky that she had this little gift in her life. He might be the only reason she wasn't serving extra detention that week. Fidget playfully blew raspberries at her. Willow rolled her eyes, stuffing him back into her pocket as she entered the Great Hall. She automatically went to the Slytherin table, where Sue was still wiping tears off her face, Oliver and Lisa holding either of her hands. Mandy, Sam, and Sally were all standing around her, softly saying encouraging and uplifting things to her. Willow rushed to Sue's side. She could have cared less that every student's eyes were on her.

"Sue, I never got to ask you if you're okay," Willow said breathlessly.

"It's alright, I'm okay now," Sue sniffed. She dried her eyes on her sleeve. "I'm fine."

"What even provoked them?" Willow asked. "I don't understand why anyone would tease you. It makes no sense!"

"They- " Sue's eyes welled with tears. "They were flirting with me in the corridors. I tried to nonverbally tell them to go away, but it escalated quickly. They started saying inappropriate things. I yelled at them to go away, and- and they started shouting slurs at me until they attacked me in here. I couldn't- I just didn't want to fight back. I thought that would let them know I wasn't okay with it. But they- " A single tear traced its way down Sue's cheeks. "They didn't care."

"They never do," a voice whispered.

Everyone turned around to see Padma Patil. She was even more beautiful than the last time Willow had seen her. Padma put her hand on Sue's shoulder, gently holding her.

"Boys can be awful," she said. "They ignore our silent signs and think that we're too weak to fight back. When we shout, they think we're emotionally unstable. There's no convincing those two dirtbags of our humanity. Not all of them are like that, but the few that are ruin everything, don't they?" Sue nodded. "You just have to learn how to defend yourself. One of these days, you're going to see it coming before it happens, and I'll be there to applaud you when you send him running." Sue smiled through her tears, looking up at her. Padma returned her expression. "For now, it's okay for it to hurt. Do you want to take a walk with me?"

Sue nodded. Padma gently took Sue's arm in hers, and they walked from the hall, heads held high, not fearfully looking back at the staring mass of students. When they disappeared from sight, Lisa and Mandy exchanged a glance.

"What...just happened?" Sally asked.

"You got to witness the power of Padma Patil in person," Mandy said. "That girl is the strongest person I've ever met in my life. She's amazing at everything, yet she's still so human. I'll never achieve that level of prowess."

"Don't say that about yourself," Willow chided. "You're amazing too, Mandy. In fact, all of you need to take a lesson in self-pride. You're all so awesome and you don't even know it!"

"Says the one that beats herself up over spilling water on the floor," Sam said.

"That was one time, Sam, one time!"

"Hey, I'm just saying- "

"Sam, shut it," Sally commanded. Sam fell silent. "Willow's right. We need to have a little more confidence in ourselves, guys. Let's make a deal from here on out: every time we catch ourselves thinking negatively about ourselves, you have to find one positive thing about yourself and say it as many times in your head as it takes to sink in. No more self pity! I'm sick of all this depressing crap."

"I'm in," Oliver said.

"Definitely not going to work, but okay," Sam said, shrinking under his twin's glare.

"I'll try..." Lisa said quietly.

"I don't have anything to lose," Mandy said.

"Well, I'm already fabulous and know it, so I can't put myself up any more," Cypress teased.

"I will kick you off your high horse, Cypress!" Willow threatened. She shook her head. "One of these days...I'm in, Sally."

"Good!" Sally expression turned serious. "I'm watching you guys, remember that!"

At the end of the table, outrageous laughter filled the air. A group of Slytherins had gathered around someone, leaning in to hear him, then banging their fists on the table and hooting and hollering. Willow recognized Millicent Bulstrode and Blaise Zabini among the crowd. The majority of the crowd was second years, actually. When she heard a familiar voice, she groaned, knowing it could only mean one thing. Willow left her friends to themselves and pushed her way to the front of the crowd, where Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were seated in the center, appearing very pleased with themselves.

"Madam Pomfrey was seriously worried about me," he drawled. "She said the curse was reversible, thank Merlin, but one more hit with it and I'd have dropped dead! I'm lucky to be alive."

"Are you still hurt, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson gasped.

"No, I'm fine now," he replied lazily. "I have a high pain tolerance. I broke my wrist when I was younger, see, and I never even cried. Smith was crying, though, did you see that? Willow must have broken his jaw. Pity it didn't break her hand as well."

