up to no good

Ember was looking forward to returning to school for her Seventh and final year - once this year ended, she could start pursuing her future easier, even if she still wasn’t entirely sure where her future would lead. Eager to begin the year, she made her way to the Great Hall, certain she’d run into her friends along the way. Spotting fellow Gryffindor, Luke Hemmings, up ahead, she smiled and picked up her pace to catch up to him. “Oi, Luke,” she greeted - she wasn’t particularly close to him, but they tended to hang around the same crowd, so she was familiar enough with him that she didn’t mind initiating an interaction, at least. “Ready for the new year?” She arched a brow once she was close enough, watching him for a moment, curious about what his plan for his future was, but also allowing herself to admire him for a moment. Anybody who looked at Luke could see he was attractive, but he was also kind, from what she’d witnessed, and he never ceased to amaze her in those instances. “How was your summer?”

Michael took in the sight of the Hogwarts castle as he walked, admiring his surroundings, because he knew this was his last year to really appreciate the school. But, acknowledging that meant he had to acknowledge that it was also his last year to earn a certain Slytherin's attention and affection and admit to his feelings for her - that certain Slytherin being Euphemia Smith meant that he had his work cut out for him. She was a brilliant girl and he wished that she could see that she could be so much better than what she was letting herself be. He knew there was something better in her, a spark that was alight within her, even if she chose to ignore it. Breathing out a sigh, he did his best to focus on the positive: he was back at Hogwarts, where his friends were, and it was their last year. With the thought, he lifted his gaze and spotted Luke and Ember and offered a smile as he approached, throwing his arms around their shoulders. "Morning, you two," he greeted with a broad grin despite his earlier thoughts. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted fellow Hufflepuffs Astoria Spedding and Rosie Dawkins, and he grinned. "Oi, speed it up, will ya?" he teased the two.

Rowan did her best to avoid drawing attention to herself as she walked, because the last thing she needed was to run into Ashton freaking Irwin and his goons - as long as she just avoided attention, it should be fairly easy to avoid Ashton noticing her this year. Or, she hoped so, at least. But, she also knew how much Ashton enjoyed tormenting and torturing any muggleborn, and she was aware that she seemed to be his favorite target, his favorite victim, and she hated it. As a Ravenclaw Prefect, she knew she shouldn't be as wary, but the title didn't bring her much comfort. Spotting Calum up ahead, she quickened her pace a bit to catch up to her friend and fellow Ravenclaw Prefect. "Nice to be back, isn't it?" she asked quietly, offering an apologetic but amused smile when Calum jumped. "Sorry."

Calum's hands were stuffed into his pocket, his Prefect badge resting proudly on his cloak as he walked, taking in the sight of everything, but he could admit, he was looking for one person in particular: Astoria Spedding. The Hufflepuff girl was beautiful, both inside and out, and he was eager to see her after a whole summer without being in her presence. He was hyper-aware that, after this year, there was a chance he'd never see her again, and he absolutely hated the idea of going the rest of his life without Astoria implanted into his usual daily routines. Chewing on his lip with the thought, he made the decision there and then: this year would be the year that he told Astoria how he felt. The only problem was, well… He had no clue how to go about doing that, because she deserved the most amazing things, and he knew he had to figure out how to make everything perfect. When he heard somebody's voice, though, he jumped and looked to Rowan, making a slight face, but he smiled. "Yeah, it is," he said eventually, and he opened his mouth to speak more, but he saw their friend up ahead, his heart swelling at the sight of Astoria. "Good morning, you lot."

Aveline sat outside the Great Hall, waiting for her friends, because she wasn't all that eager to enter the Great Hall alone - she always felt safer, more comfortable, with her friends nearby, especially when it came to many of the Slytherins in the school. The only Slytherin in the school who didn't seem to have a cruel bone in his body was Harry Styles; in fact, Harry tended to stand up for many who were being bullied, even when he had to stand up to his friends. It was an admirable, brave trait, and Aveline honestly thought Harry would have suited Gryffindor. Regardless, she was grateful for his existence, in ways that she wasn't quite ready to admit to herself, much less to him, but she knew this was also their last year, which meant she wouldn't get another chance once they graduated at the end of the school year. Pulling away from her thoughts, she spotted her friends and smiled as she stood up, waving at them. "Took you lot long enough," she called teasingly.

Louis walked leisurely with his fellow Slytherins, his friends, his gaze wandering the halls as they walked, his eyes searching for the same girl his gaze always seeked out - Rosie Dawkins. Everything about Rosie set Louis' life on a course he couldn't deny, even though he had to, and all he wanted was to end this year with her as his, even though he knew that was an incredibly impossible feat. After all, why would Rosie ever want to be with him after everything he and his friends put her and her friends through? Frowning to himself, he wondered if there was a chance of changing that, of fixing it - and, he knew that, if he was going to be able to do that at all, it had to be done this year, before she was completely out of his life. "I'm already ready for this year to end," he complained lightly despite his thoughts and inner turmoil, looking to his friends, "Tell me you lot have some big plans on how to spend this year or how to celebrate it ending when we graduate." He wasn't too interested, honestly; he just really wanted to get his mind off of Rosie, at the very least, no matter what it took.

