#shadowed fates

With a groan, she leans up to face her friend, Jewel, who looks at her with a confused look. “Maybe because we’ve been up for the past 3 days talking about it.”

Celia buds in. “Let her sleep. She’ll need it.” She says with a particularly knowing giggle,

“Especially if the first person you’re introducing her to is him.” Penelope giggles as well, nudging Jewel on the arm, who guiltily smiles in return.

Jewel had told the young girl lots about her Hogwarts friends, but she had yet to meet most of them. She was introduced to Penelope and Celia only a few days back, when she first arrived in London. Jewel’s father was kind enough to let her stay at their manor for the few days leading up to their 7th year.

While the trio pester and tease each other, the girl sneaks back into her dream world, slipping as peacefully back into sleep as the train tracks will allow her to.

“We’re here, Twila! Get up!”

Damn. That was quick. She thinks to herself.

Her bag drops from being against the window to sitting in her lap as Penelope yanks her arm. Twila quickly slings the bag over her shoulder just before it’s out of her grasp as she rises out of her seat. “Penelope, hold on.” She says with a chuckle. Jewel’s long, light brown hair bounces not too far in front of them, as she leads the four of them off the car. Their suitcases are piled up on the sidewalk just outside the locomotive, steam still hissing and rolling above the train cars, filling the air with its industrial scent.

“Welcome, students. Everyone follow this way please.”

The four of them, amongst the many other students, walk through a dark, luscious green forest until they finally see ‘it’ emerge from the trees in all of its glory.

Twila stands in amazement. The school is ginormous, just how she imagined it to be. It’s already so magical and she hadn’t seen anything but the bricks that hold everything together. Ilvermorny had been big, but this is on a completely different scale. She didn’t even know how much time passed or what direction she was walking, for she was too busy admiring the view.

She watches the first years get sorted into their houses. Unfortunately, Twila had met some of her professors before the start of school and was sorted in private. However, seeing how all eyes were on the first years now as the hat speaks to them, she’s somewhat relieved for that. Afterwards, the students gather in the Great Hall to mingle after the start of term banquet, which was just as grand as the rest of the school. 

“Come, Twila. I want to introduce you to someone!” Jewel says right before her shriek erupts through the room, causing a certain blond boy to turn around. “Ah! I’ve missed you, Malfoy!”

“Jewel, it’s only been– what? 3 months??”

He’s not what Twila has expected him to look like. Not in a bad way, of course, just different. Though, she supposes the only thing Jewel ever talked about was his attitude, hair, and money.

He makes sudden eye contact with her, seeing how she hovers just a few feet behind his childhood friend. “Whose that?” He says quietly, nudging Jewel for her attention.

“Oh!” She pulls away from the hug to gesture towards her. “This is Twila. She’s my best friend from Ilvermorny I told you about.”

He nods very, very slowly as he almost looks down upon the new girl. “Oh… I see.” Nonetheless, he extends his hand to hers. “Draco. Nice to meet you.”He takes a glance back at Jewel, clearing his throat before looking back at the other girl. “What do you think of Hogwarts so far?”

“It’s good… so far anyways.” Twila chuckles nervously, trying to come off as friendly, but she notices how the boy seems unimpressed and unwelcoming.

“I suppose you’ve already been sorted? I’m Slytherin, if you were wondering.” A cocky, proud smirk grows on his lips.

There’s the attitude Jewel had warned her about. “Uh, yeah. Ravenclaw.” She smiles, but it quickly drops when he begins to laugh.

“It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Twila, really, but I must be getting back.” He says, still having a chuckle in his voice as he walks back to his large group of friends.

Jewel rolls her eyes, turning back to Twila to notice her confused look. “That’s just him. You’ll get used to it." She chuckles. “Come. I’ll show you up to Ravenclaw tower– but don’t expect me to walk with you up there for the rest of the year. I can’t get caught on that side of the school. Too many stairs as well. Ugh.” Twila rolls her eyes with a smile, following beside her friend.

As they walk through the endless corridors, including up a staircase that magically disappears and reappears, they pass by an oddly empty side of the school. Everyone must still be downstairs visiting one another. Twila supposes it would be just like her to be the first student to rush back to her dorm. Then, the two hear voices echo down the hall.

“And what if I refuse? It is just like Dumbledore to throw helpless children around to whomever is willing to clean up his responsibilities.” 

“Severus, please. They had all but disposed of her because they were simply too lazy to dissect this problem themselves.”

Jewel pulls Twila aside, hiding the two of them around a corner and she peeks to watch the professors argue over something. “That’s Professor Snape, Head of my house. Quite cruel at times. It’ll be in your best interest to avoid him as much as possible.”

Twila scoffs internally at this. If only she could.

They continue to listen, watching as best as they can.

“So, I suppose this is my burden now? No consultation or anything? Just leave the child at my doorstep?” Snape exclaims in annoyance.

Ms. McGonagall, who Twila had written to many times over the summer, softly drops her arms in frustration. “Please, just have a moment with her. And if you still wish to refuse, then Dumbledore has promised to remove her from your hands.”

He sighs, crossing his arms as he puts up a cold front. “Alright. You have me. For now.” He states sternly. “But be sure to set your expectations low. I can only imagine this child will get on my last nerve and quickly.”

Ms. McGonagall chuckles. “I trust she will be safe in your hands, Severus. I’m sure it will mean everything to her. Thank you again for helping.” She turns to walk away, before remembering something. “Oh, and be sure to give her this in class tomorrow.” She reaches into her green cloak pocket, pulling out an almond colored envelope before slipping it to him.

Twila eyes the envelope as Snape does the same. She wonders what it says, though she knows she’ll be finding out soon enough.

Jewel lets out a thoughtful hum, not focusing on their words as much as she’s concerned whether they’re leaving yet or not. Once out of sight, she walks out from their ‘hiding spot’ and they continue down the next stairwell. “Whatever that was about.” She scoffs. “Anyways, here’s your common room, the riddle’s for you and your brainy selves to figure out.” Twila smiles, glancing at the bird on the door, its bronze wings shielding its body. “Alright, well, best get settled in then. Class begins bright and early tomorrow. Oh, and don’t roam too far around the castle alone, never know who you’ll run into.” She flashes Twila a smile before heading back down the stairs.

With a sigh, Twila enters her common room, making her way towards her dorm. The riddle wasn’t too difficult for her to figure out. Her room is small, but cozy with lots of antique woods, rusty coppers, and wonder filled blues. Not to mention, the view the tower held over the rest of the castle. It’s beautiful. She couldn’t wait to start making it hers.

She eyes her luggage that magically made its way to her room while she was busy eating earlier. She lazily plops onto her bed with a huff. She had a long day already and suspected an even longer one tomorrow. She should get some rest, unpacking can wait for another day.

She lays her head on the nicely fluffed pillow, tracing the golden astrological symbols etched into the ceiling. I’m a long way from home. She thinks to herself. But she is here for a purpose.

༺ ☆ ༻

The next day, Twila wakes up with a light heart, an airy feeling in her chest that flutters both in excitement and fear as she lays in her bed, unaware of the busy day before her.

She removes the covers from her body and walks to her still unpacked suitcase, hoping to pull out two matching items. She chuckles to herself at some of the things she finds. She had quite a reputation for herself at Ilvermorny for being the weird girl and her clothes did not help with this stereotype. She told herself that she’d start fresh here and be her most unapologetically authentic self. That she wouldn’t cower away just because she was different. After all, she had crafted many of these items herself and she worked too hard to be so ashamed of what her mind craved to bring to life.

But it seems it was an easier plan to agree to when she was still in the comfort of her home. Now, having traveled across the ocean, she’s beginning to have second thoughts. Maybe I should have brought something to blend in with for the first day, just to help me feel comfortable while I adjust. But it’s too late now. Go big or go home. She thinks.

Ugh, I should really mind American slang while I’m here.

She throws on her most normal set of clothes, all of which she had specially made to match the Ravenclaw’s aesthetic, then heads out into the main common room area.

The room is more lively than she had imagined it being, considering the house’s stereotypes Jewel had told her about, though she thinks it could just be first day jitters. 

She awkwardly smiles as she passes students by, some taller, some shorter, and many younger than her. She squeezes by bodies of people, her book bag beginning to slip off her shoulder, causing her robes to follow suit. She huffs, adjusting it back into place as she finally reaches the door. She nervously follows the rest of the students through the castle, assuming they’d bring her to where she needs to go, and luckily they do. Once in the cafeteria, her anxiety only peaks. She had nearly forgotten her least favorite part about school.

Voices and laughter bounce off the castle walls. The students she followed to the Great Hall now scatter in different directions, some sitting down, some chatting with friends, and some speaking with the professors. She stands in the center of the doorway as students from each of the houses surround her, taking up the giant room. She can feel nervousness seeping into her at the sight. What if everyone's eyes suddenly land on her, the whole school laughing at her while she stands like an idiot in the center of the room? She’d need to figure herself out quickly before others take notice. 

Okay. Yellow table, that’s for Hufflepuff. Or is it Gryffindor…? Doesn’t Gryffindor have yellow in it? But then which one is-

“Merlin, Twila. Come on.” Jewel suddenly pops into view, chuckling at Twila as she guides her down the center of the room. Twila follows behind, her brain just barely catching up to her friend with all the commotion around them. 

“Gryffindor.” She points, continuing to strut past students. “Hufflepuff. Slytherin, the most amazing people you’ll ever meet. And you… are here!” She spins around, hands on her hips, as she proudly presents Twila a spot at the blue table. “I’ll see you in the Library later, alright?” She winks, quickly turning to walk back to her own table.

Right. “Where is that?”

Jewel smiles. “Trust me. It will find you.” She calls over her shoulder before finding her way back to the green table, sitting herself next to a familiar blond boy. Jewel gives Twila a thumbs up, which Draco sees and follows his friends gaze to glance at the new girl as well.

The second Twila sees him look over, she immediately looks elsewhere, not wanting to deal with him again, at least not so early in the morning.

The rest of the blue cladded students pile around her, talking amongst themselves. Twila listens in on their conversations, trying to get a grasp on the things they talk about, how they speak, things that happen around the school, anything to ground herself with, but she resorts to slowly picking at the food in front of her, which even that is so different from what she is used to. Her current state doesn’t help with her insecure feelings either, but hopefully Ms. McGonagall is right and everything will finally get resolved. Though Twila has her doubts. Many, painful doubts.

Breakfast ends after many long minutes and the students mumble and grumble their way out the door and to their first classes of the school year. 

Twila takes a deep breath. Just two more meals to get through and I’ll be back in my dorm. Alright, Herbology. And what does Jewel mean the Library will find me? You know, this whole magic thing is starting to get on my nerves. Constant nonsense. But, I guess that is the point…

With a frustrated groan, Twila opens her bag and pulls out the map McGonagall had given her. She really doesn’t want to have to use it since it seems to scream ‘new kid’, but she has no choice. She panics as more and more students leave the Great Hall, as she desperately searches the large map for one single, simple word. Class would be starting soon and who knows how many miles she’d have to cross to find where she’s required to be. Unfortunately, the map does nothing to help. In fact, it only makes her that much more confused.

“You won’t be needing that.”

And just like that, the map is yanked up and out of her hands. She holds herself back from rolling her eyes in annoyance and turns to face her first bully– or– bullies, both of them, identical to each other.

They smile widely, ginger hair framing their faces, which were oddly kind looking for bullies. The one rolls the paper map into a scroll, handing it back to her. “New girl.” He states.

“American, I’ve heard?” The other one chips in with a wide grin. Twila looks between the two of them, not fully grasping their intentions just yet, but finding herself somewhat amused by them. They chuckle. “Where are you heading?”

She scratches the back of her neck. “Um… Herbology?”

They nod, making the same exact head movement and sound. 

“Right, you’ll want to head that way. You’ll know you’re there when you see the, you know… plants.” They chuckle together.

“See you around, America.”

And like that, they’re gone, lost in the sea of students.

Putting the map back in her bag, Twila does as they say until she finds the, you know, plants. As she enters the classroom, she sees that everyone is already settled in the stools. She tries to sneak by everyone to the nearest open spot, but her appearance is clear to everyone, eyes following her as she walks deeper into the classroom. She places her bag down onto the floor beside her, silently looking around the classroom as the professor begins instructing.

“I wouldn’t make a habit out of arriving late to class. It makes a poor first impression.” A voice calls lazily from behind her.

She spins in her chair with a taken aback look, coming face to face with a boy who has dirty blond hair and cloudy blue eyes. “There’s been an awful lot of talk about you.” He continues, staring off into the distance with his face resting against his palm. Damn. It’s only the first day and there’s already talk about me? “Don’t worry, mostly positive.” He says, almost as if he had read her mind.

