As the hills and fields of London rolled past the train’s windows, Demetria Graves’ piercing blue eyes stared blindly at them. Whereas the brunette would normally admire the beauty of the passing scenery, today was an exception. It was September 1st: the first day of her sixth year at Hogwarts. In all past years, Demi felt nothing but excitement at the promise of a new school year filled with adventures, lessons and memories to be built. This year, a cloud of sadness had hung around her as soon as she’d received her Hogwarts letter, and had only grown bigger as the amount of days until the first day shortened.

During that last semester of term, Demi had fallen in love. It had started off innocently enough: little looks here and there, small smiles, getting caught looking at each other a few times… Then they were each appointed team captain of their respective houses, and that was when things got interesting. They were both very competitive: two very relentless players with the passion and ambition to lead their team to victory. In the end, it was Demi and her Gryffindors who rose to the challenge; and in a surprising move, he had caught up with her to privately congratulate her for her win. The pair spent hours talking that day, going against what they had been taught about how they were supposed to treat each other like enemies because they belonged to rivaling houses. They had enjoyed the conversation so much that they agreed to continue meeting in the same spot at the same time every other day. As the time spent passed by, Demi and noticed there was a spark between them: an instant connection that she’d never felt with anyone else before. Soon enough, every other day became too little, and so their secret meetings became a daily thing. Young Demi counted the seconds leading up to their encounters. It was safe to say that it had been a very hard goodbye to say when the Winter Holidays came around.

But their connection knew no boundaries. Then came the letters during Christmas break, going from a small town in Rhode Island, United States and all the way to the Europe, specifically from the posh Isles of Scilly. They arrived every three days without exception, via their respective -and rather exhausted- pets. In each one, they shared a few pictures, spoke about their daily adventures, their upcoming plans, but always made sure to let the other know how much they missed being together. In case their letters were found by prying eyes, they used their initial as a signature: D or K. Demi eagerly waited the arrival of these letters, smiling brightly as she read them, and quickly began to write a response back as soon as she had finished reading. Though she was a bit saddened that they were apart, she happy that he’d kept communication with her.

On Christmas day, Demi awoke to a ‘mysteriously’ unsigned gift that bore her favorite British chocolates and a beautiful silver necklace with a diamond pendant in the shape of a key. The only hint as to who the sender was a card lying at the end of the box:



And when they had arrived back to Hogwarts after the holidays and met in their secret spot, he’d wasted no time in spilling his heart out to her. By this point, there was no doubt in Demi’s mind that she felt exactly the same way about him, and so she spilled her heart out to him as well. It was then when, under a sky full of stars and a full moon, he had asked her to be his girlfriend. Demi, with tears in her eyes and a beaming smile, had accepted.

Their time together had been the most beautiful dream. But when she least expected it, he had cut things short.

Lost in the sad memories as she was, Demi didn’t notice they had reached their destination until she felt the train come to a halt at the station. No sooner had they been given the instruction to vacate the compartments and the train, the long-haired brunette gathered her belongings and went on her way, following the growing crowd of students in the direction of the carriages. She’d politely declined her friends’ invitation to join their compartment: the last thing she needed was them asking questions about anything. She was placed with a couple of Hufflepuffs she didn’t know, so she had the chance to be as quiet as she wished without seeming rude. But once they had arrived just outside the imposing castle’s double doors, Demi knew it was time to start pretending. And so, the young woman put on her best face, stepped out of the carriage and made her way to the Great Hall.

A few of her fellow classmates greeted her along the way, and stopped to talk to her for a few seconds before going back to whatever they were doing. This continued all the way to the Gryffindor table. With the mask of contentment still in place and saying her hellos, Demi took the seat next to her older brother Luke and began chattering with him and her fellow Quidditch team members about possible plans for this season. Her side of the chatter was being done as in auto pilot: her mind and focus was on something else. In truth, Demetria Graves was simply trying her hardest to not so much as glance at the Slytherin table. She knew what could happen if she did… And yet here she was, lifting her sight up for a single second in what probably was a masochistic search for pain. That one second was enough for her to get a glimpse of a handsome, very familiar face: the face of the man who had so mercilessly broken her heart. One look at him, and her heart was aching all over again.

---

"Can you not--"

"Wait for me!"

"OW! You're stepping on me!"

"Will you move out of the way?!"

Taking in a deep breath, Kalder raised his head to his hands, rubbing his temples as he watched the trio of those he called friends trip over one another. Actually, what happened is that Coco tripped and brought the entirety of the hallway down with him. Funny, he didn't see Coco smoke anything on the ride over, though admittedly his mind was in another place. He watched the guys untangle themselves, with Noel shoving Coco in annoyance. Blake was less than pleased, though a pair of random boys had graciously offered her their hands, to which she gladly took to pull herself back to her feet. Once everyone was standing, they continued their walk, taking their seats at the appropriate table as the mess of students organized themselves. Pressing his knuckles against his chin, he ignored the ongoing conversation, though every once in a while, he felt something pressing his shoulder. He ignored it for a bit, though eventually his annoyance snapped him out of his reverie. Letting out a sigh, he turned to a frowning Benjamin.

Benjamin, the gym-addict who has known to get trapped admiring his own muscles, apparently had wanted his attention. "Reckon I'll get a spot on the team this year?" He asked with a toothy grin, a much-too hopeful expression on his face.

Coco, the eternally confused yet amicable stoner who had to normally concentrate to understand the conversation at hand, pouted. "Hey, if you want to be on the team, you need to put in some real commitment and not go skirt-chasing," He pointed out.

Noel, the smartass, dumbass daredevil that always had a plan, was in agreement. "If you're going to be my other Beater, you need to differentiate between green and the other colors," He said.

Blake, the girl who never studied yet excelled in her grades, leet out a chuckle. "My primary concern is him staying in flight," She couldn't help but poke fun at him.

Kalder was as unsure as the rest, but he knew Benjamin had dedication in him--if he could only focus. Still, Kalder mulled over his words, trying to place them carefully as his gaze went back to the crowd. At first he was unfocused, but in that moment, something in his head had clicked. There was someone looking at him, possibly by chance. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last, but those eyes looked so familiar. How could he forget those eyes that once looked at him so lovingly? Her face, her hair, her eyes--his heart skipped a beat as he realized they had made eye contact. She was looking right at him. And he looked right back.

"Demi..." Her name had escaped him unwillingly.

"The what now?" Benjamin shook Kalder's shoulder, trying to bring him out of his trance.

"Demented. I believe that's what I heard," Blake nodded solemnly.

"That's bloody rude!"

---

---

Demi could feel Kalder's deep blue stare on her, and once again she raised her head to look. Their eyes met for a few painful seconds before, after seeing her name on his lips, he forced himself to look away, looking visibly uncomfortable. And he should feel uncomfortable, dammit! What kind of man promises a lifetime together one day, only to break things off with no explanation the next day, out of the blue? A coward, that’s who.

By this point, Demi was pretty much convinced that what Kalder had done to her was nothing more than just some sick prank to make her the laughing stock of his little posse. It was probably his master plan all along, spectacularly orchestrated to the point that there had been no doubt in Demi’s mind that he actually had feelings for her. But why go to such lengths to mess with her like that? Maybe it was vengeance for having won the Hogwarts Quidditch cup, or it was all done with the purpose of distracting her so much that she would be unable to give her 100% on the field this season.

Unfortunately for him, the bitterness she felt only fanned the flames to her desire to become champions for the second year in a row. If Sigourney wanted a fight, she would give him one. And she would make certain he NEVER found out just how broken he’d really caused her to be inside.

“I love it when you get intimidating like that, DR.”

Demi jumped, clearly taken by surprise by her brother’s comment. The resentment she was feeling towards her secret ex-boyfriend must have been showing in her face, or on the way her knuckles had whitened as her hands were unconsciously balled into fists. She shifted her sights from Kalder and to her brother, who was scowling at the blond Slytherin boy. “Luke, what the-”

“Yeah, that’s right. Look away now, Sigourney.” Luke muttered under his breath so only Demi could hear, his scowl changing to a sneer. He turned to look at his younger sister with a smirk. “He’s obviously still feeling sensitive after having lost the Quidditch cup to you, DR.”

