The meeting goes relatively uneventfully. I relay the Hufflepuff change to the team and review the plays I had put together just in case such an event was to happen.

What? I can't help that Chang really is the most boring Professor in my schedule. I have to do something to keep me awake during class. Coming up with obscure plans for low probability events is something that keeps me occupied. And hey, no one can argue it isn't coming in handy, now.

"… and that way the Hufflepuffs won't have a chance to line up their double option. Everyone got that?"

The room is quiet for a moment after I finish speaking.

"If you need me to go over it again…" I turn to the chalkboard on which I have drawn a complicated diagram of the play I'm describing.

"NO!" I turn around to see Meredith slumped over the desk, banging her head against it and Fred and Phillip jumping out of their chairs and running towards me.

"You've been at this for nearly an hour, Captain," Fred says, grabbing me under my right arm.

"Some people have places to be and homework to do," Phillip adds, grabbing me under my other arm.

Roger, apparently not wanting to miss out on the fun, runs to join them and grabs my feet at the ankles. I give him a betrayed look, but he just gives me a winning smile as my three mates carry me out. I writhe in their grip in an attempt to free myself to no avail.

"All of you are off the team!" I yell as they carry me down the corridor. Lorcan, Lysander, and Meredith are following behind our little parade. "Lor! Ly! Help me."

The twins smirk. "We were thinking about it," Lysander starts.

"But not a chance now," Lorcan picks up.

"You know we hate it when you call us that!" they say together with a wave. They walk away leaving Mer to follow us.

I stick out my lower lip and look at Mer pleadingly. She gives a small smile, shakes her head, and wiggles her fingers. She turns and follows the twins down the corridor which is starting to fill with students heading to their next lesson.

All help is gone. What have I done to deserve this?

"Where are you lot taking me?" I yell. Not too loud, though. I don't want to get in trouble, even though I'm the victim here.

I wiggle extra hard and I'm able to free my arm from Phil's grip. If I had been thinking, which we can all safely assume that I'm not, I would have realized that this would cause the other two of my captors to lose their balance and drop me roughly on the stone floor.

I land hard on my left shoulder and my three wanker roommates stand over me, smirking.

"Dumbarse," Fred says with a laugh.

"You lot are in for it," I promise at their smug grins. "You won't even know what hit you." It's not a bluff. I actually have a plan.

"Oi! Potter! Is your head too big for you to carry yourself, now?"

It's him. My blood boils at the sound of his voice. Travis Bloody Corner pushes his way through the small crowd surrounding me and my mates and looks down on me sitting on the floor. He's flanked by his 'friends,' who are only around him because his Mum's filthy rich. "There's no need to bow, Potter. However, you are right where you belong."

"Just looking for your dignity, Corner, though I think I may have to look at the bottom of the Lake to find it." A low 'ooooo' issues from the surrounding students. Roger lends me a hand up and I dust myself off quickly.

"Very clever, Potter," Corner says with a sneer. "Who did you cheat that one out of?"

I clench my fists and resist the urge to reach for my wand. "You're one to talk about cheating, Corner." His face twitches slightly and he gives me a nasty look. The crowd in the corridor is growing larger and I feel as if our groups are being forced closer together as the traffic in the corridor has to navigate around us.

Corner takes a step towards me and says in a low voice, so only I can hear, "So what? I've won, Potter. You can't have everything. Meredith is mine and it's going to stay that way."

He roughly pushes past me, knocking his shoulder hard into mine. I glare after him and discretely return my wand to my pocket.

"Wow, James," Fred says behind me. "I'm impressed. I thought you were going to hex Corner into next Tuesday from the look you were giving him."

"Just wait for it. I'm not known as the Prankster King of Hogwarts for nothing." I smile secretly and add, "You three should be happy Corner came along. That tosser just saved you some real discomfort."

Fred, Roger, and I make it to Herbology just as Nev… Professor Longbottom is closing the Greenhouse door for class. Neville doesn't mess around with his classes. If the door is shut, you've got a zero for the day.

"You three are very nearly late," he says, accusingly.

"Sorry, Professor," Roger pants (we just ran here from the common room). "We got held up in the Charms Corridor."

"I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what you were doing there when you don't have Charms today."