Willow tensed up. She wanted to leave, but so desperately wanted to stay and know what Draco said about her behind her back. Was it bad? Was it admirable? She had to know! Willow drew her hood up a little farther to hide her identity. Draco started telling yet another story, getting very into it from the very beginning. He acted out some of the parts, even standing up on the table and pretending to get hit with a curse, which Willow was certain never happened, judging by his nonchalant reaction, but she kept her mouth shut and listened. Draco seemed to be a master of crowds, drawing gasps and even admiring compliments for his heroic actions (which Willow was also certain never happened). She wanted to confront him, but she couldn't stand the thought of bursting his bubble when he was being so good for once.

"And he was like, 'I'm going to kill you, little boy!' and I was like, 'Yeah right," so I hit him with this spell- like this- " Draco pretended to fire off a spell, taking up a courageous pose- "and the guy was like, 'Aah!' and dropped to the ground."

The crowd applauded. Willow rolled her eyes and clapped along with them.

"Thank you, thank you!" Draco said.

"Ooh, Draco, tell us the other story again!" Millicent insisted.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell it again," Draco relented, as if it were extra effort he was too lazy to do. "Any volunteers to help me demonstrate it? Don't worry, you'll never be able to act like me, but it will be fun anyway."

A group of girls clambered for Draco's attention. He drew out their enthusiasm, pausing a hundred times between picking them, and finally reenacted the story. There were several parts Willow questioned, of course, and she had to roll her eyes at others, but by the end, Draco hadn't said anything against Muggleborns. When the bell rang, Willow was almost sorry to go to class. The Draco Malfoy she saw every day was melting away to reveal the true Draco that she knew was underneath all that propaganda his parents fed him.

And he was beautiful.

"Willow, duck!"

"What- " Willow flipped upside down on her broomstick. "Hey! George, I thought you said that was the last time five rounds ago!" She involuntarily gasped and dove to the right to avoid yet another bludger. "Fred!"

Fred and George only laughed and high-fived each other in response, flying to the other side of the pitch. Willow blew a strand of hair out of her face and stared after them, shaking her head. The twins had been pestering her ever since she'd told them she'd lost a bet with Draco and had to sit at the Slytherin table that week. She didn't mind, of course, but each time they came near she was reminded how thin the ice was that she was walking on. Willow had never been able to lie to them. Now that she had, it was difficult not to make up more every time she saw them, just in case they were necessary, to keep them happy with her, but she would never be able to keep more than one straight. Willow wished she could pluck up the courage to tell them and get it over with sooner rather than later.

"Fred, George! It's time!" Wood shouted.

Fred and George gave him a goofy salute. "Aye aye, captain!"

Wood pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just go spy already! And don't you dare try to pull anything while you're at it! We can't have you blowing your cover this early! Got it?"

Fred and George had already zoomed off, either ignoring or not hearing Wood's pleas. Wood pulled himself together and kept practicing with Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. Their shots were coming along lately. Gryffindor would have an advantage to this next game Chaser-wise. Willow was distracted by the Chasers so much that she didn't even notice the Snitch hovering directly beneath her broom. Harry came zooming underneath her, nearly unseating her. Willow frantically pulled herself back onto her broom and gave Harry an annoyed look.

"What did you knock me off my broom for?" she asked.

"Why were you not paying attention?" Harry countered.

"Touché."

Ten minutes later, practice ended, and Wood released them, wishing them a happy Halloween. It had been a long week for Willow. Each day of the house exchange had dragged by endlessly. Paige and the rest of her friends were bright spots, but Tracey, Daphne, and Millicent were rather arrogant and rude, however subtle they tried to be about it. Sue had refused to go anywhere near the older boys in Slytherin for the entire week. Padma and she sat together when they had classes with Gryffindor to comfort her. Draco was kind of distant, which was expected (though he had become increasingly animated throughout the week as more and more people asked him about getting hit with the stray spell), and Cypress and Oliver were practically glued to each other's sides. Willow thought it was bittersweet that the first week of the house exchange was ending with Halloween; it had been both haunting and fun.

"Are you going to the Halloween feast tonight?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yeah, I am," Willow replied, shaken out of her thoughts. "Are you?"

"No, unfortunately," Harry said. "I agreed to go to Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party. Hermione, Ron, and I will be the only live ones there, but I think it's going to be a cool experience. Like Hermione said, not many living people get to say they've been to one of these."

"Make sure to tell me all about it! I'll save you some pumpkin pie from the feast. I know it's your favorite."