“Mostly?” She asks with sudden questioning interest in the boy.

He chuckles light, going silent as the professor glances their way for a moment, before continuing. “So, what is your name?” The boy asks quietly as the professor faces away from the two of them.

“Twila. DeLuna.”

He smiles just slightly, reaching his hand out in her general direction to shake hers. “Ominis. Blind.”

Her eyes widen at this bluntly stated information, her hand loosening in his grip. “Oh…”

He chuckles, pulling his hand away to rest back against the desk. “It helps to put it out there right away. So, how are you liking Hogwarts?”

The two continue to chat throughout class, which goes by surprisingly quickly for Twila despite it being a rather uneventful class.

“You’ll get used to the routines eventually, and trust me, there are many routines. Good luck out there, Twila. And don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it. I know a few secrets myself if you’re ever interested.” Ominis gives her a friendly smile just before he exits into the hallway as class is dismissed.

Her next class, however, does not grant her the speed she would have liked.

She follows the rest of the students out, standing in the leafy Herbology hall as she digs for her schedule. Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Snape. She gulps at the name, remembering all that her and Ms. McGonagall had discussed. Another bit of unfortunate news for her is that the class is on the opposite side of the school.

She continues onward, walking the corridors until she walks through a door that leads her to an open bridge. The warm sun shines down on her face when suddenly three students fly just above her head on their brooms, the wind swishing past causing her robes to levitate. The other students seem unphased by this, but she can’t help but admire the Scottish Highlands as she walks forward until the next building consumes her view.

She finally enters the dark tower and she’s shocked when she is overcome by its gentle and classical aesthetic. Not what she had expected from a Dark Arts building.

She stands to the side, looking at her map once more, when suddenly she feels some type of fluff brush against her leg. She looks down to see a small creature looking up at her. Cats. They have cats in the school.

After going up and down the stairs,  and then back up and back down, she finally finds the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She scurries to the nearest open seat as Professor Snape stares her down from his desk. He must recognize her already. She adjusts herself awkwardly under his intense gaze, until he goes back to his work, waiting for class to begin.

Shortly after, a group of laughter enters through the door and Twila sees a familiar blond approach her section. His group makes their way to some of the open seats surrounding, while their leader struts to one right next to her. It’s not until he’s nearly sitting in his chair that he seems to notice her. He furrows his brows as he seats himself fully, a smirk rising to his face as he looks at her. “What are you doing here in this class? It's much too advanced for the likes of you, you must have been given the wrong schedule. Class for the regulars is after lunch, not before” Draco says in a rude and condescending way.

"I do have the ability to study, mind you." She responds dryly.

He rolls his eyes. “Oh, I'm sure you do, Ravenclaw.” He chuckles. “But a N.E.W.T. level class? Do you even know what that means?” He asks with a smug smile, speaking to her as if she were a small child.

"I'll know what it means when I pass mine and you don't." A small smirk pulls on her lips.

He scoffs, turning to sit forward in his seat. “Good luck with that. Only the best witches and wizards succeed in that, and well… look at you.” 

She smiles ever so slightly. “We’ll see.”

He looks at her with a smirk. “Are you challenging me?” He says with another condescending laugh, feeling almost amused by her behavior. 

Twila lets out a small scoff, playing with a pencil on her desk.  “I’m shocked you even remembered me.” 

“Hardly. It’s difficult remembering someone as forgettable as you. A Ravenclaw in a N.E.W.T. class, you might as well be invisible.” He finishes with a smirk, laughing to himself as some of his friends nearby join along.

She rolls her eyes, turning back towards her desk. She didn’t have time for this, especially not in front of Snape.

However, Draco doesn’t seem to mind the professor, continuing with a chuckle, leaning into the desk nonchalantly. “Come on. You’re the American girl, right? Jewel’s newest addition to her crew of servants.” He rolls his eyes at the infamous group of friends, now recruiting their fourth member. He then faces the front of the classroom, dismissing her.

She had nearly forgotten all the things Jewel had warned her about Draco. She couldn’t be caught with her guard down around him, or any Slytherin for that matter. “I believe she introduced me as ‘best friend’.” She states, which immediately gets his attention back.

He scoffs, shaking his head. “You must be deaf. She said ‘best friend from America’ and last I recall, you’re her only friend from that forsaken country. Naturally that’d put you in first place. So, congratulations. But here– well, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before you’re forgotten amongst the rest.” A sly smirk forms on his face.

I can’t believe this is the close friend Jewel told me about for all these years. “You seem oddly competitive to be her number one.” Twila says with a smirk.

His face twists into a grimace. “You can have her all you want. But trust me, from her standpoint, there is no competition between you and I.” He says more like a warning.

And perhaps he may be right about that, however, “Her and I are closer than you think.”

He raises a dubious eyebrow at her. “Really? And how long have you two even known each other?”

“Ten years.” She states proudly. “She’s told me a lot about you.”

He’s caught off guard by this at first, squinting his eyes at her in curiosity, but soon he scoffs. “Ten years.” He repeats. “Funny. She hardly mentions you at all, for having such a ‘close friendship’.” And with that, he faces away.

Damn. This would be harder than I thought.

Class continues as Twila expected, long and boring. The subject wasn’t exactly a new one for her, so fortunately she wasn’t completely clueless. However, she notices Professor Snape glance at her every now and again, and she knows exactly why. He is studying her. Trying to learn her situation from afar. Honestly, she was guilty for doing the same. She would be working closely with him in these coming months, after all. It would be wise to learn what makes him tick.

Eventually, class is dismissed and students once again pour out the door.

Draco talks with his friends, ignoring Twila like he did the whole remainder of the class, this is until Professor Snape trudges their way. 

His hand emerges from his dark cloak and in it resides a letter. The letter. “Twila.” He states.

She looks up, eyes wide. “Y–, uh, Yes, Professor?”

He hands her the letter in silence before resigning back to his desk.

She stares at the familiar envelope in her hands with a quiet, but dreadful sigh, grazing her thumb over its red wax seal. 

Draco eyes her closely as she stands up, completely abandoning his friends to follow her out the door. “And what is that exactly?” He asks from behind her, attempting to peer over her shoulder.

She spins around to face him, quickly hiding the note in her bag. “Oh, suddenly you’re interested in my existence?” She smirks.

He rolls his eyes.”Curious as to what the hell makes you special.” He forces a grimace onto his face. However, the fact that he is still interested in her letter, despite displaying a strong dislike for her, tells Twila more.

She scoffs, beginning to walk away again. “Nothing you need to be concerned with.” She says, choosing to ignore any other rude comments he has to say to her. As he stands silent, she can only sigh before taking her map out again.

He groans when he sees the paper, immediately trying to shield it away. “Please. Put that thing away before someone sees you. I can’t believe a well respected Slytherin like Jewel would pick up someone like you.” He mutters the last part under his breath. “Where are you trying to go?” He asks irritatedly, checking the halls for observers.

“Potions.” Twila answers, equally as annoyed now, stuffing her map away.

“Just follow me, I have potions next as well. Lucky me, I get to have you in my presence for another hour.” He grumbles as he leads her forward down the cobbled hallway.

“Trust me, the honor’s all mine.” She states sarcastically, following him at a slight distance with her arms crossed.

As the two walk, Draco continuously glances over his shoulder at Twila, a hint of amusement in his eyes and a smug smirk on his face. “Don’t get so huffy, Twila.” He chuckles. “It’s probably the only emotion you’re capable of.” He mutters under his breath.

She holds back an eye roll. “I’ve been told I’m not the only one.” She says quietly to herself.

Draco stops in his tracks when he hears this. “What was that?” He says, facing towards her.

“You heard me.” She says, strolling past him with a smirk.

He glares at her back, but an oh so small smirk plays at the corner of his lips. “You know, maybe it’s the American in you, but most people don’t dare speak to me that way.”

Draco is good at acting intimidating, she’ll give him that, but it’s clear to her that it’s just a front. She faces him again. “What way?” She says with a daring smile.

He scoffs and smiles, walking closer to her. “It’s rather bold of you to be speaking to me in that tone. Most people have learned the hard way not to disrespect a Malfoy.”

She scoffs back. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m from America. Malfoy doesn’t mean a thing to me.” She smirks.

“Do you not understand? Surely Jewel would have told you just who I am, who my father is.” He says, leaning closer to her. “My family has a lot of influence here. I’m someone you’ll want to respect.” He smirks.

“Clearly not enough to be known overseas. And we’ll see about that.” She teases again. She knows she’s getting herself into dangerous territory, but she just couldn’t stop herself. It’s as if her wit has a mind of its own.

He takes a step closer, now invading her personal space. “You’d do best to watch your tongue, Twila. You might find your stay at Hogwarts very uncomfortable. No one likes a big mouth.”

Her smirk grows even further, as he seemed to just keep setting himself up for her next comments. “Then why do you keep talking?”

Draco’s eyes flutter in confusion as he’s taken aback by her response. He had always been used to people doing as he says, but she doesn’t back away from his intimidation and he finds it annoying that he doesn’t have the same influence as usual. “Well–” He starts, stammering over his words as he tries to narrow his eyes in forced irritation. “It’s because I want to. That doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t.” He continues to stare at her.

Twila giggles at his lame comeback and continues walking again.

He sighs from behind her, more annoyed than ever, but he quickly catches up to her and grabs her shoulders and forces her to face him once more. “Look at me, Ravenclaw.” He says in a stern voice, forcing authority into his tone. He wasn’t used to people ignoring his orders.

She raises an eyebrow at him, clearly not impressed by this tough act he’s putting on and equally as annoyed.

This was the first time Draco has met a Ravenclaw with this much attitude. At this point, he just gives up, looking down at her in pure confusion as he drops his arms back down to his sides. “You really are a weird Ravenclaw, aren’t you?” He says with his infamous grimace.

She scoffs. “I thought I was so forgettable?”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re still rather unimportant to me.” He says now with a smirk. “What did Snape give you?” He asks once again.

She rolls her eyes with a groan, entering the potions classroom as she ignores his question.

He follows closely behind, smirking and waiting for her to speak. “What’s so important that you won’t tell me?” He follows her to her seat.

She covers her face, groaning into her hands as he asks again. He smirks, enjoying the reactions he’s getting out of her. “It must be something bad, right? What is it?” He asks again.

“Yes, I’m getting expelled on my first day.” Twila says sarcastically.

He raises a brow at her sarcasm. “So, you’re not in trouble? Why do you act like you’re hiding something then?”

“Because it’s none of your business.” She states simply.

He can’t help but smile at her boldness. “Well, I hope you’re aware I’m not going to stop asking until you tell me.” 

She sighs, pulling out her potions book as class begins. She can’t understand why he cares so much. Maybe Jewel told him that he has to be friends with me or something.

Professor Slughorn dismisses the class to their own groups to make a potion. Twila looks at Draco in the corner of her eye as he continuously stares at her throughout class. She notices his attempt to hover around her and annoy the information out of her. Is this what he does for fun? She thinks. “You don’t have many friends, do you?” She asks.

He tries to conceal his defensive feelings towards her question by making himself sound calm and unbothered. “Well, seeing as there’s no one important in this class, I have no choice but to entertain myself with something.” He says dismissively.

She smiles, glancing at him for a second, before turning back to the small introductory potion in front of her, “There’s nothing wrong with making a new friend, you know.” She smirks, knowing he’d be all but offended just by the suggestion.

He rolls his eyes a bit with a chuckle. “I’m not sure I’d call you a friend just yet, but keep up with the attitude.”

Twila hums, adding horklump juice into the pot and stirring the mixture with a large wooden spoon. “Well, you should know, I don’t usually tell non-friends about my private letters.”

He chuckles. “I’m not even sure why you’re hiding it, to be honest. It’s a school letter, what could be so important about it?” He watches as the potion’s bubbles settle and dissolve into a different color completely.

“I suppose you’ll never know, will you?” She smirks, tapping the spoon against the side of the bowl to get the few last drips of potion off the wooden utensil before resting it on the table.

He shakes his head, smirking back. “Is that a challenge to find out?”

“Isn’t everything a challenge with you?” She asks exhaustedly. 

He only grins at this, narrowing his eyes down at her. “I think you might’ve just made a very dangerous enemy, Ravenclaw.” He chuckles. He’s curious how she’ll react to his teasing, but she just sighs and continues on with class. Draco can’t help but laugh at the way she rolls her eyes so casually when he tries to be intimidating. He’s never had a reaction like this before.

Soon enough, class ends and Draco had stopped asking her about the letter. For now. Twila’s next class is Divination, which she has been looking forward to all summer. She suspects she’ll do well in the class, considering that she’s already quite knowledgeable in the subject.

Before she knows it, dinner time arrives.

