AN- I'll start with an apology, and then my excuse which is really really good. So first: I am deeply an wholeheartedly sorry for missing a week unannounced. Second: A) it was thanksgiving week so cut me some slack there, and (B) This is a themed chapter, twice as long as a normal one. It wouldn't have felt right releasing it before thanksgiving. Hope y'all haven't lost faith in me or interest in the story. Now and always yours,

-cowriter

Chapter 6- POV Jo

I'm going to kill her. No joke, she'll pay for this. I thought staying at the castle would be fun, even if it meant missing Christmas at home. But the Weasleys are gone, and so are all of my friends. And Cas too, but I don't consider her a friend right now. Right now, I'm scrubbing old trophies by hand until they shine. And it's not like I'm just wiping away dust- oh no, McGonagall put me in this cramped up little trophy room with Peeves.

Peeves, at the moment, is hovering above my head singing a song about my confused sexuality. Because why would a girl call herself Jo, unless she's confused about some things. And while he sings, he's throwing some sort of slime into all of the trophies. Cas's would know what the slime is called, or some spell or another that would make Peeves stop, but I'm on my own here. Im on my own, cleaning up a mess that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. As much as I want to blame McGonagall, I have to give her credit- I've definitely learned my lesson. I'm never trusting Cas again.

McGonagall peeks in on me once in a while, at which times peeves starts screeching, making the whole event even more unbearable. It's been the same for the past week- everyday at noon I report to McGonagall, who opens the door to the trophy room, takes my wand, and leaves. I can't believe she's okay with peeves being in here with me- I'm pretty sure he's violent. Like, my life is probably at risk right now. Peeves's would be too, except for he's already dead. But I'm seriously fed up right now. I still have another hour before McGonagall comes back with my wand, and I don't think I can last that long without taking action against the poltergeigst.

But what to do? What can I do that would bother him, or at least annoy him enough to make him leave? I've tried just ignoring him, and he kinda took it as a challenge. Obviously, he won. I've tried screaming back at him whenever he raises his voice. He took that as a challenge too and we ended up screaming at the top of our lungs until McGonagall came in and told me to shut up and work. She didn't say anything to peeves, though, which I guess means he won that round too. I don't have my wand, so I can't use magic. Locking the doors would do nothing, cause he can go through walls. But while he's in here, he can pick things up and throw them. I just can't win here.

I feel like I'm going to scream, stuck in this room that's basically a dusty old broom cupboard that now smells strongly of cleaning solution. Peeves is clattering around above me, picking up trophies and spitting his slime onto them. I look at the clock and see I still have another hour. I have to do something. Anything.

Well, I suppose I could...no. That's why I'm here in the first place. But he doesn't know that...

I smile a secret little smile to myself, put down the cloth I'm using to polish the trophies, and slip my hand in my pocket.

"Betcha can't hit me, Peeves! Betcha couldn't catch me if you tired!" I taunt. It's the first thing I've said in a while, and he whips around to look at me. He hovers there for a second, smiling this horrific smile that will probably give me nightmares. Then he charges.

"INSTANT DARKNESS!" I shout, stealing Cas's line. Not that she'll ever know. As the rock hits the ground and the room goes black, I drop to the floor while I hear peeves fly headlong into the trophy case i was standing in front of. There's a loud scrash, and I feel glass shatterings sprinkle my back like raindrops. Peeves is screaming now. I smile to myself, not that he can see it.

A second later, I'm not smiling. He's started throwing things. In all his rage and in light of the challenge I put forth, the ghost has decided to pick up whatever he can and throw it haphazardly. A cocophany of shattering glass and clanging trophies ensues. I stay lying flat on the ground, my hands over my head and my eyes squeezed shut.

"PEEVES! Stop this AT ONCE" I hear McGonagall's voice ring out. The clattering stops and I look up. There's no more darkness, no trace of it. Just a destroyed room, a hovering Peeves, and a very angry McGonagall. She makes her way over to me and offers her hand to pull me up. I accept and look around to see the destruction. I'm so dead.

McGonagall says something to peeves about sending the bloody baron to give him a talk and something else about being banished, but he doesn't seem to care. He's busy enjoying the sheer chaos he's caused. McGonagall walks me out and down that familiar path to her office. I'm so, so dead.

I take my normal position in the chair and stare into my lap. Fears of suspension, expulsion, and parental wrath swirl around my head, and McGonigal takes her seat across from me.

"I'm extremely dissapointed," she says. I wince. "I cannot believe I put you in such a dangerous situation. I'm sorry, Jolene. That was inexcusable of me."

I look up, wide eyed. She's apologizing. She's sorry. She isn't punishing me. I have to fight to keep myself from smiling. I give a small nod and tell her that "I'm alright, it's alright."

"Obviously, you've paid your debt to the school. You will not be required to serve anymore detentions. Here is your wand, and happy Christmas, Jolene."

And that's it. I get off scot free, and with an apology. Happy Christmas, indeed.

I'll have to thank her. Hit her first, but then I'll thank her.

