"Oliver! Oliver, you forgot your socks!"

"Oh, sorry! One second!" Oliver bustled into the room, nearly dropping a stack of Hufflepuff-crested robes. He piled it into his trunk, then threw the socks in one by one to make them fit. "We should have packed yesterday!"

"Oliver, you're so much smarter than me; let me be stupid in peace," Willow groaned.

Oliver grinned. "You're not stupid! You just work better under pressure, that's all!"

Willow looked at him doubtfully. "Yeah, that's a nice way of saying stupid, only much more believable than when I say it to myself. How do you do that?"

Oliver shrugged. "Hufflepuff thing?"

"Definitely a Hufflepuff thing."

"Willow! Oliver! Nos vamos en cinco minutos! We're leaving in five minutes!" Carlos called. "You've still got to load up your creatures, remember, and Phoebe can be stubborn about the car!"

"I know!" Willow said, though she most certainly had not remembered at all.

Five minutes later, with a trunk full of luggage, magical creatures, and a tuned-up Nimbus Two Thousand, the Guerreros were speeding across the countryside towards King's Cross Station. A very invisible Griffin was flying high above them, every once in a while making a dive, as Willow's senses told her. She'd created a plan for the entire school year that incorporated her practicing her powers while her creatures witnessed or were even involved to get some energy out of them. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about either factor affecting her year for the worse again. Cebba had even promised to help her drop the nuisance powers. Willow couldn't wait to get rid of the out-of-body experiences, visions of the present, the protective (more so dangerous) outbursts, and whatever else decided the plague her day.

Carlos parked the car at King's Cross Station at exactly 10:40. Oliver and Willow managed to lug their trunks into a large cart, then Carlos disguised their magical creatures with a disillusionment charm, and they were off, marching straight through the barrier into Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Griffin, still invisible, decided to land on top of the train, startling a few barn owls inside. Willow quickly snagged a compartment directly underneath him and stored her trunk overhead. With barely five minutes until eleven, she walked back outside, finding her dad waiting for her. She threw herself into his open arms.

"Don't get yourself killed this year, you hear me?" Carlos chuckled. "No running after basilisks or attacking stuttering professors."

"I hear you," Willow said, voice muffled by her dad's chest. She unburied her face, and for some reason, this goodbye didn't weigh down on her heart. She felt positively light and full of joy as she reflected her dad's smile. "I'll see you at Christmas. Don't you get yourself killed by a 'cute' dragon, either, alright?"

Carlos laughed. "I'll try not to. Go and learn at least one cool spell for me! And blow something up for Cisco!"

"I will!"

The train whistled, signaling that it was time to go. With one final embrace, Willow hopped back onto the train, waving goodbye with Oliver from the window. Carlos grew smaller and smaller until King's Cross Station disappeared entirely. Willow happily returned to her compartment, where Griffin was peeking inside the window, his invisibility enchantment finally wearing off.

"Hi, buddy," she giggled, patting his beak. "Stay up there and take a nap, okay? It's a long ride."

Griffin grumbled to himself, then resigned to curling up on top of their compartment, his weight easily enough to hold him down against the wind. Oliver was already sprawled out on his seat, a peaceful smile on his face.

"I'm tired. I think I might take a nap."

"You've only been up for two hours!"

"Yeah, but Ernie and Hannah will make sure I don't sleep tonight, and I need my twelve hours of sleep."

Willow shook her head, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. "You're sounding more and more like Cypress. Go ahead and get your sleep. I'm going to catch up with some people."

Willow didn't even manage two steps before a pair of redheads swept her up on each arm.

"There you are!"

"We've been searching every compartment!"

"Come on, Lee's got a fancy new contraption, you've got to see it!"

Willow spent the majority of the next few hours obsessing over a device that flung the Weasley twins' portable spider webs farther and wider than ever before. They dreamed up several new plans that involved Marcus Flint, the captain of the Slytherin quidditch team, and one that even included the whole of the Slytherin team. Willow suddenly realized someone was missing.

"Um, guys? Where's Paige?"

Fred shrugged. "Not here."

Willow slapped him. "I know that! She's normally in your guys's compartment, and she's not here, so where is she? Please don't tell me she missed the train."

"I haven't seen her, but I wouldn't put it past her to sleep to long," George said.

"Great, that makes me feel loads better," Willow said. "Seriously, where could she be? I thought you guys searched every compartment when you were trying to find me earlier."

"Not every compartment," Fred corrected her. "It was an exaggeration."

"Wow, that's a big word for you, Fred," Lee teased. "Were you reading the dictionary lately?"

Fred threw a crumpled piece of paper at him. "Charming, Lee, just spiffing." He slouched in his seat and took on a dramatic air. "Sure, I'm brilliant at charms, but is that enough to convince anyone of my brains? Of course not!" He shook his head. "I wouldn't worry about Paige, Willow. She'd literally walk here if she had to. Knowing her, she's probably pouting about something at the other end of the train."

