Willow walked into the hospital wing a day before term started. For once, it wasn't because she had done yet another incredibly stupid thing. She had heard from Harry and Ron that Hermione messed up the Polyjuice Potion over the Holidays and decided to pay her a visit. The sun was high in the sky and provided some much-needed light into the rather dark room. It smelled as fragrant as a sterile room could be, and it wasn't too busy. Madam Pomfrey was busy tending to a sixth year that had somehow broken his leg when she arrived. Since Hermione was still asleep, Willow ducked behind a curtain before Madam Pomfrey could see her and sat down.
Colin was still petrified in his futile position. His eyes were wide with fear. Willow quietly kicked the side of the bed. Was she missing something? She felt like answers were staring her right in the face. The Smith twins' mum escaping, her own mum recruiting, the attacks on specifically Muggleborns by some monster...it all had to be connected somehow. But she couldn't figure it out. Willow cursed her stupid Gryffindor brain for being so short-sighted. Why could she never see the big picture? She was failing because of it; failing to protect Ginny, failing to protect Colin, failing to protect all of her friends. Half of her friends were Muggleborn! How was she supposed to keep them safe with this monster on the loose? She had all the powers necessary for the task, but she couldn't use them if she didn't know what she was doing! Willow had never been more frustrated in her life.
"...Transfiguration unit. It's rather hard," Parvati said. "We're turning animals into water goblets, then quills, then back to water goblets, then back to animals!"
Willow peeked out from behind the curtains. Parvati had snuck in while she was having her pity party. Hermione was awake now, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, quite literally. At least the yellow in her eyes was fading to a light shade of brown.
"Thanks for the heads up, Parvati."
"Hey guys!" Willow said, appearing from behind the curtain. Both girls jumped. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. How was your break, Parvati? I saw that you had a few new headpieces."
"Oh, it was great!" Parvati said. "My dad got me some beautiful feathers that I can put in my hair. They're enchanted to change colour according to my mood. I love them!"
"How was your break, Willow?" Hermione asked. "You didn't respond to my owl."
Willow's heart jumped, but she expertly hid it. "Sorry, Iris was busy. She's become the family owl aside from being my pet. There were tons of messages from Newt and Tina that my dad and his brothers sent back and forth. It might have gotten lost." She hid the shudder that went down her spine at the memory of the Smiths' mother. "My break was great. We had a snowball fight in the backyard. Perrito got buried underneath my fort. I had to dig him out with my hands."
"That's awesome!" Parvati said. "Did you get anything nice for Christmas?"
"Yes, and thank you again for the elephant blanket you got me for my birthday. It came in handy when I accidentally left my window open. I was too lazy to get up and fix it." Willow paused in thought. "My dad did get me a really cool bed for my puffskein, but other than that, it was probably my birthday presents that were the best this year, especially George's and Paige's."
Hermione and Parvati giggled at the mention of George and Paige. Willow furrowed her brow in confusion.
"What are you laughing about?"
"How can you not see it, Willow?" Hermione sighed. "It's so blatantly obvious!"
"You must be partially blind not to see the way they've been acting," Parvati chortled.
"What do you mean, 'the way they've been acting'? Are they acting funny? They aren't sick, as far as I know. " Willow's eyes widened. "You don't think they've been targeted by that group of underground potion brewers, do you? I've heard they once caused Lee to burp out everything he said for a week!"
Parvati and Hermione could barely hold their snickering in. "Oh, Willow, this is too good to stop now."
Willow was frustrated at this point. "Come on, guys, this isn't funny. What are you talking about? George and Paige could be in serious trouble and you're wasting precious time!"
"No one's in the slightest bit of trouble, Willow," Hermione said. "You'll figure out what's going on soon. In the meantime, I'd watch out for Draco this next house exchange. He's been acting really...weird. Personally, I think he's disappointed that his parents didn't get him as many gifts as last year."
Willow rolled her eyes to play along, but caught the glint of true warning in Hermione's eye. "Thanks for stating the obvious."
"It's time for another dose of your medicine, Hermione," Madam Pomfrey announced, bustling over with a foul-smelling bottle of brownish liquid. Willow's enhanced sense of smell didn't make it any better. Madam Pomfrey shooed Parvati and her away. "Come on, get a move on, you two! Bloody Gryffindors and your unwillingness to heal properly..."
Parvati and Willow exchanged an exasperated look, then left the hospital wing, heading to the Great Hall for a little breakfast. There was a mound of perfectly prepared scrambled eggs the size of cauldron. Complimentary bacon made its way onto Willow's plate as well, and some into her secret food pouch. Griffin and V deserved lots of treats for her being absent over the Holidays. She tried and failed to abstain from eating jelly toast as well. Willow felt completely guilty about it, but at the same time, she wasn't sure she cared at all.
When breakfast ended, she automatically headed towards the Gryffindor common room, then stopped on her heel and turned around, remembering that her stuff was already in the Slytherin common room. The house exchange would begin tomorrow already. Willow headed down to the dungeons and waited for a Slytherin to show up. Fortunately, a familiar, friendly face rounded the corner and smiled at her.
