Chapter 8

Harry and Hermione were walking up the corridor on their way to leaving the Dungeons and head towards the great hall for dinner now lessons were over. They were absentmindedly bumping into each other as they walked, like two polar opposites trying to attract, for each straight step they took, their next sent them leaning back into the other. They muttered to each other in whispering, nothing that would constitute an actual conversation, just little flirtatious titbits that they happily bounced off each other. In truth the couple had enjoyed a horrible lesson made better by the busy bubble of the Potion's room. The loud clattering and boiling, the spouts of steam and jets of colour, they all made it possible to enjoy the thrill of a stolen kiss here and there. A thirty second trip to the store cupboard they both managed had proved a riot, with the exception of Harry having to endure her five-minute breakdown after. This consisted of threatening tears and whimpering while she considered the 'what if's' had they been caught and the impact of her grading.

Now though they were a little on the drunk side of their good mood, as it carried over after lesson. Neither of them noticed the one thing very dear to them both that they'd forgotten about.

They barely noticed the complaining that Seamus was doing to Dean as they passed them, more over they missed whatever it was about the lesson that had annoyed him enough to continue ranting as he passed. They watched the two go by and as they did their Harry's hand found hers and she giggled. Forgetting themselves she leaned into him and lovingly placed her head on his shoulder as they walked. They made it another few steps, almost near to the entrance to the main hall when they were both peeled off each other and pushed apart by a few feet.

Shocked, they both turned towards each other and found Ron now in between them both, each of his arms draping over their shoulders as they walked on. Harry and Hermione shared a highly alarmed, shocked glance at each other. Assuming the worse and waiting for him to explode at them, their carelessness exposing their secret.

"Bloody hell, here you both are", Ron said. It would have sounded abnormally pleasant at any other time, but now they felt rumbled it was positively alarming at best. They could both clearly see, and were highly confused by, the large, sated grin on his face and glassy look in his eyes.

Again, they shared a look, this time it was the same level of confusion and the next was recognition that he hadn't noticed anything as he caught them up. Harry then looked positively livid with himself and then with her. If Hermione wasn't showing it herself, she could certainly read it off Harry. How could they have forgotten about Ron. Well, she knew how, but still that should never have happened. She'd started to see now the genuine danger and negative impact that their relationship could have on the three of their' s friendship. If anything, she was already to make up to Ron for how she'd been with him since the start of term, this wasn't the way to do it.

Then they both shared a final look as they crossed the hall to the Great Hall entrance. They were finally reading his face and overall, unnervingly chilled demeanour considering they had endured two of his most hated things, Potions and Slytherin's.

"Great lesson that", Ron beamed as he sat down, "didn't think I'd last the whole class with Snape in that mood but not a bad mark in the end".

Harry and Hermione couldn't help but share one last exchange of worried looks as they took their seats with him.

"Ronald", Hermione sat next to Ron for once with Harry on the other side of the table, Ron didn't notice.

"What", he smirked at her, 'full name', he thought, 'I'm in trouble again', but he didn't mind currently.

Hermione grabbed his face, squeezing his cheeks and pulling him down to look at him. She peered into his eyes as if they were a literal window into him. "Ronald this is important, did you swallow anything in class". He tried to pull away, but she dug her claws in and wouldn't relent. "This is serious Ron, we had toads in there, you didn't lick one before we extracted the spleens, did you?".

"Bloody hell Hermione, put him down and get a room the pair of you", Fred was now leaning onto the table, George in tow watching along with half the Gryffindor's who had all stopped to stare at them both.

"Urgh", Pansy moaned, "please world, swallow me up". Her and Tracey had thrown their bags in a storage room by the Slytherin Common Room entrance and were now walking along the follow through on route to the Great Hall.

The route wasn't much unlike the rest of the dungeons except it was a particularly darker and more unnerving place within the castle. There were very few doors which led to old disused classrooms and long forgotten storerooms. The long dark was barely illuminated by the few floating candles which just lit the strewn deteriorating portraits that the occupants of had long since abandoned leaving only the aging backgrounds. It was common place for the older Slytherin's to tease the new first years by claiming it was a test to walk along alone at night, but Pansy never found it so harrowing.

"Come on Pansy, you owe me at least some details", Tracey was latched onto her arm as they walked along completely alone.

"To be honest I think I'd take another round of tears than get into this with you", she said sullenly.

"Is it the girls", Tracey tried to read her, "it is, isn't it. We don't share everything you know".

