The morning after the romp through the forest had not been a good one. True, when they had first woken up it hadn't been so bad, but that was because none of their classmates knew about the nasty surprise waiting for them in the dining hall.

"Where's Allen?" Hermione asked Harry and Ron as soon as they stepped into the common room.

"Don't know." Ron shrugged, though there was an uneasiness about him. "We were going to speak to him last night if he was still awake but he had a privacy spell on his bed and the drapes wouldn't open for us."

"We looked for him when we woke up," Harry added. "But he was already gone."

"Oh." Hermione said quietly. "It's just. . .I want to apologize for what happened. I feel awful about it."

"Maybe he just needs some space." Ron tried to comfort her. "Then again, after the others find out about the point loss we'll probably have more space than we want." He mumbled under his breath.

"Please don't talk about that Ron." Harry groaned. "I can go forward with my execution without the reminder!"

"Sorry." The other boy apologized.

"I'm not worried about the points." Hermione told them. "People will get over that-"

"No they won't." Harry and Ron cut him.

"I'm dreading the letters we get back from our parents when they hear the news." She ended. Last night the three had agreed the pen their letters the moment they entered the common room. It took about 20 minutes to explain everything without admitting they almost died. It's a bit hard to say when you've been through a battle and Voldemort was there. In any case, her words reminded them all of the letters that felt like led in their pockets just waiting to be dropped off at the Owlery.

"I can hear the howlers already." Ron said, remembering the one he received his second year. "And this time it'll be way worse!" He looked like he was about to cry. "Bet you she has at least three ready for me by lunch 'cause I know one isn't going to be enough for mum."

"Come on, the sooner we get it done the quicker we can forget about it." Hermione sighed. She wasn't use to getting in trouble like this and it was doing a fantastic job on her nerves. She didn't know what her parents would say. At best, she hoped they didn't contact Mrs. Weasley to help them create a Howler. The one thing Hermione did know was that they would be disappointed with her and any chances of her stepping out of her house this summer where probably the same number as their points.

"Hermione's right." Harry said as he walked toward the portrait. "Let's get this over with." He too was on edge, but for an entirely different reason. Ron and Hermione at least had an inkling of what their parents would do. Sirius, however, was a wild card. The Dursley's would be mad because he didn't die, that Harry didn't need to think about them anymore. Thankfully, Dumbledore had allowed him to live with the Weasley's last summer and this year he would be with Sirius. Harry wondered how he would react over this. Would he applaud Harry for breaking the rules like the Marauders did so many years ago? Or would he scold him for being stupid? Harry didn't know and it was slowly driving him insane. The only thing he was certain of is that he would not be receiving a howler because Sirius was still a wanted man.

Looking at the Owlery door as if it would kill them, they slowly entered the room filled with soft hoots the ruffling of feathers.

"Alright Pig," Ron said as he attached his letter to the old owl's leg. "Take this home. Take your time though, ok? No need to rush. Most definitely no need to rush."

"Same to you, Hedwig." Harry told his snowy owl. "Take your time, I can wait." He wasn't positive, but he could swear she rolled her eyes at him before taking off.

"Alright." He said after Hermione sent her owl off. "Ready to face the music?"

"Actually, I suddenly feel sick." Ron insisted. "Think I'll just go the infirmary and hide there until graduation."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ronald!" Hermione snapped as she grabbed on arm and Harry took the other. "It's not like Dumbledore will say who lost the points." She pointed out as they dragged him down to the Great Hall. That thought calmed both boys until Harry remembered the other part of their punishment.

"Maybe not today. But when they find out we can't play this season; the dots will connect."

"Oh, pish! If they question you just say it's a private thing." Hermione replied, thinking on Allen's advice. "And if they really push it, then tell them your grades aren't high enough. That would be believable."

"What will you say?" Ron asked in reference to her restriction to the library. Brown eyes became sad as she thought over it.

"I'll simply tell the curious that I'm taking a break from the library."

"And they'll by that?"

"They'll have to because I won't change my story." She replied as she opened up the door to the Great Hall. They were a little bit earlier than normal, and tried to act natural as they walked over to their table.

The mood at the normally cheerful table had changed to one of anger and confusion. Not even Fred and George wore their usual mischievous smiles.

"Hey guys." Ron greeted trying to act natural. "Why the long faces?" The twins looked at each other, their gazes darkening before one spoke.

"Some idiot made a colossal mistake-"

"-and put us back at zero points!" The other finished. "We were in the lead for the House Cup! It's going to take ages to get back up there!"

'Oh. They don't know it's permanent.'

