Disclaimer: I am posting this on fanfiction.net! JK Rowling has probably heard of fanfiction.net, and, being curious, went to read what people are writing about her characters. I claim to be a fourteen year old nobody from Indiana. If she ever got a name on ff.net, she would not say who she was, and might claim she was a 14 year old nobody from Indiana! You can not see me over the internet, and you do not know who I am. You wouldn't be able to see JK Rowling over the internet if she had a name on ff.net, and you wouldn't know that it was her. Sooooo, theoretically, I could be JK Rowling. But, seriously, people, she has a good imagination, but I don't think she knows every detail of a hickish 14 year old girl's life.... I do, being one of those. So, while anyone on this site could theoretically be JK Rowling, I'm not!

AN: I'm so sorry it took so long. I had a really hard week at school, and my Labor Day weekend was kind of busy. I'm REALLY sorry!!

AN2: IT'S ALMOST MY BIRTHDAY!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!! ::ahem:: Anywho.... ^_^ Yeah, the 10th of September is my B-day.... ^_^

~*~*~**~*~*~

It was the morning after the Ball, and Hermione woke up to an empty dorm room. Panicking, she looked at her clock to see if she was running late. It was only 7:00, a little late by her standards, but extremely early by the rest of the girl's standards. She had a feeling that they were avoiding her.

She quickly put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, as it was Sunday and she didn't need to wear her school robes.

She was halfway down the stairs when she realized that she had not talked to Ron, or anybody else yet. They were avoiding her because they didn't know what was going on. They were probably in the Common Room talking about it right now, actually.

And, sure enough, when she went through the door to the Common Room, there was a huddle of sorts in front of the fireplace.

"So, are we talking about anything I should know about?" Hermione said boldly.

Their heads, which had been previously bent towards each other, whirled around at her voice. Colin Creevey stood up and hurried up the stairs to the boys dormitory with an urgent look upon his face that made him look as if he had forgotten something.

Ron stood up from his seat on a foot-stool and walked over to Hermione in three long strides.

"Are you OK?" He actually looked concerned.

Harry was still seated on the couch, and he was looking up at her with an, "It's your turn," look. She got the feeling that he had been listening to questions ever since he had talked to her, and had been unable to answer any.

Hermione took in a deep breath of air for support, then glared at Ron harshly. He stepped back slightly. "Hermione?"

"So, what exactly makes you think that I didn't want to go to the Masquerade with Draco, Ron?"

There were intakes of breath from the people who were watching. A look of surprise came on his face and he said as if it were the most obvious thing on Earth, "Because you're you. And you hate Malfoy."

"People change, Ron." Hermione said viciously. "Who are you to say that you know who I am, when you only talk to me when you need help with something? You don't know what I'm like anymore!"

Ron was silent for a moment, then said, "I guess not. But I do know Malfoy. And I know that no matter how much you changed, you would never like someone like him."

There was silence in the Common Room, and Hermione spoke, her voice trembling with contained anger. "People change," she said again.

"But not that much. And not that quickly."

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. If she didn't let out some of this steam, she'd explode. "Are you so closed-minded that you refuse to recognize when two people fall in love? Ever heard the saying, 'Opposites Attract'? Didn't your mother ever read you bedtime stories? IT HAPPENS!!"

Hermione was so wrapped up with her speech that she didn't even notice Colin edging up to her with his camera until she saw the flash. She sent a dirty look his way, sending him scurrying, then turned towards Ron again.

"If you don't believe me, then just watch me in the next few days. You'll see how much he has changed!"

And with that, Hermione spun on her heel and left the Gryffindor Common Room.

~*~*~**~*~*~

Shaylee yawned and stretched. Something fell from her lap and something stirred from beneath her. She was about to panic, until she realized that they must have fallen asleep on her beanbag last night.

She turned to see Severus opening his eyes. She grinned at him. "Oops," she commented shortly. He smiled back at her. "Oops is right."

Shaylee looked at her watch. "It's 7:30! I can't believe I'm awake already!"

"I'm usually awake hours ago," Snape commented snidely. Shaylee rolled her eyes. "Whereas I'm always late for breakfast..." Shaylee said, rolling off of him and stretching her limbs in every direction on the floor. She beamed happily as her arms came together behind her head and she laid there staring at the ceiling.

"Are you going to just stay there all day?"

Shaylee sighed. "I wish..."

"Speaking of breakfast, didn't it start a few minutes ago?"

"Uhhuh. But who cares about breakfast?" Shaylee curled up into a ball. "Sleep is good..."

"So is food..."

Shaylee paused, then said, "You have a good point..." She grinned up at him. "But I have a cute little Potions Master who will save some food for me..."

Severus glared at her as he stood up. "I wasn't aware that there was a cute little Potions Master at Hogwarts... I do hope he doesn't take my job..."

Shaylee glared back at him as he got ready to leave through the fireplace. "Spawn of Satan," she muttered darkly. She heard a bark of laughter come back to her as he disappeared through the flames.