If she thought breakfast was hectic, nothing prepared her for this. Students are even louder, and even more riled up than the first two meals combined. She finds her seat at Ravenclaw table, after dodging a few flying papers and flutters of magic she truly did not want to ask about.

She reaches for a chicken leg, when suddenly the bench jumps with weight. She looks up to find herself surrounded by familiar faces. “Hey! What are you guys doing here?” She asks in confusion.

“It’s dinner, we can sit anywhere.” Jewel says, reaching for a nearby plate. 

“And on the weekends, since there’s no class.” Penelope bites into a small cut corn cob, some of her bright orange strands sticking to her face from the juice residue left behind from her meal. “And please, lose the uniform. It’s only required for class.” She says, the vegetable barely staying behind the confines of her teeth while she speaks.

Twila glances over at Penelope, seeing how she had already managed to ditch her red robes for her normal attire. “Oh…” She says, quickly pulling her arms from her heavy robe sleeves, causing her friends to chuckle.

“So, have you made any friends yet, Twila?” Celia speaks up softly, her usual friendly smile on her face.

Twila nods excitedly. “Yes– well– I think anyway… There’s this boy in my Herbology class. Ominis?”

She watches as Celia’s eyes widen and awkwardly glance around the table. Penelope immediately shakes her head at Twila with warning, as her eyes gesture behind her to Jewel.

“Gaunt?” Jewel sternly questions, nearly spitting out her food. “No. Twila, we talked about this.” She sets down her half eaten bread to face Twila fully with a worried look.

Twila’s brows contort in confusion. “Barely, and I didn’t know he’s a Gaunt. Besides, he seems really nice.” She tries to defend him.

“I was hesitant to even introduce you to Malfoy and he’s my best friend.” Jewel sighs, looking at the table for a moment before turning towards her once more. “Look, there are many powerful, dark, pureblood families in this school. Families that are best to avoid at all possible costs, especially the Gaunt’s and the Riddle’s. Someone as vulnerable as you needs to stay away.” She warns.

However, Twila takes minor offense to her words. “As vulnerable as me?” Celia and Penelope stay quiet.

Jewel sighs, dropping her shoulders. “Twila. You’re a new student, far from home, you have no family here, not to mention your… status– Not that that’s a problem with me, it’s just– They’re cruel people and they’ll use anything they can to diminish you to nothing. Don’t let yourself be their next victim. Please, promise me you won’t talk to them.” She all but begs.

Twila slumps over, disappointed yet understanding of what Jewel has just said. She considers her words, trying to not let the truth of them bring her down. “So, why do you get to speak with them?” She asks.

“I hardly do, and as far as they’re concerned, my family is equated in status. I practically grew up with all of them.” She lets out a short breath. “I just want to protect you. I’ve seen what they are capable of and–” She stops with a sad look, letting Twila’s imagination fill in the rest.

Twila fiddles with her spoon, letting her eyes drop from Jewels. How could someone like Ominis be so bad? Draco seems worse than him and yet Jewel speaks of Ominis as if he’s evil incarnate.

“Anyways, shall we go to the library when we’re finished here? I still wanted to show you that collection I thought you might enjoy?” Jewel asks, almost as if their previous topic never existed.

Twila stammers over her words. “I– I’m actually pretty tired after today. I think I’ll just head back up to my dorm to sleep.” It was only half a lie, though for the most part, she just needed some time alone after all of today’s events.

“Oh.” Jewel says, puckering her lips in disappointment. “Do you remember your way?”

Twila nods, before standing up and bidding them goodbye.

“See you in charms tomorrow!” Celia waves.

Twila is, once again, first to retire to her room, unless the few students already studying on the common room couches counted. She sits at the edge of her bed, tossing her robes to the side of her. She reaches into her bag, feeling for a certain envelope, and takes it out, admiring the Hogwarts stamped seal. With a deep breath, she peels open the envelope, pulling out the handwritten parchment inside.

'Miss DeLuna,

We are very excited to have you as a new student here at Hogwarts and we are here to make your stay as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. I hope that you are settling into your classes nicely.

Tuesday morning, just before the light touches the sky, your presence is required in the old detention room for your first evaluation with Professor Snape. Just follow the sleeping dragon and the hissing whispers of the Slytherin Common Room and you will find it. Be sure to not sleep in. Professor Snape can be a tough one to impress at times, it’s best to stay on his good side.

Once again, please be as discreet as possible, for this is sensitive information for other students to be involved with.

Best wishes, Twila

Ms. McGonagall'

‘Before the light touches the sky.’ Perhaps it’s a good thing Twila came up to her room early; She’d be having another long day ahead of her tomorrow.

She folds the letter back up, but as she reaches to place it on her nightstand, the parchment shrivels up, shredding itself mid-air and dancing to the floor before disappearing entirely.

“Miss DeLuna,” Snape begins, already annoyed that his morning is met with her silence yet again. “You mentioned during our last conversation that you were treated unfairly by your peers during your time at Ilvermorny. What would they do?”

She takes a slow breath in, hesitating for a moment. "It was... a few things. I was always considered to be the weird kid; shy, quiet, artsy. Developing my magic later than everyone else made me inexperienced too. I'd mess up... a lot. It was humiliating." She says quietly.

Being harassed at school for being different; a story the professor knew all too well. He could see the pain behind her eyes as she spoke, surprised to see her open up so much already, considering how things went last time. He thinks for a moment. This conversation would be a difficult one, but he doesn’t hesitate on a next question. “Is this why you disappeared during your fifth year?”

Her eyes quickly peel away from the professor, not surprised that this question came up, but not expecting it so soon. “No… it was deeper than that.”

Snape’s interest is piqued. He knew generally what would come next, but just how did she get ‘it’. “Something deeper?” He inquires.

She traces cracks in the stone floor with her foot and takes a sharp inhale, preparing herself for her next words. "I, um... I was having troubles with my magic. It developed quickly, more than I could keep up with. I had a favorite teacher at the time who took notice and offered to help me..."

Professor Snape listens closely to Twila's response. Her words are vague and seem to lack very important information. He can see that she is struggling to get out exactly what she wants to say. "And is this teacher the... ‘place you shouldn't have looked for help’ as you said?"

She looks down, averting her eyes once more. A yes.

He can see just how difficult this is for her, figuring she herself is still coming to terms with the decisions she has made in the past and dealing with the consequences of those decisions. He tries to appear as patient and understanding as he can, but he is burning to move this along. "What happened, Twila?" He asks as softly as possible.

She chuckles insecurely to herself. "I've never told anyone this before..."

He leans forward. "Well, Twila. You don't need to tell me if you don't want to." And for once, he didn’t say that in annoyance or as a trick to get her to speak, but genuinely meaning it and prioritizing her comfort with him, surprising himself.

She takes a deep breath, leaning back in her chair as a guilty feeling gnaws on her insides. “His name was Mr. Moore.”

-

Minutes felt like hours as she spoke to her professor. She could hardly believe she had told Snape all that she did. He would be the first person to know her story… at least some of it. “Thank you, professor.” She stands as the bell rings.

“Do not thank me just yet. The journey ahead of us may be long and painful.” He says, leaning back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap as his thumbs gently twiddle.

Despite this, she smiles. It had been a long time since she felt truly cared about, and an even longer time since she had opened up about any of her problems and insecurities. With a secret like hers, she had to make sure to keep her mouth closed, for one slip up could accidentally reveal everything. But then, she stops, remembering something. "Could-... Could I ask another favor of you...?"

Snape looks back at Twila. He sees that she is hesitant to ask this and proceeds cautiously. "Yes, you may." He answers slowly.

She pauses. “Could you not mention this to Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore. Surely they know how it happened, but… I fear what they may do if they know the… depth of my involvement.” She admits guiltily.

He takes a deep breath, eyeing her from across the room. This is a heavy favor to ask from such a small student. On one hand, he wants Twila to trust him and has no issue working on his own. But on the other, he knows the consequences of lying to Dumbledore. That is, if only Dumbledore were able to get through Snape’s mind. "I won't tell them.” He agrees. “But remember, this is between you and me. No one else should know about this."

She nods at his warning, a small smile wanting to come to her lips. "Thank you again, professor." She says one last time, before turning to exit.

But right as she’s about to leave the classroom, he stops her at the last second. “Twila?” He says softly, almost in a whisper.

She stops in her steps, feeling immediately weary of his tone. "Yes?"

“Why would Mr. Moore want to teach you such things to begin with?”

A sad smile forms on her face. "Because I asked him to..."

༺ ☆ ༻

“Could you help me identify this herb? The texture is throwing me for a bit of a loop.”

Twila chuckles, lifting her pen from her paper. “That’s wormwood.”

Ominis leans back, humming to himself in revelation. “And here I thought it was knotgrass…” He lets go of the leaf, letting the young plant spring back towards its pot. “What are its benefits again?” 

She shrugs, glancing over her notes to find not even a mere mention of the word ‘knotgrass’ in any of the written sentences. She must have dozed off during that part. “Don’t remember, but I do know it tastes disgusting.”

He laughs at her response. He’s come to find that Twila is a capable and smart witch, but unlike most of their other curricular inspired classmates, she keeps a childlike humor and innocence to her personality, something Ominis admires and finds greatly refreshing. He finds himself wondering if many other Americans are like her. “Are you suggesting you’ve tried it?”

She shakes her head, eyes wide. "Me? No! Not personally, but I've seen others try and I'm in no hurry to follow after them."

She laughs with Ominis, hardly paying any attention to her Herbology journal, until she departs to her second period class. Her time goes by as usual, excessively scratching down notes, reading ahead in her Advanced Rune Translation book. However, one of her peers becomes annoyed by her constant loud scribbling every class and glares at her from across the room as he usually does. But then, as he glares, something catches his eyes. A black book that peeks out from her school bag. He recognizes the designs on the cover; a dark arts book from Restricted, one he had read a time or two himself. But why would a random Ravenclaw have a dark arts book or access to Restricted for that matter? Unless she snuck in…? But just how rebellious could a first week Ravenclaw be?

She tucks her runes book in her bag, covering the mysterious publication, and slings the strap over her shoulder as she exits the class and makes her way towards the Great Hall for lunch. The boy watches as she leaves, quietly studying her before turning back to his own matters.

After filling her belly and a long and boring lesson from Professor Binns in History of Magic, she stands in the hall outside of class, exchanging notes about the Goblin Rebellion with her friend, Jewel. They speak for a moment, much to one boy’s dismay, before going their separate ways. In no particular rush, Twila stands in a clearing of the hall, letting students by as she shoves her history book past all of her journals with a bit of a push, wedging it tightly in between. She snaps the bag shut and fixes her hair as her eyes then avert back and forth, waiting for her many classmates to disperse so she can move forward. With a bit of determination, and dodging, the boy runs after her.

“Hey, wait up, Twila.” Mattheo calls out.

Her eyes widen upon hearing her name suddenly called over the sea of noise and movement. She is pleasantly surprised to see just who is following after her. “Hey.” She says with a smile.

Once finally making it in front of her, he relaxes his shoulders with a sigh, slyly smirking down. “I hate to be one of those guys, but I feel like we were interrupted last time and I didn’t really get a chance to talk to you.”

Her smile grows and her heart begins to flutter. “About what?” She grasps the strap of her bag, slightly rocking on her feet.

He smiles back before looking to the ground, hoping to keep his nerves relaxed. With a shrug, he answers, “Just wanted to get to know you better,” a lopsided grin on his face.

She chuckles at his cute, but nervous demeanor, not believing she’s seeing him act so smitten after hearing all the rumors. “Don’t you have class?”

“Yeah, why?” His brow raises.

She hums, slyness growing in her own face now. “That’s a shame, I have next period open.”

His grin only expands, his heart jolting at her suggestion. “Well, I have next period on my skip list.”

She hums happily at him. Many things could happen as an outcome from this small hangout session, none of which Jewel would like, that’s for sure, but Twila can’t help but bite into temptation. “Lead the way then.”

His face flushes, but he hides it by kindly offering his arm, playing off his nerves as just being clownish. “M’lady.”

She wraps her arms around his with a playful curtsy, giggling about it afterwards. He has no idea where he’s going to go, but he feels the need to bring her there fast. He walks the halls, mind scavenging for a place to sit alone with her. As they walk through the Dark Arts building, they pass a long empty stairwell. It would work for now, he thinks, as long as the poltergeist minds his business in another tower.

He sits on a stair, gesturing to the spot next to him with a smile. Twila is quick to join him, excited, but finding her mind concerningly empty of conversation topics. “So, what should we do?” 

He extends his legs out in front of him in a stretch while he hums in thought. “Mmm, how ‘bout I ask you some questions?”