For the sake of their lives, the trio decided it would be best not to say anything.

"Has Dumbledore said anything yet?" Harry asked.

"No. He actually just got here five minutes before you guys. Him and McGonagall were hashing it out in his office. Looks like she did 'im in good. I feel sorry for whoever screwed up when they have to deal with her."

Peaking up at the head table, the three noticed that Dumbledore's robes were ruffled and torn in various places and that his hat was bent. He had dark circles under his eyes and seemed to be purposely looking everywhere except at the witch next to him. True to the twins tale, McGonagall looked streaming mad. Even from where they were sitting, they could see how tight her grip was on her silverware and when they met her eye to eye, they were positive that they had died simply from the heat of her glare.

"Oi! Why the hell are our points at zero?" Dean's incredulous voice asked as he walked in with Seamus and Ginny. The twins explained what they knew, making the newcomers frown's deepen.

"Wonder who caused that. Must have been big." Seamus pondered before grinning at Ginny. "Bet it was someone in your year- 4th years are always troublemakers."

"Yeah right." Ginny snorted. "If anyone did it, it was a 5th year." She ended confidently, fishing herself some eggs.

"You think it was that odd little exchange student?" George asked. "It would explain why he's sitting with the Slytherins." At his statement, all of them looked toward the slytherin table and saw Allen sitting between Crabbe and Goyle conversing over something.

"Is that a book they have out?" Ron asked as he squinted his eyes in concentration.

"I think so."

"Huh. I didn't know they could read."

"Of course they can read! They would have failed first year if they couldn't." Hermione supplied logically. "And I highly doubt Allen was the reason for the loss of points. You know he's been trying to befriend all the Slytherins he can." She defended him because she was not about let him take the rap for them. Hermione would admit to the wrong doing before that happened.

"True that." Fred and George said together. "Can't say it's not a little strange though, a Gryffindor befriending snakes."

"Hey, he didn't know about the rivalry so lay off him, ok?" Surprisingly it was Ginny who spoke up for him.

"Aww does sweet little Ginny have a crush?" The twins cooed at her mockingly.

"No, but I can appreciate the view." She smirked.

"Ginny!" Ron said, sounding suspiciously like their mother when she was scandalized.

"What? Boys can ogle girls but we can't stare back?" She snapped in annoyance. Seeing her brother about to nod she continued on in a dangerous voice. "If you even think about agreeing with that double standard, I'll make sure you'll be pulling bat boogies out of your nose for years."

"Right. Equal opportunities for all." Ron said backtracking and focusing on his food. Conversation quieted down after a time, but the trio secretly flinched every time a Gryffindor wandered in and saw how many points they had. When the hall was moderately filled, Dumbledore stood up, gaining everyone's attention.

"I'm sure you have all noticed that the Gryffindor house points are down to zero." The Headmaster started out, "This is because a few students from Gryffindor were caught near the forest barrier with the intent of entering the forest." The old man said, fibbing a bit. "I've decided to make an example of them and their actions to show the rest of you just how serious I was about this. Gryffindor will not be receiving the House Cup this year because the points for them will remain at zero, regardless of if they are gained. If points are lost, then Gryffindor will go into the negatives so I suggest that the members of the Lion House tread carefully because it will be like this all year. That is all. Enjoy your breakfast." He finished, ignoring the harsh whispers his words caused.

"Bloody hell!" Dean hissed. "Who's the bloody fool who-?" He asked in a vivid rage.

"No one knows." The twins told him, still upset themselves. "Ol' Dumbledore probably won't say either. Merlin knows if we knew, we'd prank but good."

It was quite possibly the worst threat the trio had heard against them.

They did their best to pretend everything was normal and, so far, no one seemed to suspect them. When breakfast had ended, they had lagged behind their friends sharing guilty looks with each other. This proved to be their down fall when a shadow fell over them and a tart voice told them ominously,

"My office, during your study break. Be there." Professor McGonagall more or less hissed in a feline like manner before she resumed walking without another word.

They gulped.

Unable to find Allen, sending off damning letters, upsetting their housemates, upsetting their house mates even more, and now being stuck in an enclosed space with an angry McGonagall?

Most assuredly not a good morning.

Draco Malfoy was having a fabulous morning. He woke up with enough time to take a refreshing shower, was complimented on his awesome looks, and had a great feeling that he and the other Slytherins would be hearing some very interesting stories from his Godfather at the end of the year. Draco loved his father, but he never loved the man so much until he sent a letter asking Draco to find out some of the pranks Professor Snape played on people when he was a kid.

Then, when he walked into the Great Hall, his morning became even better.

