Chapter 13

After the Hogsmeade trip, Harry made the decision to talk to Sheila alone.

He would attempt to knock some sense into her. He convinced the girls that Sheila would be back to her cheerful and perky self first thing in the morning. In spite of his promise, Harry was so confident that it led the girls to be doubtful of his words. How was Harry going to change Sheila back to herself in just one night? She had really seemed hurt. Striding his way to his dorm, Harry discerned the presence of his roommates. He casually opened his trunk and grabbed his Nimbus 2001. Ensuring he wasn't being watched by his roommates, he wandlessly shrunk his broom and crammed the now tiny object into one of his pockets. He then whistled a familiar tune and swept out of the room.

Hands clasped behind his back, he bounced along the hall and continued down the stairs. Informing Callista he'd be back prior to curfew, he shuffled his way out of the common room before she could utter a word. Without another thought, Harry sauntered to the seventh floor. Paying no heed to his surroundings, he directly approached the Fat Lady's portrait. He smirked as he knew that the portrait covered the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. Oh yes, from time to time, he would accompany one of the girls to their house common room, but it was mostly Regine. He rarely went to the Gryffindor or the Slytherin common room.

"Harry!" the Fat Lady squeaked excitedly, pressing herself forward and at the same time futilely struggling to get out of the frame. Frantically, she snatched small mirror from within her gown and checked her appearance. After finishing that, she batted her eyelashes suggestively at him. "What brings you here, Harry?"

Harry's lips twitched and he greatly restrained the urge to grin. "That's a secret…" He laid a finger on his lips and winked at her.

The Fat Lady giggled shamelessly, blushing at how appealing he was. Without any qualms, he was certainly an eye-candy for the females in Hogwarts, particularly those admiring him from behind picture frames. The Fat Lady supposed he had inherited most of his genes from his mother side. But she couldn't deny that a portion of Harry's good looks came from his father's handsome face.

"So, may I enter?"

In an instant, she switched her giddy antics into solemnity. "I don't know, Harry. This tower is for lions only. It would be violating the rules if I allow you in. If you do wish to enter, at the very least a Gryffindor should accompany you."

"Ah, come on, no harm in breaking a few rules..." Harry pouted. "Nobody will know. This is just between the two of us. I'll tell everybody that I entered the Gryffindor Tower another way..."

"Oh, I don't know, Harry..." She couldn't help but giggle madly. Looking at him again, she surrendered. "Oh, alright…but nobody will know of this, got it?"

"Of course. It will be an intimate secret just between the two of us..." Harry winked.

After more giggling and blushing, the portrait swung open. Harry stepped inside the Gryffindor common room. He wouldn't tell anyone alright, but the Gryffindors weren't stupid enough to miss him entering their common room by way of the portrait. It would be clearly seen that the Fat Lady permitted Harry to enter the lion's den. He scanned the common room, but still no one took notice of his arrival. The usual tapestries, paintings, and decorations were all still there. The place was exactly like it was the last time he came.

"What are you doing here?" Ron finally exclaimed, looking up from the chess game he was so engrossed. Just like that, every pair of eyes stirred to Harry. The first and second years were very much surprised at this new arrival as they never once seen Harry Potter in their Gryffindor Tower. Daniel's eyes bulged and tongue lolled, foiling him from saying a single word. What was his brother doing in their common room and how did he enter without a password? Harry cast a glance at the Weasley boy and then pivoted his eyes to the student next to him.

"Oh, nothing. Just checking this place out. It's been a long time since I've been here." He smirked at the only girl of the Golden Trio. "Hello, Hermione..."

"H-Hi!" She scrambled for her book and hid her hot face behind it. The book she was holding, however, was upside down.

Ron glared furiously at how Hermione reacted. He jumped to his feet and demanded, "Where did you get in?"

"Are you trying to kick me out?" Harry's eyes darkened and the boy squeaked pitifully as he shrank down into his previous seat. Out of fear, he shook his head rapidly. Harry's expression reverted back to normal. "I thought you might have been suggesting that. As to where, well..."

Harry looked over his shoulders to where the portrait entrance was, then back to the Weasley boy in mild incredulity. It was so painfully obvious where he came in. A few let out chuckle at how dense the Weasley boy was. Out of blue, two Gryffindors each slung an arm over Harry's shoulders. It was none other than the Weasley twins. They both wore a large grin and their eyes were full of mischievousness.

"Ignore our idiot brother, Harry."

"He's as thick as a rock."

Harry arched an eyebrow at their friendly manner. It was far too amiable for his liking. "If you two prank me, you'll get it back a hundred times worse. I know it's one of your ultimate goals, considering you two weren't very successful when it comes to pranking me, and I know you're determined to succeed no matter what."

"Oy Fred! He's suspicious of us!" George shouted jokingly.

"We're hurt, Harry. You think so little of us. Now, why would we do that?"

A vicious smirked tugged the corner of his lips. "I have no idea. But just a bit of a heads up if you two must know, the girls are not exactly the forgiving type." That froze the twins and Harry shook himself out of their grasp, still smirking. The twins were swamped in realization as the same thoughts ran through their minds.

If they did prank Harry, Sheila would surely have their heads. And there was Regine, who was known to be friendly with Hagrid. Who knows what kind of dangerous creatures she could set loose upon them. There was also Callista, a girl who had an excellent charms reputation and who possessed an intellect superior to any girl in the school, including Gryffindor resident bookworm, Hermione. Who knows what kind of crazy plot her brilliant mind could craft. They both began to sweat and they swallowed fearfully at the though of Daphne Greengrass, the Ice Princess, who was widely known to be very protective of her friends…especially Harry.

The twins tittered nervously, backing away from the guy. "W-well enjoy our hospitality, Harry. We have something to do." They shivered at the picture of Slytherin's Ice Princess hunting them down. That girl was a demon. They didn't want to wind up like Percy. The beautiful blonde didn't care about his prefect status. By the end of the day, Percy was in the infirmary, all for causing her Ravenclaw friend discomfort.

Harry's eyes shimmered mischievously as a figure caught his attention. Angelina Johnson was sitting on one of the long sofas, watching him and the twins interact from afar. She flushed through her dark skin once their gazes clashed. Alicia Spinnet was also perched on the sofa with her friend. Between them, there was just enough room for another to sit.

