Wood & Wild

Chapter Eight: Jeffrey

~*~*~*~*~

Fiona slept well that night, a smile on her face. Despite having stayed up past midnight, she got up early, before the rest of her dorm-mates, and quietly had a shower. Upon returning to her bed, fully dressed, she spied the Pensieve sitting on her bedside table.

Taking a look around to make sure that her friends were asleep, she sat down cross-legged beside the bed, and gently placed the Pensieve between her legs. Leaning over the silver liquid, she cleared her mind, and let herself drift into the memories.

Fiona found herself seemingly falling into a great mass of water, and unconsciously jerked away. Instead of being back in her dorm in Hogwarts, Fiona saw that she was flying over a lake. Beside her was her past self, zooming down to the water on her broom.

Fiona grinned. She remembered this day well, and obviously it stood out in Oliver's memory too, for it to have been the first one she encountered. She watched herself dive into the clear lake, and come out with a smile on her face. Her past self turned, and yelled, "Come on, Oliver, don't be a wuss. It's fun!"

Fiona, floating above the lake, turned to see Oliver flying towards her, a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm sure it is," he said, smiling. "But I think I prefer watching you get wet."

"Ooh, that sounded like a challenge," past-Fiona commented, grinning. Fiona noticed that her face was slightly flushed, but she seemed to have a radiant glow about her that Fiona had not thought she had. Obviously, this was how Oliver saw her. Fiona got a warm, cosy feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she smiled a soft smile.

"If you think you can get me in, then by all means, try." Oliver sat sedately on his broom, smiling serenely, knowing that would infuriate Fiona.

"If you insist," past-Fiona answered, suddenly changing her speed and direction, and nearly knocking Oliver off his broom first try.

There ensued a furious chase, which Fiona watched happily, a smile on her face. When the pair came close to her again, she noticed that, while her past self had the radiant glow, Oliver appeared to be duller than usual. Fiona didn't know much about Pensieves, and wasn't sure whether she would be able to alter things in a memory whilst she was in it, but she thought she might as well give it a try. She felt for her wand, and, upon finding it, placed it near her head, to draw out her memory of Oliver on that day.

Immediately, the Oliver in front of her, who was teasing her past self, became seemingly taller and fitter, and his chest muscles more accentuated. Now he, too, had a warmth about him. Fiona smiled to herself, and nodded, satisfied. This was the moment when she had managed to drive Oliver into the water.

"Okay, I give up. Just because you're a wimp doesn't mean I can't have any fun," past-Fiona said, before diving into the water again. She came out in front of Oliver, the sun glinting off her tanned skin, most of which was exposed, since she'd daringly worn her dark green bikini that day. "After all, it is your birthday, why would you want to have fun?"

Oliver grinned. "Okay, but I'm not going underwater. I'll fly along the surface. I just don't want my broom getting wet."

"Oliver, your broom gets wet all the time when we're playing Quidditch, why should this make any difference?" past-Fiona asked. Then she threw up her hands. "Oh, I'm not going to get a straight answer out of you today, am I? Fine, you fly along the surface."

The two friends dove to the surface of the lake, and flew along it at great speed, past-Fiona occasionally dipping down to skim it. Once, she even flew upwards, did a loop-the-loop and dove into the lake, before surfacing to fly beside Oliver again. He gave her an amused look when she returned but said nothing.

The observing Fiona noticed that Oliver had been giving her quite a few glances when she hadn't been looking, and it was this inattention that led to his downfall. Past-Fiona suddenly swerved underneath Oliver's broom, and came up to fly overhead, pressing him down towards the lake surface. "Fiona! Stop it!" Oliver shouted, but it was already too late. He hit the water. Past-Fiona kept him diving so that he wouldn't bounce along the surface.

Fiona noticed that when the two of them resurfaced, Oliver had a smirk on his face, and her face was flushed. This was undoubtedly due to the fact that, somehow whilst underwater, Oliver had managed to pull Fiona off her broom and onto his, and now, one strong arm wrapped around her waist, the other holding her broom, he flew them skywards.

Fiona pulled herself out of the Pensieve, and sat on the floor, silent, lost in her thoughts. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. It was one of her favourite days. For one, it was not often that Oliver put his arms around her, and, in that instance, with both of them wearing only swimming costumes, Fiona could feel the heat from Oliver's arms and chest. She could have stayed that way forever, but they were only friends, and soon they were larking about again.