Because the Gryffindor's had zero points.

At first he thought it might be a prank of some sort but all the Gryff's coming in looked so shocked and angry that it had to be real.

"What's going on?" He heard Vincent ask Pansy as he sat down. "Why are their points all gone?"

"No one knows!" She giggled. "Not even the Gryffindors know why. But a Ravenclaw told me they heard yells from Dumbledore's office this morning." Draco shared a grin with Vincent just as Greg came in.

But of course, even his lovely morning had one small bump.

"Um," A nervous voice started out. "Can I sit here today?" Looking up, his face twisted in annoyance at the sight of Allen Walker. Only, he noticed, that the normally chipper boy looked like he hadn't slept all night. Not only that but he wore an expression that reminded Draco of the house elves at his home right before father punished them.

"Sure!" Vincent and Greg said at the same time, already moving to make room for him. The grateful smile that lit up his face made Draco frown even more. This guy never asked in the past to sit down; he just did it. Why is he asking now?

"Hey Allen, there's something that me and Vince are stuck on." Greg said as he pulled out his transfiguration book and distracting Draco from his thoughts.

"What do you need help with?" The Gryffindor asked curiously, sounding much more like his normal self.

"Well you see. . ." Draco stopped listening and refocused his attention on the Gryffindor table. He sneered when he saw Potter, Weasley and Granger walk in, looking just as done in as Walker. He saw the three look at their points and enjoyed it when they winced at what they saw.

'The House Cup is ours!' Draco thought because Slytherin had been in second place until today. 'Sure we had to restrict ourselves from messing with people, but Professor Snape's stories will be worth it, I can already tell.' Actually, he knew those stories would be worth all the good behavior when he brought it up to his Godfather and the man actually winced! At first he refused to say anything about them, but Draco wouldn't stop pestering him and after gathering several others to tag-team the man, he finally broke down enough to make a bet with them.

"No way!" He heard Pansy gasp out. "I didn't know cell structure was more important in transfiguration than bone structure." Ah, so she had been drawn into the make-shift study session.

"It's something of a trick question." Allen replied. "See if the cells aren't right, then the bone structure could get deformed as a side effect when you transfigure."

"That makes sense." The girl said as Crabbe and Goyle wrote it down in their notes. "Do you know if it's possible to transfigure an object into something that's not real? Like something you made up in your head?" Before the boy could answer, Dumbledore stood up and began to speak.

His words sounded like a song sung by angels to Draco.

"Hey Walker! You know anything about that?" He asked him after the Headmaster sat back down.

"Nothing. I spent most of my night studying and all my dorm mates where asleep." Allen said evenly. "As for your question Pansy, I don't know. We could ask Professor McGonagall." As one, all five students looked up at the angry teacher that looked ready to start a throw down with next person who spoke to her.

"But maybe we should wait." Allen said nervously and received hasty nods showing that they agreed with him.

The rest of breakfast was spent talking over different subjects that they were having trouble in. The conversation attracted more and more Slytherins and before Draco realized it, he was adding in his own advice and knowledge.

"I must say, I never thought I'd see the day this happened." A dry voice cut through their chatter.

"Hello Professor." Several kids greeted, as their Head walked a little closer. He nodded in response before shocking them by sitting down.

"Since you are all studying so diligently," It warmed their hearts to hear the pride he had for them in his voice. No other teachers ever did, no matter how hard they tried. "I simply thought that if you had any questions regarding potions, I could give you my guidance."

"But what about your breakfast?" A student asked.

"Unlike some people," Snape started out glancing over at a beet red Gryffindor. "I eat normal amounts of food. I'm already done and there was nothing in going on up there. You should take this chance to ask questions." They were hesitant at first, but when he answered the first few questions in a serious tone, they became braver in their questioning. After answering what he could, he reminded them that breakfast ended in two minutes and excused himself.

"Thanks for all your help Allen!" Pansy said as she gathered her stuff.

"It's no problem. Everybody helped each other out. But if you have any other questions, I'm usually in the library in the evening time." He said loud enough for several Slytherins to hear.

"I'll keep that in mind. Y'know, you're not bad for a Gryffindor." She grinned before leaving to head to class.

"Great. Off to Defense again." Draco muttered to himself as he began to gather his things. He hated that class with a burning passion.

"I have a feeling it will be cancelled today." Allen told him as he stood up as well.

"What makes you think that?" Draco asked, not really caring if he got an answer.

"Professor Cross wasn't here. That means he's still asleep and he won't have enough time to make up a lesson in two minutes."

