A/N at the bottom…
This chapter is a dedication to our great friend, Katy-Fish, who has just moved many miles away. She may not be with us physically, but she'll always be with us in spirit, until she comes to visit! Still one of us, forever. Miss you, Fishy xxx
Chapter 7Ever since the rumour fiasco on Sunday morning, Liss had been avoiding the gang as much as she could possibly manage. Apart from classes, her friends hardly saw her – she seemed to disappear during mealtimes and after class. The girls didn't even notice her coming to bed each night.
Early Friday evening, the gang were gathered around the Gryffindor Fire, tired from their week of uneventful classes, and restless.
"Have we tried the Library?" Tom asked, referring to their search for Liss.
Spid turned and looked at Tom, raising an eyebrow. "No, Tom. We've tried Snape's dungeons, and the Forbidden Forest. Of course we've tried the Library." Tom shrugged, and began to examine his nails, whilst humming.
Katy kicked the table in front of her and frowned. "I'm bored."
"Maybe Liss is with Draco?" Jamie suggested. Emmie sniggered.
"Yeah, and maybe they're both with Snape, dressing up in drag and dancing to Hot Patootie!"
Nu tutted. "No, it'll be the Time Warp."
"Hot Patootie."
"Time Warp."
"Hot Patootie!"
"TIME WARP!"
"OK, ENOUGH!" Harry screamed. The two girls stopped, and turned to look at him. Emmie shrugged.
"Must be his monthly…" she muttered to Nu.
Hermione, who had been unusually quiet through all of this, spoke up. "Maybe we should do some homework or studying?"
Ron choked on the Chocolate Frog he was swallowing. "Homework, Hermione? But it's only Friday night! We haven't got any classes until Monday!"
Hermione shot him a haughty look. "That doesn't mean you can't get a headstart on the work."
"Yes it does…" Ron argued back.
Katy punched the arm of the chair she was sitting in. "I'm bored!"
"We've got a convenient time slot right now, Ron, that we could use constructively, to do our homework – and you insist on using it to just sit here, staring into the fire?" Hermione said.
"I wasn't staring into the fire, I was staring at y – um – I was staring at…Tom's beard," Ron muttered, switching his gaze to the floor.
Tom frowned. "Why does everyone make an issue about the beard?"
Nu laughed. "Why not?"
Katy punched the nearest thing to her – which happened to be Tom's head. "I'M BORED!"
"Ow…" Tom whimpered.
Nu nodded slowly. "I'm bored too…We need to do something…"
There was a pause. Emmie grinned, and began to giggle softly into the silence. "So we do something…" She stood up, ignoring the confused looks she was receiving. "I'm gonna need three of you to come with me and assist me…"
Tom coughed. "Er – you DO realise how dodgy that sounds, don't you?"
Emmie glared. "Shut your face, Tom, you'll be thanking me later. Right – any volunteers to come with?"
Nu shrugged. "Meh, what have I got to lose? I'll come."
"Will it get me out of here?" Katy asked. Emmie nodded. "Will it get rid of my boredom?" Emmie nodded again. Katy stood up. "I'm coming."
Spid stood up. "Oi, oi, oi, you're not leaving me here."
Emmie grinned. "Ok then…Jamie, Harry, you keep taking notes on – um – developments." A 'Look' passed between the three of them, unseen by Ron or Hermione. "And…um…Tom…"
It was then that they all realised that Tom was very much involved in staring at something across the room. Glancing across to see what had captured his interest so quickly, Harry groaned.
"It's Neville…Tom, snap out of it. Tom?"
With one last amused look at Harry attempting to draw Tom's attention away from Neville's backside, Emmie, Nu, Katy and Spid sneaked out of the Portrait Hole, and into the corridor beyond.
"So, Em…What exactly are we doing?" Spid asked as they walked swiftly down a flight of stairs.
Emmie glanced at her three friends, and smiled. "We're paying a little visit to the house elves, of course. Dobby, in particular. I'll explain as we walk, if you hurry up…"
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Tom sighed as he watched Neville – who had by now noticed Tom staring at him – make his way nervously up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.
"Isn't Neville the most beautiful human ever to walk this earth…?" he asked no one in particular. Harry shook his head.
"You are SO twisted…"
The Portrait Hole opened, and four boxes with legs walked in.
Hermione looked up, surprised. "Erm – Nu? Spid? Katy? Em? Is that you behind those enormous boxes?"
"Yep!" the reply came.
Jamie looked interested. "What are they for?"
The four girls placed the crates on the table that was placed in between the sofas, and the fire.
"It's not what they're FOR….It's what's IN them," Katy said, looking mischievous.
Ron looked suspicious. "What IS in them…? This has nothing to do with Fred or George, does it?"
"Nah, not yet," Nu said.
Harry moved towards one of the boxes, and sniffed it gingerly. "So…Repeating Ron here, what's in them?"
The four girls grinned at each other.
"Alcohol," Emmie said simply.
"Alcohol?" Tom perked up, and moved closer to the boxes. "Open it. Now. Now now now!"
"Be patient, Tom, be patient…" Nu said. "There is a genius plan involved. Don't worry – there's enough to go round. Well. There will be."
Jamie glanced at the four grinning girls curiously. "So…what's the plan, Noo-noo?" Hissing at the name slightly, Nu shot Jamie a sour look.
Spid stepped forward, and beckoned the gang around her. "Come on…we'll explain the plan, but you'd all better keep your mouths shut about it, we don't want the school knowing any sooner than they have to…"
The rest of the Gryffindor common room worked away, blissfully ignorant to the nine 6th years gathered together tightly in the corner and plotting the fate of the school in whispers…
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A/N – Yes, thankyou, thankyou, keep throwing those roses at us…We've returned with another update, and it didn't take us 9 months this time! Told you we would.
Anyway – surely we haven't lost all our lovely, once-faithful reviewers, in the space of 9 months? Kia, Lemon, and all the rest…We thought we meant more to you than that! sniffs Oh well. I'm sure SOMEBODY still loves us enough to REVIEW……Right?
Mucho thanks to the people who DID review….
Becci – No, I don't think so? We haven't changed the characters within the chapters, so you can't have been (yet…) Thankee muchly for reviewing, luff you lots xxx
Hayley – Heh heh, a love triangle? Hummmm. I may consider it, what with the plot ideas ahead of us…heh. No promises, but shall certainly think on it heh. huggles muchly Thankee for reviewing, mucho luff xxx
Kez – Ahhh, Kerrilina DAH-ling! A Twiggy in comedy? Hom, methinks not heh. Thankee anyhoo though. (And Randy Snips SO rock Sot's world…Unfortunately, RS have been replaced with those Ep3 notes. Ah well. The memories live on, on my website… heh.) Thankee for reviewing m'darlin' xxx
We'll hopefully be back soon with more…That should keep you on the edge of your seats, waiting to find out what the plan is…what the "fate of the school" will be…What dearest Dumby has to say in the next chapter (well, it's a possibility…), and much, much more. But be warned – our GCSE exams are now only a few short weeks away. We shall soon (if we're not already) be worked to the ground with revision, finishing off coursework and syllabuses, and so on. WE'RE LEAVING SCHOOL MID-MAY! How scary? Anyway. Keep your itching-to-type-reviews fingers crossed for us, our success in our exams, our success in trashing our school on our last day, and, of course, for the next chapter of SROS…
Love you all lots…(like jelly tots, but not as much as vodka shots…!)
Frog, Wombat, & the team xxx