A/N: Welcome back to TCPAS!

Remember how I said last chapter that if you reviewed that chapter between that update and this update, I'd review one of your stories? I didn't get around to reviewing all of them, so if I didn't review yours and you reviewed last chapter, shoot me a PM, and I'll review your story as soon as I can!

Enjoy the chapter! I love you all!

-Marina

I yawn and stretch my arms, my legs asleep from being propped up on the side table all night. My neck is slightly stiff as I roll my neck. Energy is rushing through me, even though I didn't get a wink of sleep last night. Not because it's hard to fall asleep in a hard chair in the Hospital Wing, but because thoughts wouldn't stop racing through my head, thoughts about revenge, thoughts about hatred, thoughts about my disgrace of a sister, thoughts about Rose.

I gaze at Rose, who is still sound asleep, her wavy auburn hair sprawled across the pillows. Her pale face is peaceful and relaxed. A smattering of freckles dots her nose and upper cheeks. I've always liked freckles. Of course Arista gives heck to anyone who has them, because apparently "freckles are just as bad as pimples. Pretty much everyone Irish has them, including those Weasley idiots. As if being Irish wasn't bad enough..."

The sound of Arista's voice, that slippery, slimy, smooth tone of hers, makes me boil with rage. That sick, twisted, horrible piece of scum! And to think she has the nerve to hurt my friends like that! She'll pay for that stunt, she'll pay for hurting Cat, for hurting Rose...

It amazes me how fierce Rose was yesterday during the fight. Yes, I could tell she was scared when Arista pounced on her, but she held her own. That's one of the things I love about Rose. She's on the shorter side, pale, and not very muscular, but she's a force to be reckoned with. I have no idea how she was able to keep calm when Arista was saying all those terrible things to her. Even Arista was taken aback when Rose took her insults and fired them right back at her. I don't know what it is about Rose, but she has an air of authority. She's not all wimpy and emotional, but at the same time she's not some kind of sociopath. She's strong and resilient, and I think that's a great quality.

I'm very grateful to Cat for defending Rose. That definitely took some guts, because Arista can be extremely intimidating. Cat has a degree of courage that you don't see very often.

I read the large grandfather clock on the opposite wall. It's nine o' clock. About three hours ago, Cat practically bounced out of bed, completely recovered. It's amazing what Concussion Concoction can do. Maybe I should have sat by her bed too at some point, but Madam Pomfrey said, "You can only sit by one bed, for goodness sake! You can't just move back and forth between beds every two hours!" Besides, Rose's injuries were much more severe. They had to give her tons of weird potions in her sleep, and some purple concoction that smelled really bad.

Even though Rose was obviously safe, I still felt the need to stay near her, to protect her in case Arista came again. That would obviously never happen because it's the hospital wing, but I didn't feel safe leaving her.

Rose begins to stir, and she brushes a strand of red hair off her forehead. Finally, her eyes, flutter open, bright blue and healthy. She turns toward me, jerking with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

A smile spreads across my face. "Nice to see you, too."

Rose raises her eyebrows. "Were you sitting there all night?"

"Well...yeah."

Rose laughs. "How come? That chair doesn't look too comfortable."

"Um, I dunno..." I reply. I'm just so good at using my words.

If I tell her that I felt scared to leave her, she would think I'm crazy! I mean, why would I be scared to leave her? She's perfectly safe in the Hospital Wing.

She smiles, blushing slightly. "Well, thanks, Scorp."

I return her smile. "No problem. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she says. "My arm is a little sore, but other than that, I'm okay. But I'm kind of confused. What happened yesterday after the fight?"

"Well, at the very end, Arista -" I choke on the name. "Arista had you pinned down, and Cat was trying to get her off you. Then she got Cat in a headlock, and she slammed her head on to the ground."

Rose's bright blue eyes widen, and she sits up quickly. "What? Is she okay?!"

"Cat's fine. She got a minor concussion, but Madam Pomfrey gave her Concussion Concoction, and she's all better now. Anyway, Cat got knocked out, and Arista rounded on you. She pinned your arm behind your back and punched you really hard in the back of your head, but you kicked her in the face. Then she literally pounced on you, and your head also slammed against the ground, and that's when you got knocked out. Professor Nivalis came over and cast a spell to get Arista off you. Then all three of you were taken to the Hospital Wing. Arista has a broken arm."

I can hardly suppress a grin as I say that Arista broke her arm. Serves her right.

Rose's face pales. "Wait...am I in trouble?"

"I doubt it," I reassure her. "You and Cat are celebrities. Roxy said that there was a mountain of Get Well presents being sent to the Slytherin Common Room. You two are heroes!"

Rose seems surprised. "Really? Wait, but why me?"

"Because you took Arista's sass and threw it right back in her face!" I laugh. "I don't think you realize how awesome you were. You stood up to Arista, and trust me, nobody stands up to Arista. Everyone's talking about it!"

