* I am so so sorry that I managed to leave you all on the most stupid of all stupid cliff hangers for over two weeks. Expect me to repay you all by posting a chapter tomorrow too*
Mila and Ana sat on Marie's bed with Oliver between them, eyeing our new guests suspiciously.
On the other bed sat Gisele with Rosalie. Jacqueline was even here, sitting on my dresser, sucking on an Acid pop gingerly. And Marie concluded the group, holding one of the letters wrapped with Spello-tape in the back end of the room.
"Ava we need to talk," she said, making me stop dead in the doorway. The clock over the door started to tick obnoxiously loud, or was that all in my head.
"What are you doing with those?" I demanded, my eyes on my letters.
"Trying to understand what this boy has done to make you so upset," Mila replied with Ana nodding along.
"And?"
"Apart from him being pretentious, we haven't found any reason why he would be causing all of this," Mila finished, waving to the rest of the room.
The girls went silent apart from Jacqueline who kept hissing at her pop in her mouth.
"Well that's that then," I concluded, making for the shoe box but Marie blocked me.
"I thought you'd be more open to talk to us now that we've avoided you for a few weeks."
"It would have been longer had it not been for this one begging us to reconsider," Jacqueline added, pointing to Gisele who was playing with her hair nervously next to Rosalie.
"You've been avoiding me just to see me open up? That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" I snapped back.
"Well I wouldn't call breaking a girl's leg a smart idea either but who am I to judge," Marie retorted. I scoffed and dropped my things on the side of my bed.
"So now what? You know I keep those stupid letters, and you know I broke a girl's leg. Anything else you want to add?"
"Yes," Rosalie spoke up. "You need to tell the girls the full story about Elizabeth and Annie. Because what you told Marie was only the bad parts of it." I frowned, confused.
"Well if you think so why didn't you just tell them."
"Because it's easy for Rosalie to want to come to your rescue, American," Jacqueline replied.
"And we want to see how accurate her story is to what you said."
"Because?"
"Because," Ana began, "if it's true what Rosalie said, things are different. And I at least wouldn't be completely mad at you."
"I would," Marie chipped in. "But that's beside the point. Go on."
The pair of us gave each other a spotted look before I explained the whole Elizabeth story again. Starting all the way back to when Elizabeth and Annie started fighting with me and ending it after my mother sat me down with a threat during the Magnolia Dinner.
"So it is true," Gisele concluded.
"I still think what you did was horrible," Marie stated which I nodded along to as I turned to the top of my cupboard where I hid my chocolate.
"It took Sam a while to forgive me too."
"Sam as in your Hogwarts friend?" I nodded along while I nibbled away at the chocolate.
"Now I'm intrigued," Marie said. "Since, you know, you've told me numerous times Sam and I are similar. How did she learn to forgive you for that?"
I took another bite of chocolate while looking back to last year.
"I threatened this girl, Pansy Parkinson, who was going after Sam for jinxing her."
"She forgave you for threatening someone else?" Ana repeated. I nodded back simply.
"Though she told me to avoid threatening people for the rest of the year."
"I don't see how she and I could be similar if she forgave you just like that," Marie exclaimed, now agitated.
"Marie, just because Sam forgave that easily doesn't mean you have to," Mila said comfortingly.
"I wouldn't expect you to forgive me at all," I added. This got the girls to look at me surprised.
"Oh?"
"Marie," I said, "You don't let me hide behind my problems, you make me stick up and admit to them, which has been horrible but it's also taught me to take responsibility for my actions. What I did to Annie was bad, far worse than what you've seen on me so far. So, if you need to keep hating me until you feel like I've deserved it, then fine. Be miserable." I watched as Marie's face went pale. But that spark in her eye told me I over did it.
"I know what your hinting Ava, and it's not funny. I'm not like my mother like this," Marie exclaimed. "I go after your problems because I know you're a good person under all this coldness. But that doesn't make it right of you to say that I nitpick like her. Because I don't'!"