Harry smiled. "Thanks."

Willow and Harry rounded the corner, nearly bumping into a small red-headed figure. She squeaked when she saw Harry, eyes wide, then covered it up with a cough. It sounded very real, though, which worried Willow.

"Hey, Ginny, is your cough back again?" she asked.

"No it's not!" Ginny sniffed.

"Are you sure?" Harry wondered. "I can get Madam Pomfrey for you. She's got loads of that Pepperup Potion left."

Ginny's cheeks flooded with scarlet. "No- No thanks. I'm okay."

"As long as you're sure," Harry said, shrugging. "I'll see you later, Ginny."

Harry walked away. Willow was about to follow him when Ginny tugged on her sleeve. She was smiling, but her eyes were hiding something, something very desperate. The color was fading fast from her cheeks.

"Wait, can I talk to you for a second?" she whispered.

Willow nodded. She glanced at Harry, who had turned back to wait for her, and shouted, "Go on, I'll catch up." When Harry was long gone, she turned back to Ginny, who was alarmingly grey of face.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you sure you're okay?" Willow asked, worriedly giving her a once-over. "You're really pale, Ginny. Normally your cheeks are very pink. What's going on? Did something happen? Don't tell me you weren't doing as Madam Pomfrey says."

"No, no, it's not that, I'm not sick," Ginny said. She swallowed hard. "It...It's something else."

"What else? What happened, Ginny?"

"I- " Ginny paused, the words catching in her throat. "I..." Ginny was internally fighting with herself, so much that Willow's extra senses were waving a red flag. She was about to take her aside and really question her when she finally spoke. "I can't stand being unable to talk to Harry anymore, Willow. It's driving me nuts."

Willow smiled. "Oh, Ginny. You poor thing." She drew her in for a quick hug, then put her hands on the first year's shoulders. "Just remember what I told you before: Become his friend, and everything else will fall into place."

Ginny forced a smile, not relieved any more than she was before. "Thanks, Willow."

"Are you going to be at the feast tonight, Ginny?"

Ginny frowned. "No, I think I might go to bed early. I'm not sick, of course, but I just don't feel good. I didn't sleep as well as I'd like the past few nights." She put on a bright, happy face. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Bright and early," Willow promised.

Ginny skipped away, a little more lethargically than usual. Willow looked after her, wondering whether she should follow her or not, then thought better of it and headed for the common room. She needed to let her friends figure things out on their own at least once a week. After changing, she hung out for a bit, then at quarter to seven, Willow made her way to the Great Hall.

The Halloween decorations were even better than last year. Live bats were there, as always, flying across the ceiling in long strands, and Hagrid was just finishing up the last pumpkin lantern. The room was well-lit in a way that wasn't even close to spooky. Willow noticed Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall arguing over some details with a rather plump, temperamental witch on her way through the Entrance Hall. Maybe that meant the rumors were true about the skeleton troupe, then? Willow hoped they would be extra entertaining. Macabre things had never been appealing to her, but sometimes she would make exceptions.

"Happy Halloween!" Cypress said, clapping Willow on the shoulder.

"Happy Halloween, Cypress!" Willow greeted.

"Is this a gathering of some sort?" Mandy asked, Sue, Lisa, and Oliver trailing behind her. "Don't leave me out of this! It's been lonely with only Lisa to accompany me all week. Not that you're bad company, Lisa, but it's odd when there's only two of us."

Lisa smiled. "I know, Mandy."

"Ooh, Mandy, can you please please please change your hair for the occasion?" Sally begged, walking up with Sam. "I've always wondered what your hair looks like in orange and black!"

Mandy rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine, but it's back to red the moment the feast is over."

Cypress watched in awe as Mandy's hair shifted from bright red to orange with black little ghosts here and there. It was very decorative, Willow thought, and it fit the occasion very well.

"You're a metamorphagus?" Cypress gasped, dramatically throwing his hand over his heart. "How did I not know this?"

"It's hard to notice that her hair is not a natural shade of red," Sue explained, shrugging. "None of us knew until the train ride this year. Actually, we didn't know a lot of things until the train ride this year."

"The metamorphagus is sitting with me," Cypress announced.

"Her name is Mandy, Cypress," Sam said.

Mandy laughed. "No, don't stop him, I like it. Come on, guys, let's all sit together at the Slytherin table to piss off those idiots that attacked Sue. What were their names? Dave and Smithy? D- "

"Let's not make up inappropriate names, Mandy," Lisa said sternly.

