Disclaimer: we own nothing aside from the plot. The song belongs to Relient K, and the show "Alias" belongs to J. J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions and ABC; and Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Books.

A/N: This chapter, as well as the next, may be slightly different from the way you remember it due to the fact that we did not have these two chapters saved. The main idea however should remain the same as far as we know. Hopefully, it will be even better than you remember it, but that is completely up to you. Thanks so much to our reviewers and all those who have continued to support us.

Chapter 7: Hoops! I Did It Again!

The next day was a huge state of confusion and consequence. Harry and Hermione were completely uncomfortable with each other, and Weiss was afraid to show his face in public. Ron and Luna were both on edge waiting for the other one to say something to the other.

As for Sydney and Vaughn…that could take a while to explain…

Vaughn woke up the next morning with an excruciating headache, which was strange because he usually never had headaches unless he had been drinking the night before, and he certainly didn't remember ever having done any such thing. He briefly considered not going to work that day, but remembered that his country and Sydney were depending on him to keep an eye on Harry and his friends and protect them. So, with that thought, he managed to pull himself out of his four poster bed and drag himself into the shower.

The shower was extremely refreshing--warm and hot on his pounding head--and it soothed his headache considerably. When he exited the lavatory, he felt much better and thought that he just might be able to last the day.

He walked down to the common room, which he shared with Weiss and Sydney, and saw that Sydney was sitting in front of the fire in her casual clothes, (apparently she wouldn't have a class until later), 'A History of Magic' by Bathilda Bagshot open in her lap. There was a slight, but noticeable stiffness in the way she said "Good morning," and it made Vaughn extremely uncomfortable. He had obviously hurt her in some way last night, although he himself wasn't quite sure how he had done it.

He stood at the bottom of the stairwell for a moment, just taking her in. She looked beautiful. Her hair was piled up into a messy bun at the back of her head and was pinned up with chopsticks. She was dressed in a camisole and sweatpants, and was sitting on the couch with her feet propped up beneath her. The firelight was shining upon her head, giving her an angelic glow. For the faintest of moments, Vaughn felt like he did two years ago--like he was staring at the most beautiful and innocent woman in the world, and she was all his.

This wasn't the first time since Hong Kong that he had felt this way, but every time he did he had to remind himself of his vows to Lauren, and of how much he would hurt Sydney if he was to tell her just how much he still loved her. She had been the first love of his life, and since she had come back he had begun to notice just how little Lauren compared to her. Sydney had--would always be--the love of his life. No marriage could change that. Not even his own.

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Sydney wasn't quite sure what it was that Vaughn was staring at. She was sweaty from her early morning run, and her hair was a mess. He, however, didn't seem to be seeing her at all. It was almost as though he was looking past her into a world which she was too afraid to enter.

As little as she thought of her own appearance, however, she had no problems admiring his. His eyes were shining in the firelight--the most beautiful shade of green that she had ever seen--and she felt herself drowning in them. He was wearing his wizard's robes, but the top clasp was undone revealing a tight blue Oxford shirt underneath. She had to avert her eyes for a second and regain control of her hormones. He had always looked good in those shirts…especially when she was taking them off of him. His hair was messed up from drying it with a towel, but Sydney thought the look suited him. It was boyishly cute, and it made her want to rub her fingers through it.

Vaughn was lingering awkwardly in the doorway, as though he were waiting for permission to enter.

Sydney waved him over. He rubbed his hands over his mouth--a gesture she had come to adore over the year and a half that she had had him for a handler--and awkwardly came to sit down next to her on the couch before the fire.

There was a strained silence for a second, and then Vaughn said "I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked Sydney.

"For whatever I did to make you upset last night."

"You didn't do anything, Vaughn. I just…it's hard. I mean, Lauren's not here, and I just keep finding myself forgetting about her existence, and the temptation to…Everything I used to feel for you is still there, and I don't know how much longer I can ignore it."

Vaughn leaned in closer to her for her voice was continuously dropping, as though she didn't want him to hear her.

"You have the temptation to do what…Sydney?"

"To give in to my feelings for you, and…"

Vaughn leaned closer to her, as though his lips were magnetically drawn to hers.

" 'And' what?"

Sydney didn't even answer. It appeared that she had given into temptation at last, and before Vaughn even had time to think, her lips were on his. His hands were touching her face, and her fingers seemed to have laced themselves into his hair, giving into their desire to touch him. Tongues were clashing together, loving and reveling in the taste that they had been denied for so long. She pulled on his robes and lowered her back onto the couch, pulling him on top of her. His hands moved from her face to the small of her back, lifting up her shirt and stroking her skin, sending fire through her veins, and forcing her to wrap her leg around the back of his.

Suddenly she heard her voice mutter "Lauren," and Vaughn pushed himself away, and stood up.

"I'm late for my first class," he muttered as he gathered his books and walked through the portrait hole.

Sydney stood staring after him. 'Hoops, I did it again,' she thought to herself. 'I just had to mention her…'. Sydney continued to stare at the area he had left, kicking herself and replaying the kiss they had just shared. Who knew when she would get to have one like that again?

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Ron was running late again. He didn't even want to know what Hagrid would say when he discovered how late he was. He was just crossing the area past the greenhouses when he saw Weiss stalking toward him. Ron inwardly groaned. He didn't think Weiss would be in the best of moods after the night before. As Weiss' face became visible, Ron's worst fears were confirmed. It was definite…Weiss was pissed.

"Why did you have to do that?" asked Weiss, almost completely drowning Ron in spit.

"Look, we're in a prank war, Weiss! What do you expect me to do? Take all your pranks lying down? If you do, you have another thing coming. I'm going to fight you every step of the way."