"Cool," Rose replies.

"Oh, and do you want to meet up with Cat and Albus to get some food?" I ask. "You missed breakfast, but we can probably get some stuff at the kitchens."

"Sounds awesome," Rose says. "And Scorpius, I...I really appreciate you standing up for me when Arista was being a jerk."

I feel my cheeks flush. "Well, what's a best friend for, eh?"

"It was brilliant!" Albus exclaims through a mouthful of muffin as we stroll through the courtyard. "Honestly, you two should be very proud of yourselves. You guys stood up for each other even against Arista! And you were great, Scorp! You were defending Rose like a boss!"

My cheeks start flushing again. "Albus, you helped too, you know! And I didn't even do that much, it was mostly you three -"

"Oh, shut up, Scorp!" Rose laughs. "You're so humble!"

My face reddens about three shades. "No I'm not, I mean -"

"See? He won't confess to doing anything heroic!" a currently dirty-blonde Cat points out. "Watch this! Hey Scorpius, are you good at painting?"

"Well, I guess I'm okay. I mean I'm not amazing, but I guess I don't suck at it-"

The others burst out laughing. "Scorp, you really need to stop being so humble," Cat says.

"But I'm not that humble -"

Cat slaps her forehead. "Lord help us..."

"I don't think someone can be too humble," Albus comments. "I mean, it's much better than being arrogant."

"You're such a Hufflepuff," Cat laughs, ruffling his hair like he's a dog. Albus grins sheepishly.

We reach one of the large oaks on the lawn, the kind with lots of thick branches that are good for climbing. Cat, Albus, and I climb up and stretch out on the thick branches, and I help Rose up, because her shoulder is still a bit sore.

"What time is it?" Albus asks me.

I check my watch. "Eleven."

"Okay," Albus says. "By the way, Rose, the Weasley-Potter clan is meeting in Gryffindor Tower at noon to plot revenge."

"Revenge?" Rose asks. "Oh, you mean for the incident yesterday." Her eyes brighten, and her lips curl into a smirk. "I like the sound of that. But isn't Arista getting in trouble enough revenge already?"

"That's the thing," I reply. "Arista deserves to get in trouble, but my father is definitely going to get involved. And everyone outside Hogwarts believes that she is a perfect little angel, and that she would never attack two girls viciously. I hate to say it, but Arista might come out of this unscathed. And that is exactly what we don't want to happen. She hasn't even got detention!"

"I like revenge..." Rose muses. "I like revenge a lot."

"Well, you seem like you'd be good at revenge," I say. "After all, there's a reason you were Sorted into Slytherin."

"Ain't that the truth," Albus snorts.

Rose reaches up to his branch and whacks him on the arm. "So we meet at noon? Got it. Meanwhile, we need to discuss the Inter-House Challenge."

The Inter-House Challenge? I completely forgot about that during this whole ordeal. "We're all still doing it, right?"

"Of course!" Cat replies. "I can't wait to start. It's gonna be so awesome!"

"So we still have to find the other three portals so we can all become eligible," Albus says. "And Rose still has to carry out her task, and we haven't even learned our tasks yet! What's your task again? Something about mermaids?"

"I have to go visit the Doineann merfolk colony in the Black Lake, and I have to steal their Storm Gem, which apparently gives them power over the other clans of Merfolk," Rose says, not sounding too happy about it.

"That shouldn't be too hard," Albus comments nonchalantly.

"Oh, it's a walk in the park," Rose grumbles. "It could not get any easier except for the fact that the Doineann are the most vicious of the Merfolk clans, they guard the Storm Gem with maximum security, they are willing to skewer any human being without a second thought, and there is a very good chance that I could die while carrying out the task. Other than that, it's a breeze!"

"Sheesh, Rosie," Albus raises up his hands. "Why the sudden outburst of rage?"

"Sorry," Rose mutters. "Look, I'm kind of stressed about this. It's going to take a lot of brainpower to figure out how I'm going to do this."

"We can worry about that later," Cat says. "I think our first priority is to find all the portals and receive all our tasks."

"Good point," Rose admits. "Tomorrow after classes, do you want to go to one of the Common Rooms and look for another portal?"

"Sure," I say. "How 'bout Ravenclaw Tower? Let's hold off on Gryffindor Tower for awhile."

"Amen," says Albus. "Ravenclaw Tower it is."

We spend the next half hour discussing classes, professors, and things like that. At some point we land on the topic of Quidditch.

"Are you trying out?" Albus asks Cat. "This is the first time they're letting in First Years officially. My dad played on the Gryffindor team when he was a First Year, but he was an exception."

"I'll give it a go," Cat says. "It's gonna be hard, since I'm a First Year, but I've had so much practice over the years that I think I'll have a shot."

"I think so, too," Albus replies. "How 'bout you, Scorp?"