"No it's not the girls", Pansy paused, "well, maybe it is a little. But, I don't know what to say. He's a red for crying out loud, and a Weasley".

"Oh piss! So what if he's a Red", Tracey warmed a little feeling Pansy holding her arm just as tight. This was as much a game they were playing as she'd seen Pansy play with Weasley, she knew she'd open up to her, she just needed to tease it out of her. She couldn't help but feel this would be good for Pansy after the day she had had. "If that bothers anyone they may as well be one of those Pure Blood morons", she stilled a little glancing at her, "sorry", she quickly added.

Pansy groaned and waved her arm free of Tracey's grasp in frustration, "SEE!", she said loudly. "Bloody pure bloods", Tracey looked shocked and then unsure, "I don't even know what that means to me anymore. That sort of stuff, it goes well beyond blindly agreeing with Draco too before you say it. I was raised on that kind of ideology; how can I just switch it off now". She pulled Tracey hard back into their linked walking.

Tracey understood and again it was good to see this come from Pansy and not just be dragged out of her. She had only been teasing but her reaction was, again, positive to her eyes. "Pansy, seriously just take a look at yourself for a minute will you. Look at how you're forcing yourself to question everything, it's amazing". She nudged her, "by the way I was playing, I really don't care what you believe. I think if what you believe isn't hurting anyone, that kind of stuff isn't going to scare me off".

The last made Pansy smile to herself in appreciation of her friend, but it didn't stop the issue she had with what happened in class. She growled again.

"Oh Parkinson!", Tracey laughed, "seriously just let it out, it's just crying without tears. Would it help if I said he's bloody fit".

Pansy stopped them both and stared at her, "no!", she glowered, then her eyebrows shot up as she realised, she'd been so obvious. "I mean, yes…urgh".

"Alright", Tracey laughed again, "he's all yours".

"I'm really starting to dislike you".

"No your not, now spill".

Pansy sighed, "Fine! he's bloody gorgeous, the great bloody idiot".

Tracey squeezed her arm in a giddy fit, "just look at yourself though. Getting hot for a Red and soppy for a Horse".

"I really hate you".

"So you say, so how did all that get started? I won't lie he isn't what he was last year, he really is on the fit side, but him Pansy? After liking Draco, I just can't think of two more opposites".

Pansy noted that for the second time she had the smallest jab of jealousy when she called him fit, something she was only used to feeling for Draco. She put it down to being overworked and stretched throughout the day.

"I don't know what happened", she said honestly. "After Snape put us together, I just wanted to get through the lesson". She glanced sideways at Tracey, "then he kept staring at me like when we ran into each other".

Now Tracey glanced at her, and Pansy filled her in. Then once she filled her in on the morning, she satisfied her sense of drama as she relayed the banter and certain amount of over lingering glances they had shared during the lesson.

"Bloody hell girl, you weren't messing around, were you".

They walked on for a few more minutes, Tracey talking away at her about the possibilities of such an encounter, but Pansy had fallen out of step with her. Her mind had gone back to the beginning of the lesson.

"What did you say to Snape?", she cut across Tracey. The memory had returned, and she couldn't hide the intrigue as she remembered what she saw. Then she noticed a flickering of something different on Tracey's face. It was a glimpse of tension that she struggled to hide. When Tracey didn't reply she let go of her arm and took a pace back from her. "What did you whisper to Snape when we got back to class?".

Immediately Tracey felt on the spot, she had barely remembered she'd spoken to Snape but only for so long. In truth she'd been plagued with worry during most of the lesson that she'd overstepped her mark until she started to see Pansy and Weasley and it pulled her out of her head.

"I…", she erred and in doing so knew she was getting Pansy's back up. She had nothing but the truth to play with and the idea that it might cause them friction forced her to stay silent. She knew she couldn't though and forced herself to speak. "I told him he should speak to you one on one", when it was out, she automatically questioned why she was worried. 'What's wrong with that?', she thought. For the same reason she had said it in the first place, she was worried for Pansy and thought it best at that moment to give him a 'head's up' about her and maybe it couldn't hurt.

'But it could hurt', she thought as soon as Pansy's face changed, 'and this is why I was worried I opened my mouth'.

Pansy took another step back from Tracey and her face fell from quizzical interest to anger and then hurt. Still Tracey couldn't fully see why it was bringing on such a strong reaction, but she wasn't surprised she was getting one.

"Pansy please", she pleaded, "what are you angry for…".

