I was practically in tears as I rode the carriage up to the school.

My Mimbulus mimbletonia was as flat as a pancake after Goyle - in a fit of anger - had stamped on it. There was no saving it.

They had been furious; Draco had stormed off with his two goons in tow, all dripping in stinking sap, refusing Ginny's offer to use the clean up spell on them.

"Just stay away from us, you utter freaks!" Draco had snarled, completely seeming to overlook the fact that it was them that had approached us.

"Cheer up, Neve," Ginny said kindly as I wept over the squashed plant, "perhaps you can ask your Great Uncle to send you another?"

I was too upset to remind her what I said about it being extremely rare.

And when we arrived at the portrait to be informed that the new password was Mimbulus mimbletonia; my weeping became a full on hysterical howl.

"Well," Ron said awkwardly, stiffly patting my back. "At least you won't forget this one."

*****

Seamus seemed to have had some kind of personality transplant over the summer.

He was no longer my lovely, kind smiley friend, but now a bitter, cynical meanie.

His absence from the welcome feast was immediately explained when we all stepped into the common room.

Seamus and Parvati appeared to be involved in some sort of tussle on the sofa.

It took me a moment to realise they were furiously kissing.

"Ugh, get a room!" Harry spat, speaking for us all.

"Me mam didn't want me to come back!" Seamus hollered at Harry after he prised himself off of his new girlfriend, his face glistening in slobber. "Because of you and Dumbledore!"

"She believes the Daily Prophet?" Harry scoffed. "She thinks I'm a liar and Dumbledore's an old fool?"

"Yeah, something like that." Seamus snarled.

"Go drown yourself in the lake," Harry retorted, "you and your mother!"

"Don't you have a go at me mam," Seamus warned dangerously.

"I'll have a go at anyone who calls me a liar." Harry said tartly.

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"I'll talk to you how I want," Harry said, flouncing over to the staircase. "And if you've got a problem sharing a dormitory with me, go and ask McGonagall if you can be moved... stop your mammy worrying-"

"Leave me mam out of this, Potter!"

"What's going on?" Ron frowned, stepping in through the portrait hole behind me.

"He's having a go at me mam!" Seamus yelled, pointing accusingly at Harry, who was now halfway up the stairs.

"What?" Ron said. "Harry wouldn't do that - we met your mother, we like her..."

"That's before she started believing every word the stinking Daily Prophet writes about me!" Harry yelled at the top of his voice.

"You know what?" Seamus yelled back. "You're mad!"

"That's out of order, Seamus," Ron said, whose ears were starting to glow red.

"Out of order, am I?" Seamus continued to shout, not seeming to have noticed that his girlfriend had long ago jumped up and backed away. "You believe all the rubbish he's come out with about You-Know-Who, do you, you reckon he's telling the truth?"

"Yeah I do!" Ron said angrily.

"Then you're mad, too," Seamus said in disgust.

"Yeah? Well, unfortunately for you, pal, I'm also a prefect!" Ron yelled, jabbing himself in the chest with a finger. "So unless you want detention, then watch your fucking mouth!"

Seamus's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish whilst the rest of Gryffindors looked on in stunned silence.

Ron looked around at us all, his face accusing. "Anyone else's parents got a problem with Harry?" He spat aggressively.

Everyone shook their heads fearfully.

"You're all mad!" Seamus spluttered. "Our Headmaster's been sacked from the Wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards because he's losing his marbles-"

"My gran says that's rubbish," I cut in; my voice sounding braver than I felt, aware of my audience. "She says it's the Daily Prophet that's going downhill, not Dumbledore. She's cancelled our subscription. We believe Harry. My gran's always said You-Know-Who would come back one day. She says if Dumbledore says he's back, he's back."

"Thank you, Neve," Harry said from the top of the stairs, nodding down at me. "To you and your gran."

After that, Seamus kept his mouth well and truly shut.

*****

We had a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

And although she looked harmless enough, the back of Harry's hand soon said otherwise.

"You need to tell someone!" I implored when I came across him late one night emerging from Umbridge's office, clutching the back of his hand.

I had been looking for Trevor after discovering he wasn't in my dormitory. I couldn't sleep without him these days so I went wandering around the castle even though I knew it could get me into trouble.

"And let the bitch think she's won?" Harry scoffed incredulously. "I don't think so."

Before I could persuade him some more, I heard a loud croak, and ran off to follow it, leaving Harry to return to the Gryffindor Tower alone.

I found Trevor hopping down the stairs, and I chased after him, struggling to keep up as he kept going down, down, down.

If was a while before I realised we were in the dungeons. Trevor hopped ahead as I tripped down the last few steps, landing painfully on my knees.

"Trevor!" I hissed frustratedly as he continued to hop on, eventually disappearing through an open door at the end of the dark, dank dungeon corridor.

I hated being in the dungeons in the day when it was packed with students, so being here now, in the eerie quiet, all alone under the flickering glow of the lamp light, was utterly terrifying.

But I needed my Trevor.

I crept along, trying not to make a noise and praying I wouldn't bump into any Slytherins - or even worse - Professor Snape.

When I reached the door that Trevor had hopped through, I tentatively pushed it further open.

And when I saw what greeted me inside, I had to stifle a scream.

Draco Malfoy was crouched down on the floor in front of Trevor - feeding him something.

"Step away from my toad!" I cried, panic causing me to become breathless and shrill. "You evil, evil-"

"Shhh!" Draco hissed, leaping to his feet at once as he motioned for me desperately to shut up. "Be quiet woman, or you'll get us both into trouble!"

"What did you just feed my Trevor?" I cried, immediately crossing the room, pushing him aside as I bent down to retrieve my toad. "What have you done to him?!"

"Relax, I haven't done anything. It's just Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans. He... he likes them."

"What do you mean 'he likes them'?" I spat, turning on him. "I know my toad and I know what he likes!"

A flicker of what I could only call sheepishness flitted across Draco's face as he drove a hand through his hair.

"I carry them around in my pocket, you see and he seeks me out around the castle sometimes... so I let him have a couple."

"Who the hell do you think you are Draco Malfoy, to feed my toad?"

"Well I looked after him in second year, didn't I?" He said defensively. "I guess he must sort of... miss me."

"Looked after him?!" I spluttered incredulously, not quite believing this boy's gall. "I think you mean kidnapped and detained against his will!"

"I never meant him any harm, okay?" Draco said immediately, his face looking somewhat pained. "He's all right... Trevor."

I couldn't tell if he was taking the piss or not.

"Just stay away from him from now on," I said, narrowing my eyes at the blond haired Slytherin as I cradled Trevor protectively to my chest.

I turned to get the hell out of there. Draco Malfoy was making me feel all sorts of uncomfortableness. Especially with those piercing grey eyes.

"Earwax,"

I paused at the door, turning slowly to look back, not sure I heard correctly. "What?"

"The beans," Draco shrugged, "Trevor likes the earwax flavour the best. Just thought you should know."

Well, I suppose that explained why Trevor often liked to dart his tongue in my ear.

Raising my eyebrows, I wrenched open the door and swiftly left Draco standing alone in the room with his pocket full of Every-Flavour beans.

I was baffled; it seemed Seamus wasn't the only one who had had a personality transplant over the summer.

*****