"Definitely not," I laugh. "I'm horrible at Quidditch!"

"But you're a Malf-"

"I know, I know," I roll my eyes. Really? I had no idea. "My dad was a Quidditch star, blah, blah, blah. I've just never been that good at it."

"There he goes again, Mr. Humblepants," Cat snorts. "Scorp, you could definitely pull off Quidditch!"

"No, I mean it," I say. "I've never been good at Quidditch. I can fly very fast on a broom, and I have good control, but I can't do anything with a Quaffle or a Snitch or a Bludger."

"Oh, I'm sure Albus will train you up. Albus is amazing at Quidditch," Rose says. "He's definitely gonna make the team. If I make the team, the Slytherin-Hufflepuff matches are going to be far more violent than usual."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up the truck!" Albus's eyes widen. "You're trying out for Quidditch?"

Rose's cheeks flush with that signature Weasley blush. "Yes. Is something wrong with that?"

Albus purses his lips, choosing his words carefully. "Well, it's just...Quidditch is a rough sport. I mean, you're a good Keeper and everything, but you're so small, and I don't know if you could stand a chance against a bunch of huge Seventh Year guys." He winces as if expecting a slap from Rose.

Rose narrows her eyes. "Are you saying I'm not able to hold my own?"

Albus's eyes widen, and he immediately regrets his words. "I-I don't mean it like that, it's just that...well, you're really good, but you don't have quite the Quidditch build. You're more short and stout, and I'm afraid that you would get knocked off your broom or something..."

"Oh, so I'm too fat to play Quidditch?" Rose snaps, her voice full of venom.

Albus looks ready to jump out of the tree. "What? No! I'm just saying -"

"Yeah, I get that I'm a little on the stockier side, you don't have to remind me!" Rose's gaze pierces him like ice. "And who made you the expert on Quidditch, anyway? You can't just decide that I'm not fit to play! Just because I'm not shaped like a stick doesn't mean I can't be on the team! Besides, when you play Quidditch it's good to be larger, that way you don't get knocked off your broom!"

"Rose, I know that you have the skills to be on the team," Albus says pleadingly. "It's just that you're so short, and -"

"That's not what you're worried about," I cut in, carefully observing Albus's face. "You're just worried that she's going to get hurt, and you're using her shape and size as an excuse to be worried. I think you're just worried about her because you want to protect her, not because you underestimate her."

With that, three heads swivel toward me.

"How...how did you know that?" Albus asks slowly. "That's exactly how I feel. Like, exactly."

I shrug. "I don't know. I guess it's just something about your face."

I've always been pretty good at reading people. I mean, I don't think I can actually read their minds or anything, but I can usually tell how they're feeling, or whether they're lying, or what they're really thinking. It's not that big of a deal, to be honest, but judging by the expression on everyone's faces, not everyone can read a person's thoughts quite as well as I can.

Rose narrows her eyes, scrutinizing me curiously. "Strange," she states finally. "Very strange. But Albus, you don't need to protect me! I'm going to try out for the team no matter what, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me!"

"There's a Slytherin for ya," Cat mutters.

"Ain't that the truth," I snort.

Albus thinks for a second. "You're right, Rosie. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just being overprotective." He doesn't seem fully sincere, though. I can tell he's probably going to continue worrying about her.

Rose purses her lips, thinking for a moment. "It's alright," she says finally, though obviously still a bit annoyed. "I'm extremely excited for tryouts. If I make it...well, no Weasley has ever played on the Slytherin team before -"

"And we hope to keep it that way."

My head whips around to the source of the voice, and I find that a dark-haired girl with far too much makeup is standing below the tree, accompanied by a tall, muscular brunette, a guy with tan skin and a Bieber hairdo (or rather, a hair-don't), and a short girl with two long blonde pigtails.

"Ah, Melinda," Rose says in the same calm, mocking tone she used with Arista yesterday. "Always a pleasure. Guys, I'd like you to meet my dear friend Melinda Zabini."

The tension in the air is so thick that I can cut it with a knife.

Rose told me about Zabini, and I've heard loads about her from my Ravenclaw roommates. Stuck-up, snooty, prissy, thickheaded - she's like a carbon copy of my older sister.

"Nice to meet you!" I exclaim enthusiastically. "I hear you're quite the charmer."

Zabini scowls. "Oh, you must be the Malfoy. Now tell me, why is it that you've gotten yourself Sorted into such a pathetic little House?"

The kids behind her laugh. "Did you purposely intend to disgrace your family name?" asks the short blonde girl, smirking evilly. "Or did you come to realize that when it comes to cunning, ambition, and glory, you just don't make the cut?"

Rose's eyes widen. "M-Meredith?"

Meredith snickers. "Why, yes, I am 'M-m-m-meredith'." She whimpers while saying her name, obviously mocking Rose. The kids laugh again.

