Chapter 14: In Which Pansy Haggles

It was odd, but Lavender found that the end of December was far warmer than the beginning. It was as if Christmas brought with it a spurt of mild air that melted the snow and brought with it a few sun breaks throughout the day. It was the perfect opportunity to venture out of the common room and onto the castle grounds to do a bit jogging with Ron, who seemed eager to accompany her.

With an almost euphoric glee, she raced towards the Black Lake, enjoying the damp air filling her lungs. A few bluejays in the courtyard darted about, seemingly delighting in the mild weather as well. Before they left, she felt Ron grab her around the waist and twirl her about, laughing as she shrieked.

"Arsehole!" said Lavender, laughing once on put her down. She grinned and kissed him, feeling him lean into the kiss, then deepen it. She pulled away, "We can finish this later. Right now we should go run,"

"Are you sure we can't just stay here and hang out?" Ron pulled her closer, "I can make it worth your while,"

Lavender shook her head and pulled away. "I wasn't quick enough. The Horntail nearly got me because I wasn't fucking quick enough. If I'm going to survive, I need to adapt." If these visions are real, I don't know if I can beat them. But I'm not rolling over without a fight.

Ron kissed her cheek, "Running it is, then," He bounced on a leg, "Bet you a sickle I can beat you to the lake," He winked, then took off, leaving Lavender a bit gobsmacked before she raced after him.

"No fair! You didn't give me enough warning!" Lavender shrilled as her feet pounded the ground. With a steady beat, her Adder Stone necklace bounced against her chest. Blood pounded in her ears, and she raced as fast as she could, but Ron was inevitably faster than her, and he sent her a cheeky grin as he ran along the small waves of the Black Lake.

"Got five brothers, and Harry walks like Death is on his heels," said Ron, "You learn to be fast with them!"

Lavender's heart pounded against her chest with the excursion, but she kept it up, running with Ron until she could feel her lungs screaming at her to stop. It was then that he stopped, collapsing with her on the ground. They lay next to each other for a few moments as they caught their breath.

Above them, light storm clouds passed overhead, casting a grey haze over the midday sun. Near the lake, they could hear the sound of several students laughing and chatting. Lavender ignored it in favor of staring at Ron, who was watching a few large gray storm clouds gather in the sky.

She gasped his hand tightly, feeling him massage her hand through her purple gloves. For the first time in weeks, her legs felt somewhat warm, and she wondered if the running had helped at all. I should keep at it. Didn't I use to skip through the school? Maybe when the snow returns, I can keep doing something like that. Oh, but what if someone sees? It might look weird. For a moment, the image of Snape seeing her skipping through the halls entered her head, and a small laugh bubbled up. No, I'll look them in the eye and keep skipping. Just act confident, and it won't matter.

"Draco, come see this!"

Upon hearing Draco Malfoy's name, the peace broke. Ron sat up next to her with a scowl painted on his face.

"What's that snake up to?" said Ron suspiciously.

"Didn't he have some sort of hidden room filled with muggle stuff?" Lavender sat up as well, peering down at the lake.

"Yeah," said Ron, "Harry, Hermione and I checked it out,"

"Isn't that- I dunno, good?"

Ron made a face, "I suppose. But it's suspicious. And he's walking around looking all twitchy like he's guilty of something. Harry is certain he's up to something."

"What do you think?"

Ron was quiet for a moment. He seemed on the fence about how he would answer, then he said, "It doesn't matter."

"I think it does,"

"But it won't change how Harry thinks. Trust me on this."

Lavender glanced at Draco, who was crouching around what looked like a mass of seaweed with a few other students and examining it. Once they finished, Draco took a few clippings and stuck them in a container, as well as a jar of scummy looking lake water. A tiny girl she recognized as Astoria Greengrass was with him, carrying a few more jars and containers. Taking up the rear was a tall black boy who was in her year.

"Blaise Zabini," said Ron, "He's in the chess club,"

"Are you in the chess club?"

"No," said Ron, making another face, "Why would I want to hang out with those nerds?"

"Oh?"

"Just because I beat all of them in my first year, and made a big fuss about it; apparently I didn't understand the meaning of the word 'sportsmanship'."

Soon, Malfoy's group wandered off. Ron took the chance and ran down to look at the seaweed, which they found was covered in a thin layer of steaming, mucus-like film.

"Do you know what it is?" said Lavender, poking it with a stick, suppressing a shudder when it made an odd squelching sound.

"Algae, think. I'd be careful with it. That mucus gets hot. I'm pretty sure it's technically a type of fire-wraith, or something."

"Really?"

"They like damp, moist environments and my family's home is on a bogland. We get infestations of it every year. Dad calls it Devils-Snot," Ron crouched down, using a stick to grab some of the slimy seaweed and place it on a handkerchief. "We should take it to Neville. He was going on and on about herbology stuff the other day. He might know what Malfoy is using for. Race you there?"

"Double or nothing!"

By the time they reached the castle, Lavender owed Ron two sickles. Ron took great pride in this, demonstrated by him running towards the greenhouses with his hands in the air, as Lavender lagged behind him, shrieking laughter and nursing a stitch in her side. Despite the loss, she couldn't help but still feel elated as she ran into the greenhouses clutching the handkerchief filled with seaweed.

While the air outside was mild, it was still quite cold compared to the castle greenhouses. Inside the greenhouses, however, the air was hot and humid, with beads of water clinging to the cold windows. High walls of ivy hung down, and fragrant flowers blossomed in rows of terracotta pots atop tables. Down the isles, she could see Neville Longbottom tending to a tank of green water filled with seaweed with roots that looked like rat-tails.

