Ava dug her chipping nails into her raw hand. Any other would call the girl nervous.
But they we're wrong. Stupid, Ignorant. Ava didn't, wasn't nervous. She was just set slightly off.
Her eyes we're set deeply onto a stout toad-like woman, who was dubbed Professor Umbridge.
She spoke in a high pitch voice, breathy and proud, but Ava had stopped listening after the 10th second of the woman's seemingly, never-ending speech.
In fact, most of the table, we're dozing into oncoming sleep as the pink toad continued on.
Ava only stayed staring at the woman, counting down every last detail. From her velvet bow, to her kitty-cat buttons, that lie on her robes.
Deep in the girl's pocket she fingered her wand. 13in, Dragon Heart string, Pear wood. Her fingers picked at a small nick, her wand had acquired after one of her cousin's disarming spells sent the magic stick soaring straight into the edge of the wall in her living room.
Now that she thought about it, that edge had been the culprit of tripping and toe-stubbing for years. She had exactly 48 times referred her mother about it, and asked directly to get it removed 37 times.
And all of those requests went down the drain with a sharp "No".
Her father strayed from all matches about the issue, but 23.
In which her mother, or herself would drag his opinion in. Which lead to:
"Ava, please, your mother has final say in this house"
And no matter what she may say in response, her father always sidestepped away.
Ava was now chewing on her bottom lip. She had done this all day. Her lip was red and raw, but the girl kept picking at the peeling skin.
The iron taste of blood mixed in with her spit and she swallowed the liquid down with relish. Blood never bothered her.
The wound stung, but it did not shake Ava from her trance.
Her mind was wandering to the new spell books she had bought last week, the ones she had almost finished reading at her own home, then finished them on the train.
'The Venomous Tentacula is a green, spiky, toothsome plant with mobile vines that try to grab living prey. Venomous Tentacula expels venom from its shoots, and its spikes are deadly. Its bite is highly poisonous and can prove fatal.
'The Venomous Tentacula can be repelled by Diffindo, or Stupify. Tentacula seed are class C non-'
Ava's thoughts we're cut off by the sudden sounds of students shuffling, getting up to leave. She had gotten stuck in her thoughts again.
Ava stood from the bench, her legs aching with stiffness.
Robin, Ava's best friend finally noticing that her friend was ready to leave with the rest, stood, still conversing with Duncan.
The three walked side-by-side. Robin and Duncan arguing over if the Tutshill Tornados would keep their winning streak up, and Ava strutting quietly beside them.
"Hey Aloe?" countered Robin, "Please tell this stale piece of toast that there is no way that the Tornados will beat Puddlemere!" The girls long brown braids hung limply to her shoulders, and her always green eyes shown with mischief.
"No! You tell this moldy wig that the Tornados are going to smash Puddlemere!"
Ava didn't answer. That wasn't much of a problem though, for the two went back to bickering in an instant.
Aloe Vera: very short-stemmed plant with thick leaves with soothing mucilaginous juice; leaves develop spiny margins with maturity; native to Mediterranean region; grown widely in tropics and as houseplants
The nickname was from the constantly twittering Robin.
She found Ava's constant explanation for things and long detailed ideas somehow- soothing.
And when she was finally reminded what "the burn plant" was actually called, Ava was dubbed Aloe.
Ava didn't object to the name.
She rather liked it, having a nickname, and- a friend.
And only last year she had met Duncan, the tough boy, who although bickered with Robin, and envied Ava for her unrelenting memory, wouldn't even allow his second cousin Draco Malfoy (who was on good terms with him) bully them around.
Ava wasn't actually very sure what Duncan was getting out of this friendship.
They didn't really share much in common.
Robin said that Ava reminded Duncan of his late little sister Teresa, who had an amazing memory, like Ava. Unfortunately, Teresa passed away right before Duncan had entered Hogwarts.
She had died from a nasty case of Dragon Pox.
Being as young as she was and as sick as she usually had been, the illness was too much for her frail body to handle.
And from that event, Duncan had turned from the bright bubbly boy he once was to a hoodlum.
His bright blonde hair always was pushed in front of his eyes, and his fists we're always clenched. A cold look always held a home in his turquoise orbs.
But it was all worth it to see him lighten up when Ava and Robin stayed close to him.
Robin came from a very wealthy family. Her father had died in an accident shortly after she was conceived.
Her mother refused to tell the family what befell her loved husband, and buried the secret into her heart, for what seemed like ever.
The still mourning woman was a recluse. Always hot tea in her hands when Duncan or Ava came to visit, only smiling weakly before returning to her room, not to be seen for the rest of the day.
Before Ava had realized it, they had made it to the secret door.
"Moon," Draco uttered lazily, the cold stone wall melted away, like liquid, revealing a beautifully decorated lounge.
The first years at the front, stood where they we're and 'ohhhed' but Draco had none of it.
He pushed the small ones out of the way, waltzing into the lavish room, while the other Perfect, Pansy Parkinson, clanged to his shoulder, giggling.
As the lounge filled up, Ava, Duncan, and Robin draped themselves onto two chairs in front of the flickering fire.
Duncan, vacating his own, and Robin sitting upon Ava's lap.
"So Aloe- how many of those new fancy school books did you read yet?" giggled Robin, pushing some hair from Ava's face.
"All of them".
"WHAT?!" screeched Duncan, who was leaning forward and gripping the leather seats so hard that his nails we're puncturing the soft hide.
Several first years jumped at the commotion, eyeing the group curiously before sprinting up the stairs, and to their dorms.
"How, in the name of Merlin, did you read all of those books by NOW?"
Robin giggled, wrapping her arms around Ava's neck and pulling her into a "buddy hug".
"God Duncan! You know Ava, she could be dueling it out with Snape and still have time to read!"
"Oh come on, guys, you know I had plenty of time to read all of those books!" insisted Ava.
"Oh my god, we went last week, I'm done" rasped Duncan, who stood from his seat, and marched slowly to the stairs.
"Oh come on Duncan, just because you can't read a paragraph doesn't mean Ava can't!" giggled Robin.
"SO DONE" he yelled back.
And like that, he disappeared up the staircase.
"There's a free chair now" Ava alerted Robin.
"Naw, this spot is just fine!" Robin insisted, scotching her arse up Ava's legs closer to her torso.
Robin laughed while Ava's face grew bright red.
"Your just trying to put sexual tension in our friendship aren't you?" Ava asked quietly.
Robin, stuck her tongue out and made a concentration face.
"No..." drifted Robin, and out of nowhere the braid-haired girl roused her head close to Ava's.
Their faces inches away from each other.
"But, I could be lying…" She whispered in a breathy tone. And with a sudden flick. Robin licked Ava's cheek, dousing her skin in slobber.
Robin jumped from Ava's form, laughing like a madman, sprinting to the stairs as Ava followed quickly behind, face red, and wiping spit from the side of her chin.