"Why is Antonella... over there?"
It had been weeks since the first day of her sixth year at Hogwarts, and it wasn't anything she wished it would be. With more homework than she could handle, an early start to her weekly Wednesday crying sessions, and more students requiring tutoring than ever before. The red headed girl hadn't even lifted a book to figure out the mystery that is Headmistress Hoggs.
"You haven't heard?"
Antonella's head was deep in a book, as it usually is, but this time it was to avoid any oppertunity for a certain black hair boy to say anything. She missed the days were Ravenclaw only ever shared classes with Gryffindors in charms, now, she shared every class with him. There was no escape, and well, no way to end her misery.
"I swear if her nose is touching the pages of that book because of Potter-"
His name was a trigger. Antonella hated him so much. She spent ages in the libraries, both the school and the private ones in Ravenclaw to maintain her grades- yet it seemed he never studied or completed an ounce of homework. As he completed in all in class. It infuriated her, even more that when Lily wasn't in their class, he enjoyed comparing her to his "future wife".
"He told her that he could make her beg... if only she asked."
There was a time where Antonella mistook the boys interest as a somewhat school boy crush. That by him teasing her, he secretly meant 'I love you' and boys will be boys. And they would fall hopelessly romantically in love, grow up and have a son. Naivety. It was the pathetic excuse used to excuse the behaviour of boys, that they were entitled to embarrass them silly on their looks, their academics and to offer a space in their bed... if only they asked.
"Oh... merlin!"
She did not look up to her two friends, with Matilda sympathetically watching her and Asterin's eyes wide with either horror or something Antonella did not ever want her to explain. Matilda had watched the entire scene unravel in their defence against the dark arts class, where they were learning non-verbal spells. And to no ones surprise, James' words earned himself the title of the recipient to be hit by a non-verbal in their sixth year.
"And it get's worst Asterin, they are partners in Potions... I tried protesting."
Snapping the rather boring books on different magical lotuses used in healing potions, she eyed them both before picking herself up from the end of the library aisle and sat down at the large open table. They were in the Hogwarts library.
"Finished mopping?" Asterin asked.
"Finished snooping?"
The girls stayed quiet until Antonella spoke again, softer then her vicious attack before, "Sorry... sorry," she massaged her temples as she groans, "Bad day."
A short nod from Asterin was enough for Antonella to know that she won't be stealing her cat, as for merlin's knee caps, she would be requiring a therapeutic cuddle with Mr. McFishy tonight. Glancing at the book in Matilda's hand, and knew from the broken spine and gold embedded letters on the front. Hogwarts: A History.
"Found anything?" Asterin asked for Antonella.
Matilda's head did not move. It meant she had found something. Pushing herself up from her seat, she moved around the the square table. Resting her chin on Matilda's right shoulder, she could see exactly what she was reading.
'Though the founders being highly acclaimed wizard folks at their time, many have written that Headmaster Corpus begun the year after Hogwarts initiated. Countless historians have hypothesised that the founders worked in harmony with one, only to realise the importance of such an unbiased educator. Their theory goes, that in 991 AD, they sought out the highly established owner of Corpus Herba and Poculum, the only store at its time to sell potion ingredients. There is very little information on how Colby Corpus became known as the first headmaster, but rumours at the time suggests that it was his wife, Feyre, that acquainted the future headmaster with the founders...'
Antonella did not read any further, her eyes just as wide as Matilda's. Neither spoke a word, leading to Asterin storming from her seat to rest her chin on Matilda's left shoulder, her eyes scanned the words. Shock.
They shouldn't be surprised that the first headmaster may of had a wife, but it was the name that stood out. They never referred to her in any texts, and the three girls had dismissed the school standard Hogwarts: A History, as they'ad studied it before. And it was right in front of them.
A name. A lead. Something to figure out who this Headmistress Hoggs was and if... if Matilda was related to her.
"I'll start looking up on the Corpus family tree," Asterin said, "Antonella, figure out what happened to Corpus Herba and Poculum... and Matilda... review all the older versions of Hogwarts: A history... and see if we can figure out this mystery women."
Without much thought, Antonella picked up the book she was reading before and followed Asterin's lead. Heading straight towards the aisle dedicated to Potions and it's history, she stopped in her tracks as she saw him. His unruly black hair, his black square glasses and a frown that seemed to be stuck on his face as he studied the book titles in front of him. One of his fingers slide down the spine of a book, causing Antonella's own spine to shiver involuntarily, and his other hand tucked into his black buckled pants. They were Madam Malkin's latest line of luxury menswear, she shouldn't be surprised. He was wealthy.
He did not need a step to reach the top shelf, no, he made eye contact with books that Antonella could only dream to do. His eyes, though not looking in her direction, was focused... as he was heavily concentrating to find a specific book. Was it for an assessment? Antonella quickly rifled through her mind to see if she could recall any assessments that required studying, and none. They had just handed up their first potions essay the week before, and their alchemy research paper a day ago. Was it for a light read? Antonella questioned, where would he find time to read a book if he is busy harassing Evans at every corner of the castle?