"Boys, if you'll excuse me…" He darted off, and then impossibly materialized in the middle of the two girls. He flung both of his hands over the girls' shoulders. "Hey, Johnson, I haven't seen you in a while."

"Um...H-hey, H-Harry..." He smirked, making her blush more. Then he exhibited his sultry smirk towards Spinnet's direction. Her reaction was instantaneous, her face reddened madly. "You look good in that outfit, Spinnet. It shows off your curves perfectly…but to be honest, I fancy you more in Quidditch uniform. You look more strong and beautiful in that kind of style. I could stare at you for hours."

"T-thanks!" She clamped both hands over her mouth, embarrassed at her high-pitched voice. Harry inclined his head to the side as unfamiliar face swam into his view. His forehead creased, then he grinned slightly at recalling the girl's name.

"And you must be Katie Bell. I heard that Sheila took you under her wing. Pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand.

She replied courteously, but nervously, "P-Pleasure to m-meet you to-oo."

Katie was more than aware of Harry's recent fame as the youngest professional Quidditch star. She shakily held out her hand and reached for his. She was ignorant to the gasps from the other girls around her and the furious glares burning into the back of her head. She thought she would die when Harry brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles lightly. But if she did die, she would die in heaven, with no regrets at all. Fortunately, Katie just fainted with a dreamy smile.

"Bloody hell..." Fred croaked as his shoulders slumped. "He's truly out of our league..."

"Why can't girls fall for us like they do with him?" George wondered out loud, sulking.

"What are they doing? They should throw him out! This is for Gryffindors only!" Ron hissed. He, Daniel and the Weasley twins were in the corner of the room, gazing at Harry from afar. The rest of the males were doing the same, moping around. "We should tell McGonagall!"

"Ron, I don't think we should make a big deal out of it. He's just...err...visiting..." But Daniel was unsure of the validity of the statement. Visiting was far from what Harry was doing at the present. Daniel blinked his eyes as the girls that were crowding his brother giggled at something Harry said. Daniel shook his head in amazement as one of the girls was Hermione. Heck, most of the girls in the common room had surrounded his brother, eyes full of admiration of him. This was the side of Harry that Daniel didn't know. He had no idea his older brother is a very... suave… person. Yes, suave might be the best word to describe for his brother.

"Why not?" Ron snarled, feeling angrier by the second. "He's not a Gryffindor and this place is for Gryffindors only. I say we tell McGonagall straight away!"

"That's not gonna work on him, dear Ronnikins."

"That's right, just save your breath."

"Why is that?" he barked at the twins.

"Because..." The twins simultaneously left their words hanging. They pointed their fingers just as McGonagall climbed in through the portrait hole. Her eyebrows shot up at what her eyes took in. She cleared her throat and all attention was diverted to her.

"Mr. Potter, I'm somewhat surprised to see you here."

"Oh, it's not a problem, is it, Professor?"

"No, no. I was just about to make an announcement for the Gryffindors, but now that you're here... I suppose I'll announce it another time then," she said firmly. "It's... been a long time since I have seen you in the Gryffindor common room. Be sure to get back to your own dormitory before curfew, Mr. Potter."

"Sure thing, Professor." An idea struck him and he resisted the urge to grin. "Say Professor, do you still remember the time you asked for my help? You know about you assisting the first year?"

"Y-yes, Mr. Potter?" There was a hue of red on her cheeks.

Harry feigned a confused look. "Which one is it? Can you tell me who it is?"

She coughed violently at that, and the red on her face escalated. "I ought to leave now. I have matters to attend to. Do excuse me..." she muttered, dashing out of the common room before anyone blinked an eye.

"See?"

"McGonagall didn't mind."

"Never did."

"Never does."

"Never will." They finished concurrently.

"Harry!" The voice boomed throughout the common room and a tense silence fell.

Harry smoothly brightened up. "I was beginning to wonder if you weren't even in the tower, Sheila." Inside, he was relieved. He almost ran out of ideas on what to say to the crowds of the girls. It was just a ploy for him to get Sheila come down from her dormitory. He rose up and squeezed his way through the crowd of girls. A few were bold enough to slightly grind their body into his.

"I knew something was up, and it was you all along!" she accused angrily and stomped her way down the stairs.

"Yeah, I- Woahhh!" He didn't get to finish his sentence as she yanked him strongly along with her and out of the common room.

The twins moaned in despair. "Even our Sheila!"

"Just half a day-" Sheila breathed in irritation. "Half a day, you're out of our sight and this is the result of it!"

"Now, now, let's take a deep breath and calm down…" Harry chuckled anxiously, muscles coiled in preparation for any assaults. They had now reached the courtyard, just below the Gryffindor tower.

Sheila was about to say something but sighed in exhaustion. She wasn't in the mood to yell at Harry right now. "Look, Harry. Just go back to your common room. Curfew is just around the corner…" she mumbled almost unintelligibly. "Filch will catch you if you're wandering around the castle."

Harry had to strain just to hear what she was saying. "Why would you care? It's not like you're bound by the rules. C'mon, Sheila, we always break them or have you already forgotten the wild escapades we've gone through? This is nothing compared to what we've done before."

"But you're a prefect, aren't you? So be responsible-"

"I never cared about this prefect stuff from the beginning. The only reason I put up with it is to protect Callista and Regine, nothing more. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't even bother accepting it. I'm not good with responsibilities anyway," Harry interjected softly.

He looked up the sky, smiling slightly at the moon. It was so beautiful. The moon had always been his companion in his time of loneliness back in his childhood. It sliced through the darkness for him during night.

"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Harry turned back to his friend. "The girls are worried about you..."

Sheila fell silent, resisting the temptation of looking him in the eye. Harry brought out his tiny broom and his wand. Tapping the broom gently, it increased to its normal size. "How about we fly around the castle? I could show you a few moves." With eyes full of mischievousness, Harry climbed on his broom and looked at Sheila in expectation.

"What? But McGonagall-"

"What McGonagall doesn't know won't hurt her." Sheila bit her lip, hesitant. "You'd better hurry up. I think I heard Filch's cat just now."

At that, she hurriedly clambered onto the back of Harry's broom and shakily wrapped her arms around him. She blushed madly when she touched his muscles. "Alright, hold on tight." Harry abruptly jerked his broom upwards. Sheila yelped at the unexpected movement and was thrown back. She just barely had time to seize Harry around his stomach, her face buried into his back.

