there's magic in all of this

With returning to Hogwarts, Calum knew this year was going to be a good one - he was sure it would be full of challenges and he was ready to face them. He made his way to his first class, DADA, with his friends and fellow Slytherins, Luke and Honoria. After the year before, with Cedric Diggory’s death and Harry Potter’s claims of You-Know-Who’s return, Calum was certain the year had a lot in store for them. “Oi, hurry it up would you,” he called to his friends as he smirked, peering over his shoulder at them. “You’re taking forever.” But, it wasn’t as though they were in any great hurry. As he rounded the door to walk into the classroom, he grunted in surprise when he ran into somebody, a scowl forming on his features as he peered down at the blonde Ravenclaw, Isadora. “Oi, watch it.” But, even as he peered down at her, he could feel his heart racing, because, while he’d never admit it aloud, he’d always had a bit of a soft spot for the girl.

Honoria shot an amused look to Luke as they followed after Calum. “He’s in such a rush. I think he just wants to make fun of Umbridge’s awful sense of fashion,” she joked lightly, though, as she turned her gaze ahead, her head held high, she smirked to herself. She had no fears here at Hogwarts; she knew that her pureblood status meant she was far better than most of the other students there - and, because of her father, she knew that she came from a line that wasn’t full of cowards, and she intended to follow that path. Or, at least, that was what she liked to believe, but as she slipped gracefully past a Hufflepuff Muggleborn by the name of Ashton Irwin - a boy who had caught her gaze years prior, despite his status, - she wasn’t sure she could follow that path forever. “Oh, please don’t tell me we’ll be sharing the class with Hufflepuff,” she complained loudly, trying to put off an obnoxious, proud attitude because she didn’t want to seem weak.

Michael was making his way to the first DADA lesson with Elise, grinning as he detailed the events of his summer. Despite that the year before had ended in confusion and fear, he was hopeful that this year would be different - and a part of him hoped that Harry Potter’s claims proved to be false. Perhaps the boy just imagined whatever happened as a way to protect his mind from breaking with grief from the loss of a friend, but Michael tried not to speculate too much, and he certainly didn’t accuse Harry of lying. That wouldn’t be fair to the older boy and, besides, there was the chance that he was telling the truth and he didn’t want to be lumped into the bunch that would feel guilty for accusing Harry of making up stories. “I think we can be a bit hopeful for this year, don’t you?” he asked before pausing when he saw Nerissa Grey up ahead. Grinning, Elise forgotten, he quickly picked up his pace to walk next to the girl, having always been fond of her. “Hi there, Nerissa,” he greeted cheerfully, “Looking forward to classes?”

Elise had experienced a whirlwind summer with the concerns Harry Potter’s accusations had brought to the Weasleys, but she truly genuinely hoped that it was just accusations, that Harry Potter wasn’t right. He was Ron’s best friend and her family were all close to him, and Elise herself enjoyed spending time with him, but, if he was right, that spelled trouble for so many witches and wizards, including her own family - and she loved her family so much, she didn’t ever want to discover what would happen if You-Know-Who really had returned. Pulling from her thoughts, she peered up at her friend, Michael, and offered a weak smile. “I hope so, at least,” she said with a small nod, though she realized quickly that his attention was attracted somewhere else and, when he left, possibly without even hearing her answer, she shook her head. “Go get ‘em, tiger,” she teased lightly, grinning before she settled her gaze ahead, focusing on getting to DADA.

Ashton had heard the rumours about the Dark Lord, and he was anxious. When he first received his Hogwarts letter, his life suddenly began to make sense. All of those accidents weren't accidents at all, they were magic, and Ashton felt as though every question he'd ever wanted answered about himself had been disregarded, and he found a new sense of purpose in life. But, life in Hogwarts wasn't what it seemed, with the threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named looming over students' heads, the cloud the dark wizard seemed to cause was darker and heavier now, because of Cedric Diggory's death the previous year during the Triwizard Tournament. When he felt someone pass him, he heard Honoria's voice and words and ducked his head slightly, deciding confrontation just wasn't worth it. Beisdes, he didn't want Honoria to think less of him than she probably already did. Ashton had always had a bit of a crush on her, but he'd come to accept that she'd never return his feelings and decided it wasn't worth pursuing. Running a hand through his curls, Ashton placed his wand on his desk - situated beside Nerissa's, and behind Michael's, Isadora's, and Elise's. "I hate this class already." He murmured.

Nerissa paused as she heard Michael Clifford, and she allowed Ashton to go find his usual seat. "Good morning, Michael." Nerissa greeted happily, smiling up at the Gryffindor boy who she had adored since first year. Michael truly was something special, he had a power to change his appearance and he was one of the kindest boys in school - Nerissa wondered what Hogwarts had done to deserve such an honour to house a student so incredible. "I definitely am, but I'm not all that excited about Umbridge." She pulled a slight face with that, walking beside him. "How about you, are you feeling positive for this year?" She asked, before going to find her seat - in it's usual place, beside Ashton and behind Michael, so she was still able to hold a conversation until Umbridge arrived. Nerissa heard Ashton's words and, placing her wand on her desk, looked to Ashton with sympathy, nodding in understanding. "Don't worry, Ashton." She spoke loud enough for the obnoxious Slytherin trio to hear. "If what Harry says is true about the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, those three will be first in line to join his little army." She shot a glare at the Slytherins, before opening her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook - she was certain that Umbridge had mentioned something about werewolves. "They'll be out of here before you know it. Thank God."

Luke had heard the rumours, of course he had. Noble idiot Harry Potter had been talking, spreading them like wildfire; the Dark Lord was back, and he'd been the one to kill that pretentious Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory. Luke hoped the rumours were true, blood traitors deserved to be punished, and Luke hoped that the Dark Lord started with the biggest traitors of them all, Harry Potter and his stupid friends, and anyone who was silly enough to blindly follow the scar wielding fool. Luke followed Calum's lead, his arm draped lazily over Honoria's shoulders as he walked beside her, retracting his arm when he caught sight of Elise Weasley. The red-head was gorgeous, and Luke could, at least, acknowledge that within his own thoughts. But goodness, his parents would banish him if they ever realised their son, their youngest Slytherin son, had a crush on a Weasley, a family based on hand me downs and unassorted freckles and unkempt red hair. Shoving past the red haired girl, Luke looked over his shoulder, pretending he hadn't seen her, but honestly, who couldn't notice a beauty like her? "Watch where you stand, Weasley. You've tainted my robes, with all the dirt you consider to be your friends." He sneered. "Know your place and stay out of our way, you might actually survive if the Dark Lord does decide to come back. We'll put in a good word for you." Luke smirked.

Isadora's family didn't want her returning to Hogwarts this year, and for good reason. Half bloods and Muggleborns were at risk, especially if Harry Potter's claims of You-Know-Who's return were true. Why would there be any reason to not believe the boy, he'd faced the darkest wizard of them all, and won, at no less than 12 months old. It was quite the accomplishment, whether people chose to believe him, or not. Isadora had decided to move seats when she had bumped into someone, and she blinked with annoyance to come face to face with Calum Hood, a dark eyed Slytherin boy who had evil written in the details of his smirk. Isadora often lied to herself, telling herself she was only familiar with him because of Quidditch, but the reality was she had harboured a crush on him since before their First year ended - and she hated herself for it, because he was a cruel bugger and Isadora didn't associate herself with such people, she credited her friends to being the biggest example of that. "Watch it yourself, Hood, you bully." Isadora sneered, shoving past him once more. It wasn't the wisest idea, messing with a Slytherin, especially with rumours of You-Know-Who's return, but Isadora wasn't going to let herself be pushed around, even if she did adore Calum.

Honoria hummed as she slipped into her seat, offering a small smirk as she listened to Nerissa, arching a brow as she peered over at her. “Well, of course. Might as well join the winning side, don’t you think?” she asked, watching the girl. “I’d offer you to join, but we both know why that won’t be quite possible. And I’d apologize, but I don’t really care. You could always run and hide, but I assume you wouldn’t get far, if it came down to it.” And, while she said the words, the more she spoke, the more she wanted to take the words back, because Ashton was a Muggleborn like Nerissa. He was in just as much danger, if the rumors about the Dark Lord were true, if he really had returned. Her gaze flickered to Ashton for a moment, an anxiety in her chest that she hadn’t really known existed, but she quickly forced her thoughts and anxiety away, forcing the smirk back to her features. “As for leaving Hogwarts? I’d be the first one to exit those doors to join. I have no qualms about admitting that. It’s in my blood.” And, normally, she took great pride in that, but with her previous thoughts, she was wavering, she could feel it, but she shrugged and pulled her book and wand out, setting them on her desk.

Michael grinned to Nerissa’s words, nodding slightly with the mention of it. “I know what you mean. I feel like she’ll be a complete nightmare. Perhaps my boggart will become her instead,” he joked lightly, examining Nerissa for a few moments, hoping that he could at least offer some form of amusement with everything going on at Hogwarts and around the wizarding world - and what may be to come, if the rumors proved to be true. “I’m hopeful, at the very least. I think that, perhaps, even if it ends up being awful, we’ll at least get some adventures in.” He grinned joking. But, following behind her, he made his way to the desk, sitting down behind her, pulling out his own things, placing his wand gently on the table before he blinked, listening in on the conversation, though he offered an amused look to Nerissa. “So long as we’re that lucky, that is.” Shrugging slightly, he slid back into his seat, though a part of him honestly hoped that it wouldn’t come to that, because it would only come to that if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had actually returned - and, well, he certainly didn’t want to face him, ever. Though Michael shared the bravery most Gryffindors did, he wasn’t all too eager to die, especially while only in his fourth year. “Or perhaps the disappointment their parents feel if he hasn’t returned will be enough for them to withdraw the lot of them from Hogwarts.”

Elise had nearly stumbled when she felt somebody shove their way past her and, lifting her gaze when she heard the culprit, Luke Hemmings’ voice, her eyes narrowed slightly and her jaw clenched. “Perhaps you could use friends like mine, Hemmings. I’m certain all of yours would abandon you the first chance they got if it meant surviving,” she drawled out easily, “Or if you did even the least unacceptable thing - they’d consider it an absolute crime, don’t you think?” If Luke wanted to taunt her about her friends, then she would go right back at him, because it was unacceptable - her friends were like her family, and she loved her family dearly. “As for that good word? You can keep it to yourself. I’d rather die than fighting than back down when I could do something about it. Again, something you wouldn’t quite understand. Slytherins tend to take the easy way out, don’t they? Cowards.” And, rolling her eyes, she moved to join her friends, trying to calm the way her heart pounded in her chest, because as much as she hated Luke Hemmings, she also harbored quite the crush on the boy, and she hated herself for the fact that the crush even existed.

