3

Pansy watched incredulously, as Draco actually held the hand of that Gryffindor bitch. She would not stand for this, this blatant disregard for tradition. Pansy nearly shook with anger as she gathered her things. Draco and that girl were already in the hall. As Pansy left the potions room, she realized where Draco intended to take her. And it wasn't the astronomy tower. If it had been, Pansy couldn't have cared less. If Draco wanted to have a bit of fun, that was his business. But to make a show of it like this was unacceptable.

And now they were going to Slytherin House. He was heading straight for their dormitories. Pansy followed them, determined to...well, do something. They had an image to keep up. She did, anyway. Pansy's eyes became narrow slits. She could be ruthless when she wanted to. If he made her look like a fool, he would regret it.

Kayla glanced up at Draco, who was exuding confidence, as usual. She would have laughed, had she not been a bit preoccupied. He resembled John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. He walked like he owned the place.

''Um, Draco? I was under the impression that, well, it was somewhat frowned upon for people to go into houses other than their own. I think it's dumb, but if it's school policy-''

Draco stopped walking and looked at her.

''Do you want to be with me, Kayla?''

Well, when you put it that way...

''Yeah, of course, but-oh, screw it. Let's go.''

They'd reached the entrance to Slytherin House, when Pansy appeared behind them.

''What do you think you're doing, Draco?''

Draco turned slowly, and gave Pansy an innocuous little smirk.

''We're going to go work on some Potions assignments. Get Kayla here caught up,'' he said innocently.

Pansy glared at him, and then fixed Kayla with an even nastier look.

''Gryffindors aren't allowed in Slytherin House. I don't know what Draco told you-''

''And I don't think it's any of your business what we're doing, or where we're doing it. So back off.'' Kayla had had quite enough of Pansy's attitude. That was her warning tone.

Evidently, Pansy hadn't taken the hint. She tried again with Draco.

''Don't do this, Draco. The consequences will not be very,'' she took a long, meaningful look at Kayla, ''pretty.''

Draco's grip on Kayla's hand tightened. Kayla stared at Pansy, not believing what she had just heard.

''Are you threatening me? You must be out of your Goddamn mind. Trust me, girl. You don't want a fight with me. Not over something as stupid as-'' Suddenly Kayla turned and looked up at Draco with a question in her eyes.

''Is she your ex-girlfriend or something?'' Kayla kept an eye on Pansy, who looked as if she might pull out her wand and curse them the second they weren't looking.

''No, she is not. She's just having a problem letting go of old, outdated customs.'' Draco was looking at Pansy as he said this, and his eyes said, Don't involve her in this.

Pansy smiled back maliciously. Her eyes answered, No fucking way. It was too late. Draco had shown that this girl meant something to him, and she would be used accordingly. Pansy couldn't believe her luck. Not only would she maintain her position, she might actually do some climbing. Where it counted. Not in piddling school hierarchy, but the real deal.

Pansy replied coolly, ''Draco, you'll just have to explain to her that you can't see her anymore. She'll just get in the way of the ritual. And if that happens, you know it's my responsibility to alert our master. If you don't deal with it, he will.''

Draco's blood ran cold. To think that all this had started because Pansy was jealous. Now she had just laid all her cards on the table. She was going to try to use Kayla against him. He refused to panic. It wasn't like Pansy had Voldemort's ear at her disposal. There was only one person she could contact who might listen. He'd just have to convince him that Kayla meant nothing to him. Future Death Eaters weren't allowed to care. Unless it was for someone like Pansy, who couldn't wait to get the bloody Dark Mark on her arse.

''What the hell are you talking about?'' Kayla released Draco's hand, and approached Pansy in a very hostile manner. Pansy didn't like the look in the girl's eyes. She actually backed away, but Kayla took hold of her cloak and pulled Pansy towards her until they were practically nose-to-nose.

Pansy looked at her defiantly, but saw no fear in Kayla's black eyes. They seemed to bore into Pansy's own aqua eyes, until Kayla slammed Pansy against the stone wall suddenly. Pansy cried out in pain and slumped to the ground, tears starting to run down her face.

''Don't mess with me.'' Kayla turned her back on the girl. Pansy jumped up to retaliate, but Kayla had been expecting it. Kayla whipped around, and introduced her fist to Pansy's face. Pansy stumbled back and reached into her robes for her wand.

Draco had his out in seconds, and had it pointed at Pansy's head.