"Willow! It's been too long," Lila greeted. "The password changed again, though I'm glad about it. The previous one wasn't exactly what I'd call friendly and welcoming. Well, not that this one is any sort of warm and fuzzy phrase, but at least it's not a curse word." She turned to the massive boulder. "Muggleborns beware!"
Willow sighed. She seriously doubted the Slytherin password would be free of prejudices anytime soon. The Slytherin common room had its usual green glow to it. A lot less natural light pierced the Black Lake during this time of year, so the overhead lanterns were almost the only source of brightness in the room. Willow was at least thankful for the colder temperature. She hoped Oliver was adjusting well to it.
She didn't have to hope much longer. Willow spotted Oliver laying on the couch, head on Cypress's lap while the Slytherin boy did some last-minute homework. He chewed the end of his quill pensively, then seemed to come to a conclusion, scribbling something down that was barely legible but nevertheless correct. Willow sat on the edge of a chair across from him.
"Whoever taught you how to write needs to be fired," she said.
"Oh, she was, literally," Cypress said, smirking playfully. He continued to scribble down sentences. "I arranged a prank the day I made it known to the board she wasn't teaching us anything. There were some accidental fiery touches that my magic decided to add. That had to be the best year of Muggle school."
"Your magic added it?" Willow asked, raising an eyebrow.
Cypress grinned. "We'll never know the full truth, will we?"
"Hmm...are you sure you're spelling the events correctly?" Willow questioned, pointing out places on his essay with her wand. "This one says 'Convection' instead of 'Convention' and the names of the people are not what I remember from the last lesson."
Cypress glanced at her quizzically. "You can read my handwriting?"
Willow shrugged. "It's not that bad. I've seen much, much worse when my English teacher from Muggle school had me help proofread others' assignments. I was frequently bored."
"You really are a witch. No one can read my handwriting."
"You didn't suspect me of magical capabilities before? Ouch, I'm hurt."
"I suppose I better make it up to you, then," Cypress dramatically sighed. "Whatever shall I do? Oh, I know!" He drew out a bag of chips Willow recognized as Doritos. "I should give you some of my life force."
"These are you life force?" Willow scoffed. "Cypress, you've got to step up your game. Fritos are the only way to go."
"Any chips are the way to go as long as they taste good," Oliver said, taking the bag for himself and opening it. "Wow, I haven't had these in months! Are you sure you can't smuggle more in, Cypress?"
"It might cost you," Cypress warned playfully. "Let's see, what should the price be?"
"Hugs? Pies? A lot of blankets?" Oliver suggested.
Cypress ginned. "Alright, fine, I'll go easy on you. Just two of my favourite dessert."
"Two red velvet rolls coming your way as soon as I can get Hannah to help me," Oliver promised. "I get half of one, though! You know those are my favourite, too!"
"Fine, one and a half red velvet rolls. You're making me go soft, Oliver."
"No, you're making me tougher," Oliver said. "I actually talk to Hannah on a regular basis now. Your tips are very useful. Do you know what a life coach is? You could be one of those."
"But...world domination!" Cypress whined. "Taking over the metropolis! Being powerful!"
"Speaking of powerful, how has the potion been coming along, Cypress?" Willow inquired, ignoring his previous comment. "I heard you recruited Oliver to help you. Is it ready to go, or would it blow my head off?"
"It wouldn't blow your head off, but it will blow you away," Cypress said, smirking. "It's ready. I can't wait to see the change that comes over Daphne when she takes it."
"That's awesome!" Willow exclaimed. "She's going to be such a different person!"
"She's going to be all, 'Oh my God, racism is stupid, I need a better life!' and we'll be standing on the other side of the room like, 'Yeah, we could have told you that a year ago,'" Cypress said, acting with a dramatic flair and pretending to flip his imaginary long hair.
"Merlin's beard, Cypress, why do you have to act so gay?" a passing third year sneered.
"Because I am, you dimwit, how many times do I have to tell you?" Cypress replied, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "I could swear you and Molly have no brain left."
The other girl huffed and walked away, clearly pouting. Oliver appeared slack-jawed. Willow was very, very confused. What just happened? Why was Oliver so surprised? What had Cypress even called himself?
"What's gay?" Willow asked.
"Me, obviously," Cypress chortled. "How on Earth did you not know that? I'm very out front about it."
"No, all joking aside, I don't know what gay is," Willow said. "Is it an adjective? I've heard it used before, but it hurts some people and makes others laugh. Is it one of those weird English words with a double meaning?"
"Sort of, yeah," Cypress said. "In Old English- and for some reason, a little bit of Modern English- gay meant happy or jolly. In more modern terms, gay refers to somebody who likes the same gender as themselves. I'm gay because I like boys instead of girls. Some people are super anti-gay because of religion and whatever. It's kind of annoying. At least I haven't experienced a hate crime yet."
"Hold on, girls can like girls and boys can like boys?" Willow asked, dumbfounded. "Has this been a thing? How long has that been a thing? Merlin's beard, how sheltered am I?"
"Very sheltered, apparently. This has pretty much been happening since the beginning of time. It's not your fault they haven't included it in the history textbooks."
"Oh. I guess I never considered it as a possibility before." Willow sat back, taking in this information. "How does one become gay? Is it like, a natural thing, a choice, or...what?"