"Hey, not too fast! You're going to kill us!" she screamed.

"Isn't that the whole point?" Harry charged through the sky, rising higher and higher from the ground. They could now see the whole castle grounds from their place in the night sky. "Alright, ready?"

"What? No, don't do it, Harry! Don't. You. Dare!" Her words only encouraged Harry, his eyes glinting maniacally.

"Watch me." Swerving his broom violently, Harry took a sudden dive. They rushed to the ground at a breakneck speed.

"Haaarrryyyy!" she cried loudly, her short, spiky hair tousled messily. Her eyes shut fearfully and her grip around his waist tightened. "I'm going to die and I haven't made a will yet! Mom, wherever you are, I'm so sorry I ate your favorite cupcakes, and Dad, sorry I can't beat you in Quidditch anymore!"

Just as they closed in on the ground, Harry pulled up and once more took off into the air. He was clearly laughing, enjoying the freedom of the sky and also the reaction from his Gryffindor friend. "What's this? Aren't Gryffindors supposed to brave? I thought for sure you were going to pass out, Sheila."

Her cheeks flushed, her breathing labored after such an experience. Regardless of how good she was at flying, she would never typically do something as extreme as Harry. It was outrageous! "Easy for you to say! I told you to never pull that stunt again, it's risky and nuts! It's even far more dangerous than Wronski Feint! You could kill us both with the simplest mistake!"

"Hey, don't get all angry with me, Jonnet. Just admit that you can't beat me in the sky. It's my territory. No one can ever touch me when I'm on a broom." Hearing this, she seethed. She pinched his stomach quite strongly. "Ouch! Oy, don't pinch me there! I'm steering a broom here and it's doubly hard when I have a passenger with me! I could lose control!"

Harry wriggled on the broom, trying to avoid Sheila's pinches, although he was laughing as he did so. After a while, a peaceful silence fell between the two of them. They now flew across the lake at a gloriously slow speed, almost skimming the water. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Harry glanced at Sheila over his shoulder, but still she wasn't responding him. She dropped her hand and let it drag through the lake's surface. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

After a moment of silence, "...I've just been a burden to you all, dragging all of you down..."

"We never said that." Harry frowned.

"No, but it's the truth," Sheila muttered, her gaze hardening. It was so unlike her. "You all have to work pretty hard for exams, but then there's me. Sometimes I need something explained many times before I understand. I hate it... I hate how I'm slowing you guys down. I hate how stupid I am, and I hate it how much of a problem I am to you all, especially to Callista. Ever since I met her, she's been making notes for me, trying to help me do better in my classes. Even Daphne and Regine help me out when they obviously have better things to do. It's like I'm giving them more work, and O.W.L are coming soon. I don't want to bring their grades down."

"You do know I'm causing them more trouble than you ever were. As a matter of fact, I guess I'm burdening you too." Harry smiled sheepishly, scratching his right cheek in embarrassment. But his smile gradually faded when Sheila didn't even chuckle at his joke. "So, when you knew we were all chosen to be prefects, it just hit your nerve."

Harry heard a sad sigh. "More or less... It hurts when I was the only one of us who didn't get chosen. For other people, this whole thing might be silly, but it isn't for me. It's just..."

"-not right for you to be left out. It's awkward for you to be the only one who isn't a prefect, who isn't 'smart', while the rest of your best friends are, is that it? You figure that you don't belong in our group because of that ridiculous reason?" She didn't respond, just snuggled up against Harry more. He felt something wet dampen his shirt, but he didn't care.

"You know, Sheila, we've never judged you on your brain. We like you just the way you are. To us, there is no one brighter than the sun. Your dazzling smile is what lights up the fire inside us every day we spend with you." A slight sniff could be heard. "Every person in this world is different, even if they and someone else share the same interests, look alike, or have similar personalities. We are all separate people, and we all have unique perspectives, tastes, and views on the world. Even twins like Fred and George have differences. You never know how people really are inside them. So what if you don't have superhuman intelligence, hmm?"

Harry twisted his head to her, smiling slightly. "We're fine with who you are. Don't try to accomplish something that was never meant for you in the first place. Do something you're good at. Every person has their own strengths and weaknesses. Callista may be academically smarter than many others, but her weakness lies in the practical. We always beat her in Defense class, but she's out of our league when it comes to Charms. The same goes for me, Daphne, and Regine. We each have our own field to play and this includes you as well. Who's going to teach us all how to transfigure something if you're not there? Who's going to train everyone in dueling?"

"There's Daphne..."

"Yes, she's pretty good, but she's only creative when it comes to offense and not defense. If you're not there to correct her mistake, she'll still just attack her opponent without dodging or defending herself from the incoming spells," Harry interjected. "Umm...don't tell her I told you that. She'll get angry and hex me for sure."

Sheila chuckled and wiped away the tears that smeared her cheeks. "She's a great friend, Harry. She rejected the position so that I wouldn't feel left out."

"Yeah, she is..." He smiled fondly as the gorgeous blond girl floated to the forefront of his mind. If it weren't for her, he would never have had the chance to get know her family. At the end of his first year, she yanked him along with her for introductions, and implored him to have dinner with the family though not caring for a second about his answer or his protest. "Well then, let's get you back to your dorm and try to meet with the girls first thing in the morning, okay? They're really worried about you, so much so that Daphne hasn't been sleeping well. You know how she is with her beauty sleep."

"Right, I will," she said determinedly. "Hey, are we going back already?"

"Yeah, why?"

A wide grin spread across her face. "I thought you were going to show me a few moves!"

Harry was taken aback, but smirked. "Alright then. Hold on tight, Jonnet. I won't be responsible if we get caught because of your screaming."

"Hah!" she retorted. "Like that will happen, Potter."

And her shrieks rang out across the moonlit grounds.

31 October 1992.

"This place is brilliant," Harry commented, watching the little elves hurriedly doing their respective jobs. "I never knew this place existed. I mean, a kitchen filled with house elves in Hogwarts?"

"We're pleased you like it, Harry," Callista smiled, helping herself to more pumpkin juice. Daphne nodded her head, eyes closing as she shoved a handful of cake into her mouth and savored the taste. Sheila sat beside her, too caught up in her pudding to pay any attention to what Harry had just said. The girls had long since reconciled and were now back to their usual warmth with each other.

"How did you girls find this place?"

"Cedric told me," Regine answered simply.