"She didn't say you nitpick, Marie!" Ana said quickly, jumping off the bed to hug her friend.
"And when did she say anything about your mother?" Rosalie asked, lost.
"She might as well have," Marie chocked.
"Marie, I-" I started but hesitated as Marie hid her face in Ana's shoulder.
"Alright that's enough," Jacqueline announced, as she hopped off my dresser, her acid pop half dissolved in her mouth.
"Jacqueline.." Gisele seemed to warn gingerly, but we all knew Jacqueline was on her own path here.
"No, this is ridiculous. Everyone here is being overdramatic. Ava stop dramatizing over this boy and his letters, he obviously enjoys annoying you and that's that. Just accept you have a crush on him and move on. Marie," She went on, turning to the crying girl in the mass of hugs. "Everyone is like their mother in one way or another. Gisele has her mother's flat nose, I have my mother's horrible smoking habit, you happen to be pinpoint on detail. It's fine, and it's not the end of the world. Alright?"
Silence took over as we all took a moment to blink and let her words take over us.
"She's right," Rosalie spoke up. "We're all just stressed over incoming finals. Why get more stressed than what's required?"
Marie nodded as she started to clean herself up while Ana gently unraveled her hair again.
"You good Ava?" Mila asked from next to me. I cracked a smile as I nodded back.
"She got me at retaining her mother's smoking habits." Jittery laughter erupted in the room, causing Jacqueline to roll her eyes smartly.
"Yeah, laugh it up, hypocrite. You're one year away from joining me on the path to lung cancer." That shut me up as the rest of my friends got themselves together. I even made a peace offering to Marie by
sharing me chocolate.
"Why'd you have to mention my flat nose? You know it's a touchy topic!" Gisele whined, pushing Jacqueline in the shoulder as I appeared by her side, chocolate in hand.
"Want some, Jacqueline?" I asked, passing the box but she shook her head, a frown appearing on her face.
"I think I have a hole on my tongue." She spit out her tongue causing the group of us to gap at her, giggling madly.
"What? Is it that bad?" She asked, her tongue still partially out to reveal a massive acid burned hole from her pop.
"You idiot. Who sucks on an acid pop for over five minutes?" Mila jabbed as the we all started to file out of the room, destination: hospital wing.
"I lost track of time-"
As May fell into June, bees started to buzz and with it, the numerous witches at Beauxbatons as exam week arrived.
The girls were closer than ever after that dramatic gathering in their dorm, and while Jacqueline was tender-tongued for a few days afterward, she still found ways to express her genius orchestrating the meeting.
"All I'm saying is that if it wasn't for my help in settling the matter, you wouldn't have any friends during this finals hell, which would cause you to fail your exams and so-"
"If you're trying to make me thank you for getting an O in Potions, you are sadly mistaken, Jacqueline," I said, stopping her short with a crocked grin.
"Preach," Rosalie added, as she followed, arm and arm with me down the hall to Herbology with Jacqueline and Gisele racing after us.
"Rude! Gisele, did you hear that?" Jacqueline asked, feigning offence, but her doe-eyed friend was not in the mood, as her nose was stuck in a book on Transfiguration.
"I'm going to mix them up. How stupid will I look if I conjure up bats instead of butterflies?"
"You can just act like you're going through a phase," Rosalie responded kindly, only to cause Gisele to puff up again, and turn her nose back to her book.
"Oh I agree," Jacqueline spoke up. "Gisele on a goth phase? Who would have guessed. Your poor mother will have a heart attack to see her daughter has inherited her flat nose but not her fashion sense!"
"Not funny, Jacqueline," She mused while the rest of us chuckled along, catching Marie, Mila and Ana as they walked around the corner.
"How'd it go?" Marie asked me, peering down at my potions book.
"What do you think?" Rosalie commented with a grin, causing Marie to scoff.
"Just making sure. Maybe now you can help me study for my potion's exam."
"Just memorize the recipes and you'll be fine!" I said back comfortingly but Marie only rolled her eyes.
