Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews! You make my world.


After that night, Athena dedicated all of her spare time to working on her necklace. She even ran into Charles Prince one day in the corridor, and she was so pleased with her progress, she hugged him in excitement. Charles blinked, clearly startled as Athena had never hugged him before.

"Thank you so much for my necklace!" she said gleefully. "I am having a wonderful time with it!"

Then she bounced off. Charles stared after her, and then he broke into a wide smile, cheeks flushed. Athena was already gone and didn't notice.

As the days wore on, Parvartus and Marseille continued to prove elusive. Athena mentioned working on her necklace, but she didn't tell them about the vision she saw of Ravenclaw and Slytherin. They would scold her, she knew. Time, Parvartus had told her once, was one thing she shouldn't meddle with.

"Why not?" Athena had asked.

Parvartus had smiled. "Because everything happens for a reason," he said with great confidence, and they had left it at that. Athena was not sure if she agreed with that line of reasoning, but Parvartus had never steered her wrong in the past, so she had (mostly) listened to him.

Besides, this didn't count as "meddling" in the past. From what Athena could tell, she had been a ghost in that vision – a fly on the wall, and nothing more. They had not seen her, and she had not been able to touch or interact with anything at all. It had been more like watching a comic in motion, a story unfolding right in front of her.

And she was determined to see more.


A few days later, Athena got another tug. The necklace was pulling her again, even as she lay asleep in her bed. The insistent pulling, straining towards a source of magic, broke Athena out of her sleep. This time, Athena crawled out of bed late at night, wrapped herself up in a house robe, and followed the tug of the necklace with excited shuffling. With all efforts at silence, Athena creeped out of the Ravenclaw tower and hurried in slippered feet, letting the necklace take her wherever it liked.

When it suddenly stopped, she looked around eagerly. For a long moment, she saw nothing but a dark moonlit courtyard, and disappointment began to seep into her heart. Then, suddenly, there they were – two figures, toiling together in the shadows. They were giggling, holding hands, ducking in and out of the bright moonlight. As Athena watched, the two cloaked figures hurried to a corner of the courtyard and pulled down their hoods.

Athena did not immediately recognize them; they were so very young, perhaps no older than fourteen.

One was a young brunette boy with flashy golden eyes and a wicked grin. The young witch with him was red-haired and red-lipped, high cheek bones giving her features a severe look that Athena found hauntingly beautiful. She was mesmerizing, in fact – the sort of beauty Athena had never even thought to aspire to. Now, though, she found herself wishing for the ease of countenance that physical beauty seemed to bring. The way this young witch moved, it seemed as if she owned the earth, the sky, and the air around them. It was in the flicker of her eyes, the quirk of her red lips. Athena edged closer; once more, the apparitions did not seem to notice her.

"We're going to get in trouble with Slytherin again…" murmured the boy, wrapping his arms around the waist of the girl and tugging her close.

"Let him try and find us," said the girl, and just from the confidence of her voice, the low, sultry tone that seemed far beyond her years, Athena knew this must be Morgana.

Which meant…

"Merlin," breathed Morgana, pushing her fingers through his hair. The young wizard leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. Pulling her closer, Merlin dipped his head to Morgana's and kissed her deeply. Athena glanced around uncertainly, waiting for them to stop kissing. Seemed a bit zealous for a couple of thirteen-year-olds in Athena's opinion, but then again, they lived in a different era, a thousand years in the past. If not for Hogwarts, these two might have already been married. The pair finally finished kissing, although they remained very close.

"Don't worry about Slytherin anyway," murmured Merlin. "He likes me. He's been giving me extra lessons… Teaching me things."

Morgana's dark eyes, black as night, flashed with surprise and then envy. "He has?" she questioned. "And why you alone?"

Merin shrugged. "He says I have great potential. He wants me to learn more…"

"Then why doesn't he simply teach it in class?" asked Morgana, clearly offended. "He could be sharing the magic with all of us!"

"Apparently, it's something about a disagreement with Gryffindor. Doesn't like the types of spells Slytherin is interested in teaching…" Merlin stroked Morgana's face. "Really, Morgana… The power he is he has – it is like nothing in the world. And he wants to teach me."

At Morgana's narrow eyes and deep frown, Merlin kissed her lips briefly again "Don't worry," he said softly. "From now on, I'll teach you everything he teaches me."

Morgana's features softened some. "Really?" she asked, drawing her long fingers down the center of Merlin's front. "Everything…?"

"All of it," he promised, planting a kiss on her neck. "But don't tell anyone. I don't want Slytherin to stop teaching me."

Morgana nodded, curling her fingers through Merlin's hair again. "Even so… He should have recognized me, too." Her fingers tightened in Merlin's robes, though not in an affectionate or even passionate way. The grip looked tense. "It is because I am a witch, instead of a wizard."

