Char relaxed by the lake, enjoying the last bit of the sun's rays that were hitting his face. It was now twilight. The sky was glowing. It was now May; there was no more snow, no more cold, and no more bitterness. He was sitting under the willow tree, and watched the giant squid. He closed his eyes.

His moment of peace was interrupted by footsteps that were running toward him. "Char!" someone called.

Char opened one eye reluctantly. "What is it, Damien?"

Damien ran over to Char, breathing heavily.

"Someone leaked it!" he hissed.

"Leaked what?"

"The secret!"

Char opened his eyes fully, looking at Damien's worried expression. "What d'you mean?"

"Someone," Damien explained gasping for breath, "Told the Daily Prophet about him visiting Aly, and John visiting here! Now they know where he is!"

Char's eyes widened in horror. He looked around and stood up. He seized Damien and led him around the willow tree.

"Who?" he demanded angrily. "Who is the completely brainless fool would who leak it?!"

"Devon."

Char's gasped. "Him! But...but he promised!"

"Yeah, well, a certain someone caused him to act," Damien replied, staring evenly at him.

"Who?!" Char exclaimed.

"Hayden."

"What! What'd he do?!" Char exclaimed.

"Calm down!" Damien hissed. "Devon discovered Natasha and Hayden...kissing..."

"No." Char shook his head in disbelief. "He couldn't have. He wouldn't! He's got..." His heart thumped and the scene swirled before him.

"Natasha came onto Hayden," Damien said, staring at him evenly. "Hayden didn't come onto her."

"And what did Hayden do?" Char demanded. "Surely he knew they were together!"

"She came onto him. He protested, but she did it."

"And?"

"Devon was mad at Natasha. In revenge, he decided to send a letter to the Daily Prophet, talking about everything that's happened involving you-know-who," he said slowly.

"Why?" Char mouthed. "He's mad, but he did the worst possible thing!"

"Yeah," Damien agreed. "You are aware that this news will in the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning, right?"

Char rubbed his forehead in disbelief. "How could this happen. I knew something would happen!"

Char groaned in frustration. "Why? Why did she tell him? She could've lied, or something!"

"There's nothing we can do now," Damien said gravely. "This'll be in the Prophet, and we'll all be expelled!"

"Damien, there must be something we can do," Char pleaded. He had never felt more frantic.

"There isn't," Damien said sadly. "Aly's pleading with him right now, but I doubt anything will work."

Char sank to the ground in despair. Damien knelt beside him.

"I just can't wait to see what the Prophet says tomorrow morning," Devon said darkly. He stomped out of the abandoned classroom.

Natasha let a tear roll down her eye.

"Natasha James," Aly demanded. "What the heck is wrong with you?!"

"I'm sorry," she pleaded. Hayden stood over in a corner, staring out the window with depression.

"Sorry?! Sorry doesn't even cover it!" Aly exclaimed. "Do you know what you've done? This'll be in the Prophet by tomorrow. And we'll be expelled. And it'll be your fault!"

"Aly, I..."

"No. Just don't. Why'd you do that to Hayden?" Aly demanded, her green eyes furious. "You had Devon. Hayden had loved Kylie since first year! Why'd you do that? He didn't want it, and you did it anyway!"

"Listen, Aly, I'm sorry!" Natasha exclaimed.

"Why did you do it?" Aly asked quietly. "Just explain to me what motive you had for kissing Hayden. Just explain. That's all I want to know."

"I liked him," Natasha shrugged. "And Devon was becoming boring."

"Then go snog some other boy," Aly snapped. "Not my best friend. Especially when he's with someone else."

Aly looked at Hayden. "Let's go talk to Kylie."

"Kylie? Would she..."

"She needs to know. Besides, I bet Devon's going to try and spread it around."

Hayden sighed and walked over to the door, waiting.

Aly turned to Natasha. "I hope you're happy."

She walked out of the classroom with Hayden.

"Aly!"

"Damien," Aly said with relief. They entered the common room. Char stared at her, hard.

"Upstairs. Now."

Amanda and Kylie were with them, and they all walked upstairs to the boys' dormitory, sealing the door behind them.

Kylie whirled around. "Mind explaining?"

Hayden took Kylie and they sat down on the bed. Hayden explained everything.

Afterwards, Kylie blinked at Hayden. Then she hugged him. Aly's eyes widened in surprise.

"I believe you," she said, her voice muffled in Hayden's shoulder. Hayden hugged with relief. "Thank you," he said.

He let go and stared up at Aly. "What are we going to do?"

"I dunno," Char said blankly. "We can't stop the letter now. It'll be in the Prophet by tomorrow morning."

"We have to do something," Hayden said. "Something to clear our names."

"Not your names," Aly said hoarsely. "Mine."

Everyone turned and looked at her. She was leaning on the wall, her eyes staring down at the ground.

She sniffed, and her voice trembled. "It's my fault. It's all my fault. If I hadn't have been so determined, so ready...to help Adam, then none of this would've happened."

Amanda stared at her sadly.

"If I had just sent him a letter or two, and left it at that, then he never would've visited, Devon never would've found out, and we wouldn't be in this position."

"Aly, it's not all your fault," Damien said quietly. "You did what any friend would."

"Put their other friends in danger?" Aly demanded, staring up at hem. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. "Risk having them expelled? Forcing them to keep secrets?"

"We're your friends, Aly," Kylie said. "We'd do anything like that."

Aly trembled and looked away. The sun was now gone. There was no sun to look at.

"Aly," Hayden said softly. "Someone was bound to find out."

Aly didn't listen stared blankly at the sky. "I had no idea that she would do that."

"Who?"

"Natasha. We were the best of friends. I never would've imagined..."

"Aly, forget about that. We need to focus on what's going on now," Char said firmly.

Then everyone heard some sounds of thumping and everyone fell silent.

Aly looked at the door sharply. "What was that?"

"I dunno," Damien said pulling out his wand. "But I intend to find out."

Aly looked out of the window and gasped.

"What?" Amanda asked quickly. "It's Harry! And Dumbledore!"

Amanda squinted out of the window. "Dumbledore looks bad!"

"We'd better go..."

A yell from outside of the Gryffindor Tower was enough to silence them all.

"I think something's wrong," Damien said, looking around.