I can see the sheer surprise on Malfoy's face when I enter the Great Hall the next morning with Ron and harry both, neither of them being tossed from the school, meaning that his little plan had failed, and he's not looking pleased about it at all.

"It has to be what Hagrid collected when you were both at Gringotts right, Harry?" I ask him as we take our seats. "I was thinking about it all last night. It makes sense, doesn't it? You and Hagrid were there and emptied something from the same vault that Dark witches or wizards broke into later that very same day. Hagrid said himself that he was collecting it on behalf of Dumbledore. And you remember what Percy said, right? Not even the Prefects know why the third floor corridor is out of bounds this year."

"It does add up, doesn't it?" he responds.

"It's all got to be connected some how. It's just too much of a coincidence otherwise," I say.

"It's either really valuable, or really dangerous," Ron adds.

"Or both," says Harry.

I take a piece of toast and an apple from the table, munching on both before turning my attention to my Transfiguration book. Since last night, Hermione has been refusing to speak to the boys, and Neville hasn't uttered a word about it. I reckon he thinks he might have dreamt it all up.

"Why aren't you sitting with Hermione, Y/N?" Harry questions me eventually. "You're both usually sitting together for breakfast."

"She's mad at the both of you so she doesn't want to speak with you, so I came here alone."

"You aren't angry with us too, then?" Ron asks.

"No, just a little let down you never told me about it before hand. I might have helped, you know? I wouldn't have tattled or anything. Although, at the same time, maybe I wouldn't have gone... Expulsion is dangerous to play with. I don't intend on ending my Hogwarts career so soon. But I could have given pointers at the very least if I couldn't convince you two not to go."

"Yeah," Harry mumbles. "I guess we just thought since you hang around with Hermione so much, you wouldn't have been interested. Might have been angry with us as well."

"Hermione and I share a lot of similarities, but we aren't the same person. You'd do well to remember that," I sigh and finish off my apple.

It's a week later when Harry receives a rather large package delivered by owl during breakfast. I'm surprised he received a package. As far as I've suspected, Harry never receives letters, unless they're invitations to come 'round for tea from Hagrid. Seeing his owl, whom I've learned is named Hedwig, and six large screech owls dropping him off such a big parcel is strange to say the least.

"What have you got there?" I ask him.

I've been spending a lot more time with the boys since our little adventure last week, though still not as much as I spend with Hermione. We've become closer during these past few days, and I'm enjoying having them as friends very much.

"I don't know," he answers whist tearing off the letter stuck to the front.

"Well go on then – open it!" Ron says.

"It's a letter from Professor McGonagall," he says after reading it. "She's brought this for me..."

I take the letter, with his go ahead, and read over it, Ron reading it over my shoulder.

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch pitch at seven o'clock for your first training session.

Prof. M. McGonagall

"Oh my gosh!" I squeak enthusiastically once I've finished reading. "Harry, this is extraordinary!"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand," Ron groans. "I've never even touched one."

"I wish I could go with you back to the Common Rooms to open it, but I promised Hermione I'd meet with her for some study in the library. So I hope you enjoy yourselves!" I smile to the two of them before taking my things and making my way out of the Great Hall.

I'm walking towards the library when suddenly I'm swept off of my feet by two different arms holding me up from under my own.

"Morning, Y/N," says one of the familiar voices.

"Made you a promise, we did. Time to act on that," says the other.

"Wait," I exclaim, still being drug off and towards a completely different part of the castle. "You mean you're going to let me join you today?"

Both of the twins smile and exchange a look before nodding happily and letting me back on my own feet. I smile brightly and bounce on the balls of my feet enthusiastically, excited to have been seemingly taken in as their almost apprentice of sorts. Fred reaches forward and ruffles my hair, grinning boyishly, and George folds his arms, giving the same look.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's do it! What do you boys have in mind?"

"That's the spirit," says George.

"You'll love it," says Fred.

"We're going to slip some Sleeping Draught into Mrs Norris' breakfast, then slip into Filch's office and take back our brooms," says George again.

"Took 'em from us for flying 'em in the halls."

"Reckons we've seen the last of 'em."

"Well then," I reply full of amusement and happiness that they thought to bring me along. "I've always had a way with potions. Let's prove him wrong, shall we?"

Both of them beam again, and then we're off to the Common Room, where, apparently, they've got some stuff they took from Snape's supply pantry to cook us up a potion. We enter through the portrait hole and the boys drag me straight up to their dorm, which, I'm told, females are allowed to enter, but not vise versa.

"I have a class at ten, do you think this'll take you long?" I ask them once I'm sat with them, before George is placing ingredients and utensils down before us all. "I mean, the potion will only take so long, it's the rest I'm worried about."

"We we're going to make the potion ourselves, but did you say you we're good at 'em? Might be better if we leave that part to you, then," Fred laughs.

"My mum used to let me tinker back home when I was younger. I've successfully brewed Sleeping draught on quite a few occasions. This'll be a piece of cake if you want me to do it."

"Perfect!" both boys say together, and I smile before getting to work.

I toss the Lavender and some mixed, dried, magical herbs into the mortar and blend it into a smooth, creamy paste, and then I toss the Flobberworm Mucus and such into the cauldron and begin to heat it. This should be left to heat for thirty second. After counting down the precise number of seconds in my head, I add the crushed mix from the mortar, and then cast some magic in with it.

"Okay, this'll need seventy minutes to brew, so what until then?" I ask once I've set it aside to mature and properly infuse. I look to both boys to see them watching me with interest.

"You didn't even use a recipe," says George.

"Bloody brilliant for a first-year," compliments Fred.

I blush and shake my head.