"I don't know what you mean, Professor," I claim putting on my interpretation of an innocent face.

"Now I know something's up." The three of us remain silent. "Whatever! As long as it doesn't disturb my class. Go and get settled, then."

We throw our bags under the table nearest the door and pull out of gloves. Herbology isn't my favorite subject, but it certainly is a nice change to get out of the castle for lessons. We're trimming the leaves of the Venomous Tentacula. They seem especially cranky today.

Forty-five minutes into Herbology, the greenhouse is shaken by a loud 'BANG' on the door. I jump and am distracted enough for the plant to bite my thumb. It's a good thing these gloves are new. Neville stalks over to the door quickly and rips it open. Chang is standing there looking absolutely livid; a large area of her left arm is covered in boils.

"Cho!" Neville appears to be quite startled at her arrival… not to mention her murderous expression. I turn away from the door and act as cool as possible. Those boils look very familiar. "What happened?"

"I need to see Potter, Neville."

"Why? What's going on?"

"We have a rather important appointment with the headmistress." I blanch, losing my concentration which allows the plant to nip my glove again. Bugger. This isn't good.

"Maybe I should go with him. I am his head-of-house…" I step back from the table I'm sharing with Fred and Roger (out of reach of the cranky Tentacula plant I've been working with) and reach into the pocket of my robes furtively.

"Oh, no. That won't be necessary, Neville. It's just for some simple questions involving some recent events in the Charms Corridor." Neville's eyes dart to me in realization.

"Alright, Cho. He'll be out in a minute." I clamp my fingers around the small box I'm looking for, pull my hand out, and hastily shove it into Fred's hand under the table. Fred looks down curiously and his eyes widen upon seeing the label and he shoves it into his own pocket without a word.

"Move along, James," Neville says walking towards me. "And be cooperative, this time," he adds in a low voice.

I stuff my belongings into my school bag, sling the bag over my shoulder, and follow Professor Chang out of the greenhouse and up to the castle. Chang is silently seething as we make our way into the entrance hall.

Professor McGonagall is waiting for us there along with Corner. Corner is rubbing his neck and I can see the faded red marks on his skin indicative of boils that have been recently cured.

"Headmistress," Chang greets, confused. "I was under the impression that I would be meeting you in your office."

"Yes, Cho, that was the request. However, I have just questioned Mr. Corner, and he has not been able to give any real evidence of Mr. Potter's involvement in the incident."

Chang balks at her words. "Professor," she starts warily, "I know what boils caused by Bulbadox Powder look like and this-" she holds up her boil-covered arm, "-is it."

"Yes, but that is still not proof that this was in direct correlation to Mr. Corner's and Mr. Potter's quarrel in the corridor."

Corner is glowering at me from behind McGonagall. I have to hold back a smirk. With the round, red marks all over his skin, he looks like he just got felt up by the giant squid. In my personal experience with boil removal, those marks will stay there for at least a day.

"Turn out your pockets, Potter." Chang is staring at me icily. I reach into my robes and pull out a quill, some pocket lint, and the remaining notes I had written at lunch, but hadn't sent. Chang disregards the first two items and eagerly reads the napkin-notes. Seeing the benign contents, she steps back.

"Now, Professor," McGonagall says. "If there is no evidence of Mr. Potter's involvement, I believe we should allow these two boys to return to their classes."

"I know Potter was involved Minerva-" Chang is stopped by McGonagall's raised hand.

"That's enough, Cho. And if I'm not mistaken, you have students waiting on you as well." McGonagall gives Chang a meaningful look and then addresses me and Corner. "You two may go."

I turn and walk back out of the castle quickly, but not too quick as to arouse McGonagall's suspicions further. I arrive back at the greenhouse just as Neville is releasing the rest of the class.

"A reminder: your essays on Tentacula care and handling are due on Monday." Neville notices me at the door and approaches me, motioning me away from the doorway. "What was that about, James?"

"Professor Chang thought that I was responsible for the boils on her arm." I say evenly.

"And were you?"

"Professor McGonagall found no evidence of my involvement."

"That's not what I asked."

I turn down the corners of my mouth and shake my head. "I have no idea what happened to Professor Chang."

