I don't have anything special to say here today. So read, enjoy, review. RM and I don't own HP.

Attack

December 18th, 1992

Fourth Year

In the Library a group of Hufflepuff second years were saying nasty things about Harry. Harry overheard them and stormed out, frustrated and hurt and just a teeny bit scared. Leili came up behind them and with several resounding whacks to the backs of their heads said, "You are giving all 'Puffs a bad name!" One word per smack.

"But Potter's been behind the attacks! You'd better stay away from him!" Ernie told her solemnly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Harry Potter, attacking students? How dumb can you get?" Jo snorted as she came to stand beside Leilani.

"But it all makes sense! Justin told him he was muggle born and Potter had the snake attack him, Potter had a run in with Filch and then Filch's cat got attacked, that little first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him and stuff, and then he gets attacked and Potter's a Parselmouth!"

"None of that means anything!" Leili told them, exasperated. "First off: the snake didn't touch Justin, Harry stopped it from attacking Justin, biiiig difference there. As for Mrs. Norris, my cat, Morgan got into a tussle with her that day, do you think I attacked her, hung her by her tail and wrote threatening messages on the wall? No, you don't, because you're not stupid-even if you are acting like it. Colin was annoying Harry the day before, yes, but honestly, who wants pictures of your best friend puking up slugs? C'mon, gross."

"In the muggle world we have a sort-of saying, innocent until proven guilty; what you have is a whole lot of coincidence." Jo told them, hoping this would settle it.

"But Leilani always says, 'once is chance, twice is coincidence and three times is a conspiracy'!" Hannah pointed out and Leilani groaned, she did in fact say that quite often. But she didn't mean it to be taken literally, usually anyway.

"Nice to know they listen to us." Jo muttered. Jo was about to open her mouth to say something else when suddenly Peeves' shout interrupted her thought.

"ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATAAAACK!" Before Peeves had even finished, Ernie was leaping up out of the chair and running for the door.

"Ah, stupid cotton pickin' Peeves!" Leili swore, feeling somewhere between whacking him repeatedly with her heaviest book and pulling her hair out. She stopped and looked at Hannah, "Don't repeat that." Hannah blinked as Leili took off after Jo who'd sped off after Ernie. Leili skidded around the corner as a loud bang went off and all the noise she'd heard as she took the stairs two at a time quieted.

Ernie pointed at Harry and panting said, "Caught in the act!" for Harry was standing over a petrified Justin Finch-Fletchley.

"That will do, Macmillan!" Professor McGonagall snapped. Jo whacked him upside the head for Leilani, Peeves was grinning wickedly and singing one of his taunting little songs. "That is enough, Peeves!" McGonagall barked at the poltergeist, who, tongue out at Harry, zoomed away backwards.

Ernie followed as Professors Flitwick and Sinistra carried Justin away to the infirmary while Professor McGonagall gave the girls a pair of large fans and instructions to float Nearly-Headless Nick to the infirmary.

"I wonder how ridiculous this looks…" Leili thought aloud as they fanned Nick down the corridors and up the stairs.

Jo answered simply, "Pretty ridiculous." Three days later the girls were on the train home for Christmas, upon arrival Leili would find that the Lucky potion she'd left stewing at home had gone wrong. Positive she'd followed the instructions, she would wash out the cauldron and start over, making absolutely sure she followed the instructions perfectly.