Hayleigh slipped the vile of potion into her robes, and crutched to the bottom of the stairs. Too tired to go up them, she headed down the hall, shoving herself forward with all her might, and stopped inside the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey looked up.

"Hello, dear." Without responding, Hayleigh pushed herself down the aisle, and dropped onto a bed, pulling out the bottle. "What is that?"

"A potion from Professor Snape. I'm too tired to get up the steps now." Madam Pomfrey nodded, and walked away as Hayleigh down the bottle, dropping it to the floor beside her. Her eyelids became heavy, and she was asleep in a matter of minutes.

By the time she woke back up, she had already missed Potions, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and, if she chose to go, would be arriving halfway through Arithmancy. Shaking her head, she just pulled herself up, feeling sore, but alright, and walked from the wing, into the hall, where she headed up the steps to her common room, and into her dorm room.

She pulled her robe back on, after changing the clothes she had under it, and brushed out her hair quickly. Hayleigh turned, and headed back downstairs, planning to get comfortable on the couch until the Gryffindor's came in to discard their books. As she stepped in front of the couch, memories of that night she had the nightmare flooded back, and she felt the tears in her eyes. Quickly, she ran from the room. It felt so empty without Oliver. She felt so empty without Oliver. Her eyes quickly turning red, the tears racing down her cheeks, Hayleigh shoved open the doors and ran onto the grounds, the grass bending beneath her feet. Unaware that she had run so far, so fast, and unable to go any farther, she collapsed to the ground, her hands over her face, as she continued to cry.

She hadn't been sitting there, crying, for too long, when she heard some voices behind her.

"Hayleigh?" Hermoine called.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked.

"What's wrong?" Harry called. They ran from the door, and kneeled beside her. When she had raced down the hallway, she shoved past them, knocking them into the wall. Hayleigh wiped her eyes, and shook her head.

"I can't go back into that room."

"What room?"

"The common room. Without Oliver it's just." Her sentence trailed, and her voice faltered, so she stopped, and looked up at them. Hermoine looked sad.

"I'm so sorry for you, Hayleigh."

"He didn't deserve to go. He didn't do anything."

"We'll be testifying for him, Hayleigh, in five days. He'll get out. He'll be fine. Things will be back to the way they were."

"No.it will never be the same. You aren't the same once you go to Azkaban," she said, shaking her head.

"My mother was thrown in once, but she was falsely accused, and then it was corrected but." She stopped, realizing that she was speaking of a past her mother didn't want her to speak of. Shaking her head, she pushed herself off the ground. "Maybe Professor McGonagall can help me out," she said, and headed back inside.

She laid down in a bed at the end of the hospital wing. McGonagall had arranged it so that she could sleep there, and all her books and things would be in a little cabinet beside her. Hayleigh never had to enter the Gryffindor tower again unless she wanted to. She rolled onto her side, placing an arm under her head, unsure of whether or not she'd be able to testify at the trial without crying. She heard the clock chime midnight, and sighed. Four days until the court date, and there was no way to tell Oliver he didn't have to worry. A scream rang out of the hall, and she jumped up, spinning around. The door burst open, and Professor McGonagall looked around.

"Madam Pomfrey!" she cried. The nurse ran out.

"What's wrong, Minerva?"

"Come, quickly!" Hayleigh followed them out the door, into the hall, and was partway up the steps when McGonagall stopped her.

"Hayleigh, I suggest you go back to bed."

"I can't! What's wrong? What happened?" She looked over McGonagall's shoulder, and screamed. Professor Snape, Professor Trelawny, and Filch had gathered around, hearing the screams, along with the few kids from the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff towers who had been awake and heard the noise. Hayleigh pushed past McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey, and kneeled on the floor beside Seamus. He was unconscious, and she reached out, to touch his face. He was cold.

"Alright, kids, back to." Madam Pomfrey began.

"What happened to Seamus?" Hayleigh cried, looking up at Professor McGonagall.

"He's been Petrified."

"How long will it take to undo it?" she asked. McGonagall didn't answer; neither did anyone else. Hayleigh looked around. "Professor?"

"Your Potions professor, and Herbology professor, can create a potion to fix this.but it will take about one week."

"A week.he's going to miss the trial.we've still got Hermoine, Harry, Ron, and Neville." She stayed on her knees beside Seamus, running her fingers over his cheek. The teachers shooed the students back to their towers, and after a few minutes, only Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey remained. "Who would do this to you?" she whispered, looking into his frozen eyes.

Hayleigh stood outside, staring up at the sky. It was Saturday, and she had planned on doing homework, but went against it, and decided not to. Hermoine, Neville, and Harry walked outside, and gathered around her, and they all began to walk.

"I wonder what Seamus was doing out so late," Hermoine pondered. The others shrugged.

"He probably didn't do it on purpose. Someone did this because they know that Oliver will be let off, since we know the truth." Harry looked up.

"You think this is a conspiracy, don't you?"

"Of course I do. My mother was the one that suspected him, blamed him, got him put in Azkaban. I even told her that he liked my father more than most of the people he works with, and sees, all the time." Neville still seemed frightened.

"What if he was just the first? What if whatever did that to him is going to do it to all of us?" he asked, not looking up. Hayleigh sighed.

"Then we have a problem.wait a minute.where's.?" she began. A cry broke out of the building, and they spun around, running to the doors. As they burst inside, Filch stopped them.

"Can't go any further, kids. Sorry," he growled. Hayleigh ducked under his arm, pulling the others with, and ran down the hall, sliding to a stop as they saw Ron's red hair sticking out from around the corner. She gasped, dropping down beside his head, her hands over her mouth. Headmaster Dumbledore stood near his feet.

