Posts will be two chapters at a time and features the Coven and Foxxay. Enjoy! (Headcanoned with and beta-ed by Grace)
Rated T
Word count: 8k
CHAPTER 1
"You look like you've never seen a chocolate frog before." The dirty blonde cocked her hip out as she leaned in the doorway, an eyebrow raised and a particular gleam in her eyes.
The girl, sitting alone and looking quite small in the large carriage, looked up from her lap, alarmed, but softened at seeing that the newcomer was no older than her. "I, no, I've never."
"Can we sit in here? All the other carriages are taken. We'd have our own, but someone had to stop by the bathroom coming out the train." The other replied, sticking a thumb out behind her. The girl cocked her head to the side, finally noticing the two other girls standing behind the tallest. She nodded warily, and the trio made their way in, tucking their luggage underneath them, and sat across from her on the dark seats.
She glanced down at herself, still in civilian clothes, and wondered whether she should change into the night black robes she'd bought for herself on Diagon Alley a week before. The girls before her were already changed, each with ties of different colors, a tie she didn't have, a tie the woman fitting her hadn't even bothered to mention. She squirmed in her seat.
The carriage began to move in a screech of wheels as the sun began to die beyond the forest treeline, the station that'd been full of children of various ages now bare, a sea of black giving way to fog. The four stayed in relative silence, looking everywhere but at each other, until the dark haired girl sat up straight.
"I remember every face I see." She said abruptly, eyes wide as she watched the girl. "And I don't remember yours."
The dirty blonde wrinkled her nose. "She's obviously younger, why would you know her?"
"I happen to talk to people." The shorter girl snapped back. "What year are you in? Second?"
"No, I-I'm not a second year. I'm a sixth year."
"Bullshit." The black girl, sitting closest to the door, laughed. "Like us? Is that even possible that we've never met?"
"The world's a big place." The other frowned deeply.
"We've got a lightbulb over here, girls." The tallest sighed, irritated. "She meant at Hogwarts." She held out her hand. "Since we've never met, I'm Madison Montgomery. And I'm highly insulted that you don't know that."
"Zoe Benson." The blondes shook hands, Zoe's grip limp compared to Madison's assured one.
The dark haired girl waved. "I'm Nan. And this is Queenie." She pointed at the black girl. "It's nice to meet you." She looked Zoe up and down. "You're not wearing your robes, what house are you in?"
"House?" Zoe echoed.
Queenie raised an eyebrow. "Did you get hit by a memory loss spell?"
Madison shook her head. "Probably the third years. Christ they're annoying."
"No, I didn't get hit by any spells." Zoe said quietly. "I'm, oh this is really embarrassing, I'm a transfer."
The dirty blonde scowled. "I didn't know you could transfer through wizarding schools."
"My parents didn't stop to think about that, they're muggles. Tax consultants. It works differently in the public domain." The girl shifted in her seat awkwardly.
"How are you going to be sorted?" Nan asked, a worried look passing over her face. "They can't possibly sort you with the first years, can they?" She glanced at her friends.
"That'd be humiliating." Madison smirked.
"What do you mean by 'sorted'?" Zoe asked, leaning forward, brown eyes darting between the three girls.
"Houses." Queenie explained. "Your first night, you get sorted into one of four houses depending on your personality."
"This house becomes your family for the rest of your stay at Hogwarts." Nan added. "You don't have that where you're from?"
"No. We just had two groups. Group A and group B." Zoe shook her head. "One was hands on, and the other more book oriented. I was a bookie."
"God, that sounds boring." Madison muttered. "How'd you get this far, without knowing anything about this school?" Nan elbowed her in the ribs, and the taller girl scowled at her before turning away to look out at the passing scenery, as they slowly ambled up through the forest.
"You're always complaining, you don't have anything better to do?" Queenie asked, rolling her eyes.
"I guess if I came from the crappy ends of London, I too would be marveled by everything, all the time." The dirty blonde mocked.
"And you guys are, what, friends?" Zoe raised an eyebrow, grimacing slightly.
"I made a few mistakes my first train ride. One was sitting down with these bozos." She glanced sideways at Zoe, amused as the girl stared back, shocked.
The rest of the ride was spent in relative silence, with Nan and Queenie sharing a few conversations and sweets they'd bought off the Honeyduke Express, Zoe turning down their offer to share, her eyes sliding to Madison once in a while, who stayed quiet.
She glanced down at herself, her hands running over her rumpled neon shirt, feeling rather out of place in the woods, surrounded by darkness. She looked up as she felt a steel tipped boot hit her shin, and gazed back into Madison's hazel eyes. The dirty blonde shrugged at her, and mouthed "It's fine" as she tapped her robes and tie, before smiling softly and returning her attention back to the outside world. Zoe smiled graciously, but the girl missed it.
Her eyes were wide as she watched Hogwarts rise out of the treeline in a mass of towers and jagged rocks and glittering lights, the gates monstrous things compared to what she'd ever seen before. The carriage paused before them, and the three girls filed out, shoes gathering up dust as they helped Zoe out and fetched their luggage, the young blonde's gaze still glued to the school.