Ew, Lavender shuddered, Why, why, why does everything have to be rats. Doesn't the universe have anything else to choose?"Hey Neville!" said Lavender cheerfully, and feeling a bit bad when he jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Uh… Hi," said Neville, glancing at her and Ron a bit nervously, "Do you guys come into the greenhouses often?"

"No…" Lavender coughed, then held out the snotty handkerchief, "Do you know what this is used for? The algae, I mean."

Neville looked a bit like a startled deer, but gingerly took the handkerchief, then grinned, "Oh, Devil's Snot." He glanced at the weird seaweed, "Well, other than it's cool lifecycle with Gillyweed, I'm not sure. I can tell you Professor Sprout will be glad you found it. It's completely invasive, but it's been here since the Romans invaded, so there's no getting rid of it. She might actually be able to control it this year, though. Hmm, well, it caries a lot of magical oomph, so potions, maybe?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's parasitic. It feeds off of the magical energy of various magical plants- particularly freshwater ones." Neville placed the Gillyweed in a tray and handed it back to her. He blushed, then said, "Gillyweed, in particular. At least in its natural environment in the Mediterranean. When you find the two of them together, you can actually get some interesting side effects."

"Like what?" said Lavender.

"It let's you breathe underwater," said Neville, "At least for a bit,"

"Are you shitting me? Would I be able to get some of that for the Second Task?"

"Maybe? Sure?" Neville looked a bit nervous, but then nodded a bit more confidently, "You know, funnily enough, Moody was talking to me about Gillyweed the other day. Gave me a book about magical plants at the beginning of the year."

"Really?" said Lavender, narrowing her eyes, "Why?"

"I dunno," said Neville, "He said it might come in handy. Where did you find the Devil's Snot? I should tell Professor Sprout."

"Eastern side of the lake," said Ron, "Malfoy and some buddies of his were poking around at it."

Neville winced, "Ugh… he's been acting so weird. I get the feeling he's just going to snap and murder somebody. He keeps darting around the castle and checking behind his back every five minutes like he's guilty of something. And today, Crabbe and Goyle kept asking if I needed 'help' with anything. Luckily Professor Sprout set them busy with weeding the mandrakes."

But Lavender was not paying much attention to Ron and Neville's conversation. She was busy fretting about Moody, and trying to shove aside the paranoia. No good could come about worrying about what he was up to. There wasn't much she could do about it without proof. But maybe that's what I need. But how could I get it? I'd need to sneak into his office somehow. But that would be difficult, to say the least. Pansy is sneaky; maybe I could get her to help me. But how?

"Lavender?"

"Yes?" said Lavender, looking around and seeing that they were outside the greenhouses.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much," said Lavender, then, "I just… Do you think it's a bit coincidental? That Moody was talking to Neville about Gillyweed? And if he put my name in the Goblet of Fire, then why would he- I don't know. It sounds crazy when I say it out loud."

"No," said Ron, wrapping an arm around her, then nuzzling her cheek. Lavender squealed when she felt sweat wipe off on her and scrambled out of his reach. Ron bellowed out another laugh, then grabbed her and twirled her around the castle courtyard for the second time that day. For just a second, Lavender felt like she was at the Yule Ball once again.

"I love you," said Lavender breathlessly, leaning into Ron's chest. She hadn't said it before the First Task. She hadn't even mentioned it at the Yule Ball. But here in the courtyard with damp air and bluejays flying about, it seemed the perfect time to say it.

Ron blushed, his ears turning purple, and he looked away for a moment before he mumbled, "I love you, too," then bent over to kiss her gently.

Suddenly, there was a flash. Colin Creevey stood in front of them with his camera.

"That was a good one!" said Colin, "Nearly better than the one I got of Malfoy and Zabini, with Astoria!" As he said this, and small polaroid came out of the camera. Colin grabbed it, then handed it to the two of them, "Here! It'll take a while for it to develop, and it's muggle, so it won't move. But I think it'll still be a good picture."

Ron took it, and the two of them made their way into the castle hand in hand.

"What's in it for me?"

"The knowledge that you helped a fellow student?"

Later that day, charts surrounded Lavender as she studied maps of the lake, looking for the quickest route to the mermaid settlement that lived underneath the murky waters of the Black Lake. She was reasonably sure that whatever she was supposed to do had something to do with the mermaids, considering the song quite literally said to seek them out. Across from her, Pansy was leaning back in her chair in the library as Hermione sat and studied, idly flossing her teeth.

Lavender grimaced, trying not to look too disgusted.

"Something bothering you?" said Pansy, looking far too pleased with herself, "Good dental hygiene is a must, you know. Hermione's been telling me all sorts of horror stories about children who don't floss. Muggles drill into their mouths to fix cavities. Can you believe that?"

"Yes," said Hermione, scowling at Pansy, "But we don't floss in public,"

"And I don't break into teacher's offices for free." said Pansy, then added, "Or at all. After all, I would never even dream of breaking school rules and snooping around other people's things."

"But of course not," said Hermione dryly.

"I could be convinced, however," Pansy narrowed her eyes, then sneered, "I need two things. One, I need you to hook me up with the Weasley twins. Draco and Daphne need a charm smuggled into the school, and they refuse to work with us. You sell one lemon, and all of a sudden, you're the 'actual devil.' But, whatever. Two, hmmm…" Pansy stared at her while pondering something for a moment. She looked both ways and behind her, then leaned over the table with a serious look on her face, "What are you doing for Easter break?"

"Probably going home to spend some time with my parents," said Lavender. After all, it'll likely be the last chance I ever get.

