#robin willows

For many it was just another day at King’s Cross Station, muggles from all walks of life going about their business. A seldom few noticing an unusually high number of people pushing carts through the station that more often than not had an owl in a cage as part of the luggage.

For young Nick Willows, it was his first time at the station and while normally he would have been looking around to take in the sights properly. However, there was something far more pressing that was causing a knot of anxiety in his gut, today would be his first day of school. While the shopping at Diagon Alley had kept him preoccupied, now that he was actually approaching the platform, the reality was starting to set in.

His twin sister Robin was far more enthusiastic as she rushed on ahead, their father just about keeping pace with her. That left Nick with his own cart as well as his mum, who was laughing at the other two’s enthusiasm, racing towards the gap between platform nine and ten. An old flare of competitiveness lit up in her as she began to push the cart a bit harder, that was before realising Nick wasn’t enthused with the idea.

She took a quick glance at the clock, they had time before the Hogwarts Express would depart, “Stop a moment, Nick.” Merula gently commanded, the two of them and their luggage quickly coming to a halt. Even as David noticed them stop, Merula made a gesture to go ahead, largely to stop Robin accidentally careering into someone.

She got down to his level, “What’s wrong?”

“What if I don’t like it at Hogwarts?” He asked quietly, she gave him a puzzled look.

“Now why would you think that?” There was a pause in his response.

“I dunno…” Nick admitted, trying to find the words as he mumbled, “I might get homesick.” Merula’s look softened, even though the school would provide them with temporary accommodation, it wasn’t the same as their home in Wimbourne.

“I think you’re nervous,” She said, her tone full of understanding, though needed to think for just a moment as she thought over her answer, “You know, Hogwarts isn’t so bad. After all, it’s where me and your dad met.”

“That’s true.” Nick admitted.

“And,” Merula continued, “You also already know Dylan, and Reva is joining this year too. We’re always going to be there, so will Robin.” That got a good-natured groan out of Nick. Chuckling at that, Merula reached into her bag, producing a small yellow bag of sweets with multicoloured people every colour of the rainbow on it.

Nick perked up at the sight of the jelly babies as his mother explained, “We were going to give you them when we got to school, but you know what I think? Have a few now and keep them in your pocket, share them out, you might make some friends. And if that doesn’t work…” She briefly unlocked the chest containing his books, taking out a sleek leatherbound book titled Dragons, in Theory and Practice by Reuben Willows.

With that, he took the bag and book, happily munching on a few sweets with the book under his arm. They only paused as they finally reached the entrance to platform nine and three quarters. The platform itself was in full swing, thronging with students both new and old. The last calls for luggage ringing out.

With the time catching up with them, Nick was quickly ushered onto the closest carriage with a last minute reassurance that his mum would handle his things. Though he felt somewhat better, finding a place to sit was starting to be a daunting prospect. He scanned each room he came across, some empty, some occupied at some point even happening upon Robin who was chattering with Reva Amari.

“Nick!” He heard as he passed by room further along the hall, coming from Dylan Amari, “You looking for a spot?” With Nick nodding, he gestured to join him and his two companions. One, a blonde girl who seemed closer to Dylan’s age than Nick. The other dark-haired young boy who offered Nick a brief smile.

“Is that a copy of Dragons, in Theory and Practice?” The other boy asked eagerly.

“Yeah, I’m even related to the author if you can believe it. Do you like dragons too?”

The other boy’s jaw had dropped open at that, “No way, you’re a relative of Reuben Willows? I love his books! Oh, I’m Patrick by the way.”

“Nice to meet you,” Nick greeted, “Jelly baby?” He asked, taking the bag out of his pocket.

“No idea, but they won’t hurry up for you complaining into my ear,” said Reva’s brother Dylan. He had his arm around his girlfriend Dana, who Reva shared a sympathetic look with. Just like herself, Dana was only wearing a dress and tights, and seemed to be just as cold as the rest of them.

“And besides, it was you who insisted on coming here,” Dylan went on, not noticing or not caring about his sister and his girlfriend rolling their eyes. “We could have just stayed at Dante’s bar, have some more drinks there and be nice and warm all around.”

“Maybe, but you only turn twenty-two once,” Reva said. “Stop being a bore.”

“You turned twenty-two three days ago.”

“And how am I supposed to celebrate with all my friends during the week, Mr Look-at-me-I-know-it-all?”