"Welcome home." Nan sighed in contentment. Madison threw her a venomous look and led the way through the throng of students pushing up the stairs. Seeing Zoe falter behind them, the blonde grabbed her by the hand and tugged her up towards the foyer.
She talked to her above the noise the crowd made, as if she was whispering. "I know you haven't been sorted, but it's pretty embarrassing to stand with a bunch of eleven year olds. You'll sit with me, we'll talk to a professor afterwards." Zoe nodded thankfully, squeezing her fingers tighter against Madison's. "Welcome to the Great Hall."
Zoe's eyes went up and up and up as she watched the ceiling move above them. Next to her, Madison laughed.
"Never seen an enchanted ceiling before?" Zoe shook her head no as Madison rolled her eyes. "Ceilings and frogs, you've been hidden from the world, babe."
"It was different at my school." The brown eyed girl apologized.
The dirty blonde glanced sideways at her. "You'll have to tell me all about this school of yours." She smiled. "I hope you're sorted into my house. We can sleep in the same room." Zoe nodded back and she gazed back up, her attention taken back by the clear skies above them. She stepped to the side as her new friend pulled her to the table furthest on the left, to the top of it, sitting rather close to the perpendicular platform a few feet above the floor.
"This table?"
"Yeah. This is Slytherin's table."
"Ah, Slytherin?" Zoe asked, sitting down gingerly.
"Yes, my house." Madison answered proudly. "Cunning, resourceful, and ambitious are we." She pointed up at a banner, then down at her tie. "Silver and emerald green serpents."
"Oh, like, slither-" Seeing the dirty blonde's dejected look, Zoe blushed. "Nevermind."
"The other houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. In order, brave, smart, loyal. Or something like that." Madison waved her hand vaguely. "But we're the best."
"I'm guessing everyone says that about their house."
"Most likely, but for us, it's true." The other blonde winked at her. She sat up straight as the students around them settled and elbowed Zoe, jutting her chin to point at the head table. "The ceremony's starting."
The room fell silent as a tall red-head stood from the throne-like seat in the middle of the table, her cat eye glasses glinting in the candle light.
Madison nudged her again. "Myrtle Snow. Headmistress."
"Good evening, new students and old!" She said, her hands stretched out. "And what a pleasure to see your faces again, to see your faces for the first time. Oh, what a glorious day, the first feast of the trimester." She let out a twinkle of a laugh. "In a few moments, dear Professor Pembroke will lead us into the sorting ceremony. First years, if you'll stand up straight, impressions are everything!" She motioned to the witch sitting by her side, and the gray haired lady stood, sniffing slightly.
She rounded the table to stand before an old hat on a stool. "I will call your name, and you shall step up, and I will put the sorting hat upon your head. Let us begin."
Zoe quickly learned that each house yelled louder and louder every time a student was sent to their table, the older children clapping and hooting and welcoming their new brother or sister with welcoming arms. It seemed like the Gryffindors roared loudest, as their sigil tended to do, and that the Slytherins jeered and boasted when a tall and dark student joined their ranks. The other two houses seemed to be a little more polite.
It was over rather quickly, and Madison let out a little cheer and a "I'm starving" as the tables suddenly filled with hundreds of trays containing all sorts of foods. Watching Zoe flounder helplessly, Madison helped the girl fill up a plate, talking excitedly at her, though the new girl wasn't exactly sure of what she was talking about.
They, and most of the student body, looked up as the great oaken doors to the hall opened, and two women stepped through. Both blonde, the taller with untamed hair, the other walking in heels that echoed throughout the room. A slight cheer went up through the hall, and Zoe watched as a few students stood to hug the taller of the two, the shorter barely hiding a smile as they made their way to the professor's table.
Madison smirked openly. "Late again. And at the opening feast, too."
"Who are they?"
"Professors Misty Day and Cordelia Goode."
"Goode? As in Fiona Goode? As in Minister of Magic Fiona Goode?"
"Her daughter." The dirty blonde nodded, reaching into Zoe's plate for a bite of her potatoes.
"Is she-?"
"As crazy, ego-centric, and short tempered?" Madison finished for the girl. "No. The exact opposite. Monsters don't breed monsters, apparently. I'll never know how that woman passed to be Minister. You'd think we'd have more common sense, as a people." She added, waving her fork around. She paused. "I've met her, you know."
"You did?"
"Yeah, she visits the school once in a while. She was a Slytherin, a pureblood. She took a liking to me."
"Did you like her back?"
Madison grimaced, but didn't answer.
"Why are they late?"
"They're late a lot." She glanced sideways at Zoe and grinned mischievously, but didn't go into further details. The new blonde raised her eyebrows in question, and Madison just laughed before turning back to her plate.
They both raised their heads at the end of the feast, when the headmistress stood and waved her arms around, asking for attention.
"Quite as usual, a few warnings!" She called loudly. "The stairs move and seldom listen if you angrily ask them to come back to their original position, be wary of errant ghosts and wandering paintings, and of course, the Forbidden Forest is, well, forbidden without professor permission." She cast a long look around the room before her eyes landed on the blondes who'd walked in late. "And if I must add, yes, the lake is part of the forest and forbidden as well."