Calum arched a brow when he heard Isadora’s words and he couldn’t help but to be both amused and in awe of the fact that this girl stood up to him even now. “Look at you, ever the girl to stand up for the downtrodden and weak,” he said almost tauntingly, his smirk broadening a bit. “Except if they’re weak, it’s their own fault. That includes you, sweetheart, even if you do try to stand up and speak out.” A part of him, - buried deeply within himself, of course, - hated bullying the girl, always worried he may push it too far, but another part of him was just eager to enjoy any attention he received from her, regardless of how he received the attention, under what circumstances. The biggest part of him, though, the part that had been ingrained in him since birth, reminded him that he wasn’t supposed to care either way. “But then maybe that false bravado will get you somewhere in your future - if you live long enough to experience it, that is.” And the words left a bitter taste on his tongue, the thought of Isadora dying, ever, making his stomach and heart twist anxiously, but he forced the thought away and moved to sit with his friends, though he smirked over at Isadora still. “Nice try, though. Admirable, really. I’d applaud, but I’m not going to waste that energy on a half-blood.”

Ashton listened to Honoria's rebuttal, shaking his head as he ran his finger up and down the side of his quill. He wasn't good at confrontation, but he couldn't listen to this for the rest of the year. "The winning side?" He snorted with false laughter, looking to the Slytherin girl, silently admiring her, the way she smirked, the way her eyes seemed to glitter with determination. Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts, Ashton looked to Honoria. "A bunch of cowards who would rather throw their supposed friends in the face of danger than do what's right. If that's what you call a winning side, Honoria, I'd rather be on the losing team and die with my mudblood friends." He frowned, putting his quill down. "Your kind shouldn't even be in Hogwarts to begin with. Born evil." He retorted angrily, but as soon as the words had left his mouth, Ashton wished he could take them back. This wasn't the right way to win Honoria's affection, but he doubt she even acknowledged him as an acquaintance, nevermind a lover. But still, Ashton saw potential, he saw that there was something in Honoria that could be good, and Ashton wished that she could see it too, that she wouldn't be betraying her bloodline, she would be helping to break a centuries long prejudice. Shifting away so he could face his group of friends, Ashton frowned, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, ignoring the hurt and anxiety that stabbed at his chest. Scrubbing a hand over his face, Ashton focused on the conversation Nerissa and Michael were having, and he grinned. "Umbridge as a boggart, that's hilarious." He shook his head at the thought. "She's ridiculous enough as it is, she doesn't need to be told twice."

Nerissa laughed with Michael's words, shaking her head in amusement. "Professor Umbridge in her gross, pink, fluffy coat as a Boggart. I wouldn't blame you if that was your worst fear." Nerissa nudged Michael gently, but when she sat down, she dipped her quill in it's ink and allowed it to rest. "I can't wait for all those adventures." Nerissa grinned, continuing the conversation with Michael, not wanting it to end, because the boy was an endless beacon of hope. "I'm sure luck will be on our side this year, Michael." She promised quietly, although her heart raced anxiously with the thought. With Voldemort's possible return, she was in danger, and so were her friends. Sinking in her seat slightly with the thought. Despite the fear that gripped to her in that moment, Nerissa found comfort in knowing that she and her friends would stick together, unlike the Slytherins. Still, hearing Honoria's words, and Ashton's rebuttal, Nerissa reached to place a hand on Ashton's shoulder, glaring at the Slytherin girl with distaste. "Being an evil twit shouldn't be something to be proud of, you just wait. If he really is back, he'll use you to his advantage and kill you when he can. But the difference between our kind and your kind, Honoria? We don't run and hide. We stand and we fight." Nerissa scowled. Nerissa turned to her friends after that, not wanting anymore trouble, especially with how she'd heard Umbridge had been giving detentions left, right, and center.

Luke looked to Elise as she retaliated to his words, and he couldn't help but smirk. He admired her bravery, wanting to stand up to him, wanting to stand up to her friends. Luke would never admit that out loud, but he could admit it to himself, at least. He examined her closely, wishing that she could see a side of him that she didn't know of, and he never let show. It wasn't that easy. "Friends like yours, Elise?" He smirked, wanting her attention, wanting her focus entirely on him, because her attention, good or bad, meant the world to him, because she wasn't looking at anybody else. "I'd rather die than mingle with dirty mudbloods and blood traitors." He spoke harshly, running a hand through his short curls, offering Elise a dimpled smile. "You know, you Weasleys can still repent for your crimes. It's just a shame you won't, because you let that filth," he glanced over to Elise's friends then. "Taint you. Such a shame." And when his eyes landed back on Elise, he took a moment to admire her with blue eyes, his gaze softening for a moment, but when Luke felt himself slipping, he was sure to put his guard back up - if the rumours were true, he'd need to remain on guard. "Oh, Elise. We'll see if you take those words back when the Dark Lord comes to kill you all." Luke took his seat then, but when Elise called him a coward, Luke felt a small stab of hurt in his chest. It wasn't aimed directly at him, and he tried not to think of it too much, but how was he meant to express himself when all he wanted was her love and approval? Frowning, Luke placed his wand on his desk, waiting patiently for Umbridge.

Isadora glared at Calum with hard, blue eyes, folding her arms across her chest as she took her seat, her wand on her desk. She glanced to it, wondering if a quick Stupefy spell would shut the idiot up, but she never wanted to risk hurting Calum, because as much as the pill was difficult to swallow, she thought fondly of him, even with his cruel words and the fact he'd never return those feelings. "I'd rather stand up for something than nothing at all, you coward." Isadora retorted easily, leaning back in her seat. "And if I'm weak because of my circumstance, I can learn to be strong. You? You'll always be a coward, no matter how hard you pretend otherwise." Isadora ensured her voice was cool, not wanting to give him the reaction he so desperately craved. When Calum hinted, however, that Isadora would probably die if Voldemort did return, she frowned, trying to hide the hurt she felt. "I wouldn't want you to applaud me, Hood. If ever you respected me for something, that would mean I made the wrong choice. I would hang my head in shame." She told him. "But if I'm going to die, at least I'll die with dignity." She retorted, turning her back on him to face Elise, Nerissa, Michael and Ashton.

Honoria peered over almost lazily when she heard Ashton, of all people, speak up. “Got a voice, have you? My, you must think you've become a man over the summer,” she drawled out in response, watching him as she listened, though she did her best not to really acknowledge his appearance, instead trying to focus on what he was saying. “What friends would I be throwing in danger? My only friends would be fighting right alongside me. We'd be fighting together, getting rid of problems -” She gave Ashton and Nerissa a pointed look, smirking once more, “- Together.” When he called her evil, she tried to ignore the twist in her gut, forcing her smirk to stay in place. “You call this evil? Darling, if this is what you think evil is, then you're in for a treat if the Dark Lord truly is back. This is tame.” And it was true - she knew cruel words would only go so far, and she knew the Dark Lord was capable of so much more. And, a part of her, deep down, almost feared having to be worse than cruel words, feared that, at some point, she'd have to go further, commit worse cruelties, but she didn't dare think of them. “Tell me, dear little mudbloods, when have I ran and hidden? Moreover, not everybody who followed the Dark Lord before backed down and pretended they wanted no part in what happened. That runs in my blood as well. I'm quite loyal, as is my bloodline, and the Dark Lord would have great need for loyalty. And I'd rather die for him than pretend I'm alright with the likes of you tainting our world.” With one final smirk, she settled down, facing forward, deciding to ignore the group for the rest of class.

Michael grinned upon hearing Nerissa's words, chuckling quietly to himself because he wanted nothing more than to keep her entertained and as calm as possible, considering the cruel words they were being subjected to listening to. “Oi, I wonder what the Riddikulus spell would be capable of making her look like, then,” he chimed out easily, trying to think of something amusing. “But, then, I suppose the sight of her in all that awful pink garb is as amusing as she is terrifying.” He couldn't help but to laugh with the thought, grinning at his friends, though he smiled with Nerissa's assurances. “Of course,” he decided quietly, nodding slightly. “I think we'll be just fine, even with this lot around.” He hoped so, anyways. But, then, he wasn't sure what to expect with Umbridge overall. Regardless, he shook his head as he listened to the discourse between his classmates, and he leaned to peer closer at Nerissa and Ashton, grinning. “Oi, ignore her,” he said carefully, not wanting his friends to be dragged into an argument that could get worse - he was certain Umbridge already favored Slytherin and he didn't want his friends to get in trouble. “They're rotten to the core but, in the end, they're still kids just like us. You-Know-Who would probably be more likely to use them to run errands than he would for anything serious. At least we don't have to fear them, they're generally harmless at Hogwarts.” And, sure, he was being taunting as well, ensuring that he was heard by the others, but he was also certain that he was right. “Besides, if worst comes to worst, we all know Harry will take down You-Know-Who again. And then all of his supporters will go back to slinking in the shadows like before, bitter and awful, but incapable of doing much.”

Elise could feel her jaw clench as she heard Luke’s words and she narrowed her eyes over at him. “Keep those words out of your rotten mouth, Hemmings,” she warned as she watched him, wishing she could rip the words from his mind so that he could never speak them again. “Ever cruel and heartless. It’s no wonder you’re so vile.” Scoffing quietly, she was quick to look away from him when she saw his dimples, because no, she would not be sucked into that bloody smile of his and she wouldn’t let herself think for a moment that it was attractive - at least, that’s what she told herself, but she knew the truth was that his dimpled smile would probably be stuck in her head all day. “If you keep insulting my friends, Hemmings, you’ll be the one needing to repent, because I swear I won’t show any mercy and I’ll hex you into the next century.” And it was a promise she fully intended to keep, because she swore to herself she’d do what she could to avoid her friends being hurt - either physically or emotionally. “And the only one who’s tainted between the two of us is you with that poison in your veins called hatred. Further proof you’re as vile as they come.” And, as she slipped into her seat and leaned back in it after setting her things down, she huffed, rolling her eyes. “I’d never take my words back, Hemmings. Not for your Dark Lord, not for anything. I will stand by my words and I will fight for them. So, if he is back, you can make sure to pass the message along and be his little pet.” But she wished that he wouldn’t; she wished that Luke would see how wrong he was, how evil He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was, and that he’d see how awful a choice it would be to side with him.

Calum couldn’t help but to admire Isadora while she sat in her seat, arms folded across her chest, enjoying how determined and assured she was of herself, having always been attracted to her for those traits - and her beauty, of course. The thoughts were safe inside his mind, even if he didn’t want to admit to having them. When she called him a coward, though, he arched a brow, leaning back in his seat as casually as possible as if to prove that her words had no effect on him, even if they did - he’d felt the words punch him in the gut, he was certain, but he tried to pretend otherwise. “I stand up for the fact that dirty magic has forced its way into our world when many people are opposed to it, but we don’t have much of a choice but to accept it - and, when we get to fight back, to stand up for what we truly believe in, we’re looked down on. And, yet, I haven’t put aside my opinions at all, have I? I haven’t backed down or fallen at everybody’s feet, begging for mercy. So, tell me, what, in that, makes me a coward?” he said easily in response, even though he knew there was a part of him that was a coward - he wasn’t truly standing up for what he believed in. No, he wasn’t even really certain what he believed in at all. And he knew that, of course he did, but he didn’t want to admit to it, especially not after everything he’d grown up with. “As for learning to be strong? You can learn all you want, but there will always be a part of you that can’t quite reach your best, because you’re letting yourself be held back - not that you’d have the best of luck, anyways, with your blood.” A part of him hated himself for saying the words, but he was determined to keep up the facade, to pretend he was unbothered, and he arched a brow. “You truly believe that will be the case, don’t you? It’s a shame. I’m not quite convinced.”