Oliver had decided, once having flown her up to high above the lake, that testing her ability to recover from falling off her broom would be a good idea. To that end, he simultaneously let go of her broom, and pushed a surprised Fiona off his. Fiona remembered feeling shocked and hurt that Oliver had done such a thing, until she realised what he was up to. Then, when she saw her broom speeding towards her, she realised that her instincts had acted faster than the rest of her, and had already called, "Accio broom."

Fiona had remounted her broom with a good ten feet to spare before she hit the water, and flew back up to Oliver, a furious look on her face. "Thanks a lot," she said, the sarcasm evident.

Oliver grinned. "You're welcome. Although, I thought for a moment I was going to have to come after you. You need to work on your reaction time."

"My reaction time?" Fiona blazed. "My reactions would have been fine if I'd been in a Quidditch match, expecting to be thrown off my broom. Instead, my best friend threw me off! Of course my reactions weren't up to their usual standards."

Oliver smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Fiona. It was an impulse. Look, to make it up to you, I'll dive with you, okay?"

"That's all it takes? Just a simple matter of making you feel guilty? I'll remember that next time," Fiona said, winking. "Come on, then. Although, I know you've been wanting to do this for ages, so don't try and con me."

They had spent the rest of the day diving in and out of the lake, and generally having a great time, celebrating Oliver's seventeenth birthday. That night, they'd crept out and done mischief in the town, although nothing too major, since they were saving that for a later date.

Fiona was shaken, literally, from her reverie by Audrey, who was tugging on her jumper. "Hello in there?" she said into Fiona's ear. "Is Fiona in there?"

"Get off," Fiona said good-naturedly. "I'm coming, I'm coming, just let me put this in a safe place." She stood up carefully, and picked up the Pensieve. Looking round the dorm, noticing that it was now empty, apart from herself and Audrey, she eventually decided to put it back on her bedside table, but with a Protection Charm on it to stop it being accidentally spilt.

"So, what was it like?" Audrey asked, unable to contain her usual curiosity.

Fiona grinned at her friend's vivacity. "It was wonderful. You can look into it at some point, if you like. It's not like there's anything inappropriate in it."

"Well, you never know," Audrey said, failing in her attempt to keep the smile from her face. "After all, it does contain Oliver's thoughts. Maybe when he was putting them in, his thoughts strayed to when he was in the shower and..."

"Audrey!" Fiona gasped. "You dirty-minded little so-and-so."

"Hey." Audrey held up her hands. "You were the one that jumped to that conclusion, not me."

Fiona scowled at her friend, and didn't respond, instead pretending to flounce down the stairs. The rest of the seventh years, and her friends from other years, mainly the Quidditch players, burst into song when she appeared. Fiona stopped dead, her face flushed in embarrassment, but Audrey pushing her from behind made her enter the circle of Gryffindors.

When they finished their rousing version of 'Happy Birthday,' the twins adding in inappropriate lyrics where and when they could, Sally pushed Fiona into a chair. "We've got some presents for you."

"After all," Stuart added, "it's not every day you get to turn seventeen."

"And be legal," the twins finished, a jealous gleam in their eyes.

"I can't wait," Fred said.

"But the rest of us can," Angelina commented.

"That's right," Katie said. "We don't want to be witnesses to the carnage you two will create once you can do magic outside of Hogwarts."

"What they do now is enough," Percy sniffed. "I'm glad I won't be around when they're seventeen."

"Hey, this is Fiona's day, not the twins," Tom interjected. "Their time will come."

"Of course, Oliver and Fiona will cause enough chaos for us to cope with, without the twins' help," Joe said, grinning.

Fiona, who had sat on her chair, silent amongst the clamour, shared a grin with Oliver. Now that both of them could use magic whenever they wanted, there were great adventures to be had, and pranks to be done. The two of them had discussed over the summer what they could do with two lots of magic.

"Here." Hayley pushed a small package into Fiona's hands. "Someone may as well start."

Fiona thanked her, and unwrapped what turned out to be a set of Forever Inking Quills. That began the onslaught of presents. All of her Reserve Team had got her presents, mainly Quidditch related, and all of the seventh years, too, had got her something. Several of the main Quidditch Team had also bought her presents. How Fred and George had got her Honeyduke's Best Chocolate when the Hogsmeade weekend was next weekend, and they didn't deliver such small amounts, Fiona didn't ask, but was determined to find out at a later date.

