Up in the fifth year girls' room, Rebecca sat Lauren's book at the end of her bed. Sara was still up and noticed that something was bothering Rebecca. She walked over and started to ask a question when Rebecca just commenced with telling her what had happened downstairs. Sara just sat and listened until Rebecca said, "Thank you for listening."

"Like I said before, anytime."

"I still can't believe that I thanked him, even after everything he has done to me."

"Don't worry about it. You are in the habit of thanking anyone that helps you out. That's a habit you don't want to get out of. So what if you apologize to the jerk. It just proves you're a bigger person."

"You're right. Thank you. I think I will be able to sleep now," Rebecca said with a smile.

Sara smiled back as her mind raced, 'What would have Rebecca did if the guys had tried something just then. We are going to have to keep a closer watch and not let her get into situations like that again, like the boys said.'

"Night Sara!"

Sara shook herself out of her trance and responded, "Night, Becca!"

The two girls climbed into their own beds and fell asleep.

Rebecca was peacefully sleeping when she heard the door open. She sat up in bed, opened her bed curtains, and flipped on her bed side lamp. "Lauren, what are you doing?" she asked when she saw the first year standing in the doorway. "I needed my books," Lauren timidly said stepping in to the room, picking up her books, and walking out of the room. "Lauren it is 2:30 in the morning, you need your sleep." Rebecca didn't hear any response, because Lauren was already out of ear shot. After giving out a sigh Rebecca fell back into her bed and drifted back to sleep from the calming sound of the rain hitting the window.

Around 4:30 a.m., Rebecca jerked out of her sleep by a crack of thunder. Normally the thunder wouldn't have woken her up so she didn't know why she woke up this time. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the room but Rebecca felt that something was amidst elsewhere.

Rebecca got out of bed and headed out of the room to see what was going in the common room. There wasn't anything going on down there, but there was someone there that shouldn't be.

Lauren was sitting at a table with her head down. Rebecca was still really groggy but she knew that Lauren was asleep from trying to study more. After walking over and checked on Lauren, Rebecca decided not it would be best not to wake the first year up.

"Oh, I can't lift you to your room," Rebecca muttered to herself.

She headed back up the stairs to get Charlie to help her. She got to where the fifth years door was and she was faced with two choices.

Too tired to think straight, Rebecca opened the door to her left and said, "Hey, it's me. Can you come down to the common room and help me with Lauren?"

She turned leaving the door open and walked back the steps.

A moment later, Charlie appeared in the common room.

"I thought I heard your voice through the door," he said as he approached Rebecca.

"Through the door? I thought I opened it before I said anything," Rebecca responded barely able to keep her eyes open.

"Our door was closed when I got out of bed."

"Oh . Oops, I must have opened the Slytherins door. Oh well." Rebecca yawned as Charlie laughed at the thought of Rebecca mistakenly waking up all of the Slytherin fifth year guys.

"Okay, so what did you need me for?" he said through his laughter.

"Lauren snuck down here and fell asleep studying. I think she would rest better in her own bed."

Rebecca didn't have to say another word. Charlie picked Lauren up and started towards the stairs with Rebecca following close behind. They got to the foot of the steps and saw Russel heading down the steps.

"What's going on?" he asked as they all stopped and stared at each other.

"I must be really tired. You look green." Rebecca said.

"What?" Russel looked at her strangely.

"Rebecca needed me to help get Lauren back into bed," Charlie plainly explained not saying anything about how green Russel's skin was even though he noticed.

"Then why did she come to our room for help?" Russel questioned.

"That was a mistake. I was tired and picked the wrong door," Rebecca said as she yawned.

"Come on lets get back to bed," Charlie said pushing past Russel roughly but not enough to stir Lauren. Rebecca followed him up the stairs holding on to his arm while they pasted Russel.

As the two got Lauren into her bed, Russel went to find a mirror.

'Why did Rebecca say I looked green? I don't feel sick,' he thought to himself.

As soon as he held the mirror up he found out why. Russel stared at his green face and then looked to see that his arms and legs were green was well. He walked back into his room and turned on the lights.

Though he heard groans from the other boys he ignored them as he proceeded to open the curtains of their beds to see if they had changed colors. Ryan's skin was a bright shade of blue and Hans was a brillant orange. Sam was red and Dan had very yellow skin.

"What is going on?" Ryan roared annoyed that Russel woke up him up.

"Look at your skin, mate. It's blue!" Russel explained.

The guys started to freak out wondering why their skin looked the way it did.

Rebecca woke up again around 6 a.m., looked out the window to see that it was still raining, and then headed out of the room so that she could help Lauren study. Lauren was already up and going as were the rest of the Gryffindor first years.

"What are you all doing up?" Rebecca asked as she groggily took a seat next to Lauren.

"Studying the potions pop quiz," Lauren responded for the group.

Rebecca looked at her for a moment strangely and then said, "Wait a minute. You didn't say it was a pop quiz last night."

"I didn't?"

"No, you didn't," Rebecca started and then she yawned. "Okay, got another question for you: How do you know about a pop quiz?"

"Alannah told me that she heard Professor Snape say that he was going to give us one."

"When did she say that?"

"Last night during the dance lesson, I was almost finished and would have been able to join in, except she walked over and whispered to me about the quiz. I didn't feel like I could just go into a quiz cold so I started to study for it. Unfortunately I didn't know what to study and the more I got into the more I found that I needed to study."

"You told everyone else about it, then?" Lauren shook her head yes.

"Do you think she might have been playing a trick?" Rebecca asked Lauren.

Just then Snape walked into the common room. He glanced over at the group and directed his question towards Rebecca. "What are you all doing up at this hour?"

"The first-years here are under the impression that you are going to give them a pop quiz today. So I am trying to help them get ready for it," Rebecca responded and then yawned.

Snape looked at the first-years who were keeping their heads down so they wouldn't make eye contact with the professor.

He then asked, "Where did they get the idea that I was going to give a pop quiz today from?"

Rebecca quickly explained, "Well from what I understand, Alannah told Lauren about it. Lauren sort of freaked out about it and it spread from there."

"Is that true?" Snape asked this time looking right at Lauren.

"Y-yes, sir," stammered Lauren.

Snape looked at Lauren and then at Rebecca as Rebecca asked, "So is there or isn't there going to be a quiz?"

"I had no intentions to give a quiz today."

All the first years gave a sigh of relief and started to pack up things so they could go up and get dressed.

Snape then asked, "Was Alannah the only one to say anything about this?"

Rebecca turned to Lauren who was shaking her head yes.

"She must have heard it from someone else and wanted to give you a heads up about it."

'Some how I doubt that was the case,' Rebecca thought to herself as she got up to go back upstairs.

"Miss Carter, might I have a word with you?" Snape asked just as Rebecca reached the stairs.

"Yes, sir," Rebecca said as she turned to face him wondering what he was going to say.

Snape walked over and started, "I received an owl this morning saying that there was a prank pulled on the Slytherin fifth year males."

Rebecca knew it was time to start acting so she looked at Snape curiously and innocently asked, "Really? What was the prank?"

"I am not sure yet. The letter didn't really say anything other than I need to check in on things. I am assuming that a prank caused the letter to be written. ... Have you noticed anything going on around here?"

Rebecca acted like she was thinking about the question and finally said, "Um, no, we had a few rough patches at first, but everyone seems to be getting along okay. ... The students from your house even joined in when we had a dance lesson last night and they seemed to be having fun."

Snape shook his head and then asked, "Would you please show me to the dorm my fifth year boys are in?"