Ashton looked to Honoria, his fists clenching with the anger that was coursing through his veins. But his anger wasn't directed to Honoria, or even the fact that her words were cruel and directed right at him. He was angry about the fact that she grew up in a home where she couldn't reach her full potential to be a good person, the person Ashton knew, Ashton hoped, was within her somewhere. "Yeah, I do have a voice. And if you think I'm gonna stay quiet while you bully my friends, you can think again." Ashton frowned, voice trembling but defiant. "You're a coward because you can't think for yourself, Honoria, and that is what's such a shame. If my blood makes me a problem, I don't care. At least I can hold my head high and say I treat people with the kindness that everyone deserves, even you. If you just took the time to re-evaluate yourself and your beliefs, you might shock yourself, but why should I bother preaching that when you're so stubborn?" Ashton shook his head. "What a pathetic life you lead, Honoria. You'll have nowhere to turn to when your little cronies," he hinted to Luke and Calum, "die and you're left to fend for yourself, because nobody else in this castle is going to defend you. The only one who would is Harry Potter, the one you always sneer at." But when Ashton heard that Honoria would rather die than have his 'kind' taining the wizarding world, he blinked in surprise, feeling his heart break a little bit. "Then you're a fool, Honoria, who doesn't deserve anything good." He murmured, turning his back on her to ignore her, focusing on his friends instead, wanting to focus on some positivity.

Nerissa rolled her eyes as Honoria spoke, turning Ashton away from the girl before she said something that would really start trouble. Listening to Michael's advice about ignoring them, Nerissa couldn't ignore the way that the words seemed to stab her chest in the worst way, and all she wanted, in that moment, was to apparate somewhere where it would be safe. "I know we'll be fine, even with the true evil that prowls around this school." She shot a glare at the Slytherins then. Listening to Michael's words, Nerissa realised that he was right - they were still just children, brought up with ideoligies they didn't quite understand. "Perhaps they'll wisen up as they grow older." Nerissa commented, not wanting the confrontation to last, in case Umbridge came bumbling in, dressed in pink with a sickly sweet, feigned kindness that drove Nerissa up the wall. The woman was heartless, and it was only the third day of term, but Nerissa just couldn't trust her, feeling a sense of danger whenever the woman was around. She clearly favoured the Slytherins, and if they were caught arguing this way, Nerissa was sure she and her friends would get detention for the rest of term, nevermind the week. "Don't waste anymore energy on them, they're not worth it anyway. They're just bitter they only have the three of them, and Draco Malfoy. We have good friends on our side, and that's what they hate the most. The numbers aren't in their favour." Nerissa glared at the three, before looking over to Michael and offering him a kind smile.

"Rotten?" Luke grinned. "Oh, Elise, come now. Look at the people you choose to associate with, and recognise what truly is rotten." He leaned back into his chair confidently, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "But then again, you Weasleys have a talent in meddling with the wrong sorts. Look at Ron, for example. Potter. Of all people. And that Grainger," he pulled a face with his words, laughing. "I hope it's your family the Dark Lord get rid of first. Once the traitors are dealt with, we can get rid of the ones who really do bring disgrace to our world." His gaze landed on Ashton, Nerissa, Isadora and Michael, and he shrugged his shoulders non-chalantly. "Once you're gone, they'll be next." Luke smirked, studying Elise, trying to decipher her and if he'd hit a nerve yet. Although when he saw Elise lean back into her seat, he grinned - almost fondly - when he saw her rolling her eyes. He always found her, and her defiance, and her strong will, so attractive. Luke admired her for it, and he wanted, deep down, to ask Elise just how she managed to be so wonderfully confident, because he wanted to learn, he wanted her to teach him to stand up for what he truly believed in, rather than blindly following the Hemmings tradition of hating the unknown. "Well, I look forward to passing that message along to him, sweetheart." Luke spoke lazily. "Maybe by then, who knows, you and your idiot friends and dense family will have seen that it's much smarter to be on the winning side." And with that, Luke winked at Elise, opening his textbook.

Isadora heard Calum's words, feeling his cruelty hit her in the chest, her heart sinking slightly with the thought that she was nothing more than dirt to him - and that was how it was probably going to stay. Watching as Calum leaned back into his seat, Isadora looked to him once more, wanting to have the last word to prove that she was strong, and she would never back down. "You want to know what I stand up for, Calum?" Isadora hissed slightly, leaning forward so he could hear her. "I stand up for equality for all wizards, whether or not our blood is pure, and you're looked down upon because none of you Slytherins have a heart, all that's in your chest is a black hole. You're all so devoid of love, it's shocking. It's no wonder you're so full of petty hatred and outdated prejudice." Isadora studied him. "You may not know how to shut up, but you're a coward, simply because you don't know how to follow your beliefs, rather than the ones that your evil family fed to you growing up. It's pathetic, really." Isadora leaned back, not wanting to admit his words had ran a little deep, and she blinked away tears. "I don't want to reach my best. I want to reach my honest, my kind, because unlike you nasty bunch, I - we don't care about being perfect all the time. So take your wand out of your ass and realise that you're tainting your own bloodline by being so cruel." She turned away then, swiping her eyes quickly so Calum didn't see the tears, still determined to make sure he knew he wasn't winning this round.

Calum peered over when he heard Isadora speaking again and he arched a brow as he examined her, though, as she spoke, he could feel his heart thumping painfully in his chest, aching in a way he wasn’t at all familiar with. For a moment, he thought about correcting her, about telling her how wrong she was about Slytherins and love - about him and love. Instead, though, he decided he’d let her think that of him, because it would make it easier to pretend he didn’t feel anything at all - or so he hoped. “If you truly believe our chests simply have black holes, then why bother trying to insult us, as if your words would hurt somebody who has no heart?” he shot back easily, watching her for a long moment. “As for my family feeding me beliefs? You have no idea what my beliefs even are so how can you assume that the beliefs my family taught me aren’t mine?” He arched a brow. “And I’d much rather share my family’s belief than to rot away with the fairytales you lot hear about how fantastic the world is - and, sweetheart, I can be much crueler. The world you live in, the world you want to be a part of? It’s never gonna accept you - and neither are we.” And, for a moment, he swore he saw tears in her eyes before she’d looked away, his heart clenching with the sight, but what could he do? He had to play the villain, he had to be the villain - besides, it was what everybody already expected, anyways, including Isadora.

Michael offered a weak smile to Nerissa as he examined her, hoping the Slytherins weren’t causing her too much, wishing there was something he could do to make it easier for her, but he wanted to try to distract her as much as he could in hopes that maybe, just maybe, that would help her even a little, because Nerissa didn’t deserve to be troubled at all; she hadn’t done anything wrong. “They may be pure evil, but they’re also pure cowards. They may say a lot, but they won’t dare actually do anything,” he assured her quietly, reaching to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze, wanting to be able to comfort her in some way, but he wasn’t sure if it would help at all. “Perhaps. I guess the only way to really figure that out is to wait and see.” That was, if any of them made it long enough to grow older - if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was truly back, there was the chance that wouldn’t be the case. But, at the same time, it meant the same for the Slytherins, regardless of whether they believed it or not; if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named saw them as useless, he’d probably get rid of them himself. But, there was little chance of the Slytherin gits actually listening to reason. They may have to just discover that issue on their own. Regardless, he nodded slightly, offering a smile in return to the one Nerissa offered him. “And nobody’s going to ruin any of our friendships, either. We’ll all stand strong, together, on the proper side, the good side.”

Elise clenched her fists in her lap as she listened to Luke, peering over at him. “I think your definition of rotten is different from mine, Hemmings,” she told him, “Because, the people I associate with are kind and loving and caring, not rotten at all. Whereas you and your friends? Cruel and vile and heartless - certainly rotten.” But, then, as he spoke about her family, about her brother and his friends, her fists clenched tighter, hard enough to leave indentations of her nails in her palm and almost hard enough to draw blood. “You leave my family out of this, Hemmings,” she warned quietly, her heart twisting in her chest with the thought of losing her family. “If you want me dead so badly, then you can kill me yourself. Otherwise, I suggest you cram your mouth shut before I make you wish you had.” And, she meant it, she truly did. As much as her heart yearned for Luke, she wasn’t going to sit by and let him talk down on her family and her friends - no, she’d make sure to put him in his place, the rotten jerk. How she’d fallen for him in the first place was beyond her; the more she listened to him, the more she wanted to downright hate him. “Nobody that matters to me would ever turn to him.” And, when he called her family dense, she lost it, standing up, holding her wand as she snapped, “Incendio!” But, as much as she’d wanted to set Luke himself aflame, she’d only targeted his book.

Honoria tilted her head as she watched Ashton. “Excuse you, but your friend started it,” she pointed out easily, “All I said was that I don’t want to share this class with Hufflepuffs. Your friend then went on about us leaving if the Dark Lord has returned.” And, leaning forward, she arched her brow as she examined Ashton, trying not to be too bothered by his words, trying to not let herself be bothered by the fact that this is what Ashton thought of her. “You think treating people with kindness makes you a better person? It makes you weak. And there is no cowardice from me, Ashton. I believe what I want, I think what I want, and I say what I want. It’s all me.” And, while she knew that wasn’t true, she couldn’t be bothered to admit otherwise; she wasn’t going to let Ashton win, especially not after his words. When he spoke about her friends, she narrowed her eyes, her jaw clenching. “My friends won’t die. If it came to that, I’d take their place any day. And, even so, I don’t need anybody to defend me. I do just fine on my own.” For a moment, though, she felt her heart ache when he told her she didn’t deserve anything good and she faltered, just for a moment, before she smirked. “It’s a good thing I never asked for anything good, then, yeah?” But, then, when Luke’s book was set aflame, she jumped up with surprise before glaring at Elise, though she quickly pointed her wand at the flames. “Aguamenti,” she ordered, watching the water shoot from the end of her wand to soak the flames.

Elise scoffed angrily when Honoria put out the flames and, before she could stop herself, she quickly stood, practically lunging across the room to rush over to Luke, pulling her fist back and slamming it as hard against his face as she could - he had to suffer somehow for talking about her family and her friends like that, and she couldn’t just let him think he could get away with it.

Just then, though, Professor Umbridge walked in.

Isadora listened to Calum's rebuttal, and she frowned, wanting to remain defiant despite the hurt it was causing her to feel. She adored this boy, and it broke her heart that he couldn't see that he had the potential to be good, be on the side of good, and truly excel instead of being stuck in old fashioned ways. "Because I believe, somewhere in that black hole, you have a heart, Calum." She frowned over at him. "No matter what you say, or do, there's always good in everyone, even if they don't know they have that potential." She shot back easily, keeping his gaze, not wanting to back down first. But when he arched a brow at her, Isadora almost did back down, because she could see the annoyance in Calum's face, but she felt her own annoyance rising. "Believe it or not, Hood, you're only fourteen years old. Clearly what you've learned is from generations of idiocy." Isadora spoke through gritted teeth with her words, but when Calum reassured her he could be crueler than what he already was, Isadora went to Calum. "Then be cruel." She challenged, and when he spoke his false words of acceptance, Isadora slapped Calum across the face as hard as she could, nearly stumbling with the force of her impact. "I don't want your acceptance, Hood." She told him lowly. "Keep it for that Dark Lord you so desparately look up to."