Harry frowned at this. "Is he still bothering you, Regine?"

"Not much." Regine chewed a tasty sandwich. "Well, these days I usually just end up ignoring him. That, and sometimes I used Daphne to keep him away from me. When he mentioned the kitchens in one of his babbles, it interested me. So, all of us went to investigate, and we found this."

Harry absentmindedly took a slice of pie, handed to him by Callista, and nibbled it. "Can't believe with all the adventures we went through, with all the places we've discovered, we couldn't stumble on this one."

"Yeah..." Sheila mumbled with a mouthful of pudding.

Regine and Callista reduced to fits of giggles at their friend's antics while Harry struggled to suppress his smile.

Daphne grimaced. "Jonnet, swallow your food first before talking! That's disgusting."

Sheila swallowed this time and shot her friend a glare. "Shut up, Daph."

She stuck her tongue and Daphne countered it with the same action. The other three just chortled at their interactions. Neither of the two ever yielded in anything, even in a trivial matter such as this. Still chuckling, Regine brought out her handkerchief and warmly wiped the bits of food from around Sheila's mouth. Grinning in thanks, the Gryffindor carried on eating in her unladylike manner.

"I have no idea what we're going to do with her in the future," Daphne said, a small smirk gracing her lips.

Sheila, for once, was too content to pay her comment any heed.

"Anyway..." Callista smiled at her friends before turning to Harry. "We know how much you hate celebrating Halloween, so we came to the decision to bring you here, Harry."

Harry bobbed his head. "Thanks, I appreciate your effort."

At that, a comfortable silence elapsed. Suddenly, in the middle of sipping her drink, Regine's body went rigid and her eyes snapped open. With a look of shock, she slowly placed her drink down. Callista, with her sharp gaze, spotted the movement and became concerned for her Hufflepuff friend. "Regine? Is something wrong?" Perceiving Callista's voice, all attention swung to Regine. A look of discomfort had now settled on her face.

Regine abruptly stood up. "W-we have to go, something's happened."

"Wait, Regine!"

Harry cursed to himself as his friend scurried out of the kitchen. Abandoning his meal, he rushed to chase after her. Sheila childishly moaned in disappointment as she was forced to abandon her pudding. She whimpered when she was hauled out of her seat by her two friends. All of them caught up to Regine as they encountered a mass of students crowding at a certain corridor. Seeing this, Harry became curious at what was all the fuss about. Pushing a few people away, he pressed himself into the crowds and wriggled to the front. The girls trailed behind.

His eyes widened. Harry barely registered the gasps from Regine, the sound of Callista's breath hitching, Daphne stiffening beside him or Sheila standing motionless, too engrossed in the scene to say anything. He couldn't blame them. This was just as much of a shock to him. There, hung Mrs. Norris, petrified, her body turned as cold and hard as a stone. Harry fluttered his eyes and circled his head to read the writing on one of the walls. His forehead crinkled together. But it wasn't the words that disturbed him, it was the ink that had been used to inscribe the message.

Blood.

Harry could hear his heart pounding, adrenaline pumping through his muscles.

This wasn't much of a joke to him. Prank or not, it wasn't funny at all. Harry was sure it wasn't human blood - human blood was much lighter in color than any blood of a living being. His awareness transferred back up to the front and he noticed how everybody was reacting. He wasn't surprised that everyone was pointing their finger and whispering about the Gryffindor trio. He shook his head. Sometimes he didn't know if being a Potter was a curse or a blessing. Misfortune had a tendency to go looking for them. Harry was no exception either, he still remembered all the trouble he went through in his life.

He scowled as Draco Malfoy pushed to the front. The boy grinned at the sight of hanging, immobile cat, his cold eyes alive. Malfoy looked at the writing on the wall and then confronted the crowds, grinning even more. Harry's fists clenched tightly, having a good idea of what the Slytherin was going to say next.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! That means you Mud-" He didn't get to finish his sentence when a fist lashed out straight to his nose. The whispers dwindled away. Malfoy staggered back with the force of the impact, sporting a broken bloody nose. Crabbe and Goyle managed to catch Malfoy before he fell to the ground. They both looked fearfully at the culprit.

"I…" Harry breathed, hissing acidly. "…really hate that word."

He truly did. Because of that word, Callista suffered greatly in her early time at Hogwarts. Older Slytherin Purebloods kept calling her that during their first year. Now, even knowing the name wasn't meant for her, she recoiled automatically at just hearing it. Harry still hadn't forgiven those bastards for all the bullying they did, even if they were not in Hogwarts anymore. Even with the many beatings they had taken from Harry, he still wasn't satisfied. If Daphne was protective of their group, Harry was beyond over-protective.

Callista and Regine grasped a hold of each of his arms and forcefully towed him back to their previous spot.

"What's going on here? What's going on?"

Filch had arrived on the scene, no doubt attracted by the sound of Malfoy's earlier shouting. The said boy had fainted from the punch.

"My cat! What happened to her?" he wailed.

"You!" he screeched. Daniel snapped out of his daze, his eyes widening when the caretaker approached him looking like he was ready to strangle him to death. "You've murdered my cat! You killed Mrs. Norris! I'll kill you! I'll-"

"Argus!" Dumbledore's voice boomed throughout the corridor. The crowds parted for the headmaster. He stopped short, along with a number of teachers behind him. "What has happened to Mr. Malfoy?"

Both Crabbe and Goyle responded instantly, shakily pointing their fingers to Harry.

"Potter! I should have known!" Snape brushed past Dumbledore. "What have you done to him? Speak up, Potter!"

Harry's gaze hardened for a moment before he shrugged uncaringly. "I punched him in the face or are you too blind to see that, Professor?"

Snape's face flushed with rage. "How dare you, you arrogant little-"

"Severus, that's enough." There was no twinkle in his eyes and he appeared to be gravely serious. He looked at Harry with a stern expression. "Mr. Potter, your behavior in your time at Hogwarts has been very much unacceptable. There is no reason for you to act so violently towards your fellow students."

"Albus, that's unfair to Mr. Potter!" Flitwick defended Harry. "He has always been acting under such things with generally rational reasons."

"I agree, Albus," McGonagall said sharply. "Care for an explanation as to why you did this, Mr. Potter?"

Lockhart clicked his tongue to shut himself up for once in his life. The memories of what Harry had done to him still haunted him, day and night.