"This way, Professor," Rebecca responded as she started up the stairs.

'I have to act shocked if I see them. I have to act shocked if I see them,' Rebecca kept repeating in her head as they walked up the steps. She knew that it was the candy prank that Snape was talking about and if she didn't react at the sight of them different colors then Ryan might get suspious.

They arrived at the fifth year male dorms and Rebecca pointed out the door. Snape passed her and was just about to knock on the door when the door to the Gryffindor's room flew open and Colin came running out.

Colin and Rebecca were startled at the sight of each other.

Colin regained his composure and said, "Just who we wanted to see."

Rebecca's eye got big wondering why he was looking for her that early in the morning.

After a moment of just staring at Colin she finally said, "Why?" "Our tongues are different colors and the only thing us guys can figure out is that your candy did it."

"What are you talking about?" Rebecca asked, not sure exactly what to do.

"Look," Colin said and then stuck out his tongue to show Rebecca that it was purple.

Rebecca looked and sighed, "Oh that from the food coloring in the candy. It will wear off after a while. Don't worry about it. See my tongue is probably still a different color."

Rebecca stuck out her tongue reveling that it was blue.

"Oh." Colin shook his head and said, "That would have made a good prank. Candy that changes you colors."

'Oh I better thing of something fast or else Snape is going to think Colin did it,' Rebecca's mind raced. Quickly she said, "Wish you thought of it, huh? Sorry to disappoint you, but it ..."

"Their gloating about it!" an angry voice said from behind Snape.

Both Colin and Rebecca turned in the direction of the voice. They saw that Snape had been looking at them, but had also turned to see a Blue Ryan standing behind him.

"What happened to you?" Colin asked astonished at what he saw.

"Like you don't know? You were the one that did this to us. All of us," Ryan harshly said and then opened the door wider to reveal all of the Slytherins that moved in to the tower had skin of different colors.

Rebecca's eyes got big as she took in this sight. She saw that Russel was green and Sam was red, while Hans was orange and Dan was yellow. Cassie had turned pink and Akira and Toby had both turned purple. She was off to a good start on leading everyone astray, but then she did something she couldn't stop herself from doing.

She started to laugh as she tried to scan more of the Slytherin's colorful faces. Everyone stared at her as she went into a hysterical fit.

Rebecca sat down on the steps and laughed really hard for a minute or two and finally calmed down enough to say, "I am sorry, but that has to be the funniest thing I ever saw. ... How did you guys do that?" Rebecca added the last comment in hopes to throw everyone off.

However it was too late. Rebecca's laughter and the part of the conversation that Ryan had heard when he first opened the door had made him suspicious of her. "You know how. You did it," he coolly said.

Rebecca almost instantly sobered up. She looked at him and asked, "What? How exactly did I do this to you?"

"You gave us that candy."

"I gave everyone candy. Stacy sent too much I had to get rid of it some way."

"You put something is ours though to make us charge color."

"And what would I have put in it so to do that?"

Ryan paused for a moment just staring at Rebecca. 'What would she have done?' he asked himself, and then it hit him. "You coated it with some rainbow potion," he announced confidently.

'Oh, great! He figured it out. Let me think, how do I get out of this?' Rebecca thought as she stared back at Ryan.

After a moment, she calmly said, "Let's ignore the fact that I was with my friends all yesterday and that the time lapse of when you saw me go upstairs to change and when I came back down with the candy wasn't long enough for me to brew the potion, cool it down, and coat the candy. A high quality rainbow potion would have caused you to blend into your surroundings and you all stick out like sore thumbs."

"Putting it on the candy could have changed it," Ryan tried to protest.

"As long as the potion was gradually cooled then it wouldn't. Obviously, the candy in question would have been coated with a lesser quality of the potion." Ryan was about to say something so Rebecca quickly added, "And before you go saying that one of the other girls from Gryffindor had time to make the potion. Let me remind you that I was with them. Which leads to the question that why would I let someone make an improper potion? I would have done it myself or helped and I am too tired to be insulted that you think that I would produce anything but a quality potion." Rebecca then muttered, "I'll be insulted later."

Ryan temper flared and he said, "How do we know that your friend, who sent the candy, didn't do it for you then?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"You caught me, Ryan. I wrote my friend weeks ago to get her muggle mother to make me candy that had this difficult potion in it so that if by chance you Slytherins moved in I could make you change colors," Rebecca sarcastically said.

Snape had been taking in all that was going on and decide it was then time to step in. After all he didn't want his best student and his house's students to get into a fight. So before Ryan could get another comment out, Snape said, "It sounds like there were some strange happenings last night. I just want to clarify a few things. Miss Carter, you didn't have any rainbow potion lying around by any chance?"

Knowing that that she needed to negate to saying that it was Cathrine's potion, Rebecca honestly answered, "I don't keep any of my potions at. I figure while I am in school it is better for me to redo the potion if I need it for what ever reason, because it gives me the practice."

She looked directly at Snape secretly hoping that she didn't say too much. Snape nodded. He seemed to believe she was the type to do that.

"And you got the candy in question from you friend who is from?"

"She goes to Beauxbatons, sir."

"And she wouldn't..."

"Oh, no, sir. Stacy wouldn't send me candy that has been tampered with."

"And you gave some to everyone?"

"Yes."

"And this is not a normal reaction?" Snape pointed at Ryan and his group.

"No, not that. Tongue changing colors is usually more typical."

"Very well. I suggest you all get dressed and get breakfast," Snape said to them all and turned to leave.

"Professor, you aren't going to make us go out there like this," the pink Cassie whined still in her night gown and robe.

"You are here for an education Miss Burk. A little color shouldn't not stop you."

With that Snape went down the stairs and out of the Gryffindors tower.

Rebecca turned to head to her room, but Ryan grabbed her arm to stop her. "I know you did it," he angrily whispered at her.

Rebecca just looked at the blue skinned teenager and coolly said, "Prove it."

Ryan dropped her arm and Rebecca left. Colin shrugged his shoulder at Ryan and headed back into his room.

In the Gryffindor fifth year male room, Colin told the guys of what happened outside. "... I know she was telling the truth, but I have this feeling that all of our girls orchestrated that prank and figure out how to get themselves to appear innocent of it. . I have to say that after watching Becca out there, I don't know why we get so worried about her encounter one of them by alone. She held her own. Of course that was a battle of wit, Ryan could have easily picked her up and threw her out a window if he got really mad at her," Colin said as he finished.

Charlie soberly said, "I wouldn't worry about her if it wasn't for the fact that those guys have proven that they will use whatever weakness she has against her."

"Rebecca will be fine," Greg started. "She has been around Malfoy most of her life and she know how to push his buttons just as much as he knows how to push hers. Flint though is throwing me for a loop."

"You and everyone else. I don't think anyone in this group knows what to think of him," James interrupted. He then muttered, "Jacquelyn actually said that she would dance with him again."

"Dude, it was just because she got to teach him something. You know she likes to learn knew things directly from the experts, but likes to test how much she learned by trying to teach someone else. She was just excited that she knew enough to teach someone and he let her teach last night when she said that," stated Charlie trying to calm James down as the other guys just looked at each other not sure what to say.

James shook his head, but seemed to be still brooding over Jacquelyn's comment. Everyone else just watched him until Greg finally looked down at his watch and said, "We better get finished getting ready or else the girls are going to be wondering where we are."

While the guys hurried to finish getting ready, the girls were discussing what had happened as they got ready.

"Did Ryan really put it all together?" Cathrine asked.