"Hayleigh, I'm afraid that you and the others will have to go to the trial without Mr. Weasley. He, like Mr. Finnigan, has been Petrified. He will be returned to his regular state once the Potion is made." Hayleigh took a deep, shaky breath, and looked at Harry, Hermoine, and Neville.

"We cannot go outside without someone else. We have to stay together. It is especially important that two of us do not get Petrified. We can risk one of the boys, and either Hermoine or me.though I'd prefer not to be Petrified. I'm the only actual proof that Oliver was in the common room between the time Hermoine saw him, and the time that you two saw him.so, Hermoine, though it'd be helpful if you were there, too, it's not crucial." Hermoine nodded.

"I understand that." They stood up, and headed back outside in silence, giving one last look at Ron as they walked away.

Hayleigh sat outside, on a bench, quill in hand, jotting down bits and pieces of her Potions homework. Her mind was wandering, and so, when she finished and pulled the parchment off the book, and looked at it, it was nothing but gibberish. She couldn't even understand it. Hermoine sat down next to her, with Harry and Neville, and looked at her, slightly unsure.

"What's up?"

"I can't even do my homework. I can't concentrate.."

"What do you mean?" Neville asked.

"This is for Potions, and I know the answer is 'Add one fourth a cup of Faerie dust, with a half cup of Essence of Leprechaun, and a sprinkle of centaur hair,' but I ended up writing, 'Add one fourth a cup of Faerie dust, with half a cup of Essence of, and two pairs of fly wings.' Two different potions which would make no sense to anyone who knew what they were doing.too much on my mind to be doing homework," she muttered, shaking her head, and placing her parchment in her book.

"Well, we have some news," Harry said. Hayleigh stood, looking at them.

"What?"

"Hermoine found a spell to keep us from being Petrified." Neville said. Hayleigh looked at her friend.

"Really?"

"Yes, but it will take a couple days to make."

"So? If it can save us, it's fine."

"Then will you be willing to bleed for me?"

Hayleigh, Hermoine, Neville, and Harry stood in the unused girls lavatory on the third floor, that was haunted by Moaning Myrtle, and sat in a circle. Hermoine held out a bottle, and a few cloths.

"I know I already asked, but I want to make sure you all have a knife." Hayleigh, Harry, and Neville held out their knives: Hermoine's was sitting on the floor in front of her. "Alright. Harry, you first. Just cut yourself, and let it drip three times into the vile." She passed out the cloths, and laid one on her knee. Harry cut his finger, let it drip, then pressed the cloth against it, handing Neville the vile. Hayleigh was last, and sliced open her hand, right beneath her thumb, letting it bleed. After the third drip, she pressed the cloth against it, and looked up.

"What happens now?" she asked.

"I cork the bottle, and take it upstairs. When I'm finished in the morning, we'll meet back here right after breakfast. Alright? That way we can get this taken and get it overwith." Hayleigh walked over to the sink, and turned on the faucet, letting the water run over her hand, and watching the blood turn the water a pinkish color.

Hayleigh changed her clothes the next morning, eager to take the potion, eager to get it over with. She ran out the door, meeting up with Hermoine and Neville in the hall. They continued into the Great Hall, thinking Harry may already be there. He wasn't, and Professor McGonagall walked over, smiling.

"Hayleigh? The Minister of Magic has asked that Wood's hearing was moved up a couple days.he will be tried tomorrow." Hayleigh smiled.

"The quicker we can get him released, the better." McGonagall started to walk away, when the doors burst open, and everyone turned to look.

"Professor McGonagall!!" Colin Creevey cried, running up.

"What is it, Colin?"

"There's been another Petrifying!" he cried. Hayleigh was out of her seat and heading out the door before McGonagall could even react. She sprinted down the hallway, and found Harry, on the floor, one hand outstretched, mouth open in a scream.

"No!" she screamed, and dropped onto her knees, silencing herself, listening to the scream echo off the walls to the other students. Hermoine and Neville ran up. As soon as Hermoine saw Harry on the floor, she touched Hayleigh's shoulder.

"I'm going to get that potion right now. If something should happen." She leaned down, putting her lips near Hayleigh's ear, "it is in the bathroom. Go, drink it with Neville. You two be safe." Hayleigh looked up as Hermoine ran down the hall.

"Where is she going?" Neville asked. Hayleigh grabbed his wrist, and pulled him with her, unable to look at Harry anymore. Draco Malfoy snickered as she passed, and, in an instant, her foot was out, knocking him to the ground. Neville and Hayleigh sped past the students, towards the third floor girls bathroom, and found Hermoine, in the corner by the door, her hand over her face and her eyes squeezed shut. This time Hayleigh couldn't find the time to scream. Neville did, and it was louder and more powerful than Hayleigh's had been. Hayleigh grabbed his hand, and they ran into the bathroom, looking at the floor, and found the cauldron sitting on the floor by the sink.

"Hermoine asked me not to play with it, but I did watch over it." Myrtle said, flying down.

"Thank you, Myrtle," Hayleigh said, out of the breath, scooping it into two of the four glasses next to the cauldron. "Drink, Neville. Drink, drink, drink." She tilted her head back, and felt the warmth slide down her throat, and closed her eyes, tasting the grossest thing she'd ever had. Neville was gagging beside her, but swallowed it. The two of them wobbled, and Neville collapsed to the ground. Hayleigh, however, waved her wand, making the potion disappear, before she dropped beside him, her head on his hand.