"What am I angry for?", Pansy took a third step back and then turned slowly, her hands were on her hips and she was forcing a calm over herself. "You told Snape!".

"I was trying to look out for you, I thought I was helping", she tried walking to Pansy, but she maintained the distance between them. "Pansy come on please don't let this turn into something it isn't".

"Well I can't can I", Pansy's voice began to rise slowly, threatening to become a shout. "You've told a professor so who knows what crap they'll want to dig up".

"It's Snape, he won't dig", Tracey tried to keep her voice lower, but it was raising along with Pansy's.

"I like my privacy; this is a big deal for me".

"Don't tell him anything, tell him I was wrong".

Pansy swore loudly, not at Tracey but in frustration. "You told me you'd go to the Professors if I didn't talk, I talked!", Pansy was now pointing and squaring off her stance. "And you went anyway!".

"I also said you had no control over whatever you told me", Tracey shot back, her voice now matching Pansy's and ringing through the corridor like canon fire. "I'm not apologising for looking out for you Pansy, I'd expect the same from you".

"You expect a lot from me don't you", Pansy laughed.

"Don't do that", Tracey warned, and there was that small something in the back of her mind, a mental note that backed the fact that before any sight of friendship she wasn't afraid of Pansy. "Don't mock this, us. Have a go at me all you want but don't take the piss out of how we've been getting on. You know I don't want you to change".

They eyed each other intently and again Pansy swore loudly, except this time she turned and stormed off. The act wounded Tracey deeply, it was a call back to the Pansy she used to know.

"PLEASE!", Tracey shouted, and it was a warning, not a request or an apology. It was her telling Pansy that she didn't want her to go.

Pansy carried on and within a few seconds she was swallowed by darkness. Tracey closed her eyes in angered frustration and the seconds ticked by. The longer time passed the worse she felt and the more defeated she felt too. She desperately didn't want this to end, she believed in Pansy and the idea that they had the foundations for a true friendship and to see it begin to break hurt.

Then there was a scream of sound that blasted through the hallway, "I CARE ABOUT YOU!".

Tracey blinked at the darkness, it took her completely by surprise and struck her dumb for a second. She registered it as a horrible, pained cry and while she was still upset by Pansy's reaction, a small relief washed over her, and she smiled to herself as she closed her eyes.

Where Pansy was still walking away, she cursed herself for the fact that yet again that day a tear was welling in her eye. She was struck with a jolt of sad happiness when there was a blast of screaming that belted down the corridor at her, "I CARE ABOUT YOU TOO".

Saddened that it had happened she carried on with an intent to go to the Common Room, no longer wanting to attend the Great Hall. She smiled sadly to herself, as happy as she could be under the circumstances, thinking that they may had survived their first fight.

"So Horse is it?

Not a Badger or Raven, Snake or Lion then? I can't see you saying either way and I guess it adds to the mystique.

I can't say if your reply's what I'm looking for. I don't really know what it is I want myself. But I liked it. Going off how honest you replied it's given me at least a little faith in that this wasn't a completely mad idea.

I like what you said about a friend you can privately be honest with, I've had a taste of what that's like recently, and it helped, really helped.

Sound's tough though, being overshadowed, I'm supposing these are friends of yours? Must be hard to keep being friends and not being bitter at times.

I've had my issues with friends. I think opposite to your situation, I've been knocking around in a group where you get a bit of a name for yourself, not always a good name too. But if we are being 'that' honest, I've walked away from them all. I don't feel like any one of them is a true friend and it's been a lonely realisation.

So this person of interest, the one you've had feelings for, I'm going to assume girl? Are you sure the one she seems interested in isn't really you? It's not always easy to read the signs.

I was pretty shocked to get a response so quickly but I'm glad I did. I think that's enough nice for now, so I'll leave it at that before the nutter meter goes up.

Your resident Nutter,

Sea…"

Ron finished his letter with another bemused look on his face. This mirrored the bemusement of how he had exited the Potion's lesson. That had gifted him a spring in his step that was more alarming in Hermione's eyes who was still visibly concerned for him. Then the surprise of the letter arriving so quickly was as shocking for him as it had clearly been for Sea.

He began to unravel her message and go over each bit. He struggled in the bustle of noise from the Gryffindor table and wasn't helped by Pansy who was still prominent in his mind. He had looked around to catch a glimpse of her and each time so far, he was disappointed not to see her. At the time of finishing Sea's letter though he saw that pretty group that Davis belonged to without either, her or Pansy, and his disappointment grew still when he saw just the three of them. He had no idea they were friends, but they had been seen together all day.