"Some people say it's a choice, but honestly, I don't think anyone wants to struggle finding someone who doesn't hate them for liking their same gender. There's lots of people that have died in hate crimes in the past. It's unfortunate that anyone would think a person would choose to have a rocky, difficult love life."
"Yeah, why would anyone think that?" Willow asked. She shook her head. "People are weird."
"There's a couple other things other than gay out there, too. Some people like both girls and boys. That's bisexual. I find that that group of people are accepted even less than homosexuals." Cypress threw up his hands in defeat. "I gave up trying to figure out what went so wrong that straights started hated on gays a long time ago. Now, I just deal with the hate as it comes. It's pretty hard to get to me when I already know I'm more fabulous than most people here."
"Well, if anyone gives you any sort of trouble, let me know," Willow said. "There's enough to worry about already. People don't need to make anyone's life harder with extra unreasonable hate."
"Thank you!" Cypress said. "Hear that, everyone? This one gets it! Why can't the rest of you idiots catch up? Oh wait, because you're too busy waiting for me to take over the world. Never mind."
"Are you seriously bent on taking over the world?" Willow chuckled.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Cypress scoffed. "It's the only goal worthy of my amazing looks and abilities. Not to mention I could plaster my face everywhere and find someone just as pretty without anyone getting in the way."
"That...actually sounds nice. I'll handle your administrative stuff as long as you promise not to destroy the world."
"Weeeeell, I can't make any promises there. I've gotta do what I gotta do to take over. Don't look at me like that! You'll make me feel guilty! Don't worry, I'd let you handle cleaning up the mess! You're good at restoring things to their former glory."
"Cypress, that is not what I was going to say!" Willow laughed.
"It's okay, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt anybody," Oliver promised. He had eaten half the bag of Doritos and escaped to the floor, wrapped in two blankets. "He might even take over whoever makes Doritos and give me a lifetime supply."
"I'll do whatever makes you happy," Cypress sighed. "Just don't make me feel bad about taking over the world!"
"That depends on how you conduct yourself."
"Sigh. Fine. Now give me a few of those Doritos before you eat the whole bag!"
The rest of the morning passed in a pleasant bliss. Sue and Sally joined them for a round of exploding snap, which seemed to bother some nearby fourth years, but they ignored them. Cypress surprised them all with yet another bag of Doritos to share. Oliver ate the most by far. As morning passed into afternoon, the five of them broke off to their dorms to get a few things done for school, mainly Potions (Snape had rudely given them excessive amounts of homework over the Holidays, none of which any of them had bothered to start). Willow was about to suggest they convene in the library to work on it together when a certain blonde threw her into the wall.
"Start talking, Wisp," he growled.
"Draco, what the hell?" Willow snapped, throwing his arm off of her. "What am I supposed to talk about?"
"You're obviously planning something, now what was it?" Draco's gray eyes were stormy and alight with fury. "Does it have something to do with what happened over the Holidays? Crabbe and Goyle were acting funny on Christmas, then they show up later claiming they have no memory of that, and even they aren't that stupid. What are you doing?"
"Draco, would I really be good enough to hide something from you? I'm a bloody Gryffindor, for crying out loud! I could never keep something like that hidden from you. And why would I be hiding something? The only things I'm hiding are known to you already!"
Draco stared her down. "Why do I have a feeling you're lying to me?"
"Okay, do you want to know what my back-stabbing plan is?" Willow said, her voice heavily laced with sarcasm. "I'm going to make people happy because I don't like seeing people sad. I don't want anyone to live in a bad situation if I can help it. So despicable, am I right?"
"Enough with the sarcasm! You and Cypress have been making a potion, and I deserve to know why!"
"Oh, you deserve to know why, do you?" Willow scoffed, taken aback. "What gives you the right to say something like that? You've stabbed me in the back God-knows-how many times, been openly racist to my friends, and done nothing but bring me down and force me to reveal my private thoughts. What gives you the right to know what I'm doing?"
Draco winced, but kept a poker face. "You're planning to do something to the Slytherins, and I can't allow that."
Willow felt like she was stabbed in the gut. Had nothing changed? Even with spending the Holidays away from his parents, was he still the same elitist she'd met in Diagon Alley a whole year ago? She did her best to swallow the pain. "I see how it is. You care about the Slytherin house, but not the only person that's willing to call you a friend out of pure choice, not fear." Willow laughed dryly. "Fine. I'll leave you alone to brood in silence and pout about the world not giving you everything you've ever wanted, just like you always do."
She started to walk away. Draco tried to grab her shoulder. "Wisp, wait, that's not- "
Willow whipped around, violently throwing his hand away. "Actions speak louder than words, Draco."
Draco opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He frustratedly whirled around and stomped off to his dormitory, slamming the door behind him. Willow fought the urge to punch through that idiot's door. She'd done nothing but try to help him ever since she'd met him, and this was how he repaid her, acting like he was entitled to her friendship. No sir, that was not how it worked with her! If someone wanted Willow Guerrero's friendship, they had to earn it. Draco was not even trying! Willow kicked the floor, almost putting a dent in it. Why wouldn't he let her help him? Why did he have to be so hell-bent on being the way he was? All he had to do was try!