"I'm sure Slytherin sees the merit of witches," disagreed Merlin gently. "After all, how can he not when working with witches like Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff?"

"I do not think Slytherin underestimates me," Morgana corrected him. "He fears me. He fears witches." She sighed languidly, pushing her hands back up the front of Merlin's robes to the nape of his collar. "He knows I am stronger than him… And so does Ravenclaw. I can smell it on her."

Merlin watched Morgana carefully and said nothing.

The witch pulled away from him and paced before stopping to fold her arms. "They hate me, you know. The other students. They say I do not belong here, and that I am strange. They say my magic is tainted."

"That isn't true," said Merlin consolingly. He went to her and gently took her elbow in his hand. "They simply don't understand you. Your magic – it's different than theirs."

Morgana's eyes flickered, and she folded her arms, still pouting. Merlin wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her temple. "You are an altogether different being," he told Morgana with clear admiration. "You are not just a witch… you're more like – a fay."

He smiled, and Morgana rolled her eyes even as her red lips curled in a smile. "A fay?"

"Yes… " murmured Merlin adoringly. "A beautiful fay of the forest, too ethereal and lovely for these plain folk here." He brought her to face him again, and he reached up a hand with a curled finger to stroke her cheek. Morgana's young face softened, and she finally looked her young age.

"Yes," she said teasingly, dark lashes flickering up at Merlin's face. "I am Morgan le Fay."

"Exactly," whispered Merlin with a grin. He kissed her, and the world around Athena disappeared, only to re-form in an empty courtyard.

She looked down at her necklace, thinking hard. Then she wandered back to her bed, feeling as though she was in a daze.


One day, a little over a week since her second encounter with the necklace's vision, Athena rose early on a Saturday morning and wandered the corridors of Hogwarts under the soft light of early morning. The castle was blissfully quiet and still, and Athena floated in and out of rays of light as she passed by open arches leading to the corridors.

At last, she came to the grand staircase and stopped in front of a very large portrait.

It was Merlin.

Athena tilted her head, and the aged, white-bearded wizard in the portrait tilted his head back at her. Merlin had painted this portrait himself, and he had enchanted it with a cognizance far beyond the awareness of other magical paintings. Athena had never thought to speak to it; many people came to Merlin's portrait seeking wisdom, and sometimes the painted wizard would offer cryptic replies, but most often he looked upon the students in thoughtful silence, frowning when they misbehaved and nodding in approval when they didn't.

"Hello," said Athena.

The painted Merlin looked at Athena, but he did not speak. He was quite different than the young wizard with the mischievous grin Athena had glimpsed in the vision. She considered questioning him about Morgana, but she knew he was unlikely to speak, so she turned and leaned against a wall next to an open archway, thinking on everything she knew about Merlin and Morgana.

Athena had spent many, many years reading texts about Morgan le Fay, and Merlin was always mentioned in them. After all, he had been the only wizard she'd ever feared; at least, that's what the texts always said. Some had mentioned they'd gone to school together, and a few of them had brought up the "closeness" the two had shared, but Athena had never understood that closeness until she saw them together. Was that why Merlin had taken so long to finally bring Morgana to justice? Because he loved her? Or was it because he feared her?

Their battle had taken place so long ago, only a fraction of testimony from the time period still existed. Everything else was hearsay, elaborations upon guesses upon theories. All anyone was certain of was that Merlin had won. He had defeated Morgan le Fay, and her reign of terror had finally been brought to a stop.

But the story of Morgana was much more complex than that, Athena knew. Morgana was – even in Athena's lifetime – considered the most powerful dark witch who ever lived. She would have snuffed out Bellatrix Lestrange like a candle.

Enchantress. Healer. Seductress. Duelist. Shape-shifter. Morgana was herself a weapon, able to conjure whatever she needed to aid her at a moment's notice. There was also a rumor that she had been the first-ever female Legilimens, though Athena was not sure how much credence to give that.

Now, all of this made more sense to Athena. Morgana did not simply possess great magical ability; she had been strengthened by the teachings of the most famous wizard of all time, Merlin himself - not to mention the counsel of four great British witches and wizards like the Hogwarts founders. It was no wonder she had grown to do such great and terrible things.

And yet, she had met her end. No one was quite sure how he had done it, or where Morgana's final resting place lay, but Merlin had utterly destroyed her, that much was certain. What the act had done to him, however, no one could ever be sure of. The texts all said Merlin was greatly reticent after Morgana's downfall, and he spoke of it only rarely in his remaining years.

The portrait of Merlin watched her with an eerie intensity that seemed out of place in a painting. The expression embedded in the oils and brush strokes was unnaturally aware.

