---

---

The rest of the lesson had gone by in a breeze. Even with the constant distraction of trying to avoid looking at her front neighbors, the preparation of today’s potions had kept both Noel and Demi busy. The Slytherin seemed to be improving steadily, which pleased her very much. Whether it was the study sessions or the incentive of their ‘relationship’, she didn’t know. All that mattered was that, with every lesson, their chances of accidentally getting poisoned by Noel were getting significantly lower.

Because most of their classmates were leaving the room after being dismissed, Demi unwillingly overheard the conversation going on between Kalder and Beatrice. She rolled her eyes and made a sour expression as he thanked Bea for her ‘selfless’ help before announcing he was off to his next lesson. And Bea, ever the ‘selflessly helpful one with absolutely no secret intentions’, immediately offered up her human walking stick services once more.

Demetria scoffed. “‘I’ll hilp yiuh, I’ll hilp yiuh’! Wah, wah, waaaaaah!” she mocked under her breath while placing her belongings inside her bag, making faces as she spoke. “Give me a fucking break. 'Oh, please, Kalder: can I lick the soil off your boots? I’ll do anything for you if it means you’ll love me forever and ever'!”

Unbeknownst to her, Noel had overheard her bitch fit. Without realizing what he was about to do, he shrugged before speaking up. "It's a bit sappy for my taste, but they look nice together," the young man had admitted as he packed his own bag.

The next sound that was heard across the dungeon was when Demi’s book bag fell off their table, books slipping out of its insides and scattering all over the cold floor. The Gryffindor’s mouth was wide open with shock, eyes nearly-shut slits of fury. He didn’t know it, but Noel had pretty much squeezed a lemon and rubbed salt all over the invisible fresh wounds in her heart. What came after was done out of impulse; a consequence of the young woman acting out of anger without thinking things through.

Demi turned to Noel with a dead-serious look in her face, wand drawn and discreetly pointed at him. “Noel, I will stick this wand up your ass if you ever say some stupid shit like that again.” she threatened, sparks flying out of her wand as if backing up that she meant every word she was saying.

Okay. It was time to address the hippogriff in the room. The young blond man looked at her, his eyes wide. "What is with you?" He was just as annoyed as she was at this point, seemingly losing whatever previous patience he had. "You've been acting so hostile I'm starting to think I should properly shield myself in case you decide to attack someone!"

This stopped Demi in her tracks, a bewildered expression on her face. He was right, though. Every time Kalder’s name came up in conversation, she would instantly get hostile, spewing out threats in an attempt to disencourage any further mention of the individual in question. However, this was only managing to do more harm than good. Noel’s patience with her was clearly running low, and his suspicions seemed to only be strengthened by every scene like this. If she really wanted to move on, then she’d have to make the titanic effort to push aside her vengeful, resentful ways and pretend nothing had ever happened. There was also the small fact that, even if it wasn’t anything serious, she didn’t want to screw up what she had with Noel so early in the game.

This was why Demi took a deep, calming breath before addressing her partner. “Don’t be such a little bitch! I wasn’t going to, like, actually do anything to hurt you! Duuuuh!” she replied back in an effort to tone down the hostility before she bent down to pick her scattered books from the floor.

His blue eyes squinted at her, studying her expression. A look of uncertainty filled his features, his eyes darting from Kalder to Demi. He looked taken aback for a moment as a realization hit him. "Are you jealous of Balthazar?" He asked her.

Demi looked up, stunned and offended by the suggestion of something so insulting -even if it was the truth she so conveniently failed to acknowledge. “Fuck you, Noel.” she shot back, standing back up again with her bag in her hand. Even if she ‘didn’t care’, she realized that not adding to her previous statement was pretty much an admission of guilt, which would not be good- especially in the current circumstances. “Why on Earth would I be jealous of some desperate, skinny little cu-” The brunette trailed off as she noticed Kalder approaching her table.

Oh, fucking great...

Once again, she pointedly turned her eyes to her shoes, avoiding to look at the stupidly handsome blond male who now stood in front of them.

"Noel," Kalder called out to Noel before crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Well, looks like they’re requesting you!” Demi said sarcastically, taking advantage of the distraction to make her swift exit. She would be damned if she was forced to interact with her ex-boyfriend in any sort of way when his stupidly handsome face was more than enough to trigger her. She shot Noel a warning look: her way of silently telling him to keep his mouth tightly shut. Then the brunette risked a cold, haughty glance at Kalder before walking away to get to her next lesson, purposely slamming her shoulder onto the one of that snake that was her ex best friend along the way.

---

---

---

---

Ah, there was that glare of hatred again. He had expected as much, but Kalder wasn't quite expecting Demi's look at Noel, nor had he expected Demi to do what she did to Beatrice. Kalder noticed Beatrice was rather expressionless as Demi rammed into her, taking the hit in stride, although for a split second he noticed her eyes fire up. He thought the two were friends, where did this hostility come from? If her and Noel were supposedly together, why was she acting so rude? There were way too many unanswered questions, though as Noel turned to leave, he figured he needed to address the one question he felt was more important to him.

"Hope your poor grades aren't dragging her down too hard," Kal said to Noel, stopping him in his tracks.

Letting out a sigh, Noel would turn back to Kal. "Well, being associated with you is apparently a crime," He stated sourly. "She's bonkers, I tell you."

Beatrice seemed rather pleased at Noel's statement, though he would shoot her a look. What the hell? "You know, I wasn't aware the two of you were so chummy," Kalder said, frowning.

Noel and Beatrice exchanged a look, though they quickly looked away from one another. "I, uh, need to ask the professor something!" She stated, quickly making her exit before Kalder could snatch her.

What the hell is going on?! "Making new friends, are we now?" Kalder asked Noel, shaking his head. "Since when do you hang out with Gryffindors?"

"I don't," Came Noel's rather quick response, though he seemed to catch himself. "Balthazar is just out to cause trouble, and I should be the one asking you why you're suddenly hanging out with her. The way you two came in together..."

Kalder couldn't help but scoff. "We used to be friends, now we're...rekindling our friendship," He admitted.

Noel huffed, though he put on a more positive expression. "Told you she'd be an easy lay for you," He said.

Is that what Demi was to him? No, he still didn't know. But now was a good chance to ask. "Like you and Graves?" Kal asked, raising an eyebrow.

Noel ran his tongue over his teeth, a rather cheeky look on his face. "Ah...Demi and I just partners," He grinned, clapping Kal's shoulder.

Motherfucker may as well have admitted to it. Since when did he call her Demi?! Kalder gave him a cold look. "Best of luck to you and your bonkers partner, I wish you the best," He grumbled, pushing past Noel as he walked out of the classroom.

---

---

Instead of going straight to her next lesson, Demi had opted to hide away behind the staircase at the furthest end of the floor, waiting for the last three students to exit the classroom. She was much too curious to know what had happened after she left the dungeon, and was determined to hear it as soon as it was over with. From her position, she saw as Beatrice hurriedly left the premises (Demi clenched her teeth at the sight of her), as did Kalder less than five minutes later. Finally, it was Noel’s turn to leave, and as he unknowingly approached Demi’s hiding spot, she jumped out to intercept him.

“Come here for a second!” she whispered, grabbed Noel’s arm and dragged him to the back of the staircase where she had been previously hiding. Once they were safely away from any prying eyes, she looked up at him with an apologetic expression, biting her lip. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened back there,” she began, pouting a little as a way to low-key be more believable. “I was acting stupid and not thinking things through. I didn’t mean to hurt you in any way, so I’m sorry about the hostility.”

A rather naughty thought had crossed Noel’s mind when he realized they were out of sight, but Demi unfortunately put that thought in the ground as she would apologize. As much as he wanted to forgive and forget, having Kalder question him got under his skin. “I just want to understand what’s going on,” He would admit, shrugging. “I thought we had a good thing going.”

Demi sighed, a guilty look on her face now. Shit, this wasn’t the way she wanted things to go. In fact, this was the one thing she was afraid of: that her past with Kalder fucked up her present with Noel, even if their involvement wasn't serious. Luckily for her -and judging by the way the blond male wasn't leaving or cutting things off- it seemed that not all hope was lost yet… Right?

Demi let out a sigh. “We do, Noel, we do…” she said in a soft tone, wrapping her arms around him as she stared into his eyes, lower lip still being bitten -a trick she’d come to notice worked really well when she was trying to get on his ‘good side’ AKA seduce him so he would do what she wanted. “There’s nothing going on, I promise. Some things are just best left unsaid and forgotten.”

Going straight for the kill, was she? He still wanted to know what was going on, but her lips were literally calling for his, making the situation very difficult to handle. He inhaled through his nose in an attempt to calm himself down. “I don’t want you to be looking at him,” He murmured, staring into her eyes. “I want you all to myself.”

At his words, Demi’s eyes widened, mouth slightly agape. She didn’t know just how much two sentences said in such a way were capable of getting someone’s knees weak- like hers were at the moment. The fact that the Noel Jameson -the Slytherin Casanova that had gaggles of girls coming for him left, right and center- was actually feeling jealous and possessive of her of all people, sent all kinds of good feelings down her body. The brunette had never felt so wanted; not even back with the guy Noel was referring to. For once, Kalder Sigourney was the last thing on her mind.

She didn’t really realize how or when, but the next thing she knew, Demi found herself pinning Noel against the wall with her body and greedily pressing her lips against his. The young man was pleasantly surprised by her sudden change in mood, sparks bouncing off the walls as the pair enveloped each other in a fiery mix of lust and touch. Eventually, they broke up, both pairs of eyes clouded with desire.

“You wanna skip again?” she asked Noel breathlessly, arms still wrapped tightly around him.

Gazing into her eyes, a rather mischievous smile traced his lips, although he ended up kissing her again, only breaking apart to tell her, "As long as you don't mind a little catching up."

Demetria let out a giggle, immediately catching the reference her partner was making. “Of course not.” she muttered suggestively, kissing him once more before pulling him by the hand. “Let’s go, then. I’ll leave first, you follow in a bit.”

Noel gave her that sly smile that drove her crazy before nodding. “Got it.”

Holding hands, the pair left their hiding place and made their way out of the dungeons. They exchanged one last kiss before Noel stayed back and Demi moved further. However, their plans were soon put to a halt.

“Miss Graves?” a voice called out to Demi as she was about to reach the castle’s double doors. When she turned to see who was addressing her, her heart sank at the sight of none other than Professor Splendora: the Transfigurations master. And she wasn’t looking very pleased. “You’re supposed to be in my classroom. Where are you headed?”

Thinking on the spot, Demi held her ground. “My apologies, Professor. My classmates were concerned about your absence and I volunteered to find you.” she said convincingly, an innocent look on her face.

Splendora wasn’t impressed, because her face remained as stern as her tone of voice. “As much as I appreciate the concern from yourself and your classmates, I suggest you follow me to class before I take points from your House.”

Demi nodded vigorously. “Yes, ma’am.”

The Professor motioned to the girl to follow her. Shooting an apologetic look at where Noel was hiding, the Gryffindor didn’t have any other choice but to follow Splendora back to the Transfiguration classroom. 

