[IC] The King of the Sea & the Queen of the Land

[Venus]

---

---

Demi had been too busy crying, her eyes clouded by constant tears, to notice Kalder closing the distance between them. It wasn’t until she felt his hands gently cupping her face and his thumbs wiping away her tears that she realized what he’d done. To add more salt to the stinging wound, he confirmed that this wasn’t a joke, and began to make all sorts of fraudulent promises about how he would make things right because he couldn’t stand not being without her.

And then he kissed her.

Instead of moving away, Demi let herself go with the flow. Her anger dissipated the moment he felt her lips on hers, and she even felt herself wrapping her arms around him as she deepened the kiss. However, at the back of her brain, her mind was already made. The only reason she threw herself into this kiss was because it would be their last one.

It seemed like forever until they pulled away, each of them breathless, silence hanging in the air. It was soon broken by Demi.

“I want to believe you, Kal, I really do,” Demi began, a sad, heartbroken smile on her lips. Her aching heart had now turned to stone, and the pain of this truth had been so big that it had made her numb. Her voice was monotonous and emotionless. “But we both know you well enough to realize that you’re just saying this to comfort me. You have no intentions of going against your family's wishes, even if it means sacrificing your life and happiness to please them. And we both know that there’s no space for me in your upcoming future. After all, I am nothing but a poor, filthy American mudblood unworthy of the heir of the Sigourney legacy…

She took a deep breath, and willed herself to look at Kalder directly in the eyes. He needed to see that she was serious about what was coming next, and that even know it killed her, it was only for the best.So this is why, I think, we should make the break now, while we still have the chance.”

The brunette gently pried Kal’s hands off her body and began to walk in the direction of the door. She was at the doorway with the door open when she turned around to face him one last time. Demi offered him another sad half-smile.

“I guess this is goodbye, Kalder. Thank you for the good times, and I truly hope that, one day, you’re brave enough to find and fight for your real happiness.”

And with that, Demi closed the tower door behind her and disappeared from sight. Kalder would never know about how she ran straight to the common room and collapsed as a sobbing mess on the couch where Jomana and Beatrice were waiting for her. He would never know how Jo and Bea had to drag her to her bed, and pretty muched rocked the still-crying young woman to sleep. He would never think that Demi failed to show up for her classes the next day, and that it was only after Madam Appleton had given her a treatment of chocolate laced with elixir to induce euphoria that the brunette had finally began to slowly get better. He wouldn’t know that Demi had finally told her family about the real reason for her odd behavior that past summer and that past night, and that it had taken a group effort to restrain Luke from seeking out and beating up the culprit of his sister’s heartbreak.

Kalder could think he knew what happened after that night. But, in truth, he would never know shit.

[Hero]

---

"Kalder. Kalder? Kalder!"

His name sounded empty coming from someone else, and if it were possible, he never wanted to hear it again.

I truly hope that, one day, you’re brave enough to find and fight for your real happiness.

Demi's words were on an unrelentless loop, constantly playing over and over and over, again and again, never stopping in any waking moment. And when he was asleep, those same words plagued his nightmares. He wasn't entirely sure how he was still functioning, it was as if the day were a dream as he floated by, doing everything he was supposed to be doing but with no soul in his actions. Why didn't he say anything to her? Maybe it was because he had sincerely hoped she would have believed him. He should've tried to convince her better, maybe shouted, ran after her. But her words had been the complete opposite of what he had hoped for, leaving him completely stunned. Why hadn't he done anything? Why did he tell her? How he wanted to turn back time and change everything, change it so she wouldn't have said those words to him.

What's the point if you were my happiness? His sour thought rested in his head before being dissolved by her words. Letting out a groan, he ran a hand over his face. As he exhaled, he tore his gaze away to look at Blake. The girl had been rather patient with him this week, never asking what the issue is but more than aware that something was bothering him. The pair were in the nearly empty common room, Blake having picked up Kal's slack on the Quidditch team.

Shaking her head, Blake let out a sigh. "If you're going to keep shirking your responsibilities to me, I may as well take the Captain role from you," She snapped at him, annoyed.

Oh, right, Blake was mad at him, too. Everyone was mad. He had been rather distant, uncaring, treating them like...everyone else at the school. His friends were right to be mad, of course, but they were more so because he refused to talk about it. Demi hated his guts as it is, if he told people about their relationship it would just make things worse. Not that it can get any worse than this. After he would take a second to let his mood shift, he stared at Blake. "If you want it, take it," He informed her, rolling his shoulder. He was sore. "I'm useless."

"Too bad, Kal, I need you to be useful," She informed him, pushing her notes into his arms. "You never showed up for tryouts, so I wrote down my observations. Despite our joking, Coco actually did a decent job as Beater, and he works well with Noel. There's a promising fifth year Catcher, and everything else is...just look at it, okay?"

Kal sighed. "Just take the position, Blake. I don't want it anymore. You're doing the work, you should get the credit," He replied.

Too bad Blake wasn't having any of it. "You know, for some reason despite being a total asshole, you're actually well liked around here," She informed him. "Stepping down would hurt the team morale, and why would you do that when we both know you aren't a complete asshole?"

"I just don't care anymore," He said, his voice rising. "I don't care about Quidditch, I don't care about school, I don't--I don't care. Everything can go up in flames and honestly it would be a mercy right now."

"That would be running away from the problem, and you are not a coward. A zombie, maybe, but not a coward."

I promise you, if you knew any better, you would NOT be saying that. "I can't handle this right now, I'm trusting your decision." Kalder stated as he stood up, placing her notes on the table.

"If you're going to go somewhere, go eat," Blake told him, frowning. "Don't think I haven't noticed, you haven't eaten in a week."

Right. Without responding, Kalder walked out of the common room, walking through the halls of the castle. It was still early, so not too many students were up, but the silence was killing him. Making his way to the library, he halted in his tracks as he spotted Beatrice and Caleb. The pair were engrossed in their conversation, with Beatrice looking angry at something. Well, Beatrice was always angry. Not always, that isn't true, but her anger at him had been for a good two years, so this looked like she was mad at something else.

"--I don't care what used to be, Caleb, I care about the now. And right now, she's starting to pull herself together. So if you're going to take his side about things, then fine, but don't be surprised when I get pissed about it!" Beatrice made her statement crystal clear, looking up in time to catch Kalder. To his surprise, she simply marched away, an indignant look on her face.

Shaking his head, Caleb scratched his head. "You know, I never knew I was usually on her good side," The brown haired boy admitted curiously to Kalder. "Turns out being on her bad side just has a slight touch of vengeance in it. Who knew?"

He had no idea what Caleb was talking about. "Honestly, Caleb, I'm shocked she hasn't tried to curse me," He said.

"I would be very wary of your surroundings. You've made quite a few enemies, Mr. Popular," Caleb grinned, accompanying Kalder to the library. "You seem alright for some reason."

What? "Blake said I'm a zombie, and...it's fairly accurate. If that's what you consider alright..."

"You're walking and talking, you haven't had a nervous breakdown, you're distant but functioning. Heartbreak has a multitude of effects on the mind and body," Caleb stated, returning a book to the shelf in front of them. "But life is never easy or straightforward. No good deed goes unpunished, Nathan."

Wait a minute. Kal froze, looking at Caleb. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

Caleb looked Kalder straight in the eye. "Sticking to our convictions and promises is trying. It certainly seems like a fairy tale when everything goes smoothly, but that just isn't how life works. If you want that happy ending, you have to do something about it. Things aren't going to just play out because you want them to. You have to work for it. The question is, will you or won't you?" He was entirely serious as he spoke.

Even if he found some way to get out of his engagement, even if he resolved his issues, would Demi even give him a chance? It felt like she closed the door on them for good. "I don't know," He muttered, raising an eyebrow at him. Did he know? "Are you reading my fortune again?"

"I do it every day for those I care about. If I can help out in any way I can, I will," Caleb grinned. "Even if you don't consider me a friend anymore, I do what I can."

Kal groaned. If Demi was already a sore subject, he most definitely did not want to talk about this. "Caleb...we were never not friends."

Caleb nodded slowly. "I believe you. But...you know that's why Beatrice won't forgive you, right?"

Of course not. Ever since first year, the three of them were friends. Hell, Kal and Caleb had been closer than he had been with anyone. And then... "She doesn't understand."

Now it was Caleb's turn to sigh. "Had to show your posse you don't hang with Muggleborns, right? Even though we were friends for years, you got popular and a lot of attention, especially once you got into Quidditch. So of course when people asked, you said we weren't friends. And then you decided to say that as you looked Beatrice in the eye...you have to have some grand balls to do that."

Kalder turned to Caleb, bewildered. "I can't change what's happened, Caleb. Even if I apologized, Beatrice won't forgive me. I can't change anything, I can't do anything, and to be honest I'm getting real fucking sick of people constantly throwing that in my face," He said, his frustration clear. "I have to do what I do for the pride of my family, if they find out I get excommunicated. You know that's what happened with Lynn, don't act like you don't. Just like you said, reality sets in, I go and make a scene and do the right thing and then what? I get cut out of my family with nothing, not a sickle to my name, nowhere to live, no way to support her--myself--" He had to catch himself for a moment, his hand on his forehead. "I don't want to play the victim but why the fuck don't I get any sympathy?"

Caleb's brown eyes were wide, a look of surprise on his face. He seemed to have taken Kalder's words to heart, however, seemingly nodding in agreement. "Nathan...that's the first time I've heard about any of this from you." He admitted, holding up a hand to stop Kal from interrupting him. "But you know, I have to disagree. You're trying so hard to do everything yourself that you don't even stop and consider that you have friends that want to help. I'm not saying you don't deserve sympathy, but...while you've been moping around, your friends have been trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with you and you don't say a word. Blake has been doing your duties as captain, Noel and Benjamin have been actively trying to take notes so that you can catch up, and Noel's been watching your back this entire time."

Kalder had enough. "I don't want to hear it from you, Caleb." Kal turned to walk away, though he was surprised when Caleb deliberately stepped in front of him.

"That's too bad, Nathan, because that's what I do as your friend. Friends aren't just around to inflate your ego, they're there to kick your ass when you do something wrong, too," Caleb told him rather nonchalantly. "And if you think things are done and over with, I'm going to give you a warning. Things aren't done, there's going to be big changes coming your way, changes you're not going to like. First one will be in Potions, and...don't blame him, it's no one's fault."

Potions? What? Kalder was bewildered, though Caleb ended the conversation, clapping his hand on his shoulder as he walked past Kalder into another section of the library. Don't blame who? Potions? Changes? What changes? Slamming the rest of the books onto the table, he decided he was going to go after Caleb. As the thought crossed his mind, however, the nearby clock informed him that he was going to be late for class. As he sprinted through the halls, he felt like there was a weight on his chest. It looked like sleepless nights were finally starting to catch up to him. As if he needed more problems.

Skidding into the classroom just before the clock would turn, he found himself breathing rather heavily. He ignored the many looks he had got, going straight to his table and throwing his stuff down. Plopping into his seat, he looked up, an unfamiliar shade of brown hair in front of him. That's odd, usually Beatrice's blonde hair was in front. Did he sit in the wrong place? He ended up doing a double take as he realized that rather than Demi, it was Beatrice who know occupied the seat next to him, and she was content in pretending he didn't exist.

As that thought crossed his mind, his eyes met her rather cold ones, and even colder smile on her lips. "Running late, are we, partner?" She asked him innocently, her hand on her chin.

What the hell? "What are you doing in Demi's seat?" He asked, not even trying to hide that he wanted to know what the hell was going on. "Where is she?"

While she started out smug, Beatrice was much too wrathful to properly keep it up, but she managed to give him a rather sly smile. "She requested a change of partners," She informed him rather cheerfully. "And I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. Her new partner is absolutely gorgeous..." Her eyes trailed away from Kalder to somewhere behind them, a subtle move.

Kal stared at Beatrice for a moment, his throat dry. No, this was not happening. Demi had closed the door completely. Slowly turning his head behind him, he felt his heart jump up to his throat as he saw Demi writing something down, and next to her a pretty content and slightly bashful looking Noel. This is what Caleb had warned him about.

"Lucky her," Beatrice sighed happily, turning her focus back to the front of the room.

Unfortunately for her, Kalder was no longer having any of it. Sitting up straight, he fixed his posture, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "That's enough." His voice was low, almost like a growl, but it was enough to let Beatrice know that he didn't want to hear another word--and it was not up for debate.

Recognizing his tone, surprisingly she would concede, his threat even managing to wipe the smile off her face. He should have been satisfied, but whatever little hope he had of fixing things had fluttered away. Why?

[Venus]

---

---

At Madam Appleton’s suggestion, Demetria had requested Blackthorn for a partner change as soon as she’d been discharged from the hospital wing. At first, the Potions master had been confused. He’d told her that his reason for sitting Kalder and her together was due to them having the highest O.W.L.s of their group, and thought that the pairing would help them reach their full potential. However, upon reading the letter from the matron of the hospital wing, his tone changed. He offered Demi a sympathetic hug before making the necessary arrangements. From the next class on, she would be joining Noel Jameson at table 16. Kal’s best friend wasn’t exactly what Demi had been hoping for when she’d requested the partner change, but it was still better than having to sit next to the man who ripped her heart out and tore it to pieces in cold blood.

The next day, Demi had arrived early to the dungeon (a strategy in order to avoid crossing paths with Kalder). She didn’t have to wait long for her partner to show up and take the seat next to her. From his nonchalant attitude, the girl assumed that he was previously notified of the partner change. She could tell he was watching her out of the corner of his eye, because so was she. An awkward silence settled between them, which would soon be broken by Demetria’s rather confrontational ‘introduction’.

“Let me warn you right now, Jameson,” Demi began, turning her body towards him and giving Noel a serious look. “Wherever beef you have with us ‘mudbloods’ stays at the door of this dungeon. But in here, we’re partners, and I am not about to let that bullshit bias of yours get in the way of my N.E.W.T.s. If you try anything to sabotage me, I swear on my mother’s grave that I will send a rogue bludger your way and make it look like an accident. Am I understood?”

The Gryffindor watched as the blond Slytherin boy eyed her curiously without saying anything for a moment. After the silence lingered, his fingers would tap the desk as he bit his lower lip. "Ah...I promise the sabotage will not be intentional," His voice was actually rather quiet--was he embarrassed? That would be a first, in her eyes. "Potions isn't exactly my strongest class. I'll simply have to follow your lead to make sure we get our N.E.W.T.s, hope that's alright..."

Demi, still wearing that stern expression, was quick to reply. “That’s fine. As long as it’s just following my lead and not expecting me to do everything for you or even think of mooching off me, everything should be good.” she told him, her tone slightly less hostile now. Just then, Blackthorn called for silence, as class was about to begin.

Just before the clock would signal the beginning of first period, a breathless Kalder skidded into the classroom and straight to his table, where he pretty much threw down his belongings and plopped into his seat. Out of the corner of her eyes, Demi watched as Kal do a double take on the blonde girl sitting next to him, and the look of despair on his face told her that Beatrice had just told him the news.

With an aching heart, Demi quickly pretended to be neck-deep into the lesson in case Kal caught her staring. Because of this, she didn’t see him looking back at them, the color draining off his face or how the sight of her sitting somewhere else had brought an unfamiliar emptiness to his eyes. As much as this hurt already, it was for the best. Soon enough, Demi was truly immersed in the lesson, Kalder’s face now at the back of her mind.

Her first lesson with Noel Jameson as a partner had gone surprisingly well- much to her surprise. They had agreed to let him be in charge of the cutting and measuring, while Demi would do the brewing. They had a few mishaps along the way (like nearly adding the wrong amount of beetle eyes in the potion or Noel cutting the bat spleen in pieces that were too big), but had achieved a successful potion in the end. Professor Blackthorn had awarded them high marks, which had made both students happy. The feeling was short-lived when, before sending off the group, he had assigned homework for next class… To be done in pairs.

Although Demi wasn’t particularly thrilled with the idea of spending even more time in the presence of Noel Jameson, she shrugged off the negativity. ‘At least it’s not with Kal-’

She immediately stopped herself before her brain could finish uttering his name. KS was past, gone and forgotten. Thinking about him would only give her a relapse, and she’d fought too hard to recover from that fateful night only to have a silly thing like his name send her back on that downward spiral. That topic was over and done with.

To distract herself, Demi focused on the present happenings. “So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, in the library, at 8?” the brunette asked her partner as she gathered her belongings and placed them in her bag.

"That you will."

Demi looked up just in time to see Noel actually smiling at her. And it wasn’t his usual smug, hypocritical smile; it actually resembled a genuine one. The young woman couldn’t hold back on the bewildered expression that came to her face, and it only intensified when the young man shot her a wink before leaving the room.

