tell me you feel it

George was proud to say that, so far, the new school year was going off without a hitch. Or, at least, without too many hitches. In fact, George could admit that this year was shaping up to be quite exciting - after all, the Triwizard Tournament was taking place this year and Hogwarts was hosting it. He and Fred were even trying to come up with a way to get their names into that damned Goblet. The two most notable hitches, in George’s opinion, though? Well, one was that he still had to deal with Professor Snape for Potions - in fact, it was where he was heading now, since his break between classes was coming to an end. Fred was at his side and, while they joked the whole way there, George’s attention was easily taken away from his twin brother when the second hitch to his year came into view - a beauty by the name of Adela Horance. For as long as the Weasley twin could remember, he’d held an adoration for the girl, but he was highly aware of what her family thought of his; any run-ins in Diagon Alley usually ended in cruel words tossed about. This particular hitch in the year had nothing to do with his feelings for Adela, but rather the fact that he couldn’t tell her how he felt about her, so certain she wouldn’t return the feelings, and partially worried that she thought of him the same way her family did. Shaking the thought aside, he still couldn’t help but to grin. “Good evening, Adela, looking as refreshed as always,” he chimed as he and Fred passed her and he couldn’t help but to look over his shoulder at her as they drew closer to the Potions classroom, not really wanting to take his eyes off of her.

Sienna hadn’t ever really thought she was anything special until she received her acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when she was eleven. Before that, strange things had happened around her, sure, but she would have been much quicker to accept the notion of a poltergeist or something haunting her than she would have been at the thought that she possessed magical abilities. Her family, of course, had been normal, everyday people, with no magical abilities at all - which made her a muggleborn, she’d come to learn. Prior to arriving at Hogwarts, she hadn’t known anything about the separate houses, so, when she was placed in Gryffindor, she was more excited about the warm welcome she received from the other students in the House than she had been about the House she’d been placed in. And, now, in her Fourth Year, Sienna had been caught by surprise again with the knowledge of a Triwizard Tournament. She didn’t know anything about it, but Hermione, apparently, had done research and had been quick to explain all the details that she could. Sienna had hung onto every word, always finding herself shocked by the magical world, but more so shocked by Hermione’s vast knowledge. By now, she’d parted ways with most of her friends to head to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Slipping into a seat, she peered around, waiting for Emilia and Nova to show up, though she knew Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared this class, too - along with one Draco Malfoy, whom she didn’t even want to think about, because she knew where her thoughts would take her.

Calum walked alongside Luke and Draco, his head held high, his Slytherin tie neat around his neck, even if his sleeves were rolled up casually and his wand was being twirled in his hand as he walked. He was looking forward to classes, but only for one real reason - Emilia Wallace. The girl was a Hufflepuff and she’d caught his eye their first year, but he knew it wasn’t the best idea to have feelings for the girl. Of course, he knew he could do worse; he could be in love with a damn Gryffindor instead. While Calum had his cruel streak, he usually did his best not to throw that cruelty in Emilia’s direction, aside from when he joined in with his friends, of course. “I think this year is going to be an interesting one,” he mentioned with a small smirk, peering over at his friends as he arched a brow, beyond grateful that bloody Crabbe and Goyle weren’t with them. They were oafs, dumb and dull, and he didn’t understand Draco’s friendship with them, and Calum certainly preferred it when the two weren’t around. Still, as they continued to walk to Defense Against the Dark Arts, his mind wandered back to Emilia and he couldn’t help but wonder how this year was going to go. He knew her father had been fired from the Ministry of Magic by his father, though he didn’t know the details of the dismissal. But, he wondered how she was dealing with that, whether her father losing his job was having any sort of effect on her home life - and how it would affect the year. Shaking the thought aside to try to rid himself of any negative thoughts, he smirked. “Think we’ll learn anything worth actually knowing in class today?”