Neville stares me down and my do my best to stay calm as he scrutinized me closely. "If you say so, James."

He dismisses me with a wave and I rush to meet a waiting Fred and Roger. I can't believe my luck.

"What was that all about?" Roger asks.

"Did you get detention?" Fred asks at the same time.

"No," I look at Fred in absolute surprise as the truth sinks in. "I got off." Fred and Roger both stop, mouths hanging open.

Fred recovers first. "Say that again."

I smile wide. "I got off!"

Fred whoops and pumps his fist in the air while Roger exclaims, "Bloody hell! James, you've got to tell me what happened. I think this might be the first time I've ever heard you say that!" Roger and Fred are jumping around like idiots as we enter the Entrance Hall.

Fred pulls out the box I handed him earlier and tosses it to Roger. "Bulbadox Powder," he reads off the label. "So, what?"

"I handed that to Fred just as Chang pulled me out of class. Did you see those boils on her arm?"

Comprehension dawns on Roger's face. "Did you put this on Chang?" he asks with a laugh.

"No. I've had this in my pocket all day. I'd forgotten I'd had it and found it this morning in my trunk. I was going to use it on you arses, but Corner conveniently came along."

"So you used it on Corner?"

"Sure did. When he bumped into me, I magicked the dust over him. He must've bumped into Chang as he was walking to class. I have no idea how she got boils, to be honest." I wait a tick and add, "Not that I'm complaining."

"That was brilliant, James!" Fred yells, pounding my back as we make our way up to the third floor.

As we walk down the corridor, I realize the story must have already filtered through the Hogwarts gossip chain. Students are giving me thumbs ups or dirty looks, depending on which team they appear to be on. I was able to block a jinx from behind in the nick of time as I rounded the corner on the seventh floor to the hall where the entrance to the common room is. I get a high five from a third year coming out of the portrait hole and enter the round room.

There aren't too many people in yet, considering classes are still going. Fred, Roger, and I kick a few second years out of our favorite spot and settle in to pretend to do some homework.

"We need to practice Non-verbal Cheering Charms," Fred announces, looking over his Charms notes from the last class.

"Nooooo," I groan, making my body limp and sliding off the chair I'm sitting in and onto the ground.

"Exhilarous," Fred says, pointing his wand at me.

I'm suddenly overcome with fits of laughter, causing the other students in the common room to look over with sharp looks. Someone from a table nearby goes "Shhh!" We apparently aren't the only ones with work due on Friday.

I bite my tongue and put my hand over my mouth in an attempt to stifle the laughter. "Sorry, mate. Must've overdid it." Fred does honestly look confused about the results of his charmwork.

"It probably would've helped to have actually done the charm non-verbally," Roger puts in, helpfully. The charm is starting to wear off a bit and my shaking body calms as the uncontrollable laughter turns into small giggles. I still keep my hand over my mouth, however. Real men don't giggle.

I hear the portrait hole open as Fred facepalms himself. "I can't believe I just did that," he says removing his hand from his and looking up at the ceiling, exasperated.

"Hey Mer!" Meredith had just entered the common room and Roger waves her over. "We were just starting to practice Cheering Charms before Fred and James started being idiots."

"Sounds about right." She says with a smile. Not her brilliant smile that makes her whole face light up, but a cold smile with no joy in it. It is a very strange expression on her. I would have said that she could use a Cheering Charm, too, if my mouth hadn't still been covered to prevent those damn unmanly giggles from escaping.

Roger and Fred don't seem to notice. "You want to join?" Fred offers.

"I need to speak to James, guys." The look she gives me turns my blood to ice. She is pissed. It's a good thing I didn't say that joke about Cheering Charms out loud. She likely would have cursed me instantly, seeing as I appear to be the reason she's pissed in the first place.

Without another word, Meredith turns on her heel and walks back across the common room. I silently follow her stiff gait back through the portrait hole, leaving behind a very confused Fred and Roger. She leads me a little ways away from the entrance to Gryffindor Tower before she turns on me suddenly, causing me to run into her. As I retreat slightly, I notice that this hasn't made things better.

"Explain yourself," she hisses tersely. I look down at the stone floor frantically trying to understand what she was talking about. She sniffs loudly out of her nose. "Travis? Bulbadox Powder?" she offers snippily.

