On Saturday, I slept in as late as I possibly could without missing breakfast. I was exhausted after a night of hanging out with Fred and James in their 'secret lair' (as they now call it). It's just an unused classroom bursting full of joke stuff. They were messing around with chocolate frogs trying to combine them with charms to make all strange stuff happen to the person who eats it.

They didn't tell me that at all. All they told me as they led me away from the Great Hall was that they wanted me to rate the sweetness of some new sweets they were making. Who would say no to that?

The sweets were really nice. I was chatting to Fred and James while I was popping random sweets into my mouth from the bag of them they had given me. It takes about two minutes for the effect of the sweet to kick in. When Fred and James began to chuckle to each other when they thought I wasn't looking I knew something was up.

"What's so funny?" I asked raising an eyebrow at them.

James took a moment to collect himself then answered.

"Nothing."

"Really-" I started to reply when hot steam started gushing out of ears. Out of instinct, I clapped my hands over my ears trying to make it stop. James and Fred collapse in silent laughter (silent to me because I couldn't hear a thing).

I knew it had to look comical, I had taken sweets before that had given the steam effect. I had been told it looks really funny because it looks like my head's on fire because of my bright red hair.

Then seconds later, my nose started stretching. It felt like someone was grabbing the end of my noses and pulling as hard as they could, which was painful. Then it started to slowly change colour from a pasty pale with freckles to a grey colour that looked as rough as sandpaper.

I quickly jumped up from my spot on the edge of one of the tables and ran to the dusty mirror that was hanging on the wall. In its green frame, it showed me my reflection which made me cried out. My nose which now was similar to a elephants trunk was almost floor length. But there were other surprises, my usual brown eyes had turned fluorescent yellow. The same yellow my cousin Teddy turns his eyes when he in a really good mood. My ears were at that moment growing to be as floppy, giant and pointy as a House Elves.

I turned as fast as a snitch around to face Fred and James who were still trying to stop laughing. I frowned and narrowed my eyes at them. Which only made them laugh more.

"FRED AND JAMES, YOU IDIOTS!" I think that's what I screamed out, not too sure since I still couldn't hear.

According to Fred it had taken 20 minutes for the side effects to wear off. It felt longer, way longer. I was mad at them but I had to eventually forgive them to get James to take me using his invisibility cloak back to Ravenclaw tower because it was a long after curfew when I left their secret lair.


The next morning I decided to take a stroll around the castle grounds with Jane and Abby. Pumpkin tagged along like a faithful hound but he mostly stalked us from behind.

The grass was damp with the rain that had come in the early hours of the morning. It soaked the ends of our robes that we had put over our casual clothes since there was a chill in the air. A rain cloud in the distance was sneaking up on Hogwarts slowly threatening another downpour.

We had come from lunch at the Great Hall and were eating some sandwiches we had brought with us. We planned to go for a walk to the Black Lake and then maybe visit Hagrid if he was in his hut. When I had last taken Abby and Jane to see Hagrid and they joined us as we went to feed the threstrals. Abby let out such a loud shriek when she got to pet one, it caused the whole herd to spook and flee.

"I have something to tell you guys," Jane announced after we finished our sandwiches. She had been very quiet recently, not sad quiet, quiet like she was bursting to say something but didn't know how to say it.

Abby and I both turned to her. We had asked her several times what was up and she would laugh and say 'nothing.'

"Finally," Abby said. "Spill it, Jane."

"I don't want you two to start giving out or giving him a hard time-"

"Him?"

"Yes," Jane said stiffly.

Abby suddenly did a spin on the spot, pointed a finger at Jane and exclaimed. "Eric Longford."

I was about to ask what in Merlin was Abby on about when Jane asked Abby suspiciously.

"How did you know?"

"Know what?" I asked directing my question to both Abby and Jane.

"Jane and Longford," Abby filled me dramatically and slowly. "Are sitting in a tree k…i…s…s…i…n…g."

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny." I laughed thinking it was a joke they had set up.

Jane scowled and said, "Not a joke, Rose. Not accurate, Abby."

"I've been waiting for you to tell us." Abby proclaimed. "I saw you talking to him when you were waiting for me outside the girls toilets."

Jane flushed, "You weren't even there. Can you see through walls now or something?"

"No," Abby said. "I was watching from the door. You didn't see me because I was being sneakier than a ninja."

"Where was I during all this?" I wondered aloud.

Abby answered, "With Malfoy in Divination."

I nodded and asked Jane, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I wasn't sure how you two would react… wait, I didn't even tell you what happen?" Jane said crossing her arms. "You two are just jumping to conclusions."

"Tell us." Abby and I both said in sync.

"Well…" Jane said beginning her explanation. "He asked me to Hogsmeade."

Abby and I both gasped.

"Jane, he is the king of pricks!" Abby protested.

"I thought we were going together," I said.

"Yeah, Jane, you don't want your first time to be with that toad."

"Will you let me finish!" Jane exclaimed. "I told him no, that I had already made plans with you guys."

"Thank god!" Abby said signing in relief putting her hand to her forehead.

"But," Jane said. "He then asked me to go with him on Valentines day."