Christmas morning. I woke up and for just a minute I thought I was home- thought I would run downstairs, be with my family, open gifts. But that's not the case. I'm here at school, one of maybe half a dozen second year girls that stayed behin in Gryffindor. I'm not fiends with any of them, and they were all asleep when I got up. I get up early on Christmas, always have.

So I tiptoed down into the common room- there was a fire going, and a big tree decorated in all red and gold and lions. There were a pile of gifts under the tree. I already talked to my parents, they said they'd arrange to send all my gifts in with Cas when she comes back. I didn't get to make her promise no to open any of them, but I think she'll take pity on me here. Despite the fact that I knew my parents hadn't sent me anything, I looked at the gifts anyway, which is when I saw it. I gift about the size of a book, wrapped in green and silver with Jo scrawled on it in familiar handwriting.

I took it and plopped into one of the sofa chair, ripping the wrapping paper off. Inside was a plain box, and inside the box were two pieces of paper. The first was a letter:

Happy Christmas, Jo,

Sorry you're still at the castle, guess its kinda my fault. But not really. Here's something to keep you busy until me and the twins get back.

- Cas

The other piece of paper was the Maurauders Map. I'll really have to thank her for that. Also hit her. If we had had the map that night with the cats, we could've seen that it wasn't Mrs. Norris we were hunting. But I guess its kinda too late for that. I pocket the map and sink into the chair, closing my eyes. I guess I fell asleep, because next thing I know, I open my eyes just in time to see a body falling over the armrest and right onto me. Then there's the feeling of being crushed, and i squeak and start writhing, trying to throw whoever it is off me. The body jumps up and I regain my composure, sitting up and ready to retaliate against this unknown attacker.

But...I know the attacker. I know him very well, actually.

"Oi, you little ferret! I didn't see you there, so sorry!" Oliver. He's cracking up and I'm suddenly conscious of the incredible awkwardness of the situation. I turn bright red and start to say something, but don't know what to say. So I just kinda look at him until he finishes laughing.

"I didn't realize you were here, Jo. Thought you'd gone home for the holidays like everyone else. If you'd said something we coulda booked the pitch, had that lesson I promised you last year. Happy Christmas, by the way!"

"Happy Christmas."

We just kinda look at each other, before I scoot over on the chair- it seats two, but I had been lying out on it. He smiles and plops down next to me, pulling out his wand to summon I table over so we can put our feet up.

"So you liking Quidditch so far?" He asks. I look over at him and nod, remembering what McGonagall and Cas have said to me about being a beater. I almost bring it up, but it's Christmas so I figure I shouldn't. Not yet.

"You serious about that offer- really think we could get the pitch?" I ask him. He laughs and hops up, saying we should probably get breakfast first. I follow him down into the Great Hall, where I see Tonks. I run over to her and give her a hug, wishing her happy Christmas and all that. She smiles at me and we talk for a minute or two, about the year and Cas and the class we have together. She puts I finger to her lips to silence me as were talking, and then Oliver's there with us. He knows Tonks and they start talking too, so I go to the Gryffindor table and start eating, sitting with the other kids my year.

The owls come in and I have a couple of letters, from my family, Cas, George and the Weasleys, and some of my other friends. I realize I forgot to send them any letter, so run up to the dorms, scribble out some messages and make my way over to the owlry to send them out. Hopefully they'll get to the proper places before too long.

Then I just kind of wander for a while. By noon I'm not really hungry, so I just go back to the common room and hang out with some kids. I get into a game of wizards chess with one of them, and I'm pretty good so I win easy. We start a little tournament, everyone challenging each other, so I get the idea to start making wagers. I'm good at wagers, and at winning, so after an hour I've amassed a fair little stash of sweets.

That's when Oliver comes in. He waves me over and tells me he got the pitch for us, as a little Christmas gift. I'm so excited I nearly run out in my pajamas (I'm not one for getting dressed if I don't have to), but Oliver stops me and makes me get my Quidditch robes on. I meet him back in the common room anew minutes later and we head out.

We play all afternoon, starting out just having a catch, then we play some games and he shows me tricks he can do ( but refuses to teach me any), and then we do some one on one. Surprisingly, he doesn't kill me like I had expected- he's great at defense, and I don't score any goals, but he doesn't get too many on me. He's not as fast, especially in his keepers uniform. He doesn't play easy on me either- he makes me fight for possession. And I fight. We actually end up getting petty physical, bumping each other mostly, but he also pulls my hair, so I start grabbing onto his robes. In the end it was one of my best days ever.

When we finally go in, he rubs my hair like to mess it up, and I shove my shoulder into his, bumping him over a bit. He tells me I did good, and we part ways. I shower and go down to dinner, where I get another scrawled note from Cas, saying she got my letter and that she realized I had forgotton to write her until I got her letter. She said she wasn't amused and expected an apology. She wasn't going to get one.

And that was my Christmas. After dinner all of the Gryffindors still in the castle gathered in the common room and we just hung out. In the end, it was one of the best Christmases I've ever had.

I have to see her- she has to be here, has to see this. Now.

