A/N: whoops. I forgot to mention Alex had braces... my bad... but ANYWAYS, enjoy. -

Halia awoke to the smell of pine needles and fresh wood. She shook her head, which she realized was a stupid thing to do, considering she felt very lightheaded afterwards. She looked around the dimly lit house as soon as her head cleared.

The walls looked brand-new, a clean varnished wood. There were no windows; only a door sat at one end of the one room. On the other end was a brick fireplace with a crackling fire burning in it; in front of that was a round table with chairs, which sat Alex and someone with her head turned that Haley did not recognize.

"Um...hello?" Haley asked timidly. Alex looked up and grinned, revealing the green braces he had gotten in September during the four day break.

"Hail!" he exclaimed.

"Hi," before she could hold herself any longer, she blurted out "who is she?"

"Oh, silly me. I forgot to introduce myself," the girl who was sitting next to him turned around. Haley gaped.

The girl had long, silky red hair that was in plaits down her back. She wore a flowing white fur cloak over a baby blue set of robes; there was a gold ring set around her head, shining in the lit room. She had vibrant baby blue eyes that matched her robes, and her skin had not one blemish or freckle in it. Everything was set in the perfect place, even her ears. She was perfect, like a Mary Sue or something. She looked around her late teens.

"I'm Anna," she said, extending her perfect hand with perfect nails and long fingers. Haley just stood there, staring at it, until Alex kicked her shin and she shook Anna's hand.

"Yes, but who are you?" Halia said rather rudely. And why the hell are you here with my boyfriend while I was conked out? She thought savagely.

"I'm the caretaker here in this forest. I've lived here since I was a mere child, years before Dumbledore's death," she said with a bit of arrogance. Haley gave a blank stare. Anna sighed. "You see, my great-great-great-great-grandfather was Godric Gryffindor."

"Yeah, and my mum is Rowena Ravenclaw," Haley said sarcastically, smirking.

"Actually, Granger, she's telling the truth," came a voice from the doorway. Looking up, Halia saw that the door had opened, and Daniel Mathoy was standing there, holding a bow and arrow.

Haley was very puzzled now.

"Okay, you guys, please tell me this is a trick," she said. She looked around the room for any evidence that she was dreaming. She saw that Elizabeth was sitting in the rocking chair, asleep. She looked back at Anna, Alex, and Mathoy who had just joined them. She thought, and she thought hard.

"Anyways, as I was saying, Dumbledore sent me out here after my father, Aaron Gryffindor, died when I was 11. First year. I was, actually, in the Slytherin house." Anna went on.

Then it hit her. Anna wasn't what she seemed.

"Slytherin house, you say?" Haley questioned. "Don't more students come out of that house dark wizards then good?"

"Well, yes," she said, a slight blush starting on her cheeks. "But I decided against it. I mean, I was Anna Gryffindor, I did not want to become what my ancestor's best friend had!"

Haley narrowed her eyes. This chick was up to something, and she knew it.

"So. Shall I get you a drink, Halia?" she said hurriedly, rushing over to a cabinet on the wall. She took out a cup and ladled something from a boiling cauldron over the fire into it. Handing it to Haley, she said "drink up! Wouldn't want you to get a snake bite again!"

Haley peered into the cup. It was warm in her hands; when she looked into it, steam came up into her face. She sniffed it. It smelled okay, but the colour was what worried her. It was a vibrant pink with orange swirling around it.

"Um, what is this?" Haley asked.

"Pumpkin juice with... err...a tad bit of... strawberry! Yeah, strawberry. I forgot! Silly me," Anna replied.

"It's really good, Granger," Mathoy said. He went over to the cauldron and took a glass for himself. Haley was about to raise it to her lips when something she had learned from Professor Slughorn last year in poitons brought up in her head. Orange and pink... It was a command draught.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Anna. Haley shook her head.

"I just remembered. I'm allergic to strawberries!" she said, pretend giggling. She placed it on the table next to where Alex's hand was. Alex looked at her with a dawn of comprehension.

"Uh, where am I?" it was Elizabeth. Haley jumped and looked back at the reason she was here.

"Elizabeth!" she exclaimed.

"Shut your face, Granger. Now where the in the name of heaven am I?" she asked again. Halia rushed over to her worst rival. She probably wouldn't believe her, but it was worth a try. "Can I talk to you, outside?" she asked. Elizabeth glared at her. "Whatever."

She walked out the door with Elizabeth behind her. It was a bright and sunny morning, but it was bitter cold and the forest floor was covered in frost. Haley wrapped her cloak around herself tighter and walked to the back of the cabin where there were no windows.

"Okay. Did you see that girl with the plaits?" Haley started. Elizabeth nodded. "Well, it's a long story, but she was in Slytherin and now she's the caretaker of the Forbidden Forest. But she says she didn't go to the evil side. Anyways, Alex and Daniel are acting different, and they each took a drink from her. Are you with me?"

"Sort of..." she trailed off. Haley nodded and continued.

"She offered me one. I didn't drink it. I don't trust her. I'm not acting funny."

"So you're saying that this freak is trying to poison us with some kind of freak potion that makes you weird?"