"Yeah, but I think it was because he heard Colin say something about how the candy would make a great prank, not from him being some kind of evil genius," Rebecca replied.

"Colin should have known better," Cathrine stated putting her books for the day onto her bed.

"Well, he really didn't know what we were up to so he wouldn't have. Besides, what happened is going to keep the heat off of not only us but Colin as well. You know if Colin hadn't have said that Snape would went after him next."

"You're right. Good thing he came out when he did."

Both girls smiled at each other. Sara was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" called Sara.

A muffled noise on the other side of the door responded. The girls looked at each other not sure what to they just heard.

Rebecca was the closest so she went to open the door. Slowly she opened the door not sure who was on the other side, hoping it was Ryan or Russel. Much to her relief it was Charlie and Greg.

"Hey guys," Rebecca said flinging the door the rest of the way open.

"Good morning, beautiful," Charlie said smiling at Rebecca. "Are you girls ready for breakfast?"

"Yep," Sara responded for the group.

"Good. Let's go then, I am hungry," Greg said as Sara walked out the door.

Rebecca followed her out of the room and saw that James and Colin were in the stairway as well. Jacquelyn and Cathrine came out of the room and took their boyfriends' arms as they all headed down to the Great Hall.

As they approached the entrance to the great hall, they heard a roar of laughter. The girls smiled at each other as they walked in to see that all of the students from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and the Slytherin students who were not staying in Gryffindor.

The colored Slytherins sat on the end of the Slytherin table closest to the door. They all had there heads down trying not to make eye contact with anyone who wasn't suffering their affliction, except for Ryan.

"She did it. I know she did," Ryan muttered glaring across the room at Rebecca.

Russel looked at his Blue skinned friend and stated, "But everyone had the candy. Don't you think it is strange that everyone in Gryffindor aren't different colors. The results should have been a more homogenous, if it was the candy."

Ryan didn't say another word. He just thought to himself, 'He doesn't know her like I do. She would have stated that she had nothing to do with it if she was truly innocent. I have no doubt that all of her statements weren't lies, but she definitely wasn't telling everything that she knew. .'

"Ryan," Cassie interrupted his train of thought. "Sweetie, we need to get to class."

Ryan nodded his head and got up to walk to potions with Cassie as she went on and on about how she saw that something bad was going to happen to them when they first moved in.

Potions class went as it normally did. Except with the Slyherins being all different colors, there were lot of snickers from the Gryffindor students. Ryan fiercely looked at Rebecca everything he heard any noise. The few times she saw Ryan glaring at her, all Rebecca could do was look at him innocently and just shrug at him. This, of course, infuriated him more.

Ryan was glad that when class was over with. He took Cassie's hand and dragged her out of class as soon as they were dismissed. Rebecca noticed Ryan's rushed exit and laughed as she and the other Gryffindors left to go to Herbology.

As they walked along the corridor to the greenhouses, Charlie asked Rebecca, "So, how long are the Slytherins going to be colorized?"

Rebecca just looked at him and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

After looking at the other girls, Rebecca started to walk ahead of Charlie. Sara hurried up and joined Rebecca as did Jacquelyn and Cathrine. They were all a little leery of saying anything about their part in the prank in the halls. The guys all just watched at the girls walking ahead of them.

"They're hiding something," Colin said when the girls were out of earshot.

"I want to know who did what," Greg said.

James said, "Personally, I think once we find out who thought it up. We'll know the answer to that."

"I think we better try and wait until we are back up in the common room to find out anything. Obviously they don't want to talk about it in the halls," Charlie said as they walked out in to the rain to get to the greenhouse.

After trying to dodge the rain drops, the Gryffindors sat down in Herbology soaking wet. Rebecca took her regular sit, but found that the normal warm spot was freezing cold from a draft that normally wasn't there. She looked up to see a great big vent hovering over her head as Professor Sproat informed the class that they would be propagating the sano plant which for a second after it was cut emitted a gas that would knock anyone out who smelt it.

"Now put on the nose plugs that I have provided for you and I will show you the proper way to cut them and set your cuttings in the new pots," Professor Sprout said as she and the students took the nose plugs and put them on.

"Now," the professor said in a more nasally voice as she demonstrated. "All you do is you take a hold of the plant and then look for a growth center and cut just below it."

Sprout cut the plant and just as she said a white gas rose out from where it was cut and stopped after a moment. The gas that was emitted though moved along the ground until it got closer to the vent above Rebecca where it was sucked up in an instant.

"Did everyone see how to do it?"

The students shook their heads.

"Okay, now who can tell me what are the uses of this plant?"

Rebecca knew the answer but was so cold that she couldn't get herself to raise her had. Of course there was no fear of a random person getting called since Rebecca wasn't raising her hand, because James' and Jacquelyn's hands shot up into the air.

"Jacquelyn?"

Jacquelyn smirked at James who was pretending to sulk as she answered, "People have been know to bottle the gas the sano emits and use it as knock out gas for surprise attack since it really do not have an odor to it."

Jacquelyn was about to say more, but Professor Sprout interrupted her by saying, "Very good. Now James, is there another use?"

It was then Jacquelyn's turn to pretend to sulk as James smirked at her as he answered, "Once the gas has been emitted the leaves have healing qualities to it. It will cure about any ailment from sickness or neutralize any poison."

"Correct five points each for Gryffindor. ... Okay now it is time for you to do the cutting. Before any of you start, please let all of the gas clears from around your station before cutting your sano again. Miss Carter, you will go first with cutting since you have the position under the vent and I am afraid you may not get another good opportunity after this."

Rebecca gave out a sigh as she shook her head and pick up her knife. After mimicking Professor Sprout's demonstration and cutting her sano plant properly, a white gas rose all around her. It was sucked up the vent in a moment as Rebecca planted her first cutting.

"Very good, Rebecca. Now everyone go to it. We have a lot to do."

Rebecca cut her plant again, but that was the last time she had a decent line of sight since everyone else was cutting their plants too.

By the end of the period, everyone had planted ten to twelve cuttings. Rebecca only had eight, but Professor Sprout examined her cuttings and was so impressed on how well Rebecca had did even with all the thick white gas around her that she awarded Rebecca ten points.

Though she should have been happy about this, Rebecca was cold from the draft and tired from really concentrating to see what she was cutting, which made her care less that she had won points for the house. She was just glad to be able to get out of the greenhouse. Rebecca was the first one out the door followed by Charlie and the rest of the group.

It was still raining so Rebecca made a dash for the castle, but she was still soaked as she entered into the castle. Charlie, James, Jacquelyn, Colin, and Cathrine came in right behind her. They all looked like drowned rats too. Greg came in a moment later with Sara in his arms.

"What happened? You were right behind us," asked Cathrine looking at the two.

Sara quickly explained, "I slipped and I think I twisted my ankle."

"I am going to take her to the hospital wing to get her checked out," added Greg. "We'll see you at lunch."

"Okay, but give us your books, so you don't have to go lugging those around with you," said Rebecca as she took Sara's Books.

James quickly took Greg's books and Greg carried Sara away. The rest of the group walked into the Great Hall and sat down making sure to save Greg and Sara seats with them.

"I hope she's okay," Jacquelyn said as she placed some of Sara's books that Rebecca handed her down next to her.

"Madame Pompfrey will have her as good as new in a matter of moments. Just look at how well she did with Rebecca after all of her trips there," Colin joked.

Rebecca made a face at him and then started to laugh. Charlie shook his head and placed his hand over Rebecca's on the table.

