#Just going to take a page from Soren and compliment him hard into resting

[iwillhaveamoonbase]

The Long Game ch. 4

Rayla watched on as Ezran and Callum argued.  “I’m telling you; I can talk to animals!”

Callum folded his arms. “It’s the raccoons all over again.”

“Callum!”

“No.  This is why you don’t have friends!”  Rayla’s eyes went wide at that.

“Callum!  Stop it!”  She wasn’t even sure how they had gotten in on this bizarre argument.  One minute they were enjoying their free time between lessons and the next Ezran was talking about how the horses were complaining about kissing in their stalls.  Callum hadn’t taken kindly to it, calling Ezran a liar and now, apparently, Ezran could talk to animals.  Rayla felt a headache coming on, but she also knew Ezran didn’t lie.  “Just hear him out.”  Rayla bent down to look Ezran in the eyes.  “Ez, can you prove it?”

Ezran nodded.  “The mice saw you two having conversations on your balconies.  Every night, you two talk.”

Callum shook his head. “You could have easily overheard that. My room is right next to your’s and you have a balcony, too.”

Ezran groaned.  “I’m sorry about the raccoons, OK?!  I didn’t know they were all liars, but I’m not lying!”

Rayla put her hand on Ezran’s shoulder.  “I know you believe this, Ez.”  She looked at Bait in his arms.  Ezran had always seemed hyperaware of Bait’s feelings….She took Bait and walked over to the stacks, ignoring Ezran and Callum asking what she was doing.  “OK, frog.  I’m going to tell you something nobody in this castle knows.”  Bait looked up at her with his grumpy face, but croaked in acceptance, at least, she supposed he did.  When she looked behind her and saw that the boys were still far behind them, she picked Bait up and whispered close to where she assumed his ear hole was. “My parents names were Tiadrin and Lain. My adoptive fathers called each other ‘My Heart.’”

Rayla turned back to Callum and Ezran, walking back with Bait.  She had no idea what Bait was capable of communicating, but she figured, if Ezran could understand any of this, it would convince her.  Rayla handed Bait to Ezran, and gestured for the glow toad to talk.

“What’d she do, buddy?” Ezran sighed.  Callum raised a brow, clearly wanting to know himself.  Ezran looked up and smiled.  “That’s adorable.”

“What is?” Rayla asked.

“Your dads calling each other ‘My Heart.’  That’s so romantic!”  Rayla’s eyes went wide.  Callum looked at her, waiting for her to speak, she was sure.

“He can talk to animals,” Rayla said.  Before Callum could ask, she walked away.  She was going to have to be even more careful.  If Ezran could hear the mice…she couldn’t say anything out loud. Nowhere was safe.  Rayla’s eyes went wide as her breath came out in harsh pants.  Had she slipped at any point?  Would Ezran be able to understand her mumbles to herself?  Rayla but her hand to her chest as she felt her heart beating loudly. “Oh, no…oh, no.”

“Rayla!  How you-you OK?”  Rayla looked up to see Soren, staring down at her.  “You look like Callum when he’s having an anxiety attack.”

Was that what was happening? Blood was rushing in her ears. She had already failed and now…what if they figured if out and locked her up?  They would kill her.  Callum….Callum would hate her….Why did that hurt more than anything else?  Rayla felt tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “I’m fine,” she whispered.  She couldn’t let anyone see her be weak.  She was not weak.  She was strong and brave and she would not fail in her duty.

“You don’t look fine. Do you want me to take you to your room?”  Soren wrapped an arm around her shoulder, lifting her up.  When had she sunk to her knees on the floor?

“I said I’m fine!”  She pushed him away, putting her hand on the wall to steady herself.  “I’m fine. Thank you, Soren.”  Soren backed up, nodding at her.

“Do you want to, maybe, talk about it?  I can be an ear for you if you want.”

“No.  I’ve got it.  Just learned something that shocked me.”  Rayla walked away from Soren, ignoring his disappointed face.  She didn’t have time for his flirting, even when he was trying to be kind.  When she made it to her room, she settled on her bed and laid against the bed.  She tried counting backwards, tried working through it.  She tried a Big Feelings Time in her head, but nothing was working.  

The tears of frustration came hard and they came fast.  She was going to fail, just like her parents.  She was a failure.  This is why the guild had sent her.  They had sent her to fail, get rid of her and end her miserable bloodline.  She could feel herself spiral down deep into corners that couldn’t possible be true, but certainly felt true in the moment.  Or was it true?  Did they think she was doomed to fail?

She heard knocking on her door, but ignored it.  She didn’t want to see anyone.  “Rayla?” She turned her head to see Callum, his soft eyes staring right at her.  Rayla turned away.  She didn’t want him to see her like this.  “Soren said you were upset.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Leave me alone,” she whispered in her pillow.  “You wouldn’t get it.”

Instead of him leaving, he sat on the bed next to her.  “You’re right, I probably wouldn’t.”  She turned to look at him.  He smiled down at her.  Softly, hesitantly, he stroked her cheek and ran a hand through her hair.  Rayla’s breath caught in her throat.  “When my anxiety gets to be too much, I imagine my mom. It’s been so long since I’ve seen here, but she’s this calming force in my life.  I miss her, all the time.  I don’t remember my father, at all.  I just know I have his eyes and talent for art.”  Callum removed his hand, moving to the art journal he kept at his side at all times.  “Do you want to see something?”

Rayla nodded, sitting up. She rested her head on his shoulder, taking in his scent of rosemary and balsam.  He flipped through the pages until he finally landed on a picture of Sarai, Harrow, him, and Ezran.  “It’s beautiful.”

“I draw this picture every year.  I want to remember us from back then.  My mom can’t grow old anymore, but I want us to have a family portrait every year anyways.”

“You look so much like her.”

“Thanks.  It’s always a compliment when people say that.”  He was quiet as he slowly flipped the pages for her to look through.  “You missed the Jerkface Dance.”

“I did?” she whispered.

“I did the trick you did, with Bait.  Ez now knows something really embarrassing.”

“What?”

“NOPE!  It’s bad enough he knows.”  Rayla didn’t push it.  

After a few moments, she sighed.  “I felt trapped by the fact that Ezran understands the mice.  If he does, does that mean we don’t have secrets here?”

“I felt really upset about that too.  Ez said he ignores the mice and has asked them to be quiet when they know he’s there. At least, about the things they hear around the castle.  It’s too much of an invasion of privacy.”

“He’s a good kid.”

“He is.  I felt really bad for saying that’s why he doesn’t have friends.  Ez has always been a weird kid.  But, that’s not fair, is it?  He’s the future king.  No matter what he does, people are going to look at him differently.”

Rayla raised her head, turning Callum’s head to look at her.  “You’re both just doing your best.  It’s too much burden for one so young.  It’s not just him; everyone looks at you differently, too.  I heard Viren offered magic lessons.”

“Claudia did.  Primal magic since she has a primal stone.  I’m gonna learn sky magic.”

Rayla smiled.  “Do you promise, no dark magic?”

“I promise.  It’s a shortcut and all it leads to is disaster. My mother…maybe she would still be alive if dark magic hadn’t been an option in the first place.”

“Maybe.  Maybe it was her time.  Who’s to say?”

