The dim light in her bedroom was her first clue that she was awake far earlier than she needed to be. The breeze blowing through her window was unseasonably cool, gathering up the silky green sheets she had kicked away in her sleep, Una rolled onto her side, tucking her arm under her pillow and came face to face with the reason she was awake at... Did that clock really say 5:13am?! Una's tawny owl was sitting on her bedside table, perched precariously on a stack of books hooting dolefully, one leg outstretched towards her wrapped with a scroll.
"What could anyone possibly need to tell me at 5:15 in the morning?!" She groaned, reaching to fumble the letter off her owl, Satele's leg.
'Una!
I just overheard my dad getting home from work! You'll never guess what's being hosted at Hogwarts this year?! THE TRIWIZARD CUP! Meet me in the city for breakfast before we catch the train?!
Aph '
Typical, her gossipy best friend had absolutely no respect for normal sleeping hours, Aphrodite was the child of a wizard and a hippy, love-child muggle-born witch who still woke with the sun for their morning constitutionals which meant Aph had a crazy hippy muggle name and also had never fully grasped the concept of 'sleeping in'. Still, the Triwizard Tournament, at her school! What a way to spice up their sixth year! Knowing full well, despite her best intentions, she was now too excited to sleep she sat up and penned a quick reply to Aphrodite, offering to meet her at their favourite muggle pancake shop at 7:30 and sent it out into the cool morning with an unimpressed Satele,
"Extra owl nuts when you get back, promise." Una murmured to her, stroking two fingers over Satele's wings as she whooshed softly out the window.
Una stretched languidly, yawning and turned to appraise her reflection critically in the mirror; her mother had been promising her for years that one day she would grow out of her puppy fat and this summer it had finally happened, she definitely wasn't one of the thin women in Aphrodites weird muggle magazines, but the smooth curves of her body were making her a damn sight happier than her vaguely dumpy figure had up until now. Smiling happily at the prospects of starting her sixth year with a lot more confidence, Una swaggered off to the shower, snagging a black dress off her laundry hamper on her way.
Despite having woken up hours ago, Una was still running late, racing up the high street, her wet red hair tumbling out of the bun she had haphazardly wrapped it in as she left the house 40 minutes ago. Una had dropped her trunk and Satele's cage into the cloak room at Kings Cross before meeting Aphrodite which was why she was so late.
"Thank Merlin, I thought you didn't love me anymore!"
Typical melodramatic Aph, leapt up from the booth she was folded behind and jumped out at Una, slightly hindered by her impossibly long legs which always took longer than you would expect to completely unfold, Una always joked that Aph was basically a human Praying Mantis.
"How is it that in six weeks you've become even more clingy?" Una sneered companionably as she allowed Aph to fold her into her twig-like arms.
"I'm sorry that it's so wrong to miss you, Grinch" she said, squishing Una to her chest and then depositing her into the booth.
"So the Triwizard Cup, huh?" Una asked laughingly as she picked up a menu.
"Forget the cup! This means we get a Yule Ball! Fancy dress robes, dates and dancing!" Aphrodite sighed dreamily, "it's going to be magical."
Una rolled her eyes but in the spirit of friendship she let Aph ramble on about her plans for the Christmas party, she was a really good friend, the topic carried them through breakfast, up the street and all the way into their carriage on the Hogwarts Express.
The first few weeks of term were fairly standard, except for the undercurrent of excitement that was palpable in their classrooms. Una and Aphrodite were sixth year Gryffindor students and after the stress of the previous years OWL exams everyone in her classes was easily swept away in excited gossip and chatter about the upcoming guests to the castle.
Halfway through their sixth week Una and Aphrodite were in what was possibly their most unruly care of magical creatures class to date, care was Unas most cherished subject, it was her ambition to be a creature healer when she left Hogwarts and for this reason she was one of Hagrids favourite pupils. As it was their sixth year they had finally moved on to assisting Hagrid with husbandry of creatures rather than just studying and observing them, today Hagrid had arranged a litter of Crups for them, magical creatures that strongly resembled muggle Jack Russells in every way except for their curious forked tails which were the subject of todays lesson.
The class had been broken into groups of four and each group had been given a Crup as Hagrid began to explain the correct method of removing their additional tail, Una and Aphrodite were sharing a pup with Fred and George Weasley, the snoozy little creature dozing in Una's arms.
"Righ', ye've all got yer Crups so listen here." Hagrid announced as he handed out the last wriggling puppy, "The on'y diff'rence between a Crup an' a muggle Jack Russell is the extra tail so according to the International Standard o' Secrecy, we have to get the extra tail off. Now don' worry, if yeh do the severin' charm righ' this won' hurt em' a bit."
Hagrid scruffed the last squirming pup in his left hand gently and pinned it to his desk with some difficulty as the Crup was enthusiastically trying to lick his fingers.
"Righ' now as they're on'y pups they're still pretty wriggly so yeh'll need to work as a team to make sure yeh' do this righ' an' don' hurt em', Una why don' yeh come up here and give me a hand?"
Una grinned at Hagrid and handed Fred her squirming Crup, bemusedly noticing the way he smiled shyly at her and then squeezed past the front row of students, as she made her way up there was a low wolf-whistle and one of the Ravenclaw students murmured something smirkingly to his classmate, Una didn't hear his words but apparently Fred Weasley did and judging by his reaction it had not been polite.
"What was that Davies?" He growled, looking disgusted, Roger at least had the decency to look sheepish. Choosing to ignore the boys Una continued heading towards Hagrid. Obviously Hagrid had not noticed Roger and Fred's brief disagreement as he ploughed on with the demonstration as soon as Una had joined him.
Ten minutes later the groups were divided onto separate benches, trying hard to control their exuberant pups long enough to gently remove their extra tail, while Fred scruffed the fluffy creature the way Hagrid had showed them Una was laughingly trying to convince the puppy to stop trying to roll over and lick her fingers when Roger Davies sidled over to her and leant in close between her and Fred,
"The Crup's not the only thing that wants to lick you all over you know." He winked at her sleazily. Aphrodite, who was on Una's other side scoffed loudly at Roger's transparent efforts but Fred looked up at him and for the first time Una saw him lost for words, his face contorted with anger.
"In your dreams Davies, I haven't forgotten the Bubotuber pus you threw all over me last Easter." She said scathingly, turning from him to focus on the cheerful baby animal on her desk. Roger leant in even closer and whispered in what he clearly thought was a sexual voice,
"Yeah well, you were a fatty then, luckily for you, you got sexy over the summer."
Suddenly beside herself with hurt and rage, Una abandoned the creature she was trying to restrain and whipped her wand out hitting Roger with the first hex that came to her mind, unfortunately for him Fred had overheard his words and hexed him as well, the result was Roger Davies flat on his back with what looked like custard erupting from his nose.
"Now wha' on earth is goin' on back here?!" Hagrid thundered, stumping quickly to Una's table. "Una, Fred, I would've expected more from yeh'!"
"He insulted her Hagrid!" Aphrodite shouted, fists flailing and restrained from leaping onto Roger only by a terrified George Weasleys arm around her waist, George had clearly missed the conversation and was looking equal parts bewildered and frightened by Aph's outburst.
"So yeh tell a teacher, yeh don' take matters inter yer own hands! I'm sorry Una, Fred, but this'll have to mean detention, Roger yeh'll have one as well as soon as Madame Pomfrey stops yeh oozin', yeh slimy git." Hagrid was clearly displeased by Rogers behaviour but Una knew he was right, she shouldn't have cursed him.