Once all the unwrapping was done, and the thanks and hugs given out, the rest of the seventh year girls helped Fiona carry her presents up to their dorm. Coming down again, the large group trooped down for breakfast. They were slightly late, and found that the rest of the school had already sat down, but as there were so many of them, they laughed it off, and waved at the bemused onlookers.

"Come on, Fiona, pride of place," George said, wiping imaginary dust from the bench.

"Yes, do sit here, my lady," Fred added, guiding, or rather gently pushing, Fiona to the place where George stood. "Right in the middle, and then you can watch the rest of us fight to sit beside you."

"Well, that's easy," Audrey said, "I'll sit here." She plonked herself down on Fiona's left side. Joe sat on her right, and Oliver sat opposite her, flanked on one side by George, and by Sally on the other. The rest of them spread themselves out either side of her, and soon they were tucking into the feast in front of them.

Fiona took a moment to look around her, at her friends who were all laughing and talking happily. She smiled and turned back to her porridge. Oliver caught her eye, and smiled at her. She knew he realised what she was thinking.

The rest of the day, Fiona was flanked by Audrey, Joe, Oliver, and the rest of the seventh years. Her friends from other years met up with them at lunchtime. After dinner, when everyone was sitting in the Common Room, Morna came over to see her sister.

"Happy birthday, sis," she said, handing her a large package. "I hope you like it."

Fiona unwrapped it gingerly. Morna was almost as bad as herself for practical jokes. Instead of something that exploded, however, she found a huge photo album, full of photographs of her and Morna, from when Morna was born up to the previous summer. Along with it was a beautiful woodcarving of a winged horse about to take flight.

Fiona looked up in amazement at Morna. "You made this yourself, didn't you?"

Morna blushed, and ducked her head. It wasn't often that Fiona's younger sister was shy, but this was the first time she'd let anyone know about her woodcarving.

"It's amazing, Morna. It's beautiful. Thank you." Fiona got up and gave her sister a huge hug. "I'll take care of it," she promised.

"You'd better had do," Morna retorted, back to her usual self. She grinned at Fiona, and returned the hug, before joining her friends at their table.

Joe picked up the horse, and examined it. "The attention to detail is amazing. It looks as though it's about to fly about the room right now."

Audrey's eyes lit up, and she glanced at Oliver. Oliver noticed, and shook his head. "No, I'm not going to animate it, Audrey. The last thing Fiona needs is an animated horse flying about the room all day, neighing. I think it's best if it stays inanimate."

"Oliver's right. There are some things which should remain as they are meant to be," Joe added, stroking the horse's neck. "This is a work of art, no doubt done by hand, without magic, since Morna's underage, and it deserves to be preserved as such."

Audrey looked abashed. Fiona smiled at the disappointed look on her friend's face. "I agree with the boys, but, I must admit, it would've been fun."

"Maybe you could make one, Audrey," Oliver suggested. "You can use magic here at Hogwarts. I'd animate it for you."

"And I could add longevity to it, so the Charm would last quite a long time," Joe said.

"Although, Oliver's Charms last a while anyway. That bloody lion still roars at me whenever I go near that top," Fiona commented, grinning.

"The strength of the spell will depend on how the spell-caster was feeling at the time. Oliver was clearly worked up when he cast that spell on your t-shirt," Joe explained, ignoring the flushed face of Oliver.

"And, I think it's taken on his disgruntled attitude as well," Audrey added. "It tried to bite me as I moved Fiona's pile of clothes yesterday."

Fiona grinned, and shrugged. "What can I say? Lions love me."

Audrey and Joe exchanged knowing looks, but said nothing. Soon, it was time to head up to bed, and sleep, looking forward to another week of lessons.

~*~*~*~*~

The third years' excited chatter greeted Fiona, Joe, Oliver, and Audrey as they entered the Common Room after a gruelling Charms lesson. The younger years were glaring at the third years, and the older years were smiling indulgently.

"Hmm, three guesses as to what's happening this weekend," Fiona said, smiling.

"Could it be the first Hogsmeade weekend, perhaps?" Audrey asked, hefting her bag further up her shoulder.

Joe added, "Near Halloween too."

Oliver glared at an over-enthusiastic third year that pushed past him, throwing him off-balance. "Were we this bad?"

"Worse," Audrey replied. "You and Fiona spent all week planning what you were going buy at Zonko's. I lost count of how many detentions you got because you were never paying attention."

Fiona grinned. "I remember that. It was great fun."

Joe flopped down on the sofa in front of the fire. "It soon wears a little thin, though, don't you think?"

"I suppose," Audrey answered, sitting on the floor at his feet.

