The weather had gotten nice and warm since the end of break. April showers had brought the flowers in bloom as the month of May started to peak over the horizon. And with May inbound, all of our teachers started to pile homework on everyone's spare moment. For this reason, the girls and I had made a habit of sitting out in the garden, where the air was sweet and fragrant of moist earth and crisp air.
"Ava, another letter for you." Marie announced as she came to join us from the patio, her book bag in hand, two letters in the other. One addressed to her from a relative, and another addressed to me.
"I don't know how I'll be able to handle the stress of this course work let alone adding these pestering letters to the pile," I retorted, tearing the unopened letter in halves and throwing the ends into my bag.
The girls watched my dauntingly from where they perched.
"So sure that the letter was from Malfoy?" Rosalie asked cautiously from her opened French book. I nodded absently, turning back to my work with my quill in hand.
"What about instead of ignoring his letters you just write and tell him to leave you alone," Rosalie continued. Her idea was met with silence as I started to write again.
"Ava..." I looked up to see Ana with her pixie blonde hair in a tuft from running her hands through it so many times.
"This boy should not be ruining your life just for writing to you. Far worse things have happened to girls and they still kept on living happily."
She had a point.
"I know," I began. " I hate the idea of him thinking of me and than writing to me as if we were close or something... and I don't feel like writing to him," I explained. "After all, he told me he would stop writing to me."
"Until he had news, which he does. It can't be bad to read them back and see what's going on," Mila spoke up.
"Well I don't have any of the other letters so I can't do that, now can I?" I snapped back, slamming my book shut on my essay and quill. The girls went quiet though Marie was shaking her head again. I felt the disappointment weigh into me, making me stop what I was doing.
"Don't hate on us. We're just worried about you. We left each other for less than two weeks only to come back to find you worse than where we last saw you," Ana said.
"I know," I responded. "But if you're trying to tell me my family is bad for me, great. I already know this. But I don't know how you expect me to avoid them since they're all I've got this summer, call order and all." I grabbed and stuffed my book back into my bag and stood up.
"What if you stayed with one of us over the summer?" Ana proposed, optimistic. Looking at her brown eyes I saw worry clouding her judgement. She would do anything to help, I knew this to my core. But she hadn't thought through me crashing. How her parents would respond. How my parents would respond. It would all just come crashing down, and all caused by extending an olive branch.
"You have no idea how much I would love to do that. But I think after what happened at winter break, I can say that my parents would never let me."
Ana seemed to deflate at my words, just realizing the truth of it all, while Marie avoided my gaze. I hated how I couldn't read her in this moment. I usually felt like I could.
"I'll just walk this off. Merlin knows you all have dealt with my mood swings enough this year," I said sympathetically. "See you guys at dinner."
I left feeling their eyes on my back as I made my way up the garden. When I made it back to my dormitory where Oliver was hiding, uncomfortably quiet, I dropped the mood swing and placed my bag in front of me.
I searched for the ripped letter and with Spello tape, I managed to bind it back together.
Malfoy's familiar hand writing was on the page once again, confirming my suspicions.
Three letters with no response in a period of four weeks was a bit spectacular coming from someone as proud as Malfoy.
Fountaine,
If this is your way of trying to ignore me after I hurt your feelings in one my letters, then it's pathetic. I thought you wanted open communication with someone who could give you news about what was going on.
The Quidditch game starts soon, though news is spreading that Potter supposedly has his new broom, a Fire bolt. McGonagall is supposedly not letting him use it yet, thank Merlin. Who knew the professor would be helpful? Our Captain has been training us non-stop in preparation for the game, which your friend Spencer needs. Your brother and her have this competition on the field that cost us the last game. It won't happen again of course.
In the unlikely case my last letters have just not found you, I just want to add that the trial went through as I told you it would. That monster Hagrid houses is to be executed soon. June 6th to be exact. Crabbe and Goyle are coming with me to watch it happen in my father's stead. Even the Prime Minister will be there to watch.
Just another show of how close the minister is to my family. Maybe if you start writing back, I can tell you about what the Minster has just invited my family to this summer. It should peak your interest, even if it's not your favorite activity.
-Draco
I rolled my eyes automatically before stuffing the letter in my shoe box under my drawers. Even when faced with rejection, Malfoy still tries to gain attention. What's up with him?
My parents haven't made a deal with parents, have they? Mortification rolled down my spine making me roll my neck uncomfortably at the idea.
I will never speak to that boy again, especially if my guess is right in who my parents see myself with down the line. To think that my parents were befriending the Malfoys for other reasons had now slashed my mind. What if Malfoy knew about the romantic arrangements in the family and was going along with it?