She cleared her throat. "Your prefects will give you the rest of the running list. Prefects, please lead your respective houses to the dorms. To all of you, a good night, and see you all tomorrow for your schedules!"
The room let out a booming cheer and benches scraped back as the student body rose in a mass, headed out the doors. Zoe grasped Madison's arms in the commotion, panicked.
"What now?"
"Come with me, we'll go see the head of Slytherin, I'm sure she can help."
The girls pushed through the current to the head table, and the dirty blonde reached out to tap a tall, black woman on the shoulder. She turned around, and with her black eyes looked the two up and down critically. She was beautiful, in a timeless way.
"Madison Montgomery. The summer was too long." She raised an eyebrow. "Who's this?"
"Hello, Professor Laveau. This is Zoe Benson, she, ah, she's a transfer. She needs to be sorted, and I-"
"-Wanted to save her from the humiliation of standing with the first years?" The woman finished for her. Her eyebrow raised further, amused as she was. "That was so thoughtful of you." A blush crept up Madison's neck as the professor looked Zoe up and down. "Come, we can have Pembroke sort you in the trophy room. Madison, you can go."
"But-"
"You'll know if she's sorted into our house. Go."
Madison grimaced at Zoe, and after rubbing a quick, reassuring circle into her back, turned heel and followed her classmates out of the hall.
"You. Come."
OOOoooOOO
"Welcome to the lion's den!" Queenie's arms were outstretched as she tried to encompass the entirety of the common room, clad in burgundy and gold.
Zoe smiled softly as she set her luggage down on the floor. "Thanks. Is Nan not here?"
"Nan's in Ravenclaw. Come on, I'll show you the sixth year dorm room. It's pretty rad, I can vouch for the girls."
"Thanks."
"How bummed was Madison to find out you weren't in Slytherin?" The black girl asked, leading the blonde up the stairs.
"She doesn't know, well, she does now, since I'm not in their dorms. But Professor Laveau sent her away before Professor Pembroke sorted me."
"How long did it take for the hat to sort you?"
"Not long." Zoe admitted. "Though it was very puzzled to find that I wasn't eleven years old." Queenie let out a short bark of laughter. Upon arrival to their door, the Gryffindor held her hand up.
"To become a true lion, you need this." She pulled a gold and red tie out of her pocket and loosely tied it around Zoe's neck. "Here."
Zoe glanced down, and grinned.
OOOoooOOO
"I guess it was naive of me to think you'd be a Slytherin."
"Good morning, Madison." Zoe looked up from her cereal to smile at the dirty blonde, clad in a white button up blouse (that she hadn't buttoned up to the top) and a deep emerald skirt.
Madison cocked her head and smirked. "You are a muggle after all."
"Oh, piss off."
"Morning Queenie. Can I sit?"
Zoe looked up and down the table, seeing only a sea of red. "Are you allowed to?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it." The girl threw her leg over the bench and sat across the Gryffindor girls, reaching for a piece of toast. "I swear, they're trying to ruin my diet."
"We call it the Hogwarts fifteen." Queenie nudged Zoe's side, and the blonde laughed despite herself, despite the dark look Madison gave them as she reached for the jam. "Did you sleep well, Aurora?"
"Of course." Madison sniffed. "I sleep better here than at home, you know that. Have they handed out the schedules yet?"
"No. But the mail's bound to arrive any minute now."
Zoe frowned. "They hand out mail here?"
"Was your school that archaic?" The dirty blonde scoffed from behind her orange juice.
"No, we had e-mail."
Queenie laughed loudly as Madison drank her juice wrong and coughed it up over the table, tapping her chest as she roughed up her lungs.
"Oh girl, you're a riot. I'm glad Nan had to use the loo, Christ."
Madison wiped the edges of her mouth with the back of her hand and reached for a napkin, her scowl having grown.
The hall was now rather full as the students waited for their schedules, excitedly whispering between themselves.
"Did you pass your O. ?" Queenie asked, pushing her scrambled eggs around her plate.
"Mostly. Quentin's letting me take his N.E.W.T preparation class, along with Snow. I got an Outstanding." Madison said proudly. She sobered instantly. "I failed almost everything else though. Barely passed. I can tell you, my dad yelled a whole lot. You?"
"Passed everything with an Exceeds Expectations. And of course, Nan got Outstandings everywhere."
"I would hope she did, she spent a whole year sweating over them."
"So what options are you taking then?" Queenie asked.
"I failed Care for Magical Creatures, so they're making me take it again, which I'm not thrilled about. And Divinations, it's an easy grade."
"Same here, but compared to you, I like creature class. Zoe?"
"I'd tried getting into Dragon Breeding History, but they only allow seventh years, if I was home I'd be in that class already." The girl grouched. "But oh well. I'm taking the same classes as you two. Do you know for Nan?"
"She's not taking any of ours, she's not into the 'useless' stuff, as she calls it. For her it's Arithmency and Ancient Runes."
"Fun." Madison drawled.