"Wonderful!" said Pansy, "I'd love to come with you. For dinner, at the very least. Easter at my place is always so depressing. Plus, I'd love to meet your mother."

"I- Alright…" Lavender frowned as Hermione glanced at Pansy suspiciously.

"One lemon?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"It might have been two. Or three. Oh, who remembers?" Pansy smacked her lips, then went back to her idle flossing, much to Lavender and Hermione's irritation. Lavender got the feeling that the disdain entertained Pansy.

"Obviously Fred and George,"

"Whatever," said Pansy, standing up and preparing to leave,"Let me know what they say. Once they agree to smuggle the charm in, I'll start planning. It probably won't be for a few months, however. Moody has more defenses on his office than Snape has on his collection of MILF porn." She froze then coughed, "Oops, did I say that out loud?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Hermione, slamming her book shut. "The next S.P.E.W. meeting is tomorrow. I'll let you know what they say then."

Pansy beamed, but it didn't reach her eyes, "Wonderful!" said Pansy, before she hopped off.

Lavender ran her fingers through her hair, feeling a bit unnerved by how short it still was. Just a few more weeks, thought Lavender, Then I should be able to regrow it. I might be able to have it at its old length by the Second Task, even.

Hermione watched Pansy leave, then mumbled to herself, "Why would she think it's okay even to say something like that?"

"Snapes porn preference?" said Lavender, giggling to herself a bit. "Is it surprising?"

Hermione shuddered, then held her hands up. "I don't want to think about it. But no, not really." She opened her book once again, then leaned over it. A lock of bushy hair fell and hit the pages before she tied it back out of frustration.

"Why do you think Pansy would want to have dinner at my place?" said Lavender.

"No idea," said Hermione, "But… No, I doubt it."

"Doubt what?"

"It's nothing," said Hermione, turning a bit pink. "It's gossip. I shouldn't spread it around,"

At this, Lavender felt herself perking up, "No, please spread it around."

Hermione bit her lip, but then leaned over, "Well, Pansy was talking the other day about how your mother and her Aunt Marigold are related. They went to school together. They were even in the same year."

"Yes, so?"

"Well, her aunt is sick. Maybe she wants to connect with her other side of her family." Hermione narrowed her eyes, "But I doubt it. It's far too sentimental for Pansy,"

With a heavy sigh, Lavender agreed. Hours passed and she found the maps surprisingly barren. Soon, supper was upon them, after which the two made their way back to the common room where they found Fred and George with Ron, entertaining a bunch of First and Second Years with Sorrel who was doing tricks. After a few of them, Fred pulled out a hat and passed it around for coins. When Ron saw her, he winked, then gave Sorrel to George, and claimed a spot for her by the fire next to Harry.

"Hey, I need to talk to Fred and George," said Lavender, kissing Ron "I need Pansy's help with some, uh, research, and she wants a charm smuggled in."

"Don't trust that bitch," said Fred, who overheard them. He crossed the room quickly, "She's a liar,"

"I don't trust her," said Lavender, "But I need her. Moody-"

"If you need help breaking in somewhere," said George, following Fred. He handed Sorrel to Dennis Creevey, who squealed with delight, to which Lavender felt relieved. She thought the rat was lovely, but only from afar. "We can help,"

"Yes," said Fred, "Trust us, not some Slytherin snake. We'll set you right. For the right fee, of course."

"I don't have any money," said Lavender.

"Oh, well, that changes things. Well, how much are the baby snakes willing to pay?"

"No idea," said Hermione, "But Malfoy is involved, so I imagine it'll be quite profitable."

"Profitable, you say?" said George, "Hmm… Well, Freddie, they sold us those faulty hover charms, so I'm still not sure if I want to go into business with them again."

"Ah! But George, this time it'll be us selling them the item." Fred crossed his arms then regarded George with a keen eye. George frowned, looking unsure.

"I dunno, Fred. Doesn't everyone think it'll be different right before they get scammed? What if we get paid in fake leprechaun gold, again?"

The two of them proceeded to converse in whispers while Lavender sat down next to Ron by the fire, watching as Harry glared out the window.

"Everything okay, Harry?"

"Oh, fine. Just peachy,"

Ron winced, "Look mate, I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Nothing with Malfoy is ever fine. Even Neville thinks he's off." Harry growled, tapping the couch's armrest furiously, "He's hiding muggle stuff in secret rooms, and walking around acting all paranoid. He's up to something, and he's in cahoots with his father-"

"Well, what if it's his father he's hiding it from?" said Ron softly. "I mean, Supposedly Dad was kind of the same way before he moved out of his parent's house. They didn't exactly approve of-"

"Ron, he's evil," said Harry flatly, leaving no room for argument. "I would think that you, of all people, would back me up on this. Don't you remember how gleeful he was when Buckeak was about to be executed? Or all the things he said about your family? About Hermione? And now, all of a sudden, he's all for muggles?"

"I'm not saying it's not weird, but-"

"It's not just weird, it's wrong." Harry stood up and started towards his dorm, "There's something wrong with this picture, and I'm going to find out what." He stalked off, and a few moments later, Lavender heard a door slam shut. A few of the common room's occupants glanced at them curiously before the twins scared the spectators off with a glare.

"Ron, since Harry is in a tit, what's your take on the Malfoy situation? Should we go into business with him?"

Ron slouched and looked like he would rather be anywhere than there. He groaned, then said, "He's got this hidden room filled with muggle stuff…"

"So we've heard,"

"I…" Ron sighed, "It sort of reminded me of Dad's shop. I'm not saying we should trust him, because he's a slimy worm, but his weird behavior could potentially just be him trying to keep his dad from finding out about his new hobbies."