Luke Hemmings had just taken a particularly large mouthful of pumpkin juice when he heard the familiar melodic voice of Ember Holt greeting him, and he mentally cursed himself for not buying anything from the sweet trolley while on the Hogwarts Express to curb his thirst. Swallowing quickly, although some juice trickling down his chin untidily, Luke lifted his hand in a wave. "You alright, Ember?" Luke offered a shy smile as he wiped his chin with the sleeve of his robe, cheeks tinted red with embarrassment. "You sitting down? Could use some company, I haven't seen anyone yet." Luke rolled his eyes jokingly, tucking a stray curl of sandy blonde hair behind his ear as he studied the brunette beauty, appreciating just how she seemed to change every summer. Luke wasn't close to Ember - not by any means - but Luke was comfortable to talk to her; because he was comfortable to talk to anyone, but he would always give a little extra attention to Ember, and he wondered if she ever noticed. "I'm definitely ready." Luke nodded, although he was a little sad that it was their final year in the most wonderful place. "Summer was brilliant, I spent time with my niece." Luke smiled fondly then, turning to focus his attention on Ember completely, because she deserved to have all of his attention - all of anyone's attention. "How about you, anything good happen?" Although as Michael threw an arm around his shoulder, Luke laughed, poking Michael in the side. "Oi." And nodding a greeting as his friends as they began to pool around with a dimpled grin, Luke was really glad to be where he felt he truly belonged. "Ladies."

Euphemia Smith walked alongside her fellow Slytherins with the grace and the pride only someone as privileged as herself could, and tucking a strand of white-blonde hair behind her ear, Euphemia couldn't help but immerse herself in the surroundings of the Great Hall - majestic as always. It certainly was good to be back, even if this year was the last she could enjoy the freedom that she felt within the walls. "It certainly is good to be back, isn't it?" Euphemia looked to her fellow Slytherins, grateful to have her tight knit group of friends - as long as she had them, she didn't need anyone else, although her mind quickly wandered as she heard the voice of dimwit Michael Clifford, Hufflepuff and constantly optimistic to a point where it was exhausting. Looking over to him, Euphemia rolled her eyes as she spotted the boy with his arms around his equally dimwitted friends. Shifting closer to her friends, Euphemia smoothed out her skirt and shoved past Michael as the approached. "Watch where you're going, will you?" She frowned, turning to look at him with a bored expression and frown. "You'll taint my robes." And flicking her hair over her shoulder to catch up to her friends, Euphemia huffed, wiping her robes as if they were dirty. "Bloody mudbloods."

Ashton could admit: he was sometimes a little too confident, but who wouldn't be? His grades were always on top, his friends were pure and worthy of wizardry, his family were known across the wizarding world - of course, not always in a good way, but still, his name was known, and that's all that mattered. Summer had been long, having been preparing for his future outside of Hogwarts, and he had the schedule memorised. He must marry a fellow Slytherin; Euphemia Smith, a close friend of his, had been hand picked, find a job within the ministry with Scorpius Malfoy and strive for Minister of magic - and Ashton's first signed document would be to keep Hogwarts for the purebloods only. That thought brought only one person to mind: Rowan Chandler, a mudblood Ravenclaw who Ashton, regretably, found himself to be incredibly fond of. Hazel eyes looking from table to table; Ashton's lips grew to a smirk as he caught sight of her with her foolish group of friends, rolling his eyes at the sight of them. "Oi, Rowan!" Ashton sneered, voice louder than the rest, and as he studied her, he noticed the Prefect badge on her robes, and he felt a strange mixture of jealousy and admiration within his chest. "A mudblood as a prefect?" Ashton scoffed. "What an insult to the world of wizardry. Your lot should be purged from this school once and for all." Ashton smirked. "Maybe this year will be the one, eh?"

Astoria tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, glad to be back at Hogwarts, the welcoming scent of food enough to make her tummy gurgle in curiosity. Her summer had been uneventful, enough for the sixteen year old to beg for the beginning of the school year to arrive quickly; and now that it had finally arrived, she was glad to be reunited with her friends - but one person in particular was the center of Astoria's keen attitude - Calum Hood. Biting her lip with the thought of the handsome, golden skinned boy she'd been crushing on for as long as she could remember, Astoria rolled her eyes at Michael Clifford's eager attitude, and she quickened her pace, her heart swelling with the sight of her friends, all happy, healthy and ready for the new academic year ahead. "Good morning, loves." Astoria chirped, standing beside Calum before anyone else could beat her to the best spot in the Great Hall. "I have a feeling this year's going to be a good one." She rested her hands on Aveline's shoulders protectively, always seeking to look after her friends. "Who's with me?"