"Just because he wasn't in the dining hall, doesn't mean we won't have class." Draco sniffed, thinking of all the times Professor Snape skipped to work on potions in his lab or to take care of some business regarding grades.

"We'll see when we get there but I'm telling you it's true; we won't have class." Allen responded with a shrug.

Low and behold, there was a sign the classroom door that said: 'Class is canceled morons. Why? 'Cause you make me sick.'

"How did you know this would happen?" Draco demanded.

"Let me tell you a story," Allen started out and began talking before Draco could decline. "Once upon a time there was a boy. He was just an ordinary boy with white hair, a large appetite and a scar on his face."

"Nothing about those qualities are ordinary." Draco complained.

"Shh! Now where was I? Ah, the boy. Now this boy had never done anything to harm anyone. In fact he was quite the gentleman. One day, he was enjoying his day exploring a nearby village with his friends. But they grew weary and hungry so they popped over to a bar called, uh, the Broomsticks of Three!"

"You're not very good at making up stories are you?" Draco asked, already making the connections in his head.

"What they didn't know was that a mean, no good, rotten, drunken ogre had sequestered himself there." Allen continued on dramatically, getting into the story. "When the ogre saw the boy, he knew he had to have him as slave so that the ogre could make lots of money off him."

"How so?" Draco asked barely paying attention.

"Too horrifying to say, my friend! The boy, enslaved against his will for many years learned that the ogre was, of all things, a teacher. The ogre did not take the job seriously though and thoroughly smashed himself silly on a school night." Allen took a deep breath.

"The boy knew -from over exposure- that the only time the ogre was weak was when he was passed out." Allen began to whisper for affect. "So he stole into the night the night and the last thing he heard was the ogre slur, 'Damn, there is no way I'm teaching in the morin'."

"And no one ever saw the boy again." He ended in what Draco assumed to be a spooky voice.

"So Cross made you stay with him during the Hogmeade visit and near the end of the night he drunkenly told you he would be too hung over in the morning to teach?" Draco asked summing it all into one sentence.

"I happen to prefer my version but, yes, that is correct." Walker sniffed in a snobbish voice that impressed Draco.

"Is that part of the reason you're avoiding the Triad of Pure Stupid?" He asked nonchalantly.

"What?"

"The dunderheads you usually surround yourself with; Potty, Weasel, and the Bookworm."

"I-I'm not avoiding them! Whatever gave you such a silly idea?" Allen laughed loudly.

"On the way out of the Great Hall you used Crabbe and Goyle as human shields." Draco reminded him.

"Poppycock!"

"When we were in the hallway you kept looking behind you and twitched every time you thought you saw them."

"Bah! I'm not avoiding them. Just taking a little break, that's all." Allen dismissed with a wave.

"You could just stop right now and tell me the truth. That's an option." Draco told him dryly and felt a little guilty when the other boy deflated.

"It's nothing really," The other insisted. "I showed them something important and the way they reacted . . . I don't think they want to be friends anymore." Allen ended with a small, sad smile.

"Oh please!" Draco scoffed.

"I'm sorry?" Allen asked with wide eyes.

"Look, I make it a point to not be friends with those three, but even I know that they don't just stop being friends with people for petty reasons. You might have shocked them with whatever you showed them, but as long as it wasn't a dark mark, then you're in the clear."

"You think so?" Allen asked in a tiny voice.

"Yes." An exasperated Draco replied. "I mean, look at me! You punched me in the face and we're on talking terms. You punched me in the face. Have you any idea how many people have done that and then been able to become my friend?" The blonde questioned.

"I'm your friend?" Allen asked in an elated voice. Draco blinked before paling as he thought over his words in his head.

"No! No, of course not!' He backtracked quickly. "At best you're that annoying dog that won't stop yapping. That's how I see you, you hear me? As a dog. In fact, I plan on back stabbing you soon, so hah! What do think about that Walker?"

"I think it's adorable that you can't admit to being friends with me 'cause you wanna look tough and mean." Allen admitted laughing at Draco's surprised face.

"Go drown yourself in the nearest urinal right now." Draco commanded, completely serious, pointing in a random direction.

"No can do. Perhaps after Potions. Thanks for cheering me up!" Allen told him before turning to take the stairs down to the dungeons.

"Cheer you up? Feh." Draco muttered, but in truth he sounded rather pleased with himself.

"Pansy was right." Draco whispered to himself with a smile. "You are alright for a Gryffindor."

A good sleep, promise of stories, Gryffindor out of the House Cup, Defense being cancelled, and now one Allen Walker back to his normal self?

It was most assuredly a good morning.