I'm inside Honeydukes, which is outside Hogwarts, which is really something only third years and older can do. But here I am. I wish Cas was here to see. Actually, no I don't. This discovery is mine, and there's no way she can take it from me. I buy myself some licorice wand and sit in a corner where I pray no one from school will notice me.

I keep peeking to the stairwell- that's how I got here, a passage under the stairs. As good as it is to be here, to have accomplished the ultimate escape, I still feel a hair of guilt. Maybe it's just loneliness. That's what brought me here in the first place. It's Oliver's fault, really. His and Tonk's.

This morning I was bored, so I started wandering around and maybe it's a little cocky of me, but I went looking to hang out with Oliver. I know he's older and I'm not actually like his friend, but we have something and after Christmas, I'd like to think I have to right to see if he wants to hang out when I'm bored. So I looked for him and I found him and I asked if he wanted to hit the pitch or something. He gave me a little grin, messed up my hair and said "Not this time, sorry. Me and my boys are going into Hogsmede." That bothered me. Not that he wasn't going to drop everything and spend time with me, but that I couldn't go with him.

But hey, I'm a rational person, so next I went looking for Tonks. She's always fun, and she's kinda like what me and Cas are- shes rebellious. A prankster. So yeah, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to spend time with her. I hop over to her office- well, "professor Knight's" office, and catch her going through some papers. I ask if she wants to "tutor me" or something, complete with air quotes and shameless sarcasm. She gives me a stern glare and says she's busy- she's taking a class of kids out to Hogsmede later. This is not alright.

To show how not alright it is, I kinda wave my wand, not to cast a spell but to make a point, and kinda sorta by accident send her papers flying everywhere. I run away while she shouts after me. I've paid my service to the school, McGonagall said so herself.

So I found myself alone and in a bad mood. I considered writing a letter to Cas to explain my situation and explode at her, but decided against it. She was the problem. She was the reason I was in that situation. In my brooding, I remembered her gift. I ran up into the common room and grabbed the little green box with the Maurauders Map in it. I pulled it out and sat on my bed and just followed the footsteps, finding out exactly who was still in the building. I took myself on a little tour of Hogwarts just on the pages, and then decided I needed exercize.

I started walking around, avoiding people and stuff. I decided to walk around only taking left turns. Left turns are the best. Always turn left. I'm left handed, so it's a thing with me. Cas is a righty and doesn't get it, she says my left handedness bothers her, but hey, that's her problem. So I'm walking around, turning left and just following the map, when I reach a problem. The map says there's a corridor to turn left down, but I'm looking down a hallways that only turns right. I shake the map to see if...I don't know, if it fixes itself. But it doesn't. So I tell it it's wrong. I tell it there's no left turn, just a wall with pictures and old tapestries on it. I tell it it's stupid.

Oh, silly little girl. Simple girl. I'm not the stupid one. I'm never wrong.

"Oh yeah? Then what's this?" I wave at a tapestry hanging in the middle of the corridor. Then I remember the map cannot see me, it can only sass me. This makes me all the more angry, and I'm on the verge of ripping the map, when I realize this would be counterproductive. As much as I hate the thing, it is my only friend at the moment. So I punch the tapestry instead.

Then I fall on my face. It hurts, and I sit up in a dark passage, all stone and cold and ominous and stuff. I cast the lumps spell and look at the map. My footprints are in the corridor I was so sure hadnt existed. The map was right. I'm afraid to look at the map too long and put myself at risk of mockery. So I shove it in my pocket, none too gently, and cast some light down the hallway.

I follow it down in silence for maybe a half hour, and it doesn't look like the end's coming up anytime soon. I stop for. A second to consult the map, and it says I've got a little bit to go, but the passage just kinda cuts off on the map. So I decide to run. I run and run and run. It's good practice for Quidditch I tell myself. And as I run I make another decision- if Oliver won't listen to reason, I'll have to show him the light. I'm going to fight. I'm going to stage a ku next match. I will be a beater.

As I come to this conclusion, this resolve- I hit a wall. Not hard, but out of nowhere the passage ends. I'm stuck. I pull out the map, but I'm not even on it anymore, I'm past the threshold where the passage ends. I panic for a second. I cast a brighter light, illuminating the stones around me. I shiver.

But I'm not scared. I'm not sweating, but I should be warm right now. I shouldn't feel this breeze. I look up and see a light coming through the cracks in the stone. The ceiling isn't that high, maybe six feet, so stretching out my arms I can easily touch it. I do, and I push up on a stone. It gives, and next thing I know, I sitting under a staircase surrounded by chatter and the smell of sweets. Honeydukes.

And that's how I got here. I chew on my licorice wand, staring out a window a little ways off. Then I see a group of kids make theyre way over, led by a familiar mousy middle age lady who probably has it out for me at the moment. I also see a certain quidditch keeper I have it out for. Tonks and Oliver, coming this way. I jump up and run for the passage. I push away the stone, jump down and slide it back in place. I light my wand, grip it tight, and start jogging. I might just have to make a habit out of this.