She smiles, body shivering with the excitement of being around a crush. “What do you wanna know?”

He doesn’t have a single question in mind, his brain unknowingly just as empty as hers. I should probably start with something simple, right? He thinks to himself. “...Your favorite color- What’s your favorite color?” Why is it so difficult to speak to her? He glances her way, swallowing down his want to jump into a deeper question, but refrains from scaring her off so soon.

She bites her lip as if to hold back laughter. “You brought me all the way over here to ask me my favorite color?” Her smile grows at the thought, hoping that teasing him a bit would help ease the tension surrounding them.

Mattheo nods with a small laugh, looking down at his shoelaces. “Well… what is it?”

She answers softly this time, less teasing-like. “Lavender.” She says honestly, looking down at her lap with a smile before back up at him. “What’s yours?”

He feels a warm, comforting sensation just from the sound of her voice. “Red.” 

She chuckles, "A classic," the playful tone back already.

A smirk forms on his face. He can’t think when her eyes look at him that way. He looks away, too distracted to form words otherwise. “So… what’s your favorite subject?”

She chuckles at the surface level questions, but finds the simplicity of their conversation cute and amusing all the same. She thinks for a moment, looking up at the continuation of the staircase above them. It’s a simple question, but she finds herself going silent. She doesn’t know what her favorite subject is. Too lost in finding answers nowadays that she had nearly forgotten what small academic enjoyment is like. But then, a nearly forgotten answer surfaces her mind. "Divination." She says with a certain twinkle.

He narrows his eyes at this twinkle, a smile forming on his lips. Not an answer he expected, but an interesting one nonetheless. She seems almost… flirtatious about it. He doesn’t waste a second to question this further. “Why divination?”

She shrugs it off, a small smirk still playing on her lips. "I live in New Orleans; Voodoo city, even in the muggle world."

Her answer immediately gives him insight into her life. She has a natural playful and flirtatious personality, something he could play at. “So, does that mean you’re some kind of voodoo priestess?” He jokes.

“How’d you know?” She smiles.

He chuckles. She’s gotta be flirting with me. “What else do you like to do?” He asks, trying to cover up his admiration for her.

“Well, hey, you never told me your favorite subject.” She interjects. 

He laughs, leaning back with a flustered smile as he debates saying his next words. With another embarrassed laugh, he says, “My favorite subject is History.” He looks at her, attempting to stand proudly behind his words.

She raises an amused eyebrow. “History?” He nods. “History of Magic?” He laughs again, already knowing where this is going. “You’re lying.” She says unbelievably. 

“No, I actually really enjoy the class.” He looks into her eyes, a genuine look forming on his face.

A man that enjoys sitting through Professor Binns' lessons? With a hum, she leans back. “Okay, if you say so.”

But he only chuckles at this. “Well, what about you then, what’s your favorite class? Other than Divination. Like a real subject.”

She fakes her offense, more than used to others approaching her favorite subject this way. “Divination IS a real subject.”

He puts his hands up at his sides, before leaning back to lounge on the stone stairs. “Fine, fine. I digress.”

She sits for a moment, biting back her smile. “Dark Arts.” She answers anyway.

He sits up with playfully wide eyes. “Which brings us back to Voodoo city,” which causes her to laugh. He leans back down, admiring the way she smiles and sounds when he makes her laugh. “So, where were you before you decided to study Voodoo?”

She blows a raspberry of a laugh out, not having expected that morning to be sitting with a stranger and talking about hoodoo and voodoo like this. “Minnesota. Way up North.”

He smirks again, nodding slowly as he tries to picture all of the states her country has in his head. “Never been. Is it nice there?”

Her smile fades just slightly at the thought, thinking back to what she had told Snape to answer the same question only days before. "I grew up in this tiny city called Canosia. It's... boring, cold. I hated it there. Everything was so dull, everyone had to fit in... no matter what I did I was always the outcast. Guess that never really changed but… then I moved down to New Orleans. There's so much life there, and wizards, and music. I love it there." Her smile returns as she imagines her second home in all of its glory. “What about you? Are you from around here?”

He thinks for a moment, a lazy smile to hide the weight he feels in his heart from the question. “Here, there. My, uh… my dad’s work had him traveling all over the place.”

She smiles slightly, catching onto a deeper meaning but trying to keep casual about it. "What’s your dad like?"

He hesitates, letting out a sigh as he thinks on how to respond. “Can hardly say, wasn’t around too often, at least not with me. He was a very serious man, took his work very seriously. I think he loved us, always wanted to protect us. He taught us a lot… most of it was pretty fucked up, but… I don’t know. He wasn’t the best, but shit, better than my mom.” He dryly chuckles, shaking his head as he boredly flicks at a speck of dust on the stair.

Twila gives him a sad smile, before turning and looking off in front of her. "I never met my dad." She surprises herself with how quickly she was opening up to someone everyone was warning her against and yet it just feels so natural to her.

“Really?” He asks, looking up at her with understanding eyes.

She shrugs, having the same dry demeanor he had only seconds before. “He just… disappeared when he found out about me. No idea where he is, stopped caring too.” Now it’s her turn, kicking a dust bunny with her shoe.

His heart pounds. “Same with my mom.”

And in that moment, she feels her heart connect with his, an invisible string tying them together. "I'm sorry to hear that." She says gently, knowing just what pain his mother’s actions would cause him.

He nods, forcing his casual smile back on his face. “You an only child?” He suddenly asks. She nods slightly, not knowing just how much to recover from their previous subject yet. “Does it ever get lonely?” He meets her eyes once more. “Being an only child?”

"Yeah…” She admits with a soft scoff. Of course spending most of your life alone would be lonely, that was a given. “But.. then I go to people's houses that have tons of siblings and then I'm grateful for the silence I have." Her smile slowly creeps up, hoping to shed some light on their suddenly sad conversation.

He laughs a little. “You make a good point. My uncle always had a full house. I mean, it’s good to have siblings, but, yeah, it can be nice to have some alone time.” She smiles, taking a moment to watch him speak as he’s distracted, looking off into the distance. However, he turns back too soon, catching glimpse of her staring. Her heart begins to beat fast, as does his. “You know, it’s refreshing to meet someone that I can bond with so easily. I don’t usually meet girls that understand me the way you do.”

Girls. The simple word brings back all those things Jewel said. Is she really getting into dangerous territory? Does she really need to look out for Mattheo that badly?

She lets out a sarcastic chuckle. “I’m sure you don’t.” She mutters, immediately ashamed she’s letting everyone’s words get to her like this.

He looks at her, confused by her sudden change in tone. “Why do you say that?” He raises a brow, turning himself to get her full attention on him.

She sighs, looking back at him with guilty eyes. "I've just... I've heard you have a reputation around here..."

His face immediately drops. “Reputation?” He says the word like it’s venom itself. “What kind of repu-” Then he knows. He knows too well. He finds himself speechless. “I swear, whatever Jewel told you, I’m not that guy.” He looks at her with serious eyes, hoping and longing for her understanding.

She sighs once more, realizing she’s being overdramatic about it. She’s a big girl, she can make distinctions on her own without the help of her friends. If Mattheo is the player that Jewel says he is, then she’d find out on her own. Mattheo seems innocent enough to have a fair chance with her attention, besides, it was just talking, nothing serious. "Do you think I'd still be here if I thought you were...?"

He looks up with new hope, realizing she may just be different than her friend. ”Thank you… for not judging me about my past.”

She smiles, but only slightly. “We all have shit pasts.”

“Exactly!” He laughs a little, feeling relieved. “I’m glad you understand. It’s just… you know, it’s hard to not be seen in such a bad light… for a lot of reasons.” He looks away again, as he stares off down the hall. 

Despite being somewhat unsure of herself still, she can’t help but admire him again; his chocolate eyes, the curls in his hair, he truly has her attention. He looks back at her eyes, staring into them as they do the same to his. Her body feels warm, and her heart feels as though it’d burst out of her chest. She hadn’t realized how close they had gotten while talking until right now. Every second that passes, the quicker her breathing seems to become. And for a split second, she finds herself glancing down at his lips.

His eyes follow down to her own, wondering how just one touch would feel. They are both shocked at the speed at which this moment had developed and yet so pleasantly excited. He begins to lean in. She goes to meet him halfway. And just before their lips so much a graze upon each others-

“Mr. Riddle!”

He jumps away, sitting up straight and turning to the exact person he had skipped class to be away from. “Professor McGonagall?”

"My class. Immediately." The woman demands.

He nods, standing up and shooting a flat smile to Twila, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Be right there, Professor.”

“And Twila,” McGonagall raises a brow. “Homework, as a suggestion for your time?”

Twila’s face heats up in embarrassment. She rises to her feet and gives a quick bow to McGonagall before fleeing the crime scene. Twila gives Mattheo a guilty smile, holding back a chuckle as she sees him get dragged away by the professor. She teasingly waves before he disappears around a corner.

Dinner feels suddenly exciting as it’s now filled with secret smirks and glances across tables when Jewel isn’t looking. She has no doubt Mattheo would be spending his night in detention. Perhaps she should try and give him a surprise visit.

And after Astronomy class, she does just that, hoping she can pass by the detention chamber and get back to her common room before curfew. Luckily, the room isn’t too far from the Astronomy Tower, and even better, when she gets there, Professor McGonagall is nowhere in sight. She quietly peeks in and sees a small group of people inside the room. Then, just in the back of the class, she spots him, head leaning over the back of the chair as he boredly waits for his time there to end.

She sneaks to the side of the door frame, hugging it while she tries to move just enough to get his attention. He groans as he looks towards the back of the room at the clock, his eyes snapping open in surprise when he sees her instead. She quietly waves, and he waves back, silently motioning for her to come in, but she shakes her head no. He glances around the classroom, seeing how all of the students were nearly put to sleep by how bored they are, and motions her in again. She shakes her head once more, checking over her shoulder to look down the hall for the lost teacher before back at him. Twila feels a bit bold, especially knowing that he is basically locked down inside a classroom until curfew, and raises her hand to her lips, blowing a playful kiss his way. Her cheeks glow brightly when she sees how offended he is that she’s poking fun at the fact that he didn’t get to kiss her earlier. However, where she and most of the Ravenclaws would succumb to their punishment, Twila forgets that not all students abide by the rules.

He looks around the classroom again, and much to Twila’s confusion, he stands up from his desk, ignoring the other students' eyes. Her face flushes with excitement and fear as she backs out of the doorway and around the corner, away from lookers. Just then Mattheo emerges from the classroom, despite the rule of staying put. “Think you can keep teasing me?” Her heart pounds in her chest, not expecting this kind of reaction from him. “Just so you know, I do plan on kissing you.” He steps closer, trapping her between him and the wall.

She bites her lip excitedly. “What’s stopping you then?” Her voice is quiet, but quivering with suspense.

He stares deeply down at her, eyes twinkling with an idea. “Are you sure you want me to?” 

She bites her cheek. “Maybe.”

He scoffs out a laugh. “And, what would happen if I don’t?” She furrows her brows, giving him a small pout. Her eyes beg without even saying a word, but he doesn’t give in, only letting out a taunting chuckle. “Aww, are those pouty lips begging for something, Twila?” He places his hand on the wall next to her and leans in further, ghosting his hand along her jawline. She nods in a silly, yet hopeless way, her big eyes looking up at him. But he still doesn’t bite. “Or I could just wait til the perfect moment.”

“Mattheo~” She breathes out, feeling weaker by the second.

“Twila~” He mocks back, tilting his head to the side with a smirk. “Yes, Twila?”

“Mattheo!” She whines this time, a small laugh in her voice.

However, she whines a little too loud for his liking, so he runs his thumb along her bottom lip, giving her a quiet and gentle shush. “Come on, don’t you want me to kiss you? Say please.” His smirk grows.

“Please.” She whispers.

His other hand is at her waist now, his face moving in closer and closer until his forehead rests against hers. “Beg some more.” He whispers back, holding her gaze.

Both of which are surprised by their way of speaking to each other, but both are equally as reluctant to stop now. Her lips could basically feel his, they were so close. Her heartbeat quickens to insane speeds at both his words and the sound of his voice. She can hardly believe she is doing this only in her first week of coming to Hogwarts. Who knew that being the new girl could be so exciting? Perhaps Hogwarts would be a much better experience than Ilvermorny ever was. 

“Matthe-”

Just then, footsteps clank through the hallway, and emerges the same woman that interrupted them the first time. Mattheo quickly bolts back into the classroom with panicked eyes, just in time before Ms. McGonagall spots the two of them. She stares at Twila for a moment, wondering what she could be up to. “Twila, what are you doing out here?”