Demi couldn’t help but snort at his comment. Was her brother really thick enough to think quidditch pettiness lasted this long? “You really think that?” the girl asked, giving Kal another glance before looking back at Luke.

“Well, yeah! Why else would he staring at you all uncomfortable like that?

‘Oh, Luke baby, if only you knew…’

The brunette shrugged, doing an excellent job of keeping her true feelings hidden. Of course she knew why Kalder was looking at her that way. But did Luke need to know know why? Absolutely not. “Yeah, probably. It has to suck to be so close to winning and be so brutally beaten in the end.”

Fortunately for Demi, the headmistress was calling for silence and their attention, so the Graves siblings gave her just that. Her welcome speech was short, sweet, and straight to the point, and in no time the feast had appeared before her eyes. Whereas her whole table dug hungrily into the dishes, Demi hesitated for a moment. In normal circumstances, the smells and appetizing dishes in front of her would cause her to indulge until the point of satiety. But right now, after another look at the Slytherin table and seeing Kal's devilishly attractive friend Blake visibly laughing and with her arm around him... It was enough for the blue-eyed brunette to feel sick and completely lose her appetite.

“I think I’ll be off to the common room early,” Demi told her brother, placing her napkin on top of her empty plate.

Luke, who had been busy stuffing himself with steak, looked up with a bewildered expression. “What, already?” he asked with his mouth full, looking over at his sister’s empty plate. “Demi, you didn’t eat a thing.”

“I’m not hungry,” Demi said, wishing her brother would just let her go already.

“Not even for dessert?” Luke asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. I’m just not feeling the food tonight. But hey, if I get hungry I’ll just sneak into the kitchen and see if the house elves will give me a midnight snack.”

Looking thoroughly unconvinced but apparently deciding to not push the subject any further, Luke nodded. “Alright then, DR. But I don’t want this to become a regular thing! You need to eat, or else I’ll have Kae or Dad intervene.”

Demi rolled her eyes good-naturedly: leave it to her brother to make such a fuss at her skipping a meal. “Yes, Luke. I promise this is just a one-time thing, okay? she told the older male, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

And with that, Demi turned around and walked out of the Great Hall and up the marble stairs, in the direction of the Gryffindor common room in the seventh floor.

---

As the rest of his group erupted into an argument, Kalder felt himself sink further into his depression. He found himself tearing away from his gaze, only for Blake to wrap her arm around him. Without context, he was left bewildered, though for once he felt himself in Coco's place, unable to keep up with whatever the hell they were arguing about. As he tried to look back, the headmistress wanted their cooperation, and he seemed to lose Demi in the crowd. Great. No, he should just leave her alone. What was he thinking? She would never forgive him. She probably hated him. If he actually had the balls, maybe if he just had the courage to protest, he could have--

"Can I sit with you?"

The group ceased their argument as a small, blonde haired girl with watery eyes had timidly approached them. Kalder immediately perked up, his expression immediately turning to concern. "Amelie, what are you doing here?" He asked as he pushed Benjamin (much to the boy's vocal displeasure) to make room for his younger sister.

Letting out a sigh, Amelie placed her head on the table, letting out a small wail. "Marcus said that I have a weird face," She mumbled.

"Awww, Lie-Lie's first boy hazing!" Benjamin snorted, though he yelped as he felt Noel stomp on his foot.

Already sensing Kalder's vengeful aura, Blake looked to diffuse the situation. "Sweetheart, you are beautiful. You don't have to worry about what Marcus Flinchman of all people has to say," She assured her gently.

Amelia lifted her head up, letting out a hiccup. "I don't care what Marcus thinks!" She corrected them immediately, her adorable face scrunched up in anger. "I let him know that already!"

"You...did?" Noel asked, confused.

"Mother says I shouldn't let anyone say things to me that I don't like! So I punched him in his stupid big nosed face!" She huffed, her declaration immediately causing a roar of laughter from Benjamin. "But now Margie won't talk to me because she likes him and I embarrassed him, she's such a bad friend!"

Kalder let out a sigh of relief, lightly patting her head. Ah, the trials and tribulations of the Sigourney women. Truly, they were infamous throughout the school, so much that when little Amelie became a first year, the poor thing ended up with no friends due to the reputation her elder sisters had earned. As he stroked her hair, he caught a whiff of a familiar scent, and let out a groan. Speak of the devil. He relaxed his hand as he felt one of his sisters emit a high, shrill squeal, hugging him from behind. She then pressed her cheek to his, a wetness that signified tears now on his face. Why were all his sisters crying?

Noel smirked, head on his hand as he eyed the Sigourney twins. "A little early to be getting emotional, isn't it, Rosalyn?" He asked as the girl sobbed all over her brother.

"I c-c-c-can't b-b-believe this is g-g-g-g-going to b-be our l-last year t-t-t-together!" Marilyn sobbed dramatically, hugging Kalder tighter as she nearly choked him.

Rolling her eyes, Rosalyn placed her hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow at her twin. "Can you not?" She asked, shaking her head.

"Oh, I forgot about that," Amelie admitted as she wiped her tears away.

Marilyn gasped, releasing Kalder and ignoring his many gasps for air. "So you're not going to miss me one bit? How could you say that to your favorite sister?" She asked, genuinely offended.

"Because you're causing a scene, Drama Queen," Rosalyn said, though her eyes landed on another seventh year not too far from where they were sitting.

She stopped crying long enough to scoff as Noel took a sip from his drink. "Better Drama Queen then Pillow Queen," Marilyn cheerfully replied, causing Noel to choke.

Kalder was so used to Rosalyn and Marilyn that he ignored them as he tried to look around without drawing too much attention, though his sisters' bickering probably brought upon them some unwanted attention. Letting out a sigh, he carefully exited his seat, scratching his head as he silently walked away from the scene. No use sticking around for another catfight, though he knew his friends would probably stick around to see the carnage. As he walked, he spotted Demi in the distance, a glimmer of hope, though as he watched her walk, he couldn't bring himself to follow. He stopped in his tracks, only watching, though as a certain darked haired Ravenclaw stepped into his line of sight, his wistfulness quickly turned into a rather sour expression.

A long, long time ago, the two of them, along with a third, were close once. Over time that changed, but apparently, the Ravenclaw would pop up from time to time, despite Kalder's best attempts at avoiding him. "I don't think a Slytherin would be accepted into the Gryffindor Tower so easily," The dark haired boy stated rather cheerfully, somehow hitting the nail on the head.

Ah, Kalder had forgotten the rather annoying wisdom this kid had. Kalder hadn't told a soul about him and Demi--he could never bring himself to have her go through any backlash because of him. "Caleb," He acknowledged him.

"You remember my name!" Caleb feigned amazement, grinning. "I owe Beatrice a Galleon, then. Oh, you remember Bea, don't you?"

Beatrice. "What do you want?" Kalder asked, completely ignoring his statement.

"Against my better judgement, I read your fortune," Caleb said, winking. "It says if you're honest with yourself, you'll have a much better time with things. Wonder what that means...?"

Yeah, Kalder fucking hated Caleb and his way-too-accurate fortunes. "I'll keep that in mind." He said bitterly.

---

---

Unbeknownst to the scene unfolding at the end of the staircase, Demi continued to make her way back to the Gryffindor common room. Once in the privacy of her bed in the deserted sixth year girls’ dormitories, Demi let out a long, deep sigh. She felt so incredibly stupid. How was it possible that now, nearly three months after Kalder had ended their relationship, she still harbored some feelings for him? Of course, there was anger and bitterness and plenty of hurt to go around. But if Dem was truly honest with herself, she knew that she still loved the guy. Hell, there was even that dumb, unresolved sexual tension of having been so close yet so far to consummating their relationship… Would that have made things worse? Or would it have prevented the breakup in the first place?