Fred and George nodded slowly, then started whispering back and forth. After a few moments, Fred took out a slip of parchment, then started writing various numbers on it. He handed it to Lavender, then said, "Alright, this isn't concrete, but it's where we can start. We'll need the payment for the charm, of course, but we'll also need payment for any bribes, and of course, our valuable time."

Hermione took the parchment, "I'll let Pansy know at the next S.P.E.W. meeting, and she can give it to Malfoy."

A few days later, marked the first day of classes after Christmas Break. Lavender woke up early to run with Ron, enjoying the warmth it brought her muscles- even if it did make them quite sore. Later, in Divination, Lavender flicked through her textbook, looking for anything that might help her with finding out Smintheus's identity. It had hit her that as her relationship with Hermione seemed to be repaired, and she felt ready for the Second Task, she could finally devote some time and energy to figuring out Smintheus's identity.

Mice and fog? What on earth could that mean? The class passed slowly, and Lavender waited till the class had filtered out for lunch before confronting Professor Trelawney. I probably should have come to her weeks ago.

"Professor?" said Lavender, approaching her desk after Parvati had left for lunch. She felt like this was something she needed to do alone.

Trelawney looked up at her, blinking owlishly, "Yes, my dear?"

"I was wondering if you knew anything about an entity named Smintheus?"

A strange look flickered over Trelawney's face, and she cocked her head, "Smintheus?" Trelawney mumbled to herself, "Where on earth did you hear that name?"

"A dream,"

"Was there anything else in this dream?"

"Er…" Lavender paused, wondering how much information she should divulge, "There was a mouse, and a bunch of fog,"

"Not surprising," said Trelawney, "Smintheus Apollo, would be his full name,"

"Apollo?"

"Yes," said Trelawney, "Apollo has a lot of animal symbols; wolves and dolphins, to name a few. Mice, though- that one is an odd one."

Lavender sat down on an armchair across from Trewlawney's desk, "Mice? Mice are sacred to Apollo?"

"Yes," said Trelawney, she hummed, then said, "Dear, my inner eye is seeing that you're feeling a bit uncertain at that information."

"I just-" Lavender chewed on her lip, "Could you elaborate?"

"Well, mice were seen by the Ancient Greeks as being 'inspired by the vapors rising from the earth.' Many saw them as symbols of prophetic power." Trelawney stood up and grabbed a teapot, and began to prepare some tea, "Tea, dear?"

"Please,"

Trelawney nodded, then grabbed two teacups, "Now, tell me more about this dream,"

What was it that Dumbledore said? That I shouldn't dwell on these dreams? Does Trelawney count? She is a teacher. And it would feel good to share. "I- Well, it's a bit complicated. I've had odd dreams all year. I even saw a python is one of them. It was the night before- before my name was called," Lavender felt her voice drift off at the end of the sentence, and she clutched her teacup just a little tighter.

"A python?" Trelawney leaned over, her own teacup forgotten, "What sort of python?"

"I don't know." Lavender shook her head, trying to remember it. All she could remember was it slithering on her bed and licking her ear. Try as she might, she couldn't remember what it looked like. "It was just a python. It licked my ears."

This was a mistake, thought Lavender, standing up in a rush. Apollo? THE Apollo? I'm not- This can't be happening. Why on earth would any being, any entity that powerful choose me, of all people, to- to- to… To what? What sort of game is he playing? Is HE why my name was drawn?

So deep in thought, Lavender was that she didn't notice Pansy just beneath Trelawney's trapdoor, and ran face-first into her. The two of them were knocked clear to the ground, with something clinking on the floor, and a spider crawled across Pansy's face as Lavender picked herself up. Above her, she could hear Trelawney's trapdoor opening, and she started off running, feeling her shins cry out in protest as they were sore from the morning run.

"Shit," said Pansy in a voice that was far too quiet, "Lavender!"

Turning the corner, Lavender stopped in front of a window. There, she felt cold air that felt surprisingly nice, despite the chill it brought. Pansy approached her from behind as she took great heaving breaths and collected herself.

"You dropped this," said Pansy, holding out her hand. Clutched in thin dextrous fingers was her Adder Stone necklace. The leather cord had broken in a spot weakened by the Horntails flames when they collided. "One second," Another spider crawled from her sleeve and began spinning silk strands into the cord, repairing the break. Once it had finished, Lavender took it.

"Thank you," said Lavender, "Why are you being so nice?"

"It's not really in my character, is it?" said Pansy dryly. When Lavender just stared in reply, she shrugged and added, "Let's just say I got a bit of a wake-up call. And also, I was listening in on your conversation with Trelawney, so I figured I was partially responsible for it breaking."

"Oh," said Lavender. She crossed her arms defensively, feeling a bit irritated that Pansy had been listening in. But I suppose I'm not so innocent of snooping either.

"You weren't lying, were you?" said Pansy, "About- well, the dreams about the what's his name- Smintheus?" When Lavender shook her head for no, Pansy nodded. "Ah. Grammy was always talking about that stuff. You know, supposedly, she met Arachne once. Most people think she was completely bonkers, but I'd believe it." As if to prove her point, a black spider with a spider ominous red hourglass on its thorax started dancing on Pansy's fingers.

"What do you mean?" said Lavender, eyeing the venomous spider with great caution. "Is it because of, well, whatever you can do with spiders."

