She and Hermione were in the library looking through the stacks, "So Cormacks broom acted strangely at Quidditch try outs."

"Yes it did." Hermione didn't look at her.

"Did you do it because you wanted Ron on the team or because you're sick of Cormack looking at you the way he does?" Bridget smirked at her friend. When Hermione didn't answer Bridget let out a slight laugh, "So it's a bit of both is it?"

Hermione ignored her and continued looking through books, "I can't find anything on this Half-Blood Prince. Have you?"

"Hermione, what's the big deal?" Bridget sighed.

"Harry may as well be cheating!" Hermione looked at her.

"Are you mad because he's got a study guide for the class or because he has better marks than you?" Bridget asked and again Hermione didn't answer instead going back to the stack in front of her, "So both. What's the big deal, it's not like he's given the answers to the exams or papers? He's learning practical ways to make difficult potions. Perhaps instead of insisting he turn the book in and get a new one you ask him to share so that we can all succeed in the class and not pull our hair out trying to decipher the impossible directions."

"That's the whole point of the class though isn't it?" Hermione put a book back after scanning it.

"No, the point of the class is to learn how to properly and efficiently learn how to make difficult potions." Bridget stopped her from grabbing another book, "Which is what he's doing."

"Still doesn't make it right Bridget." Hermione looked at her sternly and Bridget just sighed defeated shaking her head at her friend.

"Come on, we're meant to go to Hogsmead today!" Bridget play whined.

"Fine, let's go." Hermione couldn't help but smile as they left the library.

On their way there Harry had seen Professor Slughorn heading to The Three Broomsticks and wanted to go there as well so they did taking a table across from the bar. Bridget held back a sigh as Hermione made a comment about Ginny leaving if she saw her and Ron snogging. This girl was worse than she had been when it came to George. Bridget saw Harry look at something strange and turn to see what he was looking at and her eyes met Dracos who quickly looked away from her and headed up the stairs. A few moments later Slughorn came up to them and invited her, Harry, and Hermione to a supper party to which they all accepted and then Harry explained that Dumbledore had asked him to get to know the Professor.

On their walk back Katie Bell touched a cursed necklace she had been given and once back at the school Harry said Draco had done it and Bridget didn't want to believe that someone could have done something like that, not even Draco. When they were younger it seemed as if he felt bad about the treatment she received from her uncle and his father despite the fact that they were never really friends.

Dinner with Slughorn had been awkward as she tried to answer the questions he asked her without giving anything about her background away, plus both Harry and Hermione acting awkward didn't help. When they left Harry nudged for both she and Hermione to leave without him and they did. As they walked down the hallway Hermione whispered to her, "Did you see Cormak? It was positively dreadful."

"Would it have been if you didn't have feelings for Ron?" Bridget whispered back, honestly wondering.

"Well…yes!" Hermione defended herself, "Not that I do have feelings for Ronald."

"If that helps you sleep." Bridget muttered as they continued their walk.

The first Quidditch match of the year was won by Gryffindor because Ron did such a good job as Keeper. Harry had fake poured his liquid luck into his friends drink making him think that he had taken the potion. Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes at the game and at the celebration for him. When Lavendar Brown came up and grabbed Ron kissing him both girls froze, "I don't know if George and I ever kissed in front of you but if we did and it looked like that, I'm sorry."

Bridget didn't get a response and turned to see Hermione looking like she was about to faint. She watched as Hermione took a few steps back and Harry turned as well, both of them following her. They went out into a side corridor and heard crying. Bridget put a hand on Harrys shoulder, "You should go, you can relate to what she's going though. I'll comfort her later."

He nodded heading for the noises and Bridget just stood there watching him go upset that she didn't know what her friend was going through, never having gone through something like this before. Her relationship always doing well. She looked down to the bracelet George had given her. Her part of the diamond was a cloudy dark blue where as his was a light yellow color, but it soon went to a blue similar to hers. Had he become sad because she was?

George,

Glad to hear that business is going well. Perhaps you should start taking orders by owl so that students can get products they run out of while here. Things have been pretty normal here, some trouble between Ron and Hermione but nothing Harry and I can't deal with. I've become part of 'The Slug Club' here at school, my intrigue according to Hermione is apparently how mysterious I am, and there's a Christmas party coming up soon. We're meant to bring a date but I have no idea who to bring since the only person I'd want to bring is currently spending all his time coming up with new ways to get students out of class. I'll be seeing you soon enough though.

Love,

Bridget

She decided to go to the Christmas party without a date, Hermione stating that would just add to her intrigue when it came to Slughorns curiosity about her. As she walked down the corridor alone she spotted someone sitting in an alcove. She stopped in front of the person, seeing Draco looking deep in thought. He noticed she was there and stood moving to leave but she caught his arm before he could go far and he stopped in his tracks, "Listen Draco, I know we don't know each other well but we did spend summers together when I was with my uncle." He just stared down at her, his eyes almost afraid as he looked at her, "You don't look well. You're paler than normal, more withdrawn."

"How am I supposed to look when you and your stupid little posse got my father sent to Azkaban?" He tried to regain himself, he had been fond of her when they were younger. She had been the only one his age that hadn't tiptoed around him or treated him different because of his family, "Am I supposed to be giddy like you were when your Uncle went there?"