---

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---

The rest of the day had come and gone, and with it a mountain of homework for the Sigourney heir. He took it with stride, as schoolwork was hardly a chore with the kindness of Benjamin who had so graciously drafted everyone into giving him notes. The task was daunting, sure, but he was serious about his future, though as he would tackle the work, the future was the one thing on his mind he couldn't stop thinking about. He had been so sure Demi wasn't the type of girl to fall for Noel's stupid tricks, but apparently he didn't know her as well as he thought he did. Maybe he was just upset because he thought he still had a chance. Maybe he was angry his best friend was trying to get into his ex-girlfriend's pants. Not that he could blame the clueless Noel entirely, but the fact that he wouldn't admit to it was what really got under Kalder's skin.

The four of them were in the common room, with Coco and Noel talking about...something. Kalder's thoughts were actually on his Charms homework for once, though he did find Benjamin's laughing distracting.

"This party is going to be great!" He declared.

He should have known it'd be something like this. "In Hogsmeade?" Kalder asked, frowning.

"Off school property where people can get caught? Come on, Kal, I thought you were smart!" Benjamin teased. "One night of mischievous fun--the kind of fun I can get behind, know what I mean?"

Somehow knowing exactly what Benjamin meant made the idea less appealing. Still, he had done nothing but study non-stop, so letting loose for a night actually seemed fun. Kalder nodded. "So we go stag, or ask someone, or...?"

"Have someone in mind?" Noel asked, clearly fishing for an answer.

Not in the way he thought. Kalder shrugged at Noel, but under the surface, he decided he was going to use the party as a way to expose him. The gears in his head would start to move, however, and he knew exactly what he needed to say. "Let's all go together," He suggested. At Benjamin's displeased expression, he would continue, "Whoever you leave with is your business, but we can arrive as a group, right?"

"Assuming you leave with anyone," Coco joked, nudging Kalder. "I'm thinking it's time we got poor Kal a lay, don't you think?"

The suggestion was innocent enough, but Kalder was already mentally preparing himself and what he needed to do. He instead smiled, playing it off. "Here's hoping," He would agree.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Benjamin cheered, immediately getting into gear. "Tell me, what kind of girl do you want?"

He wanted Demi. "I don't know."

"Start with something simple: blonde or brunette?" Coco asked as Benjamin prepared to take notes.

Brunette. "Blonde, I guess?"

"Blonde like Balthazar?" Noel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The girl who almost killed him?" Coco paused. "Actually that's not a bad idea."

"A Mudblood like her? Really?" Noel asked, catching Kalder's attention.

That was a lot more hostile than he had probably intended, but the rest of the group immediately took notice. "We're talking about a lay, not a girlfriend," Benjamin scoffed mockingly, throwing Noel's own words back at him. "Besides, you were the one that suggested it a while back."

Noel rolled his eyes. "That was before," He tried to handwave it.

Before you started messing around with my girl. The thought crossed his mind immediately, although he knew he couldn't jump into it. Not yet. "Before...? I think Noel has someone new," He feigned surprise as he grinned.

Coco and Benjamin would immediately turn their attention to Noel. "Why am I just now hearing of this?" He pretended to be offended.

"Because Kal's full of shit. I don't have anyone," Coming out of anyone else, the denial could have been legitimate. But Noel wasn't the type of person to make such denials, as even if it was true, he would have lamented about it. His denial was too quick, too short, and slightly rude.

Which would make this conversation go exactly the way Kalder wanted it to. "Rumor has it you were seen at the Dinner Hall departing at the entrance with a brunette," Kalder said, unable to wipe the smirk off his face as he watched Noel take on a look of horror. "So what was that about not having anyone?"

"I heard that, too!" Benjamin suddenly recalled, and Noel secretly thanked the gods for it. "I think Harold Gurgitch was the one that saw you?"

Coco let out a howl of laughter. "Busted!"

Noel was less than pleased, although his flustered face gave him away once more. "We'll probably meet her at the party," Kal said, closing his textbook. Demi loved music and dancing, so it was inevitable that she would want to go with Noel as soon as she heard about the party. "When is it?"

"It'll be on the Night of Mischief, of course!" Benjamin grinned.

---

---

On the other side of the castle, Demetria and Jomana were also neck-deep in homework. The two best friends were in the Gryffindor common room, sitting side by side at the study table by the window. They’ve already discussed the events of that day, and had decided to drop the subject when they had begun to bicker over it -which seemed to be a common theme as if of late. The girls were currently answering some questions for Charms class, and they were turning out to be more time-consuming than they’d thought. Jomana had taken it in stride, but Demi was growing more tired by the second. All she wanted was to meet up with Noel and pick up where they’d left off. But after the close call they’d had earlier, they’d decided to let things cool off for a little while. They both knew well that it wouldn’t be long until they were all over each other again.

The brunette had been fuming over a particularly long question when a voice called out to her: “Hey Graves,”. And when Demi looked, up she was surprised to find fourth-year Tatiana Lychestein standing beside her, looking as if she’d found the answer to all her prayers. This was red flag #1, as Demi had never had any sort of reason to interact with Tatiana.

“Hey Lychestein,” she replied, shifting her position to give her full attention to the girl.“What’s up?

“You’re Noel Jameson’s Potions partner, right?” Tatiana asked with a curious, hopeful expression. There was red flag #2.

Demi’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. Why on Earth would this She was very interested to see where this conversation was going. Meanwhile, Jo wore the same expression as the American, yet pretended to still be immersed in her work. She shook her head a little before answering with a dry “Yeah, why?”

Tatiana’s eyes lit up, which made Demi’s scowl even more pronounced. This did nothing to diminish the excitement in the younger girls’ face, though. “Haven’t you heard?” she asked Demi, who shook her head. The younger girl grinned, seemingly very happy to find someone to spill the tea to. “Well, there’s this rumor going around that they’ve seen him sneaking around with a Gryffindor! I know, right?! Him, of all people! Well, anyway, since you’re his Potions partner I thought you might be of help. Maybe you’ve heard or know something about who they are?”

And there it was: red flag #3.

Demi and Jomana exchanged meaningful looks, but refrained from doing or saying anything else. While Jo turned back to her parchment -trying to appear as if she’d completely disengaged herself from the conversation yet leaving a listening ear-, Demi was quick to answer Tatiana’s question.

“Oh darn… Sorry to disappoint you, but no: I have no idea what -or who- Jameson decides to do in his spare time.” she replied stiffly, battling with the desire to end the conversation or try to dig deeper to hear exactly what was going around. Being the curious girl she’d always been, Demi decided on the latter. “But does anyone have any idea who it could be? Any suspects?” she said in her best fake interested tone.

Tatiana nodded vigorously. “Well, people thought it was you for a bit, because of the Potions thing. But that was quickly ruled out, because why in Merlin’s beard would the Gryffindor Quidditch captain want to be involved with the likes of Jameson?” she let out a laugh as if the whole thing was ridiculous, and Demi joined her even when her paranoia was now at an all-time high. “There’s also the fact that he likes purebloods, so that also rules you out. So, right now, the top contenders are Jana Doppler, Lyanna Nielsen and Olivia Wilson.”

Demi pretended to be deep in thought considering the options before eventually voicing an opinion. “If you were to ask me, I’d say it’s Olivia. She fits the type of girls he usually goes for, and she’s a pureblood.” She could hear Jomana doing a little disapproving sound with her tongue, but the American paid her no mind. Her eyes remained on Tatiana, who seemed to be thinking through what Demi had just said.

“It does make sense… She was actually the I was leaning towards myself.” Tatiana piped up, looking satisfied with the findings of her investigation. She offered Demi a bright smile. “Thanks!” And with that, she was bouncing away towards her dormitory.

Demi shifted her position to face Jomana now. Her best friend was looking less than pleased, which the American suspected had to be because she’d purposely thrown some poor, innocent girl under the bus to cover up her own sorry ass. She’d open up her mouth to say something -very likely to scold her on her cowardice-, but Demi was quick to intervene. “Jo, if you’re going to lecture me, please don’t. Let’s just pretend this never happened and keep on doing this stupid homework, okay?

Jomana gave Demi a glare followed by an exasperated sigh before turning back to her homework. “Fine. But next time, if you do not want things like this to happen, do try to be more careful.” she muttered angrily to her best friend, scowling brown eyes on her parchment.

Demi sighed, and also turned back to resume her homework. However, although her quill was effectively working, her mind was in a whole other place. Who could have possibly seen her and Noel? Everyone was supposed to be in class. And even if they were skipping, Noel and Demi had been careful to remain hidden and separate when they could be exposed. There was also the fact that she’d looked around many times to make sure the perimeter was safe before venturing out. So what went wrong?

No, this ‘rumor’ had carefully fabricated, planted in a way to get people out for a literal witch hunt. Her reputation kept her safe for the time being, but what if the doubts resurfaced? What if some small detail exposed her emerged? It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would bring her many inconveniences and drama she was trying hard to avoid. One thing was certain, though: if she ever found out who was behind this leak, Demi would make sure they would face the consequences.

---

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---

---

After their discussion of the upcoming party, Kalder found himself on his last Transfiguration homework. Unfortunately, he needed to do a bit of research to complete it, so after parting ways with his friends, he would make his way to the library. He had only a light supply of parchment, ink, and a quill in his bag, making it rather light, but it was a great relief from having to lug around all the catch up work. He made a mental note to wake up early so he could hand in everything before classes started, otherwise he would get stuck dragging everything around. His shoulder ached just from the thought, and considering he was going to get back into Quidditch practice soon, he wasn't about to mess himself up for anything.

Surprisingly, the library was full, students in quite voices as they worked together to solve problems. The rush was still around, though judging by how many students were beginning to return books, it seemed the crowd would disperse soon. Looking around for an empty table, it soon turned into finding an empty seat as nearly everything was occupied. Only when he would go all the way to the back would he find a seat. He threw his bag to claim the seat for his own and immediately walked to the aisles to get what he needed.

Armed with books in hand, he returned to the table, relieved to find the other students packing up. Placing the books down, he threw himself into his homework, determined to finish as quickly as possible.

Kalder was so focused he hadn't even noticed the new arrival, jumping in his seat as Beatrice tapped his shoulder. "You could warn a guy," He muttered, watching her giggle at him.

"I've been calling out to you for a few minutes!" She informed him as she sat across from him. "Mind if I borrow the book? All the other ones are taken." She motioned towards the Transfiguration textbook.

He was still using it, but considering they had only just mended their friendship, he figured he could work something out. "We can share it," He said, pulling her belongings closer to him. "Come sit next to me, we can work together."

Beatrice hesitated for a moment, eyeing Kalder. "Er...are you sure?" She asked him slowly.

"I won't bite," He promised.

"And if I do?"

"I'm pretty sure I can take it."

Grinning, Beatrice would happily change her seat, and the pair would get to work. It was surprisingly quiet between the two, with Beatrice's passion about the subject making the homework a lot easier to get through than he expected. Kalder felt that she was slightly nervous, often hesitating if he got too close, or freezing up if he reached around her to get something. It was odd, but he ignored it for the most part. Within the hour, their mutual mission was accomplished. Happily closing the book, Kalder leaned back in his seat, satisfied he was finally finished. Beatrice seemed to share his happiness, putting away her notes back in her bag. Once she put away her quill, she looked at him, a thoughtful look on her face.

Sitting up straight, Kalder stared at her. "What is it?" He asked her.

Scratching her cheek, she sighed. "I, um...I'm just nostalgic, I suppose," She said. "You know, doing our homework together like this..."