"Not a freak potion, Mathoy. Just shut up and listen, will you? It's a Command Draught. Just like the Imperuis Curse, except in potion form and less painful."

"Isn't that, like, an illegal potion?" Elizabeth said. Haley sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Of course it is, Mathoy. How blonde can you be? What I'm trying to tell you is don't drink it, otherwise we're basically dead. Because once under that potion-"

Elizabeth cut her off. "You must do what the maker of the potion says." Elizabeth tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Of course." At this moment, Anna came strolling around the corner.

"Elizabeth! Halia! We were waiting for you!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, so sorry," Haley replied, brushing past Anna and going around the corner. She could hear Elizabeth's feet follow briskly behind.

She went through the doorway, Elizabeth and Anna following.

"Here, I'll get you something warm to drink," Anna started, bustling over toward the cauldron again. Haley gave Elizabeth an I-told-you-so look. Elizabeth returned it with an exasperated sigh.

Anna turned around, a smug smile on her perfect face, and handed the glass of the draught to Elizabeth.

"Drink it up, it's real great!" Alex said, inching closer to Elizabeth. Haley felt her insides flare. Anna had set Alex up to this, and she knew it. Elizabeth looked at Haley for a second over her glass, then over at Anna.

"What's this made with?" she asked.

"Pumpkin and strawberries," Anna answered quickly.

"Oh. No thanks, I don't really like anything with pumpkin," she said, placing the glass next to where Halia's full one sat, still steaming. Anna narrowed her eyes.

"Drink it now," it was a voice different from her smooth Scottish accent. It was rough, and sounded like it came from a different being, a non-human one. Haley jumped, started at this change. Anna coughed.

"Oh, um, please excuse me. Jus t a little frog in my throat!" she exclaimed. Haley could see her eyes flash red as her cheeks turned pink. "Daniel, would you please get me a glass of water?" she said sweetly, turning to the male Mathoy twin. He grinned and walked over to the sink to get a glass.

"Drop the act now," Haley said, drawing out her wand and pointing it at Anna. Her eyes slowly turned red.

"What act would you be talking about, Halia?" she replied, trying to keep her accent the same, but failing.

"I mean your oh-so-perfect act," Haley continued strongly, even though she was scared half to death. "You think I'm so stupid as to actually not know what that draught was. A Command Draught. You ought to have been smarter. You could have fed it to me while I was sleeping, I wouldn't have said I was allergic to strawberries."

Anna narrowed her now-red eyes.

"You are a bright one…your boyfriend, he warned me of that. He wouldn't quit ranting about you, it was Haley this, Halia that. Got quite annoying until I gave him the potion and he shut up about you. Get that thing away from me, will you?" she snapped, trying to get Haley's wand away from her face.

"No. Now what do you want with us, and who's descendant are you really?"

"I am a Gryffindor," she whispered in that hoarse voice. "Just gone to the bad side."

Haley smiled, satisfied with her luck.

"What do you want with us, then?" she asked.

"That," Anna said, reaching into one of her pockets, "is something I cannot tell you." She brought her hand from her pocket; she now was holding a wand.

Haley acted first. She took two steps backwards and shouted, wand pointed at Alex, "Disencommand!" There was a flash of white light and then a gagging sound.

"Haley!" he coughed, "she's not what you think she is!"

"I know! Grab your wand and get the hell out!" she said.

"Expelliarmuis!" Anna shouted just as Alex grabbed his wand. His wand fell right next to Haley; Anna jumped for it, but Halia stepped on her hand. "Ow!" she said, standing up and cradling her hand. Haley grabbed the wand and threw it back to Alex. Quickly she performed the same spell she used to get Alex off of the draught on Daniel; he snapped to reality and grabbed his sister's arm, running through the door like a maniac.

"No!" Anna shouted as Alex and Haley started for the door. "Sectumsempra!" she shouted.

"CLOSE THE DOOR!" Haley panted. Alex ran out and shut it, and the curse rebounded off the door, towards the master of the curse. Halia flung open the door and ran out into the cold air. Alex was standing there, waiting for her.

"Run, I have a feeling she knows a counter curse for it," Haley panted. Alex nodded, and without speaking started sprinting towards the opening of the woods.

The couple didn't stop running until they were right at the castle steps. Haley stopped abruptly, which was a bad idea, seeing as she fell backwards onto the damp grass.

"I-can't-breath-at-all," she gasped.

"Neither…can…I," Alex said, panting for air.

"I…wonder where…the twins went," Haley managed.

"I have no…no clue."

"Granger! Edgecombe! Where have you been? We searched the whole forest for you last night!" it was the headmistress, bustling out of the castle doors, a part mad, part relived look on her face.

"Professor! Anna Gryffindor-in the forest-tried to practically kill us!" Haley said, pulling herself up.

"Oh, dear God…I knew she'd turn on us one day," she said. "Is she coming?"

"We think so," Alex piped in, standing next to Halia.

"Don't just stand here! We have to lock the castle!" McGonagall told them, pushing them inside. Haley shook her head. My life just keeps getting weirder and weirder…