''That's it. Run away, Pansy. Run away, and convince your superiors that you can't handle your own problems. That you aren't worthy of their affiliation. You won't gain anything from this. I'll see to it.''

Pansy gave him one last hateful look, and then ran off. Kayla looked at Draco. He put away his wand, and sighed.

''I think we need to talk,'' Kayla said solemnly. ''And not about Potions, either.''

Draco nodded. He had no idea how he was going to go about this, but he had to tell her something. He turned to the portrait, and told it the password. The man in the picture raised his eyebrows at the golden lion embroidered on Kayla's robes, but didn't say anything.

There were other Slytherins in the common room, who were all very startled to see Draco walk in with a Gryffindor, but they didn't get a chance to comment. Draco took Kayla's arm and walked briskly to his room, closing the door behind them. Kayla looked around, and muttered to herself, ''Of course he's got his own room...''

Draco looked at her.

''Never mind,'' she said hastily. Like that was important.

''About Pansy,'' Draco started.

''Pansy's psychotic,'' Kayla interrupted. ''I have something I need to tell you too. But feel free to explain to me what you were talking about out there. That has got to be the most two-faced conversation I have ever heard. And you were scared for a minute. I want to know why.'' What could Pansy possibly do to him, Kayla wondered.

''I-I can't tell you.'' Draco looked at Kayla's face and knew that he couldn't let anything happen to her. Pansy didn't know it, but she'd won. Damn her.

Kayla saw and felt Draco's fear and concern for her. She wanted to ask him a million questions, but she could feel his determination to keep her safe. It was like a wall of steel. It almost made her want to cry. She thought about what Draco and Pansy had said to each other and tried to read between the lines. Their master. A ritual. Their superiors. The whole Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry fit in there somehow. There was some higher up person they had to answer to. Someone powerful. Someone Draco feared.

Draco was a very smart person. Kayla decided to trust his judgment and pry no further. If he was devoted to keeping her alive, it was good enough for her. She pulled him down onto his bed to sit beside her.

''All right. I know why you won't tell me. And I understand. At least what I have to tell you won't get you killed. Probably.'' Kayla smiled weakly.

Draco closed his eyes wearily. How could she joke at a time like this? He had half a mind to chase her out of his room so he could think of what to do if Pansy did actually call his father.

''What is it, Kayla?'' said Draco, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Kayla felt his despair, and rather than tell him, she tried to show him. She deliberately projected her affection for him, overloading their open connection with fondness and warmth. She looked right at him when she did it.

Draco looked up, feeling like he'd just eaten a pound of chocolate. He saw Kayla's deep, dark eyes, filled with affection, looking at him.

''I'm an empath,'' she whispered, taking his head in her hands. ''And I have the Sight.''

''What does that mean?'' he asked, confused by both what he was hearing and feeling.

''I can feel emotions. And energy. I can roam the astral plane freely. I was there last night. I saw you. I felt you. You drew me to you, and I don't rightly know what happened after that, but I was pulled back into my body. That's when I realized that we were linked somehow. Remember when you woke up this morning?''

Draco nodded. He'd felt as though someone was calling him.

''Was that you? Can you communicate with me through this link?''

Kayla tried to explain.

''Sort of. Not verbally. I'm only an empath. I feel emotions, and now that we'92re connected, I think you can feel mine. And I can feel yours. It only used to work with my family, but something happened to us on the astral plane last night. I knew how I felt about you before then, but I couldn't tell how you felt about me. My empathy wasn't that strong."

Draco covered her hand with his own.

''You know how I feel about you now, don't you?'' Draco had known since they got off the train that he wasn't letting go of her. He didn't even have to think about it, he just looked in her eyes, and his feelings flowed into her. Kayla shuddered from the intensity of it.

''Yes,'' she whispered. Draco pulled her to him in a tight embrace. He ran his fingers through her hair, and placed his hand on her chin, tilting her face upward. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. He realized that she could feel what he was feeling, that he loved having her in his arms, but didn't think it would last. That something was going to happen to ruin everything. She felt the joy along with the apprehension. He'd killed the mood with his very thoughts.

He kissed her in an attempt to rectify it. Knowing that this might be the last time he would get to be alone with her like this. Pansy was not going to give him the one thing he needed most, and that was time. Now that he knew that events might be sped up at an inconceivable rate, the time for planning and plotting was over. Actions would be taken. It was the most dangerous time of all. And Kayla would not get caught up in it.