"I'm not copying off you anymore, though," He pointed out. "Now I actually study and don't have to beg you and Caleb for notes anymore."

"Here I assumed you'd be begging Blake Cornell for her notes."

"I did at first, but she quickly shut that down," He admitted, patting his bag. "Even now, she only gave me her notes because I was out, otherwise..." He trailed off as Beatrice would look guilty. "Can't get hung up on what's happened, you know."

Taking in a breath, Beatrice turned to Kalder, giving him her full attention. "I know, it's just--" She stopped herself. "I'm being selfish, and...and I know it's wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Yes."

Kalder had no idea what she was talking about or what she was trying to say. It sounded like she wanted advice, so he figured he would do what he could. "It's alright to be a little selfish. Nothing wrong with a little self-indulgence."

"Is that what you really think?"

"It is."

The blonde haired girl stared at him, her eyes a mystery. Whatever was bothering her before was apparently at the back of her mind now, and she shifted forward in her seat slightly. There was that strawberry scent again, though he did wonder why she was getting so close. He hadn't moved from his spot, though as she opened her mouth to talk, someone slammed a book onto their table, causing them both to jump.

Kalder was surprised to see Noel looking particularly annoyed. "I need to borrow your partner for a moment," He stated, completely bypassing greetings.

Beatrice looked just as shocked, though something about this didn't feel right to Kal. He would stand, motioning for Noel to take his seat. "I'll go return this, then," He said, taking the Transfiguration book with him as he would walk away.

Beatrice was crestfallen as she watched Kalder walk away, though she soon realized she needed to worry about herself as Noel would grab her by the arm, pulling her to her feet. Apparently having Kalder around was how Noel stayed so cordial with her, and with him gone, he no longer felt a need to treat her the same. "You saw Demi and I at the hospital wing that day. You're the one spreading the rumor around, aren't you?" He asked, a tight grip on her arm so she wouldn't run.

"Have you considered your own habits are what's causing the rumors?" Beatrice replied in earnest, making sure to look him in the eye. "No one would so much as have looked twice if it wasn't for 'Playboy Jameson'!" She stated harshly, throwing his own reputation back into his face.

"You have it out for all of us!" His voice was getting more hostile as he spoke, his eyes narrowed at her. "I'm warning you now, Balthazar--"

Did he really think he could intimidate her? "Concerned what the world will think if you're going out with a half-blood?" She snapped back at him, her heart racing now.

"You're not convincing me, even if you're not the one spreading rumors, I'm sure as hell you told Kalder."

Her heart jumped to her throat for all of a second before her own temper kicked in. "It's more than obvious what's going on between the two of you, if other people can see it, then you aren't as discreet as you should be. Don't go blaming me when the two of you are constantly hanging around together!" She hissed back. "You think he's stupid?! One day you two despise each other, the next you're all over each other? You're delusional if you think Kalder's dim enough not to notice!"

"The only delusion here is you trying to get with my best friend," He retorted. "The pot can't call the kettle black when you're doing the same thing."

"That is none of your business!"

The two were basically shouting at one another at this point, their bickering only coming to a halt as Kalder came into view once more. Noel released Beatrice immediately, who apparently saw it as a chance, and to both their surprises, shoved Noel away from her. The young man looked between the two, though he seemed to sense something had happened.

"We'll be going now," Kalder told Noel, taking his bag.

Noel and Beatrice would exchange a pair of glares once more, though Beatrice would follow Kalder's lead. The two walked out of the library in silence, with the girl unsure where they were going, but as they walked, she realized he was heading towards Gryffindor Tower. Not that she was expecting somewhere else, maybe he thought he was avoiding another clash with Noel? She felt like she should say something, stealing a glance at him.

Meanwhile, Kalder was pretty unhappy with the conversation the two had. It looked like Noel really was with Demi, and he could have sworn he felt even more dead than usual on the inside. He was distracted when he noticed Beatrice staring at him, and figured he should say something. "Nice to see the two of you getting along so well," He said sarcastically. "The entire library could hear you."

This made her cheeks turn red. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault he's a prick," He said, disappointed in his friend.

"That's not what I meant. Demi told me everything. I know the two of you were together," She confessed. "She...also mentioned your engagement."

So Beatrice knew everything after all. It certainly explained the way she acted around him. Maybe she was feeling pity for him and was only hanging around him out of guilt. For some reason, that was a rather sobering thought for him.

"I'll have to do something about that soon," He admitted.

"So you can get her back?" She asked, her voice soft.

He felt it was too late for that now. "So I can get my freedom," He would choose to say instead. "What's done is done, but I'll be damned if I don't have control over my own future."

---

---

“Demi, we need to talk.”

The voice of Luke Graves was the one Demetria was dreading hearing ever since she was first notified of the rumor going around. She’d secretly hoped that her brother had been too busy with practice, studying for his NEWTs and classes to have any time to listen to some rumors. But apparently the story must have been spreading like wildfire, because her brother -someone who couldn’t care less about any type of drama and gossip-, most probably knew about it… And seemed ready to be asking questions. Why else would he want to talk about her so urgently?

Demi, who had been about to go up to her room, nodded. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go outside.” she agreed, effortlessly hiding her rising panic and nervousness as they exited the common room and stood a few steps away from the Fat Lady’s painting..She swore that ever since she’d gotten involved with Noel, this lying thing and hiding true feelings was coming naturally to her. Looks like her Slytherin Spice Bomb was being a bad influence in more ways than one.

Once outside, Luke stood firmly in front of his sister, crossing his arms in front of her chest while giving her a look that said he meant business. “Okay, I’ll get straight to it. No bullshitting around.” he began, and Demi braced herself for the impact. “There’s a rumor going around that you were seen sneaking around with Playboy Jameson. Is it true: yes or no.”

Yup, her suspicions had been right.

Demi simply stared at her brother for a few seconds, not daring to say a thing. She thought fast, deciding to use the inside information Tatiana had provided a half-hour before on her favor. “Didn’t they say it’s most likely Jana, Olivia or Lyanna?” the brunette answered in an innocent tone, opting to neither deny or admit the accusations.

Luke let out a long sigh, looking as if all this mess was exhausting him. “See, I knew you would say this, because it’s actually the turn the story took thanks to me trying to let your sorry ass off the hook. But what if I told you that, before Gurgitch saw you guys, I’d seen the two of you before: holding hands and kissing while leaving in the direction of the Great Hall?”

Demi’s jaw dropped, unable to comprehend what Luke was saying. He had what?! “Wait, what?!” she cried out, eyes wide as saucers. She’d been certain that there had been nobody around the dungeons when she’d been with Noel… That had clearly not been the case. Was this how easy it was for them to get caught? Were they really becoming this careless?

Luke nodded as if reading her thoughts. “Yeah. I was waiting around for Professor Blackthorn to go to his office so I could ask him a few things about the NEWTs, and that was the lovely sight I found myself witnessing.

This was it. She’d been caught and defeated. There was no way she would be able to get out of this one.

“Okay, fine! It was me, okay?!” she admitted, looking up at her disappointed brother with embarrassed, pleading eyes. “Just… Please don’t judge me, Luke. It’s all just a complicated mess.”

The young man rolled his eyes at her. “Seriously, Demi, couldn’t you find a normal way to rebel? Like, I don’t know, dyeing your hair some wild color, getting a pixie cut, or even a tattoo! Why choose to date good for nothing Slytherins?” he grumbled, clearly disapproving of his younger sister’s actions.

“Noel and I aren’t dating!” she quickly interjected, then quickly fell silent when she realized what would be Luke’s next question. The answer to it was one the brunette did not want to have to give.

“Then what exactly are you doing sneaking around with him, then?” Luke shot back -asking exactly what Demi was afraid he would-, but quickly raised his hands as if second-guessing himself about if he really wanted to hear the answer to that. “You know what, don’t answer that. I don’t even wanna know.”

The girl closed the distance between her and her brother and wrapped her arms around him, trying to soften him up. “Look, I know that you’re just doing your job as a big brother trying to protect me,” she began in a soft, coaxing tone. “But I swear I’m not going to screw up again. Trust me: I know what I’m doing. I have control of the situation.” Okay, that last bit was a bit of a stretch -especially with this stupid rumor circulating. But whenever it died down (which Demi hoped was sooner rather than later), things would be completely on hers and Noel’s own terms again.

Luke shook his head and sighed again, knowing he had no choice but to believe his sister. “Okay, fine. But you gotta be more careful, Dem. There’s eyes everywhere in this castle, and I don’t want you to get the wrong rep with this-” he suddenly trailed off, eyes moving from Demi and to the end of the hallway.

The sound of incoming footsteps could be heard echoing across the tower. At first, the pair of strangers walking towards them were too far away to be identified. The Graves siblings broke their embrace to face the newcomers, both with their arms crossed in front of each other and wearing matching quizzical expressions. But the pair were now close enough, the firelight illuminating their features just enough to be discerned. And when Demi realized who they were, she couldn’t stop the feeling of utter jealousy that overcame her features.

---

---

Despite wanting to leave the conversation at that, Kalder felt the need to address the other topic Beatrice and Noel had so viciously discussed. Honestly, it had come off to him as a complete surprise. He had been convinced that she had hated him entirely, although the more he thought about it, the more it explained her more recent behavior. Her quick acceptance of his apology, her willingness to help him, her sudden eagerness to spend time with him. She had been honest with him before, so he was somewhat comfortable with asking her about it.

Inhaling and hoping it wouldn't make things awkward (an optimistic hope of his) Kalder would look at Beatrice once more. Her light eyes watched his, slightly nervous, though she didn't look away. "I wonder how you could possibly have anything other than disgust for someone like me," He said, frowning. "I don't get it."

That seemed to be enough for her to break eye contact with him, her cheeks flushing red for a moment before she scowled at him. "Way to get straight to the point," She couldn't help but grumble.

"I'm serious," He assured her. "You know how I am. You know what happened between Demi and I. You know about my engagement. And even then, you still...?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes to the ground as they walked. "It sounds silly when you put it that way."

"I'm just trying to understand," He said, stopping in his tracks. "Tell me."

Beatrice's tracks would also come to a halt as she turned around to face him, planting her feet on the ground. "Well...I liked who you used to be. I liked the boy who showed me around, the one who took his time to explain the wizarding world and its rules to me. I don't think I can forget that kindness...I think even after you changed I kept hoping you'd go back to the way you were."

Her explanation only served to confuse him further. Shaking his head, Kalder let out a sigh. How was he supposed to respond to that? "That's not how I am now, though."

"I know. But I like how you are right now, too."

Kalder couldn't wrap his head around it. The way she looked at him was so genuine, even a little hopeful. What was she expecting him to say? Did she want him to say anything at all? He searched her face for an answer, but maybe it was just as Noel had said. Would she help him get over Demi? Was it even possible? If Demi had moved on, then so could he, right? At the same time, it wouldn't be fair to Beatrice; she would essentially be his rebound. But she knew that, didn't she? Or maybe he was just overthinking things and had simply misunderstood everything.

His mind seemed to spin from the numerous thoughts piling onto themselves in his head. Kalder was so unsure of what to do or say next, but as he looked at the blonde haired girl, he felt he needed to say something. Anything.

"I see," was all he could muster, despite the numerous other choices.

