Simon looked at Antonia, he was a bit sad now and didn't know what to say. "I know but as you said, they started talking at your fathers place and then they went back to Hollian and talked there, did you know the Hollian Minister.." He suddenly stopped she wouldn't know that, so he went on quickly. "I have the same feeling that there's something going on that no one wants us to know about and it's scary."

"I could always stay here with you?" Simon said suddenly seeing the tear in Antonia's eye but he didn't want to say anything to her about it, he waited for her to wipe it on the sleeve before continuing. "I don't think your father hates you and you know that, look what he did for you when you were younger.

Simon was about to continue when an owl swooped down on him and Antonia. "What the?" Simon turned to Antonia. "Is this your owl?" He was sure it wasn't his, he didn't want to touch the owl. "Ladies to open I think." Simon said suddenly.

Oliver wandered out to the front gate, hands in pockets and half expecting Kay not to show. He wouldn't blame her after the fiasco in the flower garden. ...But there she was sitting by the gate and looking sad.

He sat down beside her and gave her a soft smile. “Hey.” He said. The apologies for what happened last year now seemed to pale into insignificance following how distraught the girl got earlier for other reasons. “How are you feeling?” He asked her. “I'm here if you wanna talk, cos I'm a good listener you know.” Surprisingly so for boy who appeared so cocky and self absorbed most of the time. He sighed and gazed towards the castle. “...Um.. does Rex often treat you that way?” He asked quietly with a frown.

"No, don't worry about it, Simon, I'll be okay," Antonia said. "Thanks for offering, anyway, that was nice of you. Grandma needs somebody to keep her company, she's a lot older than we are and she's looking forward to seeing you over the holidays, I"m sure.

Just then an owl came swooping towards them and eventually turned towards Antonia. "Yeah, I guess it is for me," she said, carefully removing the parchment from the owl's right leg.


"Look at this!", Antonia said scornfully, handing the letter to Simon. "What is this anyway, some kind of cruel joke? What is going on?"

Simon looked at Antonia. "I've got an idea." Simon smiled. "Why don't I see if Grandma could have you as well." Simon suddenly realised there was that cottege that was lovely and Grandma did know that Antonia had no idea about the secret live.

Simon looked at the letter. "I don't think that's come from our parents." He sighed, "Just look at the awefull attempt of handwritting." Simon was worried now. "Does that sound like something your father would write?"

"I haven't seen you since last term. I didn't even hear back from you when you got back from France. Everything go alright?" he asked sitting next to her. She didn't seem like her normal self.

Mina shrugged and leaned back on her hands a little. "Yeah, things went good." she replied calmly. She didn't want to let her real emotions show at the moment, now wasn't the time for that. "We came back early. I spend most of my time at Diagon Alley. I'm surprised you didn't see me there." It was strange not one of her friends saw her there. She surely saw them there.

"Really?" Carter asked. He was there a few times and hadn't run into her at all. "Yeah, that is strange. Did you see me at all?" he asked. Probably not. Otherwise she would have said hi, right? "So how was the rest of your summer?"

Mina nodded and shrugged. Yeah, she did see him but did she really want to tell him just where she saw him. He was rather busy and all with his girlfriend and Ella to notice her. The sting of it was still there but she fight it down as much as she could. Maybe she would tell him just where she saw them. "Yeah, I have caught a glimpse of you here and there, but you looked kind of....occupied and all." That was all she was really going to say about that. Looking back to the gates, she shrugged again. "It wasn't all that terrible. I didn't really get to spend must time with Jade but I did stay in London after I got back from France." To be honest, she did spend a lot of time at Diagon Alley and in her room back at her parent's locked away from the world thinking.

"Oh... right..." Carter said remembering that every time he was there he was with Marie. "Marie was having a bit of a tough time..." he said explaining a bit.

"That's too bad. You know, I was looking for you at the platform. I thought we were planning on meeting." he said.

Mina closed her eye as to not back it noticeable her rolling of her eyes at the mention of her. She would just have to remember to keep her emotions in check and not let them be known. She would have to take a page from her sisters' book and pretend once again. Opening her eyes, she put on a nice smile and shrugged. "Yeah....I'm sure you helped her through it like the nice guy you are." she replied. She wasn't sure just how it came out, but she hoped he didn't catch her true meaning behind it.

Oh the platform....she didn't even think any of them even remembered her, let allow wanted to see her. She had thought it a lost cause to even meet up with them. "Oh, yeah. I kind of got there early and went right to my usual compartment in the front." she explained. In the state of mind she was in that day, she wasn't sure she would have even wanted to see any of her so-called friends. "I did manage to wander a bit. Ran into Ella though....that was fun times." Should she tell him who else she ran into? No, it wasn't the time for that.