‘What in the world was that about?

[Hero]

---

"That's not enough, Beatrice, if you don't add more, it's not going to come out right."

"Quiet, you, I know what I'm doing!"

"You were supposed to brew it counterclockwise."

"Shut up! You're distracting me!"

From the moment the class had officially begun, Kal was in hell. He wished he could say it was because of Demi, but somehow even the pain he suffered from his broken heart didn't compare to the disaster that was Beatrice Balthazar. He couldn't wallow on the love of his life possibly exiting his life forever because Beatrice wouldn't follow his directions, it was almost like she was content on failing on purpose. And as vindictive and petty as she was, Beatrice took her grades very seriously. Hell, they used to be partners back in second and third year, and she was actually a decent potions maker. So the fact that she was messing everything up infuriated him to no end, he had no idea why she was suddenly so bad at Potions, especially now when his N.E.W.T. was so important to him--and to her! She needed the N.E.W.T.! So why was she doing this?! The entire time she was unfocused, shaky, constantly bickering with him, but he wasn't going to let her drag him down.

It took Kal some very unconventional methods to salvage the potion. Kalder never did follow the books to a tee, often taking creative liberties and experimenting in his own time as a personal hobby. Beatrice seemed determined to fail them both, so it took Kal every ounce of concentration and pulling out every bit of knowledge he had to make the potion serviceable. Serviceable! He was the top of the Slytherin class, and he had to settle for a serviceable potion because Beatrice had her head who knows where! The massive disappointment in Professor Blackthorn's face was punishment enough, though he could have sworn that it wasn't just about the potion.

Kalder considered it a mercy when the class was dismissed. As he packed up, he felt a stinging pain from his hands. Opening his palm, he realized his right hand was burned. It must have been when Beatrice had dropped the entire ladle into the potion, and he had dove his hand in without even realizing it. Great. He blew some air onto it, using his left hand to pack the rest of his belongings. As he got up, he realized Beatrice was looking at him, a very guilty look on her face.

Letting out a sigh, Kalder sternly looked at her. "Hate me all you want, fine, but I'm not failing because of you," He informed her coldly.

Beatrice shook her hand, wringing her hands. He wasn't the only one who had gotten burned, it seemed. "It's...I just--whatever, you take the lead from now on, then," She huffed, still trying to save face.

Rolling his eyes, Kalder repressed the many, many negative thoughts he wanted to tell her. But he couldn't insult her, especially since she looked so damn guilty. "Come along, then, Madam Appleton is sure to have something that'll fix you up," He said, taking her bag in his left hand.

"What--Oh no you don't, Sigourney--" She started, attempting to grab her bag from him, but she let out a shriek of pain, immediately releasing it. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"That wasn't a suggestion. Let's go," He stated, his left hand taking her by the elbow and having to drag her out of the class. He stole a glance over at Demi and Noel's desk, but after seeing Demi's expression as she watched Noel leave, he found his anger flaring up again as he noticed Noel's wink. Pulling Beatrice along, he ignored her resistance as he led her to the infirmary. Dropping her bag onto the floor, he pushed her in. "Get that treated, I'll find you when you finish." He said.

"Huh? What?" Her face paled.

What the hell was wrong with her? "Potions homework." He reminded her.

She nodded slowly, remembering. "Fine, we can meet up in the library," She said, seemingly recuperating, though that turned into a scowl as she tried to pick her bag up again.

Shaking his head, Kalder left Beatrice at the infirmary, quickly making his ways through the halls. The noise from the students gave him a headache, but he had to ignore it. He had just enough time before Transfiguration to get his target, and sure enough, he managed to catch Noel, Benjamin, and Coco speaking to one another. Coco grinned at Kalder. "My main man! You look like you have a spring in your step!" He greeted him cheerfully, though paused as Kal had to catch his breath. "A bent spring, but a spring nonetheless."

"He's right, you look like shit," Noel said, examining Kal's face.

He really didn't care right now. "What were you--and Demi--" He stopped to take in a deep breath, stabilizing himself. "How did you end up getting Demi as a partner?"

The three raised their eyebrows at Kalder. "...'Demi'? You mean Graves?" Benjamin asked.

Crap. "Isn't that her name?" He tried to cover himself. "Demi Graves."

"Man, here I was thinking it was Demitria, I need a better memory..." Coco grumbled to himself.

Noel chuckled, though he shook his head at Kal. "Professor Blackthorn said I could use the help, I'm actually okay with the change," He admitted, a sly smile on his face. "She's brilliant, so it looks like I won't need your tutoring anymore." It looked like Noel didn't know the reason behind the transfer. That was fine and all, but Kalder had the urge to wipe that stupid, smug smile off his face. His stomach was starting to hurt, too. Kal figured he was getting sick. "I don't blame your frustration, was Balthazar trying to fail you both?"

"She got Exceeds Expectations, which means she should know what she's doing," Benjamin said.

"I'm convinced she's trying to blow me up," He admitted bitterly, rubbing his temples. Of course he would get a headache now. "There's no way I'll get an Outstanding with her sabotaging me, I don't know what to do."

Coco had a mischievous grin on his face. "I'd let her blow me," He chuckled, delighting in his childishness.

"I want to agree, but she's so temperamental," Noel admitted. "Like I can definitely picture her ripping someone's dick off."

"Yeah, but those types of chicks always get super shy in bed, you know," Benjamin grinned. "Like, 'oh I'm only doing this because I like you!' or something."

"She's gorgeous, too. And those lips..." Coco nodded in agreement.

"You two actually have a point. She was a nervous wreck in class, kind of acting like a girl in love," Noel suggested, his arm around Kalder. "Maybe our main man Kal can finally lose it to her if he plays his cards right."

This was getting ridiculous. "Yeah, no, she hates my guts. I don't know what was wrong with her, but I promise you that I wouldn't touch her with a fifty-foot pole," Kalder stated, shrugging off Noel's arm. The movement made Kalder dizzy, and he ended up putting his hand to the wall to keep himself from losing balance. The only person he wanted was Demi. Beatrice was just a former friend. That's all. But Demi was what he wanted. His thoughts were seemingly getting scrambled, Demi's words starting to play themselves over in his head again. Demi, Beatrice, Noel--everything was getting too much for him, he couldn't focus. Actually, wait, that wasn't mental. The next thing Kalder knew, he was looking up at the ceiling, falling back as his head hit the ground.

"Kalder? Oh shit, are you okay?" He could hear Benjamin's voice, but it sounded so distant, and as their faces came into view, they blurred in front of him. What was happening? He could hear their voices, could distinctly tell that Coco ran off for something, but his chest and head hurt too much to get a grasp on what was happening. "You're gonna be fine, Kal! Noel, help me!"

But none of it mattered. The last thing he remembered was him hallucinating Demi's face.

[Venus]

---

---

Unbeknownst to the scene that had occurred in the hallway, the rest of Demetria’s day had gone on without a hitch. She found herself a little lost in her lessons at first, given her previous absence, but she was lucky enough to have Jo, Caleb and Bea each lend her their notes. By reading through and combining them, she was able to have a pretty good idea of what had gone on. Once finished, it was off to the library to catch up on her assignments and then straight to the Quidditch pitch for an early practice session. It was during practice that she’d gotten word of Kalder Sigourney being rushed to the hospital wing after passing out in the hallway on his way to Transfiguration, and that he would be remaining there for a few days. Although she kept an unbothered, composed exterior, Demi was sick with worry herself. What had been the cause of Kalder’s sudden illness? He’d seem perfectly fine in Potions earlier that day, although a little pale now that she stopped to think about it. Of course, she’d been too busy recuperating herself, so there weren’t really many opportunities to really notice anything odd going on. However, the bigger question remained: was Kal going to be okay? Nobody knew the answer to that one.

Throughout the practice, Demetria’s mind and heart were engaged in the battle of love versus logic. Her heart was screaming to run straight to Kalder, because she was very much still in love with him and she didn’t know what the future would bring. On the opposite side, her mind was begging her to take a rational approach to this: to keep her distance and focus on her recovery, as there would surely be someone to notify her of Kal’s status. Going back to him, even in the current circumstances, would be to go back on her word of severing all ties to him permanently. In typical Demi fashion, her heart had eventually won the battle against logic. This was why, as soon as practice was over, she was sprinting to the Gryffindor’s sixth year girl’s dormitory. Once there, she rummaged through her trunk for her secret muggle candy stash until she found what she was looking for. The objective of the search now safely in her hand, Demi rushed back to the first floor. All that running around had obviously taken a toll on the brunette, so she took a minute to regain her break before she braced herself to see Kalder.

Looking around to make sure nobody was around, the Gryffindor girl quietly sneaked into the hospital wing. A quick glance at the clock confirmed that Madam Appleton was not an imminent danger, as she was currently away for her dinner break. Finding Kal wasn’t hard: the only drawn curtains were in the last bed of the right side of the room. Demi carefully made her way down the room, stopping right beside his bed. The blond male was fast asleep, but it wasn’t hard to see why he’d been admitted. Bandages covered both his hands, a nasty rash streaming from them and down the rest of his body. An ice pack could be seen on the back of his head, and from the way he was positioned, it was obvious that there was a concussion. To make matters worse, she noticed just how pale and thin he looked, as if he hadn’t had a decent meal in a while.

Demi could feel her eyes filling with tears (“My God, will there be a day in which I’m not crying?!”), her bottom lip trembling. It broke her heart all over again to see him like this. Not to mention the feelings of guilt, because she knew very well that his sudden weight loss was highly likely due to their conversation a week ago. Her biggest wish was to stay by his side and nurse him back to health, but she knew well that this would never happen. Madam Appleton had been firm in saying that avoiding contact with Kalder was mandatory for her recovery, so there would be trouble if the brunette was caught even just visiting. There was also the fact that nobody except her friends and brother had any idea of what had happened between them, so it would be an awkward conversation trying to explain to his posse why exactly she was so interested and devoted to his well-being. No, it was best to go unnoticed by the rest of the world. Demi was certain Kalder would know of her visit.

She looked around once more to make absolutely sure there was nobody around before planting a soft kiss on Kal’s forehead and whispering softy: “I... I love you, Kal. I really hope you feel better soon.”

Demi stood up straight again and placed the bag of Jolly Ranchers she’d been carrying on his bedside table. With a wave of her wand, she rearranged the letters in the packaging to spell out: “Get well soon!”. There was no signature needed. He would immediately know who it was.

Another glance at the clock told her it was time to go. She gave the young man another kiss before walking off. As quietly as she’d arrived, Demetria snuck out of the hospital wing and quickly disappeared into the mass of students making their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

[Hero]

---

"I can't believe you poisoned him, though."

Admittedly, it was a little mean spirited, but Caleb just couldn't quite stop teasing Beatrice. Her guilt was absolutely adorable, her inability to properly explain or defend herself had left her helpless against Caleb's teasing. The problem was that word had gotten out fast--the star Quidditch player Kalder Sigourney was in the hospital wing. Luckily for Beatrice, no one knew exactly why, but the rumors were entertaining. Most attributed it to a possible Quidditch injury, but the rest were rather amusing: some said he was hexed, there were those who assumed he had been assaulted by Gryffindors, others said he had fainted after Noel had his arm around him (his personal favorite). The list became more ridiculous, but it was funny to watch everyone speculate.

Caleb himself still hadn't known what happened, but his own personal theory was that Kal's poor health had caught up to him. At least, until he found Beatrice and a guilt-filled expression stamped on her face. She had explained that the burn she had suffered actually had a nasty side effect, an alarming rash growing just minutes after Kalder had left her in the hospital wing. As her entire hands had been covered, she should have suffered the worst of it, but since Kalder had been burned as well and didn't seek immediate care, it had gotten him good.

Beatrice wasn't good at hiding how she felt. She wore her heart on her sleeve and was never afraid to speak her mind, but Caleb noted she was also quite sensitive. It was clear that she blamed herself entirely for what had happened to Kalder, usually feeling worse whenever he was brought up in conversation. Which was a lot more often than Caleb had anticipated. Sure, Kalder was popular, but you'd think after classes ended people would find something better to talk about. But anytime his name popped up, she would shrink further and further until she looked to be on the verge of tears.

They were sitting across from one another at the end of the Gryffindor table, Beatrice only poking at her food. Caleb watched her as she would sigh, a curious expression on his face. He decided he would speak first. "Eat. You don't want to end up next to Kalder, do you?" He teased.

It did not help things. Beatrice would push her food away and rest her head on the table. "I can't eat, I'm too worried," She whined quietly.

"That's really sweet considering he thinks you hate him," Caleb grinned.

"I do hate him!" She burst out as she raised her head, only to look down at the table. "But that doesn't mean I wanted him to get hurt..."

He figured he should stop teasing her, but he was serious about the first part. "Come on, Bea. Between Demi and Kalder both ending up in the wing, I'm going to get depressed if you end up there, too," He frowned as he spoke.

"But this is serious, it's actually my fault!" Beatrice replied. "I just--I got so nervous, I knew Demi and him were reassigned partners but I didn't think I'd get him! I figured either I would get Demi or stuck with Noel Jameson!"

Caleb raised his eyebrows, intrigued. "Flustered?"

"Yes!" She was surprised at his chuckle. "What?"

It was obvious why he was so amused. Leaning in slightly, he examined her curious face. "So you still like him?" As he had anticipated, her cheeks turned red. "Well that's a yes."

"No, I just...it's..." She seemed to hesitate, though she ended up scowling. "You cheated and saw it coming, didn't you?"

He didn't. While he was gifted with Seer powers and admittedly used them frivolously, he also had excellent intuition. That, and Beatrice was very predictable, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Instead, he tapped his temple. "I knew you liked him when we were younger, but I figured that would've faded away after he disowned us."

"Wh-What?! I didn't like him!" She immediately protested, slamming her hands on the table.

Caleb grinned, although the arrival of Benjamin hopping into the seat next to him would put their conversation on hold. "Hey Sophen!" Benjamin greeted him cheerfully, and when he noticed Beatrice, he hesitated. "Hey...Ballthen?"

"Balthazar." Beatrice corrected him bluntly as Caleb laughed.

"Right, sorry. Um, so I was wondering if you could do me a favor," Benjamin turned back to Caleb. "I was hoping I could borrow your Charms notes."

"Of course. I'll give them to you later," Caleb said.

"Actually, I don't know how many days I'll need, I'm trying to make sure that when Kal wakes up he'll be able to catch up quicker if we all take notes for him," Benjamin explained, scratching the back of his head. "I know Noel's going to borrow Graves' notes for Potions, Blake is handling Transfiguration and Astronomy, I got Defense Against the Dark Arts since that's the only class I usually know what's going on..."

To Caleb's surprise, Beatrice actually smiled at him. "That's really nice of you," She said.

Benjamin grinned. "He did the same for me last year when I took that Bludger to the head. Although...his grades are way better than mine, so I have to ask for help," He said sheepishly, though he would stand. "I appreciate it, though!"

"I'll make sure to give you my Charms and Divination notes, Nathan and I share that class anyway," Caleb added.

Nodding, Benjamin would leave the two alone once more. Beatrice let out a sigh, her hand on her cheek. "Maybe I should do something to make it up to him," She mumbled as she would tak a sip of her juice.

Caleb turned to her. "Yeah, you're still smitten with him, huh?" He asked, watching as she could choke on her drink. "The heart can endure the worst pain when it comes to love, huh?"

"L-L-Love?! Don't be stupid!" Beatrice coughed out, clearing her throat. "It was just a stupid crush, and he humiliated me! There's no way I can have feelings for someone like that!"

If she denied it any louder, Caleb was sure someone was going to overhear. "Yeah, I know, which is why I'm surprised you still like him," He said. "I wonder...did it bother you when you found out he was in love with your best friend?"

Her eyes widened and her face paled somewhat. "That's..." Her voice trailed off, and she crossed her arms. "Please don't tell Demi, she's going through enough as it is."

He seemed to have hit the nail on the head, but he wondered if it was a good idea to press the issue further. The two stared at one another for a moment, unsure who would break the silence between them, though the noise of the hall filled in the space. He should've felt bad, but he needed to know the truth. If she really meant it when she said she was over Kalder, then fine, but the last thing Caleb wanted was for her to get hurt.

Caleb cleared his throat, choosing to redirect the subject. "I wonder if Demi heard about you trying to kill Kalder," He returned to his cheerful self, much to her annoyance.

"I'll be surprised if she hasn't, everyone knows," Beatrice shook her head in shame. "How embarrassing..."