Nova was running late, she knew she was, but she’d gotten so caught up with talking to Nearly Headless Nick that she hadn’t really noticed the time. She’d had a fondness for most of the ghosts of Hogwarts ever since before she even attended, having grown up hearing the stories of how each of them became ghosts, and silly stories of the different ghosts that represented the Houses. She’d heard many of those stories with her best friend at the time, Luke Hemmings. Ever since they’d gotten sorted into different Houses, though - him to Slytherin and her to Gryffindor, - they hadn’t even had a civil conversation, and it bothered her more than she cared to admit. Shaking her head, she offered a weak smile to Nick. “Sorry, Nick, I best be off,” she informed and, quickly, she gathered her things before she took off at a run to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hopefully, she could still make it in time; she knew plenty of shortcuts, thankfully, and she used every single one. As she drew closer to the class, she could see Luke with his new friends - she tried to ignore the bitter ache that swelled in her chest at the sight - and quickly rushed passed them. “Excuse me, coming through!” she called quickly before skidding around the corner to run into the classroom, panting but grinning victoriously. “Sienna!” she called before making her way over quickly to take a seat, though she blinked, peering around. “Huh, I guess Emilia’s not here yet.” She pouted, but she was worried about her friend, hoping everything was okay.

All Summer - since she left the Hogwarts Express, really; Adela had been looking forward to returning to Hogwarts. The castle had become somewhat of a sanctuary to Adela, somewhere where she could leave behind her family's silly, outdated ideologies and flourish in an environment that she thrived in. Hogwarts had always been so amazing, and she was sure, one of the things that made it so was George Weasley. The Horance family had always disliked the Weasleys, but Adela was quite fond of the family. They treated each other - and others - with such wonderful kindness and acceptance, and Adela wished that she could be a part of a family as loving as that. She couldn't remember the last time her Mother had hugged her, and yet, boarding the Hogwarts Express this year, Mrs Weasley had embraced Fred, George, Ron and Ginny with such adoration, Adela couldn't help but admire it. Smiling to herself, Adela quickly found her Potions book in the bag she carried - mostly full of books she read for pleasure rather than work - and as she held it to her chest to keep it safe for her lesson with Professor Severus Snape, Adela heard her name being called and she smiled widely when she registered the familiar voice as George. "Well, good evening, George." She giggled slightly as he and his twin walked past, biting her lip. She'd always harboured a crush towards the tall red head, and this year was no different. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she watched the twins, and she shook her head in amusement. "Not so bad yourself." She called with a grin.

Draco Malfoy had power around Hogwarts, and he knew it. His Father was of influence in the Ministry, and Draco held that with pride, and although sometimes he could become a little boastful, Draco knew that he was untouchable to every student who wasn't worthy of his presence or attention. The one he did find worthy, however, was Sienna Clark - a girl he had long fallen in love with. The pair had grown up in the same small town with nothing to do, and despite the difference in upbringing - with the Malfoys' arrogance and the Clark's humble attitude towards life - the two managed to strike up a friendship built on strength and genuine enjoyment of the others' company, and the older they got, the more Draco fell. Everything turned around when the two turned eleven, both receiving their acceptance letters for Hogwarts. Draco's, of course, had been expected, Sienna's hadn't, but Draco was thrilled all the same. He would be able to see his best friend all year, instead of just during the Summer holidays; but when she'd been sorted into Gryffindor, Draco felt all of his hopes fall. Sienna was now considered someone that was filthier than dirt, especially with muggle parents and no prior knowledge to the wizarding world. Knowing Sienna would be in his next class, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Draco knew he had to get himself into the right frame of mind, cocky and cold, to face her at all. "Of course not, Calum." Draco snickered, waving a hand of dismissal with amusement. "Mad Eye Moody's a bloody useless auror, never mind a professor!" Draco laughed, nudging Luke. "And with the Triwizard Tournament being this year, I doubt anyone will want to focus on lousy magic when there's so much more excitement going on. Who knows, we might finally get rid of Potter this year, once and for all!" Draco smirked, leading the way into the classroom as he ignored the idiot that was Nova Thorne rushing past them, head held high and silver and green tie against his chest; almost an emblem of his pride, although that pride almost faltered when he saw Sienna, because even after all this time, she was still all he craved - not that he'd ever admit to it out loud, but God, Sienna was perfection, and Draco wanted her to be his.