Beatrice didn't seem to mind. "I'm just happy to get the chance to spend time with you," She said. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

What a simple thought. He would nod in confirmation, a small smile on his face as she waved and turned to continue on. Maybe it would be alright to indulge himself. His smile quickly dropped as he noticed Demi and Luke. He looked at Demi for a moment, but instead of lingering he simply turned around and walked the opposite direction. Funny how she would always turn up in every corner of his life. He wanted it to be a sign of things to come, that maybe they still had a chance. But that seemed less and less likely as more time passed.

So why was he still clinging on to that hope?

---

---

Demi’s jealousy only intensified when she saw just how damn happy Kalder was looking at the prospect of spending more time with the human leech. It ate at her that he so happily paraded around with Beatrice, and never did the same with her. He’d always treated her like some shameful secret, like an illness that he was afraid to voice out because it would change people’s perception of him. Thinking back at it, it downright pathetic that she’d done herself the disrespect of granting his wishes in order to have their relationship. How ridiculously stupid had she been.

The young woman’s bubbling anger intensified when, instead of acknowledging in any sort of way, Kalder simply turned her back to her and walked away as if she’d been nothing but a speck of dust on the floor. She tried very hard to bite her tongue and control her temper… But it was too late. Before she realized it, she was already speaking out.

“You know, I’ve always found it funny when snakes always seem to end up huddled up together,” Demi commented in a poisonous tone, loud enough for Kalder to hear. She wanted him to turn around, for him to face her when she gave him a very blunt piece of her mind. “I guess it’s nature’s way to keep the backstabbing scum together.”

Aware of how his sister got when she was angry, Luke took hold of Demi’s arm, trying to avoid a scene. “Dem, let’s go. You know you’re better than this,” he pleaded, trying to convince her to let things go and follow him back to the common room.

But, of course, Demi wasn’t having any of it. It went without saying that the girl had a rather nasty temper, and that she acted out of impulse whenever she was in this state. And right now, her jealousy impulse was to lash out at her ex-boyfriend with everything she had.

She wrenched free of her brother’s grip, stomping in Kalder’s direction like an angry bull. “I just don’t seem to understand why the fuck I was always such a big secret to Mr. Spoiled Prince here. He always made such an effort to keep our relationship hidden away from everyone… Probably because he couldn’t fathom people knowing he was dating someone like me. But now he publically and willingly goes anywhere and everywhere with a Muggleborn?! Fuck. That. Fuck that, and fuck you, Kalder. Even Noel “Pureblood Pride” Jameson has more balls than you!”

“That’s enough, Dem. Quit it. Let’s go,” the older Graves sibling ordered in a commanding voice, grabbing Demi by both arms and dragging her struggling figure back to the common room. He’d had enough of this, and he knew that if he didn’t step in, she was sure to either land in a few punches or hex Kalder. And the last thing he needed was for her to get detention over some scumbag who didn’t appreciate her.

Demi was still seething when they entered the common room. She once again freed herself from her brother’s grip, grabbed her things from the table and stormed back to the dormitories without so much as a glance or word to anyone.

---

---

Watching Demi getting dragged by Luke into Gryffindor Tower with a stony face, Kalder didn't respond. He highly doubted saying anything would have quelled her anger; it was too late for that anyway. But as much as he wanted to just move on, as he walked through the halls he found her words looping over and over in his head. It was stupid. Everything was stupid. The situation was stupid. He was stupid, Demi was stupid, Noel and Beatrice and--this mess of emotion only served to give Kalder a headache.

Rubbing his temples, he let out a sigh, turning the corner and walking into an equally distracted Caleb. The two bounced off one another, though Kalder was too annoyed to match Caleb's amusement. "Surviving so far?" Caleb asked cheerfully, further souring Kalder's mood.

"If you want to put it that way, yes," Kalder replied dryly. "Coming back from studying?"

"No, I had to speak to Professor Blackthorn about something," He said. "Though I'm more curious as to why you'd be coming from the Tower. Trying to get a gaze at your beloved?"

"That's not funny, Caleb," He snapped. "I was walking Beatrice back because Noel apparently has it out for her since she discovered his love affair."

Caleb stared at Kalder for a moment, his previously cheerful deposition dropping slightly. "Love affair...'love' is a pretty strong word, you know."

"Hate is, too."

He couldn't help but laugh. "I wouldn't go that far, but if that's how you feel, then I can't really change your mind. Just try to keep an open mind, okay?"

"Another prediction?"

"Nope, just some friendly advice!"

Kalder rolled his eyes as Caleb bid him farewell, continuing on his path. He would find that even as he would go to his room with his friends all sound asleep, the only thing he could think about was Demi's words.

---

"You're what?"

Benjamin scowled at Blake, who was already annoyed at him. "I'm x! How do you not know this?"

Kalder looked up at Benjamin. "I thought you were an inferi," He admitted, adjusting his own robes.

"Have none of you even seen a dementor before?" He asked, annoyed as he pulled off his hood. "None of you have any spirit of the holidays!"

"Aren't you a little old to be dressing up?" Noel asked him.

The five were gathered once again in the common room, students abuzz. Kalder didn't think time would fly so quickly, but before he knew it, the day of the party had arrived: Halloween. Benjamin had come out of their room completely garbed in long, black robes and a hood that mostly covered his face. Kalder always found Benjamin's childish spirit admirable, and every year he always insisted on dressing up as one thing or another. Admittedly, his personal favorite costume had been last year, when he had successfully looked like an overgrown Hinkypunk, but he never found the heart to discourage him.

The others, however, were less kind. Coco scratched his head as he looked at Benjamin. "I always thought it was better when just the girls dress up," He said, nudging Blake. "I'd love to see you with some animal ears."

"Absolutely not," She refused, swatting his arm away. "Anything with ears and a tail is practically inviting Benjamin to prey on them. I refuse to be a victim."

"It wouldn't kill you to be a little sexier," Benjamin grinned, bracing himself for Blake's glare, though letting out a yelp as she punched him. "You're no fun!"

Kalder chuckled. "Let's get going then, shall we?"

Noel raised an eyebrow at him. "Someone's eager to go."

It was true. Kalder normally found parties rather dull, but this one was probably the first time he had actually looked forward to one. Whether it was the promise of butterbeer or getting the chance to relax for a good time with friends, he wasn't sure, though he also enjoyed Noel's growing irritation for him. For some reason, Noel found it incredibly annoying that Kalder had begun to hang around Beatrice a lot more these past weeks, often at the expense of Noel's time. The two friends had some friction, whether they knew it was about Demi or Beatrice or not was in the air. Their tension was lessened with their other friends around, but usually peaked whenever the two were alone together. But they were very alike, as neither seemed to be able to bring either of the women up in conversation.

But Kalder was getting confirmation from Noel tonight. As much as he continued to deny it, Noel was definitely seeing Demi. Her outburst no longer haunted him, but he had basically thrown himself into his studies in an attempt to move on. It was difficult, but the more time he spent with Beatrice, the more he wanted to give her a fair chance. And having her compete with Demi was something he didn't want. Well, not that Demi wanted him anymore. Since she was with Noel.

Either way, tonight was just going to be fun.

---

---

“Jo, let’s go! We gotta get there earlier so I can set things up!”

Dressed up in a rather short Snow White costume and holding her school robe (to be used in the rare emergency that she was in danger of being caught by someone in the staff), Demi stood at the door of the girls’ dormitories. She was tapping her foot impatiently as a Jasmine-dressed Jomana stood in front of the mirror, giving herself one last once-over before leaving for the room of requirement. The best friend duo would soon be on their way to the Halloween party of the century, and they wanted to make sure they looked the part. In Demi’s case, looks were of much importance tonight. She was dead-set on reminding Kalder of what he'd had and lost, with the added bonus of teasing the hell out of Noel. Both men, along with their squad, would be present at the event. On Demi's end, Jomana and Caleb would be in attendance. And of course, so would Beatrice the Backstabber.

During one of their meetings, Noel had told her that Kalder suspected they would be attending the Halloween party together. This piece of information did not worry her, but brought an amused smile to her lips instead. The poisoning must have killed off some of Kalder’s brain cells if he thought for a single second that she and Noel would actually attend that party together. They’d gone to such lengths to keep their ‘relationship’ private: why blow it off now? Exactly: they wouldn’t. It went without saying that Noel’s and Demi’s usual rules of public interactions applied to this party: we know each other from class, end of story.

What Kalder didn’t know was that she’d been left in charge of DJ duty, and she fully meant to abuse her power. In between light-hearted songs that inspired the need to dance in the party attendees, she planned to sneak in jabs at Kalder with a select few songs that she’d chosen specifically for this purpose. Demi knew it was an absolutely petty thing to do, but who was going to stop her? She had to do something about how he’d chosen to parade around with Beatrice and never her. Forgiving and forgetting was not exactly in her vocabulary, and this was the best chance to make her voice be heard.

“Okay, how do I look?” Jomana asked Demi, turning away from the mirror and facing her best friend. The latter was still not responding, eyes locked on the window. Jo sighed, then tried again in a louder voice. “Demetria! How do I look?”

Demi, who had been lost in her little world of possibilities in which Kalder got down on his knees, begged for her forgiveness and made amends for all of his mistakes in front of everyone, looked up distractedly.

“What?” she immediately replied without thinking. Jo sighed again, looking at Demi with an exasperated expression as she vigorously pointed at her outfit. “Oh, the costume? You look hella good in it, Jo. Might even break some hearts tonight,” Demi teased, shooting her friend a playful wink.

Jo rolled her eyes, but smiled brightly to let Demi know she was just joking. Jomana walked the few steps from the full-length mirror at the end of the hall to where Demi stood by the door. “Okay, love. Let’s do this.”

Demi gave Jomana a mischievous smile. “Forgive us, Father, for we are about to sin.”

She locked her arm with Jo’s and together both Disney Princesses left the dormitories, the common room and made their way to the Room of Requirement.

---

---

As their friends chatted happily away, Kalder and Noel walked side by side in silence. The gears in Kalder's head were already at work, his intentions murky, though he could tell Noel was tense. They kept eyeing one another, almost daring the other to speak, but both refused to go first. Kalder didn't mind; if he was going to expose him, he needed to be more focused. Well, 'when', not 'if'. Demi's little rant had further proven that something was between them, but admittedly that thought alone made his blood boil, so he tried hard not to think too hard on it. Kalder was too aware of Noel and his conquests; he had bragged too many times about the girls he charmed and the ways he would ravage them. Kalder didn't care much, but now his head would mess with him as the image of Noel with his hands on Demi would continuously bring itself to the forefront of his thoughts.

But on the outside, he was as cool as ice. Or rather, he was acting relatively normal. As they approached the inconspicuous wall, Benjamin would pull out his wand. Tapping the bricks in a certain order, Kalder was reminded of Diagon Alley, though he was sure there were several different ways to get in. The bricks shifted, shimmying away to open a path to the room. The five entered, the wall closing behind him, and Kalder was surprised at how large the place was. It was somewhat dark, decorated with festive ornaments and a slight fog at their feet. He couldn't help but eye the many doors scattered on the opposing wall, already knowing their use.

People were just starting to arrive, but Benjamin already had his eye on a girl wearing cat ears. "Target Acquired!" Benjamin announced, grinning devilishly as he pulled his hood over his head. "Fiona Wildegrass, here I come...!"

Blake rolled her eyes, instead turning to the table near them. "They managed to sneak whiskey in, I'm impressed," She admitted, taking one cup for her and offering the other to Kalder.

