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CHAPTER THREE;
[ SILVER STRINGS ]
[VIBRANCE || FRED WEASLEY]
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WHEN ARDEN AND SUNNY ARRIVED INSIDE THE GREAT HALL TOGETHER, a wave of realization dawned on the pair as their gazes scanned over the four long tables that were placed separately from one another.
Much to Arden's dislike, she took notice of how none of the houses intermixed during dinner—all those with yellow ties sat together, just as the red, green, and blue did as well. Arden turned to Sunny, her hand falling from his arm as her eyes averted to the table she was designated to remain with. "I wish," Arden suddenly spoke, her tone low and bitter as her eyes scanned the many students, "that we didn't have to be divided."
Sunny let out an exasperated sigh, "Me too," he replied before pulling Arden into a loving side embrace. He squeezed her arm with a faltering smile before kissing the top of her head lightly. "Now go be with your weird smart people." Sunny chuckled, shoving her away lightly.
Arden rolled her eyes despite the sadness that welled inside her heart. "And you go be with your power hungry serpents." She shot back with a growing smirk. Sunny let out a ripple of laughter at this before the two saluted at one another and departed with hesitation.
While Sunny began to make his way over to the Slytherin table, Arden found herself striding towards the Ravenclaw students. Much to her remembrance, though, she recalled that Jason had told the pair that he was in the navy blue household. Although Arden hadn't exactly conversed with the boy, it would do her well to have an acquaintance amongst the bunch. Someone to go to for simple questions. She assumed Sunny was going to do the same with Rowan, seeing as though the boy had taken a rather strong liking to the girl after her first impression had radiated risk and a strong attitude. He had always been one to enjoy fiery personalities, just as Arden preferred outspoken ones.
When she neared the table, Arden found herself being targeted by many curious eyes. It was going to be obvious that she was new, seeing as though Hogwarts seemed like a school where everyone knew everyone—just like Kanaloa. It had always been easy to spot transfer students, and she was sure that it would be no different at the grand castle. Arden pursed her lips, although she enjoyed attention when training, she had grown accustom to disliking wandering eyes that had no business staring in the first place.
Arden plopped herself down towards the end of the table, her legs crossing and her forearms resting on the surface of the table. Although an array of dishes sat before her, Arden did not feel an ounce of hungry or thirst as her eyes pored into the many delights. She let out a brisk sigh before craning her head towards the Slytherin table, her gaze landing upon a rather emotionless Sunny who mirrored an expression like her own. Although they would be able to spend time during lunches, breakfasts, and weekends, being placed in different houses still seemed like a barrier to Arden. She wished that she could simply change her house, but that was not how things were run at Hogwarts.
Just as she returned her gaze to the food displayed before her, a rather tall figure planted themself in front of Arden. It did not take her long to realize that it was Jason, the sixth year brunette with long hair and a charming smile. Alike her, his uniform was disheveled and incomplete—his blue tie hanging around his neck and shirt unbuttoned almost half way. His vest was nowhere to be seen, his black robes hanging off of his frame loosely. Arden couldn't help but assume that the boy was not one to follow rules.
"Glad to see you here, Arden." Jason grinned, his gaze dead set on her slacken expression as he sat before her. "Seems as if though my guesses were wrong. I thought you'd be the one ending up in Slytherin." He revealed before beginning to pile his plate high with rolls and turkey legs. When he noticed that Arden did not move to serve herself, Jason raised his brows. "You're not going to eat?"
Arden's voice was bitter and almost inaudible. "Not hungry," she replied before resting her chin in her hand.
Jason nodded in understanding before they fell into a tense silence. She didn't want to come off as rude—but the thoughts circling throughout her mind continued to remind Arden that she shouldn't come off as so welcoming to people as Sunny did. It would only invite the idea into people's mind that she would be tolerant all the time, no matter behavior or attitude, and that was certainly something she did not want people to think of her. Perhaps, though, being at least a form of decency to Jason would work out in her favor. So hesitantly, Arden raised her gaze to meet his. "Just to let you know, I'll most likely get lost for the first three weeks. The staircases look like a maze." She admitted, causing Jason's expression to lift into a great big grin.