As she lay mulling over these rambling thoughts, he absentmindedly twirled the key pendant in her fingers. Even after the breakup, she hadn’t taken off the necklace he’d given her, thinking that the moment she did it meant things were final. And God only knew how stupid she was for keeping some sort of hope.

Demi let out yet another frustrated sigh. Damned be the day in which she fell in love with Kalder Sigourney.

“Please don’t tell me you’re still moping around because of Siggy.”

Demi shot up from the bed and into a sitting position upon hearing the familiar voice coming from the end of the room. Her face broke in a close-lipped smile at the sight of Jomana Hadid making her way towards her. Out of the few people that could make Demi feel better at the moment, Jo was the top name on the list. The girls had met in the train compartment back in their second year, and had been inseparable since.

As if the company of the her best friend wasn’t enough to lift her spirits, it was what Jo said after that proved just why she was one of Demi’s most beloved people in the world.

“I noticed you left the feast without touching any food and before we had a chance to catch up, so I brought you some snacks and took the opportunity to spend some time with my favorite American girl.”

Demi was actually grinning now. “Have I ever told you just how much I love and appreciate you, Jo?” she told the Arab girl, giving her a big hug before eagerly digging into the snacks that had been brought to her: freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies.

“I love you too, Dem. And that’s why it makes me so bloody mad that you’re still so into that idiot.” Jomana chastised her American friend, picking one of the cookies on the plate and taking a bite while staring sternly at Demi.

Demi shrugged, taking a few seconds to finish chewing and swallowing her cookie before replying. “Kal’s not a complete idiot.” she said in a small voice, taking the last bite of her first cookie and grabbing another. She purposely avoided Jomana’s burning stare while focusing on her key necklace. “He likes to pretend he’s this arrogant, entitled prick when in all truth he’s just a big, soft teddy bear whe you get to know him.”

Jomana raised a warning hand, mouth still full of cookie while glaring at her best friend with an intense look in her brown eyes. “Don’t you go defending him, Demetria!” Jo chastised Demi again, slapping her friend’s hand away from her key pendant. We’re talking about the guy who broke your heart into a million pieces.”

“Trust me, I haven’t forgotten about it…” the blue-eyed girl replied sullenly, taking a bitter bite off her cookie.

“Well good! You shouldn’t. What you should be focusing on now on is on how you’re this beautiful, bloody badass young woman who deserves so much better, and how you’re going to show our pal Siggy what he lost when he made the ridiculous mistake of letting you go. That’s what you should be focusing your energies on. You’ve done enough moping around for your own good. We both know you’re bloody damn better than that.”

The sounds of students arriving to the common room and dormitories began to fill the formerly quiet location, and both Demi and Jo let out a sigh. Although annoyed at being interrupted, Demi was secretly glad about it. It meant that the subject of Kalder would be dropped, for which she was thankful for. The brunette was forever grateful for Jomana’s pep talk and her tenacity for wanting her to bounce back better than ever, but all Demi wanted right now was a distraction to forget Kalder existed.

“I guess we should head on down before they start asking any questions, huh?” Demi asked Jo, finishing off the last cookie in one bite and wiping the crumbs off her bed.

Jomana nodded, standing up to her full height of five feet four inches. “Correct. Let’s go before they snag the good seats by the window. I’ve got loads to tell you about my summer break, and I don’t plan on sleeping until I do.”

---

Caleb stared at Kalder for a good while, a small frown on his face. He lingered, as if hoping Kalder had something else to say. Honestly, if it were up to him, he would rather say nothing and go about his life. But Caleb had this annoying thing where he liked to pop out of nowhere and instantly know what was wrong, why things were wrong, and a solution. Supposedly, his family had a lineage of prominent Seers, though admittedly Kalder never paid any attention in History so even if he heard the names, he wouldn't recognize them. Still, Caleb excelled in Divination, his intuition positively uncanny and irritating.

For once, Kalder was pleasantly surprised as Caleb simply smiled, although Kalder nearly jumped out of his skin when Coco slapped his shoulder out of nowhere. Coco grinned, though he squinted at Caleb. "Who's this?" He asked Kalder as the rest of the group caught up to them.

Caleb grinned at Kalder's scowl. "No one of particular importance, as Nathan can assure you," The Ravenclaw replied to Coco's question in earnest.

Kalder frowned at Caleb, though before he could protest, Caleb would take his leave. Noel watched him for a moment with a curious look for all of a minute before noticing Blake also watching Caleb. "Looks like Sophen grew a few inches during the summer," He said, raising an eyebrow at her.

She seemed to agree, although she would shake her head. "It's a shame, too," She sighed.

Coco scrunched his face in concentration, wracking his brain. "Sophen...Caleb Sophen?" He asked, suddenly understanding. "Who is he?"

"Bloody brilliant Ravenclaw that Sophen is, copied his notes last year when we had Charms together," Benjamin admitted with a slight shrug.

"He's also Muggleborn," Noel seemed to take a delight in reminding them. "You can have all the looks and brain you want, but we all know lineage is of the utmost importance. Now, if he were Pureblood, then I'd be more interested, but he won't be worth a damn in the real world."

And there it was again. Lineage. Blood lines. Muggleborn. Pureblood. That sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as those words seemed to have shattered his world. Funny how he never seemed to care before, how he had heard the words but they hadn't meant a thing to him. He honestly didn't care as he had believed it was the future that would define you, not your past. Now, he was a damn hypocrite, throwing everything he had been behind away, going along with whatever anyone else told him. It had been easy to just quietly nod and pretend he agreed. It was easy to go about unnoticed when you didn't fight the current.

He could've been fine with it, too, if it hadn't cost him the friendships from before or the one relationship he had cared so much about.

But Kalder was a coward, and the people who had believed in him suffered for it. Perhaps he thought this was his punishment, and as he let his body lead him to the Slytherin common room, he truly did believe he should stay miserable. As they walked, he spotted a familiar face not too far from him, and a groan of annoyance escaped him. His past insisted on coming up time after time, didn't it?

Benjamin let out a whistle, clearly pleased with the too lovely sight before them, a tall, long-legged girl who had reached the peak of adulthood, her youthful beauty currently unparalleled in the hallway. Her dark hair served as a frame, brown eyes sharp and on the hunt, lips so red you'd think she's just finished eating a still beating heart. Actually, most people would make the comparison to a rose or some other red flower, but that would imply that this girl was good or kind.

She flashed a smile as the group approached. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Deva "The Diva" Erebus!" He said cheerfully.

Watching as Benjamin fed into Deva's ego, Kalder smirked, knowing exactly how to bring her back to the mortal plane. He raised his head, feigning a thoughtful look. "You mean Chordeva, right?" He asked, taking delight as Deva's gleeful look immediately turned into a rather scathing glare. To others, it seemed harsh, but Deva was wicked, cruel, and way too full of herself. "Are you getting angry at me because I said your real name?"

Deva tossed her hair over her shoulders as she walked up to him, lightly adjusting the collar of his shirt. "I can't stay mad at you, though you know how much I hate my name," She said, pouting.

One sentence and already Kal had the urge to vomit. He could hear Noel snicker behind him, but rather than put up with it for any longer, Kalder nodded, turned around, and walked straight out. The laughter of the group echoed, though a pair of feet running after him caused him to groan again. Nope, he refused to give Deva the time of day no matter what his mood was. He continued to walk, praying he would be able to lose her soon.

Demi was up three hours before her first class was scheduled to start: at 5 AM, with the sun just beginning to come out; which was very out of character for her. In truth, she'd been up for most part of the night, unable to sleep for a period longer than an hour before waking up and facing reality. Back home, she thought getting used to waking up early again would be a challenge, but apparently it would be easier than she imagined. Memories of her time with Kalder plagued her as she tried to fall asleep without much success: the exchanged looks, their first time talking, the flirting that went on, their first kiss, the first time he’d touched her bare skin, the first time they'd fooled around… And the day he’d thrown it all away.

Demi knew she needed to get away before her memories consumed her, so she decided to go do what she loved the most: fly.

