By the time I had skidded around the end of the corridor, the three Potter wannabe's had disappeared from sight. Bum.

Cursing loudly, I started running down a sloping landing and whizzed around another corridor, just in time to see them disappear down a staircase. With a feral smile I ran nimbly forwards and stood quietly at the top of the stairs, watching them dismount. I could hear them laughing about something. Well, they wouldn't be laughing for much longer. Not when I caught them red-handed doing…whatever it was they were doing.

Oooh, I could just hear that Mission Impossible tune start up in my head as I tiptoed down the stairs after them, my back pressed to the wall, invisible gun in my hand…and then Moony turned around.

I swear to Merlin, my heart had never leapt so fast as it did when he suddenly stopped and spun around, looking directly up at me. I mean, like, what the bloody hell? I was being so quiet I couldn't even hear myself! But no…he had frozen at the bottom of the staircase, face pointed directly up at me, and, oh bugger, he had his wand raised as well.

My thought pattern at that moment in time was: "omigodhesgoingtokillmeandidontwanttodiesomeonehelpmearrraaaaaaaaahhghh!"

So, as you can see, I was prone to act quite rationally.

I watched as Moony muttered something to Black, then to Thingy, then they all started coming back up the stairs, directly towards me.

Oh come on. What would you have done? Stepped boldly out of the shadows, let out a warrior cry and shot curses at them?

I don't think so. I mean, that's what would I would have liked to have done, but really, that's just not me.

I let out one, petrified squeak and turned tail and bolted back up the stairs, in plain view of them, tripped over when I got to the top, squeaked again, then carried on running. I was running so fast if I stopped I would fall over, and my feet were thundering along landing after landing, up staircase after staircase…I was convinced I could hear them all behind me, brandishing their guns and yelling stuff after me…Gryffindor tower was getting closer, I knew it, I was getting there, to safety…

Only as I was streaking like lightning down that corridor, I suddenly heard this deafening "AIEEEEEEEEEEOOOOWWWW!" from in front of me, and in horror, I looked up and saw the small, damning outline of the caretakers cat, Mrs Norris, wailing for all the world to hear, her yellow eyes fixed maliciously on me.

I didn't even stop to think. One second I was just desperately running, my chest heaving and with stitches in my sides, the next second I had my wand in my hand and I shouted "STUPEFY!" at her with all the breath I had left.

Mrs Norris crumpled to the floor, motionless.

I skidded to halt before the portrait. The Fat Lady opened her eyes and stared suspiciously at me.

"Well, if you're out after hours, then we know all hope is lost," she sighed, smoothing down her dress (does she ever get sick of being so damn Professor-like? I mean, all she is is a painting!) and eyeing me wearily. "Password?"

"Bu…Buttercup Muffins!" I choked out, and scrambled inside when she swung forward. I collapsed into a couch in front of the dying fire. The common room was deserted.

Oh my God.

I had just shot Mrs Norris.

I had abused an animal.

Come to think of it, would a cat even survive a stunning curse? What if the force of my spell had actually killed her? What if she was lying out there, dead? Oh my God. I was a cat murderer. I would be expelled from Hogwarts. Would they send me to Azkaban for accidentally stunning a cat dead? Merlin, I could see the headlines now: 'Evans the Evil Kills Karetaker's Kitty." My name would be mud for the rest of my life…I would be left in my prison cell to rot…maybe Potter would visit me sometimes, to laugh in my face…

I was running through the corridors of Hogwarts again…people were chasing after me…I heard Mrs Norris wail, then a gun-shot…

"Lileeeeeeee…."

The bleeding Mrs Norris had morphed into Marlene, who was smiling scarily at me and brandishing a newspaper. Good Lord.

"Lileeeeeeeee…"

For the second time in two days, I was treated to a lovely view up Marlene's nose first thing in the morning.

"Alright, calm down, I'm up," I mumbled, rolling over and feeling faintly surprised when I fell and hit the floor with a thump.

"Ow."

Too tired to move, I lay there with my face in the carpet and closed my eyes again. Mmmm, sleep…lovely…

"You must have fallen asleep down here last night," came Marlene's annoying voice, directly above my head. "What were you doing, homework?"

"Hrrruffghmph," I told the floor, hoping that Marlene understood that as: "Bugger off and leave me alone."

Sadly, she didn't. "Sorry, what was that?" she chirped cheerily. Giving up, I rolled over and squeaked slightly as blinding daylight shot into my eyes through the window next to me.

"Nothin' much," I muttered, climbing with difficulty to my feet and leaning heavily on the wall. Bloody hell, it must have been a wacky night last night for me to feel this bad. If only I could remember…

And then, unfortunately, all of last nights gory details came flooding back into my mind. Groaning, I buried my head in my hands as Marlene started rabbiting away about what she was going to do today.

"Marlene, do me a favour and shut up for a while, yeah?" I croaked out miserably. Oh God. I had just remembered Mrs Norris. Marlene, bless her, took that as her cue to get all mother-like. Standing with her hands on her hips, her sternest expression on her face (which actually reminds me of a constipated giraffe) and fire blazing in her eyes, she goes, all seriously:

"Have you been drinking?"

"Oh, yes, Marlene," I snapped back, "With Potter in fact. While we had sex. All night long. In a cupboard."

The frown turned to a look of horror. "You didn't!"

I gave her a long, hard look. "I'm going to take a shower now," I said slowly, "And when I come back I want you to have found your brain and restored it to your head. Ok?"

At her blank stare, I rolled my eyes and stamped moodily up the stairs. It was going to be a long day.

0o0o0o0

Reviewers...I love you all...velly velly mucho. You have no idea what you did for my ego, 'Badger', when you said you'd be using that quote for the rest of your life. I'm pretty sure you won't, but it wasgreat to hear. Thank you!

And, like last time, if you liked any particular line in this chapter, or have any questions and/or complaints, stick it in your review. Buttercup muffins to you all!

Bubbles xxx