Jamia rubbed her eyes with a yawn as she made her way across the Slytherin common room. She walked up to a rather dingy mirror and tugged at her grey and green sweater. Seeing as it was a day off from lessons, she had decided to dress casual rather than run around in her robes; she had plans for the day that would be simpler without them.

She spun on her heels right after fixing her hair in the mirror and walked across the common room, once again. "Good morning, Brendon." She said as she briskly walked past the snoring fourth year, towards the exit. She was waiting for the door to open when a beam of magic shot towards her.

She squealed, barely able to duck in time to avoid being hit by it. She shot back up with irritation, being met by a frizzy haired boy in Ravenclaw colors.

The boy laughed, nervously. "Terribly sorry. We've been trying to change the password..." He gulped nervously as he pulled his wand back.

"Why? What's wrong with the password?" She asked, stepping out into the corridor. "Not just that, why is a Ravenclaw down in our dungeon? Thought birds liked high places."

The frizzy haired boy, who Jamia began to recognize as Ray from one of her lessons, let out another nervous laugh. "Some students charmed it to something rather inappropriate... So I'm trying to uncharm it while some others try to get your head of house..."

Jamia looked at Ray curiously. "How'd it get to your ears?" She asked. She hadn't heard of a password change from the current one, ambition. It had to have been within the past few hours.

"Caught it from some Hufflepuffs at breakfast." Ray replied, "Gryffindors wanted to simply try busting the door down, but we talked them out of it."

Jamia shook her head, letting out a breath of air through her nose as she did so. "Good luck, I suppose." She said before walking towards the corner that just barely concealed the stairs up to the main castle. She paused right before the corner, however. "How did the Hufflepuffs find out?" She asked, lowly.

Ray turned to look at her, scratching the back of his head. "The Slytherin boys that are close to the Hufflepuffs stayed there last night." He relayed.

Jamia felt something very bittersweet in her gut with those words. She knew half of the pairing Ray spoke of involved Frank... If only it didn't...

She shook away those thoughts and turned to run up the stairs. She had other, more important, things on her mind she had to figure out before letting her thoughts trail back to Frank...

---

Frank walked alongside Josh and Ryan as they made their way to Slunghorn's office.

"You reckon he actually sleeps in there?" Ryan asked as he skipped every other step of the stairwell they were traveling down.

"Has to sleep somewhere!" Josh said from where he was trailing the back of the small group, "I mean, our head of house doesn't sleep connected to our dorms, so I'd assume his office or close to?"

"This reminds me of muggle daycare, wondering if the teachers lived in the ceiling." Ryan recounted with a giggle and a grin.

"You went to muggle classes?" Frank asked.

Ryan nodded, "My mom was a muggle! Dad was the magic one, but died before I was popped out, so he couldn't tell us about the magic stuff when it was happening." Ryan missed his footing, tripping wide-eyed down a few steps but managing to stay on his feet. After a brief pause to recatch his breath, he continued skipping steps again. "My grandparents had to tell her when she called them in hysterics about me being able to crawl on the ceiling."

"That sounds hilarious!" Josh laughed, "Did he never let on to her that he was magic? My mom would of killed my dad for not saying."

"Like I said, he died before I was born." Ryan shrugged, "My grandparents on his side were muggles too, so their help was restricted to what they had been through with him. Thankfully, they had befriended a magical being or two during my dad's Hogwarts years with the diagon alley trips and all..."

"Sorry about your dad, though." Frank said as they reached the bottom of the stairs, "I couldn't imagine not having mine in my life."

"My step dad is cool, at least." Ryan said with a small grin in his face, "He's muggle too, but getting used to the idea of magic."

"At least you've got that working for you." Josh grinned.

Ryan nodded as Frank took lead of the group. They were going to discuss the password changing with his head of house. It was something Frank refused to have stay on the door; Josh and Ryan had offered to be his 'back up'.

They were nearing the professors office when something in the air rushed past them. The three boys all ducked as a cackling filled the halls.

"Peeves!" Frank yelled, uncovering his head and putting his arms at his side as he straightened his posture. "Not the time!"

"Always the time!" A cackle retorted, "Never not the time!"

"Oh, Merlin's beard, not him." Josh frowned, pulling out his wand. "More of a pest than anything..."

"Pest like the best!" The poltergeist taunted.

Frank reached for his own wand. "Don't make me call the Baron." He said, looking up for Peeves. "We're doing something important at the moment."