"Stick with me and hopefully you won't get lost," Jason proposed, stuffing a roll into his mouth before he licked his lips. "And I say hopefully because I still get lost every now and then."
Arden made herself chuckle before she averted her eyes to where the many teachers were dining. Dumbledore was currently deep in conversation with a woman she found out was named McGonagall. Apparently she was their Transfiguration teacher and the head of Gryffindor house. Arden thought of Mr.Gibson, the young and humorous teacher that she very much liked. Absolutely no one would be able to live up to his teachings, Arden had decided. The only hope she had now was that the teachers were potentially okay at Hogwarts, but that was all she would give them.
"So, what school did you come from?" Jason suddenly asked. Arden, at any other question, would have answered with a quarter of her attention—but when it came to Kanaloa, she was sure that she could talk for hours about the great school. Jason seemed to take notice of the excitement the mentioning of her school had brought to Arden's face, causing the boy to chuckle. "I can tell just by your reaction that it's bloody great there." He commented, causing Arden to nod in agreement.
"Very," she said lightly, biting on her lower lip at the thought of the stone entrance. Jason, despite never seeing the school, did not disagree with Arden. Instead he nodded his head, urging her to continue as he munched on more rolls with an interested expression. Perhaps Jason wasn't that bad of company after all. "It's located across the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, but our school is in correspondence with the Magical Congress in America rather than the Magical Cooperation of Australia because of its origin. It's underwater."
At this, Jason spat out his drink in surprise before letting out a choked, "What?!"
Arden found herself chuckling as Jason stared at her in bewilderment. "Yes, its underwater. Protected by magical barriers and spells, keeps the palace from submerging into the ocean." She explained, and Jason seemed to be hanging onto every word that escaped her lips, his head planted in his hands with his mouth open agape in amusement. "Brilliant, right?"
"Absolutely," Jason agreed with a brewing smile, "I never thought that an underwater school could possibly exist."
Arden pursed her lips, a light sigh escaping seconds later. "It does, and it's one of a kind." She replied before taking a sip of water from a goblet. Soon, Arden found herself remaining silent until it was time to leave the Great Hall.
Jason was the first to stand, Arden following. She had taken off her robes during dinner, leaving her in her black pants and button up shirt, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Jason stared at her attire with a large smirk before the two began to stride out of the Great Hall, his eyes scanning over her appearance before he finally let the words leave his lips, "You know, you're one of the few girls who wear pants here." He mused, causing Arden to frown.
"I like wearing skirts too," she replied sharply. "But pants are warmer and they hide the hideous grey socks they make us wear."
Jason nodded in agreement, "Understood," he grinned as they began to ascend up the large staircase. "We're going to get along just fine."
Just as Arden was about to reply, she felt someone grab her arm from behind. She jerked her head behind her, only to feel a wave of relief wash over her when she realized it was Sunny. His smile was unwavering and large, and he was quick to fall into line with her as a rather amused Rowan walked alongside Jason. "Fancy catching you here," Sunny said in a mocking British accent. Arden rolled her eyes but grinned at the impression, one that Jason couldn't help but laugh at himself.
"That was absolutely terrible, mate." Jason admitted, causing Sunny to pout as Rowan pulled her hair out of her bun. "No offense, but stick to your boring American accent." He pleaded.
Rowan raised her hand, "I second that," she agreed, elbowing Jason in the ribs, causing the boy to yelp in pain. "Imagine going to a school full of Americans? Absolutely horrifying. I wouldn't last a day there, probably end up spelling some duct tape across everyone's mouths."
Sunny rolled his eyes with exaggeration. "Imagine how we feel? You guys say the same word over and over again—bloody, bugger, buster, mate, arse, bender, and something about a bob. Why can't you guys just say ass?" Sunny huffed, causing Arden to snicker silently. He was right, after all, the amount of times that Jason had used a word she didn't recognize exceeded ten. "Insane you lot are."