---

---

Stifling a yawn, Noel had to force himself to blink twice in an effort to soothe his dry eyes. He felt like he had been staring at the same piece of parchment for hours. There was probably an easier way of copying down Blake's notes but having to do it three times was getting old. He placed the Copy Feathered Quill down for a moment, the two accompanying quills mimicking the movement. Letting out a groan, he rubbed his temples and leaned back in his seat, his sore shoulders hitting the back of the chair. The shit he did for Kalder was annoying. Granted, he definitely saw him as a very good friend, but Kalder's studying habits were out of his league, and while Benjamin meant well, the idea to gather notes every day so Kalder could catch up whenever he would wake went from something nice to something tedious.

As the thought crossed his mind, the door to their dormitory opened, a grinning Benjamin strolling into the room. "Sophen agreed to give me his notes, so that's two classes we don't have to worry about," He stated as he leapt onto his bed, taking a seated position. "My good deed of the day is complete."

Noel glared at him. "You owe me," He stated, cracking his knuckles.

Benjamin scowled at him. "Come on, my handwriting blows, yours is way neater and easier to read. And I write slow." Shaking his head, Noel decided to take a break as he looked at the clock. Benjamin looked at him curiously, noticing he had changed out of his uniform. He had already bathed, his clothes crisp, and if Benjamin was correct, he was wearing cologne. Ah, so that was why he was so testy. "Ah, so Coco was right, you're going after Graves, now?" He asked.

"That makes it seem like it's a possibility. This, my friend, is an inevitability," Noel scoffed, crossing his arms.

Benjamin shook his head, lightly flexing his arms. "No, this--" He showed himself off with a grin. "--Is an inevitability. I just find it weird considering you know how Luke Graves is, right? He'll paste you if he finds out you're sniffing after his little sister."

"She's hot. I'm hot. How is this weird?"

"Because for someone who loves to show off his bloodline to any wanker who'll listen, you're very interested in a half-blood," Benjamin said.

"What, you want her? We can make it a race," Noel grinned as he stood up. "Seeing who got to Pamela Shawns was fun."

Benjamin shook his head. "I'm not touching her knowing her brother can hunt me down. Really kills the boner," Benjamin slowly nodded, though he perked up. "Caleb Sophen was talking to this gorgeous blonde, she's more up my ally." He admitted, although he fell silent. Noel raised his eyebrows at him, and Benjamin continued. "You could race Kalder, he seems to like her. You told me how disappointed he looked when you both had to trade partners, right?"

Kalder certainly seemed downcrest, although the look in his eyes had been something else entirely. As to what, Noel had no idea, but... "Kalder has never expressed an interest in anyone. If he really did want her, he would've spoken up a long time ago. And if he chose to keep it a secret, well, that's his loss then, isn't it? Not to mention his sudden change in attitude has gotten on my nerves."

"I guess you have a point," Benjamin admitted.

Of course he had a point. The whole crew was annoyed with him, but Benjamin seemed to have a little more sympathy. Noel wasn't having any of it, if Kalder wanted to be moody and secretive then that was his problem. Blake had repeatedly tried to get a reason out of him only to be rebuffed, so why should he care? Fixing his shirt, Noel wandered over to the small mirror on his desk. "She'll be my little Christmas present," He told Benjamin with a sly smile.

"That's mighty ambitious. I'm willing to put a galleon to that," Benjamine grinned back.

"Ye of little faith! You're on."

[Venus]

---

---

“There you are! I was looking everywhere for you!”

Demi, whose mind was still back on Kalder’s injured figure all alone in the hospital wing, jumped in surprise at being addressed. She turned around so fast that she thought her neck must have snapped. In that instant, the Gryffindor silently prayed that Jomana wouldn’t put two and two together. If she did, Dem was sure she wouldn’t hear the end of it. The young woman knew her best friend had the best of intentions at heart, but Jo was much too strict on her! Kalder and Demi had been head over heels in love with each other for a long seven months (eight and a half if you counted the time they spent flirting). And he'd been Demi's first love, for crying out loud! It was obvious that it would take a while before the feelings went away... If they ever did at all. Why couldn't Jomana understand that?

“Oh, hi Jo!” Demi had greeted her best friend, putting up the bravest face she could. But, to her dismay, the tiniest bit of nervousness in her voice betrayed her. And ever the clever one, Jomana’s look instantly went from relieved at finally finding her best friend to the utmost suspicion.

“What exactly were you doing in the first floor, Demetria? There is nothing to see or do in said place at this time of day… That is, unless you were visiting Siggy...” Jo piped up, arched eyebrow raised questioningly, brown eyes not leaving her friend’s face.

Demi snorted. “Pffffft, no.” she replied coolly, blue eyes looking straight ahead as they crossed the double doors of the Great Hall. The brunette knew that if Jo looked her directly in the eyes, she would see through her bullshit. “Why would I do that?”

Jomana’s scowl only intensified, gaze still set on Demi. “You are lying, and I am going to find out right now. “

The girls had now reached the Gryffindor table, where Caleb and Beatrice sat nearly done with their dinner. In typical Jo fashion, the blunt Indian girl didn’t waste any time in getting their friends’ input on the situation at hand.

“Caleb, darling, would you be ever so kind as to use your prodigal Seer abilities to confirm that this little lady-” she pointed at Demi, who rolled her eyes in exasperation as she took a seat next to the boy. Meanwhile, Jomana had decided to sit right across her, next to Beatrice. “Was indeed visiting The Snake Who Must Not Be Named just now?”

Beatrice would immediately stuff some mashed potatoes into her mouth to keep from talking. “Jo, I’m a Seer, not a mind reader,” Caleb would cheerfully remind her, smiling innocently. “If Demi went, I’m sure we would have heard about it, I hear Nathan’s sisters have been doing rotations.”

“Y-Yeah,” Beatrice’s muffled agreement came, although after a second of thinking, she looked at Jomana. “What makes you think she went to see him?”

Jo, still thoroughly unconvinced, proceded to angrily shove some mashed potatoes and chicken onto the empty plate that had magically appeared in front of her. “What else is there to do in the right wing of the first floor at this time of night?”

Demi, now visibly disgruntled, did the same, but said not a single word.

Caleb gave Beatrice a look, slightly motioning towards Demi. The blonde was confused for a moment, before she realized that he probably wanted her to inform her that what happened to Kalder had been her fault. She shook her head at him, trying to ignore his stare. Unsatisfied, he would kick her under the table, causing her to grunt. How the hell was he expecting her to drop the news on Demi like this?! Glaring at him, Beatrice took a swig from her goblet, practically slamming it down as she finished. She wasn’t going to say anything, damn it!

Too bad for her that Caleb wasn’t having any of it. “Beatrice wants to say something,” He announced to the pair.

“Beatrice wants to say nothing,” She scowled.

“I’m sure she does.”

“No, she doesn’t.”

As dumb as it was, that little incident was enough for Demi to reach her boiling point. “Jesus, what the flying fuck crawled up everyone’s asses tonight?!” the girl snapped, the foul-mouthed American in her now in full display as she would begin the liberal use of the word ‘fuck’. She got all kinds of looks from those nearby, but the death glare they received in response was enough to quickly send them back to their own devices. Her eyes were blazing with anger now. “Jomana doesn’t know when the fuck to back off. Bea, honey, I don’t know what the hell is up with you, but it’s fucking getting to me already. Caleb seems to be the only chill one here. And while we’re here acting like fucking kindergarteners, Kalder’s knocked the fuck out in the hospital wing all by himself looking like an extra for The Walking Dead and I don’t know why and it’s driving me nuts...

She suddenly trailed off, eyes wide as the realization of what she’d just said hit her. From the seat opposite her, Jomana -although slightly stunned- was looking smug at her suspicions being confirmed.

Once again, Caleb and Beatrice would look at one another following Demi’s outburst. Letting out a groan, Beatrice conceded, leading Caleb to throw his arms up in the air in victory. The blonde haired girl bit her lip as she looked at Demi, nervously breathing until she couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m sorry!” She blurted out, covering her face with her hands.

Demi gave Bea a questioning scowl, still upset at this whole inexistant issue. “What the fuck are you on about?”

“You’re going to want to try explaining what you’re sorry for,” Caleb said, earning himself another glare.

“I was getting to that!” She yelled, though she managed to calm herself, wide brown eyes meekly looking at her friend. “Okay, fine, I--It’s my fault, okay?” She blabbed. “I...I wasn’t paying attention in class, so I kept messing up our potion. At one point the ladle fell in, and we both grabbed it. Kalder managed to salvage the potion, but in the process it...it burned us both and--and he took me to the hospital wing but he didn’t get his burn checked and--and I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” At the end of her rant her anger subsided, guilt overtaking her. “It’s all my fault…”

“Ah fuck.” Demi muttered. At the sight of how distraught and guilty one of her best friends looked, the young woman’s anger boiled away as quickly as it had come. She quickly slid under the table and came up on the opposite side, quickly wrapping her arms around Beatrice in a comforting embrace. “It’s okay, Bea,” she said soothingly. “You didn’t know that was gonna happen.”

Demi was too good to her. Beatrice hugged her back tightly, though admittedly speaking the truth did make her feel better.

“Personally, I thought she was retaliating in the name of vengeance,” Caleb chirped gleefully, watching the pair. “Though rumor has it he’s gay for Noel Jameson, he fainted after Noel put his arm around him.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Really, Caleb?”

“I’m not the one that started it, but I love it.”

Jomana, who had been quietly watching the series of events unfolding in front of her, spit out her pumpkin juice before succumbing to a fit of laughter. It took her some time to get her breath back, but once she did, she gave Caleb a glowing grin. “It is certainly the best one around.” she replied happily, taking a bite of her food. “Although I am all for never trusting a snake, Jameson certainly does not have an ugly face to stare at…” Jo turned around just enough to give Demi a suggestive look. “At least your new partner is attractive, even if he is not up to par with your intelligence.”

Demi, who had let go of Beatrice after making sure she was feeling better, had been busy munching on her food when she heard Jo’s comment. “Yeah, well, I don’t really care about that. I’m done with men at the moment. Gonna focus on school and Quidditch instead.” she replied, not bothering to look up from her plate.

Caleb smirked to himself, though it fell as Beatrice would speak, “Nothing wrong with browsing the selection, doesn’t mean you have to have anything,” She couldn’t help but tease. “You can enjoy the view without doing anything.”

Demi snorted again, looking up at Bea with a smirk. “‘Browsing the selection’ is what got me into the whole KNS fiasco,” she replied goodnaturedly, taking the last bite of her food. “So I would rather make myself blind to any further temptations. I certainly don’t need any more drama in my life at the moment.”

Raising an interested eyebrow, Beatrice watched Caleb, who had a thoughtful expression on his face. Before she could ask, he instead grinned, bidding the girls farewell with an excuse about needing to do some homework. It was odd, but it did remind her she had her own things to do, as it did with Jo and Demi. And thus, the two brunettes followed suit, saying goodbye to Caleb and Bea before making their way to their common room arm in arm. The childish argument had been forgotten, replaced instead with playful teasing about boys.

At that point the group would split, with Caleb leaving for the Ravenclaw dormitories, Demi presumably going to get ready for the night, Jo being Jo, and Beatrice...stayed where she was for the moment. Her heart was still racing somewhat, and she needed a minute to collect her thoughts. Caleb was so intent on exposing her that it made her nervous. It’s not like he didn’t have a point, but maybe she was secretly hoping that maybe things would go well with Demi and Noel.

It would certainly make her wanting Kalder for herself a lot easier.

[Hero]

---

Trotting down the stairs with Benjamin following closely behind, the two discovered Coco and Blake in the common room. The pair were engrossed in a game of wizard's chess, with Blake in the lead. Even so, Coco didn't seem very bothered, playing rather casually. The two had formed their friendship specifically because of the game, often beating out the other and constantly trying to see who was the better player. Noel personally thought Blake was the better strategist, but Coco's ability to react and adjust was a valuable trait.

Blake noticed the duo first, looking Noel up and down. "Who's the unfortunate victim?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Demetria Graves," Benjamin replied as he would pull up a chair to watch the game.

"I'll be sure to inform Madam Appleton that you want a bed next to Kalder's, then," She said without taking her eyes off the board.

"Well...I'd drop her in a heartbeat if you just let me in," Noel's voice was oddly sensual as he leaned over Blake from behind her seat, a sly smile on his face as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know you want me."

"So I can end up on the Jameson List?" Blake rebuked Noel immediately, swatting his hands away. "I don't think so."

"There's a list?" Coco asked, snapping out of his concentration. "Girls are bonkers, organizing that shit."

"Noel is just a whore," Benjamin laughed, relaxing in his seat.

Now it was Noel's turn to scowl. "Excuse me for having a good time," He muttered, mildly offended. "You're all mighty invested, aren't you?"

"Rook to G3. I personally don't care who you want to snog, I just found it odd you decided to pick on the girl with the aggressive, overprotective older brother," Blake said, watching the chess piece move and ram into Coco's bishop. "You usually go after easier girls."

"That's what I said," Benjamin added.

Coco scratched his hair with both hands before plopping them on his lap. "Knight to G3. I don't see anything wrong with a little challenge once in a while," He said. "Although I don't think you're going to get anywhere with her, I had Transfiguration with her last year, and she really keeps to herself even though we were partners. So don't get your hopes up."

Rolling his eyes, Noel decided he would rather get going than have to keep listening to everyone's crap.

[Venus]

---

---

“Don’t you look rather dashing tonight!”

Demetria shot Jomana a wink as she made her way to her bed. The brunette had just arrived to the sixth year girls’ bedroom after taking a bath, as was noted in the trail of sweet and fruity perfume she’d left behind her. Her slightly damp, dark hair was cascading down in her usual waves, and her lips were glazed with that moisturizing cherry red flavored lipstick the young woman loved so much. Before Jo could say anything, she knew exactly what she was thinking, and she was so very wrong! It wasn’t Demi’s fault that her bi-weekly self-grooming session had fallen on the same way she was scheduled to meet up with Noel Jameson! But, of course, Jomana would think it was on purpose, and would tease her with comments about how this was all a master plan to get with Jameson. As if she would ever consider giving the Slytherin man-slut more than the time of day! The mere idea of it was preposterous.

“Getting all nice and tidy for Noel, I see.” Jo said teasingly, hands cupping her face as she shot her friend a playful smile. “That perfume of yours is bound to leave an impression on him.”

Yup, there it was.

“Very funny, Jomana.” Demi muttered, grabbing her bag from where it was previously resting atop the bed. She turned to look at her friend with a solemn expression. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather take a bludget to the head than give Jameson a chance.”

“Well, I hope you mean that, Demetria. You sure do not need the bloody drama at this moment.”

“Correct! Now, if you excuse me, I have an appointment to attend.” she told Jo, shooting her a parting wink.

“I shall be awaiting your return to hear all about it!”

Rolling her eyes, Demi smiled and left the bedroom. As soon as she’d set foot in the common room, Luke -who had been sitting in one of the armchairs next to the fire chatting with some friends- immediately rushed to his younger sister’s side.

“Hey, DR. I know you’re supposed to meet with Jameson at the library tonight-” he began, his serious face all business. Meanwhile, Demi let out an exasperated breath. She knew exactly what was coming next. “Do you want me to come with you? I know that snake can be a real asshole, and I don’t want anyone to even think about messing with you.”

Demi could only smile at her big brother. He had the best of intentions when it came to her- bless his heart-, but sometimes he overdid it with the bodyguard-like protection. It was in times like these in which she realized how lucky she’d been to pull off a secret relationship with Kalder for so long when she was always under Luke’s watchful eye.

“I’m a big girl, Luke. I’m pretty sure I can take care of myself.” she told him sweetly, getting on the tips of her feet to plant a kiss on the young man’s cheek as a way to try and soften him up. “I’m a beater for a reason.”

Luke wasn’t looking too convinced or reassured, but -as always, succumbed to his sister’s charms. “I know you do... But you let me know if that bastard tries anything with you, alright? I’ll make sure to pay him a visit to persuade him to stop if he does.”

His sister rolled her eyes, the smile still in place. “Yes, sir. Now, I’ll see you later, okay? Don’t wait up for me.” Demi gave Luke a quick hug before exiting the common room.

The young woman quietly made her way down to the first floor, taking a few shortcuts along the way, because who the heck would want to willingly make the whole trek down seven floors?! In no time, she found herself in the library corridor, closing the distance between herself and her destination. Just as she was nearing the entrance to the room, out came a visibly tired Caleb Sophen. Judging from the way he was slouching, the books in his arms and the smallest bit of parchment peeking from his bag, Demi knew Caleb had spent the whole day studying and had recently just finished. Sometimes, she wondered if the Ravenclaw took his classes much too seriously. But then she remembered his high marks, and that was enough to answer that question.