Without a second to lose, she jumped out of bed and got dressed in comfy muggle clothes: dark blue skinny jeans, a black band T-shirt and her Converse sneakers. She tied her hair back in a French braid, taking the time to do the handiwork herself instead of using a beauty spell, as playing around with her hair was sort of therapeutic for her. Once done, she put on her four pairs of small studs on each ear, grabbed her Firebolt 3XO and sprinted off to the Quidditch pitch.

Once there, Demi took a second to take in the smell of dew and freshly mowed grass before mounting her broom and taking off. She closed her eyes and smiled at the feeling of the cool, foresty wind around her, and how she’d left all her negative emotions back on the ground. From above, she observed the few activity on the grounds at the moment: a few thestrals taking flight from deep inside the Black Forest, a hint of a mermaid's tail on the surface of the Black Lake that quickly disappeared with a splash, and the glorious scene of the sun rising over the horizon. With the sun now up, Demi did some quick laps and twirls, singing loudly to the lyrics of her favorite American rock bands all the while. Next thing she knew it was 7:30 AM: two hours left to shower and have breakfast if she wanted to arrive to class on time.

By the time Demi returned to the classroom, most students were still asleep. This gave her plenty of time to take a long, relaxing shower in the Prefects bathroom (to which she had access to for being a Team Captain, a new privilege that had begun this school year) before getting ready for the school day and making her way back down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Once there, she filled her plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and toast, along with a cinnamon roll and a tall glass of milk (the effects of fasting on dinner last night had gotten to her). Her eyes wandered around the hall, and she was pleased to see that Kal wasn't around. Good. That meant she could enjoy her breakfast in peace, not tortured by the bitter memories.

When the timetables arrived, she quickly scanned through the schedule, and her heart sank.The classes weren’t the issue. Potions, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Lunch, Herbology, Charms, and History of Magic as her chosen elective, since her other available period was for Quidditch. It was the members of said classes that sent the positivity that had begun to cheer her up this morning straight to hell: three out of seven periods shared with Slytherin. By this point, Demi was hoping that Kal hadn't gotten marks similar to hers or had chosen a similar career path. If he had, they would be seeing quite a lot of each other this year: which was precisely what she- and she was pretty certain him too- wanted to avoid. Every day would feel like putting salt over a fresh wound.

Demi finished her breakfast in silence, and made her way to the dungeons where Potions, her first class of the day was scheduled to begin at 9. She was inside the empty classroom fifteen minutes early, and while she waited for her classmates, she walked to the end of the room. A cauldron containing a pink potion was seducing her, emanating the most delicious scent she had ever smelled in her life. It was a combination of all the things she loved: her mother's perfume, the sea breeze, early morning dew, broomstick wood, chocolate, berries and... She struggled to identify the last one, but then it hit her: it was the woody and spicy scent of Kalder’s perfume.

Cursing herself, Demi quickly put up a brave face just as the clock chimed nine, signaling the start of her first lesson. She looked around to see her classmates filing in and waiting for instructions at the end of the room, and she hurried away to join them.

Their Potions master, Rodolphus Blackthorn, walked in no longer after she had taken her place. He greeted them enthusiastically and announced that he had developed a new teaching strategy for this year: students from opposing houses would be assigned to work together for the rest of the school year, in an attempt to bring the rivaling houses together. At this Demi began to feel anxious. The brunette thought she had seen Kal in this group, and she closed her eyes while doing a silent prayer that she would be paired with anybody else in the world but him.

"Miss Graves?" Professor Blackthorn called out, Demi's eyes quickly opening and immediately bringing her back to reality. She raised her black-manicured hand and he nodded at her. "You and Mr. Sigourney have been assigned to Table 7."

Of course that, out of fourteen other classmates she could have been paired with, it had to be with Kalder... Taking a deep breath, Demi trudged to her assigned table, set her things in her side of the table, and focused her attention to the front of the classroom. She would show no signs of weakness even if fate was really out for her blood this year.

---

The loud scream that was heard threw Kalder for a loop, the young man letting out a yell as he sat up, alarmed. It wasn't until the sight of a soaked Benjamin and a laughing pair that consisted of Noel and Coco that he had realized what was happening. Running his hands over his face, he realized he had been sweating profusely. Ignoring the trio as Benjamin decided to hex Coco in retaliation, the lights of his spells illuminated the room enough so Kal could grab his belongings and trudge his way to the bathrooms. The rest of the morning was an unimportant blur, although once he had his uniform on, he looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was cooperative, but his expression was one of misery.

Dropping his view, he opted to stay behind once the boys headed down for breakfast. He needed to find his schedule, but he couldn't remember where the hell he put it. Clucking his tongue, he dropped down to the floor, arm rummaging underneath the bed, though the crisp feel of paper meant success. Pulling his schedule out, he scanned it briefly. Potions first thing in the morning? It was actually his favorite class, but admittedly having to do so much work right at the start of the day was daunting. Still, his Outstanding O.W.L. in Potions proved he had what it took, and he sure as hell intended to get his N.E.W.T. as well. The rest of the day wasn't as bad; Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, then break time, Astronomy, Charms, and...Divination? What? That had to be a mistake. He then grimaced as he saw Divination would be with Ravenclaw. Of course he would have to encounter Caleb on a daily basis, why wouldn't it be that way? Although, that also brought to attention that three of the classes were with Gryffindor. Would he see her there? As much as he didn't want to admit it, the thought of seeing Demi made him happy, even if she would do nothing but look at him in disgust.

Walking over to his luggage, he spotted his wand neatly placed on top of everything. Hazel, nine and three quarters with a core of unicorn hair. Reliable, flexible, and above all else, loyal. He hadn't touched it all summer, having abandoned it as well. Gingerly picking it up, he stared at it for a moment until he would pocket it, closing his trunk. Taking a glance at the clock, he realized it was time to do. Ascending the steps to the halls, he stopped for a moment as he noticed Deva looking around. Rather, she was looking for him. Again. It was as if she knew he wasn't with Demi anymore, she was certainly forward enough last year, but now she was getting much more aggressive.

He turned around to see Noel lightly jogging to catch up to him, gesturing to Deva. "Like a leech, that one," He crossed his arms. "Must be tough being so popular."

"You can have her," Kal offered as the pair walked out together, quietly making their way out unseen. "What did you sign up for this year?"

"The path to becoming an Auror is a difficult one, my friend," Noel said, shaking his head. "Need at least five N.E.W.T.s, and I'm only guaranteed three at this point. If you could help me with Potions, maybe I can get Benjamin to stop staring at himself long enough to help me with Charms."

"Benjamin only got 'Exceed Expectations', didn't he?"

"He did, but that's all I need," Noel explained. "And you? Made up your mind on your career yet?"

Kalder wanted to teach at Hogwarts. But what he wanted and what his family wanted were too different. "Might help out with the Apothecary, it's the source of income Mother brings," He admitted.

"Oh yeah, I remember you healing up Coco after he crashed into the goal trying to avoid a bludger," Noel remembered fondly. "Could always go to St. Mungo's as a healer."

The pair continued to exchange ideas as they walked into Potions class. The conversation would only come to a halt once Professor Blackthorn would ask for their attention. Stifling a yawn, Kalder found himself looking around the classroom, though he would only snap back to attention as he would hear something about him and Table 7. Damn, class had only started and he hadn't caught anything the professor said. He wasn't going to get his N.E.W.T. this way! Noel raised his eyebrow at him as Kal would gather his things, which Kalder found weird, but as he made his way to the table, he froze. Demi was sitting there, perfectly content to ignore him. What? Did he miss something? As the other pairs would trade seats, he put the pieces together. It looked like the professor was mixing the partners up.

Should he celebrate? Curse his fate? Hide? If he ran out of the room right now, would that bring too much attention to him? Slowly taking his seat, Kalder was absolutely rigid. His mind was an entire mess, betraying the rather calm expression on his face. It was just a seating arrangement. Just an arrangement. Just an arrangement. Except his hands were shaking and he fuddled with his books as he set himself up. No, it wasn't just an arrangement. This was a sign, wasn't it?