"Willow, are you okay?" Sally asked, peeking out from behind their dormitory door. "I heard a loud bang. I assumed it was you."
"Yeah, I'm fine, just trying to break my toe," Willow said.
"You didn't succeed, did you?"
"No, and even if I did, I'm not sure I'd care at this point." Willow glared daggers at the space Draco had just left. "That arse deserves quite a lot of things right now, and one of them is definitely not my friendship."
Sally frowned, understanding what she meant. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Absolutely not. Thanks, though." Willow turned away from the boys' dormitory before she could change her mind and charge straight through that door. "Do you care if I come in and work on the homework with you guys? Maybe I can get angry enough at Snape that I'll forget all about breaking Blonde's stupid face."
"Please do. The homework, I mean- it's really hard, I'm not going to lie, Snape's a real menace this year- but it would be good if you didn't accidentally end the entire House Exchange based on giving one Slytherin what he deserves."
Sally, Willow, and Sue tackled the Potions homework together. There were at least fifteen new ingredients to learn about, and on top of that, the Potions were at a higher level of difficulty than they were used to. Willow had to refer between One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and two other textbooks at once for multiple questions. Two hours only saw them halfway through the assignment. Willow took a break and splayed out in her bed, staring at the fish swimming by her window. The green light from the lake was only making her sleepier. Struggling to get up again, she and Sally made a pact with Sue that they would actually learn the material at some point in the near future as long as she would let them do barely enough work to get by for the rest of the assignment. The process went much quicker after that, and it was nearly dinnertime when they finally finished. Willow victoriously snapped her textbooks shut and threw them on her dresser.
"That was the hardest assignment I've ever done, and now it's finished," she panted. "My brain is mush."
"My eyes hurt from staring at academic stuff for too long. I need to look at something pretty," Sally said.
"Some of the textbook pages in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi were pleasing, weren't they?" Sue said. "The one about that magical mushroom-like ingredient was interestingly drawn."
"Only you would find that nice to look at, Sue, only you," Sally said. "And maybe some other Ravenclaws. But not me. What I really need is food. Are you guys okay to head to dinner now?"
"Absolutely," Sue said.
"I'm okay for now," Willow replied. "I think I'm going to take a nap instead. My stupid nightmares came back."
"Well, join us when you're ready," Sally said. "I'll save you some rolls if you sleep through it. Come on, Sue, I don't want to be late!"
"Can you be late to dinner?"
"This is not the time for philosophical questions!" Sally rebuked, already halfway out the door. "All I know is I need food right now or I'm going to die a slow, painful death. Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
Willow laid down as Sue quietly shut the door behind her. The emerald light dancing on the ceiling reminded Willow of the Northern Lights, something she'd always hoped to see with her dad before she turned seventeen. A lump formed in her throat as she thought of the person she'd dreamed that up with. He was long gone now, and even if she got the chance, she wasn't sure she'd want to see the Lights without him. It wouldn't be the same. She wouldn't be completing the dream as it was meant to be completed.
Willow frustratedly threw her pillow across the room. Why was he the one that had to be taken? She knew she'd asked the question a million times before, but there was never a satisfying answer. There never would be. This sort of thing never made sense, no matter how much anyone questioned it, and as hard as she tried, she could never stop forgiving. Willow thought it sounded horrible, but she wished she could stop forgiving, just stop forgiving a single person. She would always forgive people, though, even for the worst of crimes, and this was pretty much the worst it could get. It was something that was always inside her, and Carlos had taught her to use it well. People deserved forgiveness for most things, but this was so unforgivable, Willow wanted to be angry at her. Maybe she could find some sort of solace that way.
Why can't I make sense of anything? Willow thought miserably.
"Ready, Cypress?"
"Willow, when am I not ready? Ouch! Hey, there was no need to slap me!"
"Sorry, nerves!" Willow took a deep breath. "Okay, you have the potion vial, right? And don't you dare make a pun."
"Yes, I'm one hundred percent ready to go. The results are already tested and approved. Daphne Greengrass with be under the effects for the next week. Now, where am I meeting you afterwards?"
"At the end of the table, silly." Willow drew in a sharp breath. "Oh no, here she comes! Go, go, go!"
Cypress sprang into action, suavely picking up a random conversation with Daphne, who was just walking into the Great Hall with her friends. Willow patiently walked to the end of the table and sat down, waiting for Sally, Sue, and Oliver to join her. Why were they taking so long? She tapped her foot and checked her watch, realizing that only thirty seconds had passed. Oops. Cypress promptly sat down across from her, victoriously fist-bumping Willow.
"She never suspected a thing. Look, she's even drinking it now," Cypress proclaimed, pointing across the table to where Daphne was chugging her pumpkin juice. "I can't wait until the effects kick in! This is my first human experiment that isn't involving me. I should have done this a long time ago. It's much safer."
"For you, anyway," Willow said, flicking a piece of bacon at him.
Sue, Sally, and Oliver showed up in a tight group, fearfully glancing around. Willow furrowed her brow. Something was up. The trio moved slowly and cautiously through the Great Hall. They broke ranks only when they got to the end of the table and sat down, Oliver literally shaking. Cypress realized something was wrong. He took Oliver's hands in his own and shushed him, tipping his head up to meet his eyes.
