Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I don't own any board games.

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I'm so horrible. I kept going out of town and then the play came up and then I got horrible writer's block with this story and felt like it was never going to end. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry! This is a good long chapter, 3000 words.

Replies:

Kirk4ever—Thanks. The philosophy is all me.

Some person—I'm very sorry I didn't update sooner. Forgive me?

Right-claw—Thanks. Luna keeps getting weirder, I'm trying to make her less powerful.

Briana Edwards—They need to but they're not there yet. Gryffindors are as stubborn as Slytherins, you know. Thanks. I had trouble with this chapter, but today it really got going and so I wrote almost the whole thing today. Ginny/Neville and Lily/James I like too. I wrote a Ginny/Neville songfic and I'm working on a full length story on them. Anything on my favorites list is worth reading. Some of the really good ones are Harry Potter and the Black Owl (by Qwest), A Walk in Your Shoes (by Spirit007), Midnight Musings (by Frankie Beeblebrox), A Trick of Time (can't remember the author, but really good) ,and Faith in a Number (by Emyln).

Lindsey-31—Thanks! I like Harry/Luna a lot.

Faith—Sorry it took so long for me to update. Thanks.

Zephdae—Thanks, I'm glad to know you like the story enough. I'm trying to work on my narration, I'm just usually more of a dialog person when it comes to writing. Tolkien is the master of fantasy writing of course, unmatchable. Thanks so much! When I finish I'm going to go back and fix spelling mistakes and chaptering.

Sadfru—If you review again, please, please watch your language. I'm Christian and don't take the Lord's name lightly and don't like cussing. That said, I'm working on fixing Luna. I kinda maimed her character at the beginning of the story. As for Harry, he's not whipped. That's pretty much how I treat my boyfriend. He's not "playing nice". He was pretty angry I thought, especially in the beginning.

Visitor—I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, but if I don't know what to write, then I can't write it. That's all there is to it.

Lord Ravenclaw—Thanks. Sorry the chapters aren't longer. Sometimes it's so long between updates that I'd rather just get the chapter up than wait for it to get longer.

Corwin—Thanks. Sorry it's been so long since an update.

Jennyroseangel—Thanks. My holiday was great. Fortress of Shadow…eek. I'll get back to that. I just don't know when. As soon as I figure out what to write, I'll post the next chapter.

Stephanie—Thanks! Hehe. I figure if you make people have to be with each other long enough, they'll scream, they'll shout, and just maybe work things out. Hehe. The mirror thing was kind of on accident to tell you the truth. I remembered that the I mentioned the mirror in the beginning of the chapter, and from there it kind of just fell into place.

Possom2009—Wow! Thanks so much!

PhiloNysh—Thanks. In chapter 3 or 4 (I think) in this fic Remus fixed the mirror for Harry and it did work again. Sorry the update took so long.

Katie Lupin Black—That stinks about not having your internet hooked up for ten days. I went out of the country: no internet for 2 weeks. And I'd been at summer camp for a week before that. Almost three weeks straight with no internet. The mirror was an accident. Not really planned. I kind of forget about things for a while until they manage to pop up again. Thanks.

Professor D. S. Silvers—Reviews are never annoying! Thanks. Did I review "The Mudblood Slytherin" yet? I can't remember and I don't see it there now.

Phoenixdreams—Thanks. I have no idea. Sometimes it feels like this story is never going to end…

Celia Abbott—Thanks!

Dnd4ever—Thanks. Ron and Terry. I mention to fix that and forgot. Sorry.

Serious Prankster—Thanks, Teila. Cool name.

HYPERdingdong39—Thanks. I think UPLARS are well worth reading, but I'm a little biased there.

Hrei-siesn—I didn't think of him getting caught! Could be useful to add…

Fawkesfreak—Thanks so much!

MissPadfoot003—Yay! You're ungrounded! The trip was great, but I didn't have much time for writing.

Dark Luna—Thanks! Hehe, I could see Draco as being gross and drooling and snoring while he's asleep. Hehe.

Padfootgurl—Thanks! I didn't think about it either. I forgot about it honestly until I wrote it. Then I remembered. Wow, I don't think I make any sense.

Easilyamused—Thanks! Sorry about the long time between updates.