I closed my eyes attempting to picture Jane on a romance date with him and got nothing. "I can't picture that."

"Me too," Abby added in. "The only thing that is slightly more ewy and impossible to imagine is Rose and Malfoy."

I turned Abby giving her a glare. "Abby, please."

"Look you guys it's not like I have boys lining up to take me," Jane said earnestly.

"Because it's freaking five months away," I said not really understanding her desperateness. "It's a just a bit weird and edging on creepy that he asking you now."

"We all know that Longford's overplanning nick picker," Abby informed.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you," Jane said angrily. "I going back to the castle I have some homework to do."

Jane quickly walked away from us in the direction of the castle.

"I suppose we should leave her cool down for a while," I suggested to Abby looking worriedly at Jane who was almost out of sight.

"I don't get it, Rose," Abby said shaking her head. "She doesn't even like him in that way."

"Maybe, we should support her," I said. "We're her friends."

Abby shrugged and said, "Let's go with the flow, for now, Rosie. I have to go back up to the castle anyway. Fred and James said I can try the sweets they gave you last night."

"Why would you want to do that?" I grinned knowing fully well that it was right up Abby lane.

"It's going to be so fun," Abby said. "I going take some pictures and send them to mom and dad it will scare the crap out of them."

"You enjoy that, I really don't want to relive it," I said. "I going to go to Hagrid's."

"See ya, Rose," Abby said as she cheerfully jogged away in the direction of the castle.

"Just you and me, Pumpkin." I turned expecting to see my cat's orange eyes watching me.

But there was nothing. "Pumpkin!" I called out but nothing moved. What was left of the sun was shaded by a large cloud passing by it. I shivered at the drop in temperature and went to look for Pumpkin amongst a cluster of trees nearby knowing that he was probably stalking out mice or small innocent potential prey that he would bring back to me for no reason what so ever. No matter how many time I had screamed, gagged or shrieked at his 'presents' he would still sit at my feet and look up at me like he was expecting a treat or a pat. I was starting to think he enjoyed plaguing me with half eaten dead things.

"Pumpkin!" I called out again getting my hair tangled in a big prickly bush that took up a great deal of space between two trees. I tried to pulled my hair free.

"Hello, Weasley." said a voice that I recognised straight away as Malfoys. I just managed to rip my hair free when he had appeared from behind a few trees.

"Hello, Malfoy." I greeted. "Do you always hide behind trees like a serial killer?"

"It's nice to see you too, Weasley." He said almost sarcastically. "What brings you out of the castle? And on the weekend?" He added in mock horror.

"I was walking with friends and I lost my cat," I said calling out his name again walking forwards. Malfoy followed.

"And what brings you out here?" I asked. "Without your Slytherin cronies," I added in mock horror.

"Very funny, Weasley." He said snidely. "I'm here because everyone is busy at quidditch practise."

"All your friends made the team?" I asked.

"No, some of them are watching," Malfoy said. "I was, but I got bored."

"Really, quidditch got boring?" I couldn't help chuckle.

Malfoy lips curled upwards before he said, "Quidditch practice is boring. It's basically the same thing every week with the Slytherin team and I've seen way too many practises."

"That's how I feel about Quidditch everything," I said calling out for Pumpkin.

"Why did you call him 'pumpkin'?" Malfoy asked. "Pumpkin is a food."

"I didn't call him that the people at the pet shop did," I said. "It's a cute name, Malfoy, and it suits him. He has eyes the same colour as pumpkin."

"I have an owl," Malfoy said. "He has a normal name."

"What is it?"

"Andrew."

I burst out laughing, "Why would you call an owl, that?"

Malfoy scowled unable to see the humor in it. "Because it is an actual name."

"Andrew," I tested. "He must be so cute."

"He's vicious," Malfoy said. "I have to use magic to attach a letter to him."

Then suddenly a loud rattle of bushes could be heard along with the crinkling of leaves. Malfoy and I moved quickly ahead to the source of the noise. A loud meow could be heard behind a high bush that completely concealed what was in front of us.

"Pumpkin?" I called but there was no response. Malfoy stepped forwards pushing through the bush. I tried to follow him but my hair kept getting tangled in the wild branches.

Then there was suddenly a loud splash followed by a cursing.

"Malfoy?!" I called out trying to make my way through the bush almost losing chunks of my hair in the process.

I may have taken a step too far when I finally emerged from the bush.

"Malfoy?!" I called again.

When I came out of the dark bush I was suddenly bombarded by light and… the Black Lake. I immediately missed my footing and fell into the shallow shore of the Black Lake, well, actually I landed on Malfoy who was trying to stand up in the water. Malfoy ended up getting soaked again while I was on top of him only my knees getting wet.

There was a moment of strange silence in the shallow water. Malfoy's face was too close to mine, his everything was too close to me but it wasn't uncomfortable it was warm (it was weird…) and it made my heart pound. Then Malfoy snapped out of it and grinned. He pushed me off of him and into the freezing water putting an end to whatever that strangeness was. Instead of snapping at him like I would've done weeks ago, I burst out laughing and used my hands up under the water to splash him in the face with as much water as I could.