“Hey Caleb!” Demi called out happily, waving enthusiastically at him as she stopped right in front of him.

The poor boy couldn't quite match her enthusiasm, although he did give her a curious look. "Good evening," He returned her greeting, peering at her closely. "On your way to the library?"

Demi nodded. “Mhm! I’m supposed to get some Potions homework done with Jameson tonight...” she said, rolling her eyes and sounding less than thrilled about the task at hand. “I just hope he actually contributes to it and doesn’t let me do all the work by myself. I swear to God, the boy has no brains underneath that big head of his.”

Caleb nodded slowly in understanding, shifting uncomfortably. "Right...I hope you can give him something to think about," His words were an odd mumble, and he ended up clearing his throat. "...it'll certainly be a learning experience."

Demetria squinted his eyes suspiciously, quickly going on panic mode. She always knew when Caleb was keeping stuff from them, because his body language was always quick in betraying what he was feeling and thinking. “What are you talking about?” she asked him, a hint of that panic she was feeling clear in her voice as she dug her now-worried eyes into his. “What did you see, Caleb?”

"See? Me? I'm just tired," Caleb assured her.

Of course, the young woman wasn’t buying it. She placed a hand on his shoulder; partly to coax him into talking and partly to stop him from going anywhere. “Caleb, don’t bullshit me. Whatever you just saw, I need to know. Because judging from how you’re being all skittish, it can’t be good news for me.”

Caleb's expression was entirely neutral. "It's not a matter of good or bad," He admitted quietly. "I think it'll be an enlightening experience for you. But for me… I admit, I'm conflicted. I want nothing but happiness for my friends, so if it makes you happy… Then there's not much I can do about that."

The “I’m still totally fucking lost, man,” Demi complained, feeling a tad annoyed on the inside. As much as she loved Caleb and his abilities, they were more often than not a double-edged sword. He had this habit of sending all of them in a quest to find out the true meaning behind his words, because ‘what is there to be learned if he just said exactly what he saw’? It could certainly be infuriating sometimes. “But I know how this works. You won’t say anything more, and then it’s on me to figure out what it means by myself, right? That’s the rule?” she said softly, admitting defeat.

Letting out a sigh, Caleb gave her an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, Dem. You know how these things go. I hope you have fun, though… But hopefully not too much fun."

Demi gave him a quizzical look. “It’s an assignment with Jameson as a partner… I’m not sure I’ll be having any kind of fun, but I’ll take that into consideration.” she replied jokingly. “I’ll see you around, then. But do me a favor and please go get some rest, Caleb. You’ve been working way to hard. You deserve a break.” the girl told him sweetly, offering the Ravenclaw a parting half-smile before entering the library.

Brooding over Caleb’s words, Demi took a seat at the corner table at the end of the room. Once she’d organized her belongings to start the assignment as soon as Jameson arrived, she turned her eyes to the window beside her. Her blue eyes wandered around the moonlit grounds, mindlessly watching its occurrences. However, her thoughts were far, far away, still on the cryptic fortune reading her friend had just laid on her.

[Hero]

---

Drawing the curtain around them, Marilyn would join her younger sister as she would take a seat next to Kalder's bed. Amelie never once took her eyes off him, as if she feared that looking away would make him worse. Marilyn would stroke Amelie's head as a gesture of comfort, but it did little to assuage her worry. At first, Marilyn thought it was best if they had kept Kalder's condition from her. The young girl was probably better off without knowing but word spread so quickly that the decision was out of her hands. She gave her little sister credit, though, not a single tear was shed, she still went to her classes, and was caught up on her homework.

For Marilyn, it had been less than a day and she felt like she was already going crazy. How could she have not noticed how pale Kalder was? How sullen his face looked? Sure, he had been moody, but damn, Kalder was always moody! She should have noticed when he started hanging out on his own. Despite said moodiness, he was still very social, so him suddenly moping around in the common room was already a red flag.

The curtain moved as Rosalyn stepped into the space, her flushed face giving Marilyn much annoyance. "Madam Appleton says it isn't too serious, but he's still not awake," Marilyn said, gently patting Amelie. "She says it was an accident in his Potions class, but that sounded odd to me. I always thought Kalder was good at Potions."

Amelie nodded, leaning her head against her older sister. Rosalyn would take a seat on Kalder's bed, being careful not to stir him. "I've been trying to pinpoint the cause of this 'accident'," Rosalyn informed them.

"I did not know snogging Bradley Humphreys was a way to get information, I'll keep him in mind come N.E.W.T. season." Marilyn feigned astonishment.

Rosalyn rolled her eyes. "I'm being serious. From what I've gathered, apparently his Gryffindor partner kept screwing up," She said. "...that, or he's gay for his friend Noel Jameson, but admittedly I think there's a low chance of that."

"Are you serious?"

"Well, if he is gay, Henry owes me..."

"That's not what I meant!" Marliyn scolded her. "This is serious! I want to know who is responsible for this."

"I don't know, Mari, no one knows, there was a change of partners that day," Rosalyn said. "You'd have to ask someone that was there."

Amelie sniffled, and both girls ceased their bickering for a moment. To her surprise, Amelie hugged her tightly, lower lip quivering. "Why would anyone do this to him?" She asked quietly.

"I'm sure it was an accident," Marilyn assured her.

Rosalyn couldn't help but scoff. "From a Gryffindor? I doubt it," She muttered. "But I promise, I will find who is responsible."

---

---

As much as he insisted that he was in control of the situation, Noel had to admit that he was somewhat jittery as he made his way to the library. The halls were mostly devoid of stragglers at this time of night, with anyone that was walking now having a definite destination in mind. He would greet a few professors as he walked, only coming to a halt as he finally reached the library. Many students were packing up, having finished what they could and deciding to call it a night. The few that remained were buried in their books, eyes focused on their parchments with worried expressions. Noel was glad he didn't aim for perfection, but he had a mission to accomplish.

Once he managed to look around, he spotted Demi at the corner. Her supplies were already out, with Demi herself staring out the window. The way the moonlight hit her hair made it look shiny, giving her a mystical look. Intentional or not, it certainly gave her allure, and as Noel approached the table, he found himself trying to take in every aspect of her beauty. Her eyes, her skin, her lips--he found himself wondering what they tasted like as he noticed the sheen to them.

Clearing his throat, he made his precense known, not wanting to scare her. "Ready to learn!" He announced, happily placing his belongings down. Looking at the seats, he decided to make his first play so to speak, choosing to sit next to her. This would make things a little more tempting, as the close vicinity gave him a good whiff of her perfume. He tried to focus, choosing to examine her notes. "How shall we go about this?"

[Venus]

---

---

Oblivious to Noel Jameson arriving at the library, Demi’s mind was still in the clouds. The way Caleb had been more vague than usual with his explanation of her fortune meant that there was more than he was letting on. But even as she’d spent the better part of five minutes racking her brain as to what exactly he could mean, the brunette was still drawing a blank. An enlightening experience that had him conflicted and that she was to have fun but not too much fun? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?!

The sound of Noel clearing his throat took her by complete surprise. She jumped, stunned, and nearly falling sideways from the chair. Noel pretended not to see this mishap, deciding to happily announce instead that he was ‘ready to learn’ while a red-faced Demi sat up straight again. His excitement with this whole arrangement made the girl feel suspicious on the spot. If there was something Jameson was known for- apart from his long list of conquests, if the stories were to be believed-, it was for his constant bragging and emphasis on the pureness of magical blood. To have him sound like a child on Christmas day at the prospect of having to spend any time outside of classroom with a half-blood was very much a red flag. And Demi’s suspicious feelings only intensified when the Slytherin decided to take up the seat next to her instead of one of the two available ones in front of her.

Even though she always gave people the benefit of the doubt, her defenses would be put on maximum alert. However, her plan might have just gotten off to a rather shaky start. The moment Noel had sat next to her, the Gryffindor girl was exposed for the first time to the scent of the most captivating cologne her nose had ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Of course, Kalder’s cologne was hands down beyond compare. But this one, with its hints of wood and citrus and the subtle hint of spices… No wonder girls were more than willing to drop their panties for him.

Demi swallowed hard. If this was what she was going to be dealing with on a regular basis, then she was going to need all of her strength to constantly remind herself who she was dealing with. It wasn’t some random guy; it was the arrogant, proud, Slytherin manwhore who was her ex-boyfriend’s best friend. She needed to always keep that in mind. Any slip-ups could result in catastrophic consequences that she didn’t even want to imagine.

At his question about how would they go about their assignment, the brunette shrugged, trying her hardest to ignore just how fucking amazing he smelled. “I was thinking we just divide the amount of questions equally and then go over them together once we’ve finished. I know we could have said this before, but since you told me you’re not particularly good with Potions I figured it was best to do it while I was present in case you had any questions.”

Noel nodded in understanding. Splitting the questions in half was still somewhat daunting for him. That, and he was on limited time. If he was too slow, he wouldn’t get a chance to go to the hospital wing. Nevertheless, he would agree, taking his share of the questions without complaint. Ingredients, instructions, a bit of history on the makings of the potions--Kalder was always better at this crap than he was. His quill would hesitate a lot more than Demi’s did, and as he stole a glance at her paper, she was far ahead of him. His eyes darted to a nearby clock, and he started getting nervous. Shit, so much for making a move, at this point he’d miss his chance with Demi and and not be able to see Kalder.

Kalder. Hmm.

Scratching his forehead, he decided to change tactics. He kept glancing at the clock much more obviously and frequently, making sure his writing was faster and slightly more haphazard. His handwriting was probably the best part of his homework, but if he wanted this to work, he would have to go for it.

Letting out a groan, Noel would give up, placing his head down on the table. “I’m not going to finish this on time,” He couldn’t help but whine, trying to see if Demi would take the bait.

Demi, who was neck-deep into the assignment, had begun to notice Noel’s change of behavior. He’d begun to take frequent glances at the clock and pay less attention to the task at hand, as if he had something better to do. His attitude was frustrating her, but she was trying to keep her cool… That is, until Noel put his head on the table and whined about how he wasn’t going to finish the assignment on time for whatever bullshit reason he had to ditch her.

“What the fuck is up with you, Jameson?” she asked briskly, dropping her quill and glaring at him. “You’ve been driving me nuts with the whole glitch of staring at the clock every five seconds. If you had some ‘prior commitment’-” she said that last part sarcastically, heavily implying that he was going to a booty call or something of the sort. “You should have said so.”

Noel immediately looked up, offended by her implication. “I’m worried about not reaching the hospital wing in time,” He stated, his voice surprisingly meek. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if you heard, but Kalder Sigourney--the one that got sent to the hospital wing--he’s actually my best friend. I just...wanted to go see him tonight.”

The mention of Kalder was enough for Demi’s heartbeat to start racing. Of course she knew Kal was Noel’s best friend -not that Jameson would know. Her ex-boyfriend considered Noel the brother he never had, and spoke of him very highly even though he could be an arrogant dickhead sometimes. It made perfect sense that Noel wanted to go see Kal… And here she was, jumping to conclusions and immediately assuming he was up to no good.

“Shit,” she muttered, feeling like a complete asshole now. The glare on her blue eyes had vanished, to be replaced now with a rather sympathetic look.“Yeah, I heard about Sigourney... Something about an accident?” the brunette asked, feigning ignorance about the whole situation.

“Apparently it happened in our class,” Noel was a little more genuine with his explanation, mainly because he was stating facts and not quite going for sympathy. Yet. “With the partner switch, apparently whoever he got was super incompetent. The potion was messed up so badly it turned out poisonous. Although...I noticed he hadn’t been eating or sleeping well, either. So poison plus malnourishment makes for a pretty bad situation.”

Guilt instantly rose to Demi’s face, and the tears were blurring her vision before she could do anything to stop them. Even though she was only responsible for the malnourishment and lack of sleep part, it was her fault that Kalder had gotten Beatrice as a partner, and that she’d done so poorly that she’d poisoned the both of them. Demi wanted to say something in Beatrice’s defense, but knowing that she’d been the one to instill the domino effect on this unfortunate chain of events held her back from doing so, and only contributed to how absolutely shitty she was feeling.

“Fuck… I guess that’s all my fault.” she muttered, looking away as the first of the tears rolled down her cheeks. The brunette wiped them off as quickly as she could, because she would be damned before having Jameson of all people see her cry. Once she composed herself she would turn to Noel again.

His quill stopped at her words, and Noel looked over at her, surprised. After a second, he chuckled lightly. “Honestly, if it wasn’t going to be Kal, it would’ve been someone else,” He assured her, dipping his quill in the inkwell. “Madam Appleton’s quite talented, if she couldn’t fix him, he would’ve been sent elsewhere.” Pausing for a moment, he decided to take a chance. “Would you like to accompany me to go see him?”

That stopped Demi for a moment. The most logical answer would be for her to politely decline and do her good deed of the day by finish what was left of their assignment so that Noel could go see his injured best friend. However, the cynical part of her debated that the boy could be using Kalder as an excuse to get out of doing the work to do something else- or simply to do nothing at all. On the other hand, agreeing to his request would look odd, as her and Kal had been just mere classmates in the eyes of the world.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. “Tell you what,” she began, blue eyes focused completely on Noel now. “I’ll go visit Sigourney with you if you’re willing to pull an all-nighter to get this assignment done together. That a good deal?” This way, she wouldn’t have to do all the work herself, and she made certain that Jameson would do exactly what he said he was going to.

Darn, he secretly hoped he could have gotten out of doing the work. Still, all all-nighter with her was certainly tempting. “That sounds like a plan,” Noel would agree to her deal without rebuttal.

“Well, I guess that settles it.” Demi declared, putting away all of her belongings. Once she was done, she turned to Noel with a neutral expression. “After you.”

This could backfire on her at any time, but it was better to not dwell too much on it and simply let things go with the flow. Too late to back out now.

[Hero]

---

In all honesty, Noel wasn't quite expecting Demi to agree to go see Kalder. Admittedly, he was pleased. Sure, it would have been nice not to have to do the work, but there was nothing quite like milking sympathy points in the hospital wing. As he packed his belongings back into his bag, he figured he needed to think a bit about his next step. He hadn't gone to see Kalder yet, so he wasn't sure if he was better yet. If he looked bad, it'd be easier to get closer to her, but even if he was mad at Kalder, hoping his best friend was ill was still kind of messed up. And then if he died then Noel would probably get haunted. Probably.

Their trek to the hospital wing was quiet. Noel had nothing to say, and presumably, neither did Demi. He didn't question it, and as they reached the wing, he was surprised to see Madam Appleton wasn't around. She presumably had something else to do at the moment, but that was good news as it meant Kalder was stable enough to be left alone. As he approached the curtain, he pulled it back quietly, and was surprised to find Blake there. She was seated, her eyes pouring over notes--notes in his handwriting. She was reviewing them, although the several scratch marks meant she was also correcting them. Great.

The girl didn't bother looking up, instead scribbling something in the empty space on the bottom of the parchment. Only after she would organize everything and gently place it on Kalder's bedside did she bother looking at him. Her eyes darted to Demi for a moment, though her expression was neutral. "This is Demetria Graves. We're partners for Potions, and she's letting me see Kal before we finish our homework," Noel grinned as he introduced the two. "And this is Blake Cornell."

"A pleasure. I sincerely hope Miss Graves is the one heading your projects in Potions, as your notes indicate you'll end up with a bed next to Kal's with how you take notes," Her tongue was pretty sharp, although she would stand up. "I've gone and made the corrections. I'll tell Benjamin to let me handle them going forward."

Noel couldn't help but scowl at her. She knew how bad he was, why did she have to bring it up now in front of Demi? Instead of dwelling, however, he looked at Kalder. He didn't look too much different from when he had passed out, although he wasn't sure if that was a bad thing. "Think he'll get up soon?"

"I don't know. But his sisters have found out, and they're not happy," She stated. "You just missed them. Rosalyn in particular wants to know who's responsible."

"And here I thought Marilyn was the dramatic one," Noel rolled his eyes as Blake gathered her belongings.

"It's only because Kalder could have died," Blake pointed out. "Madam Appleton said he was lucky you were there, otherwise...anyway, whatever Rosalyn wants to do is her business, if you'll excuse me I'm heading to bed." She excused herself, nodding to Demi as she would leave the pair alone with Kalder.

So it really was that bad. Scratching the back of his head, Noel wasn't sure how to handle that news. "Bloody hell...guess Kal was right about Balthazar trying to kill him..." He muttered.