~*~*~**~*~*~

When Shaylee entered the Great Hall (looking extremely disheveled, as her plan was to eat, then go back to sleep), she saw a few strange things. Firstly, the Gryffindors were all crowded onto one end of the table, leaving all the empty seats at the other side. On the other end of the table was Hermione, who was sitting with Scott, while Draco stood there talking to both of them and munching on a piece of toast.

Perhaps along with his change of character, Draco decided he needed a new hairstyle... So, he had ditched the hair gel.

The second thing that she noticed was strange was that Severus was not in his seat, but was walking over to where Draco was standing...

What in the world... Then she realized that Lucius must be there.

She ran down to the tables, then hurried along until she caught up with him.

He looked down at her beaming face exasperatedly. "And I thought that I might be able to do it myself for once..."

"Well, I figured out your mistake.... You thought!!" She giggled as he glared at her.

She shrugged, figuring he just didn't get the joke, and said, "Well, we'd better not fight over him this time, so that I can have time for some food..."

"You're not going," Snape said plainly.

"What?" Shaylee stopped, facing him. "Nothing has happened to me before..."

"Do you honestly think that no one has told Lucius what happened last night?"

"But, he was setting the whole thing up anyway! He won't know that it's real!"

Severus looked at her pointedly. She groaned. "Honestly, Severus! The man can't know everything! You make him seem much scarier than he actually is!"

Severus flinched at his full first name coming from her mouth, then said in a low voice, "Shaylee, you don't know him... You don't know what he's capable of..."

Shaylee looked in his eyes and shuddered, seeing something in there that looked like a confusing mixture of pain, anger, and the need for revenge.

"The asshole may be dangerous, but he isn't psychic. I'm coming with you," she said boldly.

Severus sighed, exasperated, then looked up to where Draco had been before. "Oh, shit..."

Shaylee looked up, and saw that Draco wasn't there anymore, but Scott and Hermione were looking at them amused.

"Where did Mr. Malfoy go?" Snape inquired, walking briskly up to them.

Hermione shrugged. "He said something about his father..."

Shaylee groaned. "OK, he might not be psychic... But his son must be..."

Hermione smiled slightly, though there was a slight glint of worry in her eyes. "No, I think he just figures his father is here whenever he sees you two fighting..."

"Hell, he must think his father is always here, then..." Scott commented under his breath, causing Severus to glare at him.

"OK, then. Let's go!" Shaylee said, seeming oddly chipper.

"Stay here, or I'll call you 'The Fairy Princess' for the rest of your career here," Severus threatened, then left.

Shaylee shrugged. "Fine with me!" she called as she sped after him.

"You're a full fledged idiot, you know that?" Snape stated when she caught up with him.

"Why thank you, I did know that!" She grinned.

~*~*~**~*~*~

"Good morning, father," Draco greeted as he walked into the Slytherin Common Room.

His father was in his usual seat. "I trust that they got into a petty argument again?"

"Yes," Draco answered shortly, recalling the scene in the Great Hall, almost wishing that they'd stop fighting so much so that he didn't have to spend time alone with his father.

"I heard that last night went well..."

Draco stilled, wondering what it was that he had heard.

"So, she cares so much about you now that she defended you against her closest friends?"

Draco nodded while his mind raced, trying to think of someone who worked for his father that might have been there. The person in the banshee costume came to mind. He had thought it wasn't a Death Eater, because it didn't look familiar, but most of the people who did his father's dirty work weren't in the Dark Lord's inner circle, so he wouldn't have known the person. Then, there was the fact that they hadn't seen the banshee at all after the fight following the Unmasking... Could that be the source of his father's information?

He was brought back by his father saying something. "I'm very pleased with your work, Draco. And the Dark Lord will be, also. I will be in touch for the next part of the plan sometime next month."

Lucius stood up, and walked towards the door, then turned to face Draco again.

"Oh, one last thing, Draco. Remember, emotions are dull things. Those who rely on emotions will be destroyed."

As the door opened, revealing Professors Snape and Weasley, his father breezed by them, not saying a word. Draco watched him leave, and found himself wondering exactly how much his father knew.

~*~*~**~*~*~

::Starts a chorus of "I know something you don't know" to tease Draco:: LOL.... Anywho, I really AM sorry that it took so long... And, I know it's short too... LOL, I basically typed most of it today... The only reason it is up today is because I stayed home sick because I was out all weekend in the rain... Be glad that I practically downed the whole bottle of cough syrup, just so I could type.... ^_^ Nah, that's OK really... I have nothing better to do, except maybe test my "Jedi-like reflexes" on those little Happy Meal Sonic Games that my sister has... (I always win on those... They just make a bunch of really quick beeps when you win.... Quite pointless really...)Well, anyway, thank you, lovely reviewers! You all know how much I appreciate them, right? ^_^ I love you guys!! ::In an act of spontanteous gratitude, throws stupid Happy Meal Games out to all reviewers::

~*~*~**~*~*~

Never Tickle A Sleeping Dragon: LOL. Hehe.... Yeah... I can just fit more humor in there easier than I could without making people seem terribly OOC, so I guess it is a tad more interesting.... ^_^ Thanks so much!