As he tried to summon the courage to look at Demi, his eyes ended up on the blonde haired girl that sat in front of them. As if on cue, the girl turned around, giving him a rather cold look. His face paled immediately, though he didn't have the guts to say anything. Unfortunately for him, the girl--a Gryffindor--definitely did. "Coward," She hissed at him loud enough so likely Demi would hear.

"Nice to see you, too, Beatrice," He muttered back, running a hand through his hair. His favorite class was very quickly dropping to least favorite at this rate. He was certain the fates were just toying with him at this point.

It looked like she wasn't finished, either. "If you give my fellow Gryffindor even the slightest hint of trouble, I promise you I'll take--you--down," She threatened, turning back to face the front of the class.

Kalder slowly put his quill down, opting instead to place his head on the desk. Ah, this was going to be a great year.

---

---

Demi's feigned attention to the front of the classroom was short lived, because a few moments after Kalder had taken his seat next to her, a diversion in the form of Beatrice Balthazar happened.

“Coward," the blonde hissed at him, naturally warm eyes cold with disdain towards the Slytherin boy. Demi, eyes still on the front of the class, bit back a smile.

"Nice to see you, too, Beatrice," Kalder had muttered back, running a hand through his hair and -from what Demi could see out of the corner of her eyes- looking visibly uncomfortable with the situation.

"If you give my fellow Gryffindor even the slightest hint of trouble, I promise you I'll take--you--down," Bea threatened before turning back to face the front of the class.

Although Demi could more than take care of herself, she appreciated Beatrice’s action. When she’d returned to the school after her mother’s death, Bea had been one of the people to care for her well being. The sweet blonde was caring and compassionate, making sure that the brunette was caught up with her lessons and adjusting to Hogwarts life again. They got along so well that they eventually became friends, and were joined by Beatrice’s best friend, the school’s most talented Seer and Ravenclaw’s own Caleb Sophen. Before they knew it, the best friend pair of Demi and Jo grew by two additional people, and together they became the sixth year’s Fantastic Foursome.

“Looks like I'm not the only one who can see right through you, Siggy.” Demi muttered just loud enough for Kalder to hear, using the nickname he hated the most to cause him extra annoyance. The brunette had a smug expression on her face while still keeping her eyes on the front of the class. She’d tried her hardest to act like the bigger person and not become an instigator, but there was no containing the bitterness she felt. Even if there was still something lingering inside her towards him, the American wanted this proud Brit to get at least a taste of how shitty she’d felt after the breakup.

---

So that's how it was going to be, was it?

Slowly lifting his head, Kalder forced himself to pay attention, albeit annoyed. It was stupid to think Demi wouldn't take this sitting down (figuratively), but he may have hoped things would just get quiet. She'd ignore his existence and he would just sulk through the rest of the year. It sure sounded like the plan he had in his head, but now that the reality was in front of him, bitterness and regret were the forerunners. In all honesty, however, he found it just a little unfair that Beatrice would butt in. Unlike Caleb who went about his merry way, Beatrice was much more confrontational and open about her anger.

Letting out a sigh, he looked at Demi from the corner of his eye, trying not to attract the Professor's attention. If you're honest with yourself, you'll have a much better time with things, Caleb's words seemed to echo in his head, leading Kalder to get further annoyed. At this rate, he wouldn't make it to the end of the day.

Dipping his quill into his inkwell, he leaned forward a bit as he would write. If he wasn't able to express it verbally, he'd resort to his old tactics. A part of him thought it was a bad idea, but mending the fence was something he would have to deal with sooner rather than later. Even if she outright rejected it, at the very least he could say he tried. And if she outright rejected it then he would just stay gloomy for the rest of his life, lamenting his stupidity and possibly throw himself off a cliff or something. A tad dramatic, but today had only just begun and quite frankly, it sucked.

And yet, as he wrote, he figured maybe it was best to play peacekeeper:



Folding the paper neatly, he would carefully slide it over to her. As he did, a tiny, folded bird made its way to him, unfolding itself. Raising an eyebrow, he stole a glance at it, though admittedly found it surprising.




After glancing up to see Blackthorn with her back turned, Kal looked behind him at Noel a few tables away. Noel shrugged at him, imploring him to answer the question. Shaking his head, he scribbled down his response:



And quietly sent it back. He could hear Noel's chuckle, and his answer came a lot faster then expected:



That definitely got an unwarranted reaction, as Kal would immediately crumple up the paper, not caring whether it was noticed or not. What the hell was Noel thinking, going after what was his? In that moment, however, he seemed to remember two facts. One, no one had known about them. Two, Demi was no longer his. Screw that thought, though, if he couldn't have her, he sure as fuck wasn't going to let Noel of all people have his way with her. Just the thought of Noel putting his hands anywhere near Demi was enough to make his blood boil.

Taking a breath, he wrote down his own response and sent it back.



To his surprise, Noel was quick with his own message:



Shit. The idiot was serious, wasn't he?

---

---

As she took note of Blackthorn’s lecture, Demi felt a piece of paper being slid under her arm. She turned to look at Kalder with questioning and reproachful eyes, but didn’t get a response back. Instead, the blond male had resumed his note-taking of the class on his piece of parchment. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she discreetly unfolded the note. Upon reading its contents, the brunette couldn’t help but scoff.

Was he being serious?

Fuming, Demi angrily scribbled back a response:



And then pushed the paper back in his direction.

If Kalder still cared, Demi knew he would be stung at the blunt tone in her words. Hell, she hoped it did. Served him right… It was the least he deserved. And yet…

She had purposely refrained from saying yes to his asking for a seat change. In all honesty, she didn’t want Kalder to switch seats. Even if it was a constant reminder of the hurt he’d caused her, there was a dumb part of her that actually enjoyed him being so close to her. Knowing their bodies were in such close proximity of each other gave her a strange sense of comfort and the tiniest ray of hope. Maybe this constant presence and forced interaction with each other would make Kal realize he’d made a mistake in letting her go. Maybe he would want her in his arms again. Maybe he never stopped loving her…

“Don’t you go defending him, Demetria! We’re talking about the guy who broke your heart into a million pieces.”

Jomana’s words rumbled in her head, bringing her back to reality and away from the hopeless thoughts that had been creeping up on her. Kalder Sigourney was nothing but a cowardly Slytherin who only cared about himself and what others thought of him. He’d never been in love with her, he’d never truly given a shit, and he never would. Her happiness had never mattered to him before, so who was to say it did now?

Demi refused to give him the power to hurt her again.

---

Feeling Demi returning the paper to him, Kalder hesitated for a moment. God, Beatrice was spot on in her observation, never had he been so terrified of a piece of paper. Even anticipating his O.W.L. results had been less stressful. Slowly taking in a breath to calm himself down, Kal unfolded the paper, his eyes scanning through the words as if hoping the slower he read them the more in favor they would be. They were harsh, as to be expected, his hand unconsciously scratching his neck in discomfort as he finished reading. Still, he found himself nodding, his eyes low, but he found himself elated. She didn't say yes. She didn't.

Her first sentence seemed to be the one that stuck out the most. Of course he cared. Because I'd do whatever it takes to see that smile again. But admitting that would open up an entirely different yet relevant situation that he just wasn't sure he could handle telling her the truth. He still couldn't handle it himself, how the hell was he supposed to go about explaining everything? And even then, there was no guarantee she would believe him, she could very well tell him to kindly toss himself off the Astronomy Tower and walk away forever.

And that was a possibility Kalder couldn't handle. He didn't even want to think about it, at least if Demi continued to hate him, it meant that he was still relevant even if it wasn't in a positive way. But if she stopped caring, then what?

Kalder needed to respond. He needed to tell her something, anything that showed he still cared. As Caleb said, he needed to be honest. So at the risk of ruining everything, he put his quill to the paper, slowly putting together the words.



Ignoring the pit in his stomach, he passed the note back discreetly.