She gulps. “I-, uh, lost my common room again. Tried to take a shortcut but…”

The professor nods in understanding. “Of course. Ravenclaw is just up those stairs right there, but- oh- before you go, I did have something to discuss with you.” She smiles. It must be good news. She slowly walks Twila towards said stairs, and away from the detention hall. Twila peeks back into the room, adrenaline rushes through Mattheo’s eyes. He breathes heavily and he watches her with a smirk as she gets further and further out of his sight until she’s completely gone. Twila’s own body is still flushed and shivering from the lingering feeling of his hands. “I’ve gotten good word from your professors this week, all of which have reported that you are an excellent and capable student, and considering your grades at Ilvermorny, I have a very special offer to make you.” She claps her hands together, a warm grin wrinkling her cheeks. “I would like to make you a Ravenclaw prefect.”

Twila’s face lights up.  Not the news she was hoping for, but great news nonetheless.  “Really? Thank you, it’s an honor.”

Ms. McGonagall brushes off her thanks. “Of course, you have proven your abilities so far, although, I’ll have to ignore your little antics with Mr. Riddle earlier and hope that you’ll take a more serious and academic approach to the rest of your school year…?” She all but warns, looking at the younger girl over the top of her glasses.

Twila’s cheeks heat up again. “O-Of course, Professor. Thank you.”

McGonagall’s smile returns. “I knew you’d say yes. Your new uniform is already waiting for you upstairs. Be sure not to lose your way there again.” She jests, before returning back to the detained troublemaker students.

Celia walks with Twila through the Dark Arts building to their next class together, Charms. As they enter, Twila spots Ominis and his friend sitting together on one of the benches. She decides to be brave and take the chance of approaching him this time, knowing Celia would be intimidated to keep quiet about it. However, had Twila been with Penelope or Jewel it would have been a different story. The blond Hufflepuff is confused as she follows her friend's lead and when she notices Twila gets closer and closer to Ominis her face drops.

“Hi, Ominis.” Twila greets, sitting down on the bench, Celia following hesitantly.

“Hello, Twila. It’s nice to see you again.” He says with a friendly tone, but he remains cautious of his approach in case she acts distant or secretive again. As Twila reaches for her class supplies, Ominis hears his friend clear his throat from behind him. “Ah- Twila, this is my friend, Sebastian. Sebastian, this is Twila.” He says, gesturing between the two as he introduces them to each other.

Twila smiles at him from the other side of Ominis. "Hi." She greets the boy. Now seeing him up close, Twila notices his messy brown hair, his slightly wide nose, and the many freckles dusted over his face. She thinks he seems friendly as well, unlike the other Slytherins she had encountered so far, but despite his smile, something about him appears hidden and reserved.

Sebastian waves to her, before turning back to Ominis. "Ominis, can I speak to you for a minute after class?" He asks quietly.

However, Twila hears this and assumes she may have accidentally made the situation awkward and turns back to her class work, leaving the two of them to speak. Perhaps she shouldn’t have sat with them.

“Of course…” Ominis suspiciously agrees to do so, and after class, he and Sebastian meet alone in the hall just around the corner of the Charms room. 

"So, Ominis..." Sebastian begins with a teasing smirk. "You and Twila, huh?"

Ominis sighs out loud, already knowing what direction this is heading in. “We are friends, yes.”

"Just friends?" Sebastian asks with an eyebrow raised and his smirk growing even further.

Ominis rolls his eyes in annoyance. "Yes, Sebastian, just friends."

"Okay, if you say so." Sebastian says with a smile.

Ominis is already annoyed by his friend’s pestering, and tries to turn the subject back on him. "What about you, Sebastian? Are you seeing anyone?" He asks, honestly not really caring about the answer, just wanting to put his friend on the spot like he had done to him.

Sebastian smiles at Ominis’ defensiveness. "No one at the moment, no. I have better things to do than go chasing girls right now." He chuckles.

Ominis lets out a dry chuckle. "What other things do you have to do then? Besides, what's wrong with chasing girls? I think it's quite normal, especially for you." He smiles.

Sebastian rolls his eyes, slightly blushing at Ominis’ words but he tries to hide it. "I'm not sure I have much time for such activities regardless." He says, an excuse, but he still catches himself thinking about all the things he had gotten himself into in the past year.

A smile grows on Ominis’ face as he now understands what is happening. He chuckles. "You're interested in Twila, aren't you, Sebastian?” His smile now wide and amused as he senses his friend’s embarrassment. 

He straightens himself, scoffing. "What? Why would you think that?" Sebastian blushes more. "Is it that obvious?"

"Very."

Sebastian grimaces at this. "She just caught my eye, that's all. Nothing serious."

"Yes, 'just caught your eye'.” Ominis chuckles. “You know, I was thinking about asking her myself. You better ask her before I do." He says jokingly, but really, he in’t too sure.

Sebastian chuckles with him. "Really Ominis, you’re asking me to give you a free pass at her?"

Ominis laughs even more at this. "Maybe I am." He replies, still holding onto a joking demeanor. "Besides, I saw her first." He says with a smile.

“‘Saw’, huh?” Sebastian lets out a light laugh. "I suppose that's fair. Just give me a chance to prove myself before you snatch her up, will you?”

Ominis finds himself entertained by this idea of playful competition. "Fine. I'll give you a fair shot at her. But you must understand that I won't hold back."

Sebastian leans over with determined eyes. "You're on then. May the best man win."

Ominis puts out his hand. "It's a deal."

Sebastian shakes on it, before leaning against a nearby wall. "I feel luck on my side with this one." He says smugly, causing Ominis to roll his eyes.

“Why don’t you go over and ask her out then? I’d love to find out how well that goes.” The blond says with a laugh, pointing his blinking wand towards the staircase.

But Sebastian stays in his spot, looking over his shoulder at the girls who had only just now left the classroom. “Wooing a woman takes time, Ominis. I’d expect you to know that since you’re such a ‘charmer’.” He teases with a chuckle.

However, behind them, an oblivious Twila is on her way down a very different path.

“Jewel isn’t going to like that, Twila.” Her much shorter, blonde friend warns.

“It’s fine, I promise. Jewel’s never even spoken to him. He’s actually really nice.” They talk as they make their way to the Great Hall for Lunch. “But, don’t say anything to her yet. I’ll ease her into the news eventually.” Celia nods, but in a worried manner, chewing on her bottom lip as she does so.

As they sit with the rest of the gang, Celia continues to look between Twila and their other two friends, barely containing the secret between her two lips, but choosing to stand behind Twila’s trust despite having been warned against the Gaunts her entire life like the rest of them.

“Celia, you look ill. What’s up, girly?”

Celia’s head pops up to look at Jewel, who is studying her with a brow raised. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Just… pondering a few… household issues.” She lies. Twila bites her cheek, just waiting for the blonde to spill over with anxiety.

Penelope purses her lips in empathy, and cocks her head to the side making her red waves bunch up against her shoulder. “Is it money? Because you know I can talk to my dad if you guys ever need help again.” She whispers from the other side of the table.

Celia sighs, cheeks brightening with a light pink color. “No.” She whispers through her teeth. “Other things- Just- Nevermind.” She shakes her head, looking down to pick at her carrots.

Penelope looks at Jewel with concerned eyes, and the brunette shrugs before turning back to Twila. “So, classes, how are they? You’re already halfway done with your first week.” She states excitedly.

“I think I’m worse at Transfiguration than I was at Ilvermorny.” Twila mumbles, cheeks stuffed with a roasted potato.

Suddenly Jewel puts down her fork. “Oh, before I forget,” She leans in to whisper. “We have these little secret meetings to practice before our games sometimes. You should come. It will be our first ‘unofficial’ practice session of the season. Oh, I can’t wait to finally rub it in Malfoy’s face that I made captain this year.” 

“I’ve never really been into quidditch like that.” Twila admits guiltily.

"Be careful who you say that in front of." Penelope giggles.

“Oh, come on. It will be fun, I promise. You’ve never seen how Hogwarts plays. Besides, I could use a cheerleader while I’m out there kicking Malfoy’s and Riddle’s asses.” She snickers.

Twila chuckles at the thought. “Okay, I guess. But if I get bored halfway through, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Jewel playfully rolls her eyes at this, going back to her food.

After lunch, Twila has her first History of Magic lesson, which she shares with Jewel. Jewel walks confidently into the class, leading Twila to one of the benches in the very front. As Twila sits down, she hears Jewel groan in disgust. She turns to face her just in time to see her roll her eyes, but at what? Twila wonders.

She quietly scans the class to find the source of whatever was causing Jewel such distress, but before she finds it, her eyes lay upon one of the most handsome boys she has ever seen.

He walks into the room silently, setting his books down on the desk with a thud. His demeanor shows a clear bad boy, Slytherin of course, but Twila can hardly tear herself away. Her eyes stay glued to him, before looking away just as he sits down. She looks again, deeply eyeing his character, his posture, his long lashes, curly brown hair, and warm yet deep eyes. That is, until his head turns her way, then she quickly snaps herself back to her books. He narrows his eyes as he looks between her and Jewel, before back at the professor.

Professor Binns strolls around the classroom, laying out a piece of parchment on each desk. With a pen in hand, Twila begins to lazily write, unable to keep her mind focused on the task in front of her. She boredly rests her head in her palm, fidgeting with her writing utensil as her eyes can’t help but look across the class one last time. However, as she does this, she’s met with the boy’s eyes already on her. He smiles when he catches her this time. She bows her head beneath her hand, blushing terribly as a flustered smile spreads across her cheeks.

She pretends not to pay him any attention as the students exit, but in the back of her mind she hopes he’ll at least just look her way one last time. Celia and Penelope meet them outside in the hall. As they talk, Twila peeks over her shoulder to find that her hoping, in fact, does her justice.

Twila’s light brown curls barely conceal her peeping as she and the boy of interest make eye contact yet again. As they do this, she can’t help but blush bright pink again, smiling at him almost flirtatiously. He smirks back at her, causing her to giggle in an embarrassing type of way. 

Celia takes notice of this immediately, nudging Twila on the arm. 

“What?” Twila asks, confused as she pulls her arm away.

“Stop.” Celia warns under her breath. Twila only furrows her brows further together, confused at her friend’s sudden serious tone. “That’s Mattheo.” Celia’s eyes fill with panic.

‘Mattheo’. Twila smiles. She quite likes that name. She quite likes him. 

Celia clears her throat, catching Twila’s attention again before she’s too lost in dreamworld again. “Mattheo Riddle.” She whispers, but it’s too late, Jewel has already caught on.

Jewel’s head snaps to look at Mattheo then to Twila with narrowed and offended eyes. “What about Mattheo?” She says, sounding more threatening than Twila has ever heard from her before. Twila’s taken aback by her tone, but before she even has a second to answer, Jewel’s already pulling on her arm, taking her down the hall while she glares holes through Mattheo. “Stay away.” She threatens once away from his eyes.

Twila cranks her neck back at this. “Relax. I just wanted to know who he was.” She says, growing more and more confused by the second. Sure, she remembered Jewel’s warnings and stories she had told her in their youth, but it’s unusual that Jewel behaves in such a way, especially over a boy she had claims to not have spoken to in years.

Jewel drops her shoulders but not the look from her face. “Well, if he ever approaches you, you need to get as far from him as possible. He comes from a-”

“-vile, evil, dark family, yes, Jewel, I know.” 

The Slytherin girl sighs at the Ravenclaw. “I just want you to know how serious this is. Mattheo is a Riddle.” And in more ways than one, Jewel thinks to herself.

“It’s the other one you really have to look out for.” The red head scoffs out.

Twila tries to store it in the forefront of her memory that there’s a second one lingering somewhere, since she continuously forgets and forgetting would mean another lecture from Jewel.

Just across the way, a certain bright blond boy watches the scene from afar before approaching his friend. “Mattheo, what did you do to upset the Ravenclaw?” He asks with a scoff.

The brown haired boy shakes his head with a chuckle. ”No idea. Guess I just have that effect on girls.”

Draco raises a brow at him. ”So, you’ve met Twila then?” He asks.

Riddle’s eyes widen in surprise, suddenly turning to face the other boy as he reveals her name to him. ”What do you know about her?” His face showing his confusion.

Draco scoffs at the question. “I know she’s a pain in the ass for one.” He folds his arms in irritation. “She’s in one of my N.E.W.T. classes. Why’d Jewel look at you like that?”

Mattheo shakes his head, looking down at the floorboards as the other Slytherins’ name is mentioned. “Jewel seems… protective of her. She tried to stop- Twila- from talking to me…”

“I see,” Draco states, raising his brow. He has known for years now that Jewel and Mattheo don’t often see eye to eye, despite the three of them growing up so closely together. However, he’s never known the real reasonings behind it, though he has his suspicions. “So, is there something going on between you and Ravenclaw then?” He pries with only mild interest in the answer.