Rowan chuckled just as they reached the first floor, "This is where we leave you," she exhaled, nudging Sunny, "The Slytherin house is located in the dungeons. I hope you brought some fuzzy socks because it gets pretty cold down there. Lavish, but cold." He nodded, turning to Arden with a small smile as Jason bid the two goodbye. She could see the sympathy laced behind their faces.
"See you in the morning?" Sunny asked her with a soft smile, and Arden nodded, embracing him tightly before Jason beckoned her to follow him. It pained her to let go, but Arden knew that she would have to soon. With one last fallen look, Sunny disappeared amongst the crowd seconds later.
It took them awhile, but soon Arden and Jason had arrived at the top of a spiraling staircase in a building known as the Ravenclaw tower. The common room was hidden behind the wooden door placed in front of them—it had no doorknob or keyhole, but rather a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. Apparently the only way to access the common room and dormitories was to answer the riddle spouted from the eagle itself. Jason waited patiently for the oncoming question while Arden's mind remained elsewhere and lingered on the wish to be beside her brother instead.
Finally, a voice spoke that sounded neither feminine or masculine, but rather a combination of the two. "What flies when it's born, lies when it's alive, and runs when it's dead?" The knocker said, and Arden turned to Jason when no answer came to mind. He too seemed to be struggling as his eyebrows knit together in concentration. Arden pursed her lips before the realization dawned on her.
"A snowflake." Arden answered, and much to her approval, the door unlocked and opened.
Jason sent her a look of surprise before he clapped his hands together lightly, "Answered it the very first time. Usually takes newbies a good ten minutes." He told her before stepping inside.
Despite how adamant Arden was on not taking a liking to Hogwarts, the sight before her seemed to overlap the mindset she had set for herself for a brief moment of time—Arden's mouth fell open as her eyes scanned the common area with amazement. The Ravenclaw Common Room was a wide, circular room with arched windows that hung with blue and bronze silks. A midnight blue carpet covered in stars rested just below their feet, which was artistically reflected onto the domed ceiling that hung above their heads. The room was inventively furnished with tables, chairs, and bookcases; and by the door leading up to the dormitories stood a tall statue crafted from white marble of whom Arden assumed was Rowena Ravenclaw. She couldn't resist the swirling thoughts that formed inside her mind.
Jason yawned excessively, pulling Arden from her thoughts. "Well, I'm going to crash. The girls dormitories are to the right when you go up the stairs. Keep climbing and look for the fifth year rooms, you should see your name just before you enter." Arden nodded, following the brunette past the large statue and up the stairs. "Classes start at nine, but you need to be at breakfast before then to get your timetables. Rowan and I usually leave the common rooms by seven thirty so we have time in the morning to relax."
She had been right—acting decent towards Jason had ended up working out in her favor. She wouldn't have known any of those things if Arden hadn't made an effort to talk to the boy. With a curt nod, she bid a good night and headed upstairs, searching for her designated dormitory. When Arden finally found the door with a small panel that held her name, she walked inside and shut it behind her.
Much to her delight, none of her roommates were anywhere to be spotted. It seemed as if though they had yet to arrive, allowing Arden to shower peacefully and unpack her belongings in the company of silence.
Her silk blue pajamas felt almost like clouds as she moved around her new bed, making sure that all was in place before Arden could possibly relax. Her large dragon necklace sat atop her academic books from both Kanaloa and Hogwarts, the silver glimmering in the moonlight that streamed in from the nearby arched window. Beside it sat her crystal ball, bracelets, wand, and ties laid neatly in order—her rain boots and shoes planted on the floor below.
Arden sighed tiredly when finished, sliding into her bed seconds later and pulling up the covers to her chin. Although she had left the lights on for her new roommates to get situated like herself, Arden was fairly used to falling asleep with the light on. Lilian had always enjoyed staying up late reading, which of course Arden and Willa didn't mind, causing them to personally leave the light on day after day so that the blonde wouldn't strain her eyes using a spell. She figured that doing the same for her new roommates would earn Arden the respect and peace of mind when she needed it in the future.