I wasn't going to, and if that meant I was to go mute around him, then I would.
I proceeded to get my fourth detention in a span of a week that night, after Madam Benoît caught me smoking by the side of the fountain with Jacqueline and Marianna.
"I thought you would be smarter than this, Mademoiselle but I guess not," She said with disappointment. I should have felt guilty but I really didn't. Only an indication to light up again the moment Benoît left.
And I did.
After making it back to my dorm Sunday night, having completed my detention, I found Marie waiting up for me with Oliver in her lap.
You know those moments when you can just sense a talking coming? Yeah, I felt that the moment I walked in, which is why I paid my roommate no mind until I was dressed in my pjs, ready for bed.
"I know we only know each other for this one year, but I like to think that we tell each other a lot about our personal life," Marie began.
"Yes, and?" I asked. I took my hair brush and pretended that my hair needed assistance, when it didn't. My mother's hair potion was working wonders on me again.
Maybe I should stop using it.
"Well... You haven't told me yet what happened over spring break. You haven't told anyone, actually."
"Yes I did," I said back simply. "I told you I went to see my grand'mère."
"Yes," Marie said stiffly, "But you didn't tell me what happened. Like actually happened." I shrugged, trying to think up something.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Marie. I spent most of the week and a half eating bread and drinking coffee. And the few times I went out, it was to see my Grand'mère's old friends. Wasn't that special.
"But there must have been something. How else would you start crying like that?"
"Rosalie over dramatized it," I explained. "She tends to do it. Bad habit. Blame it on her mother."
"Ava!" Rosalie snapped. I turned to face her, away from the mirror.
"What?"
"You're worrying me! You've been distant and sad since you've been back here. You used to never get detention but now-"
"Detention is overrated. It doesn't go on our transcripts and it doesn't break away from class time. It's fine, Marie," I retorted, my voice relatively calm. Marie was looking perplexed, unsure how to respond.
"I don't get you. I'm trying to be open to you and you just close up! You've become rude to people and-"
"For Merlin's sake Marie, I've been rude my entire life, just ask Rosalie. I used her the first two years I knew her," I started. "Even had her help me break a girl's leg twice. Not exactly a saint, am I?"
Marie's gaze widened, her mouth ajar, her shoulders dropped leaving Oliver to pester her arm on his tail.
"You can't be serious. You broke a girl's leg?" I scoffed at the repetition of this question as I turned back to the mirror, hair brush in hand.
It was like I could see Sam's distrustful look through the mirror.
"Old news, Marie. Elizabeth and Annie are in better shape now, though if it makes you feel any better, they were the ones that were bullying Rosalie last semester. I see my actions as being justified."
"That's sick, Ava. Sick. And to think you would use Rosalie in your lies too makes this worse." I watched through the mirror as she jumped off the bed and stopped at the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm sleeping at Mila and Ana's place. I can't be near you right now."
I shrugged and returned to my hair, watching the door bang shut behind Marie. I caught Oliver glaring at me from Marie's bed.
"Oh stop it. She wouldn't believe me even if I told her the truth."
During May, meetings with our advisors started to take place to prepare ourselves for the incoming school year. Professeur Beaupré sent me an owl in between classes to set a time to meet following my last class on Friday and so, following Choir, I found myself waiting in line by the Charm's classroom.
My friends had taken a massive step away from me distance wise the moment word spread about snapping a girl's leg. I half expected Rosalie to deny it all, and save me on my angry rant, but she didn't. In fact, she went into even more detail about it, telling them that I had done all of breaking of legs to get a prime spot at Illvermorny's class system.
Labeled as a social climber by a social climber to a bunch of non-carrying social climbers really blowed. I honestly had no idea how I was going to get the girls to forgave me. At least with Sam, she had a habit of looking above my problems and acting towards the future. Marie on the other hand was less optimistic.
The door to the Charms room opened and out came Fleur Delacour accompanied by Professeur Beaupré, mid conversation. When she saw me, she nodded toward the door, while continuing her conversation with Fleur.
"If you continue on your path in Ancient Runes, I see no reason why Gringotts won't like you, Fleur. Though why someone as graceful as yourself would want to enter such a profession..."
I found a chair by Beaupré's desk and promptly sat down, staring off into space.
What would happen if I just didn't show up for advisor meetings? Would they forget to assign me to classes?
"Sorry for that," Beaupré announced as she appeared behind me, having closed the door to her classroom.