Dylan shared a look with his friend Dante, who was the owner of the bar where they had all met for a warm up, but Dante only shrugged. He knew better than to get involved with Dylan’s and Reva’s bickering.

“What did you expect?” Rory McTavish chimed in from behind Reva. He clearly had no problem with getting involved at all. “This is one of the most popular spots in Edinburgh. Obviously there was going to be a queue.”

“Didn’t stop the others from going in without us,” Reva muttered.

“Maybe we could talk to the bouncers,” Rory said and craned his head like Reva had done.

The girl next to him made a sceptical noise. “I doubt the Muggle bouncers will give us preferred access only because you and Reva happen to have a name in Quidditch. But do go ahead and try.”

Rory laughed softly and gave Rylie a kiss on the cheek. “No, but I can’t have you ladies freezing out here.”

“They’re not the only ones being cold,” Dylan pointed out.

“Yeah, I’m quite cold myself. Not that you would know, Dylan. You’re too furry to freeze.”

Dylan’s brows drew into a scowl but before he had a chance to answer, both boys received an elbow to their sides from their girlfriends and fell quiet. Reva saw Dana biting her lower lip in an attempt not to laugh, however.

A smirk on her own lips, she turned her attention to the non-progression of the queue again. As the banter with her friends passed, the familiar, heavy feeling which had been bothering her for the past couple of days returned to her chest.

Reva had felt on edge for a while now, but lately, the feeling of running against walls in her attempt to make a name for herself among the Montrose Magpies - a name that wasn’t immediately connected to her parents’ past accomplishments - had steadily increased. All she had wanted from tonight was a carefree evening with her friends, and not needing to stand in the cold night air, shivering in her short dress and wondering if this was where she really was supposed to be.

Next to her, her best friend Zadie, who had come over from New York especially for the occasion, nudged Reva into the side.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly.

Reva sighed and tore her eyes away from the flashing sign above the entrance. “Yes,” she said, “I just want to get inside and meet everyone, that’s all.”

She could tell from the look on Zadie’s face that she knew Reva was lying, but thankfully she chose not to comment on it. Instead, she gave Reva’s arm a squeeze and left her alone. Reva was grateful for it; like so often these days, she realised how much she had missed Zadie being by her side.

It took them another fifteen minutes, but eventually, Reva and her friends had found their way inside the club. As soon as they walked down the stairs leading to the dance floor, Reva’s contemplative mood subsided. The room was heaving with people, colourful lights were flashing in time with the beat and Reva could feel the reverberations of the base thrumming through her body. She took a deep breath and a confident smile formed on her face; this was what she had been looking for.

They quickly found the rest of their friends seated on comfortable looking leather sofas around a low table next to the bar, and Reva’s smile widened with every one of them she greeted. Before long she found herself chatting and laughing with each and every one of them, catching up with those she hadn’t seen in a while and trading gossip with those she saw regularly. Reva felt more at ease than she had done in weeks and she leaned back into her seat with a content smile.

“It’s good to see you smiling again,” her friend Sage Carridan said and sat down next to her. “It’s been a while, I can imagine.”

“Meaning?” Reva said and raised her eyebrows.

“I read the latest articles in The Daily Prophet on the Magpies’ winning streak,” Sage explained.

“I’m not surprised you have.” A defeated expression crossed Reva’s face. The general tone of the articles was positive, but she had been on a few unsuccessful dates with the guy who’d written them, and from how he talked about her, Reva could tell he wasn’t as over her as she was over him. There wasn’t a single day where she didn’t find herself being compared to her mother’s scoring record or her father’s technique and frankly, she was sick of it.

Sage seemed to sense Reva’s shift in mood because she made a sympathetic face and laid a hand on her shoulder. “I want you to know that this amateur has no idea about Quidditch. What he’s writing is far-fetched, to say the least. You’re a fantastic player in your own right, and I’ve never seen a statistic more inaccurate than the ones he’s making up.”

“My godfather said the same,” Reva muttered. She should feel glad about Sage’s encouragement, but all she felt was tired.

Sage seemed to want to add something but was interrupted when Nova Mae slumped into the seat on Reva’s other side.

“Why that face?” she asked cheerfully, looking between Reva and Sage. “Is Sage boring you with rules and numbers again?”

Sage rolled her eyes. “They’re not boring, Nova.”

“Oh yes, they are.”