Luke saw that he was pressing every button to get a negative reaction out of the younger Weasley sister, and he grinned, because watching her get angry, her hands curling into fists are her sides, only spurred him on more. "Why would I when you're the laughing stock of the wizarding community, Elise?" Luke returned cockily, smirking. "As for that fun little suggestion of killing you -" the thought alone was enough to make Luke's stomach and heart drop simultaneously with hurt and anxiety. "- As wonderful as it sounds, if the Dark Lord chooses to return to us, I'll leave that up to him." He returned coolly, and as much as he wanted Elise to know that all of this was just a facade to keep up the Hemmings household honour, how he so desparately wanted her to know his true feelings for her, how he wanted her to know that he respected and admired her, Luke knew he had to stand his ground and be the cruellest of the the lot. But when Elise fired out an Incendio spell, Luke blinked in surprise and stood to his feet as his Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook went up in flames. Watching as Honoria was quick to react to the situation, Luke looked back to Elise "Why, you rotten little - think you're smart, do you?" Luke grabbed Elise by one arm, gripping to her tightly, ignoring the hatred he felt for himself in that moment - but when Elise had retracted a hand to punch Luke, Luke stumbled backwards, more in surprise than anything else, and lifting a hand to his face, he glared at the red head. "I should kill you right now, Weasley!"

Ashton rolled his eyes at Honoria, deciding that, for the moment, he didn't want to retaliate, he didn't want to give her ammunition to start more trouble than she'd already caused. Feeling Honoria examine him, Ashton shifted a bit in his seat, not wanting to be bothered by her attention, because her attention was what Ashton craved the most, but in this circumstance, he had to put his own needs to the side and focus on doing what was right. "I'd rather be weak than be a bitch." Ashton retorted coolly, not even looking to the bright Slytherin girl. "I'd rather be a mudblood than someone who is filled to the brim with rage and hatred. And I'd much rather die alongside my friends than sacrifice them, because face it, Honoria, either they're going to sacrifice you, or you're going to sacrifice them. Being selfish, that's all you Slytherins know how to be." Ashton saw how Honoria's eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched. "So say what you want about being noble and taking their place. I won't believe you for a moment." Ashton turned to watch the commotion though, and when Luke grabbed Elise, Ashton stood to his feet quickly, although when Elise punched Luke, and he laughed, pulling Elise back gently. "Come on sweetheart," he murmured to his friend softly. "He's not worth it. We're the better people, and they just can't stand losing arguments." Glaring at Honoria, Luke and Calum with his words, Ashton turned his back on the group, determined to ignore them, focusing on his own friends, pausing as Umbridge came in.

Nerissa returned Michael's smile, wanting to silently reassure him that it was okay, she was okay. Shifting closer to the Gryffindor boy, Nerissa couldn't quite admit, at least not yet, that being around him gave Nerissa so much comfort, because when she was near Michael, she was invincible. When he squeezed her shoulder, Nerissa nodded with his words. "It's just tiring now." She murmured, admitting that the Slytherins were beginning to wear the atmosphere of the school down to nothing but tension. The Hufflepuff house were still mourning the death of a good friend, and with the thought, Nerissa frowned. "Waiting is the only thing we can do, Michael." She spoke softly. Hearing Michael's words about friendships, Nerissa blinked, looking to him with a large smile. "It's no bloody wonder you're a Gryffindor, Michael Clifford." She laughed, but hearing the commotion among their friends, Nerissa looked up, just in time to see Elise set fire to Luke Hemmings' text book. Blinking in surprise, Nerissa stood to her feet when Luke Hemmings grabbed Elise's arm, joining Ashton's side and gently tugging the Gryffindor girl away, but when Elise delivered a swift punch to Luke's face, Nerissa burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. "Yes, Elise!" She grinned. "It's about time he got a taste of his own medicine."

Calum, for a moment, had been shocked that Isadora seemed to believe that he had a heart, that there was something good in him, that she saw potential in him. And, for a moment, he almost let himself think that she believed in him, that maybe he could be braver if she was by his side. But, he quickly forced that thought away - that simply wasn’t possible. No matter how much he wanted it, no matter how much he craved it, it would never be a reality for him, and he knew that. So, instead, he smirked. “In that case, Isadora, you’re one hopeless fool,” he taunted her easily, “Believing in such ridiculous theories and assumptions? Despite there being absolutely no inclination that you could be right? Sounds like you’re still quite the child, comforted by stories of heroes and saviors who protect the weak. The world’s not like that, though - best get that through your head now.” But, then, when he felt Isadora slap, he stumbled back a bit, lifting his hand to his face in shock and, admittedly, he was impressed with the force she held behind it, but his anger won, in the end, and he reached, grabbing hold of her wrist to draw her closer - and, he regretted it immediately, because he’d never been physically aggressive towards Isadora and he knew he could never truly hurt her, he never even wanted to. Still, his eyes were cold and hard and angry, hiding all of his inner turmoil as he glared at her, his jaw clenched. “Who do you think you are?” he hissed out quietly, “Putting on a false bravado and thinking you can get away with anything and everything? You’ll pay for that.” While his voice was laced with venom, though, he had no real intentions of making her pay - but he also had to keep up his facade, had to make everybody, including Isadora, believe that he was just as awful as he made himself out to be.

Michael listened to Nerissa, nodding slowly in agreement to her words. “I know what you mean,” he promised quietly, because he did. The Slytherins had been causing problems for all of them ever since they’d each started at Hogwarts. And, with everything that was happening now, he just knew it was going to get worse if it was true that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was truly making a return. “We’ll get through it somehow. The waiting won’t be so bad,” he assured, offering a small grin, “We’ll find a way to make the waiting less torturous.” He grinned jokingly, hoping that things wouldn’t actually be torturous for them this year, but he was also trying to lighten the mood, aware that the Slytherins tended to have a way of making everything seem dreadful. Plus, there were some professors who were just as frustrating - not many, but a few, like Snape. And Michael was sure that Umbridge would be right there with him. Still, hearing her words, he grinned broadly. “In that case, thank you,” he murmured, winking teasingly, though he heard the sound of skin slapping skin ring out across the room and, blinking, he peered over in shock, realizing that Isadora had slapped Calum. And, he wasn’t about to defend Calum - Calum deserved it, he was sure of it; he didn’t even have to know what Calum had done to know that he deserved whatever Isadora gave him. But, when he saw Calum grip to Isadora and pull her close, he shot to his feet quickly, moving over. “Oi, let her go, Hood!” he warned, moving to grip Isadora’s shoulders gently, pulling her free from Calum and he blocked her from sight, glaring at Calum as he turned her away from him. “Bastard.” Scoffing lowly, he turned to Isadora, leading her to their tables, trying not to be affected by the fact that Umbridge had popped in. “You alright?” he asked quietly, watching her with concern before grinning slightly, “Bravo on that slap. It sounded like you got him good. He deserved it.”

“My, this is quite the sight to walk in on,” Umbridge chimed in a voice that was all too pleasant, “Miss Rose and Miss Weasley, I trust that you understand there are consequences to such actions. 50 points each from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.” And, for a moment, it looked like she was all too pleased with herself, as if it was the most brilliant decision she’d ever made. “And you’ll be expected to attend detention.” Suddenly, she looked more stern, a coldness in her stare that she almost hid too well with that pleasant smile. “I expect you all to be on your best behavior from now on. I expect order in my classroom, no exceptions. Now, sit.”

Honoria stared at Ashton as she listened to him, her jaw clenching. “As if you lot don’t have your own fill of hatred,” she muttered with disgust, “Hypocrites.” There was a bitterness to her words, because she and her friends, from the moment they’d been sorted into Slytherin, had never even had a chance to make friends outside of Slytherin - nobody wanted Slytherin friends. Nobody wanted to be associated with Slytherin. Shaking her head, she moved over to Luke, tugging gently at his sleeve once the group was away from them. “Just let it go. They’re not worth it.” She shot a look to the group, her gaze almost turning colder as it settled on Ashton and she forced all the anger and hatred that she could into her gaze, even if all she wanted was to break down the walls that guarded her heart and just accept how she felt for the boy. “None of them are.” And, for a moment, she knew that she was trying to convince herself more than anything, but she reached for the back of Calum’s robe, too. “You as well. No need for us to all get into trouble, too.”

Elise could feel the anger boiling in her blood, spreading through her like wildfire, making it hard to really come to her senses - at least until Luke grabbed her arm and, for a moment, she felt a jolt of panic flood through her, but she wrenched her arm away quickly after punching him. Her knuckles ached from the contact and she flexed them to relieve the feeling a bit, letting Ashton and Nerissa pull her back until she registered Luke’s words and she turned quickly. “Then, do it, Hemmings!” she snapped angrily, barely registering that Umbridge was there, “I’m right here, so if you want to kill me so badly, do it! Or shove your foot in your mouth and shut your trap, because you’re all talk - all of you are! Cowards, the lot of you! Hiding behind cruel words, thinking they make you seem rough and tough and strong, but all of you are really just pathetic!” And, scoffing, she turned back to her friends, pausing in her steps as she started to return to her words, a frown settling on her features as she registered Umbridge’s words. There was no use arguing it - she was doubtful Umbridge would listen to anything they had to say. She was as jaded as the Slytherins. “Whatever you say, professor,” she muttered before moving to sit down.

Isadora tried to free herself from Calum's grip as he grabbed hold of her wrist, and when he tugged her closer, Isadora swore she almost lost her breath in the best and worst way - she'd never been so close to smell his cologne before, and it was almost intoxicating, especially now with the adrenaline running through her veins. Still, Isadora chose to stand defiantly, not backing down, even with Calum's cold, angry gaze. "I think I'm Isadora Rose, you bastard, and I think you need to grow up before someone else hits you harder and knocks you down a peg or two." Isadora kept her voice harsh, brave, but when Michael came to her rescue, Isadora allowed the Gryffindor boy to pull her back. "Thanks Mikey, I owe you one." Isadora spoke gently, looking to Calum once more. "I'm okay," she promised, gently tugging Michael's arm and smiling up at him, not quite convincing herself of her own bravery. "Come on, he's not worth the anger. This is the attention he craves," Isadora shot a look to Calum then. Allowing Michael to lead her to their seats, Isadora sat down and grinned with Michael's bravo, grinning at her friend. "You're a bad influence." She teased, shaking her head. Upon hearing Umbridge's voice, Isadora tensed, rolling her eyes with the sickly sweet facade the woman put on. "Yes, Professor." She replied sarcastically, mimicing the woman's sweet tone.

