March 27th, 1995. Thursday.

Selena held her books tightly as Professor Moody opened a cauldron lid to a curl of steam twisting in the air.

"This," he said to the class of Second Years, "is Amortentia. It's the strongest love potion known to the wizarding world. Although it doesn't create love, it does start a sort of... infatuation. It's meant to lure someone in."

"Sir," Bronwen said, raising her hand. "I find it very informational to be studying this, but why are we? It's a potion - this is Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Some students agreed with little nods, but most of the remained silent - including Selena. Ever since she and Renee had told Headmaster Dumbledore everything, she was terrified of Professor Moody. What if he remembered everything? Surely Erebus would have told him?

Professor Moody nodded. "Good point, Miss Lovell. But, it has been used as a weapon by dark-magic wielding wizards before. The potion has been used to make someone drunk with infatuation, or simply draw them closer and closer... Therefore, it shows that even potions can be part of the Dark Arts. Now, everyone come up the table."

Selena glanced over at Hazel, and they walked up slowly together. The rest of the class approached as well, feet shuffling on the wooden floor of Classroom 3C.

"Now, take turns stepping towards the potion and telling the class what you smell..." Professor Moody said. His fake eye spun, skipping around the classroom. For a moment, the blue eye zipped to Selena. A rush of panic went down her spine like needles, but she forced herself to not look away. Professor Moody looked away within a second, Selena feeling herself beginning to breathe easier. Her heart jumped erratically, terrified. Surely Moody must know...

Selena glanced back at Renee near the end of the crowd. Renee was staring at the cauldron as Astoria Greengrass - a Slytherin girl - smelled the potion. Renee caught Selena's gaze, honey eyes tinged with the same concern. Renee looked put-together, light-brown hair pulled up into a pony-tail like usual, Gryffindor robes pressed. However, Selena could see the little things that revealed her friend was concerned, like the way Renee fiddled with her gold bracelet.

Attempting a small smile, Selena tried to reassure her friend they were okay, even if she didn't totally believe it herself. Renee returned the smile, the humor not quite reaching her eyes. Turning back to the shuffle of students approaching the cauldron - and Moody - Selena found herself twiddling with the little charms on her own bracelet. There was the miniature wand her mother had given her when she turned eleven. There was the cat she had purchased herself a few months before adopting Crescent. There was the pegasus that Anne Black had given her at the end of last year as an olive branch, thanking her for helping save Sirius Black. Selena continued counting off the rest of the charms, Hazel stepping up to the table.

Hazel smiled and let her eyes close, leaning over the cauldron. She ended up having to be poked in the back with a wand to step out of line.

When Selena walked up, she didn't look Professor Moody in the eye - real of fake. Making sure she didn't fidget with her bracelet anymore, she kept her shoulders back and cleared her mind. All that mattered right now was the potion, not any conspiracy theories. She looked down into the potion, the liquid shining like mother-of-pearl. Steam warmed her face, rising from the cauldron. Suddenly, different aromas swirled into her head. Citrus, fresh parchment, and gingerbread cookies. It was the best thing she'd ever smelled, capturing her attention. It was like the classroom fell away and all that mattered was this potion.

She then knew she had to step away, and forced herself to move. The Gryffindor walked over towards the windows, and let her smile (which she wasn't even aware of) fall off her lips.

Renee was next and took maybe three seconds before stepping away. She headed over beside Selena, Hazel trailing over as the effects of the potion finally wore off.

"What was it?" Selena whispered.

"Clover, my late mum's perfume - it's almost like honey, and also the ocean breeze. You?" Renee said.

"Oh, parchment, gingerbread cookies, and something citrus. Hazel what about-" Selena stopped mid-sentence because she suddenly got a chill. Looking over her shoulder, she found Moody watching her and Renee. Selena looked away, turning back to her friends.

She sighed and pulled Renee farther from the group of students that was beginning to accumulate by the windows. "Okay," she whispered. "I think Professor Moody has been watching us ever since we told Dumbledore about his schemes. What if he does something to us?"

"Like what? Detention?" Renee said sarcastically.