He would take the cup, but not drink from it just yet. He noticed Noel was looking around, though he wouldn't comment on it yet. Coco began to chat Blake up, and Kalder decided to take advantage. Taking a swig from his cup, he could feel it burning as it went down his throat. Firewhiskey--Ogden's Old if he recalled correctly.

Emptying his cup, he nudged Noel playfully. "Letting loose?" Noel asked him.

"Mhm. I think it's about time I did," He admitted, bidding his group farewell and walking into the quickly forming crowd. He spotted the girl he was looking for, and after taking in a deep breath, forced a smile.

The dark haired Deva was definitely stretching the code, her outfit outright being lingerie with a set of bunny ears--and a tail as she would turn and reveal as such. Clearing his throat to catch her attention, he saw her eyes light up. She wasn't quite drunk yet, but she was getting started already, her smile revealing as much. "Wow, I didn't think you'd show up," She admitted.

Taking a page out of Playboy Jameson's book, he let his eyes wander for a moment, giving off the impression that he liked what he saw. "I'm looking for some fun tonight," He replied. "Think you can help?"

---

---

The minute Demi and Jomana entered the room, they were greeted by an eruption of claps and cheers from the Gryffindors present at the party. Earlier that day, Gryffindor had snagged a win in their first Quidditch match of the season, beating their canary yellow and black mates of the Hufflepuff house by a whopping 200 points. This meant that the Gryffindors and their supporters were very much in a celebratory mood, while the disgruntled faces of the Hufflepuffs showed they were still disappointed on the outcome.The Gryffindor captain did her part on saying her hellos, shaking hands, giving and returning hugs before making a beeline to what would be her appointed place for the night.

Along the way, her blue eyes fell on a familiar group of Slytherins. There was Corey Montclair, deep in conversation with Blake Cornell. Then there was Benjamin Charleston, very obviously working his magic on an oblivious Fiona Wildegrass. Next was Noel, whom Demi shot a very discreet yet suggestive wink. And finally, right in the center of the crowd, was none other than her ‘beloved’ ex-boyfriend. And, as predicted, he wasn’t alone. He happened to be in the company of Chordeva Erebus: the one girl who had so clearly and desperately crushed on him for years. Demetria couldn’t help but let out a wicked little laugh. It seemed Beatrice wasn’t the only one fighting for her scraps. It would be fun for her to watch the two women fight over what had already been hers.

Demi’s prideful smirk stayed in place, never once leaving her even when she saw Kalder looking at Deva as a hungry dog would a nice piece of steak. Tonight the boy would get what he deserved, so why stress over silly things like that? However, this didn’t mean she would be acting any less petty. So she walked straight past Kalder and Deva, purposely elbowing his arm in an attempt to spill his drink on her. Dem kept her head held high, never once looking back to apologize or see if it had worked or not. Without further incident, Snow White finally arrived at her lair, clutching a butterbeer she’d picked up from a table along the way.

The reason why Demi had been appointed the party’s official DJ was because she was the one of the few students at the school who had managed to magick her iPod into the grounds. It had taken her a fair share of research and failed attempts, but her determination to never part from her faithful companion from the muggle world had been stronger. With the electronic device now safely protected from the interferences magic would normally cause, the next step had been to figure out a way to transmit the sound in the absence of speakers. This provided to not be an issue at all, because the party organizers had somehow found a way to sneak a surround sound system that would work with a car battery instead of electricity. Once the iPod was connected to the aux cable, and the cable connected to the speakers, they were set to start.

With a wide smile, Demi unlocked the device, looked up the playlist she’d made for the party, and quickly pressed “Play”.

---

---

There she is. Kalder had to stop himself from grinning as he felt Demi's elbow, trying to stay entirely focused on Deva. Of course the dark haired girl had noticed Demi, though she may have brushed her action off as an accident. Admittedly, it could've been hectic; had Kalder not taken his swig, it likely would've spilled. As the thought crossed his mind, he figured walking around with the cup was more of a hassle than it was worth, so he ended up downing the rest of it. It definitely burned, though the warm feeling afterwards seemed so soothing.

"In a hurry to get crazy?" Deva purred, taking a sip of her own drink.

As the music began to blast, they were drowned in a sea of lyrics. Kalder recognized it as muggle music, immediately looking towards Demi, who was pointedly playing a song from her world. So that's where she'll be, that'll make things easy, He watched Deva start to dance for him. Licking his lower lip, he pulled her to him and leaned in close to her.

"You know what would be fun?" He asked, raising his voice so she could hear him. When she shook her head, prompting him to continue. "Do you remember that game they played at Genevieve Loren's party last July?"

Deva wracked her head to remember, though after a few seconds, she seemed to understand. "There were a few games, though. Which do you prefer?" She asked.

"Surprise me," He replied as he released her. "I'll go get some players."

She nodded and began to wade through the crowd. Kalder did the same, although he found some difficulty considering how packed the floor got with the arrival of music. Once he found Noel and a sulking Benjamin, he grinned, clapping Benjamin's back. "Couldn't catch the kitten?" He asked (more like yelled).

"She has a boyfriend!" He whined.

"I've got just the thing to get you back in the game," He said, watching Benjamin light up, though he motioned to Noel. "Come on, I need people."

"For what?" Noel asked.

Rolling his eyes, Kalder gave him a look. "For a game, what else? Come on," He insisted, and lucky for him, Benjamin was more than eager to drag Noel along. Kalder did find it a delicious irony, as usually it was Noel and Benjamin that would drag him around at the parties they went to.

The trio sat down at one of the few tables that were empty, and Deva quickly found them. Placing several empty cups in front of them, Kalder spotted the bottle she had tucked under her arm. He also noticed how tense Noel had suddenly become, though he tried to play it off. Deva's outfit left little to the imagination, and regardless of who he was with, Noel's eyes never stopped wandering. Some habits were hard to kick; and Kalder was counting on it.

"Flip cup it is," Kalder announced as Deva pouring their drinks.

Benjamin scoffed, immediately perking up. "I owe you for that thrashing at Noel's sister's engagement party, bring it," He declared.

There was a small part of him that figured he probably shouldn't have had that first whiskey, but before he knew it, the game had begun. The taste of chocolate liqueur did not mix well with the firey whiskey he had, though considering how awful Benjamin was at flipping over the cups, he had little to worry about. He chuckled at Noel's expression, the guy equally displeased at the sweetness of the drink, though Kalder focused as he flipped his first cup, watching the open end land perfectly. Deva cheered for him as he took another cup, though this time he drank it slower.

One after another, until a good ten or so cups were on the table. Benjamin was swaying, grumbling an obscenity as Kalder flipped his last cup. "You suck," He grumbled in annoyance, simply taking a swig and slamming the cup down on the table.

"I don't...get how you do that..." Noel wasn't looking too hot, shaking his head as if trying to get rid of a thought. "Ugh, that liqueur is way too sweet..."

It was an unintentional effect, but it did well. Kalder patted the seat next to his, which Deva took gladly. "I think Noel could use a 'pick-me-up', wouldn't you say?" He asked her.

Deva nodded, giving him a wink as she would get up and walk a short distance away. "Don't tell me you're done after one game?!" Benjamin howled with laughter. "You're so weak!"

Noel opened his mouth to retort, though the conversation was cut short by a girl with pale, long legs as she took a seat next to Noel. "Rumor has it you and I have been sneaking around," Lysanna Nielson said, a very sultry look in her eyes as she crossed her legs.

Kalder leaned back in his seat, head swimming despite him wanting to take pleasure in Noel's discomfort. "I don't know anything about that," Noel muttered a response.

Hook, line, and...oh god, His own thought was cut off as he felt Deva stroke his leg. "What are you doing?" He asked her, momentarily taking his eyes off Noel to look at Deva.

"I wanted to have some fun," She said, flipping her hair off her shoulder. "That was the whole point, wasn't it?"

"Don't waste your time, Deva, I'm fully convinced Kalder's gay," Benjamin grinned, cutting into the conversation, though he let out a yell as Noel would suddenly stand, his legs slamming intot he table and spilling everything everywhere. "What the hell, Noel?!"

"I need to go," He grumbled, pushing past Lysanna and Deva and escaping into the crowd.

Step one was complete, but with Deva coming onto him, Kalder wondered if he was going to be able to pull things off. How was he supposed to focus when she was basically shoving her cleavage in his face? Kalder would stand, though he was more careful not to knock anything over, and he had to pull himself free of Deva's grasp. Making his way through the crowd, he stumbled out on the other side, trying to think. As a sweet smell filled the air near him, his eyes darted to the nearby table. Without really thinking, he took a drink, chugging it and letting the butterbeer taste fill him as he continued onwards.

Still, mixing drinks was starting to get to him whether he realized it or not. As he found himself near one of the doors he had seen when he first came in, he saw Beatrice sitting alone. He was surprised to see her dressed up, her blue dress rather simple with a white apron on top. It looked familiar, especially with the black hairband, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen it. She looked like she was thinking about something, a rather serious expression on her face, though she had a drink in her hand, so maybe she was just bored?

Kalder sauntered his way up to her, kneeling down to get on her eye level. "Hey," He greeted her jovially.

Beatrice jumped, clearly having been lost in her thoughts, though she squinted her eyes at him. "Have you been drinking?" She asked him.

"A little of this and that--" He stopped himself, realizing he misheard her question. "Ah...perhaps."

Her eyes were wide with surprise. "I never took you for a drinker," She admitted, though it was still difficult to hear her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm trying to think of where I saw that dress," He admitted.

"I'm Alice."

"No, you're Beatrice," He corrected her, watching her smile as she shook her head at him. "Are you so drunk you forgot your name?"

"It's the titular character from Alice in Wonderland--and no, but you are clearly drunk," She suppressed a giggle.

He liked seeing her smile. "So tell me, Miss Alice, what's wrong?" He decided to inquire. "Why is such a pretty girl in blue looking so blue?"

She shifted in her seat, her eyes diverted from his. "Just...lonely, I guess," She admitted, frowning.

"Are you lonely now?"

She looked right at him. "No."

Feeling bold and the fact that his knees were starting to hurt a bit, Kalder would stand. "Good. Then let's dance," He said, motioning for her to stand.

"And risk the wrath of Erebus?"

"I'm not worth it?"

It may have come off as a joke, but Beatrice seemed to have taken his question seriously. She would concede, finishing her drink and standing up to follow him.

---

---

It had been about an hour and a half since Demi had arrived at the party and the music had kicked off. She’d spent some time assessing the crowd’s interests, paying attention to their body language when she played certain songs and genres. At this point, she’d had them all figured out up: they had their hands in the air, bodies swaying at the beat of the music and smiles of enjoyment in their faces. Dem had been busy selecting the songs to play next when her attention was called away from her device.

“Ey, Graves!” a familiar voice shouted from the bottom of the booth. When she turned to look, she found herself staring at Sean Murphy: the devilishly attractive captain of the Hufflepuff quidditch team. The two had known each other for years, as you would with a person who’s been your competitor and classmate for a while. Sporting rivalries aside, the two got along surprisingly well. They’d had a couple of classes together in which they were required to work as a team, and they would occasionally have lunch together to discuss all things quidditch. It was Sean, in fact, who had been Demi’s first crush when arriving to Hogwarts- way before Kalder was ever in the picture. More than once, she’d entertained the thought of what things would have been like if she’d never fallen for Kal and had gone after Sean instead. Maybe she wouldn’t be stuck in the pits of the drama hell like she was at the moment. But, alas, what was done, was done. She would never know.