"What about it?" I don't know what she's all upset about. I prank people quite frequently.

Mer's eyes widen with anger and I recoil at her look. "Did you, or did you not, cover my boyfriend in Bulbadox Powder just moments before he went to take an Arithmancy test?"

"Was that where he was going?" I wonder out loud.

"James!" Meredith looks positively frightening. I take a subconscious step back. "What the hell? Why did you do that?"

"What, Mer?" I ask seriously. "I do stuff like that all the time."

"I know you guys had a little run-in earlier today."

"He started it," I argue juvenilely.

Meredith rolls her eyes. "You promised not to do anything to him," she accuses sharply.

Damn it. I did promise that. "But that was before I found out he was cheating," I explain in my head, willing Meredith to hear it.

"Wh-what did you just say?" Meredith stands frozen in front of me, her anger changed to pure surprise.

Bloody hell. I had to have said that one out loud. I guess my brain made the decision to tell her on its own. I could just say 'Nothing' in response and I won't have to tell her right now…

No. I'm a Gryffindor for Circe's sake! I can do this.

I brace myself and repeat, "That was before I found out he was cheating on you."

Mer stands there, shocked, eyes wide, but almost as sudden as her original reaction, her face changes. Meredith is furious. She's probably angrier with me than she ever has been, including when we had our row. Meredith's face reddens; she pulls her arm back, and slaps me… hard. "How dare you?" she spits dangerously. Her narrowed eyes pierce me as she seems to become twice as large in her rage. "How dare you say something like that? Just because you don't like Travis does not give you any room to smear him like that."

I rub my cheek where her hand made contact and look at her bewildered. "Smear him?"

"That's right. I know you hate him. You've had it out for him ever since first year."

I watch as she starts pacing in front of me. My face is starting to swell under my hand.

"Oh yes, James Potter," I wince slightly at her use of my last name. "I know it. He's told me everything."

I can't hold it back. "So dear Travie-wavie has been telling you all about our wonderful relationship, huh?"

"That's right. I never realize how much of a bully you can be until he told me about all the awful stuff you've done to him."

"Really, now? Like what?" I don't have any idea what to expect.

"The way you attacked him in Potions that first time! The time you tricked him in third year to sneak out of Ravenclaw Tower and he got caught. Every bloody time you hex him in the corridors!" My heart is pounding as I listen to her. That wanker has been lying up a storm to her this year.

"Mer-"

"And who can forget the time in fifth year when you completely humiliated him during our O.W.L.s by making it so he had to speak in iambic pentameter during practical examinations. And don't get me started on your accusation of his cheating on his Transfiguration exam last year."

She stands still now, seething and breathing hard. "Meredith-"

There are tears in her eyes, now. I can see them start to slowly fall down her cheeks. She barely cries, but it kills me when she does, before as a friend, and now as the girl I love.

…

What the hell?

What the bloody hell was that, brain?

I'll get back to that, later. Meredith's still screaming at me.

"You think you're so damn clever, Potter. Everything always ended up making you look good didn't it? You have been so full of yourself that you don't even notice that you hurt people. And I used to think you were justified."

"Meredith!" I finally bellow, unable to stop it. Mer turns to me, momentarily alarmed, and then continues to glare, tears glistening on her face. "Are you going to let me say anything?"

"Why should I let you?"

"Because I think you should listen to your best mate." Something flickers in her eyes and her expression softens slightly. She nods at me once. "Alright, then. First off, how many of those events did you witness first-hand?" I pause to let her think for a moment before answering, "All of them, Mer. You know bloody well that half the time I hex him, it's because he hexed me first. I think a hex now and then is fine, but you know I prefer to pull pranks than throw spells.

"You know what happened in Potions first year. I've told the story about a million times. Sneaking out after hours third year? He heard me and Phillip talking about going to the kitchens and he wanted to bust us. We were under the cloak, so we didn't get caught when the idiot started banging around looking for us.

"And O.W.L.s… well, I admit that that one was a bit unprovoked, but it was funny to watch." Meredith sniffs hard. That one didn't do me any favors, but I'm past worrying about that. That bastard Corner has painfully misinformed my best mate and I'm not going to let that go on any longer.