"Like I said, mum would let me play around in her potion studio when I was younger. Sleeping Draught was one I made quite often. I've memorised it by now," I tell them, intentionally leaving out the part about me needing to brew it for my mum when her nightmares would get out of hand.

"Brilliant," they both say at once, and I smile again.

"Okay, so what's next? Have you thought about how you'll be able to slip the potion to Mrs Norris?"

"We have, actually," says George.

"Going to get Winky to slip up a bottle of milk. Cat's like milk, right?" says Fred.

"Indeed they do," I smile happily. "Come on then. You two can handle that, I'm sure. For now, I promised Mione a study session in the library. I'll meet you both back in the Common Room in exactly an hour, and then we'll finish this up."

Both nodded, and the three of us went on our way.

"Where were you after breakfast?" Hermione asks once I finally meet her in the library, my books held to my chest. "I saw the boys just before – you weren't with them?"

"I was with Ron's brothers, actually, they needed some help with a potion," I smiled before setting my books down.

"Oh no – they haven't, have they?"

"Haven't what?"

"Roped you into one of their schemes."

I laugh quietly and open my books, taking my quill, ink, and parchment from my rucksack as well. I smile before looking to the girl.

"Don't worry, Mione. I'm being careful. Plus, I rather like their energy. Not a lot of people like them, you know? Remind me of a friend I used to see quite a bit. Used to love pranking people, he did."

"What if you get caught? You're as bad as Harry and Ron sometimes, N/N. Honestly."

"I promise you that I wont, okay? It's just some light-hearted mischief. We won't be loosing any House Points. The boys are far to practiced to have us caught."

Both Hermione and I begin our study session after she's begrudgingly accepted that I'll be careful. This morning, surprisingly enough, I'm studying Potions. I've been thinking a lot lately about a potion that could make one breathe underwater. I'd love to be able to swim within the Black Lake during the Summer time to maybe catch a glimpse of the Selkies, or maybe even the Giant Squid.

"Alright, I'm done with this essay Snape set... though I don't understand why he's set me an essay so early on..." I groan as I finally push my two scrolls worth of Potions Essay to the side. "I was only standing up for myself. Why's he have to be so mean?"

"I suppose he doesn't like it when people speak back, especially when they're in the right to do so. Even though you were looking out for yourself though, I wouldn't advise trying anything of the sort again any time soon."

"Trust me. I wouldn't even dream of it at this stage. Do you know how filthy the undersides of the potions rooms desks are?"

At exactly fifty-five minutes after leaving Gryffindor Tower, I wish Hermione a goodbye and promise to catch her up on what happens in our next class, which is Transfiguration with McGonagall, at ten, and then I pack my things and leave for the Common Rooms once again.

Upon walking through the portrait, I immediately see both Weasley twins sat and waiting, a paper bag held in George's hands.

"Hello, boys. You ready?"

"As ever," they both reply in sync, and I laugh as I follow them back up to the dorms.

I take the pot of mixed magical herbs and sprinkle the appropriate amount into the cauldron once I'm sure the time is right, and then change the heat to high, which will need another minute before continuing. While waiting during that minute, I entertain myself with watching the boys try and throw jelly beans into each others mouths from different ends of the dorm. Once the minute's up, I add in the Valerian Sprigs, stir it seven times counter-clockwise, and then finally finish it up with the final wave of my wand.

"There, all done!" I exclaim, pulling the boys attention from their little game of catch. "You've got the milk?"

George nods as both boys move forward, and then he hands me the paper bag. There's a single bottle filled a quarter of the way up with milk hidden inside, and I laugh at the bunch of sweets wrappers littered within as well.

"Okay, here. I'll just add the milk to the vial, and – done! One milk-infused, Sleeping Draught potion, ready to be used on annoying cats for the purpose of retrieving apprehended brooms!"

"Brilliant, you are!" bellows Fred.

"Should invite you along more often, we should," exclaims George straight after, his brother nodding in approval.

"Well I'd love that, but not too often, I hope. I'll end up giving Mione grey hairs," I laugh. "Come on then! Can't wait to see this! I added extra lavender, so it's bound to work quick. Let's go."

George, Fred, and I all make our way to where his office is stationed here on the seventh floor, making sure to keep an eye out for him as we go.

"How are you so sure he won't be in his office?" I finally ask them.

"Convinced one of the second-years to tip him off about someone looking to sneak into the Forbidden Forest," George answers, and as usual, is soon followed up by Fred.

"He won't be back for ages yet. He's probably still on his way down."

"Still gotta hurry though."

"If there's one other person besides Georgie, Dumbledore, and I that knows their way through the secret tunnels in this place, it's Filch for sure."

I nod and we all close in on the closed door. A door where a certain Mrs Norris is stationed outside and looking eagerly for people to have Filch punish. Retched animal she is. Once we've just about reached her, Fred caps the potion and pours it on the floor, and without a second thought, the stupid cat makes it's way over and laps it up quickly, before falling dizzy, and going to sleep a few seconds away from the potion-spill.

"Tregeo," I mutter with a quick wand swish causing the spill to clean itself and disappear. I then creep to the door, and upon finding it locked, whisper the next spell, fresh in my mind because of Hermione and our night with the Three-Headed Dog, tapping the lock with my wand, and opening it. "Alohomora."

"Bloody brilliant," both twins unify again. I smile and shake my head.

"Get it done, boys. Quickly!" I push them along, and they do as asked, rushing in, and soon rushing back out again with both brooms and a small packet of something or other. "Got everything?"

"Sure do," says George.

"Here you go," says Fred, handing me the packet.

"What's this?"

"A thank you for helping. Filch is always confiscating sweets from first-years. Keeps them hidden in the back-most drawer," says George.

I smile at them both, we each give our thanks, and then we split up after locking the door again and leaving Mrs Norris and a less-conspicuous position by said door.

What fun.