Me262—Thanks. That's what I ended up having to do. Argh, editing. The 26 Prefects, Heads, Quidditch Captains, are forced to be separated from the rest of the school. White water rafting was great!

OofTheLivingDead—Thanks!

Athenakitty—That's a great idea! I so might have to use that if it's okay with you. You have no idea how hard I'm laughing right now. I can SO see Ron borrowing Hogwarts: A History from Hermione and chucking it at Draco's head!

Volleypickle16—Thanks! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated.

Chapter 71: Twisted

Harry gathered Ron, Hermione, and Ginny together and grinned at them. "I've got a plan." He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I know how we can contact people outside the school."

"How?"

"The mirror."

"Didn't Neville give you back the second mirror so we could use it for the D.A.?"

"He did, but I convinced McGonagall to deliver a message for me. She's going to tell him to look in the mirror everyone once in a while."

"She agreed to deliver the message?"

"Well, she had no idea what I meant when I said it. It's perfect."

"Are you sure?"

"What if someone sees the mirror?"

"Look," Harry said, exasperated. "It's a chance we'll have to take. I'll just have to keep trying him on the mirror until we reach him."

"What's reaching him going to do?" asked Ron. "He can't get us out of here. Well, probably not anyway."

"Harry, if we don't have anything to say to him, then we're right back where we started."

"Well, maybe he can tell us what's going on out there then," said Harry stubbornly. The mirror was a brilliant idea; he just had to think of how to use it. How had Sirius and his dad used the mirrors? Oh, right. To talk from separate detentions. Big help. "I'll worry about what to say after I manage to contact him. Somebody come find me when it's time for Potions."

"But, Harry, where are you going to go where somebody won't find the mirror?"

Harry bit his lip. It was true; there was probably going to be a lot of guys in the dormitory right now. Anybody who didn't have class and was avoiding the common room would be there. Suddenly he was struck with an idea. His brain was sure coming in handy today. "Don't worry about it."

He left his friends and went into the boys' dormitory. He rummaged through his trunk and grabbed the mirror (after carefully wrapping it with clothes). He went into the bathroom and went into one of the shower stalls. He turned on the water, full-blast, and shut the door. He stood in the changing area of the stall, outside the shower part and took out the mirror. He was fairly confident that no one would hear him over the shower. "Neville? Neville? Neville? Neville Longbottom? I need to speak to Neville Longbottom. Neville. Neville. Neville. Neville?" The mirror didn't change and he stayed in there for nearly an hour, trying to contact Neville. Maybe McGonagall hadn't talked to him yet. Harry tried one more time. "Neville, are you there? If you're there, take the bloody mirror out of your pocket!" he said in frustration. There was still no answer. He sighed. So much for his brilliant plan. He would just have to try again later. He knew it'd look a bit suspicious to spend an hour in the shower and come out completely dry when they had no wand access and no way to immediately dry hair, so he stuck his head in under jet of water and pulled it back out. He stuffed the mirror back in the pile of spare robes he'd brought in with him and left.

Draco Malfoy was standing in front of the mirror.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" asked Harry.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to get my hair to lie straight. Otherwise it'll look like yours," he retorted.

"Oh, you mean your hair isn't naturally stuck to your head?" Harry asked innocently.

"Shut your trap, Potter, or you'll be in so much pain."

"You can't inflict much pain without your wand or your buddies, and right now you don't have either."

"Potter, if it came to a fistfight, there's no doubt who'd win. You're such a scrawny little twig of a thing, even Pansy could snap you in half."

"Unlike you, Mr. Pampered-and-spoiled-brat-who's-never-had-to-lift-a-finger-in-his-life, I've got a good right punch and plenty of experience with guys can fight, and don't just shoot there's mouths off like you do."

They kept the banter up for a good ten minutes. With things the way they were now, they couldn't risk a real fight, but this allowed both of them to vent their emotions just a little.

Eventually, their banter ended when Draco scoffed, "I've got more important things to worry about."

Harry gave one parting shot from the doorway, "Yes. I know just how hard you're trying to get your hair to look like Snape's. And really, you're just doing such a darn good job of it!" he said in a much too cheery voice. He ducked out of the room just before Draco's hairbrush hit the spot on the wall where Harry's head had been less than a second before.