"Hey, hey, what happened?" he asked gently.
"C-Crabbe and Goyle," Oliver stuttered, his eyes watery. "Th-They attacked us."
"What? Where? How badly do I need to injure them?" Willow said.
"Draco cornered us in the common room. He knew you were up to something," Sally explained, appearing more pissed than scared. "When we wouldn't tell him- because we don't know, actually- he told Crabbe and Goyle to make us tell him. The idiots got confused and thought he meant 'beat us up' because they came in throwing punches. Draco was furious with them for it, but he couldn't stop them. He's off having another temper tantrum now. Sue somehow used some taekwando moves to get us out of there."
"Don't ask me how, I have no idea how it worked," Sue said. She was beginning to settle down now. A steady fire was burning in her eyes. "They only got a true hit on Oliver. He should be okay, though, it's just a bruise."
"Just a bruise!" Cypress scoffed. "I can see his shoulder from here. That's a little more serious than you make it sound." He pulled Oliver close, who was fighting back tears and incoherently whimpering. Willow had never seen Cypress more ticked off. "It's okay, Oliver. I'll get them for you later."
Just then, a welcome distraction lit up the Slytherin table. Daphne was walking all over the table, kicking over plates and goblets, and stuffing an entire roll into her mouth. She was redoing her makeup as she went along, putting on dark eyeshadow in place of the natural shade. Daphne transformed before their eyes into a complete and utter rebel, unable to contemplate her actions. Willow and Cypress exchanged knowing grins. The potion was definitely working as expected.
"Who the hell decided that green and silver should be Slytherin colours?" Daphne scoffed. "It should be green and black. And that snake is so vague. Why can't it be something super dangerous, like a black mamba or a boa constrictor?"
"Uh, Daphne? Are you okay?" Tracey Davis asked carefully.
"No, Tracey, I'm never okay," Daphne snapped dramatically. "Everything sucks! Why do we have rules here, anyway? What could be possibly do that's so bad it affects our education? I'm not going to blow up the school. That's dumb." She glanced around, her eyes glassed over with a different, fiery light than their usual sheen. "Why can't we teach ourselves from the textbooks? I mean, I just need to know enough to get back at Travis for being a jerk, and I'll be on my way. I could easily fend for myself. But no, I'm stuck here, learning extra crap that won't affect my life ten years from now." Daphne got down from the table. "Might as well make the most of it. I'll be in my room, finding something better to wear than these sweaty robes."
Daphne strode out of the Hall, showing off her hips as she did so. Tracey and Pansy looked worriedly at each other, then ran after Daphne, calling for her to wait. Willow and Cypress high-fived, laughing as they did so.
"Oh my God, she's never going to think the same way again," Willow said.
"She definitely won't be hating on my blood status for the next week. Might even get her disowned from that awful family of hers. Good. She needs to get away from them."
"What do you mean?" Sally asked. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "You did something! Was it bad?"
"You gave her a potion, didn't you?" Sue said, unsure of whether she was mad or proud. "You and Cypress have been working on a potion all this time. How long does it last?"
"A week," Cypress replied proudly. "My longest-lasting personality changer yet!"
"So...you turned her into a rebel? Sweet!" Sally said. "I personally can't wait to meet her again. She sounds so cool now. I hope she can experiment with that dark makeup and give me some tips, because Mia and Lavender are dying to try the dark look."
"You Gryffindor girls and you makeup," Cypress sighed, shaking his head. "I'll get used to it eventually. Let's go to class and see what Professor Lockhart thinks of Daphne, shall we?"
They headed off to class. Professor Lockhart avoided any sort of contact with Willow from the moment she walked through the door. He was afraid she might threaten him with another embarrassing photo or prank. Willow was, for once, okay with the extra power. Lockhart didn't deserve to have as many fans as he did with the fake mask he wore every day. He quietly waited at the top of his office stairs for everyone to arrive. When the bell rang, he began his story, using Harry (as usual) for props. The class calmed down and most of the girls settled in for an hour of obsessing over Lockhart. Hermione and the rest of her Gryffindor Sisters were already googly-eyed.
Suddenly, the classroom door burst open. A big cloud of fog obscured the doorway, then Daphne Greengrass stepped through it, only she didn't look anything like Daphne Greengrass. Her smoky eyeshadow was enhanced with black eyeliner all around her eyes. She had dyed her hair black and let it naturally tumble down her shoulders. There was a black choker collar around her neck and a revealing black top to match it, decked out with Slytherin symbols. Her skirt was so short it almost got covered by her top. Lockhart stopped mid-spell and stared along with the rest of the class. Was this really Daphne Greengrass?
She apparently was, because her friends filed in after her, faces covered by their hoods in shame. Daphne threw someone out of their desk and sat down, putting her legs up in front of her. Lockhart cleared his throat for attention, and with great difficulty, returned to his story, not even bothering to mention the fact that Daphne was exceedingly late. The class could barely return their attention to him.