“No, not really. Nothing happened.” He says casually with a shrug.

Draco dryly scoffs. “So, you’ve been attempting to flirt with her.” He states, unamused.

Mattheo scoffs at the term. “I’d hardly call it that, she just… looked at me.” He says thinking back to all the weird glances she threw his way all class period.

Draco rolls his eyes. “Sounds like Jewel; overdramatic over nothing. And all this over a Ravenclaw, imagine that.” He scowls at the very word.

Mattheo scoffs out a laugh, knowing this to be just like Jewel from his own personal experiences with her. “She did seem pretty interested in me, though. She kept on sneaking glances.” He says smugly.

Draco holds back his disgust. ”And did you return the favor? Were the glances mutual?” He mocks his friend’s pathetic way of ‘flirting’.

However, Mattheo just smirks slyly at this, looking back in the direction Twila disappeared into. ”I might have snuck a peek or two.”

Draco’s face drops and he immediately rolls his eyes, instantly becoming entirely disinterested in the rest of this conversation. “Alright, I have better things to do now.” 

Twila grumbles in annoyance as she makes her way to Arithmancy, another N.E.W.T. class she has, so luckily she’d be able to escape her friend’s accusations for one period. After that, Twila attends her first Astronomy lesson as well, which might have been the only exciting thing to happen on this otherwise plain day, but she knows she should enjoy it while it lasts. Like she fears, there’s only a matter of time before Ilvermorny happens all over again. She keeps having to remind herself that she came here with a single intention, she doesn’t have time for foolery and crushes. Not now.

༺ ☆ ༻

Thursday morning is as eventful as any normal day with Draco.

“I guess Mondays and Thursdays are Draco day for you, aren’t they? Lucky girl.” He teases, seeing how they once again have back to back D.A.D.A. and Potions together.

She sighs as he sits down next to her, but he notes a very small smile play at her lips. He’s amused by this and leans back in his chair with a chuckle before paying attention to Professor Snape. As much as they would have loved to take jabs at each other, Snape’s presence is one that demands all attention on him, and both dare not upset the man more than he already naturally is.

“Lost your way again already?” Draco teases, watching the girl glance down each of the corridors in confusion despite him showing her the way only a few days earlier. He chuckles at her, knowing she’ll be too stubborn to admit she’s lost and nudges her on the arm. “Come on. This way, Ravenclaw.” He says as he leads her down the hall. She follows him with the same level of annoyance she had the first time, following the blond like the lost puppy she hated she is. Draco glances over his shoulder, smiling amusedly at her. “What ever would you do without the mighty Draco Malfoy on your side? I might have to start charging Jewel for having to babysit her friends like this; walking them to class, teaching them how to behave in my school…”

She scoffs out a laugh. “Please, if you wanted an excuse to spend time with me, you could just say so.” She smirks teasingly.

He laughs as he hears one of her trademark witty comments. “Twila, please, I have no need to spend time with a Ravenclaw. My time is actually valuable.”

Despite just being insulted, she finds herself growing used to their back and forth banter and instead smiles at this. Draco chuckles when he sees her softly grin at him, an uncommon reaction. “You’re growing on me, Ravenclaw.” He pauses for a moment. “But I do have something to ask you.”

“And what would that be?” She asks with a smile.

“It’s about Jewel.” He starts casually, despite the odd interaction he saw yesterday. “You know her well, correct?” She nods. “Come to think of it, how did you two meet anyways?”

"Well,” Twila chuckles out a sigh, recalling the memory from so long ago. “As I'm sure you know, her dad works for the Ministry. When he was sent over to America to work on something a few years back, she was my neighbor." Twila looks down with a smile, watching her feet move as they walk through the familiar dungeon corridor.

Draco chuckles at the thought. “Really? I’m actually a bit shocked you had friends when you were younger- didn’t think you were capable of that. That’s sweet.” He smiles smugly and she grimaces at him.

“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes. “How did you two meet?”

He chuckles, enjoying her reactions everytime he tries to wind her up. “Jewel and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. You could say I was her best friend.” He crosses his arms before continuing with a sigh. “Her little crush.”

Twila’s eyes widen at this. “So, you’re aware of it?” She asks with amusement.

“That Jewel’s madly in love with me?” He raises a brow. “Absolutely.” He pauses. “At least she was for a while, if she isn’t still.” Twila goes silent at his words, holding back a large smirk. He looks closely at her face before nodding his head in understandment. “It’s still there?”

Twila turns to him with a blush on her face, biting down her growing smile. “I’ve been sworn into secrecy.” She says, looking forward stubbornly, but her face spills all.

Draco chuckles. “Did she used to say my name a lot- when you were younger?”

"Ugh, all the time." Twila groans in annoyance.

Draco rolls his eyes at her protest, but turns back to her with a smirk. “Jealous, are we?” His smirk grows mischievous. “You know, it doesn’t hurt to confess your feelings for me now as well.”

Twila lets out one loud, sarcastic laugh. "In your dreams, Malfoy."

He chuckles. “No, I suppose you’re too busy on Mattheo.”

Just then, her heart nearly skips a beat. She rolls her eyes, turning her head from him so her hair hides the light burn on her cheeks. She’s confused on how he even knows about that, but she doesn’t want to give him any satisfaction or confirmation by talking about it any further than that. “Whatever, let’s just get in class.” She says, pushing open the Potion’s door.

The two sit through Potions in silence, besides Draco’s occasionally smug smirk as he thinks back to their conversation, this is until Professor Slughorn compliments Twila on her fine potion work.

“Ooo~ well done, Ravenclaw.” Draco strides over with a sarcastic smirk, narrowing his eyes down at the girl.

She rolls her eyes, seeing how Draco will take each and every chance presented to him to try and put her down. “Don’t you have your own potion to work on?” 

“Finished mine ages ago.” He states proudly. She lets out a sharp sigh and begins to clean her workspace up a bit as the sound of the bells chime throughout the school. “Don’t tell me you need help getting to lunch as well?”

“Offering to escort me again?” She smiles, looking over her shoulder at him while she cleans off her hands.

“Are you sure Jewel would like that?” He asks jokingly with narrowed eyes, remembering her behavior recently.

Twila grimaces. “Why does everyone act like she’s some queen bee? I’ve known her for years, she’s really not like that.”

“I’ve known her for years as well and you’ve never seen her in the Slytherin Common Room.” Draco scoffs out, slowly walking backwards towards the door as Twila finishes up and follows.

The two walk through the halls together, the room slowly becoming warmer and warmer as they exit the dungeons and make their way up to the crowded Great Hall. As they enter, Twila spots Jewel in the center of the room talking with the other girls and naturally goes to meet with them. A smile grows on Jewel’s face when she notices her coming. 

“Quidditch tonight. You’re coming, aren’t you?” Jewel states rather than asks.

Twila chuckles. “Of course.”

“Aw, look at that. You’re all four houses. How adorable.” A voice comes from behind them. Twila’s startled, not realizing Draco was still following behind her. He gazes down at their different colored uniforms with a look of disbelief and annoyance. “Finally found a tolerable Ravenclaw to finish your clique.”

Twila once again finds herself rolling her eyes at him. “I’m flattered at your perception of me-”

“She’s more than just a tolerable Ravenclaw, Draco.” Celia suddenly speaks up.

The group goes quiet. It isn’t often Celia makes herself known and especially not to the likes of a Slytherin like Draco. All eyes go to her, but Draco seems particularly offended by the fact that she even spoke to him at all. “Says the hardly managing Hufflepuff.” His lip curls as he looks down at her. “Tell your father to spend his time wallowing on someone else's doorstep. We've had enough of him asking to ‘borrow’. Disgrace to the purebloods.” He mutters the last part under his breath.

Celia comes from the Mulberry family, a distinct pureblood lineage residing in London. However, something happened to her father a few years back and he hasn’t been the same since. Her father worked in the Ministry, something all three of the girls, and Draco, have in common and how they met, but without warning, he was laid off.  No one knows what happened that day but Celia’s once caring and hard working father came home as something hardly better than a drunk bastard. Celia’s mother and siblings scrape by on what’s left of their fortune at Gringotts, but the gold seems to disappear quickly these days.

“Fuck off, Malfoy.” The redhead spits out at the boy.

Penelope, another pureblood, is the rebel of her family, something that shines through in her every action. The Cassoway’s are filthy rich, and like to act like it too, raising their children almost as if they’re some kind of royalty. Her siblings hardly mind all the wealthy and pureblood elitist’s attention, but Penelope had had enough of that treatment and broke off from her family back in third year to live amongst the rest of the wizarding world. However, that doesn’t stop her from living off of Mr. Cassoway’s money. Twila can hardly blame her. Why disown so much?

“Guys, please. Is seeing all my friends get along for once too much to ask for?”

Then there’s Jewel. Jewel’s father, Xavier Rookburg, like the other fathers of his status, works for the Ministry, traveling to and fro to solve different magical mysteries and even working closely with muggles. Her family is very welcoming of all kinds and have always loved to learn about things outside their world, gaining them a less favorable reputation from those like the Malfoy’s. Jewel’s mother passed away in her fourth year, around the same time that Celia’s dad went off the rails, causing them to bond over the loss of their parents. Nowadays, Jewel prefers to focus on trying to find peace in her chaotic school life.

“I’m hungry. If only they were serving lunch right now.”

As for Twila, let’s just say her background is humble enough to detach from an insult when she hears one.

Penelope is first to smile, almost instantaneously forgetting all about the boy, however, the other two are reluctant to let the subject go.

After a long eating, another Transfiguration class with Ominis, followed by N.E.W.T. Divination fills Twila’s time. Once classes are complete and dinner is eaten, Jewel gathers Twila to a quiet area of the dungeons, where they wait for night to fall and professors to retreat back to their chambers. Once the halls are mostly empty, Jewel guides Twila through the cobblestone corridors and out into the fields. Twila catches a glimpse of small figures swishing about in the distance.

“Where’s Penelope and Celia?” Twila’s shoes squish against the fresh and plump grass as they near the tall stadium.

“Pen already got detention and Celia’s too scared to come because Pen got detention.”

Twila laughs. Penelope had gotten into a fight or snuck somewhere she shouldn’t be, no doubt. She has always been notorious for doing so, or for being a little too standoffish with teachers.

Jewel walks through the entrance, grabbing one of the practice brooms laid out. “Alright, time to introduce you to the team.” She says with no sense of excitement as a group of particularly rowdy boys fly above her.

One swoops down, hovering just above the ground. “Oh, you again.” Draco greets Twila with a sarcastic smile. “And Captain.”

Jewel stands proudly, before paying no further mind and looking to the boys in the sky. “Zabini!” She calls, and not too long after, another one comes down, the rest slowly following suit. “Anyways, Blaise, Theo, Mattheo, Miles- Where’s Avery?”

“Couldn’t make it.” Blaise answers.

“He got stopped by McGonagall for his little antic at the end of last year. Thought he could get away with it.” Draco chuckles out, as they remember whatever the boy had gotten himself into only a few months back.

However, Twila is busy finding herself once again entranced by the curly haired man in front of her and she’s both embarrassed and pleased to find him looking back. When her eyes meet his, a light blush brushes over her cheeks. She looks away shyly back to Jewel, who seems to be explaining some kind of plan for the team.

“We have a big year ahead, so I’m expecting a lot from each of you, if you wish to stay on top, that is.” Jewel gives each of the boys a stern yet playful look, before letting the four balls loose from their case, watching them fly high in the air.

Twila takes that as her cue to sit in the stands, away from the high speed broomsticks and heavy flying objects with the sole purpose of knocking into people. She sits on one of the lone benches as the team flies around. Blaise and Mattheo stop short in the middle of the field. Blaise seems to be explaining something to the other boy as he watches the Quaffle go about, however, Mattheo’s eyes are elsewhere, shooting a quick wink at the Ravenclaw girl. Twila blushes even more when she sees this, having to look down into her lap to try and hide her growing smile from him. However, Draco, not too far behind Mattheo, notices and finds himself feeling unimpressed and annoyed by this gesture.

The team practices until each of the balls are caught and put back into their confines before they can fly away again. Twila comes down from the stands to meet back with Jewel. The group hangs their brooms back up and makes their way out of the Quidditch pitch and into the dark field towards the school. Twila and Jewel walk slightly off to the side to chat without the boys interfering.

“So, what’d you think?” Jewel asks with a bright grin.

Twila chuckles. “I think I need to brush up on my Quidditch rulebook.”

“‘Rulebook.’” Jewel repeats back with a dramatic sigh. “Honestly, watch enough and you’ll get it. Is Quidditch not huge in America or something?”

