Nobody slept at all that night. The castle was searched again, and we all stayed awake, huddled in little groups to hear whether he'd been caught. Outrage rippled through the common room when McGonagall returned to tell us he'd escaped again.

Through the day, tighter security measures were seen all around the castle. Flitwick was seen teaching doors to recognise pictures of Sirius Black, and Filch was spotted boarding every gap in the castle.

One positive was that the Fat Lady had returned, and even though she had a bunch of intimidating security trolls surrounding her, it was lovely to see her back.

The statue on the fifth floor remained unguarded, and it seemed as if all of my friends and I were the only ones who knew about it. It did make me wonder whether that's how he was getting in.

"We should tell somebody," I said nervously to Ron.

"We know he's not coming in through Honeyduke's," said Ron dismissively.

"We'd've heard if the shop had been broken into." Harry reassured me.

I was glad Ron and my brother both took this view. If the one-eyed witch was boarded up too, I would never be able to go into Hogsmeade again. Well unless Sirius Black was captured.

Ron of course, had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to Harry, and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience.

I wasn't questioned as much, but I had random people coming up to me, asking what he looked like. I'd give them a detailed description, and then say that Gennie threw herself between Sirius and me, which was true.

Ron always went into immense detail every time he was questioned. "... I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft...I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down...I rolled over...and I saw him standing over me...like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair...holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches...and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he scampered.

"Why, though?" Ron added me and Harry as the group of second year girls who had been listening to his chilling tale departed. "Why did he run?"

As I lay awake, traumatised in the night, I'd been wondering the same thing. He'd told me he was innocent, which of course proved how mad he really was. But why hadn't he silenced us? He'd killed thirteen people, why would he hesitate to kill Ron and Gennie, when we were the ones we wanted?

"He must've known he'd have a job getting back out of the castle once you'd yelled and woken people up," I said thoughtfully.

"He'd have had to kill the whole house to get back through the portrait hole...then he would've met the teachers..." Cole added, shuddering.

Neville was alienated throughout the house. McGonagall had banned him from all Hogsmeade visits, and had forbidden anybody to give him the password to get in. He was forced to wait outside almost every night until somebody (usually Cole) let him in.

The sad thing was, I hadn't seen Gennie since that night. After it was revealed Sirius had escaped again, she'd had a massive panic attack and broken down in front of everybody. She'd been admitted to the Hospital wing with exhaustion-apparently she wasn't sleeping or eating enough.

More than ever I wanted to make things right with her, but nobody was allowed to see her apart from her father. I suspected she was guilty she didn't kill Sirius on the spot, but I was just thankful that even when we were arguing, she went out of her way to protect me.

I was brooding about how Gennie was over breakfast one morning, that I barely noticed when Hedwig nipped me on the wrist, signalling that she had a letter for me.

"Ouch! Oh -- thanks, Hedwig."

I tore open the envelope while Hedwig helped herself to some of Neville's cornflakes. The note inside said:

Dear Harry, Cole, Rory and Ron,

How about having tea with me this afternoon 'round six? I'll come collect you from the castle. WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL; YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN.

Cheers,

Hagrid

"He probably wants to hear all about Black!" said Ron.

"I think everybody's heard about Black, mate." Cole chuckled.

So at six o'clock that afternoon, the boys and I left Gryffindor Tower, passed the security trolls at a run, and headed down to the entrance hall.

Hagrid was already waiting for us.

"All right, Hagrid!" said Ron. "S'pose you want to hear about Saturday night, do you?"

"I've already heard all abou' it," said Hagrid, opening the front doors and leading them outside.

"I told you, Ron." Cole snickered.

"Oh," said Ron, looking slightly put out.

The first thing I saw as we entered the cabin was Buckbeak, who was stretched out on Hagrid's quilt, enjoying a large plate of dead ferrets. Grinning at the sight of him, I knelt forward, and Buckbeak responded.

Sitting next to the hippogriff on the floor, I stroked his feathers softly, him butting his head against my hand like a giant cat.

Looking around, I saw a giant hairy suit and horrible orange tie hanging from the wardrobe. "What's the suit for Hagrid?" I asked curiously.

"Go a hot date?" Cole said with a grin.

"Buckbeak's case . It's this Friday. I've booked two beds on the Knight Bus...."

I felt guilty; I'd forgotten about the trial with all that had gone on with Quidditch, Gennie and Draco. Hagrid poured us all tea and offered us buns that would probably smash our teeth.