Mandy playfully rolled her eyes and lead the way into the Great Hall with Cypress. The group sat down together at the Slytherin table, earning them some wary looks and a few glares. Cypress was totally immune to it, as were the rest of them, and they proceeded to make funny faces in the odd reflections of themselves on the gold platters. Willow was smiling so much that her face hurt. She was almost sad when the feast finally began. Every food imaginable suddenly appeared on the table, and they didn't hesitate to dig in.

"We are not having a roll-eating contest today," Sally warned Willow through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Agreed," she said, halfway through an entire plate of green bean casserole. "I am eating way too much food for my own good, but do I care what my body thinks? Absolutely not."

"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," Mandy said. She glanced at Lisa's platter. "If you hesitate to eat more than a single serving of everything yet again, I will forcefully shove ten rolls down your throat! Eat more food!"

Lisa's face went red as a tomato. "Okay, fine." She put two rolls and a roast beef sandwich on her platter. "This good?"

Mandy narrowed her eyes at the plate, as if inspecting it, then finally said, "It's a start."

"Guys, look!" Sam exclaimed, pointing at the entrance to the Great Hall. "The rumors were true! Unless I'm dreaming, that's a skeleton troupe, is it not? Look, look!"

Everyone turned at once to look. Sure enough, following Dumbledore and McGonagall was an entire troupe of skeletons, proud and confident-looking. They waved to everyone who glanced their way, seeming to adore the attention. By the time they reached the raised platform where the professors sat, all eyes were on them. Dumbledore tapped his wand on his podium to divert everyone's attention to him.

"Students! As I'm sure you've all heard the rumors, there is no need to explain our guests," he boomed. "Please welcome the Dancing Dead, and enjoy their performance!"

Applause filled the air. Dumbledore waved his wand, the podium vanished, and he and McGonagall returned to their seats. McGonagall whispered something in Dumbledore's ear, and he struggled not to laugh out loud. The Dancing Dead took their places on the platform, which served as their stage, and the room dimmed. A few rays of moonlight were left to filter through the windows above, acting as stage lights. When the room finally fell silent, the performance began.

From nowhere, a dark, eerie organ quietly played. The skeletons slowly began to collapse to the floor, as if in slow motion. Their structures fell apart as they hit the ground. Then, they rose back up again, acting almost like zombies, and made their way in time to the three rows between the students' tables. Suddenly, the music changed to a strict march in another minor key. The skeletons saluted. After that, they marched to the beat, every once in a while stopping dead, turning, staring at the students, then turning back to face the Entrance Hall and marching again. They circled around the tables. Everyone's attention was solely focused on the dancers. They had ensnared their audience.

All of a sudden, the music changed to a sad, anguished tone. The skeletons pretended to act out a battle scene. It was very realistic, with the skeletons crying out in pain and everything. Finally, when the surviving "soldiers" had "buried" their friends and performed funeral rights, there was the most sudden change in tempo and mood Willow had ever experienced. A happy, catchy, fast rhythm filled the Great Hall. The skeletons gave a cry of joy and started dancing with each other. It reminded Willow of her father's stories of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, which was happening today. The "dead" and the "living" rejoiced together, ending their dance with an amazing finale of some skeletons being thrown into the air, caught, and the entire troupe striking a final pose.

An uproar of applause went up from the students and staff. Fred and George whistled loudly and stood up. The entire Gryffindor table followed suit, then the Hufflepuffs, then the Ravenclaws, and finally the Slytherin table, until the whole Great Hall was giving the troupe a standing ovation. The skeletons organized themselves into a single row and bowed together. The pumpkin lanterns flickered back to life, and the skeletons received their praise most appreciatively their whole way out of the Great Hall. Dumbledore thanked their manager, the plump witch from earlier, asked the students for one more great round of applause for the Dancing Dead, and the troupe left through the Entrance Hall. Dumbledore returned to front of the room.

"Students! At this time, there is an opportunity for you all to take part in a Halloween-themed dance," he announced. "If you are interested, join me up here on the stage. There will be music in just at moment."

Willow and her friends exchanged glances, not even asking the question out loud. They immediately got up as a group, dragged Lisa and Oliver with them, and hit the stage with several other groups of equally excited students. The music started, and the dance was in full swing within seconds. Willow was ready to have a good time after a stressful week.

She found her Gryffindor Sisters among the crowd. They were dancing their fool heads off, having the time of their lives. Willow joined them, making her way to the Patil twins, who smiled politely at her arrival.

