Kayla was sitting on her bed, positively puzzled. She had finally decided it was an isolated incident that only happened when a certain red head was near. And from each time, it was getting worse. She began to wonder if it was something strange about the school and that she'd figure it out after looking a few things up in the library. She could smell musty old books just thinking about it, and disliked the thought. Though she noted that one of Maya's favourite scents was what the brunette called "rain". She had an old book that she had left behind when coming to England and she once said: "It's quite old, so the pages smell like rain!" Kayla noted she was going off topic for some reason.

Kayla looked at the book Hermione had given her to read, wondering if perhaps she would need to read it and then perhaps find something to stop her shirt from disappearing. She reached out slowly for the book hesitantly, already smelling the old pages around her even thinking about it. She wished for some distraction at that point and felt her spirits falling as her hand touched the leather bound cover in defeat.

However not all was lost as the door suddenly opened, and Kayla looked up in mild surprise to see Maya burst in. She had known Maya for years, and instantly knew something was wrong with every gesture the brunette girl made. She stood, letting Maya's eyes catch hers' in a silent stare. In it, she demanded everything of her childhood friend without saying a word. And complying as she always did, a tear slid down Maya's cheek.

"Maya…" Kayla spoke in a quiet tone. It was hardly heard by Maya, but Maya had known the blonde long enough to recognize the movements of her pink lips. Kayla was suddenly washed over with some light form of guilt. Why hadn't she noticed? Why hadn't she seen that Maya was so upset? And Maya did not even care much for her friend's ignorance making it clear she did not hold a grudge. She then hauled herself at her companion. Kayla took the heaving Maya into her arms, and would occasionally pat Maya's soft hair. Now all Kayla could think of were questions. But she knew that it was hard for Maya to answer these questions when she was crying. So Kayla held back her questions patiently so that they may wait until Maya had regained speech ability.


Ron looked away from Hermione then, resting his hands on his thighs. He took a comfortable stance, trying once more to fool the bright and clever Hermione Granger.

"How do I feel…?" he repeated the question distantly, as if considering it himself. He was silent for what was only thirty seconds yet seemed hours. "I don't know what you're getting at." He looked at her with blue fire in his eyes and Hermione picked up on a feeling of determination emanating from them. He seemed to have made some sort of decision.

"Do you fancy her?" Hermione asked, somewhat impatient with Ron's response. Her curiousity overrode any other thoughts, however. She just wanted to hear the answer in her inquiring nature.

"Fancy? No. I just feel sorry for her, that's all." He said, raising an eyebrow as if saying: 'did you doubt me?' And Hermione laughed to herself quietly. Then another question arose in her from his response.

"Why do you feel sorry for her?" she asked, her face turning from its serious nature to an amused demeanor.

"She started so late in the year, it'll be quite hard to catch up now." He said matter-of-factly which sounded strange on Ronald Weasley. This only added to Hermione's amusement.

"Forgive me Ron, but I think that's a biased explanation. Until you get to know the other two girls and figure out if you also feel sorry for them, you can't really say." Hermione said, her eyes hinting at a playful teasing nature. He huffed, back to his normal self. He looked impatiently at Hermione, which made her physically shift her weight to move away.

"What makes you think I know anything about Kayla?" he snapped, losing some silent temper. Hermione was confused and somewhat hurt. Ron never really got angry so easily about such things in the past and thus it slightly frightened her. She regretted the words, but she couldn't understand why he had snapped at her in such a fashion.

Inside of Ron, a battle was being waged then. He didn't want to be angry at her, and he wasn't sure why he was. She hadn't said anything horrible or insulting. His cheeks flushed as more anger seemed to accumulate in those serious blue orbs. Hermione moved away, catching his attention at last. What Hermione didn't understand was that he was angry with himself now, and not her. Ron sighed, dropping his shoulders in some sort of mental defeat. He didn't want for Hermione to be afraid. He cared about her too much. She saw this, and saw it as a sign to move forward again when he raised his hand in such a way it was as if he held her frozen in her movements.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I've had a pressing day. I'm going to head into the room now and just do a little reading." He said, brushing her off in the nicest way he could. He turned then, avoiding her confused chocolate eyes. Ron Weasley reading was not quite a believable excuse. But he couldn't think well while the inner battle raged.


Harry had been sitting in thought when he felt someone sit beside him. He looked up to see Hermione there, staring at the fire place as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. He also looked there. Because of his averted gaze, he did not see her open her mouth to speak and beat her to the punch.