“Hey, Sean!” Demi shouted back with a smile, waving at him while still dancing. He motioned at him to come up to the booth so she could hear him better, and when he did, she eagerly continued. “Good game today, wasn’t it? Too bad you guys couldn’t stop us,” she teased, winking at him to make sure he knew she was just joking around.

“Ye would say that, wouldn’t ye?” he replied, smiling and shaking his head as memories of how dreadful his team had done earlier in the day flooded him. His thick Irish accent made Demi secretly swoon on the inside. “Ye guys played good, but I know we’ll get yous back eventually.”

The young woman shot Sean a smirk, wiggling her eyebrows at him. “We’ll be waiting for the rematch, then.”

Sean grinned at her, but suddenly seemed to stop for a second. He looked around and swallowed nervously, as if preparing himself to say something that could backfire. The blond male cleared his throat before looking back at Demi. “Actually, Demetria, I came ‘ere to congratulate ye. Ye doin’ real good as the Gryffindor cap’n, an’ is been real fun to be playin’ against ye’.”

“Awwwww!” Demi exclaimed, looking away with pink cheeks and a small smile on her face. Was this really happening? Sean Murphy -the ever-competitiveHufflepuff heartthrob- had actually made a point to compliment her even after losing a game against her? This was either a ruse to get back at her for the shame of losing… Or he honestly meant it. And from the way he was looking at her right in this very moment with those sweet baby blue eyes and that smile? The latter was looking more likely. “I really appreciate that, Sean, I really do. That’s super sweet of you! And hey, you’re doing a great job yourself! I’m sure we’ll see each other at the final. Just don’t stop believing in yourself and your team.”

“I ‘ear ye,” Sean replied, nodding at Demi with a small smile. “But enough about the game, ye? Would ye… Care for a dance with me?” he asked, politely extending his hand at her in a form of invitation. His pale cheeks were blushing all the while, which only made him all the more endearing in Demi’s eyes.

The brunette beamed, eagerly taking his hand. “I would love to. Let us dance!”

As the two team captains began to move around to the music, Demi looked around one last time. It was then when she noticed that Kalder -like the playboy that he was- had switched partners, and was now with Beatrice. An evil smile spread on her lips, knowing fully well the perfect moment to kick off her secret revenge plan was near. Without missing a beat, the young woman quickly looked up the playlist she was looking for on her iPod. She discreetly watched the two backstabbing snakes dancing happily, and she felt quite benevolent at having graciously granted them the privilege of the full song before she went ahead and stirred the pot.

Once the last notes of the current song ended, Demi eagerly pressed play on her device’s screen. Just like that, the first notes of Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together” began to play and fill the room. And from her position in the makeshift DJ booth, Demi happily danced along with a completely naive Sean to the mocking choreography she’d come up with on the spot.

‘You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me.’

“But we are never ever, ever, ever getting back together!” Demi sang at the top of her voice, unflinching blue eyes looking straight at Kalder, never missing a beat all the while.

Then came Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”, followed by Electric Mantis’ “Lying and Loving, back to backs of Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” and “Swish Swish” (a swift nod to Beatrice), Demi Lovato’s “Really Don’t Care” and disco remixes of Rihanna’s “No Love Allowed”, Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep”, Michelle Branch’s “Are You Happy Now”, Ellie Goulding’s “On My Mind” (taking a deep swig of butterbeer every time she sang ‘so I pour it down’), CeeLo Green’s “Fuck You”, and closing off with Demi Lovato’s “You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore.”



The crowd had seemed to love the little heartbreak playlist- most especially the girls in attendance. She’d heard their voices shrieking along to the lyrics, fists raised whenever they felt especially identified with a particular line in a sort of group karaoke session. Surprisingly, most people knew the lyrics of the songs, which was to show that the topic of being betrayed by a man went beyond any world. Bottom line? Everything had gone perfectly.

Beaming at how flawlessly her plan had been executed, Demi resumed the original party playlist. Holding Sean’s hand, she sauntered away from the booth to go grab some drinks and socialize with Jomana, Caleb and the rest of their group. The last glimpse she’d gotten from Kalder’s face told her that he’d been caught completely off guard: just like she’d wanted it to be. She sincerely hoped that this got him thinking twice of having hurt her the way he did.

If this wasn’t the biggest fuck-you to an ex without having anybody else notice, then she didn’t know what was.

---

---

The party was going a little too well.

It was an addiction he had no idea he had. Whether it was the obvious jabs Demi had taken at him, the fact that the music was way too catchy to not dance to, or having a beautiful girl to dance with, Kalder had let himself go. He had drink after drink, dance after dance, to the point that his plans of exposing Noel had been gone from his mind. Beatrice was a wonderful distraction to the point that he had also neglected the friends he had come with, though considering Benjamin hadn't come barging between them, he figured he was safe.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, Kalder exhaled, bringing his cup to his lips, though he found it exceedingly difficult. It took him longer than it should have to notice Beatrice was hanging onto it, a small smile on her face. Somehow she did manage to wring it out of his grasp, noticing his less than pleased expression.

"You've had enough," She told him.

Scowling, Kalder raised his eyebrows at her. "No, you haven't had enough," He said, pushing the drink towards her. "Go on, then."

Rolling her eyes at him, Beatrice complied and finished off his drink. He let out a mock cheer, hugging her in excitement, though his expression went to scowling again as he spotted Demi with the Hufflepuff captain. So what, had Noel ditched her already? The thought sparked up something in Kalder's mind, and he found himself scanning the dance floor for the blonde haired guy. To his surprise, Noel was talking to Coco. While it seemed innocent enough, he knew Noel was usually trying to chat up some pretty girl at every party he went to. The fact that he was talking to his friend meant he wasn't interested, which meant he was shacking up with Demi, which meant--wait. If they were then why was Demi with some other guy?

"If you keep scowling like that, your face is going to get stuck!" Beatrice snapped him out of his messy train of thoughts, face slightly flushed as he seemed insistent on keeping her close to him. "Is it that bad...hugging me...?"

Kalder stared down at her face, her eyes averted to his. The hell was she talking about? Releasing her for a moment, he made sure to gently grab her face with both of his hands, trying to get her to look at him. "Whatever guy--girl--whoever you want, you get it--" His words were supposed to be encouraging, but came out pretty jumbled. Clearing his throat, he brought her face closer to his, missing how red her face had gotten from his action. "Listen, Beatrice, there's nothing bad about you. At all. You can get whoever you want, you can do whatever you want, you understand?"

Her brown eyes widened slightly, her hands on his as she tried to search for some semblance of truth in his words. "It's just..." Her voice trailed off, her words drowning in the music.

Kalder had an odd feeling, and as he looked up from Beatrice's face, he locked eyes with Noel, who had been staring at him. Before he could think on it, something hit his shoulder, and he felt someone's nails digging into his arm. Oh, he had forgotten about Deva, and she didn't seem happy to see him with Beatrice. He couldn't quite make out her words, but her expression was enough to tell him she was furious.

"--bitch, who do you think I am, Kalder?!" The end of her sentence came out as a screech.

Kalder stared at her hard, deciding that he had had enough. He had enough of her, enough of Demi, enough of his mother, enough of everyone. "Fuck off, Deva," He said, taking a hold of Beatrice's arm and leading her away from Deva's screaming. He could only make out some insults she had hurled at him but paid no mind to it. Pushing his way through the crowd, he finally made it to a wall, pulling Beatrice along with him.

"Kalder!" Beatrice's voice was barely heard over the roar of the crowd.

Shuffling close to the wall, something protruding hit his side. A doorknob? A door? He blinked in confusion, though he wasn't entirely thinking as he wrenched it open. Dragging Beatrice in, he closed the door, a majority of the noise now muffled. The room was bigger than he had expected, probably the size of the dormitory's bedroom. A large couch sat on the opposite side of the wall, a table with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers sitting in a nice vase. The walls had paintings, though they had scenery instead of people. Candles gave the room a warm feeling, and Kalder ended up throwing himself on the couch. It was soft to the touch, and let him sink into it, being very comfortable.

Beatrice remained close to the door, uncertain. She seemed uncomfortable, though he hadn't noticed as he patted the seat next to his. She slowly walked over to him and chose to remain standing. "Why are we in here?" She asked nervously.

"Because you were trying to say something, and there was too much noise to hear you," Kalder replied, sitting properly. "Hit me. What's going on in Bealand?"

"Bealand?"

"You prefer Beatriceland?" He deemed it a success as she cracked a smile. Leaning over to the table, he popped open a bottle, pouring himself a cup. "I could really fall in love with that."

Her face turned red, though she shook her head at him. "You don't know what you're saying," She told him, taking the bottle from him."I think you've had enough."

He scowled, though he took a swig before she could stop him. "Not you, too...I've had enough of people telling me what to do," He muttered into his cup, though he put it down as he stood up, ignoring the fact that he wobbled for a moment. "Is it really so wrong to let go for a night? Just one night where I don't have to deal with anyone or anything?"

She softened considerably at his words, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry," She replied.

The two stood in silence for a moment, though Beatrice let out an alarmed yell as Kalder let himself fall back onto the couch without warning. "Beatrice," He said her name as he closed his eyes. "I want to ask you something."

She took a seat next to him, frowning. "What is it?"

Kalder didn't look at her, choosing to stare at the ceiling instead. "Did you see Demi dancing with Sean Murphy?"

"Yes."

"I thought she was with Noel."

"I did, too."

"No, I thought...I thought he was the one going after her. I thought he was playing his games...I thought I still had a chance."

Beatrice looked down at her lap, unsure where he was going with it. When he didn't continue, she looked back at him, watching his heartbroken expression as the reality seemed to hit him. For a moment, he did nothing, though he seemed to come to terms with it. He would look down for a moment, his hands clasped, though he would then look at the girl sitting next to him. She had no idea what was running through his mind, his face now blank of emotion.

"I wonder if maybe I was an idiot to think she would wait for me. Until I...sorted out my issues. But I wasn't honest with her. I broke up with her instead of coming out with the truth. But I was scared, Bea. I was so scared I wouldn't be able to get out of my parents' agreement. I tried...but if I backed out, I'd have nothing. You can talk about fairy tale romances all you want, but you can't have anything without a sickle to your name. You can't have a home...I can't do anything."

"I'm sorry you have to go through that," She replied softly.

Kalder continued to stare at her. She really was beautiful. The way her golden hair rested on her shoulders, her striking hazel eyes seeing right through him. But all he could think about was his favorite brunette. And for what? So she could go and be with other guys? How was that fair? "Would you wait for me?" He found himself asking her.

"Wait for you?"

"Until I find some way out of my engagement."

"But you still love her."

"But she doesn't love me."

Beatrice seemed conflicted for a moment, though whatever doubts she had were thrown at the wayside as she gazed into his eyes. "I'd wait for you."

"Would you?"

"Yes."

He wasn't sure why, but it was a relief to hear. His head was still swimming with thoughts of her, his eyes looking at Beatrice's face. She looked so sad, like something was bothering her. Was it him? Noel said she liked him. Great, he was probably hurting her feelings with his jumbled ramblings. At the same time, though, some other drunken thoughts popped into his head. Scooting closer to her, she would scoot away. He surprised her by placing both his hands on her shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, her eyes wide.