Reva had to bite her lip to keep from chuckling. Nova’s and Sage’s friendly banter was infamous and their bickering was already brightening her mood considerably.

“I won’t allow you to be sad today. I know something to cheer you up,” Nova declared. From out of nowhere she produced a clear plastic bag containing what looked like brownies.

A sly grin appeared on Reva’s face but when she reached for the bag, it was snatched away by a stern looking Sage.

“You’re not going to be giving Reva edibles while I’m watching,” she hissed at Nova.

Nova shrugged and shoved a piece of brownie into her mouth. “You’re free to go any time.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Shame.”

“That’s irresponsible, Nova!”

“They’re brownies. Nothing else, I swear.”

“As if.”

“Can you just stop it?” Reva sighed and looked between the two unhappily, her good mood gone as fast as it had come. She usually had fun watching Nova and Sage bicker, but tonight, it was making her restless. “All I want is to have some fun.”

“Right you are,” came the voice of Scarlett Tempest from behind them. She had gone to get new drinks and was now looking at Nova and Sage warningly. “The girl’s twenty-two and here you are talking over her head like she isn’t here.” She took one of the small shot glasses off her tray she was carrying and handed it to Reva. “She wants to have fun and that is what she’s going to have. Screw the public, screw the press, and screw the guys - that one writing shit about you in particular.”

She raised a glass of her own to Reva and downed it one go. Reva did the same and shuddered as the tequila burned its way down her throat. She decided to leave Sage and Nova to themselves and follow Scarlett and her tray instead.

Having had another round of shots with Robin, Zadie and Victoire, there was nothing keeping the girls off the dancefloor anymore. Reva took her turn dancing first with Robin, then Dana and eventually Rory for a while. She would have loved to dance with Zadie as well, but like always when music was playing, Zadie was in a world of her own; she was twisting and twirling across the dancefloor like nothing Reva had seen before and there were more than a few people staring at her admiringly, even though Zadie never noticed.

After a few more songs, everyone but Zadie and Reva had left the dancefloor again. The crowd had gotten thicker and soon a wall of people was separating them. Reva stopped and stepped to the edge of the dancefloor, letting her eyes wander over her group of friends back at their table.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves; Rylie was sitting on Rory’s lap, laughing as he said something into her ear; Nova and Sage were still bickering but seemed to be having fun doing it; Victoire and Robin were clearing up the last of the shots, while Dylan and Robin’s twin brother Nick were quietly suffering their fate with a bottle of beer each. They were listening to Dante, who was probably explaining to them why the drinks in this club were awful and what he would do differently. A little to the side, Dana and her friend Saffron were dancing with each other; Saffron was staring at the lights above them and had her hands up in the air, waving them from side to side in tune with her body, looking a little like seaweed underwater.

Reva made a move to go back to them but hesitated; everyone was having a good time and neither did she want to enter a conversation, nor did she want to drink any more shots with Robin and Victoire. All of her friends were fine and Reva felt like she would disturb them, so she turned around and returned to the dancefloor.

She had lost sight of Zadie, so she danced on her own for a little while. It wasn’t long before she was approached by a guy around her age who asked her to dance with him. Reva didn’t see a reason not to, but when he got closer and closer and bowed his head to kiss her, she quickly took a step back. She wanted to turn away and return to her friends but the guy grabbed her by the hand and held her back.

“What’s the matter all of a sudden? You weren’t so shy a minute ago.”

Reva flashed her eyes at him. “Let go, right now.”

“Or what?”

From across the room, Reva’s situation hadn’t gone unnoticed. But before either Rory, Dylan or Sage had any chance to come to Reva’s help, Scarlett had already slammed down her drink and came pushing through the crowd. When she reached Reva, she gave her suitor a look that would have made Reva’s blood freeze if it had been directed at her.

“Hands off her,” she snapped and the guy looked her up and down derisively. He clearly wasn’t impressed by what he was seeing.

“What do you even want?” he scoffed.

“Something you can’t have,” Scarlett said wryly. She freed Reva’s wrist from his hand, took her face into her hands and pressed a kiss to her lips that tasted of tequila, salt and lemon.

Reva stiffened for a second when their lips met, but when the jaw of the guy who had been harassing her dropped, she wrapped her arms around Scarlett’s neck and returned the kiss.

Out of the corner of her eye, Reva saw the guy mutter something to himself and shake his head. With a dismissive gesture he pushed past them and had vanished into the crowd a moment later.