"Your Headmistress wants all the students sorted early this semester. Reason being is beyond my knowledge at this point but there you go." She shifted in her chair as she roamed around her drawers in search of a new schedule. Having found it, she placed it on the desk between us and then looked up at me, her green eyes sparkled beneath her wavy red hair she had half pinned today.
"Going into your third year would normally give you certain credentials to add new classes to your schedule. However, this next year will supposedly be a bit different and so, we will not have the same number of new electives to choose from as some of your other friends have in the past. I hope that's alright." I nodded painlessly, truly not caring about what electives to choose from, let alone whether or not they are the same ones my friends are in.
"Let's start with your main classes. You seem to be far surpassing Professeur Martin's potion's class which is good. I can sign off personally on your development in Charms. Especially those dueling spells. It's a shame we had to cut dueling from the syllabus this year. Too many things going on," Beaupré addressed as she flipped her notepad beside her. My name was written in flossy black writing followed by a list of classes and scores.
"Herbology is also stable as is Care for Magical Creatures, and Transfiguration. Surprising seeing as you seemed to dislike the class in your Hogwarts's charts.."
"Professeur Lecour is a very good teacher," I said back simply, casting the glance from my teacher. She gave me a once over before returning to her notepad, her mouth a pressured line of matte red lipstick.
"History of Magic is fine, as is Defense Against the Dark Arts. You could do better in Astronomy though..." I shrugged, gaining a small smile in her expression.
"Not the worst subject to do poorly in, though knowing your mother, I'm sure she would expect better from you." I remained silent here. If my mother had a problem with my Astronomy grade, she could come talk to me about it. Among other things.
Beaupré turned the page in her notepad and chuckled comically at what she read.
"You managed to impress Madam Bisset with your dancing. A good thing now that you will be required to take two dance courses with her in the fall."
"Two?" I repeated, surprised. "Why so many?"
"I didn't realize you would have a problem with two dance classes, Ava. Though your question is valid I suppose," Beaupré mused. "One is for ballet level 2, and the other is for partnering.
"Partnering? As in waltz steps? Wizarding dances?" She nodded back, raising an eyebrow at my confused look.
"I expect you girls will have a lot of fun playing boy and girl for partnering. Though I'd hate to think how much energy it will cost Madam Bisset to keep you girls in line with all of that giggling."
"You seem to do a pretty good job controlling us on your own," I commented, gaining a comical look from my Professeur.
"Well, that is because I will only have one class with you girls. Madam Bisset on the other hand..."
"What class will I have to drop to do both dance classes?" I cut her off to ask. She didn't seem fazed though I knew I did this to Madam Benoît, I would have gotten critiqued.
"Fencing. You drop fencing which in your case seems to be a good thing. Terrible class for you I suppose?" I nodded. "And depending on what's going on next year, I do not expect you to be able to take on Choir either. Professeur Leblanc has asked to take off time for medical leave."
I nodded again, while I watched Beaupré sign something off on her note pad before turning back to me with a new list of classes.
"You must choose two of these classes on the list. Any of them will do, though I suppose you already have an idea of what you like.
I scanned the list of classes carefully.
Flying
Divination
Muggle Studies
Study of Ancient Runes
Seamstress Charms and Fashions
Art of Witches and Muggles
Ghouls Studies
Musical Theory- Wizarding
Musical Theory- Muggle
Perfumes and Potions
Herbology Arrangements- Floral
Herbology Arrangements- Poisons
"You said they took classes off the list?" I questioned, viewing the lengthy page. Another chuckle from Beaupré followed before she explained that this list was transportable, whatever that meant.
"I'll go with Ghouls Studies and Perfumes and Potions, please."
Beaupré smirked again as she taped my schedule in finality. Lines appeared along with class names and teachers. She gave the schedule a look through before signing off on it and handing it back to me.
"You'll have a busy fall semester. Though I suppose it's smart of you to go with things you like rather than what the rest of your friends are doing." I caught her eye, and immediately let my face go blank.
"Yes, well. I see them enough in my other classes, so..." Beaupré gave an understanding nod before closing her note pad and rearranging her quills.
"Smart of you. Though I could see you in our Fashion course. Your mother was one of the best."
"I'm sure she was."
I took my sweet time walking back to my dormitory. Unlike the rest of the girls running outside to enjoy the warm weather, all I wanted to do was curl up in my room with my cat and act like I'm getting work down. When in reality I will probably be eating the last of my chocolate from Easter and sleeping.
But this plan was dashed the moment I walked into my dorm for, standing around waiting for me was all my friends and with it, my shoe box with all the ripped-up letters.
"Ava, we need to talk."