---

---

Demi felt the note being passed to her again, and she eagerly looked for Kalder’s response. The words made her scoff again, and she rolled her eyes. She was heated now. ‘I still care about you but things are just complicated’... Was he still playing her along? Did Kalder seriously believe that excuse would work? Back when they’d first broke up, he’d given her the excuse of his family not approving of his relationship if they found out. Demi had countered by telling him her family wouldn’t approve either, yet her feelings were stronger than any opposition they could face. It was clear that whatever he felt -if he’d felt anything at all in the first place- wasn’t as strong as what she felt, because he’d decided to end things anyway. Now, months later, he was saying that things were complicated and there was some sort of mess going on? He was obviously lying… And Demi despised being lied to.

“Are you serious right now?! Is that really the best you can do, Kalder?!” Demi angrily muttered to the blond male, blue eyes now away from the board and the professor and instead digging into his impassive face. She discreetly leaned closer to him as to avoid being overheard. “‘It’s complicated’? ‘Drag you into my mess’? What mess, Kalder? You’re seriously pulling the ‘it’s not you it’s me’ card? Bitch, please.”

“Miss Graves? Anything you would like to share with the rest of the class?”

Demi was stunned. She had been so upset and caught up in her little rant that she’d completely forgotten to keep an eye out for Blackthorn. All eyes in the dungeon were now on her and Kalder, curiosity in every single one of them. Thinking fast, Demi put up her fakest smile and adressed Blackthorn respectfully.

“My apologies, Professor. My partner had some questions about the potion, and I was simply trying to clarify them before we began making the potion.” Yeah, it was the cheapest excuse on the book, but it was worth a try if it got the attention off them.

Lucky for them, Blackthorn seemed to buy it, because instead of scolding them he just nodded, face serious. “Very well, Miss Graves. But do wait until I am finished with the lecture next time before answering any questions.”

The brunette nodded eagerly, offering a polite smile. “Yes, sir. Won’t happen again.”

Satisfied, the professor resumed the lecture. As soon as Blackthorn turned his back on them, Demi quickly grabbed her quill and wrote a quick reply before sliding a fresh note to Kalder.



It was a long time coming, and too much time had already passed. She needed to give him a piece of her mind with no witnesses before she went insane.

---

It wasn't like Kalder hadn't seen this angrier side of Demi, rather, it was one of the few times it was aimed at him. Keeping his head faced towards the board, only his eyes would take a look at her. She had leaned in close, much too close, the combination of her perfume and soap nearly giving him a dizziness he hadn't felt in quite some time. For a moment, it was as if time itself had stopped for him, those scathing blue eyes of hers seeing right through him. How he wished he could close the distance between the two, except reality would once again remind him that such things were a passing fancy. He had to summon every ounce of willpower to prevent himself from bursting out laughing, remaining surprisingly calm as Professor Blackthorn would scold Demi. Much to his displeasure, Demi would return to her usual seating position, and he raised a hand to cover his mouth to prevent anyone from seeing his smile. The oldest trick in the book, Demi was lacking in creativity. That and she knew Potions was his best subject! It should have been insulting, but he found it charming in a way.

As Kal lowered his hand, he felt Demi's paper, quietly taking it without notice. Reading it, his eyes widened somewhat in shock. She really wanted to meet him? Was he dreaming? No, wait, she was probably going to get her brother to come kick his ass. Still, if it meant getting the chance to see her, he would take it. Nodding to himself, he folded the note, placing it in his pocket and clearing his throat. Her scent was driving him mad, and he wasn't sure if it was her or the nearby Love Potion making things more difficult then they needed to be. It certainly gave him a pleasant fantasy, the image of Demi waiting patiently for him, clad in something risque and being able to take her in his arms. The next thing he should have done was confirm, but a note wasn't going to do it for him, and especially not after that image decided to make its way into his head.

Maybe he was getting overconfident, but he was going to do it anyway. Taking in a breath, he quietly moved closer to her seat, shifting himself in such a way that he was closer without it being too noticeable. He licked his lips out of habit, and once Professor Blackthorn turned his back once more, he turned towards her, eyes drunk with a passion he had missed. He leaned in far enough that it could've been mistaken for a kiss, his lips a little too close to her ear as he would whisper his response: "I'll be there."

Pulling back, he placed his hand on his head, deciding to focus on killing the many, many, many thoughts currently scrambling his brain. Letting out a breath, he placed his hand down, and slyly looked behind him. Noel had his chin in his hand, a raised eyebrow at Kal. Kal ended up having to bite down on his inner cheek to prevent himself from smiling, instead simply turning back to the front of the class.

---

---

From out of the corner of her eye, Demetria watched as Kalder nodded to himself before folding the letter and moving it out of sight. She was curious as to why he did that, but her curiosity would soon be moved to second place. The moment Kal licked his lip, the Gryffindor’s throat dried up. Her legs became weak whenever he did that- even now-, because her body was conditioned to remember that what came afterwards was a mind-blowing kiss capable of rocking her whole world. To make matters worse, he’d decided that writing a response in the note was suddenly not enough, because instead of taking his usual coward’s way out, Kal decided to get a little daring.

As she watched him slowly close the distance between them, Demi waited with bated breath. And when he finally whispered his acceptance of the invitation, the girl swallowed hard, suddenly forgetting how to breathe. His hot breath and lips had softly grazed her ear, in the way that he very well knew gave her shivers up and down her body- like the ones she was getting at this very moment. This was unfair. Kal knew that whispers in her ear were one of her weaknesses, and that if he did it for a certain amount of time or said all the right things, she would get stupid. And when Demi got stupid, it usually caused her to think with her body and not her brain… Which in turn led to the very steamy sessions she and Kal had shared in the Room of Requirement and the Quidditch locker rooms a couple of times.

In the present, it was the stupid side of Demi who was winning the fight between heart and body, She turned to look at Kalder with a longing gleam in her eyes, and it was obvious that the brunette wanted nothing more than to kiss him hard right then and there. As fate would have it, she was brought back to reality via Blackthorn’s voice announcing it was now time to make their potions. No sooner had he given them the green light to start making their potions, Demi quickly stood up and walked in the direction of the ingredients, jumping at the chance of getting a break from Kalder before she made a mistake. At this point, all anger was forgotten and replaced with nothing but desire. Because of this, Demi made a silent prayer for God to bless her with the strength of keeping her head in the game and not fall for Kalder’s games… No matter how tempting they were.

Easier said than done.

---

---

The day seemed to drag on and on, until it was finally time for her first Quidditch practice as team captain. Nervous and excited, she made her way to the pitch, where the enthusiastic team was already waiting. After quick greetings, Demi went directly into captain mode; explaining with careful detail the new training schedules, plays and strategies she had designed while on their summer break. They did their warm-ups, and jumped straight into it. Although they struggled with a few plays, it had been a satisfying first practice overall. Even better, they had finished just in time for dinner.

"Okay, guys, that was excellent. There's always some room for improvement, but it was a great first practice. See you guys on Wednesday!" Demi told them with a satisfied smile before joining them in the walk to the showers.

Once the rest of her female members had left the lavatories and she was certain she was alone, it was time for Demi to take her much-needed shower. She made sure to scrub herself everywhere as much as she could and apply a generous amount of perfume, because smelling divine was a must tonight. With the help of some beauty spells, she magicked herself to bring out her natural beauty, and once she was done, she went straight to dinner.

She ate her food with patience, biding her time while keeping an eye out for Kalder or Luke. She knew her brother would start asking questions, and she was frankly not in the mood to answer any of them or lie. The young woman tapped her foot anxiously as she watched the minutes tick by… Until, at twenty minutes before nine, Demi finally stood up and discreetly made her way to the west tower. Thankfully, it was deserted upon her arrival, and she knew that there was only a handful of students who knew how to access this particular part of the castle. And so she took a seat on the window ledge, facing the entrance to the tower with her arms crossed across her chest. In the middle of the night, the bells to the castle’s grand clocked chimed nine times, signaling the ninth hour.

Time to face the music.