Luke walked by the sides of his friends with a newfound sense of pride, hands stuffed into his pockets as he grinned, golden curls tied into a top knot and Slytherin tie perfect against his white shirt. Luke had been falling back into the routine of attending Hogwarts, and to say he was grateful to be back where he considered home was an understatement - he missed the castle, and the biggest reason was because it was the only time he could catch a glance at Nova Thorne - the girl he once considered to be his best friend, the one he couldn't live without. Of course, with a friendship as close as theirs came a love that was something Luke came to embrace, a love that Luke still harboured within his chest, although he wouldn't admit to it. The two had grown up in a seaside town, where all that was left to do was explore, and Luke and Nova had considered themselves to be the next big thing. But when they'd both received their acceptance letters to Hogwarts, both as thrilled for their best friend as they were for themselves (they were inseperable already, imagine the possibilities!), come the beginning of term, things had changed. Luke had been sorted into Slytherin, where Nova had been sorted into the rival house, Gryffindor. Luke was disappointed, of course he was, but he never bothered to continue holding Nova to the highest regard he once held her, because she was one of them now. She'd found her friends, her feet, and he'd found his, and although his heart burned in his chest, yearning for her, he knew he had to grow up and ignore it. And with the Triwizard Tournament being hosted by Hogwarts this year, Luke was grateful for the distraction. Hearing Calum Hood's words though, Luke smirked. "Please, this class is absolutely useless." Luke drawled with a bored tone, the amusement on his face giving him away. "Remus Lupin was useless last year, and Moody will be useless this year. The perfect excuse to procrastinate and focus on what's more important."And when he heard a voice, so familiar from the space it held in his memory, he felt someone rush past him, and sure enough, his gaze landed on Nova and he rolled his eyes. "Watch where you're going, for God's sake!" Luke called back.

Emilia had been looking forward to coming back to Hogwarts, in fact, it was all she'd anticipated all Summer. But now that she was finally here, she felt nothing but guilt for not being at home to help her parents. Her Father had lost his job at the Ministry not even two weeks prior to the beginning of term, and life had been difficult, to say the least. Emilia and her five siblings had to go without meals, and as much as Emilia tried to fight against her Mother and Father, insisting she'd rather get a job than go back to school, they both dismissed her and told her that education was important, and they'd be fine - and although they'd told her not to worry, Emilia knew she'd spend the year doing just that. Stepping out of Professor McGonagall's office, having spent her break between classes speaking to the kind woman, Emilia wiped her tears with the back of her hands, sniffling as she tried to regain her confidence - but still, she couldn't bring herself to hold her head high, because there was no point. She was sure she looked a mess, anyway, crying always left her looking a little flushed. Treading quickly to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, not wanting to get on the bad side of Mad Eye Moody, Emilia fanned her hands in front of her face in a lame attempt to dry her tears. Shoving past Calum Hood - the boy of the man who got her Father dismissed by the minister himself - and his idiot friends, Emilia found Nova and Sienna easily, sitting beside them and resting her head on Sienna's shoulder, trying not to allow for fresh tears to fall. "Hi." She murmured softly, looking to her friends, offering a weak smile.

George couldn’t stop the grin that formed on his lips when he heard Adela, his heart swelling with the sound of her giggle, swearing her voice in general was the sweetest sound he could ever hear, and he wanted to hear it always. “You think so?” he asked teasingly, winking playfully at her, “Careful there, Adela, I might start thinking you fancy me.” Merlin, how he wished such a thing was true, though - if he could have somebody as kind and gorgeous as Adela on his arm, especially when she already held his heart in her hands and occupied his mind in ways that he hadn’t even imagined were possible, he’d be the happiest man alive, he just knew it. But, he was well aware that he was undeserving of her; she came from a much better family with a much better background and pedigree. She deserved the best of the best, and she deserved everything that came with it, and he knew he could never provide any of that. That didn’t stop him from wishing and hoping and dreaming, though. “Looking forward to the year?”