Callum stared in her eyes. “It gets worse when I look in your eyes.”

“What does?”

“That tingling something’s off.”  Rayla turned her head away, letting him go.  “I’m sorry!  That was rude!”

“No, it’s fine,” Rayla wrapped her arms around herself.  For a second, she had forgotten the spell was there.   He had looked at her like she was everything…stop, Rayla.  Just stop.  She couldn’t have him.  She turned back around, Callum still looking at her.  “Thank you.  I feel better after you told me that Ezran doesn’t heed the mice.”

“I thought that was it. But Soren wasn’t sure.  And, since he watches you so much…”

“He needs to stop.  I’m not interested.  Not my type.”

“What is your type?” It was so quiet she wasn’t sure she had heard right.

Rayla looked at him for a few moments.  “Smart, willing to admit when they’re wrong, loving, kind.”  She gulped.  “A massive dork.  Come on, we have lessons still.”  She couldn’t give him time to think about what she had just said.  If they did, what if he felt the same?  Would she throw everything away to be with Callum? Rayla turned her head to look back at Callum, hand still holding her’s.  Yes, she would give it all up if he loved her back as much as she loved him.  She could never give him a chance to.

-------------------------------------

Callum huffed as he did his fifth fulminis.  “Claudia, isn’t there any other spells?”

“You’re not ready, Callum,” she muttered.  She was watching him with a critical eye.  “You’re very quick with a primal stone, honestly.  It took me weeks to get to this level.  Dark magic was always easier.”

“Maybe I’m destined to be a sky mage?” Callum asked.  The possibilities would be endless.  

Claudia shook her head. “We were born with nothing.  That’s why we need dark magic and primal stones. Come on, try dark magic.  I’m sure you’d take to it right away.”

“No thanks,” Callum stood firm.  Claudia was always trying to tempt him with dark magic and dates these days.  He didn’t get it.  The dark magic, he could.  Claudia didn’t see just how dangerous it was yet.  But the dates, that made no sense.

“OK.  You wanna go get some jelly tarts?”  And there was the date.

“No thanks.”  Claudia nodded, not looking too torn up.  “Is Viren asking you to ask me out?”

Claudia’s back straightened, turning away from him.  “No?” It came out as a question.  “I just think you and I would be good together.”

“Yeah, while I’m in love with Rayla and you’re not even attracted to me.”  Claudia was quiet for too long.  “You know I’m in love with Rayla, right?”

“So is Soren.  Soren would be a good choice for her.  He’s always trying to impress her and his sword fighting skills are pretty good.”

Callum looked down at his feet.  That was all true.  Rayla was too cool and pretty for him.  She was his teacher and his friend, nothing more.  There’s no way he could convince someone like her that he was even an option.  “I know.  I just don’t want us both to be miserable with each other.”  Callum walked out of the room, heading towards the grounds. It was almost time for his lesson with Rayla.  He saw her facing off against Soren.  As always, it was clear as day that Rayla was the superior one with a weapon.  She dodged and flowed like it was a dance, sweeping the leg effortlessly when she got bored of the match.  

Callum saw that the crown guards around them were nursing injuries of their own.  Rayla had probably gone through the lot of them.  She finally swatted Soren’s sword out of his hand, putting the tip to his chin.  “I win.” Her voice was crisp and clear, turning to look at the lot of the other guards.  “He lasted longer than all of you.  Do not forget that he is the head of the crown guard for a reason.  You all need to stop making jokes about how a tiny girl keeps beating him.  I think I remember Queen Sarai being the former general and incredibly skilled with a spear.  Also, isn’t General Amaya a woman?”    

One of the guards looked disgruntled.  “You’re a slip of a thing and you’re so good.”

“I’ve got a lot of toned muscle.  I prioritize speed over bulk.  It’s not that complicated.”  Rayla looked over at him, as if she had known he was there the whole time.  Had she?  “I’m doing the same with Callum.  Making a move faster is just as important as might.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Doesn’t everyone?”  Rayla walked away, handing the sword to a random guard and grabbing two spears.  “Good, you’re here.  Let’s get this session underway.  They were a good warm-up.”  Callum followed before her, in awe of just how cool she sounded.  They went to their more secluded grounds and went through the warm-ups of stretches and following basic spear-holding positions.  “Eventually, we’ll get you doing swordplay again.  Just to please everyone.  How was your lesson with Claudia?”

“She suggested dark magic again.”

“And you said ‘no’?”

Why did she always sound so concerned when she asked that?  “Of course. I have no interest in it.”

“Good.”  Rayla turned away for a moment.  She quickly spun the spear in her hand and turned to face him, moving to strike.  He blocked her, trying to hold her ground as she added power behind her moves.  She moved around him, trying to teach him how to keep grounded on his feet.  “Better! Stand firm.  No matter what, you cannot lose your balance.  It’ll all be over if you do.”  Callum nodded, bending his knees a bit.  “Bad choice,” Rayla whispered.  Callum couldn’t stop her from using her spear to sweep his legs out from under him, knocking him flat on his back.  “You reacted to what I said in an obvious way.  If you had waited, maybe I wouldn’t have noticed.”

“You’d have noticed. Don’t act like you wouldn’t have.”

“True.”  Rayla stared down at him before offering her hand to help him up.  “You are getting much better, though.  I’m proud of you.”

Callum flushed at her words. It had been a little more than a year since she had arrived, crashing into their lives and disrupting his heart in every way.  She now had to look up at him as his growth spurt had started.  He watched as she spun the spear in her hand again, moving like it was a dance partner.  Everything she did was like a dance.  Perhaps, in another life, she was a dancer for a theater troupe.  “Thanks.”

She smiled back at him. “Dinner will be soon, Your Highness. Go wash up.”

“What about you?”

“I want to stay here a bit longer.  The peace and quiet does me good.”  He nodded, leaving her behind.  When he turned back for a last look, he saw her looking back at him, a soft look on her face.  What did that mean?  It reminded him of how his mom had looked at Harrow back when she had been alive.  But, he couldn’t hope for that from Rayla. Someone like her was made for far better than him.

[shielddrake]

July 3: Hogwarts AU

A/N: Okay, so I’m not 100% happy with this.  This is really long and there’s way too much going on for one “chapter.”  This is why I don’t normally write one-shots.  This should definitely be at least three separate chapters. If I do ever get around to writing a proper MCSM Hogwarts AU, I’d probably rewrite this to add more detail and slow the pace down a bit.

 Also, lame title is lame.

 Regardless, I hope readers enjoy!

 A Minecraftian Day at Hogwarts

 Owls are not the best choice for delivering post.

 At least, that’s what any Muggle would say. After all, owls are nocturnal, so they’re not awake when a person would need them. They can’t carry heavy objects, so what they could deliver would be restricted by weight. They also tend to be solitary birds, so they wouldn’t work well in groups.

 This, of course, doesn’t take into account that some owls have an affinity towards magic. These special owls could find any witch or wizard within a reasonable distance and they could carry demanding loads. They were still nocturnal for the most part, but that actually worked in the wizarding world’s favor. Owls could deliver post at night so the receiver would get it first thing in the morning. Owls, therefore, made excellent delivery animals for pretty much any witch or wizard.