"Well, it is a small place. There's only so often going to Hogsmeade and not being able to do magic is fun. After a while, it does get a little same-samey," Fiona observed, curling up on the sofa next to Joe.

"Of course, now that we can do magic..." Oliver left his sentence unfinished, but shared a knowing look with Fiona before he sat on the floor in front of her, his back against the sofa.

Joe and Audrey groaned. "Oh no, not again!" Audrey added, getting a light punch from Oliver for her trouble.

"So, I take it we're all heading into Hogsmeade together, as per usual?" Fiona asked.

"Well," Joe started, looking uncomfortable. "I was sort of planning on going off with Margaret. You see, it's not that often that we get time to ourselves, and I thought it would be a good idea..."

"Okay, okay," Fiona said, laughing and holding her hand up. "Enough already. I think we get the idea."

"Don't worry about it, we'll cope without you," Oliver said. "You go and have fun with Margaret."

"Oh, I will!" Joe grinned.

"Right." Fiona slapped her hand on her knee. "You know, I was planning on getting lots of work done tonight, and that way there'd be less to do this weekend, but now..."

"You're tired, and you can't be bothered?" Audrey asked, smiling.

"Pretty much," Fiona agreed, sinking down further into the comfy sofa. "I suppose I might get some enthusiasm after dinner."

"You might," Oliver said, although he didn't convinced.

"I have to admit, I do feel like melting myself," Audrey reflected dreamily.

"But melting into what, that's the question," Joe said. "Or, maybe I should say, who."

"Hmm?" Audrey asked dreamily, her eyes half closed.

"Hey, dream girl, Joe's insinuating all sorts of things about you, and you're not paying attention," Fiona said, poking Audrey with a foot.

"I heard him," Audrey answered, tickling Fiona. "I just didn't think it was worth an answer."

Fiona pulled her foot away before Audrey could torment her anymore, and asked Joe, "Speaking of dream-girls, how come you're not with yours now?"

"I thought I'd spend some time with you lot, Merlin knows why. Besides," Joe answered, "I'm going to be seeing more of her this weekend than normal."

"I don't want to know the details, okay?" Fiona said, grinning.

"Yeah, and try not to gloat too much," Oliver added.

"Gloat, me?" Joe attempted to look innocent, and was partially succeeding until Audrey tickled him. "Hey, stop that, Rose! That's it! Revenge is sweet!" He launched himself at Audrey, and proceeded to chase her around the Common Room, Fiona and Oliver doubled over in laughter at their friends' antics.

When the pair finally called a truce and returned, out of breath, to the sofa, it was time for dinner. "Looks like there goes any plans of work before dinner," Fiona commented.

"You knew it was never going to happen," Oliver said, leading the four of them out of the Common Room.

Fiona grinned at him, and shrugged, before letting Joe and Audrey out of the portrait before her.

~*~*~*~*~

The four of them, plus Margaret, made their way into Hogsmeade. Audrey looked suspiciously at Oliver and Fiona, whose eyes were twinkling mischievously. Joe hadn't noticed, he was too busy talking to Margaret, and Audrey was wondering whether it was a good idea to hang about with Wood and Wild on her own. She had a feeling that she might be called upon to run like blazes at some point if she did, and she knew that she couldn't keep up with the Quidditch Captains.

Fortunately, she didn't have to consider that for much longer, as Hayley called out to her. "Audrey? Want to come into Dervish and Banges with me?"

Audrey glanced at Oliver, who was walking beside her. "Go ahead. It's not like we're your keepers."

"Well, technically we are, but never mind that," Fiona interjected.

"You probably won't want to be around us that much today, anyway," Oliver finished, glaring at Fiona as he did so.

"He's right. If something goes wrong, you wouldn't be able to keep up," Fiona added, ignoring Oliver. "Have fun. And hey," she called after Audrey as she moved away, "maybe you'll get some more gossip about that Slytherin." Audrey flipped her hand to show that she'd heard.

"I thought you weren't interested in that," Oliver said.

Fiona shrugged. "I thought I needed to expand my horizons. Besides, the more we know about the Slytherins, the better, right?"

Oliver grinned, and then poked Joe. "Joe, Fiona and I are going into Zonko's. Didn't you say you wanted to go into the Three Broomsticks?"

Joe broke off his conversation with his girlfriend, and stared at Oliver for a moment. "Oh, right, yeah. Are you going to be coming in later?"

"We might be. It depends on how things go," Oliver said, winking.

