"She said what?" Gene hisses, leaning across his textbook. "Who's taking her then?"

I can't tell him the truth, so I shrug.

"Some older Gryffindor I guess."

"That's bogus," he mutters, sitting back. "Why wouldn't she say 'yes' to you…"

"Because I am a Slytherin and she is a Gryffindor. Our houses hate each other on principle, or have you missed that fact in the last five years of our schooling?"

Gene rolls his eyes.

"She's not like that though. Her best friend is in Slytherin!"

"That doesn't prove anything."

"Who could it be though?" he asks again. "You don't think it was their keeper, do you? I've heard he has a thing for younger girls… And they are both on the quidditch team."

I frown and try to remember who on earth he's talking about. Gene sees my frown and elaborates.

"The guy who was cursed by that red head in my house so that he had a bald spot in the of his head like a 12th century monk or something."

"Oh, him. I doubt it."

"Literally the only other person I know in Gryffindor is Lin, and he's taking that crazy beater from your team."

"Madoka is not crazy, you just don't like her because she beat up your quidditch team last match."

"She was brutal."

"Effective."

"Cruel."

"And don't pretend you don't know other people in Gryffindor." Gene flushes red. I pack up my books. "I have to get back to the common room, I have patrol tonight."

"I don't know what you're—"

"Shh, Mr Griffiths," the librarian shushes.

I smirk at Gene who shrinks back into his chair at the librarian's words.

"Later."

I leave the library and head towards the Slytherin common room. Once inside, I am approached by someone I'd really rather not see right now.

"I know why you're so unhappy."

"Good evening, Masako, I'm afraid I have somewhere to be."

Her smile makes her look just like Maleficent before she curses that baby in the green light of the common room. I look away and hopes she'll leave me alone.

She doesn't.

"She didn't accept Yasuhara because she fancies him, you know. They're just friends."

I scowl.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You don't? I thought you'd met Mai… She's that really cute Gryffindor that saved you from the dem—"

I grab her arm and drag her outside. I do not want the entire common room overhearing this.

"I would have accompanied you out here if you'd asked," she mutters. "You only had to ask."

"What do you want, Masako?"

"I was trying to be nice."

"How, exactly, is reminding me that she turned me down nice in any way?"

Masako pulls a slip of parchment out of her pocket and waves it in front of my face. I snatch it from her and read.

Masako,

I knew I shouldn't've accepted Yasuhara's idea! Someone else asked me at lunch and I had to turn them down because of it! Y only asked because he knew I couldn't go without a partner. Why did they change the age limit anyway?! 4th years used to be allowed to go without a date but now we have to have an older student with us, like what the hell?!

I feel really bad about turning him down and the more I think about it, the more I realise I didn't need to! Y wouldn't mind at all!

Eugh. Also, I totally need help with my charms homework, free later?

Mai.

Masako snatches the piece of paper back and pockets it.

"See," she says, beaming.

"You should not show me someone else's private letter."

"Oh shut up, you're happy I can tell."

"I'm sure Gene will be ecstatic," I say with a roll of my eyes. "But this has nothing to do with me."

She frowns at me and catches my eye.

Fuck—

"Gene's gay?!" she squeals. "Oh my, that makes so much sense!"

Fucking legilimens.

"Get out of my head," I turn and walk away.

"I am so going to set him up—"

I turn back and grip my wand in my pocket, ready just in case.

"You will leave him alone," I growl. "Or you will have me to answer to."

Before she can say anything, I give the password and storm back into the common room. I only have a little while until patrol, which, fortunately, is solitary.

This Yule ball thing is causing far more trouble than it is worth.

Gene wants to go dress robe shopping this weekend. He's been saving for a while for this. I only agreed to go so that he'd have someone to go with. Shopping that is, though I suppose to the ball as well.

He was going to ask Osamu Yasuhara, a sixth year Gryffindor prefect. But Yasuhara asked Mai Taniyama, a fourth year Gryffindor.

Everyone likes Mai. It's kind of hard not to. Well, that's a lie. Masako hated her when they first joined. I saw them dueling once in a corridor. But then they hexed each other and somehow became best friends and are now the best in DADA in their year.

I really don't understand how people work.

Maybe if I hex Mai, she'll like me too.

That doesn't sound like it should work.

I dump my bag in my trunk, find some food for Luna — my cat — and then head straight back out. Masako is mercifully out of sight and I begin my patrol route with no issues.

First through to fourth years are allowed out until 8 PM, fifth years (excluding prefects) are allowed until 9 PM, and then sixth and seventh years are allowed until 10 PM. So at this time, I am only looking for younger students.

Punishment for being out after curfew varies. Some months, the professors really crack down on it. Other months, not so much.