"Hm," said Athena thoughtfully. Then she left the portrait alone, and it watched her until she disappeared around a corner and out of sight.


Classes went on much as before, and Athena did her best not to cause any mayhem. Without Parvartus and Marseille around, this was actually quite easy for her. However, it also made her terribly sad and bored.

It was perhaps for this reason that Athena's temper rose so quickly on the day she brushed by Brenuin in the Ravenclaw Common Room. At first, Athena did not realize who she had knocked into, and she stooped to pick up her fallen books with only a small huff. "Apologies," Athena said listlessly.

"I don't want your apologies," sneered Brenuin. Others in the common room looked up.

Athena's eyes narrowed on the heart-shaped face of Brenuin. "Good," said Athena. "I will gladly take them back."

"And what about that day in Diagon Alley?" hissed Brenuin, stepping in Athena's path. "Do you offer 'apologies' for that, too?"

"No," said Athena with a flat expression. "You and your stupid friend deserved it."

Brenuin's eyes widened. "So you admit you did it!"

Athena shrugged, unconcerned.

Brenuin growled and stomped her foot. "You are a bloody lunatic! Mad and terrible and dangerous!"

Athena stepped closer, narrowed features severe. "Which is why it makes no sense for you to TEST ME!" she screamed in a sudden bellowing yell, causing Brenuin to stumble back, eyes wide with fear. Athena's gaze swept over the stunned common room, and there was not a single friendly face to be seen. Fury filled her again, and she snatched her books to her chest before running out of the common room, angry tears burning the corners of her eyes.

All she wanted was to study and be left alone. She wanted Parvartus and Marseille to herself, she wanted to be at home, and she wanted everyone else to be GONE.

"Poof," she whispered to herself tearfully as she stomped down the corridor. "Vanish. All of them."

She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes, shifting to feel around for her necklace. Pulling it out, she held the silver eagle in her hand and thought back to what she'd seen. Merlin and Morgana… Morgana's anger at being left out, of being treated differently because of her power.

Furious, Athena dropped her necklace and ripped off her Ravenclaw tie, throwing it to the ground and stomping on it. "You picked wrong!" she shouted at the navy and bronze tie, before letting out another sob.

"Athena?"

She turned swiftly to see Parvartus. All at once, her whole heart lifted, and she hurried to him and jumped in his arms. Parvartus wrapped her up immediately, inclining his head against hers. "What is it?" he asked over and over, but Athena simply shook her head against his front. He spotted her tie on the floor, and moving with her still under one arm, he picked it up.

As soon as Athena looked up at his face, she knew she did not have to explain. Parvartus knew. He always knew.

"Don't listen to them…" he whispered to her.

His kind features looked down on her, and Athena remembered – in a strange flash – how Merlin had looked at Morgana, and how he had stroked her face and kissed her. She waited, thinking – just perhaps – that this would mirror that experience as well.

But Parvartus' hands remained on her arms, and despite his tender look and the flicker of emotion in his eyes, he simply touched her head and took her hand, walking with her away from the Ravenclaw tower and to their makeshift common room. Marseille was nowhere to be found, so they sat together and worked on their homework, each quiet and thoughtful.


That very evening, Marseille Zabini reclined in the Slytherin dormitory on his bed. He had drawn his bed curtains closed because he liked the privacy. One of the other boys – Alan Carrow – had made a comment once about Marseille "ogling" them while they were changing, but Marseille had simply asked why he would bother doing that when there wasn't a whole cock to be found between the lot of them, and no one had said anything since.

Out of sight and beyond his curtains, Marseille heard some of the other boys enter. From the voices, he knew they were Prince, Carrow, and Milton. They did not seem to know Marseille was in his bed, as they couldn't see him and they didn't bother to keep their voices down.

"You going to Hogsmeade next week?" asked Carrow.

It was Charles Prince who answered. "I don't know," he said as he moved over to his bed, near Marseille's. Marseille heard the sounds of a bed squeaking, and then the thunk of shoes as Charles pulled them off and dropped them on the floor. "I think I might ask Athena if she'll go to the Hog's Head with me."

Marseille rolled his eyes in the semi-darkness of his enclosed bed. Good luck, he thought sarcastically.

"Why do you even bother with her?" asked Carrow. "She's bloody mental."

"Shut up," said Charles sharply. "I told you not to call her that."

"Why shouldn't I?" asked Carrow. "What do you like her so much for anyhow? It's not like she's anything to look at."

Marseille shifted just a little and peeked between the curtains in time to see Charles shoot an angry look in the other boy's direction. "Like you have any taste," said Charles flatly, taking off his watch and setting it next to his bed. He was doing his best to look casual, but Marseille could see the anger simmering under the other boy's skin. Charles was not adept at hiding his temper, and he was not nearly as placid as his brother. He shot off at the mouth a lot, and he'd lost more than his fair share of house points because of it.