[Venus]

---

---

The walk to the hospital wing was quiet and uneventful, as it was a short distance and there wasn’t much to be said between each other. They arrived to find a dark-haired girl pouring over some parchments on Kalder’s bedside table. When she turned around, Demi recognized her as Blake Cornell -one member of Kal’s posse. She’d quietly watched the exchange between Noel and Blake, nodding when she’d been addressed and smirking when the dark-skinned female took a shot at the blond male’s ego. The smirk was wiped off her face at the mention of Kalder’s sisters- Demi knew they had a temper when it came to their only brother. To make matters worse, Blake mentioned that Kalder had been close to dying, which only made the Gryffindor all the more emotional. All the while, her eyes had been on the boy resting on the hospital bed, and only when she heard Noel mutter an accusation towards Beatrice than she turned to face him.

“Then I guess Kalder is a fucking liar, isn’t he?” Demi snapped at Noel, impulsively jumping in defense of her best friend. “Wouldn’t be the first time he lies. It was an accident. Balthazar, as you call her so distastefully, happens to be my best friend. And I can assure you that she wouldn’t hurt a fly. It’s not the kind of person she is.”

It was only after a second that Demi realize the accusation she’d just made, and the very obvious bitterness in her voice. Her paranoia and nerves were getting the best of her, causing her to speak impulsively and get herself in sticky situations. If she didn’t start keeping herself in check, hers and Kalder’s secret would be exposed. And although at one point she would have given anything for having the freedom of showing him off as hers, today she wanted the opposite. It was in the ex-couple’s best interests that their past remained buried.

Noel raised his eyebrow, a rather interested expression on his face. What was she even saying? Turning to her, he narrowed his eyes slightly. “Not that I want to contradict the evidence before us--” He motioned towards the unconscious Kalder. “--But as far as I know, Kalder isn’t a liar. I’m more interested in why you think that.” His voice was surprisingly calm--albeit more confused than anything.

“I- um-” Demi stuttered, blue eyes darting around nervously as she tried to find a way out of the quicksand she was sinking into. “I must have been confusing him with someone else. Sorry about that. It’s late and my mind’s all over the place today.” she apologized, hoping her bullshit excuse would save her sorry ass somehow.

That was as believable as Blake’s claim that her cat did not eat Benjamin’s rat. Still, if he pushed it too far, she could end up distancing herself from him. Instead, Noel would pat her shoulder. “It’s fine. If I’m being honest, it’s not that I blame Balthazar entirely for what happened,” He admitted. “None of us know where Kal’s head has been. Making rookie mistakes like that...his family is a well-known apothecary, their potions are pretty well known in Britain. So someone like him doing something careless is…” Noel hesitated, not really wanting to reveal how upset he was that his own best friend had changed.

Demi kept quiet, biting her lower lip, her eyes on her shoes. She knew very well the reason why Kalder had been acting the way he was, and it hurt her to the core to see him like this. The young woman wished she could go back in time, to wrap herself up in his embrace and his love instead of cutting off their bond. If only she’d stayed that night, Kal would be awake and thriving, and maybe -just maybe- things between them would have worked out.

Noel seemed to want to change the heavy atmosphere that had settled between them. Clearing his throat, he would instead poke Kalder’s shoulder. “Kalder, I’ve got a pretty girl here to see you,” He offered him as a joke, looking at Demi. “Maybe if you call out to him, he’ll wake up.”

Goddamnit. In Demi’s head, the scene played out with her grabbing the flower vase on Kalder’s bedside table, smashing it in Noel’s face and running off in panic. However, this was real life, and there was no purpose for doing something like that. The imaginary quicksand she was standing in was obviously still slowly swallowing her, probably now reaching her elbows. And with the way Noel was acting, she would soon disappear into it. She was so paranoid that his compliment went straight over her head as she focused only on the part where the Slytherin male suggested she talk to her secret ex-boyfriend in an attempt to wake him from his poisoned-induced slumber.

She let out a nervous little laugh that could easily pass off as her being shy or embarrassed. “I don’t really know what to say to him, though.” she said in a low voice, purposely dialing down her tone to avoid Kalder hearing her.

Mistaking her hesitation for something else, Noel would grin at her and give her a slight nudge. “Just his name. And something dumb. Like…” He leaned over Kalder. “Kal, get your lazy ass up!”

Giving Noel a hesitant look, Demi quietly made her way to the opposite side of Kalder’s bed and leaned in. Her face was inches away from his, and she had to stop herself from pressing her lips against his forehead or cheek. “K- Kalder?” she began, stumbling over her words. Referring to him by his first name -and not his last name- out loud in front of someone who didn’t have a clue about their past was awkward at best. “I… I really hope you feel better soon.” And as she gently began to comb her fingers through his blond locks, to her surprise, Kalder stirred slightly.

Noel nearly jumped as he watched Kalder groan. He was kidding, but apparently Kalder was reacting. “Demi…” He muttered. “Cakes…”

The hand caressing his hair stopped, the Gryffindor girl’s eyes as wide as saucers as she heard her old pet name coming from the unconscious man’s lips. Back when they were dating, Demi would affectionately call Kalder by ‘KalBear’: a play on the pronunciation of his name. In return, he would refer to her as his ‘DemiCakes’ due to her undying love for chocolate cauldron cakes (and pretty much all cakes in general). Sure, it was rather corny and all when they stopped to think about it, but so were they. The couple wouldn’t have it any other way.

However, she never thought that there would be a day in which her pet name would come to bite her in the ass.

She had to think fast. If she didn’t come up with something on the spot, Noel could easily become suspicious. Or worse: put two and two together and realize something was going on. Luckily, the short trip down Memory Lane made it so a stroke of inspiration hit Demi like a lightning bolt.

“Will you look at that?” Demi said quickly, turning to Noel with a fake surprised grin. “I’m pretty sure he just said ‘gimme cakes’. I guess Kalder likes cakes so much he can’t stop thinking about them.” she chuckled nervously, praying to the heavens that A) Kalder didn’t say anything more than that, B) his mumbles didn’t get any clearer or easier to understand, and C) the young man standing in front of her bought her fake-ass story yet again.

Noel burst out laughing, doing very little to control himself. “I’m not surprised, that massive sweet tooth of his is insatiable,” He tried to quiet himself down as he realized he was much too loud.

Demi breathed a sigh of relief when Noel, yet again, bought the lie she sold him. His laugh was contagious, and the young woman couldn’t hold back the amused smile that rose to her lips. Honestly? Seeing Noel in this kind of new light- concerned for his friend and joking around with her as if she were a friend of sorts- made him kind of -dare she say it?- cute.

Against her better judgement, she decided to take the daring risk of addressing Kalder yet again. “So Kalder-” Demi began, resuming her light caresses on his hair. “You say to give you cake, so what kind of cake would you want?” she teased, looking up and Noel and shooting him a mischievous wink.

How he found himself wishing he was in Kalder’s place. Noel watched them for a moment, shaking his head. To his surprise, however, Kalder had the smallest smile, probably delirious. “...cherry...flavored…” He mumbled.

Demi choked for a second, and now it was her turn to burst out laughing. Although this could mean absolutely nothing to Noel, the inside joke hiding underneath Kal’s seemingly innocent words only made him look all the more endearing in her eyes. Not only was cherry Kalder’s favorite Jolly Rancher flavor, but it was also the signature flavor of Demi’s red lip gloss. And God only knew just how much of it he’d tasted on the seven months they’d dated.

“Tell you what: as soon as you wake up, I’ll bake you a nice and tasty cherry cake. How does that sound?” she told him sweetly, a hard to miss adoring expression in her features. “So that means that the sooner you wake up, the sooner you get to have your delicious cherry cake.”

She had meant her words in a sweet way, but when she examined them in her head, they came out rather suggestively. Demi had a smirk on her face now as she thought of the dirty way Kalder would have interpreted her phrase if he’d been awake.

Noel bit his lower lip. “Figures, he’d probably like that,” He commented, although he would pause for a moment. “Have to admit, it was a joke, but...I’m starting to wonder if maybe he likes you.”

Demi scoffed. This lying thing was coming too easily to her now that she knew it could all be blamed on Kalder’s unconscious state. “I doubt it. I’m pretty sure the wealthy, pure-blooded Slytherin Quidditch captain and heir to the Sigourney fortune wouldn’t have his heart set on his rivaling American half-blooded Gryffindor captain,” she replied sarcastically, heart sinking a little as she was reminded of all the reasons why things between her and Kalder were doomed from the very start. “Any reason why you would come to that conclusion?” the girl asked innocently enough, secretly fishing for any suspicious clues that she and Kalder could be unknowingly dropping.

“He seemed annoyed that we were reassigned partners,” Noel admitted, crossing his arms with a slightly smug look. “Not that I blame him, I was pretty pleased when Professor Blackthorn informed me of the changes.”

Demi raised her eyebrows questioningly. “Were you, now? You would think that a wizard with such an honorable and prominent pureblood ancestry like yourself would be insulted to be paired with the daughter of an American construction worker, of all people.” the sarcasm was evident in her voice, purposely egging Noel on. She was never one to give a damn about people’s descents: after all, no matter the ancestry, everyone still bled the same color red if you cut them. But this Slytherin in particular loved to boast about his blood status, so she wanted to understand the reason why he seemed so pleased with his new arrangements.

It was good to know she wasn’t completely blind to his ambition. It would make things that much sweeter. “Where you come from is important, but it’s what you do that determines how the world sees you,” He explained. “It may be hard to believe, but mine is the house of ambition. It’s all about the future, not what has been.” Admittedly he stole that last part from Kalder himself, who had often put emphasis on what was to come.

Demi couldn’t help but laugh. “You are so full of shit, Jameson. Did you know that?” she teased, informing him that she was not believing a single word of his inspirational speech.

Ouch. Still, he found it amusing, lightly biting his lower lip. “Maybe you’ve changed my mind.” He would admit.

That took Demi off guard. Although she had a haughty scowl in her features now, her cheeks were the slightest shade of pink. His game was weak: she could see right through it. Was he even making an effort? “Read my previous statement.” the girl replied, once more implying that this was another of Noel’s lies. “Honestly, Jameson, I thought your seducing game was stronger than this. Are you really even trying?” She couldn’t help but smirk.

Noel stared at her for a moment, an interested expression on his face. “Is that what you think I’m doing?” He asked her curiously, his smirk matching hers. “I wouldn’t mind showing you what I’m actually capable of.”

Once again, Demi snorted. But if you looked closely, the heat on her cheeks was slightly more visible now. Her treacherous mind had decided to take her down the rabbit hole of possibilities that Noel meant by that statement, and she had to force herself to stop before her thoughts became apparent on her face. “Please. We both know that if it wasn’t for Potions class I wouldn’t give you the time of day.”

Moving closer to her, Noel leaned in, one hand on the bed. “So you’re saying I have a chance now?” He couldn’t help but tease, using her words as his own leverage.

The Gryffindor girl smirked, eyes unflinching even as her heartbeat accelerated by his closeness and the smell of his cologne. “Noel, honey: you never had any in the first place.”

That should have been the end of it. And to anyone else, it would have been a sign that things were done and over with. But when it came to girls, Noel considered himself an expert. Demi wasn’t the first, nor the last to say those words to him, and it never stopped him before. His other hand reached out to her, his index finger lightly pressing under her chin and lifting her face to him. It was a very simple gesture, but even he found himself getting lost in her eyes for just a moment as he stared down at her.

“Are you sure about that, Demetria?” He asked her, his voice somewhat husky.

If Demi’s heart had been racing moments before, the moment Noel touched her face, it went straight to cardiac arrest. Her name on his lips sounded inviting, like a mystery waiting to be discovered. And the way he was looking at her with those breathtaking blue-green eyes… She could have sworn to see sparks flying. In that instant, the defenses she had bragged about so widely had been put to the test… And they were failing.

Before either of them could properly react, Kalder shuffled and let out a cough. On instinct, Noel immediately backed away from Demi in alarm. For a split second he completely forgot about what he was doing, his eyes wide and hopeful as he looked at his friend, but unfortunately, that was all Kalder would do.

Kalder’s sudden interruption was enough to put an end to the dangerous moment that was happening between his ex-girlfriend and his best friend. Demi jumped, eyes moving away from Noel and to Kalder, hoping this was the moment he would wake up and claim her as his. Sadly, his eyes remained as closed as they had been since he’d fainted hours before. Guilt and shame at her actions immediately rose in the Gryffindor. Had she seriously been about to get involved with Noel while Kalder was passed out right there next to her?! What kind of person was she?!

Fighting back the negative feelings, Demi cleared her throat, trying to look anywhere but at Noel. Her eyes landed on the grand clock at the end of the room, and she let out a gasp. “Shit.” She muttered, turning to Noel and getting ready to act as if nothing had just happened. “I think we should get going, Jameson. It’s getting kinda late, and we’ve still got to finish the assignment.” The young woman didn’t know if spending any more time with Noel -and by themselves, at that- was a sensible idea after the little scene they’d just had. But she wasn’t about to let some silly thing like that get in the way of her N.E.W.T.s.

Back to his last name. Somewhat disappointed, Noel watched the flustered young woman for a moment, and decided to follow along. “Right, then,” He muttered with a nod, taking one last look at Kalder before walking out.

[Hero]

---

---

---

---

"I'm so sorry."

Did she really believe if she said the words enough times that he would awaken? The guilt had been killing Beatrice whether she wanted to admit it or not. And so there she was in the hospital wing, the sun barely up as she sat next to Kalder. She had his hand in hers, no longer damaged, but still unmoving. His breathing was steady, his face wasn't as pale as it was before. But he wouldn't wake, and despite Madam Appleton predicting he would be up soon, Beatrice was still too anxious. Would he blame her? Would he hate her? She always felt that he did hate her, but getting confirmation would be too much for her. How ironic, her constant claims that she despised him and loathed him, and yet here she was.

And then there were her feelings. For the most part, she had managed to ignore Caleb's cryptically annoying warning, but now that she was here she couldn't stop thinking about it. Jomana was convinced Demi had something for Noel Jameson, and the truth was that Beatrice sure hoped it was true. Not that it made things any better; Noel was a notorious playboy, charming and attractive, but with little regard to his victim's emotions. But maybe Demi could change him. Maybe things would work out.

Yeah, and while Kalder breaks into pieces, you'll be there to sweep him up, right? She mentally chastised herself. Why was she like this? Demi was her best friend. And Kalder wasn't an angel either! He was an asshole! How could she possibly still have feelings for someone like him? She outright rebutted any apologies he had for her, ignored and berated him at every given opportunity, so why? When she found out he would be her new partner, she thought it had been a second chance for them, at least as friends. But instead she saw it as a way to get close to him. And as a result, she nearly killed him.

Beatrice was trembling as she lifted his hand to her face, trying her damnest not to cry. She needed to stop overthinking everything. Taking in a deep breath in an effort to calm herself, she found herself staring at his face again. The only time she actually wanted to see his eyes closed was... The idea popped into her mind, and she absentmindedly looked around. No one was around. Dare she? It wouldn't be wrong, would it? She shuffled closer to Kalder, leaning in closely and half expecting him to jump up at any second. Her heart beat against her chest as her right hand grasped his tightly, her left hand gently pushing his bangs out of his eyes. She could steal just one. No one would know, right? Closing her eyes, she leaned in.

[Venus]

---

---

---

---

“Noel, stop! We have to go if we wanna make it to class on time!”

Demetria Graves found herself trapped away in a corner of the hospital wing’s deserted hallway, giggling in a low tone while a very enthusiastic Noel Jameson was busy kissing her neck. A few days prior to this day, Demi and Noel had found themselves alone at the library for yet another Potions assignment. By this point, the sparks that had flown between then nearly two weeks before at the hospital wing were getting far too difficult to deny. And while both parties were fully aware of it, neither had discussed it any further or made any sort of move. However, while she’d been reaching for a book at one of the furthest shelves of the library, Noel had grabbed her arm, turned her around to face him and proceed wrapped the Gryffindor in a mind-shattering kiss. And in a surprising plot twist, Demi had wrapped her arms around him and simply given in.

Although she’d spent the next day beating herself up over what she’d done, there was no doubt about where her head stood. Demi had enjoyed the kiss, finding it to light up a fire in her she thought would be gone for a while. But was it really something worth exploring, or had the thrill of it been a one-time thing? There was only one way to found out…

This time, it had been Demi who’d instigated the kiss, taking advantage of the deserted hallway they’d been walking on after another study session. The results of this test had been as expected: the sparks were still there, and growing bigger at every moment shared. By now, the pair had made a silent agreement to explore the journey they had unknowingly embarked on, little by little pushing the limits in every secret meeting. As it stood, they were 5 days into the secret liaison.

