A cry of 'Benny-bear' made Mal cringe into her breakfast, which was actually a massive cup of coffee, and attempt to make herself less conspicuous. Not that it helped, the combination of her striking purple hair and that there was at least three seats between her an her nearest classmates made her stick out like a sore thumb. Needless to say she wasn't surprised when the Prince of Stupid Nicknames took a seat opposite her.
"And here I thought I'd have to fight for a seat." Ben attempted to make light of the situation, one that made her roll her eyes and divert her attention back to the dark lifeblood in the cup in front of her. He wanted to ask about the dark circles under her eyes but decided against it, it was a new place and she needed time to adjust. Instead he focused on her empty plate. "You should eat up. It's going to be a big day and you'll need your strength." Without waiting for an answer he piled two plates up with food, setting one before her while claiming the other for himself, heartily tucking into his meal.
Mal ignored the frown on his face when she merely pushed the plate to one side and kept drinking. She never ate breakfast, they never had one in Azkaban, and there was a stroke a pride in her that didn't want to accept his charity. The moment breakfast was done the girl stood, waiting for him to take her to her first class. She wasn't sure if it was her own notoriety or Ben's royal status but people in the halls just seemed to part for them, allowing them to walk unhindered to their first class.
Taking a seat Ben raised an eyebrow as she merely shoved her bag under the desk. Everyone else had their book, quill and wand out read for the lesson but she seemed content to fold her arms and lean back in her chair. "Where's your wand?" He muttered quietly, not wanting to draw attention to her as the professor started the lesson. The girl muttered back that she forgot it. Nodding he slid over some parchment and a spare quill, having never used a wand before he could see how she'd forget to bring it along to class.
Mal's ears burned, she could hear the girls behind her whispering about her, all sorts of imaginings coming out of their mouths. Finally she'd had enough. Not caring that the professor was in the room or that the Prince who could send her back to prison was right beside her she stood, lips curling into a vicious smile. "Beware forswear, turn old hair into brand new hair." It was a spell she'd read from her mother's book, the only thing her mother had managed to smuggle to Azbakan with her and one that Mal had been reading religiously since they'd been taken from the Isle. Faerie magic, and dark faerie magic at that. No common charm would remove that hex.
Behind her the girls screeched as they saw their new hair. Fluorescent pink mohawks, the rest of their head shaved bald. The professor leaped to attention, demanding her to leave when she was already halfway out the door. The girl threw a gleeful wave over her shoulder before flipping the bird as she left, cries of detention following her our the door. It took Ben a matter of moments to pack his things and follow her out the door, attempting to chase the wayward girl down.
It was no surprise that Mal was called to the headmistress's office shortly after, Ben taking a seat beside her as Fairy Godmother read out the list of black marks against her. "To be fair, the girls who were hexed were insinuating inappropriate actions between her mother and various species of troll." The Prince cut in, trying to play advocate for the girl, which only earned him a glare from the teen. Sighing she finally let Mal off with a warning and instructions for Ben to instruct her privately in that class until she'd learned to control her temper.
The moment they stepped out of Fairy Godmother's office he heard Mal's stomach rumble. Shaking his head Ben passed over a few things he'd swiped from the breakfast table. He knew she'd get hungry long before lunch, a pleased grin lighting his face as she accepted it this time.
The rest of the day followed in much the same vain. They'd attend a class only to have people begin to whisper about her only this time Ben began to mutter things about magic to keep her from focusing on it too much. When he could see her lose focus on him, he promptly escorted her from the classroom to continue the lesson somewhere quiet. The only difference was when he filled her plates at mealtimes, she ate everything he put in front of her so he decided to call it a win. Bidding her goodnight he slipped off to talk with Audrey before heading off to his dorm.
The rest of the week passed in a flash for Ben. Mal was a brilliant student, her mind latching on to magic and soaking it up, yet her lack of parchment or wand troubled him. She'd borrowed his wand, something he'd doubted would work for her, only to have it work perfectly in her grasp. The wand itself wasn't overly remarkable, eleven inches of pliable mahogany but it was the core that made it both incredibly rare and extremely temperamental. The whisker of a Nemean Lion, a gift from Hercules himself for the young Prince. Until then he'd been the only one able to wield it and yet it allowed Mal to use it like an obedient puppy, something that continued to perplex him.
Wandering the halls he sent a few younger students off to their dorms reminding them it was past curfew before turning down the next corridor. Taking a few steps he paused at a muffled noise, almost like shifting feet. Cautiously he stepped closer before whipping a tapestry back on a secret tunnel.
There, curled against the wall was Mal, her bag acting as a pillow while her body shivered. It was a cold night and the lack of blankets meant she must be freezing. Bending closer Ben took a better look. Flushed cheeks and a sweaty forehead, she had a slight fever. His heart went out to the girl and he suddenly knew why she always had dark circles under her eyes and no wand. The Slytherin Prefects hadn't given her the password to their Common Room.
Lifting her into his arms caused him to frown. She was light, far lighter than she should be, or at least substantially lighter than Audrey. Walking through the halls he took her to one of the old guest rooms, laying her gently down on the bed. Covering her with blankets he spent the night tending her burning forehead, a continuous stream of house elves bringing him cold water and cloths. How could he have missed this?
May your thoughts and creativity flow
-Lady Ami DragonHeart