 They would still get annoyed when they were crammed together in one place though. Luckily for Calvin, the Hogwarts Owlery had more than enough space to accommodate both the school owls and the students’ owls. He had no problem flying to and from the Daily Prophet every night so he could deliver the paper to his human’s breakfast plate.

 The great grey owl dodged to and fro between the other owls before diving through the open windows of Hogwart’s Great Hall. It didn’t take long to find Calvin’s owner, as she always sat in the same place. Ever since she was sorted into Ravenclaw, Olivia sat at the far end of the long table, as close to the exit as possible.

Calvin dropped the copy of the Daily Prophet next to her food, barely avoiding her pumpkin juice, before landing in the center of the table. He snatched up a bit of Olivia’s bacon and hooted happily.

 “Hey, Calvin,” Olivia greeted with a somber tone. She took the paper and unfolded it.

 “Anything worth reading?” Jesse asked. She had again quit the Hufflepuff table in favor of sitting with her best friend instead.

 “Not really. Just the usual stuff.” Olivia shuffled the parchment as she turned the page. “There are some reports of Muggles seeing magical creatures, and warnings to keep all Kneazles away from non-magical cats. Some witch says she’s created another anti-pimple cream, once that actually works. And that International Wizards’ Dueling Competition is apparently still on track. Oh, and my horoscope says there’s going to be love in my life this month.”

 “So, the Ministry is still denying that wizards and witches are going missing?” Jesse asked as she buttered her toast.

“Pretty much. Just one of the many rumors going around, they say.” Olivia paused and smirked. “Well, that’s a surprise.”

“What is it?”

 “Take a look!”

 Jesse took the offered paper and scanned the page. She sputtered in laughter, almost spitting her toast out of her mouth.

 “Zombies Versus Chickens: The Debate of Size Against Numbers. An opinion piece by Olivia Loring.” She shook her head, despite her smile. “You actually wrote an essay for the Prophet over the summer holidays? And they actually accepted it?”

 “Well, we’re in fifth year now!” Olivia declared. “With O.W.L.s finally coming up, we’re going to be studying like mad! When would I have another chance to write something like that?”

 “To answer the ultimate question of a hundred chicken-sized zombies or ten zombie-sized chickens,” Jesse read. She paused to take a sip of her juice. “You could always ask Professor Soren. He’s probably dealt with zombies a lot.”

 “Is a zombie a dark magical creature though?” Olivia wondered aloud. “Wouldn’t asking the DADA professor be a better idea?”

 “Whoever that ends up being this year,” Jesse added.

 “I won’t have a chance to ask Professor Soren anyway,” the Ravenclaw mentioned. “I’m not taking Care of Magical Creatures this year.”

This made Jesse’s head jerk up. “You dropped it?”

 “Mom wasn’t very happy with my grades last year,” Olivia explained. “I decided it would be better to focus on my other classes. I’m more likely to earn O.W.L.s that way.”

“Guess that’s a fair point,” Jesse said with a shrug. “You were taking five electives last year.”

 “Yeah, I’ve narrowed it down to four now,” Olivia replied. “So I’ve still got a full schedule.”

 “I’m sticking with Care of Magical Creatures,” Jesse declared. “I’m good with animals.”

 “Sorry, Jesse, but Reuben doesn’t count as a magical creature.” There was an insulted snort that came from Jesse’s side, and Olivia smiled at the little pig sitting next to her. “I don’t mean anything by it. Pigs are just thoroughly non-magical.”

 Jesse put her hands over Reuben’s ears. “Don’t listen to her, Reuben. We both know you’re the most magical creature here.”

Reuben oinked in satisfaction, gave Olivia one last little glare, and then turned back to his plate of carrots Jesse has prepared for him.

 “It is a little weird that he seems to understand everything you say,” Olivia commented. “And he follows you everywhere.”

 “He’s my wing-man,” Jesse protested. “He’s no ordinary pig.”

 “I’ve always wondered why Headmistress Lydia let you bring a pig instead of an owl, a cat or a toad like every other student.”

 Almost on cue, Calvin finished off Olivia’s bacon with one more swallow. He then took off with a flap of his silent wings, heading for a well-deserved rest in the Owlery.

 “So, what classes are you taking this year?” Olivia asked, desiring to change the subject.

 The two fifth years pulled out their schedules and sat them next to one another for comparison. Their eyes quickly scanned the parchments.

 “Cool!” Jesse pronounced. “We have Potions, Herbology, Divination, and Ancient Runes together!”

 Olivia looked like she was about to say something, but a strange groaning sound in the air interrupted her. The two students and pig glanced around. Other than the rumblings of the other students finishing breakfast, there was nothing there. Jesse raised an eyebrow.

 “Maybe it’s one of the ghosts playing a joke—”

 There was a sudden scream, and the three of them jumped in shock. Olivia stubbed her toe on the bench and hiss at the pain. Jesse tripped as she tried to stand and ended up falling on her rear on the floor instead. Reuben squealed as he tumbled from his seat as well.

 Everyone else in the Great Hall turned to see what the commotion was. Appearing in nothing more than a ripple of light was Axel, dusting off his yellow Hufflepuff robes as he held his belly from laughter. Seeing that it was only the outcasts being themselves, everyone in the hall returned to their food.

 Axel continued to chuckle at his scheme. “You guys totally freaked out!”

Reuben, however, was not amused as he looked up from his spot under the bench, where he had been hiding. He charged his head into the Hufflepuff’s stomach, and Axel let out an oomph.

 “Aww, Reuben! I thought we were buddies!”

 “Axel, what’s the matter with you!” Olivia reprimanded once she caught her own breath.

 “Yeah, you scared us half to death!” Jesse agreed.

 “Nothing is fun is you’re not scared half to death,” he debated.

 “What was that anyway?” Jesse asked. “A Disillusionment Charm? Or something like it? Where did you learn it?”

 “We haven’t learned Disillusionment in Charms yet,” Olivia said.

 “Yeah! I taught myself over the summer,” Axel described. “I thought it’d be a good way to show Professor Magnus I’m really serious about learning Charms this year. The scaring you out of your skin bit was just an added bonus.”

 “Charms has always been your thing,” Jesse complimented her housemate. “Professor Magnus knows that.”

 “Yeah, but this is our OWL year,” he answered. “I really got to step it up, you know?”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Olivia conceded. He glanced to the floor as the gang got up from the table to head to class. “It’s not like I’ve done anything that would impress Professor Ellegaard.”

“You’re great at Transfiguration, Olivia.” Jesse gave her a pat on her shoulder. “All you have to do is study hard, like you always do. She’s seen that since we started here.”

“I just need to prove myself, you know?”

“How about this? Axel and I have Transfiguration first thing this morning,” Jesse explained. She was able to lower her voice a bit once they were in the hall, since most of the students were still eating breakfast and out of earshot. “I’ll give you a head’s up on what she’s teaching first so you can prep ahead of time. Okay?”

Olivia looked at her for a moment. “Yeah, okay.”

 “What’s on your schedule this morning?” Axel asked.

 “Defense Against the Dark Arts,” the Ravenclaw responded. “Guess I’ll get to see what our new teacher’s like.”

“Kind of annoying we have a new one every year,” he moaned.