The three looked up as a short warlock made his way up between the tables, a stack of parchments in his arms, his purple cloak flying behind him.
"Queenie! How good to see you, darling."
"Professor Quentin, how was your summer?"
"Delighful as always, but I'm glad to be back." He admitted, his voice high pitched as he grinned down at the girls. "Congratulations on your exams, and you too Madison, I was pleasantly surprised." The dirty blonde shifted in her seat smugly. "So I took the liberty of fixing your schedule around to what you told me you preferred last year, and I'm hoping nothing's changed?" He handed a scroll to Queenie, who opened it and nodded.
"We're good."
"Perfect. Zoe Benson, yes?"
The blonde nodded, squirming.
"I talked with the officials at your old school, and we were able to, ahem," He let out a small laugh. "Translate your credits over to Hogwarts. Here's your schedule, with the options you asked for in the letter you sent me."
"Thank you very much."
"And welcome to Gryffindor." He winked at her, patted Madison on the shoulder, and walked down to the next group of students huddled over a box of cereals.
"We have Transfigurations, Potions, Creatures, and Divination with you. The rest are with the other houses."
"Oh, I'll be able to show you up in Snow's class then."
"I was hoping you would, since it's your only good class." Queenie smirked.
"Does the administration know you guys have a bird problem?" Zoe asked, eyes cast upward at the sunny ceiling, an owl passing a shadow over the tables below.
"Mail's here." Madison said, hazel eyes bright as more and more owls engulfed themselves into the hall, cooing and flapping their multi-colored wings.
A barn owl paused at their table to drop a pack of The Daily Prophet in between a stack of plates, extending his leg out, waiting to be paid. Madison reached into the pockets of her robes and dropped a few sickles into the pouch, before turning away as the bird flapped away in a furious takeoff.
"Madison, isn't that your family owl?"
The dirty blonde's head snapped up from her newspaper, a scowl on her face, distrust in her hazel eyes as a magnificent snowy owl came down to rest on her shoulder, a bright red letter in its beak. It let go, the letter falling into her plate, pecked at her ear, and took off.
"Already?" Queenie raised her eyebrows, scooting back on her bench. "What did you do now?"
"I-I don't know." Madison stammered. She avoided their gazes as she stood rather quickly, her fingers grasped tightly around the letter addressed to her. "I have to go."
"Is your letter…smoking?" Zoe asked, eyes wide. The dirty blonde let out a strained groan and began to walk away, breaking into a run a few seconds later as a woman's voice began to boom throughout the hall, coming from her direction.
Queenie sighed. "It's gonna be a bad year if she's getting howlers this early in the trimester."
OOOoooOOO
"Good morning, everyone."
The blonde woman was dressed in all black, save for the floral print on the bottom of her skirt and the silver buckles on her boots. The clothes fit her snugly and she walked with her head held up, a small smile on her face, one that said she wasn't overly confident, but trying very hard to be.
She closed the classroom's trapdoor with a flick of her wrist and carefully placed her golden cloak onto the chair behind her desk, tucking it there protectively before turning back to her classroom, grinning a little more now. It was when she moved away from the corner that Zoe noticed the cloak shimmered like armor, each link not an exact color replica of its neighbor.
"I'm so glad to see you've all come back." Cordelia Goode began, wringing her hands together as her dark eyes glanced over the room. "You're all wonderful for having chosen this subject as an option." She laughed lightly. "God knows that you don't need this class to pass your remaining years here at Hogwarts."
Zoe shared a worried glance with Madison, but the dirty blonde just shrugged, looking back down at her nails.
"This year we'll be focusing on Astrology, going into deeper details than what we glossed over in fourth year. And I hope you've all gotten your copy of A Look Between the Stars, by Celeste Edwards. Otherwise, I have a few copies I can share with you, though they're getting a bit old, I'll be honest." She paused, looking thoughtful. "I also hope you've all invested in a warm coat, we'll be spending a lot of sleepless nights up on the towers."
A little cheer went up through the room.
"That doesn't mean you guys can sneak off, I'll be keeping a tight eye on you. I was a kid once too, I know what you guys get up to." She winked at the teenagers. "I'll have another professor with me, since it'll be past curfew. You won't be able to get very far."
Madison leaned over to whisper in Zoe's ear. "I'll bet you five galleons that it's Professor Day." Zoe shook her head, smiling, but didn't reply.
Professor Goode sat down in an empty chair and crossed her legs delicately. "I was wondering, as a starter, did any of you have any particularly singular dreams over the summer? Something worth mentioning?" She waited a moment, before nodding at a girl sitting at the top of the stairs, back against the rafters. "Yes, Kaylee?"
"I dreamt a lot of the color red. What could that mean?"
"A lot?" The blonde echoed, a small smile on her face.
"Yes, at least once a week."
"Well to start, recurring dreams mean that something is unresolved. Red, meanwhile, leads to anger. Passion. Raw energy." She paused, and shook her head. "It leads to violence, and-"
"And?"
"Sexual impulses."
