John yawned into a closed hand.
Looking across him, Harry was asleep over his book.
Through their break they decided who would answer what question and such, though they didn't have much time as his friends, including Hermione, hauled his ass away.
So here they were after dinner, in the first year section of the library.
While they had accomplished most of the research answers, they still needed to go out and record a plant they find.
John didn't want to do simply a flower or a weed like most of the students they saw doing-that was just unoriginal.
John reaches over the table, stretching out his appendages and joints.
"Oi."
He shook the kid's shoulder.
"Mate."
Harry blinked and looked at him questionably.
"We answered a lot today, let's call it a day; besides-it's gettin close to curfew."
Now alert, Harry starting packing their papers while John dealt with the books.
On their way out, they got as many strange looks as they had goin in.
"We should probably hit up the library later then, how does after supper sound mate?"
"Uh, yeah sure. Oh-do you have any ideas for our recording log?"
John shrugged uselessly, "Nope....I don't wanna do anything round the Castle anyway-ya see all the others pickin up things like dandelions? No thanks."
Harry nodded.
"But how are we going to do that?"
Tapping his head John went through different ideas.
"How bout the forest?"
Startled, Harry blinked owlishly at him.
"L-like the Forbidden Forest?!"
John shook his head, "Nah, as fun as that sounds, a regular one should suit us just fine."
Harry looked more relieved, "But what if we get lost? We've never gone through the forests around here!"
John hummed at that.
"Yeah good point....wait-wasn't there like a grounds keeper or something that goes into the forest pretty darn often?"
He tried to mind his mouth for the kid's sake.
Harry's face lit up with realization, "OH! Yeah-Hagrid! He could help us!"
"Hagrid? Ain't that the big lug from the train?"
Harry grinned, "Yeah, he's great!"
John nodded, "Alright, if you think he'll be able to help us, I don't see an issue."
Not too long after the last meal was served, the two first years met up by the great hall's door and walked.
As they stepped into the library, they became slightly aware of other students looking at them funny.
Harry knew why: the house rivalry.
Him and John chose a table in the back, away from the prying eyes.
"Yeesh-what was their problem?" John grunted out.
"The normal I guess..."
John openly groaned at this, "Jesus-bloody 'normal'....whatever the hell was wrong with our houses is bloodily ludicrous! When it comes to interaction I swear it's borderline segregation!"
Harry blinked at two things: one was the word chosen-he didn't know what it meant; and two, his new partner's apparent confusion over their houses behavior towards one another.
"Don't.....don't you know?...."
"That they hate each other? That much was obvious-but why?"
Harry frowned, he thought about that question as well.
He had originally thought that the famous feud was ridiculous until he was brought into it.
On some level, he still does....
"Well....I've heard that it's been going on for centuries....even that the founders didn't get along."
At least that's what Hermione recited to him over one of their first lunches.
"Still!" John sighed, "That has practically nothing to do with the kids these generations! If the founders didn't get along-then that had to be a personal thing, now a days it's just a way of bullying and harassing other students over the color tie they were given to wear!"
Harry sighed.....it was kinda true.... that this whole thing was kinda stupid, out of hand and really wasn't their fight to begin with.
"Hey," Harry looked up to a grinning John.
"Let's get this over with as soon as possible eh?"
Harry smiled sadly back.
It was probably for the best.....Harry didn't know if him and John would ever be enemies after this.....this whole fight brought out the worst in people-he's seen it first hand with Ron.
-And it was only a matter of time before word circled the school that a Slytherin and a Gryffindor worked together on their own accord.
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John walked out of the bathroom in more comfortable clothing.
He paused as soon as he saw it.
Draco and a few students were waiting at his bed.
"Constantine."
An ambush?
John raised an eyebrow, so there was gonna be an issue eh?
"Malfoy."
"Heard round here, that you've been buddies with Potter."
The 11 year old sneered at him.
"Care to explain that?"
John freely rolled his eyes, causing some confusion to flash over the posse.
"Yes Malfoy, sharing an assignment meant that he's now my best mate in the whole-wide-world and I'm sorry if that hurt someone's feelings."
He was fed up with this, it annoyed him how they've treated other kids but it pissed him off that they were ganging up on him over something so small.
John pulled back some of the anger at the surprised expressions of his housemates.
He was tired and without much of a filter, but John realized that he needed to rein in some things before someone really did get hurt.
After fighting with some of his earth's worst enemies, John knew how to really get under someone's skin-but he couldn't do that here, they were fucking children that didn't understand the consequences of their actions.
"Tsk, it's against the very natures of this house to associate with the lesser!"
The boys nodded arrogantly, some probably just to stay in the short blonde's good graces.
"Then don't associate us Malfoy! Bloody hell!"
John pushed past the boys and to his suitcase, fishing out his book.
"This conversation isn't finished Constantine!"
"When is it Malfoy?!"
John stood back up, overjoyed to find that even in at this height he still had a few over the brat.
"Get off ya little high horse Malfoy. It's class work."
John gave a sneer of his own for show,
"We'll all get over it."
And with that he pushed to downstairs, he had a feeling he wouldn't be sleeping much tonight anyways.
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Draco fumed.
How dare he talk to a Malfoy like this!
Did the ingrate not know who his family was?!
Or did he simply not care?!
Yet he couldn't help but notice how intimidating the other blonde was when he wanted to be.
Which was so odd as Constantine always stayed near the shadows....never getting involved in any sort.
Now that he thought about the name Constantine, Draco realized he's never heard of them....perhaps he should ask his father to look into them.....with information to hold over him, maybe Draco could reel back in the rouge serpent of theirs.