Calum chuckled quietly along with his friends, finding it easy to agree with them, because they each made notable points. “Least it’s not Care of Magical Creatures with that oaf,” he joked lightly in return, smirking slightly, not bothering to hide his cruel thoughts of Hagrid - the man was a buffoon, the fact that anybody would ever approve of him as a professor was ridiculous at best. Shaking his head, he settled his gaze ahead. “This whole school is a joke at this point, it’s pathetic.” He scoffed lowly, shaking his head. “Dumbledore’s having a blast putting the whole student body in danger with every new professor he whips up.” As he spoke, though, he spotted Adela brushing past them, and his brows furrowed slightly when he swore he saw tears on her cheeks - what the bloody hell was that about? He couldn’t ask about it, though, not with his friends in tow. Either she’d think it was for a joke, or his friends would use it as an opportunity to torment the girl and make her cry more, and he wasn’t interested in putting her in a position like that.

Nova only waved Luke off when she heard him calling after her, scoffing, because the last thing she wanted was to hear his voice. It shot a pain through her that she didn’t want to acknowledge - surely, she was over their friendship and anything she’d ever felt for the boy, wasn’t she? It’d been years and she’d accepted that nothing would ever be the same between them, they could never go back to being friends or even polite to each other. Scoffing again with the thought, she settled into her seat, but she blinked, looking over when she realized that Emilia had joined them, though her expression softened when she spotted the concerning way Emilia appeared. “Are you alright?” she asked gently, leaning over a bit so that they could speak quietly without the troublesome Slytherins overhearing, certain they’d try to start trouble if they overheard anything or saw the shape Emilia was in.

Sienna blinked when she felt Emilia rest her head on her shoulder and she peered at her friend with concern, the action bringing her to reality, especially when something like this meant that something was troubling Emilia in some way. “Hey,” she greeted quietly, eyeing her for a few moments, a concerned frown settling on her features. “What’s wrong? Did somebody do something? Was it one of those morons?” She didn’t dare look towards the morons that she was speaking of, not wanting to attract their attention and make things worse for Emilia, but she was certain Emilia knew just who she was talking about. “Is there anything we can do?”

Adela shook her head with a giggle as George shot her a wink, and she cursed herself for a moment as she felt her cheeks burn bright with the blush she knew George could see. Readjusting her grip on her book, Adela smiled. "Well, George, I think you should be the one being careful, you charmer. You'll get all of the girls in the castle fancying you." She winked, playing the boy at his own game. Catching the boy up, Adela hummed with his question. "Definitely," she confirmed, although she couldn't quite tell George why she liked being in school far more than she liked being at home. "I just... have a good feeling." Adela peered up at George then. "How about you, are you looking forward?" She nudged him gently, silver and green tie done flawlessly around her neck. "Any pranks in store this year?" She arched an eyebrow.

Luke frowned as Nova waved a hand dismissively at his words. "Freak," he murmured, ensuring that Nova would hear him, before immersing himself back into the conversation his fellow Slytherins were having, although, he couldn't quite focus on their words. He felt the pull that Nova had on him, and he hated it, he hated that even after all of this time, she still had this hold on him thathe couldn't quite shake off. Exhaling, Luke tried, once again, to immerse himself in the conversation. "Hagrid," he scoffed. "This school is taught by fools, I'm telling you. And they all favour one house in particular, it's no wonder Slytherin has lost it's greatness." Luke glared at Nova with his words as he stepped into the classroom, quickly finding his seat with his classmates, at the back of the class, where they were free to discuss anyone they wanted to without punishment. "This class is pathetic." He murmured. "Full of mudbloods."