Kayla felt the joining of a strong chain of emotions. Devotion and determination. Somehow she got the feeling that Draco was not thinking in terms of devotion to his studies, or anything else as trivial. She pushed him away gently, making sure that she reinforced the physical action with a soothing emotional push, saying that she wanted to kiss him too, but now was not the time.

''Draco?''

''Yes?''

''Don't get yourself killed. If you do, I'll feel it. Most likely it would kill me as well.''

''What? How do you know?''

''My grandmother has the same powers I do, as well as Foresight. She trained me. She warned me before I came here that my powers would mature, and they would tell me what to do. I think what they're saying is that I belong with you. I want to help you. Please let me. I know what you're involved in is much too big for you to handle alone. But you won't tell me, because you're afraid that I'll get hurt. But, Draco, you and I, we're the same. If you hurt, I hurt. If you die, I die. There's no point in you going in alone to save me. So let me in.''

Draco thought furiously, trying to think of a way to get Kayla out of this. It was his life. But like it or not, she was part of his life now. He could feel her inside him. And he had to admit, under different circumstances, he'd have been glad to move Kayla in. But-perhaps there was a way for her to help him after all. But first he had to see just how much of her was Gryffindor, and how much had potential to be used in this fight.

''Kayla.'' She awaited his answer impatiently.

''Why did you fight Pansy with your hands rather than your wand? Things could have ended a lot quicker if you had used magic.''

Kayla shrugged.

''Instinct. I just wanted to feel it when I hit her. She threatened me. I had an urge to inflict pain. Show her not to mess around with me. I think I need anger management. But that's not the point. What are you going to do?''

''Do you think you can use your empathy against people? Make them feel pain or any other emotion you chose?''

''Maybe. But it's unethical. And until you learn to close off your end of our connection, I won't even attempt it. It's too dangerous. I could seriously hurt you psychologically. Whom am I supposed to be using it on?''

Draco considered telling her. For about a second.

''I can't tell you yet. The less you know, the better. But I do have to tell you this. Don't trust my father. If he approaches you, you don't know me. I'm a classmate, nothing more. Do you understand?''

Kayla nodded.

"Is he the one-''

''No. Don't worry about it. It's very unlikely that the person Pansy was referring to will make an appearance at Hogwarts. I don't suppose I have to tell you to keep all this to yourself?''

''Of course not. And the same with what I told you? No one else here knows about my powers. Or our connection. We're going to have to work on that. In Potions today, you were unintentionally sending me some very intense emotions, Draco. It became difficult to concentrate.''

Kayla smiled. Draco's face bore a semblance to a smile. Barely.

''How do I turn it off? I don't even know what it is, really.''

''I know,'' said Kayla. ''Just, um, concentrate on me. Reach for my feelings with your mind. You should be able to do it now.''

Draco focused on the emotions of Kayla that he felt present in his mind and followed them to their source. He felt the connection, an almost physical presence in his mind that he hadn't even noticed, probably because he'd been thinking about Kayla before it had even been made. He'd felt a sense of completion ever since he'd first held her hand. Talked to her. Laughed at her jokes, even when they were at his expense.

He'd known, on a subconscious level, that she belonged with him.

Kayla felt Draco reach for her instinctively, and pulled him into a mental embrace. She heard him gasp, unused to the intimacy. It was intense, almost overwhelming. She saw the euphoric look on Draco's face. It was almost funny, the way his eyes were closed, and his mouth slightly open in a small round 'o' of surprise. Kayla touched his face, and he opened his eyes. Draco let out a shaky breath. That mental stuff was almost too much. The physical aspect, however, was something he could handle quite well, and he let Kayla know it. He was learning how to communicate his emotions very well. Kayla couldn't resist. She leaned forward and kissed him passionately. Draco pulled her closer to him without breaking the kiss, and felt her relax in his arms.

Kayla pulled back so they could both breathe, and said ruefully,

''I think we were supposed to working on teaching you to close off the connection, Draco.''

''Er, right." Draco sighed.

''Well, you know what it is, and you definitely know how to use it to, ah, reach me. You know.'' Kayla grinned. ''That was the easy part. Now you have to try and shut it off. I had to do that this morning. It was very distracting, going through every emotion you did, as well as my own. You're going to need all your faculties, if you're to deal with whoever is making you so scared.'' She put a hand on Draco's arm. He didn't want to admit it, even to himself, but Voldemort did scare him. But he could be defeated. If that weakling Potter could escape the Dark Lord with his skin intact, then Draco could do it.