"How has the week treated you?" Willow asked. "Have you gotten tired of each other yet?"

"Nope!" they exclaimed in unison.

"This week has been eye-opening," Padma said.

"You have no idea how many things I convinced Padma to do!" Parvati exclaimed. "I thought Mia and Fay were going to drive her out, as many things they schemed up with her involved."

Willow let out a hearty laugh. "I've missed you guys so much."

"We missed you too!" they said together.

Padma's and Parvati's eyes lit up, and the girls started giggling. Willow furrowed her brow. She didn't get time to turn around and see what they were laughing at before she was lifted off her feet, twirled around, and set back on the ground. Paige didn't skip a beat and kept dancing with Willow, giving her an exceptionally happy grin. Willow returned the expression and followed Paige's lead.

"Enjoying yourself, are you?" Paige said.

"There's a certain answer to this question, isn't there?"

Paige smirked. "Answer it wrong and you'll find out."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Alright. I'm enjoying myself now that you're here. Happy?"

Paige spun Willow around and dipped her back, then pulled her in close. "Not the exact wording I was picturing, but I'm happy nonetheless."

"You spent way too much time listening to the other Slytherins in the common room this week," Willow chuckled.

"Hey, some of their ideas have a bit of merit to them. I've got a few new tricks up my sleeve that I might pass along to Fred and George. Or not." Paige's eyes flashed. "Speak of the devils, they're heading this way. Good luck with them."

Paige gave Willow one final spin, then disappeared into the crowd. Fred whispered something into George's ear. Willow couldn't hear it, but whatever was said put an appalled expression on George's face. Fred smiled mischievously and shoved George into Willow right as they got to her.

"Don't worry, dear brother, I'll find Angelina for you eventually!" George said. Fred rolled his eyes and started dancing with Lee, already making up another pranking plan for the next few weeks. George shook his head and turned to face Willow.

"Fred turns into an idiot during Halloween, I swear," he said.

"That's fine, I completely understand," Willow said. She stepped back, spreading her arms wide. "Care to join me?"

George grinned. "Is that not what I'm doing?"

Willow laughed as George and she began to dance together, simply enjoying each other's company and the music. Lee and Fred eventually joined them. The four of them had a great time, challenging each other to do a fancy dance move, guffawing at each other's failure, and pretending to be professional about the whole thing all the while. They must have danced through four songs straight before they realized any time had passed at all. The four were lost in the moment. They watched Neville, Dean, and Seamus awkwardly dance with each other. Thankfully, the Gryffindor Sisters swooped in to rescue them, teaching them a few basic moves to get them going, then dancing a little more fluidly after that. Dean and Seamus were obviously trying to best each other. It made for a show, the way the two boys constantly did more and more ridiculous moves until they were way beyond their capability. They ultimately tripped over each other, collapsing in a heap of laughter. George made a funny joke about it, and Willow couldn't stop giggling. She reminded herself to spend more time with her fellow Gryffindor second years over the next week.

"...Forest isn't off limits for those who know what they're doing," Fred said to Lee. "We could definitely work something in over the next week. The first years would never go there again! It might prevent them from breaking rules, actually, so we could consider it a help to the professors."

"Oh, shut it," Willow said. "I know darn well that none of your pranks are originally intended to help out the staff."

George beamed. "Hey, it's worth the shot."

"If you're going to do a prank involving the Forbidden Forest, you have to let me organize some of it," Willow insisted. "I mean, I can sense where practically everything is, I spend at least a few nights there every month, and I'm not afraid of it. There's a lot of cool places that would serve your purposes well. Yes, Fred," Willow chortled at his expression, "I've already spent some time staking out good pranking areas."

Fred sighed. "You're never going to allow me to sleep at night, are you?"

"Those are some of my intentions, yeah," Willow teased.

"Let her go, Freddy," George said. "Willow's more capable than you when it comes to the Forbidden Forest."

"I'm not even going to fight you on that one." Fred's expression suddenly brightened. "Oh, Willow, have you seen our latest invention?" he asked. When Willow shook her head, he pulled out a filibuster firework. "I know, I know, it looks exactly like the original, but we've made some- altercations- to it. This firework is actually meant to explode and remain burning in a certain shape for a moderate period of time. It's our new emergency escape cover, sort of like the Muggle smoke bomb." Fred handed it to Willow. "Don't you dare lose it! We only have so many fireworks we can alter."