Willow nodded. "That's the most likely case. I'd rather not set off that bomb right now, so I'll just stay here."

Without warning, the train jolted, and the horrible screeching of the brakes wrenched Willow's eardrums. She covered them, wincing. The train was quickly skidding to a stop. Willow noticed for the first time the patter of rain on the windows. She glanced outside, wondering what in the world was going on.

"Why are we stopping?" Lee asked. "We're hardly halfway there."

"Conductor probably fell asleep," George said.

Willow elbowed him. "No, I think something's actually happening. The train's never stopped before." She peered outside, tiny traces of movement just visible in the translucent patches of water spreading across the window. "There's something coming towards us, but I can't tell what it is."

The train jerked again. Willow was thrown back into her seat, her shoulder blade painfully slamming into the backrest. Lee helped her sit up again.

"I think you might be right about this being bad," George said.

"You think?"

Suddenly, the lights went out. Willow couldn't see her hand in front of her face. All around them, she could hear students chattering animatedly, fear rising within the confusion. Willow's senses went into overdrive in response to the assault on her ears. Students were shifting around everywhere, some untangling themselves from others they'd fallen into in the hallway, a handful nervously pacing their compartments, and others sitting perfectly still, too scared to move. Her echolocation sent out wave after wave to bring her a near overload of information. She quickly placed both hands on the sides of her face, taking a few deep breaths. Slowly but surely, the waves became a trickle, then ceased altogether. Her heart steadied itself. She was okay. She was alive. Everything was fine. It had to be.

"Willow? Is that you?"

"Ouch! That was my toe, Oliver!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Don't feel too bad; the metamorphagus is just being dramatic. I've seen her get hit in the face with a cauldron before and not bat an eye."

"You little sh- !"

"Guys, what are you doing here?" Willow asked as her friends stepped into the light of Fred's wand. "More importantly, how did you manage to get here? I couldn't see anything before Fred lit his wand."

"Good question, because to be honest, I was blindly blundering through pitch blackness," Mandy said.

"You said you knew what you were doing!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, I knew I was putting one foot in front of the other, so I knew exactly what I was doing, didn't I?"

Sue groaned. "You know what Lisa meant, Mandy."

"Are you all going to just stand there or are you planning coming in?" Lee said.

"Sorry, we're coming in to wait for the lights to come back on," Lisa explained.

Willow shepherded her friends into the compartment, then shut the door behind them. For some odd reason, a sudden chill spread across the compartment, seeming to affect everyone at the same time. Ice spidered across the window, and their breath hung like ominous clouds in the unusually chilly air. The happiness vanished in Willow's chest, as if someone had put out the fire burning within her. She checked if she'd properly shut the door, but it was sealed. Where was this weird change in atmosphere coming from?

The door handle was suddenly yanked out of Willow's hand. Draco stumbled into their cabin, his face even paler than usual in the light of Fred's wand. He appeared as though he'd just woken up from a nightmare.

"Draco, what- ?" Willow started.

"Dementors!" he panted, eyes wildly scanning the cabin. "They've invaded the train!"

George narrowed his eyes. "Sure, and we totally know that you're not lying to our faces."

"I'm not lying this time!" Draco growled, his gray eyes reverting to a crazed, metallic flashing. "They're here, on the train! They're looking for Sirius Black!"

Lee shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Sirius Black, but Fred and George continued to glare at Draco as if he'd killed their chickens. Willow's senses immediately suggested he was telling the truth. However, she had no idea what he was talking about, these "dementor" things. They couldn't be good news, judging by the expression on Sam's face.

"What's a dementor?" Willow asked.

"Th-That," Lee said, face ashen, pointing a single, trembling finger at the open compartment door.

Willow turned around and choked on her own air. The hair stood up on the back of her neck. She instinctively put her arms around her friends to keep them behind her. Standing in front of them, as tall as the ceiling, as wide as the doorframe, was a black-cloaked, faceless figure, more terrifying than any Halloween phantom some Muggle had dreamed up. It was faceless, bodiless, and seemed as empty as Willow suddenly felt. There was no soul in this creature, only a an endless sucking void that preyed on others. It slowly turned its head, its hood rotating to gaze at each one of them in turn. Two others appeared behind it, but passed them by, simply floating further along the hallway. Willow's heart hammered against her ribs. The blood roared in her ears. What was it going to do? Why was it here?

Without warning, Mandy fell, eyes rolling into the back of her head. She simply blacked out without cause. Willow pulled out her wand and pointed it at the dementor, hissing a barely audible warning, but it ignored her. Oliver was the next to pass out. He stumbled into Cypress, who caught him, lividly glaring at the creature, but what could they do against it? Sally and Sam were the third and fourth victims. Panic rose like a sickly bile in Willow's throat. She was absolutely furious and terrified simultaneously. All she wanted to do was tear the dementor limb from limb, but as she was about to blast it with a spell, she realized it didn't have any limbs to break.