Oddly annoyed he went back to the letter.

"No mate, I don't think I will be quiet, he's not even listening", Ron was only vaguely aware of a conversation close bye, slowly becoming heated. "Well now, I disagree wid' you, I think it does plenty harm, I mean their Slytherin's for crying out loud".

Ron looked up from the letter now questioning his ears that were picking up the disturbance. Looking around he saw a lot of the table staring at him. This made him sit up and pay a fair amount more attention to what was going on. He noticed many eyes on Seamus and Ginny. Dean who was sat with Seamus as usual appeared to be on peacekeeper duties and was repeatedly telling Seamus to 'quiet down' and 'let it go'. Ron puzzled, turned in his seat, looking at him.

Seamus gestured to the air, "argh with us now are we, hope you can explain yourself".

Ginny spoke up before Ron had even caught up to what was going on. "I've already told you Finnigan, he doesn't have to answer to you. Stop stirring the pot", she warned.

"What the bloody hells going on", Ron was firstly quite amused as he looked up. He really wasn't paying any attention and him not being particularly bothered tickled him slightly in the glow of his upbeat mood. He spotted the intensity in his sisters' face and knew in an instant she wasn't playing around, and something was causing her a stir. When Ron traced her eyeline he took in the scene at whole. Seamus was glaring at her, almost the entire length of the table watching on. He quickly stood up and demanded, "What's going on!", a little too forcefully.

"Don't play games Ron, you heard me".

Ron rounded on Seamus and found his brothers had come to his left side, not knowing they were even there he was taken aback by how much he really appeared to have been missing. He looked down and found a half-eaten plate of lasagne that he didn't remember plating let alone eating.

As Ron stood Seamus took a step back, Fred and George it seemed stood ready but he didn't know what they were ready for. It looked to Ron like they wanted a pop at Seamus as much as he did but also as if they were waiting to hold Ron back. The story that Harry and Seamus had gotten into it over the Prophets lies had already done the rounds in the castle. The part of the story that had Ron putting himself first in line to give his dorm mate a bit of swift justice for Harry hadn't quite got around, but the twins seemed to be in understanding.

Seamus found his confidence again, all be it from the other side of the table and defiantly said, "to hell with it, House Court ten minutes". And he backed off through the crowd of Gryffindor's behind him now excitedly chattering. Dean got up quickly to follow his best mate but he seemed to be shaking his head a little too dramatically in an effort to show that he hadn't been involved in any of it.

Ron however flared instantly, "House Court!", he snarled after him, "you cheeky jumped up little…". The twins tried to quiet him as the scene had gotten the attention of the professor's table. Likewise, the entire hall was now watching on in eager fascination as almost all the Gryffindors began to bleed out into the entrance hall and make there way to their Common Room. Ron was being marched out by the twins with Ginny in tow, "I don't even know what his problem is let alone why we need to hash it out upstairs".

"We didn't hear mate, but we saw him having a pop at Gin and figured you'd use the chance to put one on him", Fred said.

"Gin?", the three Weasley boys turned to their sister as they climbed the stairs.

"He's being a little moron", she spat, "and I don't need you three for that I can deal with him myself", she smirked at them, "thanks though".

The Weasley's made it upstairs and got almost to the portrait when Ron realised, he'd left Harry and Hermione and didn't know where they were. He said as much but the twins just shrugged looking over the flood of students now climbing through. "No idea, maybe there already inside, got split up", George suggested.

Ron too was looking about for them over everyone else's heads but couldn't help notice Ginny's sudden look of anger. Again, seeing her thin eyebrows forced into that sharp, almost wound inflicting angle that she'd clearly inherited from their mother. He turned round to where she had been stood staring but couldn't see anything. "Gin?"

Ginny's eyes snapped to his with an amount of surprise that struck Ron as odd. She scowled, but then gave him a quick smile that had Ron in mind of pity. She took him by the arm and started to lead him to the portrait hole, "Come on let's just get this crap over with".

"Ron!" Harry and Hermione came up behind them, "we got separated", Harry smiled catching a breath.

"What on earth is all this about, Seamus was going on about something in Potions?", Hermione had a worried look on her face as she looked to each of them.

"I haven't got a clue…", Ron was just about to go into it as he did on their way up to the Common Room when Ginny gave his elbow another tug.