"I don't know," He admitted as they broke apart for a moment.

"You should probably lay down."

"With you?"

Beatrice rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him. "Kalder, you don't realize it, but you're wasted. You're letting the alcohol fuel whatever odd thoughts are coming to mind. You're not thinking straight," She scolded him, annoyed that he wouldn't quite let her go.

"So anything I do now, I can blame it on the juice?" He asked, feigning surprise. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Letting out a sigh, Kalder pouted. "You're no fun."

"What, you want to fool around only to come to regret it tomorrow as you nurse your hangover? I'm not that kind of girl."

"But you like me. And I like you."

"No, you don't."

"I do. And I can prove it."

"How?"

Kalder gave her a sly smile, and before she could stop him, he leaned in, his lips on hers. As he pulled back, the two looked at one another in mutual surprise. He really just kissed her! Though that wasn't the end, as a sudden spark threw the pair onto one another once more, this time the kiss being much more passionate. Kalder found himself on his back, Beatrice's body on top of his as she kissed him. He couldn't help but smirk, feeling her hands on his chest, his own hands on her thighs. It was like the spark erupted into a raging fire, the two enveloped in one another, hungry for the touch and feeling of longing disappearing into the night.

---

---

From her position in the corner of the room, Demi saw a very angry Chordeva Erebus stomping in the direction of Kalder and Beatrice. She let out a howl of laughter when she grabbed him by the arm and began to chew him out, the words of which she couldn’t hear over the loud party sounds. Demi was excitedly preparing herself to witness a good blowout between Beatrice and Erebus- because God only knew how much the blonde deserved it. However, she was quickly and highly disappointed. Instead of watching the bickering she’d been hoping for, Demi instead saw Kalder completely disregard Erebus and make a swift exit out of the situation, dragging Beatrice along. At this, Demi’s smug grin was instantly wiped off her face, to be replaced with a look of utmost fury.

“Demetria, no,” Jomana said sternly, placing a firm hand on her friend’s shoulder. She’d watched the scene unfold besides Demi, and knew that her friend’s negative feelings were reaching dangerous levels that would only bring catastrophic consequences, which she wanted to avoid. “You have already finished your revenge plan. Do not go looking for more trouble.”

Demi- anger fueled by high amounts of liquor, jealousy, hurt and stubborness- was not having any of it. “But it’s as if nothing fucking happened!” she snarled, pushing away Jo’s hand. “Instead of being put in his place and looking righfully ashamed the asshole just walked away with that bitch in his hand! And how am I supposed to take it, hmmm? I just stay here pretending everything’s all fine and dandy while they go frolicking off into the sunset? I don’t fucking think so!”

With those words still hanging in the air, Demi stormed off in the direction Kalder and Beatrice had left. She pushed people out of her way along the way, ignoring every single one of their annoyed and disgruntled cries and never once stopping to apologize. The brunette found herself staring at what seemed to be an ordinary wall, but a doorknob could be visible to those who looked closely. Taking in a deep breath, Demi slowly opened the mystery door.

The scene she stumbled on made her sick. Bile rose to her throat at the sight of Kalder laying down on a couch, with Beatrice laying on top of him. The two were tangled up in what was the most heated kiss Demi had ever seen, which only added to her infuriated, disgraced state. The blonde’s traitor little hands were all over his chest -most probably savoring every second of it-, while his disgusting ones were on her thighs. It was as if her deepest, darkest nightmares were becoming a haunting reality on this Halloween night.

Swallowing hard, Demi tiptoed away from the room. As soon as she’d closed the door behind her, she rushed to the nearest empty flower vase and threw up, the sounds of retching masked by the loud music and chatter around. Then came the agitated hyperventilation as she struggled her hardest to not burst out crying right then and there. And, finally: acceptance… And the determination for revenge.

Thinking fast, she hurried back to the party, quickly scanning the room for what she was looking for. A smirk appeared on her lips when she saw it: a pair of barrels with ice water that had been used as makeshift coolers for bears but had been long emptied. Using the trusty Wingardium Leviosa, Demi carefully levitated the buckets away from the corner where they’d previously rested, and guided them inside the room where Kalder and Beatrice were. Once inside, she quietly and meticulously guided the barrels so that they floated over the lovers, and flicked her wand once to leave them static.

Smirking, Demi cried out: “WATERRRRR FOR THE THIRSTYYYYYYY!” before flicking her wand again and pouring the water all over their entwined figures.

The young woman watched with glee as they pulled away instantly, faces frozen with both shock and horror at being discovered in such a compromising position. Whatever alcohol was left in their system was long gone the moment the freezing water made contact with their heated bodies. Meanwhile, the brunette stood a few steps away from them, arms crossed in front of her chest and a mean-looking grin on her face. After the barrels had finished clanging and rolling through the floor, the room went deadly silent.

“Wow. Who knew alcohol could get you two snakes so worked up like that?” she began in a venomous tone, slurring her words enough to be noticed that she was in the beginning stages of drunkness. Her blue eyes were hard as steel, voice as cold as the water she’d poured all over them a minute before.

“For a guy who doesn’t drink or party, it’s hard to believe a little dancing and liquor turns you into such a fucking floozy. she told Kalder, raising a defiant eyebrow at him before she focused on his companion.

“I bet you were especially loving that, weren’t you, Beatrice? Was it looking to be everything you thought it would be? Were you just biding your time to finally open up your backstabbing legs to Kalder? ‘Oh, please, Kalder, fuck me more! Please, Kalder! I’ll do anything for you!’” she mocked cruelly, imitating Beatrice’s soft voice. The brunette let out a sarcastic, poisonous chuckle before her face got furious again. All reason was long gone. “But I swear to God this is the last time you two humiliate me like this! I’m done playing games! I’ll fucking show you you don’t fuck with me!”

Looking positively demented now -an effect further enhanced by her bleeding mascara-, Demetria pulled out her wand from her costume’s pocket and aimed it at Kalder and Beatrice. But before she could open her mouth to hex the both of them, she found herself unable to move anything but her eyes, as if she’d turned to stone… As if she’d been petrified.

She desperately looked around, trying to make sense of what was going on. Neither Kalder nor Beatrice had their wands drawn, so that meant they couldn’t have done this. So if not them, then who?

Her question was answered when Caleb, Sean and Jomana entered her plane of vision. To no surprise, it was Jo who was holding her wand out and pointed at Demi. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to overtake Demi by force, Jomana had opted for the good ole’ Petrificus Totalus to aide her. The petrified Snow White internally sighed in defeat. Leave it to her best friend to protect her from digging her own grave.

After making sure her spell had worked, the Indian girl put her wand away and turned to look at the source of her friend’s everlasting suffering. “I did this for her, not for you,” she said to Kalder and Beatrice, her expression as cold as her tone of voice. “But I will not be around to save the day all the time, so stop egging her on and putting more salt on the wound… Because the next time, I will just sit around and watch her rage.” she warned them before taking Demi’s petrified body away to a safe place with the help of Caleb and Sean.

---

---

Neither of the blondes had taken any notice of the situation until it was much too late. Beatrice had gotten up, letting out a shriek as Kalder had bolted upright. Just a cup or pitcher of water would have likely done the job, but no, it was two barrels worth. It was definitely a wake up call, though once the shock wore off, Kalder finally noticed a rather triumphant looking Demi standing near them. When the hell had she entered? When did she even see them? Trying to wrack his name to try to remember, he realized he was dizzy. It was like he had been slapped awake, disoriented though he did manage to assess the situation.

Kalder couldn't help but scowl at Demi's words, having to bite down on his tongue. So what, it as fine for Demi to go around with whoever the fuck she wanted? What kind of injustice was this? Fine, maybe he was inebriated, but what the hell?! Letting out a cough, he glared at Demi as she would turn her attention to Beatrice. It was actually quite shocking for him to hear her talk to Beatrice like that, especially after the two were on good terms only a short while back.

As Demi pointed her wand at them, Kalder stared at her in disbelief. What delusions had gotten into her head? No one was trying to humiliate her, where the hell had she gotten that idea? She ended things with him! But for once, the universe seemed to agree, as Jomana had decided to intervene. She made it perfectly clear she hadn't done it for either one of them--going so far as to agree with Demi that they were egging Demi on. Caleb and Kalder locked eyes for just a moment, but he couldn't read him at all.

Standing up as they left the room, Kalder slicked his hair back, letting out a groan as the music pulsed through the still open door. As he walked over to close it, he was stopped by a giggling girl and a clearly excited Benjamin, who had been trying to push her in. His expression fell immediately as he noticed the soaked Kalder, and he let out a small whine as he looked at the girl.

"Wait for me," He said, placing one last kiss and having to pull himself away from her before she would entrap him. "So, uh--why are you all wet?"

"It doesn't matter," Kalder said, slightly shaking from the cold starting to hit him. "I didn't bring my wand, do you have yours?"

"No, but stay here, I'm sure Blake has hers," Benjamin assured him, making sure to close the door as he left.

Running his hands through his hair, Kalder sneezed. Great, he'd probably catch a cold. As his thoughts began to calm themselves, however, he remembered the other girl in the room. Beatrice sat on the couch, barely registering her wet self as she had her knees drawn to her chest. In all the excitement, he hadn't even asked how she was, though it was clear that she looked completely miserable.

At the very least, he could help her dry off with a towel. Kalder began to look around the room, he noticed a small closet, and was immediately relieved to see a towel on the rack. Grabbing it, he walked over to Beatrice and draped it over her shoulders. His touch made her look up at him, her eyes following as he knelt down in front of her. "I'm sorry," He apologized.

"I'm so stupid," Beatrice muttered, pulling the towel closer around her as she shivered in place. "I shouldn't have--don't apologize."

He wasn't quite sure where she was going with this, but he couldn't help but smirk slightly. All things considered, he probably shouldn't have been as giddy as he was, but maybe Demi had a point. He had certainly enjoyed it a lot more than he would have expected. "You regret it?"

"It's not that, I mean, I liked it--" Beatrice blinked for a moment, processing her thoughts, though her face turned beet red as she realized what she said. "But it...it wasn't something you wanted. We're just drunk. By tomorrow we'll have forgotten all about it."

"What if I don't want to forget about it?" He asked her, his voice low.

Beatrice tore her gaze away from him, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter, Kal. No matter what I feel, no matter what you feel, at the end of next year you'll be getting married to someone else."

"So you didn't mean it when you said you would wait?"

"Of course I meant it! I just...I'm clearly in the middle of you and Demi--" She began.

"She ended things with me. If it were up to me I'd be doing whatever it takes to be with her, but I'm not going to waste my time on someone who doesn't want me!" He argued.

Beatrice laughed, shaking her head at him. "See? You still have feelings for one another, why else would she do that?" She pointed out. "Whether you want to admit it or not, the truth is as plain as day. Everything is complicated, and I'm just making things worse by adding another issue on top of it all."

His heart raced as he thought about what she said. Now that he thought about it, Demi's actions made more sense if they were due to a fit of jealousy. Still, it didn't make it right. If she was going to take it out on anyone, it should have been him. It was wrong of her to include Beatrice, though admittedly he was also mildly annoyed they were interrupted. He could still feel Beatrice's lips on his, and he had to quickly distract himself before any inappropriate thoughts popped into his head. He was always convinced that Demi had been the only one for him, but now, he wasn't sure anymore. Not if she was going to go out of her way to attack him like that. But Beatrice had a point; the feelings lingered whether he wanted them to or not.