"And what about exams last year?" Mer asks in a thick voice.

I look at her seriously and finally say, "I'm not sure how that story got out, Mer. Honestly. I swear I talked to Professor Staunton in private about that. You remember right? I told you about it. I only told you, Fred, Roger, and Phillip that I suspected and if you remember correctly, nothing even came of it. I was wrong." The last sentence feels very foreign coming out of my mouth. I hate to admit that I'm wrong, even if I know it's true.

She has my side of the stories, now. I can only hope to Merlin that it's enough.

"What makes you think he's cheating, now?" Meredith says, sniffing and wiping her eyes, a frown still on her face.

I can't look at her. "I saw him on the Map earlier today."

A heavy silence falls between us. The Map never lies.

"Who… was he… was he with?" Mer asks. She's struggling to hold her emotions in check.

"I-" I stop and take a breath. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" her voice is dangerous again.

"I saw his name and then looked away."

"You don't… know." She gives a little hiccup of a laugh. "I don't believe you." My eyes snap up at her. "I think you are a lying sack of crap." The pitch of her voice is getting higher as she speaks.

"I'm a liar?" I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"How do you know he wasn't with me?" she frantically inquires.

"I thought he was! That's why I didn't bother to check the other name!"

"Then why couldn't that other person have been me?"

"Because I ran into you right after I saw him near the Owlery!" I roar in frustration. At the word 'Owlery,' her face has a momentary look of comprehension.

"Earlier… before the meeting…" She shakes her head firmly, her angry scowl returning. "No!" she shouts. I'm not sure if it's at me or herself.

"I'm sorry, Mer," I try to comfort her and I take a step back in her direction.

She takes two steps quickly away from me. "You are doing what you do best, James," she says scathingly. "Speaking before thinking. There could be any number of explanations for what you saw. I bet you didn't even think about how I would feel by just telling me that load of bullocks."

"I promise I'm telling the truth!"

"And why should I believe you? You may hate Travis, but he's sweet and he's good to me. He loves me!" I feel my stomach churn at her statement. "I know he does! He treats me better than you, anyway. I can't believe you have the nerve to lie to my face about this. But no one can be happy if you're not happy, right? I'm sorry Julia was a slutty hag who slept with half the school when she was with you, but that shouldn't mean you can take my happiness away from me!" Meredith words sting way worse than the bruise now forming on my cheek.

"You just don't know what a real relationship is, do you?" she continues. Each word cuts me deeper. "I know you. You've never really cared about anyone you've been with, and that's about a quarter of the female population at the school! I bet you don't even know what it feels like to feel attraction towards someone. What do you know about relationships?"

This last accusation penetrates the area inside that I've been trying to cover since term started. "What do I know?" I yell back at her, hurt and angry. Meredith jumps. I've never yelled at her (off the Quidditch pitch). I've yelled around her, but never at her. She's usually pretty good about knowing how far is too far in my book. "You just said that Julia slept with half the school while she was with me! Just because I realize now that I never actually cared for her doesn't mean that it hurt any less. To have someone you trust just betray you like that…" I trail off as a lump forms in my throat. I swallow hard and shake my head.

"What do I know?" I repeat, quieter. "I know that it royally sucks to be cheated on. I know how it feels to find out the person you're dating tried to seduce one of your closest friends! I would never purposely cause someone to think that they're being cheated on, least of all you, Mer, because if it hurt that much even when I didn't care, I know it would've hurt even more if I did.

"You mean more to me than you know, Mer, and I would never try to hurt you just because I don't like the bloke you're with. If you don't believe me, fine. I'm trying to help you, honestly, but I can only do so much. If you choose to believe a guy you've been with for a month over your best mate…" I gulp and look at the floor.

I gave it my best shot to tell Mer about Corner, but she didn't listen to me. She has to figure this out on her own if she doesn't believe me. She slapped me when I told her the truth and she threw opened up wounds that were better kept sealed. I wanted to spill my heart out, but she called me a liar. Not even a girl I like this much can cause me this much inner turmoil and expect me to just sit there and take it all.

The tears are still streaming down Meredith's shocked and hurt face as I turn and walk back to the common room. I need some time alone. I really can't be near people right now.