For the rest of the week, Daphne and Draco seemed to follow a pattern. Daphne would show up late to classes, be dressed in extremely rebellious clothing, and refuse to do any of the homework. She got a detention in each class except Lockhart's and Snape's, none of which she showed up for. Draco would glare at Willow from across the room, confront her at some point throughout the day, and storm off, moodier than she'd ever seen him before. When the potion's effects finally wore off, Daphne suddenly realized what had gone on the past week and spent an entire Sunday crying and yelling in the bathroom. The only thing that didn't make Willow feel bad about it was the fact that she hadn't made one comment against Muggleborns. They were succeeding in separating her from her parents' dumb ideology.
The weeks passed in a chaotic mess of too much homework and stressed-out friends. Willow regularly practiced using her powers as an outlet. Griffin, Felicity, V, and Patch were all healthy and content. By the end of January, at the next house exchange, she'd managed to help Griffin fly a total of ten meters at the most. He was getting stronger and better at everything with each passing week. Daphne "mysteriously" became rebellious the entire week of the house exchange yet again, and the professors were offering extra credit for anyone who had information on who was doing it. Willow and Cypress joked with Oliver about being wanted criminals in their free time.
Then, two weeks after Hermione was released from the hospital wing, Willow's least favourite holiday came rushing in: Valentine's Day. She never liked all the sappy love letters and declarations. She just liked the chocolate and candy that came with it. Willow had the same reaction as Harry when they walked into the Great Hall. It was hideous. Willow's least favourite colour, hot pink, was everywhere, and people were proclaiming their "love" for each other wherever she turned. It was just gross, Willow thought. Couldn't people be less public about it?
"Hey, Willow!" Ginny whispered. "Pst, Willow! Come here real quick!"
Willow ducked behind a suit of armor to find Ginny tapping her foot and biting her lip. It was strange, considering how confident and healthy she'd seemed after break. It was like someone had taken the bad memories out of her head, she was so happy lately. Ginny practiced quidditch and soccer with Willow for fun all the time. What was making her so nervous now?
"What's wrong? Is everything alright?" Willow hurriedly asked.
"Oh, yeah, I just- I need your advice!" Ginny imploringly looked into her eyes. "You know Harry better than me, Willow. I've been trying to get closer to him, but every time I try, I panic, and- oh, Willow, what should I do? I want to send him a singing valentine today, since it's the perfect opportunity to tell him anonymously, but...will he like it?"
Willow tipped her head to one side, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Well, he does get embarrassed pretty easily, so my first instinct is no, but at the same time, he's pretty hardy when it comes to crowds. I guess it all depends on whether you think he'll know it's you or not."
"He won't, it's not obvious. I don't allude to my name or anything."
"You've already composed a poem?" Willow assumed, raising her eyebrows.
"Yes, I did it a few weeks ago," Ginny admitted, cheeks burning red. "I can't help it, Willow! There's something about him that makes me so happy, so warm and fuzzy on the inside! You know what I mean, right?"
"Yeah, sort of." Willow shrugged. "If I were you, I'd go for it, but don't expect him to take it one way or another. It's always a surprise with Harry."
"Thanks, Willow!" Ginny squealed. She drew a note card out of her pocket. "I'm going to find one of those singing dwarves right now! I'll see you later! Happy Valentine's Day!"
"Good luck," Willow said inaudibly.
Ginny ran off. After staring after her for a second, Willow headed off to her next class. All throughout the day some unfortunate students received singing valentines from the grumpy dwarfs. Willow, Harry, and Ron had a grand time laughing at their fellow Gryffindors whenever they got one. During Transfiguration, Lavender, Mia, and Fay got at least two a piece, which seemed to flatter the girls. Surprisingly, both Dean and Seamus got one during the same class, which caused them both to blush furiously and ask to be excused. Willow, Harry, and Ron looked at each other, bewildered, then let it go. Neville got a well-composed, eight-line poem that came with a chocolate from some anonymous girl. Willow could already tell from the handwriting that it was definitely not from one of the Gryffindor girls. It was far too neat for that, and it didn't resemble Hermione's at all.
"Who do you suppose sent that one?" Ron asked when Sam tried to hide under his seat after receiving a particularly mushy-gushy love song. "They must be ridiculously sappy."
"My best guess is someone trying to play a prank on him," Willow said. "It sounds like something Cypress or Sally would do. Or it could be some poor lovesick girl that needs to find a different art form. Either way, I'm just glad it's not me."
"Oh Willow, I think your happiness is about to be short-lived," Harry teased. Willow turned around only to regret ever looking behind her. Harry and Ron chortled expectantly.
"Are you Willow Guerrero?"
"I've got two valentines for you, Miss."
"You've got a few admirers that would like to say something."
At least seven extra-grumpy dwarfs stood next to Willow's desk. Some of them were holding two or three letters instead of one. Willow felt bad for the dwarfs, but worse still for herself. How many people secretly admired her? Was this a joke, meant to embarrass her? She wished the valentines weren't anonymous so she could get back at whoever was putting her through this.