Selena gave her a look. This was Renee's coping strategy for fear, to try and turn it into a joke. But Selena wasn't kidding. "I just have this... hunch."

"Oh," Renee said seriously. "You don't want a hunch. They make your posture horrible!"

Selena sighed again. "Not that kind of hunch! I'm talking about the ones where you have an idea!"

Renee looked at Moody. "Then I have a hunch that I'm going to get a Troll on my next test."

Elizabeth leaned over from her desk, plopping down in the seat. "That's not a hunch, that's a fact."

Renee grinned. "I know. It'll be my third in a row!"

Later That Night, at Dinner

"So, Wendy, you never did tell us. Why did you jinx those sinks?" Alisson asked Wendy, biting into a strawberry.

Wendy sighed, setting her soup spoon down. She stared at the Gryffindor table, brushing at her fringe. "Danny tried to talk to me. At first I accepted his apology and stuff - until he went brainless. He said that Avery and I should get along, and that Avery's a great girl and I should take her advice on things. I kind of exploded."

"Actually," Tess said, "the sinks exploded."

"Yeah," Elizabeth piped up, swiveling her head between the two. Her aqua-framed glasses reflected the firelight around the chattering Great Hall. "I heard it took Professor Flitwick a while to repair the piping. You know, that's the second time the sinks have been broken? I heard the first time was some incident on Halloween three years ago by a troll. That lavatory has seen a lot."

Wendy nodded. "And I haven't talked to Danny since... I'm still mad at him, though. How can he be doing so well with an apology, and then start bragging about Avery? You know, at first I really liked Avery. We've never been extremely close, but we're dormmates. She was awesome, but now she's starting to mind-control Danny!"

"Ooh," Selena cooed. "Someone's still jealous, huh?"

Wendy shot a look at her. "I'm with Draco, remember?"

Selena nodded and Sasha scoffed, rolling her green eyes. "Oh, we remember..."

"Yeah," Alisson said. "Why are you still with him? He's such a ninny!"

"No he's not!" Wendy retorted defensively. "He's actually pretty nice if you get to know him. Much better than Danny ever was."

Selena wasn't quite sure how true that statement was, but she wasn't about to challenge Wendy about it and possibly get blown up like those poor sinks.

"Speak of the devil," Sasha said, and looked towards the tall Great Hall doors. Danny was about ten minutes late to dinner, but Wendy narrowed her eyes at the girl he was holding hands with.

Avery waved at them, looking particularly adorable today with her dark blonde hair up in pigtail buns. Her bright grin only added to the angelic look.

Wendy stood up. "Send three sugared rolls up to my dorm later," she said to the girls at the table, and then swept past the couple on her way out without a spare glance.

"Anyway," Selena said as Danny and Avery sat down. "I still don't know what to do about Professor Moody... I'm suspicious that he's been almost stalking me and Ree."

About a week after the Second Task, Selena and Renee had finally told their friends about everything they'd been up to. They told the whole story, not even leaving out that the Terror Twins were involved somehow.

"Ew, the creep!" Alisson said. Her lip curled in disgust.

"No, not like that" Selena said. She tapped on her goblet of pumpkin juice, looking at her warped reflection in its golden surface. "I think Moody knows we told Dumbledore about everything he's been up to... Maybe he'll threaten us, demand we tell Dumbledore we were wrong, because if Moody gets caught... we're the reason. He might be worried he'll get sacked."

"Hey," Elizabeth said. "I hope he gets sacked. No more class with Creepy-Eye Moody sounds pretty nice to me."

Alisson bobbed her head in agreement. "And if he's sacked, he can't threaten you!"

"No," Selena said again. "No one is going to kick him out of the teacher's seat for Defense Against the Dark Arts. It's too near the end of the year. We have exams at the end of term, and it wouldn't be good if we didn't have a teacher... Simply because he was making a Polyjuice Potion for whatever reason, and stole from Snape. I'm just thinking he's worried he'll get sacked after that. Besides, the Third Task for the Triwizard Tournament is in three months! It would horrible press for Hogwarts if a teacher was sacked in the middle of the tournament."