The girl named Kaylee slunk back in her seat, hiding behind the shadows, a large blush creeping up her neck as a laugh went around the room. Madison hid behind her arm as she laughed hardest of all, Zoe grimacing as she tried not to.
OOOoooOOO
"Both lesbians on the first day of school. I think we're in luck."
"Is that sarcasm?"
Madison turned back to Zoe and gave her a dejected look as they walked down to Merlin's Gate, the bridge stretching up before them and towards the Forbidden Forest, a small hut erected before the edge, a small plume of smoke rising up from its chimney.
"Why do you call them the lesbians?"
The dirty blonde sighed audibly and began to walk backwards to face Zoe and Queenie, who shook her head at her. Madison ignored it. "I call them the lesbians, because that's what they are."
"Are you sure? It wouldn't be very nice to call them that if they weren't." Zoe bit her bottom lip.
"Yeah I'm sure. Cecilia, she graduated last year, said she saw them swapping spit in one of the stairwells."
"You can't always believe rumors, Madison." Queenie put in.
"Oh come on, you can't tell me there's nothing going on between them."
"Maybe they're just really good friends."
Madison rolled her eyes and turned back around, skirt flying in the breeze.
"You'll have to forgive the princess." Queenie nudged Zoe. "She hates Creatures class."
"Why?"
"That bitch is always failing me." The Slytherin threw over her shoulder.
"She's always failing you because you don't try." The black girl fired back. "It's really not that hard, you just do it on purpose to get on her nerves."
"Yeah well, blast-ended skrewts are fucking stupid."
Queenie whispered in Zoe's ear. "She's just pissed because one blew up at her and singed her hair last year."
Zoe grinned as they reached the edge of the woods, joining a group of students that had already arrived.
A tall blonde was standing at the top of the mass, the curly haired woman who'd come in late at the feast. She was dressed in a loose fitting skirt with tall boots that ran up to her knees, a stormy blue shawl like cloth fitted over her shoulders. It seemed to be from the same material that Professor Goode's cloak consisted of.
"Good mornin'!"
"I hadn't missed that damn drawl." Madison muttered.
"I'm more than glad to see all your smilin' faces." The woman smirked slightly as the dirty blonde gave her the most dazzling, sarcastic grin she could muster. "We're gonna be gettin' into pretty big critters this year, I hope ya all brought your gloves. But for today," She pointed at a small enclosure behind her. "The crups need some love. Get to it, ya know ya want to girls. Yes, Peter, ya can too, come on."
"Crups?" Zoe echoed, glancing sideways at Queenie.
"Yeah."
The black girl moved away, headed towards the furry animals inside their gated space. Madison sidled up to Zoe's side, but said nothing. The group began to move away, and soon it was but them and the older blonde, looking on with a small look of pride on her face.
Zoe took her courage in her hands. "Ah, Miss Day? This might sound incredibly stupid, but what are, uh, crups?
The wild haired blonde turned and let out a short laugh. "I haven't been called Miss Day since, well, since I was student myself. A crup is a wizard dog. Like a Jack Russell. You're not from around here, are ya? They're native to England."
Zoe shook her head no.
"Alright then," She looked her up and down, a grin on her face. "Beauxbatons, peut-être? Non?"
"No, actually I'm from Miss Robich-"
The woman suddenly grabbed Zoe's hands, the girl giving Madison a panicked look, who only stared back. "Miss Robichaux's! Honey, I'm an alumni! God I loved that place, oh my, ya must feel so out of place. Oh this is exciting!"
"I-ah, yes, okay." Zoe nodded, trying hard to get her hands back.
"Did ya just move here?"
"A week ago, yes. I transferred."
"It's one hell of a trip, I know." Professor Day shook her head. "Ya know what? I know we just met and all but, ya can come to me if ya need help, gettin' used to Hogwarts is tricky without someone teachin' ya the ropes. Especially when internet is practically illegal round here. Us girls of Robichaux's gotta stick together."
"Who taught you the ropes, Professor Day? A certain seer?" Madison asked sweetly.
The older blonde ignored her as Zoe spoke up. "They don't have internet here?"
"No, I know, it's practically blasphemy. Using feather scribblers and shit." Misty Day shook her head. "But don't worry, I keep a few hundred pens in my drawers. Oh I'm excited!"
Zoe turned to grimace at Madison.
CHAPTER TWO
"Aguamenti!"
A clear stream of water spurged forth from the tip of Nan's wand, filling the cup in front of her. She looked up at Zoe and gave her smug, triumphant smile, that Zoe returned sheepishly.
"I've known this spell for a few months now, the older girls taught it to me in the common room." The dark haired girl explained. "I'm sure I'll excel on the next test, since it'll be a practical." She glanced down at the blonde's own glass, empty as it was, and raised her eyebrows. "Are you having troubles? We've been on this spell for two classes now."
"I, ah, yeah." Zoe nodded. She waved her wand around vaguely. "Nothing's happening. I wave and wave but, I don't know. It's not working."
"Maybe you just suck."
"Thank you, Madison." Zoe let her head fall to the wooden table. Besides her, Nan shifted in her seat and shrugged, but said nothing.
