I groaned and stretched. I felt cold wood underneath me. Had I fallen on the floor? No, this wasn't the soft wood of our room, it's too rough. I groaned. "Oh look! She's waking up." I jittery female voice said. I groaned again. "Gwen! Are you okay?" That was Kat's voice. "I'm okay." I said, sitting up and slowly opening my eyes. One of the twins was looking down at me with a great smile and Kat was holding my head. "Oh goody." Marion said from the fount, still using that manly voice.

Finally taking in my surroundings, I noticed we were on a boat, heading towards a distant shore. "I thought you said we were going to the basement." I groan. "We are, but we're taking the short way." Akiko explained. "Only silly and unknowing people take the Fluffy way." She flicked her wrist as if it was obvious. It was not. "Akiko. Stop tormenting the girl. You're hurting my head with your voice." Andrik says from the front. "Sure sure. I understand. We're almost there anyways."

"But where are we going? And why did you practically kidnap Kat. She's got nothing to do with this." I demand, finally sitting up. "We're going to get Akiko's and I's bodies. As for you friend, well," Andrik shrugged. "She's kinda acting as a reason for you to come with us."

"Also because I wanted to come." Kat giggled. "Both of you hush up. We're here." Andrik says, docking us on the shore. "Follow closely behind me and if you get lost, turn around and go back to the boat." He says, lifting his torch and heading towards a mountain side. "Oh! Andrik! Can I do it this time?" Akiko asks. Andrik rolls his eyes. "Sure, I don't see why not." Akiko squeals as she holds both hands out to barely touch the mountain. "Aperta pulchra montem faciem!" She chants and the mountain shakes. A rectangular chunk of the mountain slides away and creates a doorway for us to walk though. "Wait, before I go into the deep, dark hole. Why are we going down in the first place?" I ask.

"We're going to get our bodies." Andrik says bluntly. "Oh. Of course. How silly of me to think anything else." I mutter. "I'm sorry Andrik is so grumpy. Sometimes when we separate from our bodies, a piece of us stays in the shell. This happened to be his happiness. I left my ability to feel sadness or remorse." Akiko explains. "Which also means she never shuts up." Andrik says, smirking a little. "Hey! You don't need to be so mean about it!" Akiko decals, stamping her foot on the stone stairs, which shook for a moment. "Try not to kill us or our host bodies, Akiko, or I swear I'll-"

"Look!" I interrupt them both and squeeze past them. Two coffins stand tall in the center of the room. They seem to be made of obsidian and silver. "How do they open?" Kat asks, pawing at the locks. "Like this." Andrik says before blasting off the lock. I squeal in horror as the green burst nearly hits my head. "You nearly killed me!" I declare, looking at the two. "Ah, but we didn't." Akiko says. "Besides, killing you would hold no fun in it. Whatsoever." Andrik says with a shrug. Throwing off the coffin doors Akiko squeals, and Marion's body goes limp and then disappears. The same then happens to Natalia. "What the-" I'm cut off when two people emerge from the coffins. "Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!" The woman says that came out of the first coffin.

She was tan, asian and slender. Golden brown hair and hard brown eyes to match. The smile plastered on her face gave me no doubt that this was Akiko. "As funny as that was, this really isn't the time to quote disney, love." A man stepped from the second coffin. He was pale and thin but probably could take someone down if needed. His black hair was spiky and was dyed red at the tips. His blue-green eyes seemed to glow against his pale skin. "Andrik?" I question. This surely couldn't be Andrik for one reason and one reason only. He was smiling.

"Nice, she doesn't question if your you, but I smile and everyone thinks I'm not me." He pouts. "I guess I'm just special like that." Akiko giggles. "So you're really Akiko and Andrik? Are you sure?" Kat asks, placing a finger on her chin. "Well, I do feel like myself. Akiko, do you feel like yourself?" Akiko gives a vivid nod. "Then yes Kat. I think we are ourselves." Andrik says. "Wowwy wow wow!" Kat says, adrenaline pumping through her veins from what we just witnessed I'd guess. "Oh! Does this mean you'll be Gwen's bodyguards? Do I get to see you all the time? Can only special people see you or can everyone?" Kat was so enthusiastic about this that there was a moment I began to worry about her health. Mental and physical.