Soon, Arden let out a yawn as her head hit the pillow—her damp, black hair fanned out around her like seaweed. Just like she had been doing the past couple of months, Arden found herself submerging her mind into the scenery of Kanaloa. The water, the sand, the lapping waves, the cold wind. With each detail that came to mind, Arden sank lower and lower into unconsciousness until she was no longer at Hogwarts, but rather in the place she so wished to be.
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THE NEXT MORNING, ARDEN FOUND HERSELF STRUGGLING TO GRASP her very foreign surroundings. She had awoken to the sound of giggling and light footsteps, feminine voices filling the air here and there. Sleepily, Arden had thought of Willa running around in her bra and underwear, Lilian following with a rather oversized shirt and her toothbrush shoved inside her mouth. She wanted to lift herself up and call out to the girls to shut up, but that idea was quickly erased as Arden remembered that she was not in fact in a dormitory surrounded by those she loved, but rather in a room filled with girls she did not know the names of.
Arden pushed herself into a sitting position soon after, a yawn escaping her lips as she stretched out her arms. She wiped her eyes, making sure to get rid of any evidence of sleep before she pulled her legs off the bed. Hesitantly, she lowered her feet to the floor, but quickly jerked them away when a rush of coldness filled her toes.
Eventually, though, Arden pushed herself out of the comfy sheets, grinning and bearing the cold floor as she made her bed with the swish of her wand. Arden cracked both sides of her neck, per usual, before she headed towards the showers with her belongings in tow. Jason had explained the night before that each year got their own bathrooms, so Arden assumed that she'd be entering a humid room full of at least a dozen Ravenclaw girls in her year. The visual sounded annoying, but if Arden wanted to brush her teeth and comb her hair, she'd have to deal with it.
Soon, she pushed through the entrance with yet another yawn. Of course, she was greeted with a short hallway to walk through before turning to the right. As she expected, a wave of humidity and fog completely dosed Arden just before the chatter flooded throughout her ears.
Before her, girls left and right were bustling about—she watched as a small group of seventh years brushed their teeth in front of a long mirror that stretched out across the entire wall, others busying themselves with their hair, shooting spells left and right in attempt to dry and tame their messy locks. Arden was wholeheartedly amused, especially at the sight of girls who were multitasking with both their uniform and face.
"Can someone pass me a bottle of shampoo?" A girl called out from inside a shower stall. Arden watched as a blonde peeked her face out from behind a blue curtain, her fingers outstretched for anyone to hand her the desired item.
When no one else did, Arden hesitantly moved forwards and snatched a bottle of slippery strawberry shampoo and passed it to the girl. The blonde cheered at this before retreating back into her stall, "Thanks!"
Arden chuckled, "No problem." She replied smoothly before heading towards an open spot in front of the large mirror. She set down her hairbrush, uniform, and toothbrush on the counter before splashing water onto her face and rubbing her eyes. Her skin felt grossly dry, the areas around her nose and eyebrows cracking and peeling from the sun most likely. At this, she pumped moisturizer into her hand and applied it across her forehead and cheeks in attempt to freshen her face, eyes drooping from tiredness as she did so.
The scent reminded her of the sea, of course, and made a smile grow on her face when her skin glistened in the light. Although she still had a sunburn on her cheeks, it ended up working out in her favor because Arden didn't have to powder her skin to tint them pink.
Next to her, the same blonde she had passed the shampoo to was tying back her wet hair. A blue towel was wrapped around her body as she peered into the mirror with a look of disgust. "I have a pimple on my nose," she huffed, pinching her nails together over the blemish. "I forgot the spell to get rid of it."
A brunette standing behind her who was pulling on her robes let out a shrill laugh. "Oh Merlin, you're so obsessed with your face, Alice." The girl commented with a large grin, "You can barely see it!"
The blonde named Alice rolled her eyes before she shoved the brunette away from her. "Beat it, Sanchez. You're breathing on me," she elaborated before turning to Arden. "Thanks for the shampoo by the way, none of these other gremlins ever aid to my pleas. It's like I'm invisible here."