She shrugs. “I used to watch it a bit when I first started going to school, but after about the 3rd game, I started losing reasons to go.”

Jewel hums. “Well, now you have a reason.” She says excitedly, bumping her on the arm with a giggle. “Anyways, I need a moment with the boys.” she says with a roll of the eyes, giving Twila one last smile before shoving herself between Draco and Theo.

However, just as quickly as Jewel leaves, Mattheo quietly swoops in to take her spot without her knowing. Twila is shocked and pleasantly abashed to see him come her way. “Hey.” He smiles.

“Hey.” She responds back.

An awkward silence forms between them, only filled with the sound of Jewel lecturing her seeker and keeper on the importance of their roles during this distinctive school year.

“So…” Twila starts. “Mattheo Riddle, huh?” She asks guiltily, knowing the question has much potential to be taken badly.

“Yeah.” He chuckles out. “And unfortunately I can’t change that.” Twila chuckles, but subconsciously feels the weight behind those few words. “So, you and Jewel are friends.” He notes out loud.

She nods, narrowing her eyes just a bit at the way he states such a fact. “Mhm.”

“So…” A large grin begins to form on his face, mischief in his eyes. He walks just slightly ahead of her, looking up in thought. “I noticed a few… looks… during the match.” He turns around, walking backwards so he can face her again, softly biting his lip as a sudden surge of confidence and flirtatiousness passes through him. 

She shakes her head at him, “‘Looks.’” She repeats back, biting back an embarrassed smile at the way he slyly calls her out.

“Looks.” He confirms. “And… I kinda feel like you were… blushing?” His smile grows even wider as he continues to tease her.

She chuckles, looking down for a moment before turning back to him and shrugging. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She looks to the side, attempting to hide the very blush in question.

“I know what I saw.” He whispers, coming just a bit closer.

She bites her lip, blushing even brighter now. “I’m sure you do.”

He chuckles, admiring the way she tries to cover up how shy she really is. “Look, Twila, can I ask you something?”

But, as if on cue, Jewel’s conversation with Draco and Theo is over and her attention is focused back on Twila. The second she sees Mattheo speaking with her, her face drops and she quickly paces over, pulling Twila away. Mattheo’s face lights up in shock, but he plays it off with an eye roll before walking back over to his own friends, acting back like his ordinary self.

“Twila, we talked about this.” Jewel says helplessly annoyed. 

Twila drops her shoulders, feeling frustrated with the whole situation. If the Riddle’s were truly as bad as everyone says, then why are they allowed at school? How much of a threat could a charmingly goofy quidditch player be?

“I know how he looks…” The two take a peek at him while he’s distracted by Draco. “Trust me, everyone knows.” She chuckles out. “But…” Jewel falters for a moment, letting out a sigh. “Trust me on this one, he’s a player.” She says under her breath.

Twila couldn’t help but feel that Jewel’s words are said with a little too much bitterness. “I appreciate it, Jewel, but why do you insist that I have no capabilities of taking care of myself?”

Jewel sighs once more. “I’m not, I just– Why do you insist on being with him?”

“I’m not, I just–” Twila hesitates enough for Jewel to notice and groan. “What’s wrong with a little teasing? It doesn’t have to mean anything. I’m a new student here, I’m just happy to have found someone willing to speak to me. I can take care of myself.”

Jewel looks at her friend, sauntering through the school doors. “Just– please. Promise me it means nothing.”

She stretches, groaning as her tired legs bring her body to a stand and over to her luggage to find clothes. Once dressed, she quietly exits her dorm, rubbing her tired eyes as she watches for any awake students or patrols. She remembers Jewel mentioning the Slytherin Common Room being in the dungeons. She’d look there for this old detention room.

She lazily trudges down the many, many steps the castle holds, her cloak just barely sweeping the floors as she passes by each empty hall. It’s nice to see the castle without all of its inhabitants about. Even the paintings are quiet and asleep, hopefully the infamous ghosts are as well.

Eventually, she finds a dimly lit stairwell leading down towards a wall with two rusted gold colored snake torches. She descends down the stairs before standing at the bottom of them and staring at an empty wall. Surely something would have to be here. It’s too big an area, too many hallways leading to this exact spot for it to be nothing but a crossroad. She looks down, noticing another snake symbol built into the very tiles that make up the floor. The Slytherin Common Room must be near. With one last look at the empty wall, she begins down another dim lit hallway.

She treads lightly, careful not to make noise, and careful to watch her surroundings for any magic that might frighten her in the darkness. She turns a corner slowly, backing away with a jump as she sees a faint figure standing at the end of one of the corridors.

“Ah! There you are, Twila.” Ah, Ms. McGonagall. With a smile, Twila begins walking towards her, her shoulders now relaxing as the professor's face slowly comes into view. “I was beginning to worry you had lost your way. It is such a big school after all, especially for a new student.”

She chuckles at her words. “Yes, it is.”

Ms. McGonagall extends her hand, ushering me to her side. “Come. Professor Snape is waiting inside.” She reaches for a rusted iron gate door, before pulling it open to, yet another, dark and eerie hallway, much smaller than the other corridors however. Twila follows her to a dead end, seemingly an old classroom, now mostly bare with torn banners, splintered benches, and cobwebs. And then, behind an old tattered desk, they see the infamous man along with the Headmaster. “Severus, Professor Dumbledore, this is Twila DeLuna. Our newest Ravenclaw.”

A sense of panic washes over Twila as she feels somewhat overwhelmed with all three of them having their eyes on her.

“Ms. DeLuna, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.” Dumbledore greets.

She gives him a small bow of respect as she warmly smiles back at him, though considering their exchange of letters over the summer, it is clear to Twila that he has extreme worries towards her. Just like Ilvermorny had.

“As promised, Professor Snape will be helping us dissect your situation, and we are always around to ensure your time spent here is most comfortable. We are very pleased to have you here at Hogwarts, Twila. Now, we shall leave the two of you to discuss. Good luck.” Ms. McGonagall finishes, smiling at Twila before walking towards the door. 

“Thank you, Severus.” Headmaster whispers to Professor Snape, before bowing to Twila with a smile. “Welcome. We will do our best to help you. Always.” And with that, he exits the room as well, leaving just Snape and her.

Despite Twila’s dread, she was not the only one feeling anxious towards this meeting. 

Professor Snape had spent his entire evening studying the little information he had about this girl in the short amount of time given to him. The deed had already taken a toll on him and he had yet to even begin. However, she has a rare case indeed, and he would be lying to himself if he said no part of him is invested, but he can still hardly grasp why it is his duty to handle the situation as opposed to a real professional. 

With a sigh, Snape slowly makes his way back behind the desk. He keeps his eyes down, sitting in the desk’s chair almost as if he’s not even aware the girl is in the room with him. He picks up an envelope, similar to the one that had been given to Twila. He pulls out its contents and glances over the words while she stands there, waiting for him to address her, lecture her, tell her good morning, but nothing. Twila notes that his letter had already been torn open, and considering the worn folds and slightly torn edges, it had been read countless of times.

“I know why you have been sent here. To Hogwarts.” He states, still having yet to glance up from the letter.

Twila shifts uncomfortably in the dark and cold room, not knowing the most appropriate way to act, stand, or respond.

He pauses, trying to think of the best way to ask this question while staying polite and non-threatening. “I was also told, you weren’t very honest about it at Ilvermorny. Is this true?” He asks, finally setting down the paper to peer into her eyes with his dark, sullen ones.

Now she gulps. “It’s not the easiest thing for a child to admit to.”

He nods slightly. “That is understandable. It’s alright, I’m not angry with you. I won’t force you to tell me everything, but we will need some information to properly move forward.”

She looks at him, somewhat untrustworthy and remaining silent.

He looks back down at the desk with a sigh. Snape realizes Twila may have developed a fear and lack of trust with strangers due to the things he had read about her past. He’ll have to take a different approach. “Have you lived in the U.S. your whole life?” He asks suddenly.

Twila’s eyes perk up at this. She studies him for a moment. “Yes.” She nods hesitantly. “I grew up in Minnesota, but a few years ago my mom and I moved to New Orleans.”

He simply nods at this. “What was it like living in Minnesota? Did you enjoy it there?” He asks, satisfied with her previous answer for she seemed to be talking more.

She lets out a quiet, dry scoff. “No.” She answers, almost surprised by her own blunt honesty.

Snape, too, finds himself surprised by her response, eyeing her as if to study her character. He takes a moment to process this before speaking again. “And what do you find so unappealing about it?”

“The memories.” She answers quietly, almost instantly.

The professor considers her answer for a long while, before asking her another question. “Do you prefer living in New Orleans?”

She nods. “Very much. More culture. More wizards. More food.” She chuckles to herself at the last part.

He eyes her in thought at this answer, fiddling with a left behind, dried pen on the desk. She’s continuing the conversation. Maybe if he stays on the topic of life, she will open up more. “And your family. You live with your mother, correct?”

She nods.

He nods back. “And your father?” He asks softly, almost knowingly.

She shifts uncomfortably, looking away before shrugging.

His face seems to deepen as he reads her body language. “Did… something bad happen?” He asks cautiously.

She shrugs again. “No… I just– don’t know him.”

“I see.” He looks at me quietly. It could be nothing, but something in her answer makes her suspicious enough for him to press further into the subject. So, before she can change or avoid the matter, he asks another short question.“Why?”

She holds back a grumble, finding herself suddenly annoyed at the little therapy session she got herself into. “I stopped asking a long time ago.”

He remains quiet for a while, looking into her eyes in the silent room. He notices the sadness behind the smile she shows. He wonders if he should press further. It is clear to him that this is a sensitive topic for her and he wants to be as respectful as possible while still getting answers from her. “Did you move to New Orleans for a fresh start?” He asks. 

“Something like that.”

Snape notes her evasiveness. The fact that she doesn’t give him any straight answer proves to him there’s more than she is letting on. He lets out a deep sigh, somewhat annoyed at playing detective with her. He knows it will be rude of him to continue digging where clearly she does not want him to dig, so he decides to shift the conversation once more. “Did you enjoy your time at Ilvermorny?”

She laughs softly at this. “No.”

Snape raises a brow in intrigue, leaning forward to press both his forearms into the desk. “Is it okay if I ask why? I’ve heard Ilvermorny is a good school.”

“Not for everyone.” She says, her eyes filling with a deep sense of story, sorrow, and darkness.

His demeanor softens somewhat, eyes flashing with memories of his own experiences when it came to gaining his education. He feels a sudden sympathy towards her. “I’ve heard you had excellent grades at Ilvermorny. Was magic easy for you?”

She shifts again. “Not always…”

Yet another sensitive subject. She’s avoiding something, something big, and he is fed up with tiptoeing around it when he hardly needed to be here to begin with. “Then what exactly was causing you so much trouble?” He asks directly with a stern voice. He wanted a real answer from her.

She gulps at his change of tone, feeling like a child that has just gotten scolded by a parent. “I, um…” She attempts to begin. “I was a late bloomer, but… I developed fast. Faster than I could handle… and it was hard- hard to control. And I got bullied. A lot.” She swallows down a lump in her throat, not making eye contact with him. She doesn’t know why it’s so hard for her to talk about, but it’s the first time she’s really sharing this story with anyone.

He notices her avoiding his gaze, struggling to find her words. As he had expected, school related trauma, much like his own. “Did something happen, Twila? Something that you’re trying to avoid?” He asks straightforwardly, but in a gentle tone.

Her eyes suddenly feel empty as she stares down nothing in particular on the floor. She speaks quietly, but darkly, shamefully. “I looked for help in places I shouldn’t have.”

Although cautious of the many things this could mean, he leans back in satisfaction, finally feeling like they are heading somewhere. He has a new understanding of something. He thinks about her answer for a while. “What exactly do you mean?” He asks in a calm tone, hoping to get her to open up, but she can’t seem to find her voice.

He is to get nowhere today, though he still thinks the conversation went well, despite it being unfinished. Perhaps it’s best to let their conversation settle for the day and speak again another time. He sighs. “Alright.” He stands from his spot, leaving the conversation where it is. “Class will begin shortly. I recommend we leave before the students exit their common rooms. It was nice speaking with you, Twila. We shall continue this at our next meeting.”

Twila stands, letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in, relieved that their meeting is over for the day.

He reaches to shake her hand, which she accepts hesitantly, before she watches him exit the classroom. He stops just before the door can close, catching it with his heel. “Come along, now.” He says with an impatient tone. She quickly races towards the door, exiting the room with him.

She walks with him down the hall until she sees the familiar cross section with the snake torches. She turns around to face Snape again, but when she does, he’s gone. Twila hums to herself, brows furrowed in confusion as she looks around for her teacher, but he is nowhere to be seen. She stands in the hall alone as she hears the distant sounds of feet shuffling and voices mumbling. The students are waking.

