The story opens on Platform 9 3/4, where all the students are returning for another year - or starting their first. As the train pulls away from the station, they wave goodbye to their parents and look ahead to what the year might bring (PROLOGUE).

Sylvia and Slenn are in the Slytherin common room, strugging through Transfiguration homework and listening to Malfoy boast about being privy to the Death Eater's plans. Slenn tells Sylvia how disgusted she is by him, and when Sylvia is suprised, Slenn reminds her of the horrible events of the summer - that were all caused by the Death Eaters (MURDER, MURDER!). As Slenn returns to the present, she and Sylvia leave the room, and Jyles is revealed to be sitting behind them, dreamily staring at the spot Sylvia just left. He tells us that it's MY GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT. Sylvia has a flashback to life in her first year, when she was trying to reconcile the taunts of other students with the tough face that she wanted to present to the world (FRAGILE TOUGH GIRL).

Jump forward to mid-October, and Aria is on her way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, with the students singing of the SECRETS in her past. All of Snape's class faces the boggart in his lesson, which, when in front of Aria, turns into a young, handsome man. Aria is petrified, and only moves when Snape makes a snide comment. She runs out of the class in tears. When the bell rings, the rest of the class storms out, fuming about the injustice of it all, and run into Robin, who suggests an immediate solution - SACK SNAPE. Up in her dormitory, Aria wonders if she's fooling anyone with her FACADE.

Varella is in the Great Hall, where the rest of the upper classes are studying - although she is not. She is staring down the table, enamoured with one and only one person - Harry Potter. She only wishes that he would notice her, one day (OBJECT OF MY DESIRE).

It is the first Hogsmeade visit of the year, and the students pour out of the castle into the village. Aria is walking with Jyles along a sidestreet when she encounters the living version of her boggart - her cousin Roland - who introduces himself to Jyles and then steers a petrified Aria off down the street and into the upstairs room of the Hog's Head. Roland slowly strips his cousin, singing of the LOVE I GIVE TONIGHT. Before he can carry out his intentions, Jyles barges in and stuns him. Aria, half-naked, embarassed, and ashamed, goes back to the castle, her pains soon forgotten by others in light of the attack on Katie Bell only a half an hour later. Meanwhile, Jyles, affected by what he has seen, asks Sylvia out suddenly, and to his great suprise, she says yes.

We meet Slenn, more commonly known as the Hogwarts hore, as she makes an advance with Draco Malfoy, unable to resist some of his charms. When she sees his true character, she refuses him and walks out, and he spreads rumors that travel like wildfire about her. She finally confronts him, telling him that THIS GIRL'S GOT CLASS, to wild applause from the rest of the school.

Gryffindor has just won the Quidditch Cup, yet Varella is extremely gloomy. Studying in the Great Hall, she darts gloomy glances in the direction of Harry - who is cuddling Ginny down the table. Varella rushes to the bathroom before seeing them together anymore makes her sick, and is followed by a slightly curious, slightly ambitious Slenn, who catches her and is determined to make her POPULAR. After her makeover is finished, she enters the Great Hall for dinner, where her new appearance catches the eye of several students - Harry not included. However, Robin has eyes for her beauty inside and out, and asks the shy Varella to TAKE A CHANCE ON ME. They go on a walk together, and she agrees to go out with him, although she still pines for Harry. At the same time, Jyles spots Sylvia flirting outrageously with another boy, and confronts her. She tells him that she's a free girl who can't be tied down, and he tells her that he gave up so much for her. Frusterated, they break up (TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME).

One sunny afternoon in June, Varella and Robin are lounging on the grounds near the Astronomy tower, when he suddenly turns to her and asks "Varella, do you love me?" Varella thinks, and slowly answers that she wasn't in love with him when he asked her out, but somehow, by some ACCIDENT, her affections turned toward him. And for the first time, they kiss.

That evening, Dumbledore is absent, which is not an unusal occurence. However, Aria points out to Varella that Harry is not at dinner either. Varella shrugs it off in face of her newfound love. None of them notice the extra Aurors patrolling the castle as night falls. It is after midnight when sounds of pitched battle waken them from their beds. Paying no heed to the curfew, they rush to investigate, following the noises outside to find a horrible sight - Albus Dumbledore, lying spread-eagled at the very base of the tower that Robin and Varella had sat at that morning. They are all in shock, and lean on each other for support the next morning as they try to do justice to the life of their headmaster, now gone (MURDER, MURDER! (reprise)).

They attend the funeral two days later with the rest of the school. Jyles is angry that Dumbledore is dead, and feels that his death was in vain. Trying to talk some sense into him, Aria and Robin stumble across Sylvia snogging her new boyfriend, who quickly slips out. Jyles and Sylvia express their frusteration and differences with each other, and the four of them show how uneasy the parting at the departure of the Hogwarts Express tomorrow will be. Sylvia leaves, and Aria tries to get Jyles to go after her. Instead, Jyles turns on her, accusing her of hiding from the world and trying to avoid her painful memories instead of confronting them. Sylvia returns, and she and Jyles say GOODBYE LOVE. Stung by Jyles' taunts, Aria sneaks out during dinner to deliver a lily to Dumbledore's grave. Sitting by THE WHITE TOMB, she wonders if she can ever tell anyone her secret.

All the students leave on the train the following morning for the journey back to London. As Aria greets her family at King's Cross, she is very uneasy. The two months of the summer pass slowly, and then in the last week, the Colville's have a surpise visitor - Roland. Aria's parents welcome their nephew, and the sight of her tormentor goads Aria into telling the truth about her raping. Her parents refuse to believe that someone as good and handsome as Roland could commit such an atrocity. Faced with ludriculous glances, Aria storms out of the house with her trunk and broom, with her older sister Naida following her, protesting. Aria explains how Dumbledore's death showed her how short life can be, and that she can't spend it hiding. Now that she has seen THE PHOENIX RISING, there is no turning back. Naida understands, and watches sadly as Aria leaves.

The six friends re-convene at King's Cross on September 1st. An older but more determined-looking Aria tells of her triumph over her fears, and her abadoning her family. Robin and Varella are delighted to see each other again, and Jyles and Sylvia finally get back together, able to reconcile their differences after a summer of ignoring each other. They all embrace each other, relieved to have survived the last year, despite the many challenges that have come up (FINALE).