Fiona added, "If you don't see us, we'll meet you back in the Common Room. Audrey's gone off with Hayley, so she'll probably come back with the rest of our year."

Joe nodded. "Okay, well, have fun, and don't do too much damage. I know by now it's no use telling you not to get into trouble."

Fiona and Oliver both grinned at him as they headed towards the joke shop. Joe and Margaret watched them go. "They're always like that, I take it?" she asked him.

Joe looked down at her. "Yeah. Having the Weasley twins in the same House makes things worse."

Margaret laughed. "I can imagine. Still, I suppose since you're their friend, you get ample warning that something's going happen."

"You would think so," Joe answered, leading her into the busy pub.

~*~*~*~*~

Audrey and Hayley browsed the various shops in Hogsmeade, avoiding Zonko's since they knew that both Fiona and Oliver, and the Weasley twins would be in there, creating chaos. Audrey, when she wanted to be, could be a very good listener, and had an open mind when it came to Slytherins. At least, it was more open than the rest of her housemates. Hayley needed someone to talk to about Kevin, her ex-boyfriend, who was also a member of Slytherin.

"I don't know what to do, Audrey. I mean, he was, is, nice. The only reason we split up was because his housemates were pestering him. I haven't spoken to him properly since we broke up. He's all I can think about. I mean, obviously not when I'm concentrating on schoolwork, but then, all of a sudden, he just pops into my head," Hayley was saying.

Audrey listened carefully. Although she had never had this problem herself, her relationships had always been light and carefree, for she had never felt ready to commit to a serious relationship so young, she could empathise with Hayley's problem. She knew Kevin vaguely from Potions and Care of Magical Creatures, and knew that he wasn't a bad sort. She'd seen him with Hayley, and thought that they had made a really nice couple.

"Do you think he feels the same way?" Audrey asked gently.

Hayley shrugged. "I think so. I mean, I've not spoken to him, so I can't be sure. But, sometimes I catch him looking at me, during meal times. I get this jump in my stomach when he does. Argh!" Hayley let out a groan. "This is so annoying! I hate this inter-house hatred."

"I know what you mean. I think half of it is because it's expected. Fair enough, there are some horrid people in Slytherin, but there are a lot who aren't that bad," Audrey reflected. "Maybe you should owl Kevin? Find out how he feels. If he's feeling as miserable as you are, then he might want to give it another chance."

"Maybe." Hayley considered the idea. "I wouldn't even mind keeping it a secret, for his sake more than mine. Guess that shows how desperate I am," she said, grimacing.

"You can borrow Flit if you like," Audrey offered. Flit was the short-eared owl that Audrey had got given to her by her parents for passing her OWLs. "And, if he wants to give it another go, I don't think he'll want to hide it. After all, he is a Slytherin, and they have more in common with Gryffindors than either us would like to admit. He won't want to hide it any more than you do."

Hayley smiled widely. "You're right. I don't even know how he ended up in Slytherin. Although, he has got a lot of ambition, maybe that's it. Thanks for the offer of Flit, Audrey. I think I might take you up on that. In fact," Hayley drew herself up, and Audrey could see that she'd made a decision there and then, "I'll send him a message tonight."

"Excellent!" Audrey linked arms with a much happier Hayley, and said, "Come on, I think that deserves some Butterbeer."

The pair had begun to walk towards the Three Broomsticks when there was a loud explosion, and squawking noises came from their right hand side. "What in Merlin's name is that?" Hayley gasped.

Audrey shrugged. "Probably Wood and Wild up to their tricks again. Now that both of them can use magic, they're double the trouble." She didn't look surprised, merely resigned to the fact that her friends were always stirring up trouble. "Come on, ignore it."

"I would if I could," Hayley said, giggling. She pointed at what was obviously the result of the explosion. Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, stumbled out of the alley. His head had been replaced by that of a chicken, and he was squawking loudly in protest. His friends were gathering round him, attempting to reverse the spell. As soon as any of them touched him, however, they, too, turned into chicken-heads. Soon, the older half of the Slytherin Quidditch Team had chicken heads.

Fiona and Oliver appeared behind Audrey and Hayley. "I think it's an improvement, personally," Fiona was saying conversationally to Oliver.

"You're right. Somehow it suits them," Oliver agreed.

"You two! How did you do it?" Audrey turned on them.

"Us?" Oliver looked innocent. "Who said it was us?"

"Besides, we came from over there," Fiona added, pointing to another alley opposite the one from which Marcus had appeared.