When Luke felt Honoria tug at his sleeve gently, he relented, shaking his head at Elise. He didn't want to admit that Elise's hatred towards him was something that he deserved - but he knew that Elise loved her family, loved her friends, and that was a good way to get the girl angry. A typical bloody Gryffindor. "You're right." He nodded to Honoria. "Sorry." He murmured to his friend, but looking to Elise once more, he kept his gaze cold, full of hatred that simply didn't exist, but Luke had to keep up with that attitude that seemed to have been painted over him since the moment he was sorted into Slytherin. Listenint to Elise, Luke laughed as the red head began to retaliate. "Oh, shut up, Weasley. You're making a fool of yourself, now put away that red-headed temper and study, with a family like yours, you need all the knowledge you can get." He hissed out, sitting behind Honoria and Calum, using a quick spell to restore his now ruined textbook. As Professor Umbridge deducted 50 points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw though, he couldn't help but smirk with pride, because that left Slytherin in the lead, if memory served him right. Listening to Umbridge and her sweet tone of voice, Luke couldn't help but feel repulsed, dipping his quill in ink as the woman began to teach, and as she began to drone on, Luke looked, from the corner of his eye, to Elise, feeling remorse in his chest that the situation had escalated as far as it did.

When Nerissa felt Elise turn, Nerissa kept a hold of her friend's arm to ensure she didn't lunge for Luke Hemmings again. Listening to Elise's words, Nerissa felt her heart sink in her stomach, and she wondered if, maybe, it wasn't worth coming to school this year. "Elise, leave it." Nerissa offered softly, gently tugging Elise's arm once more so she didn't allow her friend to sink to a Slytherin's level. "He's just upset because his own family don't love him." And when Elise turned to Nerissa and Ashton once more, Nerissa led the Gryffindor to her chair once more. Sitting back in her seat, Nerissa studied Michael, smiling when she saw the brave Gryffindor boy jump to his friends' defence, and that's when Nerissa realised, this year would be worth it, despite the threat looming over them, because she had her friends, and she knew with them, she'd be safe, and they'd be safe with her in return. Hearing Umbridge deduct points, Nerissa rolled her eyes, but kept quiet, knowing there was no use arguing. "Of course it's the good ones that get into trouble." She murmured, looking to Michael as he sat back down, offering him a weak smile.

Ashton listened to Honoria as he lead Elise and Nerissa back to their seats, looking over his shoulder to her, his own jaw clenching. He didn't want to argue with the girl he loved, but dammit, he would do anything for his friends, and Ashton was proud of that honour. "We only give what we get, Honoria." He replied lowly. "Look at your two ape friends and how they behave towards women. What cowards." Ashton turned his back to Honoria as Umbridge deducted points from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, instantly fawning over Elise and Isadora. "Are you two okay?" He asked softly, taking Elise's hand in his own, feeling her knuckles beginning to swell from the force of her punch. "Episkey," he murmured, letting go of Elise's hand and taking Isadora's to heal the sting her hand, no doubtedly, felt. "They're not worth it guys." He shook his head. "They're all just a bunch of sore losers, fighting desperately in a fight they know they have no chance in." Ashton peered to each of his friends. "Just rise above it." And although he was sure there was a force of good in Honoria, right now, he didn't want to give her the time of day. He couldn't admit to any of his friends how he felt for the girl, and she'd never return his feelings anyway, and Ashton wondered if maybe he just move on - but the more he considered it, the more he felt his heart wrench anxiously, and he decided there was no way he could do that.

Calum’s jaw clenched when Michael got in the way, a part of him having expected the boy to throw a punch of his own and, if it came down to that, Calum wouldn’t have held back. He never wanted to hurt Isadora, not even emotionally even though he had to, but he would have no qualms about hurting her friends if they tried to attack him first. When Isadora spoke, though, he watched her, his jaw clenching. “So sure of yourself,” he called when they’d walked away, scoffing lowly, “But that won’t keep you alive in the end. And your friends won’t always be around to protect you.” And, for once, it wasn’t a threat - it was a warning, because he knew that if the Dark Lord truly was back, then he’d take them all out, one by one, and his heart raced with panic with the thought, and a part of him hoped that Isadora took his words to heart, that she may eventually have to defend herself on her own, and he hoped that, if it came down to that, she would be prepared. Or that he’d be able to save her. Backing away to his seat when Honoria tugged him back, he sat down, folding his arms across his chest lazily, but it was mostly to guard himself, because he could feel his heart pounding in his chest, anxiety and frustration building up inside of him, because he hated this. He hated not being able to tell Isadora how he truly felt, he hated being cruel to her - but, more than anything, he hated that she hated him and that he could do nothing to change that. Shaking the thought aside, he decided to ignore the others and tried to focus on the class, though his gaze occasionally went towards Isadora, his heart twisting painfully each time, because all he wanted in the world was her and her love, and each time he looked at her, he was reminded that he’d never be granted such a wish.

Elise listened to Ashton quietly, offering a small nod. “Hurts a bit,” she admitted before she shrugged slightly, “Maybe if I punched him enough times, it wouldn’t bother me at all.” She gave a pointed look to Luke, then, her eyes narrowed, but she settled her gaze back on Ashton when he fixed her hand and she offered a weak smile, wiggling her fingers a bit. “Thanks, Ash,” she murmured gratefully, though she listened as Nerissa spoke and she nodded slowly. “I suppose you might be right. After all, they’re clearly incapable of love and caring. Must run in their blood just like their cruelty and hatred.” Offering a shrug, she stared ahead after sitting down, listening to Umbridge as she began to speak, making a face at the woman’s words. Hearing Luke continue to talk about her family, though, she could feel the anger return and she glared at him, reaching for her wand once more, ready to attack, because she was so damn tired of him talking down on her family when they had hearts of gold - a sentiment Luke would probably never understand. But, she stopped herself when she registered Ashton’s words and set her wand back. “You’re right,” she decided, speaking loud enough for the Slytherins to hear, “They’re not even worth acknowledging at this point.”

Michael offered a small grin as he sat back down, shrugging in response to Isadora’s words as he sat down. “I think I’m a pleasantly good influence,” he teased lightly, leaning back as he relaxed despite the fact that he was annoyed with how Calum had treated Isadora and the fact that Umbridge had taken 50 points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. But, it was better not to argue - he knew from experience with past professors that it usually ended with more points being taken away. His gaze settled on Nerissa, though, and his heart swelled slightly as he examined her. He was at least glad that it wasn’t her who had gotten involved in the confrontation. If Calum had treated Nerissa the way he treated Isadora, Michael wasn’t sure he would have been able to hold himself back. He likely would have punched Calum himself. He loved all of his friends, of course he did, but he knew that Nerissa occupied his heart in a way the rest of his friends simply couldn’t, and he never wanted to see her get put in harm’s way. “Of course,” he muttered, shaking his head before he sighed quietly, lifting his arm to rest it on the table, his elbow propping his arm up as he leaned his chin into his hand, watching Nerissa. “I suppose it could be worse, though. And we can’t let this get in the way of us trying to have a good year.” He offered a small, hopeful smile, hoping to be optimistic for Nerissa’s sake. Hearing Ashton, though, he nodded slightly. “Besides, we’ve got each other,” he said, grinning at his friends before refocusing on Nerissa. “They’re not that lucky.”

Honoria scoffed lowly as she listened to Ashton, rolling her eyes. “Give as good as you get? Your friends attacked my friends. Calum and Luke could have reacted in any way at all, but all they did was threaten your friends. Your friends are barbarians,” she hissed out easily as she slipped back into her seat, trying to appear unbothered. As she peered over to Ashton, though, watching him, she could feel her heart sinking in her chest, a tension forging its way into her chest, jealousy coursing through her with how gentle Ashton was being with those girls, how he was holding their hands so carefully, how much he cared for them. But, forcing her gaze away, she reminded herself that this was better - perhaps if he ended up with one of those two girls, her feelings for him would evaporate. It wasn’t as though she stood a chance, anyway; he thought she was evil and she didn’t quite deserve his affection, anyway. Even besides that, it was impossible. It was bad enough that she’d fallen for the muggleborn - pursuing anything would be suicide. Settling her gaze ahead, she focused on the lesson, though she sunk a little in her seat, and she settled her gaze on her parchment as she took notes, refusing to lift her gaze again, trying to focus on her lessons and not the one thing she wanted most but absolutely couldn’t have.

All throughout Umbridge's class, Isadora glanced over to Calum every so often, wondering what was running through his mind. Why couldn't he see that things could be better for him if he just allowed them to be? Isadora hated the fact that she cared so deeply for the boy, hating that their difference in class and circumstance was too different for them to maybe ever find a common ground, even if that was what Isadora desperately wanted. Frowning with the thought, Isadora closed her text book as Umbridge dismissed them, reminding herself and Elise of their detention that evening. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." She murmured sarcastically, tucking her wand into the sleeve of her shirt and fixing her ponytail carefully. Looking to Calum once more, Isadora felt her gaze soften as she studied the handsome boy, and she sighed, picking up her textbook. "See you later, guys!" She lifted her hand in a wave, snorting with laughter as Nerissa high fived her. "Fool," she teased, walking out of the classroom, peering one last time at Calum, ducking her head as she left, not wanting Calum to see that his words, his actions, had affected her, more than she could ever verbally express to him.

Luke watched as Ashton took Elise's hand, and he gripped to the sides of his desk angrily, trying his hardest not to let his jealousy show as his fingernails curled into the wood. Of course Ashton Irwin, the school suck up, would be more worthy of Elise's affection thn he would be. Shaking his head with the thought, Luke had spent all lesson tense and upset, and he hated the fact that Elise had even affected him in such a way. Pride was a big thing for the Hemmings family, and yet, everything that had happened within those classroom walls had chipped away at his own pride throughout the hour. As Professor Umbridge dismissed the class, Luke was quick to stand to his feet, twirling his wand expertly in his fingers as he stood up, slamming his textbook shut. Tucking his wand behind his ear, Luke took a deep breath, glancing towards Elise and feeling his heart swell with the sight of her, wishing, more than anything, that he could tell her about all the love he had for her - and her only. She was the definition of perfection, and Luke wanted to take her influence to become a better person, he just couldn't. Frowning, Luke murmured a quick goodbye to Honoria and Calum before walking out, shoving past Elise with annoyance, not bothering to give her a second glance, heart thumping in his chest with the hurt.

Nerissa peered to Michael fondly as she saw his chin rest in his hand, shaking her head in amusement at how gorgeous the boy was. She wondered, just how lucky she was to know Michael Clifford in the first place. When Umbridge decided to dismiss the class - five minutes after lesson was supposed to end - Nerissa breathed out a sigh of relief, the tension she had felt for the whole hour finally ebbing away slowly. Running a hand through her hair, Nerissa stood to her feet, grabbing her textbook and pinning her wand into her hair - tied into a neat, conservative bun. "Will I be seeing any of you troublemakers later?" She teased, placing a hand on Michael's shoulder and squeezing gently, hopefully, as she got ready to part from her friends, grateful to have a group of like-minded, wonderful people that she could turn to in times like this. If He Who Must Not Be Named was planning a return, it wouldn't be an easy fight, but it wouldn't be impossible, because when they put their heads together, they could do great things, of that she was certain. "Perhaps we should go for a Butterbeer this Saturday, just to relax a little." She suggested. "Get away from the castle."