"You know why I was happy he went there. You saw it for yourself." She kept her hand tight around his arm holding him in the conversation, "I was set free when he was put away but you look as if you've been captured. Put in a cage like the one I was in." Bridget couldn't believe she was about to say this but she had always wanted to give the snobby boy the benefit of the doubt ever since that night, "You don't have to be. If you need help to get out. Just ask."

His eyes grew wide at her offer but he maintained himself as best he could as he ripped his arm from her grasp, "Just keep your hands off me you filthy Half-Breed."

She faked that she wasn't effected by his words, he was the only one of them from the manor that had never called her that, and let out a small laugh, "I guess you weren't the one who unlocked my door that night I got away then."

Draco watched as she began to walk away towards the party. She had known it was him that let her out? Was it a good assumption she had or could she tell back then how much her screams and cries for mercy had haunted him? Whatever it was they were on opposite sides now, he couldn't unlock anymore doors for her now, and she didn't have the ability to unlock his door.

After he was caught trying to gate crash Slughorns party she and Harry followed him and Snape out into the hallway and listened to the conversation, her hopes for Draco falling even further with the words.

She had ridden the train back with Hermione, who refused to sit in the same cabin as Ron, and Ginny joined them. Once back to London, Hermione went to her families and Mr. Weasley picked them up and they were back to the Burrow. Once there they all unpacked their things, her in the room she shared with Ginny and Harry staying in Rons room. Mrs. Weasley made them all dinner and Bridget like always began to help the woman clean up but Molly stopped her before she could enter the kitchen, "Why don't you head to Fred and Georges? They seem to have missed you a lot, George especially."

"Are you sure?" Bridget thought for sure the woman would want her to stay safe at the Burrow.

"Yes, they'll be closing soon and you can apparate there yourself now that your seventeen." Molly smiled at her, "Stay the night with them, enjoy your holiday." She worried about the woman being so lax with her since just before school she had been very strict and not let any of them leave without someone being with them. Sensing the girls worry Molly put a hand on Bridgets shoulder, "Remus and the others told me how well you can take care of yourself and after all George is your bondmate so I know you'll be safe there. You're an adult now, you should be allowed to come and go as you please."

"As long as you always worry about me." Bridget made a joke smiling at the woman who was like a mother to her.

"Of course I will." Molly hugged her, "You, Harry, and Hermione are like my own but you all must be allowed to live your lives. Now go on before it gets too late."

"Alright." Bridget headed upstairs to pack an overnight bag. When she was done she apparated in front of Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes and opened the door. She smiled seeing products missing from shelves and nobody in the shop. A set of voices came from the back in unison.

"Sorry, we closed one minute ago."

"That's a shame, guess I'll have to find somewhere else to go for entertainment tonight." She yelled towards them still waiting at the front of the shop.

"Bridget!" Fred and George said with a smile almost running to the front of the shop. Fred let George get to her first and smiled as his brother hugged her, giving her a kiss. He relented his grasp and Fred gave her a hug, "He's done nothing but miss you for the past four months. It's been miserable really, him always checking that bracelet of his."

"Don't tell her that!" George hissed at him, hitting his brother.

"If that's how it's going to be I'll act like I didn't miss you either." She shrugged her shoulders looking from George to Fred, "But Fred I really have missed you terribly, every time I see a student using a product or walk past the portable swamp I think of you and it hurts my heart."

"Every time I turn off a light and watch the glow fade I think of you and it makes me sad that you're still stuck in school and not here." Fred opened his arms to her and she hugged him again.

"Alright enough!" George pulled them away from each other and the two laughed at him. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and looked at Fred, "Don't you have restocking to do?"

"We have restocking to do, just because your girlfriend showed up doesn't mean you get out of it." Fred scoffed at him.

"You see Angelina all the time, I haven't seen Bridg in ages!" George's voice got defensive and she couldn't help but laugh at the twins.

"If you stop arguing and we start stocking now we'll be done sooner." She pointed out to them.

"Sounds good." Fred said heading to the back room.

George looked down at her, "Are you sure? You didn't come here to work."

"No I didn't." She smiled up at him, "I came here to spend time with you." Bridget leaned up and gave him a light kiss, "I can do that while helping you stock, plus the rest of the night."

They were both seventeen now but he had been so busy he'd somehow forgotten about that. He rubbed the back of his neck and didn't look at her, "About that…I haven't had time to prepare everything and I didn't know you were going to be allowed to come here and all the shops are closed for the holidays now so I can't get any of the ingredients for the potion or the book it's in."

"George, stop." She laughed, "I don't care about any of that, we can wait 'til summer for all I care. I just wanted to see you."

"So does that mean you think about me when you pass by the portable swamp too?" His hands rested on her hips as he leaned down his nose brushing against hers.

"I think about you more often than that." She whispered her hand on his neck.

"Good. Because I always think about you." He sealed his lips over hers but it didn't last long as Fred popped his head in.

"Oi! Stocking, remember!" He yelled at them.

"Fine!" George yelled back and she just laughed at them.