"But did you have to do it at the Halloween Feast? I can never show myself in the Great Hall ever again!"

"Sure you can," said Ron, smiling slightly, "they'll just laugh at you."

"Sure, go ahead and laugh, Ron," said Weiss menacingly. "I'll give you something to laugh about."

"Really, and what would that be?" asked Ron challengingly.

"This!" announced Weiss, pulling out his wand, and pointing it in Ron's face. "Revealo Veritas!"

"And what was that?" asked Ron cynically. Suddenly, Ron said, "I think you're a far better prankster than me, Weiss." Ron gave Weiss a confused look. "What was that about?"

"I just put a Truth Spell on you. You have to tell everyone exactly what you think of them for the next 24 hours."

"Damn it!" yelled Ron as he ran the rest of the way down to Hagrid's hut, desperate to put as much space between him and Weiss (who was now laughing evilly) as possible.

Ron managed to sneak into the crowd that was gathered around Hagrid without alerting Hagrid's attention, and he breathed a sigh of relief. At least one thing had gone right today. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw that Luna was standing next to him, and he felt himself smile.

"Hi, Luna. I just wanted to tell you that I think you're both very beautiful and intelligent, but occasionally, I forget how brilliant you are, and all I can notice is that you have your wand stuffed behind your ear and you have your latest edition of the Quibbler upside down, and then I just think you're either insane or you're an idiot."

Luna just stood there for a second in stunned silence, and then said extremely calmly, "That's nice to know, Ronald. Is there anything else you wish to say to me? I want to know whether to be complimented or insulted."

"There is one thing…"

"What is it?"

"Would you go out with me? As in a date?"

"I would love to, Ronald."

'Note to self,' Ron thought to himself. 'Thank Weiss the next time I see him.'

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Draco Malfoy was wandering down the hallway, but unlike usual, he was not on his way to class. He was looking for a certain redhead with a spitfire temper and a loser for a brother. She seemed, however, to either be avoiding him, or she had invisibility powers. It seemed that for the whole day that she would either be barely beyond his vocal distance, or she would disappear from the corridor the minute he caught up with her.

He had just started to head back towards the dungeons to the Slytherin dormitory, when he saw her exit the girl's lavatory just off the entrance hall. He double checked to make sure the area was empty of Gryffindors or Slytherins, and when he was certain that the coast was clear, he strutted up to her, hoping he was looking casual.

"So, Weasley, how's it going?"

"None of your business, Malfoy," Ginny snapped.

"Ouch, that hurts, Weasley! And after our dance last night, I had begun to think you had some feelings for me."

"Then you were wrong, weren't you?" she snapped.

"Come on, Ginny," he pleaded, "Can't you at least give me a nice 'hello'?"

Ginny was caught off guard. Draco Malfoy had actually called her "Ginny" not "Weasley." what really shocked her though, was that she kind of liked it. She liked the way his voice sounded when it said her name. It was almost as though they had been made to say it, and she hoped that he would say it again.

She smiled at him softly for a moment, beginning to understand that he was offering her friendship.

"Hello…Draco," she muttered softly, feeling his name pour off the tip of her tongue like syrup from a fork.

Draco gave her a contented smile and headed for his common room.

Ginny stared after him for a few moments, debating with herself as to what to do. Should she take his offered hand of friendship or tell him to shove it? She liked him personally, but she knew her brothers would never accept him. They would never accept any of the Malfoys. She couldn't possibly like one of them.

'Hoops! I did it again!' she thought to herself. 'I admitted that I liked him! Get a hold of yourself, Ginny Weasley! You can't afford to get your heart broken…especially not by him.'

Her last thought before she headed back to her common room was 'When did my life become so melodramatic?'

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Thanks for reading, and here are the lyrics to "Hoops! I did it again!" by Relient K from their album "Two Left Turns Don't Make a Right, But Three Do."

What's up, dude? I'm getting kind of bored.
Let's get some food, and then hit movies four.
What's going on? What's up with all our friends?
Let's start a rumor just to find out where it ends.

'Cause a small town is like a small stage For teenagers and their drama Instead of playing shows, we'll be showing plays Like 90210 without the Beverly Hills

Well, don't you think (don't you think) Don't you think it's high time that we never settle down (we never settle down)
Don't you think (don't you think)
Don't you think it's high time that we get out of this town (we get out of this town)
'Cause if we leave then we just might be okay

Hoops! I did it again! I messed everything up and I think I hurt my friends Hoops! I did it again!
Relationships that work are things that I can't comprehend.

Ohio has the flavor of a water chestnut It's not too crazy and it's not the best but… We're not setting forest fires just out of boredom I'd rather see a movie if in fact I can afford one

'Cause a small town is like a small stage For teenagers and their drama Instead of playing shows, we'll be showing plays Like 90210 without the Beverly Hills

Well, don't you think (don't you think) Don't you think it's high time that we never settle down (we never settle down)
Don't you think (don't you think)
Don't you think it's high time that we get out of this town (we get out of this town)
'Cause if we leave then we just might make a difference And if we leave then we just might be okay And I don't think it would hurt to get away

Hoops! I did it again! I messed everything up and I think I hurt my friends Hoops! I did it again!
Relationships that work are things that I can't comprehend.

Dan Bakitus said I'm shallow He said I've got no integrity But I don't know Dan Bakitus And Dan Bakitus, he don't know me

Cause we always say in Canton you can't enjoy (Canton joy) yourself Well there's truth to that, but may I add, it's not half bad and never less than that Cause we always say in Canton you can't enjoy (Canton joy) yourself Well there's truth to that, but may I add, it's not half bad and never less than that.

Please review, we'd much appreciate it!

Lots of love,

Alias: Mystic