"So how come you've decided to grace us with your presence, dear Melinda?" Rose asks coolly. "Shouldn't you be healing your black eye? Oh wait, I'm sorry - that's not a black eye, it's your talented make-up artistry. Oh, I see you were going for the raccoon look! Yes, it suits you very well."

Zabini bites her lip, offended but covering it up very well. "This look is currently in Vogue, for your information. But of course you wouldn't know about that. Why would you read a magazine that's full of clothes that your family can't afford?"

"Oooh!" the trio around her laughs. I roll my eyes. Those people can't recognize a good comeback if it ran up to them and punched them in the face.

"Oh, you read Vogue, too?" Rose smiles condescendingly at her. "Or perhaps you only look at the pictures. I think Vogue might be a little too advanced for your reading level. The Cat in the Hat might be a little more suitable for your cognitive abilities."

"And at least Rose has cognitive abilities in the first place," I add.

Zabini cocks her head to the side. "What the heck does that even mean?"

I snort. "My point exactly."

"Well no one cares about your goganive fabilimies!" the guy spits.

"Not even close, Noah," Rose mutters.

"What we - and the rest of the world - care about is Quidditch," the tall brunette states proudly. "And who's going to be on this year's team. And who isn't going to be on this year's team. And guess who isn't?"

"Hold on, Selena, let me think..." Rose ponders. "Does it start with a 'M' and end with a 'elinda Zabini'?"

Selena Flint scowls. "No, stupid. You. Because, you see, guess who's trying out for Beater? Me."

"That doesn't concern me," Rose replies. "I'm not trying out for Beater."

"Exactly," Melinda says. "Because you know who's gonna be the next Slytherin Keeper? Go ahead, guess."

"Let's see..." Cat says. "Um, not you?"

"No, you idiot!" Melinda spits, exasperated. "Me! I'm going to be the next Keeper!"

"Mmhmm," Cat snorts. "Good luck with that one."

Melinda glares up at Rose. "You're going to be sorry you even considered trying out for Keeper."

And with that, she turns on the heel of her stiletto (who wears stilettos when they're eleven?!) and struts away ominously, followed by Noah, Meredith, and Selena.

"Wow..." Rose watches as they saunter into the castle. "The three of them were actually really nice at the feast. Especially Meredith. I wonder what happened..."

"It's amazing what Slytherins can do to twist the minds of even the most innocent people," I say. "Trust me, I would know."

"Am I as horrible as them?" Rose asks.

"Nope," I reply. "You're as nice as Slytherins come, actually."

"Don't worry about them, Rose," Cat says. "They're jerks, and Melinda probably sucks at Quidditch. I can just tell by the way she looks and moves."

"Yeah," Albus agrees. "Terrible Quidditch build. Not muscular at all. She might seem sleek, but she actually moves very clumsily."

"Oh, I know I shouldn't listen to her," Rose leans back on her branch. "It's just...the night of the feast, I kind of got all the Slytherins in my year to turn against Melinda. She was being a jerk, so I just made some jokes and stuff, and it seemed like everyone else was on my side. Noah was just a guy obsessed with Yo Mama jokes, Selena was a die-hard Quidditch fan but still pretty nice, and Meredith was downright awesome. I don't get why they all just turned into jerks all of a sudden."

"Slytherins have a history of being insecure," I tell her, thinking about my dad and Arista. "They tend to be rather egotistical, and some - not all, but some will do anything to keep their reputation up. Now, I don't see what in their right minds makes them think being one of Zabini's cronies will make them more popular, but their reputations are going to be extremely unsteady. The more popular you become, and the more hated Zabini becomes, the more likely it is that Noah, Selena, and Meredith will come crawling back to you."

"Wow," Rose nods, impressed. "You really know how Slytherins work."

"Hey, I'm surrounded by them every day," I reply. "You learn how they operate after awhile. Hey, what time is it? I think we need to be at Gryffindor Tower by noon, eh?"

Albus checks his watch. "Yeah. It's 11:40. We'd better get going."

"11:40?" Rose exclaims. "Dang it, I hate being late!"

"Aw, we're good," Cat says casually, leaping out of the tree. I cringe as she hits the ground; that's an alarmingly long drop, yet she lands smoothly, barely wincing at all.

The three of us climb down the branches with far less agility. We make our way back to the castle, quickly meandering through the courtyard and into the building.

Suddenly, just as we're turning a corner, Albus slams into a tall figure and falls flat on his bum. I wince - that had to hurt. I barely have time to laugh before I realize that he just bumped into Professor Nivalis, who doesn't seem affected in the slightest by the sudden crash. I swear, she didn't even flinch.

Albus looks up, and his cheeks flush pink. "Oh! Professor Nivalis! I - I'm sorry, I was just -"

She smiles and holds up a pale hand to silence him. "There's no need to fret, Albus Potter," she says in a smooth, gentle voice. "We all crash into one another from time to time. Simply watch where you're going from here on out, and take care not to travel too swiftly. Haste is good, but proficiency is far more preferable. Remember that, children." She smiles gently again, then slips away silently, white fur cloak gliding behind her.