Looking up at Oliver, she hadn't heard him walk up or sit down next to her. "Hey." Kay said back but not very strongly. She felt so bad about what had happened. Feeling like she had to say sorry all over again to everyone. "How do I feel? I don't know. Numb, nothing, empty." She said looking out the gates. "I want to go home." She said softly and then put her head back down on her knees. Oliver said he would listen, but how could he be so nice to her after that had happened.

Listen to Oliver she relaxed until he started talking about Rex. Her head shot up and she just looked at him. Did Rex always treat her that way? Thinking about really hard she would have to say....no he didn't. whats why it hurt so much. "No, Oliver he has never treated me like that. He is always really nice to me." She said looking up at Oliver. 'he has nice eyes.' Kay thought thinking she could trust him.

"Look, I'm sorry about the fight you had to see and I want to make sure you understand. I wanted to talk to just you about saying I'm sorry. I had Rex come along be...because I wasn't sure if you were still mad at me." She turned away and hoped that she could get this out again. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to help." She said feeling really bad now. "I seem to...when I try to...to help I just end up hurt people." She said as new tears started. "I'm sorry." Softly said and she couldn't go on. What could she do. Everything always went wrong when she tried to help and even when she as just talk people got mad at her.

"I think it sounds a bit cold and impersonal and not like him at all. You're probably right," Antonia said, shifting from one foot to the other. She was getting nervous since more and more students were coming around, this place had been empty when she and Simon had first showed up here. "I don't know whether you should ask if I can come and visit Grandma, too," she offered. "Obviously, no one in the family has thought about that yet, and you probably don't want to interfere in whatever they're doing. I'll be okay, Simon, I really will."

Simon looked at Antonia. "I don't want you to be left on your own at christmas." Simon sighed, "We've only just started talking to each over after years away and now you want me to leave you here on your own at Christmas." Simon wasn't going to do that no way. "If it isn't them then who sent the letter?"

Ginny had strolled across The Front Gate. She had sat down onto the nice soft grass and looked around at what everyone was doing.

Oliver sighed. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong earlier so why did he feel so bad? He was never like this when he was at Durmstrang. Hogwarts, it seemed, had softened the Slytherin up. “No you don't.” he said gently in reply to her confession of wanting to go home. “Not really. In a couple of days you'll feel better.” He smiled a little at the girl. “Where's the feisty young girl with all the fight in her who tried to hex my sorry butt last year gone?” A small chuckle escaped him and he shook his head. Joking about serious stuff was the Oliver way; it was his way of dealing.

He swallowed when the subject turned to Rex. If the kid had carried on in the same way towards Kay, Oliver may have done something that they both regretted. Pair of goats horns perhaps? – pEEEOOeow! Hehe. They would look good on that boy's head. “Good.” Oliver said and nodded. “Because no one should have to put up with being spoken to like that.” No one.

He looked at Kay, eyebrows raising and his expression incredulous. “Why on earth would I be mad at you?” He asked her. “I thought you were upset with me. I thought you'd brought Rex along as back up in case I tried to hex you.” And it hurt at the time but it seemed so silly in retrospect. “I said before I didn't want your apologies but if it makes you feel better then I'll accept it.” Eh... and now his turn. He prodded her lightly in the ribs and smiled. “I'm sorry. It must have hurt like hell. I wish you'd got me with one of those stunners then maybe I wouldn't have hurt you.” Or Miranda or Wesley or Sarah or anyone else. Damn Kay for having the aiming skillz of a Stormtrooper. Hehehe.

"Yeah... Ella told me about that..." Carter said slowly. He thought for a minute about what to say. "Listen, I don't want to tell who to be friends with and who not to be friends with... but, I do want to say be careful. He hurt Marie and I don't want to see you hurt too." he said. He hoped she wouldn't think that he was trying to tell her what to do or that he was suggesting he was disappointed in her choices. He just wanted her to be careful.

Mina looked over at Carter and blinked slightly. Had she just heard him right? He didn't want to see her hurt. That kind of made her laugh. She was a big girl and she knew how to take care of herself. Shaking her head, closed her eyes again. She wasn't going to let on how angry she was about what he was saying to her. Biting her lip, she opened her eyes again. "I hardly think Evan could possible hurt me more than I've been hurt before," she replied. "I'm a big girl, you know. Beside, I think I've learned my lesson when it comes to boys."