"Yeah," Avery said, joining the conversation. "Professor Hagrid had all the Third Years catching those Blast-Ended-Skrewts a week ago for the task. I got two burns and getting cut is something horrible." Danny agreed, listing similar injuries.

Selena looked at them. "Okay, but what should I do about Moody? I can't sleep anymore with all this in my head!"

But her friends had begun to lose attention. Renee and Alisson began discussing the most recent Falmouth Falcons Quidditch match. Elizabeth and Tess were comparing homework answers for Astronomy. Selena sighed, glancing at the golden dinner plate before her, appetite gone.

Even Later That Night

Selena waited until the rest of her friends were deep asleep before she reached into her school bag and took out an ink pot. The dorm was silent, all of Gryffindor Tower asleep (minus one.) As the dark-haired girl sat in the covers of her warm bed, curtains drawn, she peered around the dorm.

Silvery moonlight shone in through the room window, slanting across the floor and stove in the center. The glass jug of water sparkled. Dust motes danced in slow-motion, moving in the glowing rays, the rest of the circular room still. Even Shorty was asleep. The tiny owl had his head tucked under one tawny wing. Sierra - Alisson's kitty - was out prowling somewhere in the Common Room. Crescent was resting soundly on Selena's legs, the cat like a black ball in the dark.

Alisson began to snore softly, Selena glancing up. The girl was splayed out on top of her covers, one leg of her pajamas hiked up around her knee. Her long brown hair was messy, tangled around her shoulders. Renee mumbled something in her sleep about a talking pegasus, rolling over. Over by Elizabeth's bedside table, a ray of moonlight glinted off her glasses. They were propped on top of a stack of textbooks, Liz having nearly fallen asleep reading A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.

Taking a breath, taking in the quiet, Selena reached in her bedside drawer. The muffled scrape of wood didn't wake anyone. Taking a brown notebook from her bedside table, Selena got out her bed. Crescent looked at her, heavy-lidded eyes narrowed with annoyance. Selena gave the cat a pat on his ears before she took a quill from her bag and walked a few steps to sit under the window.

The wooden floor was hard, her legs getting chilled as she tried to adjust her pajama pants. Settled, Selena admired the brown diary. It had been a gift from Wendy a couple Christmas' ago, but they had been in a fight at the time. Still, Selena had brought the diary back this year just in case she'd wanted to write. The journal was lovely, complete with faux gems on the cover that glittered in the moonlight. Selena unclipped the bronze lock, turning to a fresh, creamy page.

She dipped her quill in the inkpot, and began to write.

Dear Diary,

Okay, so I've never really had a diary before so I'm going to try.

Um, I'm Selena Malast. My middle name is Sophie. I live in Great Britain - I'm from Bath. That's in southern England. I go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm in Gryffindor House. And I'm 12. I have one pet. He is a black cat named Crescent. Anyway, I have a problem, and I'm sorry I haven't written to you sooner.

She stopped for a moment and got more ink. Chewing on the soft feather tip, Selena thought for a moment. Then she began to write again.

Alright.

Well, my friend and I kind of got a teacher into trouble for stealing from another teacher but didn't tell him. We told the Headmaster and now I think the teacher we got into trouble is going to hurt us because he somehow found out it was us...

It's all very odd. Dumbledore - the Headmaster of Hogwarts - has said he'll look into it. And I trust he will. But I can't help but wonder what that means. And what the teacher might think. I'm not quite sure what to do. I guess that's why I'm writing. Because it doesn't seem like my friends know what to do, either.

I'm considering talking to Dumbledore again. Renee just doesn't need to know this time. There's no need to get her into more trouble.

Wish me luck. I think I'm going to need it.

So now she's going to get help, but is it too late?

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope to post the next chapter this weekend! =D

Thanks to (for reviewing chapter 49):

Guest

CharmedMillie

Kurono-Angel

PhoenixRose92

Thanks for reading, and a review?

~Meghan

P.S- THIS IS THE 50TH CHAPTER! OH MY GRAPES! SO HAPPY! ;)

P.S.S- I also posted the pictures of some things from this story like the dresses of the girls I described and stuff. I hope you like them. And the links may not work, so I will find the sites too and put them up so you can see the dresses of some of the girls or a patronous. =D