The first dwarf started in. It wasn't bad, actually, but still embarrassing. The entire class turned to look at her, including Professor McGonagall, who was more annoyed at the dwarfs than sorry for her. Willow sighed and let go of her hood, which she'd subconsciously been trying to put up. If someone was playing a prank on her, the least she could do was take it in stride. The next two dwarfs delivered their songs, which were downright awful, then the next two, which were obviously pranks, though well-crafted. Unfortunately, the sixth dwarf had three songs for her, all of which seemed genuine but were some of the worst pieces of poetry she'd ever heard. The last one was particularly horrible. Harry and Ron tried really hard, but they could not hide their snickering. She kicked both of them from under her desk. That didn't stop them, nor did it the rest of the class. It wasn't until the final dwarf began to sing the next valentine that the class quieted down.
"Running through the corridors
Running through an open door
Sneaking out of the dorm at night
Just to see a funny sight
I tried to deny it, but I soon could see
You're the only one for me
So I hope you will have me in due time
And I can't wait for you to be mine"
Willow blinked in a stunned silence. That was...one of the most well-crafted songs she'd ever heard. It was light-hearted and playful but had a genuine message. Harry and Ron raised their eyebrows when she made eye contact with them. Willow shrugged. She had absolutely no idea who would have written such a poem. Someone obviously liked her, but who could it be? The dwarf sung the final valentine before she had a chance to contemplate.
"Valentine's Day is here again
And I'm writing with a rhyme scheme for this poem
No mushy-gush and lovey-dove for you awaits
I know you don't like it, and it's something I hate
So here is my confession I've been trying to say
I tried to tell you the other day
Though this is really cheesy, and possibly awful singing
When I see you, I hear wedding bells ringing"
Anther one? This one was genuine, too! But it was much different. This one had a more brooding, angsty side to it. The person obviously didn't like to write too sappy of poems. She could understand that. The way that the person described her struggle to tell her was so real, so familiar, that Willow felt like the answer was right in front of her. It was killing her, being unable to place what was setting off the signals. She didn't have time to think it over, though, as the dwarfs handed Willow the poems and Professor McGonagall shooed them out of the room as fast as she could and resumed the lesson.
Later that night, Willow couldn't help but wonder who could have sent the poems. It had been bothering her so much all day that she couldn't bring herself to eat dinner. This was a serious matter! Someone was trying to reach out and open up to her! To do that took a lot of bravery and courage, and to not at least get a follow-up conversation...how was that fair to them? Willow searched and searched and searched her mind, but came up with nothing. She sighed frustratedly and flopped backwards onto her bed. Who the heck were these people? Were they someone she knew? Were they secret admirers too shy to greet her in person? She certainly didn't know of anyone who fancied her. Ugh, why is this so difficult?
Suddenly, her Gryffindor Sisters burst into her room. Willow sat bolt upright.
"We've got something to do, and you are detrimental to the plan!"
"The whole thing will collapse without you!"
"Hang on, hang on, what's going on?" Willow asked. "Is someone in trouble?"
"No, Mia's in love, and we're going to help her!" Fay announced excitedly. She took her by the arm. "Come on, there's no time to lose! Let's give Mia the best Valentine's Day ever!"
"Willow, are you in position?"
"I'm right next to you, Lavender."
"Shush! Just answer the question! This is a serious operation!"
Willow sighed. "Yes, Lavend- Gryffindor Sister One, I'm in position. Can I just call you GryffSis One? The other name's a mouthful."
"Ooh, I like that!" Lavender gasped, simultaneously cupping her hand over Willow's mouth. Willow coughed and spluttered in surprise. "GryffSis Three, I just said you've got to be quiet! Oh, that does have a nice ring to it- shush, here he comes!"
Willow rolled her eyes as a second year boy walked around the corner. His face was buried in a book, but Willow could still recognize him as Terry Boot. He was one of the cutest Ravenclaws in their year, according to Mia, who had a huge crush on him (the same thing she'd said about the last guy, who she promptly didn't like after two weeks). Willow waited until he was five meters away before stepping out of her hiding place, Lavender close behind.
"Are you Terry Boot?" she asked.
The boy stopped short, looking up from his book, a friendly smile on his face. "Yeah. I think you're Willow Guerrero, aren't you?"
"That's me! I was hoping you would visit the library with me really quick. There's a super cool Muggle book I found on the shelves called Lord of the Rings. I think it's an epic-type story with a lot of adventure and battles. It doesn't look like it belongs to anyone, and there's no mark on the inside cover that brands it as a Hogwarts book. Do you want it?"
"Sure!" Terry glanced sideways at Lavender. "Who's that?"
"Excuse me, I'm- !" she started angrily.
"Lavender Brown, a fellow second year Gryffindor," Willow interrupted, elbowing her in the gut. "She's just following me around. She doesn't have anything better to do."
Terry didn't catch the glare Lavender shot her, but Willow did. She would make it up to her later. "Okay, let's head to the library, then! This book sounds good!"
Willow, Lavender, and Terry walked to the library. Madam Pince eyed them suspiciously as they entered. Willow pulled Terry over to a far bookshelf while Lavender disappeared as planned. She found Lord of the Rings right where she had left it and handed it to Terry.
"Here it is! I hope you enjoy it!" Willow said, smiling.
Terry excitedly examined the back cover. "Wow, this sounds amazing! I'll be set for the next two weeks, at least! Thanks, Willow!"
"No problem!"
Just as they expected, Terry began to leave the library. Willow settled herself at a desk and pretended to do some homework. She kept watch out of the corner of her eye. As planned, Mia entered the library just as Terry was exiting. She appeared flustered and surprised.