Arden nodded, sending her a tight lipped smile before she returned to spelling her unruly locks to stay down. Her fingers worked to weave her hair into braids alongside the silver strings of ribbon she had brought from home. Luckily, it had only taken her ten minutes, leaving her a good twenty to get dressed and head down to breakfast by the time the clock would ring seven forty. Hesitantly, Arden pulled on her white collared shirt and pants, a string of curses leaving her lips when she pulled on her grey socks and shiny shoes that were lightly damp from the water spilled from the sink.
When Arden finally managed to make her way out of the Ravenclaw Tower, she felt more awake than ever. Although she did feel like a cup of strong coffee would help the light tiredness she felt, food seemed like a better choice for breakfast since she hadn't had the stomach the night before to pack in enough.
Arden soon entered through the Great Hall double doors. Her eyes immediately fell to the Slytherin table where she surprisingly did not find her brother anywhere in sight. In confusion, Arden then averted her gaze towards the Ravenclaws—her eyes almost popping out of her head when she found the boy sitting next to a rather lively Rowan and laughing Jason. Arden didn't question it, though, as she moved towards the table and sat herself down next to Sunny.
"Well finally," he teased, stringing an arm across her shoulder. Arden felt her back strain at the heavy weight but didn't make an effort to move it. "You took so long."
Arden rolled her eyes, plopping her elbows onto the table surface before she began to mess around with her tie. "I woke up a bit late and it took me awhile to put on my clothes," she explained before taking a plate from the pile of silverware. With a hunger boiling in the pit of her stomach, she shoveled eggs and bacon onto her plate before taking a piece of toast from Sunny. "Have the timetables come yet?"
Jason shook his head, "Not yet," he answered, checking the time. "Maybe in a few minutes—the head of the houses are the ones to pass them out by year."
As if on cue, a stream of teachers filled the Great Hall with envelopes and clipboards in hand. Their head teacher, Flitwick, began to pass out timetables to the first years before he began to make his way down the table. Arden made sure to shove plenty of food into her mouth until the time came for her to receive her own. Flitwick was now perched just behind Arden and Sunny, his fingers shifting through the many papers before he pulled out Jason's and Arden's. He sent Sunny and Rowan a confused expression after he wasn't able to find their names, but the notice of their green ties caused him to move on with an embarrassed laugh.
Arden quickly opened her envelope, breaking the seal and then pulling out the white sheet. Her eyes scanned over the classes she would be taking before they averted to the teachers and the classroom floor numbers.
"I've got History of Magic first with the Hufflepuffs," Arden said, turning to Jason, "You?"
"Me too," he replied, "Oh Merlin, the Hufflepuffs are bloody crazy."
Rowan let out a snort before she stood, "I'll get our timetables from Professor Snape—he likes me quite a bit as a student." She told Sunny with a grin before heading towards the Slytherin table. He called out a thanks to her before he returned back to examining Arden's timetable, brows furrowed and fingers drumming themselves against his thigh. Rowan returned a few minutes later with both her own and Sunny's schedule—she was quick to open it and let out an annoyed sigh.
"I have Herbology first, of course." She fumed with a scowl, "That class is fucking annoying."
Jason rolled his eyes before elbowing her in the ribs. "You just hate that class because it makes you sweat."
"Damn right!" Rowan replied angrily, "I spent fifteen minutes making sure my face looks bloody amazing. Now it'll just be waste of make up!"
Arden chuckled. She used to have that exact same problem at Kanaloa, which had inevitably caused her to stop wearing the dark lipstick and eyeshadow she so deeply loved because of how easy it seemed to fade and run. Sunny seemed to remember, seeing as though his eyes were now scanning Arden's very glistening skin. She sent him a joking glare before their attention was drawn back to someone suddenly sitting down across from them. In a blur of very vibrant yellow colors, Arden watched as a pretty girl made herself comfortable next to Jason before she snatched Rowan's timetable out of her petite hands.
"This is unfortunate," the girl claimed, her fingers lifting to push the glasses that had slipped towards the bridge of her nose, "You've got Herbology first—your face will run."