"Better than you!" crowed Carrow. "Athena Malfoy is a nutter."

"I said, shut up!" growled Charles, rounding to face Carrow again, but the other Slytherin simply laughed and folded his arms.

"Fine, Prince. Go after her." He turned away, shrugging off his cloak. "All you're gonna find under those robes is a weirdo with a skinny body and no tits."

The words were barely out of his mouth before Charles snatched up his wand and snapped it in Carrow's direction. "Suturis!"

The spell hit Carrow like a punch in the face. His head jerked back, his hands flew up to his mouth, and he gave a muffled shriek before he righted himself with a stumble and dropped his arms. His mouth was now stitched shut.

Ooh, thought Marseille with a satisfied smirk. Going to have to remember that one.

Carrow let out an angry yell, but it was muted by his magically sealed mouth, which he clawed at desperately. Charles lowered his wand and narrowed his eyes at Carrow before setting it aside. "I told you to shut up," was all he said, while Milton watched from his bed. In a typical show of Slytherin sympathy, he smirked and shrugged at the frantic Carrow.

"Should've kept your mouth shut," he said before changing into his pajamas.

Carrow glared heatedly before stomping out. Charles did not pay him any attention, and instead fell back onto his bed, pulling one arm behind his head. As Marseille continued to watch, he sighed up at the bed canopy and then turned on his side, closing his eyes even as he lay fully-clothed atop the covers.

Marseille frowned thoughtfully and laid back against his bed again.


Unfortunately for Marseille, the next day was rather terrible.

Even though he'd been neglecting Athena and Parvartus to spend a lot of time with Dev, his boyfriend had taken to bringing his stupid Gryffindor friends along with them often, which Marseille thought was outrageously hypocritical. He felt bad that Athena was clearly suffering alone, and he also (although he wouldn't admit it if someone had a wand to his head) sort-of missed Parvartus because now he had no one to complain to (because Dev was always so optimistic and just awful at commiserating with).

So it seemed really annoying to him that Dev found it perfectly alright to bring his stupid Gryffindor friends along with them on trips to Hogsmeade or to the lake when Marseille's friends were forced to be on their own. Unwisely, Marseille had let these feelings simmer to a boiling point, and by the time he finally said something, the argument quickly devolved into a screaming match that had left them both angry and hurt.

All of this left Marseille in an awful temper, and he spent the entire lovely spring day glaring at anything in front of his eyeballs: his textbook, the professor, the walls, his food.

At the end of classes, he sat outside in a courtyard by himself, unsure of whether or not he should try to find Dev, or Athena, or Parvartus.

"Hey."

Marseille looked up to see Dev standing against a backdrop of night sky scattered with stars. Well, decision made. Dev it was.

"Hi," said Marseille in a not very friendly voice.

Dev sat down next to him and frowned at his hands. "I'm sorry," he said quite genuinely. "You're right. I shouldn't be bringing my friends around if you aren't."

"Why don't we just BOTH spend time with our friends?" asked Marseille flatly. "You know, like normal people?"

"Because your friends are – " started Dev, and then he stopped himself and sighed. "Nothing. I don't know."

Marseille looked out at the setting sun. "I can't help but feel like relationships aren't supposed to be this hard."

Dev shrugged. "My mum and dad always made it look easy. But I think that's because they didn't really love each other." He looked over at Marseille. "It's not difficult to avoid a fight when you don't care what the other people thinks or feels."

Marseille nodded slowly. "Well, if arguing is a measure of love, my parents are bloody heartsick for each other."

Dev smiled a little. He shifted, hesitantly reaching up a hand. Marseille glanced over, eyeing the extended hand for a long moment. Then he sighed, sounding aggrieved, and clapped his hand over Dev's.

"Such enthusiasm," said Dev with a grin.

"Shut up," murmured Marseille with no venom. He kissed Dev's head with a grimace as if he'd been forced, and Dev snickered. They stayed like that for a moment. A few feet away, a trio of snickering witches came shuffling by. They did not seem to notice Marseille and Dev.

"… see her get out of that one!"

"Ugly little imp!"

Marseille's eyes narrowed. The girls disappeared around a corner, and he shifted to look around the courtyard. The witches had come from the other side of the castle, where the lake was. Dev didn't seem concerned. "Come on," he said, standing. "It's nearly curfew."

"Go ahead," said Marseille. "I'm going to check something out."

Dev's brows furrowed. "You're going to get in trouble if you go out on the grounds at this time of night!"

"Didn't you hear those girls?" asked Marseille sharply. "They have someone trapped out there." Someone that was probably Athena.

Before Dev could protest further, Marseille left him in the courtyard and went out onto the grounds of Hogwarts, looking all around in the moonlit night. He held up his wand and whispered, "Lumos" before going further.

