I am SOOOOO sorry that it took so long for this chapter. I've been really busy lately, and hasn't been letting me log in. Please keep reading, I promise that the chapters will be coming regularly again. Enjoy, and remember to please REVIEW! Your comments are important to me:) Recommend this story to your friends too!

Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter and all it's characters do not belong to me, but to J.K. Rowling.

I sat watching the sunset over the lake. From the seats Oliver had shown me, the view gave me peace and comfort. The chill of Fall made my arms wrap around my body as the breeze played through my hair, but the distant warmth of the dimming sun fell across my face. I closed my eyes and bathed in the retreating light, a small smile on my face.

I cleared my mind of all thoughts and just watched the beauty of the sunset. As the edge of the sun graced the lake, colors danced across it, rippling along the water. Clouds turned a purplish-pink and the sky turned the same maroon that Oliver wore today. The castle sparkled in the light and looked as if diamonds had been planted throughout the stones.

Sucking in the autumn air, I felt relaxed and comfortable. Since I set foot in Hogwarts this year, this was the most comfortable I had felt.

Closing my eyes again, I tilted my head back. Through the darkness behind my eyelids, I saw Percy, standing at the bottom of the rows staring up at me, fuming and raging, his body trembling with his anger. He had his wand pointed at me with a steady hand, and before I could move, a green smoke was shooting out at me after he screamed the words "Avada Kedavra!"

Gasping, my eyes snapped open, my head turning to the direction he had been. I looked around bewildered at the empty rows and found myself alone. The shock of what I had seen made me uneasy. I felt tense again and kept looking all around me. It had been so clear, I thought I was dead for sure.

The sun was halfway under the horizon of the lake. The colors turned darker, and the sky had turned almost a crimson blood color.

Knowing I wouldn't be able to feel comfortable again, I got up and started to head down the stairs. It was better to go in before the Dementors moved in towards the castle anyway.

I almost laughed at the bittersweet irony. Even at the most peaceful place at Hogwarts, during the most peaceful time of day, Percy just seemed to ruin everything.

By the time I got back to the castle, I knew that dinner was already over. The halls were empty and the torches were dimmed. It was about time for my rounds, so I decided to head upstairs towards the dorms.

Not wanting to have any type of discussion with Suze or May, I only poked my head into Ravenclaw, making sure there were no wild parties going on, then closed the portrait quickly. I knew there would be nothing but students working on reports and projects. There was never anything exciting happening in that dorm. There probably never would be.

I took my time getting to Gryffindor. There was no rush. I was sure that Oliver would be waiting up for me. I was actually nervous about how he would react about what I had said to Percy.

On my way, I practiced just how I would break it to him. That is, if Percy hadn't already said something. But I knew he wouldn't have. It would hurt his pride too much.

Passing by a lavatory, I decided to stop and tidy myself up. I was sure that my hair was a mess from blowing in the wind and my clothes were askew from running around crazily. Oliver wouldn't mind, but still, it didn't hurt to look nice for him. Besides, there was no pretending that Suze wasn't a real catch. She would go with a number of guys, but you were definitely of high rank when you were part of that group.

However, when Suze had her eye on you, it was almost like a death sentence. If you weren't interested in her and turned her away, you were completely insane in everyone else's eyes. Then again, if you went with her, you were branded as her leftover. Most guys would go with her, be one of her trophies, and in turn, they could say that they had been with her. I suppose it was always better to be her token than to be the odd-one-out. No available guy had ever said no to her. She was definitely what a girl would call competition.

I ran my hands through my hair and looked in the mirror. A deep frown crossed my face as I mentally compared myself with Suze. I was paler than her, and compared to her olive tone, I looked almost sickly. She had cute tiny freckles that crossed her nose, but all I had were slightly rosy cheeks. My short blonde hair was nothing compared to her long flowing black hair.

After scrutinizing myself and making complaints, I stepped back and stopped comparing myself. Instead, I just looked at myself, not thinking about Suze.

Little by little, I liked what I saw. Although my skin was light, I did have a healthy looking complexion and my rosy cheeks complimented my blue eyes. My nose was narrow and my lips were full, and I didn't have a touch of acne. My hair was full and golden. Maybe it wasn't flowing and luxurious, but it had life and motion to it.

A small smile played on my lips as I admired what I did have, not what I didn't. Maybe I wasn't as seductive as Suze, but on my own, I had my own type of beauty.

"Penelope Clearwater, you can definitely be considered a catch." I told myself proudly.

With that, I walked out of the lavatory with more pride and determination. After all, I had someone waiting for me. I had a feeling that Oliver would wait just as long for me as I would for him. There was nothing more that I wanted than to be with him.

I wouldn't let anything stop us. I wouldn't let Percy get in the way. I wouldn't let what other people thought bother us. Nothing could tear us apart. I wouldn't let anything tear us apart. I couldn't.

Finally, with my determination as fuel, I reached the Gryffindor common room. Taking a deep breath, I readied myself to tell Oliver what had happened with Percy. He would be a little disappointed, I was sure, but he would see it as a good thing too. Now we could be together with no guilt. Percy wouldn't stand between us. No one would.

I let the password slide past my lips and made my way past the Fat Lady. As always, the only light in the room was the glow of the fire that cast shadows in the corners. The tall windows at the side of the room were dark except for the twinkle of the stars outside. There were no clouds out and the full moon shone brightly.