Harry stuffed the mirror and the spare robes back into his trunk and lay on his bed for a while. A couple of the other boys where in there, talking, but Harry ignored them. He need a plan. Brains had never been his strongest attribute. That was Hermione's job. Harry was the impulsive one, Ron was the stubborn but loyal one, and Hermione was the brains. That's how they operated. That's how it had always been. But of course now, there was nothing left to do but sit and wait for McGonagall to get the message to Neville.

Maybe he should go back out there and they could all play poker again. No, he really didn't feel like losing at the moment.

He needed something to do. Maybe he could go find Luna. She'd be interesting to talk to. She'd kind of been avoiding him since yesterday anyway.

He sat up and went to go look for Luna. Out in the common room, he saw Ginny, Ron, and Hermione chatting.

"Have you guys seen Luna?"

"No. If you don't see her out here, then she's probably in the girls' dormitory. Did you have any luck reaching Neville?"

"No. I'm going to try again later." Harry didn't waste anymore time and knocked on the door to the girls' dormitory."

"What do you want, whoever you are?" called Pansy's shrill voice.

"Ask Luna to come out here," Harry said through the door.

"No," Pansy answered back.

"Typical Slytherin," muttered Harry. He hammered on the door. "Luna! Could you come here for a minute? Luna! Luna! Luna!"

About five minutes later, a dazed looking Luna was pushed out of the room by two other girls sick of hearing Harry hammer on the door.

"Yes, Harry?" she asked.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine."

"I need some help…"

"With what?"

"I think I found a way to contact people in the rest of Hogwarts, but I don't know what to say."

"Aren't we supposed to be separated from then?"

"Yes," he said impatiently. "What's your point?"

"Doing as we're told will get us out of here faster."

"Is that all you've got to say when I come to you for help?"

She looked at him evenly. "I just helped you. Figure it out for yourself."

"A lot of help you are."

"You're welcome," she said, ignoring his sarcasm.

Harry went back over to Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. "Luna was no help whatsoever."

Ron muttered, "What else is new?"

Harry ignored him, and instead turned to Ginny and Hermione. "What are we going to do?"

"I suggest we find some way to occupy our time," Hermione said.

"Homework?" groaned Ron.

"Did you forget already? Flitwick didn't assign any," Hermione sniffed. "After all, we can't practice the spell outside of lessons and we can't research essays in the library."

"Then what is there to do?" asked Ron.

"I already spoke to Professor Flitwick to ask if I could be brought something to read from the library. He said that we weren't allowed any reading material other than textbooks because we're supposed to be promoting inter-house unity and reading is a solitary activity."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What it means, Ron," continued Hermione, "is that the teachers want us playing games like the old Muggle board games that are around the common room here so that we're playing in groups out of sheer boredom because there's nothing else to do."

"What sort of games do we have?" asked Harry.

"Checkers. Monopoly. Chess. Twister. Cl—"

"Chess! I'll play. Who wants to go a round with me?"

"I will," volunteered Ginny.

"Prepare to lose," said Ron. He looked around the room for the Chess set and spotted it, bringing the box over. He dumped out the pieces on the floor and put the board next to them. "Move. C'mon, get in position so we can start. Move it!"

"Ron, that's a Muggle Chess set. You have to set it up and move the pieces yourself. They don't move on their own."

"That's lame."

"Just play. It's all the same rules," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

Ron and Ginny tried to play, but Ron turned the board over in frustration about three moves in. "It's just not the same without the pieces moving. This is boring."

"Ron, that's no call to go and upset the pieces like that," chided Hermione.

"I'll picked them up, Herms," said Ginny, wanting to avoid a fight between her brother and Hermione.

Later that night, when all their classes and dinner were done, they were having the same problem again.

"I'm bored."

"Me too."

There was a pause, and then…

"I'm still bored," said Ron, in almost a whine. "I wish we could just get rid of the Slytherins a—" Ron started. He stopped at a withering glare from Hermione.

After about five minutes of nothing, Hermione said, "I've got an idea. Let's rediscover the long lost art of conversation."

"What?"

"She means let's talk, lame brain," Ginny told her brother irately. She muttered something about him having the IQ of a troll.

"There's nothing to talk about. We woke up, went to meals together, went to classes together, and sat around all day being bored."