"She's nice," Albus muses as he watches her. She moves so smoothly that it's almost as if she's sliding on ice. "Kind of attractive, I might add..."

I punch him on the arm. "Fancying a teacher, eh? And I thought you could sink no lower..."

Albus punches me back. "Oh, shut up."

Rose narrows her eyes, staring after Nivalis. "I don't trust her," she states. "Something about her is just...I don't know."

Albus rolls his eyes. "Rose, you can't just decide that you dislike a person when you've barely even met them."

"Well, I'm not you. I judge in case you haven't noticed," Rose says.

"You say that like it's a good thing," Albus replies as we walk briskly through the corridors.

"It can be," Rose argues. "Especially when you have as good of a gut instinct as I do."

Albus wrinkles his nose. "So your intestines have instincts?"

Rose thinks for a moment. "Yeah, I guess that doesn't make any sense," she says finally. She glances over at Cat, who's taken the lead. "Cat, you do know where Gryffindor Tower is, right?"

"I have no idea," Cat replies optimistically.

The three of us come to a halt. "What?!" I slap my forehead, shaking my head. "Cat, if you don't know where we're going, then how on earth do you think we're gonna get to Gryffindor Tower?"

Cat shrugs. "I dunno. I just think that if we keep running, we'll somehow stumble upon it."

Rose groans. "Cat! This is a huge castle! Gryffindor Tower is not just going to magically appear within the next thrity minutes!" She sighs. "This is why you let Slytherins take the lead," she mutters under her breath.

"We've only been here for two or three days," Cat says. "Why would I know where Gryffindor Tower is?"

Rose raises her eyebrows. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're a Gryffindor!"

"Oi! Ed!" Rose calls as a guy with a Prefect badge walks by.

"What's up?" he replies.

"Could you tell us how to Gryffindor Tower?" she asks.

"Gryffindor Tower?" he cocks his head confusedly. "Why would you want to - oh! Pranking! I gotcha." He winks at us. "Well, I hate to break it to you, Rose, but you're on the wrong end of the castle. You know the first staircase you take if you're heading down to Slytherin Dungeon? Well instead of going down it, take a left and keep walking for awhile until you reach another staircase that goes up. Just keep heading up the staircases until you reach the Fat Lady. Hopefully they won't change around too much."

"How long will that take?" Albus asks.

Ed shrugs. "Probably about five minutes, if you jog the whole way there. Two if you sprint as fast as you can."

Rose lets out a groan. "Guys, we're so late! Okay, thanks Ed. Alright, everyone, let's move it!"

Letting Rose take the lead, we jog briskly down the corridors. I check my watch. "It's 11:45," I call. "If we keep up this pace, we'll probably be there just in time."

"Okay, if we're late, it's not the end of the world," Cat claims. "What's the worst they could do?"

"Oh, you have no idea," Albus laughs. "When the Weasleys say a time, they mean it. If you're not there on time, you're dead. Then again, James will probably be like ten minutes late, but hey, we aren't James."

We jog for a few more minutes, and it seems that Rose is the only one out of breath. "A little winded there, Weasley?"

"No," she says determinedly. "Not at all."

We reach the staircase to Slytherin Dungeon, and we veer to the left, not slowing down at all.

Rose begins to pant heavily, and I'll admit, I'm beginning to tire, too. "Rose, are you okay?" I ask.

"Me? Never been better," she lies, wiping sweat off her brow, her auburn waves of hair bouncing around.

I smile to myself. I don't think I've ever met anyone more determined than Rose Weasley.

We rush up staircase after staircase, and I begin to see the infamous portrait of the Fat Lady come into sight. I'm not too worried about being late - really, I don't see what all the fuss about punctuality is, anyway. To be honest, I'm just excited about the revenge meeting. I've never been particularly vengeful, but when someone hurts my friends, they're dead meat.

As we reach the platform that bears the Fat Lady, I check my watch. "It's 11:51."

The others sigh with relief. "Thank God," Rose breathes.

"Squabbling Squid Squibs Squander Squanto's Squash Squeakily," Cat says to the Fat Lady.

"Well done!" the Fat Lady gushes, clapping her hands. "Since you executed that so perfectly, I'll just pretend I don't realize that your three friends there aren't Gryffindors. And I'll try my best to tolerate the fact that you, dear, are a Slytherin," she gestures at Rose, sticking up her nose haughtily.

"How did you know?" Rose asks. "It's Sunday; no one's wearing their uniforms."

"I can see it in your eyes..." the Fat Lady muses. "Cunning, manipulative, and very prideful..."

Cat snorts. "Yes, because we Gryffindors are never prideful."

The Fat Lady rolls her eyes. "Oh, shut up." The portrait swings open, revealing the circular tunnel.