Rowan, seeming not at all surprised by the stranger's words, sent her a beaming smile. One that Arden knew all too well from the brewing blush that coated her cheeks. "I know, I know," she said almost softly. Arden didn't think that the girl could say anything that didn't hold an ounce of sass or venom in her words. "What took you so long to get here?"
The girl chuckled, pushing away her curly hair. "I had to help some girls with their ties and sleeves, took me awhile to get free," she explained before her eyes snapped towards the twins. "Pardon me for this, but are you two new here?" Sunny nodded, causing the girl to light up like a Christmas tree. She clapped her hands together with a smile, "My name is Thea, fifth year Hufflepuff."
Sunny looked completely awestricken from how sweet her words sounded. Arden, on the other hand, felt her ears perk upwards at the tone of her voice. She sounded much like Lilian—the same form of kindness radiating from her like a beacon. Arden found herself staring blindly at the girl, her lips slightly parted. Perhaps she was hallucinating, but she swore that for a split second it was Lilian and Willa sitting before her instead of Jason and Thea.
"Name is Sunny, my sister here is Arden." Her brother introduced, shaking the girl's hand with a charming smile.
"American and Australian." Thea said with amusement, turning to Jason with widened eyes. "They have a mixture of accents."
Sunny nodded, "Yes, something that your friends have clearly expressed their annoyance with."
Thea chuckled, taking a piece of bacon from the platter before her. "Of course they did," she conceded, pushing up her glasses once again. With lively eyes, she skimmed over her schedule as the conversation took a turn towards the subject of their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Rowan was currently babbling on about how insane their last one had been: a rather young blonde who once famous across the wizarding world was now a babbling lunatic who sometimes forgot their first name. Apparently, though, the Professor that had just been appointed to the position was rather handsome and captivating. He had sandy blonde hair and many, many scars scattered across his face—the most prominent being a very noticeable white, healed gash across his nose.
A loud chime brought Arden out of her thoughts, signaling that it was time to head to class. She bid goodbye to her brother, Rowan, and the very kind girl named Thea. Jason was quick to join her journey to the History of Magic classroom—the two in fact arriving rather early than late as Arden had expected. They ended up taking a seat towards the middle of classroom since the course name sounded boring enough; Arden could only imagine how sad the actual lectures would be.
In the end, it took Jason a good thirty minutes to fall asleep. Arden didn't bother to wake up the boy in worry of the teacher finding out, seeing as though Jason had tactically fallen asleep in a position that made him look awake. An ideal Ravenclaw student.
By the time lunch had come around, Arden wanted to flee the school. History of Magic had bored her to death, whilst at Kanaloa it had instead been brought to life with visual spells and stories that their teacher Mrs.Nixen used to make the subject more interesting. Potions had been her second class, much to Arden's excitement. Although it wasn't anything like her old lectures and brewing sessions, she rather enjoyed how scary Professor Snape was. He was straight to the point and rather rude, something that Arden liked because it made the classroom excessively quiet.
Most surprisingly of all, though, Defense Against the Dark Arts had opened up an entirely different world for the close minded brunette.
It was her fifth and last class of the day, the location set in the North Tower at Hogwarts. Arden, Sunny, and Rowan were currently striding towards the classroom—their conversation rather engrossed in how the first day had went for each of them. Arden, of course, didn't contribute as much and left the discussion to her brother and the rather spiteful Rowan Bernard. She learnt along the way, though, that the class would be occupied by an equal amount of Ravenclaw's, Gryffindor's, and Slytherin's. Their new teacher had apparently requested for a class that would be more than full, packed with students who were all very excited to experience the Professor's teaching. Arden had heard many students throughout the day place bets on how long he would last in the position, few even reaching as far as trying to guess what would cause the teacher to resign towards the end of the year. Some said a dark curse, others presumed that he was part beast. Arden couldn't exactly pitch anything herself, seeing as though she would barely encounter the man at the end of the day.