"Just great," Ron said bitterly. "We don't have homework, but we can't have fun either."

Harry looked around glumly. It wasn't even seven yet. What could they do? T hen he saw. A game pushed to the back of the shelf. Perfect. It should lighten things up considerably. Now, if only they could find someone to spin. He came back over to his friends. "I've got a game. You might want to put pants on instead of your robes though," Harry added.

Hermione blinked at him, as if to ask why, then she saw the box. "You're right. Come on, Gin. Let's go put our pajamas on."

"What are we going to play?" Ron asked, wondering why the girls had to change their clothes.

"Just a game. You'll see. We probably ought to put pants on too." Harry and Ron went back into their dorm and put sweats on. When they came back out, the girls were waiting. Hermione had pulled her hair back into a ponytail so it wouldn't get in her face. She looked up at Harry.

"Normally my friends back home would have to twist my arm to get me to play this game, but I think it's a good idea tonight," she said.

"Yeah," said Harry. "I don't think I've ever played this. But I have seen Dudley and his friends play."

Hermione shuddered at the mental image. "That must be scary."

"Care to enlighten us?" asked Ginny.

"Sure. We need somebody to be the spinner though."

Ginny volunteered.

Harry and Hermione set up the mat and handed the spinner to Ginny. "Here, spin the arrow and call out what it lands on."

Ron, Hermione, and Harry each took separate sides of the mat and Hermione explained the rules to Ron.

Ginny made the first call. "Right hand green."

They all put their right hand on a green circle.

"What's so challenging about this?" asked Ron.

"You'll see," said Hermione.

"Call the next one, Gin," Harry told her.

"Left foot blue."

It went on from there. "Right foot yellow. Left hand green. Right foot red. Right hand green. Left foot yellow. Right foot blue."

It got more difficult as they went along and got more and more tangled. Ron, being long-limbed, was at something of an advantage, but he lacked the flexibility that would have made him a better player.

The 5th year Ravenclaw boy Prefect came over. He was a Muggle-born. "Twister! Can I play?"

"Do you mind taking a turn at spinning?" asked Ginny. She felt lonely sitting on the sidelines and wanted to get in on the game.

"No problem," he grinned.

"Thanks, Jake." She gave him a smile, took off her shoes, and waited for the next call.

"Left hand red!" called Jake. "Right foot yellow! Left foot green! Right hand red!"

Harry was getting tired. Then again, so were Ron and Hermione.

"Right foot red! Left hand yellow! Right hand yellow! Left foot red! Left hand blue! Right hand red! Left hand red!"

Now, with everything on red, they were so spread out and tangled up, that they couldn't stand anymore. Harry felt is arm going weak, and they all collapsed in a giant, laughing knot.

Of course, such a ruckus attracted a few curious onlookers and somebody else took the spinner. Jake joined the game. Harry told the others that he'd be back in a moment and went to the portrait of Sir Cadogan in the meal/class room. "Sir Cadogan! Sir Cadogan! Can you call Dobby up?"

"Dobby? Who be that Dobby of which you speak, ye rascal?"

"Dobby's a house-elf. Go get him. Please? Tell him Harry Potter wants to see him. And have him bring water."

"A quest! I'll return with all due haste!" And he ran out of the painting, tripping over the frame on his way out.

Harry grinned. Perfect. Dobby'd be on his way soon. Harry knew they'd need a bigger mat with more people playing.

When he went back out to the game, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Jake, and Ernie were playing. A few more were looking on curiously.

He'd been right about a bigger mat being needed. He rejoined the game, but they were only three turns in (since his coming back) when the whole pile of them fell and had to start over.

By the time Dobby got to them all, 9 people were on the mat, 1 was spinning, and 5 were watching. The Head Boy and Head Girl were playing Battleship. 3 other students were playing Clue. All 6 Slytherins pointedly ignored the game of Twister and sat off into a corner by themselves. No one cared that they didn't want to play.

With 9 people on it, the mat was just two crowded. They couldn't get more than a few moves in without everyone falling.

They were all glad when Dobby arrived with a pitcher of water, glasses, and magic. "Harry Potter sir, Dobby has come."

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry panted, gulping a glass of water.

"What does Harry Potter sir need?"

"Could you make this mat bigger?" he asked, waving a hand at the plastic mat.