"Hey, your hand is like ice. Are you okay?" he asked clutching Rebecca's hand a little tighter trying to get it warmed up.

Rebecca simply responded, "Yeah, I just got cold in Herbology. That vent created quite a draft around me."

Charlie shook his head and then started to fill his plate with his free hand. Greg and Sara showed up fifteen minutes later and took their seat. As she sat down, Sara told everyone that she was fine and that Madame Pompfrey had indeed fixed her up without any problem. Everyone smiled and went back to eating.

Rebecca caught sit of Ryan who was still a vibrant blue and she started laugh really hard. She really couldn't help it. The sight of Ryan and the memory confrontation that the two had had in the morning just set her off. Charlie and the rest of the gang looked at her funny.

Sara glanced over to the Slytherin table and also saw Ryan and started to laugh just as hard as Rebecca. Jacquelyn and Cathrine followed suit leaving the guys to wonder that was up with their girlfriends.

The girls settled down rather quickly, but made a point not to look over at the Slytherin table the rest of lunch. The guys couldn't resist and tried to question the girls on the prank but they refused to talk once again, which was about driving Colin nuts. He was dying to know how they pulled it off, if it really involved the candy, and if it didn't how and when they actually pulled the prank.

Finally it was time to get back to class. On her way out to History of Magic, Ryan walked up behind Rebecca and asked, "What was so funny at lunch?"

"You want the truth?" Rebecca asked nonchalantly as she walked a little bit closer to Charlie.

"Of course!"

"It was you," Rebecca said trying to stifle another giggle fit.

Ryan grabbed her hand to stop her, but the shock of Rebecca's ice cold hand made him instantly let go as Rebecca continued to walk down the hall.

"I want to talk to you tonight! ALONE!" Ryan called down the hall at her.

"Fine, if you can find me by myself, then you are more than welcome to talk to me alone," Rebecca responded coolly back.

'Now all I have to do is keep myself around someone all night. I better check to see if Charlie has practice tonight,' Rebecca thought as she walked in the classroom in front of Charlie.

She turned to him ask the question, but Charlie had read her mind and said, "I have practice tonight, but it is suppose to be a shorter one than usual with all this rain. I think Bill wants to talk to you though so you might want to do that while I am at practice so that we can study without interruptions when I get back."

"Okay." Since she was flabbergasted that Charlie answered her unasked question without hesitation, that was all Rebecca could respond as she settle herself in her seat next to Kevin Shea, a fifth year Ravenclaw beater with dark blonde hair and brown eyes.

Charlie sat down next to her and was about to say something else, but Kevin said, "Maybe you two could answer the question of the day: What happened to the Slytherins that are staying in Gryffindor?"

Charlie looked at Rebecca to see if she was going to response to the question as Kevin continued as he pointed to a fifth year girl from Ravenclaw with dark brown hair, green eyes, and glasses that Rebecca recognized as the Ravenclaw seeker, "I was telling Audrey that it was a good prank, probably executed by Piper and Tyson, but she doesn't think so since it isn't all over school that Colin had a part in it already."

Audrey rolled her eyes and started to play with the necklace she was wearing as Kevin pointed at another fifth year girl with straight blonde hair who held the position of Keeper on the Ravenclaw team as he said, "Alise though agrees with me. If there is going to be a prank than Colin was definitely in on it."

Charlie jumped in and said, "Well we aren't for sure who exactly did it yet."

"Really?"

Rebecca quickly answered, "Yeah, but one thing is for sure. Colin had nothing to do with it."

"Really? Wonder who did it than? ... Kind of funny that no one has said anything though, I mean who would want to stay quiet on that prank? It was brillant." Kevin pondered out loud as Cathrine ran into the room whispered to Rebecca that she had snapped a picture of the Slytherins, which of course pissed them off and if it wasn't that they had to go to class they would have followed her into the room.

"Yeah, I wonder who?" Charlie asked staring right at Rebecca who snickered a little at what Cathrine told her.

She didn't say anything in response and Charlie was about to ask about what Cathrine whispered to her, but lucky for Rebecca, Professor Binns start to lecture. Charlie sighed and decided as he started to take notes that he better not try to find out about the prank done on the Slytherin from Rebecca until the Slytherins had moved out since she was obviously was determined to be closed lipped about it now and what ever Cathrine said probably has to do with it.

After zoning out at least a dozen times during the lecture, Rebecca realized that it was almost time for class to be done. She was really glad, because she was still really cold from Herbology.

"Are you ready to go?" Charlie asked as they got up from their chairs.

Rebecca checked around to make sure she hadn't dropped anything out of her bag and said, "Yeah."

"Your hand is still cold," Charlie said as he took Rebecca's hand as they headed out of classroom.

Rebecca looked at him and said, "I am freezing all over."

Charlie put his arm around her and pulled her close to him hoping that she might feel a little warmer, but his clothes were still slightly damp as were Rebecca's and it made her feel colder. Rebecca however didn't say that, she liked it when Charlie touched her. There was part of her that always wanted him to be either holding her hand or having his arm around her, because she felt safer and more protected than she ever felt before when he did.

They walked down the hall and Rebecca stifled some shivers as best she could, but Charlie could still feel her tremble so he said, "How about for our free period we go up and get out of these wet clothes?"

"Sounds great."

"Okay let's go."

They were about half way up the stairs in front of the Great Hall when Aaron came up to Charlie.

"We need to discuss a few things," Wood urgently stated.

"Can it wait for practice?" Charlie asked.

Wood shook his head no.

Charlie was about to protest, when Rebecca jumped in and said, "I just saw Bill pass, so I am going to go ahead up stairs since I needed to talk to him. When you get up there and are changed and everything, just come get me from my room, okay?"

Rebecca didn't give Charlie a chance to respond, because she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and then dashed off to catch up with Bill.

Rebecca caught Bill before he got to much farther towards the Gryffindor tower. They walked into the common room together as Bill explained to Rebecca the answer to the vampire question she posed to him the previous night. After Bill felt that Rebecca had a good grasp on the answer, they parted and Rebecca went upstairs to change.

Rebecca changed into a lot warmer clothes but still felt cold. She was about to walk down to sit by the fire when she remembered two things.

One was that she told Charlie that she would be in her room. She didn't know whether he had made it up to his room to change yet or not, because if he had then he would be wondering where she was at when he came to the room and she wasn't there.

The second thing, which had more of an impact on Rebecca's decision to stay in her room, was that Ryan wanted to talk to her alone and she didn't want to talk to him until his skin was back to normal and his temper had a chance to cool down.

Rebecca opened the door to the dorm so that Charlie could see that she was ready and flipped open her school bag and started to pull out her books to see what homework need to be done that night. She had just finished sort them out on her bed when there was a tap at the window.

Rebecca cautiously walked over to the window not sure what was going on. She looked out and saw that there was an owl there, but not just any owl. It was the same brown barn owl that had delivered the letter from the lawyer's in December.

Rebecca stared at it for a moment and then opened the window to get the letter from it. As soon as Rebecca removed the letter, the owl flew off leaving Rebecca alone to read what the lawyer sent. Rebecca walked over to her bed, sat down on the corner facing the open door, and read the letter.

Miss Carter,

This letter is to inform you that you have an appointment on Saturday, April 28th. There is nothing you need to do to set up your trip. Professor Dumbledore has already approved your leaving school grounds for that weekend and your train ticket is already bought and enclosed. You will be riding the Hogwarts' Express into London and some from the office will be there to pick you up. Your train leaves Hogsmeade at 9pm Friday and will leave London on Sunday at 11am.