It took twenty minutes of searching, but at last he found her – and sure enough, it was Athena, calf-deep in some sort of magical muck that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. She was several yards away from the castle, nearly on the other side of the lake.

"Oh, Marseille!" she said gleefully when she saw him. She held out her arms. "I'm stuck."

Sighing heavily, Marseille hurried over to her. "How did you manage this?" he asked, and Athena made a face.

"Those awful girls trapped me out here while I was looking for grindylow in the lake."

Marseille scowled irritably. Hewrapped his arms around her and pulled, gently at first and then more firmly when he felt how stuck she was. "We're late for curfew, you know!" he growled between grunts of effort.

"I – Ow! – I know that," said Athena.

With one last great heave, Marseille yanked Athena out of the muck and stumbled back with her in his arms, panting. Together, they looked down at Athena's now bare feet, and she frowned.

"Those were my favorite shoes," she said morosely.

Exhaling loudly, Marseille walked Athena over to a broken stone column and perched her on it. "I'm not going in there for your damn shoes," he told her, before he heard a professor calling for them from the front of the castle. "Just great, Athena! Now we're both going to lose house points!"

Athena shrugged. "House points are a valueless and arbitrary system," she informed him.

Frustrated, Marseille tossed up his arms. "Bloody hell, Athena! THIS is why people don't like you!" he exploded, and Athena jerked, startled. "House points MATTER to people," Marseille went on fiercely. "Not getting interrupted in class all the time MATTERS to people! Being able to eat their meals without fear you've put some kind of experimental alchemical substance in it MATTERS to people! Merlin's beard!"

Athena frowned and looked at her lap.

Suddenly, Marseille felt all the anger leave him. He dropped his arms, feeling inklings of regret already stirring in his limbs. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I just – fight with Dev, and … " he sighed, before turning and offering his back and shoulders to Athena. "Come on, I'll take you inside."

Athena stayed quiet, reaching forward and clinging to Marseille's back as he walked her inside. His stomach turned unpleasantly at how slack she felt against him. Her face, he could tell, was hidden between his shoulder blades.

He cleared his throat, uncomfortable with how upset he'd made her. He'd never seen her look so crestfallen.

"Hey," he said suddenly. "Let's think of some fun ways of getting back at those witches. Something really scarring, you know?"

Athena didn't lift her head. "I don't want to get revenge on them," she murmured sadly against his back. "It never works, anyway… People pick on me no matter what I do."

Marseille continued to trudge towards the castle, his arms under Athena's knees.

"Well… that's because they're stupid," he told her, frowning. "And they're just jealous because you're smart. And a Malfoy."

Athena's face buried itself in his robes again, and she said nothing. It was clear she didn't believe him, and Marseille felt his guilt grow. He couldn't think of anything else to say, though, so he simply walked Athena back up to the castle and let Professor Burke reprimand them both, taking ten points each from Slytherin and Ravenclaw.

After that, Marseille walked Athena all the way to Ravenclaw tower, because the floors were cold and he didn't want her to have to walk barefoot. As soon as they reached the portrait, Athena slid off his back and went to it without looking at him.

"Good night," said Marseille rather awkwardly, wanting to say something to her.

The portrait swung open. "Good night," murmured Athena without looking at him. Then she walked into the Ravenclaw tower, shoulders hunched.


Athena worked on her necklace all night. It was the only thing that gave her focus, direction. And every few days, it seemed she made more and more progress.

She saw more visions, more memories. And each of them centered around Morgana.

Athena watched, hypnotized, as Morgana and Merlin worked together to create the foundation of magical knowledge, to test the boundaries of magical power.

And then she saw other things, too.

Morgana with Helena Ravenclaw, walking together in the corridors with their arms linked. Helena was younger than Morgana by a few years, and it was clear she admired her. The two would whisper together, sometimes giggling, and Morgana's eyes would flash in a peculiar way and Athena would watch.

No one ever noticed her, and she passed through walls and objects with the ease of a spirit. She could never go far from Morgana, or the memory seemed to vanish and Athena was once more in the present. But as time went on, and Athena grew more and more adept with her tinkering, she found ways to move through the memories at what seemed like her own will.

Morgana was everything the stories had said about her, and more.

In those days, and during those lonely times, Athena felt a kinship with Morgana. Many of the other students – or at least those she glimpsed in the memories – scorned Morgana, calling her dark and a Muggle-hater. But Athena did not see that. She saw Morgana testing the limits of magical theory, conjuring that which had never been conjured, and sheltering the shy and reticent Helena.

"Don't worry, child…" Morgana said to Helena one day, stroking back the timid girl's hair from her face. "You have all the power and potential of your mother. Never doubt it. You are great."