"It's not that easy, Ava."
"Yes it is, you're just not studying enough," Mila spoke up as we started toward the Grand room for lunch.
"Can we stop talking about finals? My head hurts too much from studying them!" Ana whined as we all plopped down at a table, Jacqueline and Gisele stealing chairs to join alongside us.
"Remind me of all of your plans for the holidays?" Marie asked, turning to Jacqueline who was glaring at the fish eye starring up at her from her lunch plate.
"Visiting family and being lazy," She responded before turning to Gisele pleadingly to swap dishes.
"I said no, Jacqueline," She muttered at her friend's snatching hands before turning to Marie. "I'm going to Paris for a summer internship."
"On what?" Ana asked.
"History labeling," Jacqueline and Rosalie commented back in unison, causing the rest of us to chuckle.
"Oh right I remember," Marie said, nodding as she bit into her sandwich.
"I don't say it that often, do I?" Gisele asked worried, missing sight of Jacqueline stealing a noodle from her plate.
"Yes, yes you do Gisele, and it's alright. We're proud," Ana stated comically causing Gisele to roll her eyes and turn to her noodle stealing friend accusingly.
"What are you doing Rosalie?" I asked, watching as she lowered her cup properly, one of the many things we had been drilled over in Madam Benoit's etiquette classes.
"Mom's taking me on a trip through Europe. Said something about meeting a friend in Madrid."
"Oooh, you should tell Marianna!" Jacqueline chimed in. "She can help you with your Spanish!"
"She speaks Portuguese, you daft," Mila corrected, but Jacqueline didn't seem to care.
"It's still better than English."
"Is it though?"
By the time June 7th hit, I was on my last day of exams. All that was left was transfiguration and our Ballet exam. I was excited for ballet, but dreading transfiguration.
Thankfully, I got transfiguration out of the way first in the morning. I had to transfigure mice into goblets and wine into water.
The goblets stopped squeaking after thirty seconds of my spell taking affect, but the wine that was supposed to be water, smelled strongly of fermented grapes and so I left that class with a barely passing A for Acceptable.
"It's alright, Ava. We can't all be Jesus," Marie joked as I walked with my head in my hands on our way to the gardens.
"You're very funny," I called back, hearing her chuckle at her own humor.
"How you feeling on the choreography for ballet?" She asked as we stopped in front of the path of hedges angled toward the toppling fountain.
"I have it down," I responded, though I doubt I'll be able to stop myself from hopping to keep my balance in the center. Why did she have to make our center portion all on demi point? What's that going to do for us?"
"Get us ready for pointe work. Duh," Marie joked as we walked on down the path.
"I don't know whether to dread pointe or get excited for it," I concluded.
We were rounding the fountain when I heard the sound of wings, and the familiar hoot of an owl. Looking up, I caught sight of the bird that I didn't recognize but when I grabbed the note from its claws, I recognized the writing.
"Draco?" Marie asked curiously. I shook my head, frowning.
"No. Sam."
"What does she want?"
I didn't know, which made me eager to rip the note open.
Ava,
Didn't expect to hear from me, huh? Not I expected to write to you today either but I knew you'd want to know what was happening here, from one of us before you read it on the news. And knowing your brother, he wasn't going to write to you.
Hogwarts was under attack this last week, in particular yesterday night on the 6th. The news is hazy I think people are trying to hide information but bottom line, Sirius Black was here. And he attacked students, friends of yours actually. That golden trio of yours, Potter, Granger and Ron Weasley. Ginny on the other hand was fine, she was with us.
"What's the matter?" Marie asked, her voice giving away her curiosity.
"Black got into Hogwarts," I said back, my eyes returning to the letter.
Black got away too. Which is drastic when you think of how many dementors have been monitoring the school. But I'm sure you already know that much from Draco. He's been going off around me about how you keep writing to him and not me. I didn't realize that French school of yours can change you that much in forgetting how much of a tool Draco is.