---

Kalder certainly had a new spring in his step for the rest of the day, an uncontrollable smile plastered on his face. The rest of the day was an uneventful blur, until the end of the day, that is. Still, he had hours to kill until meeting with Demi. He wasn't sure whether to take the time to get the team to meet up, or perhaps to knock out all his homework. In actuality, he realized he needed to do something with his time, as standing around thinking about Demi was only going to make him more and more anxious. He was a mess, his head plotting out every possibility, fantasies gripping at his sense of reality and a looming feeling of dread clouding over him. If only time could pass faster, he wouldn't have to worry, but that was simply not the case.

Still, as he was leaving the Dining Room, he saw Amelie chat with a familiar looking girl. She was a fifth year, a Hufflepuff, and as she noticed him, he swore he knew who she was. Her face froze, and as Amelie spotted him, the younger girl gave the other an apologetic look, immediately running away. Raising an eyebrow, now Kalder needed to investigate. As he got closer, the meek girl gave him a small wave, and he realized it was his younger cousin, Lynn.

"I wasn't sure if you would have greeted me back," She admitted quietly, hugging her books to her chest as he approached her.

The admission hurt Kalder more than she realized. Not that he blamed her, considering her situation. No wonder Amelie ran away when she did. "We're still family, regardless of what Dame Margaret says," He insisted. "I mean it, Lynn. If you need anything at all...you know Amelie and I would do whatever to support you."

Lynn nodded, though it was out of understanding, not in agreement. "You're kind, Kal, but...that's not the way our family works. If they find out you gave me so much as a sickle, you're going to pay the consequences ten-fold," She reminded him with a small shrug. "But...I've actually been okay. Spending the summer alone gave me a lot of time to think...a lot of time to sort out my priorities. And I can't rely on anyone anymore, you know?"

It really broke his heart to hear Lynn speak like that. A fifteen year old girl should have been focused on school, not planning out her life. Kal examined her face, noticing how sullen her once youthful cheeks were. He wondered if she was eating right. Was Hogwarts the only place that she got her meals from? He wished he could ask her where she was staying. Who was looking after her? Did her parents even care? He knew the answer to that last question, and it made him angry when he thought of the answer. "This entire family is fucked up." He muttered bitterly.

"It is. Which is why I'm glad I'm not part of it anymore," Lynn admitted, giving Kalder a smile. "I envy you. At least you're sticking around to try to change things."

Is that what it looked like? Because according to everyone else, including himself, it was more like he was too afraid to deviate. "All I've done is throw away the things I cared about," He told her softly. "There's nothing here to envy, I promise you. And even if Father becomes Head...there's no promise everything I've worked for will be worth everything I've lost."

To his surprise, Lynn giggled. "How moody of you," She bit her lower lip to stop herself. "We all make mistakes, Kal. Sometimes we just need to accept that, apologize, and move on, you know?"

If only. Kalder admired her optimism, and as they were about to bid each other farewell, Lynn tripped over his foot, her books spilling across the floor. "Crap--are you alright?" He immediately knelt down, helping her to her feet.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Sigourney himself!" Beatrice announced as she turned the corner, giving him an overacted bow. She flipped her hair up as she stood, placing her hands on her hips and clearly enjoying Kalder's annoyance. "Preying on innocent Hufflepuffs, now, are we? Honestly, do you have any sense of morality in that selfish, cowardly heart of yours?" She asked as Lynn scooped her books up.

Of course Beatrice would pop up now. "Bugger off, Beatrice, I'm not in the mood," He replied, handing Lynn her last book.

"It was my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going," Lynn tried to clarify, though the many footsteps revealed that a crowd was slowly forming as Noel and Benjamin would appear. "It's nothing, I promise."

"Balthazar," Noel greeted the Gryffindor.

"Of course your cronies would show up," Beatrice rolled her eyes, though Kal noticed her wand at her side. "Can you ever stand on your own two feet, or do you prefer hiding behind others?"

"Cronies? We stand together," Benjamin insisted, crossing his arms.

"As far as we're concerned, you're the one causing trouble," Noel stated.

Honestly, this was only going to escalate, and for the sake of his sanity, he needed to put an end to it. Now. "That's enough," Kal's voice was certainly louder and more commanding than usual as he strode over to Beatrice. "The poor girl tripped, I was helping her. If you want to assume I'm always the villain, then fine, but at the very least listen to the person you're trying to help instead of jumping to conclusions all the time."

Beatrice held her ground, lifting her head to look at him straight in the eye. "Nice to see you stand up for something," Her retort was rather sarcastic, though bitter.

"Things change, Beatrice. For better, or for worse," He seemed to match her bitterness, and for a moment the two could only glare at one another. Finally, after a moment, the young woman conceded, letting out a sigh. He looked at Lynn, who seemed too afraid to move, but after he nodded, she scampered away. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel uncomfortable, and lo and behold, his natural curse made sure to drag her into his mess as well. He looked at Beatrice once more, who seemed to want to say something but decided against it, simply turning on her heel and walking away as well.

Benjamin shook his head. "What were you doing with that fifth year?" He asked.

"Do I need to have an explanation for everything now?" Kalder replied, annoyed as they would walk back to the dormitory room.

Noel scoffed. "I was hoping for one regarding Graves. What the hell was that in Potions?" He asked him.

"Graves? Demetria Graves? The Gryffindor Quidditch Captain?" Benjamin asked, confused, though he grinned. "I saw her walking to the fields, curves in all the right places after summer, eh? I mean, I thought she was cute before,
but she got real pretty, you know?"

Kalder honestly wasn't sure if he could handle both Noel and Benjamin lusting after Demi. "Kal and her are partners in Potions, I express interest and suddenly he's all over her," Noel scowled, frowning. "I thought maybe he was talking to her for me, but the way he leaned over to her, I swore they were going to start snogging one another in the next minute."

Oh no.

Benjamin snorted, raising his eyebrows. "So much for keeping up those perfect grades for the N.E.W.T.s, but if it's for a pretty face like hers, I can't entirely blame you."

"You're ignoring the issue," Noel rolled his eyes.

"True. Kal, as we all know, we are all bros. And bros don't steal other bros' targets. I mean, if Noel gets rejected on the other hand, that's a different story," Benjamin grinned as Noel punched his shoulder.

What could he say to cover himself? Kalder ran his tongue over his teeth, though as Noel stared at him, expecting an answer, Kal grinned. "So much for that blood pride," He shrugged, casually running his hand through his hair. "After all that crap about Sophen, you change your tune pretty quickly when it's a girl, hmm?"

To his surprise, Noel laughed. "I'm looking for a good romp, not a girl to take home to my mother," He snickered, clapping Kalder's shoulder as he walked past him. "She seems so sweet and innocent...makes me want to corrupt her. But if you know she's interested, let me know, I'd be glad to show her everything I know and more."

Once again, Kalder had to restrain himself, though he was certain he was going to fail, so instead he turned towards the bathrooms, ignoring Benjamin calling out after him. Noel could hide it all he wanted, but he was definitely interested in Demi. And that wasn't sitting right with him no matter what. He practically ripped off his robes, ignoring the confused looks he was getting as he jumped into the showers. Scrubbing himself, he realized that he couldn't quite shake off his anger. There was no way in hell he was having either one of them have his Demi. The fact that they would even try bothered him, even though they likely had no idea that they had been together. Still, Noel surprised him. He never so much as looked in the same direction as Muggleborns, and despite his claim that his desire for Demi was entirely physical, Kalder knew him better than that.

What I need to do is take back what's mine, Kal though to himself, stomping out of the bathroom and to the bedroom. He ignored Coco's yelp of surprise as Kal threw his towel behind him, pulling on his clothes. Walking past everyone, he didn't bother giving explanations even as Blake called out to him. He walked past everyone, his confidence making people think twice before approaching him, although the closer he got to the tower, the more that confidence slipped. He certainly wanted her back, but there was no guarantee she felt the same. He was still half-convinced she was going to stab him, but for once, he wasn't going to run.

Placing his hand on the door, he inhaled and exhaled slowly as he pushed the door open. There Demi was, waiting as she was sitting at the window. Closing the door behind him, he walked forward, stopping a few paces before her. Now what?