HPFanNikkie: Thanks. LOL! Heehee. I didn't really like it when he died either.... I haven't been able to write a fic where he's actually dead yet.... ^_^

Talon McGreggor: Thanks. Hehe, you're the first one that said something good about the size of my chapters... LOL... Here, have a cookie!! ^_^

Genevieve Jones: Heehee. Thanks!! Yeah, I've had a bunch of people telling me that they just started reading it.... It is kinda long... Well, thanks a bunch!!!

skyleia: Heehee. Sorry it took so long!

chelsea: Heehee. Thanks. I try to be nice. I've actually been told I'm too nice before.... ::grumbles:: And how exactly is a person too nice? ^_^ Just write more and more, and you'll get better at it. Don't get offended by any constructive criticism anyone gives you. Listen to what their saying, then look over your work and see if you notice the same thing. Oh, and that was my sister, and yeah, she goes to Purdue. That's really cool! Was he from around there, or did he live somewhere else before he went to college?

Lizzie Malfoy1: Hehe. Unfortunately, I can't answer any of those questions, for fear of exposing something else... So, put your mind into detective mode and try to figure it out!! ^_^

Dying Angel1: LOL. I was actually gonna do that... But, then I thought of a really interesting idea that actually related to the Phantom of the Opera, so I'm saving that for later... I know, I love that book, and the play too!

Gina Bina: I like the song too. I had never heard it, but I found the lyrics online. It's sung by Punchline.

KEL-71E: Aw, that's OK! I'm sick too, so I know how that feels. Thanks, and I hope you like it!

Lady Scarlett1: Heehee! Thank you!!

Cute-Kitty: LOL.... Yes, they are quite good, actually. But, it depends on what kind of mood I'm in on which one I like more.... ^_^

Sailor Hermione: LOL... That's not a bad wish.... ^_^ But then, if you owned HP, then you'd be able to meet Tom Felton, and might be able to coerce him into a bathing suit.... ^_^ Yeah, I live in Indiana, and my school SUCKS!!! ^_^ ::ahem...:: Anywho...

Danny Kaz: LOL! Your idol? Wow... Hehe, well one of my friends' idols is Voldemort, so I guess you aren't that strange... ^_^ And, thanks a bunch!!!

I give it all to Mr. Black: Thanks. For a second there, I had to think hard to picture him in Flannel, but I got it after a while! ^_^

Gamegirl3: Heehee. Thanks!

IceLily2: Keep your eyes open. The mystery will just kinda sneak up on you... ^_^

sarah: Oh, oops. Sorry 'bout that... That actually happened with someone else this time too... I think I know which part it was too.... Hmm, but I can't type it, now can I? ^_^

Kat Davi: LOL! That's what I'd do if I had one.... Hmmm, but my mom makes me take all the hard classes, so I have no room for one... Darn.

emimi: Heehee. Naw, I'm keeping it PG-13, dear. I know, that's what I was thinking. I was actually gonna have Snape go to the Masquerade as the Phantom, but I changed my mind, cuz it'd ruin the whole "Snuggle up and read Phantom of the Opera" scenes... Cuz he would have obviously already read it! ^_^

islandgirl4: Thanks bunches!

Pyrefly: LOL. They fell asleep, but no one's walked in on them yet.... Notice the key word there? ^_^

Silbara: LOL, I know what you mean. Usually when people say, "Can you picture ___?" I can usually honestly say yes. I had to stop and think really hard about this one.... ^_^

Lady Coia: ::giggles insanely:: Ahem.... Sorry bout that! ^_^ Anywho, thanks! ^_~

Meg: Unfortunately, I can't answer either yes or no to that cuz I might accidently reveal something that's being kept a secret... But, you can figure it out!! ^_^

sakura langert: Sorry that one was so short. I just wrote something at school and wanted to get it up quickly.

Alexzy: Heehee... I know about the cliffy thing. Earlier on in my writing, I kept asking my friends about what they'd think if they read certain things as the end. It's slowly going from "Holy cow, that's corny," to, "Go write. Now." LOL.... Thanks!

ShadowRogue: Holy cow! I think that's as much as I have bookmarked, and that's every fanfic I'm currently following... Wow, well, thanks!!

Zohar: lol! Thanks. That's OK, hyperness is fun! ^_^

BelleThePhilosopher'sCookie: Heehee. Yes, I agree with you on that! ^_^

ONE! TWO! FIVE! three sir! THREEEE! KABOOM!: Heehee! Gotta love Monty Python! ^_^ Anywho, hehe, yeah, that might be a good thing... ^_^

Agent Daidouji: Hehe. Thanks!

dracosgurl_chrissy: LOL... Yeah... Well, we're getting closer and closer to that, so you should find out if you keep reading. Don't worry... I'm trying to keep everyone happy with me, so I won't kill someone everyone loves.... Unless the timing is right... Or I'm mad and need to kill someone... ^_^