"Do you think that I made any impact with Maya?" he asked curiously. She was a girl, and he figured she would know if it had worked. What he had failed to notice was that she was distracted by other things and had missed it.

Hermione didn't speak for a moment. She suddenly felt as though the world were leaning heavily upon her shoulders. She also used that same hand movement that Ron had done and sighed. She couldn't handle any more drama. She needed to get out of there, and just forget the whole thing if only for a little while. One reason Hermione was so keen on her school work was that it cleared her mind and made it easier to think objectively on matters concerning friends and family.

"Please. Not right now Harry." She said, noting his patient expectance of some sort of explanation. She did not look him in the eyes as she stood to go to the girl's dorm room. "Goodnight Harry". Harry was unsatisfied, but accepted defeat like a gentleman.

"Goodnight Hermione."


"I'm inquiring to why two Hogwartz students are sitting in a bar when they should be at school on a school night." He said impatiently, suddenly noting Cho's slurred speech as a sign he could not strike fear into her if she was too intoxicated to pay attention.

Cho made the largest surprise of all when she stood unsteadily and hooked her arm around Demi's shoulders before pointing a spiked butterbeer at him.

"Ya can't have mah girl!" she said, her words slurred and mispronounced. Snape raised a dark eyebrow at this image: a respectable Ravenclaw drunk and naïve holding onto an openly surprised Slytherin. He sighed, holding a hand to his face. He looked at Demiarez this time, finding Cho too drunk to reason with.

"I think we ought to bring her back to the school. Much more and she'll be sick if you let her." He said, sounding somewhat casual for himself. Realizing this, he added icily: "Now please, Ms. Black". Demiarez, too shocked by Cho's outburst to think past it obeyed numbly.


Draco Malfoy sat in the extra study, deciding to get to work on making some sort of lesson plan for teaching Maya. He at once decided to test her ability with the quills, figuring it would make her practice. He glanced throughout his old notebooks thoughtfully, wondering where he could start. As far as he had seen, she had yet to use her wand. It sat idly in the pocket of her school uniform cloak, which to him was a sad thing for a wand.

He was quickly distracted however, thinking to himself. He suddenly saw her before him, and he felt intoxicated by her as if he were drunk upon her image. In this illusion he simply watched it gaze back at him. He wanted to touch her soft black eyelashes, and her long dark brown locks that hung around her shoulders. He wanted to see her in a beautiful black gown that offset her bright eyes, and he wanted to spin her around him. There were suddenly so many things he wanted to buy for her, as if she were a doll that he could dress and play with as he pleased.

He was unpleasantly reminded of his life in which he had found that nothing was ever what he wanted. Not until he met Harry Potter that was. Now he had a rival, someone that he could use his wealth to put down by buying all the things the boy could not. And yet somehow this was different. For a moment in this vague daydream, he found in himself an odd feeling. He wanted to give her everything. And laying down the quill on the desk that he had been using, he resolutely decided that he would. Even in his sly manner, he now acknowledged that she was important to him and far more important than any vengeance that could be had on Potter. But then again, that was a gift on the side.


AN

Wow… I know what you're thinking. You're mad I didn't update last week, aren't you? But you must be happy now! Because this chapter is long!

Draco: You think you can bribe them with a long chapter?

Kita: …yes. I think it is working fine.

Draco: That's what you think, but that doesn't make it true.

Kita: I think we've already discussed the fact that I am all powerful, haven't we?

Maya: Actually, I missed that part.

Kita: I don't care to explain it again. Now do the disclaimer, puppet.

Maya: Appears in cute little frilly dress wearing bunny ears and a bunny tail on back of dress while singing disclaimer with back up dancers. Kitahoshi doesn't own them! She doesn't own them! She owns Maya, Kayla and Demiarez and spends her spare time killing Draco! Whee! Drmatic ending pose

Draco: stares, drooling.

To my reviewers:

Armadia- Look! Surely you are amused by the long chapter and dancing Maya! … I hope. I sincerely hope it makes your pain stops for a little while in your poor little foot which I make hurt when I take you to my locker when you'd rather sit. This here is me showing my love. Yep.

Falron- Mwah! I missed your birthday! And I didn't even update last week! Gomen nasai! Je regrete! I'm sorry! Please don't stop reviewing! Offers sacrificial grapes.