Pretty terrible

The fall made her ankles feel weak a bit so she tip toed a bit in hopes she could stretch a bit before looking at the person she almost squished. Before she could look up she already heard a familiar voice say her name. “Kenzie?” she said, looking up. Seeing that it was her old friend, she attempted a smile after suddenly remembering what happened between the two of them, “How’ve you been?” she asked, trying to start up a normal conversation.

Mckenzie’s breath caught, the blush unable to subside from seeing the girl’s smile. Memories suddenly rushed through her head, but she quickly dismissed them when she opened her mouth to reply. “I’ve been doing, uh, pretty great,” she replied, almost uncertain. She couldn’t avoid giving Claudia a quick scan, trying to detect any change from the last time they were together. But there weren’t any－Claudia was still the same beautiful girl she shared a moment with. Mckenzie swallowed and tried to soothe her nerves by conjuring a smile. “－and you Ia?”

The sun was near setting but she never got caught staying out late. “Wanna go smoke by the lake before heading back to school..?” she asked, half forcing herself to. It wouldn’t hurt, trying to rekindle a lost friendship, would it?

“Dad said never to point our wands at each other, Claudious,” Ia stated, placing her hands on her hips like a child. Technically, she was a child to her brother as she was 2 years younger than him. “Calm down, I was only going to ask to borrow your lighter.” She brought a cigarette to her lips and waited for her brother to either light it, or hand over his lighter. 

Upon sitting next to his sibling, he brought out his lighter and lit his sisters cigarette before taking a cig from her pack and lighting it for himself. “You could have just called me, you didn’t need to throw a rock at me.” he stated, exhaling the smoke from his lungs.

“So what have you been up to?” The two could be considered as close siblings. Ia told her older brother everything. Considering that he is the only brother she has and there were just the two of them. Claudious knew all her secrets, all her experiences. Claud was just as talkative as her but she knew he wasn’t always telling her everything. 

“What year are you teaching next?” Claudia started, getting up from her chair to approach the cabinet that held the beakers and other alchemy equipment.

“Seventh year.” Grayson answered while he rummaged through his cupboard to retrieve the ingredients for the class “Advanced Alchemy for the select few” he continued when he returned to a nearby worktop to start preparing. 

“For the select few, eh?” Claudia smirked, picking up a few alchemy supplies and bringing them to the Professor, “Do you think I’d qualify for this seventh year class?”

“Oh, no reason at all, Sir,” she rested her elbows on the edge of the professors desk and leaned in slightly towards him, “I could help you with your papers,”

“I’ve finished marking through the papers I need to get through today, but if you want to help, I need to get some things set up for the next class. It’s mainly sone beakers and all that, nothing exciting”

“What year are you teaching next?” Claudia started, getting up from her chair to approach the cabinet that held the beakers and other alchemy equipment.

Ia assumed everyone was already back in school getting ready for dinner at the Great Hall so she jumped down from her spot in the trees. Upon landing, she stood up right and turned in a circle. Half way around her spin, she saw someone right behind her that she almost landed on top of, “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

The fall made her ankles feel weak a bit so she tip toed a bit in hopes she could stretch a bit before looking at the person she almost squished. Before she could look up she already heard a familiar voice say her name. “Kenzie?” she said, looking up. Seeing that it was her old friend, she attempted a smile after suddenly remembering what happened between the two of them, “How’ve you been?” she asked, trying to start up a normal conversation.

Though the Greengrass siblings had just transferred to Hogwarts and Ia had only talked with Savannah one time, she already had a problem with the Greengrass family. If Ruby were anything like Savannah, she definitely didn’t want her brother ending up with someone like that.

It wasn’t until it clicked that it was probably something to do with her sister. Ruby slid her bookmark in between her pages to keep her place and closed her book over. 

Claudia looked over the continued confusion on Ruby’s face and tried to restate her question. Maybe the transfer student couldn’t understand the English accent well enough, “What is going on between you and my brother?” she restated, trying to lessen the slur of her words and tone down her accent. It was more difficult than she expected and her tongue felt twisted as she was not speaking normally.

Claudious walked through the thin forest of trees towards The Great Lake in hopes of finding familiar faces with to share a smoke with or to start trouble with. He walked with his hands in his pockets and his chin in the air, his boredom evident on his face. The day had just begun and yet he was feeling out of it.

Ia sat in the shade of a large tree near the bank of the Great Lake, watching people pass by hoping to find someone she knew. In her hands she opened and closed her pack of cigarettes wishing she had not forgotten her lighter. Soon enough, she saw a familiar blonde head of hair walking by and she knew instantly that it was her older brother, Claudious. She picked up a small pebble and threw it to the back of his head, “Hey assface.”

The feel of his jeans against her palms felt so wrong to her as she wished it were his skin she was already. Though she was patting the pockets of Ardan’s jeans, her hands wanted to wander somewhere else. But, afraid of rejection once again, she refrained from that certain area of the boys body. 

“Okay, you got me,” she looked around the office avoiding looking at her Professors stare, “I just felt like visiting you.”

“Any particular reason for a visit or is it to just watch me drown in paperwork?” 

“Oh, no reason at all, Sir,” she rested her elbows on the edge of the professors desk and leaned in slightly towards him, “I could help you with your papers,”

Claudia bit her lip and sat in an empty chair near the Professor, “Oh well..” she started, trying to make a reason for her unexpected visit, “I was just wondering if you needed..” she paused again, her eyes catching the stack of papers on his desk, “Checking any papers.” An awkward smile crept onto Ia’s face as she looked at the Professor.

Looking unconvinced at his student’s answer, Grayson raised an eyebrow at her. “That’s doesn’t sound too convincing Claudia. What’s going on?” he asked as he reached to roll up his shirt sleeves.

“Okay, you got me,” she looked around the office avoiding looking at her Professors stare, “I just felt like visiting you.”

Grayson looked up from his papers and nodded “Come in Claudia” he knew her voice as soon as he heard it. Claudia was one of his most talented students and she showed great promise in the field of Alchemy “How can I help you?” he asked. 

Claudia bit her lip and sat in an empty chair near the Professor, “Oh well..” she started, trying to make a reason for her unexpected visit, “I was just wondering if you needed..” she paused again, her eyes catching the stack of papers on his desk, “Checking any papers.” An awkward smile crept onto Ia’s face as she looked at the Professor.

Grayson sat at his desk marking through the stacks of essays pilled up in front of him. He let out a sigh, dropped his pen onto his desk and loosened his tie. “Become a Professor they said, it will be fun they said” he mumbled to himself as he sat back in his seat.

Claudia knocked on the door of her favourite Professor’s office. “Sir?” she mumbled, peeking her head into his office, “Professor Bell?” she called out again hoping to get his attention. He was the resident Alchemy professor and being the daughter of Horace Slughorn, she was interested in anything that could relate to potions. Alchemy obviously being one.