"Oh, Terry! Hi!" Mia squeaked. "I didn't expect to see you here!"
"Mia? I didn't expect to see you here, either. Do you come to the library to study often?"
"Uh, yeah!" Willow face palmed. That was a white lie. "I come here all the time to, you know, do homework, study extra, um, academic stuff."
Terry politely smiled at Mia. "I do too. There's a lot of extra resources here that I find myself needing when I do homework. Snape has been loading us up, hasn't he?"
"Yeah! I was hoping I wasn't the only one that noticed!"
Willow squealed internally as Mia and Terry ascended into a conversation about Potions, thankfully Mia's best subject. The two kept eye contact and talked like they'd been friends for longer than two seconds. Mia, as usual, blushed a lot, especially when Terry encouraged her to take pride in how good her brews always turned out. Lavender and the rest of the Gryffindor Sisters appeared behind her as she peeked from around the corner of a bookshelf. They all exchanged excited glances and muffled giggles. Eventually, Terry said he had to go. Mia quickly asked him, cheeks ablaze, if he would help her with some Charms homework tomorrow. Terry happily agreed to it. Willow could even detect a little pinkish tint to his face. He waved goodbye and headed off to his common room, already opening Lord of the Rings and reading the first page. Mia stared after him for a while, then, doing a sort of happy jig, turned and ran into Lavender's open arms.
"Aahhh! I actually did it!" Mia squealed. "I did it! And I get to see him tomorrow! Oh, Merlin, I was so nervous, but he started talking and I just followed along, and- wow, I feel like we're already becoming friends!"
"You were so great!" Willow laughed, hugging Mia. "I told you it was easy as striking up a conversation! You're flying right through the first few steps with ease!"
"Thanks! I never even realized how cute Terry was! Did you know he has some faded freckles? And that his hair is highlighted from the sun on the ends? And that his eyes are a dreamy sky blue?" Mia panted, fanning her face. "I'm dying! He's so cute I might pass out the next time I see him! But I won't do that, I'll make sure we get our homework done, and we'll work plenty of conversation into that- oh, I'm just so excited! Do you think he fancies me, too?"
"Isn't it blatantly obvious? He's already falling head-over-heels for you!" Fay exclaimed. "I wish I could say the same thing about that hot Hufflepuff boy- I think his name is Jamie- but when I tried to make a move on him, he shied away! Ugh, I'm never going to find the right guy."
"Cheer up, Fay, you've got a lot of years ahead of you!" Parvati said. "Besides, you should be sweeping him off his feet, not the other way around. That's how you know he's the right one."
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I am so ready to crash in the dorm," Sally said, yawning. "Running across the castle took a lot out of me!"
"Yeah, it is getting late," Willow said. "We should head back."
"And talk about those two valentines you got today?" Lavender questioned, raising her eyebrows suggestively. "They sounded pretty devoted! I think we should try to figure out who they are- or, you can, because we can all point out the obvious candidates."
"What? Tell me, tell me!" Willow begged, heart racing. "I'm so clueless! At least give me a hint, please?"
"Oh my God, Willow! Do you seriously not know who they are after weeks of obvious moves towards you?" Sally gasped. "You really are completely clueless!"
"I know, which is why you need to tell meeeee!" Willow said.
The Gryffindor Sisters laughed. "We don't want to spoil it! The surprise will be too good!"
"We want to see how this unfolds! They're so close to telling you, we can hardly wait to watch!"
"You're so mean to me!" Willow whined. "Fine, I'll let you torture me, but if I were you, I'd watch out for a prank or two! You deserve it!"
The Gryffindor Sisters giggled. Why would that make them giggle? She used an everyday threat. Willow sighed. Of course, she was given all these phenomenal powers and a fairly smart brain, but when it came to figuring out emotions, she had zero capabilities. Maybe one day Oliver and Cypress could tutor her in the subject.
"Come on, Mia, let's get you to bed so you're at your best tomorrow!" Lavender chirped, linking arms with Mia. "To the dorm!"
The Gryffindor Sisters took turns removing their makeup from the day (all except Willow, of course), and Hermione finally showed up, Transfiguration homework in hand and an exhausted droopiness dragging her whole body down. She literally crawled into bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, Transfiguration homework falling out of her hand. Willow smiled and picked it up for her. Leave it to Hermione to spend Valentine's Day getting a perfect understanding of the latest Transfiguration lesson.
While the rest of the Gryffindor Sisters chatted quietly until they dropped off one by one, Willow thought about the singing valentines she'd received earlier that day. She knew she didn't quite fancy anyone, as far as she knew, so she generated no possibilities from there. The evening passed into night, and night into midnight. Her roommates were snoring around her, and she was still awake with her searching thoughts. Willow finally slammed her face into her pillow and groaned around one in the morning. She gave up. There was no way she was going to figure it out in a day. Maybe if she gathered some more clues over the coming days, it would piece itself together. But she wasn't sure she wanted to spend that much free time looking for someone that might fancy someone else by next next. Willow sighed. As much as it was killing her to not figure it out, she had to stop before this took over her life. Willow finally fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming about Paige punching singing dwarfs in the face.