"It's Marcus," Audrey pointed out. "And half the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Of course it was you two."

"No one can prove it," Oliver answered. "We have motive, that's all."

"And opportunity and the magical ability," Hayley added.

"Ah." Fiona held up her hand. "But, we have an alibi. We saw Tom and Sally in that little junk shop down the alley about five minutes ago."

"It's true," Tom said, joining them.

"Look, even their fellow Slytherins are enjoying it," Fiona pointed out. Draco Malfoy and his 'bodyguards', Crabbe and Goyle were walking past. She had noticed the smirk on Malfoy's face as he took in the sight of his fellow Quidditch players.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Oliver said. "That prat's as bad as the others, if not worse. Wish he'd been got too."

Fiona shrugged. She didn't think Draco was as bad as he was sometimes made out to be, but popular opinion ruled against her, so she didn't push it. Besides, he had bought his way onto the Quidditch team, which, to her mind, was despicable.

"He's not a chicken, though," Audrey said. "Maybe it wouldn't have worked on him." She glanced slyly at Oliver, sure that he would jump to defend his Charm.

The Quidditch Captain didn't take the bait. "Possibly. I wouldn't know. As for him being a chicken, you're right, he's not. More like a snake. He definitely deserves to be in Slytherin."

The object of their discussion had long since gone, and the Slytherins whose heads were chickens had been apprehended by Professor McGonagall. She was busy attempting to put them back to their original selves when Hayley, Audrey, Fiona, Oliver, Tom, and Sally walked past them, heading towards the Three Broomsticks.

When they entered it, they found it busier than ever. Joe and Margaret were ensconced in a corner, surrounded by other Gryffindors. Fred and George Weasley immediately waved Oliver and Fiona over, and soon the four of them were in a deep discussion. Audrey inwardly shuddered to think what they were talking about. She and the three other Gryffindors headed to where Joe and Margaret were. Audrey sat at the end, having been to get the Butterbeers. When she judged the conversation Hayley and Sally were having had got deep enough, Audrey finished her Butterbeer, and slipped out of the pub. No one noticed her go.

~*~*~*~*~

"You should have seen him jump, it was brilliant," Fiona gushed to Fred and George.

"The look on Marcus' face was fantastic," Oliver agreed.

"I wish we'd been there," Fred said.

"But we were busy planning our revenge on Lee," George added.

"Oh, that's right. He got your Potions homework to shout insults at Snape, didn't he?" Oliver remembered.

Fiona grinned. "It was a good spell he used. I've been trying to think of some way to use it. We can't use it on Snape again, since he'd know exactly what to do, but I'm sure there's some way it can be used."

"What will life like be at Hogwarts without you two helping us stir it up?" George said, smiling.

"Boring," Fiona answered, returning the smile.

"I don't know. I think we might able to conscript our baby sister into helping us," Fred contemplated.

"And, she's friends with Morna, so you've got double trouble there," Oliver added.

"That's right, Morna's learnt from the best, and I would imagine that so has Ginny," Fiona observed.

"Plus, they're better at looking innocent than you are," Oliver said. "You're too well known for your pranks now."

Fred and George exchanged grins. "You're right, of course. Those two would be wonderful allies," George said, grinning.

~*~*~*~*~

Oliver and Fiona joined Joe and Margaret on their way back to Hogwarts. The four were heading back earlier than a lot of the students, simply because they had been at Hogsmeade several times before, and it didn't hold the same appeal as it once had done. Plus, Fiona and Oliver didn't want to stick around, in case Professor McGonagall got it into her head that they had had something to do with the transformation of the Slytherins.

"What I don't understand is how you managed to get Flint, and be seen by Tom and Sally in that shop," Joe said, frowning. "Don't even think about denying you did it," he added, when he saw Fiona open her mouth. "I know you did, because it definitely wasn't Fred and George, they were in the Three Broomsticks with us."

"Okay, yes, we did it," Oliver admitted. "As for how we were in two places at once..."

"That's a trade secret," Fiona finished, grinning.

Joe shrugged. "Okay, if you want to be like that. You know I'll find out soon enough. It wouldn't take too much research."

Oliver sighed. "It was a simple illusion spell. We attached it to Tom and Sally as they walked past, so that it followed them into the shop."

"I tracked the spell, so we knew where they'd gone, and, once the illusion had worn off, we knew in what area we had to be, so that when Tom and Sally came out, they wouldn't be surprised to see us," Fiona explained.