"Well, that…" said Pansy with a sarcastic tone, "People often do get quite, well fantastic gifts, in every sense of the word when they meet gods. Or goddesses. But those gifts come with a price. One that Grammy paid dearly for. She was able to use the gifts she received from Arachne to make a fortune from spider silk, and raise a family of seven children, but by the end of the war, she lost all but two of those children. And for the cherry on top, just a few years later, my aunt got sick."

A gentle breeze came through the window, ruffling Lavender's hair, and sending a chill down her spine. Or at least she thought the chill was from the breeze. Will that happen to me? I didn't ask for this. Whatever this is, I want it gone.

Pansy took her arm and started to walk Lavender towards the stairwell, "A word of advice, Lavvy; the gods don't care about you. They don't care about me. They'll bring you nothing but pain and heartache. Wear that thing literally all the time." Pansy pointed to the Adder Stone necklace, "Seriously, whoever gave you that loves you. Like, a lot. They're rare, and they're powerful. Now, enough of this. There isn't anything you can do about it, so there isn't much use in worrying."

"But-"

"Nope, you'll just make yourself sick," Pansy quickened her pace, and soon they were near the Great Hall, "Now, I need your help with the twins," said Pansy, and approached the Gryffindor table where Lavender saw Parvati working on an egg salad sandwich and sitting with Padma.

"Parvarti!" shouted Lavender as Pansy dragged her closer to Fred and George, "Padma! Help!"

"Oh, my god. I'm not kidnapping you," said Pansy, rolling her eyes. Once she got to the twins, she flopped down on a seat next to them. "That offer was a joke. Literal highway robbery. Neither Draco, nor I am paying you one hundred galleons, on top of the cost of the charm to smuggle in a stupid neural networking charm. They're not even banned. We just don't want a paper trail that someone could find."

Fred snorted, "Exactly. You're up to something, and if George and I are getting involved, we want proper compensation. Goodbye,"

Lavender sat down, as Parvati and Padma walked over to see what the fuss was about, "Wait a second- a hundred galleons? Come on, that's quite steep."

Fred rolled his eyes, "Fine. Well, Parkinson, what's your offer?"

Pansy narrowed her eyes, and sneered, then said "Fifteen galleons,"

"Ha! Try seventy-five."

"Thirty,"

George whispered something to Fred, who then countered with, "Sixty,"

"Forty, and not a knut more." Fred started to argue, but then Pansy continued, "Now you can argue, but remember- we have a lot of gold, and we'll probably need more things smuggled in. Now, you're not the only people who can smuggle stuff for us. I'm super duper close friends with Lavvy here, and I'm sure your little brother Ronnie'll probably be looking for a way to make some gold to spoil his little girlfriend here, and Valentines Day is coming up…" Pansy trailed off, then said, "Doesn't Potter have a certain map? It seems like that might be useful for smuggling things. Maybe I'll go to them."

"Now wait a moment," said George, "There's no need for that. Fred?"

Fred was quiet for a moment, obviously thinking over the offer. "You drive a hard bargain, Parkinson. But we accept. Forty galleons, plus the cost of the charm, and any additional costs."

"I want receipts for the charm, and any 'additional charges', please. Pleasure doing business with you!" said Pansy with a wicked grin, before running off to the Slytherin table to sit with Millicent Bulstrode, who was holding a basket of fluffy white mewling kittens. "Toodles!"

Fred glowered at Lavender, "That is why you don't do business with Slytherins. Bloody hagglers, the lot of them. "

George sighed, "Well, we may as well order the stupid charm. Wonder if Zonkos carries them?"

"We've got an hour till our next class," said Fred, grumbling to himself, "Let's go check the catalog. We can pick it up at the Hogsmeade outing next weekend."

The Hogsmeade outing came and went. There, Lavender saw the odd black dog yet again, though this time, he looked quite thin. Harry stuck to it like glue and even brought it a bag full of breakfast from the castle. When she broke off from the group to browse the shops with Parvati, she could see him talking with the dog, and following it into the nearby forest after the three of them ducked into Dervish and Banges for a few moments.

"Was that your dog? The thin, black, shaggy one?" Lavender asked Harry when the five of them regrouped later that day. "He seems quite friendly if a bit… odd. Dumbledore might let him stay at the castle if you ask. I'm sure it'll be safer for him there."

"What do you mean, odd?" said Harry suspiciously.

"I don't know. There's something about him that's off. Undog-like, if you will. I can't describe it."

Harry glared at her, then stomped off without answering. Lavender glared at his turned back, as he stomped through mud and slush on the road back to Hogwarts. She turned to Ron, who was looking torn. "Did I say something to offend him?"

"He's just been a bit touchy lately," said Ron, scratching his neck nervously. "Everything going on with Malfoy has got him in a mood. I'll talk to him."

They ran to catch up, but he had already disappeared. Doesn't he have an invisibility cloak? Lavender resisted the urge to growl in frustration but continued back to the castle. Once there, however, they didn't need to look far for Harry. They found Harry approaching Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass who were with the Weasley twins, exchanging a bag of what looked like gold for what she could only assume was the ominous neural networking charm.

When Malfoy saw him, he sneered, then turned to Daphne, "Everything is ready. We just need the charm, and it's good to go. How about you go insert it? I'll take care of this joker. I'll meet you at the Hospital Wing later," Daphne rolled her eyes, but took the charm and left. Meanwhile, Malfoy swaggered up to Harry, puffing out his chest and spreading his arms.

"Well, Potter? What's with the stink eye? Did you finally catch a whiff of your failure?"

Harry bristled, then barked, "The only thing I'm smelling is you, and whatever it is you use to glue your hair to your head. Seriously, are you that desperate to look like your father?"

There was a moment where Malfoy just stood, gaping like a fish which Ron took to run up to Harry and start to try to pull him away.