"Frank, so busy, no time for Peevesey?" Peeves asked as he drifted through the air in a very 'paint me like one of your French girls' pose. "What about Ross? Or is he 'Dun' like Josh?"

"Warning you." Frank said, holding his wand up. The poltergeist blew a raspberry at him, making his eyes narrow. "Langlock!"

The poltergeist's eyes grew wide as his  tongue attached itself to the roof of his mouth. A look of irritation crossed over his face as he shot like a rocket down the hall.

"Oh man, you're going to pay for that one later." Ryan laughed before covering his mouth.

Josh nodded in agreement as he pocketed his wand. "Yea. Pete tried a hex on him one year, trying to be a bad ass, and wound up with tarantulas in his bed." Josh shuddered at the memory.

Frank lowered his wand with a small smirk. "Let him try it." He said simply before turning back in the direction of Slunghorn's office. He moved towards the door and gave it four loud knocks.

A short period of waiting and movement could be heard on the other side of the door. A muffled "just a minute" could be heard before the door was pulled open. A rather tired professor opened the door in his pajamas. His robes were pulled on one arm while only trapped over the other.

"Good morning, sir." Frank said, holding his hands behind his back. "Sorry to wake you up, sir, but we have a problem with the door to the common room."

"What sort of problem?" The professor asked as he shrugged his arm into his robe.

"Hateful word as a password, sir." Frank said, flatly. "One of my housemates, and close friend, is a muggleborn. It's especially insensitive to him."

The professor's eyes grew wide. "When did this happen!? I will be on that, immediately. Thank you for informing me."

"Thank you so much, sir." Frank said with a sigh of relief. He was thankful to have such an understanding head of house. "It's much appreciated."

"I'm sorry that even happened." The professor added with an upset expression, "Shame that word has lasted all these decades... I'm terribly sorry."

"At least it's not being left alone like it would of been in past years." Ryan said with a smile.

"At least it seems like some of the houses are getting along enough to stand against the problem!" Slunghorn smiled, "Ten points respectively to both my own house and the Gryffindor house."

Ryan and Josh exchanged grins while Frank just continued to smile. It was a small injustice overcome, but it was still an beaten injustice all the same.

---

Frank shivered as he walked hand in hand with Gerard through the snow. They were traveling to Hogsmeade; the last trip of the year before the Christmas holiday.

"Blimey, it's freezing!" Josh exclaimed as he ran past the couple. Tyler giggled, trailing behind the Gryffindor.

"It's Christmas!" Gerard exclaimed with a laugh, "We're supposed to freeze and enjoy each other's warmth."

"How about a nice butterbeer?" Frank suggested, earning a playful push from Gerard.

"I want to try and get Mikey's Christmas present while we're here. Maybe just a load of Honeydukes sweets. He does love chocolate caldrons."

Frank chuckled, squeezing Gerard's hand. "Always so thoughtful, my Hufflepuff."

Gerard just smiled as they trekked on through the snow. The powder fell from the sky lightly. The village was coming into view, prompting the boys to quicken their pace.

"It cold, it cold, it cold!" Tyler squealed as he raced in front of Josh to get to the warmth of the buildings ahead.

"Don't leave me!" Josh hollered after Tyler, running as fast as he could through the snow.

Gerard laughed, pulling Frank closer. "I think he's cold." He said to Frank.

"Just a bit." Frank winked with a grin on his face.

The two continued through the frozen streets, looking through iced shop windows. Gerard and Frank both pointed out various things that family or friends would like, all while their cold breath rose into the air.

"If we stay out any longer, I think we may freeze." Gerard finally spoke up around their third time passing by Honeydukes.

Frank laughed with a nod. "It's a good possibility. C'mon, then." He tugged Gerard towards the door of the candy shop.

The door was already being pushed open by a cheery faced Melanie. She was accompanied by Spencer and a short Ravenclaw boy, Kenny.

"Hello, boys!" She waved as they passed her, "Getting ready for holidays?"

"You could say that." Gerard nodded.

"Blood pops are on discount!" Spencer grinned, "If you've got a vampire in the family, you could melt 'em down and make one giant one for those prices."

"My third cousin is a bloodsucker, maybe I'll get him some." Frank smirked.

Gerard rolled his eyes as he hurried into the warmth of the sweets shop. Frank let the door shut, but stayed in the cold. Melanie was huddled in her robes, as well as under the arm of Spencer's robe. Kenny was rubbing his arms with soft shivers.

"Melanie, you're in the same house, what should I get Gerard for Christmas?" Frank asked. He looked into the store window to see Gerard chatting happily with some other students.