Scarlett let go of her and her hazel eyes were sparkling mischievously. There was a smug grin on her face that made Reva giggle.

“What in Godric’s name was that about?” she wanted to know as Scarlett linked arms with her and led her back towards their friends.

“Someone needed to put that bloke in his proper place,” Scarlett replied and handed Reva a shot. “I’ve said it before - screw the guys. This evening’s about you, and I wasn’t going to let a lowlife like him ruin it for you.”

Reva took the glass off her and Scarlett raised her own. “Here’s to you, birthday girl.”

Robin awoke to the pain of a splitting headache, a similar but more subdued pain racking through her as if she’d just been trampled by a troll. Finally managing to open her eyes enough to see that she was in the hospital wing. Glancing down to see her left arm in a sling.

She hated this place, it was all so sterile, quiet and to a small degree foreboding. She shifted causing a sharper jab of pain to shoot through her, taking her mind off any queasiness she would have felt. The hiss of pain she gave as she clenched her teeth must have alerted someone as footsteps echoed briefly through the wing.

Head nurse Judith Harris soon came into view, who also happened to be Robin’s godmother.

“Good, you’re finally awake.” Judith said, sounding pleased, “What do you remember, Robin?”

Robin thought for a moment, “I was flying…” She said, thinking to what had happened. She had been playing in the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw quiddtich match, “I had the quaffle, then… nothing.”

Judith nodded in understanding, “You were hit by one of the bludgers, just underneath the ribs.”

“Am I going to be able to fly again?!” Robin suddenly panicked, realising she had been high up when the bludger struck her. Groaning as she was pained again but not deterring her mood, “Reva, she got knocked off her broom once, they weren’t sure she would be able to fly again, what if I can’t?”

Robin could feel the tears threatening to overflow as such a horrid realisation struck her, shaking uncontrollably as her breathing started to quicken. It felt like the cold, foreboding feeling of being a scared little girl again, startled awake from a nightmare and needing the comfort of her parents.

“Hey, hey, hey, sweetie, don’t worry,” Robin turned to her godmother’s soft voice, blinking rapidly in a desperate urge to stifle her crying, “Your father slowed the fall with a spell as soon as it hit you. The bludger roughed you up but I’m positive there won’t be any lasting effects.”

“Really?” She asked hopefully.

“You’ve come away with two broken ribs, a broken arm and a mild concussion. There’s a reason those things used to be called blooders.” She said, prompting a chuckle out of Robin in spite of her current situation, “You’ll need plenty of rest, and no flying for the rest of the season, understand?” She added, though her tone was stern, it was tinged with clear protectiveness for Robin’s well-being.

At her godmother’s explanation Robin began to finally calm down, a great sense of relief lifting a heavy weight off her chest. Though she felt a pang of guilt for not being able to join her team for the rest of their matches, the joy at the injuries not being as bad as she thought far outweighed it.

“And hey, when you’re arm is healed up, I’ll take you for some archery lessons, how about that?”

“That sounds great, auntie.” Robin said, visibly more relaxed though once again groaned as the pain from her injuries tormented her.

Judith rubbed Robin’s unbroken arm comfortingly, “I’ll fetch you some painkillers and contact your parents, they’ve been worried sick. Just sit back and get comfortable for now.”

Nick made his way down the staircase into dungeons, each step accentuating his apathetic mood. He hated Mondays for one reason, and one reason only, potions class. Professor Haywood was at least nice enough but other than that the rest of it was dreadful.

It was down in the dungeons for starters, the gloomiest part of the castle by far. The pedantic nature of potioneering was particularly irritating. How the ingredients were prepared, how hot the flame was, even something as arbitrary as whether the mixture was stirred clockwise or anti-clockwise. Then there was-

“Cheer up little bro!” Nick felt a hearty slap on his back, nearly sending him down the stairs, courtesy of Robin on her way to their shared class.

Nick rolled his eyes at his sister’s nickname for him, she was only a few minutes older than him for goodness sake!

“I’d rather be in Care of Magical Creatures, dealing with an angry Hippogriff,” Nick muttered, “There’s one in the forest acting a bit erratically and I’m worried someone could get hurt.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that overgrown chicken, Nick. But if it concerns you that much, don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” She said with a mischievous grin.

“What are you going to do?” Nick asked sceptically, narrowing his eyes.

She brought her finger to her lips, “It’s a secret.”