“That’s what we get for having a cursed teaching position,” Jesse concurred. She and Axel headed down one hall, while Olivia headed for the staircase. Reuben, meanwhile, made his way back to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Familiars weren’t allowed in the classrooms unless invited after all. “See you in Potions!”

“See ya!”

Transfiguration was a pretty standard affair. Professor Ellegaard, in her usual stoic and proud manner, lectured on Vanishing Charms. She hinted very strongly that they would be on the O.W.L. exam at the end of the year. She wasn’t very encouraging to the students who were having a bit of trouble with it, Axel included. Jesse made a note to warn Olivia about this later on.

“I don’t think I’m going to N.E.W.T. Transfig next year,” Axel stated once the bell rang.

 “Don’t say that,” Jesse comforted him. “I’m sure you’ll get an O.W.L.”

 “Don’t know,” he muttered. “Even if I do, I don’t know if I want to keep going in it. I don’t know what Olivia sees in Professor Ellegaard, to be honest.”

 “What’s up next?” Jesse pulled out her schedule to check. “Double Potions.”

 Axel let out a long groan, dropping to his knees with his hands in the air. Jesse chuckled and shook her head.

 “At least it’s with the Ravenclaws, so Olivia will be there.”

 The Potions classroom in the dungeon was empty when the two arrived, but it didn’t take long for some of the other students to start trickling in. Strangely, it was the Ravenclaws that came in last. Normally, the studious ravens would be the first to arrive to class, to maximize their time to learn, but today was different. Olivia herself only managed to slide into her seat next to Jesse moments before the break period was over.

“Hey, Olivia,” Jesse greeted. “Just wanted to let you know we went over Vanishing Spells—”

 “When do you have DADA?” Olivia was still panting a bit from her run across the castle.

 “Huh?”

“DADA. When do you have it?”

 Jesse paused. “Double period after lunch. Why?”

 “The new teacher! He’s awesome!” The dark-haired girl declared, throwing her arms up in excitement. “He’s got so many cool stories! He’s been everywhere and fought dark wizards and faced dark creatures and saved people and—”

 “Whoa! Slow down!” Axel said. “You need to give yourself time to breathe, you know?”

Olivia shook her head to break out of her shock. “Sorry! But just wait until you meet him!”

Jesse was sure Olivia had a whole lot more to say about the new DADA professor, but any opportunity to do so was lost when Professor Ivor entered the classroom. Everyone’s conversations immediately stopped as he walked up to the front of the room.

 Ivor wasn’t necessarily a strict professor, but he was someone who had an annoying tendency to assign extra homework. He did this in particular to those who didn’t pay attention during his lectures. And by extra homework, it would usually be on some topic with scarce information about it, making it much more difficult to complete.

 It would seem that today was one of those days.

 “Good morning, class. Welcome to fifth-year Potions.” Ivor glanced around at the wide eyes of the Hufflepuffs and the ready quills of the Ravenclaws. “Before we get started on our first lecture, I have an announcement to make. I will be assigning you a special project on a complex potion that could very well be on your O.W.L. exam at the end of the year.”

 And here it comes already, Jesse moaned to herself. It’s only the first day of class!

 “The project will be in two parts,” Ivor continued. “The report half will need to be four rolls of parchment. It must include the history of the potion, the various ingredients, details on how to brew it, complications of brewing, and counter potions, if there are any.”

“Well, he’s not pulling any punches, is he?” Axel whispered.

 “The second half will be a practical exam, where you will correctly brew the potion you are assigned.” Ivor smiled and steepled his hands. “The practical will take place just before the winter holidays. The whole project will be worth half your final grade.”

 There was an echo of groans that flew threw the classroom. Ivor waited until the commotion died down before continuing.

“I will assign you into pairs with members of the opposite house. The potions will be assigned randomly.” There was another round of grumbles, but Ivor threw his hands up in surrender. “Don’t blame me. Blame the curriculum.”

 “Doesn’t he design the curriculum?” Olivia uttered, and Jesse had to suppress a snort.

“Please pair me with Olivia,” Axel pled into his hands. “Please pair me with Olivia.”

“So glad to know Axel loves me for my brains,” Olivia said in a deadpan tone.

 Ivor took out a sheet of parchment and began to list off the pairs. Axel’s prayers were answered that day, and he and Olivia were assigned to research the Oculus Potion. Jesse waited to see who she would be partnered with. She didn’t know a lot of people in Ravenclaw other than Olivia, so it was a bit of luck in terms of who her partner was going to be.

Or bad luck, as it were.

 “Jesse Taber and Lukas Porter, Invigorating Draught.”

 She slammed her head down on the wooden desk.

 Oh, great.

Ivor finished naming the pairs before passing out parchment with the actual assignment details. He then turned his attention to the lesson for the day, but honestly, Jesse couldn’t bring herself to pay attention to it.

Why him? She thought. Of all the people I could’ve been partnered with!

 Jesse glanced across the room at the blond Ravenclaw, her annoyance growing at the sight of the Prefect badge pinned to his robes. He was one of the last people she wanted to be partnered with, and for such an important project as well.

 To say that Jesse and Lukas didn’t get along was a bit of an understatement. They had bad chemistry basically from the start. It was ever since they had a fight on the Hogwarts Express on their way to school their first year, before they had even been sorted into their houses. To Jesse, Lukas was an arrogant jerk who thought he needed to show everyone how to do everything, since everyone else did everything wrong. To Lukas, however, Jesse was a stubborn brat who didn’t take constructive criticism and needed to learn to listen. It didn’t help that this grudge only continued into their second, third and fourth years. Why should fifth year be any different?

Then again, there did seem to be something different about him this year. He didn’t tease or harass her on the Hogwarts Express that year. In fact, he took one look at her, tried to smile and wave, and then ducked into a compartment without so much as a word. That was definitely not normal Lukas behavior.

 Maybe he was feeling ill on the train?

Lukas finished his notes and turned his attention away from the blackboard, spotting Jesse watching him. He raised his eyebrows at her, but otherwise had no expression on his face.

She snapped her face back to Ivor as he explained the process of crushing lacewing flies for a Polyjuice Potion.

“It could be worse,” Axel whispered to her.

 Jesse quirked an eyebrow. “How?”

 “We could have this class with Slytherin,” he answered. “Would you rather get partnered with Aiden or Stella?”

She suppressed the shiver going down her spine. Okay, perhaps Lukas wasn’t sounding that bad after all.

Class continued. One lecture and two melted cauldrons later, Ivor dismissed the students so they may go to lunch. The gang packed up their books, quills, parchment, and caldrons quickly, wanting to make their way to the Great Hall for their next meal. Jesse had just thrown her satchel strap over her shoulder when she turned and bumped into a solid form.

 Thinking it was Axel at first, she looked up to say sorry. Her mouth dried up when she saw unfamiliar blue eyes instead.

 “Hey Jesse.” Lukas’ voice was a little quiet, almost like he was trying to hold his voice steady. “I was wondering if we could—”

 Jesse didn’t listen to what he was trying to say. She swung around him in a breeze, bypassing Lukas entirely as she rushed to catch up with Axel and Olivia. If she had bothered to look behind her, she might have seen the disappointed look on his face.

But she didn’t.