Willow placed the firework in her pocket. "Thanks! What do you call it?"

"We're still working on a name," George said, "but so far our favorites are 'Prank Escape' or 'Boom and Zoom'."

Willow was about to give a snarky answer, but she never got the chance. Suddenly, a sharp pain, like a heavy blow, struck her in the head. Willow gripped her forehead, feeling like she had a migraine. But this was no migraine. Her vision began to blur, her ears heard something that was definitely not anything like a party, and she lost her balance. Willow stumbled into George.

"She doesn't like those titles much, does she?" Fred laughed.

"Must not- " George began. His expression quickly changed to that of panic. He caught Willow as her body gave out on her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fred, George, and Lee exchange worried glances. Willow lost consciousness again. When she came to, Fred and George had unobtrusively carried her to the Gryffindor table, where she sat down, still wobbly.

Cebba, what's going on? Willow frantically shouted.

I'm so sorry, Willow, Cebba apologized. The helpless tone only put Willow more on edge. I cannot tell you.

Yes you can! What's stopping you?

A power greater than you may ever understand.

Willow frustratedly shut Cebba out of her mind, instead focusing her vision on the dance, trying to keep herself from falling over. Her vision swam in and out. Her ears began to go deaf. All of her senses were shutting down.

"Willow, Willow, hey, can you hear us?" Lee asked.

"Not for much longer," Willow choked out. "Another vision- "

And then she was gone.

The most powerful sense of complete and total asserted control washed over Willow. She was yanked out of the Great Hall and thrown into another corridor. Willow recognized it as the second floor. It was flooded. She realized this was the corridor right outside the girls' bathroom that was out of order, Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling along the wall, her tail swishing agitatedly. Mrs. Norris jumped onto a torch bracket, just as the most terrifying thing Willow had ever heard in her life spoke in the back of her mind. It scared her so much that she was thrown out of the vision and back into the Great Hall, where the dance had finally ended. Fred, George, and Lee were thoroughly alarmed by this point.

"What just happened? What did you see?" Fred asked hurriedly.

"Second floor girls' bathroom- something bad- " Willow managed to choke out.

The vision swallowed her up again. Mrs. Norris was hissing from atop the torch bracket now, searching the room with her lamp-like eyes. The hair on the back of Willow's neck rose along with the fur on the scruff of Mrs. Norris's neck. Something awful was about to happen. Willow's head felt like a drill was being shoved into it. So many negative electrical signals bounced around that she could hardly think straight. What was going on? What was this thing that was so evil it was physically hurting her, and how was it inside Hogwarts?

Suddenly, a shadow covered the scene, and Mrs. Norris yowled. The sound shattered Willow's eardrums. She covered them, desperately trying to drown out the noise, but instead, a high-pitched, piercing ringing, almost sounding like a scream, filled the air. Willow was thrown back into reality, where she shot to her feet and nearly bowled over Fred while doing it.

"Something's happening!" she yelped, getting Fred and George on their feet. "Quick, follow me! We have to stop it!"

"What's happening? Who do we have to stop?" Lee asked.

"I don't know! Come on, hurry! There's not much time!"

Willow sprinted out of the Great Hall, shoving several students aside. She dodged a group of first years and was tempted to hurdle a second year that had dropped their bag in the middle of the corridor. Fred, George, and Lee hot on her heels, Willow dashed up the marble staircase, took the steps two at a time, and barreled down the last corridor. The ringing had only gotten louder as she approached the bathroom. Willow skidded to a stop a little before the scene, covering her ears and sinking to the floor in agony.

So close...next time, next time...we will have blood next time...so many to kill, so many to rip...

"Please, stop!" Willow screamed.

"Who? Where?" Fred panted, halting beside Willow. "You're worrying us, honestly. What's gotten into you?"

A few students turned the corner and headed in her direction. The ringing fortunately was fading away, and the voice crumpled into nothing but distant rumbles. Willow stood up, wiping the tears off her face. She was about to take a step forward and investigate when Fred and George simultaneously put a hand on her shoulder.

"Guys, we need to- !" Willow complained. She stopped short, her mouth dropping open. Willow let out a squeak of horror.

They were too late.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware," Lee whispered. He stepped closer to Fred and George. "Guys, I'm not liking this. At all."

"M- Mrs. Norris," Willow stuttered, pointing at the cat.

Mrs. Norris was still on the torch bracket, eyes wider than usual, fur on end- and frozen stiff.