Margaret shook her head. "I love the way you just shake it off. A simple spell, you say. Any illusion, especially one that's sustained, and has a tracker built into it, isn't simple at all."

Joe patted her hand. "You get used to these two shaking off complex spells like that. They only work that hard if it can be used for mischief. If they put half as much effort into their regular studies..." he grinned, mimicking Professor McGonagall.

Fiona shrugged. "We can only work complex spells if we work together. If one of us tries it singly, it doesn't work."

They had entered Hogwarts, and were at the staircase that led to the Ravenclaws' Common Room. Oliver and Fiona politely looked away as Joe said goodbye to his girlfriend. The three then began the trek up the stairs to their own Common Room. Joe was asking about the illusion spell in more detail, and Oliver offered to show him the book they'd found it in in the library. The boys left Fiona at the Fat Lady.

Fiona climbed in, and looked around the almost empty Common Room. The only other occupants were a few sixth and seventh years that hadn't gone into Hogsmeade, and the first and second years, working on last minute homework. Glancing at the roaring fire, Fiona decided to fetch a book from her room, and relax in front of the fire. She had purposefully managed to get all of her work done before going into Hogsmeade, so that she could relax afterwards.

Upon reaching the dorm, she noticed two owls sitting by her bed. They had obviously got in through the window that she always left open, in case Pipit decided she wanted to visit. Fiona took the packages from them, and gave them some titbits. Hooting at her in thanks, they then flew off out the window, leaving Fiona to open her presents. They were from her parents. Most of the contents were books, the topics focussing around Apparating, and her NEWTs. But there was one present which wasn't academic-related. It was a wizarding camera, one of the newest designs, which allowed not only wizard photographs to be taken, but also videos. The note attached read, We won't be able to make the final Quidditch match when Gryffindor wins the Cup, so we were hoping you'll record it for us. Have fun practising how to use it. Love, Mum and Dad.

Fiona grinned. Her parents always knew what present to get her. Placing the camera and the new books into her trunk for safe-keeping, she grabbed the book she was currently reading, and made her way downstairs, ready to enjoy a few hours to herself.

~*~*~*~*~

Fiona was sitting on a sofa in front of the fire, reading a book, when someone came rushing into the Common Room and sat down opposite her. Fiona looked up, upset that her reading had been interrupted, and ready to roast whoever the culprit was. When she saw that it was Audrey, she resorted to a glare, and returned to her book.

Audrey sighed, and pulled the book out of Fiona's hands. "Hey," Fiona protested.

"Look what I got!" Audrey was practically jumping out of her seat.

"Well, come on, then," Fiona demanded, giving up on the book.

Audrey stood up and turned around, putting her back to Fiona. She then proceeded to pull her shirt up and the waistband of her trousers down. Fiona looked at her, puzzled, until Audrey said, "Go on, look!"

Fiona looked dubious, but she bent her head, and saw what had escaped her notice during her quick glance - a tattoo. A small, green dragon with little wings faced away from Fiona, his tail curled around the stem of a red rose. "Wow," Fiona breathed. At her voice, the dragon turned his head and looked at her from over his shoulder. "He looks a little upset," Fiona observed.

"Well, he's just been tattooed on," Audrey pointed out. "I expect he's still a little sore."

The dragon, who had obviously been paying attention, snorted a thin stream of flame, and burnt the rose to cinders. "Well, that wasn't very nice," Fiona admonished him. The dragon looked somewhat shameful, and Fiona noticed the rose beginning to grow, and then bud once again.

"Hey, it's regenerating!" she exclaimed.

Audrey tried to see over her shoulder, and failed. "Isn't it fantastic?" she asked, grinning.

"He still looks a little miffed, though," Fiona said.

"He just needs stroking, like any pet," Audrey explained.

"Stroking?" Fiona looked up at her friend, an incredulous look on her face.

"Yeah, go on, give it a go. It might work." Audrey's face was innocent, she was clearly being deadly serious. Fiona had to stifle her laughter as she reached out a tentative hand to stroke the little green dragon.

Amazingly, the dragon was soon making a noise that could only be described as purring, and appeared to have a silly grin on it's face. Fiona looked awed. "It worked."

Just then, the portrait opened, and Oliver and Joe came in. They stopped dead at the vision of Audrey, her shirt up and her trousers pulled down, with Fiona stroking her back, both of them with amazed smiles on their faces. The boys exchanged looks. "Do you think we should leave them to be alone?" Joe asked loudly.