"Got a problem with my father, Potter?"

"Yeah," spat Harry, struggling against Ron's grasp, "He's an evil git, and you're not much better. You're up to something. I've seen you around the castle- whispering and checking behind you every fifteen minutes like you've got something you're hiding. I don't care if it's muggle stuff you're reading; I know you're planning something foul, and I'm going to find out what."

A rotten look appeared on Malfoy's face, before he sneered, "Go ahead but don't think you're some hero. Only cowards snoop on other people's private belongings when they're not there."

To Harry's credit, he turned a bit red from embarresment and stopped struggling against Ron. A few minutes later, once Malfoy had left, and Ron finally had released him, Harry spun around and glared at Ron.

"I didn't need you to hold me back," said Harry, "I could have taken him."

"And what would that have solved?" said Ron, "He was baiting you. Just like earlier this year with me. Only this time, he gets you in trouble, and he doesn't have to worry about you butting in on whatever he needs that charm for." Ron chewed on his inner cheek, "And maybe you should cool it anyways,"

"What?" said Harry, shocked, "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that I think you should leave Malfoy alone," said Ron, "He's not hurting anyone. In fact, for once, he's actually just minding his own business, and I think we should do the same."

Something that resembled genuine hurt flashed across Harry's face. But it only lasted a second before he shoved it aside with no small amount of effort, "Whatever," said Harry before turning an about-face, and running off into the castle.

Ron looked like he wanted run after him, but settled for gazing mournfully at Harry's turned back. Lavender reached up to hug him, and Ron accepted for a moment, before pushing her away as well and running off in the opposite direction as Harry.

"It's okay," said Hermione, "Knowing Ron, he probably is headed towards the chess club. He hasn't been an official member for several years now, but they almost always let him play. That always cheers him up."

"And Harry?"

"He probably went up to the Owlery. Seeing Hedwig always cheers him up." Hermione put an arm over Lavender, "It's okay. It's good for them to disagree on things. Clears the air, if you will. I just wish Harry would vocalize what he was thinking more instead of being so- ugh."

By the end of the night, Harry was still in an awful mood, and the plummeting temperature didn't help. The fire that night was roaring, but it couldn't keep out the chill. While the five of them sat together by the fire, Harry refused to directly speak to Ron- something that very obviously ticked Ron off to no end judging from the glower Ron kept sending him. Whenever he wanted to add something to the conversation, he would talk to Hermione, or occasionally Parvati or Lavender, who passed the awkwardness by fiddling with the Adder Stone charm.

Seamus, thought Lavender, Did you know this charm could repel gods? I wasn't wearing it for a few weeks after the Horntail. That entire time I was in the hospital, nightmares and weird dreams plagued me. Could it be possible that Smintheus- Apollo- can't contact me if I just wear this? But why would he want to contact me at all? I'm nothing special. Unable to come up with any answers, Lavender went to bed, with Ron following her, and kissing her goodnight and hugging her a little tighter than usual before he left towards his dorm. Harry stayed by the fire with Hermione, wrapped up in a tight ball with his arms around his knees, very purposefully not looking at Ron.

Ron seems so down… What if- What if I could use this power to find out for certain what Malfoy is doing? All I'd have to do is take off this charm. Maybe I don't have a choice in having this 'gift', but what if I could take control of it? Ron's been such a rock throughout this entire ordeal with the Triwizard Tournament, and it's obvious this fight with Harry is tearing him up inside. If I can do something for him, I need to try. With a pounding heart, Lavender pulled off the charm, and set it on her bedside table.

She closed her eyes, tugged her blankets around her to guard against the cold air, and drifted into sleep. Soon, her sleep turned to dreams, and she found herself walking in a garden with large shrub-like trees. Hyacinths of all colors line the walkways, and she could hear music playing in the distance. Next to her on the right was a pond with a few swans gracing the waters.

Well, well, well- so the little lion has solved the puzzle. Congratulations.

Darting around, Lavender searched for the source of the voice. It was a swan that was now waddling up to her.

"Why did you give me the gift of prophecy?" Lavender straightened herself, shoving any doubt or nervousness aside as the swan regarded her with a somewhat oblique expression. If a swan could look oblique, that was.

I already answered that. The swan waddled around her. It started to make it's way back to the pond where it began pecking at the ground. Lavender followed it, wanting to throw something at the swan. Anything.

"And just what does that mean?" Lavender huffed, and tried to make her admittedly small frame look bigger than it was.

At our last meeting. Or do you not remember? The swan blinked at her, then continued, It is time to wake up now. As a word of advice, remember to listen to the fog.

"Now wait just a moment," snarled Lavender, approaching the swan and doing her best to look far more commanding than she was, "You can't just bring me here, and then-"

Unfortunately, we will have to cut our meeting short, little lion. Now, wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP! At its last words, the swan started billowing its wings and honking at her, shocking Lavender into falling backward and flapping her arms this way and that, finally landing a punch on-

"Ouch!" Above her, Hermione nursed her nose as Lavender blinked through her haze of sleep, and shivered as she awoke. The air was bitterly cold, and was that- alarms?

On the ceiling, flashes of blue light blinked as a high pitched alarm wailed. Parvati sat up on her bed, staring at the lights in confusion as Hermione pulled Lavender from the bed. Suddenly, the door burst open to McGonagall in a velvet mauve dressing gown. She seemed alarmed- almost frightened.

"Up, girls!" said McGonagall, "Now! Into the common room."