''Show me.''

''Okay. It's just like closing your eyes, only once the connection is closed, you have to consciously open it again when you want to communicate with me. Okay, let's try it. First, you have to-oh, never mind. You have that part down pat, obviously.'' She could already feel Draco's grasp of their connection. It was like holding hands. He smiled at her.

''Now you just have to let go. Close your mind off from mine, Draco. Separate yourself from my emotions.'' She could feel him pulling away, and then his presence in her mind was gone.''That's good. You did it.'' She was glad he'd learned so quickly, but she felt incomplete without him.

Draco was satisfied. He opened the connection again, and the feeling of warmth and fulfillment returned. So did Kayla's smile. Draco felt he had mastered the technique of opening and closing his mind. And kissing an empath was as good as he'd heard it was; he could feel her emotions through their connection, and it intensified everything he felt, to the point of insanity. The good kind of insanity. He wanted more.

Kayla didn't need empathy to know what Draco wanted. They kissed, and Kayla felt that this made up for having to live in the armpit of Europe. Draco felt her contentment, but didn't understand it. What, she thought that this was as good as it got? He pulled back suddenly. Kayla looked at him, confused. Draco pushed her down onto the bed. Kayla raised an eyebrow, but didn't resist. He knew she wouldn't let him go too far with her; she wasn't a Slytherin, trying to get in his good graces. He liked that.

''What are you up to?'' All she could detect was a respectful, if determined, intent.

''You'll see.'' Draco lowered his lips to her neck, kissing her slowly, wondering if it was possible for skin as dark as Kayla's to show hickeys, as he began to apply more pressure in a teasing, circular motion.

''Mmmm...Draco...''

*beep* *beep* *beep*

Draco lifted his head for a second.

''What the hell is that?''

"Licuadora. It seems we've used up our lunch period. Sorry, Draco. We've got Charms in about ten minutes." She smiled at him and slid off the bed.

Draco exhaled rather loudly, and closed his end of the connection. It was hard enough to concentrate with his own emotions in his mind, let alone Kayla's. She wasn't kidding.

"We're going to have to continue this later," he muttered. He watched her slip into her robes, and quickly put his own back on. Draco glanced at himself in the mirror. His hair looked horrible. He reached for the comb on his dresser. Kayla stopped him, grinning mischievously.

"No, leave it. I was just thinking, you know what everyone's going to think we did up here. Why not encourage the rumors a little bit?" She tousled her own hair, not that she needed to.

Draco stared at her, surprised.

"You're brilliant. I was just thinking the same thing, but I didn't think you'd go for it. I thought you'd be worried about-"

"My reputation? Draco, I'm worried about a few more important things right now. Like why I'm supposed to pretend I don't know you if your father asks. And why he would ask in the first place. I just figured it had something to do with me being in Gryffindor, and that it would help if everyone thought we weren't serious, just messing around. The way Pansy was acting, it's like you're betrothed or something. Or at least, like you can only date someone from Slytherin. Am I right?"

"Something like that." Draco made a half-hearted attempt to smooth his hair down, so it at least looked as though he'd tried, but didn't have enough time for the usual slicked back look. Kayla was putting on some shiny lip tint. When she was done, she grabbed Draco and kissed him. He didn't object, but when he came up for air, he warned, "We're going to be late."

"I know," Kayla said with a grin. She stopped Draco from wiping the gloss from his mouth, and they left the dormitory, receiving plenty of stares and odd looks from those still in the hall. Kayla had to resist the urge to laugh. They didn't look that bad, but Draco usually looked perfect, so a thread out of place was extremely noticeable on him. And he had smears of her lip tint on his lips, and his hair was just slightly tousled.

He was a marked man.

Draco and Kayla entered Professor Flitwick's classroom just after the bell rang. Hermione stared at Kayla. Her eyes flicked to Draco briefly, and then she looked at Kayla in disbelief. Hermione mouthed silently, "Where were you?" Kayla just smiled, and decided to let Hermione figure it out on her own. She was a very bright girl, after all. Kayla had seen Hermione in action that morning during Ancient Runes. The girl must study more often then she changed her socks.