Harry Styles could say, with great pride, that he wasn't a conventional Slytherin. He didn't want to conform to the stereotype that seemed to follow the serpent like an unwanted curse; that each member of the house was cruel and unforgiving and believed in purity - but Harry would never believe such filth, and in the back of his mind, in the deepest pit of his stomach, he knew his friends wouldn't - and didn't - either; they just wanted to fit in. Looking over to his group of friends with the thought, Harry exhaled as he listened to Ashton, grabbing the boy by the ear. "C'mon Ashton, you've had your fun, leave Rowan alone." Harry lead Ashton to the Slytherin table with a smile that seemed to highlight his dimples, and looking over his shoulder to Rowan and her friends, Harry couldn't help but notice Aveline, a beautiful Gryffindor that seemed to have an aura of beauty and grace surrounding her. Forcing Ashton to sit down, Harry still didn't let go of his friends' ear, too enamoured by Aveline to notice that his friends seemed to be behaving. When Ashton began to complain, Harry let go of his ear and sat next to his friend, listening to Louis' words with an amused expression, although his ears were red from his bashful nature. "No big plans for now mate, it's only September." Harry pointed out with a grin. "You've got ages yet. I'm sure you'll get through it with no problem if you learn to leave Rosie alone."

Rosie pouted as Astoria quickened her pace. "Hey, wait for me!" She squealed, quickening her own pace as she fixed her yellow and black striped tie to an acceptable standard. Catching up to her friends, Rosie grinned as she saw Michael's arms around Luke and Ember, and Rosie was quick to wrap her arms around Michael, creating a big group hug - it was definitely needed after a long summer apart. And although her friends were fantastic, the one person Rosie would love to spend time with would never speak to her, or even look at her twice, and as she tried to push Louis Tomlinson to the back of her mind, Rosie sighed overdramatically. "Michael, it's so sweet that you've missed us all this much." She teased, giving Ember a teasing wink. Hearing Astoria's words though, Rosie nodded, slipping into the seat beside Ember. "We all are. We don't have much time left to enjoy being students with freedom, we must make the most of it!" She grinned.

Ember smiled slightly as she watched Luke, taking him in for a moment, always finding it easy to admire him, though she wished it was easier to admit to it. Still, she nodded. “Yeah, I’m alright,” she murmured before she shifted to sit down after Luke mentioned that he could use company. “What about you? Are you alright?” She smiled slightly as she watched him, enjoying the sight of him, finding herself relaxing with knowing that he was there, eager to spend time with him, to be near him. “I bet that was fun, spending time with your niece. I bet she’s adorable.” She grinned with the thought and shrugged. “It was alright, I didn’t really do much.” Hearing Astoria, she smiled and nodded. “I think it’ll be great, too.”

Michael paused when he heard Euphemia’s words, and he watched her for a few long moments but eventually rolled his eyes. “You’re the one walking into everybody, Euphemia, maybe you should watch where you’re going,” he said easily, though he looked back to his friends. As much as he loved the girl, as much as she affected him in all the best ways, he knew he had to keep his guard up and keep his attraction to her a complete secret from his friends, because the last thing he needed was for anybody to find out her was in love with the Slytherin beauty - especially the Slytherin beauty. He was sure she’d kill him herself if she ever found out. Still, he grinned to Rosie’s words. “Can’t help it, everything’s so boring without you lot around.”

Rowan paused when she heard Ashton’s voice, always so loud and so clear above anybody else, no matter how crowded a room was. Chewing on her lip, she tried her best to ignore him, her head ducked slightly as she kept walking, tense and upset now. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?” she asked eventually, looking over towards Ashton, but she sighed with his later words. “If you want me dead, do it yourself.” But, seeing Harry dragging Ashton off, she focused on her friends, offering a weak smile to her friends as she moved to join them, sitting beside them quietly, not wanting to really talk or think much.

Calum watched Astoria, amazed by her, always so entranced with the sight of her. He couldn’t help it. She was the most gorgeous thing to exist, the most gorgeous being to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts, and he wished she knew that herself. He wished that he had the courage to tell her all of that and more. “Yeah, you know what?” he asked eventually, grinning slightly to himself before he nudged her gently. “I think you’re right. I think this year may be the best year yet.” And, a part of him hoped that that much was true - hell, he even hoped that he could gather up the courage this year to bring himself to tell Astoria what he felt for her, how deeply in love he was with her, what she meant to him. “Did you have a good summer, Astoria?”

Aveline offered a small smile to Astoria when she felt her friend’s hands on her shoulders, and she offered a small nod in greeting. “You can definitely count me in on that,” she joked lightly, though her gaze searched the room soon after, eventually spotting Harry Styles across the Great Hall, and she chewed on her lip as she watched him. He wasn’t like the other Slytherins. He was kind, caring - and she wondered how somebody like him had ended up in Slytherin in the first place. Shaking her head to rid herself of the thoughts, she sat down to relax. “I think this school year will be one for the books.”

Louis snorted quietly when he heard Harry’s words, and he rolled his eyes slightly. “Come now, mate, I haven’t done anything to Rosie yet,” he said easily in response, though the smirk that formed on his features afterward reflected that he already had plans at the very least, and he had no reason to hide that. After all, tormenting the girl was the only way he could interact with her without attracting any attention or suspicion onto himself. Peering over to Rosie from where he was, he couldn’t help but watch her for a few moments, though he tried to not be too obvious about it. Eventually, he looked back to Harry and offered a smirk, arching a brow as he watched his friend. “Besides, why do you have to try to ruin all the fun anyway?”