Oliver wasn't waiting for me as I expected. He knew it was my night to patrol Gryffindor, so where was he? Shrugging, I walked over to the windows and gazed out. Perhaps Suze was keeping him after dinner for something. I could see her trying to impress him with him only wishing to get away. It was enough to make me chuckle to myself. Soon she would know that Oliver was mine and feel as foolish as she sometimes was.

The grounds below were lit by the moonlight. Gryffindor had a much better view than Ravenclaw. Out the windows you could catch a glimpse of the corner of the lake and the beginnings of the Forbidden Forest. I admired the sights when a figure moving quickly across the grounds caught my eye. It looked like, well, actually, I couldn't quite make out what it was. My eyes followed it's fast pace intently. Perhaps it was a dog? It was quite big for a dog however.

Soon, it disappeared into the forest, and I lost interest. Whatever it was, it now belonged to the forest. I pressed my forehead against the cool glass and let my eyes close. A howl erupted from the woods. I ignored it, letting it blend in with all the other sounds the forest made at night. In my last 6 years at Hogwarts, it had become something of a lullaby.

What could be taking Oliver so long? He shouldn't even be out of the dormitory this late. Staring at the portrait entrance, I wondered where he was. Suze couldn't possibly keep him occupied this long without his cooperation. She was one to easily get bored when something didn't go her way and just drop it.

Maybe he was talking with Percy? That thought made my heart beat fast. I didn't want him to talk to Percy about what had happened before me. Percy would tell him a load of nonsense and hardly any of it would be the truth. He had to hear it from me.

My blood now hot with fear, I quickly made my way towards the doorway to see if the two of them were together. Nothing could be worse than him hearing what happened from Percy's perspective. I was halfway across the room when a moan from upstairs cut through the dead silence of the dormitory. It was rather loud, and wasn't a noise one usually made in their sleep.

My fear of Percy and Oliver quickly melted away and was replaced by my Head Girl responsibility. If someone was in trouble, it was my job to see what was wrong. Quickly but quietly I made my way up the stairs. I frowned when I came to the point where the stairway parted to the Girl's and Boy's rooms. I wasn't sure where it had come from. Luckily, it came again, louder this time, from the direction of the Boy's rooms.

Each room housed a different year, so I peeked into each one to see where the moan was coming from. In every one, each boy was content and silently sleeping. Towards the end of the hall, there was only one room left...The 7th year room.

Oliver was the only 7th year male Gryffindor. It was his room alone. Could he be hurt? Were these the usual sounds he made while he slept and everyone had just grown immune to it? Slowly, I crept closer to the door. I was dreading what I hadn't even seen yet. I knew whatever the answer, I wasn't going to like it.

I stayed to the side of the door and peeked in. The room was dark and the first bed I saw was empty. Moving a little to the side, I positioned myself so I could see the other bed across from it.

I didn't move. My expression didn't change. No thoughts raced through my mind. I just stood there, rooted to the ground, completely indifferent. It was most likely my reaction to the shock, but at the moment, it felt like I didn't even care.

There were two people in the bed, their bodies glistening with sweat. His hair was sprawled over the pillow. His face was covered by her long dark hair as she bent forward to feverishly kiss him. They both moaned in pleasure as he gripped her hips and she moved back and forth. She giggled and flipped her hair, giving me a full profile of her face in the candlelight. Suze had gotten exactly what she wanted, and Mae was right in her predictions.

I guess I had been wrong. There were worse things than Percy talking to Oliver. I was witnessing it for myself. I had no emotions over what I was watching till I realized the entire time, I hadn't been breathing.

Suddenly, it all hit me at once. The blood drained from me and I was shivering, but my skin felt like it was on fire. My teeth barred together and my fists clenched. Everything inside me broke and shattered. I had never experienced such pain and hatred with so much passion before. It hurt and my heart pounded. The tears were steadily streaming down my face now.

I couldn't move. All I could do was watch them as they finished and both screamed out in pleasure. She collapsed onto his body and he held her tightly against him. They panted and held each other until their breathing became normal.

My eyes burned from all the tears. It felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing my heart. Everything he told me, everything he made me believe, it was all a lie. I was a fool. He truly made me believe him at Hogsmeade. Suze was seductive, but he could have said no. He could have refused! He didn't know what love was any more than I did, but I knew that it wasn't this. If he ever did feel anything for me that resembled love, he would never be able to show me now, because I wasn't going to be a fool again. I should have never given him the chance to break my heart.

I ran from the doorway, the thudding of my feet echoing throughout the hall. I didn't care if I woke anyone. It would be a small annoyance to them compared to what my heart was going through. When I got to the stairs, I tried to take them two at a time, but I lost my balance and fell, twisting my leg beneath me. This time, Oliver wasn't there to catch me. I cried out, causing more tears to fall from my eyes.

I sat there and pulled my leg out from under me to straighten it out. Roughly, I bit my lip to keep from crying out again as I saw the blood begin to soak through the knee of my jeans. Suddenly, there was a light from down the corridor and I made out the silhouette of a boy down the hall with a blanket draped around him come out of Oliver's room. The last thing I wanted Oliver to see was me sitting here broken and bleeding, knowing that I had seen him. With as much strength as I could muster, I lifted myself up and continued quickly down the stairs. Luckily, nothing was broken.

Finally, I made my way to the doorway. Throwing it open, I flung myself into the corridor and began running. As I looked back one last time, I ran right into the arms of the person I wanted to see the least at that moment.