Sincerely,

Jasper Spangler

Rebecca reread it a couple of times and then remembered what the other letters had told her. Her mind raced wildly trying to get everything straight in her head. She slid onto the floor in a daze.

A still green Russel walked past the open door. Curious on why the door was open he looked into see Rebecca sitting on the floor just staring at the letter.

"Hey Rebecca?" Russel started.

Rebecca didn't respond so he continued, "Rebecca, I was wondering if you could help me with some of my potions' homework."

No response.

Russel stood in the door way, but didn't dare take another step into the room, because he didn't want to scare her again. He was about to say something else when he heard foot steps coming up the stairs. Russel looked around to see who anyone was coming. It was Charlie who was a bit more than just surprised to see Russel standing in front of an open door to the fifth year Gryffindor girls' dorm room that Rebecca was suppose to be in.

Before Charlie could say or do anything, Russel quickly asked, "Is there something wrong with Rebecca?"

Those were the magic words, instead of running up and decking Russel like he wanted to, Charlie rushed up to see what was up with Rebecca. He peered into the room and saw that Rebecca was just sitting there.

"Hey, Becca," Charlie said as he stepped into the room.

As before, Rebecca didn't respond. Charlie looked quizzically at Russel who just shrugged and looked at Rebecca concerned something might really wrong.

"Becca, you okay?" Charlie asked as he crouched down beside her.

Rebecca still didn't say anything. It wasn't until Charlie gently touched her shoulder that she realized that he was there.

"Oh, I am so sorry," she started. "My mind was just spinning around and I didn't realize that you were there."

As Rebecca said this, Charlie looked down at her hands and saw that the letter was from the lawyers. He knew that was what started Rebecca thinking so deeply.

Not wanting to have Rebecca explain what the letter was about in front of Russel, Charlie said, "That's okay. I wasn't the one that you really ignored the most, anyways. Come on let's get our books and go get some studying done before dinner."

Charlie took a hold of Rebecca's hands to help her up.

"You're hands are still cold," Charlie said as he pulled Rebecca up.

"Is everything alright, Rebecca?" Russel asked before Rebecca could respond to Charlie.

Rebecca was dumbfounded she had no clue how long Russel had been standing there, but something inside her told her that he had been there before Charlie came in. She had no clue what to say. Luckily, Charlie answered for her.

"She fine. Just got a chill in Herbology. Come on Becca, we'll forget about the studying for right now and go sit by the fire to get you warmed up," Charlie said ushering Rebecca, who still had the letter in her hand, down the stairs.

There was an open space on the couch in front of the fire when Rebecca and Charlie entered the common room.

As they sat down, Charlie asked, "Do you want to talk about the letter?"

Rebecca looked around the room and saw the Blue Ryan glaring at her along with the pink Cassie and some other colorful Slytherins scattered in groups through out the room and Russel walked in and looked over at them.

"Not right now. Maybe later," Rebecca said as she turned back towards the fire and laid her head on Charlie's shoulder.

"That's okay," Charlie whispered then he started to softly sing:

"'Cause I am hanging on every word you say

And even if you don't want to speak tonight

That's alright, alright with me

'Cause I want nothing more than to sit

Outside heaven's door and listen to you breathing

Is where I want to be"

Rebecca smiled and handed him the letter she was still holding so that Charlie could read it himself.

Charlie took it and read the note.

After he finished, he asked, "It got you thinking about everything again didn't it?"

"Yeah," Rebecca softly whispered back. "I hadn't thought about it since we started dating and the letter just triggered a whirlwind of thought that I couldn't stop at first."

"You think you will be fine now?"

"Um, don't know just yet. ... Promise me that you won't let me get as obsessed about the what-ifs as I was before."

Charlie wrapped his arms around her as he said, "I'll try my best."

Rebecca looked up and sweetly smiled at him to let him now that his trying was all she wanted.

The two sat there for until it was time for dinner unaware that Ryan and Russel were watching there every move as they discussed what transpired upstairs.

"So you walked past the room and she was just sitting there and didn't respond to anything?" Ryan asked Russel for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Yes, that is what I said," Russel responded slightly exasperated.

"She didn't even bat an eye when Weasley tried. She just kept looking at that letter she just handed to Weasley. It took Weasley touching her to get her to respond and then she acted like she didn't know how long she had been like that."

"Wonder what was in that letter?"

"Maybe you should ask her?"

"Maybe, when she actually will give me the time of day to talk to her."

"Maybe if you did accuse her of changing us colors every time you talked to her, she wouldn't be so defensive."

"But she did," Ryan said in a slightly raised voice.

"Hey, I am with you. I believe she had something to do with it. Heck she's got a motive enough to get you and me both, but I also think that she didn't lie in front of Professor Snape. She has worked out this plan so that there was nothing that you could solidly catch her with. I say cut your losses and just drop it. ... And before you go and try to start a prank war, may I remind you that you started it with the snake in her bed and that she has allies in Cathrine Tyson and Colin Piper. With those two, she'll be able to hit you when you less expected and worse than you could ever possible get her." Ryan looked at him a moment, got a look on his face that let Russel know what he was thinking, and was about to say something when Russel said, "I didn't help you with the snake and I am not helping you any pranks against her. I am slowly getting her to not see me as a monster and I don't intent do anything to destroy that."

"You are really stuck on her aren't you?"

"What can I say? Your cousin is an amazing person. I just went about telling her that wrong way."

"Yeah, my 'cousin' is," Ryan whispered as he stared at Rebecca and Charlie who had just gotten up to go to dinner with the rest of their group. Cassie who had left to gather up all of the colored Slytherin students so they could go to dinner together came back to where Ryan and Russel were sitting.

"Everyone else is all ready to go down to dinner. Are you two ready?" she asked.

"Yep," Ryan answered as he and Russel got up.

"Personally I don't see why I, um, we have to go down there. It isn't like we did this to ourselves. I hope they get whoever was involved with it and expelled them." Cassie started as she led the way to dinner. "Ryan, why don't you talk to your cousin? I am sure she knows exactly who did this to me, uh, us and why."

Ryan rolled his eyes and said, "How about we just wait and see how long it lasts, first. If it goes on for too much longer I will have a talk with Rebecca. Maybe she can suggest something for us to do to reverse it."

Cassie wasn't satisfied with the first part of Ryan's answer and demanded, "And why can't you do that right now? It has been a very embarrassing day for all of us and I for one would like it to be cleared up so tomorrow isn't the same."

"Because, if the color starts to fade, then it was temporary. Anything Rebecca suggests might prolong it from clearing up or change us to some other color because of a reaction with what ever caused it in the first place, okay?"

"I guess," Cassie started to pout as they entered the Great Hall.

Cassie pouted or at least pretended to pout all through dinner. Ryan and Russel knew it was more for show, because everyone was paying attention to 'poor' Cassie and Cassie loved to be the center of attention. When dinner was finally over, Ryan tried to get Rebecca's attention as Charlie left to go to practice with the rest of his teammates.

Ryan, who now just wanted to talk to Rebecca alone about the letter she receive and catch up on what was going with her life other than she was dating Charlie now, failed at getting Rebecca to notice him. Sara and Jacquelyn had pretty much dragged Rebecca up the stairs after Charlie left. When Ryan got up to the common room with the still complaining Cassie ("Oh, I wish people wouldn't make such a fuss over me. It was so embarrassing. I just wanted to shrink a way and not have anyone notice me like this."), Rebecca had already settled down at a table with Sara and Jacquelyn to work on some homework. James and Colin soon joined them.