“Be honest, you don’t really want me to stop, do you?” Noel murmured against her neck, much too immersed in what they were doing and probably having completely forgotten about whatever it was they were supposed to be doing and more focused on trying to get more of a reaction out of her. His body was fully pressed against hers, as if trying to trap her and make her forget all about Kalder.

The truth was, Noel was still suspicious. Even though he should have been satisfied with how things were between them now, every now and then he would remember her reaction anytime Kalder’s name came up in conversation. While it was nice to get to know her somewhat physically (as she definitely placed her limits) he wasn’t quite getting anywhere emotionally. It was like she had this wall up and shoved him back anytime he tried to get too close. The concept was completely backwards for him: he had never had to ignore a girl’s emotional needs and go straight for the heated stuff.

Not that he was complaining right now.

“Not really, no.” Demi breathed out, a smile on her lips. Her eyes were closed, savoring the moment and the feelings. But after a few more seconds of it, she finally succeeded in prying his hands off her. “But I would rather not be caught in a situation like this, so let’s call it a day and get going.” Noticing the disappointed look in his stunning blue eyes, she kissed him softly. “We can carry on this ’conversation’ tonight if you want, after I’m done with practice. We’ve still got to study for the Potions test on Thursday.”

He had half a mind to ignore her and continue, but the promise of a later date was good enough for him. As he would decide to listen, he couldn’t help himself, and stole one last peck on her lips before fixing his collar. “Right, the test. Blackthorn is relentless; my hopes for getting that N.E.W.T. is slowly fading away,” He admitted sourly as the pair would resume their walk to the hospital wing.

Walking beside each other, Demi took Noel’s hand and stroked the back of it with her thumb in a comforting way. “We both know that’s not true. I’m not going to let you fail without a fight.” she assured him, offering him a small smile.

Noel let out a small sigh, though he was glad of her confidence. As they entered, a thought came to mind. “It’s not that I don’t understand, it’s more the practical that tends to get me, I have a hard time remembering--” He began to explain himself, though the sight before them would put an immediate halt to both his words and his actions. “Well then…”

Demi, who had been quietly listening to Noel’s explanation, found herself stopping in her tracks at the same time he did. The pair had stumbled on a scene straight out of Demi’s nightmares, but at the same time even worse than anything her mind could make up. In front of them, face bowed down in Kalder’s direction as if she had every intent on placing her lips on his, was none other than Beatrice Balthazar. The brunette was shocked, a million emotions and thoughts running through her head. She was so absorbed in them that didn’t notice the way her knuckles whitened as she hardened her grip on Noel’s hand, nor his small ‘ow’ in response.

“Um, what the hell are you doing?” Demi asked bluntly, her unusually cold voice a little shaky, blue eyes narrowed suspiciously at her best friend.

Beatrice jumped, immediately releasing Kalder’s hand as she looked back. She was caught in action, it seemed. Her first reaction would have been to scream, but the sight of seeing both Demi and Noel together resulted in a rather confused expression. Noel seemed entirely amused, Demi on the other hand was seething. Her mind was a blank for a moment, unable to come up with an excuse.

Against his better judgment, Noel pitied Beatrice. “It looks like she was trying to plant one on him,” He said slowly. “I’m sure there’s...an explanation?” There was no explanation, it was as clear as day she had been caught in the act.

Demi scoffed, turning to Noel with a disbelieving expression. “Are you fucking blind? Or are you pretending to be blind? There’s, like, not a single fucking doubt in my mind about what the fuck was going on here.” Her tone was much too confrontational for her own good, but she was so blinded by anger that her actions were not exactly being the most coherent ones. After all, in Noel’s mind, she didn’t know Kalder as anything more than her classmate, Quidditch rival and ex-Potions partner.

Demi’s words seemed to snap Beatrice back to reality as she would stand, but rather than shame, she sported confusion instead. She looked at Noel first, then at Demi. “Actually, I want to know what’s going on, too,” Beatrice said slowly, her gaze dropping down to their held hands. She couldn’t help but scoff. “Are you two…? You’re here to see him together? Together together?”

Realizing that she was still holding onto Noel’s hand for dear life, Demi’s eyes widened. She let go of his hand as if it had suddenly burned her, while all signs of anger and rage were replaced by stunned shock as she was basically also caught in the act.

The brunette scoffed, buying herself a little time to come up with a convincing-enough lie. “Pfffft, no,” she said confidently, flipping back a few locks of her hair. “Noel- Jameson, I mean- pretty much dragged me here for a quick visit before we go grab breakfast at the Great Hall. We were gonna use that time to go over the notes of the last Potions class. Isn’t that right, Jameson?” Demi explained, quickly shooting Noel a warning look to not dare contradict her on anything she’d just said.

Noel and Beatrice locked eyes for just a moment, seemingly to verify Demi’s words. “Right…” There was no way in hell Beatrice would believe any of that. Noel wisely decided to turn the conversation around. “I’m more interested in hearing your bad excuse, see if you can top hers.” This earned him a discreet but hard pinch in the arm courtesy of Demi.

Beatrice was offended, but unfortunately, he was right. “I--That’s--Um…” She cleared her throat, trying to think of something. “I was just...checking his hair.”

“With your mouth?”

“N-No!”

He wasn’t buying it, and with the way Demi was fuming beside him, he knew she wasn’t either. Taking a few steps forward, Beatrice wasn’t sure what he was going to do. She winced, expecting him to do something to her, but to her surprise, he stayed at arm’s length, instead pushing Kal’s hair off his face. “Don’t need to get up close and personal to do that. Want to try again?” He asked as he would step back to Demi’s side.

Demi had watched their exchange quietly, anger bubbling up inside her again. The way Beatrice was acting -all guilty and jumpy- was a clear indication that she was hiding something. It didn’t help that Noel kept adding more fuel to the flames with his questions, as if amused by the whole thing. The brunette knew that if she stood there listening to this for one more second, things were not going to be pretty. She had to intervene, now.

“Actually, Noel, would you care to give us a minute?” she told the young man standing next to her, not even bothering to excuse the use of his first name now. Eyes dead-set on Beatrice, Demi walked over to her and grabbed her by the arm. “If you would excuse us…”

With a little more force than necessary, Demi dragged Beatrice out of the hospital wing and into the hallway, stopping just outside the room’s doors. “Okay, real talk: what the fuck were you doing back there, Bea?” she began, her tone angry again, blue eyes pools of never-ending ice. “We both know that you were just about to fucking plant one on him. Why the hell was that?”

What could she even say to get herself out of this? There was nothing she could say to change Demi’s mind. “Because...because I’m in love with him,” She admitted quietly, her heart racing.

Demi was stunned, feeling as if she’d been literally stabbed in the chest. If there was something she wasn’t expecting from her best friend of all people, it was this. The confession had left her speechless, unable to move or think straight. It was after a few long seconds that the brunette finally found her voice, and only after a few more was she able to finally speak out.

“Is this some kind of joke? Because if it is, it’s not a very funny one.” Demi said, trying to wrap her head around the words she’d said. She locked eyes with Beatrice now, searching the blonde’s ones for any sign of a bluff. “This better be a fucking joke, Bea, because if it’s not, I fucking swear to God I-” she trailed off, deciding to not go into detail about the different gruesome scenarios going through her head at the moment.

“You’ll what?” Beatrice asked, surprisingly less nervous. “Well, let’s see what you’re going to do, then, because it’s not a joke.” She wasn’t sure she understood Demi anymore, and with a clearer head, things were snapping into place. “You waltz in there to see your ex while having your hand in someone else’s and think that you still own Kalder? Is that it?”

“We both know that I had no fucking say in what happened between Kalder and I,” Demi began, furious at the fact that she had to explain this yet again to the backstabbing ‘best friend’ that was supposed to know this story by heart by now. “It didn’t end because we’d lost feelings for each other. He cut things off with me before the summer, and you know why? Because he’s getting fucking married to some cunt his parents set him up with once he graduates. So if you were just quietly biding your time until he was done with me to make your move, guess what? Joke’s on you, because at the end of the day, he still belongs to someone else that’s neither you or me.” She took a breath before plowing onward. “But if you still want to give it a try, be my guest. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. At this point, fuck Kalder, fuck you, and fuck everything. You guys seem to be perfect for each other. I wish you guys the best.” she concluded sarcastically, rising to her full 5’9” height before walking off.

However, she turned back to Beatrice halfway. “Oh, and by the way, the answer is yes: I’m fucking Noel Jameson, if that makes you feel any better. If you don’t tell on me, I won’t tell on you. That’s about as big as a peace offering as I can make. I promise that, if you accept, this conversation ends here.”

Beatrice was completely speechless. She couldn’t even find the words to respond, forcing herself to nod instead. Biting down on her lower lip to keep it from trembling, she couldn’t talk, instead choosing to leave, though it quickly turned into a run.

Taking Beatrice’s nod as a confirmation, Demi spun on her heel and stormed off in the opposite direction. She was no longer hungry, nor did she care about attending class anymore. All the young woman wanted was a place in which she could yell and scream and let out all the anger that was currently coursing through her veins.

A pair of footsteps quickly ran to her, grabbing her wrist and halting her in her tracks. “Where are you going?” A voice asked her, making sure he had a tight grip on her.

Demi turned furiously to face the person who had the audacity to approach the beast, and found herself staring at Noel through red-colored vision. “What does it matter to you?” she spat, glaring at him as she struggled to free herself from his grip.

What the hell? “If it didn’t matter, I wouldn’t have caught you,”He said, searching her face for an answer. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Noel, please. I really don’t wanna talk about it.” she replied, surprising herself with how whiny her voice sounded, as if she would fall apart if he pressed her any further. “I just wanna be left alone.”

“Do you really want to be left alone right now?” He asked her, his grip now more gentle. “I don’t like to see you like this.”

As much as she wanted to believe his intentions were sincere, she just couldn’t bring herself to. After all, this was Noel Jameson she was talking about: the Slytherin Casanova. “If you’re looking to take advantage of me for a quick fuck right now, Jameson, you better stop before you earn yourself a bed next to Sigourney,” she said defensively, hoping that his true intentions would show now.

Noel stared at Demi rather sternly, releasing her hand. “That’s not funny,” He replied, his voice low. “Kalder has been out for two weeks. I just wanted to make sure you were fine.”

At the mention of Kalder, Demi’s anger flared right back up. She was being irrational now, but there was no stopping the beast once she was out of her cage. “Can someone please explain to me what’s the big deal with Sigourney?” she cried out, voice slightly raised now. “Everybody treats him with such damn reverence, as if he was the biggest thing to grace this Earth and us mortals. But he’s not as perfect as you people paint him to be, you know? He’s really a- a-…” Demi trailed off, unable to say what she really wanted to say. Her lower lip began to quiver for a few seconds before she suddenly burst into tears.

As she cried, Noel started to feel really bad for her. How was he going to admit that everyone was on bad terms with Kalder? Telling her how things really were didn’t seem right, at least not until she was calmer. But all that seemed so insignificant as the tears rolled down the poor girl’s cheeks.

Shaking his head and expecting retaliation, Noel took a hold of Demi, wrapping her in his arms. “Just let it all out,” He said.

To Demi’s surprise, she found herself wrapped in the arms of by Noel Jameson. If there was anyone she expected to find herself in this situation with, it certainly wasn’t him. After all, he’d always been vocal about how he regarded half-bloods like her below purebloods like him, and it was common knowledge that he didn’t like to associate himself with those he considered of a lower class. Yet here he was, publicly embracing and comforting her, without a care in the world about who did or didn’t see them. In this simple gesture, Noel had done more than Kalder had ever done in seven months of dating… This thought brought yet another wave of sobs from the distraught Gryffindor.

She didn’t know how long they stood there, arms wrapped around each other, until she’d finally composed herself enough to face him. Her beautiful face was stained with tears, her red-rimmed eyes puffy. It certainly wasn’t her best moment, but that was the least of her worries.

“I- I honestly don’t feel like going to class today,” she confessed, looking up at Noel with still-sad eyes.

Taking her hand in his, he nodded. “Okay,” He said simply. “Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”

[Hero]

---

---

---

---

No matter what she did, Beatrice couldn't quite control her sobbing. Huddled in the corner of an empty classroom, the girl had sat down and cried her eyes out after running away. She had known she was in the wrong and she effectively ruined her relationship with her best friend. Still, being on the receiving end of Demi's wrath was more than she could handle, her words still biting into her conscious. Beatrice should never have said or done anything. She shouldn't have gone to see Kalder alone, she shouldn't have admitted her feelings to Demi, she shouldn't have tried to throw things back in Demi's face when she did.

As she heard the door open, she tried to catch her breath, though she swore there wouldn't be a class in here for a while. Caleb walked into the classroom, placing his bag down. He looked exhausted, so deep in thought he didn't notice her. "Now what...?" His words came out in a mumble meant for himself, and as he ran his hands through his hair, she noticed his agitation. He turned towards the window, jumping as he finally noticed her. "Beatrice?"

"Wh-What's wrong?" Her voice came out in a stutter despite finally halting her crying.

"I should be the one asking you that," He said as he knelt down, frowning.

Shaking her head, she felt the tears come back with a vengeance, but she forced herself to stay steady. "Just worried about Kalder," She lied.

For the first time in a long time, he seemed to completely buy it. "You can't keep beating yourself up about it," He said, patting her shoulder. "It was an accident."

"I've just been a horrible friend," She admitted. "And now..."

"Things will be fine," He assured her as he would stand. He offered his hand to her, pulling her up to her feet once she put her hand in his. "There's still some time before your next class, why don't we go see him together?"

There was no way she could face Demi again. Her and her new boyfriend. He was so damn smug, it made her angry to think of Noel with the way he made fun of her. "No, I'll go see him later," She said, cleaning her face. "You go. I need to try to finish some homework."

Caleb stared at her for a moment, his eyes seemingly looking for something. She braced herself, expecting him to try to get the truth out of her, but to her surprise, he nodded. "I'll look for you later, then," He said, patting her back once more as he grabbed his bag.

She hesitated for a moment. "Hey, um, is everything okay?" She couldn't help but ask him.

For a second, he looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind at the last moment. "I'm fine. I'll catch you later."

---

---

---

---

"I... I love you, Kal. I really hope you feel better soon.”

The hazy voice was so sweet and familiar, like a drop of sunshine on the shithole that was his time at Hogwarts so far. He wanted to hear it more, he wanted to hear those words again, the light of the room bright and warm. Was he in heaven? If Demi was there, it may have been. He wanted to see her so badly, in his delusion he kept thinking he could see and hear her everywhere.

"Kalder? Can you hear me?"

"Demi...?" He croaked, his throat dry.

As he opened his eyes, expecting the image of a beautiful girl, Kalder was massively disappointed by the brown haired boy sitting on his bed, seemingly trying to gnaw on something. Caleb grinned at him, lightly patting his leg. He must have been dreaming, he thought Demi had come to see him. Where was he? As he slowly came to his senses, pain set in; his pounding head, his aching hands. He could see a curtain drawn around his bed, but even if he couldn't look around, he realized he was in the hospital wing. "Good morning," Caleb told him brightly.

Still morning? He had a feeling that wasn't the case. "Did Beatrice finally get me?" He asked, his voice raspy.

"Indeed," The darker haired boy motioned towards Kalder's hands.

His blue eyes widened immensely as he looked at his hands, the pain numbed by his shock. "She really is trying to kill me," Kalder mumbled, admittedly impressed. It was starting to come back to him--the potions lesson, bickering between the pair, and then him passing out. If Beatrice was going to off him, he thought she'd curse him, but no, she used his greatest strength against him. In a twisted way, it was fitting. Still, even a mishap like that wouldn't leave him bedridden. "I feel like crap."

"Madam Appleton said if you had just come once you got burned, you would have been fine," Caleb said, helping him sit up. "But seeing as you're malnourished, dehydrated, and just treating your body the way a hippogriff treats its dung, the poison worked its way up much faster than expected."

Poisoned? Fucking hell, he knew it had been bad but he never would have imagined getting poisoned by their draught. How embarrassing...but he remembered he wasn't the only one that had gotten burned. "What about Beatrice?" He asked, clearing his throat.

"You forced her to come here right away, remember?" Caleb said, popping a strange, rectangular candy into his mouth.

It took Kalder a moment to recognize what Caleb was eating. "That's...a jolly rancher," He was crestfallen, immediately reminded of the ones Demi used to give him. But it was a strange coincidence that Caleb brought them, he knew Caleb was Muggleborn, too, but he preferred chocolate, this much he remembered. "Where did you get that?"

