In Which Angeline Confronts Hwan Yong

Angeline and her friends had classes to attend, indeed. They were all busy studying, Angeline especially. She was almost constantly in the library to find the supplementary information she needed to complete her extensive essays and in depth reports on this subject or that. In fact, she was such a staple that she had quite by accident taken over a table near the back, a long mahogany affair in aching need of repair. However, the girl found something of home in the faded glory of the wobbly table, and soon even Madam Pince left the girl be in her space.

Fred would occasionally join Angeline, complaining in quiet mumbles about the state of the table as he read various potions books and tomes. He would also remark on her utilization of the entirety of the table, and it was certainly true; there would always be at least five reference books open at various points spread along the table, Angeline's pages of notes spread among them, piles of more reference material stacked around this, and the girl's actual essay in the middle of it all. It was James Oswin's reaction when he stumbled upon the scene for the first time that truly highlighted the slightly ridiculous side of the situation.

"Good God, girl, are you writing an essay or building a fort against the other books?" he asked, walking around the table slowly.

"Writing an essay, of course, do not be daft," Angeline huffed, painstakingly skimming an older volume for a particular detail she had forgotten.

"Could have fooled me," James said, coming to peer over her shoulder. The girl sighed, marking her spot with her finger to look over at the older boy.

"Did you need something?"

"Ah, yes," Oswin said. "I was looking for Vizenda's Trials; when it wasn't on the shelf, Madam Pince sent me back here."

"Right. Ah…" Angeline sighed, looking over at her many stacks of reference material. From behind his copy of Potions to Prevail for Every Ail, Fred rolled his eyes. The young Weasley sat crossed-legged upon a stool, as not to take up any of the room on the table. James held up a hand.

"I've got it," he said, taking out his wand. He gave it a flick. "Accio Vizenda's Trials!"

The book flew out from the bottom of one stack surrounded by two others, knocking all three to the ground with a resounding chorus of thuds. James caught the book, jumping back to avoid Angeline as she jumped to her feet.

"Bother!" she said, running to the felled books. She began picking them up swiftly as she could, Fred and Oswin quickly coming to help.

"You couldn't have seen that one coming?" Fred accused. Oswin huffed a sigh.

"How could I? Besides, I'm not the one monopolizing the books in the library," he said.

"I would have recalled where it was in a minute if you had only been more patient," Angeline said.

Before Oswin could reply, there was the sound of a woman noisily clearing her throat. The three students froze, then slowly peeked over the table. Madam Pince stood, glaring at them as she tapped her foot. The three slowly sank back down.

"So, you spoke too loudly in the library, put… precious books at peril of being damaged, and disrupted other students with your racket," Professor Longbottom said, clearly quoting what Madam Pince had told him. Besides him, Professor Flitwick shook his head sadly.

"Mister Oswin, I can only say I am disappointed," he said. The Ravenclaw, as well as the two Gryffindor's, stood hanging their heads in front of the Heads of their respective Houses.

"Professor Flitwick and I have decided to take ten points from each of you, and three days detention," Neville said. At which Fred's head popped up near audibly.

"But, Professor, that means we won't be able to attend the Halloween Feast!"

"Yes, it does Mister Weasley, and given your family history, it might be for the best," Professor Longbottom said, and Fred hung his head again. "Now, off with you lot."

"Well," Fred said as they walked away, "it could have been worse."

Naturally, it was.

For the night of the Halloween Feast, Professor Gorby was in charge of detention. It was also Hwan's last day of detention for attempting to blow Angeline up. As such, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher sent James and Fred to patrol the main corridor and make sure no one was sneaking off during the feast, while Hwan and Angeline were sent to patrol a long, dark corridor that was hardly ever used for the same purpose.

Being thus assigned, the unlikely pair walked down the hall on opposite sides, not saying a single word for the entirety of two hours.

"Do you hate me?"

"What?" Hwan asked, stopping to stare at Angeline. She met his gaze evenly.

"Do you hate me?" she asked. Hwan gawked at her, then sputtered.

"I tried to blow you up!" he yelled. Angeline sighed.

"Why does everyone come back to that?"

Hwan stared a bit longer, then shook his head and started walking again. Angeline jogged a bit to catch up.

"You didn't answer my question," she said. Hwan shook his head again.

"I think I did," he said.

"No, you didn't," Angeline said, easily keeping pace with the shorter Slytherin.

"What do you want me to say?" Hwan asked, speeding up.

"The truth," Angeline said, as if it were the only response that made any sense to her. Hwan stopped in his tracks, causing the girl to take a step or so past him before turning.

"I tried to blow you up. Does that mean nothing to you?" he asked. Angeline blinked.

"Do you hate me?" she asked. "I thought it was a simple question."

"I… I…" Hwan started, then sighed. "No. No, I don't hate you."

"Alright then," Angeline said, and turned to continue walking. Hwan sputtered, then caught up to her.

"That's it?" he asked.

"What else is there?" Angeline asked. Hwan opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked away, then shrugged. They walked down the hall a ways in silence.

"We don't have to like… be friends now, do we?" Hwan asked. Angeline looked over at him.

"Not if you do not want to be," she said. Hwan immediately looked forward.

"Of course not," he said. Angeline raised her brows, but said no more. Regardless, they continued their vigil side by side for the rest of the night. When they and the others met with Professor Gorby in his office at the appointed time, the man seemed disappointed.

"Very well. Off to bed then, all of you," Gorby said, waving them out of his office. As the four left, Hwan actually stopped Angeline with a hand on her wrist.

"Watch out for Gorby," the young Slytherin said. "He does hate you."

Without another word, Hwan left, headed to the Slytherin dorms. Fred looked after him in wonder, then looked at Angeline.

"Now what did you do?" he asked. Angeline blinked at him.

"I have not the faintest idea what you could mean," she said with utter sincerity. Then she turned and headed off for the Gryffindor common. Fred and James stared after her.

"Maybe he doesn't hate her?" Oswin said.

"You might be right about that," Fred said. "Which I don't understand, because she's really hard to like."

James shrugged his agreement, and the two boys bid each other farewell, yawning as they made their own way to their beds.