Harry took a seat near Seamus and Neville while they watched play rehersals. The drama club was a new feature this year, and their latest production, The Hangman's Curse, was going to be performed that night. Seamus and Nevilles said hi, but Malfoy glanced up and groaned. He stood up, along with the rest of his gang, and they all moved over, including Seamus and Neville who were new members of the clan. Seamus shrugged apologetically, but Harry nodded it off. As he turned back towards the front, he noticed that Pansy hadn't followed them. Instead she was sitting in her seat, bent over a sketch book, Hermione's sweater still draped over her shoulders. Malfoy glanced at her.

"Pansy, c'mon," he said softly. She did not respond to him, and he got up and sat down behind her, looking over her shoulder. Harry glanced over as well. Pansy's hand was moving up and down on the paper, making dark charcoal lines that went off in every dirrection. She seemed to be completely in a trance. "Pansy, what's wrong?" whispered Malfoy. Pansy did not respond, but continued running the pencil over the paper, not seeming to notice what she was doing.

Pansy felt her heart beat speed up, and suddenly noticed what was on her paper. She had completely lost controll of her hand, and could not stop scribbling. She slammed her hands on her paper, and threw the sketchbook down with a cry. The world around her suddenly turned to darkening colors, and her breathing became more rapid. She glanced up on the stage set and began screaming and pointing at a noose.

"Malfoy!" she shrieked. "Malfoy, it's Abel! Malfoy!"

She began writhing around and Malfoy climbed over the seats and placed his hands on her shoulders. She grabbed onto him as if her life depended on it and fell from her seat, screaming and throwing her fists at nothing. "Malfoy, help me! Oh no! Malfoy! It's Abel! Abel Frye! Malfoy make him go away! Ack!" Her eyes rolled back into her head and she began shaking, and Malfoy and the others were pulled back. Harry watched in horror as Pansy went into a cesure, and the teachers were soon there, forcing everyone to go back and to not touch her.

"No no no!" cried Malfoy. "Not her!" Pansy continued shaking and gasping. "Not her! Please not her! She's one of us!" Tears flooded his eyes and fell down his face, surprising Harry. "She's all I've got!"

"Why would Malfoy's group curse one of their own?" asked Hermione. Lupin searched through Pansy's locker for the hex mark.

"Maybe it was intended for Blake and it backfired," he said. "Either way, there's no hangman in her locker."

"It doesn't make any sense," she groaned.

"Yes, well, the students are finally being sent home so they're all gathering in the great hall. Meet me down there." She nodded, and went to her locker to grab her things. A hand fell on her shoulder, and she screamed and turned. "Blake!" she cried. Blake's face was all sweaty and he looked terrified.

"I gotta stop Malfoy and his gang before they try to curse anyone else," he said shakily.

"Blake, no. You need to go down to the great hall so you can go home," she said softly. "You'll be safer there." Blake shook his head.

"I gotta go." He turned and ran up the stairs, but Hermione chased after him.

"Blake?" she called. "Blake!" She reached the top of the stairs, but Blake was already gone. Sighing exasperatedly, she walked over to the wall and leaned her back against it. There came a rattling noise, followed by tinly patters, and she looked up and noticed that the air vent was a few inches from her face. Pearing in, the noise got louder, and she ran off to get some equipment.

Harry ran back stage of the play set, looking around frantically for Malfoy. He knew something was going to happen if he didn't reach him fast.

"Abel face me!" came a voice, and he ran in that dirrection to find Malfoy pacing around on the stand from the set with the noose in front of him, the stand was a good five feet from the ground. "We need to talk this out!" he cried frantically.

"Malfoy," called Harry. "You need to get out of here. Something bad is going on."

"We need to find some sort of agreement," shouted Malfoy, but not to Harry.

"You think a stupid ghost did this?!" cried Harry. "That's what you think. You think a stupid ghost did this!" He reached up on the plank, but Malfoy kicked him off. He walked over to the noose and slipped it around his neck.

"Abel Frye!" he shouted. "Take me instead! Don't take her, just take me!" Harry reached up again, but Malfoy kicked him down again.

"No," he said firmly. "Don't do it, Malfoy."

There was the sound of something brushing against the stage floor, and they looked over to see that the curtain had opened and the entire room was packed with students, waiting to hear from Dumbledore. When they saw Malfoy with the noose around his neck, they stood up and started shouting, "JUMP!" There were a few Slytherin's shouting for him to not jump, but their voices weren't loud enough against the crowd.

"No," called Harry to Malfoy. "Look at me! Don't look at them! Malfoy!" But Malfoy wasn't listening. He stared at the group, and Harry braced himself. Snape and Lupin were on the side of the stage in seconds, but did not move for fear of what might happen.

In the back of his mind, Malfoy could see himself and Pansy being tormented by the school, and he saw all the times she had sat crying in his arms. He saw her fall from her seat, screaming and begging him to save her. The pain was too much, and he closed his eyes and started to lean forward.

Harry raised his hands up, and caught Malfoy's legs as he fell off the stand, and Snape and Lupin ran over and pushed Malfoy's body up to keep him alive. Someone grabbed Malfoy from behind and pulled him back on the stand, coughing and panting. Harry glanced up and smiled. It was Blake who had caught him. Snape was soon on the stand, and together, he and Blake helped support Malfoy as he made his way down the steps, and they all sat backstage, away from the students who were all booing and shouting at Harry and Blake.

Hermione walked over to the vent with a suit in her hands, and a small screwdriver. Moving quickly she unscrewed the screws and pulled off the grate, setting it on the floor. She then slipped into the white suit that made her look like a spaceman, but kept every inch of her covered incase there was something in there. Making sure her wand was in her pocket, she crawled into the vent and slowly made her way down.