༺ ☆ ༻

She strides slowly to her next class, seeing as she has the time. She takes a scenic route to Charms, strolling around the castle and looking at the paintings and decor as one student comes out of the common rooms, then 10, then 100, then more. 

Surprisingly, Twila is not the first to enter the classroom. In fact, a decent amount of students are already seated and speaking amongst themselves. She sees the familiar short blonde waves that adorn Celia’s head, barely contrasting with the yellow of the girl’s uniform. Celia smiles as her friend enters and gestures to a spot next to her. Twila makes her way over, but not before she recognizes another face. 

Ominis sits on the opposite side of the classroom besides another young man she didn’t recognize quite yet.. She feels the push to go over and greet her new friend, however she hears Jewel’s words echo through her head and decides against it, continuing to sit next to Celia instead.

Could Gaunts really be that bad? She asks herself, now cautious of the stranger she had only met the day before, curious of what dark secrets lie behind his seemingly kind face.

In the corner of her eye, Twila notices Ominis and his friend speaking. The stranger listens to Ominis speak for a moment before looking Twila’s way. She glances at him as he studies her, but she turns back to Celia just as quickly. It is clear that Ominis was speaking about her and she had caught the attention of his friend. However, she chooses to ignore it and sets down her notebook to write notes as, head of her house, Professor Flitwick begins his lecture.

Twila jots down a last sentence about a concealment charm the professor had mentioned. She'll have to look more into that later. Then, she packs up her things, following Celia out the door, but not before passing by Ominis first.

“Hello, Twila.” He greets softly.

“Hey.” Is all she responds back, before guiltily exiting the room. However, something was not making sense to Ominis.

Out into the hallway, Twila parts ways with Celia to stride to her next class, after the latter bids the young girl good luck. An ‘interesting choice of electives’ as Jewel would put it, however what Twila had left out was she was not only taking Arithmancy, Divination, and Ancient Runes, but that she was taking N.E.W.T. level Arithmancy, Divination, and Ancient Runes. A secret to spare her the embarrassment of being ‘extremely Ravenclaw’. Sure she is one, but they needn’t know how much of one.

She enters the classroom, 7 students total sitting in chairs across the room. A bystander would not think someone like Twila would be interested in such a class, let alone the brains to fly through it. She sticks out like a sore thumb, especially with being outnumbered in a room full of… academic looking boys, let's just say.

The boys whisper amongst her, watching as she sits down and finds a blank sheet of parchment to write on, however, Twila blows this off with ease, much more interested in the information this class would present her with. As class goes on, Twila can hardly put her pen down, constantly scribbling down different thoughts and ideas about runes that come to her mind as the professor speaks.

After lunch, Twila heads to her last class of the day, Transfiguration, which she is not at all excited for, and for the second time that day, she sees Ominis, sitting in the back of their third shared class. However this time, they are both without their friends.

She quietly sits beside him, her hands in her lap.

“Hey, Twila.” He says cautiously, remembering her acting strangely towards him just a few hours before.

“Hello.” She responds rather shyly, and those are the only words they exchange the entire class.

When the professor dismisses the room to work on their reading assignment, Twila shuts her book with a deep sigh, slouching down into her seat exhaustedly, mind already having been spent from her previous N.E.W.T. classes.

Ominis opens his mouth before shutting it again, turning his head towards the front of the classroom. This lasts for approximately 3 seconds before he turns back towards the girl. “Twila, is something the matter?” 

She looks at him for a moment, studying his worried brows. She lets out a breath. “I suck at Transfiguration.” She states bluntly.

He chuckles at her response. “Most don’t really have a knack for this subject. I’m sure you’re not the only one.” He reassures her.

“Luckily I have next hour open to study more.” She says, sitting up in her chair to gather her papers and pencil.

His face seems to light up at her words, his body straightening out as he faces her. “As do I. Would you like to study together? We can go to the library.” He offers.

Twila smiles at this. “Sure. I’ve been dying to see what this library looks like.”

His face brightens even further. "Oh, you'll be in for a treat. The library is huge. It's full of ancient scrolls and tomes, you’re going to love it."

She smiles softly, struggling to believe the things Jewel said about this boy.

As the clock strikes 3:05 the class is over and the two both leave the room together. Their way to the library, Ominis asks her a question, trying to get to know her better. “So, you said you’re from America?” He asks curiously.

She nods. “Yeah, I grew up in one of the northern states.”

“The North? What is it like there?” He asks, as they slowly make their way through the lush green courtyard.

“Cold.” She chuckles.

He chuckles along with her. “I bet it’s very cold during the winter, isn’t it?”

She shrugs. “I suspect it’s not too different from here, same latitude and all. Though I’m not sure how weather works in the wizarding world…” She trails off in thought with a raised brow.

He furrows his brows at this suggestion, before finding himself now pondering the possibilities of magical influence on the weather. “Perhaps it may be different. I’ve actually never given it a thought.” He shakes his head before he too gets lost in his own mind. “Anyways, tell me about your family. What are they like?”

She picks at the ribbing of her sleeve. “Well…” She begins reluctantly. “I live with my mom… that’s about it actually.”

Ominis notices a hint of sadness in her voice as she speaks of this. “I take it you grew up with just your mom?” He asks with a concerned expression on his face.

“I grew up in my grandmother's house actually. I used to have a huge family. We were a loud bunch; wild and, debatably, insane at times, but things were fun. Eventually my grandma passed and everyone kinda just… went away. Now it’s just my mom and I.” She finishes softly.

Ominis tilts his head towards the floor. “I’m sorry. I know how hard it is to lose someone.” His eyes almost seem a lighter shade of blue as he says this. “You said your family was wild? Did they cast all sorts of crazy spells when you were growing up?” He asks with a smile.

She chuckles at this. “U-uh… yeah.” She answers quietly, but he notices the hesitation in her voice. Ominis ignores the urge to pry, instead guiding her into the quiet but abnormally large library, where they find a table to seat themselves at. As they enter, Twila’s jaw drops as she darts her head to and fro to take in all of her surroundings.

Ominis takes her silence as awe, smiling when he hears her astonished ‘whoa’. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” He says with excitement in his voice.

“Yeah…” She says breathily, slowly dropping into her seat as her eyes stay glued to the ceiling. Eventually, she brings herself down enough to bring out her transfiguration book like they had intended to do, carefully skimming over the page in silence.

Suddenly, Ominis turns to Twila. “May I ask you a question.” He says in a calm voice. Her head perks up from the book, turning towards him. He nearly hesitates, but his concern gets the best of him. “Sorry, but I must ask. Why were you acting so strange this morning? You seemed bothered? Did I do something to upset you?” He asks genuinely.

As she hears this, she sighs, letting her hand fall flat against the book. “Someone… told me that I should stay away from you because you’re… a Gaunt. But, I don’t want to believe that you’re a bad person.” She admits nervously, hoping that, if it’s true, he won’t take advantage of the fact that she trusts him.

He is surprised by this revelation. Although he is aware of the reputation and rumors that go around because of his family name, he is shocked Twila had discovered them so quickly and been nearly affected by them. “I see.” He says disappointedly, wondering just who would tell her to go to such extreme lengths. “Well, whoever told you that is quite mistaken. While it is unfortunately true the reputation my family has, I assure you I am against their practices and have gone as far as disowning my home because of it. I don’t want to be like them…”

She nods softly, feeling guilty for bringing it up. “I can tell you don’t.” She states empathetically. 

He smiles. “I am glad you understand. You would be one of few to separate me from my family name. But, it is alright if you still feel cautious to get close. I understand it will take some time for you to trust me.”

Twila frowns. “I do trust you, and I’m sorry for making assumptions. I just don’t know who to trust anymore, especially when it comes to those on the opposite side of the world. Hogwarts feels like a new dimension to me.” She chuckles sadly, taking another look around the foreign library.

A light chuckle emerges from his throat, fondly smiling as he imagines her situation. “Hogwarts is indeed a new dimension to explore and the people are quite different from American witches and wizards. I suppose it’s a bit difficult to trust anyone nowadays though.” He says with a slight shrug. “Do you feel homesick at all?”

“A little.” She says, running her finger over the thin textbook pages. “But in a way, I’m kind of glad to be away for a while.”

He furrows his brows, interest piqued from this. He feels as though there is more to be said behind her words, but again, he refrains from prying. “How do you find Hogwarts compares to Ilvermorny so far?”

She shrugs. “Honestly, it’s not too different on a basic level. Hogwarts is definitely older though. It has far more history and traditions, a lot more prestigious as well. My friends warned me of the different social classes at Hogwarts and I admit I’m still a little nervous about it all. It’s so different from how we see things in America.”

He takes note of her anxiousness as she speaks, but again his curiosity is piqued. “In America, things are much more relaxed, I presume?” 

Twila’s cheek grows raw as she nibbles on the inside of it, finding the right way to put her words. “In a way, yes. But in many ways, no.” She leans back in her chair, pondering over her home country's issues. “In America, we tend not to care much about blood status. A wizard is a wizard, to most anyway. But while America isn’t particularly prejudiced against half-bloods or muggleborns, they are very prejudiced against muggles. It just became legal, only a few years back, that a wizard and no-maj could marry again. But, clearly, there are issues still, considering the new laws they are trying to pass.” Ominis raises a brow at this for her to continue. She sighs. “Some people want to pass a law that states any magical child with muggle parents be taken from their families once they receive their magic. That way the parents are never exposed to our world.” She finishes with a frown.

Ominis is completely stunned to hear this, feeling that America sounded more like a dystopia than anything. “They want to take away the children from their parents?” He turns to Twila, disgust and confusion building in his voice.

She lets out a dry chuckle. “That’s America for you. It’s not the first time they’ve passed some crazy, inhuman law, trust me, wizarding world or otherwise.” She rests her head into her hand, slumping over the desk.

However, despite Twila’s casual nature towards the subject she is clearly more than used to, Ominis can still  barely wrap his head around this new information. “Do muggleborn children have no say in the matter? Surely the parents would protest, do they not?” 

She shrugs once more. “I believe they wish to obliviate the parents, that way they’d never even remember they had a child in the first place. Then they throw the child into a wizard orphanage or something.” Twila didn’t look into the law too much, the little bit of information she had heard was enough to make her feel extremely distant from her own community. 

He looks at her in horror, just the idea alone sounding terrifying to him. “That’s awful. I can’t imagine living with no memory of my own family. How can they justify this type of hatred?”

“The same way people over here can justify murdering muggleborn, I suppose.” She answers sadly, remembering all the things Jewel mentioned about the Death Eater population that used to reside here only a few years ago.

Ominis goes quiet, sighing at her words as he understands America’s logic just a little bit better now after considering his own experiences on the large island he himself grew up on. “Are muggleborns treated like that in America as well?” He asks with concern. 

“Not by the government anyways. MACUSA claims they’d be protecting muggleborns with such a law, and I think they actually believe that too. It’s muggles they despise so deeply, all because one man a hundred years ago tried to expose the wizarding world and they haven't been the same since.”

He nods. “What about your family? Are they okay with you coming to Hogwarts and being with muggleborns and half-bloods?”

She pauses for just a bit too long and it doesn’t go unnoticed by him. “Of course… My family has no problem with them or muggles. We see everyone as equal.”

He lifts his head, studying her words carefully. “I see.” He responds quietly and calmly, but not in a convinced manner. He considers everything they had talked about so far, her views, her family, the way she acts, her hesitancy, then it clicks in his mind. “I see.” He repeats once more as everything comes together more clearly now, but he decides not to reveal anything so as to not make her feel uncomfortable. “Shall we continue studying?”

For a moment, Twila is caught off guard by him switching subjects so suddenly, yet is more than happy to go along with it. However, she is much more cautious with her reading, on edge and waiting for him to press into the previous subjects again at any moment.

Once studying for a while, Twila checks the time. “I think dinner’s starting soon, should we head out?”

“Already?” Ominis asks, stretching from all the studying they had done today. “I can walk with you there if you’d like.” He offers with a kind smile.

She smiles back, standing with him as they both collect their things and head out of the large room. They walk with a slight awkward silence between them, as Ominis contemplates what he could say to her. Before he can gather the courage to say anything, they arrive at the entrance of the Great Hall. “Well, I think my friends are waiting for me. But-...” She pauses for a moment. “Would you like to meet every Tuesday after class to study? We could make the library our spot?” She suggests with a smile.

Ominis is caught off guard by this suggestion at first, considering his previous growing suspicions of her. Nonetheless, he accepts happily. “That sounds like a great idea, Twila. I would like that.”

Her smile grows at this.  “Sounds good. See you in Charms tomorrow.”