“Holly! Wake up! You're gonna miss breakfast if you don't hurry!” The sound of Pansy's voice filled my head and her hand was rocking me back and forth more violently than I would like.

“Mmmm. More sleep.” I muttered, while rolling over away from her.

“Uh uh. You're too cranky when you skip breakfast. And you promised to help me in class today.” She gave my butt a hard slap. “Now get up!”

“Okay, okay. I'm getting up. Bloody hell.” I said, sitting up. And rubbing my rear end.

“Well if you miss class you'll probably end up having to see Pomfrey again, and we both know you've seen her enough this year.” Pansy was already rummaging through my dresser.

“I'm just tired. I didn't sleep well last night.”

“The way you were tossing and turning in your sleep I'm not surprised. Here.” She said, tossing me a bra and panties and then moving to my armoire and selecting everything I needed. “Hurry up and get dressed. We definitely need to do something about that hair.”

“Hey there, cutie.” Susan said as she wrapped her hands around me from behind.

I tilted my head back to be greeted with a kiss. “Heeyy. Now that's a good way to start the day.”

Susan gave me a puzzled look for a moment. “You look different.” She spun her body around and sat next to me backwards on the bench seat and held my face with both hands. “Your eyes…” her eyes moved over my face. “Your lips… Your jawline is different, too.”

“You missed my skin being a couple shades lighter and my hair being a couple shades darker. I'm thinking about adding a few streaks of color to it. Maybe dark blue or bright pink.”

She released her hold on my head. “I was getting to those. And I vote for the bright pink. But what's with the changes? Does it have anything to do with last night?”

“Kinda. Maybe? I'll tell you more when we're away from…” I turned to stare at Pansy. “Prying eyes and ears.”

“You're no fun, you know that?” Pansy retorted before sticking her tongue out at me.

“I'll fill you in later.” I replied, returning the gesture of sticking out my tongue.

“You don't need to see Pomfrey again do you?” Susan asked.

“No! I've seen her enough. It's nothing to worry about.”

“Ok. I'm gonna grab a quick bite before we have to head to class.” Susan moved to stand up but I grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

“Stay here. It's not like there's different food at the other tables.”

“Are we allowed to do that? We've always sat at our own house tables.”

I shrugged as I tossed a grape in my mouth. “Nobody ever actually said we have to. And nobody cares on the weekend.”

Susan turned herself around and started grabbing food, which only got a few momentary looks from some of the Slytherins.

Classes went by in a blur. History of Magic was the only chance I had to talk to Susan, Hermione, or Hannah but with the poor sleep I had last night the drone of Binns’ voice and his incessant rambling about insignificant numbers of things had me falling asleep along with the majority of the class. Hopefully the exams will be on what's in the books and not his mindless ranting.

Lunch was spent going over notes and books with Pansy before potions class started, and then I was constantly running back and forth from my cauldron to hers. At least I had that little nap in history. I was able to get an ‘I might be inclined to try it if I was on death's door’ for my wiggenweld and an ‘I’d rather wait and go to St. Mongos’ for my cure for boils. Pansy actually got a ‘not complete rubbish’ on both. I am thoroughly convinced that the more creative the insult the better the potion actually is.

I didn't even have a chance to talk to anyone during detention, which was immediately after class. We were all given individual assignments within the grounds. I was placed on de-goming the quidditch field while Susan and Hermione were collecting useful ingredients for student use in potions class. De-gnoming, while tedious, allowed me to work out my frustration of having to miss dueling club practice.

Catching gnomes is actually pretty easy. Once you get a hold of the first one, all the others are drawn out by the commotion. Hagrid used his hand to catch the first couple to ‘show me how it's done’ but I was not about to get any part of my body dirty over these stupid creatures, so I resolved to use my plethora of spells to get the job done.

I was provided with several containers that would fit five or six gnomes each. The containers had a lid that would snap itself shut once an object was dropped in, much like the raccoon traps Vernon had me set and check so many times before, but unlike the muggle version these didn't have springs that would snap the door shut on my hand. I could think of several spells to get the job done, Carpe Retractum and Wingardium Leviosa being a couple of the top choices.

The quidditch pitch had been made off limits for the evening to facilitate the gnome removal process, so I was completely alone once Hagrid left me to my work. I had already caught about a dozen or so gnomes before boredom got the better of me and I decided to spice things up a bit. I decided now would be a good time to test my accuracy with spells at distances further than the dueling room could accommodate and was soon pelting hapless gnomes with spells from about 50 meters away.