Nick resisted the urge to groan, whatever Robin had planned, it couldn’t be good. But had no time to press her further when they needed to separate as they walked into the classroom.

While professor Haywood explained what they were doing in her normally chipper way, something unfathomable on a Monday morning, Nick couldn’t help but keep glancing over at where Robin was seated. She had currently dragged Reva into her scheming, which probably hadn’t taken much convincing given their friendship.

Nick instead started focusing his efforts on powering through the class, and ignoring the two Gryffindors as Reva seemed to lead the professor away as Robin gathered their ingredients.

It would be only a few minutes into the lesson when a sharp, whistling hiss echoed through the class. The source was fairly obvious, coming from both Reva and Robin’s cauldron that were now billowing thick, crimson smoke. Just as it began to obscure her, Nick could have sworn he saw Robin wink at him.

“Ah! Everyone out!” Professor Haywood squawked, “Class is dismissed for the day, just find something to do. Robin Willows, Reva Amari, a word please.” As the class poured out, Robin and Reva’s giggling was clear for all to hear.

Dear Asher,

Nick is much better at writing this sort of stuff than I am. But, I’m giving it a go now. When dad set us up to help with my Charms work, I didn’t think much of it. I knew I needed the help and you were a great teacher. Thanks to you, I just about squeezed an A in my O.W.Ls. I remember when I first got the result, we were sitting in the common room, I was so happy I squealed and threw myself at you.

That’s embarrassing to think about when I remember I accidentally pinned you.

But, really… I wanted to kiss you. I felt this weird feeling in my chest, like my heart was starting to pump a mile a minute. I didn’t do it, because I didn’t know if you’d like it but I haven’t been able to get you out of my head all summer.

I missed hanging out away from study time, when you watched me play quidditch and cheered for me even though it was only scoring a goal in practice. I missed that cute little laugh that you do whenever I told you one of my silly jokes or about my latest pranks. I missed listening to you go on and on about what you want out of life with such an infectious passion, and how you listened to me no matter how trivial it might have been. I missed… you.

I know with your N.E.W.T.s, your A Levels and everything that you’ve got a lot on your plate but Asher Gregson, will you go out with me?

Yours, Robin.

Robin let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, a weight still hanging heavy on her shoulders as she thought through the options she had. Either give it to him now… or never. She could give it to him now at worst potentially face rejection, at best any relationship they did develop might jeopardise his chances at getting into a muggle university. If she didn’t give it to him, she might never get another chance.

Still, steeling her resolve, she carefully folded the letter she had worked so hard to construct. She couldn’t bring herself to destroy it either, not after the effort that had gone into it. But neither could she give it to Asher, he had his dreams to follow and she had hers, no matter how much it would hurt to see him drift away.

Robin bounced excitedly in her seat as the car came to a crawl before stopping. To muggles, the castle in front of them would have looked ominous and decrepit, not a place any sane person would want to go exploring. For Robin however, the ancient structure was a place she had been excited about since her parents had first proposed the idea to her. Today was the day she and Nick would be attending Katriona Cassiopeia’s famous quidditch camp.

Though she was far more enthusiastic than her twin by a country mile, Nick seemed pleased to have finally arrived as well.

The family exited their vehicle, Robin practically launching herself towards the boot, where her rucksack was stored. “Excited?” David asked, chuckling as he opened it up for her, she snatched the bright yellow Wimbourne Wasps rucksack. Nick by contrast took his dark blue one out much more calmly.

“Right kids, remember. Everything you need is those rucksacks, write to us if you get homesick and most important, be careful. Yeah?” David asked, Robin nodding vigorously, whilst Nick did similar.

“With Rath and Cassiopeia around, I’m sure you’ll be in good hands, stay out of trouble you two.” Merula warned light-heartedly, with Robin due to meet up with Reva, chaos was bound to occur.

“Will do mum and dad, love you!” Robin called as she began sprinting for the castle, “I’ll race you Nick!”

“Hey that’s cheating!” Nick shouted after her, giving both of his parents a brief hug before taking off after his sister.

David and Merula beamed, his arm over her shoulder as they watched their children running for the camp, “You know that without us or the Amaris around Robin and Reva are going to be completely uncontrolled, right?” Merula asked.

“Oh yeah,” David nodded in agreement, “I gave Murph and KC the heads up, they’ll think of something for them.”

