"Rough night?"
Usually such a comment from Taylor would only result in Asterin snapping back at him, instead, she groaned as she massaged her neck. Antonella was stretching her arms, with her shoulders hurting as if daggers had been stabbed into it four times over. They had awakened to find Matilda had already left, leaving the two Ravenclaw girls to curse her name loudly, and with plenty of profanities. It was no help that their next class was a practical... for defence against the dark arts.
Erika giggled into Elsie's ear, as Taylor spoke again, "Are you going to be okay for the practical?", with his eyes filled with concern, "You looked like absolute hell."
Asterin groaned again, as she refused to even eat. Antonella knew that her mind was focusing on the pain in her neck, as she did with her arm. The constant electrifying sensation in her shoulder, every time she moved to pick up her cup of morning English breakfast tea, was enough to know she was screwed for her practical.
"No thanks to Matilda," Asterin groaned again, as she claimed that her neck was too sore to even see straight - or eat the buttered toast Erika had made her. "No fucking thanks to that snake."
The laughter from Erika and Elsie bounced around the small group of five, with Taylor following suit with the two other girls. Asterin begged them to stop their infectious laughter, as it hurt her to laugh - and unfortunately this only made Antonella shriek in pure humour. However, this laughter died very quickly when Elizabeth Edwards sat down next to Antonella.
"Good morning Fortescue," She said, in her giddy voice, "Ready for the duelling practical?"
Antonella had nearly spat out her tea. Duelling practical? With the one day her wand arm was nothing but a bundle of utter pain, she had a duelling practical. Before, she was screwed, and now she was fucked. She did not need to reply to Elizabeth, for her to recognise that she was not ready. The wide eyes must of gave it away. Her laughter was horrific, as she claimed that she wasn't ready either and that they should be duelling partners for the day. In which, Asterin reminded her that Antonella was her duelling partner.
"Stop sabotaging my grade and get your own duelling partner," Asterin had said, loud and proud. And with a humpf, Elizabeth left their end of the Ravenclaw table and made her way down to the top end where her friends sat.
"We're fucked," Asterin said, "All because of fucking Hoggs."
A pair of hands begun to massage Antonella shoulders, the fingers pressing down against the sore muscles, a cruel sensation. A foreign sound came from her voice, a wave of pleasure overcame her as the fingers circled down from the crook of her neck to her shoulder blades. Her eyes closed hid that her eyes were dizzily rolling to the back of her neck, and her mouth shut to stop anymore sounds from coming.
It was Matilda's hands. Antonella knew this, as she had massaged her knots from the nap of her neck, when she first started at Hogwarts. Silently, she forgave the girl that made her shoulders scream in agony.
"Me next!" Asterin cried out, and one of Matilda's hands moved to Asterin's neck and the other remained massaging Antonella's right shoulder blade. Neither spoke as the pleasing fingers removed the pain.
Antonella decided to ignore the laughter and comments from her friends, saying 'they curse her name, yet melt at her fingers', and 'Matilda literally has them in the palms of her hands'. Instead, she focused on the deep massage until Matilda stopped and took the seat next to Antonella.
Groaning in unison with Asterin, Matilda laughed as she spoke, "We have fifteen minutes until we have Defence Against the Dark Arts," brushing her black hair from her face, "Aren't you excited?"
A knowing look with Asterin, they both agreed they were not. Even without the small pain sensation chilling her shoulders, practicals were never her favourite class... transfiguration was the only exception. She found them to be thrilling, yet nerve wreaking. Believing she must perform the best, and mistakes are not acceptable. And a class where duelling has no set direction in succeeding, was a class Antonella did not like.
Instructions over intuition. She was a follower, not a leader. And duelling? It was not something that came naturally to her. She rather her practical be in spell work, to replicate the selected incantation, charm, transfiguration or potion. But not duelling. Anything but.
Asterin's dark hair had pulled her hair into a loose upper ponytail as she spoke, "Only if I am duelling you, Hoggs," She squinted her eyes, accentuating her sharp jawline and an eyeliner shape that Asterin said the muggles called a 'feline' look, "We have unsolved business..."
Matilda rolled her eyes, and looked over to Taylor, who was busy drinking his tea, "How hard is she?"