"If you want a photo," His voice low, still not looking at her, "I can fetch you one of the countless framed pictured on Evans' night stand."
His smile curled, how it always did when he harassed his favourite victims. Lily Evans, Severus Snape, Professor Flickwick and Antonella.
"You're in my way."
Her voice did not falter. Instead, it became deeper... as if she was dealing with the late drunks of Diagon Alley, yes, James Potter was just a late drunk with delusional thoughts.
"In your way?" Drawing his vowels, he turned to face her, lowing his own head to see her eye to eye. "I don't recall you asking for me to move."
If it wasn't the metre that separated themselves, he would have seen how quickly her nostrils flared, "I don't recall being given the opportunity to ask for you to move," she begun, "Before you played the role of a cock."
Muggle profanities seemed to hit pure-blood wizards differently. They did not grow up with their siblings yelling them at their parents, or the teenagers casually using them in an affectionate way. No, the grew up with slurs like Mudbloods. A muggle profanity for them was, and always will be, meant as an insult.
His curled smiled turned into what Antonella called the James-Potter-Trying-To-Get-Into-Either-Evans-Or-Sirius'-Pants. His lips still curled, but his jaw dropped a bit to let Antonella see his teeth, fuck, how much she hates him for his perfectly white teeth... not one stain. His eyes, though hazel, were much darker.
He took a step closer to Antonella, his left arm leaning on the book shelf, his eyes drifting from Antonella's black heels, and up past her nude stockings and black pleated skirt, to her dark navy Ravenclaw jumper, past her pale and exposed neck to her lips. It stopped. Until his eyes flickered back to hers. If she was a flame, he was the oxygen. He made her eyes burn twice as bright... she would always say it was due to her hatred.
The proximity of the two was unbelievably close, closer than what Antonella wanted. She could hear every breath he took, the feeling of his exhales on her exposed collarbone. I wished I kept my blouse on, she thought, why did I let Asterin convince we not to wear it? They were inches apart. She clutched the book to her breasts harder, as if her actions would form a physical barrier between the two.
"I will play the role of a cock for you any day... the offer still stands."
Without much of a thought, Antonella swung the hardcover binder potion book against James Potter's face. WACK. A small cut appearing on his lip; a paper cut shedded his perfectly pink lips. God, how she hated that she would notice such things.
He let out a loud chuckle, enough for Madam Pince, who was walking by, to see a nasty glare his way.
"Always unpredictable."
With her book in her left hand, her cheeks rosy, and a temper that if wasn't squashed soon... would release whatever lurked in her eyes. She moved swiftly passed James Potter, to where he was standing before... to see the very book she required.
The rise and fall of Corpus Herba and Poculum.
But with her streak of no luck, it was on the seventh shelf - she could not reach it.
James Potter was staring at her, his lips humouring the very fact that Antonella could not reach the book she desired so badly. Antonella was an unlucky soul that day, her wand left behind in her dorms, she had no way to collect the book she needed... her friends needed.
In her moments of contemplation, James Potter was awfully close to her; he was directly behind her. She could feel every muscle against her back, his head on top of her own, as he reached for the book. He stayed like this for a while. Antonella did not breath.
There was something beautiful in that moment, as if they were in the eye of the hurricane - where the constant bickering ceased and the two. Stood in silence. Closer then what anyone would believe.
But like the eye of a hurricane, it came and went quicker then anyone ever expects.
"Have you grabbed the potions book ye-"
Their stood Sirius Black at the end of the aisle. He was the second half of the hurricane, where the damage doubled that of what was before.
"I knew you had a thing for women that do not reciprocate your desire," he begun, Antonella quickly freed herself from between the bookcase and James' chest, "But red heads? Like come'on bud, we've spoken about this..."
With the book still in James' hand, Antonella took a risk in grabbing it. It was a mistake. James caught her hand before she could grab it off of him. His skin was fire. Whatever lurked in his eyes, it was not fire, yet his fingers... they were hotter than ones summer day in the Adelaide Hills.
Antonella's eyes were once again, trapped in James'. Her left hand in his, and her right holding onto the bookcase while the book she wants was in his other hand.
"Pass the book over, Potter" Her voice was low, her mother used to say it sounded like the warning the wind gave before a slow burn begun in a forest.
He let go on her arm, tossing the book towards her. He walked past her, brushing his shoulder against hers to join Sirius Black, who seemed rather proud of his earlier comments.
"I'll see you in potions tomorrow morning, Ella," He whisper yelled, as he continued to walk away, "Plenty of time for you to tell me what's so interesting of a dead business."
She did not turn around. Instead, she counted to ten before she walked back to the table her friends were still sitting at. Reading. Not taking a seat, she dropped the book in front of both girls, causing them to look up to Antonella's eyes. What once was a violet delight, had turned very violent.
"I'm going to fucking kill him, and that's a promise"
As she said that, she let go of a breath she hadn't even realised she was holding.
Fate is a funny thing, that one day, Antonella would hold true to her promise.