Chapter 2. Yay! I hope you enjoy it. It gets a little sappy. Just be forewarned. I promise that it won't always be like this. Once the D.A. is established, it should feel less fluffy and more Hogwartsy.

-NFG-

Over the next couple of weeks, I managed to see less of Fred and George (and any other member of the Gryffindor quidditch team) as well as my cream. I had been using it more than I was willing to admit. I had been seeing many more fans of their handy-work, though. Plenty of girls had been complimenting my skin and a few second years had even asked to touch it. Not only was it hiding my skin problems, but it seemed to be... fixing them as well. Why Fred and George were interested in cosmetics for their dream joke-shop was beyond me though I suspected monetary motives. The little tycoons.

Cho seemed to more distant with quidditch practice and Marietta had informed me that she had an official date with Terry Boot (the fifth year she had been flirting shamelessly with since our first evening back at school) on the weekend of our first Hogsmeade visit.

Then, there was Umbridge. The Ministry had made her Hogwarts High Inquisitor... which meant she could impose her own barbaric and closed-minded rules as far as I was concerned. Also, I hadn't learned a single bit of information from her in D.A.D.A. since her long dull detailed lectures seemed to put me to sleep during each class. I was genuinely surprised that she hadn't given me detention. However, I suppose I could do worse things in class... like talk about the Ministry or Voldermort. I had learned early on from a livid Hermione Granger that those were definite red flags. Apparently, Harry was racking up detentions like house points.

"She's fowl and I'm finding more and more difficult to hold my own tongue around her. She's absolutely wretched, Vivian," Hermione had stated as brought D.A.D.A. to make small talk with her in the library one evening.

"We aren't clueless! We deserve to be taught properly."

I nodded my head in agreement, "I miss Lupin."

Hermione blinked at me a bit baffled then her expression softened emmensely and she let out an amused giggle. I hadn't intended for my comment to cheer her up from her rant... but I was glad that it had. She looked so angry she might cry... or hurt someone.

"You aren't alone in that sense," she assured me, "Remus Lupin was a very admirable professor."

"Yes, he was," I added with a grin, "I could admire him all day if I had the chance."

Hermione let out another amused giggle and pushed my book back towards me, "Anyways, on the subject of capable teachers for D.A.D.A."

It was no secret that I had had it pretty bad for Professor Remus J. Lupin during my fourth year. I found him handsome, well mannered, intelligent, and down-right fascinating. Of course, it was just a silly crush. I'm sure I wasn't the only student that had fancied him, though. Plus, it was better than having a crush on Lockheart.

I had stopped listening to Hermione as I reminisced about Professor Lupin. She had shoved a piece of parchment towards me and told me to read it for security precautions.

We're having a meeting at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade this weekend to discuss a private D.A.D.A. class. You're more than welcome to come if you're interested in defending yourself.

I gave her a confused look then read the script again. I suppose it would make since that she would want it a secret so I nodded affirmatively before muttering a quick incendio charm to burn the evidence.

She smiled feeling quite pleased and I then noticed something fluffy fall out of Hermione's bag.

"Are those-"

"They're hats for the house elves," she stated proudly as she scooped a couple up and handed them to me, "here! Take some and leave them in the Ravenclaw common room. I've founded my own organization for the liberation of all house-elves."

I looked at the small hat and shook my head with a smile, "That's sweet Hermione but I don't think a house elf would even wear that."

She glared at me with a half smile indicating that she knew I was joking, "whether they look nice or not is not the point."

I grabbed my books and a couple of her little hats to be courteous, "Let me just ask you this, though, Hermione... if you were born as a house elf... with the desire to help people no matter what in your very blood... wouldn't you think that Hogwarts was the creme de la crop?" I asked waving my arm to suggest she look around at the amazing castle we got to share with the house-elves every year.

"Ugh, you sound like Fred," she muttered with a pout before returning back to her books dejectedly.

I laughed lightly before wishing her good luck with S.P.E.W. regardless of my own opinion. I just hoped that Winky didn't get a hold on one of those hats since she made the best pumpkin pie out of any of the house elves I had met in the kitchens.

As I left the library, Peeves was floating in the lofts casually down the hallway. I groaned in annoyance and started to make my way back to the Ravenclaw common rooms as discretely as possible. I wasn't keen on any of his antics for the evening.

When I got to the common rooms, Roger Davies... perfect sandy haired, green-eyed, olive skinned Roger Davies, was sitting in front of the fire alone with a hefty book. His hair was falling in his face and the light from the fire was dancing on that contemplative expression of his. I felt my cheeks start to burn as I feared he would catch me staring. Then, his head bolted up in surprise. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on me and he flashed a friendly smile, "Vivian."

"Roger," I stated as calmly as I could with a small smile. "See you later," I told him as I quickly made my way up the stairs to the girls' dorms.

In the dorms, Cho was sitting on her bed, staring out the window... crying. She had been crying a lot, lately. Most of the time, I couldn't take it and left as soon as I entered the room. Something made me stay this time and it very well could have been my fear of facing Roger Davies out in the common room if he was still there.

"Cho?"

"Sorry, Viv. I just started thinking about it again. I recieved a letter from my mum. She liked her gift."

"So why are you crying?" I asked as I plopped next to her and rubbed her shoulder.