Caleb motioned towards the open package on the small table next to him. Kalder's heart skipped a beat, his aching hand grasping at the bag, the words 'get well soon' torn in half by the opening Caleb likely created. Demi knew those were his favorite, a Muggle candy she had given him in an attempt to soothe his massive sweet tooth. She used to love giving them to him, enjoying the look on his face as he tried the different flavors. What he never tried to admit was that he especially liked the cherry ones, they reminded him very much of the cherry flavored lip-gloss Demi used to wear.

Before that thought could get off the ground, Rosalyn would draw the curtain back, a worried expression on her face. "Oh thank goodness, you're awake," She immediately came to his side, sitting opposite of Caleb, though she realized she was sitting across an unfamiliar face. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met," She said to Caleb, introducing herself. Great, Kalder just woke up and already he felt guilty that his sister didn't know his close friend. "I'm his older sister, Rosalyn."

"Caleb Sophen, a pleasure Miss Sigourney," He replied politely.

She smiled back at him, then turned back to Kalder. "I came last night but you were still asleep, I asked Professor Geraldine if I could be late to class today so I could come see you. How are you feeling?" She asked, concerned.

Seeing the candy actually made him feel a lot better. It meant Demi was here, or at the very least, if Caleb was the messenger, that she had thought of him. But it was nice to see his sister worried about him, given the situation. "It looks worse than it is," He told her.

Caleb chuckled to himself, shaking his head at Kalder in disappointment. Before he could ask, he saw Rosalyn sigh in relief. "Good..." She smiled sweetly, both her index fingers and thumbs reaching out and pinching both of his cheeks as hard as she could. "Then why was I informed that you haven't been taking care of yourself?!" She yelled as she pulled on his cheeks, his weak arms doing little to pry her off him.

"Ah--Stop--Rosa--I'm--Sorry--!" Kalder was powerless to stop her, his face hurting as she released him. "I've just been stressed!"

"Classes have just begun, how can you be so stressed you forget to eat?!" Rosalyn was in full big sister mode at this point, and boy was she angry. Why were all the females in his life always so angry? "Marilyn was hysterical when she found out you were here! And Amelie hasn't been able to concentrate on her schoolwork because of you! You're so damn selfish, you think you can just do that and have no consequences? You're supposed to be the one taking care of Amelie when we graduate, how can I trust you to do that when you can't even take care of yourself?!"

Even as she yelled, Kalder found himself smiling at her. Caleb had been right, this entire time he had all but given up, even when he had his family here. He really was stupid. "I'm sorry, I guess I wanted you to take care of me a little longer." He teased her.

She didn't take kindly to the joke, scowling at him instead. "Yeah, you're fine if you're making stupid comments like that," She growled.

"In my defense, my classmate poisoned me."

Caleb snorted again. As she turned her scathing look to him, he shrunk back. "Ah, my apologies."

Rosalyn shook her head at him, although the three would find themselves in new company as the curtain was drawn back once more, the dark haired Deva stepping in. "Thank goodness, you're finally up," She said, sighing in relief.

Kalder guessed he had a lot more visitors than he had anticipated. He grimaced slightly as she took a seat right next to him, probably to get as close as possible. "Don't jump on him, he's still weak," Rosalyn warned her, visibly annoyed.

"I was worried sick!" The dark haired girl whined, nuzzling Kalder's cheek with hers. "You're alright now, right?"

He would be a lot better if she wasn't all over him. "Please, stop," He said.

Pouting, the young woman would do as he said, seated on the bed and gently stroking his arm. Rosalyn watched the pair, uninterested, although she would look at Caleb. "I don't recognize your last name, where is your family from?" She asked.

"Probably because I'm Muggleborn," Caleb replied in earnest. "Though they reside in Manchester, if you were curious."

She seemed surprised--they always were when Caleb revealed his heritage--but she stayed polite. "How nice," She said, nodding. "I hear it's a lovely city."

Deva, on the other hand, was less than impressed, raising an eyebrow at him. Kalder glared at her, but it was too late. "How can you be a Seer if you're Muggleborn?" The question itself was innocuous enough, but her tone made her hostility clear. "That ability is rather rare to be given to Muggles."

To Kalder's surprise, Caleb's smile turned frosty. "My fame preceeds me, guess I got lucky, those confusing visions were a blessing in disguise for a non-magical family like mine," He said cheerfully, unintentionally revealing a rather sour button was pushed. "To think that a mere Muggleborn such as myself was given something with no prior consent."

"Saying you're lucky is certainly one way of putting it," She replied.

No, Kal wasn't going to just sit here and listen to this bullshit. "He's brilliant regardless of his heritage," He said, pushing her hand away. "Don't get so jealous."

"Jealous of what? I can trace my family's bloodline for generations," She scowled at him.

"All that blood, and you still struggle with your grades. What a shame," Kalder shook his head at her. "If you go and make something of yourself, then I'll be impressed."

Fuming, Deva would get up and march out of the hospital wing. Rosalyn shook her head, though she, too, would stand, giving Kalder a kiss on his forehead. "I'll come back later with the girls," She told him lovingly, touching his cheek before she would take her leave as well.

"It must be hard being so popular," Caleb grinned at him as he got more comfortable. "I appreciate you coming to my defense."

"I should've done that a long time ago."

Caleb placed his hand over his heart, touched. "Careful, Nathan, or I'll fall in love with you, too." He chuckled.

"It's not funny, Caleb, I'm serious," He sighed as he tried to relax, but everything just hurt. His left hand held the bag of candy close to him, the plastic an odd comfort. He wished Demi was here. "I'm sorry if I worried you as well."

"You worry me for different reasons, but I'll take the apology," He replied, crumbling up the wrappers of the candies he had already eaten. "I do want you to stay as relaxed as possible, being asleep for so long means you could hurt yourself if you move too suddenly."

"Didn't think a few hours would do so much damage," He muttered as he carefully shifted himself to be more comfortable.

Caleb grinned again. "Try a few weeks."

"What?!"

[Venus]

---

---

Well they thought they were made for each other
Only thinking of one another
Never thinking just for one second
She would take a different attraction

---

---

“I’ll see you tonight, yeah?”

Demi and Noel stood in front of the castle’s double doors, arms wrapped around each other in a sweet embrace. They had their eyes locked on each other, a complicit stare being shared. They’d spent the better part of the day together, opting to skip a few classes to distract Demi and at the same time get to know each other a little more. However, hunger had eventually struck, and the pair had decided to return to the castle for some lunch. In their talks, they had decided that it would be best to keep their tryst under wraps, more so for educational reasons than caring about what people would say. This is why they were saying their goodbyes now, away from prying eyes, before walking into the castle acting as if they were nothing more than classmates.

"Of course," Came Noel's response, a very sly smile on his face.

Demi smiled, giving the young man one last peck on the lips before walking back to the castle, making a beeline for the Great Hall. She’d made it just in time for the final half-hour of lunch, and after taking a seat at the Gryffindor table immediately began to fill her plate with whatever appetizing food selection was near her. The brunette was halfway through her meal when a very familiar person took a seat next to her… And from the corner of her eye, Demi could see that they look less than pleased.

“So…” Jomana began, looking intently at Demi, as if waiting for her friend to speak.

“So... “ Demi repeated, playing dumb and still pretending to be focused on eating her meal.

“I just happened to be walking back to the castle after my Care of Magical Creatures class, right?” the Indian girl said, filling up her plate with mashed potatoes and chicken. “And as I was halfway to the double doors, I see Noel Jameson getting very cozy with this brown-haired girl, who just so happened to be wearing a Gryffindor cloak.”

Demi turned to Jo with a fake surprised expression. “Really?” she asked her friend, pretending to be shocked. “I didn’t know Noel was into Gryffindors. I thought he stuck to the girls in his own house.” she replied, turning her attention back to the last bits of her food.

Jomana’s eyes narrowed to a scowl. “So he is no longer Jameson now?” she asked in a stern tone, keeping her eyes on Demi as if trying to gauge her reaction. When the American girl didn’t answer, Jo let out a deep sigh. “Just be honest with me, Demetria. Are you dating Noel Jameson: yes or no?”

Knowing that it was best to accept defeat and get the scolding over with, Demi gave an exasperated sigh before looking back at Jo straight in the eyes. “I wouldn’t exactly call it dating…” she began, tucking a strand of wavy hair behind her ear uncomfortably. “We’re sorta just… Seeing each other. Feeling things out, you know?”

“So you are sleeping with him.”

Demi’s cheeks immediately flared up. “It’s not like that!” she interjected, pushing away all thoughts of what had gone on between her and Noel earlier. “We’re just, like, talking and stuff.”

“And stuff…” Jomana repeated, shaking her head. “Whatever lets you sleep at night, Demetria. Just… Please be careful, okay? You just went through all of this drama with Sigourney, and to get involved with Jameson and his shady reputation… It is just… I do not know. I do not want you to get hurt again.”

Demi appreciated her best friend’s concern, but why did people always seem to think she wasn’t capable of dealing with her own issues by herself?! “I know, Jo, and I love you for it. But just have a little bit more faith in me, okay? I know what I’m doing, and I can take care of myself. I promise I won’t get in over my head,” the brunette told her best friend, a small smile on her lips. Although Jomana smiled back as a sign that she took Demi’s word, the Indian looked distraught, as if she was having a hard time holding something back. “What is it, Jo?”

Now it was Jomana’s turn to avoid her best friend’s gaze. “It is nothing… I do not think it is the best time to bring it up…” Jo trailed off, purposely looking in the opposite direction.

Stubborn as always, Demi pressed on. “Oh, no you don’t, Jomana Khair! If I had to come clean, you have to come clean also! What are you hiding from me?”

It took Jomana some time to muster up the courage to look Demi in the eyes and say: “Sigourney’s awake. I came across Caleb in the hall earlier, and he told me about it. I tried to communicate with you earlier, but you were not in your classes, so I figured you already knew and were visiting him...” she trailed off, noticing the look on Demi’s face.

Meanwhile, the American girl’s face looked as if her whole world had come crashing down. Just when she thought things were getting better, then came this hit… For Demi, the fact that Kalder happened to wake up on the day she and Noel had bonded was a test from the Universe to make sure of where she stood. She had two options: return to the past, to fight for a love that would ultimately never truly belong to her; or embrace her present, by enjoying the company of a handsome acquaintance with no strings attached.

She’d fought for her relationship Kalder many times before, and all she’d gotten in return was a broken heart. This time, she would put herself and her happiness first. And if this happiness happened to be with Noel Jameson and not Kalder in the picture, then that’s the way it was going to be. It was Kal’s turn to fight for what he believed in… If he believed in anything at all.

The decision was a clear one. Demetria’s fate was set.

Her face was calm and collected, which was surprising for a girl who’d just made up her mind to stop fighting for her first love. “What happened between me and Kalder is past, and that’s where it shall stay. I wish him nothing but the best in his recovery and the rest of his life.” she informed Jomana, her tone cool and determined. In all honesty, the words being spoken were more for herself than anyone else.

Having said this, the brunette stood up, taking the last swig of her pumpkin juice before flinging her bag over her shoulder. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a class to attend.” she told Jo, giving her friend a parting hug before she trudged off to her lesson, mind made up even if her heart was aching.

[Hero]

---

---

---

---

Having barely paid attention during her classes, Beatrice had opted out of lunch, instead going to the library to study. She was proud of herself; she figured her downcast mood would affect her work, but she found that focusing on school and not her emotions proved to be fruitful. She managed to get everything she needed to accomplished, although it may have been too ambitious as when she decided to get some extra studying in, her thoughts would once again float over to Kalder. It was funny, she had decided to repress her feelings for him for so long, and now they came pouring out like spilled water. She wasn't entirely sure how she had managed to do it, but now he seemed to plague her every waking moment. How she wished she could just take her heart out and throw it into the lake. It certainly would have made things simpler, and maybe she wouldn't have had to carry such a guilty conscience.

Running her hand through her hair, she figured she had just enough time to grab food before her next class. At this point, however, she realized she had made a mess of books and paper around her. As she would begin to organize herself, she would catch a dark haired girl looking around. Beatrice recognized her from a few classes from last year, although she couldn't quite remember her name off the top of her head. It seemed she found what she was looking for, however, at the table across from hers. There sat Blake Cornell, a very studious Slytherin who mostly kept to herself. She wasn't exactly the most pleasant person, but was usually polite enough.

The visitor threw herself onto one of the empty chairs across from Blake, decidedly staring her down. Whether Blake didn't notice her or was deliberately ignoring her, Beatrice wasn't sure, but the other girl was looking annoyed. After a few moments, she finally decided to make her precense known. "Don't you ever get bored of doing nothing but homework?" The girl asked her.

To Beatrice's amusement, Blake didn't even bother looking up from her homework; so she had been ignoring her. "And good day to you as well. I have big plans for my life, and those plans require perfect grades, Deva," Blake responded as she would continue to write. "If I'm going to be doing nothing but paperwork for the rest of my life, I may as well get a head start on it now."

Deva pouted at Blake, although she would sit up properly now that she had her attention. Her painted nails tapped the table rapidly as she donned a more thoughtful expression on her face. "Can I ask you something?" She asked, her voice low.

"Even if I said 'no', you would continue, so go ahead," Blake replied as she would close her textbook, pushing it aside as she would grab another book and flip it open.

She would scowl at Blake's inattention, although she would decide to continue. "How do you get a guy's attention?" She inquired, seemingly trying to play it off as an innocent question.

Beatrice decided she didn't really want to hear this conversation. Her notes were now organized, but as she would begin to stuff them into her bag, Blake's response got her attention. "You mean, 'how do I get Kalder's attention'?" Blake answered Deva's question with another question. "For one, I would personally avoid hanging myself all over him, he actually likes his personal space."

Deva didn't seem to understand at first. "No, it's just...I'm beautiful, I'm intelligent, I have boys throwing themselves at my feet, our families get along well, and he still won't give me the time of day!" She whined, crossing her arms in frustration. "It's unfair!"

"You're also vain, clingy, self-absorbed, you don't get along with any of his sisters--who mean more to him than anyone in the world--and you make no effort to actually get to know him," Blake replied without skipping a beat. Beatrice had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing out loud, feigning a cough so she wouldn't get their attention. "You're basically just using him as a status symbol, isn't that what you want?"

Staring at Blake, Deva shrugged. "It just bothers me that he's never happy to see me," She admitted, displeased.

"From his point of view, you're going to end up spending the rest of your lives together. What more do you want?"

Beatrice's heart seemed to skip a beat once Blake spoke. Wait, so this was the girl Kalder was engaged to? But anytime she saw that girl with him, he would either run away or get agitated. Which means Kalder doesn't like her...so his heart is... The thought popped into her mind almost immediately, though she felt a pit form in her stomach. Which means...

"True...He's my ticket to glory," Deva's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Once we're married I'll be on top of the wizarding world. That being said, it helps that he's fairly popular around here, and I love the look I get when I'm hanging off his arm. The looks of envy just drive me wild, you know?"

"So on top of all that you want his attention, too?" Blake echoed Beatrice's thoughts.

"It wouldn't kill him to smile every once in a while, he's always scowling at me!" She insisted. "It's hard enough to get him to go anywhere with me! I'm basically his girlfriend!"

At her comment, Blake would finally stop what she was doing, looking at Deva very seriously. "Except you aren't. You're the girl his parents want him to marry for whatever reasons they decided on. He didn't choose you out of emotion, you were chosen for him," Blake's words were cold at this point. "I'm not going to pretend I understand the arrangement between your families, but you can't have your cake and eat it, too. I suggest at least trying to understand him, otherwise you'll find you won't be getting his attention anytime soon."

Deva's own stare became hard as Blake slammed the truth of the situation onto her. Apparently, hearing the truth displeased her. At this point, Beatrice decided that she had had enough, picking up her bag and walking out of the library. Her heart was racing at this point, her mind a jumble of emotion and hope and hesitation and--that conversation between Blake and Deva had cemented what Beatrice wanted to do. If Demi closed the door on her and Kalder's relationship, then fine. But Beatrice wasn't going to give up. She still had a chance, and if anything this was a sign for her.

---

---

---

---

Surrounded by his sisters, Kalder was in the middle of gratefulness and regret. Amelie was so happy to see him and was excitedly telling him about her lessons, which he found himself enjoying. Marilyn, on the other hand, was overly emotional and had to be calmed down by Madam Appleton. Apparently the fact that Kalder was not quite ready to spring onto his feet just yet was too much for her, though she was assured that this would likely be his last night. Moving was getting easier as the day went by, but he had to admit, it was nice to have his sisters tend to his every need. Amelie sat at his side with the twins seated around them, all listening to Amelie babble away.

