Sorry about the long wait, it's just been hard for me to write with all my coursework and exams i've been having lately. But here's the next chapter...hope you like it...and thanks for calling my story 'cute', and thanks cause 'cute' is one of my favourite words!

Read, and if you want you can review.

Chapter Three: Abusing Power

'Harry, when did you last see Latasha?' Ron whispered.

'I told you; the last time I saw her was with you at breakfast. I haven't seen her since,'

Hermione was quietly reading her potions textbook at the table in front, 'Hermione, psst…' she jerked her head immediately in Ron's direction asking only with her eyes of his reason for calling, 'when was the last time you saw Latasha?' he mouthed.

'What?' she replied in a whisper.

'Have you seen Latasha?' he repeated in a low voice.

She shook her head and turned back to her book.

No one's seen her. I hope nothing's happened to her – Draco has better no done anything to her 'cause I swear if he has…he will pay.

Latasha was sat in her empty dormitory, on her neat bed with the cold sun shinning through the window. Her pen in one hand, her diary resting on her knee.

Dear diary,

I'm crying right now. I can't stop. Draco's a liar. He made me think that he was all nice and lovely, and caring and considerate, but he's not! He's a bloody liar! A greasy haired, bullying blonde idiot! What was I thinking dating him? Harry was right! And how dare he call Hermione a mudblood! The nerve of him, he thinks he's so high and mighty walking around with those boneheads he calls friends! He thinks he's so much better than everybody else! I hate him, HATE HIM!

Book in hand, Hermione walked at a pace. She had just come from the library where she had finished her homework and found a book about famous muggle-known wizards. Half way down the corridor, she passed a girl whose hair was messed up and covered her face. She slowed her pace to get a look at the girl,

'Are you alright?' she asked

The girl brushed her hair from her face, 'Hermione.'

'Latasha? What's the matter? What's happened?' Hermione asked hastily taking a tissue from her pocket and giving it to Latasha, 'did something happen? No one's seen you all day – since breakfast. Where have you been?' Hermione put her arm around Latasha and attempted to comfort and guide her down the corridor, 'lets get back to Gryffindor tower,'

'- No!' Latasha replied, making an abrupt stop in the middle of the empty corridor.

'It's nice and warm in the common room,'

'No.' she replied more forcefully this time, stepping away from Hermione.

'Okay, we won't go.' Hermione said quickly, 'how about…the Owlery? It's cold up there, but at this time of night it's bound to be quiet.'

Latasha's eye's changed from the flashing of green and grey, to the stable shade of blue, 'that sounds better,' she said.

As they were walking, Hermione's nosiness overcame her causing her to ask, 'what happened?'

Latasha stopped wiping her tears and said, 'I saw Draco earlier.'

'Did he say something horrible?'

'No,' she replied shaking her head.

'He didn't threaten you, did he?' she questioned cautiously.

'No.'

'Then what happened?'

'He didn't do anything, we just talked.'

It was late night before the girls got back to their dormitory, and most of the Gryffindor were too tired to notice or care of two students arriving late. Once back in her bed, Latasha reached into her schoolbag to uncover her diary from the inside of the ripped lining. In its spiral bind a golden pen with the initials 'E.W', which she used to write. It was such a change to the usual quill and ink she was now made to write with.

Dear diary,

I had a chat with Hermione. I told her how stupid I felt about Draco. She's a great listener. I haven't had a friend for what seems like forever. If only I had one all those months ago. You know, it's only been three months. Three months, it feels like much longer. I don't want to go back home. Draco said that I could stay with him during the next holiday, but I guess that's changed now. Hermione suggested that I dump him, but I want our relationship to settle first…then I'll dump him. I don't want to blow our break up out of proportion so that he'll hate me…I want it to end as nice as possible. I need sleep; my eyes feel like they're burning, I need some rest.