"If Malfoy kept his big mouth shut then I wouldn't resort to such violence. Besides, it was accident, Professor."

"Accident!" Snape hissed. "Accident for you to punch a boy who's three years younger than you, you stupid arrogant boy?"

"Malfoy was calling the Muggleborns a foul name, Professor. It is understandable if Harry reacts to it unconsciously, judging on how he has been in some previous occasions when someone used such vulgar name. Surely someone of your standing can comprehend that," Daphne casually said.

"Professor," Callista called out. "As much as we can prolong this debate, you have more important matters to attend to than some petty fight. I suggest you deal with this far from prying eyes."

"Petty, you say?" Snape's mouth curled into a sneer. He knew what the girl was up to. She was attempting to distract their attention from Harry. However, Snape wouldn't fall for that easily. He had been waiting to punish the Potter boy ever since his first year, and this was an opportunity that was rare for him. As much as he loathed admitting it, the group was practically untouchable, much unlike the younger Potter. The trio was easy enough, but their group was unreachable and slippery. "I-"

"Enough is enough, Severus," Dumbledore interrupted sternly. "Mrs. Campbell is right." In seconds, he detached Mrs. Norris from the torch blanket. "Bring Mr. Malfoy to the infirmary and allow Madam Pomfrey to check up on him." He addressed Crabbe and Goyle. "As for you, Mr. Potter, I will trust your head house to deal with your punishment. Next time, do please restrain yourself from doing such things. Is that clear, Harry?"

"Yes, Professor," Harry muttered. He had to control himself from smirking at Snape enraged looks.

Dumbledore, with satisfaction swarming his features and a slight twinkle in his eye, nodded his head and then announced to the rest of the crowds, "As for the rest, it's time for all of you to return back to your dorms, except for the three of you." He spoke this to the Gryffindor trio. "Run along now, all of you." The crowds immediately dispersed from the incident. Harry and the girls lagged behind. He glanced to the professors one last time before submerging into a deep thought on what had just occurred moments ago.

Chamber of Secrets. Now, why hadn't he heard anything about this chamber before?

7 November 1992.

Harry sighed inaudibly as he closed another book and placed it on the table. Snatching another one, he let the dusty pages flutter open and endeavored to find any information concerning this Chamber of Secrets. Harry wasn't going to lie, his interest was piqued after that Halloween night. He was almost obsessed. This week, all he had done was research this chamber that he never heard of in his entire life. Even the old man never mentioned it before so why had it suddenly appeared now? Oh yes, Harry knew the real history of the four founders, much about their lives, and even what they truly looked like.

He knew who Salazar Slytherin was, but he doubted his fellow students really did. All he heard about him evil these days was just bunch of bollocks. In his childhood, Merlin had enlightened Harry with many stories thought to be legends and myths, but that truly existed. Seeing how it interested young Harry, the old man had initiated a history class just for him. Knowing the truth, Harry never paid attention in History class. The instant he took his seat was the instant he took a nap. It grew into a routine for him. He didn't spend a second on a book that detailed the history of the Wizarding World. Whereas he believed that half of the facts were true, he also believed half of it was false. The only time he required the books was when exams approached.

Nevertheless, amongst all subjects he learned in his life, his favorite one was history. All the great wars between magical creatures, how the Muggles hunted witches and wizards back in the middle age, how heroes sacrificed themselves for the sake of the people, and so much more…it all just enticed him. His favorite tale dealt with the subject of King Arthur. His reign was the time of magic. It was a time where powerful people such as King Arthur and Merlin existed. It was where Magic was at its heightened peak. That was the reason why King Arthur's period was called the Age of Magic.

Harry heaved a weary sigh. It was a waste of time and aberrant for him to look in one useless book after the other, just to find anything about that blasted chamber. Grumbling in annoyance, he thumped the book to shut it and set it aside. He propped his head up on one hand and his other drummed restlessly on the table, his eyes scrutinizing over to the mountain of books. He let loose another sigh. And this week's research attempts had been in vain. He could request Callista to assist him, and that would speed things up much faster, but he rebuffed the idea. Simply put, he didn't desire for her to be involved, and if she was, the other three would definitely follow.

"So, this is what the great Harry Potter has been doing this week, surrounding himself with books at the back of the library," an amused voice sprang up, intruding on his musings. "Why are you reading history books, Potter? It's so not you. If I recall perfectly, you have never bothered to know or learn anything about history."

"Daphne, please, it's not good to pry other people's business," Callista chastised her friend good-naturedly. Procuring a seat next to Harry, she stared at him in expectance. "So, what exactly are you doing Harry?"

Harry grunted. "What happen to 'it's not good to pry other people's business', hmm?"

"What ever do you mean, Harry?" Her voice was full of incredulity.

"You're quite good at pretending to be innocent, aren't you?" Harry accused, narrowing his eyes.

She just fluttered her eyelashes in a convincingly gullible manner.

"So, what are you up to, Harry?" reiterated Sheila. She inspected one book after another.

With irritation on his face, Harry seized all of the books from her grasp. "Nothing." He slapped her hand away when she was stretching out for one of the volumes. Sheila pouted cutely and massaged her sore hand.

Daphne, with a spark in her eye, smirked as she glanced at the two books in each of her own hands. "Oh, don't worry, Jonnet. I know what he's doing."

"Ah..." Callista smiled knowingly and she also came to a conclusion. "You're searching for the Chamber of Secrets, aren't you, Harry?"

Scowling, Harry's lips twitched in aggravation. Of course, there was no point in hiding anything from them. They would find it out sooner or later. They all were brilliant after all. His probability of effectively hiding a secret from them was close to zero percent. In addition, there was the fact that they knew him better than himself, so it was no use lying.

"Wait." Sheila's voice was crammed with excitement. "You didn't know about the Chamber of Secrets, Harry?"

Harry frowned, swept by surprise. "You know about it?"

"Of course!" she squealed. "I can't believe I know something that Harry doesn't!"

He frowned more, budging his eyes to the other two girls. "You two as well." His statement was confirmed as a smug look crept onto Callista's face. She hardly ever did that and it's nothing like her at all. This was one of the rare times she possessed some knowledge that he didn't.

"Potter, the chamber is actually common knowledge these days." Daphne's smirk extended and didn't go unnoticed.

"What common knowledge?" he hissed viciously. "I spend a whole fucking week - a week! - searching for any information regarding this damn chamber but there's nothing in the bloody books!"