How the professors manage to arrange all the classes for the seven different years at Hogwarts was a mystery. They probably had some spell or magical quill and parchment that figured out how to arrange it so the professors didn’t have to be in two or more places at once to teach. It wasn’t like they had time-turners to use instead.

 However they did it, they made sure that all the students received three full meals, and good meals at that. Even during regular days, without the mountains of cuisine normally seen at the feasts, there was still plenty of fare to feed a small army. Of course, the Hogwarts student body itself could be considered a small army.

Especially Axel. He alone could polish off a few of the serving plates. He could make the excuse that he was a growing boy all he wanted. Not even Reuben kept up with the amount of food, but that might have been either from his smaller frame or because Jesse always fed him healthy food.

That didn’t mean Reuben didn’t get food he enjoyed. Carrots were his favorite, and Jesse smiled as the little pig chomped away at the orange vegetables.

“You are so cute, Reuben,” she complimented, and Reuben oinked in thanks but didn’t look up from his food.

“Can you believe Ivor?” Axel complained between bites. “Giving us an assignment like that?”

“Actually I can,” Olivia said. “He’s always gotten some strange gratification from making us miserable.”

“Well, at least we’re partnered for it,” Axel recalled, giving his friend a grin. “I know I’m not the sharpest quill in the pouch, but you know I’ll sure try my best.”

Olivia returned his smile. “I know that, Axel. Thanks.”

 “This isn’t going to be so bad,” he said.

 “Don’t rub it in.” Jesse’s tone dropped from playful to gloom. She pushed her food around on her plate with her fork. “I’m stuck with jerk Lukas.”

“What about Lukas?” Petra asked, dropping into a seat next to Axel and grabbing a sandwich.

“Forget it,” Jesse muttered. For some reason, the Gryffindor actually got along with Lukas, and Jesse wasn’t in the mood to hear Petra defend him. “How are your classes so far, Petra?”

The redhead shrugged. “Only had one so far. I don’t have as many as last year, but N.E.W.T. classes are supposed to be really tough.”

 “But you get more free periods,” Axel said after a swallow. “That’s good, right?”

 “Except I’ll be spending them studying a lot,” Petra corrected him. “I still need to do well if I want to be a Hit Witch.”

“I thought you only needed five O.W.L.s for that job?” Jesse inquired.

 “Yeah, and especially DADA,” she confirmed. “But I want to maximize my chances of getting in, and a N.E.W.T. would really help.”

“Speaking of DADA!” Olivia jumped to attention. “I was telling you before about the new professor!”

 “Oh yeah! Professor Jack!” Petra proclaimed. “It was his class I had this morning! He’s awesome, isn’t he?”

 “Totally awesome!” Olivia announced. “I’ve never heard of someone doing all the things he has!”

“Still don’t know what the big deal is,” Axel said.

 “Yeah, I’ve missed the plot,” Jesse concurred.

“You guys honestly don’t know Jack Tatasciore?” Petra asked. At their bewildered looks, she slammed her palm against her forehead. “He’s only one of the greatest treasure hunters in the whole world! He was an Auror, explorer, and artifact expert. He was one of the divers that rediscovered the lost Lighthouse of Alexandria!”

 “He told our class he helped in the restoration of a Mayan temple in Honduras,” Olivia reported. “That they were going to tear it down, and he supported the natives when they protested.”

“Do you think he actually did all those things?” Jesse questioned. “Or did he make them all up?”

 Both Olivia and Petra stared at her with open mouths for several minutes until Jesse held up her hands in surrender.

 “Okay! Okay!” She said with a teasing tone. “I believe you guys.”

 “Just wait until you have his class,” Petra stated. “Then you’ll see what an amazing wizard he is. Seriously, I can’t believe he’s actually here to teach us!”

“I think Petra’s got a crush,” Axel taunted, elbowing her gently. Petra gave his shoulder a strong punch in response, causing him to drop his apple and rub the injured spot. “Ow! Hey!”

 “Oh hush, ya wimp,” she said. “That didn’t hurt.”

 “Petra doesn’t know her own strength, does she?” Jesse joked. She took a sip of her pumpkin juice and then piled more carrots onto Reuben’s plate. “Axel and I have DADA after lunch, so I guess we’ll see for ourselves.”

“Oh, you will!” Olivia replied. “You will!”

 “If Professor Jack’s as cool as you say, that’ll make up for having to do that stupid project with Lukas.”

Petra raised an eyebrow at Jesse’s moaning. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned Lukas and this project thing.”

“Professor Ivor partnered us up for a big Potions project that’s worth half our grade,” Olivia described. “Jesse’s partnered with Lukas.”

 “Oh yeah, I remember doing that with Em last year,” Petra said. “Look, I know you and Lukas had a rocky start—”

 “That’s an understatement,” Jesse interrupted. “And it hasn’t just been the start. It’s been our entire time at Hogwarts.”

 Petra gave her a persistent stare before continuing. “But Lukas knows a lot about magic, and he’s good at Potions.”

 “He’s pretty smart too,” Olivia added. “He was in my Arithmancy class the last two years, and I think he’s taking it again for O.W.L.s.”

“I guess he got into Ravenclaw for a reason,” Jesse admitted with a growl.

 “All I’m saying is, you should give him a chance,” Petra suggested. “Get to know him a little better. It’s always useful to have a guy like him around, no matter what you think of him personally.”

 “I’m not interested in getting to know him,” the Hufflepuff witch said, finally turning her attention back to her baked potatoes. “I don’t trust him.”

 “Me neither,” Axel agreed. “We don’t need him hanging around.”

 Petra rolled her eyes as the bell for the end of lunch rang. She grabbed her books and stood.

 “I got to run. I’ve got Herbology next, and it’s a bit of a walk down to the greenhouses. See you guys at dinner.”

“Later, Petra!” Axel called.

 “I better go too,” Olivia said as Petra left the Great Hall. “I have Transfiguration next and I want to show up early.”

 “Remember, Ellegaard’s going over Vanishing Spells,” Jesse reminded her after a swallow.

“Right. Thanks again.” She took a deep breath. “I just hope I don’t screw them up in front of the professor.”

 Olivia took one more gulp of her drink before rushing out of the Hall. Axel stuffed a few apples into his satchel while Jesse finished off her meal. She gave Reuben a few pats on his head.

 “Stay out of trouble, okay?”

 Reuben oinked in response, giving her a toothy grin with a few chunks of carrots stuck between his teeth. Jesse shook her head at him and stood.

 Axel was already out the door, and Jesse rushed to catch up. As she was making her way to the hallway adjoining the Great Hall, she found herself stopped by a form in blue-lined robes. She couldn’t help but blush at the wide shoulders at her eye level, but that quickly cooled down when she looked up and saw Lukas there.

The blond cleared his throat. “Hey, Jesse. Can we talk?”

“Can’t right now,” she answered. “Got class. Later.”

She pushed her way past Lukas and ran down the hall. She dodged and weaved between the younger students as she made her way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

 The classroom was the same one Jesse had attended all her DADA classes in the previous four years. Rows of desks and chairs sat all facing the front of the classroom, away from the door. Most were already occupied by Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students. Its tall ceiling allowed for the skeleton of whatever dark magical creature they were going over that week. At the back of the classroom was a small flight of stairs to another door that Jesse knew from personal experience led into the teacher’s office.