Ryan got his homework and settled down at a table near Rebecca so that if she was suddenly alone he could quickly get her attention, but it seemed that the Gryffindor group was doing a lot more talking than homework at the moment. Colin with his quick fire quips kept the group laughing.

Russel dared to ask if he could sit with them and work on his homework with them, which they reluctantly agreed to only because they didn't want to get in trouble for not being good hosts.

"Oh is that what you think we are doing?" Colin joked as Russel took a seat trying to break the tension.

Rebecca laughed and said, "I was just waiting around for the next great homework argument between Jacquelyn and James."

"Oh don't worry it is coming, but I think we might move so that we don't disturb too many people," Jacquelyn responded with a playful smile.

"Good luck finding room to go to," Sara sarcastically said.

"Yeah, it looks like we all will be studying together again tonight," James stated as he surveyed the room and saw that there were no more open tables.

Russel looked at the group and asked, "You don't study together every night?"

"Oh, no," said Sara as Rebecca shook her head no and Jacquelyn stated, "We would never get anything done."

"We'll be the last ones to leave tonight for sure," added Colin with a devilish smile on his face.

Russel's face showed that he didn't quite comprehend why they all acted like what he suggested was a bad thing, so James explained, "We don't study together usually, because we enjoy each others company so much that we end up distracting each other from the task at hand. I assure you yesterday if you saw us all together and dedicated to our studies, it was a fluke. Normally, when Charlie, Greg, and Cathrine come back from practice, we split up into pairs and find our usual spots to study at. Then when we are all done we hang out and try not to laugh the night away."

"Oh," Russel said. "So you guys aren't studying yet?"

"Nope I am waiting for Greg," stated Sara.

Rebecca added, "I'm waiting for Charlie."

"I got to wait for Cathrine. It isn't much fun to do homework without her," piped in Colin. There was a pause and then the black haired jokester playfully added, "Oh course these two are the worst." He pointed at James and Jacquelyn. "They could be starting theirs, but do they? No they wait and then they race with us to see who finishes first and it usually isn't them."

"Oh if we started now it would only give us more time to disagree with each others way to get the right answers," James said nonchalantly as Jacquelyn shook her head in agreement.

Russel was taken back by how loose knit this group that always seemed to always around each appeared after that conversation.

'I know I have seen them all together most of the time in the halls, but it's almost like they are sitting together right now not because they want to, but because there isn't space enough for them to be at their own table right now,' he thought to himself.

Russel was about to say something to find out whether his assumption was true, when Charlie, Greg, and Cathrine came strolling in.

"How was practice?" Rebecca asked as Charlie gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Good we got to stay inside and stay dry much to the chagrin of Wood," Cathrine volunteered as she suspiciously eyed Russel wondering what he was doing at their table.

Charlie pulled up a chair and said, "I told him this afternoon, it wasn't worth getting us all sick before a match."

Greg added, "I am glad he listened to you. The match against Ravenclaw is too close for someone to get sick."

"You guys all ready to study?" Jacquelyn asked trying to get the group on the right track.

"Yeah, just let us go get our books," Charlie said as the three quidditch players got back up. They returned moments later with their books and Russel experienced first hand what it was like to try to do homework with that particular Gryffindor group.

After about a half of an hour of trying to concentrate on his own homework, he declared, "I can't do this. You guys just keep going and going and I don't believe you could possibly have your homework done before midnight. Sorry, I have to move so that I can at least get something down on paper."

The whole group just looked at him as he gathered up his stuff and found a seat at the table where Ryan was doing his homework.

"I didn't think we were doing that bad," Colin said. "I almost had a book open."

The group chuckled.

"Well that is one way to scare someone off," commented Rebecca with a slight smirk that let Charlie know that she was truly glad Russel was gone.

The group then tried to settle down and really get things down. There were a few interruptions though. Chelsea Drown came over to ask James a question on Charms while Lauren and Carolyn hit up Rebecca for tips on a potion they were to be doing in class the next day.

As time passed the room started to empty. Students who were done with everything decided it was best to lounge around in their rooms that night. Ryan waited patiently as the hours passed for an opportunity to talk to Rebecca, but her group was going strong. No one left the table, until finally at eleven o'clock they all shut their books and announced that they had just finished and headed up to bed. Ryan sighed as he gathered up his stuff he would have to wait until the next day to try to talk to Rebecca. The next morning Ryan woke up early and got dressed hoping that if he hung out in the common room long enough Rebecca might come down by herself.

Unfortunately for him, Cassie came down before Rebecca did. She was really excited because her skin was back to its normal color. Ryan looked down at his arm and saw that he was no longer blue.

"Didn't you notice before, silly?" Cassie asked barely able to stifle her giddiness.

"I guess I really was in a daze when I got ready this morning," Ryan said hoping that Cassie would buy that line so he wouldn't have to explain that he wanted to talk to Rebecca alone.

"Well come on let's go to breakfast. I think Akira and Toby might already be down there."

"Go ahead with out me I need to talk to Rebecca for a second."

"What do you need to talk to her for right now? We changed back we don't need an antidote. You can talk to her later. Come on." Cassie pulled him out of the chair and towards the door.

'I guess she is right. I am sort of hungry and I can catch Rebecca maybe right after breakfast,' Ryan thought as he stepped out the portrait.

Ryan was wrong though. Rebecca walked in late to breakfast and dashed out with her friends when it was time to get to class. Since they didn't have any classes together that day, Ryan decided he could try again at lunch.

At lunch though, Colin had gotten the whole group laughing. Rebecca started to cough while she was laughing and couldn't stop. She got up and left. Ryan kept his eyes on the doors to see when Rebecca came back in, but she never did.

Dinner was a little quieter and it looked like Ryan might have a chance as it appeared that Rebecca walked in by herself. He was about to get up and talk to her, when Cathrine came running in with Colin, causing Ryan to sit back down. After dinner, Rebecca got up from the table with all of her friends. Ryan sat there for another half and hour picking at his food. Cassie and his friends tried to get him to leave with them but to no avail. He just wanted some time alone to think.

'I'll never get to talk to her if she is always surrounded. I better figure some other way to approach her,' he thought as he got up and walked up to the Gryffindor tower.

Ryan walked into the common room and noticed something unusual. Rebecca was in the room with out any of her friends around.

'Good, she actually isn't surrounded by those lackeys of hers. Maybe now we can actually talk.' he thought to himself.

He looked around and saw that Jacquelyn was in the room, but was talking to Russel and looked like she wouldn't be done any time soon. Ryan walked up to Rebecca who was sitting at the table absorbed in her studies or at least that is what he thought. As he came to look at her face, he found that she had actually managed to fall asleep with her head propped up by here left arm. Rebecca still had the quill she was using to write her History of Magic essay in her right hand.

'I don't believe it. It looks like she fell asleep mid-sentence,' Ryan thought as he examined his childhood friend's homework and sleeping position. 'That can't be comfortable. There must be something wrong. I should probably wake her up, but she looks so peaceful.'

After a moment, Ryan decided that he better wake her up. He gently tapped her on her left shoulder. Rebecca remained asleep from being tapped, but her left arm moved slightly and her head hit the table before Ryan even knew what had happened.

"Ouch!" Rebecca exclaimed suddenly awakened by the pain inflicted. She looked over to see Ryan looking at her with a shocked expression.

"I-I-I," he stuttered.

Before he could get another word out, Rebecca sighed and said, "You know Malfoy, I could probably help you figure out what made you turn colors. I am sure that it would be a safer way to get people to turn black and blue than this way."