The look of hope and glee on Helena's face was intriguing to Athena. She wondered if Ravenclaw herself did not say these things to Helena. Did she neglect her in some way? Or was she simply too stern to express such tender encouragement? Athena felt a tendril of bitterness towards Ravenclaw grow.

Morgana was doing for this girl that which Ravenclaw should have rightly done.

If only she had someone like that here in Hogwarts, thought Athena. If only she had someone – a witch, especially – to admire her and encourage her.

Despondent, Athena went to bed with her necklace in hand, dreaming dreams of the past.


"I'm afraid Luna's trip had to be post-poned," Professor Longbottom told her sadly. "I know she misses you, and she promises she'll see you soon."

Athena registered this news only faintly. She was not sure why, but she had doubted Luna would come, even though the older witch had never failed to do so before. Athena was not sure where this resentment was coming from, but it felt hot and itchy in her chest.

She nodded to Longbottom without a word and went on her way.

This was a bad day, but Athena would make it. She had to.

And then came the day – just a few days later - that everything fell apart, and the tenuous deck of cards that had become Athena's life collapsed entirely.


The day in question did not begin well.

Athena awoke feeling very ill, body heavy with the sort of sickness that came with misery. Athena had always been susceptible to this, and she had spent many days in the past lying in bed as her mental weariness took the form of physical symptoms.

This was the first time this had happened in a while, but Athena felt no sense in fighting it, so she stayed in her bed while everyone else happily left the castle to go to Hogsmeade.

Parvartus Nott was one of these, and he was quite nervous.

"I should be back at the castle with Athena," he murmured to Marseille as they prepared to climb into the carriages.

After the night he'd had with Athena, Marseille was beginning to think this was a terrible idea, too. Unfortunately, Parvartus had already asked the poor girl to have lunch with him, and it was clear she was very excited. As soon as they saw Eleanor bounding in their direction, Marseille faced Parvartus with a sigh.

"You may as well go. It's not as if you can sit at Athena's bedside anyway."

He hadn't told Parvartus about the night at the lake. He didn't want to admit what he said, or that Athena was being bullied so badly without either of them there to vouch for her. Marseille hated guilt, and he hated admitting it even more.

Parvartus looked at the earnest expression of Eleanor as she came up to them, and he knew he couldn't simply turn her away. Nodding to Marseille, he went with Eleanor to a carriage and they headed into Hogsmeade together.

Truthfully, Parvartus had a very nice time with Eleanor. They were able to talk easily, and she quickly proved herself to be both clever and polite. She had a cute sense of humor – lighter and more wholesome than Parvartus was used to, but nice nonetheless.

Parvartus enjoyed himself, and Eleanor seemed to do the same. They walked after the lunch and browsed some stores, and nothing strange happened. No mishaps. No confrontations. No blow-ups (figurative or literal). All in all, it was a very nice afternoon.

And yet, as the trip came to an end and Parvartus looked at Eleanor's sweet face, he felt nothing but friendship for her. Perhaps this was an unfair assessment to make after only one afternoon, but Parvartus' couldn't help it. His heart tugged at the thought of Athena alone in bed, and he remembered what she was like at home – happy, excited, devious. She was courageous in her own way and would do anything – anything at all – for Parvartus and Marseille. Not many people saw this side of her, but it was true. To those few who mattered, Athena was as loyal as any Hufflepuff.

"… really, really enjoyed today," Eleanor was saying.

Parvartus paused, instantly feeling bad that he'd been thinking about Athena while Eleanor was talking. Turning to face her, he breathed in deeply and gave Eleanor a small smile. He really didn't like hurting anyone's feelings, and Eleanor was terribly sweet. But he wasn't going to lie to her.

However, as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, Eleanor closed the distance between them and kissed his lips. Parvartus' eyes widened, and he paused, unsure what to do. Eleanor's lips hesitated and then pressed again to his, her fingers lightly touching his front. Parvartus inclined his head just a little, the warmth of her mouth and the tingle of his body urging him to press back into the kiss.

And for a moment, he did. It just felt so nice.

Then he pulled away, clearing his throat and taking a step back. He gave her a quick apologetic smile. "Eleanor, I'm – I'm sorry." He bit his lip. "I don't think we should go out again."

Eleanor's eyes widened, and she quickly dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry, I – "

"No, no." Parvartus held up his hands. "You were lovely, and this was great, I just – I – " He dragged a hand over his face. "I think I just… "

"…love Athena Malfoy?" she finished with only a hint of bitterness. Parvartus' eyes widened, and Eleanor gave him a soft smile.

"I was hoping you'd… you know, maybe given up on her…" Eleanor admitted. "I mean, you asked me out – "

"I know, and I … I really do think you're great," admitted Parvartus. "But you deserve to go out with someone with more attention to offer you than me. I thought I might, but you're right. I … I do love Athena." He flapped his arms helplessly. He felt very bad, but at least Eleanor didn't seem surprised.

