GYMNOPÉDIE

Chapter 29

Jacob's lip curved down in amusement, "Marty lend it to me." he began, "Say I can bring it home with me, ought he said have to be careful with the binding it's pretty fragile, yeah?"

Gemma nodded, "Yeah, that's an old one."

Jacob smiled, then tore his russet eyes to the Hufflepuff, "Is he crying?" he queried curiously though unlike boys around his age he didn't make a gesture to mock the boy. Instead, he gave a cheeky grin while he fixed his color-changing scarf, "S'okay to cry — I did too, those bad guys are awful but they don't usually come in daylight." he said assuringly, earning eyes batted to the boy.

Lily blinked rapidly, "How did you know?"

"One of them came to my house this summer, they came at night asked my mum to join the spooky man — my sister's four, they used a curse on her, she was crying and I couldn't help her so I cried." explained the dutch boy calmly, although it was evident that it still haunted him. The two prefects fell into silence, unsure of what to respond. The boy grinned, "My mum was badass, she kicked her out."

The prefects continued their duty, strolling on the train alleyway. Lily frowned as she peered on the first years, it was heartbreaking to see muggleborns were cautiously holding their wand tightly. Her eyes darted to one of Slytherin's compartment full of bickering, it fuelled Gemma's annoyance at how contrary things were. While muggleborns were scared, the pureblood supremacist acted as if they were gods, and invincible.

"It's unfair is it?" Lily sighed, lowering her chin to face the floor as they passed the purebloods carriage. "They are just kids."

Gemma matched her steps, nodding, "This isn't what Merlin wanted," she exhaled deeply, tearing her gaze back to the redhead with a smile, "But hey — we'll get through this, now why don't you tell me your study session with Jamesie."

"What - it was just studying!" claimed Lily with clarity, though her cheeks tinged carmine as she spoke. The witch retorted quickly, "What about you, I saw you left with Marty last night."

The Irish witch rolled her eyes, "Ugh, that's the thing I might have had too many spiked up drink— ouch!" Lily smacked her arm playfully, the brunette narrowed her eyes in defense, "Lily, I didn't know it was spiked!"

"I told you to not accept anything from James or his other half!" Lily scolded.

Gemma gasped, a hand flew to her mouth, "What was that Jamesie is not toe-rag anymore?" she inquired with a grin, making Lily looked away.

"Not the point."

"Exactly the point, Lily-flower." teased the Irish witch before she went on, "I couldn't remember what happened and he's so weird after that. What if I puked on him or something?"

The Merlin heiress bit her lips warily, fidgetting on her robe. The blond had been acting cold towards her, he couldn't look at her in the eyes and Gemma wasn't sure as to why — not when he wouldn't admit what happened the other night. For all she knew, she was trying to forget Avery's word which she failed miserably, it recited in her brain like a damn pensieve imagery.

       Avery spread a poison to fuel anger and voices that rested in Persephone's garden, like ingle to a dimmed coal. The Slytherin was ambitious, with his serpent-blooded mind, soul, and venom to manifest his arsonist desire. Like the serpent that he was, he could tackle down his prey with drops of words he muttered. Poison was the most effective, suspect less way to kill, yet it was one deranged torture.