"What's going on?" said Hermione as Lavender slipped her gambeson on over her woolen nightdress, and put on her gloves before wrapping her fluffy purple blanket around her, trying desperately to keep warm. It seemed like the temperature was dropping by the second.

McGonagall shook her head and began filing the three girls down the spiral staircase. Suddenly, Lavender remembered her charm and tried to go back and grab it. McGonagall, in turn, steered her back down the stairs.

"Any possessions you need can be collected later." McGonagall regarded her with a severe frown, smothering any argument. "Right now, get to the common room. Once everyone is there, follow the Prefects and me to the Great Hall."

Shivering, Lavender walked quickly to the common room with Parvati and Hermione, where they found Ron sitting with Harry and bundled in his Chudley Cannons blanket. Harry was pacing back and forth while reading what looked like an old piece of parchment with a slippery looking cloak draped over his arm. "Do you know what's happening?"

"Something to do with Malfoy," said Harry with a low growl.

"Harry-"

"Shove it, Ron," hissed Harry, then flipped the parchment, revealing a map that showed the Slytherin Dungeons, where Malfoy's name was shown clearly with several other Slytherins. He, too, was pacing frantically. "Look at him. He's fretting about something."

"Yeah, maybe because the dungeons are the coldest part of the castle, and right now we're past thirty-two degrees," said Ron, "The cup of water I keep by my bed was frozen,"

"Exactly!" said Harry, "Can't you see it, Ron? LAvender, what do you think?"

"I-"

Lavender was saved from answering by McGonagall standing up on a stool so that she could be seen and heard by everyone gathered in the Common Room. "All students are to gather in the Great Hall. There, we can better keep everyone warm, and defend against whatever is causing this temperature fluctuation."

"Ron?" whispered Lavender, grabbing his hand, "What could be doing this, if not Malfoy?"

"Jesus, you're hands are like ice. And lot's of things," said Ron, draping his blanket over Lavender, "Dad used to say that part of the castle's defense system's involved binding spirits to the fortifications. It's the same thing they do when enchanting items, only on a smaller scale. It could be that one of those is going haywire. Of course, it could also be that the ghosts got really, really pissed off. Sometimes they can cause temperature drops."

"Not on this scale," Hermione interjected, as they followed the other students through the portrait hole, "Something's drawing up massive amounts of energy. More than any ghost could do on its own."

"It's Malfoy," said Harry, "I'm telling you, it's him."

"Honestly, Harry," said Hermione, "We've been over this-"

"Actually, Harry might have a point," said Parvati, "Remember that charm he was smuggling in? Maybe this has something to do with it. It's an odd coincidence, at least."

Soon, they had all arrived at the Great Hall, where blankets and purple sleeping bags were passed out. There it was thankfully much warmer than the rest of the castle, which was so cold that even the portraits were ominously still, and a layer of frost had developed on the stone floor. Near the double doors, Lavender spotted Malfoy who was still obviously nervous and standing with the Greengrass sisters, and Zabini, looking as guilty as sin. Astoria looked paler than normal and was wearing a hospital gown.

"Where is it coldest?" Lavender overheard McGonagall whispering to Dumbledore who was dressed in a marvelously flamboyant dressing gown, "Albus if this is an attack-"

"Aurora mentioned that the Astronomy tower was below zero degrees when she left it." There was a pause, "I don't believe it is an attack, Minerva," said Dumbledore in a grave tone. He glanced at Lavender, who was setting up her sleeping bag with Parvati. They both blushed when the Headmaster caught them eavesdropping.

"Girls," said McGonagall sternly, "It's time for bed."

"Yes, Professor," the two of them replied. As the professors left, Ron, Harry, and Hermione came barreling through with their own sleeping bags.

"You warm enough, Lav?" said Ron, wrapping his blanket around Lavender again.

"Yes," Lavender started to slip into her sleeping bag when she felt a familiar sense of the world slipping away. It was as if some sort of fog had taken up presence in her head. Listen to the fog, she thought, recalling Sminth- no, Apollo's words. Didn't something like this happen when my name was called? I remember- I remember that Fred and Angelina were dancing and laughing, and then that happened in real life. Does that mean that I need to listen for something? Okay, so I just need to sit here quietly and stop fighting it. It might be scary, but I can't let this go uncontrolled any longer.

She closed her eyes, ignoring Ron fretting beside her. She had a feeling it would rewind in a minute anyway.

Through the fog she heard someone crying. Oddly enough, it sounded like Pansy.

CRASH! BANG!

"Draco, RUN!"

The scream, though halfway expected, was still enough to make Lavender jump. It wasn't helped by a falling sensation she experienced before she heard Ron say for the second time, "You warm enough, Lav?"

She stood up, causing Ron to stand with her and Harry to tense warily. He started to fiddle with his velvety cloak. "Yes," said Lavender, trying to choose her words carefully, The curse. If I warn them, they won't believe me.

"Professor!" it was Pansy, he face wet with tears as she tugged on Dumbledore's robe, whilst sobbing, "Please! It's Daphne, I think she's still outside!"

Wait that can't be. I just saw her with Malfoy. Lavender tensed and glanced at Malfoy, who was quivering, either from cold or nerves.

"Ms. Parkinson, I've spoken with Professor Snape myself. He's assured me that all of his students made it to the Great Hall-" But Pansy just shook her head and broke down crying.

"She was upset because Astoria's been ill," said Pansy, "She stepped out of the dorm room, and- and-" she sobbed some more, "When Snape came, I disguised her bed to make it look like she was still in the dorm, and covered for her so that she wouldn't get in trouble. I didn't think-"

Dumbledore took on a grave face and visibly paled. All of a sudden, he stepped towards the doors and held out his hands. The double doors stuck for a moment, then-

CRASH! Ice, three inches thick, broke away from the outside of the Great Hall's entrance, as the double doors broke free of their holdings.