 That day, the classroom was not only filled with students. Atop several pedestals were items, some of which Jesse recognized and some she didn’t. Quite a few of them were preserved body parts of various dark creatures. She could have sworn there was an acromantula eye in a jar on one of them.

I wonder if we’re going to go over dark creatures first, she wondered.

 There were colorful banners of various organizations hung along the walls, replacing the usual curtains of the room. Next to the exit was a suit of armor that almost looked like it could be made of diamond.

 The murmuring students all quieted when the office door opened to reveal a man with light brown hair that might be described as “majestic.” He stood with his arm against the doorframe, partially leaning to one side. He faced away from the class, allowing them to see only his dark blue robes. They were more like the armored variety that Aurors wore, although theirs were deep brown.

Didn’t Petra say he used to be an Auror? Jesse recalled.

“Looks like quite a crowd has come to my class today,” he said in a deep, somewhat raspy voice. “Bunch of brave students you are.”

“Dude, mysterious,” Axel whispered to Jesse.

She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. “Not sure how brave it is. We’re supposed to be in this class.”

 The man let out a short guffaw. “There are a lot of things you’re supposed to do. The question is whether or not you have the nerves to actually do them.”

Jesse didn’t know what the other students thought, but she glanced at Axel in bewilderment. He blinked at the man several times before looking at Jesse with furrowed brows.

“Hey, don’t look at me,” he said. “I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

 Jesse turned her attention back to the professor, but he was gone. He had vanished from his spot at the stop of the short flight of stairs. Jesse startled and let out a gasp. Axel simply blinked again and looked around, trying to find him. There was more muttering from the other students, telling Jesse that everyone else was as confused as she was.

Did he Apparate? Jesse jerked her head. No way. No one can Apparate inside Hogwarts.

 She turned her head to the exit into the hallway when she heard the man speak again.

 “The Warriors of the Whispering Mountain call me ‘The Stab-Walker’,” he announced in the same tone. “The Air Giants of the East call me ‘He Who Slashes Like Thunder’.”

 As long as you’re not called You-Know-Who, Jesse joked to herself, but she managed to keep her laughter down.

 “But you may call me…Jack.” The man turned around, allowing the whole class to see his grizzled beard and heterochromic eyes. His right one was so dark it might as well be black, while his left eye was a faded gray. Jack walked down the aisle between the desks back to the front of the classroom. “Really. Just call me Jack. None of this ‘Professor’ business. Makes me feel old.”

 The entire class couldn’t help but chuckle. Jack gave them all a satisfied look as he took in all the students. His gaze fell on Jesse for a longer moment, but he otherwise moved on without pause.

“So, whether you want to learn about Defense or feel like you have to,” he said. “I’m glad to have you all here. The Dark Arts are no laughing matter. While there are people who claim that despite being called ‘dark’ it is not necessarily evil, but that doesn’t mean the Dark Arts aren’t dangerous. My job this year is to prepare you as much as possible to defend yourselves against this danger.”

Jesse readied her quill, eager to write down notes at a moment’s notice.

 “As I’m sure you know by now, the Dark Arts come in many forms, from spells to creatures to locations to items. It can show up where you least expect it,” Jack continued. “For example, one time I was tracking a dark wizard through Denmark. He was trading around chimaera eggs and I was trying to cut him off on one of his routes. What I didn’t know was this wizard was also a Necromancer.”

Axel whistled. “That couldn’t have been good.”

“No, young man. It wasn’t.” Jack gave Axel a smile. “For those of you who don’t know, Necromancy is the Dark Art of raising the dead. It doesn’t bring people back from the dead – nothing can really do that – but one thing it can do is create an undead monster called an Inferius.”

 There were gasps from a few of the students and whispering to one another from a few others. Jesse’s eyes widened, her quill pausing in her note taking. Jack chuckled.

“I take it at least a few of you have heard of zombies, and maybe even of Inferi,” he said with his arms pumped up. “We’ll go over the difference between the two later on, but for the purposes of this story, just know that Inferi are reanimated dead bodies. The witch or wizard who creates them can command them to do basically anything they want.”

A hand was raised. “Professor, I thought Inferi don’t have brains or will. How can they do anything?”

Jack blew a raspberry. “That’s a fair point. What’s your name?”

 “Dan Middleton.”

 “Take five points to Gryffindor, Mr. Middleton,” Jack replied. “Because you’re right, Inferi don’t have any free will of their own and no brains to speak of. So, it’s not accurate for me to say the commanding wizard can make them do anything. But they can command the Inferi to attack someone. That was the problem I had in Denmark. This dark wizard guarded his illegal trade route with Inferi. Does anyone know the big problem with fighting Inferi?”

 Another Gryffindor raised her hand. “Since they aren’t alive, they don’t feel any pain, so normal offensive spells don’t stop or slow them down.”

“Very good…” He trailed off at the girl with long, pink hair.

 “Elizabeth Dwyer.”

“Miss Dwyer. Another five for Gryffindor.” Jack walked up and down the center aisle. “Inferi are dead, so they don’t feel pain, need to eat or drink, or drown. Common defensive spells like Stunners don’t affect them. Does anyone know what is effective against Inferi?”

 There were no raised hands this time for several seconds. Finally, Jesse watched in surprise as Axel slowly raised his hand.

 “Yes, Mr…”

 “Axel Posehn.”

 “I swear I will learn your names eventually. Go on.”

 “They really don’t like fire. Something like the Firestorm charm works great.”

 “Exactly! Five points to Hufflepuff.”

Axel’s chest puffed in pride. Jesse gave him a smile. It wasn’t often that Axel knew the answer to a question in class.

“How’d you know that?” Jesse whispered to him.

 “It’s a really destructive fire spell,” he answered her. “And you know how I love destruction.”

“Funny you should mention the Firestorm charm, since that’s exactly what I ended up using against the Inferi in Denmark.” Jack whipped his wand out, and for a moment Jesse thought he was going to demonstrate. Instead, Jack produced a small flame using a simple Incendio. “I summoned up the Firestorm charm and whipped it around, burning the Inferi to a crisp. They all crumbled to the ground like burned bacon! From there, I was able to stun the dark wizard and bring him back to Britain for trial.”

Jesse hadn’t realized that she was sitting on the edge of her seat, and she backed into it again. Jack smiled at the class.

 “That was a good day to be an Auror,” he concluded.

 Jesse decided to raise her hand. “Weren’t you afraid at all? I mean, Inferi are really dangerous, like you said. They didn't scare you?”

Jack took a breath, but his smile didn’t diminish. Jesse did notice the spark in his eyes dimmed ever so slightly though, and suddenly wished she hadn’t asked the question.

 “In order to be courageous, you have to be afraid to begin with, so it would be against my nature to say I wasn’t scared,” Jack explained. “But that’s sometimes easier said than done. Danger can come from anywhere, so you have to be prepared. That includes Dark Arts.”

The entire class jumped when the bell rang. Jack’s story had them interested enough to make the time pass by without them even noticing. Jesse glanced down at her parchment. She hadn’t taken very many notes. She had been too distracted by the tale of fighting Inferi to write anything down. Jesse bit her lip.

That went by so fast! Better not let myself get distracted like that again, she thought. But I can see what Olivia and Petra meant.