Draco nodded in approval of Luke's words. "You're completely right, Luke. Slytherin has lost it's greatness because they allow filth to walk through the doors." And his gaze, then, full to Sienna, and although the beauty was enough to cause his heart to thump in his chest with a mixture of uncertainty and excitement, he had to stand his ground and keep the ideology he'd been taught his whole life: he was the top of the food chain, and everyone else was below him, merely waiting to be caught within his web. He had to claw his way to the top, with his father's help, and it was there he'd stay. "Oi," he smirked to himself then, in the mood to cause trouble. "What do you reckon Wallace is crying about?" He snickered towards his friends. "The girl's an airhead, maybe she finally got kicked out of Hogwarts - Sienna next." And as the words left his mouth, Draco could admit to himself that they left the worst of tastes, because he knew his life at school wouldn't be that good without seeing the angelic face, feeling the most wonderful presence, that was Sienna.

Emilia sniffled as her friends surrounded her, cheeks damp with tears as she used the sleeve of her shirt to dry her eyes. "Dad's lost his job at the Ministry." She spoke quietly, her voice breaking under the weight of her tears, and each time she blinked, more tears seemed to escape from the surface of her eyes. "Mr Hood spinned some sort of stupid lie, and his boss ate it up." Emilia let out a shuddered breath. "The fact that my mother's a muggle didn't help. I might have to return home to help him and my mother with my brothers, there'll be no food on the table otherwise." Emilia wiped her eyes again, glaring over to Calum, wondering if he had any part to play in it all. "I don't know what to do, girls." Emilia sniffled, ducking her head.

George grinned as he listened to Adela, and he watched her for a long moment, debating on whether to say what he was thinking or not. Eventually, he decided to just go for it - he was never one to hold his tongue, after all, or to keep his thoughts to himself, and he saw no real reason to start now, especially when it came to the beauty that was Adela. “Well, you happen to be the only girl in this castle I wish to gain favor and fancy from,” he teased lightly, nudging her when she caught up to him, though he listened to her quietly, humming. “I do hope that good feeling proves to be true.” Peering down at her, he admired her with a fond grin but nodded. “I am looking forward to it, yes - we have the whole year’s pranks planned out already.”

Sienna watched Emilia with concern, though she wasn’t sure what to say to her friend or how to make things any easier for her. “We’ll always be here for you, Em,” she offered gently, watching her with concern, her expression softening. “And we’ll try to help out any way we can. All you have to do is say the word.” She knew there wasn’t much either of them could do, but she also knew that neither of them would just leave Emilia to suffer in her current misery, not so long as they could try to help.

Nova paused when she heard Luke’s insult and, while she tried not to show how much it bothered her, she could feel her shoulders sink, her resolve faltering. Luke had been her closest friend once upon a time, her first love, but now all she felt when it came to him was pain. Chewing on her lip with the thought, she tried to focus on Sienna and Emilia, listening to Emilia quietly. “I’m sure your father will find another job before you know it,” she murmured gently, “Or even your mum. Probably nothing too fancy at first, but at least something to tide your family over until a better opportunity comes along - the Ministry is a terribly boring job, anyway, full of people just as hateful as Slytherins.”

Calum shook his head slightly as he listened to his friends, snorting quietly. “What do you expect when you have Dumbledore as the headmaster?” he asked with a quiet, annoyed scoff, because Dumbledore picked favorites at every turn. It never turned out well for the Slytherins because of that, but there wasn’t much that any of them could really do. Regardless, his gaze went back to Emilia when he heard Draco’s question, though he didn’t laugh along with his friend, not able to force himself to when she seemed so upset - and, when he caught sight of her glaring, he arched a brow. “Dunno, but whatever it is, by the way she’s glaring at me, I’m assuming she’s decided that it’s my fault.” He scoffed, empathetic for the girl but annoyed and bothered with her glare.