Ashton felt, once Umbridge had dismissed the lesson, that he could breathe a little easier. Tucking his wand into his sleeve, Ashton closed his textbook gently, not wanting to draw anymore attention to himself and his group of friends than they'd already done that day. "Hogsmeade on Saturday sounds good." He confirmed with a nod, his gaze drifting to Honoria with the thought, but he cleared his throat and soon focused his attention back onto his friends. "As for later, I'm going to study at the library. Mum and Dad might not understand magic, but they still expect good grades." Ashton shrugged his shoulders lightly with a smile, clearly fond of his muggle parents, proud of his background. "But we can all have breakfast tomorrow?" Once again though, his gaze drifted to Honoria, and Ashton knew why he gravitated to her so easily, the love he felt, the concern he felt for her, made him want to approach and just wrap his arms around her - but Ashton wasn't keen to get a broken, bloody nose. "I'll see you all later." Ashton squeezed Elise's shoulder, walking out of the classroom to go to the library, planning to spend all afternoon there.



Isadora stepped out of Umbridge's office later that afternoon, rolling her eyes as she rubbed at her wrist. Writing lines? In a detention? It was a punishment for five year olds - not that she was complaining, because the detention could of been a lot worst. "Well," she stretched on the balls of her feet carefully, looking to Elise with a cheeky grin. "That was fun." Scrubbing a hand over her face though, Isadora tried to get the obnoxious meowing of Umbridge's strange choice of kitten decoration out of her head, the scent of lavender and sweet tea lingering in her nose. "C'mon."

Elise twisted her wrist round and round, rubbing at the joint as she listened to her friend quietly, shaking her head slightly. “I suppose you could say that,” she joked lightly in return, though she made a face of distaste, rather eager to get as far away from Umbridge’s office as humanly possible. “Honestly, that woman is bloody mental.” Casting one last glance to the door, she scowled before she linked her arm through Isadora’s as she began to walk, settling her gaze ahead. “I wonder what the others all decided to do,” she mentioned eventually, arching a brow as she peered at her friend, wondering if they should go search for their friends. The only one she was sure they’d know where they were was Ashton - since he’d mentioned going to the library to study and they were all familiar with how long he spent studying, she was sure he was still there. And, to be honest, a part of her was sure that Michael and Nerissa were still with each other. Most days, they were practically inseparable. “Ashton’s probably still in the library,” she mentioned, “And, wherever Isadora is, I’m sure Michael’s right there with her.” She offered an amused look to her friend, arching a brow. “Think they’ll ever confess their feelings to each other? It’s been years already.” She grinned slightly, though she found it quite cute that, even though neither of them had confessed to each other yet, neither of them had searched out other possibilities.

Calum, for the past few hours, had spent his time with Luke and Honoria, but Honoria had already separated from them. Peering at the time, he couldn’t help but to wonder if detention was over yet or not. A part of him hoped that it was and that nothing too awful had happened to Isadora. He knew there were occasions where the professors could hand out odd punishments, exhausting ones even, and he chewed on his lip, because none of them knew what Umbridge did for her detentions yet, and that left a quality of the unknown that Calum was unfamiliar with and he didn’t quite like it. Since they were already walking, Calum looked to Luke as they walked, trying to distract himself, though he found himself heading in the direction of Umbridge’s office anyways, just to see, but he tried not to acknowledge it or make it seem too obvious. “Think tomorrow will be any easier than today?” he asked as casually as he could, mostly trying to keep a conversation going so that perhaps Luke wouldn’t notice the direction they were going in and ask questions. But, with his own reminder of how the day had gone, he chewed on his lip anxiously, because he’d hated it. All he wanted, now, was to find Isadora and apologize to her, tell her everything that he buried deep inside of himself, but he knew he couldn’t do that. All he could do was admire her from afar and keep wishing that things had been different. “Honestly, this school drives me mad.”

Honoria had done her best to get the events of the morning out of her head, and it had been easier to do when she’d left class and distracted herself by spending time with her friends. Despite everything the others had said, she knew that she and her friends would never turn on each other - in a sense, they were all each other had, so why would they betray each other in any way and lose everything? After a while, though, she’d parted from her friends when she realized they had an essay due by the end of the month, and Honoria preferred to get those done sooner rather than later. The sooner she got it done, the less she had to worry about it. Heading into the library, she’d slipped through the bookcases quickly, pausing in one section when she spotted Ashton. Her heart twisted at the sight of him, but she raised her head high and moved further into the area, because the books she needed were there and she wasn’t going to let Ashton get in the way of that. Moving past his hunched over figure while he was studying, she stopped a few feet away, staring up at the books, though she frowned at how high up. For a moment, she’d thought about asking for help, but she clenched her jaw, deciding immediately that she wouldn’t - if it had been Calum or Luke there instead of Ashton, she would have, but she didn’t want to deal with Ashton, so she instead pulled out her wand to get the books with a spell.

Michael, of course, had spent every moment since their classes ended for the day with Nerissa. He’d led her out to the school grounds, a grin on his face and, anybody looking might have thought it was a date, because he’d brought a blanket from the Gryffindor common room with him and had laid it out for them. With the fact that the others were otherwise busy and it was just the two of them, Michael was enjoying and cherishing every single second of it that he could, doing a few charms to try to impress Nerissa and he even changed his hair color and facial features several times, just wanting to keep her entertained. He’d just finished shooting tiny fireworks out of his wand before he grinned at Nerissa, watching her, always so amazed by her. “Alright, have you gotten bored of me showing off yet?” he asked jokingly, laughing before he set his wand down beside him and leaned back on his hands, examining her for a few moments, his heart swelling so much at the sight of her. “I think, one of these days, I’m gonna make you be the one to show off. I wonder what spells you’ve learned that I don’t know yet.” He blinked, then. “Oh, speaking of! If you didn’t know any of those spells, I can teach you them.” He grinned with the thought, just trying to come up with any reason in the world to spend time with her, whether for the rest of today or tomorrow or any other time they had free time to spend together. And, he was looking forward to going to Hogsmeade with her and the rest of their friends, of course he was, but he knew he was more partial to spending time with just her than anything.

Isadora chuckled when she saw Elise scowl at Umbridge's office door. "Elise, you're going to set fire to the door, you've already been an arsonist today." The blonde teased her red-headed best friend with a grin, tugging Elise away as soon as their arms were linked. Detention had been tedious, but Isadora would do everything all over again if it meant standing up for the ones she loved. Wondering if she should mention anything about Calum, Isadora decided it was best not to, not wanting to upset Elise. "She is mental, did you see all the cats?!" Isadora laughed, her head falling back. "I wonder if she has a husband." She teased. "Well, Ashton will definitely still be in the library, you know what's like." Isadora smiled fondly. "As for Nerissa and Michael? They're probably doing something cutesy." She grinned over at Elise. "Do you think they will?" Isadora retaliated with a grin. "They'd be adorable together, there's clearly something between them, I'm surprised they don't see it!" Isadora led Elise around the corner, pausing when she saw Calum and Luke, and she instantly bit the inside of her cheek - but there was no way around, the Ravenclaw and the Gryffindor common room were in the direction of those two twits. "Oh, brilliant." Isadora murmured sarcastically.

Luke had spent all afternoon with Calum and Honoria, but when Honoria had left to start the essay she had due for Transfiguration, Luke and Calum had wasted time by doing absolutely nothing but practicing spells and shoving First years out of their paths, but even during all the troublemaking, his mind hadn't drifted far from Elise. He was worried - Umbridge was the type to be ruthless, unforgiving, and he didn't want Elise to be at the receiving end of that cruelty. Running a hand through his short curls, Luke looked to Calum with slightly raised eyebrows as he noticed they were heading in the direction of Umbridge's office, and he knew about Calum's own predicament, because he found himself being in the same one. Both boys yearned for someone they couldn't have. "I hope so." Luke nodded, exhaling heavily as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I hated this morning." He admitted quietly. "Why can't Elise just... see that she means more to me than she assumes?" He frowned, and Luke wasn't the type to open up, but he knew he could trust his best friend. "I know I don't exactly show it, but I wish I could, you know?" Luke looked to Calum then. "Maybe one day, but now?" Luke shook his head. "Not the time, you know?" And Luke hated that, he hated he couldn't tell Elise everything. "It won't be long, mate. Only a few years and we'll be out of here." Luke promised.

Ashton ran a hand through his curls as he stared down at his almost finished essay. He'd spent the whole afternoon researching, writing three whole pages before a clumsy first year came and spilled ink on his work in progress. Ashton spent another ten minutes reassuring that particular first year that it was okay and he wasn't angry, but Ashton did resent that he had to start again. He only had a few paragraphs to complete, but his wrist was hurting and as it began to get dark outside, his eyes were heavy. The library was quiet, evenings were usually spent in common rooms, keeping warm in front of the fires and socialising with friends, but Ashton wanted to ensure he made his parents proud. Hearing footsteps approaching, Ashton looked up as a figure passed behind him, and seeing Honoria, Ashton felt his heart squeeze in his chest. Watching her from the corner of his eye for a moment, he noticed she seemed to be struggling with books that were on the highest shelf. Standing to his feet without a word, Ashton gently took Honoria's hand, pulling her away so he could grab the books for her, laying them in a neat pile in his arms. "Here," he offered gently, and despite everything that had gone on that morning, Ashton wanted the beauty to understand they were said out of anger than genuine hatred. Realising that, Ashton squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, preparing to get his ear chewed off or a quick slap to the face.

Nerissa laid on the blanket that Michael had laid on the grass, laughing at his antics as he changed the colour of his hair, the shape of his facial features, and she shook her head, biting her lip. "You suit pink hair!" Nerissa giggled, not wanting to admit it out loud, but enjoying every moment that she had to herself with Michael. "As for grey hair? I don't know." She teased. "Maybe blue?" She suggested with a playful grin, shifting to lay on her stomach as she peered up to Michael fondly. When Michael had finished a (rather impressive) firework display from his wand, Nerissa grinned with his words, shaking her head with amusement. "I actually adore watching you show off." She reassured the colourful character with a grin, studying him as he leaned back on his hands. Hearing his words, Nerissa laughed, ducking her head. "My magic isn't as impressive as yours." She reassured Michael with a small smile. "I didn't even know you could do half of that, it's quite impressive." She offered Michael a smile. "But, I'd love to learn a few." Nerissa nodded with confirmation, tucking a strand of hair, now down from it's updo, behind her ear. "What did you think of everything that happened this morning? Do you think He Who Must Not Be Named is actually returning?" She frowned.

Elise made a face at her friend before she pouted. “The hag would deserve it,” she complained as she settled her attention ahead while Isadora tugged her away. “Somebody needs to get rid of all that ridiculous stuff in her office, anyway. It’d be considered a favor and I’d gladly take the honor.” She offered a mischievous grin, then, though she shook her head slightly. “Who in the world would want to be married to that?” With amusement, she listened to Isadora, nodding slightly with a small grin. “I hope they do. Honestly, as you said, they’d be adorable together, and it’s about bloody time they confess, anyways. They’ve been pining after each other for too long, they should just take the leap.” After all, she wanted her friends happy and anybody could look at Michael and Nerissa and see how happy the pair made each other, even if the two of them couldn’t see it themselves. A part of her wanted to lock them into a room together until they came to their senses and acknowledged their feelings, but that wouldn’t quite be fair - she was doing her best to ignore her own feelings for Luke, after all, and she certainly wouldn’t want to be locked in a room with him. As they walked, though, she blinked when they turned the corner, only to be faced with Luke and Calum, and her heart rate increased in a way she didn’t want to acknowledge. “Our luck,” she muttered quietly to Isadora, trying to maintain the anger she’d felt towards Luke after everything that had happened that morning instead of thinking about her feelings for him. “It’s like they were waiting here to gloat.”