"Easily done! Anything else?"

An idea crossed Harry's mind and he whispered it to Dobby.

Dobby nodded and grinned up at him. First he worked his magic on the mat (after clearing everyone off it). Then he bewitched the spinner. He sent the former spinning person and the five who were watching out onto the map with everyone else. "Left knee purple!" squeaked Dobby.

Ron turned to Harry. "Did the rules change? There wasn't any purple before. Or knees."

"Look at the mat. Dobby does good work when he isn't trying to save somebody's life," grinned Harry.

The game really got going in full swing, the crazier it got, the more fun it was. "Right hand teal! Head brown! Left foot green! Right shoulder yellow!"

They were rather precariously placed, most of them feeling as though they were about to fall, when Dumbledore entered. Harry's head was between Ginny's arms. Hermione's right leg was under Harry's left leg so she could have her knee on purple. Ron was draped over Luna to get his head on teal. Luna's arm was around Jake's foot to get her right hand on orange. Similar chaos ruled over the rest of the mat.

Dumbledore came in and saw what was going on, and laughed. That laugh was enough to make the entire tangled web collapse. But not before Dobby took a picture. They all laughed for a minute, before someone realized the Headmaster was there, and they all started trying to get up.

"So, what's going on here?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"Sir," Harry said, trying not to laugh. He desperately hoped the Headmaster's mood had improved. It sounded as though it had. "We're just practicing some inter-house unity."

Dumbledore looked around. "Not a very complete job of it, though, I see."

"Why? Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws. That's 3 houses."

Dumbledore looked sadly at him. "But there are 4 houses at this school."

Harry looked around. All the Slytherins were still sitting off by themselves. "That's not our fault. The game was welcome to anybody who wanted to play." He turned desperately back to look at Ron, Hermione, and the others.

The people behind him gave replies in the affirmative.

"It doesn't matter. Until you're all one group, you shall remain here. That includes Slytherins."

"But— "

"All of you are the student leaders of this school and must set a standard of cooperation for the others to follow. I simply came in to bid you all goodnight." Professor Dumbledore nodded once and left.

Harry groaned in frustration. He'd been hoping such a display of group spirit would not only alleviate their boredom, but maybe get them out of this place too. Apparently not. He went to Ron and Hermione. "I'm going to go try the mirror again."

"Good luck," Ron said, clapping him on the back.

"I'll see you in the morning, Harry," Hermione said, with an encouraging smile.

Harry slipped away, back into the boys' dormitory. Unnoticed, he was followed.

Harry grabbed the mirror out of his trunk and sat on the bed. "Ne—"

"What on Earth are you doing, Potty?" drawled Draco from the doorway.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Ferret?" Harry said irately.

"Looking in the mirror. I'm surprised it hasn't broken yet. Though I suppose even with seven years bad luck your life can't get much worse. Doesn't look like you're Dumbledore's golden boy anymore," he said in mock-sympathy. "Your hair looks horrendous." He self-consciously smoothed back his own hair.

"I was just about to say that I never looked better."

Draco snorted. "What sort of charmed mirror are you looking into?"

"What do you mean?"

"It'd need a powerful spell on it to make you look like anything but a monkey."

"That's not nice. If you're going to draw comparisons between primates, you should start with those gorilla friends of yours."

Draco glared at him.

"Why didn't you Slytherin idiots join our stupid game?"

"My clothes would get wrinkled. Besides, that game wasn't just stupid. It was utterly pointless."

Harry looked for the nearest thing to throw at him and picked his shoe. It narrowly missed Draco's head and bounced off the wall to hit him in the back. "If you lot wouldn't have been so arrogant and would have played our pointless game, maybe Dumbledore would have let us out of here."

"We can figure a way out of here ourselves," he said coldly. "Slytherins don't need anyone's help." With that, he slammed the door and walked out.

Harry leaned back on his bed and smothered his face with his pillow to stifle his scream. That attitude is what had gotten them all into this mess in the first place. It was too twisted; he finally understood why Dumbledore was so upset about the houses fighting. He wanted to strangle Malfoy. He took out the mirror again. "Neville, Neville, Neville. Neville Longbottom, pick up the mirror."

No answer.

Harry sighed and rolled over and went to sleep. It was going to be a long week.