BANG! As they hit the wall, a transformation took over Pansy's face, revealing her real motive.

"Draco, RUN!" screamed Pansy, and Draco took off like a bullet. Immediately, Harry followed him, slipping his map in his pocket while throwing on the slippery cloak-

Oh, it's his invisibility cloak. Dumbstruck, Lavender stared for a moment, almost missing her opportunity. But she took off after Harry and Malfoy. Harry helped me with Hagrid. As little as the mirror trick helped, I'd have been defenseless out there without it. I won't let him go out there alone.

"Lavender, wait! Hermione, let me go!" She heard Parvati screaming at her as she dropped her blankets and raced after Harry, "Ron, go after her, please!"

The teachers, too, were scrambling as they attempted to close the doors once they realized that it was all a ruse. But it was too late. Lavender was already out the door. She started following Malfoy and Harry's footprints before she felt someone gently grab her arm. She turned around as the doors slammed closed. Ron, had managed to get out.

"Lavender, it's too cold out here," said Ron, keeping his Chudley Cannons blanket tight around him, "Please, we need to go back inside."

"And what about Harry?"

"The teachers will get him," said Ron, "Malfoy, too,"

"And who will they send?" Lavender wrenched her arm away, and began running to try to fend off the cold, making Ron run as well to catch up, "Dumbledore will probably send Moody, and he was the one who put my name in the goblet- don't make that face!"

"I didn't- Ergh, Lav, please!" Ron reluctantly followed her. "Where are we even going?"

"The Astronomy Tower!"

Getting to the Astronomy Tower was difficult. The stone floor was slippery, and the higher in the castle they climbed, the colder it became. Wind, too, was howling through the corridors, forming giant icicles on the walls. Once they approached the Astronomy Tower, the ice was so thick that, Lavender was forced to stop running, and practically crawl across the icy floor, shivering and desperate for warmth. Ron tried to pull her into his blanket, but she shrugged him off. It might help fend off the cold, but maneuvering would be tricky while wrapped in Ron's arms. As she crawled, she bumped into an invisible figure- Harry.

"Harry?" said Lavender, pulling down the hood of Harry's cloak. His nose was purple, and he was breathing into his hands for warmth.

"Lav, what're you doing here? Ron?" Harry blinked as he took in the two of them.

"You fucking idiot!" said Ron, shivering, "We're rescuing you, of course! Where's Malfoy?"

Harry shakily pointed upwards, then the map, "H's'not moving. Ron, I think I fucked up."

Ron threw his blanket over Harry, "S'okay, mate. Come on, let's go get Malfoy."

With great effort, Harry threw an arm over Ron, and the three of them made their way against the wind and ice, and up the stairs. Once they found their way to the top, they found Malfoy huddled at Sinistra's office door. His fingers were blue, with bits of ice forming on them. As if on instinct, Harry broke away from Ron, and ran to Malfoy, grabbing his arm and pulling it over his shoulder. Through the wind, Lavender could hear him groggily say a few select curses, but he seemed to accept the assistance.

Surprisingly, when Harry began to pull Malfoy towards the stairs, Malfoy pulled out of Harry's grasp.

"Telescope!" gasped Malfoy, pointing a shaking hand at Sinistra's office, "We need to turn it off. I don't know how, but I think it's causing this-" He gestured at the ice.

Without thinking, Harry tried to open the office door, but it stayed stuck. "It's not opening,"

"It opens inwards," said Malfoy, grasping the handle with both his hands, "If we all push on it, it might work. But I can barely hold onto the handle. My fingers aren't working properly."

"On three," said Harry as Ron moved backward, preparing to bum rush the door. "One, two, three!"

Harry and Malfoy pushed on the door, while Ron and Lavender both shoved it. The combined force seemed to break whatever icy seal had formed, and they tumbled into the office, landing in a heap on the floor. Weakly, Lavender blinked at the strange telescope that had taken up residence in the small office. It was hooked up to what could only be described as some sort of machine. The machine was glowing and connected to the Neural Networking charm, as well as a dirty and empty tank.

Most stunning of all, however, was the projected image of a planet that Lavender didn't recognize. But it was blue, and green, much like earth, with wispy clouds covering its atmosphere, and ice and snow at its poles.

Malfoy was the first to struggle to his feet, and Harry soon followed him. Together they pulled themselves towards a switch on the side on the machine and flipped it. Within seconds, the engine turned off, and the freezing wind died.

Behind them, Lavender heard footsteps and saw McGonagall running up the stairs at breakneck speed, closesly followed by Moody and Dumbledore, as well as Snape.

"Ron?" she mumbled, not hearing a response. Numbly, she felt for Ron's hand that felt like ice. Pansy's grandmother lost nearly all her children. Who will I lose? Oh, what have I done? Without thinking, she slipped off her gloves and put it on his hands. It didn't quite fit, but she shoved his hands under her armpits, trying to warm them as McGonagall swarmed the two of them. "Ron? Ron, wake up. Please, please, please, wake up."

"Lav? Did we do it?"

Feeling relief wash over her, Lavender glanced at Harry, who was sitting against the machine and staring at Ron with relief mixed with worry. Malfoy looked unconscious and was leaning against Harry's shoulder. Distantly, she could hear McGonagall scolding them as she flicked her wand, producing flames that danced in the air and brought warmth into the icy room.

"Yes, I think we did it,"

OMG. Apologies for the late update. Christmas has been crazy, and I've been studying like mad.