Ryan sort of chuckled and then took as seat as Rebecca rubbed where her head made contact with the table.

"I am sure that you could, but I really don't want to turn you black and blue. I actually wanted to talk to you about a few things," Ryan said.

"Okay, what?" asked Rebecca.

"Well most of it revolves around us." Ryan paused for a moment and looked around the room as Rebecca gave him a questioning look, and then he continued, "I don't like how we are acting towards each other. It is like we are out to get each other."

"Don't you remember anything?"

Ryan looked at Rebecca confused on what she meant. Rebecca went ahead and explained, "Kid, it sort of always has been this way. We have times when we are unseparateable and then we have time when we just want our own space. The latter is when we have our quarrels and things like me causing you social suicide or you trying to literally kill me happen."

"I didn't try to kill you."

"You were putting a snake up to my face!" Rebecca shuttered at the thought and Ryan finally felt a little guilty at what he had done.

"Oh, I guess I forgot how incredibly scared you were of them. I guess I should have stopped when you were still shaking after I picked up the snake."

"You think."

"Listen, I am really sorry about it. It was an impetuous thing that I did. I was just upset."

"About what?"

"Things that you were doing with Weasley and the other Gryffindors. I had somehow convinced myself that you had put on this façade so that people won't know that you were lonely here and that you were acting different because of that. When I heard that we would be moving in here temporarily, I thought that it would be like it was before. You would be ecstatic that I was here and sort of ditch them. We would be talking or around each other constantly, but that isn't the way it's been. I got upset; because I lost my childhood best friend and that I was being replaced."

"Oh," Rebecca softly said as she thought of what Ryan said. "Ryan, I will always remember all the times we had together growing up. No one is going to take your spot as my childhood best friend."

'She called me Ryan! Maybe everything will be okay now' Ryan thought to himself as he listened to Rebecca.

"So I have been acting like a fool, thinking that someone was going to steal you away from me?" Ryan sighed.

"Yeah, you pretty much drove me away yourself."

Ryan quickly scanned Rebecca's face to see how take her comment, but it didn't help him understand. Rebecca sensed that she had confused him, which was fine with her because she didn't understand his statement about her being stolen away.

They both looked at each other trying to figure out what the other meant.

Rebecca finally said, "Let's call a truce for at least as long as you are staying here and at least try to act like we are the friends we are. No more transfiguring snakes or telling stories that lead to social suicide. Sound good?"

"What about candy that changes you color?"

"You're still on that?"

"I know you did it."

"You haven't proven anything. And I will tell you this, I have answered every question truthfully, so you are going to have to drop it or drive yourself mad trying to pin it on me."

Ryan could sense that he was about to push Rebecca over the edge even though she calmly said it so he tried to cool back down their conversation by saying, "Fine, I'll drop it as long as it is part of the truce still. ... I am not saying that you did it. Only that you could figure out how to do it without blinking an eye and that means you could have done it."

"Okay, fine. Truce." Rebecca offered her had to Ryan.

He took it and began to smile as they shook on the truce.

They let go of each others hand and Rebecca turned back to her essay to try and figure out where she left off. Ryan was about to leave her in peace when he remembered something that he wanted to ask her.

"Uh, Rebecca, are you feeling okay?"

Rebecca looked up at him and gave him a puzzled face and defensively asked, "Why do you ask?"

"Because you were asleep when I walked into the room and from everything that I observed it seems that you fell asleep instantly even though you were writing."

"Oh, I'm sorry I thought you were going to tell me that you slipped something in my food to make me feel ill," Rebecca sweetly explained. "To tell you the truth I do feel a little under the weather, but it is probably just the cold, rainy weather. I am sure I will feel fine tomorrow."

"Okay. Let me know if you don't, okay?"

Rebecca nodded her head in agreement. She turned back to her homework with a smile and thought, 'I knew that old Ryan I knew was in there somewhere.'

Rebecca continued with writing her history essay. Charlie showed up shortly after.

He sat down next to her and before Rebecca could say even 'Hi!' to him, he asked, "Becca, are you feeling okay? I know you have a smile on your face, but you look really pale and sort of on the tired side."

Rebecca looked at him and said in her raspy voice, "No, I really don't. I guess I fell asleep working on this." Rebecca tapped her essay. "Ryan woke me up and asked if I felt okay..." As Rebecca continued to tell what all transpired between Ryan and her starting with the inquiry of health and going backwards to the truce and then to her head hitting the table, Charlie tucked a strain of hair behind Rebecca's ear and listened.

When she finished, he said, "Well I am glad that you made up. It seems to me that you both know enough about each other to make each other miserable if you wanted to. I know you aren't related, but you two could pull it off. I know the only people who could get half of a Malfoy type trick is my family."

Rebecca laughed and added, "Yeah, I think that is why Cassie has believed it as long as she has. I won't envy Ryan when she finds out that it isn't true. Can you imagine how much she is going to complain at him about it. It will go one forever."

They both laughed and then started to study for the rest of the night. They were close to finishing when Charlie looked up at Rebecca with a puzzled look on his face.

"What's the matter?" Rebecca asked. "Is something confusing you with Charms?"

"Um, no actually this has nothing to do with the homework."

"Really? What got you perplexed?"

"Where was everyone else when Greg, Cathrine, and I were at practice?"

"Well, Colin said that he needed to do some research for a prank. I am guessing an escape route. James had to do rounds. Jacquelyn sat here for a while, but Russel came over and she struck up a conversation with him about dancing. She ended up dragging him off to show him something and she never came back."

Charlie had tensed up when he heard Russel tried to talk to Rebecca, but relaxed when Rebecca said that Jacquelyn ran inference.

'Good for Jacquelyn. As Greg said yesterday morning, Rebecca can handle Malfoy,' Charlie thought as he turned back to his books, 'Russel is really the one that we need to watch out for. . But still there should have been someone else watching out for her.'

Charlie then quickly asked, "Where was Bill at?"

"He had to help some first years with their charms homework and then he had rounds to do. Why do you ask?" Rebecca said when she finished.

Charlie was not ready for that question and had to do some quick thinking.

"Oh, I was just wondering why everyone wasn't at this table waiting for us like last night and with Bill I just didn't know where he was at," he finally said.

"Okay," Rebecca said going back to working on her homework as she thought, 'They were all watching out for me. That has to be why he asked. I bet they were trying to do it without Flint or Malfoy knowing it, and figured it would be easier if I was out of the loop too. I wish they didn't have to worry so much.'

It didn't take much longer for the two to finish their homework and then they headed up to bed.

Up in her room, Rebecca found a letter on her bed from Stacy and Stacy's owl perched on the window sill.

Dear Rebecca,

I hope you got the candy okay. I don't know whether the weather slowed down my owl or not. Anyways, I know you are getting like three letters in a row from me, but I have to ask you something. As you know, Ty and I are dating. Well, he received a letter from his old girlfriend from Durmstang they other day. Her name is Emily and I don't know a lot about her other than the mention of her name made Ty reminisce about his days at his old school incisively. I am going to have to get more info about her, but I don't know how to go about it. Does Charlie have any ex-girlfriends that you have had to learn about? I really need help.

Hope everything is going well. Let me know what is going on with you.

Later,

Stacy

Rebecca walked over and picked up a piece of parchment and quickly wrote a note to Stacy telling her that Charlie hadn't had a girlfriend before him so she had no experience on researching ex-girlfriends. She tried to give a few suggestions to get Ty to talk about Emily, but she didn't know whether any of them would work.