Fear gripped Willow's spine with an icy claw. Her lungs seized up when the dementor turned her way, as if sensing her fear. The silence of the train was split by a piercing scream, cries for help, and endless sobbing. Willow covered her ears, all fury forgotten.

"Who's screaming? Who's doing that?" she cried.

"No one, Willow! What are you talking about?" Sue squeaked.

Willow couldn't muster a response. She lost control of her limbs. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and all she could see was darkness, as black as the void beneath the dementor's hood. Screams and cries tore apart her eardrums, some taking shape, others remaining an endless sea of noise, drowning her beneath their stormy, relentless waves. It was like all of Willow's horrible memories were floating the the surface at the same time. One memory unfortunately found her, rising out of the depths, like an ancient beast drawn to the surface by a tremendous power that it couldn't refuse, and Willow was helpless to stop it as it sped towards her, enormous jaws ready to deliver the final blow that would send her into the cavernous black hole that death suddenly seemed to be...

Father, I can't do this!

You're a disgrace to this family! You have to earn back your place!

I- I can't!

Willow tried to shut out the hissing and yelling in the background, but it seemed to be trapped within her very head, lodged there like a paper behind a desk, so annoyingly close, but unreachable. She was vaguely aware of hands trying to pull her somewhere and slap her awake. Willow was stuck, though, and nothing seemed to penetrate the darkness. She was sinking far below the waves, all hope of survival disbanded. There was only the pain and suffering awaiting her at the bottom of the sea when the beast had finally finished her off...

I'll do it for you, then!

Father- !

No! Fawley, you can't do this!

Willow tried to call out for help, but her voice was drowned out by the thunder. The beast was preparing to strike. It would be all over in a few seconds. The jaws were closing in around her, snuffing out the last tiny light within her. She barely heard her friends calling out for her. Was she semi-conscious? Was she dead? Was she stuck somewhere in between? Maybe if she could call back to them, they'd come find her...they'd come help her...they could bring her back...

Do it now!

Av...Avada...Ke-Kedavra...

GRACE, NO!

Willow suddenly felt her body rising. She gasped and spluttered awake, and as if she'd just been yanked out the jaws of the beast, the transition from water to land so fast, the blur of sounds gone altogether, replaced with nervous chattering and the patter of rain on the windows. Willow blinked to focus her eyes and found herself staring at the most bizarre apparition she'd ever seen. A glowing, saintly wolf had appeared in front of her, nearly touching her nose with Willow's. The wolf seemed to be an incarnation of sorts, but of what, Willow had no idea. Her beautiful coat shimmered in the light of an unseen moon. She stared at Willow as though making certain she was awake, then bounded off down the corridor, chasing away yet another horrid dementor. Willow shuddered when the last dementor was taken away, the icy encasing around her heart finally melting away, replaced by an uncomfortable emptiness. She could have sworn she felt her soul shivering. Was that fear it was reacting to? Was it the almost tangible cold she'd been affected with? Was it both?

"Willow! What happened? Are you okay? What was that glowy dog thing?" Lisa exploded, she and Sue helping Willow to her feet.

"I- I have no idea- it all happened so fast- " She gasped. "Mandy! Oliver! Sally! Sam! Are they okay? Please tell me they're okay! If I survived that, they had to have!"

"We're fine..." Sam mumbled, though he and Sally most certainly did not look fine. They appeared as though they'd been thrown back in time to the day they appeared on the horizon next to the Forbidden Forest first year, beaten, bullied, and utterly defeated. Willow recalled how worried she was when she first met them. That same fear stabbed through her heart. The dark circles were back under their eyes, the haunt had returned to their kaleidoscopic irises, and they were clinging to each other like they could be torn apart at any second. Both stared at a point far away that none of them could see.

"Here," Willow said, gently touching both of their hands. The honey-warm glow flowed from her hands and up through the Smith twins' arms, all the way up to their heads, which lightened up their faces considerably. "That better?"

"Loads," Sally said, though her brow furrowed as glanced at Willow again. "Won't this drain you though? You've been through just as much as us right now."

Willow shrugged, pretending Sally wasn't exactly right. She retracted her hands and the glowing ceased. "I'm fine."

"You can literally heal peoples' minds?" Lee piped up, eyes wide as he stared at Willow's hands.

"Um...maybe? To be honest, I can probably heal myself, I just haven't figured it out yet. These dumb powers are getting to be a hassle." She glanced at Mandy, who appeared a little better off than the Smith twins. "Is anybody else in need of anything?"

"No, Oliver's the only one still out," Fred said.

Willow snapped her head towards Oliver, but relaxed upon seeing the way Cypress was cradling him. The Hufflepuff appeared as though he were only sleeping, peacefully comforted in Cypress's arms. Willow hid a smile, the faintest of faint rays of happiness alighting in her heart. He would definitely be okay. After tending to Mandy, fussing about healing her mind (and refusing to have help for her own), she sat between the Weasley twins and Lee, utterly bewildered about the whole ordeal.