"I understand," she said softly.

Parvartus offered to walk her back to the carriages, which she let him do. She rode back with her friends, though, and Parvartus rode back with Marseille, who had convinced Dev to go on without him.

"Well? What did you learn?" asked Marseille with a smirk.

Parvartus looked down at his hands and smiled. "I miss Athena," he said simply.

Marseille sighed heavily. "Yes… so do I."

Parvartus grinned. On the ride back to Hogwarts, the pair of best friends caught up on all the things they'd missed with each other, and then they planned something special to do for Athena to cheer her up.

They did not know that Charles Prince had been shortly behind them, ever watchful.


Back at the castle, Athena had dragged herself out of bed, showered, and come miserably down to the courtyards to await the return of the students. However, it was not Parvartus or Marseille who found her first.

It was Charles Prince.

Athena did not notice him at first, and Charles hesitated, pausing to gather himself before he approached her. "Athena?"

Athena looked up, blinked blearily at Charles, and then put her chin back in her hand. She was sitting on a low stone wall, waiting tiredly. "Yes?"

Charles came to sit next to her. "There's something I need to tell you. Something I saw in Hogsmeade earlier."

Athena looked over at him, still not particularly interested.

Her attention sharpened at Charles' next words, though, and as he told her about the events of the day, she found her heart sink lower and lower in her chest. Parvartus at Hogsmeade with Eleanor. Sharing a carriage with her. Going to lunch.

And then – the kiss.

By the time Parvartus and Marseille appeared, Athena was standing in front of Charles with her weary face stricken and her hands clenched in claw-like motions at her sides. Parvartus hurried towards her with a smile, only to slow when he saw Charles.

When he spotted Athena's face, his expression shifted. Immediately, he glared at Charles and stalked up to the pair, getting between them. "What did you say to her, Prince?" he snapped. "Go away."

But when he reached for Athena, she jerked away from him. Behind them, Marseille came up, looking nervously between the other teens.

"You," murmured Athena, eyes shining with tears as she looked up at Parvartus' bewildered features. "You went on a date with someone?"

Parvartus' eyes widened, and he glanced quickly at Charles, who folded his arms and raised both brows smugly at Parvartus. Parvartus carefully controlled his face and looked back to Athena.

"It wasn't – I mean, it wasn't like – " He stopped, making a distressed noise. "I – Athena, I didn't think you would… you would mind or – "

A jolt of misery jumped Athena's spine, making her tremble. Her whole face crumbled, and tears began to spill down her cheeks. Parvartus' expression of horror grew.

"No, no – Athena, look, it wasn't – I thought you wouldn't care!"

Athena pulled her shoulders forward, looking for all the world like she might have a full-on convulsion. Charles did not look as satisfied anymore, and his brows furrowed worriedly.

"But you – you kissed me," Athena whimpered, and Parvartus' heart dropped into his stomach as he realized he had made a very grave error in judgment.

"And you ran away!" he tried desperately. "I thought – I thought that meant you didn't want it – "

"Did you kiss that girl?" asked Athena tearfully, and Parvartus' whole face and neck grew flushed. Marseille waved wildly from behind Athena, mouthing LIE, LIE YOU IDIOT.

But Parvartus couldn't. "I - … She kissed me," he admitted in a small voice.

Marseille slapped a hand on his face.

Athena burst into tears – not angry, heated tears, but agonized sobs.

"But I didn't – and I told her I didn't want to go out again, and I – "

"Shut up, Nott," said Charles, pushing past him to Athena. Instead of going to Charles, though, Athena turned and hurried away, shoving past groups of returning students and disappearing into the crowd.

"Athena!" exclaimed Parvartus, his voice cracking, but Athena had vanished. "ARGH!" He shouted furiously, feeling terror and guilt like never before. He clawed furiously at his cloak, ripping it off and hurling it to the ground.

Then he rounded to face Charles Prince, whose eyes shifted from concerned to sharp as soon as they landed on Parvartus.

"You," growled Parvartus. "This is all your bloody fault!"

"Me?" repeated Charles, before folding his arms and giving Parvartus a cocky look. "You're the one stupid enough to go on a date with another girl when clearly Athena thought you two were together!"

"HOW COULD I HAVE POSSIBLY KNOWN THAT?" bellowed Parvartus.

"Maybe by asking her?" muttered Marseille with a wave of his hand.

"Shut up!" snapped Parvartus at Marseille. "This whole thing was your bloody idea!"

Marseille drummed his fingers on his arms. "Valid point," he murmured, not looking happy either.