“For next class, we’ll go over Inferi in more detail. Please read the chapter on Inferi in your textbooks.” Jack paused. “I forget which chapter that is, but you know what I mean.”

 The class laughed as they gathered their things and left the classroom. Jack waited until everyone was gone before heading into his office. Jesse watched him go, wondering what his concerned expression was about when she asked him her question.

“I hope I didn’t ask something too personal,” she said to herself.

 Of course, Axel was right next to her as they walked out of the room. “Don’t think so. He didn’t seem to take it bad.”

“But my question obviously bothered him,” she debated.

 “You can’t be the only one who asked him about that,” her housemate insisted. “Don’t worry about it.”

 “I guess…”

 The two spent the next few hours going over the first day of classes in the Hufflepuff Common Room. They compared notes and organized their homework that would be due the next period. This was mostly on the part of Jesse, as she was the one who helped Axel keep on track with his studies. It wasn’t that Axel was stupid or anything. He just had trouble focusing sometimes. The topic at hand had to interest him enough for him to remain concentrated on it. The fact that he taught himself the Disillusionment Charm over the summer showed that he could learn, but it had to be something he cared about.

 At dinner, the gang ate together as they did at lunch. Since first year, Jesse, Olivia, Axel and Reuben would sit with each other, despite Olivia being in a different house. By second year, Petra had joined them, having become friends with the trio of slightly younger students.

It was a little odd to see two Hufflepuffs, a Ravenclaw, a Gryffindor and a pig hanging out together. The other students, for the most part, stayed in their separate Hogwarts tables. This might have been because they were considered outcasts in their own houses. Jesse was considered weird for having a pig as a familiar, Axel was treated as too stupid to even be a wizard, Olivia was considered a know-it-all, and Petra was a lone wolf. They had gravitated towards each other in search of companionship, and they easily got it from one another.

However, it didn’t help that Aiden from Slytherin had constantly teased them throughout the years. This year was also even worse with Stella flashing her Slytherin Prefect badge in Jesse’s face everywhere she went.

This didn’t mean that none of the other students liked the gang. There were a couple that at least got along with them as acquaintances, but they wouldn’t be seen eating with them during a meal.

 …Well, all except for one.

 “Hey, Jesse,” Petra said. “Your shadow’s back.”

 Jesse glimpsed towards the Great Hall doorway, where a pair of dark eyes behind a pair of even darker glasses watched from behind the Great Hall doors. The bright yellow Hufflepuff robes and tie did not camouflage him in the darkness of the hallway in any way. When he realized that Jesse was looking in his direction, he squeaked and ducked out of sight.

Olivia giggled behind her hand. “Aww, he is just adorable.”

 “Looks like he plans to follow you around this year too,” Petra joked. “Just like last year.”

 “He follows you everywhere he can, doesn’t he?” Axel commented.

 Jesse shook her head at her friend before turning back to the second-year and waving him over.

 “You don’t have to hide, Radar!” she hollered. “Come on out!”

 Radar slowly stepped out from his hiding place, wringing his hands together as he walked forward.

 “Oh, gosh. Wow. I didn’t know all of you would be in here,” he said with a nervous smile. “So sorry to interrupt everyone’s meal.”

 “Don’t apologize. It’s not a big deal,” Jesse said. “Want to eat with us?”

 The young man startled. “Would that be all right?”

 “Of course. We’ve all go to eat, and that includes you too.”

 “Shadow is right,” Axel whispered to Petra with a smirk as Radar sat down on the bench next to Jesse.

“Well, it’s just, you know, some of the upper classmen don’t like it when us younger students eat with them,” Radar reasoned. He didn’t take a plate, perhaps in reservation should Jesse decide to push him away.

“Well, we’re not like them.” Jesse dumped a bowl of mushroom stew and a plate filled with cookies in front of him. “You can relax around us.”

 “Thanks, Jesse.” Radar’s tanned skin turned a little pink. “Man, I am just the luckiest!”

 Olivia chuckled again. “So freaking cute!”

Dinner proceeded as it normally did. The gang talked about their summer breaks, classes, homework, gossip, magical theory, and hobbies. It was a pretty normal evening for the gang, all things considered. They worried for their O.W.L.s (or N.E.W.T.s, for Petra), which made Radar want to start studying for them now. Jesse told him he really didn’t need to worry about them yet since it was only his second year at Hogwarts. Olivia said she was happy to help him study if he wanted, and Radar was quick to accept.

 As the dinner hour came to a close and the students finished their meals, Jesse was interrupted by the sound of a clearing throat. She glanced up to see Lukas standing behind her again. His cat, Dewey, balanced on his shoulders almost like a parrot. The felid’s spotted coat pattern and bright green eyes reminded her of an ocelot, and the intelligence Dewey displayed often made Jesse wonder if he was part Kneazle. Of course, if the cat was so smart, it begged the question of why he decided to be such a loyal pet to a jerk like Lukas, but that was a question for another day.

 “What do you want, Lukas?” she asked, barely able to keep a snide tone out of her voice. Petra stepped on her toe, making Jesse wince.

 “Can I just talk to you?” he inquired. “In private?”

She paused. Her immediate instinct told her not to agree, but Petra’s stare as well as Lukas’ begging eyes finally cracked through her walls. She sighed and stood.

 “Fine. Let’s go into the hall.”

 “You’re not going alone,” Axel said, standing up to join them. “Not with him.”

 Lukas gave Axel a glare, while Petra grabbed the Hufflepuff’s arm and tugged.

 “Leave it,” she said.

“But—”

 “I’ll be fine, Axel.” Jesse pulled out her wand, twirled it for a moment, and then tucked it away in her sleeve. “It’s not like I’m helpless.”

Axel grumbled in annoyance as Jesse and Lukas left the Great Hall and into the adjoining hallway. Reuben seemed to have completely disregarded the idea of Jesse going by herself and joined them. Dewey dropped from Lukas’ shoulders and sat next to his owner, eyeing the pig with curiosity.

 The blond glanced around, and once he was sure there was no one else around (except for the third years whispering to each other as they passed) he turned his attention to Jesse. She put one hand on her hip.

“All right, you got me here,” she said. “What is it?”

 “I’ve been trying to talk to you about the Potions assignment,” he said. He gave her a small smile. “At least you didn’t run into me this time.”

Jesse didn’t laugh at the joke, and Lukas glanced away for a moment. He took a deep breath, puffed his cheeks, and slowly released it. He put his hands on his hips.

“Jesse, listen. I’m not going to beat around the bush here. I know we’ve had our differences since first year and…well, everything,” he began. Jesse raised an eyebrow. He clearly didn’t want to bring up all the things they had said to each other over the years. “But we need to work together if we want to do well in Potions and, well, I want to patch things up. I feel like we should be done with the arguing and fighting all the time, so…think we can agree to get along from now on?”

Jesse blinked a few times and stared. Was Lukas Porter – Lukas Porter – actually trying to make up with her? Given the way he had acted towards her since they first met, this was one of the last things she expected to happen in her fifth year at Hogwarts.

 Got to admit, he’s got a point, she thought. Maybe Petra’s right. I can at least meet him halfway.

 Lukas looked at her with expectant eyes as she gave out her own sigh.

 “All right. At least as far as classes go,” she conceded. “Truce?”