As it's December and everything is winding down during the last week of term, Professor Davis — the History of Magic professor, not the Charms professor, which is his wife — advised to give people a stern warning unless they were causing mischief.

I turn my toes towards the owlery. It's a common place for people to go after curfew because they want to send letters that cannot possibly wait until the following day. Again, it being December, a lot of people are sending last minute orders for Christmas gifts. That is something I do not have to worry about.

Gene and I don't bother buying each other gifts. Neither of us have a lot of money — Jeffery is not the most supportive of fathers in any sense of the word — so there is very little point.

He was relieved when we were offered places at a boarding school I think. Especially after…

I open the owlery door and true to form I find someone in there. The petite frame spins around and I grimace at my luck. Of course it's her.

"Oh crap! I'm out after curfew, aren't I?"

The remorse in her voice is so evident it hurts.

"Yes."

And then recognition sparks in her eyes as she realises who I am.

Some people at school, like Mai and that monk person, are people that everyone just knows. I am not one of those people. And even when people think they know who I am, they're usually just mistaking me for Gene.

This is not one of those times.

"You're the guy who…" she trails off and the awkwardness is palpable.

"You should—"

"Please don't put me in detention just because I turned you down!" she begs. "It's not because I think you're horrible, it's just Yasuhara asked and I really wanted to go and I can't go unless someone asks and—"

"I'm not going to put you in detention."

"You're not?"

"No."

"Oh… Thanks." She bites her lip. "My next ploy was going to be summoning my broom and jumping out of the window and hoping you couldn't catch me…"

"I do not have a broom on me so that would probably work," I say.

It's not strictly true, I could probably stop her somehow, but I probably wouldn't.

There's a moment of silence before she speaks up again.

"Why… Why did you ask me? It's not like we…" She shrugs.

"Last year, when we had dementors at the school," I say in a low voice. "You made them go away for me. I don't think you did it specifically for me but…"

I shrug.

"They made me think about my Mum dying," she blurts out. "I asked Lue— Professor Davis and she taught me how to do the Patronus Charm. Not strictly her area but I don't like Professor Ubusuna so… Maybe if they affect you, you should ask too."

"Professor Davis doesn't like me enough."

She doesn't argue.

"Why are you up here so late anyway?" I ask.

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine."

"Okay."

I don't know why I agree. Perhaps if it had been anyone else I would have refused. But I like Mai and the request feels harmless enough.

"It would be my Mum's birthday today," she explains. "I came up here just in case, you know… I always used to get letters from my Mum and… It's silly."

I cannot refute that. Letters from a dead parent is silly.

"What about your father? Does he not write to you?"

"He died when I was eight," she says. "It was just me and Mum until… She was an auror. They both were. Mum always teased Dad that she was better than he was…"

"Is that why you work so hard at dueling?"

"I guess. We used to play make believe a lot so I guess something came from that… But I've answered a lot of your questions. My turn," she smiles — not a happy smile, but a sad, knowing one — and asks, "What do the dementors make you see?"

"My father beating my mother to death."

Her face whitens.

"My father is a muggle and my mother was a squib. She never said anything about magic until my brother and I started showing signs of it. She was an alcoholic and he was already abusive but it made everything worse."

"Is he in Azkaban?" she whispers.

I let out a cold bark like laugh.

"No, the muggle police believed him when he said she fell down the stairs after drinking too much. He may be a useless idiot that cannot hold down a job but he does know how to act."

"I'm sorry that happened to you."

"You should get back to your dormitory."

"Oh, right, yes, sorry."

She forces a smile and heads for the owlery door.

"You know, I could teach you how to do a Patronus if you want?" she offers.

"From my understanding of the charm, it requires a happy memory to work?"

"Yes?"

"Then your attempts would be futile. But I thank you for the offer."

"Oh… Well if you change your mind…"

She ducks out of the owlery and down the corridor. I walk to the owlery window and stare out into the darkness.

It's ironic really. The charm to ward off the literal embodiments of depression requires the one thing that depression robs from you.

I take one last look at the stars and then continue on my patrol.

Author's note: Okay so we're just going to ignore that I have the Yule Ball and NO MENTION OF THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT OKAY?!

Also I NEED ART OF THIS. I want pictures of them all in uniforms. Maybe I'll try and draw at the weekend. Omg.

So for those of you that haven't read my other story, this arose because I'M GOING TO SEE THE CURSED CHILD TOMORROWWWWWW!

This was supposed to be a oneshot and then it was like a million words so it's now 5 chapters and I've had at least two people already tell me they want a full AU and not just a quick story but I have so many other WIPs that eugh... Someone write it for me?

Please review!