"I said lets get this crap over with", she was stood with her back to Harry and Hermione and showed no sign of acknowledging them. Everyone gave Ginny a look, "NOW!" she barked.

Everyone stared at her for a moment, even the twins shared a look with Ron, the uncanny resemblance with their mother's own ferocity had all three in the mindset of not arguing. All three equally puzzled by what had riled her so much. Hermione looked like she wanted to say something, an incredulous look on her face, but even she acquiesced.

They made their way through the portrait hole and stood in the small area that lobbied a few cozy study rooms before the grand entrance to the main common room area. House court, a mock trial Gryffindor tradition designed to help settle disputes before they turned into full blown dramas, usually the sort that had everyone opinionated. The irony being that they usually fed the drama and gave everyone a front row seat into what gossip was flowing.

Ginny stood blocking the main door, waiting to enter. Beyond Ron, he saw a line of the eldest Prefects, Seamus standing in front of them to the left and a space for himself to the right. The idea being that they plead their case to the older students then wait for whatever, 'advice' or 'judgement' they felt appropriate. The idea made Ron scoff, apart from still not knowing exactly what he'd done to rile up Seamus so. He usually found the concept ridiculous. Oh, he'd once been captivated in the earlier years at the spectacle, but as he got older he believed the tradition was probably used hundreds of years ago to genuinely keep the peace, he more recently decided that it resembled a circus show to air dirty laundry in the Common Room. Ron enjoyed a good scrap and wasn't beyond gossip once, but he'd grown to hate it. In his eyes you had to, after growing up besides Harry Potter and seeing how gossip could do damage first hand. He thought the whole point of the thing was stupid, and the ones who took it seriously now, were just the type who enjoyed getting in on the attention.

Then a fleeting thought occurred and it made him question this further. The idea of these mock courts was the point that, whatever the issue was, it had to be something that impacted their House. 'And what on earth could that be".

"Ready?", called Ginny over her shoulder, both hands on the double doors.

"If we bloody well have to", Ron groaned.

Ginny looked over her shoulder at him and Ron noticed her angered expression morph into one he'd seen many times before. Ginny was often passionately rebellious and head strong. The smile that started to stretch across her face was mischievous and unnerving.

"Yeah", she dramatically whined with both hands on the doors to the Common Room, now open. "I think we'll pass on this occasion …". She announced to the hole room defiantly.

Inside there was as sea of angry, nosey faces looking out at them. As soon as Ginny's statement rang out, she slammed the door shut and span round. In there now", she pointed at the study room to her right.

Behind her, cries of annoyance and shouting could be heard muffled by the door. Everyone just looked at her blankly. She cocked her head, an eyebrow raised defiantly, and the twins lifted their hands defensively as they strode inside making it crystal clear that they weren't down to argue with her. Ron followed them looking at her puzzled, but she gave him a small nod. It was kind and all the more confusing. Ron missed the glare she gave Hermione and Harry as she raised an arm to the right, either welcoming them in or ordering.

Ginny stepped in and closed the door behind her. A few mouths began opening to voice their confusion, but she placed a hand up, keeping them all silent. Hand still raised she looked up to the ceiling and it looked like she was paused, waiting. She began to lower a finger at a time, nodding slightly in count, 'five…four...three...two', she turned round and placed a hand on the doorknob, 'one…'.

Instantly there was banging on the door, "WEASLEY WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT!".

In a flash Ginny opened the door, a glance behind saw Seamus with a now crowded corridor behind him. He was yanked inside by Ginny. One hand gripping the collar of his robes, the other had found her wand in such a fluid movement that none of them saw her go for it. As Seamus yelped, Ginny raised her wand at the crowd and softly snarled, "anyone else want in?", the group at large began to shuffle back into the common room complete with shouts of protest. She slammed the door shut and turned to Seamus.

As she did there was another knock at the door, "err hello… Ginny, Seamus has called a house meeting you can't just…", she had flung it back open and taken a half step out. Whatever Ginny was now saying to him none of them could here but what was clear was the sudden look of fright on the Prefects face. "Well, I guess if you're happy to talk it over then we'll just-…". The door was shut, and his words were left unheard.

Seamus opened his mouth to speak then took a sideways glance at the others then back at Ginny and the wand still in her hand. As she raised a brow to him the tip of her wand gave off a faint glow. Ginny and Seamus being the same height, she remained standing steadfast as they eyed each other. All of them watched on as she leant in towards him. For a moment Ron thought she'd kissed him on the cheek but as she lingered in his ear he realised she was whispering something.