But that's not what I mean to write about. One of our teachers was sacked this morning, and Snape even told us why. Supposedly we had a werewolf for a teacher. My stupid sister was too dramatic and already sent a letter out to my parents about the news, not thinking that our parents might drag us out of Hogwarts for the incoming year. Because I don't know what you've heard, but Hogwarts is going downhill, fast.
And the likes of Draco Malfoy aren't helping.
But don't worry, I won't bother you about this again. I'm done writing to you.
-SAM
PS. We lost the house cup because of Malfoy. If you had any sense left you could at least annoy him with that fact for me.
The letter left me with a stone in my throat and guilt pilling in my stomach. Sam was over me already and Malfoy had something to do with it.
"What else does it say? Is it that bad?" Marie asked worried. I shook my head, and handed her the letter.
"Hogwarts is fine, it's just Sam..."
Marie scanned the letter before stopping on that sentence at the end and looking up at me pitifully.
"She just doesn't know all the facts, Ava." I scoffed and sat myself down on the fountain side.
"You think? Or maybe I am truly terrible. After all, I did write to Malfoy more this year than I did her. And she and I were close at school."
Marie pinched her lips as she looked to the water in thought, and then sat down next to me.
"I think the one thing we all learned this year about each other that Sam hasn't figured out yet, is how easy it is to miscommunicate how we're feeling and to attack each other on it."
"Like earlier last week?" I asked and Marie nodded.
"Yeah, last week, and before spring break, and after spring break, and before winter break.."
"Okay, you've established the numerous mistakes I've made-"
"But-" Marie cut in, "we all got back together because we were able to talk it out. In person. And that's what you're missing with Sam. Nothing else."
"So you're saying I should go up to her in person and she'll forgive me?" I asked hopefully. Marie chuckled and shook her head.
"Oh no, if she's anything like me, she's going to hate you for a bit. Just need to air all this out, you know?" Marie had her comical grins on her face that broke any hard feelings I had as I laughed it out.
My thoughts on Hogwarts and how Harry, Ron and Hermione got involved kept circling my mind for the rest of the day, thought I got a break when I received an E on my Ballet final.
When I told the rest of the girls what the letter said during our late night party, celebrating our freedom from finals, Rosalie encouraged me to write to Hermione, and check on her.
"If she's as nice as you said, she'll probably like having someone worry about her after all that's happened."
"But don't ask her a lot of questions," Ana warned.
"Or else she'll think you're just trying to get information," Mila finished.
The next morning while everyone at Beauxbatons was in a rush packing their bags and spending their last hours with their friends for the school year, I took out my writing pack and addressed a letter to Hermione. I kept it short and simple, as my friends warned me to do. And the only question I asked, was "Are you alright?".
The rest I spent asking about her school year and telling her a quick snip bit about Beauxbatons.
I mailed it off to the owlery as I was leaving the palace with my friends beside me. The Unicorn drawn carriages were waiting for us patiently with Mariana saving us our seats, a cigarette held dainty in her usual hand.
"Didn't think I was going to get a goodbye unless I tracked you all down," She announced as we stopped short by her carriage, grinning.
At the station, all of us said our goodbyes for the summer.
"Promise to write to me, I want all the details of how your imprisonment goes," Ana joked causing me to ruffle her blonde hair affectionately.
"I'll tell you everything. Big Promise."
Marie hugged me last, telling me she didn't expect a letter every week.
"Just whenever you get a chance, write to me, and then I'll write back."
"Yeah, hopefully Maman won't hoard my letters again." Marie nodded knowingly before kissing me on the cheek in goodbye.
On the carriage ride home, my mind started to drift back and forth between the fun from school and what was awaiting me at home.
Naturally dread started to build in my stomach.
"What have you got planned this summer, Ava?" Gisele asked from across the seat.
I recalled the letter I received from my mother two nights ago before answering.
"I'll be in New York, chatting up Upper East side and acting like a good little daughter for my parents." Jacqueline smirked at my sarcasm before commenting back.
"Give them hell, American."