We scramble into the Tower, hopping out of the tunnel in rapid succession. I glance around the ornately decorated room in search of the Weasleys. "They said they were meeting here, right?" I ask, beginning to grow worried.

"Yeah..." Cat purses her lips, pacing the room. "Hey! What's this?

She points to a golden ladder leaning against the wall with a sign taped to it. I stare up at the ceiling, trying to see where it leads to, but the ladder is simply attached to the ceiling, no hole or trapdoor above it.

Albus reads the sign taped to the ladder. "Climb This Ladder to Enter J.S. Potter's and F.A. Weasley's Unnervingly Boring Moral Ethics Class. This Week's Topic: Revenge."

He and Rose exchange a glance. "Very clever, Fred," Rose mutters. "Okay, let's go."

She steps onto the ladder and begins to climb. Just as Cat steps onto the bottom rung, Albus lets out a cry. "Wait! That ladder is extremely tall! I don't know if -"

"Oh, suck it up, Albus," Rose rolls her eyes. "You really need to get over your acrophobia."

"Wha? I'm not acrophobic! It's just that heights..." Albus gulps. "They just kind of - Whooaaaaaaa, okay, hello there!"

Albus squirms as Cat picks him up effortlessly, throwing him over her shoulder. "W-what are you doing? I never agreed to this! Oh my God, you're strong! Cat, put me down! Please!"

Rose and I laugh as Albus protests wildly, while Cat carries him up the ladder, barely struggling at all. He finally stops flailing, though the look on his face is still of sheer terror.

I climb up the ladder after her, trying in vain to comfort Albus. I guess I'm lucky that I'm not scared of heights at all. In fact, I've always enjoyed sneaking up to my roof at midnight and painting the moonlit forest nearby. That's a pretty high climb, mind you, so that would be an absolute nightmare for poor Albus.

When Rose reaches the top of the ladder, she stares up at it confusedly. "Strange. It's literally just a ladder from the floor to the ceiling." She reaches up to knock on the ceiling, and nearly loses her balance when her hand goes through the ceiling. "Whoa!" she yelps. She pauses, then sticks her hand into the ceiling again. "I don't feel anything up here. I guess it's kind of like Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. You just climb right through it." She climbs farther up the ladder, disappearing into the ceiling.

Cat follows suit, much to the dismay of Albus. "Wait, please put me down! My cousins and James are up there! If they saw you carrying me, they'll never let me hear the end of it! Please put me down, please, please, please -" His words fade as the two of them disappear into the ceiling. I quickly climb the remainder of the ladder, gingerly sticking my hand through the ceiling, then climbing through it.

I find myself crawling up into a warm, red and gold lounge where a group of kids are seated around a circular table. A fireplace containing scores of flickering flames lies close to the table. The walls are decorated with Gryffindor banners, moving pictures of past Gryffindor Quidditch teams, and other random Gryffindor paraphernalia. In front of the fireplace are beanbags and comfy-looking armchairs, adding to the lounge effect. The floors are made of shining hardwood, and the walls consist of thick, polished logs. This could very well be one of the coziest spots in Hogwarts.

Wait, but...the ceiling...how did I get up here? I glance down, jerking with surprise when I see that the lower half of my body has disappeared below the floor, since I'm still standing on the top rungs of the ladder. I climb all the way up, onto the hardwood floors.

Just as Albus predicted, the Weasleys are roaring with laughter at the poor guy. "Making a lady carry you up a ladder?" James hoots. "Looks like you've hit an all-time low, little brother!"

"I didn't ask to be carried!" Albus protests, his cheeks flushed bright pink. "I was just standing there, not bothering anyone, when suddenly Cat came and -"

"Not bothering anyone?" I snort. "You were having a panic attack over how the ladder is too dangerous, and you're gonna fall, and heights are just terrifying!" Okay, maybe that was a bit cruel, but the Weasleys' howls of laughter are worth it.

After a few more minutes of relentless, good-natured (somewhat) teasing, James checks his watch, then nods at Fred. Fred whips out his wand and quickly transfigures a nearby book into a wooden gavel. "I never thought I'd ever use that spell," Fred murmurs, nodding with satisfaction.

James picks up the gavel and uses it to pound on the table. "Order, order in the court!" he calls. "Albus, Cat, Rosie, and Malfoy, welcome to the Weasley-Potter Emergency Revenge Court of Supreme Awesomeness. Please take your seats at the Weasley-Potter Emergency Revenge Court of Supreme Awesomeness Official Circular Wooden Pulpit."

"Why not just 'the table'?" Albus mutters as I sit down between Rose and Cat.

"Because the Chief Warlock of the Weasley-Potter Emergency Revenge Court of Supreme Awesomeness says so," James states, throwing a pointed look at Albus. "Now, in case you didn't get the memo, this is not J.S. Potter's and F.A. Weasley's Unnervingly Boring Moral Ethics Class. We're sorry to disappoint you if you assumed that was the case."