"Just try again." The dirty blonde sighed, irritated. "At one point you'll get it, right? Just watch the mail, don't get it wet." They all turned as Queenie came down the tables to sit besides Zoe, across from Madison and Nan.
"Hey, how are we today?"
"Tired." Madison snapped.
"Oh, up all night partying?"
"Right, like Laveau would let me." The dirty blonde grouched. "No, I was out for an early practice, before the tryouts."
Zoe glanced up. "Tryouts for what?"
Queenie cocked her head to the side. "Quidditch."
"Did you not have it where you're from? Down in the bayous?" Madison asked. "Or did you guys just play gator hockey?"
"No, we had a team." Zoe shook her head, smiling. "Are you trying out?"
"No, I was just warming up. I'm already on the team, thank you very much." The Slytherin sniffed haughtily. She grinned smugly. "I'm the seeker."
The other blonde nodded. "That's awesome. I'm guessing you're good?"
"I'm the best."
"Slytherin didn't win the House Cup last year." Queenie pointed out.
"Ravenclaw did." Nan nodded excitedly.
"Only because they cheated in the finals!" The dirty blonde fired back.
"Aguamenti!"
The three girls turned to Zoe, and simultaneously raised their eyebrows as nothing happened. The girl's shoulders drooped and she let out a heavy sigh before dropping her wand back into her robe's side pocket.
"Wait. Do that again." Nan urged, eyes wide.
"Why? It doesn't work." Zoe muttered.
"When the Ravenclaw tells you to do a spell again," Queenie started. "You do the damn spell."
The blonde Gryffindor scowled but fetched her wand again, pointed it at her empty glass and snapped "Aguamenti!", flicking her wand.
Nothing happened.
"I know what your problem is!" Nan clapped her hands together.
Madison raised an eyebrow. "You do?"
"Yeah!" The dark haired girl laughed. "Your flicks are all wrong! Your words don't match up the flick you're supposed to use."
"But," Zoe smiled nervously. "But I'm doing what the book says to do."
"Let me see."
The blonde looked around in her knapsack for a few seconds before holding her textbook out to the Ravenclaw, who took it ravenously, eyes already scanning the cover. She flipped through the pages and laughed loudly.
"So?" Queenie urged.
"Where'd you get this? The flicks are all wrong!"
Zoe scowled. "I've had it since my first year. It's never failed me before."
"This is the American version! It won't work here, not with the spells we use. If you wanted your flick to work, you'd have to say aguamentito, obviously it won't work if you don't say the right words." Nan giggled.
"Ugh. Americans." Madison rolled her eyes. "Why do they have to have different methods? Like temperatures and measures, but spells too?"
"Bitch, your parents moved here from California when you were eight so you could attend." Queenie snapped.
The dirty blonde threw her a glare, but said nothing more.
"You're saying, all my spells are wrong?" Zoe asked quietly.
"You'll have to relearn a bunch of them, most of these are completely off." Nan nodded, flipping through a little more.
The blonde let her head drop to the table once more, her forehead smacking down onto the wood with a loud thud.
"Hey, cheer up! Tonight we're going star gazing for the first time." Queenie nudged her in the ribs.
"How is that supposed to cheer me up? I have to learn a hundred of spells before the next Charms exam."
Madison grinned coyly. "Cordy gets a shipment of butterbeer brought up, to keep us warm. That should make you feel better."
"Butterbeer?"
The girls' faces fell.
"God, you've been deprived."
OOOoooOOO
"Oh joy, another day at the greenhouses. I just love getting mud on my robes."
"Don't grouch Queenie, it's not that bad." Zoe grinned at the black girl as they passed the fountain on their way to the herbology classroom, both their hairs tied back in tight ponytails, ready for the class ahead.
"At least the Hufflepuffs know what they're doing." Queenie scowled. "Have you noticed? They know more about this shit than we do."
"Didn't you say Professor Goode was a herbology wiz?"
"Yeah."
"Wouldn't that be why, then? If her students go to her for help, she's bound to be able to show them a few things. She is head of Hufflepuff, after all." Zoe smiled. "Cause and effect."
"Oh fuck off. Why did we get stuck with Quentin?" Queenie whined. "He's only good at twirling his wand like a little-"
The blonde slapped her playfully on the arm. "Hey!" The black girl laughed as they reached the sixth greenhouse down the rows and opened the door.
A blond, curly haired Hufflepuff sidled up to their sides and held the door for them as they passed, his hair the same shade of gold as the stripes on his tie. "Hello girls!"
"Hi Kyle." Zoe grinned and thanked him silently as she reached for a pair of gloves in one of the class's boxes, throwing a pair at both him and Queenie.
He answered simply, his smile growing. "How are you?"
"Good. Super pumped to get working on repotting mandrakes during a free Herbology period. Hoo boy." Queenie said excitedly. "I just can't contain myself, I might pee my pants."
The boy rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Ever dramatic. It's a good thing the professor put you two with me, otherwise you'd be incredibly lost."
"Hey."