"So...you guys didn't pass out."

"Nope."

"And neither did Sue, Lisa, and Cypress."

"Nope."

"So why the heck did the rest of us pass out?"

"Well, a dementor is a parasitical creature, Willow- and yes, I know a big word, congrats to me," Lee said. "They say they feed on every happy thought you've ever had until there's nothing left, then they can take your soul with this thing called the 'Dementor's Kiss,' but that last part sounds pretty rubbish to me. I'm guessing you guys just had lots of happy thoughts?"

Willow shrugged. "I don't know either. We'll figure it out when we get to Hogwarts."

A cloaked figure appeared outside their compartment door. Willow's heart stopped, thinking it was another dementor, but it turned out to only be a wizard. He opened the door just as the lights began to flicker to life again. He glanced up, then smiled at them all.

"Good, I was hoping the dementors would wander off by this time...Did any of you get affected by the dementors?" he asked.

"Yeah, six of us...who are you?" Willow asked, taking in his appearance, which was more like a homeless man than a wizard, though she sensed he should really have belonged in some of the finest robes the wizarding world had to offer.

"Six of you? Merlin, we'll have our work cut out for us this year..." he trailed off, reaching inside his pocket and drawing out an enormous slab of chocolate. He broke off six pieces and handed them to Willow. His brow furrowed when he noticed Oliver, and he crouched down, whispering a spell and tapping his wand to Oliver's head. He nodded in approval even though nothing visibly happened.

"I'll be back to check on you after I have a chat with the conductor," he said. "For now, eat the chocolate. Trust me, it will help."

"Wait, you never told us- " The wizard disappeared into the now-chaotic hallway- "...your name," Willow finished. She looked quizzically at Fred. "Do you have any idea who that was?"

"Not a clue," he said.

Willow noticed both he and George appeared a little off-colour, and they were always, always jovial and ready to cause havoc. "Are you guys okay? I never asked."

"Yeah, just fine," they chorused.

"Sure, that's so convincing when you say it in a dead sort of way and have white-knuckled grips on each others' wrists," Willow said sarcastically. The twins immediately dropped their grips. "Hey, it's okay, it's called sadness, fear, and emotions other than happy and angry. Human beings feel these things all the time."

George gently punched her in shoulder. "Says the one that bottles up everything then lashes out at the nearest unlucky Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

Willow scoffed. "Okay, the last two were awful, and even you have to admit that!"

Fred grinned. "You're still a hypocrite."

Willow realized they had played her into forgetting about her question. She pretended that she hadn't noticed, however, and simply played along, filing away her worries for later. She rolled her eyes and took a bite of the chocolate. Willow was surprised to find warmth spread throughout her numb body. After finishing the rather large chunk, she almost felt back to herself already. Mandy and the Smith twins also appeared much healthier and happier. Cypress was still trying to get Oliver to regain consciousness so he could eat his chocolate.

"Oliver? Oliver, hey, you've got to wake up," he whispered, brushing the dark brown locks out of Oliver's eyes. "You can't spend the whole train ride asleep, no matter how tired you are."

"But I'm really tired..." Oliver murmured, finally beginning to stir. He slowly sat upright. "Is that chocolate?"

Cypress grinned. "So food can wake you up, but I can't? We'll work on that. Yeah, it's definitely chocolate, have all of it, there's plenty."

Oliver nibbled on a small chunk, a smile spreading across his face as it worked its way through his system. "That makes me feel a ton better. What- what happened?"

"I'll explain later. For now, I'm going to wait here until you eat all your chocolate."

The rest of the train ride continued in an odd silence, everyone left with their thoughts. Willow broke off a leftover piece of her chocolate and forced Fred, George, and Lee to eat some, which finally returned the life to them. They went through intervals of fun, bubbly conversation and dead silence, which was appreciated for some and uncomfortable for others. Everyone was excited to finally get off the train. Willow finally remembered that she hadn't seen Draco since she'd passed out.

"Hey, where- ?"

"Willow! Are you okay? Did you see those dementors? Harry passed out!"

Willow blinked in surprise as a little redhead threw herself into her arms. "Ginny! Oh my God, I didn't realize they came near you, too! Are you okay? Is Harry alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine, I only got a little scared is all," Ginny said, shrugging. Willow highly doubted it was a minor occurrence, but with what Ginny had been through last year, a dementor must have been nothing. "Harry got chocolate from this guy that was sitting in his compartment. He's better now, but he won't stop talking about someone screaming when no one was."

Willow furrowed her brow. "Huh. I'll have to keep an eye on him."

"Ginny!" a mousy brown-haired boy squealed. "I've got so many pictures to show you! I even got some of those dementor things!"