"Yeah, I totally fell for that," Dominique mutters.

"Hey, shut up!" James orders.

"However, next Wednesday, feel free to check out J.S. Potter's and F.A. Weasley's Exceeding Ahmaazing Seminar On Why Moral Ethics Are Stupid And Should Be Banned," Fred adds.

"'Ahmaazing'?" Roxy snorts.

"Shut it, Weaselhead!" James snaps.

"Rawr," Roxy makes a clawing motion with her hand, and I snicker.

"Technically you're a Weasley too, James," Cat reminds him.

"Okay, next person who interrupts gets visitation from the Fred-and-James Stupid-People Extermination Squad!" James threatens us.

Silence.

I guess this Stupid-People Extermination Squad must be pretty intimidating.

"Thank you," says James, who's obviously still a bit ticked off. "Now, the Weasley-Potter clan, and others -" He glances at Cat and I. "Gather today to discuss Arista Malfoy's somewhat fair punishment. As Chief Warlock of the Weasley-Potter clan, I hereby propose that -"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up the truck," Lucy cuts in. "Since when are you Chief Warlock of the Weasley-Potter clan?"

"Yeah," Fred agrees. "What if I wanted to be Chief Warlock?"

"James, stop with the elaboration, just get to the point," Rose says.

"Amen, sister," Roxy agrees.

An indignant James sticks his nose in the air. "Okay, fine. Have it your way. So, recap: We're here to talk about kicking Malfoy's arse."

"Woot woot!" Fred calls.

"Gee, thanks," Scorpius says.

"I'm talking about your sister, not you!" James says. "You're the bomb-diggity, we wouldn't kick your arse. Oh, and to avoid confusion, let's refer to him as Little Malfoy."

"Why not Scorpius?" Scorpius asks.

"That's too long for me," James replies.

"James, 'Little Malfoy' has more syllables than 'Scorpius'," Rose sighs.

"Pfft, no it doesn't," James snorts.

"Actually, it does, mate," Fred murmurs.

"Not on my agenda," James declares. "Anyway, let's get back to the matter at hand."

"You're the one who got off topic," Cat mumbles.

"Hush, hush!" James shushes her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rose stands up. "James, I understand that you're the authoritative type, but what gives you the right to take control of the group and talk to us like you're a teacher and we're your students? Who made you the CEO? I don't mean to be rude or cause a fuss, but if we want to get anything done at this meeting, we need to act as a group, not as your underlings."

Her words are met by a round of "Amen!"s and "You go, girl!"s, and "Yeaaaaaaah!"s.

That's one of the many reasons why I love Rose. She's not too aggressive, but if something is unfair or immoral or just plain wrong, she's not afraid to stand up and speak the truth. With her amazing leadership, that girl should be the Minister of Magic someday. I smile at her when she sits back down.

"Rose is right," Cat adds. "In my opinion, this needs to be more of an open discussion, so we can all put our ideas out there, and not get attacked by that Stupid People Punishment Squad. Because even though I don't know exactly what that is, it doesn't give off much of a friendly vibe."

You go, Cat! I reach over and fist-bump her.

"Well said, guys," Dominique applauds them. "I agree. I think we should all be able to contribute our thoughts and speak freely without being shushed or threatened."

James' face flushes bright red. "Oh. Okay. Well...sorry. Carry on." He stares down at the table, embarrassed and ashamed.

"We aren't mad at you, James," Molly pats him on the back. "We're just saying you gotta lighten up a bit."

A confident smile returns to James' face. "You're right. Sorry, everyone. So, back to revenge...any thoughts?"

"We need to make sure Malfoy's suffering is equal or greater than the suffering she put Cat and Rose through," Roxy states, fire in her amber eyes.

"I don't think the pain we inflict upon her should be greater than the pain Cat and Rose endured," Dominique says. "We need to make it fair. After all, we aren't Slytherins."

"Oi!"

"No offense, Rose," she quickly adds.

"I think it should be more about public humiliation than physical harm," I say. "Arista is very egotistical. Her reputation is her life. She's convinced that everyone worships her, and that therefore she is entitled to do whatever she wants. If we do something to make her see that she isn't the queen she thinks she is..."

"Exactly," Fred clasps his hands together. "Something to taint her inflated ego."

"What if we don't limit it to only one prank..." Lucy muses. "We could pull a multitude of pranks, and make it kind of a chain reaction."

"I think you're on to something, Lucy..." James leans forward, resting his chin on his hand. "We can give her hell, starting from the moment she wakes up."

"Yeah!" Cat exclaims enthusiastically. "And maybe we can rig some traps throughout the castle so that everywhere she goes, she's got potential to humiliate herself."

"I like it, I like it..." James grins. I don't even want to know what ideas must be swimming through his head. "Cat Riddley, that's actually a really, really good idea..."