"I got somethin' ter discuss with you four," said Hagrid, sitting himself between them and looking uncharacteristically serious.

"What?" said Harry.

"Hermione," said Hagrid.

"What about her?" said Ron.

"She's in a righ' state, that's what. Bin feelin' lonely. Firs' yeh weren' talking to her because o' the Firebolt, now yer not talkin' to her because her cat --"

"--ate Scabbers!" Ron interjected angrily.

"Because her cat acted like all cats do," Hagrid continued doggedly. "She's cried a fair few times, yeh know. Bitten off more'n she can chew, if yeh ask me, all the work she's tryin' ter do. Still found time ter help me with Buckbeak's case, mind..."

"Hagrid, we should've helped as well -- sorry --" Cole began awkwardly.

"I'm not blamin' yeh!" said Hagrid, waving Cole's apology aside. "Gawd knows yeh've had enough ter be getting' on with-- but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two'd value yer friend more'n broomsticks or rats. Tha's all."

Harry and Ron exchanged uncomfortable looks.

"Really upset, she was, when Black nearly stabbed yeh, Ron. She's got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an' you two not talkin' to her --"

"If she'd just get rid of that cat, I'd speak to her again!" Ron said angrily. "But she's still sticking up for it! It's a maniac, and she won't hear a word against it!"

"Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou' their pets," said Hagrid wisely. Behind him, Buckbeak spat a few ferret bones onto Hagrid's pillow. "-An Rory, you an Gennie need to make up as well."

"We almost did, the night Black came," I admitted. "But now she's in the hospital, so..."

"She's being released next weekend!" Cole exclaimed brightly. Everybody looked at him, confused. "Oh, I went to see her yesterday, I snuck in the middle of the night, bought her flowers."

"I'll feel really awkward going up to her though," I shifted in my seat. "We were only talking because Seamus broke up with her."

"Git," Cole muttered.

"But she was really judgemental, and I don't want her to make me choose between her and Draco." I said quietly. "I mean, I want to be friends with both of them, but what can I do?"

Hagrid sighed. "Yeh, but she thought she was protecting you. There's a lotta 'istory between the Malfoy's and the McKinnons-a very bad un. 'Ave you ever asked about her 'ole mum?"

I shook my head. "I didn't think it was my business."

"She shoulda told you." Hagrid shook his head. "Maybe she went about it the wrong way, but she cares about you. 'An you might have both said things you regret but you need to make thing 'ight." Hagrid turned to the boys. "Same with Hermione-don't give up on friendship."

A large group of people was bunched around the bulletin board when we returned to the common room.

"Hogsmeade, next weekend!" said Ron, craning over the heads to read the new notice. "What d'you reckon?" he added quietly to Harry as they went to sit down.

"Well, Filch hasn't done anything about the passage into Honeydukes..." Harry said, even more quietly.

"I'll go!" Cole grinned. "Rory?"

I shook my head. "I'm making things right with Gen, things have gone on for too long now."

Cole grinned, and clapped my shoulder. "Harry!" With a start I saw Hermione was sat on the table behind us, leaning forward through a pile of books. "If you go into Hogsmeade again.... I'll tell McGonagall about that map!"

"Can you hear someone talking, Harry?" growled Ron, not looking at Hermione.

"Ron, how can you let him go with you? After what Sirius Black nearly did to you! And Gennie is in the hospital with stress and exhaustion over it! I mean it, I'll tell --"

"So now you're trying to get Harry expelled!" said Ron furiously. "Haven't you done enough damage this year?"

"Shut the hell up Ronald!" I snapped, as Hermione hurried away to the dormitories with Crookshanks in her arms. "Just because your rat died doesn't mean you have to take it out on Hermione! You know what, I'm going to bed early."

Storming off, I found Hermione outside the door. "I heard you stand up for me," she said meekly. "Thank you."

"We're friends, what do you expect?" I said sheepishly. "I know I've been with the boys a lot recently, but Hermione you're still like my best friend, okay?"

Hermione nodded, relieved. "Professor Lupin asked me collect Gennie once she's out of the hospital. Should I send her to you?"

I nodded eagerly. "Send her to the History of Magic classroom, I'll be there." I paused, my hand on the door handle. "Hermione.... I really hope the six of us can work things out."

Hermione sighed. "Yes, I hope so too."

* * *

Even though I told him not to, Harry still ended up going to breakfast with both the map and his cloak. He was being reckless, and even I had to admit that it was getting beyond stupid now.