"Harry, control your language," Callista reprimanded him lightly. "It's not a surprise as to why the text didn't tell you about the chamber as people believe it to be fable, just a simple tale, a non-existent one. A story that people have passed on from one person to another."

His research was a complete waste of time then. Groaning noisily, Harry slammed his head on the table. The sound was loud and the girls cringed. He carried on his self-despondent behavior, cursing under his breath. Fortunately, when the girls arrived, Callista had set a silencing charm around them. She didn't fancy another episode of Madam Pince chucking her out of the library.

"That's not true," Sheila chimed in.

Harry elevated his head, chins on the table, and peeked at her through one open eye. "What do you mean?"

"In Hogwarts, A History, there's information about the chamber."

"You um...read?" Daphne asked, astounded.

Sheila was affronted by the question. "Of course I do! That's how I know about the chamber in the first place!"

Callista was struck by a sudden thought. "Sheila, doesn't the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin start in thirty minutes?"

"Crap, I totally forgot! Sorry guys, can't hang out, I'll see you all later! Be sure to watch how perfectly awesome I am!" Grinning brightly one last time, she sprinted her way out of the library, disregarding the angry shouts from Madam Pince.

Surveying the spot where Sheila had vanished, Harry transferred his attention to Callista. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Patience, Potter..." Daphne retorted mildly.

"Trust me, Daphne. The last thing I need is patience. I expended a large and pointless amount of time searching for this bollocks when I could just have asked you girls about it." Harry breathed in and out, struggling to cool his fiery temper. The two girls exchanged looks before emitting chuckles simultaneously. Harry exhaled his breath noisily, irritation building up.

"Now, now, calm down, Harry." Callista patted his hand. "Alright then, we'll tell you. As you know, this school - no, castle - was built by four great individuals, they are the founders. That age, it was-"

"Yes, yes, I know," Harry disrupted her impatiently. "They built it for a reason. They wished to avoid the Muggles snooping on them. Magic was feared by common folk at that time, villagers, commoners, politicians, and even great warriors. Wizards and witches were hiding their true nature from the world because of it. Those who were known to the world endured the persecution and no one came to aid them. One of the reasons was that the magical folk were clearly outnumbered by the Muggles. Constructing this castle also made the founders able to use magic freely without fear of a person seeing them performing it."

"Yes," Callista muttered, undoubtedly aggravated at his interruption. "Historical sources tells us that much. It was said that the founders worked in harmony with one another, developing a bond, a close friendship if you may. In that few years, they sought out youngsters who displayed any signs of magic, bringing them in, properly instructing them how to employ magic and perhaps, even care for them."

"But then…" Daphne continued. She had grabbed some book on the table that caught her eye and skimmed through it. "…A disagreement ensued. This was at first struck between Gryffindor and Slytherin before the other two founders participated in the dispute. For whatever reasons it might be, Slytherin wished the students to be more selective. He believed magical learning should stay with magical families only. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, deeming them as untrustworthy. A rift started to expand among Slytherin and the others. After a while, Slytherin fought with Gryffindor in a major argument and Slytherin left the school."

"Some part of what you said isn't true," Harry dissented.

"Oh?" Daphne turned away from the book she was occupied. "And what's that, Potter?"

"I don't see any mistake in what Daphne has just said, Harry," Callista supported.

"Look," Harry said. "Slytherin might not have wished to take the Muggleborns into the school, but it was not out of dislike. He did it out of protection."

"Protection?" was the incredulous response from Daphne. Callista was hushed, understanding it was meaningless for her to argue. In all the years she was by Harry's side, he never failed to bicker with her in issues concerning the history of the Wizarding world. He had never believed most of what was written in the textbooks and every time he narrated a specific story, it had always made sense to her. Daphne, however, was another matter. "Potter, are you out of your bloody mind? What in Merlin's name makes you say that?"

"Think about it. That era was a time in which magic was feared across the land, and those who identified as witches or wizards suffered greatly at the hand of Muggles. I know this information isn't authentic enough for you, but I know for a fact in that age some Muggles hunted the magical people and burned them down. The Muggles thought that anything out of the ordinary should only be in the hands of God and not us. The existence of the magical folks contradicted their beliefs. I don't know, maybe Slytherin didn't want the Muggleborns to go through such an experience and die at a young age. He concluded that it was best for them to stay hidden. If magic was feared by the people, just think of how the Muggleborns' parents would react. Who's to say they wouldn't offer their children to the villagers to be purified?"

"I don't think any parents would do that, Harry..." Callista was plainly disturbed, appalled.

"No, what Potter said is a definite possibility. It's no surprise, either." Her book now lay untouched as Daphne rounded Callista. "What Potter was trying to say is in that period, anything could happen and it depended on certain people. I'm sure there have been some cases where Muggleborns have been strung up and scorched to death. It's just they never mentioned it in any sources. You never know and that's what history means. While we learn the past, it still remains a huge mystery to us."

Harry nodded his head, pleased. "So I take it, Salazar constructed this hidden chamber in order to purge the school, and until his heir arrives, the chamber is sealed," Harry stated lightheartedly. His small smile dropped. "Serious?" The girls looked at him calculatingly, bewildered at how he addressed the founder so admiringly.

"That's what the story tells us, Harry. Deep in the chamber lies a horror within… some sort of monster, they say," Callista asserted.

"What's this 'monster', then?"

"That's it. Nobody knows, Potter."

"You're kidding me?"

Daphne shrugged, unperturbed. "The previous headmaster and headmistress conducted a full investigation, but they didn't find a single clue to its location. The lack of information about the chamber was surely the reason this 'monster' became more mysterious."

Harry was in deep thought. The chamber did exist somewhere in the castle, he just knew it. His instincts roared in affirmation, and he frequently trusted his gut feelings. But that was all he had to go on. It was like this chamber didn't exist. He tried to detect any large amounts of magic circulating around the castle, but the results were still the same, minus the Philosopher Stone. Harry pulled his attention back to the girls, growing concerned at Callista's troubled look. "Callista, are you feeling well?"

"It's just… the writings on the wall imprinted in my mind. 'Enemies of the heir', it's likely meant for the Muggleborns..."