Professor Higgins was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts, and she had shown herself to be quiet promising, with her focus on defensive spell work and how it relates to the real world. However, she had not had a duelling practical this year, a strange scenario as they usually have one at least every month and yet... it was November ends and December was rolling closer. No one knew how strict she was when it came to duelling practicals, or how erratic she was like... like their fourth-year professor, who required them all to duel until their opponent was on the ground.
"Interesting," He said as he finished his sip of green tea, "You should have seen her reaction to Elsie and Erika's duel!"
At the mention of their names, both of their faces turn towards the group, red faced.
"She isn't interested in spells that first years can cast, only if there are used in a strategic way... she-"
Taylor had been interrupted by the looming figure above Antonella, "She wants us to be prepared for the war."
It was James Potter.
Antonella had swung around the bench to face James Potter too quickly; she would had nearly fallen off the seat if she hadn't grabbed his thigh. Her world, it stopped. She could feel the burn in her cheeks, as she let go and turned her face to stare at Matilda... anything but him.
Obviously, her actions had not been missed by Asterin, as her laughter grew louder with each unbearable second. She could feel James' smile curl into a smirk, she knew it was. If the only instinct she had, it was reading James' face without looking. She could predict if he was looking at her as if she was his prey, or if he was smirking, studying and using her face to sight-see.
"You miss me that much?" James cooed condescendingly.
The embarrassment she felt before left. Her emotions a wreak, as they always were, decided too no longer be embarrassed. She was, as her mother said, a slow burn. The ground changed slowly to her flames, but she moved slow. No one would see it coming, until well... it came.
She raised her chin to look up at him, his eyes, his lips and his black hair.
"I heard Asterin and Matilda are partners..." He begun, "So I assume that leaves us to be partners, come."
His words were not an offer, but a demand. And Antonella was not a leader, she was a follower. So, without any questions, she picked up her belongings and her wand and followed James Potter.
What on Merlin's kneecaps was she doing?
Arriving to the classroom, always walking a step behind James, he opened the door to see that the room was both empty of students and professors. He took his usual seat and offered her to sit next to him. Antonella cautiously followed him, unsure what his true motives were.
They sat in silence; the room tension filled.
"Aren't you going to ask why?" James asked, turning his body to face her.
Antonella still had to look up to meet his eyes, even when they sat down, "I had already assumed this is part of some elaborate scheme to get Lily's attention?"
He let out a loud chuckle, if the thought of James Potter pursuing Lily Evans was a joke, and not the obvious reality. He shook his head, as if it was a massive misunderstanding, "God, you're stupid."
Taking back by his comment, Antonella was going to retaliate, but his lips crashed onto hers.
Eyes wide, she did not move, as his velvet lips claimed hers. It felt like a million years and nothing at all. When their lips parted, she could only feel him, and his lips. Tingling to the sound of student rushing past and into the classroom, Antonella's eyes was just on his lips.
She did not listen to the students talking, or the eyes staring at the two, but him and only him. What has he done? Her lips had begun to trace her lips, where he had brushed with his own. What has he done?
He leaned towards her again, and for a second, she thought he was going to kiss her again, and her heart was racing, and she secretly hoped he would kiss her again... in front of everyone. And she knew that she hated him, and she hated his arrogance, and she hated that kiss. And then, he whispered as his lips brushed her ear, "You would have lectured me," she could feel a smile appear on his lips, "And I like seeing you red."
She was red, her hair, her lips, and now her cheeks.
Turning sharply in her chair, she ignored James' stares, and looked ahead to see Matilda and Asterin walk in whispering. The look of concentration informed her that they were most certainly talking about the Hoggs case. They must have found something.
Antonella would have walked over to her friends, and questioned them, if Professor Higgins had not entered the classroom. Her hands resting on her large pregnant stomach, and yet she commanded silence as he walked to the front of the class.
She felt the chairs next to her and James move to notice his friends were sitting with them. Sirius Black and Dalton Corpus on James' right, and Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin to her left. Suddenly, Antonella felt like she was in enemy territory. Crossing over to the side she did not belong in.
"Good morning class!" The professor cheerfully said, and students replied with "Morning Professor."
She begun explaining that this class had shown a higher level of skill than her Monday morning the other pre-NEWT-level Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Thus, the practical would not be the same. Instead, the practical would act as their final assessment.
"I believe in preparing the youth for war," She begun, and Antonella's curious ears fluttered with excitement, "As war always come, if we want it or not. And I want our youth to be ready to fight, to protect and to understand the consequences of such atrocities. This practical will be your final assessment, and outside work will be required.