"Good evening," He greeted her.

---

---

The moment Demi saw Kalder make his entrance to the tower, there was no denying the skip her heart had made. He was still as handsome as always, and even in the distance, his spicy scent made her way to her nose. A mental picture of her running straight into his arms, wrapping themselves into a heated kiss, taking his robes off and letting him have his way with her… She had to shake her head to make the image leave her mind before her body reacted to it. This was not the time to daydream: it was time to put all cards on the table. Before she knew it, she was back into game mode.

“Yeah, yeah, good evening to you too. Let’s cut the bullshit right now.” Demi began, sliding off the window sill and walking in Kalder’s direction. What she thought was going to be a polite conversation between two ex-lovers had flown off the window she’d been sitting next to. Instead, her thoughts were replaced with all the anger, bitterness and frustration that she’d bottled up all these months. The more she thought about it, the more she realized Kalder had given her the cheapest, most vague excuse for ending their relationship. And with the way that he’d been acting towards her in Potions, she knew in her heart that the decision had to be influenced by something else. There was no way in hell he wasn’t still in love with her… Right?

Time to find out.

Demetria only stopped walking when hers and Kal’s bodies were inches away from each other. Her angry blue eyes, the ones that had so lovingly looked up at him before, were unflinching and staring straight into his, as if daring him to look away. The brunette kept her arms crossed in front of her chest, poised for a confrontation.

“What the hell was all that back in Potions? All that talk about ‘still caring about me’ but not wanting to ‘drag me into your mess’-” She said the phrases in his notes in a sarcastic tone and using air quotes, to make it clear she didn’t buy it.“What ‘mess’ are you referring to, exactly, Kalder Naithaire Sigourney? Will you man up for once in your life, cut the crap and really -and I mean really- tell me what the fuck is going on?! Because I know for a fact that you breaking up with me had nothing to do with you losing your feelings for me, so don’t even try that shit with me. If it wasn’t that, then what was it?”

---

Now that the moment was actually before him, Kal quickly realized that he had no idea what to actually say. Demi had taken a spotlight and dragged out his flimsy reasoning in front of them for all to see. She was angry, she was sick of him, and she didn't seem to appreciate his little stunt earlier. The fire in her eyes was something else, something he hadn't thought he would not only be on the receiving end, but he liked it. Why? It wasn't entertaining, but the fact that she was so mad made him feel like he still had her for some reason. Admittedly they never did get into many fights, but there was something about the way she spoke right now that made her positively irresistible.

And he knew that she still loved him, even after he crushed her.

Kal had let her get her questions out, his blue eyes focused on hers. Should he come out and say it? How would she take it? What if it was the straw that broke the camel's back? At least now he could live with getting some sort of attention from Demi, even if it was negative attention. And it wasn't like he hadn't said the whole truth; he was sure his Mother would faint if she found out her son was not just associated with someone who 'wasn't of his status' but completely head over heels, but that wasn't the whole of it, either. He unconsciously bit down on his lower lip, slowly shaking his head. He couldn't say it. He didn't want to say it.

Taking in a breath, his hand went up to cover his mouth, and Kal realized he was shaking. Crap, he needed to get a hold of himself. Taking a step back away from Demi, he tried to calm himself down. Kal looked back at her, lowering his hand slowly. "The way you see right through me is one of the things I love most about you," His voice was quieter, calmer than usual, completely betraying his actions. "You've managed to keep yourself together, and even now I'm certain if you get the chance, you'd hex me and walk away without so much as batting an eye. There's so much I love about you from the way you speak to the way you move, I...there's not a chance in hell anyone could ever compete with you in my heart." He admitted, taking in a breath. "I'm so in love with you that it hurts to know that my life has decided that I'm not allowed to get any semblance of happiness. That the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world is just out of my reach...and if I tell you why I'm terrified of the possibility that you won't be in my life anymore."

For just a moment, silence followed, Kal's eyes searching Demi's. For the first time, he sincerely hoped Caleb's prediction came true. His left hand reached into his pocket and he opened his palm to show her. "But you're right. Time to cut the bullshit," A thin, silver ring rested there, seemingly harmless. "Once I graduate, I'll be getting married." He told Demi, staring right at her.

---

---

Once her rant was over, Demi waited with a determined scowl for Kalder’s reply. She knew him well enough to notice he was shaking with nerves. The brunette also knew him well enough to tell that, behind those stunning blue eyes of his, his mind was racing. The young woman could see the battle going on inside him, presumably about telling the truth or not. The seconds became longer and longer, thickening the atmosphere with tension, until the Gryffindor just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Kalder, just fucking say it already.” Demi drawled, rolling her eyes at him.

Kal began by expressing to her a handful of reasons about why he was in love with her. Even though her scowl deepened, the cold in her heart had started to melt away with his voice. She could tell that he meant every single word. It made her wonder if she’d been right in keeping that dumb bit of hope that things would be okay.

But then his narrative changed, from a man who was hopelessly in love to one that was certain the very thing he loved the most would never be his. At this point, Demi looked confused, and her heartbeat accelerated with a dread she couldn’t even begin to express. Little did she know that this was the calm before the storm, and that his next words were going to pretty much kill her inside.

"Once I graduate, I'll be getting married."

Demi felt as if a dagger had been pushed deep into her heart. Her disbelieving eyes moved from the young man’s face and to his open and outstretched palm, where the dainty silver ring that represented the death of everything that once was rested. Her throat went dry, and it was not out of lust this time. For the longest time, she stood there, staring at the ring and not uttering a single word. It was as if the ability to speak had left her along with whatever hopes she had of them ever getting back together -hopes she didn’t even know she had in the first place.

“M-married?” she breathed out, still unable to process what Kalder had just said. Her blue eyes, now looking straight at him once more, were wide with shock, and her lower lip was trembling. “Is this some kind of sick joke? Or is this another bullshit story to get out of telling me the real reason why you broke up with me. Because you can’t be serious…” she hesitated for a moment, eyes slowly filling up with tears as the words began to sink in.“Right? Please tell me you’re not serious! That this is all just some stupid stunt you and your posse did to mess with me. Well, whoohoo, you got me good! Just tell me this is a lie, Kalder! You can’t seriously be doing this to me!”

At this point, Demi was unable to hold back the tears that began to stream down her cheeks. Out of impulse, she slapped the hand where the ring had been resting, and watched as the dainty object fell to the floor and rolled out of sight. The ring he’d held meant that things were now irrevocably over: dead along with the flowers in the fall.

---

His heart beat against his chest fiercely as he processed her words. A joke? Why? Why would she think that? Did he really seem cruel enough to lie about something like this? After everything, did she not know him at all? Considering that she was probably further broken after he hit her with the news, yeah, she had every right to feel that way. It hurt to see her cry, it hurt more to know that it was his fault. He had meant everything he said, even if she would curse him she deserved to know the truth.

Whoever said that the truth would set you free was full of shit, though.

Kalder wasn't able to think straight as he watched Demi's tears roll down her face. His feet remained planted on the ground, barely a reaction as she slapped his hand away. The ring went somewhere, rolling away, but the damage was already done. He had to say something. Anything. He couldn't stand to watch her cry, but he sure as hell wasn't going to run no matter how much he wanted to. His mind wasn't able to form an answer to Demi's pleas, his feet taking steps without his consent. What was he doing?

Closing the distance between them, his hands moved and placed themselves on both sides of her face, thumbs gently wiping away her tears. His eyes had an intense determination in them, fueled by his own personal anger and frustration. "It's not a joke, Demi," His voice dropped in volume, as if afraid someone would overhear. "But I...I promise I'll make it right. Somehow. I can't stand the thought of not being with you," It was probably the most overused phrase, but he was so drunk on his own emotions he wasn't paying attention to his words, although once again his body seized the moment. Without waiting for a response, without waiting for her to yell or cry or hit him or hex him, he dropped his right hand to her arm and pulled her to him, his other hand at the back of her head as he leaned down. His lips were on hers, his body pressing her towards him. He didn't know if it was love or lust but in that moment he didn't care.