Calum slipped his hands into his pockets as he listened to Luke, barely acknowledging the way Luke had raised his brows at him - he must have realized what direction they were heading in, which meant his friend knew exactly why they were heading this way, too. It wasn’t as though they kept any secrets from each other. The trio were as close as possible, they trusted each other with everything, even when it had come with risks to open up about how they felt about the people who held such a tight hold on their hearts - after all, it very well could have ruined their friendships or their reputations, and yet, the secrets never left their small tight-knit group. “I know what you mean,” he murmured eventually, chewing on his lip anxiously, breathing out quietly, because it wasn’t fair. Didn’t they deserve to be happy? If their parents knew where their interests lay, their parents would surely kill those they loved themselves, though. “I hate not being able to tell Isadora everything. I know I don’t deserve her, but she at least deserves to know the truth - that, if I could, I’d be the best damn person to her, that I’d protect her with everything in me.” He frowned with the thought, because it was true. He’d die for Isadora, any day. “But I can’t even tell her that and it’s beyond frustrating.” But, as he heard voices approaching, he quickly forced any further words down, pausing as he recognized Isadora’s voice, and, as she turned around a corner with Elise, he stared at her in shock. For a moment, he was thrown off that she was right there, but she seemed to be okay, and he was relieved to see that, at the very least. Regardless, he forced a smirk to his features, putting the act back on, because he had to; he didn’t have a choice. “Looks like you survived detention,” he said simply, arching a brow, “No guarantees you’ll be that lucky next time, though.”

Honoria had been doing everything in her power to ignore Ashton’s presence, forcing her gaze to stay away from where he was, certain she wouldn’t be able to handle being there for long. The moment she got the books, she decided, she’d leave and never look back and pretend she hadn’t noticed him at all. That plan, however, blew up in her face when she heard movement from where Ashton was and felt somebody take her hand and pull her away. At first, she’d been prepared to hex the offender, but when she registered that it was Ashton, she could feel her heart thumping wildly in her chest, almost painfully, her pulse pounding in her ears, and she wished she wasn’t suddenly petrified to the spot. If she’d just brought Calum or Luke with her, this entire thing could have been avoided - she was sure one of them would have offered to get the books for her if only to help her avoid the muggleborn Hufflepuff because they were the only people in the world who knew, who would ever know, about her feelings for him. She watched while he grabbed the books for her, stunned into silence, and, once the books were in her arms, she adjusted them carefully, holding them tightly to her chest as if the books would serve as an extra shield to protect her, to protect her heart. When she saw Ashton squeeze his eyes shut, she felt a jolt of pain and guilt flood through her, because did he honestly think she would ever hurt him? Swallowing her pride - at least for the moment, - she reached out and poked his chest lightly to get his attention and to try to assure him she had no intention of harming him. “Oi,” she mentioned quietly, “I can’t thank you properly if your eyes are closed.”

Michael grinned as he listened to Nerissa, humming in thought. “Alright, maybe… Sky blue?” he suggested before letting his hair change to the proper color and he arched a brow. “Or perhaps navy blue?” And he tried again, waiting patiently as he examined Nerissa, wanting to see which color she would pick. “Indigo?” And he gave it one more try, just to see, curious to what Nerissa would think before he paused, then grinned broadly. “Wait, what’s your favorite color?” Because maybe that would be the best bet to go with and the thought of being able to provide Nerissa with her favorite color, letting her see it in his hair, and possibly letting her see it as often as she wanted, made his heart swell, because he just wanted to do what he could to make her happy in any way. “You do?” he asked with amusement as he examined her, though there was hope that bounced around in his chest, because if she enjoyed it, he had no reason to stop. Hearing her words, though, he smiled and reached for her hand to give it a gentle squeeze. “Your magic is wonderful, Nerissa. It’s beautiful, trust me.” And so was she, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit that to her just yet. But, still, he grinned slightly, examining her expression for a few moments. “Alright, what do you want to learn first?” he asked, though he paused when he heard her question and chewed on his lip. “I honestly don’t know, Nerissa,” he told her gently as he examined her with concern. “I think that it’s a possibility and that we should definitely be prepared.” As he watched her, though, he swore to himself he’d do everything he could to protect her.

Isadora giggled with Elise's words, nodding in agreement. "Honestly, who would marry her?" Isadora pulled a slight face with the thought, shaking her head, but once the conversation had shifted to their friends, Isadora smiled fondly. "For a Gryffindor, Michael isn't very brave." The blonde teased. "I want something like they have one day." Isadora confessed easily, knowing there were some things she had no qualms in admitting - her love for Calum Hood not being one of them. "I just want someone to look at me the way Michael looks at Nerissa." She smiled weakly with the thought, knowing the only person she wanted to look at her with nothing but adoration was the one person who looked to her this morning with nothing but a cold hatred. When they came face to face with Calum and Luke though, Isadora studied Calum for a moment longer than she would of preferred, but when he began to speak, Isadora was pulled from her trance and rolled her eyes, looking to Elise. "They probably only came here to gloat." She confirmed, loud enough for the two Slytherins to overhear. Turning to Calum once more, Isadora frowned. "I'd rather go back into that office and beg Umbridge use Cruciatus on me than see your smug face, Hood." She mumbled, ducking her head, not wanting confrontation.

Luke nodded with Calum's words, understanding the turmoil his best friend was going through. He'd opened up to Calum and Honoria about Elise and the love Luke so deeply held for her many times, and knowing that Calum was in the same scenario was comforting, to say the least. Although Luke wished, only sometimes, that he wasn't a Hemmings, that he wasn't sorted into Slytherin house, that he could openly show Elise that he loved her, show her that he was worthy of her attention and that he wasn't as cruel as he made himself out to be, but Luke knew he couldn't take control of his own fate like that. His parents had high expectations, and if they ever found out he was in love with a blood traitor, he was sure they would wipe the Weasley family off the map, and Luke's stomach clenched with the thought. All Luke wanted was to embrace happiness, and he knew happiness lay within Elise's arms, a place he couldn't reach, a place he doubted he'd ever find himself. Hearing voices approaching, Luke silenced his mouth and mind, his hands still in his pockets, and when he almost collided with Elise, Luke blinked in surprise, but quickly shrugged it off. "Oh look," he sneered, not wanting Elise to know that she was on his mind in the best way. "You're still here. What a shame, perhaps if I push hard enough, I can get you expelled next time."

Ashton felt a gentle poke to his chest, and he opened his eyes, slightly surprised that Honoria hadn't slapped him yet. He was certain that the beauty didn't like him, and she had every right not to. She was a pureblood, from a highly respected and feared family, and he was nothing but a Muggleborn who, even into his fourth year at Hogwarts, still couldn't quite grasp that magic was real, and it was a talent he was lucky enough to possess. When Honoria spoke though, Ashton blinked in surprise, but found his courage and nodded. "There's no need to thank me, Honoria." He reassured gently, his voice firm, but soft, wanting her to know he would always grasp the opportunity to show her some kindness. Admiring her in the dim light of the silent library, Ashton offered a small, dimpled smile, hazel eyes focused completely on Honoria, because she always had and held his undivided attention. Neatening out his jumper in a nervous tick to feel worthy of being around the Slytherin, Ashton cleared his throat and nodded. "Uh, good luck with whatever it is you're working on." And as soon as the words left his mouth, Ashton wanted the ground to swallow him up, because the small voice at the back of his head seemed to tell him - repeatedly - that Honoria was setting him up to be hurt. But Ashton's heart screamed otherwise, telling him he was lucky to see a part of her that he was sure no one else got to see. "You can sit down, if you want." Ashton offered. "I'm nearly finished, so I won't be in your way for too long." He promised.

Nerissa watched on in awe as Michael's hair went from sky blue, to navy blue, to indigo, and she laughed. "I think the sky blue really brings out your eyes." She smiled, clearly enthralled by Michael's talent. "But navy blue looks so wonderful, I can't decide." And although the tone of her voice was teasing, she truly meant it - every colour seemed to suit Michael so well. When Michael asked what Nerissa's favourite colour was, she paused for a moment, twirling her hair around her finger. "Lilac." She told him truthfully, offering a small smile. "I do!" Nerissa confirmed with a grin. "You seem to really embrace what you were born with, it's wonderful, and watching you express yourself so freely is incredible." She told him honestly, looking up at him with a smile that she couldn't get rid of, even if she wanted to. When she felt Michael squeeze her hand, Nerissa returned the squeeze gently, ducking her head shyly, biting her lip. Shifting to sit up, Nerissa smiled. "I'd quite like to learn that fireworks trick," she confirmed with a smile, but seeing Michael chew on his lip, Nerissa nodded, vowing to herself that she'd protect Michael. "Then we should start getting prepared."

Calum wasn't sure what he was meant to do after mentally acknowledging how much he hated himself for the way he treated Isadora - but he knew there wasn't much else he could do. He couldn't tell her the truth, he couldn't tell anybody outside his most trusted friends the truth. He couldn't tell her that she was the one person who he always worried about, who he always wanted to see happy, who he always wanted to know was safe. No matter how much he wanted and needed her to know the truth about what she meant to him, he knew it would only do more harm than good and put her in danger - and, even then, what were the chances that she would even believe him after everything he put her through? So, instead, he smirked after hearing her rebuttal, even though her words sent a jolt of anxiety through him because the last thing he wanted was for her to ever get hurt. “If you're that desperate to have somebody use the Cruciatus Curse on you, all you have to do is ask,” he told her easily in response despite the panic that rushed through him with the thought. “And, knowing that you'd rather received that sort of punishment than see my smug face seems to imply that I annoy you more, and that makes it feel as though I win. I think that gives me even more of a reason to be smug.” And, after the words left his lips, he grinned broadly, arching a brow as he examined her. “I'm surprised you're capable of that much hatred, Isadora. You always seem to be on such a high horse, after all.”

Elise offered an amused look to her friend, shaking her head. “Between her awful fashion sense and her frustrating voice and personality, I don't think anybody would want to be with her,” she chimed easily in response; of course, she was aware it was rude, but the woman wasn't exactly kind or pleasant herself. “I'm sure he'll gather his courage one day. I hope he does, anyway,” she murmured quietly, though she listened quietly as Isadora spoke about what she wanted when it came to love, and her heart wrenched with the fact that she wanted the same thing - and she so desperately wanted it from Luke, of all people, but she knew better than to speak this wish aloud, and she knew better than to think that it was even possible, even for a moment, because she knew it wasn't. “I envy them,” she admitted quietly, though, as they walked and she nearly collided with Luke, she tensed, watching him, but nodded when Isadora agreed with her. As she listened to Luke, though, her jaw clenched, and it reminded her that whatever she wanted with him was simply a fantasy. “How about you try your luck, then?” she asked easily, “Maybe, next time, it'll be your cloak or your hair I set fire to. Or just you in general.”