"Or half-bloods," Harry pointed out. "Don't fret over it too much. Look, if Salazar did create this chamber, I don't think he meant to use it for erasing the Muggleborns. I firmly believe it was meant for another reason. We're talking about an event that transpired a thousand years ago. People could easily twist the story as time passed by. The British Wizarding World is full of prejudice, after all." He rubbed her back tenderly to soothe her. "And don't worry, you have me. You know I'll protect you girls from any threats with my life."

Daphne wordlessly grasped a hold of her friend's hand and stroked it to comfort her, nodding slightly. Callista smiled weakly at her friends' efforts.

"Anyway, where's Regine? I haven't seen her that much lately," Harry enquired.

"She's by the greenhouse, busying herself with the plants," Daphne answered accordingly.

"Again?" He was exasperated.

"It's understandable, Harry," Callista said. "She's upset about what happened to Mrs. Norris. She had gotten to know the cat quite well."

"Still." Harry pursed his lips in disapproval. "She spends too much time in the greenhouse… I'll get her. I'll meet you two by the field."

No words were needed as Harry rose up from his seat. Abruptly, he strode off to the location of the greenhouses. It took him a little while to arrive. All the way, he escaped from his annoying fans by hiding from one place to another. He was beginning to think that joining the Professional Quidditch Club was a very terrible idea. True, he enjoyed the fame from time to time, but mostly it just irked him. He didn't even have to go inside the greenhouse to seek out his friend as she was just exiting the area. Her scarlet slight wavy hair was fastened into a tight ponytail.

"Regine."

Her back stiffened edgily and she spun around. "Harry," she breathed.

He cocked an eyebrow at this reaction. "You've been jumpy and tense all week. Is something the matter?"

"N-no, it's nothing!"

"Regine," he admonished in a soft tone. "You're not good at lying, you know that."

"Harry, if I said it was nothing, then it's nothing!" She was stubborn and her golden eyes darted to his emeralds. "I'm fine!"

"Well, shall we check that? You haven't been eating and sleeping well. You can't focus in lessons anymore. You've been condemning yourself to a life of solitude in the greenhouse. You don't visit the Owlery anymore. We barely see each other during the day and you've been quiet this week. Too quiet." Harry gazed her worriedly. "I know the situation with Mrs. Norris affected you deeply but you can share everything with me and the girls, Regine. I dislike seeing you so…lost… You can trust me. I'll help you with anything."

"I…I'm sorry…" Her eyes softened as she cast her gaze downwards. "It's just… I uh…"

"It's fine…" She looked up and her cheeks heated at an alarming speed. Harry had shortened the distance between them. He smiled a little. "I ought to know that you won't say anything until you're ready. Whatever it is, tell me when you feel like sharing, okay? Just remember that the girls and I are here for you." She nodded her head dumbly, entranced by the color of his eyes. Before she slipped out of her daze, her hair was pulled out of the ponytail and back to its usual style. "There," Harry declared, nonchalantly smoothing it down with his fingers. "I like your hair this way. It suits you and you're much more beautiful like this." Her cheeks flamed up a notch. "Regine, are you coming?"

She snapped back to reality and noticed that Harry had already walked up ahead of her. "Y-yes." With a slight stammer, she scuttled to his side and together they strolled their way to the Quidditch field to reunite with their friends.

Harry studied the faces of his teammates.

At the front of the group stood Callista and Li. By his side was Aiden, given that she was his second. The team had been training under his instruction for two months and they had done well. He might have exaggerated the training a little bit, but it was for their own good. Of course, what Harry meant by a little bit included in yelling them to work harder, angrily ordering them to sprint around the field before and after the practice, and pushing them to the point of absolute exhaustion. To be fair, he had participated every training regimen they undertook to drive the team's motivation. The members of Ravenclaw team came to learn that their captain was fair, honest, caring, professional, and very strict. For that precise reason, their respect for him transformed into a new whole level.

Amongst all of the team, he was shocked to discover that Li had quite endurance in her. Because of that, he felt compelled to provide her with an extra training in order for her to become the excellent Seeker she had the potential to be. Satisfaction surged throughout his body at knowing that Davies was no longer part of the team. At first he was, but after not sticking to Harry's effective but unorthodox way of managing the team, Harry had no choice but to kick him out and held another trial session for a Chaser. Harry was reasonable enough to give the guy a chance, willing to put aside his personal feelings, but Davies threw away the opportunity.

"Listen up," Harry spoke. He stuffed both of his hands in his trouser's pockets. The fierce wind grazed all of them, ruffling their attire violently. Harry was composed and collected, impassive to the wind's assaults. He deduced that there would be rain later on. "This is the first match of the year. The game will begin in fifteen minutes or so. I assembled you all for a reason. What I want you all to do is monitor how Gryffindor plays."

"But captain-" spoke one of Harry's roommates, Frank Birke, a reserve Keeper. "What about the Slytherin? Should we just cast Disillusionment Charm on them? You know, captain. I think that way, I could focus more."

There were chuckles and Harry had to repress a smile. Ever since two of his roommates became a part of the team, Harry's relationship with them had greatly improved. Back then, they had unspoken agreement to not bother each other and never get in the way. Frank Birke and Jason Spum were now on healthier terms with him. In the last month, they had been gracious to him and bold enough to tease him in their shared dorm room. They did it like any casual friends would. He also noted that his two roommates loved to joke around, much to his annoyance.

"Well… I guess you all have to watch them as well, just save more of your concentration more for Gryffindor. I'm not too worried about the Slytherins. Their best bet is simply the new brooms." Harry put on a pensive look. "But as much as I hate to admit it, we don't stand a chance against the Gryffindor team without our previous captain, Jeffery Barkain. Their team is likely the strongest in Hogwarts. With Wood as their Keeper - Jonnet, Spinnet and Johnson as their Chasers - the Weasley twins as the Beaters and my brother as the Seeker, I doubt we can win against them…"

Harry dismissed their astonished expressions. "Don't give me those looks, its true and you know it. I maybe a professional Chaser but we're talking one man against a team here. I'm striving to build a stronger team, and not just me…it's comprised of you all. Besides, it's best to play as a team than just a one man team, right?" They all chorused their positive answers. "And I realized that's what I've been doing, so no matter what, we'll play as a team. The only reason we won against Gryffindor all this time was because of our capta-" Harry shook his head. "I mean Barkain. It's true I can score many times without a problem but that doesn't change the fact that my brother is a damn good Seeker. Without Barkain's talent to delay the opponent Seeker, giving us as much time as we needed, they could just finish off the game by catching the Snitch. No offense to you two, but there's no denying that my brother's skill on a broom and as a Seeker has far exceed you two. Trust me, all Potters are naturals." Li and Chang bobbed their heads.