In the mid afternoon, Harry, Ron and Hermione were conversing in the Gryffindor common room. They sat in the armchairs by the fireplace. Harry and Ron ate sweets while making meaningless chitchat about what-the-world-would-be-like-if-we-were-pets-to-animals. Hermione was busy reading the book she had checked out of the library.

'I hope Scrabbers would give me a warm place to sleep, and good food.'

'Ron, is all you think about your stomach?'

'Sometimes I think about quidditch, and sometimes I think about sleeping. Is all you think about books, homework and reading?'

'Of course not.'

'That's all I ever see you do or talk about. Work, work, work. If you ever stopped and took a break, you might be able to smile more easily.'

'Oh, be quiet Ronald.'

'Cool it you two,' Harry said, 'so Ron, have you spoken to Latasha, she just sat there this morning.'

'I've barely seen her. Hermione, is Latasha all right? She didn't really speak at breakfast.' Ron started.

'If you're so interested, why don't you ask her what's wrong?'

'Cause she's a girl, you're a girl. I thought only girls were allowed to ask other girls about their problems. It might be something like PMT or something, and I really don't want to hear about that stuff.'

'Boys always assume it's something to do with premenstrual tension,'

'What? What's premen…tension?' Ron asked, at which Hermione shook her head.

'Ron, she means PMT,' Harry added.

'Huh?'

'Premenstrual tension is the proper terminology for PMT. PMT is an abbreviation.' Hermione explained, in a fact-like tone.

'Okay,' Ron replied in a bored tone.

Next day as Harry and Ron walked down a corridor, a ball of parchment hit Ron squarely in the back at the head,

'Ow!' Ron yelled, whipping round to see where it came from. Searching his eyes, he looked but found no one but first years. They wouldn't have the guts to do this. Ron thought. Seeing the ball on the floor, he picked it up, examined it as if it would tell him all he wanted to know and opened it to find the words, 'watch your back'.

'Ron, what does it say?' Harry asked.

'It says, "watch your back"'

'Sounds like a threat.'

Sitting in the library with her book to her nose, Hermione was on her second book of the week. Glancing up at the clock in the corner, she realised it was almost time for dinner and gathered her belongings and headed to Gryffindor tower to drop off her stuff and meet the boys in the Great Hall. Seeing that she would be late if she did not hurry, she decided to multitask and walk whilst trying to pack her bag. Just passing the entrance of the library, and into the corridor, a large body's shoulder collided with her own causing her books and bag to go flying through the air and hit a third year girl.

'Have you got a problem?' the girl asked with spite, flicking her hair. Her friends crowded around her, waiting to pounce.

'Sorry about that, it's just someone bumped into me,' Hermione replied walking over to where the girl and her friends stood to pick up her books. As she did this the bleach blonde and her friends looked down on her, giving Hermione dirty looks, 'sorry.'

'You should be sorry. I could have broken something.'

Hermione kneeled on the floor, packed her bag and walked off as fast as she could.

When she reached the Great Hall, Hermione sat down with a gentle mood about her. Latasha was already seated next to Ron, while Harry sat across the table from them.

'Hermione, what happened?' Harry asked, cocking his head to one side to get a better look at her face.

'Just some snotty third year. It wasn't my fault that someone knocked my bag and all the stuff in it. And she was like, "I could have broken something", oh yeah maybe a fingernail.'

Harry and Ron didn't understand what she was talking about, and carried on eating making quiet conversation with each other. Latasha leaned over the table and whispered,

'I'm not going to dump Draco.'

Hermione's face seemed somewhat angry, but Latasha didn't understand why. Then she said, 'I thought you said you were going to dump him,' she said, her voice growing louder. Realising this, she lowered her voice, 'what happened to being strong? What about Ron? I told you how he feels about you, do you know how he'd feel if he finds out I've told you?'

'I understand. Really I do. I like him, it's just…I'm still going out with Draco.'

'But you're not. You haven't seen him or spoke to him. Have you?'

'No, I haven't. But I want to. I miss him.'