"I'll be right there, Colin!" Ginny hugged Willow. "See you at the feast!"

As Ginny ran off to catch up with Colin, Willow was yanked off her feet and thrown into the nearest carriage. Two familiarly wide Slytherins sat on either side of Willow, grunting stupidly to each other, then grinning evilly at her. Willow rolled her eyes as a certain blonde sat in front of her, lazily stretching out on his own unoccupied side as the carriage slowly rolled forward.

"You don't have to be rough with me just because I know how to handle pain," she said.

"It's more fun to watch you panic," Draco drawled.

Willow kicked him in the shin, which made him sit upright. "Where'd you go after the dementors sent you running with your tail between your legs? Don't deny it, I saw how petrified you were."

"Oh, just for a little stroll, you know, since you were too scared to take the dementors, passing out and all," Draco taunted.

Willow slammed her foot into the bottom of the carriage. "I was not afraid of them! They were just making me hear things that I've tried to forget my whole life!"

"Oh, like your mum? You wrote plenty of poems about her. I only got halfway through that book of yours, but you're quite the poet when it comes to dark and depressing themes. What did she do to you that was so bad, Wisp?"

Willow was about to say something, got tripped up by the nickname, and became even more furious. "My mum did something unforgivable. You had no right to go through my personal journal, and you have no right to bring it up at any time. That's personal. I respect the fact that you refuse to talk about anything near the subject of your father, so why can't you respect my privacy?"

Draco appeared affronted. "I am not afraid to talk about my father! I've got nothing to hide, so why are you allowed to have so many secrets?"

"Because- ugh, how do I make you get this? Some people have had horrible pasts, Blondie! Not everyone got everything they wanted exactly when they wanted it. Some people's parents are awful, and some don't even have any! My mum ripped my family apart in a way that even I cannot forgive, no matter what she does. She made a choice that no one has the right to make!"

"What was it, Wisp? You can tell me," Draco said, loftily inspecting the Slytherin crest on his robes.

"I- I can't."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid of something, Wisp?"

Willow was on him quicker than he could blink. Draco suddenly found himself in the iron grip of Willow Guerrero's fury, pinned into the corner of the carriage, Willow's fiery eyes glaring down at him.

"How dare you?" she growled. "My past is my past. You have no right to go digging up the worst memories of my life. I've spent a lifetime dealing with the consequences of my mother's decisions. You don't know what it's like to live life with one giant hole in your heart. Back off, or one of these days, I'm never talking to you ever again, and the last memory you'll have of me is my fist in your face."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You don't have to be so sensitive about it. I'll stop. But one of these days, I'm going to figure it out, and you're going to wish you told me."

Willow seethed. "I'm not sensitive, just really, really liable to punch someone in the face for spewing my personal life into the public's hands."

"So sensitive, just with a specific definition for you."

Willow clenched her fists, anger pulsing through her veins. She could easily take it out on Draco while he was down. But some unknown force made her drop her hands. Willow relaxed her fists and sighed. "You're not worth the muscle strain. I'll be down on the ground if you need me."

Before Draco could lift a finger, Willow lightly hopped down onto the ground, walking beside the thestral that pulled the carriage. Crabbe and Goyle looked to Malfoy for instruction, but he was too busy glaring at Willow. She didn't care, however, and decided to freak them all out by climbing onto the thestral's back. Draco struggled to hide his surprise.

"You're floating in midair, stupid," he sneered. "You look ridiculous."

"Yeah, I'm so incredibly stupid for learning how to levitate," Willow said. "It's just so dumb to research complicated magic beyond even a third-year pureblood's capabilities and perform them in front of people."

Draco scoffed. "I could easily do that. And there's no way you're levitating."

Willow blinked innocently at him. "How do you know? You've got no proof."

"Neither do you, so I don't have to believe you."

Willow rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless. So, is it safe for me to change the subject now, or are you still going to bite my head off? I'm okay with wiring your mouth shut if necessary."

"I am not the one being moody," Draco grumbled.

"I'll take that as a yes, then. How was your summer?"

"Great. Father took me to Azkaban to visit Sirius Black before he made his big escape. There were loads of former Death Eaters stuck in there, their magical talents wasting away to nothing..."

Willow sighed. "We'll work on your priorities later...Who's Sirius Black?"

Draco cast her a weird look. "You must be joking."

"No. I've siriusly got no clue who you're talking about."

"You're hopeless," Draco muttered. "Sirius Black doesn't ring a bell? How have you not heard of him? Mass murderer? Most famous convict from the war? He murdered a dozen innocent Muggles and a wizard by blowing up a street. I'm surprised Potter hasn't told you all about him, considering Black was so close with his parents."

"He was what?"

Draco's eyes gleamed maliciously. "You don't know? That must mean Potter doesn't know, either..."

"Was Black friends with Harry's parents?" Willow asked hurriedly.