I would launch the gnomes into the air with the vaulting spell, Alarte Ascendare, and then went to work pelting the airborne creatures with spells deemed too dangerous for use in dueling club, like Bombarda, Confringo, Expulso, and Reducto. I was soon launching two or three into the air at a time and releasing the onslaught on the helpless creatures, with every spell making me more upset that I was here by myself. I thought about Susan and how I just wanted to lay in her lap and feel her fingers comb through my hair. I thought about Hermione and how much fun it was to tease her last night. Clothes shopping with Pansy, tea with Narcissa, hearing all the latest gossip from Tracy. My mind was anywhere and everywhere else, and I was mad.

“Holly!” A voice behind me brought me back to my senses. “Mogana’s tits! I think a jarvey would have been more humane.”

A few gnomes lay twitching on the ground and a few more were trying their hardest to climb into the containers, the only safe haven from the one sent to evict them.

I was breathing heavily, trying to hold back the storm raging inside. “What do you want, Draco?” I said, not turning around.

“Umm. Just seeing how things are going. Madam Hooch said she'll ref a quick game as long as you're done in the next half hour or so.”

I rolled my eyes. Bloody quidditch. “I just need to get these last… ‘things’ into the crates and then tell Hagrid I'm done.” I started walking towards the crates so I could actually get the beasts in the crates.

“Holly, are you okay? You're not mad at me are you?”

I stopped in my tracks and turned around. “Bloody hell, Draco! The world does NOT revolve around you! There are things in my life I can't even tell my best friends, or even my girlfriend. On top of that I have to maintain my new image of the perfect Slytherin princess, a title which you and Pansy thrust upon me, yeah! I know about that one! And I love you both, but I'm just dealing with so much right now.”

I wasn't angry anymore, I was now crying. I dropped my wand as I fell to my knees and covered my face with my hands. I felt him put his arms around me.

“Soooo, you love me, huh? Want me to tell Susan for you?”

That got me to stop crying and to actually laugh. “Like a cousin, you prat.” I said slapping his arm.

“You can always talk to me if you need to. Or send an owl to my mum. She's really looking forward to you staying with us this summer.”

“Thanks. Maybe I will.”

“Um, Holly? A couple of the gnomes are making a break for it.”

“Ah shite.” I said, picking my wand back up. “Oh no you don't you little buggers.”

“So Hagrid let something slip last night. Turns out Cerberus is actually named Fluffy.” I was laying with my head in Susan's lap while she combed her fingers through my hair. Hermione was sitting next to us, writing on a parchment while flipping between several books.

“Seriously!? I'm sorry, but that name doesn't fit.” Susan said.

“Maybe it was cuter as a puppy?” Hermione posed without interruption to her work.

“Maybe. And apparently he is guarding something belonging to a Nicholas Flamel.”

Hermione stopped writing and looked at us. “I know that name from somewhere. I remember reading the name but I can't remember which book it was.”

“Well he'd have to be pretty important for the school to store something here for him, right?” Susan asked.

I rubbed my head and yawned. “Are you feeling alright?” Susan asked me.

“Yeah. Just tired. And my head hurts a bit. I'm just gonna take a hot bath and lay down.”

“You wanna stop at the infirmary and get a draught for your head?”

“No thanks. I don't need Pomfrey detaining me for more tests.” I said while sitting up. “Good night Susan.” I gave her a kiss, noticing Hermione doing her best to pretend she wasn't watching me. “Good night Hermione.” I said, watching her cheeks blush from behind her book.

“Goodnight Holly.” She mumbled.

I made my way back through the castle and into the dungeons to the Slytherin entrance, and with a quick stop at my room to grab my nightdress was soon in the bath house. I stopped off in the loo before my bath and that's when I noticed a few drops of blood in my panties. “Fucking brilliant. Can't just have a simple day, can I?” I said to myself. I'm glad the bath house was empty, as I wasn't in any mood for hearing objections to my kicking open or slamming shut of any and all the doors in my path.

“I know it's just one more thing to keep track of, but it's just one little vial with a beverage of your choice at breakfast tomorrow.” Madam Pomfrey said, handing a vial and a glass of pumpkin juice. “I've already put today's dose in there for you, now drink up and you'll be on your way.”

“Thank you, Madam Pomfrey.” I started drinking my beverage. “And do I need these again next month?” I continued to drink.

“Yes. Every four weeks, actually. It will be good for you to keep track of that. I will have a reminder sent to you the day before, but you'll be on summer break the following cycle, so make sure to stop by before the last day of school.”

“Yes, ma'am.” I said, finishing my drink. “Thank you again.”

“Any time, dear. I'm just glad you're here for something so mundane and not something serious.”

“Me too.” I left the infirmary holding the vial I was given. By the time I was back to the dungeons there was a pep in my step that I hadn't realized I had been missing and I was feeling much better.