Professor Flitwick looked at the two of them disapprovingly, but they hadn't been too late, so he continued the lesson. The class was to work on 'lending intelligence' to inanimate objects. The goal was to make them seem to have minds of their own, using a very complicated spell. Kayla cracked her knuckles loudly. Charms was her best subject. She couldn't wait.

While Professor Flitwick demonstrated on a small cloth doll that he had charmed to walk about a desk, Pansy glared at Draco, who noted that she must have seen Madame Pomfrey, to avoid an unsightly bruise where Kayla had punched her. He ignored her, and watched Kayla, who had taken the only other available seat, a few seats down and a row across from him.

Most of the students were struggling to get their dolls to move. Granger, of course, had hers shaking Potter's hand in moments. Kayla had her hand raised, and was asking Professor Flitwick a question. He nodded, and came over to her desk. Kayla beamed, and gave him her doll back. She then drew a rectangular pattern in the air with her wand, saying in a clear, firm voice, "Wudu Conjurare!" A small piece of wood, about six inches long, appeared on her desk. Everyone stared as Kayla pointed her wand at the piece of wood and said, "Essentia Inserere!"

A blue mist seemed to come from Kayla herself, and surrounded the wood. It looked as if there was a tiny tempest on her desk. The mist cleared, and in the place of the wood, was a tiny doll. It looked up at everyone crowded around the desk, and said in a small voice that sounded just like Kayla's,''Wow, I can't believe it worked! Wait until I tell Nicole!''

Kayla laughed at herself. Hermione stared at the little wooden facsimile of Kayla, fascinated.

''How did you do that?" cried Hermione. Professor Flitwick applauded his new student, saying , ''The curriculum at your former school must be highly advanced! Do explain how you managed to conjure and charm a miniature version of yourself, Miss Ross!''

Kayla was a little uncomfortable at all of the attention she was receiving. Both the real and the wooden one; Ron had poked Mini-Kayla with his quill, and she threatened to give him the mother of all splinters where the sun don't shine. Harry almost died laughing.

''Well, I just used the standard conjuring spell, and conjured the wood in the amount I felt I would need. Then I inserted my own essence into the wood, and here she is. I think I'll send her to my parents. Dad will love her.'' Kayla smiled.

''What is she wearing?'' asked Parvati, who had come over from her desk to see what the commotion was about.

Kayla looked closely at herself. ''A Braves jersey. That's hilarious. Hey, turn around, would you?''

Mini-Kayla raised her eyebrows, but turned around. On the back of her shirt, a tiny number 25 was visible, with the letters A. Jones over it. Kayla burst out laughing at this.

''What's so funny?'' asked Hermione curiously.

''It's so cute, look, she's wearing my favorite baseball player's jersey and everything. I can't believe the spell worked that well. I wonder, do you have all of my memories too?'' Kayla asked Mini-Kayla.

Mini-Kayla smirked at her. "I know what you were doing ten minutes ago,'' she said, winking cheekily.

Kayla coughed, and said, ''Okay, that's enough,'' while everyone around her, especially Lavender and Parvati, gave each other knowing looks. Draco smiled to himself.

Hermione, however, was scribbling notes like a madwoman. ''What did you say that conjuring spell was? And why haven't we learned it yet, Professor?''

''Actually, I didn't learn it in school. I learned it from my Grandmother. It's Conjurare, and the Latin of whatever you want to conjure.'' Kayla couldn't help but smile at Hermione's earnest attitude. What, was this the first time anyone had known a spell that she hadn't already mastered?

Then she remembered something her grandmother had said, and added hastily, ''But don't try to conjure something too big or powerful, okay? Conjuring takes energy from your own supply of it, and it can severely weaken you if you tried to conjure a living being or something. That's a bad idea, especially if the thing you're conjuring has a brain. It might realize that it will no longer exist if the energy you've given it runs out, and try to steal more energy from you.''

Mini-Kayla looked up at her sadly. ''How long have I got?'' she asked desolately. Kayla smiled at her.

''It didn't take a lot of energy to conjure the wood you're based on, but I can always renew the spell when it runs out. You should exist for a few days without renewing. Feel better?''

''No!'' she cried. ''What about the playoffs? The Braves have the NL East sewn up! I'll miss it!''

Most of the class had no idea what Mini-Kayla was talking about. Kayla tried to explain baseball, and the divisional playoffs, but it was pretty much hopeless. Dean sympathized, being a passionate soccer fan, and having no one from West Ham to commiserate with. Kayla consoled the little doll, while Professor Flitwick went to help some of the more desperate students (sorry, Neville).