"Oh, you've got to learn the story for yourself now. It's too much fun to watch you suffer not knowing. There's so many stories from school that Father told me, but since you're so eager to know, I'm not going to tell you."

Willow's nostrils flared. "You're such an arsehole."

"You're an idiot."

"Imbecile."

"Arse."

"I already called you that name!"

"You're one too, so it doesn't matter!"

Willow crossed her arms. "Fine. Be a jerk. You're in for the worst bout of pranking Hogwarts has ever seen! I'll figure it out by the end of the year, and you're going to wish you'd told me sooner!"

"If Potter even lasts that long," Draco snorted.

Willow's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

"Are you sure you even get the Daily Prophet? Sirius Black escaped Azkaban for one reason: to kill Potter. That's been his mission since the start, to kill the Potters, and now he's trying to finish it. If he gets within Hogwarts, Potter won't last a week."

Willow climbed back into the carriage. "Why would he want to kill Harry?"

"Merlin's beard, Wisp, I can't tell you everything!" Draco said dramatically. "You have to figure out that part yourself!"

The carriage finally rolled through the gates of Hogwarts. People began to climb down onto the worn path that led to the Great Hall, Hogwarts towering above them, grand and homey as ever. Willow shot Draco a look as she dismounted.

"I'm forcing this story out of you later, whether you like it or not, you mierdita," she warned.

Draco mockingly yawned. "Yeah, sure, you'll forget about it by tomorrow."

Willow followed the crowd into the Entrance Hall, then through the open doors of the Great Hall. She breathed in the familiar scents, her entire body relaxing, the homely sensation melting over her. Willow's eyes sparkled in the light of the thousands of candles floating above them, reviving the warm feeling the great space managed to deliver every single time she walked into it. She traced the cuts and grooves on the Gryffindor table that she practically knew by heart. Willow couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She was finally home.

"Miss Guerrero! Where are you?" a woman called, fighting the throng of students streaming through the doors. It was Madam Pomfrey. Willow sighed. This was a welcome home indeed.

"I'm here, but there's nothing wrong with me for once," she said, managing to meet her beside the doors.

"You've got the 'for once' part correct, but you children always say you're fine, and you never are," she tutted, examining Willow's face. "Professor Lupin informed me that there was a dementor attack on the train, and you happened to be one of the victims. Were there multiple others?"

"Prof- wait, that was a professor on the train?" Willow exclaimed. She gasped. "He's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, isn't he? That's why he knew what to give us!"

"Willow, focus, were there other victims?" Pomfrey repeated, now magnifying Willow's eyebrows with a magical sort of device.

"Oh- yeah: Harry, Mandy, the Smith twins, and Oliver, but we're all fine."

"You all must be examined whether you say you're alright or not!" Pomfrey shrilled. "Wait here while I gather them up! You'll be in detention for a week if you move a centimeter!"

Willow groaned, but stayed put. Several minutes later, while the Sorting Ceremony was finally beginning, Pomfrey pulled the group into the Entrance Hall, frantically testing their pulses, checking their eyes, and looking at their fingernails, muttering constantly about the ridiculousness of the whole ordeal, the Minister was out of his mind, dementors at Hogwarts, how stupid could they be, and multiple other complaints. Finally, just as the Sorting Ceremony came to a close, Pomfrey released Oliver.

"I suppose the chocolate did you all good for now, but you're going to receive a daily examination every morning at seven, do you hear me? There will be house points at stake if you do not show up!"

Pomfrey walked away, grumbling about the dementors again. Willow sighed with relief. She and her friends all glanced at each other, silently agreed, and made a break for the Gryffindor table before Madam Pomfrey could change her mind. They had a wonderful feast together, interchanging between their own house mates and the Gryffindors. The Great Hall exploded into cheers when the announcement was made that Hagrid was to be the new Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Willow couldn't wait to get started on his class. She filled up an entire plate with at least eight roles at one point, then made sure to throw more helpings of Oliver's favourite food onto his plate every time she got the chance. Abuela would have been proud. Harry and Ginny were across from them a little ways down the table, and thankfully, they appeared as healthy as ever. The dementors hadn't had too much of an affect on them, then. It wasn't until after every pie was devoured that the students were finally sent off to bed.

The Gryffindors most certainly did not go to bed. Fred and George made sure that there was a miniature party in which they tested out every new pranking device of theirs, including their newest combination of Lee's device and their portable spider webs. The common room oohed and ahhed as they stuck their poor brother Percy to the ceiling on multiple occasions, most of which Percy threatened to go straight to the Headmaster for. He never managed to get within five feet of the portrait hole, however, before he was once again wrapped up in sticky webs. Fred, George, and Lee bowed after their finale, which included launching a spider web from the floor all the way up to the seventh year dorms, ensnaring Oliver Wood. Willow grinned as he sarcastically clapped, then yelled at his Beaters to get him down before they were forced to do seventy rounds of Dodge the Bludger. The Keeper was removed in record time and sent on his way.