Hermione kept shooting suspicious looks down the table at him, but he avoided her eye and was careful to let her see him walking back up the marble staircase in the entrance hall as everybody else proceeded to the front doors.

After saying goodbye to Ron, Harry and Cole, I hurried up into the History of Magic classroom, anxiously sitting on one of the tables, waiting.

"Why does my dad want to meet me here?" I could hear Gennie walking down the corridor.

"Um, he said it was important," Hermione said, and she walked into the room, giving me a smile.

Gennie looked surprised to see me. "Um...."

"Well, I'll be going now," Hermione said breezily. "Have fun making up!"

And she lightly shoved Gennie into the room, before running out, locking the door with magic. Gennie stared at the locked door, and back at me. "I should have known she'd do that. She said I shouldn't carry my wand around, and now I'm trapped in here!"

"I have my wand," I said quietly. "You can get out if you want."

Gennie was very quiet as she walked over to me, sitting on the table next to me. "I don't want to."

"Are you okay now?" I asked awkwardly. Her hair had new streaks of pink and blue in them, her face slightly rounder and she had no bags under her eyes.

She nodded, avoiding my gaze. "It'd been building up for weeks, I should have seen it coming."

We sat in silence for a few minutes. "Thank you," I blurted out. "For saving me that night. It, it was a really brave thing to do."

"I was put in Gryffindor for a reason." Gennie muttered. She turned to me. "Why didn't you tell me? Was it because I wasn't good enough?"

"No, no, it wasn't that." I said quickly. "I knew you hated him and would judge me. And I was still mad at you for not telling me about Sirius Black, and Draco understood why I was so angry..... And I thought, maybe if I left the note out, you would see that I didn't need you."

"And do you still not need me?" Gennie said her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't need you, Gen," I laughed. "I want you. I want you to be my best friend again. But-but I want to know first why you hate him so much. It-it really hurt me when you humiliated me."

"Malfoy and I have... History, shall we say."

"What, did he snog you?" I said sarcastically.

Gennie laughed a cold laugh. "Hell no. It has to do with his father... and my mother."

Gennie's tone had turned wistful now. "My Dad planned on proposing to my Mum; but she wanted to make up with my Grandparents and Auntie before he did. They didn't like him, you see." Gennie said her eyes faraway. "My mum was an outcast in the Ministry, for being with a werewolf. But she didn't care."

Scooting closer to her, I took her hand in mine. "She took me over there as well. They loved me, but that was because I didn't have my Dad's werewolf gene. So I was in my mother's old bedroom, fast asleep. My mother was finally getting their blessing and approval when.... It happened."

Gennie had silent tears streaming down her face now. "A group of death eaters wanted the McKinnons dead. And they did. My mother had taken out all of the death eaters--but one. She ran upstairs to get me, as you could apparate in and out of their house. She wouldn't leave me behind. But they wouldn't let her live."

With my own eyes budding with tears, Gennie carried on. "By the time my father arrived, it was too late. There was blood on the walls, and my mother lay dying outside my bedroom door, and I was crying. He held her in his arms and she said one last thing to him: Malfoy, he did this. Take care of Genesis, I love her."

"Draco's father did that?" I said, feeling sick.

Gennie nodded vigourously. "And he denied it to the Minsitry. But who were they going to believe: a rich man who claimed to be under the imperius curse, or a disgusting werewolf?"

"But... I know that's awful and disgusting, but why do you hate Draco?" I asked quietly.

"We were friends at one point." Gennie said with a weak smile. "When my father worked in the Ministry for a brief point, I met him when he was visiting his father. We became good friends in those few months when we were nine, and we promised to be friends at Hogwarts after we were forbidden from seeing each other..... But he was awful."

"What did he say?" I said sharply.

Gennie gave one short laugh. "He called me a dirty, poor half-breed. And enough of the pure-bloods knew who my father was to get the joke. He just carried on laughing until I left. And I, I was afraid that he might hurt you like that Rory. You haven't suffered much in life, and I wanted to try and stop that from happening."

"Genesis..." I trailed off. "You should have told me. I-we've both been real bitches haven't we?" Gennie nodded. "I'm sorry for being a bitch."

"I'm sorry for being a bigger bitch," Gennie said, finally smiling. "Just-if lover boy ever hurts you, I will hurt him."

"I don't like him, Gennie!"

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh please, I saw you two before the match. I bet you five galleons you'll admit you like him before Christmas."

"Shut up, you idiot!" I squealed as she tackled me in a hug, and the two of us laughed, both crying and laughing, and I knew we would be okay.