"I know you're a big girl and I know you're smart." Carter said. I'm just saying..." That Evan's a haughty jerk... "I'm just saying you're way above everything he is." he said. Then she started talking about being hurt before and learning her lesson. What did she mean by that? Maybe it was some of those boys she met over the summer.

"I wish I knew," Antonia sighed. "It's almost like somebody is controlling their actions or something, forcing them to write things they don't want to. Does it seem that way to you, too, Simon, like they're being forced into something against their wills?"

Simon looked at Antonia. "Yeah in someway's it does." Simon sighed, "And if that's the case it will be why we both can't go home for Christmas, but also if it's the case then will be be home for Summer?" He sighed, "If I remember what was in my fathers diary." Simon thought hard. "Oh yeah, I was staying in England for the next 3 years at least, whilest mine and your father speak in Hollian, they didn't want me anywhere near. "What about your father?"

"Same thing," Antonia said. "He doesn't want me anywhere near him anymore. It's like I've been completely driven out of his life and it just doesn't make any sense at all."

Kay giggled when Oliver touched her ribs. She hadn't laughed or giggled for that matter scent school had started. "No, I really don't what to go home. I love it here." She said looking up at Oliver again. She sat up and felt a little better at Olivers words. "That girl is still here. I just...just told my family I wouldn't fight any more. Well, you see how well that went. I don't know if I can do that. It's just not me." She said thinking she couldn't act that way on the Quidditch pitch. She get killed.

"As to Rex. I think he was just trying to keep me out of trouble. He knew of what my family wants." She said starting to feel more like herself again. "He really is a very nice guy." She said but she didn't think Oliver was believing her. So she smiled and poked him back.

Rubbing her ribs, she giggled again. Hate being ticklish. "As to my ribs, they are fine. It hurt like hell at the time, but that's how it goes." She said waving her hand at it. He didn't do it because he wanted to hurt her, Oliver was under a spell. Kay was the one not wanting to hurt anyone. "Thank you for letting me say sorry. Thank you for saying sorry back." She said hoping that this would be a new start for them and maybe a friendship. "As for the aiming? My Mum and Dad showed me. They were Aurors." She said standing up. "So, are we good?" She said wiping the last of her tear off her face.

Simon looked at his cousin and gave her a quick hug. "Well at least your still in England." Simon sighed, he really missed home. "I've been brought to a different country and haven't been told what's going on." Simon said sadly. "One minute we were making plans for a holiday then next minute, I had been told I had a letter and that I was going to Hogwarts for the next seven years and I won't be allowed back to Hollian for a few year." Simon looked sadly at his cousin. "So what do you think we should do?"

"Yeah, I know exactly how you feel, I really do," Antonia said sadly. "It's probably worse for you though, since you aren't as used to being here in England as I am. But I think we need to investigate further somehow, because there's still nothing that we've really found out so far except that they're covering up something. That's the only thing we know for sure."

Well it was nice to see a smile on Kay's face and not the sad girl he had seen earlier in the flower garden. He had to agree - he loved Hogwarts too. He frowned thoughtfully when she said she had promised her family that she wouldn't fight. “That was no fight, trust me.” He said waving her comment off. “That was you getting frustrated because no one was listening to you.” He turned his head and looked at her. “You know you're allowed to stand up for yourself, Kay? I'm sure your family would understand that.” Gosh.. Oliver wouldn't take that crap from anyone. “Or, you could always wait until you're on the Quidditch pitch and take your frustrations out on a bludger.” Quidditch was great therapy like that. Hehe! “If you're trying out of course. You are, aren't you?” He asked raising his eyebrows. He lowered his voice so that only Kay could hear his next words. “Don't tell anyone this... but the thought of facing you Yellows out there this year scares the crap out of me. Forget the Snakes reputation, you lot are vicious out there.” He chuckled and shook his head.

Oliver resisted the temptation to pull a face when Kay spoke of Rex. He chewed his cheek and nodded. “Maybe I caught him at a bad time.” He muttered. Maybe.. maybe not. It was just weird the way the guy's attitude changed so suddenly for no apparent reason.

Kay was pretty cool Oliver was discovering. Her attitude was very mature; probably more so than his own and he was three years older. “If I ever go mental again like that you have my permission to hex me.” He laughed a little. “I was never angry with you. You were trying to protect your friends and the school.” He nodded at her thanks. “Thanks.” He said quietly with a smile.

Aurors? Woahness. “Are you going to be following in their footsteps?” He asked curiously. “Of course we're good.” He replied to her question. No hard feelings whatsoever.