"How was that for entertainment, Willow?" Fred asked jovially as they put their supplies away.

"I'd say it's definitely more fun than sitting around the common room doing nothing."

"Wood just told us we're going to have one of the toughest years for quidditch, practice-wise, of course," George said. "We've got to win the House Cup this year or he's likely to die of heartbreak."

"You are playing this year, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I've been trying to practice flying as much as I could this summer!" Willow said. "I doubt I'll be good enough to shake the reserve position, though. Hopefully I can just challenge you guys enough in practice that the games are easy."

"Quit moping around! Wood'll put you in at some point!"

"Someone always manages to get knocked off their broom halfway through the season!"

Willow smiled. "Thanks, guys. I hope no one gets hurt, but playing in an actual game for once would be a nice change." She glanced around the common room. "Where is Paige? Have you guys seen her yet?"

"Oh...yeah, I saw her an hour ago near the fireplace," George said, rather gloomily.

Willow shot him a weird look, which earned him a kick the the shins by his twin. George simply sighed and walked away. Fred and Lee exchanged exasperated expressions, then begrudgingly ran after him, apologetically glancing at Willow. She stood rooted to the spot, bewildered. Why was George acting so weird every time she mentioned Paige? Weren't they best friends? What had changed? Willow racked her brain, but nothing came to mind. She decided she was too stupid to figure it out anytime soon and wandered off in search of Paige. The older girl was sitting in the windowsill, staring longingly at the Forbidden Forest and beyond. Willow gently tapped her on the shoulder.

"Who the hell- " she growled. Paige suddenly realized who touched her. "Oh! Willow! Sorry, lost in thought- again."

"I'm zoned out for about fifty percent of the day. It's a teenager thing, I think," Willow said, climbing into the windowsill opposite her. "Where were you on the train? We couldn't find you. Did those dementors get to you, too?"

"I was in the back, probably hidden or something," Paige said. "And no, thankfully, they didn't come anywhere near me. What about you?"

"Uh...they came into our compartment, but we're fine now. Mandy, Oliver, and the Smith twins also got affected, and apparently Harry passed out. We just had to eat some chocolate from that Professor, and now we're all feeling better."

"Wait, you all went unconscious? What the heck was that all about?"

Willow shrugged. "No idea. Maybe we had too many happy thoughts at the time and they preyed on that?"

Paige seemed skeptical. "Willow, they don't take your happy thoughts. They drown them out with their presence, then drain you of all the negative things hanging around in your brain. That means they're attracted to people with troubled pasts. Oliver's we know, Mandy's we know, the Smith twins we know all too well, Harry- well, his parents were murdered in front of him when he was a baby, that's pretty bad- but what about you?"

Willow wouldn't meet Paige's eyes. "Um...family drama? I honestly have no idea."

"That was the crappiest lie I've ever heard in my life. Merlin, I need to teach you how to lie better."

Willow half-smiled. "Well, I'm a truthful person. Good luck with that."

"Willow, don't you dare avoid the question. What the heck happened to you that the dementor caused you to pass out? I mean, they literally make you relive the worst memories, unless my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher got it all wrong."

Willow scrambled for a response. "I mean...I heard my mum screaming, but that was about it. My memory must not have been powerful enough to make me fully relive it."

"So it's your mum's mistake, from when you were little," Paige said, nodding. "I'm not going to ask you what she did, but what are you supposed to do now that there's dementors around every corner? They'll target you and your friends. You've got to be able to defend yourselves."

Willow recalled the glowing she-wolf. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor chased them away with a sort of ghost animal. What is that?"

Paige shrugged. "No idea. I didn't see it. You'll have to ask him sometime. For now, though, you're all going to have to be super careful, because those dementor things are crazy bad. I've heard lots of stories about the people they've sent into insanity in Azkaban."

Willow shuddered. "Hopefully that doesn't happen to me."

"It probably won't. Dumbledore will make sure they don't harm anyone as long as he's still here."

"Thank God for Dumbledore." Willow noticed Paige's eyes were still far away. "Hey, are you okay? You're normally much more extroverted than this. I'm usually the one that sits on the windowsill and pouts all day."

Paige gently punched her in the shoulder. "I am not pouting. I'm just...thinking...about something I found out today. It was about my Nana, the one that took care of me when I was little. I finally managed to break into my adoptive parents' office and found the file they kept on her. She's been relocated so many times, it's not even funny. I tracked down the latest address, and...I know where she lives now."

Willow gasped. "You have to go find her!"

"I can't until Winter Holidays, but it at least gives me something exciting to look forward to," Paige said. "Maybe I can finally run away from that pair of scumbags once and for all, start a life with Nana, get some answers on why my adoptive parents are so horrible..."

Willow hugged Paige. "I'll go with you if you want. You deserve all that and so much more."

"Yeah, the ability to legally punch both of my 'parents' in the face," Paige joked. "It would be worth the bruised knuckles."