“I hope you’re right,” Merula laughed, finally turning her attention from the kids towards her husband, “In the meantime, we’re free to do whatever we want.” David smirked as Merula gave him a knowing look, they rarely had time away from the kids nowadays, they aimed to make the best of it.

Robin cheered triumphantly, entering the foyer where several other children who were first timers had gathered. Even going so far as to do a victory pirouette and bow, she had won the race against her brother. Nick came in shortly after, rolling his eyes at Robin’s showboating. Just as she was about to start jokingly gloating, a squeal of delight cut her off.

“Robin!” It was none other than Reva Amari, who immediately tackled her best friend, Robin happily returning the vice-like grip.

“Have you got the snacks?” Robin asked, Reva nodded.

“Have you got the drinks?” Reva asked in response, Robin returned the nod.

The two of them giggling at the thought of the epic midnight feast that would be sure to come about, chock full of sweets, salty snacks and soft drinks. After a long day of quidditch and causing chaos, such a banquet was the perfect way to celebrate as well as defy any trivial ‘lights out’ rule.

“Alright first-timers, settle down.” The announcement came from Murphy McNully, the crowd of children falling silent as he wheeled over to them, followed by an imposing Erika Rath, “Now as I’m sure you’re aware we have four teams for you to join up with, Rowan’s Ravens, Dora’s Dragons, Freddie’s Foxes and Llewelyn’s Lions. For those who already know what it is the teams do, feel free to choose. If not, Miss Rath hear can explain their functions. In the meantime, I would like to have a word with Reva Amari and Robin Willows.”

A few curious glances went the duo’s way but for the most part, no one but Nick knew who they were. Those who already knew what each house stood for rushed to boxes containing the jerseys. Others began queuing up for questions directed at Erika. In the middle of the chaos, Robin and Reva held each other’s hands so they wouldn’t lose each other.

As Murphy waved his wand to begin levitating his wheelchair up a set of stairs, the girls followed after him, giving them an overhead view of the others below. Robin seeing Nick now donning the pink of Dora’s Dragons, they were focused more on broom making, team management and playing the game at an introductory level. Something that Robin thought would be suited for Nick.

“Now then,” Murphy began as he lead the two of them into his office, “I hear the two of you have a certain talent for pranks.” Both girls grinned at that they did enjoy it, especially if the target was either Dylan or Nick.

“Judging by your smirks I’d say there’s an 89% chance of what your parents have told me being right. Which is perfect as I have a special assignment for the two of you,” Murphy’s statement peaked the girl’s interest, “I happen to believe I’m at least somewhat successful at picking out people with the potential to be great quidditch players, so far I’ve been proven right with David, Lizzie, Orion and even my darling wife. I believe the best way is to get them to hone their talents. However, in your case, I feel that we can channel your innate desire towards mischief-making for not just your own benefits but even the entire camp!”

Robin and Reva gave each other, and Murphy, a puzzled look. Where exactly was he going with this?

“That’s why, I want the two of you to start a prank war with each other.” There was a long pause as such a revelation stunned the two girls.

“You’re serious?” Robin asked, just the faintest hint of joy seeping into her tone. Reva was pinching herself to be sure it wasn’t a dream.

“Indeed,” Murphy grinned, “There are a few things to consider. For one, do nothing that would damage equipment, do not target staff members and above all else, do not tamper with my wife’s coffee.” Both girl’s nodded, shuddering at the last point, being fairly confident nothing would placate Katriona Cassiopeia’s rage if that were to happen.

“Excellent! Now, go fetch your jerseys, I’m sure you’d both make a fine addition to Llwelyn’s Lions.”

The two of them were positively giddy with excitement at being allowed almost free reign to do whatever they wanted as far as pranking went. Yet even so, they scrutinised each other, silently trying to come up with the best way to get ahead in the coming prank war. Even as they took on the Lion’s lavender colouration, they dared not turn their back on the other.

They both rounded a corner into the mess hall, all students from every house were gathered there, enjoying a banquet of sandwiches and cakes with juice and water as refreshments. At the centre piece was a beautifully baked Victoria sponge, somehow untouched and so perfect for smashing into someone’s face.

Robin and Reva looked at each other, they began slowly walking towards the cake, that became a light jog, then a run until finally it was a full on sprint. Robin had always been faster off the broom and reached the cake first. Yet, Reva slammed into her, planting Robin’s face into the cake. Robin was down briefly but far from out. She took a fistful of cake, cream and jam before smearing into Reva’s face.