Melanie let out a soft 'awe' before responding, "He'd honestly like anything from you, Frank. He thinks the world of you."

"Maybe get him a houseplant." The voice of one of their professors drifted into the conversation.

"Honestly, Phil? Even with magic you somehow manage to kill them."

"We're talking about other people with plants! Kill one houseplant and you can never live it down..."

"IT WAS CARNIVOROUS!"

Professors Lester and Howell continued to playfully bicker as they moved past the group, making Melanie giggle.

"Like an old married couple!" She laughed.

"How do we honestly know they aren't?" Spencer asked with a sly grin.

Frank sighed, looking up at the sky. The gray clouds were still dropping snow, but at a much lighter pace. Despite the natural beauty of it, Frank was wracking his brain at what to get Gerard for Christmas. He wanted something that would suit the artistic Hufflepuff... Maybe some art supplies?..

The sudden ground shaking brought Frank out of gift ideas. Frank looked around with wide eyes, much like the rest of the small group.

"Is it an earthquake?" Kenny asked as screams erupted from nearby.

A beam of green light shot up into the sky, forming a symbol that glowed ominously against its gray background. A skull with a snake coming out of its mouth.

Frank had his wand out in an instant. "Protego horribilis!" He recited, causing a blue glow to faintly surrounded the small group before disappearing. "Everyone into the candy store, now."

The four of them ran inside, getting greeted by mixed looks of confusion and terror. Gerard hurried over to Frank.

"What's happening?" He asked, "We felt shaking then heard screaming-"

"The dark mark." Kenny whispered with fear, "It-it's up there..."

"He's dead! It can't be."

"Holy shit, that's the mark!"

"Someone's playin' a bad joke, and at Christmas too!"

"Follow me." Frank muttered, grabbing hold of Gerard's hand. He pulled the Hufflepuff through the increasingly panicked crowd, somehow getting Melanie, Spencer, and Kenny to follow as well. Frank lead them into the basement, letting go of Gerard's hand to hurry ahead.

"What are we doing?" Spencer asked once everyone was at the base of the stairs.

Frank didn't answer at first. He was sliding his foot along the stone floor. "Trap door..." He finally muttered.

"There!" Melanie pointed after a short moment of scanning.

Frank hurried to where she pointed, lifting the false floor and gesturing everyone inside. "Straight shot back to Hogwarts." He explained, "It'll take us inside the castle."

Melanie, Spencer, and Kenny followed the instructions without argument. Gerard, however, had a look of curiosity.

"How did you discover this?" Gerard asked.

A grin spread on Frank's face. "Remember how I said I had to the village before the school trips?" He asked as he reached out a hand for Gerard to take.

"I do." Gerard nodded as Frank lead him down into the dimly lit tunnel.

"Well, when I was nine, this is how Alex snuck me into Hogwarts." Frank finished with a wink. He used his wand to move the floor panel back in place

"You snuck into Hogwarts!?" Gerard exclaimed as he pulled out his own wand. "Lumos" he whispered before looking wide eyed at Frank. "At nine!?"

Frank grinned as the tip of his wand illuminated. "There's a reason I'm in Slytherin." He replied, simply, before gesturing for Gerard to follow him.

The group traveled down the tunnel in silence. The only sounds being the scuffing of their shoes against the floor. There was an air of fear surrounding them due to what they had just seen.

"Was that really?.." Melanie's soft question trailed off.

No one wanted to answer. Everyone knew, but no one wanted to speak it. The silence was their confirmation.

"We're almost there." Frank was the next voice to speak up. He excused himself as he made his way to the front of the group. He ran forward once there, letting his wand tip extinguish.

"Frank?" Gerard called out, feeling worry in the pit of his stomach. The mark was already a terrifying idea to fathom, he didn't want getting lost in a dark tunnel to be added to it.

"Don't worry, I'm here." Frank's voice called out through the dark, making Gerard relax.

"What are you doing?" Spencer asked.

"Getting us into the school." Frank replied, lowly. There was the sound of tapping, followed by whispered words. Torchlight filled the end of the tunnel, where a grinning Frank stood. "Going up?"

The group hurried to the light. Kenny, Frank, and Gerard stepped back as Spencer helped Melanie out of the tunnel. Gerard turned to Frank with the tilt of his head and the raise of an eyebrow. "Alright, how the hell did Alex find this?"

A lopsided grin spread on Frank's face. "Fun fact, the sorting hat toyed with putting him in Slytherin before he was plopped in Ravenclaw. I think that's a good enough mix for mischief."