When the trio finally arrived at the classroom, Arden and Sunny had ended up placing themselves towards the very front of the room. Rowan and a friend of hers settled just behind the pair. Arden's left leg was crossed underneath her, the right dangling off the mahogany seat as she pulled out her Defense book. Her wand, which had been previously resided in the pocket of her robe, was now being twirled between her fingers as the classroom waited for the teacher.
Finally, the door opened, and Arden found herself catching the gaze of the young teacher as he streamed into the class. "Good afternoon, students!" The man said with a rather cheery and welcoming voice. Arden instantly liked him. "Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. I will be teaching you as effectively as I can about all the things you should fear and how to eliminate those same exact fears. Please—get seated and put away your books. I don't believe we will be needing them today."
Arden smirked. Oh she definitely liked this teacher.
The man placed himself just before the board located at the front of the classroom. Taking the chalk from his desk, he began to write the words Counter-Jinxes on the green surface. "Although we will not be practicing this today, we will be discussing the types of Counter Jinxes that are widely used during times of distress. Can someone tell me what a Counter Jinx is?"
Arden, instinctively, shot her arm into the air with a look of pride. They had already learnt Counter Jinxes at Kanaloa—and she had used them, too.
"Yes, Miss–?" Professor Lupin called out, leaving her to answer.
"Mangjuhl," Arden replied with a voice she normally used when speaking to teachers. It was slick and smooth and held no traces of embarrassment nor hesitation. It was one that won over adults and earned her a favored spot as the teacher's most liked student. "A Counter Jinx is a type of counter spell that abruptly ends the drastic effect of a normalized jinx. Instead of preventing the effects of the jinx like an Anti-Jinx would, the Counter removes it completely from the caster's target."
Mr.Lupin sent her an astonished, yet pleased look as he clapped his hands together. "Very correct, Miss.Mangjuhl." He praised before leaning against his desk. Arden sent Sunny a large grin, earning a light chuckle from the boy as he rolled his eyes at her excessive answer. "Although these jinxes are used to remove the threat, many believe that these can be thrown with just as much intention to harm. It depends solely on which and how you use it."
Arden could hear murmurs and laughter coming from the back of the class, but she didn't bother to pay attention to the noise as she focused her gaze on Lupin. He continued to ramble on about circumstances in which counter jinxes could also be used outside of the intention of stopping a jinx, before leading onto asking the class for their personal input. Many people seemed rather thrilled to answer, and Arden could already picture the giddy students who would take back all the nasty guesses they made about their new teacher.
Mr.Lupin had also explained that throughout the year, they'd be touching up on subjects that were meant to be taught the prior year. He had commented about how certain circumstances had led to the request of reteaching, that of which was responded with comments and stories of the supposed teacher that was absolutely full of himself. Gilderoy Lockheart.
"He was an absolute nightmare," Rowan groaned from behind, earning laughter from across the room. Mr.Lupin tried to hide the delight spreading across his face from the comments and stories, but it was clear to see that he was more than amused. "He tried teaching us the Aqua Eructo spell by completely dowsing us in cold water and then making us clean it up!"
Lupin let out a chuckle just as another chime of voices came from the back of the classroom. "He tried the freezing spell too—"
"—he froze our beautiful hair and—"
"—then cast a heating spell to try and unfreeze it!"
"If our hair wasn't red enough, he ended up setting it on bloody fire!"
Whoever were finishing each other's sentences, Arden assumed were close friends—but much to her surprise, when she craned her neck over her shoulder to pinpoint the very similar voices, her eyes instead landed upon a pair of boys sitting rather oddly towards the back of the class. The first thing she noticed was the very, very vibrant red hair and the disheveled uniforms that the two were wearing. Next, her gaze became aware of how strikingly similar the two were—twins, Arden soon realized, a very appealing set of ginger twins.
One had his legs propped up onto the table, the other resting his head on his knee that was held upright from his chair. Their shirts were unbuttoned to their chests, ties hung loosely around their necks. Their robes, much similar to Arden's, were no where in sight. She wanted to deny it, but the pair were bloody hot.