Parvartus rounded on Charles again. "And you – you think you're so clever, telling Athena about everything before I had the chance to talk to her. Well, guess what, Prince? Your efforts are for NOTHING. Do you want to know why?" He advanced on Charles, who glared at him. "Athena doesn't like you, Charles. She doesn't care about you. She never has, and she never will."

Charles' glare deepened. Nearby, Dev came up to the group and wisely kept his mouth shut, looking uncertain.

"Athena will never date you," seethed Parvartus. "She doesn't even think about you when you're not right in front of her, and she's told me that herself, so give it up already!"

This time, Charles' expression registered some shock and hurt. He immediately covered it up with another glare as Parvartus brushed roughly past him.

But Charles wasn't done. Before Parvartus could pass by him, Charles snatched the arm of his robes.

"Yes, well, let's hope you treat women better than your father did," he hissed lowly, and Parvartus' eyes widened. Charles released him roughly, his voice too low to carry to the others. "And I mean your real father," he went on with a sneer, "not that half-brother, half- uncle, replacement father you have at home."

"Shut your mouth," growled Parvartus with hot tears burning in his eyes.

"Face it, Nott," said Charles venomously, his voice hoarse with emotion. "…You are nothing more than the bastard rape-spawn of a Death Eater."

He stepped away, leaving Parvartus stricken in his spot. For a few seconds, Parvartus remained frozen. Then he heaved in a deep breath.

"PRINCE!" he roared.

Charles had barely turned to face him with Parvartus struck him in the face with enough force to send Charles straight to the ground.

"Bloody hell!" Marseille exclaimed in alarm, but no sooner had he reacted than Parvartus jumped onto Charles and prepared to hit him again. Two Slytherins jumped on him, tackling him to the ground, and a third pulled out his wand to fire on Parvartus as he grappled with the Slytherins.

Marseille and Dev both leaped forward, hurling their wands in the direction of the third Slytherin.

"STUPEFY!"

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

The Slytherin student went flying, as did one of those on Parvartus' back. With a furious yell, Parvartus tossed off the last Slytherin just as Charles recovered enough to jump up and tackle him. They landed on the ground with Charles on top, but he was so much smaller that Parvartus simply flung him off and jumped up, snatching the collar of Charles' robes and yanking him right off the ground as the younger wizard let out a cry as Parvartus slammed him into a fountain.

More Slytherins joined the fight, coming in from Hogsmeade, and Hufflepuffs rushed to help Parvartus. Dev and Marseille were still grappling with Charles' friends, fighting and hexing in equal turns. Someone saw Dev get hit in the stomach by a Slytherin, and a slew of Gryffindors raced over from the carriages, resulting in an all-out brawl that took over the courtyard. Others went screaming from the chaos, and some went for the professors.

Meanwhile, Parvartus remained just distracted enough to keep from beating Charles into a coma, though he gave it his best effort. Charles fought valiantly, but he simply could not overpower Parvartus or even reach his own wand. With a furious yell, Parvartus punched Charles in the face again and then shoved him as hard as he could into a stone fountain so that Charles flipped over the edge and into the water, which quickly became red with blood.

It was then that McGonagall stormed the massive fight, and students scrambled to stop hitting and hexing so they could get out of her way.

With one wave of her wand, every boy in the courtyard was in his own space, uncomfortably confined by invisible bonds with his hands at his sides. Professor Longbottom hurriedly fished Charles' semi-conscious body out of the fountain so he wouldn't drown.

"Never…" said McGonagall severely, "in all my years as an educator have I seen such blatant and disrespectful behavior." She scanned the group of some forty bruised and beaten wizards. "And from every house!"

Marseille, who had a black eye, looked over at some Ravenclaws. "What are you lot even doing here?"

One of them shrugged as much as he could under the confines of the spell. "Saw some blokes fighting, figured we'd join in."

Marseille sighed heavily. "Morons."

"Silence!" snapped McGonagall, and then she gestured to the gather Heads of Houses. "Gather your students, see them to the Medical Wing, and then…" she sighed heavily. "Decide on your punishments." She lifted her chin. "Whatever conclusion you come to… I will be sure to add my own."

Her eyes flickered to Parvartus Nott, who looked sullenly at the ground, lip busted and cheek bruised. "Come with me, Mister Nott," she said gravely, releasing his spell. "Everyone else… Back to your houses."

Parvartus glanced at Marseille, who was separated from a battered Dev, and they passed Charles, who was barely aware of what was going on as Madam Geta helped monitor him on the way to the Medical Wing.

But even as she led him away, Parvartus did not apologize or speak up. Instead, he simply let McGonagall lead him away in silence, eyes low and dark.


Author's Note: So I know all of this is messy and somewhat convoluted, but… I mean, high school, amiright. I actually had a similar experience to Athena when I was her age. It was not a pleasant time in my life.