"Celia, Katie, why did you randomly ask Angelina and I to meet you in the common room this late?" Alicia asked as the two of them walked down the stairs. Celia and Katie sat expectantly on the sofa near the fire, they'd been waiting for hours, brainstorming and preparing for what 'the dragon' could be.

"I thought Katie told you..."

"I thought you did!"

"Neither of you did," Angelina said, flopping down on the sofa, "I think one of you mentioned the word dragon or something. I should probably let you know that if you are thinking of smuggling a dragon in, I can't really help. I have a Quidditch match looming and I don't want to get suspended right before."

"Angelina, don't worry, I wouldn't do anything to endanger our Quidditch careers," Katie assured Angelina, who was absentmindedly twirling one of her braids around her finger.

"So no Dragons?" Alicia asked, her tone a little disappointed.

"No Dragons," Celia confirmed.

"Unless I count as a Dragon?" A male voice said behind them. The four girls turned around to see Cormac walking down in the stairs in a red dressing gown and flannel pyjamas. Angelina and Alicia both rolled their eyes, letting out groans but Celia gave Cormac a small smile.

"You most certainly don't," Angelina said.

"Hey, I'm a far better dragon than you'll ever be!" Cormac huffed and Celia stepped in between the two to prevent a verbal fight.

"Celia, what is he doing here?" Alicia asked.

"Do I need to get him away with a bludger?" Angelina added, narrowing her eyes at Cormac who shrunk slightly, using Celia as a human shield between him and Angelina. He would never admit it, but it was clear that Angelina completely terrified him.

"No, it's okay, I actually asked him to be here." Celia said, giving Cormac a smile.

"Thank you for inviting," Cormac said, pulling her into a hug as if to reinforce the fact that they were friendly again.

"You guys are... friends again?" Angelina asked to which Celia nodded.

"I see what Celia went through," Cormac said, puffing his chest out, "I'm going to singlehandedly stop that sort of thing - "

"Mm hmm," Angelina said, biting her bottom lip as if she was stopping more words from escaping.

"He's trying, Angelina," Celia said, gritting her teeth as she watched Angelina's face flare up for a second before changing to vague indifference. She knew that Cormac and Angelina wouldn't suddenly like each other overnight but maybe sort of tolerance and acceptance was the most she could hope for at the moment. It was better than pure hatred.

"Never mind that," Alicia said, "I still want to know what this mysterious metaphorical dragon is."

"Sit down Cormac," Katie instructed firmly.

"You can't tell me what to do - "

"Cormac, please just sit down," Celia said and Cormac, with a dramatic sigh, sat down on the sofa arm, clearly annoyed at being instructed. Celia took a few deep breaths so she could cope with Cormac being such a diva.

"Okay, so the dragon is this thing that Alicia said to Celia about being her own dragon or something," Katie said, "So we figured she needs to do that, be strong and powerful and tell Goyle that she won't stand for it again but this time she won't go alone. We'll be there too, a united front."

"Yes!" Angelina stood up, "God, this is all I've wanted to do the whole time, please let me borrow Fred's beater bat! He'll let me for a good cause and this IS a good cause."

"I think you're scary enough without it," Cormac muttered which earned him a glare from Angelina.

"Okay, you can have the bat," Celia said, "But don't use it unless he gets violent, okay? I've learnt that it's best not to lash out... even if this time it does feel like he deserves it more.

"Okay, so Angelina gets a bat," Alicia said, "What do I get?"

"I don't know... a wand?"

"I need something cool," Cormac said, "Maybe a sword of some kind?"

"Oh yeah, why don't we get you the sword of Godric Gryffindor," Angelina said sarcastically. Celia pursed her lips at her, "What? I was serious..."

"Okay, maybe not a sword, Cormac," Celia said, "But I like the ideas, keep them coming! Keep in mind, hopefully after my badass speech, we won't need them."

"Badass speech?" Alicia asked, raising her eyebrow at her.

"I can be badass!" Celia said defensively, "I'm just going to tell him that this sort of thing won't stand and he needs to rethink his stance - "

"That won't work," Angelina said, "Tell him that if he does it again, he'll get sent to Azkaban with a bludger up his - "

"I think what Angelina is trying to say," Alicia cut in, "Is that maybe you need to be a bit stricter with him. I feel like you're trying to appeal to him in the same way you would appeal to us, Goyle has a different attitude, you need to show him you're tough."

"Won't a diplomatic speech show that?"

"Not in the calm, collected way you deliver it," Alicia said.

"Katie, help me..." Celia pleaded.

"I think they're right," Katie said sheepishly, "Okay, um... how about you show us the speech you're planning to give."

"Okay," Celia said, standing up, "I mean I haven't actually planned it yet but I can adlib... okay, so I was going to say something along the lines of 'Goyle! What you did was wrong! I will not tolerate it and nor will my friends because you Gregory Goyle are a mean man"... oh God, that was awful wasn't it!"

"I mean it's a first draft..." Alicia said.

"That wouldn't scare anyone..." Cormac said, "I hate to agree with them as we haven't exactly seen... eye to eye but you need to be tougher."

"What? Like, hold one of that bats in a sort of threatening way?" Angelina said, her hand on her chin as she studied Celia.

"Yeah, maybe over your shoulder," Alicia added.

"And you could have a bludger in the other hand," Cormac said, "I mean, I know they're hard to control but that would be even more impressive."

"Slight problem, I don't think I can actually control a bludger..." Celia said, feeling slightly exposed at her friends' gaze.

"You're right..." Cormac snapped his fingers, "New plan, I hold the bludger, you hold your bat, then Goyle realises that you're not to be messed with as you have us around."

"Okay, so I get a bat... what else?" Celia asked, "I want to send a message to him that he can't do it again but I just don't think I'm tough... maybe Angelina say it?"

"I mean, I would but I feel like it kind of has to come from you," Angelina admitted, "We'll be right behind you though, to cut in sarky comments and occasionally menacingly swing the beaters bat or something."

"Maybe if you just stood taller you'd be tougher," Alicia said, her hand on her chin in thought. Celia straightened her neck and back and stood up a bit, "Taller... taller... taller - "

"Alicia, this is the tallest I can go."

"Maybe we could give one of us polyjuice potion to be Celia?" Katie suggested, "Our even weirder, we're all Celia... that is creepy as hell, let's not do that."

"No, I like it," Angelina said, seriously considering it, "Kind of psychological."

"I don't know, it would take a few months, we kind of want something that can happen now," Alicia said.

"I could go talk to him in the mean time," Cormac suggested but Alicia shook her head.

"Nah, we go as a group or not at all."

"When did Cormac join 'the group'?" Angelina asked.

"Since Celia invited him and he saw the error in his ways," Katie said. Celia watched the four of them discuss, feeling strangely excluded.

"Guys!" She cut in, "This all sounds good but I think I need to figure it out, be tough and honest and try and make him feel? Even if it goes wrong, this time I have backup so I'll be honest this time, okay?"

"Okay..." Angelina said, "I'm still feeling the polyjuice potion idea a bit, to be honest..."

"I'm not," Celia said firmly, "Hey, was that a bit tough?"

Alicia shook her head, "More firm... you'll get there, Celia. Honestly I'm excited, we'll finally get to see Celia unleash the dragon..."