She smiled lightly, "Because she didn't ask how I was. Why doesn't she care about how sad I am?"

I frowned, "Sometimes, people don't know how to deal with sadness so they pretend it doesn't exist."

"Aren't you sad at all? I know you liked him," she asked looking up at me as if she were searching for something I might have been hiding from her, "he and Roger were the only boys I ever saw you hanging out with so the two of you must have been very close."

I bit my bottom lip, "I pretend my sadness doesn't exist most of the time, Cho."

"Doesn't that just make it hurt more, though?"

I shook my head, "Only when I see how sad you are," I lied.

"How come you and Roger avoided each other all summer?" she asked sharply, "He asked me if you were alright the other day. ME. I barely speak to Roger."

I couldn't lie to Cho anymore. I was a horrible candidate for keeping secrets. Plus, it really was killing me to keep my own grief from her. Our whole friendship was beginning to feel foreign and it had only been two weeks.

I knew that I couldn't avoid it.

"Because I kissed him. The night Cedric died, while you were with his father being consoled in the Great Hall, I ran away because I couldn't bare it. I wasn't strong enough to face all of those sympathetic faces ready to tell me that it would be okay that one of my best friends had just died... like they had told me when my father died... like it would just pacify me to hear that everything would be okay. Roger followed me and I don't know, I was confused and trying to hold in a lot of what I was feeling and I kissed him... and I think he was confused because of Fleur and everything that had just happened and I was devistated and I just couldn't talk to him after that. I mean... he didn't even kiss back, Cho. So there. Roger and I aren't talking to one another because of my stupid hormones and I think about Cedric every day. I want to cry every day but I can't because I have to be strong for you because you're my best friend, too... and if we're both crying all of the time, we'll never progress."

Cho rubbed her face with her sleeves and stared at me in awe, "Oh. I didn't know. Oh my goodness, don't hate me Vivian but I thought you were lying to me about some romantic feelings towards Cedric. Like you didn't want to cry in front of me because I'd be angry or something."

I laughed a bit uncomfortably because it was the only thing that felt natural. Having a crush on Cedric seemed absurd. He was handsome but I couldn't ever imagine having an enjoyable time dating him. He was too sentimental and traditional for my tastes. Cedric Diggory, in my opinion, would have been the most boring prince-charming of a boyfriend on the planet. In other words, perfect for Cho but deplorable for me.

She smiled lightly, "I feel so stupid, now. Like a big brat. Crying over my dead boyfriend all of the time and rather than doing anything about it, I'm suspecting my best friend of an affair with him."

"That's not as pathetic as thinking that kissing the boy you've had a crush on for ages will magically make all of the pain go away. I feel like such a miserable cliche of a girl."

Cho giggled softly and hugged me, "Come on. Let's go have dinner. We have the rest of the year to cry with each other and be typical cliche girls, alright?"

I nodded, "fair enough. By the way, Hermione invited me to tag along with her in Hogsmeade this weekend," I said putting slight emphasis on 'Hermione' and 'Hogsmeade.' Not like anyone would over hear us. It was still kind of fun to feel like I was keeping top secret information from being leaked. (Although, I had been spilling my guts out to Cho over something as simple as a boy because I was terrible at keeping secrets.)

"I wonder. Did Harry say anything to you about it? It could be fun," I asked her following up on my hints.

She gave me a knowing smile, "He did. We should invite Marietta and Terry."

That Friday, Marietta reluctantly agreed to tagging along with us.

"I don't think it's so good of an idea," she stated before asking me to borrow the face cream that the twins had given me. She was still going on her date with terry after the meeting.

"My mother really thinks that it's best if we stay clear of Umbridge's bad side. The woman has more power than her fake angelic voice would lead on, apparently."

"Have a little adventure, Marietta!" I teased her as I plopped down on the bed to put on a pair of my favorite knee stockings. They were white with little hearts on them and made me feel like a little girl.

"Have some class," she retorted, "I can see your hot pink nickers for Merlin's sake."

"You like that?" I asked with a grin receiving an eye roll from her.

"My mother has warned me, too," Cho informed her, "but I disagree with her. Plus, we won't be on her bad side if she never finds out, right?" Cho asked sheepishly.

I sat up with a proud grin, "See, Cho gets the idea. Come on Marietta, it'll be like dueling club only top secret dueling club." I joked as I jumped up on the bed and drew my wand out at her wagging my eyebrows at her as a challenge.

"I said I would go, didn't I?" she asked tossing the cream back at me, "Now put a shirt on."

I looked down at myself remembering that I had only gotten as far as my under garments, my skirt, and my knee stockings when getting dressed. I then rummaged through my clothes until I found a comfortable loose-fitting sweater and pulled it down over my head.

"By the way, for someone that's all about adventure, I noticed that your hair is back to it's natural brown color," she teased with a wink.

"For starters, the pink clashed with my tie, Roger told Cho that he liked the brown better, and I can't even tolerate class with Umbridge let alone an extra session of detention. Oh! Come on! I'm starving and I don't want to have to rush through breakfast before we leave."

I grabbed my purse and a scarf for extra warmth then headed out of the dorms with Cho trailing behind a bit happier than usual.

I suspected two things putting pep in her step that morning.

1. The chance to actually fight for something worth fighting for.

2. The boy who lived.