"Li, you're agile, sharp, and good but not good enough. Chang, you're fast on a broom and flexible, but your Comet won't hold a candle to my brother's Nimbus 2000, and you still have a long way to go. Even with both of your combined skills, it still won't give us advantage…" Harry was contemplative for a moment. "What's more, their skills should be improved compared to last year. Wood is the Tyrannical Quidditch Junkie and he's determined to beat us this year. I bet he trained his team to the brink of death."

They repressed a shudder at this. They all thought Harry was the one who was training them 'till they were on the verge of passing on to the afterlife.

Harry whistled to acquire their attention amongst their murmurs. "So I've been thinking, and this is what I have in mind. I'm quite aware that in the Hogwarts Quidditch tournament, there was never once a team that fully exploited their timeouts. In professional, we applied it for substitution or to regain the momentum. You'll find out that in each game, a team has been given five timeouts, and I had a talk about this with Madam Hooch. Generally, it's decided by the team's coach, but in our cases, it will be the captain. Now, there's a reason why I deliberately agreed to two more players and I sometimes trained you all separately as two teams. While the other teams will take reserve players to swap for injuries, I won't."

This sincerely caught their attention. "In Quidditch, substitution has no limit. You can swap players, and then you can change back to the previous ones. Again, I already discussed this with Madam Hooch and she agreed. As I mentioned before, I won't score many points in each game, and that will be a problem to the team. But I want to give you guys more chances to play so I'll just support the team by stealing and passing. Since we're not strong yet, we'll utilize the timeout opportunity. Now, in the other team, they only took one Chaser and one Beater. As you all know, we have two Chasers and two Beaters. Can someone tell me the difference?"

A sixth year reserve Chaser, Margaret Barton, raised her hand. "Just like you said, you wanted two sets of teams. No… more like you wanted to change our pace in the middle of the game."

Callista beamed. "With this kind of formation, we can confuse the opposing team. If they able to figure our style of play, we'll replace the rhythm with the second set. It will be extremely effective!"

"And if they come to understand that rhythm, we'll throw the previous players back into the game." A sly smile spread across Li's lips.

"We're not only confusing them, but in an attempt to explode their heads," Shannon concluded.

"So, not only we're assaulting them physically but mentally as well…I like it…" mused Jason Spum, another of Harry's roommates.

They all grinned creepily at this, a trait they all had taken from Harry.

"Exactly, and we all know with this type of performance, only the best mind will win in the end. We'll force them to take part in Ravenclaw's game instead. I'm positive that Wood and the other captains won't know what hit them. They only concentrate on the strong players, and that's their weakness. They forget that by the end of the game, every member of each team have a hand in the outcome, and each on is a brilliant player." Harry smirked. "Once I request for timeout, all of the current players on the field, with the exception of me, will be substituted. Not only this will puzzle them but it will slow them down. As far as I'm concerned, people can't adapt to unfamiliar situations quickly enough, and we'll exploit their dilemma. This way, we won't fall behind, and if we do, we still have me as emergency backup. I'll catch us up in terms of points."

"Um…" Chang lifted her hand shyly. "What if they figure out how we all play and then prepare for it in the next game?"

"Good question, Chang," Harry smiled roguishly. "Well just toss in the third, fourth and fifth set of the team."

Now they were confounded with Harry's words. "For instance, we can just substitute one Chaser, one Beater and one Keeper…or perhaps, instead of substituting a Keeper, a Seeker. Or we can mix the first team Chasers with the second team, and the same goes for the Beaters. We'll do it until they go bonkers. Why do you think I didn't stick to just perfecting the main team? I intentionally let you all familiarize and get into synch with each other. We have five chances, so we'll use those opportunities. If they see this, they'll waste time trying to understand how we actually play. Since we're all comfortable with all of our plays and techniques, I don't think we have to worry about how the immediate changes affect us. You all have worked hard, after all. We've even trained by the lake if the field has been occupied by the other teams. So long as we have me on the field, then no worries - I'll guide you all."

"Um, captain, I have one more question. Are you sure you're not in Slytherin?" Frank queried.

Harry waved off the question, purposely not answering it. "However, just for precautions, we'll only go into this plan against Gryffindor if we are in tight spot. To be honest, it's quite risky even though there are high chances we can conquer the game swiftly. The second team will only be used as a spare against the other teams. It will be a surprise, so it's best the second team keeps their skills a secret. The first team will be the only team competing for now. But the Seeker will be different for every house. Li, when we're up against Hufflepuff, you'll engage Diggory. He's just as sharp as you are and quick to react, so you're the best candidate to handle him." He shifted his attention to his other Seeker. "You, my dear, will handle Malfoy."

"A-Are you sure?"

"Yes. This will be good practice for you if, by fate, you come face-to-face with my brother. It will be like preparing you for much tougher opponent. Can you do this, Chang?" She nodded her head, and determination shone on Harry's face. "Malfoy has next to no talent...though maybe some degree of skills, so observe him closely. I'll cover your back if he ever tries anything on you."

"Alright, I want you all to focus on what you're supposed to do. Is that understood?" They all nodded their head. Harry brought out his wand, brandishing it up and down, cancelling the privacy charm. "Good, then this meeting is adjourned, and tomorrow I want all of you to wake up early and be at the field by half past five, sharp. We'll train for two hours before lessons start."

All the members groaned loudly at their captain's order, including Callista. She had not once complained anything to Harry before, but after she took the role of the team's Chaser, she continually whined about how strict and harsh Harry was. But their extensive and vigorous training from Harry did prove to be quite constructive, as they all improved significantly in both fitness level and skill. Callista confessed that her progress was advancing more with Harry than with Sheila.

"Quit whining, I woke up much earlier than you all did," Harry scowled. "And you don't see me complaining, do you?"

They all traded doubtful and bored looks with each other, quirking an eyebrow at their captain's words. They rolled their eyes concurrently. Harry was constantly moaning about waking up early in the morning. He even went as far as to call himself stupid for distributing such an order. Gnashing his teeth at their reaction, Harry roared petulantly. "Ten laps around the field tomorrow morning!" And of course, he would take it out on them.