"And we can arrange it so that if she tries to go to the authorities and blame us, she'll look like a fool," Rose adds.

"Oh, definitely!" Roxy's eyes light up. "We can incorporate things to make it really obvious that we did it, but when she goes and tattles on us, we'll make it look like she's lying."

"Wait!" I interject. I'm starting to like revenge more and more with each passing moment. "What if, at the end of the pranking day, we leave her a note that says if she tattles on us, we'll make sure that her reputation is ruined, and that she's expelled. Arista is such a coward, she'll never tattle if we threaten her."

"Yeah!" Cat agrees. "That way, we won't have to worry about defending our case!"

"But what about the professors?" Albus asks, speaking up for the first time in awhile. "If we make everything so flamboyant, they're bound to notice, and they'll come to the conclusion that we did it."

The group pauses for a moment, pondering this. "Well, even the teachers hate Arista," Roxy says finally. "Especially McGonagall. They'll probably assume it's us, but pretend not to notice. And we'll just steer clear of Filch. I think that when we pull the pranks, we shouldn't spell out 'Weasley' in giant fireworks when they're around. When we hex her, we should do it subtly, and nonverbally if possible, 'cause we can get in major trouble for doing magic in the hallways. We should probably save the grandest stuff for when teachers aren't around."

"Good point," Cat says. "I think that as long as we stay under the radar when teachers are around, we'll be good."

"Oh, this is good, this is so good," The grin on James' face has doubled in size over the course of the last few minutes. "Okay, let's start planning this out, step by step."

I don't know how much time passes - thirty minutes? An hour? Two hours? - but the more ideas we spurt out, the more anticipated everyone becomes. I'd have to say, the Weasleys have taken pranks and revenge to a whole new level. After we have the general outline of the plan completed, the room is bustling; Rose, James, and Cat are are kind of overseeing everything, Fred is describing the mechanical stuff to me while I make countless diagrams and sketches, Roxy is writing out the sequence of the plan, Lucy is rushing stacks of spell books and supplies up and down the ladder, Dominique and Molly are flipping through the spell books and writing down notes and spells and important information, and Albus is organizing stacks of papers into different piles. It's like the elves' toy workshop at the North Pole; each person has their specific job, and everything is running smoothly.

Finally, when I master the last diagram, and Dom and Molly are reading through their notes, James claps his hands. "Well done, Weasleys!" he applauds. "This is going to be one of the most epic pranking phenomenons ever! It's quarter past two, so we worked for nearly two and a half hours!"

Cheers ring out through the room. "All our hard work is definitely gonna pay off," Lucy says.

"So remember, the first phase of the plan starts tomorrow, preparation day is Tuesday, and Wednesday is the day when we strike," James reminds us. "Now let's go get some food, I'm about to die over here!"

We climb out of the secret conference room (Albus makes it a point to climb down the ladder himself this time) and head down toward the Great Hall.

"What do you think about all this?" I ask as we walk with the Weasley cousins.

"I love it," Rose says, practically skipping. "This is gonna be great! Vengeance will be ours! Yayyyy!"

I laugh. "You really are a Slytherin."

"Well, they don't call me the SlytherWeasley for nothing," Rose says.

"This is the best," Cat says, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "I've grown up pulling pranks, and now I get to put my skills to good use!"

"Hey, Albus," I tap him on the shoulder, as he seems deep in thought, his eyes pointed toward the ground. "I notice that you didn't say much throughout the meeting. Are you okay?"

Albus purses his lips. "Well, it's just...I like the idea of sticking up for our friends, but I think this whole ordeal will just make Arista start to hate us even more."

Cat snorts. "Well, we aren't exactly trying to win her approval, eh?"

"Yeah, but..." Albus struggles to find the right words. "I feel like that if we do this, we're just sinking to Arista's level. It doesn't make us any better than she is."

"But the whole reason that we're doing this is because Arista didn't receive a punishment, and we need to make sure justice is done," Rose says.

"And when one of our friends gets hurt, we don't go down without a fight," Cat adds. "Albus, you're doing the right thing. Since we have the resources, we might as well take it upon ourselves to teach Arista a lesson. And to be honest, the pranks aren't too harmful, just embarrassing. This will be good for her."

Albus thinks for a moment, and then a smile lights up his face. "You're right. Okay, I'll go through with it."

"Yay!" Cat exclaims. "I swear, we're gonna have the time of our lives."

As we stroll into the Great Hall, our minds mostly bent on finding some snacks, I can't help but think how by doing this, I'm endangering myself and risking getting expelled, not to mention death via Dad.

And I love every minute of it.

A/N: Thanks for reading! As always, I appreciate your reviews, favorites, follows, and other shenanigans. I'm going to be gone at camp for the next week, so I won't be able to respond to any reviews/PMs/etc. until about next Sunday. Love ya!