They all stood there for a moment, faint muffled complaints from the other room creeping in. Ginny leaned back and Seamus took a gulp and nodded submissively. "So, we have an agreement?".

He nodded weakly, "Er yeah, sorry Ginny", he glanced up at Ron, "sorry Ron". He shifted awkwardly.

Fred and George had automatically edged a foot or so closer to Ron as Seamus had entered, they would have happily seen Ron giving him a good kicking as a bit of a laugh but the fallout from their mother would have been almighty. "I'm telling you lad", Fred leaned to George, "when she makes us uncles, they're going to be some of the best-behaved kids in the family".

There was a knock at the door. "Seamus, you ok mate, what's going on". It was Dean.

"Its fine Dean", Ginny spoke kindly this time as if there had been no animosity or arguing and she was just casually calling for him to come in. She opened the door, ushering him inside, "Seamus has just had a change of heart and decided to speak to Ron in private".

Dean's wide-eyed entrance mirrored everyone else's mood. And as the door shut Ginny stepped away and went over to stand by Fred and George.

Not sure what he was more confused by, Seamus' gripe, or his sisters attitude he decided a good afternoon was ruined and wanted to get this over with. "So mate!", Ron said darkly, "what can I do for you?"

Seamus it seemed didn't know who he was wearier of now and kept his eyes darting from Ron to the rest of them continually. "Well…err…. mate", now looking hopefully at Ron that he was at least sounding sincere. "It's just that in Potions you were in front of us with that Slytherin bitch Parkinson…".

"Don't call her that!", Ron barked, his voice darker still. But his words hung in the room like a church bell, it rang and caught everyone by surprise. All eyes now fixed on him, he realised he'd drawn everyone's attention with an outburst which, in all honestly, caught himself by surprise. Ron's glare at Seamus was shattered by his own words, 'Why the hell did that bother me like that?', he thought in earnest.

Without time to think, he was brought back to the scene as Seamus suddenly forgot he'd been toeing a fine line, "See!", Seamus bounced looking at Dean then Harry and Hermione, he stopped when he saw Ron's face. He swallowed and looked back up, "Bloody Hell Ron it's not like last year you wouldn't have called her that, you hate her". Ron opened his mouth but Seamus found confidence in his words, "no…be fair, I'm not wrong am I". He looked around the room for acknowledgment, "and almost from the beginning of the lesson you were…well you were all over each other". Seamus was nodding frantically and elbowed Dean, "well go on!".

Dean bit his lip then smiled up at Ron, "I guess, well, he's not wrong mate. It did look like the two of you were all over each other".

"And why should that matter", again Ron spoke with a darker tone, though this time it was softer and questioning. What little time he had to think with all this going on he partly felt like his back was against the wall and his knee jerk reaction was to defend himself, win the argument. In all honesty though Seamus' moaning was pretty grounded in honesty. She was a 'bloody Slytherin' and she's always been a, he shook his head not wanting to call her that.

Then the hours they'd spent in the dungeon came back to him and the hair on his neck sparked, his blood rushed and for a second, he could swear he could smell her from when she had been under him each time he lurked close to her. He smiled to himself, just for a moment and remembered what he'd said to her. All the honesty from Sea, from himself, just a genuine moment of trying to get along and be nice, "and what the hell is wrong with that?" again speaking his thoughts before vetting them.

"What's wrong with that?", Hermione shocked everyone from where they'd been transfixed, her face showed an excess of shock and a little anger.

Ginny spoke up loudly again, this time intentionally cutting Hermione off. It surprising everyone as she did. "Yes, well…thank you Seamus", she kicked off from the wall from where she'd been leaning. She flashed her wand and the door behind Seamus and Dean opened with a snap making them all jump. She squared off her shoulders in front of the two boys. "You've given us lots to think about, don't let the door hit you on your way out".

"Ginny!", Hermione cut in.

"Thank you, Hermione, didn't ask you…".

"GINNY!", this time it was the group as one, minus Dean and Seamus who had both decided to take the retreat they were offered.

Ginny went to close the door but paused, "Remember Finnigan", Ginny's voice was low and dangerous, "this leaves this room, and our agreement is over!". Seamus nodded and ducked out. The door slammed shut and Ginny spun round falling into a nearby sofa chair, her hands over her eyes then rubbed her temples, eyes closed. "Right then, who's first?"