"I would help with that, but my family isn't in the Muggle police force, unfortunately."

"WILLOW! We've been looking for you for ages!"

"There's a brand new dress we've been dying for you to model!"

"It's going to match your hair perfectly!"

"Oh no," Willow breathed, trying to hide her face. "Paige, I don't exist. Tell them I'm an apparition."

Paige smirked. "Oh, this is too good. I'm kind of excited to see how this plays out." She turned to the Gryffindor Sisters crowding around Willow. "Have at her, girls!"

Lavender, Mia, and Fay squealed excitably. They grabbed Willow and drug her up the stairs, Sally, Parvati, and Hermione having already prepared everything for them. The three handed supplies to Lavender, Mia, and Fay as they transformed Willow. She was thrown into an ombre green dress, which was- unfortunately for Willow's taste- strapless and slightly low cut. Light blush was brushed onto her face, eyeliner accented her already dark lashes, concealer evened out her skin tone, and a tiny bit of eye shadow put the dark look into place. Willow was given a mirror to see the final result. The Gryffindor Sisters had done a tremendous job. Though she hated the thought the moment it entered her mind, Willow saw herself as stunning. She would never admit it out loud, but Willow really liked how excited her Gryffindor Sisters were to beautify her. Hermione and Parvati high-fived.

"Oh, wait! I've got one more thing!" Sally exclaimed, pulling out her wand. "George gave me a spell to use on you, Willow! He said he's perfected it since Halloween your first year."

Willow prepared herself for some ultimate prank to happen, but it never came. Instead, lush, miniature, life-like oak leaves attached themselves to her hair. They were the exact colour of her eyes. Willow stared at herself in the mirror, wondering how on Earth George had managed to exactly replicate her eye colour. Had he compared it to a photograph, or was it from memory? Willow's cheeks reddened as she realized how much time and effort it must have taken him. Was he really that into her?

"Oh my God," Lavender said, voice choked up from being on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry- it's just- you're so pretty, and I can't- ugh, Willow, you're such a beautiful human being!"

Willow blushed. "You guys made me beautiful, that's all. It's thanks to your hard work that I look like this."

"We know, it's just- wow, we have to show you off!" Mia sniffled.

"Who should we present her to?" Fay wondered.

"Ooh, let's grab the boys!" Parvati suggested. "They'll love this! Well, Dean and Seamus never seem to pay attention, but at least Neville will get tripped up over his words! Ooh, and grab the Weasley twins! They'll appreciate her!"

"I'll get the boys, you grab Fred and George," Hermione said to Sally.

Willow gaped at Hermione. "What- since when did you get in on this?"

Hermione grinned. "It's nice to have fun before the hours of homework begin. Plus, it's so fun to see you out of your comfort zone. I should photograph your expression next time."

Willow groaned. "Is no one on my side for this one?"

"We are on your side, Willow!" Fay laughed. "We're doing exactly what we're supposed to do- get each other dates! There has to be someone out there interesting enough for you!"

"But- ugh, fine, I understand. Lead me to my doom."

Mia and Lavender squealed, then brought Willow out to the landing. The rest of the Gryffindor Sisters crowded around her to get a look at the boys' reaction. Within seconds, Hermione had found the boys, and the Weasley twins were dragged from the upper level. All of them stared at Willow's hair, admiring the leaves magically placed there. Fred raised his eyebrows at George, who went slightly red, then punched his twin. Willow furrowed her brow. What was that about? She was distracted by Dean and Seamus playing a game with each other, clearly not caring about the situation. At least two people got it that Willow didn't want their attention. The rest of the boys complimented the Gryffindor Sisters on their handiwork, and finally were released to go back to their dormitories. Fay positively beamed at Willow when they got back into her dorm.

"Did you see the way George was looking at you?" she squealed.

"Um...no?"

"Ugh, Willow! Quit being so unobservant! You have to notice these things to find someone for yourself!" Fay scolded. "I know, I know, you care more that he looks at you like that when you're wearing a t-shirt and shorts, but I'm like that too, and it's never hurt to get someone to notice you that way first, then keep their attention for your personality!"

Willow groaned. "I don't want to date anyone just yet. I'm probably going to be so busy with schoolwork that I won't have time- "

"B-u-t you can capture peoples' attention now, so if they still fancy you later, you know they're actually into you!" Lavender said. "You've got to admit, there's at least some logic to this!"

Willow considered it. "Yeah, I guess I see what you're saying."

"Then no more objections to us setting you up?" Parvati said.

Willow sighed. "Fine, but I'd rather help set you guys up more than myself."

"Done!" Mia said. "Our goal is to get everyone on a successful date by the end of the year- except Willow and Hermione, they've got two years. Everyone in?"

"YES!" the Gryffindor Sisters chorused.

Willow face planted into her bed. "This is going to be a very dramatic year..." she groaned.