After finishing that part of the letter, Rebecca thanked her for the candy and told her a little about the prank that the girls had pulled with the candy. She promised to send a copy of the picture Cathrine took after it was developed and asked her not to mention it in any letters that Stacy sent to her, so that there is no danger of it accidentally falling in to the wrong hands. Rebecca signed the finished letter and then walked over to the owl to give him the letter.

After the owl flew away, she got ready to go to bed and fall asleep. The next day Rebecca woke up really early, because she felt horrible. She was achy and her throat was sore. After she tossed and turned for awhile, she got out of bed, got dressed, and decided that she would head on down to breakfast.

Quickly, she scribbled down a note to let the other girls know where she went so they would worry about where she was. As she walked out of the room she heard another set of footsteps. Rebecca walked down to the common room curious of who was ready to go to breakfast besides her.

She reached the bottom of the steps and peered into the room to see who the owner of the foot steps she heard was. After a second she noticed, Russel was the person she heard. He was standing in the middle of the common room, holding his books and a piece of parchment, and looking right at her. Rebecca was startled and jumped back tripping herself up on the steps. Luckily she didn't fall.

As Rebecca regained her balance, Russel said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you I just wanted to know who else was up."

"That's okay," Rebecca hoarsely said.

"Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale."

"My throat is a little sore."

"Sorry to hear that. ... Um, are you heading down to breakfast?"

Rebecca slowly nodded her head.

"Mind if I walk with you. I wanted to talk to you about my behavior."

Rebecca eyed him not sure what she should answer.

"I promise you I won't try anything."

"Okay, then."

Rebecca, with her hand stuck in the pocket that her wand was in, walked out of the room followed closely by Russel.

As they headed down the stairs, Russel said, "Ryan said that you two called a truce."

"Yeah, what about it?" Rebecca defensively responded.

"Well, I was wondering if we could call a truce too."

Rebecca gave him a questioning look.

Russel noticed and quickly added, "Well, not exactly a truce more of a promise that I won't do any more ... well you know what I have done and also anything that I have thought up but didn't do."

Rebecca flinched when Russel admitted that he had other plans to get her to be his, but quickly gained her composure to ask, "What do I have to do to get that promise?"

"Nothing, if you don't want to. Um, maybe just talk to me every once in a while. Get to know me better, learn who I really am. Find out how truly sorry I am for not controlling myself. I hope that you might be able to forgive me for everything that I have done."

"Clemency!" Rebecca croaked "You want clemency for everything that you have done to me!"

"Well, yes, but not right now and not any time soon either. I know I had your trust at Christmas, but I completely destroyed it by everything I did. As you said Sunday, 'trust is really easy to gain the first time around, but if something happens to destroy that trust, it is hard to get back.' I know that after everything I have done, I have to show you that I was worthy the first time you trusted me and am worthy of getting it back. I realize that it is going to take really long while, but your friendship is worth it. Plain and simple."

"So you want me as a friend, now?"

"Yeah. I really like you and I always will. You're a great person to be around. You're sweet and polite to everyone even those who don't deserve it like me. I didn't deserve to be thanked for helping out with the snake situation, but you still thanked me. Being friends with you would be perfect for me. I like the way you interact with your friends with the joking, the laughing, the sharing, and everything else. I'd like to be part of that."

Rebecca looked at him and hesitantly said, "And what if I decide that we aren't going to be friends or I ask you to leave me alone when you come to talk to me? Are you going to go back to cursing me and everything?"

"No, that will be part of the promise too. I will not bewitch you to make you be my friend or something more, okay?"

Rebecca thought about what Russel said as they walked down the main stairs towards the Great Hall.

"Okay, I accept your promise," Rebecca finally said as she stuck out her hand for him to shake. Russel smiled, switched his books and the piece of parchment he was holding to his left hand, and shook Rebecca's hand.

"What's on the parchment?" Rebecca asked as they let go of each other's hands and entered the Great Hall.

Russel looked down and said, "Nothing of any importance, now."

"Oh," Rebecca said as she thought to herself, 'Must have been another letter to me telling me everything about this truce idea of his. . At least I don't have to worry about him anymore. Funny though, I swear that was the same guy I got to know over Christmas. Maybe it was his emotions getting the best of him that made me think that that guy was an illusion.'

They separated and sat down at their respective tables.

Rebecca sat down at the Gryffindor table and started to fill her plate as she wait for her friends to join her. The doors of the Great Hall opened a little later. Rebecca looked over to see who was coming in the door. It was Lennon McCartney, the sixth year perfect for Ravenclaw. The dark brown haired girl of average height was not alone.

Much to Rebecca's surprise Bill had escorted Lennon into the room. The two separated to go to their house tables, but not before Bill kissed her hand. Rebecca's jaw dropped and she just stared at the two. Bill turn to see Rebecca had seen everything. Almost instantly his face turned as red as his hair. He sighed and walked towards Rebecca who was just about to bust from excitement.

"I didn't know you two were dating," Rebecca said excitedly as Bill took a seat next to her.

Bill looked at her and seriously said, "You can't tell anyone."

"Why not?" Rebecca protested.

"Because Lennon and I aren't telling anyone yet."

"But."

Rebecca couldn't finish her sentence; Bill had put his left hand over her mouth and his right hand on the back of her neck so that she couldn't move back as he explained, "We haven't told anyone yet, because it hasn't been that long and we are having fun with a bet on how long we can keep it from the someone close to us. I got to keep this from Charlie and Lennon has to keep it from her friend, Jenna Moliby, who is a perfect, I think. So please until I tell you, keep this secret for me. Please."

Rebecca shook her head to tell Bill that she would and Bill released her so she could talk again.

Before Rebecca could say or ask anything though, Bill asked, "What are you doing down here so early?"

"I couldn't sleep anymore so I got up and came down here," Rebecca explained and then thinking of what she just saw, she added really quietly, "Sort of glad I did."

Bill didn't hear the last part, because he had been looking around the room to see who else was already there and his eyes fell upon Russel.

"Becca, did you come down by yourself?"

"No," Rebecca slowly responded. "Russel walked down with me."

"Really? . Anything happen?" Bill protectively asked.

"Um, yeah," Rebecca started. Bill was about jumped to his feet, but his brother's girlfriend then started to tell him about the truce with Russel. "I have to admit he was very cogent, but that wasn't why I accepted it."

Bill was shocked. "Then why did you accept it?"

Rebecca took a breath and then sadly said, "To give everyone a break from watching out for me."

"What?" Bill hesitantly asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, please, Bill. I know that you are in on it too. . You, Charlie, the rest of the guys and even the girls formed a network that was supposed to be hidden to me, but I figured it out."

"Figured what out?" asked Charlie as he and the rest of the gang took seats around Bill and Rebecca.

Bill answered, "Rebecca found out that we were working so that she wouldn't ever be alone with Malfoy or Flint. She has a truce with Flint now."

"What?!" the others said in unison.

Rebecca started into the same explanation she gave Bill. Everyone looked at her like she was nuts for accepting Russel's promise.

"You don't actually trust him to keep that promise do you?" asked Charlie really concerned about what Rebecca might have gotten herself in.

"Part of me does. The other part doesn't. I just wanted to give you all a break. I know I was tried of having to watch my back and you all have to feel the same way. Besides, if I tell him to leave me alone he said he would. If he doesn't I get to tell him that he broke his promise and that he has no chance of me ever wanting to know him. The idea that I can say that may keep him in line."

"Okay," Charlie said as he filled his plate not sure what to think of any of this.