It would be about April before anyone bugged the group again. During the time before, Kevin and Marian continued having several loud arguments with each other, coming almost to blows with each other several times. They cut back on their late-night meetings. Scott managed to continue using his Innocence which was surprisingly a chain that he managed to honestly claim was the only thing left to him of his biological family. Larry continued to do research as did Marian, but in April was when Lavi decided his hair needed to return to its bright red color.
It was at breakfast as the owl post came in and each of them received their first letters ever that someone commented on his hair.
"Why would you make it so bright?" a Ravenclaw female asked as the ghosts floated through like always.
The students had yet to realize that even Peeves seemed to skirt around the four second years and their two friends.
"I kind of left the bleach in a bit too long," he lied as he noticed the exorcists in Ravenclaw narrow their eyes at him. Leslie more than Damien.
"I couldn't believe that Sarina brought that old photo with her!" Leslie whispered loud enough to Damien that she could be heard by the new redhead. "I mean I didn't think she was quite that enamored of the redhead!"
"I don't really think she brought it, Les," Damien sighed miserably.
He'd been stuck between the two bickering girls since the last time they'd all argued with Marian and his crew about Scott returning with which group he chose. Not that Damien cared about Scott, but when HQ wanted something they got it or the betrayers were killed upon return. It had been that way since they'd had to be secretive do to mass hysteria and issues against anything suspiciously like magic, again.
"Even if I had," said girl was walking by just at that moment, "I wouldn't let you know about it."
Larry quickly ducked out of the room remembering that Sarina had once been enamored of his picture and brains, and hoping she'd gotten over it.
"Now? You choose now, idiot rabbit?" Kanda stalked him out of the room to demand.
"Mr. Potter said we weren't doing boggarts this year," he tried to change the subject.
"I don't give a fuck, rabbit. What I care about is our cover almost being blown because you decide now is a good time to change your hair color!"
"Kevin, could you keep it down," Marian yelled at his friends, "I've already got to deal with one headache I don't want to deal with others. I think red hair suits you, Larry."
Larry blanched, but didn't answer as he headed to go to either the library or class.
At lunch, Sarina was glaring at the flamboyant yet miserable boy. It was as though he'd been through something traumatic without really experiencing it. That afternoon during Marian and Kevin's double potions class, one of the ghosts floated in. It was Peeves.
"The Bloody Baron sent me," he said before Hermione had a chance to ask him to leave. "Marian and Kevin are required at the entrance to the castle where the carriages come in. It seems there may be some things that have arrived for them.
Marian wasn't surprised, but Kevin let out angrily, "What the fuck!"
"Did you happen to read your letter this morning?"
"Why would I read anything that sister-complex scientist writes? It was probably going on and on about keeping boys away from his sister or he'd send one of his robots, which would break down at the barrier."
"Well that was the bulk of the letter, but he said he was sending one of the scientists with some packages for us. Information or concoctions or something. I really couldn't understand it. But from what I gathered it was important, so I asked the Bloody Baron if he wouldn't mind helping me keep an eye open for it. Thank you, Peeves. Go back to your pranks, now."
Peeves immediately left the room in the opposite direction that Marian and Kevin did.
Marian nor Kevin returned to class, and unbeknownst to their classmates Larry and Mathilda were summoned from their classes by their house ghosts. After getting their packages, they quickly moved to the Room of Requirement.
Once there, they all decided to stay out of sight for the rest of the day considering that there would be questions about why the ghosts would obey Marian and his friends.
The packages contained new concoctions that would only require once a week drinks. There was enough to get them through the rest of the year. In the Room of Requirement, Larry commented that the new exorcists were extremely stupid seeing as they'd kind of been obvious about who they were if the "idiot seven" as Kanda would refer to them, seriously thought about it.
"They are trying to do more than us, remember?" Marian had asked. "We had a year to get acclimated and for them to learn our little idiosyncracies. The fact that Kevin heals faster than it takes for him to get to the infirmary. They don't know that yet. They aren't certain. Not yet. Until we can be certain of our mission, I think we're stuck here."