"--And then I finally got it on my fourteenth try!" Amelie concluded the tale of her thrilling Transfiguration class. "I think I should study more, though."

Kalder nodded, impressed. "Just do your best, you're already brilliant," He assured her, watching her beam in delight. "Everything will fall into place."

Rosalyn watched her siblings, deep in thought. Marilyn sniffled, although she was in control of her tears for once. She prodded Rosalyn, noticing her expression. Letting out a sigh, Rosalyn decided to speak. "Mother wants to know how you are doing," She stated, watching as a veil of seriousness fell over them all. Letting out a groan, she shook her head. "Don't make those faces, that's our mother!"

Clucking his tongue, Kalder raised an eyebrow at her. "It wouldn't do if her 'ticket to glory' died, now would it?" He said bitterly. "You can tell her I'm alive."

"It's not like that," Rosalyn insisted as Amelie buried her face in Kalder's shoulder. "We've been writing to one another, she's concerned for you."

Kalder couldn't quite agree with that statement. His mother was too selfish to care for him as a person, this he was completely convinced of. This would be Rosalyn's first strike--as he often found that for whatever reason she had a tendency to hit all his anger buttons in rapid succession. "I don't want to get into this again, Rosa."

"Kal--"

"I'm serious. I'm not talking about this anymore."

The group fell quiet after that. Rosalyn would break it with an exasperated sigh, shaking her head at him. "All I am saying is that just as you told Amelie, everything will fall into place. I know you weren't thrilled about the engagement, but I think you're overreacting."

And there was the second strike. He hated it whenever she would bring it up.

"The Erebus family has an arm in international affairs," Rosalyn reminded him. "It's going to lead to good things for everyone."

"Because our family is so lacking in wealth, was that ruby encrusted hairbrush you received for your birthday not fine enough for you?"

Rosalyn couldn't help but glare at him. Marilyn looked at the two, already knowing what was coming. "Rosa, stop. He's been through enough as it is, you don't need to keep bringing it up," She said, frowning.

"He's being a selfish brat is what he is," Rosalyn snapped back. "Get your head out of your arse and think about the big picture for once."

"You know, that's really easy to say considering if it were you in this position, you'd be throwing the biggest tantrum until Father would get involved," Kalder replied dryly. "There is no big picture if my future is being chosen for me."

"You're getting married, outside of that you can do as you please."

No, he couldn't. Unlike the rest of his family, he wanted a house full of love, not one where he would dread going home or having to flinch anytime his mother walked into the room. The very last thing he wanted was for history to repeat itself, he wanted to be better than them. But his engagement was also a very sore topic that Rosalyn kept trying to push. He thought that maybe it had some good intentions, but the way she went about it just got him more frustrated with the situation.

Their conversation was interrupted when the curtain moved, a breathless Beatrice walking in. She hesitated as four pairs of blue eyes eyed her with curiosity. But for her, there was only one person she wanted to see. "You're awake," She seemed relieved, slowly smiling.

Kalder found himself returning her smile. "You're happy about that?" He asked jokingly, although he had caught himself much too late.

All three of his sisters immediately caught his statement, much to his regret. Rosalyn in particular didn't seem too happy; the older blonde haired girl would stand, her full height to her advantage as she approached Beatrice. "So you're the reason my little brother is bedridden," She stated, her voice venomous. "How do you fuck up so badly that you manage to poison the best potions master in his grade, hmm?"

Oh no. Beatrice immediately went on the defensive, her own hostility rising. "It was an accident. They happen," Ah, this could become very chaotic very quickly.

Amelie threw Kalder a look as he decided to try to diffuse the situation before anything happened. "Rosa, relax," He said, trying to sit up. Of course, that effort made things worse, as a sharp pain surged through his chest. He wasn't quite able to hide how much pain that one movement did, and he quickly laid back down with Marilyn's help.

"He can't even get up, do you have any semblance of shame? Or are you proud of it?" Marilyn snapped at Beatrice.

"Oh please, you have no idea who I am," Beatrice huffed.

"Oh, I know who you are, Balthazar," Rosalyn was quick to throw it back. "You've been after my brother for years, did you think I wouldn't notice the way you treat him? So now you get a chance at hurting him on 'accident'--which I find very peculiar considering that getting into Blackthorn's N.E.W.T. level class means you can't possibly be so dimwitted--and you think you can get away with it? Believe me, if I so desire it, I can make your life a living hell. You have no idea who I am, child."

"You're being much too annoying for my taste, Rosalyn," Kalder interjected, his patience wearing thin as his voice was raised.

Amelie jumped off of Kalder's bed, grabbing both her sisters by the arm. "It's time to go," She stated, pulling both of them away from Beatrice, much to their displeasure.

The twins glared daggers at Beatrice, who stood firm. Once Amelie successfully led them out of the hospital wing, Kalder leaned back against the pillows, a hand over his face. He stole a glance at Beatrice, who had been looking at him. He opened his arms, looking away from her. In response to her confused look, he would say, "Now is your chance to finish me off with no witnesses."

Beatrice huffed, punching his chest in response. "That isn't funny!" She said, although she would take a seat on the chair next to him. "I came to apologize."

Kalder returned her stare for a moment. Maybe now would be a good chance for him to apologize, it worked with Caleb, so why not? "Actually...you don't owe me anything," He frowned at her. "I know it's probably too late, but...I'm sorry."

She looked confused once more, dragging her chair a little closer to him. "I don't understand." She admitted.

"I spoke with Caleb earlier, and I guess I realized that I haven't exactly owned up to my issues," He admitted. "We were friends, and you had every right to hate me like you did."

Beatrice looked at her hands for a moment, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. "...I don't hate you," She admittedly slowly. "I just...felt betrayed. I mean, I know I'm brash and--and sometimes I let my temper get the best of me, but...I thought we were friends at the time, and to see you say otherwise was difficult."

"I'm sorry." His apology hung in the air for a moment as Beatrice seemed content at staring at her own lap. Kalder leaned towards her, wondering why she hadn't said anything yet. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were on the bag of candy Demi had left for him. "Want one?" He asked, reaching for the bag.

Taking in a breath, she put on a smile. "Are those from Caleb?" She asked him, politely declining his offer with a shake of her head. "I wasn't aware you liked Muggle sweets, my father brought me those once from his trip to America--" Her words came to a halt almost immediately, an understanding washing over her. Clearing her throat, she nodded instead. "They're--um, they're good."

Kalder agreed, smiling softly, though he frowned as he noticed Beatrice's nervous expression. "What's wrong?"

Forcing herself to look at him, Beatrice's smile wavered. "Um...Noel hasn't--hasn't passed by, has he?" She asked, suddenly nervous.

"I reckon they'll pass by later on, why?" She seemed to be struggling with something, but the jump from sweets to Noel was too suspicious. "What is it, Beatrice?"

Taking in a deep breath, it seemed she made up her mind to tell him, even if she looked jittery enough that she could fall off her chair at any moment. "Just that--there's this rumor going around...N-Not that you would know..." She mumbled, though after a few seconds she steadied herself, a more determined look on her face. "]For all that 'blood is important' crap Noel likes to spew, he's apparently been spotted with someone 'not of his status'."

Great, Noel had another victim under his wing. "Who's the unfortunate one?" Kalder asked.

Beatrice looked him right in the eye. "It's Demetria Graves."

How three little words were enough to knock the wind out of him. There was no hiding his shock, a surge of hurt and rage almost overwhelming him. He had to tear his gaze away from Beatrice, his mind racing. There was no way Noel was with Demi. She was much too smart to fall for his tricks, too clever to be manipulated by him. Demi wasn't some easy trick Noel could sink his hands into easily. The very thought was enough to make a nervous laugh escape him, his denial burying him alive.

"I found it hard to believe, too," Beatrice whispered, a dissatisfied look on her face now.

Clearing his throat, Kalder tried to regain his composure. "So is it just a rumor or is it the truth?" He asked her slowly. "You know, don't you?"

Beatrice looked back down at her lap. "I..."

"I need to know," He pleaded with her, not even trying to feign disinterest.

For a moment, Beatrice would only look at him timidly, but no words needed to be said. The way she acted, it had to be true. How could this have happened? How could he have let it happen?! Devastation seemed to take over him coupled with panic. No, he had sworn he would make things right. Demi couldn't do this to him. Why was she doing this? He wasn't entirely sure, but he needed to know details. He needed to go to the source.

Swinging his legs off the bed, Kalder forced himself off the bed. Beatrice would stand immediately, holding her arms out as he staggered for a moment. "What--you're not completely healed, you need to rest!" She urged him. Resting had only given Noel a chance to go after his girl. But as strong as his determination was, his body wasn't exactly able to keep up, and he wasn't able to prevent Beatrice from pushing him back into bed. A tranquil fury seemed to overtake him, his hand gripping the sheets as he ignored whatever bullshit Beatrice was trying to give him.

As soon as he had the chance, he would find the truth.

[Venus]

Well, was I supposed to wait for you, sweetheart?
And hide away the shame
Yes, I keep it all inside
Though the thought had crossed my mind
To do all the things I regret… And we don't want that

---

---

Two days after receiving the news of Kalder waking up, Demi was on her way to Potions class after yet another sleepless night. Her decision of leaving things in the past didn’t seem to be agreeing with the rest of her body, which was trying to rebel against her by refusing to have a good night’s sleep. For those who knew her, the brunette wasn’t very tolerant after lack of sleep, so the day had already begun in a not-so-good way. Her spirits had been lifted by some breakfast, though, and she hoped that this would be the turnaround for her day to keep improving.

Boy was she wrong.

Demetria had arrived at the dungeon five minutes before class was due to begin, making a beeline straight for the table she shared with Noel, who was already there. She took her accustomed seat next to the guy, who couldn’t help but give her one of those irresistibly sly smiles. He knew how much she liked it when he smiled like that, and how hard it was for her to simply discreetly wink at him and leave it at a polite ‘good morning’. The blond male wasn’t giving up that easily, and decided to move his arm in a way that their hands were sitting next to each other. Smirking, Demi moved her hand just enough to lock her pinkie finger with his, which earned her a wink from Noel. Ever the clown, Noel grabbed a handful of beetle eyes from his potions kit and playfully threw them at Demi. Smiling at his childish antiques, Demi grabbed a handful of them as well, intent on throwing some back. However, before she could do that, her attention was caught by the dungeon door opening and closing. The smile she’d had was quickly wiped off her face at the arrival of the one student who’s chair had been empty for what had seemed like forever.

Kalder Sigourney was making his way into the dungeon, looking as healthy as he could be considering he’d been at the verge of death neatly a month before. His face was back to his usual mask of cool and collected arrogance, which was interesting seeing as he was entering the very place he’d gotten poisoned at in the first place. But the real kicker was that he wasn’t alone… Because holding his arm was none other than Beatrice Balthazar, looking a little bit too pleased and smug to be used as a human walking stick in Demi’s opinion. Then again, the brunette knew her ex-best friend was probably living for the fact that Kalder needed her in any type of way. This did not do anything to help the American girl’s racing thoughts.

In an attempt to focus her attention elsewhere, Demi purposely kept her eyes looking pointedly in the opposite direction. Her face was now a mask of stone, in which traces of anger could be found peeking through if one knew her well enough. The beetle eyes she’d been messing around with earlier were now crushed to powder on her white-knuckled fist as she tried to channel all the raging feelings inside her into this action. By this point, her nails were making deep crescent marks on her palm, which didn’t go unnoticed by her Potions partner.

Noel looked at her, perplexed at what could cause this reaction. "What's wrong?" He asked lowly, looking down at his notes. "Did I mess something up?"

“It’s nothing. You’re fine.” she replied rather harshly, pointedly looking to her right. She refused to move her eyes to the front where Kalder and Beatrice would be in full view.

Nodding, the boy would turn his attention to the materials, although a mischievous thought crossed his mind. "No, you're fine," He whispered to her, trying to be coy.

Demi let out an exasperated sigh. “Noel, as much as I like it, I do not have time for this shit right now…” she responded, the crescents in her palm looking dangerously red now.

"Okay, but...you're going to end up in Kalder's old bed if you keep that up," Noel pointed to her hands.

The mention of Kalder was enough to trigger Demi. Her mask was now gone, the anger she was really feeling now shining through her every feature. She turned her furious blue eyes to the young man sitting next to her. “I swear to God, Noel, if you mention that name one more time the next one that’s going to be poisoned is you.” she muttered, fist now released and marked palms exposed.

"What? Why?" Now it was his turn to get annoyed. "Why is it anytime his name comes up in a conversation you have this bizarre reaction to it?"

“That’s none of your bu-” Demi had begun to spit back, but was interrupted mid-sentence.

Just then, Blackthorn decided to make his grand entrance to the dungeon, asking the students for silence and to settle down for the lesson to begin. Demi, although thankful for the interruption, was seething. Against her will, she turned her eyes to Blackthorn and the blackboard, which meant Kalder and Beatrice were now on her peripheral vision. Today out of all days, she cursed herself for getting Noel as a partner instead of someone -as much as she hated to say it- better. She knew it wasn’t safe to trust the guy to take notes without making mistakes, but if she was forced to keep looking forward things were not going to have a happy ending for anyone involved.

“You copy the notes on the blackboard, I’ll take care of what’s being said.” she informed Noel, quickly turning her eyes to her parchment, where they would stay until it was time to make today’s potion.

[Hero]

---

---

---

---

Not being able to walk freely was cumbersome.

Having gotten the okay to go back to classes, Kalder was less than amused when he managed to get back to the dormitory room, only to find Noel was already gone. His limited movement was the only thing preventing him from hunting him down, and he didn't want his other friends to know the situation, lest they warn Noel. He tried to play it cool, he really did, but the fact that Noel wasn't around just made everything more suspicious. There was no way Demi would've told him about them, or at least that was what he thought. Then again, he never would have imagined Demi with someone like Noel, yet here they were in some bizaaro world where Noel managed to charm her. Somehow.

He also had a hunch that Beatrice seemed to know more than she let on. She certainly changed the subject quickly enough, but the rest of the hospital visit was too pleasant for him to really be mad about it. They had spent so long talking and catching up that Madam Appleton had to kick Beatrice out to end the conversation. Admittedly, it was nice to see she hadn't changed too much; she was still scatterbrained, feisty, and a klutz, but being on her good side was such a pleasant change for once. She promised they would talk more tomorrow, and he was admittedly looking forward to it.

As he slowly made his way to Potions, he stopped, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. His legs were killing him, even after taking medicine. As he straightened up, he was pleasantly surprised to see Beatrice waiting for someone, looking around. Was she waiting for him? His question was answered as she spotted him. "Good morning!" She was certainly cheery as she greeted him. "Out and about, are we?"

"It's taking some getting used to, but if I had to spend another minute in the hospital wing, I think I would have lost my mind," He admitted as they slowly walked together to their next class. "I'm still itching to get back on the field, but I reckon it'll be sooner than later."

Beatrice nodded, though she watched him with some concern. "Here," She offered him her arm. As he gave her a questioning look, she rolled her eyes at him. "Class will be over by the time you get there!"

Reluctantly taking her offer, he watched as she got closer to him. Her hair smelled like sweet strawberries, reminding him of a Muggle candy, though the thought depressed him a little. Her grip was rather tender, almost as if she were afraid to hurt him. He supposed she was trying to be more careful, but he found it rather funny. Still, as they walked to the classroom, he focused more on walking than looking around, though he stole a glance at the supposed wonder couple. Demi was looking down at something, and Noel gave him a wave. Kalder wasn't thrilled at him, but he forced himself to smile back before taking his seat.

The rest of the class went relatively well, and Kalder was eternally grateful for Benjamin's rather haphazard notes. Despite his friend's good intentions, they were pretty difficult to read, but with Beatrice's help he was able to decipher a majority of it and use deductive reasoning for the rest. He lamented the fact that the rest of his classes wouldn't be as easy; he loved Potions, but he had the advantage of growing up with Potions-making being the family business. He figured he would be okay in Charms, but the rest he would have to work hard to catch up.

As the class was dismissed, he put away his notes, looking over at Beatrice. "Thanks for today," He said as he got up, stretching. "Need to make my way to Transfiguration now.|

She jumped up almost immediately. "I'll help you." She volunteered.

Kalder looked at Noel, who seemed to be asking Demi something. He really wanted to know if they were actually going out or not. "Actually, I'm going to ask Noel to help me, I appreciate it, though," He said, taking his bag and making his way to their desk.

His heart was racing as he approached the pair, looking between the two. He needed to play it cool, at least for the moment. "Noel," Kal called out to him.