Looking over at Beatrice, he noticed she had taken off her heels, her hands rubbing her feet in an attempt to get warm. He found it cute, though any positive emotion he had at the moment immediately dissolved as the door would open, Benjamin walking in with Noel and Deva in tow. Of all the people he could have pulled from the party, it had to be the last two people he wanted to see. Benjamin you idiot! Kalder mentally yelled, though after his little shower he was much more aware of things.

Deva pushed past Benjamin and stomped over to Kalder, promptly slapping him across the face. "I can't believe you!" She screamed in his face, furious. "Do you have any idea who the hell you're messing with?! You blow me off for that little Mudblood slut and think you can get away with it?! If it wasn't for Noel--"

To his surprise, Noel placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling her away from Kalder. "And you snogging Lucian Georgeson doesn't count?" He couldn't help but point out her hypocrisy, giving his wand a complicated little wave, and steam blew out from the tip of his wand. The warmth was very welcome, although Kalder couldn't tell what was steaming more: Noel's wand or Deva, especially when she stomped out of the room. Once he was fully dry, Noel motioned for Beatrice to stand, and once he was finished, he pocketed his wand.

"Why the hell would Benjamin--" Kalder started, though he realized Benjamin had snuck out among the commotion. This night hadn't gone at all as he had hoped. There was a part of him that blamed the alcohol, all he accomplished was pissing Demi off further. His head pounded against his skull, the alcohol still swimming in his veins.

"Thank you," Beatrice muttered, crossing her arms against her chest. "I think I'll...just go now."

Noel nodded in acknowledgement, though as he turned to leave wordlessly, Kalder grabbed his arm. "I'll be right out," He told Beatrice. She lingered for a moment, looking between the two, though she would take her leave, and Kalder decided to clear the air once and for all with his so called best friend. "Cut the crap, Noel. You've been suspiciously quiet this whole night."

His friend smiled at him, shrugging. "Yeah, I admit I've been enjoying watching you make a fool of yourself," Noel admitted. "But lo and behold, you and Balthazar shacking up--I called it, didn't I?"

He could feel his temper flare up for a second, but he managed to stay in control. "What is wrong with you? I thought we were friends, but here you are practically laughing at me," He snapped. "I know you're the one that brought Deva along, don't try to hide it."

"I thought it'd be funny. You're engaged to one girl, messing around with another, and your heart is still with a different one. And they call me the playboy," Noel stated, revealing his knowledge. "You and Demi definitely have a history, the way she acts around you is much too obvious, and I'm not an idiot. But I mean hey, she's clearly chosen the better of the two, and you seem pretty content with Balthazar so...all's well that ends well, right?"

Kalder was in shock. Noel knew. Noel knew, and he still had the nerve to fool around with Demi. Narrowing his eyes, Kalder slowly nodded. The joke was certainly on him now, wasn't it? "Sure. Except...I can promise you it's not a two way street. She'll be with you--and she'll be thinking of me the whole time." He stated coldly, ending the conversation by walking about and shouldering Noel out of the way.

As the music returned in full force, Kalder realized he needed to get the hell out of there before he took out his anger on the wrong person. Pushing through the crowd, he got through to the exit, ignoring his friends and any others that would call out to him, though he was relieved to see Beatrice waiting for him. She looked at him, her arms crossed. He shook his head, though he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and together they walked away in silence.

---

---

“I know you are upset at me, Demetria, but what else was I supposed to do?

Jomana and Demetria were standing in the back of an empty classroom of the 7th floor, both girls wearing scowls on their faces and their arms crossed in front of their chests. Caleb and Sean had bowed out the moment Demi had been unpetrified, sensing the immediate tension that filled the air and correctly assuming that the girls would need some alone time to discuss what had happened. After a particularly uncomfortable silence in which Demi was struggling to regain her composure, she finally spoke.

“As much as I appreciate your noble gesture, Jomana, it really wasn’t necessary.” Demi spat, angrily glaring at Jomana. “I had it all under control. You didn’t have to butt in like that and interrupt the lesson I was gonna teach them.”

“And let you ruin your school record by getting detention over individuals as worthless as those two? I do not think so. It is not a fair price to pay.”

“But they deserved it, Jo!” Demi cried out, red-faced and stomping her foot on the ground. Frustrated tears were threatening to spill, but the brunette fought her hardest against them. “How can they just go along their merry way like everything is fine when it’s really not?! How do they have the nerve to show each other off like that and rub it in my face and make me feel like I was nothing but a joke and the world’s biggest piece of worthless crap in the world?! And I’m supposed to just sit back and take it?! No, ma’am! They fucking deserved it!”

Letting out a frustrated snarl, Demi stormed off, this time in the direction of the party. She made a beeline straight for the DJ booth, deciding that she was done with the damn party for the rest of night. Once there, she excused herself with the party’s organizers for bowing out early, made sure to exchange music devices and leave someone else in charge before stalking off to her secret safe spot.

The Astronomy Tower, as expected, was completely deserted at this time of night. This was the first thing Demi noticed upon arrival, and it instantly made her broken heart feel just a little better. Solitude was exactly what she needed at this very moment, in a place where she would breathe some fresh air and not be bothered by unwelcome guests. Huffing, puffing and trying to catch her breath after going up the many stairs it took to reach this, Demi quickly took a seat in the tower’s floor, making sure to be facing the door in case someone decided to drop by. She checked her dress pockets for her ipod, and once she had it in her hand, she looked up the playlist of sad songs she’d used as therapy ever since Kalder had broken up with her in the summer.

Earphones in, world out.

She tried to use the music to forget about all that had happened that night, but everytime she looked up at the starry nights sky, all she saw was Beatrice and Kalder in that passionate embrace she’d caught them in. This in turn brought back all the conflicting, negative feelings she’d been wrestling with for some time now. Why was Kalder purposely pulling all these stupid stunts to hurt her like this? And why with Beatrice, of all people in the world?

Okay, in hindsight, maybe she wasn’t the right person to pass judgement about that- her and Noel had been involved for some time now, after all. But it hadn’t been on purpose! If she was completely honest with herself, Demi had secretly thought that maybe her getting with Noel would be the push Kalder needed to open up his eyes, realize what he was missing and step up. Instead, things had backfired in the nastiest of ways. Kalder had moved on with her best friend, they looked to be very happy together, and he seemed proud of having her by his side.

This last phrase brought back the nasty insecurities she’d always tried to bury, but that always came creeping back. The question that kept itself in a loop in Demi’s mind was simply: Why her and not me? Why was she the embarrassing, shameful secret he’d had to keep hidden for months, yet Beatrice was the one worthy of being paraded around? Was it because she was American? Or because her father was a construction worker and not a prestigious or important millionaire? Was it because she wasn’t a beautiful, dainty little blonde willing to do anything and everything Kalder asked for? Was she too strong-willed, too outspoken and lacking the grace and poise that being Kalder’s girlfriend required? Was it because she wasn’t pretty enough, rich enough, smart enough, cool enough and overall just not good enough for him?

Shaking her head, she forced herself to shut her eyes and fight her hardest to flush these thoughts away. But in the end, it all became just too damn much.



Taking in a deep breath, Demi decided to just let out all the weight she’d been silently carrying in her shoulders for so long. In this moment of loneliness, it was finally time to take off the mask of cold indifference and let the broken girl inside her breathe.

And so, she began to cry.

---

---

"Where is it...?"

The blonde was on his hands and knees, searching underneath his bed. As usual, the dormitory room was clear. With Kalder and Noel's tension driving each other away, Benjamin and Coco had wisely decided to stay out of it. Of course, this had brought a divide with their friends, eventually forcing Kalder into solitude once again. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate, he could always count on Benjamin and Blake outright refused to take anyone's side, but it had been some time since he had seen Coco. He had managed to pick up his grades, but he found himself lonely once again. Noel had a way of getting everyone's attention, and on more than one occasion he would find some excuse to get everyone to go somewhere with him and exclude Kalder.

And then there was Beatrice.

She was the most beautiful lie he had ever gotten himself into. She was happy with him, though they parted ways after the party. Her small smiles, her mischievous looks, her kisses--every movement, every word and breath she took only reminded him further of Demi. It really was a betrayal, and never in his life had he felt so empty. The only saving grace was that he couldn't quite hold back his own primal urges and she was a willing partner, but it got too far and he found himself awash with guilt and spending the rest of the day in the shower trying to scrub himself clean. Despite never saying anything, Beatrice hadn't brought it up, but after a while she began to show that it was bothering her as they walked in silence. How could he blame her? If anyone found out, he'd not only lose his man card, he would be ridiculed for having a literal ticket to manhood ready for him and not only refused it, but went out of his way to make sure nothing else happened.

Of course, he would soon be reminded his actions had consequences when he spotted a pair of shoes next to him. They were female, and they definitely didn't belong to Blake. Banging his head on his bed as he scrambled to get up, he found himself face to face with an angry Deva. Crap, he had somehow managed to avoid her the whole way back, but she had finally cornered him.

"Looking for whatever's left of your dignity, Kalder?" Her tone was poison, a looming danger. "It's not there, nor is it with your Mudblood girlfriend."

Letting out a sigh, he chose to sit down on his bed, figuring he would make himself comfortable. Looking up at her, he studied her face. Truly, she was a good looking girl. Too bad her attitude was complete shit. "She's not my girlfriend," He corrected her. "Even if she was, that'd be one girl I've had versus how many guys you've had?"

"I don't understand you, Kalder," She seemed pretty ticked at his words. "You led me on just to go makeout with her! Her, of all the fucking girls in this school, someone who is nothing, a nobody--"

After all, I am nothing but a poor, filthy American mudblood unworthy of the heir of the Sigourney legacy…

Something in him snapped at that point. "Honestly, I can't stand you," He found himself admitting outloud. "No wonder you get along so well with my mother, you're both the same with your righteous attitude. Don't you feel any sort of shame that we're getting married for the money?"

Deva took a step back, surprised at his words. "Why do you think our families are so prestigious, Kalder?" She asked him. "That's how we remain Pureblood, that is how we carry our legacy!"

"And for what? For a name?! What good is a fucking name if all it does is make shit complicated?" He asked.

She leaned in close to him, her brown eyes staring right into him. "You're making shit complicated," She told him. "We are going to get married. We are going to move to your mansion. We are going to have a family. That's the plan our families have, and I have every intention of following it through."

Kalder slowly stood up, shaking his head. "Do whatever the fuck you want, leave me out of it," He stated, walking around her to leave the room.

The conversation left a bitter taste in his mouth, but Deva had a point. As his thoughts were swimming around, he decided that he needed to think. He had almost forgotten the entire reason he was looking under his bed: his engagement ring was missing and he had no idea where it was. As he walked into the common room, however, he realized there was one place he hadn't checked, not since she had knocked it out of his hand.

Climbing up the stairs, he found himself nostalgic as he climbed, though the sound of someone crying stopped him for a moment. Kalder hesitated, his hand on the door. His heart pounded as he quietly pushed open the door. To his surprise, there was the girl still on his mind, sitting on the floor and facing the door. Guilt started to tear him apart as he saw her face. He had half a mind to turn around, but something seemed to keep him there.

"What are you doing here?" He found himself asking, curious.