Fiona looked up, and saw the looks on the boys' faces. She burst out laughing, and waved them over. "Come on, it's perfectly safe. And innocent, I might add," she said, directing her comment to Joe, who leered at her.

"Audrey's got a tattoo," Oliver said calmly.

"Cool," Joe added, peering at it.

"Does it have a name?" Oliver asked. Fiona returned to stroking the dragon, kicking herself for not thinking of asking that question herself. She knew as well as Oliver did that Audrey liked to name things.

"Jeffrey," Audrey told them, grinning.

"Well," Fiona said, straightening up, "I think my hand's beginning to cramp. You know, you're going to have trouble keeping Jeffrey happy, since you can't reach round and stroke him yourself. You'll have to find someone else to help you. Oh, and I'm not volunteering," she finished, a grin on her face.

"Yeah, you might want to find that older, adventurer of yours to help," Joe added, as Audrey rearranged her clothing.

"So, I'm guessing that's where you disappeared off to," Oliver said, as the four of them sat down again, Fiona retrieving her book from being squashed by Joe.

"Yeah, I figured it was about time. I managed to screw up my courage, and thought I should get it done whilst I felt I could," Audrey explained.

"Well, today's been a busy day," Fiona observed. "Come on, let's go and get something to eat. I'm starving."

"Must've been that prank that you pulled on the Slytherins that worked up your appetite," Joe suggested, grinning.

Fiona shook her head, laughing. "You'll never give up, will you?"

"You know it," Joe returned, smiling, and throwing his arm around her shoulders.

The four of them trooped out of the Common Room, talking and laughing. Upon entering the Great Hall, Audrey looked up, and sighed. "I love Halloween. The decorations are always so cool." Candle-filled pumpkins hung over their heads, and live bats flew around above them, intermingling with bright orange streamers which floated everywhere. The food, as always, was delicious, and had a Halloween theme.

Once they had stuffed themselves silly, the Hogwarts ghosts came floating through the walls to entertain the students. Nearly Headless Nick put on a very impressive show of his own bungled beheading.

The four friends joined the rest of Gryffindor as they started back up the stairs to the Common Room. They were some of the first students to reach the Fat Lady's portrait.

"What the hell?" Fiona swore loudly. Audrey absently punched her, as the younger students behind them giggled. They couldn't see what the seventh years could.

Joe took stock of the situation, and he and Audrey held the rest of the Gryffindors back, whilst Fiona and Oliver stared at the painting which used to contain the Fat Lady. Now, it merely contained the background, and several vicious slashes across the canvas.

"Who in Merlin's name would do this?" Fiona whispered in shock.

"A Slytherin, I bet," Oliver countered.

Fiona shook her head. "I don't think any of them would be so bold, or stupid, to do this."

She heard Percy's voice from behind them. "Let me through, please. What's the hold up here? You can't all have forgotten the password - excuse me, I'm Head Boy..." His voice faded as he broke through the line of students that Joe and Audrey held back, and came up beside Fiona and Oliver.

Everyone went silent, wondering what had made Percy shut up. Percy stared at the portrait in horror, and then suddenly drew himself up. "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick," he said sharply. Tom, who standing close by, turned and pushed his way through the crowd, which was now straining to see what was going on.

Professor Dumbledore was very soon standing in front of the portrait. His face was grim as he examined the ruined painting, and he turned away as Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurried towards him.

"We need to find her," he said. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" a cackling voice said. It was Peeves, the poltergeist, floating over the crowd, grinning at the remains of the painting. Under Professor Dumbledore's stern gaze, he informed them that he'd seen the Fat Lady running through a landscape on the fourth floor, crying her eyes out. When questioned whether she had told him who had done the damage, Peeves joyfully told them that it was Sirius Black.

Needless to say, uproar broke out. Fiona's face went white, and she failed to notice Oliver put his arm around her protectively. Audrey nearly fainted, and had to be held up by Joe. The Headmaster sent them all back to the Great Hall, where they were soon joined by the rest of the school. Professor Dumbledore informed them that they would be spending the night in the Great Hall, for their own safety, whilst the Professors searched the school. He conjured purple sleeping bags for everyone, and left the Head Boy and Girl in charge.

The Gryffindors immediately began telling the rest of the school what had happened, but Oliver, Fiona, Joe, and Audrey retired to a peaceful corner of the Hall. As they settled down, Joe quietly asked the question that was on everyone's minds. "If Peeves is to be believed, and it was Sirius Black, how did he get into Hogwarts without the Dementors knowing?"