"The badger has a point." The black girl shrugged. "I almost failed last year. And you'venever seen half of these plants." She added, glancing at Zoe. The girl stuck her tongue out at her before slipping on a pair of earmuffs. Kyle laughed and did the same, nudging her to move over, his fingers reaching for the plants in front of their table.
They'd worked together before, the three of them, and knew each other well enough to work silently, deaf as they were wearing the muffs shielding them from the mandrakes' piercing cries. Their professor watched from farther away, a critical eye sweeping the classroom as the students replanted quite a few dozen of the beastly plants in a rather free to move around class. A practical, more than a lesson.
Kyle elbowed Zoe in the ribs and jutted out his chin, nodding at the topsoil by her side, and she passed it over to him, Queenie's hands busy with a squealing baby faced root. He glanced sideways at her and smiled softly.
And Zoe easily gave him his grin back.
OOOoooOOO
"It's cold."
"We're in late October, the night sky is bare, and you're wearin' a skirt."
Cordelia Goode glanced over at the wild blonde standing by her side and gave her a dejected look, but a small smile appeared on her face despite her trying hard to stay serious.
Misty Day shook her head and held up her hands in surrender. "I know, I know, ya gotta suffer for fashion." She pinched the older blonde's hip. "But I must say, I do love that skirt." She paused. "Are your teeth chatterin'? I could fix that up." She leaned in and kissed the shorter woman slowly, tightening the gold cloak around her shoulders, closing the clasp against an ivory neck. "Ya know, this thing pushes out heat, and cold."
"I know that now." Laughter bubbled out of Cordelia's throat, before she pushed the girl away, hands flat against her chest. "Come on, not here. The kids'll be here soon."
"But they're not yet." Misty raised her eyebrows suggestively and leaned in again, receiving a cheek instead of lips.
"Later."
The feral blonde let out a harumph of discontentment, but said nothing else, too busy getting lost in Cordelia's shape outlined by the moon in the dark sky.
They both turned as they heard the first of many footsteps coming up the tower's stairs, the oaken door opening to let out a stream of silver and gold and burgundy as students bundled up in their scarves and cloaks began to crowd around the two of them, cheeks turning pink.
"Good evening." Cordelia smiled at them, raking her dark eyes over them. "Or rather, good morning." Misty let out a little laugh, her breath clouding in front of her. "I've set up enough telescopes so that you can pair up in twos, make your groups, and fill out the astral charts I gave you all this afternoon. Remember to do these well, we'll be doing this once a month, to get all the constellation movements, be immaculate. It'll be part of your final exams." She waved her hands, effectively starting the midnight class, and the students dispersed, whispering amongst themselves and finding partners. She watched Gryffindor pair up with Slytherin.
The wild haired professor tugged her to the edge of the tower, where an oaken bench had been put up eons ago, and sat her her down next to her, the stone entry blocking them partially from view, enough that Cordelia could keep an eye on the kids without being seen. The taller blonde took her hands in hers and intertwined their fingers. They spent a moment in silence, listening to the scratching of feather on parchment, and to harried whispers and mutters and the turning of creaking telescopes.
"I like this."
Misty looked up with a certain difficulty, her eyes torn away from Cordelia's hands in her lap. "Like what?"
"How these kids paired up, despite them being in different houses. Teamwork despite their roots." The older blonde smiled. "I just really like that."
The other nodded quickly.
Cordelia chewed on her lip as she thought. "I always hated competition as a child, I still do. Hogwarts was nice but I had such a reputation with my last name that sometimes it was hard making friends. Even in Hufflepuff. They were loyal, my classmates, but wary. So wary."
"I spent a lot of time with my pets, to be very honest." Misty said quietly, blue-green eyes looking up to the stars. "A lot of my time."
"I know we're complaining, but it turned out pretty perfect, didn't it?"
The younger witch glanced sideways at her and flashed a lopsided grin. "Yeah, yeah it did." She leaned in slightly to place a kiss on her cheek before resting back on the stone parapet, her fingers around the other's cloak, playing with the unusual fabric. A present she'd made for the divination professor to celebrate all the time they'd spent together, all the time they'd soon spend.
Cordelia glanced at Misty, gazing up at the sky with a hint of child like wonder on her face, and she smiled softly, her own hand grazing the younger woman's, her shawl, running up and down the skin on her arm, before she leaned heavily on her, her head coming down to rest on a shoulder.
"What you're looking at is Cepheus." The divination professor whispered, her eyes closed. "Husband to Cassiopeia, father to Andromeda. King, rumored to pray to the gods to spare his wife's life."
"How'd ya know what I was lookin' at?"
Laughter bubbled from Cordelia's throat. "It's my job, silly."
"What am I lookin' at now?"
The older blonde cracked an eye open and smiled lightly. "I'm not a star, Mist."
"I don't know 'bout that. You're mighty pretty and bright to me."
Cordelia blushed deeply, happy that night had fallen hours ago, enough to hide the red rushing up her face. "You're ridiculous." She whispered, her hands trailing up the other's neck. She pulled her in for a deep kiss. "And I love you for it."
Misty's voice was soft. "Just wait until I get that ring done."
"Mist?"