Honoria couldn't help but to duck her head slightly when Ashton opened his eyes, her arms tightening around the books, and she wasn't used to feeling this awkward or vulnerable. “There is, though,” she said eventually, but she eventually lifted her gaze to watch him, her expression softening a bit when she saw him neatening his jumper, and she couldn't help the way her heart practically did backflips at the sight. She didn't know how it was possible for one boy to look so perfect, and it certainly wasn't fair, but she chewed on her lip to force herself from commenting on any of her thoughts, and she offered a small nod to his words. “It's just a Transfiguration essay. It's not due until the end of the month, but I'd rather not wait until the last day to work on it.” For a moment, she made a face at herself, aware there wasn't much of a point in telling Ashton that - it wasn't really important, after all, - but she knew that a part of the reason she told him was because she wanted to speak to him just a little longer, to prove that she wasn't evil incarnate. “Oh, um, I would, but I didn't bring anything with me to work with, I'd planned to work on it in the Slytherin common room.” She shifted a bit, uncertain, but nodded. “I'll leave you to your work, Ashton.”

Michael grinned as he listened to each comment Nerissa made about the separate colors. He loved seeing each reaction and listening to every opinion she had about each color, just wanting to keep everything going, wanting to keep Nerissa happy. And, after hearing her favorite color, his grinned broadened and, as he watched her twirl her hair, his heart swelling happily with the sight, he let his hair change to lilac for her. “There. Better?” he asked teasingly, arching a brow as he examined her, hoping that she liked the color - and, if she liked the color, then he would keep it so that she would always get a chance to see her favorite color as often as possible. He chuckled, though, as he listened to her. “It's really fun to experiment with, too,” he admitted, “And I just love the thought that you seem to enjoy it so much.” And he meant it, he truly did. When she squeezed his hand and ducked her head, his heart swelled in the fondest way possible and he ran his thumb over her knuckles absentmindedly. “Do you want to learn it now?” He arched a brow, shifting closer, ready to teach her if she wanted to, but he offered a small nod to her words. “We should…” he admitted quietly before he sighed, “Umbridge isn't teaching us practical magic, though. We'll have to learn on our own, if we want to stay safe.” And if he wanted to protect Nerissa, he'd have to work extra hard. He knew, of course, that she could protect herself, but he wanted to be able to do what he could to make it safer for her.

Isadora looked to Calum with a hard gaze as. "I wouldn't put it past you to use an unforgivable curse, Calum. You're an unforgivable human, it just makes sense you would be a heartless git." She retaliated easily. "But if that's what you want to do, then do it, I dare you. I'm right here, there's no teachers, now is your perfect chance, seeing as you're so set on my death anyway." And although her words only sparked anxiety all throughout her body, Isadora waited with baited breath for the Slytherin boy to make any kind of move - if he withdrew his wand, then so would she. When he shot back just as easily though, Isadora sighed, tightening the braid her hair was in, an anxious tick she did sometimes. Feeling her shoulders slump in defeat, Isadora averted her gaze, hating that, indeed, he'd won that round. "Yes, well, continue being smug. I'm not allowing you to have the upperhand like the brat you are." She warned lowly, and when she caught sight of his broad grin, Isadora blinked in surprise, hating herself because his smile was the most incredible thing on the planet and in the stars. Ignoring the latter of his rebuttal, Isadora shifted, waiting for Elise and not even returning Calum's words, feeling her heart clench in her chest.

Luke chuckled with Elise's response to him, and as much as he wanted to keep up his horrid attitude, he couldn't help but admire her fiery temper, because god damn it, she suited it so well. He wondered if the red hair had a part to play. "All talk, no action, Weasley." He cooed in a baby voice, wanting to annoy her as much as he could, but his voice dropped dangerously low as he spoke once more. "If you set me on fire, I'll make sure you burn with me, make no mistake." And as threatening as Luke sounded in that moment, he knew he could never bring himself to actually do any harm to Elise, because as fun as the facade was to keep up sometimes, Luke couldn't deny that being so cruel constantly was beginning to wear him down a little, because this was the woman he was so desperately in love with. He'd watched her grow alongside him, he'd watched her hair get longer, watched her grow into her confidence and become popular and accepted by her peers, and Luke loved it, he loved her. Luke wanted nothing more than to stay there, to interact with Elise, and if only he could, he'd tell her everything that was beginning to weigh his heart down. How he loved her. How he wanted what she had, how he envied her. "Imagine how proud poor Arthur and Molly would be if their precious, baby daughter was expelled from Hogwarts." Luke stuck out his lower lip in a feigned pout, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly. "Mind you, your Father would adore it if you went to a muggle school, wouldn't he?" Luke shot coolly.

Ashton noticed Honoria ducking his head, and he couldn't help but sigh slightly, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Seeing her arms tighten around the books he'd retrieved for her, Ashton was reminded of the day they met, during the ride on the Hogwarts Express on their very first day, how anxious she seemed then too, and the conversation that followed was full of laughter and smiles, and Ashton couldn't help but wonder if blood status really was so important to her that it ruined the chance of anything ever happening between them, remembering how when he told her his parents were both muggles - still a strange word to him - she'd gone silent and distant, and Ashton's chest constricted sadly with the memory. When Honoria spoke though, Ashton focused entirely on her, eyes watching her lips as she spoke. "I'm sure you'll do well." Ashton offered another smile, wishing he wasn't so bloody awkward, wanting to prolong the conversation. He hadn't seen this side of Honoria in years, and as much as he adored her attitude, he missed this part of her more. When Honoria revealed she wouldn't be working in the library, Ashton tried his best not to look crestfallen, but he didn't dare ask her to stay. "Right," he nodded, ducking his a little, shifting on his feet, wanting her to stay by his side, because she always seemed to bring him peace. "I'll see you soon, Honoria." He sat back down, picking up his quill.

Nerissa couldn't help the way her eyes lit up when she saw Michael change his hair to a striking lilac colour, admiring how he wore it so well. Smiling, Nerissa studied him carefully. "Much better." She teased back, having no qualms in doing so, knowing she and Michael were close enough to do so. "Lilac looks wonderful on you, Michael." And Nerissa was convinced that Michael had made her favourite colour so much better, more interesting. Listening to Michael intently as she sat cross legged beside him, she smiled. "I do enjoy it." She confirmed. "It's fun. And self expression is important." She looked to him then, as she felt his thumb run over her knuckles, but hearing his offer, Nerissa nodded. "As long as you have nowhere important to be." She smiled, not wanting to keep Michael from his studies, not wanting to hold him back in any way. Listening to Michael's sigh though, Nerissa could almost hear the worry in his voice, and she knew this was something that would linger on everyone's minds throughout the school year. "Hey," she murmured softly. "If we're going to learn by ourselves, maybe there's safety in numbers. Maybe you should talk about this to Harry." Nerissa suggested with a small smile. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wouldn't stand a chance if Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws put our heads together."

Calum arched a brow as he listened to Isadora’s words and he offered an amused smirk, despite it feeling forced on his lips. “Oh, there’s that word again. Heartless. Carve that into your memory, would you?” he told her easily in response as he examined her for a few moments, though his heart, which was very much there, twisted painfully in his chest. “Don’t test me, Isadora. I’ve been on good behavior so far, would hate to just throw that away because of some annoying little half-blood, who thinks she’s so smart. But I’ll only allow myself to be pushed so far.” And, though he smirked, he could feel an anxiety swirling through him in too much of a rush for him to really process it easily, too worried about the possibility of Isadora ever getting hurt. And just talking about it made it feel like it could become a reality any day - although, certainly not by his own hand. When he saw her tighten her braid, though, he felt his heart drop to his stomach, because he knew what it meant, and he could register the defeat in her when her shoulders slumped and she averted her gaze. “You say that, but I’m certain I’ll always have the upperhand. It seems to be staying on my side, after all.” Tilting his head, he examined her, wishing, more than anything, that he could take every cruel word he’d ever said to her back, that he could fix everything he’d ever done to her, that he could change everything awful she’d ever felt because of him, but he couldn’t. He had to keep pretending.

“You say no action like I didn’t just punch you this morning,” Elise replied back easily, settling an annoyed glare on Luke as she watched him, her jaw clenching slightly. The more he spoke, the more she struggled to understand what she saw in him at all - but, she knew why she’d fallen for this asshole. If Thorn hadn’t snuck off and Luke hadn’t brought him back, perhaps the feelings Elise had for Luke would have never formed in the first place, and she wished she could forget that moment, if only to be able to forget what she felt about the boy who only spoke awful, vile things about her friends, her family, and her. “It’d be worth it, Hemmings,” she told him in return, watching him, though her fists clenched tightly at her side as she listened to Luke. When she heard him talk about her parents, though, she made her way closer to him and stared up at him. “Leave my parents’ names out of your disgusting, filth-ridden mouth, Hemmings,” she warned quietly, her eyes narrowing as she watched him. “You don’t know them, and you have no idea how wonderful they are - despite everything, they would even be kind to you, when you don’t deserve it.” And, moving away, she grabbed Isadora’s hand carefully before shoving past Luke to walk away.

Honoria shifted a few times back and forth on her feet as she tried to focus on anything other than the way her heart was pounding anxiously in her chest, and she chewed on her lip as she listened quietly to Ashton, and she offered a small, weak smile up at him with his encouragement but, when she realized what she’d done, she quickly forced it away and straightened, trying to remind herself of who she was. She was Honoria Quincy, a proud Slytherin from an even prouder family, and she certainly couldn’t let herself continue to hold affections for a boy she could never have - a boy who certainly didn’t want her, anyway, after the way she treated him and with the fact that she was a Slytherin, and everybody hated Slytherins, even Ashton. “Thank you,” she said eventually, nodding slowly, “I plan to.” And, she did. She had to. She watched him, though, as he went to sit down, and she shifted on her own, wishing that she could come up with some excuse to stay there, her mind searching for any possibilities, but she was drawing a blank - but she still didn’t want to leave just yet. “Good luck on what you’re working on, Ashton,” she murmured as she watched him, but she eventually forced herself to turn to head to the end of the book section.

Michael grinned broadly when he saw the way Nerissa reacted to the color change, loving the way she lit up, though he chuckled lowly when she teased him. “In that case, I’ll certainly keep it,” he decided with a broad grin, wanting her to know how much her opinion meant to him and how much he wanted to make her happy. Seeing her happy meant the world to him, and knowing that he brought about that happiness made everything all that much better, because he felt such a strong sense of pride with it all. She was perfection, in every way, and he swore that her happiness was the most important thing to him. “Do you express yourself in any way?” he asked with curiosity, wondering if, perhaps, she was artistic, or if she expressed herself in writing, or through reading, or simply through her words - and her words always amazed him, always drew his attention, caused him to focus fully on her in every way. “I definitely have nowhere important to be,” he assured her with a grin, nodding slightly, though he chewed on his lip for a moment, rolling her words around in his mind, a small sense of jealousy forming in him with the mention of Harry. He knew Harry had an adoration for Nerissa, after all, but Michael wanted her love for himself. “I’ll talk to him about it,” he decided eventually, figuring it would be better if he talked to Harry instead of her; at least Harry couldn’t fawn over her that way.