 “Truce.” Lukas stuck out his hand, and Jesse took it with a solid shake. He smiled, showing off his perfect white teeth. “Thanks, Jesse. That means a lot.”

 She couldn’t help but grin back at him. She broke eye contact to see Dewey sniffing Reuben’s dark spot on his back. Reuben just watched him with a raised eyebrow and occasionally oinked. Wow, even their familiars were getting along better than they normally did.

 “I, ub, guess I’ll see you in class tomorrow?” Lukas asked.

 “Yeah. I think we’ve got Herbology together.”

 “Herbology. Right. See you then.”

“See you later, Lukas.”

 “Come on, Dewey.”

 The speckled cat looked up from Reuben’s snout and trotted along to catch up with his wizard. Jesse watched him go, her eyebrow still raised in curiosity. Several moments passed before Reuben oinked to get her attention.

“What are you looking at?”

Reuben’s snort clearly indicated he was just as confused as she was.

“Yeah, Lukas usually isn’t that nice,” she admitted. “Hopefully he’s not up to something. I need that project to go well.”

Reuben oinked in agreement, before turning his head and squealing in surprise.

 “What is it, boy?”

 Jesse followed his line of sight to see a flash of green robes dashing around the stone corner. It wasn’t a normal shade of green either, and certainly not the green used by the Slytherin banners. It was a sort of light lime green that had more yellow it in. It was a color she was very familiar with.

 “Wonder what Professor Otto’s doing out here,” Jesse wondered aloud as she followed the Head of Hufflepuff House. “I thought he’d be eating in the Great Hall.”

 She was about to turn the corner to say hello to her Head when she spotted him talking to another man. Jesse gasped and jumped back, hiding herself behind cover. Reuben stayed behind her as she peeked around to get a better look.

 The man’s most noticeable trait was his bright red hair. It was much more vibrant than Gryffindor red, almost the hue Jesse would expect from blood. It was a huge contrast to his dark skin, which Jesse could only see on his face. His long, red and black robes covered his entire body, even including the gloves on his hands. He was facing towards Jesse, so she made sure to only use one eye to look at the pair as they conversed.

 “It’s been a while, Otto,” the man said. His voice seemed to echo throughout the hallway. “What’s it been? A year? Two?”

 “Four, in fact,” Otto replied. His tone did not have the same resounding quality. “Time flies, does it not?”

 “That’s right,” the man recalled. “You weren’t around when the Headmistress refused me the DADA post this year.”

 “This guy wanted to teach DADA?” Jesse whispered to Reuben.

 “I’m surprised that Jack of all people was chosen to teach these impressionable students,” the redhead continued. “I would have been much better suited to the job.”

 “Questioning Headmistress Lydia’s judgment is what brought you to where you are now, Romeo,” Otto proclaimed. “It’s where it brought both of us.”

 “Which reminds me, you’ve been missed by my forces,” the man, Romeo, continued, ignoring Otto’s jibe. “Especially Hadrian and Mevia. They’ve asked after you several times.”

 “I’m sure they have.” Otto’s tone sounded a little sad.

 “How does Professor Otto know this Romeo?” Jesse wondered out loud. “Or these other guys? What forces is he talking about?”

 “I’m no longer interested in what you’re doing, Romeo,” the Head of Hufflepuff House resumed. “Or what Hadrian and Mevia think.”

 “That’s too bad. I would think you would be very interested.” Romeo’s eyes twitched slightly to the right, towards Jesse. “But enough about that. Tell me, Otto. Who is that young witch skulking around that corner?”

 Jesse jumped again and hid behind the corner, pulling Reuben with her. She was about to make a run for it when Otto spoke again.

 “A student, perhaps?” he said. “It’s not important.”

 “You don’t need to hide. Come on out.”

 It was more than a little unnerving to hear the same words Jesse herself had called to Radar a little while earlier, but Romeo’s voice was both compelling and commanding. Jesse felt it was probably better to admit she was eavesdropping than to just run away. She peeked around the corner again to see the two older wizards watching and waiting for her. Otto was clearly not happy to see her there, but Romeo looked intrigued, giving her an amused smirk. He waved a hand to beckon her over, and after giving Reuben a nervous glance, Jesse sauntered over to them.

“Sorry, Professor,” she said to Otto. “I heard talking and was just curious.”

 Otto shook his head. “I can’t fault your curiosity, Jesse, but it’s not polite. You should be in the Great Hall, having dinner.”

 “Sorry again.”

 “Don’t be too hard on her, Otto,” Romeo commented, his smile still on her. “I can sense she’s a powerful witch, despite her age. Your name is Jesse?”

She swallowed. “Yes sir. Jesse Taber.”

Recognition flashed his in deep red eyes. “I should’ve known. I’ve heard about you in my circles. You’ve drawn the attention of quite a few of my followers.”

 Jesse wasn’t quite sure what to think of that. Followers? Who’s heard of me? Who is this guy?

“Jesse is one of my best students,” Otto complimented her, looking at her rather pointedly. “One of the brightest in her year.”

Bright enough to catch when you don’t want me to listen to someone, Jesse thought, noticing the glint in her mentor’s eye.

 “But it would seem she was not made a Prefect,” Romeo argued, glancing at her robes, where a Prefect Badge would normally be pinned. “She is a good student, but not good enough to be a Prefect?”

 “Being a Prefect is not the only path of a good student, Romeo,” Otto debated.

 “I don’t need to be a Prefect, sir,” Jesse answered with a shrug, speaking for the first time since her introduction.

 “You deserve much better treatment than this,” Romeo said as he took a step towards her. He leaned down over her, forcing her neck to bend backwards. “Being the capable witch you clearly are.”

“I’m good right where I am. Thanks.” Jesse looked up into his eyes, not breaking eye contact as she said this.

 Romeo didn’t have a direct answer to that statement. His eyebrows rose and fell, and his smirk twitched into a frown for a split second. He gave one shake of his head and pulled away, giving Jesse her personal space back. She didn’t let it show, but Jesse mentally let out a big sigh of relief. Unfortunately, her reprieve was short-lived.

“I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Jesse.”

Romeo gave her one last creepy smile before turning away in a flurry of red and black robes. His steps were almost silent as he strolled through the stone Hogwarts halls. Jesse and Reuben watched him go until the man was out of sight, and then she allowed herself to breathe again.

Who in the world was that?

 “Jesse?” She turned to see Otto giving her a kind but stern look. “Don’t worry about him, all right? Nothing bad can happen to you at Hogwarts.”

“So I should be worried about something bad happening with that Romeo guy?”

Otto chuckled at her sass. “Just stay focused on your studies and your friends. This is an important year for you after all.”

 Reuben gave an indignant oink, causing Jesse to hide her laughter behind her hand. Otto bent down and gave the little pig a pet.

 “And you too, Reuben,” he said. He straightened up and gave the Hufflepuff witch one more smile. “Now go back to your friends, Jesse. I’ll see you later in the Common Room.”

Otto patted her on the shoulder before making his way down the hall in the opposite direction from Romeo’s path. Reuben nuzzled her hand with a string of oinks, and Jesse scratched him behind his ear. She couldn’t stop the grin that emerged on her face.

 “Guess this is going to be an interesting year, huh, Reuben?”