"Uhhhh.... Hold on. Let me see if I can answer these. Um. Sorta, maybe, and I don't know." Andrik counted on his fingers to make sure the number of answers matched the number of questions Kat asked. "Yeah but what about-" Suddenly we heard a deathly scream. "That's our que. Everyone, back in the boat!" Andrik yells. Ushering us back up the steps. "Run faster!" Andrik yells from the rear of our line. I couldn't see behind me but from the heat I was feeling, it couldn't be good. "Everyone! Turn right!" He yells. I swing a hard right and everyone tumbles onto me as they do the same. "Akiko! Help me with the door!"

"Right." Akiko and Andrik pushed on the rock slab that acted as the door to the mountain closed. Yet, not before I could turn and see a face in the fire trying to escape. They face of the man from my nightmares. I fain after that.

"Look. I think she's coming to." A voice says. I open my eyes to Headmaster Dumbledore looking down on me with Madam Hooch by his side. "Are you alright? Your friend Kat and your owl are fine by the way." Madam Hooch said. "Really? That's good. I'm fine as well, thank you for worrying." I said with a smile. "I think we should go now." Dumbledore says, helping me out on the bed. "We're about to start the end of the year party." He says, before somehow disappearing. "Ignore him and get to the hall, please." I nod and did as I was told.

When I entered the hall it was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver. I assume because they'd won the house cup. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table. Quickly, I slipped into a seat next to Kat at the Hufflepuff table. Then, Dumbledore arrives. The babble dies away and he speaks. "Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts.... Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- two." A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. I could see Draco banging his goblet on the table and I smile. "Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," says Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account." The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... "First -- to Mr. Ronald Weasley for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. "Second -- to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the 247 face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves -- they were a hundred points up. "Third -- to Mr. Harry Potter..." says Dumbledore. The room went deathly quiet "for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."

The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points -- exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup. I felt sick. If Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.... Sudeley, Dumbledore raises his hand. The room gradually falls silent. "There are all kinds of courage," Dumbledore says, smiling. I felt a lump form in my stomach. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom." Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. "Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, even some of my housemates were cheering. "we need a little change of decoration." He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place.

I couldn't pake my wardrobes and trunks fast enough. I wanted to leave so bad. I wanted to see my dad, my mum... and especially the Draco I'd known from before this year. Then the man name Hagrid was there to take us down to the fleet of boats that sailed us across the lake; we all were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station. It took quite a while for everyone to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting people go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.

"Promise me you'll write me?" Kat asks as we stand on the platform in the muggle world waiting for our parents to pick us up. "I promise." I stick out my pinky and Kat wraps her pinky around mine. "See now it's a swear. Now I have to write you." I giggle. "Alright. I'll see you next year!" She calls as she runs to her parents. "Hey." Draco's voice softly says. I look over at him with a weak smile. "I'll see you for our birthday party, so until then, I guess we can write." He wasn't looking at me straight on, but I knew he was blushing a tad. "Of course." I say, leaning down to look at Orion, Draco's eagle owl. "I expect to see Orion at least once every two weeks." Draco nods before rejoining his mother and father who'd come to get him.

"Hey cheer up." Bram says, nudging my shoulder. "You'll see your boyfriend in like two months for your birthdays and you can write to one another as much as you'd like." I huff. "He's not my boyfriend. He's my betrothed. There's a difference." Bram laughed. "Yes, I figured you'd say something like that. Anyways, mother and father are waiting for us in the car, follow me." I did as Bram asks and follow him out of the station and into the sleek black car waiting for us. "I hope you had a lovely year, darling." My mother said. "I did." I smile. "And next year's gonna be even better!" I declare as we drive off to our home.

A/N: Yes! It is back my lovelies! It's been a long time but I've finally gotten back into this. Now ONTO THE NEXT BOOK!