"With the person to your right," James was on Antonella's right, "You will be practicing simple duelling spells, both offensive and defencing, and the week before the examination, you will have to perform in front of the professor that will replace me. By practicing with your dueller, you learn their weaknesses and strengths, but they also learn yours. The skill I want you to learn is unpredictability and holding your own against those you know best.
"As war tends to be a funny thing, forcing you to oppose those you know best. So, I want you all to pick up your wands and push the tables and chairs to the outside of the classroom and begin talking to your partner on what spell work you will begin in... or start with a friendly duel."
Hush whisper filled the classroom, when the professor stopped speaking. Antonella could hear Sirius Black whispering to James, saying, 'War has been coming for years... that is all mother talks about', and Elizabeth Edwards whispering to no one, 'There is no war in wizarding Britain'.
Antonella rose from her seat with everyone else, helping others to push the tables and chairs to the side of the classroom. The professor had informed them all on their first class that they would be moving all furniture the muggle way, to humble them. It was an interesting reason, and no one brought it. But no one ever questioned her.
With all the table and chairs out of the way, Antonella found herself awkwardly next to James Potter. Not sure what to say, after his actions before the class begun. Neither one spoke as everyone was beginning to start their assessment. The tension between them was all James' fault, and her awkwardness to even begin her own. She would not let James ruin her grade, so, her embarrassment disappeared. Just like before in the great hall.
"Are we going to begin?"
He nodded his head, facing her, "Should we start with a duel?"
Antonella shook her head, "I think we should revise what spell work we should do in the final assessment-"
James had interrupted her, "You want to revise spells? This is meant to prepare us for the world, and you just want to read over your notes?"
Taking a deep breath, Antonella replied, "Well, yes. Not all of us are stupid enough to go headfirst into danger. I particularly would rather go over what spells we would be using, to ensure if the end duel would at all be friendly."
They stared at one another for a few seconds, daring the other to blink and surrender their actions. James wanted a live and messy duel, and Antonella wanted a clean and precise practice. It was James's sheer stupidity, to blink. He had lost.
"Fine," He grumbled, "You win."
Those words were harmony to her ears, as she sat down on the ground, and James joined her. The two looking over her book for duelling spell work. Her textbook was covered in small notes, doodles and underlining's. It was filled to the brim of questions, theories and hypothesis of how a defensive spell can be weaponised.
Antonella's intelligence would be the death of too many.
James seemed to be thoroughly surprised yet intrigued. His eyes were scanning over her page dedicated to 'expelliarmas', the disarming spell.
"Why are there so many notes for such a useless spell?" He asked, as he read her hypothesis of how the underrated disarming spell was so much more powerful than anyone once thought, "isn't all these notes a bit excessive?"
Antonella ignored him, as she began writing in her parchment book with ink, the first spell she added to the list was expelliarmas.
She flipped over to the next page, and the next. Spell after spell was listed on her parchment, and James' eyes were still filled with curiosity.
"Are all of your books scribbled with this many notes?" He asked and Antonella nodded, "To make them neater, you surely should use different coloured ink."
Her face turned to his, curiosity got the best of her as she asked, "And you would suggest this...?"
James's smile met hers, "I'll tell you if you meet me in the library tonight."
"I can't, I'm tutoring third years."
They were suddenly distracted by Matilda's and Asterin's duel. The two were laughing as they through each other into the wall, it was a strange sight to see... and everyone else seemed to agree. It wasn't until Asterin wrestled Matilda to the ground, claiming her wand, that she cried for victory.
Turning back to face James, he whispered, "She never said the duel had to use a wand," Antonella had no clue why he was whispering this to her, "Oh merlin! This is great!"
Sending him a questionable look, he gave the answer she was looking for. Something glittered in his eyes that made Antonella feel uneasy, "Meet me on the astronomy tower by nine instead."
"But the curfew is ten-"
James laughed, "Aren't you a prefect? You should know the routes that take to avoid any trouble."
He was asking her to break the rules. Something she followed to the dot, as they were instructions Antonella was determined to follow, as she was not a leader. Her eyes wide was enough for James to know that she was considering it, and he gave her no option, saying 'It's for the assessment, you will love it'.
The two did not speak for the rest of the study period, or in fact, the rest of the day. Antonella had forgotten to ask Matilda and Asterin what they had been talking about, as she rushed to complete her Advanced Alchemy revision, before she begun her nightly charms tutoring for third years.