Arden flickered her gaze towards the front before one of the two could catch her staring. Hogwarts just seemed to be full of attractive students—first Jason, then Rowan, then Thea. Not to mention all the girls Arden had to deal with in the bathroom. She felt oddly singled out, but didn't dwell on the idea as Mr.Lupin began to talk about the week's agenda.
Before Arden knew it, class was over. Sunny looked beyond tired, and she herself felt the strong desire to take a nap on the floor. Sluggishly, Arden tucked a piece of her loose baby hairs behind her ear just as the pair began to pack up their belongings. She had bid Lupin goodbye, earning a rather large smile in response. The man was friendly and very homely, she had learnt. There was something about him that seemed so inviting and comforting—whoever was married to that man was damn well lucky.
Just as Arden was about to raise herself from her seat, a rather large bouncy ball landed just by her left foot. It was red, and if Arden was seeing things correctly, it looked as if though fireworks were popping inside of the sphere. They exploded and cackled lightly, the gold shimmering beautifully inside. For a brief moment, Arden reached down to wrap her fingers around the ball—but another hand beat her to it. One of the twins with fiery red hair was now crouched at her side, his long and freckled fingers reaching out to snatch the very magically enhanced toy from its stopping point. Arden watched with a sharp breath as his eyes fell to her exposed ankle, and it took her remotely three seconds to realize just exactly what he was staring at.
Her engraved knife was now unveiled to the ginger's widening eyes, his fingers loosely gripping the enchanted firing ball as he averted his gaze to Arden's frozen face. He opened his mouth to speak before closing it shut, looking utterly at loss for words.
Within a brief moment of panic, Arden reached down to the bottom hem of her black pants and yanked the sleeve down, shielding the ginger's eyes from the equally as dark strap holding her silver blade. "I—uh," Arden stammered, her words falling from her lips like a puzzle. "It's a, well, I can't exactly explain—"
The ginger was quick to cut her off with a wave of his hand and a light smile that tinged at the corner of his pink lips. "Don't worry," he whispered underneath his breath, and Arden found her heart struggling to return to its normal beat as the words oozed from his lips like sweet honey, "I won't tell if you don't."
Arden felt bewilderment run through her at his words. The boy winked at her with a brewing smirk before he stood to his full height, his hands working to toss the ball up into the air before catching it smoothly. Arden pursed her lips before sending him a curt nod, "Thank you," she gushed gratefully, standing to her feet. Although Arden herself was rather tall, her height was almost laughable compared to the ginger's lanky, but built, frame. "I owe you a favor." She declared, fingertips nervously picking at one another as she sent him a thankful expression.
The boy responded with an enchanting grin before beginning to back away, his eyes holding a sort of amusement at Arden's words, "Name's Fred, and I'll be holding you to that favor, Silver." He winked with a flourishing expression of humor before he disappeared behind the classroom door, the echo of his laughter leaving Arden absolutely dumbfounded.
Next to her, Sunny looked completely smitten, causing her to huff and shove him off his chair. "Oh fuck off, Seon." Arden huffed, but the boy only chuckled and stood to his feet. "Don't even start."
Sunny held up his hands innocently, but his expression completely countered the demeanor he tried so skillfully to play off. "I'm not even saying anything!"
Arden glared at him. "I know what you're thinking, we're twins you idiot." She reminded him. "What you feel, I feel; I know everything you're feeling."
"Creepy," Sunny cringed, "Christ, stop stalking me, Silver."
Arden felt herself flush a deep red. Embarrassingly, she stood to her feet and grabbed her bag, taking notice of a rather amused Mr.Lupin who was trying to hide his laughter at the pair's conversation. He had a look of nostalgia across his face, but he didn't comment on it as the pair made their way out of the classroom.
If Arden hadn't felt more out of place at Hogwarts, she surely did now.
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[WORD COUNT: 6768]
[PUBLISHED: 8/20/17]
yall,,, fred smooth as fuck im crying. also i highkey feel like i write with too much detail??? like maybe i write too much rather than putting more effort into dialogue idk
thank u sm for reading and make sure to vote!
—celeste xx