Draco had noticed Kayla's precision and expertise with casting spells and charms. He saw potential for more. He wished she'd been sitting closer so they could talk. It occurred to him to utilize the connection between them. He sent a bit of urgency to her, and she turned immediately. She glanced at him for a second, and then an idea seemed to spark in her mind. She beckoned to the little wooden duplicate of herself, and whispered in her ear. The doll nodded, and hopped off the desk. A tiny voice shouted, ''Ow!''

Ron stared at the little doll, which was walking across the floor. As it passed his feet, he wondered aloud, ''Where does she think she's going?''

''Feminine matters, Ron,'' said Kayla with a straight face.

Ron stared at her in disbelief. Hermione and Kayla looked at each other and burst out laughing. Harry put a hand on Ron's shoulder and said solemnly,''I think you've been had, mate.''

''Ha, ha, very funny,'' muttered Ron.

Meanwhile, Mini-Kayla had found her way across the room to Draco, who felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down and saw the little doll smiling at him. He lifted her up and set her on his desk. She looked exactly the way Kayla had the first time he'd seen her. Except that she was made of wood, and much, much smaller.

''Hi Draco!'' she said happily. Draco bit his lip to keep from laughing, and shielded the new occupant of his desk from the prying eyes of Pansy, who was practically craning her neck to see what Draco was looking at.

''Tell Kayla,'' he whispered to the tiny doll, ''that I want to talk to her after class. Tell her to meet me in the library in two hours. Got it?'' Mini-Kayla nodded. Then she lowered her head and toed the desk timidly. ''Can I come too?'' Draco sighed. ''Yes, you can come too.'' The doll brightened. Draco got an idea. He told the doll, ''Maybe you should ask Kayla to make a smaller version of me. Would you like that?'' Mini-Kayla grinned so big her face threatened to split in two. She hugged Draco's hand fiercely.

''Would I? That would be...awesome,'' whispered Mini-Kayla excitedly. Her eyes glazed over. Draco rolled his eyes. Mini-Kayla snapped out of it, and assured Draco that she would deliver his message. He set her down on the floor carefully, and she ran back to Kayla as fast as her tiny legs would carry her. She paused when she reached Ron's feet, and jumped purposely on his left shoe.

''Ow!'' yelled Ron. He glanced down at his foot when he heard someone giggle. Mini-Kayla ran and hid behind Hermione's heel. Hermione looked down and asked her, ''What did you do that for?'' as she picked her up and set her on Kayla's desk. Mini-Kayla insisted that Ron had started it, and Kayla cracked up at that.

''Do you have anything to tell me?'' Kayla asked her. Mini-Kayla nodded, and climbed onto Kayla's shoulder. ''Sorry, Hermione, it's a secret,'' she told Hermione, who rolled her eyes, and decided to spend the last five minutes of class going over all the new spells they'd learned. Kayla nodded at the first few things Mini-Kayla said, and then stared at her in surprise at the last. The doll looked up hopefully.

''I should have known,'' Kayla muttered. ''Please?'' begged the little doll, clasping her hands. ''Oh, all right,'' Kayla said, exasperated. ''But that's it. No more. Next you'll have me conjuring a little Nicole so you can gossip with her.'' Mini-Kayla considered, but then assured Kayla with a creepy little tone in her voice, ''Oh, don't worry. Once you've conjured Draco, I won't need a little Nicole. I won't have time to talk to her. Hee hee!''

Kayla looked at the little doll, horrified. ''I did not need to hear that. Thanks a lot. You know, I'm not going to conjure him now, if that's what you've got planned.''

Mini-Kayla cried out, ''No, I was just kidding! Really!'' Kayla covered her face with her hands. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and anyone else who happened to be looking were rewarded with the image of Kayla being pummeled in protest by a 6 inch wooden version of herself. Who realized she was making a scene, and quieted down almost immediately. Kayla was just glad that no one else had heard the little doll's last request. Class was dismissed for the afternoon, and Kayla decided to finally get over to the library with Hermione.

''Hey, hold on a minute,'' squeaked a little voice from Kayla's pocket.

Kayla glanced down as they walked to the library.

''What is it? And watch what you say. I can just send Mom and Dad a letter, and un-conjure your little ass.''

Mini-Kayla gulped.

"Never mind..."