alluringly entwined | f.w, d.m

14

Joaquin's jaw visibly clenched agitatedly and he strode out of the common room.

Just like her brother, Forest was off too with fury scrawled across her delicate features.

"That's not good." Mavi shook her head, watching as their friends stormed off in anger.

"No, it is not." Oshun shook her head as well.

_____

"Did you see that black eye Parkinson has?" Tavius hissed to Oshun. "Forest did some work on her after the shit she said to Mavi. Man, I am lucky I got Forest as my future wife. She'll protect me."

"She even broke Nott's nose." Oshun was smiling. It wasn't something to be smiling about, but she couldn't help it. "Joaquin did a number on Malfoy and Zabini too. Can you believe that?"

"Those two." Tavius shook his head with a chuckle under his breath. "They got a little bruised up too, but the Slytherins got it worse."

"Apparently Parkinson was sobbing when Forest was having at it," Giovanni said over Oshun's shoulder. "She was begging for Forest to stop, she was."

Oshun couldn't help but laugh, finding such delight in this. "Hey, let's go to dinner." She rose from the couch she was sitting on in her common room. "Are Forest and Joaquin in the Great Hall?"

"They should be. All they needed to do was clean blood off their knuckles and Forest had to take care of a bloody nose," Giovanni said as the three of them headed out of the common room.

"I think... I think that maybe we should start talking like calm and well-mannered people instead of starting fist fights," Oshun suggested, walking between both handsome boys.

"I'm not even going to lie to you, love," Giovanni said as he swung an arm over her shoulders. "Getting my hands dirty in these fist-fights is exciting."

"Yeah, but you guys could get seriously hurt." Oshun tipped her head back to meet the boy's sage eyes. "One of these days, someone will bring a fucking weapon in these fist fights, and then it's over."

"How's about..." Tavius' tone was low as he rubbed his jaw. "We shall only start fist fights when it is necessary?"

"So basically whenever anyone talks shit about Mavi and I having so-called filthy blood running through our veins." Oshun arched a dark eyebrow, a tug on the corner of her lips.

"Yes," Tavius and Giovanni said in unison.

Her brown eyes darted between both boys as a laugh elicited from her lips. "You guys are something else." She let her head rest against Giovanni's frame.

Oshun parted from the twins and went to her own table. "Hi," she greeted as she slid into her usual seat next to Forest.

"Look." Joaquin subtly lifted his chin between the ladies, directing to the Slytherin table. "Forest broke Nott's nose."

Oshun grinned jauntily. "So I've heard," she mused, playfully nudging a smirking Forest. She poured herself a goblet of water. "I miss Mum's cooking. I miss eating pho and kare-kare and sisig and dimsum."

"We'll be going home for the holidays soon," Forest said gently, helping herself to some pot roast. "I miss Mum's cooking too." She had a small cut on her lip that gushed with a bit of blood.

"Actually, Dad is the one who cooks in our household," Joaquin clarified with a small laugh. "Mum cooks sometimes, but Dad usually cooks." He shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

As Oshun and her mates ate dinner, her eyes caught sight of a redhead and a controlling girl strolling into the room, hand in hand.

Oshun wanted to smile at Fred, but she knew he wouldn't smile back. She just frowned at the thought of Fred being stuck with such a controlling girl.