"Nothing. Some kid's callin' your name, go help them." She pushed Cordelia off the bench, laughter ringing into the night, mixing with the older blonde's.
OOOoooOOO
Misty was out of breath when she entered the teacher's lounge, throwing the door open and facing the entirety of Hogwart's staff. From her place at the end of the table, the headmistress, Myrtle Snow, winced at the wild blonde. Cordelia looked up and grimaced too, before glancing at the woman's back, the woman who stood at the window facing outside.
Her arms were crossed and her pose was threatening. She glanced over her shoulder, and smirked, joy left outside the room. "The rabble's joined us at last."
The professor's blue-green eyes widened, and she fidgeted. "Ah, please pardon my tardiness, Minister."
"Sit."
Misty nodded and did so quickly, finding her seat by Cordelia's.
"You've got soot on your face, Misty."
"What?"
The older blonde sighed softly and reached over, her thumb brushing past the younger's lips, rubbing at her skin.
"Delia, get your hands off her, if you can, and pay attention. I won't start again for you, Professor Day, ask someone later for the details."
Cordelia's fingers slipped off Misty dejectedly, and she turned in her seat, ashamed, to face the woman, her mother.
Fiona Goode, Minister of Magic.
Myrtle took up from where the conversation had left off. "This is quite outrageous, Fiona. I will not send students away from Hogwarts on the merit of their grades. If they are passing, they are passing."
"Yes, I can expect you to." Fiona laughed mockingly. "All you need to do is highten the passing grade, it's not that hard, Myrtle."
"You can't ask me to send kids home halfway through the year! This is just another one of your tricks to get the muggleborn out of Hogwarts, and I will not stand for it. We both know you'd just let the purebloods right back in, if their parents paid enough."
"I can do what I damn well please, this school is beneath my jurisdiction."
"Not while I am headmistress!" Professor Snow bellowed, standing up. "Not while I still live and I occupy these halls!"
"That can be arranged." The Minister bit back. "Get it done, Myrtle, or I'll have your ass out on the street, begging thestrals for spare change. And all your precious teachers?" She cast a long look around the room, passing over Marie Laveau's scowl and Quentin's surprised "o" of a face with a smirk. "They'll be right behind you."
Myrtle glanced at Cordelia, but said nothing.
"Meeting adjourned, ladies and gentlemen." Fiona snapped. "Get it done, this is my last warning."
The professors stood awkwardly, sharing looks between themselves as they began to file out, but Cordelia paused, intrigued by Fiona's stare. The minister waited a long moment after the room was empty to speak, a soft, mocking grin plastered on her face.
"Look at you, literally shacked up with a dog walker."
"I'm going to ignore that you just called her that." Her daughter replied softly, dark eyes on the floor, a scowl growing on her face.
"That's what she is. She teaches about creatures, Delia. She's useless." The Minister sighed deeply as she opened the lounge's door. "I had such high hopes for you." She began to walk away, jet black coat thrown over her shoulder carelessly.
The younger blonde followed her mother out of the room, catching up to her. "She's so much more than that." Cordelia snapped, eyes darting round to make sure no one was paying attention. Students scurried past, phased by Fiona Goode's stare.
"All I see is that she's stopping you from achieving greatness."
"You're wrong. She is greatness personified." The younger blonde hissed. "You should be happy for me, she's a pureblood. Isn't that what you've always wanted for me? To keep the line going with full wizard blood running through my children's veins?"
A long moment passed.
"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me, while we're at it? While you're visiting? Other than I've made the wrong choice?"
"I like watching you get riled up." Fiona admitted, grinning. She looked her daughter over as she began to walk towards the exit. "Nice cloak."
Across the hall, sitting on a bench right outside a courtyard's window, Madison winced. "I can't tell who looks less happy to see the other, Professor Goode, or her mother."
"Why don't they like each other?" Zoe asked curiously from besides her, neck strained to watch as the Minister walked past them, heels clacking on the floor.
"Cordy's the bane of the Goode family name. She was sorted into Hufflepuff as a child, and her favorite classes were herbology and divination, and to add to the shame, she married a muggle, and then divorced him in a really ugly battle."
"What's wrong with being in Hufflepuff?"
"Nothing." Kyle answered before Madison could. "It's just that Goodes have been in Slytherin since the school was founded."
"That must have sucked. Think of how she must have felt, not getting into Slytherin. That's gotta be hard for an eleven year old." The Gryffindor sighed.
"She probably felt like she dishonored her entire family." Madison replied easily. "As she should. I wouldn't have shown my face ever, if I hadn't been. I'd have run away and live out my days with the giant squid at the bottom of the lake." Kyle rolled his eyes.
They watched Cordelia follow after Fiona a few minutes later, and they turned on their bench to watch her head down to Merlin's Gate.
"She's headed for the forest."
"The forest, Kyle?" Madison smirked. "Or the shack on the border of said forest?"
"Whatever makes her feel better." The blonde boy shrugged. "Honestly, you need to climb off your high horse. Some girls are gay. Get over it."
Zoe shifted uncomfortably between them, ignoring Madison's deep hazel gaze fixed on her as Kyle sighed audibly.